Croatia was incredible.
I didn’t even know what to expect and was sooo pleasantly surprised. We took a train to Zagreb, the capital, and then on down to Split. It is a common practice at the train and bus stations for little old women and men to be standing there with signs saying “Accomodation” or “Rooms for Rent,” and it’s a lot less sketchy than it sounds! We ended up staying with a Croatian woman in Split. There were also 3 guys from USC in a room. We hung out on the lady’s terrace and then went to a bar in the old city. Very beautiful, narrow, and old cobblestone streets.
The next morning we toured the old city then caught a bus down to Dubrovnik to meet our friend Eren!!
The busride was crazy. About halfway, there was a loud crunching noise and the bus skidded to a stop. From the bus window Jayda and I saw there had been a terrible accident. A couple had been riding a moto and turned the corner too quick on a slippery road (it had just rained) and had slid on their side into our lane. The bus driver tried to avoid them by almost running us off the mountain. Thank goodness there was a guardrail that barely stopped us. The bus and moto were completely wrecked and gasoline was spilling all over the street. We got off the bus and watched from the side the ambulance come and take the lady (seemed her legs was barely attached and completely raw). The man driving was dead though—his helmet was smashed and his brains were sprayed across it. I have never in my life been that close to something like that. Jayda and I held hands and talked about how precious and fragile life is. Amazing how quickly everything can change.
Our bus passed through Bosnia, so I got to watch the sunrise there. Absolutely beautiful. I had no idea!! We bought beer and fried peanuts in Bosnia just to contribute to their economy and say we had.
In Dubrovnik we stayed with another family in their extra room. It is an ancient city surrounded by walls that we walked on and took pictures. The walls go right up to the sea and it is a beautiful view. That night we had a traditional Croatian dinner at a seafood restaurant inside the old city walls.
Tuesday the ninth, we caught the early bus back to Split and then took a ferry out to the island of Hvar. The weather was gorgeous so we spent the rest of the day on the beach. I can't believe how beautiful the water is and how far down I could see!! Bright blue and clear. That night we tried Croatia's famous octopus salad! It was actually pretty good! We then danced to techno music at the beach club, Carpe Diem. For the night we rented out a bedroom over an old man's apartment. We even had our own little terrace. Eren left us the next morning to go back to Madrid, but I was so happy we got to spend a little time with him:)
Jayda and I rented a kayak the next day and took it out in the Adriatic with the big cruise ships. Such a pretty day. That evening, we hiked up to a castle that overlooks the cityy and watched the sunset from there. The harbor was so pretty to see lit up at night and from our little room's window that night we could see the castle lit up.
The next morning it started raining while we were still asleep and the cute little man we were renting from ran out and took down our laundry we had hung up to dry so it didn't get wet. How cute! He didn't speak any English but was sooo sweet to us. We left Croatia that day and headed back through Slovenia. Ljubljana, the capital is this quaint town that still has Baroque architecture with a metropolitan feel to it. We had some sort of stuffed meat with meat and walked through the open air market. We walked across the Dragon Bridge (has green dragon statues on it), past the Robba and Hercules fountains, and into the Franciscan Church (this beautiful pink and white Baroque style church in the center of the city.) We had a great day, but then had to go our separate ways from there as Jayda went back to Geneva and I headed to Paris. I got a little choked up honestly. It has been so much fun and we had so many great times together this past month.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Buda and the Pest
Kristen went to her internship in London and Callie, Jayda and I took the train from Vienna to Budapest and got in on Monday evening. That night we had our first of many eastern European signature meals. Chicken stuffed with bacon and apples. They LOVE to stuff their meat with meat. The next morning we met friends from Wisconsin in our hostel and had a sightseeing day. We went to St. Stephen’s Basilica, climbed to the top and had a beautiful view of the city. I didn’t know this until we got there but the Danube River divides it into the cities of Buda and Pest. The girls and I continued onto the House of Terror Museum at 60 Andrassy St. It is the old headquarters for both the Nazi and Soviet regimes when they controlled Budapest and is now a museum detailing those periods. It was so interesting to see how seamlessly the two regimes switched power and how Hungarians had been living in fear for a good part of the century. Then we walked down to Heroes Square—a huge plaza with grand statues of important figures in Hungarian history. We took a stroll through their gorgeous City Park and through the Castle before heading back to our hostel.
