...were covered our second day in Prague lol.
We got up late and had breakfast (the wonderfully american breakfast buffet at our hotel) and then went and wandered around Old Town a bit and then went and signed up for a walking tour! I don't remember the last time I did a real walking tour with a guide (that was unassociated with a school function), but it was cool! It was also freezing, but we survived... mostly. Anyways, we went and saw the old Jewish ghetto (its not a ghetto anymore, it contains the "wealthiest street in {Prague/the Czech Republic/Europe (I can't remember - oops!!)] lined with stores like Cartier, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, stores I haven't even heard of, etc.), a Jewish graveyard with 12 rows of graves (so the top of the graveyard is about 10 feet higher than the ground where we were standing), the oldest synagogue in Eastern Europe (Hitler didn't destroy it because he wanted to turn the whole area into a "museum of the inferior race"), a statue of Kafka that no one understands (see pics - its the one with a man on top of an empty suit: does the suit represent Kafka's father? does it represent Kafka himself as he walks down the street? Does it represent the state? draw your own conclusions, basically), and we made our way to Charles Bridge, which is the most famous bridge in Prague because it's the prettiest and oldest and has towers on each side. We started from Old Town square, so the guide explained the astronomical clock (not even gonna try, but it has roman, arabic and czech/european numbers, all of which tell you time differently. And it tells you when the sun will set. And it has a little show every hour where the two top windows open and you can see the 12 Apostles in them - not completely sure why, but it was cool- and then the rooster crows). He also told us about the Tyn Church, which are in my pics and as you can see (if you're looking at them), there are houses in front of the church, well the houses were there first, even though the church looks wayyy older. And also, the Czech have a thing against restoring old buildings; they think it cheapens them, so (there are some pics) there's a building in the town square, attached to the Tower with damage from WWII and they haven't been restored because they're there as a memorial to WWII. Pretty cool. Oh and [disclaimer: I was depressed upon learning this!] apparently, the entire front facade of the Notre Dame in Paris is completely different from how it used to be when it was made originally and the Czech think that's a shame (as do I, actually).
So that was our walking tour, it was lots of information in 2 hours, but very interesting information. After that, we all split up - Caitlin was freezing so she went home, Rebecca and Conner went a cafe where communist supporters gathered to make plans during WWII and I went to go see Tyn Church. I was actually rather disappointed with it, I guess the name should've warned me: Church, as in, NOT Cathedral lol. But it was cool, just not what I was expected. I couldn't take pictures, so you can't tell exactly what I mean, but I got such a feeling of militarism in the church. There were pieces of armor, swords and staffs on the inside and there was no crucifix. I don't know, it was a cool place, just very different from my image of European churches. From there I went back to Charles Bridge and walked across. the view was incredible, Prague (although freezing for much of the year) is in a beautiful part of the world. There were also street venders along the bridge, which was really cool, but I didn't buy anything. From there I caught the tram back to the hotel, where we met up to go to dinner. We ended up walking back and forth like 4 times, but eventually we found the restaurant and it was good, cheap, Czech food. I got the duck and it came with cabbage and potato dumplings. The duck was excellent, the dumplings were good and the cabbage was, well, not my favorite. From there we went back to the hotel and chilled for a bit and then got ready to go on a pub crawl (lol).
[should probably add a disclaimer here: craziness ensues! haha] We went to the first pub, where everyone gathered and we had free drinks for an hour, but it was a really awkward place, so we didn't drink much. From there we went to another fairly awkward pub, but there was some dancing, so it wasn't as bad. Until an obnoxious british man (like, 30s) sat too close to me and tried to talk to me. Sorry, I'm not interested in men 10+ years older than me, no matter what kind of accent they have. So we got up and wandered around, oh at this point, Conner and Rebecca left because they were bored. The next bar was better, it was more of a discotheque and had lazers and techno/house music. The last club, though, was the reason I stuck it out throw the first awkward ones. When we paid for the pub crawl, we got a free t-shirt and free entry into each pub/bar/club we went to. The last one was 5 stories and the biggest club in Central Europe. It was ridiculous. And awesome. And everything I thought European clubbing would be. Well Caitlin and I got in and checked our coats and then went to find a floor we'd like. We found the American hip-hop floor and it was amazing, they played all the typical american songs that are at parties and clubs, but it wasn't like a typical american club where everyone is having sex all over the dance floor, it was just more fun! And I didn't feel like all the guys in the room were going to roofie me (definite upside and difference from Spain), there was no inappropriate grabbing or anything, such a nice change. It was funny too, guys in Europe go to clubs and they actually dance! And they're actually good! I was dancing with a German kid (who spoke no English and I speak no German, it was interesting) and he was like a mime - interpretively hip-hop dancing but also using facial expressions... that sounds really weird when you read it, but he was really fun to dance with because he was a really good dancer. Eventually, we decided to leave the american floor and check out the other ones: there was a 80s/90s disco ish floor (pretty legit - the floor lit up in squares, like my image of 70s disco dancing, but the music was more 80s), a techno/house floor, a "chill" floor, another american music floor and the basement was part bar and restaurant and part gamish floor - house/hip-hop/techno/american/european, that was cool too.
Anyways, so we decided that we should probably get home eventually so we left around 3:45 am, which by Prague standards I think is pretty early, and went to the tram stop. But we missed both trams we could've taken by oh... TWO minutes. so we walked to the next stop. and the next stop. and the next stop. all the way to the hotel. at 4 am. We never felt unsafe or anything and neither of us were drunk, so don't worry, we made it alright and had a map and phones. But we did end up walking 3 miles and it took us an hour, so we got home at 4:50. bear in mind, the regular tram schedule starts at 5 am. So, we could've stayed at the club and left at 5 and gotten home like 20 minutes later lol. Oh well, moot point now.
So yeah, we got home, went straight to bed and then got up Sunday around 10:30 because we had to pack, shower, get breakfast and check out by 12. insane. but we did it. and then we went and wandered around downtown and spent our last koruny on souvenirs. I bought these beautiful crystal earrings from a crystal store - Czech crystal is really nice (at least, that's what we were told...) and the earrings are certified (they have a certificate!) Czech crystal, so I'm assuming they're good quality, because they were kind of expensive (and by expensive, i mean $25, so really, not that much), but they're really pretty, so I splurged :) And then we came home and then I was exhausted and nearly fell asleep at dinner lol
Anyways, this week has been uneventful since I've been a major slacker, so not much to tell, but I hope you enjoyed my adventures in Prague (because I definitely did! haha) tootles for now <3
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
"The Czech cuisine is heavy, fat, unhealthy but very nice"
1. pictures are up!
2. the above is a very true statement. lol
K, so I need to back up and update about Prague... also known as Praha.
Last week wasn't that exciting, I basically unpacked from Spain and repacked for Prague.
