Mackenzie en France

Istanbul

2010-07-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Turkey was memorable for several reasons. Istanbul was so unlike any other European city that I visited over the course of my semester abroad that it would be unjust to try to draw a comparison in typical travelers' qualifications. Traveling with my mother and sister — three American and Catholic women — in a country not known for its religious or sexual tolerance was both fascinating and at times frightening. We also made time for a Turkish bath, which yielded hilarious anecdotes not soon to be forgotten. Turkey was also the final country I saw before I returned to my host family in Tours and then my real family in the U.S., rounding out the list of new places I saw (which I have posted on the right sidebar for the few of you who may be interested).

Neither the first nor the last murse sighting on our trip.

We conveniently arrived at the Blue Mosque just in time for their afternoon prayer — a Turkish experience not to be missed.

A yummy and colorful salad at a nearby café.

The Blue Mosque at sunset from our rooftop restaurant.

Somehow we managed to swallow down Turkish coffee, a very thick concoction that tastes similar to what I imagine tar would.

A view of the Golden Horn from our river cruise on the Bosphorous.

Amazing architecture spotted from the boat. Unfortunately we had more than a little trouble deciphering the guide's explanations of what everything was!

The bridge that connects the Asian and European parts of Turkey.

A manmade "party island" in the center of the Bosphorous.

We just don't have that kind of architectural detail in America!

Murse numero dos on the river cruise.

The view from Pierre Loti Hill.

Evidence of far too much time spent looking at rugs in the Grand Bazaar.

Hagia Sofia at sunrise (damn those early flights).

The Blue Mosque at sunrise.

vienna

2010-07-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

from salzburg, it was on to the austrian capital!

pretty orangerie in front of schönbrunn.

reilly practicing her politican's wave...

and her princess wave.

gorgeous gardens.

classical sculpture.

grand fountain.

schönbrunn palace at night.

salzburg

2010-07-07T18:06:00.001-07:00

the austrian birthplace of the sound of music was every bit as charming as it appears in my all-time favorite film.

banks of the salzach river that runs through the city.

reilly and mom in front of one of several mozart memorials.

the spray from the fountain felt pretty good on an unexpectedly hot day.

mom and i in front of a cool sculpture in the residenz.

view from the hohensalzburg castle.

cute little restaurant nestled in hohensalzburg where we grabbed a bite to eat.

i love the shadows here.

a lovely panorama from hohensalzburg.

lunch/dinner.

reilly and mom in front of the house where the sound of music was filmed.

the gazebo where rolf and leisl sing "sixteen going on seventeen."

church where maria and the captain get married (mom using her trench coat to recreate maria's veil).

doesn't it actually sort of look like a train?

mom happier than we've ever seen her. we love the sound of music!

garden where maria and the children sing "do re mi."

reilly and i on the fountain they danced around.

goofing around in the hedge tunnel that maria and the children run through during "do re mi."

maria: gretl, what happened to your finger?

gretl: it got caught.

maria: caught in what?

gretl: friedrich's teeth.

pretty flowers in the garden.

a lovely sunset from the rooftop restaurant on our last night.

dauchau/munich

2010-07-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

dauchau was a very somber experience (one which i had considered forgoing) and certainly a strong declaration that history ought not repeat itself. i was a little put off by tourists posing by the gate inscribed with "work will set you free" smiling and flashing peace signs but there were other moments where i was shaken to my core with horror and sadness. munich, on the other hand, was an amazingly alive city where the people's enthusiasm (and drunkenness) proved endlessly entertaining and even infectious. even after a soccer match against milan ended in defeat, citizens stormed the streets with flags and beers to celebrate their munich pride.

work will set you free.

never again.

role call yard.

rows and rows of former barracks.

barbed wire fence.

on to greener pastures... munich madness at marienplatz.

a proud purchase.

witch hats and puppy jerseys.

so crazy!

in front of the dancing dome in the gorgeous hoff garden.

dancing in hoff garden. how fun!

