Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Au Revoir Lille
Tomorrow morning I'm taking a train from Lille to Paris. I'll spend the day and tomorrow night in Paris, and then I fly out of Charles De Gaulle to DFW on Thursday morning. I should arrive in Memphis around 630 on Thursday evening.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Paris Day III
We started off today by going to the Luxemburg Gardens/Palace. The Palace and huge garden were built by Catherine D'Medici in the 1600s, and today it's the National Senate of France. The park was really neat-- there were alot of people playing tennis, and kids sailing boats around the huge ornate fountains that are in the garden.
Afterwards, we went back to Notre Dame. We walked around the church and I was able to catch a little bit of Mass. It was really neat with all of the people and the choir and how cool it is inside. Then I went next door and got a Croque Monsieur for lunch.
We took the Metro to Sacre Couer, which is a huge cathedral built on basically a mountain that overlooks the city. We had to walk up a bunch of steps and hills to reach the top, but the view and church were worth it. Then we went to the train station and, after an hour train ride, I arrived back in Lille.
Afterwards, we went back to Notre Dame. We walked around the church and I was able to catch a little bit of Mass. It was really neat with all of the people and the choir and how cool it is inside. Then I went next door and got a Croque Monsieur for lunch.
We took the Metro to Sacre Couer, which is a huge cathedral built on basically a mountain that overlooks the city. We had to walk up a bunch of steps and hills to reach the top, but the view and church were worth it. Then we went to the train station and, after an hour train ride, I arrived back in Lille.
You can see all of the pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/TigerColby/Paris?authkey=Gv1sRgCJCgwMKk1KbzzQE#
Paris Day II
The weather forcast for the weekend called for rain the entire time-- but we were lucky and the entire weekend was sunny and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.
We woke up early on Saturday and took a double-decker bus tour of the city, where you get on and off wherever you want. We started off at Notre Dame. An outdoor Mass was going on in the courtyard, so you couldn't get inside the church, but it was really impressive-- there were a ton of people outside and there were dozens of bishops and a few archbishops, I think they were ordaining like 200 priests or something like that.
Afterwards, we went down the Champs D'Elysee and ate lunch at a cafe. Then we went to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a lot larger than I imagined it being. We were able to climb to the top and walk around.
We took the bus from the Arc to the Eiffel Tower. We had to wait in line about an hour, but we were able to take an elevator up the tower. The Eiffel definitely lives up to it's reputation, and I wasn't disappointed.
Then we took the bus tour around and saw a lot of historic things. We went inside the Louvre about an hour before it closed and I was able to feneagle my way into the museum for free. We saw the Venus de Milo, Madonna on the Rocks, and of course, the Mona Lisa. There was hardly anyone around the paintings, it was kind of weird.
Then we went and ate Italian at a restaurant for dinner-- it was a very busy day.
We woke up early on Saturday and took a double-decker bus tour of the city, where you get on and off wherever you want. We started off at Notre Dame. An outdoor Mass was going on in the courtyard, so you couldn't get inside the church, but it was really impressive-- there were a ton of people outside and there were dozens of bishops and a few archbishops, I think they were ordaining like 200 priests or something like that.
Afterwards, we went down the Champs D'Elysee and ate lunch at a cafe. Then we went to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a lot larger than I imagined it being. We were able to climb to the top and walk around.
We took the bus from the Arc to the Eiffel Tower. We had to wait in line about an hour, but we were able to take an elevator up the tower. The Eiffel definitely lives up to it's reputation, and I wasn't disappointed.
Then we took the bus tour around and saw a lot of historic things. We went inside the Louvre about an hour before it closed and I was able to feneagle my way into the museum for free. We saw the Venus de Milo, Madonna on the Rocks, and of course, the Mona Lisa. There was hardly anyone around the paintings, it was kind of weird.
Then we went and ate Italian at a restaurant for dinner-- it was a very busy day.
