Believe it or not, my computer did not crash last week. I have no clue how the week went by so quickly, but before I knew it, I was on a 7 hour bus ride to Normandy on Friday evening. My apologies for the lack of blogging last week.
After 7 hours on a bus, we made it to Bayeux, FR around 1:30 AM on Saturday. I normally despise car rides and annoy the driver with the "are we there yet?" and "can we stop to for a potty break?" questions every half hour. Surprisingly, I found this trip quite pleasant and really enjoyed the 7 hours of stillness. On Saturday morning we went to the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidery that tells to story of 1062-1066, culminating with the Norman invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066. We studied these years in great depth in History of England in the spring, reading several interpretations of the invasion. Thus, I probably appreciated this museum more than many of my peers. We also visited a cathedral in Bayeux before visiting Normandy and the German and American cemeteries.
Normandy was really cool, beyond anything I imagined. The cliffs overlooking the Channel were so steep that picturing soldiers wading through the water, scaling the cliffs, then finally reaching the top to begin the real attack was just unreal. Yesterday was a beautiful day, ideal for sightseeing. However, part of me wished that it we visited Normandy on a rainy and cold day because it was difficult to imagine the darkness, the destruction, and the blood stained water and grass on scenery so picturesque. Sixty years later, the grass has grown, the sea is clear, and yet the war's thumbprint remains. German forts, at least remnants of forts, scatter across the beach, surrounded by craters left by bombings.
The American cemetery was also very moving. There is a huge statue of a man reaching up toward heaven with an olive tree on the right and the left to symbolize peace (see pictures in photo album). After a long day of touring, we had free time last night to explore Bayeux. After dinner I decided to read in the hotel lobby before bed. It sounds silly, but I love to read and people watch and hotels are great places to do both. I spent most of the night greeting other guests as they came in the hotel and talking to a sweet couple from California.
This morning we drove to Caen (I think) to go to a WWII museum. Being the nerd that I am, I loved that museum. Walking the beaches, then seeing pictures of the destruction, and reading soldiers letters really makes the war a reality. Seven hours later, we arrived back in Brussels.
October 1 marks the beginning of my 7th week in Brussels! Time flies...
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
PARIS
What we did in Paris...
- EIFFEL TOWER at sunset and at night, while eating crepes. You cannot beat that.
- Toured the OPERA HOUSE, then ate croques at a bistro Aunt Barb recommended on Auber. It was fabulous.
- Saw Mona Lisa at THE LOUVRE. She's tiny.
- NOTRE DAME. The stained glass is beautiful.
- SEINE RIVER CRUISE. Total tourist trap, but I believe it is the best way to see the city.
-Walked through LA MADELINE, a gorgeous church. Surprisingly, it did not have a single stained glass window.
- Walked to the ARC DE TRIOMPHE.
- Saw the most incredible Monets at LA ORANGERIE MUSEUM.
- Walked through the JARDIN DES TUILERIES and observed a lot of PDA. Welcome to Paris!
- Walked Rue St. HONORE and saw a lot of expensive clothes that I cannot afford.
- Visited the LOUIS VUITTON store and left after 2 minutes feeling nauseated.
- Learned the CHAMPS-ELYSEES like the back of my hand we walked it so much. Oh and visited a McDonald's. A McFlurry never tasted so good.
- Watched Rugby with the locals and saw more kegs than you can even believe.
- Went to 3 different Starbucks. I know, I am a sucker. But every time I thought about how much I paid for my cup of coffee, I thought about a 2000 euro handbag at Louis Vuitton and stopped feeling like I was the consumer ripped off.
- Saw JORDAN GREENE!!! and spent some quality time with her.
- Wandered through vendors selling art on the streets.
- Got the name and number of a French man. Don't worry, Dad, it is just Ahmad, the taxi driver.
- Started planning my next trip to Paris, any takers?!?
Friday...
Alayna and I made it to the train station on Friday at 2:45, leaving us 1 hour 15 minutes to purchase trips on the metro and check into the hostel before meeting Jordan, Whitney, and Kim at Pont Neuf. We don't have a printer so neither one of us printed off the hostel confirmation (mistake #1 of the day). Thursday night I googled the hostel and wrote down the address and phone number so we could find it on Friday. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes at the information stand in Gare du Nord, we approached the lady asking her for metro jumps and the name of the stop closest to our hostel (because I was unable to find it the night before on the map). Well, this woman did not even try to listen to our question, she just kept saying, "I don't understand, I don't understand." I mean, really, her job is to provide information. Perhaps she is under qualified for her position since she could not open her eyes and read the map in front of her. Thankfully, a man came out of no where (really no where), translating our questions to French and insisting that she help us.
So, we made it to the hostel metro stop and started wandering, map in hand. We walked a few blocks and decided to turn around because we did not see Rue Crimee (my call and it turned out to be a bad one). Poor Alayna had this oversized Vera Bradley bag that weighed 600lbs and bulged at the seams. The 80 degree weather made the search for the hostel even more enjoyable. We made this huge circle and finally hit Rue Crimee at #14 and we needed to make it to #219. Thankfully the walk was downhill. When we walked past the street that I made us turn around on at #200 I could sense Alayna's frustration. She admitted later that she wanted to kill me at the moment. So, we finally made it to Hotel Balladins only to find a metro stop right in front of the entrance (that sucks, huh?). As we walked up I thought to myself, 30 euro a night can really get you a nice place in Paris...right. Hot, tired, and irritable, we stumble into the hostel and gave the concierge our name. He frantically searches through binders to find the reservation. After a couple minutes he turned to us and said, "I'm sorry, I don't have a confirmation for you." Wish I printed that confirmation... Thankfully Alayna brought her laptop and the lobby had WI-FI. Too bad that we could not get on. By now it was well past 4 and I started to stress. Then the man says, "Are you sure it is this Hotel Balladins? There are 4 in the city." Why on earth are there 4 hotels with the same name in the same city?! He said we could have a room for 90 euro a night at Balladins. What was he, crazy?!