That night we went out with the Wisconsin guys and some other Quebecois friends we made (I loved talking to them in French!) This bar was really cool too. So unassuming from the outside but inside was a huge patio with graffitied walls and large picnic tables.
Wednesday we checked out the Turkish Baths at Gellert Hotel. Soo beautiful—tiled walls and huge hot tubs and pools heated by the earth. I went into the steam bath. Oh my gosh the hottest thing of my life. You walk in and cannot even see because of the thick steam. You instantly start sweating and can’t breathe. I lasted about 5-7 minutes before I rushed out and dipped in the freezing pool outside. It was awesome. Outside was a hot tub and a wave pool that went off every hour. Nice day—the kids from the hostel met us there too.
That night was the best night ever. We went to the Gödör Klub near our hostel. Everyone sits out on the grass and drinks beer while listening to live music. There’s a fountain and underneath it is the actual dance club with a glass ceiling. That night a traditional Hungarian gypsy band played under the fountain and we danced the night away to songs we didn’t understand but apparently everyone knew the words. Our friend Kyle went up on stage and danced for a free cd…
We had our traditional Hungarian dinner on Thursday—goulash (beef stew) and some sort of meat stuffed meat (I think pork stuffed chicken or vice versa). I really loved the goulash and am getting used to all the meat. They also have good beer.
On Friday the girls and I toured the parliament building. So beautiful! You have to get tickets in advance and have a tour guide. It is huge—there wasn’t a budget when it was built. Our tour guide had a very dry sense of humor that really made the tour enjoyable. We picnicked and napped on Marguerite Island on the Danube that afternoon. That was cool-there were a ton of kids playing and people running.
That evening we did a wine tour. We paid 4400 HUF (like 20 euros?) and they handed us each a wine glass and directed us down to the cellar. There were over 50 wines to taste and they told us to just let them know if one was empty and they’d open a new one. KIDS IN A CANDYSTORE. Unfortunately, Callie left from Budapest and Jayda and I continued on to Croatia.
That night we went out with the Wisconsin guys and some other Quebecois friends we made (I loved talking to them in French!) This bar was really cool too. So unassuming from the outside but inside was a huge patio with graffitied walls and large picnic tables.
Wednesday we checked out the Turkish Baths at Gellert Hotel. Soo beautiful—tiled walls and huge hot tubs and pools heated by the earth. I went into the steam bath. Oh my gosh the hottest thing of my life. You walk in and cannot even see because of the thick steam. You instantly start sweating and can’t breathe. I lasted about 5-7 minutes before I rushed out and dipped in the freezing pool outside. It was awesome. Outside was a hot tub and a wave pool that went off every hour. Nice day—the kids from the hostel met us there too.
That night was the best night ever. We went to the Gödör Klub near our hostel. Everyone sits out on the grass and drinks beer while listening to live music. There’s a fountain and underneath it is the actual dance club with a glass ceiling. That night a traditional Hungarian gypsy band played under the fountain and we danced the night away to songs we didn’t understand but apparently everyone knew the words. Our friend Kyle went up on stage and danced for a free cd…
We had our traditional Hungarian dinner on Thursday—goulash (beef stew) and some sort of meat stuffed meat (I think pork stuffed chicken or vice versa). I really loved the goulash and am getting used to all the meat. They also have good beer.
On Friday the girls and I toured the parliament building. So beautiful! You have to get tickets in advance and have a tour guide. It is huge—there wasn’t a budget when it was built. Our tour guide had a very dry sense of humor that really made the tour enjoyable. We picnicked and napped on Marguerite Island on the Danube that afternoon. That was cool-there were a ton of kids playing and people running.
