Monday, June 30, 2008
Updating is difficult...
In other countries with scarce internet! I wrote a comprehensive blog on my last days in Paris, Barcelona and then Athens but it's been a pain trying to get it posted when I don't have internet access on my own computer. It will be up tomorrow, for sure, so sit tight!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The Beaches of Omaha
This week has been a total blur, to say the least; because everything in Paris was coming to a close, our group was active nonstop everyday trying to pack in as much Paris into our final days as possible. We visited a few museums, had some great meals, and spent a lot of time together. Musee d'Orsay, one of Paris's most famous museums and the home of the Impressionist movement, was beautiful; I was able to see a few more Monet's (they've dedicated 2 whole rooms to him there!) and really enjoyed the architecture of the train station-turned-museum. Nothing too excited happened in Paris on Wednesday or Thursday... Friday, however, brought one of the craziest and most frantic days I've ever had.
Five of us decided that we could not leave northern France without seeing the beaches of Normandy and the memorials dedicated to the soldiers who gave their lives liberating France on D-Day in WW2 and the following months of the war. My father suggested we take a train to Caen since that is home of the most famous Memorial Museum, dedicated to the brave men and women around the world who have sacrificed everything for the sake of freedom. At the train station, we checked a map and made our way towards the museum, some 3 or 4 miles north of us; after 30 minutes of walking, we decided a bus would be our best option so we spent at least 45 minutes searching for bus tickets and finding the right bus stop.
We finally arrived at the museum after being in Caen for almost 2 hours and were shocked to find that the only mode of transportation from Caen to the beach is by a 5 hour guided tour, all of which were fully booked that morning. The receptionist suggested that we take a train to the city Bayeaux, 15 minutes west of Caen and just south of Omaha and Utah beaches. We made our way back to the train station and tried buying the cheap passes but realized that not only would the ticket machines not take our credit cards (stupid Eurochip), they ONLY took coins, not cash. We frantically began asking people to change out our bills and shoving coins into the machines hoping our tickets would print before the train left. We grabbed the tickets and rushed on board only a minute or two before the doors closed.
Finally in Bayeaux, we tried hailing a cab from a company to take us to the beach; after promising that a driver would be at the station when we arrived, the manager of the cab company realized that he didn't have an extra driver and told us to wait 25-30 minutes, time we just did not have. Luckily, a random cab driver turned into the train station with just enough room for the 5 of us to hop in and began speeding his way towards the cemetery. When this French driver realized that we only had an hour to view the graves and memorial, he began calling friends of his at the train station to find us a new train. That's when I realized something very important... This man had not forgotten what American, British, French, and Canadian men had sacrificed 64 years ago. He kept repeating "you're American?... you need more time at the cemetery." After 25 minutes, we finally arrived and this entire day of frantically rushing around northern France suddenly disappeared from my mind.
This was another surreal experience for me, one that is very difficult to put into words. The aura surrounding this American memorial is like nothing I have ever experienced before. Walking on Virginian soil brought over from the States so that these brave men could be buried in American ground brought a wave of emotion over me. The quotes, the eerie calm of the sea, the US flags flying all added to my experience. We watched a 15 minute video entitled "Letters" about a few D-Day soldiers who had written home just prior to boarding their boats and giving their lives such that France might be free. One statement during this video stuck hard with me and I shall never forget its meaning (said by a Frenchmen freed during the liberation of France): "These thousands of soldiers gave their lives 6000 miles from home for the freedom of the French they would never have the chance to meet. That courage will never be forgotten, not by Caen, not by Paris, not by the world." Sitting in tears, I began to realize that magnitude of June 6, 1944 and what that single event in history means to the world today.
After an hour inside the memorial museum, we made our ways to the fields of 10,000 crosses marking the graves of American deaths in northern France. The air had this silencing feel to it and I stood in disbelief at the number of perfectly aligned crosses sprawled across these field where German bunkers and trenches once stood in opposition to freedom. Walking down to Omaha beach, standing in the waters of the English Channel and looking up at the ridge was another surreal site for me. My grandfather stood in that same sand on those same waters and saw the same ridge some 64 years ago as he sailed into the beach a few weeks after D-Day; instead of green shrubs and calm waters, he saw the bodies of thousands of dead soldiers, minefields, damaged tanks, bullet casings and other atrocities. Again, I cannot accurately translate my feelings into words but I can say with absolute certainty that I will never forget the 3 hours I spent at Omaha beach.
