Tomorrow,

the serious planning begins.

Happy New Year! I can't wait to meet you, 2010

will miss

my parents, in my blustery mountain town

I was all geared up and ready to go
bounding for to leave my mountain home with a sky of blue
between the leaves

and the color of the water was green
high over the sea.

“Do you have to leave so soon my boy?
The winter time aint even begun….”
“Well I’d stay awhile,” I turned to say.
“But the color of the water is grey and I’m going away..."

-m. ward, Color of the Water

cold

I recently learned (and have been telling anyone who will listen--repeatedly) that the average temperature in Berlin in February is 28 degrees Fahrenheit. As in less than 0 degrees Celsius. As in below freezing. As in: I do not own clothing that will keep me warm in below freezing weather.

But then today, I got to thinking. Below freezing means below zero. Which means snow. Which means that when I arrive in Berlin on January 31, yes it will be cold, yes it will be grey and overcast. But, yes, there will probably be snow. And snow--winter wonderland--that is something I can definitely handle.

image source

can't wait (mouthwatering)

I am a great lover of food. I am also a devoted fan of bakeries. And I cannot wait to wake up on a weekend morning in Berlin, trot down to my neighborhood bakery and stock up on freshly baked pretzels and brötchen (and maybe a slice of cake or two). Then, I'll go home, brew some strong espresso, curl up on the couch with a book or a friend and demolish it all.

where to go?

i'm having trouble with narrowing. my paper theses aren't narrow, my thoughts aren't either. this is troubling when confronted with the task of choosing. where should i go when i'm in europe? should i spend more time in berlin or concentrate on traveling?

in no particular order, (but in some particular order) here is where i'd like to go next semester:

istanbul, paris, rome, barcelona, prague, athens (plus every island in greece), st. petersburg and moscow, london (and to visit alex and laurence in their home towns, too), edinburgh, dublin, florence, venice, madrid, budapest, amsterdam, sarajevo, vienna.

there's more, but i already know the above is too much.

where do you go, when you want to go everywhere?

purchased my ticket today!

Isn't it beautiful? Seriously, so excited.