Ok, Ok, I'm Back

Yes, indeed, it is true; I am back in Bruges.  Actually, I have been back since last Sunday.  Classes began on Wednesday so I was staying with the wonderful Paul and Kaatje until then (thanks guys, you are awesome!).  After a lovely, delightful, amazing, fantastically relaxing two weeks off spent galavanting around Europe with my entire family, I am back and blogging again.  Lookout readers, it is time for round two, or semester two to be exact.
Things got off to a bumpy start - snow storm, cancelled flights, lost baggage - but eventually I made it to Hamburg on December 20th where I met Ben, Alyssa and her family at the airport.  I can't tell you how happy I was to see people know again!  The rest of the family arrived on the 23rd and Christmas was spent together in a tiny house in Hamburg.  It was lovely.  There was ice-skating and Christmas trees, snow, snow and more snow, boat tours on the Elbe, bratwurst, muzen and gluhwein at the Christmas markets, raclette and champagne on Christmas Eve, Christmas carols attempted in German at church, plenty of German beer and oodles of quality time.  It was awesome.  We were sad to leave Alyssa and the Mattwigs in Germany, but almost everyone was excited to continue on to Bruges.
I was hesitant about this leg of the trip.  Actually, I cringed at the thought of coming back so soon.  But the 36 hours we spent there were actually wonderful.  It was a lot of fun to show my family where I live, go to school, and what I see everyday.  We explored the city under the perpetual rain cloud, visited my favorite bar, at some delicious frites under the bell tower, tasted waffles in the Markt, and had coffee at my favorite haunt.  I want to move into the hotel we stayed in, and aside for a slight mussel mishap at dinner, the trip was surprisingly fun.  Everyone loved Bruges and I loved showing it to them.
From Bruges we braved the Eurostar train through the Chunnel and made it to London on the 29th and then proceeded to walk several blocks in the rain dragging all of our worldly possessions and one odd frog-shaped umbrella before arriving at our flat in Kensington.  The flat was amazing.  Seriously, no words.  London in general was pretty much phenomenal.  Let's see, there was a Starbucks on every corner, followed by an English speaking population, Marks and Spencer, and the Gap.  Need I say more?  No, but I will.
Aside from my favorite stores, London also offered the sights.  We walked and walked and walked some more through the bitter cold and tried to absorb as much of the beautiful city as we could.  Hyde Park,  Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abby, and the Tower Bridge were just a few of the things we squeezed into our days.  We toasted the New Year  as a family (cozy and warm in the flat.  Those people who went out to see the fireworks were crazy!  It was freezing!).  This time together was extra special as the Pauluhns were spread across three continents this year.
The break was far too short and the 2nd of January found everyone saying a very tearful goodbye at Gloucester Station.  I headed back to Bruges and the rest of the gang returned to the States.  It was hard to come back but I imagine it would have been harder had I gone home for Christmas.  We spent a delightful vacation together and saw some of the things everyone should at some point in their lives.  The Pauluhns stormed Europe and everyone survived.  In fact, I think Europe is all the better for it, and perhaps we are too.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that the New Year has started well.  Be prepared for more regular (and slightly shorter) posts throughout the coming months.

Peace, Love, and Waffles.