After re reading all of my blogs of my travels through Europe I realized I like this blogging thing. For most of my life I have a kept a journal, I have always found it theraputic to write my thoughts down for safe keeping and to go back and remember what I was feeling and/or doing at certain points in my life.
For those of you who followed me in Europe I know this won't be as entertaining but for me it's like my new journal. Various thoughts activities and what not will be here and I hope you will enjoy it. I dont even really care if no one reads it.
Since coming back from Europe it's been very strange to not be back in school. Everyone I spent the last 4 years of my life with are still out on the east coast and I'm definitely lonely w/o them. I have found a few odd jobs to keep money coming in and me afloat for the time being. My first and most enjoyable job is coaching a hs boys swim team. It's been a lot of fun to educated them w/ my knowledge from 10 years of swimming. They at first were kind of nervous around me, worried they would offend me however they soon realized that I'm a tomboy and nothing offends me. Its weird coaching and seeing the other viewpoint but at the same time fun.
Other than coaching i'm doing some supervisor work at the local elementary school and working at Target. Yes it's not glamorous or by any means exactly what I want to do w/ my life but it's money and keeps me busy until a career job comes along. Some people have ridiculed me for having these jobs, especially Target, however they are the ones sitting at home w/ nothing to do and no job. Are they really ones to criticize the jobs that I have where I'm making money??
Last week I turned 23 (and so not tired of life). How weird to think that I'm 23 years old, an accomplished athlete and graduated from college. Pardon my language but holy shit. After turning 23 I made my first real adult purchase of my life. I bought a car... no not new, but used. $7,000 for a 2002 Honda Civic LX w/ 100,000 miles on it. Despite the mileage it's in EXCELLENT condition and I love it. Per request of many people I named my car... Kiefer. Not only do I love Kiefer Sutherland but once I said it I loved it.
When the swim season ends I'm thinking about packing up and moving out East to hardcore job hunt for a career job. People have offered to let me stay with them and I think it would really help to apply for jobs when I'm living in CT and can easily go into say Boston or NYC for an interview.
I'm off for the night... will post more tomorrow.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Grindelwald
Got up this morning and took the train to Interlaken. These trains are a little bit different because going through the mountains require them to slow down and be careful... a little nervewrecking. But arriving at Interlaken the lake that this city lies in is BEAUTIFUL. Honestly Ive never seen more blue water in my life. From Interlaken I took another train to Grindelwald, a small hiking town at the base of the Alps. After walking around for a little bit I finally went up. I took the Gondola, Munnlichen, up about half way and for some reason was totally freaked out. Ive been on tons of gondolas and ski lifts but I guess being on my own and it being summer just creeped me out. Going up the mountainat around 2000 m it started to get really cloudy. Seriously I couldnt see the next tower for the lift until it was about 50 ft away.
I got off at the last station and couldnt see ANYTHING. Oh and it was FREEZING!!!!!!!!! I not being an experienced hiker didnt realize it would be that cold there. I was only in shorts and my Big East zip up hoodie. The trail I intially took was nice and easy over to the train station that takes you to to Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe as they claim. its one of the highest points in the Alps that people are able to acces by train. Unfortunately it was like a bajillion swiss francs to go so I wasnt able to get to the top. Instead I found a few more trails to hike on and just enjoy being out in the open.
By mid afternoon my legs were worn out so I took the train, no I could not get back in that Gondola again, back down to Grindelwald to go to the other side of the city and try to hike to a near by glacier. I got to the other gondola lift and before I could go up noticed the sign that the trail was closed for the weekend, ughhhh. It was closed due to boulders that had fallen and blocked the path so they wouldnt be able to reopen it until it was safe again. So instead I had to deal with just taking pictures of the glacier from far away. Oh well.
Got on the train back to Interlaken-Bern in the afternoon and its only 7:00 but im exhausted. For me this could not have been a better way to end the trip. It was a bummer I couldnt get to Barcelona and had to change things around but I think its all worked out for the better so Im happy with what I got to do. I mean come on, Im in Europe Id be happy just about anywhere.
Tomorrow my train for Frankfurt leaves around 1:00 pm so I get in around 5:00. I plan on going to the hotel and if they by some random act of God have a bathtub (or even a hottub or pool) I will submerge myself for hours. Flight leaves at 11:00 on Monday.
"would you not like to be sitting on top of the world with your legs hanging free?"
I got off at the last station and couldnt see ANYTHING. Oh and it was FREEZING!!!!!!!!! I not being an experienced hiker didnt realize it would be that cold there. I was only in shorts and my Big East zip up hoodie. The trail I intially took was nice and easy over to the train station that takes you to to Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe as they claim. its one of the highest points in the Alps that people are able to acces by train. Unfortunately it was like a bajillion swiss francs to go so I wasnt able to get to the top. Instead I found a few more trails to hike on and just enjoy being out in the open.
By mid afternoon my legs were worn out so I took the train, no I could not get back in that Gondola again, back down to Grindelwald to go to the other side of the city and try to hike to a near by glacier. I got to the other gondola lift and before I could go up noticed the sign that the trail was closed for the weekend, ughhhh. It was closed due to boulders that had fallen and blocked the path so they wouldnt be able to reopen it until it was safe again. So instead I had to deal with just taking pictures of the glacier from far away. Oh well.
Got on the train back to Interlaken-Bern in the afternoon and its only 7:00 but im exhausted. For me this could not have been a better way to end the trip. It was a bummer I couldnt get to Barcelona and had to change things around but I think its all worked out for the better so Im happy with what I got to do. I mean come on, Im in Europe Id be happy just about anywhere.
Tomorrow my train for Frankfurt leaves around 1:00 pm so I get in around 5:00. I plan on going to the hotel and if they by some random act of God have a bathtub (or even a hottub or pool) I will submerge myself for hours. Flight leaves at 11:00 on Monday.
"would you not like to be sitting on top of the world with your legs hanging free?"
Friday, August 28, 2009
Berne Switzerland
I arrived in Bern on Thursday night around 10:00 pm. I was a little bit worried about finding my hostel on my own in the dark with no real help except for a few directionst hat I wasnt sure about. However depsite the small signs I was able to find the hostel. Its funny waking up here in the city and having no idea what anything looks like because it was dark when I arrived the night before.
There was a tourist center at the train station I remembered so I went back there, snce that was pretty much the only place I knew. Since this is the capital of Switzerland its always busy here and is kind of hectic with the busses and the trams running everywhere. Walking awa and left from the train station is the main street that leads into the old town. There are some really cool things that just lie on this street alone. I think my favorite is that many small local shops are located underneath the buildings. Their entrances are like old cellar doors and you have to go down really steep steps to get to them. In the old town there are tons of statues on the buildings and fountains everywhere that depict different parts of the Bern history.