Caitlin, Rebecca and I left from Strasbourg airport on Thursday, basically right after class; our flight left at 7 and got in at 8:40 to Prague, and we met up with Connor, Rebecca's boyfriend there. When we were there talking to a cab driver, a lovely 40 something looking man came up and tried to kidnap Caitlin: welcome to Prague! haha, but seriously, it was creepy and made us a little wary about this Czech town. So we got to the hotel (got completely ripped off by the cab driver, but didn't figure that out till later... oh well, lesson learned) and it was so nice! We stayed at the Plaza Alta Hotel for a ridiculously cheap price - $45 a night (so, $22 each since Caitlin and I were sharing the room) AND we got a free buffet breakfast - I'll get there in a sec - AND they had apples all over the place, so we would take those too (not sure if we were supposed to or if they were supposed to be decorative but oh well! lol). So we all got there, got our rooms, sat down for a bit and unpacked sort of (however much you can unpack when you packed for a weekend in a backpack) and then went down to the hotel bar/mexican restaurant for our complimentary drink and a basket of chips and salsa (so Czech, I know lol). Then we all decided to try a shot of absinthe, because, well, we couldn't try it any other place, so might as well. So the waitress brought us 4 shots of absinthe and while we looked apprehensively at the green liquid in the huge shot glasses, she asked, "Um, would like a glass of water or something...?" to which we replied, "YES, water please." She brought the water, we took the shots, downed the water and then waited for a green fairy to appear. No such luck. Not even weird dreams at night. Very disappointed in the absinthe (although that's probably a good thing, I might've freaked out if I started hallucinating). After that, we went to bed in the comfy hotel :)
Friday we planned to meet in the lobby at 11 to start our day of adventuring. So, we got up and went to breakfast a little before that. The breakfast was heaven. It was a full American style hot buffet featuring scrambled eggs, fried eggs, sauteed tomatoes, bacon, sausage, pastries, different kinds of cereal, different kinds of bread, fruit, yogurt, cold cuts, cheese, coffee and juice. as I said, HEAVEN. And since it was free, we stuffed ourselves to bursting, that way we wouldn't have to buy lunch. From there we went to the "Eiffel Tower of Prague" which was really just a lookout post that was about 1/10 the size of the real Eiffel Tower. So we climbed all the way up - I must've burned off at least one pastry that way - and could see all of Prague (see pics!) And then we went to the "Castle" of Prague (it was actually more like a series of buildings built around the cathedral) and tried to get in, but then we found out that it would've been like 500 koruny (I don't actually know the plural or spelling of the Czech currency, we called it all kinds of names - koruner, koruny, koruna, korunas, etc lol) which would've been around $25-30, so we were like uh, no thanks. So we walked around and went in the Cathedral, which was free. I am such a church nerd, I love snapping pics of cathedrals and churches and trying to see if I can find where they renovated or added on to the original structure. After the cathedral, we were all freezing, so we went to find a cafe and sit inside somewhere. We found one and Caitlin and I tried the hot wine - it was really good! It tasted kind of like a cross of wine and hot cider. Plus, it was warm. That was necessary. Ok, anyways, after the hot wine, we decided to head back to the hotel to chill for a bit, then head out for a Czech meal for dinner. The receptionist told us about this restaurant in Old Town (there's Old Town and New Town. Old Town was built in the 11th century and New Town was built in the 14th. It's really new, as you can tell lol) so we found it and all ordered. First Rebecca got beer sausages in beer, which (be proud of me!) I tried - and hated - but still tried. The sauce was really good though. I got the "meat roll" which was basically beef in a spicy sauce wrapped in a butter pastry bread. It was delicious. Connor got a meat plate that came with 2 types of neck, 1/4 of a duck and some sausage. Rebecca got smoked meat in potato dumplings and Caitlin was healthy and got a salad (but with a side of baked potatoes... except the potatoes were baked in bacon grease... the Czech love their fats and carbs...) Then we went and wandered around, found an Irish pub and went inside and had a drink, that was fun, there was a guy playing American and Irish songs. We left from there and went to this place called the Beer Factory, where there's a tap on the table! lol it was funny. It started as a pretty chill place and we all got free drinks with the cover charge, so we sat and chilled and drank our beer. Then the DJ started playing American dance songs so it started getting more fun. Connor bought us a round of drinks and he got a B-52, which is a shot of half kahlua and half Baileys with a bit of Absinthe on top. The Berliners at the table next to us showed us how its done. I'll try to explain as best I can: you light the Absinthe on fire and then lick the palm of your hand. Then you quickly cover the shot glass with the wet part of your palm to put out the fire. The fire uses up the oxygen in the glass, so it creates a vacuum so the glass sticks to your hand, allowing you to shake the glass and mix the Baileys and kahlua and then after all that, you actually take the shot. So we had some fun at the Beer Factory haha... the Berliners were fun too!
Ok, I still have to write up about saturday and sunday, but I really need to do some homework (I know, homework? while studying abroad? what???) so I will post about that soon. I hope.
adios!
2. the above is a very true statement. lol
K, so I need to back up and update about Prague... also known as Praha.
Last week wasn't that exciting, I basically unpacked from Spain and repacked for Prague.
Caitlin, Rebecca and I left from Strasbourg airport on Thursday, basically right after class; our flight left at 7 and got in at 8:40 to Prague, and we met up with Connor, Rebecca's boyfriend there. When we were there talking to a cab driver, a lovely 40 something looking man came up and tried to kidnap Caitlin: welcome to Prague! haha, but seriously, it was creepy and made us a little wary about this Czech town. So we got to the hotel (got completely ripped off by the cab driver, but didn't figure that out till later... oh well, lesson learned) and it was so nice! We stayed at the Plaza Alta Hotel for a ridiculously cheap price - $45 a night (so, $22 each since Caitlin and I were sharing the room) AND we got a free buffet breakfast - I'll get there in a sec - AND they had apples all over the place, so we would take those too (not sure if we were supposed to or if they were supposed to be decorative but oh well! lol). So we all got there, got our rooms, sat down for a bit and unpacked sort of (however much you can unpack when you packed for a weekend in a backpack) and then went down to the hotel bar/mexican restaurant for our complimentary drink and a basket of chips and salsa (so Czech, I know lol). Then we all decided to try a shot of absinthe, because, well, we couldn't try it any other place, so might as well. So the waitress brought us 4 shots of absinthe and while we looked apprehensively at the green liquid in the huge shot glasses, she asked, "Um, would like a glass of water or something...?" to which we replied, "YES, water please." She brought the water, we took the shots, downed the water and then waited for a green fairy to appear. No such luck. Not even weird dreams at night. Very disappointed in the absinthe (although that's probably a good thing, I might've freaked out if I started hallucinating). After that, we went to bed in the comfy hotel :)
Friday we planned to meet in the lobby at 11 to start our day of adventuring. So, we got up and went to breakfast a little before that. The breakfast was heaven. It was a full American style hot buffet featuring scrambled eggs, fried eggs, sauteed tomatoes, bacon, sausage, pastries, different kinds of cereal, different kinds of bread, fruit, yogurt, cold cuts, cheese, coffee and juice. as I said, HEAVEN. And since it was free, we stuffed ourselves to bursting, that way we wouldn't have to buy lunch. From there we went to the "Eiffel Tower of Prague" which was really just a lookout post that was about 1/10 the size of the real Eiffel Tower. So we climbed all the way up - I must've burned off at least one pastry that way - and could see all of Prague (see pics!) And then we went to the "Castle" of Prague (it was actually more like a series of buildings built around the cathedral) and tried to get in, but then we found out that it would've been like 500 koruny (I don't actually know the plural or spelling of the Czech currency, we called it all kinds of names - koruner, koruny, koruna, korunas, etc lol) which would've been around $25-30, so we were like uh, no thanks. So we walked around and went in the Cathedral, which was free. I am such a church nerd, I love snapping pics of cathedrals and churches and trying to see if I can find where they renovated or added on to the original structure. After the cathedral, we were all freezing, so we went to find a cafe and sit inside somewhere. We found one and Caitlin and I tried the hot wine - it was really good! It tasted kind of like a cross of wine and hot cider. Plus, it was warm. That was necessary. Ok, anyways, after the hot wine, we decided to head back to the hotel to chill for a bit, then head out for a Czech meal for dinner. The receptionist told us about this restaurant in Old Town (there's Old Town and New Town. Old Town was built in the 11th century and New Town was built in the 14th. It's really new, as you can tell lol) so we found it and all ordered. First Rebecca got beer sausages in beer, which (be proud of me!) I tried - and hated - but still tried. The sauce was really good though. I got the "meat roll" which was basically beef in a spicy sauce wrapped in a butter pastry bread. It was delicious. Connor got a meat plate that came with 2 types of neck, 1/4 of a duck and some sausage. Rebecca got smoked meat in potato dumplings and Caitlin was healthy and got a salad (but with a side of baked potatoes... except the potatoes were baked in bacon grease... the Czech love their fats and carbs...) Then we went and wandered around, found an Irish pub and went inside and had a drink, that was fun, there was a guy playing American and Irish songs. We left from there and went to this place called the Beer Factory, where there's a tap on the table! lol it was funny. It started as a pretty chill place and we all got free drinks with the cover charge, so we sat and chilled and drank our beer. Then the DJ started playing American dance songs so it started getting more fun. Connor bought us a round of drinks and he got a B-52, which is a shot of half kahlua and half Baileys with a bit of Absinthe on top. The Berliners at the table next to us showed us how its done. I'll try to explain as best I can: you light the Absinthe on fire and then lick the palm of your hand. Then you quickly cover the shot glass with the wet part of your palm to put out the fire. The fire uses up the oxygen in the glass, so it creates a vacuum so the glass sticks to your hand, allowing you to shake the glass and mix the Baileys and kahlua and then after all that, you actually take the shot. So we had some fun at the Beer Factory haha... the Berliners were fun too!