We had very little trouble getting back to Paris; our frantic experiences with the trains from earlier in the day prepared us for any problems we might have that evening. As usual, it was refreshing to be back in Paris and I slept in total peace that night, thanking God that those men did what they did 64 years ago to insure my freedoms today!
Five of us decided that we could not leave northern France without seeing the beaches of Normandy and the memorials dedicated to the soldiers who gave their lives liberating France on D-Day in WW2 and the following months of the war. My father suggested we take a train to Caen since that is home of the most famous Memorial Museum, dedicated to the brave men and women around the world who have sacrificed everything for the sake of freedom. At the train station, we checked a map and made our way towards the museum, some 3 or 4 miles north of us; after 30 minutes of walking, we decided a bus would be our best option so we spent at least 45 minutes searching for bus tickets and finding the right bus stop.
We finally arrived at the museum after being in Caen for almost 2 hours and were shocked to find that the only mode of transportation from Caen to the beach is by a 5 hour guided tour, all of which were fully booked that morning. The receptionist suggested that we take a train to the city Bayeaux, 15 minutes west of Caen and just south of Omaha and Utah beaches. We made our way back to the train station and tried buying the cheap passes but realized that not only would the ticket machines not take our credit cards (stupid Eurochip), they ONLY took coins, not cash. We frantically began asking people to change out our bills and shoving coins into the machines hoping our tickets would print before the train left. We grabbed the tickets and rushed on board only a minute or two before the doors closed.
Finally in Bayeaux, we tried hailing a cab from a company to take us to the beach; after promising that a driver would be at the station when we arrived, the manager of the cab company realized that he didn't have an extra driver and told us to wait 25-30 minutes, time we just did not have. Luckily, a random cab driver turned into the train station with just enough room for the 5 of us to hop in and began speeding his way towards the cemetery. When this French driver realized that we only had an hour to view the graves and memorial, he began calling friends of his at the train station to find us a new train. That's when I realized something very important... This man had not forgotten what American, British, French, and Canadian men had sacrificed 64 years ago. He kept repeating "you're American?... you need more time at the cemetery." After 25 minutes, we finally arrived and this entire day of frantically rushing around northern France suddenly disappeared from my mind.
This was another surreal experience for me, one that is very difficult to put into words. The aura surrounding this American memorial is like nothing I have ever experienced before. Walking on Virginian soil brought over from the States so that these brave men could be buried in American ground brought a wave of emotion over me. The quotes, the eerie calm of the sea, the US flags flying all added to my experience. We watched a 15 minute video entitled "Letters" about a few D-Day soldiers who had written home just prior to boarding their boats and giving their lives such that France might be free. One statement during this video stuck hard with me and I shall never forget its meaning (said by a Frenchmen freed during the liberation of France): "These thousands of soldiers gave their lives 6000 miles from home for the freedom of the French they would never have the chance to meet. That courage will never be forgotten, not by Caen, not by Paris, not by the world." Sitting in tears, I began to realize that magnitude of June 6, 1944 and what that single event in history means to the world today.
After an hour inside the memorial museum, we made our ways to the fields of 10,000 crosses marking the graves of American deaths in northern France. The air had this silencing feel to it and I stood in disbelief at the number of perfectly aligned crosses sprawled across these field where German bunkers and trenches once stood in opposition to freedom. Walking down to Omaha beach, standing in the waters of the English Channel and looking up at the ridge was another surreal site for me. My grandfather stood in that same sand on those same waters and saw the same ridge some 64 years ago as he sailed into the beach a few weeks after D-Day; instead of green shrubs and calm waters, he saw the bodies of thousands of dead soldiers, minefields, damaged tanks, bullet casings and other atrocities. Again, I cannot accurately translate my feelings into words but I can say with absolute certainty that I will never forget the 3 hours I spent at Omaha beach.
We had very little trouble getting back to Paris; our frantic experiences with the trains from earlier in the day prepared us for any problems we might have that evening. As usual, it was refreshing to be back in Paris and I slept in total peace that night, thanking God that those men did what they did 64 years ago to insure my freedoms today!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Castles, Beaches, Trains
It's been a week since my last post so I apologize that it has taken me longer than normal for an update! Last week was mostly uneventful, marked by visits to see Monet's lilies, a hike up the wonderful Eiffel Tower, and some time in Loire Valley. Monet goes down as one of my favorite artists in history; his ability to translate seemingly arbitrary brush strokes of color into a magnificent image of scenery is truly impressive. I sat in front of his 8 lily paintings for close to an hour, admiring the simplistic complexity inherent in his art. What's more amazing is that his art gains an added layer of depth and realism on film so I was able to capture what I feel to be Monet's essence on my camera!