Paris Day One
I just got back from Paris-- it has to be the most awesome city in the world. We got in Friday night and our hotel was near the Louvre, so we ate dinner in the courtyard and then walked down the Seine and saw the sun set and the Eiffel Tower light up. I was impressed at how huge and palacial the Louvre is from the outside-- I enjoyed the outside of the Louvre more than the museum itself.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday
So I got done with my exams early and was able to stop back by my dorm for a little bit.
I think my exams went pretty well.
Anyways, here are a couple of pictures from this week: one is of the entire Summer Program, the other is from last night. I was invited by a French student (not from the program) to go to a birthday party. It was fun, even though only two other people from the group spoke English. Everyone was really nice.
I think my exams went pretty well.
Anyways, here are a couple of pictures from this week: one is of the entire Summer Program, the other is from last night. I was invited by a French student (not from the program) to go to a birthday party. It was fun, even though only two other people from the group spoke English. Everyone was really nice.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Paris
I've been pretty busy this week-- I have two exams today, and then I'm going straight from class to go to the train station for Paris. I won't have my computer with me, so I probably won't be able to update/skype until Sunday.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Brugges
Today we went on a field trip to Brugges in Belgium. Brugges is the most beautiful place I've gone so far. It's a medieval city built entirely on canals, so it's called the Venice of the North. All of the churches, cafes, chocolate shops, houses-- pretty much everything, are really cool looking.
The weather has been perfect here for a week, and today was no exception. We took a boat tour of the city, and then walked around to different points of interest. The city is said to be the home of the Holy Grail, and there is a Basilica in town where it is allegedly stored. Afterwards, we went to a cafe on one of the canals and tried the local beer-- they brought me out a liter of beer, which was kind of crazy.
Last night, I went bowling with a group, which was fun-- I got off to a pretty good start, you can check the pictures out on my album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/TigerColby/Brugges?authkey=Gv1sRgCJa0hMffmaHtAg#
The weather has been perfect here for a week, and today was no exception. We took a boat tour of the city, and then walked around to different points of interest. The city is said to be the home of the Holy Grail, and there is a Basilica in town where it is allegedly stored. Afterwards, we went to a cafe on one of the canals and tried the local beer-- they brought me out a liter of beer, which was kind of crazy.
Last night, I went bowling with a group, which was fun-- I got off to a pretty good start, you can check the pictures out on my album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/TigerColby/Brugges?authkey=Gv1sRgCJa0hMffmaHtAg#
Sunday, June 21, 2009
London!
I just made it back into Lille from London. I had an awesome time there this weekend. Thank you again Jennifer and John for setting things up and taking care of me.
I woke up before 6 yesterday morning and took a train under the Chunnel to St. Pancras Station in the middle of London (it took a little over an hour), where I met up with my relatives, Jennifer and John. We left the station and bought an all day double-decker bus tour pass that drops you off at different points of interest. Our first stop was Trafalgar Square. We walked from there to St. James Palace and followed the marching buckskin soldiers to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, which was really cool.
After that, we rode the bus around for a while and saw Picadilly Circus (where we stayed) which is like the Times Square of London. We ate fish and chips at a pub, and then walked down towards the river. There we saw Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.
After seeing all of that, we got on a boat and road down the Thames to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We went on a tour with a Beefeater and saw where all of Henry VIII's queens were beheaded and everything. Then we ate a really good dinner at the hotel.
We spent this morning at the Imperial War Museum. It was really interesting and huge-- you could probably spend three entire days in there. After that, we walked to the British Museum, where we saw the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, Cleopatra's mummy, and an alleged thorn from the Crown of Thorns. When we finished at the museum, it was time to get back on the train and head back to Lille. It was a great weekend, though!
I woke up before 6 yesterday morning and took a train under the Chunnel to St. Pancras Station in the middle of London (it took a little over an hour), where I met up with my relatives, Jennifer and John. We left the station and bought an all day double-decker bus tour pass that drops you off at different points of interest. Our first stop was Trafalgar Square. We walked from there to St. James Palace and followed the marching buckskin soldiers to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, which was really cool.
