The second full day in Dublin was crazy fun! I walked around most of Dublin and saw Dublinia, which is a Rennaisance looking part of Dublin. They had some cool little jewelery boutiques and craft stands, so it was great! I was still very amused at this point by the cars-on-the-other-side-of-the-road thing, except for the moments when I still didn't QUITE look in the right direction, so I nearly became squashed on the road.
Around 1 I went to the Guiness factory well-fed, knowing that there would be free pint at the end of the tour (you know, after you paid the gazillion to get in...I would HOPE there would be something free at the end). The factory was actually really interesting. I now know what's in beer- barley, water, hops and yeast. However, I think, thought I can't be sure...but I think the factory had a bit of a bias when they said that their beer was the best brewed...it was gross. Sooooo, basically, I paid money to see a factory of a beer I don't even like. Weird. It was pretty cool anyway.
However, what WAS really neat was that I met an old retired couple up in the Galaxy room (where the pints were being served) who is from Minnesota. Not only that, but they knew and had been to Eagle River!! Here I was standing in Dublin talking about Highway 8 and heading north through Rhinelander. It was fantastic. They were so fun and very good conversationalists. The husband also confessed to me that he was no Guiness fan so we shared in a laugh about having paid to have a free glass of something we don't even like!
On my way out of the factory, you won't believe who I met up with! Brad Pitt!! Okay, that's a lie, but I think the real answer is better - I saw the group of 8 Italians who were riding on the Paddywagon tour yesterday. They were saying "Hey!! Ciao!" in their crazy Italian way and I ended up hanging out with them for the rest of the day. After a few more hours hanging around in the brewery, the Italians and I all walked towards the center of Dublin, went to Starbucks, had dinner, and by then, they were going to catch a taxi to the airport really early in the morning for their flight. I was sad to see them go, but they are for sure my favorite social memory of my 2 week adventure.
I said goodbye to Dublin with both a heavy heart, but with a looot of excitement at what was ahead. ITALY!!!
...then I got there. Everyone spoke Italian!! And being a French major really didn't help. However, apart from the language barrier, Rome and Florence both have been amazing.
In Rome, I saw the Vatican (more importantly, John Paul II's tomb), the Sistene Chapel and then I went to the Coloseum. The Sistene chapel was more amazing than I could have ever imagined and I think that God will forgive the three pictures I snuck regardless of the "NOOO PHOOTOOS" being shouted by the guards there. I know...I'm a true sinner.
The Coloseum was absolutely amazing! I kept pinching myself, saying "Wow, this is where the Roman games were! That's crazy!" Overall, it was really cool. I will be posting my pictures as soon as I get back to Paris, so I think I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.
I took a train from Rome to Florence and I am not feeling a little curious about the security of European trains. There was no one to take my ticket, no one to tell me where my seat was like there was in Paris. I suppose I should have just not bought a ticket at all and just hopped on regardless!!! I asked the woman across from me if there was any sort of security person, and she said that there was one that came through during the ride. However, what are they going to do with someone that doesn't have a ticket? Throw them off a speeding train? Hm....
However, the trainride was absolutely gorgeous. The clouds in the sky were perfectly filtering the sunlight coming through and shedding light across the mountainous hills on the horizon. It was just gorgeous. Unfortunately, I was so tired that I missed a lot of it, but the glimpses that I had were quite amazing.
Yesterday, I met up with some of the Ripon students studying in Florence and we had a picnic in the park. It was fantastic - the food, the company, the wine and even the weather.
Today I plan to see theeee David, but for the most part, I just want to do a little more relaxing than sightseeing. I wouldn't say I'm burned out...but...
These past couple of days in Italy have been wonderful, but there is a sinking homesick feeling that I was starting to face. My clothes are ragged, my body hurts from walking everywhere, I don't truly have a place to call home, and the money draining from my wallet is actually starting to get to me. However, I will be back in Paris tomorrow night, so I'm going to live it up as much as possible!!!
Well, as the Italians say, Ciao bella!
Au revoir! Until next time!
30 April 2008
25 April 2008
Paddy Hell-on-Wheels
I can't believe it's already Friday! I've been having a whirlwind of fun, especially traveling offically on my own to Dublin. I met people on the plane, in the airport, and I've been finding myself very comfortable with the people in my hostel.
