Take a look at my Digital Story about Notre Dame Cathedral.

Digital Film

Check out this short video of Jessica and me riding the Ferris wheel at beautiful Tibidabo Parque in Barcelona, Spain.

Digital Photobook

Click here to view this photo book larger

Homecoming

Well, I've finally made it home after my 5 week European adventure. It has truly been one of the best experiences of my life. It's been strange to be home. I was away long enough to grow used to the lifestyle created by constant travel. The daily exposure to amazing and beautiful things is going to be difficult to give up. I look forward to sorting through my 2000 photos and millions of memories. I also look forward to planning my next trip. Thanks to everyone for making this experience so much fun. Miss you all already.

Alexis

Barcelona Breakdown

07-21-09

Made it to Barcelona easily enough but then had to wait in line at the station for train tickets for more than an hour. I kept looking out the window and wanting to run outside and see the city. Finally our number was called and we booked the tickets. From there, we took the metro to the hotel. Low and behold, Barcelona has the cleanest metro I have ever seen! And, brace yourself, its air conditioned! We were so started by its cleanliness that it took us a few minutes to realize how cool it was. We jetted right to our stop and bounced up the stairs. At the top, I turned around and squealed, “SPAIN!”. It’s amazing how instantly different everything is as you travel from city to city or country to country. The language, the signs, the customs all change. And there you are discovering it – something new each day. Just a few feet from the metro stairs we turned and looked down the street to see the Sagrada Familia looming just a few blocks away studded with cranes and scaffolding. Two streets over and half a block from our hotel the beautiful Hospital St. Pau complete with delicate clock tower and tile roofs. I could barely contain myself. I have been dreaming of Barcelona for years and here I was.

Ok so we chose this place for dinner mostly because of its cute sign.

We checked into the cushy hotel (big room, twin beds, and baby bathtub) and headed out to dinner. We picked a cute place with a little patio overlooking the Sagrada Familia. We had sangria (of course), roasted chicken, salad, and traditional bread rubbed with garlic, oil, and tomatoes. By the time we finished yet another marathon meal it was around 11pm.

We decided to walk toward the Sagrada to have a look. It was only a short walk down the hill. As we got closer the cathedral seemed to quadruple in size. The Sagrada, tinted gold by floodlights, shoots nearly straight up from the ground. The street was almost deserted. We lay on the ground and snapped pictures staring up at its massive, breathtaking beauty. It was totally disarming to see it for the first time at night, alone and quiet, without the sun and hordes of tourists to distract your attention. About 30 minutes later, our time was up as the cathedral’s floodlights went black for the night. I could have stayed all night if we hadn’t been shooed away by the darkness.

We went back to the hotel and stayed up late, dizzy with excitement about the days to come.

07/22/09

Lazy morning getting ready for a hot day in Barcelona. Let me tell you it is hot here – Florida hot. No joke. The reason that metro was so cool is because it has to be. Otherwise people would be dropping like flies. We loaded up with water, braced ourselves for sunburns, and made our way from the hotel to the Hospital St. Pau. Here, we got our first glimpses of Modernista architecture.

We weren’t sure whether or not the buildings were still in use as a hospital then as if on cue an ambulance pulled up and a patient was wheeled out by orderlies. Pretty nice accommodations for those who need them.

From there, I had to get inside the Sagrada Familia for a look around. The cathedral has been in an almost continual state of construction for the past 150 years. At this point, its slated to open for worship sometime in late 2010 but construction won’t be finished for at least another 30 years. From the outside it looks nearly complete but the second you walk into the cathedral you see just how unfinished it is. We also learned that the towers currently erected are only a handful of those that will make up the finished structure. It is truly a construction site with scaffolding, hard hats, forklifts, the whole nine. Not the usual quiet calm you feel when you enter the church but thrilling in an amazing way. Jess and I stumbled around for awhile, our necks craned trying to take in every detail.

At points we were speechless – it was that beautiful and unlike anything we had ever seen. I have visited many mosques, temple, churches and cathedrals in my travels which have taken centuries to complete. The Sagrada will have a similar history. It’s amazing to think that I will remember having visited here while it was still under construction. We browsed the museum and headed back out into the blinding sunshine.

