Louvre:
Rodin (Josh took these, since I was at the hospital with Kari) :
And just to give you a taste of the Pompidou (I didn't take these either--I had given my camera to a student...I forgot it for the Orsay, so I'm bummed about that).
Sunday, July 26, 2009
25 July for 24 July: Paris
So photos are in...be sure to check out the rest on Flickr. I'll try uploading them tonight--it often takes the whole night, if it works.
Louvre:
Rodin (Josh took these, since I was at the hospital with Kari) :
And just to give you a taste of the Pompidou (I didn't take these either--I had given my camera to a student...I forgot it for the Orsay, so I'm bummed about that).
Louvre:
Rodin (Josh took these, since I was at the hospital with Kari) :
And just to give you a taste of the Pompidou (I didn't take these either--I had given my camera to a student...I forgot it for the Orsay, so I'm bummed about that).
Saturday, July 25, 2009
25 July 2009, Paris
My ATM card arrived today...and there was much rejoicing! Turns out, and no one can tell me why, it somehow came via Auckland NZ. Go figure. Went to use it and the building with the ATM is closed, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow. We have an early departure b/c of the Tour de France coming in. Some VERY big Armstrong fans who are going to be disappointed but it should be fun. We might do the city-wide skate tomorrow, too. Kids are going to a club tonight. Women get in free and guys are 10€ with an online coupon. 15€ without. Open bar from 24h-1h, but it means the late bus on my own probably, because they'll want to stay till 4 AM or so. Gonna pass and go with a group to Les Deux Canards next Tuesday and then next Wednesday to Angelina.
SEE MAP: Went for a long walk today--through Luxembourg Gardens and down the Boulevard Saint-Michel doing some shopping. I didn't actually walk all this, I took the RER up to the Gardens, and no, I didn't only get striped things...which is what my students have accused me of doing. Shopped at several places, but only found things I liked and in my size at Celio. Got 3 pairs of socks, two sweaters and a tee-shirt. I had already bought a tee-shirt and a sweater there earlier. Know what I want in shoes, but can't find 'em. Students went to the flea market at Porte de Clignancourt and had fun, so I might try that tomorrow after see the Tour de France.
View Larger Map
And here's a google shot of the Garden gates:
View Larger Map
I was sitting pretty much where the woman in blue is sitting...looking out at Notre Dame pondering the people who had walked and were walking along this root.
View Larger Map
Students ran into me sitting there. They had been to the famous Shakespeare and Company book shop, whose stamp in every book supposedly raises its value.
Came back and had some cheese before making a salad of noodles, mâche, cilantro, tomatoes, cukes, zucchini, and onion in a balsamic vinegar, basil olive oil dressing with garlic and dijon mustard. Shared it around, then we all shared candy, coffee, chocolate and wine.
Trying to upload some photos before bed.
Only a couple more days, and that's really hard to believe. Have to make reservations for next year already :)
G'nite
SEE MAP: Went for a long walk today--through Luxembourg Gardens and down the Boulevard Saint-Michel doing some shopping. I didn't actually walk all this, I took the RER up to the Gardens, and no, I didn't only get striped things...which is what my students have accused me of doing. Shopped at several places, but only found things I liked and in my size at Celio. Got 3 pairs of socks, two sweaters and a tee-shirt. I had already bought a tee-shirt and a sweater there earlier. Know what I want in shoes, but can't find 'em. Students went to the flea market at Porte de Clignancourt and had fun, so I might try that tomorrow after see the Tour de France.
View Larger Map
And here's a google shot of the Garden gates:
View Larger Map
I was sitting pretty much where the woman in blue is sitting...looking out at Notre Dame pondering the people who had walked and were walking along this root.
View Larger Map
Students ran into me sitting there. They had been to the famous Shakespeare and Company book shop, whose stamp in every book supposedly raises its value.
Came back and had some cheese before making a salad of noodles, mâche, cilantro, tomatoes, cukes, zucchini, and onion in a balsamic vinegar, basil olive oil dressing with garlic and dijon mustard. Shared it around, then we all shared candy, coffee, chocolate and wine.
Trying to upload some photos before bed.
Only a couple more days, and that's really hard to believe. Have to make reservations for next year already :)
G'nite
Friday, July 24, 2009
24 July 2009: One more week
Boy, it'd be nice if people didn't steal stuff here. I bought dish soap for our group and it disappeared withing 3 days. I bought basil-flavored olive oil and and forgot it the other night--wasn't feeling to well. It's gone. They're not in any other kitchens so they must be in someone's room! It sucks.
Still no ATM card. Tried to take care of forwarding mail just in case...and they wanted $75 to do it for six months, when all I'm waiting on is this card !!!!!
grrrr
off to do budget stuff
Still no ATM card. Tried to take care of forwarding mail just in case...and they wanted $75 to do it for six months, when all I'm waiting on is this card !!!!!
grrrr
off to do budget stuff
SLIDESHOW PROBLEMS
I can't get the second slideshow to work, so I'm going to keep moving photos into the old one in the hopes that it continues to work, and I'll keep posting thumbnails of photos as they come in.
24 July 2009: Paris à nouveau
Still without money. ATM card that was supposed to arrive Monday is still not here. So, I freaked out a bit and asked my TA to help with cash, since my bank won't give me any more free Western Union wires (not that I don't understand). Turns out that the online prices were WAY OFF for the Centre Pompidou. Instead of $285 for the visit, it was $75. Couldn't have been happier. We had a great guide--take note, Tammy and Sarah...M. Font était superbe--he made the students laugh and the whole tour was a class--what they got out of modern art. He gave enough detail to understand the paintings we looked at to be able to carry it to other works. Same amount of time as at the Musée d'Orsay, but fewer works. We saw in detail no more than 8 and 1.5 hours, but it was so much better to have the Q&A, and the students rose to the occasion. He ended up giving the second half in French since there were no objections and the students requested it. They spoke French during the Q&A...although I must admit that it was the more advanced students.
I didn't have my camera with me since I gave it to a student at the Louvre last night. I had lower back spasms--which made for a fun walk on the marble floors, and had a cold. The Louvre is so poorly organized that I imagined the King asking his servants how to get about. Add to it that we had a wheel chair and it was abysmal !!!! Go down in this elevator, go through that corridor to get to a new elevator to go up to another floor, only to come back to the same wing to go down again. Elevators didn't go all the way through. I understand this, because there's respect for the building, but signage could have been a HELL of a lot better !!!! It took me 40 minutes to return the wheel chair and get to the meeting point, when literally I was no more than 100 yards from where I needed to be. The person in the wheelchair--who needs it for comfort and ease, since standing is too exhausting for her condition, gave up herself and decided to walk !!!
All that to say that I haven't seen the photos from last night, nor tonight. We left after seeing the only Pollock they had...an artist whom none of the guides had heard of in French, until I said it in English, only to have them repeat what I had said with a French pronunciation. Went for kebabs, but I decided not to have any since there was no lamb.
Came back to heat up pasta with kalamata olive paste, oil with basil (now stolen, since I forgot it in the kitchen last night--that's the second thing stolen from our group that I know of!) garlic and roasted red peppers. It was a full kitchen with laughter and fun. A group went out tonight because there's a boat with dancing on the Seine. Other stayed behind and did homework, and I have to say that it was wonderful. I love the one-on-one. It's such a nice teaching moment. I've thought about getting out of Academia all together, but nights like tonight make me question that. Put the cafetière on the stove, pull off the gloves, do some grammar and vocab with some wine and chocolate. It was great. I've thought quite a bit about moving to Europe during this trip. I think I fit in better over here. It's just the matter of a job.
Photos still won't upload, so I'm behind on that, but at least you have the Saint-Malo flag from the last trip...with its white ermine. I'll try to get new ones up, but the wireless here is far from healthy. Students uploaded photos yesterday, in batches of 12. It's the first time since they arrived that they've been able.
OK, time to check email and turn in soon.
Pax,
Stosh
I didn't have my camera with me since I gave it to a student at the Louvre last night. I had lower back spasms--which made for a fun walk on the marble floors, and had a cold. The Louvre is so poorly organized that I imagined the King asking his servants how to get about. Add to it that we had a wheel chair and it was abysmal !!!! Go down in this elevator, go through that corridor to get to a new elevator to go up to another floor, only to come back to the same wing to go down again. Elevators didn't go all the way through. I understand this, because there's respect for the building, but signage could have been a HELL of a lot better !!!! It took me 40 minutes to return the wheel chair and get to the meeting point, when literally I was no more than 100 yards from where I needed to be. The person in the wheelchair--who needs it for comfort and ease, since standing is too exhausting for her condition, gave up herself and decided to walk !!!
