My Sizzlin' Siesta

After spending four months in a country that considers 18 degrees summer, it was beautiful to get to Madrid and be bathed in warmth. Literally. I almost forgot what that kind of heat is like (It's awesome, just for the record). Madrid is gorgeous. The best word to describe it is opulent. Everything was bigger and more impressive: architecture, squares, parks and museums.

My hostel was beautifully located off Gran Via, Madrid’s version of Broadway and appropriately lined with various theaters and shows. One I was a little more shocked to see than others.

I was also a ten minute walk from the three big areas. Puerto del Sol is the heart of Madrid and really busy. It’s located at the center of a few shopping streets packed with stores—Spanish stores are pretty awesome, Sfera being only one example—and merchants selling boot-legged movies. (Note: El Corte Inglés is awesome. A Spanish department store, it has everything you could need, from shampoo to fruit to Gucci if you're so inclined). Then there is the square. It’s mostly known for Kilometer Zero, the beginning of the national highway. There’s a plaque to commemorate it. There’s also a statue of a bear, climbing the madroño tree, which is the symbol of Madrid.

The shopping promenade

Puerto del Sol

Plaza Mayor was really fun. It’s a giant square, complete with arched gates at the entrance. The day I was there they were setting up for a Run for the Cure (what is it about me that I seem to attract them?—same thing happened in Cologne). My favourite part of the square was the paintings. One side of the buildings has paintings of various scenes. From what I could make out, they were bullfighting scenes.

Plaza Mayor

But what was really interesting was the Palacio Real, or Royal Palace. Directly in front of it there are gardens with statues of various Spanish monarchs, which made me think that these were the gardens. Then I found the actual gardens beside it were even bigger! Although I went when I first arrived, I came back on my last day to get a tour of the palace (for free because I’m a European citizen, thank you Portugal). The castle is still actually used by the Spanish royal family. The rooms we saw were all opulently decorated and it really reminded you that Spain used to be a big deal in the world at one point. There were rooms from Spanish monarchs and 200-year-old Stradivarius violins. A personal highlight was when I stood in the room where Spain signed the document that brought them into the European Union.

Royal Gardens

It was a great tour but it put me in a foul mood that they didn’t allow pictures. Being crafty as I am, I sneaked one in. Too bad I didn’t realize my flash was on and the security guard immediately admonished people for taking pictures. Luckily, I have great reflexes and so he thought it was the girls in front of me. Here are the highlights.

The Royal Palace

The illegal photo

Inside the Royal Palace

A Lesson in Time

When my time to leave Brussels finally arrived I’ll admit I was a bit melancholy about it. By the time I left, I’d be there for almost four months. I’d lived there, worked there, traveled there, made friends there and improved my French there. But things have to end and I eventually got over it.

My last few days passed in a daze of souvenir buying, fitting everything I'd amassed into two suitcases and making travel plans. My flight to Madrid left at 8:30 in the morning so I set the alarm for 6am. Fueled by the adrenaline of potentially missing my plane and not being able to leave Brussels, I was up and out of the house by 7am. I got to the Brussels airport at 7:20am and waited to check in. Pleased with my organization and promptness, I handed the Brussels Airline’s travel agent my passport and reservation with a smile.

“Hmm.”

Not a good sign. “Is there a problem?” I ask, my heart beating in my head.

“This ticket is in English,” says the woman, speaking perfect English. I’m still not sure if this was a question or a statement. I nod my head and she turns the paper to me.

“This isn’t your flight," she says precisely, as if I was a child. "The flight you booked leaves at 8:30pm. PM means night time.”

I wanted to hit her. OF COURSE PM meant night time!

To this day, I still don’t know what happened. The only thing I can think of is that I picked 8:45 am and then it was somehow changed to pm. So I could either pay to upgrade or wait for my actually flight at 8:45 that night. I ended up paying to upgrade. This story does have a silver lining. By paying I upgraded to first class and increased my baggage allowance. Which was fortunate because although I was allowed 20kg I brought 36kg. I would have had to pay €10.50 for each kilogram that I was over. And because I was so late (I had to wait in line to switch and then check in again), I didn’t have to pay for the six kilos I was over. So I actually ended up saving money. I also got a free breakfast on the plane. And then as I was leaving for dinner in Madrid, I got an email that my plane from Brussels had been canceled. So it was for the best.

Better Late Than Never...?

