If you had told me a year ago that I would be exploring the streets of London on a daily basis, I’d have laughed in your face. I didn’t plan to study abroad. It was too expensive, too far away (I hadn’t even ever been on a plane), and most of the people I knew who wanted to travel had been planning practically since the day they started college. It just wasn’t for me, and that was that. But a series of events in my life during sophomore year forced me to start looking at the world with wider eyes. Suddenly, I was more curious, more daring, and really, really kicking myself for not making plans to study abroad. It came as a lucky coincidence that SU Abroad decided to extend the application deadline for the fall, and when a friend told me of this, I took it as a sign. Literally the next day, I rushed to the office, submitted my application, and the rest is history. The summer was a blur of work and preparations for my big adventure. And when I finally stepped on that plane in August, nervous, excited, and downright giddy, little did I know that I’d be coming back a changed person.
Coming over here, I didn’t know anyone. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone for once, and moving to London took me about 3400 miles out of it. Kind of a drastic step, I know. But I was ready for something big. I came to London with an open mind, ready to learn as much as I possibly could about the city, about the culture, about the history, and most of all, about myself. I vowed to do whatever it took to get the most out of this opportunity. And looking back on the whirlwind that has been the last three months, I can confidently say that living in London has truly been the best experience of my life.
If I could choose one lesson I’ve gained from living here, it would be that appreciating the little moments in life is what’s most important. London, to me, isn’t about sightseeing, shopping, or even the terrible exchange rate. It’s finding an overlooked side street with a charming little café on it, or enjoying a sandwich in the park; it’s meeting a friend for a drink in the evening, or finding the spots with a view (the London Eye doesn’t count); it’s a smile from a stranger on the street, or haggling for a deal at the market. It’s the things that make you feel like you’re somebody, because it is so easy to lose sight of yourself in such a big place.
In the end, it’s really not always about where you are, but who you’re with that makes the biggest difference. The whole SU London community is very close-knit—everyone knows one another and says hello if we pass on the street—quite a change from the hustle and bustle of the big school that I’m used to. But because of the openness of the people who are here, for the first time I felt like I was important, that what I think really matters, and that the experiences that I have here are of true interest to those around me. And I’ve made some really, really great friends. The memories that I’ve shared with the people here are ones I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
I came to London as a sheltered, shy and confused individual, and I am proud to say I am leaving as a confident, cultured and determined woman. I’ve done more things in the past three months that I never dreamed I would have had the opportunity to in my life. Pushing myself to limits I never thought possible has showed me that I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to. Thanks to this experience, I’m a girl who has fallen in love with the world, and I can’t wait to see where my journey takes me next.
http://www.syracuse-u.ac.uk/catalyst-prize.html
28 November 2007
27 November 2007
paris: "go with the devil"
bonjour!
I have to say of all the cities I've visited so far, Paris tops my list (aside from London, of course).
We departed from the brand new St. Pancras Station on Thursday evening and arrived in Paris 2 hours and 15 minutes later, a record in Eurostar travel. After a short walk to our accommodation at the Hotel Victoria, we no more than set our things down and immediately went in search of our first crepe of the trip. I have been holding out for Paris and haven't bought a single crepe, despite all the temptations in various countries this semester. We stopped at a decent looking cafe nearby and I ordered a crepe with "banane e coco," thinking coco meant chocolate. But the language barrier strikes again! "Coco" means coconut... I HATE coconut! Unfortunately, my first crepe of the trip was a bust. But c'est la vie, as the French say...
Friday we set off bright and early for sightseeing on the coach. I definitely made the right decision choosing to travel to Paris on the school trip, rather than alone because there is no way I could have done as much as we did on my own. Our major destination for Friday was the Palace of Versailles (what up, Marie Antoinette??), but on the way there we made stops at the Arch of Mankind (the modern mirror image of the Arc de Triomphe) and the Villa de Savoye (an architectural landmark by Le Corbusier)... definitely two things I never would have thought to do, but I'm very glad I got the opportunity to visit. When we finally got to Versailles, Melissa (my partner in crime for the weekend) and I were jumping for joy because we are both completely obsessed with the Marie Antoinette movie. Big surprise, there was SCAFFOLDING on it. One of my friends said she's going to make a photo album called Europe: Under Construction because literally, every major landmark I have seen since travelling has had some sort of scaffolding on it. I know it's the off season, but really, every landmark?? Unnecessary... scaffolding has officially made it onto my very short list of pet peeves, along with slow walkers, big crowds, and people who walk in front of my camera when it's very obvious that I'm trying to take a picture. But I digress...
