We got to hour hotel in Avignon, France at 10pm.
We set our alarms for 4:45 am so Matt and I could shower and pack.
At 5:45am, we checked out of the hotel.
At 6am, we took a taxi to the train station.
We caught a 6:30 train. Matt got off in Leon, I rode a total of 3 1/2 hours over to Paris. I got off the train at the airport.
Once I made it to the airport, I used their shuttle system to navigate from the airport train station to the airport terminal.
I waited through endless security checks at the Paris airport due to some sort of "security incident" that had me waiting in passport and security lines for nearly two hours.
I flew 8 1/2 hours to Washington.
I cleared customs in Washington, had to re-check my bag and go through security again.
I sat through a two hour layover.
I boarded another plane and flew 3 1/2 hours to Denver.
I landed in Denver, got my bag, and walked to the car in the back of the long-term parking lot.
I drove home for an hour.
I got backed up an extra 30 mins in a construction-related traffic jam on the way home.
I FINALLY made it home at 10pm.
That's over 24 straight hours of travel to get home from Avignon, France. I don't think I need to see another airport again for quite a while. I love to be a tourist, but the process of getting from one place to another is pretty darn exhausting.
Must sleep. Blog later.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sacrebleu!
We came back from dinner tonight, and something was different in our hotel room. Our bed had been made, the garbage had been emptied, and.... How do I say this delicately?
It reeked.
It was seriously smelly. Like sewage. We looked around and became convinced that someone from the hotel had come into the room to turn down the bed, but then had taken a gigantic poop in our bathroom right before we got home.
It seemed impossible, but the lingering aromatic evidence was irrefutable. Then, it hit us.
THE CHEESE!
We had left the camembert out on the table. It had funked up the entire room, big time. No Bathroom Bandit. Just cheese.
Cue laughter.
It reeked.
It was seriously smelly. Like sewage. We looked around and became convinced that someone from the hotel had come into the room to turn down the bed, but then had taken a gigantic poop in our bathroom right before we got home.
It seemed impossible, but the lingering aromatic evidence was irrefutable. Then, it hit us.
THE CHEESE!
We had left the camembert out on the table. It had funked up the entire room, big time. No Bathroom Bandit. Just cheese.
Cue laughter.
Exploring Reims
Matt and I arrived in Reims last night, and took the long walk from our hotel to the center of town. It was a beautiful, warm night, and the city was very quiet. Most of the shops and restaurants are closed in Reims on Sunday, and the people that were out walking around the city center were there just to relax, stroll, lounge around, and talk. It was a very charming welcome to the city.
Reims is beautiful... It's bigger than I expected, and amazingly picturesque. There are quaint little botiques and cafes, and much of the city center is pedestrian-only. There is a wonderful grand opera house, many lovely and ancient buildings, and a cathedral more beautiful than any other I've seen.
While Matt was at his conference in Reims today, I had a really lovely day walking around and exploring the town. Photographic evidence to follow:
Reims is beautiful... It's bigger than I expected, and amazingly picturesque. There are quaint little botiques and cafes, and much of the city center is pedestrian-only. There is a wonderful grand opera house, many lovely and ancient buildings, and a cathedral more beautiful than any other I've seen.
While Matt was at his conference in Reims today, I had a really lovely day walking around and exploring the town. Photographic evidence to follow:
Reims is most famous for its champagne vineyards. Accordingly, we've had quite a bit of champagne during our stay. There are many different types from many different vineyards, and everything we've tried has been absolutely delicious. As I sit in our hotel writing this blog entry, I'm sipping from a bottle of "Charles de Cazanove Brut Azur" and cutting off big hunks of camembert. Pretty darn perfect.
The surprise of the day is that Matt is being asked to attend a meeting in the south of France on Wednesday, so we have to cut our stay in Reims tragically short and instead head three hours on the train down to Avignon. We'll stay in Avignon on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then it's home to the states on Thursday.
I don't know anything at all about Avignon, so it's going to be quite an adventure! Looking forward to exploring a bit more of France, though. So far, I'm really loving it here.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Shadow of the Eiffel Tower
Before we left Paris today, I asked Matt to take me to the Eiffel Tower. I saw it the last time we were there, but only from an open-top bus. I wanted to get a chance to actually walk under the tower and see it up close.
It's really magnificent. It's hard to do justice in words to the sheer magnatude of the Eiffel Tower. There's just something kind of awe-inspiring about it. Even though the long Metro ride and the walk in the hot sun was a little exhausting, it was worth it to be nose-to-nose with such an icon. We took the obligatory tourist shots, of course.
It was a good day, but a long day of city walking. Sunday is a very crowded day in Paris, too. There are several outdoor markets that open up on Sunday, and it seemed as if everyone in the city was out for a walk. Compared to Saturday, there seemed to be twice as many people out on Sunday. So, I enjoyed our last day in Paris, but by the time we hopped the train to Reims I was pretty much beat.