Our climb up the great tower was difficult to say the least. The last count I heard was near 750 steps to the 2nd level which was more of a work out than I've had in quite some time, especially in the 12pm sun of Paris on the warmest day we've had thus far but the view was well worth it! The lift took us the rest of the way to the summit of the 20th century masterpiece and we could see all of Paris sprawled out in all directions. Only then does one truly gain an appreciation for the chaotic layout of this wonderful city.
Loire Valley was a let down overall with shining moments of awesomeness laced in for good measure. In the states, our bus driver would never pass a driver's education test much less be allowed to drive students around the country side of France but in this country, I guess anything goes. Plenty of times, we grabbed onto one another for a feeling of pseudo-safety as we snaked in and out of lanes for a few hours til we reached our first chateau of the evening, Chenonceau. The entrance to this home opens up on one bank of the Loire river and the great hall expands the river to another entrance on the opposite bank, presenting an amazing site for us to visit. Aside from the wonderful architecture, we really enjoyed the wine grown at the chateau's own vineyard (I bought 3 bottles, one of which I am working on as I write this!); I am not a fan of red wines typically but this has a few subtle notes that work really well for me. The last chateau (more of a Gothic castle) was totally underwhelming for its stature and apparent significance. We requested to cut the tour short for the sake of time and left for the train station for our trek to Spain!
Oh, Barcelona! We arrived at 9am, dropped our luggage off at our respective hotels (more on the 4 stars later) and preceded to the beach to relax as a group in what turned out to be a very sunny day. The crashing of the waves, the salty spray in the air and the warm sun made for the most relaxing 4 hours in a long, long time. The Mediterranean is wonderfully blue with this fun tinge of green mixed in to remind you that this is not the Caribbean. Everything about this beach had a refreshing feel to it and we either took naps or read the afternoon away. The guys spent the next day relaxing in our amazing hotel, swimming, relaxing in the sauna, and napping with a wonderful view outside of our window. The seven of us convened that night to celebrate Amy's 20th birthday by playing drinking games and relaxing some more (common theme for the weekend, no doubt). The next day, the guys checked out and went straight to the beach to enjoy the sun for another few hours; my two straight friends really enjoyed the topless part of the Barcelona beaches while I slept on my Barca towel (first truly touristy souvenir I've purchased). We had dinner with everyone and boarded our train at 9pm to end our truly relaxing weekend.
Our final test is tomorrow at 1pm but I've decided to forsake studying and to continue drinking this lovely bottle of wine and catch up with life outside of Europe. For the first time, feelings of homesickness have crept up and put me in a weird mood although it's nothing to be alarmed by. I spoke at length to my mother earlier today and then talked with Taylor, both of which relieved my ill-feelings. Once our test is finished tomorrow, we have several more days to enjoy Paris without the worry of class, homework and tests to interfere. This has really been an amazing experience for me and thus far, I have learned more about myself than statistics and probability (although I've done quite a bit in those regards too), which was the real reason for me to make this 6 week journey 5000 miles away from home in the first place. I hope everyone back in Texas is enjoying the heat and doing well!
Our climb up the great tower was difficult to say the least. The last count I heard was near 750 steps to the 2nd level which was more of a work out than I've had in quite some time, especially in the 12pm sun of Paris on the warmest day we've had thus far but the view was well worth it! The lift took us the rest of the way to the summit of the 20th century masterpiece and we could see all of Paris sprawled out in all directions. Only then does one truly gain an appreciation for the chaotic layout of this wonderful city.
Loire Valley was a let down overall with shining moments of awesomeness laced in for good measure. In the states, our bus driver would never pass a driver's education test much less be allowed to drive students around the country side of France but in this country, I guess anything goes. Plenty of times, we grabbed onto one another for a feeling of pseudo-safety as we snaked in and out of lanes for a few hours til we reached our first chateau of the evening, Chenonceau. The entrance to this home opens up on one bank of the Loire river and the great hall expands the river to another entrance on the opposite bank, presenting an amazing site for us to visit. Aside from the wonderful architecture, we really enjoyed the wine grown at the chateau's own vineyard (I bought 3 bottles, one of which I am working on as I write this!); I am not a fan of red wines typically but this has a few subtle notes that work really well for me. The last chateau (more of a Gothic castle) was totally underwhelming for its stature and apparent significance. We requested to cut the tour short for the sake of time and left for the train station for our trek to Spain!
