After cranking out that paper on Monday and Tuesday, finishing up the blogging and photos from break, and having already read the novel for this week's British Novel discussion, I was left with few options. Namely, be lazy, go to baseball, and catch up on 5 weeks of missed episodes of 24. I can confidently say that all three of these objectives have been accomplished. I'm justifying the lack of productivity on the surplus of active living that was had on break, so it's only natural that the two should balance each other out.
Today was a beautiful day. I woke up, brushed my teeth with my newly purchased toothpaste, ate my usual breakfast of multi-grain Cheerios, practiced trombone, then headed off to baseball. My Wednesday practice was horrible. One of my worst showings all year. I guess today went a little better, although I do have a bit of a bruise thanks to a passed ball off my shin. But the day was so nice, and we were all so lazy, we decided to stop early and go to a nearby pub for a pint. Welcome to Britain. In other English news, we were apparently shaken by a 4.5 scale earthquake today. I missed out.
Bad news last night in the flat. We received an omen of a bad night to come when, in the midst of playing catch in the front yard with Emily, a bush ate our ball. No joke, we searched this bush for 20 minutes, and could not find it. But the real suckiness is the fact that we were burgled, thieved from, robbed, call it whatever you like. The fact of the matter is that criminals walked off with Emily's Mac laptop (and its assorted cords), her camera, and Kevin's camera. The theft was due to a very rare circumstance where the downstairs church hall door was inadvertently left unlocked. Earlier in the day, some people came in to drop off supplies for upcoming city elections, and I guess the door wasn't locked back up or something. I'm a bit fuzzy on details. But the point is, it blows. Luckily, I wasn't affected, but I think all of us are feeling a certain sense of loss. Emily lost all of her photos from the year, plus all her writings and poems (she's an English major). So right, bad news.
Tonight I'm heading off to see Brandon's play with a bunch of other folks from the flat. It has something to do with the Third Reich. After that, maybe go to the cast party downtown, or just chill back at the flat. Excitement is rife.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Photos
Photos are up, there are quite a few. It's a bit Paris heavy, but whatever. Click on the link to the right, then hit Spring Break 2007. Videos are still forthcoming. Check out the photos if you have time.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Re-Entry
After a day spent furiously writing about the effects of WWI, downloading the episodes of "24" that I missed while abroad, and attempting to reconcile with my other ladyfriend (trombone, trombones are always women), I'm finally ready to try and disambiguate my month spent on the road. It's sort of hard to find my own individual voice on this matter, as so many of my counterparts' blogs seem to hit the nail on the head. I'll try my best, and try not to be too long.
I was very satisfied with all that I saw and did on break. The highlights have to be Paris, Avignon, being with the group in Italy, and Istanbul. I think it would be somewhat redundant if I went back and recapped them all, I wrote pretty much everything in one blog post or another. Besides the few instances where situations out my control forced me to, I didn't stay anywhere less than three nights, which was a good idea I felt, compared to the breakneck pace we did over Christmas. Definitely felt like I experienced everything a lot more fully. For the most part as well, I traveled in groups of 3 or less, which was nice. Although I love being with the group, it's also a lot less dramatic and stressful in small groups. I feel you see more too. It was really fun to see everyone in Sorrento though.
When I came back from Christmas break, I posted some quote by Mark Twain about how travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and closed-mindedness. That mantra was reinforced over the past month. I feel as if I got a better sense of the real cultures of the places I went, though sometimes it was a struggle. Being a francophile, I must admit at times I failed to see the glory of Italy after constantly fearing for my wallet, dealing with their inefficient trains, and the dirtiness that is Naples. Emily explained this to me by saying that I as a person was like a French TGV train, fast, efficient, and fairly business like. So, that was a bit of a struggle, but I learned to love Italy. Just not as much as France. As I said in a previous post, going to Turkey was amazing. So cool to see such a different culture and such. That's what I think travel is about, opening your eyes to things you may not understand or be completely comfortable with, only to be pleasantly surprised. It is essential if we want to be informed, active, and capable of reason. In Istanbul, Kate and I got into a debate about politics in America, and how the country's current course is a result of too many people just not knowing what's going on. It just reinforces my belief that travel and education are so important to better understanding the world, and how we fit into it.
So now there's approximately 6 weeks left in Nottingham. The clock is ticking towards June 5th, when we leave this place we've called home for nearly 8 months now. And that is freaking me out. Everyone out. Rest assured, all of us are looking forward to seeing friends and family and returning to Luther. But it's safe to say the UK has grown on me quite a bit, and it will be a very bitter goodbye. But the greater bitterness will be saying goodbye to the 8 people that I've lived with for this year. In Florence, Kevin, Hilary, and I were watching the Return of the King in Italian. It came to the scene when the hobbits return to the Shire, only to feel so alienated by their adventures. I think all of us are worried about that, I know I am. After seeing so much, what will the real "re-entry" be like? I'm fully expecting a bit of "hobbit syndrome." We go from being okay with flying off to Vienna for 5 days to not wanting to make the 25 minute drive into Minneapolis. That's scary. In a country so large, why does it seem like it will shrink so much? Money, surely plays a role. But so does a sort of complacent lack of adventure that seems to permeate us in familiar surroundings.
So, 6 weeks left. 6 weeks to cram in all those missed pub trips, baseball practices, papers, and episodes of the Office. 6 weeks to make the most of this fairly mundane city that has become so dear to us. 6 weeks to try and pick up a lame British accent to impress people back home. But most importantly, 6 weeks to make the most of the family that has been created here. A daunting task to be sure. But, a task that will surely be welcomed by all of us before heading back. That's it for now. Later.
I was very satisfied with all that I saw and did on break. The highlights have to be Paris, Avignon, being with the group in Italy, and Istanbul. I think it would be somewhat redundant if I went back and recapped them all, I wrote pretty much everything in one blog post or another. Besides the few instances where situations out my control forced me to, I didn't stay anywhere less than three nights, which was a good idea I felt, compared to the breakneck pace we did over Christmas. Definitely felt like I experienced everything a lot more fully. For the most part as well, I traveled in groups of 3 or less, which was nice. Although I love being with the group, it's also a lot less dramatic and stressful in small groups. I feel you see more too. It was really fun to see everyone in Sorrento though.
When I came back from Christmas break, I posted some quote by Mark Twain about how travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and closed-mindedness. That mantra was reinforced over the past month. I feel as if I got a better sense of the real cultures of the places I went, though sometimes it was a struggle. Being a francophile, I must admit at times I failed to see the glory of Italy after constantly fearing for my wallet, dealing with their inefficient trains, and the dirtiness that is Naples. Emily explained this to me by saying that I as a person was like a French TGV train, fast, efficient, and fairly business like. So, that was a bit of a struggle, but I learned to love Italy. Just not as much as France. As I said in a previous post, going to Turkey was amazing. So cool to see such a different culture and such. That's what I think travel is about, opening your eyes to things you may not understand or be completely comfortable with, only to be pleasantly surprised. It is essential if we want to be informed, active, and capable of reason. In Istanbul, Kate and I got into a debate about politics in America, and how the country's current course is a result of too many people just not knowing what's going on. It just reinforces my belief that travel and education are so important to better understanding the world, and how we fit into it.
So now there's approximately 6 weeks left in Nottingham. The clock is ticking towards June 5th, when we leave this place we've called home for nearly 8 months now. And that is freaking me out. Everyone out. Rest assured, all of us are looking forward to seeing friends and family and returning to Luther. But it's safe to say the UK has grown on me quite a bit, and it will be a very bitter goodbye. But the greater bitterness will be saying goodbye to the 8 people that I've lived with for this year. In Florence, Kevin, Hilary, and I were watching the Return of the King in Italian. It came to the scene when the hobbits return to the Shire, only to feel so alienated by their adventures. I think all of us are worried about that, I know I am. After seeing so much, what will the real "re-entry" be like? I'm fully expecting a bit of "hobbit syndrome." We go from being okay with flying off to Vienna for 5 days to not wanting to make the 25 minute drive into Minneapolis. That's scary. In a country so large, why does it seem like it will shrink so much? Money, surely plays a role. But so does a sort of complacent lack of adventure that seems to permeate us in familiar surroundings.
So, 6 weeks left. 6 weeks to cram in all those missed pub trips, baseball practices, papers, and episodes of the Office. 6 weeks to make the most of this fairly mundane city that has become so dear to us. 6 weeks to try and pick up a lame British accent to impress people back home. But most importantly, 6 weeks to make the most of the family that has been created here. A daunting task to be sure. But, a task that will surely be welcomed by all of us before heading back. That's it for now. Later.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Note.
