Our awesome boat hostel! (last photo)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Oops!
My sincerest apologies to those who read my blog regularly, it seems that I've let it die. I'm sure I've had all kinds of fun adventures the past 4 weeks, but I doubt I can share them in detail without writing a novel. So I'll give you a very brief list, just so you know.
-I did spend the rest of fall break with Elise in Egypt, which included going to the Fayuum oasis and the Cairo museum.
-The next weekend was a four day weekend during which I spend two rainy days in Bruxelles
-The following weekend I went to London and saw Les Miserables on the West End, which was a dream come true. The actor playing Inspector Javert was black, which was a bit unusual to me at first, but he was good. I wonder what Hugo would have thought? I also saw the new Harry Potter movie. Very dark, but awesome. We also visited King's Cross Station and the Abbey Road crosswalk.
-The Monday after my wonderful parents visited me for a week. I surprised them at the train station. =D I forced them to walk quickly in order to see as much as possible. We went to the Monet special exhibit and also took a D-Day tour in lower Normandy. We lucked out on the weather, it was a cold but sunny and clear day. The tour included a stop at the Caen Museum, Omaha Beach, Pont d'Hoc, and the American cemetery. Then they unfortunately had to leave. =(
-I just returned a few hours ago from Berlin. It was between about 7-17 degrees Fahrenheit the whole time and snowy. We stayed on a hostel on a boat that is run by one guy, and he was amazing. He cooked us breakfast, drove us to the airport, told us where to go and it was him and his boat (and his dogs) that made the trip amazing.
And after not being on the internet for (almost) 72 hours, I have 93 new emails to sort through. Woohoo!
Since I'm headed home in two weeks I'm about to write my Paris bucket list. There's so much I still need to see!
Hopefully pictures will make it up on Facebook. . .sometime. . .
A bientot!
Sarah
-I did spend the rest of fall break with Elise in Egypt, which included going to the Fayuum oasis and the Cairo museum.
-The next weekend was a four day weekend during which I spend two rainy days in Bruxelles
-The following weekend I went to London and saw Les Miserables on the West End, which was a dream come true. The actor playing Inspector Javert was black, which was a bit unusual to me at first, but he was good. I wonder what Hugo would have thought? I also saw the new Harry Potter movie. Very dark, but awesome. We also visited King's Cross Station and the Abbey Road crosswalk.
-The Monday after my wonderful parents visited me for a week. I surprised them at the train station. =D I forced them to walk quickly in order to see as much as possible. We went to the Monet special exhibit and also took a D-Day tour in lower Normandy. We lucked out on the weather, it was a cold but sunny and clear day. The tour included a stop at the Caen Museum, Omaha Beach, Pont d'Hoc, and the American cemetery. Then they unfortunately had to leave. =(
-I just returned a few hours ago from Berlin. It was between about 7-17 degrees Fahrenheit the whole time and snowy. We stayed on a hostel on a boat that is run by one guy, and he was amazing. He cooked us breakfast, drove us to the airport, told us where to go and it was him and his boat (and his dogs) that made the trip amazing.
And after not being on the internet for (almost) 72 hours, I have 93 new emails to sort through. Woohoo!
Since I'm headed home in two weeks I'm about to write my Paris bucket list. There's so much I still need to see!
Hopefully pictures will make it up on Facebook. . .sometime. . .
A bientot!
Sarah
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Books and my first day at AUC
I finished reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro last weekend. I was excited to read it because I'd heard it was good, and supposedly it is the "best novel of the decade" says TIME. I don't know about that. . . Maybe I can't take heartbreaking endings, but after I read it I felt pretty hopeless. It reminded me of Atonement, which I didn't read I just saw the movie, and Keira Knightley is conveniently in both movies. His writing style was odd, sometimes he would describe one obscure thing really well, and then another thing he'd say one sentence about, while I wanted him to describe it in detail. I still want to see the movie even though it will just depress me. It's partially about running out of time, which makes me wish I wasn't away from John for so long. I miss him. When I see it I will be sure to take tissues and chocolate, and hopefully John, too.
Now I am reading Notre Dame de Paris, or the horrible English title it has retained since it was published, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I've made a lot of progress already since I read it while Elise was in class today. Hugo describes for the reader the differences between his modern Paris (1831) and the Paris the novel takes place in (1482). Buildings have been changed or torn down, and of course I can compare his descriptions to the city today, as even more things have changed. In case you didn't know, Hugo wrote the novel in part to invoke a concern for the conservation of old buildings, particularly Notre Dame de Paris as it was going to be torn down. Prior to the 19th century, the idea of preserving historical places did not exist. Now I only saw the Disney adaptation once as a small child, but I can still remember the things that Disney got wrong from the book. . . which is basically everything. Bad bad Disney.