"backpacking" through europe.

beautiful building in the hoff garden.

sunlight through trees in hoff garden.

baby chick in the english gardens!

pretty landscaping in english gardens.

hippies in the english gardens.

sisters in the english gardens.

bicycle in hoff garden on our walk back home.

prague

2010-07-06T15:26:00.001-07:00

i unfortunately never made it to prague while i had friends from bucknell studying there and i imagine it must be a different city when you're traveling with a group of friends. we found prague to be beautiful but a little dirty — has anyone else felt the same?

a man stretching in the airport.

at the astronomical clock.

lucky spots along the charles bridge.

entrance to the neighborhood on the other side of the bridge.

pretty street where a pigeon left its mark on my head.

the "eiffel tower."

view of the prague castle from the eiffel tower.

view of the charles bridge from the eiffel tower.

pretty colors from the top.

pretty tulips at the bottom.

cool padlock wall we happened upon.

mom decided to sign a few names: me and my boyfriend...

my parents...

and our puppies.

reilly and i at the padlock wall.

at the lennon wall — a must-see if you're in prague!

beth and her boy.

i love this one.

leaving our mark...

reilly's artsy shot.

my dream car!

beautiful lighting on a church near the lennon wall.

pretty sunset and view of the prague castle on the river.

reilly felt it necessary to employ the mosquito netting around our bed.

london

2010-07-05T14:32:00.001-07:00

i was fortunate enough to make two trips to london during my final month in europe: once in early may for michael's birthday weekend and again toward the end of the month at the beginning of my whirlwind trip with my mom and sister, reilly.

borough market on michael's birthday weekend.

view from the top of the london eye with mom and reilly.

i love the london eye!

london skyline at night.

reilly and i in front of our hotel near paddington.

changing of the guards at buckingham palace.

mom and reilly in front of big ben.

window at westminster.

courtyard at westminster.

pretty juxtaposition at westminster abbey.

i love tulips!

st. paul's cathedral.

the ceiling of st. paul's cathedral.

the tower of london.

posing with a grumpy beefeater.

i loved the colors in this landscape at the tower of london.

relishing an ice cream sundae on the first floor of harrod's.

cheesy smiles in front of a les misérables poster in the tube station. the play was a must-see!

périgord

2010-05-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

our final excursion of the year! a four hour bus ride south took us to a lovely historic part of france that you just don't find up near paris. everything was so springy and green! i hope you enjoy...

this little streetside garden in périgueux became the perfect spot for afternoon ice cream.

the entrance to the breathtaking gardens of eyrignac.

the hedges were unbelievable...

...with an occasional pop of red chinoiserie. until my camera died, i was in heaven!

the beautifully preserved medieval village of sarlat.

we arrived just in time for the saturday market!

approaching the château de beynac.

views from the château. aren't they extraordinary?

the hillside town of rocamadour.

a baby goat (born that day!) at the chèvrerie/fromagerie we visited. he was too cute for words.

the view from inside the cave of padirac. very alice in wonderland, wouldn't you say?

périgord is a truly lovely region of france unlike any other i've had the chance to see in my time here. it was the perfect way to round out my five months with bucknell en france!

greece

2010-05-04T02:38:00.000-07:00

how to sum up our time in greece? my friend valerie says this: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times... the best being our time spent in the sun on the greek islands of ios and santorini, the worst being the lingering feeling of insecurity in athens and the volcanic eruption that left us stranded there for four extra days. i think athens is a place i'll be happy to say i've been to, if only to have seen the parthenon and the first olympic stadium, but not a city i'd care to return to anytime soon. the islands, however... take me back to santorini, please! our trip went like this, so you can follow along: two days in athens, five days in ios with a day trip to santorini, and then five more days in athens.

anyone who knows me will not be surprised that our first stop in athens was this two-story starbucks. my mom would be proud!

michael and i with the acropolis behind us. excuse the crazy hair!

awesome view of athens from the hill next to the parthenon. how cool is it that you can see the clouds casting shadows over certain neighborhoods?

an ancient ampitheater.

admiring ancient ruins at the acropolis.

michael and i in front of the parthenon.

renovations on the parthenon.

the stadium where the first olympic games were held in 1896.

arriving in ios — just another day in paradise. i swear i have dozens of versions of this exact same shot...

realizing just how far out the farout beach club was.

one of my favorite pictures from our whole trip. i could (and did) stare at that view every night!

our humble abode.

watching the sun set on mylopotas beach in front of our hotel.

michael taking a break on our ATV.

sailboats on mylopotas beach.

saying good bye to ios for a day trip to santorini.

a whitewashed church on the hilltop.

how beautiful is this?!

michael enjoying the view from a cliff in santorini.

riding my baby donkey up the hill. how cute is he?!

yet another pretty sunset on mylopotas beach back on ios.

michael skipping rocks at the gorgeous beach we found during our second day of ATVing.

the awesome view from our ATV.

valerie speeds by a herd of cows.

goats along the roadside.

terraced hills that remind me of something out of south america.

pretty greek orthodox church in ios.

a student demonstration in syntagma square back in athens.

police armed with riot shields to quiet the demonstration.

greek parliament.

the fascinating changing of the guards ceremony in front of parliament. please note the pom-poms on their shoes!