Hey folks. I'm sure you are all waiting with bated breath, checking this site every 5 minutes looking for the upcoming megapost(s) on Istanbul and a holistic look at my break and the significance of returning to Nottingham. As well as a bunch of photos and videos that I'm working on uploading. All of the above are coming. It's just that I woke up this morning (at 12) and discovered that I need to write a 1,500 word paper on the effects of WWI by 4:30 tomorrow. Class, it just keeps cramping my style. Thus, I'm a little preoccupied for the time being. Check back in a day or so to get the lowdown on my month spent traveling. Later.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Worlds Apart- Part I
NOTE: MOST OF THIS POST WAS WRITTEN ON SUNDAY
Modern technology is fairly impressive. I woke up this morning in Istanbul, just a stone's throw away from Asia. I now sit in the comfortable confines of the church hall underneath the flat, in Nottingham. Thank you British Airways. Although my holiday has been great, there's nothing like an overly friendly "hi-ya" from a tweedy flight attendant and a return to an extremely negative currency to get me in the mood for a return to the good ol' UK. I must say, I feel much safer in the hands of British Airways than Ryanair or EasyJet.
Enough about British Airways, and we'll get back to returning to England. You all probably would rather hear about my 3 days in Istanbul. Well at least, the two I haven't written about. On Friday we got up and went to the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, which houses an immense and incredibly well preserved mosaic from the ancient Byzantine Palace (circa 600 A.D.). When talking about Istanbul, one must always keep in mind that it was the capital (as Constantinople) of the Christian Byzantine Empire until 1453, when the Turks finally conquered the city and turned it into the capital of the Ottoman Empire. With the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the capital was moved to Ankara. Enough of the history lesson, the mosaics were cool. After that we went to the Istanbul Archeological Museum, which had some pretty intense tombs, but other than that, was somewhat sparse in terms of interesting items.
After a fun filled morning of history and stuff, we (after I got us lost) made it to the Cemberlitas hamam, or in plain English, the Turkish bath. After some awkward miming and confused looks, I found myself changing into a plaid bathcloth in a wooden compartment, then walking around in plastic slippers in a futile attempt to find the door before someone kindly pointed me in the right direction. The bath was quite beautiful, as it was designed by the Ottoman Empire's greatest architect in the 16th century. I laid around on a giant marble slab in a steam room for about 20 minutes before a large, hairy, mustachioed Turkish man gave me a violent cleaning and soapy massage. I think that image seems to fittingly sum up the experience. I don't think I've felt that clean since I was in Kyoto, Japan two years ago. You remember the Japanese bath, don't you Benjamin? Anyways, Turkish bath, good idea.
Following that, we headed over to the Grand Bazaar, the largest covered market in the world. It really is a barrage on the senses, as people are all over you, inviting you to look at their carpets, or their jewelry, or whatever wares they're selling. It's really crazy. And thanks to the strength of the dollar against the new Turkish lira, it's really cheap. You have no idea the joy I felt when I learned I actually wasn't losing money on exchange rates for a change. As a result, I returned laden with goods. I don't want to mention them all here, as many are gifts, but let's just say I got some cool stuff. What I'm most proud of is a small Turkish carpet I got, 100% wool and handmade. It's very nice, and will surely grace my dorm room next year. Kate went crazy on the inlaid wooden boxes, while Emily indulged in bunch of gifty type things as well.
Went to a whirling dervish ceremony at night. For those not in the know, it's a characteristic of the Mevlevi sect of Sufism (Islamic mysticism). The practicioners whirl around in a trance like state to traditional music, in the hopes of achieving a mystical communion with God. It was very intense, but unfortunate because of the touristic nature of the performance. It was very obvious that the people in it were really taking it seriously, but I felt it was bastardized by all the lame tourists taking blatant flash photographs, standing up to videotape, and other such distractions. It really took away from the sacredness of the moment and such, which is a shame.
After the dervish thing, the night got.... interesting. Well, I guess that depends on your point of view. You see, the previous night at the teahouse, we had made friends with two youngish Turkish males who struck up a conversation with us as we attempted to master the hookah (apple flavored). One guy, Moussah, was a student who spoke fluent English. He was accompanied by his friend "Herb," who worked in the Grand Bazaar. Anyways, we had made friends, and they tried to teach us how to play backgammon. We politely declined their offer to go out to a club, as we were broke and were fairly tired. Thinking that was the last of them, we said goodbye, happy to have connected with the locals.
Anyways, we come back on Friday night, and who should be standing in the entrance of the carpet shop opposite our hostel but Moussah and Herb (apparently Moussah was filling in for his father, who owned the carpet store). They invited us in for tea, and we obliged. He shared some insight on why Turks don't like loud, drunk Australian tourists (such as the ones who populated our hostel), because they are disrespecting their forefathers who died at Gallipoli by their behavior, and how they disrespect Turkish people. He also shared some stories involving him catching potential carpet-buyers performing lewd acts in the upstairs lounge. Anyways, they invite us out to a bar a block away from the hostel, and we agree to go for a few drinks. We tried some raki, which is a Turkish spirit that tastes disgustingly like licorice, and a few pints of Turkish beer. Needless to say, I had a good time, but one of our female companions was the subject of possibly some unwanted attention.
Saturday was fairly chill, we woke up sort of late, and spent the morning hitting up an Istanbul Starbucks, returning to the Grand Bazaar, and visiting the Suleymaniye Mosque. I thought the Suleymaniye to be the most beautiful mosque I visited, it was built by the Ottoman Empire's most skilled architect. We were there right before the noon prayer time, so as we exited, the call to prayer boomed out through loudspeakers as people rushed into the mosque. Probably the highlight of Saturday was taking a ferry across the Bosphorus to Asia. Literally. Istanbul is the only city in the world to straddle two continents. So we went over and just sort of chilled out. We went to a very cool cafe and had tea on a terrace that overlooked Sultanahmet (the district of Old Istanbul on the European side). It was cool to cross the Bosphorus. We saw Kiz Kulesi, also known as the Maiden's Tower. Or if you're like me, in The World is Not Enough, it's where Elektra King holds M and James Bond before boarding her submarine with the nuclear reactor. Finished off the night by eating in a Turkish place. We met some Australians who were there for ANZAC Day before embarking on a 6 week tour of Europe. So we imparted our travel wisdom to them, chugged our apple tea, and returned to the hostel.
Got up early the next morning (talking 5:00 A.M.) and were driven to the airport by a slightly mad bus driver. He may or may not have been going 90 MPH. Celebrated my arrival at the airport by throwing down 9 YTL for a coffee and a muffin at Starbucks. To celebrate my Britishness and impending return, I attempted to eat the muffin English style with fork and knife. I'm really trying to pick it up, and I think I was fairly successful. Anyways, the flight back was great, they had free Coke, breakfast, a movie inflight. Gah, it felt like traveling first class. We flew over the Alps and our approach into Heathrow took us right over central London, so I got some sweet photos.
In retrospect, I think I can say that Istanbul vies with Paris for the best part of my trip. I really enjoyed it. It was so cool and interesting to be in a Muslim country, which I thought played a big role in why I liked it so much. Everyone in college learns about Islam nowadays, but I feel we still miss a certain level of understanding. Istanbul certainly opened my eyes a lot more fully. First of all, the Turkish people and their hospitality and friendliness was amazing. Secondly, the Islam that I saw is a truly beautiful religion, far far removed from what we hear on the news. The mosques were very beautiful. Unlike the tourist clogged cathedrals in France and Italy, the mosques I visited demanded reverence. Everyone had to remove their shoes before they went in, visitors had to stay in the back to preserve the sanctity of the space, and they just seemed so very serene. It was so cool to have your day punctuated not by church bells, but rather by the calls of the muezzin echoing throughout the city. I would recommend Istanbul to anyone thinking of going to Europe. Turkey seems scary, but it isn't. It's very modern, but still retains that Eastern exoticism. A beautiful city.
Stay tuned for one more post trying to sum up the trip as a whole. I finally got my paper turned in and such, so I'm working on it. Later.
Modern technology is fairly impressive. I woke up this morning in Istanbul, just a stone's throw away from Asia. I now sit in the comfortable confines of the church hall underneath the flat, in Nottingham. Thank you British Airways. Although my holiday has been great, there's nothing like an overly friendly "hi-ya" from a tweedy flight attendant and a return to an extremely negative currency to get me in the mood for a return to the good ol' UK. I must say, I feel much safer in the hands of British Airways than Ryanair or EasyJet.
