Finally, some photographing inspiration!

Today was all about photography. I walked around with my best friend (his name is Canon XTi) and just took pictures all day. The weather was outstanding, probably in the mid-80s with great lighting. As I was walking around I also stopped by two photography museums which were quite good. I don’t know how many miles I walked, but it must have been a lot.
For dinner I went to a pancake place. I had some poffertjes, which are small little round pancake-like things. They don’t taste the same as American pancakes, and they don’t really taste like crepes either…but it was pretty good!



Today’s photography themes:
Through the gates (my specialty): photos
Self-reflect: Can you see me?: photos
Amsterdam in Black and White: photos

I AmSterdam

Recap of Thursday night: I went to a student-only club called Dansen bij Jansen. I made the terrible mistake of arriving at 11:45pm…clubs here only start getting busy around 1 (like Paris…but I had heard they closed earlier here, so I thought it would be ok). The bouncers must have felt sorry for me because they let me in for free….and found myself to be one of maybe 4 others. Super awkward. Sat at the bar and felt like a fool. The barista and the bar tender were both extremely nice and talked with me for a while. They explained that this bar/club used to be a very popular place, but since a year now, it has been quite empty and they didn’t expect many more people to show up. Then the DJ came and sat next to me and all of us just talked and it was actually quite nice. Around 1, there were maybe 12 people total in the place. As soon as the music started playing I couldn’t resist and danced anyway…with the 3 or 4 others on the dancefloor. Most of the people there couldn’t have been older than 18, so that was also a bit strange. I ended up staying until they closed and the barista invited me to stay even after they were closed and we all just continued chatting. They were really really nice, and even though the place hadn’t been that crowded, I really had a great time.

Yesterday, I went back to the Allard Pierson Museum in the hopes of being able to talk with the curator (even though I hadn’t been able to get in touch with him before my arrival). The lady at the front desk said he wouldn’t be in till later, so I started going around the museum when she called me back and said he had arrived! Lucky me! I was able to interview him and got some great information.
I spent the rest of the day just walking around enjoying the nice weather. I went to the Rijksmuseum where I saw the NightWatch and just WOW...what an amazing piece. I gasped when I first walked in...it's huge! I also went to the Van Gogh Museum where I finally saw Starry Night (which is normally at MoMA, and when I went there I didn't get to see it, but now I have!).
For dinner, I decided I didn’t want to feel all lonely in a restaurant so I got a little picnic ready to go eat in the park, thinking that it would be a nice place to eat without it being awkward to be alone. WRONG. Friday nights, in the park, all the students come out and have huge parties. Groups of 10 or 20 sit around a barbecue and drink…and I was eating alone once again. Agh!

Today, a fire alarm made me jolt out of bed far earlier than I had planned on getting up. Apparently the toaster set it off…Couldn’t go back to sleep, so I started the day early. Went down all of the major shopping streets and then wandered into smaller streets. It is really warm today and absolutely gorgeous out. As I was walking around, it dawned on me that one thing that is so different about this city is the lack of homeless people. Either there aren’t any or they are very well hidden. I haven’t been asked for change once! It’s rather refreshing.
I went on a canal boat cruise and saw Amsterdam from a completely different viewpoint! Still just as beautiful.

Pictures: here

Allard Pierson Museum and more of Leiden

This morning, I managed to wake up pretty early and so was able to go to the Allard Pierson Museum so that I could then already make some comparisons when I returned to Leiden this afternoon. The Allard Pierson Museum is very different in some respects, which is great for my research. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to reach the curator yet, but perhaps tomorrow I will just ask for him at the front desk (who knows?).
Hopped on the train to Leiden early afternoon and met up with the curator and assistant. I was able to get a picture with them (although I’m sure they found this to be an odd request, but I thought it would be a nice souvenir and addition to my final paper). I then had a few more questions for them and ended back in the galleries for one last look around.
Once I finished with that, I decided to spend the rest of the evening exploring Leiden, which is such a beautiful little city. I first stopped by Leiden University, which is a very good place for art history and Egyptology (all the people working at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden went there). I was extremely surprised to find an actual student information center with brochures, info about admission and people willing to answer questions! (This does not exist at all in Paris. 2 years ago when I went there looking for a school, it was impossible to find out any information or people willing to help). Unfortunately, because the US system is so much more a liberal arts basis instead of specialized, it would be very difficult for me to go into their Egyptology program, but the guy did suggest I try the art history department. We’ll see…but being in Holland for a masters would be amazing!
Then my phone ran out of minutes and I went to a store to get a new SIM card so that calls would be cheaper here. Simple enough, I thought…just bought a new one (only 5 euros), put it in, and thought it would work.
WRONG.
When I got my phone “unblocked” in Paris so that it would work in all European countries, I apparently got very very ripped off. I paid them 20 euros for absolutely nothing, my phone wasn’t even unblocked. UGH.
So then I had to go to a different store to get in unblocked here. The guys there were very friendly (and less sketchy than the ones in the Paris store) and told me never to trust the French (hah!). They felt bad that I had gotten ripped off, so they gave me a discount (only 10 euros instead of 15…) and unblocked it for me and this time it really worked.