It's November now. And with the start of a new month, comes the start of my blogging (again). I know I promised to write in September, but what's a month between friends? I know you've all been waiting at the edge of your seats to see what I've been up to. So I bring you my September. And some of my October. I'll try to keep blogging as much as school work will allow. Please bear with me.

As always, feel free to comment. Enjoy!

Gone Fishing...

So that's it for me. No, I'm not deleting this blog. But I am going on vacation. By the time you read this I'll be in Portugal, hopefully sunbathing on a beach and rotating every 40 minutes like a chicken on a rotisserie.

I'll update when I can but my access to Internet will be sparse and rare. But feel free to read the posts, comment and obsessively think about me and what a great tan I'm getting.

I'll be out of commission until the end of September. But after that, I'll be coming at you from London, England. So, stay tuned and have a great September.
Dee

Travel Tips from Yours Truly

A few weeks ago, a few of us interns were talking about our summer and how tired we are. "That's because vacations are relaxing, but traveling isn't. Traveling is hard work." Truer words have never been spoken. Traveling in Europe, cheaply and safely isn't easy. It can be overwhelming.

When I found out I’d be spending most of the summer in Belgium, I immediately started doing research. If I were going to spend the majority of the summer in Europe I was going to make the best of it! I subscribed to whatever travel blog I could find and read every article on Europe, traveling and doing it cheaply I could find. Added to that is the last three months I’ve spent actually traveling. I’ve taken planes, trains, buses, trams and subways. Based on these credentials, I think I’m as qualified as anyone to offer some advice on traveling. Feel free to take it or leave it. Here are a few:

1. Tourist offices are your best friends. A lot of people dismiss these places because being seen in one is like tattooing the word “tourist” on your face. Well, I’ve got news for you: you are a tourist!
   
   
   You might as well get used to it. People who live in (insert name of place you’re visiting) don’t usually walk around carrying maps and camera bags, squinting at signs and coming to abrupt stops at intersections. If you can overlook the lameness factor, these places can be incredibly useful. Most of the tourist shops have given me pretty great maps for free or close to free—in Cologne they charged me €0.20. They’re also staffed with pretty competent people. In Bonn, the woman directed me to where I wanted to go and sent me along the prettiest route. She explained the transit system (which stops I needed and prices) and gave me two maps for free. They’re also located close to big tourist areas or good starting places.
   
2. Learn the language. I’m not saying be fluent, but learning a few key phrases would be helpful. I learned this the hard way in Germany. Several times. I don’t speak a lick of German. Well, other than Volksgemenshaft, which means “national community” and is not useful for catching trains. And don’t rely on the belief that “everyone speaks English.” Because they don’t. I was astonished at the amount of Germans in Cologne (population 1 million) and Bonn who couldn’t communicate in English. At one point at the Bonn train station I resorted to sign language and then had to speak French as my go-to-language (which was even more fruitless). In Spain it's the same. They speak very little English and French and Portuguese have been no help to me. Important phrases like, “Where is this train going?” or “How much does this cost?” or even the German word for “main station” may save your life. Or at least a two hour train ride back to where you were going. Sites Like BBC Languages might give you the primer you need.
   
3. Carry that map. You’ll look like a tourist but it’ll help. See #1 for any “I’ll look like a lame tourist” complaints. In smaller cities like Bonn or Lille this isn’t so important. They’re small and easily navigated on foot. But in cities like Amsterdam or Madrid “wondering” can get you very far from where you want to go, to the point where you have to waste time and money on transit to get back or walk for hours (that’s what happened to us our first night in Amsterdam). Maps are also good because there may be information on what you’re seeing in them. There have been many a time I’ve walked past a church/statue/Roman ruin and thought, “What the heck am I looking at?” Maps will tell you.Finally, they sharpen your navigational and orienteering skills and that is always a good thing.
   
