I've spent less than 24 hours in Paris, seen a few sights, and already I'm ready to move on to the next place. Or even back to Germany, where we stayed with Dani's relatives, had an apartment to ourselves, and people to call and check in on us, take us out to eat, etc.
The train trip to Paris from Nurnberg was very uneventful. We arrived in Paris excited to finally be on our own, eager to see all the things we've spent months pouring over travel books getting info on, and only a little anxious about how we were going to get to our hotel with our luggage and our limited French. (And by limited I mean my French vocab pretty much consists of bonjour, merci, and some things I picked up from watching "Moulin Rouge"! Oh and the numbers 1-8, which I still remember from my days as a ballerina when I was about 6.) Nothing could have prepared us for the impression we were about to encounter.
The first thing I smelled when we stepped out of the train was urine, a smell that seemed to permeate everything in and around the station. Urine in the elevators, on the streets, up the stairs, by the washrooms, standing in line for our metro tickets, it was everywhere! Apparently, the train station we arrived at, on the east end of the city, is located in a really seedy neighbourhood, to say the least. Shady people approached us on the streets asking for something or other, and I can tell you that it wasn't directions! I was scared... I'm from a small town, I've lived a sheltered life, and the feeling of discomfort from walking down those streets was something I don't ever want to experience again. It probably didn't help that we didn't really know where we were going, and that we couldn't understand what the people on the streets where saying to us. I wanted to clam up and disappear, but that wouldn't have done anything.
Somehow we made it without incident to the other train station a few blocks away, where we would buy our metro tickets, our ticket to London, and catch the RER train to our hotel. Dani went and stood in lines for the tickets while I stayed by our luggage and was able to observe the goings-on of one of the busiest train stations in Europe. Here is what I saw (all with the faint stench of urine to accompany it): several pairs of police patrolling the station, more army officials in uniform and carrying guns, a couple of lost Asians who looked just about like I felt- like a fish out of water. There was also the woman who brought her young daughter to the side of the train track in the remote and somewhat secluded corner I was standing in, pulled down her underwear, and made her squat on the edge of the platform. (Now I understand the smell...) Then there was this very very dastardly looking individual, as my dad would say- I can think of no other fitting words, who I watched make a beeline from one of the platforms to the area behind me- a deserted counter hidden behind two large pieces of machinery. As much as I hate stereotypes he looked like your typical dirty-minded but harmless criminal- long greasy hair, dark stubble, faded and worn clothes, and strong BO. He went behind the counter and started sneakily doing something standing over there, with his hands busy and hidden from view behind the counter. I don't want to think about what he could have been doing, it may have been perfectly innocent, I don't know, but it made me nervous. By this time I had been waiting for Dani for about 30 mins, was getting a bit worried, tired, and hungry, and ready to leave if only so I could get away from the creepy man behind the counter. I didn't like Paris anymore.
Thankfully she came back just in the nick of time, with bad news. The train ticket for London had gone up in price from what we had originally thought it was going to be, it raised to somewhere in the vicinity of CDN $400+. We can't afford to pay that much, so we said goodbye to all that we were going to do in London: the really cool hostel, the London Eye, the National Gallery, the pub, the shopping, the English language. We've resigned to the fact that we will have to make a stop somewhere else in place of London. Maybe Milan, maybe Zurich, we don't know yet. Which admittedly, I'm kinda excited about.
Our hotel is pretty decent- the smell of urine is faint enough to get used to after a while, and the staff have been extremely helpful. We finally arrived after a few hours of navigating, all the while carrying all our luggage, flopped on the bed and exclaimed, "I want my mommy!" Today we got lost on the way to the Lourve, ended up hopping on an Open tour bus because we hadn't the faintest idea where we were or how to get to where we wanted to be. It was worth it- we got to see the sights without having to worry about getting there, crossing the street (because let me tell you- Parisian drivers are insane. I'm afraid I will get hit by a car crossing the street when the signal says "pedestrians go", and then bleed to death because the ambulance can't get there in time due to the amount of traffic and the fact that no one moves aside for them), and figuring out the metro and train systems. We are headed to the Louvre after this and all I can think is, "Lord, I hope art has the healing power I've always believed it to hold because otherwise, I hate Paris."
