Today, Libby and I woke up at 8 a.m. to meet at the bus stop to leave with API for another magnificent excursion! We were taking a day trip to Champagne, France to visit various underground champagne caves as well as spend a few hours in Reims.
We departed at 9 a.m. and to begin our journey, I dressed very light thinking it would be not too cold. Bad Choice. You see, in the past few days we have had the most amazing weather. It has been 60 degrees; not a cloud in the sky. It seems like the weather is starting to become bearable in France! Therefore, I only brought a light jacket. This was bad news because after arriving at our first stop in Reims at the Tattinger Caves, I was instantly freezing,
It was raining hard and very cold. Not only that, but we were supposed to go far underground where the temperature was supposed to decrease a lot! Oh shit! We arrived a little early, so Melissa took us on another glorious basilica tour. It was a local church by Tattinger, so it saved time. I was freezing, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have.
Next, we were en route to go underground and see how champagne was made. It was awesome. There were three different levels of the caves, and where each champagne bottle goes depends on what part of the aging process it is undergoing. There were hundreds upon hundreds of bottles laid on top of one another in little hallways of the caves. They will rest there for many years, depending on the aging process, and then will move to a new section of the cave where they will be turned a quarter of an inch for a few months, so that the yeast sediment reaches the cap, then the cap is frozen off and the real champagne is taken down to that last part of the cave where it will finish the aging process.
Throughout the tour, Libby and I were really tempted to take a bottle... I mean how would they know? There were so many, we could have easily been sneaky. After the tour came the best part--tasting time!
We all got to taste one flute of champagne. It was very good. I also took a picture with the world's largest champagne flute. Hah imagine that!
After Tattinger, we were off to the city center of Reims to get lunch and explore the Cathedral. The Cathedral is beautiful, a place where many French kings were coronated. We walked around a bit, but not much was happening in the city. Nick, Dema, Libby and I got lunch at a fast food joint. Dema and I were really craving ice cream but we couldn't find anywhere to get some. We figured we would just wait to get it at our next stop.
Next, we were on our way to Epernay where various Champagne Houses are situated. We drove up the Avenue de Champagne which is considered to be "one of the most expensive streets in the world" because of how much champagne is housed underneath. We passed by Moet-Chandon, Perrier-Joet, and other less famous houses.
We ended up at the Mercier House where we got a tour of their caves. This time instead of walking, we all got to take a train ride through the caves. It was the same deal with champagne bottles everywhere you look. After, we got another taste of champagne. Libby and I were practically drunk! Just kidding!
We had some time to spare, and on our way into Epernay, Dema and I had spotted a gelateria that we HAD to go to before we left. We tried walking down there, but there wasn't enough time. So, we persuaded Melissa to have the bus driver stop at the gelateria on our way back. We took a bus vote, or should I say I threatened everyone to raise their hand, but unfortunately the bus driver couldn't do it b/c he can only clock in so many miles per trip or he gets in trouble?!? What? Major cockblock!
So no ice cream. We got back around 7 p.m. Just in time to see Amir who was in Paris for the night before he left to go back home to San Diego! We met him in Kelly B's room and took him out on the town. We went to the Iguana Cafe in Bastille because that's where Jordan's b-tender lover was working that night. We got there, and were no where near classy women. We started taking body shots off of Kelly. We were a show. On top of that, Amir, Azzam and I took two Absinthe shots. That was the end of me. The absinthe tasted so bad, I had to ask the bartender for a glass of water! We were there for a really long time and then ended up going home around 3 a.m. I never got a chance to say by to Amir, because we went home in different cabs.. and I was blacked out haha.
It was a really fun night tho, and I'm sure Amir enjoyed his hungover flight the next morning back to the states. Gotta love when people visit!
lundi 5 avril 2010
Jour 69- Dublin- Last Day in Dub
And so my favorite trip thus far is coming to an end. Kel, Jor, Lib and I slept in until 10, grabbed our last yummy English Breakfast and packed our bags.
We decided to spend the day walking around Dublin to see all of its historical attractions..and do a little last minute shopping. We walked up and down O'Connell Street were we went into some department stores. Jordan grabbed some awesome shades that had a visor attached to them. She always buys the weirdest shit. We went into my favorite store, River Island, which is only found in the UK. I got some shorts which I was pretty happy about. After doing some shopping, we walked into a pub and sat down for our last beer. We met up with Tim, who was staying until Tuesday, and hung out with him for a while.
After a drink, we went and walked to Trinity College. It has a beautiful campus with hug, old buildings. I would love to go there if I lived in Dublin. Across from Trinity is the famous Bank of Ireland. We went inside and saw the House of Lords. The building has no windows, because back in the day when it was built, there was a tax on glass so they built the place with no windows! Thank you Tour Guide! It is gorgeous inside, with painted ceilings, etc.
After the bank, we did some souvenir shopping and I got an Ireland to-go coffee mug. I had been looking for one in Paris for a while, and I guess they don't know what they are, so I thought my one souvenir should be that.
Then, It was time to go to the airport. We said goodbye to Tim, took one final snapshot and were off to the airport. We didn't get home until 1 a.m., but it was way better than flying super early in the morning. We were all exhausted but had a blast. So many pictures were taken and there are many videos. I had a blast and can't wait to reunite with everyone again in Munich for Springfest. It is going to be epic!
We decided to spend the day walking around Dublin to see all of its historical attractions..and do a little last minute shopping. We walked up and down O'Connell Street were we went into some department stores. Jordan grabbed some awesome shades that had a visor attached to them. She always buys the weirdest shit. We went into my favorite store, River Island, which is only found in the UK. I got some shorts which I was pretty happy about. After doing some shopping, we walked into a pub and sat down for our last beer. We met up with Tim, who was staying until Tuesday, and hung out with him for a while.
After a drink, we went and walked to Trinity College. It has a beautiful campus with hug, old buildings. I would love to go there if I lived in Dublin. Across from Trinity is the famous Bank of Ireland. We went inside and saw the House of Lords. The building has no windows, because back in the day when it was built, there was a tax on glass so they built the place with no windows! Thank you Tour Guide! It is gorgeous inside, with painted ceilings, etc.
After the bank, we did some souvenir shopping and I got an Ireland to-go coffee mug. I had been looking for one in Paris for a while, and I guess they don't know what they are, so I thought my one souvenir should be that.
Then, It was time to go to the airport. We said goodbye to Tim, took one final snapshot and were off to the airport. We didn't get home until 1 a.m., but it was way better than flying super early in the morning. We were all exhausted but had a blast. So many pictures were taken and there are many videos. I had a blast and can't wait to reunite with everyone again in Munich for Springfest. It is going to be epic!
Jour 68- Dublin- *Free* Day Tour of Ireland and Club Sin
So, I said I didn't remember the previous night's events...
Well to begin, I was woken up at 6 a.m. by Libby reminding me that we were scheduled to go on a day trip of Ireland at 7. Holy Hell. I didn't even know how I got home, and I was dressed in everything from the night before, including my UGGS. I had to ask Kel what the hell happened and she said that Amir and I got really drunk and he walked us home around 10 p.m. WOW, that Irish whiskey is a killer!
We quickly got ready.. I'm sure I was still drunk, and Libby and I grabbed breakfast before it was even time to be served. We were the only ones down there, and the lady felt bad for us and served us anyways.
That was probably a bad idea because we got on the bus and the entire 3 hour ride there Libby was yacking all over the place. She wasn't with us the night before, but she said didn't get that drunk. It was probably something she ate, or due to motion sickness. The bus was horrible! Thank god I wasn't sitting by her because I would have yacked too. Instead, I met some cool people who ended up going to San Diego State! Small world! They were studying in Marseilles, France for the semester and just so happened to be in Dublin at the same time.
We made a pit stop at a gas station where I bought the biggest jug of water I could find, and a huge bag of Doritoes Cooler Ranch. I had to. Lib and I then had a yacking party which was fun.
We finally arrived to our first destination which was a castle. We walked up to the gate, made a wish, walked around the entire castle, and apparently our wish is supposed to come true. We'll see! After our tour of the castle we got back in the car and got a driving tour of The Burren. It is a karst limestone region composed of large limestone pavements, sheep, cows, megalithic tombs and Celtic crosses. It pretty much encompassed the Irish countryside. We stopped at a famous megalithic wedge tomb called Poulnabrone which was excavated in 1968 and found to contain the remains of between 16 and 22 adults and 6 juveniles, including a newborn baby. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the burials took place 3800 and 3200 BC. That was pretty sick, only Libby was still yacking, and Kelly and I decided to sunbathe on the ground the entire time.
Next, we drove through the town of Limerick City where get got great views of Galway Bay and the three Aran Islands: Inisheer, Inishmaan, and Inishmore. That is where the "true" Irish people live who speak only Gaelic. After, we visited the little town of Doolin. It is the center of traditional Irish music. There, we stopped for lunch and ate in a local pub.. and Libby yacked some mo.
Next, it was on to the Cliffs of Moher. Located in the parish of Liscannor, the cliffs rise 394 ft above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head and reach their maximum height of 702 ft just north of O'Brien's Tower. We walked around O'Brien's Tower to get a view of the cliffs from the far right and then walked all the way to the left and even on the edges of the cliffs to get the best view. It was the most beautiful day to be out and day touring. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, and Kel and I just laid on the cliffs. We got spectacular views of Galway Bay and the Aran Islands. What was kind of weird was that they had a memorial to all the people who had died on the cliffs. I mean, I don't see how people would die unless you were completely stupid and walked too close to the edge. But RIP.
After an hour and a half at the cliffs, it was time to go back home. We stopped in one more village to see a castle and take a pee before getting on the road home. We didn't get back into Dublin until 8 p.m. I don't know how I survived, but I am so happy I woke myself up. Jordan, was pissed she didn't go. When we tried to wake her up in the morning and she replied "fuck off", so we figured that was a big fat No.
We met up with the guys at their hotel because it was their final night in town. They were leaving Monday morning at like 5 a.m. and we weren't leaving until 7 that night. We couldn't leave without a party, so we decided to go back to Temple Bar where we first went to Fitzgerald's bar. This time I got in, and we all sat around and had a drink. Next, we went to a club called "Sin". They were promoting it that night, so we went and took way too many tequila shots. It was so fun. It was also Mum's Day in the UK so we got to party with a whole lotta mums. Damn, they were sexy. We danced all night to techno, peed in the guys restroom because the girls line was too long, and stayed out late. Coby, Kyle, Tim, and I didn't leave until 3 a.m. And on our way back home, I got a free CD from these guys called "The Juice" who were playing on the street. Hey, free souvenirs!
We got back to the guys hostel, and Amir was on his computer waiting up for us. It was so early and almost time for them to wake up to get to the airport! We hung out for a little bit longer and then finally said our goodbyes and went back home. What a fun day!
Well to begin, I was woken up at 6 a.m. by Libby reminding me that we were scheduled to go on a day trip of Ireland at 7. Holy Hell. I didn't even know how I got home, and I was dressed in everything from the night before, including my UGGS. I had to ask Kel what the hell happened and she said that Amir and I got really drunk and he walked us home around 10 p.m. WOW, that Irish whiskey is a killer!
We quickly got ready.. I'm sure I was still drunk, and Libby and I grabbed breakfast before it was even time to be served. We were the only ones down there, and the lady felt bad for us and served us anyways.
That was probably a bad idea because we got on the bus and the entire 3 hour ride there Libby was yacking all over the place. She wasn't with us the night before, but she said didn't get that drunk. It was probably something she ate, or due to motion sickness. The bus was horrible! Thank god I wasn't sitting by her because I would have yacked too. Instead, I met some cool people who ended up going to San Diego State! Small world! They were studying in Marseilles, France for the semester and just so happened to be in Dublin at the same time.
We made a pit stop at a gas station where I bought the biggest jug of water I could find, and a huge bag of Doritoes Cooler Ranch. I had to. Lib and I then had a yacking party which was fun.
We finally arrived to our first destination which was a castle. We walked up to the gate, made a wish, walked around the entire castle, and apparently our wish is supposed to come true. We'll see! After our tour of the castle we got back in the car and got a driving tour of The Burren. It is a karst limestone region composed of large limestone pavements, sheep, cows, megalithic tombs and Celtic crosses. It pretty much encompassed the Irish countryside. We stopped at a famous megalithic wedge tomb called Poulnabrone which was excavated in 1968 and found to contain the remains of between 16 and 22 adults and 6 juveniles, including a newborn baby. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the burials took place 3800 and 3200 BC. That was pretty sick, only Libby was still yacking, and Kelly and I decided to sunbathe on the ground the entire time.
Next, we drove through the town of Limerick City where get got great views of Galway Bay and the three Aran Islands: Inisheer, Inishmaan, and Inishmore. That is where the "true" Irish people live who speak only Gaelic. After, we visited the little town of Doolin. It is the center of traditional Irish music. There, we stopped for lunch and ate in a local pub.. and Libby yacked some mo.
Next, it was on to the Cliffs of Moher. Located in the parish of Liscannor, the cliffs rise 394 ft above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head and reach their maximum height of 702 ft just north of O'Brien's Tower. We walked around O'Brien's Tower to get a view of the cliffs from the far right and then walked all the way to the left and even on the edges of the cliffs to get the best view. It was the most beautiful day to be out and day touring. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, and Kel and I just laid on the cliffs. We got spectacular views of Galway Bay and the Aran Islands. What was kind of weird was that they had a memorial to all the people who had died on the cliffs. I mean, I don't see how people would die unless you were completely stupid and walked too close to the edge. But RIP.
After an hour and a half at the cliffs, it was time to go back home. We stopped in one more village to see a castle and take a pee before getting on the road home. We didn't get back into Dublin until 8 p.m. I don't know how I survived, but I am so happy I woke myself up. Jordan, was pissed she didn't go. When we tried to wake her up in the morning and she replied "fuck off", so we figured that was a big fat No.
We met up with the guys at their hotel because it was their final night in town. They were leaving Monday morning at like 5 a.m. and we weren't leaving until 7 that night. We couldn't leave without a party, so we decided to go back to Temple Bar where we first went to Fitzgerald's bar. This time I got in, and we all sat around and had a drink. Next, we went to a club called "Sin". They were promoting it that night, so we went and took way too many tequila shots. It was so fun. It was also Mum's Day in the UK so we got to party with a whole lotta mums. Damn, they were sexy. We danced all night to techno, peed in the guys restroom because the girls line was too long, and stayed out late. Coby, Kyle, Tim, and I didn't leave until 3 a.m. And on our way back home, I got a free CD from these guys called "The Juice" who were playing on the street. Hey, free souvenirs!
We got back to the guys hostel, and Amir was on his computer waiting up for us. It was so early and almost time for them to wake up to get to the airport! We hung out for a little bit longer and then finally said our goodbyes and went back home. What a fun day!
Jour 67- Dublin 2-- Rugby Game and Day Partyin
The next morning, Kel and I woke up at 9:30 a.m. just so we could catch the complete English breakfast in time. It had to have been the best English breakfast I had ever had. They had eggs, ham, hash browns, cereal, you name it. The only downside was that the entire dining hall was packed with Welsh people! Where did they all come from?! Yesterday I didn't see one Welsh person and then BOOM! there they all are! Everywhere OLD, not young, people were dressed in red jerseys or red outfits. We couldn't even find a place to sit and eat our hungover meal. We eventually did find a place, upstairs...
Afterwards, Kel and I got ready... Jordan and Libby had already left for the day, so we decided to meet up with the crew around 1 p.m. When we found them, they were drinking in an alley beside a church. Not sketchy at all... completely normal. We just drank a couple of beers, decided to throw old telephones and shoes across the alley, and made videos. It was so funny. When the beer was finished, we walked over to Temple Bar area to watch the match. We went into a bar and sat there practically all day. The game was on and the place was packed. We were lucky to find a big table for all of us. Instead of buying beer after beer, Amir and Chav went to the liquor store and bought tons of beer. We sat for 5 hours just drinking under the table. We'd finish a beer and our glass would be filled the next minute. And no one knew! We all got pretty drunk. Libby and Jordan showed up later on in the day. They had gone shopping and purchased very pretty Irish-knitted sweaters. Jordan's was green and Libby's was black. They were hideous, but it was hysterical. That would be something they would buy.
We decided to make moves and went bar hopping. We walked down the road and the first bar we went into I got denied. Of course, they wouldn't let me in because I was too drunk. How is that possible? I was walking fine, could talk normally and I remember everything. They are idiots. We all decided to go to the next bar, which wasn't bad. It was 3 stories high and was packed! We all got a table and I proceed to flirt with Irish men to get free drinks. They didn't really get the hint, but they are great for conversation. Kel met some lovely Welsh women who gave her a free daisy hat and adopted her. After that bar, we went to the grocery store to buy more alcohol to pre-game in the guy's room before heading out again.
That's when I died. Last thing I remember was Amir and I going shot for shot and it was only 9:30 p.m. What happened!
Afterwards, Kel and I got ready... Jordan and Libby had already left for the day, so we decided to meet up with the crew around 1 p.m. When we found them, they were drinking in an alley beside a church. Not sketchy at all... completely normal. We just drank a couple of beers, decided to throw old telephones and shoes across the alley, and made videos. It was so funny. When the beer was finished, we walked over to Temple Bar area to watch the match. We went into a bar and sat there practically all day. The game was on and the place was packed. We were lucky to find a big table for all of us. Instead of buying beer after beer, Amir and Chav went to the liquor store and bought tons of beer. We sat for 5 hours just drinking under the table. We'd finish a beer and our glass would be filled the next minute. And no one knew! We all got pretty drunk. Libby and Jordan showed up later on in the day. They had gone shopping and purchased very pretty Irish-knitted sweaters. Jordan's was green and Libby's was black. They were hideous, but it was hysterical. That would be something they would buy.
We decided to make moves and went bar hopping. We walked down the road and the first bar we went into I got denied. Of course, they wouldn't let me in because I was too drunk. How is that possible? I was walking fine, could talk normally and I remember everything. They are idiots. We all decided to go to the next bar, which wasn't bad. It was 3 stories high and was packed! We all got a table and I proceed to flirt with Irish men to get free drinks. They didn't really get the hint, but they are great for conversation. Kel met some lovely Welsh women who gave her a free daisy hat and adopted her. After that bar, we went to the grocery store to buy more alcohol to pre-game in the guy's room before heading out again.
That's when I died. Last thing I remember was Amir and I going shot for shot and it was only 9:30 p.m. What happened!
Jour 66- Dublin Visit.. Shenanigans Ensue
After resting for the week, Libby, Jordan, Kelly B and I set sail for the Land of Legends---Ireland. I was very excited for this trip. Not only was I going to be in Ireland, but I was going to meet up with many of my friends from school.
Our flight left at 9:05 a.m. out of Beauvais airport. I hate Beauvais, but sometimes you gotta travel cheaply. We landed in Dublin around 10:15 a.m. After taking the bus to McConnell Square, we walked half a mile up the road and spotted our hostel, The Globetrotter.
It was a quaint looking place, with a brown-brick outside, and when u walked in there was a huge dining room and sitting room with fireplace and fooseball table. It had a very Irish-cottagey feel. We went up to the front desk to check in and the very nice concierge lady informed us that we were in for a wild weekend. Not only was it the weekend before St Patty's Day, but on Saturday there as a huge rugby match between Ireland and Wales. She said that thousands of Welsh people were flying in for the game, and that all of the hostels in Dublin were completely booked. We were very fortunate to have booked the hostel early.
Our hostel room was awesome. We stayed in an 8 bedroom all-female dorm and the bunk beds were comfy with reading lights above. There was a little kitchenette, fireplace, and bathroom. It was cool to have nice accommodations for once. Let's just hope I don't have to listen to the person next to me snore incredibly loud all night... I was determined never to have a London hostel experience like that again!
