Wow! I am so glad to be on my home continent. Europe was indescribably worthwhile, though, and I couldn't have enjoyed that experience without the help of my wonderful, thoughtful, hard-working mother (of whom I am taking back to Europe one day in the, hopefully near, future).
My favorite part of Europe was definitely Versailles, France--it was gorgeous and the historical background was even more intriguing (and touring it by bike made it that much more magnificent). Watching the movie Marie Antoinette means more now that I've been there.
I have but three regrets:
#1-- Not taking the right pictures. Sounds funny, huh? Explanation: I took so many pictures of the ruins and the architecture itself rather than the things I enjoyed and me enjoying them. It would've been nice to have taken "Capture the Moment" kind of photos that would've been more exciting to look back on.
#2-- Not seeing everything that I could. I was, however limited on time and was often times exhausted. It's difficult to get pumped and find energy to explore with just three days per city--trying to balance sight-seeing and rest was a challenge. And group choice made a difference, too. When I go back with Mom, we will stay longer and see more.
#3-- This may sound lame, but I regret drinking the little that I did (even if it was legal). It was just something that I think was out of my character. And now when I tell people about my trip I'm very double-minded when mentioning my alcohol consumption. Certain people I present it with almost a proud tone, others I down-play it, and some I don't even mention it to. It honestly isn't as big a deal as I'm making it. I got tipsy about three times (twice on accident, once on purpose), and it was one of the first times I've ever really drank. It was a new thing that I wanted to try since it was legal. It was definitely a coming of age predicament, and I think that's why it's effecting my self-image so greatly.
Anyway, those things aside, Europe was nothing I expected but, totally what I needed to taste the culture oversees.
Hopefully I'll be posting pictures on Facebook soon (or I can email them).
I'm excited to make my own scrapbook (Mom made me a really awesome one that reviews my senior year! :] ). I saved every receipt, every boarding pass, and even some currency--it's going to be a blast to put together and make notes.
So, that concludes it.
Mexico is next on the list (min. of a year) and I'll be blogging that, as well (probably just a blog a week, though). I'm anxious to see how God uses me and changes me.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Last of London; Last of Europe
My last day of London began in a club (kinda cool--ooh, and I never mentioned that last nights disco was my first clubbing experience), furthered with a 4 AM wake-up call (accident), supplemented a markets and shopping, and ended quite WIKEDLY! ;)
SO the club ended, we got home at 2:30 AM or so... you heard the story. Oh, wait, I don't think I told the end. We took cabs home (one of the boys got wasted and was not permitted into the first cab), and us girls tried our best to converse with him to keep him from passing out.
At 4 AM, I was shockingly awoken by my phone ringing. My friend had forgotten I was in Europe, so didn't think I'd be in the middle of sleep. Luckily, after a late night out, I was able to sleep in until about 9:30, got ready, did some computer networking and was gonna go about to explore by myself or maybe with Nicole H (thinking everyone had already left the hostel), but it turned out that my friends (that went discoing with me) were just waking up when I was doing my computer stuff, so Nicole and I were able to go with the "family". :)
We got Starbucks (Chai Frap :d), went to see London Bridge (not quite as impressive as I expected), walked and shopped through a Farmers' Market (a newly acquired hobby), chilled in a park (where it's £1.50 to sit on provided lawn chairs!), I sang to some pigeons, and we did some shopping. We were late for meeting for dinner, and my group was supposed to leave early because our show at the theatre (Wicked) started a half hour earlier than everyone elses. So the Wicked group headed towards the theatre and got dinner at a cute Italian ristorante across the street (Sprite, bread, and Ricotta & Spinach Crepes--not super yummy cause it tasted more like chowder, and it was unfortunate that the plate burned my finger). The show, Wicked, was AWESOME! I greatly recommend seeing it! I adored and related to "Elphi". Now it's bedtime... leaving the Hostel around 8 AM, get home at 2 PM. Can't wait to see everyone... esp. Mom and Jess at the airport! P.s. I think I spelt Hostel wrong a few times... I've definitely not been staying in hostiles... lol That'd be scary.
A wrap-up blog tomorrow + reflections. :)
SO the club ended, we got home at 2:30 AM or so... you heard the story. Oh, wait, I don't think I told the end. We took cabs home (one of the boys got wasted and was not permitted into the first cab), and us girls tried our best to converse with him to keep him from passing out.
At 4 AM, I was shockingly awoken by my phone ringing. My friend had forgotten I was in Europe, so didn't think I'd be in the middle of sleep. Luckily, after a late night out, I was able to sleep in until about 9:30, got ready, did some computer networking and was gonna go about to explore by myself or maybe with Nicole H (thinking everyone had already left the hostel), but it turned out that my friends (that went discoing with me) were just waking up when I was doing my computer stuff, so Nicole and I were able to go with the "family". :)
We got Starbucks (Chai Frap :d), went to see London Bridge (not quite as impressive as I expected), walked and shopped through a Farmers' Market (a newly acquired hobby), chilled in a park (where it's £1.50 to sit on provided lawn chairs!), I sang to some pigeons, and we did some shopping. We were late for meeting for dinner, and my group was supposed to leave early because our show at the theatre (Wicked) started a half hour earlier than everyone elses. So the Wicked group headed towards the theatre and got dinner at a cute Italian ristorante across the street (Sprite, bread, and Ricotta & Spinach Crepes--not super yummy cause it tasted more like chowder, and it was unfortunate that the plate burned my finger). The show, Wicked, was AWESOME! I greatly recommend seeing it! I adored and related to "Elphi". Now it's bedtime... leaving the Hostel around 8 AM, get home at 2 PM. Can't wait to see everyone... esp. Mom and Jess at the airport! P.s. I think I spelt Hostel wrong a few times... I've definitely not been staying in hostiles... lol That'd be scary.
A wrap-up blog tomorrow + reflections. :)
Exploring Grand Old London with a disco to top it off.
I never thought that a day could be so greatly contrasted with innocence and coming of age.
This morning the new group that I'm with was planning on meeting at 9:30 to go explore London, however, somehow none of them changed the time on their clocks to 8 instead of 9, so they all awoke an hour earlier than intended--that was what time I was planning on getting ready to be out of their way. Instead, I waited until they were all done, so I guess getting an hour or two extra of sleep wasn't so bad... ;) Just had to hustle a bit more. :P
Koester and I were both new to exploring with this group (Luci was planning on meeting up later--she's been sick and needed some sleep) and they've been bragging of all the sights they see and miles the trek... today was an off day for them, apparently. We probably covered about 5 miles compared to their record 13. We went to Westminster Abbey, but it turned out that it costs 6 euros for admission (and quite frankly, I'm tired of viewing old Cathedrals and churches) so a half the group (Koester and I included) opted not to enter... we rather played Uno on the concrete for an hour... I didn't even win once. :(
After that we took pictures of the Big Ben tower, Thames River, the Justice Center, and a Temple. We met Luci for lunch at 1 for pizza and noodles. The noodle place served coldish food--my fish and chips were disgusting, and Luci wasn't impressed with her chow mein and chicken, either. After lunch we scavenged for the British Museum; once found, we had two hours to explore it and meet back at the entrance. For being such a big building, there sure isn't as much to see as you'd expect. I was bored and tired for the first half hour (dozing off while I read a guide pamphlet for it), so I got a mocha and chilled for a bit, after which I continued to feed my inquiring mind via observation and analyzation of the artifacts. I found the Greek and Egyptian pieces to be most intriguing. Also, when I first walked in, there was a time line for the number of pills a human will take in their lifetime... it was pretty impacting.
After the museum, we headed back to the hostel for a bit... I caught up on computer networking and tried to draw a few of the photos I've taken (no success) and then we headed for supper. Mexican food was the plan since this afternoon, so once everyone arrived, we headed to the restaurant with the Luci-Koester group where I soon devoured veggie-bean quasadillas, chips and an apple juice. Pretty yummy--I've missed Mexican food. :d
After supper, we met back in the court where a few of the boys played NINJA and a drunk homeless guy interrupted. A small game of Ninja became a mob of 100 people watching a drunk old man make a fool of himself. The mob chanted for him and tried to push others into the circle to interact with the drunkard; at one point the mob shouted "Silent Bum! Silent Bum!" to encourage his foolishness. Foolishness involving acts such as freak dancing with a nasty twenty-something year old tipsy bimbo withe her tush cheeks hanging out from under her shorts. Quite the show! Bravo! :\
After the "show", our group of 50 split up into those that wanted to disco and those that didn't. My intentions throughout the whole day were to not attend the disco, hence my attire of tan shorts, a T-shirt, and Teva sandals, however, my buds convinced me to. Karaoke sounded much cooler! The group decided no to disco, yes to karaoke, no to karaoke, yes to pub, not to pub, and then yes to disco, finally ending with "let's try a different disco since this one is empty". Quite the decisive evening,huh? So the final disco we settled on was packed both on the first and second floor. I had a lot of fun with our group of 8 that actually went, however, it was a bit awkward when some of my friends were freaking a little with strangers. I just let it go and reminded myself that we're not little freshman anymore, we're adults. I do miss being naive.
