Follow the Train Tracks: Paris

February 26th-27th, 2011

Paris, France

My journey began in Dublin at 3am as I walked along Dawson Street in the dark, looking for Anna and the bus stop, and realizing much later than I should have that 6am flights are cheap for a reason. Such is the life of a poor college student trying to see the world! For this reason, we were also flying Ryanair, also known as the "air taxi," stingiest airline in existence, AND we were taking only carry-ons for our week-long trip. Yup, three countries, one backpack.

It's a common joke that Ryanair charges extra for EVERYTHING. Although they don't go as far as charging for the air you breathe, I know someone who had to pay by the minute to speak to customer service when they didn't send his boarding pass.

Checking the size of my carry-on. Ryanair is notoriously strict on size, and won't even allow a purse in addition. Luckily, my trusty orange backpack turned out to be the perfect size.

Although it wasn't posh, we got what we paid for-- safe passage to Paris. We arrived exhausted but determined, found our hostel, and struck out to be tourists.

The view from the window of our hostel-- the white building in the distance is Sacre Coeur. We stayed in Montmartre, the area of town with the Moulin Rouge.

We found a creperie for lunch (one of my favorites of French food), then made our way to the Louvre, where we outwitted the lines by entering the back way and buying tickets on automatic machines. Most people enter through the landmark glass pyramid, and the ticket lines there were atrocious. Thank you Anna's uncle for the tip.

The inverted pyramid by the entrance we came through, underground. Da Vinci code, anyone?

Inside, we saw some of the classics (yes, the Mona Lisa IS small, although I don't know why people whine about that so much), but Anna and I both tended to prefer statues. Its astounding how sculpters can create a likeness of cloth, skin, and hair using solid stone. I also enjoyed the relation to Greek and Roman mythology.

My favorite statue-- "Psyche revived by Cupid's kiss." It goes with the story of how Cupid, god of desire and romance, fell in love the mortal Psyche. Their love is initially forbidden, but eventually Psyche is granted immortality and becomes the goddess of the soul. Interestingly, the story is considered to be the first version of Beauty and the Beast.

Of course, we didn't skip the pyramid. And by the time we got to it, the sun was even peaking out.

From the grounds of the Louvre, we made our way down the Jardin des Tuileries towards Place de la Concord and L'Obelisque. Although not quite in season, it was lovely wandering through the park.

My favorite part-- the giant fountains complete with toy sailboats that you could set on their course by pushing out with a stick. It was just windy enough for them to really scoot along. Sad that we're too old for it, but this little girl was sure having a blast.

Thuroughly exhausted and with the weather starting to turn rainy and cold, Anna and I decided to head to the hostel for a nap. Easier said than done. We were literally on top of the metro station for a good 30 minutes wander around before finally finding the entrance-- Paris needs clearer signs. Seriously. After recouping, we struck out to find dinner in Montmartre in classic student fashion, shopping the mini-marts and bakeries until we had rounded up a lovely (if not healthy) spread for dirt cheap.

Anna, chowing down on our dinner of fresh baguette, chocolate waffles (a French equivalent of ho-hos), paprika pringles, and bulk candy. Yum.

For Paris day 2, we pulled out all the stops. Fully rested and aware that this was our last chance, we gladly played "super tourists," as Emma would say. And top on our list was, of course, the Eiffel Tower. So we made an early start with breakfast at the hostel (better than expected-- they even had coco puffs), figured out how to buy metro day passes to facilitate our adventures, and after a stop off at the Moulin Rouge (it happened to be on the way, so why not?) we reached the metro stop for the Eiffel Tower: Bir-Hakeim (or Beer-Hawk-Island, as we called it).

We had to stop our selves from taking thousands of pictures as we walked towards it-- each view seemed prettier than the last.

It really is HUGE-- the vertigo you get from looking up is crazy.

We dodged the street vendors and beat the lines again by being the smart tourists and taking the time to walk to the line on the back side. It was easily a quarter the length of the more obvious line.

View from the first observation deck. The shadow of the Eiffel Tower stretches all the way across the Seine. You could really see everything, if you knew where to look.

It was incredibly windy, but the view was well worth it. Although it got colder the higher we went, the weather was cooperative-- you couldn't ask for prettier clouds!

The obligatory me-with-Eiffel Tower picture when we reached the ground again and walked through the Champs de Mars.

In search of food, Anna and I wandered our way out of the Eiffel Tower area and played our favorite game: follow the baguette.

Step 1: spot someone with a baguette (not hard in Paris)

Step 2: walk in the direction they are coming from

Step 3: see another person with baguette

Step 4: repeat until you trace your way back to the bakery of origin

This time, however, follow the baguette led us to a hidden market street on Rue Cler where we spent a while dog watching, book shopping, and browsing before stopping at a bakery for some delicious croissants. Properly fed, we pulled out the map to find the nearest metro and continue our super-tourist day.

