Travel Diary: An Amelie Inspired Parisian Trip

Today, I have a guest posts from my dear friend Sharyn. Sharyn was lucky enough to go to Paris with her fiancé (now husband!) about a month before their wedding when he had to go for work. Lucky girl! Sharyn is a dietitian and has one of most wonderful outlooks on life & health! You should also probably know that the first time Sharyn went to Paris was with ME, over 7 years ago (with the best Parisian tour guide ever, my wonderful friend, Antonio!).

Us at Versailles. I carried around 3 loaves of bread and didn't eat ANY of them!

Most self control I've ever had or am likely to have again. Also, ignore our clothes. 

Here's here recent travel journal & series of anecdotes. She gives great tips on an Amelie experience as well as how to eat healthy in the city! She's one of my favorite people and also one of my favorite story tellers. You can read more of here blog, here. I hope you enjoy!

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A year ago, if you told me I would be flying to Paris for “the weekend”, to meet up with my fiancé, have a whirlwind tour of my favorite spots and re-see the city of love with my love, I might have found that a bit ridiculous since I had just started dating said love of my life…

7 years ago, if you had told me I’d be returning in 2014 under previously described conditions, I would have thought for sure you were deranged, meant to tell that to someone else, or a magician…

Because 7 years ago I was seeing the city of love for a weekend… with a love… but not in the romantic sense (no offense Nae Nae)… you see, 7 years ago I saw Paris for a 48 hour whirlwind trip at the start of a 10 day journey around the world wherever RyanAir would take me with one of the best adventure/travel partners a person could ask for: Renee “Nae Nae” (then) Cutaia (now) Olson.

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My first trip to Paris was unforgettable. And now, given a second chance to explore what became one of my favorite cities, I was elated to plan – in a similar manner- my plan of attack.

Having recently viewed Amelie and Julie&Julia for inspiration, I grabbed my well worn MTV Europe book (our favorite guide book) that led me through so many historical and cultural sites back in 2007 and flipped to the Paris city section to see my highlights and notes from our previous adventures. Since I had been to the main sites (Arc d’Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Musee d’Lourve, Notre Dame, etc etc) before, I didn’t feel the pressure to spend time planning trips to that area of town (sort of central Paris). Instead I “Bing”ed (I say that since my husband works for Microsoft, even though we all know which search engine I probably used) the phrase “walking tours of Amelie film locations” and found one that mentioned all the places I had noted from my recent Paris themed movie weekend and began plotting. The one area of Paris I had yet to see, since it was a little farther away from the City Center tour we took during my last trip, was Montmarte. Known for its idealic hilltop neighborhoods (reminded me a little bit of San Fran) and of course, the white washed stone cathedral that can be seen throughout the city landscape: Sacre Coeur.




That was number one on my list and since I had more time to really take it all in I felt it might be nice to meander up some side streets, poke in some local grocers and get some snacks, and sit in a café to slowly sip some “expresso” (as the signs read at many of the cafes) with a delightfully buttery/flaky croissant, rather than going directly there and back.

So that’s precisely what I did. After waking up and finding a great little eatery not far from the Hotel Banke (where we stayed for the weekend – a gentrified building in the Northeastern part of the city that used to be an actual bank – now turned hotel. Each floor of rooms is set up in a triangle with the rooms on the perimeter and the basement “vault” is now a lounge/bar area with the back walls covered in old lockboxes. Pretty unique setting.)

I will add that I had forgotten how little the French eat since they all smoke and caffeinate their appetites away (slight generalization…) so while I was famished and ready for a big breakfast, there was nothing but coffee and croissants to be found. Not that I will ever turn down a good croissant, I’m just saying, this body shuts down without some kind of color at every meal. So as I was wandering from place to place, both reading menus searching for anything more than carbs and caffeine, and working up the courage to use some of the tiny bit of French I had rehearsed with Bryan (who has had 5 years of French in his background) – I remembered passing a little natural foods eatery that I prayed was open for breakfast, and sure enough! It was. So to Ekki Natural Foods I went. Grabbed a premade arugala, mixed veggie, lentils and poached egg mix and an Americano (ironic that they serve those in France? Maybe, but it was delightful). SO for all of you out there who complain that there is no way to eat healthy when traveling, I’d like to dispel those beliefs little by little. You just have to make it “non-negotiable” and make sure you keep an eye out while you’re walking about enjoying the scenery for restuarants /eateries that serve fresh foods. I will say, it helps to notice what people are eating on the street as your walking. I first noticed Ekki the day before when I saw someone walking around with a green smoothie. Upon staring at this stranger for probably an awkward amount of time thinking “where in the world did they get that? I want one.” I noticed the Orange and Green lettering on the cup. Which leads me to another rpoint: typically natural or vegetarian friendly restaraunts are labelled using “earthy” colors… orange/green/brown/yellows. Etc.

