Ok so I am going to continue now...
Friday was the day we visited the concentration camp at Auschwitz, probably the most famous site of the Holocaust in the world. I think part of the reason I have been slow with blogging this week is that I just don't want to face and process everything we saw, but I know I really need to. Our teacher offered us the chance to write a paper on our experience for extra credit, and I am going to do that using what I write for my blog, so I need to get on it. I have started this post about a million times this week, and I am really struggling with how to organize it/lay it out. Ok, so here goes nothing...
On Friday, April 8, I visited Auschwitz concentration camp with my class “The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler.” I was very anxious to visit a place where some of the worst atrocities of all time were committed, and I was quite nervous about how I would react. To begin with, I am generally a very emotional person, and often even trivial or small things can make me cry and get upset. On top of that, being abroad and away from everything and everyone I love has heightened my sensitivity to some degree, and just saying goodbye to my parents had increased this homesickness and perhaps made me even more emotionally charged than usual. In addition, I have studied the Holocaust to a significant level, and feel that I am relatively knowledgeable on the subject. I feared that the high level of information I had on the topic would make the journey even more difficult for me than perhaps others who had less of an idea what exactly went on there. I called Kyle (the bf) for a few minutes on Thursday night and he encouraged me to stay strong and reminded me that my entire class would be experiencing the same thing and I could talk to my friends there if I needed. This advice was comforting and I tried to keep it in mind the next morning.
Before I get into the specifics of the day, I think it would be helpful if I gave some overall impressions of the camp. That night, I took down a few notes to remember how I felt, and the one word that clearly summarized my mood was “drained.” I had felt so many things at once- I was overwhelmed, disgusted, shocked, horrified, sad, worried, and lonely- that I was completely ravaged and exhausted from it all. Despite this feeling of fatigue, I also felt glad to have experienced the day and seen for my own eyes what I had read about for so many years. Although not an enjoyable experience, going to Auschwitz or another concentration camp is important, and I think every human should be required to visit. We need to see and recognize the potential evil we can do to one another and the catastrophic consequences that hatred can bring. There are a lot of myths surrounding the Holocaust that Auschwitz proves are completely false. One of the most troubling to me is the idea that the genocide was carried out by Hitler himself, who is portrayed as a completely evil lunatic, and a relatively small group of his top followers - Hitler, Himmler, Goering, Eichmann etc- who many believe killed 6 million Jews with their own hands. Another idea people use to explain the Holocaust is that Hitler and these Nazis brainwashed all of Germany, and the population became “robots” who would thoughtlessly follow any order. Both of these ideas are completely wrong and please, if you take anything from this blog, I hope you remember this. The Holocaust was carried out by ordinary people and was really not only the product of Hitler’s evil or brainwashing.
Of course, I am not suggesting that he should in any way be exonerated of his guilt; it was his crazy racist ideology and determination to exterminate the Jewish population in order to make room for the Aryan race that started and drove the Holocaust. I am just trying to emphasize that we must not think it was only Hitler who should be held responsible. Thousands on the ground across Germany and Eastern Europe were carrying out his plans, or in some way allowing them to go on uninterrupted. We must realize that regular people, like ourselves, in certain circumstances and conditions, can and will do evil. In the Auschwitz book, a Jewish survivor named Toivi who lived through Auschwitz because he gained a position as a “helper” to the Nazis in which he sheared the heads of women about to be gassed, is interviewed and comes to this conclusion. He told the author that “Nobody knows themselves, all of us could be good or bad people in different situations.” Rees, the author of the book I read who has interviewed nearly 100 survivors and perpetrators, wrote “what these survivors has taught me (and if I am honest, what the perpetrators have taught me as well), is that human behavior is fragile and unpredictable and often at the mercy of the situation…perhaps above all…Auschwitz and the Nazi’s Final Solution demonstrate the overwhelming power of the situation to influence behavior.” I am not saying I completely agree with this in everyday life, and I believe that even in the most extreme situations, everyone still has the power to make choices. I hope to think that if in an extreme situation, I would stand up, and make the choice to do the “right” thing. I do not know for sure though, if I would.
This lesson illustrates an important part of what happened in Auschwitz, in an extreme world where regular social norms and rules were completely abandoned. The case of these camps teaches something to us all, even when we are living far away in a world completely different than Auschwitz. We must try to really KNOW OURSELVES, and always make the conscious choice to do what is right. If we lose ourselves, there is no telling what can happen.
Another thing that struck me from the book that the camp brought to life for me is the extremely cold-blooded and calculated way that the murders were carried out. Although many Jews and victims of the Holocaust were shot or killed in moments of frenzy or chaos the great majority were gassed in crematorium-gas chambers built specifically for the purpose. What many people do not realize is that the Nazi state had a variety of different types of camps that served different purposes. Places like Dachau, which was in operation as early as 1933, were work camps, which housed political prisoners doing forced labor to serve the Reich. Other camps, the infamous ‘factories of death’ like Treblinka, established for the sole purpose of carrying out the Final Solution to massively murdering the Jewish population, were not built until the middle of the war. Auschwitz was a curious combination of these two types of camps. First set up in the 1940, Auschwitz 1, under the leadership of a real scumbag named Rudolph Hoss, was set up as a political prison and labor camp for Poles. Later in the war, when the Final Solution was established and the mass Holocaust began, a new complex 3 kilometers away, called Auschwitz-Birkneau, was created. Birkneau was built with the solely as a site for mass murder. I will tell you more about my visit to both of these in a little, but what I want to comment on now is the chilling calculation with which Birkneau and other camps were constructed. By 1943, 4 crematorium-gas chambers were in operation at Auschwitz, they had the capability to kill and burn the bodies of 4,400 people a day. It is simply despicable and horrific that I even have to write that sentence!! Can you imagine being a part of the planning and execution of this operation?! How could you ever sleep at night?! I don’t know!! Rees points out that while war and frenzied ethnic killing has sadly occurred throughout history, “this killing seems entirely new-the careful creation of places where human beings were to be murdered in an entirely cold-blooded manner. The calm, dispassionate, systematic nature of the process finds tangible expression in the neat red brick structure of the crematorium at Birkenau.” I saw the remains of these structures first hand, and it was chilling to imagine what went on inside them and just how many people spent their last seconds in such a horrific place.
I think some people wonder why I am so interested in studying the Holocaust. It is such a morbid and depressing event and I am not Jewish nor do I know of any family members who were in some ways involved. The things I have discussed above repulse me, but they also draw me to the topic. Somehow, it just seems right for me to study it, because I want to try to understand why and how. Why did this happen? Why were so many killed? How could so many people commit murder? How could people hate so much? How could no one have stopped it? These are all questions I want to study. I know I will never be able to find the answers, but I believe the exploration is worthwhile. Perhaps I can learn something in my studies, and I can begin to understand more about people, history, sacrifice, compassion, love, and hate, if I continue to study the Holocaust. If I do that, and share it with others, then I will feel like I am doing something to honor the memory of the victims and prevent something similar from happening again.
Whew, I really did intend to just make that a few general thoughts, but I just kept going! I think those were things I really needed to get off my chest. Ok, now onto the actual recap of the day.
We started our guided tour at Auschwitz 1, the original camp set up to house any Poles the Nazis considered to be a threat to the state. Because Auschwitz 1 held political prisoners, rather than “sub humans” (i.e. Jews), conditions were somewhat better than at Birkeneau, however they were still appalling and violated international legal standards about the treatment of prisoners of war. The barracks of Auschwitz one were brick buildings that were slightly bigger and more spacious than what I imagined. While one has been kept in the same state the Nazis left it in, the others have been transformed and together form a sort of museum that examines various aspects of the camp. We visited all of the exhibits within the barracks, and they were incredibly powerful. I will share with you several of the things I saw that have stuck with me…
• In one of the first buildings we went in, we saw a mini reconstructed model of the gas chamber-crematorium models that were active at Birkeneau. The precise, rigid process victims went through that it displayed was horrifying. They were told they would be taking showers and were forced to undress in a type of holding room. All of their clothes and belongings would be confiscated, but at the time prisoners believed they were being washed and they would be returned soon. The SS men and Kapos (prisoners who helped the SS and acted as guards) were reassuring, and did their best to maintain calm. One of the keys to the Nazi genocide was keeping it a secret from the victims until the last second. If victims found out what was happening to them, panic and chaos ensued and it was much more difficult and messy for the Nazis to carry out their plans. The highly impersonal nature of the murders was also helpful to the SS men; originally shooting squads had been used to commit mass killings, but the Nazi leadership found that it often had a harmful psychological impact on their soldiers (uh- duh?!). Experiments were done to find a more impersonal way that murder could be carried out on a huge, efficient scale, and gas chambers with crematorium attached were created. Seeing the model really brought this to life. We also walked through a to scale model of a gas chamber and crematorium, that was one of the hardest moments of the day for me. While the small model revealed the sadistic, bone-chilling element of the murders, being inside the chamber brought to life the deeply personal and individual sufferings of the victims. I just kept imagining what it would be like to be in this horrible place and suddenly realize that these are your last minutes on earth. I kept thinking of what you would think of in those final seconds and what you would do. I especially felt for those who were alone, and completely removed from family and friends. I am not a deeply praying person, but I found myself saying a lot of prayers that day. I prayed that those in the gas chamber who had to meet their end in such horrible circumstances had someone to stand with in the end, someone to comfort them, and that they too could comfort. I prayed that all of the victims had someone to hold their hand.
• Another portion of the museum revealed all the things that the victims had left behind. There were enormous piles of thousands and thousands of pairs of shoes, eyeglasses, suitcases, prosthetic limbs, hairbrushes, clothing etc. It was so sad to see the material pieces of the lives that were left behind. It was also horrible because so many of these people did not know what fate they would meet, they had all carefully written their names and addresses on their suitcases, confident that one day soon they would be returned. Of course, they never were. This part also illustrated the grotesque way that the Nazis were sure to exploit every last part of their victims, even their hair. Prisoners who made it past selection and were fit to work had their heads shaved upon arrival, and the corpses of those killed in the gas chambers were shaved after their death. All of this hair was then used in the Nazi war effort, as wire, string, etc. There was a case in the exhibits filled with two TONS of human hair; all found when the Soviets liberated the camp in January 1945. It was both overwhelmingly appalling and frightening to see this evidence of the Nazis crimes.
• One of the exhibits was devoted to the children of Auschwitz. This portion had a huge impact on me. There were baby prams that had been left behind, thousands of tiny kid shoes, and photographs of children so emaciated they looked like walking skeletons. This part of the genocide is to me the hardest to understand. I don’t think killing is ever justified, but I can understand the killing of one man by another, for hatred, revenge, greed etc. Sadly, this violence is a part of life. What I cannot understand though, is the planned murder of small, innocent children, who have not yet had a chance at life! How can you take that away from them!? How can anyone kill a child, an infant, a baby? I do not know. The Nazis did it though, 200,000 children were killed at Auschwitz, as well as countless pregnant women with life inside of them. I even learned that 700 babies were born in the camp, and less than 50 survived. My mom always has said that she thinks the hardest thing one could do is bury their own child, and I couldn’t help but think of all the parents who had to see their children murdered there. I am getting to an age where I am beginning to see myself as a mother one day, and since I have a niece who is perfect and adorable, I just couldn’t stand to think of poor children who suffered.
• Two barracks have been preserved in the way that they were found when the camp was liberated so visitors can see how the prisoners and SS guards lived. We first visited the infamous Block 11, the cell used to carry out torture on prisoners who had misbehaved and where many SS operated. It made me really angry to see the nice, comfortable office that the SS slept in while prisoners below them struggled in horrible conditions. There is a small memorial in one of the cells dedicated to a famous Polish priest who sacrificed his life for another man who was about to be murdered. His story has become well known, and I said a prayer at the little monument. I wondered how many other stories of compassion and love in the direst circumstances happened, but were lost when the voices that would have told them were silenced. We also saw another barrack that was preserved as a place where prisoners slept. It is amazing how many people they shoved into such a small space. We learned that the bottom bunks were the worst place to sleep because rats would attack at night. I truly cannot imagine.
• One barrack was dedicated to the Gypsies who were murdered at Auschwitz. I was really happy to see this exhibit, I had just been saying to my roommates the previous night I was somewhat confused about gypsies and their role in the Holocaust. This portion was really well done and provided a lot of information. I had not really understood what a “gypsy” was, I thought it was more about your actions-begging, traveling in groups- that made you a gypsy, rather than something racial. Sadly, in the crazy hierarchy of the Nazis, the gypsies were a sub-human race who only ranked slightly higher than the Jews, and deserved murder just for existing. 23,000 gypsies were deported from across Europe, and 20,000 were killed there, either from the horrific conditions and starvation, or inside the gas chambers. It is important that we remember these other groups, like the gypsies, who suffered during the Holocaust and lost so many lives. What struck me most about the exhibit were all of the family photographs, portraits of huge entire families who were completely liquidated. They looked so “normal,” just regular, happy families who had no idea of the fate that was to meet them in a few months.
• Another barrack had all of the photographs of political prisoners that were taken immediately upon their arrival lining one wall. Below each face were a name, birthday, date of arrival, and date of death. It was so sad to see some men and women who only lasted a few weeks in months in the hell that was Auschwitz. The looks on the faces were incredibly telling, and I spent awhile just staring into the eyes of some of the prisoners. They looked scared, and sad, and lost. One frame, on which a fresh yellow flower hung, held a picture of a very young man who had tears running down his face. I said a prayer and hoped that both he and whoever put the flower next to him could find comfort.
Overall, the morning at Auschwitz 1 was very informative and emotional. I was not expecting it to be converted into a museum, but I was very happy it was. It was helpful for providing information, yet had not become too commercialized or touristy. Even though Auschwitz is one of the most visited sites in Eastern Europe, I still felt that there was a feeling of seriousness and respect in the air which I really appreciated.
We took a quick break for lunch and then headed to the Auschwitz Birkeneau, the death camp set up exclusively to carry out the mass murder of the Jewish race. Rees estimates in his book that 1.3 million people were sent to Auschwitz, and 1.1 million died there. Of this, 90 percent were Jews, who committed only one crime that robbed them of their life- being Jewish. I learned from Rees book that of this 1 million, over 400,000 of the murdered were from Hungary, there was a massive killing frenzy that took place in the summer of 1944 when Hungarian ghettos were liquidated and massive numbers sent immediately to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. The next largest group was Polish Jews, followed by France, the Netherlands, and others. Literally Jews from every country in Europe came to Birkenau and met their end.
Birkeneau looks a bit more like the concentration camp that I expected, or at least what I had seen in photographs and pictures. It has largely been kept exactly as the Soviets found it, and visitors mostly just walk around the grounds, there are not exhibits to visit like at Auschwitz 1. I was very glad we had a tour guide, as well as our Professor with us, to show us around. The most striking thing initially about Birkenau it its size, it could hold five times the amount of prisoners as Auschwitz 1 (100,000 compared to 20,000). Everywhere you look, there are barrack style houses, lining the grass in uniform rows. We visited the inside of one, and the conditions within were astounding, just rows and rows of bare wooden bunk beds where thousands of prisoners were crowded surrounded by filth and waste. From a barrack, we then walked along the train tracks that many of you have likely seen in photographs and movies. We stood at the place where trains, filled with Jews exhausted and ravaged from traveling long distances in horrid conditions, arrived. The Jews were hustled off the trains and immediately separated into men and women. From there, selection began. One group, usually at least 70% and at times a great deal more, those deemed too old or unhealthy to do any meaningful work, was immediately sent to the crematorium for death. The other group, the lucky ones who were seen as fit to work, were sent to actual showers, where they were stripped off all personal belongings, shaved, showered, and tattooed. From there, they began work and just tried to stay alive in place that killed most within a few months. Selections were routine, and one of the most infamous parts of Auschwitz. It is incredible the way these Nazi doctors played God, and took so lightly their choice of who was to live and who died. I can’t imagine how they could do so.
From the train tracks, we walked and saw the remains of two of the crematoriums. The Nazis blew up the buildings just before the Soviets arrived and they fled in hopes of hiding the evidence of their crimes. The rubble from the explosions and parts of the building remains. We learned at this point that the ashes of the 1.1 million people killed remain on that very ground today, and we were standing on the largest mass grave on this earth. I couldn’t really believe I was standing on such a place, and again said a prayer for all those who perished there. We learned from our tour guide the importance of proper burial to the Jewish faith, and it is such a crime that all of these people did not get the resting place they deserve. Can you imagine having a family member who was killed there, and having no gravestone to visit and lay a flower or stone on? It really makes closure difficult I think.
As some constellation, there were two very poignant monuments marking this horrific sight, one had a stone in every language that those murdered people spoke, there must have been 20 stones. One was in English for international tourists and the inscription read, “Forever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning for to humanity, where the Nazis murdered about one a half million men, women and children, mainly Jews from various countries of Europe.” I hope that is true.