The metro may not always be obvious, but I love the character of the metro signs.

Our next stop was the Centre Pompidou, museum of modern art. Anna and I both enjoy modern art, plus this one is kind of a landmark for Paris.

Centre Pompidou was very controversial when it first went up-- not exactly classical Parisian architecture.

Anna and I liked to call this the anti-Louvre. They were fond of interactive art-- very kid-friendly.

The crazy tubes mounted on the outside of the building house the escalators to access the other levels and a viewing walkway on the 6th floor that gives a great vista (one that can include the Eiffel Tower, unlike when we were on top of it).

We used that great view to navigate our way to the next destination: Notre Dame. Unfortunately, Paris has more than one giant cathedral. We ended up going in completely the wrong direction, finding a completely different church (although still lovely), and walking all the way to Place de la Victoires before locating ourselves on a map and finding our way back to a metro to correct our mistake. Yay for the all-day metro pass. The whole thing wasn't a bust, though-- we stumbled on a really cool poster store and both Anna and I picked up some really cool souvenirs.

Even after we took the metro to the Notre Dame stop, we were almost afraid we weren't going to find it. How hard can it possibly be to find a giant cathedral, right? We got there just as the sun was setting, with time enough to take some daylight pictures.

Once you find it, there's certainly no doubt it's the right one. Notre Dame is HUGE, beautiful, and ornate.

I loved the doors-- the wrought iron work on them is amazingly intricate.

We left Notre Dame to walk along the Seine and through the Quartier Latin as the sun was setting, stopping at a few shops on our way to the metro stop that would take us home.

Street art we stumbled on, titled "Rue du Chat qui Peche," or "Street of the Fishing Cat." I thought this was random graffiti on an alley way, but it turns out that is the name of the narrowest street in Paris.

After another cheap student dinner, this time with the addition of brie that we had to cut using one of my club membership cards for lack of silverware, we left the hostel again to see the night time sights.

We went back to the Moulin Rouge to see it lit up, now with the windmill spinning. Much cooler at night. Also note the horse trailer out front. It said on the side, "The little horses of the Moulin Rouge." Wonder what minis were doing in a cabaret show...

We also returned to the Eiffel Tower to see it lit up, including a brief 5-minutes of sparkling. We ran into a couple of foreigners who were nice enough to snap a picture for us.

Our last stop took us up to the L'Arc du Triomphe, which, for the record, is much larger than I thought it was. Oh, and that's me proving I can balance on one foot.

L'Arc du Triomphe is at the start of Champs Elysees, a street famous for many things, but mostly for this song. I was incredibly disappointed when Anna had never even heard of it, and I had to sing to myself as I walked down the street.

Exhausted, we made our way back to the hostel to pack up and head to bed, ready to hit the road for Brussels the next day.

Dépaysement

Things I miss:

Strings on my tea bags-- there's no way to dip the bags here without burning your fingers. On the plus side, at least tea is dirt cheap.

Normal tap water-- not only does the tap water taste aweful (and I'm not one to be picky), but it also has a weird habit of not mixing temperatures, even though it goes through one tap. Seems impossible, but somehow, you try to wash dishes with warm water, and end up with a stream that is hot in the front and cold in the back. The exception to this is the shower, which is electrically regulated to stay at the same temp-- very nice.

Dollar bills-- my wallet is hardly capable of handling all the change, since euros have both one and two euro denominations as coins.

Brownie mix, cake mix, and instant baking goods-- even chocolate chips are hard to find here. I'm fine without my tube of cookie dough, but seriously, how do people who can't bake do their baking?

Erin with our first attempt at cake, made from scratch, without measuring spoons. It turned out looking more like pancakes than cake...

Door handles that make sense-- you don't realize it, but door handles in the US follow a certain logic: horizontal bars = push, vertical bars = pull, and a bunch of other unwritten rules. Now, I just push and pull on everything, and kind of look like an idiot.

Any lunch meat besides ham-- for some reason, turkey and chicken is nearly impossible to come by, and then only in tiny packages for 5 times the price.

Skim milk-- only comes in tiny containers, for double the price. Ah well.

Barnes & Nobel cafes-- there really isn't anywhere to go sit and sip coffee. The cafes only have a couple of tables, so I would feel weird staying there for a long time. I'm seriously considering taking up the Irish pastime of hanging out in pubs during the day just to get out of my room to read and write-- Joyce did it, why shouldn't I?

We did discover that the food court at St. Stephen's Green Mall is actually pretty classy-- but we're reasonably sure you have to buy something to stay there. Still, nice chairs, nice views, nice tea, not too shabby.