That evening we did a wine tour. We paid 4400 HUF (like 20 euros?) and they handed us each a wine glass and directed us down to the cellar. There were over 50 wines to taste and they told us to just let them know if one was empty and they’d open a new one. KIDS IN A CANDYSTORE. Unfortunately, Callie left from Budapest and Jayda and I continued on to Croatia.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Austria
So, in 2005 when I came to Vienna it rained and was cold and besides the opera, I was not impressed. This time, however, I had a blast. We stayed with my friend Amy in her apartment and I completely changed my opinion on the city. Amy toured us around the city through the Museum quarter and took us to a cool park with squishy purple lounge chairs and a fountain the first day. That night we had chicken schnitzel (fried chicken) and beers at the Bamraxler beer garden. I really like the atmosphere at beer gardens--tables outside with a playground and live music that is a really great place for families.
Saturday we rented bikes and rode around the city. We saw the Parliament building (second best in Europe, next to Budapest's), City Hall and Stadt Park. We took a picnic up to Schonbrunn Palace and Callie and I rolled down the grassy hills (we are growing up nicely.) That night we saw Falstaff at the Opera House-my favorite part. I love Vienna's opera house and the singing was breath taking. Then we met Amy afterwards at the Prater Amusement Park for a ride that threw us up in the air and spun around. Awesome. Afterwards we went to a bar on the Danube that was outside and faced the river. Everyone had their shoes off and feet in the sand. We also went to this part of town that has bars and restaurants called the Bermuda Triangle because you get lost there.
On Sunday we caught the three hour train to Salzburg, one of my favorite cities in Europe. It is where the "Sound Of Music" was filmed so we got a tour booklet and visited the garden where they sing "Do-Re-Mi," the cemetery they hide in, the church they're married in and then we climbed the mountain up to a really cool fortress. I loved the hike and the view from the top is totally worth it and amazing. The hills were alive with the sound of music.
I took a run with Amy on Monday morning down a horse path near her apartment. She ran the Vienna Half-Marathon in April and is a really great running buddy. We had to say goodbye to Kristen (she was starting her summer internship in London and had coffee at Café Kleine on Monday morning. The Café is quaint and frequented by young actors. I loved the "melanges," coffee and warm milk. In Austria I also tried apple strudel and the best bratwurst in the world. The chocolate's not shabby either.
Next stop, Budapest!
Saturday we rented bikes and rode around the city. We saw the Parliament building (second best in Europe, next to Budapest's), City Hall and Stadt Park. We took a picnic up to Schonbrunn Palace and Callie and I rolled down the grassy hills (we are growing up nicely.) That night we saw Falstaff at the Opera House-my favorite part. I love Vienna's opera house and the singing was breath taking. Then we met Amy afterwards at the Prater Amusement Park for a ride that threw us up in the air and spun around. Awesome. Afterwards we went to a bar on the Danube that was outside and faced the river. Everyone had their shoes off and feet in the sand. We also went to this part of town that has bars and restaurants called the Bermuda Triangle because you get lost there.
On Sunday we caught the three hour train to Salzburg, one of my favorite cities in Europe. It is where the "Sound Of Music" was filmed so we got a tour booklet and visited the garden where they sing "Do-Re-Mi," the cemetery they hide in, the church they're married in and then we climbed the mountain up to a really cool fortress. I loved the hike and the view from the top is totally worth it and amazing. The hills were alive with the sound of music.
I took a run with Amy on Monday morning down a horse path near her apartment. She ran the Vienna Half-Marathon in April and is a really great running buddy. We had to say goodbye to Kristen (she was starting her summer internship in London and had coffee at Café Kleine on Monday morning. The Café is quaint and frequented by young actors. I loved the "melanges," coffee and warm milk. In Austria I also tried apple strudel and the best bratwurst in the world. The chocolate's not shabby either.
Next stop, Budapest!
Italy!!
Jayda and I spent about 48 hours of travel to get from Santorini to Rome including 2 overnight ferries and 2 trains. We stopped in Athens for a few hours and toured the 2004 Olympic Stadium (where Samira swam :D) then continued on through Patras, Greece where I saw absolutely beautiful country. On the ferry from Patras to Bari, Italy I was THE most gorgeous sunset I have ever seen from the ship's deck. Incredible.
