My Day in Paris

I know. I'm crazy. I only spent a day in Paris. BUT it's only an hour and a half away by train. AND I'm pretty sure I'd like to go back to see the Louvre and the lights at night. This was just a warm-up.

That being said...PARIS!

The rumors are true - Paris is a very beautiful city!

I started out the day on a train from Brussels to Paris. My arrival was very frustrating; I needed to purchase Metro tickets, but the machines didn't take bills, nor did they accept my debit card. I had to leave the train station searching for a place to exchange a 10 Euro note for some coins. I had to buy some tic tacs in the end. Oh well. It only means I have to have fresh breath more often.

Once I finally got on the metro and figured out the system, things went very smoothly! My first stop was the Arc de Triomphe. It was actually kind of a funny stop. I took the metro to a certain station, and was thinking I was going to have to search a little bit for the thing.

Nope. I walked up the stairs, and BAM there it was!


Beneath the French and EU flags burns an eternal flame for the unknown soldier.


So that was nice. I then proceeded toward my next destination, which I could see towering over the buildings. On my way, I enjoyed a nice walk through some neighborhoods. The leaves here are just starting to turn, and a lot of the trees were tinged with gold. Many of the building are whitish, and with the sun being out (another GREAT weather weekend!) and the trees turning colors, it made for a very beautiful morning.

I wandered through a market during this walk. The markets here sell everything from fruits to trinkets. I was most interested in the meats, though. I saw ducks with all their feathers still on, live lobsters out on display, octopus, and all kinds of fish.



Stop 2: Tour Eiffel

The lines were insanely long to go up. so I was content to sit and stare at the icon.



I sat down and had myself a bit to eat on this here bench in the park around the tower. Since I'm thinking about it, I would like to share my new hobby which I discovered here in Europe - harassing pigeons. For whatever reason, I enjoy making them uncomfortable. I think they've told each other about me, though, because either they're terrible flyers or they started harassing me right back.

After that, I went and visited Notre Dame, mainly because of the book The Hunchback of Notre Dame.


The inside was okay, but I then went outside to stand in line for and hour to climb the bell towers. My legs got the workout of their life! The spiral staircases to get up the towers are almost maddening - after a while, I almost felt trapped in there, not seeing where it ended or how far I had to go, not being able to see the way down. So worth it, though, once I got to the place between the towers.



Not only did I struggle up the stairs, but I gawked at gargoyles.




In true tourist style, I purchased a copy of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I had started the book sometime last year, but it was a library copy and I started reading it in the middle of school. Thus, I never finished it, but I really do enjoy Hugo's style.

After that, I walked along the Sienne for a bit on my way to visit the house of Victor Hugo. The guy lived in style, but the apartment I visited was his only after he published a few things and had money.



After that, I wandered some more...saw some neat things.

I'm not sure exactly what this building is, but inside there were royal apartments. Very beautiful, and what's better - free admission!


The Opera Garnier - I arrived too late to tour it. :( It's the building that inspired the book The Phantom of the Opera and I would have loved to see it!


My final stop was the Basilique de Sacre Coeur. I need to stop being nice to strangers, for it was here that I was sucked into buying a string bracelet for 5 euros by an African street merchant, and had a very uncomfortable conversation with a drunk French man.

Anyway, that was my day in Paris!

"English. Who Needs That? I'm Never Going to England." Homer (Simpson)

Yesterday was a glorious day! It needs to be described in chapters (which, by the way, are illustrated!)

1. Train Ride
I woke up at 4:30, showered, looked up a few last-minute details, then headed for the train station to catch my ride to London (England, by the way...kidding). Another incident where I can see God taking care of every detail of this trip - the fact that many trains back and forth to and from London are cancelled because of the recent fire in the Tunnel, however, and I quote the ticket lady, "ah yes - yours is one of the few ones running today". I bought these tickets before anything went wrong. It's just...neat. :)

Anyway, the morning was as beautiful as a poem. I watched the sun rise over the French countryside. The morning fog caught the first rays of the day and lit everything up in a golden haze. Beautiful! And very good weather for this part of the world (at least I tend to think it rare).

And here's a very, very tired me on the train.



Unfortunately, I couldn't find Norbert this morning. But I just had to remind myself that he's been to the airport already.


