Como?

Hello all,
I just wanted to let you know I made it to Barcelona. I think I might be too late for bullfighting season, but oh well. I've got Gaudi, the beach and lots and lots of gazpacho. It only took me 12 hours to get from Florence to Barcelona on a train, a bus, a plane, another bus and then the metro. I was exhausted by the time I made it. I found my first bowl of gazpacho (a 7 on a scale of 10 with a couple extra points for the bits of lobster), bought a beer from a street vendor and sat down by the water. I was in bed by 11p.m. and for the first time in my trip, the first one in my dorm in for the night.
I am off now to see the sights, dip my feet in the ocean water and see if I remember a single word of Spanish.
Adios, amigos. See you two weeks from today.

OY!

Duomo, the big cathedral in the middle of the city center in Florence.

We stopped our photo shoot today in order to take some pictures of the cool stuff.

This actually went off and I almost peed my pants. They had the best outfits ever.

The merry-go-round...one of the highlights of our Friday.

I just put Gigi on a train to Milan and then to Paris. I am very sad but we had an amazing time together. Yesterday after escaping our hostel (we literally ran in, grab out bags, stole some hardware and ran out in 30 seconds flat) and checked into a hotel. I under the virtues of hostels when traveling because you do everything not to be in them. We found our hotel and expanded-- suitcases went everywhere, clothes went flying and we jumped on the bed so thrilled to be rid of the David Inn. After a nap and some regrouping, we left to again wonder. Deciding that we had enough pictures of cool stuff, we dedicated our day to taking pictures of ourselves (see Facebook for the final results...and that is just about half of them). We shopped, we explored, took pictures, had cocktails and ate for most of the day.

About 6pm, we both hit our wall after a night of no sleeping fearing for our lives at the David Inn (yes, it was that bad) and went to take a nap. Post nap, we did what any good American girls would do in beautiful Florence-- go find pasta. At the recommendation of one of Gigi's friends who studied in Florence, we ended up at a little pasta restaurant across the river. We ate some soup to warm up, had a bottle of wine, more pasta and Tuscan salami. After dinner, we walked around staring at cute Italian boys, giggling, rode a marry-go-round, picked up a bottle of champaign and headed back to the hotel at midnight for our earliest night in since meeting each other. with a set mission to Skype. It was essentially a wasted day, but wasted in beautiful Italy with wonderful company. Plus after not sleep and too much fun in Rome, we needed a day to not go crazy.

This morning we missed breakfast at the hotel by 10 minutes. We got up and moved me into my new hostel. When we found it...after about an hour...we kicked ourselves repeatidly for not staying here in the first place. Its clean, its huge, secure, people are nice...everything our first hostel was not. We had our last supper at a restaurant we had gotten directions at earlier. We sat outside and had a pitcher of wine and for the first time in days had a meal that didn't consist of pasta or pizza. We went inside the Duomo after lunch, the big cathedral in the middle of town and then saw a parade complete with firing cannons. We walked along the big bridge with fancy jewelary stores and then in honor of her departure...had some more cocktails before sending her to the train station.

I don't think I will ever go back to Rome again because there is no way in hell I could ever have as much fun there as I had with Gigi. Florence was a great town as well, less touristy, although we wondered if there were anyone in Italy that were actually Italian. The two of us succeeded in our mission of making complete fools of ourselves, laughing our asses off, making the most out of our short time together before she spends her year in France teaching English and finding the true meaning of the line "when in Rome...". Now, after five days together, we have mastered our Italian accent ("we really need to stop immitating Italians while in Italy"), realized that everyone around us can be used for our own entertainment and to never ever ever stay in a hostel that is only 15 euro a night because you get what you pay for.

Thinking of going to Venice for the day tomorrow but laundry desperatly needs to happen before I head to Barcelona. Can't wait to see my mommy.

Ciao Bella!

Colosseum...photo taken at the top of the memorial for the Unknown Soldier.

Some really old stuff that was cool to look at.

Gigi at the best pizza that we had that day-- along with the white wine out of a tap which rocked.

Team photo. Scott and I matched, it was very exciting.

