On Thursday we woke up at 10 (we do so much each day that we get really tired!) and went straight to the train station to validate our Eurail passes (so exciting) and take a 1 hour train ride to an adorable quaint little Belgian town often referred to as "the Venice of northern Europe". Going on the train was really cool because it went through the Belgian countryside. We saw lots of cows and went by a hunch of fields and windmills. When we arrived in Brugge, he first thing we did was walk to the main markt square. Every single building in Brugge is beautiful and he streets are all cobblestone and there are canals running through the city. In the main square here are two famous fry kiosks right next to eachotherthat has been competing for years. We got some of the famous fries which were delicious but very salty. Then we went to the chocolate museum (which was such a rip off). Then we walked down a long road and stopped in a bunch of cute stores including a Belgian salvation army were I got some genuine Belgian beer glasses and a shot glass for only 1 euro total. We Had dinner at cute restaurant and I had the best croque monsiuer of my life and Rachel tried mussels.
After dinner we ran to the train station and caught he next train the Brussels and hurried back to our hostel. This really cool guy who worked at the hostel organized this thing called a bar crawl, where a big group of people go from bar to bar and then end up in a club. It was SUCH a fun night. In our group we had a bunch of funny guys from Spain who were really lod and outgoing (and attractive I should add). There were also some funny girls from Spain in our group and two cool guys our age from Boston who were doing a eurotrip similar to ours. We all started in a small local bar where Rachel and I got this delicious local sweet beer and we met all the people who were Doug the bar crawl with us. Then we walked to the next bar which was next to the mannequin pis and we took this halarious group picture in front of it. By this point we were def befriending all he people in our group, and the spainiards were halarious and pretty drunk. At the 3rx bar we went to we had hhis local strawberry beer that was amazing and sweet. We ended the night in a small but def hoppin celctic club with a ton of young people and sticky floors. It was by far our funnest night of the trip so far, and we made a lot of friends.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Day 6 - mmmmm chocolate
That's right folks, I'm back to write about Wednesday! We woke up well rested and ready for a longggg day in bussels. We started off by walking to a local flea market that supposedly had a lot of good intage clothes. Once we got there, we realized that it was not so good for vintage clothes, but AMAZING for vintage bags. There were so man good vintage bags eveywhere and it was easy to haggle down prices to only 5 euros. Rachel also got a really cute pair of shoes for 5 euro. There was a lot of junk there, but a few treasures. Rachel got a cute teacup and saucer for 3 euros. After the flea market, we stopped for breakfast at a really cute cafe and I got a croque Monsieur which is the French way to say grilled cheese sandwich with ham in it. It was delish!
Then we went to the Grand Place Markt, which is a beautiful main square with a bunch of amazing ancient buildings and LOTS of tourists and souvenir shops.... And CHOCOLATE of course. We went crazy and bought a ton of Belgian chocolate to eat on our trip and to bring home. Then we wen to see the Mannequin Pis, the famous fountain of the peeing baby, which was a lot smaller than you would think. After that we enjoyed a delicious Belgian waffle and some gelato. Then we went to this really cool museum that was all about comic books and comic strips. Then We stopped at our hostel to drop off all of our purchases and rest for a little bit. We went out to dinner and then went out to this really cool place called Cinamatek, which is a film museum with the largest film archive in the world that also screens old movies. We were really lucky because they were screening Casino Royale directed by Orson Welles in English with French subtitles. We LOVED it and highly suggest it if yu need a movie to watch. When we got out of the movie it was pouring and we ran back to the hostel in the rain and went right to sleep. It was a really fun day!
Then we went to the Grand Place Markt, which is a beautiful main square with a bunch of amazing ancient buildings and LOTS of tourists and souvenir shops.... And CHOCOLATE of course. We went crazy and bought a ton of Belgian chocolate to eat on our trip and to bring home. Then we wen to see the Mannequin Pis, the famous fountain of the peeing baby, which was a lot smaller than you would think. After that we enjoyed a delicious Belgian waffle and some gelato. Then we went to this really cool museum that was all about comic books and comic strips. Then We stopped at our hostel to drop off all of our purchases and rest for a little bit. We went out to dinner and then went out to this really cool place called Cinamatek, which is a film museum with the largest film archive in the world that also screens old movies. We were really lucky because they were screening Casino Royale directed by Orson Welles in English with French subtitles. We LOVED it and highly suggest it if yu need a movie to watch. When we got out of the movie it was pouring and we ran back to the hostel in the rain and went right to sleep. It was a really fun day!
Day 5 - ummmm wheres the nice part of Brussels?
HI HI Hi!
