summer surprises

Summer is about to end. Before the winds of autumn blow its memories away, I'd like to list down the new things I experienced this summer(with a promise of writing more about each item in the future--I'm crossing my fingers here!)

1.that the cold air in Manchester has the scent of Manila on a stormy night
2. that the rush hour in London train station can almost make a "provincial" girl like me drop dead out of stress
3. paris -- simply that. I experienced Paris. Was telling my papa and lakay on our way down from the Eifel Tower: If Germany boasts of precision, Paris embodies symmetry and beauty.
4. that the people in Rome are as warm as their weather--notably different from the colder and northern parts of Europe. (my second time in this place and it still captivated my heart.No wonder I'm a sucker for Italian cuisine.)
5. that Germans are often more than willing to help you out when you're lost or when you look like it (this one I learned from lakay's account)
6. that my sister lives 20 minutes away from a theme park that is so un-disney yet has its own sense of fun
7. that my sister lives 20 minutes away from a shoe haven, and a house ware paradise
8. that summer in Belgium can be extreeeeeemely unbearably hot
9.that guacamole goes well with roasted porkchops (thanks to Ven and Ellen)
10. that lakay can cook (real surprise for me here)
11. that friendships grow deeper due to crisis (and intervention) ahem-ahem. Anne and Tita C