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Amsterdam for Introverts like Me: How to Make the Most of a City Known for Weed & Sex
European Adventure: Part 2 of 6 The second stop on my Great European Adventure of 2022 with my friends was the city of Amsterdam. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. I’m not a city girl. I prefer small towns, nature vistas, farmer’s markets, and quiet streets. I went to Amsterdam after Delft (one such small, quiet town). When I stepped off the train into this big, bustling city, I was ready to say: “Screw it. Let’s go back to Delft!” Really, Amsterdam is just a another big city. Except it has canals. And it’s known for having Prostitutes and Weed Shops. Yay! (Please note the sarcasm). However, while those things…
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Detour to Delft: Charming Churches & Canals in a Picturesque Dutch Town
European Adventure: Part 1 of 6 The town of Delft in the Netherlands was the first stop on my first trip back to Europe since Covid! I remember leaving Aix-en-Provence, France on March 16, 2020 with the belief that this Covid thing would never last. I planned to travel that summer, retaking the days and experiences I was missing out on by being sent home from my Study Abroad program early. I believed it would be two months until I was back. Not two years! But a little thing like Covid won’t keep me away from travel forever! My best friend called me up in January and said she wanted…
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4 Days in New York City During Covid
Day 1: All the Busy, Bustling(?) Tourist Spots Covid is good a for a few things. One of them being LESS PEOPLE. Even on the streets of New York City. Masks were required on the subway and in a few buildings, but we mostly enjoyed the perks of the Covid rather than the downsides. We started out our first afternoon with a walk through Times Square, which was way less busy than I remember from a quick visit in 2018. We peeked in at Union Station, saw the St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and found a great rooftop bar to enjoy the Empire State Building. We ended the night with sushi in…
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Covid Catastrophe in the Czech Republic
I can't say that I didn't know any better. But we thought we were untouchable. We thought the chaos wending it's way through the world was ridiculous. There was no precedent for everything shutting down. Surely in a week or two everything would be back to normal. Do you remember when we all thought that?
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Paris à Pied: Exploring the City of Love in 30 Hours
I spent 30 hours in Paris this weekend–a whirlwind vacation. My friends were busy, so I hopped on a train by myself and came to the City of Love. (Pairs is both the City of Love and City of Lights). Lucky Paris–to be known for both great things! Paris Catacombs I kicked things off with the Paris Catacombs. The underground quarries here were begun in the 14th century and then later abandoned. In 1774, parts of Paris collapsed and Louis XVI created a department to protect the quarries and fortify them so they did’t continue to collapse. Major health problems from overfilled cemeteries and charnel houses also plagued the city.…
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Barcelona Basics: Food, Friends, and Gaudi
Barcelona was a non-stop adventure. I arrived at midnight on Friday night and made my way to Don Moustache Hostel via the Aerobus. My friends, Kate and Sarah, had arrived Thursday night. After a good night’s sleep (despite all the snoring–good thing I always travel with ear plugs!) we started off Saturday morning with some Gaudi. Antoni Gaudi is Barcelona’s most famous architect and his designs can be found all across the city. Our first stop was Casa Batllo. Casa Batllo Gaudi designed the house for a wealthy aristocrat who lived with his family on the first two floors and rented the rest out as apartments. It’s said there are…
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Camp des Milles: What France once Tried to Erase
Camp des Milles is located in the old tile factory in the town of Les Milles. In fact, the roof of one of my school’s buildings is tiled with tiles from this factory. But that’s not why we we’re here. From the beginning of World War Two in September, 1939 until June, 1940, the French government (the Third Republic), interned Germans and Austrians who had fled from Germany in the 1930s, and other foreigners who were considered a potential threat. In reality, most of these people were anti-Nazi or had been living in France for years. The internees were given straw and told to sleep on the floor near the…
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Aix-periences Closer to Home: Montagne Sainte-Victoire and Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur
Montagne Sainte-Victoire A friend and I decided to hike the prominent mountain to the northwest of Aix: Montagne Sainte-Victoire. We began by walking along the ridge (above right), then the trail pretty much goes straight up the side of the peak. It’s a total of 10 kilometers and over 1,700 feet of altitude gain. Despite the hot sun, it was a great hike. We got to scramble up rocks and had amazing views the whole time. In the 13th century, a chapel was built on top of the mountain. Today it’s called the Priory of Sainte Victoire, but it was abandoned in the 17th century. Now it’s a popular spot…
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A Day in Marseille: History and Street Art in France’s Oldest City
La Porte d’Aix is Marseille’s triumphal arch, like the Arc de Triomphe. Construction begun in 1784 to honor the Peace of Paris, which ended the American Revolutionary War. The arch was finished in 1839. It marks the entry point to the city on the old road from Aix-en-Provence. Marseille has existed as a port city for over 2,500 years, the oldest city in France and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe. This area of town is known as the old port (Vieux Port). Behind me, on the hill in the background, is the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde. It was constructed in the 1800s, but a chapel…
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Nice Carnival: Battle of the Flowers
Carnival kicked off in Nice today with a Flower Parade, called Batailles des Fleurs. We embraced the sun and the season (even though all the locals were in coats and scarfs). It is a Flower Parade, so we wore our flower clothes! There are a bunch of performers and floats, but what is most unique is that the floats feature local flowers that are thrown into the crowd as the parade follows the route. All the spectators get to go home with a bouquet of flowers. This was an incredible experience because fun and festivities are universal. It didn’t matter that most of the performers probably didn’t speak my language…
