I failed miserably at keeping a blog while I was in Europe! In fairness though, I did put in a few updates in my diary and in January 2012 I bought a "Life Book", as my friend Mary would call it, aka a Travel Journal, in which I wrote a decent amount of stories of my adventures.
But before I even begin to recount (which will probably only be in brief) the most wonderful 8 months of my life in Europe, I want to first address the To-Do List I created before coming to France. A list I actually completely forgot about at some point and only remembered it when I rediscovered my blog and read my posts.
I'm going to go over all 25 goals I had made, and tell you if I succeeded or not, and any other comments such as my reaction to how my past-self thought. Okay, here we go.
1) Walk with a baguette sticking out of my purse to eat while exploring Beauvais
SUCCESS! I most certainly did this, and more than once! Honestly, bread in France is like air, and it is something I definitely miss now that I'm back. Baguettes, croissants, sandwhich (French-style!), and pastries...I will talk more about that in another post.
2) Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
SUCCESS! You'd think this was a given, but I almost didn't make it! 8 months in France and I didn't go up the Eiffel Tower until the DAY BEFORE I LEFT! Crazy, I know. But it was just always there, and I kept thinking, ''I have time''. I did try before, twice. First time the Summit was under construction, and the second time my friend and I got caught in a terrible downpour (after being in line for over an hour). But, I made it, even though I was in GREAT lack of energy from non-stop traveling and caught a cold. I almost didn't go at all, but I'm glad I forced myself. It was a beautiful moment and a great way to say good-bye.
3) While in rural areas, take a picture ANYTIME I see sheep!
SUCCESS! This rarely happened in France, but it happened frequently while in the UK and Ireland. And I can call upon the testimony of my friends Lowri, Jeff, Mary and Shiana, that I most certainly took any and every opportunity to take a photo of a sheep.
4) Spend enough time in the Louvre to see the entire museum (even if it means coming more than once!)
FAIL. I'm gonna go with fail, but if my stupid self back then knew what my smarter self knows now, it would take about 3 months for me to see every single work in the Louvre if I only looked at everything for 30 seconds. BUT I did go inside the Louvre. Once. And saw the Mona Lisa, so PARTIAL SUCCESS? Yes? I think so. I walked around the Louvre a good 3 times. Love that place. First time I fell in love with Paris was while crossing Le Pont Des Beaux-Art (aka the Love locks bridge) towards the Louvre.
5) Go to the Palace of Versailles (try to dress up in a dress that day)
SUCCESS! Also did this on the day before a left France! Did it the morning before I went up the Eiffel Tower. I felt miserable when I went though. It was gorgeously sunny, but ridiculously hot! And I had the cold, and exhaustion from constant traveling (which entails little sleep and loads of walking). But it was great, and I was so excited to see Marie-Antoinette's ''village'' and farm. I had wanted to see it since I read the book The Bad Queen (I mentioned this in my first post I believe) and it was really amazing to see a place that you read about.
6) Try new cheeses!
SUCCESS! This was a given. I actually kept track of most of the cheeses that I tried in France, I present to you that list: Tomme de Savoir, Saint Nectair, Saint-Floretin, Cantal, Fromage Pur Brebis, Comté, Émmental, Camembert and Gruyère.
7) Attempt to drink French wine for lunch or dinner one day
SUCCESS! Oh, I definitely drank French wine more than once! This was pre-liking wine Liz talking. I tried red wine, white wine, wine rosé, champagne, cidre, and other things I don't remember the names of.
8) If possible, use the Bike-Taxi system at least once!
FAIL. It's not as simple as hopping on and taking off, and just no. I will definitely do it one day, and if I ever live in Paris than I will definitely try to do it, but I was not ready for that.
9) Ask a British royal guard if the Queen is in (Buckingham Palace) today?
FAIL. Unfortunately, they no longer post guards outside the gates of Buckingham Palace. So, really, this should be a SUCCESS because the point is that I was in LONDON!
