*45 days until I go home... that might be the most exciting thing about this day. And tomorrow's most exciting thing is that there will only be 44 days until I- not just GO home, but rather- ARRIVE AT OHARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT 4:40PM!!!
Now THAT makes me smile.
*Newsies is one of the best musicals of all time. It is a phenominal movie and sadly I think there aren't enough people who have heard about it or who have seen it. But, truly, the music is great and the story, relatively historically accurate, is endearing and inspiring... and it has a "feel good ending" that makes you smile.
*If it wasn't socially unacceptable I might sleep all day... but I should probably be productive; plus, it's sunny out... cold, but sunny.
*Globalization makes it possible to get almost anything from one country in a different country. If you're willing to pay for it you can get a Butterfinger for 2 Euros, an A&W RootBeer for 2, 50 Euro, a packet of Jell-O for 3,70 Euro... likewise in the US you can get French wine and cheese if you are willing to pay for it. And really, outside of food products, the clothes and stuff are mostly the same. The French wear more black, more stripes and more scarves. They also wear brown and black together more than the average American and flat boots are a staple in everyone's closet-- mostly because the streets are either cobble stone or uneven and crappy and thus walking in heels is virtually impossible. But the point is that all those things- black, brown, stripes, scarves and boots- are all accessable in the US, and THOSE you can find at the same prices-- anything from Kohl's or Target cheap to Designer Brand expensive. They don't have Kohl's or Target here, but there are still cheap stores if you look for them..... so.... what am I supposed to bring home as gifts or souvenirs???
*Peanut butter is far too expensive in France and so freakin' delicious.
*I went on a cooking spree the other day: I made potato soup (SO YUMMY!!! Thanks Mom and Aunt Susie for the recipe!!), Pumpkin Pie (I know it's not the season, but I promised my roommate), and Peanut Butter Blossoms-- you know, the peanut butter cookies with a Hershy Kiss in the middle- they're my favorite cookie. It was a very yummy day.
*Isn't it silly that the Europeans change their clocks 3 weeks after the Americans? We only just did it this past weekend... and I cut my nails recently so I can't get under the little knob to pull it out and change my watch... so I'm still sort of living on non-daylight savings time, haha. I should really try to fix that... :)
*Sleeping on your back really is better for you I've discovered... I'm less sore in the morning this way- thanks again Janki!!
*No one at the bar ever believes I'm American... why is that? They ALWAYS think I'm Irish or Scotish or English... I got Austrian as a first guess one time- a first guess... do I look Austrain? Are there native English speakers in Austria? And people guess outrageous things before they guess American. One guy thought that my boss, the other girl working and I were ALL from the Netherlands... like... how coincidential would it be if 3 Hollanders all worked at the same Irish pub in France? Silly French people.
* My students looking at me like I have 3 heads and wondering while I'm all green and bright today. Then, when I wish them a Happy St. Patrick's Day they respond with astonishment, "Ahhh! C'est pour ca!!!" Which basically means means, "Ohhhh! That's why!!!" to which I respond, "Oui! C'est pour ca!!", which basically means, "Yes!! That's why!" hahahaha!
* The way the women on the metro and at the bus stop look at me... like in my bright green I am offending all that is French. (more laughing)
(I think I could probably count the number of people I see each day NOT wearing black or brown... It's a sea of black with a some dark brown slipping in and a handful of people will wear something like red or dark purple. But you could probably count them all and not reach 20 in a day. And I somehow feel like green is a forbidden color because, despite the fact that I wear it regularly, no one else seems to.) :)
* So when I got off the bus and was walking to the metro I saw this guy in a bright green shirt with a shamrock on it with two older adults behind him- most likely his parents. They all spoke English. In passing I wished them a Happy St. Patrick's Day and the older gentleman turned around and said, "Same to you! God Bless Ireland!" to which I replied a relatively tacky, "Woohoo!" instead of the "Amen" that would have probably been more appropriate. That made me smile! I love people! Especially those willing to shout "God Bless" anything over their shoulder through the streets of France.
