Parisian Ponderings...

First and foremost, Paris is a strikingly beautiful city.

That being said, I have a small issue with this city. Or, perhaps more accurately, the person who designed it. I'm convinced that a small peasant boy took a piece of charcoal and scribbled madly on a rock a thousand years ago, and they decided to use THAT as the plan for the roads. They make no sense. And as much as I would hate driving in Chicago, you could NEVER, EVER convince me to drive here. It's insane.   Like, run-for-your-life-every-car-has-dents insane. 6 "lane" roundabouts insane. 3 inches of parallel parking room insane.

With that out of the way, I'll go back to the "I love Paris" part of my rant. Although it may be dirty in some places, it really is a romantic city. The iron terraces that are styled to look like flowers and vines add to the charm of the pale buildings and winding streets. It didn't hurt to see several couples that had just been married strolling around, either.

Seeing the Eiffel Tower was amazing, and finally convinced my brain that we really are in Paris. Yay!

Also got to see the Moulin Rouge, which made my night. Much less impressive than I was expecting, but cool nonetheless.

I'm completely exhausted and will be seeing a cabaret show at the Crazy Horse tomorrow, so I'll get more writing done...soon-ish.

x

Tomorrowland - One Crazy Party

Yesterday Silke, her brother, and I headed to Boom, Belgium (pronounced 'Bome", but I like it better with the English pronunciation) for the Tomorrowland techno/electronic music festival.

It. Was. Insane.

We arrived around 2 and took a bus to the festival site, where we had some drinks, ate, and danced the day away. The place was absolutely packed (over 50,000 people), and no matter how many boards and wood chips the staff put down, it was all muddy. The ground was littered with discarded cups, cigarettes, and other smoke-able things (everyone seems to smoke here). It was shoulder-to-shoulder crowds in the evening, and I can't tell you how many times I was elbowed, stepped on, and pushed. The bass was non-stop, and my ears were ringing with the beats as I tried to fall asleep once we got home. My feet and knees ached from standing on a hill and dancing allllll dayyyyy long. But it was a crazy experience that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. The whole place had an "Alice-in-Wonderland" feel to it, and it only added to the surreal feeling you got from the music itself. The festival was absolutely fantastic for people watching - there was no shortage of oddities. There were people from all over the world, but the fact that not everyone spoke the same language didn't hinder the party at all. Music seems to bring people together in a whole different way.

So today I'm resting. And sleeping. A lot.

x

You Know You're in Amsterdam When:

Bike parking ramp. Yes. You read it right.

Sex show anyone?

 

 You know you're in Amsterdam when:

• You have near-death-experiences with bicycles every time you attempt to cross a street.

• There is more room to ride bikes than walk.

• You see an old man in a yellow speedo biking the streets at an incredible speed.

• Girls are dancing half naked in store-front windows.

• She-males are dancing half naked in store-front windows.

• You assume every girl with heavy eyeliner and implants is a hooker.

• You have to be concerned about falling into a canal when parking a car.

• You have to be concerned about falling into a canal while walking and taking pictures.

• Girls are peeing (pants down, butt out) in the bushes in the park.  

"High Times Coffee Shop" - Very subtle.

• There are at least 3 coffee shops on every block.

• You're no longer shocked by the most outrageous fashion ever. (Shredded tights, genie-style pants, plaid on plaid on polka dots on lace on sequins, etc.)

• Your clothes and hair smell like weed and you haven't smoked.

• You find weed on your table in the bar. 

• Your mouth tastes like weed and you haven't smoked.

Needless to say, Amsterdam was entertaining.

Heading to Boom, Belgium tomorrow for Tomorrowland, and trying to prepare my brain for the insanity that it will be.  Night!

x

Sex, Drugs, and Techno

Let me start by saying that I hate to stereotype. But I must say that Amsterdam has lived up to its reputation.

As far as the sex goes, there are more sex themed shops, museums, and brothels than you could every really need. The red-light district is quite the busy place with girls dancing in windows - most with platinum blonde hair and implants, beckoning the men inside.

 As far as the drugs go, I'm pretty sure my clothes smell like weed. You can smell it everywhere, and you can't go more than 2 blocks without seeing a "coffeeshop". There is an abundance of people who fit the stereotype of "hippie" walking around as well...dreadlocks and ponchos as far as the eye can see.

As far as the techno goes, I can hear it loud and clear from the hotel. Perhaps tomorrow we will venture out into it.







The canals that run through Amsterdam are beautiful, and provide boating as an alternative to biking. There are more bikes here than you can imagine - think Mackinaw Island on steroids.

Holland itself has also lived up to its reputation - there really are cute little windmills dotting the landscape...Fantastic.