Oh, Barcelona! We arrived at 9am, dropped our luggage off at our respective hotels (more on the 4 stars later) and preceded to the beach to relax as a group in what turned out to be a very sunny day. The crashing of the waves, the salty spray in the air and the warm sun made for the most relaxing 4 hours in a long, long time. The Mediterranean is wonderfully blue with this fun tinge of green mixed in to remind you that this is not the Caribbean. Everything about this beach had a refreshing feel to it and we either took naps or read the afternoon away. The guys spent the next day relaxing in our amazing hotel, swimming, relaxing in the sauna, and napping with a wonderful view outside of our window. The seven of us convened that night to celebrate Amy's 20th birthday by playing drinking games and relaxing some more (common theme for the weekend, no doubt). The next day, the guys checked out and went straight to the beach to enjoy the sun for another few hours; my two straight friends really enjoyed the topless part of the Barcelona beaches while I slept on my Barca towel (first truly touristy souvenir I've purchased). We had dinner with everyone and boarded our train at 9pm to end our truly relaxing weekend.
Our final test is tomorrow at 1pm but I've decided to forsake studying and to continue drinking this lovely bottle of wine and catch up with life outside of Europe. For the first time, feelings of homesickness have crept up and put me in a weird mood although it's nothing to be alarmed by. I spoke at length to my mother earlier today and then talked with Taylor, both of which relieved my ill-feelings. Once our test is finished tomorrow, we have several more days to enjoy Paris without the worry of class, homework and tests to interfere. This has really been an amazing experience for me and thus far, I have learned more about myself than statistics and probability (although I've done quite a bit in those regards too), which was the real reason for me to make this 6 week journey 5000 miles away from home in the first place. I hope everyone back in Texas is enjoying the heat and doing well!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Re-evaluation at last
I spent this morning at the Invalides museums seeing Napoleon's tomb (not overly exciting) and walking through the best WWI/WWII museum I have ever witnessed. I especially loved how the French spoke as though the USA was a god amongst gods when we entered both wars and pulled victories away from the Germans. Truly made me proud to be an American :) This evening, our group was taken through a very (very) small section of the Louvre by a wonderful British guide who gave some incredible insight to art history and technique. As everyone in the Louvre does, we visited the big three women (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory) and discussed art significance throughout the millennia. The next few days will be a blur as we finish up the bulk of our class, take an all-day tour through Loire Valley and then overnight ourselves to Barcelona for the weekend so don't expect too much out of me in the coming days.
But the purpose of this blog isn't to go into vivid detail about art or history... It is to discuss my true purpose for coming on this trip: a re-evaluation and definition of my life. Throughout the past few semesters, I have become stagnant in most facets of my life, wandering with some purpose but little passion through the daily routines of class and friends. This trip has already allowed me to take a step away from home and see myself from a new perspective, to get out of my comfort zone and taste a bit of flavor I have so desperately been craving recently.
Today, I finally realized my main problem over the past few years... that I have surrounded myself with the wrong people, relied on the unreliable, and held people to standards they could never live up to. Being with these new guys has let me see what truly loyal friends are like, has satiated my hunger for passionate companions instead of the monotonous friends I have grown accustomed to over the years. This isn't to say *all* of my friends from home fall into that category because that could not be farther from the truth; just a vast majority of those I associate with are not on the same wavelength as me, do not function anywhere near the same as I do. They are not less (or more) for this but I have finally realized that I need friends around me who click a bit better with me.
My hope is that on July 2nd when my plane touches down in Houston and I get back to my American lifestyle, I can keep my knew beginnings in place and make steadfast progress towards keeping this new definition in my life. My prayer is that these new friends stay with me for good and help me grow while keeping me grounded. I also hope everyone from home understands my desires for change and either encourages me in the right directions or quietly steps out of my way! Either way, I think I finally have a tight grip on the next years of my life and nothing is going to hold me back!!
But the purpose of this blog isn't to go into vivid detail about art or history... It is to discuss my true purpose for coming on this trip: a re-evaluation and definition of my life. Throughout the past few semesters, I have become stagnant in most facets of my life, wandering with some purpose but little passion through the daily routines of class and friends. This trip has already allowed me to take a step away from home and see myself from a new perspective, to get out of my comfort zone and taste a bit of flavor I have so desperately been craving recently.
Today, I finally realized my main problem over the past few years... that I have surrounded myself with the wrong people, relied on the unreliable, and held people to standards they could never live up to. Being with these new guys has let me see what truly loyal friends are like, has satiated my hunger for passionate companions instead of the monotonous friends I have grown accustomed to over the years. This isn't to say *all* of my friends from home fall into that category because that could not be farther from the truth; just a vast majority of those I associate with are not on the same wavelength as me, do not function anywhere near the same as I do. They are not less (or more) for this but I have finally realized that I need friends around me who click a bit better with me.