We left Hotel Balladins at 4:45, hauled all our stuff to the Metro pissed and unable to call the girls to tell them that we were late because they don't have phones. At that moment we decided it would be better to go and meet the girls then figure out the hostel thing. Alayna texted David and Austin and asked them to look for the correct hostel address on the email confirmation. We made it to Pont Neuf at 5 and thankfully, the girls we still sitting there waiting on us. Moments later Austin texted us the address and phone number of the hostel and for the first time that afternoon I felt relieved. We were now with friends, French speaking ones, and even had the correct address of our hostel. Our next move was catching a cab to the hostel to drop off our stuff. It took a while to find an empty cab and when we did, the driver said Hotel Balladins is 45 minutes away by cab (and 30 euro) or over 1 hour by metro and bus. It was already after 5 and we just decided to save time and just make the trip later that night on the metro. BUT, blast, we did had our luggage. Yep, we wandered through Paris for the next 5 hours with suitcases and big Vera. I need to learn to pack less...
The rest of the evening was so fun hanging out with Jordan, Whitney and Kim. We shopped and ate and played and lugged bags around Paris. It does not get any better than that! At 10:30 we parted ways and Alayna and I set out in search of Hotel Balladins. We followed the cab driver's instructions but could not find the bus at the metro stop he sent us to. I turned to Alayna, asked her for the address, but she deleted the message by accident. Well, crap. We are standing on a dark street where nothing is open with huge bags, crappy directions, and one cell phone that had already run out of minutes. I texted Austin and David, sending a frantic "HELP US" message. Fifteen minutes later and without a response, we crossed the street to ask some bystanders (men, of course. only men were on this street) where we could find a cab. It took a while to get an answer... finally they told us to go back one metro stop. We followed instruction and saw 4 taxis parked along the road. Unfortunately none of them knew of Hotel Balladins or could understand how we have no address, phone number, nothing for this place that we want to go. Two drivers were really kind to us, really kind. Business must have been a little slow because they stopped other drivers, called French 411, even asked the Police if they knew of this Hotel. Sure enough, no one in the freaking city knew of this Hotel. What one earth?! After 30 minutes of standing around with the cab drivers, Ahmad and friend, still text message-less I pulled out the address of the first Hotel Balladins and asked Ahmad to take us there, remembering that the concierge said there were vacancies. 90 euro hotel room, here we come!
Now, Ahmad was a dear. He thought we were crazy. I hated when he asked if we were from America because I know he thought we were the stupidest people to walk the earth. Ahmad took us back to Balladins and walked us up to the reception desk, refusing to leave us until we had a room. Well, in 6 hours, Balladins booked up all their rooms. So, we went to another hotel up the street. Again, Ahmad walked up to the desk, spoke in French again and refused to leave us. What a saint! We finally got a room. Ahmad left. Moments later, I got a text from Austin and a phone call from David with hotel info. Of course!
I'm telling you, Friday night is the story of God's grace. It was a series of some of the most unfortunate and ridiculous events and yet there was always someone to help us. There were numerous times that I wanted to go back to Nord and catch a train home, but I kept reminding myself that in an hour I would laugh and that I was with Alayna, the most patient person alive. Now it is hilarious. How and why on earth do we always have the worst travel experiences? There is talk of publishing this stories because they are so unbelievable. Oh and if you need a cab driver in Paris, call Ahmad, he is a saint.
- EIFFEL TOWER at sunset and at night, while eating crepes. You cannot beat that.
- Toured the OPERA HOUSE, then ate croques at a bistro Aunt Barb recommended on Auber. It was fabulous.
- Saw Mona Lisa at THE LOUVRE. She's tiny.
- NOTRE DAME. The stained glass is beautiful.
- SEINE RIVER CRUISE. Total tourist trap, but I believe it is the best way to see the city.
-Walked through LA MADELINE, a gorgeous church. Surprisingly, it did not have a single stained glass window.
- Walked to the ARC DE TRIOMPHE.
- Saw the most incredible Monets at LA ORANGERIE MUSEUM.
- Walked through the JARDIN DES TUILERIES and observed a lot of PDA. Welcome to Paris!
- Walked Rue St. HONORE and saw a lot of expensive clothes that I cannot afford.
- Visited the LOUIS VUITTON store and left after 2 minutes feeling nauseated.
- Learned the CHAMPS-ELYSEES like the back of my hand we walked it so much. Oh and visited a McDonald's. A McFlurry never tasted so good.
- Watched Rugby with the locals and saw more kegs than you can even believe.
- Went to 3 different Starbucks. I know, I am a sucker. But every time I thought about how much I paid for my cup of coffee, I thought about a 2000 euro handbag at Louis Vuitton and stopped feeling like I was the consumer ripped off.
- Saw JORDAN GREENE!!! and spent some quality time with her.
- Wandered through vendors selling art on the streets.
- Got the name and number of a French man. Don't worry, Dad, it is just Ahmad, the taxi driver.
- Started planning my next trip to Paris, any takers?!?
Friday...
Alayna and I made it to the train station on Friday at 2:45, leaving us 1 hour 15 minutes to purchase trips on the metro and check into the hostel before meeting Jordan, Whitney, and Kim at Pont Neuf. We don't have a printer so neither one of us printed off the hostel confirmation (mistake #1 of the day). Thursday night I googled the hostel and wrote down the address and phone number so we could find it on Friday. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes at the information stand in Gare du Nord, we approached the lady asking her for metro jumps and the name of the stop closest to our hostel (because I was unable to find it the night before on the map). Well, this woman did not even try to listen to our question, she just kept saying, "I don't understand, I don't understand." I mean, really, her job is to provide information. Perhaps she is under qualified for her position since she could not open her eyes and read the map in front of her. Thankfully, a man came out of no where (really no where), translating our questions to French and insisting that she help us.
