28.6.09

Paris: Deuxieme Jour

The second day in Paris started out with torrential downpours which was not as fun when one individual forgets their umbrella and then you have to share and get rain poured on you. Needless to say, my visit to the Orsay was a little bit damp. Despite that, i really enjoyed the museum as it was full of lovely pieces and it was housed in an abandoned railway station.







We then walked towards lunch and the Ecole Military. It was still stormy outside, but after lunch the sun started to shine just a bit. Adjacent to the Ecole was Napoleons tomb so we also visited that as well.

kelley at lunch.








Our next stop was a short walk to the Rodin Museum where we spent a brief amount of time. My impressions of this museum were less than stellar..It could have been because of the domineering weather, but most of the museum was outside, so it probably wasnt the best day to visit. I did get to see the thinker in person which was nice to see..




After our trip to the Rodin museum we ventured back to the apartment to drop some stuff off and then Andrew and my mom and I went onto explore more of the latin quarter eventually finding a little cafe with a view of the Seine and drinking and eating until the sun was gone and twilight had consumed the sky. We walked past Notre Dame as we did every night...




26.6.09

Paris: Un Jour

So, i am skipping Amsterdam for right now.. not because i didnt enjoy myself there or loved the city, but rather because i forgot i hadnt uploaded pictures of it yet! So i will be doing that in a few days i suppose. I was so excited about my time in Paris that i just started editing pictures and i forgot about the ones from amsterdam. Anyway! I arrived in Gare du Nord and maneuvered my way through the subway ( which is huge and somewhat confusing for a virgin to their system.. no worries as i quickly picked up most of the lines) We had rented an apartment (we being my family) that was located in the latin quarter.. about a five minute walk away from Notre Dame (which was awesome!) I arrived late in the day to Paris where it was really f'ing hot (having just come from Copenhagen where the lows were in the 50s) I arrived, greeted by my mom and brother, happy to have found the place. I unpacked a bit and took a reprieve from the heat. We ventured out later in the evening, walking towards Notre Dame.. and grabbing some dinner right by the apartment.





The next day we arose and enjoyed some delicious goods from the fresh bakery around the corner. We shared the coconut flan, but i had an apple tart for breakfast. MMH. Our first stop was to head towards the Pantheon..which i knew little about before my trip to Paris, but i was soon to find it outs past history as a funerary complex for members of the Paris elite. including Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, and Louis Braille among a myriad of others.



"with martyrs unaware of death"




So i thought i would explain the picture above. That is my brother Andrew, and he is indeed wearing glasses.. i noticed they were magnifying something.. THE EIFFEL TOWER! so i tried to get a picture of it being magnified but it didnt really work... you can kind of see a faint outline.. but otherwise, it didnt work. Our next stop that day was the Louvre.. which was gargantuan. I am almost positive i could get lost in there and probably be never found.. it could be kind of fun actually.. like that book where the kids slept in the museum... but they were kids, and sundaes cost 5 cents..so things are looking grim for me. Anyway.. this was the first of two visits to the louvre.. i decided to see the two most annoying (touristy) things to get them out of the way.. so i went and saw the venus de milo and the mona lisa... which both left me with the question: WTF? The Mona Lisa is much ado about nothing.. yes its by da vinci, and yes their is intrigue about who it actually is, but come on.. thousands of other paintings have a similar story but they dont have a gaggle of tourists surrounding them blinding all those walking by with their cellphone cameras. WHICH also begs the question.. who the fuck takes a picture on their cell phone? i mean honestly.. that has to be the shittiest camera and you are taking pictures of some really gorgeous things with it. ITS INSULTING. i probably could defecate and that would still be a better camera then a cell phone camera. anyway.. i forgot how much i detested that. The Venus de Milo was much more worthy of praise in my view, but still, i am not sure what all the interest is about.. Just did a little research.. apparently the only reason it is SO famous is because of french propoganda in the 1800s? I thought there were way more interesting things in the Louvre besides these two things so i am glad i got these two gems out of the way: like this first picture.. i loved this sculpture.






After the Louvre we started walking back towards our apartment (we spent a lot of time there) with the intention of getting food along the way. As we did most nights, we stopped by Notre Dame as the sun was setting. There will probably be about 4 or 5 more installments on Paris.. and then Amsterdam.. that will probably be the last thing blogged about on here before i saddle up and move on to another venture.






15.6.09

Copenhagen

I arrived in copenhagen after my time in Prague, sad to leave friends but glad to move on to another european location! I think besides Paris, Copenhagen was the place i wanted to see the most..having read plenty of tid bits about the inherent style of the Danes, as well as the their great love for bicycles, i was excited to see it with my own eyes. It was also my first time couchsurfing... previous tries had led to squashed plans so i was uneasy about it, but it turned out to be a marvelous experience. I stayed with a very charming gentleman that goes by the name of Martin.. i couldnt have asked for a nicer person to meet or a more welcoming host. He showed me around Copenhagen via bike.. the vehicle of choice with which i quickly become accustomed. I spent the first day getting accustomed with the city via the visitor bikes (WHICH IS AN AWESOME IDEA!!) so i didnt take any pictures. I met a few of martins friends.. rode around Copenhagen.. especially the manmade island which he resides on. The next day Diana arrived so Martin and i went to pick her up at the airport and then i went and did laundry at a very efficient laundry mat down the street (a few blocks further than i thought) We further explored Copenhagen via bikes.. and i found my dream vehicle!



We made a delicious (authentic!) danish meal that evening with Martins help. It was sooo good! The next day, Martin had to work so Diana + I went off to explore Copenhagen (on our feet.. i grew tired, both physically and mentally of the bike... mainly physically... ill have to lose a few more pounds before taking up the bike as my main vehicle.. but the freedom it afforded was fun!) We went to the New Harbor.. looking for a boat tour that Martin had recommended which we found easily. The tour lasted for an hour and took us around most of Copenhagen..it was wonderful when the sun was out, but a little chilly when the clouds came..but enjoyable over all. We found a bakery (O MY GOD SO GOOD!!) near one of the canals and we both got focaccia Hawaiian style and then we decided to split a GIGANTIC danish.. it took us a few hours but we did it over a few sittings.





We then moved onto to the DAC.. the Danish Architecture Center where we went to see the exhibit Yes is More by the firm BIG. It was fantastic and probably one of the best architecture exhibits ive been too.. there were interacive videos, dozens of models.. everything in an architecture students dreams.. We then moved on to the DDC (Dansk Design Center) which had an exhibit on lighting... which was less than exciting.









After our day of exploring.. we decided to trek to one more spot of Copenhagen, the beach! It was only a few blocks away from Martins house so we we walked, snapping photos.. trying to get this damn bird to stay still for a second.. and much to our chagrin it refused.










The next day was my last day in Copenhagen.. as i was leaving later in the afternoon, but that didnt stop Diana and I from trekking into the town for explorations.. Our first stop was food.. we both got delicious danish.. diana's lemon.. mine chocolate! We then moved onto a massive cemetary which was more like a park than anything..let down! We continued to walk around Copenhagen.. i finally had a slushy! I had been craving that and waffles since my arrival in Italy so it the icy concoction was a welcome reprieve.





My time in Copenhagen came to an end, sadly.. but i was moving onto Amsterdam to meet Staci. However, Copenhagen is a city which made a lasting impression.. one not soon to leave my mind. I cant wait for my return to the city.. where i will share a danish with someone.. resting on the canals watching the tour boats go by. i cant hardly wait.