I HAVE A FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So today I woked up at the ungodly hour of eight for the one thousandth time. Something must be done about my inability to sleep. Drugs might have to be consulted. I got up and got my speculoos cookies that I bought yesterday and had a stack of them for breakfast while I watched youtube in bed. By 9:30 I was starting the day's studying.
I finished the first item of my to-do list and then went downstairs to Tamara's room to leave a note about meeting up to go for tomorrow's excursion as promised. I still haven't heard from her, but I assume that she will be meeting me downstairs tomorrow at 9:30 to go to the Bibliothèque Centre Pompidou. Callie told me that we will be going right next to Notre Dame so hopefully I can at least stop and see the outside for a few minutes.
I came back upstairs and got into bed. Seconds after turning on Judge Judy I began to feel ill. I drank some water and curled up in bed. I spent the rest of the day cowering under the covers with a stomachache.
I messaged Callie and suggested that we get dinner tonight because we still hadn't met up this weekend. She responded in the late afternoon saying that she'd love to get dinner. My first date in Europe. I was so nervous! I really wanted to make a good impression so that I'd finally have a friend and not be a total loner for the rest of the quarter. After finalizing an 8 o'clock dinner date with Callie I ate a few more cookies, by this time half the package was gone, and got into bed.
After awhile, still ill, I got up and finished my studying. I was so tired by this time that I had a cup of coffee. I was suddenly hungry so I ate some potato chips and the cheese flavored chex mix that I still had from my flight. I then drank two glasses of water very quickly and got into bed. Within a minute I felt violently ill. I've decided that the water in my apartment is making me sick. I've been drinking it all week, but today it tasted funny. I'm going to drink bottled water for awhile and see if I feel any better.
At 6:50 I finished another episode of Judge Judy and got up to shower before my date. I wanted to be punctual, but not too punctual as to be nerdy. I carefully put on a minimal amount of makeup, then carefully picked out an outfit that would be artsy and cool but not too slouchy and lazy, then put on more makeup and some red lipstick. I was a few minutes early so I read an article online. At 8:02 my doorbell rang. I might have to love this girl; on time and at my door even though I was planning on being late and going to her door!
We decided to walk around and let dinner find us. We walked to the Bastille and saw one restaurant that was pricey and served American food; there was even someon eating a plate of ribs as we walked by the window. We decided to skip that place and walked almost down to mom's old hotel when we decided to turn around. She mention that we should come back and get ice cream as we crossed the street. I then introduced her to the backwards dinner; we got our ice cream before dinner at one of the carnivalesque stands in the Bastille.
We ate our single serving of vanilla soft serve out of waffle cones as we walked down the street to find dinner. I suggested the kebab place that I've been eyeing, but it was closed. We walked past Monoprix, also closed, and figured out that most places are closed early on Sundays in Paris. We then walked past Accent and towards what appeared to be open shops. While walking this guy was sitting on the sidewalk and kept saying bonsoir to me while reaching out for me and getting up from his chair. I was almost touched by a creepy guy!!
Most of the open shops were bars, which I must keep in mind for a later date, but one was a burger stand. It looked delicious, but I can get chicken burgers in California. Next we saw a sidewalk cafe and decided to look at the menu. The waiter came up and we said bonsoir; then he asked if we wanted to English menu which of course we said yes to. We couldn't decide so we sat down with our menus. Turns out we were right next to the Bastille again! I couldn't decide so I started talking to the waiter and asked what he suggested. He suggested escargot or the duck. I really liked the waiter; very friendly and smiley and chatty. I got pain perdu which is french toast with caramel sauce and toffee ice cream. The waiter totally judged me for having dessert for dinner, but who cares live the dream. If it makes you feel any better, it was delicious and I had a few of Callie's fries.
Callie still hadn't done her homework so we finished dinner and went home. I had so much fun out with her! We chatted and it wasn't weird and my palms didn't get sweaty just like a normal girl!!!!!! We have decided to make it a regular thing, and we're going grocery shopping tomorrow.
Despite my 11,50 euro dinner excursion, I manged to save 20,01 euros this week despite spending 25 euros for exursions through the center. I think I can save even more this week.
I have a friend. I'm not a loser, mom!
To celebrate my victory as a normal human being, I am writing this post while drinking two glasses of wine. Look out Paris!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
il y a aujourd'hui….
Today was a me day.
I'm not sure why I can't seem to sleep in past eight in Europe, but I'm always wide awake before a godly hour. I woke up to a facebook message from Callie, with whom I was supposed to go to a museum, telling me that her night at the club ended fairly late and she would be sleeping in. I knew this wasn't a good sign so I preceeded with my day.
I got myself a cup of coffee and a waffle and climbed into bed for a few more minutes before starting my homework. The exercises were shorter than I thought, and I did better than I expected on them. My confidence was boosted until I started to review the next assigned chapter for our class on Monday. I hadn't learned most of the words for the chapter before, and at the pace we're expected to move during the practicum, I knew that I was in trouble. Thank god that I can take a class pass/no pass.
After finishing part of my to-do list, I got back into bed to watch tv. My stomach was rumbling by 11 so at 12 I decided to venture to Monoprix for my daily baguette, and since I have all the time in the world, I would eat it in the park as I awaited a message from Callie. I got dressed and went out the back gate onto the street. I had just stepped out of the gate when I saw it. There is an adorable used bookstore across the street from my apartment, and there was a bin of books for only one euro! I looked through the bins, but I had already decided on buying a copy of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris the second I picked it up. It's the perfect book for my time in Paris; I live near Notre Dame and just visited the Pantheon yesterday where Victor Hugo is buried. The best part is that there's a postcard written in French that was tucked into the center of the book. I had to have it. The shopkeeper was nice and even gave me a bag for my purchase with a warm smile. I'm going to have to try my best to resist temptation and not buy books everyday.
I was in a fantastic move after my purchase and decided to poke my head into some of the other shops that seemed to not be open during the week. There's a cute toy store and a jewelry store on the street behind my building. I really do like this neighborhood.
I walked to Monoprix to find it jammed with people. I guess people do their grocery shopping on the weekend. I quickly got my baguette, and while I was going to the check out, happened upon some speculous cookies that will make a delicious breakfast tomorrow. The line to check out was long at every register, and was not sped up by the fact that in France you have to bag your own groceries. The woman in front of me had a child of about five and no visible method to take all of her groceries home. She bought a bunch of reusable bags along with her groceries and rounded up her child who had gone to get a toy bicycle that he had stashed somewhere in the store. I was surprised that she could carry so many groceries considering she was such a thin woman. I paid for my groceries and headed to the park.
I went up the stairs to the park and headed towards the Bastille. The path came to an end after a few paces so I plopped down on a bench and started to eat my baguette. Halfway through my lunch I saw a rat scamper out of the bushes and across the path. I had never seen a rat that wasn't someone's pet before and it made me rethink my decision to eat in the park. I suppose I'll keep my park visits to walking only. Welcome to city life.
I got lost on my way out of the park, but soon found my exit and left. I went upstairs and have spent the rest of my day watching tv in bed and studying. I can report, however, that I tried the instant cream of mushroom soup that I bought the other day. I followed the instructions that stated to add a whole cup of water, but my soup did not turn out to be thick and creamy but water and lumpy. It was still pretty tasty. I'll do better next time.
Oh, Callie and some friends went to Luxembourg Gardens today, but I didn't go. She also invited me to go to a club tonight but I declined. I can hear the drunk girls down the hall as I write this. Maybe I'll have a glass of wine and go to bed. With any luck Callie and I will do something tomorrow, but I don't have high hopes.
I'm not sure why I can't seem to sleep in past eight in Europe, but I'm always wide awake before a godly hour. I woke up to a facebook message from Callie, with whom I was supposed to go to a museum, telling me that her night at the club ended fairly late and she would be sleeping in. I knew this wasn't a good sign so I preceeded with my day.
I got myself a cup of coffee and a waffle and climbed into bed for a few more minutes before starting my homework. The exercises were shorter than I thought, and I did better than I expected on them. My confidence was boosted until I started to review the next assigned chapter for our class on Monday. I hadn't learned most of the words for the chapter before, and at the pace we're expected to move during the practicum, I knew that I was in trouble. Thank god that I can take a class pass/no pass.
After finishing part of my to-do list, I got back into bed to watch tv. My stomach was rumbling by 11 so at 12 I decided to venture to Monoprix for my daily baguette, and since I have all the time in the world, I would eat it in the park as I awaited a message from Callie. I got dressed and went out the back gate onto the street. I had just stepped out of the gate when I saw it. There is an adorable used bookstore across the street from my apartment, and there was a bin of books for only one euro! I looked through the bins, but I had already decided on buying a copy of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris the second I picked it up. It's the perfect book for my time in Paris; I live near Notre Dame and just visited the Pantheon yesterday where Victor Hugo is buried. The best part is that there's a postcard written in French that was tucked into the center of the book. I had to have it. The shopkeeper was nice and even gave me a bag for my purchase with a warm smile. I'm going to have to try my best to resist temptation and not buy books everyday.
I was in a fantastic move after my purchase and decided to poke my head into some of the other shops that seemed to not be open during the week. There's a cute toy store and a jewelry store on the street behind my building. I really do like this neighborhood.