So, we made it to the hostel metro stop and started wandering, map in hand. We walked a few blocks and decided to turn around because we did not see Rue Crimee (my call and it turned out to be a bad one). Poor Alayna had this oversized Vera Bradley bag that weighed 600lbs and bulged at the seams. The 80 degree weather made the search for the hostel even more enjoyable. We made this huge circle and finally hit Rue Crimee at #14 and we needed to make it to #219. Thankfully the walk was downhill. When we walked past the street that I made us turn around on at #200 I could sense Alayna's frustration. She admitted later that she wanted to kill me at the moment. So, we finally made it to Hotel Balladins only to find a metro stop right in front of the entrance (that sucks, huh?). As we walked up I thought to myself, 30 euro a night can really get you a nice place in Paris...right. Hot, tired, and irritable, we stumble into the hostel and gave the concierge our name. He frantically searches through binders to find the reservation. After a couple minutes he turned to us and said, "I'm sorry, I don't have a confirmation for you." Wish I printed that confirmation... Thankfully Alayna brought her laptop and the lobby had WI-FI. Too bad that we could not get on. By now it was well past 4 and I started to stress. Then the man says, "Are you sure it is this Hotel Balladins? There are 4 in the city." Why on earth are there 4 hotels with the same name in the same city?! He said we could have a room for 90 euro a night at Balladins. What was he, crazy?!
We left Hotel Balladins at 4:45, hauled all our stuff to the Metro pissed and unable to call the girls to tell them that we were late because they don't have phones. At that moment we decided it would be better to go and meet the girls then figure out the hostel thing. Alayna texted David and Austin and asked them to look for the correct hostel address on the email confirmation. We made it to Pont Neuf at 5 and thankfully, the girls we still sitting there waiting on us. Moments later Austin texted us the address and phone number of the hostel and for the first time that afternoon I felt relieved. We were now with friends, French speaking ones, and even had the correct address of our hostel. Our next move was catching a cab to the hostel to drop off our stuff. It took a while to find an empty cab and when we did, the driver said Hotel Balladins is 45 minutes away by cab (and 30 euro) or over 1 hour by metro and bus. It was already after 5 and we just decided to save time and just make the trip later that night on the metro. BUT, blast, we did had our luggage. Yep, we wandered through Paris for the next 5 hours with suitcases and big Vera. I need to learn to pack less...
The rest of the evening was so fun hanging out with Jordan, Whitney and Kim. We shopped and ate and played and lugged bags around Paris. It does not get any better than that! At 10:30 we parted ways and Alayna and I set out in search of Hotel Balladins. We followed the cab driver's instructions but could not find the bus at the metro stop he sent us to. I turned to Alayna, asked her for the address, but she deleted the message by accident. Well, crap. We are standing on a dark street where nothing is open with huge bags, crappy directions, and one cell phone that had already run out of minutes. I texted Austin and David, sending a frantic "HELP US" message. Fifteen minutes later and without a response, we crossed the street to ask some bystanders (men, of course. only men were on this street) where we could find a cab. It took a while to get an answer... finally they told us to go back one metro stop. We followed instruction and saw 4 taxis parked along the road. Unfortunately none of them knew of Hotel Balladins or could understand how we have no address, phone number, nothing for this place that we want to go. Two drivers were really kind to us, really kind. Business must have been a little slow because they stopped other drivers, called French 411, even asked the Police if they knew of this Hotel. Sure enough, no one in the freaking city knew of this Hotel. What one earth?! After 30 minutes of standing around with the cab drivers, Ahmad and friend, still text message-less I pulled out the address of the first Hotel Balladins and asked Ahmad to take us there, remembering that the concierge said there were vacancies. 90 euro hotel room, here we come!
Now, Ahmad was a dear. He thought we were crazy. I hated when he asked if we were from America because I know he thought we were the stupidest people to walk the earth. Ahmad took us back to Balladins and walked us up to the reception desk, refusing to leave us until we had a room. Well, in 6 hours, Balladins booked up all their rooms. So, we went to another hotel up the street. Again, Ahmad walked up to the desk, spoke in French again and refused to leave us. What a saint! We finally got a room. Ahmad left. Moments later, I got a text from Austin and a phone call from David with hotel info. Of course!
I'm telling you, Friday night is the story of God's grace. It was a series of some of the most unfortunate and ridiculous events and yet there was always someone to help us. There were numerous times that I wanted to go back to Nord and catch a train home, but I kept reminding myself that in an hour I would laugh and that I was with Alayna, the most patient person alive. Now it is hilarious. How and why on earth do we always have the worst travel experiences? There is talk of publishing this stories because they are so unbelievable. Oh and if you need a cab driver in Paris, call Ahmad, he is a saint.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Blessed
Originally I planned on titling this post after my birthday anthem, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)," because really, Garth says it best. Part of me wanted to pay tribute to my Parisian vacation this past weekend and title it "Transportation Hell Part VII," but my better judgement told me that was inappropriate and might suggest that this past weekend was a total disaster when really it was not. So, after further contemplation (because no blog entry is complete without an original, catchy title), I settled on a title that describes the way that I feel right now better than Garth, and that is "Blessed."
This whole weekend is a story of God's grace. The next post that I make will recount the events from Friday September 21, 2007 from 13:13 PM-23:59PM, a day that God continued to provide for me and Alayna amidst a series of rather unfortunate but hilarious events. Our entire trip to Paris continues to speak volumes to me about the grace of God. I feel blessed to experience this weekend with such a patient and loving person who continued to forgive despite my misdirection and at times, poor judgement. And today I am reminded of the blessing of friendship. Thank you to everyone for flooding my inbox with emails, covering my facebook wall with birthday wishes, sending letters and packages, bringing me flowers, cards, and even mentoes and pixi sticks to me today. I have never felt so loved. I am grateful for each one of you. Thank you.