Enough about British Airways, and we'll get back to returning to England. You all probably would rather hear about my 3 days in Istanbul. Well at least, the two I haven't written about. On Friday we got up and went to the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, which houses an immense and incredibly well preserved mosaic from the ancient Byzantine Palace (circa 600 A.D.). When talking about Istanbul, one must always keep in mind that it was the capital (as Constantinople) of the Christian Byzantine Empire until 1453, when the Turks finally conquered the city and turned it into the capital of the Ottoman Empire. With the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923, the capital was moved to Ankara. Enough of the history lesson, the mosaics were cool. After that we went to the Istanbul Archeological Museum, which had some pretty intense tombs, but other than that, was somewhat sparse in terms of interesting items.
After a fun filled morning of history and stuff, we (after I got us lost) made it to the Cemberlitas hamam, or in plain English, the Turkish bath. After some awkward miming and confused looks, I found myself changing into a plaid bathcloth in a wooden compartment, then walking around in plastic slippers in a futile attempt to find the door before someone kindly pointed me in the right direction. The bath was quite beautiful, as it was designed by the Ottoman Empire's greatest architect in the 16th century. I laid around on a giant marble slab in a steam room for about 20 minutes before a large, hairy, mustachioed Turkish man gave me a violent cleaning and soapy massage. I think that image seems to fittingly sum up the experience. I don't think I've felt that clean since I was in Kyoto, Japan two years ago. You remember the Japanese bath, don't you Benjamin? Anyways, Turkish bath, good idea.
Following that, we headed over to the Grand Bazaar, the largest covered market in the world. It really is a barrage on the senses, as people are all over you, inviting you to look at their carpets, or their jewelry, or whatever wares they're selling. It's really crazy. And thanks to the strength of the dollar against the new Turkish lira, it's really cheap. You have no idea the joy I felt when I learned I actually wasn't losing money on exchange rates for a change. As a result, I returned laden with goods. I don't want to mention them all here, as many are gifts, but let's just say I got some cool stuff. What I'm most proud of is a small Turkish carpet I got, 100% wool and handmade. It's very nice, and will surely grace my dorm room next year. Kate went crazy on the inlaid wooden boxes, while Emily indulged in bunch of gifty type things as well.
Went to a whirling dervish ceremony at night. For those not in the know, it's a characteristic of the Mevlevi sect of Sufism (Islamic mysticism). The practicioners whirl around in a trance like state to traditional music, in the hopes of achieving a mystical communion with God. It was very intense, but unfortunate because of the touristic nature of the performance. It was very obvious that the people in it were really taking it seriously, but I felt it was bastardized by all the lame tourists taking blatant flash photographs, standing up to videotape, and other such distractions. It really took away from the sacredness of the moment and such, which is a shame.
After the dervish thing, the night got.... interesting. Well, I guess that depends on your point of view. You see, the previous night at the teahouse, we had made friends with two youngish Turkish males who struck up a conversation with us as we attempted to master the hookah (apple flavored). One guy, Moussah, was a student who spoke fluent English. He was accompanied by his friend "Herb," who worked in the Grand Bazaar. Anyways, we had made friends, and they tried to teach us how to play backgammon. We politely declined their offer to go out to a club, as we were broke and were fairly tired. Thinking that was the last of them, we said goodbye, happy to have connected with the locals.
Anyways, we come back on Friday night, and who should be standing in the entrance of the carpet shop opposite our hostel but Moussah and Herb (apparently Moussah was filling in for his father, who owned the carpet store). They invited us in for tea, and we obliged. He shared some insight on why Turks don't like loud, drunk Australian tourists (such as the ones who populated our hostel), because they are disrespecting their forefathers who died at Gallipoli by their behavior, and how they disrespect Turkish people. He also shared some stories involving him catching potential carpet-buyers performing lewd acts in the upstairs lounge. Anyways, they invite us out to a bar a block away from the hostel, and we agree to go for a few drinks. We tried some raki, which is a Turkish spirit that tastes disgustingly like licorice, and a few pints of Turkish beer. Needless to say, I had a good time, but one of our female companions was the subject of possibly some unwanted attention.
Saturday was fairly chill, we woke up sort of late, and spent the morning hitting up an Istanbul Starbucks, returning to the Grand Bazaar, and visiting the Suleymaniye Mosque. I thought the Suleymaniye to be the most beautiful mosque I visited, it was built by the Ottoman Empire's most skilled architect. We were there right before the noon prayer time, so as we exited, the call to prayer boomed out through loudspeakers as people rushed into the mosque. Probably the highlight of Saturday was taking a ferry across the Bosphorus to Asia. Literally. Istanbul is the only city in the world to straddle two continents. So we went over and just sort of chilled out. We went to a very cool cafe and had tea on a terrace that overlooked Sultanahmet (the district of Old Istanbul on the European side). It was cool to cross the Bosphorus. We saw Kiz Kulesi, also known as the Maiden's Tower. Or if you're like me, in The World is Not Enough, it's where Elektra King holds M and James Bond before boarding her submarine with the nuclear reactor. Finished off the night by eating in a Turkish place. We met some Australians who were there for ANZAC Day before embarking on a 6 week tour of Europe. So we imparted our travel wisdom to them, chugged our apple tea, and returned to the hostel.
Got up early the next morning (talking 5:00 A.M.) and were driven to the airport by a slightly mad bus driver. He may or may not have been going 90 MPH. Celebrated my arrival at the airport by throwing down 9 YTL for a coffee and a muffin at Starbucks. To celebrate my Britishness and impending return, I attempted to eat the muffin English style with fork and knife. I'm really trying to pick it up, and I think I was fairly successful. Anyways, the flight back was great, they had free Coke, breakfast, a movie inflight. Gah, it felt like traveling first class. We flew over the Alps and our approach into Heathrow took us right over central London, so I got some sweet photos.
In retrospect, I think I can say that Istanbul vies with Paris for the best part of my trip. I really enjoyed it. It was so cool and interesting to be in a Muslim country, which I thought played a big role in why I liked it so much. Everyone in college learns about Islam nowadays, but I feel we still miss a certain level of understanding. Istanbul certainly opened my eyes a lot more fully. First of all, the Turkish people and their hospitality and friendliness was amazing. Secondly, the Islam that I saw is a truly beautiful religion, far far removed from what we hear on the news. The mosques were very beautiful. Unlike the tourist clogged cathedrals in France and Italy, the mosques I visited demanded reverence. Everyone had to remove their shoes before they went in, visitors had to stay in the back to preserve the sanctity of the space, and they just seemed so very serene. It was so cool to have your day punctuated not by church bells, but rather by the calls of the muezzin echoing throughout the city. I would recommend Istanbul to anyone thinking of going to Europe. Turkey seems scary, but it isn't. It's very modern, but still retains that Eastern exoticism. A beautiful city.
Stay tuned for one more post trying to sum up the trip as a whole. I finally got my paper turned in and such, so I'm working on it. Later.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Last Day
Hey readers. Not going to post much here, as I'll be back in England with plenty of time to blog in less than 24 hours. I just thought it is appropriate to commemorate this, the 28th day of travel, and also the last. I've been gone for a month, and have seen many places and things, not the least Istanbul, which has been amazing. Went shopping in the Grand Bazaar yesterday and today, which has definitely caused a hit on the finances. But, I had been expecting that, and had somewhat budgeted in anticipation. Took a ferry over to Asia today, where we got some tea. A fairly chill couple days, I would have to say. The city is starting to be swarmed with Australians and New Zealanders coming for ANZAC Day on the 25th, as well as getting ready for the Turkish national holiday on Monday. So, it's been pretty active. Great place.
So yes, check back with the blog in a day or two for a final "epilogue" to my European travels, as well as a huge photo album to be posted soon. Hopefully I can think up something useful to say that will provide a fitting summation of my month spent running around the Mediterranean. Until then, later.
So yes, check back with the blog in a day or two for a final "epilogue" to my European travels, as well as a huge photo album to be posted soon. Hopefully I can think up something useful to say that will provide a fitting summation of my month spent running around the Mediterranean. Until then, later.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
In Istanbul
Hey readers, I'm in Istanbul. Got here Wednesday night after a quite pleasant Turkish Airlines flight from Athens. After the low budget fun of Ryanair and Easy Jet, it was somewhat stunning to be offered drinks without having to pay 4 euros for it. The wonders of modern air travel.
The 37 hours in Athens or whatever went fine. Hit up the Acropolis, saw the biggies (i.e. Theatre of Dionysius, Parthenon, Agora), hightailed it to the National Archeological Museum, then took Athens' very efficient metro to the airport. I must say, Athens has probably the nicest metro (subway) system you'll ever see. It's brand spanking new, immaculately clean, and quite fast. The day was slightly tarnished, as a Greek pigeon found it necessary to crap on my shoulder outside the Quick Pitta restaurant. It could be worse. Kate, another Luther traveler, got crapped on her head.