On Tuesday, we awoke in London but fell asleep in BRUSSELS!! Yes we had a relaxing day that involved me sleeping till 2pm (because I didnt feel well) while Rachel went back to the Tate Modern and met up with one of her school friends who was also in London. Then at 6 we took an exciting train ride from London to Brussels, which was only 2 hours on the Eurostar train which is CRAZY FAST!!! We got our first passport stamp of the trip (awwww yeahhh) right before we left London. When we got to Brussels its was late when we got to the Hostel, so once we checked in and dropped off our stuff we went on the hunt for some Belgian fries and a Belgian waffle...but somehow we walked in the opposite direction that the person at the Hostel told us to go and we ended up in this really sketchy middle-eastern ghetto that was full of sketchy guys saying stuff to us in weird languages (it was VERY fun)...but we did manage to pick up some fries and a waffle from some rando carnival that was going on, which we later found out wasnt even the real deal, just some tourist junk. We ran back to the hostel scared shitless and wanting to leave Brussels because we were nervous that the whole city was gonna be a sketchy dreary place, but when we spoke to some other people in the hostel when we got back, they laughed at us and told us that we just went in the WRONG direction.
Our hostel was really cute and reminded us a lot of Yedid. There was a bar in the basement that was really cool looking but also really empty, but we decided to try some Belgian beer anyway. Rachel got a Stella, which is like an average popular Belgian beer, and I got something called Kriek, which is a very popular cherry beer that was supposed to be sweet but I thought was very tart.
More about days 6, 7, and today soon but I gotta run. We havent gotten to explore the area where our hotel is yet!
pAYce
Zobo
On Tuesday, we awoke in London but fell asleep in BRUSSELS!! Yes we had a relaxing day that involved me sleeping till 2pm (because I didnt feel well) while Rachel went back to the Tate Modern and met up with one of her school friends who was also in London. Then at 6 we took an exciting train ride from London to Brussels, which was only 2 hours on the Eurostar train which is CRAZY FAST!!! We got our first passport stamp of the trip (awwww yeahhh) right before we left London. When we got to Brussels its was late when we got to the Hostel, so once we checked in and dropped off our stuff we went on the hunt for some Belgian fries and a Belgian waffle...but somehow we walked in the opposite direction that the person at the Hostel told us to go and we ended up in this really sketchy middle-eastern ghetto that was full of sketchy guys saying stuff to us in weird languages (it was VERY fun)...but we did manage to pick up some fries and a waffle from some rando carnival that was going on, which we later found out wasnt even the real deal, just some tourist junk. We ran back to the hostel scared shitless and wanting to leave Brussels because we were nervous that the whole city was gonna be a sketchy dreary place, but when we spoke to some other people in the hostel when we got back, they laughed at us and told us that we just went in the WRONG direction.
Our hostel was really cute and reminded us a lot of Yedid. There was a bar in the basement that was really cool looking but also really empty, but we decided to try some Belgian beer anyway. Rachel got a Stella, which is like an average popular Belgian beer, and I got something called Kriek, which is a very popular cherry beer that was supposed to be sweet but I thought was very tart.
More about days 6, 7, and today soon but I gotta run. We havent gotten to explore the area where our hotel is yet!
pAYce
Zobo
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Days 3 and 4 - consider yourself at home
(read the following blog post in a british accent)
Ello chaps! It's been a while and we've been rather busy. A tad too busy to even write the blog! However, we are here now, checkin in with you all about more of our adventures in London.
The club on Saturday night was rather cool, however it seems as though in London, people don't go out until about 12:30am, and by the time the club was hoppin, we were ready to be sleepin. So lesson number one aboue partying in Europe: go home and take a nap till midnight, then go out so you can party the night away. Also, drinks are quite expensive from bars in clubs, so buy drinks at a store and drink a bit beforehand to avoid spending all of your pounds.
On Sunday, we awoke rather late at a whopping 1pm. We quickly got out and hit the town, conquering the Tate and the Tate Modern museums. We also took a look at the Shakespeare Globe theatre and walked across the Millenium Bridge to St. Pauls cathedral. Then we took the tube to Holland Park, and went to the COOLEST playground we had ever seen (yes, cooler than Israeli playgrounds). Then we walked around the neighborhood and it was a cute area. It was where my father lived when he lived in London. Then we were off to bed.
Yesterday, we took the tube to Convent Garden, another cute area with good food and theatres. We got tickets to Oliver the musical for only £18, and then we went to the British Museum, where we saw the Rosetta Stone and many other cool Egyptian artifacts, after which we decided that our next trip should include Egypt. Then we took the tube to Harrods, the famous department store that is like a mix of Bergdorf Goodman and the Macy's on 33rd street. It was HUGE and full of very expensive things like designer clothes, bags, shoes, furniture, and even designer pets (not kidding).
