Paris

Okay folks... here it is & I'm sorry it took so long.

We arrived in Paris Friday around 6:30pm, by the time we took the bus into the center of Paris it was almost 8:30. Stepping off the bus was a bit of a culture shock! Neither Katie and I spoke any French so we could tell right away that navigating this huge city was going to be a challenge. Luckily we had our friend Sylvain to help us! We met Sylvain at Stirling, he studied there fall semester and moved back to Paris, his hometown, at the end of February for an internship. Without Sly we would have been totally lost, so thanks again Sly!

Once we met up with him he got us some metro cards for the weekend and took us to the heart of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe. The picture below was the view that we got coming out of the metro station. (Sly made sure to get that particular exit for us) It was completely breathtaking to see our first Parisian monument and all light up too.

After gawking for a bit we walked down the Champs Elysees and got some famous French macaroons. They were delicious. Next it was off to Concorde Square where we were able to get a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower for the first time. It was absolutely magical, we stopped and stared for quite awhile! But we couldn't stop too long because we still had lots more to see, next stop- The Louvre. Seeing this all light up was also beautiful and I still can't believe how big it was!

After The Lourve we walked along the river Seine. We walked past the Pont Neuf bridge and finally made it to the last stop of the night, Notre Dame cathedral. It was so late that it wasn't light up anymore but it was still incredibly beautiful. To get to our hostel we took the public bikes that they have in Paris, which are very handy late at night when the metro isn't running anymore. We got to our hostel and crashed! We had seen a lot already and had even more to see the next day.

Saturday morning we had met Sly at the National Opera. Navigating the metro system by ourselves was a little interesting with a language barrier but we got it eventually. It was of course another beautiful building and seeing Paris for the first time during the day was amazing. We shopped a little in the morning and then made our way to go see the main attraction... the Eiffel Tower! Seeing it up close and in day light was incredible, just how I always imagined it.

After grabbing some lunch we made our way towards the Moulin Rouge. (a must stop for Katie) We did a little shopping but there wasn't much to see there so we headed up to Sacré-Cœur Basilica or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, which was close by. It is a beautiful white domed church with a view of the city to match. We stayed here for quite a bit also because the views were just so amazing! Sly finally pulled us away and we headed back to our hostel for a power nap. We had been so busy all day that it was much needed. We went out to dinner that night at a great little Chinese place that Sly found us and then headed down towards Notre Dame again. Seeing it all light up was awesome and you could really appreciate how beautiful it was.

We crossed the river Seine, went for drinks at a cute little French piano bistro. The drinks and music was great and the view wasn't bad either! The last stop of the day was back to the Eiffel Tower to see it all light up up close. This was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. It's even more beautiful at night and there was almost nobody around compared to the middle of the day.

After sitting in the park for quite awhile we headed back. We had still had one more day in Paris and it was going to be another busy one. Sunday we took a train to Versailles Palace and did a free walking tour of the gardens and grounds. The guided tour was really nice because they taught us a lot about the history of the Palace and all the the different monarchs who lived their and made it the way it is. After the tour we were able to head into the palace for free! (thanks to a nice student discount) It was VERY crowded and we were very sick of walking by this point but we saw the main attractions in the castle like the King's and Queen's bed chambers and the famous Hall of Mirrors, which separates the two. The pictures below are of the outside gates of the Palace; the fountain of Apollo, the most famous of all the fountains; and the backside of the palace, taken from the gardens.

The weather on Sunday wasn't the greatest, typical Persian weather I guess, so we just decided to catch the train back to Paris and head to the airport. Even though the weather didn't exactly cooperate with us on Sunday we were not ready to leave Paris. It really is as beautiful as everybody says and I hope to be back someday.

Ciao Italia!

This past weekend I had the chance to visit the island of Sicily, just off mainland Italy. My friend Katie has good family friends there so we stayed with them while we were there. After a very long day of traveling on Thursday we finally made it to Taormina, which is just north of Catania, the second largest city in Sicily. Taormina is a very popular tourist town and is the place to be in the summer because it is right on the Mediterranean Sea and has beautiful views.


