I could be a mediterranean person

Marseille(s). both spellings are correct.

So... remember how i love The Count of Monte Cristo? How it's my most favorite book of all time? I read it for the first time when i was 14. I have actually TRIED to find a different favorite book. I don't know why. But The Count wins every time. i read it once every other year or so... and everytime... it's just... oh my... just... no words.

So, Marseille was on the list because it is the place where the book opens, and where young Edmund grows up, and where he is betrayed, and where one can visit the ominous Chateau D'if. Ummm.... talk about awesome.

I spent one day in Marseille - in on a night train, out on a night train. It was so lovely! Early in the morning I headed to the old Harbor where there was quite a bit going on. it was a lot like pike place market in Seattle... only without the overhead coverings and flying fish. There were tons of vendors, selling everything from shrimp to... other fish i don't know the name of... to christmas trees and flowers! Marseille is such a pretty town too - quintessentially french, and very very mediterranean. it was warm and sunny too... such a relief from rainy italy!

Anyway, the very very first thing i did was find the boat/ferry company that takes tourists to the chateau. found it. bought a ticket. waited ever-so-impatiently. got on a boat!! fidgeted the whole 25 minutes it took to get the island of If. (by the way, that's pronounced "EE-f", not "if".) got off the boat. I wish i could have seen my face, because when you round the corner and that prison comes into view... it's just so cool. i stopped. stared. took pictures. and pictures. and more and more and more pictures. really, it's like my pilgrimage for my favorite book. you know how some people go to england to see Jane Austen sights? well... i follow the count. :)

So, highlights: The main island itself is smaller than i imagined. maybe 2 football fields. the chateau is only 3 stories, with an inner court yard the size of my living room. some rooms are quite luxurious -- with a fireplace and windows! some are quite as dank and dark as depicted in the movie. The real Abbe` Faria stayed in the chateau, and his room is larger than most. it's on the 2nd level. (With a killer cool door, by the way. it's blood red, with this huge old lock. best door ever!) i fenced in there... pretending to be edmund. and i quoted some lines from the book because.... you know..... i have to.

I walked all around the island looking for the graveyard, but i just don't think i had the right vantage point at any time. There was one place where maybe...maybe. I'll just have to watch the movie again.

The mediterranean itself is so beautiful. clear as a pool, and just so pretty.

I traipsed all over that little place for about 3 hours. Then the boat came to take us back. sad day. But this does mean i got to explore marseille for a little while longer! The Basilica of Notre Dame (not to be confused with the cathedral in Paris) is the prettiest thing in the world. it's up on the top of a hill... a huge hill... that takes about 45 minutes to hike and it's steeper than the Y hike...killer.

but the basilica is worth it. or you could cheat and take the bus. ha. but the basilica has all these interesting decorations - there are boats hanging from the ceiling! or painted, or carved. Cause it's a shipping town, see? how cool is that? also, one wall is dedicated to soldiers from Marseille that fought in wars all the way back to 1880. Their medals or helmuts hang on the wall with a name tag underneath. It's so sweet, to remember the soldiers that way.

From the top of the basilica, you literally have a 360degree view of the city. and it is striking. you can see aaaaaaalllll the way out to world's end. i watched one ship sail forever, till it was a speck in the distance, and then *poof* it was gone. guess it fell off the edge of the earth.

The basilica also has some battle wounds from when it was attacked in WWII. it still has shrapnel in the walls, and gouges in the facade.

I stayed up at the church for about 3 hours (pattern, anyone?) and headed back down. funny, the hike down was so much easier. in town, i grabbed a panini for a late lunch (ohmygoodness, so good!) and walked around the wharf and old port again, visited another cathedral, the roman port, a greek theater, and heard some carollers sing. what a day!

back to the train station, grabbed my luggage, got snapped at by an old crazy lady, and on the train to barcelona...

but, oh, marseille... we shall have to meet again!

Inside the Basilica. See the boats?

Chateau D'if!!

Best quote in the book.

This is the real Abbe Faria's room.

First look when stepping off the boat...

Ummm... i think i was trying to pull a "i'm sad i'm a prisoner" face, but it just looks demented. i was too happy to even pretend to be sad!

Flower market on the old port.

Firenze

sorry, no pictures again!

Florence was magnifico. The city of the birth of Western Civ as we know it! I found it rather monumental to be there in that great city. And it was so beautiful.

