Semester Roundup

So it's been 6 months... Go figure. Better than never?

Of course, I contemplated the thought of leaving it be, simply accepting this blog as a (failed) attempt at something new--or, rather, a conformist hop on the 2010 pop culture/social media bandwagon--and allowing it to float and disappear into the boundless abyss of the WWW. Instead, I've decided to give it another go.

So, after both a completed semester and summer, I will attempt to recap the remainder of my travels and times en Europe, with the hopes that somebody, somewhere, will reap some benefit from the insights I gathered from my (limited) travel experiences.

Without further ado, I give you, my 5 Best Of Europe 2010.

5. Villages, Vineyards, and Views

Why Mom loves France and Italy.

(From top) 1) Park Güell, Barcelona 2) Marseille, France 3) Dock in Barcelona, Spain 4) View of Budapest, Hungary 5) View from the cathedral of Sevilla, Spain 6) Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary 7) Vineyard in Provence, France 8) Medieval Town in Provence, France 9) Canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands

4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (aka Public Transport)

In Berlin, you can get away with it being free...until you get a 200 Euro fine. In France, the bus drivers are possibly the most unfriendly you'll ever meet. In Budapest, the same applies to those who work the metro, which also boasts a rusty, pre-WWI esque escalator that moves at the speed of light and may make you briefly consider the possibility of meeting your death in the Hungarian underground. Yet, it's a defining characteristic of the European experience, and it must never be neglected.

(From top) 1) Double Decker, London 2) Easyjetting with Catalan kids 3) Berlin metro 4) Experiencing the joys of flight cancellation, Marseille, France 5) Tunisian bus (Ok, not a European bus. But it looks like one. 6) Lions are a way of getting around, too (Barcelona) 7) Lyon, France 8) Belle Epoque/Nabis Era metro station, Paris 9) Gondolas are my means of choice. Drinking is always encouraged. Venice. 10) Italian train car (think "Mi Scusi" in Eurotrip) 11)Berliners get around in floating lounges

3. Churches, Castles, and More Churches

After all, this is a post about Europe.

(From top) 1)Medieval Castle, Provence, France 2) Columbus (I think) in Sevilla, Spain 3) Cave exploration in Tunisia (Again, not Europe, but similar to those you find in France..like the Calanques... 4) Fortress in Budapest, Hungary 5) Sevilla, Spain

2. The Tourist Experience.

And who doesn't love an American tourist?

(From top) 1)Buckingham Palace, London 2) East Gallery, Berlin Wall 3) Carnaval in Nice, France 4) Colosseum, Rome 5) Liza making friends with locals, Sevilla, Spain 6) East Gallery, Berlin Wall 7) London 8) Dunkin Donuts in AlexanderPlatz, Germany 9) Trying to cross Abbey Road à la Beatles, London

1. Shit weather.

Like a loving boyfriend, through the good times, and through the bad times, it never left.

(From top) 1)Descending a mountain in Budapest, Hungary 2) Enjoying a refreshing February breeze atop a mountain in Budapest, Hungary 3) Berlin. 4) A walk through Alcazar Gardens on a Mediterranean afternoon, Sevilla, Spain 5) Berlin. 6) April in London

Lyon and other things

Salut!

So it's been over a week since I went to Lyon, and I finally have the chance to write a little about it.

...where to start...

No doubt, one definitely eats well in Lyon, though the fare is not exactly light. For example, at every Lynnais bouchon we went to, sausages, foie, and heavier dishes were standard menu options. For those who like foie--liver, that is--it's really delicious! I also had a really good chocolate mousse at a bouchon that was called Bouchon Lyonnais. (not sure how helpful that is, because there were about 55 "bouchons lyonnais". but that's no matter.) Most good places charged between 13 and 18 euro for a prix-fixed meal complete with about 3 to 5 courses. Definitely worth it!

I thought it was kind of like a mini-Paris, complete with a river (the Saône), bridges, renaissance architecture, and a scaled down (and frankly, far less appealing) Gustave Eiffel monument. In terms of nightlife though, it was definitely not like Paris, at least from my experience. By the river bank there is an area filled with bars and clubs. The good clubs all charged an insane cover, so I would say the bars are a better option. We went to this Scottish pub that was pretty fun, though nothing special. Overall, it wasn't a great experience, because the club that had been recommended to us (Le Loft) took 20 minutes to get to by taxi, was in the banlieue (suburbs) and therefore the bouncers found it appropriate to tell us to be quiet--outside of a club!--because children were sleeping. They charged a 15 euro cover in addition to that, and some of us were in enough of a bad mood that it just wasn't worth it, so we went back to the hotel.