Alayna and I woke up at 4:45 this morning which means that I need to go to bed. There is much to tell about Paris, believe me. Please know that I love you all very much. Thank you again for reminding me of God's grace and His blessings!
This whole weekend is a story of God's grace. The next post that I make will recount the events from Friday September 21, 2007 from 13:13 PM-23:59PM, a day that God continued to provide for me and Alayna amidst a series of rather unfortunate but hilarious events. Our entire trip to Paris continues to speak volumes to me about the grace of God. I feel blessed to experience this weekend with such a patient and loving person who continued to forgive despite my misdirection and at times, poor judgement. And today I am reminded of the blessing of friendship. Thank you to everyone for flooding my inbox with emails, covering my facebook wall with birthday wishes, sending letters and packages, bringing me flowers, cards, and even mentoes and pixi sticks to me today. I have never felt so loved. I am grateful for each one of you. Thank you.
Alayna and I woke up at 4:45 this morning which means that I need to go to bed. There is much to tell about Paris, believe me. Please know that I love you all very much. Thank you again for reminding me of God's grace and His blessings!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Au revoir, Brussels! Bonjour Paris!
Boy, this week will not end! I cannot wait until Friday at 13:13 when Alayna and I leave for Paris. I don't even know what else to say. Au revoir, Brussels.
This is a week of firsts...
-My first encounter with Belgian food. It made me want a cheeseburger badly, really badly.
-The first time I missed my train to work. I even ran to try to catch it.
-My first trip to a European library. I felt like I stepped in a time machine and landed in 1977. It made me miss James B. Duke.
- My first trip to the North Sea. By bike too!
-The first time I talked to a child in 5 weeks! My boss introduce me to his daughter today. She kept calling me Kitty instead of Katie. I really did not care.
- My first trip to Fat Boys, an American sports bar in Brussels. There was a picture of Eddie George in a Tennessee Titans uniform on the wall AND a Masters flag AND English speakers. Amazing.
- The first time I wore my running clothes to class. My American-ness came out, who cares?!
- First paper... due tomorrow.
- My first time to sing in a public restroom. Yep, I did it this morning at the train station to the Beetles. I don't even like the Beetles...
- First time to say y'all at work. Talk about throwing your coworkers a curve ball!
- My first day off work is this Friday. And I am going to Paris!
Note: I know I have my black jacket on in just about every picture. Hard to believe that is all I could bring in my 2 suitcases, huh?! I promise that I have more clothing. I will try to wear it.
Thanks for all the emails and cards! I will write you all back... eventually. Love y'all!
This is a week of firsts...
-My first encounter with Belgian food. It made me want a cheeseburger badly, really badly.
-The first time I missed my train to work. I even ran to try to catch it.
-My first trip to a European library. I felt like I stepped in a time machine and landed in 1977. It made me miss James B. Duke.
- My first trip to the North Sea. By bike too!
-The first time I talked to a child in 5 weeks! My boss introduce me to his daughter today. She kept calling me Kitty instead of Katie. I really did not care.
- My first trip to Fat Boys, an American sports bar in Brussels. There was a picture of Eddie George in a Tennessee Titans uniform on the wall AND a Masters flag AND English speakers. Amazing.
- The first time I wore my running clothes to class. My American-ness came out, who cares?!
- First paper... due tomorrow.
- My first time to sing in a public restroom. Yep, I did it this morning at the train station to the Beetles. I don't even like the Beetles...
- First time to say y'all at work. Talk about throwing your coworkers a curve ball!
- My first day off work is this Friday. And I am going to Paris!
Note: I know I have my black jacket on in just about every picture. Hard to believe that is all I could bring in my 2 suitcases, huh?! I promise that I have more clothing. I will try to wear it.
Thanks for all the emails and cards! I will write you all back... eventually. Love y'all!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Where's Carlos?!
Today's mission: find Carlos. Yep, Austin, Evelyn, and I went back to Brugge dressed in neon athletic shorts to find our dear friend Carlos. We even rented bikes and rode 1 1/2 hours to the coast looking for him. One awkward interaction just was not enough for us...
That's a lie, at least part of it is. We did go back to Brugge this morning to rent bikes to ride to the Belgian coast. A man stopped me and Evelyn this morning on the Metro asking if I went to Furman because he saw my Furman t-shirt. This man actually worked at UNC as a professor for many years before coming over to Brussels to launch a leadership forum. Hearing English is always exciting, but meeting someone that knows your school is really a big deal.
Anyways, Evelyn and I met up with Austin, picked up train tickets, and went to Brugge. Our adventure started in Brugge at 10:30 this morning: we rented bicycles, found a map, and headed towards the Belgian coast. Our first stop was in a little town called Damme, which Austin deemed "the best small town." After exploring the streets of Damme for a few minutes, we hit the road again towards Knokk. We passed fields of corn and grass, houses with sunflowers reaching the rooftops, all sorts of farm animals, and beautiful gardens. The lady at the bike rental stand told us that this trip would only take about 45 minutes; however, after 1 1/2 hours of riding, we finally reached the coast. Exhausted and sore, we sat on a ledge looking out at the North Sea eating our lunches. A threatening storm cloud forced us back on our bicycles shortly after lunch. We refueled at a local grocier, picking up Werther's butterscotch candies and Cote d'Or (because a little sugar does the body good). Poor Evelyn had this awful bike named Rusty, a name that suited the little guy quite nicely as he did not function properly. I am proud to say that my bicycle, the Silver Bullet, managed the trip quite nicely, inspite of the maniac riding it.
After 20 miles of riding, we returned our bikes in Brugge and headed home. It am so sore that I cannot sit in my chair at my desk; I am lying in bed blogging. How pathetic am I? Riding a bike is hard work.
The UT/UF game comes on in a little over an hour and the crew is coming over to watch it at my flat! Notice I said watch this time and not listen... it is true, we will actually get to see this game on the internet through streaming video! It is football time in Tennessee... Go Vols!