4. Do your homework. I give a lot of credit to people who can travel with just a backpack and their wits. My friend Kyla is like that—and is currently touring the Western Balkans doing her thing. I am not like that. I need order, I need a plan. I hate wasting my time, especially in a place I will probably never see again (I’m talking to you Lille, Bonn and Trier). Doing some research beforehand can tell you what sights to check out and what to stay away from and how much the trip will cost—and if it’s worth it. It’ll also minimize the time you spend looking at a map thinking, “Is this worth doing?” It’ll also give you a feel for when things close. In Ghent I really wanted to see the castle, but I couldn’t because last tickets were available at 5pm, an hour before it closed. I got there at 5:30. Planning can also save you money. Trains and planes offer discounts for booking weeks in advance (like my first class train ride). Books like the Lonely Planet and Let’s Go series are helpful. There are also a lot of good cheap European travel blogs too. My current favorite is Euro Cheapo. It’s not only given me travel ideas but tips on free walking tours and the best times to go to museums to capitalize on their free entrance fees. Wikitravel is also a great resource. But the greatest resource is people. In Amsterdam, we had Matt’s friend as a de-facto tour guide (she had been living in the city for a month) and it was great. She could tell us what was good and bad and worth spending money on. People who have been where you want to go are an excellent help and you should mine those resources if you have them.
   
5. Read hostel reviews! I cannot stress this point enough. Hostels are a great, cheap place to stay, but they’re not all created equal. I’d never stayed in a hostel until this summer and I was scared the first time I booked mine. What if I got bed bugs or the toilets overflowed? But I did my homework and read up on the places on sites like Trip Advisor and Hostel World (but don't book using the site as they'll charge you a fee). Every hostel’s website will claim to be great so these reviews are a great unbiased perspective. But don’t let yourself be thrown by one bad review. Look at what the majority is saying. Most sites have a rating system which is helpful. So far I've stayed in three hostels, in three different cities, ranging from a 69 to 85 per cent rating, and I’ve never had a problem.
   
6. Read signs—especially on trains—carefully. This is straight out of my own life. While in the Cologne train station headed to Bonn I jumped on a train headed to Bonn. This train made every stop in Bonn except the one I wanted. I was looking for Bonn hbf—central station— and it turned out I’d grabbed a train going in the opposite direction. It took me two hours to get back to Cologne and then another 20 minutes to get to where I was actually going. If I had looked at the sign carefully I’d have had more time in Bonn.
   
7. Always know where you are (and where you're going). This is more applicable to those of you traveling in groups. When you’re in a group you have the tendency to relax and let others take the lead on certain things such as directions, remembering where the hostel is and where the sites are.
   
   
   This is not always good. You should at least have a map and the address of your hostel. If you get separated—voluntarily or not—you don’t want to be the one without a map and no clue where your hostel is except that “there’s a yellow sign across the street.”
   
8. Always ask if you’re on the right train. My wrong-train-in-Bonn story is exacerbated by the fact that I stood there and didn’t say anything for twenty minutes. I knew the train to Bonn was supposed to be 20 minutes and when the trip stretched into 30, 35 then 40 minutes I consoled myself that maybe it was late. It wasn’t. You shouldn’t be afraid to get up and ask people. Now, before I get on a train I double check that it is going where I want it to go.
   
9. Pick and choose. This isn’t new. I’ve read it in tons of blogs and books and heard many people say it but it bears repeating. I still say it to myself every time I'm in a new city. You’re not going to be able to see everything, so get over it. You should read what’s available and pick what sounds good to you. That way you’ll make sure you see what you want and everything after is a bonus.
   
10. Don’t go to every museum. Tourism is a big business here. Every city, town and village claims to have “world class cultural and art museums.” It’s just not true. I’m not against museums, I love them and some of them have been great (Anne Frank and the Rijksmuseum spring to mind), but some of them have been less so (Trier’s city museum sticks out). Don’t go to the museum because “we’re here, we might as well.” No, stop, turn around and move on to something else. This kind of practice gets expensive and it’s just plain silly. Go to a museum you’re generally interested in! Here’s another hint, unless it’s a city like Amsterdam or London, the history of it probably isn’t that interesting, so don’t waste your time (or Euros) at local or city museums. You can just look it up on Wikipedia. Or learn about the history from the other interesting sites you might miss by spending time in the museum.
    

So I hope these tips were helpful. Some you won't need and some won't apply to you. But they're good to know. Anyone else have other tips?

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I love lists. If you know me, you know this. I’ve made plenty on this blog and I’ll make plenty more. But I made a particular list a few months ago, a kind of To-do list while I’m here. Given that I’ve left Belgium and essentially finished my summer, I think it’s time we check in to see the progress I’ve made with this list.