Versailles was beautiful. I was obsessing over Marie Antoinette's bedroom, which was decorated with this gorgeous flower wallpaper. The Hall of Mirrors was equally as stunning, and the chapel when you entered the palace was decorated with the most gorgeous murals. We had a really great tour guide named Norman, who is a professor at Faraday, and he is just absolutely the most energetic old man I have ever met in my life, and completely offensive all around, but you just can't help but love him. As we're standing in the chapel, he was talking about the mural above the altar, and suddenly reveals that he thinks the way Jesus is painted makes him look like a "striptease dancer." Everyone's head turned like, what?? did you really just compare Jesus to a stripper?? Hilarious. We also got to tour the gardens outside the palace which were amazing, and HUGE... it took us a good 15 minutes to walk down to the lower pond and that wasn't even the farthest one. I only wish we could've spent more time there because I really would have loved to see Marie Antoinette's cottage, but I guess I will save that for my next trip to Paris.
arch of mankind.
villa de savoye.
marie antoinette's bedroom.
in the gardens.
I have to say of all the cities I've visited so far, Paris tops my list (aside from London, of course).
We departed from the brand new St. Pancras Station on Thursday evening and arrived in Paris 2 hours and 15 minutes later, a record in Eurostar travel. After a short walk to our accommodation at the Hotel Victoria, we no more than set our things down and immediately went in search of our first crepe of the trip. I have been holding out for Paris and haven't bought a single crepe, despite all the temptations in various countries this semester. We stopped at a decent looking cafe nearby and I ordered a crepe with "banane e coco," thinking coco meant chocolate. But the language barrier strikes again! "Coco" means coconut... I HATE coconut! Unfortunately, my first crepe of the trip was a bust. But c'est la vie, as the French say...
Friday we set off bright and early for sightseeing on the coach. I definitely made the right decision choosing to travel to Paris on the school trip, rather than alone because there is no way I could have done as much as we did on my own. Our major destination for Friday was the Palace of Versailles (what up, Marie Antoinette??), but on the way there we made stops at the Arch of Mankind (the modern mirror image of the Arc de Triomphe) and the Villa de Savoye (an architectural landmark by Le Corbusier)... definitely two things I never would have thought to do, but I'm very glad I got the opportunity to visit. When we finally got to Versailles, Melissa (my partner in crime for the weekend) and I were jumping for joy because we are both completely obsessed with the Marie Antoinette movie. Big surprise, there was SCAFFOLDING on it. One of my friends said she's going to make a photo album called Europe: Under Construction because literally, every major landmark I have seen since travelling has had some sort of scaffolding on it. I know it's the off season, but really, every landmark?? Unnecessary... scaffolding has officially made it onto my very short list of pet peeves, along with slow walkers, big crowds, and people who walk in front of my camera when it's very obvious that I'm trying to take a picture. But I digress...
Versailles was beautiful. I was obsessing over Marie Antoinette's bedroom, which was decorated with this gorgeous flower wallpaper. The Hall of Mirrors was equally as stunning, and the chapel when you entered the palace was decorated with the most gorgeous murals. We had a really great tour guide named Norman, who is a professor at Faraday, and he is just absolutely the most energetic old man I have ever met in my life, and completely offensive all around, but you just can't help but love him. As we're standing in the chapel, he was talking about the mural above the altar, and suddenly reveals that he thinks the way Jesus is painted makes him look like a "striptease dancer." Everyone's head turned like, what?? did you really just compare Jesus to a stripper?? Hilarious. We also got to tour the gardens outside the palace which were amazing, and HUGE... it took us a good 15 minutes to walk down to the lower pond and that wasn't even the farthest one. I only wish we could've spent more time there because I really would have loved to see Marie Antoinette's cottage, but I guess I will save that for my next trip to Paris.
arch of mankind.
villa de savoye.
marie antoinette's bedroom.
in the gardens.After Versailles we headed back to central Paris and made a stop at Napoleon's Tomb, but it was CLOSED! Paris happened to be on strike that weekend, so the metro was closed down and because of that, a few things we had planned to visit were closed as well. The outside was pretty, at least!
By this point in the evening, it was absolutely freezing outside. But we ended our tour by the Eiffel Tower, so we could spend some time there and go to the top of it. After about an hour-long wait, we finally got on an elevator and began our ascent. You don't realize looking at the Tower just how high it is. But we were in the elevator for a good 7-10 minutes just going up, and up, and up. We finally reach the top and it is breathtaking! I've been to the top of some pretty tall buildings since visiting Europe, and I'm big on getting the scenic views, and this was, hands down, the best one. After taking about a million pictures, we decided it was time to head down, but not without incident. As I said, it was freezing in Paris, and at the top of the Eiffel Tower, you can imagine how much colder it was. I would put it at a good -10 degrees... it could have snowed up there, and I didn't have gloves on. Needless to say, I couldn't feel my hands or any of my extremities for that matter, and thus, dropped my camera. And suddenly, my world stopped. There I was, on top of one of the most famous structures in the world, looking down on one of the most beautiful cities of the world, and I had all I could do not to burst into tears at my mistake. But I kept composed and told myself it was just a material object, and made my way back down the tower, mildly depressed but thankful I at least got some pictures while I could. We then set out to visit the Louvre since it's free for students on Friday nights, but of course we had to stop to take pictures in front of the Tower at night. And just like magic, it started sparkling! It was beautiful.
eiffel tower, no big deal.
the sunset over Paris as seen from the Tower.
