Ivy archways
Monet's house in the background
Pont Japonais
Water gardens
Water gardens
Monet's House
Dad and I in their apartment
Me and Mom in a Cafe
mardi 11 mai 2010
Parents and Giverny Pics
Ivy archways
Monet's house in the background
Pont Japonais
Water gardens
Water gardens
Monet's House
Dad and I in their apartment
Me and Mom in a Cafe
Parents in Paris and visit to Giverny
So sorry for the blog delay! I know that you have all been dying to know what I have been up to in Paris...I'm sure.
Anyway, the dynamic duo, Lee and Cathy Sacks, recently visited me in Paris for a little over a week. I had been waiting for this visit for months and was so nervous that the volcano would cancel their trip. However, things went over quite smoothly-despite my dad accidentally overdosing on sleeping pills and not remembering his first day here. Having my parents in Paris was extremely strange at first, kind of like a collision of my two lives at once. Aside from a few little spats and frustrations, we had an unbelievable time. They stayed with their good friends, Jill and Andrew, in an adorable apartment right off of Saint German Des Pres ( one of the best areas in Paris) and always had their fridge stocked with fresh food from the nearby market; hence I basically moved in for the week. I think I gained 7 pounds with them here for the week. We all ate like kings, vowing off caloric intake and "watch-what- I am-eating" lifestyles. We had a plethora of pastries, wines, cheeses, breads, etc. I actually wanted to die. One night, we attended an incredible ballet at the Opera-Garnier, one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris, in my opinion. Also, hearing about their experiences with Paris when they were here 30 years prior was fascinating. I am so happy that I got to share this city with them and learn the lives they lived here.
My mom (who stayed 2 days extra) and I shopped till we almost dropped, something that I had been looking forward to since day 1. It was always a dream of mine to be with my mom in Paris, not only to shop, but to take in the art and the beauty of this city, and of course the croissants :).
I miss them a lot and was a little thrown off when they left, but I have a good amount of homemade pumpkin bread and trail mix to satisfy my parent cravings until June.
As hard as it is for me to admit, I will be leaving Paris in less than 2 weeks. So, I have promised myself to do something touristy everyday in order to leave this city feeling like I missed nothing.
A few days ago, me and my friends, Ari, Katherine and Mair, took ourselves out to a 5 course meal for about 40 euros. Big spenders. It was a restaurant written up in the New York Times and sounded delicious. It was terrible. At least we tried and the night was enjoyable, despite a sub-par meal.
Yesterday, GW treated us to a trip to Giverny, the home of Monet. If I could pick one word to describe it, it would be extraordinary. It was like I was walking through one of his paintings. The colors were outrageous and mixed together with care. There must have been hundreds of different types of flowers, all unique and beautiful. My favorite was his water garden, where he painted the majority of his bridge paintings, such as Pont Japonais. We also got to visit his house and studio, both adorable. As Monet is one of my favorite painters ever, I was absolutely in heaven. I could not get enough of the gardens, the trees, it was actually unreal realizing that I was standing where he stood and taking in what he saw and created into art. And his kitchen was amazing, another plus for my crush on Monet.
I decided I need to stop being lazy and update this blog more, since my days are quickly dwindling. I will post pictures of my touristy activities and of all the delicious pastries I will be treating myself to these next two weeks. A bientot!
Brianna
Anyway, the dynamic duo, Lee and Cathy Sacks, recently visited me in Paris for a little over a week. I had been waiting for this visit for months and was so nervous that the volcano would cancel their trip. However, things went over quite smoothly-despite my dad accidentally overdosing on sleeping pills and not remembering his first day here. Having my parents in Paris was extremely strange at first, kind of like a collision of my two lives at once. Aside from a few little spats and frustrations, we had an unbelievable time. They stayed with their good friends, Jill and Andrew, in an adorable apartment right off of Saint German Des Pres ( one of the best areas in Paris) and always had their fridge stocked with fresh food from the nearby market; hence I basically moved in for the week. I think I gained 7 pounds with them here for the week. We all ate like kings, vowing off caloric intake and "watch-what- I am-eating" lifestyles. We had a plethora of pastries, wines, cheeses, breads, etc. I actually wanted to die. One night, we attended an incredible ballet at the Opera-Garnier, one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris, in my opinion. Also, hearing about their experiences with Paris when they were here 30 years prior was fascinating. I am so happy that I got to share this city with them and learn the lives they lived here.