Ooh, and I had my first ever hard alcohol beverage: sex on the beach! Super yummy! I had one at the first club, the buzz wore off, so i had another at the second club so that I would actually dance. It was kinda cool being 21 for a week.
This morning the new group that I'm with was planning on meeting at 9:30 to go explore London, however, somehow none of them changed the time on their clocks to 8 instead of 9, so they all awoke an hour earlier than intended--that was what time I was planning on getting ready to be out of their way. Instead, I waited until they were all done, so I guess getting an hour or two extra of sleep wasn't so bad... ;) Just had to hustle a bit more. :P
Koester and I were both new to exploring with this group (Luci was planning on meeting up later--she's been sick and needed some sleep) and they've been bragging of all the sights they see and miles the trek... today was an off day for them, apparently. We probably covered about 5 miles compared to their record 13. We went to Westminster Abbey, but it turned out that it costs 6 euros for admission (and quite frankly, I'm tired of viewing old Cathedrals and churches) so a half the group (Koester and I included) opted not to enter... we rather played Uno on the concrete for an hour... I didn't even win once. :(
After that we took pictures of the Big Ben tower, Thames River, the Justice Center, and a Temple. We met Luci for lunch at 1 for pizza and noodles. The noodle place served coldish food--my fish and chips were disgusting, and Luci wasn't impressed with her chow mein and chicken, either. After lunch we scavenged for the British Museum; once found, we had two hours to explore it and meet back at the entrance. For being such a big building, there sure isn't as much to see as you'd expect. I was bored and tired for the first half hour (dozing off while I read a guide pamphlet for it), so I got a mocha and chilled for a bit, after which I continued to feed my inquiring mind via observation and analyzation of the artifacts. I found the Greek and Egyptian pieces to be most intriguing. Also, when I first walked in, there was a time line for the number of pills a human will take in their lifetime... it was pretty impacting.
After the museum, we headed back to the hostel for a bit... I caught up on computer networking and tried to draw a few of the photos I've taken (no success) and then we headed for supper. Mexican food was the plan since this afternoon, so once everyone arrived, we headed to the restaurant with the Luci-Koester group where I soon devoured veggie-bean quasadillas, chips and an apple juice. Pretty yummy--I've missed Mexican food. :d
After supper, we met back in the court where a few of the boys played NINJA and a drunk homeless guy interrupted. A small game of Ninja became a mob of 100 people watching a drunk old man make a fool of himself. The mob chanted for him and tried to push others into the circle to interact with the drunkard; at one point the mob shouted "Silent Bum! Silent Bum!" to encourage his foolishness. Foolishness involving acts such as freak dancing with a nasty twenty-something year old tipsy bimbo withe her tush cheeks hanging out from under her shorts. Quite the show! Bravo! :\
After the "show", our group of 50 split up into those that wanted to disco and those that didn't. My intentions throughout the whole day were to not attend the disco, hence my attire of tan shorts, a T-shirt, and Teva sandals, however, my buds convinced me to. Karaoke sounded much cooler! The group decided no to disco, yes to karaoke, no to karaoke, yes to pub, not to pub, and then yes to disco, finally ending with "let's try a different disco since this one is empty". Quite the decisive evening,huh? So the final disco we settled on was packed both on the first and second floor. I had a lot of fun with our group of 8 that actually went, however, it was a bit awkward when some of my friends were freaking a little with strangers. I just let it go and reminded myself that we're not little freshman anymore, we're adults. I do miss being naive.
Ooh, and I had my first ever hard alcohol beverage: sex on the beach! Super yummy! I had one at the first club, the buzz wore off, so i had another at the second club so that I would actually dance. It was kinda cool being 21 for a week.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
I see London...
Today we started the morning on the train. We met outside our hostel by the metro at 7:45 AM and were on our way to the train station. We rode through the Chunnel! So cool... except, I slept through it... and it made me burp a lot whenever I woke up; it was strange. Good sleep though. I was in the seat next to KJ; he's a nice guy--part of our family.
When we arrived in London we walked our luggage straight to our hostel with a Fat Tire Bike Tour on our minds. The hostels were nice; the best we've had yet. We quickly changed into more athletic clothes and made our ways onward to find the Fat Tire Bike shop. It was difficult to find, but eventually location was successful. It was lunchtime before the tour--Nicole and I were both craving Fish & Chips, so we stopped in Starbucks so I could get my Chai Tea Frap and then we trekked down the street in search of a restaurant serving Fish & Chips... after passing many Indian, Chinese, and Italian restaurants, we spotted a pub that had a sign that said "Best Fish & Chips in London". The bar carded for entrance, but we are both 18 so we were permitted entry and the chance to eat the most delicious Fish & Chips! They snagged my alien Chai Frap for the time we were there, but I didn't mind. :d
The Fat Tire Bike Tour was totally rad. I loved being able to put names to places. :D Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, etc. We even got the authentic London tour with our own English guide, Matt. Ooh, and I had an epiphany that most people will probably be shocked by my ignorance: Hyde Park, London -> New Hyde Park, New York; England -> New England; New Jersey -> Jersey, England, New Hampshire -> Hampshire, England. :) I have just never recognized the association, I suppose. Oh my gosh, one of the girls in my room hit 2 people on the bike tour. She hit another cyclist (technically wasn't her fault, she was shoved on a busy crosswalk) and she nailed some pedestrian in the back! Crazy! I'm glad I kept my awareness on! ;D In the middle of the tour we stopped at a pub for a break; being 18, I was able to order a 1/2 pint Lager on tap--pretty tastey!
Right after the bike tour we headed on the metro ("the tube") to go to dinner. Maben, Rachel, and our family went to a tiny Bistro in a cellar. I, again, had fish & chips, a lager, and cheesecake for dessert. It was quite enjoyable and fun! Maben is a really cool guy! Reminds me a lot of Justin Tomscak. He said some really meaning things about why I should go to college after Mexico because they'd miss out on a person like me and it will better harness my potential. I appreciated what he said.
Internet isn't working for me here... router issue maybe? Where's Brandon McRee when I need him?? :) Well, I'm going to hit the sack.
When we arrived in London we walked our luggage straight to our hostel with a Fat Tire Bike Tour on our minds. The hostels were nice; the best we've had yet. We quickly changed into more athletic clothes and made our ways onward to find the Fat Tire Bike shop. It was difficult to find, but eventually location was successful. It was lunchtime before the tour--Nicole and I were both craving Fish & Chips, so we stopped in Starbucks so I could get my Chai Tea Frap and then we trekked down the street in search of a restaurant serving Fish & Chips... after passing many Indian, Chinese, and Italian restaurants, we spotted a pub that had a sign that said "Best Fish & Chips in London". The bar carded for entrance, but we are both 18 so we were permitted entry and the chance to eat the most delicious Fish & Chips! They snagged my alien Chai Frap for the time we were there, but I didn't mind. :d
The Fat Tire Bike Tour was totally rad. I loved being able to put names to places. :D Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, etc. We even got the authentic London tour with our own English guide, Matt. Ooh, and I had an epiphany that most people will probably be shocked by my ignorance: Hyde Park, London -> New Hyde Park, New York; England -> New England; New Jersey -> Jersey, England, New Hampshire -> Hampshire, England. :) I have just never recognized the association, I suppose. Oh my gosh, one of the girls in my room hit 2 people on the bike tour. She hit another cyclist (technically wasn't her fault, she was shoved on a busy crosswalk) and she nailed some pedestrian in the back! Crazy! I'm glad I kept my awareness on! ;D In the middle of the tour we stopped at a pub for a break; being 18, I was able to order a 1/2 pint Lager on tap--pretty tastey!
Right after the bike tour we headed on the metro ("the tube") to go to dinner. Maben, Rachel, and our family went to a tiny Bistro in a cellar. I, again, had fish & chips, a lager, and cheesecake for dessert. It was quite enjoyable and fun! Maben is a really cool guy! Reminds me a lot of Justin Tomscak. He said some really meaning things about why I should go to college after Mexico because they'd miss out on a person like me and it will better harness my potential. I appreciated what he said.