That's a lie, at least part of it is. We did go back to Brugge this morning to rent bikes to ride to the Belgian coast. A man stopped me and Evelyn this morning on the Metro asking if I went to Furman because he saw my Furman t-shirt. This man actually worked at UNC as a professor for many years before coming over to Brussels to launch a leadership forum. Hearing English is always exciting, but meeting someone that knows your school is really a big deal.
Anyways, Evelyn and I met up with Austin, picked up train tickets, and went to Brugge. Our adventure started in Brugge at 10:30 this morning: we rented bicycles, found a map, and headed towards the Belgian coast. Our first stop was in a little town called Damme, which Austin deemed "the best small town." After exploring the streets of Damme for a few minutes, we hit the road again towards Knokk. We passed fields of corn and grass, houses with sunflowers reaching the rooftops, all sorts of farm animals, and beautiful gardens. The lady at the bike rental stand told us that this trip would only take about 45 minutes; however, after 1 1/2 hours of riding, we finally reached the coast. Exhausted and sore, we sat on a ledge looking out at the North Sea eating our lunches. A threatening storm cloud forced us back on our bicycles shortly after lunch. We refueled at a local grocier, picking up Werther's butterscotch candies and Cote d'Or (because a little sugar does the body good). Poor Evelyn had this awful bike named Rusty, a name that suited the little guy quite nicely as he did not function properly. I am proud to say that my bicycle, the Silver Bullet, managed the trip quite nicely, inspite of the maniac riding it.
After 20 miles of riding, we returned our bikes in Brugge and headed home. It am so sore that I cannot sit in my chair at my desk; I am lying in bed blogging. How pathetic am I? Riding a bike is hard work.
The UT/UF game comes on in a little over an hour and the crew is coming over to watch it at my flat! Notice I said watch this time and not listen... it is true, we will actually get to see this game on the internet through streaming video! It is football time in Tennessee... Go Vols!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
"STUPID!"
Whenever my coworker Sofie cannot think of a word in English she says "STUPID! STUPID!STUPID!" It's official, exclamations like "Crap!" or "Darn it!" have been replaced with "STUPID" and if you don't believe me, just ask Sofie. Anyways, Sofie and I listened to heavy metal Dutch rock yesterday at work. Heavy metal in English is obnoxious but it is just downright painful in Dutch.
Last night, I planned to go to an 10 year anniversary party for David's office. The party was held at a Chateau 30 minutes from town. I even bought a dress for the occasion. BUT, there was not a single cab driver in town last night who wanted to make money. We wandered the streets for over an hour trying to flag down a cab. There must have been at least 20 drivers who refused to stop for us! Poor David, I know it stressed him out that we could not find a cab and that he had to email his office and tell them that we would not make it. After an hour, we gave up and went to my favorite restaurant in town for dinner. Even though we did not make it to the party, I enjoyed dressing up for the first time in weeks, going to dinner, and taking time to just chill and soak up the atmopshere.
I am learning that there is nothing more humbling and frustrating than being sick in a foreign country. Being sick at home stinks, but at least Mom will take care of you and the medicine boxes are in English. I went to the pharmacy early this morning in search of medicine for congestion and sinus pain, but everything is in French and the brands are not the same. Thankfully the lady understood enough of my English to assist me. Not being able to articulate what I needed to the pharmacist truly made me feel helpless. But do not worry about me... I have slept a lot today and feel a lot better already.
There is not much else to report from across the pond. Thanks again for all the emails and messages; hearing from friends regularly makes me feel much closer to home. Much love to all!
Last night, I planned to go to an 10 year anniversary party for David's office. The party was held at a Chateau 30 minutes from town. I even bought a dress for the occasion. BUT, there was not a single cab driver in town last night who wanted to make money. We wandered the streets for over an hour trying to flag down a cab. There must have been at least 20 drivers who refused to stop for us! Poor David, I know it stressed him out that we could not find a cab and that he had to email his office and tell them that we would not make it. After an hour, we gave up and went to my favorite restaurant in town for dinner. Even though we did not make it to the party, I enjoyed dressing up for the first time in weeks, going to dinner, and taking time to just chill and soak up the atmopshere.
I am learning that there is nothing more humbling and frustrating than being sick in a foreign country. Being sick at home stinks, but at least Mom will take care of you and the medicine boxes are in English. I went to the pharmacy early this morning in search of medicine for congestion and sinus pain, but everything is in French and the brands are not the same. Thankfully the lady understood enough of my English to assist me. Not being able to articulate what I needed to the pharmacist truly made me feel helpless. But do not worry about me... I have slept a lot today and feel a lot better already.
There is not much else to report from across the pond. Thanks again for all the emails and messages; hearing from friends regularly makes me feel much closer to home. Much love to all!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
beautiful bruges...
Oh goodness, what a weekend! Bruges, the "Venice of the North" as it is often called, is quaint, charming, and as Molly Parker likes to say, "the baby making capital of Europe." The beauty the of canals, windmills, flower boxes, cobblestone, and Churches, the whole town just captures your heart. I don't think I stopped smiling our first night in the town and if you don't believe me ask any one of my friends because they all called me out on acting super giddy and girly. We arrived early on Friday evening and checked into our hotel, Hotel De Brugge, which was an upgrade from the Derby in Brussels. Our room, nestled in the top of the building amidst the rafters and skylights had "Little Princess" written all over it. After awing at our room, we walked through town in search of an open restaurant. We ended up at a little Italian restaurant recommended by the the concierge where we spent the next three hours (yes, three) soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying our first quality meal in Europe. Yep, I finally splurged. The brie was excellent and well worth my plate exchange with Molly and every Euro I payed. I even had banana icecream for dessert! With full stomachs, we left the restaurant and wandered around the town square for a little while before heading home.