We set our stuff down and decided to walk down the street our hostel was next to. While walking, I realized that Dublin is extremely inexpensive. There were 2 euro stores everywhere. Like in the States, we have dollar stores...they have 2 euro stores and you can find everything! They also had cheap clothing stores and many souvenir shops with St Patty's Day decorations. As we were walking, we spotted our friends.. Coby, Amir, and Kyle walking towards us. Their hostel was only one block up! We practically ran into their arms when we spotted them. I was especially excited to see Amir.
After hugging and screaming, we went into a couple souvenir shops and tried on hats. I was so tempted to buy this one with yellow, white and green braids...it definitely suited me. It was either that, or this t-shirt that said "nice jugs", but I was going to scratch out the jugs and put "nice Linda's". We proceeded to walk to Temple Bar area and we went into the famous Temple Bar Bar. We all ordered our first Guinesses and took a seat in the famous outdoor Beer Garden. I snapped a couple pics with these Welsch women dressed up in weird Welsch garments. An hour in, Tim arrived and we all hung out until we decided to go back to Tim's.
When we got to Tim's hostel, The Four Courts, he saw an advert for Paul Van Dyk playing at the Tripod center that night. Kelly, Amir, Coby, Kyle, Tim and I decided we had to go. I had heard of PVD's music before, and for only 25 euros we could see him live! We all bought tickets and headed back to the guy's place to wait for the Pi Phi girls to arrive.
Around 7 p.m. they showed up and came running into the room. I was so excited to see Brittany Chavez, Lauren Bowen, and Brittany Larochelle. I could tell that the 11 of us were going to have a blast. They bought tickets to come with us, and we sat around drinking and getting ready before it was time to rage.
During this time I gave Coby a "euro cut". Since we were going to PVD, and were going to be surrounded by many Europeans, we thought it would be best that Coby fix his hair. Tim had a euro cut going on that he picked up while studying in Sweden, so we thought we'd model Coby's after his. I took his Crew gel and went to town. It was a masterpiece. That paired with his low v-neck t-shirt he got in Florence made him look way euro. I was so proud of my art that I euroed Kyle as well. I've decided I am going to work at a salon when I return home. It's my calling.
We took a cab to the Tripod, and boy were we wasted. We had a what I call a "cab party" and all of us were singing to songs and falling all over the place. It was so fun, I have many videos to prove this. Once we got there, we were a bit early and we went inside this nice bar next to the Tripod center for drinks. Lets just say we were nowhere near classy. We were drunk and being so loud in this nice bar where people are sitting and eating. Amir and I decided it would be a good idea to start dancing in the middle of all the tables... what a scene. Afterwards, we went to the Tripod center where they first denied me because they thought I was too drunk. NOO way was I going to be denied into a place where I paid 25 euros to see PVD. We waited 10 mins, played it cool, and then walked right in.
To sum it up... PVD was magical. I have never jumped up and down, sang, yelled, or danced so much in my entire life. The show started at 11 p.m. and Paul didn't even come on until 1 a.m. At first, we all thought the opening DJ was Paul, but when everyone starting screaming later on, we knew the show was just beginning. We stayed at Paul until 3 a.m. just dancing and jumping uncontrollably. It was such a fun night..except for that I lost my credit card in all the moshing. Oh well, it was too fun.
We got dropped off in O'Connell Square and everyone went to McDonald's except for Coby who went to Subway..and was left there. Whoops! I was on a natural high and was ready to keep going all night, but I could tell everyone as exhausted. We all parted ways around 4 a.m., perfect timing because the next day could't come sooner!
Our flight left at 9:05 a.m. out of Beauvais airport. I hate Beauvais, but sometimes you gotta travel cheaply. We landed in Dublin around 10:15 a.m. After taking the bus to McConnell Square, we walked half a mile up the road and spotted our hostel, The Globetrotter.
It was a quaint looking place, with a brown-brick outside, and when u walked in there was a huge dining room and sitting room with fireplace and fooseball table. It had a very Irish-cottagey feel. We went up to the front desk to check in and the very nice concierge lady informed us that we were in for a wild weekend. Not only was it the weekend before St Patty's Day, but on Saturday there as a huge rugby match between Ireland and Wales. She said that thousands of Welsh people were flying in for the game, and that all of the hostels in Dublin were completely booked. We were very fortunate to have booked the hostel early.
Our hostel room was awesome. We stayed in an 8 bedroom all-female dorm and the bunk beds were comfy with reading lights above. There was a little kitchenette, fireplace, and bathroom. It was cool to have nice accommodations for once. Let's just hope I don't have to listen to the person next to me snore incredibly loud all night... I was determined never to have a London hostel experience like that again!
We set our stuff down and decided to walk down the street our hostel was next to. While walking, I realized that Dublin is extremely inexpensive. There were 2 euro stores everywhere. Like in the States, we have dollar stores...they have 2 euro stores and you can find everything! They also had cheap clothing stores and many souvenir shops with St Patty's Day decorations. As we were walking, we spotted our friends.. Coby, Amir, and Kyle walking towards us. Their hostel was only one block up! We practically ran into their arms when we spotted them. I was especially excited to see Amir.
After hugging and screaming, we went into a couple souvenir shops and tried on hats. I was so tempted to buy this one with yellow, white and green braids...it definitely suited me. It was either that, or this t-shirt that said "nice jugs", but I was going to scratch out the jugs and put "nice Linda's". We proceeded to walk to Temple Bar area and we went into the famous Temple Bar Bar. We all ordered our first Guinesses and took a seat in the famous outdoor Beer Garden. I snapped a couple pics with these Welsch women dressed up in weird Welsch garments. An hour in, Tim arrived and we all hung out until we decided to go back to Tim's.
When we got to Tim's hostel, The Four Courts, he saw an advert for Paul Van Dyk playing at the Tripod center that night. Kelly, Amir, Coby, Kyle, Tim and I decided we had to go. I had heard of PVD's music before, and for only 25 euros we could see him live! We all bought tickets and headed back to the guy's place to wait for the Pi Phi girls to arrive.
Around 7 p.m. they showed up and came running into the room. I was so excited to see Brittany Chavez, Lauren Bowen, and Brittany Larochelle. I could tell that the 11 of us were going to have a blast. They bought tickets to come with us, and we sat around drinking and getting ready before it was time to rage.
During this time I gave Coby a "euro cut". Since we were going to PVD, and were going to be surrounded by many Europeans, we thought it would be best that Coby fix his hair. Tim had a euro cut going on that he picked up while studying in Sweden, so we thought we'd model Coby's after his. I took his Crew gel and went to town. It was a masterpiece. That paired with his low v-neck t-shirt he got in Florence made him look way euro. I was so proud of my art that I euroed Kyle as well. I've decided I am going to work at a salon when I return home. It's my calling.
We took a cab to the Tripod, and boy were we wasted. We had a what I call a "cab party" and all of us were singing to songs and falling all over the place. It was so fun, I have many videos to prove this. Once we got there, we were a bit early and we went inside this nice bar next to the Tripod center for drinks. Lets just say we were nowhere near classy. We were drunk and being so loud in this nice bar where people are sitting and eating. Amir and I decided it would be a good idea to start dancing in the middle of all the tables... what a scene. Afterwards, we went to the Tripod center where they first denied me because they thought I was too drunk. NOO way was I going to be denied into a place where I paid 25 euros to see PVD. We waited 10 mins, played it cool, and then walked right in.
To sum it up... PVD was magical. I have never jumped up and down, sang, yelled, or danced so much in my entire life. The show started at 11 p.m. and Paul didn't even come on until 1 a.m. At first, we all thought the opening DJ was Paul, but when everyone starting screaming later on, we knew the show was just beginning. We stayed at Paul until 3 a.m. just dancing and jumping uncontrollably. It was such a fun night..except for that I lost my credit card in all the moshing. Oh well, it was too fun.
We got dropped off in O'Connell Square and everyone went to McDonald's except for Coby who went to Subway..and was left there. Whoops! I was on a natural high and was ready to keep going all night, but I could tell everyone as exhausted. We all parted ways around 4 a.m., perfect timing because the next day could't come sooner!
jeudi 18 mars 2010
Jour 61- Day 4 in London
Last day in London...what do we do?
Susie and Ray J left this day to go to Turkey for her Spring Break so Libby and I were left alone to roam the city before we had to go to the airport. We had done pretty much all there was to do in London, so we didn't know where to go.
We did the usual walking tour all the way up to Trafalgar square and decided to see Buckingham Palace again. I mean, we didn't know what it was before, so we had to see it again. When we arrived, there were tons of people standing all around. It was the changing of the guard! What perfect timing! That was cool to see the guards march up and down the park with trumpets and rifles.
After, we went to Victoria and Albert's Museum where they had an exhibition going on featuring fashions throughout the centuries. I got a chance to see various outfits designed by famous designers. After, we went to the Science Museum! I felt like a child considering I was surrounded by kids, but we didn't know what else to do!
After the museum tours, we headed back home where we stopped at Candy Cakes! I have never been so happy in my entire life! Libby didn't get a candy cake though! She opted for a Reeses milk shake instead. I stayed true to my word and got a banana toffee muffin with yellow icing and a chocolate candy on top! Soooo good!
We were going to do a Grimm Reaper's tour of all the places Jack the Ripper used to slay his victims around London, but by 6 o'clock, I couldn't feel my feet anymore and We just wanted to lay down. So we headed back to our hostel and literally sat in the computer room all night until 12 a.m.
All I wanted to do was board the plane and sleep. We got on the train at 1:30 a.m. and laid in the airport for 5 hours until our flight at 6 a.m. It was miserable! A) I couldn't sleep because it was freezing and B) the airport floor was so hard. Instead, I watched the Hangover on Libby's computer and waited it out. I don't think I can ever do something like that again. All-nighters in an airport suck. I'd rather take a night plane instead! When we finally reached Paris it was 11 a.m. and I was said, "Fuck it, I'm not going to class. I can't function!" So I just slept all day. It was wonderful.
All in all, London was a blast and I am glad I saw everything that I did! Dublin, here I come next week!
Susie and Ray J left this day to go to Turkey for her Spring Break so Libby and I were left alone to roam the city before we had to go to the airport. We had done pretty much all there was to do in London, so we didn't know where to go.
We did the usual walking tour all the way up to Trafalgar square and decided to see Buckingham Palace again. I mean, we didn't know what it was before, so we had to see it again. When we arrived, there were tons of people standing all around. It was the changing of the guard! What perfect timing! That was cool to see the guards march up and down the park with trumpets and rifles.
After, we went to Victoria and Albert's Museum where they had an exhibition going on featuring fashions throughout the centuries. I got a chance to see various outfits designed by famous designers. After, we went to the Science Museum! I felt like a child considering I was surrounded by kids, but we didn't know what else to do!
After the museum tours, we headed back home where we stopped at Candy Cakes! I have never been so happy in my entire life! Libby didn't get a candy cake though! She opted for a Reeses milk shake instead. I stayed true to my word and got a banana toffee muffin with yellow icing and a chocolate candy on top! Soooo good!
We were going to do a Grimm Reaper's tour of all the places Jack the Ripper used to slay his victims around London, but by 6 o'clock, I couldn't feel my feet anymore and We just wanted to lay down. So we headed back to our hostel and literally sat in the computer room all night until 12 a.m.
All I wanted to do was board the plane and sleep. We got on the train at 1:30 a.m. and laid in the airport for 5 hours until our flight at 6 a.m. It was miserable! A) I couldn't sleep because it was freezing and B) the airport floor was so hard. Instead, I watched the Hangover on Libby's computer and waited it out. I don't think I can ever do something like that again. All-nighters in an airport suck. I'd rather take a night plane instead! When we finally reached Paris it was 11 a.m. and I was said, "Fuck it, I'm not going to class. I can't function!" So I just slept all day. It was wonderful.
All in all, London was a blast and I am glad I saw everything that I did! Dublin, here I come next week!
Jour 60 London Day 3- Tower of London and DAVE!
And so begins my favorite day of all... A day I dedicate to my favorite man, King Henry VIII.
We started off our day meeting Susie and Ray J at the Tower of London. I was not about to leave London without doing this. It would have been tragic!
We took a tour with a Yeoman guard..supposedly the guards of the Tower from back in the olden days. He was quite the funny dude..except for the occasional threats to young children about being beheaded. He showed us the Queen's House where she occasionally stays. It was guarded by an unhappy guard with a sniper. No way was I going over there. Next, he showed us a view of the White Tower which was under reconstruction at the time, but he informed us that various King's used to live there. We then went into the Tower chapel where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Jane Grey were buried. That was sick. I am a HUGE Anne fan and to be in the place where she was buried was awesome.
He showed us a green field where "somewhere" the Queens and Sir Thomas Moore were beheaded. After the tour was over, we headed straight for the Royal Jewels. Might I say, it was a sight to see. I had never seen so many diamonds, rubies, emeralds, gold, silver, sapphires, you name it on one thing! It had various crown's throughout history and even had the current Queen Elizabeth's Crown!
They also had bejeweled swords, lavish capes, and gilded silverware for the coronation banquet. I wish I could have taken pictures because it was so beautiful, but unfortunately since it was the most highly secured place in all of London, that just wasn't going to happen.
After the Royal Jewels, we went into the torture tower where we saw all the devices used to torture people. The scariest one was were you get in the fetal position and they snap this iron clip around your body! You eventually die from asphixiation. Yikes!
After our tour, we snapped some pictures in front of the Tower bridge and then took a cab to the Hilton Hotel where I experienced my first high tea ceremony! I felt so English. The theme was "Confessions of a Chocoholic" and I don't think i have ever consumed so much chocolate in one sitting. We started off with champagne, then finger sandwiches served with tea. Thia was funny because we all were trading our sandwiches or should I say acting like three year olds and bartering with each other. Very classy of us. Then, they brought out two three-tiered trays full of hand-crafted scones, muffins, and chocolates. I mean, I felt disgusted with myself. It was so pretty, I just ate soo much! And the funny thing was, we finished everything long before anyone else had; and other parties had been sitting in the restaurant way longer than we had... fat asses!
After tea and barely being able to move, Libby and I headed home because it was time to get ready for the big show... DAVE MATTHEWS BAND!
We became walking bartenders and drank along the way to the concert. We got there an hour late due to the subway being closed (that sucked), but once we got there, we pushed our way straight to the front! I was determined to get as close as possible to Dave, and we succeeded! It was such a good time. It was definitely worth the 50 pounds dropped for a ticket!
After, we went home because we were exhausted again. This has been such an exhausting trip! One more day to go!
We started off our day meeting Susie and Ray J at the Tower of London. I was not about to leave London without doing this. It would have been tragic!
We took a tour with a Yeoman guard..supposedly the guards of the Tower from back in the olden days. He was quite the funny dude..except for the occasional threats to young children about being beheaded. He showed us the Queen's House where she occasionally stays. It was guarded by an unhappy guard with a sniper. No way was I going over there. Next, he showed us a view of the White Tower which was under reconstruction at the time, but he informed us that various King's used to live there. We then went into the Tower chapel where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Jane Grey were buried. That was sick. I am a HUGE Anne fan and to be in the place where she was buried was awesome.
He showed us a green field where "somewhere" the Queens and Sir Thomas Moore were beheaded. After the tour was over, we headed straight for the Royal Jewels. Might I say, it was a sight to see. I had never seen so many diamonds, rubies, emeralds, gold, silver, sapphires, you name it on one thing! It had various crown's throughout history and even had the current Queen Elizabeth's Crown!
They also had bejeweled swords, lavish capes, and gilded silverware for the coronation banquet. I wish I could have taken pictures because it was so beautiful, but unfortunately since it was the most highly secured place in all of London, that just wasn't going to happen.
After the Royal Jewels, we went into the torture tower where we saw all the devices used to torture people. The scariest one was were you get in the fetal position and they snap this iron clip around your body! You eventually die from asphixiation. Yikes!
After our tour, we snapped some pictures in front of the Tower bridge and then took a cab to the Hilton Hotel where I experienced my first high tea ceremony! I felt so English. The theme was "Confessions of a Chocoholic" and I don't think i have ever consumed so much chocolate in one sitting. We started off with champagne, then finger sandwiches served with tea. Thia was funny because we all were trading our sandwiches or should I say acting like three year olds and bartering with each other. Very classy of us. Then, they brought out two three-tiered trays full of hand-crafted scones, muffins, and chocolates. I mean, I felt disgusted with myself. It was so pretty, I just ate soo much! And the funny thing was, we finished everything long before anyone else had; and other parties had been sitting in the restaurant way longer than we had... fat asses!
After tea and barely being able to move, Libby and I headed home because it was time to get ready for the big show... DAVE MATTHEWS BAND!
We became walking bartenders and drank along the way to the concert. We got there an hour late due to the subway being closed (that sucked), but once we got there, we pushed our way straight to the front! I was determined to get as close as possible to Dave, and we succeeded! It was such a good time. It was definitely worth the 50 pounds dropped for a ticket!
After, we went home because we were exhausted again. This has been such an exhausting trip! One more day to go!
Jour 59- London Day 2
London is an hour behind Paris time. Libby and I did not know this. We were scheduled to meet up with Susie at 12 o'clock after her class was over. We got to Trafalgar Square 20 mins early and sat on a statue waiting for her. 10 mins turned to 30 mins which turned into 45 mins to an hour. Libby and I were so pissed off! We were like, "Where the hell is Susie?!" We texted her at the 30-minute mark and she was like, "I'm just waking up see you soon". We didn't really understand this, because she was already 30 mins late. My phone went out of batts, and Libby forgot hers in the hostel, so we had no way of calling Susie again as time progressed. We just sat there cracking jokes about how we were going to kill Susie. It was funny yet we really wanted to get the day going.
So finally Susie shows up at 12:30 and we are justing giving her the look of death. She's like, "What, I'm not late!" and we are like "Ya you are, by an hour!" She's like, "it's 12:00, you probably didn't change your watches!"
Ya. She was right. And we sure felt like idiots.
Wemforgave Susie anyways haha and then started walking. On our tour, we saw West Minster Abbey again, but didn't go in because it was 15 euros and I didn't care that much to see dead people. We then walked across the Thames River and along it where I snapped various pictures of English people dressed up as Avatar, a headless silver man, an iguana man on a bike, and the Lady with the world's most piercings. The English are weird folk. We then went to the Tate Modern Museum where I discovered they had a painting my Jackson Pollock! I was overly excited because that previous week during school I learned all about him in my Pop Art class and I was so excited to see one of his paintings in real life! Libby and Susie thought I was crazy. They just don't understand!
We next saw Shakespeare's Globe Theatre which really wasn't the real thing because it burned down and then they rebuilt it..soo I didn't get a real history vibe when looking at it. Susie then took us to a market where they got London's famous grilled cheeses. I thought it the cheese smelled like shit, but they sure tasted amazing! After some English guys making fun of us because we didn't know what Turkish Delight was, we headed to St Patrick's Cathedral.
It was beautiful. Just as beautiful as the New Cathedral in St. Louis which is by far my favorite. We decided to climb what I think was over 300 steps to the tippy top of the Cathedral. We got the best views of London. A downside was it was extremely closterphobic and it was a longggggg way down.
At night we got ready and met up with Susie's boyfriend Ray J who surprised who had flown in and surprised her that morning. He slept all day because of jet-lag, but when he woke up, we all got pretty and went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. After dinner and literally stuffing my face, we all went to a pub called O'Neill's in Korea town. It was really cool with three floors. The bottom floor was chill with tables and a bar; second floor was blaring the best music with booths and a bar; and the third floor had a live band! We were on all the floors and had a blast!
Around 2 a.m. Lib and I called it quits and took a cab home. We were so tired from 10 hours of walking, and only had more to do the next day. Tower of London here we come!