My mom (who stayed 2 days extra) and I shopped till we almost dropped, something that I had been looking forward to since day 1. It was always a dream of mine to be with my mom in Paris, not only to shop, but to take in the art and the beauty of this city, and of course the croissants :).
I miss them a lot and was a little thrown off when they left, but I have a good amount of homemade pumpkin bread and trail mix to satisfy my parent cravings until June.
As hard as it is for me to admit, I will be leaving Paris in less than 2 weeks. So, I have promised myself to do something touristy everyday in order to leave this city feeling like I missed nothing.
A few days ago, me and my friends, Ari, Katherine and Mair, took ourselves out to a 5 course meal for about 40 euros. Big spenders. It was a restaurant written up in the New York Times and sounded delicious. It was terrible. At least we tried and the night was enjoyable, despite a sub-par meal.
Yesterday, GW treated us to a trip to Giverny, the home of Monet. If I could pick one word to describe it, it would be extraordinary. It was like I was walking through one of his paintings. The colors were outrageous and mixed together with care. There must have been hundreds of different types of flowers, all unique and beautiful. My favorite was his water garden, where he painted the majority of his bridge paintings, such as Pont Japonais. We also got to visit his house and studio, both adorable. As Monet is one of my favorite painters ever, I was absolutely in heaven. I could not get enough of the gardens, the trees, it was actually unreal realizing that I was standing where he stood and taking in what he saw and created into art. And his kitchen was amazing, another plus for my crush on Monet.
I decided I need to stop being lazy and update this blog more, since my days are quickly dwindling. I will post pictures of my touristy activities and of all the delicious pastries I will be treating myself to these next two weeks. A bientot!
Brianna
mercredi 21 avril 2010
Avignon Pictures
One of the wine caves we visited.
A random cafe-Avignon.
Vineyard we visited in Gigondas.
House in Gigondas.
Shutters-Avignon.
Palais des Papes.
Palais des Papes-Avignon.
C'est le printemps
The sun has finally arrived in Paris. It has been such a long wait that I had forgotten what the sun actually feels like and it took me by surprise. Paris is a different entirely in the spring. Not only is it more congested with tourists, it is also full of flowers, parks and gardens that I had never before noticed. I am actually taken aback at how beautiful it is. I walk everywhere I can now, as being outside and warm is such a treat. Although I have not yet bared my legs for fear of how white they are, the time is slowly approaching...
Two weeks ago I visited Provence (Avignon to be exact) for a GW school trip. The South has an entirely different feel and atmosphere than Paris. Not only is it quiet, the people and way of life is much more languid and free. The portions are bigger and they seem to enjoy eating in a different way. Like Paris, they appreciate good food, but they appreciate it in much bigger helpings and it is much richer and heartier. Avignon was very quaint and a bit touristy, but I adored it nonetheless. It was a very small town enclosed within an ancient stone wall used to keep enemy armies out. The shutters and buildings are very vibrant and covered in vines and old stones.
The first day we visited a very small museum that housed a random assortment of art, including furniture, vases, rugs, sculptures and paintings (it had 3 Degas', which I spent most of my time there admiring). After the museum we visited the Palais de Papes (the Pope's Palace), a massive stone church/castle built into a mountain. It was very overwhelming and rather cold, and all looked the same after a while. However, the view was breathtaking and it was worth seeing.
Basically I spent my entire 2 day trip eating delicious food and drinking a lot of wine. We went to 5 wine tastings in total, all located in different parts of the countryside. I could not get enough of the small villages built up into the hills or surrounded by endless stretches of vineyards. Everything there was so relaxed and slow, I felt as if I was dropped into another world that did not follow today's pace. I did love Avignon, but was ready to get back to Paris after being hazy and tipsy and extremely full for 2 days straight-the lifestyle was a bit too stagnant for me.
However, they did have excellent cheese and wine :).
