I'll Be Home for Christmas. Tomorrow!

It's All French to Me!

Well, judging from the title, you probably either heard or realized that I went to Paris this past weekend. And it was GREAT! I left Thursday, and came back on Sunday, and I had a great 4 day trip.

So I was supposed to go with my roommate John, but unfortunately he did not make the flight, so I was left on my own. We were flying RyanAir, and they have a rule that you have to check in 40 minutes before your flight leaves, and John got there 30 minutes before. We had not even began to board yet, by RyanAir is really strict about it. He got a voucher, but since he is leaving in 5 days like me, I don't see him being able to use it. I felt really bad for him, and it was unfortunate to have to travel by myself, but I decided to make the best of it, and live it up in Paris. Plus, luckily I have a good friend Cody there, and I was able to hang out with him a bit while I was there. But I am getting ahead of myself.

So the plane ride went well, but the minute I stepped off of the plane, I realized that I knew absolutely nothing in French. I had learned in friends the phrase "Ju ma pel Claude" which I think means my name is Claude, and "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir" from Lady Marmalade (which I found out is not something to say to people in France). Did not know how to say "Where is the bus" or "How do I get to the Louvre." Luckily, I was able to get by with pointing and grunting, and I was able to get on a bus that took me from the airport into Paris (the airport I flew into was an hour away. It was cheaper than flying directly into Paris).

I got to the hostel I was staying at, and was happy to see that it was a nice looking place. The desk people spoke English, and I was able to get in and all. My room was nice, just two other roommates, and it had a bathroom. It was pretty much like staying at a hotel room (the room had a key card lock), but just sharing it with some strangers. I got settled into the hostel around 9:30, and was able to meet up with Cody and his friends. Luckily, the metro in Paris is pretty easy to figure out, and I could get around Paris very easily. I didn't stay out too late, because I had big plans for Friday.

I woke up early on Friday, and had the complimentary breakfast at the Hostel (bread and juice). Then I was off to see Paris. I started my journey a flew blocks west of the Louvre down the Seine, and then walked east. I walked through the Louvre, taking pictures, but decided I would actually go in and see it later, since I wanted to see as much as I could during the day in Paris, and when it got darker, I would still be able to go into the Louvre. I walked through the Tuileries Gardens, and from time to time, I would use a phrase Cody taught me the first night: "Monsieur ou Madame, une photo, s'il vous plaît," and I would do what I consider to be the international gesture for take a picture of me. The first time I said it, the woman just stared at me. I figured I must have said something wrong in French, and then she said in a loud southern accent, "You want me to take a picture of you?" I sighed a relief, "english, excellent." After the gardens, I walked down the Avenue des Champs Elysees, which is that famous street, lined with trees, that leads to the Arch de Triumph. That was really cool to see, and I had to have a monsieur or madame take a picture of me.

After the arch de triumph, I headed south to the Eiffel Tower. I weaved through streets, just amazed at how beautiful all of the buildings were. It was interesting, because I would see this buidling or intersection from one angle, and then be shocked how it looked even better from another angle. I was surrounded by amazing architecture and city planning, and it was to focus on where I was going, because my eyes were just wandering. I made it to the Eiffel Tower, and waited about 30 minutes in line to climb up. I say climb up, but in fact I paid a little extra to take the elevator. It was pretty big, and I wasn't looking to impress anyone. The views from the top were amazing. You could see the entire city, and there were multiple levels too look from.

I was a little disappointed that the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre weren't quite like I remembered from the video game we used to play on Joey's Playstaion (Twisted Metal 2. Apparently Joey still remembers the code for the Awesome Tank). But luckily, it was better than the video game had portrayed it, and there were no clwon vans trying to attack me.

After the Eiffel Tower, it was about lunch time, and I decided that I was going to try some really authentic French Food. I had heard a lot of good things, and was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the area I was in was a little pricey. I went from restaurant to restaurant, reading the menu (basically just the prices, since everything else was in French). I finally found one that was resonable. 16 euros for an apetizer, entre, and desert. I could live with that. So I went in. Immediately, the man realized that I did not speak French, and was very accomodating in English. The restaurant was elegant inside, with fancy carpet, and candles. And me with my hoodie on. Oh well. I sat down, and the man brought out some flat bread, almost like a big wafer, and a menu in English. Although the discription of the food was in English, the names of the food must have been in French, because I did not understand it. I looked at the cover of the menu again, and the only word that I understood was "Pakistani."

