If A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

then I owe you about 100,000.

Unfortunatley, my current surroundings have rendered me speechless. I honestly don't know how to describe what I'm seeing. All that I know for sure is that I am so so thankful to be here in Greece, on the island of Santorini. This trip is the fulfillment of a plan I made with my friend 8 years ago, a dream come true. It's hard for me to be here without her, but I feel like I'm honoring her and our precious friendship by coming. I miss her so much.

Anyway, We still have 2 more days here and tomorrow we are renting scooters and riding around the whole island. I do have stories to tell, just no time to write them down. I will get them all up on the ferry ride to Athens, I promise. For now these pictures will have to do...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259862&id=501285626#/album.php?aid=259862&id=501285626&ref=nf

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259862&id=501285626#/album.php?aid=259852&id=501285626

Farewell London...

So, since I have only 2 days left in the UK, I thought I would share some of the new things I have learned in my months here, thanks to my international work environment...

1) The following items are expensive to buy at the grocery store:

- Cheese
- Meat
- Coke
- Cereal – but I am totally infatuated with one called “Crunchy Nut” and I’m already researching how I can get it in the States
- Strawberries
- Bagels (if you convert it is 3 dollars for four bagels!!!!)

2) The following items are cheap to buy at the grocery store:eggsbread (not the fancy stuff)

- milk
- sliced ham
- pasta
- tomato sauce
- yogurt
- bananas

3) If you are American living in Britain…never say the following words (people will laugh at how you say them)

- leisure
- garage
- tomato
- cell phone
- pants (they think you are talking about underwear)
- Zebra
- Yogurt

4) American word = British Word (so many times I have starred at people blankly without knowing what they were saying because of the following words or visa versa)

- White Out = Tipex
- Scotch Tape = Cello Tape
- Umbrella = Brolly
- Rain coat = Mac
- Bowling pin = skittle
- TV = Tele
- Kool aid type drink = Squash
- Mail = Post
- Vodka and Red Bull = Voddy Red
- Toilet Paper = Bog roll
- Hello, how are you/What’s up? = Hiya! Are you alright?
- Thank you dude = Cheers mate
- Vacation = Holls
- Green onion = spring onion
- Egg Plant = Aubergine
- Garbage = Rubbish
- Trash Can = Bin
- Gas = Petrol (they think its hilarious when you say gas)
- Hood of a car = bonnet
- Trunk of a car = boot
- Popsicle = ice lolly
- Dish soap = washing up liquid
- Laundry detergent = washing powder
- Dinner = some people call it tea
- Garbage bag = Bin liner
- Hot chocolate = drinking chocolate
- Flash Drive = Donghol
- Cookies/Crackers = Biscuits
- Cup of tea = Cupa
- Canuck = Canadian
- POM = Prisoner of Her Majesty (slang for English person like Kiwi or Ausie)
- Fringe = Bangs


I can hardly believe that my time here is almost over... my how time flies. My last weekend in here in London has been loads of fun and a great chance to relax. Friday was spent mostly making reservations and doing research for my Europe trip before heading out for a night on the town with everyone from Let Me Play. Matt and Amy, company directors, were so generous in treating us all to indian food (which I have discoverd is my new favorite cuisine so if anyone knows of any authentic places in Cali to get it, please let me know), a comedy show, and an after party at a swanky spot in Soho. It was by far, my most memorable, most fun, and most drama free night out in Europe so far!! I'm really going to miss them all very much....


In a new development, my mom is flying in tomorrow to join me for 2 weeks of traveling. It seems that since my brother Grant has become independently mobile (he just got his motorcycle liscense and turns 16 next week), she is feeling a profound sense of freedom and is gifting herself with a trip back to Europe. I'm really excited to share some of my adventure with her. It will be really nice to have someone else along. One thing that we are both looking so forward to is the French Open, where we have tickets for 2 whole days!! But first things first, we are catching a plane to Santorini Greece on thursday. I can hardly believe that after 8 years of dreaming, I'm finally going to see the white-washed houses and the stuning Caldera...I hope I have enough memory cards. Then it's off to Paris for 5 days, then Venice for 3. Mom will fly back home from there to be back in time for my cousin's high school graduation and I will make my way to Barcelona for 4 days to finish of my journey.

Not a day has gone by that I havn't been incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be here. I've learned a lot, grown a lot, and simply lived a lot. And I am so thankful. But even with only 3 weeks left, there is still much fun to be had so stay tuned...

I promise I'm not German...

I realized something about myself whilst in Germany; apparently my Eastern European features are more dominant than I expected, as I was mistaken for a German more than once and as such, more than once, was yelled at for being so rude as to not respond back in German.

The weekend in Frankfurt was a whirlwind. I felt like it was one long day punctuated by a few short naps. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and were met by Summer’s hometown friend Virginia at the station. She got us to our hostel before taking us on a walking tour of the old city. Frankfurt was largely destroyed during the War so much of the buildings are replicas of the ones that stood before, but beautiful just the same. Frankfurt is also the financial capital of Europe so the downtown area is very modern and even had the tallest skyscraper in Europe, which is minuscule even compared to downtown LA standards, they just don’t build that way here.