To recap: TRAVEL TIP ABOUT PHONES:
a) Do not unblock your phone in the same country that you got it in, other wise you won’t be able to check and make sure it works.
b) If you do get it unblocked in the same country that you bought it, try someone else’s SIM card in it to make sure it works.
c) Don’t trust the French… (never thought I would say that!). Well, at least, don’t trust the sketchy French telephone people.

After that little adventure, I was rather hungry and wanted to eat in Leiden but also didn’t want to spend that much money. I stumbled upon a cute little restaurant called…McDonald’s! (The classiest McDonald’s I’ve ever seen) with a patio and everything. Still had to pay 50 cents to use the restroom (seriously…this is getting annoying). Since I couldn’t read the menu (and the only similar words are hamburger and McChicken) I went for the McChicken, and it was very good. I ate on the little patio which was fine at first, but soon I realized that this was a popular spot for the local high school hooligans to hang out. The last time I was around such a crowd (in Paris), I got my cell phone stolen, so I decided not to take any chances and ate my McChicken on the way back to the station (plus, they kept spitting…twas gross).

I managed not to buy any shoes, but I fear I will not be able to resist much longer (but can I really justify spending 100 euros on a beautiful pair of shoes…probably not).

Now I am back at the hotel relaxing before I go out and see what Amsterdam’s nightlife is really like (apparently Thursday is when the party really begins!)

Today's photos: here

More at the Rijksmuseum!

Today was quite fabulous (besides the rainy weather…and cold).

Went back to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden where I met with the head Egyptian curator. He was extremely nice and willing to answer my questions. After our interview, he showed me the storage rooms of the Egyptian collection. WOW! Seeing the mummies up close was really neat and almost surreal…to know that the bodies inside are thousands of years old, unbelievable! I was also able to visit the restoration laboratories where they take care of the objects, as well as the library and archives.

The assistant curator had arranged a meeting for me with the director of collections and the director of exhibitions. This was a great surprise and a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about the museological perspectives of their museum. They had some fascinating things to say and were really open about giving me their opinions and ideas about the museum; concepts that will definitely help me with my research, which I can apply to the other museums I will visit.
Once I finished there, I walked around the main street of Leiden where there is an H&M every 2 feet (it’s absolutely insane!) and plenty of nice shoes to look at. I then proceeded to pay a whopping 35 cents to be able to use a restroom in one of the stores. (At least it was clean). Took the train back to Amsterdam and went to take a nap at my hotel (hey…I was tired!).
For dinner, I wanted to try something Dutch. I’m not usually very adventurous when it comes to my taste buds, but I can’t leave Holland without having eaten something Dutch! Arnold, the very nice guy from the hotel, suggested a nice little restaurant just down the street called Kop van Jut. Boy am I glad I went! It was absolutely delicious! There were about 7 tables total, so very small, but very quaint. The waitress and the owner were very nice and made me feel very welcome (even though I also felt extremely awkward to be eating alone!). I ordered chicken in Indonesian sauce with homemade fries and a salad (all for a very reasonable price!)…mmmm soooo good!
Back in the hotel, the Barcelona vs. Manchester United game was on in the lobby, so I watched that with one of the hotel workers and two Canadians. Barcelona won (I was happy…that’s Thierry Henry’s team!).
And now I am just sitting in my hotel room, writing up my notes from the day and probably heading to bed soon so I can try to wake up early tomorrow!

