I Amsterdam.

This past weekend I made my first adventurous outing to the great city of Amsterdam. Considering I had never before booked a trip entirely without my parents, what an adventure it was!

First of all, my friends and I went the cheapest route we could in booking a trip to Amsterdam two weeks in advice: the bus. Now let me tell you, the bus is a very interesting experience all in itself. My friend and I boarded the bus at the wee hour of 7 a.m. (having gotten up at 5:45 a.m. to hop on the metro to the bus station) and were a little apprehensive of what the outcome of our voyage over would be like. Some very "sketchy" people were sitting in the back of the bus, so we plopped ourselves in the comfortable middle section. Throughout the 8 1/2 bus ride there (10 hours back!), we stopped 5-6 times, each time dropping off and adding people to our passenger list. We stopped in a few well known places, such as Lilles, Brussels and Antwerp. Too bad we couldn't properly visit each place!

Once we arrived in Amsterdam, I had an experience like never before. We literally had no plan of what to do once we got off the bus. No idea where we were located in context to our hostel, the city center, or the Netherlands for that matter. We walked into the metro/train station nearby to get information, and were overwhelmed at the sight we saw. Mass amounts of teenagers yelling and talking to each other in the lobby of the station seemed to shock me right away, and then Policemen and police dogs came on the scene, leading to me feeling a bit uncomfortable, to say the least! Something must have been going on before we had arrived, but we tried to stay far away from the mess.
We finally found out how to buy tickets to Central Station, where we would then find a bus to take us to our hostel. After accepting help from a stranger who let us know that we had taken the metro instead of the train (our passes didn't work trying to get out of the station), we were off and on the bus to our hostel.


That night we explored the downtown area, popping out heads into shops and random restaurants, just to get a feel of the city. Other friends met us from Paris, and by the end of the night, we were all accounted for and ready for the next day.
The next day, my friends and I went straight to the activity I was most excited about; the Anne Frank museum. Though I've never read the book, I was very intrigued by the things I had heard, and wanted to see the famous house myself. The museum was really well done, and very interesting to go through. At the end, I thought it was only fitting to buy the book, considering the location!

The bookcase leading to the secret annex of the house.

In front of the house of Anne Frank.

The rest of the afternoon and night was basically a repeat of the night before, sightseeing as much of the city as we could. Considering we were all poor college students and without planned events, our activities in the city were limited. Just being able to walk around and soak in the culture was cool enough, however!

The biggest thing I loved about Amsterdam? The bikes.


Bikes are everywhere. Literally, everywhere. It was so fascinating to see people doing things while riding their bikes, such as texting, eating, talking with friends, etc. I also got a few bells whistled at me for being in the bike lane without knowing it (since they are everywhere!!)!

Texting and riding. No, no, lady.

We also went to the flower market near central station, as the Netherlands is known for their tulips and other flowers. Although flowers were not in bloom yet, the market still had the amazing scent of tulips in the Springtime!

One thing that really amazed me was the amount of fast food restaurants in Amsterdam! A McDonalds was found every handful of streets. So funny to be in a completely different culture, and yet see something so familiar to your own country.

My trip to Amsterdam was much too short, but I loved it, nonetheless! It was a great start to my trips outside of Paris.

I forgot to mention! My friends from home visited last week, and it was amazing to see familiar faces for once! I got to enjoy their company three days during the week, and then they were off for Berlin. Tomorrow my parents come, and I cannot express how excited I am!

Affectuesement,

George

Who wants a FREE day?

Let's think here...

Today was such an awesome and FREE day! Here is a wonderful tip for anyone ever wanting to visit Paris: On the first Sunday of every month, all monuments and museums are FREE for anyone wanting to visit. Knowing this special tip, my friends and I decided to go and see some of the places we had wanted to a few weeks ago, but couldn’t afford on our poor college-student budget.

First off was the Rodin Museum. I have never taken much notice to Mr. Auguste Rodin as an artist besides “The Thinker” and “Hell’s Gates.” After going through this museum, however, my attention has shifted 180 degrees to his works! The museum itself is probably a lot more appealing in the middle of spring, as there is a large garden hosting many of his sculptures between fountains and gardens. Inside the museum, his paintings, moldings and sculptures are on display.

A couple getting engaged in the gardens of the Museum.