Internet isn't working for me here... router issue maybe? Where's Brandon McRee when I need him?? :) Well, I'm going to hit the sack.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Last day in Paris... kinda. We have like a few hours tomorrow, I suppose.
SO today was pretty wonderful. I gotta make this quick cause I only have, like, 18 minutes before my Wi-Fi expires and I have to get a new ticket (it's free though, don't worry). :P
Okay, so we were supposed to meet downstairs at 9 AM. Well... I was exhausted, so I slept until 8:50 AM, so was, therefore, not downstairs until ten after. No biggie; so were others. Anyway, we were going to the Louvre. I mean, we went to the Louvre. It was cool I suppose. Not really. Mostly repetition of the art we've seen this past week anyway. It was cool to see the Mona Lisa and the Angel of Victory (or whatever it's called). We also got STARBUCKS! Woo! I had a Chai tea and a chocolate chip muffin! Yum!
After the Louvre, our group met the whole group at the park by the Eiffel and then we all wenty and bought food for a picnic and met back in the park again. SO cool! I didn't eat anything because I was still full from the Chai and muffin, but I took LOTS OF COOL PICTURES!
:)
:)
:)
So... me and the "family" went to the Madeleine Cathedral (Maddie was named after) so that Madeline could take a picture in front of the Madeleine, reading Madeline while eating a madeline. :) Cool beans, huh? I love Maddie! It was adorable.
We also saw the Arche de Triumph*--spelling is likely not accurate. It was... large.
A lot of hottin' and hollerin' took place concerning Portugal in the World Cup... apparently a ton of Portuguese live in Paris. I got the raving on video. They drive and wave flags out there cars and shout... there was also a mob of fans, at one point, that took up the rode. :) Funny.
We went back to the Hostel, I got ready (no make up this morning with only 20 minutes as well as wet hair), so I tried to look pretty for dinner. Dinner was good. Oh, there's a music festival going on... random-tush bands were playing all throughout Paris. For dinner I enjoyed a blue cheese salad, a coffee (SO tiny!), and whipped cream (chantilly) crepes' for desert. YUM!
Oh and there were cute boys jump roping while by the fountain while we ate dinner. We were near the Pompedue (*spelling) building. After dinner we checked out a few bands (there were at least 2 Native American ones... it was neat) and then searched for a pub... on our search we found a gay bar. We were gonna go in there but the boys had the "uh-oh" feeling to extreme. We searched for a karaoke bar for at least 2 hours. Ooh and on the way we spotted a poodle; that was on our Paris check list! By the time we found the karaoke bar, it was closed. We ended up finding a crowded bar where a band was playing songs like "Fever" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"--IN ENGLISH! Crazy! American songs are always playing here in Paris. Even in stores. Brittney and I each got a pint of beer at the pub/bar. 1667 or something, is what it was called... on tap. I didn't think it would affect me, but it did a little. I can still feel it in my brain. We took the metro home and sang a little bit. It was great! I got home 45 minutes ago. Tomorrow we leave at 8 for London--packed and ready by 7:40. :) Better get some shut-eye. Love yaz. :P
Okay, so we were supposed to meet downstairs at 9 AM. Well... I was exhausted, so I slept until 8:50 AM, so was, therefore, not downstairs until ten after. No biggie; so were others. Anyway, we were going to the Louvre. I mean, we went to the Louvre. It was cool I suppose. Not really. Mostly repetition of the art we've seen this past week anyway. It was cool to see the Mona Lisa and the Angel of Victory (or whatever it's called). We also got STARBUCKS! Woo! I had a Chai tea and a chocolate chip muffin! Yum!
After the Louvre, our group met the whole group at the park by the Eiffel and then we all wenty and bought food for a picnic and met back in the park again. SO cool! I didn't eat anything because I was still full from the Chai and muffin, but I took LOTS OF COOL PICTURES!
:)
:)
:)
So... me and the "family" went to the Madeleine Cathedral (Maddie was named after) so that Madeline could take a picture in front of the Madeleine, reading Madeline while eating a madeline. :) Cool beans, huh? I love Maddie! It was adorable.
We also saw the Arche de Triumph*--spelling is likely not accurate. It was... large.
A lot of hottin' and hollerin' took place concerning Portugal in the World Cup... apparently a ton of Portuguese live in Paris. I got the raving on video. They drive and wave flags out there cars and shout... there was also a mob of fans, at one point, that took up the rode. :) Funny.
We went back to the Hostel, I got ready (no make up this morning with only 20 minutes as well as wet hair), so I tried to look pretty for dinner. Dinner was good. Oh, there's a music festival going on... random-tush bands were playing all throughout Paris. For dinner I enjoyed a blue cheese salad, a coffee (SO tiny!), and whipped cream (chantilly) crepes' for desert. YUM!
Oh and there were cute boys jump roping while by the fountain while we ate dinner. We were near the Pompedue (*spelling) building. After dinner we checked out a few bands (there were at least 2 Native American ones... it was neat) and then searched for a pub... on our search we found a gay bar. We were gonna go in there but the boys had the "uh-oh" feeling to extreme. We searched for a karaoke bar for at least 2 hours. Ooh and on the way we spotted a poodle; that was on our Paris check list! By the time we found the karaoke bar, it was closed. We ended up finding a crowded bar where a band was playing songs like "Fever" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"--IN ENGLISH! Crazy! American songs are always playing here in Paris. Even in stores. Brittney and I each got a pint of beer at the pub/bar. 1667 or something, is what it was called... on tap. I didn't think it would affect me, but it did a little. I can still feel it in my brain. We took the metro home and sang a little bit. It was great! I got home 45 minutes ago. Tomorrow we leave at 8 for London--packed and ready by 7:40. :) Better get some shut-eye. Love yaz. :P
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Versailles... OH MY! :)
Today has, by far, been THE best day! Bike tour, once again, but this time we biked to a train station, rode the train to Versailles, and biked through Versailles. SO cool! I love bike trips. And the Versailles Palace grounds of Louis XIV, XV, & XVI is simply GORGEOUS! The Louis' were all egotistical turds, but still! Great choices on architecture, decor, and landscape for sure! It's one of those places I can't explain (and pictures won't even serve justice), you just have to go and experience this majestic land. ponds, hedges, trees, lakes, fountains. I think they said it is well over 200 acres. We definitely didn't cover it all.
This morning we had breakfast at 7:30 and be ready to go to the bike shop by 8. The milk was extremely sour for the cereal (I've never had milk so ripe), so I just had a roll and croissant with some English tea. We headed to the subway and when we got off at our stop there was a Farmer's Market going on right underneath the bridge (in Paris, each district is required to hold at least 1 market per week); I really wanted to stay and look, but we were already running late for our tour.
We arrived at the bike shop, got on our bikes, and were on our way. It's really crazy riding bikes in a group of 25 kids... and the tour guides always tell us to ride in the street and take up whole lanes. I think I counted almost dying about 4.63 times for myself. It's a dangerous activity, for sure, but very fun! This time, though, we had to get on the train with our bikes, which we thought would be impossible, but it was cake. Our guide, Matt from Texas, was quiet and unexpectedly crazy--small framed with curly, shaggy brown hair under a zebra-patterned cowboy hat and a unicorn backpack that his girlfriend designed for him apparently. When he was first introduced to us I thought, "Oh great, this time we got a nerdy kid"... don't judge a book, fellas. Anyway, the train smelt like the worst bad breath I've ever smelt (and metros ALWAYS smell like urine in certain spots), but at least it was warm inside. It's been in the 60s with wind chill and light rain--too cold for how most of us packed. Once we got off the train with our bikes, we were in the city of Versailles. It was adorable... a lot like Lincoln. Matt first took us to a Farmer's Market (YES!) where he let us roam and buy for our picnic lunch later for about an hour. It was SO neat. I was worried about purchasing and conversing with French people without help--especially because this was a town not a big city--but it was TOTALLY fine! To my advantage, many of the farmers and sellers spoke English (or at least enough to engage in a transaction with a Californian like myself). I bought 2 carrots, a basket of strawberries, a triangle of FRENCH Brie, FRENCH fries, a 1 Euro baguette, and fresh squeezed OJ! SO yummy! Oh wait, I didn't eat it for another 1.5 hours.
Here's why:
After the market we rode into the Versailles Palace. It was intriguing seeing where the King Louis' and Marie Antoinette lived and worked and played. After that, we continued on our bikes to the side of the lake... a beautiful T-shaped lake built by one of the Louis'. It was a great moment. That's where we enjoyed our market food. And poor Maddie... one of her plastic bags drifted into the lake and she couldn't get it out (and Maddie being environmentally concerned, felt horrible. She was tempted to even jump in the water after it (Peter told me to put that part). It was cute. She got a lot of crap about it, too. Killing the ducks that were there and such. :P It was funny, though... the dramatization of the predicament.