From there, we walked to another part of the camp (it is huge) to the place nicknamed by prisoners “Canada.” Canada was the warehouse where all the possessions of the murdered were sorted and stored. It was called Canada because it was the best place to work, and prisoners likened to a place they imagined to be peaceful and safe. Working in Canada meant you were inside, free from trying physical labor, and had access to food that could sometimes be found in the belongings. The actual building does not remain, but on the grounds where it was, you can still find forks, jewelry, and other remnants of long lost lives scattered. Our last stop of the day was the shower complex where those selected to live were cleaned and stripped of their identities, to the Nazis here they ceased being people, and became the number that was tattooed on their wrist. We walked through a shower room and then ended in a place they have transformed into a little exhibit. Walls were covered in photographs and the stories of entire families of Jews were told. In most cases, almost all perished at Auschwitz.
Wow. I have written so much about this day, but I am really glad I got all of my thoughts down. I hope it wasn’t too depressing for you to read. I think it will be really helpful when I write my paper in a few weeks, I can probably just do some major copying and pasting.
After the visit, we drove 2 more hours to Krakow and had a couple of hours to relax before dinner. I ended up taking a bubble bath in the hotel, and that really made me feel better- I love baths! Then we went out to dinner in Krakow’s old Jewish quarter, where we had a traditional Jewish meal while listening to a live band. It was a nice meal (more meat and potatoes) and took my mind off what we had seen that day. I sat with some good friends, as well as this character on our trip named Dan Dowd. If anyone knows who Mr. Kmiec (my 9th student council advisor) is, Dan Dowd is Mr. Kmiec times ten million. Basically a big tool. He was kind of annoying, but comic relief.
Saturday
The next day we did major sightseeing in Krakow. This time we had a really great guy who stayed with us our entire time in Poland, he met us at Auschwitz and stayed with us until we boarded the plane home Sunday. His name was Philip and he was quite young, probably in his late 20s. He was very knowledgeable, but also down to earth, relaxed, and funny. Much better than the murse carrying Georges!
We began our tour at a very nondescript building in a random part of town. It was the headquarters of the Gestapo during WWII and had been transformed into a museum. It was really interesting and showed how extremely the Nazis monitored and supervised daily life in Krakow, even of the non-Jewish population. The Poles themselves suffered greatly during the war, and we should not forget how their civil liberties were violated during this time. We were in one of the torture cells- where prisoners last words that they had etched into the walls could still be seen- when our tour guide checked his phone which had been ringing and suddenly gave us extremely tragic news. The President and several top Polish officials had been killed in a plane crash on their way to Russia! It was such a strange moment, none of us knew the first thing about Polish politics, but we were overwhelmed being in a country going through such a tragic event. It is so sad! We found out more and more about the accident as the day went on, in total 97 people were killed. It was clear that people were upset and stressed, but things did not interrupt into mass chaos. It was more of a feeling of shock and mourning I think. We saw tons of people that afternoon heading to a mass in his honor, and there were candles and flowers burning in the President memory in every church we visited. Pray for Poland, I hope they can get through this time!
From the Gestapo cells, we then went to the old Jewish ghetto, where Krakow’s Jewish population was forced to live during the war. It was obvious that this was not a desirable area, it was a very industrial, run down, and dirty part of town. Unlike in Prague, the Jews of Krakow before the war were very much assimilated into society, and many were quite wealthy and prominent. It must have been such a humiliation and insult for them to move from their nice homes into this filthy, cramped ghetto. As I mentioned earlier, the film Schindler’s List took place in Krakow, and throughout our visit we saw many of the sights from the film. The main square of the ghetto that we saw first was key in several movie scenes, and were Jews had to register each day. Having a pass that said you were a valuable worker was absolutely essential, if you did not gain one, you faced immediate deportation, likely to Auschwitz. In the main square today is a modern art memorial, dozens and dozens of simple, straight-backed chairs are arranged throughout the square. They represent the Jews and all that they lost when they came to the ghetto. Most noticeably, they are empty, showing that almost no Jews left to reclaim their place. The statistics on Krakow are amazing, hundreds of thousands (im not sure the exact number) lived there before the war, and today the population is less than 200. Like Prague, a once huge and important part of the population (Jews made up 25% of Krakow) is gone. Poland had the biggest portion of Jews in Europe- over 3 million- before the war, and now there are almost none.
From the chair memorial, we went into a little museum in the old pharmacy. The pharmacy was run by a non-Jew but the Nazis allowed him to continue to operate inside the ghetto and he actually saved the lives of hundreds of Jews who he helped get work and shelter during the war. The museum was interesting, and I would really like to learn more about this pharmacist. He wrote a book about his experience, and I really want to order it online and read it. From there, we headed to the factory where Oscar Schindler employed 3,000 Jews and protected them from the Nazi’s mass extermination. The building was recently converted into a museum and is in the process of becoming a huge complex, for now it is just a small 2 room exhibition. The walls talked a lot about Schindler’s personal life and quest and it was learn more about the story and how it is different from the movie (although I think the movie sticks to it pretty well). Sadly, after his heroic acts in the war, Schindler failed in a series of business ventures and marriages, his only real success came during the war years. He is buried in Israel, where he is commemorated with a special tree that anyone who saved Jews in the Holocaust is given. Philip told us that thousands of people have trees dedicated to them in Israel, Schindler is just the most well known recipient. I would like to know about other recipients of this honor. After the factory, we stopped by a portion of the wall that used to surround the ghetto. At this point, Philip told us the story of Nicholas Polanksi, the director of the Pianist who escaped from the Krakow ghetto when he was ten. His mother was killed at Auschwitz. Although the film the Pianist is about the Warsaw ghetto (which was a lot bigger than Krakows) it was clear that Polanski’s own experience influenced his film (which is great and everyone should see).
From the factory, we head to the center of Krakow, which was much more picturesque and quaint than the ghetto area. We went on a tour of the library of the University of Krakow, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Eastern Europe. Its collection was pretty extraordinary, and we saw a lot of really interesting pieces, including a thing called a reading rack, which could hold six books open for you, in case you wanted to read that many at one time (a secret dream of mine). We learned about the two most famous alumni of the institution- Nicholas Coppernicus, the astronomer who first proposed a heliocentric universe where the Earth revolved around the sun and Pope John Paul II, who studied for one year before the Universtiy was closed during WWII and then secretly completed his schooling at night. I have taken a class on History of the Scientific Revolution, so it was really cool to see some of Coppernicus’ tools, including an astrolobe and globe. In the room devoted to him, there was even a picture of Earth, taken from the moon and signed by Neil Armstrong, who sent the University the photo to celebrate Copppernicus’ 500th birthday! Way to go USA!
After the tour, we had some free time for lunch. I grabbed some pizza with a few girls from class and then they talked me into getting a McFlurry! They are obsessed with them and say they are much better in Europe (something about swirling chocolate sauce and toppings in I think). It was good, but not great. I can’t wait for Archs and TCBY when I get home to get my soft serve fix.
After the break, we met back up in the main square and spent the afternoon exploring the area of Old Krakow. We went into the church that is the focal point of the city, St. Anne’s basilica! I know I say this a lot, but it was gorgeous inside, the alter is incredible and one of the most famous in the world. Already set on the alter was a photo of the lost President and candles, and many in church were clearly praying with him in mind. It gave a special poignancy to our visit to be there during such a hard time for the whole nation. We were scheduled to visit a few more churchs’ that afternoon, but many were closed to the public as a result of the President’ death, they were beginning their preparations for a week of national mourning. We did walk through a nice park, and saw several monuments to Pope John Paul II, who was born about 50 km from Krakow and considered it “his city.” He is a huge figure in Krakow and it is clear he means a great deal to the Polish people. I was surprised by just how Catholic and religious Krakow felt, although I probably shouldn’t have been, I just didn’t realize how Catholic of a county Poland is. Philip told me it is over 95% Catholic, and of those 70% regularly attend church! This is a huge figure, especially at a time when in the US and Europe church attendance is dwindling. A funny story, all day several rowdy boys in our group were playing a little game called “nun hunt” where, you guessed it, they counted nuns- whoever was the first one to spot one got a point. When I heard of it I thought it was pretty funny, but wasn’t sure if Prof. Haag and company would approve! Boy, was I wrong! When Haag heard about it, he thought it was hysterical and began playing. When he said, in his refined French accent, “those are mine” about some nuns that walked by, I almost died laughing! Later, when he recapped our trip, he said one thing that made our group unique and special was the “nun hunt” which was one of his highlights. I challenge you to a nun hunt next time you are in Poland!
In the afternoon, we also visited the national castle/cathedral (it is huge complex that fits both) that overlooks the city. It was really, really pretty and I enjoyed the views from the top. The actual building was closed because of the tragedy, but we were able to still walk around the grounds. It was sad, there were tons of news crews and vans outside, and when we left in late afternoon, the square was beginning to fill with Poles who were coming to mourn at the memorial service that would be held that night. I know most people preferred Prague, but I thought Krakow was fascinating and very nice. Prague is gorgeous, but I loved all the history of Krakow and would recommend a visit to anyone.
That night was the last of our study tour, and the Professors made it special for us! The composer Chopin is another famous Krakowian and since Professor Bachaus, Professor Hagge’s bff, is a music teacher, he arranged a concert for us. It was in an old palace in the city center and was super classy. The room was gorgeous and only held about 10 other people in addition to our group. A young girl (only few years older than us) played Chopin for us on the piano and I really enjoyed it. I am a big fan of piano, and I don’t know much about composers, but Chopin sounded good to me. His music is very expressive, you could feel the intense emotion behind all the pieces and the pianist who played was great! We all got dressed up for the occasion, and it was just a nice evening. After, a big group of us went to a traditional Polish restaurant for dinner. I had perogies, because I knew if I didn’t my bff Natalie would kill me- she is obsessed with them! They are little dumpling like things filled with cheese and potatoes. I’ll admit, Nat is right for once, they are delicious! I was glad I tried them and had the “authentic” food even though I was getting sick of Eastern Europe’s cuisine.
Sunday morning we only had an hour or so for sightseeing before we left. We went to the Old Jewish Quarter (the nice neighborhood they prospered in, not the ghetto they were forced to live) and visited several synagogues and a Jewish graveyard. Even though everyone was tired and ready to go home, I’m glad we stopped there, I had never been inside a synagogue and it was really neat to see. From there, we took a bus to an airport in Krakow and headed back to Lux. The traveling wasn’t too bad and I was home relatively early!
Whoa, this has been such a long post! It has taken me forever to write, but I’m really glad I did it, I think I’ll be thankful later when I look back and I have all these thoughts down on paper.
My week this week was ok, but to be honest, not my best. After so much travel, it was just hard to get into the swing of school and Lux life again. Just seeing my parents was so great, and I think actually made me miss and appreciate them more than I had before. It is getting close to the end, and as much as I love love my life here, I am getting somewhat ready to be home. I just want to see everyone! I knew the best way to combat stress/homesickness was to keep busy, so I really tried to do that this week! I went to the gym, went to a movie (I saw Date Night- its funny!), went on walks with my friend Allie, and went out to Das Boot last night, and today went to Metz, France with my French class for the afternoon! All these activities did the trick, and I have felt a lot better. Just looking forward to some of my favorite people and the comforts of home that I will be enjoying in a few weeks.
Ah, but this weekend I will be doing something so exciting, going to Amsterdam!! One friend from Lux is going with me, and I am meeting my sorority sisters Clare (who I have traveled with and visited) and Diana (who I have not seen yet). I’m really excited because, as you know drugs and prostitution are two of my favorite activities and they are quite popular- and legal- in Amsterdam. Kidding! Actually, I am really excited for the tulips- it is prime time for them to be in bloom- and they are my favorite flower!!
Woo, cant wait!
Have a great weekend all!!
Love you.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Study Tour Part One!
Hey guys. I hope everyone liked my Dad’s post (which is below) as well as my photos on fbook. I think my Dad did a great job, just wanted to say thanks to him on here! Your writings captured our trip perfectly.
Ok, so its time for me to write this post about my study tour. I planned on doing it yesterday, but life just kind of caught up with me. On Sunday night and all day yesterday, I ran around trying to get stuff together and just generally stressing. I had a presentation in politics class, I had to deal with stuff at the Lux ministry (I still technically don’t have a visa- I will be hopefully getting it Friday when I pick up my passport), and I had to figure out what classes to take back at UVa next semester (I sign up today). On top of all this, I just had to get back to life at home, buy some groceries, figure out laundry, homework, unpacking, etc. I kind of stressed all day yesterday, and when I got home last night around dinnertime, I knew trying to blog and stuff would just be too much (I love writing these posts, but when I’m not in the mood, it can feel like homework). I decided to just veg out, read a book (a comedy one by Chelsea Handler- its my roommaes and the only book available- it was sort of funny but a bit crude for me), and go to bed early. I’m really glad I did, I feel a ton better today and like I can focus more. Ok, sorry to complain about that, I know its no big deal nad I shouldn’t worry, but just wanted to let you know where I stood. Coming back from 17 days of travel can be a bit overwhelming haha!
But so the study tour, which was for my class “The Rise and Fall of Hitler.” It was a really, really interesting experience. I really have enjoyed the class throughout the semester and as I mentioned before, it is one of the main reasons I selected the program I am currently on. For those that don’t know, I am a Distinguished History Major at UVa, which basically means I have to write an extra long (think 70-100 pages) thesis next year doing some kind of original research. I am not positive what I want it to be about, but I know I want it to be from World War II/the Holocaust. Therefore, this class is really important to me, not just because it is fascinating, but because it will be directly relevant to my work next year. I have been looking for topics this entire trip, and I think after the study tour, I have several. The class here is taught by a prominent Luxembourg historian named Dr. Emile Haag, who has been teaching at MUDEC for many, many years (some people in my class parents were taught by him). He is just the perfect definition of a distinguished and classy European man. He can never be found without a beret style hat and Lacoste cardigan. Each class his lectures provide an intense amount of material, he is clearly extremely knowledgeable about the Hitler’s life and the period of the Second World War. We had one exam in his class thus far, and he proved to be a tough, but fair grader. His quite serious and at times slightly intimidating, but on this trip he really loosened up and I felt like I got to know him a bit better. In addition to him, we were accompanied by three other chaperones, a music professor and Haags’ bff Dr. George Backas (who is never seen without Prada shoes), our Assistant Dean Raymond Manes, and then another random older gentleman who was a friend of all the guys and named George. Basically, they were all having a great guys weekend and were excellent, laid back but informative guides. There level of class determined our accommodations and meals, which meant they were of course excellent! Bachas and Haag would never sleep in a hostel, and as a result, we stayed in great, quite comfy hotels and had several lovely dinners.
Ok, so know that you have the background, I will begin the recap. The tour began on Tuesday, which for me was a day of travel. I woke up early in Nice with Jill and we headed to the airport. She caught a 7:00 flight to Geneva, and I waited a bit and then boarded an 8:30 to Paris. In Paris a little after 10, I then had to wait until 2:30 for my flight to Prague. Unfortunately, Easy Jet (the budget airline I flew which turned out to be a lot better than Ryan Air- just less hectic) does not do connection flights and transfer luggage, so I had to claim my checked bag in Paris and then go through security again and recheck it. This sounded like a pain, but turned out not to be bad at all, all Easy Jet flights are confined to a small region of Charles De Gaulle airport, and everything went smoothly. I used the couple of hours to write my entire Paris with my parents blog, and paid a few Euro for an hour of internet so I could catch up on emails and facebook. Before I knew it, I was on the flight, headed to Prague. It was quick and easy, and once in the Prague airport I changed a bit of money into the Czech currency- koruna - they are in the EU but not yet on the Euro. Then I grabbed a cab to my hotel, since I was alone and had a bunch of stuff, I just didn’t want to deal with public transport. It worked out in the end, but when I first was approached by a cab man as I exited, I got a little worried. He was driving more of a town car, and I knew my parents had had a bad experience with a fake cabbie, plus scenes from the movie Taken were flashing in my mind. I know Prague is quite touristy and developed, but I hadn’t yet been in Eastern Europe, and was just slightly more nervous than usual. I told the cabbie I wanted a yellow taxi, but then he showed me his badges, list of prices, and that he just had a fixed rate to my hotel. It was the same price as what the lady at the money changer told me, so I knew he was legit and got in. He turned out to be quite nice, and spent the entire time telling me about the city and his daughter, a girl my age who was studying in Zurich. Anyway, he dropped me safely at my hotel, and I checked in and found my room. I was staying with a girl I am not super close with but who I knew was very nice named Jamie. She was already in our room, so we chatted a bit, then I took a power nap and quick shower before dinner. At 7:30, it was time to meet the group in the hotel lobby. Our class is composed of about 42 students and it was good to see everyone after a week and a half of being completely removed from MUDEC. Ill admit, it was nice to just get away from my program and everyone for awhile, but I was eager to see some of them. I am pretty close with my roommate Ali, and my friends Kate, Margaret, and Cody, who were all there. It was great to hang out and catch up on our trips, everyone had been to so many interesting stories, it was nice to hear about their adventures. We went to a group dinner that night, one of many which was organized for us and “free” (actually not really because we paid in tuition, so really on our parents tab haha). We went to a local Czech place that served us family style, for each course we had a huge plate to share between a group of 5-6 of us. I have to say right here that Czech and Polish food is not my favorite, it is quite heavy on the meat, meat, and more meat, with some potatoes thrown in. Despite my love for the occasional hamburger or steak, meat is not my thing and I really don’t eat it much at all, except of course when I am in Eastern Europe (when in Rome I guess, as my funny boyfriend would put it). This food was quite good despite my prejudices! I especially enjoyed the cheeses and peppers that came with the appetizer plate and the roast chicken on the main course one. The main course one literally had a whole roast duck on it, as well as slices of tongue (I tried the duck but just couldn’t do the tongue) it was crazy and so so much food! I was starving from a day of traveling and just eating some random airport food, so it was nice to have a big dinner with friends, eat my fill, and relax. We all crashed in the hotel after dinner.