2. Arrival and Stop 1
Got into King's Cross/St. Pancras station, purchased a ticket for the underground, and started on my way. One thing to note about the "tube" - a very kind, British voice speaks up at every metro stop and says "Mind the gap, please, between the train and the platform. Please mind the gap." As a present to...me...I now have a t-shirt that has the symbol for the London underground with the phrase "Mind the gap" aross the front of it.

I stopped at Piccadilly Circle for a minute or two - it was okay, but too early for the shops to be open and I wasn't in the market.


Saw this advertisement! Reason #8 million and one why London is so neat!


Stop 2: Buckingham Palace

I got back on the metro and went to the Palace.


I was in the line to purchase a ticket to go in when I realized that I didn't really want to go in that badly. I've visited the Royal Palace in Brussels, and I kind of knew what to expect from Buckingham - luxury and grandeur. The whole tour of the palace idea didn't really groove well with me, so I decided to mosey into St. James's Park.

The weather was wonderful, so everybody was out and about. It was just what I needed - waterfowl, trees, flowers, and squirrels.


One of the reasons London was so much fun: Londoners. They make me chuckle - I heard several people verbally say how excited they were to see squirrels in the park, and saw two people whip out cameras when the little rodents scurried their way.



I continued my mosey on toward the stables for the Household Cavalry horses, where I watched the changing of the guard. Very neat!

In addition, I went into the little Museum they had set up there, which was very well done and very enjoyable for a former horse owner! I could smell the horses in the stalls that were set up - there's nothing like that smell!
Stop 3: I meandered through the city, thinking I was going in the general direction of the Houses of Parliament. I was right. Here it is!
Stop 4: Directly after taking pictures of Ben and company (Ben has a wonderful tone to his voice, by the way. He doesn't sing, exactly - but when he talks, it's in a musical way), I went to Westminster Abbey. I wasn't able to take pictures on the inside, but it was definitely worth the visit! What a neat collection of dead people and their stone beds and memorials! Saw Mary Queen of Scots, Geoffry Chaucer, and a few others. Kind of nifty!


Stop 5: I walked from Westminster over to the Globe Theater, where I watched a production of Timon of Athens - I hadn't ever heard of it before, but it was a very enjoyable play! The actors and actresses often went right through the standing crowd and threw things into the crowd (of which I avoided the water, but managed to secure a chocolate coin and streamer). I was one of those standing. Neat experience!


To wrap up my day, I walked along the Thames River for a bit. It flows very rapidly compared to the sleepy rivers back home.
Here's the Tower Bridge, which I walked across.

And, though I didn't go in, the Tower of London.
Harry Potter fans, eat your heart out! King's Cross station! Didn't manage to get onto platform 9 3/4....but there's always next time.

And St. Pancras station - my train is on the right.

I've met some pretty neat people while traveling. Last night, I met a German man who travels all over the place to follow his favorite football team, the Layton Orients. We had a nice time chatting. It was a nice end to a busy day - making a friend on the train.


Later days and Love from Brussels!
Gracie

One Month

It has officially been a month since I left the United States. Wow! Time is going so fast! The time has come for travel and I'm getting excited to see more! However, I also need to take some time to really get to see Brussels. I haven't done too much quite yet and am feeling like I need to better engage this trip! Starting Saturday!

On a side note, I have to report how God has been very present with me on this trip. There are so many examples of where He's taken care of me! Being able to get through the London airport, having the right student visa so that I will be able to travel, and so many other small things. The biggest is that He's still my provider over here the same as He is back home - tonight, I'm babysitting for the woman who lives upstairs. One of my biggest worries was running out of money while I'm over here, especially since I'm not working, but being the Father He is, I now have a way to make money every once in a while.

One exceptional thing about Belgium (and perhaps this is Europe in general, I'll know more soon) is the lifestyle. Whereas in the States, everything is in excess, here (at least in my humble opinion) is just right. No awful gas guzzling SUVs, recycling is a huge priority, only taking what you can eat - I would say that the practice of moderation is something that I hope to take away from this place. I might have "environmentalist" leanings - we only have one planet. It's not to be abused. I'm okay with taking short showers and not having every light on, with re-wearing clothes a few times. These aren't things I think should have to be enforced by law or the high expense of material goods (as I expect will become the case in the United States), but done out of a sense of responsibility and not being gluttonous with every material resource out there, be it food or gasoline or energy or clothes...the list goes on!