I landed in Dublin just yesterday and finally found the hostel after asking not only another hostel (in poor taste? not sure, don't care...) but some other people on the street where the location was. After going around in circles for a while, I found it (the biiiiig reeeed banners gave away its location and I was feeling a little foolish). Check in was a breeze and I was feeling good. No one was in the room when I got there, so I decided to boldy go to the kitchen and meet some people.
...everyone was speaking French...
There was a group of teenagers and their chaperones in the hostel last night from France and it was really fun being able to talk with some of them, mostly their chaperones, not the crazy teenagers.
In any case, I met a girl named Maudelaine from Montreal (that's in Canada!) and she and I went to a grocery store down the street for dinner fixings. I was pretty hungry (ps, don't ever go shopping when you're hungry) so I got pasta, pesta sauce, yogurt, veggies, fruit and other assortments of food. Needless to say, I cooked a verrry mean plate of pasta for myself even Italians would be slobbering over.
Last night, I went out with a couple of French girls from the Lyon area and another guy from Germany (poor guy - not understanding much French) to a really famous bar called Temple Bar. It was fabulous. Smoky, but fabulous. The girls were sooo much fun - really outgoing and it was nice just to be myself. I had to be up by 6:00 this morning to go to a tour of the cliffs of Moher (prounounced more) so the late night was simply not the responsible choice, but it was what I will not refer to as the "holiday" choice. I did it because I'm on vacation.
In any case, the Paddywagon tour to cliffs of Moher was reeeeaaaallly early this morning, but I made it there on time. The cliffs themselves were amazingly beautiful, breathtaking and it was soooo neat to FINALLY see the ocean. Sad that I had to see it from the European side rather than the United States side, but I'm not judging.
However, the bus driver was crazy. We had a bus that was (apparently) big enough to hold a significant amount of people but juuuuuust little enough for the driver to think that it was meant for off-roading. Going over little bumps felt like mountains, and he seemed to be going well over the speed limit. It shouldn't be called Paddywagon but Paddy Hell-on-Wheels. "We shake life up". Anyway, I was feeling pretty nauseous for a lot of the ride, and was in some ways thinking the money I spent for the trip wasn't really living up to the hype, but that's okay. It was still an experience...
On the bus, I met a girl named Christine who was pretty neat. She's a conservation major at River Falls in Wisconsin and it was fun to see her excited about all the natural land forms we were seeing today.. On the ride back, I was paired up with a girl from Italy and she spoke broken English. She was very funny and was teaching me a little bit of Italian. Am now in love with languages and am thinking French will not suffice.
I think I have decided what I want to be for the rest of my life.. : a student.
Tomorrow I plan to see Dublin by foot as it is both at my pace of sight-seeing, WON'T be another bus, and is FREE! :) Later in the afternoon, I will be going to the Guiness factory that I've heard a lot of good things about. Not only will I be able to have a taste of the delightful brew, but I will also they have a 360 degree window of the view of Dublin, so I'll be able to take some pretty cool pictures, providing the weather doesn't stink as it has in both Scotland and Ireland since I've been here.
Not much more to say except that I'm really happy. It seems I have a new lease on life in the fact that I'm loving it over and over again seemingly every minute. Meeting new people, even if I know they're only going to be in my life for a day, an evening, a few hours, feels so incredible. It is fun to swap stories and laugh about traveling adventures. But for now, I'm going to go off and start creating some more.
Take care all and I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy!
Love, love, love,
Molly
I landed in Dublin just yesterday and finally found the hostel after asking not only another hostel (in poor taste? not sure, don't care...) but some other people on the street where the location was. After going around in circles for a while, I found it (the biiiiig reeeed banners gave away its location and I was feeling a little foolish). Check in was a breeze and I was feeling good. No one was in the room when I got there, so I decided to boldy go to the kitchen and meet some people.
...everyone was speaking French...
There was a group of teenagers and their chaperones in the hostel last night from France and it was really fun being able to talk with some of them, mostly their chaperones, not the crazy teenagers.
In any case, I met a girl named Maudelaine from Montreal (that's in Canada!) and she and I went to a grocery store down the street for dinner fixings. I was pretty hungry (ps, don't ever go shopping when you're hungry) so I got pasta, pesta sauce, yogurt, veggies, fruit and other assortments of food. Needless to say, I cooked a verrry mean plate of pasta for myself even Italians would be slobbering over.
