Day 4: Fri. Sept. 16th -- ROME
Rome photos with titles and some captionsRome photos in slideshow formatWe got up early, well-rested as we were, but ended up waiting around for the free breakfast our hostel offered (which turned out to be somewhat questionable, but which we ate anyway as others set the example to do).
We spent a chunk of time at the Termini Station trying to reserve places on a train to Florence for the following day, but were told in the end, very matter-of-factly, that our Eurail passes would suffice. Well okayyy then. (What am I trying to quote, Dad?)
We spent the first part of the day at the Vatican, which we found without too much trouble (even though our only clue was another ever-popular sign pointing resolutely into a building -- Bercy!). Waiting in line around the corner and down the street, we met an Australian guy who was nice and conversational.
So, the Vatican! Wow: Tons of tours. Tons of Mary. (What did I expect, you ask? I dunno, but I just can’t hardly hold my tongue… !!!) We saw the Sistine Chapel, which was cool, though not as much of a standout as I had thought it would be (though granted, I have an untrained eye).
We grabbed lunch and proceeded to St. Peter’s Basilica, next door. They made Elissa wear my jacket over her tank top out of respect. Evidently most religious establishments in Italy require this. Huh.
We chose to save three euros and take the stairs rather than the elevator up the copula-thing, which was supposed to have a great view. Oh. My. Gosh! We must have walked up
700 stairs, at least (because the elevator only takes you up to where there are still 300+ stairs to go)! Check out my thought process during the climb:
This must
be the last bend… no this… no this… no this… I think I’m gonna fall over… there’s more?!… I think I’m gonna pass out… am I dead yet?… there’s more??!!... maybe
I should sit down… no I can keep going… there‘s more???!!!… just a little further… just a little -- no, I need to sit down now. :o) The view of Rome was spectacular, though. We went back down to the actual church for a little bit and then went on our way.
To mix things up a little, we went on a walk. :o) Elissa’s guidebook had a walking route that started at the Castel Sant‘Angelo, which was close by, so we made our way over. We started out in the right place, stopped for gelati and water, and continued, but we were never quite where we were “supposed” to be. Eventually, we saw some major-looking stuff and went to investigate. It took a good while for us to figure out where we were, which was way off-course at the II Vittoriano, right by the Roman Forum and lots of other big stuff! Oops. (I make it sound like we were terrible navigators, but I really don’t think we were all that bad. It was Europe‘s fault.) We just went with it, as there was no lack of important monuments right where we were.
Darkness was falling as we reached the Colosseum and we began our walk back to the Sunshine 2. *sigh* If only it had been that simple! We got lost again -- probably the most lost we’d been yet… and it was dark. No matter, right? We stuck to main, well-lit streets and checked our humungo map as furtively and regularly as possible. We found our way back quite well, actually. I was very proud of us. :o) (Thank You, Jesus, for protecting us!)
We met a few new roomies (two from Holland and one from Israel), freshened up, and treated ourselves to a *nice* dinner out in Rome. And it
was a nice dinner!
All in all, a full, good, tiring day.
Day 3: Th. Sept. 15th -- ROME
Rome photos with titles and some captionsRome photos in slideshow formatMorning on the train was nice -- for me (Elissa was still feeling somewhat fragile). I journaled and watched the changing Italian countryside out the window. Ah, Italy!
Our train got in two hours late, which was somewhat of a problem for the
other Italian guy in our couchette, who was a young art critic(!) with an appointment for just after when we were supposed to arrive. Oops!
We arrived at the Termini Station and, as with all our destinations, we first searched out our hostel, which, as with all our destinations, proved more difficult to find than we had thought. And, as with most of our destinations, we had to wait to check in, though they did let us clean up a little. (Yeah, we felt kinda gross.)
With no where to crash and Elissa still not feeling great (and me somewhat fatigued, as well), we went to the square/plaza-thing across the way and sat. After regrouping, we (I) decided we’d go to a restaurant and get a little something.