I'm looking forward to getting some sleep, and waking up refreshed and ready to explore the town.
It's really magnificent. It's hard to do justice in words to the sheer magnatude of the Eiffel Tower. There's just something kind of awe-inspiring about it. Even though the long Metro ride and the walk in the hot sun was a little exhausting, it was worth it to be nose-to-nose with such an icon. We took the obligatory tourist shots, of course.
It was a good day, but a long day of city walking. Sunday is a very crowded day in Paris, too. There are several outdoor markets that open up on Sunday, and it seemed as if everyone in the city was out for a walk. Compared to Saturday, there seemed to be twice as many people out on Sunday. So, I enjoyed our last day in Paris, but by the time we hopped the train to Reims I was pretty much beat.
I'm looking forward to getting some sleep, and waking up refreshed and ready to explore the town.
Twilight in Paris
That song was totally stuck in my brain as Matt and I wandered around Paris Saturday evening. It was such a beautiful night. We walked from our hotel to Notre Dame, and down the Seine. Pictures? Oh, we got em!
Saturday at The Fleas
Matt and I had an amazing Saturday. We spent most of the day at Les Puces (The Fleas) looking at all of the amazing, weird, and beautiful antiques that were laid out at the weekly market. It was a very relaxed, Parasian kind of day. The weather was beautiful, we were in no hurry, and just strolled along the venue drinking it all in.
The Fleas is an absolute labrynth of winding streets, alleys, and dark passageways. It's pedestrian only, and not clearly mapped out. The effect is that you basically choose an alley and start wandering back and fourth, round and round, getting lost, re-orienting yourself, discovering nooks and crannies you never knew existed, then.... Poof! Three hours have passed.
These are snaps of the basic layout of a typical Fleas passage:
It's hard to explain, but trust me... It was cool. The sheer volume of merchandise this woman had boggled my mind. And that it was *all* catalogued, differentiated, and shelved according to category was amazing to me. Even Matt had to give her props.
2) a disarticulated (or "exploded") human skull
3) a box of assorted human bones
4) a taxidermied ostrich
5) an actual mummy
6) terrifying dental drills from the turn of the century
Oh... I could go on. But pictures are way more fun!
After that, we went back to our hotel and strolled around a bit. I loved the unhurried pace of the day. It made me fall in love with Paris even more.
The Fleas is an absolute labrynth of winding streets, alleys, and dark passageways. It's pedestrian only, and not clearly mapped out. The effect is that you basically choose an alley and start wandering back and fourth, round and round, getting lost, re-orienting yourself, discovering nooks and crannies you never knew existed, then.... Poof! Three hours have passed.
These are snaps of the basic layout of a typical Fleas passage:
Many are like small garages. Twice a week, the vendors throw open the garage door and let passers-by peek at the treasures they've collected. It's not like an American flea market, though, where every booth is a hodge podge of all kinds of disconnected collectables piled in disorganized heaps. Here, everything is delightfully (almost obsessively) organized. For example, the next two pictures are of my favorite vendor's shop. She was amazingly organized, down to the most minute detail. Everything that could be classified as a certain "type" of collectable was put in the same area of the store, then sorted into clear plastic boxes that divided them further by color, size, or shape. For example, there was a wall with a glass case at least ten feet tall. In the case were hundreds of clear plastic boxes, all numbered. Each box contained a different type of vintage brooch or pin. There was one box for fish pins, one for geometric pins, one for astrological-themed pins, etc. All you had to do was look at an alphabetical chart that comprehensively listed the categories of pins that they had been sorted into, then check the corresponding box number.
It's hard to explain, but trust me... It was cool. The sheer volume of merchandise this woman had boggled my mind. And that it was *all* catalogued, differentiated, and shelved according to category was amazing to me. Even Matt had to give her props.
Although not all booths are that obsessively organized, most of the booths seems to be organized around a specific theme or obsession. There are booths devoted only to nautical antiques, booths devoted only to mid-century modern chairs, booths devoted to medical oddities, to taxidermy... You name the obsession, there's probably a booth for it. It's almost like throwing those garage doors open was like throwing open a window into the owner's soul... You could see their obsessions, what they loved, what makes them tick. It was really fascinating.
I saw quite a few things at The Fleas that were so odd, they blew my mind a little. Here's a sample of a few of the things we looked at:
1) a desk made from an airplane wing2) a disarticulated (or "exploded") human skull
3) a box of assorted human bones
4) a taxidermied ostrich
5) an actual mummy
6) terrifying dental drills from the turn of the century
Oh... I could go on. But pictures are way more fun!