Am I jaded? Yes. Is my first impression of the city wrong and completely based on a string of bad luck and bad experiences, half of which I even left out, also probably yes.
If you have been worried about me, keep worrying. If you haven't, then I'd advise you to start. And hopefully by the time I get around to writing all my postcards from Paris, I've had some positive experiences to write about!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Written on Monday, July 7 and transferred from Facebook.
To my dismay, I realized yesterday that my blog was blocked at the internet cafe I am currently sitting in, and so I coudnt make my usual post!! Grrr. So this will have to do until I can log back in...
I am currently in Nürnberg, Germany. Home of the famous Nürnberg Laws and Nürnberg Trials, and where Hitler made many a speech. Sadly, to visit the courthouse, which is a ways away from the town center where we are staying, you have to take a train, a bus, and pay for a tour. Ugh, we have no money for any of that. But there is plenty else to see and do!
Dani is lucky enough to have an aunt who keeps an extra apartment that she lives in part time right in the heart of the city. The aunt- who is surprisingly even shorter than Dani and wears glasses that remind me of Professor Trelawney (she is so cute!), left for Croatia, and so we have the entire apartment to ourselves! We have really made ourselves at home- we bought groceries, unpacked as much as possible, know what time the best shows come on MTV in the evenings (because they are in English), and basically just pretend that its ours. Its a tiny, old, one bedroom. But the best part is the view from the balcony, from which you can see the church steeples, an old tower, part of the castle wall, the red shingle roof-tops of all the stores and houses, and a bunch of other old historic buildings. The first night I just kept walking out there and looking because it was so unbeleivably breathtaking.
From here we are going to Paris. We walked into the train station, were baffled by all the crowds and German (we dont speak any), and choose a line that looked promising. Lucky for us, the lady spoke english and was able to direct us to the right line to buy our Paris tickets!! While we were nervously waiting we talked to the sweetest old lady who was telling us enthusiastically about all the old building and all the ways in which Nürnberg is so important to German history. Talking to someone so eager and kind helped ease our nerves about the daunting station, and we were able to easily buy our tickets and locate our platform.
Nürnberg is a beautiful city. Our apartment is literally around the corner from the old downtown area, with all the best shopping, cafes, and churches. The steets are all lined with uneven cobblestone- everytime we walk on it I cant help of thinking how hard it would be to walk on it in heels! And yet I see people do it all the time- and they dont trip over cracks! Up a hill is the old castle- its quite a hike up there, but completely worth it. The views from the top are amazing. You can see the entire city, and the ambiance from walking around the old stone towers and walls of the castle are unreal. I feel like Ive stepped into a scene from a Shakespeare tradgedy. The old stables have been turned into a hostel, and they give out torches to the people staying their to explore the castle at night.
Interesting tidbit: I found Lush, its kitty-corner to one of the old churches. I could smell it from the corner and followed the scent almost subconsciously. Did I buy something? Of course! I cant go into that store and not come away with something!! Everything smells so amazing (and now so do I) and it makes me feel so pretty! I think its funny that I was so excited about doing something that I do on pretty much a regular basis back in Edmonton. But this time it was in Germany, which made it that much more exciting!! How many people have been to Lush in Germany?!?!
Magical moment of Nürnberg: the first day we got here it poured for a few hours. When it stopped we decided to go out for a walk. The streets were almost deserted, the stores closed, except for a few cafes. Walking down the across the bridge we could hear the laughter and clinking of glasses and silverware on plates of the people inside. We bought some ice cream (which we have had every day since we got here, its just that good) and meandered slowly back toward our apartment. On the way back we came across someone playing his violin on the street, he was actually really good. You could tell by the way that he played that he really felt the music inside of him. We sat down on a bench and looked up at the cathedral. I admired its architecture while listening to Dani talk, trying to place the time it was built. (roughly 1200-1300, late gothic) The combination of the atmosphere of the place, the smell of the rain, and the taste of the ice cream, and the awe of the cathedral made for a magical moment. I felt happy and thought that if I could do this kind of thing everyday, life would be good.