the view of the acropolis from our hotel room on our last night.

rome

2010-04-28T03:54:00.001-07:00

venice and florence set the bar high... and unfortunately i think rome fell short. don't get me wrong — i think rome is absolutely someplace you have to see in your lifetime, to see all the touristy things like the vatican and the colosseum, but it's much more of a city than the other two and felt a lot less like vacation. thankfully we were able to cross everything off our list — rome wasn't built in a day, but it can definitely be seen in one!

the piazza della repubblica.

entering the vatican.

the ceiling of the sistine chapel. while it was lovely, the process of getting to the chapel was miserable! thousands of people and multiple kilometers of museum hallways lined with what i'm sure were beautiful and important tapestries and the like for those who are into that sort of thing but i was very frustrated that there's no way to cut to the chase... er, chapel. it took more than an hour of being herded through the museum, only to arrive to a sign that said "no photography." i don't think so!

another illegal shot of the hand of god giving life to adam. the sistine chapel was worth seeing (especially for this art history student!) but truthfully not an experience i'd like to repeat ever again. been there, done that!

gardens at the vatican. finally some fresh air!

more of the vatican.

the trevi fountain. now this i loved! the fountain is huge and trés impressionante... the perfect place to buy some gelato and escape the heat.

the spanish steps. what a mob scene!

the view from the top of the spanish steps.

besides the trevi fountain, the colosseum was my favorite part of rome. while i can't argue that it looks to be particularly well-kept (lots of crumbling stone and stagnant reconstruction efforts), it felt cool to be in a place with so much history.

looking a little worse for the wear after our first week of travel. at least i've got a flower in my hair!

a view of the colosseum from the exterior. note mr. map in the corner!

the gardens just outside the colosseum were spectacular. finally a chance to unwind from our hectic day of sightseeing!

orange trees — my favorite!

florence

2010-04-27T09:39:00.001-07:00

new city, new love affair. i loved the market (a bracelet for me and a bike jersey for michael!), the food (homemade pesto, yum!), and the panoramic views from the duomo and the piazzale michelangelo (check them out below!).

the basilica di santa maria del fiore, better known as the duomo.

the dome from the interior.

the bell tower of the duomo.

michael and i at the top of the duomo.

the basilica of santa maria novella from the duomo.

piazza della repubblica.

surveying the view from piazzale michelangelo. the hike was worth it!

ponte vecchio as seen from piazzale michelangelo.

the duomo from piazzale michelangelo.

venice

2010-04-27T05:11:00.001-07:00

to make a long story short, i fell in love with venice. it was the perfect way to start a vacation: not much to see as far as monuments go but plenty of little streets to wander, canals to discover, and gelato to be had. i would go back in a heartbeat.

the ponte di rialto.

hustle and bustle on the grand canal.

the roofline of st. mark's basilica.

the bell tower of st. mark's basilica.

my favorite building in san marco square.

bonding with the locals.

pretty little flower market.

restaurant/gondola/canal... i have dozens of very similar pictures but i couldn't help myself!

this would be one of my favorite pictures if it weren't for the wind in my hair!

michael scaring me by climbing off the sidewalk onto some floating post.

we asked an italian woman to take our photo with me standing on a cement post so i could be as tall as michael... it took her about ten minutes of wild gesturing for me to come over and realize that she had zoomed in so far that the image stabilization had turned itself off and she could therefore not focus on anything... all for her to cut off the post i was balancing on!

the basilica di santa maria della salute, which we stumbled upon by accident!

battling bedhead at the basilica. (say that three times fast!)

pretty statue.

on our gondola!

action shot of our evening gondola ride.

fontevraud

2010-03-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

another excursion, another rainy day... i'm beginning to believe it's impossible for our group to experience good weather in our travels. this fifth excursion was to the abbey of fontevraud, considered revolutionary for its placement of monks and nuns in the same establishment. napoleon I turned the abbey into a prison during his reign, though today it is a purely historic site.

a crucifix constructed in the fourteenth century. think about how old that is!

the rooftop of the kitchen at the abbey, rife with chimneys.

the ceiling of the kitchen from the interior.

pretty architecture...