Last night, I went out with a couple of French girls from the Lyon area and another guy from Germany (poor guy - not understanding much French) to a really famous bar called Temple Bar. It was fabulous. Smoky, but fabulous. The girls were sooo much fun - really outgoing and it was nice just to be myself. I had to be up by 6:00 this morning to go to a tour of the cliffs of Moher (prounounced more) so the late night was simply not the responsible choice, but it was what I will not refer to as the "holiday" choice. I did it because I'm on vacation.
In any case, the Paddywagon tour to cliffs of Moher was reeeeaaaallly early this morning, but I made it there on time. The cliffs themselves were amazingly beautiful, breathtaking and it was soooo neat to FINALLY see the ocean. Sad that I had to see it from the European side rather than the United States side, but I'm not judging.
However, the bus driver was crazy. We had a bus that was (apparently) big enough to hold a significant amount of people but juuuuuust little enough for the driver to think that it was meant for off-roading. Going over little bumps felt like mountains, and he seemed to be going well over the speed limit. It shouldn't be called Paddywagon but Paddy Hell-on-Wheels. "We shake life up". Anyway, I was feeling pretty nauseous for a lot of the ride, and was in some ways thinking the money I spent for the trip wasn't really living up to the hype, but that's okay. It was still an experience...
On the bus, I met a girl named Christine who was pretty neat. She's a conservation major at River Falls in Wisconsin and it was fun to see her excited about all the natural land forms we were seeing today.. On the ride back, I was paired up with a girl from Italy and she spoke broken English. She was very funny and was teaching me a little bit of Italian. Am now in love with languages and am thinking French will not suffice.
I think I have decided what I want to be for the rest of my life.. : a student.
Tomorrow I plan to see Dublin by foot as it is both at my pace of sight-seeing, WON'T be another bus, and is FREE! :) Later in the afternoon, I will be going to the Guiness factory that I've heard a lot of good things about. Not only will I be able to have a taste of the delightful brew, but I will also they have a 360 degree window of the view of Dublin, so I'll be able to take some pretty cool pictures, providing the weather doesn't stink as it has in both Scotland and Ireland since I've been here.
Not much more to say except that I'm really happy. It seems I have a new lease on life in the fact that I'm loving it over and over again seemingly every minute. Meeting new people, even if I know they're only going to be in my life for a day, an evening, a few hours, feels so incredible. It is fun to swap stories and laugh about traveling adventures. But for now, I'm going to go off and start creating some more.
Take care all and I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy!
Love, love, love,
Molly
22 April 2008
Bonnie Scotland!
My adventures getting to Scotland were a little interesting. In the airport, they almost didn't let me get on the plane. Awesome. The lady checking passports said that I would first have to go to the alien office in France to be able to travel out of Germany. Now, I'm no scientist, but wouldn't I have to first get on a plane to France to get to this alien office that I truly didn't have to go to in order to get the "correct" visa. Was a little bit ridiculous. I was going to say to her, "Would it help if my associate, Mr. Five Euro, had a conversation with you?" but I'm not sure that would have helped my situation. Oh well. Finally got on a plane and was off to Edinburgh...again, pronounced Edinburah, not Edinberg.
The bus ride from the airport to the bus transfer station and then that bus ride to St. Andrews was pretty uneventful, but if anything, absolutely gorgeous. The hillside of Scotland was breathtaking and I had arrived on a very sunny day for Scotland. It was one of those days where the sun casts shadows of the clouds on the ground. Just wonderful. I was even able to successfully take some pictures from the bus, which made me think that I should totally work for National Geographic. I would have the best of two worls - traveling and taking pictures. I could do that. I think I could.
In any case, there are a few things about Scotland that I noticed right away. As I was looking out of the bus window, I looked down at a woman in her car. First of all, she was drinking something from McDonalds...sigh...but then grabbing for something infront of her. The steering wheel. But wait, she was sitting on the right side of the car. Oh my gosh - do the other people know about this?.... Wait a tick...
They drive on the other side of the road!!! When I realized the no one else was panicked about this, I remained calm, but there was a period of time when I thought maybe I should let someone know.
There are a lot of other things that the UK doesn't actually paticipate in..such as the Euro or the seasonal time changes. I didn't countries were saying no to that. I think the US should rebel too. Sigh.