* I got a St. Paddy's Day 2009 T-shirt from my work!!! (The bar Paddy's Corner... not the lycee/high school... obviously)
* Tonight I'm going to have a quick drink at Paddy's Corner with some friends. There will be live music there, which should be fun. (Unfortunately I have to be up at 5:30 tomorrow morning, so staying out late isn't an option, but it will still be fun.)
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!
And now for some fun facts you might not have known:
St. Patrick was actually British.
The Celtic cross was created as St. Patrick superimposed the sun on the cross in order to help the pagan Irish peoples incorporate their beliefs into Catholicism.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762.
In 1848, several New York Irish aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world 's oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants.
In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17.
The tradition started in 1962, when city pollution-control workers used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges and realized that the green dye might provide a unique way to celebrate the holiday. That year, they released 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river—enough to keep it green for a week!
It has long been recounted that, during his mission in Ireland, St. Patrick once stood on a hilltop (which is now called Croagh Patrick), and with only a wooden staff by his side, banished all the snakes from Ireland. In fact, the island nation was never home to any snakes. The "banishing of the snakes" was really a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Within two hundred years of Patrick's arrival, Ireland was completely Christianized.
The Shamrock was used to symbolize the three parts of the Holy Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Spirt.
I got back from my Spain vacation on Saturday.On Sunday I started to think about what I was going to do with the 2nd week off. I had to work at Paddy’s on Sunday and Monday nights, but then I didn’t work again until Friday night… that was 3 ½ days- plenty of time to do something fun and get out of town yet again.So between watching The Office and EverAfter I thought about my options. By Monday I had made plans to go to Toulouse to see Leslie, a friend I met through Janki.(When Janki was in England Leslie (a French exchange student) was one of her roommates.Leslie had come to visit Janki in Chicago and we all went out salsa dancing.)I bought tickets and Tuesday morning I was on a 5 hour train to Toulouse.
Leslie’s parents are super nice and brought us home-made food for the 3 nights I was there!! We had beef bourguignon that first night with chocolate mouse for dessert. YUMMY!Her friend Greg had stopped by to pick something up and so he joined us for dinner and the three of just enjoyed a leisurely night in.
Because of Leslie’s school schedule we had to be out of the house around 8AM and since there was only one key I would be out exploring the town all day- until around 6ish when she would get home from classes. So, with the marvelous map she had drawn for me the night before, I headed in the direction of the Tourist office in the center of town. I got there with about 30 minutes to kill before they opened so I wandered into the main square there in front of the Hotel de Ville (mayor’s office) where they were setting up the market. Slowly, as I circled around the square, more and more tents were popping up and trucks full of purses, books, carpets, makeup, clothing, African drums, paintings, kitchen supplies and anything else you could think of were all being unloaded in preparation for the morning’s sales. I decided I didn’t need any of these things, but a coffee might be nice. :)
I went in search of a little café and in France that’s not a very hard task. I sat down with my croissant and my café au lait and watched people come in and of the little boulangerie. People-watching is so great!I love when someone comes up to the counter and they really want to buy the sweet thing- they keep looking at it like they want it- and then they order plain ordinary (well, not ordinary, bread is never ordinary in France) loaves of bread. It’s so interesting to watch as they almost look dejected walking out of the bakery… but it was their choice not to buy the sweet thing… and they could have had it, but some little voice in their head told them not to. What a sad story really… I’m glad I usually don’t let that little voice get a hold of me… sweet pastries in France are just too good to pass up!
Around 9:00 I left my post at the people-watching station and headed to the now-open tourist office. I picked up a real map of the area and asked where all the important places to see were.
After picking up the map at the tourist office I checked out the inside of the Hotel de Ville. I didn't realize you could do this, but it was open to the public. It was nice with paintings and statues and whatnot.