Gigi and I spent two lovely days in Roma continually wondering how two individuals could have so much damn fun. I waited for her on her train platform Tuesday morning and somehow she walked right past me. I started to panic slightly and ran to the hostel praying on everything holy that she was there. When I saw her in the cafe (our hostel was run out of a pizza joint), we both screamed. We spent the day wondering the streets-- we saw the Colosseum, Pantheon, lots of really old stuff and men dressed up as gladiators. That night we went out to a fabulous Italian dinner (thank you Mary Karen) in the Piazzo Nevona. They told us that Grandma made the pasta and the desserts. It was the some of the best pasta I have ever tasted. Gigi and I were practically licking the plates when we finished.

After that we went to an bar and listened to Italian boys singing American cover songs in an Irish pub in Rome. It was pretty entertaining. We got back to the hostel around 3am. We woke up the next day and after picking up a nice young man named Scott, we went back to the Irish pub to use the Wifi. We began our daily mission of pizza and ate at a little Italian restaurant that had amazing pizza and wine out of a tap (which we drank). After lunch, we went to the hostel to regroup and get train tickets for the following day (Scott was going for round two at Oktoberfest, we headed to Florence) and then went on the bus tour of Rome. Scott hit his head on a tree branch, we got yelled at by the mean couple in front of us, we took some pictures and then jumped off the bus to go find more pizza. Instead of pizza, we found the Vatican in which we decided to have an extensive photo shoot. Then we got pizza, more beer and then more galatto before going to meet Rider for a glass of white wine in another piazzo.

The next morning we got up to go on the bus tour again (we had two day passes) and do the boat portion along the river. The boat was very boring and essentially being on the bus in traffic sucked out our will to live. We made it back to the hostel just in time to pack, grab some more pasta for lunch (after eating pizza three different times yesterday, we had enough...but don't think it wasn't considered) and head to the train for Florence.

After we found out hostel (which is creepy, we are moving out today...good thing I was not flying solo) we had a drink at a bar to use the wifi, walked around the city and then drank lots of wine. The words "on the house" seemed fabulous last night, not so much this morning. Today we are going to eat, shop, find David, look at a big church and bond because Gigi leaves tomorrow night to go start her big French adventure. I am going to cry for days without her. I am staying in Florence until Monday morning until I hop a train to get my flight to Barcelona although I might take a day trip to Venice on Sunday if I am feeling motivated.

Hope you are all well and I miss you all. Xoxoxo Rach

Oktoberfest!

Sorry again that it is sideways, but this is Jim Morrison's grave site in France.

Proust.

Oscar Wilde's grave-- notice all the lipstick kisses.

English Gardens in Germany.

I can not figure out how to turn this but this would be an example of the incorrect way to hold the beer glasses. There is a method to avoid bruising and exhaustion. Taken at the English Gardens. The correct way is demonstrated below by the sailor from Arkansas, Jason.









Our beer tent for the day.

I made in throught the weekend in Germany and am now very lost at an internet cafe in Rome.

My last two days in Paris I spent wondering around the Left bank and went to the National Cemetary. Getting around in Paris and Munich was so easy, Rome on the other hand is not.

I got the Germany on the overnight train Thursday morning, getting into Munich around 9am. The overnight train was nifty, although I did not sleep very much. I started to get a cold which was full blown by the morning.

I put my stuff in an locker, pulled out a map and started to walk the streets. I wondered around, purposely lost (unlike now, this is not on purpose) all day through gardens, fountains, walking past museums and statues. I ended up in the English Gardens walking around for a couple of hours. A couple from Madison, Wisconsin directed me to the beer garden in the middle of the Gardens where I had a beer and read my book in the afternoon sun. Afterwards, I walked through the German Contemporary Art museum (in your honor, Louisa) which only took about fifteen minutes. At one point, I tried to enter an exhibit I was not supposed to and get screamed at in German. That was not fun.

I checked into my hostel around 5, at which point my head felt like it was going to explode. I feel asleep reading my book for about an hour and spent the rest of the evening talking with my Aussie bunk mate would had broken his arm in Slovania the day before bike riding. We all were in bed early.

