Change du cavalier!

I went to a senior club the other day for a ball.  Okay, it was a guy playing guitar and a bunch of people dancing, but it was called a ball.  It was really great to see them all having such a good time!  They were excited about the songs and dancing with each other, and it was a really festive atmosphere.  I had a lot of fun dancing too, although I’m pretty horrible at following people.  One person called me out on it and said “what are you doing?”…I think it was clear I was dancing.  It was also awkward because I was taller than most of them, so spinning around required some flexible moves on my part. 

There were a lot of line dances which were pretty amusing, including a Spanish one that talks about a grandmother who drinks and smokes all the time (la abuela bebe la abuela fuma), and one dance where the singer would announce to change partners (change du cavalier!).  It made me kind of sad that our generation doesn’t dance like that, and I wonder what it will be like for us when we’re older…will we learn that style of dancing and listen to classics?  Or will we be grinding to Get Low?  (I hope not…that sounds weird). 

They also had a snack in the afternoon (so cute!) where they distributed small croissants and pastries.  I said I didn’t want any because I wasn’t hungry, but this one guy was pretty insistent.  And after I said no several times, he asked the director of the club if I could put them in my purse.  And she said sure.  I didn’t even want them in my purse…but he said “it’s okay, everybody does it, put it in your purse!”  I was pretty embarrassed, so he took me into the hallway and wrapped it in napkins and gave it to me to put in my purse.  And I noticed a lot of other people did it as well, which made me kind of sad.  I’ve definitely done it before (yay for dining halls), but for some reason it felt worse seeing older people do it…like they weren’t sure where or when they’d get their next meal.  It’s good not to waste food though!   

Beer and Pretzels (Berlin)

We took a 5-hour train to Berlin from Prague.  It was a really good deal (29 euros)! We bought it on a Czech site and didn’t see an option to reserve seats, so it was a little stressful when people would come in and say we were in their seats, but it worked out, and we only had to move a couple of times.  It was also stressful when the conductor was mad at us because we had folded our papers and ruined the barcode.  The paper says don’t fold the barcode (and we didn’t! we folded at the midpoint of the paper), and she couldn’t scan our tickets.  Other passengers told us we were very lucky because in the olden days, they would have kicked us off the train.

Eventually, we got to Berlin and met up with my friend Alette.  The first day was pretty low-key: we went up the TV tower to have a panoramic view of Berlin, and then we went to a beer garden to drink beers and eat pretzels.  It was delicious!

The next day, we walked around the city, went to the Berlin wall, Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Holocaust memorial.  We had trouble (once again) identifying the important monument…the Berlin Wall wasn’t what we were expecting.  There wasn’t a sign (ok, it was clear that it was a giant wall), and there was a lot of graffiti and paintings on the wall.  The art was really good, and it seems like it’s a nice way to draw attention to all the events surrounding WWII.

The Holocaust memorial was very interesting (and depressing).  It seemed industrial and had lots of large concrete blocks of varying sizes arranged in a grid pattern.  Underneath the memorial, there was a museum which recounted the history of WWII and told the stories of many Jews killed in the Holocaust.  One room was all dark and just showed the person’s name, year of birth, and year of death on a big screen and then told their story in a few sentences in German and then in English.  It was pretty moving.

We also visited the museum at Checkpoint Charlie, and it was overwhelming and packed with information (and tourists).  Checkpoint Charlie was a crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.  The museum had lots of stories about the history of the wall, how people escaped East Berlin and the lives of those who helped escapees.  It’s definitely one of the best historical museums I’ve visited.

Museum Island was not very exciting.  There was a lot of construction going on, and it was a bit hard to navigate.  But we did find an amazing pizza place nearby, 12 Apostel, which had pizzas named after the apostles.  Delicious!

