Holiday Happenings

Rounding out a very busy and festive December, we are finally getting around to a brief update about how we spent our last holiday season in London (well, at least the last holiday season for this chapter of the book...).

In celebration of our 5-year anniversary of dating, we decided to cross off an obligatory event from our London bucket list - the super posh, but lovely afternoon tea (something we absolutely would not indulge in outside of a very special event...). Dressed up for the occasion, we had high tea in the tea lounge at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair, said to be the oldest hotel in London where Alexander Bell made the first successful telephone call in the UK. With unlimited amounts of tea, mini sandwiches, homemade scones, and tasty desserts, accompanied by a fantastic pianist, a window-side table, and holiday decor, it was a perfectly British anniversary indeed. Tick that off the list!

About a week or so later, we embarked on our Christmas trip - Cologne, Germany and Luxembourg. Cologne offered everything we could have asked for in terms of enjoying the holiday season (except for snow) - we visited and fully experienced all 7 of the city's Christmas markets (mostly food, spiced wine, music, and crafts!), added our own love padlock to the Hohenzollern Bridge (aka the lock bridge), took a delicious and extremely fascinating tour through the Chocolate Museum (tracing chocolate from the cocoa bean, to the finished product, complete with a chocolate fountain for dipping), and enjoyed late-night dessert alongside a live street pianist performing in the rain, just outside of the city's main Cathedral entrance, a very romantic and a surreal moment for both of us. Following our very festive, relaxing, and indulgent few days in Cologne, we embarked on a 4-hour train ride through the countryside to Luxembourg, where we continued to enjoy the holiday markets, completed a self-guided walking tour through the old part of the city, and ventured via bus into the south of the country, known for its wine region along the Moselle river. With tiny residential villages literally surrounded by vineyards, we had the opportunity to taste some of the locally-made wines, and returned to London with a couple bottles in tow...including a mini bottle of Moselle Valley sparkling white wine for our wedding toast in August...assuming, of course, that the bottle makes it back over the pond unscathed :).

Cologne

Luxembourg

Upon our return home, we set out for a very busy week of fun activities, as Bryan continued to enjoy time off of work, including a double-feature Tuesday at our cheap cinema in Notting Hill, and a sushi making & scrabble night at our flat with Ruth. Having won a bottle of sushi rice vinegar a couple of months ago in a contest at a sushi-making course that we took in London, we decided to roll up all of our California favorites... spicy tuna with cream cheese, California rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, a rainbow roll, and even a dessert roll of tempura plantain (a bit like the Shauna roll at San Diego's sushi deli!).


And there it is, a lovely holiday season (albeit sadly, with no snow this time around). On to the new year - beginning to tackle the massive to-do list for 2012...including the rest of the London bucket list, a few more trips, and A LOT of planning for our late spring move back to the US of A!

Happy New Year everyone! Also, a massive congratulations to all our friends who have announced engagements in the past month or so! We are so excited for all of you, and can't wait to share this very exciting year ahead!

-B&B

"For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning." ~T.S. Eliot

Madrid Amigos

Madrid - the capital and largest city of Spain; home of Real Madrid, one of the best futbol teams in the world; known for the famous El Prado museum; but best known as the city Brandina studied abroad in during her Junior Year of college. Due to this fact, it wasn't really a city on our radar, however one of Bryan's best friends, Reid, and his girlfriend Danielle, were planning quite the Spanish tour, so we decided it was a perfect time for Brandina to walk down memory lane.

It was a quick, but fantastic weekend getaway in early November, led by a quasi-local in Brandina. I know...we're a bit spoiled to be able to take a quick jaunt to Madrid for the weekend, but I digress. We learned early on that we're not huge museum people when we travel. We love to soak in the city tastes, smells, and sights by just walking around and immersing ourselves in the culture, where we often stumble upon a local street market, peaceful park, or vibrant square. Reid and Danielle were on their last leg of literally seeing all corners of Spain, so they seemed to be quite happy to just follow us around the city (by us, I mean our local tour guide, Brandina), enjoying some of Spain's famous churros and hot chocolate at Brandina's old stomping ground, noshing on a few tapas, or watching the urban city go by.

