Amsterdam part 1

Phil and I went to Amsterdam this weekend.

What you see here is a very narrow alley that leads to the red light district. I thought this particular picture, due to the tilt and the blurred view, captures the feeling of Amsterdam.

Sorry for the slowed pace in updates, the days really fly by here. Anyway, I had my first experience of running to catch a train on Friday. Our train from Lyon arrived at Paris Gare Lyon (the city's southern train station) at precisely 9:44 am. It will become clear later why I know the times to the minute. Our problem was that we needed to get to Paris Nord (the city's northern train station) in order to catch our train to the Netherlands. The train was scheduled to leave at 10:24 am. This is our story.

Sidenote: To get through a metro gateway, you insert your metro ticket into the machine and the glass doors open for one person, this is important later.

9:44 am, we arrive (Paris Gare Lyon)

9:49 am, we locate the metro station, but have no metro tickets obviously. None of the automatic ticket machines took coins, and both of our debit cards were rejected. We had a problem.

9:56 am, ticket booth! Quick Phil get in line!

10:01 am, we have two metro tickets and have found the correct platform, but the RER (type of metro train) doesn't depart for Paris Nord until 10:09 am.

10:07 am, OMG! The RER is 3 minutes late!?!?

10:09 am, Phew, the train is back on schedule.

10:10 am, the RER departs Paris Gare Lyon and I'm bouncing on the balls of my feet like a 5 year old stuck in a department store.

10:21 am, the RER arrives at Paris Nord, there is a faint cloud of dust in the shape of two people where Phil and I were standing on the RER.

10:22 am, After lunging up the stairs out of the metro, we locate the TV screens that list the trains and departure platforms, our train is at platform 12, run!

10:23 am, OMFG!!! You need a metro ticket to get out of the metro. Phil doesn't have his, what do we do? "F%$K it, I'm coming through with you man."

10:25 am, OMFG ROFLMAO!!! We made it with 15 seconds to spare, here's how

I inserted my ticket, thinking we were doomed. Phil didn't have a ticket and, therefore, a way to get out of the metro. My heart has never sank so low so fast. We had come this far but now a stupid metro ticket was standing in our way. But Phil pushed from behind and as the little glass doors slid open we both fell through. What's more is that no form of authority saw us technically cheat the metro machine.

I looked down the hallway that runs under the tracks, with stairs leading up to each platform. I realized our platform was over 50 yards away, but we were already running. I forgot to mention I was carrying a heavy backpack and computer bag around my shoulder, but I still don't think I have ever run as fast as I did at that train station. We charged up the stairs, hearing in the background: "The train is leaving..." Bounding over the top stair we turned right and fell into the nearest train door. I had enough time to ask the grinning conductor on the platform if this was the 9350 to Amsterdam. He said no, it is the 9450 to Brussels (the train splits in half at Brussels and one half goes to Amsterdam, the other half goes somewhere else) But it was alright because we could switch over in Brussels. I thanked him and the door closed.

We made it.

For anyone who wants to dispute that we made it with 15 seconds to spare, it's a valid assumption that I subconciously shortened that time, but we really only had enough time to say 2 sentences to the conductor before the doors closed. And when those doors close, they don't open for anything. That was also the only train that could have taken us to Amsterdam.

It was truly a miraculous feeling to make that train. Even though we were stuck in the little baggage compartment, we felt like heroes.

The Beach rocks, pun intended.

Spent the weekend in Nice, close to the Italian border. The weather was amazing, the rocks are not. As you can see, the beach is composed of fist sized rocks and assorted pebbles that make laying out difficult.

We arrived Friday, "We" being Veronica, Dan and myself, around 4 in the afternoon. The sun does not set until around 10 pm here so we got plenty of beach time Friday. Saturday was even better. The temperature was in the low 80's and there was a strong breeze. The water temperature was strange. It felt nice most of the time, but every once in a while you would catch a very cold current in the water and then a warm one. Not that kind of warm current. I'm used to water being the same temperature throughout. But overall the beach was great. We were out there for a good 6 hours and ended up with only very light sunburn if any. The sunscreen here is expensive but obviously effective; and very pleasant as well. It didn't make you smell/feel funny like I'm used to.

Food:
Friday night we went to the Restaurant D'Angleterre. For 16 Euros we got an appetizer course, main and side dishes and dessert. I got chilled grapefruit followed by a course of steamed potatoes and a preserved leg of duck (which I enjoyed more than turkey). As a side note I was always told that the portions in Europe are expensive and small, none of us could eat all of the food they gave us. It was plenty.

Dessert warrants it's own section:
A bowl, 5 inches in diameter, of the most decadent chocolate mousse. I have never tasted anything that was so heavy, sweet, rich, and at the same time light and fluffy in my life. I'm somewhat depressed that I have reached the pinnacle of my desert tasting life at the young age of 21. It was that good.