The highlight of today was definately Einsteins apartment. He lived in Bern for 7 years and in this apartment he created the E=mc2 formula. I felt a little bit smarter leaving his apartment. Since my trip is winding down m just kind of taking all things in and just enjoying the fact that Im in Europe. The river runs right through the city dividing the old town with the residential areas in the hills. Kind of awesome views everywhere.
Since arriving in Europe I havent been able to shake this cold and so I came back to the hostel in the afternoon and took a 2.5 hour nap and im still tired. However Im not going to let that stop me tomorrow. tomorrow Im traveling to a small town, Grindelwald where I can take a tram to the top of some mountain and see almost to the Swiss border! If the weather isnt so great Ill probably just hike around on the nature trails and what not. Itll be good exercise thats for sure.
Frankfurt on sunday and my flight leaves monday morning... cant believe it.
There was a tourist center at the train station I remembered so I went back there, snce that was pretty much the only place I knew. Since this is the capital of Switzerland its always busy here and is kind of hectic with the busses and the trams running everywhere. Walking awa and left from the train station is the main street that leads into the old town. There are some really cool things that just lie on this street alone. I think my favorite is that many small local shops are located underneath the buildings. Their entrances are like old cellar doors and you have to go down really steep steps to get to them. In the old town there are tons of statues on the buildings and fountains everywhere that depict different parts of the Bern history.
The highlight of today was definately Einsteins apartment. He lived in Bern for 7 years and in this apartment he created the E=mc2 formula. I felt a little bit smarter leaving his apartment. Since my trip is winding down m just kind of taking all things in and just enjoying the fact that Im in Europe. The river runs right through the city dividing the old town with the residential areas in the hills. Kind of awesome views everywhere.
Since arriving in Europe I havent been able to shake this cold and so I came back to the hostel in the afternoon and took a 2.5 hour nap and im still tired. However Im not going to let that stop me tomorrow. tomorrow Im traveling to a small town, Grindelwald where I can take a tram to the top of some mountain and see almost to the Swiss border! If the weather isnt so great Ill probably just hike around on the nature trails and what not. Itll be good exercise thats for sure.
Frankfurt on sunday and my flight leaves monday morning... cant believe it.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Normandy and the DDay Beaches
Today may have been one of the most emotional and moving days of my life. I woke up this morning and left for my tour, Overlord tours, on the DDay beaches this morning. All of the tours in Bayeux leave from the same point. The tour guide we had was from England and is a WWII history buff, so while we were driving there, he gave us even more information about anything we asked.
A great group we had going today: me, 2 guys from Cali, some Packers fans from Chicago, a couple from Houston and a father and son from England. Our first stop on our tour was Point du Hoc, where the Rangers stormed the cliffs to attack the german artillery. These cliffs are incredible and its crawy to imagine these men climbing with all of their equipment. The tops of the cliffs there are still remaining bunkers, pillboxes (Germans hid the guns and sheltered there) and empty spaces where the cannons used to be. The bunkers from the air raids are incredible and just so deep into the ground, you can see where the land used to be flat but now is just infested from the air raids. In some of the pill boxes you can see where the American artillery shells hit, even the circle from the casing is still evident. On our tour this morning it was rainy and windy and cold, almost eerie because of where we were to not have this excellent weather ive experienced almost the entire trip.
Our next stop was Omaha Beach. Famously portrayed in Saving Private Ryan ( which shamefully i still havent seen it, but will as soon as i get home). We parked in Dog Green which is one of the sections of the beach that actually extends 5 miles total. Each of the different sections had different names for the battalions to know where they were. Now looking at this beach today it seems as though it would be an easy assault, but rather it was the most difficult place of the entire assault on all the beaches. Here the Atlantic Wall rested created by the Germans. Full of large metal and wood blocks to stop troops and their platoons to reaching very far. Not to mention on this same day the tide was almost of out of control creating giant waves and pushing the groups further north than they had expected to be. Sitting on some benches we were given a few minutes to sit and reflect on the events of the day. Its almost unreal how much they did in that day and in the days after. You can picture it all if you close your eyes and just breathe in the ocean air.
Our last stop was the American Cemetary. This area of Normandy is owned by the United States, given to them from France. Employees are all considered US employees. There are 3 criteria for this land:
1. the curator must be a war veteran, not just WWII but a war veteran. The current curator is a veteran from the Normandy invasion.
2. The vegitation in the park must be green year round. They have kentucky bluegrass, evergreen trees and other vegitation that normally is in the US and because of the climate here its green year round.
3. Non profit. There is no gift shop, no where to buy memoribilia, you cant even buy bottled water. Its just for the sole purpose of commemorating the fallen Soldiers of the Normandy Invasion.
When I went to the Veitnam War Memorial for the first time in Washington DC i was brought to tears then. Today was just the same. Walking into the cemetary the first is the memorial constructed with the map of the entire DDay plans and assaults. In the center is a statue representing all of the soldiers who fought through a spirit of courage and honor splashing out of the water. In front of this memorial seperating it from the actual cemetary is a reflecting pool, with the same depth as the reflecting pool in Washington DC. Walking around the cemetary it really makes you think about how many men were killed not only in this part of the war, but throught out the entire war all over the world. Within the cemetary there are 3 medals of honor and one belongs to Teddy Roosevelt Jr who died in action. Next to him is Quentin Roosevelt who is the only person buried there who died in WWI. There are 3 women, 148 African American soldiers, and about 344 Jewish soldiers. There are sets of brothers and the most emotional of them all: a father and son, buried next to one another. The mother, living in Nebraska received news of their deaths 45 minutes apart. Emotions running, I couldnt help but shed a few tears. Within this cemetary are the Niland brothers with whom Saving Private Ryan is about. They have small flowers you can take to put on a headstone of your choosing. I picked one up and found a man who was from WI, I put mine there. For all soldiers who were unidentified or lost in battle theyre headstones read: "Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God".
After the tour was over, me and the guys who were from California went into Caen to the War museum there which dates from the end of WWI to post WWII ( the Cold War). There is so much in this museum, while we were only there for a few hours one could easily spend all day there. All different kinds of artifacts are there including letters from soldiers to their families, bibles, and a wedding dress made from the parachute of a soldier. After the museum we still had time until going to back to Bayeux so we went into the castle of William the Conqueror. This place is pretty much destroyed other than the castle walls, but how could it not be, it was built around 1025.
We came back to Bayeux ans had a nice dinner on the little river and then since we were all exhausted weve headed back to our hotels. Today was really an incredible day and I hope to someday come back here and explore all of the land. My goal is to start from the northern most part and bike all the way down to utah beach. People have done it, its hard but they said its worth it because you get to see so much more.
Tomorrow afternoon Im off to Bern but I dont get in until 1000 pm so ill be tired. 4 days left then its back to Wisco... cant wait to see my family.
