Wow, where to begin with this week! Everything has been sort of a whirlwind since my program started on Thursday.
Here are the basics: I'm with a group of 21 students, about half of whom attend Syracuse. We started off the program with a week-long stay in old Istanbul (the Sultanahmet area). Our hotel was a short walk from the hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia (which are basically next to each other). We started each day with a 2-hour lecture on Turkish history (starting around Roman times), then headed out to explore the sites. Naturally, we visited Hagia Sophia on the second day—as breathtaking as expected. We also saw the archeological museum, and a very cool underground cistern, all of which I had seen on earlier trips, but it was great to see everything again. Many of our visits were in the snow/freezing rain and I still don't have a winter coat, but there was plenty of tea to warm us up, and I discovered a new favorite drink—salep. It's made out of orchid root, milk, honey, and spices, and vendors sell it from ornate jugs on the street.
We've hit a lot of Istanbul in a short time—we visited the old walls (and climbed on top, being careful to not fall off!) and the ancient imperial palace, as well as Istanbul's largest pigeon market (which happens to be next to the old Byzantine imperial palace). Apparently, collecting and training pigeons is a favored activity here.
On Sunday we had the day off, so besides going out for some lunch (we've been discovering all the nice little kebab and pide—Turkish pizza—restaurants around our hotel) I took the day off. The other students take "Survival Turkish" classes each day, but since I studied some back at school in the states, I've had some extra free time.
Monday was dedicated entirely to Topkapı palace, one of the most beautiful gems of Istanbul. It's a huge palace complex which had many parts added over the years. We got a detailed tour of the harem, which was beautiful, but essentially an ornate prison for the sultan's concubines—they were often taken from Christian territories and enslaved in the harem for their entire lives. We also had a 4-course meal in a restaurant at Topkapı, and left feeling a little luxurious.
Naturally, we visited the beautiful blue mosque as well, and the Islamic arts museum, and took a boat tour on the Bosphorus. Istanbul is huge (15 million people, have I mentioned?), and it was great to see some of the other neighborhoods, and the beautiful palaces and mansions on both the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus.
Currently, I am on a ferry somewhere between Europe and Asia, traveling across the Dardanelles/Hellespont. How cool is that? We headed out on a mini-excursion on Wednesday, starting in Bursa the ancient capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Ok, now I'm not on a boat. I will tell you where I am later. But first... our trip. We took a ferry across to the Asian side of Istanbul, then drove to Bursa, a city of around 3 million people. We saw an Ottoman mosque, a silk market (a beautiful courtyard-like area selling some wonderful scarves!) and an impressive tomb, though I spent most of the visit freezing. After a stop for warm salep, we moved into our hotel and tried out the Turkish bath there. It was amazing—basically a giant hot tub which turned me into a puddle of relaxed goo. Afterwards, a nice dinner, and then we were on our way to Troy the next morning.
I was so excited to see Troy, and it turned out to be a very cool site. There are bits and pieces of Troy 1-9 that have been excavated, so we got to see many parts of the walls and listened to a few verses of the Iliad in a small ancient theater. There was a model trojan horse there, which we all climbed in and imagined riding into Troy as a "gift."
We moved on to Çannakale, a nice town on the Dardanelles—the straight separating the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean. Çanakkale is home to the model trojan horse used in the film Troy (which we had watched on the bus ride), though our main visit there was to Gallipoli, site of a famous World War I battle. We saw the beach where the ANZACS (Australian and New Zealand soldiers) landed (and died, in many cases), as well as many memorials, and even had a chance to wander around the snow-filled trenches. My boots still have WWI trench-mud on them. It was a pretty cool and moving day.
We spent another 6 hours on the bus (this time on the European side of the Sea of Marmara) and headed back to Istanbul, where we moved into our dorms. The female dorm (no boys allowed! these rules will take some time to get used to) is quite nice—I'm in an apartment with 4 others girls from my program, and a Turkish girl. We have a small kitchen and cooked dinner last night for the first time in a long time, so that was nice. Today was a day off, so I did some exploring, and navigated the public transport system a bit. Our orientation seminar continues this week, and classes start on Monday! I'm so happy to have stopped living out of a suitcase, and I'm excited to see what Turkish University classes are like. Stay tuned!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The City of Constantine
So I am in Istanbul! And blogspot.com is blocked, so I'll be sending my blog entries to my mom to post here. It's inconvenient, but I'll still be blogging!
