Bongiorno from Italia!
This has been an amazing week! This is our 6th day of traveling and our second night in Naples. We stared in Milan last Friday, where Allie and Preston met Katrice, Danielle, and I at the train station at around midnight. The first thing we did in Milan was get gelato, and oh my god was it amazing. Preston took us to this place called Chocolat and I got chocolate (ciccolatte) and banana and it was basically the best gelato ever! We then went to Preston's apartment to drop of our bags and crash after 12 hours of travelling. In the morning, I woke up with about 20 misquito bites all over my arms and face, swell! Preston played tour guide for the day and took us to see Milan's castle, the park, the famous Milano shopping area (filled with stores that I can't even afford to go into), the Duomo (third largest church in the world!), then more gelato and rest at the apartment. We had dinner at this amazing place where you buy one drink for 6€ and get all the food you can eat for free! it was delicious, and all vegetarian! wahoo!
Sunday morning we left Milan and headed to VENIZIA (Venice)! OH. MY. GOD. Venice is simply gorgeous. We got off the train and had a little trouble getting to our hostel since we were trying to avoid paying 6.50€ to take the water bus. But once we got there and got settled in, we started on our sight seeing tour of the city. The view from the hostel was amazing. We were on the big island just south of the mainland and could see all down the coast. The only place we really wanted to see in Venice was the Basilica. So we headed straight to Piazza de S. Marco. The Basilica is amazing. Most churches here have very ornate exteriors, but are not very colorful. The Basilica in Venice is colored with gold and red marble, and the piazza is breathtaking. After that we sort of wandered the Venitian streets, got lost, had some more gelato, ate some fabulous pizza then headed back to the hostel. We woke up to some French students blasting "Low" and being loud at 7:30 in the morning. Fabulous. Then did some more wandering around our island. We met a really nice Canadian couple, sat on a pier looking out over the Mediterrean Sea, infiltrated the Hilton, and pick nicked in a park. The afternoon was spent wandering more of the streets and searching for some Murano glass pendants.
We left Venice on Sunday evening, spent a couple hours at the train station in Balogna with a really creepy homeless man who kept trying to converse with us in Italian. Then jumped on our overnight couchette train to Naples. That was an experience, a good one. At nine we checked into our Naples Hostel "Giovanni's Home."
Giovanni is a middle aged man who runs a hostel out of his apartment. First he gave us a map highlighted with things to see and places to go. Pompeii, was high on the list of things to do so we headed there first. Pompeii is a gorgeous place. I can't believe the city is that old, or that that much is still standing after that much time and that large of a volcanic erruption. We wandered the city, but I think we would have done better if we would have paid the 6€ for an audio guide because after a while the ruins sort of looked all the same, and we had no clue what the things were that we were looking at. We did see one plaster caste of a person caught in the ash, some grafitti (the world's first!), and some beautiful views of Mount Vesuvius and the surrounding areas. On the train back to Naples, we met this Australian couple who are here for 3 months, we chatted for the entire train ride. They gave us some tips on what to do in Rome, and warned us that they tend to check travel tickets in Napoli. They were right. We didnt buy tickets back from Pompeii because noone was checking at the gate, but they were chekcing to get out. We just acted like lost Americans, and they let us go with just buying another ticket, instead of fining us. When we came back we had to nap then Giovanni made penne for dinner and homemade cannoli for dessert! All 19 of the guests sat down and had dinner together. It was so great! I met a woman from Quebec who gave mer her e-mail so that when I visit, she'll help me communicate (The Quebequoise don't speak the same french as les Français). We also met a guy, Todd, from Alberta, Canada whose really cool.
Today we intended to wake up at 7:30 to go to Capri Island, but that did not happen so we spent the day wandering around Naples. But not before Giovanni made us calzones for lunch. The beach is absolutely amazing!! I love the Mediterranean Sea. We spent 4 hours walking the streets and seeing the churches of the city. I never realized Naples was so big! over 1.04 million people in the city limits alone! I have no idea how large it is including the suburbs. For dinner we went to the restaurant where the Calzone was invented with Ben (a guy from Australia), his mom, and Todd. We had the best pizza I've ever eaten in my entire life, great wine, and 1.50€ caffé lattes for dessert!
We've spent most of the night hanging out with the other guests (3 of which are from the states, studying in Lyon) and singing along to Italian songs while Giovanni played the guitar and harmonica. This is definitely not an ordinary hostel. It's an amazing experience completely centered around getting to know the other guests and making friends.
I'm surpised how many of these people are travelling by themselves. One woman was a journalist in D.C. when she decided to sell all of here belongings, her home, quit her job and backpack across Europe for 3 years! 3 YEARS! Can you imagine not having a plan and just going with the flow for 3 years! I admire that in others, but there is no way I could ever do something that drastic. Todd is travelling on his own for 6 months. He is an apprentice electrician back in Canada and just decided he wanted to do something cool for the next half a year of his life. It's pretty inspiring actually. I hope we get to meet more people at the other hostels we go to. It's really been amazing meeting all these people and hearing about their adventures and lives.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Nerdiness to the nth degree.
So, it's Sunday in Montpellier. Which means that everything is closed and I have been sitting at home all day. Normally I would be very restless by this point in the day, but today I have been wasting time watching this pretty sweet website that my Mom's friend sent to me.
I've actually really been missing my psych classes, so this was a cool link to recieve today.
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/184
This weekend was fun, everyone was actually in town! Friday after class, I spent the afternoon wandering around the historic center by myself. I bought mom a birthday gift from this great organic beauty store. The woman working was English and it was nice to speak french with her because she was very understanding about my lack of vocab and my slow speech. I think I'll go back there soon. Friday night, the people in my language group all went out dancing. It was a ton of fun, and I hope that we hang out as a group more often.