The next day was our big day of sightseeing in Prague. We had a walking tour scheduled from 9am to 6pm! Everyone was slightly intimidated/unsure of this adventure, that is a looooong walking tour!! In the end though, it turned out to be really informative and overall enjoyable despite its length (I’m not going to lie, it still was too long and our guide just too verbose). Our guide was a guy named George, and the first thing I noticed about him was his epic MURSE. For those of you who don’t know about male European fashion trends, a MURSE is a MAN PURSE. Let me tell you, they are all the rage over here in Europe, I have no idea why! They are like fannypacks which went out of style when I was about six, only worse. But men here seem to think they are really cool (this is one of the primary reasons I am so glad my boyfriend is a blue blooded American boy). Anyway, Georges had a Murse that was decorated with a map of Prague. He would often whip it around his body to point out (with his umbrella which he brought def as a pointer since it was not raining at all, it was a beautiful day) where we were. I couldn’t help laughing slightly each time and I did manage to take a pic of this fashion statement.
Ok, so sorry for the digression. Despite his fashion inadequacies, Georges was a very good tour guide for the most part. He was very knowledgeable and told us a ton about Prague’s rich culture. He was especially keen on the city’s architecture and pointed out how it has changed throughout the centuries and the way that almost every major architectural movement since the middle ages is represented in some region of Prague. We started out in the main square of old town, and saw the famous bell tower and its clock, as well as the temporary Easter Markets, which were in full swing peddling food and souvenirs, especially those tiny painted eggs that are a specialty here. We then walked throughout the Old Town, down Prague’s quaint cobblestone streets. We wound throughout the town in the morning, and I can’t tell you exactly which buildings we saw, it was so windy and a Georges gave us so much information it was hard to keep track! It was beautiful though, Prague definitely lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. During World War II, Prague was very lucky, and experienced very little bombing. As a result, much of the old city looks as it did hundreds of years ago. The roofs in Prague are mostly an orange, reddish color, and the buildings remind me a bit of the colorful ones I have seen in German towns like Trier and Speyer. It has a very nice effect!
As I said, Georges gave us a ton of info in the morning and I can’t (nor do I really want- it may be boring for you) to recount it all. However, two interesting things I did learn was that Charles IV (whose son Charles V would later rule over half of Europe- I remember him from AP Euro), the second King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, was a key figure in Prague history. He made Prague the imperial capital of his lands, and transformed the city so that under him it experienced its Golden Age. He built the University, a famed and beautiful bridge, and a prominent square, all of which now bear his name in remembrance. Essentially, he made Prague the place to be in the 14th century and is responsible for a lot of its beauty even today! The other cool thing I learned is that Good King Wenceslaus is a real person who ruled in Prague in the 10th century! That Christmas carol is not made up, he really was a nice guy!
We took a break midday for lunch (lunch was meat and potatoes of course), and then stopped by the Jewish quarter quickly in the afternoon. Sadly, Prague does not have a tolerant history in terms of its relationship with the Jewish population. For nearly ten centuries (from Pragues’ beginnings in the 900s to the 1840s) Jews living in Prague were confined to a small ghetto. They lacked many basic civil liberties, and were unable to leave the ghetto after certain hours and had to wear identification. I think a big part of the Holocaust is the very very deep rooted anti-Semitism that was present in a lot of the areas where the Nazis implemented the Final Solution, and Prague really revealed this. In 1848, after revolutionary movements and civil rights fever swept across Europe, the Jews were granted much more freedom and assimilated into Prague’s society more than ever. Sadly, these reforms did not last, and when the Nazis invaded Prague and began rounding up Jews and again confining them to the small and unlivable (it was far, far too small to fit all the Jews), the non Jewish population did little to stop them. One of the things I learned on the trip that sticks out most to me is just how much the Nazi’s Final Solution (which means their plan to exterminate all the Jews in Europe) actually was successful, and literally cleared all the Jews out of these areas in Eastern Europe. We learned that in Prague before the war, their were 700,000 Jews. Now, the population is less than 500! This is crazy!!! I cant believe such a thriving, important community is just gone from the city. It is the same in Crakow. Those who were lucky enough to survive mostly emigrated to American or Israel. I don’t blame them, why would you want to live in a country where all of your family and friends were killed?!
After the stop, we boarded a bus for a quick ride up to Prague castle. We spent the afternoon walking around the entire area of the city around the Castle, I think it is called New Town (it is on the other side of Charles bridge and overlooks Old Town). It was really pretty and had great views, seeing Prague from above was one of my favorite parts of the trip! I got a bunch of great pictures. We also walked throughout the gardens surrounding the Senate building, they were quite nice as well and even had some peacocks wandering around. Sadly we were unable to go into the actual Prague Castle because of a tiny man named Barack Obama, who happened to be in Prague meeting the Russian President and signing a major nuclear arms reduction treaty. Oh Obama! Haha, it was actually cool that he was there and I am sad we didn’t get to meet up (he wanted to come on the pub crawl we went to but Michelle said no). Security all around the castle area was heightened the day we visited, they were prepping for the actually signing the next day, so we weren’t able to go in, but that is ok. After a coffee break, we continued and walked to the Imagine Wall- a wall of graffiti dedicated to John Lennon that was started when he was shot- and then crossed the Charles Bridge, which is probably Prague’s most well known land mark and gorgeous. It has great views of the city and was bustling with people on this busy day! Georges then walked us back to our hotel in Old Town and said goodbye. A long tour, but really interesting, and I felt like I saw all major points of the city and got to know Prague a great deal!
That night, I was able to meet up with my friend and roommate from last semester, Kelly, who is studying in Prague! She stopped by my hotel to pick me up and then we went out for dinner. Since being in Europe, I have really wanted to try Indian food, I know it is kind of random but it is super popular over here and I have heard great things about it! I told Kelly I was not in the mood for traditional Prague food (meat and potatoes) and since she is a vegetarian, she felt the same. We decided on an Indian place near the hotel, and it turned out to be great. We split two veggie dishes in different sauces, plus some rice and nan bread! I really enjoyed it and will most def be getting Indian food again! So spicy and tasty. Kelly and I talked non stop and were able to catch up a ton! One of the best lessons I have learned from traveling is if you know someone in a city you are visiting, even if you aren’t bffs, call them up when you visit and meet up!! It really changes your experience to talk to someone who actually lives in a place, and you are able to get a much better feel for it!! I have met up with way more friends across Europe then I expected, and I am so happy I have. It is also just so nice to see a familiar face sometimes. Kel and I talked a bunch about our different experiences and traveling stories, it was great to compare notes. Kelly had been to Auschwitz already and she was able to tell me about her reaction, which was really helpful, I think it made me more prepared for what I would see in a few days.
After dinner, I was planning to meet up with a bunch of people from my class for a pub crawl, which everyone who had been to Prague suggested we go on and claimed it was the best one in all of Europe. I invited Kelly to come along, and I was so glad she joined us. She had been to some of the bars before, but I think she had a lot of fun meeting my friends and just letting loose! We went to four bars and then a dance club, and I am happy to report I was one of the select few (maybe 8 out of like 30) to make it to the end! Kelly too! Hooray for UVa for training us to drink and dance like champs! A great night and day in Prague!
Thursday
The next day was intended to be a full day of travel and I think a lot of the hard partying and staying up late on behalf of our group had been in anticipation of a day only consisting of a long bus ride. We were scheduled to leave at 11, and me and my friend Margaret woke up pretty early so we could get some shopping done. We were tired, but took a few hours to wander the Easter market and shops of old town square, and I got some nice souvenirs! We reported back at 11 ready for the bus, only to find our bus delayed and our teacher telling us to be back in 3 hours when we would now leave! We laughed at the irony of our waking up early, but decided to look on the bright side and take advantage of more time in gorgeous Prague on a perfect sunny day! We walked down to Charles Bridge again to take in the view, and then made a spur of the minute decision to hop on a boat tour! We were so glad we decided to go. I had learned in Paris that boat cruises really give you a different view of a city, and this was true again in Prague. Our captain’s sailor costume and commentary were both a bit cheesy, but that didn’t matter. With out tickets, we got a free ice cream and drink so that was great! We had originally bought Subway for the bus ride, so we ate that on the boat. American I know, but it tasted great and was the first time I have had turkey on this trip! Anyway, we just vegged on the boat, enjoyed lunch, and took in the sights! It was a great surprising way to take advantage of our extra time!
The rest of Thursday was spent on a bus, it was about a 6 hour ride to Auschwitz. I got a bit of a cat nap in, and also spent some time finishing reading the book about Auschwitz that we were assigned for class. It is called Auschwitz and is by the British journalist Lawrence Rees (it accompanied a BBC documentary made on the camp) and if you are interested in the topic, I highly recommend it. It is full of first hand accounts of the camps horrors, and despite being emotionally challenging to get through, in terms of writing style, is well done and easy to follow. Check it out if you would like. Also on the bus, we watched Schindler’s List, which I am sure many of you have seen and I will not therefore give you a summary. I had not seen it yet and I thought it was a great, great movie. It is such an incredible story. As you know, it is based on the life of Oscar Schindler, who lived and operated in Cracow, where we were going after Aushcwitz. I’ll tell you in Cracow about all the sights we saw that were in the movie and a part of Schindlers’ life including his actual factory. But the movie was excellent and a great way to prepare us for what we would see in the next few days.
We arrived at our hotel, which was a few hours from Auschwitz, around 8 and had a nice dinner in their restaurant. Then everyone was pretty tired and just trying to get ready for the next day. I did a little reading and then hit the hay.
Ok, I am going slow on this and will be back later with more about the rest of my trip!
Care
Ok, so its time for me to write this post about my study tour. I planned on doing it yesterday, but life just kind of caught up with me. On Sunday night and all day yesterday, I ran around trying to get stuff together and just generally stressing. I had a presentation in politics class, I had to deal with stuff at the Lux ministry (I still technically don’t have a visa- I will be hopefully getting it Friday when I pick up my passport), and I had to figure out what classes to take back at UVa next semester (I sign up today). On top of all this, I just had to get back to life at home, buy some groceries, figure out laundry, homework, unpacking, etc. I kind of stressed all day yesterday, and when I got home last night around dinnertime, I knew trying to blog and stuff would just be too much (I love writing these posts, but when I’m not in the mood, it can feel like homework). I decided to just veg out, read a book (a comedy one by Chelsea Handler- its my roommaes and the only book available- it was sort of funny but a bit crude for me), and go to bed early. I’m really glad I did, I feel a ton better today and like I can focus more. Ok, sorry to complain about that, I know its no big deal nad I shouldn’t worry, but just wanted to let you know where I stood. Coming back from 17 days of travel can be a bit overwhelming haha!
But so the study tour, which was for my class “The Rise and Fall of Hitler.” It was a really, really interesting experience. I really have enjoyed the class throughout the semester and as I mentioned before, it is one of the main reasons I selected the program I am currently on. For those that don’t know, I am a Distinguished History Major at UVa, which basically means I have to write an extra long (think 70-100 pages) thesis next year doing some kind of original research. I am not positive what I want it to be about, but I know I want it to be from World War II/the Holocaust. Therefore, this class is really important to me, not just because it is fascinating, but because it will be directly relevant to my work next year. I have been looking for topics this entire trip, and I think after the study tour, I have several. The class here is taught by a prominent Luxembourg historian named Dr. Emile Haag, who has been teaching at MUDEC for many, many years (some people in my class parents were taught by him). He is just the perfect definition of a distinguished and classy European man. He can never be found without a beret style hat and Lacoste cardigan. Each class his lectures provide an intense amount of material, he is clearly extremely knowledgeable about the Hitler’s life and the period of the Second World War. We had one exam in his class thus far, and he proved to be a tough, but fair grader. His quite serious and at times slightly intimidating, but on this trip he really loosened up and I felt like I got to know him a bit better. In addition to him, we were accompanied by three other chaperones, a music professor and Haags’ bff Dr. George Backas (who is never seen without Prada shoes), our Assistant Dean Raymond Manes, and then another random older gentleman who was a friend of all the guys and named George. Basically, they were all having a great guys weekend and were excellent, laid back but informative guides. There level of class determined our accommodations and meals, which meant they were of course excellent! Bachas and Haag would never sleep in a hostel, and as a result, we stayed in great, quite comfy hotels and had several lovely dinners.
Ok, so know that you have the background, I will begin the recap. The tour began on Tuesday, which for me was a day of travel. I woke up early in Nice with Jill and we headed to the airport. She caught a 7:00 flight to Geneva, and I waited a bit and then boarded an 8:30 to Paris. In Paris a little after 10, I then had to wait until 2:30 for my flight to Prague. Unfortunately, Easy Jet (the budget airline I flew which turned out to be a lot better than Ryan Air- just less hectic) does not do connection flights and transfer luggage, so I had to claim my checked bag in Paris and then go through security again and recheck it. This sounded like a pain, but turned out not to be bad at all, all Easy Jet flights are confined to a small region of Charles De Gaulle airport, and everything went smoothly. I used the couple of hours to write my entire Paris with my parents blog, and paid a few Euro for an hour of internet so I could catch up on emails and facebook. Before I knew it, I was on the flight, headed to Prague. It was quick and easy, and once in the Prague airport I changed a bit of money into the Czech currency- koruna - they are in the EU but not yet on the Euro. Then I grabbed a cab to my hotel, since I was alone and had a bunch of stuff, I just didn’t want to deal with public transport. It worked out in the end, but when I first was approached by a cab man as I exited, I got a little worried. He was driving more of a town car, and I knew my parents had had a bad experience with a fake cabbie, plus scenes from the movie Taken were flashing in my mind. I know Prague is quite touristy and developed, but I hadn’t yet been in Eastern Europe, and was just slightly more nervous than usual. I told the cabbie I wanted a yellow taxi, but then he showed me his badges, list of prices, and that he just had a fixed rate to my hotel. It was the same price as what the lady at the money changer told me, so I knew he was legit and got in. He turned out to be quite nice, and spent the entire time telling me about the city and his daughter, a girl my age who was studying in Zurich. Anyway, he dropped me safely at my hotel, and I checked in and found my room. I was staying with a girl I am not super close with but who I knew was very nice named Jamie. She was already in our room, so we chatted a bit, then I took a power nap and quick shower before dinner. At 7:30, it was time to meet the group in the hotel lobby. Our class is composed of about 42 students and it was good to see everyone after a week and a half of being completely removed from MUDEC. Ill admit, it was nice to just get away from my program and everyone for awhile, but I was eager to see some of them. I am pretty close with my roommate Ali, and my friends Kate, Margaret, and Cody, who were all there. It was great to hang out and catch up on our trips, everyone had been to so many interesting stories, it was nice to hear about their adventures. We went to a group dinner that night, one of many which was organized for us and “free” (actually not really because we paid in tuition, so really on our parents tab haha). We went to a local Czech place that served us family style, for each course we had a huge plate to share between a group of 5-6 of us. I have to say right here that Czech and Polish food is not my favorite, it is quite heavy on the meat, meat, and more meat, with some potatoes thrown in. Despite my love for the occasional hamburger or steak, meat is not my thing and I really don’t eat it much at all, except of course when I am in Eastern Europe (when in Rome I guess, as my funny boyfriend would put it). This food was quite good despite my prejudices! I especially enjoyed the cheeses and peppers that came with the appetizer plate and the roast chicken on the main course one. The main course one literally had a whole roast duck on it, as well as slices of tongue (I tried the duck but just couldn’t do the tongue) it was crazy and so so much food! I was starving from a day of traveling and just eating some random airport food, so it was nice to have a big dinner with friends, eat my fill, and relax. We all crashed in the hotel after dinner.
The next day was our big day of sightseeing in Prague. We had a walking tour scheduled from 9am to 6pm! Everyone was slightly intimidated/unsure of this adventure, that is a looooong walking tour!! In the end though, it turned out to be really informative and overall enjoyable despite its length (I’m not going to lie, it still was too long and our guide just too verbose). Our guide was a guy named George, and the first thing I noticed about him was his epic MURSE. For those of you who don’t know about male European fashion trends, a MURSE is a MAN PURSE. Let me tell you, they are all the rage over here in Europe, I have no idea why! They are like fannypacks which went out of style when I was about six, only worse. But men here seem to think they are really cool (this is one of the primary reasons I am so glad my boyfriend is a blue blooded American boy). Anyway, Georges had a Murse that was decorated with a map of Prague. He would often whip it around his body to point out (with his umbrella which he brought def as a pointer since it was not raining at all, it was a beautiful day) where we were. I couldn’t help laughing slightly each time and I did manage to take a pic of this fashion statement.