...pretty landscaping.

one of several lovely courtyards at the abbey.

les égouts (the sewers) of the abbey.

murals of religious life at the abbey. would you look at those ceilings?

the light-filled eighteenth century church.

isn't it incredible?

another courtyard at the abbey. i love the gridlike hedges!

the convergence of the loire and the vienne.

my host brother, paul, ready for his cotillion dance and me in the process of getting ready for carl's birthday party.

switzerland

2010-03-25T04:57:00.001-07:00

i had such a great time with my brother, grayson, and my boyfriend, michael, in switzerland this weekend. interlaken was so beautiful: huge mountains, turquoise water, and hang gliding!

view from the casino in interlaken.

grayson and i.

look at that water!

grayson and michael.

grayson and i waiting for our turn to run off the mountain.

and we're off!

ed and i cruising above the mountainside.

more hokey poses. check out our flight:

it was so much fun!

i survived!

proof for the insurance company?

brief pit stop in london before grayson had to fly home.

goofing around at the monument to the great fire.

model shot.

for our little brother, camden!

normandy

2010-03-15T14:08:00.001-07:00

our excursion to normandy was a long haul: early wake-ups, hours spent on a freezing bus, cranky professors yelling at us to speak only in french. there were definitely parts of the trip that i would have done differently if i'd been traveling by myself but the moments of the trip that went right made all the others worth it. saint malo and mont saint michel were beautiful but it was the american cemetery at normandy that really took my breath away. the second we set foot in the area, which is territory owned by the united states, we could all tell we had left france for a moment. i can't put my finger on exactly what it was — the layout of the museum? the bathroom stalls wide enough for obese americans? — but there was an immediate lift in spirits among the group. without further ado, some highlights of our trip:

the fortified village of saint malo.

view from behind the walls.

hanging out on the fortress. from left to right: carl, annie, denise, maika, and valerie.

mont saint michel from afar.

courtyard at mont saint michel.

monastery at mont saint michel.

stained glass windows in the cathedral at bayeux.

remnants from d-day on the beach at normandy.

entering the american cemetery.

a handful of the 9,000 crosses in the cemetery.

it felt like no angle could capture the number of white crosses. they just went on and on.

and on and on.

an unknown soldier.

pretty trees overlooking the american cemetery.

the altered landscape at pointe du hoc, where bomb craters offer unsettling proof of the battle that occurred here.

german bunker.

view from pointe du hoc.

kids playing in bomb craters. this should provide an idea of scale... the craters were huge.

the german cemetery. the gravestones (each of the squares on the ground — the five crosses are just statues) were engraved with the soldiers' dates of birth (unlike the american cemetery) and the number of 17-, 18-, and 19-year-old soldiers killed was truly disturbing.

le musée de la paix... interesting way to conclude our weekend of studying the second world war.

the gallery of nobel peace prize winners.

words of the day

2010-03-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

près

adverb meaning "near" or "close"

proche

adjective meaning "nearby"

amsterdam

2010-03-09T02:09:00.001-08:00

let me start off by saying that amsterdam was unlike any other place i've ever seen. people were so friendly (particularly delightful coming, as i was, from france) and more than willing to speak [flawless] english to help out a couple of lost american tourists.

we ate primarily italian food (again a refreshing change!) and soaked in the city at our own pace. i think we saw a good number of the major spots considering we were only there for two days: an afternoon at the van gogh museum (michael is such a good sport!), multiple walks in the cheery vondelpark, a canal cruise through the city, and even a tour of the red light district on our last night (no pictures allowed — i'm sorry!).

there is definitely more to amsterdam than legalized marijuana and naked girls in windows (though there was plenty of that too!). we loved that everyone seemed to bike everywhere, circumstances that made for some hilariously close calls with we pedestrians. save for the chilly temperatures and the guttural harshness of the dutch language, it's definitely a city i can't wait to go back to someday!

yummy restaurant for lunch on our first day. isn't the lighting cool?

michael lives on leeuwarden road in connecticut... perhaps this is the dutch translation?

peering into the windows of what i'm certain is the world's prettiest flower shop. we walked past it every day and night!

the view from our balcony.

interesting architectural details on our street.

a keyhole-shaped doorway?

we're such tourists. hey, it was the first time i've eaten truly american food since i've been here!

the view from the back of the boat cruise. it was freezing outside so i don't have nearly as many pictures as i would have liked.

pretty buildings.

more pretty buildings.

long lines at the anne frank house.

only in amsterdam... a parking garage for bicycles.

the site of the world's first stock exchange.

pretty hotel on the canal.

an afternoon stroll in the vondelpark.

azay-le-rideau

2010-03-02T13:19:00.001-08:00

michael and i had a great weekend with my host family in tours. save for an excursion to the nearby château azay-le-rideau and a basket-maker (how my grandmother would have enjoyed this!) on saturday, our time was spent primarily overcoming language barriers (my host brother now declares himself bilangue), exposing michael to the delight of my host mother's cooking, and experiencing the relatively tame tours nightlife.