I walked to Monoprix to find it jammed with people. I guess people do their grocery shopping on the weekend. I quickly got my baguette, and while I was going to the check out, happened upon some speculous cookies that will make a delicious breakfast tomorrow. The line to check out was long at every register, and was not sped up by the fact that in France you have to bag your own groceries. The woman in front of me had a child of about five and no visible method to take all of her groceries home. She bought a bunch of reusable bags along with her groceries and rounded up her child who had gone to get a toy bicycle that he had stashed somewhere in the store. I was surprised that she could carry so many groceries considering she was such a thin woman. I paid for my groceries and headed to the park.
I went up the stairs to the park and headed towards the Bastille. The path came to an end after a few paces so I plopped down on a bench and started to eat my baguette. Halfway through my lunch I saw a rat scamper out of the bushes and across the path. I had never seen a rat that wasn't someone's pet before and it made me rethink my decision to eat in the park. I suppose I'll keep my park visits to walking only. Welcome to city life.
I got lost on my way out of the park, but soon found my exit and left. I went upstairs and have spent the rest of my day watching tv in bed and studying. I can report, however, that I tried the instant cream of mushroom soup that I bought the other day. I followed the instructions that stated to add a whole cup of water, but my soup did not turn out to be thick and creamy but water and lumpy. It was still pretty tasty. I'll do better next time.
Oh, Callie and some friends went to Luxembourg Gardens today, but I didn't go. She also invited me to go to a club tonight but I declined. I can hear the drunk girls down the hall as I write this. Maybe I'll have a glass of wine and go to bed. With any luck Callie and I will do something tomorrow, but I don't have high hopes.
Friday, August 29, 2014
je ne comprends pas
Today was my first day of school.
As per usual I woke up before my alarm, and decided to have breakfast in bed; coffee and my new favorite sugary Belgian waffle. I slowly got ready and then went off to the center for class. I arrived early, also as per usual, despite leaving five whole minutes later than usual. I still have zero friends so I sat in a corner and played with my ring while I waited for my ten o'clock class to start. I went into the classroom, but no one sat next to me. I was literally sitting all alone in a class of fewer than thirty people. My professor seemed to pick up on the fact that I had no friends because she kept making me move around to find a new partner for each exercise; I'm that girl in the class.
My professor started off speaking slowly, but her speech got faster as the three hour class drug on. I could hardly understand a word by the end of the session. She sped through everything, and we still didn't cover all of the class material meant for today! When class ended we had an hour before we had to meet back at the center to go on our excursion to the Latin Quarter in the 5th arr. I ran to Monoprix for my daily baguette and a bottle of water and then ran home for fifteen minutes before leaving for class again.
We took the bus to somewhere near Saint-Germain-des-prés and then started our journey that was supposed to end at the Luxembourg gardens. We stopped at the post office to answer a question on our sheet then off to bother a patisserie owner. We then went to Les Arènes de Lutèce. We saw La Rue Clovis where there is a fragment of the wall that used to surround Paris. We saw the statue of Auguste Comte on La Sorbonne and the house where Descartes lived.
We also saw the Panthéon where such minds as Marie Curie and Victor Hugo are buried. It was amazing even from the outside. We also saw the Genevieve Church that was absolutely spectacular, and the Henri IV school. Our teacher stopped to tell us interesting facts at every turn; of course all in French with some English to tie the concepts together. We were supposed to only be out for two hours, but two hours turned into way more than that. We ended our trip with her dropping us off at Le Jardin du Luxembourg.
I'm semi happy to report that I've made a semi friend. Her name is Tamara. We definitely won't be the best of friends, but at least she's someone to tag along with during our excursions…and she has a metro map on her phone. Tamara and I walked around the gardens for a bit before deciding to head home. The garden is filled with Parisians sitting on chairs around the squares of grass that are outlined with brightly colored pink and yellow flowers. The garden was so swarming with people that I couldn't really enjoy it. The best part was seeing the little kids push their toy boats around the fountain with bamboo sticks. There's also a children's section of the garden that includes miniature horse rides and balloon vendors.
Tamara and I took the metro home. My first time!! She swiped her navigo pass, but it wasn't working. She tried buying a single ride ticket, but her cards weren't excepted so I gave her one of my passes. I don't think she's going to pay me back, but I guess that's the price of friendship; a euro seventy. We got off the metro at Gare de Lyon, but Tamara couldn't find the way home. We walked around the entire building, and consulted the map several times, before she got her barrings and lead us home.
On the way home we stopped at "Sandwichs City", and I bought my first crepe with nutella. Where have they been all my life?! Heaven for only two euro fifty. Then we came home. The crepery is only a block from my dorm and I'm fairly confident that I can walk there on my own.
Tamara and I plan on going to Monday's excursion together. Friends??
When I got to my room I knew that I had to study but I was too tired. I got into bed and tried to sleep but I couldn't. I ended up watching Sherman and Mr. Peabody with some kind of Asian subtitles (Thai??) on youtube. I finally got up to study, but my entire floor seems to be going clubbing tonight and were making a ruckus. I was invited to go, but nothing in me wants to go clubbing in a foreign country with a bunch of crazy drunk girls that I don't know. All I wanted to do was study, but I was tired and they kept distracting me. I took a shower as a break, and then heard loud rap music coming from somewhere on the floor. I had to ask my neighbor to close her door so I could finish my work. This kids are ridiculous. If I hear one of them complain about not getting wifi or talk about how drunk they were last night I might scream and then hit one of them directly in their baby faces. Kids these days.
Grand-mère is going to bed now. Get off my lawn.
As per usual I woke up before my alarm, and decided to have breakfast in bed; coffee and my new favorite sugary Belgian waffle. I slowly got ready and then went off to the center for class. I arrived early, also as per usual, despite leaving five whole minutes later than usual. I still have zero friends so I sat in a corner and played with my ring while I waited for my ten o'clock class to start. I went into the classroom, but no one sat next to me. I was literally sitting all alone in a class of fewer than thirty people. My professor seemed to pick up on the fact that I had no friends because she kept making me move around to find a new partner for each exercise; I'm that girl in the class.
My professor started off speaking slowly, but her speech got faster as the three hour class drug on. I could hardly understand a word by the end of the session. She sped through everything, and we still didn't cover all of the class material meant for today! When class ended we had an hour before we had to meet back at the center to go on our excursion to the Latin Quarter in the 5th arr. I ran to Monoprix for my daily baguette and a bottle of water and then ran home for fifteen minutes before leaving for class again.
We took the bus to somewhere near Saint-Germain-des-prés and then started our journey that was supposed to end at the Luxembourg gardens. We stopped at the post office to answer a question on our sheet then off to bother a patisserie owner. We then went to Les Arènes de Lutèce. We saw La Rue Clovis where there is a fragment of the wall that used to surround Paris. We saw the statue of Auguste Comte on La Sorbonne and the house where Descartes lived.
We also saw the Panthéon where such minds as Marie Curie and Victor Hugo are buried. It was amazing even from the outside. We also saw the Genevieve Church that was absolutely spectacular, and the Henri IV school. Our teacher stopped to tell us interesting facts at every turn; of course all in French with some English to tie the concepts together. We were supposed to only be out for two hours, but two hours turned into way more than that. We ended our trip with her dropping us off at Le Jardin du Luxembourg.
St. Genieve Church
The Pantheon
I'm semi happy to report that I've made a semi friend. Her name is Tamara. We definitely won't be the best of friends, but at least she's someone to tag along with during our excursions…and she has a metro map on her phone. Tamara and I walked around the gardens for a bit before deciding to head home. The garden is filled with Parisians sitting on chairs around the squares of grass that are outlined with brightly colored pink and yellow flowers. The garden was so swarming with people that I couldn't really enjoy it. The best part was seeing the little kids push their toy boats around the fountain with bamboo sticks. There's also a children's section of the garden that includes miniature horse rides and balloon vendors.
The Luxembourg Gardens
The palace
On the way home we stopped at "Sandwichs City", and I bought my first crepe with nutella. Where have they been all my life?! Heaven for only two euro fifty. Then we came home. The crepery is only a block from my dorm and I'm fairly confident that I can walk there on my own.
crepe with nutella. check.
Tamara and I plan on going to Monday's excursion together. Friends??
When I got to my room I knew that I had to study but I was too tired. I got into bed and tried to sleep but I couldn't. I ended up watching Sherman and Mr. Peabody with some kind of Asian subtitles (Thai??) on youtube. I finally got up to study, but my entire floor seems to be going clubbing tonight and were making a ruckus. I was invited to go, but nothing in me wants to go clubbing in a foreign country with a bunch of crazy drunk girls that I don't know. All I wanted to do was study, but I was tired and they kept distracting me. I took a shower as a break, and then heard loud rap music coming from somewhere on the floor. I had to ask my neighbor to close her door so I could finish my work. This kids are ridiculous. If I hear one of them complain about not getting wifi or talk about how drunk they were last night I might scream and then hit one of them directly in their baby faces. Kids these days.
Grand-mère is going to bed now. Get off my lawn.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
when life gives you rosé
This morning was my last time with my mom until December. Surprisingly, I didn't cry.
I had another kinder egg before bed as my mom and I half watched French news. She says that she's worried that I'll be a loner and seemed really sad about leaving me by myself.
My mom and I woke up to a call from my uncle, which is surprising because neither of us get cell service in France. We drifted off to sleep cuddled up together for one last time in for a long while. We were up soon enough when her 6:30 alarm went off. We got dressed as usual, went downstairs and had the reception desk call a cab for us, and everything was perfectly normal. We got into the cab, and it went to the wrong address; lesson for other cab journeys…there's more than one Daumesnil. I got out of the cab in front of my door, and that was that.