All that to say that I haven't seen the photos from last night, nor tonight. We left after seeing the only Pollock they had...an artist whom none of the guides had heard of in French, until I said it in English, only to have them repeat what I had said with a French pronunciation. Went for kebabs, but I decided not to have any since there was no lamb.
Came back to heat up pasta with kalamata olive paste, oil with basil (now stolen, since I forgot it in the kitchen last night--that's the second thing stolen from our group that I know of!) garlic and roasted red peppers. It was a full kitchen with laughter and fun. A group went out tonight because there's a boat with dancing on the Seine. Other stayed behind and did homework, and I have to say that it was wonderful. I love the one-on-one. It's such a nice teaching moment. I've thought about getting out of Academia all together, but nights like tonight make me question that. Put the cafetière on the stove, pull off the gloves, do some grammar and vocab with some wine and chocolate. It was great. I've thought quite a bit about moving to Europe during this trip. I think I fit in better over here. It's just the matter of a job.
Photos still won't upload, so I'm behind on that, but at least you have the Saint-Malo flag from the last trip...with its white ermine. I'll try to get new ones up, but the wireless here is far from healthy. Students uploaded photos yesterday, in batches of 12. It's the first time since they arrived that they've been able.
OK, time to check email and turn in soon.
Pax,
Stosh
21 July 2009: Back in Paris bis
Got back latish last night from Saint-Malo.
Saint-Malo corsair's standard. Image by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005
Went to Montmartre and Sacré Cœur today. Students were a little anxious because tonight's the Harry Potter Premier. I know some came back, made pizza à la Julien and ran off to the movie. Tamara, Tiff and I took the little Montmartrain tour so Tiff could take it easy. Before we left there was a fight between the driver and some kid, who ended up hitting the driver. We saw lots of famous stuff, including the oldest cabaret in Paris--Le Lapin agile (= le lapin à Gill). The original sign is in the Montmartre museum. It was a 24€ cover charge, that included one drink, but didn't open until 9, so we didn't go. Saw the oldest church in Paris, also saw where Toulouse Lautrec once lived and the Pigalle...including the Moulin Rouge.
We did go into Sacré Cœur. Had to tell people I didn't know to stop taking photos. I don't get it. They ask you not to out of respect....so let's do it anyway.
It was gorgeous!
We tried to go to "La Famille" for dinner, but they weren't open yet so we went down the street to a café. My "salade parisienne" was really only a chef's salad, so there wasn't anything really French about it.
Saint-Malo corsair's standard. Image by Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005
Went to Montmartre and Sacré Cœur today. Students were a little anxious because tonight's the Harry Potter Premier. I know some came back, made pizza à la Julien and ran off to the movie. Tamara, Tiff and I took the little Montmartrain tour so Tiff could take it easy. Before we left there was a fight between the driver and some kid, who ended up hitting the driver. We saw lots of famous stuff, including the oldest cabaret in Paris--Le Lapin agile (= le lapin à Gill). The original sign is in the Montmartre museum. It was a 24€ cover charge, that included one drink, but didn't open until 9, so we didn't go. Saw the oldest church in Paris, also saw where Toulouse Lautrec once lived and the Pigalle...including the Moulin Rouge.
We did go into Sacré Cœur. Had to tell people I didn't know to stop taking photos. I don't get it. They ask you not to out of respect....so let's do it anyway.
It was gorgeous!
We tried to go to "La Famille" for dinner, but they weren't open yet so we went down the street to a café. My "salade parisienne" was really only a chef's salad, so there wasn't anything really French about it.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
21 July 2009: Back in Paris
Yes, I'm WAY behind--sorry--and the new slide show is having difficulties loading, but here's a bunch of posts in one. I hope to have time to put the photos in that I want to (where the place holders are), and most of this I've typed up in the hospital room or on a train when I didn't have internet access. Rather than keeping you waiting.....
30 juin
Well the kids come tomorrow, which means hiking it back out to the airport. In the meantime, I needed to get to a major train station to get our train tix. The people in NY forgot about us for 2 weeks until I reinitiated contact. Then they had the nerve to bive me 20 minutes at 5:40 PM New York Time (4:40 in Morris) to get them copies of the credit card to be used for the tix. I don't have it, it's an institutional card, so I contacted Morris--of course, people there were leaving in 20 minutes as well. The transaction couldn't take place.
SO I went on the 30th to Gare Montpanasse to buy them. What a place !! It's so bustling, with stores, people, and then just outside the little bazaar.
and this...is just wrong !
Went up some stairs and took these shots of surround buildings. You can see how high up I am based on the number of floors visible up to the top.
And then the Tour Montparnasse!
Of course, Metro/Bus/Tramway/RER pass is a monthly pass, so it doesn't start until tomorrow. Had to buy little tix.
Came back and prepped for students coming tomorrow, working out what needs to be done when etc.
01 July
They're here ! Had a heck of a wait at the airport. It took forever for them to come out. Nevertheless, no more customs in France. Ya just walk right through...wherever you're from. Not sure how long that's been going on.
We got our RER tix and all but two of us headed in. My assistant stayed with a girl who was ill on the flight.
We got back, I gave them some time to rest up, unpack, and then a couple of walked down to the "Porte d'Orléans" metro station to get the "Navigo Découverte" passes--ticketless travel in Paris, zones 1 and 2, on bus, metro, rer, tramway. Couldn't be easier....well the purchasing could be. Students stood and chatted in the metro station while I stood in line. I ask for 13 of them and she starts in. All of a sudden, one credit card stops working. Switch cards...same thing. Declined. I'm only able to buy 7. It's not that it's really that far, probably about 1 mile, but in this heat and for credit card reasons, it's annoying! I had called the credit card company and they had OK'd everything. So...here we go again. I get back, call my credit card company and they say from their perspective it's fine, that it must be a problem in France. So, I go back down, get a different person, and he tells me that they limit credit card purchases like that to prevent fraud. Not a bad idea, but completely different from "declined."
When the students came with me the first time, I pointed out different shops. A couple went into the grocery store, and then we went back via the Parc Montsouris--kids playing, pony rides, a marionette theater and cafés. I came back and we took a tour--walking in a different direction. People were getting hungry and were grumpy. We went to a Brasserie and all had baguette sandwiches, mostly with goat cheese.
Last night (taking advantage of a break on Tuesday to write) I helped them with their internet set ups, and then a couple of us went to a grocery store that the Assistante knew about. Closer and much nicer ! Came back and worked on accounts, since not every had or could get money for that first meal and I had to temporarily cover them.
Slept well.
02 July
Grabbed a taxi and currently at the Emergency room with a dehydrated student who's been ill since arriving. Rest of the group is off taking the exam for placement into their courses. Still hot as anything here. Walked down to get more money out via Western Union this AM and they refused me again...I had used the same "transaction number." Of course I had...I was told it was the bank's number, not a transaction number. Got back, checked in with Assistante who kindly took several students to get photos for their student IDs--not all of them brought them. She had stayed with the sick girl yesterday at the airport to let her stomach settle a bit, before an hour-long train ride. Thank goodness she's along. She's good.
We're supposed to go to the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysées and Eiffel Tower tonight. We'll see how that plays out.
Well, I'm glad the kids will get to see the Eiffel Tower. I feel bad about the one still in the emergency room. She might have to see a specialist, and I don't know what's up yet. She's bummed, of course. Let's hope the kids get in, considering the hassle they gave me last night. Student IDs won't suffice, my being there vouching for them wouldn't suffice...they need a letter from the "director" of the University stating that he gives them permission to visit the Eiffel Tower. The Director of Study Abroad quick sent a letter to this effect, so we'll see. I'm not there, and someone forgot his ID, so I hope there aren't problems. If I knew how long things would take, I could go and come back, but they don't know what's up yet.
It's been hot as Hades here. By 9AM, my undershirt was soaked through. I've had fun riding the metro and the tramway. It's a relatively quick jaunt down here. Tramway 3 from Cité Universitaire to the Porte d'Italie, switch to the Métro line 7 to the Place d'Italie and then switch to line 5 to St Marcel, and the hospital's right in front of you.
