A day in Basel

Unfortunately, I do not have many pictures of the city yet because it has been gray and rainy and not at all suitable to take my camera out...

Today I went to the Antiken Museum and spent a couple of hours studying the galleries. It's a very cool exhibition space...probably one of the most modern ones I've seen so far. I then had a meeting with the curator who was fantastic! Instead of just talking in his office (which has been the case with most other curators) we actually had the interview in the galleries where he could show me exactly what he was talking about, etc... It was very informative and he even gave me a catalogue for free!

I walked around for a bit and window shopped (this is another one of those crazy shoe cities....I can't even go in the stores other wise I'll come back with 5 more pairs...agh!). Things are kind of expensive here too. But they've got some great shops!

I had the greatest coffee of my life...ever...it was called the "Nutellino"...and yes, that means there's NUTELLA in it. Wow. I can't even describe how delicious it was.
(yes...the darker part at the bottom is all Nutella...)

Tonight, I continued expanding my cultural horizons by attending another symphony. Once again, absolutely amazing. This one was pretty neat because each piece had a young soloist performing and they were all so talented!


And a few more photos here

Paris: the city that sometimes sleeps, is closed on Sundays and Mondays and NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME!

Well, it has been quite a while since I've updated...I do apologize for the delay, but there was just too much to do in Paris and not enough time to write!

The first week, I was a tour guide for Evan and Ariadne...like I said before, I think this is a career path I may pursue if all else fails. I'm pretty sure I know Paris better than some Parisians even.
We did the usual touristy things: Montmartre, where this lovely couple played beautiful music:

We walked along the Seine, drove around with Jean-Mark at night, saw some amazing sunsets, etc etc...

I went to the Louvre pretty much everyday while I was there to study the Egyptian collections (I know them by heart!) and on Friday I was able to meet with one of the curators, which was, of course, amazing. I already have some ideas of what I'd like to do with the Egyptian collection once I'm curator of the Louvre...
uh...did I just say that out loud? pfff

There was a smaller Egyptian exhibit at Les Invalides which was also very interesting. It was all about Napoleon's trip to Egypt and what they discovered. Very nicely done.

Paris, all in all, was a burst of cultural experiences! Over the weekend, Evan and I went to see an orchestra play at the Salle Pleyel...A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. My life has changed forever and I am now quite quite fond of classical music (I know...who ever would have thought?!?)

The sunsets in Paris were spectacular...the pictures just can't do them justice:


My tastebuds also had quite a blast while in Paris. Between crepes, coq au vin, and lapin moutarde, I don't think I can ever go back to American food...(or any other food for that matter).

Last night was by far the greatest night in the history of my Parisian experiences. Yesterday was La Fete de la Musique, where all of Paris turns into a gigantic music festival. There was so much to see and not enough time! Evan came back just for this. We started the day off watching the Orchestre de Radio France play Danse Macabre and L'apprenti Sorcier at the Theatre du Chatelet. WWWWWOOOWWWWW. We sat on the highest balcony and could see the musicians almost directly below, and it was all just beautiful.

People in the streets went crazy dancing everyyywhere!


We walked around Chatelet later in the night and stumbled upon an amazing DJ where everyone was just dancing in the streets. Once again, words cannot describe how great it was. The night ended with McDonald's and a LOT of walking to find our way back. While the festival was extremely well organized during the day, at around 1:30am everything became a mess! Half of the metro closed, the night buses weren't running, and it was impossible to find a taxi. Luckily, we ran into some people going to the same area we were, so we walked a few miles with them until FINALLY a taxi was willing to drop us off at our destination. Phew! What an adventure though :) It was all well well worth it.

This morning, bright and early, had to get up to take a train to....Switzerland! I am now in Basel, a quaint little city/town where I can't figure out what language is being spoken at any give time (half German, half French, half Italian, half Austrian - maybe?). On the bright side, they speak the two languages I do, so that's nice...but I still can't read any of the signs.
I have decided that trains are 98% better than planes...it's so much less stressful to travel this way.

So here is my hotel (which, by the way, is very very nice...the single room is gigantic and the bed is more of a double than a single!)


And don't worry, I'll keep up the blog much more frequently now that the adventure continues!

More photos:

here

and

here

these past few days...

Well, it's been a while!

I don't have that much to write about so far...took the weekend to rest up and meet up with old friends. Went to the Australian Bar with Jean-Mark and had a blast, as usual.
Yesterday, went to the Louvre to visit "Les Portes du Ciel", a temporary exhibit about Ancient Egypt afterlife, it was quite fascinating and really well done.I spent a couple of hours there taking it all in and will return tomorrow! Unfortunately, I can't post any pictures of it because I wasn't allowed to take any! (On Tuesdays...it's closed!). Other wise, been working on writing up all my notes for research and reading all the books I've been collecting (I think I'll have to buy a new bookshelf upon my return!)