SO.

Having fed and caffeinated myself properly, I decided to blow off some steam by taking a run from my hotel down to the Seine River where I had seen people walking/jogging the night before along a path. I thought that sounded like a great way to start the day so I bundled up in my running gear and headed the direction toward the river. Fortunately, somewhere between 2007 and 2014 they have installed large maps of the city every few blocks so the few times I did get a little turned around I stopped at a map and found my way right down to the riverfront and ran passed iconic scenes trying to pinch myself the whole time “what. Am. i. doing. Here?!”




Ok, so fast forward, I am now wandering up towards Montmarte via the map from the hotel lobby . Stopping for fruit at a market, people watching (and listening as I love the French language) . taking in the sites and every now and then turning around to see the view from where I’ve come. It’s magnificent and though the roads are becoming steeper and sidewalks are turning into stairs, I am getting more and more excited as I recall my mantra from 2007 trips around the world was always “there is yet to be a view from the top that disappoints me” so up I go, taking note of Amelie film spots and cute little areas I could picture myself living until I made it to the top, seeing cobblestone streets, narrow alleys, tons of street artists and vendors with art exploding out of their doors. After touring the cathedral I wandered around the little town of Montmarte, had some expressso and a chocolate croissant, and then headed back to meet Bryan and change for dinner.

The rest of the Paris trip was all the typical spots revisited and seen in a new refreshing light as love tends to do to people and places. For instance, I don’t remember walking across the Pont Des Arts (love lock bridge) 7 years ago, but now, it will forever hold a place in my heart- no matter how cheesey or cliché it may be- as Bryan and I “locked down” that love and threw the key in the river, as you do.



Not being much of a “museum person” myself, Bryan really wanted to go to at least one while we were here so I suggested the Musee d’Orsay as it was one I hadn’t seen yet. We were able to get in and out in about 1 ½ hours (little to no wait to get in on a Sunday afternoon after a church service at Notre Dame). We didn’t plan our weekend out methodically so we didn’t invest in the “Paris Pass” or any other discounts but I did research a lot of ways to save money in Paris if one wanted to. Since we mostly just walked around and looked at free things we figured we could shell out the money to go to one real museum and just call it a donation to preserving the art and culture of Paris.



Dinners! Dinners in Paris were a fantastic cultural experience. We had to keep telling that to our wallets as well since they kept complaining about how skinny they were becoming while we were being filled with amazing tastes from butter. Baguettes. Bordeauxs and you might be surprised at how many vegetables and vegetarian options we were able to find. While we dined a fine places such as L’Tour de Argent (specatular view, uppity French cuisine atmosphere and tiny portions for enormous prices – a once in a lifetime experience… as in we can only afford to do it once unless we want to dip into our retirement funds), and a dinner boat cruise along the River Seine- lovely sights from the river and again, very good vegetarian options… BUT my personal favorite dining (aside from the boloungeries that you pass every other block wafting smells of fresh baked goods into your nostrils and heart) was the falafel stand called Mazo (MTV EuropeParis Eats section FOR THE WIN) in the heart of little middle east (not sure if that’s really what it’s called but there were probably 2 dozen falafel/gyro places and tons of shopes/souvies similar to middle east. Therefore, we dubbed it so.) Mazo falafel is fantastic BECAUSE. It is affordable. And they load your falafel pita with 5 fresh little balls of garbanzo bean love and then give you access to the incredible edible bar of delightful toppings that range from pickled peppers and veggies to various flavor and spice sauces, relishes, sun dried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and so many other things I’ve forgotten but let’s just say, I topped off my falafel, ate half of it, and then went back and topped it again. It’s like two meals for the price of one! Thus again, dispelling the belief that one cannot eat well (healthy and cheap) in Paris. Tis NOT true! Just seek and ye shall find.

Now having bored you to death with details that may or may not apply or interest you, I release you. Plan . travel. Adventure. Whether it’s in your own city or across the world. Never underestimate the availability of free things. And when in doubt, share a bottle of wine and a baguette with someone you love.

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I hope you enjoyed this! Thanks to my Sharyn for sharing her trip & if you'd like to see a comical little part of our Parisian experience in 2007..... here you go :)

Being In Two Places At Once (and how to pull it off)

Disclaimer: I know I'm crazy.

