OK disclaimer time people, this is the writings that i did while on my trip to france May 9th-18th, i have not changed anything in them from when they were first writen except for the spelling has been corrected. If i happen to run on and on and on too bad, its your choice to read it or not and half of them were writen late at night after being out all day, maybe after drinking...
so for your reading enjoyment i give you
5/12/05
Well I guess its kinda weird being in a whole other country and I only really know one person here. I cant really go anywhere without someone who can translate its strange to be somewhere that I dont really speak the language yet Im having fun just escaping from normal every day routine for me. I dont really know what to say other then I freakin made it across an ocean which is something I never thought I would do on my own especially at 22. What do I do next, where do I go from here, I guess I have a lot of time to think since Im on vacation, I have time to think and relax and have fun. I dont always remember to take care of myself before others which is why I had to remind myself to get a souvenir for myself before I went spending money on everyone else. I bought myself a really cool knife, since I collect knives and its probably the most money I have spent on a knife to date, its only made and sold in this part of the world which is pretty cool and its one of those things that can be used in almost an every day fashion and not just something to mount on a wall or stash away in a drawer. Oddly enough I found some Eiffel tower key chains here even though Marie said we wouldnt find them anywhere in this city since its not tourist area. I still cant believe Im in another country across the ocean, the flight over kinda sucked because I was stuck in a middle seat, if it werent for the cute girl that was sitting on my left that made decent conversation I probably would have complained it was a bit cramped and I actually stayed in my seat for the whole 10 hr flight, that was not the most comfortable feeling after about 5-6 hours, oh note to self dont wear my black jean cargos next time I go through airport security (too many metal buttons). I think taking that 10 hr flight did me some good though, I dont really think Im afraid to fly anymore or by myself for that matter. This different money thing kind of confuses me slightly but its starting to make more sense, I just have to be careful because 1E comes out to 1.28usd which can add up to a lot more then it seems in large amounts. There are a lot of places to go shopping around here, so much so that its a bit overwhelming and I dont really know where to begin. I guess the most important thing is that I have fun since this is my vacation, and dont be intimidated to try new things. This is the furthest I have ever been away from home and will be the longest too, I was so excited that I was going to France that I didnt realize that until my mom was dropping me off at the airport. I got to talk to Dana today which I was happy I got a hold of her, I hadnt had a chance to talk to her all weekend or even see her Friday night before she left for Damon's, she was happy to hear from me too and wants me to bring her back some childrens books in French. I really dont know what else to say right now, maybe I will be more inspired tomorrow to write more...
5/14/05
So yesterday Marie and I spent 4 hours walking around the airport looking for nuns and drying to get them to doubt their beliefs. We didnt intend to spend so long in the airport but Adams plane was 4 hours delayed because some part broke and it took them 3 hours to replace. We also looked into reserving me an isle seat on my flight home but they were all booked the only thing available was middle seats which I really dont want again, plus with my ticket it was impossible to upgrade. So anyways Marie and I know the Lyon airport like the backs of our hands now because we spent so much time walking around there, at one point we were going to drink but the bar was too crowded and there was no place to sit so we continued walking. I bought Dana a copy of the little prince in French, and we are going shopping at some point to get her another little kids book. We finally met up with Adam at almost 8pm I believe when his flight was supposed to be in at 4, hopped a bus back to the city and we were trying to figure out what to do for dinner since the market closes at 8 around here, Marie finally came up with the idea for Chinese take out because we got a menu in the mail the day before or something like that.
So we got back to the flat and everyone else was already getting ready for this party we were going to and we still hadnt eaten, we finally ordered food and sat around and talked for a bit, Adam is a really great guy, I definitely approve of him for Marie, I dont think I have ever seen her so happy with the world then when she is in his arms. So just before our food arrived another one of Maries friends showed up to the flat with her boyfriend, who seemed a bit shady, turns out he really was. We put all our food in the kitchen and this guy pulls out a cigarette and says do you guys smoke in the house? Emma said that she does but she is the only one and the guy was about to light up a cig in the kitchen where we were just planning on eating, and Marie was like could you please not smoke in the food we just got? The guy decided to give her attitude and was like what are we supposed to do smoke outside? We told him yes, so Emma took him outside to smoke and all were like wow what a fuckin dick. Anyways we ate and rushed to get ready for the party, walked down to the party and proceeded to get drunk! That was lots of fun and Adam kept trying to get me to turn the charm on for Emma, so anyways the guys that were throwing the party decided to mix the drinks strong, and I mean strong I was almost drunk after 3 drinks of half vodka. We decided to leave at about 1:45am and walk back to the flat, I then had to call Dana with the traditional obligatory drunk phone call, she was happy to hear from me, after that I took a shower and tried to get some sleep however it was loud as all hell last night and we had the window open which makes it even worse. Anyways its morning now and by morning I mean 1:39pm and I think I have said all I needed to for now, maybe more later...
