Here I am at 12am on a Saturday night- Halloween, which happens to fall on a Saturday this year, sitting here, having just come from the same shisha bar we've been to each night since we've been here in Istanbul. I was just welcomed back to the hostel with a nice strong shot to celebrate my last night in Turkey. I keep thinking, if only I wasn't so relaxed to the point of fatigue from going to the Turkish baths today and we didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch our shuttle to the airport, I would still be out with the others enjoying the night. I keep thinking what my Halloween would be like back at VCU (would it be another "last Halloween," I would hope not- but rather something more enjoyable than writing this blog?). There's a little kitten staring at me, eyes slowly closing, and I can feel my eyes doing the same recalling the wonderful time I've had on this trip.
The boys are still enjoying themselves and the huge "fishbowl" we got tonight, and I'm still trying to figure out how I spent so much money. Btw.. I was just pourred another shot----whewwww!
We got here on Thursday morning around 9am, and immediately my predictions came true. I fell in love with this place. Thankfully the first day was clear, sunny, and all around great weather, because yesterday and today were just pissy. Thursday we took care of most of the sightseeing. Visted the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, etc. before finding the shisha bar we've grown so accustomed to. I'm not sure how, but we didn't manage to get any henna the whole time we were here- something I was really looking forward to. We woke up yesterday to rain and wished that it would stop by the time we were finished the free breakfast the Noble Hostel we're staying at offers. We're so fortunate we found this place. The nicest people who make it a point to learn your name and welcome you with open arms. Instead of going to the Asian side of Istanbul yesterday, we decided we would hit up the Grand Bazaar! I ended up getting separated from the boys, but it worked out to my advantage. I swear I was called beautiful over 100x's, offered more than 10 famous turkish apple tea's (4 of which I took!) and was asked out just as many times as the tea's I was offered. The unfortunate side of this story is that I spent waaayyyyyy too much money. Maybe it was worth it!? lol. People here though, are very genuine. I've found that this to be the most helpful, considerate, and nicest place I've been, whether I'm by myself or with others.
It was nice walking around alone though, being able to go at my own pace and go and do whatever I want. I realized that I would have LOVED to backpack Europe this summer by myself, but things happen for a reason. Hopefully soon!
I finally found a kebob how I wanted (the ones like they have in France- surprisingly not as good) and tried the corn on the cob that you get from the little stands and mosied around for a bit before heading back to find the boys and go to the shisha bar for a relaxing night. We met some really cool Spanish girls and some Aussi's, Danish, Swedish and Belgium's on this trip! It will be great to keep in contact with all of them who turned out to be completely awesome!
Since we changed our plans, today was the day for Asia. To our mistake, today was worse than yesterday. The wind was chilled, pounding us with rain and no matter which way we held our umbrella, we still got wet. After sucking it up, we finally decided to take the cold, wet boat ride over. It was so gross by the time we got over there, we got something small to eat, had a cup of tea and decided to head back to Europe! The entire 20 mintutes I was in Asia consisted of down pour rain, wet pants and food. Well.. at least I went to Asia!
I have to say that by far the best experience of my day was the Turkish baths. I spent a good 3 hours there, getting bathed, massaged, relaxing in the sauna and getting a pedicure. Let me clarify- when I say bathed, I literally mean bathed. I was exfoliated, scrubbed and massaged in an ancient traditional bathing room by a woman. There were about 20 other women in the saunaed room all getting washed and massaged, and it was the first time since... .. that I've felt completely comfortable with myself walking around natural with someone else around. I have to say that it was a complete soothing and relaxing experience that I wish I could do everyday.
So now, I am here. Dreading going back to the expose I left to do in Grenoble (due Monday)....
At least this vacation as been quite a thrill.
Prage- check
Budapest- check
Bucharest- check
Sofia- check
Istanbul- check! I will return to you!
So much traveling in so little time has left me a tired little girl.
Sleep and thanking God for the opportunity await me.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Eastern European Adventure Part 1
Currently, I'm sitting at the Sofia Guesthouse computer accessing the internet in Bulgaria. We got here at about 6:15am this morning and got off to a good start walking around the city and exploring. Sofia is definitely a bigger city than I expected and the stray dogs here have become quite an attraction. If I could, I would have already taken two in! I feel like Sofia is known for its Orthodox Churches. We went into at least 3 today, all absolutely beautiful and the paintings remarkable. It's amazing to think about how old buildings are in Europe. We went in to one church that was made just by cobble stones and stood in the middle of the "new city" in a metro station. Way to preserve ;)
I guess I should start from the beginning, huh?
This trip is titled: Eastern European Adventure! Kristi-John-Richie- and some of the way Elisabeth.
Because we have a massive fall break (unlike the 3 days in America)- the stretched 10 days was worth taking a long vacation.
Itinerary: Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia and Istanbul.
From the beginning:
The 20 hour bus ride from Grenoble to Prague seemed as though it only took 5 hours. We slept most of the night. Thankfully I got to see a little bit of Germany on the way, although we only stopped at the Frankfort bus station (which was an industrialized city- not what I would have expected), another small town, and a gas station, where some very nice men offered me some of their delicious looking food through the bus window. Of course I would never turn down food, but it was cold and I wasn't sure if they were just being nice because they saw me eying it or not!?