A couple of weeks ago, I managed to be at two weddings on the same day. Wedding #1 was in Washington, DC and Wedding #2 was in Wichita, KS. It's kind of like the opening scene of 27 Dresses on crack.

Quite literally half way across the country.

Unfortunately, both of these weddings were non-negotiable. One was my cousin and one was one of my best friends (for the last 12+ years). Wedding #1 was at 11am and Wedding #2 was at 6pm.  It seemed pretty impossible, but with some careful planning, we made it happen. The truth is, I didn't feel any more stressed on this trip because I typically plan ahead and pay attention to details.... so this trip just happened to be the time it all paid off. If you're just as crazy as I am, here's some guidance if you need to be in two places at once.

#1 - Make peace with missing a few things
I missed Wedding #2's rehearsal dinner and had to leave Reception #1 early. You can't have it all, so prepare yourself (and your host) that you'll miss out on a few things.

#2 - Use what you have to make it work
I'm sure you'll be shocked to know that Wichita is not a bustling metropolis with endless flight options. We had exactly 1 option to fly there in time for the wedding. Leaving DC at 2.15pm, layover in Chicago, landing in Wichita at 5.35pm. If everything went as scheduled, this would give me 25 minutes to get from the airport, change into my bridesmaids dress, and be there in time to walk down the aisle. Oh, did I not mention I was a bridesmaid in W#2? It might not have been ideal, but it worked! For this trip we booked 3 separate One Way flights and it was most definitely the cheapest and most convenient. More on that, here.

#3 - Overplan everything
Map out everything - how you're getting to/from the airport? Who is calling the cab? How long will it take you to get there? Then double check/build in back up. It takes 45 minutes to drive there and 20 minutes to go through security, but bump that to 1hour and 30 minutes. Have a 2nd cab number ready to go if your first one doesn't show up. You'll be thanking yourself later.

#4 - Pack as lightly as possible
I cannot stress this enough. This sounds like common sense, but for something like this you should definitely be carrying on. And to take it a step further, avoid the roller board bag. Often times, airlines will make you gate check (for free) larger carry ons, and you're left waiting for your bad. Time is money in this situation. For the 3 day weekend I brought a 28L backpack and a purse. This allowed me to shove the backpack in EVERY overhead bin and I never had to wait on an airline. I also used packing cubes to organize each day. I have been using them for the last couple of years and I can't tell you how amazing they are! Stick to the basics and double up as much as you can. 1 pair of jeans with a few different tops, one pair of casual flats that go with everything, etc. This will save you so much stress.

#5 - A small emergency kit is your best friend
Cash, Advil, touch up make up, bandaids, stain remover stick, granola bar, and a few bobby pins.... those are what saved me, anyway. When you're planning your weekend, think of all the things that could go wrong (like blisters or needing a tip for the cab) and decide what you could need in an emergency. You won't have time to go to CVS.

Was it worth it? Hell yes. I got to see most of my family & some of my best friends in 48 hours. I highly suggest it to anyone. The risk is worth the reward! Have you ever been to two weddings in one day? Would you ever? Do you think I'm insane? :)

Wedding in DC

Wedding in Wichita

Save Money on Round Trip Flights by Booking One-Way's Instead

When I started traveling (I was 15 going to visit my boyfriend ;), a one-way flight was a HUGE cost. I could never figure out why it wasn't half of the cost of the flight. Now, with airlines like Southwest, Allegiant, and Frontier, it's more common to pick your times and pick your price.

However, when traveling on larger airlines, I always like to check the one-way to round trip ratio - JUST incase.

I'm in a wedding in Seattle in April, and going out early for the bachelorette party. I'll be flying April 10-20 and Matt will join me towards the end for the actual wedding. A few months ago when I looked, flights were around $250 round trip (GREAT for Seattle), but it was early out, so i waited.

Wrong. Move.

Round Trip Flights from Nashville to Seattle April 10-20

Checking in this week, flights were $405 MINIMUM for undesirable departure times or several layovers on the basics like Delta, American, United, etc. Woof. I know sometimes you don't get everything you want, but it seems awful to overpay for no convenience?!

After checking Frontier, and seeing almost a $75 price difference ($330, much better!) - $150 there, $180 back - I thought I would see my options of booking two one-ways on the larger airlines, or perhaps only one Frontier flight (they're kinda my least favorite. No water or anything!)