So, in Istanbul. I've built this part of my trip up so much, one would maybe expect to be let down. So far, that is not the case at all. We made it to our hostel alright, and met up with Kate. We are literally a 5 minute walk from both the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, which is amazing location. The three of us hit up both of the above early this morning. Hagia Sophia is a place I've wanted to see for a very long time, and it did not disappoint whatsoever. It's just one of those things that is very hard to describe, such is its magnificence. Photos will come next week.
Also saw the Blue Mosque. I thought it significant, as it is the first mosque I've ever actually been in. We had to remove our shoes, and Emily and Kate chose to cover their heads with a scarf, which seems like a very respectful thing to do. Once again, it was gorgeous. The interior is covered from floor to ceiling with blue Ottoman tiles, hence the name. We also saw Topkapi Palace, which was the home of the Ottoman sultans until the early 19th century. It was cool, especially the Harem, which is where the sultan and his harem actually lived. I guess, just think of your stereotypical middle eastern palace, and that's what you got. So cool. My camera is definitely getting a workout.
Besides a very unfortunate lunch incident, which basically saw us getting conned by a seemingly very nice Turkish man over kebabs, the Turkish people are clearly the friendliest I have encountered in Europe. And you know how much I love the French. But everyone is very nice, and very interested in hearing why we came to Istanbul. On our way to the Blue Mosque, a group of high school students interviewed us on tape about why we came to Turkey, what we knew about Istanbul, if we liked Muslims, what were the similarities with the States, etc. You'd be amazed at how many people just tell us "Welcome to Istanbul." It's sort of a hard city to understand unless you come. We in the West automatically tag Turkey as Muslim, which brings connotations. But Turkey is strictly secular, and this city is thoroughly modern. It's interesting, Hagia Sophia was first a Byzantine basilica, then converted into a mosque. Now it's been decommissioned as a museum, which leaves it as sort of a hodge podge of Christian and Islamic decor. I think it's a fitting metaphor for this city, which quite literally straddles Asia and Europe. It's a wonderful place and I'm loving it. We're going to go to a local teahouse tonight for some tea and trying a water pipe (that's for you Scott). Friday is the Muslim day of worship, so we're going to avoid the mosques and hit up a Turkish bath, the Grand Bazaar, and hopefully catch a Sufi mystic performance. We do go to class, really. Just not until Tuesday.
The 37 hours in Athens or whatever went fine. Hit up the Acropolis, saw the biggies (i.e. Theatre of Dionysius, Parthenon, Agora), hightailed it to the National Archeological Museum, then took Athens' very efficient metro to the airport. I must say, Athens has probably the nicest metro (subway) system you'll ever see. It's brand spanking new, immaculately clean, and quite fast. The day was slightly tarnished, as a Greek pigeon found it necessary to crap on my shoulder outside the Quick Pitta restaurant. It could be worse. Kate, another Luther traveler, got crapped on her head.
So, in Istanbul. I've built this part of my trip up so much, one would maybe expect to be let down. So far, that is not the case at all. We made it to our hostel alright, and met up with Kate. We are literally a 5 minute walk from both the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, which is amazing location. The three of us hit up both of the above early this morning. Hagia Sophia is a place I've wanted to see for a very long time, and it did not disappoint whatsoever. It's just one of those things that is very hard to describe, such is its magnificence. Photos will come next week.
Also saw the Blue Mosque. I thought it significant, as it is the first mosque I've ever actually been in. We had to remove our shoes, and Emily and Kate chose to cover their heads with a scarf, which seems like a very respectful thing to do. Once again, it was gorgeous. The interior is covered from floor to ceiling with blue Ottoman tiles, hence the name. We also saw Topkapi Palace, which was the home of the Ottoman sultans until the early 19th century. It was cool, especially the Harem, which is where the sultan and his harem actually lived. I guess, just think of your stereotypical middle eastern palace, and that's what you got. So cool. My camera is definitely getting a workout.
Besides a very unfortunate lunch incident, which basically saw us getting conned by a seemingly very nice Turkish man over kebabs, the Turkish people are clearly the friendliest I have encountered in Europe. And you know how much I love the French. But everyone is very nice, and very interested in hearing why we came to Istanbul. On our way to the Blue Mosque, a group of high school students interviewed us on tape about why we came to Turkey, what we knew about Istanbul, if we liked Muslims, what were the similarities with the States, etc. You'd be amazed at how many people just tell us "Welcome to Istanbul." It's sort of a hard city to understand unless you come. We in the West automatically tag Turkey as Muslim, which brings connotations. But Turkey is strictly secular, and this city is thoroughly modern. It's interesting, Hagia Sophia was first a Byzantine basilica, then converted into a mosque. Now it's been decommissioned as a museum, which leaves it as sort of a hodge podge of Christian and Islamic decor. I think it's a fitting metaphor for this city, which quite literally straddles Asia and Europe. It's a wonderful place and I'm loving it. We're going to go to a local teahouse tonight for some tea and trying a water pipe (that's for you Scott). Friday is the Muslim day of worship, so we're going to avoid the mosques and hit up a Turkish bath, the Grand Bazaar, and hopefully catch a Sufi mystic performance. We do go to class, really. Just not until Tuesday.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
It's All Greek to Me....
After a hellish day waiting for the ferry in Bari, a 15 hour ride across the Adriatic Sea, and a very loud train ride across the Pelopennese, I'm finally in Athens, cradle of Western civilization. For about 23 more hours, when I'll leave for Istanbul. This keyboard is crap, so here's the deal. Tomorrow will be a sightseeing fiesta, as we try to cram in the Archeological Museum and the Acropolis, along with a Greek salad and/or more gyros. Then off to the final leg in Turkey. The ferry over here was great, it was a huge boat. Right before we docked, a group of middle aged Greek women started to sing Greek folk songs. Hilarious. I can't type. Later.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Stranded
Sometimes things go a little rough traveling. For example, you can't get a train reservation so you have to spend an extra night in a hotel. Or you forget a towel. Or, as I have recently experienced, you go to a port to catch a ferry, only to realize there is no boat.
......
What was to be a 2 hour stop in Bari to transfer between train and ferry has turned into a 24 hour ordeal, thanks to the fact that the ferry doesn't seem to run on Sunday. Nevermind the fact that all credible evidence (see this) says that there should have indeed been a ferry. Eh, I guess it's stuff like this that teaches you grand life lessons. Like, never return to Bari, or fly. Whatever. At least I have my newly purchased jar of Justice League endorsed Nutella to help dry my tears.
Moral of the story, stuff happens. Just deal. Hopefully you'll all hear from me again, in either Athens or Istanbul.
......
What was to be a 2 hour stop in Bari to transfer between train and ferry has turned into a 24 hour ordeal, thanks to the fact that the ferry doesn't seem to run on Sunday. Nevermind the fact that all credible evidence (see this) says that there should have indeed been a ferry. Eh, I guess it's stuff like this that teaches you grand life lessons. Like, never return to Bari, or fly. Whatever. At least I have my newly purchased jar of Justice League endorsed Nutella to help dry my tears.
Moral of the story, stuff happens. Just deal. Hopefully you'll all hear from me again, in either Athens or Istanbul.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Rome Aftermath and Sorrento
Just a quick check in here. I escaped Rome with my life, after hitting all the biggies. Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Vatican Museum, St. Peter's, yada, yada, yada. We were almost killed by the marauding tribes of bus tourists that were to be found EVERYWHERE, but we somehow lived. The ones from Croatia and Poland were the most interesting. But seriously, Rome is overwhelming. Very cool, but very crazy. Get in, get out, mission accomplished.
Now in Sorrento. Once again, we have a very nice apartment rented, so that's good. We went today to Pompeii, which was really wild. It's preserved so well, so for a history major it's pretty intense. It's also the home of Italy's largest stray dog population. Very strange. The remainder of our time in Sorrento will be comprised of gelato, sun, wasting time, avoiding feral dogs, and pasta. Should be a good break before the adventure that is Athens and Istanbul. Later.
Now in Sorrento. Once again, we have a very nice apartment rented, so that's good. We went today to Pompeii, which was really wild. It's preserved so well, so for a history major it's pretty intense. It's also the home of Italy's largest stray dog population. Very strange. The remainder of our time in Sorrento will be comprised of gelato, sun, wasting time, avoiding feral dogs, and pasta. Should be a good break before the adventure that is Athens and Istanbul. Later.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
When in Rome...