Ok, I still have to write up about saturday and sunday, but I really need to do some homework (I know, homework? while studying abroad? what???) so I will post about that soon. I hope.
adios!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
back from Prague...
had *such* a great time walking around the city and discotheque-ing it up at night! pics and update coming soon, just wanted to let people know I'm back, and will write soon about the different styles of architecture we saw, the heavy, fat laden, but delicious food we had and the craziness of the 5 story club where we partied.
:)
:)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
off to Praha!
aka. Prague (although, I like "Praha" except that I want to keep going: Prahahaha! lol)
be back on Sunday! expect updates sometime after that! have a great weekend! :)
be back on Sunday! expect updates sometime after that! have a great weekend! :)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
fun in the [Spanish!] SUN
Ok, so let's see... I got to Spain on Wednesday afternoon and began my journey by trying to find the Metro in the airport (I think I ended up walking through every single terminal until I got to the farthest, and thus most expensive one, before I finally found the metro entrance). then I got off at the right stop for my hostel, but the directions stopped there! so its a good thing I had a map and the address, because I walked around for like 30 minutes before I found the place. But it was really nice place, in a good location and the receptionist was really nice. He asked me where I was from and everything and why I was in Spain and I said I'm studying in Strasbourg but I'm on vacation now, so he said, "oh, tu parles le français?" (you speak french?) I replied, "un peu" and then we did the whole check-in in French, which was kind of fun. I found out he's actually from Lille, in the North of France, so whenever I walked in or out, he only spoke to me in French and he was really nice and it was fun speaking French and feeling like I could carry on a conversation :) So I got there, dropped off my things, and then decided to go explore. I walked around Plaza de Santa Ana, got a late lunch (at like 3:30... really late for me, right on time for the Spanish) and then was pretty tired, so I went back to the Hostel and chilled for a bit. There was no one else in the room at that point, which was nice. So I read some and then decided I didn't want to go out to dinner with myself so I went to grocery store and bought some munchies to have for dinner and lunch the next day (probably the spanish version of twinkies lol but I did get apples also). So yeah... uneventful night... woke up the next morning, got bfast from the hostel (toast, cereal, coffee, nothing exciting) and checked out. Then I really started my exploring.
I started from the Hostel (obviously) and then walked west to the Prado, where I turned north (I didn't go into the Prado, I just walked by it - I went in it on Friday) and walked along the Paseo del Prado, where I basked in the sun and basically loved everything haha. It was such a beautiful day (it was a little colder than I expected, but that's ok, because I saw the SUN!) I need to put a map up.. that way you can follow along haha... Anyways, walked along the Paseo del Prado and saw this beautiful building. I'm not actually sure what it is... my map says the "Palacio de communicaciones" so I'm assuming its the Palace of communication? lol that makes sense to me anyways. In the pics its the big white building that looks pretty and has a spanish flag on top and I should probably go and label it... sorry for the tangents in this post - I'm really tired, but I want to get all this down before I forget it! so it could end up being a novel... lol :) so back to Madrid: I walked along the Paseo del Prado until I got to Plaza de Cibeles, which is where the pretty building is, and also a really cool fountain. There was also a building that said "Casa de America" so I took pictures of that too, because it said America ;) From there I turned west and walked along Gran Via, which is one of the main streets in Madrid and had TONS of shops and sales and it was truly dangerous because if I couldn't fit anymore in my backpack to go home... but I managed to control myself (even when they had cute boots! boots are apparently my downfall...) and walked along Gran Via until I got to Plaza de Espana and that was cool. It was just a little park within the city and it had a big fountain. From there I went a little north to the Templo Debod, which was awesome! It this old Egyptian temple that Egypt gave to Spain because Spain helped save another old Egyptian temple. Or something liek that. but its so cool, it has legit Egyptian hieroglyphs from 200 BC and you can walk in and walk all around it and look at them. It's incredible how well preserved it is. Its also situated in a beautiful park with great views of Madrid. check out the pics :)
From there I walked back south to Jardines Sabatini. It was really pretty there too, right by Palacio Real. and there were dogs... I miss dogs so much.. they were playing in the park and were all cute and I wanted to kidnap them. But I didn't. I just took pictures of them instead. Then it was just a quick walk over to Palacio Real, where apparently, the king doesn't actually live. But oh well, its huge and awesome and really cool with a bunch of little alcove type things in front of it with statues and benches and fountains, etc. Basically attached to Palacio Real is the Catedral Nuesta Senora de la Almudena. It's a beautiful cathedral and its relatively new. I think it was built in the 1800s. And you can tell its new because its lighter inside, the walls are all white, and the stained glass windows are different. It was really interesting, because the style of architecture is more gothic (I think), but the strained glass windows are more contemporary and abstract. I actually didn't like it was much as the older churches I've been in. I think it just felt less authentic. I'm not saying I didn't like it, because was gorgeous and amazing, but it just didn't astound me as much as other cathedrals did, because it's newer I suppose. Also, they basically forced you to donate money upon entrance, which irked me. I think you should be free to visit churches for free everywhere. (Although, Spain is in a huge recession so I guess I can see why they'd want to suck the tourists dry). There's lots of pics of the cathedral also. Hmm. What did I do after that... Oh I went up to the dome! That was really cool, the cathedral has a museum and as part of it, you can go up to the dome and take pictures of the city! Madrid is a very red city... like lots of red roofs. I'm not sure why though. Oh well, moving on. then I walked down Calle de Mayor to Plaza de Mayor, where I sat in the sun (amazing!) and people watched. There was a fat spiderman smoking. Some kind of rocking clam thing and I'm assuming there was a person inside it. A guy with his face painted that was kneeling so it looked like his face was sitting on a table. Like there was a table with a hole for his neck and his head was resting on the table and then there were two other actual masks right next to him and he would jump out at people. I met up with David in PLaza Mayor and we walked around more (I must've walked like 7 miles on Thursday). We went to the mercardo, where they have different booth type things selling different kinds of things: fish, other fish, traditional, wine, beer, chocolate, pastries, fresh fruits and veggies, fresh meat, etc. It was pretty neat. We didn't eat anything, but it was cool to look at. We also walked around Retiro park, which is a HUGE park with a glass castle inside! The glass castle houses "art" as in, weird layouts of household objects with string attached to them. it was different... not my idea of art, but I guess everyone is different... then we walked back through Plaza de Cibeles and back down Gran Via towards my hostel and got a cup of coffee (cafe con leche is my love in spain). From there I got my things and headed to meet Olivia so I could stay at her house. I got to her house, set up my stuff and hung out with her for a little bit. Then I had dinner with her family and they were so nice! We had Spanish tortilla, which is like an omelette with egg, cheese and potato - it was good, and bread and tomatoes and flan for dessert. Then Olivia took a nap and I chilled and then we went out to a bar. I had my first mojito and it was pretty good! Although, the Madrid nightlife is definitely not my scene... they go out till 6 am and then seep till 2 pm. I can't do that... lol. Also, I hated how forward the men where. They would just come up to me and touch me or grab at my scarf or whisper creepy things in my ear. I've never been hit on so many times in an hour, but I wouldn't want to go through that again. It was just creepy.