Our walk to the Louvre took much longer than expected (the map was very deceiving), so once we arrived we had minimal time to see much, so we headed straight for the Mona Lisa (I though it would be bigger) and Napoleon's crown jewels (they looked pasted on... I'm such a brat) but that was about all we had time for before they started kicking everyone out. Bummer that I was on a budget because that is probably the most famous art museum in the world and I didn't really have time the rest of the trip to go back.
Back at the hotel, we tried again at the crepe issue and this time I was a little more lucky. I was dying for some real food so I tried a crepe with egg and cheese and it was pretty good, until I started getting sick of egg and cheese... But anyway, the best part of the night! My roommate Carolyn felt bad that I dropped my camera and so she asked to look at it and I was just like, "yeah, ok its broken anyway do what you want with it," and just kind of tossed it to her. She no more than touched it and it was fixed!! Albeit a little broken part on the front, the camera was back to perfectly funtioning condition... I was literally jumping up and down with happiness. That camera is my baby. I think I couldn't get it fixed at first because it was so cold and the camera needed to warm up a bit. Needless to say I went to bed a happy camper.
Saturday morning we opted for a walking tour of Central Paris, ending at Notre Dame Cathedral. Quasimodo was nowhere in sight, but stormin' Norman pointed out that the statues on the lower half of the outside of the building (the ones that are supposed to be in hell) look like they were having a lot more fun than the ones up north, so we should "go with the devil." Just another friendly piece of advice.
notre dame
By this point in the evening, it was absolutely freezing outside. But we ended our tour by the Eiffel Tower, so we could spend some time there and go to the top of it. After about an hour-long wait, we finally got on an elevator and began our ascent. You don't realize looking at the Tower just how high it is. But we were in the elevator for a good 7-10 minutes just going up, and up, and up. We finally reach the top and it is breathtaking! I've been to the top of some pretty tall buildings since visiting Europe, and I'm big on getting the scenic views, and this was, hands down, the best one. After taking about a million pictures, we decided it was time to head down, but not without incident. As I said, it was freezing in Paris, and at the top of the Eiffel Tower, you can imagine how much colder it was. I would put it at a good -10 degrees... it could have snowed up there, and I didn't have gloves on. Needless to say, I couldn't feel my hands or any of my extremities for that matter, and thus, dropped my camera. And suddenly, my world stopped. There I was, on top of one of the most famous structures in the world, looking down on one of the most beautiful cities of the world, and I had all I could do not to burst into tears at my mistake. But I kept composed and told myself it was just a material object, and made my way back down the tower, mildly depressed but thankful I at least got some pictures while I could. We then set out to visit the Louvre since it's free for students on Friday nights, but of course we had to stop to take pictures in front of the Tower at night. And just like magic, it started sparkling! It was beautiful.
eiffel tower, no big deal.
the sunset over Paris as seen from the Tower.Our walk to the Louvre took much longer than expected (the map was very deceiving), so once we arrived we had minimal time to see much, so we headed straight for the Mona Lisa (I though it would be bigger) and Napoleon's crown jewels (they looked pasted on... I'm such a brat) but that was about all we had time for before they started kicking everyone out. Bummer that I was on a budget because that is probably the most famous art museum in the world and I didn't really have time the rest of the trip to go back.
Back at the hotel, we tried again at the crepe issue and this time I was a little more lucky. I was dying for some real food so I tried a crepe with egg and cheese and it was pretty good, until I started getting sick of egg and cheese... But anyway, the best part of the night! My roommate Carolyn felt bad that I dropped my camera and so she asked to look at it and I was just like, "yeah, ok its broken anyway do what you want with it," and just kind of tossed it to her. She no more than touched it and it was fixed!! Albeit a little broken part on the front, the camera was back to perfectly funtioning condition... I was literally jumping up and down with happiness. That camera is my baby. I think I couldn't get it fixed at first because it was so cold and the camera needed to warm up a bit. Needless to say I went to bed a happy camper.
Saturday morning we opted for a walking tour of Central Paris, ending at Notre Dame Cathedral. Quasimodo was nowhere in sight, but stormin' Norman pointed out that the statues on the lower half of the outside of the building (the ones that are supposed to be in hell) look like they were having a lot more fun than the ones up north, so we should "go with the devil." Just another friendly piece of advice.
notre dameWe had a bit of free time in the afternoon, so Melissa and I opted to do a bit of window shopping at the famous Galleries Lafayette, a HUGE department store in downtown Paris. We did give in and make a stop at Sephora (which IS French, I might add) and I kind of, sort of bought some French perfume for myself but it was a decent deal and it smells delicious!