It was than the it hit me that all the waiters in the restaurant had a middle eastern look. I had unknowingly chosen to eat at a Pakistani Restaurant in Paris. I wanted to leave, but fealt it would be rude since they had been so polite. I found the cheapest appetizer on the menu, something similar to potstickers, and ordered that, and some tap water (you have to pay if you don't specify tap water). The man was upset that that was all I wanted, but I figured he would have been more upset if I had left. He brought out two fried things of vegitables, and some dipping sauces. One was kind of tastey - bananas in a cherry sauce. The other was similar to wasabee sauce, and pretty good. I figured I should try the last one, even though it didn't look appealing. I instantly regreted it: the most pugent, awful taste hit my mouth, and I had to force myself to eat it (I didn't want to be rude). I went to reach for my tap-water, but unfortunately he had not brought it out yet. How foolish was I to try something interestingly looking at a pakistani restaurant, without even some water to flush out the taste. I guess I've always been a risk taker, but some things are juts foolish. The only thing I could do to get rid of the taste, which some how felt like it had gotten stronger, was nibble on some of the wafer. Even that tasted terrible. I could not wait to leave. I am not sure if the food had anything to do with it, but after I left the restaurant, I could not stop hiccuping for and hour, and felt terrible. I grabbed a quick sandwich, and was disappointed I did not get any French cuisine for lunch.

After that, I headed back east, to go see the Hotel de Ville, and Notre Dame. The hotel was quite large and impressive from the outside, as was Notre Dame. I got to go in for free, which I was excited about, since most cathedrals in Europe usually charge an entrance fee. They were saying mass in the Cathedral, which was slightly uncomfortable, because tourists did not seem to mind. In fact, they took it as some kind of a bonus, and were taking pictures of people receiving communion, and I guess for them it added to the greatness of the cathedral. I was kind of annoyed by it. The inside was great, and I took some time walking around the entire cathedral, trying to take in the art and sculptures and detail, and not pay attention to the crowd that was gathering near the alter, chatting, and snapping pictures.

Afterward, I walked down the other side of the Seine, exploring the Latin Quarter a bit, and made my way to the Louvre. The Louvre was fantastic. By that point, my hiccups were gone, and I was ready to see some of the most famous pieces of art in the world. I saw the three biggest things the Louvre has to offer: The Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. I was disappointed, as most people I hear, by the Mona Lisa, but only because of the way it is presented. It's behind glass, roped off, and you have to see it from 15 feet away, with people snapping pictures all around you. It is also only 30 inches by 21 inches, yet is on a wall that was as big as the wall that held The Wedding at Cana, which is 33 feet by 22 feet. I understand the significance of the painting, and how Da Vinci revolutionize the portrait, but unfortunately, from the distance I was standing, I could not see those details. I could only see her smile, which I do not think could ever be replicated again by any other artist.

The next day, I woke up at 6:30 in order to go to Normandy Beach, but unfortunately because I was the only one interested in going with this travel group, they canceled the trip for that day. I could have taken a train, but the train station is far from the beaches, and you would have to rent a car. I decided that there was a lot that I wanted to do in Paris still, and I would just enjoy the city instead of going to Normandy. I decided to go on this walking tour through Paris. Unfortunately it covered a lot that I had done already, but it was nice to hear some information about what I was seeing. And I went on a Spanish tour, so I was able to talk with some Spanish speaking people. Halfway through the tour, I decided to duck out early (it was a free tour, so it wasn't a big deal). I went to go get lunch, and this time I dedicated myself to finding a REAL French restaurant. I found this really fancy looking place, and decided to try it (I was in an expensive area). I didn't know what to get from the menu, so I decided to ask the waiter what he recommended. I went with the Fillet Mignon, although it was expensive (we are not going to talk about prices), because he recommended it, and told me how it had a very French sauce and seasoning to it. It was SO good. One of the best meals I had ever had. It's also rude not to take the waiter's recommendation.