So today I woke up early to catch the 7:40 bus to AUC (The American University in Cairo)with Elise. Later I find out that she tricked me into getting up early, she didn't have class until 11:30! So sneaky. But it's really okay Elise! :P The shiny new campus is out in the desert, so the bus ride is approximately an hour or more one way. Elise takes this bus to school four days a week! I didn't want to fall asleep on the bus, but I did. I snuck into the university and went to Elise's classes. The AUC campus is very pretty, but it is only a few years old. I ate koshary for lunch, which was yummy, and for dinner I ate food from the dorms. I woke up in the middle of night sick from something I ate, which was not fun. So the next day I was weak and didn't feel well, but now I'm feeling much better. Now I need to blog about today and yesterday!
A bientot!
Sarah
Now I am reading Notre Dame de Paris, or the horrible English title it has retained since it was published, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I've made a lot of progress already since I read it while Elise was in class today. Hugo describes for the reader the differences between his modern Paris (1831) and the Paris the novel takes place in (1482). Buildings have been changed or torn down, and of course I can compare his descriptions to the city today, as even more things have changed. In case you didn't know, Hugo wrote the novel in part to invoke a concern for the conservation of old buildings, particularly Notre Dame de Paris as it was going to be torn down. Prior to the 19th century, the idea of preserving historical places did not exist. Now I only saw the Disney adaptation once as a small child, but I can still remember the things that Disney got wrong from the book. . . which is basically everything. Bad bad Disney.
So today I woke up early to catch the 7:40 bus to AUC (The American University in Cairo)with Elise. Later I find out that she tricked me into getting up early, she didn't have class until 11:30! So sneaky. But it's really okay Elise! :P The shiny new campus is out in the desert, so the bus ride is approximately an hour or more one way. Elise takes this bus to school four days a week! I didn't want to fall asleep on the bus, but I did. I snuck into the university and went to Elise's classes. The AUC campus is very pretty, but it is only a few years old. I ate koshary for lunch, which was yummy, and for dinner I ate food from the dorms. I woke up in the middle of night sick from something I ate, which was not fun. So the next day I was weak and didn't feel well, but now I'm feeling much better. Now I need to blog about today and yesterday!
A bientot!
Sarah
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Weeks of Chaos
The last few weeks have been insane, and I was on the verge of a catastrophic mental breakdown, but I made it through. I had midterms I didn't feel prepared for, a presentation in French, and I had to pack for my 10 day trip for fall break. The weekend before I didn't get as much work done as I wanted to because I got rather shaken up by Luke's death. Then I find out on Tuesday that my flight to Venice is cancelled because of the strikes, so I spent time figuring out my travels instead of studying. After much stress, I bought a new plane ticket and changed my original travel plans.
Wednesday night was a crepe dinner organized by Accent followed by a night view of Paris from the top of the Montparnasse Tower. I would have enjoyed the evening more if I hadn't had to go home and frantically study, but it was a good view.
I got up at 5 Friday morning, left the house at 6 to get to the airport for my flight. I was flying on Lufthansa so I had a connection in Munich. Then I flew from Munich to Milan, which meant I got to fly over the Alps. I listened to the Sound of Music while watching the mountains out the window. It was magical.
I took a bus from the Milan airport to Milan, then met Stefana at a metro stop. We had pizza for lunch then walked around Milan after I dropped off my bags. I saw Milan's cathedral, which is very large and made of marble compared to France's limestone, so it was in better condition. For dinner we had appertivo, where you buy a drink then have an all you can eat appetizer buffet.
The next morning I left and took a train to Florence (Firenze). I used my pass and didn't have a reservation, so I stole seats when I could but had to get up when the person with that ticket showed up. I checked into my hostel, at which I was in a 5 girl room and the room was huge. It was very nice. I walked around the city that night and had mushroom risotto and wine for dinner. There was a massive market selling mostly all kinds of leather goods. Everything was beautiful, I bought myself a wallet and some gifts for other people. That night the clock changed and I slept for the longest I had in a week.