After our afternoon off, we stopped for dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, but I couldn't read anything on the menu except "poulet et frites," aka chicken and fries, so I got that... again, language barrier. Some of my friends were brave and ordered escargot. I had the chance to try it but something about eating something that is slimy and resembles a slug is just not appealing to me, I don't know why.
Finally, Saturday night, the night of the surprise we've been dying to find out about all semester! The metro was still on strike so we ended up having to walk 45 minutes to the secret location and we were all praying that it was going to be worth it. We rounded the corner and it was...(drum roll please)... the circus!
I haven't been to a REAL circus before in my life, so this was such great fun. Granted, it was all in French, but I understood perfectly fine albeit maybe missing out on a few tacky jokes. There were jugglers and acrobats and elephants and a woman shot out of a cannon, it couldn't have been more on point. AND I had cotton candy... I really felt like a kid again. Hilarious, loved it! The only thing that I was taken aback by is that the French are so kind of raunchy and the clown made a couple references to snorting crack and shooting heroin... I'm hoping it was above the heads of the hundreds of children that were at the circus that night, but who knows with these crazy Europeans...
On Sunday we had a bit of time before we had to catch the train to head home, so we boarded the coach again and traveled around East Paris, stopping at a few parks, the major library and the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, where Jim Morrison, Chopin, and Oscar Wilde, amongst thousands of others, are buried. We only had time to see Morrison and Chopin's graves, which were inspiring to see, but I was really hoping to see Oscar Wilde, since I had just sparked an interest in him in Dublin. But again, another good reason for me to go back to Paris someday.
This was definitely my favorite trip of the semester. Traveling in a school group made things so much easier and accessible and I wouldn't have done it any other way. I can't wait to go back someday.
And now, back at school, it's crunch time. We're in the home stretch, with only about 19 days left to go (but who's counting??). I'm so excited to see my family and friends so soon, but I am going to be really, really sad to leave this place and the people I've met behind. But I'm not about to get all sentimental about this just yet. It's time to soak up my last few weeks here for all I can get. I'm going to Prague this weekend with some great people and then I'll have one weekend left in London. And I'm not going to waste a second.
Can't wait to see you all!
Cheers!
After our afternoon off, we stopped for dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, but I couldn't read anything on the menu except "poulet et frites," aka chicken and fries, so I got that... again, language barrier. Some of my friends were brave and ordered escargot. I had the chance to try it but something about eating something that is slimy and resembles a slug is just not appealing to me, I don't know why.
Finally, Saturday night, the night of the surprise we've been dying to find out about all semester! The metro was still on strike so we ended up having to walk 45 minutes to the secret location and we were all praying that it was going to be worth it. We rounded the corner and it was...(drum roll please)... the circus!
I haven't been to a REAL circus before in my life, so this was such great fun. Granted, it was all in French, but I understood perfectly fine albeit maybe missing out on a few tacky jokes. There were jugglers and acrobats and elephants and a woman shot out of a cannon, it couldn't have been more on point. AND I had cotton candy... I really felt like a kid again. Hilarious, loved it! The only thing that I was taken aback by is that the French are so kind of raunchy and the clown made a couple references to snorting crack and shooting heroin... I'm hoping it was above the heads of the hundreds of children that were at the circus that night, but who knows with these crazy Europeans...
On Sunday we had a bit of time before we had to catch the train to head home, so we boarded the coach again and traveled around East Paris, stopping at a few parks, the major library and the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, where Jim Morrison, Chopin, and Oscar Wilde, amongst thousands of others, are buried. We only had time to see Morrison and Chopin's graves, which were inspiring to see, but I was really hoping to see Oscar Wilde, since I had just sparked an interest in him in Dublin. But again, another good reason for me to go back to Paris someday.
This was definitely my favorite trip of the semester. Traveling in a school group made things so much easier and accessible and I wouldn't have done it any other way. I can't wait to go back someday.
And now, back at school, it's crunch time. We're in the home stretch, with only about 19 days left to go (but who's counting??). I'm so excited to see my family and friends so soon, but I am going to be really, really sad to leave this place and the people I've met behind. But I'm not about to get all sentimental about this just yet. It's time to soak up my last few weeks here for all I can get. I'm going to Prague this weekend with some great people and then I'll have one weekend left in London. And I'm not going to waste a second.
Can't wait to see you all!
Cheers!
23 November 2007
italy was good, but dublin was better
No sooner had I been back from Italy before I left again to visit one of my top destinations for the semester: DUBLIN! I was especially excited for this trip as I have heard so many great things about Ireland from my grandparents and from the prequel kids. Not to mention some of my heritage lies in the country (appropriately enough, a good deal of older men in this city reminded me of my grandfather...).
