Nürnberg und Mainz – ist wunderschön

You've probably clued in that I love *good* museums. I love them so much that I visited three Berlin museums in 1 day (they were awesome museums but I have to admit I spent a lot of time indoors in part to avoid the cold!). The Pergamon Museum was by far my fave: like the British museum, it houses magnificent sculptures and friezes from former colonies. And on top of that they have a whole STREET from Babylon. I would also recommend the “Topography of Terrors” and the Stasi museums, which are both free and which contain lots of sobering information about Berlin’s Nazi past and secret police, respectively. 

Pergamon Museum - Entrance to a Babylonian City

My last morning in the Haupstad (Capital City) was spent wandering around Kreuzberg checking out the Turkish market, the canal and the little boutiques.  

Berlin's funky Kreuzberg neighbourhood, boasting a canal....I even saw some swans. 

I’d have to say Berlin was my favourite German city – no contest – but it was quite nice to experience some of the southern Franconian-quasi-Bavarian culture.

Nürnberg was quite fun and relaxing to visit, thanks to my amazing host who I’ll nickname Queen of Hearts. She introduced me to her friends – including one guy who gives guided tours of the city in his leisure time, who generously showed me around town – and basically planned a really pleasant weekend for me. I visited the famous Nûrnberg Christkindmarkt (Xmas market) as well as the Kaiserburg and Stadt Fembohaus. My favourite word of that weekend is “Feuerzangenbowle” which refers to a sweet, hot drink which is made by setting fire to a bowl – or basin – of alcohol and sugar.  

Nürnberg Xmas Market - Marché de Nöel

L'ancienne demeure du bourreau, convertie en apparts étudiants - This is the former home of
the Executioner (back in the Middle Ages), which now serves as a student residence.

I said goodbye to the Queen of Hearts on Sunday and visited the Nazi Party Rallye Ground – a fascinating exhibit uses videos and pictures to explain how the Nazis used Nürnberg as a base for their propaganda rallyes, which attracted several thousand participants each time.

Then I headed to Mainz for the final leg of the journey. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend staying in Mainz on a Monday in December – it’s a very small town and the Gutenberg museum is closed on Mondays. But I did find enough to do for a day, including visiting the Christkindmarkt – naturally – and indulging in some retail therapy.

Les maisons à colombage de la ville de Mayence - Mainz's Timber Frame Houses

I'm back home for the holidays. Hope to see you soon. Merry Christmas to all!!
xoxo's  Miss Engagée

Ich bin ein Berliner.

Guten Tag alles,

"Ich bin ein Berliner" as an American President once said (thus inadvertently covering himself in ridicule - since the word "berliner" outside Berlin can also mean Jelly Doughnut).

Berliner Krapfen *Jelly Doughnut*

I am enjoying Tee und Schokolade (tea and chocolate) whilst sitting in a very cosy and übercool flat in an übercool neighbourhood of Berlin.  This neighbourhood, Kreuzberg, is quite multicultural and filled with Italian pizza joints, Turkish bakeries, Vietnamese pho restos and the like.

Last night we walked down the road (quite literally) to a little club to attend a gig by Flimmer FrühStück, a pop-rock band composed of a pianist, a saxophonist, a percusionist and a bassist. The band members are friends of my hosts' so it was nice to get to know them a bit, plus I really enjoyed the show.

Today I walked around Kreuzberg before visiting the Jewish Museum. The museum is quite informative although I have to admit I looked in vain for mentions of the Maccabees (thanks to our friend David's Hanukah stories I have retained this little bit of Jewish history) before it dawned on me that, of course, the Berlin Jewish Museum would be mostly about the German Jewish experience. It is actually a very child-friendly museum (with play areas interspersed throughout the permanent exhibition) and I almost wished I were 5 again to be able to play with the giant cut-out Hebrew letters.

East Wall Gallery

In the afternoon I joined 40-or so other people for an English-language free tour of Berlin. Our guide Barry was a wisecracking Irishman/former Law student who clearly loves his adopted city. I have to agree that Berlin is a fascinating city indeed - how can one not be amazed by its central role in the history of the 20th century, along with its unique blend of modern, shiny, gritty and grand. We saw the major sites including Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag and a number of memorials. It was a great tour but by the end, most of us were cold and wet!

I also stopped by the Alexanderplatzen Christmas Market - which I must say was a lot more enjoyable in rainy weather since there wasn't much of a crowd. I ate some gingerbread and ooh'd and aah'd at all the Germany food like pretzels, WeiBs Wein, Glögg, and Flammkuchen (aka tarte flambée).