Mechanical pencils-- not popular here. Good thing I brought lots of spare lead.

Properly heated buildings-- it may not get THAT cold, but the buildings aren't far above outdoors temperature, so dress warmly!

Things I've Found:

Nutella in glass jars

Reusing Nutella jars-- they can be very useful!

Writing on the street to tell you which way to look as you cross

Big bread that doesn't squish to nothing

Light switches on your headboard

Happy hippos

A delicious candy-cookie creation in the shape of an adorable hippo, by the people who make Beunos.

Blacklights in bathrooms

Heated towel racks

Tapdancing Seagulls

All in all, very different, but not entirely a bad move.  The light switches by your headboard should definitely be brought to the US.

DUISS Weekend Trip to Cork

January 28th-30th, 2011

Cork, Co. Cork, Ireland

After joining the International Society during the Semester Start-up Programme, Erin, Anna, and I decided to make use of our 2 euro sign up fee and take a weekend trip with the club to Cork. Although there was a price for the trip, it included bus fair, two nights in a hostel, and entrance to the many attractions on our itinerary, so it was a more than reasonable fee. We jumped on the chance to have someone plan our outing for us.

Day 1: Blarney Castle

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

The first day included a visit to the Blarney Castle and grounds to kiss the Blarney Stone, then a tour of the Cork Gaol, and some time to walk around Cork. Although smaller, I found the city of Cork to be surprisingly similar to Dublin, complete with its own river beginning with "L" (Dublin has the Liffey, Cork the Lee).

Erin, Anna, and I at Blarney Castle. They had beautiful grounds, nice and frosty in the morning. Yes, it does get cold, even in Ireland.

Being a proper tourist. It has to happen some times.

Walking up inside the ruins of Blarney Castle

Erin in the "murder hole"-- some sort of defense mechanism for the castle that allowed you to pour hot oil or other nasty things on your enemies from above.

Kissing the Blarney Stone! The stone is actually a part of the wall at the top of the castle, and in order to kiss it, you have to lay on your back, grab two bars, and basically flip upside-down over a gap in the wall used for drainage. More acrobatic than I was expecting. Kissing the stone is supposed to give you the gift of eloquence... we'll see.

The view at the top of the castle. It was really spectacular.

Ok, now the real view-- without me getting in the way. Pictures really don't do it justice.

The Cork jail was much nicer than the jail we toured in Wicklow.

The interior was airy and clean, although very cold. It would have held higher-class prisoners, including a "debtors prison" that allowed prisoners to bring in their own furniture, servants, and food.

Cell that held Irish author Frank O'Connor when he was imprisoned as an Irish nationalist. You can still see his writings on the walls.

Day 2: Jameson Distillery

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Our second day started with the Queenstown Museum, commemorating one of the stops of the Titanic, the continued with the sunday Irish tradition of church followed by whiskey: we toured a gorgeous cathedral, then made our way to the Jameson distillery to get a taste of some Irish whiskey.

The Jameson Whiskey Distillery-- a Cork original.

Grain storage building. The shutters were required to regulate temperature during the summer because if the grains got to hot, they would spontaneously burst into flame.

The largest whiskey distiller in the world-- the first of 3 giant copper vats used to triple distill the whiskey.

Erin got to take part in a whiskeys around the world tasting challenge, comparing Jack Daniels, two types of Jameson, and a Scottish Whiskey (or scotch).

Tasting time! I'm not sure I like it on the rocks very much, but whiskey and ginger ale is pretty good. Still doesn't quite beat a gin and tonic, I'd have to say.

A Day in Howth

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

Howth, Co. Fingal, Ireland

And now, back to travel-- the other reason I'm here. One not-too-rainy Saturday afternoon, Anna, Emma, Erin and I decided to strike out for Howth on our first adventure outside of Dublin. The story is really best told through pictures, so, try to follow along...

Our first time riding the DART, the train that goes up and down the coast. Howth was only about 10 minutes north of Dublin.

Howth is mostly a fishing area-- lots of boats, fish shops, and harbors.

Some friendly seals we met in the harbor. They just kept popping up as if to say, "Look how cute I am. Feed me??"

We set off on a walk around the Howth peninsula, and the seaside cliffs were absolutely gorgeous. Supposedly on a clear day you can see all the way to Wales.

Our dog friend, christened Becks (named after a beer, as we only thought appropriate in Ireland). He followed us for quite a while, bounding along the path, happy as can be, and made fast friends with Anna.

This was our vista as we stopped to eat lunch. The picture can't do justice to the way the sun was breaking through the clouds, lighting up patches of sea and illuminating the backdrop for the lighthouse on the peninsula.

As we progressed, our path got more and more muddy. Here's Erin and Anna, conquering the muck.

Emma, pausing to take pictures of some of the interesting foliage.