But perhaps its because I dont get to do that everyday that makes it so special.
I regret to inform you that I will not be able to post any pictures until I am somewhere where I dont have to pay to use the internet. Which will probably be in Croatia, in August, Ill post a few on facebook.
To my dismay, I realized yesterday that my blog was blocked at the internet cafe I am currently sitting in, and so I coudnt make my usual post!! Grrr. So this will have to do until I can log back in...
I am currently in Nürnberg, Germany. Home of the famous Nürnberg Laws and Nürnberg Trials, and where Hitler made many a speech. Sadly, to visit the courthouse, which is a ways away from the town center where we are staying, you have to take a train, a bus, and pay for a tour. Ugh, we have no money for any of that. But there is plenty else to see and do!
Dani is lucky enough to have an aunt who keeps an extra apartment that she lives in part time right in the heart of the city. The aunt- who is surprisingly even shorter than Dani and wears glasses that remind me of Professor Trelawney (she is so cute!), left for Croatia, and so we have the entire apartment to ourselves! We have really made ourselves at home- we bought groceries, unpacked as much as possible, know what time the best shows come on MTV in the evenings (because they are in English), and basically just pretend that its ours. Its a tiny, old, one bedroom. But the best part is the view from the balcony, from which you can see the church steeples, an old tower, part of the castle wall, the red shingle roof-tops of all the stores and houses, and a bunch of other old historic buildings. The first night I just kept walking out there and looking because it was so unbeleivably breathtaking.
From here we are going to Paris. We walked into the train station, were baffled by all the crowds and German (we dont speak any), and choose a line that looked promising. Lucky for us, the lady spoke english and was able to direct us to the right line to buy our Paris tickets!! While we were nervously waiting we talked to the sweetest old lady who was telling us enthusiastically about all the old building and all the ways in which Nürnberg is so important to German history. Talking to someone so eager and kind helped ease our nerves about the daunting station, and we were able to easily buy our tickets and locate our platform.
Nürnberg is a beautiful city. Our apartment is literally around the corner from the old downtown area, with all the best shopping, cafes, and churches. The steets are all lined with uneven cobblestone- everytime we walk on it I cant help of thinking how hard it would be to walk on it in heels! And yet I see people do it all the time- and they dont trip over cracks! Up a hill is the old castle- its quite a hike up there, but completely worth it. The views from the top are amazing. You can see the entire city, and the ambiance from walking around the old stone towers and walls of the castle are unreal. I feel like Ive stepped into a scene from a Shakespeare tradgedy. The old stables have been turned into a hostel, and they give out torches to the people staying their to explore the castle at night.
Interesting tidbit: I found Lush, its kitty-corner to one of the old churches. I could smell it from the corner and followed the scent almost subconsciously. Did I buy something? Of course! I cant go into that store and not come away with something!! Everything smells so amazing (and now so do I) and it makes me feel so pretty! I think its funny that I was so excited about doing something that I do on pretty much a regular basis back in Edmonton. But this time it was in Germany, which made it that much more exciting!! How many people have been to Lush in Germany?!?!
Magical moment of Nürnberg: the first day we got here it poured for a few hours. When it stopped we decided to go out for a walk. The streets were almost deserted, the stores closed, except for a few cafes. Walking down the across the bridge we could hear the laughter and clinking of glasses and silverware on plates of the people inside. We bought some ice cream (which we have had every day since we got here, its just that good) and meandered slowly back toward our apartment. On the way back we came across someone playing his violin on the street, he was actually really good. You could tell by the way that he played that he really felt the music inside of him. We sat down on a bench and looked up at the cathedral. I admired its architecture while listening to Dani talk, trying to place the time it was built. (roughly 1200-1300, late gothic) The combination of the atmosphere of the place, the smell of the rain, and the taste of the ice cream, and the awe of the cathedral made for a magical moment. I felt happy and thought that if I could do this kind of thing everyday, life would be good.
But perhaps its because I dont get to do that everyday that makes it so special.