It takes an extra minute to search again, but it can be so worth it! Low and behold, there was major money to be saved.

TO SEATTLE - $130

FROM SEATTLE - $132

That takes me $404.05 flight down to $262.02.... Saving me $142.40. Essentially paying for all of mine and half of Matt's flight! I'll take it! Or as a couple, we saved almost $300 on our trip. That's quite a large chunk of money!

So next time you're booking travel - just for kicks - try it out. It might save you some money, it might not. But it's totally worth looking!

Have you ever booked two one-way flights instead of a round trip? Any tricks to saving money on airlines?

xo

PS - I always book directly through the airline! But Expedia is a great way to see most of your major airlines in one spot. Once you've found a good price, head to the airline's website to complete your booking. Prices are always the same, and if it's not, call the airline! They'll be happy to honor that price!

How to Budget Travel Into Your Lifestyle: Part I

If there's one question I've been asked over and over, it's "how do you travel so much?" quickly followed by things like "It's so expensive" and "I wish I could do that"

Well guess what - YOU CAN! All it takes is deciding what is more important: a new shirt for $50 - or knowing that's 1/4 of your flight to Seattle.

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Full disclosure on financials for this. I will give you an idea of my budget and how I made it work. It's about budgeting your essentials, and then deciding what's most important to you.

When I was 24 I was working at my first job, and after my raise, I was making $35,000/year. After taxes, this came to about $2700/month.

This is about what I was budgeting a month. Of course there's always the things you forget about, but I'm $100 under budget, and that's also what misc expenses are for. I also always budget extra into my 'gas' budget, for things like your registration, burnt out break lights, and oil changes.

My rent was rather low, but to make up for it, I was making double car payments ($300x2) so I could pay my car off early. Once that was done, I planned on taking that extra $300 a month to place towards student loans. Budgeting means taking care of responsibilities and debt first.

What you might notice is low is my "fun" budgets - $150 for eating out, for example. At approximately $15/meal with tax and tip, puts me at 10 outings a month (or 2 per week and a couple left over). This is more than enough to accommodate girls nights, coffee stops here and there, so-and-so's birthday, brunch on Saturdays with my roommate. There is absolutely no reason no eat out every night unless you don't have a kitchen. And even then, you can get a hot plate. It's one of the biggest money vacuums to a young budgeter - don't fall for the trap! Save your restaurant excursions for special occasions and being social. Skip the table for 1 or the close relationship with the local pizza delivery guy.

A small experiment - let's say every dinner costs $15 with tip. Every "quick, cheap" lunch costs $6, and every coffee you stop for is $3. If you do each of these things 3 days a week (very easy to do if you aren't paying attention!) you're looking at an average cost of $72 per week, or just under $300 per month. Check your eating out habits, and start saving to eat out when you're in Chicago instead.

Another thing that's low is my "others" category: mani/pedi's, movies, buying clothes. I would limit myself to 1 movies a month in the theater, and 1 mani/pedi every 2 months. A bottle of nail polish costs $8, and $35 saved is a 1/5 of a plane ticket.

Now clothes. Ohhhhh clothes. I'm a girl. I love them. But there are more important things in life! This doesn't mean I never buy any - it just means I play it right. I wait for sales, scope out TJ Maxx, and save my $50 budget from this month, so next month I have $100 to play with :) It's much more satisfying, and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

Giving myself this budget allows me to fly 8-10 times a year, visiting friends and places all over the US. I'd also like to add that I took a few babysitting jobs a month - between 1-3 per months - and put that cash directly into a box labeled TRAVEL FUND. This is how I managed to visit Europe three years in a row. $50-100 per babysitting job, I was pulling in about $2k per year of unexpected cash. This could easily be done with a 1 day a week night job at a coffee shop, or doing retail floor sets. If you work one, 5 hours shift a week at $8/hr, you'll earn $2000 before taxes. Now where did you want to go again?

If you find yourself thinking you have no room in your budget, I'd challenge you to do this. Take your debit/credit card statement from last month and get a few colors of highlighters. Highlight anything like in spending (i.e., all coffee, or all take out/eat in food, all clothes shopping). You'll be shocked what you're spending! I did this with my coffee habit fresh out of college, and realized I was buying 1-2 coffees every single day - putting my bill at almost $200 a month! For that, I could have purchased a fancy espresso machine. I put myself on a budget of 2x a week, for more like $25 per month, and enjoyed my new extra $175 to buy myself a plane ticket.

