Alright so the pics are en route to facebook as we speak. And, by that I mean, as I write and hope someone is reading. I say that because I know that my most loyal fans (that's a shout-out to you, nana and papa!) are otherwise occupied currently getting ready for their trans-atlantic trip to visit me. Hurray! I'm meeting them tomorrow night at Heathrow. Ahh! Then the rest of the family (Kerry excluded, because she's too much of a nerd to skip her lame classes for a week). Whatever it's only Harvard.
Anyway I'm uploading the pics, categorized by city. I'm intending to go through them and label them more specifically, but let's see how determined I end up being. And by that I mean how much caffeine I get into my system. Despite the fact that I've spent the last 3 days lazing in the periodic scottish sun and doing nothing, I still manage to find myself procrastinating.
So, a profile on each of the major cities (just my crazy perspective, mind you):
Glasgow: a "real" city. It's got grit under its fingernails because it's seen a hard days work. The personification that comes to mind is kind of like an old man with gnarled hands and missing teeth, but friendly and with a wicked sense of humor. Also totally unintelligible with that thick scottish accent. Not a tourist city. It's got a busy-purposeful vibe. And a colorful vibrancy. Cf. New York City.
Edinburgh: a pretty little city. Charming and friendly. A lovely place to visit or to go to high tea or to explore. Below the touristy facade is a rich history, with street sewage as well as gold filigree. Castles and closes. A great place to get lost. Cf. Florence.
Paris: A lovely mixture of cosmopolitan verve and quaint antiquity. Cute little cafes and grand boulevards. Clean cut functionality and windowsills teeming with homegrown flowers. A people that walk the fine line between aloof and urban-purposeful. Cf. Rome, Barcelona.
Berlin: German. Functional-efficient-clean-industrious. But also very pretty as a result. Spacious. A people with a social conscience (world war II inherited guilt?). Germans don't litter, J-walk, or cat-call. Below the surface, that awesome artsy vibe. Back alley wall graffiti and artist communes. Cf. Glasgow.
Prague: Delightfully touristy. Winding cobbled streets and lamp-posts and flowerboxes. Castle turrets around every corner. A souvenir city, but one perfectly designed as one. Friendly people and great history and great art. Cf. Florence.
Barcelona: A multi level city. The touristy "ramblas" and the beach scene and the fantastic museums and the cobbled backalleys and the fashionista boulevards and the Gaudi insanity and the nightclubs and the tapas elegance. A city with a literal pace of its own (eat absurdly late and up absurdly late, with a siesta to make it humanly possible). At once fun, sophisticated, historic, and modern. Seriously chill people. Cf. Paris.
Favorite cities: Paris and Barcelona.
Favorite (most relatable) people: the French. They're just so COOL.
Okay off to finish up with the pictures!
Later gators!
Much love,
Erin
hahahaha
ReplyDelete"a real city"
that's one way of spinning it :P