Paris Part Trois: I'm Louvrin' It

So I'm finally getting around to finishing Paris...here it goes!

These are mainly just pics beacuse it has been a while since I went there. But as of now it is definately my favorite city we've been to thus far (barely beating out Siena).

Paris at sunset. Beautiful.

Besides our gypsy encounters and nightmare hostel, we did do some tourist-y things, like go to the Louvre. It is probably the most overwhelming museum I have ever been to. I think I would need several weeks to take it all in. We went on Friday night (which for people between the ages of 18-26 is FREE!). We did the audio guided tour that took you through the highlights (Mona Lisa, etc).

The ceiling leading into the Ancient Rome area. (Tragically I didnt make it in there)

Me in front of the Mona Lisa...no flash was used, no worries.


The Statue of Venus.

On Saturday night we went to a resturant called Refuge de Fondue. There are only 2 tables that you literally have to climb over to get to your seat. 9 of us sat in a space that would typically hold 4. You don't order except for red or white wine. Then they just bring the fondue pots of cheese and oil, for cooking meat, and let you go to town. Maybe it was a long day or our gypsy instincts kicked in, but it was everyman for himself when the food came out. The people on either side of me had me pinned against the wall because they wouldn't let go of their skewers. Meat was stolen out of the pots, hot oil burned skin, and cheese was everywhere, but at the end of the meal everyone was full and happy sipping on their baby bottles.

Cameron and me with our baby bottles.

After not being able to shower for the entire weekend, the crew, looking slick as can be, was more that ready to be back in Verona preparing for our next adventure.

The Louvre

Ciao!

Paris, Part Deux: Gypsies

For some reason our group has become infatuated with gypsies. It all started in Venice, when people (who we decided were gyspies) kept coming up to us and trying to sell roses or "chicky chickys". One poor girl actually bought a "chicky chicky". Lucky for her she has since lost it and fully regained her soul.

I digress.

While at a bar in Paris, Frog and Princess, a creepy gypsy man kept following the group around. I didn't notice as much because I, along with Kari, were on a mission to have a Parisian drink. While we struggled to get to the bar and order this man kept creeping on the group. Eventually he got so close that one girl nicely put up her hands in the STOP position and shook her head "No." The gypsy then goes on to pull out a lighter.

Meanwhile...

Kari and I finally get to the bar and ask the bartender to make something. She ended up being American. What we got was not some authentic Parisian drink but rather a flaming shot of Sambuca.

This is our reaction when she pours out the nasty liquid and lights it on fire. As you can tell from our expressions we are saying "WHAT?!" The bartender was most likely a gypsy as well because she liked to light stuff on fire.

Post flaming licorice shot, Tess (victim of the gypsy) comes up and through all the noise I comprehend that the gypsy man lit her on fire. So naturally we leave. The next day I wanted to see a burn mark in her jacket but, alas, it was just a missunderstanding on my part, though she was threatened.

On Saturday (night after fire-gypsy) we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. It was supposed to be rainy and snowy, but instead it was a beautiful, freezing day. En route to this landmark, and unbeknownst to me, again, there was another gypsy encounter. The gypsy pulled the classic gypsy trick: "The Gold Ring". This is how it works (pay attention to avoid being gypped!)

Gold Ring Trick
1. Gypsy hides a ring along a pathway
2. Gypsy lunges at ring as victim nearly steps on it and stops them mid-stride.
3. Victim looks down at gypsy holding ring, confused.
4. Gypsy mumbles "It's solid gold. You can have it. Good luck for you, good luck for me."
5. Gypsy puts ring in victim's hand. Victim, still confused, holds ring and tries to shrug away.
6. Gypsy stops victim and rubs belly either saying "Baby" or "Hungry".
7. Victim tosses a few coins if they are feeling nice and gypsy snatches them up and scampers away.
8. Victim looks at ring and thinks "Why would gypsy give me a 'solid gold' ring and then beg for 50 cents?"
9. Victim thinks a minute more and realizes, "I fell for the gypsy trick!!"
10. Victim a) throws the ring aside immediately, or b) keeps the ring and loses soul.

