Travel with them =D
I had an absolutely fabulous Easter weekend with Pete and Andrea in Italy. It was, in a word, overwhelming, but amazing all the same! Day one (Good Friday) was Rome...within 5 hours we managed to visit the Vatican City and St Peter's Basilica as well as the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum. The Vatican City was very...ornate. VERY elaborate. I didn't remember that St Peter's housed Michaelangelo's Pieta, which I studied in my art history class, so I was uber excited to see it in person!
The Sistine Chapel was impressive - it was SO neat to see the ceiling in person, though I was sad you couldn't take pictures. It's hard to imagine that one man painted that whole ceiling...and the walk through the Vatican Museum to get to the Sistine Chapel was impressive in and of itself. While we didn't linger very long in each room it was fun to wander through and see all these statues and paintings...I saw another statue I studied in art history, though I regrettably forget the name of it =(
The Trevi Fountain was one heck of an impressive fountain...though we got a little lost trying to find it. The map in the metro made it seem like it was a stone's throw to get there once you leave the metro...maybe if it's Hercules throwing the stone! I threw my coins in to ensure my return to Rome and the granting of my wish...though you'll sadly just have to imagine what wish I made, I'm not telling!
Our last stop before our train to Florence was the Colosseum. There's a REASON there's a linguistic link between Colosseum and colossal...because that's what it is. A colossal, overwhelming, incredibly ancient construction that takes your breath away. It's amazing to think of how they possibly could have managed to make something so big that has lasted through centuries of weather, wars and bloody history that is still standing millenia later.
Easter in Florence was...kind of horrible, simply because of the pouring rain and cold temperatures...so we won't go there. But Saturday? Saturday was PERFECT. the weather was amazing - we all got a little sunburned! - and the sights were breathtaking and the gelato was delicious (we got gelato 6 times...). I was proud to be a PK (pastor's kid) in Florence and Rome...knowing the stories from the Bible really made things like the Sistine Chapel and the Bapistery by the Duomo all the more meaningful. I could stand there for hours, never getting bored, always picking out a new story and scene. We exhausted ourselves in Florence, drinking in the sights of the impressive Duomo, the beautiful statues at the Piazza della Signoria (where the practically identical copy of David stands), the silly overpriced trinkets at the vendors stands. We ate a ton of gelato and pasta, enjoying every bite and stuffing ourselves silly. I gave the weary backpackers backrubs and we laughed over the stupidest had-to-be-there moments. and I loved every minute of it! Especially the part where I got to hang out with my big brother and practically-big-sister =)
as a side note...there's nothing like Italian men to boost your self confidence. I can't count the number of times I was stared at, winked at, hit on and "ciao bella"-ed!
now I have to come back down to earth...and stay put for a while! I realized that in the past 4 weeks I was in 10 different cities in 3 different countries! (Monaco is it's own country...) but now I'm focusing on the school work. Nose to the grindstone on my IS and...well, getting the IES work done, too. But I'm ready to stay firmly put for a while and live it up Nantais style =)
à+!
ps - the photo thing is going to be done in segments...voila part one!
...my friends take a lot of pictures!
for the benefit of non-facebook peoples
Rats, Bats and other Legendary Creatures
Nice was nice!
et la troisieme...
more to come: Paris, Normandy and Italy
27 March 2008
17 March 2008
We didn't start the fire...
...it was always burnin' since the world's been turnin'...
and this past weekend only confirmed those lyrics for me. I went on one of the most depressing-in-an-inspiring-way weekend trip to the Normandy region. More specifically, to Caen - to visit the WWII memorial, to Omaha Beach - and the American cemetery, and Point du Hoc -the German forces' base. It was overwhelming, to say the least. At the memorial museum in Caen we watched a couple of films that included footage from the battles, but nothing compares to actually going to the beaches and seeing what the Allied troops were facing. Omaha beach, for example, is HUGE...much more so than I was expecting. There's also all sorts of marshy vegetation to fight through...and a very large hill. and of course, the troops were also dealing with the enemy fire raining down on them...it's no wonder that the cemetery is as large as it is. It's a sight that will take your breath away...crosses and Stars of David stretching on for what seems like forever in perfect rows...
It was an emotional weekend for me. I always remember the Albert Einstein quote whenever I think of war..."One definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result every time." I have to wonder when humankind will find the new approach, rather than trying that same thing over and over.