I had made plans with my neighbor Alex to go to Notre Dame today, and had promised to knock on her door past ten. I had a few hours to kill so I ate the leftover baguette and chicken noodle soup while listening to music and watching The Lucy Show on youtube. I put on makeup, packed my bag, wrote down directions to Notre Dame, including how to ask where it is and how to ask where the Ledru-Rollin metro is near our dorm. I listened at Alex's door at 10:30 and decided to wait until 11. At 11:01 I knocked on her door. She then informed me that she and some of the girls had wandered past Notre Dame yesterday and hinted that she wasn't going to go with me. She then told me that she and the girls were going on a walking tour and told me she would knock on my door; I already knew that I wasn't going.
Lets just skip ahead to me painting my nails and reading a lot of Cracked articles and listening to The Honey Trees "To Be with You" mix on youtube. I told myself that I would go out at one to go to the phone store and pick up some lunch from Monoprix. At one I begrudingly dragged myself out of bed and hit the road. I spent a long time at the phone store as the service professional tried everything in his power to get my phone to work. After a long time he told me that I have to go to a phone store to get my phone unlocked. I guess it's all facebook for me for awhile.
I then went to Monoprix, and got a baguette and cream of mushroom instant soup packets for lunch/dinner. By the time I left the market it was sprinkling which quickly turned to a downpour before I got to the next block. I was going to go explore the park that's outside my window and eat my baguette, but I decided to do it later when it was hopefully not raining. I came upstairs and ate my entire baguette in bed; my bed is now filled with bread crumbs but it was delicious as usual. I then managed to take a four hour nap.
I woke up and knew that I had to get a move on. The sun was still shining, but since it was 7:33 already, I knew that my time to explore the park was fading fast. I hopped out of bed and went out the door…without my gate code…which I went back upstairs to get. I walked to the stairs down the street that go up to the park. There used to be a train that ran through the neighborhood, but no it's gone except for the viaduct that has shops tucked into its arches.
There are raised parks in places like New York City, but this park is going to become my new oasis of happiness. There are tons of green trees, overgrown arches of vines hanging over the path, and tons of flowers. The area is mostly used by runners, but there were also lots of couples sitting on benches. Paris is the city of love….I sat on a bench and finished the Poe story that I had started then headed home because it was getting dark and cold.
I walked home, and outside my gate was sitting a bottle of rosé. I took one look at it, passed it and went to the gate, then I bent down and picked it up, shoved it into my purse, and walked through the gate without a second thought. I'm drinking my first glass of wine in France as I write this post. I don't even feel bad about it.
Cheers.
I have my first day of class tomorrow at ten so I need to get a move on to bed. Bonne nuit.
I had another kinder egg before bed as my mom and I half watched French news. She says that she's worried that I'll be a loner and seemed really sad about leaving me by myself.
My mom and I woke up to a call from my uncle, which is surprising because neither of us get cell service in France. We drifted off to sleep cuddled up together for one last time in for a long while. We were up soon enough when her 6:30 alarm went off. We got dressed as usual, went downstairs and had the reception desk call a cab for us, and everything was perfectly normal. We got into the cab, and it went to the wrong address; lesson for other cab journeys…there's more than one Daumesnil. I got out of the cab in front of my door, and that was that.
I had made plans with my neighbor Alex to go to Notre Dame today, and had promised to knock on her door past ten. I had a few hours to kill so I ate the leftover baguette and chicken noodle soup while listening to music and watching The Lucy Show on youtube. I put on makeup, packed my bag, wrote down directions to Notre Dame, including how to ask where it is and how to ask where the Ledru-Rollin metro is near our dorm. I listened at Alex's door at 10:30 and decided to wait until 11. At 11:01 I knocked on her door. She then informed me that she and some of the girls had wandered past Notre Dame yesterday and hinted that she wasn't going to go with me. She then told me that she and the girls were going on a walking tour and told me she would knock on my door; I already knew that I wasn't going.
Lets just skip ahead to me painting my nails and reading a lot of Cracked articles and listening to The Honey Trees "To Be with You" mix on youtube. I told myself that I would go out at one to go to the phone store and pick up some lunch from Monoprix. At one I begrudingly dragged myself out of bed and hit the road. I spent a long time at the phone store as the service professional tried everything in his power to get my phone to work. After a long time he told me that I have to go to a phone store to get my phone unlocked. I guess it's all facebook for me for awhile.
I then went to Monoprix, and got a baguette and cream of mushroom instant soup packets for lunch/dinner. By the time I left the market it was sprinkling which quickly turned to a downpour before I got to the next block. I was going to go explore the park that's outside my window and eat my baguette, but I decided to do it later when it was hopefully not raining. I came upstairs and ate my entire baguette in bed; my bed is now filled with bread crumbs but it was delicious as usual. I then managed to take a four hour nap.
I woke up and knew that I had to get a move on. The sun was still shining, but since it was 7:33 already, I knew that my time to explore the park was fading fast. I hopped out of bed and went out the door…without my gate code…which I went back upstairs to get. I walked to the stairs down the street that go up to the park. There used to be a train that ran through the neighborhood, but no it's gone except for the viaduct that has shops tucked into its arches.
There are raised parks in places like New York City, but this park is going to become my new oasis of happiness. There are tons of green trees, overgrown arches of vines hanging over the path, and tons of flowers. The area is mostly used by runners, but there were also lots of couples sitting on benches. Paris is the city of love….I sat on a bench and finished the Poe story that I had started then headed home because it was getting dark and cold.
The raised garden near my apartment
I walked home, and outside my gate was sitting a bottle of rosé. I took one look at it, passed it and went to the gate, then I bent down and picked it up, shoved it into my purse, and walked through the gate without a second thought. I'm drinking my first glass of wine in France as I write this post. I don't even feel bad about it.
Cheers.
The stolen goods
I have my first day of class tomorrow at ten so I need to get a move on to bed. Bonne nuit.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
maman!
Today is my last day with my mom. I have yet to well up.
I slept in my room last night and mom slept in her hotel room, and since we don't have phone service despite my new SIM card, we had to communicate through internet. My mom's ipad was dead so I gave her my charger last night before she left so I had to use my computer sparingly today. Last time I decorated to pass the time before bed, but I still cried a little bit. Then I went to bed in silence; I left the light on for a few hours in the kitchen because I was afraid to sleep in my room alone.
I woke up an hour early for my first orientation today so I slowly got ready and listened to music, but half an hour before I had to leave my computer battery was getting dangerously low so I sat by the window and waited until I could leave. On my way to the orientation I saw a guy from the center standing outside the cafe across the street from the Monoprix and I started talking to him. He was with two friends and we all walked to the center together. The first orientation was for living in Daumesnil and it was fairly short with nothing interesting to report.
After the orientation I went downstairs to sign up for excursions. I was disappointed to find out that the garden trip was full, but I signed up for a crepe dinner and a concert and put my name on the waiting list for cheese tasting. I walked home with my neighbor Alex and a few other girls from the dorm. I'm not so sure that I'll be friends with them, but at least they're someone to walk with.
We had a few hours before our academic orientation so we went back home to rest. I was left in my room all alone too scared to turn on my computer and waste the battery. I tried to read some Poe, but I was tired. I tried to nap but I wanted to stay awake. I ended up decorating my room some more and using the internet for a few minutes. Then I met the girls downstairs to walk back to the center.
I got my class schedule!! If I wasn't posting this entry from my mom's hotel room I would post my schedule for you. We have a three week intensive practicum that includes hours a day in the classroom learning French and six excursions over two weeks. I'm so excited to go on excursions! I'm in French language class two (where I belong after taking French one during spring quarter), histories of Paris (that includes excursions on Wednesdays), and a lower division world music class. The best part is that I only have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but I'm afraid that by Friday I'll be exhausted.
The academic orientation was really long and filled with useful tips about French manners and how to be safe; always say Bonjour Madame/Monsieur, put your money on the counter instead of handing it to the cashier, be careful of other people. This orientation included tips on fire safety; a girl from another program died three years ago in a fire.
After the orientation I ran back home to meet mom. She was already on the bench outside my dorm waiting for me. She had spent the whole day on the Champs-Elysées shopping and buying souvenirs for friends. She brought a pistachio and chocolate crossiant for us, and it was delicious! She also brought more things to decorate my room including pictures of Paris for the kitchen, Paris coasters, and book marks.
Then we went to Monoprix to get dinner. First we stopped at the phone store to try to fix my cell phone problems, but the woman said to come back tomorrow to see the technician. Next we went to the tabac across from Accent to try to buy a carnet of metro tickets, but they didn't sell them. On the way to the metro we found a great store that is kind of like Ikea; all the products are in English and the prices are pretty cheap. Then we went to Monoprix to get food; more chocolate bars for mom to take home, a baguette, two containers of chicken soup, and herbed cheese. Then we went to the metro and mom bought me two carnets of tickets (one carnet has ten tickets in it).
We went home and ate our dinner while watching Gnomeo and Juliet on youtube. Then mommy did my hair. Afterwards we packed up and walked to her hotel room. We've been watching a marathon of The Big Bang Theory as mom packs her bags. Now it's time for our sleepover.
I plan on going to Notre Dame tomorrow, but we'll see what happens.
I slept in my room last night and mom slept in her hotel room, and since we don't have phone service despite my new SIM card, we had to communicate through internet. My mom's ipad was dead so I gave her my charger last night before she left so I had to use my computer sparingly today. Last time I decorated to pass the time before bed, but I still cried a little bit. Then I went to bed in silence; I left the light on for a few hours in the kitchen because I was afraid to sleep in my room alone.