My hope is that on July 2nd when my plane touches down in Houston and I get back to my American lifestyle, I can keep my knew beginnings in place and make steadfast progress towards keeping this new definition in my life. My prayer is that these new friends stay with me for good and help me grow while keeping me grounded. I also hope everyone from home understands my desires for change and either encourages me in the right directions or quietly steps out of my way! Either way, I think I finally have a tight grip on the next years of my life and nothing is going to hold me back!!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Munich and More!
My weekend in Munich has now come to a close and the fun I had lies in stark contrast to my miserable time in Amsterdam last week. This will probably be a blog of considerable stature seeing as we spent 4 days and nights in the city, so be forewarned! But to begin, I must say that if ever you are given the opportunity to visit the capital of Bavaria, do so and try to spend several days there! This city actually has a lot of culture and history to offer.
The trip started with a 10+ hour overnight train in which we crammed ourselves sardine style into a small room of triple bunk beds. In most circumstances, I would be uncomfortable sleeping so tightly packed with people I've known for only a week but the people I was with are amazing! We woke up Thursday morning about a half hour before arriving in Munich to see overcast clouds and rain drizzling out of the windows. After rushing to our hotel and cleaning up a bit, we all agreed that the gloomy weather was conducive to visiting Dachau, Hitler's first and model concentration camp built nearby his home of operations, Munich.
I wish I could describe the sobering experience we all encountered at Dachau but words cannot do the injustices committed there justice (ironically enough). Concentration camps and Hitler's final plan of eliminating differing cultures from society are not a new idea to me; I've read the history books, seen the movies, discussed WWII with friends and family, but seeing the camp in first person blind sided me with an intense feeling of loathing towards the intolerance and hatred of the Nazis. The sadness of what occurred not even a century ago still resonates within me and will always stick out in my mind for years to come.
We sat in quiet reflection on our way home with no one quite knowing how to come back to the real world so quickly from Dachau; it took dinner and a few hours to fully rebound from that experience but we all reached positivity by that evening. We had seen advertisements in our hotel about a popular pub crawl through Munich's famous bars and beer gardens so we took advantage of our discount and began drinking beer, wine, sangria and shots in the late evening. From bar to bar, through the beer gardens, drinking cocktails, beer, having a few shots, doing a Jager-bomb (because it's Germany, right?), all seven of us had a blast roaming around Munich. By the last bar, our larger group and 'guide' had become separated (read: they left without telling many people) so we put our engineering minds together, which at this point were not functioning so clearly, and got ourselves across downtown Munich to our hotel before passing out from exhaustion.
The first part of the next day was spent groggily trying to piece ourselves back together; some had a much more difficult time with this than others although I didn't feel bad because I really didn't drink that much. We milled around and finally decided to visit the Deutsche Museum which housed a history of science and technology through the eyes of Germany. Putting a group of engineers together in a science museum is typically a great way to waste a few hours and this was no exception. The three guys (myself included) basically had nerd-gasms for 2 solid hours and I realized the full extent of Lucas' knowledge on anything science related.
I finally got to see an authentic castle the next afternoon; Neuschwanstein castle almost didn't look real but cut straight out of a medieval fantasy novel. We hiked up to the castle's base and took breathtaking pictures of the fog-enveloped fortress before taking a short tour of Ludwig's masterpiece. The spring to the bridge afterwards took out most of our energy but was well worth it (you can see what I mean in the pictures). We spent that night visiting Munich's largest (and possible the world's largest) beer garden where I drank 2 litres of authentic German beer mixed with delicious lemonade! We milled around the streets of downtown Munich half drunk but totally happy until we made it back and passed out in our hostel.
Munich definitely beat the hell out of Amsterdam as far as fun, sites, entertainment, and company. I've said it a few times but these 6 are incredible people that I look forward to spending the next years of my life getting closer to (despite their quirks, lol). We got back to Paris after 8 hours on a train and I've just been going to class and to sites around Paris ever since!
The trip started with a 10+ hour overnight train in which we crammed ourselves sardine style into a small room of triple bunk beds. In most circumstances, I would be uncomfortable sleeping so tightly packed with people I've known for only a week but the people I was with are amazing! We woke up Thursday morning about a half hour before arriving in Munich to see overcast clouds and rain drizzling out of the windows. After rushing to our hotel and cleaning up a bit, we all agreed that the gloomy weather was conducive to visiting Dachau, Hitler's first and model concentration camp built nearby his home of operations, Munich.