Then I headed up Rue du Taur towards the Basilique St-Sernin. What I quickly discovered is that Toulouse is a GREAT city for tourists who didn't do their homework ahead of time. All the information provided along the streets and at each "tourist spot" is so detailed and historical! It was great! I particularly liked the info they provided on this one side entrance where they had to redo some of the detailing-- but they told you who the people were and what was going on, which most the time you don't know. The inside of the Basilicia was nice too. I left out a different door a tthe back of church, made a circle around it and took a few more pictures before heading back down Rue du Taur towards the Place du Capitole. From there I took a right down Rue Rominguieres and stopped at a dance and music book shop. They had some really cool things in there and I impromtu decided to purchase on book on Fred Astaire. I figured it'd be fun to read in French when I get home and can't speak it anymore :) Then I took a left down Rue Lakanal to get to the Couvent des Jacobins. It was a large open space and you could still see some of the decorative wall paint. The neatest part was this huge column in the middle that was surrounded with a table of glass- it made for some really cool pictures!!
After leaving there I wanted to walk along the quai so I headed towards La Garonne, the river. The other side of the river, along with the old bridge further along, look like a snapshot of history- very Romanesque with the arches, but built with brick, so kind of a rusty-red color. I walked along the river and past the Eglise de la Daurade, which wasn't open, so I couldn't go in. I continued further on to check on the two museums the woman at the tourist office had pointed out to me: the first I came upon was Hotel d'Assezat Fondation Bemberg and the second was Musee des Augustins. I had heard it was going to rain for the two days I was in Toulouse, so I figured, while it wasn't raining, I would continue walking and perhaps tomorrow I would check out the museums.
So I continued on my way along Rue de Metz until I came upon Cathedrale St-Etienne. This is probably the strangest church I've ever been in. At one point in history someone started builing a large choire section for the church- their intention was build this great new section, then to tear down the old portion and finish the rest of the church in the new style. That never happened. So what's left is two completely different styles splitting the Cathedral in two. That's not even the strangest part- what's really wacky is that the guy who wanted to redo the whole thing also apparently wanted to move it slightly West. So the current structure is not a straight line from the Alter (or Apse) down to the Nave... it's a zig-zag of sorts.
After leaving the craziest chruch I'd ever been in I took a side street to land me directly in front of the Monument aux Morts- a monument for those who have died in war. From there I walked down the path in the middle of the busy street towards the Grand Rond, which made me laugh A LOT when I thought about the Ground Round dinner sitting in the middle of this little park, haha. :) The Canal du Midi is famous for connecting the Atlantic to the Mediteranean. So, naturally, I had to see it. But sadly, it's not that special. I walked along it for a while before deciding that I was STARVING after all this walking around!! I headed back towards the hotel de ville area to grab a sandwich. It was about a this point when I realized I was really cold! It was chilly out and having been in and out of un-heated churches and out in the open all day I was ready to go inside somewhere. I decided a movie was just what I needed. So I headed back to Place Wilson and saw L'etrange histoire de Benjamin Button (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) for 3,80Euro!! SO CHEAP! Of course the popcorn and whatnot is always the most expensive part but I just can't go to a movie without a little popcorn. :) By the time the film was over it was time for me to head back to the apartment. When I got back Leslie and I ate another delicious home-made meal and then got dressed and headed out quickly for a salsa lesson at 8pm. We got there a few minutes late after confused directions lead us astray, but we still were able to participate. The course was fun and lasted an hour. We danced about 3 dances after the class finished and then were picked up by some friends of hers and we drove to the other side of town to go to a completely different, much more chill, bar. I intoduced Leslie to the deliciousness of Baileys and we even took a Baby Guiness shot (Kalua and Baileys- yum!) It was a fun but short night out as everyone else had classes the next day. So we walked home (about 20 minutes) and then of course, stayed up chatting :) Such is the life of les filles (girls).
Despite being on vacation, morning came bright and early on Thursday. We were out of the apartment by 8:15 and on our way- her to class, me to town for more touristy stuff. It was colder today than it had been the day before. I bundled up and walked to a church I had seen from a distance but been too hungry to investigate on Wednesday. The doors were closed but a notice was posted saying they'd be open at 9:00. So I went to a cafe, ordered a chocolat chaud and a croissant, pulled out my book and waited. At 9 I went on in. It was a nice church. The church itself was nothing special but they had these sculpted stations of the cross that were really impressive. And I like churches in general, especialy when they're free to get into... stupid Spain.