My last few days in Nice were fun. I had tea with three classmates at a friend's apartment on Thursday, which was great fun; we represented Spain, Italy, Australia, and the US, but the common language was French (with a bit of Italian, Spanish and English thrown in!). I love polyglot situations like that.
On Saturday I went to Italy. I had been meaning to go, and finally just hopped on a train (~40 minutes) to Ventimiglia, right across the border. There wasn't much to see there, so I hopped on a bus to San Remo, which had a cute old town just begging to be explored. It was so much fun just being in Italy; I love border crossings in general, but it was also great to just note the little differences between the two sides of the border. Linguistically, I was confused—I can understand a bit of Italian, but can't speak any at all, so I made do with French, English, and some "grazie."
I enjoyed wandering around the narrow, windy streets, taking in views of the ocean, and drinking wonderfully rich Italian hot chocolate (another difference across borders!). It was raining the whole time I was there, so by the end of the day I was pretty soaked. But I'm strange, and I don't mind being rained on. I just bought a cannoli, boarded the bus and the train, and admired the scenery on the way back to Nice.
Sunday morning started at 4:30 AM—I was at the airport a little after 5, for my flight at 7. I flew over the alps to Zurich, and then to Istanbul, and went to a wonderful hotel, where I stayed for the next five days. Strangely, Istanbul was channeling Minnesota, and it snowed heavily for most of my stay. I spent a lot of time relaxing at the hotel, drinking apple tea and mentally preparing myself for the semester ahead. I also visited a few of my dad's friends, who are all wonderfully hospitable and kind. I did some wandering around old Istanbul, which often culminated in getting lost.
Istanbul has certainly presented its share of culture shocks: one of the biggest so far is the fact that around 85% of people on the streets are men. I went into a shopping mall the other day to look for a coat, and found that all of the stores catered to men (not sure if that's a usual occurrence, but it certainly seemed very different from the US!). It is strange, but doesn't feel threatening. Nevertheless, I've gotten good at ignoring shopkeepers calling after me to try to get me to come inside and buy their products.
I also tried my hand and shopping and bargaining, because I was in desperate need of waterproof shoes and a coat. I managed to do some successful shopping (with a bit of bargaining—I'll work on it!) all in Turkish! I'm really excited to get to practice this crazy language.
Today (well, Thursday, when I wrote this) was the official start of my study abroad program. I've gotten to know the other students a little bit; we had lunch, then an orientation session (involving a detailed powerpoint presentation on what to do in the case of an earthquake), and a short walk around Istanbul. After a nice Turkish dinner, I'm back in the hotel room with my two roommates, who are also on the program. Tomorrow is our first lecture on Istanbul's history, followed by a visit to some pretty amazing historical sites! I'll keep you updated :)
My last few days in Nice were fun. I had tea with three classmates at a friend's apartment on Thursday, which was great fun; we represented Spain, Italy, Australia, and the US, but the common language was French (with a bit of Italian, Spanish and English thrown in!). I love polyglot situations like that.
On Saturday I went to Italy. I had been meaning to go, and finally just hopped on a train (~40 minutes) to Ventimiglia, right across the border. There wasn't much to see there, so I hopped on a bus to San Remo, which had a cute old town just begging to be explored. It was so much fun just being in Italy; I love border crossings in general, but it was also great to just note the little differences between the two sides of the border. Linguistically, I was confused—I can understand a bit of Italian, but can't speak any at all, so I made do with French, English, and some "grazie."
I enjoyed wandering around the narrow, windy streets, taking in views of the ocean, and drinking wonderfully rich Italian hot chocolate (another difference across borders!). It was raining the whole time I was there, so by the end of the day I was pretty soaked. But I'm strange, and I don't mind being rained on. I just bought a cannoli, boarded the bus and the train, and admired the scenery on the way back to Nice.
Sunday morning started at 4:30 AM—I was at the airport a little after 5, for my flight at 7. I flew over the alps to Zurich, and then to Istanbul, and went to a wonderful hotel, where I stayed for the next five days. Strangely, Istanbul was channeling Minnesota, and it snowed heavily for most of my stay. I spent a lot of time relaxing at the hotel, drinking apple tea and mentally preparing myself for the semester ahead. I also visited a few of my dad's friends, who are all wonderfully hospitable and kind. I did some wandering around old Istanbul, which often culminated in getting lost.
