A French Breakfast (it also came with an omelet).
The wonderfully blue water of Nice
Gelato-filled crepes (C'est tres delicieux!)
Where I got the Crepe. I think I saw Gipeto woodling in the back.
Dinner with my first carafe of table/house wine!
Nice street lights in Nice.
Oui, c'est moi!
Tres belle...
I was feeling pretty cool (I'm pretty sure I've seen similar scenery in 007 movies).
Pyramid of Cestius (My first glimpse of a Roman Ruin, driving from the airport)
My first glimpse of the Colosseo/Flavian Amphitheatre
My first meal in Rome!
My first gelato (Black cherry... it's still my favorite flavour)!
Galleria Alberto Sordi (One of the nicest shopping malls in Rome, located down the street from my apartment)
Piazza Navona
Roman barber shop
The street intersection located outside my house... right in the heart of downtown Roma. Beautiful roof gardens like this are ubiquitous in Roma!
A restaurant located just to the right of the same building in the above picture.
Spaghetti in the same restaurant (with small bits of pork).
View from outside my bathroom window... che bella!
Arch of Constantine ( the emperor who popularized Christianity throughout Europe). Triumphal arches like this were built for the celebration of "triumphs," celebrated after military victories. The middle arch was reserved for the emperor, but ordinary citizens could walk through the side arches.
Il Colosseo (formerly called the Flavian Amphitheatre after the imperial dynasty that built it).
Via Sacra (Sacred Road). It extends from the Colosseum to the end of the Roman Forum. After winning a battle, the emperor would celebrate with a "triumph," in which he would march down the Via Sacra in a chariot followed by his army. It was lined with triumphal arches, yet only a few survive today.
View of the Roman Forum from a lower part of the Palatine Hill.
Imperial palaces of the Palatine hill with the terrain of the Circus Maximus in the foreground (The Circus Maximus was Rome's largest circus, where chariot races were held).
Arch of Janus (Arco di Giano)
Temple of Hercules Victor
Ponte Rotte (Broken Bridge) on the left with Tiber Island on the right, located on the Tiber River. Ponte Rotte is the oldest stone bridge in Rome. Only this small portion remains.
Theatre of Marcellus
Foro Romano (Roman Forum) with the Palatine Hill in the foreground. The Palatine Hill was where Rome was founded, and the Roman Forum was the religious, political, and economic center of the city. The left half of the picture shows the remains of the Basilica Julia, built by and dedicated to Julius Caesar. It was mainly used as a law court, but also had shops in it. Basilicas were used as meeting places for the Romans, and it would give them shelter during bad weather.
Roman Forum. The Via Sacra runs along the left side, ending next to the Temple of Saturn in the foreground (which was the treasure house of the Roman Empire). The Colosseum is seen in the distance.
Victory Column (Where Barack gave his speech!)
Brandenburg Gate
Hotel Adlon (Where Michael Jackson dangled his baby Blanket over the balcony, located in the same square as Brandenburg Gate)The Dutch were great sea merchants, bringing great wealth to the nation. When rich sailors returned to Amsterdam after being at sea with only other men for several months, one of the first things they wanted was some female companionship, which is why prostitution developed. The Netherlands officially legalized prostitution in 2000, and since then sex-workers (as they are properly called) don’t have to worry about any dangers since the Red Light District is now regularly patrolled and under video surveillance, with two police stations on opposite ends of the district. In fact, the Red Light District is the safest place in all of Amsterdam since it is so heavily watched and no criminals would dare take any risks when under such high surveillance. Also, sex-workers are considered equal to any other profession and pay taxes and receive benefits, have unions and are respected by the community for their contribution to the economy. In fact, there are panic buttons in every sex-worker’s room and if anything goes wrong causing her to push the button, all the nearby locals will rush to the scene and make sure the abusive client regrets his actions.