Two weeks ago I visited Provence (Avignon to be exact) for a GW school trip. The South has an entirely different feel and atmosphere than Paris. Not only is it quiet, the people and way of life is much more languid and free. The portions are bigger and they seem to enjoy eating in a different way. Like Paris, they appreciate good food, but they appreciate it in much bigger helpings and it is much richer and heartier. Avignon was very quaint and a bit touristy, but I adored it nonetheless. It was a very small town enclosed within an ancient stone wall used to keep enemy armies out. The shutters and buildings are very vibrant and covered in vines and old stones.
The first day we visited a very small museum that housed a random assortment of art, including furniture, vases, rugs, sculptures and paintings (it had 3 Degas', which I spent most of my time there admiring). After the museum we visited the Palais de Papes (the Pope's Palace), a massive stone church/castle built into a mountain. It was very overwhelming and rather cold, and all looked the same after a while. However, the view was breathtaking and it was worth seeing.
Basically I spent my entire 2 day trip eating delicious food and drinking a lot of wine. We went to 5 wine tastings in total, all located in different parts of the countryside. I could not get enough of the small villages built up into the hills or surrounded by endless stretches of vineyards. Everything there was so relaxed and slow, I felt as if I was dropped into another world that did not follow today's pace. I did love Avignon, but was ready to get back to Paris after being hazy and tipsy and extremely full for 2 days straight-the lifestyle was a bit too stagnant for me.
However, they did have excellent cheese and wine :).
jeudi 1 avril 2010
My first French Seder
So as many of you know, Passover was this past week. Me being the responsible Jew that I am, totally forgot. However, not all was lost and I had the unique opportunity to partake in a traditional, Jewish, French Seder:
Last Saturday I got a call from an unknown number and on the other line was a french teenager named Rudy, who proceeded to tell me (in sort of broken English) that I would pass the holiday with him and his family. I realized that Rudy was the son of Alan Cohen's ( very good family friend from home) brother or sister. However, I had no idea what he was talking about-what holiday, what day, what family, etc. At the end of the call Rudy told me that I would be with him and his family Monday at 8 pm. Oh boy.
Me being the directionally challenged and "shit just happens to you", kind of person, made sure I left an hour to try and find this apartment in an area of Paris I had not yet been to. Surprisingly, I found my way with ease and with time left over to buy them a lovely bouquet of 4 daisies-the student special. As I found my way into the apartment building I realized Rudy did not tell me what floor he lived on or the number. Another lucky strike, I walked up to the first floor and chose the apartment with the mezuzah on the door. Bingo.
The apartment was beautiful and smelled of authentic Jewish cooking. Needless to say, I was so excited to have a home cooked meal in a house that had a TV and an actual couch to stretch out on. Three of the family members spoke some English, the rest only French. While the men were at Synagogue I got to watch a little Top Chef in French, another first time experience that I was secretly ecstatic about. There were 11 family members present, including three girls and three boys around my age. It was interesting conversing with the family members about the differences between America and France, how my family functioned, and what I was doing here. It was definitely a unique mix of franglish, hand gestures, and my lovely french. Another great surprise was the fact that they told me I spoke very good french and was at a great level-talk about news to me.
After my power hour of socializing, the men returned and we began our Seder. I knew I was in for a night when around 10 pm we were still not half way through the portion and some people were nodding off at the dinner table. It was such a fun, interesting experience to hear and read the story of Passover in French, and experience it in a traditional setting. Another fun twist was that they included me in the reading of the Hebrew (more like the part on the side where you sound it out) and the french translation of the Hebrew. Everyone was extremely kind and helped me when I stumbled through the Hebrew pronunciations. What I enjoyed most was the familial aspect of the dinner. It was your typical big, loud, loving Jewish family-except they were all yelling and teasing in French. Every member included me, made me feel welcome and took a genuine interest in my background and life.
Finally, 11:30 pm rolls around and we hit the last page of the Haggadah. At 11:30 and 30 seconds everyone jumped up, ran to the kitchen, washed their hands and brought out the food. Danielle (Rudy's mom) is from Tunisia and made a few traditional recipes. Without telling me what I was ingesting, they had me try a slimy, longish thing that was pretty chewy and like nothing I had ever tasted (cows stomach). I also had chicken pate, amazing eggplant salad and an omelet-quiche thing. Sadly, I had to catch the metro home at 12 am so I only got to taste the appetizers. Also, at that point I could not fathom eating dinner until 1:30 am, no matter how amazing it smelled. Overall, I loved my Passover Seder. Although it was long, it was genuine and engaging, and the sons took a very serious, keen interest on doing everything right. I cannot wait to go back (maybe for Shabat) and get my overdue home-cooked Jewish meal. Being typical Jews, they made me a "doggy bag" (that is what they call to-go boxes here in France) of food, snacks and lots and lots of matzah. They told me to come back any time and bring all my Jewish friends who spend holidays alone, because no Jew should ever be alone on a holiday-that was the lesson I learned that evening. I also felt a lot more confident in my french-speaking ability, as both me and the family were equally surprised at my reading and conversational skills.