So then Friday we slept late (obviously, because we were out till 6 am) then Olivia had class so I went to the Prado. The Prado was really cool! I really liked walking through there and looking at the different styles of painting different painters had. Like the difference between Spanish and Flemish. I didn't like the Flemish painters that much actually... I'm not sure why, I just didn't like them as much as the Spanish painters. I really liked Goya and Vasquez. However, I did not enjoy El Greco's paintings. I think he must've been the original Emo. All of his paintings were dark and grim and the people had long (literally) faces with dark shadows under their eyes. Everyone was tall and thin, it was like he took a normal person and stretched them length wise. Maybe I'm just too happy to enjoy or appreciate them. Whatever it was, they were too desolate and hopeless looking with too many malnourished people. But anyways, I made it through most of the 1st floor of the Prado before I got "museum-ed-out" (usually happens in about 2-3 hours for me) so then I went and got a cup of coffee and a pastry and read my book in the cafe for a bit. I really like doing that - just getting a cup of coffee and reading my book or journalling. but so then Olivia said she was going home so I left the Prado. As I was leaving, though, there was this really pretty church right next to the exit of the museum, so I went and took a look. It was a really pretty, little church. My map says its the Iglesia de San Jeronimo del Real. So I went in and took pictures, I think I might've liked it better than the cathedral actually. Then I met Olivia back at her house and I don't think we did anything... we had dinner with her family again (meatballs - I felt bad not eating them :( ) and then basically passed out.
Saturday we woke up early to go to Toledo. I actually wasn't supposed to go, I think, but I just kind of tagged along (it was a BC trip and I'm a BC student so its fine, right? lol) Toledo was really cool. It's the city where Muslims, Jews and Christians all lived at one point or another, sometimes in peace, sometimes one group was prosecuted by another. Now I think the Christians are the majority. We visited the Cathedral, which was really impressive, but again, I didn't like it as much as the French cathedrals I've visited because it was so ornate it was almost ostentatious. I wish I could show you, but I wasn't allowed to take pictures :( But I'll try to describe parts of it. It was built where a mosque used to be (the Christians razed the mosque and built the cathedral - that was not during a time of peace lol) and the cathedral is huge! It gorgeous inside, but in the middle, there are 2 squares that are sectioned off by a high fence (if you look on the floor plan, its number 7 and 8) and 8 is where the Alter is, while 7 is where the choir sit. Also, the other pictures are known as the "Transparente" which I'm assuming has to do with the transformation of the bread and wine to the body and blood of Christ. Which is cool, but it was too oppulent for me, I love awe-inspiring churches (and this definitely fits the bill there) but it was just too ornate for me to think about God. I was distracted by all the unnecessary pomp and decorations. But, that's just my opinion.
floor plan of the cathedral:
picture of the hole in the roof:
picture of inner sculptures:
After the cathedral, we got lunch (Olivia's madre (= host mom) made us lunch! it was really nice of her!) and got some souvenirs and postcards, etc (I got a really cute pair of earrings). Then we went back to the cathedral and from there
went to a few other places: we looked at a painting of El Greco (and I wandered off and explored the church it was housed in). We saw a synagogue, another small church, and the monastery of the cathedral. It was kind of funny, because the outting was run by two teachers at the Madrid university, so everything was in Spanish and I could only pick up on random words. But it was neat just seeing Toledo, I probably would've never gone if I hadn't tagged along to that trip. Oh and Toledo is apparently known for marzipan (not sure why...) so we got some of that - it was pretty good! Although, it was heavy. But that makes sense since its made out of exactly three ingredients: sugar, almonds and water. And I'm pretty sure the main ingredient is the sugar lol.
So then we finished the tour and got back on the bus to go back to Madrid. Olivia and I decided to go to this bar called El Tigre for dinner (if you order a drink they give you a free plate of tapas) but it was sooo crowded, so we wandered around and went to another place and got tapas and Sangria. They were both realllyyy good! Sangria is a dangerous drink too, because its so sweet and you have no idea how much they put in it haha. But that was fun, then we wandered around a little bit and saw some crazy outfits - it was Carnivale! So there were lots of cross dressers, lots of medieval outfits and lots of other random costumes... a different place... but really interesting! Then we went home.
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday coming... eventually...