Afterwards, Matt and I had an amazing, leisurely lunch. We ate the best escargot I've ever eaten in my life, leek and potato soup, and a shaved parmesan salad. Everyone was nice and friendly, the sun was shining... It was magic!
After that, we went back to our hotel and strolled around a bit. I loved the unhurried pace of the day. It made me fall in love with Paris even more.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Evening in Paris
It was a very long day of travel as we dragged our suitcases on the train from Lund to Copenhagen, hopped on an airplane to Paris, and squeezed ourselves into three shockingly crowded Metro trains during Friday night Parisian rush hour. On the last train, there wasn't an inch of my body that wasn't pressed up against a stranger. It was a tight, sardine-like squeeze, but we made it.
We're here in Paris, and it couldn't be more lovely. The weather is absolutely beautiful, mid sixties, clear skies and a light breeze. After checking in to our hotel and dropping our bags off (which I hated the sight of after being weighed down by them in the Metro), we changed out of our travel clothes and walked around Le Marais. We had a leisurely dinner with French wine, and capped it off with a plate of cheese and a creme brluee. Afterwards, we strolled around the neigborhood and peeked into the windows of the quirky little shops on the winding Paris streets.
We're back at the hotel now, exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow... Who knows? Maybe the Picasso Museum and the Eiffel Tower?
It's good to be in Paris. It's such a lovely city.
We're here in Paris, and it couldn't be more lovely. The weather is absolutely beautiful, mid sixties, clear skies and a light breeze. After checking in to our hotel and dropping our bags off (which I hated the sight of after being weighed down by them in the Metro), we changed out of our travel clothes and walked around Le Marais. We had a leisurely dinner with French wine, and capped it off with a plate of cheese and a creme brluee. Afterwards, we strolled around the neigborhood and peeked into the windows of the quirky little shops on the winding Paris streets.
We're back at the hotel now, exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow... Who knows? Maybe the Picasso Museum and the Eiffel Tower?
It's good to be in Paris. It's such a lovely city.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Afternoon in Malmo
Wednesday, it was gloomy, cold, and rainy in this part of Sweden. I had the entire day to myself, since Matt was busy at his conference. Since I had already spent quite a bit of time exploring the streets of Lund, I decided to take the train to the nearby city of Malmo.
The train itself was an adventure. Unlike Copenhagen, none of the signs at the station are in English (the ticket I bought at an automated kiosk was also in Swedish), so it took a leap of faith to trust that I was navigating myself to the right track and the right train. With the help of a few kindly strangers, I made it to Malmo just fine. (Yay me!)
Once there, I walked around some of the major pedestrian areas including a very old and picturesque part of the city called “Lillet Torg” (or little square). Malmo is much bigger than Lund, and the town felt more like a big city…Lots of movement and action, tall buildings, etc. I took myself to the “Form/Design” museum which was a really quirky three-story museum dedicated to showcasing artistic or unusual Swedish design innovations. They had a candy necklace that was ten feet tall, chairs made out of eggshells, clogs made of brightly-colored clear plastic, and a great many bizarre sculptures, textiles, and housewares. It was a lot of fun.
Afterward, I sat down for yet another weird meal of smoked salmon pasta with lobster sauce. I sat outside on Lillet Torg, and read “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” on my Kindle. (The books is set in Sweden, so it seemed appropriate.) Malmo is on a small river, and my guess is that in the wintertime it gets bitterly cold. When I was there in the afternoon, the sun ducked behind a cloud and the temperature immediately dropped. The waiters at the café bustled out with small fleece blankets for all of the customers on the terrace, as if this sort of thing was pretty par for the course. I happily took one, bundled up, and enjoyed some time people watching in the square before heading home to our hotel in Lund.
It was a good day. I really like wandering around a city on my lonesome, and ended the day feeling independent and content.
On a loosely-related note:
Something I’ve learned from my wanderings around Sweden is that this is a very pricy place to visit. Sweden is hand down the most expensive place I've ever traveled. It's more expensive than London. More expensive than Paris. It's really overwhelmingly expensive. For example, the average price of a beer is about $10 dollars. A Pepsi is $5. A candy bar is $2.50. It's impossible to find dinner at any place other than a street food cart for less than $30 a person. Dinner in our hotel is $60 a person. I've been wandering around Malmo and Lund looking at boutiques and souvenir shops, but everything seems about twice as expensive as what I'm used to in the US. It's not like we're in some sort of fancy town or exclusive boutique area. We're not. Lund is a very quaint, regular town. It's just, compared to the US, things are really expensive. I'm still having a lot of fun walking around the town, drinking coffee in cafes, and reading my Kindle. Anything other than window shopping is just off the agenda.