I wish I could describe the sobering experience we all encountered at Dachau but words cannot do the injustices committed there justice (ironically enough). Concentration camps and Hitler's final plan of eliminating differing cultures from society are not a new idea to me; I've read the history books, seen the movies, discussed WWII with friends and family, but seeing the camp in first person blind sided me with an intense feeling of loathing towards the intolerance and hatred of the Nazis. The sadness of what occurred not even a century ago still resonates within me and will always stick out in my mind for years to come.
We sat in quiet reflection on our way home with no one quite knowing how to come back to the real world so quickly from Dachau; it took dinner and a few hours to fully rebound from that experience but we all reached positivity by that evening. We had seen advertisements in our hotel about a popular pub crawl through Munich's famous bars and beer gardens so we took advantage of our discount and began drinking beer, wine, sangria and shots in the late evening. From bar to bar, through the beer gardens, drinking cocktails, beer, having a few shots, doing a Jager-bomb (because it's Germany, right?), all seven of us had a blast roaming around Munich. By the last bar, our larger group and 'guide' had become separated (read: they left without telling many people) so we put our engineering minds together, which at this point were not functioning so clearly, and got ourselves across downtown Munich to our hotel before passing out from exhaustion.
The first part of the next day was spent groggily trying to piece ourselves back together; some had a much more difficult time with this than others although I didn't feel bad because I really didn't drink that much. We milled around and finally decided to visit the Deutsche Museum which housed a history of science and technology through the eyes of Germany. Putting a group of engineers together in a science museum is typically a great way to waste a few hours and this was no exception. The three guys (myself included) basically had nerd-gasms for 2 solid hours and I realized the full extent of Lucas' knowledge on anything science related.
I finally got to see an authentic castle the next afternoon; Neuschwanstein castle almost didn't look real but cut straight out of a medieval fantasy novel. We hiked up to the castle's base and took breathtaking pictures of the fog-enveloped fortress before taking a short tour of Ludwig's masterpiece. The spring to the bridge afterwards took out most of our energy but was well worth it (you can see what I mean in the pictures). We spent that night visiting Munich's largest (and possible the world's largest) beer garden where I drank 2 litres of authentic German beer mixed with delicious lemonade! We milled around the streets of downtown Munich half drunk but totally happy until we made it back and passed out in our hostel.
Munich definitely beat the hell out of Amsterdam as far as fun, sites, entertainment, and company. I've said it a few times but these 6 are incredible people that I look forward to spending the next years of my life getting closer to (despite their quirks, lol). We got back to Paris after 8 hours on a train and I've just been going to class and to sites around Paris ever since!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
A touch of Heaven on Earth
Today was spent at the most beautiful location on earth in probably the best weather I've seen in years. Versailles Palace should be at the top of everyone's list to see as soon as humanly possible as it truly is an example of what man-made beauty looks like. And as if the apartment and state rooms inside weren't beautiful enough, the gardens truly took my breath away. I really wish words could to the palace justice but it is impossible to capture the elegance of Parisian magnificence with words, pictures, videos... your senses need to just be here to really grasp the extravagance of Versailles.
The history that took place on those grounds was eerily nagging at me during my trip. I could imagine Franklin and Jefferson roaming the palace grounds, building a framework for America as they admired the 850+ fountains across the thousands of acres of forestry. International diplomacy was founded and expanded in the halls where I stood; dignitaries and ambassadors from every major country during the 17-20 centuries presented gifts, exchanged policies, and discussed the future of the world we live in now at the palace. So much of what we are today was shaped by the discussions held in Versailles. Perhaps I give too much reverence to walls of marble but I had to stand in total respect and awe by the architecture, the history, and the magnificence.
Ok it's time to finish packing! Au revoir!
The history that took place on those grounds was eerily nagging at me during my trip. I could imagine Franklin and Jefferson roaming the palace grounds, building a framework for America as they admired the 850+ fountains across the thousands of acres of forestry. International diplomacy was founded and expanded in the halls where I stood; dignitaries and ambassadors from every major country during the 17-20 centuries presented gifts, exchanged policies, and discussed the future of the world we live in now at the palace. So much of what we are today was shaped by the discussions held in Versailles. Perhaps I give too much reverence to walls of marble but I had to stand in total respect and awe by the architecture, the history, and the magnificence.