A doc just came out, went over to the water machine, put his fingers in the top cup to pull it out so he could get to the clean cup underneath...all the while dirtying the top cup. Hmmmmmm
Falling asleep and don'g want computer to fall off lap. Stp0dsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssddsdddddddssdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
OK, time to go.
21h49
She went in for an MRI, so I went out for a walk. They won't give any time frame, or if she'll be staying the night, and I haven't had dinner so I walked around. Got worried cause places were closing. The place I did find that I could try was full outside, and I DON'T want to sit inside.
Walked the other way and found Au soleil d'Austerlitz, and there's a Mazda dealership right next to me here called Austerlitz Automobiles, so I'm guessing I'm near the Gare d'Austerlitz. Cute little place--getting a beer and a tartine provençale. Outdoor lights, and typical French brasserie :) Can't get a photo because I lent my camera to a student for the Eiffel Tower. He was literally on his way to have his staples out from his appendectomy when my assistante called from the airport and asked where he was? He thought they were leaving the next day. So we have to get them out over here--don't know how that will be with insurance, since it's a pre-existing condition. OK, here's food. Gotta go.
Someone here's wearing Claude's cologne--can't find
---------------
17 July 2009
OK, so I've got some catching up to do. I still haven't had time to post the other blogs, and update the images that will rotate through. I won't try to catch up day by day, I don't think.
Well, I'm on the train to St-Malo with 12 students, not 13. She finally left. Unfortunately, she said just before leaving that she was beginning to feel part of the group, but she had made her decision and that was that. Took here Wednesday to get her jewelry and stuff back. People are settling in to courses, but we've been here long enough now that there are cliques and tensions building. We'll see how this weekend goes. I'm going to have to have a group meeting about the fridges, which are in 3 student rooms instead of in the kitchen, because people are leaving with out giving others access to the food, or people want food and ignore signs that the student, whose room has the fridge, is sleeping. Can't get them on time for anything.
TRAIN ROUTE
We'll be doing le Mont Saint-Michel and the Normandy beaches tomorrow. Then they have two days to hang out in Saint-Malo. People are already planning on hitting the beach. Not the Côte d'Azur, to be sure, but it will still be nice.
Took a second student on Wednesday to the hospital, but this time we went to the American Hospital of Paris. It's in Neuilly, but it's not a one room clinic, and when I asked for directions at the Metro station, the guy wasn't sure I knew what I was saying, since we were in Neuilly...but it's call what it is. Hard to believe people hadn't heard of it.
Passing pig, cow and sheep farms on the TGV. Saw a wind turbine farm not too long ago.
OK, so back to the hospital. MUCH better. Even the woman who took the student's staples out from his appendectomy just before leaving said that the other one was a nightmare. I'll definitely go to this once if I need to and can. The problem is the paying. It doesn't follow regular insurance policies. IN fact, the student had to pay 20 € to have it done. She took the money and put in it in her desk draw !!! Had he been going in for surgery I would have wondered about a black-market organ deal :)
Passing some cute little French villages, with moss growing on roofs. I've got to spend a bit of tonight and tomorrow looking for stuff on Saint-Malo for them to do. This group has very few self-starters. They're getting better, though.
OK, so the big event was the 14th of July--France's national holiday. The fireworks were PHENOMENAL. I spent the day hanging out on the Champs de Mars so we could get a place for our students. Showed up at 13h for the 22h45 show and we had too look for a spot--that's how early people were showing up. For those of you who've been checking the blog--sorry for the absence. I'm going to change the photo slide show to have only the fireworks and Ill imbed some of the movies that I shot, since you're probably tired of looking at the same photos of my arrival her and of Reykjavik.
Fireworks were a stunning combination of launching them behind the Eiffel Tower, from the Eiffel Tower and then using the Eiffel Tower as the screen for a laser show. They were celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Tower so they showed a visual history of the Eiffel Tower...on the Eiffel Tower. The 60's, with the swirling, colored, psychedelic flowers, and the 80's where they made the Eiffel Tower literally dance with the lasers were great. Very solemn during the First and Second World War scenes.
PHOTOS / VIDEO
Johhny Hallyday peformed--pop icon here, but I don't really enjoy him. Softish rock that leans more toward storytelling and ballads. He still has pipes, though !!
PHOTOS / VIDEO
Getting home was rough--it took several hours--and this would e the one reason why I would say that you shouldn't do it. The fireworks were definitely the best I've ever scene, but the trip was a nightmare. I was chest to chest with a riot cop with people pushing me from behind. Hoping to not get pulled off to the side. In these kinds of situations, French police...ask questions later, and you hope you are physically able to answer. One little girl got trampled, and they did arrest someone for something. A group of (*$^*(# Americans forced their way onto an overly packed train, squooshing people. I got chewed out for protecting a little boy and not letting them push more--his father was sitting and shouldn't have been, since you're supposed to stand only during rush hour and busy times like that. Then the Americans kept mocking the people who couldn't get on the train. They were quite drunk, and I had to go downstairs to the 1st floor kitchen at 3h30 last night to tell them to shut up, since they were so loud I could hear them two floors above ! Yep, the perfect picture of why we are often hated abroad.
Met some new people yesterday--one guy's French and American and the other is Dutch. They met at school here and were tasting some nice wines. They invited us in, and the wines were great!
Let's see..I finally got to go somewhere. We went tot he Musée d'Orsay yesterday, but I forgot my camera. It was rough. We had a tour guide, but there were so many people that we only talked about 12 -15 paintings. Not worth the money, and the students wanted to go look at stuff on their own. It was late enought that many were hungry, so I'll do it earlier next time, but without the guide--just the headsets. The guide can be good, but it's hard to get them there before 17h with their classes. I couldn't believe we skipped "Déjeuner sur l'herbe." We're going to do the Louvre with audio guides because they lost our reservation, wouldn't take info over the phone, and then I forgot our address on the fax, so they gave the reservation time to someone else, and now could only propose the Friday before a free weekend--which is a free weekend for the student so they are invited / encouraged to leave. So we changed it to a different day with audio headsets. At least the guide was good last night, and they gave her a mike and us special headsets on the same frequency, so we could hear well with the echoes and noise.
That's the past 3 days. On Monday, the 13th we went to the fireman's ball...and my personality showed up. I'm sure several students thought is was my age, but nope, I hated drunken, meat-market parties where taking a sip of your drink was nigh impossible because of how crowded it was. So couldn't really dance. But they had fun. Girls got kissed by the firemen on the way in, and some went off to dance with them. Everyone got back ok--no "after parties." Tried using Velib (I'll have to get a photo), which are bicycles at lock stations throughout Paris. You grab one when you need one, pull into a lock station at your destination and lock it up. Like "zip cars" in the big cities. But it wouldn't take my credit card to hold a deposit in case I didn't bring the bike back. So I walked a bit and took a night bus. I got home at 3. Some students stayed till 5h30, at which point they took the metro, since it had started back up by then.
MAP
Did laundry in the machines for the 1st time--I've been doing thing s in my sink but have been running around and not able to get stuff washed and hung up to dry fast enough. I did two load of laundry and had the run the single load of the dryer twice...a mere $13.50!!!! I am so glad to have brought my Coleman camping laundry line. Stuff's drying over the weekend :)
Last weekend was a free weekend, so a couple of people left. We cooked together and I made them a Caprese pasta with fresh tomatoes, oil and fresh mozzarella. Unfortunately, there's no basil to found. Oh, BTW, introduce some of my students to my garlic / Dijon mustard / balsamic and oil dressing. THey used the whol batch, so I guess they liked it.
A bunch of people went to Notre Dame de Paris on the 9th, and took the free tour. It was optional and suggested, but we were also supposed to have class, so that didn't' work out well. Some missed the class. On the 8th, Tamara and I went shopping and brought back wine and cheese for the student wine tasting. The wines were liked--we had a very nice Merlot. Only one of the cheeses was disliked--it smelled and tasted a bit like a farm :) I was happy to see how many students were willing to contribute their own money. In general it was probably about 1/2 and 1/2 for who like the cheaper over the pricier. Was it the choice of wines? or their palate. :)
Some people liked my idea of a beer tasting as well, so we did that, and the big favorite was "Desperados" which is a lager and tequila...but it's also flavored, and tastes a bit like a shandy.
