I just want to inform you all that I've been accepted to University of Denver (with a scholarship!) and George Washington University in DC! PA is also definitely in at GWU but still waiting on Denver's descision. We also need to hear from American University!
This is super exciting! And I'm just sitting alone in my apartment trying to celebrate with others via facebook and skype!!! AHHHHH!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Another one... SORRY!
I'm sorry, but I'm bored. And blogging makes me feel like I'm doing something useful.
First thought: I have become one of those metro people who can fiddle with their iPod or read or stare off into space and then magically know when to get off. It's like my body has memorized the distances/times between stops, and I don't have to watch for them anymore. Funny, eh?
Second: I'm anxiously checking my mail every 5 minutes for grad school letters!!! Being in Brussels without internet may kill me these next few days...
Third: KFC in Europe sucks. They focus more on sandwiches, so it's just like going to McDonalds. The one I got tonight was chicken, a hashbrown patty, cheese, lettuce, ketchup and mayo--so weird! They have buckets, but there are more options with strips and crispy wings than with bone-in pieces. And the sides are only French fries or corn on the cob (they had coleslaw in Prague), and there are NO BISCUITS!!! The travesty! Only Subway still tastes the same as home here.
Ok, fo shizzle I'm off to Brussels tomorrow. SLEEP! Trying to ignore the Mardi Gras partiers...
:*
First thought: I have become one of those metro people who can fiddle with their iPod or read or stare off into space and then magically know when to get off. It's like my body has memorized the distances/times between stops, and I don't have to watch for them anymore. Funny, eh?
Second: I'm anxiously checking my mail every 5 minutes for grad school letters!!! Being in Brussels without internet may kill me these next few days...
Third: KFC in Europe sucks. They focus more on sandwiches, so it's just like going to McDonalds. The one I got tonight was chicken, a hashbrown patty, cheese, lettuce, ketchup and mayo--so weird! They have buckets, but there are more options with strips and crispy wings than with bone-in pieces. And the sides are only French fries or corn on the cob (they had coleslaw in Prague), and there are NO BISCUITS!!! The travesty! Only Subway still tastes the same as home here.
Ok, fo shizzle I'm off to Brussels tomorrow. SLEEP! Trying to ignore the Mardi Gras partiers...
:*
Life stagnant
Ahhhh! I hate having nothing to do! The contrast with active vacation time in Prague--nonstop activites--and being back in my apartment is driving me crazy! Yesterday was nice: I got half of my chores done and got to watch some quality ER and the classic French comedic films Les Bronzés and Les Bronzés font du ski. But today I got up early to get laundry done and ended up with everything finished before lunch!
It's a lovely day outside, and there is some sort of Mardi Gras carvinal going on on Place de la Mairie with people all in costume. A marching band parade (like thirty people, not that big) has passed under my window twice! Ahh, wait--whistle blowing right now makes that three times!
Luckily, spring is arriving. It's just a bit chilly at 16 degrees C here, the nicest day of 2011 so far. Looks like Brussels will be a bit colder, but at least I'll be with friends :)
I would go out to celebrate Mardi Gras tonight, but I have a 6:10am train tomorrow morning! Oh, the joys of travel that make me wish to be home... and a home that makes me wish I was traveling!
More ER this evening? Most likely...
It's a lovely day outside, and there is some sort of Mardi Gras carvinal going on on Place de la Mairie with people all in costume. A marching band parade (like thirty people, not that big) has passed under my window twice! Ahh, wait--whistle blowing right now makes that three times!
Luckily, spring is arriving. It's just a bit chilly at 16 degrees C here, the nicest day of 2011 so far. Looks like Brussels will be a bit colder, but at least I'll be with friends :)
I would go out to celebrate Mardi Gras tonight, but I have a 6:10am train tomorrow morning! Oh, the joys of travel that make me wish to be home... and a home that makes me wish I was traveling!
More ER this evening? Most likely...
Monday, March 7, 2011
Winter in Prague
I have a lot to say this time!
Pierre-Antoine and I were in Prague from Tuesday to Friday! It was cold (and even snowed on us once), but if the sun was out and the wind stopped, it felt great!