I arrived at night and found my hostel relatively easily. Thank heavens for hostels near train stations. The next day was when the real fun began.

I woke up early (which, by the way, is the best time to see any city - when it's waking up! AND the double plus of going early in a touristy city? You get all the sites to yourself.). First stop: Il Duomo and the Baptistry. THE place/event/thing that started the Renaissance...well, at least to me. See, the Medici Family was a powerful family in Florence in the 1400's. They held a contest for artisans to create the best doors for the Baptistry outside the Duomo. It came down to Gheberti's doors, or Brunelleschi's Doors. After much debate, Gheberti won (in one of those "underdog beats the old master"kind of moments...) and in a fury, Brunelleschi left the city. [don't worry, he came back and saved the day when he was the only one who could figure out how to successfully place a dome on the magnificent church {a church whose dome, btw, became the model for churches (and out capitol building) all over the world}].

SOOO Gheberti won, and it was magnificent. Michaelangelo saw the doors as a youth, and said that they were so beautiful, they were like the "Gates of Paradise" - which is the name they are referred to as even today.

The Medicis continued to pump money into the arts and sciences for the next little while, effectively revving up the Renaissance and bringing Europe out of the dark ages. Thank Heavens! and it happened in FLORENCE!! and I was THERE!! seriously, so cool.

i climbed to the tippy top of the dome (423 steps, thank you very much!), and the sight was beautiful. you know in mary poppins, when they're looking over the city at twilight, and it's just stunning? yeah, it was like that. If you feel like a hike up narrow, tight, windy staircases, then this one is for you! it's really worth it too, trust me.

While in Firenze, I spent a lot of time wandering the streets. It's so fun to just get lost in a city, and watch the people. The flea market was huge and fun, Santa Croce has the tombs of many a famous person (da Vinci, Galileo, Machiavelli, etc etc....), I saw the Uffizi, Michaelangelo's David, the Academia, had real italian pasta (it was so-so....) and pizza (BEST thin-crust pizza EVER), as well as fun along the river.

Italy is so colorful and lively. It's exactly as I pictured it. And it was fun to be there in off-season, and see their christmas market. Every country is different, and Italy's was more craft-driven than Germany. So many cute things!

go to italy. you'll love it.

Roma!

(I promise to put pics up...at some point in time... when my mind isn't mush... go look at FB. :)

I do believe that Italy is one of my favorite places so far. I know I say that about every place I go to, but believe me... Italy is worth they hype. Only, remember that if you come in winter, bring rain gear. I don't think I have been properly dry since I arrived here!

ROMA! what to say about lovely rome... what an amazing city filled with history. It was kind of shock to walk down streets and look around and see buildings thousands (literally!) of years old, right next door to a McDonalds...ahaha. I can't believe how huge the Colloseum is, or how marvelous Palatinate hill is. The history of the Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church rests in that city! So much awesomness, I just can't describe.

As always, I tried to figure out the metro system right away. Nothing makes me feel like part of any city more than knowing their metro systems. Most of the time it is pretty straight-forward. But Rome's is tricky. Don't be fooled when you come! Other than the crazy exits, it's pretty fun to figure out.

I only scheduled 2 days in Rome... because I am a dummy. So, the first day was Palatinate Hill and the Colloseum. I was outrageously happy to see the house of Augustus Ceasar, and the Forum. Seriously, it's HUGE guys. The Colloseum was cool because of the gladiators, and Olympics, and jazz.... and also because it's where a key plot development happens in "The Count of Monte Cristo". :) I'm on a pilgrimage to follow Edmund Dantes' steps.... in reverse. Paris, Rome, Marseille! haha

Next, I went to Villa Borghese, to see Bernini's masterpieces. I wish I could have taken a picture of them. You'll have to look them up - especially Apollo and Daphne. Look really close at it... They say that when the clean the leaves at the top, they ring, because the marble is shaved so thin. Now that is mastery. Go Bernini GO! Bernini is my 2nd favorite sculptor, by the way. Also, when you go to Villa Borghese, make reservations ahead of time! They don't take walk-ins!