More tomorrow.

x

Love Can Make a Painter Out of a Blacksmith

The Blacksmith's Well

Today we explored Antwerpen (Antwerp for all you English speakers) and I got to hear lots of fantastic legends and stories from Danny as the day went on. I think that's one thing I love about Europe - everything has a story. I realize that we have "stories" in America too, but they seem so much more legendary and full of history here. My favorite of the day was a love story about a blacksmith who became a great painter to impress the father of the woman he was madly in love with. The father of the girl was a painter as well, so the blacksmith painted a fly on one of the father's paintings. The father tried to swat the fly off of his painting, and when he realized it was not real he demanded to know who painted such a marvelous fly. The blacksmith claimed his artwork, and was allowed to marry the girl. (I know I probably didn't tell it as well as Danny, but I'm doing my best.) I also got to hear how Antwerpen got its name - roughly translated it is "hand throwing" - and it's an interesting name for a city, with a slightly gory story behind it.  (See this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerp#Origin_of_the_name)

Hand Throwing

My Dutch phrases are coming along, and I now know something like 10ish words. Yay! The waiter still didn't understand me today (argh!) but I'm working on it.

I've taken way too many pictures once again - but I can't say that I'm TOO upset about it. There are some really neat ones, and I'm forcing myself to label and edit them each night so I can remember what they are a month from now.

I'm off to pack for Amsterdam - the forecast is not looking great. I'm hoping for at least a TINY bit of sunshine while I'm there. Crossing my fingers!

x

At Least It's Not Snow.

So today we explored Gent, where they were holding a local festival. The weather did not cooperate. We were rained on at least half of the time we were there, but we didn't let it stop us and wandered around Gent for 7 hours.  I've got way too many pictures again - shocker. At this rate, I'll have at least three thousand pictures up before I come home. I'll also have chronic back and neck pain from lugging around a giant camera and my purse all day.

Summary of the day.

We visited a castle (yay!) where I got to pretend I was a princess for a few minutes, saw lots of street performers (including a feminist drum line and "trash beatz" boys), and got absolutely soaked in the process. It was actually a pretty entertaining day.






I've become so used to not hearing English, that even when someone is speaking it, I don't attend to it. Poor Silke has had to be my translator non-stop - I'd be lost without her. But I am picking up some words here and there - and even attempted to order my own meal today, "Cola light and wok met kip". Apparently it was a poor attempt, because I had to point to it on the menu for the waiter. Silke then conned me into trying fish egg puree. They were salty....but ok. I told her I'd "try anything once" and she's been holding me to it. (I secretly enjoy it. I think.)

I'm sleepy, and currently having a beer with tequila in it, so I'll write more soon. My pictures are updated, so check them out!!!

x

I Ate Snails. (Yes, plural.)

So today started off with a trip to a local bakery where we picked out breakfast - croissants with chocolate. Afterwards, we headed to Silke's grandmother's house in Lennik where we had some champagne and snacks before lunch. Now, it was probably the champagne, but I did a very brave thing....I ate 2 (two) snails. Yes. Two. They were....interesting. And chewy.

After that once-in-a-lifetime snack, we moved on to a fabulous lunch of "Farmer's food" and ice cream for dessert. Silke's grandmother's house was full of art that she had created - it was beautiful. Silke's grandmother was also the most gracious host, and reminds me of my grandma in so many ways. From her sweet demeanor to constantly checking that everyone has what they need, I'm pretty sure Silke's grandmother and my grandmother must be related.

After that we journeyed into Brussels, where I took way too many pictures once again. We saw lots of churches - and you could tell that whoever made them was going for the awe-inspiring look. I got to see a "big" attraction in Brussels - the "pissing man". Really, he is just a small naked boy who is taking a leak. But for some reason...he's a big deal.

The streets were packed with small stores and waffle vendors. I ate a real Belgian waffle that was delicious - much sweeter than ones at home. As we walked through a street packed with restaurants, Carine (Silke's mom) told me that one of the restaurant staff asked if I was Spanish, which gives me high hopes of fitting in well in Spain.  It rained on us late in the afternoon, but don't worry. I didn't melt. Just got cold and wet.

To end the day we went to see Harry Potter pt. 2. My reactions about the movie theatre:

• You buy your ticket for a specific seat - (row 9, seat 5) - I think I liked this...it would allow me to waste more time buying popcorn before a movie.
• The seats were way more comfy than in any other theater I've been to...Lots of leg room, extra wide armrests, and cushy seats.
• There was a ten minute intermission half-way through the movie. This was one of the negatives. It was slightly weird to suddenly "pause" the movie and restart again....
• There were subtitles in French and Dutch. This part made me believe I was actually fluent in 3 languages because I could "read" (predict/follow along) with what was in the movie. This was...distracting. 