I had decided that I wanted to see one of the art museums today and since it was so cold and the movies here were so cheap, another film wouldn't kill me. So I checked the times for the movies and as it turned out it made more sense to see the movie first (the museum closed for lunch, so going in the morning wouldn't give me as much time). I waited outside the theatre for them to open-- which seemed to take an eternity and they only opened the doors about 10 minutes before the 1st set of movies started! (I was clearly frustrated... remember, it's cold out!) This time I saw Ce que pensant les hommes- which directly translated is "What men are thinking" but it's American title is "He's just not that into you." It was good, cute, chick-flicky and feel good.
I ate lunch in a little restuarant/cafe- very relaxing! And then headed to Musee des Augustins. The building was an old monestary so it was, in itself, absolutely gorgeous with a nice open cloister and all. Wonderfuly enough, there were heaters in all the rooms so it wasn't like walking around in an old church despite the fact that that was basically what I was doing. There were some really nice peices in there that I really liked- mostly the sculptures.
When I was done exploring the museum but still had time to kill and didn't want to go outside, I sat on a ledge inside a part of the museum and read my book. When I got sick of reading I pulled out a deck of cards and played some solitaire. I was a little nervous that they would tell me I couldn't do that, but I was quiet and they left me alone. It was fun. :)
I went back to Leslie's apartment but she wasn't there yet so I went inside the huge library that is right next to her place and found the International Herald to read. It's good to keep up with the news... I fail all to often at that.
When she got home we had dinner and then headed out one last time- there had been talk of other bars with her friends, but they backed out so it was just the two of us and so we headed back to the salsa bar we had been at briefly the night before. At first we stood around a lot-- we hadn't been there at the start and sometimes the good dancers want to see if you dance well before asking you to dance. Not having that opportunity we stood around and waited. Finally we both got asked to dance and it was good fun from that point on.
Just before leaving I danced with this guy who accidently elbowed me in the face while we were dancing... it was getting too crowded and he was more of a beginner. He appologized profusely... it hurt for a couple days, but no bruising, all was well. haha.
The next morning I had an early train to catch in order to get back to Lyon in time for work. I said goodbye to Leslie and to Toulouse. It started to rain as I went to the train station-- luckily for me it had held off that long. :)
Sometimes I wish I could record my inner monologue. I just really appreciate my thought process and the way they are so much more poetic than what usually comes out later when I try to describe what I was thinking or what I saw… but since I’m still feeling rather pensive, I’m going to try nonetheless.
A few weeks ago I was speaking with a friend of mine here and we were talking about how we are in two totally different places: I am ready to go home for so many reasons; She is prepared to stay here for a very very long time. She said to me that she is amazed each day that she lives here, in this beautiful city of Lyon; that THIS is her home. I sadly realized that its beauty had slipped out of view and I looked at the city with dread and despair. I’ve been thinking about that a lot since then. I decided that I needed to be on the lookout of Lyon’s beauty- where had it gone?
This being in the back of my head for a few weeks now, I decided a short time ago that one of these days I should walk home from the train station after work instead of taking the bus. It had occurred to me that I spend all my time on buses, metros and trains, in Amberieu and in my apartment. Perhaps Lyon’s beauty wasn’t hiding from me, perhaps I was hiding from it. Today, despite the light right, or maybe because of it, was that day.
I left the train station as normal and as I was walking to the bus stop I decided that I would walk home. The rain was light, the weather was warm enough; there would always be a reason to wait for another day… why not just do it today? So I walked down the street that my bus usually takes. I looked in shop windows; I stopped at a Chocolaterie and bought Hoho-looking thing that was just ok- not the best chocolate I’d ever had, but hey, an experience; I passed about a dozen hair cut places, a dozen pharmacies and a dozen jewelry stores. I walked in the light rain in search of Lyon’s beauty.
