I apologize for not writing for so long! The entire experience of study abroad is overwhelming and pretty time consuming. I thought for this post I would talk about the weekend trips I took over the past few weeks, as well
La Rochelle
March 8 – March 10, 2013.
This was my first weekend trip out of Paris. My close friend (also a student at Pitt and colleague on the Original Magazine) decided we would try and do a lot of our travels through France/Europe together, so we started in this gorgeous, historical harbor town. Among the 15th century buildings and churches, a harbor “La Pallice” spilling out into the sea greeted us as we walked to our Air BNB.
Our apartment was right in the center of the Old Port/Town “Vieux Port”, and it was really adorable. Really adorable… except the toilet, shower, and bed were all in the same room. The only thing that separate the bed from the “bathroom” was a curtain. What an experience, indeed.
We visited the three towers of La Rochelle: each had a different function through the centuries. What started first as a harbour master’s home and lighthouses was converted into government designated places and eventually into prisons, harbouring British soldiers. Today, they stand together as a museum. The history of La Rochelle is rich and fascinating and we had no qualms about traversing the city, being tourists.
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On a more interesting note, we found several little parks/gardens covered with gorgeous, well-crafted street art. It seemed like a collaboration between several artists.
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Throughout France, there are many natural markets that take place during the mornings on weekdays and weekends alike. Zach and I were lucky enough to stumble upon one in La Rochelle on Saturday morning… that ran through 90% of the Vieux Port. I had never seen so many fresh foods and goods in one setting.
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We ate very, very well. Lots of fish and delicious things. Our first dinner was really interesting; recommended on Trip Advisor, you were given raw fish and vegetables and were meant to cook them on a hot rock. It was such an interesting concept, and definitely the most fresh you could get.
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We visited a contemporary art museum and befriended one of the French girls that was working at the reception desk there. Later, we went out with her and her friends for a night on the town in La Rochelle.
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Normandy
March 16-17, 2013.
In Caen, for the few hours we had their at night, everyone was really tired so I walked about the city on my own, looking at the Medieval fortress and churches in the dark. It was really peaceful and really beautiful.
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This is a little excerpt from what I wrote about in my journal about my program’s trip to Normandy. We visited Omaha Beach, a few other D-Day beaches, a D-Day museum, spent the night in the city of Caen, and saw Mont St. Michel for two hours on Sunday.
“I’m listening to Mykonos by the Fleet Foxes and we’re leaving Caen, Normandy.”
“I wish I got to see more of this city: it was so quaint and beautiful. Last night, I walked around until 1 in the morning, perusing the streets, hunting for street art, taking pictures of the churches, the old Medieval fortresses, regretting the rue of restaurants we didn’t get to (Well, not really regretting: the salmon at dinner was delicious, and the apple pie was heavenly. But I want to go to all of these restaurants!).”
“‘The Normandy countryside kind of reminds me of Illinois when the fields are flat and full of farms and green, but then it stats to remind of the Pennyslvanian countryside as soon as the hills start rolling. You can take the girl out of her home (homes?) but you can’t take home (homes?) out of the girl.”
“The idea of temporary and permanence is making a prevalent influence nowadays: I am making relationships in Paris that cover the entire spectrum of permanence: temporary, not-so-temporary, maybe-temporary, give-it-a-few-weeks-temporary, give-it-a-few-decades-temporary, semi-permanent, semi-not-so-permanent, probably-permanent, most-definitely-permanent. I should make a legitimate scale. I do wish I had my permanent people with me, sometimes, but the closest ones are in the southwest of France, Poland, Germany, and the UK. But, there is something exciting about having my maybe-temporary relationships blossom into long-lasting friendships.”
“What an experience this is turning out to be…”
Nantes/La Roche-sur-Yon
March 22 – March 24, 2013.
I came into La Roche-sur-Yon, a small town in the region Vendee on a Friday afternoon. Zach has been doing a teaching position there for the past several months. First, we took a 30 minute tour of the town… it’s a small town. Really quaint and quiet and unfortunately, under a lot of construction. When the construction is finished, I mean, if the construction is finished (insert joke about the French not working here), it could really be something.
We ran into a few of Zach’s students and friends; then, we stopped by the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for a home cooked dinner. Chicken, salad, and a specialty of the Vendee region, Les Mogettes de Vendee: white kidney beans. A team effort, the dinner turned out to be delicious!
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That night, I went to the first French high school party I ever went to. I imagined a more outlandish/hardcore/crazy scene, but it was actually really nice. Lots of French conversation with people ranging from 17 to 27. It was a very tranquille, tranquille environment, which, as I would find out after my weekend in the Vendee, is the same in all the cities.