Julie & I left early Friday morning and arrived at Kinlay House, our hostel, in the early afternoon. We were located right in the downtown Temple Bar area and I have to say we couldn't have found a better spot to stay! The hostel was very resonably priced, clean, comfortable, and had free breakfast... can't get much better than that when it comes to hostel living.
After learning our lesson from Italy, we did quite a bit of research before going because we wanted to just jump right into what we wanted to do when we arrived in Dublin. We started our weekend with a tour of the Guinness factory. We didn't exactly anticipate what a long time it would take. The whole place is basically a museum about how Guinness is made, advertised and distributed. Interesting, but towards the end I just wanted to get to the top floor and have my complementary pint of the black stuff! The top floor of the factory gives a 360 degree panorama of the city below, which was enjoyable as we sipped on our pints. As much flack as I will catch for saying this, I didn't really like it! It's very much a man's beer. Very thick, syrupy, heavy. I prefer my cider (for the rest of the trip I enjoyed Bullmer's cider with black currant flavoring, delicious!). I felt like I had been drinking for over an hour and I looked in my cup and I had only downed about 1/5 of the glass. It was a little much for me. Later I found out that drinking an entire pint of Guinness is equivalent to eating an entire loaf of bread. So needless to say, I didn't feel so guilty about not finishing it.
outside the factory.
barrels of guinness.
julie enjoying her pint.
As I said, we didn't realize how long it would take us to do the factory, so by the time we were done it was around dinner time and we walked to Temple Bar to find some grub and explore. The streets of Temple Bar are basically lined with "hippie stores" as I refer to them: shops that sell incense, wool blankets, scarves, and long fabric skirts, among other things. Dublin is very much a place for subcultures to hang out... I saw everyone from punks, to goths, hippies, yuppies, old men, and just your everyday traveller.
After dinner we were signed up to do a "musical pub crawl," so we headed to the pub to meet with the group. This was probably one of my favorite things we did the whole weekend. We visited two pubs, and at each we spent about an hour listening to two traditional Irish musicians play for us. Drinks were a bit pricy so there wasn't much drinking going on, but I enjoyed the music all the same. We learned about different types of Irish tunes, different tempos and how to count them, and the different Irish instruments. My favorite was the bodhran, which is a handheld drum with animal stretched across the frame, and you play it with any kind of thick double-headed stick (the guy who played it just used a simple paintbrush). You can make different beats on it with each side of the beater and by varying the speed you play and where on the drum you beat... it was so interesting to see and hear! I mean, I'm typically easily amused, and watching this guy play this drum could have kept me occupied for hours.
our pub crawl hosts jamming out.
Julie & I left early Friday morning and arrived at Kinlay House, our hostel, in the early afternoon. We were located right in the downtown Temple Bar area and I have to say we couldn't have found a better spot to stay! The hostel was very resonably priced, clean, comfortable, and had free breakfast... can't get much better than that when it comes to hostel living.
After learning our lesson from Italy, we did quite a bit of research before going because we wanted to just jump right into what we wanted to do when we arrived in Dublin. We started our weekend with a tour of the Guinness factory. We didn't exactly anticipate what a long time it would take. The whole place is basically a museum about how Guinness is made, advertised and distributed. Interesting, but towards the end I just wanted to get to the top floor and have my complementary pint of the black stuff! The top floor of the factory gives a 360 degree panorama of the city below, which was enjoyable as we sipped on our pints. As much flack as I will catch for saying this, I didn't really like it! It's very much a man's beer. Very thick, syrupy, heavy. I prefer my cider (for the rest of the trip I enjoyed Bullmer's cider with black currant flavoring, delicious!). I felt like I had been drinking for over an hour and I looked in my cup and I had only downed about 1/5 of the glass. It was a little much for me. Later I found out that drinking an entire pint of Guinness is equivalent to eating an entire loaf of bread. So needless to say, I didn't feel so guilty about not finishing it.
outside the factory.
barrels of guinness.
julie enjoying her pint.As I said, we didn't realize how long it would take us to do the factory, so by the time we were done it was around dinner time and we walked to Temple Bar to find some grub and explore. The streets of Temple Bar are basically lined with "hippie stores" as I refer to them: shops that sell incense, wool blankets, scarves, and long fabric skirts, among other things. Dublin is very much a place for subcultures to hang out... I saw everyone from punks, to goths, hippies, yuppies, old men, and just your everyday traveller.