When we were walking around Berlin, we paused at a kebab place to get some waters and consult our maps before taking the metro.  We were under a bridge and walked into the metro station when Lisa said “Ew, what is that?” because something dripped on her shoulder. Alette said “It’s probably just water,” but then Lisa said “No…it’s brown.”  We looked up, and a giant evil pigeon was staring down at us.  And Lisa had a lot of white and brown poop on her jacket and in her hair.  I had always thought bird poop was all white!  Anyway, I went back into the kebab store and asked if I could have some water and napkins because my friend got pooped on.  The owner was confused and only spoke German.  Luckily, the amused man next to me translated (I wonder if it was a direct translation?) and we got a cup of water and paper towels.  Lisa was a very good sport about it!  And she didn’t wear her jacket the rest of the day.

There was a positive turn of events when we found a Ritter Sport chocolate shop.  I had never had the chocolate before, but it is so addicting! Be warned.  They had an area where you could make your own chocolate bar and come back in 30 minutes after it set.  We were tempted but decided to buy the premade flavors instead.  I bought a couple of bars for myself and a box to give to my roommates.  But I ended up eating the bars and the box for my roommates before I could get back to France.  It’s dangerous I tell you. 

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Is that the castle?

Lisa came to visit me last week!  We spent a couple days in Paris and then traveled to Prague and Berlin.

Prague was pretty grey and rainy while we were there, so it seemed a little depressing.  (You would think I’d be used to that by now!) But it was a great city to walk around, and the buildings were very cool.  It’s actually the 6th most visited city in Europe after London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin.  I guess that explains all the tourists who were walking around. 

Our plans for the first night were foiled – we tried to go to a Mexican restaurant that had really good reviews (I haven’t had Mexican food in so long! Papagayo when I get home?), but we didn’t have reservations and were told we could try again at 9pm.  Obviously that’s far too late for Americans to eat, so we stumbled upon a delicious Italian restaurant serving fresh pasta (and aptly called Pasta Fresca).   We had more ethnic food the next night at a really good Indian restaurant.   Basically, we were just trying to avoid Czech food.  Goulash and pork knuckle do not sound appealing.

We walked around a lot and saw the old town square, the Charles Bridge, the astronomical clock, and the castle.  It was tricky to find though.  We took the metro to the closest stop and walked a bit until we found the Royal Garden.  There was a nice looking building, and I asked Lisa what it was, and she said, “I think it’s the castle…but there better be some damn cute animals in the zoo if this is the castle.”  It turns out it was the Belvedere – the Royal Summer Residence.   We spotted a tall majestic building in the distance and decided that was the castle, so we walked through the gardens to get there.

There was another building called the Ball Game Hall that was beautifully decorated on the outside.  A bunch of tourists were outside taking pictures, but the guide said that they couldn’t linger too long because the guards were about to change at the castle.  I decided that we should see the guards changing too, so we hurried along, found some guards, and waited outside the entrance for them to change.  I figured it would be at noon, but nothing happened for five minutes, so I thought we might have the wrong guards.  We decided to leave and explore the grounds instead.  Of course we get to the plaza and then see guards marching back towards the entrance.  I debated chasing after them, but they probably wouldn’t have been happy.  I snapped a picture instead.

The guards were very serious and didn’t move (like the British ones).  They had a small railing barrier around them with an opening in the front, and one Asian lady walked into the opening, stood extremely close to the guard, and smiled for her photo.  The guard looked very uncomfortable and told her (I assume) that she couldn’t be there.  It made me laugh.

Anyway, we bought our tickets for the castle and I asked Lisa “Is this the castle?” to which she responded “No, that’s a cathedral.”  We walked around the cathedral, which was very pretty.  It also had gorgeous stained glass windows (difficult to capture in pictures).  After we left and walked around outside, I pointed to the cathedral and asked whether that was the castle, and she said, “No, that’s the other side of the cathedral we just went into.”  It looked different from the side.  To be fair, there isn’t one building that is a castle.  It’s more a royal complex.  Anyway, there are lots of interesting buildings to visit, the grounds are very pretty (there were lots of people taking wedding pictures), and there’s a beautiful view of the whole city.  If you’re in Prague, go to the castle!

