Marseille

I love the French’s (or is it all Europeans'?) views on vacation/holidays… every 6 weeks. Apparently some teachers complained because for our zone (France splits their academies into zones so not all of France is on vacay at the same time), there were 8 weeks between Christmas vacation and our winter one. 8 weeks? Too long!

So for part of the second week of our winter vacation (even though it felt more and more like spring time), Yvonne and I met up with Erin (a bit later) in Marseille because we wanted to see a bit of the south of France. We decided to try out couch surfing (one thing to cross off the bucket list) to have a different experience and also to save some money. We had a pretty good first couch surfing experience. We got to speak French with our host and he helped us figure out things to do in Marseille.

In comparison to the past week spent in Barcelona, we didn’t too much in Marseille, mostly wandering (which I actually like doing—just walking around the city, turning down random streets). Our host recommended two things that we should do during our stay.

Notre Dame de la Garde

Our first full day, we headed up to Notre Dame de la Garde, a church on top of a hill (Based on the name, I’m assuming it was used to help keep watch). It involved a bit of a hike up some hilly streets and plenty of stairs. It was a sunny and warm day, but le vent violent (violent wind) made it really chilly. The view of Marseille was wonderful—we could see the city, the Vieux Port, and the sea! 

After our obligatory photoshoot with the view, we headed downhill to flâner (wander about/stroll) around the Vieux Port and around the rest of the city—took pictures of the Cathedral, visited the Plus belle la vie area, which has the bar that the one in the show is modeled after, and just continued to wander around the small streets. I like walking away from the main roads and most of the tourists. It was also interesting to see all sorts of graffiti that Marseille has all over the place.

We're watching you.

Our last full day in Marseille wasn’t too eventful either. For lunch, Erin and I decided to try a steak tartare. Just by looking at the name, you would think it’s some sort of tart… nope. It’s raw meat. Basically, it’s a ball of raw ground beef with onions and spices. It was definitely… interesting. I mean you’re eating raw beef. I couldn’t actually finish my portion because it just ended up being too much raw meat to eat. Thank goodness for the side of frites.

After lunch, we took buses away from the city to visit the calanques (cove) and take a little hike. The view of the sea is incredible from the calanques and it’s just so peaceful. We were even there when the sun started to set. I just felt so at peace there, the wind not as violent as the day before, watching the sun go down. Sitting up there made me realize that I love being by the water. I love going to the beach, any views of the ocean or water, but I’m not a water person. I don’t think I could ever dive into an ocean from a cliff because 1. I’m afraid of heights and 2. I can barely swim. I mean, sure I know basics, but if I’m in water, I prefer not to be in too deep.

To finish off my stay in the south of France, I had bouillabaisse (a traditional Provençal fish stew, originating in Marseille) for dinner. I mean, I was in the south, so of course I had to eat seafood since I didn’t get my mussels at lunch! 

Overall, I had a good time during my vacation and can see why everybody likes southern Europe and not the cloudy, dreary north. When our plane landed in Lille, there were snow piles because it had snowed a couple of days before we got back. Even though I want to visit Prague and Milan (the other cities I was debating between) one day in the future, I’m glad that I chose Barcelona and Marseille, not just for the warmth and sun, but also for the awesome experiences and memories.

Gros bisous x

N

[barcelona] days 4 & 5 – the end/la fin/l'extrem(?)

The view from Parc Guell

Parc Guell—another one of Barcelona’s must sees. Based on suggestions from others and travel sites, I knew that this was another place I had to visit, especially after the Gaudi tour.

The park is another one of Gaudi’s creations. Apparently, it was another project for Gaudi supported by Guell. The original plan was to build an estate and eventually more people would build houses in the area. The original plan kinda failed and the only people that ended up living in that area were Gaudi, Guell, and one of their lawyer friends.

It was a Saturday when we went, so it was full of people. Also, the weather wasn’t as beautiful as the day before, it was a bit cloudy at times and there were even patches of rain. The view of the city is incredible, of course. I love the mosaic designs all over the place (I know there’s a name for this technique, but I can’t remember it at the moment). It’s another thing that adds to its uniqueness… I mean, it’s Gaudi.

Reminds me of a gingerbread house!

The famous Parc Guell lizard

The next day was our last full day in Barcelona (sad), so we ended up just wandering down La Rambla and ate more paella and then headed over to the Picasso museum. The museum is free every Sunday after 3 pm, but this particular Sunday was the first of the month, so a lot of museums were free… which resulted waiting in a long line (but at least it moved relatively quickly).

