That's Amore

A long awaited, much anticipated excursion, the 10-day break in Italy finally happened this past week. This was one of the trips I knew I wanted to take even from before I was accepted to the abroad program, so as you can imagine, I was all over this one.

We flew to Rome on RyanAir out of Beauvais Airport just outside of Paris. And when I say airport, I mean a one floor, one hallway building next to some barns and open fields. On the way there I could have sworn we had somehow ended up in North Carolina because I kept seeing a Buffalo Bill's Restaurant, McDonald's, and a gas station always grouped all together on the side of the road. To get a picture of RyanAir, just think Southwest with international flights and no free pretzels. Despite the adventurous nature of the start to the trip, it was actually surprisingly decent and cheap to say the least.

Rome was incredible. I was expecting a big, dirty, crowded city filled with tourists, but it's surprisingly clean and easily accessible for being a capital city. Favorite things- the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, and Vatican City. We went to the Vatican the second day and saw/climbed St. Peter's Basilica (good lord that was a long way up), as well as the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. And Pouli, you'll be proud that I got a picture of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel since I was trying to follow in your footsteps from your trip there. I was even crazy enough to eat rabbit at a restaurant we went to one night just because it was on the menu and I thought, when in Rome...

Next stop was Florence for two days. Florence was much smaller than I had thought, especially coming from Rome, so we saw pretty much everything in about a day's time. The Duomo was beautiful and we got to see the sculpture of David in the Accademia, as well as the Uffizi Gallery and Botticelli's Birth of Venus. Once again, I snapped an illegal photo of David to add to the collection of contraband photography. The second day there we took a day trip to Tuscany which included a wine tasting and dinner in the Chianti region. The excursion was a lot of fun with amazing wine, food, and sights, but it rained the entire day we went there so we didn't get the full Under the Tuscan Sun glory. No matter- a few good bottles of wine and good company made up for it.

After literally running to the train station, getting our tickets with 1 minute left before departure, and sprinting down the tracks, we were finally on our way to the city on water. Venice was incredible and such a unique place. We got there on Halloween and got to go to Wake's house, Casa Artom, for their party. That place is gorgeous- former American Embassy, next to the Guggenheim, on the Grand Canal...enough said. Seeing St. Marc's and playing with the pidgeons was a great time, and after that we just wandered around the city and didn't use a map the whole time there. One of the great things about Venice is that you can get lost, find awesome shops and restaurants, and be back on track within minutes without breaking a sweat. The last day we were there, we went to Murano, the little island famous for glass blowing. While trying to return, we mistakenly took the water taxi that circled the island instead of going straight back to the mainland, after which I had to sprint across the whole city to get my bags and a bus to the airport. Nevertheless, I made it with plenty of time and it was worth every moment.

After that awesome vacation, I came back to Paris (and as always, couldn't wait to get back here) and started my internship on Monday. Let's just say, this week may have been one of the most ridiculous weeks I've ever had, in all my life. To recount the whole tale would take quite a long time so in brief my week has consisted of: waiting for directions for two hours in a hotel on the first day, getting a call telling me to take a train to a suburb of Paris, getting lost for 3 hours, sorting old magazines and loose notes from boxes for 6 hours, and hearing my boss' kids running around his apartment screaming. Needless to say, I've put in for a change and it's been a wild week and a great story at the very least!

Hope everyone is doing awesomely. I'll be seeing some of you in about a week from now (family you know who you are) but for everyone else, keep in touch and as always...

A bientôt!

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." -Yogi Berra

At the Top of the World

After battling the train strike all Friday morning and finally finding out that although our train was canceled we could hop onto one with a detour through Geneva, we finally got to Interlaken, Switzerland. Let me just say I'm glad I was so determined to get here because this place was amazing. Interlaken is a tiny village in the Swiss Alps surrounded on either side by two huge lakes and by mountains on the other sides. It's definitely an outdoorsman/extreme sports lovers' paradise- since it's pretty small, most of the activities let you take advantage of the natural beauty and awesomeness of the land around you.