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Budgeting travel is all about taking all of your "extras" and deciding if they're worth it. Let's say you want to take a trip to New York with your girlfriends.
Flight: $200
3 days of meals: $150
Drinks+Coffee: $75
Broadway Show: $100
Hotel split 4 ways: $225pp
Weekend Metro Card: $25
Misc Spending: $50
Trip total: $800

Luxuries You Want:
iPhone 5s came out (you still have a 4s) = $200
Monthly Mani/Pedi $600/year (at $50 per session, including tip)
Never Packing Yourself a Lunch $1560/year (at $6/day, 5 days a week for 52 weeks)

Deciding if they're worth it?: 
Stick with your 4s for another 6 months, and your flight is paid for. $200 saved
Take cut your spa days to every 2 months instead, and pay for your hotel & drinks/coffee $300 saved
Decided to pack your lunch MWF every week, with leftovers, or batch cooked meals (very affordable) - even if you spend $50 extra on groceries a month, you'll have enough money to pay for your drinks, food, coffee, souvenirs, metro card, broadway show, and still have $275 extra to put towards your next trip. $650 saved

It's a matter of priorities. If new technology is on the top of your list, then go for the iPhone. If seeing old friends and new places ranks higher, stick with the ghetto phone as long as you can (I got an iPhone when the 4s came out - and I still have it), and enjoy texting slightly lesser quality photos to your friends stuck at home.

Do you have any budget tips or tricks? Where would you like to save up to go?
xo

Big Sky, Montana

When I married Matt, I married into his traditions - which is fine with me, because one of them is going snowboarding in Montana with family and friends after Thanksgiving.

Well... if i have to... :)

Admittedly, I barely took any pictures this year because it was freezing and I only went snowboarding once.

this is not a joke.

But Montana is certainly one of the most beautiful places i've ever been.

at the top.

This was the second place on our tour de world this November... so we went from 93 degrees to -20 degrees in about a 24 hour period. Did i also mention that we packed a carry on each? That meant my sundress was tucked in a thermal shirt. So crazy to subject your body to such a temperature change! 

Matt's family always takes this trip because they own time share at the lodge, and also because the first and last week of season are insanely cheap. You buy one $79 pass, and you can snowboard for 14 days (the first 7/last 7).

We pay the cleaning fees on the condo, and we eat in every night. It is the cheapest trip ever, and it's awesome.

Have you ever been to Montana? Do you love it like I do? Have you ever jumped 100 degrees in temperature in a short amount of time?
xo

Gifts Ideas for Him

I'm sure I can't be the only one around here who has a husband I find difficult to shop for.

First of all, he's extremely practical (unless it comes to cars and motorcycles!).
He's picky.
And if he wanted it, he probably bought it for himself already!

Not to mention.... our anniversary, his birthday, and Christmas are all within a microscopic six-week window.

What's a girl to do?

I've been scouring the internet trying to find some ideas of what to get my hard-to-gift guy, and this is what i've come up with.

The Gift of Drink

Whisky Stones - $20

buy here

These little stones keep your whisky cool without watering it down. An excellent invention.

-OR-

IPA Beer Making Kit - $45

buy here

Williams-Sonoma knew what they were doing - now tempting your guy in for a cooking class won't be so hard if he knows they sell Beer Making Kits! Perfect for a guy who loves to do it himself or try new things, who also likes beer. Win-win.

The Gift of Travel Accessories

Patagonia Fuego Backpack - $89

buy here

This 32L backpack is great for hiking, a weekend trip, or a good carry on. The size is great for the price, as a lot of more technical backpacks are north of $150. This is a steal.

-OR-

Everlane's Reverse Denim Weekender Bag - $95

buy here

This bag is beautifully crafted, and is the perfect carry on size for a weekend tote. The best part about this bag (in my opinion) is that you can steal it from time to time and use as your own weekend tote! I'm particularly fond of the reverse denim, it looks so sleek and unisex.

The Gift of Technology 

iPod Nano Watch Set - $24 (Would make sense if he already has a Nano)

buy here

This is one of the most practical gifts for guys! Perfect for a traveler or a runner. The wrist band attaches perfectly to your iPod Nano and appears to be a normal watch... until you're ready to listen to music! There are many varieties of color and style. This leather one sticks out to me because it can easily go from guys night, to an important meeting, to date night with you. Matt particularly is a watch fanatic, so this invention might save me!