Istanbul has certainly presented its share of culture shocks: one of the biggest so far is the fact that around 85% of people on the streets are men. I went into a shopping mall the other day to look for a coat, and found that all of the stores catered to men (not sure if that's a usual occurrence, but it certainly seemed very different from the US!). It is strange, but doesn't feel threatening. Nevertheless, I've gotten good at ignoring shopkeepers calling after me to try to get me to come inside and buy their products.
I also tried my hand and shopping and bargaining, because I was in desperate need of waterproof shoes and a coat. I managed to do some successful shopping (with a bit of bargaining—I'll work on it!) all in Turkish! I'm really excited to get to practice this crazy language.
Today (well, Thursday, when I wrote this) was the official start of my study abroad program. I've gotten to know the other students a little bit; we had lunch, then an orientation session (involving a detailed powerpoint presentation on what to do in the case of an earthquake), and a short walk around Istanbul. After a nice Turkish dinner, I'm back in the hotel room with my two roommates, who are also on the program. Tomorrow is our first lecture on Istanbul's history, followed by a visit to some pretty amazing historical sites! I'll keep you updated :)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Riviera paradise
I'm going to be sad when I leave Nice on Sunday. I wasn't sure what to expect, coming here--staying in Nice was my way of avoiding buying another round trip ticket to and from the US and spending three weeks in the cold. But I love this city, and this region, and now I understand why so many people vacation in the French Riviera.
Last Tuesday was an interesting evening. Two friends my from class and I decided to check out a French-English language exchange at a pub by the port, which ended up being fun. The pub staff set it up so that ~3 francophones and 3 anglophones would be sitting together, so we would switch off languages every ten minutes or so, and then switch groups every 20 minutes. It was good practice, and nice to meet some actual French people! Afterwards, we went out to another bar in Old Nice that looked like a cross between a bomb shelter and a ship's mess, but was actually quite fun. Needless to say, I was a bit tired in class the next day.
On Saturday I took a day trip to the next town over, called Villefranche. Like most of the towns here, it has a cute old part, a nice port, and then modern apartments spreading up the mountains. I strolled around the steep old streets for a while, admired the harbour, and then (and this is very logical), since I didn't feel like walking back to the bus stop, walked all the way back to Nice. It was about 4 miles/6.7 kilometers, and so beautiful. The path wound around the point separating Nice and Villefranche, then led up the hill and back down to the port in Nice. I took a good nap after my walk, then went out to a bar with an Australian friend from my class that evening.
On Sunday, since I didn't have anything planned, I set out in the afternoon and just wandered for around 2.5 hours, eventually ending up at the Promenade des Anglais and eating a sandwich on the beach. A very peaceful afternoon.
Today was by far the most exciting day of my week–-I headed over to Monaco (~40 minute bus ride) to see the Festival International de Cirque de Monte Carlo! I had heard about it, and it was pretty cool to see. I got there a little past 2, managed to buy the cheapest ticket available (the very last row in the chapiteau!) and got in just as the show was starting at 2:30. It was a fun show, though it went for almost 3.5 hours, much of which was scene changing--taking the lions' cage out and setting up the flying trapeze rig. My favorite act was a handbalancer who had won a "Clown d'Or" at this year's festival.
The city of Nice is getting ready for a big festival too--Carnaval! According to my host mom, Nice's Carnaval is the largest in Europe. They've been setting up guard rails and bleachers for the past week or so, but sadly I'll be leaving before the celebrations start in February.
Dinner time! Thanks for reading!
Last Tuesday was an interesting evening. Two friends my from class and I decided to check out a French-English language exchange at a pub by the port, which ended up being fun. The pub staff set it up so that ~3 francophones and 3 anglophones would be sitting together, so we would switch off languages every ten minutes or so, and then switch groups every 20 minutes. It was good practice, and nice to meet some actual French people! Afterwards, we went out to another bar in Old Nice that looked like a cross between a bomb shelter and a ship's mess, but was actually quite fun. Needless to say, I was a bit tired in class the next day.
On Saturday I took a day trip to the next town over, called Villefranche. Like most of the towns here, it has a cute old part, a nice port, and then modern apartments spreading up the mountains. I strolled around the steep old streets for a while, admired the harbour, and then (and this is very logical), since I didn't feel like walking back to the bus stop, walked all the way back to Nice. It was about 4 miles/6.7 kilometers, and so beautiful. The path wound around the point separating Nice and Villefranche, then led up the hill and back down to the port in Nice. I took a good nap after my walk, then went out to a bar with an Australian friend from my class that evening.