30 juin
Well the kids come tomorrow, which means hiking it back out to the airport. In the meantime, I needed to get to a major train station to get our train tix. The people in NY forgot about us for 2 weeks until I reinitiated contact. Then they had the nerve to bive me 20 minutes at 5:40 PM New York Time (4:40 in Morris) to get them copies of the credit card to be used for the tix. I don't have it, it's an institutional card, so I contacted Morris--of course, people there were leaving in 20 minutes as well. The transaction couldn't take place.
SO I went on the 30th to Gare Montpanasse to buy them. What a place !! It's so bustling, with stores, people, and then just outside the little bazaar.
and this...is just wrong !
Went up some stairs and took these shots of surround buildings. You can see how high up I am based on the number of floors visible up to the top.
And then the Tour Montparnasse!
Of course, Metro/Bus/Tramway/RER pass is a monthly pass, so it doesn't start until tomorrow. Had to buy little tix.
Came back and prepped for students coming tomorrow, working out what needs to be done when etc.
01 July
They're here ! Had a heck of a wait at the airport. It took forever for them to come out. Nevertheless, no more customs in France. Ya just walk right through...wherever you're from. Not sure how long that's been going on.
We got our RER tix and all but two of us headed in. My assistant stayed with a girl who was ill on the flight.
We got back, I gave them some time to rest up, unpack, and then a couple of walked down to the "Porte d'Orléans" metro station to get the "Navigo Découverte" passes--ticketless travel in Paris, zones 1 and 2, on bus, metro, rer, tramway. Couldn't be easier....well the purchasing could be. Students stood and chatted in the metro station while I stood in line. I ask for 13 of them and she starts in. All of a sudden, one credit card stops working. Switch cards...same thing. Declined. I'm only able to buy 7. It's not that it's really that far, probably about 1 mile, but in this heat and for credit card reasons, it's annoying! I had called the credit card company and they had OK'd everything. So...here we go again. I get back, call my credit card company and they say from their perspective it's fine, that it must be a problem in France. So, I go back down, get a different person, and he tells me that they limit credit card purchases like that to prevent fraud. Not a bad idea, but completely different from "declined."
When the students came with me the first time, I pointed out different shops. A couple went into the grocery store, and then we went back via the Parc Montsouris--kids playing, pony rides, a marionette theater and cafés. I came back and we took a tour--walking in a different direction. People were getting hungry and were grumpy. We went to a Brasserie and all had baguette sandwiches, mostly with goat cheese.
Last night (taking advantage of a break on Tuesday to write) I helped them with their internet set ups, and then a couple of us went to a grocery store that the Assistante knew about. Closer and much nicer ! Came back and worked on accounts, since not every had or could get money for that first meal and I had to temporarily cover them.
Slept well.
02 July
Grabbed a taxi and currently at the Emergency room with a dehydrated student who's been ill since arriving. Rest of the group is off taking the exam for placement into their courses. Still hot as anything here. Walked down to get more money out via Western Union this AM and they refused me again...I had used the same "transaction number." Of course I had...I was told it was the bank's number, not a transaction number. Got back, checked in with Assistante who kindly took several students to get photos for their student IDs--not all of them brought them. She had stayed with the sick girl yesterday at the airport to let her stomach settle a bit, before an hour-long train ride. Thank goodness she's along. She's good.
We're supposed to go to the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysées and Eiffel Tower tonight. We'll see how that plays out.
Well, I'm glad the kids will get to see the Eiffel Tower. I feel bad about the one still in the emergency room. She might have to see a specialist, and I don't know what's up yet. She's bummed, of course. Let's hope the kids get in, considering the hassle they gave me last night. Student IDs won't suffice, my being there vouching for them wouldn't suffice...they need a letter from the "director" of the University stating that he gives them permission to visit the Eiffel Tower. The Director of Study Abroad quick sent a letter to this effect, so we'll see. I'm not there, and someone forgot his ID, so I hope there aren't problems. If I knew how long things would take, I could go and come back, but they don't know what's up yet.
It's been hot as Hades here. By 9AM, my undershirt was soaked through. I've had fun riding the metro and the tramway. It's a relatively quick jaunt down here. Tramway 3 from Cité Universitaire to the Porte d'Italie, switch to the Métro line 7 to the Place d'Italie and then switch to line 5 to St Marcel, and the hospital's right in front of you.
A doc just came out, went over to the water machine, put his fingers in the top cup to pull it out so he could get to the clean cup underneath...all the while dirtying the top cup. Hmmmmmm
Falling asleep and don'g want computer to fall off lap. Stp0dsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssddsdddddddssdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
OK, time to go.
21h49
She went in for an MRI, so I went out for a walk. They won't give any time frame, or if she'll be staying the night, and I haven't had dinner so I walked around. Got worried cause places were closing. The place I did find that I could try was full outside, and I DON'T want to sit inside.
Walked the other way and found Au soleil d'Austerlitz, and there's a Mazda dealership right next to me here called Austerlitz Automobiles, so I'm guessing I'm near the Gare d'Austerlitz. Cute little place--getting a beer and a tartine provençale. Outdoor lights, and typical French brasserie :) Can't get a photo because I lent my camera to a student for the Eiffel Tower. He was literally on his way to have his staples out from his appendectomy when my assistante called from the airport and asked where he was? He thought they were leaving the next day. So we have to get them out over here--don't know how that will be with insurance, since it's a pre-existing condition. OK, here's food. Gotta go.
Someone here's wearing Claude's cologne--can't find
---------------
17 July 2009
OK, so I've got some catching up to do. I still haven't had time to post the other blogs, and update the images that will rotate through. I won't try to catch up day by day, I don't think.
Well, I'm on the train to St-Malo with 12 students, not 13. She finally left. Unfortunately, she said just before leaving that she was beginning to feel part of the group, but she had made her decision and that was that. Took here Wednesday to get her jewelry and stuff back. People are settling in to courses, but we've been here long enough now that there are cliques and tensions building. We'll see how this weekend goes. I'm going to have to have a group meeting about the fridges, which are in 3 student rooms instead of in the kitchen, because people are leaving with out giving others access to the food, or people want food and ignore signs that the student, whose room has the fridge, is sleeping. Can't get them on time for anything.
TRAIN ROUTE
We'll be doing le Mont Saint-Michel and the Normandy beaches tomorrow. Then they have two days to hang out in Saint-Malo. People are already planning on hitting the beach. Not the Côte d'Azur, to be sure, but it will still be nice.
Took a second student on Wednesday to the hospital, but this time we went to the American Hospital of Paris. It's in Neuilly, but it's not a one room clinic, and when I asked for directions at the Metro station, the guy wasn't sure I knew what I was saying, since we were in Neuilly...but it's call what it is. Hard to believe people hadn't heard of it.
Passing pig, cow and sheep farms on the TGV. Saw a wind turbine farm not too long ago.
OK, so back to the hospital. MUCH better. Even the woman who took the student's staples out from his appendectomy just before leaving said that the other one was a nightmare. I'll definitely go to this once if I need to and can. The problem is the paying. It doesn't follow regular insurance policies. IN fact, the student had to pay 20 € to have it done. She took the money and put in it in her desk draw !!! Had he been going in for surgery I would have wondered about a black-market organ deal :)
Passing some cute little French villages, with moss growing on roofs. I've got to spend a bit of tonight and tomorrow looking for stuff on Saint-Malo for them to do. This group has very few self-starters. They're getting better, though.
OK, so the big event was the 14th of July--France's national holiday. The fireworks were PHENOMENAL. I spent the day hanging out on the Champs de Mars so we could get a place for our students. Showed up at 13h for the 22h45 show and we had too look for a spot--that's how early people were showing up. For those of you who've been checking the blog--sorry for the absence. I'm going to change the photo slide show to have only the fireworks and Ill imbed some of the movies that I shot, since you're probably tired of looking at the same photos of my arrival her and of Reykjavik.
Fireworks were a stunning combination of launching them behind the Eiffel Tower, from the Eiffel Tower and then using the Eiffel Tower as the screen for a laser show. They were celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Tower so they showed a visual history of the Eiffel Tower...on the Eiffel Tower. The 60's, with the swirling, colored, psychedelic flowers, and the 80's where they made the Eiffel Tower literally dance with the lasers were great. Very solemn during the First and Second World War scenes.
PHOTOS / VIDEO
Johhny Hallyday peformed--pop icon here, but I don't really enjoy him. Softish rock that leans more toward storytelling and ballads. He still has pipes, though !!