I was thinking of getting on the bus and heading home around the time I got to the Rhone. I decided to cross it and get on the metro on the other side- faster. But as I went to cross the river, I found Lyon’s beauty. Here it was: the water, the trees lining the quai, the quai itself, the architecture of the buildings that frame that greenish blue constantly-flowing body. This is where Lyon’s beauty lies, I thought. Here it is, for all to see. For me to see. I stood there on the bridge taking it in, letting the image soak into me like the rain water into my not-so-waterproof shoes. When I started walking again I decided not to take the metro afterall, but to continue walking.
I continued up the quai and then was pleasantly surprised to find FLOWERS!! One of the reasons I have had such a hard time finding beauty I think is because there is almost no GREEN in Lyon—there is a big park in the corner of town and everywhere else they take away the grass and lay down pavement or rust-colored stones. Sad. But here, in between the two sides of the busy street along the river, there was a median filled with green! And not just green, yellow too! And slightly further down MORE flowers had recently been planted. Here it was, more of Lyon’s hidden beauty. Flowers make me smile.
I remembered this place- the 3rd day I was in Lyon I left my safety zone of the Croix-Rousse and walked down the hill to explore Lyon. I had walked the quai until this very spot- from the other direction- and I turned in at this very spot to see a passageway that was stunningly beautiful in its antiquity. The passage and been beautiful to me on that day; it had made me smile and gave me hope for an amazing future ahead. 6 months have gone by and that passageway did no less for me today than it had all that time ago. I smiled and I saw the beauty that I had once appreciated. I reveled in it.
It was at about this time that I decided my heels were starting to hurt (baby heels) and my toes were getting cold from the wet soaking though my shoes and socks. It was finally time to head back to the apartment. But now with a lighter feeling in my heart. I would remember this day and I would be glad. I leave here in 51 days… for the next 51 days I need to remember where I am and to see the beauty in it.
That was, a peu pres, my inner monologue on my way home. But this contemplativeness started much earlier in the day than that. I’m going home in 51 days. And that is so so so so EXCITING!!! For so many reasons!! But I know I’m going to get home and realize that there are things about here that I miss. So I have decided to start thinking of these things now, so I can embrace and enjoy each and every moment of these last 51 days that I can. :)
The List:
*Telling people I live in Lyon and work in Amberieu-en-Bugey and having them tell me it’s really far away… it’s a 25 min. train ride. :) *Having size be so controlled- because of history, culture and necessity *The sneaky ways to get “American” products and the excitement that insues when they are found, not even bought, just found! *The daily train rides- they’re so relaxing and having an hour to myself each day has been lovely! *Hearing French *Speaking French *Pastries and Boulangeries and cheese and inexpensive, delicious wine *The constant feeling that life is an adventure and the knowledge that everyday is different *Everything old *The special- homey feeling that comes when speaking English *My friends *The mountains *Dressing like a professional *The simultaneous freedom and frustration that comes with NOT being in control (examples: Administration, Transportation, Food Preparation, etc.) *The closeness that city-living provides for “going out” activities and the ease for meeting up with friends *Big wide windows with no screens *Shutters that block out all the light and let you sleep ‘till noon or 1:00 if you want to. *The feeling/knowledge that I’m experiencing something special that has already and will continue to change me and shape me *Jam of all flavors… I might cry when I have to return to Smuckers Squeezable Grape Jelly *The wander-able beauty that is Lyon :) *the free time *the rivers *the faces and gestures that French people make that make me laugh *And, of course, the “oh la la!!!” Life might just feel slightly incomplete without it :)
Kim and I had been told that Frigilliana was one of the most beautiful little towns in Andalucía.Known as the “WhiteVillage” and set in the mountains, it sounded like a must-see.So, with Kim at the wheel once again, we headed to the nearby village and were pleased that this was how we had chosen to spend our morning! It is apparently written in their laws that the town has to be kept up in its traditional style.We could see some touch-up painting being done to keep these beautiful villas in shape and almost blinding white.The winding streets and the scenery surrounding the village made for a wonderfully relaxing and gorgeous walk.