the entrance to azay-le-rideau.

pretty blue trim.

group shot by the moat. not sure what the peace signs are about but clearly i missed the memo! from right to left: carl, maika, annie, sarah, allison, valerie, moi, stephanie, and michael.

the basketmaker — the business has been in his family for seven generations!

entertaining the group with my basket-woven headpiece. sarah is loving it!

happily accepting the bracelet that michael made me. i think we've stumbled upon a promising career path for him!

we also made some serious headway in our preparations for our future vacances: upcoming weekend trips to amsterdam and switzerland (for which my brother, grayson, will be joining us!) as well as the first two weeks of april, which we'll be spending in italy and greece!

barcelona with dad

2010-02-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

words cannot describe how wonderful it was to travel through france and spain with my dad. we have always joked (although i, for one, am at least partly serious) about applying for the amazing race together because we both have an adventurous spirit and i'm confident that his sense of direction could compensate for my complete lack thereof. if you catch us on cbs in the near future, you'll know just how serious i am!

my dad hasn't had many opportunities to travel and this was likewise definitely my biggest trip so far so i think it's safe to say it was a week both of us will always remember. with sunny days spent sightseeing and bungee jumping and rainy nights spent searching for vegetarian-friendly tapas and the nearest haagen dazs, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect vacation. it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both of us — but i think i'll let the pictures do the talking!

delicious tapas restaurant, a very lucky find on our first night.

quick photo op on our way out.

wall of windows at sagrada familia — gaudi loved his natural light!

the heart of the cathedral, still under construction.

gorgeous stained glass windows.

i loved the juxtaposition here of the crane and all the steeples.

checking out the view...

as you can see, we were pretty high up!

on one of the balconies.

the ceiling — i think i could spend hours looking at it.

gaudi exhibit at sagrada familia.

rear facade of the cathedral.

windows in the cloisters.

proof of gaudi's genius: he figured out how much weight the foundation of his cathedral could support by creating an inverted system of bags of sand suspended by string.

schoolhouse designed by gaudi.

slanted tourist-taken shot outside sagrada familia.

view from the gaudi-designed parc guell.

this looked a lot closer from where we were standing...

there's dad to give you an idea of the scale.

some gardening a la gaudi in parc guell.

the monastery of montserrat from ground level.

dad's artsy shot of me in the courtyard of the monastery.

montserrat.

a brief interruption for prayer.

almost there!

on top of the world.

at the cross with montserrat behind us.

view from the top!

we were up there!

surveying the spot that we had just hiked to!

waterfall on the hillside leading up to montserrat.

passing another cable car on our descent.

marveling at yet another gaudi creation.

nervous smiles while our male guide, strangely named maria, suits me up.

somehow excited at the thought of a 25-meter jump and strangely confident in maria's ability not to let us die despite our inability to communicate with one another. (the extent of maria's english was this: "one, two, three: jump!"

didn't maria tell us not to look down? actually we wouldn't have known.

unhooking the carabiner and getting ready to jump.

sheer terror jumping backwards off the bridge. so happy that my camera captured this moment!

post-jump! that rush of adrenaline is unlike anything i had ever experienced.

our last picture in barcelona — standing with my beloved orange trees!

back in paris: in front of the arc de triomphe.

could the weather be any worse? note the eiffel tower being completely eclipsed by a rain cloud. i guess that's what we get after three days of spanish sunshine!

a quick stop at the louvre.

ending our vacation in the champs de mars in front of the eiffel tower.

after a tearful good-bye, dad was off to new york and i returned to my host family in tours. i was honestly heartbroken to see him go but, like i said, this is one trip we'll not soon forget.

dad, thank you for planning such an incredible week. you and i both know that these pictures only tell part of the story and that there are a million other details that we'll need to jot down somewhere so we don't forget a single moment. it was one hell of an adventure and i'm going to venture a guess that there aren't many other 52-year-olds who would jump off a 40-meter bridge just to say they did it. i hope i'm still bungee jumping at 52 and, more than that, i hope we will return to barcelona in twenty years to see the completed sagrada familia together. i had an awesome time with you and, given the chance, i wouldn't change a thing. (except, perhaps, the non-english-speaking guide! and even that turned out just fine.)

my heart is full; my cup runneth over. i love you!

valentine's day in paris

2010-02-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

my long weekend in paris with michael was the perfect way to start my week-long february break. we made the most of some very chilly weather by making it to most of the major monuments and eating some very yummy food along the way.

the famous berthillon on île st. louis.

doesn't that look good? (it was!)

notre dame.

the famed rose window from the outside...

