Bruges + Brussels

So whenever I said I was going to Brussels, peeps be like "Have you seen In Bruges?" No, I still haven't BUT now I can say, I have seen Bruges. AND I reunited with Elisa, my old friend from London. (Saying "old" makes me feel ancient, but two years ago is far too long to go without seeing this girl.)

So first things first, Elisa and I met in our Foundations of Health Policy class at LSE. We were the only people under 72 in the class so we became fast friends. Now Elisa is living in Utrecht and I'm in LA and we havent seen one another in ages. So Elisa met me in Bruges and then came to Brussels for the evening and today.

So yesterday morning when I woke up to skype Evan, there was the fiercest, loudest thunderstorm ever and the idea of navigating a new city, even with Elisa, seemed a bit, well, awful. But the minute I got there and met her, we had sunshine, 75 degree weather with a slight cooling breeze. We had lunch in a gorgeous square, coffee in another gorgeous square, a nap near a canal, and dinner at yet another gorgeous square. The cobblestone streets, the afternoon glow, the slow, easy place of the residents and tourists, the brick and stonework, the pretty canals, and the trafficless streets were ridiculously relaxing. Also we tried the local beer, Brugse Zot, which is a refreshing golden ale that I actually enjoyed. I'm going to see if I can get it in the states.

Elisa and I managed to get home before a terrible storm and woke up this morning for a jaunt to the market and brunch at Potemkine, this lovely gallery, cinema, bar, cafe, restaurant place that I've been wanting to try. We had coffee, mint tea, grapefruit juice, pain au chocolat, smoked salmon bread, parma and fruit, chickpea salad, etc. Yum. Definitely going back.

It was amazing how easily Elisa and I fell back into our conversation and stories and similar sense of humor and wavelength. I'm so happy I got to see her and it can't be another two years before I see her - so I think she should plan a trip to LA asap :)

Almaz is coming over for tea so gots to go

xx

Weekend in London

So on Thursday, after a hectic journey to get on Eurostar (wrong train station, ticket wouldn't print, passport couldn't be read, then a delay), I arrived in London at around 10pm and stayed with my friend Hannah near London Bridge. 

Hannah and I met three years ago. Our mothers went to school together in Wales. Anne, Hannah's mom, was appointed my mom's tour guide when she moved from Kenya. They lost touch for years, but when I hightailed it to the UK to do my M.Sc, my mom found Hannah's parents and Hannah just happened to be in LA the week before I moved to London. We met for lunch and became friends in our own right. Hannah lives in a glorious, bright white apartment with her lovely bf, Jimmy. 

He was my tour guide on Friday. We went to Borough market and sampled the delicious English cheeses from Neals Yard and bread from St. Johns. UM. THE CHEESE. NO WORDS. MUST TRY. 

We hit up the Tate Modern for the El-Salahi exhibit after having a drink at the rooftop bar. Afterwards, we strolled through Brick Lane before I met my cousin Aniela at the Southbank Center for an al fresco beer. It was amazing seeing her after this time. Despite the fact we live thousands of miles apart, we have the Cheema sense of humor. Hopefully, we'll get to spend more time together this summer. After that, I met Hannah at her Chambers and met all of her colleagues for the 250 year anniversary/recreation of Dr. Johnson meeting Boswell. This included corsets, pigeon pie made by Hannah, and pineapples (they were trendy back then.) 

Hannah and her pigeon pie the night before the recreation

Dr. Johnson and me

After a few gin punch glasses, we headed to Chinatown for some duck and such. Saturday was a recovery day. We picked up coffee, lavender honey lip balm, more cheese, checked out reclaimed wood for Hannah's apartment, and enjoyed bloody marys in the sunshine on Maltby. They have the most amazing market with food stands, antiques, crafts, drinks, full of people of all ages and interests. We also had delicious chicken peri peri sandwiches, freshly BBQed. All of this action after such a long night meant an extended afternoon nap. 

 

After, I met Alexandra for CocoRosie at Barbican. I never thought I'd see them live. They are two strange sisters living in Paris, making music with children's toys. The last time they had an American tour, members of their band were deported and they cancelled it.

