Jenn's Trip to Europe

Won't write much because I am a little tired, but we just got back from going to Brussels and Liège, in Belgium. Had a good weekend, though I didn't really like Brussels quite as much- but I think that's just because I have a bias towards smaller towns. (And I like to feel a little safer.. there seemed to be creepy people from the first 10 mins we were in our hotel) I ate my first Belgium waffel which was very good. :D In Brussels, we walked around the town, which seemed very modern, but at the same time had wonderful neat buildings that were decorated with statues. We went to the art museum there, and saw the famous painting, the Death of Marat by David. It was very well done. The whole group went, but as usual, I ended up hanging out with Sarah, because she also enjoys art. We seem to spend more time looking at everything, as we both could spend a day in an art museum. We saw some very beautiful paintings, though one of the wings closed at 1 (to reopen later) but by that time, everyone was ready to head on. So we ended up not getting to see as much as we wanted to. (I've realized recently that I don't mind abstract art, if it is more composed. I don't like stupid art. Some stuff just catches my eye, and I don't know why.. maybe a certain color or feeling, but I like that. I think that one type of art that intrigues me is Cubism.. [maybe just Braque, or that style. Maybe because some of the stuff that I first saw back in the McNay, in San Antonio was of that style, and I just like it] I also like Maria-Helena Vieira da Silva, (I googled that.. I didn't remember that whole name! lol) It's funny how after being at several art museums, you can recognize a style of an artist. I didn't see Silva at this last art museum, but I just wanted to mention it. But anyhow, then we saw some more of the town, and had an interesting run in with some Chinese people. Sarah, Amanda and I had gotten food and were eating it on the stairs by the Grand-Place in Brussels, and a group of about 6 Chinese men (and one woman) stood next to us. And then they just started to blantantly stand in our space (one was about 3 feet from me, and I was chowing down on a sandwich that had tough bread) and they kept staring at Sarah. (Probably because she has red hair) We thought that if we ignored them, they would stop standing so close to us, especially Sarah, and standing in our space. They also kept trying to talk to us, but obviously we don't know Chinese, etc. So to solve this problem, we just got up and left, and went to the other side of the stairs, out of sight! lol It was just kind of creepy, even though they were harmless. After that, we headed back to the train station, and then headed to Liège. I really liked that city. It was definitely older but more comfortable. We saw the spot where the cathedral there used to be (it was destroyed during a revolt), and now there's just a square with columns.. but it was neat because you wouldn't have known that from seeing it. (Will add in more later)

And when we got back, my roommate and I decided to rearrange our room, which was fun (we didn't completely put a whole bunch of thought into it, but just kind of did it..) I also feel like my comprehension of french is getting much better because I seem to be catching more words, and understanding stuff on tv more. (I noticed some of this just by the recorded message they have on the trains, in French, because it is a constant.. and I understand it better) C'est très bon! (That's very good) I will try to write on this more again, but sometimes, it's nicer to not have to mess with computers and check email.. even though I do enjoy emails from home. Another random thing that's good is that not everything seems so new and confusing. It was just easy to pack for the weekend (we've been having so many weekend trips), and to go through the Paris mètro and train station; I feel like we are just becoming used to the swing of life here. Well, unfortunately, studying abroad also means that with traveling, we still have classes, so I probably need to get ready and head to bed.

Ah... I've been here for about 2 and a half weeks and this trip so far has been amazing. The weekend before thsi one, I went to Lyon and had a wonderful time there; Lyon is a little more modern that Reims, and we saw the cathédrale and the basilica there.. We walked up the hill that is there and had a beautiful view of the city. Almost everything I saw that day was just wonderful and absolutely beautiful. And the basilica was breath-taking.

The outside was ornate and extravagant but the inside was just as much so, and the day was wonderful and sunny, so walking inside was a bit of heaven. We also found a cool old amphitheatre there (it's amazing how clear one can hear just by the natural accoustics) and we had fun playing around with it and putting on a little concert. lol Our group attracted a crowd and some Japanese tourist and others started taking pictures of us crazy Americans. The first day we got there, I walked around town with JoAnna and Andy, Sarah, Anna and John and Carina. (Sorry if I left anyone out) It was kind of later at night, but we looked at all the cool streets and took photos. The next day, I already mentioned, we took a tour around the town. Also, later that day, Sarah and John and I were hungry, looking for a place to eat lunch, and so we looked at a pizza place. That being too expensive, we wandered around (also looking for a bathroom), found a sign that said Jennifer, and in the process of walking down that street, found a wonderful café where we had lunch. The food there was really good, I had on of the best salads I've ever eaten and also a yummy mozzerella tarte with tomatoes. It was incredibly good.