XoXo's Miss Engagée

The Radical East End

Bonjour tout le monde,

Petite mise à jour de ma fin de semaine. Dimanche dernier, j'ai fait une visite guidée de l'"East End" avec un dénomé David Rosenberg. La visite, intitulée "The Radical Jewish East End", nous a permis de voir d'un autre oeil le célèbre quartier où Jack the Ripper a fait ses victimes; qui est célèbre pour ses caris (sur la rue Brick Lane); où des milliers d'immigrants se sont installés à leur arrivée sur les quais de Londres; et qui est maintenant un lieu très à la mode. J'ai appris que le quartier abrite plusieurs centres communautaires (comme Toynbee Hall) et plusieurs lieux de rassemblement pour les groupes anarcho-radicaux (par exemple, le bureau de Freedom Press), pour les syndicaux, et pour les communautés religieuses.  

Hello everyone,

Here's a little update on my weekend. Last Sunday, I participated in a guided tour led by a gentleman named David Rosenberg. The tour on "The Radical Jewish East End" showed us another side of the East End, a neighbourhood made famous by Jack the Ripper and curry houses, where thousands of immigrants first settled upon arriving by boat to London, and which is now a very up-and-coming area. I learned about the many organisations which are located in this area, such as Toynbee Hall, the offices of Freedom Press, the former offices of trade unions like the Jewish Bakers' Union, as well as many places of worship like the Mosque on Brick Lane. 

Our Guide telling us about the radical-anarchist movement

Under an overpass, we found this beautiful map of London' s East End.

A plaque commemorating London's Jewish history, including the Soup Kitchen
which fed up to 5,000 people in its heyday. 

These houses sell for 2-3 million pounds. They are kept deliberately shabby on the outside,
so that film crews can use them as sets for Depression-era movies. 

This being my last week of term, my brain is already on vacation! Will post next about my holiday plans. XOXO Miss Engagée

Hyde Park Xmas and Harrod's Department Store

Hello all and happy First Sunday of Advent (yes, I'm counting the days til Xmas!)

Just a quick post today, since I have a mountain of readings to do (this week's theme is: State fragility - tons of material to cover) plus I plan to go to church for once, and make a pasta salad for a potluck with friends tonight.

I had a good week, not too stressful since I didn't have any presentations or essays due. On Friday we heard a really interesting speaker, Gabriel Palma, who teaches in the Cambridge Economics Department but who has a two phDs (one in economics, one in politics). He's from Chile which somehow made him seem even more "sympa", and used his country to illustrate why there are stark inequalities across countries (in other words, income distribution in Chile is quite unequal compared to Korea, for instance).

And yesterday I went to the Hyde Park Christmas Market, which should really be called the Hyde Park Christmas Amusement Park. There were tons of rides, including a Haunted House (with a Thriller soundtrack) and a ferris wheel. We walked around wishing we were little again, then went to Harrods' where we decided that it's quite nice to be in our twenties with some spending money of our own.

Inside Harrods'

Well I've got to go. Only two weeks of left in Michaelmas Term at LSE!
XOXO  Miss Engagée

Hampstead Wannabe

Hi everyone,
I hope you are well. I had a great day today - ditching the library in favour of Hampstead Heath, one of London's oldest parks situated north of Central London. It was a beautiful sunny day so I just had to be outside!! I love London, but sometimes you just have to leave the concrete jungle and go commune with nature.

There were swans in the pond! although I didn't take a picture of them. I really enjoyed wandering around Hampstead itself, too, it's a very upscale and pretty neighbourhood. Since I worked up an appetite walking through the Heath, I stopped for tea in a charming shop called Melrose and Morgan. Would definitely go again.

xoxo Miss Engagée

London Sky

Greetings everyone, I hope you are well.