On Sunday, since I didn't have anything planned, I set out in the afternoon and just wandered for around 2.5 hours, eventually ending up at the Promenade des Anglais and eating a sandwich on the beach. A very peaceful afternoon.
Today was by far the most exciting day of my week–-I headed over to Monaco (~40 minute bus ride) to see the Festival International de Cirque de Monte Carlo! I had heard about it, and it was pretty cool to see. I got there a little past 2, managed to buy the cheapest ticket available (the very last row in the chapiteau!) and got in just as the show was starting at 2:30. It was a fun show, though it went for almost 3.5 hours, much of which was scene changing--taking the lions' cage out and setting up the flying trapeze rig. My favorite act was a handbalancer who had won a "Clown d'Or" at this year's festival.
The city of Nice is getting ready for a big festival too--Carnaval! According to my host mom, Nice's Carnaval is the largest in Europe. They've been setting up guard rails and bleachers for the past week or so, but sadly I'll be leaving before the celebrations start in February.
Dinner time! Thanks for reading!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Is it really winter here?
Winter in the Riviera isn't really winter. The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and I was out in just a long-sleeved t-shirt today. I keep thinking back to last January, when I was in Québec freezing (but having a good time!) and understanding why so many rich people choose the French Riviera as their winter escape.
I've had a good first week of french classes. Usually, my day goes somewhat like this: I have breakfast at 8 with my host mom, and head to class at 9 (a five-minute walk away from the apartment I'm living in). Class goes until 11:30 or 12, so then I head out and get some lunch. Later in the afternoon, I usually take a walk along the Promenade des Anglais (I'm in love with that walk), then head home when it gets dark around 5:30 and try to convince myself to do homework (a difficult task). I've done a bit of exploring in Nice—I've seen the shopping mall right near me, and have walked around a bunch—but otherwise I'm not planning on doing much more touristy things, like museums. Dinner is at French time—around 8—with my host mom, and sometimes with the other girl who is staying here, a Korean student at the University of Nice.
This weekend I took an excursion with two classmates to Eze, a medieval town a short bus ride down the coast. We hiked up a hill with spectacular views, and then explored the tiny windy streets of the town on top of the hill. It was a wonderful hike (steep!), a beautiful day, and a very cute old town.
Saturday evening I had dinner with the owners of the apartment that my parents and I rented, and a couple of their friends. All in all we were 6 anglophones, and had a wonderful home-cooked dinner. It was better than any restaurant—we had multiple courses, including stuffed dates and souffle and lots of wonderful wine—and a fun time all around. Sunday was therefore a lazy day, though I took my daily walk on the Promenade with an Australian classmate.
I don't have many plans for this week other than the usual class time and wander time. I'm taking this is a sort of structured vacation—my brain isn't quite ready to switch out of relaxation mode. Of all the places to take a vacation like this, I think Nice is the best.
'Til next time :)
I've had a good first week of french classes. Usually, my day goes somewhat like this: I have breakfast at 8 with my host mom, and head to class at 9 (a five-minute walk away from the apartment I'm living in). Class goes until 11:30 or 12, so then I head out and get some lunch. Later in the afternoon, I usually take a walk along the Promenade des Anglais (I'm in love with that walk), then head home when it gets dark around 5:30 and try to convince myself to do homework (a difficult task). I've done a bit of exploring in Nice—I've seen the shopping mall right near me, and have walked around a bunch—but otherwise I'm not planning on doing much more touristy things, like museums. Dinner is at French time—around 8—with my host mom, and sometimes with the other girl who is staying here, a Korean student at the University of Nice.
This weekend I took an excursion with two classmates to Eze, a medieval town a short bus ride down the coast. We hiked up a hill with spectacular views, and then explored the tiny windy streets of the town on top of the hill. It was a wonderful hike (steep!), a beautiful day, and a very cute old town.
Saturday evening I had dinner with the owners of the apartment that my parents and I rented, and a couple of their friends. All in all we were 6 anglophones, and had a wonderful home-cooked dinner. It was better than any restaurant—we had multiple courses, including stuffed dates and souffle and lots of wonderful wine—and a fun time all around. Sunday was therefore a lazy day, though I took my daily walk on the Promenade with an Australian classmate.