The next day Caroline was there, so she and I walked around the city all day seeing the sights. We could have seen more if it hadn't been raining all day. We waited in line for an hour to see Michelangelo's David, and then found out you couldn't take pictures. I tried to be sneaky and take one, but the security people caught me and yelled at me, however I still snagged the photo. You can see their suspicious and angry faces. In Florence we also saw the tombs of Michelangelo, and more importantly Galileo, which was awesome because he has had such an impact on history.
Monday morning I took the train from Florence to Rome, then another train from the train station to the airport. I did pass by some aqueducts, but that's all of Rome that I got to see. =( I had a 3 hour flight to Cairo, and it was horrible. Between turbulence and other anxieties I couldn't wait to land. Luckily, Twilight: Eclipse was playing so I watched that as it gave me something to do. Okay, I hadn't seen it yet and was wanting to watch it sometime, so it was the perfect opportunity. We also flew over large lightning storms. Although this caused the turbulence, I was able to see some incredible lightning from above. I finally landed in Cairo and found both Elise and my bag, went back to the island her dorm is on in a taxi and went to sleep.
Today, Elise and I slept in, had bagels for brunch, then went to the grocery store. After an internet break at home, we headed to the Giza pyramids. I went inside the biggest one, which included crouching and climbing up a ways in stuffy air. I had a little trouble breathing but it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, I couldn't take my camera inside. We passed the afternoon walking around the pyramids and the Sphinx. We also saw the "solar boat" that was discovered next to the pyramids. Elise was definitely right in warning me that people here try to sell you literally everything. I spent a lot of time trying to sneak pictures of camels, because normally the camel owner will charge you for a picture.
We then ate dinner at classy Pizza Hut, but we could see the sun set behind the pyramids from the restaurant so it was worth it. After some gelato we returned home, I washed all the dust off of myself, and here I am.
A bientot!
Sarah
Wednesday night was a crepe dinner organized by Accent followed by a night view of Paris from the top of the Montparnasse Tower. I would have enjoyed the evening more if I hadn't had to go home and frantically study, but it was a good view.
I got up at 5 Friday morning, left the house at 6 to get to the airport for my flight. I was flying on Lufthansa so I had a connection in Munich. Then I flew from Munich to Milan, which meant I got to fly over the Alps. I listened to the Sound of Music while watching the mountains out the window. It was magical.
I took a bus from the Milan airport to Milan, then met Stefana at a metro stop. We had pizza for lunch then walked around Milan after I dropped off my bags. I saw Milan's cathedral, which is very large and made of marble compared to France's limestone, so it was in better condition. For dinner we had appertivo, where you buy a drink then have an all you can eat appetizer buffet.
The next morning I left and took a train to Florence (Firenze). I used my pass and didn't have a reservation, so I stole seats when I could but had to get up when the person with that ticket showed up. I checked into my hostel, at which I was in a 5 girl room and the room was huge. It was very nice. I walked around the city that night and had mushroom risotto and wine for dinner. There was a massive market selling mostly all kinds of leather goods. Everything was beautiful, I bought myself a wallet and some gifts for other people. That night the clock changed and I slept for the longest I had in a week.
The next day Caroline was there, so she and I walked around the city all day seeing the sights. We could have seen more if it hadn't been raining all day. We waited in line for an hour to see Michelangelo's David, and then found out you couldn't take pictures. I tried to be sneaky and take one, but the security people caught me and yelled at me, however I still snagged the photo. You can see their suspicious and angry faces. In Florence we also saw the tombs of Michelangelo, and more importantly Galileo, which was awesome because he has had such an impact on history.
Monday morning I took the train from Florence to Rome, then another train from the train station to the airport. I did pass by some aqueducts, but that's all of Rome that I got to see. =( I had a 3 hour flight to Cairo, and it was horrible. Between turbulence and other anxieties I couldn't wait to land. Luckily, Twilight: Eclipse was playing so I watched that as it gave me something to do. Okay, I hadn't seen it yet and was wanting to watch it sometime, so it was the perfect opportunity. We also flew over large lightning storms. Although this caused the turbulence, I was able to see some incredible lightning from above. I finally landed in Cairo and found both Elise and my bag, went back to the island her dorm is on in a taxi and went to sleep.
Today, Elise and I slept in, had bagels for brunch, then went to the grocery store. After an internet break at home, we headed to the Giza pyramids. I went inside the biggest one, which included crouching and climbing up a ways in stuffy air. I had a little trouble breathing but it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, I couldn't take my camera inside. We passed the afternoon walking around the pyramids and the Sphinx. We also saw the "solar boat" that was discovered next to the pyramids. Elise was definitely right in warning me that people here try to sell you literally everything. I spent a lot of time trying to sneak pictures of camels, because normally the camel owner will charge you for a picture.
