Ich Bin Eine Berliner

In the off chance that someone actually checks this, here are some photos from my trip to Berlin. Actually, here are a lot of pictures of Berlin.

Starting with........Berlin.

And here's a picture of the city. It's sort of this crazy mix between really old buildings, really cool Bauhaus buildings, and really cool post-war buildings.

And there was street art everywhere

Really inspirational street art.

And lots of art galleries, including this one called Tacheles.

This is the TV antenna that's visible from anywhere in the city and used for navigating the city, sort of like the Citgo sign. Also called The Disco Ball, The Tower of Power, The Pope's Revenge...

Me in front of the Reichstag with a dome designed in part by my architecture teacher's husband. This is why I was allowed to skip my architecture class.

The little man that tells you to go...

....and stop.

At the Brandenburg Gate, right across from...

...the hotel where Jacko hung his baby over the railing.

This is the Brandenburg Gate made out of chocolate in a restaurant that had the best hot chocolate ever.

Part of the Berlin Wall.

East Side/West Side. Being immature at the Berlin Wall.

Here's a replica of Checkpoint Charlie. This was actually the only part of Berlin that felt really tourist-y because there were people dressed as soldiers dancing around and lights everywhere and souvenir "Checkpoint Charlie" stamps for your passport that actually invalidate them.

Around Christmas in Germany, it's traditional for Christmas Markets to pop up. They have rides and homemade gifts and food and beer!

Sampling the local cuisine at a local brewery. Yum!

Ex-ex Pat

I've been insanely busy lately finishing up my time in London, my classes, and my undergraduate degree.

I really want to add some pictures from my (amazing) trip to Berlin, but it looks like I won't be able to do that until after I go home.

My flight home is this Saturday and although I'm (very) sad about leaving London, I'm excited to be going home.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Love,
Larissa, Samantha, and Annie

P.S. We got turkey and [American] football, too. Score!

O'Bama

One more thing about Ireland...

Barack's great-great-great-grandfather, Fulmuth Kearney, was from Ireland. And every single Irish person in Dublin, from the barmen to the cab drivers, told us this.

There are even t-shirts!

Hearts, Stars, and Horseshoes....

I've been freaking out a bit because half of my pictures from my day in Ireland were corrupted on my memory card. All my scenic day pictures came out fine, though, so that's important. I was only around Ireland for less than 32 hours, so I had the most intense day ever.

Itinerary:
8:00: Wake Up for Irish Breakfast
9:00: Find out what's actually in an Irish Breakfast
9:30: Get eggs instead
10: Get on a bus to Winslow, Ireland, where P.S. I Love You was Filmed. Awwwww.
11:30-3: Hang out in the Irish countryside
5:00: Back to Dublin for the.....Guinness Factory.
6:00: Guinness Factory Gravity Bar for an amazing view of the city
6:30: Dinner in an Italian restaurant because all the pubs close early for dinner
8:00-9: Head back to our friend's place, get ready for the night
10:00-????: Dublin Pub Crawl

So that was the Ireland in a Day Marathon, which was hugely successful if not entirely tiring.

The Spire of Dublin a.k.a. the strangest monument I've seen in Europe. Literally....it's a giant pole.

The Irish Constitution. Erin Go Brah and all.

Traveling through Dublin

Around Ireland, the doors are all painted different colors. Apparently it's so everyone coming home from the pubs can find their house.

Real Life Irish Countryside

The Town of Winslow

Me & a Mountain

I can't even begin to describe how absolutely delicious the Guinness is in Ireland. It's a completely different drink than the US version.

View from the plane

Ireland vs. England

On my way to Ireland, someone explained to me the difference between the Irish and the British.


British people are polite, but not nice.

Irish people are nice, but not polite.

Three Cheers for the President with A Name Incredibly Convenient for Slogans

I watched T.V. for the first time since I got to Europe two nights ago.

Man, is the X Factor a great show.


Umm...just kidding.

As much as I love Sarah Palin jokes (fabulous parody available here), I'm so excited about the results of the election. It's amazing to see how excited everyone in London is, too. Being abroad for such an incredible event is such an interesting experience because you get to see an entirely different perspective. Yesterday, London-ers were giving Americans high-fives, just because they were American. Everyone was talking about the election and most people at my office had already watched Barack's speech before I came in in the morning.

Unfortunately, I only made it up until around 3 a.m. (an hour before Barack made his speech), so I watched the Daily Show recaps at work the next morning (I'm actually a great, hardworking employee. Coincidentally, I'm looking for a job...resume here).

Yesterday I also went on a really cool photo shoot for Uniqlo. The photographer used a thermal (heat-seeking) camera like the kind from National Geographic. Here's what the pictures look like:




A bit creepy...but posing in front of the camera was a lot of fun. At least you know I'm keeping it real in the LND.

And now, for your moment of zen...