After listening to the all-girl saxophone quartet in the old city center for a while, we went for Thai food, it was amazing. Then we made our way back to the 'Sachsenhausen' the bar district to meet up with some of Virginia’s friends. We started an Irish pub where I finally had an official draft Guinness (pictured). It was so think and dark, like drinking a bitter milkshake. Glad I did it, but I think I can check that off my list. Then we went to a different pub where we parked for most of the night. We had a truly international table; 4 Americans, a French girl, a Belgian, 2 Brits, an Argentine, and a Fin. It was a great time, drinking great beer and people watching. The 2 men at the table next to us were being quite cheeky and even sang us some drinking songs, but they were also the first instance of mistaken ancestry, it took 3 people explaining to them that I was in fact Slovak before they finally conceded, however skeptically.

The only downside to our hostel was the lockout from 2-5 a.m. So we either had to be back by 2 or stay out til 5. Well since we only had a short time there, Summer opted for the latter option. So around 2:30 we headed to a small cellar dance club that was open all night. Despite the awkward dancing music, it was nice to shake it a little. Unfortunately though, by about 3:45, we were all totally exhausted and ready to go home but couldn't. Instead we found a popular street food stand where Summer had Kebab (German drunk food of choice) while I had a traditional Bratwurst in bread. Trying very hard to experience authentic German cuisine, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sausage was delicious. While we sat and ate, the man next to me was the second to insist on my German heritage and he was not as easily placated, although the half drunken bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand may have had something to do with his stubbornness.

We finally got home and crashed in bed just as the sun was rising. After some unsuitable rest, Virginia came to collect us to go get Mexican food at the only place in the whole city. Mexican is not my favorite, but I didn't realize how much I missed familiar food. The strawberry margaritas, Spanish tapas, and steak fajitas made for a very happy, albeit overly tired, Hannah. We also took a short ride on the Apple Wine Express, a brightly painted trolley care that takes you around the city and gives you a bottle of Apple Wine brewed in Frankfurt. I realize that there is quite a lot of references to alcohol in this particular blog, but I assure you, my participation was much less than most as I am a total lightweight. But hey, when in Germany, right.

We made our way back to England Monday morning in time to have the afternoon free for napping and laundry before starting another week of work. This week will be a short on for me since I have Friday's off, just 3 days. Things are going well at Let Me Play but I'm starting to wrap up the projects I've been working on since I only have one more week after this...crazy!

Here is Frankfurt...

German Countryside

Shake that groove thing!

The Old City Center

Beer Boat

Beer Garden

The Beer Bike

The Main River (pronounced "Mine")

London Nutters

This week was a busy one. I pounded the pavement everyday at working trying to get a new story to print and spent every night ironing out details for my 2 week trip post London. But I did have a few notable experiences this week too.

I've been needing to go to the post office since I got here but my work schedule seemed to be making it impossible. But one Thursday, I decided to brave the lunch time rush and go anyway. Wow, my co-workers were not kidding about the nutters that inhabit the post office on any given day. First, I got in line behind a small old woman who smelled like she had showered in Chanel #5, although it immediately set off my sensitive nose, that wasn't the most overwhelming this about this woman. After accidentally stepping on my foot, she turned around to apologize and I had to consciously force myself not to verbally react to what I saw. Again she was a very small, ordinary looking woman from the back, I would guess about 60-65. She tuned around and revealed to me a most unusual make-up job. She had eighties blue eye shadow on, covering her whole eyelid all the way up past her eye brows, going out to a point at her temples, and coming down to her cheek bones and back to the inside corner of her eye. In basic terms, a full on raccoon face in day glow blue!! I couldn't believe it at first and thought it must have just been an accident, maybe she had bad eyes. But the lines were perfect, totally purposeful. I resorted to simply trying not to stare...easier said than done

Today was my day off, and of course the first thing on my agenda was to sleep in. I do so love to sleep! After a late morning and a long shower, I set out for Westminster Abby. This building is one of the faces of London, and rightfully so, it is incredible. The architecture and grandeur of it all was overwhelming. There are so many notable people buried there, not just kings and queens but authors, scientists, artists, and war heroes. I couldn't''t help but imagine what attending a wedding or coronation there would be like, certainly one of the most regal settings anywhere in the world. Since I was there so late, I decided to stay for the evening worship service or the "Evensong." It was amazing. We sat in the nave of the Abby and had a program to help us know when to stand or to sit, how to respond to the clergy and when to pray. Then there was the world famous Westminster Choir. They were in arguably the best voices I have ever heard. They were so beautiful and perfect, I closed my eyes and almost cried. It really was one of the most incredible church experiences I've ever had. My dad would have loved it.

Tomorrow, Summer and I fly to Frankfurt Germany for a weekend with her friend from college. I'm nervous about not knowing any German, but everyone keeps telling me that they all speak better English than Britons do and that the beer makes it all worth it, I really hope that's true. I promise pictures and stories when I return. Here are a few from today...

The Front Entance

The Side View

Amen.

Mmm...Ice cream

The only picture I managed inside before they yelled at me to put the camera away.