I've been in Nice for seven hours now, and I am already feeling the spring break relaxation setting in. I took a long TGV ride from Paris to Nice-- just under six hours-- which left a bit before nine in the morning, meaning it was an early start for me. I managed to sleep on the train for a while, though (I say "managed"; it was impossible to keep my eyes open), so I was wide awake when I stepped off the train into beautiful, sunny, seventy degree weather. Sidenote: no pictures for today, I just wanted to wander and take everything in for myself before getting the camera out.
After figuring everything out at the hostel I'm staying at for the next three nights, I headed out to the beach. There were a few rows of beach chairs, I found a free one, and laid there for about an hour and a half, soaking in the sun and the ocean breeze. It feels very nice to not have anything to do for a while-- nothing looming over me that I have to work on, just some books on my Kindle I've been meaning to read. After a sufficient amount of sun, I wandered down to Vieux Nice-- the Old City.
Vieux Nice is one of the best places to wander. The streets are mostly blocked off to cars and are all cobblestones, lined with restaurants, cafes, and antique shops, not to mention the amount of ice cream to be found. I decided to treat myself-- what is vacation without five o'clock ice cream, anyway?-- and sat and listened to one of the street musicians while eating Swiss chocolate ice cream. Yes, it was delicious.
After wandering for a good while through the labyrinth of Vieux Nice, I decided to attempt to make my way back to the main square, where I could reorient myself. It took much longer than anticipated, though I didn't have anywhere to be, so I just grabbed a kabab and fries from one of the stands and ate dinner on the beach. When the sun finally started to fade, I headed back to the hostel, where I now sit, writing this post. I am very tired, even though I didn't do much today-- travel always takes it out of me, despite the fact that all I do is sleep en route.
Tomorrow, more beach time and probably more wandering through Vieux Nice-- this time with my camera!
Katrina
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Friday, April 15, 2016
A Visit to Brussels
At the end of February, I went to Brussels for the weekend. I've been thinking for a long time about how to write this blog post, with the attack that happened recently. I didn't know if I could not address it at all-- bombings affect almost every part of a city's life, and I'm sure that Brussels has changed because of it. But I also didn't want it to become the subject of the post; I visited Brussels before everything happened, and I felt like it was somehow wrong to write about the bombing when the Brussels I visited hadn't been affected yet. I think this introduction is the middle ground.
My time in Brussels was mostly spent wandering around from cafe to cafe, exploring the city by its coffee. Cafe hopping is one of my favorite ways to see a city, as it turns out-- you never have to rush to get anywhere and you can wander as for as long or as little as you like. Wandering with a waffle that's been smothered in Nutella is just an upside of wandering in Brussels.
After a harried night of attempting to take the tram to my hostel (which was very confusing and poorly labelled, though I managed to get there eventually), I woke up the next morning refreshed and ready to explore this new city. I had amazing weather when I was there-- the whole weekend was sunny and shockingly warm for late-February. Heading out, I grabbed a one euro waffle and managed to stumble across the Mannekin Pis-- the Pissing Boy of Brussels. Around the actual statue, all of the shops had larger marble versions of it outside their entrances, advertising for them.
After the Mannekin Pis, I proceeded to wander down some cobblestone alleyways until I found the Grand Place, also known as the Grote Markt. It was, as you might imagine, quite grand. The buildings surrounding it were huge and covered in gold leaf. The second time I visited the Grand Place, slightly later the next day, there was a wedding that had either started or just finished. It fit in very well with the atmosphere of the Grand Place-- huge and dramatic.
In my wanderings, I came across a beautiful park somewhere in the center of the city. It reminded me a bit of the Jardin du Luxembourg, though with less flowers and more wild trees that had been allowed to grow. I sat on a bench in the park for a while, reading a book and watching runners or birds as they flew by.
I did a lot of reading while I was in Brussels. I would find a cafe, plop myself down, order an espresso, and read and watch the world go by for hours at a time. It was quite a chill way to travel, and I found myself more relaxed than I had been in a while, all the time still seeing parts of the city that I stumbled across in my wandering.
Brussels is a strange city. It's beautiful, but it's also a weird amalgamation of the old and the new. The streets are lined with old stone buildings, yet in the background there are massive glass office buildings with Coca-Cola logos on them. Brussels mixes the antique with the cutting edge, and somehow manages to make it work in a way another city might struggle. It was an amazing city to get to spend a weekend in, and I hope one day I can return and see what else Belgium has to offer-- or at the very least, I need to return for some waffles!