We had heard that Nerja was also a nice place to see- right up on the water- so we got back in the car and made a quick jog down to the beach. As it turns out, Nerja is actually a pretty big place. And since we were planning on eating lunch with Robert and Mercedes for our last day, we simply did a walk along the beach, again enjoying the warm sun, and then headed back to the car- not really exploring the expansive town.
We got back to Villa Mercedes and our hosts weren’t exactly ready to eat, so Kim and I took a towel and a book and headed out the back door to go lay on the beach for an hour.With the wind it was slightly chilly, but still so lovely!! Then we headed in and enjoyed lunch with our fabulous hosts. :)
We had planned a hiking outing for the afternoon.Emily, the Spanish assistant (see blog from Spain-Tuesday), had originally planed to go with us, but as her plans changed she gave us the name of the place we had thought to take us and wished us luck.We used trusty google maps for directions again and headed on our way.
It was at this point that we decided that Round-abouts weren’t sources of anxiety, but were more like a breath of reassurance. Round-abouts are full of signs telling you what is in each direction. And unlike a cross-roads in the States, if you don’t know where to go, you don’t have to block traffic or make a quick decision that turns out to be wrong and then find a place to turn around… no no no! You can just go around and around until you figure out where you need to go!! How wonderful!! They are also places to turn around when the roads themselves are too narrow for u-turns and there aren’t any turn offs.Round Abouts are wonderful things!
So… taking a little bit longer than google maps let on, we made it to what we think is where Emily was telling us to go. We parked the car and headed up to find the path. We started out ok, on what we believed was a path. But it became apparent relatively quickly that this was not actually a path… well, at least it wasn’t intended to be one.We were hiking/climbing up a rather steep portion of the mountain-side that looked sort of like an avalanche path with plenty of loose rocks to be watchful of. It might have been smarter, once we realized we weren’t on a path, to go back down the short distance we had gone up and try again. But no! That would be quitting! We had started; we would just make our own path and enjoy ourselves!! We saw a deer and decided we would try to get up to where he had been.Except that the further we climbed, the further away that point, or the top for that matter, seemed to be… and we just continued to climb, realizing that going down was going to really really suck!! Hahaha.
But then, like a beam of light to the lost, we saw something man-made! A Hut!! That HAD to mean that there was a path afterall! Anything had to be easier to go down than this!! We made it up to the hut and sure enough- footprints everywhere!! YAY!As it turns out there is some sort of water system someone is installing up there- there is a pipe that runs a course around the side of the mountain and we could hear the water flowing through it.
It hadn’t been the easiest climb/hike, but it was so worth it!! The view was amazing!!
Then it was a matter of finding out how to get down… there was the path that the water pipe took, but we could see it follow the mountain side and it didn’t look like it went down anywhere… there was another path that was less frequented, but there were a few footprints… we decided to try that. Remember, we also had the goal of not just getting down the mountain, but getting down somewhere near the car. :)
As it turned out, we had discovered the right path for heading down.Following footprints as guides along the not-very-well-kept path we made our way down. Turning around to look back up at the path we were supposed to have taken up, we knew why we had not found it in the first place: 1. it didn’t really look like a path… just a spot in the woods that had a little less growth and not too many rocks… and 2. there was a gigantic fallen tree of the start. Oh well, our way was more of an adventure anyway :)
A little tired and thirsty from our hike we stopped in the nearby town for a coke. The fun part of this town is that the streets all go in one direction—you enter the city from one side and exit from the other. We had to drive through it to get to the hiking path and when returning we found we had to take an external road to get back to the other side of the town and re-enter. Kind of neat/funny.