After that, we rode the bus around for a while and saw Picadilly Circus (where we stayed) which is like the Times Square of London. We ate fish and chips at a pub, and then walked down towards the river. There we saw Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.
After seeing all of that, we got on a boat and road down the Thames to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We went on a tour with a Beefeater and saw where all of Henry VIII's queens were beheaded and everything. Then we ate a really good dinner at the hotel.
We spent this morning at the Imperial War Museum. It was really interesting and huge-- you could probably spend three entire days in there. After that, we walked to the British Museum, where we saw the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, Cleopatra's mummy, and an alleged thorn from the Crown of Thorns. When we finished at the museum, it was time to get back on the train and head back to Lille. It was a great weekend, though!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Ypres II
We left at lunch time for Ypres today. It took only about 30 minutes to get there by bus. Before we arrived, we stopped at Tyne Cott Cemetery, which is operated by Great Britain. More than 30,000 British soldiers are buried here, and they all died in the Battle of Paschendale in 1917. In my pictures, you see a giant cross in the cemetery-- this was the site of a German watch tower that was overrun by Australian soldiers during the battle. After the Allies gained the position, it became a tent hospital-- the dead were buried around the hospital, and that's how the cemetery came to be.
From Tyne Cott, you could see the steeples and spires of Ypres across the Belgian countryside. We took the bus into town and it dropped us off outside the famous Menin Gate. The town of Ypres is built inside a medieval moat and is surrounded by a protective wall. The gate is one of two exits from the city. During the war, soldiers would go through this gate on their way to the front lines. Now it's a memorial to all of the soldiers who went missing during WWI. The Gate has been visited by many important figures, including Mother Teresa, two Popes, King George V, and Queen Elizabeth II.
We walked through the gate and into the Grand Place of Ypres. It was pretty impressive, and is dominated by Cloth Hall, where the Flanders Fields Museum is located. Although the buildings look ancient, they original buildings were all destroyed during the war and had to be reconstructed. You can compare the picture of Cloth Hall after the War (in the post below) to Cloth Hall now.
The museum was pretty neat and took about an hour to go through. Then we went next door and got Belgian waffles with chocolate and ice cream. We finished the trip by walking through St. Nicholas Cathedral.
From Tyne Cott, you could see the steeples and spires of Ypres across the Belgian countryside. We took the bus into town and it dropped us off outside the famous Menin Gate. The town of Ypres is built inside a medieval moat and is surrounded by a protective wall. The gate is one of two exits from the city. During the war, soldiers would go through this gate on their way to the front lines. Now it's a memorial to all of the soldiers who went missing during WWI. The Gate has been visited by many important figures, including Mother Teresa, two Popes, King George V, and Queen Elizabeth II.
We walked through the gate and into the Grand Place of Ypres. It was pretty impressive, and is dominated by Cloth Hall, where the Flanders Fields Museum is located. Although the buildings look ancient, they original buildings were all destroyed during the war and had to be reconstructed. You can compare the picture of Cloth Hall after the War (in the post below) to Cloth Hall now.
The museum was pretty neat and took about an hour to go through. Then we went next door and got Belgian waffles with chocolate and ice cream. We finished the trip by walking through St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ypres
Tomorrow we're taking a field trip to Ypres (callied Iepers in Belgian). It was the site of 4 WWI battles. It earned the nickname "La Ville du Mort" (city of death) during the war.
Here is a website of the museum we'll be visiting: http://www.inflandersfields.be/
and here is a website for the city of Iepers: http://www.inflandersfields.be/stadieper/
Here is a website of the museum we'll be visiting: http://www.inflandersfields.be/
and here is a website for the city of Iepers: http://www.inflandersfields.be/stadieper/
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Calais II
I woke up early this morning and went with a group to Calais-- the weather was perfect! We walked through the town and went sightseeing on our way to the beach, which was about a 10 minute walk from the train station.