Looking back along the coastline we've walked, including the lovely stone garden wall we followed. The view was truly spectacular.

Erin and Anna, trying to keep warm while enjoying the view. Erin taught us a very useful penguin dance to keep the blood flowing in your fingers.

Parts of the hike became very steep, with stairs carved into the rock, and even these triangular hand-holds carved out to help you along.

The end of our hike brought us back inland and along the ridge of a golf course-- we were instructed to move quickly so as not to get hit by stray balls from the driving range. You can see here where Howth peninsula connects to the mainland of Ireland.

Our hike was a long one, and by the time we circled back around, it was dark and we were exhausted. After determining that the local food was either expensive or take-away only (it was simply too cold now to eat fish and chips seaside, unfortunately), we grabbed some snack food and took the next DART back to Dublin.

Academics-- The Reason I'm Here

The Campanile in the Front Square of Trinity, classic symbol of academics. You'll have to forgive the construction barricades, but I thought the shadow was really cool.

So you might be wondering if I'm ever going to get to the actual STUDY part of the study abroad experience. Well, my schedule is finally set, so if you're interested, you can take a peek at my class list. I'm doing things European-style-- meaning, taking all one subject and focusing intensely on it. In my case, this is English Literature.

The Arts Block, the building where I have most of my classes (not my picture). Unfortunately, also the ugliest building on campus-- it honestly looks like a nuclear bomb shelter.

Non-Realist Writing

This course covers things like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, Brave New World, The Time Machine, and other novels that push the boundaries of reality. The idea is to look at the reasons behind the author's move beyond the real-- it reminds me of my strange fiction class from a year ago, except these novels are the classic forerunners to that course.

Introduction to Modernism

This course deals with poetry, prose, and plays in the 1900's to post-war era. The writing of this time was unique in being experimental as it tried to deal with the rapid changes taking place in society at the moment.

Irish Writing

A must for the study abroad student. It includes classics like Yeats, Joyce, Shaw, and Beckett, as well as some I was unfamiliar with, and some more modern writers near the end of the course.

Home on the Stage

This is my only Sophister level course (meaning upper-level seminar). It is a class on the realist movement in theatre and specifically the representation of the home. Middle class domestic life had no place on stage until this point, and letting audiences watch a version of themselves on stage was a real change.

My favorite library, the Usher. It is 5 stories of book stacks, with a solid wall of windows facing on to the cricket pitch. Given how much I love a library with a view, it's no surprise I should prefer this, but my alternatives are:

The Lecky (aka The Icebox): concrete walls, wide open floor plan, so impossible to heat that students wear their coats in doors

The Berkeley (aka The Berkeley Bunker): classic nuclear bunker architecture and claustrophobic feel that really lends to the study atmosphere

The Guinness Storehouse

Sunday, January 16th, 2011

Dublin, Ireland

It seemed only appropriate that as our first touristy act in Dublin we should visit the Guinness Storehouse, a museum of brewing and a shrine to that most famous of Irish beers. So us Americans (Brittany, Emma, Anna, Jared, Sean, Erin, Kathryn, Maggie, and I) set out to walk to the site of the original Guinness Factory.

We got a little turned around, but eventually we came across these tourist-friendly signs: Guinness, this way!

The signs got more exciting the closer we got-- Here's Emma pointing the way.

Inside, the old storehouse was converted to an exposition that showed the ingredients, the brewing process, and the storage process. There were also exhibits on Guinness around the world, advertising through the ages, and, of course, a tasting room where we were coached through how to tasted and savor all the flavors of a Guinness. If you hold it in your mouth, you actually taste the sweetness towards the front of your tongue and the bitterness of the hops in the back of your mouth-- it's odd.

One of the main ingredients-- water. The water for Guinness comes from the Wicklow Mountains. We actually saw the mountain lake they draw from while on our trip for SSP.

One of my favorite ads. Guinness is good for you!

The last step was learning to pour the perfect pint- a crucial process. We were trained in the angle to hold the glass, and how bringing the tap towards you or away from you changes how the beer pours. And the final step is vital; always wait for your Guinness to turn black before you drink it, or you'll ruin the whole pint. Emma theorized this is why bartenders look so annoyed when you order a Guinness during busy times-- it takes them FOREVER to do it right.

Pouring the perfect pint! I now have a certificate that says I have the skills. I wonder what a bartender would do if I brought it to a pub and insisted on pouring my own...

My very first Guinness, nice and dark and ready to drink. It seemed only appropriate that I should drink my first here, although I wish I had some basis for comparison so I could weigh in my opinion on the American vs. Irish Guinness argument.

A bunch of us at the top floor lounge to drink our pints, with a lovely view of the surrounding city. (Jared, Emma, Erin, me, and Anna)