We then ate dinner at classy Pizza Hut, but we could see the sun set behind the pyramids from the restaurant so it was worth it. After some gelato we returned home, I washed all the dust off of myself, and here I am.
A bientot!
Sarah
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Pour Elise
Today hasn't been a good day, but I won't talk about that right now.
Last night I went and saw The Social Network. I was expecting it to just be a fun movie, but it was surprisingly well made and went by very quickly as it held my attention the whole time. And I ingested a large popcorn and large coke during the movie, which I don't usually do, but as this was the THIRD movie I've seen (theater or at home) in 10 weeks, then I felt like I deserved a touch of Americana. Salt with high fructose corn syrup, mmmm. I need to start watching more movies! It was interesting to see how the French laughed at different parts than us. Of course, they only got subtitles. In the movie they were making fun of how small Monaco is and that certainly tickled the French crowd.
One of the actors in the movie who I really liked was Andrew Garfield, who I've seen The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and one Doctor Who episode, in which Elise thought he was annoying. :P Okay his hair is a bit ginormous.
A while ago I had a book recommended to me called Never Let Me Go which I later learned was going to be a movie with Keira Knightley. I finally bought the book and started reading it. I was curious about the movie again, so I looked it up right after seeing The Social Network, and I rediscovered that Andrew Garfield is playing the lead male character in the film adaptation. Now I'm even more excited to finish the book and eventually see the movie.
Also, my parents and little brother successfully left for New York yesterday. I'm jealous, but my mom said she'd tell the US "Hello" for me. Haha. I finally gave my family a few of the presents I brought with me, right before they go to America and buy more of the same thing. I gave them Stillwater honey, Stillwater blackberry jam, organic store brand maple syrup, and JIF peanut butter. They seemed happy with my very sugary gifts.
So here's the critical part of this post, for Elise's eyes only! Well anyone can watch it really but it might be boring for you. Unless you're named Elise.
UPDATE: I have just learned that uploading videos is a painful process. And by the time it finishes it will be long past your birthday.
ANOTHER UPDATE Well I tried Elise, but I'll have to upload it tomorrow. Stupid French internet. I bite my thumb at you.
Last night I went and saw The Social Network. I was expecting it to just be a fun movie, but it was surprisingly well made and went by very quickly as it held my attention the whole time. And I ingested a large popcorn and large coke during the movie, which I don't usually do, but as this was the THIRD movie I've seen (theater or at home) in 10 weeks, then I felt like I deserved a touch of Americana. Salt with high fructose corn syrup, mmmm. I need to start watching more movies! It was interesting to see how the French laughed at different parts than us. Of course, they only got subtitles. In the movie they were making fun of how small Monaco is and that certainly tickled the French crowd.
One of the actors in the movie who I really liked was Andrew Garfield, who I've seen The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and one Doctor Who episode, in which Elise thought he was annoying. :P Okay his hair is a bit ginormous.
A while ago I had a book recommended to me called Never Let Me Go which I later learned was going to be a movie with Keira Knightley. I finally bought the book and started reading it. I was curious about the movie again, so I looked it up right after seeing The Social Network, and I rediscovered that Andrew Garfield is playing the lead male character in the film adaptation. Now I'm even more excited to finish the book and eventually see the movie.
Also, my parents and little brother successfully left for New York yesterday. I'm jealous, but my mom said she'd tell the US "Hello" for me. Haha. I finally gave my family a few of the presents I brought with me, right before they go to America and buy more of the same thing. I gave them Stillwater honey, Stillwater blackberry jam, organic store brand maple syrup, and JIF peanut butter. They seemed happy with my very sugary gifts.
So here's the critical part of this post, for Elise's eyes only! Well anyone can watch it really but it might be boring for you. Unless you're named Elise.
UPDATE: I have just learned that uploading videos is a painful process. And by the time it finishes it will be long past your birthday.