I started from the Hostel (obviously) and then walked west to the Prado, where I turned north (I didn't go into the Prado, I just walked by it - I went in it on Friday) and walked along the Paseo del Prado, where I basked in the sun and basically loved everything haha. It was such a beautiful day (it was a little colder than I expected, but that's ok, because I saw the SUN!) I need to put a map up.. that way you can follow along haha... Anyways, walked along the Paseo del Prado and saw this beautiful building. I'm not actually sure what it is... my map says the "Palacio de communicaciones" so I'm assuming its the Palace of communication? lol that makes sense to me anyways. In the pics its the big white building that looks pretty and has a spanish flag on top and I should probably go and label it... sorry for the tangents in this post - I'm really tired, but I want to get all this down before I forget it! so it could end up being a novel... lol :) so back to Madrid: I walked along the Paseo del Prado until I got to Plaza de Cibeles, which is where the pretty building is, and also a really cool fountain. There was also a building that said "Casa de America" so I took pictures of that too, because it said America ;) From there I turned west and walked along Gran Via, which is one of the main streets in Madrid and had TONS of shops and sales and it was truly dangerous because if I couldn't fit anymore in my backpack to go home... but I managed to control myself (even when they had cute boots! boots are apparently my downfall...) and walked along Gran Via until I got to Plaza de Espana and that was cool. It was just a little park within the city and it had a big fountain. From there I went a little north to the Templo Debod, which was awesome! It this old Egyptian temple that Egypt gave to Spain because Spain helped save another old Egyptian temple. Or something liek that. but its so cool, it has legit Egyptian hieroglyphs from 200 BC and you can walk in and walk all around it and look at them. It's incredible how well preserved it is. Its also situated in a beautiful park with great views of Madrid. check out the pics :)
From there I walked back south to Jardines Sabatini. It was really pretty there too, right by Palacio Real. and there were dogs... I miss dogs so much.. they were playing in the park and were all cute and I wanted to kidnap them. But I didn't. I just took pictures of them instead. Then it was just a quick walk over to Palacio Real, where apparently, the king doesn't actually live. But oh well, its huge and awesome and really cool with a bunch of little alcove type things in front of it with statues and benches and fountains, etc. Basically attached to Palacio Real is the Catedral Nuesta Senora de la Almudena. It's a beautiful cathedral and its relatively new. I think it was built in the 1800s. And you can tell its new because its lighter inside, the walls are all white, and the stained glass windows are different. It was really interesting, because the style of architecture is more gothic (I think), but the strained glass windows are more contemporary and abstract. I actually didn't like it was much as the older churches I've been in. I think it just felt less authentic. I'm not saying I didn't like it, because was gorgeous and amazing, but it just didn't astound me as much as other cathedrals did, because it's newer I suppose. Also, they basically forced you to donate money upon entrance, which irked me. I think you should be free to visit churches for free everywhere. (Although, Spain is in a huge recession so I guess I can see why they'd want to suck the tourists dry). There's lots of pics of the cathedral also. Hmm. What did I do after that... Oh I went up to the dome! That was really cool, the cathedral has a museum and as part of it, you can go up to the dome and take pictures of the city! Madrid is a very red city... like lots of red roofs. I'm not sure why though. Oh well, moving on. then I walked down Calle de Mayor to Plaza de Mayor, where I sat in the sun (amazing!) and people watched. There was a fat spiderman smoking. Some kind of rocking clam thing and I'm assuming there was a person inside it. A guy with his face painted that was kneeling so it looked like his face was sitting on a table. Like there was a table with a hole for his neck and his head was resting on the table and then there were two other actual masks right next to him and he would jump out at people. I met up with David in PLaza Mayor and we walked around more (I must've walked like 7 miles on Thursday). We went to the mercardo, where they have different booth type things selling different kinds of things: fish, other fish, traditional, wine, beer, chocolate, pastries, fresh fruits and veggies, fresh meat, etc. It was pretty neat. We didn't eat anything, but it was cool to look at. We also walked around Retiro park, which is a HUGE park with a glass castle inside! The glass castle houses "art" as in, weird layouts of household objects with string attached to them. it was different... not my idea of art, but I guess everyone is different... then we walked back through Plaza de Cibeles and back down Gran Via towards my hostel and got a cup of coffee (cafe con leche is my love in spain). From there I got my things and headed to meet Olivia so I could stay at her house. I got to her house, set up my stuff and hung out with her for a little bit. Then I had dinner with her family and they were so nice! We had Spanish tortilla, which is like an omelette with egg, cheese and potato - it was good, and bread and tomatoes and flan for dessert. Then Olivia took a nap and I chilled and then we went out to a bar. I had my first mojito and it was pretty good! Although, the Madrid nightlife is definitely not my scene... they go out till 6 am and then seep till 2 pm. I can't do that... lol. Also, I hated how forward the men where. They would just come up to me and touch me or grab at my scarf or whisper creepy things in my ear. I've never been hit on so many times in an hour, but I wouldn't want to go through that again. It was just creepy.
So then Friday we slept late (obviously, because we were out till 6 am) then Olivia had class so I went to the Prado. The Prado was really cool! I really liked walking through there and looking at the different styles of painting different painters had. Like the difference between Spanish and Flemish. I didn't like the Flemish painters that much actually... I'm not sure why, I just didn't like them as much as the Spanish painters. I really liked Goya and Vasquez. However, I did not enjoy El Greco's paintings. I think he must've been the original Emo. All of his paintings were dark and grim and the people had long (literally) faces with dark shadows under their eyes. Everyone was tall and thin, it was like he took a normal person and stretched them length wise. Maybe I'm just too happy to enjoy or appreciate them. Whatever it was, they were too desolate and hopeless looking with too many malnourished people. But anyways, I made it through most of the 1st floor of the Prado before I got "museum-ed-out" (usually happens in about 2-3 hours for me) so then I went and got a cup of coffee and a pastry and read my book in the cafe for a bit. I really like doing that - just getting a cup of coffee and reading my book or journalling. but so then Olivia said she was going home so I left the Prado. As I was leaving, though, there was this really pretty church right next to the exit of the museum, so I went and took a look. It was a really pretty, little church. My map says its the Iglesia de San Jeronimo del Real. So I went in and took pictures, I think I might've liked it better than the cathedral actually. Then I met Olivia back at her house and I don't think we did anything... we had dinner with her family again (meatballs - I felt bad not eating them :( ) and then basically passed out.
Saturday we woke up early to go to Toledo. I actually wasn't supposed to go, I think, but I just kind of tagged along (it was a BC trip and I'm a BC student so its fine, right? lol) Toledo was really cool. It's the city where Muslims, Jews and Christians all lived at one point or another, sometimes in peace, sometimes one group was prosecuted by another. Now I think the Christians are the majority. We visited the Cathedral, which was really impressive, but again, I didn't like it as much as the French cathedrals I've visited because it was so ornate it was almost ostentatious. I wish I could show you, but I wasn't allowed to take pictures :( But I'll try to describe parts of it. It was built where a mosque used to be (the Christians razed the mosque and built the cathedral - that was not during a time of peace lol) and the cathedral is huge! It gorgeous inside, but in the middle, there are 2 squares that are sectioned off by a high fence (if you look on the floor plan, its number 7 and 8) and 8 is where the Alter is, while 7 is where the choir sit. Also, the other pictures are known as the "Transparente" which I'm assuming has to do with the transformation of the bread and wine to the body and blood of Christ. Which is cool, but it was too oppulent for me, I love awe-inspiring churches (and this definitely fits the bill there) but it was just too ornate for me to think about God. I was distracted by all the unnecessary pomp and decorations. But, that's just my opinion.
floor plan of the cathedral:
picture of the hole in the roof:
picture of inner sculptures:
After the cathedral, we got lunch (Olivia's madre (= host mom) made us lunch! it was really nice of her!) and got some souvenirs and postcards, etc (I got a really cute pair of earrings). Then we went back to the cathedral and from there
went to a few other places: we looked at a painting of El Greco (and I wandered off and explored the church it was housed in). We saw a synagogue, another small church, and the monastery of the cathedral. It was kind of funny, because the outting was run by two teachers at the Madrid university, so everything was in Spanish and I could only pick up on random words. But it was neat just seeing Toledo, I probably would've never gone if I hadn't tagged along to that trip. Oh and Toledo is apparently known for marzipan (not sure why...) so we got some of that - it was pretty good! Although, it was heavy. But that makes sense since its made out of exactly three ingredients: sugar, almonds and water. And I'm pretty sure the main ingredient is the sugar lol.
