Interlaken

October 29 - October 31

After Paris, we spent a few days in Interlaken, Switzerland - sadly, it rained the whole (full) day we were there, so no outdoor sports. Per the recommendation of my sister, was stayed at a great hostel called Funny Farm.
It was really a decent place, although the halls were very much reminiscent of The Shining. But, we had our own bath and a bar just downstairs. They also served up some great burgers and delicious Swiss beer. Mix that with a pool table, some foosball (where I kicked ass against a guy from BU), and you've got yourself a good time my friends, no matter what the weather. Not to mention, the abundance of bells (oh yes, more cowbell please).
We did lots of walking on the rainy day - Interlaken is still breathtaking being surrounded by the Alps, and spent time deciding how exactly to get out of Interlaken and to Vals the next day. After realizing how expensive the train tickets were becoming, the four of us decided to rent a car. Yep. Tomorrow, we drive all the way across the Swiss Alps to the small town of Vals - where the thermal baths await us.

October in Paris

October 25 - 29

Welcome to fall break 2007 [EU]! On Thursday October 25th, Amanda, Scott, Nicole & I left for Paris in the afternoon, and arrived around 10:45 that night after a delayed flight. We checked in to our (very) small hotel room, ate fromage et jambon crepes at midnight, and explored the eclectic Bastille district that our hotel was in (which I highly recommend). Although I am certainly not fluent in French, and I was really surprised at how much came back to me - I could at least order food, and decipher some of the signage!

On Friday, we began the day with crepes outside of Notre Dame - sucre burre sil vous plait!

Notre Dame was so much larger than I had ever imagined. We spent the rest of the day walk walk walking Paris: From Notre Dame to the Jardin de Tuileries, down the Champs L'Elysees (which reminded me of a larger Michigan Ave. in Chicago) to the Triumphal Arch - do not be fooled fair walkers, the Arch is much farther than you actually think it is! Then, we headed south to the Eiffel Tower - it's HUGE! We explored a little more on foot, and then had amazing Mexican food and drinks for dinner near our hotel. I don't think my feet have ever hurt so bad in my life! But is was so worth it. Although my photos look very overcast, I assure you that Paris in October is stunning - the trees were all changing, and it was nice and cool. And the scale of it - the Parisians sure knew how to build big!

On Saturday, we spent the majority of the day at Versailles. The palace was (again, quite large) a bit too crowded for my taste, but the grounds, Trianon, and country estates were absolutely fantastic. If you know me, you know that I (a) love French culture and (b) love the movie Marie Antoinette. I was in heaven.

That night, we saw Paris by night, and got to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up - it even sparkled for us! And, in the spirit of not eating Italian food, we had Thai for dinner.

Our last full day, Sunday, Scott & I conquered the Louvre (in about 5 hours).
The Mona Lisa is quite an amazing piece of work, although I dare say it has lost some of its intent - you can't even get close enough to see brush strokes behind the thickened security glass. She still watches though, with her secretive smirk and air of je ne sai qua (could she be Da Vinci's muse, Genevra de Benci? The answer lies behind the smile). And people are so busy taking pictures and video (yes, photography everywhere in the Louvre, surprisingly), that they fail to notice all of the other outstanding pieces of art on the other walls of the room. I think my favorite pieces in the Louvre were the large format paintings which were, literally, the size of small houses.

After lunching at the Louvre - or perhaps I should say the mall connected to the Louvre, we bought our expensive Interlaken train ticket and spent our last hours in Paris at Le Centre Pompidou (modern art museum).
So not only is the building outstanding, but the main collection inside was breathtaking - Picasso, Rothko, Kandinsky, Durer glass, Pollack....all right in front of you! I caught myself so many times just going "oh my gosh...I never thought I'd see this piece". I highly recommend the Pompidou if you like modern art - even a little. For dinner, we had one last round of yummy (and cheap) crepes. For many more images of Paris, check out my flickr site. Next round, Interlaken.