1. Learn a language. Yes and no. I am not bilingual. But my French has improved drastically in the four months I’ve spent in Belgium. I think I now know French well enough that I can “get by”: I can go to the market/store, read a menu or order at a restaurant, ask for directions, give directions (I actually did that once), or read signs; I don’t think I can carry on a conversation for too long but I can understand a good part of simple conversations. So I’m happy with my progress here. Proof that thirteen years of core French wasn’t a total waste. In the post, I said didn’t expect fluency, simply proficiency and I think I’ve got that. Or close to that. Sadly, no progress was made on the Portuguese front. But who knows what three weeks in Portugal with my parents will do?
   
2. Travel to at least two new cities/countries. Done and done. Of the list provided I have been to Antwerp, Amsterdam and Madrid. Added to the list are the following: Lille (France), Cologne, Bonn and Trier in Germany, Luxembourg and Bruges, Waterloo and Ghent in Belgium. By the time you read this, I'll also have visited Lisbon in Portugal before heading to the south. I’m proud to say that I did most of the traveling cheaply. I can say that I’ve explored the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and the surrounding areas. I’m going to put off the bigger cities—Paris, Berlin, Vienna—until I’m at school. That way I can capitalize on cheap-non-summer-airfare and I’ll have more time to explore.
   
3. Earn a wage/Euros/not go bankrupt. Well, I’m not bankrupt yet but I didn’t do the first two. But my time of working for free is (hopefully) over.
4. Take a ride on the English Chunnel. Done and it was everything I’d hoped for. In case you missed it, you can read about it here.
   
5. Spend a night in a hostel. Check. I’ve actually done this many times over. We stayed in a hostel for two nights in Amsterdam and one night in Cologne, in dorm-style rooms with six people. I’ve stayed three nights in a hostel in Madrid, alone and so far so good. In Amsterdam the room was cramped but fine. Cologne will always stick out in my memory, not because of the hostel but the people in it. The one time I forgot my earplugs we get stuck with the loudest snorer this side of the Atlantic (that’s saying something coming from my family—Mom and Dad I’m talking to you).
   
6. Freelance a story. Nope, never happened. I’m too lazy to do the work required. Also, I’m not at all in the journalism frame of mind.
   
7. Visit the diamond exchange. Done. In retrospect, I don’t know if it was worth being on the list, but I’m glad I did it.
   
8. Learn to cook. I don’t even think I can say I made progress here. OK, maybe I did because now I can cook bacon and chicken in a pan instead of a microwave and George Foreman grill respectively. I’ve also added Tortellini to my repertoire. Not from scratch but frozen with a ready-made four cheese sauce. I would have like to learn, but I just got too lazy and then Cassandra, my guru, my teacher, left and I lost the will.
9. Develop some kind of collection. This one I got down. It’s an idea I stole from Tara, a friend of ours from the Canadian Mission. Before she left for Canada, she had us over to her house. Her and her husband have been in Brussels for the last three years and have done a lot of traveling during that time. While I was in their kitchen I walked past the fridge and saw their collection of magnets. And then it hit me! Magnets, what a brilliant idea! Useful, small, cheap and space enough for a design so you know where it’s from. And it’s not like you’re going to run out of room on your fridge. So now I have one for every city and country (except Germany and France) I’ve been to. Except Bonn—to my everlasting regret—because it was a Sunday and most stores were closed. I’m also collecting the maps I get when I travel. I have a map for Bonn, so that’s something. It’s a good insurance policy in case the map doesn’t pan out.
10. Ride on a European tram/streetcar. For this one I went over and above the requirements. I’ve taken many forms of travel in many different cities. Here in Brussels I’ve taken subways, trams and buses. In Lille I took their subway; in Amsterdam we took buses, trams and taxis. In Cologne we took the tram (sometimes even for free!) and in Ghent I took a ride on their tram. European public transportation is pretty reliable and smooth. They’re also much quieter than the systems in North America. Nowhere will you find the squeak of the Scarborough RT or the TTC streetcars.

History Repeating Itself?

It turns out this picture of my holding up the European Parliament may have been more omen than fun.

A few weeks ago, EU critics had a lot of fun when the roof of the Parliament in Strasbourg collapsed. That’ right, it fell in on itself. “EU falling apart” read some of the gleeful blog posts and headlines. Captivating though they were, this is now a serious problem for the EU. Reconstruction on the Parliament is underway but now comes word that it won’t be ready for Parliament’s opening session this month, meaning the opening will be held in Brussels.