I got up the next morning and met Rider and her friends at the main train terminal. We got ride of our bags and then continued our walking trek around the city. I took them back to the English Gardens where we all had lunch and a couple of drinks. We stayed there for most of the afternoon hanging out and then wondered to the other side of the gardens around the lake. It is the second biggest garden (after Central Park) in the world, which we learned the hard way. When we finally got out, we found ourselves in the street wear-- what they call teenager clothes in Europe-- district and hung out there for a bit before having dinner.

After dinner, we went to the Hofbrahous for a drink. Obviously a tourist trap, but interesting to go see. There were people there from all over the world (Scottish boys in kilts, a boy from North Carolina studying abroad) that we bonded with for a couple hours. The servers can hold like 9 liters of beer at once, it was insane. They were also not very nice.

The next day we got up EARLY to go to Oktoberfest, nothing like setting an alarm to drink. We got a little confused and spent a small part of the morning in a tractor festival and then figured it out. After wondering around, we found an outdoor picnic table at one of the beer tents where we posted up for the rest of the day. Rider, her friend Shannon and I collected a variety of people throughout the morning to share our picnic table--a girl and her friends from Australia, a sailor from Arkansas on an exchage in Scotland with the Royal Navy, some boys from Ireland, a group of old men who explained to me they were looking for German brides, all sorts. It was like one big party with singing, cheering, dancing on the table and in many cases, lots and lots of drinking. I lost my voice around 11am due to my cold (I did not end up drinking that much, mom, promise) for an hour or two. Around 10pm, the crowds started to disperse.

Sunday morning we had breakfast at a German diner and then I got on the day long train to Rome. Once I reached my hostel, I crawled into bed and fell asleep. This morning all I have to report is that I am very very lost. Rider, at a different internet cafe, is trying to google me directions.

Gigi comes tomorrow! I am very excited to see here before she starts her job in France. We plan on eating good food, buying fancy shoes and drinking lots and lots of wine. It is going to be spectacular.

How I saw the back of famous people's heads and pictures

Pretty much in the top 10 of the best things I have seen in France....avoid parking tickets and unwanted pregnancies!

Madeleine's country house. It was built in the 1800s and when her and her husband bought it, it had dirt floors.

At the beach, you can kind of see the rainbow in there, right?

The cow Harriet would not let me take hope...was sure how I would get it home. It actually mooed at me when I was taking its picture.

Pretty much all my worldly possesions right now.

Whatever I saw today...the people kept yelling out their names, it was funny.

Greetings my American friends and family,

I am currently sitting in Odile's apartment looking at the Eiffel Tower. France is currently head of the EU, so it is all lit up with the 12 stars and flashes blue every hour. I took the train from Amnies yesterday leaving Harriet. I was very sad to leave her. We had an excellent time together, and save one allergic reaction she had during lunch our second to last day, a completely flawless trip. We got a litte lost one day but during our excursion through the country (with a very low tank of gas) saw a wedding party walking out of the courthouse on their way to the church (I guess that is how they do it here) and lots of white cows. Harriet wouldn't let me bring a cow home as a pet, I was very disappointed.

Odile met me at the train station in Paris and gave me basic directions as to how to get around. She lives just outside Paris at the La Defense, which to my great discovery, is also the location of Paris' big mall. She gave me a key to her apartment, a couple of maps and then quizzed me on everything she had told me (what train stop? what train line? what floor do I live on?). We also had a dry run on our way out the door for dinner.

Last night she was kind enough to let me tag along at a work dinner. The team as they call themselves were from all over Europe. We ate dinner at a place in the Trocadero that was spitting distance from the Eiffel Tower. We sucked up the cold and ate outside and the view was priceless. I guess it is true what they say, its not what you know but who you know.

I was on my own this morning and ended up sleeping until noon. It was probably needed after 10 days of early mornings, jet lag and bad sleep from being in a different bed almost every night. I wondered around the mall and the huge plaza near her house and bought my train ticket to Munich. After I bought my train ticket, I recalled that I still have no place to stay and since the hostel website will not work on Odile's computer, will be spending my morning at an internet cafe praying for something that is sort of cheap to stay at for the weekend. But oh well, I will pay what it costs.