We weighed our options about what to do next. I knew there were quite a few things I wanted to see in the north of the city and Jess wanted to visit the beaches toward the south. We opted to get one of those hop on/hop off double decker tourist buses to get a good look at the city, an audio tour, and free rides all over town for the next two days all for only 20 euro. We bought our tickets at a little kiosk and were directed to the bus stop about 100 meters away and around a corner. We walked up to a line of about 100 people milling about in the sand. A couple of buses pulled up. They only had room for two passengers. We found the catch. We waited around in line and we finally got on the bus 30 minutes later. From there, it was a short trip to Parque Guell of Gaudi fame. The bus pulled up to the stop and there was the line again. This time it was longer - 200 melting tourists begging for a ride. Oh well - up to the park. We stopped by the famous dragon fountain and made our way to the overlook.

The mosaics and the curvilinear lines of the terraces were beautiful. You could see all of Barcelona and a man was playing Spanish guitar for spare change nearby. Perfecto. Down the hill a little ways was Gaudi’s house.

The Pink house has white molding around the windows and doorways that looks like art nouveau meringue. We tripped through the gardens, ogled at parrots in the trees, and then made our way back down the hill.

We stood in the line for about 10 minutes before we threw in the towel and walked down the hill to a less populated stop. It took about 20 minutes but we got a nice glimpse of the neighborhood and managed to find the ever-elusive international stamps we had been looking for since we were in France. Barcelona is an exceptionally safe-feeling, family oriented town. There wasn’t a moment that I felt ill at ease or found a neighborhood that felt seedy. Everyone was well dressed and friendly -- a far cry from both Marseille and Paris. I loved those places too but Barcelona is a breed apart.

Anyway, we made it on to the bus (with no wait – suckers!) and zipped up the hill. The audio tour mentioned something about a cathedral and an amusement park and suddenly I remembered that it was one of the top things on my to-do list. Tibidabo Park is atop one of the highest points in the city.

We took a blue cable car (just like in San Fran) half way up the hill and then a really old fashioned but newly zebra-print painted funicular all the way to the top. I swear I have been on every mode of transportation imaginable on this trip. At the top there is a beautiful cathedral surrounded (almost bizarrely) by an amusement park.

The rides at the very top of the hill are practically antique but the park continues down the hill with more modern rides. We walked around and snapped shots of all the amazing old rides and took in the view. We were so high we could see the port and the ocean at the far southern edge of the city. Jess poked and prodded until I agreed to get on the rickety Ferris wheel and it turned out to be one of the most amazing moments of this entire trip. Jess screamed through the first 30 seconds of the ride as we whirled around on the edge of a cliff. It was amazing.

Later, we visited the cathedral just as it was closing – more beautiful mosaics and architecture.

By now it was past 9 and the cable car and tour buses were no longer running. No prob – we walked down the hill and caught the metro. Just 10 stops and 1 transfer later we were home. We stumbled up from the metro and decided to try a little joint called Riko’s because they had a sign out front that advertised a two for one meal deal. We ended up having one of the best meals we’ve had since we’ve been here.

Roasted chicken, salad, fries, and 3 mystery dipping sauces that blew our minds. To top it all off, our bill including drinks was 11.50 euros. Total. It was so good that we tried to go back again today. Wouldn’t you know it, it was closed for mediodia.

Headed home for a MUCH NEEDED showers and hit the sheets.

07-23-09

Today was our last day in Barcelona and we had much to do. We took the metro to the Plaza de Catalunya to see the National Palace (now the Museum of Catalonian History) and the famous Square.

We got on the tourist bus again and zipped around the western hills of Barcelona past the 1992 Olympic Park and then back down toward the port and the beaches. We saw La Rambla and the Columbus monument then decided to get off the bus at a stop near the oldest cemetery in Barcelona and Bogatell Beach. We walked toward the beach to have a look. The water was dark blue and full of waves.

As we surveyed the crowd we saw the usual families, 20 somethings, and old folks you usually come across at the beach. It took us a few minutes but then we noticed that nearly every woman in the crowd was topless. They just didn’t look topless because their boobs were just as tan as the rest of their bodies with no tan lines in sight. It was pretty funny to see all these grandmas running around without their shirts on. Some just weren’t wearing tops, others had their suits rolled down. I saw one well endowed woman lift her breasts and literally rest them on her knees. Jess brought some shorts and jumped into the Mediterranean for a dip. I hung out in the sand and took pictures.

From there we hit the cemetery and saw some great statuary. This one is called The Kiss of Death. Morbid to say the least.