Amsterdam is also known for its high tolerance of marijuana. What is interesting though is that it isn’t actually legal in Amsterdam, just de-criminalized. The use of the drug is essentially given a blind eye, which is why the places where they are sold are called coffee-shops instead of any more revealing name. Efforts to stop the high prevalence and use of both hard and soft drugs by force was ineffective, so they de-criminalized soft drugs (which are naturally made) and focused solely on hard drugs (which are made by man). The result has been extremely effective, with only about 9% of Dutch citizens now using marijuana whereas about 15% of citizens from countries such as France, England and the U.S. using marijuana. With similar success, the legalization of prostitution has led to sex-workers having lower STI rates than the general population because they always use protection at their job whereas most of the general public (especially in other countries besides the Netherlands) tend to be more careless when it comes to using protection. Most of the people who actually smoke and use the Red Light District are actually tourists. More focus has been spent on educating the Dutch general public of the serious dangers of hard drugs, with coffee-shops displaying warnings and educational materials about hard drugs. The main problem for Amsterdam locals is no longer a drug or prostitution problem, but rather a tourist problem with packs of people now crowding the city to experience the freedom the city provides, but in return also blocking bike lanes, etc. The high number of tourists sure boosts the Dutch economy though (btw coffee-shops and Red-Light District companies are taxed much higher than other businesses, at around 50% of their income rather than the normal 25% or 30% of most normal Dutch citizens).
I find the Dutch attitude towards prostitution and soft drugs interesting, and think we may be able to learn some things from it. They recognize that both are very likely to exist not matter what they do (either through the dangerous underground/black market if they try to control it by force or by legalizing it and having much more control over it… which has turned out to be effective and good for the national economy). I am not sure whether the circumstances are the same to make it work in the U.S., but I think it would be beneficial to try educating our population more on the differences between soft and hard drugs (to reduce hard drug use) and educating children about proper and useful sex education at a younger age. Dutch children are taught sex education as early as 12 or 13 and as a result have lower birth, abortion, and STI rates! Norweigans learn sex education as early as 11 or 12 and have similar results. Overall Amsterdam is a very progressive place. I am glad I visited it now because in the near future it will likely be gone: the number of coffee-shops and Red Light District windows have been capped by the Democratic Christian party, and as a result more and more of them are disappearing until soon there will be no more left. This will likely lead to the unsafe black market circumstances the market was in before marijuana and prostitution became tolerated/legal. By the way, I apologize if I offended or made anyone uneasy while reading what I wrote above, but perhaps if we changed our mentalities of drugs and prostitution as a subject that shouldn’t be talked about and should be physically removed whatever the cost, we may find a more reasonable and effective approach.
After the tour I went to the Van Gough Museum. It was interesting to see how his paintings changed over time with the places he went, people he met, and increasing severity of his illness. My favorite painting of his that I saw in the museum was the Wheat Reaper… I really liked his method of using thick paint with straight brush strokes to further aid the sense of direction of the compositions in the painting. The initial chaotic direction of the wheat then being cut by the reaper and collected into much more orderly bundles had an awesome contrasting effect, and I heard that the story of the Grim Reaper also originated here in Amsterdam which also adds to my appeal to the painting.
Yesterday I walked around Amsterdam and went to Anne Frank’s house. It is now a museum but was once the building of her father’s jam-making business and was where she and her family hid from the Nazis for several months until being discovered. It was a moving experience: walking through all the rooms, and reading corresponding parts of her diary to the places and things I saw. She was constantly in fear and of course what happened to her and all the other Jews during that time was horrible. I could easily imagine her life during these few years, so it was a powerful way to experience history. Tonight we will leave for Berlin, my last stop before Italy! It has rained a bit in every city I've been to so far so I should see some more sun in the upcoming days =).
Dam Square
View down a canal
Anne Frank's house (in the center with the black ground floor)
Enjoying some beers at the bar in our hostel (The Flying Pig Downtown)Overall I thought Brussels was a small city in which all the major sites could be explored in half a day. Although the important parts of the city are well-kept, I saw lots of graffiti, even on the pedestals of bronze statues in a couple parks right next to the EU building. I savored the chocolate, waffles, and beer that Brussels specializes in (and there are MANY chocolate shops!). Belgians certainly know and love their beer, and I saw many of them drinking it for breakfast. My next stop is Amsterdam!