Been a while since my last update so I just wanted to indicate that I'm still alive (and still procrastinating from homework). I had a wonderful weekend with the friends who hosted me in Aix en Provence! We did a bit of London sightseeing - wish I had remembered my camera. We went to the Old Spitalfields Market in the East End on Sunday; saw Trafalgar Square and ate in the Crypt Café at St-Martin-in-the-Fields (a great place to grab a bite); took pictures with a group of Marines who participated in the Remembrance Sunday parade; gaped at Big Ben and the London Eye (which my friend called the "London Sky"); watched the Sunday buskers entertain the crowd; had a much-needed nap; ate fish-and-chips at a local pub; took a long walk along the Thames and had a thought-provoking conversation with Occupy London Stock Exchange participants. Just listing everything we did in one day makes my feet ache!! ;)

I am keeping busy with essays, presentations, readings and planning (American) Thanksgiving dinners. Hard to believe there is barely a month left in the Michaelmas Term! I am looking forward to the Christmas holidays, that is definite. Hugs to all,

xoxo Miss Engagée

Quirky Profs at LSE

Another week has flown by...I can hardly believe that it's mid-way through the semester, which means that I 'm actually a quarter through my taught Masters' courses at LSE!

This week I felt like it was really time to settle down. I had a presentation on Friday on the topic of "Hirschman`s Forwards and Backwards Linkages" (leave a message if you really want me to explain this to you) which went surprisingly well considering I only practised what I was going to say an hour before our seminar started. I've also started to think of the essays that are due in the next few weeks...luckily most of them are formative, meaning that our professors will give us written feedback in the hopes that we can integrate their advice for our final essays. 

Given our workload and the sometimes dry nature of what International Development students study, it's refreshing when we encounter teachers with memorable quirks or peculiar teaching styles. For instance two of our professors have referenced pop culture in their lectures- one guy shares the name of the Hollywood actor who voiced  Buzz Lightyear in the movie Toy Story, so naturally we were treated to a Toy Story theme one day. I think the take-home message that day was: "To infinity, and beyond!"  

Another prof of mine, Diana, came to class in a "Star Trek"-inspired dress and  recounted how she found the dress while shopping in Marks and Spencer. One key point of that day's lecture was that institutions matter for economic development and that economic growth strategies are determinant for future generations. This continuity was illustrated by showing the striking ressemblance (and thus, we assume, genetic ancestry) between Jean-Luc Picard (the character played by Patrick Stewart in Star Trek) and the Kenniwick man. 

Photo Credit: Great Archeology 

Wikipedia entry for Jean-Luc Picard

I wish every lecture was as entertaining (imagine, I could organize my notes by theme..."Hollywood references", "Pop culture", "Corny jokes"...).

I'll leave you with this quote from Picard which I should adopt as my slogan given the copious amounts of tea I consume:
"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot".

xoxo Miss Engagée

Bella Italia

Just back from a lovely, restful trip to Firenze in Italy! I met my mama for a few days of sight-seeing, eating, shopping, eating, speaking Italian and eating gelato. We stayed at a lovely little hotel five minutes from the Ponte Vecchio, right off Via Tornabuoni, where all the Guccis, Diors and Pradas are located. Day 1, I climbed the beautiful Duomo (Cathedral) and we visited the renowed Uffizi Museum where Boticcelli's "Birth of Venus" is displayed. We also had my favourite meal of the trip at Caffè Cibreo, on Via del Verrocchio (highly recommended!).

Firenze, Italia

Il Duomo di Firenze

Day 2, we spent some quality time with The David. Mom was surprised to see so many tourists, since last time she was in Florence (1986) it was the year of Tchernobyl, and she was literally alone with Michelangelo's most famous statue!!
We also ate some more, and saw the Church of San Lorenzo where Cosimo (Medici)'s crypt is located.

Buen apetit!

 I also spent some time in Pisa before taking the plane back to London. The obligatory stop at the Leaning Tower turned out to be quite pleasant- I managed to snap some pictures before too many other tourists were out and about. Following Rick Steves's advice, I walked back to the Stazione Centrale through Pisa proper, which is quite a pleasant little student town. Unfortunately Pisa's No 1 gelato place wasn't open on a Monday morning (what an idea!) but I grabbed a delicious pizzelle as a last culinary treat before heading home. 

The Leaning Tower- and me 

Row me to the shore

Today was a beautiful sunny day for rowing! I joined the LSE Rowing Club (NOT to be confused with the LSE Rugby Club although the acronyms are the same) and today was our first time on the water. Conditions were perfect, although I sadly can't say the same about my rowing skills.

Last week was quite fun, I've been making lots of Latin American friends thanks to my Colombian amiga. We went to an oh-so-British pub on Friday after attending two lectures (one lecture from a former DESTIN student on her way to a Young Professionals position at the Asian Development Bank, and a lecture from Dr. Purna Sen, the former Director of Amnesty Asia Pacific and another LSE alumni).

This week I am going to cram a bit in order to enjoy my four days in Italy! Should be wonderful. I'll keep you posted.

