You know what's weird (but awesome)? Taking a 2 week vacation with your Mom and Grandpa in Europe after only working part-time for the last 3 months, and having been evacuated from a country due to terrorism. Not that I am complaining! It was a great trip and I kept feeling lucky for the opportunity to see new places and to know my grandfather a little better. I guess I just didn't feel sufficiently tired/worn down/sick of a crappy job to feel like it was TIME for a vacation. Oh well. I'm glad I went, mostly to spend time with my family, as in 2 weeks I depart for 2 years (If God Wills It) of Peace Corps service in Mali. Here's a summary of our trip, if you care to know!
First off was Brighton, England. Brighton is a seaside town south of London. It's a small, college town, with some neat touristy stuff and some artisty stuff/people. It's also where my sister Rose has been studying abroad, at the University of Sussex. This was the first stop on our trip. We stayed in a beautiful hostel (who expects that?) and spent our first 4 days abroad fighting jet lag, seeing Rose, going to the beach, eating Fish and Chips (yum!) and not too much more. It was good to see that Rose is doing so well! She also showed us pics and told us stories of her Epic 7-Country Eurotrip (check it out).
After our stay in Brighton we took a train to London. Here, we stayed in a not-as-nice (in fact quite terrible :/) hostel close to the London Eye (this big ferris wheel). We had 4 days in London as well and we used it quite well I think. We saw: the Tate Modern art museum, St.Paul's Cathedral, the British Museum, Hyde Park, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament (beautiful buildings), and the National Gallery (so many great paintings!). The weather was warm and pleasant, and we walked to most of the places (because 4 pounds per subway ticket? REALLY?). I think my favorite spot was the National Gallery. First, it had a ridiculous amount of famous and beautiful paintings- The Entombment, The Supper At Emmaus, The Toilet Of Venus (The Rokeby Venus), Les Grandes Baigneuses, etc. Second, it was FREE! Most of the museums we went to in England were free, which was nice, as many things in England were crazy expensive.
When our sojourn in London ended we took the chunell (sweet train from London to Paris) to PARIS, where we spent 6 lovely days. Seriously, Paris was such a beautiful and charming city I can easily see why so many people visit. We had a lot of time here, so while we did do a lot, we lesiured a lot as well, drinking coffees in sidewalk cafes watching the world float by. And at night, wine did flow. Famous places we saw: The Eiffel Tower (ugly by day, pretty by night), the Arc of Triumph, The Champs-Elysee boulevard, Notre Dame, The Louvre, The Tuleries Gardens, and The Pere Lachaise cemetery (Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are buried here). We made 2 excursions outside of Paris, to Chartres and Versailles. The former was a smaller town with a beautiful medieval cathedral, and the latter was the royal palace built by Louis XIV, which was completely outrageous: glistening gold, flowing fountains, outrageous ornamentation. The guidebook I carried with me spoke of the pathos implicit in this monumental (and momentually expensive) Playhouse of the King, and you definitely feel it. How does one become so blind to the good of the whole, to the suffering of others, and so greedy, as to create and live in a place like the Palace of Versailles? And the Royals didn't even see the French Revolution coming...
First off was Brighton, England. Brighton is a seaside town south of London. It's a small, college town, with some neat touristy stuff and some artisty stuff/people. It's also where my sister Rose has been studying abroad, at the University of Sussex. This was the first stop on our trip. We stayed in a beautiful hostel (who expects that?) and spent our first 4 days abroad fighting jet lag, seeing Rose, going to the beach, eating Fish and Chips (yum!) and not too much more. It was good to see that Rose is doing so well! She also showed us pics and told us stories of her Epic 7-Country Eurotrip (check it out).
After our stay in Brighton we took a train to London. Here, we stayed in a not-as-nice (in fact quite terrible :/) hostel close to the London Eye (this big ferris wheel). We had 4 days in London as well and we used it quite well I think. We saw: the Tate Modern art museum, St.Paul's Cathedral, the British Museum, Hyde Park, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament (beautiful buildings), and the National Gallery (so many great paintings!). The weather was warm and pleasant, and we walked to most of the places (because 4 pounds per subway ticket? REALLY?). I think my favorite spot was the National Gallery. First, it had a ridiculous amount of famous and beautiful paintings- The Entombment, The Supper At Emmaus, The Toilet Of Venus (The Rokeby Venus), Les Grandes Baigneuses, etc. Second, it was FREE! Most of the museums we went to in England were free, which was nice, as many things in England were crazy expensive.
Honestly though, I think I'm good on England for a while. I don't have a strong desire to go back to London. If I visited England again I would want to go to way the north into the countryside and see the scenic Lake District. You better believe I'd make a pilgrimage to Wordsworth's cottage! I would also love to wander into Scotland and do some hiking. One day, perhaps.
When our sojourn in London ended we took the chunell (sweet train from London to Paris) to PARIS, where we spent 6 lovely days. Seriously, Paris was such a beautiful and charming city I can easily see why so many people visit. We had a lot of time here, so while we did do a lot, we lesiured a lot as well, drinking coffees in sidewalk cafes watching the world float by. And at night, wine did flow. Famous places we saw: The Eiffel Tower (ugly by day, pretty by night), the Arc of Triumph, The Champs-Elysee boulevard, Notre Dame, The Louvre, The Tuleries Gardens, and The Pere Lachaise cemetery (Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are buried here). We made 2 excursions outside of Paris, to Chartres and Versailles. The former was a smaller town with a beautiful medieval cathedral, and the latter was the royal palace built by Louis XIV, which was completely outrageous: glistening gold, flowing fountains, outrageous ornamentation. The guidebook I carried with me spoke of the pathos implicit in this monumental (and momentually expensive) Playhouse of the King, and you definitely feel it. How does one become so blind to the good of the whole, to the suffering of others, and so greedy, as to create and live in a place like the Palace of Versailles? And the Royals didn't even see the French Revolution coming...
But overall, Paris was my favorite place we visited. It's the most beautiful city I've ever been to and I could definitely see myself returning there someday. Shy as I am I even tried my French, though I don't have a good accent and most people just switched into English with a "You speak English?." Good for me to try though!
Overall this was a good vacation. But honestly, for the duration of this trip my thoughts kept leaping ahead to my upcoming Peace Corps service in Mali (2 weeks away!). I keep wondering what Mali and her people will be like. I remember that I learned so much from Peace Corps and Niger and her people and never got to give back as much as I wanted, with our time there cut short. Having been taught (or reminded?) in Niger that nothing is guaranteed in this life (or the next?), the feeling is deep within me, flowing, to make the most of my time in Mali. I am ready to begin serving there. In Niger I proved to myself that I could do Peace Corps, and it is this strengh and endurance I will call on as I again travel to a foreign land to live, learn, love and give, helping people towards a better life.