This truly has been an incredilbe trip this far.
A great group we had going today: me, 2 guys from Cali, some Packers fans from Chicago, a couple from Houston and a father and son from England. Our first stop on our tour was Point du Hoc, where the Rangers stormed the cliffs to attack the german artillery. These cliffs are incredible and its crawy to imagine these men climbing with all of their equipment. The tops of the cliffs there are still remaining bunkers, pillboxes (Germans hid the guns and sheltered there) and empty spaces where the cannons used to be. The bunkers from the air raids are incredible and just so deep into the ground, you can see where the land used to be flat but now is just infested from the air raids. In some of the pill boxes you can see where the American artillery shells hit, even the circle from the casing is still evident. On our tour this morning it was rainy and windy and cold, almost eerie because of where we were to not have this excellent weather ive experienced almost the entire trip.
Our next stop was Omaha Beach. Famously portrayed in Saving Private Ryan ( which shamefully i still havent seen it, but will as soon as i get home). We parked in Dog Green which is one of the sections of the beach that actually extends 5 miles total. Each of the different sections had different names for the battalions to know where they were. Now looking at this beach today it seems as though it would be an easy assault, but rather it was the most difficult place of the entire assault on all the beaches. Here the Atlantic Wall rested created by the Germans. Full of large metal and wood blocks to stop troops and their platoons to reaching very far. Not to mention on this same day the tide was almost of out of control creating giant waves and pushing the groups further north than they had expected to be. Sitting on some benches we were given a few minutes to sit and reflect on the events of the day. Its almost unreal how much they did in that day and in the days after. You can picture it all if you close your eyes and just breathe in the ocean air.
Our last stop was the American Cemetary. This area of Normandy is owned by the United States, given to them from France. Employees are all considered US employees. There are 3 criteria for this land:
1. the curator must be a war veteran, not just WWII but a war veteran. The current curator is a veteran from the Normandy invasion.
2. The vegitation in the park must be green year round. They have kentucky bluegrass, evergreen trees and other vegitation that normally is in the US and because of the climate here its green year round.
3. Non profit. There is no gift shop, no where to buy memoribilia, you cant even buy bottled water. Its just for the sole purpose of commemorating the fallen Soldiers of the Normandy Invasion.
When I went to the Veitnam War Memorial for the first time in Washington DC i was brought to tears then. Today was just the same. Walking into the cemetary the first is the memorial constructed with the map of the entire DDay plans and assaults. In the center is a statue representing all of the soldiers who fought through a spirit of courage and honor splashing out of the water. In front of this memorial seperating it from the actual cemetary is a reflecting pool, with the same depth as the reflecting pool in Washington DC. Walking around the cemetary it really makes you think about how many men were killed not only in this part of the war, but throught out the entire war all over the world. Within the cemetary there are 3 medals of honor and one belongs to Teddy Roosevelt Jr who died in action. Next to him is Quentin Roosevelt who is the only person buried there who died in WWI. There are 3 women, 148 African American soldiers, and about 344 Jewish soldiers. There are sets of brothers and the most emotional of them all: a father and son, buried next to one another. The mother, living in Nebraska received news of their deaths 45 minutes apart. Emotions running, I couldnt help but shed a few tears. Within this cemetary are the Niland brothers with whom Saving Private Ryan is about. They have small flowers you can take to put on a headstone of your choosing. I picked one up and found a man who was from WI, I put mine there. For all soldiers who were unidentified or lost in battle theyre headstones read: "Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God".
After the tour was over, me and the guys who were from California went into Caen to the War museum there which dates from the end of WWI to post WWII ( the Cold War). There is so much in this museum, while we were only there for a few hours one could easily spend all day there. All different kinds of artifacts are there including letters from soldiers to their families, bibles, and a wedding dress made from the parachute of a soldier. After the museum we still had time until going to back to Bayeux so we went into the castle of William the Conqueror. This place is pretty much destroyed other than the castle walls, but how could it not be, it was built around 1025.
We came back to Bayeux ans had a nice dinner on the little river and then since we were all exhausted weve headed back to our hotels. Today was really an incredible day and I hope to someday come back here and explore all of the land. My goal is to start from the northern most part and bike all the way down to utah beach. People have done it, its hard but they said its worth it because you get to see so much more.
Tomorrow afternoon Im off to Bern but I dont get in until 1000 pm so ill be tired. 4 days left then its back to Wisco... cant wait to see my family.
This truly has been an incredilbe trip this far.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A Day of Traveling
Starting at 430 this morning I woke up to catch my train out of Arles, finally... Not that I didnt love the city because I did its incredible, but from friday to tuesday was a little long for me. thank god for the pont du gard to help break up that stay a little bit.
My train out of Arles left at 552 this morning and I went straight to Lyon, where I transferred onto the TGV to Paris. As we were nearing Lyon at one of the stops some older wealthy french ladies sat down in the seats next to me. Now I may not speak or understand French very well, but I knew they were talking about me when they realized, or thought I couldnt understand them. Some of the phrases I got were shes so underdressed, looks like a slob, wearing her glasses, no make up. Now ladies I may not wear my gold jewelry when im traveling at 552 in the morning, but believe me, i clean up nice. On the TGV from Lyon to Paris, which was full, I was stuck next to a guy who snored the entire way and smelled of kitty litter. I dont get how the french can spend SO much on perfume, but nothing on deodorant. News flash: PERFUME IS NOT DEODORANT!!!!!!!!!
I got into Bayeux around 3 pm today after getting my ticket to Bern in the Gare de Lyon station in Paris. apparently something happened to the train on the way back from Bayeux so it was about a half an hour late. Checked into my hotel and immediately went to the tourist office to reserve my spot on a tour tomorrow. Good thing I got there when I did because I got the last seat on the tour in the morning for 830-1200. This tour does the American beach Omaha, Pont du Hoc and the American Cemetary. Once thats done Im going to catch the train to Caen and go to the WWII museum in town there. Its supposed to be incredible, one of the best french museums.
I have always been bummed that I missed out on the Pearl Harbor trip when we went on our training trip to Hawaii freshman year (i was sick with sun poisoning). This for me is really important and to me its paying respect to everyone who has served our country or any country in WWII.
One of the main attractions here in Bayeux is a 1000 year old tapestry sewn by women during the Norman Invasion in 1066. Its incredible because it tells the entire story and despite all its history of being used and in churches that have burned down but somehow it surived, its incredible. The smallest details from the Haleys Comet to Harold being killed by an arrow through his eyes.