10) See L'Arc de Triomphe
SUCCESS! Pff...that was one of the first things I saw in Paris. The first monument I took a photo with.
11) Find and explore ancient Roman ruins in France.
MOSTLY SUCCESS! I only did this in Lyon, basically every other city didn't really have any ancient Roman ruins. I will have to go to Nice and other cities to see more...whenever I feel like seeing more ancient Roman riuns again...I was not overly excited about the ones in Lyon since I had been in Rome a few weeks before and got my fill of roman riuns to last me quite a while.
12) Go to 7 Castles or more, doesn't matter what countries they're from
I actually remembered about this goal for most of the time I was in France, though near the end I forgot about it. Now I won't count castles that I went IN, but at least got really close to (and was too poor to go in it). So here we go:
- 2 castles in Wales (*names to come later when I edit the post)
- 2 castles in Scotland (although I did see at least 1 other but from a far distance from within a tourbus) The Stirling Castle and the Edinburgh Castle.
- 1 or 2 in Ireland (*again names to come later)
- Palace of Versailles (it counts!)
- 1 in Rome, the Castello somethingorother...
I have to double check my photos and bustour pamphlets, but even if I'm short 1 castle I'm going to call this one a SUCCESS!
13) Investigate different phone box booths, asking for the Doctor
This is is just silly, but I will say SUCCESS because I did find my original Police Boxes while in London and Scotland, and even saw, briefly, one in Glasgow that looked almost EXACTLY like the Doctor Who T.A.R.D.I.S.
14) Dance on London Bridge
If I had remembered about this particular goal, at least the dancing bit, I would have danced on London Bridge, but I just walked on it instead. I'm still calling this a SUCCESS!
15) Sing Ave Maria in Notre Dame (if allowed) - make sure I practice before hand
...What the hell was I thinking? Clearly I watched Sister Act WAY too many times! But I will call this a SUCCESS because A) I did go inside Notre Dame and B) I did sing inside with the service!
17) Go to the Bell Tower of Notre Dame if possible!
FAIL. I shouldn't have gone on a Sunday, and even before I visited Notre Dame, many of my American friends had down-talked it so much that it almost didn't seem worth visiting, so my ambition to go up one of the towers was quickly forgotten. It's a nice cathedral! Though, definitely not in my top 5 favorite.
18) Chartres Cathedral. Enough said!
SUCCESS! I was SO happy that I got to go up Chartres with my two best friends Mary and Jeff. It was a day trip and it was a memorable one.
19) Find a big hill in Scotland, climb it, and yell "FREEDOM!!!" from the top
Again, I forgot about this goal, but I will say SUCCESS because I climbed up Arthur's Seat, a big hill in Edinburgh. And the point is: I went to Scotland!
20) Sit at the top level of a double decker bus!
Unfortunately I never got to ride the bus system in Englad! FAIL! I know! But I did ride the Underground a few times. Definitely need to accomplish this one day though.
21) Perfect a type of English accent and speak in it all day for one entire day while in British Isles
Again...something really dumb. I will say this though, my Welsh friend Lowri always said that my English accent was really good. Therefore: SUCCESS. I'm so glad I didn't actually follow through with this...that would have made me such a prick,
22) If I can't find a Nun in traditional clothing, find a large picture/poster of it and take a picture with it
SUCCESS! Although I'm kinda cheating since I was not in Europe yet, but when I was in Minneapolis airport on my way to Philly, there was a group of nuns and I took a picture with them :) I was pretty excited to have something off my to-do list so quickly!
23) Go to a Doctor Who museum. I haven't googled to see if there is one, but I bet there is!
FAIL! Even though I was in Cardiff, Wales, the museum was under construction while I was there. Also, while in London my friend Helena and I tried to find the WhoShop and failed miserably :P
24) If possible go to France's neighboring countries: Spain, Belgium, Brussels, Italy, etc.
You can tell how dumb my previous self was when I name ''Brussels'' in my list of countries...