So finally Susie shows up at 12:30 and we are justing giving her the look of death. She's like, "What, I'm not late!" and we are like "Ya you are, by an hour!" She's like, "it's 12:00, you probably didn't change your watches!"
Ya. She was right. And we sure felt like idiots.
Wemforgave Susie anyways haha and then started walking. On our tour, we saw West Minster Abbey again, but didn't go in because it was 15 euros and I didn't care that much to see dead people. We then walked across the Thames River and along it where I snapped various pictures of English people dressed up as Avatar, a headless silver man, an iguana man on a bike, and the Lady with the world's most piercings. The English are weird folk. We then went to the Tate Modern Museum where I discovered they had a painting my Jackson Pollock! I was overly excited because that previous week during school I learned all about him in my Pop Art class and I was so excited to see one of his paintings in real life! Libby and Susie thought I was crazy. They just don't understand!
We next saw Shakespeare's Globe Theatre which really wasn't the real thing because it burned down and then they rebuilt it..soo I didn't get a real history vibe when looking at it. Susie then took us to a market where they got London's famous grilled cheeses. I thought it the cheese smelled like shit, but they sure tasted amazing! After some English guys making fun of us because we didn't know what Turkish Delight was, we headed to St Patrick's Cathedral.
It was beautiful. Just as beautiful as the New Cathedral in St. Louis which is by far my favorite. We decided to climb what I think was over 300 steps to the tippy top of the Cathedral. We got the best views of London. A downside was it was extremely closterphobic and it was a longggggg way down.
At night we got ready and met up with Susie's boyfriend Ray J who surprised who had flown in and surprised her that morning. He slept all day because of jet-lag, but when he woke up, we all got pretty and went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. After dinner and literally stuffing my face, we all went to a pub called O'Neill's in Korea town. It was really cool with three floors. The bottom floor was chill with tables and a bar; second floor was blaring the best music with booths and a bar; and the third floor had a live band! We were on all the floors and had a blast!
Around 2 a.m. Lib and I called it quits and took a cab home. We were so tired from 10 hours of walking, and only had more to do the next day. Tower of London here we come!
Jour 58- London to Visit Susie
After recuperating from Provence, it was now time for Libby and I to set sail for London, England. If there was any place to travel, London was definitely a city I HAD to visit.
The travelling there was very frustrating. For some reason, the cheapest flights you take are always the hardest to maneuver. We woke up at 5 a.m. to get to the airport in time for our flight at 8:55 a.m. Getting through the airport was not easy by any means. Libby and I made a couple of detours throughout Charles de Gaulle because the French are no help whatsoever. We went through passport check twice because we were so confused where our gate was. Oh well, I got 2 France stamps in my passport! It was really stressful, and Libby hates flying, so that only made her more uneasy. We finally boarded the plane and it was only an hour flight!
When we arrived in London, we took a bus to the city and went straight to our hostel to check in. We stayed at the Generator Hostel in Russel Square. It was not too far from Susie on the map, so we figured it would be a good place to stay. It was about 11 a.m. and Susie was at her internship all day, so Libby and I decided to take a walk and tour the city by ourselves.
Along the way, we snapped the standard pics in the old telephone booths, walked up and down streets with quaint little apartments (each door had its own color), and stopped at a cute cafe were Libby had to get her chocolate fill. We spotted the coolest shop called "Candy Cakes" and in the windows they had the most precious looking cupcakes with different colored icing and candies on top! Libby, of course, was in heaven. We just stood there like little children staring at these cupcakes! We both decided that no matter what before we left, we HAD to get a candy cake!
We ended up in Trafalgar Square. Susie also goes to school in this area. The square is massive with the National Gallery, St Martins-in-the-field Church, and other buildings surrounding it. There were so many people there, especially children who were climbing up on the massive lion statues in the center of the square. I was jealous, and wanted to get a pic of Libby and I on a lion, but it never happened. Shame. We hit up a couple souvenir shops where I was sooo close to purchasing a London-themed school kit. I mean come on, that would of been so cool to have at SDSU. Next, we walked by an army museum where I snapped a great pic next to a guard. They all seemed to hate their lives. Imagine every day having to pace up and down the street. Thats it. No happiness in that!
We then proceeded to Westminster Square where we snapped pics of Parliament, which we first thought was Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. We wanted to be cool and go inside Parliament so Libby and I got a chance to sit inside a political debate in the House of Commons. It was so cool! I can actually say I sat in Parliament! Afterwards, we headed down the road to Buckingham Palace. Or so we thought. I literally took a picture of it, but Libby was like, "I think this is St. James Palace?" I think we thought this because we were in St. James Park?! Haha who knows!
After 6 hours of walking, we met up with Susie at 6 p.m. in Harrods. HOLY HELL! Harrods is every fashion lovers heaven! There were 6 floors of amazingness. Everything from shoes, to designer couture clothing, to candy and kid's toys, oh my! And the best part was, I couldn't afford any of it! I saw a massive gorilla stuffed animal that sold for 999 euros. A) who would by that and B) that's a ridiculous price FOR A GORILLA!
After, my feet were exhausted and we went to get dinner at a restaurant called The Dollar Bill by Susie's apartment. We ordered some drinks and had our first London dining experience! We decided to head back home afterwards because we were extremely tired and we wanted to wake up early and see more sights! It was a great first day in London!
The travelling there was very frustrating. For some reason, the cheapest flights you take are always the hardest to maneuver. We woke up at 5 a.m. to get to the airport in time for our flight at 8:55 a.m. Getting through the airport was not easy by any means. Libby and I made a couple of detours throughout Charles de Gaulle because the French are no help whatsoever. We went through passport check twice because we were so confused where our gate was. Oh well, I got 2 France stamps in my passport! It was really stressful, and Libby hates flying, so that only made her more uneasy. We finally boarded the plane and it was only an hour flight!
When we arrived in London, we took a bus to the city and went straight to our hostel to check in. We stayed at the Generator Hostel in Russel Square. It was not too far from Susie on the map, so we figured it would be a good place to stay. It was about 11 a.m. and Susie was at her internship all day, so Libby and I decided to take a walk and tour the city by ourselves.
Along the way, we snapped the standard pics in the old telephone booths, walked up and down streets with quaint little apartments (each door had its own color), and stopped at a cute cafe were Libby had to get her chocolate fill. We spotted the coolest shop called "Candy Cakes" and in the windows they had the most precious looking cupcakes with different colored icing and candies on top! Libby, of course, was in heaven. We just stood there like little children staring at these cupcakes! We both decided that no matter what before we left, we HAD to get a candy cake!
We ended up in Trafalgar Square. Susie also goes to school in this area. The square is massive with the National Gallery, St Martins-in-the-field Church, and other buildings surrounding it. There were so many people there, especially children who were climbing up on the massive lion statues in the center of the square. I was jealous, and wanted to get a pic of Libby and I on a lion, but it never happened. Shame. We hit up a couple souvenir shops where I was sooo close to purchasing a London-themed school kit. I mean come on, that would of been so cool to have at SDSU. Next, we walked by an army museum where I snapped a great pic next to a guard. They all seemed to hate their lives. Imagine every day having to pace up and down the street. Thats it. No happiness in that!
We then proceeded to Westminster Square where we snapped pics of Parliament, which we first thought was Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. We wanted to be cool and go inside Parliament so Libby and I got a chance to sit inside a political debate in the House of Commons. It was so cool! I can actually say I sat in Parliament! Afterwards, we headed down the road to Buckingham Palace. Or so we thought. I literally took a picture of it, but Libby was like, "I think this is St. James Palace?" I think we thought this because we were in St. James Park?! Haha who knows!
After 6 hours of walking, we met up with Susie at 6 p.m. in Harrods. HOLY HELL! Harrods is every fashion lovers heaven! There were 6 floors of amazingness. Everything from shoes, to designer couture clothing, to candy and kid's toys, oh my! And the best part was, I couldn't afford any of it! I saw a massive gorilla stuffed animal that sold for 999 euros. A) who would by that and B) that's a ridiculous price FOR A GORILLA!
After, my feet were exhausted and we went to get dinner at a restaurant called The Dollar Bill by Susie's apartment. We ordered some drinks and had our first London dining experience! We decided to head back home afterwards because we were extremely tired and we wanted to wake up early and see more sights! It was a great first day in London!
mardi 2 mars 2010
Jour 54- Day 3 in Provence -Marseilles and France Vs Canada Game!
And so the last day of my weekend in Provence approached...
Us three amigos woke up at 7:30 a.m. and consumed as much continental bfast as we could. We were checking out of the hotel as well, so everything had to be packed up. We were taking the train out of Marseilles to Paris later in the day.
We got on the bus and arrived in Marseilles around 11 a.m. Marseilles is the second largest port city in France. We first got off at Le Vieux Port which is the name of the massive port in Marseilles. There wasn't much to look at, a couple boats here and there.. but Jor and I really had to use the b-room, so we spent the 15 minutes we had in McDo trying to figure out how to flush the damn toilets!
We got back on the buses and literally drove 5 mins down the road.. it was kind of funny, we could have just walked. I guess API screwed up on the tour guides, because there was no one to show us around. So Melissa and Pascal had to take us around and pretend to be our tour guides. It was funny tho, because Melissa just read off of the historic plaques that were all around explaining what was so great about each area. We went up famous streets like La Cannebiere where the Hotel de Ville is located. (I don't know what is so special, but we always gotta check out the Hotel de Villes wherever we go); toured a quartier (neighborhood) called Le Panier (breadbowl) which is known for its mixture of different styles of architecture; took pictures of Le Basilique Saint Victor founded in the 5th century after JC (it was green striped), and then ended our tour at Le Basilique Notre Dame-de-la-Gard built in the 19th century to protect the port. It sits on a giant hill that over looks the city. It was great for taking good pics.
All in all, I didn't really care for Marseilles that much. It was kind of a dirty beach city. It was huge though. We saw the Chateau Dif which I remember seeing in the Count of Monte Cristo movie. That was kinda sweet.
Around 5:45 we got back on the bus and headed to the train station. The train ride home was pure hell. I don't think I've ever wanted to kill so many people. The girls in my program in front of me, I don't know who they are, but I was going to rip their heads off. For three hours, they talked at the top of their lungs. I could hear them through my damn headphones! I was so frustrated!
We got back home, I made dinner, and the three amigos ran downstairs to join our Canadian friends watch the final hockey game between USA and Canada! There were tons of people downstairs! they bought a bunch of pizzas and beer, too. We watched the game and it was really exciting. The Canadians were up 2-1 and in the last 24 seconds of the game, USA scored! It was amazing! I've never seen my friend Jacob freak out so much! He's a die-hard Canadian! It went into OT and finally Canada scored. They won the game and all the Canadians were cheering. Whatever, we'll let then have it this time! They were cheering and they took my friends computer to play the Canadian national anthem. It was hilarious. After Kelly, Newt and I stayed up with the guys until 2. We were drinking beers and joking around.
It was a great end to a wonderful weekend in Provence! Off to London in 4 days!
Us three amigos woke up at 7:30 a.m. and consumed as much continental bfast as we could. We were checking out of the hotel as well, so everything had to be packed up. We were taking the train out of Marseilles to Paris later in the day.
We got on the bus and arrived in Marseilles around 11 a.m. Marseilles is the second largest port city in France. We first got off at Le Vieux Port which is the name of the massive port in Marseilles. There wasn't much to look at, a couple boats here and there.. but Jor and I really had to use the b-room, so we spent the 15 minutes we had in McDo trying to figure out how to flush the damn toilets!
We got back on the buses and literally drove 5 mins down the road.. it was kind of funny, we could have just walked. I guess API screwed up on the tour guides, because there was no one to show us around. So Melissa and Pascal had to take us around and pretend to be our tour guides. It was funny tho, because Melissa just read off of the historic plaques that were all around explaining what was so great about each area. We went up famous streets like La Cannebiere where the Hotel de Ville is located. (I don't know what is so special, but we always gotta check out the Hotel de Villes wherever we go); toured a quartier (neighborhood) called Le Panier (breadbowl) which is known for its mixture of different styles of architecture; took pictures of Le Basilique Saint Victor founded in the 5th century after JC (it was green striped), and then ended our tour at Le Basilique Notre Dame-de-la-Gard built in the 19th century to protect the port. It sits on a giant hill that over looks the city. It was great for taking good pics.
All in all, I didn't really care for Marseilles that much. It was kind of a dirty beach city. It was huge though. We saw the Chateau Dif which I remember seeing in the Count of Monte Cristo movie. That was kinda sweet.
Around 5:45 we got back on the bus and headed to the train station. The train ride home was pure hell. I don't think I've ever wanted to kill so many people. The girls in my program in front of me, I don't know who they are, but I was going to rip their heads off. For three hours, they talked at the top of their lungs. I could hear them through my damn headphones! I was so frustrated!
We got back home, I made dinner, and the three amigos ran downstairs to join our Canadian friends watch the final hockey game between USA and Canada! There were tons of people downstairs! they bought a bunch of pizzas and beer, too. We watched the game and it was really exciting. The Canadians were up 2-1 and in the last 24 seconds of the game, USA scored! It was amazing! I've never seen my friend Jacob freak out so much! He's a die-hard Canadian! It went into OT and finally Canada scored. They won the game and all the Canadians were cheering. Whatever, we'll let then have it this time! They were cheering and they took my friends computer to play the Canadian national anthem. It was hilarious. After Kelly, Newt and I stayed up with the guys until 2. We were drinking beers and joking around.
It was a great end to a wonderful weekend in Provence! Off to London in 4 days!
Jour 53- Day 2 in Provence!
In the morning, we woke up at 9 a.m. to get ready and eat breakfast downstairs. Thank god for contintental breakfasts. I pretty much fill my body up with as much as I can so that i don't have to spend any money later on food!
We had a tour planned with Anne-Marie at 10 a.m. to go to the Grand Marches (big markets) that are held every Saturday. It was either that, or go with Pascal on a tour of Cezanne's house. Let's be honest, food interest me more, so at 10 we walked down the nearby road into this big square. The flower and food markets were held in Place de Verdun and Place de Precheurs. First, we passed by the massive flower market. I had never seen so many different flowers! I can imagine just waking up in the morning, and walking down the street to grab some fresh flowers for mi casa!
After, we went to another huge square where there was all the fresh food you could ever buy! There were fresh fruit, vegetables, herbes, breads, cheeses, eggs, jams, produce, seafood etc! I was in food heaven! I bought some herbe de provence for my momma and Jacob the Canadaian because he begged me to get some for him. The herbes of provence are very important to this region especially those such as: rosemary, thym, basil, bay leaves, sage, and others. They also had three random hens for sale that disturbed me. Where they were eating for for their eggs? We'll never know! We walked down other streets where they were selling clothes and jewelry for cheap! I bought two silver rings for 5 euro! You can't beat that!
Around 2, we went back to the hotel to get on the bus which was headed to Cassis. It was only a 30 minute bus ride. Cassis is situated behind Marseille. It is a little beach town with a quaint little port. It reminded me of Portofino in Italy. It's a city built into the cliffside and you can walk on the rocky beaches. Also, it is known for the Calanques which are a bunch of cliffs that stand in the water not far from the port, and inside you can find crystal clear waters. You can take boat rides there and spend the day inside.
When we got there, we had 4 hours to do whatever we wanted, so Jor and I grabbed a baguette to eat and then a bunch of us walked along the beach. It was cold out, so we didn't stay there long. After, it started raining, and we went with Anne-Marie to this parfumerie that has been around since 1851. It as called L'eau de Cassis and the lady gave us a tour about how her uncle was the first person to start the business and it has been run by his granddaughter and cousin since. I fell in love with this parfum d'abiance called Coeur de Cassis (heart of Cassis) and I had to buy it. Everyone who came also got a free bar of soap. It was an awesome tour!
After, it was still raining, so Kelly B, Lib, Jour and I got dinner at this restaurant right before we had to leave. The trip was very cool.
When we returned, Jor and I just hung out in the room all night. Kelly B decided to go clubbin, but my body wasn't allowing it. I was full, had mad gas, and felt lazy haha. Jor and I laid in bed and watched CNN where we discovered that the world was coming to an end. ARMAGADDEN! There was a massive 8.8 earthquake in the Pacific (the largest one ever recorded) and it struck right near Chile. Chile was greatly affected, and the earthquake caused tsunami-like waves to reach as far as Taiwan, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii. We listened for a good hour CNN report on Hawaii and how people were being evacuated in case large tsunami waves struck.
The funniest thing happened. So the camera is situated looking at one of the beaches in Waikiki. The reporter is talking about how people have been evacuating the area.. "So as you can see, normally the beaches are full of tons of people, but most of the people have now retreated to the third floor of local hotels.. (pause) Oh wait a second, I believe there is a man walking on the beach in the lower right hand of the screen. Now, either he doesn't have a radio or a television or he is simply lacking common sense. I'm sorry but this is the most idiotic thing I've ever seen!"
Jordan and I were peeing our pants. The reporter couldn't have said it any better. We were literally laughing out loud in the room by ourselves.
The night was pretty much slowed from there. Aside from Jordan complained about how hungry she was, and how she just wanted to go to Le Must, we passed out around midnight. Kelly B, that little partyer, didn't come home until 3:30 a.m. and we had to wake up at 7:30 to head towards Marseilles. Ouch, at least Jor and I had good laughs and fell asleep early!
We had a tour planned with Anne-Marie at 10 a.m. to go to the Grand Marches (big markets) that are held every Saturday. It was either that, or go with Pascal on a tour of Cezanne's house. Let's be honest, food interest me more, so at 10 we walked down the nearby road into this big square. The flower and food markets were held in Place de Verdun and Place de Precheurs. First, we passed by the massive flower market. I had never seen so many different flowers! I can imagine just waking up in the morning, and walking down the street to grab some fresh flowers for mi casa!
After, we went to another huge square where there was all the fresh food you could ever buy! There were fresh fruit, vegetables, herbes, breads, cheeses, eggs, jams, produce, seafood etc! I was in food heaven! I bought some herbe de provence for my momma and Jacob the Canadaian because he begged me to get some for him. The herbes of provence are very important to this region especially those such as: rosemary, thym, basil, bay leaves, sage, and others. They also had three random hens for sale that disturbed me. Where they were eating for for their eggs? We'll never know! We walked down other streets where they were selling clothes and jewelry for cheap! I bought two silver rings for 5 euro! You can't beat that!
Around 2, we went back to the hotel to get on the bus which was headed to Cassis. It was only a 30 minute bus ride. Cassis is situated behind Marseille. It is a little beach town with a quaint little port. It reminded me of Portofino in Italy. It's a city built into the cliffside and you can walk on the rocky beaches. Also, it is known for the Calanques which are a bunch of cliffs that stand in the water not far from the port, and inside you can find crystal clear waters. You can take boat rides there and spend the day inside.
When we got there, we had 4 hours to do whatever we wanted, so Jor and I grabbed a baguette to eat and then a bunch of us walked along the beach. It was cold out, so we didn't stay there long. After, it started raining, and we went with Anne-Marie to this parfumerie that has been around since 1851. It as called L'eau de Cassis and the lady gave us a tour about how her uncle was the first person to start the business and it has been run by his granddaughter and cousin since. I fell in love with this parfum d'abiance called Coeur de Cassis (heart of Cassis) and I had to buy it. Everyone who came also got a free bar of soap. It was an awesome tour!
After, it was still raining, so Kelly B, Lib, Jour and I got dinner at this restaurant right before we had to leave. The trip was very cool.