Okay, so we headed back to explore the Palace of Versailles. Eh... it was okay. A good majority of the rooms and furniture were replicated, making it less fantastic.
We rode bikes back to the train station, but there were some complications once we got there due to an attempted suicide on the track. We were very impressed with the tour guide, Matt. At the end he performed a cool bike trick--standing on the seat with no hands while it was going-- and he also remembered all 28 names of each person... even the Rockefeller twins! We were all impressed and made sure to tip him well. ;)
We got back to the hostel at 6:45, with only 15 minutes before we needed to meet for dinner. Once we met at a famous Cathedral (I'm tired of the over-decorated, gothic-style Cathedrals)... I explored it, but wasn't too impressed. It had cubism and abstract stained-glass, which contradicted the architecture. The stained glass was still pretty. The incense were over-powering though.
Okay, so for dinner at the ristorante I enjoyed a delicious feta salad, chocolate mousse, and flan. It was ALL good! I love French food a lot more than Italian.
After dinner we went back to the hostel for potty break and to get cameras and then we headed on the metro to a sky-scraper (I think taller than the Eiffel Tower) with Maben, the girls, and the boys (Dustin, KJ, and Nick--the family) ;) We were able to see the Eiffel Tower from the roof--it was beautiful and even sparkled at one point for a few minutes). Took lots of pictures, hung out, and then walked back to the hostel. Maben is hilarious with some of his jokes that he takes to far... us girls played off of some of them. And we sang that "To the window, to the wall..." song from The Proposal as we walked back to the hostel. I loved today.
This morning we had breakfast at 7:30 and be ready to go to the bike shop by 8. The milk was extremely sour for the cereal (I've never had milk so ripe), so I just had a roll and croissant with some English tea. We headed to the subway and when we got off at our stop there was a Farmer's Market going on right underneath the bridge (in Paris, each district is required to hold at least 1 market per week); I really wanted to stay and look, but we were already running late for our tour.
We arrived at the bike shop, got on our bikes, and were on our way. It's really crazy riding bikes in a group of 25 kids... and the tour guides always tell us to ride in the street and take up whole lanes. I think I counted almost dying about 4.63 times for myself. It's a dangerous activity, for sure, but very fun! This time, though, we had to get on the train with our bikes, which we thought would be impossible, but it was cake. Our guide, Matt from Texas, was quiet and unexpectedly crazy--small framed with curly, shaggy brown hair under a zebra-patterned cowboy hat and a unicorn backpack that his girlfriend designed for him apparently. When he was first introduced to us I thought, "Oh great, this time we got a nerdy kid"... don't judge a book, fellas. Anyway, the train smelt like the worst bad breath I've ever smelt (and metros ALWAYS smell like urine in certain spots), but at least it was warm inside. It's been in the 60s with wind chill and light rain--too cold for how most of us packed. Once we got off the train with our bikes, we were in the city of Versailles. It was adorable... a lot like Lincoln. Matt first took us to a Farmer's Market (YES!) where he let us roam and buy for our picnic lunch later for about an hour. It was SO neat. I was worried about purchasing and conversing with French people without help--especially because this was a town not a big city--but it was TOTALLY fine! To my advantage, many of the farmers and sellers spoke English (or at least enough to engage in a transaction with a Californian like myself). I bought 2 carrots, a basket of strawberries, a triangle of FRENCH Brie, FRENCH fries, a 1 Euro baguette, and fresh squeezed OJ! SO yummy! Oh wait, I didn't eat it for another 1.5 hours.
Here's why:
After the market we rode into the Versailles Palace. It was intriguing seeing where the King Louis' and Marie Antoinette lived and worked and played. After that, we continued on our bikes to the side of the lake... a beautiful T-shaped lake built by one of the Louis'. It was a great moment. That's where we enjoyed our market food. And poor Maddie... one of her plastic bags drifted into the lake and she couldn't get it out (and Maddie being environmentally concerned, felt horrible. She was tempted to even jump in the water after it (Peter told me to put that part). It was cute. She got a lot of crap about it, too. Killing the ducks that were there and such. :P It was funny, though... the dramatization of the predicament.
Okay, so we headed back to explore the Palace of Versailles. Eh... it was okay. A good majority of the rooms and furniture were replicated, making it less fantastic.
We rode bikes back to the train station, but there were some complications once we got there due to an attempted suicide on the track. We were very impressed with the tour guide, Matt. At the end he performed a cool bike trick--standing on the seat with no hands while it was going-- and he also remembered all 28 names of each person... even the Rockefeller twins! We were all impressed and made sure to tip him well. ;)
We got back to the hostel at 6:45, with only 15 minutes before we needed to meet for dinner. Once we met at a famous Cathedral (I'm tired of the over-decorated, gothic-style Cathedrals)... I explored it, but wasn't too impressed. It had cubism and abstract stained-glass, which contradicted the architecture. The stained glass was still pretty. The incense were over-powering though.
Okay, so for dinner at the ristorante I enjoyed a delicious feta salad, chocolate mousse, and flan. It was ALL good! I love French food a lot more than Italian.
After dinner we went back to the hostel for potty break and to get cameras and then we headed on the metro to a sky-scraper (I think taller than the Eiffel Tower) with Maben, the girls, and the boys (Dustin, KJ, and Nick--the family) ;) We were able to see the Eiffel Tower from the roof--it was beautiful and even sparkled at one point for a few minutes). Took lots of pictures, hung out, and then walked back to the hostel. Maben is hilarious with some of his jokes that he takes to far... us girls played off of some of them. And we sang that "To the window, to the wall..." song from The Proposal as we walked back to the hostel. I loved today.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Anyone has to have ONE day like this on an amazing trip like this
This day went from terrible to AMAZING!
To begin, let me inform you that Luci and Koester told us "Meet at Notre Dame at 10:00 AM... don't be late."
So last night (this morning) I finished my blog at around 1 am, after which I went up to my room, closed my eyes, and went right to sleep. I awoke at what I thought was around 7 am... well my clock said 11 am... hmm... that's strange. Someone HAD to have changed it. Maybe it broke. It can't be 11... it's not 11. IT IS 11! So I nudged Carley and Paige to wake them up. They were supposed to meet there group at 11, and had here own getting ready to do. I threw on clean clothes, brushed my teeth and hair, and briskly walked to the metro. I way on the verge of crying the WHOLE morning. So I was already an hour and 15 min late for meeting, but on top of that I was 15 minutes late for the ticket up the Eiffel Tower that I bought last night. Unfortunately, worse got worse when I got lost on the metro, misinterpreting a train line for a metro line. A subway trip that should've taken no more than twenty minutes instead took me an hour and a half. By the time I got to the Eiffel Tower it was 12:30. My group had to of been gone. I inquired if I could still go up even though I was over two hours late, but customer service said "no refunds". I sat by myself on a bench below the Eiffel Tower for two hours, texting another group who had a 12 pm appointment and waiting to spot them or someone I knew. Unexpectedly, I received a call from one of the girls in my group asking where I was because a group of 4 girls (Maddie, Britt, Nat, & Emily) also overslept... until 12. :) I wasn't the only one! So we met up and compared our circumstances. Together (with encouragement of B Moore) we went back to the Eiffel staff and asked if we could PLEASE use our expired tickets... the lady empathized, called her boss to make sure, and LET US GO UP! :DDDDD SO exciting! It was about a 2 hour trip up and down altogether, but so WONDERFUL! I've only dreamed of going up the Eiffel Tower. We all called our moms (the people we'd most want to share the moment with) from the top--super cute.
Our little group of tardy girls then headed to a cafe'/ristorante where I enjoyed a cheese and mushroom crepe'. SO yummy! It was a cute cafe'! The servers are always SO nice and they all speak English (I don't know what I was worried about...). We went to Notre Dame so we could explore the inside--it was so gorgeous/eerie at the same time. And I, again, was reminded of the movie! :) Mass was taking place, too, so that was neat. A very comercialized Cathedral, though, which almost makes it seem sacrilegious. After that we killed some time with some tourist shopping and then met in the square by the fountains for dinner where we would break off into our teacher groups. We feared the wrath of Luci and Koester (us 5 girls had yet seen them), but they had cooled off by 7pm and were very understanding. :) Cool beans.
Dinner was extraordinary. I enjoyed two Sprites (gotta have the European soda!), a blue cheese salad (fresh blue cheese, still hot; really good!), and chocolate banana crepes' with whipped cream ("chantilly" is what it's called here). A REALLY delectable meal. And the French waiters were going crazy over the American girls in there restaurant... too funny!