Around mid-day we arrived in Prague. I really like this city. We walked around the city center, saw quite a few sights before grabbing dinner and heading to Elisabeth's hostel. Did I mention this was on the other side of town!?
Thankfully they had some room open, otherwise I would have been sleeping in the streets. lol. Sir Toby's was the name and the staff was awesome.. even the next morning when Elisabeth thought she lost her passport, they were all extremely helpful!
So the next day we hit up the castle, the bridge, did some shopping and ate more before we left for Budapest on the night train.
Budapest has been so far my favorite city. Thankfully, I upgraded to the sleeper car (the 13+ hour ride would have not been comfortable sitting straight up the whole time- the seats aren't as comfy as the bus). We searched for about an hour to try to find an open hostel. 3 of which were already full (supposedly there was a national holiday the day before we arrived!) That would have been pretty awesome to experience, and we later discovered that they had a huge firework show at the Parliament building. The hostel that we finally found turned out to be amazing. Central Backpackers. The most welcoming staff I could have asked for, and so much that when we arrived, we were welcomed with a "welcoming shot," alcohol stilled by the owners grandmother! Who's going to pass that up, even at 11am? Really got to explore Budapest. There were some great sights, beautiful architecture, and tons of photos. I wish I could express everything that was going through my head in all of these cities. Thought after thought.. but in reality, I can't explain half of what I felt. The pictures will have to show what I saw, and you can make up how it would feel.
Bucharest was nothing of what I expected it to be. It was more run-down and grungy, and unfortunately we only had about 4 hours there, which didn't leave us a lot of time to seek out the beautiful parts of the city. So instead, we ate. lol.
I tell you something, if there's one thing I haven't missed out on, it's all the food I've eaten on this trip. I swear I've been on an entire dress size!
Eastern Europe is pretty reasonably priced. I like using the Euro- which is so much more than the dollar right now that I get more for my money.
So now, after the 9 hour train ride last night, I'm in Sofia.
Venturing off to Istanbul tomorrow (which I think will be my favorite city!)
As much as I love ruins, and century old buildings, I look forward to experiencing something outside of the western culture.
Can't wait to post the hundreds of photos I've taken thus far, and more to come!
<3 Kristi
I guess I should start from the beginning, huh?
This trip is titled: Eastern European Adventure! Kristi-John-Richie- and some of the way Elisabeth.
Because we have a massive fall break (unlike the 3 days in America)- the stretched 10 days was worth taking a long vacation.
Itinerary: Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia and Istanbul.
From the beginning:
The 20 hour bus ride from Grenoble to Prague seemed as though it only took 5 hours. We slept most of the night. Thankfully I got to see a little bit of Germany on the way, although we only stopped at the Frankfort bus station (which was an industrialized city- not what I would have expected), another small town, and a gas station, where some very nice men offered me some of their delicious looking food through the bus window. Of course I would never turn down food, but it was cold and I wasn't sure if they were just being nice because they saw me eying it or not!?
Around mid-day we arrived in Prague. I really like this city. We walked around the city center, saw quite a few sights before grabbing dinner and heading to Elisabeth's hostel. Did I mention this was on the other side of town!?
Thankfully they had some room open, otherwise I would have been sleeping in the streets. lol. Sir Toby's was the name and the staff was awesome.. even the next morning when Elisabeth thought she lost her passport, they were all extremely helpful!
So the next day we hit up the castle, the bridge, did some shopping and ate more before we left for Budapest on the night train.
Budapest has been so far my favorite city. Thankfully, I upgraded to the sleeper car (the 13+ hour ride would have not been comfortable sitting straight up the whole time- the seats aren't as comfy as the bus). We searched for about an hour to try to find an open hostel. 3 of which were already full (supposedly there was a national holiday the day before we arrived!) That would have been pretty awesome to experience, and we later discovered that they had a huge firework show at the Parliament building. The hostel that we finally found turned out to be amazing. Central Backpackers. The most welcoming staff I could have asked for, and so much that when we arrived, we were welcomed with a "welcoming shot," alcohol stilled by the owners grandmother! Who's going to pass that up, even at 11am? Really got to explore Budapest. There were some great sights, beautiful architecture, and tons of photos. I wish I could express everything that was going through my head in all of these cities. Thought after thought.. but in reality, I can't explain half of what I felt. The pictures will have to show what I saw, and you can make up how it would feel.
Bucharest was nothing of what I expected it to be. It was more run-down and grungy, and unfortunately we only had about 4 hours there, which didn't leave us a lot of time to seek out the beautiful parts of the city. So instead, we ate. lol.
I tell you something, if there's one thing I haven't missed out on, it's all the food I've eaten on this trip. I swear I've been on an entire dress size!
Eastern Europe is pretty reasonably priced. I like using the Euro- which is so much more than the dollar right now that I get more for my money.
So now, after the 9 hour train ride last night, I'm in Sofia.
Venturing off to Istanbul tomorrow (which I think will be my favorite city!)
As much as I love ruins, and century old buildings, I look forward to experiencing something outside of the western culture.
Can't wait to post the hundreds of photos I've taken thus far, and more to come!
<3 Kristi
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Above the Clouds
(brief update before I start on the full adventure of this weekend- really enjoyed salsa dancing Thursday night- didn't get near enough sleep for the 8am I had Friday morning. Stayed in Friday night because I know I had a good weekend ahead of me!)Btw.. I bought a guitar!