Reid and I spent the entire weekend chatting it up - we tucked the ladies in after arriving to the hotel late on Friday night, and grabbed a pint at a dive bar a few blocks down, continued blabbering on the next morning in between exhibits while at the Prado Museum, kept rattling away as we waded through El Rastro, Spain's largest and oldest flea market, and joked as we watched street entertainers in the Plaza Mayor.

Danielle and Reid graciously planned a great night for us on Saturday, partly to celebrate our engagement, partly because they're awesome. We had some girlie (but still tasty) umbrella drinks at a fun bar, before an amazingly delicious dinner at a restaurant down the road. We had such a great time, we basically closed down the restaurant.

There's something about meeting up with friends in countries across the world that has a bit of a surreal feeling to it - embrace it, bask in it, enjoy it, and always keep up the chatter...

- B&B

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Bit of Home in London

Over Thanksgiving, we had the pleasure of hosting Rose, a good friend from San Diego, in our little flat for just over a week - and it was lovely! We explored our favorite spots in London, now properly decorated for the holidays (ticking a few things off our London bucket list), and even squeezed in a quick girls'-only trip to Paris. From the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, to afternoon tea at Harrods and shopping at Cath Kidston, the Churchill War Rooms, the National Gallery, and the musical Chicago (starring Ugly Betty's America Ferrera!)...to the tip top of the Eiffel Tower, an evening river cruise on the Seine, Christmas market desserts on the Champs-Elysees, the Orsay Museum, and plenty of art and souvenir shopping...to a small, organic Thanksgiving turkey that just barely fit in our London-sized oven, and the rest of the holiday meal fixings...we did it all :). Having a bit of home here for Thanksgiving was a true blessing indeed, and we can't thank Rose enough for having taken the time to visit us! A few pics from our adventures in both London and Paris....

Thanks again Rose! Love you!

-B&B

"Friends are people who go on conspiratorial shopping sprees together, diving in and out of shops totally beyond their price range, and end up eating oozing cream cakes with only just enough money to get home." -Charlotte Gray

Land of the Sea

Tucked away between Scotland and Norway, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean to the west, the North Sea to the east, and the Norwegian Sea to the north, Shetland is an absolute breath of fresh air, literally. Having just spent 4 days with our friend Ruth, in her mum's family home in Scatness, at the very southern tip of the mainland isle (Sumburgh Head), I'm finding myself at a loss for words, words to describe the beauty and serenity of this seaside hideaway. It's a place where nature is alive, thriving, and completely unbridled. The sea crashes into every cliff-side crevice around the island, while simultaneously rolling onto sandy bay beaches, and showering the air with a salty spray. The wind runs completely wild, gale force at times, whipping, pushing, and pulling anything and everything in its path. The sun pokes through at its own will, casting shadows on the sea and cliffs, rising and setting over drastic and expansive landscapes. The mainland's one two-lane highway is furnished on both sides with small villages, roaming livestock with the sea at their backs, and rolling green hills, dotted with artisan knitting shops and ancient stone architecture. Shetland is a place with deeply rich stories to tell, boasting generations of hard-working fishermen, knitters, and farmers, speaking in Shetland tongue; its tightly-knit communities are modest and simple, yet full of pride, and rightfully so. It really is a sight to behold, with all the senses.