Lastly us girls (including Koester, Luci and Nicole) took the metro back to the Hostel, but this time there was entertainment. A little, stout French man played his French horn and sang to the metro-riders. We clapped along; it totally lightened the tension of the car. Then us girls started singing Taylor Swift and other songs and a few people on the Subway sang along--it was fun!
Oh, I also accompanied Luci to the other Hostel so she could Skype her family. It was adorable; her daughter even started crying. Aww. :)
Well, I'm in the hall and some Canadian just came and shook my hand and asked me what I was doing tonight and where I was from... he had to have been drunk. :P
I'm ready for bed... like now. Gotta be up at six tomorrow and it's like 1:30 now. Don't want another incident like this morning... :P
Peace.
To begin, let me inform you that Luci and Koester told us "Meet at Notre Dame at 10:00 AM... don't be late."
So last night (this morning) I finished my blog at around 1 am, after which I went up to my room, closed my eyes, and went right to sleep. I awoke at what I thought was around 7 am... well my clock said 11 am... hmm... that's strange. Someone HAD to have changed it. Maybe it broke. It can't be 11... it's not 11. IT IS 11! So I nudged Carley and Paige to wake them up. They were supposed to meet there group at 11, and had here own getting ready to do. I threw on clean clothes, brushed my teeth and hair, and briskly walked to the metro. I way on the verge of crying the WHOLE morning. So I was already an hour and 15 min late for meeting, but on top of that I was 15 minutes late for the ticket up the Eiffel Tower that I bought last night. Unfortunately, worse got worse when I got lost on the metro, misinterpreting a train line for a metro line. A subway trip that should've taken no more than twenty minutes instead took me an hour and a half. By the time I got to the Eiffel Tower it was 12:30. My group had to of been gone. I inquired if I could still go up even though I was over two hours late, but customer service said "no refunds". I sat by myself on a bench below the Eiffel Tower for two hours, texting another group who had a 12 pm appointment and waiting to spot them or someone I knew. Unexpectedly, I received a call from one of the girls in my group asking where I was because a group of 4 girls (Maddie, Britt, Nat, & Emily) also overslept... until 12. :) I wasn't the only one! So we met up and compared our circumstances. Together (with encouragement of B Moore) we went back to the Eiffel staff and asked if we could PLEASE use our expired tickets... the lady empathized, called her boss to make sure, and LET US GO UP! :DDDDD SO exciting! It was about a 2 hour trip up and down altogether, but so WONDERFUL! I've only dreamed of going up the Eiffel Tower. We all called our moms (the people we'd most want to share the moment with) from the top--super cute.
Our little group of tardy girls then headed to a cafe'/ristorante where I enjoyed a cheese and mushroom crepe'. SO yummy! It was a cute cafe'! The servers are always SO nice and they all speak English (I don't know what I was worried about...). We went to Notre Dame so we could explore the inside--it was so gorgeous/eerie at the same time. And I, again, was reminded of the movie! :) Mass was taking place, too, so that was neat. A very comercialized Cathedral, though, which almost makes it seem sacrilegious. After that we killed some time with some tourist shopping and then met in the square by the fountains for dinner where we would break off into our teacher groups. We feared the wrath of Luci and Koester (us 5 girls had yet seen them), but they had cooled off by 7pm and were very understanding. :) Cool beans.
Dinner was extraordinary. I enjoyed two Sprites (gotta have the European soda!), a blue cheese salad (fresh blue cheese, still hot; really good!), and chocolate banana crepes' with whipped cream ("chantilly" is what it's called here). A REALLY delectable meal. And the French waiters were going crazy over the American girls in there restaurant... too funny!
Lastly us girls (including Koester, Luci and Nicole) took the metro back to the Hostel, but this time there was entertainment. A little, stout French man played his French horn and sang to the metro-riders. We clapped along; it totally lightened the tension of the car. Then us girls started singing Taylor Swift and other songs and a few people on the Subway sang along--it was fun!
Oh, I also accompanied Luci to the other Hostel so she could Skype her family. It was adorable; her daughter even started crying. Aww. :)
Well, I'm in the hall and some Canadian just came and shook my hand and asked me what I was doing tonight and where I was from... he had to have been drunk. :P
I'm ready for bed... like now. Gotta be up at six tomorrow and it's like 1:30 now. Don't want another incident like this morning... :P
Peace.
Friday, June 18, 2010
On a train... again.
I totally wasn't able to post yesterday evening... sorry. No WI-FI on an overnight train to Paris! Yes, that's right, I'm in Paris, France now and boy do I love it here! So to start...
Two days ago we went to the Uffizi (or something) art gallery in Florence (the first or second largest art gallery in the world)... and what did I learn? That I am not interested in art. Created art is pleasurable and serene, however, art analysis and observation is not my cup of tea. Like Mr. Maben said as we walked through the long and tedious museum, "This is just one more thing I can check off my list of THINGS I'VE SEEN". :) Cool beans.
So, so... after the museum a group of us followed Maben (oh, by the way, he was my senior project adviser) to lunch where he kindly attempted to buy me lunch since I didn't order anything (apparently he didn't understand that the reason I only ordered a Sprite and no dish was because at that point I was sick of Italian food), but because I am Curt and Lori's daughter, I was able to sneak my payment for the dish I didn't order into the bill. Success is sweet!
I have three sidenotes I would like to share before I continue:
#1--I have never been a big soda drinker, but here in Europe I find myself ordering soda most often; I think it tastes different here. I like it. Oh and your only choices are CocaCola, Coke light, or Sprite... and sometimes Fanta, so Pepsi drinkers are pretty uncomfortable and out of place... :)
#2--I am SO sick of Italian food... just the thought makes me nauseated. Why is this not a good thing? It was formerly my FAVORITE type of food... might take a while to be #1 once more.
#3--I like to notice and compare the cars driven between the three different cities we've been so far. Rome: Hatchbacks, Smart Cars, Vespas, taxi's, and Tour buses only. Florence: like Rome with some vans and SUVs, less tour buses. Paris: Every kind of car, but trucks. Interesting, huh?
Okay, so to continue on... after lunch with Maben the group split and half went to see David (which I saw the day before) and the others went to "The Dead People's Museum"... that's not the formal name, just what we've referred it as. I chose not to waste 5 Euros to see tombs, and apparently I made a good choice because the others who went were not impressed/entertained so it wasn't worth it. One point for Lynda! Instead I took a stroll alone through the markets and streets and back to the hostel for a few hours (Mom, don't freak. I just needed some alone time and Florence was a much safer place than Rome or Paris or even Sacramento... more family-oriented). It was lovely. I later bought some stamps from a Tabacco store (Tabacci)... that's where they sell stamps in Europe... Post offices are hard to locate--I also payed a visit to the grocery store where I purchase Nutella (YUM!), apricot jam, and sliced bread to make myself sandwiches... others were impressed by my idea (I actually was inspired by Heidi when I read her blog last month she had said she made PB & J for lunch sometimes to save money... Good plan!) We waited at the Hostel for an hour and then headed to the train station 3 hours earlier than our departure time. We just chilled as a group right in the middle of the station. It was less boring with good company. :) I have loved hanging out with the girls and also with Luci and Koester (teachers have always been fun to me, though...)
We boarded the train and got situated in our "rooms" set up with two three-bed bunks (very little room for breathing :P). We had fun, though. We invited a few of the boys (Nick & KJ) into our little space where we played cards on Brittney's tummy (she made a hammock out of the seat straps in the middle of the room), played Assassin, and solved Emily's complicated riddles. Fun times. A good night sleep on the train I had even though I was in the smallest bottom bunk. I seriously slept like a clam. There was probably even a pearl in my belly button when I woke up this morning.
We brushed our teeth and changed clothes this morning on the train... bathrooms equivalent to porta-potties. :S Straight from the trainstation we went from metro to Bike tour of Paris... HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP, so far. I loved riding a bike around Paris... Our tour guide was from Boulder, Colorado... super chill dude. Hadn't shaved in like a week, scruffy surfer (well, probably snow boarder) type. Seth. :) His historical knowledge was quite impressive. Metting him on the streets, you wouldn't ever guess "History buff". I learned a lot about Louis V and Napoleon. There were both quite the egotists.
I'm looking forward to going back to all the museums and landmarks we were able to quickly navigate to this morning. Seth also took us to a Cafe' for lunch... my biggest worry for Paris was the waitstaff (heard that the French are impatient with Anglo-Saxons), but it turns out they mostly speak English and are very understanding if you are polite. I got crepes... they were "eh". Probably enjoy better ones tomorrow.
