The Wacky Wanderer

Now if you know Frankfurt, you’re probably asking yourself: “Of all the German cities, why THIS ONE?” If, like me, you’ve never been to Frankfurt, this seems like a perfectly reasonable city choice. Not as popular as Berlin, but sure, it’s one of the major German cities, it has to have something interesting to see. Right? Well, kind of. It has a couple of interesting things, but after a half day of running around the place, you’ve pretty much seen everything. For fun, I’ll go ahead and list them here:

The old city - pictured above - is very cute, but after the brutal bombings the city suffered in the world wars, a large majority of it had to be reconstructed. I still think it’s quaint, some reconstructions are better than others, and some people took the liberty of making modern interpretations of the old houses, which I thought was fun. As an architecture student I understand that most European architecture is built around restoration and renovation, and there’s a lot of value to working with the constraints of context. But my dad was very upset that it wasn’t real, and that sentiment seemed to follow him through the rest of the day, as he scrutinized every building for any sign that it might not be as old as advertised. Definitely not for everyone.

Bartolomeu’s Cathedral - Again, ok for your average architecture nerd, not great for someone who wants to see something “real”. As my eloquent father pointed out, the exterior looks older than the interior. It’s true, the inside is very simple in comparison to the more crafted exterior, and the “exposed brick” is painted on. My guess is that what was inside - statues, paintings, etc - has been redistributed to other museums or sold for money. But the basic layout and structure is still there. Your friend the historical architecture nerd can still have fun here.

The Goethe House - This one takes an hour or two. I would definitely say if you head to Frankfurt you should go there. It’s one of the few things my dad didn’t hate, and it gives a glimpse of what life was like living in this city a while back. For rich people, anyways. It’s a lot more informational than the Cathedral of the old city, mostly because it actually has information about the place written in languages other than German.

There’s also a fun bridge and a neo-gothic cathedral on the other side of the river. And, a surprising twist, the mayor’s office is part of the relatively untouched old buildings. It’s not in the guidebooks, but you can just walk in and no one will stop you. I wouldn’t spend too much time there or bother too many people - this IS a functioning government facility (duh), but you can take some pictures and admire the courtyard views. It’s really quite pretty.

Hello! I am finally contributing to this blog! I say finally because I’ve been telling Ophelie that I’d write something for weeks now. So anyways, hiya! I say “hiya” because that is how people say “hi” here. I hope to muster up the courage to say “hiya” back to someone at least one time before I leave but we will see... 

Edinburgh is a magical city full of twists and turns; it is just as easy to orient yourself as it is to get lost––I have taken this duality to heart and use it to reassure myself both geographically and metaphorically. 

I will be candid: studying abroad is not easy. It feels right to bring this up because just as I’ve adventured, befriended, and laughed, I’ve also cried, doubted, and wallowed. 

Now, nestled in October, I’ve found that my sense of home here grows stronger as it continues to steep. I feel like describing some of my favorite places so far will be easier than trying to backtrack through everything I’ve done. So, here is a short, incomplete list of some of my favorite Edinburgh adventures: 

The above picture is of Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is a hiiiiike. I say “hiiiike” because it is very steep. The view though, is absolutely worth it. From Arthur’s Seat you can see how the hills roll on around Edinburgh, and you can see the sea and how it murkily glitters. Hiking Arthur’s Seat made me feel like a hobbit in the best way possible. 

This picture is of a path by the castle in Old Edinburgh. Under the castle, there is a street where markets used to be held. I love to walk around in the Grassmarket area because it makes me feel like a castle underling scurrying around beneath the looming castle. If you are a fan of BBC’s Merlin, you will understand why this sensation brings me joy. I have yet to be inside the castle however, lying out on the lawn beneath it (this is what the first picture is of), and walking along the path are very grounding activities. 

Lighthouse Books is pictured above. Lighthouse Books is Edinburgh’s “radical bookshop,” and they truly live up to that description. The bookstore prioritizes intersectionality and features an amazing array of authors, topics, and genres. I spend a lot of time in Lighthouse Books. 

The last place for today that I’ll mention is Maison de Moggy. If you don’t speak/understand French (like me) it means: House of Cats! It is indeed, a house full of cats, well, a cafe full of cats. It is unbelievably soothing to go to the Maison de Moggy and just be amongst some very sleepy cats. I’ve been here twice already and I fully intend on returning. 

Well, I think this will be all for today! Overlook any typos, grammar mistakes, etc...they were all artfully intentional ;). Hope you’ve enjoyed this intro into my experience in Edinburgh! I am so excited to write more! 

When I finally made up my mind to go investigate, I found a circle of people dressed in traditional outfits and shooting glitter from guns, and a group of groggy spectators with ear plugs surrounding them. The gunmen had a whole routine, shooting in various patterns and at different rythms.  

La Mercé is essentially a long weekend with programmed and unprogrammed celebrations throughout the city, all to celebrate the Virgin of la Mercé, the co-patron saint of Barcelona. The day itself starts off with a giants parade, headed in a loop down La Rambla and through the plaza de Sant Jaume. Generally loved by children, it’s a cheery and colorful parade which features “giants,” or large figures carried by hidden people. These giants are usually a representation of someone or something important to the city of Barcelona. This year I saw a series of Gaudi inspired giants, a soccer coach, and a series of different professions represented by figures in dated clothing. 

This parade happens right before the start of the castellers performance (pictured above). In this traditional sport, teams of castellers show off their skills, namely, their ability to make human towers. Starting with a strong base, towers will rise as high as they dare, in various configurations, and then deconstruct. Associated bands will play inspirational music once the tower hits its third floor. These towers very rarely fall in a way that injures anyone, and children often take part in the sport, usually making up the top couple of floors. Originally an all-male activity, it now includes women.

This traditional Catalan sport is very much a representation of regional values: it shows off teamwork and resilience. It’s because of these strong ties and the associated pride that Hannah and I found ourselves enjoying the performance in the midst of proud cheers for Catalan independence, under a Catalan independence flag.

One of the most anticipated activities of La Mercé, however, is the correfoc. To the sound of drums and amongst devils, it seems that the entirety of Barcelona comes out to dance around in fire. If you’re scared of getting burnt this is not the activity for you - but if you’re fearless, bring a cotton shirt and cover your legs.

It didn’t take long for us to realize that the costa brava towns are fairly touristic. Within five minutes of walking through Palafrugell, we’d already encountered three different hotels. They also seem to be a popular location for retirement homes and vacation houses. Still, the beautiful scenery is not to be missed, and the old architecture is still there. White houses with blue shutters dig themselves into the side of the mountain, squeezed between the small roads and their neighbors.

We hiked along a sun-soaked winding path that follows the coast, stopping whenever we wanted to enjoy the view and take pictures of the Mediterranean sea. On our way to a hidden beach during high tide, we encountered a variety of different fellow hikers, from different parts of Europe, all converging to this beautiful destination for a short vacation. As we were approaching our destination, we were stopped by someone who was in our bus with us on the way there. “Where are you guys heading?” He asked, eager for friends to hike with. “The beach!” A look of terror seemed to strike his face. “The beach? Oh, I tried to go there, but the waves are terrifying.” We left him still reclined on a stone wall, worry in his eyes. What we realized as we got there was that the waves were indeed terrifying. Extremely high and powerful, we had to leave our bags on top of some rocks to keep them safe from the tide. But this didn’t stop us from going for a swim. By the time we decided to head out to lunch, our bathing suits had sand in every crevice, and our feet were numb from trying to grip onto the rocky beach sand.