Manneken Pisseur
Belgian waffle (with ice cream)
Chocopolis (Belgian chocolate store)
European Union Building
Beer brewed by monks in an abbey! The next morning we took a metro/train to the center of Paris, ate at a café and went on a hop-on, hop-off boat tour of Paris which runs up and down the Seine and stops at all the major sites along the river. We got off at the Eiffel Tower stop and paid to go all the way up to the top. It was much higher than I expected and it offered an amazing view of all of Paris, so it was definitely worth the extra money to go all the way up to the top. It was a nice moment for me because I have been very familiar with all the famous sites in Paris since I took French in high school, and I was finally able to see them all at once before my eyes. The Eiffel tower itself is a marvelous structure (although many Parisians initially wanted the tower to be demolished), and I felt that it definitely lived up to its fame as the French national symbol, especially at night when it is illuminated by blue lights and sparkles with many small lights for 10 minutes at the top of every hour. As a future structural engineer, it was also nice for me because the tower is essentially just a structural body, and yet it is still very beautiful. It is also noteworthy because it has very little wind resistance since the wind can pass right through it, allowing it to be taller with less sway. That night we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant with Trinh, her sister and her sister’s husband.
For a farewell-lunch the next day, Trinh’s sister made us an authentic French meal of potatoes, meat (mainly ham but also some beef), lettuce, and different kinds of cheese which are placed in a small frying pan which is put on a central heating dish, then once the cheese is melted a wooden stick is used to scrape the cheese onto the ham and potatoes. It was a delicious meal and reminded me of Fondue. We said farewell to Trinh and her sister then headed to the Latin quarter of Paris (located south of Notre Dame), where we checked into our hostel (Young & Happy Hostel). After walking around different shops to put together a dinner for myself (wine, grapes, baguette, cheese, and meat), we walked to the Pantheon then headed down Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, and walked down to the Eiffel Tower for a second time to see it during its night-time splendor while eating a crepe. Paris is definitely best seen at night and would be a great place to visit with someone you love.
The next morning we visited Versailles. The line to get into the palace itself was long but I thought it was worth seeing the many ornate rooms, paintings, and the famous Hall of Mirrors. Louis XIV was an unpopular monarch but he sure knew how to show off and live lavishly. The gardens were even more impressive to me due to their vast size and upkeep, as well as the tremendous amount of statues lining the walkways. I also studied Versailles in my architectural history class, where I learned that forests were then seen as dark places filled with evil and danger, and by bringing forests under control by turning them into orderly gardens, it was believed that this would lead to a place that was much more safe, benign, and Christian-like. Since Louis XIV was a very religious man and thought he was divine himself, it’s no wonder he has such a large garden and has a chapel and many godly murals and statues. In fact the largest mural ceiling in all of Europe (maybe even the world) is in his palace, depicting Hercules ascending into heaven. That night we had an authentic French dinner at a restaurant called Au Piano Muet, located down the street from our hostel. For my entrée I had a cheese tart and salad, and for the main course I had beef bourguignon, followed by the best crème bulle that I’ve ever had for dessert! To top it off we had Medoc wine from Bordeaux and cleansed our pallets with the endless basket of bread complimentary in every French restaurant. That night we met a Canadian girl and went out to a couple pubs with her. On our way over to the pubs we noticed many people with candles heading towards Notre Dame so we followed them into the cathedral where we saw part of a religious/worship projected video by candlelight… quite an unforgettable experience.
The next day I headed to Notre Dame to see it and its famous rose window during the daylight. I studied Notre Dame and cathedrals in my class… in cathedrals the tympanum (relief above the doorway) usually depicts Judgement Day and people going to heaven or hell depending on whether or not they have faith in God. This and other sculpture work on cathedrals were used to tell the stories of the Bible to illiterate peasants in order to convert them into Christians. The Notre Dame in Paris is Gothic cathedral (more developed than the earlier Romanesque), so it was able to have larger windows (like the famous rose windows), and stylistically had more decorations like reliefs and sculptures (such as gargoyles!).