Until next time (which I swear will be soon-- I leave tomorrow for a two week spring break on the southern coast of France and Italy)!
Katrina
My time in Brussels was mostly spent wandering around from cafe to cafe, exploring the city by its coffee. Cafe hopping is one of my favorite ways to see a city, as it turns out-- you never have to rush to get anywhere and you can wander as for as long or as little as you like. Wandering with a waffle that's been smothered in Nutella is just an upside of wandering in Brussels.
After a harried night of attempting to take the tram to my hostel (which was very confusing and poorly labelled, though I managed to get there eventually), I woke up the next morning refreshed and ready to explore this new city. I had amazing weather when I was there-- the whole weekend was sunny and shockingly warm for late-February. Heading out, I grabbed a one euro waffle and managed to stumble across the Mannekin Pis-- the Pissing Boy of Brussels. Around the actual statue, all of the shops had larger marble versions of it outside their entrances, advertising for them.
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| The Mannekin Pis-- much smaller than I had anticipated |
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| A one euro waffle stand with a larger Mannekin Pis |
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| The Grand Place, or Grote Markt |
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| A golden building in the Grand Place |
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| Alleyways that enter into the Grand Place |
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| Some of the cobblestones I came across |
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| Quite literally off the beaten path |
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| I won't lie to you-- I've forgotten what this is. Possibly a government building, maybe a museum, maybe both? |
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| The view from outside one of the cafes |
Until next time (which I swear will be soon-- I leave tomorrow for a two week spring break on the southern coast of France and Italy)!
Katrina
Monday, March 14, 2016
Springtime (Finally)
I'm sitting next to my open window as I write this, with the sun beating down on me and the fresh air blowing into my room. I'm done with midterms and the essays that come along with them, so most of what I'm working on currently is just a lot of reading (side note: Dante faints a lot in his Inferno). My mom, sister, and sister's friend are coming to visit Tuesday, so I'm doing my best to get ahead of the work curve for the next week. We'll see how well that works.
Springtime is Paris seems to so far be characterized by the sun finally returning and 50 degree (Fahrenheit) weather, which I am on board with. I went on a few runs this weekend, and I wanted to stop and lay down to soak in the sun to make up for all the grey, rainy days throughout winter. I can finally read outside at cafes and start walking more without fear of freezing my face off.
It's also kind of strange, though. Around this time every year, it's spring break, and my family generally flies out to Colorado for some spring skiing and family time. Here, though, my spring break doesn't come until the last two weeks in April (yes, I do realize how late that is, no need to tell me), meaning while everyone is off at the beach-- or the mountains-- I'm still stuck in school, and I've really started to miss my Rocky Mountains.
Still, it's impossible to be sad for too long with the sun still outside and the breeze no longer blowing cold rain into my face. Springtime is finally here, and I do not plan to waste it inside my tiny apartment.
Katrina
Springtime is Paris seems to so far be characterized by the sun finally returning and 50 degree (Fahrenheit) weather, which I am on board with. I went on a few runs this weekend, and I wanted to stop and lay down to soak in the sun to make up for all the grey, rainy days throughout winter. I can finally read outside at cafes and start walking more without fear of freezing my face off.
It's also kind of strange, though. Around this time every year, it's spring break, and my family generally flies out to Colorado for some spring skiing and family time. Here, though, my spring break doesn't come until the last two weeks in April (yes, I do realize how late that is, no need to tell me), meaning while everyone is off at the beach-- or the mountains-- I'm still stuck in school, and I've really started to miss my Rocky Mountains.
Still, it's impossible to be sad for too long with the sun still outside and the breeze no longer blowing cold rain into my face. Springtime is finally here, and I do not plan to waste it inside my tiny apartment.
Katrina
Monday, February 22, 2016
A Visit to Grenoble
You know those little fairy tale villages surrounded by mountains that you think only exist in postcards? Yeah, I visited one a few weekends ago.
Grenoble is one of the most amazing cities-- towns-- villages-- who knows how to classify it-- that I've ever visited. Part of that could be my ongoing love affair with mountains, but it was just such an amazing place to walk through. My friend Grace came with me, and we left Paris around 10, after our train was delayed for unknown reasons (probably the rain) for about an hour. We made it to Grenoble towards the end of lunchtime-- 1:30 or so-- and checked into the hotel before beginning our quest for food.
One thing I love about France is that you can never quite tell when it's going to rain and when it's going to shine. Sure, you have your weather reports-- which are about as accurate as my sister's cat trying to catch the red dot. Things weren't looking so hot on the weather report for Grenoble, with rain scheduled pretty much all day every day. Despite that, I rarely used my umbrella; France prefers to rain in little sprits and then stop for a while before raining again.