Thursday night Ricardo, the oldest son of the family we stayed with, took us to a small bakery to try some pizza and pastries and then drove us around the town to see a few of good lookout spots. It was late at night but the lights of the city were still beautiful!


Friday was a pretty lazy day, we sat out on the terrace most of the morning and soaked up the sun, something we haven’t seen too much of in Scotland lately! After an wonderful lunch made by Riccardo’s mother the three of us headed down to walk along the beach. It was very relaxing and a good way to experience the culture of Sicily. After that we headed back to the house to relax until dinner time. Italians eat dinner very late at night, usually around 9 or 10 at night. After dinner we went out to a pub with Riccardo and a friend of his in the next town over. We had a few drinks there and Katie and I tried our first Italian wine... which was of course very good! We went back home and the Italians taught us how to play some card games with a Sicilian deck of cards, which is different than a regular deck. They were so much fun Katie and I both made sure to get a deck before we left.


Saturday was pretty relaxing too. We slept in and then had lunch around 2:00 then soaked up the sun for a little bit more. After that we went to a local hotel to work out for a little bit and swim. It felt good to get some exercise after eating so much pasta! Saturday night the family ordered traditional Italian pizzas for dinner. There were about 6 different kinds and I had to try them all. There was an all vegetable one, a traditional margarita pizza which is SO much better than what we have back home, a 4 cheese and prosciutto pizza with blu cheese dressing, one had French fries and sausage, another had hard boiled eggs, peas and ham and the last one I would describe as having a salad on top of it. They were all very good, some more than others though. I think my favorite one was the four cheese with ham! With dinner we had the local beer and watched an Italian football (soccer) game, it almost felt like I was back home again! After dinner we went out to a pub right on the water. It was a beautiful night so we walked around a little bit too. When we went back home it was the Americans turn to teach the Italians some drinking games. Playing with a Sicilian deck of cards made things a lot harder but it was still lots of fun.


Sunday was another day with lots and lots of food. In Sicily, Sunday lunch is a very big deal. The whole family gets together to eat a ton and drink lots of wine. The meal consisted of about 10-15 appetizers brought out one after the other. They included everything from warm ricotta cheese; a seafood platter with octopus, squid and clams; a plate of mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh basil; anchovies flavored with lemon and salt' fried cheese (my favorite); roasted artichokes and many others. I’m proud to say I tried them all, even the seafood which is usually not my favorite. After the appetizers comes the pasta course. The noodles in the pasta were handmade and hand rolled fresh pasta and the whole dish was absolutely amazing! Just when you think the meal is over, they bring out the meat course. I tried a few different things but by this time I was stuffed. And no Italian meal would be complete without Tiramisu! I was so full by this point but it was just so good I had to finish it, there’s always room for dessert right?


After we finished dinner we headed home so the boys could watch a football match on TV. Katie and I decided to skip the game and walk up the hillside instead. It was a long long way up but the views were perfect! At the top of this hill sits a church built right into the hill which was just as beautiful. We could also see Mt. Etna from the top, the volcano on Sicily. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip for sure. By the time we got back down the game was over so Riccardo took Katie and I shopping on some of Taorima's main shopping streets. The shops in Taormina were pretty high end, lots of famous designers, because after all it's Italy! We just bought a few little souvenirs and also got some real Italian gelato. We headed home and had another fabulous dinner and just relaxed for the rest of the night. We even found an NCAA basketball game on TV, it was in Italian most of the time, but Katie and I were still excited to watch it!


Monday was our last full day in Sicily so we did a lot. In the morning we got up around 9:00 and headed to the beach. Sicilians think that this time of year is very very cold and there aren't many tourists in the city either so needless to say we were the only ones on the beach! The water was pretty cold but the sun still felt so nice. After we soaked up some sun we went back to have some lunch. For our last lunch in Sicily, Riccardo's Mom made octopus salad and black ink spaghetti with squid. I was determined to try both of them and neither were that bad, considering I'm not a huge fan of seafood. The spaghetti was interesting, but really didn't have too much flavor. The octopus salad was pretty good, after you got over the sight of the octopus tentacles and the little suction cups! It was definitely the most interesting meal of the trip but still very good.