It makes me feel very lucky to get the chance to visit Sweden. It the kind of place that unless we were travelling for Matt's job, we would likely never visit. Quite simply, we couldn't afford it. And even if we could, we'd probably end up spending the money travelling somewhere where our dollar could be stretched a little further. With Matt’s company footing the bill for the airfare, the hotel, the taxis, the trains, and half of the meals, it’s really the only thing that opened Sweden up to us. I often hate that Matt has to travel for work so much, but every now and then something like this happens that makes it all seem (mostly) worthwhile. It’s a real perk, at least. And even though the town is sleepy and expensive, it’s also very charming. They have cobbled streets, friendly faces, a passion for bicycles, knitwear, and killer sushi. Everyone here is amazingly, awe-inspiringly multi-lingual. Without this trip, I wouldn’t have known that (or anything) about Sweden. Now, I feel like I’ve learned something about a part of the world that used to be completely off my radar.
That’s what travel should be all about, right?
As we get ready to pack up and move from Sweden to Paris, I’m looking back on this leg of the trip with affection, happy to have the chance to see this part of the world.
I am missing Frankie quite a bit, though. She told me today that being away from me was “the hardest thing she ever had to do,” which broke my heart a little. I hope she’s enjoying her time with Grandma Jo, though, and that she’ll forgive me for skipping out on her for so long.
The train itself was an adventure. Unlike Copenhagen, none of the signs at the station are in English (the ticket I bought at an automated kiosk was also in Swedish), so it took a leap of faith to trust that I was navigating myself to the right track and the right train. With the help of a few kindly strangers, I made it to Malmo just fine. (Yay me!)
Once there, I walked around some of the major pedestrian areas including a very old and picturesque part of the city called “Lillet Torg” (or little square). Malmo is much bigger than Lund, and the town felt more like a big city…Lots of movement and action, tall buildings, etc. I took myself to the “Form/Design” museum which was a really quirky three-story museum dedicated to showcasing artistic or unusual Swedish design innovations. They had a candy necklace that was ten feet tall, chairs made out of eggshells, clogs made of brightly-colored clear plastic, and a great many bizarre sculptures, textiles, and housewares. It was a lot of fun.
Afterward, I sat down for yet another weird meal of smoked salmon pasta with lobster sauce. I sat outside on Lillet Torg, and read “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” on my Kindle. (The books is set in Sweden, so it seemed appropriate.) Malmo is on a small river, and my guess is that in the wintertime it gets bitterly cold. When I was there in the afternoon, the sun ducked behind a cloud and the temperature immediately dropped. The waiters at the café bustled out with small fleece blankets for all of the customers on the terrace, as if this sort of thing was pretty par for the course. I happily took one, bundled up, and enjoyed some time people watching in the square before heading home to our hotel in Lund.
It was a good day. I really like wandering around a city on my lonesome, and ended the day feeling independent and content.
Malmo
On a loosely-related note:
Something I’ve learned from my wanderings around Sweden is that this is a very pricy place to visit. Sweden is hand down the most expensive place I've ever traveled. It's more expensive than London. More expensive than Paris. It's really overwhelmingly expensive. For example, the average price of a beer is about $10 dollars. A Pepsi is $5. A candy bar is $2.50. It's impossible to find dinner at any place other than a street food cart for less than $30 a person. Dinner in our hotel is $60 a person. I've been wandering around Malmo and Lund looking at boutiques and souvenir shops, but everything seems about twice as expensive as what I'm used to in the US. It's not like we're in some sort of fancy town or exclusive boutique area. We're not. Lund is a very quaint, regular town. It's just, compared to the US, things are really expensive. I'm still having a lot of fun walking around the town, drinking coffee in cafes, and reading my Kindle. Anything other than window shopping is just off the agenda.
It makes me feel very lucky to get the chance to visit Sweden. It the kind of place that unless we were travelling for Matt's job, we would likely never visit. Quite simply, we couldn't afford it. And even if we could, we'd probably end up spending the money travelling somewhere where our dollar could be stretched a little further. With Matt’s company footing the bill for the airfare, the hotel, the taxis, the trains, and half of the meals, it’s really the only thing that opened Sweden up to us. I often hate that Matt has to travel for work so much, but every now and then something like this happens that makes it all seem (mostly) worthwhile. It’s a real perk, at least. And even though the town is sleepy and expensive, it’s also very charming. They have cobbled streets, friendly faces, a passion for bicycles, knitwear, and killer sushi. Everyone here is amazingly, awe-inspiringly multi-lingual. Without this trip, I wouldn’t have known that (or anything) about Sweden. Now, I feel like I’ve learned something about a part of the world that used to be completely off my radar.
That’s what travel should be all about, right?
As we get ready to pack up and move from Sweden to Paris, I’m looking back on this leg of the trip with affection, happy to have the chance to see this part of the world.