There was also a bar right outside our hotel, but sadly we didn't visit it.  Their drinks seemed tempting though.  I've never had sex on the bench.

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Deauville

I went on a last-minute trip to Deauville the other weekend with Johan and Sabine and Sabine’s friends.  It was really nice out, so we rested on the beach and enjoyed the sun.  Sabine’s friend organized a getaway for her birthday, so we piled into cars, made the 2 hour drive from Paris to Deauville and stayed in a house she had rented.  It was a pretty relaxing weekend – lots of swimming in the pool, walking around the town, and going out.

I had my first McDonald’s in France!  It was pretty good (and better than in the US).  It was also really late and only the drive-through was open, so we got our food and sat outside in the dark at some patio tables.  French food is awesome (I know McDonald’s is not French), but I’m getting very excited to have American food again!

On Saturday night, we tried to go to the casino, but I couldn’t get in because I didn’t have my passport (because I had sent it to the embassy to get more pages).  I tried my best, trying to persuade them that my license or photocopy of my passport should be okay, but it didn’t work.  They needed to scan the passport to make sure I’m not addicted to gambling.  I didn’t even want to gamble!  I just didn’t want the whole group to split up for me.  But a few girls said they didn’t want to gamble either, so we went somewhere else to get drinks.  

The beach was pretty, but it was covered with long thin sharp seashells that are called couteaux (knives) in French or razor shells in English.  They created a very painful environment for a walk along the beach, but I persevered.  There were also lots of other nice shells, and we collected a bunch to put in the apartment!  We have a unique beach / Disney themed living room at the moment.  We’re a creative group. 

Bordeaux and La Rochelle

Mmm wine.  I made my way to southwestern France to visit Bordeaux and La Rochelle with some friends!  Jen visited Arcachon to see the largest sand dune in Europe and then joined me and Sara in Bordeaux. 

Bordeaux is the 9^th largest city in France and the world’s major wine industry capital.  The town seems really fun; it’s easy to walk everywhere, there are a lot of young people and universities there, and lots of wine!  It’s on a river, which is very pretty to walk (or bike) along, and the people seemed friendly.  There are two famous bridges, the Pont de pierre and the Pont Jacques Chaban-Delma (aka the Vertical Lift Bridge).  The Pont de pierre just seems like a normal bridge to me, but I still took photos.  The Vertical Lift Bridge was recently finished, and it’s Europe’s largest lift bridge!  It can be lifted up 53 meters to let tall ships pass through.  Sadly, I didn’t get to see it go up.

In Bordeaux, we biked around the city, visited churches, walked around parks, ate a lot, tasted different wines, and went to the wine museum.  At the end of the museum visit, they talked about different types of wines and gave samples, so that was fun.  We ended up staying a bit too long, so we had to rush to make our train.  It was a poor decision to bike extremely fast to the station and run to pick up our luggage after drinking wine.  I swerved into a bush avoiding a dog in the bike lane, but I recovered quickly.  And we made the train!

We then took the train to La Rochelle to spend a night in a pretty beach town.  La Rochelle is where bike-sharing started!  In 1974, they launched a bike-share program called Velos Jaunes which had bicycles that were free to take and use.  It’s considered one of the first truly successful bike sharing programs.  Sara is doing a project on Velib, the bike-sharing program in France, so she wanted to visit La Rochelle for that reason (and I thought it looked pretty in pictures and wanted to go).  Ironically, we could not rent the bikes.  You need a pass to rent them (and need to live in La Rochelle to get the pass).  They do have a separate system for tourists, but by the time we went to ride them (5:30), the tourist office was closing soon and said we had to come back tomorrow.  So we sat on them and took pictures.  