I don't have many plans for this week other than the usual class time and wander time. I'm taking this is a sort of structured vacation—my brain isn't quite ready to switch out of relaxation mode. Of all the places to take a vacation like this, I think Nice is the best.
'Til next time :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Nice (part 1)
Ok, there are so many terrible Nice jokes. Even just writing that title felt like I was making a joke. Well, Nice is nice. Nice is great. And I'll try not to make any more Nice jokes in this post.
My parents and I spent a wonderful week in Nice. We stayed in a rented apartment, which was homier than a hotel. Each day we'd have fresh baguette or pastries for breakfast, and then go exploring. Since I'm bad at remembering things chronologically, I'll just give little descriptions of some of the trips we did.
The most "exotic" was our visit to Monaco—a whole new country! I just get so excited about crossing borders. Monaco is actually tiny and full of a lot of ugly apartment buildings, but it's also full of rich people and fun stuff. We saw the castle (which is quite disney-esque) and wandered around near the yacht-filled port. Even saw some signs in MonegasqueWe also went to the casino, of course, where I tried my hand at gambling (slot machines and poker machines) for the first time and was actually quite bored. I can't figure out what is so enticing about gambling, and I hope I never will.
My dad and I also took a day trip to Cannes—home of the famous movie festival—and Antibes, another town on the coast. Luckily we found cute old-town parts of both cities, with old stone towers that were much nicer than the modern apartment buildings. Also saw the convention center where the Cannes film festival is held, which was pretty cool. The craziest thing—especially in Antibes—was the amount of yachts. Mon dieu. So many rich people with giant shiny yachts. It was like a forest of masts. Could hardly see the water.
Anyway, we also spent some nice times in Nice. Saw some cool Roman ruins (those Romans went everywhere!), as well as an old fort on a hill near the old town. We did a lot of wandering around old Nice, and had some great meals in restaurants here. One of the awesome things about Nice is that they still use Provençal here! Not sure if I've heard it spoken (I think it sounds like Italian) but many of the street signs are written in both Provençal and French.
I've also fallen in love with the Promenade des Anglais—a sea-side walkway that runs all along the shore. It's always packed with people, walking, running, biking, and roller-blading or just sitting and enjoying the view. The beach is mostly pebbles, but the water is bright bright blue (that's why it's called the Côte d'Azur) and some people are brave enough to swim. I took a six-mile walk there yesterday, and took two more walks there today. :)
When my parents headed back to the states, I headed over to my host mom's house. I'll be staying here for three weeks, taking a 2.5-hour french class every day. My host mom is a ball of energy and very hospitable, and I think I'll really improve my french while I'm here. I had my first class today, which went well. It's only 8 students, and the teacher seems quite good. So for now I'll say à toute à l'heure!
My parents and I spent a wonderful week in Nice. We stayed in a rented apartment, which was homier than a hotel. Each day we'd have fresh baguette or pastries for breakfast, and then go exploring. Since I'm bad at remembering things chronologically, I'll just give little descriptions of some of the trips we did.
The most "exotic" was our visit to Monaco—a whole new country! I just get so excited about crossing borders. Monaco is actually tiny and full of a lot of ugly apartment buildings, but it's also full of rich people and fun stuff. We saw the castle (which is quite disney-esque) and wandered around near the yacht-filled port. Even saw some signs in MonegasqueWe also went to the casino, of course, where I tried my hand at gambling (slot machines and poker machines) for the first time and was actually quite bored. I can't figure out what is so enticing about gambling, and I hope I never will.
My dad and I also took a day trip to Cannes—home of the famous movie festival—and Antibes, another town on the coast. Luckily we found cute old-town parts of both cities, with old stone towers that were much nicer than the modern apartment buildings. Also saw the convention center where the Cannes film festival is held, which was pretty cool. The craziest thing—especially in Antibes—was the amount of yachts. Mon dieu. So many rich people with giant shiny yachts. It was like a forest of masts. Could hardly see the water.
Anyway, we also spent some nice times in Nice. Saw some cool Roman ruins (those Romans went everywhere!), as well as an old fort on a hill near the old town. We did a lot of wandering around old Nice, and had some great meals in restaurants here. One of the awesome things about Nice is that they still use Provençal here! Not sure if I've heard it spoken (I think it sounds like Italian) but many of the street signs are written in both Provençal and French.
