Prague

It's time for the Prague blog! This city took my heart from the moment we stepped off the bus from Berlin (which we made only by sprinting to the bus station from the metro wearing our giant backpacks. A dog may have tried to chase me at one point. I don't want to talk about it). The whole city is small enough to walk, there's a beautiful river running through it (although I guess that goes for most European cities), and the architecture is unbelievable. You'll find all types of construction, from rococo to Slavic to cubist, and the combination is stunning. 

Prague also hosts the oldest medieval castle, fried cheese as a traditional dish (that alone sold me on the place), a John Lennon wall where protesters of the communist regime wrote Beatles lyrics, a lovely astrological clock, a bar called The Beer Museum with endless types of Czech beers, and any number of surprising, offbeat, charming statues, monuments, and other structures. 

Far too many pictures follow, if you'd like to take a look!

Berlin

Germany is a country I fell in love with while at Oktoberfest last year, and Berlin cemented that love affair. Although completely different from Munich, it is (almost) equally enjoyable. Berlin exchanges Munich's Bavarian cheerfulness and love of giant beers for a cutting-edge, industrial big city vibe and layers upon layers of history. I was fascinated by Hitler's bunker, the Holocaust memorial and museum, German National History Museum, and the Berlin Wall -- we saw two of the three still standing sections, and I was totally overwhelmed by how beautiful and affecting the murals are on the Berliner Mauer section. 

Of course, we also made time to visit a beer garden, a lovely little riverside bar on a makeshift beach, a pretty, flowery garden around Potsdam, nightclubs that confirmed Berlin's reputation for insane nightlife, and eavesdropped on a beautiful concert outside a historic building by lingering over drinks at a nearby cafe. 

Here's just a quick sampling of pictures :)

Dublin

One of the most amazing things about Ireland is how green everything is. I kind of felt like I had stepped into the Emerald City for a few days, only without the wizard and Toto (bummer). But, in order to get everything so green, apparently a lot of rain is needed. Like, a lot. Which is great, unless you're from Southern California and already a little scathed from the lack of sunshine in London. It turns out that weathering the weather is not one of my strong points. Oops. 

But, weather woes aside, Ireland is a stunningly beautiful country, with a lot of fascinating history and sights to be seen. We took a walking tour with an absolutely hilarious guide, wandered about in the rain, ate the best french fries ever (MALONE'S!), listened to Irish music in pubs, took a tour of the old Jameson Distillery, celebrated Jessica's 22nd birthday, and, one of my favorite parts of the entire trip, went to the Cliffs of Moher and through the Irish countryside. Hands down, one of the most beautiful, arresting sights I've ever seen.

Feel free to browse the pictures, if you're interested! 

Crafting is a girl's best friend

I was in a sorority. I've lived in houses full of girls for four years. I majored in a creative discipline. I am a standardly broke 20something.  I like pretty things that sparkle. All of these things should combine to make me an expert at DIY projects and crafting, right? Sadly, my actual skill in crafting is questionable, given my unequivocal failure with puffy paint (one of my biggest downfalls in being a sorority girl) and inability to cut straight (check out the curtains I just made for my room and I dare you not to laugh or at least be mildly bewildered by the erratic hemline), but there is nothing I love more than perusing Pinterest for new crafts that I may or may not ever make.

However, I've recently moved into an adorable house and am currently unemployed (something I would love to change if anyone would like to hire me!), so I've got nothing but time and unchecked enthusiasm for making my home as crafted as possible. Given that my budget is necessarily a bit more restrained than my fervor for homemade headboards and spray painted Mason jar vases, a lot of these projects will have to wait, but I'd love to share a few of the DIY items on my to-do list, if you'd like to see.

{instructions here}

I may not have the patience to actually do this, but if anyone wants to come create an ombre wall in my bedroom for me I can promise you generous helpings of homemade cookies in exchange, which I think is a pretty good deal. {instructions here}

Buy plaques at craft store, paint, and mod podge pictures on. {DIY mod podge instructions here}

I love maps.  {instructions here and more gorgeous DIY bookshelves here}

Feel free to check out my Pinterest crafting board if you'd like to see some of the other (probably map-related) crafts I'd love to have inhabiting my home! 

London

While in Europe, I traveled through seven countries...since this amounted to a thousand something pictures, I'm trying to narrow it down country by country. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from London -- a city of intermittent sunshine and a lot to see. My favorites included biking through Hyde Park, Picasso sketches at the British National Museum, picnicking in Kensington Gardens, going to Jersey Boys in the West End, and, of course Stonehenge (although it turns out 3 hours is really more time than you need to look at a circle of rocks). 

How to write

I take on the accents of people I talk to. When I realize I'm doing it, I'm mortified that they'll think I'm mocking them, but it's a totally subconscious instinct.

I do the same thing with speech patterns and, as follows, writing patterns. I notice myself thinking in the same patterns the author of the book I'm reading writes in. I often have a novel-esque narrative going in my head, which really annoys me, because I've never, never seen myself as a creative writer (except the Pulitzer-worthy books I wrote from ages 5-10), and I often don't even like the novel my mind subconsciously scribbles.

All this to say that, I read a lot of blogs I really love. And start to feel like I know the authors and, when writing my own blog, wonder if those authors would ever write like I do. Or if my subject is really appropriate for the blogosphere, or if it's in the right format.

Part of this, I think, can be constructive, in learning from what others do right and emulating it. But, part of it can be really destructive as it leads to me second guessing my own thoughts and voice by wondering if it fits into my concept of what my blog "should" be.

I'm sorry for this. One of my very favorite blog authors, Joanna, advises writing as if you're talking to a friend. So, that's the plan from here on out--you are my friends (literally, at this point...I'm fairly certain anyone reading this right now is someone I've spent a great deal of personal time with), and I want to use this blog to practice developing my own voice, directed towards people I care about, rather than a nameless, faceless audience.

That's all I've got, for today. Soon, I'll share photos and stories as my beautiful new house in LA comes together! Goodnight, friends.