Ok, so sorry for the digression. Despite his fashion inadequacies, Georges was a very good tour guide for the most part. He was very knowledgeable and told us a ton about Prague’s rich culture. He was especially keen on the city’s architecture and pointed out how it has changed throughout the centuries and the way that almost every major architectural movement since the middle ages is represented in some region of Prague. We started out in the main square of old town, and saw the famous bell tower and its clock, as well as the temporary Easter Markets, which were in full swing peddling food and souvenirs, especially those tiny painted eggs that are a specialty here. We then walked throughout the Old Town, down Prague’s quaint cobblestone streets. We wound throughout the town in the morning, and I can’t tell you exactly which buildings we saw, it was so windy and a Georges gave us so much information it was hard to keep track! It was beautiful though, Prague definitely lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. During World War II, Prague was very lucky, and experienced very little bombing. As a result, much of the old city looks as it did hundreds of years ago. The roofs in Prague are mostly an orange, reddish color, and the buildings remind me a bit of the colorful ones I have seen in German towns like Trier and Speyer. It has a very nice effect!
As I said, Georges gave us a ton of info in the morning and I can’t (nor do I really want- it may be boring for you) to recount it all. However, two interesting things I did learn was that Charles IV (whose son Charles V would later rule over half of Europe- I remember him from AP Euro), the second King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, was a key figure in Prague history. He made Prague the imperial capital of his lands, and transformed the city so that under him it experienced its Golden Age. He built the University, a famed and beautiful bridge, and a prominent square, all of which now bear his name in remembrance. Essentially, he made Prague the place to be in the 14th century and is responsible for a lot of its beauty even today! The other cool thing I learned is that Good King Wenceslaus is a real person who ruled in Prague in the 10th century! That Christmas carol is not made up, he really was a nice guy!
We took a break midday for lunch (lunch was meat and potatoes of course), and then stopped by the Jewish quarter quickly in the afternoon. Sadly, Prague does not have a tolerant history in terms of its relationship with the Jewish population. For nearly ten centuries (from Pragues’ beginnings in the 900s to the 1840s) Jews living in Prague were confined to a small ghetto. They lacked many basic civil liberties, and were unable to leave the ghetto after certain hours and had to wear identification. I think a big part of the Holocaust is the very very deep rooted anti-Semitism that was present in a lot of the areas where the Nazis implemented the Final Solution, and Prague really revealed this. In 1848, after revolutionary movements and civil rights fever swept across Europe, the Jews were granted much more freedom and assimilated into Prague’s society more than ever. Sadly, these reforms did not last, and when the Nazis invaded Prague and began rounding up Jews and again confining them to the small and unlivable (it was far, far too small to fit all the Jews), the non Jewish population did little to stop them. One of the things I learned on the trip that sticks out most to me is just how much the Nazi’s Final Solution (which means their plan to exterminate all the Jews in Europe) actually was successful, and literally cleared all the Jews out of these areas in Eastern Europe. We learned that in Prague before the war, their were 700,000 Jews. Now, the population is less than 500! This is crazy!!! I cant believe such a thriving, important community is just gone from the city. It is the same in Crakow. Those who were lucky enough to survive mostly emigrated to American or Israel. I don’t blame them, why would you want to live in a country where all of your family and friends were killed?!
After the stop, we boarded a bus for a quick ride up to Prague castle. We spent the afternoon walking around the entire area of the city around the Castle, I think it is called New Town (it is on the other side of Charles bridge and overlooks Old Town). It was really pretty and had great views, seeing Prague from above was one of my favorite parts of the trip! I got a bunch of great pictures. We also walked throughout the gardens surrounding the Senate building, they were quite nice as well and even had some peacocks wandering around. Sadly we were unable to go into the actual Prague Castle because of a tiny man named Barack Obama, who happened to be in Prague meeting the Russian President and signing a major nuclear arms reduction treaty. Oh Obama! Haha, it was actually cool that he was there and I am sad we didn’t get to meet up (he wanted to come on the pub crawl we went to but Michelle said no). Security all around the castle area was heightened the day we visited, they were prepping for the actually signing the next day, so we weren’t able to go in, but that is ok. After a coffee break, we continued and walked to the Imagine Wall- a wall of graffiti dedicated to John Lennon that was started when he was shot- and then crossed the Charles Bridge, which is probably Prague’s most well known land mark and gorgeous. It has great views of the city and was bustling with people on this busy day! Georges then walked us back to our hotel in Old Town and said goodbye. A long tour, but really interesting, and I felt like I saw all major points of the city and got to know Prague a great deal!
That night, I was able to meet up with my friend and roommate from last semester, Kelly, who is studying in Prague! She stopped by my hotel to pick me up and then we went out for dinner. Since being in Europe, I have really wanted to try Indian food, I know it is kind of random but it is super popular over here and I have heard great things about it! I told Kelly I was not in the mood for traditional Prague food (meat and potatoes) and since she is a vegetarian, she felt the same. We decided on an Indian place near the hotel, and it turned out to be great. We split two veggie dishes in different sauces, plus some rice and nan bread! I really enjoyed it and will most def be getting Indian food again! So spicy and tasty. Kelly and I talked non stop and were able to catch up a ton! One of the best lessons I have learned from traveling is if you know someone in a city you are visiting, even if you aren’t bffs, call them up when you visit and meet up!! It really changes your experience to talk to someone who actually lives in a place, and you are able to get a much better feel for it!! I have met up with way more friends across Europe then I expected, and I am so happy I have. It is also just so nice to see a familiar face sometimes. Kel and I talked a bunch about our different experiences and traveling stories, it was great to compare notes. Kelly had been to Auschwitz already and she was able to tell me about her reaction, which was really helpful, I think it made me more prepared for what I would see in a few days.
After dinner, I was planning to meet up with a bunch of people from my class for a pub crawl, which everyone who had been to Prague suggested we go on and claimed it was the best one in all of Europe. I invited Kelly to come along, and I was so glad she joined us. She had been to some of the bars before, but I think she had a lot of fun meeting my friends and just letting loose! We went to four bars and then a dance club, and I am happy to report I was one of the select few (maybe 8 out of like 30) to make it to the end! Kelly too! Hooray for UVa for training us to drink and dance like champs! A great night and day in Prague!
Thursday
The next day was intended to be a full day of travel and I think a lot of the hard partying and staying up late on behalf of our group had been in anticipation of a day only consisting of a long bus ride. We were scheduled to leave at 11, and me and my friend Margaret woke up pretty early so we could get some shopping done. We were tired, but took a few hours to wander the Easter market and shops of old town square, and I got some nice souvenirs! We reported back at 11 ready for the bus, only to find our bus delayed and our teacher telling us to be back in 3 hours when we would now leave! We laughed at the irony of our waking up early, but decided to look on the bright side and take advantage of more time in gorgeous Prague on a perfect sunny day! We walked down to Charles Bridge again to take in the view, and then made a spur of the minute decision to hop on a boat tour! We were so glad we decided to go. I had learned in Paris that boat cruises really give you a different view of a city, and this was true again in Prague. Our captain’s sailor costume and commentary were both a bit cheesy, but that didn’t matter. With out tickets, we got a free ice cream and drink so that was great! We had originally bought Subway for the bus ride, so we ate that on the boat. American I know, but it tasted great and was the first time I have had turkey on this trip! Anyway, we just vegged on the boat, enjoyed lunch, and took in the sights! It was a great surprising way to take advantage of our extra time!
The rest of Thursday was spent on a bus, it was about a 6 hour ride to Auschwitz. I got a bit of a cat nap in, and also spent some time finishing reading the book about Auschwitz that we were assigned for class. It is called Auschwitz and is by the British journalist Lawrence Rees (it accompanied a BBC documentary made on the camp) and if you are interested in the topic, I highly recommend it. It is full of first hand accounts of the camps horrors, and despite being emotionally challenging to get through, in terms of writing style, is well done and easy to follow. Check it out if you would like. Also on the bus, we watched Schindler’s List, which I am sure many of you have seen and I will not therefore give you a summary. I had not seen it yet and I thought it was a great, great movie. It is such an incredible story. As you know, it is based on the life of Oscar Schindler, who lived and operated in Cracow, where we were going after Aushcwitz. I’ll tell you in Cracow about all the sights we saw that were in the movie and a part of Schindlers’ life including his actual factory. But the movie was excellent and a great way to prepare us for what we would see in the next few days.
We arrived at our hotel, which was a few hours from Auschwitz, around 8 and had a nice dinner in their restaurant. Then everyone was pretty tired and just trying to get ready for the next day. I did a little reading and then hit the hay.
Ok, I am going slow on this and will be back later with more about the rest of my trip!
Care
Monday, April 12, 2010
Guest Post from Dad/Larry Schmidt/Hondo
Here is my Dad's post word for word. Way to go Dad!
Larry’s Guest Blog
Caroline has been after me to do a guest blog and after a week back home and catching up all around I finally had time to do it. I’ll concentrate about our day in Normandy but first a word about Paris. In a single word, it was (as Caroline would say) “awesome”. Several things particularly surprised me about the city. First, it is huge, yet clean. Much better than most American cities I have visited. Second, it is quite impressive in terms of things to do and see. The history and art are simply astounding. Finally, the food and people were terrific. The food was what I expected and more. As to the people, Caroline is right, if you offer a smile or greeting (even in fractured French); they respond with a smile and usually in English. Particular highlights include the Eiffel Tower (much taller and grander than I imagined), the Church known St. Chapel (magnificent stained glass windows) and Les Invalids (originally a hospital for Napoleon’s soldiers but now a military museum with an impressive collection). Linda and I enjoyed the trip immensely. We loved all the sites and the entire experience. I also had a great time with daughter number 3; who has matured (in part, I think, due to her experience abroad) into an inquisitive, confident and worldly young woman. We know she has enjoyed the experience immensely and we are so proud of her. In any event, more about Normandy.
Unlike our bus tour earlier that week to Mont St. Michael, the Normandy tour was on a smaller scale. We were picked up at our hotel in a min-van by Pierre, our driver and guide. We then went to another hotel to pick up two more guests, but were advised that they were ill and cancelled. We then picked up Kim and Kimmie, an aunt/niece combo. Aunt Kimmie lives in Paris for a year while her husband is assigned overseas as part of his job at Johnson and Johnson. Niece Kimmie was from California, a college sophomore, visiting as a birthday present. Thus, the five of us (plus Pierre) took off early in the morning for the slightly less than three hour drive to Normandy. I tried not to bore our new found friends with insignificant trivia about World War II, but failed miserably. As usual, I couldn’t shut up.
For you non-historians out there, Normandy is in western France and abuts the English Channel. It is largely an agricultural area, dotted with small towns and villages. By 1944, World War II had raged in Europe for nearly five years. After early success, the tide against Germany and Hitler’s war machine had turned. The Russians had stopped the German invasion of the then Soviet Union and were beginning an advance that would ultimately end with the capture of Berlin and Hitler’s suicide in late April, 1945. The British and American armies has reclaimed and expelled Hitler’s legions from Africa, conquered Sicily in the Mediterranean and had invaded and were moving up the boot of Italy. Stalin (the Russian leader) demanded that the Americans and British open a second front in Europe to take the pressure off of his armies and it was clear that the time had come for the Allies to invade France and begin the liberation of Western Europe.
The Germans knew an invasion of France was coming; it was just a question of when and where. Much of England had been transformed into a huge military base, with men and supplies accumulated for the invasion. Hitler and his generals anticipated that the invasion would come near the French town of Calais; as that was at the narrowest point of the Channel and also had nearby facilities (deep water harbor) which, once captured, could be used for the unloading of more men and material. The Allies, however, planned to land on the beaches of Normandy, south of Calais.
The invasion was planned for early June 1944. Conditions for the first week of the month were ideal, given that the tides would allow for landing craft to better access the beach and the moon was in full phase to assist the paratroopers who would parachute at night into France. Unfortunately, on the day the invasion was planned (June 5) the weather was rotten and the invasion postponed. There promised to be a slight window of better weather for approximately 36 hours starting on June 6 and General Eisenhower (the Allied commander and future president) made the fateful decision to “go”. The invasion started in the early morning hours when paratroopers and airborne troops on gliders landed behind the German beach head positions to capture key bridges and towns so as to disrupt the German defenses. The main invasion began at dawn, when the main body of troops landed at five code named beaches; Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold and Juno. The Americans landed at Utah and Omaha and the British/Canadians/Free French landed at the others. My dad participated as a member of the US Navy on a LST (Landing Ship, Tank) off of Utah beach.
Our trip to Normandy was both thrilling and emotional. Having just lost my dad last September, he was often on my mind as I looked out over the windswept beaches and rough surf where a climatic battle in history raged nearly 66 years ago.
We first visited Point de Hoc, a beach area in between Omaha and Utah beaches. Here, 255 Army Rangers were among the first troops to come ashore. Their mission was to scale a 100 foot cliff in order to capture certain German gun emplacements that could have reined a murderous fire on the troops landing at Utah and Omaha. Using fireman’s ladders and ropes dangling from grappling hooks that had been fired to the top of the cliff by mortars, the Rangers ultimately scaled the cliff even while the German defenders fired down on them. We visited the still in place German gun emplacements and pill boxes. After getting to the top of the cliff, the Rangers discovered that the guns that they were to neutralize had been moved inland. They therefore continued their advance inland and ultimately captured the guns. More than two-thirds of the Rangers were casualties.
Next we visited “bloody Omaha”. Of the five beaches, Omaha was the most stiffly defended. This was, in part, because an experienced German division had been stationed there just weeks before the invasion for rest and training after action on the Russian front. This division offered stiff resistance. If you haven’t seen the first one-half hour of “Saving Private Ryan”, the horrors of war were on full display at Omaha beach. We saw German gun emplacements, the actual guns still surviving after all these years and other German fortifications. Perhaps most amazing to me were the shell craters from the Naval bombardment; nearly 6 feet deep and 10-15 feet across which still litter the landscape. Although now grass covered, the pot marked terrain reminds you of the ferocity of the combat that occurred here.
After a brief lunch, we saw remains of the “Mulberries” offshore. The Allied Army created their own harbors, by towing and sinking two enormous concrete structures (code named Mulberries) several hundred yards off shore. These were then used to unload supplies and men after the beaches were secured.
Any trip to Normandy is incomplete without a visit to the American cemetery, which is located just yards off of Omaha Beach. There is a visitor museum full of displays and memorabilia. There is also a brief movie which largely consists of the reminisces of family of some of the soldiers who were killed. I couldn’t help but think of my uncles (Uncle Warren, killed at sea; Uncle John, wounded in the Pacific; and of course my Dad/ Caroline’s Pepa). These brave men helped save a world and keep the freedom that we all too often take for granted. We then walked the immaculate grounds which feature a large memorial and rows upon rows of pristine white crosses (and an occasional Jewish Star of David). Supposedly, when the Americans were asked by the French what could they give for liberating their country; the Americans responded that they only wanted a place of honor to bury their dead. The American cemetery at Omaha beach is indeed a place of beauty and honor.
On the way back to Paris, we stopped at a major museum in Caen, one of the first cities liberated. This museum commemorates not just the Normandy landings but much of World War II, and has numerous exhibits and artifacts. We started our tour here by viewing a 20 minute movie about the invasion. The film was shown on a large screen and the first several minutes were a split screen format. On the one side, there were movies of the Allies preparing for the invasion; ships being loaded, men training, etc. On the other side, was film of the German defenders readying their defenses. While I was distracted by the German film on the right side of the screen, Caroline and Linda swore that they saw on the American film a skinny, curly haired young Navy signalman using semaphore to communicate to another ship. In the instant that the scene appeared, it disappeared and moved to another image. Was it Pepa? It certainly looked like him and reflected his duties. We are going to see if that video is available. Even if we never find out; I’m assuming it’s him.
All in all, a moving and worthwhile day for the three of us. The weather was chilly and blustery, probably not unlike that day many years ago when so many paid the ultimate sacrifice. Caroline’s blog often starts that her latest visit was “THE BEST YET.” I will remember much about our trip to Paris, but perhaps nothing made me prouder to be an American than to see first hand where so many brave men gave their lives to free a continent.
Nice is so Nice!
Hi all! I am sitting in an airport in a random Polish town (the name begins with K and then is followed by a bunch of consanents- that’s all I know!) about to head back to Luxembourg after 17 straight days of traveling! Wow. I have never traveled in a row this much in my life, and it was a great experience! I am really glad I divided my days up into three very different trips, it really worked out perfectly and I feel like each one was unique and for the perfect amount of time for its purpose. Paris (as you know from my blog) was a great time for sightseeing and catching up with my parents! My next leg was a girly weekend in the South of France that was really relaxing and a nice break between too jammed pack trips. My last leg was my study tour, I visited Prague, Auschwitz, and Krakow with my history class “The Rise and Fall of Hitler.” I cant even begin to tell you how much I learned; this class was one of the main reasons I chose the program I am in, and I can report that I am so happy with my decision. Ah as excellent as all of this was, I have so much blogging and picture posting to do, please be patient with me! I am determined to blog about Nice and the study tour tonight and tomorrow and I figure there is no time better than the present to begin. So although I am bursting with stuff to say about my study tour, first things first, I will begin with my adventures in Nice!