We hopped back on the bus and headed toward the Barri Gotic. This area has a lot of medieval and roman architecture. Very cool. We had lunch at a little café. I had paella Valenciana. Yummy. Later, we stopped for some ice cream at a shop that has been operated continuously by the same family since 1883.

Back on the bus we headed for home but had to change over to a different route to get there. The lines here were very long once again and with the temperature soaring over 100 degrees we just couldn’t stick it out in the sun any longer. We decided to take the metro home but got stuck when we had to transfer to a connecting line. We climbed the stairs out of the metro and ran smack into Gaudi’s La Pedrera building by accident. Score! We took some pictures and found the stop for the bus route we needed to head toward home. No lines here. We got on, took a short spin around the city and got off in front of the Sagrada Familia. Our hotel was a straight shot up the hill about a 10 minute walk. Because of the heat it was slow going and we tried to stick to the shade as much as we could. Needless to say, we were beat. We had already checked out of our room in the early morning so we set up camp in the lobby to research directions to our hotel in Madrid and I worked on my blog a little.

After about an hour, Jess and I headed to the grocery store to get snacks for the train. We picked up some salami, manchego cheese, crackers and pistachios to snack on while headed toward Madrid. We are sad to be leaving Barcelona. I really loved this city and took to it immediately. I feel like we did so much in our time here but I feel like there is still so much I want to see or explore more deeply.

Au revoir France, Hola Spain!

Just got internet access for the first time in three whole days. I know you all are chomping at the bit for an update so here it is:

July 18

I made my way out to Charles De Gaulle to pick up Jess without a hitch. Stood in front of Jess’ gate and within five minutes she strolled out. It was so nice to see a familiar face! We hugged for about 20 minutes and then walked back toward the RER trains to Paris. We stopped in a little airport bar, ordered some champagne and toasted to our birthdays and our European adventure. Jess made me the coolest card.

We finally got the Metro and decided to run to the train. I made it on and Jess didn’t! I got off at the next stop and circled back to meet her. It wasn’t a very nice introduction to the Metro.

We got off at the Bastille stop to take advantage of the little walk back to the hotel to give Jess a look at the neighborhood. We stopped by a little market and picked up a 2 euro bottle of champagne to take back to our room. We staying in the same hotel that I had been staying in during classes but tonight we had booked a triple instead of a double. The room was easily twice the size and we had a balcony overlooking the Bastille. Jess and I stepped out on the balcony and popped open the champagne. Swank.

We decided to have French food for dinner and we went to a local bistro. Jess had her first croque monsieur and loved it. In traditional French style our meal lasted about 2 hours. We had so much catching up to do.

We hoped to head to the Eiffel Tower that night and see the lights but unfortunately it was raining by the time we left the restaurant. We were both exhausted and we headed to the hotel to get a good night sleep for the next day.

July 19th

Paris here we come

This was Jess’ only full day in Paris and we needed to make the most of it. We had a traditional French breakfast at the hotel and smuggled out 2 ham sandwiches for a picnic lunch.

Atop the Eiffel Tower

First things first, we hit the Eiffel Tower. It was only 10 am by the time we got there but the lines were already snaking around under the tower. We figured that if we got in line it could be at least an hour before we even got tickets for the lifts. We noticed that there was barely a line at one of the pillars. It was for the stairs. Tickets were half price and there was no wait. There were tons of stairs but it saved us hours of waiting. We only went to the second floor because from there you have to take a lift and the lines were crazy. I hadn’t been up the tower during the day and the views were incredible. We took a ton of pictures and then headed to the Louvre.

We bought a couple pastries and ate our lunch in the grass overlooking the Louvre complex. It was another beautiful day in Paris. I have really been lucky with the weather since I arrived. We finished our lunch and headed inside to see the collection. Yet again, 4 hours in the Louvre wasn’t enough. We got to see a lot but I’m sure there are so many things we missed.


We had to catch a train later that evening and Jess really wanted to hit the Carnavalet Museum and walk around the Marais neighborhood before we left. We headed back toward the Carnavalet Museum (which is very near the hotel) and took a look around. A painting in the museum’s collection is one of my favorite things I have come across during my stay. We also took a look at the French Revolution room and got see locks of Marie Antoinette’s hair and the furniture from the royal family’s jail cell. Very cool.

