Ciao amigos! On my own again, just can't wait to be on my own again... makin' music in my head again, just can't wait to be on my own.. Can you believe my fingers now actually jump to the right keys on this thing! Progress indeed. Oh how the lonely babble. Just jokes... I'm not lonely just alone.. well, now that was a plain lie.
I said Aurevoir to the Wolff's this morning around 9 am and headed on the handy metro to the hostel I had lined up for my cozy first night alone... found it no problem and got a room no problem.. just 20 bucks a night for a room with two bunk beds, a sink, a closet and a snobby ex-patriot around my age who is studying at the Sir Bonne and therefore is my intellectual superior. Not a good way to make friends, Rai. Well, a truth is a truth. I don't need a friend who makes me feel like a mouse. (no offense mousey)
Lucky for me I met a guy in line from Pennysylvania and through him a fella from Colorado who are both totally sound guys. We went to the Musee d'Orsay and took in as many paintings by Degas, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Dhumer, Damier?? and so many more whose names I never studied.. oh yeah.. VanGogh. It was again really cool to see these paintings jump from one slot in my memory, in which they sat on postcards to my current image of them where they belong, surrounded by like images among other works by some masterful creators. I will say there was a lot of it that didn't do it for me, like most of Renoir.. but I guess that's how art is. To each his own. After that (3 hours of that) we went to the carnival and rode the ferris wheel, overlooking all of Paris and then on this adrenalin eride that sent my gut in every direction and had me laughing until the tears were drenching the entire city! It was great, and a nice change from all the kid stuff I've been doing? hmmm. ;)
I'm staying in Paris another day to see Notre Dame, the stain glass windows of the chappel and this art show called "chillida" that is only in town til the 19th of the month.. clued into that one by monsieur Jon Webb of UT! Should be a great visit to modern sculpture... I really want to learn to sculpt and meet Michaelangelo... who has two sculptures in the Louvre which I will also seek out tomorrow. Well, the boys and Paris await.. We're going to the top of the Empire... Eiffel Tower tonight to see the lights of the city that is known for just that. Thanks for all the messages. I will respond.. promise. love and more love. -rai.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Italy - France 2001 (3)
Bon soir! I just walked for ages to find this place, a 24 hr. internet spot just up a bit from the Louvre. It's 11pm and the kids are sleeping so here I am...Unfortunately I won't be the Gertrude Stein that I would so like to be because I only have the option of using these blasted funky keyboards::: in a place as big as this and with so many nationalities here using it, you'd think::::: notice that the colon is in the place of my comma:: sorry.
Well, where did I leave off.. oh yeah; a rushed account of Normandy.. well, that was basically it. The coolest part was the big holes in the ground that looked to me like the wounds of the air raids fromabove.. but as Ted suggested, it could have been where they hid.. I enjoyed the idea that I may actually be standing where they were blowing up the earth at random.
Where we are staying, the Intercontinental on Rue Rivoli...under Wolff... hint hint.. just kidding, but anyway, the majority of the guests are loud; demanding americans.. it's kind of a drag. It's no wonder the concierge is normally ticked off.
Back to the beach... the question is this... the barracks that I saw at Omaha Beach were extensive tos ay the least... but these barracks sat atop huge cliffs... why the Americans' success at surmounting such cliffs and domintating is such a heroic feat in the history of the war... ahem, history buff?.. oh my question: Why did they have such a big chillin' spot, a place they didn't expect to be hit, so decked out with the right equipment with which to battle the enemy? Precautionary? Well then, smart thinking Germs! But, why? In their barracks by the way, I climbed around in their underground portals and checked out their living situation. A little damp for my liking.
Well, the letter M key is really throwing me for a backspace!