I've also fallen in love with the Promenade des Anglais—a sea-side walkway that runs all along the shore. It's always packed with people, walking, running, biking, and roller-blading or just sitting and enjoying the view. The beach is mostly pebbles, but the water is bright bright blue (that's why it's called the Côte d'Azur) and some people are brave enough to swim. I took a six-mile walk there yesterday, and took two more walks there today. :)
When my parents headed back to the states, I headed over to my host mom's house. I'll be staying here for three weeks, taking a 2.5-hour french class every day. My host mom is a ball of energy and very hospitable, and I think I'll really improve my french while I'm here. I had my first class today, which went well. It's only 8 students, and the teacher seems quite good. So for now I'll say à toute à l'heure!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Christmas in the vineyards
Hello! Welcome to my adventures around the world, part 239 or something. I'll be chronicling here my month in France, and my semester in Turkey. And whatever comes next, which I haven't figured out yet. Enjoy!
Hello from drizzly Nice, France! I've been in France for about a week, enjoying good food, wine, and temperatures above freezing.
I started this trip by flying Boston-Dublin-Paris, then waiting for a chilly, hungry, sleepy 4 hours at the CDG train station before boarding a train to Bordeaux, and then another one to Macau, the town near which my mom's friend lives. I finally arrived at our friends' house, which is in the middle of thousands of vineyards. We spent a few cozy days taking walks in the vineyard and celebrating Christmas with my mom's friend and her two daughters. Lots of fires in the fireplace, and good soup, cheese, bread, wine, and sweets! It was a very cozy Christmas.
Our first excursion was a drive along La Route des Chateaux—driving through endless vineyards, passing a chateau (castle-like building hosting a specific type of wine) every 5 minutes or so. We visited a few chateaus, but mostly enjoyed driving by and seeing the beautiful façades and slate towers in the late-afternoon sunlight (the sun goes down early here!).
The next day we explored the city of Bordeaux, which is smaller than Paris but still as beautiful. We got some beautiful pre-sun-set views from the cathedral tower and did some serious exploring of the city.
Our next excursion was to the walled town of Saint Emilion—straight out of the middle ages or so, filled with old stone buildings, and cobbled streets (which are actually not made with cobbles, but paving stones--cobbles are small round stones. fun fact). We had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant near the beautiful old church and cloister, and bought some of Saint Emilion's famous almond macaroons.
Finally, we made another day trip to Arcachon—a cute sea-side town. Though in winter it's pretty empty, it was still nice to explore a bit and see the cute houses and the beach. We took a detour to la dune de pyla—the largest sand dune in Europe. It was quite large, though given that I haven't seen any other sand dunes in Europe, I'm not quite sure what to compare it to.
After an early night on New Year's Eve and a 9-hour train ride from Bordeaux to Nice, we are now ensconced in a cozy apartment here in Nice, ready to explore some of this city's sites and some of the rest of the French Riviera. After today's drizzle the weather is supposed to be nice—and in the 60s every day—so I'm looking forward to it.
:)
Hello from drizzly Nice, France! I've been in France for about a week, enjoying good food, wine, and temperatures above freezing.
I started this trip by flying Boston-Dublin-Paris, then waiting for a chilly, hungry, sleepy 4 hours at the CDG train station before boarding a train to Bordeaux, and then another one to Macau, the town near which my mom's friend lives. I finally arrived at our friends' house, which is in the middle of thousands of vineyards. We spent a few cozy days taking walks in the vineyard and celebrating Christmas with my mom's friend and her two daughters. Lots of fires in the fireplace, and good soup, cheese, bread, wine, and sweets! It was a very cozy Christmas.
Our first excursion was a drive along La Route des Chateaux—driving through endless vineyards, passing a chateau (castle-like building hosting a specific type of wine) every 5 minutes or so. We visited a few chateaus, but mostly enjoyed driving by and seeing the beautiful façades and slate towers in the late-afternoon sunlight (the sun goes down early here!).
The next day we explored the city of Bordeaux, which is smaller than Paris but still as beautiful. We got some beautiful pre-sun-set views from the cathedral tower and did some serious exploring of the city.
Our next excursion was to the walled town of Saint Emilion—straight out of the middle ages or so, filled with old stone buildings, and cobbled streets (which are actually not made with cobbles, but paving stones--cobbles are small round stones. fun fact). We had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant near the beautiful old church and cloister, and bought some of Saint Emilion's famous almond macaroons.