Tomorrow is a busy day and ive been up since 430, which means im going to bed at 730, yes i know im a loser but i dont care. Ive got a good book and some Orangina to drink so im happy : )
My train out of Arles left at 552 this morning and I went straight to Lyon, where I transferred onto the TGV to Paris. As we were nearing Lyon at one of the stops some older wealthy french ladies sat down in the seats next to me. Now I may not speak or understand French very well, but I knew they were talking about me when they realized, or thought I couldnt understand them. Some of the phrases I got were shes so underdressed, looks like a slob, wearing her glasses, no make up. Now ladies I may not wear my gold jewelry when im traveling at 552 in the morning, but believe me, i clean up nice. On the TGV from Lyon to Paris, which was full, I was stuck next to a guy who snored the entire way and smelled of kitty litter. I dont get how the french can spend SO much on perfume, but nothing on deodorant. News flash: PERFUME IS NOT DEODORANT!!!!!!!!!
I got into Bayeux around 3 pm today after getting my ticket to Bern in the Gare de Lyon station in Paris. apparently something happened to the train on the way back from Bayeux so it was about a half an hour late. Checked into my hotel and immediately went to the tourist office to reserve my spot on a tour tomorrow. Good thing I got there when I did because I got the last seat on the tour in the morning for 830-1200. This tour does the American beach Omaha, Pont du Hoc and the American Cemetary. Once thats done Im going to catch the train to Caen and go to the WWII museum in town there. Its supposed to be incredible, one of the best french museums.
I have always been bummed that I missed out on the Pearl Harbor trip when we went on our training trip to Hawaii freshman year (i was sick with sun poisoning). This for me is really important and to me its paying respect to everyone who has served our country or any country in WWII.
One of the main attractions here in Bayeux is a 1000 year old tapestry sewn by women during the Norman Invasion in 1066. Its incredible because it tells the entire story and despite all its history of being used and in churches that have burned down but somehow it surived, its incredible. The smallest details from the Haleys Comet to Harold being killed by an arrow through his eyes.
Tomorrow is a busy day and ive been up since 430, which means im going to bed at 730, yes i know im a loser but i dont care. Ive got a good book and some Orangina to drink so im happy : )
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Pont du Gard
So in order to get me out of my depression in Arles I took a day trip to Pont du Gard. The bus to PdG is in the sketchy bus station in Avignon and it left at 1045 then all of a sudden it was 1045 and it said it had already left, when it most definately didnt show up. There was an elder scottish couple who were there waiting as well and just as soon as we decided to split a cab (about 40€) it whoed up. its about a 45 minute ride from Avignon to PdG.
This place is incredible. Is there anything the Romans didnt contribute with for modern day????? This is the first of modern day plumbing that the world had seen and its still standing today. The area around it is incredible and resembles what it always has been, just a nice park area. The bridge towers of the ravine of the river and its just too cool. You can walk under neath it, or in the canals where the water flowed on top ( with a guide that i missed the tour for unforunately).
On either bank and side of the PdG people can swim in the river and jump off the rocks. If I had known I could have done this I would have brought my bathing suit... wait, what was stopping me anyway. I found a nice family who also had a VERY cute jack russell terrier as well who were jumping off the rocks that had a towel i could borrow. It was my turn, i took my shoes off, and jumped, YES with my clothes on :) It was so sunny and so hott it was worth it and I dried off by the time i had to catch the bus back to avignon. it was totally worth it.
I leave for Normandy via Paris now early in the morning (552 am) on tuesday so tomorrow i shall relax do laundry and enjoy some cafe food at Cafe au Nuit ( yes the famous one from the van gogh painting)
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This place is incredible. Is there anything the Romans didnt contribute with for modern day????? This is the first of modern day plumbing that the world had seen and its still standing today. The area around it is incredible and resembles what it always has been, just a nice park area. The bridge towers of the ravine of the river and its just too cool. You can walk under neath it, or in the canals where the water flowed on top ( with a guide that i missed the tour for unforunately).
On either bank and side of the PdG people can swim in the river and jump off the rocks. If I had known I could have done this I would have brought my bathing suit... wait, what was stopping me anyway. I found a nice family who also had a VERY cute jack russell terrier as well who were jumping off the rocks that had a towel i could borrow. It was my turn, i took my shoes off, and jumped, YES with my clothes on :) It was so sunny and so hott it was worth it and I dried off by the time i had to catch the bus back to avignon. it was totally worth it.
I leave for Normandy via Paris now early in the morning (552 am) on tuesday so tomorrow i shall relax do laundry and enjoy some cafe food at Cafe au Nuit ( yes the famous one from the van gogh painting)
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Arles
Despite the fiasco of trains and places to stay, Arles is magnificent. Today there was a market pretty much all morning with everything from fresh produce to cheap clothing to windshield wiper blades. This made the city a little bit more crowded im guessing than usual. This city is a lot bigger than I thought it would be but still there is so many old buildings that have been around for ages.
The Roman Ampitheatre, which is currently undre reconstruction which kinda takes away some of the ambiance is magnificient. Its almost hard to believe that they constructed this in the 1st century BC. Going inside its very clear that it is still used today for bullfights in the summers, i unforunately wont be able to see one while im here. But walking up inot one of the remaining towers you can see much of the town; Right near by is the Ancient Theatre which is a true ruin of what the Roman Theatres were. There were 3 stories for the various classes of people in roman civilization but now all that remains is the lower level that was reserved for knights and members of government or royalty. You can vaguely see the backstage that now only consists of crumbled coluns, however its still pretty cool.
In the main forum is the Cafe at Night, famously painted by Van Gogh. Today its obviously very much modernized hozever the original sign still remains. Im definately going to return at night and see it illuminated as he saw it. All around the city are spots where he painted marked by bronze easels and pictures of the painting from there. Its cool the see the actual place and then what he saw through his eyes.
Im here until Tuesday so I think tomorrow im going to make a day trip to Avignon/ Pont Du Gard and laundry needs to be done, badly. Some clothes are really starting to stink. My hostel is closed from 10 am to 5 pm... kinda sucks.
The Roman Ampitheatre, which is currently undre reconstruction which kinda takes away some of the ambiance is magnificient. Its almost hard to believe that they constructed this in the 1st century BC. Going inside its very clear that it is still used today for bullfights in the summers, i unforunately wont be able to see one while im here. But walking up inot one of the remaining towers you can see much of the town; Right near by is the Ancient Theatre which is a true ruin of what the Roman Theatres were. There were 3 stories for the various classes of people in roman civilization but now all that remains is the lower level that was reserved for knights and members of government or royalty. You can vaguely see the backstage that now only consists of crumbled coluns, however its still pretty cool.
In the main forum is the Cafe at Night, famously painted by Van Gogh. Today its obviously very much modernized hozever the original sign still remains. Im definately going to return at night and see it illuminated as he saw it. All around the city are spots where he painted marked by bronze easels and pictures of the painting from there. Its cool the see the actual place and then what he saw through his eyes.