I am missing Frankie quite a bit, though. She told me today that being away from me was “the hardest thing she ever had to do,” which broke my heart a little. I hope she’s enjoying her time with Grandma Jo, though, and that she’ll forgive me for skipping out on her for so long.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Fly on the wall
I got the chance on Tuesday to sit in on a presentation that Matt was giving to the enture nuclear conference in Lund. It was in this big auditorium, and there were around 100 people in attendance. I sat in the far back of the theater and watched the entire thing with great interest, proud and amazed at how comfortable and knowledgable he seemed in front of the crowd.
Matt has a really terrific persona when he's presenting. He is completely relaxed, honest, clear, and easy to understand. Even though he's technically there with the hope to sell this technology to someone in the audience, he never comes across like a salesman-- Just an extremely knowledgable engineer who's there to explain the applications of his work and field any questions that might arise. He never stammers, fidgits, seems unsure, says "um..." or seems anything but in complete contriol of the situation and the information he's presenting. I couldn't believe what a natural he was at public speaking.
When it was time for the Q & A portion of the presentation, Matt answered all of the questions instantly and thoroughly, never seeming anything but completely honest about the applications and the limits of the technology. His speech was so clear, well-punctuated with visuals, and easy to follow that even *I* understood everything he was talking about. (Now, that;s a feat!)
I was very proud and impressed. Matt's an amazing guy! SA Technology is lucky to have him.
Matt has a really terrific persona when he's presenting. He is completely relaxed, honest, clear, and easy to understand. Even though he's technically there with the hope to sell this technology to someone in the audience, he never comes across like a salesman-- Just an extremely knowledgable engineer who's there to explain the applications of his work and field any questions that might arise. He never stammers, fidgits, seems unsure, says "um..." or seems anything but in complete contriol of the situation and the information he's presenting. I couldn't believe what a natural he was at public speaking.
When it was time for the Q & A portion of the presentation, Matt answered all of the questions instantly and thoroughly, never seeming anything but completely honest about the applications and the limits of the technology. His speech was so clear, well-punctuated with visuals, and easy to follow that even *I* understood everything he was talking about. (Now, that;s a feat!)
I was very proud and impressed. Matt's an amazing guy! SA Technology is lucky to have him.
Adventures in dining, revisited
What do moose and lingonberries taste like? Glad you asked!
Hard to describe the taste of moose. We had it served like a steak, and it tasted something like beef and something like venison, but not quite an exact version of either one. Matt described the taste as a "fishy steak," but I don't really agree with that. It was weird, but good. I have to confess, though, that my stomach is a little angry at me today. I have what I would call a "moose hangover." I don't think I'll be in the mood for any sort of culinary adventures tonight. As a matter of fact, fizzy water and saltine crackers sound pretty good right about now.
As for lingonberries, I'd describe them as a cross between cranberries and pomegranate seeds. They're round, tart, bright red, and really tasty. I'd definitely have those again. Moose... Not so much.
Hard to describe the taste of moose. We had it served like a steak, and it tasted something like beef and something like venison, but not quite an exact version of either one. Matt described the taste as a "fishy steak," but I don't really agree with that. It was weird, but good. I have to confess, though, that my stomach is a little angry at me today. I have what I would call a "moose hangover." I don't think I'll be in the mood for any sort of culinary adventures tonight. As a matter of fact, fizzy water and saltine crackers sound pretty good right about now.
As for lingonberries, I'd describe them as a cross between cranberries and pomegranate seeds. They're round, tart, bright red, and really tasty. I'd definitely have those again. Moose... Not so much.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Adventures in dining
Tonight's dinner in Lund?
Escargot
Moose steak
Lingonberries
We're on a stomach adventure, ya'll.
Escargot
Moose steak
Lingonberries
We're on a stomach adventure, ya'll.
Lund, Sweden
Day two in Lund. The ride over to Sweden from Denmark was short, only about 45mins, but so far Sweden seems more different from Copenhagen than I had imagined. To be fair, most of the differences are because Lund is a small town and Copenhagen is a big city. But Lund is much quieter, more quaint, more sleepy and laid-back.
That's a good thing for a day or so, but I'm starting to fear that I'm going to run out of things to do here. The town of Lund is small enough that it doesn't seem to partcularly geared towards tourists, so that means that even though I've had some enjoyable conversations with a few locals, there's not very much to do. There are very few restaraunts and cafes, and although there are quite a few cute little shops, they all seem to be women's clothing stores. They're all eerily similar clothing stores, too, with nothing that I'm remotely interested in buying. They're interesting to browse through for a short while, since the styles are so different from what we're used to in the states. There's lots of knits, sweater ponchos are big, and winter coats seem to be shaped like peapods:
There's also a much more significant language barrier in Lund. In Copenhagen, everyone spoke fluent English and all of the signs and menus were in English as well. In Lund, everything is in Swedish. When we try to talk to people here, they're very nice and helpful, but switching to English is sometimes a struggle for them. (Our fault for not speaking Swedish, of course. I don't want to be one of those American tourists that expects everyone to speak in English. It's just very nice when it happens.) Ordering food off of a Swedish menu is more of less a matter of finding a single word that you think you recognize, and taking a leap of faith that whatever comes your way will be edible.