This weekend is le weekend du Pâques (easter weekend). So I do not have school on Monday-hello 4 day weekend! All the boulangeries and chocolatiers have the most beautiful, sweet and ornate displays of chocolate and pastries. I literally cannot walk a block without stopping to take in the chocolate bunnies, turtles, chickens, eggs, sheep, etc. For me, this weekend is bittersweet, as it is my first time not celebrating with my family or getting an Easter basket (something I secretly look forward to and still get so excited about, just fyi mom). Thus, to counter my slight homesickness and loneliness, I plan on buying myself some beautiful, expensive, delicious Easter chocolate :). I will make sure to post pictures of some of the stores and what I buy.
Until then!
Love, Bri
Ps- I miss you mom and dad! Happy Easter
Last Saturday I got a call from an unknown number and on the other line was a french teenager named Rudy, who proceeded to tell me (in sort of broken English) that I would pass the holiday with him and his family. I realized that Rudy was the son of Alan Cohen's ( very good family friend from home) brother or sister. However, I had no idea what he was talking about-what holiday, what day, what family, etc. At the end of the call Rudy told me that I would be with him and his family Monday at 8 pm. Oh boy.
Me being the directionally challenged and "shit just happens to you", kind of person, made sure I left an hour to try and find this apartment in an area of Paris I had not yet been to. Surprisingly, I found my way with ease and with time left over to buy them a lovely bouquet of 4 daisies-the student special. As I found my way into the apartment building I realized Rudy did not tell me what floor he lived on or the number. Another lucky strike, I walked up to the first floor and chose the apartment with the mezuzah on the door. Bingo.
The apartment was beautiful and smelled of authentic Jewish cooking. Needless to say, I was so excited to have a home cooked meal in a house that had a TV and an actual couch to stretch out on. Three of the family members spoke some English, the rest only French. While the men were at Synagogue I got to watch a little Top Chef in French, another first time experience that I was secretly ecstatic about. There were 11 family members present, including three girls and three boys around my age. It was interesting conversing with the family members about the differences between America and France, how my family functioned, and what I was doing here. It was definitely a unique mix of franglish, hand gestures, and my lovely french. Another great surprise was the fact that they told me I spoke very good french and was at a great level-talk about news to me.
After my power hour of socializing, the men returned and we began our Seder. I knew I was in for a night when around 10 pm we were still not half way through the portion and some people were nodding off at the dinner table. It was such a fun, interesting experience to hear and read the story of Passover in French, and experience it in a traditional setting. Another fun twist was that they included me in the reading of the Hebrew (more like the part on the side where you sound it out) and the french translation of the Hebrew. Everyone was extremely kind and helped me when I stumbled through the Hebrew pronunciations. What I enjoyed most was the familial aspect of the dinner. It was your typical big, loud, loving Jewish family-except they were all yelling and teasing in French. Every member included me, made me feel welcome and took a genuine interest in my background and life.
Finally, 11:30 pm rolls around and we hit the last page of the Haggadah. At 11:30 and 30 seconds everyone jumped up, ran to the kitchen, washed their hands and brought out the food. Danielle (Rudy's mom) is from Tunisia and made a few traditional recipes. Without telling me what I was ingesting, they had me try a slimy, longish thing that was pretty chewy and like nothing I had ever tasted (cows stomach). I also had chicken pate, amazing eggplant salad and an omelet-quiche thing. Sadly, I had to catch the metro home at 12 am so I only got to taste the appetizers. Also, at that point I could not fathom eating dinner until 1:30 am, no matter how amazing it smelled. Overall, I loved my Passover Seder. Although it was long, it was genuine and engaging, and the sons took a very serious, keen interest on doing everything right. I cannot wait to go back (maybe for Shabat) and get my overdue home-cooked Jewish meal. Being typical Jews, they made me a "doggy bag" (that is what they call to-go boxes here in France) of food, snacks and lots and lots of matzah. They told me to come back any time and bring all my Jewish friends who spend holidays alone, because no Jew should ever be alone on a holiday-that was the lesson I learned that evening. I also felt a lot more confident in my french-speaking ability, as both me and the family were equally surprised at my reading and conversational skills.