Finally, we made another day trip to Arcachon—a cute sea-side town. Though in winter it's pretty empty, it was still nice to explore a bit and see the cute houses and the beach. We took a detour to la dune de pyla—the largest sand dune in Europe. It was quite large, though given that I haven't seen any other sand dunes in Europe, I'm not quite sure what to compare it to.
After an early night on New Year's Eve and a 9-hour train ride from Bordeaux to Nice, we are now ensconced in a cozy apartment here in Nice, ready to explore some of this city's sites and some of the rest of the French Riviera. After today's drizzle the weather is supposed to be nice—and in the 60s every day—so I'm looking forward to it.
:)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Mini vacation in Paradise, Brasil
Well, I'm back home in the states, sweltering in the summer heat here! Although it's nice to be home, I do miss Brazil. Tonight I'm making feijoada (traditional bean-pork stew) for dinner, and I baked pão de queijo (cheese bread) for breakfast. Yum!
My last week in Brazil was wonderful. After breakfasting on tapioca at the weekly sunday market in Glória I headed to the bus station and spent four uneventful hours on the ride to Paraty. The hostel I had booked was right next to the bus station, so it was easy to get to. I spent the evening on Sunday there, since I had arrived after dark.
Monday was spent exploring the beautiful colonial town of Paraty. It was a big change from Rio—much smaller, and quite quaint, with a beautiful harbor. Paraty is known for having a very well-preserved historic center: it is filled with colorful colonial buildings and rough cobbled streets that are only accessible by foot, bike, or horse (and there are many horse-drawn carriages). I relaxed by the beautiful harbour, had lunch at a buffet à kilo full of signs advertising Jesus (a proselytizing cafeteria?) and saw the cultural museum. I also checked out some of the shops and restaurants.
Paraty is very walkable in a day, so the next day I decided to do something different, and took a kayak tour. That was a great experience—we kayaked all around the harbour, stopping at some beautiful beaches where I took on my mermaid persona and spent a wonderful time in the water (not as cold as Ipanema!). I was in a group with portuguese, spanish, and french speakers (no native english speakers), so I had a great time trying to practice my french which the other frenchies, while speaking portuguese with the guide.
That evening, I changed out of my bathing suit and hopped on a bus to Trindade, a small beach village around 40 minutes away that had been recommended to me by one of my friends back in Rio. When the bus arrived in the town it was like a roller coaster ride—a narrow windy street that even passed over a brook at one point. My hostel was nice—in the jungle, with some nice other guests I got to know. That evening the owner of the hostel (from England), made sashimi for us from fish that had just been caught and hauled up onto the beach a few hundred yards away. Mmmmm fresh fish.
The next day I spent relaxing on the beach (Trindade is known for its beautiful beaches) and exploring the little town. My real adventure came the day after that, when I embarked with the owner and guests (2 canadians, 2 south africans, 2 english) from the hostel on an overnight trek to Ponta Negra, a fishing village even smaller than Trindade. We started off in motorboats from Trindade, and spotted some dolphins on our way to the first beach! From there we hiked most of the way, stopping off at other beaches for swimming, bathing, and at one point, rock jumping off a pretty crazy high rock. We also stopped at a nice (yet chilly waterfall) to rinse off from all our dips in the ocean.
We got to Ponta Negra in the evening and set up our stuff in the house where we stayed the night. Ponta Negra has no electricity and no roads leading in to it—all arrivals are on foot or by boat. They do have gas and solar power, so we did have electric lights and running water, but it was still quite basic. It was a wonderful vacation—physically and mentally. We had (can you guess?) fish for dinner—wonderfully cooked, with rice and beans, and enjoyed watching fishing boats come in with their catches and teenagers playing soccer on the beach.
The next day was a beach day—I alternated between sunbathing, swimming, and jumping off rocks (sometimes getting scraped up—I got a lot of cuts and scrapes and bug bites on that trip!). We had another wonderful fish lunch, then took a boat back to Trindade (no dolphins this time). Later that evening, I took another bus back to Paraty with the 2 canadians, had a quick dinner in Paraty, then took the 4-hour bus ride back to Rio, arriving around 1 AM. It was a long day—from a tiny fishing village back to Rio de Janeiro—but wonderful.
The next day I mainly spent packing—though I did get to have a nice lunch with a friend of my record teacher from home. It was nice to meet another "local," and it was nice to be back in Rio, if only for a day. That evening I said goodbye to my friends at the hostel and headed to the airport to catch my flight back to the states. 10 hours to Charlotte, 1 hour 40 minutes to Boston, and I was home, exhausted, but not too exhausted—no jet lag from Brazil!