The few restaurants that I've seen here fall into three categories:
1) Kabab stands
2) Pizza restaurants
3) sushi joints
Other than that, there's not much to choose from. Matt and I walked around the town last night at 8pm looking for a place to eat, and it felt like the town had been completely shut down for *hours.* Everything was shuttered, and there were very few people around. When we finally found a sushi restaurant that was still open, we were the only people in the place. (The sushi, however, was mind-blowingly delicious. Some of the best I've ever had.)
Today, I asked one of the locals what she recommended that I see while in Lund. She thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "Um....Copenhagen?" So, even people that live here seem to be resigned to the fact that there's not much to do in Lund. In a lot of ways, Lund reminds me of Whitehaven, a little town in the UK about 15 miles from where we lived in Maryport. It's the kind of town that you might visit to do your weekly shopping if you lived in a nearby *smaller* town, but not the kind of place you'd travel to all the way from the US Sweden specifically to see.
Don't get me wrong... I'm still very glad to get a chance to see Sweden. It's wonderful to be here, and even just having the luxury of lazing around my hotel is absolutely fabulous. I think, though, that the switch to Paris will be a welcome one. More to see, more to do, more to eat.
I do have one exciting thing on the agenda today: At 2pm, I'm going to head down to Matt's nuclear conference to watch him give a presentation to his colleagues. I'm really looking forward to seeing Matt in action. I'll probably only understand 1/2 of the things he's going to talk about, but still... I'm sure to be proud of him, and happy for the chance to see him in his element.
That's a good thing for a day or so, but I'm starting to fear that I'm going to run out of things to do here. The town of Lund is small enough that it doesn't seem to partcularly geared towards tourists, so that means that even though I've had some enjoyable conversations with a few locals, there's not very much to do. There are very few restaraunts and cafes, and although there are quite a few cute little shops, they all seem to be women's clothing stores. They're all eerily similar clothing stores, too, with nothing that I'm remotely interested in buying. They're interesting to browse through for a short while, since the styles are so different from what we're used to in the states. There's lots of knits, sweater ponchos are big, and winter coats seem to be shaped like peapods:
There's also a much more significant language barrier in Lund. In Copenhagen, everyone spoke fluent English and all of the signs and menus were in English as well. In Lund, everything is in Swedish. When we try to talk to people here, they're very nice and helpful, but switching to English is sometimes a struggle for them. (Our fault for not speaking Swedish, of course. I don't want to be one of those American tourists that expects everyone to speak in English. It's just very nice when it happens.) Ordering food off of a Swedish menu is more of less a matter of finding a single word that you think you recognize, and taking a leap of faith that whatever comes your way will be edible.
The few restaurants that I've seen here fall into three categories:
1) Kabab stands
2) Pizza restaurants
3) sushi joints
Other than that, there's not much to choose from. Matt and I walked around the town last night at 8pm looking for a place to eat, and it felt like the town had been completely shut down for *hours.* Everything was shuttered, and there were very few people around. When we finally found a sushi restaurant that was still open, we were the only people in the place. (The sushi, however, was mind-blowingly delicious. Some of the best I've ever had.)
Today, I asked one of the locals what she recommended that I see while in Lund. She thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "Um....Copenhagen?" So, even people that live here seem to be resigned to the fact that there's not much to do in Lund. In a lot of ways, Lund reminds me of Whitehaven, a little town in the UK about 15 miles from where we lived in Maryport. It's the kind of town that you might visit to do your weekly shopping if you lived in a nearby *smaller* town, but not the kind of place you'd travel to all the way from the US Sweden specifically to see.
Our room at the stately Grand Hotel.
View from our hotel.
Lund
The big attraction in Lund: some sort of church.
Don't get me wrong... I'm still very glad to get a chance to see Sweden. It's wonderful to be here, and even just having the luxury of lazing around my hotel is absolutely fabulous. I think, though, that the switch to Paris will be a welcome one. More to see, more to do, more to eat.
I do have one exciting thing on the agenda today: At 2pm, I'm going to head down to Matt's nuclear conference to watch him give a presentation to his colleagues. I'm really looking forward to seeing Matt in action. I'll probably only understand 1/2 of the things he's going to talk about, but still... I'm sure to be proud of him, and happy for the chance to see him in his element.
