Nuit Blanche 2012 in Paris

20 Saturday Oct 2012

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Nuit Blanche is an annual all-night art festival in Paris. During this one evening, which is typically in October, museums are opened until the wee hours of the morning with free admission and art exhibits are on display throughout the city. Mr. Selfish and I were lucky enough to be in Paris for Nuit Blanche 2012, which was on October 6th. We went with my little Parisian cousin, Lisa, and had a blast – despite the rain.

First, we headed to the Grand Palais. It is located on the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement. I always admired the building and figured we would take advantage of the free admission during Nuit Blanche. The line was quite long, but it was still early in the evening so the line moved quickly. We were only in line for about 20 minutes.

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Flashback Friday – The Tulips in Keukenhof near Amsterdam

19 Friday Oct 2012

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In May 2012, Mr. Selfish and I spent four days in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  I had always dreamed of visiting the tulip fields in Amsterdam, so I accordingly planned a trip to Keukenhof, which is the world’s largest garden in nearby Lisse, Netherlands.  Keukenhof is open from mid-March to mid-May each year.

Unfortunately for us, we went at mid-May, which was the end of the season for the tulips.  To my dismay, a lot of the tulips were dead by the time we arrived.  I would recommend going mid-April, which is the height of the tulip season.  It was still lovely – even if the tulips weren’t in full bloom.

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Triple the Churches in Zurich

18 Thursday Oct 2012

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The city center of Zurich has three beautiful churches – Grossmunster (Great Church), Fraumunster (Church of Our Lady), and St. Peterskirche (St. Peter’s Church).

I can’t decide whether I like them better at dusk, night, or daytime, so you can judge for yourself.

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Fondue, Hot Chocolate, and Sausage in Zurich?

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Mr. Selfish and I have a difference of opinion on certain types of food.  While I love fondue and hot chocolate, he can do without both.  However, when we came to Zurich, Switzerland, I knew that we would have to try the specialties of the region, so I forced him to eat fondue and drink hot chocolate.  Yes, I know – it’s a horrible existence for Mr. Selfish.

We tried two fondue places.  Through these two places, we gleamed a few things about Swiss fondue.  First, the Swiss don’t serve many veggies with their cheese fondue.  The options were either bread and potatoes, tomatoes, or pickles.  Second, cheese fondue is quite filling.  Third, the best part of the fondue is the hardened cheese at the bottom of the pot.  It takes some scraping but it’s completely worth it.  Fourth, the Swiss don’t serve chocolate fondue for dessert.  Surprising, I know.

The first fondue restaurant we tried was Raclette Stube, which was a small little restaurant serving only fondue.  Raclette Stube was very delicious and, as we learned later, very well-priced.  We also enjoyed the ambiance of the small restaurant.

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Cruising on Lake Zurich

16 Tuesday Oct 2012

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Mr. Selfish and I spent two days in Zurich, Switzerland.  As soon as we arrived in Zurich, we noted the beautiful Zurich Lake that was within walking distance of our hotel.  The sun was starting to set, and the Lake was absolutely lovely.  I saw that there were boat cruises that seemed reasonably priced and figured that we would try it.

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Munich – Olympic Park, BMW Welt, and Food

15 Monday Oct 2012

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On our last day in Munich, Mr. Selfish and I went to the BMW Welt and Olympic Park, both of which are in the northern part of the city.  Although both were interesting, we wished that we had spent another day at Oktoberfest.

The Olympic Park was the site of the 1972 summer Olympics.  Despite being over 40 years old, it looks quite modern.  Apparently, they still hold events at the Olympic Park (i.e., Nickelback concert).  Also at Olympic Park is the BMW Welt, which is an exhibition hall for BMW.  You can even pick up your brand new BMW from the Welt. It was a nice exhibition hall but neither Mr. Selfish or I are that interested in cars. (My dad would’ve loved it though.)

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Sightseeing in Munich’s City Center

14 Sunday Oct 2012

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Even aside from Oktoberfest, Munich was a lovely city.  Mr. Selfish and I enjoyed sightseeing in its city center.  We typically started at Marienplatz, which contains the epic looking Rathaus (city hall).

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Oktoberfest in Munich

13 Saturday Oct 2012

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Mr. Selfish and I made plans to be in Munich during Oktoberfest.  We didn’t really know much about Oktoberfest – other than that there was lots of beer drinking.