There also seemed to be old ladies in groups of 3 everywhere! When we first drove through, at the round-about at the very end of the town, there had been 3 old ladies just hanging out on the side of the road.We saw those same three ladies walking back towards town as we were driving back for our coke.Then another group of three old ladies walking along the street; then after the coke, one more group of three old ladies walking—these ones all with matching shirts (different colors, same style).It was pretty amusing.It’s the town of 3 women.:)
We drove back to Villa Mercedes, packed up our bags so we would be ready to leave early the next morning, then headed out with Mercedes and Robert to a dance show they had bought us tickets for!! (Talk about sweet!!!)It was a Tango-Jazz concert put on by a Argentinian dance troupe that had been working and traveling in Spain for a few years now. It was very interesting and while Kim and I enjoyed it, I’m not so sure Robert did and Mercedes didn’t like it at all. Being the ballet-snob I have recently discovered I am I realized that I understood what happened much better than my cohorts and I ended up explaining a few things… the relationships and the details of what was going on… there was a whole drug-doing portion of the concert (present in several pieces) that went over a lot of heads I think… oh well. I found it interesting. :)
We returned home, had a delicious BLT (or Bacon, lettuce and Cheese for Kim and I since we don’t like Tomatoes), watched a little news and then hit the hay. It had been an absolutely stellar week!!! But the taxi back to the bus station and airport was coming early on Saturday morning- and thus our adventure came to an end.
In the taxi the following morning I said goodbye to the sun and the sea in recognition of my return to the grey chill that is Lyon.What an all around marvelous week it had been!
Quotes from the trip:
“Sunglasses aren’t gonna do anything against this mother!”
“Tengo una problema… ingles?”
“I think the beer was back that way” – says the guy inside the palace at Alhambra
“Guapa”- frog-like voice of the old man in the street… twice! Plus the guard at Alhambra—all to Kim, the beautiful one :)
“For you Princess” – and the waiter hands me a pink carnation
Kim and I wanted to have a full day in Granada, so we got up early and were out even before Mercedes was out of bed.Kim, the chauffeur for the trip, managed the foreign roads very well despite being a little nervous to start things off. Round-abouts were a source of anxiety for some time. But with decent directions compliments of Google and good road signs (compliments of the Spanish governmental department in charge of roadways I’m sure), we made it :)
We had bought our tickets for the Alhambra the night before online, so we pulled into the parking area and went in search of where we needed to pick up said tickets. It was probably the easiest thing ever! You just put in the credit card on which the tickets were purchased and it spit out the tickets- nothing else needed. So great! Our entry time was for 1:30 or so, so we planned to go down into Granada for the morning.
We caught the bus down, found a map (YAY!) and tried to go to the Cathedral we had heard was nice. We were disappointed again that the Catholic Church has decided to ask people to pay to get into a House of God… I’m not paying 3,50 Euros to see a church; Being budget-conscious travelers who have seen plenty of churches in our travels, we decided to spend our money instead on tea we found just outside the church. This guy had about 28 buckets with assorted teas and spices outside his shop, in which there were more teas and spices. It was a site to see for the colors if nothing else! The paprika was so vibrant and everything smelled so good! Kim and I picked out two teas that smelled/looked good and different than things we can get at regular stores and decided this was a much better choice than seeing the inside of a church. :)
We continued our wandering and found the university there as well as some neat narrow streets. We took a few pictures as we enjoyed the architecture and layout of this ancient European city. We knew that we had to eat before we went back up to the Alhambra, so we headed back in the direction of a nice, sunny square where we had seen several restaurants. We picked one and ordered.Despite the mix up that Kim ordered onion soup and was given shellfish soup, it was a decent meal. The one the day before in Malaga had been better, but not bad.
We knew we were getting short on time so we paid and caught the next bus up to the castle/fortress.By this time it was warming up quite a bit and so we made a quick stop back at the car to drop off our coat/sweater as well as the tea. We went back to where we thought the entrance was and were confused that we couldn’t find it. We asked a woman who looked at us as if we were ridiculously stupid and said that we only had 10 minutes to get in and that it takes 15 minutes to walk to the entrance that we needed. We would, she claimed, never make it.We asked the rude lady to point us in the right direction and we RAN to the Palace (Palais) entrance. Luckily for us, we made it.Once we were in the Palace, we could explore everything else at our leisure- it’s just the palace that you have to be at ON TIME!
It was amazing! I estimate that to carve out one 4 in tile with that
amount of detail would take a minimum of 3 solid hours, maybe more… Lord knows I have no experience in how long it takes to carve out tiles like that.