The show was crazy amazing. It seemed more like a visual art installation than a concert. The sisters have chosen more techno influences for their latest venture, including an extremely talented beatboxer. The album is now on repeat. Alexandra and I enjoyed wine and burgers after and I fell into bed, only to take another hectic terrible train back to Brussels, just in time for Alexandra and I to meet Matheus and co for National Day in Brussels (a post for tomorrow.) London was amazing as always and I am so grateful to Hannah and Jimmy for such a lovely time. xx

Oh also I got to go to my mom's old chambers, 12 King's Bench Walk, where she did her pupilage. 

CocoRosie and Missing My LA Music Scene

Before I came to Brussels, I was going to a lot of shows, big and little, rock and R&B and folk and pop and everything in between. Although my time here has been AMAZING so far, I am having a few pangs for the Satellite and Bootleg and the Echo (and Staples and the Greek). But not to fear, I have Jay-Z's new album on repeat (omg Holy Grail - like I can't) and also have been stalking my friend Andrew Sheppard on SoundCloud. I love how earnest and genuine his music is and up-tempo with some notes of nostalgia; I need that at work. (Tunisian transitional justice is a heavy topic). Check him out:

Also, headed to London tonight to see Hannah and my cousin Aniela. Then I'm reunited with Alexandra and we're seeing CocoRosie on Saturday night. I can't believe I am actually seeing them. (Ff course, they just happen to have scheduled their first US tour in like forever for this fall, after I bought a ticket to see them in London). I'm kidnapping Alexandra and bringing her back to Brussels - wooooo! xx

International Trips and Visitors

I'm headed off to Brussels tonight for seven weeks (!!!!). I have a layover in London and arrive in Brussels at 8pm tomorrow night. Let's not talk about how much I'm freaking out.

Funny enough, as my craving for Europe started growing, London came to me last month. :-)

Last month, I got the insane pleasure of seeing both of my London besties within a few days of each other.

When Maya arrived, we did a champagne brunch at my house (thank you bevmo's 5 cent wine sale). There were six of us girls total. I made a chorizo frittata, pancakes, bacon, and bruschetta and mojitos after we finished off the mimosas. Scott gave an impromptu concert and it was just an insanely lovely and fun day. and I love Maya.

Then the next weekend, I picked up Leiley and Elena from their Weho hotel and we hit up intelligenstia and then artisan house for bottomless mimosas (do we see a theme here?) The girls had never had bottomless mimosas (refills are slightly uncouth in the UK). However, we had an amazing brunch with V and then did some tanning on the roof. It felt like I had seen Leiley recently, not two years(!) ago. She's on a whirlwind American trip, but I hope we can catch up again when I visit London in August.

Whoops - Two weeks in a Nutshell

I have been more than absent. With finals, Seda visiting, trips to Ibiza and Bath, moving back to California, and parties galore, I have been awful keeping up. Here are some photos to catch you up :-)

The night we saw David Guetta at Pacha and partied with Real Madrid:
Nassau Beach Club:
Boat Cruise in Ibiza:

Fourth of July in PV:

Guanabara with Elisa:
At the Roman Baths with a view of Bath Abbey:
Parade Gardens in Bath:
Last brunch at the Breakfast Club in London:

Four down. One to go.

So close I can taste it. I just finished my final on U.S. Health Policy and have a Gender and Development one on Tuesday, so I fear I will be MIA again for the next few days. But in the meantime, here are some updates:
1. Seda and I have decided on our apartment and we move in June 15. Photos and more exciting stuff to come soon.
2. Having dinner with Hannah tomorrow and Jade on Sunday. Jade just moved back to London from Australia and I haven't seen her in months, so I am so excited.
3. After my last final on Tuesday, I am going straight to Heathrow to pick up Seda.
4. Our itinerary for her time here:

• Tuesday, the 21st: St. Pauls, the Thames (London Eye, Big Ben Parliament, Westminister Abbey), pub for dinner (early sleep lol)
• Wednesday, the 22: Trafalgar Square (lunch at the Crypt, National Portrait Gallery), Covent Garden and shopping on Oxford, Indian food - fly to IBIZA
• Thursday, the 23rd- early the 26: Ibiza
• Sunday, the 26th: Camden market, Regents Park, Canals
• Monday, the 27th: BATH
• Tuesday, the 28th: Victoria and Albert, Sloane Square, Hyde Park, clubbing
• Wednesday, the 29th: The Breakfast Club for brunch
• Thursday, the 30th: I fly home!