In any case, I finally arrived in St. Andrews. I was looking at the local map in the bus station to get myself acquainted with the city and a gentleman came up to me and said,
"Gibber jabber blarney blunder."
"Um, excuse me?"
"Aye! Gibber jabber blarnez blunder!"
"I'm sorry, I can't understand you."
At this point, someone came up to the both of us and traslated for me. "He's asking you if you need some help."
"Yeah! I need some freakin' help! I need a translator!" Wow...I was NOT prepared the language barrier in my native language. Wow.
Finally got to my hostel and was greeted by a friendly staff member. The place is painted real nice, it feels clean and generally was feeling good at that point. I hadn't taken a shower since a few days before that, so I decided a nice long hot shower would feel reallllly good.
The shower was awful. First of all, there's a shower within a stall much like a toilet stall so that you can have a little privacy while showering, undress, etc. However, the door opens in and I had to *fwoop* suck it in to close the door. Awesome. The floor was made of fake wood floorboards and the nails were coming out of the floor. The water was warm, but the drain was clogged, so I had to turn off the water halfway through my shower out of fear that the shower would flood out of the stall not only all over the bathroom, but all over my nice clean clothes. Awesome.
Have officially decided to wait it out until Dublin to shower again. I will not remind you of what day that is but lets just say I might be a little more French in my BO for the next couple of days.
However, St. Andrews has made up for the questionable stay here. As a small town, I found myself very easily acquainted and feeling like it's nearly impossible to get lost. The town feels very midieval in it's architecture and there are a lot of quaint tourist shops that remind me of my wonderful hometown of Eagle River. It is a city populated majoritily (word?) by students, so it is a very friendly town. I smiled at a woman today and she smiled back. A good feeling in comparison to the dagger eyes I would have gotten from the usual Parisians.
Monday night, Bryan and I had dinner together in his kitchen and it was good to see where he's living, knowing he's safe. We had an amazing stir fry with rice and a honey chicken sauce (naturally without the chicken) and it...was...good. I left around 8:30 and with a long days travel behind me, I felt tired by 10 or 10:30 so I went to bed.
....for just a little while. A drunken Scot rolled into the hostel room and passed out in his bed only to commence the most horrible snoring I have ever heard. It was awful. This was about 1 am. His girlfriend came in a little later, yelling at him for waking up the entire room...I think it might have been her doing that though moreso than him. Oh well. Needless to say, my first night sleeping here was a little rough, but the hostel is still okay in my eyes.
Had been feeling really homesick for Paris and French in general yesterday and I think God heard my prayers because as I was cooking dinner at the hostel, a French family walked in. So I got to 'parler' a little 'francais'. Awesome. Also, a girl I had met at the Cologne airport, who was taking the same flight walked into the hostel yesterday as well, so I'm feeling both a small world feeling and very grateful to have had a familiar face. Her name is Hendrickje and she's from Germany. She speaks English very very well and French as well. She's living in Paris this semester, so she said we should get together once we return to the States. Very awesome!
Last night was fantastic. I went to a Scottish pub with Hendrickje, Bryan and a bunch of his friends. They were all really really nice. I had a dark beer (not bad, but very heavy) and then Bryan and I had some gooooood whiskey. I chewed it to get the most taste from it, and I was breathing fire. It was really good though. After the pub, his friends and I (Bryan left early because he needed to get up early in the morning) went to a place call KFB and I had my first deep fried snickers bar. Basically....it was heaven. I've never had a deep fried anything (to my recollection) but I'm pretty sure the amazingness is something I would have remembered experiencing. FAAAAntastic. I arrived back at the hostel to find everzone else in bed, sleeping...and the room was silent....no snoring. Sigh of relief.
Today I plan to go to the Botanical gardens and climb the tower. Should be a relatively cheap day, which I'm definitely excited for. Tomorrow I will be leaving really early to get to Edinburgh for the morning and spend a little time there before getting on my plane for Dublin. People I've met in the hostel have been telling me that I'm going to love Dublin, it's a great city. I sure hope they're right...
Peace!
Molly
The bus ride from the airport to the bus transfer station and then that bus ride to St. Andrews was pretty uneventful, but if anything, absolutely gorgeous. The hillside of Scotland was breathtaking and I had arrived on a very sunny day for Scotland. It was one of those days where the sun casts shadows of the clouds on the ground. Just wonderful. I was even able to successfully take some pictures from the bus, which made me think that I should totally work for National Geographic. I would have the best of two worls - traveling and taking pictures. I could do that. I think I could.