PHOTOS / VIDEO
Getting home was rough--it took several hours--and this would e the one reason why I would say that you shouldn't do it. The fireworks were definitely the best I've ever scene, but the trip was a nightmare. I was chest to chest with a riot cop with people pushing me from behind. Hoping to not get pulled off to the side. In these kinds of situations, French police...ask questions later, and you hope you are physically able to answer. One little girl got trampled, and they did arrest someone for something. A group of (*$^*(# Americans forced their way onto an overly packed train, squooshing people. I got chewed out for protecting a little boy and not letting them push more--his father was sitting and shouldn't have been, since you're supposed to stand only during rush hour and busy times like that. Then the Americans kept mocking the people who couldn't get on the train. They were quite drunk, and I had to go downstairs to the 1st floor kitchen at 3h30 last night to tell them to shut up, since they were so loud I could hear them two floors above ! Yep, the perfect picture of why we are often hated abroad.
Met some new people yesterday--one guy's French and American and the other is Dutch. They met at school here and were tasting some nice wines. They invited us in, and the wines were great!
Let's see..I finally got to go somewhere. We went tot he Musée d'Orsay yesterday, but I forgot my camera. It was rough. We had a tour guide, but there were so many people that we only talked about 12 -15 paintings. Not worth the money, and the students wanted to go look at stuff on their own. It was late enought that many were hungry, so I'll do it earlier next time, but without the guide--just the headsets. The guide can be good, but it's hard to get them there before 17h with their classes. I couldn't believe we skipped "Déjeuner sur l'herbe." We're going to do the Louvre with audio guides because they lost our reservation, wouldn't take info over the phone, and then I forgot our address on the fax, so they gave the reservation time to someone else, and now could only propose the Friday before a free weekend--which is a free weekend for the student so they are invited / encouraged to leave. So we changed it to a different day with audio headsets. At least the guide was good last night, and they gave her a mike and us special headsets on the same frequency, so we could hear well with the echoes and noise.
That's the past 3 days. On Monday, the 13th we went to the fireman's ball...and my personality showed up. I'm sure several students thought is was my age, but nope, I hated drunken, meat-market parties where taking a sip of your drink was nigh impossible because of how crowded it was. So couldn't really dance. But they had fun. Girls got kissed by the firemen on the way in, and some went off to dance with them. Everyone got back ok--no "after parties." Tried using Velib (I'll have to get a photo), which are bicycles at lock stations throughout Paris. You grab one when you need one, pull into a lock station at your destination and lock it up. Like "zip cars" in the big cities. But it wouldn't take my credit card to hold a deposit in case I didn't bring the bike back. So I walked a bit and took a night bus. I got home at 3. Some students stayed till 5h30, at which point they took the metro, since it had started back up by then.
MAP
Did laundry in the machines for the 1st time--I've been doing thing s in my sink but have been running around and not able to get stuff washed and hung up to dry fast enough. I did two load of laundry and had the run the single load of the dryer twice...a mere $13.50!!!! I am so glad to have brought my Coleman camping laundry line. Stuff's drying over the weekend :)
Last weekend was a free weekend, so a couple of people left. We cooked together and I made them a Caprese pasta with fresh tomatoes, oil and fresh mozzarella. Unfortunately, there's no basil to found. Oh, BTW, introduce some of my students to my garlic / Dijon mustard / balsamic and oil dressing. THey used the whol batch, so I guess they liked it.
A bunch of people went to Notre Dame de Paris on the 9th, and took the free tour. It was optional and suggested, but we were also supposed to have class, so that didn't' work out well. Some missed the class. On the 8th, Tamara and I went shopping and brought back wine and cheese for the student wine tasting. The wines were liked--we had a very nice Merlot. Only one of the cheeses was disliked--it smelled and tasted a bit like a farm :) I was happy to see how many students were willing to contribute their own money. In general it was probably about 1/2 and 1/2 for who like the cheaper over the pricier. Was it the choice of wines? or their palate. :)
Some people liked my idea of a beer tasting as well, so we did that, and the big favorite was "Desperados" which is a lager and tequila...but it's also flavored, and tastes a bit like a shandy.
Monday, June 29, 2009
29 June 2009, Paris, bis à nouveau
So, feeling like I could splurge, I went to get a wine and coffee--very nice, hanging out, bikes, Vespas going by, cars honking, the Tramway ringing its bell at everyone :)
I'm a lucky guy...apparently money I moved from one bank to another is now in both. Hmmm, maybe this is how I'll get rich ! :)
I'm a lucky guy...apparently money I moved from one bank to another is now in both. Hmmm, maybe this is how I'll get rich ! :)
29 June 2009, Paris, bis
I'm in the money !!!
It took long enough.
So I went this AM to get it, and I needed a person's name on the form rather than the bank name. I didn't know the last name of the guy who had helped me, nor if it had been done in his name. So I headed back to try and use my calling card to make the calls I needed to make. To no avail. Even with the operator helping, they wouldn't go through. I know, I'll buy a télécarte (phone card). The woman in the reception downstairs kindly suggested that I get a certain kind, because it's easier to use, and off I went. The tobacconist's where she suggested I go was closed. I look and next door there's a sign in the window for "télécartes." Stupid me, I walk in and ask how much a 50 unit card would cost. "For what?" "For 50 units." "For what? I have cards to call overseas." "But your window... mumble, mumble. Merci. Au revoir." This was the same shop where the guy wouldn't let me use the internet because I only had a credit card.
Next tobacconist's. Can't help me b/c they don't have a machine. Next one, won't help me for a measly 21€50 ($30.23). So I give up. With nothing left to do, I called the Credit Union again, got the info I needed and decided to try to get the money. It could have gone more smoothly. The credit union told me to put my name in as the sender...but, of course, that's not what the guy who helped me did. Plus, when he looked at the amount, he said that he couldn't help me because of their limit. Thankfully he miscacalculated and he was able to give me all of it.
So I went to get a glass of wine and celebrate. Did some work at the same café, got some groceries and...finally...a baguette.
In defense of those who won't accept cc, it's SUPER expensive in France to accept them.
OK, back to work :)
It took long enough.
So I went this AM to get it, and I needed a person's name on the form rather than the bank name. I didn't know the last name of the guy who had helped me, nor if it had been done in his name. So I headed back to try and use my calling card to make the calls I needed to make. To no avail. Even with the operator helping, they wouldn't go through. I know, I'll buy a télécarte (phone card). The woman in the reception downstairs kindly suggested that I get a certain kind, because it's easier to use, and off I went. The tobacconist's where she suggested I go was closed. I look and next door there's a sign in the window for "télécartes." Stupid me, I walk in and ask how much a 50 unit card would cost. "For what?" "For 50 units." "For what? I have cards to call overseas." "But your window... mumble, mumble. Merci. Au revoir." This was the same shop where the guy wouldn't let me use the internet because I only had a credit card.
Next tobacconist's. Can't help me b/c they don't have a machine. Next one, won't help me for a measly 21€50 ($30.23). So I give up. With nothing left to do, I called the Credit Union again, got the info I needed and decided to try to get the money. It could have gone more smoothly. The credit union told me to put my name in as the sender...but, of course, that's not what the guy who helped me did. Plus, when he looked at the amount, he said that he couldn't help me because of their limit. Thankfully he miscacalculated and he was able to give me all of it.
So I went to get a glass of wine and celebrate. Did some work at the same café, got some groceries and...finally...a baguette.
In defense of those who won't accept cc, it's SUPER expensive in France to accept them.
OK, back to work :)
29 June 2009, Paris
Overslept because I was kept awake by a bunch of dumb$*# Americans cooking and partying in the kitchen one floor below for their last night in Paris. I actually got out of bed, traipsed down there opened the door and yelled at them. It took another 20 mins for things to break up. The two bad parts of the experience are that 1) I think their program director was with them--way to go !! and 2) they were playing some good music. I was getting ready to go back down, comment on their good taste in music, but ask them to shut up!
OK, so still no €. I walked down to the PTT to get Western Union funds, but I wasn't given all the info I need by the people in the US. Now I have an email into them. We'll see. Glad I went to Iceland...the saga continues
Phone's working--two perfectly stereotypical cleaning ladies came into my room. One about 4'5" and gruff, family's been here a while, and the other, whose family has probably been here a generation or two. Guesses...but that's why I said stereotypical. 4'5"'s pushing every button imaginable, not understanding that it won't work, because the phone's talking to her. The other comes in takes control and resolves it with some quick words to the reception desk. The woman there had been giving the first woman a hard time...now 4'5"'s staring at the phone saying she's going to kill her.