Today's photos can be found here (for now I'm not able to include them in the blog itself because the photos won't load for some reason....sorry!)

And here is a themed album: The Colors of Amsterdam
Unlike the French, who only wear neutral colors and look at me funny when I wear anything with bright colors and patterns, the Dutch really know how to flaunt their colors! So here's an album dedicated to that :)

The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

Yesterday was my first day to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (http://www.rmo.nl/english). It is located in Leiden, a small little town about 40 min. away from Amsterdam.

Travel tip: the train station doesn’t accept credit cards here…so if you’re buying tickets, make sure you have cash!

When I got to the museum (after getting a bit lost of course), the assistant curator met with me and let me into the galleries. He spent some time explaining the galleries and why they had chosen to display Egypt the way they had (this is a new gallery dating from 2000) and then let me wander about so that I could make my observations.
The galleries are gorgeous and very modern. I spent over an hour in the gallery, taking pictures and coming up with questions to ask the curators.
Once I finished with that, I ate a little sandwich in their café (not even that unreasonably priced). Then I met up with the assistant curator again and he took me to his office where I was able to ask him some questions. He was so extremely nice! He showed me some books, articles, and explained to me how to use their website for research. The director of collections apparently has asked to meet with me too (how cool!) so I will hopefully meet him today, as well as the main curator.
Once I was finished at the museum, I wandered around Leiden for a bit, but it was so cold and rainy that I soon returned to Amsterdam.
Back at my hotel, I took a nap and when I woke up at 8pm the sun was shining and there was not a sign of a cloud in the sky…super strange! I went out to enjoy the weather and wandered about some more (this time, I didn’t even get lost!)

Pictures from the day before yesterday and yesterday are up on Facebook, follow this link:
photos

Amsterdam: City of Bikes….and shoes

This afternoon I arrived at Amsterdam. After unnecessarily panicking because I couldn’t understand a word that was written anywhere, I arrived at my hotel (Hotel Hestia) where I settled into an itty-bitty room, but a cozy one at that. The bed, mind you, would probably not fit anyone taller than me (for once, my shortness is a good thing). Unfortunately, I misunderstood the website’s claim that there is “wifi available in all rooms” which only means that it is available..but not free. My time on the internet, therefore, will be short.
First let me recapitulate yesterday’s excursions…which consisted of visiting the Louvre. There was no line..which is miraculous, and not too many people inside, so I wandered at my leisure through the Egyptian halls. No matter how many times I see it, Egyptian art just blows me away. To think that they were able to be so creative and intricate, thousands of years ago..just blows me away.
After the Louvre, I wandered around the Latin Quarter for quite some time.

Now for Amsterdam:
a) There are more bikes than cars. Also, I haven’t quite figured out the rules of the road here…the bikes seem to have the right of way, not even pedestrians…and so I almost got run over a couple of times (I’m getting better…).
b) The Dutch LOVE shoes. No kidding, every other store was a shoe store. I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back…I’ll try to limit my purchases to only 2 pairs? Hah!
c) Everyone here speaks amazing English and everyone here is amazingly nice.

Since I cannot read a map to save my life, I wandered aimlessly around and couldn’t tell you where I was if I wanted to, but all of it was very nice! I ended up in the Red Light district unintentionally, but apparently only the edge of it.
For dinner, I went to a nice little Italian pizzeria. The waiter was at first shocked that I was eating all by myself and asked if I had any friends (I don’t think he meant that in a bad way). I explained to him my trip and he was kind enough to chat with me about Amsterdam while I waited for my food and gave me some nice tips of where to go.
After dinner, I decided I would wander back to the Red Light District, but my map reading skills failed me once again and I ended up somewhere else (but a very nice area where I was able to take lots of pictures, so no problem).

I have just returned to my hotel and right as I got in, it started thundering and pouring down rain. Phew! That was close…

Pictures will come later when I can get free internet....sorry!

Today's ventures into Paris

Fact: The French do not sweat. (Unfortunately, I did not inherit this magical power). Today was about 75 degrees and there is no AC. Everytime I walked into a store, I started sweating, yet all the Frenchies around me looked fine AND were wearing sweaters and jackets. Same thing on the metro...I found it to be scorching hot, even only wearing a tanktop, and everyone else had jackets on and didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable. agh!