The sightseeing, in my opinion, was far more interesting. Despite the fact that it was absolutely freezing outside, we still managed to see a good amount of the city. The Roman amphitheater was interesting, but not as impressive as I'd expected. My favorite sight was the Basilica Notre Dame de Fourvière (pictured).

The best anecdote I have from the trip is the Auberge de Jeunesse fiasco:

There is but one single hostel in Lyon, the Auberge de Jeunesse du Vieux Lyon. I booked it thinking that it would be the perfect option. Based on the website, the place seemed totally legit and relatively cheap, and it is situated in a prime location with a nice terrace. I did not know, however, that to get there, one has to ascend a wee mountain. The pretty terrace pictured on the website is really a chair outside

adjacent to the cafeteria, which was not properly cleaned nor sanitized. The storage closet smelled of strong b.o. and rotten eggs...you get the idea. Anyway, it would have been bearable if it weren't for the auberge charging us an extra fifteen euro per person because we didn't have an auberge de jeunesse card (which isn't even needed at most hostels). In other words, we would have spent more to sleep at that place than if we stayed at a three star hotel...So we did. We found an excellent little hotel (the hotel de residence) on the Rue Victor Hugo--the same name as the street I live on in Aix!--for almost nothing split among four people.

The best moment of the trip, by far, was the relief felt by all of us upon finding the hotel--knowing that we wouldn't have to stay in the Auberge de Jeunesse. Of course, to retrieve our bags (which were stored in the auberge's foul-smelling closet), we would have to trek up the

mountain again. Luckily, two of my girl friends (one of them my roomie) were in the cafeteria/lobby of the auberge waiting for a verdict on the hotel. So we asked them to carry all of our bags (about 8 bags in total, including theirs) all the way down the "mountain" in exchange for free alcohol. Though reluctant, they obliged, and saved the day! Such troupers! (the photo of them meeting us after the bridge with the luggage is the first pictured).

That's it for Lyon.

As for Aix, it's been a lot of fun, as usual. Schoolwork is starting to pile up, but it's been manageable thus far. We had an around the world party between the different student apartments on Friday night, and Hugo's theme was Ancient Rome. (Don't ask. I would have done Brazil if it weren't for several factors...it's a long story.)

Pictured is a photo of me and my roomies making crêpes for brunch (the crêpe maker is very practical and awesome!).

Below is a photo of me and a few of my American friends in the program standing in front of a fountain. (Aix).

Much love!!

bises

Michelle

Comment est-ce que je mets ce site en anglais??

The most amusing part about starting a blog in a foreign country, for me, is that I can't figure out how to change the website back into my native (maybe second?) tongue. I would have thought that, after studying this language for almost 8 years and accepting an internship in a foreign country in this language, I would have been able to--at the least--change "Publier le message" into what I can only assume is "Publish the post". Mais ça va, it's probably better for my language training, anyway.

The purpose of this blog is basically to share my travel experiences--à travers de photos, mostly, and anecdotes. Knowing myself, I'm not sure how thorough and engaging the site will be over the course of the next four months, but I know that I am at least fulfilling my promise to myself to try to capture those moments one can't ever get back during these years of his or her life ( tout cliché qu'il soit). If this ends up being the first, last, and only post, so be it. But at this point, I highly doubt it--considering the fact that I have probably way too much time on my hands. Although this study abroad program is, in fact, challenging, the load is nowhere near what is typical at Barnard and Columbia (maybe because the standard here is only four classes and few extracurriculars, save for the internship I'm starting, which isn't until March...shout out to SDT and Now!Here...and suite 5B is an extracurricular in itself, I think ;-)

On Aix so far: Such a charming little town! I feel like I can bike the whole thing in twenty minutes. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, though. At least, it's quite a refreshing break from the nonstop, though, admittedly, thrilling stress that is Gotham. The town is filled with beautiful little fountains scattered throughout the plazas.

There are myriad shopping opportunities--from all the heavy hitters, like Lonchamp (much cheaper here!), to adorable boutiques, to Monoprix (It's like Target, but less dope.) I was lucky enough to arrive during the Soldes, which only happen in France twice a year. Aix is also quite the university town: they have a Sciences Po and the University of Provence-Aix Marseille. I hear the universities here are like second best--so if a French student who is highly qualified gets rejected from the Paris Grandes Écoles (i.e. French ivy league), they come here.

In terms of nightlife, it can be vibrant--depending on the night. It seems like they have a bizarre infatuation with Irish Pubs here. O'neals, O'shannons, O'[?]. I can't seem to get them all straight. One of the pubs gives out free champagne all night to girls on Tuesday nights, which is quite popular. Though, from my experience, probably not the best idea to have it go all night. In general. But particularly the night before an 830 am class for me. That's all I'm going to say about that. They have basically two nighclubs here--though I also forget their names. One is Murano and the other is Mistral, I think. Though I could be highly mistaken. They're fun, but not great. They're ten euro (that's like 16 dollars) per drink, and they force you to check your coat. The other night at Murano (I think?) 50 euro somehow 'disappeared from my wallet, so I'm not to keen on that place. I hear this place called Sugar is awesome and intense if one is into that sort of thing, and there's a free navette(shuttle) that takes you there. It should be interesting to check out.