We had a long travel day starting with a train at 6:10am to the airport; then we had to wait around for an afternoon flight to Prague which takes only an hour and a half by air (it really makes you think about how small Europe is). Once there, we had to take a bus to the metro--a bus we didn't pay for because we only had big 1000 CK bills from the ATM and the driver spoke no English!
The hostel was right off of the main Old Town Square, and the five minute walk from the metro to the hostel just took my breath away. All of the buildings in Prague are GORGEOUS! A mix of old and new, all decorated, many painted bright colors! Check out the photos to get a better idea.
So that first evening, I got a Starbucks latte under the name of "Lopen" :) and we wandered around the main square and over to the famous Charles Bridge to get a view of Prague Castle. PA convinced me to eat KFC for dinner :/ It's really different in Europe: the only sides are fries and coleslaw, no biscuits, and the only chicken varieties are original and spicy. Ah, well... We capped off the night by finding a huge mall that had bars on the top floor and enjoyed a Pilsner.
The next morning (Starbucks in hand!) we caught a free city tour from German/British Michael. He was pretty funny and took us to all the main sights in Old Town, New Town, and the Jewish Quarter. Look through the photo album to get all the stories with each picture. Lunch with the tour was at Bohemian Bagel where I actually got a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel! It must have been owned by Americans because the food was just like home! Here are some building pictures to give you an idea:
The tour lasted until after 2, so our plan to go to the zoo was too late... Instead, we walked up to the Castle, which is more a palace complex than a traditional castle. We didn't pay to go in but just admired the views from up top. We then went to the hostel to take a nap and prepare for the night's fun ;)
We had a delicious Indian meal before meeting the Bar Crawl group. The first bar was actually inside an old church and only half-finished. There we had a Power Hour of free drinks and hookah... and a lot of British teenagers on a trip together that become a nuisance as the night goes on. The second bar was M1 Lounge, which was AWESOME! The interior was stellar--like from a movie--and the music was awesome. I got this Tiramisu martini that was delicious and got to dance to American music! The annoying part was that there was only one toilet and three British girls locked themselves in it for half an hour. Two French Canadian girls and I were waiting, so we got the bouncer to open the bathroom door and kick them out! You would think that British teens could hold their alcohol...
The third bar was DEJAVU, which PA thought was funny. It was ok... we sat at the bar sipping White Russians for the most part. The last stop on a bar crawl is always a club, which was also cool. Happily, the Brits didn't make it this far, so the atmosphere was a lot nicer. We danced a bit, then headed out around 2:30. It was a fun night :)
The next day we did a tour out to Kutna Hora, again with Michael! About an hour's train ride took us to this town that used to be super rich from the silver mines there--producing one third of Europe's coins in Medieval/Renaissance times. The site to see is the bone ossuary--a blind monk was given the job of organizing old bones in a chapel, making pyramids, garlands, a crest, and a chandelier of them! Again, see the pics!
And since it was a tour, we also got stories on Hussite War battles, the mines, the politics. The other site was St Barbra's Cathedral, which looked positively gloomy--Kutna Hora was the coldest day with grey skies and a bit of snow. Lunch was at a Czech pub at 3pm, so we were starving! Here we tried beef in a cream/cranberry/lemon sauce with bread dumplings (slices of bread coated in flour and egg and boiled). It was pretty good, but we sat at a table of Norweigians, a Dane, a Russian, and the German/English guide, so the conversation was odd...
I guess I haven't mentioned that I had developed a cold on this trip... After Kutna Hora, I was rather miserable. I just had to be lame go to sleep that night...
Our last morning, we did a communism tour, which showed us quite a few new sites and took us to a nuclear bunker where we could dress in authentic uniforms and drink a beer! That is where these amazing photos come from:
Afterwards, we just had time to eat lunch, walk around the Jewish Quarter once more for a few extra photos, and have dessert inside a Cubist cafe before we headed to the airport. It was altogether a satisfying trip, though I wish we had one more day to see the zoo! My sole recommendation: go to Prague when it's warmer...
We got to Rennes at midnight Friday and slept at my place. Saturday and Sunday were spent in Vitré because all of PA's family was in town. Had a delicious meal at Au Vieux Vitré and lots of laughs as a 'magician' kept stealing the kids' suckers ;)
Here in Rennes, I have two days to do laundry and get rested for Brussels! I'm meeting Caitlin and Katherine for Wed-Fri just for kicks--I can't wait to get some Bruges chocolates!