Later today, I took the train downtown and walked around purposely getting lost to see what I could find. Once my feet started to hurt, I went in search of an internet cafe (I did have the best intentions to get the hostel thing figured out tonight) but instead found the biggest street in Paris-- the Champs Elysees-- and new sneakers. Once I dragged myself out of the Nike store, slightly poorer but with much happier feet, the internet cafe was closed to I decided to treat myself to a beer.

On my way to find a Braisser with outdoor seating that would have good people watching, I got stuck in a mob of people. Like any good American tourist caught in a mob of screaming French people, I decided to join them and see what the fuss was about. There was some movie opening tonight and I saw...the back of Robert Di Niro and Al Pacino's heads! If I had a slingshot and was about 2 feet taller, I could have pelted them with a rock I was so close.

After that, I found a bar, had a beer, realized my water bottle had leaked a little, freaked out a little bit about not having a place to stay yet in Munich and then continued reading the Fountain Head before getting on the metro and heading home.

Three days in ten minutes or less...

Its been a while since I have had access to internet...still fighting the French keyboard. I have officially located the A in my brain but can still never find the W or the M. Harriet and I stayed the night Wednesday at an old mill that has been converted into a B&B on a small river. It was honestly one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my life--pictures to come-- and only had three rooms. Micheal and Madeline came over for dinner and we were served a five course meal on the patio that was delicious. The next day we all drove to the beach and ate once again, another lovely meal. Despite our huge language barrier, Michelle, Madeline and I had a lovely time together. After lunch, I excused myself and took a two hour walk on the beach.
The next day we got up and drove to Madeline's-- a different one--who lived in the same apqrtment building as Deanna in Paris. We met her at her country house near an island Abby which we detoured at on the way. It was a lovely old house that had dirt floors when her family bought it many years ago. She also had a yellow lab named Lets Go. She welcomed us very warmly and we told good Deanna stories.
Today we drove what seemed like all day to a town called Amnies. Due to a couple wrong turns, a forgotten bag and lunch we spent most of the day in the car but were able to catch the cathedral light show this evening.
Tomorrow I am off to Paris to see Odile. Hopefully I will have more access to email so send me your updates.
xoxox Rach

Stained glass, good food and French keyboards

Oh, the joys of French keyboards...Judy had an American computer so my first interaction was last night.  Being the girl that can type with my eyes closed, it is a pain in the ass because I keep making the same mistakes.  Hello, my name is Rachel becomes  Hello; ,y nq,e is Rqchel:  if I don`t remember to look at the keyboard.

We drove to a town called Chartres that has the most amazing cathedral.  It is the town of light and stained glass so at night, they project light to look like stained glass on the outsides of all the big buildings.  It is hard to explain...but very beautiful.  Google search it for images and you can see the cathedral, I can`t upload my pictures right now.

On our way to Chartres, we stopped at the French National Park and zent on a walk through the animal park.  We saw lots of birds like eagles and owls, a family of deer running through the woods, tiny little horses and buffalo.  It was a nice walk through the forrest.  

We had dinner at a tiny French resturant last night that Harriet`s sister recommended.  We continued on our veal kick and I of course had creme bruelle.  Harriet joked that by the end of our travels, I will have found the best in the country.  

Today we got up early and drove to another one of her friends houses.  They knew each other through business (Harriet makes fences, they make gates).  The elderly couple-- Madeline and Micheal, do not speak English so there has been a lot of smiling and hand gesturing, Harriet does her best to translate for all three of us.  Micheal does have an iphone and the biggest computer screen I have ever seen (bigger then Papa`s, mom).  They are very nice and going everything they can to help me.  We had a lovely homemade meal of frois gros, fish, cheese, salad and two desserts.  I was so full I wanted to fall over but I couldn`t say no to such a lovely meal.  After all that eating and having no idea what was going on in the conversation (I don`t think I have ever sat through a whole meal without talking) I mentioned I was tired so Madeline hustled me out of my chair and into the guest bedroom to nap.  At first I didn`t realize what was going on but once I figured it out, I happily laid down.  It sounded like it was much easier for Harriet to talk with her friends without me and I was pleased to be horizontial. We are traveling with Madeline and her husband tomorrow to the beach (yeah sand, surf and seafood!) so I think I a, going to allow them to visit and I am happily going to sit on the beach  and read my book.