Finally have Internet down. It's a combo of their system here and UMM's webmail. Met with the guy today and we should be good to go. Nice guy and knows his stuff.
So without € I can't make any calls out of my room, so I need to go stand out in the callbox.
I love France!!
OK, so still no €. I walked down to the PTT to get Western Union funds, but I wasn't given all the info I need by the people in the US. Now I have an email into them. We'll see. Glad I went to Iceland...the saga continues
Phone's working--two perfectly stereotypical cleaning ladies came into my room. One about 4'5" and gruff, family's been here a while, and the other, whose family has probably been here a generation or two. Guesses...but that's why I said stereotypical. 4'5"'s pushing every button imaginable, not understanding that it won't work, because the phone's talking to her. The other comes in takes control and resolves it with some quick words to the reception desk. The woman there had been giving the first woman a hard time...now 4'5"'s staring at the phone saying she's going to kill her.
Finally have Internet down. It's a combo of their system here and UMM's webmail. Met with the guy today and we should be good to go. Nice guy and knows his stuff.
So without € I can't make any calls out of my room, so I need to go stand out in the callbox.
I love France!!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
25 June 2009...More of Iceland
Iceland June 25
I was wiped out from sleeping only about 2 hours before leaving for Europe, and sleeping fitfully on the plane, so I ended up sleeping in--missed breakfast, and booked an excursion trip. Could only do an excursion or go to the Blue Lagoon, because of airport bus schedules. I figured that seeing more than one thing was my best bet. Got picked up at hotel for no extra charge, taken to sales office near the wharf
where I paid, got on the bus and we headed out in the rain. We had to pick up some other people at the Laxness horse farm.
Icelandic horses are of a shorter stock. They are, quite possibly, more like medieval horses than any others, since we know that they were shorter in stature, stocky, hardy and fast. That would complement the fact that Icelandic is probably more similar in pronunciation to it's medieval ancestor, Old Icelandic, than any other standard European language. Halldór Laxness, Iceland's only Nobel Laureate for literature lived 1902-1998 right up the road, and his beautiful what Jag was sitting there. He's known for Independent People, Paradise Reclaimed and The Atom Station
First stop is þingvellir National Park where the first Alþingi, or Parliament, was ever held in Western Civilization.
Shot from atop Law Rock (see below)
þingvellir National Park contains Iceland's largest lake, þingvellir Lake
Chosen representatives would come once a year to the Lögberg, or Law Rock, to mete out justice. This was the only government for 300 some years--no laws besides what this group decided, no taxes, nothin'. It's all lava!
Lögberg
Going down behind the Law Rock
After looking at the park and þingvellir Lake from atop the Law Rock, we went down near the white church to look at one of the rifts filled with ice cold water. It's a steady 35°. Calm though it looks, the current beneath is so strong that it never freezes, despite how cold the air temp is.
The water's so clear, you can see up to 110 meters, or just over 120 yards. BTW--don't have a photo of it because we were back on the bus--but the air's so clear, we could see a mountain 75 miles away, and it looked only a few miles away. Forgot to mention that the river the feeds the lake is five times smaller (less wide) than the one that drains it. How is this possible, I hear you ask? Why, that is not logical, said a Trekkie. Ah, but 'tis, Spock. The FLOW in is so much greater than the flow out, despite the relative size, that Iceland's largest lake is maintained. Area reminds me a lot of Scotland!
Not sure of route, but somewhere along this trip, we saw a bit of Langjökull, the largest glacier in Europe at 1021 km squared.
Next, we went to the double waterfall at Gullfoss.
Shot from above the falls.
Canyon through which the water passes after the falls.
It's incredible force led people to want to harness it. Farmers resisted, and one woman in particular, Sigríður Tómasson, used to walk the 45 kilometers to Reykjavik across the lava fields several times a year in the 1930's. No roads. Her efforts before the modern government--Norwegian in reality, since Iceland didn't have its independence until 1944--paid off. A compromise was made to maintain the falls and to allow some power to be harnessed. Now it's a national park. Crystal clear water is in abundance in Iceland. So much so, that one pays only for access. Each household pays the same per year, whether they use 10 gallons or 10,000.
Next stop, a geothermal field where there's the geyser called Geysir, that gives us the word geyser. The only regularly active geyser, below, blows every 5-8 minutes. Water heats beneath the shaft, the cooler water above in the shaft acts as stopper, pressure builds and it blows. Ground around them is more than 100° F, so invariably they have a couple accidents every year where people get burned by stepping inside the ropes.
Mmmm...sulphur
Shot of a geyser shaft.
Every 5-8 minutes, this happens.
There's a geothermal field like this in Iceland, two in the US, one in New Zealand and one in Chile. During the Middle Ages, only the one in Iceland was known to Europeans and so that's part of the reason the name has stuck. My guess is that what is considered the "field" is much larger than what I have here, since even several kilometers away there were cordoned off areas near farms with steam coming out of the ground.
Anyone got an idea about this flower? They are EVERYWHERE in the lava fields--all around the airport too. This one was at the geothermal fields.
Newer lava fields (under 10,000 years old or so) only have moss on them.
Because we had all been good little tourists, and generally showed up on time at the bus, we had some extra time, so we went to these falls too.
Got back to the hotel to find that they had kindly taken the liberty to book me a shuttle to the airport--pick up at the hotel. Yep, just generally that very nice. Some kid forgot his camera on the trip, they called back to where it was, the next tour bus was going to pick it up and drop it off at the central tourist bureau. Still had some time, so I went down to a vegetarian café for a humus sandwich, latte and coconut pie that was amazing !! A striped yellow house ! No personal photos but, here's a photo from the Reykjavik Grapevine, and a map:
Agrandir le plan
Got the airport and saw a rainbow...at around 23:30:
So, what I saw was was much better than what I heard. While checking in, a group in front of me was having difficulty finding their dog. They saw it be put on the plane at their departure, but now they were checking in to fly to Paris and there was no dog to be found. The plane they had come in on was still on the ground, so they were going to look again...hmm. Speaking of the airline. Very nice staff and great service otherwise--first airline I've ever been on that boards in the middle of the plane. Stewardesses only and all in pumps or heels. Smacks of the 50's?
I must say that I didn't appreciate the insinuation that airport security outside of Iceland sucks. The only thing that was different was that everyone was either patted or wanded down. Would that be practical at JFK or O'Hare? The whole country of Iceland has fewer people than Pittsburgh, PA or Bakersfield CA proper
A geologist at UMM has suggested that Iceland has more attractive women per capita than anywhere else. An exaggeration, but perhaps not too far off, for those of you who like mostly blondes :)
I'm so glad I came here! Takk fyrir to all who made it such a wonderful stay, even if you never read this :)
I was wiped out from sleeping only about 2 hours before leaving for Europe, and sleeping fitfully on the plane, so I ended up sleeping in--missed breakfast, and booked an excursion trip. Could only do an excursion or go to the Blue Lagoon, because of airport bus schedules. I figured that seeing more than one thing was my best bet. Got picked up at hotel for no extra charge, taken to sales office near the wharf
where I paid, got on the bus and we headed out in the rain. We had to pick up some other people at the Laxness horse farm.
Icelandic horses are of a shorter stock. They are, quite possibly, more like medieval horses than any others, since we know that they were shorter in stature, stocky, hardy and fast. That would complement the fact that Icelandic is probably more similar in pronunciation to it's medieval ancestor, Old Icelandic, than any other standard European language. Halldór Laxness, Iceland's only Nobel Laureate for literature lived 1902-1998 right up the road, and his beautiful what Jag was sitting there. He's known for Independent People, Paradise Reclaimed and The Atom Station
First stop is þingvellir National Park where the first Alþingi, or Parliament, was ever held in Western Civilization.
Shot from atop Law Rock (see below)
þingvellir National Park contains Iceland's largest lake, þingvellir Lake
Chosen representatives would come once a year to the Lögberg, or Law Rock, to mete out justice. This was the only government for 300 some years--no laws besides what this group decided, no taxes, nothin'. It's all lava!
