My Adventures Abroad

Cinque Terra was definetly an amazing place. The first two days were not spent in the actual “Cinque Terra” region, but just to the north and still beautiful. With us traveling day to day, we ran into slight problems finding a place with consecutive availability. Thus, our first night was spent at a campground in Ciavari, about a half hour north of Cinque Terra by train.

Since leaving Paris on Sunday, my experiences have been amazing.  We decided to travel by total free will, meaning that we have no place to be at any point in time.  We are discovering that this gives us the most interesting adventures.
To start with, we missed our train to Bern, Switzerland heading out of Paris.  To get the ball rolling, we jumped on the next train to Switzerland, which was headed to Geneve.  A little different then previously planned, but was a neat town.  To save money, we had purchased a sleeping pad (rather a thin piece of foam) and planned to sleep under the stars as much as possible.
So after walking around the beautiful lake Geneve, we decided to head into the foothills (because Geneve is actually on the edge of the Alps) to find a place to sleep.  Mike and I took a bus to the outskirts of town and started walking towards the woods.  Several obstacles lowered our confidence of finding a decent place to rest, but finally we came to trails running through the forest.
Following the trails to look for a place to crash, we stumbled upon an isolated golf course located at the bottom of a shear bluff.  We decided that this was as good a time as ever to have our fist night sleeping on a fairway, and that we did.
The next day, we boarded a train to Grindelwald, Switzerland located in the heart of the Swiss Alps.  It is a small town that is primarily based upon the tourism for biking and hiking in the summer, and skiing in the winter.
In the morning, we took a bus up the windy road to about 2000 meters.  The bus driver must have some experience, because it looked like a difficult road to navigate with a car – let alone a huge bus.  At the top was a hiking base called Grosse Scheidegg.  It was primarily a point where several trails met and the bus stopped.  There was also a hotel and restaurant.
From there, we took the less traveled route into and terraced high in the Alps.  To give you a picture of our altitude, at the point where we got off the bus we were already above tree line.  Most of that day was spent without seeing a single person, except in the great distance across the valley some farmers where rounding up their cattle.  The views were spectacular and wildflowers covered the ground.
Soon, however, we noticed dark clouds heading our way.  We were only about two hours from Grosse Scheidegg, but that was to far.  As the rain started to fall, we luckily found a small crevice under a rock.  By small, I mean our bags were cramed under the rock and we were about half under.  We sheilded our other halves with our sleeping pads.  Half way through the storm, pea sized hail started falling.  It was quite the experience.
After about an hour, the storm let up and we crawled from out whole to try and dry off.  Though we protected our bags from becoming drenched, many things had become damp.  This pretty much killed our desire to sleep in the Alps, under the stars.  We opted for the next best thing, and rented two beds at the hotel at Grosse Scheidegg.  It was still amazing, because we woke up in time to see the sun rise over the mountains.
The next day we hiked around a bit more, but rain threatened again so we jumped a train to begin our journey in Italy.  Late that night, we arrived in Genova, Italy and found a hostel for the evening.  In the morning, we took a train to La Spazia which is just south of Cinque Terra.  With laundry done, we are just about to head into Cinque Terra for the next couple of days.  It is sunny and hot, hopefully the sea will cool us down.

The last night in Paris has arrived.  My bags are packed.  Three boxes are paid and ready to be sent back home in an effort to lighten my load.

Tomorrow, a friend and I are headed for Bern, Switzerland.  From there we will take local trains to Grindelwald, Switzerland.  This is said to be an excellent base for hiking out of.  We plan to take a couple days and spend it in the mountains hiking and camping.

From there, we will board a train to Cinque Terra, Italy.  This is located just south of Genova, on the Northwest coast of the Mediterranean.

Afterward, we have a flexible assembly of a route through Florence, and then up the East coast to Venice.  From there we will go to Milan, followed by a last night in Dublin, Ireland before heading back to the States.  

A lot of activity has been packed into these previous few days, as will be the next few days to come.  This evening we just arrived back to Paris from Mont St-Michel.  Located in northern France, this abbey is built on a rock island located just of the coast. 

The first day of our two day trip some friends and I rented bikes and pedaled around rural France.  The temperature was hot and the sun never let up.  We tried to find a nice place to swim, though our attempts failed.  However, it was a blast to ride around the small roads that weaved through the country side.  As long as we kept in motion on the bikes, a sufficient enough breeze was created to make the heat bearable.