In the afternoon we finally went to explore the Greek/Roman theatre in Taormina. The theatre is built into the side of the hills and has AMAZING views of the rest of the city and Mt. Etna. After exploring for about an hour and getting lots of good pictures, we headed an hour south to Catania to do some more shopping. We went to the local shopping center, the mall basically, and shopped for a couple hours. We headed back home to Taormina to have our last dinner in Sicily, which was a fabulous salad with tuna fish, mozzarella, cucumbers and tomatoes. We were pretty worn out from our busy day so we had another relaxing night watching a movie and packing up or stuff.


On Tuesday morning, needless to say we did not want to leave! The whole weekend was absolutely perfect and it was nice to be in a home again and eat real home cooked meals, especially Italian. It's definitely going to be hard staying in a hostel after this trip! Staying with a family also gave us a chance to experience the real Italian culture and cuisine. They were so generous to have us in their home for the weekend and show us around their beautiful city. I definitely hope to be back someday!

This blog is long enough so I decided not to put pictures in it. There is a link to a photo album on the right side of the page. Just click on the Sicily one and it should take you right to it!

Until next time... CIAO CIAO!!

Ceilidh

So I didn't get to post to this before I left for Italy so instead of one HUGE update I’ll split it in two.

Last Tuesday the International Society hosted a Ceilidh, which is a traditional Scottish dance. It was held at The Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling. The music was provided by a traditional Scottish band who also taught us several different types of dances. Most of the dances involved lots of partner switching, turns, under the bridge moves, running in circles and lots of others. Some were pretty confusing and others were fairly simple. Nobody was very good at these dances because we were all new at it but everybody had a good time. There are some pictures below of the dancing. The bottom one is of my friend Spencer and I.. & yes he’s wearing a kilt!

LONDON

Hello all... I have lots to update on from a busy weekend in London!

Friday was a LONG day of traveling and after 2 hours by train, hour by plane, another hour by train, then a short London underground trip and a 20 minute walk Katie and I finally made it to our hostel around 1:30am.

Saturday we got started bright and early with a free walking tour. The tour was operated by a company who leads free tours around most of the major cities in Europe, so they really knew their stuff. The tour guide was great and pretty entertaining. They made all of the historical bits really interesting. The tour hit most of the main things in London. We started at Wellington Arch walked through Green Park and headed toward Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards. It was pretty crowded so I didn't get to see very much but it was still exciting to be there! After Buckingham we paid a visit to St. James Palace, where Prince Charles lives along with William and Harry stay when they are in London! After visiting the royal palaces we walked to Trafalgar's Square, considered to be the heart of London. There was a lot of construction going on and it was very crowded so we didn't spend too much time there. After that we headed towards Westminster Abby and Parliament. Along the way we passed the Horse Guards Parade which will be home to the sand Volleyball tournament of the 2012 London Olympic games. So at least I can say I saw one Olympic venue while in London. :) The highlight of the tour was definitely the end when we was Westminster, Big Ben and Parliament. These things are all so iconic to London and it was so amazing to finally be able to see the real thing!

The pictures below are of Buckingham Palace, me with Parliament, Big Ben and the River Thames & lastly, Westminster Abby

After the tour we grabbed some lunch, bought a map and started walking some more. We planned on going to The Tower of London that afternoon but the underground line that we needed to get there was under construction for the weekend so we just wandered a bit and ended up walking along the River Thames for quite awhile. We made it all the way to see Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and almost all the way to London Bridge, something I couldn't leave London without seeing!