Saturday night we decided to utilize that hostel's kitchen and make some good, old-fashioned American grilled cheese, along with strawberries, apple and grapefruit, with Nutella for dipping. A bottle of Rose wine also. It was nice to cook something, we don't have access to any kind of kitchen in the Lyon dorm. We don't even have microwaves in our rooms.

Maybe I will go to the atlantic next weekend

Wiiiine!

Visited the Beaujolais wine region today :)

It is about 1 hour north of Lyon and produces some fantastic red (though I am not a red wine fan) and white wines. I bought a bottle of Rose and sparkling white for only 10 Euros.

Details:
Half a dozen students ended up completely drunk on the bus ride back to Lyon, it was that kind of trip.

First we visited a winery in the south of the Beaujolais region. This was in the morning and we mainly learned the details of wine making from the growing of the grape to the marketting of the bottle. I'm not going to go through that here, that's what wikipedia is for.

After tasting a few wines at the first winery, we boarded the bus, bound for the Beaujolais villages slightly north. Here we were welcomed by a very rubenesque gentleman. Once we saw this guy, we knew we were in for a good time. He gave us a few points on winemaking, and then to the good stuff. We were starving at this point, but first the ceremony.

Julien was selected at random to become a knight of the Beaujolais. This is an old tradition that is, essentially, the way to induct a new winemaker. Now it a cool way to get tourists to drink. That vessel he is holding is filled with wine, which he had to drink as we shouted Drink! in French. (Boi! Boi! Boi!)

After the ceremony we had a nice feast of different meats and cheeses and bread (vegetables too Mom) I doubt I had ever tried anything on my plate before. It was delicious. The long table we sat at also happened to have at least 12 bottles of several types of wine, this is the point in the story where several students, at 3 in the afternoon no less, get trashed on wine. It made for an interesting trip back.

Crazy Stairs

There are 2 stairways up to the school from the level of the city. This is a good view from close to the level of the school, which is about halfway up the hill. 240 steps of pain, I like to call them crazy stairs. Family guy fans might get a good chuckle. I average at least 3 round trips per day.

So, what have I been up to? Several French lessons and some self teaching have me almost at a level where I don't need english for simple things in the city, like buying food and other items. I have probably walked at least 5 miles per day, what with all the tours and exploring with my fellow students. I can tell I am going to make some great friends here, with other U.S. students and French kids as well. They are great fun to hang out with. They play ping pong A LOT so I am among friends.

The hardest thing to do is take time to rest. Climbing the stairs and walking around all day has really taken a toll on my legs and feet. I don't really notice it until I'm climbing back up the stairs after a day of exploring. Then it hits me and falling into bed has never been more enjoyable.

Other than tired feet I am completely comfortable here and I will be very sad to leave.

No Skype

Apparently skype is blocked at the school here, so maybe I can find an internet cafe. In the mean time, this is the view out of my window. Jealous much?

The clouds break to a beautiful morning

The difference between Monday and Tuesday is night and day.

I miraculously wake up exactly when I want to at 5:30 am. I get out of the hostel with no problem. That's right, no problem. Please excuse the repetition, as this kind of ease has not occurred yet. Let me break to paint you a picture:

Geneva at daybreak. Walking along the streets in the very heart of the great city and no one is around. The silence chills and the great hotels stand magnificently in the dawn.

I had to stop on the Rue de Lausanne for a good 10 minutes to take it all in. From here on out I know things are on the upswing.

I make the 7am train to Lyon. Arriving at the Lyon train station around 10am, I get a taxi to take me to ECAM, the college where I am staying. I arrive and find the correct building. At this point I am just happy to be in the right city at the right location. I am lead by a faculty member to, I assume, my future dorm room. Instead I am shown into the classroom where everybody is at the first summer school meeting (I'm only one hour late after all that's happened, not to toot my own horn or anything) As I enter he triumphantly announces "The final student has arrived!" to thunderous applause. Ok, maybe not thunderous, but it blew me away.

The liason in charge of coordinating the students then tells me that my bag is already at the Lyon airport. I almost faint because I did not expect to see it in the next week, if ever. Everyone is incredibly freindly and interested in my harrowing tale. Then to top it all of, my computer does not need a voltage converter, only an outlet adapter, so it works just fine. I bought an ethernet cord, while exploring with my fellow students. I am complete.

So, to wrap things up, in the span of just 10 hours I went from hopeless, bagless and getting close to penniless to perfectly normal and having the time of my life. Everything is right, and I can begin classes as if I was never diverted. I have never experienced such a shift in circumstance. It's scary how perfectly the stars aligned for me. Props to the Suisse baggage tracking service, they really did a wonderfull job.