After that, I walked around the Seine some more, and then made my way down to the Museum D'Orsay. It was FANTASTIC. I really love French Impressionist Art, and that had a ton of it. Many of the paintings I saw there (Manet, Toulouse Lautrec, Monet, Jean-Francois Millet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir to name a few). I spent a while there, and than went back to my hostel to grab a nap. Afterward, I had dinner at this diner like place near my hostel. Again, REALLY good food. I had the best Crème brûlée (also my first, but it was good). I went out with Cody and his friends that night, to this Jazz Club that was really cool (we went to the Latin Quarter, and they seemed to have a lot of live music venues).

The last day, I decided to meet up with some Vincetian contacts that I had from DePaul, and go see the Church where DePaul is buried. I met an American priest, Fr. Hugh O'Donnell, who had actually grown up in Chicago on Kenmore and Webster his whole life, and was now living at the Vincentian Mother house in France. He gave me a really cool tour, showing me tons of stuff, and then I was able to have lunch there for free (which was good, cause I had spent a lot of money on food already). Afterwards, I went to the Luxembourg Gardens, and the Pantheon, before having to go back to the bus station, and to the airport. My plane was a little delayed, but nothing too bad. And I was reading the first Harry Potter book in Spanish, and finished it while waiting. It was really good to read, since I knew the story in English, and I could figure out the meanings of words quite easily, with context clues and my previous knowledge.

It was an amazing trip, but also exhausting, and I was happy to get back to Madrid, and relax a bit.

Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving? This country has got a lot to learn...

I have not posted on here in a while. I am sorry. If it makes it any better, many times when I am walking down the streets of Madrid, I try and notice things and turn it into puns or jokes to use for my blog. I've thought of so many good ones, but never write them down, and forget later. Luckily, this one made it through. Hope you enjoyed it. And as the title suggests, since I last posted, Christmas decorations have been sprouting up all around. I think our neighbor Wally might be part Spanish, since this was about the same time that his decorations appear as well (I am crossing my fingers that my mom didn't send Wally the link to this).

Well, a lot has happened since we last spoke. I was told that on Friday, my senora's son and his band were coming over, and that we were allowed to invite girls over if we wanted, to see the concert. I thought it was weird that they were asking for girls, but I figured it was because my senora knew my group was mostly girls, and it was a boy band. Well, Friday night rolls around, and I am informed that I am not allowed to go the concert, that it is girls only. My friends call me to tell me that they had arrived, and I take them to my senora's daughter house (next door), and inform them that I will not be coming. Their faces of terror on their faces took me off guard, and I was as apologetic as ever. I told them to arrive at 9:30, which is what my senora told me. We'll, I forgot that they were on Spanish time, and turns out my friends that came, and my senora's daughter, were hanging out together for an HOUR before other people came, and then later the band. Whoops.

Well, a little explanation about the band. They are known as a Tuna. It is kind of like a fraternity, but for music students in college. Each member is known as a tuno, and apparently my senora's son is the lead of the group. They dress in a traditional tuna outfit (as seen in my photo album), and dance and serenade woman (hence the girls only). It turned out ok, I got to watch from the street as the tuna paraded in, singing and dancing. They first serenaded my senora, who was in the window of our apartment, and then moved on to the balcony filled with about 25 girls. Then they went up and put on a concert. Later, we were allowed to join in, and then we all went to a discoteca to dance. It turned out fun, and all the girls that came were glad (it was definitely a part of Spanish culture one does not often see).

During that weekend, I stayed in Madrid, and procrastinated writing my paper for class. It was rather unfortunate, because I didn't want to leave my apartment, because I was going to force myself to write it, but then I found something to distract me for a couple hours: solitaire (high score 5774, can anyone top it). Six o'clock rolled around, and all I had done was written the heading on my paper, so I thought it best to leave the house and do some sight-seeing. My roommate Armando and I went to the Moncloa stop, and did some walking around. There is a large park there, which was really cool, and lots of shops and restaurants and bars there. It would be comparable to like Michigan Ave (since it has both shopping and parks), but much older, and without the skyscrapers (or as they say here, rascacielos). We saw the Templo de Debod (which can be seen in my picasa album from above). It was great, we saw it just at sunset, and I got some amazing shots of it.