This is a major blow for Strasbourg. It’s already not loved by EU critics with many using it as the best example of EU excess. Technically, Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament. EU law mandates that 12 plenary sessions be held in Strasbourg every year. The Espace Leopold complex in Brussels is smaller and is used for only preparatory meetings and non-plenary sessions. This has been a bone of contention for a while. Never mind that Brussels is the hub of most EU business but the cost of moving 790 MEPs and staff back and forth is expensive. The BBC puts the cost at £160 million (the Canadian dollar is twice the worth of one pound).

It’s gotten so bad that when at a conference I was at, a (French) reporter remarked that he believed that the citizen’s initiative—a part of the Lisbon Treaty that would allow EU citizens to propose legislation—was created in order to start a grassroots campaign to abolish Strasbourg as the Parliament’s official headquarters.

Advocates of the Parliament's Strasbourg headquarters—and not just the French who insist on hosting a major EU institution—say that it's important European history keeping the Parliament there. As I mentioned before, Strasbourg has huge symbolism in Europe. It’s located in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, an area that has been a major bone of contention between France and Germany since the nineteenth century. Having the Parliament there is supposed to be a symbol of Europe overcoming war and strife to form a union. But what does it say about this union when Strasbourg is again at the center of another European cross-country dispute?

Doing My Research

I’ll be moving to London in T minus twenty five days, and like the conscientious student I am, I have been doing some prep work. I’ve pre-registered for classes, settled my accommodations, memorized the appropriate Wikipedia entries on the LSE, Bloomsbury (my neighborhood), London and England, and upped my daily intake of tea (two cups a day in case you’re wondering). I’ve also been observing British culture. As I've mostly been surrounded by the French and Dutch (with some Italians and Germans at work), this has meant watching movies. If I am to be schooled in Britain, I should get to know and understand Britons. With that in mind I’ve been watching various British romantic comedies in the hopes that I’ll be able to understand their humor and talk like they do. So here are my picks for best movies set in and around London. (FYI: Many of the descriptions contain spoilers):

1. Notting Hill: What can I say about Notting Hill? You can’t really point to anything outstanding in it but it just leaves me with a warm glow every time I watch it. It’s got all the elements of an enjoyable movie: do-gooder protagonist who can’t seem to catch a break, check; likable yet vulnerable female lead who falls for our protagonist, check; crazy roommate to provide substantial comic relief, check; a dollop of British humor added by a gang of lovable co-stars, check; tons of plot twists, check; a bit of fantasy—who really thinks a movie star would fall for a travel bookshop owner from Notting Hill?—check; a catchy soundtrack (Ronan Keating, Elvis Costillo and Shania Twain), check. A plethora of gorgeous London scenes, check. And (SPOILER ALERT) a happy ending, check. What more could you want?
   
2. Sliding Doors. There’s nothing I love more than a woman picking herself up off the matt after being beaten and bruised (not literally) and living to fight another round. This time this comes in the form of a make-over montage where Helen cuts off and then dyes her hair blond after finding her boyfriend shagging another women. The movie puts a new spin on the tradition phoenix-rising-from–the-flames motif by showing two sides to Helen’s life which is quite intriguing. A bit too intense to be that flighty flick you turn on to feel good. And yes, it stars Gwyneth Paltrow, but her accent is quite good. And John Hannah’s James more than makes up for that with his do-good earnestness. And Jeanne Tripplehorn is hilarious as the brash American.
3. Love, Actually. Major points are given for including my five favorite things in one movie: Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, international politics (the "Love Actually moment"), Portuguese people and Christmas. Top points for the scenes of London decorated for Christmas. And the interwoven stories are especially well done. Kudos to the filmmakers for showing all aspects of love: loss of love, love doing you wrong, unrequited love, friendship love and young love. I had to subtract points for including the story line of Colin, the googlieyed Brit keen on going to America where he’s convinced he’s “Prince William without the scary family,” and for guest staring Kiera Knightly.
4. Bridget Jones’ Diary. All around great movie. Great pick-me-up factor as throughout you’ll be thinking, “Well, at least my life’s not as bad as hers.” Hilarious dialogue and instant messaging sequences are pretty cute. The plot developments are rather predictable but it’s not that we’re particularly concerned with. Just frothy and ridiculous enough to be watched over and over again. I had to take points off for the choice Renée Zellweger as Bridget. The more I watch it, the less I like her accent and she's slightly annoying in it. But she did gain like a million pounds for the role, so we should give credit where credit is due. Plus Colin Firth AND Hugh Grant star. And Grant is great as the crude and suave Daniel Cleaver, instead of playing the dashing romantic lead (for the millionth time—I love you in them Hugh, but show some range my man). This marks the beginning of my love affair with Colin Firth. It’s been love ever since.
5. Sense and Sensibility. I had originally kept this spot open for when I saw Four Weddings and a Funeral but that was a bitter disappointment. So, instead, the last spot goes to Sense and Sensibility. A dark horse pick I know, but it's quite good. A stellar cast--Emma Thompson, a young Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and yes, Hugh Grant--but it's also mixed in with a little old school Jane Austen fun complete with fancy dress balls and snobby British high society. I know Pride and Prejudice is a theme in Bridget's Jones, but this is the real Jane Austen movie. Complete with eighteenth century empire waist dresses, high collars and top hats. The action is a bit slow and the dialogue sparse for Thompson, but it's a solid movie and worth a look.