Walking through the museum, it was really interesting to see how Picasso’s work has changed. There’s a complete contrast of some of his early works versus his later works. To me, the style change seemed sudden. Sure, there were changes throughout his career, maybe progressing changes in colors, but from what I remember, there was a sudden change to the more abstract, geometric shapes. I didn’t get an audio guide, so I don’t really know if there were any specific influences. That would be interesting to look up... 

All in all, Barcelona may be my favorite city (so far). Not only was it the beautiful weather (for the most part), the amazing views, Gaudi, but I also made some friends at the hostel. First of all, if you ever go to Barcelona and are looking for a hostel, stay in Hostel One Sants. The staff is super nice, they cook dinner every night (free!), and they give you tons of suggestions for places to go, day and night. Also, they say that people can really add or take away from your experience. Not only did I have Yvonne (roomie and awesome travel buddy!), but also, we met some great people at the hostel (the free dinners really add to the social aspect) who we spent a lot of our trip with and who we made plenty of fun memories with! We were actually pretty sad to leave each other, especially since we were all leaving on the same day.  

Basically, Barcelona = a week I’ll never forget! I definitely want to go back one day (maybe after learning more Spanish and/or Catalan?!). I honestly can’t express everything in my blog, but at least I try.

Bis x

N

                      

[barcelona] day 3 - montjuic

Sometime during the month before break, I finally watched L'auberge espagnole (the title is Pot Luck in English) and was interested to see the sites of Barcelona in the film. To be honest, what was shown of the city of Barcelona (the views, the streets, etc.) didn't captivate me like I thought they would. I did remember that they showed certain places that had amazing views of the city and I know I definitely wanted to check those places out, especially since the weather was simply beautiful during our stay-- sunny and warm (with a bit of wind).

On our third full day in Barca, we decided to check out Montjuic (a hill - translated to Jewish Hill), mainly for the view, but also to see some other things in the area, like the Olympic stadium. Unfortunately, because of some big conference in the area, we didn't go up the supposed normal way by the fountains, but instead had to take side streets. I'm so thankful that they have escalators! Otherwise, it would've been a long(er) and somewhat painful hike to the MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya). As we ascended on the escalators, I couldn't help but look back and admire the view of the city. It was such a beautiful day and the city was just gorgeous.

We stopped on the steps on the MNAC to eat the sandwiches we bought for lunch, with wonderful view of the city and there was even a man in front of the steps playing the guitar, which definitely added to the ambiance. I remember just sitting there, eating my ham & brie sandwich, basking in the sun (got to pull out my sunglasses, yay!), looking at Barcelona, listening to the guitarist playing "Piano Man," and just feeling so... content. I'm not even sure if content is really the right word, but at that moment, I knew that I loved that city and I was just happy sitting there. It was a feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time (and it definitely wasn't a feeling that I had when looking at Béthune :P).

Eventually, we decided that we couldn't stay there all day, so we took more escalators and headed towards the Olympic Stadium from 1992 (during the tour the day before, I learned the Barcelona wasn't a big tourist town before the Olympics...). We just wandered around the outside, but it was still pretty cool to be standing in a place where the Olympics were held almost 20 years ago!

Afterwards, we made our way to the cable cars to take one up to the top, where the castle is. With my fear of heights, I wasn't exactly comfortable during the ride up, but the view was incredible. I tried to focus on that as the wind shook our cable car, making me even more uneasy.

From the castle, we got good views of the harbor (woo, not terribly exciting) and of course took advantage of the magnificent photo opportunities up there. But once we got to the top of the castle, the view of the city was absolutely breathtaking. I can't even describe how amazed I was, but as soon as we got to the edge of the wall, all you could hear were our murmurs of  "wow" and gasps of amazement.  Being there on top of the castle, taking photos in the wind, is probably one of my most memorable moments of my trip and one of the reasons why I love Barcelona. I know these pictures can't do it justice.

Throughout the day, there were so many "wow" moments and I wish that my camera could've captured everything like how I saw it through my eyes. Unfortunately, my photography skills aren't that great, so even if you think the pictures are good (or not), you actually have to go there and experience it yourself. I highly recommend it.