So then we finished the tour and got back on the bus to go back to Madrid. Olivia and I decided to go to this bar called El Tigre for dinner (if you order a drink they give you a free plate of tapas) but it was sooo crowded, so we wandered around and went to another place and got tapas and Sangria. They were both realllyyy good! Sangria is a dangerous drink too, because its so sweet and you have no idea how much they put in it haha. But that was fun, then we wandered around a little bit and saw some crazy outfits - it was Carnivale! So there were lots of cross dressers, lots of medieval outfits and lots of other random costumes... a different place... but really interesting! Then we went home.
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday coming... eventually...
Riding solo
- copied from my notebook -
2/9/10 Tuesday
Ok, so finishing up yesterday, I walked to Notre Dame and then continued on my way to Dani's. I also walked to St. Germain de Pres, which was so cool! Especially after reading Pillars of the Earth (thanks, Mom), I was able to pick out some different styles and saw some of the more subtle details that were different. I think I may like St. Germain de Pres better than Notre Dame. Notre Dame is beautiful and awe-inspiring, but St. G-d-P is so much more real to me. I almost can't imagine going to mass in Notre Dame, whereas I felt really peaceful in St. G-d-P. I know that cathedrals are so gorgeous to inspire man with God's greatness, but sometimes I really appreciate the simpler churches (not that St. G-d-P is simple, but it's all relative lol) because I feel more myself in them - I feel like I belong there more than in the grand, almost ostentatious cathedrals. It's kind of funny that I'm discovering my religion more here in a country that largely doesn't attend mass than I did at my Jesuit university where I'm surrounded by practicing Catholics. Maybe because I'm in such an unfamiliar place that going to Mass is becoming one of my routines that reminds me of home (even though it is in a different language). Oh, well, I think this whole experience is good for me - parts of it are really hard but I'm proving to myself that I can do it! Especially traveling along. I'm not alone the whole time, I'm staying with my friends, but a lot of the time I do my own thing. And I'm realizing that not only do I not hate it, but I actually kind of enjoy it. I loved walking through Paris by myself, I mean, if I was staying alone and didn't have any friends here then that would suck, but just walking by myself is kind of fun because I see so much! And I can do exactly what I want and not worry about anyone else.
Anyways, back from my tangent lol. I left St. Germain de Pres for the last leg of my trek through Paris. And let me tell you, my back back was *killing* me. My backpack isn't that heavy, but carrying it for the last 2.5-3 hours is rough and painful. Also, I had to pee soooo badly! I hadn't used the bathroom since I left home because I didn't want to use a gross public one and I didn't want to pay for food to use a restroom in a restaurant. [sorry if that was TMI lol]
So then I met Dani and peed and dropped off my stuff, then we went and got lunch at a little stand thing downtown - the guy made crepes, paninis and hot dogs. I got a a tomato and chicken panini and Dani got cheese and tomato. They were both delicious (like everything here haha) Then we wandered around and eventually made our way to the Louvre. We walked around the outside and around the Tuileries (basically a big garden with fountains and sculptures that stretches from the Louvre to the Champs Elysées, where the Arc de Triomphe is). Then Dani took off for class and I kept walking around. I forgot my gloves in my backpack, though, so I decided to go to the Louvre for a little bit (free admission with a student ID = awesome!) so I went through the wing of french sculpture. I really sculptures. More than paintings, I think. Its the same kind of appeal as architecture for me: how did men hundreds of years ago make things like this? so intricate and detailed and they had no technology, just tools to work with. It amazes me.
After the Louvre, I was going back to Dani's appt and kept getting lost (apparently my sense of direction reverted to its normal terrible-ness) so I eventually gave up and got on the Metro. Then I grabbed my fleece (to wear for another layer - it got cold!) and my gloves and my Chris for drinks (I'm not old enough to do that! I feel so weird writing that!) It was happy hour so we each got a pint of beer for around 5 euro, which is cheap by Paris standards. However, I hadn't eaten since lunch and I think the beers here are stronger than the water we call beer in the US, so I was feeling it at the end of the beer. It was good, though, and fun to meet up and just catch up with Chris, so we sat and talked for a few hours and then left and went our separate ways. I decided I should have some dinner (since all I had in my stomach was the beer) so I stopped at the Chinese restaurant across the street from Dani's (called la Maison de Bonheur = Happy House) and got fried rice. It was different, but sooo good! I haven't had fried rice in over a month and that's just weird for me.
Then I got to Dani's appt, hung out for a bit and then passed out.
I woke up today (Tuesday) late and saw that it was snowing outside, so I was in no rush to get up and get out in the morning. I showered, ate breakfast and then headed out. I was meeting Dani at the same street vendor for lunch again. I walked there again (I've done so much walking. At least 10 miles at this point, and I'm not exaggerating because the walk to her appt from the Gare was around 4 mi if I went straight, but I didn't so it was probably around 5. Walking to, around, and partways back from the Louvre was probably 2 and walking to meet Dani today was probably around 2. Ok, maybe that's only 9, but then I've been walking around churches, museums and gardens, so I think it's gotta be at least 10 total.) I walked by the Jardin de Luxembourg, which was cool, but I bet it'll be gorgeous in the spring because everything was brown and dead today. But the Senate building was there, so that was neat. Then I got to the vender and got a nutella crepe and it was everything I could ever want lol. It was that good. then we wandered again (see, more walking!) and ended up at Monoprix. Their's has an entire grocery store in the basement! Well maybe mine does too... I'll have to check on that. Anyways, it was awesome. Then we went to the bookstore (it was freezing outside) and hung out there for a bit. Then she left for class and I left a little later. I was planning on walking home, but it was frigid and started snowing, so I took the Metro instead. Definitely forgot to budget for the Metro, oops! Oh, speaking of budget, I bought a pretty scarf for 4 euro :) I think I can afford that lol, plus, I have forever to pay off my [inevitable] debts and only one semester to accumulate them with my adventures. So, I'll enjoy myself (within reason, of course) now and then worry about paying for it later. Besides, everywhere I'm going is pretty cheap because I'm not flying from the US and I know people in a lot of places so I don't have to pay for hotels or hostels.
K, well my hand is starting to hurt, so Imma sign off --
2/9/10 Tuesday
Ok, so finishing up yesterday, I walked to Notre Dame and then continued on my way to Dani's. I also walked to St. Germain de Pres, which was so cool! Especially after reading Pillars of the Earth (thanks, Mom), I was able to pick out some different styles and saw some of the more subtle details that were different. I think I may like St. Germain de Pres better than Notre Dame. Notre Dame is beautiful and awe-inspiring, but St. G-d-P is so much more real to me. I almost can't imagine going to mass in Notre Dame, whereas I felt really peaceful in St. G-d-P. I know that cathedrals are so gorgeous to inspire man with God's greatness, but sometimes I really appreciate the simpler churches (not that St. G-d-P is simple, but it's all relative lol) because I feel more myself in them - I feel like I belong there more than in the grand, almost ostentatious cathedrals. It's kind of funny that I'm discovering my religion more here in a country that largely doesn't attend mass than I did at my Jesuit university where I'm surrounded by practicing Catholics. Maybe because I'm in such an unfamiliar place that going to Mass is becoming one of my routines that reminds me of home (even though it is in a different language). Oh, well, I think this whole experience is good for me - parts of it are really hard but I'm proving to myself that I can do it! Especially traveling along. I'm not alone the whole time, I'm staying with my friends, but a lot of the time I do my own thing. And I'm realizing that not only do I not hate it, but I actually kind of enjoy it. I loved walking through Paris by myself, I mean, if I was staying alone and didn't have any friends here then that would suck, but just walking by myself is kind of fun because I see so much! And I can do exactly what I want and not worry about anyone else.