Our first day in Grenoble, we headed out to see the Cathedral of Grenoble, also known as the Notre Dame de Grenoble (yes, every town has a Notre Dame-- no, none are as impressive as the one in Paris). We wandered down from our hotel though the old part of the city, stopping for lunch and then stopping for coffee. It was a very chill start, and ended with a wonderful fondue date-- did you know I've never had actual fondue? I've only ever had chocolate fondue. Yes, I know that doesn't shock you, be quiet.
Day two at Grenoble saw us spending a really large amount of time up at the top of the Bastille. We grabbed pastries on our way to the cable car up to the top of one of the mountains, and once there, we settled in for the long haul. We must've spent one or two hours wandering around the top and gawking at the view, and then another one or two hours having lunch at the restaurant up at the top (sidenote: eating while looking out at the Alps? Phenomenal. Try it if you ever have the chance).
I would like it noted that I took 37 pictures of the mountains while at the top. Be glad I figured out how to cut them down.
We decided we wanted to chill after a very filling lunch, so we headed back to the hotel. Grace napped and I managed to get some homework done before we went to get dinner. We were shockingly exhausted, so we fell into bed almost immediately after eating. Combination of altitude, travel, and the wonder of mountains?
Our last day in Grenoble was spent wandering through museums. We visited the Musee de Grenoble, which was full of art from the medieval period through today, which was super interesting to walk through. There were paintings, sculptures, and tapestries scattered throughout the museum, as well as (shockingly) amazing views of the mountains. We also saw the Musee Dauphinois, which had various histories of Grenoble, from the mountain men who lived there to the history of skiing (which I was particularly interested it).
And, finally, we headed home. I was sad to say goodbye to the mountains, but it was a wonderful break from the hectic-ness that a student living in Paris can experience. We got back to the apartment around 1 AM, after which I fell into bed and went straight to sleep, still dreaming of snow-topped mountains.
Katrina
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| Seriously. Look at this. |
One thing I love about France is that you can never quite tell when it's going to rain and when it's going to shine. Sure, you have your weather reports-- which are about as accurate as my sister's cat trying to catch the red dot. Things weren't looking so hot on the weather report for Grenoble, with rain scheduled pretty much all day every day. Despite that, I rarely used my umbrella; France prefers to rain in little sprits and then stop for a while before raining again.
Our first day in Grenoble, we headed out to see the Cathedral of Grenoble, also known as the Notre Dame de Grenoble (yes, every town has a Notre Dame-- no, none are as impressive as the one in Paris). We wandered down from our hotel though the old part of the city, stopping for lunch and then stopping for coffee. It was a very chill start, and ended with a wonderful fondue date-- did you know I've never had actual fondue? I've only ever had chocolate fondue. Yes, I know that doesn't shock you, be quiet.
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| An overcast day |
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| The square next to the cathedral |
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| Chez Marius-- because I'm a musical nerd |
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| Inside the cathedral |
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| Shakesbeer pub-- because I'm also a Shakespeare nerd |
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| The sun began to appear, finally |
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| Wow I'm actually in one of the pictures |
I would like it noted that I took 37 pictures of the mountains while at the top. Be glad I figured out how to cut them down.
We decided we wanted to chill after a very filling lunch, so we headed back to the hotel. Grace napped and I managed to get some homework done before we went to get dinner. We were shockingly exhausted, so we fell into bed almost immediately after eating. Combination of altitude, travel, and the wonder of mountains?
Our last day in Grenoble was spent wandering through museums. We visited the Musee de Grenoble, which was full of art from the medieval period through today, which was super interesting to walk through. There were paintings, sculptures, and tapestries scattered throughout the museum, as well as (shockingly) amazing views of the mountains. We also saw the Musee Dauphinois, which had various histories of Grenoble, from the mountain men who lived there to the history of skiing (which I was particularly interested it).
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| A fun jokester statue |
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| Painted during one of the Grenoble snows? |
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| Joan of Arc portrayal |
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| La comedie portraying la tragedie |
Katrina
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Return to Paris and a Visit to Chartres
I've officially returned to Paris and settled in after my winter break. And, yes, it has been too long since I've written anything, but this semester has felt more hectic than last semester for some reason. It seems like teachers have picked up the workload a bit, but I'm managing so far. As I write this, I'm staring out at a brilliantly blue sky, just waiting for the sun to set and create an orange glow across the city.