Saturday, the plan was to go to the beach with Allie, Katrice and Mariah but when we got to the bus none of us has the 6 euro that it would take to get there and back, noone told us that our bus passes wouldn't work to get to the beach. So, boo for that. Attempt number two to see the Mediterrean sea, failed. Insead we went to the Antigone and read magazine's on the bank of the Lez until we got too cold and decided that we were in need of Louis crepes. Not that we are ever NOT in need of Louis crepes, but you know.
Last night Mariah made some declicious pasta sauce and we all ate dinner at Allie and Katrice's and had bread and cheese and wine, and it was fun. Then we went to the Australian Bar for more dancing! We met Danielle's cute french friends there and overall it was a pretty great day.
Planning spring break is still frustrating because we don't know what we're doing for sure. Aunt Marghe doesn't want me going to Rome because she doesn't feel that it's safe for us without a tour guide. Danielle and I would both really love to go to Greece, but it's expensive, and I think she would also like to go to Rome. I would LOVE to see Rome but I feel a little guilty using my family's money to go someplace that they would rather I didn't this time. I know I will be back in Europe (hopefully many many times, and sooner rather than later) to see the things I missed this time, so I'm not extremely upset about missing anything this time around even though it would be great to go everywhere I want to go.
Tomorrow is Monday, which is really Sunday for me. I need to go grocery shopping and try out new foods for when dad comes, so I can cook more than just pasta and veggies for him. Not that he would be dissatissfied with pasta and veggies. I can't wait for him to come visit! I'm really excited to see Paris again with him and to show him my life here. I am a little worried about what he's going to do while I am in class because he doesn't speak any french, and it can be intimidating for me still to interact with some of the shop keepers and cafe owners. Plus, him being here is a part of home. I don't get terribly homesick that often, but it's mainly because I ignore it. I know this incredibly selfish, but sometimes that's the reason I am bad at keeping in touch with people over here. Whenever I talk to my friends or family I usually end up homesick for at least a few hours afterwards. If I keep myself busy with other things it's easier to ignore the homesick feeling. I'm surpised that I'm actually more homesick for Minneapolis than I am for Racine. I miss my school, and understanding what the hell is going on in my classes, and my amazing friends. I miss being busy. Plus, I'd really like some coffee to go. Nobody here brings coffee to class. There is no Starbuck's, or Caribou, or Espresso Royale. The coffee is amazing, but it's definitely a sit down social affair. Not a get through the school day without falling asleep thing. Don't get me wrong, I really love France. The culture and the scenery are amazing and I could see myself spending summers here. But, surprisingly, I really am an American Girl through and through.
My computer cord broke (of course...) so until my dad gets here with a replacement, it may be a while since I update again. Andrea was nice enough to let me borrow her computer for the weekend while she is in Barcelona, but I'm not sure I'm going to want to journal in the office. We shall see.
A bientot mes amis
I've actually really been missing my psych classes, so this was a cool link to recieve today.
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/184
This weekend was fun, everyone was actually in town! Friday after class, I spent the afternoon wandering around the historic center by myself. I bought mom a birthday gift from this great organic beauty store. The woman working was English and it was nice to speak french with her because she was very understanding about my lack of vocab and my slow speech. I think I'll go back there soon. Friday night, the people in my language group all went out dancing. It was a ton of fun, and I hope that we hang out as a group more often.
Saturday, the plan was to go to the beach with Allie, Katrice and Mariah but when we got to the bus none of us has the 6 euro that it would take to get there and back, noone told us that our bus passes wouldn't work to get to the beach. So, boo for that. Attempt number two to see the Mediterrean sea, failed. Insead we went to the Antigone and read magazine's on the bank of the Lez until we got too cold and decided that we were in need of Louis crepes. Not that we are ever NOT in need of Louis crepes, but you know.
Last night Mariah made some declicious pasta sauce and we all ate dinner at Allie and Katrice's and had bread and cheese and wine, and it was fun. Then we went to the Australian Bar for more dancing! We met Danielle's cute french friends there and overall it was a pretty great day.
Planning spring break is still frustrating because we don't know what we're doing for sure. Aunt Marghe doesn't want me going to Rome because she doesn't feel that it's safe for us without a tour guide. Danielle and I would both really love to go to Greece, but it's expensive, and I think she would also like to go to Rome. I would LOVE to see Rome but I feel a little guilty using my family's money to go someplace that they would rather I didn't this time. I know I will be back in Europe (hopefully many many times, and sooner rather than later) to see the things I missed this time, so I'm not extremely upset about missing anything this time around even though it would be great to go everywhere I want to go.
Tomorrow is Monday, which is really Sunday for me. I need to go grocery shopping and try out new foods for when dad comes, so I can cook more than just pasta and veggies for him. Not that he would be dissatissfied with pasta and veggies. I can't wait for him to come visit! I'm really excited to see Paris again with him and to show him my life here. I am a little worried about what he's going to do while I am in class because he doesn't speak any french, and it can be intimidating for me still to interact with some of the shop keepers and cafe owners. Plus, him being here is a part of home. I don't get terribly homesick that often, but it's mainly because I ignore it. I know this incredibly selfish, but sometimes that's the reason I am bad at keeping in touch with people over here. Whenever I talk to my friends or family I usually end up homesick for at least a few hours afterwards. If I keep myself busy with other things it's easier to ignore the homesick feeling. I'm surpised that I'm actually more homesick for Minneapolis than I am for Racine. I miss my school, and understanding what the hell is going on in my classes, and my amazing friends. I miss being busy. Plus, I'd really like some coffee to go. Nobody here brings coffee to class. There is no Starbuck's, or Caribou, or Espresso Royale. The coffee is amazing, but it's definitely a sit down social affair. Not a get through the school day without falling asleep thing. Don't get me wrong, I really love France. The culture and the scenery are amazing and I could see myself spending summers here. But, surprisingly, I really am an American Girl through and through.
My computer cord broke (of course...) so until my dad gets here with a replacement, it may be a while since I update again. Andrea was nice enough to let me borrow her computer for the weekend while she is in Barcelona, but I'm not sure I'm going to want to journal in the office. We shall see.
A bientot mes amis
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
La plus belle ville du monde.