Rome. The capital of civilization for over 1,000 years. The center of Catholicism. And apparently, the only place in Europe that has MLB on big screen TV's. After a mid morning departure from Florence, we got to Rome somewhere around 3:00 yesterday. The weather has been amazing thus far, for almost all of the days from Nice onwards, which has been really great. Plenty of sun. Found our B&B near the train station, hit the town. Just sort of spent the day wandering around. Found the Spanish Steps, was almost crushed in a stampede of Chanel and Dior clad Roman youths. Sat around in various piazzas, walked along the Tiber, tried to take artsy photos with St. Peter's against the setting sun, whatever. We (being myself, Hilary, and Kevin) had been attempting to find a pizzeria recommended by Rick Steves, which led us on somewhat of a wild goose chase around the city centre, only to find it closed. So we ate in a different place and were planning on walking to the Trevi Fountain, then retiring to our B&B to watch Italian TV, become anti-social with our iPods, or something to that effect.
Not to happen.
We stumbled across an Irish pub, which could be any random Irish pub in a non Irish city, except for the words APRIL 9TH- 1:00 A.M.- NY YANKEES vs. MINNESOTA. This could only mean one thing. We were surely destined to see the Twins. Being only 9:00 P.M. at the time of sighting, we had a while to wait. Fortunately for us, we had stumbled into (self proclaimingly) Rome's "expatriate hotspot." So anyways, that's pretty much we did all night. Caught the end of the Phillies/Mets game, most of the Rockies/Dodgers game, and then had to suffer through one inning of Sidney Ponson's crap pitching in the Twins/Yankees game. But still, it was amazing. All 3 of us had a good time I think. Kevin and I had our first experiences with the infamous "Black and Tan." And besides seeing live baseball, we had good talks about the flat, coming back to the US, travel, yada, yada, yada.
After I was sated watching one inning of the Twins, we attempted to find our way back to our B&B at 2:00 in the morning. Taking a few wrong turns and getting twisted around a bit, we run into the Colosseum. We were all in agreement that it isn't what you would typically find wandering around Luther in the wee hours of the morning.
Slept till 11:00 today, got some groceries, am here at the internet cafe, now we're going to hit up ancient Roman sights. St. Peter's and the Vatican tomorrow. Welcome to Rome.
Not to happen.
We stumbled across an Irish pub, which could be any random Irish pub in a non Irish city, except for the words APRIL 9TH- 1:00 A.M.- NY YANKEES vs. MINNESOTA. This could only mean one thing. We were surely destined to see the Twins. Being only 9:00 P.M. at the time of sighting, we had a while to wait. Fortunately for us, we had stumbled into (self proclaimingly) Rome's "expatriate hotspot." So anyways, that's pretty much we did all night. Caught the end of the Phillies/Mets game, most of the Rockies/Dodgers game, and then had to suffer through one inning of Sidney Ponson's crap pitching in the Twins/Yankees game. But still, it was amazing. All 3 of us had a good time I think. Kevin and I had our first experiences with the infamous "Black and Tan." And besides seeing live baseball, we had good talks about the flat, coming back to the US, travel, yada, yada, yada.
After I was sated watching one inning of the Twins, we attempted to find our way back to our B&B at 2:00 in the morning. Taking a few wrong turns and getting twisted around a bit, we run into the Colosseum. We were all in agreement that it isn't what you would typically find wandering around Luther in the wee hours of the morning.
Slept till 11:00 today, got some groceries, am here at the internet cafe, now we're going to hit up ancient Roman sights. St. Peter's and the Vatican tomorrow. Welcome to Rome.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Happy Easter
Happy Easter folks from Florence, Italy. Or Firenze, as it's called in Italian. I like Firenze a lot better, personally. Today may have been the strangest Easter ever. Besides the fact that we're deep in the clutches of Catholic Central, a rocket propelled dove lighting a giant fireworks display in front of a cathedral while a service is going on sort of gives you that impression. We headed downtown to the Duomo, which is Firenze's huge cathedral, to try and catch some sort of Easter-y service. What we found was a gigantic sea of tourists, a cable running the length of the cathedral out the front door, and a strange house shaped thing connected to the cable at the end. To the tune of intense organ playing and a couple of alterboy's with wooden crosses, a rocket propelled dove shot throught the cathedral, lit the structure (which I like to think is Jesus' empty tomb) which exploded into fireworks for about 10 minutes, then shot back. The footage on Kevin's camera looks like something out of Saving Private Ryan. Wild. So right, welcome to Easter in Italy.
We arrived in Firenze on Friday afternoon, after a day of discovering the worst the Italian train company had to offer. Compared to the sleek French TGV's we were all so used to riding on that hurtle smoothly along at nearly 200 MPH, the 30 year old diesel powered Italian trains were something of a let down. Dirty stations, dirty trains, and nasty seats equal great fun. But we made it. Upon arrival and a nerve-wracking city bus ride to find our B&B, we find that no one is there to meet us. Turns out that they never got our confirmation from Hostelworld.com. But the lady is super nice, and got us a room. It's about a 20 minute walk from the city centre.
Firenze is the birthplace of the Renaisaance. Dante, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Botticelli, they all kicked it here. What does that translate into today's terms? A 4 hour queue to get into the Uffizi gallery. No joke, we waited for 4 hours under the hot Tuscan sun to get in. I think it's fair to say that it sucked. But the payoff was good, as the gallery was quite cool. I have Renaissance art imprinted on my brain and dripping out of my ears. After we finally escaped, we hit up what may be the most amazing ice cream (sorry, gelato) place on the face of the earth. Gigantic mounds of gelato as big as my torso. I got tiramisu flavored, and it made me a better person. I feel as if I can walk through walls.
We wandered around for a bit before randomly running into Emily, who's in Florence as well visiting her freshman year roommate. After chatting for a bit we left, wasted time in a sports store, and hit up the Accademia. It's a very ghetto art gallery in almost every respect except that it houses Michelangelo's David, a gigantic sculpture of David about to slay Goliath. It was amazing. I think all (myself, Hilary, and Kevin) agreed it was immensely intense and powerful. Finished off the day by going up to a park above the river and photographing Florence at night. Also, Kevin and I decided to buy some pop. On his recommendation, we got this crazy San Pellegrino energy drink crap, thinking it might be good. We were wrong. Definitely should have sprung the extra 20 cents for the Sprite or Coke.
I have sad news that I keep forgetting to post. My disgusting old Twins hat, which has been a constant travel companion throughout the year, now lives on the No. 37 bus between Avignon and Uzes. I lost it. Not so much lost as forgot it on a bus and then couldn't retrieve it. It was time though, it truly was on it's last legs. But still, thanks for the memories. I can only hope some young French kid finds it, looks up the Minnesota Twins online, and becomes a lifelong fan. On the flip side, it gives me a great excuse to buy the new improved New Era field model 59 50, which I will definitely take.
So yes, I would put Italy on another list of places to go if you can. Firenze would be a good idea. Even though I am once again experiencing the awkwardness of not being able to communicate well, Italy is great. It's different from France, it sort of lacks that sleekness and modern sheen. But in it's own way, it's very nice. And most importantly, it has rocket propelled doves and exploding tombs.
We arrived in Firenze on Friday afternoon, after a day of discovering the worst the Italian train company had to offer. Compared to the sleek French TGV's we were all so used to riding on that hurtle smoothly along at nearly 200 MPH, the 30 year old diesel powered Italian trains were something of a let down. Dirty stations, dirty trains, and nasty seats equal great fun. But we made it. Upon arrival and a nerve-wracking city bus ride to find our B&B, we find that no one is there to meet us. Turns out that they never got our confirmation from Hostelworld.com. But the lady is super nice, and got us a room. It's about a 20 minute walk from the city centre.
Firenze is the birthplace of the Renaisaance. Dante, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Botticelli, they all kicked it here. What does that translate into today's terms? A 4 hour queue to get into the Uffizi gallery. No joke, we waited for 4 hours under the hot Tuscan sun to get in. I think it's fair to say that it sucked. But the payoff was good, as the gallery was quite cool. I have Renaissance art imprinted on my brain and dripping out of my ears. After we finally escaped, we hit up what may be the most amazing ice cream (sorry, gelato) place on the face of the earth. Gigantic mounds of gelato as big as my torso. I got tiramisu flavored, and it made me a better person. I feel as if I can walk through walls.
We wandered around for a bit before randomly running into Emily, who's in Florence as well visiting her freshman year roommate. After chatting for a bit we left, wasted time in a sports store, and hit up the Accademia. It's a very ghetto art gallery in almost every respect except that it houses Michelangelo's David, a gigantic sculpture of David about to slay Goliath. It was amazing. I think all (myself, Hilary, and Kevin) agreed it was immensely intense and powerful. Finished off the day by going up to a park above the river and photographing Florence at night. Also, Kevin and I decided to buy some pop. On his recommendation, we got this crazy San Pellegrino energy drink crap, thinking it might be good. We were wrong. Definitely should have sprung the extra 20 cents for the Sprite or Coke.