This weekend is le weekend du Pâques (easter weekend). So I do not have school on Monday-hello 4 day weekend! All the boulangeries and chocolatiers have the most beautiful, sweet and ornate displays of chocolate and pastries. I literally cannot walk a block without stopping to take in the chocolate bunnies, turtles, chickens, eggs, sheep, etc. For me, this weekend is bittersweet, as it is my first time not celebrating with my family or getting an Easter basket (something I secretly look forward to and still get so excited about, just fyi mom). Thus, to counter my slight homesickness and loneliness, I plan on buying myself some beautiful, expensive, delicious Easter chocolate :). I will make sure to post pictures of some of the stores and what I buy.
Until then!
Love, Bri
Ps- I miss you mom and dad! Happy Easter
dimanche 21 mars 2010
Spring break photos-the week in reverse, Amsterdam-Morocco
Adorable dutch shutters-Amsterdam.
Bike/canal shot-Amsterdam.
Candid of Jimmy walking down the street-Amsterdam.
Another canal in Amsterdam.
Canal in Amsterdam.
dimensions of our Boatel in Amsterdam: sink, corner of bed to the right, wall to the left, suitcas in the middle of the floor of the room. And our lovely little window
Candid at la Sagrada-Barcelona
Another view of la Sagrada
La Sagrada Familia
Gaudi Museum
Cross at the top of Parc Guell
Chocolate stand in La Boqueria food market-Barcelona
Gaudi fountain in the Parc de la Ciutadella
Sculpture at the other end of the Arc-Barcelona
Arc de Triomf-Barecelona, Spain
Me on a camel!
Another candid at the Koutoubia Palace
Random stand in the Jewish area of Marrakech
Dried fruit and nut stand in the Souks
candid moment at La Koutounia Palace
Djemaa el Fna-main square in Marrakech where our riad was located.
samedi 20 mars 2010
A schmorgesborg of travel
Well this has been long over due.
Basically my life for the past three weeks has been an intense, exciting mix of places and people. So to save time and energy I am going to condense the past 3 weeks into a nice little summary.
Here we go:
Weekend of February 17th ( think that was a weekend, who knows):
I went and visited my friend, Sarah Paxton, in Scotland. She is studying in Sterling for a semester, which is right in the middle of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Basically I hit up Glasgow, Edinburgh and Sterling-the 3 major cities in Scotland-in two days. Just a tad exhausting. Edinburgh was definitely my favorite, for it housed a plethora of very old gothic buildings and cathedrals. Not to mention the Edinburgh castle which overlooks the entire city and more. The city is tightly wound around a kind of mountainy-cliff and had a lot of adorable historic streets and pubs. Overall, I loved Scotland-the people, castles and cathedrals were all extremely memorable. I was not a huge fan of the food, nor the freezing weather, but I am so happy that I finally got to visit it.
The next weekend was the start of my two week spring break where I visited Casablanca, Marakech, Barcelona, and Amsterdam. Just so I dont ramble on and lose you people I am going to break each place down into a little section.
Casablanca: We got there on the night of February 26th and immediately rejoiced at the warm night air. This was the first time we had been in a temperature over 40 degrees in months so we could not get over how amazing it felt. We were also met with the distinct smell of Africa- a bit moist, deserty, with a tinge of trash and tropical flowers. We stayed at a very cool hostel with unlimited mint tea (hollahhh) and an hysterical character of an owner. Casablanca was small and rather quiet, we were able to walk around most of it in a day. After a day and a half there we took a 3 hour train trip to Marakech. The train ride was interesting, as we were in the 2nd class and shared a cabin with two other Moroccan men. The ride reminded me of the train sequence from Slumdog Millionare; the interesting smells, crowded and loud cabins, and flashing Moroccan countryside. It was a pretty cool experience, despite the bathroom, which was like a shit box. Also, for some reason people in Morocco do not believe in supplying toilet paper-so basically you scrounged for whatever you had lying around in your purse, scraps of paper, receipts, etc. Yea.