Saturday morning came a little too quickly -- we had to leave the hotel at 8:00 AM to catch a bus to Ieper, site of three World War I battles. The lighting in our hotel room was so goofy. Saturday morning Alayna and I finally learned after hopeless attempts to shower (or shall I say bath because all we had was a bathtub) in the dark that you have to lock the lights to keep them on. Yep, every 30 seconds the lights automatically turn off unless you lock them on. Gotta love Europe. Then, to make the early morning even better, I ate it walking down the stairs, falling and bruising my back and elbow. Embarrassing, I know. Just ask Alayna, she witnessed the whole spectacle and I even have the bruises to prove it.
In Ieper our tour guide took us to 5 of the 150 cemeteries in the town (British, German, Canadian, Belgian, etc.), WWI trenches used in 1915, In Flanders Field Museum, and the Menin Gate. We visited the largest WWI cemetery in the world and it is a chilling image, much like Arlington National Cemetery. I could not wrap my mind around the number of people buried in these cemeteries or try to imagine the destruction and the horror 90 years ago. We even saw a tombstone of a 15 year old who enlisted under a different name and lied about his age in order to fight in the war. That is unbelievable to me. Where is the patriotism today, that willingness to sacrifice for your country? I am afraid that those virtues of pride and patriotism mothers and fathers instilled in their children back in the 1850's and the early 1900's have left us. Maybe I am wrong? By the way, only a couple towers in Ieper endured the war, everything else was destroyed.
After the 8 hour tour in Ieper, we headed back to Bruges for the night. Stir crazy, Austin, Molly and I went on a run through town where we were "Carlos-ed." Yes, Carlos is both a noun and a verb. Let's just say that we had a very hilarious and unforgettable interaction with 3 gentlemen (?) on our run last night that warranted the creation of a new word. Enough said. After our jog we went to dinner at a little cafe near our hotel. We sat outside soaking up the beauty and the stillness over a mug of hot chocolate for hours.
We had free time in Bruges this morning to explore before our trip to Ghent this afternoon. After wandering through town for a little while, we stumbled upon a dock offering boat tours on the canal. A "sucker for water," I could not pass it up! So, we toured the town by boat for 30 minutes, seeing more Churches, houses, and parks. It was a great way to see the town (if you visit Bruges, I highly recommend a boat tour). We spent the afternoon in Ghent touring Churches and looking at Medieval towers, castles, and buildings. Today was Heritage Day in Ghent so marching bands lined the streets, filling the town with color and music. Exhausted from the long day yesterday, it was difficult to engage and listen to the tour guide mumble facts about the town for 3 hours. We did, however, see a lot of cool places.
It was a fun weekend and a much needed break from public transportation and all the joys city life. Hope everything is well back in the States and at Furman! Seniors, enjoy your last first day of school! Random side note: there are so many variations of spelling for words and places in Belgium, like Bruges is also written as Brugge or Brussels as Brussel or Bruxelle. Forgive me for any inconsistencies, it can be confusing at times!
Saturday morning came a little too quickly -- we had to leave the hotel at 8:00 AM to catch a bus to Ieper, site of three World War I battles. The lighting in our hotel room was so goofy. Saturday morning Alayna and I finally learned after hopeless attempts to shower (or shall I say bath because all we had was a bathtub) in the dark that you have to lock the lights to keep them on. Yep, every 30 seconds the lights automatically turn off unless you lock them on. Gotta love Europe. Then, to make the early morning even better, I ate it walking down the stairs, falling and bruising my back and elbow. Embarrassing, I know. Just ask Alayna, she witnessed the whole spectacle and I even have the bruises to prove it.
In Ieper our tour guide took us to 5 of the 150 cemeteries in the town (British, German, Canadian, Belgian, etc.), WWI trenches used in 1915, In Flanders Field Museum, and the Menin Gate. We visited the largest WWI cemetery in the world and it is a chilling image, much like Arlington National Cemetery. I could not wrap my mind around the number of people buried in these cemeteries or try to imagine the destruction and the horror 90 years ago. We even saw a tombstone of a 15 year old who enlisted under a different name and lied about his age in order to fight in the war. That is unbelievable to me. Where is the patriotism today, that willingness to sacrifice for your country? I am afraid that those virtues of pride and patriotism mothers and fathers instilled in their children back in the 1850's and the early 1900's have left us. Maybe I am wrong? By the way, only a couple towers in Ieper endured the war, everything else was destroyed.
After the 8 hour tour in Ieper, we headed back to Bruges for the night. Stir crazy, Austin, Molly and I went on a run through town where we were "Carlos-ed." Yes, Carlos is both a noun and a verb. Let's just say that we had a very hilarious and unforgettable interaction with 3 gentlemen (?) on our run last night that warranted the creation of a new word. Enough said. After our jog we went to dinner at a little cafe near our hotel. We sat outside soaking up the beauty and the stillness over a mug of hot chocolate for hours.
We had free time in Bruges this morning to explore before our trip to Ghent this afternoon. After wandering through town for a little while, we stumbled upon a dock offering boat tours on the canal. A "sucker for water," I could not pass it up! So, we toured the town by boat for 30 minutes, seeing more Churches, houses, and parks. It was a great way to see the town (if you visit Bruges, I highly recommend a boat tour). We spent the afternoon in Ghent touring Churches and looking at Medieval towers, castles, and buildings. Today was Heritage Day in Ghent so marching bands lined the streets, filling the town with color and music. Exhausted from the long day yesterday, it was difficult to engage and listen to the tour guide mumble facts about the town for 3 hours. We did, however, see a lot of cool places.