Another update after Brussels, I suppose. Until then, my friends!
Pierre-Antoine and I were in Prague from Tuesday to Friday! It was cold (and even snowed on us once), but if the sun was out and the wind stopped, it felt great!
We had a long travel day starting with a train at 6:10am to the airport; then we had to wait around for an afternoon flight to Prague which takes only an hour and a half by air (it really makes you think about how small Europe is). Once there, we had to take a bus to the metro--a bus we didn't pay for because we only had big 1000 CK bills from the ATM and the driver spoke no English!
The hostel was right off of the main Old Town Square, and the five minute walk from the metro to the hostel just took my breath away. All of the buildings in Prague are GORGEOUS! A mix of old and new, all decorated, many painted bright colors! Check out the photos to get a better idea.
 |
| Me on Old Town Square with a Starbucks in hand. |
 |
| The famous astronomical clock! |
| View to Charles Bridge and Prague Castle on the hill. |
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| Near Prague Castle. |
 |
| Jewish Quarter building detail. |
 |
| On a main square in New Town. |
 |
| Cubist architecture. We ate at the cafe here! |
We had a delicious Indian meal before meeting the Bar Crawl group. The first bar was actually inside an old church and only half-finished. There we had a Power Hour of free drinks and hookah... and a lot of British teenagers on a trip together that become a nuisance as the night goes on. The second bar was M1 Lounge, which was AWESOME! The interior was stellar--like from a movie--and the music was awesome. I got this Tiramisu martini that was delicious and got to dance to American music! The annoying part was that there was only one toilet and three British girls locked themselves in it for half an hour. Two French Canadian girls and I were waiting, so we got the bouncer to open the bathroom door and kick them out! You would think that British teens could hold their alcohol...
The third bar was DEJAVU, which PA thought was funny. It was ok... we sat at the bar sipping White Russians for the most part. The last stop on a bar crawl is always a club, which was also cool. Happily, the Brits didn't make it this far, so the atmosphere was a lot nicer. We danced a bit, then headed out around 2:30. It was a fun night :)
The next day we did a tour out to Kutna Hora, again with Michael! About an hour's train ride took us to this town that used to be super rich from the silver mines there--producing one third of Europe's coins in Medieval/Renaissance times. The site to see is the bone ossuary--a blind monk was given the job of organizing old bones in a chapel, making pyramids, garlands, a crest, and a chandelier of them! Again, see the pics!
 |
| Inside the bone chapel! |
I guess I haven't mentioned that I had developed a cold on this trip... After Kutna Hora, I was rather miserable. I just had to be lame go to sleep that night...
Our last morning, we did a communism tour, which showed us quite a few new sites and took us to a nuclear bunker where we could dress in authentic uniforms and drink a beer! That is where these amazing photos come from:
Afterwards, we just had time to eat lunch, walk around the Jewish Quarter once more for a few extra photos, and have dessert inside a Cubist cafe before we headed to the airport. It was altogether a satisfying trip, though I wish we had one more day to see the zoo! My sole recommendation: go to Prague when it's warmer...
We got to Rennes at midnight Friday and slept at my place. Saturday and Sunday were spent in Vitré because all of PA's family was in town. Had a delicious meal at Au Vieux Vitré and lots of laughs as a 'magician' kept stealing the kids' suckers ;)
Here in Rennes, I have two days to do laundry and get rested for Brussels! I'm meeting Caitlin and Katherine for Wed-Fri just for kicks--I can't wait to get some Bruges chocolates!
Another update after Brussels, I suppose. Until then, my friends!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Mont-Saint-Michel on a Sunday in February
Sunday morning, I was picked up by Katherine and her landlords. She is at a school on the outskirts of town, so she rents a room from a family near the school. They offered to take her and a friend on a daytrip to Mont-Saint-Michel, the abbey built on an ocean rock off the coast of Normandy.
By highway, it took us an hour to reach the site, and we parked right at the foot of it. The wind was wild, but the sun was out, and once you made it inside the walls, you could take your coat off and feel the sun warm your back. We trekked up the hill on the only street on the rock, surrounded by tourists admiring the hotels, restaurants, and gift shops that lined the way. At the very top is the abbey, but you have to pay 9 euros to get in, so we decided to just tour the ramparts and eat lunch in a garden overlook. I'm pretty sure we walked every free inch of the rock, since we even found a little cemetary. A lovely way to spend a few hours on a sunny day.