In the port city, Bari, Jayda and I walked through an open air fish market where one of the vendors convinced us to taste not only raw oysters, but raw jellyfish as well!! When in Bari...? We also went to St. Nicholas' church and saw his tomb. That night in Rome we met up with Callie and Kristen in Rome:) and caught up over a bottle of wine and sandwiches.
My first time in Rome was a blast (perhaps because my friends are so great.) We stayed in a super friendly hostel near the Termini Train Station where we had access to a kitchen and made dinner a couple nights.The first day we saw the Coliseum (took pictures with gladiators), the Forum, and the Pantheon (where we made friends with a Canadian tour guide who gave us a free tour.) We learned that Queen Margherita is buried in the Pantheon. She was from Naples, the birthplace of pizza and Italians loved her so much they named the Italian flag-colored pizza after her, the Margherita. Also, the columns were brought from Egypt and the originals had to be trimmed down 30 ft because thy were sinking the barges. That evening we went to a little island in the middle of the Tiber River and happy-houred with Barbie paper cups, red wine and lemon Fanta.
On Monday Callie and I went to the Vatican Museum in Vatican City. It was awesome. I loved the Egyptian art and we spent a good 30 minutes or so with our necks craned in the Sistine Chapel. It is so colorful and perfect. There are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis on the ceiling and the Last Judgment covering one whole wall. Then we went to St. Peter1s Basilica which I also really loved. It is humongous. Inside are markings on the floor where other smaller churches would fit. There are massive angel statues high up that are 7 feet tall but seem so much smaller from the ground. It is also awesome because all of the frescoes are actually mosaics that you can take pictures of. We had sandwiches and pasta at a restaurant nearby, Miscellanea. That night I took us on Rick Steeves walking night tour that started at Campo de Fiori abd went past Trevi Fountain (where you toss coins and wish for a return trip to Rome), then to the Spanish Steps.
Venice was the best time ever. We met Shannon, a girl who used to work in the AC and at Sports Camp in Perdanone and spent the night with her. Her husband, Johnny is stationed at Aviano Air Base and they were sweet enough to let us stay with them. Their place is gorgeous--big and out in the country. The Italian Alps are just beyond their backyard! Shannon took us on a drive through the mountains up to a church, then to this awesome minty turquoise colored lake and then up to the very top where a resort usually is. From the top, you can look down through the clouds and see the Friuli Region. We also did our laundry at the base, shopped at the BX for American products (honey Chex Mix) and had a fried chicken lunch at Popeye's.
Our hotel in Venice was actually in Mestre--on the mainland and just a bus ride away from Venice. Our first night, we went on a gondola ride with Emiliano, the gondolier. He had a gorgeous voice and sang Italian love songs. He let me sing a song and I chose Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." Callie cried. Emiliano and I obviously became best friends and (get ready) he let me wear his hat and drive the gondola!!! We met some of his Gondolier friends later that evening and all got drinks at a bar in Venice. The hilarious part was the next morning when we went to buy a gondola calendar at a souvenir shop and realized we had hung out with Mr. April the night before.
We spent all day exploring Venice--saw Piazza San Marco, took a ferry down the Grand Canal, had a great lunch of pizza and spaghetti, and went to a glass blowing demonstration. I love Italy. The whole time we were there, us girls just joked and laughed, had a bunch of pizza and at least two gelatos a day (pear and chocolate1s the best but I also liked rose and peach!)
In the port city, Bari, Jayda and I walked through an open air fish market where one of the vendors convinced us to taste not only raw oysters, but raw jellyfish as well!! When in Bari...? We also went to St. Nicholas' church and saw his tomb. That night in Rome we met up with Callie and Kristen in Rome:) and caught up over a bottle of wine and sandwiches.
My first time in Rome was a blast (perhaps because my friends are so great.) We stayed in a super friendly hostel near the Termini Train Station where we had access to a kitchen and made dinner a couple nights.The first day we saw the Coliseum (took pictures with gladiators), the Forum, and the Pantheon (where we made friends with a Canadian tour guide who gave us a free tour.) We learned that Queen Margherita is buried in the Pantheon. She was from Naples, the birthplace of pizza and Italians loved her so much they named the Italian flag-colored pizza after her, the Margherita. Also, the columns were brought from Egypt and the originals had to be trimmed down 30 ft because thy were sinking the barges. That evening we went to a little island in the middle of the Tiber River and happy-houred with Barbie paper cups, red wine and lemon Fanta.