A few weeks ago, NYU took everyone on a day trip out to Chartres, to visit the cathedral and a little chateau not far from the town. Chartres is your typical little French village-- tiny cobbled streets with houses and shops lining the sidewalks, inevitably slightly rainy, and a beautiful cathedral set as the backdrop.
It was extremely cold in Chartres. I was solidly bundled up, with layer after layer of sweaters, a scarf, a hat, gloves, and a giant coat, but, being me, I managed to still almost freeze. I had thought that once we made it into the cathedral for the tour, it would warm up; oh, how wrong I was. The cathedral didn't seem to be any warmer than outside-- they possibly hadn't installed heating since it was built in the late 1100s. The tour was interesting, though lasted for much longer than it needed to, but it gave me lots of time to take pictures of the gorgeous stained glass inside.
After we finished the cathedral tour, it was well and truly raining and everyone was ready for a good, warm meal. We got back on our buses and headed to the chateau we would be touring, which also conveniently had a restaurant in their barn. Again, not heated-- too large? The jury's still out-- but they gave us a wonderful sparkling rosé along with a red wine to warm us up, so I can't complain too much. The food was delicious, and the tour of the chateau was very interesting, though I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside of it.
That's about it for these past few weeks-- not much exciting has happened, I know. This weekend I'm going to Grenoble with one of my friends, though, so I'm sure I'll have many exciting stories to tell when I get back.
Katrina
A few weeks ago, NYU took everyone on a day trip out to Chartres, to visit the cathedral and a little chateau not far from the town. Chartres is your typical little French village-- tiny cobbled streets with houses and shops lining the sidewalks, inevitably slightly rainy, and a beautiful cathedral set as the backdrop.
It was extremely cold in Chartres. I was solidly bundled up, with layer after layer of sweaters, a scarf, a hat, gloves, and a giant coat, but, being me, I managed to still almost freeze. I had thought that once we made it into the cathedral for the tour, it would warm up; oh, how wrong I was. The cathedral didn't seem to be any warmer than outside-- they possibly hadn't installed heating since it was built in the late 1100s. The tour was interesting, though lasted for much longer than it needed to, but it gave me lots of time to take pictures of the gorgeous stained glass inside.
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| That lighting though |
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| Some of the stained glass lining the cathedral |
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| A rose (I think that's what they're called?) stained glass |
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| More stained glass |
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| Some carvings along the side of the cathedral |
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| A shrine off to the left |
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| A statue behind the alter |
That's about it for these past few weeks-- not much exciting has happened, I know. This weekend I'm going to Grenoble with one of my friends, though, so I'm sure I'll have many exciting stories to tell when I get back.
Katrina
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Christmas Time is Here
Wandering down through the Christmas markets on the Champs-Élysées is one of the best ways to take a break from studying for finals. The amazing gift stalls combined with the hundreds of different food vendors combine to make a festive and joyful atmosphere, sugar-coated almond stands wedged between two scarf stalls. Every other person seems to have a cup of vin chaud-- mulled wine-- clutched in their hands, warming them up from the inside out (though personally, I find the smell much more enticing than the actual taste).
As the sun starts to set around 4:30, the lights start to flicker on above all the wooden chalets. Strings of light run all along the roofs, white lights blinking on and off to give the impression of snow, while signs light up in red and green, proclaiming that you've found the Christmas markets of Paris. There's a small artisan "village" that curves off to one side off the main market that I fell in love with, stalls of jewelry looking like they belongs to a fairy queen and carved wooden statues appearing regal despite being only a few inches tall.
I'm sure DC has something like the Christmas markets, but something tells me it's probably not to the same extent. There are over 200 wooden chalets along the Champs-- and yes, I looked that up. The French get into the Christmas spirit early, and they only go up from there. Every store plays Christmas carols-- mostly in English, weirdly-- and it seems as though every major boulevard and then some is covered in strings of blinking lights. It's contagious, and I've caught it, only refraining from decorating my apartment because I know I'll be leaving in a week anyway.
The Christmas spirit is a wonderful thing. It fills you up and excites you and it seems as though nothing can dampen your happiness, not even the upcoming final exams. Everyone seems lighter, smiling more and not letting the little things get to them. I wish I could figure out how to bottle that feeling and keep it around all year long, because there's something about it that makes everything seem just a little bit magical.
So, as the streets sparkle and I use this next week to finish up both my first semester of college and my Christmas shopping, I'm not nearly as stressed as I thought I would be. The Christmas markets have put a little glow inside of me that seems to absorb all of the bad and turn it into silver and gold tinsel lining instead, and I'm starting to think that maybe-- just maybe-- there is such a thing as magic after all.