Being the broadway baby/music aficionado that I am, music marked a lot of this weekend for me, too. I had Billy Joel's "We didnt start the fire" going through my head as we were watching one of the films at the Caen museum that showed image after image and footage of so many of the wars and armed conflicts that have happened in the past century. It was...bouleversant (moving, distressing), to say the least. but then...a new song started to play in my head while I was at the cemetery. A song most people don't know, because it's 8 years old and part of an obscure musical created by an international theatre troupe that doesn't exist anymore. It's called A Song of Peace from A Common Beat, created and performed by Up With People. UWP came to Ontario when I was in 7th grade. I have the soundtrack memorized...and on my iPod.
Can we sing a song of peace in a world that's full of fear? Can a melody of hope ever hope to dry a tear? It's an easy thing to say and it's so hard to hear...will the fighting ever cease if we sing a song of peace? Can we sing a song of love when we're hostages of hate? Will it be heard above the shouting at the gate? Can we stop the sands of time if we hold a hand of faith? In this world of push and shove can we sing a song of love?
Clouds are gathering on the horizon and on the winds...overtures of war. It may be too late to settle for peace if we wait till they settle the score
Can we sing a song of peace when they're knocking down our doors? Can you hold an olive branch, hang on to what is yours till the weapons that destroy go to join the dinosaurs? Will there still be hope at least if we sing a song of peace?
à+
and this past weekend only confirmed those lyrics for me. I went on one of the most depressing-in-an-inspiring-way weekend trip to the Normandy region. More specifically, to Caen - to visit the WWII memorial, to Omaha Beach - and the American cemetery, and Point du Hoc -the German forces' base. It was overwhelming, to say the least. At the memorial museum in Caen we watched a couple of films that included footage from the battles, but nothing compares to actually going to the beaches and seeing what the Allied troops were facing. Omaha beach, for example, is HUGE...much more so than I was expecting. There's also all sorts of marshy vegetation to fight through...and a very large hill. and of course, the troops were also dealing with the enemy fire raining down on them...it's no wonder that the cemetery is as large as it is. It's a sight that will take your breath away...crosses and Stars of David stretching on for what seems like forever in perfect rows...
It was an emotional weekend for me. I always remember the Albert Einstein quote whenever I think of war..."One definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result every time." I have to wonder when humankind will find the new approach, rather than trying that same thing over and over.
Being the broadway baby/music aficionado that I am, music marked a lot of this weekend for me, too. I had Billy Joel's "We didnt start the fire" going through my head as we were watching one of the films at the Caen museum that showed image after image and footage of so many of the wars and armed conflicts that have happened in the past century. It was...bouleversant (moving, distressing), to say the least. but then...a new song started to play in my head while I was at the cemetery. A song most people don't know, because it's 8 years old and part of an obscure musical created by an international theatre troupe that doesn't exist anymore. It's called A Song of Peace from A Common Beat, created and performed by Up With People. UWP came to Ontario when I was in 7th grade. I have the soundtrack memorized...and on my iPod.
Can we sing a song of peace in a world that's full of fear? Can a melody of hope ever hope to dry a tear? It's an easy thing to say and it's so hard to hear...will the fighting ever cease if we sing a song of peace? Can we sing a song of love when we're hostages of hate? Will it be heard above the shouting at the gate? Can we stop the sands of time if we hold a hand of faith? In this world of push and shove can we sing a song of love?
Clouds are gathering on the horizon and on the winds...overtures of war. It may be too late to settle for peace if we wait till they settle the score
Can we sing a song of peace when they're knocking down our doors? Can you hold an olive branch, hang on to what is yours till the weapons that destroy go to join the dinosaurs? Will there still be hope at least if we sing a song of peace?
à+
13 March 2008
work, play, and...World Wars?
In exactly a week, I'll be taking a train to the Charles de Gaulle airport (which always amuses me to abbreviate, since it's mum's initials!). Why? To meet Peter and Andrea so that we can take a train to Italy! It's so weird that it's only a week away...we've been planning this visit/trip together since LAST semester and it's finally (almost) here. I'm so excited!! It'll be so good to see family faces - and it's been a good year and a half since I've seen Andrea =)
In the meantime, however, I've been making myself get work done. Since I didn't sleep last week and therefore got nothing done, I've made this week a work week, and even more so next week - at least until Thursday! Granted, I still went out to Bucks on Tuesday after conversation club, but I still managed to sleep...some! What's so weird here is that I never seem to *do* all that much each week, but the time still flies by. I always tend to sit here, trying to write a blog entry, and finding that unless it's about travel, I don't usually have much to say. I suppose that's a good thing...it reminds me that I've moved from being a foreigner in a strange country to...someone living here. Things have settled into a relatively normal life, rather than this overwhelming feeling of being foreign.
Well, that's to say that I don't constantly feel foreign. Only sometimes!