But can you imagine? Entire rooms filled with these tiles? Room after room with that amount of detail? And then to
see the remaining paint in a few places and to realize that after taking all that time to carve out the detailed
patterns that they then painstakingly painted the intricacies of those details!? Unbelievable!
As you exit the palace you enter into the PalaceGardens, which I’m sure would be lovelier in the spring when the flowers are all blooming, but it was still nice. And as the sun continued to rise in the sky, beating down on us without a cloud in its way, the warmth of the day made up for the lack of flowers. :)
We laughed at signs for Generalife (pronounce it like an American… then imgine yourself in the middle of
Spain… kinda funny, right?) over and over again, speculating at what this could possibly be… was it a part of the Alhambra bought out by an insurance company and renamed for publicity purposes? Or was it a part of the
palace/fortress where the General lives? Or where the general people live? Our preferred explanation was, of course, the insurance company… Generalife? Hadn’t we even heard that name for an insurance company before?
As it turns out, it’s pronounced Henera-leefé … we are in Spain afterall… and it’s the General’s quarters and personal gardens… this is information we received from Robert once we returned home much later. This, too, made us laugh.
We drove back to TorreDel Mar through the amazing scenery of Andalucía, watching the sun set over the Sea as we got closer to the house. So beautiful!
We enjoyed more ham and cheese for dinner- it was becoming a delicious habit- plus a salad and, when we were still hungry after spending a very full day with lots of walking and energy-spending, a bowl a cereal finished off our dinner quite nicely.
Kim and I had previously made plans with Emily, the Spanish assistant (see Spain-Tuesday blog), to go into Malaga and party it up.Total Fail.The comfort of sweatpants and a nice warm blanket set in and there was no alternative from that point on. And besides, sometimes it’s more fun to hang with Mercedes and Robert anyway. :)
Alright, Wow.It has been FAR FAR FAR too long since I’ve been blogging/journaling. Usually I would try to jot down a few things- even in my private journal- about what’s going on so that I can come back later and try to give some details to it. FAIL- I haven’t written down anything… so sadly, what is going to be written now will be only what my selective mind chooses to remember.
The outline for the updates that need to be done- in chronological order:
Finish Spain!!
Thursday- Granada and the Alhambra
Friday- Frijiliana and Nerja, lunch with Mercedes and Robert, hiking, dance show
Toulouse!!
Wednesday- tourist + a movie, then salsa lesson and out with Leslie’s friends
Thursday- movie + museum, then more salsa
Home cooked food the whole time J
Normal week:
Andrew came in for the weekend
Work
i.Paddy’s like normal
ii.Bac Blanc at the lycee
1st private ballet lesson w/ Abby
Bible Study Meeting
Friday night in Amberieu with Philippe/ Spectacle Rehearsal
Lucy’s birthday Saturday night
Missed train on Tuesday- no work
Study
Bagel lunch w/ Michelle, Kim and one of Kim’s friends
1st Bible Study on Romans here at the Apartment
Thursday- Carnival Day at the lycee; students all dressed up + spectacle
Thursday- Sunday:
Dinner w/ Andrea on Thursday night
Make-up class on Friday then a brief salsa outing then calling home late late late at night J
Friday:
i.Ballet lesson w/Abby
ii.College research with the BTS boys
iii.Called Aunt Susie J
iv.Work at Paddy’s—Andrea, her friend, Marine, Kim, Lucy, Lucy’s friend all come to see me at work—I make kick-ass Mojitos now J
Sunday- brunch, blog (finally), work @ Paddy’s
Wow!! Is THAT ever a list!!!So some of that doesn’t need further explanation, and if you feel like you’ve been thoroughly updated on my life and need nothing further (which truly wouldn’t offend me in the slightest!! Remember that I blog/journal just as much for myself as for you all), simply ignore the entries that follow for a while. I’m hoping to get through a bunch today… one can always hope J
I fail at brief and I love to express myself- in written word, in endless chatter, in dance.
I am living in France, teaching English and traveling as much as I can. Here you will find my ramblings on my travels, my daily life and my thought processes. I write for me, but I open myself up for you.