...and the inside of the cathedral.

the centre pompidou.

dramatic lighting in the exterior stairwells.

the eiffel tower from the centre pompidou at sunset.

roofline of the centre pompidou.

la durée.

take me back!

after descending from the top of the arc de triomphe.

bundled up and back on the ground.

the place de la concorde.

a cloudy day on the champs-elysées.

the sculpture garden at the louvre.

sampling our first macaroon.

contemplating the unique taste.

horsey statue.

general mayhem in the lobby of the louvre.

the only picture where you can tell i have hair.

yummy breakfast at miss manon.

a sunny morning at the invalides.

the musée de l'armée at the invalides.

the eiffel tower from trocadero square.

waiting in line at angelina.

passing the time in line by taking pretty pictures.

finally approaching the entrance.

early evening meal: coffee for me, african hot chocolate for michael, macaroons for everybody.

the eiffel tower sparkling on the hour.

at the top of the eiffel tower on valentine's day. pretty romantic! (michael saw a british guy proposing to his girlfriend. unfortunately i missed the actual down-on-one-knee part, but i saw the ring so i think that counts!)

chenonceau et blois

2010-02-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

we had our second bucknell excursion on saturday to two more châteaux of the loire valley. it was quite rainy and cold but i think i managed some decent pictures nonetheless.

catherine de medici was pretty big on her monogram being plastered everywhere (think ceilings, fireplaces, beds, floors, etc.). it bears a remarkable similarity to the chanel logo, non?

the great hall at chenonceau.

the ceiling of one of the staircases.

pretty room and pretty flowers.

moat! my new favorite feature. mom and dad, may we build a moat around our house?

the queen's gardens. i can only imagine how much prettier these would be on a sunny spring day.

chenonceau was built on the water of the cher river.

more of the moat.

the entrance to blois.

the staircase was built on the outside of the château so as not to take away any space from the living quarters inside the building.

this bed looks like it came out of the latest anthropologie catalogue. thoughts?

the interior of the exterior staircase, if that makes sense.

the great hall at blois — really cool ceiling in royal blue with gold fleurs-de-lys.

a view of blois from across the street.

a quick tour of a chocolaterie on our way out of town.

villandry

2010-02-08T06:26:00.001-08:00

i already posted about this adventure on my main blog but the pictures are so pretty and the experience so unforgettable i just had to share the rest.

there was lots of this on the first leg of our trip. french maps are not as straightforward as they ought to be!

there were lots of bike breakdowns (thank you, rental shop!).

but it was all worth it when we arrived here.

and had the castle and the gardens to ourselves to revel in the sunshine and take these pretty pictures.

super cool moats. i love them!

our first glimpse of the gardens. the 18 mile bike ride was worth it!

alice in wonderland-esque gardens.

happy valentine's day!

absolutely breathtaking.

reflecting pool and lots of topiaries.

i couldn't help but imagine a wedding or some other festivity taking place in this waterside venue.

adam and valerie (fellow sole survivors of the bike trip) at the entrance to the hedge maze... a little anticlimactic considering we could see through the hedges.

the castle and my favorite — the moat.

the little french woman who complimented us on our french, served us coffee, and rescued us from having to make the return trip in the dark. such an adventure!

amboise et clos lucé

2010-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

fun-filled first excursion today with the bucknell en france group: first to amboise, a onetime residence for french royalty, and then to clos lucé, leonardo da vinci's home for the last three years of his life. lots of snow at amboise then, miraculously, beautiful perfect-for-picture-taking sunlight at clos lucé.

the quaint and slightly dreary view from the courtyard outside amboise.

the chapel at amboise where leonardo da vinci is buried.

pretty chapel ceilings.

colorful amboise bedroom.

da vinci's last home.

pretty windows with heart cutouts.

one of the towers surrounding amboise.

gorgeous sunset — seems to be a trend in my travels!

view of amboise from the other side of the bridge.

for future reference

2010-01-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

1 pound = 0.45359237 kilograms

therefore, if you weigh approximately 100 pounds, you weigh approximately 45 kilos.

therefore, do not respond to your host father’s hunting story about killing a 100 kilo pig by saying, “that’s what i weigh!”

no matter how many crêpes you eat in france, you will probably (hopefully) never weigh 200 pounds.

learning the hard way

2010-01-25T14:20:00.001-08:00

la gare = the train station, pronounced la gar.

la guerre = the war, pronounced la gare.

le coeur = the heart, pronounced le ker.

le corps = the body, pronounced le kor.

le cours = the class, prounced le kur.