5/15/05
So yesterday we went to this giant store called Fnac, it was like a best buy tower records and barns n noble all rolled into one. First floor was all electronics as far as I could see, second floor was all music and video games, and the third floor was wall to wall books and they had a caf in the corner. The store was so damn busy too that it made me kinda nervous just walking around in there, I dont do well with large crowds in unfamiliar territory, we spent a few hours there because Marie was working on I think an oral report for one of her classes, and I just sat there and watched people, which is ok with me because I like to study people and see how they interact, plus I learned a few new French words because I was looking through a french-english dictionary and so if I saw a word that I wanted to know what it meant in English I looked it up.
So we sat there for a couple hours while Marie and Adam worked on this report then we went back to the flat where people were supposedly meeting us and we were going out for "Mexican food". Now I say "Mexican food" because apparently the French dont know what real Mexican food is, its not bad though but its Mexican food made the French way, we had some margaritas too which I wasnt too big a fan of, I think I didnt like the tequila that they used for it, I did however have a decent conversation with Marie's friends Jessica and Sophie who are both from California as well. So dinner took over 3 hours which Im told is not uncommon in France, however the service was also horrible, again Im told not uncommon in France, there was live music and the singer looked like samwise gamgee, you know Frodos friend in LOTR, I tried to convince Marie to take a picture with him but she refused since she hadnt seen all the films. After dinner Jessica and Sophie went out I think salsa dancing or to some party and Marie, Jelena, Adam, and I went back to the flat, Marie and discussed what was to happen the next couple of days and apparently nothing is open on Sundays except the Arab markets and restaurants so there is a possibility of going out to eat again tonight or we might go to the pub that Emma works at called the smoking dog. Adam tells me the smoking dog is a British pub so everyone there speaks English which is good, I like when I can communicate with people in my native language. Anyways I may write more later....
5/17/05
Yesterday we went down do a caf called caf Leffe and we ordered beer, we then went back to the flat and vegged for most o the day while Marie worked on her expose and I got to catch up on LJ land so I wasnt completely lost when I got home. Today we got up early and were off to meet some of Marie's friends at the university and then we got baby cow kebab, it was quite good, after that we went back to the university so Marie could practice her expose and see how long it was. After that Adam and I were off to go see some sights, we rode the metro a lot and he took me to this amazing cathedral, the detail in this place was absolutely amazing I was totally in awe, I took some pictures which was kinda my first chance to actually take pictures on my trip other then a couple of Marie and Adam In the flat, this place was on top of the mountain so I had a view of the entire city which was so amazing, we went into the gift shop there and I finally bought some post cards and would you believe it we actually found a shot glass there, you would not believe how hard it is to find a shot glass in Lyon that isnt in a pub! so got the shot glass, got Dana a book on Lyon, got barb a snow globe, and then we were off to Emmy's pub the smoking dog which is a British pub, Adam and I had a pint and a half each because we were rushed for time, but finally found a beer that I dont mind drinking which also happens to be one of the strongest beers they serve called Leffe its a 6.6% alcohol content and its not bad, we also had some of the weirdest chips that tasted just like roasted chicken! It was quite odd... Anyways we had to hurry back across town to get Marie from the university, oh I forgot to mention about this grotesque man with no shirt on standing in the middle of the street, we took pictures! So anyways Adam and I were hurrying across town after downing a pint and a half each on no food within 4 hours that was fun, got to Marie picked up some stuff for dinner, got back to the flat and Marie made an awesome quiche we ate had ice cream, I defrosted Marie's freezer and we had a snowball fight in the kitchen! Anyways now we are getting ready for bed and Adam and Marie are mumbling some mushy stuff to each other I think, so that was the last 2 days and I got one shopping day left so se you all when I get back!