It was a fun weekend and a much needed break from public transportation and all the joys city life. Hope everything is well back in the States and at Furman! Seniors, enjoy your last first day of school! Random side note: there are so many variations of spelling for words and places in Belgium, like Bruges is also written as Brugge or Brussels as Brussel or Bruxelle. Forgive me for any inconsistencies, it can be confusing at times!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
long days and weekend vacays
My goodness, today was a long one! Austin and I ran at our favorite park early this morning and then I went to French class this morning. After class, Alayna and I went to the Midi station and picked up train tickets for Paris and then it was back to Vesalius for History class, a meeting with Dr. Pierce about our internship requirements, and then a lecture about Bruges and Ghent. I did not leave school until 9! Who ever said anything about a Belgian Vacay because I am working like a dog...
We have our first weekend trip to Bruges and Ghent. Bruges is a charming little town with a lot of history and treasures to discover. I hear that they even offer bike tours of the city which is something I might take advantage of this weekend! It will be nice to escape city life for a couple days and retreat to the countryside.
Following our long day of class and lecture, a group of us went to Alayna and Austin's to finish off the chili remaining from Man Night. It was delicious and really a lot of fun to have a different group to dine with! Oh, one creepy thing happened today. I almost forgot to mention this: a group of us were walking the streets near my metro stop to go to Alayna and Austin's for dinner and for some reason the locals like to pull their cars onto the curb, park, and sit. I cannot explain this bizarre behavior, but tonight while we were walking home a guy poked his head out the car and yelled "HEY!" at me as I walked with a group of people. Naturally, I screamed. It was so ridiculous. Who does that?!
Sadly, there is not much else to report. No doubt that there will be a long post on Sunday evening after a weekend of travels, especially if you keep in mind our history with transportation in Europe (plane delays, missed flights, losing a passenger to security in the UK, separating on trams, getting ripped off by a ticket salesman, just to mention several joys of transportation...).
Only 12 days until you turn 24, Gary! The countdown is on my friend...
We have our first weekend trip to Bruges and Ghent. Bruges is a charming little town with a lot of history and treasures to discover. I hear that they even offer bike tours of the city which is something I might take advantage of this weekend! It will be nice to escape city life for a couple days and retreat to the countryside.
Following our long day of class and lecture, a group of us went to Alayna and Austin's to finish off the chili remaining from Man Night. It was delicious and really a lot of fun to have a different group to dine with! Oh, one creepy thing happened today. I almost forgot to mention this: a group of us were walking the streets near my metro stop to go to Alayna and Austin's for dinner and for some reason the locals like to pull their cars onto the curb, park, and sit. I cannot explain this bizarre behavior, but tonight while we were walking home a guy poked his head out the car and yelled "HEY!" at me as I walked with a group of people. Naturally, I screamed. It was so ridiculous. Who does that?!
Sadly, there is not much else to report. No doubt that there will be a long post on Sunday evening after a weekend of travels, especially if you keep in mind our history with transportation in Europe (plane delays, missed flights, losing a passenger to security in the UK, separating on trams, getting ripped off by a ticket salesman, just to mention several joys of transportation...).
Only 12 days until you turn 24, Gary! The countdown is on my friend...
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Man Night
I think we have a new tradition: theme dinners. Last night, Alayna and Austin hosted an evening we like to call "Man Night," where we ate a hearty meal, listened to manly music and planned on watching a manly show. Despite the brilliance and imagination it took to conjure up this eventful evening, we lacked one essential thing, men. Yep, last night, the guys actually stood us up on a meal planned in their honor. So what did we do? We ate manly food, listened to manly music, and decided to watch a BBC drama instead of the Simpsons (thank goodness). And thanks to BBC, the night even ended with a little man love (gross and unnecessary, I know, but there is really no shame on TV in Europe).
Work was a little slow today. I continued my project from Monday, typing the transcript from an interview and then attempting to edit some of the worst English I have ever heard. Surely I don't sound that bad when I speak to natives in French or Spanish, right? That's wishful thinking. Most people worked from home today which if you ask me is code for "personal day." Maybe I can work from home too... I love the questions that my coworkers ask me and hearing their impression of the States. Sadly, for those who have not visited, they only know Hollywood and New York; therefore, they have this impression that the whole nation is one overcrowded metropolis of pollution and it floors them to hear that rural areas do in fact exist. They all buy into the theory of global warming, which I happen to find ridiculous but maybe if I lived in Belgium permanently and you can have 3 seasons in one day and it can be 40 degrees in September, maybe I would believe it too.
As a side note, I think I enjoy blogging too much. At times I do forget that people actually read this so forgive me for all the nonsense. I feel like my life could be a sitcom if things continue in this manner. Thank you all for the comments (that include you, Tennis Instructor)! I do enjoy reading them and it makes my blogging experience even better.
Forgive me for not posting my address, it is: Rue Saxe - Cobourg 23 1210 Brussels, Belgium
HOWEVER, if you want to send me a package, please send it to me at my landlord's address: c/o Pierre Deveaux Rue Traversiere 70 B-1210 Brussels, Belgium
Work was a little slow today. I continued my project from Monday, typing the transcript from an interview and then attempting to edit some of the worst English I have ever heard. Surely I don't sound that bad when I speak to natives in French or Spanish, right? That's wishful thinking. Most people worked from home today which if you ask me is code for "personal day." Maybe I can work from home too... I love the questions that my coworkers ask me and hearing their impression of the States. Sadly, for those who have not visited, they only know Hollywood and New York; therefore, they have this impression that the whole nation is one overcrowded metropolis of pollution and it floors them to hear that rural areas do in fact exist. They all buy into the theory of global warming, which I happen to find ridiculous but maybe if I lived in Belgium permanently and you can have 3 seasons in one day and it can be 40 degrees in September, maybe I would believe it too.
As a side note, I think I enjoy blogging too much. At times I do forget that people actually read this so forgive me for all the nonsense. I feel like my life could be a sitcom if things continue in this manner. Thank you all for the comments (that include you, Tennis Instructor)! I do enjoy reading them and it makes my blogging experience even better.