I found many of his pieces to be very mesmerizing. Most of the sculptures are, in some way, coming out of the stone itself. I really enjoyed this aspect, because it made it feel as if the art was being created in front of your eyes. He really knew how to capture the human body and emotion.

Next we were onto the Centre George Pompidou. A museum known for it’s outside artistic structure, the Pompidou is a contemporary/modern art museum. The fourth floor was the FREE entrance of the day, and the exhibit was done entirely by female artists.

The famous escalator to get to the top of the museum.

Now, I consider myself to be open-minded and somewhat artistic, but a lot of what was on display was not to my liking. Many things I could not even post on this blog, as I don’t consider it to be for the general public to read or see! It definitely made you think throughout the exhibits, however.

After Pompidou, we were all a bit starving. At the mention of falafel, we were off! I had never had falafel until arriving in Paris, and it is definitely something I will continue to search for when getting back to the States! The Jewish area called The Marais is known for it’s falafel stands, and rightfully so. We eagerly stuffed our faces, and walked a short way to our next FREE destination of the day: Notre Dame.

Now, going inside the main cathedral of Notre Dame is FREE, but going up in the towers is not. I had always wanted to actually go up into the top of the two towers, so we waited in a freezing line to get our FREE chance. We climbed over 400 steps in spiral staircases, and finally reached the middle of the church. Seeing all the famous gargoyles was so amazing! Next, we climbed a little further to see the main bell of the south tower. After that, we trekked up more staircases to reach the very top of one of the towers. The view is brilliant, as is the architecture itself.

I would like to point out that this is the same picture as the one in my blog title, but now I have taken it myself!! So cool to find the same location.

The view from the top of the south tower of Notre Dame.Finally, after spiraling back down to the streets of Paris, my roommate and I decided to check one more place out before heading home for dinner: St. Chapelle. Thankfully, we made it just as the doors were closing. (That is another tip for all who want to travel here; realize that most museums and monuments close in the early evening, some as early as 16:45.) The inside of the church is one of my favorites sites in the city, and always is a great surprise to see as you come out of the small spiral staircase.

The amazing windows of St. Chapelle.

Tired and windblown, Erik and I headed home, where we had an amazing dinner, once again. We always have great food, but tonight I felt like I had finally eaten like the French. My host mom prepared boeuf bourguignon! Man, was it delicious. One thing I won’t get sick of? Food.

An awesome street performer from New York. He had a myspace! haha.

This week my friends from the Forensics team back home are coming! I am so excited to see familiar faces and catch up. All is well.

Affectuesement,

George

Sunday 7 March 2010

Do you have a Napoleon ego?...

It’s week four, and things just keep getting better, except for the weather? Just when I thought we had lost the bitter cold of winter, another gust of it comes sweeping in! I’m hoping in the next two to three weeks it will finally be gone so spring can come.
Thursday was a great night for me and the rest of my study abroad program-mates. Our directors planned for us all to go to the famous Opera Garnier for the night to see a ballet!
Unfortunately, I didn't have my nice camera with me, but I tried to get some good shots with my powershot.

What a great experience it was to take part of with all my new friends. I arrived there around seven to walk the halls and staircases of the house and find my seat. The grand staircase was beautiful, and the surrounding rooms were even better! The ballet of the night was called, “La Dame Aux Camelias” and it was great. Think Moulin Rouge plot, but in a ballet. It was kind of surreal to sit up in the top and see everyone viewing the ballet in such a historic place. It felt very…sophisticated!

The beautiful Opera House wing.


My Australian friend, Dina!

Our very uncomfortable chairs!

This weekend has been the first full weekend where I haven’t left Paris for other destinations or had things planned to do. Friday I walked through town a lot, and ended up at the Louvre for most of the night. I am falling in love with the Ancient Egyptian artifacts. Something about seeing an actual mummy or tablet of hieroglyphics is really bizarre!

Red ribbon on a statue during a protest.
The police at a protest. (very common in the city)

Saturday Erik and I took the metro east of our stop to where the St. Martin canal is. With beautiful bridges and parks lining the canal, it is a very picturesque waterway in some areas. We found that a lot of the area is not so tourist friendly, with many homeless people lining the canal itself.

The picture-perfect part of the canal.