With this in mind, I had one mission going into this trip...something I was not going to let myself leave Europe without having done- skydiving over the Swiss Alps. Another friend and I booked our places for a Saturday jump and after waiting out the first snow of the season, we were driven up to the top of one of the mountains to the landing strip. We received a few basic instructions on jump procedures, got suited up, and started heading out. Francesca and I were in the last group to jump, so we got to see everyone fly out of the plane and drift in a few minutes later for a safe landing.

Once it was our turn, we got into the plane, lifted off, and started getting strapped in to our tandem instructor. As we were climbing, the entire landscape of Interlaken came into view. The higher we went, the more incredible the view. Finally, we reached our jumping altitude of 11,000 feet and they swung the door of the plane open all of a sudden. Looking out the opening and actually seeing the Earth a few miles below was the first jolt of excitement. The second came when I swung my feet over the side of the plane to assume the jump position. Dangling there at 11,000 feet, I knew there was only one thing left to do. My instructor tilted my head back, assumed his position, and out we went. That was the third and sweetest jolt of excitement- the realization that I was free-falling from a plane at 120mph toward the Earth.

My instructor and I did a backflip out of the plane so the first thing I saw was it flying away from me. He flipped us over and the entire panorama of the land below came into view. Sun beaming on the snow capped peaks; clouds not quite reaching the tops of some; clear, blue water glimmering below- it was incredible. We free fell for about 30 seconds, after which Dave pulled the chute and we started drifting. He asked how it was and I couldn't even begin to tell him. I told him how my sister had done the same thing back at home and since she had flipped out of her plane, we were even now. A few spirals and swirls later, with the land quickly approaching, Dave swung us around for our approach on the landing strip and we slid onto the grass field on our butts. Definitely one of the coolest things I have ever done.

The rest of our time in Interlaken was spent hiking the mountain trails. There are trails that go all through the different parts of the surrounding peaks, so we were able to experience the sheer cliffs, snow capped mountains, waterfalls, mountain cottages, and fresh mountain air. This weekend proved to be one of the most outrageous I've had so far, and I definitely recommend making it to Interlaken if you ever want an experience unlike any other.

I'm off to Italy later on today once I finish my last two finals and classes for the rest of the semester (heyoooo). I'll be there for about 9 days and we'll be seeing Rome, Florence, Tuscany, and Venice, so get ready for some more sweet pictures and stories. Have a good one!

A bientôt!

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end." -Ursula K. Le Guin

One, Two, Three Strikes You're Out

As of last night at 8pm, the train and metro systems in France have been on strike in protest of cuts to retirement benefits to the workers by President Sarkozy. It's crazy to see how much Paris relies on it's means of public transportation on a daily basis. Currently, only 4 metro lines are running (3 at 15-25% service, one full time because it's completely automated). Our classes today were canceled since some of the teachers and students have to commute pretty far to get to the BU Center and everyone is pretty much stranded in their own arrondisement unless they can get a taxi or get lucky enough to find a train.

The strike is only supposed to last until Friday morning, but in the past they have lasted up to three weeks and have completely paralyzed the government and economy into submission. All I can say is that come Friday morning, the trains better be up and running because myself and a few friends are heading to Interlaken, Switzerland for the weekend! Check back early next week for pictures of the Alps and my skydiving adventure (if we ever make it there...).

In other news, this past week I explored the Bois de Boulogne area, which is Paris' version of Central Park, except 2.5 times bigger. There are two lakes in the Bois that have great running trails I use, complete with a scenic view of autumn in Paris. There's also a racetrack inside the Bois which apparently was in use the afternoon I went.

After seeing the Bois, I headed down to the stadium area and checked out le Parc des Princes (soccer stadium and home to Paris-St. Germain) and Roland Garros (home of the French Open). The Roland Garros complex was amazing- you could walk inside the main stadium right down to the clay court. I even hopped the wall and snagged a picture of myself on the court where Roger Federer, Raphael Nadal, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, and Justin Henin have all played and (minus Roger) won a Grand Slam tournament title.

Hope everyone is keeping it real back in the States. Get pumped for some sweet Switzerland pictures coming your way!

A bientôt!

"The sea that calls all things unto her calls me, and I must embark." -Kahlil Gibran

A Long Awaited Adventure

So this weekend may have been the craziest I've had in a long time. It's been in the works since before spring semester ended, it's taken a few months of planning, and it was all so worth it. It was- Oktoberfest.