Katrina
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| Seriously, this sign was everywhere |
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| The chalets lining the opposite side of the street |
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| Ah yes. Michael Jackson, the most Christmas-like you can get |
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| The lights going on above the sidewalk |
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| All the trees lit up |
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| One of the trees lit up |
The Christmas spirit is a wonderful thing. It fills you up and excites you and it seems as though nothing can dampen your happiness, not even the upcoming final exams. Everyone seems lighter, smiling more and not letting the little things get to them. I wish I could figure out how to bottle that feeling and keep it around all year long, because there's something about it that makes everything seem just a little bit magical.
So, as the streets sparkle and I use this next week to finish up both my first semester of college and my Christmas shopping, I'm not nearly as stressed as I thought I would be. The Christmas markets have put a little glow inside of me that seems to absorb all of the bad and turn it into silver and gold tinsel lining instead, and I'm starting to think that maybe-- just maybe-- there is such a thing as magic after all.
Katrina
Friday, November 27, 2015
Thanksgiving
I'm thankful for many things. I'm thankful for the position in life I was born into, I'm thankful for the schools I've had the opportunity to attend, I'm thankful for my family and friends (as cliched as that is), and I'm thankful for the amazing city I live in. I'm also thankful for Star Wars, but that's not quite the point.
Celebrating Thanksgiving in a country other than the US is a singular experience. For one thing, I don't get any sort of break or days off, meaning it feels almost like every other day. For another, no one around you is paying any sort of attention to it unless they're also from the US, making it seem like it's this secret thing that only a few people know about-- which, in a way, it is.
NYU organized a Thanksgiving dinner for all the students, scheduled to start at 8 PM, a truly French mealtime. I actually didn't end up going, so I can't speak for how the food was, but it was promised to be "Thanksgiving a la Francaise," and though I'm sure it was delicious, it seemed like something was going to be missing.
One of my friends' family lives here in Paris, working for the US Embassy. They invited me over for Thanksgiving dinner, American-style, and I am so grateful to them for everything. The food was delicious, and they even sent me home with extra pie, but the real thing they offered me was hospitality and a home to go to on a day marked by spending time with family. We sat around a table and talked with their neighbors and friends, and I felt just as welcome there as I do at every Thanksgiving at home with my own family.
I FaceTimed with my family and all their various guests when I got home from dinner, stuffed to bursting, though still missing being home. When they talk about studying abroad, no one ever says how you'll miss home when all your friends are on break and your family is celebrating holidays and you're stuck across the ocean. Technology helps enormously-- being able to talk to people in real time and see their faces even though they're halfway across the world is an amazing thing that I am so thankful for.
I'm also so grateful I was able to spend yesterday with a group of wonderful people who made me feel at home in a country where I am very much a foreigner. It was a strange Thanksgiving, but a good one-- still filled with family and love and thanks. And isn't that all that really matters?
Katrina
Celebrating Thanksgiving in a country other than the US is a singular experience. For one thing, I don't get any sort of break or days off, meaning it feels almost like every other day. For another, no one around you is paying any sort of attention to it unless they're also from the US, making it seem like it's this secret thing that only a few people know about-- which, in a way, it is.
NYU organized a Thanksgiving dinner for all the students, scheduled to start at 8 PM, a truly French mealtime. I actually didn't end up going, so I can't speak for how the food was, but it was promised to be "Thanksgiving a la Francaise," and though I'm sure it was delicious, it seemed like something was going to be missing.
One of my friends' family lives here in Paris, working for the US Embassy. They invited me over for Thanksgiving dinner, American-style, and I am so grateful to them for everything. The food was delicious, and they even sent me home with extra pie, but the real thing they offered me was hospitality and a home to go to on a day marked by spending time with family. We sat around a table and talked with their neighbors and friends, and I felt just as welcome there as I do at every Thanksgiving at home with my own family.
I FaceTimed with my family and all their various guests when I got home from dinner, stuffed to bursting, though still missing being home. When they talk about studying abroad, no one ever says how you'll miss home when all your friends are on break and your family is celebrating holidays and you're stuck across the ocean. Technology helps enormously-- being able to talk to people in real time and see their faces even though they're halfway across the world is an amazing thing that I am so thankful for.
I'm also so grateful I was able to spend yesterday with a group of wonderful people who made me feel at home in a country where I am very much a foreigner. It was a strange Thanksgiving, but a good one-- still filled with family and love and thanks. And isn't that all that really matters?
Katrina
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