I regret to inform you that I will not be able to post any pictures until I am somewhere where I dont have to pay to use the internet. Which will probably be in Croatia, in August, Ill post a few on facebook.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Have been soooo jet-lagged its not even funny! The first day wasn't so bad at all, but the second day we made the mistake of taking a midday nap, and that night I couldn't sleep at all!! In fact, not only could I not sleep, but the sleep I did manage to get was fitful and uncomfortable because of the heat. I forgot that this is the price one pays to travel (other than the actual $), having to adjust to a new time. Its torture! We are 8 hours ahead here in Germany.
Anywho. Germany. Crazy, I know. After my last post Dani and I explored the street we were on. Its like their old downtown area, all the building are soo old, many done in that German style where the wood criss-crosses in the front, and others with amazing releifs carved into the facades, and the streets are cobblestone!! There are stores all along the street- cafes and ice cream parlours, supermarkets, fruit stands, barbers, etc. Its all on a hill, so standing at the bottom of the street you can look up and at the top is the bell tower of their old church. I made Dani come with me all the way to the top so we could explore. The closer we got to the church, the more residential the area became, the street changed from allowing cars to only permitting pedestrians and bicyclers. The church ended up being deserted- I don't think they really use it anymore, at least not regularly. The church yard was shady, the grass slightly overgrown and peeking up between the stones. The foyer to the church was open, but the rest were all blocked off. Walking into the foyer you could peek inside the chapel- at the old, worn, pews and the simple stained-glass windows, the paintings steeped in Christian symbolism, and the ornate cross on the wall at the far end. It smelled of dust and age, and there was an air of serenity about it all. As if the church were saying, "Come, bask in my antiquated peace, and I will show you a Germany of yesteryear." It made me think of barefooted children chasing each other around the church yard while their mothers watched on and chatted about the latest bit of gossip, and their fathers discussed business matters, some 200 years ago. It was a beautiful feeling.
Yesterday the temperature rose to 31 C, which we figured was pretty unbearable. We spent the day inside, or under the shady umbrellas drinking orange Coke. We went for a short walk once, but but by the time we got back to the house we thought we might get heat stroke!! We are kinda wimps when it comes to the heat! Today the temperature is supposed to reach 34 C (aagghhh!!), and we couldn't justify staying in all day again. And so we made the 15 min trek down to the internet cafe. Sigh. We are doing something else later this afternoon when her cousins get back from school. I just hope they don't plop an entire half a chicken on my plate for lunch again!
Last night we went on a walk in a park in Fürth. Along the way we came across a playground that had statues of fairytale characters along its edges. My favorite was the Princess and the Frog. Dani and I couldn't resist- we eached kissed the frog (and got pics too, hehehe) with the hopes that he might turn into a prince and whisk us away, paying for the rest of out trip. It hasn't happened yet, but we aren't giving up hope so easily.
Anywho. Germany. Crazy, I know. After my last post Dani and I explored the street we were on. Its like their old downtown area, all the building are soo old, many done in that German style where the wood criss-crosses in the front, and others with amazing releifs carved into the facades, and the streets are cobblestone!! There are stores all along the street- cafes and ice cream parlours, supermarkets, fruit stands, barbers, etc. Its all on a hill, so standing at the bottom of the street you can look up and at the top is the bell tower of their old church. I made Dani come with me all the way to the top so we could explore. The closer we got to the church, the more residential the area became, the street changed from allowing cars to only permitting pedestrians and bicyclers. The church ended up being deserted- I don't think they really use it anymore, at least not regularly. The church yard was shady, the grass slightly overgrown and peeking up between the stones. The foyer to the church was open, but the rest were all blocked off. Walking into the foyer you could peek inside the chapel- at the old, worn, pews and the simple stained-glass windows, the paintings steeped in Christian symbolism, and the ornate cross on the wall at the far end. It smelled of dust and age, and there was an air of serenity about it all. As if the church were saying, "Come, bask in my antiquated peace, and I will show you a Germany of yesteryear." It made me think of barefooted children chasing each other around the church yard while their mothers watched on and chatted about the latest bit of gossip, and their fathers discussed business matters, some 200 years ago. It was a beautiful feeling.