8am- Departure for randonnée!
I was still so tired from the lack of sleep the last two days that I took a short nap on the bus going to our destination. The mountains glistened with dew, but my eyes were so tired I wasn't able to watch the sun hit the high mountains.
I didn't realize that we were staying in a building much like dorms. I had packed for an excursion much like we had done the last time- although this time it was much colder- with a sleeping bag, extra warm clothes, lots of packaged food, etc. At least we got to drop off our big packs before we headed up the mountain.
There were 3 groups.
Facile, Difficile, and Hard Core- well, of course you know me, I decided to go for the Hard Core and wheww let me tell you. It kicked my butt!
The mountains were gorgeous, the landscape amazing, and the fresh air- breath taking!
The 65 degree slope nearly the entire time, already tired legs, and over 2000 meters (6,500 feet) of hiking, and not to mention the unbelievably powerful wind that's so cold it causes everything to frost- let's just say it was definitely a challenge- and probably one of the coolest experiences of my life! Surprisingly, I didn't get cold at all. Maybe it was the fact that every ounce of blood in my body was circulating, my heart was racing and I had on 4 layers?
While descending the mountain- I literally felt like I was there at the beginning of the world. The sun rays beaming through the clouds, the windy river between the mountains, the air that tasted so fresh- It was the land before time.
And I wanted to take in every part of it.
Thank God that Alicia had an extra pair of gloves or else I would have died this weekend. Did I mention I left my brand new pair sitting right on the bench next to where my hiking bag was? Today Diana asked if I found them- I just laughed and said, "yes, I found them went I went back two days later to the tram stop, when it's cold outside and the gloves were brand new! I hope they at least ended up on the hands of someone who need them more than I." Although I doubt that was relevant for this weekend.
Anywho, I was so tired by the time we got back to our building that I literally didn't want to move. I actually fell asleep at the table during dinner and when I told everyone I was going to take a quick nap before the soiree, they had no idea my "quick" naps were 4 hours long! I didn't wake up until 2am to find a lot of people still awake dancing downstairs. My butt hurt so bad that there was no possibility of me groovin' so I went back to sleep about 25 min. later. If only I could get that good of sleep every night!
The next morning was great. I woke up around 9am and headed down for breakfast to find that absolutely no one was there! So instead of trying to go back to sleep, I started a fire and made a hot cup of tea. Man did tea do wonders this weekend!
So I curled up in a chair by the fire for sometime until finally, one by one, people started to venture in to enjoy le petit déjeuner.
Around 11:30am, those of us who signed up, set out for the Accro-Branche (rope course). So for an hour, I swung around in the trees like a monkey and climbed through rocks, wondering how in the world I was managing it with how much my muscles already hurt!? I lost a glove halfway through, but managed just fine, doing the more intense course as well!
It was such a cool experience, I think I would do it every day if I could!
The rest of the day consisted of sitting around the fire, drinking more tea, taking a little walk and then heading back to Grenoble.
Although we were only (technically) gone for 1.5 days, it felt like we had taken a week long trip, and I was very much ready to lay in bed and relax.
Unfortunately something I wasn't able to do with all the crap that needed to get done- still haven't finished by the way.
As commented:
[10:26:55 PM] Kristi Hall: gotta finish this stuff
[10:26:55 PM] Kristi Hall: need to finish the blog to get it off my mind
[10:26:59 PM] Kristi Hall: to finish my internship application
[10:27:03 PM] Kristi Hall: to start on my expose
[10:27:08 PM] Kristi Hall: to think about washing clothes
[10:27:11 PM] Kristi Hall: in order to pack
[10:27:20 PM] Kristi Hall: in order to finish my expose by the time I leave
[10:27:28 PM] Kristi Hall: and still have some time to sleep
[10:27:36 PM] Kristi Hall: and get things I need before I go
[10:27:45 PM] Kristi Hall: like the gloves I lost the day after I bought them
[10:28:13 PM] Kristi Hall: gahhhh
I leave for Prague on Wednesday- how I'm going to get everything done by then, I'm not sure. And it doesn't help that I think I'm getting sick. My throat is Killing me!
8am- Departure for randonnée!
I was still so tired from the lack of sleep the last two days that I took a short nap on the bus going to our destination. The mountains glistened with dew, but my eyes were so tired I wasn't able to watch the sun hit the high mountains.
I didn't realize that we were staying in a building much like dorms. I had packed for an excursion much like we had done the last time- although this time it was much colder- with a sleeping bag, extra warm clothes, lots of packaged food, etc. At least we got to drop off our big packs before we headed up the mountain.
There were 3 groups.
Facile, Difficile, and Hard Core- well, of course you know me, I decided to go for the Hard Core and wheww let me tell you. It kicked my butt!
The mountains were gorgeous, the landscape amazing, and the fresh air- breath taking!
The 65 degree slope nearly the entire time, already tired legs, and over 2000 meters (6,500 feet) of hiking, and not to mention the unbelievably powerful wind that's so cold it causes everything to frost- let's just say it was definitely a challenge- and probably one of the coolest experiences of my life! Surprisingly, I didn't get cold at all. Maybe it was the fact that every ounce of blood in my body was circulating, my heart was racing and I had on 4 layers?
While descending the mountain- I literally felt like I was there at the beginning of the world. The sun rays beaming through the clouds, the windy river between the mountains, the air that tasted so fresh- It was the land before time.