5/18/05
So here I sit in the Frankfurt airport waiting for my flight back home to LA, thankfully I got an isle seat. Yesterday I had a lot of French food Marie and Adam decided to treat me to breakfast and lunch which was pretty good stuff, we then went shopping which was a lot of fun, I saw a necklace that reminded me of Non's eye of Ra tattoo so I had to get it for her, I also found a star necklace for my sister that I had to get since she collects them. Got myself a new shirt which looks pretty good, bought my mom a silk scarf, and my dad a silk tie, both were silk made 100% in Lyon and hand painted/dyed. I finally got a hold of the childrens book that Marie recommended for Dana, and Im bringing home a bottle of wine that was made in Lyon and the guy said something about it embodying the spirit of Lyon or something like that. Got some chocolate yesterday too after that we headed back home for a bit to rest and put the beer in the fridge for a later game of saved by the bell drinking game, which I have been waiting since about October to play with Marie since I sent her the link and she owns 4 seasons on DVD. So we go the beer in the fridge hung out for a bit then we went off to a French restaurant, spent over a week in France and I hadnt been to a real French restaurant yet, it was quite good started out with French onion soup, then some sausage thing for the main course, and a strawberry crpe for desert, and we had a hard cider with dinner as opposed to wine. After dinner we stopped by the smoking dog for a minute I had to pick up some roast chicken crisps for my father since they say on the bag vegetarian safe but taste exactly like roast chicken! Anyways got those and headed back to the flat, played 2 rounds of the saved by the bell drinking game and got ready for sleep. Ended up talking for a couple more hours and making lots of jokes while trying to get to sleep, Im going to have to visit Marie an Adam in Wales next year for my vacation.
this morning we woke up early like 7-7:30am we hopped a metro to Perrache and when we got there I said goodbye to Marie, Im gonna miss her again but I loved spending the last 8 days with her, I really did miss her over the last 9 months. So Adam and I hopped on a bus to the airport and ate breakfast on the way, got to the airport and I checked in, said good bye to Adam, hes a great guy Im glad Marie found him and he invited me to come visit in Wales, which I really need to do.
I would say I had a lot of fun over the last 8-9 days and it has been a great experience Im really glad to have done this and get over my fear of flying. Well about 11 and a half more hours and I should be home! I really miss home right now....
Oh and pictures will probably be put up later!
so for your reading enjoyment i give you
5/12/05
Well I guess its kinda weird being in a whole other country and I only really know one person here. I cant really go anywhere without someone who can translate its strange to be somewhere that I dont really speak the language yet Im having fun just escaping from normal every day routine for me. I dont really know what to say other then I freakin made it across an ocean which is something I never thought I would do on my own especially at 22. What do I do next, where do I go from here, I guess I have a lot of time to think since Im on vacation, I have time to think and relax and have fun. I dont always remember to take care of myself before others which is why I had to remind myself to get a souvenir for myself before I went spending money on everyone else. I bought myself a really cool knife, since I collect knives and its probably the most money I have spent on a knife to date, its only made and sold in this part of the world which is pretty cool and its one of those things that can be used in almost an every day fashion and not just something to mount on a wall or stash away in a drawer. Oddly enough I found some Eiffel tower key chains here even though Marie said we wouldnt find them anywhere in this city since its not tourist area. I still cant believe Im in another country across the ocean, the flight over kinda sucked because I was stuck in a middle seat, if it werent for the cute girl that was sitting on my left that made decent conversation I probably would have complained it was a bit cramped and I actually stayed in my seat for the whole 10 hr flight, that was not the most comfortable feeling after about 5-6 hours, oh note to self dont wear my black jean cargos next time I go through airport security (too many metal buttons). I think taking that 10 hr flight did me some good though, I dont really think Im afraid to fly anymore or by myself for that matter. This different money thing kind of confuses me slightly but its starting to make more sense, I just have to be careful because 1E comes out to 1.28usd which can add up to a lot more then it seems in large amounts. There are a lot of places to go shopping around here, so much so that its a bit overwhelming and I dont really know where to begin. I guess the most important thing is that I have fun since this is my vacation, and dont be intimidated to try new things. This is the furthest I have ever been away from home and will be the longest too, I was so excited that I was going to France that I didnt realize that until my mom was dropping me off at the airport. I got to talk to Dana today which I was happy I got a hold of her, I hadnt had a chance to talk to her all weekend or even see her Friday night before she left for Damon's, she was happy to hear from me too and wants me to bring her back some childrens books in French. I really dont know what else to say right now, maybe I will be more inspired tomorrow to write more...