We went from d-day to Paris. An unpleasant change. I was quite liking the foggy beaches and the horse hotel... and the horse hotel's server. Eye Candy. ;) Don't get me wrong, Paris is great but the Wolff's have been here 5 times prior, each, and so their day consists soley of shopping. I go along gladly and help out with the kids... of course. It's fun to carry baby Charlotte in the baby bjorn in front of me and get all these pitiful looks from people who think I'm too young. And it's fun taking compliments on her too! But, the shopping thing just ain't me. I am itching to be a subtle tourist and I know that when they leave, I'll be on the next train cause I can't afford or tolerate being here too much longer, especially on my own. I see so many girls and guys livin' and laughin' it up with each other; goin to bars at 10p when I'm goin to bed and I think to myself... where the hell are my friends and why have they not taken me up on the invite to come play for awhile. You just have to budget for a trip like this... and it's ok to do it after the trip has already happened! Oh well. I know you all have work, bills, other trips.. I'm just trying to make the idea of it seem super feasible, cause it really is! Look at me. Broke and livin' it down in Paris. What's my point again? Oh yeah, shoppin'... well, what's worse than the shoppin in lieu of site seeing is that they are quite unimpressed with much of the art all about.. sculptures don't even turn their heads... not that there is anything really wrong with that but I never want to be unimpressed. I always want my eyes to be as wide as they have been here in Europe and I always want my head to turn at mock speed when I pass random art in a window or plaza.
While I'm flailing along about appreciating art, I should mention that I went to the Picasso museum today... while the others waited in a nearby park. It was great! That dude was creative in so many ways. He tried it all... sculpture in bronze and wood, painting, multimedia, photos, sketching, and more, plus in this museum were some of his own private collection from friends: Cezanne, Matisse, and other names I forget. I want to come home (wherever that is) and try some of the stuff he did with random pieces of material pasted about to create his own version of a cool guitar (common image in his works)or a figure in the nude, of course. Books are my absolute weakness! I have the heaviest pack in the world and that's after sending some stuff home with the Wolfe's and yet what do I do::: buybooks. I bought a book on Picasso by Gertrude Stein, the Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller and an anthology by Anais Ninn. Those two go hand in hand of course. And only three pages in and I know why Tropic ofCancer was banned in the US and UK for some time.
The book I'm reading right now is The Agony and the Ecstacy by Irving Stone... the fictional biography of Michaelangelo that was highly recommended to me by Tim and Susan Wolfe and I do definitely know why! It is the best book I've read in a long time and I'm only on the 250th page or so of 800. I further recommend it to all of you, especially those who have been to Italy or plan to go! I feel intimate with Michaelangelo now, and especially because when it describes him crossing the Ponte Santa Trinita to get to the Piazza Santo Spirito I can imagine every step he took as I took those exact steps at least twice when I was there. I am overly anxious for the rewarding part of the book when Stone talks about my Michaelangelo releasing David.
Well, we still have two days here before the fam strands me all alone in the city of light! Then I'll see the stuff I so want to see before bailing for good to climb in Fontainbleu and then do whatever. I think I changed my mind about where to go next. Climbing is for me too, Doug H, something I do because I love to be with friends, doing something that feels good to my body, mind, spirit. If I have to take a break from it because to do otherwise would take the fun from it then so be it.. I am, not giving up on climbing all together, in fact, I plan to contact an older Italian that bought Susan and I beers after a climb in the Dolomites and see if he'll meet me in Finale, Italy...and then I'll still meet Doug in Nice if he's down with it... but the in between plan is to go from Fontainbleu to Interlakin in Switzerland to Finale to the Verdon to Madrid to Lagos (S. Portugal) and backto Nice to meet Doug and go to Sardegna. I'm sure any of that will change and due to the time left, I will not stay long in each place. Just enough to taste them all and know I didn't leave without knowing where to return.
I am only asking once more... who is coming to travel with me?
Well, where did I leave off.. oh yeah; a rushed account of Normandy.. well, that was basically it. The coolest part was the big holes in the ground that looked to me like the wounds of the air raids fromabove.. but as Ted suggested, it could have been where they hid.. I enjoyed the idea that I may actually be standing where they were blowing up the earth at random.
Where we are staying, the Intercontinental on Rue Rivoli...under Wolff... hint hint.. just kidding, but anyway, the majority of the guests are loud; demanding americans.. it's kind of a drag. It's no wonder the concierge is normally ticked off.