When we returned, Jor and I just hung out in the room all night. Kelly B decided to go clubbin, but my body wasn't allowing it. I was full, had mad gas, and felt lazy haha. Jor and I laid in bed and watched CNN where we discovered that the world was coming to an end. ARMAGADDEN! There was a massive 8.8 earthquake in the Pacific (the largest one ever recorded) and it struck right near Chile. Chile was greatly affected, and the earthquake caused tsunami-like waves to reach as far as Taiwan, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii. We listened for a good hour CNN report on Hawaii and how people were being evacuated in case large tsunami waves struck.
The funniest thing happened. So the camera is situated looking at one of the beaches in Waikiki. The reporter is talking about how people have been evacuating the area.. "So as you can see, normally the beaches are full of tons of people, but most of the people have now retreated to the third floor of local hotels.. (pause) Oh wait a second, I believe there is a man walking on the beach in the lower right hand of the screen. Now, either he doesn't have a radio or a television or he is simply lacking common sense. I'm sorry but this is the most idiotic thing I've ever seen!"
Jordan and I were peeing our pants. The reporter couldn't have said it any better. We were literally laughing out loud in the room by ourselves.
The night was pretty much slowed from there. Aside from Jordan complained about how hungry she was, and how she just wanted to go to Le Must, we passed out around midnight. Kelly B, that little partyer, didn't come home until 3:30 a.m. and we had to wake up at 7:30 to head towards Marseilles. Ouch, at least Jor and I had good laughs and fell asleep early!
Jour 52- Weekend in Provence- Day 1
The wake up in the morning was not that bad. I was so excited to go to Provence, that I was ready to go in the morning when Libby and I woke up. We got all of our things together, and a bunch of us API-ers who live in the FEU made our way on the RER to the Gare de Lyon.
We got on the train and I literally passed out. I love taking trains to places. It's such a smooth ride and I usually fall asleep like I do on airplanes. One minute I'm in one place, and the next I'm awake in another!
The train ride was three hours long. When we arrived in Provence, all 50 of us API-ers got on 2 buses and drove to Aix-en-Provence. Aix is the capital of Provence. It is considered the heart of Provence and is known for its rich spas, its almond industry and calissons, and small squares with fountains. I have been to Aix before, but it was a very brief stop. I had never actually gotten to stay in the city and explore it.
We arrived at our hotel called Hotel du Globe which was pretty nice! Two stars goes a long way in France! Of course, Kelly B, Jor and I roomed together and poor Libby was on her own. We unpacked our stuff and Ellen, Annie, Marissa, Kelly, Libby, and I went and got lunch. Jordan took a nap.. go figure.
We walked around until we found this little square with a cafe. Situated in the square was the Cathederal Saint Saveur and one of the buildings that comprises the Universite d'Aix. Many students from all over study abroad here; I saw many Americans but I don't think I'd ever study in the country... too boring.
After lunch, we went back home until we all had to meet up at 4 for a tour of the city and the Cathederal I mentioned before. There were two guides- one French and two English. Of course, I chose the English guide. We ended up walked over to right where I had eaten lunch earlier, in front of the Cathederal Saint Saveur. The guide explained that the church is important because of its architecture which is a mixture of the 5th- 17th centuries.
We toured the city and saw a bunch of sweet buildings like the Hotel de Ville. After the tour was over, we were set loose to wander the city by ourselves. Jor, Kel, Lib and I got some gelato. Oh boy was it good. I got pistachio and bacio. De-licious! After, I walked around with some girls that go to La Sorbonne and went in and out of mini shops. The best shops were the sweet shops! I went into a chocolatier and bought a bag of chocolates. My sweet tooth didn't stop there! We went into this store called La Cure Gourmand where they made biscuits and lollipops and you name it! It was the cutest store! I bought strawberry and almond biscuits to add on to my sweet tooth!
After, we returned home and relaxed. We were planning on going out to dinner, but instead, the four of us hit up this fast-food joint called "Le Must" where the guy working there let us play some sweet jams on his ipod while he cooked us all pitas and fries.
We returned home and didn't do much of anything. We watched the Olympics, but didn't go out because we were exhausted from a long day. Aix-en-Provence is a beautiful city and there is more to do tomorrow! I can't wait!
We got on the train and I literally passed out. I love taking trains to places. It's such a smooth ride and I usually fall asleep like I do on airplanes. One minute I'm in one place, and the next I'm awake in another!
The train ride was three hours long. When we arrived in Provence, all 50 of us API-ers got on 2 buses and drove to Aix-en-Provence. Aix is the capital of Provence. It is considered the heart of Provence and is known for its rich spas, its almond industry and calissons, and small squares with fountains. I have been to Aix before, but it was a very brief stop. I had never actually gotten to stay in the city and explore it.
We arrived at our hotel called Hotel du Globe which was pretty nice! Two stars goes a long way in France! Of course, Kelly B, Jor and I roomed together and poor Libby was on her own. We unpacked our stuff and Ellen, Annie, Marissa, Kelly, Libby, and I went and got lunch. Jordan took a nap.. go figure.
We walked around until we found this little square with a cafe. Situated in the square was the Cathederal Saint Saveur and one of the buildings that comprises the Universite d'Aix. Many students from all over study abroad here; I saw many Americans but I don't think I'd ever study in the country... too boring.
After lunch, we went back home until we all had to meet up at 4 for a tour of the city and the Cathederal I mentioned before. There were two guides- one French and two English. Of course, I chose the English guide. We ended up walked over to right where I had eaten lunch earlier, in front of the Cathederal Saint Saveur. The guide explained that the church is important because of its architecture which is a mixture of the 5th- 17th centuries.
We toured the city and saw a bunch of sweet buildings like the Hotel de Ville. After the tour was over, we were set loose to wander the city by ourselves. Jor, Kel, Lib and I got some gelato. Oh boy was it good. I got pistachio and bacio. De-licious! After, I walked around with some girls that go to La Sorbonne and went in and out of mini shops. The best shops were the sweet shops! I went into a chocolatier and bought a bag of chocolates. My sweet tooth didn't stop there! We went into this store called La Cure Gourmand where they made biscuits and lollipops and you name it! It was the cutest store! I bought strawberry and almond biscuits to add on to my sweet tooth!
After, we returned home and relaxed. We were planning on going out to dinner, but instead, the four of us hit up this fast-food joint called "Le Must" where the guy working there let us play some sweet jams on his ipod while he cooked us all pitas and fries.
We returned home and didn't do much of anything. We watched the Olympics, but didn't go out because we were exhausted from a long day. Aix-en-Provence is a beautiful city and there is more to do tomorrow! I can't wait!
Jour 51- Late Night in the Basement Watching the Olympics!
The week of school passed by pretty quickly as usual. I was anticipating the weekend to come because I knew come Thursday night, I would have a nine day break! Friday morning we were scheduled to board the TGV at 7:15 a.m. which really meant waking up at 5:30 to get all my shit together so that I didn't arrive to Gare de Lyon late! I promised Anne-Marie that Jordan and I would not be late!
But, I was too hyped up.. and the Canada vs Russia game was on at night so Kelly B, my chambre mate Newt and I went down in the basement to see what was going on. I'm not really a hockey fan, but I was bored and the Olympics are always fun to watch. Kelly and Newt on the other hand live for hockey and wouldn't shut up about their favorite players on team Canada. Where's the team USA love? Traitors!
We went downstairs and there were a bunch of Frenchies watching football in the room. The game wasn't going to air until midnight, so we just chatted with them for a while. After, our Canadian friends from the FEU came home from a drunken night out to watch the big game. The Olympics are a BIG deal for the Canadians, especially hockey.
The game began and I literally did not go up to bed until 3 a.m. That means I got 2 and a half hours of sleep! This game was a big deal tho, because if Canada wins, they will play the USA in the finals! What a game that would be! We just joked around the whole time, sipped on wine, and talked shit about whose country was better. Gotta love those conversations.
We'll see whose the better country come Sunday night!
But, I was too hyped up.. and the Canada vs Russia game was on at night so Kelly B, my chambre mate Newt and I went down in the basement to see what was going on. I'm not really a hockey fan, but I was bored and the Olympics are always fun to watch. Kelly and Newt on the other hand live for hockey and wouldn't shut up about their favorite players on team Canada. Where's the team USA love? Traitors!
We went downstairs and there were a bunch of Frenchies watching football in the room. The game wasn't going to air until midnight, so we just chatted with them for a while. After, our Canadian friends from the FEU came home from a drunken night out to watch the big game. The Olympics are a BIG deal for the Canadians, especially hockey.
The game began and I literally did not go up to bed until 3 a.m. That means I got 2 and a half hours of sleep! This game was a big deal tho, because if Canada wins, they will play the USA in the finals! What a game that would be! We just joked around the whole time, sipped on wine, and talked shit about whose country was better. Gotta love those conversations.
We'll see whose the better country come Sunday night!
mercredi 24 février 2010
Jour 47- Eiffel Towering Susie in front of the Eiffel Tower!
Continuing on from the night before...
I wake myself up at 1 p.m. because even though I desperately want to sleep, I know that I have to get up and meet up with Susie, Grace, and Libby who are touring the city. I quickly got ready and met them on the Champs-Elysees. They had previously went up the Arc de Triomphe which was something I didn't miss out on b/c I had done that the weekend before with Ali.
We walked down the Champs and headed towards the Eiffel Tower. The route was such: ARC-Champs-Eiffel Tower-Louvre-Notre Dame. All are in good proximity to each other but still it requires a whole lotta walking. We walked across the famous bridge Pont Alexander which has gold statues and the best view of the Seine and Paris. After that, we ended up making our way towards the Musee de l'Armee which has a massive golden dome. There are long fields of grass leading to it where a bunch of guys play football. I wanted to be different, and decided it would be more fun to do cartwheels.
Past the Musee, we walked down the streets leading up to the Eiffel Tower. We wanted to reenact a scene from the very famous Mary-Kate and Ashley teen flick "Passport to Paris", so we found a Boulangerie where we bought two of the biggest baguettes ever! When we arrived to the Eiffel, there were a lot of people out. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and the weather was just right.
We began to snap a couple pics when this random guy came up to us and goes, "Umm, excuse me, but I have a very random question. Where did you get those baguettes? I have been wanting one all day!" Well we weren't going to give ours up.. we had to take important MK and A pics! So we pointed where it was... hope he found it. Baguettes are to die for! We snapped the famous pics of us using our baguettes as swords and fighting... MK and A would be so proud! But, it was more important what we snapped next..
So our whole goal with Susie coming to Paris was to take a pic of Libby, Susie, and I Eiffel-Towering Susie. I cant explain what it is, you just have to know. We position ourselves directly in front of the tower and BOOM! History is made! Meanwhile this is happening, there are these Arab tourists snapping the same pics we are taking of us. So weird.. and they are thinking we are hilarious. Little do they know what we are doing.. Damn Americans!
We ate the entire two baguettes afterwards and then headed towards the Louvre. We had to stop a couple of times tho. Our feet were hating us. We reached the Jardin de Tuileries that is one of the entrances to the Louvre. It's a massive park with statues, large fountains and mini restaurants. There was a large fountain with these lounging chairs circling it. Tons of people were sitting in them and we spotted four with our names on them! We relaxed for 5 mins and just watched people pass by. It's so amazing that you can just go to a park and sit there. There are so many people out too, so we fit right in the Parisien lifestyle. I'm definitely going to do this a lot when its really warm!
We finally reached the entrance to the Louvre, and Libby and I parted ways with Susie and Grace. They wanted to go inside the Louvre to see mostly the Mona Lisa. Libby and I have already done this, so we said we would go back and wait for them. After the Louvre, they planned on going to mass at the Notre Dame. Susie just HAD to because she goes to Notre Dame in the States so why not go to church in the actual cathederal! Libby and I also had to decline.
When they finally got back, Libby, Jor, Kelly B, Susie, and Grace all went out. I opted out because I was really tired and not in the mood to party. I felt kinda bad, but I figured the other girls had it under control.
They got back at 3 a.m. and woke me up! Susie and I spooned in my bed and in the morning Grace and Susie woke up to go to Versailles for the day. I would have gone, but I have a tour there with my program later in the semester.
All in all, Susie's visit was fun! I am going to London to see her in a week with Libby and Susie's planning out an entire agenda of things for us to do! I'm so excited and can't wait for this week to be over! The coming weekend I go to Provence with my program for the weekend and then I have a winter break from my school. During that time, I go to London with Libby for 4 days! SOOOOO stoked! London bridges are coming down!
I wake myself up at 1 p.m. because even though I desperately want to sleep, I know that I have to get up and meet up with Susie, Grace, and Libby who are touring the city. I quickly got ready and met them on the Champs-Elysees. They had previously went up the Arc de Triomphe which was something I didn't miss out on b/c I had done that the weekend before with Ali.
We walked down the Champs and headed towards the Eiffel Tower. The route was such: ARC-Champs-Eiffel Tower-Louvre-Notre Dame. All are in good proximity to each other but still it requires a whole lotta walking. We walked across the famous bridge Pont Alexander which has gold statues and the best view of the Seine and Paris. After that, we ended up making our way towards the Musee de l'Armee which has a massive golden dome. There are long fields of grass leading to it where a bunch of guys play football. I wanted to be different, and decided it would be more fun to do cartwheels.
Past the Musee, we walked down the streets leading up to the Eiffel Tower. We wanted to reenact a scene from the very famous Mary-Kate and Ashley teen flick "Passport to Paris", so we found a Boulangerie where we bought two of the biggest baguettes ever! When we arrived to the Eiffel, there were a lot of people out. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and the weather was just right.
We began to snap a couple pics when this random guy came up to us and goes, "Umm, excuse me, but I have a very random question. Where did you get those baguettes? I have been wanting one all day!" Well we weren't going to give ours up.. we had to take important MK and A pics! So we pointed where it was... hope he found it. Baguettes are to die for! We snapped the famous pics of us using our baguettes as swords and fighting... MK and A would be so proud! But, it was more important what we snapped next..
So our whole goal with Susie coming to Paris was to take a pic of Libby, Susie, and I Eiffel-Towering Susie. I cant explain what it is, you just have to know. We position ourselves directly in front of the tower and BOOM! History is made! Meanwhile this is happening, there are these Arab tourists snapping the same pics we are taking of us. So weird.. and they are thinking we are hilarious. Little do they know what we are doing.. Damn Americans!
We ate the entire two baguettes afterwards and then headed towards the Louvre. We had to stop a couple of times tho. Our feet were hating us. We reached the Jardin de Tuileries that is one of the entrances to the Louvre. It's a massive park with statues, large fountains and mini restaurants. There was a large fountain with these lounging chairs circling it. Tons of people were sitting in them and we spotted four with our names on them! We relaxed for 5 mins and just watched people pass by. It's so amazing that you can just go to a park and sit there. There are so many people out too, so we fit right in the Parisien lifestyle. I'm definitely going to do this a lot when its really warm!
We finally reached the entrance to the Louvre, and Libby and I parted ways with Susie and Grace. They wanted to go inside the Louvre to see mostly the Mona Lisa. Libby and I have already done this, so we said we would go back and wait for them. After the Louvre, they planned on going to mass at the Notre Dame. Susie just HAD to because she goes to Notre Dame in the States so why not go to church in the actual cathederal! Libby and I also had to decline.
When they finally got back, Libby, Jor, Kelly B, Susie, and Grace all went out. I opted out because I was really tired and not in the mood to party. I felt kinda bad, but I figured the other girls had it under control.
They got back at 3 a.m. and woke me up! Susie and I spooned in my bed and in the morning Grace and Susie woke up to go to Versailles for the day. I would have gone, but I have a tour there with my program later in the semester.
All in all, Susie's visit was fun! I am going to London to see her in a week with Libby and Susie's planning out an entire agenda of things for us to do! I'm so excited and can't wait for this week to be over! The coming weekend I go to Provence with my program for the weekend and then I have a winter break from my school. During that time, I go to London with Libby for 4 days! SOOOOO stoked! London bridges are coming down!
Jour 46- Suzical Arrives from London!
Another week of school has passed by.. same old shit. Now it's Friday night (Feb 19th) and Susie Carlsen, one of my bff's from high school, is visiting from London. Talk about playing hostess for two weekends in a row. Shit is tiring! You know I'm dreading the touring during the day...
Suze doesn't arrive until 9:30 a.m. Now prior to Susie coming to Paris, we talked a bunch about how excited we were to see each other and frolick about Paris. Never once did she mention where she was staying. I knew that she was coming with her friend, but I figured with it never being mentioned, she was most likely staying in a hostel... or so you'd think..
She calls me after she gets off the metro stop nearby me and I can see her approaching the front door of my dorm with her friend, Grace. As we are screaming from Jordan's window how excited we are, I notice that Susie and her friend have giant backpacks on their backs. OK PERFECT. So I guess they are staying with me after all?!? Where the hell am I going to sleep? Probably Kelly B's again.
Libby and I run down to get them and scream obnoxiously loud when we hug. Total girl stuff. We go up to Jordan's room and they quickly get ready so we can start the night off early. It wasn't going to be a crazy night. Susie wanted it to be low-key because she didn't want to be hungover and unproductive the next day. Puh-lease, I have mastered the art of productivity! We all go out with some of the G-tech guys and go to this bar off of Luxembourg metro stop. The place was pretty chill. I wasn't feelin it that much tho. It was just your standard bar. I wanted to show Susie a real good time, so we left and walked to the Notre Dame area where Azzam knew of this Scottish bar that was open til 5 a.m. I know Susie wanted a calm night, but when in Paris, you got to go big!
We walked what seemed forever, and passed this area where every corner had a pita place! You should have seen these pitas! Not only did they make our mouths water, but they had fries in them! Oh my god! France has everything a girl could want! We didn't stop tho, we figured we would get them on our way home..depending on when that would be.
We get to the bar and Libby, Susie, and Grace decide they are going to head home. Party-poopers. Kelly B, Jor, Azzam, Ryan, and I decided to stay at the bar because we were having a good time. Some other G-tech guys ended up showing up and we partyed until 4 a.m. After, we decided to go to some of the G-tech guys apartment in the Moulin Rouge area to hang out until the RER metro opened up at 5:30a.m. Getting Jordan to leave was once again a struggle, but funny. While we were all hanging out at a table in the bar, she's up at the bar by herself hanging out with a bunch of random dudes. When we tried to leave, she thought it would be okay to go home with some English guy she just met. She's just too friendly! We finally got her to come, but she ended up going home in a cab and not joining us. Ohhh Jor you're a character!
After hanging out at the guys apartment, the four of us took the good ole Noctilian bus to the metro stop that would connect us back directly to the Cite. Oh there's just something about the Noctilian.. creeps the hell outta me, and takes forever to get home, but there's always funny stories to be remembered! Also, Kelly B and I are always the one's taking both the metro and bus home early in the morning, so at least I got my wingman!
Kel and I got home and I spooned with her in my bed from 8:30a.m. to 1 p.m. Aren't I such a nice friend?! I gave up MY bed so that Susie and Grace could sleep in it. Damn, I better go to heaven!
Suze doesn't arrive until 9:30 a.m. Now prior to Susie coming to Paris, we talked a bunch about how excited we were to see each other and frolick about Paris. Never once did she mention where she was staying. I knew that she was coming with her friend, but I figured with it never being mentioned, she was most likely staying in a hostel... or so you'd think..
She calls me after she gets off the metro stop nearby me and I can see her approaching the front door of my dorm with her friend, Grace. As we are screaming from Jordan's window how excited we are, I notice that Susie and her friend have giant backpacks on their backs. OK PERFECT. So I guess they are staying with me after all?!? Where the hell am I going to sleep? Probably Kelly B's again.
Libby and I run down to get them and scream obnoxiously loud when we hug. Total girl stuff. We go up to Jordan's room and they quickly get ready so we can start the night off early. It wasn't going to be a crazy night. Susie wanted it to be low-key because she didn't want to be hungover and unproductive the next day. Puh-lease, I have mastered the art of productivity! We all go out with some of the G-tech guys and go to this bar off of Luxembourg metro stop. The place was pretty chill. I wasn't feelin it that much tho. It was just your standard bar. I wanted to show Susie a real good time, so we left and walked to the Notre Dame area where Azzam knew of this Scottish bar that was open til 5 a.m. I know Susie wanted a calm night, but when in Paris, you got to go big!