Lögberg
Going down behind the Law Rock
After looking at the park and þingvellir Lake from atop the Law Rock, we went down near the white church to look at one of the rifts filled with ice cold water. It's a steady 35°. Calm though it looks, the current beneath is so strong that it never freezes, despite how cold the air temp is.
The water's so clear, you can see up to 110 meters, or just over 120 yards. BTW--don't have a photo of it because we were back on the bus--but the air's so clear, we could see a mountain 75 miles away, and it looked only a few miles away. Forgot to mention that the river the feeds the lake is five times smaller (less wide) than the one that drains it. How is this possible, I hear you ask? Why, that is not logical, said a Trekkie. Ah, but 'tis, Spock. The FLOW in is so much greater than the flow out, despite the relative size, that Iceland's largest lake is maintained. Area reminds me a lot of Scotland!
Not sure of route, but somewhere along this trip, we saw a bit of Langjökull, the largest glacier in Europe at 1021 km squared.
Next, we went to the double waterfall at Gullfoss.
Shot from above the falls.
Canyon through which the water passes after the falls.
It's incredible force led people to want to harness it. Farmers resisted, and one woman in particular, Sigríður Tómasson, used to walk the 45 kilometers to Reykjavik across the lava fields several times a year in the 1930's. No roads. Her efforts before the modern government--Norwegian in reality, since Iceland didn't have its independence until 1944--paid off. A compromise was made to maintain the falls and to allow some power to be harnessed. Now it's a national park. Crystal clear water is in abundance in Iceland. So much so, that one pays only for access. Each household pays the same per year, whether they use 10 gallons or 10,000.
Next stop, a geothermal field where there's the geyser called Geysir, that gives us the word geyser. The only regularly active geyser, below, blows every 5-8 minutes. Water heats beneath the shaft, the cooler water above in the shaft acts as stopper, pressure builds and it blows. Ground around them is more than 100° F, so invariably they have a couple accidents every year where people get burned by stepping inside the ropes.
Mmmm...sulphur
Shot of a geyser shaft.
Every 5-8 minutes, this happens.
There's a geothermal field like this in Iceland, two in the US, one in New Zealand and one in Chile. During the Middle Ages, only the one in Iceland was known to Europeans and so that's part of the reason the name has stuck. My guess is that what is considered the "field" is much larger than what I have here, since even several kilometers away there were cordoned off areas near farms with steam coming out of the ground.
Anyone got an idea about this flower? They are EVERYWHERE in the lava fields--all around the airport too. This one was at the geothermal fields.
Newer lava fields (under 10,000 years old or so) only have moss on them.
Because we had all been good little tourists, and generally showed up on time at the bus, we had some extra time, so we went to these falls too.
Got back to the hotel to find that they had kindly taken the liberty to book me a shuttle to the airport--pick up at the hotel. Yep, just generally that very nice. Some kid forgot his camera on the trip, they called back to where it was, the next tour bus was going to pick it up and drop it off at the central tourist bureau. Still had some time, so I went down to a vegetarian café for a humus sandwich, latte and coconut pie that was amazing !! A striped yellow house ! No personal photos but, here's a photo from the Reykjavik Grapevine, and a map:
Agrandir le plan
Got the airport and saw a rainbow...at around 23:30:
So, what I saw was was much better than what I heard. While checking in, a group in front of me was having difficulty finding their dog. They saw it be put on the plane at their departure, but now they were checking in to fly to Paris and there was no dog to be found. The plane they had come in on was still on the ground, so they were going to look again...hmm. Speaking of the airline. Very nice staff and great service otherwise--first airline I've ever been on that boards in the middle of the plane. Stewardesses only and all in pumps or heels. Smacks of the 50's?
I must say that I didn't appreciate the insinuation that airport security outside of Iceland sucks. The only thing that was different was that everyone was either patted or wanded down. Would that be practical at JFK or O'Hare? The whole country of Iceland has fewer people than Pittsburgh, PA or Bakersfield CA proper
A geologist at UMM has suggested that Iceland has more attractive women per capita than anywhere else. An exaggeration, but perhaps not too far off, for those of you who like mostly blondes :)
I'm so glad I came here! Takk fyrir to all who made it such a wonderful stay, even if you never read this :)
28 June 2009, Paris bis
OK, so I'm still without cash until I can hit Western Union tomorrow AM. Long story!!!
So no vino or cerveza this PM. But I do get to have Camembert !!
and to play solitaire...alone :)
I want me the bedcover!!!
Here's what it looked like last night with the moon over the tower.
G'night for now.
So no vino or cerveza this PM. But I do get to have Camembert !!
and to play solitaire...alone :)
I want me the bedcover!!!
Here's what it looked like last night with the moon over the tower.
G'night for now.
28 June 2009 : Paris
Still catching up on the sleep thing. Was up early and fell back to sleep. Got up for a walk and had a nice time exploring the "quartier." Not a lot of "night life" spots, but several brasseries and café down near the rue d'Alésia:
Here's more or less my route, without taking into account my ramblings. Tried to stay in the park as much as possible--joggers, baby and dog walkers, sailboats in the pond, couples all over, picnic groups, older folk doing crosswords or debating the morning's shenanigans in the neighborhood, ping pong, frisbee, Razor-type scooters beyond belief, cafés/brasseries in the parc and a Guignol theater. Gonna have to go two Sundays from now for photos. Probably more people in park than in all of Morris :)
View Larger Map
Came out by this little brasserie where I had dinner last night--right on the corner of the park, and down the road from me. A croque-monsieur, b/c I didn't see the dinner menu behind me, a couple of beers and an espress while reading outside.
View Larger Map
Crossed the street in front of the brasserie and walked behind the University--more of a park. Two gravel soccer games going on, tennis, badminton, sunbathing, and I saw my first real magpie right behind our building. Back now and stripped down to shorts--the heat's a killer !!!!
NB Jogging is SO IN over here. During my last visit it wasn't nearly as big. Everyone's doing it...of course the run in the parks--fewer on the streets.
Internet access still wacky, and no phone line yet. I will have voicemail so I'll be able to get it when you leave a message.
French word of the day: guignol = marionnette
Here's more or less my route, without taking into account my ramblings. Tried to stay in the park as much as possible--joggers, baby and dog walkers, sailboats in the pond, couples all over, picnic groups, older folk doing crosswords or debating the morning's shenanigans in the neighborhood, ping pong, frisbee, Razor-type scooters beyond belief, cafés/brasseries in the parc and a Guignol theater. Gonna have to go two Sundays from now for photos. Probably more people in park than in all of Morris :)
View Larger Map
Came out by this little brasserie where I had dinner last night--right on the corner of the park, and down the road from me. A croque-monsieur, b/c I didn't see the dinner menu behind me, a couple of beers and an espress while reading outside.
View Larger Map
Crossed the street in front of the brasserie and walked behind the University--more of a park. Two gravel soccer games going on, tennis, badminton, sunbathing, and I saw my first real magpie right behind our building. Back now and stripped down to shorts--the heat's a killer !!!!
NB Jogging is SO IN over here. During my last visit it wasn't nearly as big. Everyone's doing it...of course the run in the parks--fewer on the streets.
Internet access still wacky, and no phone line yet. I will have voicemail so I'll be able to get it when you leave a message.
French word of the day: guignol = marionnette
Thursday, June 25, 2009
25 June 2009, Reykjavik
Iceland June 24
OK, so I'm writing this on the 26th in my room in Paris...in WORD. They forgot to set up my internet connection, and the place down the street won't let me use a credit card, and I can't get cash, since I can't get to the Internet to deal with some crap.
Anyway, Iceland ! Gorgeous. Definitely going back. Got in early the first day, caught the bus to the bus terminal, walked from their to the info desk to ask for a hotel. MAP & PHOTO You'd think that I had asked for contraband. She couldn't believe I didn't have a hotel. Found me a room at the Leifur Eíricksson
see my Flickr images for shots of the room
View Larger Map
which is opposite the Hallgrimskirkja Church, whose architect, Samúelsson (1870-1950), has done many buildings in town.
Here's what it's supposed to look like without the scaffolding.
images by Danny Zee (http://danny.oz.au/travel/iceland/architecture.html)
Finally found the place after getting turned around with the curvy streets.
Grabbed a bit of sleep before heading into town. Note the double flush toilet: low or high water depending on the need :) Falling in love with the language, which with its 'th' sounds resembles Castillian combined with something Slavic...of course it's neither but still. Figured out what it was reminding me of...this video, which is in Danish, so go figure.