Oh, and HP7.2 was fantastic. 

We're off to Ghent for a festival tomorrow. And it should be raining. Again. Belgian weather MAY be worse than Michigan's. Maybe.

x

Belgian Blur

Ok, so it's only been a day since I've written and I barely know where to start....I'll try to keep this chronological, but forgive me if I don't.

Our flight to Brussels was interesting, and included a guy who practiced hypnosis in the seat next to poor Silke (yes, you read right - a hypnotist). His disheveled "I haven't showered in a few days" look along with his "I found these in my great-grandpa's house" round glasses tipped the creeper scale before he even sat down. So after explaining to us how hypnosis "opens the mind" and trying to demonstrate on Silke, he slips her his number as we exit the plane. We skillfully dodged him at the luggage carousel and made it safely out to Silke's awaiting family. Her welcome home hugs and tears were emotional, and made me a little emotional. We had a drink (just fanta - the beer comes later) at the hotel across the street before heading to Silke's house. It was 62 and rainy, but I was still wayyyyy excited to be in Europe. I only wish I had packed more warm things....Don't judge me if you see the same outfit 1,546 times.

We went to dinner that night at a brewery/cafe, and I had some fantastic Kriek beer (cherry flavored) that was brewed on site. Dinner was fantastic - and Silke is going to have to teach me to make battered and fried mashed potatoes. (There's a real name for them that I can't come up with right now.)

At that point, we'd only had 2 1/2 hours of sleep in the past day and a half, and we crashed around 8:30. I fell asleep as soon as my face hit the pillow.

Today began with a bike tour of Kampenhout, where I discovered that even on a bike you can get cat-called and whistled at. Silke and I were quite the pair apparently. Kampenhout is a relatively small town, with lots of brick buildings and skinny roads that people drive NASCAR-style down. Also, everyone drives a manual shift - meaning I would kill myself if I attempted to drive here. I'll be sticking to the bicycle.

We stopped by Silke's aunt's house and had a chocolate cake made by her cousin Jietske for breakfast. It was delicious, even though Jietske forgot to add the chocolate to the cake...which means she'll have to make it again. I must say that I'm looking forward to it. We played Kinect on the xbox, and although it was fun, I was terrible, and I'm pretty sure I looked like a retarded giraffe trying to play.



After that, we headed into Leuven, where I took way too many pictures while Silke gave me the grand tour. Lots of shopping and restaurants along cobblestone streets - check out the pictures. =]



Dinner was at a place called Thai for You, with Silke's parents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. The food was awesome, and I had some Cava wine that was amazing. We're back home now, and I'm ready to crash. My body hasn't quite caught up to the time change and I'm not hungry until 6:00 pm here. Hopefully I'll figure that out soon. 


x

Kiss Me, I'm Irish.

So Silke and I have arrived in Dublin, and we are combating this jet-lag the best way we know how: large doses of coffee (which is much stronger over here apparently) and stimulating philosophical conversations (probably not as stimulating as we think they are - we may be delirious). My body is quite confused about caffeine and sunshine at 3 am, but we're hoping to stay awake until tonight - about 12 more hours.

The plane ride from Chicago was great and went really fast. We got moved to "good seats" (more leg room) on the way, and actually slept for 2ish hours. As far as Ireland goes, I've decided that Irish accents are fantastic, and that I would love to steal a small Irish child for that reason.  Their whining sounds so much cuter. Dublin is a much flatter city than I imagined and we don't have a great view of it from the airport, but we did get a great view of some cliffs on the way in that were breathtaking.  That, combined with all of the advertisements in the terminal have convinced me that a trip to Ireland is a must sometime in the future.  Lastly, the fact that Bailey's is on every coffee menu in the terminal makes me smile. I figure 9 am is an appropriate drinking time here, but we haven't tried it...yet.

More later tonight if I'm still functional.

x

I'm a Time Traveller. Almost.

I've never been great with calculating time zones, but with a little help from the fabulous Miss Nicole, we've figured out the following (all in Eastern time):

I leave the US at 7:45 pm, Wednesday the 13th,
land in Dublin at 3:25 am, Thursday the 14th,
and land in Belgium at 9:45 am.

Belgium is 6 hours ahead of Eastern time, so don't be surprised if I call you at some crazy hour. 

Ok, back to packing now. I swear.

x

The Itinerary!

This is the itinerary for my trip!

I'd say I was posting it merely to inform you of where I'm traveling to but that would be a lie.

More or less, it's for you to have an idea of where to start looking for me if I come up missing...Safety first. 

On a lighter note: I leave in 7 days, and have nothing packed. Beautiful.

x