We walked what seemed forever, and passed this area where every corner had a pita place! You should have seen these pitas! Not only did they make our mouths water, but they had fries in them! Oh my god! France has everything a girl could want! We didn't stop tho, we figured we would get them on our way home..depending on when that would be.
We get to the bar and Libby, Susie, and Grace decide they are going to head home. Party-poopers. Kelly B, Jor, Azzam, Ryan, and I decided to stay at the bar because we were having a good time. Some other G-tech guys ended up showing up and we partyed until 4 a.m. After, we decided to go to some of the G-tech guys apartment in the Moulin Rouge area to hang out until the RER metro opened up at 5:30a.m. Getting Jordan to leave was once again a struggle, but funny. While we were all hanging out at a table in the bar, she's up at the bar by herself hanging out with a bunch of random dudes. When we tried to leave, she thought it would be okay to go home with some English guy she just met. She's just too friendly! We finally got her to come, but she ended up going home in a cab and not joining us. Ohhh Jor you're a character!
After hanging out at the guys apartment, the four of us took the good ole Noctilian bus to the metro stop that would connect us back directly to the Cite. Oh there's just something about the Noctilian.. creeps the hell outta me, and takes forever to get home, but there's always funny stories to be remembered! Also, Kelly B and I are always the one's taking both the metro and bus home early in the morning, so at least I got my wingman!
Kel and I got home and I spooned with her in my bed from 8:30a.m. to 1 p.m. Aren't I such a nice friend?! I gave up MY bed so that Susie and Grace could sleep in it. Damn, I better go to heaven!
Jour 41- Valentine's Day in Paris!
Sunday.. Funday...
It's good ole St. Valendoom's Day as I like to refer to it when I am single and hating everyone else with a lover. Not only am I single, but to make matters worse, I am celebrating it in the City of Love. Just peachy! The good thing about holidays in Europe is that that you aren't even aware that its a holiday until the actual day arrives. There's no prior month-long decorations, candy, cards, etc. on the supermarket shelves for all to see like in the States. Honestly, I totally forgot about Valentine's Day until it was Feb 14th.
I am proud of myself, though. Instead of staying cooped up in my room all day so I don't have to see any signs of love, Ali, Libby, Kelly B, and I took Ali on more tours.
We started off at the Notre Dame. Our plan was to go up the steps and get a great view of the city, but unfortunately the stairs were closed. So instead, we snapped a couple of pics and cruised around the area. There were so many people out too! I was amazed!
After that, we got on the metro and headed up to Montmartre area and the Sacre Coeur. The art square (Place Tertre) was open so I was happy I got to show Ali how artsy and fun this district is. Plus, it was a beautiful day! The previous days were crappy and cold. We walked around, went inside the church.. the usual sha-bang.
After all this roaming, I had to get back home. I was dead tired and extremely worn out. Kelly B, Ali, and I headed back to the Cite to make Valentine's Day dinner for us single folk. It was a perfect idea. We made bruschetta and pasta with grilled veggies. We listened to music and had a grand ole time. The funny thing is, with all the partying and walking around during the day, you would think that I would have passed out right away after dinner. Nope! We all packed into Kelly's room and watched "The Sweetest Thing" until 2 a.m.! A perfect chick flick and great way to end an epic weekend!
The next day Ali left. All in all, I'd say I showed him a pretty damn good time, while having a blast myself. My plan is to visit him during my spring break in April, and he's going to show me alllll what Barcelona has to offer. I don't care how hungover he is the next day. If I got up for him, he's getting up for me!
Signing off to an EPIC weekend!
It's good ole St. Valendoom's Day as I like to refer to it when I am single and hating everyone else with a lover. Not only am I single, but to make matters worse, I am celebrating it in the City of Love. Just peachy! The good thing about holidays in Europe is that that you aren't even aware that its a holiday until the actual day arrives. There's no prior month-long decorations, candy, cards, etc. on the supermarket shelves for all to see like in the States. Honestly, I totally forgot about Valentine's Day until it was Feb 14th.
I am proud of myself, though. Instead of staying cooped up in my room all day so I don't have to see any signs of love, Ali, Libby, Kelly B, and I took Ali on more tours.
We started off at the Notre Dame. Our plan was to go up the steps and get a great view of the city, but unfortunately the stairs were closed. So instead, we snapped a couple of pics and cruised around the area. There were so many people out too! I was amazed!
After that, we got on the metro and headed up to Montmartre area and the Sacre Coeur. The art square (Place Tertre) was open so I was happy I got to show Ali how artsy and fun this district is. Plus, it was a beautiful day! The previous days were crappy and cold. We walked around, went inside the church.. the usual sha-bang.
After all this roaming, I had to get back home. I was dead tired and extremely worn out. Kelly B, Ali, and I headed back to the Cite to make Valentine's Day dinner for us single folk. It was a perfect idea. We made bruschetta and pasta with grilled veggies. We listened to music and had a grand ole time. The funny thing is, with all the partying and walking around during the day, you would think that I would have passed out right away after dinner. Nope! We all packed into Kelly's room and watched "The Sweetest Thing" until 2 a.m.! A perfect chick flick and great way to end an epic weekend!
The next day Ali left. All in all, I'd say I showed him a pretty damn good time, while having a blast myself. My plan is to visit him during my spring break in April, and he's going to show me alllll what Barcelona has to offer. I don't care how hungover he is the next day. If I got up for him, he's getting up for me!
Signing off to an EPIC weekend!
dimanche 21 février 2010
Jour 40- Epic Day and Night 3
In the past 48 hours, I've gotten about 15 hours of sleep. The only reason I got up and ready for the day on Saturday was because I knew Ali would be on his way to stay with me at the Cite and would want to go running around.
He texted me at 11 a.m. saying that he'd be here at 2. I couldn't say no, go F yourself, so I got up and got myself looking decent for the day. When he arrived Kelly and I left to go take him out. Kel is one hell of a trooper because her and Jor didn't get home until really early in the morning. Jor was suffering from a severe hang-over as usual so she didn't join us. Oh, for the love of alc!
We decide to go to the Arc de Triomphe. I've seen it before, but I've always wanted to go up it! It consists of 283 steps, but that wasn't going to stop me from getting one of the best views of Paris. We get on the metro and get off at Charles de Gaulle Etoile. We exit and bee-line it straight for the Arc.
There are tons of people out. Its also a beautiful night. We begin to go up the steps and I am literally dying of a lack of oxygen. A) of all the stairs were in a circle as we climbed them, and B) I didn't realize how many there were. Ali is just running up them like its no big deal. We finally get to the top and are snapping a ton of photos. We took the typical "tourist" pic where it looks like I'm holding the Eiffel Tour from afar. Typical tourists.
After thats over, we walk down the Champs-Elysees for a while. We ended up going to Monoprix to get some alc and make the standard Ksig shooter shots that Kel and I have been missing for so long.
After that we got home and began to get ready. It was just us girls and Ali that were going out tonight. First, we went down to the basement to pre-game. Our friend Canon (G Tech boy) was celebrating his 22nd bday, so they bought a bunch of beer and we decided to play a massive game of flip cup. It was really funny because when we first got down there, there was some weird -ass art festival going on in the bment. I literally walked in the room and there were frenchies holding up paper-macheted masks to their faces. Not exactly a party if you ask me. As we start playing, all the frenchies are staring at us like we are retarded. They just don't understand why we are so loud (cuz we're Americans!) and what we are doing to these poor cups (American sport). It was funny and a great way to start off the night. lLus, we played girls vs boys, and girls kicked ass, as usual.
After, we decided to go out in the Chatelet area because it has been pretty poppin in the past few nights. The first bar we went to was the Hideout. It was the only bar that we could semi-fit in because there was a huge rugby match between France and Irteand so everyone and their momma was out. All the pubs, bars, restaurants were packed. We were in there for a while and Ali and I just ran around discovering the place. Libby, Jor and Kel stayed at the bar ordering drinks..damn alcoholics. The bar wasn't that fun, and I didn't have any money on me, so Ali and I left to go get money out of a nearby ATM. While we are out, Ali and I decided to venture and find another fun bar. We find this bar called the Guinness bar and it has a DJ spinning a bunch of fun jams. We stay inside just the two of us for a while and there are a bunch of drunken French people just dancing and having a good time. Definitely feeling the vibe!
On all of the walls, people have taken a highlighter or marker and written their names on it. Ali asks one of the bartenders if we can borrow a marker and he jumps on a stool and writes Kelly and Ali rule. That will be on the wall forever! Meanwhile, I ask the DJ to play "We Will Rock You" by Queen. Side note: the frenchies LOVE Queen. When we first walked in they were all dancing to it, so I figured we should keep it going. He turns it on and I got a bunch of frenchies to bang on the stools and walls with us screaming WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU! It was hilarious! We had to go get the others and save them from the lack of fun at the other bar.
We bring them over and its just a hot mess all night at the bar. I met some Irish folks who were dressed up in Leprechaun costumes. I even took one of the guys' hats and beard and put it on myself! It was hilarious! We danced around and were at the bar until really late...like 4 a.m. BUT WE WEREN'T DONE YET! Plus, Ali decided to steal an entire bottle of Absolut while the bartenders weren't looking. BADASS!
I mentioned the night before that Kel and Jor had went to a few bars after I had left. We decided to go to one of them b/c it was open until 5 a.m. We get there and it's closed but they let us in because they "know" Jordan. It's literally just us and all the workers..the cooks, the bar owner and the bartenders. We are just hanging out, getting free drinks, no big deal.
Around 5:30 a.m. Ali wanted to get back. Everyone left and Ali and I stayed back to get Jor to leave. She was busy behind the bar making drinks and running around with her head cut off. Finally we get her to leave and take the metro home. Gotta love those early morning metro rides! We finally get home and its like 7 in the morning. I didn't go to bed until 11:30 a.m. because I was up with Kel making food and wiredddd. Finally I went to bed, but that didn't last too long because I had more site-seeing to do! Shoooott meeeeeeeee!
He texted me at 11 a.m. saying that he'd be here at 2. I couldn't say no, go F yourself, so I got up and got myself looking decent for the day. When he arrived Kelly and I left to go take him out. Kel is one hell of a trooper because her and Jor didn't get home until really early in the morning. Jor was suffering from a severe hang-over as usual so she didn't join us. Oh, for the love of alc!
We decide to go to the Arc de Triomphe. I've seen it before, but I've always wanted to go up it! It consists of 283 steps, but that wasn't going to stop me from getting one of the best views of Paris. We get on the metro and get off at Charles de Gaulle Etoile. We exit and bee-line it straight for the Arc.
There are tons of people out. Its also a beautiful night. We begin to go up the steps and I am literally dying of a lack of oxygen. A) of all the stairs were in a circle as we climbed them, and B) I didn't realize how many there were. Ali is just running up them like its no big deal. We finally get to the top and are snapping a ton of photos. We took the typical "tourist" pic where it looks like I'm holding the Eiffel Tour from afar. Typical tourists.
After thats over, we walk down the Champs-Elysees for a while. We ended up going to Monoprix to get some alc and make the standard Ksig shooter shots that Kel and I have been missing for so long.
After that we got home and began to get ready. It was just us girls and Ali that were going out tonight. First, we went down to the basement to pre-game. Our friend Canon (G Tech boy) was celebrating his 22nd bday, so they bought a bunch of beer and we decided to play a massive game of flip cup. It was really funny because when we first got down there, there was some weird -ass art festival going on in the bment. I literally walked in the room and there were frenchies holding up paper-macheted masks to their faces. Not exactly a party if you ask me. As we start playing, all the frenchies are staring at us like we are retarded. They just don't understand why we are so loud (cuz we're Americans!) and what we are doing to these poor cups (American sport). It was funny and a great way to start off the night. lLus, we played girls vs boys, and girls kicked ass, as usual.
After, we decided to go out in the Chatelet area because it has been pretty poppin in the past few nights. The first bar we went to was the Hideout. It was the only bar that we could semi-fit in because there was a huge rugby match between France and Irteand so everyone and their momma was out. All the pubs, bars, restaurants were packed. We were in there for a while and Ali and I just ran around discovering the place. Libby, Jor and Kel stayed at the bar ordering drinks..damn alcoholics. The bar wasn't that fun, and I didn't have any money on me, so Ali and I left to go get money out of a nearby ATM. While we are out, Ali and I decided to venture and find another fun bar. We find this bar called the Guinness bar and it has a DJ spinning a bunch of fun jams. We stay inside just the two of us for a while and there are a bunch of drunken French people just dancing and having a good time. Definitely feeling the vibe!
On all of the walls, people have taken a highlighter or marker and written their names on it. Ali asks one of the bartenders if we can borrow a marker and he jumps on a stool and writes Kelly and Ali rule. That will be on the wall forever! Meanwhile, I ask the DJ to play "We Will Rock You" by Queen. Side note: the frenchies LOVE Queen. When we first walked in they were all dancing to it, so I figured we should keep it going. He turns it on and I got a bunch of frenchies to bang on the stools and walls with us screaming WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU! It was hilarious! We had to go get the others and save them from the lack of fun at the other bar.
We bring them over and its just a hot mess all night at the bar. I met some Irish folks who were dressed up in Leprechaun costumes. I even took one of the guys' hats and beard and put it on myself! It was hilarious! We danced around and were at the bar until really late...like 4 a.m. BUT WE WEREN'T DONE YET! Plus, Ali decided to steal an entire bottle of Absolut while the bartenders weren't looking. BADASS!
I mentioned the night before that Kel and Jor had went to a few bars after I had left. We decided to go to one of them b/c it was open until 5 a.m. We get there and it's closed but they let us in because they "know" Jordan. It's literally just us and all the workers..the cooks, the bar owner and the bartenders. We are just hanging out, getting free drinks, no big deal.
Around 5:30 a.m. Ali wanted to get back. Everyone left and Ali and I stayed back to get Jor to leave. She was busy behind the bar making drinks and running around with her head cut off. Finally we get her to leave and take the metro home. Gotta love those early morning metro rides! We finally get home and its like 7 in the morning. I didn't go to bed until 11:30 a.m. because I was up with Kel making food and wiredddd. Finally I went to bed, but that didn't last too long because I had more site-seeing to do! Shoooott meeeeeeeee!
Jour 39- Epic Night 2- ALI arrives
Thursday night was by far unforgettable. I'm glad it turned out as it did or it would have not been an epic night.
On Friday, I was supposed to go to my French class, but Jordan and I didn't make it. Our heads were killing, we didn't know if we were going to get any credit for taking it, and hell-no do I want to take a Friday class, so we opted out. We just laid in bed all day recuperating for the night ahead.
Next thing you know it's EPIC night 2 and my friend Ali is on his way! He wasn't planning on going out, but I made him feel bad by telling him that because he's in Paris, it is imperative that he go out with us. He calls us to tell us he's outside the Cite and Kelly and I bolt down the stairs to get him. Mind you, I'm in heels and running extremely fast. We open the front doors and start screaming as we run towards him down some stairs. I'm retarded, and full on trip and fall at the foot of the steps! It was quite possibly the funniest moment ever, and Ali captured it all in a photo. It's now my profile pic.
After 5 mins laughing at my retardedness, we brought him upstairs, introduced him to our buddies and then we all left. It was the usual crew, us chickas and the U of Chicago boys. Only this time the Georgia Tech guys didn't join us because of last night's events that went awry. I don't know how we are going to all ever hang out again?!
So we all decide we are going to go out to bars in the Latin Quarter, or we should say the guys plan this. We leave it up to them to do all the planning, and that's a bad idea. As we are on the metro, we are passing a bunch of stops and I turn to Clay and I ask him where we get off. He looks at me puzzled, like I should know the answer. WHAT! This nice lady overhears us and tells us that the stop we are at now is it, and to get off! But, we couldn't get everyone off in time so we missed it. Typical. We ended up getting off at Chatelet and having a metro party. I say this because we all ran around the metro trying to figure out where to get off and where to go. We were lost. We decide that we should just go back to the bar that we went to the other night: N'importe Quoi.
We get there and it is PACKED. The guys were not feeling this at all, and within 30 mins Clay, Zo and Dex decide to go get McDonalds. I REFUSE to eat McDonalds while I am here. So they are gone and it's us girls, Ali, Joe and Nick hangin out. An hour later, Ali decides to go because he's tired and has been running around all day. So now its down to us girls, Joe and Nick. We just cruised around the bar all night until it closed at 2.
Then, as we were planning on going to another bar, we all get sidetracked and are walking down the street when Kel and Jor get distracted by these 2 guys closing up The Gap store. We are trying to get them to come with us, but its no use. I decide that I'm tired, so I just get in a cab with Joe and Nick.
Kel and Jor stayed out until the weee hours of the morning. I believe they ended up going to a gay bar called the Banana Bar and another ran bar where Jor met her new bf named Oleg. Sounds French right? I figured it was a good call to go home so that I'd be up to take Ali around the town all day tomorrow. Another night out completed!
On Friday, I was supposed to go to my French class, but Jordan and I didn't make it. Our heads were killing, we didn't know if we were going to get any credit for taking it, and hell-no do I want to take a Friday class, so we opted out. We just laid in bed all day recuperating for the night ahead.
Next thing you know it's EPIC night 2 and my friend Ali is on his way! He wasn't planning on going out, but I made him feel bad by telling him that because he's in Paris, it is imperative that he go out with us. He calls us to tell us he's outside the Cite and Kelly and I bolt down the stairs to get him. Mind you, I'm in heels and running extremely fast. We open the front doors and start screaming as we run towards him down some stairs. I'm retarded, and full on trip and fall at the foot of the steps! It was quite possibly the funniest moment ever, and Ali captured it all in a photo. It's now my profile pic.
After 5 mins laughing at my retardedness, we brought him upstairs, introduced him to our buddies and then we all left. It was the usual crew, us chickas and the U of Chicago boys. Only this time the Georgia Tech guys didn't join us because of last night's events that went awry. I don't know how we are going to all ever hang out again?!
So we all decide we are going to go out to bars in the Latin Quarter, or we should say the guys plan this. We leave it up to them to do all the planning, and that's a bad idea. As we are on the metro, we are passing a bunch of stops and I turn to Clay and I ask him where we get off. He looks at me puzzled, like I should know the answer. WHAT! This nice lady overhears us and tells us that the stop we are at now is it, and to get off! But, we couldn't get everyone off in time so we missed it. Typical. We ended up getting off at Chatelet and having a metro party. I say this because we all ran around the metro trying to figure out where to get off and where to go. We were lost. We decide that we should just go back to the bar that we went to the other night: N'importe Quoi.
We get there and it is PACKED. The guys were not feeling this at all, and within 30 mins Clay, Zo and Dex decide to go get McDonalds. I REFUSE to eat McDonalds while I am here. So they are gone and it's us girls, Ali, Joe and Nick hangin out. An hour later, Ali decides to go because he's tired and has been running around all day. So now its down to us girls, Joe and Nick. We just cruised around the bar all night until it closed at 2.
Then, as we were planning on going to another bar, we all get sidetracked and are walking down the street when Kel and Jor get distracted by these 2 guys closing up The Gap store. We are trying to get them to come with us, but its no use. I decide that I'm tired, so I just get in a cab with Joe and Nick.