Ok it's time to finish packing! Au revoir!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Studying and tomorrow
Today was the first day I truly studied although Dr. Dunn has prepared us effectively enough that I needed very little time to refresh my memory. It helps that we have very little downtime between classes, especially since my brain holds onto large bits of information well when it's given to me in larger doses! I reviewed exercises, did the homework, reviewed the first homework, and glanced at the equation sheet we are being provided... nothing too intense, especially compared with my usual study regimen of pre-test all-nighters.
Tomorrow will be a very interesting day; we take our test from 10-1120 and then board a bus to trek to Versailles Palace before an overnight train to Munich. I sincerely hope to sleep well enough on the train although if my past is any indication of my future sleeping habits, which it is, then I may be lucky to get an hour or two of sleep before spending all day Thursday touring Munich. In the end, what counts is that I will be spending Thursday through Sunday in the company of 6 very amazing people in a cool city full of great beer! Since when has lack of sleep ever kept me down!?
Tomorrow will be a very interesting day; we take our test from 10-1120 and then board a bus to trek to Versailles Palace before an overnight train to Munich. I sincerely hope to sleep well enough on the train although if my past is any indication of my future sleeping habits, which it is, then I may be lucky to get an hour or two of sleep before spending all day Thursday touring Munich. In the end, what counts is that I will be spending Thursday through Sunday in the company of 6 very amazing people in a cool city full of great beer! Since when has lack of sleep ever kept me down!?
Monday, June 2, 2008
Back in Paris,Friends, Boys
I cannot tell you how glad I am to be back in Paris. Seeing the slums of Amsterdam really opened my eyes to how civilized and cultured Paris truly is; these walls are literally alive with sophistication. After soaking in bath water for a long time to wash the Holland grime from my body, I met up with my new buddies to have a few glasses of wine, share stories, and finish homework. Our assignment was simple enough, especially with the brain-power of 7 engineers and the freeness that wine provides me! Honestly, I think more clearly after a glass of wine, which I guess is the Parisian culture manifesting itself in me.
But these new buddies of mine are incredible. I came onto this trip basically with 11 strangers (I vaguely knew the other 3 juniors from class) and knew I needed to quickly bond with the group to make it through. The group of 6 sophomores have taken me in almost immediately and are truly some of the most genuine and exciting people I have come across in college. Tonight we went back to Gare du Nord to schedule and book our weekend train tickets to Munich, Germany; our hotel is apparently just a block away from the Beer Gardens amongst other wonderful German venues!! Afterwards, we finally made our way to Refuge du Fondue and had an extremely fun dinner including an aperitif cocktail, an appetizer plate of meats and cheeses, cheese fondue and oil fondue to cook the beef in, bread and potatoes for dipping, 2 glasses of wine each in a BABY BOTTLE(!!), and the most amazing dessert I have ever had the privilege of eating. The insides of a GIANT lemon (probably the size of both of my fists) were carved out and overstuffed with the most perfect lemon sorbet, then deep-frozen before being capped with the lemon top and served. If you have never eaten sorbet out of a fresh fruit, add it to your list of "must do"!
Other than my amazing new friends, I figured I should at least comment briefly on the man-scenery provided here in Paris because, WOW, it's amazing. I have been told by quite a few people that the boys/guys/men whatever are attractive but things were actually underestimated to me. These men are beautiful by every stretch of the imagination; wonderfully dressed in the awkwardly refreshing Parisian style, trendy/cutting edge haircuts, and the most incredible language (besides English, of course) spoken in the world! I have seen some of the most classically beautiful men in the world over the past week and cannot wait to see what the next 3 weeks brings!
It is definitely past my bed time tonight, though; I promised myself a good night's rest before a long day of learning, studying, and preparing for my long weekend. Our test is Wednesday morning and then we are off for a day long trek to Versailles before getting back to Gare du l'Est and taking an overnight train to Munich. I am going to need all the sleep possible to prepare me for this week! Night :)
But these new buddies of mine are incredible. I came onto this trip basically with 11 strangers (I vaguely knew the other 3 juniors from class) and knew I needed to quickly bond with the group to make it through. The group of 6 sophomores have taken me in almost immediately and are truly some of the most genuine and exciting people I have come across in college. Tonight we went back to Gare du Nord to schedule and book our weekend train tickets to Munich, Germany; our hotel is apparently just a block away from the Beer Gardens amongst other wonderful German venues!! Afterwards, we finally made our way to Refuge du Fondue and had an extremely fun dinner including an aperitif cocktail, an appetizer plate of meats and cheeses, cheese fondue and oil fondue to cook the beef in, bread and potatoes for dipping, 2 glasses of wine each in a BABY BOTTLE(!!), and the most amazing dessert I have ever had the privilege of eating. The insides of a GIANT lemon (probably the size of both of my fists) were carved out and overstuffed with the most perfect lemon sorbet, then deep-frozen before being capped with the lemon top and served. If you have never eaten sorbet out of a fresh fruit, add it to your list of "must do"!