It was a wonderful trip, and I think the experience really taught me a lot. I suppose I thought "I've traveled so much, there won't be any surprises here" but I do think that my trip to Brazil stretched my boundaries and opened my mind and helped me grow. So I'll finish up by saying: obrigada pela experiência fantástica, Brasil! Thanks for the fantastic experience.
My last week in Brazil was wonderful. After breakfasting on tapioca at the weekly sunday market in Glória I headed to the bus station and spent four uneventful hours on the ride to Paraty. The hostel I had booked was right next to the bus station, so it was easy to get to. I spent the evening on Sunday there, since I had arrived after dark.
Monday was spent exploring the beautiful colonial town of Paraty. It was a big change from Rio—much smaller, and quite quaint, with a beautiful harbor. Paraty is known for having a very well-preserved historic center: it is filled with colorful colonial buildings and rough cobbled streets that are only accessible by foot, bike, or horse (and there are many horse-drawn carriages). I relaxed by the beautiful harbour, had lunch at a buffet à kilo full of signs advertising Jesus (a proselytizing cafeteria?) and saw the cultural museum. I also checked out some of the shops and restaurants.
Paraty is very walkable in a day, so the next day I decided to do something different, and took a kayak tour. That was a great experience—we kayaked all around the harbour, stopping at some beautiful beaches where I took on my mermaid persona and spent a wonderful time in the water (not as cold as Ipanema!). I was in a group with portuguese, spanish, and french speakers (no native english speakers), so I had a great time trying to practice my french which the other frenchies, while speaking portuguese with the guide.
That evening, I changed out of my bathing suit and hopped on a bus to Trindade, a small beach village around 40 minutes away that had been recommended to me by one of my friends back in Rio. When the bus arrived in the town it was like a roller coaster ride—a narrow windy street that even passed over a brook at one point. My hostel was nice—in the jungle, with some nice other guests I got to know. That evening the owner of the hostel (from England), made sashimi for us from fish that had just been caught and hauled up onto the beach a few hundred yards away. Mmmmm fresh fish.
The next day I spent relaxing on the beach (Trindade is known for its beautiful beaches) and exploring the little town. My real adventure came the day after that, when I embarked with the owner and guests (2 canadians, 2 south africans, 2 english) from the hostel on an overnight trek to Ponta Negra, a fishing village even smaller than Trindade. We started off in motorboats from Trindade, and spotted some dolphins on our way to the first beach! From there we hiked most of the way, stopping off at other beaches for swimming, bathing, and at one point, rock jumping off a pretty crazy high rock. We also stopped at a nice (yet chilly waterfall) to rinse off from all our dips in the ocean.
We got to Ponta Negra in the evening and set up our stuff in the house where we stayed the night. Ponta Negra has no electricity and no roads leading in to it—all arrivals are on foot or by boat. They do have gas and solar power, so we did have electric lights and running water, but it was still quite basic. It was a wonderful vacation—physically and mentally. We had (can you guess?) fish for dinner—wonderfully cooked, with rice and beans, and enjoyed watching fishing boats come in with their catches and teenagers playing soccer on the beach.
The next day was a beach day—I alternated between sunbathing, swimming, and jumping off rocks (sometimes getting scraped up—I got a lot of cuts and scrapes and bug bites on that trip!). We had another wonderful fish lunch, then took a boat back to Trindade (no dolphins this time). Later that evening, I took another bus back to Paraty with the 2 canadians, had a quick dinner in Paraty, then took the 4-hour bus ride back to Rio, arriving around 1 AM. It was a long day—from a tiny fishing village back to Rio de Janeiro—but wonderful.
The next day I mainly spent packing—though I did get to have a nice lunch with a friend of my record teacher from home. It was nice to meet another "local," and it was nice to be back in Rio, if only for a day. That evening I said goodbye to my friends at the hostel and headed to the airport to catch my flight back to the states. 10 hours to Charlotte, 1 hour 40 minutes to Boston, and I was home, exhausted, but not too exhausted—no jet lag from Brazil!
It was a wonderful trip, and I think the experience really taught me a lot. I suppose I thought "I've traveled so much, there won't be any surprises here" but I do think that my trip to Brazil stretched my boundaries and opened my mind and helped me grow. So I'll finish up by saying: obrigada pela experiência fantástica, Brasil! Thanks for the fantastic experience.
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