Marrakech: In contrast to Casablanca, Marrakech was much more westernized and "with it". The train station even had a Starbucks and Burger King. Congratulations Starbucks for making it to Africa. Our riad (a homey type of hostel/ bed and breakfast) was located in the heart of the souks. The souks are a gigantic marketplace for tourists and locals alike, filled with leather bags, spices, shoes, knock-offs, food, jewelry, basically anything and everything. However, these souks were one of the most overwhelming experiences of my life. Vendors (basically all men) constantly yelled prices and discounts, or that they wanted to buy us for 12,000 camels...usual market dealings. After a few days I was completely exasperated from the souk and my nerves were frazzled beyond belief. I did make some pretty impressive bargaining purchases (Mary Lu, you taught me well), but for how much you put up with trying to navigate through the stalls it was almost not worth it. Other than the constant lewd comments from the Moroccan men and vendors, Morocco's culture was very unique. The women seemed to have no prominent place in society, everything was done by men. Overall, the food was satisfactory. We had two pretty amazing meals, but for the land of spices, the food was pretty bland. We did stumble upon this one restaurant that offered a 4 course meal for 80-100 dirham (8-10 dollars). That was SO delicious. I got chicken and couscous with raisins, salad, soup, bread, wine, fruit and coffee. It was one of the fullest I have ever been but so so worth it. We ended up going back the day after :). We also ended up riding camels for about 5 minutes just to say we did, the pictures from that adventure are pretty hysterical. After almost a week in Morocco we were ready for a new scene, our next destination-ESPAGNE!
Barcelona:
This was definitely my favorite stop on our adventure. It was probably because we spent the most time there and were able to relax. The food in Barcelona was delicious, despite the fact that I ended up getting terribly sick from eating bad sick-I couldnt be out of the bathroom for more than 5 minutes at a time for 2 days. Way gross. Despite that, everything was very fresh and flavorful. Right by our hostel there was a fresh food market with the most exquisite displays of fruit and chocolate I have ever seen. I have never seen so many colors and fruit juices combined in one location. Also, my sweet touch took over in Barcelona. I went to the candy store three times and the chocolate store my last day. The architecture, especially Gaudi's work was mesmerizing. Every aspect of the building was so intricate and beautiful. I went to the Picasso museum, which was interesting to see how his work and personality progressed and morphed throughout his career. I really liked his earlier work verses his more modern and recent ones. La Sagrada Familia was insane. It seemed like one of the wonders of the world. The towers loom over you in a way that they seem like they are bent over and looking down upon you. It is an eclectic combination of Christian architecture and complete randomness. The main thing I appreciated about Barcelona was it boldness in sculptures and architecture. Scattered around the city were random, extremely modern sculptures and more delicate, Renissance ones. I also fell in love with Sangria. Have not yet decided if this is a good or bad thing (as I have already taken a strong liking to red wine-I seem to become more like my mother with every turn).
Now onwards to Amsterdam, the most interesting location on my excursion. Jimmy and I landed at 12 am and did not make it into the city centre until 1:35 (there was a minor incident with a dire need for Burger King and the missing of the train. Obviously it was not my need for a chicken sandwich, but I am not going to go into that). Anyway, after we make it to the train station we began the hunt for our "boatel" (a hostel on a boat-another thing I am just going to let slide). After 20 minutes of walking along the river (freezing), we found our boatel and climbed in. Our first hint should have been that there was about an inch or two between each room door. But, given the fact that it was past 2 am and we were tired, cold and pissed off at each other over the chicken sandwich incident, we happened to miss that little detail. Opening the door to our room was a shock, to say the least. There were two mini bunk-beds, a sink and a tiny little portel window. Our suitcases and our selves almost did not fit into the room, let alone Jimmy could touch all 6 sides of the room by stretching out his arms and leg. Basically I curled up in bed with my clothes on, pulled the covers over my head, and died a little inside. We checked out the next morning.