Despite the gypsy, we made it souls intact to the Eiffel Tower. It was very windy and cold, but we still went to the top and got to see all of Paris! It was so beautiful! Even on a frigid day we were waiting in lines the whole time. I don't even want to imagine how it will be when the weather warms up.

Me in front of the Eiffel Tower

After we got back to the ground we found a great little cafe and had chocolate crepes and french fries...hey, when in Paris!

Paris: Part Un

We got back Sunday from a wonderful weekend in Paris! I was doubtful of how much I would like the city, but it is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. We left Thursday afternoon for Milan to have our first Ryanair experience. It ended up being better than I expected, though upon landing we bounced down the runway. Then we took a bus ride into the city. When the Eiffel Tower was in the distance the whole bus erupted in screams of excitement!

After getting a cab from the bus station, we arrived to our hostel, 3 Ducks. We got to our room and I immediately started panicking. 10 bunks. No sheets. Odor. Bathroom outside. Bathroom dirty. No showers in sight. Sketchy people. Easy to break in. The list goes on. I tried to SOS my parents, but they didn't answer. So we headed down to the bar in the downstairs and drank away our fears (just kidding...but we did try some French or German beer).

The next day we got up and ready for our first day exploring Paris. Here are pictures from the first day.

The Arc de Triomphe. We pranced from the Louvre down the Champs Elysees to see this. Its a pretty long walk, but y'all know how I don't mind walking by all the shops! After seeing the Arc de Triomphe, two of the girl and I went shopping and ended up in the biggest Sephora I have ever been in. Ahhhhhhhhhh makeup heaven :)


DON'T FEED THE MODELS.
On our way to the Arc de Triomphe, we stumbled upon the end of a Dior fashion show. It made my heart so happy. We got to watch all the important fashion people and models leave the show. And we saw Jared Leto...not sure who he is but some people in the group went NUTS.

The crew in front of the Louvre. How precious. After this photo, we proceeded to take jumping and cartwheel pics. Hello American tourists!

On another note, did y'all know Paris is the greenest city in the world? There were so many parks, grassy areas, and gardens. I loved it...it makes you feel like you're not in one of the biggest cities in the world. The gals in front of the Seine. It made me think of the MK an Ash movie "Passport to Paris" when they didn't like how dirty it was.

The hot chocolate from Angelinas. Did y'all know Coco Chanel drank one of these everyday!? It was like melted chocolate with cream. YUM. If you go to Paris, this place is a MUST.

NB: Our group got around Paris with relative ease thanks to an amazing guide from Dawson's friend, Elisabeth. If anyone's going to Paris soon you need this guide.

That's all for now...here's a little about what to look forward to:
-Louvre
-Flaming shots
-Eiffel Tower
-Wine in baby bottles

Ciao!

Venice

Yesterday our program director Martin took the whole crew the Venice for the day. We loaded up in the bus and headed east. When we got close we stopped to get a bus pass or something to get into Venice. From my seat I was the scariest scelator Venetian man. Yikes. And he had a wedding ring, meaning there is a Mrs. Scelator.

After Scelator, we got into Venice and loaded up in the Venice cab, which is a boat. Everyone clutched their bags (having been warned that there are a lot of pick-pockets here) and we rode to San Marco square. We had time to go eat lunch, so a few of us found a sandwich shop and got food to go. We ate in the square but not comfortably because there are pigeons EVERYWHERE. Seriously, they will walk right up to you. One girl was pecked and another got hit with a wing. I am NOT a fan of pigeons.

We went to the Doge Palace after lunch, where the people working there proceeded to ruin our whole tour. They were so rude and followed us from room to room and radioed ahead to make sure there were other workers waiting when we moved on. Everytime Martin tried to speak, they barked an Italian order at him. Even when he just pointed they got mad. It was absolutely ridiculous. All I got from the tour was that I saw the larget oil painting in the world.