We left around 3, and they drove us along the coastline. We saw a lot of little Breton towns and beaches and stopped at Cancale, the Point of Grouin, and Dinard. Grey skies took over and a rainstorm followed us home. I was dropped off around 5:45. To see all the photos, click here!
I packed a bag and took the train to Vitre and Pierre-Antoine for the night. The poor baby has a stuffy nose right before our trip to Prague!
This afternoon's stressor was a letter I had to send to my landlord in Andorra saying that I'm moving out at the end of May. You have to give three months notice (which means by today!) and send the letter with an "accusé de réception" so you can track it and get a receipt back because it's a legal document! So I had to pay over 4 euros to mail a piece of paper to Andorra... Boo!
By the way, this week and the next are school holidays!!! Yes, more holidays--as the couple who took me to Mont-Saint-Michel said yesterday, "The French teach their children to do nothing from an early age. And when they have to do something, they strike to get more holidays!" LOL!
So Pierre-Antoine and I are going to Prague Tuesday-Friday! You'll get a ton of photos and updates this weekend! :)
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| View of Mont-Saint-Michel from the parking lot. |
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| The abbey at the top. |
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| Shrine and French flag. |
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| Cemetary cross and the abbey church. |
We left around 3, and they drove us along the coastline. We saw a lot of little Breton towns and beaches and stopped at Cancale, the Point of Grouin, and Dinard. Grey skies took over and a rainstorm followed us home. I was dropped off around 5:45. To see all the photos, click here!
 |
| At the Point of Grouin. |
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| Grouin. |
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| Coastline of Brittany. |
This afternoon's stressor was a letter I had to send to my landlord in Andorra saying that I'm moving out at the end of May. You have to give three months notice (which means by today!) and send the letter with an "accusé de réception" so you can track it and get a receipt back because it's a legal document! So I had to pay over 4 euros to mail a piece of paper to Andorra... Boo!
By the way, this week and the next are school holidays!!! Yes, more holidays--as the couple who took me to Mont-Saint-Michel said yesterday, "The French teach their children to do nothing from an early age. And when they have to do something, they strike to get more holidays!" LOL!
So Pierre-Antoine and I are going to Prague Tuesday-Friday! You'll get a ton of photos and updates this weekend! :)
Rainy days
Rain returned to Rennes this week, but the spring-like temperatures between drizzles made it bearable!
My classes this week got to watch How I Met Your Mother episodes, so it was time for me to start reading War and Peace—impressive, no?And Paul Krugman's The Conscience of a Liberal, which my father will disown me for... :/ Ah well...
Tuesday I convinced Caitlin to come into Rennes for dinner and a bar outing. PA was working a party for CIREFE at Le Zing, so we had some drinks and mostly talked to his friend Noemie (who just returned from being an assistant in Ireland) and her friend Laura, mostly in French. Afterwards, PA, Caitlin and I went to a hookah bar :)
Wednesday I hung out and shopped with Caitlin, and Katherine joined us in the afternoon for chillin'...
Thursday night was Geek Night in a university gym. I went with Ewan and PA at 10, but had to take the last bus back to town at midnight. They played video games, and we all enjoyed mini golfing and the other little games that were set up. There was even Rock Band on stage, but the line was too long! Boo...
Friday was Wajd's birthday party... And it was all guys except me and Wajd's girlfriend Cynthia... Silly, drunk, 20-something French boys... *sigh* I went to bed at 3, but I heard a door slam! The neighbors downstairs had come to yell at the party and slammed the door... Then when people tried to leave the party a bit later, they found that the door was jammed shut. Yes, we were trapped in the apartment until around 11am the next morning when Ewan's friend came over and helped take off the doorknob from the outside! Phew!
Saturday I had Katherine over most of the day. We chatted in my apartment while it rained and hailed for a bit. We then ventured to Haricot Rouge for hot chocolate. I showed her this awesome store called Somewhere where I proceeded to spend over 100 euros (and earn a free duffel bag!). A bit more shopping filled the afternoon. We had a glass of wine and got pizza at Casa Pepe.
Sunday update soon!!!