Culturally, the town is cool because it has a rich roman and medieval history, which is prevalent throughout the architecture--including some churches, building façades, and even a few street pavements. I haven't really seen Roman ruins yet, but apparently I heard that they're pas grande chose. I obviously have more learning and exploring to do, so I will explain further when I feel like I actually know what I'm talking about. I do know, though, that there's a spa here calledThermes Sextius, which includes some ruins of the original Roman baths of the same name in the same location, if I'm not mistaken... In Arles, a town relatively nearby, they have an exhibit with the skull of none other than Julius Cesar, which was discovered very recently. I will probably take a day trip--even if I go by myself--to see it.
All the program administrators are incredibly helpful, I've really enjoyed meeting the Vanderbilt students I've met so far, and I'm really happy that I have two awesome French colocs who have helped make the transition really easy--and reallyfun. I got totally lost today in the rain--ok drizzle, but it was like 45 today!-- on my way back to my apartment on the Rue Victor Hugo from this cathedral, which I unfortunately already forgot the name of. The sad thing is that I take that route like every day with a few fellow students for a theater class, yet I just couldn't make the right turn after the damn church. Oh, well. To be expected. I'm just curious to see how my abysmal sense of direction will unravel as we take day trips around the region by car, as I am one of (if not the only) one of the group who is both of age to rent a car here and can drive stick.

The food is wonderful so far! Mostly home-cooked, which is the best. As part of the program, we have dinner with a French family four times a week (two families two days a week). One of our host mothers is even a legit cook who teaches cooking classes. She's incredible! Seriously, I cannot stress how well I've eaten here. Plus I love cheese and the cheese here is obviously otherwordly. The wine isn't fantastic, which might be surprising to some, but at least it's still mad cheap. Provence isn't famous for its whites and reds, though, but the region's rosés are incredible. And their olive oil is quite exceptional and is found in almost every dish. I am starting my first cooking class tomorrow, so I will update on dishes and recipes.

Also! two amazing eating joints-- Crêpes à Gogo and Pizza Capri. CaG practically explains itself, and it's just awesome. It's situated in this somewhat sketchy looking underground tunnel just à côté du Cours Mirabeau. I usually spend 5 euro for a lunch crêpe and a Coca Light (OF COURSE). Pizza Capri isn't French, obviously, but it's just too good to not mention. Huge slices, decent prices. Truly, one can't talk about the south of France without mentioning food and wine. Undoubtedly, more to come on food.

This town is obsessed with Cézanne. In fact, that's an understatement. If I could think of a stronger word for obsessed, I would use it. He, like the great writer of French modernity Èmile Zola, is an Aix native. Everywhere you walk, there's an engraved path with the letter C superimposed over the name Cézanne--as if I didn't already get the hint. I'm pretty sure it's the town's equivalent to the freedom trail in Boston... taking you to all the sites that were memorable in his life in little Aix. Yes, I know. Exactly like the American revolution, right? But in all seriousness, I do love love Paul Cézanne--father of Cubism, of Picasso. In fact, I should probably join in with the town's residents in celebrating the life of a great artist, seeing as I will be interning at the Cézanne museum come March. For the next few weeks, I'll be having in depth sessions with my art history teacher to prepare me for the internship, so that I can actually know what I'm talking about when I respond to tourist's questions at the museum. ha, this should be interesting.

In terms of travel plans, I've booked a short stay with friends to Lyon by train this weekend, and a spring break trip itinerary consisting of Carnival in BARCELONA, Sitges, Sevilla, Berlin, Budapest, and back to Barcelona (of course). Actually, there's a really cheap bus that goes directly between Aix and Barcelona, which is miraculous for students of this town, because Marseille airport is almost literally impossible to get out of without spending your entire travel budget on a single trip to, say, London. And even paying all that money, you can't fly anywhere. No matter, there are ways around it--I (and friends) have been pretty savvy so far.

...on another note...about the blog title: It is a lyric from Interpol's Obstacle 1, which, after almost 5 years and much music knowledge expansion (mostly classics), I can still say is one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time.

And we can find new ways of living, make playing only logical harm...

I still have no clue what it means, nor do I have any desire to interpret it.

[photos to come once i finally pull out my canon sx20is. the weather has been such crap, it just hasn't been worth it yet.]
ciao.