Saturday was the day I fell in love with Nantes. We started off with amazing galettes (savory crepes) in one of Zach’s favorite restaurants in Nantes, then continued through the city. We were coincidentally there during the largest street market of the year, with every kind of accessory, gift, and clothing item possible on sale. I snagged myself a pink tunic and bought a pretty white blouse for one of my most dear/generous friends in Paris, Kristina.
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We then met up with Zach’s good friend, Reda. One of the most intelligent and interesting people I’ve ever met in my life, by far. With him, we walked around Nantes, by the river, through the Asian-inspired gardens. One of my favorite moments of the trip was how Reda explained how one takes a girl out on a date in France. I can’t quote it word for word, but I’ll do my best to retell the beautiful tale:
You start off with dinner. And there’s no time limit to this dinner. Three courses, four courses, it doesn’t matter, the price doesn’t matter. You’re there to enjoy the company of this beautiful woman and to eat delicious food. You can talk about anything and everything, but make sure you sit outside on the terrace. You have to have a beautiful view. Everything about the evening should be luxury. And French girls, French girls always order dessert. None of this bullshit about diets and losing weight. You each order a decadent dessert, then maybe some tea or coffee. By the time you leave the restaurant, it’s late into the evening, but it’s nowhere near over. You take her back to your place, sit on your porch, talk, laugh, have a few drinks, make love, and spend the night together. That’s how you take a girl out on a date in France.
Later, we met up with Reda’s friends for drinks on the terrace outside of a bar. I had a “Spring Beer” and it was one of the most delicious things I tasted: it tasted fruity but not too sweet, and so, so fresh. If only it brought spring closer to Paris! We ended the night on top of Tour Bretagne, the tallest building in Nantes (and by ordinance of the city, no other skyscrapers have been built in Nantes). A special art-exhibition-turned-bar was made ready there. The theme of a stork carrying eggs was display through cracked egg chairs and tables, with the bar server’s quarters inside a giant, inflatable stork.
The next morning I had a transfer over in Nantes to leave to Paris. I got myself a croissant aux amandes and sat by the river, breathing in the beauty of the city I had fallen for.
London
March 29 – April 1, 2013
Oh my gosh, London! What an adventure… We arrived Friday night, delirious and a bit freaked out because every car was on the wrong side of the road… and people were looking backwards when they crossed the road. The Brits on our bus found it quite funny how completely culture shocked we were. When we got off the bus, we had to find our way from Victoria Station to our hostel, Safestay Elephant and Castle.
After wandering around the premises to find some bus stops or someone to ask where we should go, my sleep deprived/tired self commented that London reminded me a little bit of Wonderland. Zach agreed with me, called himself the Mad Hatter and me Alice and we ventured on into Wonderland. The first pub I saw was called Shakespeare Pub which was pretty serendipitous (I’m very much in love with Shakespeare and his works). After getting some change from a small casino and running around the theatre district to a Russian man’s motel to get directions, we found the proper bus stop. Safestay was all pink and orange and bright colors with a lot of surrealist/futuristic vibes going on. Kind of like a 22nd century candy shop. We shared a room with two bunk beds; our neighbors were two Germans, brother and sister.
We wanted to have a quick drink at a pub after our crazy day/night, so we Yelped a nice, local pub called Prince of Wales. It was really homey, very British, with groups of men speaking with a Cockney accent around us. We both got dark beers and the barkeep was so sweet to us: before we left, he made sure we knew where we were going. In France, it is difficult to find that kind of genuine, nice service in a bar, restaurant, what have you, and Zach and I almost cried because no one had been that familiar with us at a public establishment since we left the states.
The next day, Saturday, we got up bright and early and got a day pass to ride the tube. I was really happily surprised/shocked by how comfy, warm, and homey the seats were on the Tube… is this a thing? On any other underground transportation I’ve taken, the seats have always been small and mostly blocks of plastic/wood. It just made everything feel more comfortable, really.
We made a quick stop at 441B Baker Street and took a picture in front of Sherlock’s apartment and the bar he frequented. The English lit nerd in me was extremely pleased.
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Then, we headed to the famous London Top Shop, where we perused for a little over an hour. Zach got himself some accessories and clothing, while I got myself a 15 pound dress from a connected store/featured clothing line, Miss Selfridge. I think this is possibly one of the most lovely dresses I’ve ever owned. Take a look:
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We walked to SoHo to find a Lebanese restaurant I found online before we arrived in the city, called Yalla Yalla (Let’s Go in Arabic). We had to wait a while to get inside, but the food was well worth it. The mezzas and variety of flavors made the entire meal really interesting and so delicious We found ourselves a stinky, wonderful London telephone booth to take a picture in, then headed to SoHo Square Garden, which was surrounded by beautiful and various architectures from different centuries. The Irish Catholic Church was also quite beautiful, but because we were there just before St. Patrick’s day, the idols were all covered up. Zach told me that St. Patrick himself wasn’t actually Irish, but British, and many Irish folk didn’t know that.