I woke up an hour early for my first orientation today so I slowly got ready and listened to music, but half an hour before I had to leave my computer battery was getting dangerously low so I sat by the window and waited until I could leave. On my way to the orientation I saw a guy from the center standing outside the cafe across the street from the Monoprix and I started talking to him. He was with two friends and we all walked to the center together. The first orientation was for living in Daumesnil and it was fairly short with nothing interesting to report.
After the orientation I went downstairs to sign up for excursions. I was disappointed to find out that the garden trip was full, but I signed up for a crepe dinner and a concert and put my name on the waiting list for cheese tasting. I walked home with my neighbor Alex and a few other girls from the dorm. I'm not so sure that I'll be friends with them, but at least they're someone to walk with.
We had a few hours before our academic orientation so we went back home to rest. I was left in my room all alone too scared to turn on my computer and waste the battery. I tried to read some Poe, but I was tired. I tried to nap but I wanted to stay awake. I ended up decorating my room some more and using the internet for a few minutes. Then I met the girls downstairs to walk back to the center.
I got my class schedule!! If I wasn't posting this entry from my mom's hotel room I would post my schedule for you. We have a three week intensive practicum that includes hours a day in the classroom learning French and six excursions over two weeks. I'm so excited to go on excursions! I'm in French language class two (where I belong after taking French one during spring quarter), histories of Paris (that includes excursions on Wednesdays), and a lower division world music class. The best part is that I only have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but I'm afraid that by Friday I'll be exhausted.
The academic orientation was really long and filled with useful tips about French manners and how to be safe; always say Bonjour Madame/Monsieur, put your money on the counter instead of handing it to the cashier, be careful of other people. This orientation included tips on fire safety; a girl from another program died three years ago in a fire.
After the orientation I ran back home to meet mom. She was already on the bench outside my dorm waiting for me. She had spent the whole day on the Champs-Elysées shopping and buying souvenirs for friends. She brought a pistachio and chocolate crossiant for us, and it was delicious! She also brought more things to decorate my room including pictures of Paris for the kitchen, Paris coasters, and book marks.
Then we went to Monoprix to get dinner. First we stopped at the phone store to try to fix my cell phone problems, but the woman said to come back tomorrow to see the technician. Next we went to the tabac across from Accent to try to buy a carnet of metro tickets, but they didn't sell them. On the way to the metro we found a great store that is kind of like Ikea; all the products are in English and the prices are pretty cheap. Then we went to Monoprix to get food; more chocolate bars for mom to take home, a baguette, two containers of chicken soup, and herbed cheese. Then we went to the metro and mom bought me two carnets of tickets (one carnet has ten tickets in it).
We went home and ate our dinner while watching Gnomeo and Juliet on youtube. Then mommy did my hair. Afterwards we packed up and walked to her hotel room. We've been watching a marathon of The Big Bang Theory as mom packs her bags. Now it's time for our sleepover.
I plan on going to Notre Dame tomorrow, but we'll see what happens.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
get one with a zipper
Today was my first real day at the center. Mom and I woke up after our sleepover and got ready to come to my room so that I could change clothes and we could go shopping before my 1:30 pm orientation. After taking yet another taxi, we realized that I didn't have the door code to get into my building! We waited a few minutes then walked to accent to get the code then back to my dorm.
I changed clothes and then we walked to Casa which is a home decor store. We got wrapping paper to decorate my walls with, some fake flowers for above my bed, a candle and mirror to go under the candle, a small picture holder, a small basket for my laundry, a towel, and a bathmat. Then we went to Monoprix to stock up on some groceries. By the time we left monoprix it was raining, but thankfully we were only a few blocks away from home and not at all lost. We had chicken noodle soup that we had bought at Monoprix for lunch and then I left to go to orientation.
I learned so much about my new life in Paris! My main takeaway was about safety and how to be aware of my surroundings and not get robbed. I'm so nervous about being safe here. Jim, the presenter, also told us how to avoid harrassment and how to walk without gaining unwanted attention. I need to find friends so that I can have people to travel with to keep me safe.
After orientation I rushed back to my room to get my mom. She had spent the three hours that I was organizing my room; you can't leave her alone for five minutes! After a short rest we went out to fulfill the items that she had added to our shopping list. We stopped at Casa again for another basket and towel and a placemat for my table. Next we went to the phone store to get a sim card for my phone; even with the sim card my phone doesn't work. I'm going to have to investigate this. Then we went to Monoprix for orangina and plastic wrap.
On the way home we stopped to buy flowers for my window sill; two small bushes with magenta flowers on them. They were such a good purchase and I keep smiling when I see them out the window.
We went home and had the rest of our soup, the baguette and cheese we had bought earlier, and a salad while we watched a Disney movie that we had started last night. We started putting up the wallpaper, and it looks really cute; my room is finally starting to look like home. I also put up the pictures of my friends that I brought from home. It's nice to see familiar faces smiling at me.
Mom just left a few minutes ago to go back to her hotel room before it gets dark. I miss her already. Wish me luck on my first night alone.
I changed clothes and then we walked to Casa which is a home decor store. We got wrapping paper to decorate my walls with, some fake flowers for above my bed, a candle and mirror to go under the candle, a small picture holder, a small basket for my laundry, a towel, and a bathmat. Then we went to Monoprix to stock up on some groceries. By the time we left monoprix it was raining, but thankfully we were only a few blocks away from home and not at all lost. We had chicken noodle soup that we had bought at Monoprix for lunch and then I left to go to orientation.
I learned so much about my new life in Paris! My main takeaway was about safety and how to be aware of my surroundings and not get robbed. I'm so nervous about being safe here. Jim, the presenter, also told us how to avoid harrassment and how to walk without gaining unwanted attention. I need to find friends so that I can have people to travel with to keep me safe.
After orientation I rushed back to my room to get my mom. She had spent the three hours that I was organizing my room; you can't leave her alone for five minutes! After a short rest we went out to fulfill the items that she had added to our shopping list. We stopped at Casa again for another basket and towel and a placemat for my table. Next we went to the phone store to get a sim card for my phone; even with the sim card my phone doesn't work. I'm going to have to investigate this. Then we went to Monoprix for orangina and plastic wrap.
On the way home we stopped to buy flowers for my window sill; two small bushes with magenta flowers on them. They were such a good purchase and I keep smiling when I see them out the window.
We went home and had the rest of our soup, the baguette and cheese we had bought earlier, and a salad while we watched a Disney movie that we had started last night. We started putting up the wallpaper, and it looks really cute; my room is finally starting to look like home. I also put up the pictures of my friends that I brought from home. It's nice to see familiar faces smiling at me.
Mom just left a few minutes ago to go back to her hotel room before it gets dark. I miss her already. Wish me luck on my first night alone.
Monday, August 25, 2014
isn't it a lovely day to be caught in the storm
This post is coming to you from my mom's ipad....it's a long story.
This morning we woke up and got ready to check me in at the center. We repacked our barely unpacked bags as I munched on my last waffle. It was starting to drizzle outside as we got into our cab. It was about eleven when we arrived at the center. I met a girl named Callie while we were checking in together. We received a welcome packet and the keys to my new home. She and a boy named Joey walked with mom and me to our dorm.
We couldn't figure out how to get in the gate or through both of the building's doors. Europe is a hard country to figure out! We finally made it upstairs; floor two for Joey and floor six for Callie and me. When we arrived upstairs I quickly figured out that I have a doorbell, but we couldn't get our doors open! We went downstairs to find Joey, who got locked out of his room demonstrating to us how to open our doors, and another girl came up with us to give us a tutorial. I still couldn't get my door open because it faces right instead of left like the other doors. I'm in room 68.
My room is so cute!! I have a great view out of my window which overlooks a courtyard to another apartment building and a raised park on what used to be a train overpass. I have a small kitchenette, a desk, a bathroom, a bed, a closet, and a tiny table with two chairs. It's a small space, but definitely big enough for me. Mom wants to find things to decorate the walls to make it feel more like home.
Callie and I went to an orientation at 2pm which was a walking tour of the neighborhood. Jim showed us the local grocery stores, connivence stores, post office, bank, etc. We ended the tour at the center where we had sandwiches, cookies, and orangina. Callie and I then walked to the Monoprix to get groceries. I've learned so much while in Europe and I was able to pass along some knowledge to Callie like which bread to buy and how to insert her credit card into the reader.
Then we went back to our rooms. Mom wanted to check into her hotel so we packed her bags and started walking after googling the directions. By this time it was raining and we had headed in the wrong direction. We wandered into another Ibis and the front desk worker ordered a cab for us. Mommy is staying in the Bastille Opèra because we didn't realize that another Ibis was closer.
After dropping off her bags we decided to go back to my room and go grocery shopping. We walked down every street that we thought that we had taken from the other Ibis to this Ibis, and after a long time in the pouring rain, we thought we found a familiar street. It turned out that we had walked back to mom's hotel! We were soaked through so we decided to come upstairs and rest.
We put on pjs and climbed into bed and before I knew it I was asleep. I woke up to mom coming in the door with a bag of groceries and room service. I'm writing this post from her bed while Cars plays in French in the background.
I have to be at the center for orientation at 1:30pm tomorrow so we are going to wake up early and call a cab to go grocery shopping. I feel bad because I told Callie and Joey that I would go to the Liberation Celebration with them tonight. Oh well.
Bon soir.
This morning we woke up and got ready to check me in at the center. We repacked our barely unpacked bags as I munched on my last waffle. It was starting to drizzle outside as we got into our cab. It was about eleven when we arrived at the center. I met a girl named Callie while we were checking in together. We received a welcome packet and the keys to my new home. She and a boy named Joey walked with mom and me to our dorm.