Overall, Nice is very, very nice (just a note for those non-French speakers, Nice is pronounced niece- like my sisters cute little daughter Gabby). I know I say this about everything (my Mom informed me of this habit), but Nice is one of my favorite places in Europe. It is a beach town/city, the fifth biggest city in France actually, in the South, and its location on the Riveria makes it have a very Italian feel. The beaches, which are stone, not sand, are gorgeous, the water is an amazing tealish/blue color that I love and the actually town just has a very relaxed, cultured feel to it. It is obviously beachy, but it is just a tad more classy, European feeling than my other favorite beach town, OC, Maryland of course. As I mentioned, this trip was relaxing. Nice’s main draw is its beach and old town, so unlike a lot of other cities with tons of history and museums, there was not the pressure to sightsee nonstop. We could just take in the atmosphere, enjoy each others company, and veg. Because of this, I decided it would be boring to recount what we did day by day. We really did a lot of the same stuff each day because we enjoyed it so much! So here are some trip highlights/my favorite things…
- Jillian Scott! I went with my sisters roommate/bridesmaid/bff, Jill, who hails from the great town of Eugene, Oregon. Jill and my sis Jackie have been friends for about 2 years, when craigslist magically united these two souls who have led eerily parallel lives on different coasts. Like Jackie, Jill is the middle child in a family of 3 sisters who are spaced exactly like the Schmidt girls. Also, Jill dates a slim boy who enjoys running and jokes, just like Jackie’s dear Tom. But, while Jay studied abroad in college, Jill is in Europe now, she is in her last semester in public health grad school at GWU and she got a fellowship to intern in Geneva, Switzerland for the World Health Organization so she has been abroad in a nearby neutral country like my own. Anyway, we met up for the long weekend in Nice, and got along great! Hanging out with Jill is kind of like hanging out with Jay really, except we aren’t blood related. Its funny because although we have met several times, we really didn’t know each other that well before Nice, but we really were quite compatible travel partners. We had the same eating, sleeping, drinking habits and were both looking for a relaxing, carefree weekend! Jill is super interesting and I am so glad I got to know her better in lovely Nice. We talked and laughed a ton, I felt so comfortable with her! Also, her spontaneity and laid back vibe rubbed off on me, and I had the chance to just be totally myself without a care. Jill is awesome and made my trip so great woo!!
- Hotel Meyerbeer: Living in Sketchy Luxury. Jill and I stayed in a hotel/hostel type deal that we booked on hostelworld.com after days of emailing back and forth different suggestions that all seemed to be booked. After a week at the swanky Hilton in Paris, I will admit it wasn’t exactly “luxury” but it was fine, just had a few quirks. We shared a double bed (that was all that was available), but really it was comfy. The room was semi spacious and the best part of the place was its location, it was about 2 minutes from the beach, 5 minutes from old town, and 1 minute from the main tourist drag, all walking! The two oddities that really gave the place character were the shower and the elevator. When we arrived Friday morning after very early flights and a walk from the bus stop where we got quite lost (we were too chatty and just completely missed our street, when we asked for directions the man we asked had no idea what street we were asking for, my French accent is that horrible haha) we made it and tried to head up the reception on the first floor. We jammed all of our stuff in a teeny, tiny old fashioned lift, and almost were trapped. Then, suddenly like a rocketship in Cape Canaveral, we were off and although we pushed floor 1, we showed no signs of stopping and kept going until we suddenly slammed to a halt at the fourth floor. A lady who resided in the same building as our hotel (their were apartments above) was waiting, and looked quite disgusted at the mess (i.e. the two frazzled American girls) that was in her lift. We got out as quick as we could with all our bags (reminder- I was carrying all my stuff for 17 days of travel) and made the struggle down three steps of stairs. Needless to say, we took the stairs the rest of the trip. Another funny story comes from our shower, which lacked a sufficient curtain and tended the turn out bathroom floor into a flood zone resembling Florida coast in hurricane season. The first time I stepped out to dry off, I stepped into about an inch of water! After a few attempts, we realized the trick to keeping water in (trying to seal the curtain to the wall), but it made for many laughs trying to steal sketchy towels from the lobby to mop up the flood zone. Despite these mishaps, our hotel was fine and provided a comic backdrop for our adventures.
- Sharing a bottle of wine on the beach during sunset: we did this two times and it really does not need much explanation! It was as wonderful as it sounds!
- Culinary Delights: Ok, so I realize that I talk about food a lot on this blog and I am beginning to worry I sound a tad like like a gluttonous fatso. But the truth is, I LOVE food and I think eating is a really important part of traveling! Anyway, since Nice is very Italian, its cuisine is reminiscent of that boot shaped country, and I loved it! Jill and I seriously had the best pizza of our lives at this place called “La Pizza” on Friday night. What the restaurant lacked in title creativity, it sure made up for in taste. The pizza was made in a brick oven, and covered with incredible sauce and cheese. I got the 4 cheese pizza, and it was not kidding, in addition to the regular pizza cheese there were hunks of what I think was goat, blue, brie, and perhaps gouda mixed in. So excellent. La Pizza was so good that on Easter Sunday, after breakfast kept us full and we didn’t eat lunch and then randomly were starved around 4pm, we headed back to La Pizza to indulge again! It was divine once more. Also, I may have had the best gelato of my life once again in Nice. There was a place in the old town square called Fennochio that was literally written up in every single guidebook or website Jill and I read about the town! It has 92 gelato flavors including some pretty odd flavors like beer and tomatoe basil! Jill and I stuck to more sweet flavors, and they were seriously delectable. We went to Fennochs (as we nicknamed it) probably too many times in 4 days than I care to admit and tried a bunch :Speculous-(inspired by this really cool Belgian spread kind of like PB that is very popular in Luxembourg), Cannelle (cinnamon), Confiture du Lait (vanialla cream swirled with something like butterscotch) and Mocha were favorites. Jill and I became such regulars that on our last night there when we decided we just had to have Fennochs one last time (I think the somewhat excessive amount of wine we had drunk contributed to this decision), two of the workers recognized us and said “man you girls really like ice cream!” They even gave us samples, because we were that cool. Coming from a place that is infamous in guidebooks for a strict no sample policy, this was pretty sweet (pun intended). So overall, food was great in Nice. Other memorable eats include some good sandwiches from street vendors, an egg and toast American breakfast on Easter that made us feel at home, yummy coffee, and a great pasta dinner our last night!
- Strolls through old town Nice, which is so cute. The buildings are all gorgeous, sun soaked colors (think deep yellows, oranges, pinks) and they are surrounded by narrow cobblestone streets and alleys. The old town has a daily flower, food, and spice market that is wonderful and so pretty, we strolled through several days and just took in the smells and sights.
- Shopping! Nice is a beach town, so of course they have the shops that often accompany sun bathing and tourists. There was an eclectic mix of high end boutiques, chains, and cheaper beach wear stores for clothing, as well as tons of cute soap, spice, and tacky souvenir shops. Jill and I both found cute pairs of shoes in Nice, as well as sunglasses, and sundresses! Successful shopping for sure! But don’t worry, I had to be careful to not buy too much since I had to cart it around Europe and meet the strict luggage regulations of the various budget airlines I flew!
- Sleeping in some days! No elaboration needed…we were both tired girls, and catching up on rest and sometimes just lounging was just what the doctor ordered!
- Biking on Blue Velos! We weren’t complete bums and did actually do more than eat and sleep in Nice! Two of the days we rented these bikes that are all around the city. Anyone with a phone and credit card can rent them for a really cheap price, and you can return them to any station, there is seriously a stand almost every block! We had a blast biking around town and exploring on them! The Old Town of Nice ends at this sort of very high cliff/park area that protrudes out into the ocean. On our bikes, we went around this region to the other side of the city, where we found a whole new area with a huge port (where yachts and cruise ships were parked), restaurants, and little beaches/cliffs that would be great for sunbathing/cliff diving. One day, we explored the cliff area and took great pictures down in this little cave that was right on the water. It is hard to explain, but check out the pics when I post them! We really wanted to cliff dive, and even went back another day in our bathing suits ready to jump, but in the end it was just a tad too cold. The weather was in the low 60s, but it was quite windy and the water freezing. Jill is very brave and adventurous, so when she said we would likely die of hypothermia if we jumped in, I knew she was right. We were still able to sunbathe a little on the cliffs though and enjoy the gorgeous blue sea and sky! It was all thanks to our bikes that we were able to find this spot though! They were a great idea and I highly recommend biking in a city as a really unique way to get a feel for it!
- Easter. It was kind of strange to be away from our families on this holiday, and I think there were parts of the day when we both felt a little bit homesick. But in the end, we still managed to make it a great day! We had gone out the night before, so we slept in and had an American style breakfast of eggs and toast that was super comforting at a little café. Then we strolled throughout the old and new town and did some shopping/browsing for several hours. Then we biked a bit, but since it was getting a little rainy, this plan did not last too long. We were pondering what to do next when we were struck by an enormous craving for La Pizza, so we went there and had a great Easter Linner of pizza! In a food coma after that, we headed back to our hotel and watched a movie we rented on Itunes. It was so nice to just relax and watch a chick flick in bed on a rainy day, that is something I had not done in Europe at all and I totally missed! We even let ourselves nap a bit after the movie, then got up and went out to the beach right as it cleared up and we could watch the sunset. We then went to a bar in Old Town and found the area to be quite crowded, I guess the French like the celebrate Easter with a few drinks! When we went back to the hotel later, we were able to call and skype our families and bfs, and this felt great! A nontraditional, but quite nice Easter that I won’t soon forget!
- The weather- Friday and Monday were absolutely great, in the 60s and perfect blue skies. Although Saturday and Sunday were a little cooler and had a few rain showers, it didn’t prevent us from doing anything and was still a great deal warmer than what we both have been used to! I even got a little color on my face! It was too early for bathing suits (although we tried) and swimming, but it was lots of sunshine and I loved that after too many months of clouds, snow, and rain in Lux.
- Hiking to the top of Le Chateau/the cliff thing that separates the two sides of Nice. I am doing a really bad job of explaining this piece of land, but it is essentially a big, raised park, that you can walk up to the very top of through various stairwells and hills. It is very green and has a gorgeous waterfall, Roman ruins, and great views of Nice from the top! We did this the first day right after we arrived and it was such a nice welcome to the city! Beautiful, beautiful views, some of the best I have seen in Europe!
- Adventures in Monaco: Ok so I obviously left the best story for last, for those devoted fans who really read all the way through my blog! Nice is about a 30 minute train ride from the principality of Monaco (I think the world’s smallest country), so Jill and I knew we had to go and visit its famed casino, the Monte Carlo, one night. Saturday, we got all dolled up in our best dresses and heels, had some pre-adventure drinks, and then boarded the train to head to the land of luxury. When we arrived, the sun was beginning to set and we wandered around until we found the main harbor and casino! It was so, so pretty, the yachts in the harbor were incredible and although the outside of the casino was a bit smaller/less Vegasy than I expected (basically no flashing lights), it is gorgeous and just exudes class and wealth (really the whole country gives you the feeling of major money). We headed into the famed casino and were immediately checked for security, apparently no cameras are even allowed, so I had to hand mine over to be checked. Jill, ever the cunning one, kept hers in her bag secretly. Then we had to buy our tickets, which we knew were a little steep, but you don’t go to Monaco without going to the Monte Carlo, so we decided to just do it! This is when the trouble began. I had only brought a little clutch with me with some cash, a credit card, and my International Student Identity Card which I use to enter all museums, sites, etc across Europe and have never had a problem with. Unfortunately, this card was not good enough for the MC, and the ticket lady informed me I needed a passport or drivers license just to get in! Ahh I thought, I had them both, but back in the Hotel in Nice! We had come all the way on the train, and both knew it wouldn’t be possible to go back and forth again that night. But Jill, again always calm and collected, stayed cool and very politely said to the lady, “Ok I have my drivers license, but my friend left her passport in the hotel, can I buy my ticket now and then we will go get her passport, we are staying right next door?” They lady said sure, and Jill got her ticket, which was printed with her name on it and made only after the lady entered her info into the computer. We walked out, and immediately begin hatching a plan. I was scared, but knew what Jill had in mind. Essentially, we became James Bond, and pulled off a heist at one of the world’s biggest casinos. I’m sure you can see where this is going, but Jill had her passport on her too, so I used hers! Don’t worry, we were extremely stealth and considered all the risks involved. Jill had to talk me into the scheme, I was quite nervous and panicky, but she assured me it was fine- she is a bad ass. I kept imagining calling my Dad on a collect call from the Monaco Prison, but I just tried to keep those thoughts to myself. We even went in the very fancy hotel next door, rode up to the 5th floor and pretended to go in a room to truly pull off our plan. We had an alibi, that we were rich sisters whose Dad was in oil and had dragged us here on business, we were staying at the hotel we went in right across from the casino. If the lady suspected anything, we planned to grab Jills passport and pretend we had just taken the wrong one by mistake! After we pretended to go pick up “my” passport, we went back in and I shakily handed over Jills. Jill played it cool (I just was awkward again) and even made a witty comment to the lady about the architecture to divert her attention. In the end, after a brief second when she called over a security man and we both almost died, I got my ticket no problem!! It turned out she was calling over the man for something else. We both had tickets that said Jillian Scott, but I guess the lady was just dumb or didn’t care enough to call us out! We were gleeful and headed into the casino! Sadly, we found out upon entrance that the workers were on strike, and the bar was closed, so we couldn’t even get a drink to calm our nerves! We did have quite a fun time though, and watched a lot of high rollers play at the big stakes tables and even bet a little ourselves in the less expensive slot machines. The people watching were fabulous and we entertained ourselves a great deal making up funny stories about the ritzy clientele. Finally, thirst caught up to us, and we headed to another bar for a drink. I had a Monaco Grand Prix (named after the famous car race) at the casino next door, and then we found a fun, Havana type bar with a lot of young people, to enjoy our last Monocan cocktail. We went back to the MC one last time to take it all in, the building was incredible, the closest I have seen to it is the interior of Versailles to be honest, and to sneak one picture of the interior that turned out blurry but is ok! We made it back to Nice on the last train at midnight and after some late night Turkish Kabobs (don’t ask) we hit the sack successful criminals! It was such a fun night!!
Whew, I thought this method of highlights would make for a shorter blog, but clearly I was wrong. What a fun, fun weekend Nice was! Love you Jill and thanks for going with me! Maybe we should move Jackie’s bachelorette party to the Monte Carlo?! We know how to get in!
Haha, look for a massive study tour blog soon! History buffs, get excited!
Care
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
PARIS WITH THE PARENTS!
Hi everyone!! Ah I have so much to say! Right now I am in the airport in Nice, France with my sisters roommate and also my friend, Jillian Scott. We had a great trip and I can honestly say it was one of my best weekends of traveling I have had over here, I love Nice and Jill! Jill’s plane leaves in a few minutes and mine in about an hour, so I thought I would try to blog a little bit, I have so much updating to do! Today I have a full day of traveling and should arrive in Prague by about 5 pm (it is 7am now), then my class field trip starts at 8pm! Should be so fun, just hope I can get there in one piece.
But more on Nice and Prague and all of that later, now I want to tell you all about my trip to Paris with my parents, which was wonderful!!
It all started last Friday, which seems like an age ago. I had one class in the morning and was just so eager to get going, the morning seemed to drag on. I was carrying a ton of stuff (enough for 2 weeks of travel plus some things to give to my parents to take home plus a few gifts for them) and I was a hot mess when I had to run to catch the train from my house to Lux city. In the end I made it though and in Lux City boarded the fast TGV train to Paris. I was so eager and somewhat anxious that I couldn’t get myself to focus on reading (shocking I know), so I just listened to music and thought about the upcoming week on the two hour train ride. I got to Gare De L’est in Paris around 3:15 and got in line for a cab. Finally, around 4 I was dropped off at the Hilton Arc De Triomphe (which was so much nicer than any place I have stayed in Europe by far) and there they were waiting for me, Mom and Dad! I was so excited to see them, it was a great reunion!! We exchanged hugs and then headed upstairs to deposit my stuff. They told me that their flight had been good, but the journey from the airport to the hotel had been long and somewhat sketchy, they went with a cabby who turned out to not be official and he got pretty lost taking another couple to their hotel. In the end though, they arrived, took short naps, and grabbed a bite to eat near our hotel and then waited for me! I think the long journey had tired them out somewhat, and just being in the huge city made, as my Mom said, them feel slightly “overwhelmed.” They were really excited though, and all of us just were so happy to see each other!! In the room, I gave them some gifts I had gotten them in Italy (a tie for Dad, leather gloves for Mom, and a Venetian glass clock for the beach house for them both) and they loved them so that was nice! We then decided to venture out into the City of Lights!
We were staying about a 5-10 minute walk from one of Paris’ greatest landmarks, the Arc De Triomphe, a grand arch built by Napoleon in the early 19th century to honor the victories of his army. We headed in that direction and just drank in the scenery of the cute neighborhood/area we were in, as I chatted my head off about every and anything (pretty much did this the whole trip). Seeing the Arc for the first time is a really cool thing and I think my parents loved it! It is surprising how huge it is!! We were lucky enough to get there right at 5pm when the daily ceremony to honor the unknown soldier buried under the Arc is happening! We were able to watch and get some pictures which was cool! From the Arc, we walked down one of the most famous avenues in the world, Champs D’Elysee, which I think is just beautiful and probably one of my favorite places in the world. It is great for people watching and just has such a vibrant, beautiful feel. We walked quite a long way down, stopping at Concorde Place, the plaza with a 3,300 year old Egyptian Obelisk in the center, and the Tuliers gardens. Beautiful of course! Also, I should note the weather was beautiful on this day, blue skies and no rain in sight! I was so happy we got to take this nice walk and not get wet or too cold even!