Kel and Jor stayed out until the weee hours of the morning. I believe they ended up going to a gay bar called the Banana Bar and another ran bar where Jor met her new bf named Oleg. Sounds French right? I figured it was a good call to go home so that I'd be up to take Ali around the town all day tomorrow. Another night out completed!
vendredi 19 février 2010
Jour 38- Epic Night 1
After my class let out at 5 on Thursday, I went home and began to plan Epic night 1. Just to note, by Epic I mean going out every night this weekend and staying out until the wee hours of the manana. We were going to round up as many people as possible and go anywhere and everywhere.
After getting ready, Jordan, Kelly, Libby and I pre-gamed a bit and then went over to the U of Chicago boys room to discuss our plans. We all didn't know where to go, so we left it up to Joe to make it happen. He was out already finishing up his weekly French conversation meetings, and recommended that we all meet him at this bar he was at. We had nothing planned, so we just went with that.
We met Joe in Chatelet metro stop and he took us to this bar called N'importe Quoi. I don't know what that means. The cool thing about the bar was that it had these tiny disco ball red and green lights that filled the room. It was pretty trippy. I would look at everyone's faces and they would have have these tiny dots on them. The bar was pretty cool tho, I took these weird caramel vodka flavored shooter shots and met the standard creepy/but cool French men. Always spittin my French game.
Meanwhile, as the night is wearing down, I'm hanging out with Libby and I notice she is extremely intoxicated. I'm talking the famous Libby drunk. I can already see where this is going. The bar is nearing closing time (2a.m.) so I decide to round up the troops so we can go to another bar. Our numbers have dwindled tho. Dex apparently passed out in the bar and was kicked out and went home an hour into being there. I didn't know this, but found that out when I was trying to find him. Everyone else is there, but pretty drunk. I bring Libby outside and tell her to wait by the door. She is wobbling and then takes a seat on the floor outside by the door. The bouncer thinks this is hysterical. After I get everyone to leave, the guys start hopping on vespas parked outside the bar and taking photos thinking that they are SO funny. The bouncer does not think is funny and tells us to get moving.
Moving wasn't easy, at least for Libby. She couldn't function at this point, so I took it upon myself to walk her down the road to the next place. It was a funny mess. She was talking in her typical drunken baby Libby voice and wobbling. Like she was taking her first steps. Meanwhile, Zo is running across the street back and forth taking obnoxious pictures that aren't going to turn out. It's a struggle keeping every one together.
We get to this next bar that is open til 4 a.m. and plays live music. Everyone got in except for Libby. I figured this would happen. We were trying to tell her to compose herself and not speak a word when entering the bar, but that's like trying to tell a baby not to cry. She didn't get in, so Jordan and Zo took her back home. Everyone else got in and we grabbed a couple beers and listened to this band play covers of King's of Leon, Counting Crows, etc.
It was a great night... until the bar closed. So the lights turn on and the bouncers are telling everyone to get movin. Everyone makes it to the door, minus Joe. He thought it a good idea minutes before the bar closed to buy a beer. When the bouncer told him to leave, he replied back that he just wanted to finish his beer. He told the bouncer that three times and finally the bouncer had enough. He picks up Joe by the jacket and escorts him out the door. It's like a scene out of a movie that you never thought was possible.
He's thrown out the bar and Canon makes a snide remark about how dumb he is. This pisses off Joe, and they start fighting. Canon has Joe in a choke hold and Clay runs after them and punches Canon. They are fighting back and forth and Kelly and I try and calm them. Its no use so we decide to start walking in the other direction so that they'll notice and stop fighting. It didn't work. Finally the police come because they are making so much noise, and Canon says they are just messing around.
They tell us to leave because we r making too much noise. We all get in 2 separate cabs and go home. It was the funniest night ever, and the best beginning to an Epic weekend. You would think it was stressful, but no, everything was hysterical.
After getting ready, Jordan, Kelly, Libby and I pre-gamed a bit and then went over to the U of Chicago boys room to discuss our plans. We all didn't know where to go, so we left it up to Joe to make it happen. He was out already finishing up his weekly French conversation meetings, and recommended that we all meet him at this bar he was at. We had nothing planned, so we just went with that.
We met Joe in Chatelet metro stop and he took us to this bar called N'importe Quoi. I don't know what that means. The cool thing about the bar was that it had these tiny disco ball red and green lights that filled the room. It was pretty trippy. I would look at everyone's faces and they would have have these tiny dots on them. The bar was pretty cool tho, I took these weird caramel vodka flavored shooter shots and met the standard creepy/but cool French men. Always spittin my French game.
Meanwhile, as the night is wearing down, I'm hanging out with Libby and I notice she is extremely intoxicated. I'm talking the famous Libby drunk. I can already see where this is going. The bar is nearing closing time (2a.m.) so I decide to round up the troops so we can go to another bar. Our numbers have dwindled tho. Dex apparently passed out in the bar and was kicked out and went home an hour into being there. I didn't know this, but found that out when I was trying to find him. Everyone else is there, but pretty drunk. I bring Libby outside and tell her to wait by the door. She is wobbling and then takes a seat on the floor outside by the door. The bouncer thinks this is hysterical. After I get everyone to leave, the guys start hopping on vespas parked outside the bar and taking photos thinking that they are SO funny. The bouncer does not think is funny and tells us to get moving.
Moving wasn't easy, at least for Libby. She couldn't function at this point, so I took it upon myself to walk her down the road to the next place. It was a funny mess. She was talking in her typical drunken baby Libby voice and wobbling. Like she was taking her first steps. Meanwhile, Zo is running across the street back and forth taking obnoxious pictures that aren't going to turn out. It's a struggle keeping every one together.
We get to this next bar that is open til 4 a.m. and plays live music. Everyone got in except for Libby. I figured this would happen. We were trying to tell her to compose herself and not speak a word when entering the bar, but that's like trying to tell a baby not to cry. She didn't get in, so Jordan and Zo took her back home. Everyone else got in and we grabbed a couple beers and listened to this band play covers of King's of Leon, Counting Crows, etc.
It was a great night... until the bar closed. So the lights turn on and the bouncers are telling everyone to get movin. Everyone makes it to the door, minus Joe. He thought it a good idea minutes before the bar closed to buy a beer. When the bouncer told him to leave, he replied back that he just wanted to finish his beer. He told the bouncer that three times and finally the bouncer had enough. He picks up Joe by the jacket and escorts him out the door. It's like a scene out of a movie that you never thought was possible.
He's thrown out the bar and Canon makes a snide remark about how dumb he is. This pisses off Joe, and they start fighting. Canon has Joe in a choke hold and Clay runs after them and punches Canon. They are fighting back and forth and Kelly and I try and calm them. Its no use so we decide to start walking in the other direction so that they'll notice and stop fighting. It didn't work. Finally the police come because they are making so much noise, and Canon says they are just messing around.
They tell us to leave because we r making too much noise. We all get in 2 separate cabs and go home. It was the funniest night ever, and the best beginning to an Epic weekend. You would think it was stressful, but no, everything was hysterical.
lundi 15 février 2010
Jour 34-38 Some Catching Up To Do.. Beginnings of an EPIC weekend
Sunday: another lazy Sunday to add on to my belt. I slept in, made food, watched 3 episodes of True Blood on my computer and hung out with the gals. A positive of the day was that it was the Superbowl in the states. Unfortunately, there is a time difference, and instead of it airing at 3pm eastern time, it was scheduled to air here at 12:30 a.m.
Jordan, Kelly and I wanted to do something for it because we are Americans and we gotta live it up. We wanted to go to a bar that was going to air the game, but there are only a few. We researched a few, but when it got down to it, we just didn't feel like going out. There were too many cons... I didn't want to party, it would be crowded, the metro would close and we'd have to take a taxi home. I was lazy and feeling cheap.
Therefore, Jordan and I decided to stay in (Kelly went to a bar cuz she's crazy) and we were going to wait it out. Besides, the basement of our dorms has a t.v. so we figured we go down there early to get prime seating. While time is passing, Jordan is making a t-shirt in support of the Colts. Out of nowhere she becomes this die-hard fan and is obsessed with Peyton Manning. I don't know where it came from. So she makes two horseshoes, tapes them on her breasts and draws black eyeliner on her face saying "go colts". What a weirdo.
30 minutes before the game starts, our friend Azaam comes in our room and informs us that the basement is packed. There is literally no room available. Well that's not good, cuz I'm not about to sit on the floor. I start getting a negative vibe and decide I don't care to watch the Superbowl anyways. It wouldn't be over till 2 anyways, and I don't care for either team, blah blah blah yadddah yaddah .
So I decide fo-get about it! and I go to bed.
Monday-Thursday: consisted mostly of going to class for the second week and securing my seat in all my classes. It's a battle for seats in international classes. While the week is passing, Jordan, Kelly and I start planning an EPIC weekend with Clay and the guys. We haven't partyed with them in a long time, and this is the last weekend before they have their break. We wanted to go out with a bang, so we decided we were going to go out every night, stay out late, and have fun.
We'll see if we live up to these expectations. Also Ali, my guy friend from SDSU who is studying in Barcelona, arrives and I need to take him out and show him a good time. So much to do, I better get my rest now!
Jordan, Kelly and I wanted to do something for it because we are Americans and we gotta live it up. We wanted to go to a bar that was going to air the game, but there are only a few. We researched a few, but when it got down to it, we just didn't feel like going out. There were too many cons... I didn't want to party, it would be crowded, the metro would close and we'd have to take a taxi home. I was lazy and feeling cheap.
Therefore, Jordan and I decided to stay in (Kelly went to a bar cuz she's crazy) and we were going to wait it out. Besides, the basement of our dorms has a t.v. so we figured we go down there early to get prime seating. While time is passing, Jordan is making a t-shirt in support of the Colts. Out of nowhere she becomes this die-hard fan and is obsessed with Peyton Manning. I don't know where it came from. So she makes two horseshoes, tapes them on her breasts and draws black eyeliner on her face saying "go colts". What a weirdo.
30 minutes before the game starts, our friend Azaam comes in our room and informs us that the basement is packed. There is literally no room available. Well that's not good, cuz I'm not about to sit on the floor. I start getting a negative vibe and decide I don't care to watch the Superbowl anyways. It wouldn't be over till 2 anyways, and I don't care for either team, blah blah blah yadddah yaddah .
So I decide fo-get about it! and I go to bed.
Monday-Thursday: consisted mostly of going to class for the second week and securing my seat in all my classes. It's a battle for seats in international classes. While the week is passing, Jordan, Kelly and I start planning an EPIC weekend with Clay and the guys. We haven't partyed with them in a long time, and this is the last weekend before they have their break. We wanted to go out with a bang, so we decided we were going to go out every night, stay out late, and have fun.
We'll see if we live up to these expectations. Also Ali, my guy friend from SDSU who is studying in Barcelona, arrives and I need to take him out and show him a good time. So much to do, I better get my rest now!
dimanche 7 février 2010
Jour 32-33 American Diner Hangover and the Catacombs
Friday was dreadful.
First off, I didnt go to bed until 8:30 a.m. as I had previously told you. Secondly, when I was awoken only 3 hours later by Libby and Jordan, they wanted to go get food at their favorite place in the entire world... an american diner in france. Typical. I was feeling like shit, but I was hungry, so I opted to go.
Not a good idea because when you have a lack of sleep and are hung over, the last thing you should do is walk about town and eat greasy food. I ordered a cheeseburger which was ok. If in the states, i would of much rather had a REAL cheeseburger from Steak N Shake or something. It just didnt hit the spot, and I thought I was going to vomit the entire time. After, we went back home and Libby and I passed out from 3 to 7. We didnt do much of anything Friday night. I could not go out, nor could anyone else for that matter so we went to the grocery store, ate dinner, and screwed around all night on our computers.
Saturday. Jordan, Libby, and I decided to wake up really early in the morning to go visit the Catacombs which are only a metro stop above us. I've been wanting to do this because it sounds so cool. The Catacombs are an underground network of tunnels dating from the 1700s where millions of bones are located. They are from cemeteries all over France that were dug up and put down there because of problems with the land and coffins/graves rising from the ground. Thus, they put the bones all down there and created a massive cemetery out of it. Also, there are bones of the deceased from the French Revolution. It's definitely a must-see.
We got there at 10 a.m. and cruised along the long tunnel ways. You definitely cannot be taller than 6 ft because the ceiling of the passage ways are not tall. After descending 180-something stairs below ground and walking through long passage ways, we get to the entrance of the bones. There are walls of bones built with femurs, tibias, fibias, skulls, etc. Name a bone and it was there. Creepy, but neat because they made like artistic motifs with the bones. Jordan, Libby and I didnt take it seriously though, and at times picked up bones and played with them. There were times i'd pick up a femur and pretend to beat jordan with it, or take the head of a skull and place it on mine. Weird, no way! We had sanitary gel with us anyway. We were there for about an hour and a half and then left to do some vintage shopping.
We went to the Hotel de Ville area and hit up 3 vintage stores. I ended up finding nothing, and this is because all of the stores have clothes thrown around the room everywhere. Its impossible to find anything! We were over it quickly and just headed back to the FEU in time to get ready for the Cirque d'Hiver.
In our program, API bought all the students tickets to the famous Cirque d'Hiver. It is a year-round circus act that is very famous in Paris. It's much like Barnum and Bailey. We got there late of course, but the layout of the building resembles that of a circus tent. The building is circular with 3 floors for people to sit. In the middle is a massive ring where the performers act. To the side is a band stand where dancers will perform and they will play random 90s tunes. There was every act you could think of: contorsionists, trapeze artists, gypsies, llamas, lions, goats, horses, dancers, etc. All acts typical of a circus. I really liked it. It was a amazing what people can do with their bodies! There were these two girls that were ripped and one girl could balance the other on her head and walking up a ladder! Some crazy shit! Of course, we got cotton candy while we were there. We had to fit the part!
After 2 hours, we all went home and didn't do anything. We were really exhausted from our long day and just wanted to hung out. Paris can be very tiring on the body! There's just too much to do!
First off, I didnt go to bed until 8:30 a.m. as I had previously told you. Secondly, when I was awoken only 3 hours later by Libby and Jordan, they wanted to go get food at their favorite place in the entire world... an american diner in france. Typical. I was feeling like shit, but I was hungry, so I opted to go.
Not a good idea because when you have a lack of sleep and are hung over, the last thing you should do is walk about town and eat greasy food. I ordered a cheeseburger which was ok. If in the states, i would of much rather had a REAL cheeseburger from Steak N Shake or something. It just didnt hit the spot, and I thought I was going to vomit the entire time. After, we went back home and Libby and I passed out from 3 to 7. We didnt do much of anything Friday night. I could not go out, nor could anyone else for that matter so we went to the grocery store, ate dinner, and screwed around all night on our computers.
Saturday. Jordan, Libby, and I decided to wake up really early in the morning to go visit the Catacombs which are only a metro stop above us. I've been wanting to do this because it sounds so cool. The Catacombs are an underground network of tunnels dating from the 1700s where millions of bones are located. They are from cemeteries all over France that were dug up and put down there because of problems with the land and coffins/graves rising from the ground. Thus, they put the bones all down there and created a massive cemetery out of it. Also, there are bones of the deceased from the French Revolution. It's definitely a must-see.
We got there at 10 a.m. and cruised along the long tunnel ways. You definitely cannot be taller than 6 ft because the ceiling of the passage ways are not tall. After descending 180-something stairs below ground and walking through long passage ways, we get to the entrance of the bones. There are walls of bones built with femurs, tibias, fibias, skulls, etc. Name a bone and it was there. Creepy, but neat because they made like artistic motifs with the bones. Jordan, Libby and I didnt take it seriously though, and at times picked up bones and played with them. There were times i'd pick up a femur and pretend to beat jordan with it, or take the head of a skull and place it on mine. Weird, no way! We had sanitary gel with us anyway. We were there for about an hour and a half and then left to do some vintage shopping.
We went to the Hotel de Ville area and hit up 3 vintage stores. I ended up finding nothing, and this is because all of the stores have clothes thrown around the room everywhere. Its impossible to find anything! We were over it quickly and just headed back to the FEU in time to get ready for the Cirque d'Hiver.
In our program, API bought all the students tickets to the famous Cirque d'Hiver. It is a year-round circus act that is very famous in Paris. It's much like Barnum and Bailey. We got there late of course, but the layout of the building resembles that of a circus tent. The building is circular with 3 floors for people to sit. In the middle is a massive ring where the performers act. To the side is a band stand where dancers will perform and they will play random 90s tunes. There was every act you could think of: contorsionists, trapeze artists, gypsies, llamas, lions, goats, horses, dancers, etc. All acts typical of a circus. I really liked it. It was a amazing what people can do with their bodies! There were these two girls that were ripped and one girl could balance the other on her head and walking up a ladder! Some crazy shit! Of course, we got cotton candy while we were there. We had to fit the part!
After 2 hours, we all went home and didn't do anything. We were really exhausted from our long day and just wanted to hung out. Paris can be very tiring on the body! There's just too much to do!
Jour 31- Social Club
After class on Thursday, API was making dinner for all the students. Whenever there is free food, I cannot pass that up. So, Kylie and I went to API where they were serving Raclette and a French movie. Raclette consists of cooked red potatoes, meats (ham and sausages) with melted Raclette cheese on top. It was very good. Also while there, I was able to meet a bunch of new people from La Sorbonne school who had just arrived the previous weekend. They were all pretty nice.
Kylie and I were surfing the Web on the computers trying to find places to go out that night. We've been wanting to go to a club for a while now, and we stumbled upon this one called Social Club. Many people we have met have gone there. It's a place where kids mostly my age (both French and international) go to dance, etc. It was a special night too because they were having a special DJ perform- DJ Sidney Samson- whom Kylie liked and said was very good. That sealed the deal.
We didn't go out until 12:30 because the club didn't open until 11p.m. All my API friends plus the Georgia Tech guys went out.
The beginning of the night was the funniest. First, it took us FOREVER to get to our location because Kylie, who took the role of tour guide, made us go around in circles on the metro. But, if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have meet the craziest performer ever on one of the buses. When we entered one of the trains, there was this guy who had an old school Casio keyboard and a bunch of dolls next to him. Once the train took off, he started playing the keyboard, singing "la la la" over and over, and dancing with the dolls. On top of that, he was wearing a Disneyland-esque hat with mickey mouse and a bunch of other characters on it, some crazy floral pants, and gloves that had little dolls glued on to each finger. He was very entertaining JUST to look at. He was dancing with these dolls, a superman figure, a naked girl doll, and weird green figure, and I took it upon myself to join in. I grabbed one of his dolls and we were dancing together in the metro. Everyone was laughing at us and all the people on the bus were watching us. People took many pictures and videos. It paid off for the man though because some very generous French guy gave the performer 5 euros! Haha he can thank me for that!
Next, it was club time. Of course, when you have a massive drunken group, people tend to split up. In the beginning, only Joy, Kylie, Azaam (g-tech guy) and some other API girls got into the club. As for me and Azaam, we had to put up a little fight at first. When it was my turn to show the guy my ID he asked me how I was doing and I wasn't paying attention. He repeated the question and I was like, "Oh sorry, I'm good you?" and he replied "Non!" I didn't know what I did to piss him off, but he wouldn't let me and my friend Azaam in the club. I stood there and was like, (in French) "Umm, I'm sorry but why am I not allowed in?" I showed them my Dauphine student ID and they just ignored me. Finally, my friend Azaam stepped up and was like why are you giving her a hard time. Then, they let us in. Azaam says they wouldn't let us in bc they thought we were drunk tourists.. (second time I've gotten this). I think it was just because we were Americans and I wasn't paying attention to the bouncer at first. Whatever.
We got in and the place was really cool. There were lounges, a bar, a smoking room (the French love/have to smoke) and a dance floor where there is a stage for the DJ to play. I was with Azaam for a while running around/trying to get a hold of Jordan, Libby, Kelly, and Canon who ran off to use the restroom God knows where before we went to the club. After an hour and a half into the club, they arrived and Kelly and I pretty much were wingmen all night,.