As promised, the Paris post.
Anyone who has known me for any period of time probably knows that it has been my life's dream to go to Paris.
After at least 10 years of facination with the city, I've finally made it there.
I left Montpellier at 9:20 on Saturday morning and arrived back at my apartment at 11:30 on Monday night. I spent three days in absolute wonder at the how beautiful a city can be. Friday after checking into our hostel, Mariah and I decided to head to Champs-Elysees and from there, go see the Eiffle tower. The first thing we see when we get off the metro was the Arc de Triomphe. First of all, the arc is definitely larger than I was expecting. Secondly, God it's pretty. From there, we walked down the Champs-Elysees, stopped in at Louis Vuitton to lust after bags and sunglasses that, one day, I'll be able to afford. Then on to the Pont d'Alexandre. My first view of the Eiffel Tower happened to be at sunset, perfect timing. It was absolutely breathtaking. After taking about twenty pictures from the bridge, we decided head over and get an up close and personal view. Again, not expecting the tower to be as big as it was. But it was every bit as beautiful as I was hoping it would be. By the time the sunset and we had had chocolat chaud under the tower, it was cold and we were tired. Before bed, we had drinks at the bar on the first floor of our hostel. (St. Christopher's, by the way, if you're going to Paris this is the hostel to stay in, no joke). My first official cosmo, and the best fuzzy navel I've ever had.
Day two started out at 9am at the Louvre. We spent five hours there, and it wasn't nearly enough. First things first, we saw Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory, and the Mona Lisa. Up to this point, most things in Paris were on a much grander scale than I was expecting. The Mona Lisa was not. It's so small! It was, however, way cooler than I was expecting. I wasn't really that thrilled because the image is everywere: calendars, post cards, text books, you name it. But the actual painting has a lot more life in it. To state the obvious, DaVinci was a genious. Then, we went our separate ways and I took an audio tour of the history of the actual building called from Chateau to Musee, or something much catchy-er. I'm really glad I did that, it was maybe the best 6 euro I've spent so far.
Our original plan was to hit the Musee d'Orsay after that but by the time we were ready to leave the Louvre there was a huge line to get into the Musee d'Orsay so we decided to wander a little and go back on Monday to see the museum. After wandering for a while we headed to Notre Dame. Once again, absolutely gorgeous. We went inside and there was a service (or mass rather, since it is Catholic) going on! I did not know that it was still being used as a church, that's amazing.
We bought some cool things near Notre Dame, I got a painting for a euro and some pretty neat gifts (that I'm really excited to send)! Night two ended at the bar of the hostel again, talking with the cool 19 year old bartender from Oregon and a guy from Texas who is also studying in France.
Our last day was supposed to start with the Musee d'Orsay, nope didn't happen. We had completely forgotten that museums are usually closed on Mondays. So we decided that Sacre Coeur would be the next stop. I am so happy we made it there. It has the best views of the city, plus the church is gorgeous, and the arrows from Amelie are there! How cool! After sitting on the steps of the church for a while we walked around Montmarte. For a few blocks near the church, there are nothing but fabric stores! Seriously, I don't know how they all stay in business, there must be over 40 fabric stores in one neighborhood! Among these fabric stores was a discount purse store where I bought a new bag, since my 12 euro one decided it had had enough of carrying my crap around and broke over five times that weekend alone... anyways more wandering led us to le Chat Noir, Moulin Rouge, and Les Deux Moulin, the Cafe where Amelie workes! We had coffee and crepes then headed to the Gare to catch our train home.
I was one of the most tiring weekends of my life, and way more than worth it.
I aboslutely cannot wait to go back with Andrea and Katrice.... and DAD!
Until next time, love, Ashley
Monday, March 3, 2008
Paris, Je t'aime.
I love Paris. j
This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Paris is officially my favorite city, and I can say that for real now. I will write a full post, complete with pictures soon. But until then, I really need some sleep :)
This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Paris is officially my favorite city, and I can say that for real now. I will write a full post, complete with pictures soon. But until then, I really need some sleep :)
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Bonjour. I've decided that Travelpod isn't as cool as blogspot, so here I am. Hopefully, my Travelpod posts will be moved over to this site soon, in the meantime here is the link for that blog:
http://images.travelpod.com/members/ashleyelizabeth
I've got to leave for class in 15 minutes, donc a toute a l'heure mes amies!
http://images.travelpod.com/members/ashleyelizabeth
I've got to leave for class in 15 minutes, donc a toute a l'heure mes amies!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
We stayed in Montpellier this past weekend and it was a blast! Friday Andrea and I drank a bottle of wine here (and danced around the apartment to Sara B, like the dorks we are) then I went to the Aussi bar with Katrice, Danielle and her friends who were visiting from Barcelona. The only time I'm glad they play American music in France is when we go dancing. It's so much better when you know the words and can sing along. Saturday the plan was to bike to the Medditerranean Sea and have a pique-nique on the beach, but after finding out that it would be four hours of biking we decided to bus it. So, we took the tram to the Place de L'Europe, and waited for the bus. Then this crazy woman shows up mumbling nonsensical french to us (well really it probably was legit Francias, but we couldn't understand her) then asks me if she can use my phone to call her friend and tell him she's going to be late because the bus wasn't going to come for another hour. Me, being me and not knowing how to say no, let her use my phone. Then she proceeded to follow us around for a bit, and we decided that bussing to the beach wasn't really worth waiting at the bus stop for an hour with this crazy French woman. So we headed to the mall and did a bit a shopping :). That night we tested out a few bars, and I've got to say Aussi bar is still my fav. Sunday was my alone time/get stuff done day. One good thing about staying here: CLEAN CLOTHES! wahoo! even if they still take three days to dry...