If you must get lost, I recommend Geneva

First the facts (In local Lyon time to make things easy):

6 am Monday. Depart Philidelphia, 6 hours late due to a malfunctioning hydraulic line.
2 pm. Arrive in Zurich airport, needless to say I miss my connection to Geneva.

So I can't find the airline I'm supposed to get to Geneva on, so I decide to take a train, leaving my bag in Zurich that I thought would go on to Geneva regardless (First timer mistake)

6 pm. Bought a ticket from Zurich all the way to Lyon because I'm not sure where my bag is and I reason that If I get to Lyon I can get my bag sent there. When I am changing trains in Geneva, I get on the wrong train, in the first class section on top of that. So I get fined 60 Euros for a bad ticket and for sitting in first class (It looks just as drab as coach!) I get back to Geneva station and decide to check the airport for my bag. It is not there but I get the claim in the system.

8 pm. By now I'm back at Geneva train station but the last train to Lyon left 20 minutes ago so I walk around Geneva, a very beautiful city, scared out of my mind because every hotel is full.

10 pm. I stumble into a four star hotel and the clerk (A great guy) takes pity on me and searches for a hostel and finds one for only 30 francs (20 Euros). This is the only highlight of the night. I don't sleep. Hostels are not conducive to a good nights sleep.

3 am Tuesday

At this point in my trip I have been delayed in Philly for 6 hours, I have not had sleep nor much food in, count it, 21 hours. I have no reason to believe that my checked bag will ever be found because of the change in airlines that never happened in Zurich. My computer is dead, the voltage converter blew out the hostel's internet. My phone does not work. I am alone, 4 thousand miles from home with no way to contact ANYONE. An impossibly tall wall seems to stand before me and Lyon. With the ominous stormy weather during my entire experience in Europe, this is the darkest moment in my memorable life.

Egad! We need a new plane?!?!

Sitting in Philidelphia waiting for a new plane. The other one is broken, something about replacing an hydraulic line. I think 'an' is appropriate there. So I miss my connecting flight to Geneva from Zurich, oh well. The airport is magnificent. The concrete architecture is reminiscent of the great European cathedrals. No choirs though. On a more serious note, now I get to have a real adventure. I'm sure I will make it to Lyon somehow, but the only means at my disposal to convey the change of plan is a French telephone number that I hope will work on my phone. But morale is high.

Should I pack my xbox?

Well I'm off to a foreign culture in one day. Part of me wants to keep focused on what I'm trying to accomplish while I'm gone. It's hard to train myself into the mindset that there is nothing to accomplish here. Six credit hours of classes to study for, and a whole lot of exploring. My tentative plan is to wake up every morning at 7, latest, and jog to a different part of the city. I can't justify sleeping in while I'm in such an interesting place. No TV, except soccer of course, no over processed American food. No video games. And I was so close to making general on Halo Wars. Shame.

Testing 1.2.3.

For those who do not know, I am going to France in 4 days. My flight details:

US Airways 768 Economy | Embraer 190 (E90) | 1hr 26min | 339 miles

Depart:	3:49pm	Raleigh/Durham, NC Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
Arrive:	5:15pm	Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia International (PHL)

US Airways 710 Economy | Boeing 767 Passenger (767) | 8hr 10min | 4014 miles

Depart:	6:15pm	Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia International (PHL)
Arrive:	8:25am	Zurich, Switzerland Zurich (ZRH

US Airways 5101 Economy | Airbus Industrie A320 (320) | 45min | 144 miles

Operated by: SWISS -- LX 5101. Please check in with the operating carrier.

Depart:	9:40am	Zurich, Switzerland Zurich (ZRH)
Arrive:	10:25am	Geneva, Switzerland Geneva Geneve-Cointrin (GVA)

Total duration: 12hr 36min | Total miles: 4497 miles

Flight 2: Thursday, August 6, 2009

Spanair 6605 Economy | Airbus Industrie A320 (320) | 1hr 25min | 503 miles

Depart:	9:25am	Sevilla, Spain Sevilla (SVQ)
Arrive:	10:50am	Barcelona, Spain Barcelona (BCN)

US Airways 743 Economy | Boeing 767 Passenger (767) | 9hr 5min | 3914 miles

Depart:	12:00pm	Barcelona, Spain Barcelona (BCN)
Arrive:	3:05pm	Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia International (PHL)

US Airways 1917 Economy | Airbus Industrie A319 (319) | 1hr 39min | 339 miles

Depart:	6:25pm	Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia International (PHL)
Arrive:	8:04pm	Raleigh/Durham, NC Raleigh/Durham (RDU)

Total duration: 16hr 39min | Total miles: 4756 miles