On Monday Callie and I went to the Vatican Museum in Vatican City. It was awesome. I loved the Egyptian art and we spent a good 30 minutes or so with our necks craned in the Sistine Chapel. It is so colorful and perfect. There are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis on the ceiling and the Last Judgment covering one whole wall. Then we went to St. Peter1s Basilica which I also really loved. It is humongous. Inside are markings on the floor where other smaller churches would fit. There are massive angel statues high up that are 7 feet tall but seem so much smaller from the ground. It is also awesome because all of the frescoes are actually mosaics that you can take pictures of. We had sandwiches and pasta at a restaurant nearby, Miscellanea. That night I took us on Rick Steeves walking night tour that started at Campo de Fiori abd went past Trevi Fountain (where you toss coins and wish for a return trip to Rome), then to the Spanish Steps.
Venice was the best time ever. We met Shannon, a girl who used to work in the AC and at Sports Camp in Perdanone and spent the night with her. Her husband, Johnny is stationed at Aviano Air Base and they were sweet enough to let us stay with them. Their place is gorgeous--big and out in the country. The Italian Alps are just beyond their backyard! Shannon took us on a drive through the mountains up to a church, then to this awesome minty turquoise colored lake and then up to the very top where a resort usually is. From the top, you can look down through the clouds and see the Friuli Region. We also did our laundry at the base, shopped at the BX for American products (honey Chex Mix) and had a fried chicken lunch at Popeye's.
Our hotel in Venice was actually in Mestre--on the mainland and just a bus ride away from Venice. Our first night, we went on a gondola ride with Emiliano, the gondolier. He had a gorgeous voice and sang Italian love songs. He let me sing a song and I chose Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." Callie cried. Emiliano and I obviously became best friends and (get ready) he let me wear his hat and drive the gondola!!! We met some of his Gondolier friends later that evening and all got drinks at a bar in Venice. The hilarious part was the next morning when we went to buy a gondola calendar at a souvenir shop and realized we had hung out with Mr. April the night before.
We spent all day exploring Venice--saw Piazza San Marco, took a ferry down the Grand Canal, had a great lunch of pizza and spaghetti, and went to a glass blowing demonstration. I love Italy. The whole time we were there, us girls just joked and laughed, had a bunch of pizza and at least two gelatos a day (pear and chocolate1s the best but I also liked rose and peach!)
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Yamas!
I finished out the semester in Paris very well. The weather got beautiful and Paris really changes in the spring. We spent a lot of time in parks and one day at the Bois de Bologne a foresty area on the west of Paris where we rented a row boat and rowed around the little lake. I had a great last night with all of my friends at my favorite bar, Le Merle Moqueur and the next morning Jayda and I got on Easy Jet from Paris to Athens.
Athens was awesome. We stayed in a hostel near Omania Square and took the metro to the Acropolis. At the top of a hill overlooking the city--It was gorgeous up there. I loved the Parthenon and these statues of women on the side of the ruins. It was the greatest achievement in classical Greek art. From the top of the hill we looked down onto a theatre and we climbed up Mars Hill where Paul the Apostle supposedly read the Gospel. Jayda and I bought Gyros from a street vendor and just walked around the curvy stone streets. We also had baklava then went to the ancient Olympic stadium.
We made friends while touring and met them at the Hilton bar, Galaxy that night for wine. It was the most beautiful view. On the top floor of the Hilton, overlooking the city, and eye level with the Acropolis which is brilliantly lit at night. Lovely.
Next morning we caught the ferry to Santorini, aka my new favorite place. The island used to be a volcano and when it erupted, it collapsed into the ocean so now there is the volcano island in the middle with water all around. Then Santorini surrounds that with a caldera and sloping cliffs. It is known for its white buildings with blue roofed churches. We stayed in Hostel Anna on Paraissa Beach and met the most interesting people, including Australian girls who were backpacking and working their way through Europe "indefinitely" (and I thought a month was impressive!!)