After the bike tour we headed to our new Hostels by metro then foot (hauling our luggage the whole way). Firstly, today was the England vs. Algeria day for World Cup, and apparently the French are BIG Algerian fans. All day since we arrived, there has been cheering and chanting and horns for the game... even now that it's over (0-0) there are still horns and chanting... it's 1 O'clock in the morning! They LOVE World Cup in Europe!
So our group is split between to Hostels this time. The first Hostel took us 1 hour to find... the second took another 45 minutes. SO lame! But when we got here we were SO glad to shower. Took the metro to meet the whole group at Notre Dame (but most everyone was 20+ minutes late). It was so fun seeing the Notre Dame because all I could relate it to was The Hunchback of Notre Dame; the movie was totally playing in my head as a gazed at the gargoyles and statues. :))) I LOVE that movie. :) I picked the restaurant for the Koester-Luci group for dinner. I enjoyed some delectable French Onion soup... in France... and French bread... in France... and French Fries... in France. How cool is that? WAY cool. And yes, I'm aware that French Fries did not originate in France, but it's still neat. :)
Eiffel Tower after dinner, but since we were a little late, we just got to take pics and buy tickets to go up to the tops for tomorrow. Did I mention that it doesn't get dark here until 10:30/11 pm? Crazy, huh? The sun is so funny with it's astronomical positioning. :P
Well, people are lining up to use my laptop... free WI-FI, you know... :)
Having a blast, but really am starting to miss home. Paris actually feels a LOT like California... pretty neat. I keep forgetting to speak French for this reason.
Lots of love!
Two days ago we went to the Uffizi (or something) art gallery in Florence (the first or second largest art gallery in the world)... and what did I learn? That I am not interested in art. Created art is pleasurable and serene, however, art analysis and observation is not my cup of tea. Like Mr. Maben said as we walked through the long and tedious museum, "This is just one more thing I can check off my list of THINGS I'VE SEEN". :) Cool beans.
So, so... after the museum a group of us followed Maben (oh, by the way, he was my senior project adviser) to lunch where he kindly attempted to buy me lunch since I didn't order anything (apparently he didn't understand that the reason I only ordered a Sprite and no dish was because at that point I was sick of Italian food), but because I am Curt and Lori's daughter, I was able to sneak my payment for the dish I didn't order into the bill. Success is sweet!
I have three sidenotes I would like to share before I continue:
#1--I have never been a big soda drinker, but here in Europe I find myself ordering soda most often; I think it tastes different here. I like it. Oh and your only choices are CocaCola, Coke light, or Sprite... and sometimes Fanta, so Pepsi drinkers are pretty uncomfortable and out of place... :)
#2--I am SO sick of Italian food... just the thought makes me nauseated. Why is this not a good thing? It was formerly my FAVORITE type of food... might take a while to be #1 once more.
#3--I like to notice and compare the cars driven between the three different cities we've been so far. Rome: Hatchbacks, Smart Cars, Vespas, taxi's, and Tour buses only. Florence: like Rome with some vans and SUVs, less tour buses. Paris: Every kind of car, but trucks. Interesting, huh?
Okay, so to continue on... after lunch with Maben the group split and half went to see David (which I saw the day before) and the others went to "The Dead People's Museum"... that's not the formal name, just what we've referred it as. I chose not to waste 5 Euros to see tombs, and apparently I made a good choice because the others who went were not impressed/entertained so it wasn't worth it. One point for Lynda! Instead I took a stroll alone through the markets and streets and back to the hostel for a few hours (Mom, don't freak. I just needed some alone time and Florence was a much safer place than Rome or Paris or even Sacramento... more family-oriented). It was lovely. I later bought some stamps from a Tabacco store (Tabacci)... that's where they sell stamps in Europe... Post offices are hard to locate--I also payed a visit to the grocery store where I purchase Nutella (YUM!), apricot jam, and sliced bread to make myself sandwiches... others were impressed by my idea (I actually was inspired by Heidi when I read her blog last month she had said she made PB & J for lunch sometimes to save money... Good plan!) We waited at the Hostel for an hour and then headed to the train station 3 hours earlier than our departure time. We just chilled as a group right in the middle of the station. It was less boring with good company. :) I have loved hanging out with the girls and also with Luci and Koester (teachers have always been fun to me, though...)
We boarded the train and got situated in our "rooms" set up with two three-bed bunks (very little room for breathing :P). We had fun, though. We invited a few of the boys (Nick & KJ) into our little space where we played cards on Brittney's tummy (she made a hammock out of the seat straps in the middle of the room), played Assassin, and solved Emily's complicated riddles. Fun times. A good night sleep on the train I had even though I was in the smallest bottom bunk. I seriously slept like a clam. There was probably even a pearl in my belly button when I woke up this morning.
We brushed our teeth and changed clothes this morning on the train... bathrooms equivalent to porta-potties. :S Straight from the trainstation we went from metro to Bike tour of Paris... HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP, so far. I loved riding a bike around Paris... Our tour guide was from Boulder, Colorado... super chill dude. Hadn't shaved in like a week, scruffy surfer (well, probably snow boarder) type. Seth. :) His historical knowledge was quite impressive. Metting him on the streets, you wouldn't ever guess "History buff". I learned a lot about Louis V and Napoleon. There were both quite the egotists.
I'm looking forward to going back to all the museums and landmarks we were able to quickly navigate to this morning. Seth also took us to a Cafe' for lunch... my biggest worry for Paris was the waitstaff (heard that the French are impatient with Anglo-Saxons), but it turns out they mostly speak English and are very understanding if you are polite. I got crepes... they were "eh". Probably enjoy better ones tomorrow.
After the bike tour we headed to our new Hostels by metro then foot (hauling our luggage the whole way). Firstly, today was the England vs. Algeria day for World Cup, and apparently the French are BIG Algerian fans. All day since we arrived, there has been cheering and chanting and horns for the game... even now that it's over (0-0) there are still horns and chanting... it's 1 O'clock in the morning! They LOVE World Cup in Europe!
So our group is split between to Hostels this time. The first Hostel took us 1 hour to find... the second took another 45 minutes. SO lame! But when we got here we were SO glad to shower. Took the metro to meet the whole group at Notre Dame (but most everyone was 20+ minutes late). It was so fun seeing the Notre Dame because all I could relate it to was The Hunchback of Notre Dame; the movie was totally playing in my head as a gazed at the gargoyles and statues. :))) I LOVE that movie. :) I picked the restaurant for the Koester-Luci group for dinner. I enjoyed some delectable French Onion soup... in France... and French bread... in France... and French Fries... in France. How cool is that? WAY cool. And yes, I'm aware that French Fries did not originate in France, but it's still neat. :)
Eiffel Tower after dinner, but since we were a little late, we just got to take pics and buy tickets to go up to the tops for tomorrow. Did I mention that it doesn't get dark here until 10:30/11 pm? Crazy, huh? The sun is so funny with it's astronomical positioning. :P
Well, people are lining up to use my laptop... free WI-FI, you know... :)
Having a blast, but really am starting to miss home. Paris actually feels a LOT like California... pretty neat. I keep forgetting to speak French for this reason.
Lots of love!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Florence, Firenze, Florenci, Florenz
Seriously, Florence has at least four names as to which it is referred. It was a bit confusing at first, but now I just assume that any "F" name that sounds Italian must be in this wonderful city of which I am sitting on the patio outside. Today was pretty fantastic: I hung out with girls I wouldn't have normally and they kept me amused and interested in Florence (which was definitely important considering how exhausted I was throughout the day)--a fun bunch.
Let's begin!
So the train ride was just what I needed. I have had too much of the city these past few days, so a little country gazing definitely cured my slight case of home sickness. I got to listen to Jack Johnson and read some of Wuthering Heights. Good times. The country side of Italy reminds me so much of Napa Valley with a Tuscan twist. I love it. Lot's of grape groves (brain-toot... I don't think their called groves); I'd like to live here if it was in the country part. It was alternating between a drizzle and a rain when we arrived to the Firenze station (out came the cheap umbrellas we had all bought in Rome from the street marketers). We walked at least a mile with all our luggage in the rain/drizzle but it was worth it to arrive to a very nice hostel... WAY nicer than the ghetto one in Rome (no more chance of collapsing on Kylie in this bunk!) ;)
Since we couldn't check in yet, we explored Florencia a little bit (are you confused yet by my name alterations?) first visiting these two Cathedrals that were decorated ornately with an array of intricate marble patterns--on the outside! We haven't even seen the inside yet, but I'm sure it will be impressive as well. Luci, Koester, Lacy, Caitlyn, Ashley, Kylie and I then explored the Markets (both outdoor apparel and accessories and indoor food auctions) which was pretty neat... Denios minus the BO. ;)
We walked to the Academia museum (I think that's what it was called) where the statue of David is by Michelangelo (which the girls in my group stared at for 25 minutes in silence) :). In line we saw KELLY RIPA and her fam... the other girls took a pic with her and later found her inside; our group kinda stalked her and her family for an hour (more like just going in the same direction with a common destination and just looking at them while we walked). Her daughter kept looking back and staring at Julia and waving; it was cute. :)
We walked some more went over a bridge (totally Italy with the arches and such) and found a Piazza to play with pigeons and take a nap. For dinner we went to this restaurant (ristorante) where ordered a Bianca Pizza (Four cheese)... it was VERY cheesy... kinda gross (especially cause it tasted and looked microwaved... which suggestively is pretty common here to speed up service).