Bis x
N

[barcelona] day 2 - walking tour + food

For our second day, we decided to go on another free walking tour with some friends that we made at the hostel, this time a tour of the Old City. To be honest, this tour wasn't as memorable as the Gaudi one. I don't remember every little detail and probably couldn't tell you the names of every place we went off the top of my head, but nevertheless, I enjoyed the tour.

We saw all sorts of buildings and tidbits from Barcelona's history, including old Roman columns (still standing!) located in an apartment building, remains of the Roman walls, El Call (the Jewish ghetto), the oldest synagogue in Europe, Caterdral, the steps at Placa del Rel- where Columbus reported to the king upon his arrival from the New World, and just various places around the Gothic quarter.

Remains of the old Roman wall?

It was really (for lack of a better word) cool to walk around the small streets and see things that have been existing for centuries, things that are hidden from the busy touristy squares and streets. (I also liked the fact that I didn't really have to be constantly looking down for dog poop.) 

Catedral

The most memorable part about the tour was the old Roman columns located in the middle of an apartment building. They're not located in some big touristy area-- you have to go down a few side streets to find it. You walk into this doorway leading to a courtyard area and then BAM. Oh hey there Roman columns, almost didn't see you there... It's really unexpected. People that live in those apartments have old Roman columns in their backyard... c'est dingue, ça!

Roman columns

Placa del Rei

After the walking tour, we decided to do a cooking experience session, courtesy of the Travel Bar. When we saw that there was going to be paella, tapas, and sangria, how could we say no? Since we only had 1 1/2 hour to kill before meeting, we decided to wander around the area a bit. First stop was... churros and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was a lot thicker than your typical hot cocoa. I'm not sure if it was this one place or if it's how it always tastes, but the hot chocolate wasn't great. It wasn't bitter like dark chocolate, but it tasted like it lacked sugar... a bit disappointing, but the churros were yummy!

Afterwards, I really wanted to go to The Mercat Sant Joseph de la Boqueria... or the Boqueria market, after reading an article that my sister sent me. All I can say is DROOL. Through the entrance from La Rambla, you're immediately greeted by piles on piles of sugary goodness... chocolate and all sorts of other candies. After the churros + hot chocolate, I'd reached my sugary limit for the hour, so I was able to resist. Even if I hadn't, I don't know how I would've been able to choose what to buy-- there were SO many options! There were also tons of fresh fruit stands and I ended up buying a mango kiwi smoothie for just 1 euro (nomnoms!).  Further back, there were plenty of other stands, including seafood, eggs, other meats, and olives (although not as many choices as Borough Market in London). I am actually proud of myself for not buying anything (although it was so tempting) except for two sticks -- one with fish balls and the other with some deli meat. 

photo courtesy of Yvonne (also... Dunkin Coffee in the bg?)

As for the cooking experience, we had originally thought we would be learning how to cook paella with a hands on experience. It ended up just being the chef demonstrating, while we ate tapas and drank sangria while waiting for the demonstration to start.  It was delicious! I probably could've eaten all the tapas that was meant for 3 people and luckily, there was enough paella leftover so I got seconds. José (my food baby) was very happy. Maybe one day I'll try to make paella (if I can remember everything)... or maybe I should stick to making sangria-- that's easy enough, right?

Gros bisous x

N

[barcelona] day 1- gaudi

So I'm back from my winter vacation in Barcelona & Marseille. And as requested, I'll be breaking up my adventures/experiences into many smaller entries throughout the next few days (hopefully).

Yvonne and I were super excited to go to Barcelona and were just as excited to finally see some SUN and feel some warmth. Our voyage started off with 2 trains to get to the Paris CDG airport, where we waited around for hours until our flight. When our plane landed in Barcelona mid-afternoon, we were happy to see some palm trees. And of course, it was significantly warmer than le Nord!

Unfortunately, I'd had a cold for days, so traveling all day + lack of sleep made me feel absolutely miserable by the time we reached the hostel. After our first free dinner at the hostel (and my first plate of paella in Spain!), I decided to just take some cold meds and sleep, hoping that I wouldn't be sick throughout my whole stay.

