A Mélange of small thoughts

This week I was part of the French census. I don’t know why I thought this was awesome… it was really just another official form I had to fill out for the French government (I’m honestly surprised it didn’t require a passport sized photo and a copy of every piece of identity I have). But just like when I got my bank account, it made me truly feel like I’m a part of this. It’s just one of those times where I stopped and thought “whoa. Right now my home is France”.

As good as the census made me feel, two slightly awful things happened to me this past week…

1.     I lost my wine opener
2.     I used the last of my stash of peanut butter (deemed a necessity for the 50 pounds of luggage I was permitted to bring from the good  ol’ USA )

… It’s been a bit of a slow week. 

Let’s talk a little bit about wine in France. Just to let you know how I’ve been spoiled… the other day at the supermarket I picked out what I thought was a 2euros bottle of Bordeaux. I was appalled at the check-out to learn that this bottle was nearly 5euros instead. I bought it nonetheless because explaining to the cashier that I didn’t want it was more complicated than I wanted to get into a) this has to be done in French  b) it’s a little embarrassing that I am refusing a wine because it is priced at 5euros instead of my usual dirt cheap choice. 

I have recently been informed that if I splurge on a bottle of 3 euro wine, the quality difference is exceptional and I will not suffer from any sort of headache the next day.

3euros is less than $5. For a Bordeaux. How oh how will I ever return to the United States?

PS. I found my wine opener. I had left it in a friend’s room.

Mélange Point # 3

I have been told by multiple friends to wait to read “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series, or to see the movie, until I am no longer living alone in a foreign country. In fact I was specifically directed not to read this story until I was living with Joe and we had a dog (that would no doubt love and protect me). These people know how out of control my imagination can get, and how just reading about or watching crime scary scenarios can mess with my head. 

Example 1: last summer my family rented a vacation house on Surfside Beach, South Carolina. Out on the balcony one night, looking out over the ocean we are fairly certain that we saw some UFOs. The national UFO hotline was called (Have I mentioned how much I love love love my family?). Later that night, everyone had gone to bed except my brother and me. We were chatting on the balcony when all of a sudden we noticed some movement near the stairs that connected our house to the beach. Oh… just a cat. Or was it? My over-active imagination convinced itself that this cat was an alien disguised as a cat and sent to observe us. It just kept looking at us like it knew that we knew it was truly an extraterrestrial. I had to go inside. 

Example 2: The one time I watched Dexter while living in Cincinnati I was so terrified I could not sleep, and when my roommate was walking around and getting ready for bed I was convinced he was an intruder outside my closed bedroom door. 

You can see why my friends worry about me reading scary books alone. 

Well I met up with a French friend for lunch and a movie on Saturday. She suggested we see the movie Millennium. Not knowing anything about the film, I agreed. Guess who saw “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” under a new sneaky French title? This girl. No worries, I so far have not been overly terrified in everyday general life, but fortunately I rarely have to go anywhere alone in the dark and my room is the shape of a box with no places for scary murderers to hide. 

Now here’s a bit of typical Ohhh Steph…

My friend and I were saying goodbye at the end of our day’s adventures… She went in for the “bises”, the endearing and here-normal double kiss on the cheek way of saying hello and goodbye to friends. I misread these signals and gave her a big American hug. You can take the girl out of the Midwest but I guess you can’t take the American Midwest out of the girl. It was awkward. Sometimes daily interactions here remind me of being that oh so odd high school girl who didn’t know how to act around boys. Except here I don’t discriminate against any gender, it’s just with everyone. 

 In my defense I haven’t had a hug in about a month now. Its one thing America has got right… hugs are great. The bises give the impression that you are closer to the person, kissing their cheek like that, but really it’s just two quick air kisses… a hug is for real human contact. Do any of you remember when I came home from study abroad and couldn’t stop hanging all over anyone and everyone who would stand next to me? Oh wait I can still be like that? It’s a side effect of living here…After living alone for however many months, in a country that doesn’t hug, one gets a little anxious for human physical contact.

Speaking of America stuffs, I bought a flight home. The decision has been made, the ticket purchased… and there’s no going back. It was not an easy one to make. But that’s right people, you can stop worrying that I will somehow find a way to live here forever. Which I could, honestly. Besides the people I love (which is a HUGE thing don’t get me wrong), there isn’t much more that I miss about living in the USA.