Yesterday was Katrice's bday, so I bought her a birthday crepe then Mariah and I did homework at Book in Bar and I bought some amazing apricot tea from this cute little shop on one of the side streets. Last night, we went out for FONDUE (delicious fondue) for Katrice's 21st! What an experience! 17 euros gets you a house cocktail (Kir de peche, white wine, and a little rum... sooo good) , salad, baked potatoes, fondue, wine served in baby bottles, and an interesting dessert. In the middle of dinner we decided that we were going to need more wine for Katrice's apartment, so Danielle and I ran to Monoprix then came back and had dessert. We really are the classiest girls ever. Seriously. And to further prove my point I will tell you what we did after dinner: President and Asshole, with wine. It was great.
Class pretty much kicked my butt today seeing as I seem to have developed a french form of ADD. And we have another pointless MaxSA assignment due on Friday. Not only is it completely pointless, but I found out that they're not even doing MaxSA next semester! I'm mad. It's such a waste of time! bah. Oh well, it's an extra credit? Maybe?
D'accord, I've got class at nine so bonne nuit mes amis!
Je vous aime! Bisous!
Yesterday was Katrice's bday, so I bought her a birthday crepe then Mariah and I did homework at Book in Bar and I bought some amazing apricot tea from this cute little shop on one of the side streets. Last night, we went out for FONDUE (delicious fondue) for Katrice's 21st! What an experience! 17 euros gets you a house cocktail (Kir de peche, white wine, and a little rum... sooo good) , salad, baked potatoes, fondue, wine served in baby bottles, and an interesting dessert. In the middle of dinner we decided that we were going to need more wine for Katrice's apartment, so Danielle and I ran to Monoprix then came back and had dessert. We really are the classiest girls ever. Seriously. And to further prove my point I will tell you what we did after dinner: President and Asshole, with wine. It was great.
Class pretty much kicked my butt today seeing as I seem to have developed a french form of ADD. And we have another pointless MaxSA assignment due on Friday. Not only is it completely pointless, but I found out that they're not even doing MaxSA next semester! I'm mad. It's such a waste of time! bah. Oh well, it's an extra credit? Maybe?
D'accord, I've got class at nine so bonne nuit mes amis!
Je vous aime! Bisous!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Swiss get l'eau
Okay, so I'm not actually IN Switzerland as I'm writing this, but I wanted another map pin. Yes, I am lame. It's okay. Now, on to more important business. Geneva. What a gorgeous city! Allie, Danielle, Erika, and Lauren all had earlier trains but Katrice and I had class until 3:30 Friday so we met the rest of the girls at the train station on Friday night. I've decided that the SNCF people are not very bright. They over booked our train, so we got to stand for about an hour and a half between Nimes and Geneva. It was widly hilarious and we ended up being the obnoxious giggly American girls. But it's cool, we had fun.
Friday night we checked in at the hostel, and we were all pretty beat by that time, so we just went to bed. Saturday morning we woke up for breakfast then headed out to see the city! FYI: Switzerland is cold in February. Our first stop was the botanical gardens. While we were waiting for the bus we stopped in to a little boutique to warm up. This is the last weekend of the soldes in France, and we're pretty sure Geneva is confused and thinks it's in France, so it was their last weekend of soldes too. But, boy is it an expensive city! We did a lot of window shopping and no buying since we're all trying to save money for travel.
The Gardens were pretty and fun, and we saw some giant bunny squirrel things, and they made me think of you Jep, and I tried to get a picture, but it didn't work out too well.
Then we walked to the United Nations building, took some pics with the sign and the flags, and the GIANT three legged chair across the street. By that time we were hungry again, so where do we eat? That's right McDo. Outrageously overpriced McDo. It was delicious, and I got an Asterix musical toy in my Happy Meal. That right there pretty much made the trip! After lunch, it was time to see the jet d'eau. We walked all the way out to the lake, out on the pier. No l'eau. Just a sign that gives some facts, like the jet is over 400 meters tall, and pumps a lot of liters every second. Disappointed, we started to wander around the city. We stopped at the Musee d'art et d'histoire de Geneve. Want to know whats in that museum? Replicas of paintings from other museums. Good thing it was free. The building itself was really pretty though, so I guess that's something. We headed to the cathedral and found a cute little square where Allie and Erika bought gelato. Then while were playing in the playground outside the cathedral, I notice the tip of the jet d'eau over buildings!! So, we walked back down to the lake and saw the l'eau. It's pretty sweet, with the mountains in the backgroud and the boats and architecture. It makes for some good pics. After that we decided that as true fans of Dan Brown and the Internet, we should go see CERN. We get on a bus, which drops us off on the on-ramp to an interstate! and wait for our connecting route. Pretty amusing. Turns out that CERN has some pretty strict security codes, and you can't just walk in. Who knew? So we got to see the Alps for the first time, took some pics of the campus and ended up going back into town on the same bus we came out on, made our first stop at a Carrefour and head back to the hostel to find dinner. Erika and I ate at a Japanese place and I got some really great Curry. I think I may attempt to learn to make curry. I've been proven to be a terrible cook here though, so we'll see how that actually turns out.
Sunday, Katrice and I wandered around the city, near the lake to stay in the sun. We took some of the most random ridiculous pictures ever, and it was a lot of fun! Then to warm up, we stopped at Starbucks and got lattees and treats and filled out our postcards for a while. The train ride home was pretty uneventful. No standing. We did however, end up being the only people in BOTH of the train stations we had layovers in. What fun!
This week has been good. I had to renew my tram pass and go grocery shopping yesterday. There is an Aldi here!! Andrea and I found it a couple of weeks ago. I love it because I'd really rather spend my money on something other than groceries thank you very much. Then today Mariah and I booked our trip to Paris in two weeks! I can't wait for my first time in the City of Lights! Ah! Then I get to go back when dad comes to visit on the 22nd!
I really am a very lucky little girl...
Tomorrow I'm going to get my culture pass so that we can go to discounted French films, and Andrea and I are going with Fanja and her friend Caps to a concert!! I am really excited to hear some French music. Seriously, all they play here is American/British music and I'm sick of it!!
Well seeing as I've got class at 8:30 tomorrow morning, I think that will be all for now.
A Bientot mes amis!