In any case, there are a few things about Scotland that I noticed right away. As I was looking out of the bus window, I looked down at a woman in her car. First of all, she was drinking something from McDonalds...sigh...but then grabbing for something infront of her. The steering wheel. But wait, she was sitting on the right side of the car. Oh my gosh - do the other people know about this?.... Wait a tick...
They drive on the other side of the road!!! When I realized the no one else was panicked about this, I remained calm, but there was a period of time when I thought maybe I should let someone know.
There are a lot of other things that the UK doesn't actually paticipate in..such as the Euro or the seasonal time changes. I didn't countries were saying no to that. I think the US should rebel too. Sigh.
In any case, I finally arrived in St. Andrews. I was looking at the local map in the bus station to get myself acquainted with the city and a gentleman came up to me and said,
"Gibber jabber blarney blunder."
"Um, excuse me?"
"Aye! Gibber jabber blarnez blunder!"
"I'm sorry, I can't understand you."
At this point, someone came up to the both of us and traslated for me. "He's asking you if you need some help."
"Yeah! I need some freakin' help! I need a translator!" Wow...I was NOT prepared the language barrier in my native language. Wow.
Finally got to my hostel and was greeted by a friendly staff member. The place is painted real nice, it feels clean and generally was feeling good at that point. I hadn't taken a shower since a few days before that, so I decided a nice long hot shower would feel reallllly good.
The shower was awful. First of all, there's a shower within a stall much like a toilet stall so that you can have a little privacy while showering, undress, etc. However, the door opens in and I had to *fwoop* suck it in to close the door. Awesome. The floor was made of fake wood floorboards and the nails were coming out of the floor. The water was warm, but the drain was clogged, so I had to turn off the water halfway through my shower out of fear that the shower would flood out of the stall not only all over the bathroom, but all over my nice clean clothes. Awesome.
Have officially decided to wait it out until Dublin to shower again. I will not remind you of what day that is but lets just say I might be a little more French in my BO for the next couple of days.
However, St. Andrews has made up for the questionable stay here. As a small town, I found myself very easily acquainted and feeling like it's nearly impossible to get lost. The town feels very midieval in it's architecture and there are a lot of quaint tourist shops that remind me of my wonderful hometown of Eagle River. It is a city populated majoritily (word?) by students, so it is a very friendly town. I smiled at a woman today and she smiled back. A good feeling in comparison to the dagger eyes I would have gotten from the usual Parisians.
Monday night, Bryan and I had dinner together in his kitchen and it was good to see where he's living, knowing he's safe. We had an amazing stir fry with rice and a honey chicken sauce (naturally without the chicken) and it...was...good. I left around 8:30 and with a long days travel behind me, I felt tired by 10 or 10:30 so I went to bed.
....for just a little while. A drunken Scot rolled into the hostel room and passed out in his bed only to commence the most horrible snoring I have ever heard. It was awful. This was about 1 am. His girlfriend came in a little later, yelling at him for waking up the entire room...I think it might have been her doing that though moreso than him. Oh well. Needless to say, my first night sleeping here was a little rough, but the hostel is still okay in my eyes.
Had been feeling really homesick for Paris and French in general yesterday and I think God heard my prayers because as I was cooking dinner at the hostel, a French family walked in. So I got to 'parler' a little 'francais'. Awesome. Also, a girl I had met at the Cologne airport, who was taking the same flight walked into the hostel yesterday as well, so I'm feeling both a small world feeling and very grateful to have had a familiar face. Her name is Hendrickje and she's from Germany. She speaks English very very well and French as well. She's living in Paris this semester, so she said we should get together once we return to the States. Very awesome!
Last night was fantastic. I went to a Scottish pub with Hendrickje, Bryan and a bunch of his friends. They were all really really nice. I had a dark beer (not bad, but very heavy) and then Bryan and I had some gooooood whiskey. I chewed it to get the most taste from it, and I was breathing fire. It was really good though. After the pub, his friends and I (Bryan left early because he needed to get up early in the morning) went to a place call KFB and I had my first deep fried snickers bar. Basically....it was heaven. I've never had a deep fried anything (to my recollection) but I'm pretty sure the amazingness is something I would have remembered experiencing. FAAAAntastic. I arrived back at the hostel to find everzone else in bed, sleeping...and the room was silent....no snoring. Sigh of relief.
