The Free Train

Saturday morning John and I had the rare opportunity to look inside a lot of the European embassies (for free) during the European Union Open House event. We met up with my friend Wesley early that morning and hit the ground running. Tons of people came out for the event and some long lines formed as a result, but the wait was well worth it. Each embassy showed off certain aspects of their country's culture-whether that be their cuisine, artistic interests, or just general facts about their particular country. Even though we got an early start, we were only able to see about half of the embassies that participated in the event. However, I was very happy with the ones that we did get to see and plan on seeing the ones that  we didn't make it to during next year's event. (Disclaimer- I would like to apologize in advance.A lot of the pictures that I took were selfies in order to enter myself in the #EUSelfie contest on Twitter for a shot to win an EU swag bag.).

 Portugal- We tasted some delicious chocolate coffee cake, black tea, and a cream cheese quiche-esque dessert before making our way to the next embassy. The sweet desserts were balanced out perfectly by the refreshing and palate cleansing black tea. It was definitely a good way to start our tour.

Luxembourg- While this embassy didn't offer any freebies or treats, it was decorated to the nines with stunning tablescapes and yellow roses in each room.

Ireland- This was one of my favorite embassy. While we waited in line to enter the embassy, we were entertained by Irish folk dancers and Irish rugby players. Inside the embassy, we were given all kind of swag including tote bags, free food (AMAZING cheeses and breads), and information about the embassy's upcoming events.

Latvia- a tour of this embassy was just that-a tour. However, the people who worked there were super welcoming and eager to share information about their culture and upcoming events. Plus, they were all dressed in authentic Latvian attire, including wool skirts and dresses. Sporting that in 80 degree weather showed some major dedication and pride.

Romania- Romania's embassy could be heard a block away because they had their music cranked up and they were dancing the day away in their traditional native attire. It was a site to see.

Estonia- This small embassy offered something very exciting...a chance to win a free trip.The only catch was that you had to complete a quiz. Thankfully, there was a slideshow that provided the answers. It was pretty tricky though and it took all three of our brains to get the correct answers.

Slovenia- Slovenia was one of my absolute favorite embassies that we visited. The people were so warm and inviting and the ambassador himself came out to speak about his country. They also had free traditional breads, cheeses, and sausage along with the recipes to make them! In addition to the food, they also had a free wine tasting. My favorite wine was the Giocato (playful cat).

Italy- It was a bit of a walk between Slovenia and Italy. Plus, it started raining during our journey there, but it was still worth it! A lady dressed in carnival attire greeted us at the door on stilts. There was also live music, fancy cars, and brick oven pizza on the premises. It was fancy, fancy and definitely screamed "Italia!"

United Kingdom- Not only is the U.K. Embassy one of the largest in D.C., but it's also one of the prettiest. The lush gardens, middle age architecture, and red telephone booth made me feel that I had stepped into London! There were all kinds of activities going on inside every inch of the grounds. One of the highlights for me was to walk through the gardens and take the best selfie ever that featured Harry, Hermione, and the Queen herself.

Belgium- Even though we made it to Belgium just before the event came to a close, they still were so generous and allowed us to walk inside and get a quick tour. They also gave us tons of free Belgium chocolate! Yum!

That evening, John and I decided to keep the "free events" train running and make a trip to the Freer Gallery. The art gallery is one of the many Smithsonian run institutions and showcases an extensive collection of Asian art. In addition, they regularly host free movies, lectures, and concerts that have an Asian theme or connection. Last Saturday evening the very talented Dutch virtuoso Ralph van Raat played an amazing show that featured the piano music of Japanese composers Toru Takemitsu and Tan Dun. It wasn't your average piano music by any means and Raat played a lot on unconventional sounds, happenings, and experimentation with how the piano was played. It was so interesting and gave me a whole new appreciation to that style and musical composition.

On the way home we made a stop to the gelato restaurant in our neighborhood, Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato. The flavor choices change regularly based on what ingredients are fresh and in season. So, we were happy to grab up some salted caramel and Thai coconut milk flavors while they were still available. The flavor was so decadent, dense, and rich with unique flavor. We will most definitely be going back whenever I have a sweet tooth craving that overpowers our Whole Life Challenge (clean eating) compliant diet.

The next morning we made a trip to our neighborhood farmer's market. It was unbelievable to see the difference in produce compared to the farmers markets in Birmingham. The stuff that was in season here consisted of a lot of fruits and veggies that I had never seen or had seen at very different times of year back home. I jumped at the chance to pick up a lot of the interesting produce including beets, asparagus, parsnips and gold rush apples.

After our market trip, we still had time to get ready for church and walk down the road for the service. It was an amazing Sunday morning to say the least. After church, we came home to change and then walked to Georgetown. We had been the previous week, but needed to go back for a few errands. I had already fallen in love with the place during our first trip, but I fell even more in love when I discovered the waterfront area that overlooks the Kennedy Center. It was breathtaking and all the families, love birds, and students meandering around in the sunshine made for a perfect summer's day. The icing on the cake was our trip to Good Stuff Eatery for one of the absolute BEST burgers I have had in my life! It is by far one of my favorite, if not my number one favorite, restaurants that we have been to thus far.

Monday was a very big day for me because it meant the start of my first big girl job! So, after a long day of orientation and signing papers, John and  I went to see a free concert at the National Zoo, but not just any free concert- Portugal the Man. It was unbelievable and the weather was perfect for an outdoor show. Earlier that day, I had told my new friend/coworker from work about it. So, she and her fiance joined us and then came back to our place for wine on our rooftop. It wasn't a bad start to the work week by any means.

On Tuesday night we had the rare chance to enjoy VIP access to the screening of Chef. John won the tickets via an online contest. So, we headed downtown as soon as we wrapped up dinner in order to enjoy the pre-party held at Redline.  It was very exciting to share a theater with a ton of film critics and to see a film before it even hit theaters. We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the film. It was centered around food and the makings of a food truck. So, it obviously hooked me in from the first close up of melting butter.

The next night, our friend Hannah Beth came over for dinner and an impromptu revisit to Tryst Coffeehouse for Wednesday night jazz. I made a Cabernet pot roast with roasted balsamic sweet potatoes & caramelized onions and Hannah Beth made a delicious watermelon and feta salad to go along with it. It was amazing! Afterwards, we made the walk to Tryst and rewarded ourselves for it by having a sweet treat and coffee

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It was another fun and adventurous week in the District. We still absolutely love it here and are enjoying discovering new things everyday. I can't wait to see what this next week holds!