Monday morning I deliriously stumbled out the front door. Feeling like a pack mule on a cross country trek, I made my way to the tram stop with Madeline. Any sleep we hoped to get Sunday night was stolen from us by our unexpected train detour. We hobbled out of the tram with all of our luggage and headed toward the bus to France. It was extremely difficult to cross the Hofgarten in a fit of hysteric laughter and 80 lbs of luggage strapped to us. Nevertheless, we made it to the bus on time. Five minutes after taking our seats both Madeline and I passed out. When we woke up, we were in the small french city of Colmar. The picturesque buildings made it feel as if we had traveled back in time to the Renaissance. We roamed around the cobblestone streets looking for a place to eat lunch. We settled into a cozy french cafe and ordered pizza to satisfy our unquenchable hunger. Afterwards, we stepped into a beautiful museum to see the Isenheim altarpiece. The alter was displayed in the center of a rectangular stone building. The inner center of the building was a courtyard with elegant gothic architecture. The sun rays filtered beautifully through the columns creating patterns floral patterns against the stone walls. The altarpiece was definitely the highlight of the museum. The paintings were as pleasing to the eyes as a taste of rich chocolate is for the mouth. Dark bold backgrounds elegantly highlighted the golds and reds. Standing in the presence of such immaculate artistry was an awe-striking experience. Once our eyes and minds were satisfied by the richness of the Isenheim alterpiece we left the museum. Happy for another opportunity to nap, Madeline and I boarded the bus toward Beaune. We arrived a few hours later and were shown to our rooms in the hotel. The hotel was like a maze with its endless hallways and random spiral staircases. Our room contained an extremely comfortable queen bed and two twin beds in the loft. Once we put our stuff down and had some time to refresh, we met the group in the lobby for dinner. We ate at a cute french cafe. I had a delicious salad consisting of fresh spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, and peppers with a delicious zesty dressing. To pair with the salad, we were permitted to taste the wine of the region. Beaune is known as the "Capital of Burgandy wines", and rightfully so. With our hunger satisfied and bodies exhausted we finally made it back to the hotel for a goods nights sleep.
Tuesday morning we woke up and enjoyed a delicious breakfast spread of various breads and pastries, an assortment of jam, Nutella, yogurt, cereal, eggs, fruit and most importantly, coffee. Madeline and I hastily ate our breakfast and left the hotel. Since my arrival in Germany, I had been wearing a pair of black booties typical of european fashion. However, these boots were not nearly as comfortable as they were fashionable. My feet were sore, blistered, and slightly disfigured. My dad during his visit over the weekend recommended I buy a pair of Blundstone boots. Luckily while walking to dinner, Emily, noticed a pair in the window of a small shoe boutique. Madeline accompanied me to the store before our day officially started. We finally arrived to find that the store was closed. Forced to spend another day in my torturous shoes, I sulked back to the hotel. We met the group at 10:30 to make our way towards Hotel Dieu. This hotel actually served as a hospital for patients suffering from the plague. This establishment made a point to balance medicinal practice with religious healing. Medicine was practiced by the nuns who lived in the hotel. They tended to the patients, maintained hotel upkeep, and provided spiritual guidance. A sweet old woman with a lighthearted laugh guided us through the preserved rooms. One of the first rooms we saw was used to concoct different medications for the patients. The walls of the room were covered with wooden and glass cabinetry. Each cabinet of course being packed with different herbs and minerals. The main room resembled the inside of the church. In the front center sat an alter illuminated by a stain glass window. The visitors here did not sit in pews, but rather in the small curtained hospital beds that lined the perimeter of the room. The nuns were diligent in caring for the people who resided in these beds.