Despite the rough start we found a cozy little hotel about 3 blocks down from our lovely boatel paradise and started the vacation fresh. We visited Anne Frank's house, which was extremely moving and fascinating. I really enjoyed the canals, tiny houses and quaint neighborhoods of Amsterdam. However, I quickly began to detest all the prostitutes and weed cafes. I understand it is a part of the culture and that weed is great in a lot of aspects, but after the first day I was itching to avoid it. The one thing I did consistently in Amsterdam was eat. Perhaps it was due to my pent up anxiety over all the vaginas I was seeing and weed clouds I was walking through, or the food just happened to be delicious and constantly in my face, or a little bit of both. Either way, I had scrumptious Chinese food, fries, waffles, brownies (a few different kinds), pancakes, etc. After the few days in Amsterdam I was more than ready to head back to Paris. Do not get me wrong, I loved Amsterdam (mostly outside the red light district), but after the coldness of that city and 2 weeks of traveling, my nerves were about to explode.
So after all of that, I made it home to Paris in one piece. A few days later, Sarah and some of her friends, visited me in Paris. Sadly, she is leaving today after an intense, tourist packed weekend. Needless to say, I am excited to ease back into my routine and Paris groove, especially with the constant increase of the temperature and taste of the sunlight.
All for now!
Love Bri
Basically my life for the past three weeks has been an intense, exciting mix of places and people. So to save time and energy I am going to condense the past 3 weeks into a nice little summary.
Here we go:
Weekend of February 17th ( think that was a weekend, who knows):
I went and visited my friend, Sarah Paxton, in Scotland. She is studying in Sterling for a semester, which is right in the middle of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Basically I hit up Glasgow, Edinburgh and Sterling-the 3 major cities in Scotland-in two days. Just a tad exhausting. Edinburgh was definitely my favorite, for it housed a plethora of very old gothic buildings and cathedrals. Not to mention the Edinburgh castle which overlooks the entire city and more. The city is tightly wound around a kind of mountainy-cliff and had a lot of adorable historic streets and pubs. Overall, I loved Scotland-the people, castles and cathedrals were all extremely memorable. I was not a huge fan of the food, nor the freezing weather, but I am so happy that I finally got to visit it.
The next weekend was the start of my two week spring break where I visited Casablanca, Marakech, Barcelona, and Amsterdam. Just so I dont ramble on and lose you people I am going to break each place down into a little section.
Casablanca: We got there on the night of February 26th and immediately rejoiced at the warm night air. This was the first time we had been in a temperature over 40 degrees in months so we could not get over how amazing it felt. We were also met with the distinct smell of Africa- a bit moist, deserty, with a tinge of trash and tropical flowers. We stayed at a very cool hostel with unlimited mint tea (hollahhh) and an hysterical character of an owner. Casablanca was small and rather quiet, we were able to walk around most of it in a day. After a day and a half there we took a 3 hour train trip to Marakech. The train ride was interesting, as we were in the 2nd class and shared a cabin with two other Moroccan men. The ride reminded me of the train sequence from Slumdog Millionare; the interesting smells, crowded and loud cabins, and flashing Moroccan countryside. It was a pretty cool experience, despite the bathroom, which was like a shit box. Also, for some reason people in Morocco do not believe in supplying toilet paper-so basically you scrounged for whatever you had lying around in your purse, scraps of paper, receipts, etc. Yea.
Marrakech: In contrast to Casablanca, Marrakech was much more westernized and "with it". The train station even had a Starbucks and Burger King. Congratulations Starbucks for making it to Africa. Our riad (a homey type of hostel/ bed and breakfast) was located in the heart of the souks. The souks are a gigantic marketplace for tourists and locals alike, filled with leather bags, spices, shoes, knock-offs, food, jewelry, basically anything and everything. However, these souks were one of the most overwhelming experiences of my life. Vendors (basically all men) constantly yelled prices and discounts, or that they wanted to buy us for 12,000 camels...usual market dealings. After a few days I was completely exasperated from the souk and my nerves were frazzled beyond belief. I did make some pretty impressive bargaining purchases (Mary Lu, you taught me well), but for how much you put up with trying to navigate through the stalls it was almost not worth it. Other than the constant lewd comments from the Moroccan men and vendors, Morocco's culture was very unique. The women seemed to have no prominent place in society, everything was done by men. Overall, the food was satisfactory. We had two pretty amazing meals, but for the land of spices, the food was pretty bland. We did stumble upon this one restaurant that offered a 4 course meal for 80-100 dirham (8-10 dollars). That was SO delicious. I got chicken and couscous with raisins, salad, soup, bread, wine, fruit and coffee. It was one of the fullest I have ever been but so so worth it. We ended up going back the day after :). We also ended up riding camels for about 5 minutes just to say we did, the pictures from that adventure are pretty hysterical. After almost a week in Morocco we were ready for a new scene, our next destination-ESPAGNE!