MOSTLY SUCCESS! I did go to Spain (one of the greatest adventures EVER), Italy and Switzerland but that was it for directly neighboring countries. I did ALL of the UK though, and they're right across the channel. I really need to go to Belgium though, and now that my good friend Jeff will be living practically on the border with Belgium, I will have a very good reason to go when I'm back in Europe!
25) Take pictures with statues of famous historical people, even if I don't have a clue who they are.
SUCCESS! I definitely took picture with plenty statues and busts of famous people, however they were all people I recognized and knew. I believe I did Shakespeare, the man who wrote Don Quixote, George-Sand, and many writers and the like.
I was really happy to re-discover this To Do List and realize that I had, for the most part, succeeded in completing it!
I also received a week or so ago, a letter from my ELA teacher from grade 9, Ms Dudek. It was a letter I wrote to myself (when I was 14) and a list of Life Goals I had set for myself. I was able to check some things off, but I felt that a 20 year old me could write a better Life Goals list, so I updated it.
Making goals I think is a great thing to do. It's great to look back at them, and while you might not ever accomplish them all, it's a wonderful feeling knowing you accomplished some, and you get to reflect on life a bit and see how much you've been able to see and do, and it encourages you to keep making goals, and goals help feed your dreams, which you should always have and never stop reaching for.
~ Cheers
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Mini Late Update
This was written early October, but I never got to update the blog on time, but I figured I'd share it anyways before I go on about what has happened more recently during the last weeks of October and early November.
Early October--> School's been great so far. I like most of the classes, some of the kids I just love. Life in Beauvais is quiet and quaint, and I'm really enjoying the French small-town life style, though the other assistants and I frequently keep a tally of "points" which go to either France or America. For instance, "Delicious bread, France: 10 points" or, "Small elevators (in France), America 5 points". You get the point ;P
The only thing I can complain about Beauvais is how quickly it went from really hot and warm weather to really cold and brisk. Because of the sudden change I'm now sick with a cough which is a terrible thing for an assistant who's job is to speak English :P
There's also these awful, horrendous stairs I have to climb to get to the top of the hill where I live. Well I don't have "have" to but when you come in from Centre Ville (downtown) and cross the bridge the stairs are RIGHT there. It's either get home faster by climbing up 108 steps or taking the long way around and climb up the hill and get home slower. So, needless to say, I prefer to get home quickly. It's a good exercise at least and hopefully it prepares me for my trip to England/Ireland where there may be many hills and stairs to climb.
Maybe you don't quite understand why these stairs are so daunting to me, but here's a reminder of the fact that I come from the prairies, the tallest hills we have are man-made garbage hills and we don't climb them except in the winter to go tobogganing!
Well that's the end of that incomplete update. A more complete, interesting and detailed blog will be coming soon! Hopefully tomorrow.
~ Cheers!
Early October--> School's been great so far. I like most of the classes, some of the kids I just love. Life in Beauvais is quiet and quaint, and I'm really enjoying the French small-town life style, though the other assistants and I frequently keep a tally of "points" which go to either France or America. For instance, "Delicious bread, France: 10 points" or, "Small elevators (in France), America 5 points". You get the point ;P
The only thing I can complain about Beauvais is how quickly it went from really hot and warm weather to really cold and brisk. Because of the sudden change I'm now sick with a cough which is a terrible thing for an assistant who's job is to speak English :P
There's also these awful, horrendous stairs I have to climb to get to the top of the hill where I live. Well I don't have "have" to but when you come in from Centre Ville (downtown) and cross the bridge the stairs are RIGHT there. It's either get home faster by climbing up 108 steps or taking the long way around and climb up the hill and get home slower. So, needless to say, I prefer to get home quickly. It's a good exercise at least and hopefully it prepares me for my trip to England/Ireland where there may be many hills and stairs to climb.
Maybe you don't quite understand why these stairs are so daunting to me, but here's a reminder of the fact that I come from the prairies, the tallest hills we have are man-made garbage hills and we don't climb them except in the winter to go tobogganing!