ANOTHER UPDATE Well I tried Elise, but I'll have to upload it tomorrow. Stupid French internet. I bite my thumb at you.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Rambling Thoughts
Paris is getting colder, and I really like it. This lovely afternoon it's a clear and sunny 50 degrees. The cool weather is refreshing, it makes the city feel prettier. I think the cold air keeps the bad smells at bay or something. (In the past two weeks I have seen two toilets on the sidewalk in different places, which is funny and ironic. I guess the garbage men pick up toilets at the curbside?) Although, the changing weather just makes the Californians complain even more. I can accept them complaining about the cold, even if it's really not that cold, but they still don't understand rain, and I want to yell at them but I hold my tongue. "When I left home it was pouring and now it's not, I don't understand." That's a direct quote. Some key things UC kids here don't understand: Rain comes from clouds. Rain starts and stops. Clouds come and go. It can rain for any amount of time. Just because it's raining/not raining where you are doesn't mean that when you go somewhere else it will be raining/not raining. I wish I could control the weather just so I could throw a tornado at them when they say stupid things. This is incredibly frustrating for me.
(More weather commentary, I know it's thrilling) I realized a few days ago that for the past two years I haven't had a real autumn and that when it's been cold I've been home for Christmas and been with John. The approaching cold and darkness really make me need a cuddle with some hot chocolate and a movie. I'm an avid movie watcher, and I've only watched two movies in the past 9 weeks! And it's hard to get out of bed when it's so dark, luckily daylight savings time is almost here. I just haven't been motivated to do anything recently, not even sleep. Maybe my trip to warm Cairo will wake me up a bit.
Now that I'm in Paris I really want to reread Les Miserables and read The Hunchback of Notre Dame because I know they'll be much more meaningful after living here. I'll actually be familiar with the streets Hugo describes and the politics of the time. The problem is that they're long, and I already have a stack of books with me that I need to read! I just bought a new book on Amazon.fr this week! The first time I read Les Mis it took me two months. It was only 1500 pages. I suppose I *could* read an abridged version, but that feels like cheating.
Next week is midterms and I have a French presentation, so I have a lot of work to do this weekend. Two of my tests are essay tests, and essay tests are rather intimidating to this science major. Eek! At least I have the questions to prepare in advance, but still, me no likey essays on tests. Saturday is my pass time for picking winter classes at Santa Barbara. My planned classes are genetics, plant biology, French 6, and a GE literature class. Funny how right now the classes I think I'll enjoy the least are the classes for my major, yet here I am complaining about essay tests. Silly me.
My host family is leaving for New York tomorrow for fall break, assuming their flight isn't canceled because of the strikes and lack of jet fuel. I hope they make it. I leave for fall break next Thursday, so I won't be seeing them for over two weeks, which is sad. I won't be all alone, my parents' friend and her family, along with a German exchange student, are arriving on Monday, so they'll be living in the house too. Last night at dinner my host mom was having a beer, which is unusual, so I knew she was upset about something, which turned out to be their flight tomorrow. Hopefully by next week when I have a flight the strikes will have calmed down. Later during dinner my mom said that my French was improving, which gave me a huge ego boost, but maybe that was just her beer talking.
I mailed in my absentee ballot today. I actually received a campaign letter in Paris from Cory Williams, which surprised me. I guess he really wants my vote since he spent a whole 98 cents to send it to me! I was surprised when I looked at my ballot and read "Sharia Law is Islamic law. It is based on two principal sources, the Koran and the teaching of Mohammed." I was just shocked to see those words in the state questions! Knowing Oklahoma, I was immediately suspicious. The proposition states that Sharia Law nor international law can be considered in court. On the one hand this is *perhaps* logical, yes, the laws of our country are not Shira Law, and you must follow the laws of the country you are in, but this is not what the proposition is about. It's just blatant Islamophobia that America is sick with. Also, a proposition that lets people choose to not participate in a national health care system. Oh Oklahoma, will you ever learn? If any of you want to review the state questions, they're here. (Link is failing to work)
http://www.ok.gov/elections/documents/sq_gen10.pdf
Also, I am now going to London the weekend Harry Potter comes out, which I'm sure will include sheer madness and anarchy in the streets and robed children. I'm getting very anxious for the movie! I'm excited to see my bad boys Lucius, Draco, and Severus. >:) But no Sirius. :*( You've probably already seen this, but it's fun to watch again! And it's the most entertaining part of this entry.
A bientot!
Sarah
(More weather commentary, I know it's thrilling) I realized a few days ago that for the past two years I haven't had a real autumn and that when it's been cold I've been home for Christmas and been with John. The approaching cold and darkness really make me need a cuddle with some hot chocolate and a movie. I'm an avid movie watcher, and I've only watched two movies in the past 9 weeks! And it's hard to get out of bed when it's so dark, luckily daylight savings time is almost here. I just haven't been motivated to do anything recently, not even sleep. Maybe my trip to warm Cairo will wake me up a bit.