Yvonne & I at the Plaza Real 

The next day, I was feeling much better, but still congested, so after popping more pills, Yvi and I headed to Plaza Real to meet up for a free walking Gaudi tour. To be honest, the only time I really remember hearing about Gaudi before looking up things to do was from an episode of How I Met Your Mother (Ted was teaching about Gaudi and how La Sagrada Familia is unfinished), but a lot of the spots to see in Barcelona are Gaudi-related, so we figured, why not take a walking tour so we can see things and also learn (without having to pay to enter each building to learn stuff about it). On the tour, we saw  the Palau Guell, the Caso Batllo, La Pedrera, and La Sagrada Familia. I haven't decided if I think Gaudi was crazy or a genius (I think I'm leaning more towards crazy), but his architecture style is definitely eccentric, unique, and kind of amazing. I don't know much about art or architecture history, but I do appreciate all sorts of works and I have to say that these buildings by Gaudi are definitely pieces of art. If you look at all the buildings on the same block, Gaudi's houses definitely stick out.

Palau Guell 

Casa Batllo

Casa Batllo was the most interesting of the houses for me and I wish I'd had the opportunity to go back and see the inside. My first thought when I saw the house was creepy, all of it just made me think of bones and skeletons-- the thinner columns, the balconies (although more masks made out of bones).

La Pedrera

La Sagrada Familia - the Nativity façade

La Sagrada Familia- the Passion façade

I have to admit that when I first saw a picture of La Sagrada Familia (the Nativity facade, which I assume is the most popular), I didn't think it was very attractive. It reminded me of something that been underwater for years, eroding, with things growing on it. Seeing it in person changed my mind-- it's amazing with all the details in the façade. The contrast between the two façades is crazy. The Passion one is so simplistic and cleaner, but since it portrays something so serious, it doesn't need tiny details to send the message.

The inside of the church is just as amazing (it was the one place that Yvi and I decided to enter after our tour). I love cathedrals and am always amazed by them,  this one just trumps them all because it is so different, with thin columns and a completely different design concept, which allows so much more light in. I don't think I'm even doing a very good job of describing it, but it's just crazy- in a good way.

After wandering around in awe, Yvi and I then decided to head towards the Arc de Triomf and walk to the Parc Citadelle, which has a beautiful fountain (not Gaudi related), before heading back to the hostel for dinner.

Font de la Cascada

... And that's my attempt at making a short post?

Bis,
N

Bonne Année!

I suppose that it’s finally time to update my blog—it‘s been almost a month. Maybe a new year’s resolution should be to update more often?

I spent mes vacances in England, first visiting my sister in London and then spending the holidays with my cousin and her family in Peacehaven (near Brighton). I found it kind of ironic, because on the train ride to London, my brain was still a bit in French mode and I even chose to listen to Zaz (a French artist) on my iPod. During the first couple of days, I was still somewhat in French mode, especially when I heard people on the bus or in museums speaking in French. Also, I want to say that I love accents and whenever I heard people speaking, I was so tempted to speak back in my oh so fake and horrible British accent. Luckily, I resisted (and avoided embarrassment—maybe I should just stick to my bad French accent).

Going from the small town of Béthune with 30,000 people (according to Wikipedia, but I swear it’s less) to the big city of London (should I even bother to look up this statistic?) was a pretty big change. Walk around Béthune at 9 pm and there’ll barely be any cars or people (if you’re not in the centre-ville, but even then, it can get pretty empty, especially since the Christmas Market is over). Walk around London at 9 pm and it’s completely the opposite. Cars, buses, and people everywhere. I did tell my sister that there were so many Asians (Béthune also isn’t too diverse). But of course, there’s so many of … everybody.

My first full day in London, Tuesday, I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and saw the Power of Making exhibit since it was free, but I didn’t see the Postmodernism one, which I wanted to see. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about taking my sister's ID so I could get in for free. My favorite part in the V&A Museum was probably the jewelry room. I like looking at the jewelry from way back when over the centuries and I can’t help but think how much I would love to wear some of their pieces. They also swords and crowns—so cool! Afterwards, I went to the British Museum, where I saw the Rosetta Stone (of course there was a huge crowd around it the first time I walked through the room), and other things like the remains from the pediments of the Parthenon, and Greek vases. Then, we went out for my sister’s early birthday celebrations and got to listen to some blues. It’s always nice to listen/see live music. :)

V&A Museum

Inside the British Museum

Rosetta stone

Wednesday, I wandered over to Buckingham Palace, took pictures along with other tourists and then walked down the Mall and stopped in the Institute of Contemporary Art for a bit before heading over to Trafalgar Square, where I was touristy once again and took pictures before going into the National Gallery. I saw some impressionist paintings (one of my favorite artistic movements) and some paintings by Camille Pissarro and Georges Seurat. Then I headed over the National Portrait Gallery, where one of my sister’s friends escorted me into the First Actresses for free. The weirdest thing in the NPG is the blood head. At first, I was just looking at it and thought maybe the artist had just used red wax. Nope. It’s his own blood. Kinda creepy, not gonna lie.