-OR-

Roku Streaming Device - $49

buy here

Roku is a great little device for those of us that have Nexflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime but don't have an XBOX to stream them through our TV. Roku changes all that. Simply hook up to your TV and choose your 'channels', and you're good to go! A common misconception is that you pay for a Roku subscription, and that isn't true. You only pay for the services you want (Hulu, Netflix, etc). Bonus, you can rent movies on Amazon (from a computer) and then view them from your TV as well. Goodbye expensive iTunes rentals and sifting through awful Redbox options! Who need cable, after all?

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Beer of the Month Club - $24/month

buy here

New craft beers get delivered every month. He will of course love you forever, and probably start checking the mail daily.

-OR-

Birchbox for Men - $20/month

buy here

I personally LOVE getting my Birchbox every month (confession: i'm a beauty product addict!), all of the samples are so fun. And they lead me to new products i've been missing out on! The boy-box is similar, but they actually get less product and more 'stuff'. Friends have received sunglasses, journals, wallets and more. It's a steal at $20 a month.

Do you have a hard to shop for spouse or boyfriend? I'm open to any ideas!

xo

Wanderlust Wednesday: Berlin, Germany

Ok, so i have a confession to make that you probably already know -- it's Friday.

Wednesday came and went, and i was too busy trying to get ready for my current trip to LONDON that i didn't realize it was wednesday at all. So today is technically Friday Fly Day? Frolicking Friday? First Class (but actually flying coach) Friday?

...........

on second thought, i'll stick to Wednesdays.

But back to Berlin.

I was only in Berlin once for 48 hours. At the time, i was on my Trip of the Century (aka, Trip Around The World) with my friend Sharyn (i call her Bear... for Shar-Bear. Just go with it). We were studying abroad for 3 months and made it our goal to go to as many countries as we possibly could. So when we found out that there would be no exams for our extensive classes (i wish there was a sarcasm font) that semester, and we had 16 days before we would have to be deported, we decided to plan a 10 day trip.

There are many pieces of the Trip of the Century that i will get to at a later date. But for now all you need to know is that our first stop was Paris for 4 days, and our next stop was Berlin for 2.

And we were really mad at Berlin... purely for the fact that it wasn't Paris. Bear and i were toured around Paris by my friend Jesus, who took us to perfect little cafes and showed us everything we needed to see... including a picnic at Versailles.

But looking back on it - Berlin is actually one of the coolest places i've ever been to in my life.

We went on a 4 hour walking tour around the city (did i mention it was totally free?) and got to see all of the sights and hear all of the history of this city that seems to have always been war torn.

To be honest, i knew that Germany had Communism and Nazi's, but i never understood the full division in the country. And especially in this city.

The Berlin wall had many implications. It divided the free from the slaved and the new world from the old. East Berliners lived oppressed, in Communism, without much progress or hope for the future. West Berlin was "westernized" in every sense of the word, run mostly by the Allies (USA, France, England). From The early 60's to the end 1989, many people never saw one side from the other. People who hadn't seen family trapped on the other side of the concrete slab down the middle of the city.

Until the wall came down.

For almost 30 years, longer than i've been alive, those people lived split in two.

But my favorite part about Berlin? I felt like they were so honest about who they were as Berliners. They know their past is rocky. They know they had the world's most awful leader of all time running their country at one point. They know they've been divided, and turned against one another, and had numerous other negative things happen on their soil.

They have small reminders around them to show where they've been. But to remind them never to go back. Here are my three favorite:

The Holocaust Memorial

Right in the middle of the city. 2,711 steale (material) slabs that are all different heights. It has been in the works since 1999 but was only completed in 2005. Each slab is different to represent the unique qualities of each person who was murdered in the Holocaust. and that the prejudice wasn't just towards one, it was towards a vast type of people. There is no sign. No list of names. The memorial just is. And i loved it.

The Berlin Wall

I kind of already gave this one a little shout out. But there are small sections of the wall left up for the sake of proving it existed. It hasnt been touched up or refurbished.... it just shows the scars of the past.

Hitler's Bunker

Yes, i said this was one of my favorite places. #1 - where Hitler decided to end all the madness, because he wasnt going to hurt any more innocent people. #2 - it's a parking lot. No statue. No monument. No Neo Nazi place of worship. Just a parking lot for a normal apartment complex. I believe when the World Cup came around last time, they put up a small sign to explain the bunker, but that's it. I love that it is a well known fact that this awful tyrant has no real proof he was actually here. Because Berlin, Germany, and the world has moved on.

This is only a tiny tiny bit about Berlin - there is a ton of history there! I'd love the chance to go again. Hopefully, this time i won't be upset with Germany for not being France :)