Saturday, November 24, 2012

REWIND: Everything up till now.

Ok, so clearly my commitment to blogging has waned since the initial conception. Nonetheless, I haven't given up quite yet, so prepare for one long REWIND and a little current information.

Kutna Hora:

I returned once again to Czech Republic after my jaunt to Romania, and took a day trip with a friend to Kutna Hora, a beautiful little town with a gorgeous cathedral and the fascinating though potentially morbid Sedlec Ossuary. This Catholic chapel is situated next to a cemetery that was used for the many victims of the black plague. Years later, when they wanted to expand the chapel, they dug up the mass graves and chose to use the basement as an ossuary to store the skeletons. Years later, a woodcarver was hired to organize the heaps of bone, and made some rather interesting artistic decisions about how to do so, resulting not only in large heaps of neatly-stacked skulls, but slightly grim decorations like coats of arms pieced together from femurs and phalanges.



The chapel is on the outskirts of town, so after staying in the crowded basement long enough to realize I would never be able to decide whether it was really cool or just morbid, we strolled into the city center, which was delightful and charming, and made our way up the hill to St. Barbara's, a beautiful church with delightful stained glass and an intricate organ on the upper level.



England:

I then went to England for a week, where I experienced unseasonably good weather, tromped through some fields in search of beer (and found it!), saw how different the English sea-side is from a California beach, and drank a lot of tea. It was a nice time in a small town, and I was glad to skip London during the Olympics.

My flight back home was, at this point, only about a week and a half away, departing from Glasgow, Scotland. I was in England. But, of course, with a couple extra days, I just had to go back to beloved Olomouc one last time before heading home.

Olomouc (for the 7th time):

I only had a couple days in my favorite city of the trip, and I had a particular purpose in returning when I did - a good friend who I met there was leaving town, and being much beloved by everyone (and rightly so), had a nice going-away party. Although I am certain we will see each other again, I just couldn't miss it. It was fantastic fun that included a luncheon feast, chocolate pie, single-malt scotch and intense foosball competition.

It was pretty tough to leave, but Edinburgh and the Fringe Festival were calling, so off I went.

Edinburgh:

The Fringe was pretty amazing, and Edinburgh is a great city. I was very lucky to be put up for the week by a lovely friend I met earlier in the trip, who was not only incredibly hospitable but also has impressive knowledge of the city and was kind enough to show me around.

As part of the festival I watched a few free comedy shows, one of which was fun, the other not so much. I saw a blues guitar duo and then a Duke Ellington themed vocal show, both in the same venue (Jazz Bar). There was a comedy show by a blind man called "Not Blind Enough" and a hilarious sketch by the Beta Males about the (fictional) role of the UK in the space race. The strangest was an outdoor sci-fi performance with no words that made little sense until the end, when it all clicked and was rather depressing. My favorite? A tie. Bill Clinton the musical, featuring two actors to portray the two Bills - Billy, the ne'er-do-well womanizer, and William, the responsible leader who only wants what's best for his country and loves his wife. Or the all-in-one-hour Gilbert and Sullivan production, which was wonderful despite the very conspicuous lack of "Modern Major General". Clearly musical theater is a particular joy of mine, and patter songs are pure heaven.

In addition to the Fringe shows, I spent some quality time in various pubs and cafes (including one where JK Rowling wrote much of the early Harry Potter books, and I understand why, it was lovely).
My favorite was the Royal Oak, where local musicians perform in a cramped corner of the tiny pub year round, not just during the festival, and patrons sitting on the sidelines are at home enough to be backed up by the band in an impromptu solo. It was sweet, lively, get-in-your-blood-and-make-you-stomp-your-feet kind of music, naturally accompanied by laughter and a frothy pint and the wagging tail of the dog at your feet.

Back in California:

I got back to the States 3 months ago. In many ways it was nice to be back - a lot of my family and friends live here in SoCal, the weather was pleasant, the beach was wonderful, the Mexican food was delicious. But I didn't stay too long before I took off on another little trip to visit my lovely friend Blythe again.

Seattle:

If you recall from my Seattle posting in May, Blythe and I have a marvelous time together, doing fun things like decorating pizza with plastic figurines and visiting trolls under bridges.

This time we went to an island. On a ferry. This was very exciting for me. And on that island we found... a farmer's market! And a winery! And a lighthouse! And an apple tree whose fruit I tried unsuccessfully to pilfer. I did, however, succeed in getting tangled in the thorny bush below said fruit.

We ate paella and grilled cheese sandwiches and sushi and CRUMPETS, we made a completely locally sourced luncheon (with delicious poached eggs), we went tidepooling and spray-painted a poodle and went to the Chihuly glass museum.

The museum, I have to say, is one of the coolest I have EVER been to. It was absolutely stunning. I took about 300 pictures. Here are some samples:

This ocean-themed tower was at least 3 times taller than me.

here's a close up

This was part of Chihuly's Persian series.

It was the ceiling.

This Burton-worthy creation was inspired by his mother's garden


The boats were my favorite

To give you a sense of scale, they were big enough for an NBA player to lie down in.


These beautiful glass flowers the size of serving platters were hanging from the ceiling, right below the needle.


More visits followed. I went to Tucson, as I mentioned before, and to San Diego at least 3 times. One of those visits was for Halloween. I had a marvelous time, being an ardent lover of Halloween and the crazy makeup opportunities it provides, but learned that in the future I should tone back panther-inspired looks; several people asked me why I was in blackface.

San Francisco:

I returned to SF to visit a friend who has officially moved there and was kind enough to put me up and also take me to a bar that serves the BEST nachos I've ever had, no contest. For all of you wondering, yes, they are indeed superior to those at Walnut Brewery. The place is called Fly Bar. Go there.

We continued my dedication to epicurean tourism by walking down Valencia in The Mission and stopping in several cafes to procure pastries and other baked delights. The best was at the creatively named Craftsman and Wolves. The treat is called the Rebel Within. It's like a cheesy biscuit with chives and sausage bits and goodness, wrapped around a soft-boiled egg. One of the most delicious eggy concoctions I've ever had the pleasure of biting into. Behold:


Denver:

I went onward to Colorado, where I spent a lovely week with my Mom, making puzzles, listening to music, hiking, drinking wine etc. I got to stomp around in some snow, which excited me immensely. Basically a relaxing time with lots of chatting.

And now:

At this point you're probably thinking "so, do you, like, actually do anything besides travel around and eat?" Nope. I don't. Not for the moment, anyways. And let me tell you why.
I have been scurrying all over the place, spending time with friends and family, because in a couple days I am moving to England, and I have no idea when I'll be back. And I eat delicious things because, really, why would you not?
Without going into all the mushy details, let's just say I met someone pretty special this summer. Someone worth moving to England for. It helps that I really like England, and Europe in general, so I don't consider this to be much of a sacrifice.  I don't really know what the future will bring - hopefully graduate school will make an appearance in the near future, but beyond that I really can't say!  But all you lucky ducks get to find out with me.