Vacation on the Boot

     So, I have not completely abandoned my writing on this blog, but have had a few setbacks in posting on it because of lack of internet throughout the last few weeks. First time since I bought my laptop that I haven't had it at my beck and call (unfortunate how close of a bond we form with lifeless objects). Well anyways, made it to Italy and traveled from Rome to Perugia (where the American girl killed her roommate while she studied abroad) and now currently in Venice. Venice is by far one of the best cities we have seen thus far on our trip throughout Europe and even more amazing than we pictured it to be. The canals string through the city like wispy hairs and the thin alleyways make it almost impossible to ever know where you're going. While the humidity causes a consistent dampening of the skin, it is still a thoroughly enjoyable experience to just walk around and take in the beauty of the city.

          Tomorrow we are leaving on a cruise to Croatia and Greece. Hopefully Athens will have settled down by the time we get there...

Organic Farming in the South of France

     Because we are students, aka we are poor, we wanted to do something in Europe that would be enlightening and cheap. So naturally we decided to work on an organic farm where they feed and house you for free in return for 5 hours of hard labor through a program called WOOFing. We stayed with a man and a wife who own a small organic farm in the south of France between Toulon and Hyeres. We were given a small cabin away from the main house with beds that were probably definitely better suited for the dumpster.
      We picked weeds throughout their many fields of sweet potatoes, watermelon, basil, beef steak tomatoes, onions, etc until our backs and legs were too sore to move anymore. Then we picked fruit and assorted vegetables for a special order from an organic market in a town nearby. We also made confiture (jam) from the hand picked plums in their yard.
      Everyday after work we would go to the beach on the Mediterranean that was only a 15 minute walk away from the house. Sitting amongst topless locals and enjoying Magnum ice cream treats, we definitely knew that we made the right choice for our week of 'cheap' enjoyment.

Dear Paris,

Dear Paris,

     I don't know how to tell you this, but I think that it's time that we part ways. But don't think of this as a permanent goodbye, just a simple separation. We've had a really good run and I want you to know that I'll always remember the time we shared and all the wonderful memories we created together. You've been too good to me and I want you to know that it's not you, it's me. I'm young and don't think I can be exclusive with you right now. I mean I have the rest of Europe to see and I'm running out of time. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. I know this is kind of bad timing, especially because you are supposed to meet my family in a few weeks. Can we keep it cordial for them though? I hope you know that I'll always love you, and hey, maybe we can get back together sometime.

Yours Truly,
Ali

"Art"

     Pretty much everyone that I knew from Paris is gone now, so I've had a lot of 'me' time these past few days. Most of this time is consumed by long walks on the beach strolls around the city, reading, and museums. I went to the Orsay and Pompidou museums and have had my understanding of art completely revamped. I loved the Orsay museum, but cannot say the same about the Pompidou. While many can appreciate the modern art of the Pompidou, I just feel dumb being there. Maybe it's just me, but I can't understand how someone can conclude meaning from a urinal with a signature on it. I walked the halls for nearly three hours and still couldn't find a piece that really moved me. In fact, the only piece I really liked was one that was a brand new shade of blue that glowed in normal light. Above are some pictures of the 'art' in the Pompidou Center (I would have put some from the Orsay, but you are not allowed to take pictures there).

Praha, Little Germany?

The most amazing Astronomical Clock....

The Lennon Wall

    Last weekend we were able to go to Prague for an amazing two, but much too short days. We took a three hour free tour of the city and found out that although the Nazis occupied Prague, they left the city mainly intact because it reminded Hitler of Germany. Because of this, there were a ton of old fascinating buildings throughout the city center, including the much over hyped Astronomical Clock in one of the main squares. 

    While most of our trip consisted of site seeing, we did come away with one "crazy" story from it. The first night at our hostel we met two guys from the states who we thought we decently cool/normal. The next night they went on a bar crawl and came back pretty intoxicated. Meghan, my roommate, woke up to one them inched up to the side of the top bunk and peeing off the side, right next to where my face was and everyones' phone and computer chargers. She started yelling at him and woke up everyone in the room, and then they all started freaking out too. I was lucky to not get peed on, but everyone else didn't fare as well. In the end, we didn't leave with those boys' information to contact them again.

Terrorism in Morocco

       During my winter break in February, I was lucky enough to take a trip to Morocco. The first stop was Marrakesh, a popular city, especially for tourists. While there, we spent most of our time in the main square, Jamma el-Fna, where we dined, shopped, and enjoyed the lively street performers. One of those very restaurants that we visited was blown up in late April by the al Qaeda. While this news is not particularly new to me, it's still chilling to know that a place that I had visited so recently was attacked, and many innocent people were unrightfully killed. While life should not be lived through scenarios of what-if's, I am often curious of my luck in Morocco.

http://www.france24.com/en/20110428-morocco-death-toll-gas-cannister-explode-marrakesh-djemaa-fna#

Listen to Rihanna and Bring Your Umbrella

     So Meghan and I decided to take a break from our horrible lives in Paris and took a cheap little deal from the devil (Ryan Air) to Scotland (approximately 12 euros one way). Edinbrough, a city we had planned almost nothing beforehand for, ended up being the best city on our tour of Scotland, N. Ireland, and Ireland. We went on a free walking tour around the city and heard tales of a darker time when serial killers and stalkers roamed the tangled streets and alleyways. We also saw where J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series and the graveyard that she walked around to gather names. The most interesting one was the headstone with "Thomas Riddle" scrawled across it (the main villain in the series).
    Our second city on this tour of the UK was Belfast in N. Ireland. The city was incredibly downtrodden and weary after years of painstaking efforts to assimilate the Catholics and Protestants. The first night we arrived we decided to grab some food and watch a rugby game, assured that we would be left alone after a light filament covered our skins after hours of traveling by ferry and bus. We were quite mistaken though. A group of men, all dressed in kilts, surrounded us and informed us that we would be joining them for one of their mate's bachelor party. While we weren't entirely sure that this was the night we had planned, we ended up going along and having a really fun night, even if it was in Belfast.
      We spent the next day exploring the city and the shipyard where the Titanic was built. We were soaked and in desperate need of shepherds pie by the end of the day. We later found out that through our hostel we could get a free tour of Giant's Causeway and then a free ride from them to Dublin. We were beyond thrilled to save a few extra bucks and get to the next city on our list without sufficient planning or effort.
      The bus set out at 9 the next morning and we were ready to site see our way through N. Ireland, rain and all. Our first stop included a rope bridge and breathtaking views of the coast where we could once again see Scotland. We got back on the bus and drove to Giant's Causeway where volcanic activity made rocks form into these hexagonal shapes that jut towards the sky. The last stop on our journey towards Dublin was Londonderry. We opted to show ourselves the rainy city via map rather than pay a guide. We walked through the streets with the war murals and the square that Bloody Sunday took place in. Finally we made it Dublin and passed out in our beds after grabbing a snack.
    The next day we walked around and did the Guinness tour. The Queen of England also made an appearance, which means we witnessed the first royal to visit Dublin in over 100 years. We waited outside of Trinity University for three hours until she finally appeared, soaked as usual from the on and off again rain. She drove by and waved from in side her car (it wasn't rolled down either, let down). We jet packed it back to our hostel where we left our luggage in order to make it to the airport in time for take off. Unfortunately for us though, she, and her 30 million euros worth of security, had other plans. We weren't able to cross the bridge that we needed to  and got stuck in a crowd that were on the edge of starting a riot by shouting "Guillotine the Queen." After another hour of waiting, we were finally let through and made it to our hostel. We made it, safely and on time, and were grateful to witness history in the making.