Affectionately referred to by the French as "the Beer Party" and by many Americans, including Brett, as "Beerfest," all of these are pretty much dead on. My friends and I got to the Oktoberfest grounds around 7:50am on Saturday to make sure that we could get a table in one of the Beer Halls. After standing in line at the Lowenbrau tent for about an hour, there were probably a few hundred people in line behind us with the same idea as us. The doors opened and all hell broke loose- it was like the running of the bulls. All notion of organization thrown to the winds, everyone made a mad dash through the bottle-necked doorway. Pushing, shoving, doing anything to get inside, everyone had their eyes on the prize inside the Beer Hall. One of my shorter friends at one point started getting swept underneath the torrent of people, so after seeing her getting clotheslines, I grabbed her around the waste and pulled her along with me. We finally got to a table where we sat down and watched the rest of the commotion settle. In order to be served, you had to be at one of the hundreds of tables set up inside, so they were probably the second hottest commodity of the day, behind the beer.

Shortly after the rush, the waitresses started bringing out liter steins of the home brewed Lowenbrau. From then on, it was singing, cheering, talking with people from all over Europe who had come to the festivities, and enjoying the authentic German atmosphere. Considering the thousands of people drinking in one location, the whole system is surprisingly organized due to the sit-down rule, but there was still a ton of fun to be had. We somehow got surrounded by a bunch of Italians who kept starting their own chants and drinking songs, in addition to the Bavarian band that played throughout the day. All in all, incredible experience.

And on top of that, I stole one of the steins I used as a little souvenir. After planning our escape route the entire day, we decided to just go for it and see what happened. My friends and I stuffed two steins in my backpack and headed for one of the doors, where the security guards were too busy trying to keep the mob out than trying to check bags on the way out. I smiled, waved at the guards, and strolled outside into safety.

Besides the Beer Halls, Oktoberfest is like a giant state fair, complete with rides, games, prizes, and food. The pretzels they served which were the size of my head were delicious, as well as the roasted chickens and roasted nuts that are staples of the festivities.

The day before this madness, I also made the journey two hours south of Munich to see something I've looked forward to since my Senior year English teacher had a poster of it in her classroom. Neuschwanstein Castle was built in the 1800s and was the model for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland. It honestly feels like you're in a fairy tale when you get to the town of Fussen and see this and the other castle set into the mountain side. For those of you who know about the castle, you can attest to its beauty. If you don't, check out these photos I took of it from an overlooking bridge and around the grounds.


I hope this finds all of you doing well. Keep on keeping me posted of what you're all up to and I'll hope to here from you soon.

A bientôt!

"I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment." -Hilaire Belloc

Lost in Translation

As the semester moves on, I've just gotten back from my first trip outside of France. And let me just say it was quite the adventure. Prague is probably one of the most unique cities I've ever been to- just think a mix of Middle Age castles and architecture along with modern features and LOTS of tourists. We kept trying to find the people who actually lived there and don't know if we ever succeeded. Maybe they just hide well behind the shoppers and picture-takers that crowd the streets.

Prague is definitely a smaller city than I was expecting. The first day we were there, my friends and I walked from Prague Castle all the way back to our hostel (if you look on a map, the castle is in the northwest corner of the city and our hostel was in the southeast corner). Tired as it may have made us, this turned out to be a nice little hike that let us see so much of the city. The castle and cathedral at the top are beautiful and have great views of the city below. We even got to see the changing of the guard at the castle gate. After that we were set with finding our way around the tram lines and streets. Friday night consisted of us hitting up the 5-story dance club on the river called Karlovy Lazne, which was an adventure in and of itself- let's just say we owned the bottom dance floor for a good part of the night.

Saturday we tried to go to the Old Jewish Cemetery in Jewishtown but were turned away when the guard told us it was the Sabbath and you were only allowed in to pray. Why he assumed I wasn't Jewish was beyond me... We eventually made it there Sunday and I'm definitely glad we went back. There are names inscribed on all the walls of people who were deported from Prague to Nazi camps with their last known address and date of deportation. Apparently out of 118,000 Jews, only 10,000 made it back after the war to Prague. There was also a really cool exhibit of drawings made by children in the camps about the way they viewed their situation and the future- pretty interesting to see into their minds through art. The cemetery itself was really interesting and had thousands of tombstones of Jewish people from Prague.

