A picture is worth a thousand words

What human being doesn't know of the painting the Mona Lisa? She's probably the single most overrated piece of artwork to ever be made famous. She, along with many other beautiful pieces, is located at the Louvre in the center of Paris.

I was able to spend a few hours exploring the world's most famous museum, and concluded one thing: art is what you make it. In the Louvre there is every kind of art imaginable; from artifacts to modern, it offer pieces for all tastes. Personally I took a particular interest in the sculptures section which consisted of carefully sculpted pieces of marble dating back hundreds of years.

But back to what I said about how art is what you make it. In my opinion, art is based on how you value it. For an example, while touring the museum I would stop at random pieces I thought were interesting. The longer I stood there the more people would pause and examine it too. They must have been thinking "what makes her stop and stare at this one?" Unfortunately though, the majority of people were so concerned about finding the most famous paintings that they rushed past some of the most detailed and beautiful pieces in the museum.

My biggest advice for anyone possibly visiting the Louvre: look for minor details that makes the art interesting and gives it character. Stop and take at least five minutes to examine a painting and ask yourself "what was the artist trying to say?" As cliche as it sounds, it really actually works.

At first you're overwhelmed and could get lost - actually I did get lost - roaming the halls of the Louvre. Consequently the variety and magnitude should make it a task on every traveler's bucket list.

Barcelona: the City of HEAT!

Hace calor! (It's hot!)

Now I know why Spaniards love siestas... it's impossible to function when it's this hot!

I've really enjoyed the past week here - I've seen Gaudi's temple, Tibidabo, and of course I've spent plenty of time on the sandy white beach. Mhmm the water here is so clear and cold it's like somgthing out of a movie. The thing I love most about visiting is that I'm actually living here for a week, not just seeing the city through tourist's eyes. I get to enjoy the perspective of a native and am more safe than the average tourist.

I've even went exploring a day by myself!

In comparison to Paris I would say Barcelona is a different kind of beautiful. Paris is a passionate, sophisticated and romantic place while Barcelona is sandwiched between the Mediteranian Sea and Tibidabo mountains. It oozes fun and sun and is much more colorful in culture.

I owe so much to the Tarnawski family for housing me for an entire week and showing me their lively city!

My Huge Summary of Paris

I feel terrible that I neglected my blog almost my entire time in Paris - I´m so sorry everyone! Either the internet was funky, nonexistent or I was spending time with my new friends from Pennsylvania. We had to be ready by 7:00am every morning and didn't get back to the hotel until 10:00pm most nights. While in other countries I also prefer to spend as much time possible away from the computer because I'm only visiting. So here´s what happened in a nutshell, and I hope you all will forgive me!

Well lets begin with yesterday and add the highlights of my trip later blog

So yesterday I...

was seriously saved by an angel. I began my quest to Barcelona (alone) at 5:45am, giving myself plenty of time to catch my 7:20 train across town. If you know anything about me though you know that if there´s one thing I´m really good at, it´s getting lost. And if there´s anything I´m better at it´s sweet talking my way into detailed directions. So as I was switching trains I fortunately asked an older man of about 40 where and how to buy my train ticket. After much confusion and energy to find the station he could tell that I was exhausted. So he graciously led me all the way to the door of my express train to Spain. Halfway through our journey his handle to his suitcase broke and he brushed it off like it was nothing! I arrived at my train with less than 10 minutes until departure, and if it wasn't for his guidence I would have surely missed it.

While on my six hour train ride I mentally prepared for a speedy exit when the train would arrive. I had fifteen minutes to buy a ticket and get on the ONLY train to Barcelona. Well, when I got there I soon found out that the train was completely booked. So sadly I headed downstairs and waited in line to try to find the other local train station. When I stepped up to the desk the woman told me "Run! Run on the train now!!" and pointed towards the steps. So I booked it up two flights of stairs and jumped onto the train just with only ten euros in my pocket.

When the attendent found out I didn't have the money he said I'd have to get off at the next stop (which I totally understood where he was coming from). Just as I was about to get off two women overheard my situation and paid for the rest of my ride. It was so kind and I was so relieved I almost started crying. The older woman and I began to talk and as it turns out she graduated from Ohio University and majored in photography! What a small world!

I then met Julia at the subway station and we soon headed to the beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean with her family.

Alright, now back to Paris.

I honestly don´t think I was able to experience all of Paris, but instead sample it and decide what I wanted to look further in depth next time. So here are my favorite spots (in order of rank) that I was able to enjoy but was sometimes rushed through.