We met up with 2 friends of Jayda's, Lisa and Laura, too. My favorite day was when we rented 4 wheelers to tour the island with. It allowed us to have our own schedule and see everything! We went to the Red Beach, the lighthouse, up to Ia, one of the major towns and walked around. I fell in love with the bright blue and white churches overlooking the Mediterranean. Jayda and I climbed down to this huge rock that used to have a castle built on top of it and watched the sunset.
The rest of the trip we spent on the beach or chillin in the capital, Fira. I even got some sun after gray Paris ;)
It was also reeeal cheap there and we got to try all sorts of new great foods--sesame round bread (mix between a sesame bagel and a pretzel), yogurt and honey and frappe coffees(breakfast treats), moussaka (layered potatoes, eggplant, tomatoe dish), stuffed vine leaves, souvlakakia (super flavorful meatballs), stuffed tomatoes...mmm. Great time and seriously enchanting. We met the nicest people ever--everyone went out of their way to help us and suggest things for us to do. (our waitress told us about Ammoudi Bay where at the restaurants you literally watch the fisherman bring in fresh fish from their boats and throw it on the grill, and the man who rented us the 4 wheelers was so grateful for our business he bought us drinks at a local bar.) I think it is the most beautiful place in the world and will post pictures soon. We took two overnight ferries and two trains and ... I am in Rome now! Loooving it. More to come bisous!
(oh I learned "yasas" (hello and goodbye), "yamas" (cheers), and kefi (fun) in Greek.
Greece was kefi kefi kefi all around.
Athens was awesome. We stayed in a hostel near Omania Square and took the metro to the Acropolis. At the top of a hill overlooking the city--It was gorgeous up there. I loved the Parthenon and these statues of women on the side of the ruins. It was the greatest achievement in classical Greek art. From the top of the hill we looked down onto a theatre and we climbed up Mars Hill where Paul the Apostle supposedly read the Gospel. Jayda and I bought Gyros from a street vendor and just walked around the curvy stone streets. We also had baklava then went to the ancient Olympic stadium.
We made friends while touring and met them at the Hilton bar, Galaxy that night for wine. It was the most beautiful view. On the top floor of the Hilton, overlooking the city, and eye level with the Acropolis which is brilliantly lit at night. Lovely.
Next morning we caught the ferry to Santorini, aka my new favorite place. The island used to be a volcano and when it erupted, it collapsed into the ocean so now there is the volcano island in the middle with water all around. Then Santorini surrounds that with a caldera and sloping cliffs. It is known for its white buildings with blue roofed churches. We stayed in Hostel Anna on Paraissa Beach and met the most interesting people, including Australian girls who were backpacking and working their way through Europe "indefinitely" (and I thought a month was impressive!!)
We met up with 2 friends of Jayda's, Lisa and Laura, too. My favorite day was when we rented 4 wheelers to tour the island with. It allowed us to have our own schedule and see everything! We went to the Red Beach, the lighthouse, up to Ia, one of the major towns and walked around. I fell in love with the bright blue and white churches overlooking the Mediterranean. Jayda and I climbed down to this huge rock that used to have a castle built on top of it and watched the sunset.
The rest of the trip we spent on the beach or chillin in the capital, Fira. I even got some sun after gray Paris ;)
It was also reeeal cheap there and we got to try all sorts of new great foods--sesame round bread (mix between a sesame bagel and a pretzel), yogurt and honey and frappe coffees(breakfast treats), moussaka (layered potatoes, eggplant, tomatoe dish), stuffed vine leaves, souvlakakia (super flavorful meatballs), stuffed tomatoes...mmm. Great time and seriously enchanting. We met the nicest people ever--everyone went out of their way to help us and suggest things for us to do. (our waitress told us about Ammoudi Bay where at the restaurants you literally watch the fisherman bring in fresh fish from their boats and throw it on the grill, and the man who rented us the 4 wheelers was so grateful for our business he bought us drinks at a local bar.) I think it is the most beautiful place in the world and will post pictures soon. We took two overnight ferries and two trains and ... I am in Rome now! Loooving it. More to come bisous!
(oh I learned "yasas" (hello and goodbye), "yamas" (cheers), and kefi (fun) in Greek.
