We went on to Lille, France next and met up with my good friend Charlene, who I met while studying abroad in Beijing. When I saw her here, it was as if no time had passed. Same vibrant personality and carefree attitude.
We met up late yesterday and spent the evening grabbing dinner and drinks and catching up. She told me about her job in France, I told her all about life in China, and we reminisced about the good ol' days at CET.
The next day (today) was more productive. We got up, had breakfast, and went to check out the zoo. Unfortunately, it happened to be the only day out of the year that it was closed. Determined to do something cultural in Lille, we moved on to the Fine Arts Museum, which had a fabulous collection. So much beautiful artwork. My favorites were the vanity paintings. Nick's favorite part was a room in the basement that housed ancient miniature reproductions of Lille and other cities used to plan invasions in the past.
After the museum, we wandered until we found an authentic French restaurant for lunch and had some waffles from a street for dessert (so many waffles on this trip!). After a lovely day in Lille, it was time to part ways and head back to Trier, wrapping up our little road trip. I said my goodbyes to Charlene, and now we're on our way back to Trier, where a warm house, good food, and Lindsay await!
February 10, 2014
Nothing terribly interesting to report about the last few days, other than hanging out with Nick's friends, going to a basketball game with Meredith, and getting a free teeth-cleaning from Ali. But even though we're not filling the days with tons of activities, it has still been lovely, just all spending time together.
But even as I'm enjoying every minute, the shadow of my departure is looming ever closer. For now, I'm trying to push that aside and focus on enjoying the last of my time here, which is working for the most part.
February 16, 2014
Again, nothing to much has been happening. Lindsay, Nick, and I are back in Berlin, and we've spent the time mostly hanging out at Nick's apartment and the surrounding neighborhood. The day we came back, we arrived in the evening and had a quick dinner at a nearby Indian place before coming back, watching some TV shows, and falling asleep.
The next day was Valentine's day, and I got to spend it with the two people I love most in the world! We went to a fantastic little bistro for brunch called A.horn, and then wandered down the river for a while before going to the Topography of Terror. It was a fantastic museum and memorial, and it also wasn't too crowded, as I imagine the Topography of Terror isn't a terribly common Valentine's day destination. After a quick dinner, Nick and I took Lindsay to the Renate bar to show her the hidden labyrinth. Just as Nick had done for me, we kept her in the dark about what was going to happen and instead just surprised her with it. And like me, she had a fantastic time.
The next day, almost nothing got done. It was a day for the gym, skyping with friends, computer games, and good food. Today, Lindsay and I got up early to go to church, then we all met up for lunch afterwards. We had been planning to see the Museum of Design in the afternoon, but we ended up stopping by a flea market and a vegetable market on the way back, and then we had to go back to the apartment to drop off our leftovers from lunch. By the time we reached the apartment, it was already almost 4 PM, so we just decided to stay in for the rest of the day. We've been spending our time researching flights and playing computer games, and soon it will be time for dinner. I'm still trying to forget that Lindsay is leaving Berlin tomorrow, and that in just a few short days it will be my turn...
Obligatory China pose
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