Kids

I feel like my to do list of things to see and places to visit constantly gets longer, with things rarely getting checked off. I finally got to do something that I've been meaning to since moving to Brooklyn, which was visit the Brooklyn Museum! My internship enables me to go to many museums for free with a guest, so I need to take advantage of it as much as I can! Ella came over yesterday and we spent the day wandering around Brooklyn - going to Prospect Park, the Museum and up and down Fifth Avenue in search of iced coffee and food. Our adventure clocked around six miles, which meant by the end of the day we couldn't wait to get our shoes off and just sit. Whenever Ella and I get together we are constantly in a fit of giggles. We become those girls that get stares at in public places for laughing too hard for far too long. We bring out the little kids in each other, which is why we tend to do activities like go on the carousel in Prospect Park and eat Mr. Softee after our visit to the Museum. 

The Brooklyn Museum has an expansive collection - including rooms and rooms of Egyptian art, something I'm very fond of. I took an Egyptian art class a couple semesters ago and I was entranced with it, especially the funerary objects. Just before we were leaving we found something that we both couldn't believe - the Visible Storage for Study room! Cases and drawers filled with furniture, bikes, clocks and of course miniature things. At first it seemed like a place we probably weren't allowed to be in. We checked to door to see if it was locked and then entered into the room, treading lightly incase we were yelled at because we had accidentally gone to a restricted section. Though the layout means it's hard to see items on the top shelves, it was one of the most interesting museum layouts I've seen. I felt like it combined two of my favorite things - libraries and museums.

After the museum we made alcoholic ice pops called poptails, which I haven't tried yet. After we made cocktails and sat out on the patio eating olives and crackers with brie, raspberries and honey. I had never had the cheese/berry/honey combination before, but I highly recommend it! All the items balance each other well and it's the perfect snack for a summer day - light and sweet. We watched Nanu run all over the porch, she's so happy when she is outside. Her ears are always perked up and listening, her eyes always watching the outdoor movements.

Berlin//Part 1

Curry wurst

Why is there a plaster cast of the Baptistry bronze doors?

Me and David

Me and Amy

Sandra and me

Jessica, Sandra and me

Getting to Berlin was so hectic, but I got here! I left on Friday morning and took a bus to the Pisa airport, two flights, a train and the metro! It was alot of hours of traveling, but I was relieved when I got in. I travelled alone, but I'm staying in a beautiful apartment with David, Nathan, Sandra, Jessica and Amy. I've been to Berlin before, but I'm happy to be back. It's a very industrial looking city while still being very beautiful. When I got in we immediately went out to dinner. I got a beer and a farmer's fry which had eggs, bacon, potatoes, sauerkraut and a slab of pork (what I would consider typical of Germany). After dinner we went food shopping to get some food to snack on. We hung out in the apartment and then went downtown. We ended up going to some bars and having a very relaxed night.

When we woke up yesterday we made our way to the shopping/market area. We went to see a part of the Berlin wall. It was a very sobering, humbling experience. We stopped in to warm ourselves (Germany is freezing) and get a bite to eat. After we went to the outdoor market and went shopping for warmer clothes. We then went to the island that has five museums on it. We split up because I wanted to go to a museum no one else did, the Neues museum. Germany has a large collection of Egyptian art because there are so many Germany archeologists excavating in Egypt. There prized possession is the statue bust of Nefertiti (or as my brother likes to call her, Neferdite). It was so beautiful! Afterwards we walked through the markets and then David and I walked home so we could get in more of the city. For dinner we went to a Mexican restaurant, I know it's probably not the first thing that comes to mind in Berlin, but it was crazy good. I got shrimp tacos and a margarita both were salty and delicious. We met up with a bunch of other people from NYU who are in Berlin and we decided to go out to the area with all the clubs. I am not one for clubs...at all, but it's Germany so how could I not? I ended up having the greatest time dancing the night away - literally. I didn't get home until after sunrise! First and last time that's going to happen.