Overall, Prague was a great weekend trip. I think it's definitely doable in three days and I felt like we covered a lot of ground. The language barrier was comical at times, seeing as how at one dinner we asked for three waters and received one tonic water, one sparkling water, and four glasses. Not sure how that came about but that along with almost getting 5 bagels instead of a #5 bagel sandwich made for some good laughs.


Hope all is well with everyone wherever you are. I've gotten some emails/message from people and it's great to hear from you all! Keep me posted on your lives in the States and abroad.

A bientôt!

"The world is a great book...they who never stir from home read only a page." -St. Augustine

A few observations

So my first two weeks here have led me to some interesting and insightful observations about Paris, life in the city, and the Parisians themselves:

1. No matter what time of day or where they are going, most Parisian women look like they just stepped out of Project Runway.
2. Parisians love their dogs, especially tiny ones, and will not hesitate to bring them anywhere.
3. Apparently Bosnia is still a hot topic here, because all the gypsies that beg for money seem to be from there.
4. No matter how often I see the Eiffel Tower, its still a bit of a shock for me that I'm actually here.
5. Not everyone hates the glass Pyramid at the Louvre- in fact, most people think it's great.
6. Crepe stands on the street are a gift from God.
7. I don't care what the experts say- the smellier the cheese does not mean the better the cheese. Case in point- Roquefort.
8. Despite popular opinion, I really haven't had many problems with people answering me in English when I ask them something in French. Most are pretty understanding if I make a mistake.
9. Parisians don't hate Americans- they hate tourists (but who doesn't).

So those are my thoughts thus far. Stay tuned for more updates and revelations as they come to me. Also, I'm heading off to Prague this weekend so get pumped for some great pictures and stories!

A bientôt!

"A traveler without knowledge is a bird without wings." -Sa'di

If you use it, it will come

So after having been in France for 2 weeks today, I definitely feel like I'm settling in. Although I'm not a "true Parisian," I've definitely gotten a hold of life here and the ins and outs of a typical day. There's still that little matter of me speaking French, which after the other night, I'm so much more confident about. Until then, I was really unsure of my conversational skills with actual French people. Granted, I had taken a Conversation class last semester, but that was all with students around my level and in America! I can get along fine on the streets but besides Marie-France, I hadn't had an extended conversation with anyone thus far.

So the other night I was invited over to the apartment of one of my dad's business friends that lives here in Paris. I had met this guy a few years back when we all went to an O's game during his visit to the States, but that was the extent of me knowing him. Needless to say, I was petrified. Me. Jean-Luc. His family. Typical French dinner- and for those of you who have been to Europe you know that means long. I found his place and got buzzed in (after getting faked out by the door unlocking) and from the time I got into the apartment and started speaking, it just flowed. I was kind of astonished that I could carry on a conversation about sports, French and American politics, history, and more and actually make some sense. Even though I made a good deal of mistakes, I was definitely satisfied with the night. Props to all my French teachers thus far.

The travelling continued this weekend with a visit to the château of Courances and the village of Giverny, the home of Claude Monet. Our whole program had dinner at a little inn (un augberge) where I had an amazing dinner consisting of a kir aperatif (creme de cassis and white wine), assorted meats and pâté, duck with figs, raspberry cobbler, and lots of wine. The evening was complete with live music and it was great to be able to sit, relax, eat, and laugh- a lot. (One of the biggest laughs came from a picture someone snapped of me mid-sentence which I will not post here but challenge you to find in my Webshots...fair warning- it may be the worst moment captured on camera, ever.)



Monet's gardens and house were amazing and we got to see the water lilies and Japanese bridge always featured in his paintings. Just as with Versailles, these pictures may not do this place justice so if you ever get the chance to go for yourself, DO IT! Overall, an awesome weekend for site-seeing.



A bientôt!


"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we would find it not." -Ralph Waldo Emerson