5. I took a day off from the gym today because I've been feeling under the weather and it's raining, but tomorrow, I'm going full force. Now excuse me while I finish my day with some bad TV.

What did I do with myself...

When I didn't have exams? The last few weeks have been hectic with studying and writing and now I have a brief two day reprieve. But instead of relaxing, I've been mulling over where all my time went pre-studying. What was I doing for all those months? Obviously reading and going to class and such, but I definitely wasn't as productive. And now I just want to get back to work on something. Which is good, because I have three more exams.

But my day off was lovely. A breakfast date at Sweet, a meeting with my advisor and then a stroll down Oxford Street, where I found a couple of bathing suits for Ibiza, sheer blouses and some cute lingerie. Still on my list are flats, maxi skirts, a pink pencil skirt and anything with bows. Then I went to the gym and read Vanity Fair. So yeah, it was a pretty legit day :-)

On the itinerary for the rest of the week? Studying, gymming, lunch with Aniela, dinner with the girls, brunch to celebrate Alina's year in London (agh she is leaving us on Friday - no me gusta.)

I want to hit up Spitalfields this weekend to purchase some vinyls for my new player, which I am in the process of ordering - lol, I just have to commit.

Fun times, peeps.

Discovering Dead People Around the Corner

I just need to start these finals so I can actually feel like I've accomplished something... three weeks of studying and I have no idea as to whether I would actually pass any of these things, if I have actually absorbed any of the information I've been studying, or if I even care anymore. However, I did spend two hours on Skype yesterday making my mom listen to theories of health planning, so that's productivity for you.

This morning, Alina and I hit up one of my favorite brunch places in the city, The Modern Pantry. I had a coconut and cassava waffle with maple syrup and bacon and two lattes. I was impressed because the waffle wasn't sweet and sometimes you get that awful, sickly sweet stuff and it makes you want to vom like two hours later, but this just had a nice delicate flavor. And then the highlight of my day was the fact that the chef from restaurant is releasing a cookbook in June. It's going to be my apartment warming gift to myself, lol.

Then Alina and I walked back to our building and took a detour through Spa Fields, which is behind Exmouth Market, the location of all those adorbz boutiques, cafes and bars. Spa Fields is a park/church yard about a one minute walk from my building. Anyway, families were having picnics and children were playing, even thought the weather wasn't very accommodating - it was a warm 50 degrees. And then there was this sign. And the sign said something about how the grounds that the park is on used to the site of funeral home and graveyard. And apparently, there was room for approx. 2700 bodies. But the men who ran the burial ground wanted to make more money. So they would dig people up in the middle of the night and burn their bodies and managed to cram 80,000 peeps on the grounds or rather, their ashes once they had dug them up. However, their money-making scheme was spoiled when residents of the area began to get sick off the dead body fumes floating into their homes every night. So then the grounds were empty for a while until 2004 when a project began to bring new life (pun intended) to the area. Spooky and gruesome, yeah?

This is the park house, which stands on the site of the old bone house:

Where unsuspecting children play:

So that story went well with my drizzly, lazy day. I was supposed to meet a friend for dinner but got canceled on due to a stomach bug :-(. So I've now finished the last episode of Glee, as well as some brie, ginger beer and black licorice. Loosely thinking about studying since I just walked into the kitchen and was faced by an obviously awkward couple attempting to turn their study sesh into a pseudo-date. So cute. Kind of. Barf.

SKB Recap: Waffles, the Tower and Room Service