Back to the beach... the question is this... the barracks that I saw at Omaha Beach were extensive tos ay the least... but these barracks sat atop huge cliffs... why the Americans' success at surmounting such cliffs and domintating is such a heroic feat in the history of the war... ahem, history buff?.. oh my question: Why did they have such a big chillin' spot, a place they didn't expect to be hit, so decked out with the right equipment with which to battle the enemy? Precautionary? Well then, smart thinking Germs! But, why? In their barracks by the way, I climbed around in their underground portals and checked out their living situation. A little damp for my liking.
Well, the letter M key is really throwing me for a backspace!
We went from d-day to Paris. An unpleasant change. I was quite liking the foggy beaches and the horse hotel... and the horse hotel's server. Eye Candy. ;) Don't get me wrong, Paris is great but the Wolff's have been here 5 times prior, each, and so their day consists soley of shopping. I go along gladly and help out with the kids... of course. It's fun to carry baby Charlotte in the baby bjorn in front of me and get all these pitiful looks from people who think I'm too young. And it's fun taking compliments on her too! But, the shopping thing just ain't me. I am itching to be a subtle tourist and I know that when they leave, I'll be on the next train cause I can't afford or tolerate being here too much longer, especially on my own. I see so many girls and guys livin' and laughin' it up with each other; goin to bars at 10p when I'm goin to bed and I think to myself... where the hell are my friends and why have they not taken me up on the invite to come play for awhile. You just have to budget for a trip like this... and it's ok to do it after the trip has already happened! Oh well. I know you all have work, bills, other trips.. I'm just trying to make the idea of it seem super feasible, cause it really is! Look at me. Broke and livin' it down in Paris. What's my point again? Oh yeah, shoppin'... well, what's worse than the shoppin in lieu of site seeing is that they are quite unimpressed with much of the art all about.. sculptures don't even turn their heads... not that there is anything really wrong with that but I never want to be unimpressed. I always want my eyes to be as wide as they have been here in Europe and I always want my head to turn at mock speed when I pass random art in a window or plaza.
While I'm flailing along about appreciating art, I should mention that I went to the Picasso museum today... while the others waited in a nearby park. It was great! That dude was creative in so many ways. He tried it all... sculpture in bronze and wood, painting, multimedia, photos, sketching, and more, plus in this museum were some of his own private collection from friends: Cezanne, Matisse, and other names I forget. I want to come home (wherever that is) and try some of the stuff he did with random pieces of material pasted about to create his own version of a cool guitar (common image in his works)or a figure in the nude, of course. Books are my absolute weakness! I have the heaviest pack in the world and that's after sending some stuff home with the Wolfe's and yet what do I do::: buybooks. I bought a book on Picasso by Gertrude Stein, the Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller and an anthology by Anais Ninn. Those two go hand in hand of course. And only three pages in and I know why Tropic ofCancer was banned in the US and UK for some time.
The book I'm reading right now is The Agony and the Ecstacy by Irving Stone... the fictional biography of Michaelangelo that was highly recommended to me by Tim and Susan Wolfe and I do definitely know why! It is the best book I've read in a long time and I'm only on the 250th page or so of 800. I further recommend it to all of you, especially those who have been to Italy or plan to go! I feel intimate with Michaelangelo now, and especially because when it describes him crossing the Ponte Santa Trinita to get to the Piazza Santo Spirito I can imagine every step he took as I took those exact steps at least twice when I was there. I am overly anxious for the rewarding part of the book when Stone talks about my Michaelangelo releasing David.
Well, we still have two days here before the fam strands me all alone in the city of light! Then I'll see the stuff I so want to see before bailing for good to climb in Fontainbleu and then do whatever. I think I changed my mind about where to go next. Climbing is for me too, Doug H, something I do because I love to be with friends, doing something that feels good to my body, mind, spirit. If I have to take a break from it because to do otherwise would take the fun from it then so be it.. I am, not giving up on climbing all together, in fact, I plan to contact an older Italian that bought Susan and I beers after a climb in the Dolomites and see if he'll meet me in Finale, Italy...and then I'll still meet Doug in Nice if he's down with it... but the in between plan is to go from Fontainbleu to Interlakin in Switzerland to Finale to the Verdon to Madrid to Lagos (S. Portugal) and backto Nice to meet Doug and go to Sardegna. I'm sure any of that will change and due to the time left, I will not stay long in each place. Just enough to taste them all and know I didn't leave without knowing where to return.