Unfortunately our time in Paris was up, so we grabbed our stuff from the hotel and headed for the train station. It was only one stop down the track on the Metro so I figured and hour would be plenty of time. I was horrified to see our train pass the stop we needed. For some reason the stop was closed for the weekend! We just had to get off at the next stop. Luckily I found someone who spoke English and we ran to the station. We were running a little late but had time to grab a sandwich. Then we realized that we had forgotten to validate Jess’ rail pass about 5 minutes before our train left. We ran through the station and we were able to get everything taken care of just about 1 minute before the train left. If we hadn’t made it we would have been stuck in Paris for another 3 hours. Close call!

Marseille by night

We made it to Marseille in just 3 hours. Our hostel was very close to the station and the other major sights in the city, completely adorable, super clean, and super cheap. Jackpot. I love the internet for helping me find this place. It was a dream come true. We dropped off our stuff and decided to have a look around. It was nearly 11 pm but the hostel had a little bar and courtyard. We split a bottle of wine and chatted.

Down the street from the hostel we found this tiny locals bar and went inside. The bartender didn’t speak any English but we managed to get our drinks and find a seat. He turned on the jukebox and rainbow disco ball just for us. It was so fun.

Headed back to the hostel and dragged my tired self up a ladder and into my bunk bed. Now that is not as easy as it used to be.

July 20

We woke up the next morning and decided to walk down to the port. Along the way we found a beautiful cathedral and managed to catch the end of Sunday mass. The hymns were so beautiful in French. Just outside the church were two sculptures of giraffes made out of books. Very cool.

Port of Marseille

Down a side street we found a farmer’s market complete with open air butcheries and fish mongers, produce, and baked goods. Apparently there is a very large Muslim community in the city of Marseille and their influence was very apparent at the market. This whole section of the city felt very much like Cairo complete with hookah bars and tea shops. Then we walked the rest of the way down to the port and harbor. This area felt very much like Greece. The Mediterranean is such an amazing color – almost like dark blue velvet. All around the harbor vendors had little tables set up selling jewelry, soap, lavender products (very famous export of Provence), shirts, baskets, everything you can think of. We found one vendor selling antique postcards of Marseille and bought a couple.


We noticed a little gas powered train that takes tourists around the city. We hopped on and for only 7 euro we got a great tour of the city and a free ride to the Basilica at the highest point in the Marseille. This area was much more mountainous and rocky than I expected. Along the way we got to see the island prison that inspired the Alexander Dumas book The Count of Monte Cristo and panoramic views of the sprawling city of Marseille.

The Basilica. See the boats?

Finally at the top of the hill was the stunning Basilica de Notre Dame de la Garde. Inside models of boats and planes hung from the ceiling on long strings and the walls were covered with paintings of maritime and aviation disasters. The church is dedicated to the struggle of pilgrims in their journeys and so is covered with images of boats and planes. I have never seen anything like it. The outside of the Basilica also bears scars from battles fought there during World War II. We sat for a while in the church and then hit he church cafeteria for a crepe and hot chocolate and bought a couple of things at the gift shop. The wind was strong at the top of the hill and so ended the day with both windburn and sunburn! Totally worth it though!

We went back to the hostel to share a 3 euro bottle of wine and write postcards (which we still haven’t had a chance to mail – dang post office). Later that night met an 8 year old who totally schooled me in French and then did the moonwalk.

July 21

Early morning train and again we’re running! Even though we give ourselves plenty of time to make it to the station there is always some miscommunication and confusion to clear up before we are safely aboard our train. While the train system here is extremely impressive and comfortable I’ve been surprised to find that most rail employees have no idea what they are looking at when I show them my rail pass. The rail passes are written in English and for the most part the conductors look at the passes shake their head and shrug their shoulders. They just let us sit on the train and for the most part they aren’t making us fill in the dates on our passes. We purchased 5 days of travel and so far we have used 4 of those days but have only had 2 days documented. We traveled all the way from Paris to Marseille on a TGV (high speed train) and we didn’t have to use a day of our passes. The tickets for that train run about 200 US dollars. We basically got to Marseille for free! Now we have an extra day of train travel to use when we are in Spain that we planned to pay for out of pocket.

Lunch in Arles. This fan has turned out to be the best 4 euro I ever spent.

Anyway, off to Arles then on to Nimes to spend the night. Arles turned out to be really cool. This was the place I wanted to see most in Provence and it didn’t disappoint. The city is riddled with history and we strolled around with our packs taking in the sights that ranged from Roman to Medieval to Renaissance.

