the spainiest of spain
My Parisian adventures have come to an end and the ones since have been entertaining and not entirely without incident. Recently, I’ve ended up being unintentionally shuttled off to a random town in the French country-side, spending a night on a sidewalk and I can no longer walk without limping (all unrelated)… and, yes, I am still enjoying myself.
My last few days in Paris, I spent a decent amount of time around the Luxembourg Gardens. At one point of longing for familiarities, I opted to see a film: “La Faille” (Subtitled, not dubbed) I’m not sure what it’s called in English, but it’s starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. It was enjoyable and seemed strangely surreal. You also learn a lot of new French words this way. I went up the Eiffel Tower one night (actually my birthday–mildly bizarre) and stayed there for a few hours until dark when the city lit up. I began to enjoy attempting to speak French.
After a 24-hour trek through France and Spain (NEVER get on the wrong car–this is very important) I arrived in Madrid. It’s difficult not to compare cities; having
no expectations for Spain, I was quite pleasantly surprised. Madrid was much warmer (figuratively as well as literally) than Paris or London and the atmosphere was much more lively. I wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if a party had broken out at any given moment. Speaking Spanish is an interesting challenge–French is at least familiar even when not entirely understood. The Reina Sofia is, of course, wonderful (and Dali’s work is much more satisfying than that in the Dali Espace Montmartre in Paris).
Barcelona is, as one might imagine, seemingly consumed by nightlife. The architecture is awe-inspiring–it’s definitely a gorgeous city. I’ve spent most of my time wandering through Old Town, but even the newer areas are very well designed. La Ramblas at night is very interesting. Catalan is the official language in Barcelona, but Spanish seems to be sufficient.
I had originally considered heading out to the Cote d’Azur, but had decided against it. Julie has, however, convinced me to make an excursion out to San Sebastian for a couple of days before heading to Italy. Travelling through major cities is very enjoyable, but I find myself getting worn down, constantly on the go. I will look forward to a couple of days of good beach-times.
I swam in the sea today. It was so cold I was the only one in (it wasn’t that bad by Canadian standards–you’d just hear a whole chorus of “Well, it’s warm once you get in there!”) The beaches are quite lovely and I enjoy the vacant horizon (and are apparently at war with my ravaged feet who are not accustomed to the jagged terrain on which they must plant themselves).
Salt water is really gross. If someone were to offer you a glass of freshly-scooped salt water, it would be best to decline.
It’s getting more into tourist season and it’s starting to get harder to find places to stay (so much for spontaneity) so I may end up camping in Rome. Food is always good. Sangria, banana juice, tapas, and yet more bread. When I was in Paris, I discovered Nutella (it had somehow eluded me all these years). Hazelnut chocolate in the form of a sandwich spread is a dangerous thing.
That concludes my incoherent update. I hope it was informative, thought provoking and catalytic in creating stricter environmental protocols. I must now go to bed.
paris: beau mais fatiguant
It’s raining in Paris. Actually, it’s been quite dreary since I arrived. I’m not really complaining since I’d much rather have cool rain than scorching heat, though I haven’t done quite as much exploring on foot as I would otherwise. The city is very beautiful and a kind of interesting comparison to London as they’re both very unique cities. There’s a bit more style here, a bit more attitude. It has a slightly grungier aesthetic in regard to the buildings and streets, but nothing overly notable. I enjoy the lack of giant grocery stores and the availability of bakeries/butcher shops/cafés/etc every few feet. The food is definitely very fresh and much less prepackaged. I’ve been living mainly on bread, cheese, wine and fruit for the past couple of days.
I think I learned more French in the first couple days here than I did in several years of school. The city is fairly walkable and the Metro is easy to get around in, perhaps only slightly less so than London’s. The Louvre was a definite highlight. Trés magnifique! I’m heading back there today to see a bit more. I’ll be heading to Spain in a few days
(either Madrid or Barcelona, I can’t remember which one first–I’ve been too busy with Paris). I’ll see if I can muddle through some Spanish. It’s my birthday soon and I kind of feel like I should do something though I’m really not sure what. I’ll probably end up wandering through the streets until I decide to head in.
Hostelling is interesting; the hostels vary considerably and it’s strange having neither privacy nor companionship, though you still meet nice people now and then.
I’ll have to keep this short, partly due to the bane of my existence: french keyboards. That anyone would employ the use of a different style of keyboard than the one I happen to be familiar with is unconscionable! Well, maybe not….but it takes forever to type anything and my internet access is limited.
waiting for the train
It’s 3am. I’m staying up all night to catch a train to Paris (Not quite as romantic as it sounds, but it’s still pretty cool in principle) as I didn’t want to disturb this evening’s roommates. The tube shuts down at midnight, so I’ll need to wander through buses to get to the station. I still don’t know how to use Paris public transit, but I’m sure it will be easy enough once I’m there. After a week of running around frantically through London, I’m hoping to be able to have more of a laid-back experience for the next few days.
I will look forward to sleep…and also Paris. Let me know if there are any recommendations for getting around, etc. Also let me know if there is any wackiness happening.
panic on the streets of london
The trek to my London hostel seemed a bit of a marathon, but all went well. Due to lack of internet access, you’ll have to settle for messages scrawled frantically on a public computer. London is quite absosmurfly amazing. Amazing…and very very expensive. I’ve spent the last couple of days walking just about non-stop. I went
around and took in a great deal of the obligatory landmarks and so on. Westminster Abbey is particularly wonderful. Earlier today, I went up in the London Eye, ate lunch in park and headed to a performance of Blood Brothers. I must say, my version was put to shame. I’m thinking about heading out to the Camden markets tomorrow. It’s very interesting seeing the city transform, somewhat dramatically, throughout the day: mid-afternoon comings-and-goings, the mayhem that ensues when everyone gets off work, and the late evening energy. Much of the city is very refreshing–the diversity and history and existence of culture. It gives the appearance of being very organized and orderly. I’m always being watched and being reminded of being watched. There are always voices telling me to do things (no, not those voices–other people hear them too). I’m not certain yet whether the order is merely an illusion. Getting around can be a bit difficult — the tube is very easy to use, but I find the streets confusing. I enjoy the politeness of the city officials, though I find the general London attitude to be a bit peculiar — something I can’t quite put my finger on yet. I hope you’re doing well in your various endeavours and such. I may need new feet when I return.
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