I then headed off to the Louvre and tried looking for the Lions gate entry which very few people know about (so I would have been able to enter the museum without much of a wait), but found only an exit there instead. Once I entered the museum through the main/pyramid entrance I entered the Sully section where most of the ancient and classical work is. I rented an audio-guide and took my time enjoying the Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman sections. My favorite pieces were the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory statues (mainly due to their prestige), although I highly enjoyed all the Greek and Roman sculpture. The Venus de Milo was discovered by a farmer on his plantation and is famous for its S-shaped curve of the body, being armless, and having high detail in the waves of the dress. The Winged Victory statue is simply awesome: a winged goddess/angel (missing her head and arms) is landing on the bow of a ship, with the wind ripples apparent in her dress… although made of marble it looks incredibly light as if it were about to take off and fly. I then rushed to the Mona Lisa which was crowded as I expected. I think it is overrated because it is small and just a portrait, but it’s amazing how her eyes really do seem to follow you as you walk through the room. I then ate a quick dinner and realized that the Louvre would be closing early since it was a holiday (it usually stays open late on Fridays), so I had to leave earlier than I would have liked but I’m sure that I will be back. I then went back to my hostel, ate a sandwich-like crepe and headed back to the Louvre that night to meet up with some American girls who Pepe had met and we went to some pubs with them. We made plans for all of us to see Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetary and Memorial, so we got up early the next morning and headed there by train and bus.
It was powerful to see the thousands of American gravestones, and made me appreciate the sacrifices that American soldiers have made. I walked down to the beach and soaked up the site, envisioning the battle that had taken place only a little more than 60 years ago (strange because it was relatively recent and yet now is a quiet cemetery with many peaceful visitors). I collected some sand from the beach as a souvenir… I might start a sand collection as some travelers do. We missed the first bus back to the train station so we got back to Paris too late to make it to Brussels so we had to cancel our first night’s reservation at our hostel and instead slept on a train docked at the Paris du Nord station. I was sleeping on an uncomfortable bench initially but then the police came, checked everyone’s tickets, and made everyone who had a ticket sleep on the train or else be kicked out of the station since they were closing it for the night. I actually slept decently on the train on a row of seats and used my bag as a pillow. We then took the earliest train (at 6:55 AM) to Brussels.
I highly enjoyed my time in France. Ireland seemed too similar to America in its food, language and culture and only had a few amazing sights, although seeing the Guinness factory was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the Irish jig music and pub scenes. I liked London more than Ireland because it was slightly less similar to America, had much more history and amazing sites to see, plus it was more advanced with the transportation systems (although the Tube can initially be very confusing). France was much more pleasant for me since I was speaking a language other than English rather successfully. Also, the city is extremely beautiful (especially at night), and I was able to experience an authentic French lifestyle while staying at Trinh’s sister’s house. Although the French have a reputation for being cold/mean, once you “break the ice” with them and speak a little French they are just as warm as anyone else. In fact, the French kiss-on-each-cheek greeting is more amiable than the typical hand shake that most Americans use. At the same time that I see many European ways that would benefit America, being in Europe has made me realize and appreciate American hospitality and wealth. For instance, I miss not having to pay for water at restaurants, and although I like paying exactly what the price says in Europe (service charge included instead of a supplemental tax, and tips usually not necessary) the waiters who know that they aren’t going to be tipped for their service or hospitality can be cold and just throw your silverware on the table instead of set it nicely in place, plus they rarely check on you to see if you need anything. I suppose that I am realizing that I have been spoiled by the luxuries of living in the United States. Another example is poor plumbing which has lead to showers and toilets with low water pressure in some places I have stayed (Dublin in particular). The one major benefit of living life like a European is slowing down and learning how to enjoy life. I’ve realized that the American lifestyle is extremely fast paced and I am appreciating the new aspect of the café culture of sitting down outside and slowly enjoying a drink. Europeans also seem to have more free time and holidays, and I wish that America had a gap-year between high school and college like many Europeans so that almost all students could experience what I am experiencing. I have met many Europeans my age so far and most of them seem very well informed about world issues, whereas many Americans my age know very little probably since we are physically isolated from the rest of the western world. Another amazing experience is the number of Middle Eastern women I’ve seen with veils over their entire bodies and faces… something that I would almost never expect to see in America. Maybe more Americans would be more understanding of Middle-Eastern ways and culture if we had to live with more of them. Anyway, I feel a very subtle change happening in my world-wide perspectives as I experience slight differences from my own culture and compare and contrast them. I know that I will definitely come back to Paris some day, but as for now I will continue to explore the rest of Europe and especially Italy in about a week =).
Le Tour d'Eiffel
Home-made French meal (with melted cheese)
Versailles
Louvre
Venus de Milo (inside Louvre)
Winged Victory (inside Louvre)
Omaha Beach (site of D-Day in Normandy)