(so easily confused and yet people will think you're crazy if you mix them up.)

weekend recap

2010-01-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

i had the most wonderful weekend in london. it was so nice to see michael and meet all of his new friends — not to mention to explore london when, for once, it wasn't gray and rainy! i feel like that counts as a once-in-a-lifetime. michael seems to already have mastered the tube so we made a stop at buckingham palace, witnessed a protest at the national gallery, stopped by the park where michael played when his family lived in london, and watched a spectacular sunset from the london eye.

in front of buckingham palace.

national gallery, scene of...

...this protest. apparently the british police have been confiscating cameras and forcing people to delete digital photos of public places for fear that they are somehow contributing to the next terrorist attack. these people had gathered in trafalgar square, taking pictures of anything and everything and sporting signs that said, "i'm a photographer, not a terrorist."

first glimpse of big ben (many, many more to follow).

amazing view from the london eye — we could not have picked a better time to go.

london and sunshine? two words that don't normally go together.

i know i got a bit carried away...

...but i promise i did take some time to turn off my camera and just take it all in.

last one i swear!

traveling by myself was actually much more pleasant than i had anticipated. it's not to say that i mind having company on the road (and god knows i got my fill with our routine family car trips with six people and two dogs packed into one vehicle) but there's something to be said for figuring it out all on your own. this was really my first experience venturing out on my lonesome (obviously short of local car trips to places like the dentist's office, to which my father will attest i still need directions) and i already feel much more independent. the experience forced me to read maps (never a strong suit) and think on my feet (in french — because practice makes perfect).

know the difference

2010-01-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

between emprunter (to borrow) and emporter (to take out). the french do not take kindly to people asking to borrow their food.

paris recap

2010-01-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

paris was wonderful, such a great way to spend the weekend! our hostel was disgusting, the weather was foul, and everything was nonetheless absolutely beautiful. we did lots of touristy things but it was so nice to get to know the bucknell group better and just do a little traveling independent from the excursions we'll be taking as part of our program.

outside the louvre... i can't get over how much i love this building

generic tourist picture of la tour eiffel

me, valerie, allison, denise, annie in front of the eiffel tower.

view of the sacre coeur from the top of the arc de triomphe... not raining at this point!

slightly ominous view of the eiffel tower from the same perch.

arc de triomphe... look hard for the little ants on the top of the building, that was us!

ferris wheel at place de la concorde... amazing view of the city all lit up, minus the sheets of rain coming at us the whole time.

yummy yummy dinner on the champs elysées (allison, valerie, denise, annie, me.)

not-quite-worth-the-897892349-steps view from the pouring rain at the sacre coeur.

pretty even in the rain.

the love wall.

view from "the perfect hostel"... yes, this was truly the name and no, it was not perfect.

bon weekend!

2010-01-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

i'm off to paris! we just wrapped up our first week at l'institut de touraine where we're taking our intensive language courses. we have one more week before "graduating" from the institute and obtaining our first half-credit from bucknell. we had our first DELF preparation class (the DELF is the french language exam that foreign students must pass to verify their fluency — kind of like the TOEFL for foreign students who wish to study in the u.s.) which seems a little superfluous (your average SAT prep class) but not so bad. i also started my art history/art criticism class at the actual university and it seems like it will be pretty interesting and not too much work. i start my class "enterprise for humane and responsible business" next thursday.

my host mom made la brioche for breakfast this morning which i was informed is best consumed with a generous serving of nutella (my newest obsession). being a vegetarian at the house has been very easy since my mom has been great about serving me salmon and shrimp in lieu of chicken and red meat, though eating out for lunch has been a little tough... let's just say nutella has been filling more than a few gaps in my diet. when the group decided on chicken sandwiches today (where the meat was literally shaved off a dead animal hanging behind the counter with an electric razor — disgusting) i opted for a nutella panini instead. dessert for lunch? maybe not the healthiest choice but cheap and very, very yummy.

it's definitely been a busy first week but a lovely introduction to french people and food alike. tomorrow morning we'll be taking the train to paris for some sightseeing, shopping, and general celebration of having survived our first week. my dad and i just finished nailing down some of the details for his visit in february (paris, barcelona, and lisbon, here we come!) so i've got lots to look forward to!

les mots du jour

2010-01-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

cautious: prudent(e)

rude: impoli(e)

safe: sans danger

ugly: laid(e)

if that's any indication of my day...