Well that's the end of that incomplete update. A more complete, interesting and detailed blog will be coming soon! Hopefully tomorrow.
~ Cheers!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Quand en France...do as the French do!
Allô!
I've been in France for 4 days now, spent my first day in Paris with a family who are friend's from my dad's highschool. Crazy awesome coincidence that they hooked up through Facebook several months ago and arranged for me to stay with them any time I'm in Paris!
I came to Beauvais on the 29th, and it's all been very pleasant and great! The English teacher who was my main contact from the school, Anne, was very kind and helpful, giving me a whole box full of kitchen supplies, a bit of food, a cellphone! (a really really really old one but hey, it's free!) that just needs to be activated. I also got pillows, blankets, sheets, baking supplies, plates, cups, etc. It was great! I really like my foyer, although I could complain about a couple of things, but overall it's comfy enough. It's only a 7 minute walk to Centre Ville, so everything important is in walking distance, which is usually the case in a small town, which is what Beauvais is, but because it has a giant catheral it's considered a ''city'' lol.
I've been learning new things about how things are in France pretty much every day, and people have enjoyed them when I posted them on facebook so I will share them with you. Any assistant reading this who has either already been to France or has arrived at least a couple of days ago, will have learned these things as well:
I've been in France for 4 days now, spent my first day in Paris with a family who are friend's from my dad's highschool. Crazy awesome coincidence that they hooked up through Facebook several months ago and arranged for me to stay with them any time I'm in Paris!
I came to Beauvais on the 29th, and it's all been very pleasant and great! The English teacher who was my main contact from the school, Anne, was very kind and helpful, giving me a whole box full of kitchen supplies, a bit of food, a cellphone! (a really really really old one but hey, it's free!) that just needs to be activated. I also got pillows, blankets, sheets, baking supplies, plates, cups, etc. It was great! I really like my foyer, although I could complain about a couple of things, but overall it's comfy enough. It's only a 7 minute walk to Centre Ville, so everything important is in walking distance, which is usually the case in a small town, which is what Beauvais is, but because it has a giant catheral it's considered a ''city'' lol.
I've been learning new things about how things are in France pretty much every day, and people have enjoyed them when I posted them on facebook so I will share them with you. Any assistant reading this who has either already been to France or has arrived at least a couple of days ago, will have learned these things as well:
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
East Coast
I've been spending the last 3 days with my cousin who lives in Philly, today I leave OFFICIALLY for France, but first to re-cap my visit to Philadelphia and New York city :D
It was HOT and HUMID! Really muggy day in Philadelphia, why oh why did I get a coffee? I didn't finish it before I got to the Liberty Bell and they made me throw it out.
This is a cute and cozy coffee shop a few blocks away from where the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall is. If you're ever in town, check this place out. Really cozy inside and good selection of coffee, tea and baked goodies!
Like I mentioned, I first went to the Liberty Bell, which is in a little museum down the way from the Independence Hall where it used to hang. What surprised me the most was the symbolism of the bell and how it didn't just represent the early colonials who fought for Freedom from tyranny and oppression, but that its symbol then transformed to represent the African American slaves who fought for Freedom from oppression as well, and later on was used during World War 2 when Pearl Harbor was attacked and America went to war. In the 50's yet again the symbol of the Liberty Bell was used to represent the Women of America who fought for their Freedom and Right to vote. The Liberty Bell has become a a symbol of Liberty and in some ways even Peace, as people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have visited the Bell. The Liberty Bell is considered a sacred national treasure.
The Independence Hall was next, wow...Just wow. I couldn't believe I was walking the same halls, the same floors and the same rooms that the Founding Fathers paced countless times hundreds of years ago. To think that I was in the very room where they created and wrote the Declaration of Independence was really humbling and honoring. The tour was a little brief, but there were other buildings around to visit though my cousin and I only went through one which held the original 1 of 6 printings of the Declaration, which was the one actually made on July 4th, while the hand-written one that was signed by all the Founding Fathers, was made four days later on July 8th and is the more famous copy that is in Washington D.C.
