Plus de Videos

Videos from Italy, Spain, and Paris. Sorry for the bad filming at the bullfight... it's hard when your camera's screen doesn't work.

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Paris Encore

My last time in Paris... I can't believe it. I've spent so much time getting to know this city, and it's become a part of who I am. I am not ready to leave it behind,  not knowing when (or even if) I will return.

I spent most of the weekend with my friend Kayla, who studied in Dublin, and her wonderful Texan family. It was their first time in Paris, so I took it upon myself to show them around. I think I succeeded in making the girls love it almost as much as I do.

After seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, Kayla told me, "I finally understand what you meant when you said that Paris is magical."

We ate dinner the first night at Place des Vosges, a beautiful square in the Marais. I tried both steak tartar and escargot. And I liked both.

We went back to my favorite church, Saint-Etienne, we ate fresh galettes from my favorite street vendor, we visited the Jardin de Luxembourg, and we made an afternoon trip to Versailles.

I hated, HATED, detested, felt sick, couldn't stand, ne peut pas supporter, the inside of that palace. Too many people in too small a space. However, the gardens were gorgeous... so big! It is impossible to convey the sheer size of the place until you see it for yourself. 

I slept each night with my friend Julie, who is studying at Sciences Po in Paris, and I got to stay in her apartment (which I just accidentally spelled apartement... proof that I now think in French), which was a nice change.

Each night, we went out to drink by the Seine. The first night, we went to Julie's French friend's birthday gathering on the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge just after the Ile de la Cite which is crowded from end to end with jeunes Parisians drinking and picnicking and watching the sunset over the river and the Tour Eiffel.

I also tried the famous Laduree macarons, which were delicious. I had rose, cassis, and coconut.

It was a good trip, but I still left so much undone. I need more time in this city... I can feel myself fitting into it, finding my place, and leaving is so hard.

Solo in Espana

So... I was supposed to go to Morocco for Ascension weekend, but my travel companions both backed out at the last minute. I was left holding non-refundable tickets, but luckily, they included a stopover in Madrid.

I couldn't waste the tickets, and after coming to the difficult realization that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't a good idea to go to Morocco by myself, I decided to head to Spain, alone.

I speak no Spanish and it was my first time traveling solo, but what the heck. I survived.

I stayed in three different hostels in Madrid (because the ash cloud scared me from booking ahead of time). Luckily, I made friends everywhere I went, and I never had to walk around Madrid alone. I spoke Italian to the Spaniards, and they understood me, and I usually understood them.

I even went to a bullfight!

And before you judge... If you have never seen one, you cannot understand. It was beautiful.

Spanish food is great, if you don't mind that it's all fried. Lots of potatoes, eggs, and of course, ham. Ham everywhere. 

Notice the ham in that picture (hint: it's hanging from the ceiling). I am sitting in a Museo del Jamon chain restaurant, enjoying wine, bread, and paella.

I also had chocolate and churros at the famous San Gines. So. Good.

And the best part? In Spain, they have this crazy good custom of serving tapas (snacks) with every drink you buy. So when you get hungry, you order sangria and eat free smoked salmon sandwiches. I got used to this way too quickly.

After Madrid, I took a bus to the beautiful, medieval, town-on-a-hill Toledo, where I met my friend Lilly, who is fluent in Spanish and has lived in Toledo all semester. Perfect guide.

We stayed for free at the Opus Dei house on the first night, and the second night I stayed in this hostel which, oh yes, is a castle, and which, oh yes, El Cid himself frequented.

That's my window on the top left. I had an amazing view of the entire hill of Toledo, with the Alcazar (castle turned library) shining at night. I also spent the night with three old German women, but that's another story.

Lilly and I had way too many tapas, wandered the ramparts of the town, went to mass at the famous cathedral, and shopped for knives and damascene jewelry.

Lilly had to leave before me, so I spent one day alone in Toledo. I sat on the main plaza, sketching and people-watching while enjoying a pastry.

I then slowly made my way back to Madrid, where I spent the last night of the weekend. I went for a long walk before it got dark, and said goodbye to my favorite spot - the Crystal Palace in the Retiro Gardens. And of course, ate a ham sandwich.

And then it was back to Angers! I nearly got murdered on my way to the metro at 6am, but ah, well... I survived. This girl is strong and can look really mean when she wants to.

Overall, I loved Toledo and enjoyed myself in Madrid, but I wouldn't go back to Madrid. It is much smaller (at least the walkable center) than Paris, and I ran out of sites to see after the first day. Going out at night was fun, but the city itself didn't have as much character as the other cities I've visited.