In the end, we began to approach the Louvre (we really walked a long way!) and since it is open late and free for students on Fridays, we decided to visit right then!
The Louvre is so huge and has an enormous collection, I think the statistic is if you looked at every piece of art in there for 30 seconds, it would take something like 3 months to see it all! Obviously, we did not have that kind of time, but we saw the highlights in the wing that houses Greek and Roman sculpture, Italian Renaissance paintings, and the best of French art. To me, the building of the Louvre is the greatest masterpiece (in all honesty, I much prefer impressionist and modernist art), and the fact that the actually building used to be a palace is just astounding. I think Mom and Dad really liked seeing the building as well, and of course it was so neat for them to see the Mona Lisa and other famous works (Dad liked the Coronation of Napoleon painting which is quite well known). We spent about an hour and a half in the museum, and then the tiredness and jet lag began to set in, and Mom and Dad (as well as me) were ready to go relax.
We tried to get a cab back home, but quickly discovered getting a taxi in Paris on a Friday night is essentially impossible, and our attempt failed miserable. I think Mom and Dad were slightly hesitant to jump on the metro, but in the end we decided it was the best bet! They were amazed how easy and user friendly it was, it quickly became our preferred mode of transport in the city (in addition to walking of course which we did a ton of)! It was great and really shows what public transportation can be, too bad Baltimore is severely lacking in that department!
We thought of going to a neighborhood restaurant in our area, but were just too tired to try to locate one and still didn’t really have the bearings in our region, so in the end decided to eat in the hotel bar. Its funny because we all agreed later this was probably the worst (and also most expensive, how weird) meal of our trip! The Hilton was great and super nice, but the food was just overpriced and not the best (I guess that is what you get for eating in a hotel that caters to international tourists), at the time though, we were all starving and just wolfed down our food! We had some nice wine as well, and I did get a tart for dessert that I liked a lot!
We caught up a lot over dinner and I filled my parents in on my friends abroad, my roommates/host family, and my classes! So good to catch up for longer than 10 minutes on the phone or skype! After dinner we were exhausted though, and hit the hay pretty early!
Saturday morning we woke up and although Mom and Dad were still thrown off on the time, they felt somewhat rested and ready for a big day! We had breakfast each morning in the Hilton, and after months of surviving on lame hostel breakfasts on weekends and a meager portion of white bread from my host family during the week, I was greatly impressed by the spread the Hilton offered! My parents laughed at me when I filled up my plate with eggs, bacon, cereals, pastries, etc each day, but I knew I had to take advantage when I could, it was all delicious! I ate better this week, for all meals, then I had in forever, and it was so nice to just enjoy great food with my parents! I am so thankful for them for all they did!
Anyway, I stuffed my face, and Mom had her precious Coke-a-Cola Light (French for Diet Coke, sadly no Tab) and then we headed out!
In the morning, we went to Notre Dame and St. Chapelle Cathedrals. Notre Dame is of course very impressive and just one of those landmarks you have to see, I had not been inside on my previous trip so I was excited to enter the massive cathedral and check out all the ornate décor. Mom thought it was a little too dark for her style, but really enjoyed the pink toilet paper in the bathroom (haha this is a joke, she liked it of course and dad just made fun of her a lot for commenting on the tp’s color). There were some really weird street performers out in front of the plaza that made our experience unique, so weird! Also, mom fell for the old gypsy trick and when one asked her if she spoke English she said Yes, but was then smart enough to get away before the real con began, I was proud! Inside Notre Dame was really neat and I was glad to have seen it!
From there, we went to a much smaller and lesser known church my godfather Uncle Tom had recommended. It is called St. Chapelle and is located on the Ile de City (literally the island Paris originally started as) along with Notre Dame but inside the Palais De Justice complex where the Supreme Court of France resides. When we first got inside, we thought the little room we entered was the main one, and we were all a bit underwhelmed. Then we realized we had to walk up the stairs to enter the main chapel and it was just like a movie, as we all walked in and caught our first glimpse, we literally gasped, this was one of the only times I can recall a sight actually taking my breathe away! The chapel is completely covered in gorgeous stain glass windows, that are enormous and just beautiful! I really can’t describe how neat it is, except to say it was one of the favorite things all of us saw the whole week (and for me of all my travels). The stain glass tells the story of the Bible, and we were able to pick up info cards that told us what we were looking at on each panel, we walked through and tried to decipher each one, it was really cool. We stayed for awhile just taking it all in and taking as many pictures as possible. Then we bought an obscene amount of post cards from the gift shop, haha! Thanks, Uncle Tom, for the recommendation, I would pass it along to anyone- if you go to Paris, you must go to Saint Chapelle!
From there, we were getting hungry and decided to cross the Seine and visit the Left Bank, specifically the Latin Quarter, one of the traditionally younger, more hip and bohemian areas of Paris, for lunch. We grabbed a bite at a chain type bakery place called Paul, we had sandwiches and pastries which was delicious, the chocolate éclair we shared was to die for! We had to order completely in French, so that was interesting, I did it and was proud! After lunch, we strolled more around the Latin Quarter and just took it in, it is a really fun and pretty area, one of my favorite parts of the city I think. We saw one of the oldest and best Universities in France, La Sorbonne and then went to the Pantheon, a huge building designed like a Roman Temple that has been past back and forth between secular and religious purposes over its long history. Our tour book, “Top Ten Paris,” said it was one of the Top Ten Sites in the city, but we didn’t think it was that amazing. It had Foucault’s pendulum hanging all the way from the dome top to the floor, which swings and in doing so confirms the rotation of the Earth. Its sort of difficult to understand why this is (even more so to explain on a breezy travel blog so I wont try), but it was cool to see. We also saw the graves of lots of famous Parisian intellectuals including Voltaire, Rousseau, and Marie and Pierre Curie. We had wanted to go to the top, where there we supposedly great views of Paris, but the viewing room wasn’t open until April 1st. Overall, the Pantheon was interesting, but just ok. Dad liked it more than Mom, haha!
From there, we had to decide what to do with the rest of the day. We had a debate, Dad wanted to go the Hotel Des Invalides, which houses Napoleon’s tomb and an army museum, but Mom wanted a more relaxing option, a boat ride down the Seine. In the end, Mom won out! We headed to the Eiffel Tour (first we stopped in a cute store where mom bought a very fashionable scarf to go with her rain coat), took a few pics at its base, and then hopped on a shuttle which took us to the dock to board the boat. I have to say, I think we were all glad Mom had pushed for the boat ride, the weather held out and it was really clear and beautiful! It was one of our favorite activities for sure. You can get a really different perspective of the city from the water, and it opens up new viewpoints that you can get no where else. We saw all the main sites and just took it in on the hour and ten minute ride. I have great pictures that I promise to put up soon. We also had the honor of riding with a group of giggly American preteens wearing sweet “Paris Trip 2010” bright sweatshirts that I know Dad was really jealous of. Every time we went under a bridge, and Paris has a lot of bridges, they cheered. It was funny and provided comic relief (at least to me). The end of the boat ride got a little chilly, and afterwards it was getting pretty late, so we headed back to the hotel, although we did stop for a drink in a little café along the Champs D’Elysee! It was great people watching and Dad overheard a strange conversation about books that was weird!
That night began a series of wonderful dinners that were delicious and quite luxurious for me. Its not that I haven’t eaten well over here, but traveling on a student budget does limit my options to some degree and it had been quite sometime since I had a salad before a meal, or dessert after, or both, enjoyed fine wine, and didn’t check out the prices with great concern at a nicer place! It was great, thanks so much Mom and Dad!
Saturday, we went to a bistro near the L’Arc called La Lorraine (named after the region of France that is right next to Luxembourg) that was really good! Mom and I got quiche Lorraine, Dad had French onion soup, and then we all got steak and frites which was delicious! For dessert, I had the first of many of my new favorite- profiteroles- a French specialty that is essentially little pastries filled with vanilla ice cream, and then the whole thing is dunked in warm chocolate sauce! So good!
The wait staff was very nice at La Lorraine, and when they saw me translating the menu for Mom and Dad, they brought us English ones. The restaurant was super crowded when we were finishing up, around 10 pm probably- Mom and Dad got to see that it is true, Europeans eat quite late! At dinner, we talked a lot about my Hitler class and I learned a lot about WWII from Mom and Dad. They were, after all, both history majors and are quite the buffs!
Sunday
Sunday turned out to be quite a girl’s day, or at least morning and afternoon, but luckily Dad was a good sport about it! It started with the Musee D’Orsay, probably the second most famous museum in Paris, which houses works from 1850-1914 in an old converted railway station. I have been to a lot of museums over in Europe, and I have to say this was hands down my favorite. It was a combination of the actual art (the place has a huge collection of impressionists and post-impressionists like Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Van Goh) and the setting (the converted RR station makes it so unique and interesting), that made me love it so much! It was so cool to see some extremely famous pictures in real life, like Van Goh’s self portrait, Monet’s water lilies, and Renoir’s pictures of Paris. I just stared at it all in awe and took it in. Mom really liked it a lot as well, and Dad, who admits to being more of an ESPN buff than an art history one, enjoyed it even though it wasn’t his favorite! I picked up several prints of my favorite pieces that I am really looking forward to displaying when I return home!
After the museum, we had reservations for lunch/brunch at a very well known Parisian bakery and restaurant, Laduree. I had heard a lot about it from various friends and my French teacher, their macaroons are world famous and everyone raves about them, so I really wanted to go. Unfortunately, the line to get in Orsay made us behind schedule and I loved it so much I didn’t want to rush, so we ended up being late to our reservation by 45 minutes. (Strange side note, on the way we saw a statue to Thomas Jefferson right on the Seine, he was French Ambassador before being Pres and founding UVA! Pretty Cool huh?! We took some pics). We probably should of taken the metro or a cab, but we walked and it was rainy, so when they told us they had given our table up, we weren’t in the most excited mood. Since I really wanted to eat there, Mom and Dad were very nice and said we could wait. Finally, another 45 minutes later of observing a very strange seating system, we got a table!
I went for the big one and ordered the brunch, which came with a ton of food including fruit, macaroons, pastries, and scrambled eggs! It was so good! I got a lemon, rose, and pistachio macaroon and I would have to say pistachio was the best, although lemon was good (the rose flavor was a little too life like, who wants to eat a flower?) Mom got a nice salad and Dad a big omlette. It was funny because I was flustered when ordering and got a glass of wine and water without realizing my meal came with coffee and juice, I had quite a large amount of beverages to choose from!
Anyway, I really liked the setting of Lauderee, it was very girl and like eating in the Plazza or a very fancy, girly treehouse! For me, it was a great morning and I think the rents liked it too!
We spent Saturday afternoon in the bohemian quarter of Paris that is in the North part of the city, Montemart. I had stayed there when I was with my friends, so I knew my way around to some extent! We trecked up the enormous stair case and hills to the top of the hill and saw the very impressive church Sacre Couer, as well as the spectacular view it offers of the city. We also went in the Church, it was interesting, it was Palm Sunday and mass was going on, but they still allowed visitors to walk along the edge.
From Church, we wandered around the streets of Montemarte and spent time in the main artist’s square which was bustling with people and artists drawing and painting and selling their work. Mom and I knew we wanted something authentic, and she got three little pieces from this really cute artist for the house. I kept going back to a really pretty picture of the Eiffel Tower in spring, and as I was debating buying it, Dad whipped out his wallet and paid the lady on the spot as a gift for me! It was so sweet and I know I will have it forever as a great memento! We also saw a café called Chez Eugene, and though of our Peeps! I took a pic of it for Nana!
After a glass of wine at a little outdoor café, we headed down to Pigalle, the area below the hill of Montemarte, otherwise known as the Red Light District. Dad wanted to check it out (haha awk I know, he was kidding) and since we had such a girly day before Mom and I agreed. Some parts were really gross and Dad even got propositioned to go in a club with a sketchy lady- ICK! Mom was shocked and appalled and wanted to get out of the area quick. We took pics in front of Moulin Rouge, which really I think is quite tacky, and then headed back up to Montemarte. We were so full from brunch that we just had a crepe (or for Dad an ice cream) from a street vendor. Of course I got banana nutella and it was awesome.
We headed back to the hotel and had a drink at the bar before retiring for the night! It was another great day in Paris!
Monday
On Monday, we went on an all day excursion to Mont St. Michel, which it turns out is the second most popular attraction in France, behind only the Eiffel Tower. We had to get up quite early, but a bus picked us up and took us to the meeting point. While we waited there for the bigger bus, we grabbed a croissant at a little café, which turned out to be one of the best pastries we had in Paris! It was a small consolation for the early hour I guess. We boarded the bus, which was quite big and comfortable and were off. We had thought the ride, Mont St Michel is off the coast of the border between the regions of Normandy and Brittany, was about 3.5 hours, but when we boarded we were told it was closer to 4-4.5. The ride was uneventful, but beautiful for awhile, until we hit an accident about halfway there. In the end the ride was close to six hours, and honestly it was not exactly fun! That is a long time to ride in a bus, and we just wanted to get there. Most who know my Dad know he is not exactly the most patient driver, but I thought he did a good job at not freaking out! Eventually though, we made it and went to our first stop, a restaurant that overlooks the Mont. Check out my pictures (when I put them up haha soon I promise) or google image it if you aren’t sure what it looks like, but it is basically an abbey and village on an island out at sea. It really looks like a fairy tale castle. When the tide comes up each day, the strip of road leading to the Mont is covered, and the only access is by boat! At the restaurant, we had a nice lunch overlooking the Mont which was cool! We sat with some interesting people, some Australian girls, and a couple from San Francisco with their little 2nd grade daughter, and had good conversation. One nice thing about these organized trips are the people you meet!
After lunch, we boarded the bus again for a short trip over to the actual island. We then had an about 1.5 walking tour, through the small village and then up to the top of the Mont to the abbey. The village was cute but a little bit touristy, I guess it makes sense though since they have so many visitors! The abbey was really interesting and despite the long day and the very tough climb to the top, I think we all three really enjoyed it. We saw the oldest chapel that existed in the Abbey which is normally closed but was somehow luckily unlocked for the day, it was built in 900! I also really liked the garden courtyard we saw that was very pretty and had a nice view of the sea. Our guide had a somewhat strange voice, but she did a good job informing us and I felt like I learned a lot! We didn’t have a ton of free time after the tour, but we were able to take walk around a little more, Dad and I explored and got some great pics. After an awkward encounter in a shop, when the lady got mad we didn’t buy 2 drinks so two of us could use the restroom, we boarded the bus and headed back. The drive was not as long (no accidents) but still quite a treck, we kept awake with some peanut MMs and salt and vinegar chips we picked up at a rest stop (so French I know).
Eventually, we got dropped off at the Arc and just wanted dinner! We were craving pizza and pasta, and were so hungry we just went in the first Italian place we saw, a cute place called Cesar’s nearby La Lorraine. It turned out to be one of our favorite meals! We had a really nice waiter who we chatted with quite a bit, and the food was divine, Dad had pizza and Mom and I pasta that was as good as any I had in Italy. Overall, it was just what we needed after a long day! Funny story, I have learned by now that everywhere in Europe, even the smallest, most random places, play American music, but Mom and Dad were still getting used to it! At Cesar’s Michael Jackson hits were just playing like crazy and we were all in the mood to grove. Haha, actually no but Dad did ask our waiter why that particular selection was playing and he told us the boss wasn’t there that night so he and the other waiters could play their music, and they of course picked MJ! He is huge over here, its so funny!
Tuesday
The next morning we were quite tired, and ended up sleeping in which was great! We made it out of the hotel around 11 with a plan to head to Versailles. On the way, I stopped in a cheesy souvenir shop to buy a memory card (I took so many pictures its crazy) and Dad almost got tricked into the classic Gold Ring Scam. Basically, a man picked up a ring in front of him, pretending he had just found it, and showed it to Dad to examine. Dad, being curious, was intrigued and looked at it with the man. Then the man tried to give Dad the ring and walk away, but only goes a few steps away before coming back and deciding he wants something in exchange for the ring! I think they also try to steal your wallet if you get it out! In the end, it was awkward and Mom and I only saw the second part, Dad was just having a puzzled look but realizing the man was sketch. In the end, I grabbed the ring from Dad, threw it on the ground, and said hurry and we quickly walked away. I was a hero! Haha ok, not really but Mom and I did joke with Dad for the rest of the trip about his love for gold rings. He may resign Gildea and Schmidt soon and try to start the scam in Towson. We later saw a women try to do the exact same trick in the same exact spot, it really is a business and if you lose your job you should look into it!
After avoiding the scam, we took the regional train to Versailles which was not too far at all, about half hour. Unfortunately, we tried to buy our tickets from the Conceirge, but he only had 2 and he assured us the line wouldn’t be too long and we could just get them there. Turns out, he was majorly wrong! We had to wait about an 1.5 hours to get our tickets. It wasn’t rainy, but it was sort of cold and the wait was kind of annoying. I was reading a good book Mom had brought me, so I was in my own world, but I know it was tedious for Mom and Dad with nothing to do! In the end though, we made it in to Louis XIV’s palace! It was so cool! Really, it was better than I expected. Every room was more ornate and over the top than the next, I cannot imagine how much gold and fine materials were used in the construction! Highlights included the Hall of Mirrors, which was super beautiful, and the King and Queen’s apartments. One lady what was going through near us was likely from New Jersey and at every single room or sight she would talk so loudly and almost be moaning about how great it is “OH MAH GAWD!!” she said. Dad later nicknamed her ‘orgasm lady’ and I thought it was pretty appropriate. She did provide comic relief though!