Barcelona:
This was definitely my favorite stop on our adventure. It was probably because we spent the most time there and were able to relax. The food in Barcelona was delicious, despite the fact that I ended up getting terribly sick from eating bad sick-I couldnt be out of the bathroom for more than 5 minutes at a time for 2 days. Way gross. Despite that, everything was very fresh and flavorful. Right by our hostel there was a fresh food market with the most exquisite displays of fruit and chocolate I have ever seen. I have never seen so many colors and fruit juices combined in one location. Also, my sweet touch took over in Barcelona. I went to the candy store three times and the chocolate store my last day. The architecture, especially Gaudi's work was mesmerizing. Every aspect of the building was so intricate and beautiful. I went to the Picasso museum, which was interesting to see how his work and personality progressed and morphed throughout his career. I really liked his earlier work verses his more modern and recent ones. La Sagrada Familia was insane. It seemed like one of the wonders of the world. The towers loom over you in a way that they seem like they are bent over and looking down upon you. It is an eclectic combination of Christian architecture and complete randomness. The main thing I appreciated about Barcelona was it boldness in sculptures and architecture. Scattered around the city were random, extremely modern sculptures and more delicate, Renissance ones. I also fell in love with Sangria. Have not yet decided if this is a good or bad thing (as I have already taken a strong liking to red wine-I seem to become more like my mother with every turn).
Now onwards to Amsterdam, the most interesting location on my excursion. Jimmy and I landed at 12 am and did not make it into the city centre until 1:35 (there was a minor incident with a dire need for Burger King and the missing of the train. Obviously it was not my need for a chicken sandwich, but I am not going to go into that). Anyway, after we make it to the train station we began the hunt for our "boatel" (a hostel on a boat-another thing I am just going to let slide). After 20 minutes of walking along the river (freezing), we found our boatel and climbed in. Our first hint should have been that there was about an inch or two between each room door. But, given the fact that it was past 2 am and we were tired, cold and pissed off at each other over the chicken sandwich incident, we happened to miss that little detail. Opening the door to our room was a shock, to say the least. There were two mini bunk-beds, a sink and a tiny little portel window. Our suitcases and our selves almost did not fit into the room, let alone Jimmy could touch all 6 sides of the room by stretching out his arms and leg. Basically I curled up in bed with my clothes on, pulled the covers over my head, and died a little inside. We checked out the next morning.
Despite the rough start we found a cozy little hotel about 3 blocks down from our lovely boatel paradise and started the vacation fresh. We visited Anne Frank's house, which was extremely moving and fascinating. I really enjoyed the canals, tiny houses and quaint neighborhoods of Amsterdam. However, I quickly began to detest all the prostitutes and weed cafes. I understand it is a part of the culture and that weed is great in a lot of aspects, but after the first day I was itching to avoid it. The one thing I did consistently in Amsterdam was eat. Perhaps it was due to my pent up anxiety over all the vaginas I was seeing and weed clouds I was walking through, or the food just happened to be delicious and constantly in my face, or a little bit of both. Either way, I had scrumptious Chinese food, fries, waffles, brownies (a few different kinds), pancakes, etc. After the few days in Amsterdam I was more than ready to head back to Paris. Do not get me wrong, I loved Amsterdam (mostly outside the red light district), but after the coldness of that city and 2 weeks of traveling, my nerves were about to explode.
So after all of that, I made it home to Paris in one piece. A few days later, Sarah and some of her friends, visited me in Paris. Sadly, she is leaving today after an intense, tourist packed weekend. Needless to say, I am excited to ease back into my routine and Paris groove, especially with the constant increase of the temperature and taste of the sunlight.
All for now!
Love Bri
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