Anyways, back from my tangent lol. I left St. Germain de Pres for the last leg of my trek through Paris. And let me tell you, my back back was *killing* me. My backpack isn't that heavy, but carrying it for the last 2.5-3 hours is rough and painful. Also, I had to pee soooo badly! I hadn't used the bathroom since I left home because I didn't want to use a gross public one and I didn't want to pay for food to use a restroom in a restaurant. [sorry if that was TMI lol]
So then I met Dani and peed and dropped off my stuff, then we went and got lunch at a little stand thing downtown - the guy made crepes, paninis and hot dogs. I got a a tomato and chicken panini and Dani got cheese and tomato. They were both delicious (like everything here haha) Then we wandered around and eventually made our way to the Louvre. We walked around the outside and around the Tuileries (basically a big garden with fountains and sculptures that stretches from the Louvre to the Champs Elysées, where the Arc de Triomphe is). Then Dani took off for class and I kept walking around. I forgot my gloves in my backpack, though, so I decided to go to the Louvre for a little bit (free admission with a student ID = awesome!) so I went through the wing of french sculpture. I really sculptures. More than paintings, I think. Its the same kind of appeal as architecture for me: how did men hundreds of years ago make things like this? so intricate and detailed and they had no technology, just tools to work with. It amazes me.
After the Louvre, I was going back to Dani's appt and kept getting lost (apparently my sense of direction reverted to its normal terrible-ness) so I eventually gave up and got on the Metro. Then I grabbed my fleece (to wear for another layer - it got cold!) and my gloves and my Chris for drinks (I'm not old enough to do that! I feel so weird writing that!) It was happy hour so we each got a pint of beer for around 5 euro, which is cheap by Paris standards. However, I hadn't eaten since lunch and I think the beers here are stronger than the water we call beer in the US, so I was feeling it at the end of the beer. It was good, though, and fun to meet up and just catch up with Chris, so we sat and talked for a few hours and then left and went our separate ways. I decided I should have some dinner (since all I had in my stomach was the beer) so I stopped at the Chinese restaurant across the street from Dani's (called la Maison de Bonheur = Happy House) and got fried rice. It was different, but sooo good! I haven't had fried rice in over a month and that's just weird for me.
Then I got to Dani's appt, hung out for a bit and then passed out.
I woke up today (Tuesday) late and saw that it was snowing outside, so I was in no rush to get up and get out in the morning. I showered, ate breakfast and then headed out. I was meeting Dani at the same street vendor for lunch again. I walked there again (I've done so much walking. At least 10 miles at this point, and I'm not exaggerating because the walk to her appt from the Gare was around 4 mi if I went straight, but I didn't so it was probably around 5. Walking to, around, and partways back from the Louvre was probably 2 and walking to meet Dani today was probably around 2. Ok, maybe that's only 9, but then I've been walking around churches, museums and gardens, so I think it's gotta be at least 10 total.) I walked by the Jardin de Luxembourg, which was cool, but I bet it'll be gorgeous in the spring because everything was brown and dead today. But the Senate building was there, so that was neat. Then I got to the vender and got a nutella crepe and it was everything I could ever want lol. It was that good. then we wandered again (see, more walking!) and ended up at Monoprix. Their's has an entire grocery store in the basement! Well maybe mine does too... I'll have to check on that. Anyways, it was awesome. Then we went to the bookstore (it was freezing outside) and hung out there for a bit. Then she left for class and I left a little later. I was planning on walking home, but it was frigid and started snowing, so I took the Metro instead. Definitely forgot to budget for the Metro, oops! Oh, speaking of budget, I bought a pretty scarf for 4 euro :) I think I can afford that lol, plus, I have forever to pay off my [inevitable] debts and only one semester to accumulate them with my adventures. So, I'll enjoy myself (within reason, of course) now and then worry about paying for it later. Besides, everywhere I'm going is pretty cheap because I'm not flying from the US and I know people in a lot of places so I don't have to pay for hotels or hostels.
K, well my hand is starting to hurt, so Imma sign off --
backpacking through Paris
I kept a pseudo journal while I was in Paris and Spain so I could just copy it here...
-copied from my notebook-
2/8/10 Monday 10:40 am
Well, here I am in Paris, feeling oh so French and boho as I sip my café au lait and write in my notebook (the notebook I brought to do work - right, fat chance) I guess I could mention the rather American aspects of me right now: brightly colored map of Paris, which I was just poring over, GIGANTIC backpack stuffed with everything I need for 7 days of travel (and the real reason I stopped for coffee, since I'm getting lunch in a few hours. Although maybe it is a good thing I got something to tide me over and wake me up) and my worn, scuffed brown shoes (mismatched with my outfit consisting of a black coat, black purse and black belt... oops! lol) Well anyways, while I'm wasting time before I pay the bill, I can write down my day so far and also my plan for the next few hours.
I woke up this morning a little after 5 am, showered, shoved some food in my mouth, took out the trashed, closed the blinds, shut down my comp, checked my travel necessities (passport, boarding passes, train tix), brushed my teeth, got my stuff, left and locked the door. And I'm off! Honestly, I'm both impressed and disgusted with my pack because it can fit so much, but I thought I would need less (I'm sure I will next time). But at the same time, its my first trip, so I'll learn from it. And, I can't help but compare it to the BC swim bag I took with me on a weekend trip once. The huge maroon and white bag that I stuffed. Then I also had my purse and my backpack - it was ridiculous. So, I guess I've improved since then.
Anyways, back on track: So I got out the door and walked to the tram stop and got there around 6 and got on the tram a little past 6. Got to the Gare around 6:30 and went straight to my train, which left at 6:45, my timing was pretty perfect. I couldn't find the right car, though, so I just got on one and took an empty seat (I got kicked out of my original seat but then I got one). The ride wasn't very interesting for the first hour because it was still dark out, but once it got lighter, the countryside was beautiful :) all green and gentle rolling hills, I loved it. It's more of a quiet, sleepy, peaceful beauty compared to the rugged, dramatic and striking beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
I got to Paris (Gare de l'Est) a little after 9 am, and I found a map of Paris (thank goodness - the aforementioned map that screams TOURIST! lol) And I set off in the direction I thought I should go (and turned out to be right! yay! my sense of direction is improving) So I kept walking in vaguely the right direction, snapping pics and taking detours whenever I felt like it and eventually found myself in Les Deux Palais, where I am now. I stopped because I have some time to kill (roughly 2.5 hours lol) and my back was begging for a break. My backpack was pretty light this morning, but walking for hours will take its toll...
So, I've been here almost a half hour and I feel like I should start moving again soon. But, I'll impose on them for a little longer. It's nice to sit for a few minutes since I wandered for about an hour and have another hour ish to go (its only 1:15 walk to Dani's from the Gare or I could take the Metro, but I figure since I have 4 hours between my train's arrival and our lunch date, I should just walk and see as much as Paris as I can in 2 days.) The thing that struck me immediately is how much bigger Paris is than Strasbourg. It's a real city and it's huge and that also makes it fun to walk through, though. Hopefully I can keep up that attitude through Madrid lol. The buildings here are also much more French - more Renaissance (in my inexpert opinion) - all very beautiful- but there's definitely less (if any) German influence here. Then again, Strasbourg is known for its French AND German heritage. Paris is strictly French.