I am only asking once more... who is coming to travel with me?
Italy - France 2001 (2)
Look! I'm back in your lives, just when you thought you were rid of me!! I am so excited that I can't spell! My cheeks are rosy and my toes are numb! It's so great to have a good internet cafe, let alone the fact that it lies peacefully in a side street of Paris! Yup. I made it to Paris. But let's go back,go back, go back to where we were... Who can tell me what that's from..?? Yup, Blue's Clues. I've become a fan, due to the fact that I read a Blue's Clues book to Graham every day, at least thrice and I hear Blue's Treasure CD at least twice.. We're all lookin' for Blue's Clues, We're all looking for Blue's Clues...
Going back to the irritating internet cafe.. sorry. I was in Apt at that time which is a little town (compared to Paris, but big compared to its neighbors)in Provence, which is the region of southern France which includes Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, etc. I may have mentioned that the town we were in was so small, that the only amenities were the post office and the bar, so we got out of there every day to explore the surrounding towns. All of the towns in this area sit hgh on hill tops, ususally with the Church holding the highest spot of land on the hill/mountain. From the church, the roads spiral downward, usually only big enough for one small car at a time and often not allowing any cars. The climate was a bit oppressive with intolerable heat and very dry air. There was little green to be seen but somehow tons of olive, grape, pear and apple orchards. We just barely missed the harvest of the lavendar which is one thing that the whole area is know for. From what I saw in the postcards all over town, the lavendar just fills the fields in rows of living moving purples! On top of that they have tons of Sunflower fields too, but again, we missed that season so the only sunflowers we saw were drying. If anyone decides to come, do it just a tad sooner than I did... maybe late July. The great thing was the pool at our little house. We swam each afternoon. They didn't use chlorine in the pool, but rather salt water so it was like swimming in the ocean... uh, kinda? I had my own room there too which is a far cry from what I have now.. fill ya in later. But anyway.. one last thing about our place, we were visited twice by scorpions! I almost stepped right on one by accident.. Of course he backed into me with his tail in my face ready to pounce. I got out unscathed which is more than I can say for him after Ted got hold of him. He was about an inch long.. you were picturing a monster, weren't you? Well, if you want an adventurous monster story, stay tuned..
So there I was... jogging! God, it hurt. I thought for sure the hiking shape I was in from the Dolomites would transfer to some good running shape.. Uh, I was really wrong. I started running around 9am but the sun was already killing me! The road was mostly flat and I was barey above sea level... but my lungs were not working. Then I remembered that I had been ignoring a cough that tried to move in for the last few days, so I was just sick, right? Whatever. I've never been able to run like my dad, how come!! Anyway, I ran for a while, cursing the damn chore of it then started to do a walk run walk run thing cause I remember my friend Jason Sterner saying that was the way to get farther in your running shape without getting burned out on it all together nor killing yourself in the process. So, I'm cruising, not really, along and I decide to take a detour on a cute little street to take in the scenery while I'm flailing. Somehow over the thunderous sound of my rapid footsteps I hear something in the forest next to me and I pause for a minute.. then I hear it again. It sounds like it's some kind of large animal and I'm thinking what could it possibly be in these parts.. so I venture into the long dry grass and walk right up to the border of the woods, grasshoppers sticking to my sweaty arms, legs and face... I felt like I was going back in time to some bible story... Then I heard itagin.. it moved a step for every one of my steps, so I started to think I was the one being watched. I really felt like the crocodile hunter... I wanted so badly to see it so I could say, "esn't shay uh beeootay." I went for one last scuffle with my foot to stir up the critter and get it to move into my scant view through the scrub oak... and just as Idid... out of nowhere came this thing running at mock speed from under my feet! It was green and speedy, chubby like a gunnea pig and without a tail but it wasn't furry! I ran the other way just as fast and took off for the house! I bet you thought I was going to get attacked by some big beast of Provence, eh? Well, not so interesting, but my heart was beating a hole in my chest when I saw that green thing!