And I wanted to take in every part of it.
Thank God that Alicia had an extra pair of gloves or else I would have died this weekend. Did I mention I left my brand new pair sitting right on the bench next to where my hiking bag was? Today Diana asked if I found them- I just laughed and said, "yes, I found them went I went back two days later to the tram stop, when it's cold outside and the gloves were brand new! I hope they at least ended up on the hands of someone who need them more than I." Although I doubt that was relevant for this weekend.
Anywho, I was so tired by the time we got back to our building that I literally didn't want to move. I actually fell asleep at the table during dinner and when I told everyone I was going to take a quick nap before the soiree, they had no idea my "quick" naps were 4 hours long! I didn't wake up until 2am to find a lot of people still awake dancing downstairs. My butt hurt so bad that there was no possibility of me groovin' so I went back to sleep about 25 min. later. If only I could get that good of sleep every night!
The next morning was great. I woke up around 9am and headed down for breakfast to find that absolutely no one was there! So instead of trying to go back to sleep, I started a fire and made a hot cup of tea. Man did tea do wonders this weekend!
So I curled up in a chair by the fire for sometime until finally, one by one, people started to venture in to enjoy le petit déjeuner.
Around 11:30am, those of us who signed up, set out for the Accro-Branche (rope course). So for an hour, I swung around in the trees like a monkey and climbed through rocks, wondering how in the world I was managing it with how much my muscles already hurt!? I lost a glove halfway through, but managed just fine, doing the more intense course as well!
It was such a cool experience, I think I would do it every day if I could!
The rest of the day consisted of sitting around the fire, drinking more tea, taking a little walk and then heading back to Grenoble.
Although we were only (technically) gone for 1.5 days, it felt like we had taken a week long trip, and I was very much ready to lay in bed and relax.
Unfortunately something I wasn't able to do with all the crap that needed to get done- still haven't finished by the way.
As commented:
[10:26:55 PM] Kristi Hall: gotta finish this stuff
[10:26:55 PM] Kristi Hall: need to finish the blog to get it off my mind
[10:26:59 PM] Kristi Hall: to finish my internship application
[10:27:03 PM] Kristi Hall: to start on my expose
[10:27:08 PM] Kristi Hall: to think about washing clothes
[10:27:11 PM] Kristi Hall: in order to pack
[10:27:20 PM] Kristi Hall: in order to finish my expose by the time I leave
[10:27:28 PM] Kristi Hall: and still have some time to sleep
[10:27:36 PM] Kristi Hall: and get things I need before I go
[10:27:45 PM] Kristi Hall: like the gloves I lost the day after I bought them
[10:28:13 PM] Kristi Hall: gahhhh
I leave for Prague on Wednesday- how I'm going to get everything done by then, I'm not sure. And it doesn't help that I think I'm getting sick. My throat is Killing me!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A party ain't a party till.....
This is just a quick little update.. nothing too extravagant.
Monday night was brilliant! I randomly met two really cool British girls while signing up for an InteGre rendez-vous this weekend to the mountains and ended up hanging out with them the rest of the evening. We met up with a friend of mine who took us to this this awesome swing dancing class/ thing.. anyway. Had a wonderful time. Went out for some hot chocolate afterward, since it's getting cold here now. It literally went from summer to winter, completely skipping fall in one weekend (the weekend I just so happened to be laying on the beach!) So I come back freezing, lol.
And then last night was definitely a good one. I decided to have another Fromage et Chocolat Fondue soiree. Loads of friends to celebrate the wonderful Tuesday night with. It's amazing how awesome people are and the variety that's in a group! After the deliciousness.. some of us headed out to Druid's Pub (mon pub prefere!) to listen to the live music, cheers and be sociable. :) The evening ended with me being welcomed to come play some music and sing one night and potentially do a set there. (side note: MUST GET GUITAR ASAP!)
I've been dragging today... but it's been really productive. Got everything set up to get my "carte de sejour." Class was class... and it's set- we have everything set up for Eastern Europe!!!
Departure: Next Wednesday. Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia and then Istanbul! Here I come!!
This weekend: What awesome french word starts with "S" that I could dress up as???
And you know who will be sliding down ropes from trees- me! (I don't know what it's called in english?) French: Accro-branche.
Anywho.. tonight is a night in, need a break and time to relax. Although I have to start doing exposes and apply for an internship... that doesn't give me much of a break does it?
A bientot!
Monday night was brilliant! I randomly met two really cool British girls while signing up for an InteGre rendez-vous this weekend to the mountains and ended up hanging out with them the rest of the evening. We met up with a friend of mine who took us to this this awesome swing dancing class/ thing.. anyway. Had a wonderful time. Went out for some hot chocolate afterward, since it's getting cold here now. It literally went from summer to winter, completely skipping fall in one weekend (the weekend I just so happened to be laying on the beach!) So I come back freezing, lol.
And then last night was definitely a good one. I decided to have another Fromage et Chocolat Fondue soiree. Loads of friends to celebrate the wonderful Tuesday night with. It's amazing how awesome people are and the variety that's in a group! After the deliciousness.. some of us headed out to Druid's Pub (mon pub prefere!) to listen to the live music, cheers and be sociable. :) The evening ended with me being welcomed to come play some music and sing one night and potentially do a set there. (side note: MUST GET GUITAR ASAP!)