A sampling of items on a Swedish breakfast buffet
1) three types of homemade pickles
2) six types of granola
3) jellied eel
4) cookies
5) blue cheese
6) pickled herring
7) lox
8) pate
9) lingonberry jam
10) three types of brie
11) pickled onions
12) softboiled eggs
13) cucumber
14) cold cuts
15) roasted tomatoes
16) three types of yogurt
17) crispy flatbreads
18) caviar
The buffet items were odd, but suprisingly good (at least the ones I tasted). Still, I think tomorrow I might opt for some cereal.
2) six types of granola
3) jellied eel
4) cookies
5) blue cheese
6) pickled herring
7) lox
8) pate
9) lingonberry jam
10) three types of brie
11) pickled onions
12) softboiled eggs
13) cucumber
14) cold cuts
15) roasted tomatoes
16) three types of yogurt
17) crispy flatbreads
18) caviar
The buffet items were odd, but suprisingly good (at least the ones I tasted). Still, I think tomorrow I might opt for some cereal.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Weekend in Copenhagen
Matt and I arrived in Copenhagen on Saturday afternoon, exhausted from the trip but excited to explore the city. We started things out with a bang: a big, fat, three-hour nap. (We essentially sat down on the bed and woke up from a coma-like state three hours later, as if no time at all had passed. It's what I imagine cryogenic sleep would feel like.)
After naptime, we were feeling pretty spry. We walked around the Vesterbro neighborhood where we're staying, and checked out some of the hip little bars and cafes. We ended up eating Indian food for dinner, and camping out at a tiny bar nearby our hotel for a few hours. It was really nice, actually. We sat at a table on the sidewalk, and drank delicious local beer while waching all the passers-by.
Copenhagen is a big pedestrian city, and bicycle seems to be the preferred mode of transportation. So, we had plenty to look at. All of the city folks riding their bikes past us while wearing ponchos looked a little like caped superheroes. All through the city there are dedicated bike lanes, and most hotels rent out bicycles for a very small fee. There are also free "loaner" bicycles at various stands throughout the city that you can pick up and drop off wherever you like. It's nice, really, because although Copenhagen is a fairly big city, the use of bicycles makes it seem that there isn't much traffic, and the city itself is very quiet.
Another nice thing about Copenhagen for us as tourists is that everyone here seems to speak perfect English, and are incredibly friendly and helpful. We haven't had any trouble at all navagating the city, despite the fact that we don't speak a lick of Danish. We've been trying our best to soak up some of the local culture, and made a point to have lunch yesterday at a very traditional Danish restaurant. One of the Danish specialties is an open-faced sandwich called "Smorrebroad." The name basically translates to something like "smeared bread," or "bread and butter." They take a slice of heavy rye bread, smear it with butter, and then top it with any number of weird and unusual toppings: herring, beef thigh, capers, and so forth. We went to a smorrebroad restaurant near the waterfront, and I ate a sandwich with whitefish, lemon, and red onion. Matt had a very odd sandwich with salted beef, pate, and beef jelly. (It was actually much better than it sounds.)
The waitress also brought us each a glass of Aquavit, made in house, which was strong and delicious. Made me want to take a nap, though. Instead, Matt went back to the hotel to work on his Swedish presentation, and I went to the Danish Design Museum. I love Danish Modern design, so I was really excited about the museum. It turned out to be a little bit of a disappointment. The museum itself was somewhat interesting and I learned a lot, but didn't have nearly enough examples of Danish design for me. I wanted to walk into a wonderland of Danish modern furniture so I could drool at all the fabulousness. The museum was mostly text-based, almost like a history textbook pasted to the wall. For my design fix, I had a much better time at Illums Bolighus, a super-swanky department store on the main shopping street called Stroget. Illums Bolighus was completely dedicated to selling Danish designs, and had level after level of the most beautiful and interesting furniture and housewares that I've ever seen. It was like Ikea for millionaires.
I had a blast walking through the store, sitting in chairs that I had only ever seen before in museums. It was one of the most enjoyable things I got to do in the city. Real Danish Design heaven.
After a nice Thai dinner last night, we went back to the hotel and watched a movie together. We're winding things down here, getting ready to check out of the hotel and hop the train to Lund. There's some sort of international bicycle race going on outside the hotel, so hopefully we'll get to the station without too much trouble.
Next stop... Sweden!
After naptime, we were feeling pretty spry. We walked around the Vesterbro neighborhood where we're staying, and checked out some of the hip little bars and cafes. We ended up eating Indian food for dinner, and camping out at a tiny bar nearby our hotel for a few hours. It was really nice, actually. We sat at a table on the sidewalk, and drank delicious local beer while waching all the passers-by.