Well, you take climbing out of my adventure and may be my life isn't that exciting anymore...?? No. It's still kickin' bootay! From Provence we took a speedy double decker train to Paris. Unfortunately, there was no room for me to sit with the family, so I had to go sit all by my lonesome on another train with no way to go from my car to theirs... ok, I was elated! I got to dive into my book for a whole two hours uninterupted. Graham usually doesn't let that happen, not even at three in the morning! When we got to Paris, we hopped right into a rental car and drove most of the way to the beaches of Normandy, stopping short at our hotel to settle in for the night. The hotel was amazing. It was called the Chevotel and is both a fancy fancy hotel and a place for people to breed horses with the best of the best. I guess they called it a stud farm... and yes, our server for the dinners and breakfasts was a stud! Oh, yeah.. the hotel. So, in one pasture were ten female horses each with their little babies right by their sides. I only saw one male horse and he was indeed a beauty. The hotel was so classy. It had this great big yard with a pond, swans and some rare duckies, a playground (thank god) and of course tons of horse corrals. Breakfast each morning was spent on the patio with a classy buffet of good foods.
So, from the hotel the next day we headed for the beaches of Normandy. On the way we stopped at a museum to educate ourselves a bit on the whole WWII thing.. yes, confirmed.. WWII. The museum was an overall historical collection from all the various battles, relics from the days, imagesof the holocaust to old videos of air raids and much more. This trip from Italy to here is definitely making me a history buff which is just too ironic considering my fifteen year old mind could do nothing but chastise my hostory teachers, making fun of Mrs. Smalls for always scratching her nappy head with a pencil, etc... Now I'm craving asylum in a library for several years to catch up and learn everything I can! After the museum, we went to the American Cemetary at Omaha beach. It was very reminicent of Arlington.. Way too many white limestone crosses placed perfectly symmetrically in rows... mostly crosses with several stars of David scattered throughout.. the only names I saw that belonged to any of you were... Webb, Kraus and Smith...
Well, the family is waiting for me, having finished their lunch nearby so I have to run and I will contintue later... Basically we went to Omaha beach, saw the old barracks, the bombed earth..or were they hiding bunkers...?? looked more like bombs to me.. Then we came to Paris where we aren ow, staying in the Intercontinental, around the bend from the Ritz where Princess Di spent her last night..and right on the other side of the block from that fancy shopping street! ok.. au revoir.. or somethinglike that. Ciao is so much sleeker. love, loyaltyand friendship.. -rai
Going back to the irritating internet cafe.. sorry. I was in Apt at that time which is a little town (compared to Paris, but big compared to its neighbors)in Provence, which is the region of southern France which includes Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, etc. I may have mentioned that the town we were in was so small, that the only amenities were the post office and the bar, so we got out of there every day to explore the surrounding towns. All of the towns in this area sit hgh on hill tops, ususally with the Church holding the highest spot of land on the hill/mountain. From the church, the roads spiral downward, usually only big enough for one small car at a time and often not allowing any cars. The climate was a bit oppressive with intolerable heat and very dry air. There was little green to be seen but somehow tons of olive, grape, pear and apple orchards. We just barely missed the harvest of the lavendar which is one thing that the whole area is know for. From what I saw in the postcards all over town, the lavendar just fills the fields in rows of living moving purples! On top of that they have tons of Sunflower fields too, but again, we missed that season so the only sunflowers we saw were drying. If anyone decides to come, do it just a tad sooner than I did... maybe late July. The great thing was the pool at our little house. We swam each afternoon. They didn't use chlorine in the pool, but rather salt water so it was like swimming in the ocean... uh, kinda? I had my own room there too which is a far cry from what I have now.. fill ya in later. But anyway.. one last thing about our place, we were visited twice by scorpions! I almost stepped right on one by accident.. Of course he backed into me with his tail in my face ready to pounce. I got out unscathed which is more than I can say for him after Ted got hold of him. He was about an inch long.. you were picturing a monster, weren't you? Well, if you want an adventurous monster story, stay tuned..