I've been dragging today... but it's been really productive. Got everything set up to get my "carte de sejour." Class was class... and it's set- we have everything set up for Eastern Europe!!!
Departure: Next Wednesday. Prague, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia and then Istanbul! Here I come!!
This weekend: What awesome french word starts with "S" that I could dress up as???
And you know who will be sliding down ropes from trees- me! (I don't know what it's called in english?) French: Accro-branche.
Anywho.. tonight is a night in, need a break and time to relax. Although I have to start doing exposes and apply for an internship... that doesn't give me much of a break does it?
A bientot!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Antibes et Nice
Friday afternoon, I headed toward the bus stop. While waiting for Priscilla and Fabi I thought about how great this weekend was going to be in Antibes. I was excited to head to another part of France and explore a little more of the french culture. I was still pretty tired from Thursday night. Although I didn't go out with the others, we still celebrated Rose's birthday until it was late and I had class at 8:00am Friday morning.
(side thought: I can't believe my 21st birthday is in less than 1 month and 1/2!)
After getting picked up by our "covoiturage" we were on our way to Antibes. What Fabi and I thought was only going to be a 2 hour car ride, turned out to be a 5 hour car ride! It got dark dark fast and the mountains faded around me. The stars were shining bright though the window and I thought they were brighter than I'd seen in a long time, but then realized this is probably because I haven't seen this many stars in over a month now. And as the curvy mountains roads took us from point A to point B, I felt them wrap around my imagination. I imagined flying off the mountain.. soaring into the sky, to the stars, to my dreams. These were some of the most dangerous mountains I've ever been on, and if it weren't for be being scared shitless I think I would have thrown up from car sickness. Tried to sleep the rest of the way and we finally arrived around 10 something p.m. where I met up with Amit. We just hung out Friday night and most of the day Saturday before I went off exploring Antibes. I walked around Antibes searching for the beach Amit showed me Friday night, stopped a few places to look around and eventually ended up at this beautiful place I searched for most deeply.
While sitting there, gazing out into the blue, here are a few things I wrote:
Waves crashing all around the rocks beneath my feet. Sun shining on a wall built no less than 200 years ago to stand as a fortress. Watching the boats rolling by, wishing I was cruising on the water with them, thinking about all the good times I had this summer with friends on the boat in Nashville. I keep trying to remember- I'm in France!- It still doesn't seem like it. And whatever happens here.. just happens. The water is a mucky blue- beautiful. I've only ever seen one other thing this color as beautiful. His eyes. Although I've been in France before, I've seen more of her beauty in the past month (that I didn't even know she had). Now sitting on the beach having just put my feet in the calm, cool water, soaking in the sun, enjoying the breeze and listening to the sound of the waves crash and the jet skis in the background. It's absolutely wonderful. There's a cute little boy playing naked on the shore and a couple screaming trying to get one another in the water. A pigeon is pecking beside me in the sand scavenging for food. I didn't think to bring my bathing suit with me out on my little walk, so I wish this was a nude beach, I wasn't to feel the rush of the waves. I feel at peace as the wind blows through my hair and I'm standing on the rocks looking out until the world folds down. Mountains in the distance and sounds of church bells ring in my ears. There's only one thing missing.. Thankfully there is a beautiful, faint rainbow, in the distance that's letting me know that there is something at the end!
I walked back to Amit's and we went to Cannes to spend a nice night eating dinner at a Japanese restaurant where I had some really good Shashimi, and then went to see Mary and Max. Retired after slept like a baby until the next day when I got up a little earlier than usual to go to Nice. Caught a ride with this guy who was heading there so I didn't have to wait another hour for the train. Explored Nice the rest of the day. Went to the Chateux at the top of the mountain, ate, and then changed into my bathing suit. How relaxing it was to lay out at the beach again! Unfortunately I didn't realize how much I loved sand until I was walking to the water and there were stones beneath my feet. Trying to avoid slipping and falling getting into the water was very difficult and I almost didn't succeed a few times lol!
I got a nice sorbet and listened to an orchestra in the vieux ville before heading towards the bus station to catch a train back to Antibes. I got to try Socca, with somewhat of a very soft, not all the way cooked, corn bread consistency, pretty tasty.
Unfortunately on the way back from Nice, I got lost trying to find the stop I was supposed to get off at (it totally wasn't even there!) and our covoiturage had to come find me- I felt pretty bad about it. The stars were even more beautiful on the way back. And from there, it's been back to the same routine with classes and school work. The weekends are what I live for. However, we always tend to find something extravagant to do during the week at some point! Speaking of tomorrow: another soiree- fromage et chocolat fondue, et alors a Druid's Pub pour la musique et beaucoup des boires! :)
(side thought: I can't believe my 21st birthday is in less than 1 month and 1/2!)
After getting picked up by our "covoiturage" we were on our way to Antibes. What Fabi and I thought was only going to be a 2 hour car ride, turned out to be a 5 hour car ride! It got dark dark fast and the mountains faded around me. The stars were shining bright though the window and I thought they were brighter than I'd seen in a long time, but then realized this is probably because I haven't seen this many stars in over a month now. And as the curvy mountains roads took us from point A to point B, I felt them wrap around my imagination. I imagined flying off the mountain.. soaring into the sky, to the stars, to my dreams. These were some of the most dangerous mountains I've ever been on, and if it weren't for be being scared shitless I think I would have thrown up from car sickness. Tried to sleep the rest of the way and we finally arrived around 10 something p.m. where I met up with Amit. We just hung out Friday night and most of the day Saturday before I went off exploring Antibes. I walked around Antibes searching for the beach Amit showed me Friday night, stopped a few places to look around and eventually ended up at this beautiful place I searched for most deeply.