I have sad news that I keep forgetting to post. My disgusting old Twins hat, which has been a constant travel companion throughout the year, now lives on the No. 37 bus between Avignon and Uzes. I lost it. Not so much lost as forgot it on a bus and then couldn't retrieve it. It was time though, it truly was on it's last legs. But still, thanks for the memories. I can only hope some young French kid finds it, looks up the Minnesota Twins online, and becomes a lifelong fan. On the flip side, it gives me a great excuse to buy the new improved New Era field model 59 50, which I will definitely take.
So yes, I would put Italy on another list of places to go if you can. Firenze would be a good idea. Even though I am once again experiencing the awkwardness of not being able to communicate well, Italy is great. It's different from France, it sort of lacks that sleekness and modern sheen. But in it's own way, it's very nice. And most importantly, it has rocket propelled doves and exploding tombs.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Monanonoco
We took the bus to Monaco yesterday. It was cool, but I don't think it necessarily lives up to all the hype. It is so overcrowded and overbuilt, it's pretty disgusting. Kevin and I tried to get into the Casino, only to be turned away on account of our be-flip flopped feet. It was a worthy try.
It's been going well here. Today the weather is really quite beautiful, very sunny and warm. The wind picked up a bit in the afternoon, but we're not too picky. Sat on the beach for a while, attempting to obtain a bronze sheen. Did it work? Probably not, but whatever. It will be somewhat bittersweet to leave France tomorrow, as we all know I'm quite the fan. But it's good to experience new things. It's crazy to think that I still haven't gotten to the halfway point of spring break yet. It's a little overwhelming, but I think I can manage. It's very strange, not being part of the usual annual rituals that surround Easter and such. I'm usually playing some super easy arrangements of Easter hymns with a bunch of middle schoolers and such right now, instead I'm getting ready to head off to Florence. Travel does sort of screw with your head like that, as you have to sort of put aside all the things you're so used to doing. But anyways, I should go so I don't get too screwed paying for the internet. Hope everyone is well, and one last "bonjour" from France. Catch everyone in Italy!
It's been going well here. Today the weather is really quite beautiful, very sunny and warm. The wind picked up a bit in the afternoon, but we're not too picky. Sat on the beach for a while, attempting to obtain a bronze sheen. Did it work? Probably not, but whatever. It will be somewhat bittersweet to leave France tomorrow, as we all know I'm quite the fan. But it's good to experience new things. It's crazy to think that I still haven't gotten to the halfway point of spring break yet. It's a little overwhelming, but I think I can manage. It's very strange, not being part of the usual annual rituals that surround Easter and such. I'm usually playing some super easy arrangements of Easter hymns with a bunch of middle schoolers and such right now, instead I'm getting ready to head off to Florence. Travel does sort of screw with your head like that, as you have to sort of put aside all the things you're so used to doing. But anyways, I should go so I don't get too screwed paying for the internet. Hope everyone is well, and one last "bonjour" from France. Catch everyone in Italy!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Nice is Nice
After a very intense Monday that involved a very early morning bus trip to the Pont du Gard, I finally found myself reunited with Luther people in Nice, on the Cote d'Azur. Also known as the French Riviera. As much fun as Avignon was, it's definitely nice to be back with a group. Emily and Mary left this morning to head over to Siena, where they're staying for a few days. That leaves myself, Brandon, Kevin, and Hilary here in Nice for 3 more days. We've rented an apartment from this guy from Ohio. He's really nice, I think he's a retired guy living over here with his French wife, and he rents out an apartment. Needless to say, it's very cool, we're probably a 5 minute walk from the beach. I think all of us are looking forward to a relaxing 4 nights or whatever, just sort of chilling out and soaking up the French life. We went to the daily market today and picked up some fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as some Provencal olives and such. Felt so Euro. After I finish this post, it's off for coffee.
Like I said earlier, I finally did make it to the Pont du Gard, which is a 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct in Provence. It's something like 160 feet tall, absolutely huge. I'm so glad I went, it was surely worth the 6:45 AM wake up. All the cliches you can think of about Provence were summed up, as we bussed through vineyards, old cutesy houses, and sun. The aqueduct is wonderfully preserved and it's very tastefully presented in terms of touristy things. The cool thing is that you can hike up around the hills surrounding it, which I took full advantage of. I wish I could post photos, but I don't really feel like trying, and I don't think I can anyways. Just trying to build up the hype for the gigantic album I'll post on photobucket once I get back in 3 weeks or whatever. Yikes, 3 more weeks. Intense.
I was glad to log on today and see news of the victorious Twins in their home opener. To add my preseason predictions to the internet void, I'm predicting World Series champion, over 90 games won, plus the team containing the MVP, Cy Young, batting champ, and whatever other award you can think of. I'm confident.
I've been on the internet too long. It's time for coffee sitting by the shores of the Mediterranean, I think. Later folks, there should be a more interesting blog posting later this week. Until then, au revoir!
Like I said earlier, I finally did make it to the Pont du Gard, which is a 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct in Provence. It's something like 160 feet tall, absolutely huge. I'm so glad I went, it was surely worth the 6:45 AM wake up. All the cliches you can think of about Provence were summed up, as we bussed through vineyards, old cutesy houses, and sun. The aqueduct is wonderfully preserved and it's very tastefully presented in terms of touristy things. The cool thing is that you can hike up around the hills surrounding it, which I took full advantage of. I wish I could post photos, but I don't really feel like trying, and I don't think I can anyways. Just trying to build up the hype for the gigantic album I'll post on photobucket once I get back in 3 weeks or whatever. Yikes, 3 more weeks. Intense.
I was glad to log on today and see news of the victorious Twins in their home opener. To add my preseason predictions to the internet void, I'm predicting World Series champion, over 90 games won, plus the team containing the MVP, Cy Young, batting champ, and whatever other award you can think of. I'm confident.
I've been on the internet too long. It's time for coffee sitting by the shores of the Mediterranean, I think. Later folks, there should be a more interesting blog posting later this week. Until then, au revoir!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Bull....
I know I've been blogging too much here. Last post for a while, I promise. But the fact I've figured out the French keyboard makes it so hard not to... I took the train to Arles today and watched a bullfight in a 2,000 year old Roman arena. Not a Spanish bullfight, where they kill the bull, but a Provencal one. It involves men in white clothes trying to take a ribbon strung between the bull's horns. It also involves a lot of Matrix-esque leaping to the safety of walls. I wish I could put videos and photos up, it was insane. You'll all just have to wait until I get back. Probably the most authentic thing I've done thus far. I think everyone who reads this blog should take a quick moment of silence for Herb Carneal, who passed away today. Herb was the voice of the Minnesota Twins, and I listened to him every year of my life. As much as I love the soothing voice of John Gordon and Dan Gladden, it just won't be the same without Herb. Thanks. Tomorrow, it's an early morning to see Pont du Gard, quick transfer to the TGV station, and off to Nice to meet back up with the crew. Talk to you all next from the banks of the Cote d'Azur.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
A Day in the Life...
Yesterday's post was uber-lame. So today, come loyal readers, and witness the all out intensity that is TRAVELING SOLO.
8:45- Think about getting up
9:00- Get up, plan to leave by 9:45
10:10- Leave Hotel Splendid, head to downtown Avignon. Plan on catching 12:35 bus to Pont du Gard.
10:15- Eat breakfast consisting of pain au chocolat bought at local patisserie
10:20- Seduced by the pumping Euro-electronica beating out on the street from Zara and H&M, spend a while looking over all the stuff you cannot afford.
10:50- Aimlessly wander Avignon back streets for an hour or so, stopping in at cathedrals and river overviews.
11:50- Realize the bus to Pont du Gard leaves at 12:05
12:10- Resign self to spending the day in Avignon, purchase baguette from previously mentioned patisserie
12:20- Evading the "No Eating in room" directive, eat lunch in hotel room consisting of just purchased baguette, Nutella, Vanilla Coke, and gummy bears. Listen to either Rick Steves' whiny podcast on travel in Afghanistan, an old Edith Piaf record, or Led Zeppelin.
1:10- Head back downtown to visit the Palais des Papes (that's "Papal Palace")
1:20- After purchasing ticket, spend hour and a half wandering the immense and foreboding palace. Struggle to listen to audio guide, write stuff in notebook, and read palace map at the same time. Also, take too many photos of useless things.