Other than my amazing new friends, I figured I should at least comment briefly on the man-scenery provided here in Paris because, WOW, it's amazing. I have been told by quite a few people that the boys/guys/men whatever are attractive but things were actually underestimated to me. These men are beautiful by every stretch of the imagination; wonderfully dressed in the awkwardly refreshing Parisian style, trendy/cutting edge haircuts, and the most incredible language (besides English, of course) spoken in the world! I have seen some of the most classically beautiful men in the world over the past week and cannot wait to see what the next 3 weeks brings!
It is definitely past my bed time tonight, though; I promised myself a good night's rest before a long day of learning, studying, and preparing for my long weekend. Our test is Wednesday morning and then we are off for a day long trek to Versailles before getting back to Gare du l'Est and taking an overnight train to Munich. I am going to need all the sleep possible to prepare me for this week! Night :)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Almost home...
This weekend in Amsterdam has been a mess to say the least. We spent a few hours walking around the city yesterday afternoon before finally arriving at the van Gogh museum. Although surprisingly small, the museum was very well put together and told van Gogh's short life story through his art. We relaxed in a massive park nearby and then had a really good Dutch meal at a nearby cafe... It was just after this that everything got craaaazy.
If 6th St in Austin is rated R, the red-light district of Amsterdam was rated triple-X... Prostitutes standing at windows soliciting any male walking by, sex shop after sex shop with tons of nudity on display, mainly drunk/high men stumbling down the streets, loud shouting... it was insane! It took only a few hours of this before all 4 of us were ready for some peace. We spent lots of times hiding out in the back of a bar or in the bottoms of the many coffee shops out of the way. When we finally boarded our metro back to the campsite, things got really interesting.
So I've heard that Holland is a wet country but I never guessed we'd get caught in a rainstorm. The metro dropped us off near hte bus stop 3 minutes after the last bus ran so we had to walk back to our campsite which was advertised as a '15 minute walk' but is much more like 25-30... and it was pouring down rain, and around 40 degrees. We were soaked and totally frozen once we got back to the campsite and there isn't a heater in our room. I stripped down and got deep into my rented sleeping bag hoping my body would heat itself back up quickly. Then i realized that I had left my other shirt (the only other one I had) in the bathroom earlier that morning so all I had to wear were my wet clothes.
I woke up this morning surprisingly warm but my clothes were still drenched. We had to walk back to the metro (another 30 minutes) in the misting rain because the buses were not running today for some reason. The public transit in this country sucks horribly. We hopped on the metro and rode it back to the Centraal Station where I am now, waiting for my train to take me back to glorious Paris.
This city definitely makes me appreciate home, Austin, Houston, Texas, etc... It's a cesspool of sin and it kinda makes me feel dirty.
Hope everyone's doing ok!!
If 6th St in Austin is rated R, the red-light district of Amsterdam was rated triple-X... Prostitutes standing at windows soliciting any male walking by, sex shop after sex shop with tons of nudity on display, mainly drunk/high men stumbling down the streets, loud shouting... it was insane! It took only a few hours of this before all 4 of us were ready for some peace. We spent lots of times hiding out in the back of a bar or in the bottoms of the many coffee shops out of the way. When we finally boarded our metro back to the campsite, things got really interesting.
So I've heard that Holland is a wet country but I never guessed we'd get caught in a rainstorm. The metro dropped us off near hte bus stop 3 minutes after the last bus ran so we had to walk back to our campsite which was advertised as a '15 minute walk' but is much more like 25-30... and it was pouring down rain, and around 40 degrees. We were soaked and totally frozen once we got back to the campsite and there isn't a heater in our room. I stripped down and got deep into my rented sleeping bag hoping my body would heat itself back up quickly. Then i realized that I had left my other shirt (the only other one I had) in the bathroom earlier that morning so all I had to wear were my wet clothes.
I woke up this morning surprisingly warm but my clothes were still drenched. We had to walk back to the metro (another 30 minutes) in the misting rain because the buses were not running today for some reason. The public transit in this country sucks horribly. We hopped on the metro and rode it back to the Centraal Station where I am now, waiting for my train to take me back to glorious Paris.
This city definitely makes me appreciate home, Austin, Houston, Texas, etc... It's a cesspool of sin and it kinda makes me feel dirty.
Hope everyone's doing ok!!
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