Gubbio e Urbino

My apologies for not having time to create a better post. This past weekend a group of us archies traveled to Gubbio and Urbino in the Umbrian & Marche regions of Italy. The regions seem distinct from Tuscany to me, perhaps it was the full fall foliage (which these pictures, I admit, do not do any justice to). And the best part, it's a prime place to get i tartufi (truffles). The most amazing taste ever. Sigh. Now it's back to studio, thesis, and three exams. I leave for France and Switzerland on Thursday for 10 days (oh yes oh yes). In the meantime, check my flickr site for pics. Ciao ciao.

Touring in Firenze

Today, Nicole and I decided to be "real tourists" in Florence, and see some of the sights that we just haven't had the time to visit yet. We started at Santa Croce, and after our visit, it became one of my favorite churches in Florence. It is very ornate, layered, decorated - perhaps due to the fact that it is the resting place for many historical Italians such as Dante, Machiavelli and (my man) Alberti - and, of course, Santa Croce is old beyond any American conception.

Hmm, another Medici coat-of-arms (left, with the 6 pears) - Once you start looking for them, they appear everywhere (floors, ceilings, paintings, statues, corners, crannies, sarcophagi....)

I think I caught some of Nicole's "light of God"

The Franciscan Order cloisters of Santa Croce

A magnificent Della Robbia domed ceiling

Then we wandered over to the Baptistery, Santa Maria del Fiore (the Cathedral of Il Duomo), and Capelle Medici attached to San Lorenzo.
This is the dizzying, glittering, golden mosaic ceiling of The Baptistery. My neck hurt after staring up at this one, but I could have stayed there for hours.

Check out the ipod headphones on this guy - he was way before his time.

It was a lot to take on in Florence for one day, but we did it (and had a great time) in about 5 hours (also insert lunch at the amazing sandwich shop where we saw a fight last time, the best chocolate gelato ever, and perusing the shopping district). In other news, fall is definitely upon us in Tuscany - the evenings are chilly, the leaves are burning, and cool breezes drift through the Villa. It's time for fewer tourists, warm sweaters, cute boots, slippers for cold Villa floors, and cozy blankets. I love it.

(A Pause)

Although travels have been light lately - mostly by choice due to a big thesis presentation and other happenings - I assure you, I am still having fun. And I will be back to traveling soon with trips in the near future to Urbino, Gubbio, Paris and Switzerland. In the meantime, here are some shots of my new 'do, a few friends, and our favorite bar for a late morning or early afternoon cappuccino and pastry.

Family in Firenze

It is still somehow amazing to me that you can connect with people from home on the other side of the ocean - to see my aunt's face and open hug-arms running toward me when I walked into their hotel was such a great feeling. The hug and comfort of family. She, Uncle Dave and I spent the whole day in Florence together - we walked everywhere. (And when I say everywhere, I mean from one side of Florence to the other, and back!). After a bit of lunch and catching-up, we walked through the city center, taking in the sites (and shoes & handbags, of course), and across the Ponte Vecchio. This is every woman's dream bridge, lined with gold and magnificent jewelry, and Aunt Sonya was no exception.

We then walked over to the Palazzo Pitti - once the home of the Medici family, and now the museum of their spectacular collection of art. Aunt Sonya was good at reading all of the "red" (read, important), works of art in the guidebooks. She made an excellent tour guide! Next, we strolled over - and hiked up to - Piazzale Michelangelo for the amazing views of Florence.


As we wound our way back to the hotel, we had an amazing dinner a bit off the beaten path, complete with eggplant parmigiana and beer. Salute!
It was hard to say goodbye, but I cannot thank them enough for the food, the gelato, the lovely belt, for bringing neccessities from home, but most of all the good company and great hugs. (Don't worry, dear parents, I sent some extra hugs home to share back in the States!) And, in the famous sing-song of Aunt Sonya..."So long, farewell Auf wiedersehn, good night...!"

Small Pleasures

"For small pleasures, we are thankful."
Here's to pink snake skin shoes, homemade tiramisu, and the cozy feather comforters brought out for cooler nights that make for perfect sunny afternoon naps.