We couldn't figure out how to get in the gate or through both of the building's doors. Europe is a hard country to figure out! We finally made it upstairs; floor two for Joey and floor six for Callie and me. When we arrived upstairs I quickly figured out that I have a doorbell, but we couldn't get our doors open! We went downstairs to find Joey, who got locked out of his room demonstrating to us how to open our doors, and another girl came up with us to give us a tutorial. I still couldn't get my door open because it faces right instead of left like the other doors. I'm in room 68.
My room is so cute!! I have a great view out of my window which overlooks a courtyard to another apartment building and a raised park on what used to be a train overpass. I have a small kitchenette, a desk, a bathroom, a bed, a closet, and a tiny table with two chairs. It's a small space, but definitely big enough for me. Mom wants to find things to decorate the walls to make it feel more like home.
the view outside of my window
my view from the 6th floor
Me and my bathroom
Outside my window
Part of my desk, my shelves, and the door
My kitchen managed to be smaller than the one in my old apartment
Callie and I went to an orientation at 2pm which was a walking tour of the neighborhood. Jim showed us the local grocery stores, connivence stores, post office, bank, etc. We ended the tour at the center where we had sandwiches, cookies, and orangina. Callie and I then walked to the Monoprix to get groceries. I've learned so much while in Europe and I was able to pass along some knowledge to Callie like which bread to buy and how to insert her credit card into the reader.
Then we went back to our rooms. Mom wanted to check into her hotel so we packed her bags and started walking after googling the directions. By this time it was raining and we had headed in the wrong direction. We wandered into another Ibis and the front desk worker ordered a cab for us. Mommy is staying in the Bastille Opèra because we didn't realize that another Ibis was closer.
After dropping off her bags we decided to go back to my room and go grocery shopping. We walked down every street that we thought that we had taken from the other Ibis to this Ibis, and after a long time in the pouring rain, we thought we found a familiar street. It turned out that we had walked back to mom's hotel! We were soaked through so we decided to come upstairs and rest.
We put on pjs and climbed into bed and before I knew it I was asleep. I woke up to mom coming in the door with a bag of groceries and room service. I'm writing this post from her bed while Cars plays in French in the background.
I have to be at the center for orientation at 1:30pm tomorrow so we are going to wake up early and call a cab to go grocery shopping. I feel bad because I told Callie and Joey that I would go to the Liberation Celebration with them tonight. Oh well.
Bon soir.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
I want you by my side so that I never feel alone again
I'm sorry to tell you this already, but this is going to be a boring post. Just turn around now.
Our train from Lausanne to Paris left at 6:24 this morning, and I was not prepared to be up before the sun. Of course we got lost on the way to the train, but we didn't have as much trouble this time. We got on the train with 24 minutes to spare and there was finally enough space on the empty train to put our in the luggage area. I was starving after my cup of coffee with two milks and two sugars so I ate a waffle that I bought at the COOP last night. It was delicious!! It's a German waffle called "Be Waffle" that had pockets of uncooked sugar in it. I have another waffle for breakfast tomorrow and I'm totally looking forward to it.
The train was almost completely empty until the Dijon stop which left a mornign stillness for me to admire the Swiss and French countryside. The Swiss countryside is so green and spotted with dying sunflower fields and corn crops with brown and white spotted cows. There were lakes and rivers clothed in a dewy hazy that made the land look like a haunted fairytale. It was too bad that I was too tired to truly appreciate it.
We arrived at Gare de Lyon and hailed a taxi. My broken suitcase handle made getting an appropriately sized taxi slightly difficult, but we managed. On the way to the hotel (the Ibis at Père Lachaise) we passed the metro stop to the ACCENT center where I'll be checking in tomorrow. I was excited, but my nerves are slowly growing. It was only 10:30 so we were way to early to check into the hotel. We stowed our luggage in the luggage room and went for a short walk. My mom's feet were hurting so we turned back after a few minutes.
Then we went to a grocery store just to look around. There was a lot of cheap food (about one euro) which reassures me that I can manage to eat and travel on my ten euro a day budget. We bought more cheese to go with the baguette that we bought yesterday and mom got olives for herself. While we were there the song stolen dance by milky chance came on inside of the store. I had fallen in love with the song while at home for the summer and thought that I wouldn't hear it for a long time. It was so surreal to hear it playing in the grocery store of another country; it also happens to have influenced the title of today's post.
We went back to the hotel and checked into our room. There's no coffee or toiletries in this hotel, and we had trouble figuring out how to turn on the electricity; you have to use your room key in a slot next to the door in order to turn on the power. This is the weirdest room configuration that I've ever seen. The entrance into the room is blocked by the door to the bathroom, and there's a separate door into the bedroom. At least the room is fairly large, but there's only five tv channels none of which are the cartoon network. The walls are also thin; I can hear our neighbors talking while I write this.
We took at six hour nap and then lounged around the room for awhile. I ate one of the brownies that we brought with us from home. Then we went out to find dinner. The neighborhood was a ghost town when we were out this morning, but it was alive by the time we left the room at about 7:30. We walked around for a bit and then decided on a chicken kebab sandwich and some noodles that we have yet to eat. The kebab sandwhich was delicious and came with fries with ketchup and some kind of white sauce for only five euros. It was huge, and I could definitely eat it for two meals and stay under my daily budget.
After dinner we watched The Last Mimzy on youtube because we were tired of watching the news in French. Tomorrow is the big day so we're heading to bed. If I don't have to stay at the center my mom and I might travel to Fontainbleu.
Wish me bonne chance!
Our train from Lausanne to Paris left at 6:24 this morning, and I was not prepared to be up before the sun. Of course we got lost on the way to the train, but we didn't have as much trouble this time. We got on the train with 24 minutes to spare and there was finally enough space on the empty train to put our in the luggage area. I was starving after my cup of coffee with two milks and two sugars so I ate a waffle that I bought at the COOP last night. It was delicious!! It's a German waffle called "Be Waffle" that had pockets of uncooked sugar in it. I have another waffle for breakfast tomorrow and I'm totally looking forward to it.
The train was almost completely empty until the Dijon stop which left a mornign stillness for me to admire the Swiss and French countryside. The Swiss countryside is so green and spotted with dying sunflower fields and corn crops with brown and white spotted cows. There were lakes and rivers clothed in a dewy hazy that made the land look like a haunted fairytale. It was too bad that I was too tired to truly appreciate it.
We arrived at Gare de Lyon and hailed a taxi. My broken suitcase handle made getting an appropriately sized taxi slightly difficult, but we managed. On the way to the hotel (the Ibis at Père Lachaise) we passed the metro stop to the ACCENT center where I'll be checking in tomorrow. I was excited, but my nerves are slowly growing. It was only 10:30 so we were way to early to check into the hotel. We stowed our luggage in the luggage room and went for a short walk. My mom's feet were hurting so we turned back after a few minutes.
Then we went to a grocery store just to look around. There was a lot of cheap food (about one euro) which reassures me that I can manage to eat and travel on my ten euro a day budget. We bought more cheese to go with the baguette that we bought yesterday and mom got olives for herself. While we were there the song stolen dance by milky chance came on inside of the store. I had fallen in love with the song while at home for the summer and thought that I wouldn't hear it for a long time. It was so surreal to hear it playing in the grocery store of another country; it also happens to have influenced the title of today's post.
We went back to the hotel and checked into our room. There's no coffee or toiletries in this hotel, and we had trouble figuring out how to turn on the electricity; you have to use your room key in a slot next to the door in order to turn on the power. This is the weirdest room configuration that I've ever seen. The entrance into the room is blocked by the door to the bathroom, and there's a separate door into the bedroom. At least the room is fairly large, but there's only five tv channels none of which are the cartoon network. The walls are also thin; I can hear our neighbors talking while I write this.
We took at six hour nap and then lounged around the room for awhile. I ate one of the brownies that we brought with us from home. Then we went out to find dinner. The neighborhood was a ghost town when we were out this morning, but it was alive by the time we left the room at about 7:30. We walked around for a bit and then decided on a chicken kebab sandwich and some noodles that we have yet to eat. The kebab sandwhich was delicious and came with fries with ketchup and some kind of white sauce for only five euros. It was huge, and I could definitely eat it for two meals and stay under my daily budget.
After dinner we watched The Last Mimzy on youtube because we were tired of watching the news in French. Tomorrow is the big day so we're heading to bed. If I don't have to stay at the center my mom and I might travel to Fontainbleu.
Wish me bonne chance!
Saturday, August 23, 2014
i want to fall in love with you
This morning we went to Geneva to vist where my grandmother grew up. It was another exciting day filled with walking, new things, and complete amazement as to how beautiful Switzerland is. I was also able to check some things off of my travel list!
My mom and I ate breakfast of madeleines and butter cookies with coffee and tea before heading to the train station to buy tickets to Geneva. We had some trouble with the ticket machine (we couldn't use a credit card without a pin), but we conquered and went to track five to wait for our train. The train ride to Geneva was less than an hour and we were dropped in the city center. My cousins had given us directions to old town while we were at dinner, and it was easy to find.
First we stopped to see the Jet d'Eau; it's literally a plume of water that is shot out of Lake Geneva. It's less than fascinating. We walked through the park and then headed up into old town to find St. Pierre's church (Saint Peter's) and 13 Grand Rue where my grandmother grew up. On the way to Grand Rue we were sidetracked by a used bookstore. I bought a copy of Vol de Nuit, by the same author as the little prince, printed in 1945 in Lausanne.