Another nice thing about Copenhagen for us as tourists is that everyone here seems to speak perfect English, and are incredibly friendly and helpful. We haven't had any trouble at all navagating the city, despite the fact that we don't speak a lick of Danish. We've been trying our best to soak up some of the local culture, and made a point to have lunch yesterday at a very traditional Danish restaurant. One of the Danish specialties is an open-faced sandwich called "Smorrebroad." The name basically translates to something like "smeared bread," or "bread and butter." They take a slice of heavy rye bread, smear it with butter, and then top it with any number of weird and unusual toppings: herring, beef thigh, capers, and so forth. We went to a smorrebroad restaurant near the waterfront, and I ate a sandwich with whitefish, lemon, and red onion. Matt had a very odd sandwich with salted beef, pate, and beef jelly. (It was actually much better than it sounds.)
The waitress also brought us each a glass of Aquavit, made in house, which was strong and delicious. Made me want to take a nap, though. Instead, Matt went back to the hotel to work on his Swedish presentation, and I went to the Danish Design Museum. I love Danish Modern design, so I was really excited about the museum. It turned out to be a little bit of a disappointment. The museum itself was somewhat interesting and I learned a lot, but didn't have nearly enough examples of Danish design for me. I wanted to walk into a wonderland of Danish modern furniture so I could drool at all the fabulousness. The museum was mostly text-based, almost like a history textbook pasted to the wall. For my design fix, I had a much better time at Illums Bolighus, a super-swanky department store on the main shopping street called Stroget. Illums Bolighus was completely dedicated to selling Danish designs, and had level after level of the most beautiful and interesting furniture and housewares that I've ever seen. It was like Ikea for millionaires.
I had a blast walking through the store, sitting in chairs that I had only ever seen before in museums. It was one of the most enjoyable things I got to do in the city. Real Danish Design heaven.
After a nice Thai dinner last night, we went back to the hotel and watched a movie together. We're winding things down here, getting ready to check out of the hotel and hop the train to Lund. There's some sort of international bicycle race going on outside the hotel, so hopefully we'll get to the station without too much trouble.
Next stop... Sweden!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Europe, here we come!
Our Big Trip is coming up fast... Friday, to be exact. In the course of twelve days, we'll be in FOUR different countries (five, if I cheat and count the US): England, Denmark, Sweden, and France. It'll be a whirlwind of a trip, but I'm really excited. I really have Matt's parents to thank for me being able to take this trip-- Without them (and especially his sainted mother who'll be living at our house during the week and taking care of Frankie), I would never have been able to go with Matt. I'm so thankful for both of them.
I'm going to miss Frankie like crazy, but I just can't pass up this opportunity. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with Matt and seeing a part of the world that I've never seen before. Plus, I *love* being a tourist. I'm looking forward to the double-decker bus ride in Copenhagen like I'm twelve years old, headed to Six Flags.
I'm going to miss Frankie like crazy, but I just can't pass up this opportunity. I'm really looking forward to spending some time with Matt and seeing a part of the world that I've never seen before. Plus, I *love* being a tourist. I'm looking forward to the double-decker bus ride in Copenhagen like I'm twelve years old, headed to Six Flags.
Matt, Frankie, and I have done a lot of traveling together, and it's been a lot of fun. Some of my best memories from my entire life are from the time we spent together in England, Ireland, France, and Scotland. Still, it'll be nice for Matt & me to explore a few cities together just as a couple. We'll get to spend less time in playgrounds and seeking out restaurants that serve peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and more time hanging out in cafes, drinking wine.
Sounds nice, doesn't it?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Toothless
Frankie lost another tooth last night. The rate at which she's losing her teeth is absolutely amazing. It's like her body just decided one day to completely reject all of her baby teeth and is shooting them out of her mouth one after the other like BBs.
I was just telling this to K.C. today-- Watching Frankie lose so many of her teeth in rapid succession has kicked an old recurring dream of mine back into rotation. Back when I was in college, I used to constantly dream that my teeth were suddenly falling out. I had the dream once a week for years. I finally stopped having the dream once I left grad school.
It's back again.
Every night this week, I've had a version of the same dream. Maybe I'm ice skating, teaching a class, performing in a play. The setup is always different, and I never realize that it's the tooth dream until at some point in the dream I feel something weird in my mouth and spit out a handful of teeth. Then in the dream I think... "Oh...Crap. Not this again?," and I spend the rest of the dream trying to hide my missing teeth from everyone around me. By the end of the dream until all that's left in my mouth are my gums.
I'll be glad when Frankie takes a break from shedding her own teeth so I can send that dream back into hibernation. It's super vivid, and super freaky! No like.
Side note: Frankie wrote a letter to the Tooth fairy asking her to please draw her a tiny picture of Fairy Land to put under her pillow on her next visit. Any ideas how a mom might pull that one out of the hat?