Buckingham Palace

Trafalgar Square

Thursday, we headed to Greenwich. We wandered around the market, and of course we bought some food, sweets, and mulled wine. Noms. Then we wandered around the Old Royal Naval College before trekking up to the Royal Observatory. I wasn’t going to pay 7 pounds just to see the Prime Meridian; so luckily, I was able to take a picture of it through the gate. :P We visited the Queen’s House for a bit and then later that night we saw Chicago, starring America Ferrara! As always, musicals make me wish that I could sing and dance (side note: I wonder if taking dance when I was younger would have helped prevent my old lady foot problem, or if it would’ve just made it worse). That actually reminds me, I’m surprised that I haven’t tried to download the soundtrack yet…



Royal Observatory on top of that hill



 The Prime Meridian

View of London

Friday was Aisa’s birthday, so that meant FOOD. We headed to Bourough Market (omg like heaven for my family ha), where there was TONS of food! We had two delicious sandwiches – one was chorizo and the other had lamb… nomnoms, once again, more mulled wine, and bought some baklava (teehee). Trying to fight the itis, we then went to Tate Modern. I wish I could’ve seen the Gehrard Richter exhibit since from the postcards and books I saw in the gift shop, I would’ve liked his work/probably should have studied him back in high school.

Christmas Eve, we left for Brighton to visit my cousin and her family. It was really nice to be around family and with the Filipino parties and food, it felt more like the Christmas season and a bit more like home (the rest of my family went to Orlando and went to Harry Potter World/Land (?)… kinda jeal!). The week in Brighton/Peacehaven from Christmas to New Year’s involved lots of food and therefore, naps. It was a nice relaxing week. Aisa and I took walks along the coast to try and not be complete bums and try and maybe work off some of the holiday weight (even though we ended up buying chips on the way back…). I also did a bit of post-holiday shopping in the town centre, but I didn’t buy too much (I’m actually being better with my shopping habits now!).

On the coast-- Peacehaven

One day during the week, Aisa and I went into Brighton and visited the Royal Pavilion and the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. I thought the Royal Pavilion was really nice, especially with the Asian influences (although the dragon on top of the chandelier in the dining room was a bit scary). We also had some tea and scones in the tearoom--- my first real cup of English tea! Afterwards, we just wandered more around the shops in town. Brighton is such a nice quaint town and it’s on the coast—so pretty!

Royal Pavilion

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery

tea and scones

New Year’s Day we headed back to London… and the wheels on my suitcase broke off. Lesson learned: don’t buy cheap suitcases. But I made it back to Béthune… back to being the only Filipino in the village. I definitely have to visit England again, not only to visit family, but also to do more touristy things (like the Tower of London, the London Eye), and see other parts of England. This is one perk of being in the north of France.

As for teaching, well it’s teaching. There’s not much to update there. Wednesday was my first day back teaching (school officially started on Tuesday, but I didn’t have to teach). For a bit during my first class of the day, I forgot that I couldn’t speak at my normal-having-conversation-with-friends speed since it’s hard for the students to understand me (props to any students who could). If you know me, you know that I speak pretty fast (my family likes to say it’s because I was born in NY), and it’s a bit shocking to hear how slowly I speak to my students. As a matter of fact, a couple of months ago, I found the interview I did for the school on youtube (I’ll have to find it again) and I was surprised at my speed.

For some reason the dreary, windy weather here in Béthune just feels more depressing. Sure, it was rainy and cloudy in England. Maybe it’s because at least in Brighton and London, the streets were still busy and full of life. That’s not really the case here. I feel like the streets only look busy when it’s noon and all of the students are leaving the school to walk that one block to the cafeteria.  

I can’t believe it’s 2012. 2011 was a pretty good year, probably the best that I’ve had in a while. A year ago, I was praying and hoping that I would end up in France after graduation and here I am. I had always told people that I would move here at some point after I graduate, but I didn’t really expect it to come true and so soon!

Here’s to an even better 2012… !

Bises x