3:05- Leave palace. Awkwardly take Rick's walking tour of the backstreets of Avignon. Sit in on a Bach rehearsal in a cool out of the way church. Try to blend in with the locals as you fumble with a ripped up guidebook, wear a baseball cap that doesn't involve the Yankees, take more useless photos, and carry a much too large European carry-all.
4:00- Sit down in café, order coffee, read assigned novel about working class British life in the 1950's.
5:00- Think about eating dinner, realize it's too early. Leave café.
5:15- Walk into wine shop populated by a large group of Japanese tourists. Chuckle as they attept to communicate via English to clearly amused French clerk. Pick out a cheap bottle of wine. Realize you don't have a corkscrew. Failing to know the French word for "corkscrew", say "Je voudrais un" and awkwardly point to one. Amused French clerk, hopefully giving you credit for trying, gets you the desired corkscrew from the back room.
5:40- Purchase dinner consisting of a kebab, possibly God's gift to the poor European traveling college student. Once again telling THE MAN off, eat it in your hotel room. More Vanilla Coke.
6:15- Do your first ever battle with a laundromat. Wash nasty ass clothes.
7:00- Bring semi-dry clothes back to hotel room, head off to train station
7:10- See how much it is to take a daytrip to Arles (€ 10). Go to bus station and see if there's a bus on Sunday to Pont du Gard (there is). Try and figure out what to do.
7:40- Go to internet café, write prosaic blog entry
Post Blog- Return to hotel room, watch The Empire Strikes Back on iPod, try new corkscrew, more Vanilla Coke and gummy bears
That was pretty much my Saturday here in Avignon. Like an idiot, I missed the bus to Pont du Gard. It was probably for the better though, as it was nasty and rainy all day. A good day to spend indoors. I toured the huge Papal Palace, which looks more like some sort of military stronghold (well, it is) than a palace for God's presence on Earth. It was cool though. I purchased my first what you would call souvenir today. It's a corkscrew. I know, sort of lame, but it's one of those ones that waiters always carry around. I think it's pretty cool. It's something sort of French. My attempts to curb spending have been going well, I think. Nutella comprises a major food group in my Euro diet, as well as Haribo gummy bears, which may be some sort of heavenly food. They still have Vanilla Coke here. It's a beautiful thing. People are well aware of my affinity for France and the French. Everything continues to be reinforced. I'd highly recommend going to France. Many of my Luther counterparts feel very uncomfortable in France, but I don't think I'd rather be anywhere else.
I'm having fun on my own. Of course I'm looking forward a lot to seeing friends on Monday, but it's nice to have a break. I've been doing a lot of reading and such. I bought a Lonely Planet guide to Istanbul, so I'm figuring out what I want to see in 3 weeks or whatever. Avignon is a really cool city too. Lots of stuff to see and do, so I don't really get bored. But like I said, it will be nice to see Emily and crew again on Monday.
I read other Luther people's blogs, and it seems like they make these grand statements about how travel is affecting them and such. I don't really think I have much to say about that. I don't think it has struck me yet. It is always a struggle to stave off being jaded. I mean, Roman ruins and medieval churches all start to run together as time goes on. The trick is to continually remind myself of the significance of each thing to the surrounding area, how it has affected people and society. It's hard, I'll tell you that. But it's ultimately rewarding, to take everything on it's own terms.
Final humorous situation of the past few days. Yesterday, as I was muddling about the Avignon tourist office, one of the French tourist officials (obviously impressed with my ninja master French skills) asked me, as a REAL ENGLISH SPEAKER, what I would call a "raspberry mash" on top of a cake. She thought it was porridge. I suggested jam, but I really have no idea. Thoughts? Whatever. Merci et au revoir!
8:45- Think about getting up
9:00- Get up, plan to leave by 9:45
10:10- Leave Hotel Splendid, head to downtown Avignon. Plan on catching 12:35 bus to Pont du Gard.
10:15- Eat breakfast consisting of pain au chocolat bought at local patisserie
10:20- Seduced by the pumping Euro-electronica beating out on the street from Zara and H&M, spend a while looking over all the stuff you cannot afford.
10:50- Aimlessly wander Avignon back streets for an hour or so, stopping in at cathedrals and river overviews.
11:50- Realize the bus to Pont du Gard leaves at 12:05
12:10- Resign self to spending the day in Avignon, purchase baguette from previously mentioned patisserie
12:20- Evading the "No Eating in room" directive, eat lunch in hotel room consisting of just purchased baguette, Nutella, Vanilla Coke, and gummy bears. Listen to either Rick Steves' whiny podcast on travel in Afghanistan, an old Edith Piaf record, or Led Zeppelin.
1:10- Head back downtown to visit the Palais des Papes (that's "Papal Palace")
1:20- After purchasing ticket, spend hour and a half wandering the immense and foreboding palace. Struggle to listen to audio guide, write stuff in notebook, and read palace map at the same time. Also, take too many photos of useless things.
3:05- Leave palace. Awkwardly take Rick's walking tour of the backstreets of Avignon. Sit in on a Bach rehearsal in a cool out of the way church. Try to blend in with the locals as you fumble with a ripped up guidebook, wear a baseball cap that doesn't involve the Yankees, take more useless photos, and carry a much too large European carry-all.
4:00- Sit down in café, order coffee, read assigned novel about working class British life in the 1950's.
5:00- Think about eating dinner, realize it's too early. Leave café.
5:15- Walk into wine shop populated by a large group of Japanese tourists. Chuckle as they attept to communicate via English to clearly amused French clerk. Pick out a cheap bottle of wine. Realize you don't have a corkscrew. Failing to know the French word for "corkscrew", say "Je voudrais un" and awkwardly point to one. Amused French clerk, hopefully giving you credit for trying, gets you the desired corkscrew from the back room.
5:40- Purchase dinner consisting of a kebab, possibly God's gift to the poor European traveling college student. Once again telling THE MAN off, eat it in your hotel room. More Vanilla Coke.
6:15- Do your first ever battle with a laundromat. Wash nasty ass clothes.
7:00- Bring semi-dry clothes back to hotel room, head off to train station
7:10- See how much it is to take a daytrip to Arles (€ 10). Go to bus station and see if there's a bus on Sunday to Pont du Gard (there is). Try and figure out what to do.
7:40- Go to internet café, write prosaic blog entry
Post Blog- Return to hotel room, watch The Empire Strikes Back on iPod, try new corkscrew, more Vanilla Coke and gummy bears
That was pretty much my Saturday here in Avignon. Like an idiot, I missed the bus to Pont du Gard. It was probably for the better though, as it was nasty and rainy all day. A good day to spend indoors. I toured the huge Papal Palace, which looks more like some sort of military stronghold (well, it is) than a palace for God's presence on Earth. It was cool though. I purchased my first what you would call souvenir today. It's a corkscrew. I know, sort of lame, but it's one of those ones that waiters always carry around. I think it's pretty cool. It's something sort of French. My attempts to curb spending have been going well, I think. Nutella comprises a major food group in my Euro diet, as well as Haribo gummy bears, which may be some sort of heavenly food. They still have Vanilla Coke here. It's a beautiful thing. People are well aware of my affinity for France and the French. Everything continues to be reinforced. I'd highly recommend going to France. Many of my Luther counterparts feel very uncomfortable in France, but I don't think I'd rather be anywhere else.
I'm having fun on my own. Of course I'm looking forward a lot to seeing friends on Monday, but it's nice to have a break. I've been doing a lot of reading and such. I bought a Lonely Planet guide to Istanbul, so I'm figuring out what I want to see in 3 weeks or whatever. Avignon is a really cool city too. Lots of stuff to see and do, so I don't really get bored. But like I said, it will be nice to see Emily and crew again on Monday.
I read other Luther people's blogs, and it seems like they make these grand statements about how travel is affecting them and such. I don't really think I have much to say about that. I don't think it has struck me yet. It is always a struggle to stave off being jaded. I mean, Roman ruins and medieval churches all start to run together as time goes on. The trick is to continually remind myself of the significance of each thing to the surrounding area, how it has affected people and society. It's hard, I'll tell you that. But it's ultimately rewarding, to take everything on it's own terms.