It's true that you can see the cliffs of Dover from the beach. It's a neat sight and kind of strange to think about all of the history that happened in the narrow stretch of water between Calais and Dover-- the English sank the Spanish Armada there, the water was all that separated the Nazis from England, etc.
The high temperature today was about 80 degrees. Some of the people in town said it was probably the best day of the year to go to the beach. The water was cool, but warm enough to swim in. The water was also turquoise blue and clear-- I could see fish swimming around when I got into the ocean. I fell asleep on the beach though, and got sunburned.
When I woke up, we walked back to the beach-front. They had a carnival for kids up there, a bunch of street vendors, ice cream booths, etc. It was alot like being in Florida. There are a bunch of cafes that overlook the water and we ate dinner at one of them. The specialty around there is mussels avec frites (french fries). I got a bucket full of mussels with cream sauce that were very delicious. Afterwards we walked to a casino near the beach-- I lost 10 euros and quit. On our way back towards the town center, we noticed the top of a cafe was on fire. We started pointing to it and eventually a crowd of about a hundred people formed. The fire department came after about 10 minutes and put it out.
Finally, we went to the town center. The clock tower and everything are huge and really cool looking. In front of the center is a famous statue, The Burghers of Calais, by August Rodin, who is probably the 2nd most famous sculptor behind Michaelangelo.
It's true that you can see the cliffs of Dover from the beach. It's a neat sight and kind of strange to think about all of the history that happened in the narrow stretch of water between Calais and Dover-- the English sank the Spanish Armada there, the water was all that separated the Nazis from England, etc.
The high temperature today was about 80 degrees. Some of the people in town said it was probably the best day of the year to go to the beach. The water was cool, but warm enough to swim in. The water was also turquoise blue and clear-- I could see fish swimming around when I got into the ocean. I fell asleep on the beach though, and got sunburned.
When I woke up, we walked back to the beach-front. They had a carnival for kids up there, a bunch of street vendors, ice cream booths, etc. It was alot like being in Florida. There are a bunch of cafes that overlook the water and we ate dinner at one of them. The specialty around there is mussels avec frites (french fries). I got a bucket full of mussels with cream sauce that were very delicious. Afterwards we walked to a casino near the beach-- I lost 10 euros and quit. On our way back towards the town center, we noticed the top of a cafe was on fire. We started pointing to it and eventually a crowd of about a hundred people formed. The fire department came after about 10 minutes and put it out.
Finally, we went to the town center. The clock tower and everything are huge and really cool looking. In front of the center is a famous statue, The Burghers of Calais, by August Rodin, who is probably the 2nd most famous sculptor behind Michaelangelo.
Here are the rest of the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/TigerColby/Calais?authkey=Gv1sRgCObU5pO-zMq3Ww#
Friday, June 12, 2009
Calais
I finished my French classes for the week this morning, so now it's the weekend! My French is getting much better since we have class for three hours every morning and the class is entirely en francais. I can read and understand the language fairly well, but I'm not so good at speaking it.
Anyways, for the weekend I'm going with a group to the beach at Calais. My train ticket was only 15 euros, and we're not staying the night. The weather is supposed to be really nice, so it should be a good weekend for the beach. Calais is so close to England that you can see the cliffs of Dover from there, and from Dover you can clearly see the buildings of Calais. I'll post pictures when I get back.