Friday night we checked in at the hostel, and we were all pretty beat by that time, so we just went to bed. Saturday morning we woke up for breakfast then headed out to see the city! FYI: Switzerland is cold in February. Our first stop was the botanical gardens. While we were waiting for the bus we stopped in to a little boutique to warm up. This is the last weekend of the soldes in France, and we're pretty sure Geneva is confused and thinks it's in France, so it was their last weekend of soldes too. But, boy is it an expensive city! We did a lot of window shopping and no buying since we're all trying to save money for travel.
The Gardens were pretty and fun, and we saw some giant bunny squirrel things, and they made me think of you Jep, and I tried to get a picture, but it didn't work out too well.
Then we walked to the United Nations building, took some pics with the sign and the flags, and the GIANT three legged chair across the street. By that time we were hungry again, so where do we eat? That's right McDo. Outrageously overpriced McDo. It was delicious, and I got an Asterix musical toy in my Happy Meal. That right there pretty much made the trip! After lunch, it was time to see the jet d'eau. We walked all the way out to the lake, out on the pier. No l'eau. Just a sign that gives some facts, like the jet is over 400 meters tall, and pumps a lot of liters every second. Disappointed, we started to wander around the city. We stopped at the Musee d'art et d'histoire de Geneve. Want to know whats in that museum? Replicas of paintings from other museums. Good thing it was free. The building itself was really pretty though, so I guess that's something. We headed to the cathedral and found a cute little square where Allie and Erika bought gelato. Then while were playing in the playground outside the cathedral, I notice the tip of the jet d'eau over buildings!! So, we walked back down to the lake and saw the l'eau. It's pretty sweet, with the mountains in the backgroud and the boats and architecture. It makes for some good pics. After that we decided that as true fans of Dan Brown and the Internet, we should go see CERN. We get on a bus, which drops us off on the on-ramp to an interstate! and wait for our connecting route. Pretty amusing. Turns out that CERN has some pretty strict security codes, and you can't just walk in. Who knew? So we got to see the Alps for the first time, took some pics of the campus and ended up going back into town on the same bus we came out on, made our first stop at a Carrefour and head back to the hostel to find dinner. Erika and I ate at a Japanese place and I got some really great Curry. I think I may attempt to learn to make curry. I've been proven to be a terrible cook here though, so we'll see how that actually turns out.
Sunday, Katrice and I wandered around the city, near the lake to stay in the sun. We took some of the most random ridiculous pictures ever, and it was a lot of fun! Then to warm up, we stopped at Starbucks and got lattees and treats and filled out our postcards for a while. The train ride home was pretty uneventful. No standing. We did however, end up being the only people in BOTH of the train stations we had layovers in. What fun!
This week has been good. I had to renew my tram pass and go grocery shopping yesterday. There is an Aldi here!! Andrea and I found it a couple of weeks ago. I love it because I'd really rather spend my money on something other than groceries thank you very much. Then today Mariah and I booked our trip to Paris in two weeks! I can't wait for my first time in the City of Lights! Ah! Then I get to go back when dad comes to visit on the 22nd!
I really am a very lucky little girl...
Tomorrow I'm going to get my culture pass so that we can go to discounted French films, and Andrea and I are going with Fanja and her friend Caps to a concert!! I am really excited to hear some French music. Seriously, all they play here is American/British music and I'm sick of it!!
Well seeing as I've got class at 8:30 tomorrow morning, I think that will be all for now.
A Bientot mes amis!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Things I like about France (part duex)
1. Irish pubs with cute bartenders. Some girls and I went to O, Carolan's last night. The bartenders speak English (and hence, speak French slowly enough for me to understand) and are more than a little attractive.
2. Saturdays. No joke, everyone goes out on Saturdays. I'm not one for big crowds but here it's cool to see everyone outside shopping, eating paninis, and drinking beer with their lunch ( I haven't tried this one yet, maybe soon).
3. Sundays. At first I thought I was going to hate Sundays. Absolutely everything is closed on Sunday, and doesn't open up again until sometime after noon on Monday. The French really like their leisure time. It gives me a good excuse to put off my homework until Sunday though.
4. Cafes. They all double as bars at night. Who knew? Not me, until last night.
5. Random celebrations on the Place. Yesterday there was a Chinese New Year celebration, then a few hundred meters away, a Jamaican celebration. wahoo for festivities.
6. Baguettes and Compte. I need to stop eating this. Seriously, Andrea and I go through a block of Compte a day, it's ridiculous.
7. Markets on the esplanade. 6 euro sunglasses, fresh pasteries, cheap fresh fruit, veggies, and flowers...all outside, in February. Take that Midwest, I hear you have over a foot and a half of snow.
8. Les Bises, the three kisses on the cheek, they actually do that here (quite a bit actually)! I feel so European.
9. Orangina, 'nuff said.
10. Le disothéque... on ice. We went ice skating in America town (aka the Odysseum, I swear it feels like Orlando, not France) and the skating rink had strobe lights, disco balls, and some pretty sweet techno music.
11. Travel! I'm going to Switzerland next weekend and my train ticket was less than $120 round trip. hahahaa. And it might be cheaper, we think the people at the Gare (train station) screwed us, so we're going back tomorrow.
Which leads me too:
things that make me question the French:
1. Stupid people at the Gare, not helpful, at least with me. My friends have all had better experiences than I have.
2. way too much PDA. On the tram, the esplanade, in stores, at cafes. Seriously these French people can't keep their hands off each other! Although, I have to admit most of them are pretty attractive so I can't really blame them.
3. America is everywhere! I think I've heard about 5 French songs on the radio since I've gotten here, and they play bad American music too, a lot of Enrique and Avril, and really bad 80s music everywhere. There are four McDo's in Montpellier, at least two Sylvan learning centers, 3 Subway Sub shops, and a Cafe Route 66. Plus they sell about 6 different kinds of frozen fries and hamburgers at every grocery store. Why in the world would you eat frozen fries and burgers when French food is about three trillion times better?