Today I plan to go to the Botanical gardens and climb the tower. Should be a relatively cheap day, which I'm definitely excited for. Tomorrow I will be leaving really early to get to Edinburgh for the morning and spend a little time there before getting on my plane for Dublin. People I've met in the hostel have been telling me that I'm going to love Dublin, it's a great city. I sure hope they're right...
Peace!
Molly
21 April 2008
Bonn was "bon"
I finally had everything ready - my baggage, my passport (which is really the most important thing) and...well, my adventurous spirit. However, my adventures started before even leaving Paris.
I stopped at a Tabac (which is your Parisian newpaper stand, a place to get gum and postcards and they are scattered everywhere on the sidewalks here) to buy a calling card a friend recommended to me. The man said hello to me in English, suspecting I was an outsider (and rightly so with my baggage on my back), but I simply asked him in French. Before I could even finish my question, he responded "Oh, you speak French?"
"Oui."
"Are you Canadian?"
"No, I'm American."
"You're American and you speak French?"
He was impressed...and I was a little flattered, not going to lie. :)
Needless to say, things were really starting to seem wonderful and my day started off on a great language beat. Too bad they don't speak French in Germany. Sigh.
In any case, I husteld myself to the train station in a VERY excited fashion. I couldn't stop smiling on the metro - I think people thought I was a freak in all my happiness. I didn't care though; I was seeking my own adventures, and doing it all on my own - it was great. I had planned my own trip, made all my own arrangements. Now all I had to do was go!
The train ride to Cologne was pretty uneventful. I was sitting next to a French man, so I felt more at ease that there wouldn't be such a language barrier than if I was sitting next to someone who spoke German or Dutch...you know, in case of emergency. When the train started to go, emergency ensued. We were going backwards....backwards I say!! Actually....it was more or less that my seat was facing the other way, but I had a bit of a hard time with that, a little dizzying, a little nauseating, and I was sure glad to step on German soil and see Jon waiting for me almost exactly infront of the door I came out of. Thank goodness.
The first thing Jon and I did was walk around the streets of Cologne for about an hour or less just taking in the scenery, checking out the Dome, and generally catching up and having a good time. After a decent walk, we hopped on the train back to Bonn which was only about 20 minutes away. I was all pumped to try some German beer, but by the time we got to his room, he and I both decided that we were in the mood just to chill and stay in. Perfectly okay with me. He and I made dinner (MMMM) and had some wine. Fine dining if you ask me! (Thanks Jon)
Sunday was fantastic!! Jon and I headed out the door and did a walking tour of Bonn. He pointed out a lot of the historical hotspots and gave some really interesting background that I probably wouldn't be able to repeat for others simply because I don't know history as well as he does, but at the time, it was really interesting! :) I came on a really eventful weekend in Bonn. There was a marathon that cut through the entire city, so instead of being able to take 20 minutes to get somewhere, it ended up taking twice or thrice as long. Oh well; in the end, I saw more of Bonn than perhaps was planned, but I have no problems with that as it's a beautiful city. There is a lot more plantlife in Bonn than in Paris, which made me miss home (in the US) a little bit, but at the same time, I'm so happy here...soo, needless to say, it was a pretty shortlived emotion. :)
Lunch in Bonn was hardcore to say the least. Jon and I stopped at a cafe type place to have pizza, beer, and a baguette. Both were what Jon would describe as "man sized". We had beer and soup which were both good (even the beer...and I'm not normally a beer-drinker) and both took turns saying "This is soooo good." The food was really good. I don't even like swiss cheese, but for some reason, it tasted amazing on that sandwich. Mmmm. Let me take a moment to reminisce.
When the waitress came to collect our cash for the meal, I had a rather embarrassing moment. The waitress directed a question at me in German, and I looked at Jon in that "Help me, I'm ridiculously unprepared for this" kind of look. He translated for me, but the waitress was asking me another question, and all I could do was look from Jon to the waitress again. Finally, between Jon and I we communicated that, yes, I was finished with my meal. Oh man. Foolishness, just foolishness.