Tuesday I convinced Caitlin to come into Rennes for dinner and a bar outing. PA was working a party for CIREFE at Le Zing, so we had some drinks and mostly talked to his friend Noemie (who just returned from being an assistant in Ireland) and her friend Laura, mostly in French. Afterwards, PA, Caitlin and I went to a hookah bar :)
Wednesday I hung out and shopped with Caitlin, and Katherine joined us in the afternoon for chillin'...
Thursday night was Geek Night in a university gym. I went with Ewan and PA at 10, but had to take the last bus back to town at midnight. They played video games, and we all enjoyed mini golfing and the other little games that were set up. There was even Rock Band on stage, but the line was too long! Boo...
Friday was Wajd's birthday party... And it was all guys except me and Wajd's girlfriend Cynthia... Silly, drunk, 20-something French boys... *sigh* I went to bed at 3, but I heard a door slam! The neighbors downstairs had come to yell at the party and slammed the door... Then when people tried to leave the party a bit later, they found that the door was jammed shut. Yes, we were trapped in the apartment until around 11am the next morning when Ewan's friend came over and helped take off the doorknob from the outside! Phew!
Saturday I had Katherine over most of the day. We chatted in my apartment while it rained and hailed for a bit. We then ventured to Haricot Rouge for hot chocolate. I showed her this awesome store called Somewhere where I proceeded to spend over 100 euros (and earn a free duffel bag!). A bit more shopping filled the afternoon. We had a glass of wine and got pizza at Casa Pepe.
Sunday update soon!!!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Weekend
I made it through my long class day by doing the Valentine's lesson and asking the ice breaker questions--both activities the kids enjoy while they end up saying really funny things!
Caitlin and her friend Angela came to Rennes last night, and we had a delicious dinner at the Crêperie Ste Mélaine, which is the best in town, or so I hear. I believe it after tasting organic cider, a vegetarian galette, and a crepe with chocolate, coconut flakes, and coconut ice cream... Yum! We lingered there for over two hours--a perfect French evening. To cap off the night, we watched the Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but the other two fell asleep within the first hour, so I'll have to finish it today.
Why did we go to bed before midnight on a Friday? Because we got up at 8am to visit the market! Well, it actually took us about an hour and a half to get up and drink coffee before we left... So at 9:30ish, we braved the drizzle to go shopping. Other times that I've visited the market, I've waited until 11ish, so the streets are packed with people. At nine and under a grey sky, there wasn't a crowd and I really enjoyed it! Angela was looking for Breton caramel, so we found some at a bakery stall. I spotted mini-muffins and had to have some--pistachio, caramel, chocolate, chocolate chip, and nut!
After that, I gave my usual walking tour of the old city, and we ended up at my place around 11. They just left to catch a bus to Mont St Michel for the afternoon, and I cooked myself lunch and got back into bed to finish the movie. I'm still sleepy from three mornings of getting up in the 8 o'clock hour--how am I going to readjust to having real classes or a real job?! France time is ruining me! Lol.
Caitlin and her friend Angela came to Rennes last night, and we had a delicious dinner at the Crêperie Ste Mélaine, which is the best in town, or so I hear. I believe it after tasting organic cider, a vegetarian galette, and a crepe with chocolate, coconut flakes, and coconut ice cream... Yum! We lingered there for over two hours--a perfect French evening. To cap off the night, we watched the Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but the other two fell asleep within the first hour, so I'll have to finish it today.
Why did we go to bed before midnight on a Friday? Because we got up at 8am to visit the market! Well, it actually took us about an hour and a half to get up and drink coffee before we left... So at 9:30ish, we braved the drizzle to go shopping. Other times that I've visited the market, I've waited until 11ish, so the streets are packed with people. At nine and under a grey sky, there wasn't a crowd and I really enjoyed it! Angela was looking for Breton caramel, so we found some at a bakery stall. I spotted mini-muffins and had to have some--pistachio, caramel, chocolate, chocolate chip, and nut!
After that, I gave my usual walking tour of the old city, and we ended up at my place around 11. They just left to catch a bus to Mont St Michel for the afternoon, and I cooked myself lunch and got back into bed to finish the movie. I'm still sleepy from three mornings of getting up in the 8 o'clock hour--how am I going to readjust to having real classes or a real job?! France time is ruining me! Lol.
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