Martin left us to explore Venice and our group walked around shops and searched for a place to eat dinner. The girls split from the boys (who wanted to eat at yet another sandwich shop) and found a cute little restuarant with great food. Then we wandered through Venice in the rain to the train station and headed home to Verona. I can't say that Venice is one of the top places I have ever been...it may actually be at the bottom. There were a ton of birds, it smelled, it was rainy, it seemed like everything was under construction, and the people were not very friendly and were eager to rip you off. Because it is mainly a tourist place, everything is expensive (1.50 euro just to use the bathroom!!!). Maybe on a day with better weather I would enjoy it.


Scelator striking a pose.

A canal and bridge.

Under construction canal. The bridge there is the Bridge of Sighs.

Gondolas.

Marshmellow baby.

Now we are off to Paris for the weekend!! Ciao!

A Terror in the Night

Sunday night after Cameron and I returned from Lucca and Siena, we were sitting in the kitchen at our usual spots when it happened. She was facing the sink area and I was facing the rest of the room when suddenly we heard a crashing sound and the lights flickered. Both of us stood up and bolted out of our room. I believed it to be a bird while Cameron thought it was a monkey-man. We ran across the hall to Kari and Katie's room for help. They came back to the room but were just as nervous as we were. No one wants a bird, monkey-man, or any other creature surprise attacking. Finally we got a couple of the boys to take care of it. They bravely ventured in the room and knocked on cabinets to lure the creature out. After a few minutes they began to gave up when one found the source of the noise: an Italian grasshopper/cricket/locust. These bugs are HUGE. I'm talking 6 inch bug with wings. One of the boys played the whole "I'm going to throw the bug at y'all" trick and Kari and I proceeded to run down the hall and Kari smashed into a glass door. She's really scared of bugs. We have not had a bug in here since and lets hope it stays that way.


I didn't take a picture but I think this is probably accurate. And ps I have to close my eyes while typing this because I really hate looking at it. SICK.

Siena

After navigating the Italian trains again, we arrived in beautiful Siena and began another quest to find our hostel. En route to the hostel we came across a gelato place...when in Rome! My favortite flavor is panna cotta. Its like caramel cake batter ice cream. Then we found our hostel office where the nicest woman gave us so much information on Siena...where to eat, what sights to see, where to go out, etc. Who know hostels had concierges?

We found our place and showered and got ready for dinner. We went to a delicious place (not microwaved food) and had a long Italian-style dinner. The bruscetta there was a-maz-ing.

After that we made our way to the discoteca, Gallery. You have to pay a cover but the cover is the price of a drink and you get a drink voucher. Thus when going to a discoteca, you are obligated to have a drink. I like their style. Throughout the night American music raged through the building, much to our enjoyment. A personal favorite was to see hoards of Italians doing the YMCA.

The next morning we got up and prepared for the day. We had a great lunch of pizza that was really unique (I ordered pepperoni pizza...but by pepperoni they meant pepper. It was delicious regardless). We then walked around Siena and found a great spot that overlooked the town. Then we went to two churches. One was really beautiful but was under construction. Like the one in Lucca, there was a preserved person, but this time just the head. Sick. Despite the coaxing from my fellow travelers, I never ventured anywhere near the head. After that we made our way to the Duomo, which was truly breathtaking. There was a woman outside playing a violin which only made the experience more magical. My favorite room was the library. The entire ceiling was so beautiful and along the walls were paintings depicting the life of Pope Pius __. Also in there were the songbooks from the 1400s (I think) that were HUGE. Each page had a beautiful drawing and there were tons of pages and tons of books. I can't even imagine how long that must have taken. If you ever go to Siena, the Duomo is a must.

After our exploring we went to the hostel to regroup (yeah, Barb!) and then went to eat at a place in Piazza del Campo. Again, the food was amazing. After dinner we found a few neat bars and ended the night at the Gallery. While wandering from bar to bar to hostel, we would just pass groups of young people sitting around with bottles of wine. They were so chill and laid back...it was pretty cool to see.