Im here until Tuesday so I think tomorrow im going to make a day trip to Avignon/ Pont Du Gard and laundry needs to be done, badly. Some clothes are really starting to stink. My hostel is closed from 10 am to 5 pm... kinda sucks.
This has been quite an adventure
So 2 days ago i traveled from Firenze to Nice and the train ride was beautiful. The entire trip was along the Mediterranean coast... just gorgeous. I got into Nice around 5:00 and the only thing I wanted to do was go to the beach, so obviously I did. the water there is incredible.
Yesterday I took the train from Nice to Avignon and then onto Arles, when I got to Avignon I went to the ticket windows to try and get a train to Barcelona... turns out i can go there but i cant get back. They said my only option was a train to Paris on Tuesday night which doesnt get me there until 10 pm with no place to stay tuesday night in Paris or monday night. So freaking out I went onto Arles and luckily I was able to get an extra night here but still no other solution on what to do for the rest of my trip.
Ive decided to hopefully get on an earlier train to Paris on Tuesday from Arles that way I can get to normandy beaches on tuesday afternoon and stay until thursday then head back to Switzerland before heading to frankfurt on sunday.
This is the part of the trip I was dreading when everything would kind of go wrong and make everything so much harder to figure out.
Arles is beautiful and I had some incredible mussels for dinner last night so now im going to figure out what to do about getting to paris on tuesday and hopefully everything will fall into place. oh and btw my mom rocks.
Yesterday I took the train from Nice to Avignon and then onto Arles, when I got to Avignon I went to the ticket windows to try and get a train to Barcelona... turns out i can go there but i cant get back. They said my only option was a train to Paris on Tuesday night which doesnt get me there until 10 pm with no place to stay tuesday night in Paris or monday night. So freaking out I went onto Arles and luckily I was able to get an extra night here but still no other solution on what to do for the rest of my trip.
Ive decided to hopefully get on an earlier train to Paris on Tuesday from Arles that way I can get to normandy beaches on tuesday afternoon and stay until thursday then head back to Switzerland before heading to frankfurt on sunday.
This is the part of the trip I was dreading when everything would kind of go wrong and make everything so much harder to figure out.
Arles is beautiful and I had some incredible mussels for dinner last night so now im going to figure out what to do about getting to paris on tuesday and hopefully everything will fall into place. oh and btw my mom rocks.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Lucca
No not my little brother, even though I do miss him dearly. No the city in Italy. I was tired for the tourists in Firenze so I took a short day trip to Lucca, about an hour and a half train ride on sketchy old trains. But this city is really cool.
Its surround by these old ramparts, city walls, which are incredible in themselves. They have 3 different walls that have been built over the years and the last creating these thick walls that no enemy could penetrate. When napolean conquered italy he liked lucca gave it to his sister which was then given to his widow. She planted trees and made the ramparts a nice area for residents and tourists to walk and ride bikes. i rented a bike for an hour and rode around. it was really hot, even in the shade. i have dranken about 3 liters of water already and im still dehydrated.
Within the city walls are old roman churches buildings and an old ampitheater. A lot of tourists come here but its still a neat little town. I decided to sit down and have a nice Lucca lunch of gnocchi. it was incredible.
tomorrow im off to nice where ill spend a day just on the becah doing nothing then arles till monday.
Its surround by these old ramparts, city walls, which are incredible in themselves. They have 3 different walls that have been built over the years and the last creating these thick walls that no enemy could penetrate. When napolean conquered italy he liked lucca gave it to his sister which was then given to his widow. She planted trees and made the ramparts a nice area for residents and tourists to walk and ride bikes. i rented a bike for an hour and rode around. it was really hot, even in the shade. i have dranken about 3 liters of water already and im still dehydrated.
Within the city walls are old roman churches buildings and an old ampitheater. A lot of tourists come here but its still a neat little town. I decided to sit down and have a nice Lucca lunch of gnocchi. it was incredible.
tomorrow im off to nice where ill spend a day just on the becah doing nothing then arles till monday.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Firenze
So despite the horrendous experince to get here, Firenze is incredible. Hot, very hot, but incredible. My hostel is on the outskirts of town but in an old villa so the view into the Tuscan hills I think I can deal with. My first afternoon/evening here I went to the Duomo and around the old town. As I was getting ready to leave the hostel there were some thunderclouds above. I figured it could hold off for a while. A nice girl from Israel is staying in the same room as I am and we ended up on the bus at the same time so we thought it would be good to walk around together since we've both been alone for a while now. Getting to the Duomo it kinda takes your breath away how incredible it is. Unlike all the other churches that Ive been to thus far, its probably more extravagent on the outside than on the inside its self. While around the Duomo it started to rain so what a perfect time to go inside and get some gelato :). This stuff is even better here in Italy than it was in Paris. Once the rain stopped it was like no one lived in Firenze and we walked right into the Cathedral. Its very simple inside yet incredibly beautiful.
Across from the Cathedral is the small Bapistry which is said to be the oldest building in Firenze, built in 1050. The most incredible part about it are the Ghiberti Bronze doors. These doors are constructed of 8 bronze 3D panels that explain various bible stories. Its incredible that these were carved from only inches thick Bronze and have such a outstanding effect. Walking away from the Duomo we found Palazzo Vecchio. This is where the hold city hall is located and where Michaelangelo's "David" stood for 350 years protecting the building. I was exhausted from my trip the night before so after the Plazzo and some pizza I went back to the hostel and fell asleep for 12 hours.
Today I woke up and my only goal was to see "David" @ Accedemia. Got in line and thought it was going to take hours, but surprisingly it only took about 45 minutes. Getting in right after your ticket you turn left and the hallway leading to it helps with the magnificence of the statue. Walking up to it you really get an idea of how big it is. He sits under a dome which creates and angelic like halo around him and the fact that hes 14 ft tall, well thats just amazing. Unlike many other David statues, this one is from before he slayed Goliath, as he's sizing up his competition. The detail on the statue is really what makes it incredible. In his right hand he's holding the rock that he uses to slay Goliath and you can see the raise veins in his hand as he clenches the stone. Even in his eyes you can see he scowl yet in true renaissance style his eyes are hearts. I snuck in a picture without getting caught too :) The rest of the gallery has some unfinished "Prisoners" of Michaelangelo that are almost as cool.
After I left Accademia I just chose to walk around for a while just see the city. There are so many cool small streets that you can walk down and just get lost for days. I chose to go into one other museum and that was the Bargello Museum. This old prison and police station is a very cool building and uncrowded so it was nice to get away from that aspect of Firenze. There are 3 other David statues within this musuem along with some other Michaelangelos and Donatello statues. My lunch today consisted of the best salami and mozerella sandwich followed this afternoon with some delicious mango and mixed berry (my new favorite combo) gelatto.
Tonight is wine and dinner then off to Lucca early in the morning.