Anyway, today, I went into Paris to get everything I needed for the rest of my trip.
Got a cell phone, all of my train tickets, etc etc.

Then I paid 50 cents (eurocents...so almost a dollar...to use this restroom in the train station:
At least it was clean (rare) AND had toilet paper (super rare).

Then the art history dork in me saw this and just had to take a picture:

I went to Les Halles (a massive underground shopping center) to get the card reader. The building is hideous:

But this one isn't:
One thing to know about the French: they love their grass. So much so, that they don't allow you to walk on it. Seriously, don't even try, the cops WILL get you!

That's all for tonight folks!



More photos here: here

Photos from yesterday

I was able to get a card reader, so here are some pics from yesterday!

The view from Marc's apartment...

The bike ride...



The view from the top of Bois de Vincennes (the view there is Vincennes, a suburb, not Paris)



Snack time!

Dinner: creperie! This Bolée is a type of cider from Brittany. You drink it in a small bowl..hence "bolée"!

Finally, the view on our way back

First day in Paris

After taking a short nap and feeling a bit more revitalized, I had an excellent lunch with my cousin (Marc) his gf (Manuela), and my little cousin Antoine (going by there names will make this much easier!) So on the menu for lunch were merguez (if you come to France, this is a must. It's a spicy kind of sausage that they eat like we eat hotdogs), carrot purée and some excellent smelly cheeses!

The sun was out and it was actually warm (a miracle for Paris at this time of year) so we went on a bike ride in the woods, the Bois de Vincennes. (I know...seems strange that I would be going into the woods in Paris!) It was beautiful and smelled so good! I rented a velib', which I recommend to anyone who visits Paris because it allows you to see so much more of the city (and it's cheap!). On our way back we had "goûter" or snack and I had my first viennoiserie of the trip: a delicious REAL chocolate eclair. mmmmmmmmm

I took plenty of pictures, but alas, was stupid enough to forget the cord to upload pictures (not completely my fault...it's a new camera, but only a step up from my old one so I assumed my old cord woud work...wrong). Hopefully tomorrow I can find a card reader.

We came back home and I fell asleep again. At around 9pm we went to eat dinner (remember folks, this is Europe, we eat late). We went to a creperie which I had been to before with them, right down the street. I had a crepe with cheese, eggs, and potatoes, followed by an "after-eight" dessert crepe which consists of chocolate with mint ice cream. YUM!

Tomorrow: lots of errands, and hopefully a quick trip to the Louvre to get things started!

I am so extremely happy to be here. There is something about this city that just makes me fall in love with it all over again everytime. I don't know how to explain it.

Bonne nuit!

ps: I promise, more pictures and less rambling next time!

Made it!

Arrived in Paris at 6:15 am (my flight was early! Unbelievable). Everything was fine except for a screeching crying baby for the first 4 hours of the flight (non-stop). Lots of angry people!
Also, the French woman next to me seemed to confuse the small container of ranch for yogurt....she simply ate it with a spoon. *shudder*

Took a quick nap to recuperate (but I still feel like it's nighttime even though it's only noon thirty here!) and now am off to get some errands done!

Oh Paris, how I've missed you!

It's not even raining! The sun is out, sky is blue, and I'm ecstatic!

Departure in 9 hours!

It's 2:25am...my suitcase is not yet closed, and I still feel like I'm forgetting something! Blegh, I hate packing.

Everything is wrapping up though; my mom has been extremely helpful with making triplicates of all my important documents, flight info, hotels, etc... she's the best! Not to get all mushy or anything, but she has been tremendously supportive throughout this whole process, and I don't think I'd be even close to ready had it not been for all of her help!

I've re-confirmed most of my meetings with the curators of the museums...only waiting on a few more responses now. I still can't believe they're going to take the time to talk to me! (I'll be reading a book about interviewing while I'm on the plane so I'm prepared and professional!).

Tomorrow (today in 9 hours, to be accurate), I'll be on a plane to my beloved France! Then I have all weekend to get over the jetlag and hang out with my cousin and his gf and kid (super duper people, love them) and then head to Amsterdam on Monday.