Next to Grand Rue. My entire life I had heard of 13 Grand Rue and had imagined it to be like the old apartment buildings that litter every street in Switzerland. I was disappointed to find out that it is way more modern than I expected. After taking a picture we quickly left to go to St. Pierre's.
St. Pierre's is the church where Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door and spearhead the Protestant Reformation. It's a beautiful romanesque church with so much history. The inside was spectacular with amazing bas relief sculptures and the entirely painted and gilded Chapel of the Maccabees. A must see when in Geneva.
St. Pierre's Church
Next we went to the Musée d'Art et Histoire. The museum's permanent collection is free and contains such works as by the likes of Picasso, Cézanne, and many Swiss artists. There's also a collection of applied art and more modern multi media art if fine art isn't your thing. There was an art deco exhibit and even a display of armor and military weaponry! While walking through the museum, I heard music coming from another room. The song was coming from one of the multi media videos and is the inspiration for this post's title (I'm a victim of this song by pipilotti rist). At the exit to the museum there was a work of art that consisted of a series of moving parts that turned into a huge cranking machine when a foot peddle was pressed. It was so fascinating! I'm a sucker for all art museums, but I really enjoyed this one.
Painting by a Swiss artist in the Musée d'Art et Histoire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJgiSyCr6BY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELy0ulAosAA
Next we decided to hunt down lunch. We walked along in the park that skirts the lake and strolled in the English garden before going to find a sidewalk café where my mom saw delicious looking french fries. We shared a burger with salad and french fries. The bread and butter that came before our meal was crusty and superb. Some of the best I've had in Europe so far. Our lunch came with individual sized jars of ketchup and mustard which we happily dipped our pomme frites in. The burger came on a fluffy bun with a dijon mustard sauce, red onions, lettuce, and tomato. I ate the whole thing (minus the tomato), and it was one of the best burgers that I've ever had.
Before heading back to Lausanne we stopped to by souvenirs. I got a small stein with flowers and "switzerland" printed on it. I plan on drinking my coffee out of it while I'm in Paris.
Once back in Lausanne we decided to go to the lake one last time. We took the bus, but forgot that there was a triathalon happening today so the route had been changed! We walked up and down the hills of Lausanne at least three times in less than three hours. I'm exhausted! We had finally caught the bus two back up to Croisires so that we could go to COOP to replenish snacks an bread for dinner only to find out that they were closed! We rushed back to the bus and sprinted down the hill to the 7/11 like COOP that we visited on our first day. We ran through the door just as they were closing and grabbed our groceries. Then back on the bus to our hotel to eat bread and herbed cream cheese for dinner.
Now time for bed before our 6:24am train back to Paris.
Friday, August 22, 2014
comme ça
I have so much to tell you, so if you've thought that my other blog posts where long you should just turn around now. Here's the day's highlight: I met my cousins today!!!!! My second day in Switzerland has been my life's dream come true. When I was a little kid, I used to write to my cousin Stephanie who lives here in Switzerland. My mom and dad met her mother Marianne (my grandmother's sister's daughter) when they came to Switzerland years ago, and my mom suggested that I write to my cousin so that I could one day meet my family. Well today was the dream came true.
I still can't sleep so I was up at 7:33am sneaking potato chips and checking my facebook while my mom slept. By nine she was fluttering her eyes so I took the opportunity to make myself a cup of coffee (two milks and two sugars for the first time since I was barely old enough to say coffee) and turn to Ludo (the French version of cartoon network that had Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo, and Garfield cartoons on). I munched on madeleines for breakfast while I made a second cup of coffee. The madeleines are delicious; they're sponge cake that is lemon and butter flavored. I googled a few places to go sight seeing in Lausaunne, a church and a garden, and my mom and I headed off.
By the time this trip is over I am going to be an expert map reader. I've somehow turned into Louis and Clark despite my best attempt to google maps locations. Head west on Boulevard de Grancy means nothing to me, google!! We went in a loop around the train station and finally had to ask a woman on the street where the garden was; we had turned right at the fork instead of left despite a sign that indicated left was the way that we wanted to go. We finally found the garden and it was well worth the trouble. It was beautiful!!! Most people know that I love flowers, so this was the perfect afternoon for me. There was a huge children's park and, if you climbed all the way to the top of the garden, you could see all of Lausanne. It was amazing.
We were supposed to go see a cathedral after the garden, but thanks to my mother's lack of nagivating, we went on the wrong bus and ended up in Pulley. It was alread after one and we were meeting our cousins at 6:30 and we still hadn't had lunch so we gave up the hunt and went back to the hotel room.
Before reaching our room we discovered that the Chinese restaurant that was closed yesterday was finally open so we popped in there. It was delicious!!! We got shrimp and noodles with fried onions and it was like heaven. We then went to the COOP to find snacks and breakfast for our train ride to Geneva tomorrow.
We got a loaf of bread, more herbed cheese, water, coke, a pain au chocolat for me, and butter cookies at the market and headed for the checkout when we decided to stop at the chocolate section. There I saw them; the Kinder eggs that I've been looking for for years! After Elizabeth told me about these magical chocolate eggs with toys inside of them, I just had to find one. I snapped up a girl's box of eggs and we checked out.
I ate my chocolate egg within minutes of getting into our hotel room. It was a blissful moment as I cracked open my chocolate egg (white chocolate with milk chocolate on the outside) with a lock and key as the toy. I want to collect all the toys! Alas, my excitement could only keep my from napping for so long.
We awoke at 5 to get ready for our dinner with my cousins. Marianne and Stephanie picked us up from the train station at 6:45 in a car that they had rented for the occasion, and we drove to Chalet Suisse for traditional Swiss food. Marianne and Stephanie invited my cousins Dominique (Marianne's sister), Michel, and Karine to come with us. I was so surprised! Dinner was amazing. We talked about our family and memories of each other in broken French and English over raclette (a traditional Swiss dish of peeled potatoes and cheese) and my fondue (mostly wine with a hint of cheese and bread to dip it in which was totally worth my permanently burnt mouth) and a bottle of white wine.
My cousins taught me the proper way to eat fondue. You can't have cold drinks during or after eating it because it will shrink in your stomach into a glob of cheesy death. Also, drinking white wine with fondue is the only way to go. To eat fondue, you tear off pieces of bread, stab them with the fondue fork, stir it in the cheese to make sure that the cheese doesn't burn in the pot, and then twirl the fork (comme ca, michaela, do it like this) so that the cheese doesn't drip while you're eating it. Also, when you drink a bottle of wine with people, the person who finishes the bottle gets "la amour".
I had so much fun meeting my cousins.
After dinner, Marianne and Stephanie took us to the church that we were trying to find earlier. It's an amazing Romanesque church on a hill overlooking Lausanne. It was breathtaking even in the dark.
Now it's time it's time for bed so that we can travel again tomorrow.
I still can't sleep so I was up at 7:33am sneaking potato chips and checking my facebook while my mom slept. By nine she was fluttering her eyes so I took the opportunity to make myself a cup of coffee (two milks and two sugars for the first time since I was barely old enough to say coffee) and turn to Ludo (the French version of cartoon network that had Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo, and Garfield cartoons on). I munched on madeleines for breakfast while I made a second cup of coffee. The madeleines are delicious; they're sponge cake that is lemon and butter flavored. I googled a few places to go sight seeing in Lausaunne, a church and a garden, and my mom and I headed off.
By the time this trip is over I am going to be an expert map reader. I've somehow turned into Louis and Clark despite my best attempt to google maps locations. Head west on Boulevard de Grancy means nothing to me, google!! We went in a loop around the train station and finally had to ask a woman on the street where the garden was; we had turned right at the fork instead of left despite a sign that indicated left was the way that we wanted to go. We finally found the garden and it was well worth the trouble. It was beautiful!!! Most people know that I love flowers, so this was the perfect afternoon for me. There was a huge children's park and, if you climbed all the way to the top of the garden, you could see all of Lausanne. It was amazing.
We were supposed to go see a cathedral after the garden, but thanks to my mother's lack of nagivating, we went on the wrong bus and ended up in Pulley. It was alread after one and we were meeting our cousins at 6:30 and we still hadn't had lunch so we gave up the hunt and went back to the hotel room.
Before reaching our room we discovered that the Chinese restaurant that was closed yesterday was finally open so we popped in there. It was delicious!!! We got shrimp and noodles with fried onions and it was like heaven. We then went to the COOP to find snacks and breakfast for our train ride to Geneva tomorrow.
We got a loaf of bread, more herbed cheese, water, coke, a pain au chocolat for me, and butter cookies at the market and headed for the checkout when we decided to stop at the chocolate section. There I saw them; the Kinder eggs that I've been looking for for years! After Elizabeth told me about these magical chocolate eggs with toys inside of them, I just had to find one. I snapped up a girl's box of eggs and we checked out.
I ate my chocolate egg within minutes of getting into our hotel room. It was a blissful moment as I cracked open my chocolate egg (white chocolate with milk chocolate on the outside) with a lock and key as the toy. I want to collect all the toys! Alas, my excitement could only keep my from napping for so long.
We awoke at 5 to get ready for our dinner with my cousins. Marianne and Stephanie picked us up from the train station at 6:45 in a car that they had rented for the occasion, and we drove to Chalet Suisse for traditional Swiss food. Marianne and Stephanie invited my cousins Dominique (Marianne's sister), Michel, and Karine to come with us. I was so surprised! Dinner was amazing. We talked about our family and memories of each other in broken French and English over raclette (a traditional Swiss dish of peeled potatoes and cheese) and my fondue (mostly wine with a hint of cheese and bread to dip it in which was totally worth my permanently burnt mouth) and a bottle of white wine.