2. Saturdays. No joke, everyone goes out on Saturdays. I'm not one for big crowds but here it's cool to see everyone outside shopping, eating paninis, and drinking beer with their lunch ( I haven't tried this one yet, maybe soon).
3. Sundays. At first I thought I was going to hate Sundays. Absolutely everything is closed on Sunday, and doesn't open up again until sometime after noon on Monday. The French really like their leisure time. It gives me a good excuse to put off my homework until Sunday though.
4. Cafes. They all double as bars at night. Who knew? Not me, until last night.
5. Random celebrations on the Place. Yesterday there was a Chinese New Year celebration, then a few hundred meters away, a Jamaican celebration. wahoo for festivities.
6. Baguettes and Compte. I need to stop eating this. Seriously, Andrea and I go through a block of Compte a day, it's ridiculous.
7. Markets on the esplanade. 6 euro sunglasses, fresh pasteries, cheap fresh fruit, veggies, and flowers...all outside, in February. Take that Midwest, I hear you have over a foot and a half of snow.
8. Les Bises, the three kisses on the cheek, they actually do that here (quite a bit actually)! I feel so European.
9. Orangina, 'nuff said.
10. Le disothéque... on ice. We went ice skating in America town (aka the Odysseum, I swear it feels like Orlando, not France) and the skating rink had strobe lights, disco balls, and some pretty sweet techno music.
11. Travel! I'm going to Switzerland next weekend and my train ticket was less than $120 round trip. hahahaa. And it might be cheaper, we think the people at the Gare (train station) screwed us, so we're going back tomorrow.
Which leads me too:
things that make me question the French:
1. Stupid people at the Gare, not helpful, at least with me. My friends have all had better experiences than I have.
2. way too much PDA. On the tram, the esplanade, in stores, at cafes. Seriously these French people can't keep their hands off each other! Although, I have to admit most of them are pretty attractive so I can't really blame them.
3. America is everywhere! I think I've heard about 5 French songs on the radio since I've gotten here, and they play bad American music too, a lot of Enrique and Avril, and really bad 80s music everywhere. There are four McDo's in Montpellier, at least two Sylvan learning centers, 3 Subway Sub shops, and a Cafe Route 66. Plus they sell about 6 different kinds of frozen fries and hamburgers at every grocery store. Why in the world would you eat frozen fries and burgers when French food is about three trillion times better?
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
language fatigue ain't no joke.
Things I love about France:
the food (the crepes, the cheese, the wine! The landscape, the architecture, the laidback lifestyle, the art museums, the weather (it's been in the 50s almost everyday!), reading on the esplanade because it's so nice out, my room.
Things I dislike about France:
the tram, the internet, being tired ALL the time!
Seriously, these people are so chill and laid back about everything, except the tram. The tram is like the light rail for those of you from Minnesota, and it comes every three minutes. The way people push and shove to get on you'd think there was only one per hour or something. but no, every three minutes. This morning, I had class at 9. By the time I got to school, I didn't even need to hold on to anything to keep from falling when the train stopped and started. I barely moved. It's at moments like these I get frustrated with the French people. Also, when they don't even attempt to move on the sidewalks. Also, when the internet sucks, which is a lot.
I realize I sound like a spoiled American here, but I'm okay with that. I would like to be able to talk to my friends and family, thank you very much.
Okay enough of me being cranky with the French. I just thought if this is going to be an accurate journal I might as well post about things that frustrate me as well as the things that make me deliriously happy.
My classes are going well, I just found out that I get one grade for study abroad and it's worth 16 credits. I better get an A. 16 credits of an A would be simply fabulous. So that's the goal. I just have to make myself do my homework everynight and not skip more than one Friday... which maybe might be difficult. Maybe not.
the food (the crepes, the cheese, the wine! The landscape, the architecture, the laidback lifestyle, the art museums, the weather (it's been in the 50s almost everyday!), reading on the esplanade because it's so nice out, my room.
Things I dislike about France:
the tram, the internet, being tired ALL the time!
Seriously, these people are so chill and laid back about everything, except the tram. The tram is like the light rail for those of you from Minnesota, and it comes every three minutes. The way people push and shove to get on you'd think there was only one per hour or something. but no, every three minutes. This morning, I had class at 9. By the time I got to school, I didn't even need to hold on to anything to keep from falling when the train stopped and started. I barely moved. It's at moments like these I get frustrated with the French people. Also, when they don't even attempt to move on the sidewalks. Also, when the internet sucks, which is a lot.
I realize I sound like a spoiled American here, but I'm okay with that. I would like to be able to talk to my friends and family, thank you very much.
Okay enough of me being cranky with the French. I just thought if this is going to be an accurate journal I might as well post about things that frustrate me as well as the things that make me deliriously happy.
My classes are going well, I just found out that I get one grade for study abroad and it's worth 16 credits. I better get an A. 16 credits of an A would be simply fabulous. So that's the goal. I just have to make myself do my homework everynight and not skip more than one Friday... which maybe might be difficult. Maybe not.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Provence, and then some...
So, it's been two weeks and Montpellier is starting to feel like home. It still doesn't feel like I'm actually going to be living in France. I still feel like this is just vacation, and I'll have to go home soon.
I have met some pretty amazing people here. They are some of the sweetest smartest most ambitious people I have ever met. We've been doing a lot of shopping and wanding through the city.
Last weekend the program sponsored a trip to Provence. I think I may move there. It is the single more gorgeous region of the world... We started our day with a visit to Pont du Gard. There is an aqueduct that the Romans built more than a century ago, and it's amazing. We climbed to the top and were able to see for miles. The French countryside looks like something out of a fairy tale. Little houses and villages nestled into mountains and hillsides.