We danced a lot in the front right by the dance floor and got a couple of guys to buy us drinks. After our 3rd time back and forth from the dance floor to the bar, we were finally stationed at the front of the DJ stage when I noticed the guy next to the DJ staring at Kelly and I. Then this girl comes up to Kelly and asks her if we want to go backstage to hang out with the DJ's. We couldn't pass that up! We got wrist bands and literally all night (1-5:30 a.m.) partied in the DJ's box with the DJ and his manager. We felt pretty cool. After the DJ was done spinning, they invited Kelly and I to their hotel room to hang out. We were already out late, and the metro was closed, so we figured why not. We went back and hung out in their hotel room all night. It was really fun. We kept getting in trouble though because we were too loud. Finally, around 6:30 a.m. (we are all still up!) Kelly and I decide to leave and go home. It was perfect because the metro was opening up then, so there was no need to pay for transportation. We looked haggard though. Imagine us a little tipsy running through the metro along with all the French people going to work. What a scene, but I'm an expert at directions and there was no problem going home!
When we got home, we ran to Jordan's room (she was somehow up to bc she called us when we were at the hotel) and we told her all about our cool night. They left the club at 3 so they didn't get to have as much fun as we did! Finally, I went to bed at 8:30 a.m. I was exhausted, but had probably the best night of my life thus far!
Au Revoir
Kylie and I were surfing the Web on the computers trying to find places to go out that night. We've been wanting to go to a club for a while now, and we stumbled upon this one called Social Club. Many people we have met have gone there. It's a place where kids mostly my age (both French and international) go to dance, etc. It was a special night too because they were having a special DJ perform- DJ Sidney Samson- whom Kylie liked and said was very good. That sealed the deal.
We didn't go out until 12:30 because the club didn't open until 11p.m. All my API friends plus the Georgia Tech guys went out.
The beginning of the night was the funniest. First, it took us FOREVER to get to our location because Kylie, who took the role of tour guide, made us go around in circles on the metro. But, if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have meet the craziest performer ever on one of the buses. When we entered one of the trains, there was this guy who had an old school Casio keyboard and a bunch of dolls next to him. Once the train took off, he started playing the keyboard, singing "la la la" over and over, and dancing with the dolls. On top of that, he was wearing a Disneyland-esque hat with mickey mouse and a bunch of other characters on it, some crazy floral pants, and gloves that had little dolls glued on to each finger. He was very entertaining JUST to look at. He was dancing with these dolls, a superman figure, a naked girl doll, and weird green figure, and I took it upon myself to join in. I grabbed one of his dolls and we were dancing together in the metro. Everyone was laughing at us and all the people on the bus were watching us. People took many pictures and videos. It paid off for the man though because some very generous French guy gave the performer 5 euros! Haha he can thank me for that!
Next, it was club time. Of course, when you have a massive drunken group, people tend to split up. In the beginning, only Joy, Kylie, Azaam (g-tech guy) and some other API girls got into the club. As for me and Azaam, we had to put up a little fight at first. When it was my turn to show the guy my ID he asked me how I was doing and I wasn't paying attention. He repeated the question and I was like, "Oh sorry, I'm good you?" and he replied "Non!" I didn't know what I did to piss him off, but he wouldn't let me and my friend Azaam in the club. I stood there and was like, (in French) "Umm, I'm sorry but why am I not allowed in?" I showed them my Dauphine student ID and they just ignored me. Finally, my friend Azaam stepped up and was like why are you giving her a hard time. Then, they let us in. Azaam says they wouldn't let us in bc they thought we were drunk tourists.. (second time I've gotten this). I think it was just because we were Americans and I wasn't paying attention to the bouncer at first. Whatever.
We got in and the place was really cool. There were lounges, a bar, a smoking room (the French love/have to smoke) and a dance floor where there is a stage for the DJ to play. I was with Azaam for a while running around/trying to get a hold of Jordan, Libby, Kelly, and Canon who ran off to use the restroom God knows where before we went to the club. After an hour and a half into the club, they arrived and Kelly and I pretty much were wingmen all night,.
We danced a lot in the front right by the dance floor and got a couple of guys to buy us drinks. After our 3rd time back and forth from the dance floor to the bar, we were finally stationed at the front of the DJ stage when I noticed the guy next to the DJ staring at Kelly and I. Then this girl comes up to Kelly and asks her if we want to go backstage to hang out with the DJ's. We couldn't pass that up! We got wrist bands and literally all night (1-5:30 a.m.) partied in the DJ's box with the DJ and his manager. We felt pretty cool. After the DJ was done spinning, they invited Kelly and I to their hotel room to hang out. We were already out late, and the metro was closed, so we figured why not. We went back and hung out in their hotel room all night. It was really fun. We kept getting in trouble though because we were too loud. Finally, around 6:30 a.m. (we are all still up!) Kelly and I decide to leave and go home. It was perfect because the metro was opening up then, so there was no need to pay for transportation. We looked haggard though. Imagine us a little tipsy running through the metro along with all the French people going to work. What a scene, but I'm an expert at directions and there was no problem going home!
When we got home, we ran to Jordan's room (she was somehow up to bc she called us when we were at the hotel) and we told her all about our cool night. They left the club at 3 so they didn't get to have as much fun as we did! Finally, I went to bed at 8:30 a.m. I was exhausted, but had probably the best night of my life thus far!
Au Revoir
Jour 28-31 First week of classes (in English)
Bonjour!
So this past week was my first week of school at Dauphine! On Monday, Jordan and I got up extra early just so that we would get to class in time to find the classroom and get some grub. It was our first day of French class with Prof. Baptiste (our hot professor from last week's Stage). The class is called Paris, Cite des arts (city of arts) and it's supposed to be very interesting because half of the class is taught within the classroom about art, literature, French culture etc., and the rest is taught outside where we go on little excursions throughout the city. That's pretty sweet.
We got to school 30 mins early, only to find out that the French class didn't start till NEXT Monday the 8th. That was not cool. I thank Kylie for this. We called her to meet up beforehand and she was like, "Uh, it's not till next week". We felt like losers.
So basically it was a great start to the week of school. I went to my classes on all the other days.. Tuesday is Cross Cultural Barriers (in English) from 5:45-8:15. There, we talk about stereotypes between countries and the teacher welcomes a lot of debates so that should be interesting what all of us international students think about each other. Wednesday morning is Pop Art (in English) from 8:30 a.m.(ouch)- 11:45 where we learn about music and pop culture, and Thursday is International Business Ethics (in English) from 1:45-5. My dad will appreciate that I am taking this class "because it looks good on my resume." They all only meet once a week and they are all 3 and a half hours long but i'd rather have it this way.
Next week, February 8th, I start my two French courses, Paris city des Arts (in French) Monday from 1:45-5 and Comprendre le Francais and rencontre le Francais (understanding the French and meeting them) on Tuesday and Friday from 12-1:30. Not a bad schedule. Even though it's on Fridays, its only for an hour and a half. I can handle that.
More to talk about classes once I have a FULL week next week!
So this past week was my first week of school at Dauphine! On Monday, Jordan and I got up extra early just so that we would get to class in time to find the classroom and get some grub. It was our first day of French class with Prof. Baptiste (our hot professor from last week's Stage). The class is called Paris, Cite des arts (city of arts) and it's supposed to be very interesting because half of the class is taught within the classroom about art, literature, French culture etc., and the rest is taught outside where we go on little excursions throughout the city. That's pretty sweet.
We got to school 30 mins early, only to find out that the French class didn't start till NEXT Monday the 8th. That was not cool. I thank Kylie for this. We called her to meet up beforehand and she was like, "Uh, it's not till next week". We felt like losers.
So basically it was a great start to the week of school. I went to my classes on all the other days.. Tuesday is Cross Cultural Barriers (in English) from 5:45-8:15. There, we talk about stereotypes between countries and the teacher welcomes a lot of debates so that should be interesting what all of us international students think about each other. Wednesday morning is Pop Art (in English) from 8:30 a.m.(ouch)- 11:45 where we learn about music and pop culture, and Thursday is International Business Ethics (in English) from 1:45-5. My dad will appreciate that I am taking this class "because it looks good on my resume." They all only meet once a week and they are all 3 and a half hours long but i'd rather have it this way.
Next week, February 8th, I start my two French courses, Paris city des Arts (in French) Monday from 1:45-5 and Comprendre le Francais and rencontre le Francais (understanding the French and meeting them) on Tuesday and Friday from 12-1:30. Not a bad schedule. Even though it's on Fridays, its only for an hour and a half. I can handle that.
More to talk about classes once I have a FULL week next week!
lundi 1 février 2010
Jour 25-27 -- What a crazy weekend
Bonjour tout le monde (everyone)
Its been a while since I last blogged. I decided not to blog about every day during that week because it consisted mostly of me waking up, going to my Stage, coming home and sleeping and/or eating and then going to Stage the next day. To be honest, it wasn't that bad. I'm making it sound like it was Hell, but really it wasn't. Well, friday I was really tired, but I was happy it was over with. My teacher told me I could move up a level. Thats good, considering I could have taught the class the basics; but I'm even more happy b/c I get to be in my hot Professeur Baptiste's class! Yes! Now I get to stare at him for 3 hours every Monday! We'll see how it goes! It is now Monday and I thought I'd recap the weekend's events
Thursday night: It started off extremely slow. Jordan, Joy, Eric (kid from U of Chicago) Kylie, and these two guys who play soccer at Stanford and I didn't end up going out until 11:45 which I consider a waste of the night because the Metro closes at 1:30 a.m. and that's the only free method of transport. We ended up going out anyways, to that usual Bastille bars. We went to his bar called the Hideout and it was really cool. I talked french to a couple of people, met some cool girls who live right down the hallway from me, and then met this older guy from Ghana who supposedly can get us into clubs. I don't know, I was sketched out at first, but Jordan took the reins and was feeling it.. as she always is after a bottle of wine to herself.
Joy and I mostly were running around together all night, this is because after drinking, I tend to want to only speak french and therefore think I'm from France, and Joy speaks really good french, so we only converse with french people. We did that all the way until it was time to go. Joy and I left together so I didn't know about the rest of the nights events with the others.
Friday: Well, it turns out that when Jordan and I met up in the morning for Stage she tells me that she lost her phone and her metro pass last night. Once upon a drunken night in Paris. This would only happen to Jordan. So all morning she had to jump through the metro passes with me. It was funny when we went to API. Jordan had to tell Anne-marie that she didn't have a phone, and she wasn't too pleased. She just gave her that fatigued look like.. oh dear Jordan. She gave her a temporary one in the meantime. As for the phone.. who knows. Friday night we went to this bar called Le Syphax which was located all the way up north in East Bumblefuck. The George tech boys, Standford guys, Joy, Jordan, Libby and I all went up there to meet some other friends. The bar was super crowded bc it's one of the cheapest bars in the city. Joy and I quickly made friends tho. We ended up sitting in a booth with these two french guys and talking to them all evening. All our friends thought we were weird. I was having this long conversation with this guy about how Americans are fun and are misunderstood by the french. Who knows if I even knew what I was talking about, but it made for good a convo. Joy and I once again left the bar early to go to this french party where our friend Morgan was, but we ended up just going home bc the metro would be closed not too much later. This is where the drama all begins again.
So its like 3:30 am.. and I get a call from an unknown number. I pick up and it's Ryan (one of the Standford boys) he says that he and Jordan were taking the metro home together, she went to go pee, and he couldn't find her. I start freaking out bc I cant get a hold of her bc she lost her phone the previous night. I end up calling everyone iI know, getting up and knocking on people's doors, and freaking out until 30 mins later when she skypes me and simply replies "bonjour". COME ON! She almost gave me a heart attack. She claims she lost Ryan and that she just took the metro home herself. Not cool, gotta keep an eye out on each other here. The metro is very safe tho at all hours bc theres so many people out. Thank god she made it home alive! I am dreading having kids bc of all the stress!
Saturday: I wanted to be productive with my life, so Joy, Libby and I decided to go to Monmartre during the day. We walked all the way up the hill to the art district where painters have a square where they do caricatures, drawings, and paintings. Such a cool area. There were various paintings I wanted, including one for 380 euros, but I had to decline. After, Libby got ice cream (standard) we went to some souvenir shops (like I need more) and we went to the top of Monmarte hill where the Sacre Coeur bascilica is, and it looks out over the entire city. Saturday's are happening days. There were people playing music..bands performing.. and even dancers performing. People were sitting on the steps in the sun watching all these artists. I had a lot of fun. It's a real fun place to spend your day. After, we went and got crepes, and went back home. It was the perfect day..sunny for the most part!
At night the Georgia tech boys, the new API arrivers including Kelly and all of us usual girls went out to the bars in Bastille. We bar hopped for a while and when we returned that's when it was the most hilarious. So in the metro, we are sitting there and this kids hops on with two razor scooters in his hands. I ask him why he has two and he tells me that one's his and the other he got for his gf. I asked if he bought it and she shrugged. Then I go, so you stole it right? I didn't get a straight answer, but we continued to harass/talk to the kid the entire metro ride. He was about 15 years old. We were talking to the kid so much, and riding his scooter in the train, that he missed his stop! He ended up just getting off at our metro stop and thats where I proceeded to take his gf's scooter and ride it along the sidewalk. Of course I have balance issues, and as I'm approaching the FEU, I go to stop and completely wipe out! I'm talking crash! Canon (Georgia tech boy) and Kelly come running to my rescue laughing their asses off. I, myself, am too. We wished the kid farewell and then went upstairs. This is where Libby steps in with the "Blowy".
Two days ago Libby bought a blow up bed to keep in my room for when she sleeps over. It's a good idea, and she can use it when her brother and friends visit. She's so drunk, she proceeds to try and blow it up. It got so funny that she took the foot pump, put it in her mouth, and our friend Jeremy started blowing her up. She was so funny. Such a sight to see when all my friends are drunk. It was a fun evening with all the gang. Nights are never dull here.
Sunday: Not much of anything. I put up all my pictures all day; Libby, Jordan, Kelly and I ordered 44 euros worth of Pizza Hut and I went to bed. All in a days work. Tomorrow starts school so finally I remember what I traveled her to do--study abroad.
Au Revoir!
Its been a while since I last blogged. I decided not to blog about every day during that week because it consisted mostly of me waking up, going to my Stage, coming home and sleeping and/or eating and then going to Stage the next day. To be honest, it wasn't that bad. I'm making it sound like it was Hell, but really it wasn't. Well, friday I was really tired, but I was happy it was over with. My teacher told me I could move up a level. Thats good, considering I could have taught the class the basics; but I'm even more happy b/c I get to be in my hot Professeur Baptiste's class! Yes! Now I get to stare at him for 3 hours every Monday! We'll see how it goes! It is now Monday and I thought I'd recap the weekend's events
Thursday night: It started off extremely slow. Jordan, Joy, Eric (kid from U of Chicago) Kylie, and these two guys who play soccer at Stanford and I didn't end up going out until 11:45 which I consider a waste of the night because the Metro closes at 1:30 a.m. and that's the only free method of transport. We ended up going out anyways, to that usual Bastille bars. We went to his bar called the Hideout and it was really cool. I talked french to a couple of people, met some cool girls who live right down the hallway from me, and then met this older guy from Ghana who supposedly can get us into clubs. I don't know, I was sketched out at first, but Jordan took the reins and was feeling it.. as she always is after a bottle of wine to herself.
Joy and I mostly were running around together all night, this is because after drinking, I tend to want to only speak french and therefore think I'm from France, and Joy speaks really good french, so we only converse with french people. We did that all the way until it was time to go. Joy and I left together so I didn't know about the rest of the nights events with the others.
Friday: Well, it turns out that when Jordan and I met up in the morning for Stage she tells me that she lost her phone and her metro pass last night. Once upon a drunken night in Paris. This would only happen to Jordan. So all morning she had to jump through the metro passes with me. It was funny when we went to API. Jordan had to tell Anne-marie that she didn't have a phone, and she wasn't too pleased. She just gave her that fatigued look like.. oh dear Jordan. She gave her a temporary one in the meantime. As for the phone.. who knows. Friday night we went to this bar called Le Syphax which was located all the way up north in East Bumblefuck. The George tech boys, Standford guys, Joy, Jordan, Libby and I all went up there to meet some other friends. The bar was super crowded bc it's one of the cheapest bars in the city. Joy and I quickly made friends tho. We ended up sitting in a booth with these two french guys and talking to them all evening. All our friends thought we were weird. I was having this long conversation with this guy about how Americans are fun and are misunderstood by the french. Who knows if I even knew what I was talking about, but it made for good a convo. Joy and I once again left the bar early to go to this french party where our friend Morgan was, but we ended up just going home bc the metro would be closed not too much later. This is where the drama all begins again.
So its like 3:30 am.. and I get a call from an unknown number. I pick up and it's Ryan (one of the Standford boys) he says that he and Jordan were taking the metro home together, she went to go pee, and he couldn't find her. I start freaking out bc I cant get a hold of her bc she lost her phone the previous night. I end up calling everyone iI know, getting up and knocking on people's doors, and freaking out until 30 mins later when she skypes me and simply replies "bonjour". COME ON! She almost gave me a heart attack. She claims she lost Ryan and that she just took the metro home herself. Not cool, gotta keep an eye out on each other here. The metro is very safe tho at all hours bc theres so many people out. Thank god she made it home alive! I am dreading having kids bc of all the stress!
Saturday: I wanted to be productive with my life, so Joy, Libby and I decided to go to Monmartre during the day. We walked all the way up the hill to the art district where painters have a square where they do caricatures, drawings, and paintings. Such a cool area. There were various paintings I wanted, including one for 380 euros, but I had to decline. After, Libby got ice cream (standard) we went to some souvenir shops (like I need more) and we went to the top of Monmarte hill where the Sacre Coeur bascilica is, and it looks out over the entire city. Saturday's are happening days. There were people playing music..bands performing.. and even dancers performing. People were sitting on the steps in the sun watching all these artists. I had a lot of fun. It's a real fun place to spend your day. After, we went and got crepes, and went back home. It was the perfect day..sunny for the most part!
At night the Georgia tech boys, the new API arrivers including Kelly and all of us usual girls went out to the bars in Bastille. We bar hopped for a while and when we returned that's when it was the most hilarious. So in the metro, we are sitting there and this kids hops on with two razor scooters in his hands. I ask him why he has two and he tells me that one's his and the other he got for his gf. I asked if he bought it and she shrugged. Then I go, so you stole it right? I didn't get a straight answer, but we continued to harass/talk to the kid the entire metro ride. He was about 15 years old. We were talking to the kid so much, and riding his scooter in the train, that he missed his stop! He ended up just getting off at our metro stop and thats where I proceeded to take his gf's scooter and ride it along the sidewalk. Of course I have balance issues, and as I'm approaching the FEU, I go to stop and completely wipe out! I'm talking crash! Canon (Georgia tech boy) and Kelly come running to my rescue laughing their asses off. I, myself, am too. We wished the kid farewell and then went upstairs. This is where Libby steps in with the "Blowy".
Two days ago Libby bought a blow up bed to keep in my room for when she sleeps over. It's a good idea, and she can use it when her brother and friends visit. She's so drunk, she proceeds to try and blow it up. It got so funny that she took the foot pump, put it in her mouth, and our friend Jeremy started blowing her up. She was so funny. Such a sight to see when all my friends are drunk. It was a fun evening with all the gang. Nights are never dull here.
Sunday: Not much of anything. I put up all my pictures all day; Libby, Jordan, Kelly and I ordered 44 euros worth of Pizza Hut and I went to bed. All in a days work. Tomorrow starts school so finally I remember what I traveled her to do--study abroad.