However, my mission was a success. I traveled alone and enjoyed it. Triumph of Maria over train schedules, ash clouds, creepy men, low bank account, and language barriers! Ouaaaiii.

Biking to Bouchemaine

Last Saturday, we took a day off and biked to a tiny nearby town, Bouchemaine.

We all woke up early and went to the Saturday market. After dropping off my treasures chez moi (strawberries, bread, avocados, peppers, apples), we met at the chateau with our bikes (loaned for free from the city of Angers).

Shannon!

We biked the entire way on a path by the river, through parks full of picnicking Frenchies and under bridges dripping with flowers.

(That picture took great skill. Please appreciate me sacrificing my safety for this blog.)

It took about half an hour to get to Bouchemaine. We stopped for galettes and fancy deserts, then headed back to Angers.

This is what France is all about!

Spring Break Part Due - Greece

We took the overnight ferry from Bari, Italy, to Patras, Greece, and then a bus across the country to Athens. The ferry ride was exhausting but fun - we had deck seats, so we had to sleep on the floor - and the views were incredible. Plus, it was so cheap!

We went to only two places in Greece: Athens and the island of Santorini. Because of a ferry strike, we spent almost the entire week in Athens, and only a day and a half in Santorini. But that was ok... unlike the crowd of people who warned us off, we loved Athens.

In Defense of Athina
So many people told us that there is nothing to do in Athens. This is untrue.

Athens is something else, something affecting, something transformative, not just for the history, but for the modern city. It is true, you can do all the "historical stuff" in about a day. After that, you are faced with modern-day Athens, its culture and its people... which has its problems, but is like nowhere else.

First, a word about Greeks. They are probably the most welcoming people we have encountered, and everyone, everyone, speaks English. Despite the news about riots and political unrest, the city felt very safe, even when we were surrounded by protesters and riot police. The Greek people are moving themselves forward, and the whole city has a feeling of ambition.

We couchsurfed again in Athens, staying with a Greek family. There were two brothers a few years older than us, and the girlfriend of the younger brother. We stayed at their house outside the city-center but near the metro (which, fyi, is the best, cleanest, quietest metro I have ever seen). Their parents had the floor above us, and their mother kept popping in while we were asleep and leaving us goody bags of Greek cakes and pies.

We also met up with our fellow Angevine Paul. It was good to see a familiar face.

We did all the typical things - the Acropolis, the New Acropolis Museum (like the metro, best I have seen), the different hills, Hadrian's Arch, etc. I finally understood why people get obsessed with Ancient Greece, because now I'm obsessed, too. I need to learn Ancient Greek!!!!!!!

But the city! Athina! We went to markets, sampled oregano-flavored potato chips, had picnic dinners of feta cheese and pita, hung out in the national gardens, spent hours in a bookstore, watched a fire-show, ate oranges straight from the trees lining every road, drank iced coffee at every opportunity, learned how to pronounce gyro (and the real feat, "one euro gyro"), and went out with our hosts, sampling traditional Greek drinks and driving crazily through the midnight streets under a glowing moon.

We spent most of our time at Monastiraki, a square in the heart of Athens full of tourists, Athenians, vendors, and crazy people. We would buy a kilo of strawberries for 1.50 euros and either Greek donuts or pretzels, then sit on top of some ancient ruins in the middle of the square and people-watch, with the Acropolis looming overhead.

It was hard to leave Athens. I felt like I lived there. It just - fit.

The Island Paradise - Santorini
We took an early morning ferry to Santorini. The ride was surreal, full of light, water, and columns rising from rocky outcrops that approached and were left behind in the waves.

Looking back towards Athina:

We stayed at Pension George, a clean hostel in the tiny town of Karterados, within view of the sea, full of flowers and a friendly English/Santorinian family.

Santorini was the most savagely, nakedly beautiful place.  Standing on the cliffside streets of Fira, looking out over the caldera (the volcanic crater/bay), we could see all the way up and down the crescent of the island. The land is bare and rocky, with huge, steep cliffs breaking into the Mediterranean.

We rented a car (illegal!) and drove all over the island.

We saw the red sand beach, the black sand beach, the ancient towns, the mountaintop, and of course, the famous sunset, which we watched from a cliff-top bar, where we sat, drinking cactus cocktails and just breathing it all in.

As much as I love Italy, Greece is the place I miss the most. I felt most relaxed there. Everything was open and modern. The weather was perfect, sunny and dry, and the landscape reminded me of home (replace the Columbia river with the Mediterranean, add some old carved stones, and they're identical).

BTW, even the Acropolis is under construction. Europe, get your act together!