Once we leave the beach, we will be going to another cathedral on an island before stopping to see another Madeline- this one was a good friend of Deanna`s from when she lived in France.  Sunday I am released into the world without Harriet`s companionship.  I will be stopping again in Paris to see Odile (one of Deanna`s work friends who stayed with me in Chicago last fall) and then most likely heading to Germany to meet Rider.  After Germany, Gigi and I will be meeting in Italy-- it will be interesting to see how we all find eachother without cell phones.

Miss you all--- xoxoxo Rach

Chateau de Versailles

This is the queen's house in her Hamlet.



We had a lazy morning, waking up at Harriet's friend Judy and her husband Robert's house in Plaisir (I figured out how to spell it, sounds like Pleasure). After breakfast, Judy went to teach an English class in town and Robert took Harriet and I to the mall. Plaisir is jut like any old suburb, with the exception of it being a suburb of Paris-- which is makes it much better the Edina or Lake Forrest. It also has actual white shutters that are opened every morning and closed every night. The weather in France has been a little chillier then either Harriet and I packed for. Since we are heading to the beach in a couple of days, we thought it might be good to get a couple more layers. We ended up at a place similar to Old Navy where I got two sweaters to keep me warm.

After lunch, we drove with Judy to Versailles. We passed by the big chateau and ended up touring the land of Marie-Antoinette. As seen in Sophia Copola's movie "Marie-Antoinette", it is a fifteen minute walk from the big palace. She had a small house with many outhouses (much like my mother's cabin) such as a music house, a theater, a church, a love thing and the Queen's Hamlet--which was a little village she created near the palace to be with her children with a mill, lake, gardens and animals.

We are leaving Judy and Robert's tomorrow to a place called Chart (I have no idea how to spell it correctly) and will be meeting Madeline, Deanna's friend, on Friday.

Miss you Mommy and Seth-- since I know you both are reading this.

Off to the 'burbs we go...

This is the church that was built for Louis IX...not where we went to mass. We went to mass at the Trinity-- that one had the huge organ.

Notre Dame

We are currently at a childhood friend of Harriet's home in a town just outside Paris. Its a quaint little town that kind of makes you want to frolic in the countryside. We got up early this morning to check out of our hotel and went to mass (aren't you proud, mom?). The service was obviously in French, but the church was beautiful and had a gigantic organ.


We stopped at a bar to use the bathroom after mass, stayed for a beer and then got seduced into lunch by the waiter before heading out of town.
We'll be here for a day or two before heading to the beach. I know...pictures-- I'm working on it. I am not sure anyone is reading this anyways.

Day #3

We spent our last full day in Paris seeing the sights. We went first this morning to the National library, which was built in a gigantic rectangle with a courtyard in the middle. The courtyard was full of tall trees that were strapped to the ground since the wind was so bad. After walking around the building, we took a water taxi towards Notre Dame before having lunch. We dined in a tiny place with tables so close together, I could have reached over to our neighbor's table and sampled their lunch. It had doll sized tables, chairs, painos and benches tacked to the walls. It was the music that was so amusing. During lunch, I was able to listen to the musical stylings of Katie Perry and Amy Winehouse.
After lunch we saw Notre Dame (the line was way too long to get in...another thing Harriet and I agree on-- not waiting in line) and then saw the inside of another church with fabulous stained glass. We had to go through security and I was frisked because my watch set off the alarm. We walked around the Left Bank and into the Luxomburg Gardens for a while before heading back to the hotel. When my mom and I were in Paris five years ago visiting Deanna, we went to the Luxomburg gardens. I took a lot of the same pictures that I took five years ago...which I would upload, if I could figure out how.