After dinner we were signed up to do a "musical pub crawl," so we headed to the pub to meet with the group. This was probably one of my favorite things we did the whole weekend. We visited two pubs, and at each we spent about an hour listening to two traditional Irish musicians play for us. Drinks were a bit pricy so there wasn't much drinking going on, but I enjoyed the music all the same. We learned about different types of Irish tunes, different tempos and how to count them, and the different Irish instruments. My favorite was the bodhran, which is a handheld drum with animal stretched across the frame, and you play it with any kind of thick double-headed stick (the guy who played it just used a simple paintbrush). You can make different beats on it with each side of the beater and by varying the speed you play and where on the drum you beat... it was so interesting to see and hear! I mean, I'm typically easily amused, and watching this guy play this drum could have kept me occupied for hours.
our pub crawl hosts jamming out.The next day of our trip was by far my favorite thing I have done this entire semester. We took a day-long bus trip to Glendalough, up in the mountains, and with the leaves changing, it was one of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen in my life. We made a bunch of different stops on the way there, most notably to the property of Arthur Guinness, about 2500 feet above sea level:
gorgeous view from the Guinness property.
gorgeous view from the Guinness property.'Glendalough' translates to "land of two lakes," the upper lake and the lower lake. We had a good chunk of time to go off and explore on our own once we got there, so Julie and I high-tailed it to the farthest point we could go.
upper lake, Glendalough.
no words, seriously.
upper lake, Glendalough.
no words, seriously.We had this really hilarious tour guide the whole day, who was self-nicknamed "Big Kev." He kept leaving his mircrophone turned on as we were driving and we could hear him making all these awkward bodily noises and grunts and such. Kind of gross, but we got a kick out of it. You could tell he had been doing this job awhile but still quite enjoyed it. And he knew a ton about the history of Ireland and the land we were driving through; I was glad to do some learning on my trip. So thanks, Big Kev, for showing us a good time.
The evening was rainy and cold, but Julie and I were determined to see what the infamous Dublin nightlife was like. We found a club with no cover and waited for it to get busy as we sipped on our delicious ciders. It was fun, but I have to say quite typical, as all they played was American dance music, there were people grinding up on each other all over the place, and there were lots of flashy strobe lights. Just another average club.
We were set to leave Dublin late on Sunday evening, so we set out to enjoy a non-typical day in Dublin. We started at the Smithfield Horse Market, which goes on the first Sunday of every month and is absolute chaos. It takes place in this city square, next to a bunch of high-rise buildings and hotels, which is such an awkward spot because to see horses tied up to street signs and out of the back of cars, you just kind of think to yourself, "wait a second, what century are we in??" The whole thing was very bizarre and so entertaining. It was basically really old Irish men and dirty little farm boys parading their horses, donkeys, and ponies around the square in hopes that someone would put a bid on it. To kill time, they raced their horses up and down the street and rode them around. Something about it just struck me as quite odd... I couldn't tell if the animals were happy or not. I didn't really see anyone actually making any purchases, so I was left to believe that although it was called a 'market,' it really was just an excuse for people to get together and show off their horses and socialize with one another. Very off the beaten path to visit, I must say.
The evening was rainy and cold, but Julie and I were determined to see what the infamous Dublin nightlife was like. We found a club with no cover and waited for it to get busy as we sipped on our delicious ciders. It was fun, but I have to say quite typical, as all they played was American dance music, there were people grinding up on each other all over the place, and there were lots of flashy strobe lights. Just another average club.
We were set to leave Dublin late on Sunday evening, so we set out to enjoy a non-typical day in Dublin. We started at the Smithfield Horse Market, which goes on the first Sunday of every month and is absolute chaos. It takes place in this city square, next to a bunch of high-rise buildings and hotels, which is such an awkward spot because to see horses tied up to street signs and out of the back of cars, you just kind of think to yourself, "wait a second, what century are we in??" The whole thing was very bizarre and so entertaining. It was basically really old Irish men and dirty little farm boys parading their horses, donkeys, and ponies around the square in hopes that someone would put a bid on it. To kill time, they raced their horses up and down the street and rode them around. Something about it just struck me as quite odd... I couldn't tell if the animals were happy or not. I didn't really see anyone actually making any purchases, so I was left to believe that although it was called a 'market,' it really was just an excuse for people to get together and show off their horses and socialize with one another. Very off the beaten path to visit, I must say.
smithfield horse market, dublin.
Following the horse market, Julie and I headed to the Dublin Writers Museum to educate ourselves. I didn't realize how many well-known Irish writers there are in history. I particularly liked learning about Oscar Wilde, he was quite the wit. I bought one of his books and am looking forward to enjoying it over coffee when I get back to the States. After the museum, we did a bit more exploring around Temple Bar, grabbed some delicious lunch, and shopped at the markets around town.
It was a quick flight back to London and I was right back into busy mode from the time I walked in the door. I really, really enjoyed Dublin and wish I had more time there! In fact, I almost wish I spent my break touring Ireland instead of Italy. It's very American of me to say, but traveling in a country that speaks English makes it all so much better on the whole... I will definitely be returning another day. I liked that we didn't do the typical sights while we were there either. I really think that finding off the beaten path kinds of things to do makes the experience so much more real and you see the city from a different angle.