We learned that Oktoberfest originally celebrated the marriage of Prince Ludwig to  Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, which was on October 12, 1810. Today, Oktoberfest continues as an annual 16-day Bavarian festival beginning in late September through early October.

Oktoberfest is celebrated on Theresa’s meadows, which is about a 20 minute subway ride away from city center.  I didn’t realize that there would be roller coaster rides, a ferris wheel, and tons of other rides.  However, the most festive aspect of Oktoberfest is that about half of the population is dressed in traditional Bavarian clothing.

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Flashback Friday – Ruins and Scuba Diving in Cancun

12 Friday Oct 2012

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In May 2012, Mr. Selfish and I took a trip to Cancun, Mexico.  Through a Groupon deal, we stayed at an all-inclusive resort for three nights.  This was mine and Mr. Selfish’s first trip to Mexico.  We therefore crammed in as many ruins as possible and a scuba diving trip.

First, we went to Chichen Itza, the Mayan ruins in the Yucatan.  Although you can no longer climb up the pyramid, it was still a sight to behold.

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Sightseeing in Vienna

11 Thursday Oct 2012

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Mr. Selfish and I took in the beautiful sights at Vienna.  The weather was forecast to be rainy and dreary, but lo and behold, the sun came out.  We lucked out again. I think we’re experiencing weather karma now because it’s been rainy almost every single day we’ve been in Paris., but more on that later.

We visited the Belvedere in Vienna.  The Belvedere consists of two palaces – the Upper and Lower Belvedere.  The Upper Belvedere contains the largest collection of Gustav Klimt in the world.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take photos of those beautiful paintings.  Nevertheless, we took plenty of photos of the outside of the two palaces.

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The Market and Food in Vienna

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Mr. Selfish and I visited Vienna, Austria for two days.  The first thing we did was go to the Naschmarkt, which is Vienna’s largest outdoor market.  The market had a great deal of fresh veggies, dried fruits, and spices.  Mr. Selfish and I bought some dried erdbeere (strawberries) to munch on.  There was also a lot of falafel and doner kebab stands.

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The Lake District – Castlerigg Stone Circle

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

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As we were leaving Keswick in the Lake District, we made a brief stop at the Castlerigg stone circle.  It was constructed as a part of a megalithic tradition from between 3,300 to 900 BCE.  There are approximately 40 stones, but the number of stones keeps changing due to erosion.

Both Mr. Selfish and I have been to Stonehenge, but we found Castlerigg to be much more beautiful since it is surrounded by mountains.  You can walk right up to the stones, and when we were there, it was nearly empty.  Plus, it’s absolutely free!

At first, storms were threatening, but then, the sun came out.  Castlerigg was certainly well-placed.

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The Lake District – Stroll Around Lake Derwent in Keswick

08 Monday Oct 2012

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On our final day in Keswick, we decided to take a stroll around Lake Derwent.  It is an 8-mile walk but there are launches (aka ferries) along the way that can take you back to the beginning if you get tired.  So, I figured that we could make it.

Unfortunately, it was a dreary and rainy day.  The views were nice but I imagine that a sunny day would have been ideal.  We started at the Theatre on the Lake in Keswick and immediately arrived at Friar’s Crag.

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The Lake District – The Catbells in Keswick

07 Sunday Oct 2012

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After staying in Windermere for one night, Mr. Selfish and I went to Keswick, which is deep within the Lake District.

We decided to climb the Catbells, which is a 1,480 feet tall fell.  From the top, you can get a wonderful view of Derwent Lake.  It is a rather steep and sometimes slippery climb, but definitely worth hiking.

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The Lake District – Windermere

06 Saturday Oct 2012

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I had always regretted not visiting the Lake District in the U.K. during the summer of my study abroad at Cambridge.  Mr. Selfish and I accordingly spent three lovely nights in the Lake District.  We stayed at Windermere for a night and then spent two evenings in Keswick.  The Lakes were definitely everything that I thought they would be – absolutely beautiful.

As soon as we arrived in Windermere, we made our way to the Orrest Head in order to enjoy the sunset.  It was only 423 feet up and very easy to climb.  We saw lots of sheep and cows on the way up happily grazing about.

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