The next day I went to Vatican city and St. Peter's. Vatican museum... Sistine Chapel.... and a surprise!! They were having an exhibit on early astronomy instruments!! ohmygoodness...I bought my ticket as fast as possible and RAN to the exhibit. First one there! thank you very much. The guards looked at me funny. But I cannot believe how cool it was. 1st edition texts by Kepler, Galileo (a handwritten copy of Sidereus Nuncius!!!), Hevalius,. Copernicus....um, I died of happiness. no joke. I spent 75 minutes in there, and I could have easily spent more. It's nice that my Latin is so handy... I could acutally sort of understand what Galileo wrote! haha

Next, I strolled through the Vatican Museum. You have really got to take your time there. It is massive and somewhat overwhelming. Also, there is a FAKE sistine Chapel. You'll think you are there, and you're not. Don't be fooled, FYI. But the fake one is still cool.

The actual Sistine Chapel is magnificent. It's easy to see why so many consider it Michaelangelo's masterpiece. It has such dimension, and such presense. It's an amazing experience to be in there. There were also little cherubs of the OT prophets, and they were funny because the Cherubs were attitudinal.... as in, Daniel looked pious, Ezekial looked melancholy, Isaiah looked angry, and Elijah looked happy! Elijah was the only cherub that looked cherubic. haha

Sistine Chapel = oh so awesome. I really loved it a lot. I'm excited to go back!

Then, I went to St. Peters. Now that is an awesome place. Huge, welcoming, filled with happy people, and so much art. My senses were kind of on overload. :) I ate lunch in the square, and monk passed me saying, "Buon Appitito signora." yep, that made my day!

St. Peter's is filled with a lot of art revolving around the popes. I was a little surprised at how little there was of Christ. However, when you enter and go to the right, Michaelangelo's Pieta` is right there in front of you. Now THAT is an AMAZING piece of sculpture. Mary's face has the most poignant expression. And it's just so moving.... Go look it up, because my pictures don't do it justice at all.

St. Peter's is amazingly grand. Put it on your Rome To-Do list. And try not go on sensory-overload when you enter, because it makes Baroque look tame... somehow. :)

My stay in Rome was short and sweet. When I go next time, there is so much I want to do! And now that I have the metro figured out, it'll be a piece of cake.

random

i'm exhausted... but i'm not sleeping. every hour spent awake is one less in my heidelberg. and one closer to my grand adventure.

i'm torn.

sigh.

here are a few random movies i have made during my travels. enjoy!

Spinny wheel of death at Christmas Market.

Schloss! from my first week here.... aww...

Versailles, Hall of Mirrors

Jazz vagabond performers. They rocked.

Monet.

Vienna!!

Vienna!! City of Mozart, the Opera, Figlmuellers, Albertina, and wonderful, wonderful things.
I almost didn't go to Vienna, and it was a good thing I nixed that idea. Vienna is at the cusp of Western/Eastern Europe, and it really feels that way. There were times when I would walk through the city and feel like I was in Paris again, or other times when I would stroll through a garden and feel like I was in Krakow again. Very interesting indeed!
I went to Vienna with my friend Tara, and we definitely got a lot done. it was fantastic. First on the agenda, however, was to visit Megan!! Megan was my neighbor last year, and is now studying abroad in Vienna. She was such an amazing resource of all awesome things to do. We grabbed lunch in Naschmarkt (the BIGGEST flea market/ farmer's market I have ever been to... it was AMAZING), then headed over to Karlskirche to enjoy it. There was a Christmas market outside the kirche, and we walked around looking at what the vendors had to offer. Smells of hot red wine, apple cider, kinderpunsch, roasted chestnuts, brats, and cookies filled the air. there were so many adorable little ornaments too... I wanted to buy them all!

Megan and Me!

Tara and I spent some quality time walking along the ring. They had put up the decorations for Christmas, and night time was lovely....It has been so easy for me to forget about the holidays while in Germany. They don't celebrate Halloween, and unlike BYU, they don't put Christmas decor until about.... right now. And, since they don't celebrate Thanksgiving either...it was easy to forget that we're heading into one of the lovliest times of the year! So, seeing all the decorations was awesome.
Saturday night was eventful! Tara and I waited in line for standing room tickets to the Opera. We saw Wagner's "Das Rhinegold" which is part 1 of the Ring Cycle. The Ring Cycle's most famous part is part 2 - Die Walkyrie. Part 1 was still stunning... i love the opera. :) And the opera house was like a walking into a museum... it was absolutely wonderful. Plush carpets with vaulted ceilings, and ornate chandeliers, velvet seat cushions... i think i stepped into the 1800's when I walked into the place.
Tara and I also went to the famous cemetary on Simmeringstrasse, where all the famous musicians from the past are buried. I don't care that you may think it's morbid. We were very excited to visit the place! And their tombstones are extremely ornate and lovely. What I loved most, however, was the memorablia people put on them. I saw lots of little "I love you" pillows, pictures, music pieces, flowers, and other fun things. It was definitely a fun experience. Besides Beethoven, we saw Strauss, Bach, Brahms, and Mozart (just a memorial... he's actually buried in a pauper's grave...).
On monday night we went to the HUGE Christmas market outside the Rathaus. The Rathaus is a stunning building. And it's even gorgeous-er when lit up! The market was cute, and for the tourists. However, there's something about being at a christmas market that just makes you so happy. I love love loved it.