The not-so-picture-perfect part of the canal.

After unsuccessfully trying to get falafel in the Jewish area of Le Marais, (we got it today) we wondered over to Les Invalides, a museum of numerous wars and the resting place of Napoleon.

A statue of Napoleon as "the King of Rome"

The building itself had many purposes when it was built. First and foremost, it was a “hotel” for all wounded and disabled soldiers from the war. Other uses of the campus included a convent, factory and barracks.

According to what I learned in the museum, the church within the site was divided in half so that the King and soldiers could attend mass at the same time, all while having the King enter in a separate way. It was very interesting to see what the King saw during mass, and what the soldiers saw. Both sides were beautiful and wonderfully made.

The soldier's side of the church.

The King's alter.

Beyond the church, Les Invalides is now a museum for the uniforms, weapons and other artifacts from the 13th-17th centuries and the 1st-2nd world wars. All the rooms were amazing to see how military uniforms changed through the years. Finally, there was an exhibit on Charles de Gaulle that was very modern and had amazing digital effects and lighting.

The next post will be full of a crazy day of museum-fun!

Affectuesement,
George

Sunday 7 March 2010

En Mars quand il fait beau, prends ton manteau!

> (I had my camera with me for a walk one evening, so throughout this post you will see photos of the Eiffel Tower from that night.)

I finally feel as if I have a grasp on how to adjust to city living. Never again will I be claustrophobic in any given space in the States. Things here are immensely smaller.

Take, for instance, our bathroom: The toilet is across the room in another closet-sized space. Dorm-life has prepared me for living in a small room with another person, so that aspect is not as different as I am used to it being. Another small space in Paris? Elevators. The first time the elevator door opened at my building, I thought that Mme Forest was going to get into it and take one of my bags with her. Not only did she put my bag and huge suitcase in the compact elevator, she squashed me in as well. What a fast way to break physical barriers!

The metro has become a huge eye-opening experience for me as well in the city. Most days it is fairly crowded, but then you have that random evening where each metro is literally packed to the rim with people. It is in these instances where having inside pockets to you coat comes in handy to hold your money and iPhone. It will be interesting to see where I store my belongings when I lose the winter clothing. The metro really isn’t as scary as I assumed it to be when I first arrived. I’ve learned that as long as you keep your wits about you, limit your eye contact with people and walk with confidence, you will be fine. The most important tip for using the metro I have used is to just keep to yourself. Take it from Parisians, the more you ignore people around you, the more they will ignore you. This fact is why one will see almost every person in the metro listening to music, reading a book or browsing through one of the weekly newspapers for the city.

Onto school business.

After a horrendous week of not understanding hardly anything that was spoken in my classes, I finally am in a level that I feel comfortable and equally challenged in for my French courses. It was a nightmare to sit in a class full of people and listen to a teacher who you don’t have any idea what is going on. It has definitely humbled me in my own life to realize that sometimes you have to accept that you are not at a level that you want to be, and that it is ok. Knowing my own personality, it was a rough weekend waiting to see if was going to be able to get into the classes that I desired. After much negotiation in Frenglish with the secretary who changes courses, I received my new schedule. Today was the first day of my lower level course, and it was such a breath of fresh air. I was challenged in the course to try and understand the professor speaking only in French, all while learning French, but she was much more animated and spoke at a better pace for my understanding level. It’s a bizarre experience to get an explanation of a French word, in French. It is definitely something that I have to get used to in a learning setting. I am very excited to continue in these courses!

I just wanted to note how interesting and funny it is to listen to my French Cinema Professor. He teaches in London on Monday mornings, and commutes back to Paris to teach us in the afternoons. The crazy thing is listening to him during our conversations. He is fluent in French and has a French accent, but is also fluent in English and has an English accent at the same time. It’s so different and fun to listen to. Beyond this professor, accents play a big role in my everyday life here at Le Catho. Imagine trying to understand someone from China or Brazil who is trying to learn French. I spoke with a woman in one of my classes from Austria who rolled tons of her r’s while speaking French. Instances like that constantly remind me of how big and different this world really is beyond the United States.

More and more I am breaking the ice of my relationship with this city, and it is something beautiful. With spring coming, more adventures will ensue I’m sure!

Affectueusement,

George

Tuesday, March 2 2010