Random Fact of the Day: Yesterday Lazare Ponticelli died at the age of 110. He was the last living French "Poilu," c'est-à-dire a soldier of WWI (poilu meaning hairy one, born of the fact that the soldiers in the trenches could never really shave, so they tended to have bushy mustaches and beards) . I learned about him in my religion class earlier this semester, and my professor was saying that when he died it'd be sure to be all over the news. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to watch the news yesterday, but I DID receive a news text message about it =D
and speaking of World Wars, I'm headed to Normandy this weekend with IES!
à +!
PS - does anyone know why one particular website wouldn't work on my computer, even though it does on other computers? I can't seem to log into facebook, even though I'm able to with friends laptops or the IES computers. While it's not the end of the world (since I have the IES computers to use, of course!), it's getting on my nerves, mainly because I want to upload pictures from Nice, Monaco and Corsica, and that's easiest to do with my laptop. Plus, with Normandy and Italy adventures to come, I want to get them up before I have HUNDREDS of pictures to post at once!
In the meantime, however, I've been making myself get work done. Since I didn't sleep last week and therefore got nothing done, I've made this week a work week, and even more so next week - at least until Thursday! Granted, I still went out to Bucks on Tuesday after conversation club, but I still managed to sleep...some! What's so weird here is that I never seem to *do* all that much each week, but the time still flies by. I always tend to sit here, trying to write a blog entry, and finding that unless it's about travel, I don't usually have much to say. I suppose that's a good thing...it reminds me that I've moved from being a foreigner in a strange country to...someone living here. Things have settled into a relatively normal life, rather than this overwhelming feeling of being foreign.
Well, that's to say that I don't constantly feel foreign. Only sometimes!
Random Fact of the Day: Yesterday Lazare Ponticelli died at the age of 110. He was the last living French "Poilu," c'est-à-dire a soldier of WWI (poilu meaning hairy one, born of the fact that the soldiers in the trenches could never really shave, so they tended to have bushy mustaches and beards) . I learned about him in my religion class earlier this semester, and my professor was saying that when he died it'd be sure to be all over the news. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to watch the news yesterday, but I DID receive a news text message about it =D
and speaking of World Wars, I'm headed to Normandy this weekend with IES!
à +!
PS - does anyone know why one particular website wouldn't work on my computer, even though it does on other computers? I can't seem to log into facebook, even though I'm able to with friends laptops or the IES computers. While it's not the end of the world (since I have the IES computers to use, of course!), it's getting on my nerves, mainly because I want to upload pictures from Nice, Monaco and Corsica, and that's easiest to do with my laptop. Plus, with Normandy and Italy adventures to come, I want to get them up before I have HUNDREDS of pictures to post at once!
08 March 2008
Lesson of the Week: sleep is a good thing...
sadly, lessons like that usually have to come from NOT succeeding.
three straight not-enough-sleep nights is not conducive to a successful, productive, fun week.
Monday night wasn't bad...but I had an 8.15 midterm tuesday morning -tuesdays are always sleepy days. then, after conversation club, I went out to watch the lyon vs manchester soccer game...and while none of us really watched the game, we all had a heck of a lot of fun talking and people watching in the bar. unfortunately, I completely lost track of time and consequently didnt get home until quarter of one. and then the next night (despite being sleepy all day...) my girls and I went to Buck Mulligans, which hosts an international night. we didnt actually meet anyone, but we had a hell of a time playing cards and acting like idiots...I'm sure the rest of the people thought we were drunk, but they just dont understand that you can laugh and have fun without extraneous amounts of alcohol =D aaaand once again I didnt make it home until quarter of one...
and then thursday night was the crowning moment of college-sleeplessness-stupidity. We had a day trip to Paris yesterday (moment 16,823,086 of sur-reality of my life, by the way-who takes a day trip to PARIS?) and we had to be at the train station at 7am. my girls and I decide for some unknown reason that it would be a good idea to sleep over at Jenan's house so that we could all go together. of course, we ended up cooking dinner and having a whip-cream-fight (I think since Britney stayed clean, she was the winner) and watching a movie until 2 am. ergo...we were working on about 4 hours of sleep. after two already sleep deprived nights for me.
I was TIRED.
but then I slept for 11 hours last night...and have learned my lesson. granted, it probably won't stop me from doing this again at some point, but that's beside the point =D Besides, it was because of fun that I didn't sleep. every now and then, I'll take that trade-off!
à+!
PS!!! While it may be the 9th here in France (again with the staying out too late...this time dancing!), it's still the 8th back home, and so I say to you...Happy International Women's Day! not only that, but it's the 100 anniversary of the birth of Simone de Beavoire, affectionnately refered to by some as the mother of the second wave feminist movement =)
three straight not-enough-sleep nights is not conducive to a successful, productive, fun week.