There are three big towers (the St. Nicolas tower, the Chain tower, and the Lantern tower) in La Rochelle that were built in the 14^th and 15^th centuries.  We went inside two of them and climbed up to the top to have an awesome view of the city.  One was a military building, and the other was a prison for pirates and enemy seamen.  The prison was full of ornate graffiti drawn by the prisoners and was really cool to see.  It’s also the only medieval lighthouse on the Atlantic coast that is still standing!

La Rochelle is a very fun town to explore and walk around.  We ended up getting sandwiches (and dessert of course) from one of the many bakeries to have a picnic at the harbor.  The beach was also pretty, but the water was cold!  

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Strike at the Louvre

I was wondering why there have been a lot of police cars outside the Louvre the past few days.  Museum workers went on strike on Wednesday in protest over pickpockets.  The thieves have become more aggressive recently...spitting, threatening, and kicking staff. 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/10/louvre-closed-pickpockets

The other week, I saw a couple of kids at the Louvre running and then walking fast and looking over their shoulder.  I was trailing a little bit behind them on my usual walk home from school (it's a pretty sweet walk - I see the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Palais Royal and Opera House).  When I reached the crosswalk, I heard a siren and saw a man jump out of a car and try to grab the boy, causing the kid to fall to the ground.  Then the man picked him up, shoved him in the car with several other men, and drove off.  It happened extremely fast.  Everyone around stared at the scene, and I was pretty confused and surprised no one (including me) did anything.  I justified not doing anything because I figured he was probably a pickpocket, and an undercover police officer picked him up.  This article makes me feel more justified...but I guess I still feel guilty for not questioning it.

I feel pretty safe in Paris, but I went to an English class (I don't need help with English, I was helping them) at a senior club the other day, and they were telling me how dangerous Paris is.  They don't go on certain metro lines at night, never switch trains at Chatelet, don't go out past 10pm (they're probably also sleepy by then), and they told me how they've been pickpocketed and grabbed by people demanding money.  I'm very glad I haven't experienced that and will cross my fingers for the next couple of months.  (Disclaimer: I was nearly pickpocketed, but I felt someone going for my iphone in my coat pocket, so I put my hand over it and turned around to glare at him, effectively scaring him away.)

Krysten!

She gets her own blog title.  My sister came to visit, and it was lots of fun!  We had some good adventures.  The first night she was here, we went to a bar with my roommates and had some Belgian beers and croque madames.  When we were heading home, we were stopped in Gare de Lyon by a man who flashed opened his wallet and touched Krysten on the arm, and she swatted him away and walked quickly.  Then he started yelling at her (in French), and another man came up to her, and my roommate and I slowed down to hear what they were saying.  It turned out they were plainclothes train control people who wanted to check our tickets to make sure that we had paid.  They were pretty mad that Krysten brushed them off, but Sabine and I tried to calm everyone down, explaining that we were tourists, didn’t know what they were saying, they weren’t in uniform, etc.  I totally understand Krysten’s reaction; it’s not smart to just stop for a group of guys in an empty train station at midnight.  Sabine and I had never seen people checking who aren’t in uniform, so everyone was wary and confused.  It turned out fine though!  
 

On Thursday, we went to Versailles to walk around the gardens and the castle.  I think Krysten and Jennifer enjoyed the trip, but it tainted my image of Versailles a little.  I visited Versailles in late summer, and it was sunny and the gardens were beautiful.  This time, there was a lot of construction, no flowers, and bare trees.  I guess that’s to be expected in winter, but I hadn’t really thought about it. 

On Friday, we went to Laduree (she is obsessed) and bought macarons to eat on top of the terrace at Printemps.  It was a warm day, so we spent a while just sitting on a bench and looking at the city.  We also walked around Montmartre, ate some croissants, took pictures and hung out.  It was nice that she had already seen a lot of the tourist sites so that we could just have a low key time hanging out with each other.   Come back!!

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