We walked back to the Hostel and TOTAL success on getting internet for my laptop. Yea for American keyboards! But I totally fell asleep in the middle of my blog (luckily it saved)... off to a museum today! Get back to you soon!
Let's begin!
So the train ride was just what I needed. I have had too much of the city these past few days, so a little country gazing definitely cured my slight case of home sickness. I got to listen to Jack Johnson and read some of Wuthering Heights. Good times. The country side of Italy reminds me so much of Napa Valley with a Tuscan twist. I love it. Lot's of grape groves (brain-toot... I don't think their called groves); I'd like to live here if it was in the country part. It was alternating between a drizzle and a rain when we arrived to the Firenze station (out came the cheap umbrellas we had all bought in Rome from the street marketers). We walked at least a mile with all our luggage in the rain/drizzle but it was worth it to arrive to a very nice hostel... WAY nicer than the ghetto one in Rome (no more chance of collapsing on Kylie in this bunk!) ;)
Since we couldn't check in yet, we explored Florencia a little bit (are you confused yet by my name alterations?) first visiting these two Cathedrals that were decorated ornately with an array of intricate marble patterns--on the outside! We haven't even seen the inside yet, but I'm sure it will be impressive as well. Luci, Koester, Lacy, Caitlyn, Ashley, Kylie and I then explored the Markets (both outdoor apparel and accessories and indoor food auctions) which was pretty neat... Denios minus the BO. ;)
We walked to the Academia museum (I think that's what it was called) where the statue of David is by Michelangelo (which the girls in my group stared at for 25 minutes in silence) :). In line we saw KELLY RIPA and her fam... the other girls took a pic with her and later found her inside; our group kinda stalked her and her family for an hour (more like just going in the same direction with a common destination and just looking at them while we walked). Her daughter kept looking back and staring at Julia and waving; it was cute. :)
We walked some more went over a bridge (totally Italy with the arches and such) and found a Piazza to play with pigeons and take a nap. For dinner we went to this restaurant (ristorante) where ordered a Bianca Pizza (Four cheese)... it was VERY cheesy... kinda gross (especially cause it tasted and looked microwaved... which suggestively is pretty common here to speed up service).
We walked back to the Hostel and TOTAL success on getting internet for my laptop. Yea for American keyboards! But I totally fell asleep in the middle of my blog (luckily it saved)... off to a museum today! Get back to you soon!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
On a train to Florence
It's a beautiful Wednesday. I finally am able to type on an American keyboard once again; something I apparently have taken for granted. Anywho I'm currently riding the train Florence (Florentia). It's so pretty riding through Italy like this... probably my favorite part of the trip so far; I've missed the country. Ooh, perfect song just started playing: "Belle" by Jack Johnson--that total serene, romantic Italian-esque. :)
Last night was so wonderful. We had girl bonding in our dorm until 3 o'clock in the morn. and we got up at six. :) But it was so nice to just be silly girls together--sometimes you just need that time. And it really brought the girls that did participate in the social hours closer which was needed for this trip. We reminisced of our middle school years (most of us had attended the Loomis schools). Ooh another perfect Jack Johnson song: "Breakdown"... "I hope this old train breaks down then i could take a walk around and see what there is to see time is just a melody..." :D Good moments, good moments.
It's really cool analyzing everyone else's perceptions of this cultural shock and comparing it to my own; it's reassuring to find common ground with my peers. :)
Welp. I shall continue later on. There just might be two blogs for today. ;) Lucky you.
Last night was so wonderful. We had girl bonding in our dorm until 3 o'clock in the morn. and we got up at six. :) But it was so nice to just be silly girls together--sometimes you just need that time. And it really brought the girls that did participate in the social hours closer which was needed for this trip. We reminisced of our middle school years (most of us had attended the Loomis schools). Ooh another perfect Jack Johnson song: "Breakdown"... "I hope this old train breaks down then i could take a walk around and see what there is to see time is just a melody..." :D Good moments, good moments.
It's really cool analyzing everyone else's perceptions of this cultural shock and comparing it to my own; it's reassuring to find common ground with my peers. :)
Welp. I shall continue later on. There just might be two blogs for today. ;) Lucky you.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
When in Rome...
Don't "do as the Romans do" or you may develop lung cancer at the age of 14 or may never acquire hi tips as a waiter. It seems like EVERYONE in Rome smokes... I may even seen a baby with a stogie... It could just be a city thing, however, I do not recall ever having seen so many people smoking in San Fran, Sacramento, or New York. And the wait staff in two out of the three resteraunts/cafe's I have been to have not been so accomidating or understanding. Maybe i will have better luck in Florence (heading there tomorrow).
I explored the Vatican yesterday. Pretty fantastic architecture and paintings all over the wall--however, it seems like the Roman Catholics excessively adore the Pope. I saw more of the Pope than I did of Jesus. Semi-disappointing, but whatev.
St. Peter's Cathedral was AWESOME! You walk in the great doors and can't help but whisper "Whoa". It's THE biggest church I've ever been in... including Bayside and Adventure. :P Again, though, lots of Pope worship.
After the Vatican yesterday, we explored Italy be ourselves. Oh, I'm typically with Maddie, Brittney, Natalee, Emily, Nick, Dustin, and KJ. We went to the Trevi fountain, were kicked out of the Pantheon (a former Pagon church) for laughing a little too loud, we asked a hot Italian working in a fancy hotel if we could access the roof garden (he said yes, and it was a BEUTIFUL view), we went to lunch at a cafe' that was decent (I ordered the Caprese salad [tomato, mozerella, and basil] and concluded that Suzanne makes it WAY better. Then we went to dinner as a big group where I legally had three glasses of Red wine (got a bit tipsy, but my group and Miss Koester and Mrs. Luci made sure I was okay). Our whole group of 47 then walked a few miles to a park where over a thousand people were watching the World Cup on a big screen. I'll tell you what, Italians LOVE there football (soccer). I've never seen people get so excited about a sport! Pa, you would have fun here for that aspect--the love of soccer. I went home early with Koester and Luci cause I was tired and I crashed in my bunk bead right away. Oh I'm on the top bunk and I swear it's gonna collapse on poor Kylie underneath me... just one more night.
I've shared one room with 7 other girls... and one bathroom. Let me tell ya, it's a little difficult, but we are getting by. Again, one more night. :)
TODAY! Today we started out exploring the palace and ruins by the Colleseum. Up until today it's been humid and 80 degrees everyday; today it was rainy and 75 degrees, so a little better. :) At first I didn't want a tour guide for the ruins, but it was totally worth it. This guy had a miz between an Italian and Australian accent and over-pronounced every word like it was epic. The history behind the structures and ruins we were looking at was pretty vital for the effect I desired going into this area in Rome. Really intriguing fact that I learned: the marble on the floors of the ballroom of the public part of the palace is a rare Egyptian (I think) marble that today sells for 80,000 per kilogram. The Vatican contains this marble and many more bacause the Vatican is made up of much of the marble of the ruins of the palace... kinda lame. They should've left it there. So yeah, now a majority of the Palace is stripped to just the bricks. Bummer; but I was able to use my imagination. :) It would've been pretty.