Afterwards we had lunch and then boarded a bus tour that allowed you to hop off at certain stops and catch the next bus that came every 45 minutes. However we took the 4:00 one and unfortunately almost everything tourist-wise closes at 5 pm in Philly, which meant we could only get off at one stop. We chose the Art Museum, but...they were just 10 minutes from closing...but we got to explore the statue garden around and see the back and front of the Museum before catching the last tour bus to finish the tour.
The tour bus was great, each bus had a tour guide who was lively, funny and very informative and gave us some really condensed mini history lessons about everywhere we went. It was really enjoyable and mind-blowing, the history of Philadelphia is phenomenal!!! I wish I could have spent at least one more day (and arrive earlier since we didn't get to Philly that day until 1 pm) and explore the National Constitution Center, the Penitentiary prison where Al Capon was once held, see the grave of Benjamin Franklin, where he used to live, and go through the Art Museum.
I took so many pictures, this blog really doesn't do any justice to how great of a time it was. It didn't help that shortly after the Museum of Art my battery died and I couldn't take any more pictures! :( But it was great and I would definitely love to come again. If any of you who are reading this ever want to visit here are some tips: 1) take at least 2 days to visit all the major things. 2) On the first day, as one of the first things in the morning, take the hop on hop off bus tour (we took The Big Bus and it was great). 3) Buy tickets to the Independence hall at the building that is across the street on the other side of the Liberty Bell museum (don't remember the name...but it's a touristy building that also has fliers and pamphlets and people who can help you with any touristy needs). 4) Eat a philly cheese-steak. it's to die for!!!
Alrighty, moving on to New York. This was much more stressful and a bit disappointing simply because it took FOREVER to get to New York, I think we arrived in the middle of Manhattan around 12:30, which meant the entire morning was wasted even though we had gotten up at 6 and left the house at 7 sharp. We missed the last connection train which would have gotten us there by 10:30, oh well. Second disappointment was when we realized that you need to reserve tickets that let you go INSIDE the Statue of Liberty at least ONE WEEK in advance. We could only get tickets that get to you Liberty Island. It wasn't terrible, my cousin was more pouty about it that I, I was actually just excited to see Lady Liberty. What a dame. She is so beautiful. As I got closer to her on the ferry I took countless pictures. When we landed ashore and got to walk around the pedestal I was constantly filled with an overwhelming sense of awe, beauty, honor, and appreciation that I came close to crying many times. I had seen her figure, her face, her silhouette, countless times, yet here I was standing before the most beautiful immortal woman in the world. She isn't static like most statues, Lady Liberty moves, forward, carrying a symbol of Light and Enlightenment, and then of Freedom to all those who were "weary and burdened", coming over the shores from the Old World.
Afterwards was the 9-11 Memorial. Another slight disappointment. You also have to reserve tickets online unless you come really early and get some of the limited tickets, but for us it was already like 2 in the afternoon. But we did get to see some other things like the memorial to the firefighters. However, I don't know if I'd want to try to see the memorial again until all the construction is done because it take up almost the whole place.
We walked over to Wall Street, however because of protests going on that were against Wall Street, they had barricaded the entire building so that you had to walk on the sidewalk across the street all the way around. So many cops all over the place! Never a dull moment in New York city!
Our next and final stop was the Empire State building. We were going to buy the regular tickets which gets you up to the 86th floor, but then upgraded to the 102nd floor ticket pass. If you ever go to the Empire state building and looking to save a bit on money, don't do the upgrade. It's only 6 floors higher and the view is from behind a window, not quite the same. Unless it's raining, not worth upgrading. You'll save yourself a bit of moola.