By this time we were just about beat, so we grabbed a tube on the underground (we were pros at navigating the underground by the end of the weekend) and made our way back to where we started. After some dinner and relaxing for a bit we got our tickets for The London Eye, the large Ferris wheel located right on the river. This was by far my FAVORITE part from our weekend in London. We went around 7:30 at night so the whole city was light up and the views were spectacular throughout the whole 30 minute ride. The picture below was taken on the London Eye while on the way down. By now we were both exhausted so we jumped on our first double-decker bus, and made our way back to our hostel. After seeing so much of London in one day we were beat!

Sunday we took it easy and headed up to world famous Camden Market for the day. I couldn't believe how big it was, and how much they had to offer. We walked around the market for about 4 hours and probably didn't even see half of it. The shopping was great though, you could find just about anything you wanted to there. The food was also great, Katie and I decided that we couldn't leave London without having the traditional "Fish & Chips," which was amazing. After shopping for awhile we went and relaxed in Regent's Park for an hour or two. Around 5pm is was already time to leave and head back to Stirling.

London was an amazing city and I'm so glad I got the chance to visit it. I already can't wait to go back to see the rest of it!

The rest of the week will be busy also. Tuesday the International Society is hosting a Ceilidh. Which is a traditional Scottish dance. I hear nobody is particularly good at this dance, but it's more about giving it a shot and having a good time. Wednesday is St. Patty's day which I hear they do celebrate pretty big here even though it's Scotland, so I'm looking forward to that too. Finally on Thursday Katie and I are headed to Sicily, Italy. Katie has very close family friends there so we will be going and staying with them until Tuesday. I have no idea what to expect but I'm very excited! I will try my best to update before I leave on Thursday. Until then, take care all!

Classes & Castles

Sorry I haven't been updating as much as I should have be. I'm new to this blogging thing and will try to get better at updating more frequently. I have been busy in the last two weeks so I have lots to update.

For the most part I have been getting used to the new classes, new school and enjoying getting back into a routine again. I've had two official weeks of class and am enjoying all three of them, a welcomed change from the six I take a semester at home. The three classes I am taking while I'm here are Services Marketing, Sustainable Tourism and History of Tourism. I take them all for the whole semester, which is only 12 weeks. They set their schedules a little differently then back at home. Each class has a lecture once, sometimes twice a week and then an additional seminar or group discussion session once a week. Most seminars have more than one session meeting a week but because you only have to go to one, you can basically choose your own schedule. It has been really nice to choose when I want to go to class and which days I want off.

Last week the international society here on campus had it's first official event, an international dinner. Each person brought a dish from their home country to share with everyone. My friends Katie, Spencer and I represented the US with some Mac & Cheese with hot dogs mixed in! Some of the other American dishes included sloppy joe's, apple pie and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. There was a great turn out so there was LOTS of food to try. My favorites were an orange noodle dish from Korea and hard boiled eggs stuffed with mushrooms and onions from Lithuania. I also got a chance to try Haggis, the national dish of Scotland. To my surprise it was actually pretty good!

Last weekend was mostly uneventful. It gets pretty quiet around here on the weekends and nobody goes out much. Saturday my friend Katie and I went to Glasgow for the day. It was a short 45 minute train ride. We got there and the weather was pretty gross, rainy and cloudy, so we just did some shopping and went home later that afternoon. We plan on going back soon when it's better weather to see the sights.

The most exciting part about the past couple weeks was definitely yesterday when we took a trip up to the Stirling Castle. The Stirling Castle is one of the most famous in Scotland and rivals even the Edinburgh Castle. The picture below shows the castle sitting up on the hill, taken while walking up to it.

The Castle holds tons of history and had incredibly beautiful architecture. The king and queens chambers and the throne room are currently being restored so we weren't able to see that. We did get to explore the Scottish War History Museum, The Great Hall and The Royal Chapel. The views from inside the castle were amazing. Here are just a few pictures I took.

As for this upcoming week, I don't have much planned until the weekend when my friend Katie and I will be heading to London. I'm very excited about the trip as I've wanted to go there since I can remember. So expect another large update next week. That's all for now!