So there I was... jogging! God, it hurt. I thought for sure the hiking shape I was in from the Dolomites would transfer to some good running shape.. Uh, I was really wrong. I started running around 9am but the sun was already killing me! The road was mostly flat and I was barey above sea level... but my lungs were not working. Then I remembered that I had been ignoring a cough that tried to move in for the last few days, so I was just sick, right? Whatever. I've never been able to run like my dad, how come!! Anyway, I ran for a while, cursing the damn chore of it then started to do a walk run walk run thing cause I remember my friend Jason Sterner saying that was the way to get farther in your running shape without getting burned out on it all together nor killing yourself in the process. So, I'm cruising, not really, along and I decide to take a detour on a cute little street to take in the scenery while I'm flailing. Somehow over the thunderous sound of my rapid footsteps I hear something in the forest next to me and I pause for a minute.. then I hear it again. It sounds like it's some kind of large animal and I'm thinking what could it possibly be in these parts.. so I venture into the long dry grass and walk right up to the border of the woods, grasshoppers sticking to my sweaty arms, legs and face... I felt like I was going back in time to some bible story... Then I heard itagin.. it moved a step for every one of my steps, so I started to think I was the one being watched. I really felt like the crocodile hunter... I wanted so badly to see it so I could say, "esn't shay uh beeootay." I went for one last scuffle with my foot to stir up the critter and get it to move into my scant view through the scrub oak... and just as Idid... out of nowhere came this thing running at mock speed from under my feet! It was green and speedy, chubby like a gunnea pig and without a tail but it wasn't furry! I ran the other way just as fast and took off for the house! I bet you thought I was going to get attacked by some big beast of Provence, eh? Well, not so interesting, but my heart was beating a hole in my chest when I saw that green thing!
Well, you take climbing out of my adventure and may be my life isn't that exciting anymore...?? No. It's still kickin' bootay! From Provence we took a speedy double decker train to Paris. Unfortunately, there was no room for me to sit with the family, so I had to go sit all by my lonesome on another train with no way to go from my car to theirs... ok, I was elated! I got to dive into my book for a whole two hours uninterupted. Graham usually doesn't let that happen, not even at three in the morning! When we got to Paris, we hopped right into a rental car and drove most of the way to the beaches of Normandy, stopping short at our hotel to settle in for the night. The hotel was amazing. It was called the Chevotel and is both a fancy fancy hotel and a place for people to breed horses with the best of the best. I guess they called it a stud farm... and yes, our server for the dinners and breakfasts was a stud! Oh, yeah.. the hotel. So, in one pasture were ten female horses each with their little babies right by their sides. I only saw one male horse and he was indeed a beauty. The hotel was so classy. It had this great big yard with a pond, swans and some rare duckies, a playground (thank god) and of course tons of horse corrals. Breakfast each morning was spent on the patio with a classy buffet of good foods.
So, from the hotel the next day we headed for the beaches of Normandy. On the way we stopped at a museum to educate ourselves a bit on the whole WWII thing.. yes, confirmed.. WWII. The museum was an overall historical collection from all the various battles, relics from the days, imagesof the holocaust to old videos of air raids and much more. This trip from Italy to here is definitely making me a history buff which is just too ironic considering my fifteen year old mind could do nothing but chastise my hostory teachers, making fun of Mrs. Smalls for always scratching her nappy head with a pencil, etc... Now I'm craving asylum in a library for several years to catch up and learn everything I can! After the museum, we went to the American Cemetary at Omaha beach. It was very reminicent of Arlington.. Way too many white limestone crosses placed perfectly symmetrically in rows... mostly crosses with several stars of David scattered throughout.. the only names I saw that belonged to any of you were... Webb, Kraus and Smith...
Well, the family is waiting for me, having finished their lunch nearby so I have to run and I will contintue later... Basically we went to Omaha beach, saw the old barracks, the bombed earth..or were they hiding bunkers...?? looked more like bombs to me.. Then we came to Paris where we aren ow, staying in the Intercontinental, around the bend from the Ritz where Princess Di spent her last night..and right on the other side of the block from that fancy shopping street! ok.. au revoir.. or somethinglike that. Ciao is so much sleeker. love, loyaltyand friendship.. -rai
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