This is the view from the 86th floor. It's FREEEEAKY high! You see ALL of New York, some new Jersey and a smudge that is Pennsylvania. It's an AMAZING view! Truly amazing, absolutely worth all the pain we felt by now in our legs and feet. My cousin and I were exhausted and by now it was after 5 pm. There were tourists from all over the world, I heard many French, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish people around me, felt unreal. Though it was like that at the Statue of Liberty too, lots and lots of tourists.
This view is from the 102nd floor, there is Central Park if you look closely off in the distance.
There was so much more we wanted to see, like Times Square, Central Park, and the Brooklyn bridge, but it was getting late, we were so tired. We hadn't even been able to sit down and eat, everything we ate was something we could walk and eat with. We ate ice cream twice :P
By the time we finished with the Empire state building and got to the place where we could take a bus that went all the way to Philly, it was almost 7 pm. We had to wait for the bus which didn't come until 7:15 and didn't leave until 7:30. In the meantime I took some pictures of NY at night.
This is the Empire State at night, really pretty. Ignore the Brad Pitt advertisement...ugh. Anyways, we were SO tired by the time we got back to my cousin's place and now today I will be flying to France. I won't arrive until tomorrow in the afternoon so this weekend I will likely update this blog again to talk about my first few days in France, and my first day which will be in Paris all day!
~ Keep in Touch
PS: If you're an assistant, are you in France yet? if so, how long have you been there for and in general how has your experience been so far?
This is a cute and cozy coffee shop a few blocks away from where the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall is. If you're ever in town, check this place out. Really cozy inside and good selection of coffee, tea and baked goodies!
Like I mentioned, I first went to the Liberty Bell, which is in a little museum down the way from the Independence Hall where it used to hang. What surprised me the most was the symbolism of the bell and how it didn't just represent the early colonials who fought for Freedom from tyranny and oppression, but that its symbol then transformed to represent the African American slaves who fought for Freedom from oppression as well, and later on was used during World War 2 when Pearl Harbor was attacked and America went to war. In the 50's yet again the symbol of the Liberty Bell was used to represent the Women of America who fought for their Freedom and Right to vote. The Liberty Bell has become a a symbol of Liberty and in some ways even Peace, as people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have visited the Bell. The Liberty Bell is considered a sacred national treasure.
The Independence Hall was next, wow...Just wow. I couldn't believe I was walking the same halls, the same floors and the same rooms that the Founding Fathers paced countless times hundreds of years ago. To think that I was in the very room where they created and wrote the Declaration of Independence was really humbling and honoring. The tour was a little brief, but there were other buildings around to visit though my cousin and I only went through one which held the original 1 of 6 printings of the Declaration, which was the one actually made on July 4th, while the hand-written one that was signed by all the Founding Fathers, was made four days later on July 8th and is the more famous copy that is in Washington D.C.
Afterwards we had lunch and then boarded a bus tour that allowed you to hop off at certain stops and catch the next bus that came every 45 minutes. However we took the 4:00 one and unfortunately almost everything tourist-wise closes at 5 pm in Philly, which meant we could only get off at one stop. We chose the Art Museum, but...they were just 10 minutes from closing...but we got to explore the statue garden around and see the back and front of the Museum before catching the last tour bus to finish the tour.The tour bus was great, each bus had a tour guide who was lively, funny and very informative and gave us some really condensed mini history lessons about everywhere we went. It was really enjoyable and mind-blowing, the history of Philadelphia is phenomenal!!! I wish I could have spent at least one more day (and arrive earlier since we didn't get to Philly that day until 1 pm) and explore the National Constitution Center, the Penitentiary prison where Al Capon was once held, see the grave of Benjamin Franklin, where he used to live, and go through the Art Museum.