Yesterday the temperature rose to 31 C, which we figured was pretty unbearable. We spent the day inside, or under the shady umbrellas drinking orange Coke. We went for a short walk once, but but by the time we got back to the house we thought we might get heat stroke!! We are kinda wimps when it comes to the heat! Today the temperature is supposed to reach 34 C (aagghhh!!), and we couldn't justify staying in all day again. And so we made the 15 min trek down to the internet cafe. Sigh. We are doing something else later this afternoon when her cousins get back from school. I just hope they don't plop an entire half a chicken on my plate for lunch again!
Last night we went on a walk in a park in Fürth. Along the way we came across a playground that had statues of fairytale characters along its edges. My favorite was the Princess and the Frog. Dani and I couldn't resist- we eached kissed the frog (and got pics too, hehehe) with the hopes that he might turn into a prince and whisk us away, paying for the rest of out trip. It hasn't happened yet, but we aren't giving up hope so easily.
Monday, June 30, 2008
I'm sitting here in an internet cafe somewhere in Fürth, Germany. (I think, but I'm not sure!) We arrived after a loooong flight last night, after loosing most of our Sunday somewhere across the Atlantic ocean. I was exhausted, and so most of what I'm taking in has been done today while we walked here.
My first impression of Germany: there are a lot of trees!!!! From the airplane, from the car driving from Frankfurt to Dani's uncle's house, trees lined the roads. He says its to reduce the noise levels from the highway. But the result is that anywhere you drive you are surrounded by TREES!!!! Its so green and pretty! I love the TREES!!!!!! The only problem was that it blocked the view of the little tiny towns we passed along the way.
My second impression was of how fast everyone was driving. There are stretches of the highway where there are no speed limits, and so we would be going 140 km/h and people would be passing us at 200 clicks!! It was crazy! Apparently, if you go to slow they stop you, as Dani just now informed me. And I love European cars: they are so tiny! And so many VWs!
Danijela's family here are all so nice. Luckily, her uncle speaks really good english. Her aunt is constantly trying to feed us. Every other time she says something to me its to offer food, its so sweet of her! And her little cousins are two of the most beautiful little girls I have ever seen! They gave me a hug goodnight last night, and I can't wait until they aren't so shy around me anymore. This morning we ate fresh buns from the bakery down the street (yum) before leaving. We walked through narrow streets, past parks with children playing, and through a quaint area of town with old buildings and shops lining the streets. It felt like Germany. Exactly like I've always imagined Germany would look like and feel like from movies and books and pictures I've seen. I can't wait to see more of the town today and walk through the streets looking down into stranger's yards!! I'll write more later! Auf wiedersehen!
My first impression of Germany: there are a lot of trees!!!! From the airplane, from the car driving from Frankfurt to Dani's uncle's house, trees lined the roads. He says its to reduce the noise levels from the highway. But the result is that anywhere you drive you are surrounded by TREES!!!! Its so green and pretty! I love the TREES!!!!!! The only problem was that it blocked the view of the little tiny towns we passed along the way.
My second impression was of how fast everyone was driving. There are stretches of the highway where there are no speed limits, and so we would be going 140 km/h and people would be passing us at 200 clicks!! It was crazy! Apparently, if you go to slow they stop you, as Dani just now informed me. And I love European cars: they are so tiny! And so many VWs!
Danijela's family here are all so nice. Luckily, her uncle speaks really good english. Her aunt is constantly trying to feed us. Every other time she says something to me its to offer food, its so sweet of her! And her little cousins are two of the most beautiful little girls I have ever seen! They gave me a hug goodnight last night, and I can't wait until they aren't so shy around me anymore. This morning we ate fresh buns from the bakery down the street (yum) before leaving. We walked through narrow streets, past parks with children playing, and through a quaint area of town with old buildings and shops lining the streets. It felt like Germany. Exactly like I've always imagined Germany would look like and feel like from movies and books and pictures I've seen. I can't wait to see more of the town today and walk through the streets looking down into stranger's yards!! I'll write more later! Auf wiedersehen!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Alright, for those who are interested I'll be keeping a blog of my adventures (or misadventures) while away in Europe for the next two months. My hope is that I'll be able to make at least one entry per city we stay in. I'll fill you in on where we are, what we are doing, my impressions of the places we go and people we meet, and any other tidbits I feel like throwing in.