The city’s claim to fame is that Van Gogh painted some of his best works and cut off his ear while living in Arles. The sun is hot here but it is very pleasant in the shade. We had lunch at a little café. I ordered something from the menu that said steak hache and frites. What came out was a baguette filled with salisbury steak and topped with French fries. Surprise, it was delicious.

Packin' it in

Around three we left Arles for Nimes. Jess and I had been lugging our packs around all day and we were exhausted by the time we got to the hotel we decided to take a shower and a nap. We took a look at the local amphitheater (the best preserved) and withdrew to the quiet cool of our hotel. The Hotel de Provence turned out to be an adorable ramshackle place with a tiny one person lift, floor to ceiling windows, and pink toilet paper. Jess and I had another two hour meal – I had real fettuccine carbonara complete with a raw egg cracked right on top. The yolk was bright orange and frankly it was a little scary. I mixed it in and miraculously it made a creamy sauce. It was very good.

Hotel de Provence. Doing laundry French style.

On our way to dinner. The hotel had these huge mirrors in every hallway.

We are on our way to Barcelona. I have been accidently speaking Spanish to every person in France and I’m looking forward to being able to read signs. I have become accustomed to the sound of French and picked up some vocab that has made things easier. It is hard to imagine that in under a week I will be headed home. I will miss this so much. But we have Spain to conquer before then.

p.s.- I know, I know I talk a lot about food. Let me know if it's annoying.

Mounting the Mont

The train to Mont St. Michel was absolutely beautiful (I know I keep saying everything is beautiful but that’s because it is!). I stared out the window as the amber and emerald French countryside slid past the window. The train was pleasantly devoid of passengers, a nice change from the crush of the Parisian metro. We got on the train at about 8 am. It was an early morning after staying up till 2 am saying goodbye to all my classmates.

We had a layover in Folligny for about an hour. We walked a little ways from the train station hoping to get something to eat. Unfortunately there was nothing to this town but a few houses so we headed back to the station. I wanted to use the bathroom but they only had one of those porcelain holes in the ground that I saw all over Egypt and Turkey. No thanks! I have no idea how to use those things. They seem like something that would take A LOT of practice. Here are a couple of pictures of Folligny.

Can someone explain this to me? It's a guy on a beach with a lighthouse in the backgrond. Is he kicking the sand? Is he dancing? Why isn't he wearing a shirt? Why would you paint this on the side of a truck? It was airbrushed by the way. Borderline amazing.

This is what there is to see in Folligny. Also, they have chickens. That's Beth on the right.

Finally our train to Pontorson arrived. I was shocked to see it had only one single car – about the size of an RV or bus. It was such a funny little train – really I didn’t know that they existed. From there it was only about 1 hour to Pontorson. We arrived to find a cute little resort town and we hopped a bus to the Mont. I had read repeatedly in guide books that Mont St. Michel is overrun with tourists but I guess that I didn’t really expect the hoards we encountered. The Mont has only narrow streets and alleyways for pedestrians. It was like Disney. You had to fall into a queue to get anywhere. Regardless of the crowds the trip was definitely worth it. The Mont springs from the sea surrounded by salt marshes as far as the eye can see. It’s built atop a rocky crag with the abbey at its summit. We had lunch and toured the abbey, cemetery, and shops then made our way back to the train station on a bus. We actually ran into two of our classmates on a tour of the abbey. Later we ran into another on the streets of Paris. It’s like I know everyone in France!

We had about a two hour layover in Dol-de-Bretagne which was the cutest little Brittany town. This region of France is near to the UK so they have a lot of British influence in their architecture. We sampled some local cider and had a sandwich. We also noticed the cathedral that the center of town and stopped info for a quick look around. I’ve spent some much time in cathedrals and churches in the past 3 weeks my grandmother must be thrilled! On a side note, I will never forget the time I was traveling with her in Greece. We were on the island of Santorini and we stopped in a little chapel to have a look around. My grandmother dipped her fingers into the holy water when we entered the church and crossed herself. Then she looked at me and started chasing me around with it trying to bless me with it. It was hilarious and something I will never forget.