Alrighty, moving on to New York. This was much more stressful and a bit disappointing simply because it took FOREVER to get to New York, I think we arrived in the middle of Manhattan around 12:30, which meant the entire morning was wasted even though we had gotten up at 6 and left the house at 7 sharp. We missed the last connection train which would have gotten us there by 10:30, oh well. Second disappointment was when we realized that you need to reserve tickets that let you go INSIDE the Statue of Liberty at least ONE WEEK in advance. We could only get tickets that get to you Liberty Island. It wasn't terrible, my cousin was more pouty about it that I, I was actually just excited to see Lady Liberty. What a dame. She is so beautiful. As I got closer to her on the ferry I took countless pictures. When we landed ashore and got to walk around the pedestal I was constantly filled with an overwhelming sense of awe, beauty, honor, and appreciation that I came close to crying many times. I had seen her figure, her face, her silhouette, countless times, yet here I was standing before the most beautiful immortal woman in the world. She isn't static like most statues, Lady Liberty moves, forward, carrying a symbol of Light and Enlightenment, and then of Freedom to all those who were "weary and burdened", coming over the shores from the Old World. 
Afterwards was the 9-11 Memorial. Another slight disappointment. You also have to reserve tickets online unless you come really early and get some of the limited tickets, but for us it was already like 2 in the afternoon. But we did get to see some other things like the memorial to the firefighters. However, I don't know if I'd want to try to see the memorial again until all the construction is done because it take up almost the whole place.
Our next and final stop was the Empire State building. We were going to buy the regular tickets which gets you up to the 86th floor, but then upgraded to the 102nd floor ticket pass. If you ever go to the Empire state building and looking to save a bit on money, don't do the upgrade. It's only 6 floors higher and the view is from behind a window, not quite the same. Unless it's raining, not worth upgrading. You'll save yourself a bit of moola.
This view is from the 102nd floor, there is Central Park if you look closely off in the distance.There was so much more we wanted to see, like Times Square, Central Park, and the Brooklyn bridge, but it was getting late, we were so tired. We hadn't even been able to sit down and eat, everything we ate was something we could walk and eat with. We ate ice cream twice :P
By the time we finished with the Empire state building and got to the place where we could take a bus that went all the way to Philly, it was almost 7 pm. We had to wait for the bus which didn't come until 7:15 and didn't leave until 7:30. In the meantime I took some pictures of NY at night.
~ Keep in Touch
PS: If you're an assistant, are you in France yet? if so, how long have you been there for and in general how has your experience been so far?
Monday, September 19, 2011
Pretty much just 5 more days...
I've already said good-bye to the people I see at church. This is it. Just a few more people to say good-bye to before I'm up and away.
It's frightening really...I'm not so scared of what lies out there, at least I'm not scared of getting hurt or of something terrible happening. Call it being naive or faith in God, but when it comes to traveling He's always made his presence and guidance felt. So other than the general fear of the unknown, what scares me the most (if you can call it a fear) is leaving my comfort zone.
My cozy bed, my mom's bright smile, my father's arms, my brother's laughter, Cleo's soft fur, Sonny's face, my sister's fighting, Justin's dancing, grandma's cooking. Our movie nights, our addiction to CLUE, the Sunday brunch while listening to music that is usually too loud. Our gluttonous Thanksgivings, Christmas and New Year's feasts. When Amber learns something new, when Tia does something kind, when Justin speaks in sentences, when Abby is truly happy, when Artiom talks about science. These are the things that I will miss while in France and will have no way of having until I come back.
But I WILL be coming back home. The question is, what will be in France/Europe that I will then miss when I return home? Things that I should try to indulge in and experience while I can, because there's no guarantee that I will come back any time soon. So I've made a list, a To-Do list if you may, of what I should do, see and eat while in France and Europe.
1) Walk with a baguette sticking out of my purse to eat while exploring Beauvais
2) Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
3) While in rural areas, take a picture ANYTIME I see sheep!
4) Spend enough time in the Louvre to see the entire museum (even if it means coming more than once!)
5) Go to the Palace of Versailles (try to dress up in a dress that day)
6) Try new cheeses!
7) Attempt to drink French wine for lunch or dinner one day
8) If possible, use the Bike-Taxi system at least once!
9) Ask a British royal guard if the Queen is in (Buckingham Palace) today?