Well, 2 hours till my lunch date, so I guess I'd better get going again. I'm heading to Notre Dame along the way, though, so that'll take a few minutes (plus I'm already off the path to her appt. Maybe I'll head back and see St. Germain de Pres also.) Alright, well till later --
-copied from my notebook-
2/8/10 Monday 10:40 am
Well, here I am in Paris, feeling oh so French and boho as I sip my café au lait and write in my notebook (the notebook I brought to do work - right, fat chance) I guess I could mention the rather American aspects of me right now: brightly colored map of Paris, which I was just poring over, GIGANTIC backpack stuffed with everything I need for 7 days of travel (and the real reason I stopped for coffee, since I'm getting lunch in a few hours. Although maybe it is a good thing I got something to tide me over and wake me up) and my worn, scuffed brown shoes (mismatched with my outfit consisting of a black coat, black purse and black belt... oops! lol) Well anyways, while I'm wasting time before I pay the bill, I can write down my day so far and also my plan for the next few hours.
I woke up this morning a little after 5 am, showered, shoved some food in my mouth, took out the trashed, closed the blinds, shut down my comp, checked my travel necessities (passport, boarding passes, train tix), brushed my teeth, got my stuff, left and locked the door. And I'm off! Honestly, I'm both impressed and disgusted with my pack because it can fit so much, but I thought I would need less (I'm sure I will next time). But at the same time, its my first trip, so I'll learn from it. And, I can't help but compare it to the BC swim bag I took with me on a weekend trip once. The huge maroon and white bag that I stuffed. Then I also had my purse and my backpack - it was ridiculous. So, I guess I've improved since then.
Anyways, back on track: So I got out the door and walked to the tram stop and got there around 6 and got on the tram a little past 6. Got to the Gare around 6:30 and went straight to my train, which left at 6:45, my timing was pretty perfect. I couldn't find the right car, though, so I just got on one and took an empty seat (I got kicked out of my original seat but then I got one). The ride wasn't very interesting for the first hour because it was still dark out, but once it got lighter, the countryside was beautiful :) all green and gentle rolling hills, I loved it. It's more of a quiet, sleepy, peaceful beauty compared to the rugged, dramatic and striking beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
I got to Paris (Gare de l'Est) a little after 9 am, and I found a map of Paris (thank goodness - the aforementioned map that screams TOURIST! lol) And I set off in the direction I thought I should go (and turned out to be right! yay! my sense of direction is improving) So I kept walking in vaguely the right direction, snapping pics and taking detours whenever I felt like it and eventually found myself in Les Deux Palais, where I am now. I stopped because I have some time to kill (roughly 2.5 hours lol) and my back was begging for a break. My backpack was pretty light this morning, but walking for hours will take its toll...
So, I've been here almost a half hour and I feel like I should start moving again soon. But, I'll impose on them for a little longer. It's nice to sit for a few minutes since I wandered for about an hour and have another hour ish to go (its only 1:15 walk to Dani's from the Gare or I could take the Metro, but I figure since I have 4 hours between my train's arrival and our lunch date, I should just walk and see as much as Paris as I can in 2 days.) The thing that struck me immediately is how much bigger Paris is than Strasbourg. It's a real city and it's huge and that also makes it fun to walk through, though. Hopefully I can keep up that attitude through Madrid lol. The buildings here are also much more French - more Renaissance (in my inexpert opinion) - all very beautiful- but there's definitely less (if any) German influence here. Then again, Strasbourg is known for its French AND German heritage. Paris is strictly French.
Well, 2 hours till my lunch date, so I guess I'd better get going again. I'm heading to Notre Dame along the way, though, so that'll take a few minutes (plus I'm already off the path to her appt. Maybe I'll head back and see St. Germain de Pres also.) Alright, well till later --
updates
nothing too exciting:
1. pictures are up on photobucket, but for you facebook stalkers, fb photo upload is being DUMB and not letting me load my Spain pics. sorry :( I'll keep trying.
2. real updates coming in the next day or two, I've been typing them up out of order so once I get them chronological (yes, I'm OCD, deal with it lol) then I'll post them.
3. sorry for all the mini posts with no real substance!
4. loveee youuu allll :)
1. pictures are up on photobucket, but for you facebook stalkers, fb photo upload is being DUMB and not letting me load my Spain pics. sorry :( I'll keep trying.
2. real updates coming in the next day or two, I've been typing them up out of order so once I get them chronological (yes, I'm OCD, deal with it lol) then I'll post them.
3. sorry for all the mini posts with no real substance!
4. loveee youuu allll :)
Monday, February 15, 2010
made it back
tired, dirty, and possibly smelly. but home, now its nap time. pictures, real update coming soon i promise :)
Friday, February 12, 2010
In Madrid!
Well, I'm borrowing Olivia's computer, because she's napping (napping at 12 am, because in Madrid, people don't go out till oh, you know 2 am - when people in the US go home - insane), but I just wanted to let everyone know that I survived Paris and made it to Madrid! Not going to post a lot, but I've been writing things down, so I'll be sure to post a loootttt when I get back to France. love you all!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
1 month!
Oh my god, it's been a month already! And tomorrow I leave on my first travel adventure while abroad (I mean, I guess it's an adventure within an adventure, since this whole experience is an adventure...). Tomorrow morning I'm leaving early (6 am ugh) for Paris! And spending two days there, staying with one of my friends from BC. Then on Wednesday, I'm leaving for Madrid, Spain for 4 days! I am SO excited to go somewhere warm and sunny (hopefully)! So, don't expect any updates between now and then - I won't have my comp.
Anyways, backing up a few days... there actually isn't much to tell. I just can't believe I've already been here a month! It doesn't feel that long. I've some incredible highs and some amazingly fun times and I've met some great people. At the same time, I've had a few rather pathetic nights where I just want to go home and turn on the rice cooker and eat peanut butter out the jar. It's been a rollercoaster I guess. I wonder how I'll feel in another month... I'm not sure.
Well, I should get back to getting ready to go (printing city maps, metro maps, confirmation emails, packing, snacking on bread and cheese and wine, etc.) so, I may add to this post later tonight if I get everything done in a timely fashion (aka, don't count on another post). So, if I don't talk to you later today, I hope you have a wonderful week and expect some pictures when I get back!
lovelove!
Valerie
Anyways, backing up a few days... there actually isn't much to tell. I just can't believe I've already been here a month! It doesn't feel that long. I've some incredible highs and some amazingly fun times and I've met some great people. At the same time, I've had a few rather pathetic nights where I just want to go home and turn on the rice cooker and eat peanut butter out the jar. It's been a rollercoaster I guess. I wonder how I'll feel in another month... I'm not sure.
Well, I should get back to getting ready to go (printing city maps, metro maps, confirmation emails, packing, snacking on bread and cheese and wine, etc.) so, I may add to this post later tonight if I get everything done in a timely fashion (aka, don't count on another post). So, if I don't talk to you later today, I hope you have a wonderful week and expect some pictures when I get back!
lovelove!
Valerie
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