Our next stop was the Fountaine of Vacluse. So far, it has been my favorite spot in France. There is a small village which is built around this beautiful river which comes from underground sources. It looks like it literally appears from nowhere. There is giant cliff, a small lagoon, a bunch of boulders, then this surging river.The village looks like it hasn't changed since the 19th century, it's a very provencial town. The stucco houses have bright blue shutters and clay roof shingles. We pickniqued on the river, then boarded the bus to our next stop, Les Baux de Provence. The village deated back to 6,000 years BC and many of the houses and churches that remain were built in the 16th century. The village it self was pretty, there were a lot of modern shops selling postcards and handmade soap. But the view was amazing. We were above everything, and you could see for miles (most of which was vineyards). Our last stop was Le Moulin de Fontvielle. Which was a windmill. on a hill. Nothing spectacular, but apparently it's a huge tourist attraction, someone was even getting married as we were leaving the sight. I'm not sure I would choose that location for my ceremony, but hey whatever makes you happy. The week since our trip to Provence has flown by. We started classes on Tuesday, and I'm pretty excited. I have 13 hours of French Language a week, and hour and a half of litterature, and an hour an a half of art history. I don't have classes on Mondays, which is going to help a lot with the travelling. :) My daily routine consists of getting pain au chocolat at this little patisserie close to campus. Then heading to school class, then usually out in the city for a while, before coming back to my place and eating dinner with Andrea and Fanja. Leah is still pretty shy and stand-off-ish. I wish she would be more sociable when we were all home, but oh well. Fanja is super helpful, and I love Andrea. Over all, I really lucked out with my living situation.
Today some friends and I went shopping downtown, and found this English bookstore called Book in Bar. It's the most charming bookstore I could ever imagine. It's tucked into a charming little side street, and the building is still very medeival lookding, most of the walls are stone and wood. They have two floors packed with wooden bookshelves and cafe tables. The barista is British and speaks french with a british accent. Plus, they have lattees, english style. I believe I will be spending a lot of time in this place.
Tomorrow is the Superbowl, I'm going to be proud to be an American tomorrow night, something that I try not to flaunt normally. Then we are going to try and plan our weekend travels. Ideally, I'll be going somewhere almost every weekend. I'm not sure if that is logistically or financially possible, but we shall see.
Well, I believe you are all updated now. So abientot mes amis.
Bisous,
Ash
I have met some pretty amazing people here. They are some of the sweetest smartest most ambitious people I have ever met. We've been doing a lot of shopping and wanding through the city.
Last weekend the program sponsored a trip to Provence. I think I may move there. It is the single more gorgeous region of the world... We started our day with a visit to Pont du Gard. There is an aqueduct that the Romans built more than a century ago, and it's amazing. We climbed to the top and were able to see for miles. The French countryside looks like something out of a fairy tale. Little houses and villages nestled into mountains and hillsides.
Our next stop was the Fountaine of Vacluse. So far, it has been my favorite spot in France. There is a small village which is built around this beautiful river which comes from underground sources. It looks like it literally appears from nowhere. There is giant cliff, a small lagoon, a bunch of boulders, then this surging river.The village looks like it hasn't changed since the 19th century, it's a very provencial town. The stucco houses have bright blue shutters and clay roof shingles. We pickniqued on the river, then boarded the bus to our next stop, Les Baux de Provence. The village deated back to 6,000 years BC and many of the houses and churches that remain were built in the 16th century. The village it self was pretty, there were a lot of modern shops selling postcards and handmade soap. But the view was amazing. We were above everything, and you could see for miles (most of which was vineyards). Our last stop was Le Moulin de Fontvielle. Which was a windmill. on a hill. Nothing spectacular, but apparently it's a huge tourist attraction, someone was even getting married as we were leaving the sight. I'm not sure I would choose that location for my ceremony, but hey whatever makes you happy. The week since our trip to Provence has flown by. We started classes on Tuesday, and I'm pretty excited. I have 13 hours of French Language a week, and hour and a half of litterature, and an hour an a half of art history. I don't have classes on Mondays, which is going to help a lot with the travelling. :) My daily routine consists of getting pain au chocolat at this little patisserie close to campus. Then heading to school class, then usually out in the city for a while, before coming back to my place and eating dinner with Andrea and Fanja. Leah is still pretty shy and stand-off-ish. I wish she would be more sociable when we were all home, but oh well. Fanja is super helpful, and I love Andrea. Over all, I really lucked out with my living situation.
Today some friends and I went shopping downtown, and found this English bookstore called Book in Bar. It's the most charming bookstore I could ever imagine. It's tucked into a charming little side street, and the building is still very medeival lookding, most of the walls are stone and wood. They have two floors packed with wooden bookshelves and cafe tables. The barista is British and speaks french with a british accent. Plus, they have lattees, english style. I believe I will be spending a lot of time in this place.
Tomorrow is the Superbowl, I'm going to be proud to be an American tomorrow night, something that I try not to flaunt normally. Then we are going to try and plan our weekend travels. Ideally, I'll be going somewhere almost every weekend. I'm not sure if that is logistically or financially possible, but we shall see.
Well, I believe you are all updated now. So abientot mes amis.
Bisous,
Ash
Friday, January 18, 2008
First Impressions.
I am in love with this city. It has been a long two days, but I have loved every minute of it. The journey from Minneapolis was long and tiring, and extremely exciting. I am so glad I took the group flight, it gave us all a chance to bond a little before getting here, plus it was good to have a support network to count on when things got a little too complicated for me to handle on my own.
We arrived in Montpellier at 2:30 in the afternoon, roughly 17 hours after departing from the Minneapolis airport. Sadly, my baggage didn't. One of the onsite directors, Corinne, met us at the airport and helped me and two other students describe our luggage to the AirFrance staff, then we took a taxi to the Ibis hotel, in the center of Le Place de la Comedie, which Montpellier's central square. After showering, I was so tired that I just slept... for 6 hours. Then my roommate and I went out to le place and grabbed dinner. This morning Corinne met us at the hotel after breakfast and after a very very short walking tour we headed to the office. There, we got a short on-site orientation ate some pizza and were taken to our housing. Mine being in the other half of the building.