After touring through the chateau, we wanted to go to the world renowed gardens, but unfortunately it began to rain. This part of the day was perhaps our lowest point, I think we were all just frustrated with the weather, crowds, and lines. In the end, we waited it out a bit, did some shopping, and saw a bit of the gardens before calling it a day. We headed into the little town around the castle and warmed up with a hot chocolate and frites at a German themed café. We all relaxed a little and calmed down! Then we boarded the train to head home and had trouble with the ticket machine, but Mom saved the day and got it to work. On the walk up some stairs in the metro home Mom said the words that we teased her with the rest of the trip, “my legs are like lead!” She had to run up to catch the train with lead legs, but she made it! Dad and I were proud! Not the best conditions, but overall Versailles was great and I think we were all happy we went!
After we got back to the city, we changed at our hotel and then decided to go to dinner. On the way, I really pushed to go to the top of the Arc. I really wanted to go to the top of a monument at night and have a view of the city, and I knew the next day after Normandy we would be too tired. Mom with lead legs, and Dad with great hunger, were not too enthused but in the end decided it was the best idea to go right then before dinner. It was so cool though and turned out to be one of our highlights (I know I say that about everything but its true). The inside was really neat and had a cool exhibit, and the view from the top was amazing. We saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up and were even there on the hour when it flashed! Looking down Champs D’Elysee is also incredible and seeing all the cars and lights really makes you get Paris’ nickname! The 294 step climb to the top, which Mom and Dad both rocked, was so worth it! Sadly, I forgot my camera that night, but I was able to play around with mom’s settings and get some really nice pictures!
We then went to dinner at a place the concierge recommended called Chez Andre. It was a farther walk then expected, but was a cozy place that seemed very authentic. Our waitress was a very sweet older lady who only spoke French. When I asked her if the roast chicken or hamburger was better, she said the haammburgeeeer (with a great French accent) was tres tres bien, so we all three ordered it! It was very good and different than a US burger but the meat so fresh and delicious. We also got yummy desserts and wine, the waitress even split the profiteroles on two plates for Mom and I! We also chatted to a nice man sitting next to us (tables are often very close in France), he was a businessman from Lyon! We met a lot of great people on the trip, and I think Mom and Dad agreed with my idea that the French are very nice and friendly despite their stereotype! You just have to be friendly and respectful as well, and make some effort to respect their culture and language. If you do, they will open up and be quite welcoming. After dessert, we said enchante to the waitress and Lyon man and were off! Another great French meal and day.
Wednesday
Wednesday was another full day excursion and I am actually going to hold off on telling you all the details, in fact my Dad is going to do a guest post and fill you in! We went to the Normandy beaches and saw where our very own Pepa took part in the battle that freed France. It was one of my favorite days of the trip (probably of being abroad so far) and was both educational and moving. We went on a small tour in a minivan with only 2 other people, Kim and Kim, an aunt and niece pair from the US. The drive was a lot shorter and our guide, Pierre, was very knowledgeable, although Dad probably told us just as much or more than him! We saw the Pont de Hoc, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetary and Museum and the Caen memorial and museum. It was just overall a great day, but Ill let Dad tell you more of the details soon!
After the tour, we got back to Paris relatively early and went to dinner at a little restaurant we just stumbled upon in our neighborhood called Riva. The food was great and it had a nice atmosphere, we found out from the waitress the region we were in had a lot of offices, especially of avocats (French for lawyers), and many came to the place after work for a drink or bite! It was obviously good for Dad, he fit right in. Mom and I had roast chicken with mashed potatoes and salad and it was simple but so fresh and yummy. We talked a lot about our day at Normandy and made sure to toast Peeps (we used the line Nana said he used 'heres looking at you kid') both at dinner and when we had one last drink in the hotel bar before bed. We thought of getting Beefeter martinis, but decided we couldn’t stomach it, Mom and I had baileys instead!
Thursday was our last day in Paris and one of the nicest, weather and activity wise! It had been somewhat drizzly and sometimes windy during the week, although there were lots of patches of sunshine. Thursday, the sky was cloudless and so blue, it was perfect! We started off the day with our last Hilton breakfast and then spent the morning walking along the Champs D’Elysee and doing some shopping. Mom had some souvenirs she wanted to get, and we were able to find lots of nice gifts.
Then we went to the Hotel Invalides, what Dad had lost out on Saturday. Its an old military hospital that now houses Napoleon’s tomb and an army museum. Mom and I weren’t exactly excited, but Dad had been a good shopper so we went along with it. It actually turned out to be really cool and I know a highlight for Dad! The museum’s collection was pretty incredible, like the Louvre, you could of spent months in there. We visited the armor collections from the Middle Ages, as well as the WWI and WWII exhibits. We saw a ton of fascinating stuff, it was amazing how well preserved a lot of the pieces are. We also saw Napoleon’s tomb, which lies directly below a huge gold dome that can be seen throughout Paris. It is clear that even in death, he is a huge hero and symbol for many French. After the Invalides, we had lunch at a nice little café and then just explored the area between the Invalide and the Eiffel, which we had reservations to go to the top of at 5pm. We shopped some and ended up sitting in the Champs De Mars, the big tour below the Eiffel for awhile. Mom bought 30 Eiffel tour key chains from a lucky vendor (there are millions of them) to give to her class, I hope they liked them! Dad had the highlight of the trip when he watched a huge game of bocce ball being played by some cute old French men, Mom and I decided he wants to move to France and become one of them (maybe he could split his time between this and the gold ring scam). I strolled a little and found a perfect gift for my niece Gabby and my host family that I had been looking for, it was great! Then, we went to the top of the Eiffel at 5! We used the elevator (that’s what you can reserve) and although we still had to wait, it as only half hour instead of the 3 it would take without a reservation. It was really cool and the beautiful weather made it great. I had done it before with my friends, but being with my parents and being able to see a lot farther with the clear sky, made this time a lot more special! I was just a nice way to end our trip and we pointed out lots of things we had visited. Dad also proposed to Mom at the top which was pretty cute! In the end, we took the stairs down because the elevator system had a glitch and was very slow. Mom was a little hesitant (it is really high and scary) but she did fine and we all made it down! That night, we had dinner at an Italian place near our hotel, that was tasty and exactly what we needed, pretty quick and low key. The pasta was great, and we all got one last dessert, Dad had profiteroles and fell in love!
From there, we walked back to the hotel, got our stuff, and headed to the Hilton near the airport. I had a really early flight the next morning, and my parents was around noon, so it just made sense to stay closer. In bed, we recapped our trip, I used my notes as a basis for this blog.
Overall, the trip was amazing and just so special for me. I know I will always remember the week I spent in Paris with my parents, even when I am old and gray!!
We saw and did SO MUCH, it was amazing! We also just bonded and I feel like I learned a lot about both Mom and Dad as people! I love you guys and thank you so so so much!!
Ok, I am in Paris now waiting for my second flight to Prague! Ill do a post about Nice soon!
Hope everyone is well!
Care
But more on Nice and Prague and all of that later, now I want to tell you all about my trip to Paris with my parents, which was wonderful!!
It all started last Friday, which seems like an age ago. I had one class in the morning and was just so eager to get going, the morning seemed to drag on. I was carrying a ton of stuff (enough for 2 weeks of travel plus some things to give to my parents to take home plus a few gifts for them) and I was a hot mess when I had to run to catch the train from my house to Lux city. In the end I made it though and in Lux City boarded the fast TGV train to Paris. I was so eager and somewhat anxious that I couldn’t get myself to focus on reading (shocking I know), so I just listened to music and thought about the upcoming week on the two hour train ride. I got to Gare De L’est in Paris around 3:15 and got in line for a cab. Finally, around 4 I was dropped off at the Hilton Arc De Triomphe (which was so much nicer than any place I have stayed in Europe by far) and there they were waiting for me, Mom and Dad! I was so excited to see them, it was a great reunion!! We exchanged hugs and then headed upstairs to deposit my stuff. They told me that their flight had been good, but the journey from the airport to the hotel had been long and somewhat sketchy, they went with a cabby who turned out to not be official and he got pretty lost taking another couple to their hotel. In the end though, they arrived, took short naps, and grabbed a bite to eat near our hotel and then waited for me! I think the long journey had tired them out somewhat, and just being in the huge city made, as my Mom said, them feel slightly “overwhelmed.” They were really excited though, and all of us just were so happy to see each other!! In the room, I gave them some gifts I had gotten them in Italy (a tie for Dad, leather gloves for Mom, and a Venetian glass clock for the beach house for them both) and they loved them so that was nice! We then decided to venture out into the City of Lights!
We were staying about a 5-10 minute walk from one of Paris’ greatest landmarks, the Arc De Triomphe, a grand arch built by Napoleon in the early 19th century to honor the victories of his army. We headed in that direction and just drank in the scenery of the cute neighborhood/area we were in, as I chatted my head off about every and anything (pretty much did this the whole trip). Seeing the Arc for the first time is a really cool thing and I think my parents loved it! It is surprising how huge it is!! We were lucky enough to get there right at 5pm when the daily ceremony to honor the unknown soldier buried under the Arc is happening! We were able to watch and get some pictures which was cool! From the Arc, we walked down one of the most famous avenues in the world, Champs D’Elysee, which I think is just beautiful and probably one of my favorite places in the world. It is great for people watching and just has such a vibrant, beautiful feel. We walked quite a long way down, stopping at Concorde Place, the plaza with a 3,300 year old Egyptian Obelisk in the center, and the Tuliers gardens. Beautiful of course! Also, I should note the weather was beautiful on this day, blue skies and no rain in sight! I was so happy we got to take this nice walk and not get wet or too cold even!
In the end, we began to approach the Louvre (we really walked a long way!) and since it is open late and free for students on Fridays, we decided to visit right then!
The Louvre is so huge and has an enormous collection, I think the statistic is if you looked at every piece of art in there for 30 seconds, it would take something like 3 months to see it all! Obviously, we did not have that kind of time, but we saw the highlights in the wing that houses Greek and Roman sculpture, Italian Renaissance paintings, and the best of French art. To me, the building of the Louvre is the greatest masterpiece (in all honesty, I much prefer impressionist and modernist art), and the fact that the actually building used to be a palace is just astounding. I think Mom and Dad really liked seeing the building as well, and of course it was so neat for them to see the Mona Lisa and other famous works (Dad liked the Coronation of Napoleon painting which is quite well known). We spent about an hour and a half in the museum, and then the tiredness and jet lag began to set in, and Mom and Dad (as well as me) were ready to go relax.
We tried to get a cab back home, but quickly discovered getting a taxi in Paris on a Friday night is essentially impossible, and our attempt failed miserable. I think Mom and Dad were slightly hesitant to jump on the metro, but in the end we decided it was the best bet! They were amazed how easy and user friendly it was, it quickly became our preferred mode of transport in the city (in addition to walking of course which we did a ton of)! It was great and really shows what public transportation can be, too bad Baltimore is severely lacking in that department!
We thought of going to a neighborhood restaurant in our area, but were just too tired to try to locate one and still didn’t really have the bearings in our region, so in the end decided to eat in the hotel bar. Its funny because we all agreed later this was probably the worst (and also most expensive, how weird) meal of our trip! The Hilton was great and super nice, but the food was just overpriced and not the best (I guess that is what you get for eating in a hotel that caters to international tourists), at the time though, we were all starving and just wolfed down our food! We had some nice wine as well, and I did get a tart for dessert that I liked a lot!
We caught up a lot over dinner and I filled my parents in on my friends abroad, my roommates/host family, and my classes! So good to catch up for longer than 10 minutes on the phone or skype! After dinner we were exhausted though, and hit the hay pretty early!
Saturday morning we woke up and although Mom and Dad were still thrown off on the time, they felt somewhat rested and ready for a big day! We had breakfast each morning in the Hilton, and after months of surviving on lame hostel breakfasts on weekends and a meager portion of white bread from my host family during the week, I was greatly impressed by the spread the Hilton offered! My parents laughed at me when I filled up my plate with eggs, bacon, cereals, pastries, etc each day, but I knew I had to take advantage when I could, it was all delicious! I ate better this week, for all meals, then I had in forever, and it was so nice to just enjoy great food with my parents! I am so thankful for them for all they did!
Anyway, I stuffed my face, and Mom had her precious Coke-a-Cola Light (French for Diet Coke, sadly no Tab) and then we headed out!
In the morning, we went to Notre Dame and St. Chapelle Cathedrals. Notre Dame is of course very impressive and just one of those landmarks you have to see, I had not been inside on my previous trip so I was excited to enter the massive cathedral and check out all the ornate décor. Mom thought it was a little too dark for her style, but really enjoyed the pink toilet paper in the bathroom (haha this is a joke, she liked it of course and dad just made fun of her a lot for commenting on the tp’s color). There were some really weird street performers out in front of the plaza that made our experience unique, so weird! Also, mom fell for the old gypsy trick and when one asked her if she spoke English she said Yes, but was then smart enough to get away before the real con began, I was proud! Inside Notre Dame was really neat and I was glad to have seen it!
From there, we went to a much smaller and lesser known church my godfather Uncle Tom had recommended. It is called St. Chapelle and is located on the Ile de City (literally the island Paris originally started as) along with Notre Dame but inside the Palais De Justice complex where the Supreme Court of France resides. When we first got inside, we thought the little room we entered was the main one, and we were all a bit underwhelmed. Then we realized we had to walk up the stairs to enter the main chapel and it was just like a movie, as we all walked in and caught our first glimpse, we literally gasped, this was one of the only times I can recall a sight actually taking my breathe away! The chapel is completely covered in gorgeous stain glass windows, that are enormous and just beautiful! I really can’t describe how neat it is, except to say it was one of the favorite things all of us saw the whole week (and for me of all my travels). The stain glass tells the story of the Bible, and we were able to pick up info cards that told us what we were looking at on each panel, we walked through and tried to decipher each one, it was really cool. We stayed for awhile just taking it all in and taking as many pictures as possible. Then we bought an obscene amount of post cards from the gift shop, haha! Thanks, Uncle Tom, for the recommendation, I would pass it along to anyone- if you go to Paris, you must go to Saint Chapelle!
From there, we were getting hungry and decided to cross the Seine and visit the Left Bank, specifically the Latin Quarter, one of the traditionally younger, more hip and bohemian areas of Paris, for lunch. We grabbed a bite at a chain type bakery place called Paul, we had sandwiches and pastries which was delicious, the chocolate éclair we shared was to die for! We had to order completely in French, so that was interesting, I did it and was proud! After lunch, we strolled more around the Latin Quarter and just took it in, it is a really fun and pretty area, one of my favorite parts of the city I think. We saw one of the oldest and best Universities in France, La Sorbonne and then went to the Pantheon, a huge building designed like a Roman Temple that has been past back and forth between secular and religious purposes over its long history. Our tour book, “Top Ten Paris,” said it was one of the Top Ten Sites in the city, but we didn’t think it was that amazing. It had Foucault’s pendulum hanging all the way from the dome top to the floor, which swings and in doing so confirms the rotation of the Earth. Its sort of difficult to understand why this is (even more so to explain on a breezy travel blog so I wont try), but it was cool to see. We also saw the graves of lots of famous Parisian intellectuals including Voltaire, Rousseau, and Marie and Pierre Curie. We had wanted to go to the top, where there we supposedly great views of Paris, but the viewing room wasn’t open until April 1st. Overall, the Pantheon was interesting, but just ok. Dad liked it more than Mom, haha!
From there, we had to decide what to do with the rest of the day. We had a debate, Dad wanted to go the Hotel Des Invalides, which houses Napoleon’s tomb and an army museum, but Mom wanted a more relaxing option, a boat ride down the Seine. In the end, Mom won out! We headed to the Eiffel Tour (first we stopped in a cute store where mom bought a very fashionable scarf to go with her rain coat), took a few pics at its base, and then hopped on a shuttle which took us to the dock to board the boat. I have to say, I think we were all glad Mom had pushed for the boat ride, the weather held out and it was really clear and beautiful! It was one of our favorite activities for sure. You can get a really different perspective of the city from the water, and it opens up new viewpoints that you can get no where else. We saw all the main sites and just took it in on the hour and ten minute ride. I have great pictures that I promise to put up soon. We also had the honor of riding with a group of giggly American preteens wearing sweet “Paris Trip 2010” bright sweatshirts that I know Dad was really jealous of. Every time we went under a bridge, and Paris has a lot of bridges, they cheered. It was funny and provided comic relief (at least to me). The end of the boat ride got a little chilly, and afterwards it was getting pretty late, so we headed back to the hotel, although we did stop for a drink in a little café along the Champs D’Elysee! It was great people watching and Dad overheard a strange conversation about books that was weird!