My cousins taught me the proper way to eat fondue. You can't have cold drinks during or after eating it because it will shrink in your stomach into a glob of cheesy death. Also, drinking white wine with fondue is the only way to go. To eat fondue, you tear off pieces of bread, stab them with the fondue fork, stir it in the cheese to make sure that the cheese doesn't burn in the pot, and then twirl the fork (comme ca, michaela, do it like this) so that the cheese doesn't drip while you're eating it. Also, when you drink a bottle of wine with people, the person who finishes the bottle gets "la amour".
I had so much fun meeting my cousins.
Marianne, Michel, Dominique, Karine, and Stephanie at dinner
After dinner, Marianne and Stephanie took us to the church that we were trying to find earlier. It's an amazing Romanesque church on a hill overlooking Lausanne. It was breathtaking even in the dark.
Now it's time it's time for bed so that we can travel again tomorrow.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
eating like a native…thai food in lausanne
I'm not sure if it's all the traveling that is wearing me out or the time difference, but I've been taking four hour naps in the middle of the afternoon like a champion. After my last blog post I completely knocked out and awoke to my mom already dressed and ready to go as usual. We were out the door in the time it took to put my purse in the safe.
My mom promised that we were going to find the burger restaurant that we passed earlier to get dinner; she lied. She actually wanted to wander around the train station during rush hour at the slowest pace known to man while stopping to look at every map and sign. I was still half asleep and in no mood for her antics. I pouted until we went to the nearest COOP for water. We got potato chips (that taste more like pringles which they had in both sweet and normal paprika which is a popular flavor in this country), a banana for my mom, two bottles of water, and madeleines for breakfast. We dropped the groceries in our room and finally went to find dinner.
We grabbed our bus passes (free with our hotel room) and headed for the bus stop; bus 2 to lac. We took the bus past the restaurant across the street from the lake and then walked back along the lake. There were adorable swans pruning their feathers and skateboarders skating past the sign that obviously said no skating. We decided to get Asian food because I know that my time with spicy noodles is limited.
We found an open Thai restaurant and ordered a side of vegetable spring rolls, thai curry rice, and thai noodles. Across the street was an ice cream store that we had seen earlier in the day, and we decided that we had to have ice cream before eating our dinner at the lake; caramel for me and chocolate for my mom. Despite the cold the ice cream was delicious. If the shop owner hadn't been so grumpy I would have taken a picture of the store. There was a big cow in the corner, and the floor was raised clear tiles with fake grass and flowers underneath it!
Dinner on the lake was a beautiful end to the day. Tomorrow we are going to sight see around Lausanne; a destination will be chosen over madeleines and coffee in the morning. It's getting late so I'll say bonsoir.
My mom promised that we were going to find the burger restaurant that we passed earlier to get dinner; she lied. She actually wanted to wander around the train station during rush hour at the slowest pace known to man while stopping to look at every map and sign. I was still half asleep and in no mood for her antics. I pouted until we went to the nearest COOP for water. We got potato chips (that taste more like pringles which they had in both sweet and normal paprika which is a popular flavor in this country), a banana for my mom, two bottles of water, and madeleines for breakfast. We dropped the groceries in our room and finally went to find dinner.
We grabbed our bus passes (free with our hotel room) and headed for the bus stop; bus 2 to lac. We took the bus past the restaurant across the street from the lake and then walked back along the lake. There were adorable swans pruning their feathers and skateboarders skating past the sign that obviously said no skating. We decided to get Asian food because I know that my time with spicy noodles is limited.
We found an open Thai restaurant and ordered a side of vegetable spring rolls, thai curry rice, and thai noodles. Across the street was an ice cream store that we had seen earlier in the day, and we decided that we had to have ice cream before eating our dinner at the lake; caramel for me and chocolate for my mom. Despite the cold the ice cream was delicious. If the shop owner hadn't been so grumpy I would have taken a picture of the store. There was a big cow in the corner, and the floor was raised clear tiles with fake grass and flowers underneath it!
Dinner on the lake was a beautiful end to the day. Tomorrow we are going to sight see around Lausanne; a destination will be chosen over madeleines and coffee in the morning. It's getting late so I'll say bonsoir.
Me eating ice cream in front of the lake
the motherland!
We just made it to Switzerland, and I'm finally living my ideal European life. We received a phone call and a TV alert in our hotel room at 6am. By 6:45 we were picked up by a very upset cabby. I accidentally broke the handle on my bag, and considering that the cab is small and we have more luggage than body weight, the driver was not happy with us. We drove to Gare de Lyon to catch our 8:02 train to Lausanne. The route was beautiful in the early morning fog and was lined with old buildings.
The train station looks like a combination of Grand Central Station and an airport waiting room. After reading a few boards and getting a little help from an English-speaking security guard, we found hall two where our train would depart. They don't tell you when the train is going to leave so everyone stands around in front of the board until twenty minutes before the train leaves when they finally post the track number. We were on track 19, car 16, seats 70 and 71. Getting on the train was a nightmare with people pushing everywhere and not nearly enough storage for everyone's bags. To top it off a man was sitting in our seats!! I don't even want to talk about it.
The train ride through the French and Swiss countryside was almost four hours long; green grass, hills, trees brown cows, the occasional white house with brown roof. Let's just jumpt ahead to the good stuff--Swtizerland!!
As a few of you might know, I'm a quarter Swiss and it has been a dream of mine to come to Swtizerland since I was old enough to say bonjour. Lausanne is like a combination of rural countryside and modern city with parks, old buildings, and enough churches to convert all of Europe. The entire town is hilly so the walk isn't a breeze, but it is well worth it. My mom and I stopped in a park to rest then decided to walk down to Lac Léman because our hotel wasn't ready until 2pm and it wasn't even noon when we arrived.
We managed to find a bank with an ATM, and guess whose debit card totally works in this country--this girl! The ATM had a choice of several difference languages and asked if I wanted my money in Swiss francs of American dollars. I opted for francs which we promptly used at the COOP. The COOP (co-op) a small convience store that is an American's dream; snicker's bars, tobasco, and even the French marmalade that I just fell in love with at Costco before we left. My mom and I got a huge baguette, herb cream cheese of the familiar Philadelphia variety, two bottles of mineral water, a can vanilla coke for me (by the way, I was craving vanilla coke before I left and couldn't find it anywhere. I had to come halfway around the world to find my damn coke, but it was delicious), and a bottle of normal coke for my mom. All of this bounty for eight Swiss francs!
We walked to the lake with our lunch and had the most relaxing meal of my life. This is the dream that I've been waiting for. The lake is beautiful and so peaceful. We strolled through the park and then back up the hill (ugh!) to check into our hotel.
We are staying at Hotel a la Gare as suggested by my cousins (thanks Marianne!). The room is tiny, but at least we have our own beds. This has turned out to be a one big trap for us. We couldn't open our door (the key is an actual key). I couldn't even turn on the sink or get the soap dispenser to work, but it is all well worth it. The best thing about this room is the Cartoon Network that is playing in the background in French as I write this post, and the biscoff cookie that was on the bedside table (yep, that biscoff that dreams are made of). Now it's time for a nap before we hunt down dinner.
The train station looks like a combination of Grand Central Station and an airport waiting room. After reading a few boards and getting a little help from an English-speaking security guard, we found hall two where our train would depart. They don't tell you when the train is going to leave so everyone stands around in front of the board until twenty minutes before the train leaves when they finally post the track number. We were on track 19, car 16, seats 70 and 71. Getting on the train was a nightmare with people pushing everywhere and not nearly enough storage for everyone's bags. To top it off a man was sitting in our seats!! I don't even want to talk about it.
The train ride through the French and Swiss countryside was almost four hours long; green grass, hills, trees brown cows, the occasional white house with brown roof. Let's just jumpt ahead to the good stuff--Swtizerland!!
As a few of you might know, I'm a quarter Swiss and it has been a dream of mine to come to Swtizerland since I was old enough to say bonjour. Lausanne is like a combination of rural countryside and modern city with parks, old buildings, and enough churches to convert all of Europe. The entire town is hilly so the walk isn't a breeze, but it is well worth it. My mom and I stopped in a park to rest then decided to walk down to Lac Léman because our hotel wasn't ready until 2pm and it wasn't even noon when we arrived.
We managed to find a bank with an ATM, and guess whose debit card totally works in this country--this girl! The ATM had a choice of several difference languages and asked if I wanted my money in Swiss francs of American dollars. I opted for francs which we promptly used at the COOP. The COOP (co-op) a small convience store that is an American's dream; snicker's bars, tobasco, and even the French marmalade that I just fell in love with at Costco before we left. My mom and I got a huge baguette, herb cream cheese of the familiar Philadelphia variety, two bottles of mineral water, a can vanilla coke for me (by the way, I was craving vanilla coke before I left and couldn't find it anywhere. I had to come halfway around the world to find my damn coke, but it was delicious), and a bottle of normal coke for my mom. All of this bounty for eight Swiss francs!
We walked to the lake with our lunch and had the most relaxing meal of my life. This is the dream that I've been waiting for. The lake is beautiful and so peaceful. We strolled through the park and then back up the hill (ugh!) to check into our hotel.