Vienna definitely had a music theme to it. Opera, Vienna Boys Choir (holy cow... so beautiful in every aspect!), jingles at the markets, and stuff like that. I really enjoyed being there! You will too. :)

p.s. when you go, eat at Figlmuellers (the schnitzel is bigger than your head!), and buy a chocolate Mozart ball (you can only get them in Vienna! make sure it's "ohne alkohol"! and the pistachio ones are good... but marzipan is better. :)

are you serious?

6 days left in HD.

4 hours till I leave for Vienna.

1 month till I'm home.

...

WHERE DID THE TIME GO?!?!?!?!!??!?!!?!?!?!

holy cow, time, stop going so FAST. that's just not cool.

Paris is Pretty!

I was in Heidelberg less than 24 hours before I took off again, this time for Paris.

Paris, Paris... now I understand why people leave the states and live in Paris. It's wonderful there! So much to see and do.... it's awesome. I was excited to spend 4 days there (I only spent 3 days everywhere else). I thought maybe I could take it easy, and have a more relaxed approach.

nope.

not at all!! Paris is so full of so many things that I've wanted to see for so long, I was bookin' it from place to place! It was fun though...I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The first thing to do was figure out the metro. It's tricky, but once you have, it's AMAZING. Guys, seriously, the metro is a great thing. I felt so city-ish... haha! I was even able to help these German kids figure out how to get to Paris-Disneyland. (Thanks Mikaela for the tips!!)

I started out my trip in the Jardin de Luxembourg. They were so beautiful. I LOVED that fall was in full swing, and the leaves were crunchy, and the air was crisp, and the flowers were lovely. And, I've also realized that I have a passion for gardens. Luxembourg is not as known as the Tuilleries, and I liked it more. There was even a gazebo!

On the tour I took I learned a lot about the history of the city - including the origin of the word "plastered" as it is used today - and finally saw so many famous things. Notre Dame. Pont Neuf, Champs Elysees (ohmygosh CHAMPS ELYSEES!), Les Invalides, Place de la Concord, the Louvre, Palace of Justice, Saint Chapelle, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph.... and so much more. I was bursting at the seams with joy.

Paris has an awesome "city-ness" feel to it. Shana would have loved it. I felt the hustle and bustle of the place, as well as the relaxed nature of Parisians in the afternoon. Their morning were definitely gogogo, but afternoon time was like being in Krakow again... followed by a definite sizzling night life. Paris is beautiful, I cannot wait to go back again.

Most of my time in Paris was either spent in museum or in a garden. I can't believe I thought 4 days was enough. 4 YEARS wouldn't have been enough.

This is a Monet from L'Orangerie museum. This was my 2nd favorite museum. Full of impressionist paintings. They are definitely more impressive in real life, I tell you.

Oh. My heart gave a leap of joy at this. The Burghers of Calais by Rodin. My favorite sculpture. The Rodin Museum was my favorite. I spent a lot of time there. With amazing artwork and beautiful gardens, you just can't go wrong.

This is the famous Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Versailles was a DREAM! Jaw-dropping artwork, stunning buildings and gardens, and exquisite ceilings really really made my day fantastic.

Yep, I could live there.

This is inside Notre Dame. I felt like singing a few strains from "The Bells of Notre Dame", but I refrained. It's such a fantastic building. Size alone is striking. But inside... even better.

This is in the Luxembourg Gardens. I really love flowers. :)

Oh Paris... let's meet up again sometime soon, ok? And next time I'll get hot chocolate in the Latin Quarter, I promise.