5/14/05
So yesterday Marie and I spent 4 hours walking around the airport looking for nuns and drying to get them to doubt their beliefs. We didnt intend to spend so long in the airport but Adams plane was 4 hours delayed because some part broke and it took them 3 hours to replace. We also looked into reserving me an isle seat on my flight home but they were all booked the only thing available was middle seats which I really dont want again, plus with my ticket it was impossible to upgrade. So anyways Marie and I know the Lyon airport like the backs of our hands now because we spent so much time walking around there, at one point we were going to drink but the bar was too crowded and there was no place to sit so we continued walking. I bought Dana a copy of the little prince in French, and we are going shopping at some point to get her another little kids book. We finally met up with Adam at almost 8pm I believe when his flight was supposed to be in at 4, hopped a bus back to the city and we were trying to figure out what to do for dinner since the market closes at 8 around here, Marie finally came up with the idea for Chinese take out because we got a menu in the mail the day before or something like that.
So we got back to the flat and everyone else was already getting ready for this party we were going to and we still hadnt eaten, we finally ordered food and sat around and talked for a bit, Adam is a really great guy, I definitely approve of him for Marie, I dont think I have ever seen her so happy with the world then when she is in his arms. So just before our food arrived another one of Maries friends showed up to the flat with her boyfriend, who seemed a bit shady, turns out he really was. We put all our food in the kitchen and this guy pulls out a cigarette and says do you guys smoke in the house? Emma said that she does but she is the only one and the guy was about to light up a cig in the kitchen where we were just planning on eating, and Marie was like could you please not smoke in the food we just got? The guy decided to give her attitude and was like what are we supposed to do smoke outside? We told him yes, so Emma took him outside to smoke and all were like wow what a fuckin dick. Anyways we ate and rushed to get ready for the party, walked down to the party and proceeded to get drunk! That was lots of fun and Adam kept trying to get me to turn the charm on for Emma, so anyways the guys that were throwing the party decided to mix the drinks strong, and I mean strong I was almost drunk after 3 drinks of half vodka. We decided to leave at about 1:45am and walk back to the flat, I then had to call Dana with the traditional obligatory drunk phone call, she was happy to hear from me, after that I took a shower and tried to get some sleep however it was loud as all hell last night and we had the window open which makes it even worse. Anyways its morning now and by morning I mean 1:39pm and I think I have said all I needed to for now, maybe more later...
5/15/05
So yesterday we went to this giant store called Fnac, it was like a best buy tower records and barns n noble all rolled into one. First floor was all electronics as far as I could see, second floor was all music and video games, and the third floor was wall to wall books and they had a caf in the corner. The store was so damn busy too that it made me kinda nervous just walking around in there, I dont do well with large crowds in unfamiliar territory, we spent a few hours there because Marie was working on I think an oral report for one of her classes, and I just sat there and watched people, which is ok with me because I like to study people and see how they interact, plus I learned a few new French words because I was looking through a french-english dictionary and so if I saw a word that I wanted to know what it meant in English I looked it up.
So we sat there for a couple hours while Marie and Adam worked on this report then we went back to the flat where people were supposedly meeting us and we were going out for "Mexican food". Now I say "Mexican food" because apparently the French dont know what real Mexican food is, its not bad though but its Mexican food made the French way, we had some margaritas too which I wasnt too big a fan of, I think I didnt like the tequila that they used for it, I did however have a decent conversation with Marie's friends Jessica and Sophie who are both from California as well. So dinner took over 3 hours which Im told is not uncommon in France, however the service was also horrible, again Im told not uncommon in France, there was live music and the singer looked like samwise gamgee, you know Frodos friend in LOTR, I tried to convince Marie to take a picture with him but she refused since she hadnt seen all the films. After dinner Jessica and Sophie went out I think salsa dancing or to some party and Marie, Jelena, Adam, and I went back to the flat, Marie and discussed what was to happen the next couple of days and apparently nothing is open on Sundays except the Arab markets and restaurants so there is a possibility of going out to eat again tonight or we might go to the pub that Emma works at called the smoking dog. Adam tells me the smoking dog is a British pub so everyone there speaks English which is good, I like when I can communicate with people in my native language. Anyways I may write more later....