Greece was kefi kefi kefi all around.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Roxy's Visite
As her graduation present, Roxy got to come stay with me for a whole week! Madame fixed up the guest room for her and it was during my spring break so I was able to spend all day hanging out with my sister!
She arrived on Sunday morning and took the RER train and metro from the airport (all by herself wootwoot) to my house. Madame made us a really great lunch--French style chicken and potatoes, endives, camembert and bread. Roxy understood a lot of Madam's French and I played translator for a lot of it. It was a looovely day so we walked through Rue Mouffetard to the Pantheon. We sat at a little café outside facing the sidewalk, had kir cassis (black currant) and people watched. Then we walked down to Notre Dame and into the Marais. At Place des Vosges there were a bunch of people picnicking and laying in the grass so we grabbed a spot and Roxy took a nap.
That night, my friend Jackie's sister got us VIP tickets to see the American, We Are Scientists. It was Nouveau Casion off rue Oberkampf. They have more of a fan base in Europe and have been touring here for months. The show was awesome and we hung around after and met some of the band members. We grabbed really yummy crepes afterwards then headed to the Fifth Bar for my friend Audrey's 21st birthday party
Monday morning I let Roxy sleep in and then we headed to Père Lachaise, the famous cemetary, for the afternoon. It was raining when we got there so we ducked into a crepe restaurant to wait it out and have our 2nd crepe of the trip. Roxy reeally enjoyed the cemetary (pleasantly pleased me) and we spent a good couple of hours just strolling. It's a lot cooler than it sounds--really big with beautiful trees and flowers. We saw the famous graves-Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Chopin...and admired the simple beauty of others. Then we caught the Metro to the tip top of the city at Porte de la Chappelle to go to the boulangerie that recently won the award "Best Baguette of Paris, 2008." The boulangerie, Le Duc de la Chappelle, was adorable and we took our baguette to Montmartre to have a picnic at Sacre Couer. Paired with some camembert and red wine, the best baguette in Paris was, I'm not gonna lie, prettty decent. We saw the sunset from the top of Montmartre hill and ate our French picnic on a bench. It was so nice and the rain stopped just in time for the sunset. Then we met my friend Eva at a bar, Le Foroum, that is right off the main drag in Montmartre. They have a chandelier made of wine bottles and a really young French crowd. We had some wine and just talked.
Tuesday we were very ambitious and woke up early. We went to la Madeleine church--beautiful inside and Roxy lit a candle. Then to the Wine Museum which was really cool--learned about the making of wine and saw the old farming equipment and stuff. We even got to try a little wine:) Then we went to l'As de Falafel in the Marais mmm. Roxy liked falafel!! big success. We even sat next to 2 Orthodox Jew young men who discussed their politics with us. After lunch, we went on a walking tour lead by yours truly. We saw the English bookstore Shakespeare and Co., Simone de Beauvoir's café--Café du Flore, Hemingway's pub--Brasserie Lipp and Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas' old apartment at 27 rue du Fleurus. We visited our 4th café of the trip on the way home. We made a big salad with sautéed eggplant and an egg over easy for dinner.
Wednesday we went to the Marie Antoinette exhibition at the Grand Palais. The building, like the Eiffel Tour, was built for the 1900 Paris Exhibition. The exhibit was really interesting. There were tons of paintings and sculptures of her and a letter she had written to her mother Maria Theresa explaining that she had to keep hiring different painters because none of the paintings looked like her. The sculptures, her ceramic tea sets and all the beautiful furniture were awesome too. I was also surprised to learn that she really liked hunting. Then we crossed the street to the Petit Palais and saw the Museum of Fine Arts there. I really liked this one life size sculpture of Adam and Eve carrying Abel after he's been murdered. Very interesting. We had cheese sandwiches on the Champs-Elysées then went to the Grand Mosque of Paris and had mint tea in the tea room. The Mosque is gorgeous--in Moroccan style architecture--all white with turquoise tiles. Then we walked through Jardin des Plantes--beautiful in bloom!! Roxy made us chicken curry for dinner that night:)
Thursday (May 1) was apparently Labor Day in France. So everything was clooosed. So we just walked around the city all day--past the Eiffel Tour, along the Seine and through the Luxembourg Gardens were we saw a photo exhibit of really interesting and disturbing photos from Le Figaro-a newspaper in Paris. We had sandwiches and wine at Neo Café in St-Germain-des-Pres then headed home. That night we met my friend Sacha and two guys, Didier and Samuel at Le Merle Moquer (rum bar by my house). We got a tray of all the flavors of rum to try and danced to French music that everyone knew the words too. Hilarious.