Ok, maybe I miss the hugs… 

 But now that I have a flight I have been dreaming a little bit of what I will do when I return home… besides the whole awful looming job search… I will drive in my cute little red car with the sunroof down singing as loud as I want without worrying that a neighbor will overhear. I cannot wait to go to the Beer Engine in Cleveland with le boy and devour a real, delicious hamburger and a giant craft beer. When I do my laundry I won’t have to scatter every article of clothing on every possible surface of my room to dry for two days.  Cars, hamburgers, a dryer… all things I could technically live without here forever, but it is nice to be positive about coming back stateside. Plus I get to see you. And that is a wonderful thought.

Ok maybe not all of you. I just recently figured out how to look at my blog stats… which I am pretty sure are quite low and when it comes to blog fame, I don’t have it yet. But Hey! There are more of you than I thought! And some of you are reading not only from the US, but from France, Kuwait (thanks Glue), the UK, Spain, Brazil & Morocco (merci loveshines), Latvia, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Dear world… You are neat.

See you in May my American friends, family, my little red Focus, and the Beer Engine.

I can’t wait to give you all a hug.

Bisous (even better if they're awkward)

Steph

You are on a cultural pilgrimage!

… said the Greek man that led us to the Acropolis. Isn’t that a beautiful way to think about traveling?

The ancient Greeks also believed that as humans we were here not to attempt to attain god-like status, but instead to think, to create, and to manage all that the gods gave us.

I am now home in Nantes after a truly wonderful vacation with my parents and my aunt in Sicily, Athens, Ephesus (Turkey), Crete, Rome, and Paris. I’m not going to apologize for how long this post may be… it was all good and I should write about all of it. Read if you please. 

I met my family in Rome Saturday evening. One of the first things my airport taxi driver asked me was if I had a boyfriend. Gah I love the Italians… (but I really only love one Italian/American).

In Palermo, Sicily we ate connolis outside the Opera House that can be seen in the 3^rd Godfather movie (shooting and death of the daughter scene). Here is my dad’s best mafia pose outside this gorgeous building.  

The history of Sicily is incredible (and violent)… we visited some catacombs displaying the preserved bodies of monks and nobles (separate areas for holy men, for professionals, for nobles, for women, and for childrens’ bodies. Virgins were dressed in white, adorned with a crown, and locked behind a separate gate…) Some of the bodies still had hair and skin. It was bizarre and eerie and just altogether a little oddly amazing. 

Our day continued to the Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri which was used by the Spanish Inquisition… really a terrible part of history. Some of the artwork done on the wall was created by prisoners… the colors were created from their blood as they dug into the walls/earth… they created biblical scenes in the hopes that they would convince the Inquisition that they had converted to Catholicism.  The square where women/”witches” were burned at the stake is just outside and now a beautiful garden.

There is a beautiful wooden ceiling in this building that portrays many biblical scenes and also proves the existence of unicorns.

Onward to Athens, Greece, and perhaps my favorite day, perhaps so much so because of our tour guide. What I love so much about travel is the opportunity to interact with new people and hear different perspectives, and this man did not disappoint. He was clearly passionate about his country, upset with his government, but also extremely hopeful for the future of Greece. Our first stop was the Acropolis. I cannot give the Acropolis justice in words. It’s something you have to feel. I advise you to go feel it for yourself.

 

We entered through the exit because our tour guide said that is how the ancient Greeks designed it so it made more sense for us to break the rules. I love that rebellious spirit! We were greeted by dogs- a lot of dogs that call the Acropolis home. They just kind of weave in and out of the crowds making sure things are going as they should… guardians of the Acropolis, and most likely gods reincarnated to protect their temple.

The Acropolis is so mysterious. We still don’t know exactly how they made it. We cannot replicate it.  My best guess is that it was created by aliens. Live long and prosper friends.

Other highlights of Athens: visiting the first modern Olympic stadium (made completely of marble and used for the first time in 1896). We heard a lot of really neat stories about the Olympic Games held there- again our tour guide was incredible. As you can see I was simply overcome with a love of sports and athleticism.

As our bus tour continued, our guide expressed his opinion on the political scene in Greece at the moment. I admit I had been a little nervous about our visit after researching the recent riots. City workers had been on strike and garbage was not collected for 22 days… they were still playing catch-up when we were visiting. 

We were on one street full of gorgeous cultural buildings- Athens first university, the library etc on one side, and across the way many banks and political buildings. This street was the scene of the violent riots (that were actually started by police dressed as civilians in an attempt to ruin a peaceful protest… the media doesn’t tell you that part) but the only buildings that were affected, broken windows, red paint splattered etc were the political buildings and the banks. Even in riots, the Greeks respect all that is thought, culture, art, and history. The side of the street dedicated to what I mentioned earlier- to think, to create, to manage-was beautifully preserved while the other side demonstrated disgust with the government and banking. Really a poignant juxtaposition.  

