I haven't really seen daylight save for walking back and forth between my house and my classrooms for the past month now. I have had major assignments due multiple times a week, and I still have to write about 20 pages before I'm done with my semester... in a week.
But, the reason I brought that up is this: for the first well, more than half of my abroad program, I had little to do except "cultural experiences" and the occasional reading or ungraded writing assignment, leading into a week long break called "Toussaint" (All Saint's Day). Most of the abroad students, including myself, were excited to jet away on extravagant European adventures. It is for that reason that I am providing a retrospective of the travelling I've done in France and in the rest of Europe. It's a good way to procrastinate, at least.
October 23 - Bruges, Belgium
You've all seen the movie "In Bruges", right? You know, with Colin Farrel and that guy who played Mad Eye Moody in Harry Potter? Well, that was about all I knew about the city before I went. And while it was cold and rainy while I was there, I absolutely loved it. The food was incredible, with a specialty of Mussels and Fries that is absolutely to die for. The architecture was gorgeous and unique - unlike the homogenized beauty of Paris. I had a great time wandering around, getting lost and realizing it wasn't so bad because Bruges is small enough to walk across in less than an hour, and dodging horse-drawn carriages every few minutes as they clomped down the street. The most interesting thing I found, though, was the intense political and cultural differences even within Belgium - right now, the country is divided between the Flemards and French-speaking Belgium, and Bruges was very clearly Flemish. As a francophone nation, I waltzed into shops using my very best french, only to be greeted with grimaces and people requesting that I speak English with them. Literally, if you are French or you speak it, you aren't welcome.
October 24 - Brussels, Belgium
More great food! Waffles, chocolates, beer (clearly it's own food group) galore! While still rainy, Brussels was slightly bigger than Bruges, with much more to do. The streets were filled with mural and great found-art, flea markets, and street performers. It was actually a lot "weirder" than I thought it would be, which I definitely appreciated. It was a city with it's own personality and plenty of sights to see. I paid a visit to the Magritte museum and saw there great permanent collection of the Artist, and by night went on a mission to taste as many Belgian beers as possible. My personal favorite was the Framboise, which tasted like raspberry soda - perfect for someone with unrefined taste like me, right? To the left is one of Brussel's most famous "monuments", the Mannekin Pis, which is literally a fountain with a statue of a little boy peeing into it. Not only really classy, but definitely the most crowded place I went to in Brussels. Overall, I was really pleased with my experience in Brussels - plus, they let me speak French there with no problems.
October 25-27 - Barcelona, Spain
Weather wise, Barcelona was a welcome surprise and break from the rest of my travels. Not only was it 70 degrees and sunny the whole time, but the entire city was just beautiful. Several times, I thought to myself that had I started taking Spanish instead of French, I would have loved to study abroad in Barcelona. The city is teeming with culture and spirit, something that is sometimes lacking in Paris. It was completely evident that there is a passion somewhere in the roots of this city, and it shows in every building, every painting, every person dressed as a Flamenco dancer on the side of the road. On our first day in Spain, we walked around the city to get our bearings, then walked along the beach for as long as we could - the beach, while definitely a hot tourist spot, was so, so what I needed - dipping my toes into the water and collecting seashells as I went, watching the waves crash on the beach higher and higher and higher... plus visiting some of the Gaudi architecture (like the plaza pictured left) was just amazing. They've got something real good going in Barcelona, which is why I'm more than excited to be going back (plus a few more cities in Spain, and Morocco) in the Spring. I couldn't stay away from Europe for too long, right?
October 28-31 - London, England
This leg of the trip was all about seeing friends from all over that have found themselves in London. It was my first time being in an English speaking country for a while, and I really welcomed the ability to communicate. And while I spent less time doing all of the touristy things and more time basking in the company of those I love, it was a highly successful trip. I liked eating greasy pub food, wandering around the luscious green space (that is clearly lacking in Paris) in Regent's park, and watching silly British guards on horseback.
November 5-6 - Bourgogne Region of France
After taking a nice long break of 5 days with no travelling, I hit the road again the next weekend to visit the region of Bourgogne, along with 50 or so other "youths". My first stop was to the tiny village of Chablis, which admittedly doesn't have much going on, but is an incredibly beautiful place to visit for a couple of hours. We started off our time with a "tour", which was essentially a guy named Christophe taking out a map and leading us through public parks to kill time. Chablis is most well known for their wine (go figure), and luckily we were treated to a wine tasting in a cold, dark cellar. Chablis is a white, dry wine, and is best when aged for no more than a few years. I think it is one of the best wine's I've had, so of course I picked up a bottle to share with my parents when they arrive, despite the fact that the man who owned the cellar was clearly racist and sexist (his comment "good wine is like a beautiful woman with no make-up - you don't need to cover it up. But a bad wine is like an ugly woman - no matter how much makeup you put on, it's still ugly" was a slight indication).
The next leg of the trip was to Vézelay, a town slightly bigger than Chablis, but just as quiet. It was there that I had my first magical experience with a Croque-Madame, the delicious french version of a grilled cheese sandwich, but with ham on the inside, and a beautiful, delicious runny egg on the outside. Miam miam miam! My friends and I tried to tough out a two hour walking tour, but couldn't quite make it through, so instead took a detour to see a little of that infamously beautiful French countryside Vézelay, and boy, was it worth it.
After leaving Vézelay, we spent the night in the city of Dijon, most well known for (you guessed it!) Dijon mustard. The city itself was full of great food, beautiful sights, and a lot of mustard shops, but the highlight of the trip came from the night we spent in our hotel. Instead of finding "culturally significant" things to partake in, Morgan, Holly, Clare, and I decided that the more appropriate thing to do would be to buy a couple bottles of wine, some chocolate, and some cookies - and have at it. You can take the girls out of America, but you can't take America out of the girls...
December 1-4 - Berlin, Germany
Berlin is silmultaneously one of the most beautiful, most interesting, and coldest places I have ever been in my life. I think it speaks to the city when I didn't find it troubling to walk for four hours in -10 degrees Celsius weather, in the snow, just to listen to a guided tour. The city, though, has just got this incredible recent and tangible history that it keeps alive on every corner. They refuse to forget what happened there, which I think is not only admirable but extremely powerful even as an outsider. In my few short days in Berlin, I was able to see the all of the major talking points (Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, etc.) as well as a great exhibit on "Hitler's Germany" at the German Natural History Museum, and a deep look into the details of the holocaust at "The Topography of Terror". It was fascinating to see that out of the somber nature of the city's history, Berlin has picked up a new and modern vibrancy - they have not let a tough past stifle their progression as a culture. We went to a modern art museum that brought tears to my eyes with certain pieces, notably a series of photos and letters relating the comforting "home" we all know to the "home" of those housed in Guantanamo Bay. No worries though, for all of the intellectual stimulation there was an equal amount of "fun" - visiting Christmas markets, eating sausages and pretzels, finding a neat bar where everything was upside-down. Berlin - two thumbs way up.
So there you have it. My travels are momentarily halted while I scramble to finish final papers, but soon enough I will be jetting off to Amsterdam and Florence for the holidays. More to come soon (I promise, as there is much to say). À toute de suite!
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