I'm going with my friend Danijela. We've known each other since I moved here in grade 9. I sat near her in all my classes; on the first day she said, "I like your pencil case", and I said, "I like your shirt," and we've been friends ever since. Over the years we've had out tiffs, our ups and downs, but we know each other well. Well enough that we can tell when the other person is getting irritated, when to back off and when to push to talk about things. We've had a lot of bad times together, and a lot of really great times together. Like the time we went to Calgary and got soaking wet while running to catch the train to see Phantom of the Opera. Or the time we got addicted to Gilmore Girls. Or the time we threw a Christmas dinner party for all our friends and did all the planning and cooking ourselves. Whatever happens in Europe, I know that we will have a blast together.
Danijela has family in Germany and Croatia that we will be staying with. She goes back every other year or so to visit, and so we've have talked about going together ever since the beginning of high school. And then we saw Under the Tuscan Sun together and fell in love with the idea of a fling with an Italian man. I know, its really silly and kind of ridiculous! But it would be a lie to say that that movie wasn't what got us thinking about Italy. Of course, we'd both always wanted to go to Italy, but that movie made us take it more seriously. So this trip has been in the making for at least 5 years, and our reasons for going (not just for Italian men) and the places we wanted to visit have changed. Along with Germany, Italy, and Croatia, we'll also be staying a few days in London, Paris, and Vienna.
I'm sitting in my room typing this on my laptop. Our flight leaves in 9.5 hours, and I'm all packed and ready to go. I spent all day yesterday and most of today getting stuff ready. I did a lot of packing, and unpacking, and minimizing! It still feels unreal. I still can't even imagine that tomorrow I'll be in Germany. This is the type of thing that people always talk about doing, or say they wish they had done when they were younger, and I can't believe that Dani and I are actually doing it. And not only are we doing it, but we are doing it on our own!! It makes me feel so grown up! But it probably still won't hit me until we step off of our plane in Frankfurt. I'll look around and realize that I'm on the other side of the world and think, "I'm actually living my dream!" How many people get to say that?
Wish me luck! And happy summer to you all!
I'm going with my friend Danijela. We've known each other since I moved here in grade 9. I sat near her in all my classes; on the first day she said, "I like your pencil case", and I said, "I like your shirt," and we've been friends ever since. Over the years we've had out tiffs, our ups and downs, but we know each other well. Well enough that we can tell when the other person is getting irritated, when to back off and when to push to talk about things. We've had a lot of bad times together, and a lot of really great times together. Like the time we went to Calgary and got soaking wet while running to catch the train to see Phantom of the Opera. Or the time we got addicted to Gilmore Girls. Or the time we threw a Christmas dinner party for all our friends and did all the planning and cooking ourselves. Whatever happens in Europe, I know that we will have a blast together.
Danijela has family in Germany and Croatia that we will be staying with. She goes back every other year or so to visit, and so we've have talked about going together ever since the beginning of high school. And then we saw Under the Tuscan Sun together and fell in love with the idea of a fling with an Italian man. I know, its really silly and kind of ridiculous! But it would be a lie to say that that movie wasn't what got us thinking about Italy. Of course, we'd both always wanted to go to Italy, but that movie made us take it more seriously. So this trip has been in the making for at least 5 years, and our reasons for going (not just for Italian men) and the places we wanted to visit have changed. Along with Germany, Italy, and Croatia, we'll also be staying a few days in London, Paris, and Vienna.
I'm sitting in my room typing this on my laptop. Our flight leaves in 9.5 hours, and I'm all packed and ready to go. I spent all day yesterday and most of today getting stuff ready. I did a lot of packing, and unpacking, and minimizing! It still feels unreal. I still can't even imagine that tomorrow I'll be in Germany. This is the type of thing that people always talk about doing, or say they wish they had done when they were younger, and I can't believe that Dani and I are actually doing it. And not only are we doing it, but we are doing it on our own!! It makes me feel so grown up! But it probably still won't hit me until we step off of our plane in Frankfurt. I'll look around and realize that I'm on the other side of the world and think, "I'm actually living my dream!" How many people get to say that?
Wish me luck! And happy summer to you all!
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