Now that I'm in Paris I really want to reread Les Miserables and read The Hunchback of Notre Dame because I know they'll be much more meaningful after living here. I'll actually be familiar with the streets Hugo describes and the politics of the time. The problem is that they're long, and I already have a stack of books with me that I need to read! I just bought a new book on Amazon.fr this week! The first time I read Les Mis it took me two months. It was only 1500 pages. I suppose I *could* read an abridged version, but that feels like cheating.
Next week is midterms and I have a French presentation, so I have a lot of work to do this weekend. Two of my tests are essay tests, and essay tests are rather intimidating to this science major. Eek! At least I have the questions to prepare in advance, but still, me no likey essays on tests. Saturday is my pass time for picking winter classes at Santa Barbara. My planned classes are genetics, plant biology, French 6, and a GE literature class. Funny how right now the classes I think I'll enjoy the least are the classes for my major, yet here I am complaining about essay tests. Silly me.
My host family is leaving for New York tomorrow for fall break, assuming their flight isn't canceled because of the strikes and lack of jet fuel. I hope they make it. I leave for fall break next Thursday, so I won't be seeing them for over two weeks, which is sad. I won't be all alone, my parents' friend and her family, along with a German exchange student, are arriving on Monday, so they'll be living in the house too. Last night at dinner my host mom was having a beer, which is unusual, so I knew she was upset about something, which turned out to be their flight tomorrow. Hopefully by next week when I have a flight the strikes will have calmed down. Later during dinner my mom said that my French was improving, which gave me a huge ego boost, but maybe that was just her beer talking.
I mailed in my absentee ballot today. I actually received a campaign letter in Paris from Cory Williams, which surprised me. I guess he really wants my vote since he spent a whole 98 cents to send it to me! I was surprised when I looked at my ballot and read "Sharia Law is Islamic law. It is based on two principal sources, the Koran and the teaching of Mohammed." I was just shocked to see those words in the state questions! Knowing Oklahoma, I was immediately suspicious. The proposition states that Sharia Law nor international law can be considered in court. On the one hand this is *perhaps* logical, yes, the laws of our country are not Shira Law, and you must follow the laws of the country you are in, but this is not what the proposition is about. It's just blatant Islamophobia that America is sick with. Also, a proposition that lets people choose to not participate in a national health care system. Oh Oklahoma, will you ever learn? If any of you want to review the state questions, they're here. (Link is failing to work)
http://www.ok.gov/elections/documents/sq_gen10.pdf
Also, I am now going to London the weekend Harry Potter comes out, which I'm sure will include sheer madness and anarchy in the streets and robed children. I'm getting very anxious for the movie! I'm excited to see my bad boys Lucius, Draco, and Severus. >:) But no Sirius. :*( You've probably already seen this, but it's fun to watch again! And it's the most entertaining part of this entry.
A bientot!
Sarah
Sunday, October 17, 2010
La Ville de Lille
(While I'm writing this my little host brother started singing The Imperial March from Star Wars. Haha!)
So my planned trip to Marseilles this weekend was ruined by the strike, although my friend Lauren was still able to make it on a different train, but that's a long sad story I won't tell again.
Instead, I took the train to Lille on Saturday, which meant I finally got to activate the Eurail pass I bought and ride France's high speed train. The strike was still going on, so I checked online before I left to see if my trains had been canceled or not. About 1/3 of the trains from Paris to the provinces were canceled, but luckily neither of mine were. I arrived at the station an hour before my train left, but I needed to get my Eurorail pass activated at the ticket window. I waited in one line for about 15 minutes, only to find out that I needed to go to a more specific ticket window. I waited in that line for 30 minutes, and was getting a bit anxious as it was about time for my train to leave. I assume the lines were so long because of the strike, only a few people were working and trains were being canceled so travelers were trying to exchange tickets. I finally received the activation stamp on my pass, which took all of 30 seconds, and managed to quickly get on the correct train and the correct car, which was at the other end of the platform. I'm glad I got there so early or I would have missed my train. But then I never even had my pass or ticket checked by the conductor!
It was a high speed train, with an average speed of 124 mph, obviously slower in town and faster in the country, which was cool. It was exactly a one hour trip from Paris to Lille. At the Lille train station there was a very long line to buy metro tickets, and when I looked outside of the train station I saw the steeple of a cathedral, so I decided to just leave the station and walk towards the steeple. This was a great decision, and in the end I didn't ride the metro all day, I just walked everywhere. I really wanted a map of the city, and lo and behold as I wandered around the streets I accidentally stumbled upon the tourism office where I snagged a free map.