The following day we explored the island of Mont St-Michel.  The building was amazing in the fact that, over time, it became a combination of massive structures towering off a pile of rocks.  Holding the position at the top is a chapel, with a bell tower completing the tip of the spiral.  With the sea filling its backdrop, it is an impressive site.  However, the heavy tourism made it a challenge to enjoy walking through the buildings.

Prior to that, Saturday and Sunday were spent working on drawings for the class and getting in last minute desires.  Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Chartres, a well know cathedral outside of Paris.

Amsterdam again proved itself.  It holds a stark contrast to Paris and other cities for its relaxed life style.  People are nice, and the canals help to keep the air cool.  Bikes carry the load of traffic, keeping the streets calm and peaceful.  It was a perfect city to sketch at will.

This time, as a bonus, we made the time to rent bicycles and discover Amsterdam from a local perspective.  With the city catering to bikers, getting around town is efficient and pleasant.  The classic styles of bikes ads to the character of the town.

On top of having fun, my friends and I spent a lot of our time sketching different views of the city.

Time spent on the train back to Paris was the only downfall of the weekend.  Through lack of foresight, we scheduled out tickets during the time of the World Cup.  With France competing against Italy, Paris was pumping with enthusiasm.

After hearing on the train that France lost, our expectations of a city in celebration vanished.  However, it was a thrill to watch the games leading through the finals.

Today we did some sketches and went to La Defense.

Tomorrow we head to Chateau de Versailles.

On Wednesday evening, June 28 my class boarded an overnight train for Barcelona.  We arrived in Barcelona the next day, the noon sun making the bags seem extra heavy.  After checking into our hotels, some friends and I headed out for food and to find a beach.

After a little searching, we caught glimpse of a huge beach located in the heart of town.  Later I discovered that this beach was once an old industrial harbor, but had been fixed up prior to the 94’ Olympics that took place in Barcelona.  The sand was nice and clean, as was the water.  People lay in the sun and swam in the sea.

Feeling the coolness of the water was an amazing relief from the pressing heat of the sun.  Almost every afternoon, we made our way back to this beach to cool down from a day of walking around town.

During our four day stay in Barcelona, we concentrated on buildings designed by Gaudi, an architect known for his unique ideas.  Prior to experiencing his buildings, I had little interest in what he did.  However, I was amazed by his designs and the statements they made.

Our first visit was to his still in progress temple, Sagrada Familia.  This amazing building has been under construction over 100 years and still is far from complete.  From the top of the towers, you can see Barcelona laid out before you.

We also visited a housing complex, Casa Mila and a park in the foothills of Barcelona, know as Parc de Guir.

After Barcelona, we headed north to Avignon, which is located in south-east France.  This was a small costal town that still has its original protection wall surrounding the city center.  The town was full of character and gave us a chance to relax in a slower paced environment.

During the day of our stay in Avignon, we took a bus out to Pont du Gard about an hour outside the city.  Pont du Gard is part of an ancient aqueduct that brought water from a spring in the hills 27 km to Lyon, France.  It was an amazing feat of architecture given the period it was built and maintained.

From Avignon we headed up to La Tourette, a convent located in the hills of central France.  This convent was of interest to us because it was designed by the famous architect Le Corbusier.  It was a nice change to relax in the countryside of France.

The following morning we traveled to Notre Damn du Haut - Ronchamp, a chapel designed by Le Corbusier.  This chapel was to the far north-east of France, close to the boarder of Switzerland.  It was a nice relaxing finish to our trip, although a lot of traveling was done to see these few buildings.

Finally, I arrived back in Paris to my apartment for a good nights rest.  Tomorrow morning, me and some friends are heading back to Amsterdam to draw and relax along the canals.

After living in Paris for two weeks now, I have seen many of the city’s main attractions.  It was a rough first week; viewing more then double the museums I had seen prior to arriving in Paris.  Off the top of my head, I can recall at least ten museums that I have already been to; a few of them more then once.  My favorites thus far would be the Musee de Orsay, the Dali Experience, and the Musee de Louvre.

Dispersed throughout our museum visits, we also have been visiting many other buildings that are known for their architecture.  Some of them through class, others we sought out on our own.

On top of enjoying the immense amount of architectural and historical gems Paris has to over, I have been soaking up the atmosphere and culture of the city.  It is a particularly great time to be in Europe with the World Cup taking place.  We have bee commonly going into cafés to watch futbol in the evenings.  Parisians fill the cafés whenever a game is taking place and the streets are packed with celebrators when France wins.

The other fantastic thing about Paris is the food.  Markets and bakeries are scattered throughout the city.  The bread is amazing and is always fresh.  Over 400 different varieties of cheeses are produced in France, and most are excellent.