While sitting there, gazing out into the blue, here are a few things I wrote:
Waves crashing all around the rocks beneath my feet. Sun shining on a wall built no less than 200 years ago to stand as a fortress. Watching the boats rolling by, wishing I was cruising on the water with them, thinking about all the good times I had this summer with friends on the boat in Nashville. I keep trying to remember- I'm in France!- It still doesn't seem like it. And whatever happens here.. just happens. The water is a mucky blue- beautiful. I've only ever seen one other thing this color as beautiful. His eyes. Although I've been in France before, I've seen more of her beauty in the past month (that I didn't even know she had). Now sitting on the beach having just put my feet in the calm, cool water, soaking in the sun, enjoying the breeze and listening to the sound of the waves crash and the jet skis in the background. It's absolutely wonderful. There's a cute little boy playing naked on the shore and a couple screaming trying to get one another in the water. A pigeon is pecking beside me in the sand scavenging for food. I didn't think to bring my bathing suit with me out on my little walk, so I wish this was a nude beach, I wasn't to feel the rush of the waves. I feel at peace as the wind blows through my hair and I'm standing on the rocks looking out until the world folds down. Mountains in the distance and sounds of church bells ring in my ears. There's only one thing missing.. Thankfully there is a beautiful, faint rainbow, in the distance that's letting me know that there is something at the end!
I walked back to Amit's and we went to Cannes to spend a nice night eating dinner at a Japanese restaurant where I had some really good Shashimi, and then went to see Mary and Max. Retired after slept like a baby until the next day when I got up a little earlier than usual to go to Nice. Caught a ride with this guy who was heading there so I didn't have to wait another hour for the train. Explored Nice the rest of the day. Went to the Chateux at the top of the mountain, ate, and then changed into my bathing suit. How relaxing it was to lay out at the beach again! Unfortunately I didn't realize how much I loved sand until I was walking to the water and there were stones beneath my feet. Trying to avoid slipping and falling getting into the water was very difficult and I almost didn't succeed a few times lol!
I got a nice sorbet and listened to an orchestra in the vieux ville before heading towards the bus station to catch a train back to Antibes. I got to try Socca, with somewhat of a very soft, not all the way cooked, corn bread consistency, pretty tasty.
Unfortunately on the way back from Nice, I got lost trying to find the stop I was supposed to get off at (it totally wasn't even there!) and our covoiturage had to come find me- I felt pretty bad about it. The stars were even more beautiful on the way back. And from there, it's been back to the same routine with classes and school work. The weekends are what I live for. However, we always tend to find something extravagant to do during the week at some point! Speaking of tomorrow: another soiree- fromage et chocolat fondue, et alors a Druid's Pub pour la musique et beaucoup des boires! :)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Music playing in my ears
Just came back from a long run on this beautiful October night, which feels more like summer- trés "à l'arrache" - probably because I was looking in the mirror today and saw how much weight I've gained from cheese and bread! It felt good. Relaxing. I felt like I could run forever. I needed it.
Change of plans- Morocco decided to have a holiday this weekend. Meaning, the ferry that we were supposed to catch from Seville to Morocco would not be allowed in on Friday. Who knows why!? But the trip was moved, which messed up all of our plans and made us have to reschedule to another weekend.
So.. now I'm going to Antibes, for sand in my toes and a lot of fun! I heard that Antibes is gorgeous with wonderful beaches, so I'm really looking forward to a nice fun-filled, relaxing weekend.
The last few nights have been pretty awesome. I decided to throw a little soiree two nights ago with loads of fondue (fromage et chocolat)! It was excellent- man do I love cheese. Enjoyed everyone's company and will try to put the pictures up soon.
I've been pretty busy lately (classes and everything :)
But I still have time for having fun. Last night.. wheww last night was, well let's just say it was a Tuesday and we rolled deep with about 30 friends. Enough said.
One high point of the night- Someone decided to put "I will Survive" on as we were all socializing before going out, well... we all know what that song signifies, so I said, "if you're going to hear this song, you're going to hear it right! Put on the karaoke version!" I got up on the table and started singing my little heart out!
Fun times.
Well I'm off now- people on my hall keep knockin' on my door to come to the floor party in the kitchen, so instead of being just "l'americain" I will go socialize and attempt to rack my brain for french!
Change of plans- Morocco decided to have a holiday this weekend. Meaning, the ferry that we were supposed to catch from Seville to Morocco would not be allowed in on Friday. Who knows why!? But the trip was moved, which messed up all of our plans and made us have to reschedule to another weekend.
So.. now I'm going to Antibes, for sand in my toes and a lot of fun! I heard that Antibes is gorgeous with wonderful beaches, so I'm really looking forward to a nice fun-filled, relaxing weekend.
The last few nights have been pretty awesome. I decided to throw a little soiree two nights ago with loads of fondue (fromage et chocolat)! It was excellent- man do I love cheese. Enjoyed everyone's company and will try to put the pictures up soon.