I would travel with Harriet any day, any time, any place. I swear if you gave this woman a decent map, she could direct you to the North Pole and she would never get lost. We are having dinner tonight at a resturant we saw our first evening here with an American couple from our East we met in the hotel. Tomorrow we are heading West after mass.
Again, no spell check and typing fast. I will do my best to get pictures uploaded in the next couple of days. Still fighting the jet lag so I am off to lay down.

Lesson #1: Follow the crowd

Deanna's Apartment building

Well, we both made it. I jumped on the blue line Wednesday at 1:30 and arrived in Paris at noon the next day. Except for a minor hold up at O'hare due to bad weather in Detriot, everything went off without a hitch. I can't imagine being taller then 5'3"on an overnight flight...my knees were cramping so bad I couldn't sleep.
Getting off the airplane, I learned lesson #1-- just follow the crowd right on down to customs. I had no idea where I was going or heading until I ended up in the line for customs. It was then my appreciation of French men began as I fell in love with my customs agent, two employees of the hotel and about everyother man I passed on the street. Harriet and I, after a ten minute battle trying to figure out how to get the rental car into reverse (you need to pull up!) parked the car in our hotel right outside Paris and checked in. It is a lovely hotel with gigantic beds in a nice neighborhood. We walked around the Siene the night we got here near the location where Seruate painted A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, saw the Arc de Triumphe at night and then ate dinner at a little resturant on the river. There are tons of river boats that have been converted into homes lined up along the shore. I have decided that I want to live in one.
Today we got up early and had breakfast at the hotel. There is only one thing in this world I need to make me happy on vacation and that is buffet. After breakfast, we caught the metro (again...can't find the exit, follow the crowd) to the Trocadero and saw the Effil Tower before taking a taxi (we got incredibly lost) to Deanna's old apartment. The cab driver informed us that we were going to elect McCain because "Americans are incredibly stupid". According to him, only 29% of us are smart.
We found Deanna's old building manager who connected us with Deanna's friend Madeline by phone who also lives in the building. I believe we will be staying with her when we head up to northern France later next week.

We returned to the Eiffel Tower after that, took pictures like good tourists should and then had lunch. We walked through a museum in the neighborhood and then walked down to the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Harriet and I took one look at the line to take the elevator to the top, looked at each other and then prompty decided to go back to the hotel and nap...well, I napped.
After I woke up, we went to dinner and I continued my mostly-cheese diet since I have arrived, had creme brulle, red wine and espresso. A successful and lovely first day.
We will be in Paris until Sunday (mom, you will be proud, I am going to church) and then heading West. If I could remember-- or pronounced the names of the place I would let you know. Thank god that Harriet is with me for my sense of direction, as well as my French, are practically non-existant. Forgive me, I am typing fast and the spell check is not working on this computer. If you requested postcards, they will be in the mail shortly. If you want them and am not sure if you requested them, shoot me an email with your snail mail address. I also can't get my pictures uploaded on this computer, so those will be on their way eventually as well. Miss you all.

Off like a prom dress...

Leaving for the airport in a little over an hour. Packed, showered and ready to go. I'll be flying back into Chicago on October 13th. More updates when I arrive in France.

2 days...what?!

I am sitting on a chair in Louisa and Kate's apartment staring at my suitcase sitting in the dining room. I made a full hour of progress tonight before giving up and once again, putting it off until tomorrow. John and I successfully moved me out of my apartment on Aldine Ave. (in two hours flat no less) Saturday morning. Quite a feat since Louisa, Spano and I were up until 4.a.m. drinking red wine and bonding. I completed the day of packing with one last trip to the storage locker with my bike, one box full of crap (books, dvds, baseball glove, a pair of shoes, dish towels) and a mirror. I had moved the sandwich out of my purse into the box during my travels so it wouldn't get squished and after joking with myself as to how funny it would be if I left it in the storage locker, did just that. Congratulations Rachel. So I had to go get that out yesterday afternoon, which was fun.
Its interesting not having an apartment of your own-- Lil, Louisa and Kate are all mid-process of getting their new apartment set up, so an extra body and my stuff isn't helping the situation much. Lucky for me, that have been gracious hosts. Off too...pack? nap? We'll see. 2 more days and I am outta here.