Monday night wasn't bad...but I had an 8.15 midterm tuesday morning -tuesdays are always sleepy days. then, after conversation club, I went out to watch the lyon vs manchester soccer game...and while none of us really watched the game, we all had a heck of a lot of fun talking and people watching in the bar. unfortunately, I completely lost track of time and consequently didnt get home until quarter of one. and then the next night (despite being sleepy all day...) my girls and I went to Buck Mulligans, which hosts an international night. we didnt actually meet anyone, but we had a hell of a time playing cards and acting like idiots...I'm sure the rest of the people thought we were drunk, but they just dont understand that you can laugh and have fun without extraneous amounts of alcohol =D aaaand once again I didnt make it home until quarter of one...
and then thursday night was the crowning moment of college-sleeplessness-stupidity. We had a day trip to Paris yesterday (moment 16,823,086 of sur-reality of my life, by the way-who takes a day trip to PARIS?) and we had to be at the train station at 7am. my girls and I decide for some unknown reason that it would be a good idea to sleep over at Jenan's house so that we could all go together. of course, we ended up cooking dinner and having a whip-cream-fight (I think since Britney stayed clean, she was the winner) and watching a movie until 2 am. ergo...we were working on about 4 hours of sleep. after two already sleep deprived nights for me.
I was TIRED.
but then I slept for 11 hours last night...and have learned my lesson. granted, it probably won't stop me from doing this again at some point, but that's beside the point =D Besides, it was because of fun that I didn't sleep. every now and then, I'll take that trade-off!
à+!
PS!!! While it may be the 9th here in France (again with the staying out too late...this time dancing!), it's still the 8th back home, and so I say to you...Happy International Women's Day! not only that, but it's the 100 anniversary of the birth of Simone de Beavoire, affectionnately refered to by some as the mother of the second wave feminist movement =)
02 March 2008
sunburn in February? I'm NOT going to complain!
Well. That was quite the adventure!
(yes, I know it's March. but I got the sunburn in February! and it's even better when the sunburn isn't from snowglare!)
(for my own benefit, I'm doing a timeline. then I'll get to the good stories)
Sunday: beach lounging, picnic lunch, parade, dinner, cruise ship to Corsica
Monday: essentially just wandering around Bastia and Sisco in Corsica, chilling by the water, cruise back to Nice
Tuesday: arrive at the 'hostel,' dinner at the Restaurant du Gesu, night parade
Wednesday: back to the market, Battle of the Flowers, Russian Cathedral
Thursday: train ride to Monaco, Palace, gardens, casino, head back to Nice then back to Nantes
Friday: arrive in Nantes, ULTIMATE crashandburn
So that's what we *did.* My favorite parts:
sitting by the Mediterranean. We did a lot of that...Jenan had brought a deck of skipbo cards, so we'd either play skipbo or write postcards (or journals, for me!), or just bask in the sun. It was so nice to just relax for once...nowhere to go, nothing to do, just enjoying the sun and warmth (my utmost apologies to the snowbunnies back in the states...). And the sea itself...it's amazing. I've NEVER seen a shade of blue like that. When it's overcast, it's this deep grey blue, but when the sun comes out, it turns a brilliant sapphire blue that I didn't think existed except in photoshopped pictures.
the parades. France may not do Halloween, but that's okay - they have Carnavale to make up for it! Little girls were running around in princess costumes (or the occasionnal punk/goth, for the middleschoolers). There were pirates and batmans and spidermans and clowns...even the adults were dressed up! The parades were so much fun...the crowds had TONS (literally) of confetti and silly string...it was amazing. Since it's the year of the rat, the theme was "King of Bats, Cats, Rats and other Legendary Creatures." There was a dinosaur, a ton of vampires, bats and rat-themed floats.
the "hostel" in Nice. When we booked Nice Home Sweet Home on hostelworld.com, I was expecting something like the hostel I stayed in while I was in Paris. Clean, but simple, bunks with strangers, that sort of thing. We walk into the room (just for us, by the way) and it's HUGE. Bigger than some of the IES classrooms! There was a tv, dvd player, and a cd player. There was even a little balcony outside our window! Needless to say, it was incredible. The owners are so nice, too. At any rate, when we got there on tuesday, we were exhausted by our corsica trip - the ship docked at 7 am, so our days started EARLY. we decided to take an afternoon nap that was intended to be from 3 to 4.15. well...I was the first to wake up at quarter of 6! if any of you ever go to Nice...try to get a room in the Home Sweet Home bed and breakfast. It's SO worth it!