We went to a nearby pizzeria. I didn’t want much because we planned to have dinner later and it was the middle of the afternoon. We both ordered salads. Hers looked like a regular salad. Fancy that. Mine, however, was composed of several raw vegetables strewn across a plate with oil and pepper sauce. Yum. I ate half of it though, and then broke down and ordered
penne al gorgonzola (cheesy pasta): something I knew I’d like. Boy, did I!
To continue our all-too-thrilling day, we returned to The Sunshine 2 Hostel (which I can’t help but associate with the
Happiness Hotel: “If that’s the Happiness Hotel, I’d hate to see what the sad one looks like!”) and we checked in. (It was actually a very good hostel.) Elissa promptly took a nap, and I journaled some more. Then I got tired and slept some as well.
We woke up at 8pm and decided that we wouldn’t go out after all; that we‘d conquer Rome tomorrow. Way to do it up in Italy, girls! :o)
While we were getting ready for bed (heh, heh) we met a couple of Hungarian sisters, who were our roomies. They were very nice and chatty, pulling out their big map of Rome and telling us what they’d done so far.
And then we went to bed.
Sorry it wasn’t more exciting, but thus was our first day in Rome.
Day 2: Wed. Sept. 14th -- PARIS
Paris photos with titles and some captionsParis photos in slideshow formatWe went to the Louvre and saw lots of famous stuff like Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, as well as lots of random art. I can’t help but think that this art could be bestowed on one more worthy than I, but I guess I *liked* it all tolerably well. :o)
We got some crêpes for lunch and ate them in the gardens there by the Louvre (which I’m sure have a name, though I don’t know it offhand).
The next thing we tackled was getting a taxi and moving our luggage, because
of course you can’t leave your luggage at the hostel if you’re not staying there. Our taxi driver seemed on the up-and-up and was listening to good jazz throughout. We took our luggage to our respective train stations of departure and called it good. *whew*
We then walked and walked, and tried and tried and tried to find the Bercy train station (to catch our night train to Rome), but to no avail. We saw signs, we knew where we were on the map: nothing. We must have asked four different people, and while I like to think I understand French, none of them were any help (except for the last one, who told us to take the metro because we were too far one way or the other and it would be simpler to explain)! I’ve decided that “Bercy” is my new expletive. Bercy!
We got on our train to Rome with, literally, minutes to spare. We were in a Couchette compartment, which means that there are six fold-out beds, three stacked vertically along each wall. Couchettes (unlike Sleepers) are intended for both genders, and people just sleep in their clothes. Initially, it was just us, a Hawaiian guys about our age, and a handsome Italian man who only spoke Italian. I say “handsome” because it was simply indisputable. Hollywoodized, he would be a mix of
George Clooney,
the guy from My Best Friend’s Wedding, and, uh,
Stanley Tucci. He was really pleasant, too, just so you don‘t think I‘m shallow. ;o) Later, we had a very tired Asian girl join us, and much later another Italian guy. Elissa started feeling poorly (food poising from the crêpe -- Bercy!) and missed the part where the Asian girl got kicked off the train in the middle of the night because something was wrong with her papers. Yikes.
Day 1: Tue. Sept. 13th -- PARIS
[All right, I’m jumping in! It’ll probably take me several days at least to get all of these entries up. And I’m sorry they’re long, but that’s how they are. Enjoy!]
Paris photos with titles and some captionsParis photos in slideshow formatTraveling across the Atlantic was fine, although I didn’t get to sleep like I’d wanted to because my
Restless Feet Syndrome kicked in, which is only appeased by being horizontal: the one thing I couldn’t do. Anyway, I dozed a little, but mostly had to keep shifting positions. Urgh.
I actually really like flying. It’s an excellent opportunity to consider the vastness of God’s creativity and power -- and it’s absolutely beautiful!
Paris was swell, even though I arrived with little sleep and our first day was a full one.