Across from the Cathedral is the small Bapistry which is said to be the oldest building in Firenze, built in 1050. The most incredible part about it are the Ghiberti Bronze doors. These doors are constructed of 8 bronze 3D panels that explain various bible stories. Its incredible that these were carved from only inches thick Bronze and have such a outstanding effect. Walking away from the Duomo we found Palazzo Vecchio. This is where the hold city hall is located and where Michaelangelo's "David" stood for 350 years protecting the building. I was exhausted from my trip the night before so after the Plazzo and some pizza I went back to the hostel and fell asleep for 12 hours.
Today I woke up and my only goal was to see "David" @ Accedemia. Got in line and thought it was going to take hours, but surprisingly it only took about 45 minutes. Getting in right after your ticket you turn left and the hallway leading to it helps with the magnificence of the statue. Walking up to it you really get an idea of how big it is. He sits under a dome which creates and angelic like halo around him and the fact that hes 14 ft tall, well thats just amazing. Unlike many other David statues, this one is from before he slayed Goliath, as he's sizing up his competition. The detail on the statue is really what makes it incredible. In his right hand he's holding the rock that he uses to slay Goliath and you can see the raise veins in his hand as he clenches the stone. Even in his eyes you can see he scowl yet in true renaissance style his eyes are hearts. I snuck in a picture without getting caught too :) The rest of the gallery has some unfinished "Prisoners" of Michaelangelo that are almost as cool.
After I left Accademia I just chose to walk around for a while just see the city. There are so many cool small streets that you can walk down and just get lost for days. I chose to go into one other museum and that was the Bargello Museum. This old prison and police station is a very cool building and uncrowded so it was nice to get away from that aspect of Firenze. There are 3 other David statues within this musuem along with some other Michaelangelos and Donatello statues. My lunch today consisted of the best salami and mozerella sandwich followed this afternoon with some delicious mango and mixed berry (my new favorite combo) gelatto.
Tonight is wine and dinner then off to Lucca early in the morning.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Trains, Train Stations and more Trains
Never ever taking the night train...ever. Well I left Brussels after spending the entire day in the station because I couldnt get on an earlier train to Paris. I stayed on the Thalys (high speed) and got to Paris a little before 5:00. I needed to get onto a night train to Florence that night because I didnt have a hostel booked in Paris...heres the kicker, nothing is available. Its all booked. I was able to find a seat/bed on a later train but I had to buy it at full price. 97€ later i bought my ticket and was heading to another Paris train station. I got there and still had another 3 hours to wait until my train left.
I get onto the train, leaving at 8:30 and this is the sketchiest and dirtiest train to date. I dont mind traveling alone but right at that moment I wasnt really sure what to do. Anyway so everything is going swimmingly and I get into my bed which is worse than the dorm beds at UCONN. Its loud, hott, smelly and just all around gross. I was able to fall asleep but not really. The train is old and loud and its hard to sleep on when its going through the French Alps into Switzerland. We get to the Swiss border and have to wait for the police to allow us to travel through, make sure everyones papers are okay. The train just shut off and I honsetly thought we were all going to be abducted or something.
We move on after about 10 minutes and I drifted in and out of sleep for the next 5 hours until we arrived in Milan. From Milan I had to buy a supplement for the high speed train to Firenze which was pretty easy. The train didnt leave until 7:30 so I had some time to kill and what did I do, I took a water bottle shower outside of the station. I felt so gross and somehow managed to wash my face which I think people thought I was homeless. I finally arrived in Firenze and of course I cant check in until 2:00 AND now ive realized that i had made my reservation for starting YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Luckily they said they have rooms avaiable and itll be okay, I hope.
So far this whole traveling on my own has been a little bit of a struggle but im managing. It is a little lonely and would be nice to have someone with me just to keep me company.
Miss you all!
I get onto the train, leaving at 8:30 and this is the sketchiest and dirtiest train to date. I dont mind traveling alone but right at that moment I wasnt really sure what to do. Anyway so everything is going swimmingly and I get into my bed which is worse than the dorm beds at UCONN. Its loud, hott, smelly and just all around gross. I was able to fall asleep but not really. The train is old and loud and its hard to sleep on when its going through the French Alps into Switzerland. We get to the Swiss border and have to wait for the police to allow us to travel through, make sure everyones papers are okay. The train just shut off and I honsetly thought we were all going to be abducted or something.
We move on after about 10 minutes and I drifted in and out of sleep for the next 5 hours until we arrived in Milan. From Milan I had to buy a supplement for the high speed train to Firenze which was pretty easy. The train didnt leave until 7:30 so I had some time to kill and what did I do, I took a water bottle shower outside of the station. I felt so gross and somehow managed to wash my face which I think people thought I was homeless. I finally arrived in Firenze and of course I cant check in until 2:00 AND now ive realized that i had made my reservation for starting YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Luckily they said they have rooms avaiable and itll be okay, I hope.
So far this whole traveling on my own has been a little bit of a struggle but im managing. It is a little lonely and would be nice to have someone with me just to keep me company.
Miss you all!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Things I've Noticed That Are Different
First of all I made it to Brussels...not happy. I dont like it here. I got lost for about an hour trying to find my freaking hostel, that was not fun. It was hott and I had all my stuff with me which did not help. Next a man saw I was lost and offered to help me by taking me to his car w GPS. YEAH RIGHT. I'm not dumb. Then he at least pointed me in "the right direction". Which turned out he didn't even know where I was supposed to be going. So i was like a mile far away from where I was supposed to be. After about an hour of walking around I finally found the hostel but couldn't check in until 2:00, it was 1:00ish. I finally get checked in and walked around near the Grand Place.
Okay that place was kinda cool. All of these really old mansions all in the same square that are now musuems and Hotel de ville and restaurants. Its a holiday here in Belguim today and tomorrow, I still have yet to figure out what exacty it is but there are TONS of people here. A fountain statue was altered for the occasion with a small child peeing Beer... these people are nuts.
But anyway now onto the things I've noticed:
1. People bring their dogs everywhere, and they're allowed to go pretty much everywhere. Restaurants, trains, busses, you name it they're there.
2. The dogs are really well behaved but people aren''t always too thrilled about you petting them for some reason .
3. Trains are a way of life here. Everyone depends on them and unlike the US they are always on time. Always (at least so i've noticed)
4. No one drinks tap water. It's all bottled. Sparkling or Flat. I've been drinking the tap water. It's fine.
5. There is no ice anywhere. If you ask for ice you maybe get like 2 cubes in your glass. Plus the fridges don't make things very cold so I'm getting used to drinking luke warm Coke Light.
6. Computers are not big here. While everywhere I've gone has internet access, the computers are generic and weird. Not to mention the keyboards are all different. I've encountered 2 American keyboards so far.