After lunch, Jon and I were soo full. So, naturally we got ice cream. :) I had a scoop of mint chocolate and another of chocolate. However, the "man-sized" cone it came in was alittle too much for me to handle, so Jon finished it off for me! You rock, Jon! Now feeling 10 pounds heavier, Jon and I made our way to some benches in a park area and watched people go by. As he and I both really like to people watch, the lazy afternoon was a perfect finish to spend the day before we headed back to dorm building. For dinner, Jon and I met up with some of the other students in his program (or at least other American students) and we had another fantastic meal. I just love the freshness of European food - the market, the freshly cooked vegetables in soup, the fresh salads. Oh man. I'm in heeavvveen. In any case, dinner was a very interesting experience for me because it was the second time a waitress came to the table and I had no idea what she was saying. Throughout dinner, I had been reminding myself of short German phrases like "Yes (ja)" and "No (nein)" but in the waitress' test, I failed miserably:
In English: "Was your meal good?"
Me...: Oui....
Holy crap.
As Jon once said "Everyone in Germany speaks German" and it's true. It was so hard to get used to listening to something and having absolutely no idea what they're saying. When I first got to France, I know my comprehension was low, but not understanding a word? It would be tough getting around without someone who could speak a little bit, especially when under pressure...hahaha.
Sunday night, Jon and I went to bed pretty late just hanging out in his room and having good conversation. I was sad to be leaving the next day, but was also very excited about going to a place where they speak my native language....kinda. (Scotland understands me but I can't seem to understand them)
Overall, I had a wonderful stay in Bonn (thanks Jon!) and was pleased to make it on the plane for Edinburgh (pronounced Edinburah, not Edinberg!!!)
Stay tuned for my Scottish adventures later!
Peace!
Molly
P.S. I will be posting pictures when I get back to France. Sorry for the wait, but it'll be easier that way! Thanks for the patience!
I stopped at a Tabac (which is your Parisian newpaper stand, a place to get gum and postcards and they are scattered everywhere on the sidewalks here) to buy a calling card a friend recommended to me. The man said hello to me in English, suspecting I was an outsider (and rightly so with my baggage on my back), but I simply asked him in French. Before I could even finish my question, he responded "Oh, you speak French?"
"Oui."
"Are you Canadian?"
"No, I'm American."
"You're American and you speak French?"
He was impressed...and I was a little flattered, not going to lie. :)
Needless to say, things were really starting to seem wonderful and my day started off on a great language beat. Too bad they don't speak French in Germany. Sigh.
In any case, I husteld myself to the train station in a VERY excited fashion. I couldn't stop smiling on the metro - I think people thought I was a freak in all my happiness. I didn't care though; I was seeking my own adventures, and doing it all on my own - it was great. I had planned my own trip, made all my own arrangements. Now all I had to do was go!
The train ride to Cologne was pretty uneventful. I was sitting next to a French man, so I felt more at ease that there wouldn't be such a language barrier than if I was sitting next to someone who spoke German or Dutch...you know, in case of emergency. When the train started to go, emergency ensued. We were going backwards....backwards I say!! Actually....it was more or less that my seat was facing the other way, but I had a bit of a hard time with that, a little dizzying, a little nauseating, and I was sure glad to step on German soil and see Jon waiting for me almost exactly infront of the door I came out of. Thank goodness.
The first thing Jon and I did was walk around the streets of Cologne for about an hour or less just taking in the scenery, checking out the Dome, and generally catching up and having a good time. After a decent walk, we hopped on the train back to Bonn which was only about 20 minutes away. I was all pumped to try some German beer, but by the time we got to his room, he and I both decided that we were in the mood just to chill and stay in. Perfectly okay with me. He and I made dinner (MMMM) and had some wine. Fine dining if you ask me! (Thanks Jon)
Sunday was fantastic!! Jon and I headed out the door and did a walking tour of Bonn. He pointed out a lot of the historical hotspots and gave some really interesting background that I probably wouldn't be able to repeat for others simply because I don't know history as well as he does, but at the time, it was really interesting! :) I came on a really eventful weekend in Bonn. There was a marathon that cut through the entire city, so instead of being able to take 20 minutes to get somewhere, it ended up taking twice or thrice as long. Oh well; in the end, I saw more of Bonn than perhaps was planned, but I have no problems with that as it's a beautiful city. There is a lot more plantlife in Bonn than in Paris, which made me miss home (in the US) a little bit, but at the same time, I'm so happy here...soo, needless to say, it was a pretty shortlived emotion. :)
Lunch in Bonn was hardcore to say the least. Jon and I stopped at a cafe type place to have pizza, beer, and a baguette. Both were what Jon would describe as "man sized". We had beer and soup which were both good (even the beer...and I'm not normally a beer-drinker) and both took turns saying "This is soooo good." The food was really good. I don't even like swiss cheese, but for some reason, it tasted amazing on that sandwich. Mmmm. Let me take a moment to reminisce.
