i hope you have your oyster card!

pouncer had his own seat at the royal wedding

pouncer in london!

masch gut!!

germany is treating me very well. we arrived in bremen on friday night and i have stayed with a german friend who lives in hannover, and with  one who lives in göttingen. it has been enlightening. last night i was able to have a traditional bavarian delicacy that included fried potatoes, meat loaf, and a fried egg on top. it was very interesting, but it was very tasty. i enjoyed the meal. it has been so nice to just walk around germany looking at people, and just taking it all in. it is so funny, because as i walk around germany my friend has noticed that she will see people pointing and looking at my hair as i walk by them. haha. i have not noticed it, or thought my hair was such a big deal, but i guess people are not used to seeing my grade of hair in this style. haha.

oh.and on saturday i was able to go to my first european soccer game. we had awesome seats. and must i say again the food i ate at the soccer game was delicious. we had bratwurst, and that little dog was so good. so good. one of the most memorable things about being in different countries has been tasting the different foods at each country. it is a big part of the culture to taste the food, and i have definitely been indulging in the food of each country.i had two gelato ice cream cones yesterday.yes two.haha. the flavors were so tasty. they had one flavor that tasted like ferrer rocher chocolates, and they had this other flavor of ice cream that looked grey. but it was so delicious. for my second ice cream cone, i just went over to the stand and just selected two flavors without the translation from katha, our german friend. and they were still two great choices.

ah. glad i was able to send a few words to my blog. but the trip has been great so far, and it continues to get better. we will be meeting up with some of katha's friends and have a little celebration for my birthday...and tomorrow we will have some german cake!! i am so addicted to the german food. the bread is so great..we are about to leave again...just wanted to send a small update...i can't believe i am in germany, my birthplace, for my actual birthday. ah. so surreal. cheers!

it's joshua

tap.tap.tap. tap.tap.tap.tap.tap.
this is the sound that occurs when you want your host family to wake up when they are asleep. you have to be fervent i tell you. very fervent. and then they will wake up.
i was tapping on their door because i leave for bremen, germany in about three hours and their printer was not allowing me to print off my boarding passes. so i  was trying at all costs to avoid a 40 quid fee, and my partner in crime holly thought this would be the best idea. so i went for it. ahaha.
as soon as i was done rapping at their door. i hear a voice, and i reply "Geof it's Joshua." and he replies, "be out in a moment."
he enters in a red nightie.barefoot. hair awry.
i tell him the situation, and all he does is reboot the printer so that it will get online again so i can print my passes.
it was comical to me, because he seemed wide awake once he entered the dimly lit hall. haha. he was conversing with me. asking me where i was traveling, etc...such a character.
all is well. god is good.
i will be going to bremen, germany and then to the netherlands for my birthday...off we go!

boots...the help was amazing

i would just like to extend a big hug and thank you to the boots cashier who helped me put all of my toiletries in 100ml plastic bottles before i got on the plane to spain...we were strategic...we had to fit it all in one CLEAR plastic bag...bahahaa...what a surprise...glad we arrived to the airport early...."gotta" catch the worm folks!

they smell good by the way

god has truly made some miraculous places on this earth. i just returned from a weekend getaway on a little island on the mediterranean sea in spain. it was tremendously serene and pleasurable. me and my friend stayed in this gorgeous hostel entitled hostal giaramundo. it was painted with bright colors, and had such a warm "home-ee" feel. the spanish people were so warm and inviting to us while we were visiting the island it was perfect. on our second day on the island we visited the beach which was within walking distance of our hostel, and we laid out and gained a little vitamin-d back into our skin. london definitely has not given me much, so this weekend was a nice boost of vitamins.

speaking of vitamins the food was delicious. oozzing of natural goodness. our hostel provided us with breakfast, and the best part about our breakfast was the freshly squeezed oranges that ooozeed into our cups. it was one of the most satisfying things to see the server squeezing oranges just for us. and it was like that at most restaurants that you went to on the island. during on last lunch in spain we had a traditional dish called.......hmmm....it starts with a "p," but i will butcher the spelling of the dish so i will digress..and only inform you that it consists of spanish rice with mussels, lobster, and shrimp. this dish was so flavorful. i was so surprised at how the meat tasted in comparison to the american tastes i know...this town is on the port so a lot of the dishes our sea food dishes...on the first night here i devoured sepia..which is a dish that consisted of jellyfish and octopus...ahh..and it was delicioso...so delicious...

being in this country for this short amount of time really jarred my memory..and my being...wanting me to ..desperately wanting to communicate with the locals using spanish...when me and my friend arrived we were shocked to see a menu in spanish...but what do you expect..YOU ARE IN SPAIN...so crazy..that we even asked for an american menu..haha....but after that day we made every attempt to use the little spanish phrases we knew to converse to the locals using their language..and it felt so good...especially when they responded to us in spanish...instead of laughing..hahaha...or just speaking to us in english..haha..i loved trying..making that effort..being immersed in their culture made me realize how much i should have paid attention to my spanish course in high school..i guess i will be getting the rosetta stone soon..haha...would love to go back to spain with more knowledge of the language..

caught a few rays, ate delicious desserts, heard the ways crashing on the beach...wow...one of the most peaceful sounds to hear..really...i know that they make alarm clocks with that sound..but nothing can compare to hearing that sound out of the window of your hostel, or when you are laying on the beach...listening to yourself and what is around you...

being here made me slow down and pay attention to the details..see things for what they are....and what they can become...

made me realize how fast i walk in london...i am always in a hurry...being on this island made me slow down and literally smell the roses...they smell good...by the way