Friday last day:( We had fresh croissants for breakfast and took the Metro to Montmartre to the Erotic Museum. ehhem. I do not suggest it. But it was cool to see pictures from the 1920's of brothels and cabaret girls. Then we walked up to the Moulin Rouge. That afternoon we spent in Luxembourg again--sitting on a bench with a cheese sandwich just people watching and getting hit on by des drageurs, pick up artists. We had the best fondue dinner! At La Grange in the 5th arrondissement. Then caught the Metro to La Comedie Francaise for "Penthesilee," a Greek tragedy about the Amazonian queen. Oh man the actors were incredible. The show was great--even though we didn't understand a lot of the plot due to the whole French thing. It was really nice though..
Saturday morning I rode the RER to the airport because she took home a big suitcase for me. It was really sad to say goodbye but we had such a great week together and I was sooo happy to see her. It'll only be another 5 weeks before we're reunited again.
That afternoon, I met Audrey, Amy, Hayley and Sarah under the Eiffel Tour for a cheese and bread picnic. We wore berets...it was awesome.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Mes Etudes
So I have been doing a lot of very interesting school work lately and thought I would share that for a change:)
In my Muslim Presence in Europe class, we had a discussion/debate on the headscarf law in France. Similar to Turkey's, since 2004 France has outlawed the wearing of ostentatious religious symbols in public schools. France has a strong tradition of "laicité" (secularism) and also a history of conflicts between "la Republique" and integrating Muslims. I didn't necessarily take a side on the debate, but I do have an opinion on the law. It seems to me that the problems France has with integration and the racism Muslims experience won't be solved by making little girls take off their scarves. Obviously in some cases, these girls were pressured into wearing the scarves by authoritative male figures...but for the most part they chose to wear them themselves. As a sign of piety and modesty. Those in charge of creating the law, members of the Stasi Commission surprisingly never actually interviewed a Muslim schoolgirl.
I can understand the state's feeling that SOMETHING needed to be done. There was an increase in violence in the "cités" (poor urban towns surrounding big cities where most minorities live) and teachers felt their authority was being undermined by the girls (in gym class where they refused to participate). I also agree that France has major problems assimilating its minorities into French culture. There is an idea of what it means to be French and most times that includes being white. Colonialism has lead to big societal problems and all of these things should be addressed by the government. I read the book, "Why the French Don't Like Headscarves" and it explained that many women viewed the wearing of the "voile" or "foullard" as a hostile act. It also noted the girls explained their choice to wear the scarf as a result of being born and raised in France. They said la Republique provided them with institutions and freedom to learn Arabic more about Islam. Interesting also is the fact that most first-generation immigrant women do not wear the scarves, au contraire, their daughters and grand-daughters who were born in France and rose through the public school system do.
All in all, I find the subject very interesting and was really excited to learn so much about it.
In my Art-History class I gave a presentation on Gertrude and her brother Leo Stein and their contribution to the works and lives of Picasso and Matisse. It was cool because Gertrude and Leo after Picasso's first cubist masterpiece, "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon," were so divided on their views of Cubism, separated their art collection and Leo moved out. Also, it was interesting to compare Gertrude's writing at the time she was so close to Picasso with his painting. They both had Cubist collage styles!
And in my French conversation class I read my first full French novel, "Bonjour Tristesse" by Francoise Sagan! I gave a 30 minute presentation (en francais!) over the novel and the author's life. Sagan failed out of the Sorbonne after her first year and that summer wrote the novel! She was only 18 and the English version made the New York Time's Bestseller list! The book was really good but sad (hence the title which translates into "Hello Sadness").
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