When the waitress came to collect our cash for the meal, I had a rather embarrassing moment. The waitress directed a question at me in German, and I looked at Jon in that "Help me, I'm ridiculously unprepared for this" kind of look. He translated for me, but the waitress was asking me another question, and all I could do was look from Jon to the waitress again. Finally, between Jon and I we communicated that, yes, I was finished with my meal. Oh man. Foolishness, just foolishness.
After lunch, Jon and I were soo full. So, naturally we got ice cream. :) I had a scoop of mint chocolate and another of chocolate. However, the "man-sized" cone it came in was alittle too much for me to handle, so Jon finished it off for me! You rock, Jon! Now feeling 10 pounds heavier, Jon and I made our way to some benches in a park area and watched people go by. As he and I both really like to people watch, the lazy afternoon was a perfect finish to spend the day before we headed back to dorm building. For dinner, Jon and I met up with some of the other students in his program (or at least other American students) and we had another fantastic meal. I just love the freshness of European food - the market, the freshly cooked vegetables in soup, the fresh salads. Oh man. I'm in heeavvveen. In any case, dinner was a very interesting experience for me because it was the second time a waitress came to the table and I had no idea what she was saying. Throughout dinner, I had been reminding myself of short German phrases like "Yes (ja)" and "No (nein)" but in the waitress' test, I failed miserably:
In English: "Was your meal good?"
Me...: Oui....
Holy crap.
As Jon once said "Everyone in Germany speaks German" and it's true. It was so hard to get used to listening to something and having absolutely no idea what they're saying. When I first got to France, I know my comprehension was low, but not understanding a word? It would be tough getting around without someone who could speak a little bit, especially when under pressure...hahaha.
Sunday night, Jon and I went to bed pretty late just hanging out in his room and having good conversation. I was sad to be leaving the next day, but was also very excited about going to a place where they speak my native language....kinda. (Scotland understands me but I can't seem to understand them)
Overall, I had a wonderful stay in Bonn (thanks Jon!) and was pleased to make it on the plane for Edinburgh (pronounced Edinburah, not Edinberg!!!)
Stay tuned for my Scottish adventures later!
Peace!
Molly
P.S. I will be posting pictures when I get back to France. Sorry for the wait, but it'll be easier that way! Thanks for the patience!
11 April 2008
Explained pictures
So, to the pleasure of many of the people out there who keep up with my parisien adventures, I have finally posted some pictures!! Unfortunately, none of them are of Madame Poupon herself, which has been the biggest request, but this week has been a little crazy, and I'm a little nervous about asking her simply because she doesn't seem to like being photographed. However, for her "petites filles" I think should do it!
Many of the pictures below are of my week with Kate. There are some of Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church on top of a hill in Paris, which as you can see is posed in a backdrop of a beautiful blue sky (the only one that week for Kate). There are other pictures of our adventures to (the freakin') chateau de versailles. I unfortunately couldn't take pictures until the chandelier room, but it was the biggest and brightest anyway, so pictures in the other rooms may not have turned out. The pictures of the cafe (inside and out) are of the café from Amélie (in France, the title is Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain by the way! That's a mouthful.).
Anyway, this is just a tidbit to some other adventures! Will probably be posting more later!
Au revoir!
Molly
Many of the pictures below are of my week with Kate. There are some of Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church on top of a hill in Paris, which as you can see is posed in a backdrop of a beautiful blue sky (the only one that week for Kate). There are other pictures of our adventures to (the freakin') chateau de versailles. I unfortunately couldn't take pictures until the chandelier room, but it was the biggest and brightest anyway, so pictures in the other rooms may not have turned out. The pictures of the cafe (inside and out) are of the café from Amélie (in France, the title is Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain by the way! That's a mouthful.).
Anyway, this is just a tidbit to some other adventures! Will probably be posting more later!
Au revoir!
Molly
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