Today, I took Evan and his girlfriend (who arrived from the States today) around Paris...I must say I'm quite a good tour guide...I might have to do this as a profession! We went to my favorite creperie in Paris, la Creperie Cluny in the Latin Quarter. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

We then walked around there for a while, stopped by Notre Dame, then headed to the Centre Pompidou. I had read on the website that it was open everyday until 11pm.
We get to the door and the guard looks at me and says "don't you know we're closed on Tuesdays? We're a national museum". I thought he was joking (sometimes the French, they do that, he really sounded like he was kidding) so I laughed and said that I read the website and knew they were open...and then he pointed to the sign that said they were closed on Tuesday. wah wah wah. I felt like a total loser.
I just went back to the site and realized I just read it too quickly...it does indeed say closed on Tuesdays...but it is not at all obvious. *sigh*

And now for something completely different:
Orangina smart cars. I want one!!!!

The last of Coopenhound (that's how you pronounce it)

On Wednesday, I went to the Glyptotek and was able to interview the curator there. He was very friendly and even gave me some books that he will send to me by post so that it doesn't make my suitcase too heavy (how nice!). He even agreed to get his picture taken with me:'


I then went to another museum that has a very small Egyptian collection. It was very interesting because it is a private collection and the display is the original from when the museum opened (way back)...it will be great to compare with some of the larger museums.

Then I wandered the streets and was drawn into a side street where loud techno was playing..turns out, this week is DISTORTION, a huge street festival with lots of techno DJs on almost every street. AMAZING! Of course, I felt right at home. They were even giving out free beer and cider (the cider, called Somersby, is delicious. If you are ever in Copenhagen, you must try it). I then met back up with the Americans to say goodbye since they were leaving the next day.


On Thursday I went to the National Museum where I hadn't been able to contact the curator. I asked at the front desk, and ironically, she's in the US! Luckily though, her student assistant was there and was willing to answer my questions and take me around the galleries. He was extremely friendly and really knows his stuff. He made me some copies of articles that will help for my research and even gave me a book! I'm so happy I was able to meet with him (and really lucky he was there!). The rest of the day I spent at the hotel typing up my notes and doing a bit of reading.

Then, I met up with the locals (Toke and Laura...joined by their friend Jeppe) we had met at the bar the other day and we went to dinner together (back at Phenix!). What a fun bunch of people! We then went to a small cocktail bar called "Ruby's" that's super hidden right next to the Bulgarian embassy. You wouldn't even know it's there! Had quite a nice time there and then went to the Australian Bar where even if you're 20 you feel old! Here, I experienced the worst bartending EVER. The barista refused to make eyecontact and kept going passed me and serving other people (most men...I guess it makes sense). I stood there for a full 30 minutes! Finally she took a break and a bartender came and served me right away. It was quite ridiculous. We met a nice bunch of Americans who were touring Europe as well and who might be in Switzerland while I'm there which would be nice! I didn't get back to my hotel until 3:30 because Toke and Laura wouldn't let me go! (I didn't want to leave them either, they were awesome!). However, I had to leave for the airport at 5...so I just didn't sleep (fun!).

This morning's traveling was not so pleasant. First of all, it was pouring down rain as I walked to the metro to get to the airport (I guess I was lucky that it didn't rain at all during my stay though!). The Copenhagen airport sucks...it's confusing and the lines are huge. My suitcase was too heavy (because of all the books) and the lady wouldn't let me take them out to make my bag lighter...so I had to pay 40 euros and go through a million different lines to pay it. Once in Paris, I forgot that the metro stations don't have elevators..so I had to carry this overweight suitcase up and down all these stairs...I guess it was a good workout.

Finally arrived at the studio and it's very nice and in an area I'm quite familiar with, which is neat. It's somewhat of a relief to be back in a country where I can read and understand the language! A tourist even came up to me to ask me for directions (YES! I look like a local!).

Tomorrow, the adventures at the Louvre begin!

Pictures: here

In the land of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Yesterday morning I took a little 1 hour plane ride into Copenhagen.
T'was sad saying goodbye to Amsterdam...



Once at baggage claim, I waited forever and didn't see my bag. PANIC! A few others also didn't have their bags. An American couple went and asked and they told us to go to a different counter at the other end...when on another conveyor belt we saw our bags! What a relief. The Americans and I bonded over this moment of glory and were all headed in the same general direction by metro, so we traveled together. We then went to our separate hotels but decided we'd meet back up for lunch. That's when we found out how ridiculously expensive this country is...my chicken sandwich was $25!! It was so nice to eat with someone though! Then we just wandered around exploring the city.

We wandered into Christiania, which the locals call the "free city" because at one point it was out of reach of the government (not so much anymore). It's full of hippies and really interesting buildings...I was glad I went with Josh and Elizabeth though. On our way back we found a cute little restaurant that was finally reasonably priced AND delicious called "Spicy Kitchen"...I highly recommend it if you are here.

Then we walked around some more and went to a bar where we met some very nice locals and chatted for quite some time (a lot of talk was about how expensive this city is!)

As for today, I went to the National Museum and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek to study the Egyptian collections. Both are HUGE museums with soooo much to see (not just Egypt stuff) and just fascinating collections. Tomorrow I have a meeting with one of the curators.

I then met back up with Josh and Elisabeth where we did a canal tour (very windy). It was not as nice as the tour in Amsterdam, but they don't really have that many canals here, so it's understandable.

Then tonight we spent a realllly long time trying to find a good place to eat (that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg) and finally found the perfect place called Phenix. The waiter was really friendly and we had a wonderful time (and wonderful food!)


More pictures: here