The next day we ate breakfast and then sat in Piazzo del Campo again. I love how Italians can just eat lunch, have a drink, or just be in these big open areas. No one is on their cell phones or computers...they just enjoy their surroundings and each other. We then went back to the train station to begin our 10 hour train adventure back to Verona. At one point we believed that we were at the correct stop. Half the group got out but as I was about to step off the train the door slammed shut. On the inside we pounded on the door and pressed button and on the outside they pounded on the door and pressed buttons. The surrounding Italians watched and laughed. As the train pulled away from the station Cameron ran beside the train like a scene in a movie. We weren't sure how we would get back but then realized they were at the wrong place and we were right...oh how the tables have turned. We finally figured out the whole fiasco and continued on home.

After my first trip I learned several things:

1. At some churches, there are bodies/body parts in clear coffins. Not for the sensitive souls.

2. Train travel can be very confusing, and the train doors won't reopen.

3. Don't put your feet on the seats in the train. They can fine you.

4. There are not open containers laws in Italy. Want to tote a bottle of wine around town on your tour? Go right ahead.

5. The John Wall/Paul Wall/John Paul dance as well as "Cranking the Roosevelt"

6. Hostels aren't as scary as you expect (but maybe thats becaue we pay extra for private rooms/baths)

7. Just because a restuarant is in Italy does not make it homemade.

8. American music is everywhere (as I was writing this I went through the lobby where "Freebird" was blasting. Made me feel like I was back in Bama)

9. Italians are not loud at restaurants. And they don't like it when a pack of rowdy American college kids are loud.

10. Tuscany is even more beautiful than I expected!

What a wonderful weekend! Can't wait for Paris!


The ceiling in the library at the Duomo. Pictures don't do justice.

The outside of the Duomo.

A courtyard we wandered into.

A few gals overlooking Siena.

A sidewalk artist. It was amazing to pass this throughout the weekend and see the progress.

View from Piazza del Campo.

Lucca

This weekend we took our first weekend trip. I loaded up my backpack (yep, I have a big ole camping backpack to tote through Europe...I feel like such a world traveler) and hit the road. Our first stop was the sleepy town of Lucca. Originally, it was surrounded by a moat and had walls all around it, but the moat has long since dried up (or at least i never saw any water). It was so neat to see a little Italian town and be out of bustling Verona.

After a few hours of deciphering the Italian train system, we arrived in Lucca and found our hostel. It was a pretty big challenge because the streets are odd on one side and even on the other (like America) but the odd and even don't correspond. ie 37 is a cross from 2. We arrived to find a note that said call Fabio when we get there. We made the call and Fabio showed us to our rooms. One had 3 twins and the other a king and 2 twins and both had private bathrooms. I was really excited/nervous about my first experience with a hostel. Turns out, another American woman who was about to move to Lucca was staying in the third room. She was so nice and told us all the hot spots in Lucca.

The group tried to find a great local place for dinner, but it seemed like there were only shops. We finally came across a little cafe with a good menu and moderate prices and we invaded. Not many little Italians restuarants are ready to accomodate 10 loud Americans. As we ordered one person asked if the seafood was fresh. The waitress looked surprised and said, "No. Frozen." Way to be honest. As we were waiting for our food I joked, "I bet this won't take long. They are probably microwaving everything in the back." Well turns out Cameron had a view of the kitchen and they in fact were microwaving little bags of food and dumping it on plates. So much for the great local cuisine.

The next day we woke up and explored Lucca. It is not the biggest town so our exploring only lasted about 2 hours. We went to a really pretty church and discovered that some places like to display important church founders in clear coffins. Thats right...500 year old monk was laid out for the world to see. Needless to say I bolted from that room and went to get some fresh air. Despite the body, I really loved seeing the architecture and art in the churches and could even identify some of it thanks to Camarata's class in high school and the class I am currently taking.

After sight seeing we boarded on another train and headed to Siena...



The group in front of the hostel where the girls stayed.

This used to be a Roman arena but it has morphed to what you see. There are bricks on some of the buildings that are the Roman originals.

The room I stayed in at the hostel. Cameron and I got to share the king...yay for sharing beds and cuddling.

The entrance to Lucca.

The outside of the church with the body. The door to the left is where I bolted out of post sighting.

A carousel in the middle of a piazza. Maybe like the one at the galleria??