Just took time to walk around--didn't want to try and squeeze into an excursion--money access started here. Thankfully everyone speaks English and takes Visa. I didn't use Kronurs once, and I have no change to bring back with me. Just went walking.
Just liked the garden on this one
Went down to the park along the bay.
Hung out at Kaffitar for a couple of hours having some good European coffee and some food.
View Larger Map
Went to the Culture House for to see some Medieval manuscripts--eddas and sagas--pleasant but a bit of a bummer, since it was only an exhibition of facsimile's and copies. I had asked about where tourists DON'T go :)
Decided to do some more walking and went through town to the Western side of the docks on Örfirisey.
Passed through the skateboarders in the little square in front of the Tourist Info bureau, where later there were bikers.
Also went around the top part of the Tjörnin.
I loved the little girl's head tube.
Also some cool water birds that hover--never saw one dive after a meal, but they worked methodically in 15-20 foot sections, checking the water out and then moving along.
All that walking brings about a thirst, so I stopped for a beer at Vegamót. Realized here that it's a bummer not to have cash, since I couldn't give the extra little tip with "service" being included in the bill. Thus there's no place to add anything on on the receipt
So when and where does he eat?! Knowing how much I like food, you can guess that I asked where I could get some good eats. Twice the place highlighted by Andrew Zimmern's show (link) was p'shawed, so I went with "the best seafood place in town." OK, so the girl at the tourist bureau had recommended the Sjávarkjallarinn or "Seafood Cellar" and given me a coupon for it. So I'm thinking that it probably wouldn't be that good...had to be some connection on the recommendation / coupon, and the woman at the hotel recommended it." I couldn't have been happier, wrote draft texts so I'd be able to later put the info here. The coupon was for a free glass of wine and an appetizer. Tried the Spanish wine by the glass, received a plate of sliced baguette on the diagonal of long, thin plate. In opposite corners were a ginger, passion fruit dressing and crushed peanuts with wasabi. Get the bread wet with the sauce and the nuts go crazy for it. All presented on a banana leaf. WOW !
I ordered the lobster (North Atlantic variety, so smaller and no claws, and you only eat the tail) appetizer and the lamb ribs for dinner. Because of the coupon, I first received a piece of salmon sushi topped with honey, anise and vinegar served on something like a poppadam. I'm so glad I came here !!
Then the real appetizer arrived. Imagine, if you will, the gastronomical twilight zone: finely chopped cauliflower on which are laid small lobster tails, topped with a truffle and all of this steamed in a foie gras reduction. It came in a little cannister--clamped lid--and that's how it was cooked. Yet another thing I've put on my list to have God make available in heaven. You should be drooling by now !!!! Then comes the rack of lamb chops, served on purréed potatoes and julienne zuchini. All of this topped with a mint and watercress salad. Two sauces came with this: good ole barbecue and a vanilla sour cream. Alone. Together. and/or both. Plate is two feet long and one half full. The other half's for the rib bones. Eat 'em, clean 'em and put them on the baked palm frond.
Finished with a doppo and asian crême brulée : served with vanilla ice cream and ginger shoots.
Had 6 different people serve me. I asked one waitress whose English was flawless, where I could hit a non touristy place for a beer, and she recommended Club Rosenberg, a club that locals like. Went and heard nary a word of English except in response to me (although I did say thank you in Icelandic--more on language later) and in songs. First guy had a nice voice, but every song sounded the same. This guy was great--played the yukelele and guitar, had a great voice and sang some interesting songs. Sat alone, smiled and laughed at the jokes that I couldn't even begin to understand, but I got to try Thule beer.
En route, I went back down to the bay and walked around more for some photos.
Note time...this is PM
OK, so I'm writing this on the 26th in my room in Paris...in WORD. They forgot to set up my internet connection, and the place down the street won't let me use a credit card, and I can't get cash, since I can't get to the Internet to deal with some crap.
Anyway, Iceland ! Gorgeous. Definitely going back. Got in early the first day, caught the bus to the bus terminal, walked from their to the info desk to ask for a hotel. MAP & PHOTO You'd think that I had asked for contraband. She couldn't believe I didn't have a hotel. Found me a room at the Leifur Eíricksson
see my Flickr images for shots of the room
View Larger Map
which is opposite the Hallgrimskirkja Church, whose architect, Samúelsson (1870-1950), has done many buildings in town.
Here's what it's supposed to look like without the scaffolding.
images by Danny Zee (http://danny.oz.au/travel/iceland/architecture.html)
Finally found the place after getting turned around with the curvy streets.
Grabbed a bit of sleep before heading into town. Note the double flush toilet: low or high water depending on the need :) Falling in love with the language, which with its 'th' sounds resembles Castillian combined with something Slavic...of course it's neither but still. Figured out what it was reminding me of...this video, which is in Danish, so go figure.
Just took time to walk around--didn't want to try and squeeze into an excursion--money access started here. Thankfully everyone speaks English and takes Visa. I didn't use Kronurs once, and I have no change to bring back with me. Just went walking.
Just liked the garden on this one
Went down to the park along the bay.
Hung out at Kaffitar for a couple of hours having some good European coffee and some food.
View Larger Map
Went to the Culture House for to see some Medieval manuscripts--eddas and sagas--pleasant but a bit of a bummer, since it was only an exhibition of facsimile's and copies. I had asked about where tourists DON'T go :)
Decided to do some more walking and went through town to the Western side of the docks on Örfirisey.
Passed through the skateboarders in the little square in front of the Tourist Info bureau, where later there were bikers.
Also went around the top part of the Tjörnin.
I loved the little girl's head tube.
Also some cool water birds that hover--never saw one dive after a meal, but they worked methodically in 15-20 foot sections, checking the water out and then moving along.
All that walking brings about a thirst, so I stopped for a beer at Vegamót. Realized here that it's a bummer not to have cash, since I couldn't give the extra little tip with "service" being included in the bill. Thus there's no place to add anything on on the receipt
So when and where does he eat?! Knowing how much I like food, you can guess that I asked where I could get some good eats. Twice the place highlighted by Andrew Zimmern's show (link) was p'shawed, so I went with "the best seafood place in town." OK, so the girl at the tourist bureau had recommended the Sjávarkjallarinn or "Seafood Cellar" and given me a coupon for it. So I'm thinking that it probably wouldn't be that good...had to be some connection on the recommendation / coupon, and the woman at the hotel recommended it." I couldn't have been happier, wrote draft texts so I'd be able to later put the info here. The coupon was for a free glass of wine and an appetizer. Tried the Spanish wine by the glass, received a plate of sliced baguette on the diagonal of long, thin plate. In opposite corners were a ginger, passion fruit dressing and crushed peanuts with wasabi. Get the bread wet with the sauce and the nuts go crazy for it. All presented on a banana leaf. WOW !
I ordered the lobster (North Atlantic variety, so smaller and no claws, and you only eat the tail) appetizer and the lamb ribs for dinner. Because of the coupon, I first received a piece of salmon sushi topped with honey, anise and vinegar served on something like a poppadam. I'm so glad I came here !!
Then the real appetizer arrived. Imagine, if you will, the gastronomical twilight zone: finely chopped cauliflower on which are laid small lobster tails, topped with a truffle and all of this steamed in a foie gras reduction. It came in a little cannister--clamped lid--and that's how it was cooked. Yet another thing I've put on my list to have God make available in heaven. You should be drooling by now !!!! Then comes the rack of lamb chops, served on purréed potatoes and julienne zuchini. All of this topped with a mint and watercress salad. Two sauces came with this: good ole barbecue and a vanilla sour cream. Alone. Together. and/or both. Plate is two feet long and one half full. The other half's for the rib bones. Eat 'em, clean 'em and put them on the baked palm frond.
Finished with a doppo and asian crême brulée : served with vanilla ice cream and ginger shoots.
Had 6 different people serve me. I asked one waitress whose English was flawless, where I could hit a non touristy place for a beer, and she recommended Club Rosenberg, a club that locals like. Went and heard nary a word of English except in response to me (although I did say thank you in Icelandic--more on language later) and in songs. First guy had a nice voice, but every song sounded the same. This guy was great--played the yukelele and guitar, had a great voice and sang some interesting songs. Sat alone, smiled and laughed at the jokes that I couldn't even begin to understand, but I got to try Thule beer.
En route, I went back down to the bay and walked around more for some photos.
Note time...this is PM
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