I passed the day in Lille just walking around on the streets, eating, drinking, and window shopping. I did visit the Lille art museum, and I would have visited the natural history museum had it been open. Over the course of the day I had a beer, a hot chocolate, a glass of red wine, then a glass of blush wine. I think all I did was pass the time at restaurants. For lunch I ate at a chain brewery called Les 3 Brasseurs and had a dish called flammekueche in Alsatian. Alsace is a region in north east France that borders Germany and has formerly been a part of Germany. It happens to be where my host father's from, and I certainly have trouble understanding his French because of his Alsatian accent. But the flammekueche is a well known Alsatian dish, and it resembles pizza in theory and appearance, but it tastes a bit different. It was basically a giant piece of very thin dough that tasted more like a cracker than bread.. The one I ordered had grilled onions, mushrooms, ham, and cheese (just in spots, not spread evenly like pizza) with oil underneath. It was very yummy.
Brief comment on French food. Most traditional French food is very rich tasting, has lots of fat, may contain weird animal parts, and it's difficult to eat a lot of it. Eating traditional French food makes me feel like I'm in the Middle Ages. I don't know if that makes any sense but if you ate here I think you'd understand. Hot chocolate here is a very bitter cocoa bar dissolved in hot water. I will admit I have to add a little sugar, but even then it's still super bitter and wildly delicious.
I was surprised by the amount of high end shopping in Lille, and by the afternoon the streets were packed with people. It was rather chilly and I was bored so I browsed the stores but I'm broke so I left each store empty handed. I found a courtyard where people were selling old books, comics, and records. I bought a coin of Napoleon III for 1 Euro, which was a nice find even if the coin isn't the best quality. The Lille cathedral was somewhat interesting because it was built in the 19th and 20th century and the facade was finished in 1999. This is the rose window of the cathedral, I think you can tell that it's not 600 years old.
I was finished exploring Lille earlier than I thought I would be, but my train to Paris didn't leave until 10pm, so I read a book in a bar at the train station. But the bar kicked me out at 8:45! Kind of ridiculous, but my train was the last train of the night, and again, it was a strike day. When the train arrives I check my ticket and it says I'm in car 3, second class, but car 3 is just first class, so my place doesn't exist. I see an older couple on the platform looking lost, so I ask them and they have the same problem as me. The woman told me I spoke French well, which was a nice compliment, but I don't think I really said much to her. I mumbled about my ticket and then I told her I was American. I guess that's more than other Americans can say. lol. I decided to just sit in an empty seat in 2nd class, which wasn't a problem as the train was nowhere near full. When the conductor man came by I told him my place didn't exist and he was like "Whoa that's weird!" But obviously it wasn't a problem.
Today I have to write a paper for French about The Stranger by Albert Camus, pretending that I am the main character. Most of the book isn't too terrible to read, but Cliffnotes summary has been extremely helpful to me so I know exactly what happened. If you don't understand one word you can miss the meaning of the whole paragraph or even the chapter. I read through one paragraph twice and didn't realize that he had murdered someone. D'oh! I have a love-hate relationship with Cliffnotes because it allows students to not read the book and just read the summary, which has always upset me, but I love to read. Reading books is good for you. Scientists say so. But now that I'm reading books in French I'm glad the summaries are there for me so I can confirm my interpretation.
By the way, I've had this song stuck in my head for a while. If you don't like it I don't think you have a heart. From the musical adaptation of Notre Dame de Paris aka The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Please listen to it!
"O notre dame, oh laisse-moi rien qu'une fois, pousser la porte du jardin d'Esmeralda."
A bientot!
Sarah
So my planned trip to Marseilles this weekend was ruined by the strike, although my friend Lauren was still able to make it on a different train, but that's a long sad story I won't tell again.
Instead, I took the train to Lille on Saturday, which meant I finally got to activate the Eurail pass I bought and ride France's high speed train. The strike was still going on, so I checked online before I left to see if my trains had been canceled or not. About 1/3 of the trains from Paris to the provinces were canceled, but luckily neither of mine were. I arrived at the station an hour before my train left, but I needed to get my Eurorail pass activated at the ticket window. I waited in one line for about 15 minutes, only to find out that I needed to go to a more specific ticket window. I waited in that line for 30 minutes, and was getting a bit anxious as it was about time for my train to leave. I assume the lines were so long because of the strike, only a few people were working and trains were being canceled so travelers were trying to exchange tickets. I finally received the activation stamp on my pass, which took all of 30 seconds, and managed to quickly get on the correct train and the correct car, which was at the other end of the platform. I'm glad I got there so early or I would have missed my train. But then I never even had my pass or ticket checked by the conductor!