Oh, yeah. We = me and Friend Elissa, who I met through friends and who will be studying in Spain this semester. She was a good traveling companion.
We began by hauling our luggage (two big suitcases apiece plus purses, backpacks, and my carry) from the airport to the free storage at our hostel using the metro: ignorant, ignorant us. We didn’t know that changing metro lines did not mean “get off, get on”, but “get off, tackle stairs, find connection, tackle stairs, get on”. Hoo boy! Thankfully, it was proven that Frenchmen really are helpful to those who are in obvious distress. We forced ourselves to laugh. I think I nearly passed out from dehydration, overexertion, and lack of sleep. (Praise for God’s protection!) Good times.
After ditching our luggage, rehydrating, eating, checking in (finally), and taking a short nap, we went on a
Fat Tire Night Bike Tour (thanks to Aunt Amy for the suggestion!), which was excellent. You go with a guide and a group of about 25 English-speaking folks, see beautiful sights in the falling darkness, stop now and again for an interesting factoid, hopefully don’t crash into anything (I had a couple near-near misses, as did others), stop for ice cream, and have a glass of wine on a boat. Highly recommended.
Then we hit the sack. Hard. And got up six hours later. :o)
L O N G E S T - D A Y - E V E R.
Hold It!
I may be in France with important Frenchy-type things to do, but
no one gets away with insinuating that I won’t fulfill my duties as one “tagged”! I will
stop everything and I will oblige… with great pleasure. :o)
10 years ago: I was 14 and starting 9th grade. Ugh: 9th grade! Nah, it wasn’t that bad. I got to exchange the glasses for soft contacts. I made it into the large show choir at school. I had my last year of piano lessons (until college). I had a great group of friends at Irving Junior High, and our last year together (we were split between high schools starting in 10th) was a blast. We had a couple of those murder mystery character parties and I thought they were the best things ever. Anne was at Irving with me (in 7th grade) and we knew ’most everyone in the school because we told each other about everyone we ever came in contact with. That was my family’s last year at the church I grew up in which I loved, but as I‘d just been through junior high there, I wasn‘t disappointed to hear we were leaving.
5 years ago: I was 19 and starting my first year at UNL (my second year of college). This was not a very good year. I had a hard time finding a niche because I was a transfer student who lived at home. I tested lower than I should have in French, so I had to essentially repeat the courses I’d just taken. I tried to get in with the UNL vocal music crowd, but had little success. I did, however, have an excellent experience in the UNL vocal jazz ensemble. This was RUF’s 1st year at UNL and I was the first student contact: no pressure. :o)
1 year ago: I was 23 and starting my 6th and final year of college. I had recently changed my major from French Teaching to just plain French and I wasn’t looking back (except to grumble). RUF was starting its 5th year at UNL, I was on ministry team, and I was becoming more and more convinced that ministry was something I’d love to do full-time. I was working part-time at the church office and loving it. Homework was a pesky side note I tried to ignore. Anne had moved back home and Sam was home (slimming down for the army) which meant that we had 4/5 G-- kids at home and 5/5 in Lincoln!
Yesterday: Daddy’s birthday. I wrote him an e-mail and called him. I cried during both. // Every day in France gets a little better, in all respects. Host sisters Audrey (16) and Marine (13) walked me to the nearest Target-type store (except that it wasn’t really much like Target). It was the first place I’ve gone that I’ve felt like I could find on my own in addition to finding my way back: a small but significant victory! At said store I bought another USA-France plug adapter in the hopes that my adapter was at fault and not all of my appliances and chords and IT FIXED EVERYTHING!! *whew* Oh -- and I more or less finalized with Patrice & Natalie (host dad & mom) that I’m going to live with them for the duration! A good day, all in all.