I've been pretty busy lately (classes and everything :)
But I still have time for having fun. Last night.. wheww last night was, well let's just say it was a Tuesday and we rolled deep with about 30 friends. Enough said.
One high point of the night- Someone decided to put "I will Survive" on as we were all socializing before going out, well... we all know what that song signifies, so I said, "if you're going to hear this song, you're going to hear it right! Put on the karaoke version!" I got up on the table and started singing my little heart out!
Fun times.
Well I'm off now- people on my hall keep knockin' on my door to come to the floor party in the kitchen, so instead of being just "l'americain" I will go socialize and attempt to rack my brain for french!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Getting Excited!
Things are starting to happen! :)
Next weekend I will be in Morocco. How exciting. Although I didn't get to go to October Fest this weekend (really sad about that) I still had a good weekend.
Thursday night consisted of meeting Nathalie (awesome girl) at the Hilite concert on campus. Interesting music, and she introduced me to some really cool people. But I ended up leaving kind of early because my knee was hurting from earlier that day from the trampo session for my snowboarding class.
Thank goodness we don't have classes on Friday's for a while anymore. I really looked forward to sleeping in on Friday and just being able to hang out without worrying about anything. Since I couldn't go to October Fest, I had thought about going to Lyon for the day on Friday, but I decided to save the money for Morocco and Eastern Europe.
Friday night we had a little soiree, that turned into going out to O'Callahan's.. another little Irish pub, that closed way too early, so we stopped at this other place that stayed open till 2am. Unfortunately, we had missed the last tram by then, so we had to walk by. NOT good on the knee that was already hurting, but I made only to have my knee killing me the next day.
Word from the wise: Don't don't a pain killer on an empty stomach!
So I spend the rest of the feeling terribly sick, staying in bed until it finally passed and I had thrown up all the liquid's I had drank thank morning.
Went out to see "Le petit Nicolas" last night, too cute!
And just came back, finished my book and went to sleep.
That book made me really think about things... I went to sleep feeling kind of low.. which probably made me dream the dream I had.
I've had this dream before...but this time it was a little different.
I'm running, and I'm running on some back roads in Suffolk. It's dusk. I can barely see. But nothing hurts when I'm running. It almost feels like I'm floating. But I feel my feet touch the road every time. I keep running. It keeps getting darker. I try to make it home before it gets pitch dark. But for some reason, I can't make myself run faster. I'm just at the same pace. I'm fighting, fighting, fighting and yet I just keep the floating steps at the same steady speed. I pass someone else running on the road. I could hear her thoughts and it scared me. I tried to run faster, but I couldn't. There was an emotion in her I couldn't figure out. It was almost angry. I tried to let her know everything was okay, but it didn't matter what I said, or thought. She could hear my thoughts too. Finally I passed her, but I kept hearing her think she's just up ahead, I can catch up. And then it was black. I couldn't see where I was running anymore. Trees were surrounding the road on both sides. I had to follow the road by how I could feel it under my feet, trying not to run off the road. I wasn't sure if I would make it, but when finally I escaped from the darkness, the night was lit by the moon. I kept running. I was close to home now. I knew were I was. I only had two more roads to go. It was starting to get lighter. The moon was shining more brightly. There were people walking on the road in front of me. There were thinking things that I couldn't hear. Too many thoughts. I kept running, still with the same steadiness. Where was I going? I thought I was going home. I was running toward home, wasn't I? At that moment, I realized I had been running towards home, but not the physical home I thought I was running too, that was the opposite way.
I could see it, there was the sign that read Box Elder Road, I then I knew I wasn't far from home.. I was practically there, and that's where my heart belonged.
I woke up.
Next weekend I will be in Morocco. How exciting. Although I didn't get to go to October Fest this weekend (really sad about that) I still had a good weekend.
Thursday night consisted of meeting Nathalie (awesome girl) at the Hilite concert on campus. Interesting music, and she introduced me to some really cool people. But I ended up leaving kind of early because my knee was hurting from earlier that day from the trampo session for my snowboarding class.
Thank goodness we don't have classes on Friday's for a while anymore. I really looked forward to sleeping in on Friday and just being able to hang out without worrying about anything. Since I couldn't go to October Fest, I had thought about going to Lyon for the day on Friday, but I decided to save the money for Morocco and Eastern Europe.
Friday night we had a little soiree, that turned into going out to O'Callahan's.. another little Irish pub, that closed way too early, so we stopped at this other place that stayed open till 2am. Unfortunately, we had missed the last tram by then, so we had to walk by. NOT good on the knee that was already hurting, but I made only to have my knee killing me the next day.
Word from the wise: Don't don't a pain killer on an empty stomach!
So I spend the rest of the feeling terribly sick, staying in bed until it finally passed and I had thrown up all the liquid's I had drank thank morning.
Went out to see "Le petit Nicolas" last night, too cute!
And just came back, finished my book and went to sleep.
That book made me really think about things... I went to sleep feeling kind of low.. which probably made me dream the dream I had.
I've had this dream before...but this time it was a little different.