Forgive me for not posting my address, it is: Rue Saxe - Cobourg 23 1210 Brussels, Belgium
HOWEVER, if you want to send me a package, please send it to me at my landlord's address: c/o Pierre Deveaux Rue Traversiere 70 B-1210 Brussels, Belgium
Monday, September 3, 2007
Labor Day?
Nope. Too bad the Belgians do not celebrate Labor Day. I actually started my internship this morning. I am not trying to be dramatic but it was not one of the best five days of my life. Pouring rain greeted me this morning on my way to the metro. Cold and wet is really uh a lovely combination for a first day of work. I waited in line for my monthly pass for about 10 minutes at Midi station only to learn that I waited in the wrong line and that I needed to be in another line. So, I walked to the back of another line and waited and waited and waited. Thankfully I allowed myself some extra time this morning, but it was 8:25 and my train left at 8:38 so I was a little nervous. I finally reached to the front of the line where a man who spoke minimal English asked me if I would prefer to fill out my paperwork in French or Dutch. Hmmm, well buddy, since I know neither... So, for the next couple minutes I attempted to fill out paperwork that meant absolutely nothing to me. The frustration set in for both of us. Now to properly explain the rest of this interaction with the Ticket man, you must understand that working at the train station is equivalent to working at the DMV in the States. EVERYONE IS IN A BAD MOOD ALL THE TIME. No one wants that job, no one. After "filling out" (or leaving blank) my paperwork, I told him that I was a student (to receive the discount) and that I needed to get to Enghein. He understood, atleast I thought he did. I was told that this pass would only cost me 20 euro and he wanted to charge me 90. So I tried to explain it again, but he kept telling me 90 euro, 90 euro, 90 euro. Oh my gosh, I was mad. I was drenched from my walk to the Metro, managed to miss my train to Enghein, got in a fight with the ticketman, and still needed to call my boss and tell her that I would be late on my first day of work. Finally I got my pass and ran out the door to find my train. Thankfully, the train was delayed so I only had to wait a couple minutes before it came. I sent poor Evelyn this ridiculous text message because I was so upset about my morning commute.
After quite an eventful morning, the day settled down. My first day of work was not terribly exciting: I scanned clippings to put in a book for clients and then went through manuscripts of an interview and proofread documents for Eddie. Duo Media is like a little family, they all eat lunch together everyday from 12:30-1:30. I did enjoy the fellowship and talking with my coworkers, but I fear that the work will not be terribly exciting. I think I probably have high expectations after my summer experience. Fabin a coworker drove me back to the train stop at 5:30 this afternoon and told me that he actually lived close to me in Brussels. He even offered me a ride to and from work everyday Great, now that information could have been helpful to me yesterday, before I waited in line, got in a fight, and probably over payed for a train pass. On my way home, I panicked because the train did not stop in Halle, as it typically does and I thought I hopped the wrong train. The lady sitting next to me did not speak English but she had me draw out my question in her notepad. Nothing like Pictionary on the train with a perfect stranger. What a dear. A letter waited for me on my bed when I came home which was such a blessing (thank you, Mary Teal). Reading the letter just allowed all the stress from my terrible commute to slip away.
As a side note, the creepy man who drives an over sized white van with paintings of clowns and ice cream, playing high pitched music and selling cones to neighborhood kids is in Brussels too. Yep, there is an ice cream man is universal.
After quite an eventful morning, the day settled down. My first day of work was not terribly exciting: I scanned clippings to put in a book for clients and then went through manuscripts of an interview and proofread documents for Eddie. Duo Media is like a little family, they all eat lunch together everyday from 12:30-1:30. I did enjoy the fellowship and talking with my coworkers, but I fear that the work will not be terribly exciting. I think I probably have high expectations after my summer experience. Fabin a coworker drove me back to the train stop at 5:30 this afternoon and told me that he actually lived close to me in Brussels. He even offered me a ride to and from work everyday Great, now that information could have been helpful to me yesterday, before I waited in line, got in a fight, and probably over payed for a train pass. On my way home, I panicked because the train did not stop in Halle, as it typically does and I thought I hopped the wrong train. The lady sitting next to me did not speak English but she had me draw out my question in her notepad. Nothing like Pictionary on the train with a perfect stranger. What a dear. A letter waited for me on my bed when I came home which was such a blessing (thank you, Mary Teal). Reading the letter just allowed all the stress from my terrible commute to slip away.
As a side note, the creepy man who drives an over sized white van with paintings of clowns and ice cream, playing high pitched music and selling cones to neighborhood kids is in Brussels too. Yep, there is an ice cream man is universal.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
oh, what a night
Meghan, one of Christie's friends from GT came in town today to explore Brussels. We wandered around town, visiting the Grand Plaza, Royal Palace, Manachin Piis, and other Brussels attractions. I loved her company and showing her the city. After only 2 weeks, I actually feel like this city is my own and I enjoyed sharing it. Tonight we went to beer fest in the Grand Plaza and sampled Belgian beer. As Austin so eloquently stated, beer fest seemed like a huge international frat party with more liquor and more people and in the most beautful plaza. People came from all over the continent to taste the Belgian craftsmanship, including Americans (hearing English was like sweet music to my ears). Men dressed up in crazy costumes from diapers to Hansel and Grettle-ish clothes, roaming the plaza, singing at the top of their lungs. People were jolly. Life was good. Then a couple guys decided to make the cobblestone pathway their urinal. It is a shame that my foot happend to get in the way. Gross. Really, I could have done without that, but it was one of those moments that was so ridiculous that the disgust only lasts for so long and then you just laugh it off. We even ran into some Georgia Tech students studying in France at beer fest. Talk about a small world.
The UT game begins in 15 minutes and I need to get a refill before kickoff. It's almost 2 and Taylor and I are still going strong... miracle.
Oh and how about App State today?!
The UT game begins in 15 minutes and I need to get a refill before kickoff. It's almost 2 and Taylor and I are still going strong... miracle.
Oh and how about App State today?!
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