7. People are a lot nicer than we assume. Everyone is friendly for the most part as long as you ar friendly as well.
8. Everyone can speak enough English to at least carry on a conversation w/ anyone else who speaks english. And actually in regular conversation a lot of people mix english and their native language.
9. Not everyone is on their cellphones 24/7 like majority of Americans are all the time.
10. I miss my family a lot.
11. Churches kick the crap out of our churches in the US. They are elaborate and magnificent. Jesus is kind of a big deal ;)
12. Belguim waffles are the shit. dont say youve had a good belguim waffle in the US, they don't exist. These are just incredible.
13. Our oldest buildings in the US are babies compared to majority of the buildings around here. Going through cities and seeing ones built in the 1200 and 1300s just makes anything we've got here in the US not that old.
14. College=high school. university= college. When i tell people i've graduated from college they immediately think i'm 18. I have to get used to saying University.
15. Everyone walks everywhere, or takes their bikes. Unlike the US they don't use their car to go to the local store. They'll ride their bike w/ a basket to carry their groceries.
16. Plastic bags don't exist. Everyone uses reusable bags. They're economical, I don't understand why we won't use them.
17. I miss my dogs.
18. People don't know who DMB is. Yes that's shocking to me especially since they were just here for a few weeks touring. I educated a few guys from the hostel in brugges about how awesome they are ;)
19. No ESPN... i'm dying. I would even watch bike racing if it meant I got to watch sports.
20. No one cares about American Football. They think it's stupid.
I will add more as I go. I'm a little lonely in Brussels I think getting so frustrated today didn't help my experience here. I'm going to go to the train station early tomorrow with hopes I can get on an earlier train to Paris and then figure out how i'm going to get to the Florence since according to the lady at the Brussels station, the night train doesn't exist... didn't want to say it to her face but she's stupid cause i found it online.
Okay that place was kinda cool. All of these really old mansions all in the same square that are now musuems and Hotel de ville and restaurants. Its a holiday here in Belguim today and tomorrow, I still have yet to figure out what exacty it is but there are TONS of people here. A fountain statue was altered for the occasion with a small child peeing Beer... these people are nuts.
But anyway now onto the things I've noticed:
1. People bring their dogs everywhere, and they're allowed to go pretty much everywhere. Restaurants, trains, busses, you name it they're there.
2. The dogs are really well behaved but people aren''t always too thrilled about you petting them for some reason .
3. Trains are a way of life here. Everyone depends on them and unlike the US they are always on time. Always (at least so i've noticed)
4. No one drinks tap water. It's all bottled. Sparkling or Flat. I've been drinking the tap water. It's fine.
5. There is no ice anywhere. If you ask for ice you maybe get like 2 cubes in your glass. Plus the fridges don't make things very cold so I'm getting used to drinking luke warm Coke Light.
6. Computers are not big here. While everywhere I've gone has internet access, the computers are generic and weird. Not to mention the keyboards are all different. I've encountered 2 American keyboards so far.
7. People are a lot nicer than we assume. Everyone is friendly for the most part as long as you ar friendly as well.
8. Everyone can speak enough English to at least carry on a conversation w/ anyone else who speaks english. And actually in regular conversation a lot of people mix english and their native language.
9. Not everyone is on their cellphones 24/7 like majority of Americans are all the time.
10. I miss my family a lot.
11. Churches kick the crap out of our churches in the US. They are elaborate and magnificent. Jesus is kind of a big deal ;)
12. Belguim waffles are the shit. dont say youve had a good belguim waffle in the US, they don't exist. These are just incredible.
13. Our oldest buildings in the US are babies compared to majority of the buildings around here. Going through cities and seeing ones built in the 1200 and 1300s just makes anything we've got here in the US not that old.
14. College=high school. university= college. When i tell people i've graduated from college they immediately think i'm 18. I have to get used to saying University.
15. Everyone walks everywhere, or takes their bikes. Unlike the US they don't use their car to go to the local store. They'll ride their bike w/ a basket to carry their groceries.
16. Plastic bags don't exist. Everyone uses reusable bags. They're economical, I don't understand why we won't use them.
17. I miss my dogs.
18. People don't know who DMB is. Yes that's shocking to me especially since they were just here for a few weeks touring. I educated a few guys from the hostel in brugges about how awesome they are ;)
19. No ESPN... i'm dying. I would even watch bike racing if it meant I got to watch sports.
20. No one cares about American Football. They think it's stupid.
I will add more as I go. I'm a little lonely in Brussels I think getting so frustrated today didn't help my experience here. I'm going to go to the train station early tomorrow with hopes I can get on an earlier train to Paris and then figure out how i'm going to get to the Florence since according to the lady at the Brussels station, the night train doesn't exist... didn't want to say it to her face but she's stupid cause i found it online.
Friday, August 14, 2009
In Brugges
this is my new favorite city, ever. omg is this place amazing. if youve seen the movie it really looks just like it, cause it is it ;). but seriously its just incredible. i got in yesterday around noon and being on my own now is kinda weird but nice at the same time. After checking in at the hostel i just wanted to walk around town for a while and just see what it was all about.
The first place I went into a church that holds Michaelangelos Madonna with Child. This church was spectacular. Every other church that i have been to has been standard and similar in a lot of ways but this one is just dedicated to Madonna with Child. Righ across the street is the oldest Hospital in the world built in the 12th century and has the first pharmacy located in it. I walked around for a while and found a local chocolate and candy shop. They have these unusual candies that are cone shaped and chewy on the outside with a syrup on the inside. Theyre odd but good. The chocolate though, omg omg omg. Wow just incredible. so rich and smooth just mmmmmmmmmmm
After i had my chocolate fill I found the Basicila of the Holy Blood. This church contains a vial of Jesus Christs blood brought during the Crusades in the 12th century. Surprisingly there are no big tourists signs ands it just a small basicila with this throne and the vial. They have construced a encasing around it so people can touch it and say their prayers. Now most of you know im not religious at all, at all but this was still very moving and just incredible to see something so powerful yet so small.
The buildings here are unlike any i have ever seen. Its an unusual architecture and its just really cool. yesterday my camera ran out of batteries so i postponed going up into the Bell Tower, many of you know from the movie In Brugges. Instead I went to a local bar met a few locals and just drank local beers all night. I met a nice couple from Philly who were there on their honeymoon and we bonded over our love for Reggie White.
This morning I got up and took one of the boat tours on the canal around Brugges. I dont really like doing those touristy things but this was really cool cause he showed us a lot of small things. I spent the day just walking around the town going into small shops and just enjoying the town. I had my first real Belguim Waffle today with whipped cream and strawberries, omg so good so good so good. Finally i got the courage to go up the bell tower.