Lots of love,
Miss Engagée xo

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bonjour tout le monde et bonne action de grâce!

Encore une fois j'ai oublié de prendre des photos cette semaine...le train train du quotidien m'accapare, quoi. La première semaine de cours s'est déroulée à une vitesse incroyable, nous voila déjà avec des tests et des présentations à préparer...

J'attends les résultats d'un cours d'économie, mais à date je prends le cours suivants:
DV 400- Development: History, theory & policy (cours obligatoire)
DV 410- Social research methods (pour préparer notre dissertation)
DV415- Global Environmental Governance (avec Tim Forsyth, prof très sympa)
GY445- Urban policy and practise in the South

De plus je compte être auditrice libre pour un cours intitulé "Race and Space" avec un prof très cool - le cours ne me donnera absoluement rien d'"utile" mais sera surement le lieu de discussions passionnantes sur le pouvoir, le politique et la race/le racisme.

This weekend, I went to the British Museum (had a look at the mummies and the Asian artefacts) and cleaned my flat. We've already been here two weeks! which is hard to believe until you take a look at the state of our floors. Ah the student life...


I've joined the rowing club- should force me to be a little active, although since we currently have 1 functional boat the chances of my getting on the water are rather slim. That's ok, all I want is the chance to socialize and look stylish like these women. ;)

LSE women's rowing team, 1953. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,
Miss Engagée xx

Brunch and Brick Lane

Greetings everyone, 

I had great ambitions for my first weekend in London. Surely, I'd be able to squeeze in a museum and a major attraction or two (say, Buckingham Palace, which I've been told is closing for the season this Monday). 

Predictably, though, my plans changed and I ended up spending a lot of time doing every day chores...Laundry? Check. Groceries? Check. Readings for this week's lectures? Check, check, check. Buckingham Palace? I guess that will have to wait until next year. 

I did manage some exploring: Borough Market, which is very close to my residence, offers a wide variety of things to taste and smell. I bought some fresh figs which I made my friends taste- to mixed reactions (the American in my flat said he's been a picky eater since childhood, so I guess it was nice of him to indulge me). On Sunday, we had a big brunch for 12- I tried (and failed) to make crêpes, but we had tons of other foods- including congee prepared by my Asian flatmate, which was a huge hit. 

In the afternoon I walked over to Brick Lane, the Anglo-Indian mecca which boasts many curry houses and vintage shops. The Petticoat Market was winding down by the time I arrived, but the street was still bustling with families and young people looking for Indian sweets or chicken tikka. 

Brick Lane

View from Tower Bridge- What a beautiful walk home!

The weather continues to be beautiful and warm- we International Students wonder why the English are always complaining about it. I hear that it's 30 C in Paris so Europe seems to be experiencing a heat wave. It should cool down this week but hopefully it will be sunny for a while still.
xoxo Miss Engagée

London yeah!

Hello mates
Writing from Merry Olde England - where it is unbelievably SUNNY at the moment! If only it would last :D
I'm slowly settling in at the moment. I'm going to do a grocery run in a bit; have already set up a bank account with HSBC (but am thinking of cancelling because of their monthly fee); and have found my way around campus to attend 2 days of pre sessional economics workshops.

I'm really happy with my residence location (at Butlers Wharf) and with my flat. I have 5 room-mates: one American from California, one Brit, one Chinese girl, one Lithuanian and one German (who speaks French, English and Spanish on top of her German). They are all "sympa" and we are planning a brunch together on Sunday. We also invited the next door neighbours since the more the merrier!

I should take more pictures but I'm just taking it all for the time being. London is a huge city so I'm going to buy an A-Z city map and try to explore a few things every week. For instance, the Sir John Soame museum and British museum are super close to campus so I will definitely check them out again (went in 2008 but now I have the luxury of going as much as I want).

Bisous tout le monde, I hope you are well.

xoxo Miss Engagée

L'Alsace, un vrai coup de coeur

Bonjour!
Je suis installée dans ma chambre à Londres, avec (presque) vue sur la Thamise! Avant de vous parler de mon nouveau chez-moi, voici une mise à jour de la dernière semaine...

l'Alsace

Maison de thé chez Christian, Strasbourg

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg

Maisons typiquement alsatiennes avec colombages

La vallée, vue sur Thal Marmouthier

Un vrai coup de coeur!
I spent a very enjoyable 3 days in Alsace, France's smallest region which has flip flopped between Germany and France over the centuries. My lovely friend and pen pal picked me up in Saverne and showed me the sights including a stop in a centuries-old castle nestled on top of a hill overlooking Alsace on one side, and Lorraine on the other.
We then went to Strasbourg, famous for its Kugelhofp (a kind of upside down cake....perfect for fika!), its Cathedral and its lovely old houses with "colombages" (wood pannelling). My friend had to spend Friday at the university so I hopped on a train and explored the neighbouring city of Colmar (home of the Statue of Liberty creator). While in Colmar I enjoyed the Unterlinden Museum (which houses a truly spectacular collection of mediaval art) and walked around simply enjoying my pretzels and the lovely houses.