Honorable Mention goes to:

1. About a Boy. Stars Hugh Grant and was therefore a worthy contender and the dialogue was hilarious at times. But it just didn’t resonate with me. Too melodramatic to really be a feel good comedy. I don’t want to watch this one over and over. Also, five is a small number and there just aren’t enough spots for everyone.
2. Pride and Prejudice. I badly wanted to include this into my list, and as I don’t particularly care for the Kiera Knightly version, I'm talking about the BBC miniseries which is many times better. But alas, it is a TV mini-series and does not fit the aforementioned movie criteria. But still very worth a watch. All 6 hours of it. In case you’re still on the fence, I’ll say this: Colin Firth. ‘Nuff said.
   

Those are my picks. Yes, I am aware that the majority contain Hugh Grant and that most are created by the same people but I don't care. I like what I like. Thoughts?

Who Is Going to Clean this Carpet?

I almost forgot about this. One of the good things about staying in Brussels through August is that I got to see the flower carpet. The night before, crews set up in the Grand Place and cover it with flowers. A tradition dating back to the 1970s, they do this every two years. It only lasts three days so it's a major event that happens on a long weekend and brings hundreds to the Grand Place.

Some people viewed the spectacle from the ground. But I joined the eager beavers and took in the view from the top of City Hall. Here are some of the pictures.

The Market

The European bazaar is a time honored tradition. So for me, Sunday in Brussels is synonymous with the market. Every weekend hordes of salesmen descend on Gare de Midi, taking up a few hundred meters of cobblestone walkway to hock their wares, selling everything from clothing to food to toiletries.

I am no stranger to this scene. I’ve experienced markets in many cities—the flea market in Pickering, the gypsy market (with real gypsies) in Portugal on Wednesdays and I stumbled through Lille’s when I went, though it was substantially smaller than the others. But the Brussels market has a special place in my heart if for no other reason than because it’s so cheap.

It’s not that food is expensive in Brussels (though it is with the exchange rate), but it’s that they give you “European portions”: six apples, eight cups of yogurt, a single piece of chicken. The entire concept of buying in bulk is lost on Europeans. No wonder everyone is skinny here. A part of it is based on practically—why buy eight pieces of meat when you can only have one at a time? I understand this and I agree with you. But my compliant doesn’t stem from a desire to eat more, but from sheer laziness: smaller portions require more trips to the grocery store; at least once a week if not more. But in the market, they sell in bulk.


Indeed, the food area of the Sunday morning market is truly a sight to behold: merchants screaming prices at you as you walk buy, proffering their goods for your inspection. Each stall is piled high with food: watermelon, nectarines, plums, lettuce, leeks, cheeses, bread, whatever you want. But the one I go to is what my friend calls, “the great ski-ball alley of fruit.” There I can get things in bulk: 2 kg of nectarines or apples for €3; two giant sacs of fresh ripe strawberries for €1.50. Does it get much better? Yes, it does because it’s not just fresh fruit that I get at the market. I stock up. Cheese for lunch sandwiches, fillets of meat for dinner fresh from the butcher. And then there’s the guy that sells me 18 Capri Sun for €2 and 18 individually-wrapped and succulent mini croissants for €2.

The last time I went to market I bought the following: 2 kg of apples, 2 kg of nectarines, a cucumber, a green pepper, ¼ pound of green olives, 3 chicken breasts breast (that will make 6 meals), 2 sacs of 18 croissants, a box of 10 Capri Suns, and 200 g of Gouda sandwich cheese. It cost me €18. And I didn’t have to go to the grocery for two and a half weeks.



This is one thing I'll miss when I'm gone. But not the waking up early on Sundays