3/16/2010--Dublin, Ireland
It is a sad but solid fact that Irish accents could make even the coldest spinster weak at the knees. I could not be more in love with the Irish as a collective unit. Their friendly natures, kind temperaments and culture all are universally appealing and a welcome change to Parisian attitudes towards Americans. I can say with conviction that Ireland was the first country we have visited that I could realistically see myself living. We experienced the St Pattys day parade/ festivities in full splendor as a partial celebration for one of our friend's 21st birthday and also got a chance to view some historical elements (Book of Kels, Trinity College, St Patrick's Church, Dublin Castle) and some beautiful elements (Coastal regions, Galway, Cliffs of Moher). Everything was lush, green, and breathtaking. The Book of Kels was an exceptionally interesting part of Irish history and we got a chance to learn the process that was used to create this amazing artifact while we got a tour of the campus (which puts our Ivy league to shame). My favorite place in Ireland was Galway. This cozy town rivals Cannon Beach, Oregon (my first and foremost love) in terms of quaint hospitality but also offers busses en route to many amazing countryside destinations (such as the Cliffs) and, again, the people were beyond hospitable. Ireland was an absolute dream. I am dead set and determined to return in the very near future to explore it some more. This time, I intend to come prepared this time with a phone book or monologue to have every Irishman dictate to me.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Metro, thats French for Metro/ Spring Break Part I
3/12/2010-- Paris, France
There are teachable moments in life that I welcome, and some that are a little less than welcome. Upon our arrival to Paris, our group of seven consequently looked at one another as to say, "OK, now what?" and to our utter surprise, no one had any semblance of a game plan. We rapidly realized that the piece of paper that housed all of the information concerning our hostel and how to get there was attached to Michaela's boarding pass... which had been ripped in Pisa 3 hours prior. Upon this discovery, one could rise to a state of panic. While this was not the way we would have dreamed of starting our week long European excursion, it was a wee little snafu that we had to hurdle so we went into primal, survival mode because at that point, getting to a bed and some food was a matter of the utmost survival. Eventually (and thankfully sans a meltdown) we made our way to our DARLING hostel located in the 18th district of Paris. Our windows overlooked the famous Sacre Couer church. We slept, ate, slept again and awoke refreshed and rejuvenated for the week ahead.
Day 1: We bit off a large portion of Parisian tourism. Beginning with the Arc de Triumph, walking the Champs de Elysees (seeing the original Louis Vuitton store), Royal Palace, climbing the tower of Eiffel(Paris loves stairs and bread), attending mass at Notre Dame and ending the day with dinner in the trendy, young Latin Quarter.
Day 2: The Louvre. Absolutely phenomenal. I fell in love with the piece "Winged Victory," and obviously was blown away by the classics (Mona, Venus, etc). We then attempted to find the ancient catacombs of Paris. This also proved to be a task in and of itself. We asked various street vendors until we finally came upon one kind soul who semi-understood the combination of Hailey's one semester of beginners French and our blatant English. The kicker was when we told him we wanted to go on the train and he did not understand so we typed the word "m-e-t-r-o," into his handy-dandy iPhone and voila! "Oh, oh, oui, oui, Metro, in French that is pronounced METRO," our young friend said. This crucial distinction proved it's merit and allowed him to direct us to our destination. Upon arrival, the catacombs were closed and so we redirected our route to the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens which proved to be an unexpected treat. The sun was out and the afternoon was glorious.
Day 3: Also an unexpected twist was Versailles being closed only on Mondays which, naturally, was the day we had designated to be our Versailles day. But off we went to see Moulin Rouge, the cemetery that houses graves of greats such as Chopin, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde, the original Bon Marche and ended by climbing the Arc de Triumph to watch the glorious tower sparkle. It was the perfect end to an unexpectedly amazing four days.
There are teachable moments in life that I welcome, and some that are a little less than welcome. Upon our arrival to Paris, our group of seven consequently looked at one another as to say, "OK, now what?" and to our utter surprise, no one had any semblance of a game plan. We rapidly realized that the piece of paper that housed all of the information concerning our hostel and how to get there was attached to Michaela's boarding pass... which had been ripped in Pisa 3 hours prior. Upon this discovery, one could rise to a state of panic. While this was not the way we would have dreamed of starting our week long European excursion, it was a wee little snafu that we had to hurdle so we went into primal, survival mode because at that point, getting to a bed and some food was a matter of the utmost survival. Eventually (and thankfully sans a meltdown) we made our way to our DARLING hostel located in the 18th district of Paris. Our windows overlooked the famous Sacre Couer church. We slept, ate, slept again and awoke refreshed and rejuvenated for the week ahead.
Day 1: We bit off a large portion of Parisian tourism. Beginning with the Arc de Triumph, walking the Champs de Elysees (seeing the original Louis Vuitton store), Royal Palace, climbing the tower of Eiffel(Paris loves stairs and bread), attending mass at Notre Dame and ending the day with dinner in the trendy, young Latin Quarter.
Day 2: The Louvre. Absolutely phenomenal. I fell in love with the piece "Winged Victory," and obviously was blown away by the classics (Mona, Venus, etc). We then attempted to find the ancient catacombs of Paris. This also proved to be a task in and of itself. We asked various street vendors until we finally came upon one kind soul who semi-understood the combination of Hailey's one semester of beginners French and our blatant English. The kicker was when we told him we wanted to go on the train and he did not understand so we typed the word "m-e-t-r-o," into his handy-dandy iPhone and voila! "Oh, oh, oui, oui, Metro, in French that is pronounced METRO," our young friend said. This crucial distinction proved it's merit and allowed him to direct us to our destination. Upon arrival, the catacombs were closed and so we redirected our route to the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens which proved to be an unexpected treat. The sun was out and the afternoon was glorious.
Day 3: Also an unexpected twist was Versailles being closed only on Mondays which, naturally, was the day we had designated to be our Versailles day. But off we went to see Moulin Rouge, the cemetery that houses graves of greats such as Chopin, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde, the original Bon Marche and ended by climbing the Arc de Triumph to watch the glorious tower sparkle. It was the perfect end to an unexpectedly amazing four days.
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