Next stop: Paris! Cheers!
It was a quick flight back to London and I was right back into busy mode from the time I walked in the door. I really, really enjoyed Dublin and wish I had more time there! In fact, I almost wish I spent my break touring Ireland instead of Italy. It's very American of me to say, but traveling in a country that speaks English makes it all so much better on the whole... I will definitely be returning another day. I liked that we didn't do the typical sights while we were there either. I really think that finding off the beaten path kinds of things to do makes the experience so much more real and you see the city from a different angle.
Next stop: Paris! Cheers!
13 November 2007
12 November 2007
italy in a nutshell
First stop: Rome. The real Rome. Home of such historical wonders as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Circus Maximus, Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth), the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and the Vatican- all of which I saw within my two-day stay. I know they say Rome wasn't built in a day, but if you really try, you can at least see most of it within that time frame. The weather was nice, the food was delicious (the gelato was even better), and we even had a celeb spotting!
colosseum, 19 october 2007.
just like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. mouth of truth, 19 oct 2007.
hanging out at the trevi fountain, 19 oct 2007.
vatican, 20 oct 2007.
view through the roman ruins, 19 oct 2007.
colosseum, 19 october 2007.
just like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. mouth of truth, 19 oct 2007.
hanging out at the trevi fountain, 19 oct 2007.
vatican, 20 oct 2007.
view through the roman ruins, 19 oct 2007.Next on the agenda: Florence. This is where things started to get interesting. We booked our trip through STA travel, thinking it was a safe bet.
Not so much. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is a CAMPER you see. STA travel booked us a CAMPSITE, not a hostel. No heat, terrible weather, an hour and 45 minutes away from town, and no one spoke English. Needless to say, we were out of there about as quickly as we got there. Kind of a bummer, since we spent the whole first day in "Florence" freezing and trying to find a hostel in a more central location. But it was all worth it when we arrived at our lovely Bed & Breakfast in the heart of Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
View from the Soggiorno Pitti, Florence, 23 Oct 2007.
Not so much. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is a CAMPER you see. STA travel booked us a CAMPSITE, not a hostel. No heat, terrible weather, an hour and 45 minutes away from town, and no one spoke English. Needless to say, we were out of there about as quickly as we got there. Kind of a bummer, since we spent the whole first day in "Florence" freezing and trying to find a hostel in a more central location. But it was all worth it when we arrived at our lovely Bed & Breakfast in the heart of Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
View from the Soggiorno Pitti, Florence, 23 Oct 2007.Our B&B was right in the centre of the city, so we got to sightseeing right away. Florence is a city based around its history in art and religion. We saw the David (quite attractive, for a statue) and climbed the Duomo. We shopped at the markets. We sampled the gelato, of course. One night we went out to see a Beatles cover band. I found it hilarious to see four Italian men singing songs by one of the most American bands to ever live. They were actually quite good! Rome definitely had more to do, but Florence had the better vibe.
riverside, Florence, 23 Oct 2007.
perched atop the duomo, 400+ steps up. 24 oct 2007.
outside the Duomo, 23 Oct 2007.
riverside, Florence, 23 Oct 2007.
perched atop the duomo, 400+ steps up. 24 oct 2007.
outside the Duomo, 23 Oct 2007.Our last stop of the trip led us to Venice, romantic capital of the world. But all I can say is, when in Venice, wear your rubbers! (Get your mind out of the gutter...) When it rains in Venice, it pours. The first day was nothing but wetness and wind, but Lucy and I did our best to brave the elements and make our trip worthwhile. Unfortunately, the rain caused the canals to reach high tide, and as the water flooded into the streets, we sought safety on side alleys and museums. My favorite place we stopped was the Peggy Guggenheim contemporary art museum. This was a woman who's life mission was to spread her love of art to the world. When she died, her house and her art collection were turned into a beautiful museum, complete with a lovely garden. Very fascinating woman. We also found time to make a pit stop into the city centre to feed the birds. I was terrified. Our day was cut short, however, as our map was soaked, and so were we. Our hostel, if you can call it that, was another one of STA's genius campsites, but fortunately this one was a little more close to town. We spent a lot of early nights killing time in the restaurant and bar situated on the site. We were considered regulars by the time we left...
Our second day in Venice faired much better weather, so we took a water taxi over to Murano island, where glass is the name of the game. We went to two different glass blowing sites and of course, sampled more gelato. It took us a good while to get back into town, as the taxi ride was a little over an hour between islands (and trying to read signs in Italian takes up a lot of time as well), so by the time we got back, it was dark. We stopped back into the city centre to listen to some violin, and indulged in a delicious dinner. The city's special drink is called Bellini, which is a sort of peach-flavored bubbly champagne, and absolutely delicious as a dessert. I did buy a small bottle to bring home, but haven't found the right occasion to open it just yet.
venice, 26 october 2007.
the bravest little girl i have ever seen. venice, 26 october 2007.