Anyways, for the weekend I'm going with a group to the beach at Calais. My train ticket was only 15 euros, and we're not staying the night. The weather is supposed to be really nice, so it should be a good weekend for the beach. Calais is so close to England that you can see the cliffs of Dover from there, and from Dover you can clearly see the buildings of Calais. I'll post pictures when I get back.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Day In Brussels
Today our program took a day-trip to Brussels, Belgium. We had a charter bus and it only took us a little more than an hour to reach the city. We arrived in Belgium a little bit early and stopped by the Atomium, which you can see in my pictures. The Belgians say the Atomium is to Belgium as the Eiffel Tower is to France. I think it's ugly and looks like a jack (like the toy). It's pretty famous, you can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomium
Afterwards, we went to the headquarters of the European Union. We received a private tour of the headquarters and of Parliament (which was not in session). Then we ate lunch- the best food I've had so far- at a cafe inside of the HQ.
We received 3 hours of free time this afternoon. We went downtown to through the Gallerie de Rois (Gallery of Kings)-- which is an impressive indoor street with high-end shops and cafes. We sampled some Belgian beer in one of the cafes. Then we went to the Grand Place-- the Grand Place may be one of the most beautiful sites I've seen so far. It's basically a huge square, and all of the buildings around it are really old and cool looking and have gold sculptures on top of them. Supposedly, it's the nicest Grand Place in the world.
Just off of the Grand Place is the Museum of Chocolate. We toured the museum for 4 euros and got to sample chocolate along the way. It's probably the best 4 euros I've spent on my trip. Then we walked a little ways to see the famous Manneken Pis. I'm glad I finally got to see this in person, but it was only about 20 inches tall, and you could easily miss it if you weren't looking. We went to a waffle place next door and ate, which was great. Then it was time to get back on the bus, and it started to rain as we left.
Overall, Brussels was pretty neat: Belgian Waffles + Belgian Chocolate + Belgian Beer + The Mannekin Pis + a giant jack + the Grand Place + the EU= a great day.
Afterwards, we went to the headquarters of the European Union. We received a private tour of the headquarters and of Parliament (which was not in session). Then we ate lunch- the best food I've had so far- at a cafe inside of the HQ.
We received 3 hours of free time this afternoon. We went downtown to through the Gallerie de Rois (Gallery of Kings)-- which is an impressive indoor street with high-end shops and cafes. We sampled some Belgian beer in one of the cafes. Then we went to the Grand Place-- the Grand Place may be one of the most beautiful sites I've seen so far. It's basically a huge square, and all of the buildings around it are really old and cool looking and have gold sculptures on top of them. Supposedly, it's the nicest Grand Place in the world.
Just off of the Grand Place is the Museum of Chocolate. We toured the museum for 4 euros and got to sample chocolate along the way. It's probably the best 4 euros I've spent on my trip. Then we walked a little ways to see the famous Manneken Pis. I'm glad I finally got to see this in person, but it was only about 20 inches tall, and you could easily miss it if you weren't looking. We went to a waffle place next door and ate, which was great. Then it was time to get back on the bus, and it started to rain as we left.
Overall, Brussels was pretty neat: Belgian Waffles + Belgian Chocolate + Belgian Beer + The Mannekin Pis + a giant jack + the Grand Place + the EU= a great day.
All the Pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/TigerColby/Brussels02?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2Bws2msLTwcQ#
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Weekend in Amsterdam
I haven't posted in a while because I've been really busy. This weekend, 10 friends and I rented two cars and drove to Amsterdam, despite not having any knowledge of the language on the roadsigns. That said, everything went really smoothly. We drove through Gent, Antwerpen, and Utrecht, and it took about 2.5 hours, though it wasn't a very long trip distance-wise.
I uploaded a new album with pictures that you can see here: http://picasaweb.google.com/TigerColby/Amsterdam02?authkey=Gv1sRgCM2JxYjt-dia1AE#
I'll kind of narrate them for you (I've captioned them as well. After getting into the city, the cheapest place to park was at the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, site of the 1928 Olympics. Here is a link with the interesting history of those Olympics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928_Summer_Olympics From there, we took a city train into the city center.