first day of classes

2010-01-11T12:27:00.000-08:00

long first day (language intensive class at the institut de touraine 8:45-12:10 and 2:30-3:30 followed by a meeting from 4:00-5:30). took a placement test and argued with bucknell professors about class times (not interested in 4 p.m. class on fridays) and their interference with weekend traveling. i got pretty worked up since this seems to be one of the only programs that doesn't strongly encourage weekend travel as a means of rounding out the european experience. truthfully, the desire to travel is half the reason i'm here. yes, we all want to learn french, yes, we all like our host families, yes, tours is great, but we need a little break sometimes too — and especially with europe at our fingertips! i had a little confrontation with the bucknell professor-in-residence during which i explained that i would be happier if i had some "me" time every few weekends to travel with friends and family and i think, hope, pray that i got through to him. now trying to decide which class to take since the french university hasn't released exact schedules yet (classes start next week!) and i don't want to wind up stuck in a 4 p.m. friday class that prevents me from traveling. frustrating stuff.

anyway lousy breakfast of a slice of stale bread on my way out the door, overpriced lunch of excessive quantity of pasta with group for lunch, but yummy dinner of some sort of fish and broccoli for dinner. my host brother wouldn't eat his serving of broccoli because it reminds him of les arbres, to which his mother asked if the platter of broccoli reminded him of a forest. i think things that might not be so funny in my family or in english — like the dad trying to sneak bread and cheese even though he's on a diet and the mom swatting him away while the kids taunt him and tell him how good it is — are funnier in french. hoping for a better day tomorrow, warmer weather, less homework, better outlook...

french words i learned/looked up today

2010-01-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

alive: vivant(e)

to borrow: emprunter

to lend: prêter

to share: partager

snowflake: un flocon de neige

to wake up: se réveiller

(these may seem rather elementary but keep in mind i took a semester off from french and need a little reminder sometimes!)

sunday brunch and such

2010-01-10T12:25:00.000-08:00

took a quick spin around tours today in the FREEZING cold and stopped at the bucknell apartment for more galettes des rois. had brunch at 12:30 which consisted of smoked salmon, a strange potato concoction, and the usual bread and cheese. dinner (circa 7:30) was shrimp, pasta, a seafood medley (which none of the kids, including me, were daring enough to try), the bread and cheese course, and yogurt for dessert (i opted out — yogurt freaks me out). skyped with mom, dad, and reilly and i would say it was nice to see them but their webcam makes them look like watercolors and occasionally even still-lifes. i start intensive language classes at the institut de touraine tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (high school all over again!) which i'm not particularly looking forward to. that said, can't wait to go to london in a couple weeks — and word has it lady gaga will be there in february so i might need to plan another visit as well!

french words i learned/looked up today

2010-01-09T11:35:00.001-08:00

blog: un blogue

blogger (female): une blogueuse

busy: fréquenté(e)

drums: la batterie

loud: bruyant(e)

speakers: les baffles, les enceintes

je suis arrivée!

2010-01-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

i've settled into my host family's home in tours and things are going as well as they could be considering no sleep for twenty-four hours and the six-hour time difference. my family is very friendly (not at all your stereotypically rude french folks) and my living arrangements are small but comfortable. the rooms are kept very cold here so i'm anticipating a six-month cold unless i wear my hat, scarf, and gloves around the house.

the food has been decent so far; i'm not sure how to say "picky" in french so i've been good about trying everything even if it doesn't look very appetizing. last night we had salmon and rice followed by bread and weird-looking cheese followed by le roi des gallettes, a traditional french cake wherein a little trinket is buried and whichever person finds the trinket in his or her piece of cake is considered le roi or la reine (the king or queen) for the evening. last night it was my 15-year-old host brother, paul, who may or may not have cheated by very carefully selecting which piece he wanted to eat/rummage through. after sleeping for twelve hours (which my host mother informed me is pas grande chose because her twins can sleep until noon) i awoke to a very yummy chocolate croissant. we don't typically eat lunch (the biggest meal of the day) with our host families because we will usually be at the university but my host mom invited me to eat with her because the rest of the family left her for la chasse (to go hunting). she is the only one in the family who doesn't care for the sport and so she prepared us some scrambled eggs and some strange blended veggie concoction that she described as coming from a vegetable that is longue and verte (i'm thinking zucchini or cucumber?) anyway that wasn't my favorite but i'm being good about branching out of my comfort zone.

this morning she and i went for a walk so i could see where the language institute and the university are (as well as several other need-to-know spots, including h&m and zara, where apparently tous les jeunes shop). the streets are very busy because of les soldes, the post-holiday sales, and because all the shops are closed on sundays here. the business reminded me a lot of new york except the people were generally better-dressed and the buildings are prettier.

i'm off to meet the bucknell en france group at the jardin des prébendes so we can walk together to go buy cell phones. au revoir!