Their lives were dedicated to feeding, nursing, and counseling these patients. Once the tour was over, we were turned over for lunch. Madeline and I skipped back to the shoe store where I was finally able to buy shoes that (hopefully) would not tear up my feet. Short on time, we grabbed a baguette from a local french bakery. The bread in paris is underrated throughout the world. The soft fluffy inside surrounded by a thin crisp crust is a delicacy available for only one euro. We sat on a park bench in front of a children's carousel to enjoy this treat. The long lost sun finally made an appearance overhead making our lunch hour sunny and blissful. After eating our two foot long baguettes, Madeline and I joined some of our friends on a walk back to the bus. We all settled into what now felt like a second home and headed to Paris. We arrived just before dinner. After dropping our things off in the hotel room, Madeline and I went downstairs to meet our tour guide and head to dinner. Julian, a proud Parisian, introduced himself and led us to a creperie. Crepes are heavily associated with French, and especially Parisian, culture. The delicately thin pancakes can be filled with anything from cheeses and vegetables to chocolates and fruits. We also were able to delight in the cider that is often enjoyed with crepes. After a delicious three course meal, we went back to the hotel for the night.
Wednesday morning began with a sleepy stumble down the stairs to breakfast. Madeline, Emily, Katie and I were part of the first breakfast shift. We unconventionally sat and enjoyed the breakfast buffet in our pajamas. In America, it is acceptable to dress in comfier, more casual clothes during outings. However, in Europe this is not as widely approved. Feeling slightly out of place, we ate quickly and scurried back upstairs to get ready for the day. At 8:30, we met with Julien to begin a walking tour of Paris. The weather was slightly chilly and very windy. We walked to the Arc de Triumph, Eifel Tour, Notre Dame, Champs-Elysees, through various parks and past official government buildings. Julien talked in great detail about the significance of the sights. The pride for his home city emanated through each of his discourses. After four hours of exploring Paris, we stopped for lunch. Madeline, Emily and I found a small crepe stand built into the wall of a building. I ordered a savory crepe rich with melted cheese. We then made our way to the history of medicine museum. The museum was a single room consisting of glass cases occupied by historic medical instruments. We walked through the room stopping at the cases to receive a lecture on their previous functions. After the tour, we were released to go about Paris on our own. Madeline, Emily and I grabbed an early dinner at a small french cafe. We sat at a table in the window while the rain patted against the glass. The rain further emphasized the cozy ambiance of the homey cafe. We waited out the rain while enjoying delicious cheesy pasta with warm dark coffee. Exhausted and full, we walked back to the hotel to relax before going to the Eiffel tower. We arrived at the Eiffel tower a few hours later. We met with the rest of our group at a carousel near the eiffel tower. Once everyone in the group arrived, we made our way through the street vendors and to the security gate. Security has dramatically increased at the eiffel tower since my last visit there. It is sad to think that the world we live in forces us to protect international monuments so intensely. Once everyone had passed through the metal detectors and had their bags checked, we headed up to the top of the tower. This was my second time visiting the top of the eiffel tower but it felt like the very first. The city lights dotted the ground like stars in the milky way. Aside from the relentless wind, it was a soothing sight. We took the lack of feeling in our fingers and toes as a cue to make our way back to the bottom. We decided to head back to the hotel before our legs gave out from all the walking. Katie joined us and we got pizza to go from a nearby restaurant. All four of us sat in our hotel room eating, listening to music and talking late into the night until we fell asleep.
Thursday morning morning Madeline and I overslept. I woke up to Madeline shaking me awake and panically saying "Lauren wake up! were late! we have to go!". In this commotion I yelled a word that people yell when they need to relieve some stress. Apparently, this lovely word was heard by the rest of our group three floors below us. I jumped out bed, and got dressed as quickly as I could. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Harrison who was checking to see if we were awake and on our way. In a blur, Madeline and I rushed downstairs and out the door. Today, we were visiting the Louvre. I had been to the Louvre once the last time I was in Paris. However, this did not deter my excitement to visit again. There are so many fantastic works of art in the Louvre that it would take an entire lifetime to see it all. Our tour guide, Julien showed us the most popular attractions in the museum. As much as I enjoyed being in the presence of these classics, I was disappointed we were not able to see more of the museum. I feel like we spent a lot of time at few selected pieces rather than being spreading our time across more of the museum. But, this is just another reason to come back. After the Louvre tour, we were permitted to explore paris on our own for the rest of the day. Stomach rumbling and the hangry-ness settling in, Madeline, Emily and I decided to eat before adventuring out on our own. Once content again, we decided to roam about the quaint parisian streets. We explored the Pont des Arts, Eiffel Tower, Tuileries Garden, Champs Elysées, Moulin Rouge, and much more. We ended the day by hanging out at a bar down the street from the hotel before turning in for the night.