Final humorous situation of the past few days. Yesterday, as I was muddling about the Avignon tourist office, one of the French tourist officials (obviously impressed with my ninja master French skills) asked me, as a REAL ENGLISH SPEAKER, what I would call a "raspberry mash" on top of a cake. She thought it was porridge. I suggested jam, but I really have no idea. Thoughts? Whatever. Merci et au revoir!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Avignon
Ive finally made it to Avignon, but I cant find the apostrophe on this computer. Bear with me. We had a last minute switch at Mont St Michel, in the sense that since the Friday morning train to Paris was completely full, we had to return Thursday night, thus paying for a night both at our sweet country hostel at Mont St Michel and a room in maybe the most ghetto hotel in Paris. Financially, the first week of the trip has been a disaster. Live and learn, and then spend a lot less money. Mont St Michel was really cool I thought. I cannot post photos, but know that it was mind blowing. The past few days, my French skills have been improving exponentially I feel. Its good to speak it and not look like an idiot American all the time. This morning I took the sweetest train ever from Paris to Avignon. It was a double decker TGV, which is the French high speed train. Some 200 kilometers an hour it goes. Im now on the solo part of my trip. Avignon, the medieval home of the popes, is quite beautiful. Provence in general is quite beautiful. So right.
It makes me feel like Ive finally achieved a great sense of study abroad-ness when its no big deal to train back to Paris for the night. Either that or Im becoming jaded. Who knows. A relatively relaxing 2 days awaits in Avignon, then off to meet Kevin, Hilary, and Brandon in Nice. It will be nice to see them all again. I cant type on this computer. Au revoir!
It makes me feel like Ive finally achieved a great sense of study abroad-ness when its no big deal to train back to Paris for the night. Either that or Im becoming jaded. Who knows. A relatively relaxing 2 days awaits in Avignon, then off to meet Kevin, Hilary, and Brandon in Nice. It will be nice to see them all again. I cant type on this computer. Au revoir!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Paris
Bonjour a Paris! If any reader hasn't ever been to Paris, I would highly suggest you drop what you're doing, log onto www.orbitz.com, and book a flight to Paris tomorrow. I'll be here until noon on Wednesday if you want to hang out. Seriously, this city is great. I remember how much I loved it in high school. Having the freedom to do anything is so much more liberating, and it makes it so much better. The hotel I'm in is very good for what it is and thank God for the BBC World. We were discussing the other day, how even in the midst of such a beautiful tongue as French, it's strangely comforting to hear a boring looking man speak with a stodgy British accent. Arrived via Eurostar on Saturday, where we were welcomed by probably the most disgusting weather ever. On our way to Notre Dame, I actually got mistaken for a French person when an Englishwoman asked me in haggard French to take a picture of a group of people. It felt great. Finally got in the cathedral, which was way cool because they were doing vespers as we were touring the cathedral. Gave it an awesome ambiance. Found Ryan, and we celebrated the start of break by eating in a restaurant that featured the most amazing duck and french fries I've ever had. Moving on, yesterday (Sunday) was museum day. After a morning trip to see the Eiffel Tower up close, the three of us hit up the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay in succession. We all have this Paris museum pass that pretty much lets us do anything we want. Both were amazing, I took advantage of a few audio tours I downloaded onto my iPod. The Musee d'Orsay is a must for any Paris visit, it's wonderful. Finished off the night by eating in a sandwich joint on the Champs Elysees, grabbing some coffee, and going up the Arc de Triomphe at night. This morning, we got up early and hit the Musee Picasso, then Sainte Chappelle before meeting Ryan again. Ryan is now off to Amsterdam, which leaves Emily and I with a day and a half left here. I know much of this post was wrote replay of what has occurred. Sorry, I will try to be more objective and analytical from now on. Just know that the trip is off to a great start. Everyone go to France as soon as you can, Paris especially. Look for another post sometime later this week (hopefully). Au revoir!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
You Must Go With Me to Alderaan....
Mythical planets, Europe, whatever. They're all the same.
Ready to go travel Europe for a month? I think yes.
The hour is officially nigh. I'll be in Paris by the end of today. Excitement is running high in the flat, among all parties. We had our last group meal for a month tonight, said our goodbyes to Mark and Carol, then got busy packing. I feel good about my packing job, it's pretty minimalist. Some tough decisions were made as to what to leave, but I think I'll be okay in the end. I'll have plenty of room to bring back cool stuff. I still need to complete some tasks before taxi-ing down to the train station, so I'll just leave you all with a visual journey of where I'll be headed the next few weeks. Or at least some of the highlights. Look for a post in the next coming days from Paris. Godspeed, live long and prosper, MTFBWY, later.
Ready to go travel Europe for a month? I think yes.
The hour is officially nigh. I'll be in Paris by the end of today. Excitement is running high in the flat, among all parties. We had our last group meal for a month tonight, said our goodbyes to Mark and Carol, then got busy packing. I feel good about my packing job, it's pretty minimalist. Some tough decisions were made as to what to leave, but I think I'll be okay in the end. I'll have plenty of room to bring back cool stuff. I still need to complete some tasks before taxi-ing down to the train station, so I'll just leave you all with a visual journey of where I'll be headed the next few weeks. Or at least some of the highlights. Look for a post in the next coming days from Paris. Godspeed, live long and prosper, MTFBWY, later.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
T-Minus 60 Hours....
60 hours. 60 hours until a month of baguette munching, cheap wine drinking, sprinting through train stations, living out of a suitcase, cliché pseudo-hippie young person traveling through Europe. My general response? Yikes. I do have a plan, I have places to stay, I have transportation, etc, etc, etc. But it still feels like I'm driving the proverbial bus, through the proverbial wall of television sets, and off the proverbial cliff. Like Indiana Jones falling out of the plane in the Temple of Doom in the river raft. That's an apt description of my spring break thus far. Except costing a lot more money. I don't really want to talk about it. Any of you would be globe-trotters should know that Europe is flipping expensive. Well, the places I'm going (i.e. France and Italy) are. And the cost of getting to Turkey sort of makes me want to crawl up in the fetal position and cry. I did however get a great deal on a plane ticket from Istanbul to London Heathrow on British Airways. I'm using that as my big piece of consolation. No matter how expensive other stuff gets, I can always think about my cheap ticket on a quality airline awaiting me at the end of the line.
Am I prepared? Yes and no. As stated earlier, I have transportation and lodging accounted for, though a little more heavy on the wallet thanks to my ill-advised wait to book things. In that regard, I'm set. But overall, I haven't had a lot of time to prepare myself in a mental sense. I feel that when you're setting off for a month traveling, you should be in a certain mindset or something. I don't have that. The past week or so has been so jam packed with my dad and Kate's recent arrival that I haven't been left with much time to contemplate the journey ahead of me. It will be a learning experience then, I suppose.
As you may have guessed, my dad left Monday morning. We had a good time. The canal boat adventure turned out to be okay. We sailed up to Burton upon Trent, which apparently is the brewing capital of England. So the next day we sailed back down, collected our trusty Ford Focus, and toured the Coors Visitor Center and Museum of Brewing. Coors bought out the old brewery, it was a little disheartening to see COORS plastered all over the historic city. Sunday saw a whirlwind trip down to London which culminated in another stay in the always reliable Holiday Inn Express. And then Monday he left again. It was a good time overall. Good to see dad.
My friend Kate from home showed up yesterday with a friend of her who is volunteering near Birmingham for the year. Although I've been having things stack up on me (see spring break planning, homework, etc, etc, etc), we've been having fun. Did some swing dancing which was really good. I am so out of practice though. All sense of rhythm has left me. But they're heading out again tomorrow. Kate's departure will mark the last visitor that I will have this year. There's only about two months left in Europe. That's a sobering thought.
Today saw my faith re-established in the international postal system. My mom and grandma had purchased for me a new iPod to replace mine, which is in its death throes. It was sent on February 17th, in the hope it would arrive by my birthday. Well, it didn't. And subsequently failed to arrive afterwards, leading both my mom and I to suspect that some corrupt postal employee had nicked it. Just when all hope was lost however, Parcel Force Worldwide came knocking with a letter notifying me of my duty to pay the duty on my luxury item being imported into the UK. After Emily and I rode a bus to the ends of the earth (i.e. the east side of Nottingham) and battled with a particularly finicky credit card machine, I've finally collected my birthday present. It's great. I'm racing to try and pack as much crap on it for the next month.
So yes, that is what is going on. Sorry for my lack of recent postage, it's been busy. I'll try to get one more pre-departure post up, then post as much as I can from the road. Final itinerary you ask? Check it.
March 24-28- Paris
March 28- 30- Pontorson-Mt. St. Michel
March 30- April 2- Avignon
April 2- 6- Nice
April 6- 9- Florence
April 9- 12- Rome
April 12-15- Sorrento
April 15- Ferry to Athens
April 16-18- Athens
April 18- 22- Istanbul
April 22- Return to London, Nottingham
That's the deal. I'd welcome any suggestions for said itinerary, encouragement, rants on how stupid I am, etc, etc, etc. Until we meet again, keep it real.
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