Arriving in Berlin (which is a Multi-layered German Chocolate Cake) and An Introduction to My Travels

       BERLIN! All summer I have waited--thinking, planning, imagining--and suddenly here I am, dragging my suitcase, half-dazed, across cobbled roads looking around me with a sense of wonder and awe. I find travel works like that. You spend hours and hours in a dark, cramped plane speeding over miles upon miles of land and water and then BANG you hit the ground, light floods through the windows, you step out into the airport, and you think "How did I get here?" Or perhaps you have taken a train speeding across the countryside and, for five long hours, all you see is grass, trees, rolling hills, lakes, etc., and SUDDENLY, the train lurches to a stop, you stumble out of the station, and, behold, you stand in the midst of the chaos of a city you have dreamed of. It's quite marvelous, in my opinion, the way modern travel works its magic. And it is most certainly magical here!

Chapter One (London): Isabel having quite a magical time at the Royal Academy both outside (with wacky sculptures, regal statues, and magnificent buildings facades) and inside (at a show of the artist Joseph Cornell, perhaps the best show we saw in London this trip!) All in all, this picture really captures the rich layers of London. But why London you ask? Just wait!

      But my summering in Europe did not begin in the great city of museums, culture, hipsters, and more that is Berlin.  Instead, it started in my second home, one of the world's most amazing cities, the famous London! And from there I did not hurry off to Berlin but, instead, zoomed about England for a week in Warwick and Cambridge, then flew to, of all places, Poland for five scrumptious days until at last, haggard, dizzy, enlightened, and inspired, my travel partner and I arrived, finally in Berlin. Boy, that was quite a sentence! And our two-week journey preceding Germany was quite a trip! Consequently, I will devote a long set of blog posts to all my pre-Berlin travels, since they were such a great part of my summer. Organized by chapters and filled with pictures, these posts will take center stage for the first section of my blog (I will slip in a bit of Berlin here and there, since that is what I am up to my ears in right now) and, once I have finally finished them, I will go on to the month of August in Germany! But before I get carried away with Baroque churches, emperor penguin eggs, stately colleges, Jewish history, old friends, fish & chips, and the like, I must note a few things.

Chapter Two (Warwick University & Co.): Pai with Kenilworth Castle in the background, often called the biggest ruined castle in England. Imagine trying to scale that hefty fortress in battle! A quintessential picture of English Countryside: green trees, stony red castles, hills, hay, etc.

• First, a few of you might be wondering who my travel partner in all of this fun and crime is. It is my father, Pai (Dad in Portuguese) as I call him, and we do everything together! Only this trip, he has had two conferences (in England) and is on a fellowship in Berlin, so he has spent a bit of time working while I practice being independent! All in all, he and I are collaborating on planning adventures, doing exciting things, touring cities, and, best of all, writing this blog (I write, he edits:  ha ha ha). Essentially, he and I are the "we" that I will be referring to in all my posts. In addition, my mother will join us later on in Berlin, but more on that when she arrives!
• Second, I wanted to explain a bit about the title of this blog. The title is temporary (or it was, but now I really like it so we shall see!) but for now highlights two major elements of my grand trip: first, that it's summer (so never forget, most entries are full of sun and sweat!); second, that I am currently located in one of the hipster capitals of the world, perhaps the hipster capital, of the world. Berlin is, like, so full of hipsters.
• Third, you must understand how my photos work! I had a very lovely camera with which I took pics of all the first five chapters, so they will be filled with photos! But sadly, on my second day in Berlin, my camera was stolen, so all my pictures in that section will be from the web. Finally, the photos attached to this entry are a collection of five from the five chapters before Berlin (London, Warwick University/Coventry/Leamington Spa/Kenilworth, Cambridge, Krakow, and Warsaw), each capturing the themes and special elements of the place.

Chapter Three (Cambridge):  this, for example, is a photo from that shows the beautiful old library at Christ's College. I went to so many old libraries in Cambridge and saw a plethora of lovely architecture as well as old books. Thus, this picture really depicts what the trip was all about!

• Fourth, I wanted to explain a little about my sources and writing methods for this blog. Just to let you know, I'll be using my travel and Berlin journals as well as online sources of info. There are many amazing websites with info about Berlin (probably written by all those [geeky] hipsters).
• Fifth of all, if you will be enjoying this blog, I have to tell you a bit about me and my sandwich. My sandwich is my late afternoon snack today and it is made with one of my favorite cheeses (blue cheese!) and on the side are Johannes berries (which are both beautiful and delicious [officially called red currants, but I like the German name better]). Today for me is a lazy day, which I am spending at home in our flat in Berlin's oh-so-trendy Friedrichshain neighborhood. All day, I have been researching Berlin, getting back to mail, reading, having miniature adventures at home (such as running up and down the stairs twice [we live on the fourth floor] since genius here forgot to take the mailbox key down with her to check the mail), chilling at the park, and eating. Which brings me back to my sandwich which I have taken about an hour to eat! Yes, an hour, since I eat SUPER slowly and also have been popping up every couple of bites to write parts of this entry. This metaphor shows two sides of my personality (well, actually four you'll see in the end). First of all, I am quite methodical and thorough in everything I do, so I might drone on about a painting I stared at for five minutes or discuss in great detail a meal I had.  Second, I also am quite a perfectionist. Long story short, feel free to skim any slow bits for I assure you, there will be lots of action. Third, I am also very poetically inclined, quickly inspired by almost everything. Fourth, I love metaphors and imagery (hence the "sandwich"). And that is a bit about me!

Okay, that was quite an introduction! And now, I will get down to telling you all about my adventures. Hurray!

Chapter Four (Krakow): The dome, ceilings, and pillars of St. Anne's Church were painted and sculpted in marvelous Rococo style (Rococo is basically the most crazy, over the top decor you can get)! Krakow was one the biggest adventures  on our trip (along with Warsaw, below) and Pai and I both had quite an exciting time. But we definitely reached a point of church overload since Krakow has about a church every block!

Chapter Five (Warsaw): Perhaps the craziest thing that happened on our trip was that we ended up visiting Warsaw during the city's biggest holiday, Warsaw Uprising Day (August 1st). The monument depicting the town's resistance towards the Nazis was festooned with flowers, ribbons, and candles. Quite moving!