Adventures!!

I have had so many adventures recently, I figured it's time to finally write a bit about them! I'll try to keep it short so you don't get too bored ;)

Reunited at last!!!

2 weeks ago I was able to visit my cousin, Shelby, in London. Now, Shelby isn't just a cousin, she is one of my closest friends. I don't think a lot of people realize how amazingly AWESOME it is to get to see a cousin and a friend at the same time in London! I took the train there on Friday, and Friday early evening we walked around the area she is living in and sat at a Starbucks for a while to catch up on everything. Saturday we went shopping on Oxford Street (Shelby actually needed things), we skyped Bailey (Shelby's sister, my other completely awesome cousin/friend), then we watched a movie! Sunday we went to a church, a new one for Shelby and her group of friends, and it was amazing. The people there were so kind and welcoming and the message was so great to hear. After church we ventured to Brick Lane market, and let me tell you, that was a journey! Usually it doesn't take very long, I guess, but since the tube is having so many updates and changes there were a lot of closings that day.  When we got there, it was completely worth the travel! When you walk in (it's an indoor market) you are immediately hit with smells and sights of delicious food...there were crepes, Mexican food, Chinese food, and a lot of other food that I can't remember. Since it was already nearing 2pm, we got food right away. I had some delicious Chinese, and later I had a Malaysian apple cinnamon pancake. They're kind of hard to explain, but it's fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, pretty thick, and SO GOOD! We also did some browsing at the stands, and I got a beautiful Indian-type wall tapestry; it's navy blue with gold thread used for the design, which has elephants and other prettiness. :) After the market it was time for me to had back to Swansea. Shelby and I enjoyed fish and chips before I left, and then we said our goodbyes. 

Some of you may think that the weekend doesn't sound super fun, or touristy, but it was totally amazing. Shelby and I had such a great time together. It was very relaxing, and really really really good to see someone from home. I finally got a fantastic hug! When Shelby and I first saw each other I started to tear up, and we gave each other probably a million hugs because we were so happy to finally see each other. I can't even begin to explain how great it was to see her...you'll just have to believe me! Seeing her did make me a bit homesick, but that passed quickly. We're looking forward to summer now, since Shelby will be home, but we're both really enjoying our time abroad! 

I got back from London on Sunday night, and Tuesday afternoon I headed back to London to go to Berlin for a few days! I went with Abby and 4 other guys from Iowa State. One of the guys has a friend studying in Berlin, so they stayed with her, and Abby and I stayed in a hostel near them. Our flight left super early Wednesday morning, so we slept in the airport Tuesday night---not an easy thing! I didn't end up getting any sleep, but it was actually a fun thing to experience...kind of. While in Berlin (we were there Wednesday-Sunday) we took a bus tour of the city, walked around the city quite a bit, and did a lot of random walking/exploring. We also went to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, which was by far my favorite part of the trip. 

Sachsenhausen, located in Oranienburg, Germany, is about 1 hour north of Berlin by train. It was haunting being there, especially when the weather was freezing and dreary. Almost all of the barracks have been taken down, but there are outlines showing where they all were. I think there were 2 or 3 'normal' barracks still up, and there were also a few infirmary barracks up. I had tears in my eyes quite a few times. The outer walls were still up, as were the watch towers, and we were able to see places where prisoners were hung, where their bodies were burned, and where their ashes were scattered. Hearing about Nazi rule is a terrible thing, but actually seeing the place where so much horror occurred is another kind of terrible. Walking where prisoners walked, seeing places where prisoners were killed....it was sobering.  What made it even more impressionable was that we were walking around in winter coats, scarves, comfy shoes and clothes...and we'd been complaining about how cold it was. How can we complain about that when our 'cold' doesn't even compare to that which the prisoners had to suffer-wearing paper-thin clothing, shoes that were nothing or not wearing shoes at all, having little food to eat..It made me realize how blessed I am. 

Part of the Berlin wall

The Berlin Cathedral

Entrance to the Sachsenhausen museum

This is the entrance that prisoners used..'Arbeit macht frei' can be translated different ways, but basically means 'labor makes you free,' and this was posted in almost all Nazi camps. 

Here you can see where a barrack used to be, with many more extending behind it. 

This weekend I will enjoy relaxing, as it is my only free weekend until after spring break! I need to rest up now for my many upcoming trips...Dublin twice, an adventure weekend with Shelby, and spring break! Right now for break we're planning on Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Rome, Florence, and Venice maybe?), Greece (Athens), Belgium (Brussels), Luxembourg, and France (Paris and another city). I hope everyone back home is enjoying the snow..it's cold here too, but not like at home. Miss you all...be thankful for everything great and wonderful that you've been blessed with!