Saturday, my last day in France, I took the train back to Paris and strolled around the Jardin des Plantes for a while, before heading down la Rue Mouffetard for some window shopping. I met my friend and hostess for a late night (late to me!) supper, gossip and tarte tatin.

I'm now in London and had my first pint by the side of the Thames. Life is good, my room is lovely and my flatmates are quite nice (for now we are on our best behaviours haha).

Bisous, à tout le monde,
Miss Engagée

Aix en Provence et Grenoble

Bonjour!
Time for another update from beautiful France. I am sitting in the appartment of a lovely couple who i met through Couch Surfing: their place is right in downtown Grenoble and almost has a view of the mountains that surround the city. I was just up the Bastille mountain today; what an amazing view!!!

But, hold on, lets rewind a bit you may say: how was Provence ?
It was fantastic! I stayed with another lovely couple, one archeologist and one neuroscientist, who made me yummy chocolat au lait and let me laugh at French television ;) I saw Cezannes atelier and met up with my friend Emily for crepes au Speculoos.




Atelier de Cezanne. He liked to get here early to paint the morning light.




Aix en Provence





moi devant les Champs Elysees de Arles (Alyscamps en provençal)

 

 We went to Arles on Saturday: it,s a tiny little town with gorgeous Roman crypts, a Roman amphitheatre and Roman baths. My friend and I met some super nice people who speak with a charming provencal accent (they have their own dialect which few people speak these days, unfortunately). One gentleman was nice enough to fika with us for two hours; telling us stories of the place where he grew up ( he was born and raised in Arles, right beside the Roman theatre). His dog Puna was pretty cute and sat on my lap trying to drink my juice and gobble my chocolate.



Grenoble

Grenoble is a nice city; reminds me of Western Canadian ski cities. Not too much to see but the view is great! Their museum is well known for its superb modern art collection: it is closed on Tuesdays but luckily I went yesterday (and had the place nearly to myself, how cool is that).



 
Tomorrow I am heading to the Alsace region for three nights. Then Paris for one night and then....LONDON!  Hope you are all well.

xoxo Miss Engagée

Pompidou, Picasso et Place de Vosges

I slept in a bit today knowing that I had done my "must" tourist things in Paris and that today was going to be just a relaxed day au pays de l'Hexagone. Arrived at the Pompidou Centre around 11am (opening time) to discover a mega long queue, and a frazzled lady at the door saying they had a "major problem" and weren't opening until later. Luckily there is lots to see around the Pompidou (the neighbourhood is called Les Halles/Beaubourg and next to it is another interesting neighbourhood called le Marais/La Bastille), so off I went to explore. 

Fontaine Igor-Stravinsky

Centre culturel suédois, où mon amie a travaillé

Le quartier du Marais est rempli de petites ruelles et de charmants jardins. C'est là où se trouve le musée de Picasso, qui est malheureusement fermé pour rénovations jusqu'en 2013 (les oeuvres sont prêtées à d'autres musées pendant ce temps, il y en a même qui seront à Toronto en 2012). C'est également là où la prise de la Bastille a eu lieu, événement déclencheur de la Révolution française. Aujourd'hui c'est un quartier paisible où il fait bon flâner. J'ai notamment fait un sieste dans le parc de la Place de Vosges, qui vaut vraiment le détour (le musée Victor Hugo s'y trouve- l'auteur a écrit Les Misérables dans une chambre du deuxième étage d'un hôtel adjacent à la Place de Vosges, ancienne Place Royale). 

Place de Vosges

Ces jeunes lycéens jouent à un match de foot à côté de la muraille de Philippe Auguste, construite en l'an 1200!!

Centre Pompidou, a large arts centre which includes the Museum of Modern Art

Oeuvre de Larry Rivers, I like Olympia in Black Face, 1970 [d'après Olympia de Manet]