This past Friday we boarded the RER, which is a series of trains running from Paris into the suburbs, and headed out to Poissy to visit Villa Savoye.  This particular building is a series of “white houses” designed by famed architect Le Corbusier and is now considered a historical building.  It was a nice change to get out of the main city of Paris.  Once there, we toured the building, sketched, and relaxed around this secluded home.

Today we walked through the Catacombs, which is an underground burial ground for millions of Parisians.  In 1786, a monumental project of removing the millions of skulls and bones from the unsanitary city cemeteries to these ancient quarries formed by the excavations at the base of three “mountains”. 

A labyrinth of tunnels, created in Roman times as quarries, runs over 65 feet under the city of Paris.  It is the largest repository of human bones in the world.  Walking through the underground tunnels definitely creates an eerie feeling.  However, the history of this place is amazing.

Our class schedule for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday is unclear.  However, on Wednesday evening we depart on an overnight train for Barcelona.  Starting there, we will begin our ten day trip through Northern Spain and back into France.  Climbing up the Eastern edge of France, we will make our way back to Paris.  It should be an exciting trip.

So as it goes, Amsterdam offered plenty to do and little time for anything else.  Being a extremely unique city, my liking for Amsterdam is mainly fueled by the extensive use of bikes for transportation.  Although it is a large metropolis, it always felt local and presented a relaxed aura.

The streets are generally very thin, allowing access to relatively small cars.  Major streets are split by the tracks used by the Tram system, essentially an above ground subway.  Many roads throughout the central city are reserved for pedestrian and bicycle traffic only, leaving cars as the minority.  Residents cruise the roads on classic bikes to get them from place to place.  Always seemingly relaxed, traffic problems are virtually obsolete.

Interlinked through the whole city, canals provide yet another source of transportation.  In addition these water ways provide the city with a natural cooling system, along with a great aesthetic value.

My days in Amsterdam where spent wandering the city, exploring both the architecture and culture it had to offer; both surpassed my expectations.  The entire time I was there, the weather was absolutely perfect.

To jump ahead, my arrival into Paris took a bit of adjusting.  After staying in Amsterdam for three nights, I became used to the calmness this city had to offer.
Now that I have become accustomed to the faster pace of Paris, I am really starting to become fond of this metropolis.  The architecture here is amazing.  It is interesting to see all these things I once only new through text books and presentations.

Communication has been the hardest obstacle to overcome.  I am beginning to get the basics down, but in no way am I able to converse with a French speaking resident.  Thus, my most important French term is, “parlez vouz anglais?”  Of course, this means, “do you speak English?”

On another note, transportation through the city is smooth.  Through our tuition, we were provided with a metro card.  This provides us unlimited travel throughout the city.

Our first day of class was a boat trip up and down the river, providing us with a good overview of where all the main features of Paris were located.  Today, we visited Sainte Chapelle and Notre Damn in the morning.  This evening I had the pleasure of my first trip to the Louver, which is the first of many.

Those first two days were abnormally hot and humid for here, reaching into the high nineties both days.  Tonight the rain came and the temperature dropped, relieving us of the uncomfortable weather.

Tomorrow, we are planning on visiting the Picasso Museum in the morning, followed by an afternoon visit to the Pompidou Center.  On that note, I need to get to bed and rest…..  bon nuir.

First off, I will use this as a way to communicate to all that are interested about experiences I have abroad.  Unfortunately, my first entry is not so exciting…. yet strangely adventurous.

Basically, my flights have been quite un-amusing.  Because of a stupid mistake by an attendant in Chicago, were advised to board our plane which was to be delayed.  He stated that the Dublin connection would still be made.  Following, we taxied to the runway, and sat for three hours.
 
Finally on way, we arrived in Philly 20 minutes after our flight departed.  After much complaining with first a rep, then his manager, then their supervisor, I finally was able to have our flights rebooked.  Unfortunately, that meant flying to Atlanta and spending the day in the airport.
 
So here I sit, waiting for our flight to Dublin.  Everything seems to be inline now; we just had to spend two full days either in airports or on planes versus seeing Dublin.  Ironically, three of my friends are stuck in Toronto because of similar problems.
 
We were told it was because of that storm that went through Wisconsin earlier this week, but I think it was mainly poor traffic control (I talked to a pilot).
 
There is my scoop.  I talked them into a free night at a hotel and some food vouchers so at least we have that.  Plus, it is sunny here in Atlanta and sunny in Dublin so hopefully they cant screw it up further.
 
I guess at the very least, it is just that much more anticipation…