The Belfort stands 83 m high, there are no elevators. 366 steps up a small winding staircase. I think i lost 10 lbs it was so hard. Forget staduims in college, this was 100 times worse. But totally worth it. You can see the ENTIRE city from the top and on really good days you can see the North Sea. I couldnt :(These winding stair cases are so small you have to take turns passing people and standing by the wall, im surprised as the klutz that i am didnt fall. Tonight i found some local food and enjoyed a nice dinner on my own. i have to make sure that i keep talking to people and not being afraid to meet new people. Pretty much anytime i hear english ill say something cause it makes me feel more comfortable.
Miss everyone lots!!!!!!
The first place I went into a church that holds Michaelangelos Madonna with Child. This church was spectacular. Every other church that i have been to has been standard and similar in a lot of ways but this one is just dedicated to Madonna with Child. Righ across the street is the oldest Hospital in the world built in the 12th century and has the first pharmacy located in it. I walked around for a while and found a local chocolate and candy shop. They have these unusual candies that are cone shaped and chewy on the outside with a syrup on the inside. Theyre odd but good. The chocolate though, omg omg omg. Wow just incredible. so rich and smooth just mmmmmmmmmmm
After i had my chocolate fill I found the Basicila of the Holy Blood. This church contains a vial of Jesus Christs blood brought during the Crusades in the 12th century. Surprisingly there are no big tourists signs ands it just a small basicila with this throne and the vial. They have construced a encasing around it so people can touch it and say their prayers. Now most of you know im not religious at all, at all but this was still very moving and just incredible to see something so powerful yet so small.
The buildings here are unlike any i have ever seen. Its an unusual architecture and its just really cool. yesterday my camera ran out of batteries so i postponed going up into the Bell Tower, many of you know from the movie In Brugges. Instead I went to a local bar met a few locals and just drank local beers all night. I met a nice couple from Philly who were there on their honeymoon and we bonded over our love for Reggie White.
This morning I got up and took one of the boat tours on the canal around Brugges. I dont really like doing those touristy things but this was really cool cause he showed us a lot of small things. I spent the day just walking around the town going into small shops and just enjoying the town. I had my first real Belguim Waffle today with whipped cream and strawberries, omg so good so good so good. Finally i got the courage to go up the bell tower.
The Belfort stands 83 m high, there are no elevators. 366 steps up a small winding staircase. I think i lost 10 lbs it was so hard. Forget staduims in college, this was 100 times worse. But totally worth it. You can see the ENTIRE city from the top and on really good days you can see the North Sea. I couldnt :(These winding stair cases are so small you have to take turns passing people and standing by the wall, im surprised as the klutz that i am didnt fall. Tonight i found some local food and enjoyed a nice dinner on my own. i have to make sure that i keep talking to people and not being afraid to meet new people. Pretty much anytime i hear english ill say something cause it makes me feel more comfortable.
Miss everyone lots!!!!!!
Paris Part II
Sorry im a little behind on posting i'm actually in Brugges now but i still need to finish writing about Paris.
Our second day in Paris we slept in a little and went on the city bus tour so we took the grand out and saw everything. this city is HUGE. we got off at l'arc de triomphe and walked down the champs de l'essyes. My aunt wanted some Luis Vuitton so we had to go obviously. It was their mothership of stores and they made me try on a pair of $600 (euros) high heeled GOLD shoes. They were incredible and if i had the money i would have bought them. After a long day of shopping we went and found a nice restaurant for dinner and then it was time to go to the Eiffel Tower and get to the top... or so I thought. My aunt hates heights so we went up on our own. The wait just to get tickets was about an hour and 15 minutes at 9:00 at night. We got in the lift to take us to the 2nd level and i was too scared going up that lift we couldn't make it to the top top. but the 2nd level's view is incredible. so amazing. The Parisians love lights and the light show on the tower is pretty cool but being on the tower and seeing the lights of the city and seeing as far as Sacre Cour across the city is just amazing.
The next morning we got up early and decided to head to Versailles. We knew with the time we had we had to choose a place we wanted to go. There is nothing else like Versailles so we had to go. This place is mind blowing how big and extravagent it is. The gold the like 400 rooms mostly just with a few chairs and some desks but they needs all the space for the royal family and the nobles. It was worth it to be there, especially for the gardens. I've never seen property so big and with so much stuff around it. There are 2 huge lakes, flowers, forests, walking gardens palm trees and everything else you can think of. We left Versailles and headed back into the city and had time to get to the Musee D'Orsay. That place is increadible. It has the best impressionists from Monet and Van Gogh and a very cool exhibit from an artist Max Ernst. You should look him up.
We spent our last night doing laundry and drinking beers at a local bar where we racked up such a high tab that we got free drinks :). I traveled to Brugges yesterday and I'm there until tomorrow. I am on my own now for the rest of the trip, kind of intimidating but I can do it I know.
I want to post pictures but the computers here suck and won't let me do it. HOpefully i can find one that lets me post.
Our second day in Paris we slept in a little and went on the city bus tour so we took the grand out and saw everything. this city is HUGE. we got off at l'arc de triomphe and walked down the champs de l'essyes. My aunt wanted some Luis Vuitton so we had to go obviously. It was their mothership of stores and they made me try on a pair of $600 (euros) high heeled GOLD shoes. They were incredible and if i had the money i would have bought them. After a long day of shopping we went and found a nice restaurant for dinner and then it was time to go to the Eiffel Tower and get to the top... or so I thought. My aunt hates heights so we went up on our own. The wait just to get tickets was about an hour and 15 minutes at 9:00 at night. We got in the lift to take us to the 2nd level and i was too scared going up that lift we couldn't make it to the top top. but the 2nd level's view is incredible. so amazing. The Parisians love lights and the light show on the tower is pretty cool but being on the tower and seeing the lights of the city and seeing as far as Sacre Cour across the city is just amazing.
The next morning we got up early and decided to head to Versailles. We knew with the time we had we had to choose a place we wanted to go. There is nothing else like Versailles so we had to go. This place is mind blowing how big and extravagent it is. The gold the like 400 rooms mostly just with a few chairs and some desks but they needs all the space for the royal family and the nobles. It was worth it to be there, especially for the gardens. I've never seen property so big and with so much stuff around it. There are 2 huge lakes, flowers, forests, walking gardens palm trees and everything else you can think of. We left Versailles and headed back into the city and had time to get to the Musee D'Orsay. That place is increadible. It has the best impressionists from Monet and Van Gogh and a very cool exhibit from an artist Max Ernst. You should look him up.
We spent our last night doing laundry and drinking beers at a local bar where we racked up such a high tab that we got free drinks :). I traveled to Brugges yesterday and I'm there until tomorrow. I am on my own now for the rest of the trip, kind of intimidating but I can do it I know.
I want to post pictures but the computers here suck and won't let me do it. HOpefully i can find one that lets me post.
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