We are staying at Hotel a la Gare as suggested by my cousins (thanks Marianne!). The room is tiny, but at least we have our own beds. This has turned out to be a one big trap for us. We couldn't open our door (the key is an actual key). I couldn't even turn on the sink or get the soap dispenser to work, but it is all well worth it. The best thing about this room is the Cartoon Network that is playing in the background in French as I write this post, and the biscoff cookie that was on the bedside table (yep, that biscoff that dreams are made of). Now it's time for a nap before we hunt down dinner.
Me at the clock at Lac Léman
The park that we stopped at on our way to the lake.
Our hotel room; yep, that's pretty much the whole room
The view from our hotel window
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
deux baguettes poulet, s'il vous plait
I have a lot to tell you since my last entry! After arriving at the hotel we took showers and changed clothes. While I was in the shower my mother found a self-guided walking tour around Paris that she thought would be a good idea. This is the part of the horror film when the audience knows not to do it, but the actors have no idea; we were the actors.
I wrote down the directs and we headed for the Arc de Triomphe as instructed. After going the long way around the arc, we found the street that we were looking for. The website said that it was a ten minute walk, but after walking for awhile my mother said that we had passed a sign for the Trocadéro that was supposed to be the first stop. Since she saw the sign I decided to let her lead; even one of the actors knew not to go into the killer's lair at this point in the story. We wandered around for what seemed like forever without finding the Trocadéro. I was admittedly bent out of shape and was ready to call it quits and head for the hotel. We finally found the Trocadéro, but I was in no mood to enjoy it. The throngs of tourists, Eiffel Tour souvenir vendors, and heat was really getting to me.
We regrouped in a park and decided to sit at the base of the Eiffel Tower for a bit. I now must concede something terrible. If you've seen the Eiffel Tower, or most other landmarks in Paris, in pictures then seeing them in real life is way less awe inspiring. I would skip seeing the sites entirely and go straight ahead to what we decided to do next--a walk along the river.
The Seine is beautiful, not because it's a river, but because of all of the green space running along its banks. Walk along the river. Go towards that interesting spire in the distance. Cross a few bridges. Don't waste your precious Parisian time hunting for tourist easter eggs. If I were to do this day all over again I would have skipped the so called "self-guided tour" and gone straight for wandering around on a whim.
We did manage to see some sights during our walking. Saint-Germain-des-Prés is beautiful and looks and looks a lot like 5th Avenue in New York. All of the buildings in Paris are beautiful, so don't worry so much about where you are but how breathtaking everything is. We also saw the torch statue of the Statue of Liberty with a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower in the background. There was also Petit Palais and Grand Palais as well as the Musée de decorverte.
Next we went to the Champs-Elysées to find the Mercedes store to buy my dad a keychain. It's so busy in the afternoon that you can barely breathe and is filled with boring stores like the Gap, H&M, and Lacoste. Blah. By this time my feet were killing me so we went back to the hotel.
After a four hour nap (yep, that actually happened). I awoke to my mom who was dressed and standing by the window. She said that she was going to the McDonald's to get dinner for us. I decided to put band aids on my feet and go with her. I took us down the wrong street by accident which turned out to be a great mistake. We found water bottles at a small store, and dinner!
We got food from an Arabic restaurant. Two chicken sandwiches with potatoes, tahini sauce, chicken that was shaved off of a big rotating stick, and pickled vegetables. At the cafe I learned valuable lessons. 1. You don't have to speak a lot of French to order food. 2. Do not leave the counter to pay or else someone will grab your sandwhich before you can say baguette poulet! Be agressive. This lesson should be applied to everything from crossing the street to getting a cab. Don't be rude or the angry American version of aggressive, but go for what you want and don't pay attention to the rules. If there's no car in the road, cross it.
I promise to upload pictures soon, but for now it's time for bed. We have a wake up call at 6am for our 8 am train to Switzerland. Bonne nuitt!
I wrote down the directs and we headed for the Arc de Triomphe as instructed. After going the long way around the arc, we found the street that we were looking for. The website said that it was a ten minute walk, but after walking for awhile my mother said that we had passed a sign for the Trocadéro that was supposed to be the first stop. Since she saw the sign I decided to let her lead; even one of the actors knew not to go into the killer's lair at this point in the story. We wandered around for what seemed like forever without finding the Trocadéro. I was admittedly bent out of shape and was ready to call it quits and head for the hotel. We finally found the Trocadéro, but I was in no mood to enjoy it. The throngs of tourists, Eiffel Tour souvenir vendors, and heat was really getting to me.
We regrouped in a park and decided to sit at the base of the Eiffel Tower for a bit. I now must concede something terrible. If you've seen the Eiffel Tower, or most other landmarks in Paris, in pictures then seeing them in real life is way less awe inspiring. I would skip seeing the sites entirely and go straight ahead to what we decided to do next--a walk along the river.
The Seine is beautiful, not because it's a river, but because of all of the green space running along its banks. Walk along the river. Go towards that interesting spire in the distance. Cross a few bridges. Don't waste your precious Parisian time hunting for tourist easter eggs. If I were to do this day all over again I would have skipped the so called "self-guided tour" and gone straight for wandering around on a whim.
We did manage to see some sights during our walking. Saint-Germain-des-Prés is beautiful and looks and looks a lot like 5th Avenue in New York. All of the buildings in Paris are beautiful, so don't worry so much about where you are but how breathtaking everything is. We also saw the torch statue of the Statue of Liberty with a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower in the background. There was also Petit Palais and Grand Palais as well as the Musée de decorverte.
Next we went to the Champs-Elysées to find the Mercedes store to buy my dad a keychain. It's so busy in the afternoon that you can barely breathe and is filled with boring stores like the Gap, H&M, and Lacoste. Blah. By this time my feet were killing me so we went back to the hotel.
After a four hour nap (yep, that actually happened). I awoke to my mom who was dressed and standing by the window. She said that she was going to the McDonald's to get dinner for us. I decided to put band aids on my feet and go with her. I took us down the wrong street by accident which turned out to be a great mistake. We found water bottles at a small store, and dinner!
We got food from an Arabic restaurant. Two chicken sandwiches with potatoes, tahini sauce, chicken that was shaved off of a big rotating stick, and pickled vegetables. At the cafe I learned valuable lessons. 1. You don't have to speak a lot of French to order food. 2. Do not leave the counter to pay or else someone will grab your sandwhich before you can say baguette poulet! Be agressive. This lesson should be applied to everything from crossing the street to getting a cab. Don't be rude or the angry American version of aggressive, but go for what you want and don't pay attention to the rules. If there's no car in the road, cross it.
I promise to upload pictures soon, but for now it's time for bed. We have a wake up call at 6am for our 8 am train to Switzerland. Bonne nuitt!
Merci
I'm in Paris!! So since my last post a lot has happened. I know you're disappointed, but all of the things that were on the couch did not make it to Paris. On Monday between buying train tickets, getting my last taste of Coldstone, and making a trip to the airport, I had to sort through my prospective clothing items three different times before finally packing a bag that was under 50 pounds. I'm pretty sure that my favorite pair of sweatpants and oversized sweatshirt didn't make it, but who cares; I'm in Paris! Monday was absolutely hectic, but we did succeed in getting our boarding passes at the airport (which took a huge weight off of our shoulders for our 6 am flight today). I finally went to bed at midnight after having my last hurrah (animal fries, a cheeseburger, and a black and white milkshake from In n Out) and set my alarm for 3:15 am.
We can skip ahead to our flight to Paris (no one needs to be bogged down with details about the old plane that flew us to Denver or the plane trip to DC during which they showed Spiderman). I'm proud to say that I endured the flight to Paris, passing through assumingly more time zones than I have fingers, due to homemade brownies (if there was a god of Hershey brownies, I would surely worship him/her everyday without fail), Rio 2, dance music (Jimmy Tran, one of the songs on the mix comes on in your car constantly! I'm pretty sure the words "motherfucking animals" comes up with a lot of thumping noises), the space cowboy (Hyacinth!), happy (my song with the lovely Ashley Tripp), and two delicious inflight meals. Thank you United Airlines for making flying bearable even for me.
HOWEVER, once in Paris we thought that one of our bags was lost. Thank god the missing bag was only mistakenly placed onto a wrong baggage claim.
Now finally the moment you've all been waiting for, Paris!!! We're staying in the Hotel Royal for the night where my parents spent their first night in Paris all those many years ago. So far we've managed to check off seeing the Arc de Triomphe and the Champ-Elyseés. I have to tell you, I've got some bad news, kids. 1. Champ-Elyseés is just a street that happens to be famous due to some upscale shopping and the fact that the Arc de Triomphe is at the end of it. 2. I love Paris, and have already adjusted to living here. How is that a bad thing? I may never come back to the states. Say au revoir now.
Now it's time for a quick shower and we'll be back on the rues again!
Oh, I haven't figured out how to upload pictures from my camera to my computer yet, so bear with me and enjoy some really crappy screenshots of my camera in the meantime :/ This one is of the Arc de Triomphe.
Our adorable room at the Hotel Royal
The view outside the window at the Hotel Royal
Monday, August 18, 2014
I'm leaving on a jet plane
This is my last day in the states for awhile, and I have a lot to do. I have brownies and peanut butter fudge to be sealed and packed, finally tracking down a memory card for my camera, getting my hair done, and a run to the bank. My head is spinning! All of this must be done before my 6 am flight from Ontario on Tuesday. I'll flying from Ontario, to Denver, to DC, then finally to Paris!!
I'll try to keep the blog updated with all of my adventures while I'm away. If you're desperate to reach me you can still find me on Facebook, but I'll be mostly phoneless except for emergencies.
Au revoir!
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