Our second day in Venice faired much better weather, so we took a water taxi over to Murano island, where glass is the name of the game. We went to two different glass blowing sites and of course, sampled more gelato. It took us a good while to get back into town, as the taxi ride was a little over an hour between islands (and trying to read signs in Italian takes up a lot of time as well), so by the time we got back, it was dark. We stopped back into the city centre to listen to some violin, and indulged in a delicious dinner. The city's special drink is called Bellini, which is a sort of peach-flavored bubbly champagne, and absolutely delicious as a dessert. I did buy a small bottle to bring home, but haven't found the right occasion to open it just yet.
venice, 26 october 2007.
the bravest little girl i have ever seen. venice, 26 october 2007.By the end of the 10-day trip, we were all pretty burnt out from travelling, lack of sleep, miles and miles of walking, and struggling to overcome the language barrier, so we were well ready to head home when Sunday finally rolled around. Despite my sleepiness, I still managed to make one more celeb spotting: Seal (yeah, the "Kissed by a Rose" guy, or, Heidi Klum's husband) was on our flight on the way home! Quite a cool way to end the trip.
Most romantic: Venice
Best nightlife: Florence
Most sights to see: Rome
Best gelato: Rome
Friendliest people: Venice
Most attractive men: Florence
Most desperate men: Florence
All-in-all, a pretty decent fall break. But I am happy to be back in London.
Cheers!
Most romantic: Venice
Best nightlife: Florence
Most sights to see: Rome
Best gelato: Rome
Friendliest people: Venice
Most attractive men: Florence
Most desperate men: Florence
All-in-all, a pretty decent fall break. But I am happy to be back in London.
Cheers!
08 November 2007
the weather can read feelings
it's a cold, rainy and blustery day in london.
last night, as i was going to sleep, i was overcome with this huge sadness all of a sudden. i couldn't overcome it, and when i realized the date, it dawned on me. it was a year ago, today, that my heart broke. it's like my body has a timing mechanism and it wants to mark the anniversary of one of the most painful emotions i've ever felt.
heartbreak, i've learned, is not something to fear. i wouldn't wish it on anyone, of course, but for me, it has forced me to learn what i'm capable of, to step out of my comfort zone, to really find who i am, rather than what i am with someone else.
last year this whole season was a chaotic mess of hurt, anger, lies, and lots of tears. but instead of sitting here and sulking about what was and what could have been, i think it's time to appreciate how far i've come. so many nights of thinking and writing and confusion and bad dreams, several deep but pointless conversations, and one bad lapse in judgment. feeling alone in the busiest of places. faking a smile when i'm killing inside. pretending i'm in a bad mood because of work and not because i'm alone. so many awful feelings, and never thinking i could move on, yet i still sit here today, scarred, mended and really, truly happy with myself. experiencing heartbreak has taught me strength, truth, curiosity and the power of having really, really great people in my life. i hope that wherever he is, he can say the same, because even though he broke my heart, i wish him happiness. we loved each other, it was real and there's no denying that we are an important piece of each other's past. and its important to embrace your past.
i still can't shake the sadness, but i think it's time to relish it, because after this, it's time to move on.
i hope it's sunny tomorrow.
last night, as i was going to sleep, i was overcome with this huge sadness all of a sudden. i couldn't overcome it, and when i realized the date, it dawned on me. it was a year ago, today, that my heart broke. it's like my body has a timing mechanism and it wants to mark the anniversary of one of the most painful emotions i've ever felt.
heartbreak, i've learned, is not something to fear. i wouldn't wish it on anyone, of course, but for me, it has forced me to learn what i'm capable of, to step out of my comfort zone, to really find who i am, rather than what i am with someone else.
last year this whole season was a chaotic mess of hurt, anger, lies, and lots of tears. but instead of sitting here and sulking about what was and what could have been, i think it's time to appreciate how far i've come. so many nights of thinking and writing and confusion and bad dreams, several deep but pointless conversations, and one bad lapse in judgment. feeling alone in the busiest of places. faking a smile when i'm killing inside. pretending i'm in a bad mood because of work and not because i'm alone. so many awful feelings, and never thinking i could move on, yet i still sit here today, scarred, mended and really, truly happy with myself. experiencing heartbreak has taught me strength, truth, curiosity and the power of having really, really great people in my life. i hope that wherever he is, he can say the same, because even though he broke my heart, i wish him happiness. we loved each other, it was real and there's no denying that we are an important piece of each other's past. and its important to embrace your past.
i still can't shake the sadness, but i think it's time to relish it, because after this, it's time to move on.
i hope it's sunny tomorrow.
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