That night began a series of wonderful dinners that were delicious and quite luxurious for me. Its not that I haven’t eaten well over here, but traveling on a student budget does limit my options to some degree and it had been quite sometime since I had a salad before a meal, or dessert after, or both, enjoyed fine wine, and didn’t check out the prices with great concern at a nicer place! It was great, thanks so much Mom and Dad!
Saturday, we went to a bistro near the L’Arc called La Lorraine (named after the region of France that is right next to Luxembourg) that was really good! Mom and I got quiche Lorraine, Dad had French onion soup, and then we all got steak and frites which was delicious! For dessert, I had the first of many of my new favorite- profiteroles- a French specialty that is essentially little pastries filled with vanilla ice cream, and then the whole thing is dunked in warm chocolate sauce! So good!
The wait staff was very nice at La Lorraine, and when they saw me translating the menu for Mom and Dad, they brought us English ones. The restaurant was super crowded when we were finishing up, around 10 pm probably- Mom and Dad got to see that it is true, Europeans eat quite late! At dinner, we talked a lot about my Hitler class and I learned a lot about WWII from Mom and Dad. They were, after all, both history majors and are quite the buffs!
Sunday
Sunday turned out to be quite a girl’s day, or at least morning and afternoon, but luckily Dad was a good sport about it! It started with the Musee D’Orsay, probably the second most famous museum in Paris, which houses works from 1850-1914 in an old converted railway station. I have been to a lot of museums over in Europe, and I have to say this was hands down my favorite. It was a combination of the actual art (the place has a huge collection of impressionists and post-impressionists like Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Van Goh) and the setting (the converted RR station makes it so unique and interesting), that made me love it so much! It was so cool to see some extremely famous pictures in real life, like Van Goh’s self portrait, Monet’s water lilies, and Renoir’s pictures of Paris. I just stared at it all in awe and took it in. Mom really liked it a lot as well, and Dad, who admits to being more of an ESPN buff than an art history one, enjoyed it even though it wasn’t his favorite! I picked up several prints of my favorite pieces that I am really looking forward to displaying when I return home!
After the museum, we had reservations for lunch/brunch at a very well known Parisian bakery and restaurant, Laduree. I had heard a lot about it from various friends and my French teacher, their macaroons are world famous and everyone raves about them, so I really wanted to go. Unfortunately, the line to get in Orsay made us behind schedule and I loved it so much I didn’t want to rush, so we ended up being late to our reservation by 45 minutes. (Strange side note, on the way we saw a statue to Thomas Jefferson right on the Seine, he was French Ambassador before being Pres and founding UVA! Pretty Cool huh?! We took some pics). We probably should of taken the metro or a cab, but we walked and it was rainy, so when they told us they had given our table up, we weren’t in the most excited mood. Since I really wanted to eat there, Mom and Dad were very nice and said we could wait. Finally, another 45 minutes later of observing a very strange seating system, we got a table!
I went for the big one and ordered the brunch, which came with a ton of food including fruit, macaroons, pastries, and scrambled eggs! It was so good! I got a lemon, rose, and pistachio macaroon and I would have to say pistachio was the best, although lemon was good (the rose flavor was a little too life like, who wants to eat a flower?) Mom got a nice salad and Dad a big omlette. It was funny because I was flustered when ordering and got a glass of wine and water without realizing my meal came with coffee and juice, I had quite a large amount of beverages to choose from!
Anyway, I really liked the setting of Lauderee, it was very girl and like eating in the Plazza or a very fancy, girly treehouse! For me, it was a great morning and I think the rents liked it too!
We spent Saturday afternoon in the bohemian quarter of Paris that is in the North part of the city, Montemart. I had stayed there when I was with my friends, so I knew my way around to some extent! We trecked up the enormous stair case and hills to the top of the hill and saw the very impressive church Sacre Couer, as well as the spectacular view it offers of the city. We also went in the Church, it was interesting, it was Palm Sunday and mass was going on, but they still allowed visitors to walk along the edge.
From Church, we wandered around the streets of Montemarte and spent time in the main artist’s square which was bustling with people and artists drawing and painting and selling their work. Mom and I knew we wanted something authentic, and she got three little pieces from this really cute artist for the house. I kept going back to a really pretty picture of the Eiffel Tower in spring, and as I was debating buying it, Dad whipped out his wallet and paid the lady on the spot as a gift for me! It was so sweet and I know I will have it forever as a great memento! We also saw a café called Chez Eugene, and though of our Peeps! I took a pic of it for Nana!
After a glass of wine at a little outdoor café, we headed down to Pigalle, the area below the hill of Montemarte, otherwise known as the Red Light District. Dad wanted to check it out (haha awk I know, he was kidding) and since we had such a girly day before Mom and I agreed. Some parts were really gross and Dad even got propositioned to go in a club with a sketchy lady- ICK! Mom was shocked and appalled and wanted to get out of the area quick. We took pics in front of Moulin Rouge, which really I think is quite tacky, and then headed back up to Montemarte. We were so full from brunch that we just had a crepe (or for Dad an ice cream) from a street vendor. Of course I got banana nutella and it was awesome.
We headed back to the hotel and had a drink at the bar before retiring for the night! It was another great day in Paris!
Monday
On Monday, we went on an all day excursion to Mont St. Michel, which it turns out is the second most popular attraction in France, behind only the Eiffel Tower. We had to get up quite early, but a bus picked us up and took us to the meeting point. While we waited there for the bigger bus, we grabbed a croissant at a little café, which turned out to be one of the best pastries we had in Paris! It was a small consolation for the early hour I guess. We boarded the bus, which was quite big and comfortable and were off. We had thought the ride, Mont St Michel is off the coast of the border between the regions of Normandy and Brittany, was about 3.5 hours, but when we boarded we were told it was closer to 4-4.5. The ride was uneventful, but beautiful for awhile, until we hit an accident about halfway there. In the end the ride was close to six hours, and honestly it was not exactly fun! That is a long time to ride in a bus, and we just wanted to get there. Most who know my Dad know he is not exactly the most patient driver, but I thought he did a good job at not freaking out! Eventually though, we made it and went to our first stop, a restaurant that overlooks the Mont. Check out my pictures (when I put them up haha soon I promise) or google image it if you aren’t sure what it looks like, but it is basically an abbey and village on an island out at sea. It really looks like a fairy tale castle. When the tide comes up each day, the strip of road leading to the Mont is covered, and the only access is by boat! At the restaurant, we had a nice lunch overlooking the Mont which was cool! We sat with some interesting people, some Australian girls, and a couple from San Francisco with their little 2nd grade daughter, and had good conversation. One nice thing about these organized trips are the people you meet!
After lunch, we boarded the bus again for a short trip over to the actual island. We then had an about 1.5 walking tour, through the small village and then up to the top of the Mont to the abbey. The village was cute but a little bit touristy, I guess it makes sense though since they have so many visitors! The abbey was really interesting and despite the long day and the very tough climb to the top, I think we all three really enjoyed it. We saw the oldest chapel that existed in the Abbey which is normally closed but was somehow luckily unlocked for the day, it was built in 900! I also really liked the garden courtyard we saw that was very pretty and had a nice view of the sea. Our guide had a somewhat strange voice, but she did a good job informing us and I felt like I learned a lot! We didn’t have a ton of free time after the tour, but we were able to take walk around a little more, Dad and I explored and got some great pics. After an awkward encounter in a shop, when the lady got mad we didn’t buy 2 drinks so two of us could use the restroom, we boarded the bus and headed back. The drive was not as long (no accidents) but still quite a treck, we kept awake with some peanut MMs and salt and vinegar chips we picked up at a rest stop (so French I know).
Eventually, we got dropped off at the Arc and just wanted dinner! We were craving pizza and pasta, and were so hungry we just went in the first Italian place we saw, a cute place called Cesar’s nearby La Lorraine. It turned out to be one of our favorite meals! We had a really nice waiter who we chatted with quite a bit, and the food was divine, Dad had pizza and Mom and I pasta that was as good as any I had in Italy. Overall, it was just what we needed after a long day! Funny story, I have learned by now that everywhere in Europe, even the smallest, most random places, play American music, but Mom and Dad were still getting used to it! At Cesar’s Michael Jackson hits were just playing like crazy and we were all in the mood to grove. Haha, actually no but Dad did ask our waiter why that particular selection was playing and he told us the boss wasn’t there that night so he and the other waiters could play their music, and they of course picked MJ! He is huge over here, its so funny!
Tuesday
The next morning we were quite tired, and ended up sleeping in which was great! We made it out of the hotel around 11 with a plan to head to Versailles. On the way, I stopped in a cheesy souvenir shop to buy a memory card (I took so many pictures its crazy) and Dad almost got tricked into the classic Gold Ring Scam. Basically, a man picked up a ring in front of him, pretending he had just found it, and showed it to Dad to examine. Dad, being curious, was intrigued and looked at it with the man. Then the man tried to give Dad the ring and walk away, but only goes a few steps away before coming back and deciding he wants something in exchange for the ring! I think they also try to steal your wallet if you get it out! In the end, it was awkward and Mom and I only saw the second part, Dad was just having a puzzled look but realizing the man was sketch. In the end, I grabbed the ring from Dad, threw it on the ground, and said hurry and we quickly walked away. I was a hero! Haha ok, not really but Mom and I did joke with Dad for the rest of the trip about his love for gold rings. He may resign Gildea and Schmidt soon and try to start the scam in Towson. We later saw a women try to do the exact same trick in the same exact spot, it really is a business and if you lose your job you should look into it!
After avoiding the scam, we took the regional train to Versailles which was not too far at all, about half hour. Unfortunately, we tried to buy our tickets from the Conceirge, but he only had 2 and he assured us the line wouldn’t be too long and we could just get them there. Turns out, he was majorly wrong! We had to wait about an 1.5 hours to get our tickets. It wasn’t rainy, but it was sort of cold and the wait was kind of annoying. I was reading a good book Mom had brought me, so I was in my own world, but I know it was tedious for Mom and Dad with nothing to do! In the end though, we made it in to Louis XIV’s palace! It was so cool! Really, it was better than I expected. Every room was more ornate and over the top than the next, I cannot imagine how much gold and fine materials were used in the construction! Highlights included the Hall of Mirrors, which was super beautiful, and the King and Queen’s apartments. One lady what was going through near us was likely from New Jersey and at every single room or sight she would talk so loudly and almost be moaning about how great it is “OH MAH GAWD!!” she said. Dad later nicknamed her ‘orgasm lady’ and I thought it was pretty appropriate. She did provide comic relief though!
After touring through the chateau, we wanted to go to the world renowed gardens, but unfortunately it began to rain. This part of the day was perhaps our lowest point, I think we were all just frustrated with the weather, crowds, and lines. In the end, we waited it out a bit, did some shopping, and saw a bit of the gardens before calling it a day. We headed into the little town around the castle and warmed up with a hot chocolate and frites at a German themed café. We all relaxed a little and calmed down! Then we boarded the train to head home and had trouble with the ticket machine, but Mom saved the day and got it to work. On the walk up some stairs in the metro home Mom said the words that we teased her with the rest of the trip, “my legs are like lead!” She had to run up to catch the train with lead legs, but she made it! Dad and I were proud! Not the best conditions, but overall Versailles was great and I think we were all happy we went!
After we got back to the city, we changed at our hotel and then decided to go to dinner. On the way, I really pushed to go to the top of the Arc. I really wanted to go to the top of a monument at night and have a view of the city, and I knew the next day after Normandy we would be too tired. Mom with lead legs, and Dad with great hunger, were not too enthused but in the end decided it was the best idea to go right then before dinner. It was so cool though and turned out to be one of our highlights (I know I say that about everything but its true). The inside was really neat and had a cool exhibit, and the view from the top was amazing. We saw the Eiffel Tower all lit up and were even there on the hour when it flashed! Looking down Champs D’Elysee is also incredible and seeing all the cars and lights really makes you get Paris’ nickname! The 294 step climb to the top, which Mom and Dad both rocked, was so worth it! Sadly, I forgot my camera that night, but I was able to play around with mom’s settings and get some really nice pictures!
We then went to dinner at a place the concierge recommended called Chez Andre. It was a farther walk then expected, but was a cozy place that seemed very authentic. Our waitress was a very sweet older lady who only spoke French. When I asked her if the roast chicken or hamburger was better, she said the haammburgeeeer (with a great French accent) was tres tres bien, so we all three ordered it! It was very good and different than a US burger but the meat so fresh and delicious. We also got yummy desserts and wine, the waitress even split the profiteroles on two plates for Mom and I! We also chatted to a nice man sitting next to us (tables are often very close in France), he was a businessman from Lyon! We met a lot of great people on the trip, and I think Mom and Dad agreed with my idea that the French are very nice and friendly despite their stereotype! You just have to be friendly and respectful as well, and make some effort to respect their culture and language. If you do, they will open up and be quite welcoming. After dessert, we said enchante to the waitress and Lyon man and were off! Another great French meal and day.
Wednesday
Wednesday was another full day excursion and I am actually going to hold off on telling you all the details, in fact my Dad is going to do a guest post and fill you in! We went to the Normandy beaches and saw where our very own Pepa took part in the battle that freed France. It was one of my favorite days of the trip (probably of being abroad so far) and was both educational and moving. We went on a small tour in a minivan with only 2 other people, Kim and Kim, an aunt and niece pair from the US. The drive was a lot shorter and our guide, Pierre, was very knowledgeable, although Dad probably told us just as much or more than him! We saw the Pont de Hoc, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetary and Museum and the Caen memorial and museum. It was just overall a great day, but Ill let Dad tell you more of the details soon!
After the tour, we got back to Paris relatively early and went to dinner at a little restaurant we just stumbled upon in our neighborhood called Riva. The food was great and it had a nice atmosphere, we found out from the waitress the region we were in had a lot of offices, especially of avocats (French for lawyers), and many came to the place after work for a drink or bite! It was obviously good for Dad, he fit right in. Mom and I had roast chicken with mashed potatoes and salad and it was simple but so fresh and yummy. We talked a lot about our day at Normandy and made sure to toast Peeps (we used the line Nana said he used 'heres looking at you kid') both at dinner and when we had one last drink in the hotel bar before bed. We thought of getting Beefeter martinis, but decided we couldn’t stomach it, Mom and I had baileys instead!
Thursday was our last day in Paris and one of the nicest, weather and activity wise! It had been somewhat drizzly and sometimes windy during the week, although there were lots of patches of sunshine. Thursday, the sky was cloudless and so blue, it was perfect! We started off the day with our last Hilton breakfast and then spent the morning walking along the Champs D’Elysee and doing some shopping. Mom had some souvenirs she wanted to get, and we were able to find lots of nice gifts.
Then we went to the Hotel Invalides, what Dad had lost out on Saturday. Its an old military hospital that now houses Napoleon’s tomb and an army museum. Mom and I weren’t exactly excited, but Dad had been a good shopper so we went along with it. It actually turned out to be really cool and I know a highlight for Dad! The museum’s collection was pretty incredible, like the Louvre, you could of spent months in there. We visited the armor collections from the Middle Ages, as well as the WWI and WWII exhibits. We saw a ton of fascinating stuff, it was amazing how well preserved a lot of the pieces are. We also saw Napoleon’s tomb, which lies directly below a huge gold dome that can be seen throughout Paris. It is clear that even in death, he is a huge hero and symbol for many French. After the Invalides, we had lunch at a nice little café and then just explored the area between the Invalide and the Eiffel, which we had reservations to go to the top of at 5pm. We shopped some and ended up sitting in the Champs De Mars, the big tour below the Eiffel for awhile. Mom bought 30 Eiffel tour key chains from a lucky vendor (there are millions of them) to give to her class, I hope they liked them! Dad had the highlight of the trip when he watched a huge game of bocce ball being played by some cute old French men, Mom and I decided he wants to move to France and become one of them (maybe he could split his time between this and the gold ring scam). I strolled a little and found a perfect gift for my niece Gabby and my host family that I had been looking for, it was great! Then, we went to the top of the Eiffel at 5! We used the elevator (that’s what you can reserve) and although we still had to wait, it as only half hour instead of the 3 it would take without a reservation. It was really cool and the beautiful weather made it great. I had done it before with my friends, but being with my parents and being able to see a lot farther with the clear sky, made this time a lot more special! I was just a nice way to end our trip and we pointed out lots of things we had visited. Dad also proposed to Mom at the top which was pretty cute! In the end, we took the stairs down because the elevator system had a glitch and was very slow. Mom was a little hesitant (it is really high and scary) but she did fine and we all made it down! That night, we had dinner at an Italian place near our hotel, that was tasty and exactly what we needed, pretty quick and low key. The pasta was great, and we all got one last dessert, Dad had profiteroles and fell in love!
From there, we walked back to the hotel, got our stuff, and headed to the Hilton near the airport. I had a really early flight the next morning, and my parents was around noon, so it just made sense to stay closer. In bed, we recapped our trip, I used my notes as a basis for this blog.
Overall, the trip was amazing and just so special for me. I know I will always remember the week I spent in Paris with my parents, even when I am old and gray!!
We saw and did SO MUCH, it was amazing! We also just bonded and I feel like I learned a lot about both Mom and Dad as people! I love you guys and thank you so so so much!!
Ok, I am in Paris now waiting for my second flight to Prague! Ill do a post about Nice soon!
Hope everyone is well!
Care
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