The Colleseum, to me, wasn't as neat as the palace and such (maybe just cause I had seen and heard about it before). It was still large and fun to hear the stories of what occured there (20 elephants v. 100 lions and such), however, I started dozing off during that tour guide... not nearly as enthusiastic as the AustrItalian dude. RIGHT after the tour, I headed straight back to the hostel by myself (made it on the metro okay) and took a four hour nap. I was exhausted. A nice nap. ;) We've been getting up at 7 and going to sleep at 12 on top of jet lag--no good. I caught up, though. When I woke up I went with part of the group to head to dinner by bus.. our group of 15 was 7 minutes late, but we still ate and it was good! I had Cantollini* with spinch and feta? I don't recall, but it was delish. I had gelato yesterday, too. Way tastier than the gelato in the mall. :d After dinner we went back to the Trevi fountains for a night look and we went back to the market area! Totally forgot to mention that about yesterday. We went to this rectangular market area wear people were sleling there art and there was a big fountain right in the middle... This black french guy came up to Britt and Em first and I guess kissed their faces and made them bracelets, well then the girls took the rest of us over and he made us bracelets and flirted with us, too. He kindly noticed and respected my guard and didn't kiss me, which I appreciated. ;)
Anyway, that's about all so far. Off to Florence at 7:30 and again going to bed at 12ish right now. lol I'm having a lot of fun and really feel like I know my way around Rome now, I've only seen like 1/10. :) The metro system is easy to use once you get the hang of it. Cool beans.
Oh wait, one more thing! I threw in 10 Euro cents and made a wish at the Trevi fountain--Mom, I bet you have a good idea of what I wished for. ;) Mom, you'll love it here when I take you one day.
I explored the Vatican yesterday. Pretty fantastic architecture and paintings all over the wall--however, it seems like the Roman Catholics excessively adore the Pope. I saw more of the Pope than I did of Jesus. Semi-disappointing, but whatev.
St. Peter's Cathedral was AWESOME! You walk in the great doors and can't help but whisper "Whoa". It's THE biggest church I've ever been in... including Bayside and Adventure. :P Again, though, lots of Pope worship.
After the Vatican yesterday, we explored Italy be ourselves. Oh, I'm typically with Maddie, Brittney, Natalee, Emily, Nick, Dustin, and KJ. We went to the Trevi fountain, were kicked out of the Pantheon (a former Pagon church) for laughing a little too loud, we asked a hot Italian working in a fancy hotel if we could access the roof garden (he said yes, and it was a BEUTIFUL view), we went to lunch at a cafe' that was decent (I ordered the Caprese salad [tomato, mozerella, and basil] and concluded that Suzanne makes it WAY better. Then we went to dinner as a big group where I legally had three glasses of Red wine (got a bit tipsy, but my group and Miss Koester and Mrs. Luci made sure I was okay). Our whole group of 47 then walked a few miles to a park where over a thousand people were watching the World Cup on a big screen. I'll tell you what, Italians LOVE there football (soccer). I've never seen people get so excited about a sport! Pa, you would have fun here for that aspect--the love of soccer. I went home early with Koester and Luci cause I was tired and I crashed in my bunk bead right away. Oh I'm on the top bunk and I swear it's gonna collapse on poor Kylie underneath me... just one more night.
I've shared one room with 7 other girls... and one bathroom. Let me tell ya, it's a little difficult, but we are getting by. Again, one more night. :)
TODAY! Today we started out exploring the palace and ruins by the Colleseum. Up until today it's been humid and 80 degrees everyday; today it was rainy and 75 degrees, so a little better. :) At first I didn't want a tour guide for the ruins, but it was totally worth it. This guy had a miz between an Italian and Australian accent and over-pronounced every word like it was epic. The history behind the structures and ruins we were looking at was pretty vital for the effect I desired going into this area in Rome. Really intriguing fact that I learned: the marble on the floors of the ballroom of the public part of the palace is a rare Egyptian (I think) marble that today sells for 80,000 per kilogram. The Vatican contains this marble and many more bacause the Vatican is made up of much of the marble of the ruins of the palace... kinda lame. They should've left it there. So yeah, now a majority of the Palace is stripped to just the bricks. Bummer; but I was able to use my imagination. :) It would've been pretty.
The Colleseum, to me, wasn't as neat as the palace and such (maybe just cause I had seen and heard about it before). It was still large and fun to hear the stories of what occured there (20 elephants v. 100 lions and such), however, I started dozing off during that tour guide... not nearly as enthusiastic as the AustrItalian dude. RIGHT after the tour, I headed straight back to the hostel by myself (made it on the metro okay) and took a four hour nap. I was exhausted. A nice nap. ;) We've been getting up at 7 and going to sleep at 12 on top of jet lag--no good. I caught up, though. When I woke up I went with part of the group to head to dinner by bus.. our group of 15 was 7 minutes late, but we still ate and it was good! I had Cantollini* with spinch and feta? I don't recall, but it was delish. I had gelato yesterday, too. Way tastier than the gelato in the mall. :d After dinner we went back to the Trevi fountains for a night look and we went back to the market area! Totally forgot to mention that about yesterday. We went to this rectangular market area wear people were sleling there art and there was a big fountain right in the middle... This black french guy came up to Britt and Em first and I guess kissed their faces and made them bracelets, well then the girls took the rest of us over and he made us bracelets and flirted with us, too. He kindly noticed and respected my guard and didn't kiss me, which I appreciated. ;)
Anyway, that's about all so far. Off to Florence at 7:30 and again going to bed at 12ish right now. lol I'm having a lot of fun and really feel like I know my way around Rome now, I've only seen like 1/10. :) The metro system is easy to use once you get the hang of it. Cool beans.
Oh wait, one more thing! I threw in 10 Euro cents and made a wish at the Trevi fountain--Mom, I bet you have a good idea of what I wished for. ;) Mom, you'll love it here when I take you one day.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
1st two days!
Ok, so I cannot get internet on my laptop yet and a cannot figure out how to upload pictures from my camera (oh yeah, Mom, I bought a camera!); since I am using the Hostel's computer this is a European keyboard--the lay-out is a little different from ours'. :)
So the first plane ride was SO long--thirteen hours! Impossible to sleep (peers were playing slap jack for 2/3 of the time...)--LAME! But the plane was awesome because the flight attendants and the pilot had Brittish accents since we were flying Virgin Atlantic; it was pleasant to get a taste of Europe before we arrived. The accents make them sound so polite--even when they cuss! There are a group of Brittish teens sitting behind me in the Hostel common area as I type this--they make curse words sound so cute. :P
Anyway, the only part of England I got to see so far was the airport in Heathrow. Two distinctions I noticed about English folk are that they have large noses and the middle-aged men all have pot bellies. Maybe I was just looking for something to set them apart from us, I don't know. ;)
I rode the amtrack and the metro today... cool stuff. Rome, to me, is New York with some random ancient architecture. I saw the Collesium at night tonight--that was pretty. I will try to post pictures tomorrow. People are lining up behind me to use this computer, so I better go. Hopefully my laptop with get hooked up to a network tomorrow so I can write more.
I love you, Mom, thanks for helping me get here--it's pretty amazing so far from what little I've seen!
So the first plane ride was SO long--thirteen hours! Impossible to sleep (peers were playing slap jack for 2/3 of the time...)--LAME! But the plane was awesome because the flight attendants and the pilot had Brittish accents since we were flying Virgin Atlantic; it was pleasant to get a taste of Europe before we arrived. The accents make them sound so polite--even when they cuss! There are a group of Brittish teens sitting behind me in the Hostel common area as I type this--they make curse words sound so cute. :P
Anyway, the only part of England I got to see so far was the airport in Heathrow. Two distinctions I noticed about English folk are that they have large noses and the middle-aged men all have pot bellies. Maybe I was just looking for something to set them apart from us, I don't know. ;)
I rode the amtrack and the metro today... cool stuff. Rome, to me, is New York with some random ancient architecture. I saw the Collesium at night tonight--that was pretty. I will try to post pictures tomorrow. People are lining up behind me to use this computer, so I better go. Hopefully my laptop with get hooked up to a network tomorrow so I can write more.
I love you, Mom, thanks for helping me get here--it's pretty amazing so far from what little I've seen!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Only 25.5 hours!
I'll board the plane for Europe in just 25.5 hours! I am SO excited, I can barely breath! I haven't packed yet because I'm too nervous and anxious--I don't want to over pack, but I don't want to forget anything--the unaccustomed weather patterns are driving me nuts... what to bring, what to bring?
Most looking forward to Versailles, I think. I've seen numerous pictures and heard so much about it--I foresee it being awesome. Really looking forward to getting closer to some of my acquaintances that will accompany me, too. I wish Jessica was traveling with me, I suppose it's just not the right time. :/
I'm so thankful God is allowing for this trip to happen! And Mom! She put in so much time and money to get everything worked out for graduation and for this trip!
Most looking forward to Versailles, I think. I've seen numerous pictures and heard so much about it--I foresee it being awesome. Really looking forward to getting closer to some of my acquaintances that will accompany me, too. I wish Jessica was traveling with me, I suppose it's just not the right time. :/
I'm so thankful God is allowing for this trip to happen! And Mom! She put in so much time and money to get everything worked out for graduation and for this trip!
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