At 7:30, we went to our preformance of Oliver the musical which was SO AMAZING!!! In the UK, they use actual little kids to play little kids, and none of these kids could have been older than 13 or 14. They were adorable and the kid who played Oliver looked just like Aiden. The sets were magnificent and so intricate and mechanical and choreographed that it makes Broadway in New York look amateur.
So here we are, on day 5 of our trip and in an hour we will leave our little home in London and be off to Brussels, by Eurostar train. We should arrive at our hostel in Brussels at around 9:30 or 10pm, and then we will go out for famous Begian fries and Belgian beer. I can't wait to brush up on my Francais.
a bientot!
Zo
Ello chaps! It's been a while and we've been rather busy. A tad too busy to even write the blog! However, we are here now, checkin in with you all about more of our adventures in London.
The club on Saturday night was rather cool, however it seems as though in London, people don't go out until about 12:30am, and by the time the club was hoppin, we were ready to be sleepin. So lesson number one aboue partying in Europe: go home and take a nap till midnight, then go out so you can party the night away. Also, drinks are quite expensive from bars in clubs, so buy drinks at a store and drink a bit beforehand to avoid spending all of your pounds.
On Sunday, we awoke rather late at a whopping 1pm. We quickly got out and hit the town, conquering the Tate and the Tate Modern museums. We also took a look at the Shakespeare Globe theatre and walked across the Millenium Bridge to St. Pauls cathedral. Then we took the tube to Holland Park, and went to the COOLEST playground we had ever seen (yes, cooler than Israeli playgrounds). Then we walked around the neighborhood and it was a cute area. It was where my father lived when he lived in London. Then we were off to bed.
Yesterday, we took the tube to Convent Garden, another cute area with good food and theatres. We got tickets to Oliver the musical for only £18, and then we went to the British Museum, where we saw the Rosetta Stone and many other cool Egyptian artifacts, after which we decided that our next trip should include Egypt. Then we took the tube to Harrods, the famous department store that is like a mix of Bergdorf Goodman and the Macy's on 33rd street. It was HUGE and full of very expensive things like designer clothes, bags, shoes, furniture, and even designer pets (not kidding).
At 7:30, we went to our preformance of Oliver the musical which was SO AMAZING!!! In the UK, they use actual little kids to play little kids, and none of these kids could have been older than 13 or 14. They were adorable and the kid who played Oliver looked just like Aiden. The sets were magnificent and so intricate and mechanical and choreographed that it makes Broadway in New York look amateur.
So here we are, on day 5 of our trip and in an hour we will leave our little home in London and be off to Brussels, by Eurostar train. We should arrive at our hostel in Brussels at around 9:30 or 10pm, and then we will go out for famous Begian fries and Belgian beer. I can't wait to brush up on my Francais.
a bientot!
Zo
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Day 2 - no more shopping please
After a long, much needed 12 hour sleep last night, we were ready to conquer another busy day in London. First, we bought an Underground pass that is unlimited all day, which was about £6 (a bit pricey, but a good deal for all that we got to do). After that, we went to the home of the queen, Buckingham Palace, which was RIDICULOUSLY crowded.
Then we were off to the Camden Market, another vintagey cute area that was a lot like St. Marks place in the city but much bigger and more crowded. Again, the vintage was generally overpriced and nothing too special. London vintage is such a gimmick! I got a cool watch for £10 and tank top for£5 from a craft fair thingy, which was cool. London is really expensive...we never thought we'd be saying this but we cant wait to use Euros!
Then we went to the Topshop flagship store!! It was the biggest Topshop I've ever seen but it was still VERY pricey, so we didnt really get anything....except i got a white dress from the sale section....look for it next summer on shabbat!
We went the the big time tourist areas like Big Ben and Parliament Sqare. And of course we had to get in the classic telephone booth pictures. Trust me when I say, it smells like SHIT AND PISS in there...no one would be able to be in there long enough to actually make a call.
It was getting time for dinner, so on our way home we remembered that we can legally drink here, and its not illegal to drink on the streets, so we went into a random store and thought we picked up a 'shanty' which is beer and lemonade, but what we actually picked up was something else, which tasted like rum and lemonade. It was good but had a strange aftertaste so we probably wont get it again.