I love my apartment, no wait I ADORE my apartment. Since we share a building, we are able to connect to the office's wireless. Well, most of the time at least. Somehow, I got lucky enough to be given the biggest room, and the biggest bed! The furniture is all antique and gorgeous. Plus, my favorite part, I have a fireplace and a balcony! I swear, I think I may have the best housing situation out of anyone in the program.
My American roommate, Andrea, was home eating lunch with a friend. They were nice enough to invite me out with them to the bookstore and to walk around the city. Andrea took me to buy my tram pass, which was fairly simple, and to the Monoprix, to buy groceries. Not so simple. They list the price in Euros AND in Francs. I bought a very small amount of food, and the first thing I saw was the Francs price, 98,00. Well, needless to say I got a little worried. There was no way I was spending 98 euro on five grocery items. It wasn't. It was only 15 euro, and it's a good thing Andrea was there to help.
We came home and both of the French roommates were here. Franja (pronounced Fanza) is 22 and used to teach french to brazilian students so she is very patient when I don't understand what she is trying to say, or when I can't formulate an answer. My other French roommate is Leah. I think she is 19, she's preparing for her BAC which is an important test all french students must take to get into university, so she studies a lot. Fanja took Andrea and I out to a cafe with some of her friends last night and it was fun. Andrea and I spent a lot of the time just observing and once in awhile saying "quoi?" (which means, what?)
Today we went as a group to open our bank accounts and purchase rental insurance. Then a few of us went to this little sandwicherie (haha, I love that they call it that) and had really delicious sandwiches. In about an hour we will be taken to our school for the first time, to register as students and see the campus.
I think I may have blown my converter, so I'll have to buy a new one. When I do, I will post pictures of my place and the city.
until then, abientot mes amis!
We arrived in Montpellier at 2:30 in the afternoon, roughly 17 hours after departing from the Minneapolis airport. Sadly, my baggage didn't. One of the onsite directors, Corinne, met us at the airport and helped me and two other students describe our luggage to the AirFrance staff, then we took a taxi to the Ibis hotel, in the center of Le Place de la Comedie, which Montpellier's central square. After showering, I was so tired that I just slept... for 6 hours. Then my roommate and I went out to le place and grabbed dinner. This morning Corinne met us at the hotel after breakfast and after a very very short walking tour we headed to the office. There, we got a short on-site orientation ate some pizza and were taken to our housing. Mine being in the other half of the building.
I love my apartment, no wait I ADORE my apartment. Since we share a building, we are able to connect to the office's wireless. Well, most of the time at least. Somehow, I got lucky enough to be given the biggest room, and the biggest bed! The furniture is all antique and gorgeous. Plus, my favorite part, I have a fireplace and a balcony! I swear, I think I may have the best housing situation out of anyone in the program.
My American roommate, Andrea, was home eating lunch with a friend. They were nice enough to invite me out with them to the bookstore and to walk around the city. Andrea took me to buy my tram pass, which was fairly simple, and to the Monoprix, to buy groceries. Not so simple. They list the price in Euros AND in Francs. I bought a very small amount of food, and the first thing I saw was the Francs price, 98,00. Well, needless to say I got a little worried. There was no way I was spending 98 euro on five grocery items. It wasn't. It was only 15 euro, and it's a good thing Andrea was there to help.
We came home and both of the French roommates were here. Franja (pronounced Fanza) is 22 and used to teach french to brazilian students so she is very patient when I don't understand what she is trying to say, or when I can't formulate an answer. My other French roommate is Leah. I think she is 19, she's preparing for her BAC which is an important test all french students must take to get into university, so she studies a lot. Fanja took Andrea and I out to a cafe with some of her friends last night and it was fun. Andrea and I spent a lot of the time just observing and once in awhile saying "quoi?" (which means, what?)
Today we went as a group to open our bank accounts and purchase rental insurance. Then a few of us went to this little sandwicherie (haha, I love that they call it that) and had really delicious sandwiches. In about an hour we will be taken to our school for the first time, to register as students and see the campus.
I think I may have blown my converter, so I'll have to buy a new one. When I do, I will post pictures of my place and the city.
until then, abientot mes amis!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
In six days I will be leaving the U.S. for the first time in my life. Well, excluding that one day trip to Tijuana when I was in the third grade. I leave at 10:50am on January 16th and at 12:50pm on January 17th (their time) I will land in my home for the next four months, Montpellier, France.
Needless to say, I'm terrified.
I have some pretty amazing people in my life here at home, and I'm going to miss them terribly. Plus, there's the whole having to fit my entire life into two suitcases thing. Not easy, I must say. The past semester has been extremely stressful, trying to prepare myself to leave, take care of school work, and have enough fun with my friends here to last next semester too.
I have a feeling it's going to be worth the trouble.
I know that I'm not going to be the same person when I return, and I'm preparing myself for that as well. I'm so excited to travel, and grow, and reach past my comfort zone (something I've never been very good at). I'm starting this journal for a few reasons. The first being to record my time abroad, I want to remember as much as possible and how it made me feel at the time. Secondly, to look back and see how my experiences have changed me. and lastly, so that the people I care about can read about what I'm doing, so they'll have a little bit of an understanding of how this journey is shaping who I am and who I become.
So, I suppose, here goes nothing...
Needless to say, I'm terrified.
I have some pretty amazing people in my life here at home, and I'm going to miss them terribly. Plus, there's the whole having to fit my entire life into two suitcases thing. Not easy, I must say. The past semester has been extremely stressful, trying to prepare myself to leave, take care of school work, and have enough fun with my friends here to last next semester too.
I have a feeling it's going to be worth the trouble.
I know that I'm not going to be the same person when I return, and I'm preparing myself for that as well. I'm so excited to travel, and grow, and reach past my comfort zone (something I've never been very good at). I'm starting this journal for a few reasons. The first being to record my time abroad, I want to remember as much as possible and how it made me feel at the time. Secondly, to look back and see how my experiences have changed me. and lastly, so that the people I care about can read about what I'm doing, so they'll have a little bit of an understanding of how this journey is shaping who I am and who I become.
So, I suppose, here goes nothing...
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