July 2011
1 post
July 8, 2011
Thirteen months ago, I came back and Cleveland was the same, but I was different. People didn’t know how to approach me and I didn’t feel the way I did when I left. I had missed out on the movies and music and TV of the last eight months. I didn’t know what Jersey Shore was and I hadn’t seen Avatar. I thought Boom Boom Pow was new (it wasn’t). And I had missed the closing of this bar and the...
November 2010
1 post
June 10, 2010
Hot tears roll uncontrollably down my warm cheeks. Sunglasses hide my puffy red eyes, but it’s undeniable. Eric looks at me across the table and I know he’s not sure what to say. I pull my tan Scottish pashmina tighter around my shoulders and bring my knees in closer to my chest. I look over La Boqueria Mercado from our balcony in the Barcelona hotel. It’s a beautiful hotel balcony in a...
September 2010
4 posts
June 7, 2010
There’s nothing better than being with the person you love in the city of love. The weather always plays a factor and today is perfect: sunny and warm with a slight breeze that ripples through the supple green leaves of the trees that surround us. I can sit and talk and waste the time away and, when there’s nothing left to say, I can stare at him and wonder how it is that I took so long to get...
July 2010
2 posts
June 4, 2010
Rome. The city of great men, great monuments, (great shopping), the Pope, a slew of amazing artwork, and a pro-Palestinian rally? Um, sure why not? It is Europe, after all. At the end of a very long day of monument hopping and window-shopping, Eric and I were headed toward the Vittoriano, the large white columned building dedicated to the first King of Italy. It was hot. I was tired and...
June 2010
7 posts
May 30, 2010
Veins arch out of his muscular hand, displaying controlled power. He looks to his left, solemnly though, and I can’t be sure what he’s thinking. Can he be contemplating his own strength? His actions? He did kill someone, that’s true, or will. (I think this is before all that took place, but no one can really know.) As he stands before me here, I can’t see how he could be capable. His gaze...
May 26, 2010
We had spent all night in a train car, which should have held four people somewhat comfortably, but the train company had thought could squeeze six. Six bunk beds and barely any space for luggage. For us, it was a problem. Everyone else seemed to only have small bags that fit neatly in their beds with them or in the overhead space. They must have only been traveling a short time. Besides...
May 2010
29 posts
May 22, 2010
Vienna! City of music, museums, delicious coffee, striking architecture, and a history of overwhelming intellect. After all, Freud was born in Austria and worked in Vienna. And I wonder what he’d have to say about this…
“It’s not gross!” Eric said and rolled his eyes. “It’s natural!”
“Well you’re not seeing what I’m seeing.”
Exasperated now and talking to me like I am SOOO overreacting:...
May 16, 2010
Eric and I visited Auschwitz two days ago. I considered writing about it, but cannot even begin to translate my feelings into words. Perhaps by the time I return to the US I will be able to discuss my experience, but for now, I would prefer to keep it private.
Until tomorrow and the new adventure…
Rachel
May 14, 2010
The wooden stairs were well worn in the middle. The paint was gone, though it was obvious from the coloring along the edge of the banister that it had once been there. Dust and dirt were permanently collected at the bottom of each double-glass window. I could see the Wawel Castle from the stairwell, but hardly had time to appreciate it as I lurched forward trying to wrestle my overloaded suitcase...
May 13, 2010
Everything I’ve read or seen in movies has made Poland out to be a grey, dismal country where people hardly smile and the sun never shines. But, I should know better than to believe Hollywood, especially when most of the movies made about the country are set during times of war or strife. Warsaw is bright! And cheery! People are laughing and smiling all around me! Cafes and coffeehouses (the...
May 11, 2010
There was a cabaret and there was a master of ceremonies. And there was a city called Berlin in a country called Germany. It was the end of the world and I was dancing with Sally Bowles. And we were both fast asleep…
Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome
Fremde, etranger, stranger.
Gluklich zu sehen, je suis enchante,
Happy to see you, bleibe, reste, stay.
Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome
Im...
May 9, 2010
Berlin, Germany.
I didn’t say anything when the teacher took the picture of a smiling class of children in the Garden of Exile in the Jewish Museum.
I didn’t say anything when the kids were playing hide-and-seek in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
I didn’t say anything when the high school student playfully slapped his friend on the arm and said: “Tag! You’re it!” as they...
May 3, 2010
It was just overwhelmingly sad. Not haunting or scary, just sad. So this was where she lived for almost two years. This was her room. These pictures on the walls are the celebrities she admired. This was her sister and parents’ room. This is the room where the other family lived, which also doubled as a living room. This was her kitchen. This was her bathroom. This was the skylight she...
May 1, 2010
“So are they actually having sex in those places?” Eric asked as we walked by storefronts filled with girls knocking on the glass to get our attention and beckoning us toward their sordid dens of morally reprehensible behavior. Well, not just behavior. It is a legal profession here after all. The girls were dressed in lingerie or just a bra and underwear. Their eyes were lined in heavy make-up...
April 28, 2010
Chocolate! Waffles! Mussels! Beer! Brussels and Bruges, Belgium were all about eating and drinking. I was able to get my Mussels From Brussels and Eric made sure we visited every famous chocolate maker in both cities. Seriously, he had the map out and showed me how we could make it to three different chocolate maker landmarks in Brussels within the space of an hour. And we did. I don’t...
April 2010
12 posts
April 23, 2010
SCOTLAND! The land of tartan, bagpipes, unicorns, and accents I can barely understand! (Let’s be honest, they couldn’t understand me either. It must be that Cleveland aaaacent.) What’s not to love? Each cobblestone street leads to a different historical monument, museum, or church, the buildings marked by medieval influences and beautiful stonework.
The people are welcoming, kind, and...
April 19, 2010
There is still tension in Belfast, even after almost a decade of declared peace. You wouldn’t know it if you stayed in the center of town, though. There are beautiful historical buildings, Tesco, H&M, a mall, an adorable cupcake shop, trendy thrift stores, and the paradigm of consumerism: Starbucks. (Actually, there are two Starbucks and they are about 200 yards apart.) But when I walked...