It was a high speed train, with an average speed of 124 mph, obviously slower in town and faster in the country, which was cool. It was exactly a one hour trip from Paris to Lille. At the Lille train station there was a very long line to buy metro tickets, and when I looked outside of the train station I saw the steeple of a cathedral, so I decided to just leave the station and walk towards the steeple. This was a great decision, and in the end I didn't ride the metro all day, I just walked everywhere. I really wanted a map of the city, and lo and behold as I wandered around the streets I accidentally stumbled upon the tourism office where I snagged a free map.
I passed the day in Lille just walking around on the streets, eating, drinking, and window shopping. I did visit the Lille art museum, and I would have visited the natural history museum had it been open. Over the course of the day I had a beer, a hot chocolate, a glass of red wine, then a glass of blush wine. I think all I did was pass the time at restaurants. For lunch I ate at a chain brewery called Les 3 Brasseurs and had a dish called flammekueche in Alsatian. Alsace is a region in north east France that borders Germany and has formerly been a part of Germany. It happens to be where my host father's from, and I certainly have trouble understanding his French because of his Alsatian accent. But the flammekueche is a well known Alsatian dish, and it resembles pizza in theory and appearance, but it tastes a bit different. It was basically a giant piece of very thin dough that tasted more like a cracker than bread.. The one I ordered had grilled onions, mushrooms, ham, and cheese (just in spots, not spread evenly like pizza) with oil underneath. It was very yummy.
Brief comment on French food. Most traditional French food is very rich tasting, has lots of fat, may contain weird animal parts, and it's difficult to eat a lot of it. Eating traditional French food makes me feel like I'm in the Middle Ages. I don't know if that makes any sense but if you ate here I think you'd understand. Hot chocolate here is a very bitter cocoa bar dissolved in hot water. I will admit I have to add a little sugar, but even then it's still super bitter and wildly delicious.
I was surprised by the amount of high end shopping in Lille, and by the afternoon the streets were packed with people. It was rather chilly and I was bored so I browsed the stores but I'm broke so I left each store empty handed. I found a courtyard where people were selling old books, comics, and records. I bought a coin of Napoleon III for 1 Euro, which was a nice find even if the coin isn't the best quality. The Lille cathedral was somewhat interesting because it was built in the 19th and 20th century and the facade was finished in 1999. This is the rose window of the cathedral, I think you can tell that it's not 600 years old.
I was finished exploring Lille earlier than I thought I would be, but my train to Paris didn't leave until 10pm, so I read a book in a bar at the train station. But the bar kicked me out at 8:45! Kind of ridiculous, but my train was the last train of the night, and again, it was a strike day. When the train arrives I check my ticket and it says I'm in car 3, second class, but car 3 is just first class, so my place doesn't exist. I see an older couple on the platform looking lost, so I ask them and they have the same problem as me. The woman told me I spoke French well, which was a nice compliment, but I don't think I really said much to her. I mumbled about my ticket and then I told her I was American. I guess that's more than other Americans can say. lol. I decided to just sit in an empty seat in 2nd class, which wasn't a problem as the train was nowhere near full. When the conductor man came by I told him my place didn't exist and he was like "Whoa that's weird!" But obviously it wasn't a problem.
Today I have to write a paper for French about The Stranger by Albert Camus, pretending that I am the main character. Most of the book isn't too terrible to read, but Cliffnotes summary has been extremely helpful to me so I know exactly what happened. If you don't understand one word you can miss the meaning of the whole paragraph or even the chapter. I read through one paragraph twice and didn't realize that he had murdered someone. D'oh! I have a love-hate relationship with Cliffnotes because it allows students to not read the book and just read the summary, which has always upset me, but I love to read. Reading books is good for you. Scientists say so. But now that I'm reading books in French I'm glad the summaries are there for me so I can confirm my interpretation.
By the way, I've had this song stuck in my head for a while. If you don't like it I don't think you have a heart. From the musical adaptation of Notre Dame de Paris aka The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Please listen to it!
"O notre dame, oh laisse-moi rien qu'une fois, pousser la porte du jardin d'Esmeralda."
A bientot!
Sarah
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