Our ship next sailed to Kusadasi, Turkey. Go visit Turkey. Really.  The history and landscape is stunning. The people are friendly. Turkish men will make you feel like you are the most beautiful woman to ever step foot in their country. 

Here we visited what is believed to be the last place where Mary, Mother of Jesus, lived before her assumption into heaven. We visited the house and drank from a spring that has been flowing since the 1^st century AD… the water is revered as holy water with healing properties. The site is also home to a prayer wall where visitors leave their written prayers. 

From there we ventured into the ancient city of Ephesus… come on all you friends that have been through years of Catholic school teaching- Paul’s letters to the Ephesians? Incredible ruins… and they let you (and many cats) scamper all over them. Only 10% of the city is excavated, so someday when I get to return to Turkey, because I will, maybe I will see a completely different Ephesus. This city from the early centuries of AD had so many modern aspects- plumbing, bathrooms, a library, a medical university and facility, indoor heating...  How are some people still living without those things right now in our world today?

We lost my mom here. It was crowded and she couldn’t find the group and for about a half hour my dad and I ran around the ruins searching for her, while my aunt waited with the tour group with hopes that she would find them. Turkish security got involved. I cried.  Here we are in Turkey and the only thing I know about their culture is that bargaining in shops is a common practice. My mom thought we were ahead of her and was waiting by the bus so we couldn’t leave without her… it was all fine in the end. Knowing so little about the culture and knowing nothing of the language, we did the right thing by choosing to explore Turkey with a guided tour. You’ve got to respect differences and sometimes acknowledge your own ignorance to be a smart traveler… and even when you do that things can be confusing. 

After that emotional ordeal, we shared a traditional Turkish meal together. Here are the desserts. Because I love desserts. And you should always have something sweet after you have been through a stressful situation.

Finally it was time for shopping in Turkey! They take all forms of money, most people speak English, and they compliment women like it is their job.  We left a rug shop where one of the salesmen had spoken in French with me, and before I knew it he had followed us into the next shop to give me his email address. In a jewelry shop where I purchased some earrings I received a free bracelet. This particular man also said if we missed our ship that we should come back to his shop, stay with him, and then made a joke about Harem rings. Oy. The Turks were quite friendly, and we had a lot of fun making jokes with them, drinking traditional apple tea, and attempting to bargain with them for better prices.  

Moving onward to Crete. Crete has a really stark beauty with breathtaking views. When we visited Athens we saw a lot of the damage from the riots and learned a lot about the political scene in Greece. When we visited Crete we saw a lot of the effects of Greece’s struggling economy. Greece is beautiful. I hope the very best for their country. And I hope life for the people there improves greatly.

Some highlights of the cruiseship… I ate the most delicious duck ever, and also had escargots for the first time. I didn’t have to boil my own water to make my coffee (it was a harsh transition back to reality in Nantes).  My dad and I took a ballroom dance class. We all spent one entire day lying in the sun on the upper deck. We saw a lot of fun shows at night. And where else can you come home at night and find these towel animals wearing your sunglasses on your bed?

After spending a day in Rome- St. Peter’s Basilica, Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and a wonderful meal of spaghetti and wine- our plan was to fly Rome-Paris-Nantes so my family could see where I live. Our flight from Paris to Nantes was cancelled because of a French strike. Like any healthy relationship, I adore France most of the time… but sometimes it does something that greatly disappoints me or makes me quite angry. We flew Rome to Paris and instead spent the night in Paris. Paris is so so lovely… so if we had to be stuck somewhere Paris wasn’t so bad. But I was disappointed. We ended up having a really wonderful night there though, and although my mom and aunt had already seen Paris it was really wonderful to show off France’s famous city to my dad. 1 point to France because my dad liked Paris better than Rome!

 At our hotel the next morning I saw one of my campers from last summer.  Small world. Look at me, randomly running into people I know in Paris. Amvil friends- if you’re reading this it was Cornflakes, that sweet little girl who fell down the hill and hung out with Chocolate Milk all the time.

It was hard to say goodbye to my family that morning. I have a really great family. And I miss the people from my America life so much. I am a little confused why everyone I love hasn’t decided to move here to France and live this fabulous life with me! 

But coming back to my little studio here in Nantes really did feel like coming home.

Bravo if you made it to the end of this. Happy Adventuring.  As always, Bises!