Au Revoir!
lundi 25 janvier 2010
Jour 21- The Dreaded Stage
Wanna guess how tired I was this morning? Well I went to bed at 11:30 p.m. last night, and told myself I was going to wake up at 8 a.m. and take a proper shower. That did not happen. Man, I really procrastinate. Our Stage (intensive week-long/ 6 hour-a-day French learning course) was to start at 10:15 a.m. I woke up and Jordan and I practically crawled to Dauphine
Just so you know, while in Amsterdam, our friend Joy texts us the results of our placement test. Jordan and I both got the same, group one. Joy and Kylie got group 3. Well I guess that's what happens when you half-ass something! Oh well, we figured we would learn the basics and do well. It's only a week long.
We get in there and we are placed with 3 people from Argentina, 3 from Korea, one from Hong Kong, a girl from Canada, and a guy from Poland. They could not speak for shit and we were learning how to say "my name is..." and "how are you" in French. Imagine how retarded I felt. I learned that my freshman year of highschool. I'm not one to brag, but come on. They hadn't taken french ever before and Jordan and I have been taking it for years!
After it was over (10-1:30) we asked the prof if we could move up a level. He doesn't know if its possible b/c all the groups are full, so we have to wait until 2 people move a level down so we can take their places a level up. Complicated, I dont know if I care enough.
After, Jordan and I got food (yay for CROUS cards!), went to API for a brief sec, got some groceries at Monoprix (Target) and then came home. I finally got around to decorating my room and have been blogging, facebooking, and skyping ever since! Gotta go to bed tho, retardo stage again tomorrow!
Au Revoir, A Demain!
Just so you know, while in Amsterdam, our friend Joy texts us the results of our placement test. Jordan and I both got the same, group one. Joy and Kylie got group 3. Well I guess that's what happens when you half-ass something! Oh well, we figured we would learn the basics and do well. It's only a week long.
We get in there and we are placed with 3 people from Argentina, 3 from Korea, one from Hong Kong, a girl from Canada, and a guy from Poland. They could not speak for shit and we were learning how to say "my name is..." and "how are you" in French. Imagine how retarded I felt. I learned that my freshman year of highschool. I'm not one to brag, but come on. They hadn't taken french ever before and Jordan and I have been taking it for years!
After it was over (10-1:30) we asked the prof if we could move up a level. He doesn't know if its possible b/c all the groups are full, so we have to wait until 2 people move a level down so we can take their places a level up. Complicated, I dont know if I care enough.
After, Jordan and I got food (yay for CROUS cards!), went to API for a brief sec, got some groceries at Monoprix (Target) and then came home. I finally got around to decorating my room and have been blogging, facebooking, and skyping ever since! Gotta go to bed tho, retardo stage again tomorrow!
Au Revoir, A Demain!
Jour 20- LAST DAY! IAmSterdam statue, Heineken Brewery, and (All of Us) Making It to the Train in Time!
Sunday... Fun day! Woke up bright and early just in time to do a bunch of walking around!
The goal was two things: picture with IAmsterdam sign, then Heineken brewery, then buy last minute souvenirs. Everything was accomplished!
We started of headed towards the IAmsterdam sign. It was close to our hostel, and thank god everyone speaks english, because if not we would be lost in another country. I would say the hardest part about being in Amsterdam is the street signs. They are impossible to understand. When we finally arrived, we took a bunch of pics infront of it. What is cool about the sign is that it's a) massive and b) when you look at it it reads "IAmsterdam" with the I and AM in red letters and the "sterdam" in white. So it reads "I am Amsterdam". And after this weekend, we sure are! After those pictures, the guys were headed towards the Van Gogh museum. We, on the other hand, wanted to go to the Heineken Brewery so we asked Clay (who had already been there) to tell us where to go. He said it was across from the train station, all the way up town. So we took the tram all the way there, walked to this big building we thought was the brewery and found out it wasn't by some kind guy in a hotel nearby. It was actually located all the way south, near our hostel! We had to take the tram all the way back and walk. Finally, when we got there walking in snow and slush because it had rained and snowed on Saturday, we went into the gift shop.
We said screw the tour b/c I've been in a brewery tour before and it was 14 euros to do it. No way. ALl I wanted as a Heineken sweatshirt. We bought some things, and then decided to see if we could score a free beer that tourists get at the end of the brewery tour. We didn't do the tour, but the gift shop guy liked us and said to come with him so he could get us each a beer. One beer led to 4!
Before I talk about that, there was a surprise waiting for us in the bar. We walk in and find all of the guys just sitting there sipping on beers! Not cool! We screamed at Clay for leading us in the wrong direction, and gave them all the silent treatment for 5 mins. After, we went and got beers and hung out. Well, the bartenders ended up liking us Americans a lot and they kept giving us more. We kept refilling our glasses and drinking away. Meanwhile, Jordan is giving me a schpeal about how she is the perfect "wingman" and how she's going to be the guy's new one. Okay Jordan. Funny convo tho, I want to be one!
The best part of this adventure was Jordan and Joe who wouldn't stop at nothing to get more free beer. The bartenders said they give them a fifth one if we all did the Macarena. Eveyone except Clay and I got up and started dancing the Macarena in the middle of the bar. Normal. They got their beer tho. After we all wanted to leave. Jordan and Joe were having such a good time, they decided to stay and we all parted ways.
Natalia, Libby, and I hit up some more shops and then cozied up at two coffee shops to relax before the train ride. I was planning on sleeping anyways. We found the two coolest shops of all time. Save the best for last I say! One was this shop where they played the chillest old school rap.. I'm talking Snoop Dogg and such. Very cool, and I saw the highest guy in my entire life there. He was cracking us up. Then, we went to this other one that had beds! I laid down for a while. Next thing you know, it's time to go!
Mind you, I haven't heard from Jordan in a few hours, so we are just hoping they make the train in time. We all end up meeting at the perfect time and board the train. Jordan is wasted and tells us Joe and her scored 4 more beers (a grand total of 6)from the bartenders. They kept giving them more b/c they were entertaining and interesting to talk to. Man, should've stayed! Natalia, Jordan and I all sat together and passed out. All in all the trip was amazing. Definitely glad I experienced it. So many memories I'll never forget!
The goal was two things: picture with IAmsterdam sign, then Heineken brewery, then buy last minute souvenirs. Everything was accomplished!
We started of headed towards the IAmsterdam sign. It was close to our hostel, and thank god everyone speaks english, because if not we would be lost in another country. I would say the hardest part about being in Amsterdam is the street signs. They are impossible to understand. When we finally arrived, we took a bunch of pics infront of it. What is cool about the sign is that it's a) massive and b) when you look at it it reads "IAmsterdam" with the I and AM in red letters and the "sterdam" in white. So it reads "I am Amsterdam". And after this weekend, we sure are! After those pictures, the guys were headed towards the Van Gogh museum. We, on the other hand, wanted to go to the Heineken Brewery so we asked Clay (who had already been there) to tell us where to go. He said it was across from the train station, all the way up town. So we took the tram all the way there, walked to this big building we thought was the brewery and found out it wasn't by some kind guy in a hotel nearby. It was actually located all the way south, near our hostel! We had to take the tram all the way back and walk. Finally, when we got there walking in snow and slush because it had rained and snowed on Saturday, we went into the gift shop.
We said screw the tour b/c I've been in a brewery tour before and it was 14 euros to do it. No way. ALl I wanted as a Heineken sweatshirt. We bought some things, and then decided to see if we could score a free beer that tourists get at the end of the brewery tour. We didn't do the tour, but the gift shop guy liked us and said to come with him so he could get us each a beer. One beer led to 4!
Before I talk about that, there was a surprise waiting for us in the bar. We walk in and find all of the guys just sitting there sipping on beers! Not cool! We screamed at Clay for leading us in the wrong direction, and gave them all the silent treatment for 5 mins. After, we went and got beers and hung out. Well, the bartenders ended up liking us Americans a lot and they kept giving us more. We kept refilling our glasses and drinking away. Meanwhile, Jordan is giving me a schpeal about how she is the perfect "wingman" and how she's going to be the guy's new one. Okay Jordan. Funny convo tho, I want to be one!
The best part of this adventure was Jordan and Joe who wouldn't stop at nothing to get more free beer. The bartenders said they give them a fifth one if we all did the Macarena. Eveyone except Clay and I got up and started dancing the Macarena in the middle of the bar. Normal. They got their beer tho. After we all wanted to leave. Jordan and Joe were having such a good time, they decided to stay and we all parted ways.
Natalia, Libby, and I hit up some more shops and then cozied up at two coffee shops to relax before the train ride. I was planning on sleeping anyways. We found the two coolest shops of all time. Save the best for last I say! One was this shop where they played the chillest old school rap.. I'm talking Snoop Dogg and such. Very cool, and I saw the highest guy in my entire life there. He was cracking us up. Then, we went to this other one that had beds! I laid down for a while. Next thing you know, it's time to go!
Mind you, I haven't heard from Jordan in a few hours, so we are just hoping they make the train in time. We all end up meeting at the perfect time and board the train. Jordan is wasted and tells us Joe and her scored 4 more beers (a grand total of 6)from the bartenders. They kept giving them more b/c they were entertaining and interesting to talk to. Man, should've stayed! Natalia, Jordan and I all sat together and passed out. All in all the trip was amazing. Definitely glad I experienced it. So many memories I'll never forget!
Jour 19- Anne Frank House and Pub Crawl
Saturday came around and when we said we were going to wake up at 9 a.m. to go to the Anne Frank house, we were lying....again. We woke up at 11 a.m. instead. I took a gnarly shower in a gnarly bathroom with no towels (i used spare sheets instead) and got ready for the day. After feeling slightly cleaner, Natalia and I went to visit Libby and Jordan who were staying in the room below us with 4 other randoms. The guys turned out to be super cool. They were all from Kentucky and were a little older than us (24 or so) and were traveling. One guy, Brandon, worked on cruise ships, so he travels around a lot during his time off. Kind of a cool job when you think of it. We talked to them for a good hour and told them that we should go to pubs later. We said bye, and were off to the Anne Frank house/museum.
The boys did their own thing. We went and got lunch, hit up a coffee shop and then went to the musuem. The Anne Frank house is a place everyone should visit. Standing in the place were she was in hiding for 2 years was remarkable. The rooms were not furnished, it was Otto Frank's wish that the room be left empty, as it was when they were discovered and the Nazis seized them and all of their belongings. The most interesting part was Anne's room that she shared with her younger sister, Margot. On the walls, "to make it look home-y", Anne had glued magazine clippings of actresses all over the wall. To see that was amazing. It was part of her personality on the walls. I really enjoyed the tour, and 8.50 euros was definitely worth it to experience a little bit of history.
After, we went to shop around for souvenirs and then headed back. We all took a nap and then around 7 we met up with the guys in Jordan and Libby's room. All of us (the group including the new guys) went to "De Rockery" which is a pub/smoke shop and we hung out, drank beer that we thought was real beer but really nonalcoholic, and talked. We left there shortly b/c all we wanted was a place to drink real beer, so we hit up a local Irish pub nearby our hostel for a bit.
After, the guys went off to the Red Light District again, and we went to a few more pubs and McDonalds. I said I would not eat Mickey D's in Europe and I ate it practically every night in Amsterdam. DAMN IT! After we got home and went to bed around 12:30 a.m. Tomorrow was going to be a big day before we left. On the agenda: IAmSterdam sign, souvenirs, and Heinken Brewery.
The boys did their own thing. We went and got lunch, hit up a coffee shop and then went to the musuem. The Anne Frank house is a place everyone should visit. Standing in the place were she was in hiding for 2 years was remarkable. The rooms were not furnished, it was Otto Frank's wish that the room be left empty, as it was when they were discovered and the Nazis seized them and all of their belongings. The most interesting part was Anne's room that she shared with her younger sister, Margot. On the walls, "to make it look home-y", Anne had glued magazine clippings of actresses all over the wall. To see that was amazing. It was part of her personality on the walls. I really enjoyed the tour, and 8.50 euros was definitely worth it to experience a little bit of history.
After, we went to shop around for souvenirs and then headed back. We all took a nap and then around 7 we met up with the guys in Jordan and Libby's room. All of us (the group including the new guys) went to "De Rockery" which is a pub/smoke shop and we hung out, drank beer that we thought was real beer but really nonalcoholic, and talked. We left there shortly b/c all we wanted was a place to drink real beer, so we hit up a local Irish pub nearby our hostel for a bit.
After, the guys went off to the Red Light District again, and we went to a few more pubs and McDonalds. I said I would not eat Mickey D's in Europe and I ate it practically every night in Amsterdam. DAMN IT! After we got home and went to bed around 12:30 a.m. Tomorrow was going to be a big day before we left. On the agenda: IAmSterdam sign, souvenirs, and Heinken Brewery.
Jour 18 Where is everyone?/Boom Chicago/Red Light District
On Friday it was time to meet up with the other kiddos in our group.
Natalia and I woke up at 9: 30 am, packed our bags, and got breakfast downstairs in the Happy Room. I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty "happy" there. We met our friend Jeff there, who we met the night before, and all ate breakfast. On the walls of the room there are happy pig-flying colorful cartoons. Also, there are many tables and beds for lounging and a giant TV It's definitely the place I'd want to go and just hang out. So we finished breakfast and went up to the smoking room to hang. Our friends did not get in until 10 so we had plenty of time to relax. We hung out with a bunch of people and talked and then checked out of The Flying Pig. It was a sad good-bye, but at least I can say I stayed there!
After, I called Clay to find out everyone's whereabouts and if we should meet them at the train station and then check in to our other hostel. We put ONLY Clay, Jordan, and Dex at a coffee shop. Where were the others? Well, things did not go as planned or "there was a strange turn of events" in the words of Clay. Apparently when they woke up to catch their 6:25 am train ride, they were waiting on the platform when she realized Had Libby forgot her passport, and Zoe Had forgot his ticket. WHAT THE HECK! That would only happen to my friends! The train station is only 20 mins away on the metro, so Libby and Zoe headed towards the Cite to get their things. When they returend, They had missed the train by 2 mins! They had to wait to get on the next one 2 hours later! Even better, there are 3 stops along the way to Amsterdam. It goes to Brussels, Rotterdam, another one I can remember, and then it ends in Amsterdam. It's simple, you stay on the train until its done running. Well, Joe didn't get the memo and when he awoke from a nap an hour into the 4 hour ride, we were stopped at the Brussels stop and he figured that they Had reached Amsterdam so he got off the train. Clay wakes up and sees Joe waiting on the platform looking around confused. Clay calls him and is like, "why did you leave the train?" and Joe is confused, and the train starts moving without Joe. So Joe was left stranded in Brussels, Belgium for an hour until he could hop on the next train! So hysterical, I was dying of laughter when I heard this story.
Once the time arrived, we all went to the Amsterdam Centraal Station to pick up the Stragglers. The guys took our bags to check into the hostel and us girls went around to explore.
We hit up a few coffee shops, souvenir shops, and then came home where we met the guys in our room. We took a little nap and thnn met the guys outside of this comedy show called Boom Chicago. It was a place were three American comedians do improvisations. People wre giving out flyers all day for a reduced cover price so we all got ticks and went at 8 pm It was pretty funny. It's hard doing improvisations, but they did well. The thing I didn't like was how much they made fun of America and Americans, and they were Americans. Apparently people hateeus for a lot of reasons b'c one of the categories was "what do you hate most about Americans" and people kept shouting a bunch of things. Whatever. It was really funny and then after we went to the infamous Red Light District.
Let me tell you, the DRC is super awkward and creepy. The main streets are pretty normal with red christmas lights hanging above and many bar / restaurants / shops / etc. lining the street. A lot of poeple were out, so it did not seem sketchy. There were a good amount of sex shops, so that Seemed fitting. The scary / weird part was in between these stretto, in the alleys, where there were clear doors lined with red lights. Inside stood girls of all shapes and sizes staring directly out at you, and wearing nothing but a bra and underwear or skimpy swimsuit. Not exciting if your a girl. I'm glad I experienced it tho. It was very interesting, and you gotta make money somehow I guess. Apparently, to rent out rooms One Of Those girls have to put a downpayment of a EUR 100 for 8 hours in it. Guess you got to make all the money you can Those within 8 hours! Start strippin!
After we went back to the hostel and slept. Our plan is to wake up early and go to site-seeing things ... finger's crossed!
Natalia and I woke up at 9: 30 am, packed our bags, and got breakfast downstairs in the Happy Room. I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty "happy" there. We met our friend Jeff there, who we met the night before, and all ate breakfast. On the walls of the room there are happy pig-flying colorful cartoons. Also, there are many tables and beds for lounging and a giant TV It's definitely the place I'd want to go and just hang out. So we finished breakfast and went up to the smoking room to hang. Our friends did not get in until 10 so we had plenty of time to relax. We hung out with a bunch of people and talked and then checked out of The Flying Pig. It was a sad good-bye, but at least I can say I stayed there!
After, I called Clay to find out everyone's whereabouts and if we should meet them at the train station and then check in to our other hostel. We put ONLY Clay, Jordan, and Dex at a coffee shop. Where were the others? Well, things did not go as planned or "there was a strange turn of events" in the words of Clay. Apparently when they woke up to catch their 6:25 am train ride, they were waiting on the platform when she realized Had Libby forgot her passport, and Zoe Had forgot his ticket. WHAT THE HECK! That would only happen to my friends! The train station is only 20 mins away on the metro, so Libby and Zoe headed towards the Cite to get their things. When they returend, They had missed the train by 2 mins! They had to wait to get on the next one 2 hours later! Even better, there are 3 stops along the way to Amsterdam. It goes to Brussels, Rotterdam, another one I can remember, and then it ends in Amsterdam. It's simple, you stay on the train until its done running. Well, Joe didn't get the memo and when he awoke from a nap an hour into the 4 hour ride, we were stopped at the Brussels stop and he figured that they Had reached Amsterdam so he got off the train. Clay wakes up and sees Joe waiting on the platform looking around confused. Clay calls him and is like, "why did you leave the train?" and Joe is confused, and the train starts moving without Joe. So Joe was left stranded in Brussels, Belgium for an hour until he could hop on the next train! So hysterical, I was dying of laughter when I heard this story.
Once the time arrived, we all went to the Amsterdam Centraal Station to pick up the Stragglers. The guys took our bags to check into the hostel and us girls went around to explore.
We hit up a few coffee shops, souvenir shops, and then came home where we met the guys in our room. We took a little nap and thnn met the guys outside of this comedy show called Boom Chicago. It was a place were three American comedians do improvisations. People wre giving out flyers all day for a reduced cover price so we all got ticks and went at 8 pm It was pretty funny. It's hard doing improvisations, but they did well. The thing I didn't like was how much they made fun of America and Americans, and they were Americans. Apparently people hateeus for a lot of reasons b'c one of the categories was "what do you hate most about Americans" and people kept shouting a bunch of things. Whatever. It was really funny and then after we went to the infamous Red Light District.
Let me tell you, the DRC is super awkward and creepy. The main streets are pretty normal with red christmas lights hanging above and many bar / restaurants / shops / etc. lining the street. A lot of poeple were out, so it did not seem sketchy. There were a good amount of sex shops, so that Seemed fitting. The scary / weird part was in between these stretto, in the alleys, where there were clear doors lined with red lights. Inside stood girls of all shapes and sizes staring directly out at you, and wearing nothing but a bra and underwear or skimpy swimsuit. Not exciting if your a girl. I'm glad I experienced it tho. It was very interesting, and you gotta make money somehow I guess. Apparently, to rent out rooms One Of Those girls have to put a downpayment of a EUR 100 for 8 hours in it. Guess you got to make all the money you can Those within 8 hours! Start strippin!
After we went back to the hostel and slept. Our plan is to wake up early and go to site-seeing things ... finger's crossed!
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