I don't think this will really feel real until I'm sitting on that plane! Thanks everyone for being so patient with me these past couple of weeks as I've been crazy busy trying to prepare for this trip AND not fail school.

I'm excited!

Hotel Tips

I really want to stay here during my trip to Munich, but the prices were a bit high and it wasn't available during the period I would be there. But I was so in love with the place (and the reviews are amazing) that I emailed the owner (it's a small family owned hotel) and asked about other availabilities and whether or not they had a student discount.

I wish I had been emailing these hotels all along! They emailed me back and said I could stay there for the first 3 nights of my stay for 65 euros (student discount!!!!) - which is not at all advertised on their website. They then suggested their sister hotel for the rest of my stay and emailed them my request. That hotel also replied with a student discount offer! Not sure yet if this is where I'll be able to stay since it's kind of far from the city center, but it would be ammmaaazing!

So all of you budgeters looking for a nice but cheap hotel, find something family owned and ask the owner for a student discount!

Progress

I have learned something very important as I am preparing for this project: never be afraid to ask; the worse that someone can say is "no".

Back in March when I was finalizing the proposal for this project I contacted all of the museums I wanted to visit to make sure that this research could be possible and if I could meet with the curators of the Egyptian collections. Many people were skeptical and said that I wouldn't receive any answers.

Out of the fifteen-some museums that I contacted, ten have replied. Not only did they reply, they replied with surprisingly enthusiastic positive responses. (What I've learned is that so few people even dare to ask, that when someone does ask, they are so surprised and happy to know that someone is interested, they can't say no!).

At first I thought that only the smaller museums would have time for me and would respond, but once I received a response from both the British Museum and the Louvre saying that I could meet with their curatorial staff...I knew things were looking up!

In the past few weeks I have received some even more exciting responses from museums that I thought had just been too busy to reply to my message.

The Egyptian curator at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, Netherlands replied to me and said that I could have a mini-internship for a few days at the museum, working with the collection and visiting archives and storage. I was shocked! This changed some of my plans and so I dropped off one of the places I had planned on visiting so that I could stay in the Netherlands longer (I will now be there for 7 days).

A museum in Bristol, UK, that I had not heard a response from either, just a few days ago responded very nicely saying that I could meet with the curators and get a tour of the museum.

Some even more exciting news arrived yesterday from the Egyptian Museum in Munich with a specific time and date for me to meet with the DIRECTOR of the museum, a tour, and an invitation to their off-site educational program for a few days. AWESOME.

So all in all, things are really starting to wrap up nicely and I'm so excited that I just can't sleep right now. I can't believe I'll be leaving in 16 days! There is still sooooo much preparing to do...

J-19: Preparations

In 19 days, I will be flying to France where I will begin the greatest adventure of my life.
I have been awarded the Shawky Whitfield Research in Egyptian Art Scholarship, which will allow me to travel to seven countries where I will study (extensively) the ways in which European museums display, maintain, and promote their Egyptian collections.

Knowing that many of you are not at all interested in this field, I will not bore you with my findings (but you are welcome to read my final paper if you are so inclined). However, I will *try* to keep a blog so that you can follow me throughout Europe and hear all about what I see and do.
Note that I have tried keeping a blog many-a times before, and have never ever succeeded, so I'm not making any promises.

In preparation for my trip, I have had to outline an extremely detailed itinerary with exactly where I will be at what time in order to receive the grant. I cannot even begin to tell you how difficult that can be. Luckily, everyone has been super supportive (including my advisor, professors, and parents) and the preparations are almost complete (plane tickets, train tickets, and most hotels have been booked!).
If you ever decide to go to Europe, you can hire me as your itinerary developer, I have become a pro.

Am I nervous? Absolutely. Traveling ALONE to seven different countries is a bit scary, but I've traveled before, have bought my moneybelt (total nerd) and have begun trying to learn how to pronounce "where is the bathroom" in all of these languages. I'm sure I will be fine.

I am absolutely super duper excited about this and can't believe it is actually happening. I hope you will enjoy following me on this trip, and I promise I will try my hardest to keep up with this blog. (and if anything, I will at least upload plenty of pictures, because, for those of you who know me, you know that I don't go anywhere without my baby - aka Canon XTi).

That's all for now folks.