I'm running, and I'm running on some back roads in Suffolk. It's dusk. I can barely see. But nothing hurts when I'm running. It almost feels like I'm floating. But I feel my feet touch the road every time. I keep running. It keeps getting darker. I try to make it home before it gets pitch dark. But for some reason, I can't make myself run faster. I'm just at the same pace. I'm fighting, fighting, fighting and yet I just keep the floating steps at the same steady speed. I pass someone else running on the road. I could hear her thoughts and it scared me. I tried to run faster, but I couldn't. There was an emotion in her I couldn't figure out. It was almost angry. I tried to let her know everything was okay, but it didn't matter what I said, or thought. She could hear my thoughts too. Finally I passed her, but I kept hearing her think she's just up ahead, I can catch up. And then it was black. I couldn't see where I was running anymore. Trees were surrounding the road on both sides. I had to follow the road by how I could feel it under my feet, trying not to run off the road. I wasn't sure if I would make it, but when finally I escaped from the darkness, the night was lit by the moon. I kept running. I was close to home now. I knew were I was. I only had two more roads to go. It was starting to get lighter. The moon was shining more brightly. There were people walking on the road in front of me. There were thinking things that I couldn't hear. Too many thoughts. I kept running, still with the same steadiness. Where was I going? I thought I was going home. I was running toward home, wasn't I? At that moment, I realized I had been running towards home, but not the physical home I thought I was running too, that was the opposite way.
I could see it, there was the sign that read Box Elder Road, I then I knew I wasn't far from home.. I was practically there, and that's where my heart belonged.
I woke up.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Le fût et touts mon nouvelle amis!
I have a tandem partner. Her name is Elise. I signed up through this program at the university called Integre (integration). I speak english, she speaks french (and come to find out she speaks awesome english too! She studied in California in high school for a year). So we had been talking online and text, and last night she texts me and says, "hey! what are you doing tonight?" "Uh.. nothing at the moment, why?" I replied.
"Okay! We'll be there in 2 minutes to pick you up."
Non, non... j'ai besoin de prendre un douche!!
2 minutes later I get the phone call saying she was down stairs. I hurry down, having no idea where I'm going, but she took me (in a car!) with some friends to a soiree that turned out to be quite fun! This was the first time I met Elise. :)
Somewhere in the night, I tried to explain the game THUMPER in french... and I almost pee'd my pants laughing so hard. And come to find out, keg's are called "Le fût" and mini kegs are called "le petit fût."
They have something here that mixes beer with limonade and tequila all in a mini-keg. My how tasty it was.
I feel like I'm understanding more french! Although it's coming at a slow rate, it still feels good to see some improvement. Thank God for having switched classes, too.
I'm losing my tan... I see my complexion getting whiter each day and it makes me sad.
Still haven't found my flash drive... it's really starting to worry me now.
Not able to go to Octobre Fest anymore this weekend. Too expensive, too short notice, and we didn't think we would be able to hitch all the way from Italy in a matter of 1 day!
Another time....
Trampo session for my snowboarding class again today! Freakin' sweet little metal snowboard gadget just for jumping on the trampoline. Got to do some cool stuff. Unfortunately the pressure strains my knee a little so I have to be careful not to overdo it.
Can't wait for Morocco. I'm totally going camel riding!
And for Eastern Europe. Bought the plane tickets yesterday from Istanbul, Turkey back to Geneve, Italy. Should be a great adventure!!!
I'll post the itinerary later for that trip!
The one to Morocco is pretty simple. Take a bus to Seville, Spain. From Seville to Morocco we catch a ferry across the Mediterranean and stay there for a few days and then head back! Nice weekend trip :)
Btw.. I found out it was a star. There's no mountain where the light was coming from. lol.
Soiree ce soir? How do I make accents with my keyboard??!?
"Okay! We'll be there in 2 minutes to pick you up."
Non, non... j'ai besoin de prendre un douche!!
2 minutes later I get the phone call saying she was down stairs. I hurry down, having no idea where I'm going, but she took me (in a car!) with some friends to a soiree that turned out to be quite fun! This was the first time I met Elise. :)
Somewhere in the night, I tried to explain the game THUMPER in french... and I almost pee'd my pants laughing so hard. And come to find out, keg's are called "Le fût" and mini kegs are called "le petit fût."
They have something here that mixes beer with limonade and tequila all in a mini-keg. My how tasty it was.
I feel like I'm understanding more french! Although it's coming at a slow rate, it still feels good to see some improvement. Thank God for having switched classes, too.
I'm losing my tan... I see my complexion getting whiter each day and it makes me sad.
Still haven't found my flash drive... it's really starting to worry me now.
Not able to go to Octobre Fest anymore this weekend. Too expensive, too short notice, and we didn't think we would be able to hitch all the way from Italy in a matter of 1 day!
Another time....
Trampo session for my snowboarding class again today! Freakin' sweet little metal snowboard gadget just for jumping on the trampoline. Got to do some cool stuff. Unfortunately the pressure strains my knee a little so I have to be careful not to overdo it.
Can't wait for Morocco. I'm totally going camel riding!
And for Eastern Europe. Bought the plane tickets yesterday from Istanbul, Turkey back to Geneve, Italy. Should be a great adventure!!!
I'll post the itinerary later for that trip!
The one to Morocco is pretty simple. Take a bus to Seville, Spain. From Seville to Morocco we catch a ferry across the Mediterranean and stay there for a few days and then head back! Nice weekend trip :)
Btw.. I found out it was a star. There's no mountain where the light was coming from. lol.
Soiree ce soir? How do I make accents with my keyboard??!?
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