I don't recall packing a soap box a month ago. Perhaps I need to find the owner of the one I seem to have borrowed!

Gracie

Dinant, Grotte de Han, and Durbuy

I need to update this a bit more often, huh?

Saturday the 13th, our ISA group (ISA = my study abroad program. There are 11 students altogether) went on a day trip to Dinant, Grotte de Han, and Durbuy. It was a rainy day and terrible for pictures, so I'll describe the day!

We rented a shuttle bus to take us around for the day. It was so wonderful to get out of the city and into the countryside. The south of Belgium is hilly and green and full of cows, and I was just ducky (or peachy...you pick!). The absence of buildings was refreshing - I really am a country girl!

At Dinant, we stopped into the cathedral at the foot of a hill. It was a cathedral - stained glass, Jesuses on crosses, high cielings, statues of important people, etc.. The confession booths were a bit out of use - they seemed to serve as the closets to throw everything in. That was funny. But the highlight of Dinant was the citadel up on the top of the hill. The original structure was built in the 11th century, I think, but was rebuilt after conquests in the 19th century. It would be such a gloomy place to be fighting from - the central courtyard was made of grey stone, and with rainy weather, there would be grey around and grey above. It's perched over the River Meuse, into which during one seige peasants were thrown into. In World War I, the place was seiged, as well, and down one particular hallway they found the bodies of 70 soldiers - French and German - who had duked it out. Also included were torture chambers, prison cells, and a crazy room that was hit by a bomb in WWI. The entire room rolled over and is really bizarre to be in. The floor angles down by about 45*. As a reference point, there was a pool of water in there. Just...dizzying.

Anyway, after the citadel we got back onto our shuttle bus and headed to Grotted de Han - 14 km of caves that we were led through. It was beautiful! I felt as though I was in an underground cathedral, actually, only much prettier and natural. An underground palace of stone and crystal!

We wrapped up the day by going to Durbuy - one of the smallest towns in the world. I don't think the people who come up with these titles have been to Mid-Michigan, though. Merrill is definitely smaller. Don't even get me started on Brant (an intersection with a store, gas station, and bar).

I should be getting along now, though. Thanks for reading and sorry for the lack of pictures! Hopefully, I can get some good ones in London on Saturday!

Gracie

A Saturday Spent in Ghent

So, early this morning, headed out to the train station in Brussels with 10 other students from my study abroad program (including my 3 roomies) to catch a train to Ghent, just a little to the northwest of Brussels. I wasn't really sure what to expect of it, but it far exceeded any expectations I had!

Forewarning: building pictures. Lots and lots of building pictures.


Okay, so in my online readings, I learned that there is a lot of surviving medieval architecture. This was something important (I forgot what the tour guide said), but it's now the tourist office.


Belfry.
12th Century Rich Person's house.
Graffiti Street!
Again
I don't exactly know what it's pointing to.
Tour guide in the red.
Cobblestone streets everywhere in Belgium, just to throw that out there. Heels are a bad idea.
River! And houses along the river.
Random sign.
The more modest cousin of Manneken Pis. I'll introduce the "free spirit boy" of Brussels soon, I promise. This one, though, is wearing a lovely white cloth with a rope around his neck. Very autumnal choice. He is begging for the pardon of Charles II for the people of Ghent refusing to pay taxes.
I honestly forgot which building this is.
Norbert on board our boat tour through the city.
My roomies! Rachel on the left is laying down, Kim's in the middle, and Mallory is on the right.
We visited several things celebrating modern design, including a place that revolved wholly around modern furniture and home decoration.
I'm usually not a fan of "modern" furnishings, but these two rooms were pretty neat.
Well...I did warn you, didn't I? Buildings.
Norbert at the Ghent train station ready to say goodbye.




Another great Saturday in Belgium! Next Saturday, my study abroad program is taking us all down to Dinant - in the French speaking part of the country (whereas in Ghent the key language is Flemish). Pretty stoked - once again, I don't know what to expect, but here we go!