He went home for dinner, but since I had already had lunch, I stayed in the area to get some tapas. I stumbled upon this cool contest, were 45 bars in Madrid were competing for the best tapas. For 2 Euros, I was able to get one drink, and the best tapas the bar offered. They gave me a map, with all the locations, and a punch card. I went to three different bars, and had some great food. First, I had a small sandwich, with a piece of roasted pork, and some caramelized onions. At the second place, I had a stuffed pepper, and some couscous. At the last place, I had this cheddar soup, with white rice and chorizo in it. It was all REALLY tasty, and a fun and cheap way to explore the city and have dinner (I walked to each bar, and they were spread apart so I got to see a lot on the way).

On Sunday, I got around to interviewing Spaniards for my paper, and started writing it. It was about Spanish perspectives on American politics, and why they cared so much about our elections. I thought I wrote a good paper (I'm still waiting for the grades), and if you'd like to read it, e-mail me and I'll send you it (I await an inbox full of requests lol).

The week was pretty ordinary, until Thursday: El día de acción de gracias. It was the first time that I had ever gone to class on Thanksgiving in my life (and hopefully the last time). It was really hard being away from home, but I was really glad that I was able to video chat with my entire family that day. Andy and Ella are getting so big, and from Kerry's pictures, it looks like they had a really nice first Thanksgiving. Our dinner that we had here was pretty good. I definitely did not leave as full or as satisfied as I am accustomed to, but it was nice to have some turkey and stuffing. I had Brussels Sprouts for the first time, and thought they were just ok (not as bad as the hype would lead me to believe). It was nice to be with everyone in the program as well, but I could tell most of us were missing home.

I had the place to myself this past weekend, since Frank's girlfriend was visiting, and they left for Paris the Friday after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, this did not help at all, since I missed my bus to Toledo Saturday morning. I didn't even go out Friday night (but I definitely made up some well needed sleep that I had missed out during the week). I had set my alarm for 7:45, allowing myself plenty of time to get ready, and be at the meeting point by 9. Well, I was a little groggy when I woke up, and instead of pushing the snooze button, I pushed the off button on my alarm. I woke up at 9:30, thinking that my alarm should be going off soon, and then got a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was later then I thought. I checked it, and then cursed myself. I loved Toledo last time I was there, and was really looking forward to returning to see it again.

As luck would have it, Toledo is very close to Madrid. And, every 30 minutes, buses leave from Madrid for Toledo, for only 4 euros. So I hopped on the metro, took the circle line literally as far as I could (since it is a circle, you reach one point and you are coming back from where u started. the stop I had to go to was at the opposite end of my stop). Then, I took a bus there. I was able to meet up with my group, and only missed the bus tour around the city (which I had done before). I was still able to see the Cathedral, get the walking tour, have lunch, and have some free time. I bought loads of Mazapán, since I remembered how much everyone liked it, and you are all getting it for your Christmas present. Just kidding. But I did have some, that was made with egg yoke mixed in (yema), and it was much better. Our study abroad people told us that most people don't like plain mazapán, which I had brought home last time, but that with egg yokes it's much tastier.

Toledo was great, as usual, and then on Sunday I went down to Sol to do some sovereign shopping. Now, what I buy is a surprise, but there is definitely a lot of junk out there, and I am sifting through it trying to get everyone the perfect gift. It was nice to do some touristy stuff, and also to see the Plaza Mayor around Christmas time. They have tons of street performers right now (I saw the love of my life from my other post, but unfortunately did not have a camera, so I couldn't get a picture with her). Also, it there are tons of stands set up, with a lot of Christmas stuff. It mostly consists of a thousand different variations of El Nacimiento (The Nativity). They are crazing about having a nativity in your house in Spain, yet church attendance is quite low.

That's about it for these past two weeks. Sorry for the lack of posting (sometimes I feel like I don't have enough to say, but looking back in it, a lot has happened). This Thursday I leave for Paris. I got my hostel and everything set up, and I will be there for four days. I'm pretty excited about it. That should be a fun post when I return, with lots of pictures. By the way, in case you didn't understand from the post above, I have posted all of my pictures online, on picasa, and I will continue posting on that. So you can see all my pictures, and pictures to come, HERE.

Hasta luego!