Anyway, so then we took the TGV to Paris. Along the way a terrible storm broke out complete with hail and heavy winds. It reminded me so much of home. Luckily, I was safely tucked inside a train or under the streets of Paris in the Metro but apparently it was quite the storm. We saw a little flooding and wind damage to the trees as we made our way back to the hotel. Lightning lit up the sky every now and then. The thunder here sounds so funny echoing off all the buildings. It sounds hollow and it echoes on for a long time. It’s almost like when you put a shell to your ear and it sounds like the ocean. Very strange.

When we got to the hotel around 11 pm (long day!) we had a few problems checking in. We first room we were assigned didn’t have the beds made. The second was still destroyed by the prior guest. Finally the third room was clean and we collapsed into bed.

Today I slept in a little then headed out to run some errands in preparation for Jessica’s arrival. Hit the post office to ship some more things which turned out to be really easy. It was a hard process in London even without the language barrier. I was worried that Le Poste would be impossible. Turned out to be a breeze.

Should have known I was pressing my luck though. I went to the local lavarie to do laundry in preparation for the next leg of our trip. I accidentally shoved my laundry into a washing machine that had a black bathroom rug in it that belonged to some French guy. Of course I looked in the washing machine before I put my stuff in but it’s a front loader and I guess this rug was stuck to the roof of the machine so I didn’t see it. I should have shoved my arm in it and felt around before I put my clothes in. I’ll never make that mistake again. So anyway, I have no idea the rug is in there and this French guy comes in and starts trying to pull open the door of my washing machine and pushing all the buttons. I said, “Oh that’s my washer.” He spoke a little bit of English and pointed to this giant black rubber thing swirling around the washer along with everything I own including my unmentionables. This guy is pissed. Luckily there are two women from Montreal in the Laundromat who speak both English and French and they intervene and calm him down. At this point, there is still 30 minutes left on the wash cycle and we can’t get the washer to open. We were going to have to wait it out. I apologized profusely and the guy grimaced at me and left.

Fast forward 30 minutes. The wash cycle ends and the guy comes back. I pull out the rug and it’s the kind that you see in the doorways of buildings. We have them at the library. They are rubberized and are usually used commercially. This thing was mingling with my clothes for over 30 minutes creating some kind of disgusting bacterial marinade. I pulled out some of my clothes and they are covered with grit and hair. It is beyond gross. Obviously, I’m washing them again. Not the way I want to spend the day. They are just finishing their cycle now and I’m hoping that nothing is ruined. Everything I have with me is in there except for the clothes on my back.

Whew! After the second wash, everything came out just fine. Off to the Carnavalet Museum then to Charles De Gaulle to pick up Jessica!

Now that all my classmates have left and freed up the internet a little I finally got some pictures to post! Hooray!! Now i just have to go back and add pictures to all the Paris posts. I'm not sure when I'll have it finished but I'll be updating everything so make sure to take a look.

We'll Always Have Paris

The fireworks for Bastille Day were amazing!!! We headed down to the Louvre on the Metro and walked up to a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. Within minutes the fireworks started. They shot off the top and sides of the tower and exploded in the sky above. It was incredible to turn one way and see the Eiffel Tower bathed in the light of fireworks, turn 30 degrees and see the Louvre, then turn another 30 degrees and see lights of a giant ferris wheel and a carnival. It was gorgeous and we had a great view.

After the fireworks we decided to check out the carnival. I ran around snapping shots of all the crazy French carnival games and rides. It made for great material. Heather and Dillan hopped on a couple of rides and we ate cotton candy and crepes to our hearts content. The midway was lined with dusty white gravel and all of us were covered in dust from head to toe by the time we left. My black sneakers and jeans looked white from all the dust and when I stomped my feet they looked like they were smoking.

By the time we finished with the carnival it was past 1 am. We headed to the Metro and were relieved to see the trains were still running. The train was crowded but we were exhausted and hopped on. We managed to make it smoothly for a while but when we stopped at a station along the way, the train stopped moving. We were stopped at the station for more than five minutes which is a very long time considering that most stops last less than 15 seconds. Of course there was some explanation for the stop broadcast over the PA but it was in French and none of us had any idea what they were saying. We weighed our options. Getting off the train proved to be a problem because we didn’t know the neighborhood at all. There were tons of other people on the train who were speaking French and they were staying on so we decided to as well.