Once we were in the city center, we found a hostel, and a room with 10 bunked beds, which worked out perfectly. Amsterdam makes New Orleans seem like a church. People smoke marijuana everywhere. Prostitution is legal in the famous red-light district. We didn't realize that we were actually staying in the red-light district until nightfall when the lights came on. It's really crazy-- there are prostitutes in booths in the windows of the buildings, and they try to entice you to come inside. It's really hard to describe the craziness of the city.
Amsterdam is built with canals that intersect the city every two streets or so-- the city has over 100 canals. We took a boat tour of the city, which was really neat. After the boat tour, we went to the Anne Frank House Museum and saw the trap door and secret room where she hid.
The buildings in the city are beautiful-- there's the famous Rijksmuseum, which looks like a palace and houses the works of Rembrandt and Vermeer. There's the Royal Palace where Queen Beatrix lives. This morning when we left the city, there was a marching band playing outside the palace, which was pretty cool. We also saw the Heiniken Brewery.
There were a ton of Americans in the city. Everything was expensive, because prices are jacked up in the touristy areas. The food there was much better than here in Lille. Amsterdam is famous for their pancakes and french fries.
Anyways, we saw so many things this weekend that I really can't remember them all, but enjoy the pictures!
I uploaded a new album with pictures that you can see here: http://picasaweb.google.com/TigerColby/Amsterdam02?authkey=Gv1sRgCM2JxYjt-dia1AE#
I'll kind of narrate them for you (I've captioned them as well. After getting into the city, the cheapest place to park was at the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, site of the 1928 Olympics. Here is a link with the interesting history of those Olympics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928_Summer_Olympics From there, we took a city train into the city center.
Once we were in the city center, we found a hostel, and a room with 10 bunked beds, which worked out perfectly. Amsterdam makes New Orleans seem like a church. People smoke marijuana everywhere. Prostitution is legal in the famous red-light district. We didn't realize that we were actually staying in the red-light district until nightfall when the lights came on. It's really crazy-- there are prostitutes in booths in the windows of the buildings, and they try to entice you to come inside. It's really hard to describe the craziness of the city.
Amsterdam is built with canals that intersect the city every two streets or so-- the city has over 100 canals. We took a boat tour of the city, which was really neat. After the boat tour, we went to the Anne Frank House Museum and saw the trap door and secret room where she hid.
The buildings in the city are beautiful-- there's the famous Rijksmuseum, which looks like a palace and houses the works of Rembrandt and Vermeer. There's the Royal Palace where Queen Beatrix lives. This morning when we left the city, there was a marching band playing outside the palace, which was pretty cool. We also saw the Heiniken Brewery.
There were a ton of Americans in the city. Everything was expensive, because prices are jacked up in the touristy areas. The food there was much better than here in Lille. Amsterdam is famous for their pancakes and french fries.
Anyways, we saw so many things this weekend that I really can't remember them all, but enjoy the pictures!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Day 2
Sorry I wasn't able to post yesterday-- it was very busy.
Yesterday was an orientation day at the university. We took a tour of the university, which consists of 20 different colleges-- kind of crazy. The main building, what is the second picture on my last post, is called the Catho and is where I have most of my classes.
The weather was really nice yesterday, so some friends and I walked down to the park that's right next to the university. The city of Lille was built around canals, and a promenade/park follows the canal. We went to a zoo inside of the park, which was completely free. The zoo is built inside a large citadelle that was built by Louis XIV in the 1600s after he conquered Flanders.
We had a fancy welcoming dinner last night with traditional Flanders food. The food here is terrible. My friends and I only stayed about 5 minutes, then we discretely slipped out the door and went to the equivalent of a Subway. Everyone over here admits that the food is terrible-- the most popular food over here is Domino's Pizza, McDonalds, and Subway. People really do smell over here, too. But I'm having fun, and it's been a great experience so far.
There are more pictures uploaded to this album: http://picasaweb.google.com/TigerColby/Lille?authkey=Gv1sRgCNP0nfjLzdu96wE
(And I let a friend borrow my camera at the zoo-- I was not that fascinated by the turtles....)