Mom and Arthur went out to buy some groceries for the train rides and they came back, soaking from the rain:

Here´s a picture Christiaan took of us at the tram stop. The rain was nonstop and fierce:

When we finally arrived in Brugge, the rain had slowed to a light drizzel. Brugge is a wonderful place. This city is really old and almost all the streets are more than cobblestone and old buildings because they are historical centers too.

We stayed in a hostel with bunk beds:

Here is a museum that is in the center of the little city.

We went in on the right, only to discover an incredible artist. His work was so moving that Arthur and I got a collection of postcards from him and he signed them for us.

On the other side we went in to see some Dali. There was a lot of great stuff. All stuff I had never seen before, including some tributes to Leonardo DiVanci, which I suspect was actually Dali making fun of "science and logic." There was also a series of paintings inspired by "Alice and Wonderland," as well as this painting which I really loved:

We had our first Belgium Waffel:

The streets in Brugge are really old, did I mention that?

Many of the streets were filled with interesting statues:

That night we ate at our hostel. The offical name of the restaurant is called "Passages" and I really recomend both the food as well as the hostel. The next day we left Brugge to take the train back to Brussels. From Brussels we took a Thalys to Paris. This is the really fast train. But my mom still got out the beer (Kriek, from Brussels... delicious):

In Paris we had about an hour to get from our station to another so we could board our sleeper train. The trainhotel, as they are called was really small... at first I felt very clastaphobic, but I got over it.

So, we fell asleep in France and woke up in Spain

We checked into our little rooms in a "pension" and walked around.

Tia Lupe found her store:

The streets in Madrid are my favorite, so far.

The weather is easy and enjoyable. We ate churros and also a Spanish feast in a nearby restaurant. I feel at home in this country... and it´s not just the language.

More to come!!

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After, the family and I went out for pizza with all the other students in the program. It was really bitter sweet to be with all of them, but know that some of them have to leave, or that eventually I will leave and not see many of them.

It was really raining, a lot. I realized how important these next two weeks are for me. I am going to travel with someone who could be my mother's mother. What I mean is that it's really special that Tia Lupe is traveling with us, because it means there are three generations of our family traveling together.

Stay tuned for more stories. Today we are going to Brussels and Brugges! Then Madrid, tomorrow!! We are taking a sleeper train.
More pics, soon!

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We did manage to buy some new Birkenstock's for Jessa and I. My mother decided not to get any for her, but she was really happy to get some for us, as she really wanted to buy these famous shoes from the country they came from.

Here's a picture of Jessa with a clown/mime:

We also went to see Beethoven's 7th symphony in the Chamber room of the Philharmonic in Berlin!!

The ceiling was incredible!! So was the conductor!

I was really impressed with all the musicians.

Later that day we decided to walk along "the wall" (some of it is gone and all that remains is cobble stones in the ground) towards check point charlie. On the way we got to meet a famous painter who makes paintings for auction in charity for the "East Side Gallery."
(Check out their website: http://www.eastsidegallery-berlin.com
We had actually been to this gallery the day before so we were all really excited to meet this painter. My mom, in particular, had fallen in love with a certain painting, and it was a neat coincidence to find out that he was, in fact, the one who painted it. We took a picture with him:

His name is: Kani Alavi and his website is:
http://www.kanialavi.com

This is a picture of a really neat statue that we found:

Then we had an easy night and the next day we went out to buy some postcards, and took the train home.

The following day, which was yesterday, we traveled to a smaller city called The Hauge (Den Haag).
Here's the train:

We took the tram to a place called "Madurodam" which is a miniature version of the Netherlands.

Jessa also got into the big "Klompa"

Then my mom stood by the power source and tried to electrocute herself

My mom and aunt had a blast as they both love little things. They kept saying, "oh, how cute!!"

Then we went to the beach (Scheveningen). It was beautiful. I have been here before and it was windy and cold. Yesterday the sand was warm and there was no wind. We all had a blast looking for sea shells. It was a big deal to touch the water of the North Sea!

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and we went to...

many different train stations...

first we took a tour...


our tour guide was funny and helpful. although i think he kind of bored my tia lupe!

the we walked around...

my favorite part of the day was our walk down the east wall... come look:
http://www.slide.com/r/70hegVt86j8Ql7lwad586o16FL7MU71L?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url

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ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!

This is our bed.

una foto de mi mami y tia lupe.

cheapers*

there is free internet... and it's fast!

our living room! YAY!!!

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We met Christiaan in Utrecht and traveled together. Once we were down there we enjoyed ourselves a lot. Christiaan's aunt made a wonderful dinner. Her hospitality was amazing.

It made me really happy to walk around Oirsbeek after dinner because I wanted my mom to know this charming village.

My family saw their first mill!!

After that everyone was really tired, so we stayed up a bit longer looking at family fotos.

This whole time I had wanted to buy a camera. I really needed a digital one so I could update as I go along...

(BTW, that same day I met with my advisor and she said my thesis is going in a great direction and that she was happy with the different contributions I would be making to the academic debates I am engaging with!)

So, that night, we slept soundly.

The next day we had another wonderful meal at Marlies'. After which we went to the castle (forgot the city name). We walked around and saw a church (first of many . As we were leaving it started to rain and we got drenched... empapadas, in Spanish.

We dried off in the car and left for Maastricht.

Here we had some coffee and enjoyed this old, old city. Marlies played our tour guide and showed us many things. We visited the old wall of this city and some gorgeous side streets.

On the train back to Amsterdam, my mom and aunt said they would come back to Europa in five years! I guess I was off on my previous calculations ... hehe. In any case, the five of us are just embarking on a long journey.

We got up early this morning and left for Berlin. The train ride was six hours but it went by really quickly. I tried to get some school work done but ended up talking with Jessa the whole time. It is really nice to spend some time with her.

When we arrived we made it easily to our rooms. They are beautiful.
I will post pictures soon, as the other news is that my obessesion with fotos and wanting to share them with you all (virual souls) has come to some fruition. Arthur, Jessa and I traveled to the nearest Media Markt and I bought a nice camera. I am excited to go play with it, actually... I am going now, tot ziens!

Oirsbeek, Maastricht, and ICE train to Berlin remains copyright of the author zaira, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I am picking them up at the airport with flowers and a big smile on my face. I have had this smile on my face all last week and through the weekend.

Christiaan and I cleaned the apartment, which took all of our Saturday.

Only today am I starting to think about what clubs we can visit in Europe as we travel around. As some of you may know, my mother and her boy friend love to dance, so that won't be a problem. My sister's down, for sure. So what you might be asking yourself is, what about Zaira's great aunt? Well, she's old, but she loves to have fun and she's really energetic.

We are going to Berlin this weekend! Then we have some time in Amsterdam, as I prepare to give my master's thesis presentation. That's next Friday.

Then we leave again and head for Belgium, Spain, and end up in France last.
I am going to buy a digital camera today, so I will be posting pictures along the way.

It's my mom's first time in Europa!!

The Arrival remains copyright of the author zaira, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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