5/17/05
Yesterday we went down do a caf called caf Leffe and we ordered beer, we then went back to the flat and vegged for most o the day while Marie worked on her expose and I got to catch up on LJ land so I wasnt completely lost when I got home. Today we got up early and were off to meet some of Marie's friends at the university and then we got baby cow kebab, it was quite good, after that we went back to the university so Marie could practice her expose and see how long it was. After that Adam and I were off to go see some sights, we rode the metro a lot and he took me to this amazing cathedral, the detail in this place was absolutely amazing I was totally in awe, I took some pictures which was kinda my first chance to actually take pictures on my trip other then a couple of Marie and Adam In the flat, this place was on top of the mountain so I had a view of the entire city which was so amazing, we went into the gift shop there and I finally bought some post cards and would you believe it we actually found a shot glass there, you would not believe how hard it is to find a shot glass in Lyon that isnt in a pub! so got the shot glass, got Dana a book on Lyon, got barb a snow globe, and then we were off to Emmy's pub the smoking dog which is a British pub, Adam and I had a pint and a half each because we were rushed for time, but finally found a beer that I dont mind drinking which also happens to be one of the strongest beers they serve called Leffe its a 6.6% alcohol content and its not bad, we also had some of the weirdest chips that tasted just like roasted chicken! It was quite odd... Anyways we had to hurry back across town to get Marie from the university, oh I forgot to mention about this grotesque man with no shirt on standing in the middle of the street, we took pictures! So anyways Adam and I were hurrying across town after downing a pint and a half each on no food within 4 hours that was fun, got to Marie picked up some stuff for dinner, got back to the flat and Marie made an awesome quiche we ate had ice cream, I defrosted Marie's freezer and we had a snowball fight in the kitchen! Anyways now we are getting ready for bed and Adam and Marie are mumbling some mushy stuff to each other I think, so that was the last 2 days and I got one shopping day left so se you all when I get back!
5/18/05
So here I sit in the Frankfurt airport waiting for my flight back home to LA, thankfully I got an isle seat. Yesterday I had a lot of French food Marie and Adam decided to treat me to breakfast and lunch which was pretty good stuff, we then went shopping which was a lot of fun, I saw a necklace that reminded me of Non's eye of Ra tattoo so I had to get it for her, I also found a star necklace for my sister that I had to get since she collects them. Got myself a new shirt which looks pretty good, bought my mom a silk scarf, and my dad a silk tie, both were silk made 100% in Lyon and hand painted/dyed. I finally got a hold of the childrens book that Marie recommended for Dana, and Im bringing home a bottle of wine that was made in Lyon and the guy said something about it embodying the spirit of Lyon or something like that. Got some chocolate yesterday too after that we headed back home for a bit to rest and put the beer in the fridge for a later game of saved by the bell drinking game, which I have been waiting since about October to play with Marie since I sent her the link and she owns 4 seasons on DVD. So we go the beer in the fridge hung out for a bit then we went off to a French restaurant, spent over a week in France and I hadnt been to a real French restaurant yet, it was quite good started out with French onion soup, then some sausage thing for the main course, and a strawberry crpe for desert, and we had a hard cider with dinner as opposed to wine. After dinner we stopped by the smoking dog for a minute I had to pick up some roast chicken crisps for my father since they say on the bag vegetarian safe but taste exactly like roast chicken! Anyways got those and headed back to the flat, played 2 rounds of the saved by the bell drinking game and got ready for sleep. Ended up talking for a couple more hours and making lots of jokes while trying to get to sleep, Im going to have to visit Marie an Adam in Wales next year for my vacation.
this morning we woke up early like 7-7:30am we hopped a metro to Perrache and when we got there I said goodbye to Marie, Im gonna miss her again but I loved spending the last 8 days with her, I really did miss her over the last 9 months. So Adam and I hopped on a bus to the airport and ate breakfast on the way, got to the airport and I checked in, said good bye to Adam, hes a great guy Im glad Marie found him and he invited me to come visit in Wales, which I really need to do.
I would say I had a lot of fun over the last 8-9 days and it has been a great experience Im really glad to have done this and get over my fear of flying. Well about 11 and a half more hours and I should be home! I really miss home right now....
Oh and pictures will probably be put up later!
Man, I can't see how anyone would spend the money to fly on an airline and NOT get a window seat. If I'm flying anywhere and I pay for the damn ticket, I'm gonna sit next to a window (preferably over the wing so I can watch the air flow over it). I mean, when you fly, you have the ability to see something that everyone that was ever born since the dawn of humanity millions and millions of years ago wished they could see. Some people may say they're afraid of hights but I am too and I never feel that when I fly. You get above a certain altitude and it doesn't have the effect anymore. Like the T-Cups. Once you get past a certain speed, you like, break free and don't get sick. Something like how a boat will have more drag and more drag as it goes faster n faster but once it gets to a certain speed it gets up "on the plane" and rides above the water and has extremely little drag. It's kindo like with me and hights. As I get up higher and higher in a building the butterflies get more intense. Only when I'm looking down, of course, I don't feel them when I'm like standing inside or anything. And in an airplane I get above say 200 feet and nothing. It's like looking at a picture. But then again, I've been flying since I was a newborn baby. Daily, back then.