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and then sitting by the river in the sun. It was really nice and relaxing. Then, it was time to meet back up with our group. However, we decided to take the métro instead of walking and then got off at the wrong exit. We were running out of time, and then when we got out of the exit, we were in the middle of a mall! The sad thing is that we couldn't find an exit! Finally we did, and then we didn't know where we were. We walked along and then I realized that we were near where we had walked the night before (and I saw what I call "the Silo"; it's my landmark), and so we hurried along. It was a good feeling when we walked in, even though we were a tiny bit late, that we had figured it out. Then we headed to church and I met the family I was to stay with for the evening. I stayed with the White family, a nice family there, with Amanda, Anna, JoAnna, and Sarah and then the next day after service, we had one the most amazing potlucks ever. :D I really need to find out the recipes for some of that food! lol Then, it was time to head back, so we took out train and sadly, we left the city of Lyon behind, and then went back through the crazy Paris métro and then back to Reims.

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Then we had 3 days of classes (my classes being a little more managable now that I've dropped Professional French) and the night before Valentine's we had a movie night at the bed and breakfast the Love's are staying at. We watched Thoroughly Modern Mille, a pretty good movie with Julie Andrews. It was hilarious, and had super-crazy dancing in some parts. (and we had amazing crêpes à la Dr. Love) However, in the midst of a relaxing evening, I had to then go home and pack because it was time to leave again!!! I actually really didn't want to leave for Interlaken, because I felt I had only been back for such a short amount of time. But I packed my bags, got up and went with everyone to the train station early in the morning and we were on our way. The first train we had, however, had some problems, so we missed our connecting train.. But the problems were fixed and then at the next station, they put us on another train, that was actually better because we didn't have to switch trains as much. By this time, I was excited about going. So, we were then on our way to Switzerland, which was a bit shocking because I kept thinking it was Germany, even though I've never been. It was a little scary because at the train station in Bern (we had a short break btw trains for lunch), everyone spoke German, and I was thrown off because I realized it would be hard to communicate here! (However, where we were later, the language wasn't a problem)

We got to our hostel (we stayed at Balmer's) and then looked into going skiing the next day. So a group of us went and rented our equipment, (the prices actually weren't too bad) and then headed back again. Then, Sarah, and JoAnna and I met a girl named Kelly who was staying across the hall. She asked if we were up to anything and when we weren't asked us if we wanted to go with her to the hotel in town and see a cool view. She was from Australia and pretty cool. So we went, and the view was gorgeous. The sun was near setting, and then mountains were surrounding us; the mountains in the far distance on the left had a light pink hue and the small church and pond nearby on that same side would have made an amazing photo. (My camera batteries died on the trip) Then we got hot chocolates up there (18th floor) and talked for a bit. After that, we were heading back and then Kelly saw two guys that she had met, and we all talked for awhile. They were from Canada and Australia. After that, us girls got dinner with the group and then were extremely tired, so we headed to bed. It was fun because we were in a group room with 7 of us.. Finally, we feel asleep because the next day we had to get up early to go skiing....

The next morning I woke up early and had breakfast, and then we got dressed in our ski stuff (incredibly awkward.. at least for me, because I've never been skiing before) and then got on the bus to head up. It was gorgeous heading up the mountain, and we started heading higher and higher up, with increasing amounts of snow. We stopped and then had to take a train the rest of the way up, and I was getting anxious to actually ski. Finally, after our long voyage.. lol.. we got up to there and then, carrying our skis, we got all ready. We put on our skis, not without a little trouble, though I wasn't the only one who was going for the first time. Some of the other girls were giving us advice at how to ski, but I then decided just to go for it, but down the "bunny slope"/ beginners one. The first part I went down wasn't a very steep incline, but I picked up tons of speed, and was going way too fast. So, I wiped out, but it wasn't bad..