Monaco. It was pretty incredible, I'm not going to lie. You can tell there's money in that country! We did try our hand at the slot machines in Monte Carlo...all that happened was that we lost 5 euros =D It's just a really...beautiful place. It's so fun to gawk at the ginormous yachts in the port and the shopfronts boasting things that we sure as anything couldn't afford! it was the last day of our trip, so we were all pretty beat.
There were other highlights, of course, but those were some of the best.
And back in Nantes...I saw the most amazing movie last night. It's called Paris, and it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear last night when I just wanted to be in New Jersey with the rest of my family. It's the stories of people living in Paris, how their lives are all intertwined without them even knowing it...one of the main characters had a terminal illness...and the whole movie is about seizing the moment, living life to the fullest and taking the chances that could change your life - because it's too precious to waste. ...and I bawled through the conclusion. anyone surprised? ya shouldn't be! but it had Juliette Binoche and Romain Duris in it, a couple of my FAVORITE actors.
so yes.
carpe diem!
à+!
(yes, I know it's March. but I got the sunburn in February! and it's even better when the sunburn isn't from snowglare!)
(for my own benefit, I'm doing a timeline. then I'll get to the good stories)
Sunday: beach lounging, picnic lunch, parade, dinner, cruise ship to Corsica
Monday: essentially just wandering around Bastia and Sisco in Corsica, chilling by the water, cruise back to Nice
Tuesday: arrive at the 'hostel,' dinner at the Restaurant du Gesu, night parade
Wednesday: back to the market, Battle of the Flowers, Russian Cathedral
Thursday: train ride to Monaco, Palace, gardens, casino, head back to Nice then back to Nantes
Friday: arrive in Nantes, ULTIMATE crashandburn
So that's what we *did.* My favorite parts:
sitting by the Mediterranean. We did a lot of that...Jenan had brought a deck of skipbo cards, so we'd either play skipbo or write postcards (or journals, for me!), or just bask in the sun. It was so nice to just relax for once...nowhere to go, nothing to do, just enjoying the sun and warmth (my utmost apologies to the snowbunnies back in the states...). And the sea itself...it's amazing. I've NEVER seen a shade of blue like that. When it's overcast, it's this deep grey blue, but when the sun comes out, it turns a brilliant sapphire blue that I didn't think existed except in photoshopped pictures.
the parades. France may not do Halloween, but that's okay - they have Carnavale to make up for it! Little girls were running around in princess costumes (or the occasionnal punk/goth, for the middleschoolers). There were pirates and batmans and spidermans and clowns...even the adults were dressed up! The parades were so much fun...the crowds had TONS (literally) of confetti and silly string...it was amazing. Since it's the year of the rat, the theme was "King of Bats, Cats, Rats and other Legendary Creatures." There was a dinosaur, a ton of vampires, bats and rat-themed floats.
the "hostel" in Nice. When we booked Nice Home Sweet Home on hostelworld.com, I was expecting something like the hostel I stayed in while I was in Paris. Clean, but simple, bunks with strangers, that sort of thing. We walk into the room (just for us, by the way) and it's HUGE. Bigger than some of the IES classrooms! There was a tv, dvd player, and a cd player. There was even a little balcony outside our window! Needless to say, it was incredible. The owners are so nice, too. At any rate, when we got there on tuesday, we were exhausted by our corsica trip - the ship docked at 7 am, so our days started EARLY. we decided to take an afternoon nap that was intended to be from 3 to 4.15. well...I was the first to wake up at quarter of 6! if any of you ever go to Nice...try to get a room in the Home Sweet Home bed and breakfast. It's SO worth it!
Monaco. It was pretty incredible, I'm not going to lie. You can tell there's money in that country! We did try our hand at the slot machines in Monte Carlo...all that happened was that we lost 5 euros =D It's just a really...beautiful place. It's so fun to gawk at the ginormous yachts in the port and the shopfronts boasting things that we sure as anything couldn't afford! it was the last day of our trip, so we were all pretty beat.
There were other highlights, of course, but those were some of the best.
And back in Nantes...I saw the most amazing movie last night. It's called Paris, and it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear last night when I just wanted to be in New Jersey with the rest of my family. It's the stories of people living in Paris, how their lives are all intertwined without them even knowing it...one of the main characters had a terminal illness...and the whole movie is about seizing the moment, living life to the fullest and taking the chances that could change your life - because it's too precious to waste. ...and I bawled through the conclusion. anyone surprised? ya shouldn't be! but it had Juliette Binoche and Romain Duris in it, a couple of my FAVORITE actors.
so yes.
carpe diem!
à+!
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