5 snacks I enjoy: Momma’s chocolate chip cookies, French bread and cheese, salsa & tortilla chips, gummy snacks, Chex Mix
5 songs I know all of the words to: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air introduction, Un Bel Di (yes, really), I’ve Had My Supper (my favorite lullaby), A Song In My Heart (volumes I & II), most of P.D.Q.’s Oedipus Rex
5 things I'd do with 100 million dollars: pay off all personal & familial debts, turn 1836 into the best 1836 it can be, give new, quality cars to everyone I care about, give it to solid churches and ministries, be the patroness for a chain of Sam’s Trumpet House of Schmack music stores in the Midwest (By the way, how much is 100 million dollars?)
5 places I'd run away to: Lincoln, England, Switzerland, Italy, you name it!
5 things I'd never wear: black lipstick, rings on every finger, animal print fabrics, navy with black, gray with khaki (even though I’ve seen people wear it and I think it’s fine, I just can’t bring myself to it)
5 favorite TV shows: A&E’s Jeeves and Wooster, Buffy, Gilmore Girls, Seinfeld, the one I’ll think of later
5 biggest joys: my faith/an eternal hope, my family, answered prayers, Christian fellowship, the satisfaction gained from a job well done
5 favorite toys: my laptop, my camera, my Clié, uh… I’m out.
5 people I want to pass this on to: Ack! I hate this part. I would like to *invite* the following folks to give this a go if they are so disposed: Karen S., Valerie, Daniel, Micah, uh… whoever so desires!
Alive and Well
No, no, I didn’t die or anything… and I apologize for being such a stranger. I’m merely experiencing technical difficulties. Dad and I tried to prepare my laptop for France, but things are not working as they should -- alas! It boils down to problems with accessing the internet and problems with my power source. *sigh*
Wow, I have lots to share, but it’s gonna take me a little while to get caught up. The abbreviated version is that my trip with Friend Elissa was very good, and getting settled in my French home amidst my French family is going very well. As for the French language, it’s taxing, but I think (and they tell me) I’m doing well. Yeah, it’s just immensely draining, mentally, to converse about even the simplest of things. Well, you get what you ask for, right?
Anyway, there’s more to come (I‘m thinking one blog entry per city visited), but until then I’ll pacify you with one photo from each. (Note that these are most of the photos with me in them. We had only one or two “personal photo moments” per place.)
Paris
...and the obligatory Eiffel Tower pose.
Rome
...wishing to return at the Trevi Fountain.
Florence
...enjoying the rain and the beautiful countryside.
Venice
...in all its Venice-ness.
My Montage Mentality
I truly am the product of what I watch: I keep waiting for the music to intensify, the dialogue to fade, and the montage to kick in, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen after all. Darn.
Whenever there’s something BIG like this that, you know,
looms out in front of me, I can’t help but think of it in terms of, “Oh, and then there’s that bit at the end (you know, right before I leave) during which I get massive amounts of everything done -- and don’t worry: it’ll get done.” Well, I’m here and it’s now, and
this is the time during which it all “gets done”… at least it had better.
I actually think I’m in decent shape in terms of all I need to do, but it’s like I kind of resent that I actually have to spend time doing every little thing I knew I’d have to do eventually. Whatever, Kate. :o)
Boy, this entry makes me sound like a spoiled child! Maybe I am… Maybe I am.
I LEAVE ON MONDAY!!!
Que c’est merveilleux!!!
I’ve been kind of busy recently (thus the sparse blogging), doing things like, oh, trying to find a place to live when I get to France… little things like that. Well, I FOUND SOMETHING! I have been invited to live with the pastor of a church in Cavaillon (which my missionary contact in France tells me is solid -- praise God!), his wife, and four kids. C’est fantastique, ça! So fantastic, in fact, that I just had to share. :o)
Lots of other great things have been coming together, too: I talked to my principal contact and she’s really nice, I found out that I’m teaching in THREE little towns, rather than “just two”(!), Daddy gave me a spiffy new laptop, I’ve had excellent, regular contact with the MTW team leader in Marseille, I‘ve made several phone calls en français (all with relatively successful results)… lots of wonderful, wonderful blessings.
*sigh*
Okay, I’ve gushed. Now, back to work!