The snow in the Alps was pretty nice (though I really don't have anything to compare it to) This kind of happened for awhile, though it was so beautiful there and fun, that I didn't care. I wasn't expecting to be good the first time I went. Then, I skied a little more and then I got to this ginormous hill (it turns out that we weren't on the beginner's course at this point.. but we didn't know that), I was a little afraid to go down, because I thought I might just ski off the side of the area I was on. So I saw another girl go down slow side-ways, so I did too. I finally got to the end, and waited a bit on the girls (Andy and JoAnna) to come and then we went up to the ski-lift, which was awesome, because of the view, and the peacefulness, and then we needed to grab lunch. Andy accidentally got off the lift strangely, and hurt her knee, so we had to time out a bit and then we went off to get lunch. The food was good, and since the waitresses spoke english there, it wasn't hard to order. Afterwards, JoAnna and I wanted to ski more but Andy wanted to head back, and luckily we ran into some of the other girls, so Andy went with them. So we headed back out to the slopes, and went back to the easy trail. I lost JoAnna, but figured I'd just meet up with her later, and was having lots of fun trying to find out different ways to ski/learn to control skis. (However, I didn't learn the side to side correct way of skiing.. but maybe next time I will pay for some lessons, etc) I was a little worse the 2nd time, because I was tired, but was also more brave. However, I accidentally skiied into the side where there was thicker snow, and then couldn't get out! My skis kept sinking in, and then so I took them off. Then, my feet still kept sinking. All along, there was a German woman with her little boy, asking if I needed help, so I was a little embarrassed, and just kind of wanted to get along. Finally, I got out, and then skied on a bit more. I got to the giant hill again, and decided this time I would ski down it. So I did. At least part of the way. I started down, and it was fun, but then I picked up way to much speed (because I was not skiing correctly, because I don't know how to) and was actually a little scared. I decided to wipe out, and fell crazily, and didn't get hurt.. but I did leave on of my skis up part of the hill. So I had to walk up and get it. I was almost there when a woman who was skiing by stopped and brought it to me. I met some really nice people that day. So then, I decided to take things a little slower, and kind of slide down any hills slowly, but learned how to control myself more. A couple of people had a wonderful time laughing at me (I could tell it was at me), and had some crazy/awkward falls, but it was so much fun. I went back up to the ski lift, and then looked for JoAnna. I didn't see her, and then decided to go down again. I decided just to go down the easy part and then walk back up instead of going the whole way. However, when I was heading down for the last time, I was a lot better. I made a section without falling and was still determined enough that I kept going. I took it slow however down that large hill.... (by this time, I noticed that the beginners course, I think, is supposed to take the first left, so I went on the way harder one) lol No wonder everyone on that course was so good. lol So I went the rest of the way, and then was finally ready to head back. It was around 4. So I headed up to the top, and thought that surely I could find JoAnna. But I waited and then realized I probably missed her by 10 mins or so.. so I was going to ask for help, and then saw a ski that looked exactly like mine; they were from the same shop, so I decided to look for names, to see if anyone from my group was there. But I couldn't find anyone, and then realized I would just have to head back myself, and figure it out. Just then, I saw several girls my age, and I just followed then, and our train arrived at the same time. I talked to them on the train, and they were staying at the same hostel. So we went down the mountain, and then I saw a stop that I thought I needed to get off at, but no one budged.. I decided to stay on, rather than go alone (which later I found out that I could have been stranded- the last bus there for the day had left). It was a testing of faith because we started to go back up the mountain, but then the train turned a little, so it wasn't straight back up. After awhile we stopped and some of the girls got off at Interlaken Oest (East), so I trusted them. I still didn't know if it would work out, but was surprisingly calm. Eventually, things looked more familiar and we were heading down the mountain, close to the road we had come up earlier. If worst came to worst, the train would maybe go to the place where we first came in... so I was ready. Finally, the train stopped, and I knew I was in Interlaken, but I had no idea where. There was a bus nearby, but it was more like a city bus, similar to the ones in Reims, etc. I thought that it could take me anywhere, but I didn't want to walk because I had no clue where I was, so I asked the bus driver. Luckily, he told me, the bus would get to the hostel in 2 stops. So I payed for a ticket (which I later realized I had a free bus pass, oh well) and got on. I was so glad when the logo for Balmer's came into sight and I trudged my way in, with all my ski equipment.. and everyone was happy to see me. Apparently, they were worried about me. (The train ride took a long time)

I was glad to be back also. So I rushed and took my stuff to the ski shop, and then came back and saw Sarah. Luckily, she wanted to grab dinner, and I was glad because I didn't feel like being around everyone and explaining my story, so we went and got pizza at a neat place in town. I had been with Sarah earlier in the day, but then I had gone on, so I didn't realize that she had witnessed a pretty bad accident with two girls running into each other.. so she didn't get to ski much. After that, we headed back, got Toblerones.. met up with Carina and JoAnna, and that was basically the rest of the evening... Au Revoir!

-Jenn

PS. Tomorrow I will write about my time in Geneva! But I've caught up a lot... Yay! Though unfortunately I am sick right now.. at least we have a free day tomorrow.

Well, I thought it would be a good time to write, seeing as I have been here for almost a week (I got here Thursday morning) I am currently writing to you in my flat, that is pretty nice. I have an appartment with a kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom, and my window overlooks the street, which is good for seeing what's going on. (And noticing that most people here drive manual cars because I have barely seen anyone not shifting gears) My roommate is nice and we get along well and cook pretty decent meals. But as far as my travels, they have been adventuresome so far.

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^ here's a pic of the park in Reims

At the train station with our passports

Part of Reims Cathedral

I was going to write more but seeing as I just wrote my family a long email and it erased (I accidently clicked back, and then the browser erased it all) I'm not really too much in the mood of writing now. I think I may switch my emails over to another account that automatically saves emails, and in the meantime call my family instead. Things here are well though.

I just wanted to write a quick entry about my journey so far. The plane that I was going to take from Detroit to Paris left without me, because my flight was delayed and then the airport had some other kind of mechanical error. So I spent the night in Detroit (I only got a discount on the hotel..) and now will spend most of the day at the airport. I only wish I could get to my other luggage. Maybe it's actually better that I missed my flight because my luggage could have been lost. I would much rather be stranded than to lose my luggage. Luckily they have a shuttle that goes back and forth between the airport. And the bed was at least pretty comfortable. I think everything will work out eventually. I cannot wait to get there!! :D

PS. I'm wondering if I do have an accent? When I landed here at the airport, I noticed I sounded really Texan. hmmmm... I wonder if other ppl can tell? maybe I do have one after all.

I will try to post lots of pics when I am over there..