Finally the train started to move and we were relieved. But about 30 seconds in to the tunnel to our horror the train stopped dead on the tracks. The lights flickered and we all stared at one another aghast. All these crazy thoughts raced through my head about us being stuck there for hours. Would they let us off the train and walk along the tracks back to the station? What if they do and we get electrocuted? I couldn’t breathe. About 1 minute in the wait of terror the strain started moving. But from then on we didn’t trust it. We decided to get off early and walked the rest of the way to avoid the possibility of getting stuck again. Disaster averted. I got home and collapsed into bed after a great night.

This morning we headed to Notre Dame Cathedral. It was beautiful and I got some great shots. We walked around the neighborhood for a while and stopped by Shakespeare and Company Book Store. They had an Anais Nin 1st edition in the window and I was tempted but the rare book store was closed.

Next up, week boarded a lovely 1 hour cruise down the Seine to take in the sights of beautiful Paris. Now this is the romantic Paris that I’ve heard so much about. We cruised from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower and back passing under graceful bridges and past houseboats, museums, and stunning architecture. We also saw the gilded flame-shaped monument dedicated to Princess Diana near the location of her death. It was great.

Unfortunately, this was our last night together. All of us are splitting up tomorrow, some headed for home and others, like me, for more traveling. We had a farewell dinner complete with live accordion music, French onion soup, and chocolate mousse. We were separated into two tables which made it hard to say our goodbyes but it was a good way to end our trip.

It’s been a great experience traveling with all my new found friends. I’m especially going to miss the 11A-ers and the clan from Flat 14. Thank you to everyone for making this such a fun and exciting experience - wouldn’t change a thing.

Warning

Attention America

A scourge is sweeping Europe and will soon make its way to the shores of America. Hide your children and lock your doors. Harem pants, otherwise known as MC Hammer pants, are making a comeback. I have seen everyone wearing these atrocities from grandmothers to teenagers. Even two year olds aren’t immune from this epidemic. Parents across Europe are torturing their children with these pants. Word to the wise – if you wear this style you look like you have a giant dump in your pants. Do not fall prey to this tragic attempt at fashion even if it’s touted as a cool new European style. It didn’t look good in the early 90’s and it doesn’t look good now. Just don’t do it.

Dancing in the Streets

Last night turned out to be another exciting night in Paris. Merle, Megan, Heather, Dillan and I hit the town. July 14^th is French Independence Day the city of Paris has a lot of festivities planned for the occasion. Just a short walk from our hotel is the Bastille monument. This area is home to a lot of bars and cafes and is touted as one of the hippest, youngest parts of Paris. The Bastille monument itself is at the center of a traffic roundabout. All day yesterday this intersection was closed to host a free international music festival. Bands from all over the world (including Ireland and Brazil) poured music into the square from two stages with acts playing simultaneously. As you can imagine, this made for an interesting blend of music.

We made our way into the crowd of revelers. Everyone was dancing and singing along to the bands. We watched a Brazilian band for a while then moved to the other stage which was hosting a French Rap-Rock band. That was crazy! The crowd screamed along to the lyrics and danced like crazy so we joined right in. I couldn’t believe that we were hearing Rap-Rock in French!

The band finished playing around 11:30 signaling the end of the festival. We made our way through the crowd and found some vendors selling street food. I opted for some sort of grilled meat (still not sure what it was – maybe pork?), sausage, and onion sandwich on baguette. It was one of the best things I’ve tasted since arriving in France. Then we shared a crepe with nutella as we headed back to the hotel. Another great night.

This morning we made our way to Pere Lachaise Cemetery. I was really looking forward to this excursion and I wasn’t disappointed. The cemetery consists of large family tombs of all different shapes and sizes. We got a chance to see some of the famous gravesites like Oscar Wilde, Proust, Victor Noir, Raspail and countless other unknowns. We also found Jim Morrison’s famous grave and were confused to find that it didn’t look as we expected. The monument used to include a bust of Morrison and a different headstone. Apparently, the bust was stolen in the late 80’s and they haven’t been able to obtain a license to place a new monument on the grave as of yet.

Some of the monuments and statuary in the cemetery were really interesting. Oscar Wilde’s monument was covered in waxy lipstick kisses.

From there we headed to the Moulin Rouge and then to Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur. We took the funicular to the top of the hill. How beautiful. The view from the top was crowed but spectacular. Stopped to buy some souvenirs then hopped on the Metro to head home. I have gotten really used to the ease and reliability of public transportation. I’m definitely going to miss it when I get home.

Tonight we plan to see the Bastille Day fireworks then tomorrow we will visit Notre Dame.