Friday we followed a routine similar to Wednesday. Madeline and I hobbled down the stairs to divulge in the delicious spread of jams, honeys, Nutella, and bread. The jams and honey came in the cutest little individual glass jars with a copper seal. On top was a picture of the contents and the name. My personal favorite was the flower honey. It tasted as if someone had just harvested honey from bees in a flourishing summer garden. I liked it so much that I snagged some jars to eat later with a baguette. We quickly got dressed again and then left with the rest of the group for the Palace of Versailles. Like the Louvre, I had been toVersailles once before. The last time I was there, I took a bike tour of the gardens with my family. We had a beautiful picnic of fresh vegetables and crispy bread along one of the lakes. When our bike tour ended, we were free to roam the palace. However, a suspicious bag was left near one of the entrances. So for security purposes, everyone was evacuated and the palace was shut down. I was overwhelmingly eager to walk through the inside of this world famous establishment. The bedrooms were lavishly decorated with rich fabrics, dark dyes, detailed paintings, and sparkling gold. However, one room stood out to me most; the hall of mirrors. This room is perhaps the most famous room in the palace, and for good reason. The inner wall was covered from floor to ceiling with handmade mercury mirrors. Each mirror was outlined in gold crown moulding. The wall opposite to the mirrors was composed of windows similarly outlined in gold. The windows completely illuminated the mirrors for a truly evangelical experience. Additionally, the windows faced outwards toward the gardens. They supplied a perfect panoramic view of the lush gardens. The ceiling, was totally covered in paintings and gold. As if this combination was not lavish enough, glass chandeliers dotted the ceiling. Just standing in the room made me feel like part of the royal family. It was truly and indescribable experience. After a self tour through the palace, I joined the rest of the group for a picnic. Unfortunately it had started to rain, so we ate in a little green shed. Once lunch was over we made our way back to the hotel to collect our luggage and begin our spring break. Madeline and I were heading to Nice, France for the first part of our spring break. We were taking a bus that did not leave until later in the night. We spent the rest of the evening camped out in the hotel lobby. Eight hours of lounging around and snacking later, we collected our things and left for the bus station. We finally boarded the bus and slowly drifted to sleep to help pass time on our fifteen hour drive to Nice.
Saturday I woke up with a crick in my neck and my legs numb from being squished by the seat in front of me. Madeline and I had been on the bus all night with the men in front of us leaning their seats all the way back. Cranky, we made our bus switch for the final stretch to Nice. We finally arrived and the weather was beautiful. I could not wait to be walking around the beach and enjoying the fresh air. We arrived at the airbnb completely exhausted. By the time we showered and dressed again, we were both starving. We went to the carrefour express a block away from the airbnb. We cooked ourselves a delicious dinner of gnocchi with cheese sauce. We decided to take a night of rest and put on a movie then fell asleep.
Sunday, Madeline and I woke up with more energy than the day before. We were excited to explore the cobblestone alleys of Nice. We walked along the port and watched the waves elegantly crash against the rocks. We walked to the end of the port pier to get a better look at the deep blue water. I was taking a video when a giant wave rolled in. It powerfully splashed against the rocks, spraying water everywhere including on me. I screamed from surprise and helplessness. Laughing, Madeline and I climbed onto higher ground. We made our way up to a chateau on top of a green mountain. The hike up was beautiful. The ground was covered in green grass dotted with colorful flowers in full bloom. The trees were vibrant with their deeply green leaves and birds hopping from branch to branch. The entire mountain was alive with vibrancy in every form. Then, we made our way to the beach. We walked along the beach for a while then decided to go home for dinner. We went back to the carrefour so we could cook dinner. Since January, I had not had the opportunity to cook for myself. Although it was nice to have all my meals prepared by my host family, I missed being able to prepare my own food. I enjoyed cooking, and had become relatively good at it since moving into my own apartment two years ago. Madeline and I enjoyed a delicious dinner. We ended the night by listening to music and treating ourselves to wine and cheese.
No comments:
Post a Comment