Old Compton Street was our next stop, meaning sex shops, drag bars, and gay clubs. When I come back to London, I would love to see how this place looks/lives at night.
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We hopped back on the tube to get to Brick Lane, a really interesting, historical street. It was occupied by different cultures/ethnicities over the centuries, and at the moment, it’s Little India. Indian markets, grocery stores, and restaurants make up the entire street. Zach and I also ducked into some alley ways to capture the awesome graffiti and street art that covers the walls.
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Off of Brick Lane, we found a street of vintage/resale shops and upscale pop-up boutiques… At this point, we were getting quite hungry, and instead of heading back over to the Indian restaurants, we stumbled upon an apparently very well-known, famous Fish and Chips restaurant, Poppies. When in London, you must have Fish and Chips, and because it was getting particularly cold, it sounded like an excellent meal.
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After dinner, we headed over to Camden for the Camden Pub Crawl. We actually ended up not going on the pub crawl because they were “crawling” through two pubs and then going to a night club, which wasn’t quite the plan we had in mind. So, we made our own Camden pub crawl!
1. We started at Belushi’s where we didn’t stay for long, because the bar started playing T Swift. The beer and space was good, however.
2. At the Wheelbarrow, Zach and I bought each other some excellent ales, saw an amazing, amazing Brit Indie Rock band for free, and met some nice Irish girls who gave us recommendations on where to go next.
3. We missed last call at The End of the World Bar. Not the end of the world because…
4. The Camden Eye was probably the funniest part of the night. Not only was it our last stop on our pub crawl (About 6 pints in per person at this point by midnight), but we each had another pint, then watched as a very happy, curly haired, bell-bottom-pants wearing hippy guy danced around the whole bar, inviting us to dance with him. He proceeded to dance with me, then pick me up, then lead me across the entire bar. After he dropped me back off where we started dancing, he proceeded to do the same with Zach. The music was excellent: a mix of funky tunes, 80s, rock, just really upbeat catchy music. Then, all of a sudden at about 1 am, the owner marched into the center of the bar and turned off the DJ’s music and almost broke his actual laptop. We witnessed our first fight in London, in which we promptly left the bar and tried to find a bus to get home.
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This part of the story gets hazy as we barely knew the bus system and literally hopped on from bus to bus, eventually making our way back to the Elephant and Castle bus stop.
Sunday, the next morning. Two extremely hungover travelers. Zach was a darling (and still is, of course), and went out to get us coffee and pastries while I was in the shower. We had bread pudding, polenta corn bread, muffins and filtered coffee. The coffee was a necessity to stay awake, but the pastries were actually quite good. Especially the polenta corn bread. We quickly ate then headed over to the Victoria and Albert Museum for the David Bowie exhibit. It was, unfortunately, sold out, but we still managed to see two really excellent exhibitions: one was a photography exhibition on the political/cultural/etc. state of the Middle East, and the other was a very detailed, well done Fashion History exhibit.
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Next stop was King’s Cross Station, for (drumroll please) Platform 9 3/4, because I am a forever Potterhead.
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Outside of King’s Cross Station we found a nice Indian resto called Tamarind, where I had some of the best chicken curry in my life. No surprise that I found it in London.
Now was time for what I called on our printed Google Maps sheets, “The Royal Tour.” We went from Parliament, to Big Ben, to Westminster Abbey, then New Scotland Yard, then Buckingham Palace, and finally ended at Hyde Park.
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On our way to a specific bar with live jazz music (Hugo’s), we stopped by McDonald’s because they were offering – wait for it – A CADBURY EGG MCFLURRY. Only in the UK. Needless to say, Zach and I were very happy 5-year-olds.
Hugo’s was closed, but, we stumbled upon a really awesome, trendy bar called Alice. It had some of the best decoration and ambiance I’ve ever seen, as well as delicious, local beers. Each beer had a listed proximity, showing how close it was made to the bar itself. I got Alice’s house beer and was extremely pleased.
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Monday morning, I was extremely bummed about leaving. I told Zach a few weeks later that I almost didn’t get on the bus with him because I liked London so much. To soothe myself, I got myself a Cornish pasty and an apple turnover for the road. On the bus ride back, we talked philosophy and life and books with a boy from
Cambridge.
Without doubt, I must have been a closet anglophile my entire life, and had only come to realize it the moment we stepped off the bus into Paris. Some day, some how, I will have to visit the rest of the UK and Ireland and live in London, even just for a little while. I have never felt so in love or so at ease/at home with a place
before.
In my next post, which I wil get out before the end of this week, I’m going to tell you about my travels to Marseille, Loire valley, and Bretagne/Normandy Part 2! In the following weeks, I will be visiting Bratislava, Vienna, Prague, Kiev, and Nantes!
Ciao for now,
Dani
P.S. Adding pictures soon!
Paris Is Always a Good Idea 