Right now Rachel is at Billy Elliot (yep the broadway show) and I am sitting at home uploading pictures and being a loser cause i spent too much money shopping so i couldn't afford to pay for the show. But its okay cause when her show is over, we are going Clubbing! And guess whats REALLY big in London right now?? DUBSTEPPINGG!! We've been hearing it everywhere, and I am pretty sure that the DJs at the club tonight will be playing dubstep music. So we'll learn some new dance moves and some good songs and bring em back with us to America. Okay...I think im gonna take a nap now...need some energy for the night! I put a bunch more pictures on facebook if ya wanna see.
p.s. I doubt that I will be able to add pictures to any other posts because we will be using public computers...sorry!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Day 1 - We love Cockfosters
So, here we are....here we is. In da great land of England. We had a pleasant send off at the airport from Dana Shmimpiepants Sharabi, who waited with us on line to check in and do customs and say bubyeeee.
Our flight was aiight but it left late and we had a screaming baby sitting behind us...you know...average airport madness. On the plane we watched Leap Year and made a to-do list / list of goals for our trip. We each kinda sorta got like 1 full hour of sleep if you add all the actual sleep together. In Rachels words, 'its like a bad ash laila!!!'
After landing, we made our way by the London Underground (or as the cool kids call it, the Tube) to where we are staying. The last destination of the line we were on was called Cockfosters, so at every stop the train person would say 'please mind the gap. the next station is ______ . This is the train to Cockfosters' and we would start laughing. They told us to mind the gap at least every 30 seconds (legit)....and the funny thing was that there isnt really much of a gap anyways so it was pointless. Once we settled in and took showers, we decided that it would be better if we didnt take a nap and that we should just try to push through the day, so we went for a walk. Then we got on a random bus hoping to do some sightseeing on the way to a cute area called Brick Lane, where there are a lot of London hipsters and overpriced vintage stores. I got an AWESOME sequined shirt thing for £15 and a pair of fake keds for £6. We ate shwarma at this kinda sketchy but also really legit place that had a deal for a shwarma wrap and a drink for only £4. Finally we decided that it was getting late and we were literally limping, bleeding, and falling asleep so we took the bus back and then walked and now we are about to pass out.
sorry this post wasnt as funny as the last few....we arent in such a good mood because we havent really slept in 2 days.
p.s. HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY TANYA IF YOU ARE READING THIS!!!!
xxxo,
Z
After landing, we made our way by the London Underground (or as the cool kids call it, the Tube) to where we are staying. The last destination of the line we were on was called Cockfosters, so at every stop the train person would say 'please mind the gap. the next station is ______ . This is the train to Cockfosters' and we would start laughing. They told us to mind the gap at least every 30 seconds (legit)....and the funny thing was that there isnt really much of a gap anyways so it was pointless. Once we settled in and took showers, we decided that it would be better if we didnt take a nap and that we should just try to push through the day, so we went for a walk. Then we got on a random bus hoping to do some sightseeing on the way to a cute area called Brick Lane, where there are a lot of London hipsters and overpriced vintage stores. I got an AWESOME sequined shirt thing for £15 and a pair of fake keds for £6. We ate shwarma at this kinda sketchy but also really legit place that had a deal for a shwarma wrap and a drink for only £4. Finally we decided that it was getting late and we were literally limping, bleeding, and falling asleep so we took the bus back and then walked and now we are about to pass out.
sorry this post wasnt as funny as the last few....we arent in such a good mood because we havent really slept in 2 days.
p.s. HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY TANYA IF YOU ARE READING THIS!!!!
xxxo,
Z
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Planes!
Setting off into the sky
oh bibbidi-bobbidi-planes
the airport is awesome, believe it or not
bibbidi-bobbidi-planes
Airplane seats smell so stale
Can't wait to drink some ale
but we're sitting together we like it a lot
bibbidi-bobbidi-planes
Everything's blue and clean
we're traveling machines
we arent discouraged, europe is our orange
its bibbidi-bobbidi-planes!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Post-Mosh Pre-Trip Maddness
Whaddup playaz? Thats right. Its time for gigglefest 2010 to go global. (2 of the) Lahav girls vs. the world! 2 girls, 2 backpacks. Read it as it all unfolds riiiiightt heree on this blog.
This is the story of 2 girls growing up together. Starting at age 3, we spent 11 years in school together, in the same class. For many of these years we were also in Hebrew school together, and of course, we have been at camp together for 7 years. What's the next step in our journey of sisterhood?? EUROPAAA. Coincidence? I think not.
Read it all rightt hurrr as we conquer the european world. First stop, LONDON!! Can you pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like zoe and rachel??? yes....and it wont be pretend because our plane flies out from JFK at 9pm, so look up at the sky around 9:30 and wave at us.
See ya in anotha country, suckkaz!!
xoxo, Z. Vockinator.
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