We spent our four days, over Brandina's birthday, indulging in a modern Little House on the Prairie lifestyle. We cooked lavish breakfasts and dinners - all with locally grown food - took a daily walk or hike equipped with waterproofs and wellies, and drank excessive amounts of tea. We chatted, read, played Scrabble, completed a 1,000 piece puzzle, carved pumpkins, and sang aloud to an old Drifters CD (well, Ruth and I sang...Bryan just watched and chuckled a bit). Huddled inside by about 4 pm each day, we listened to the nightly storm rage outside, pummeling down with rain and wind, clearing by morning and allowing a bit of sun to grace our leisurely breakfast routine. We even ventured into the town of Lerwick one day, popping in and out of small, crafty shops, touring the Shetland Museum, and taking the opportunity to photograph all sites along the way - in particular, the short and stocky Shetland ponies. Even with hundreds of photographs to show, I fear that we've hardly done justice to this breath-taking place....

Views from the House

At the Lighthouse
(some photos displayed purely as evidence of the wind!)

Our trip up North to Lerwick

Hiking out to St. Ninian's Isle
(a tiny island physically connected to the mainland isle
by a natural stretch of sand, called a tombolo)

An Overcast Beach Walk along the Bay

Hike out to Ness of Burgi
(a walk straight down from the house,
alongside and towards the sea)

We'd just like to express a massive, heart-felt thank you to Ruth and her Mum, for inviting us to share in this family tradition of rejuvenating, wholesome holidays in Shetland. Thank you thank you thank you!

-B&B

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

East Side Story

Like a young adult having come to terms with an exceptionally tumultuous past, seemingly embracing the motto "that which does not kill me, will make me stronger," and looking towards the future with a profound sense of pride, the city of Berlin has a bit of a tortured spirit, but is soaring into a modern, present day with drive, passion, and creativity. Determined not to be bound by what can only be described as a heart-wrenching past of division, confusion, and physical destruction, Berlin is sensitive to its history and aware of its roots, but facing completely forward these days, modern and sleek. As a result, it is lacking the antiquated, elderly charm of an old European hub, with only a few architectural remnants of pre-war history, now with a futuristic skyline of multiple glass stories and abstract lines. Even its Holocaust memorial, while profound indeed, bears little resemblance to the past, in favor of modern materials and design. Berlin appears to still be formulating its identity really, trying to merge where it has come from to where it wants to be, rebelling a bit against prior oppression, and somehow saying to itself and to the world, that the best revenge is to just live well.

Berlin is really and truly unlike any other European city that we've visited. While we had a lovely trip last weekend with some friends of ours, and had the distinct pleasure of touring the city with a wonderfully open, knowledgeable local Berliner, we struggled a bit to really embrace and fall in love with the city as a whole, which is a bit unusual for us. We were surprised by the lack of old world European charisma, and yet inspired and excited by the youthful spirit of many of its residents, while also humbled and slightly saddened by the historical implications of its post-modern events. Throughout the weekend, we found ourselves a bit confused at times as to how the city really fits together, emotionally and physically. Perhaps like many of us find ourselves in our early 20's, Berlin is exciting and youthful, though still trying to carve out an identity. While the city seems to be lacking the degree of self-confidence and stability that often comes with age, despite having plenty of life experience, it's forging ahead as energetic and optimistic as ever. The food ranges from more modern German fare to heavy Bavarian cuisine, the city stays alive throughout the night like Madrid, and the architecture is just in a world of its own, pieced together like your first apartment out of college.

However, one thing we did find, that we absolutely will never forget, was the East Side Gallery, the paintings on remaining sections of the Berlin Wall - paintings that portray the entire range of human emotion - love and hate, anger and relief, hope and pride, sorrow and pain, laced throughout with a bit of satire and spite, and absolutely overflowing with heart. It really was a sight to behold, and remains unlike anything else we've experienced in our European travels. To us, it was perhaps so powerful because it represented exactly how we felt in the city - saddened, excited, humbled, and curious all at the same time. Not surprisingly, the majority of our photos were taken at the East Side Gallery, and it will forever remain the most vivid image we have of Berlin.

-B&B

"Many small people, who in many small places, do many small things that can alter the face of the world." - East Side Gallery artist, Berlin