10) See L'Arc de Triomphe
11) Find and explore ancient Roman ruins in France
12) Go to 7 Castles or more, doesn't matter what countries they're from
13) Investigate different phone box booths, asking for the Doctor
14) Dance on London Bridge
15) Sing Ave Maria in Notre Dame (if allowed) - make sure I practice before hand
17) Go to the Bell Tower of Notre Dame if possible!
18) Chartres Cathedral. Enough said!
19) Find a big hill in Scotland, climb it, and yell "FREEDOM!!!" from the top
20) Sit at the top level of a double decker bus!
21) Perfect a type of English accent and speak in it all day for one entire day while in British Isles
22) If I can't find a Nun in traditional clothing, find a large picture/poster of it and take a picture with it
23) Go to a Doctor Who museum. I haven't googled to see if there is one, but I bet there is!
24) If possible go to France's neighboring countries: Spain, Belgium, Brussels, Italy, etc.
25) Take pictures with statues of famous historical people, even if I don't have a clue who they are.
Well that's all that I can think of for now, I will probably add to this when I arrive in France as I find out more things to do.
~ Cheers and keep in touch!
It's frightening really...I'm not so scared of what lies out there, at least I'm not scared of getting hurt or of something terrible happening. Call it being naive or faith in God, but when it comes to traveling He's always made his presence and guidance felt. So other than the general fear of the unknown, what scares me the most (if you can call it a fear) is leaving my comfort zone.
My cozy bed, my mom's bright smile, my father's arms, my brother's laughter, Cleo's soft fur, Sonny's face, my sister's fighting, Justin's dancing, grandma's cooking. Our movie nights, our addiction to CLUE, the Sunday brunch while listening to music that is usually too loud. Our gluttonous Thanksgivings, Christmas and New Year's feasts. When Amber learns something new, when Tia does something kind, when Justin speaks in sentences, when Abby is truly happy, when Artiom talks about science. These are the things that I will miss while in France and will have no way of having until I come back.
But I WILL be coming back home. The question is, what will be in France/Europe that I will then miss when I return home? Things that I should try to indulge in and experience while I can, because there's no guarantee that I will come back any time soon. So I've made a list, a To-Do list if you may, of what I should do, see and eat while in France and Europe.
1) Walk with a baguette sticking out of my purse to eat while exploring Beauvais
2) Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
3) While in rural areas, take a picture ANYTIME I see sheep!
4) Spend enough time in the Louvre to see the entire museum (even if it means coming more than once!)
5) Go to the Palace of Versailles (try to dress up in a dress that day)
6) Try new cheeses!
7) Attempt to drink French wine for lunch or dinner one day
8) If possible, use the Bike-Taxi system at least once!
9) Ask a British royal guard if the Queen is in (Buckingham Palace) today?
10) See L'Arc de Triomphe
11) Find and explore ancient Roman ruins in France
12) Go to 7 Castles or more, doesn't matter what countries they're from
13) Investigate different phone box booths, asking for the Doctor
14) Dance on London Bridge
15) Sing Ave Maria in Notre Dame (if allowed) - make sure I practice before hand
17) Go to the Bell Tower of Notre Dame if possible!
18) Chartres Cathedral. Enough said!
19) Find a big hill in Scotland, climb it, and yell "FREEDOM!!!" from the top
20) Sit at the top level of a double decker bus!
21) Perfect a type of English accent and speak in it all day for one entire day while in British Isles
22) If I can't find a Nun in traditional clothing, find a large picture/poster of it and take a picture with it
23) Go to a Doctor Who museum. I haven't googled to see if there is one, but I bet there is!
24) If possible go to France's neighboring countries: Spain, Belgium, Brussels, Italy, etc.
25) Take pictures with statues of famous historical people, even if I don't have a clue who they are.
Well that's all that I can think of for now, I will probably add to this when I arrive in France as I find out more things to do.
~ Cheers and keep in touch!
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