1) The Louvre

2) Normandy Cemetary/Beach

3) Montreuil

4) Chateau Mont Saint Michel

I don't have enough time to go into detail now about them, but I will blog eventually... I promise!

Unexpected pros and cons of Paris

Here are some concepts that you don't notice at home, but can make a world of a difference here.

Cons

-No cold water - Ever. You might be dying of thirst but you'll never drink a cup of ice cold water like back home.

-Fear of small children - Everywhere you go your tour guide warns you of the Romanian children pick-pocketers. They have tactics that will distract you so easily you won't even know what happened.

-Extremely filthy - Especially in the subway. When it rains the gutters are filled with stinky sludge that in my opinion, is worst than in NYC.

-Everything is super expensive - The Europeans getcha with the exchange rate. They lable something at an average price but what most tourists forget is that the dollar is so weak right now it's nearly half the worth of a euro!

-If you're not in love, well, tough - Especially at nighttime or around the Eiffel, romance is everywhere in the air. For example when we took an evening boat ride on the Seine river we noticed locks attached to all the bridges we passed under. Eventually we found out that lovers carve there intials into the backs and throw the key into the river. How stinkin cute is that?!

Pros

-Social nightlife - The French usually get a bad rep that they don´t like Americans and won´t speak to them in English. Personally on this trip I never met a single snobby Frenchman who wasn´t talkative, easy going and most of all, helpful.

-Laid back attitude - Noone is ever on time, lunch can take three hours and everyone is just chillin everywhere, so what's not to like??

-The food - Sure, nothing tastes as good as an American burger, but the French really know how to dine! They take such pride in their cuisine, and make sure that it is always cooked to perfection (that's why it takes forever!).

Alright, well I promise to blog soon but I'm so busy living, taking pictures, and exploring Barcelona! This morning Julia and I visited a couple of museums with her friend Montse, but I will have to write about that another time...

One last thing! I promised a shout out to my crew from Philly! I miss you guys and I hope you're having a fun time back home!

I am in love! (Day 2)

Alright, we might be having some serious mispellings in this blogg because for one, I'm no Spelling Bee Champ! And, unfortunately, my spell check for Blogger is all in French :( So pardon my spelling please!

But anyways I was wondering..... what could you ever seriously possibly ever hate about Paris?? Absolutely nothing. The history, the people, THE FOOD! It's to die for!

Alright, I'll slow down a little and begin with a recap of my adventures from yesterday...

After landing in Paris at around 8:00AM from a almost seven hour flight my body was exhausted; but my brain was spinning so fast I felt like I was smoking an illegal substance of some sort (not like I would know what that feels like mom lol)! I could not get over the fact that I was in Paris freaking France! My fellow commrades did not feel the same way unfortunately; the adrenaline apparently never hit them. As a rushed out of the stuffy airport into the fresh Parisian air I quickly noticed something - Paris was nowhere. As we drove for an hour to get to the hotel I gaped at the barren and undeveloped scenery sourrounding the highway and thought "where is my Paris?"

It wasn't until two hours later that it was united with the beautiful city, and even though I was paranoid beyond belief about pick pocketers, I still really enjoyed submerging myself in the heart of Paris.

Unfortunately, some groups were delayed and our tour guide had to assist them, so we were left unsupervised our entire first day. One of the first things I immediately noticed was that many of the shops were closed - it didn't click in until later that we had arrived on a Sunday and many Roman Catholics lived there and still respected the commandment to keep the sabbath holy. The second thing I noticed was how windy and cool it was! I was wearing a light, flowy cotton dress that helped me blend in very well with the natives until SWOOSH my panties were exposed for everyone to see.

Another big thing I recognized was the natural beauty of the city - every street corner, cathedral and windy cobblestone road was so picturesque, it literally took my breath away sometimes! And everytime I watched a moped, scooter or motocycle wiz by, I day dreamed I was Lizzy McGuire in her movie, aimlessly riding through the streets in Europe. :)

Our first stop of the day was the open market where a mixture of knicknacks, food and clothes are sold. Logan and I felt totally French when we bought our first baguette and a chunk of aged cheese for lunch. We flaunted our feast all the way back to our meeting place with Mrs.McDaniel, where we exchanged exciting stories about Romanian children trying to pick pocket us.

Next on our list was the gardens in front of the Louvre. The stunningly shaped hedges and numerous statues in combination with the laid back attitudes of the residents chilling by the pool sent us into a trance of foreign overwhelm-ment.

We then headed towards the abtract art museum, which ended up being a total failure because apparently a Monet exhibit was in town and the lines were backed up all the way to the streets.

All day we never stopped moving because we knew if we would take even a moment to rest, our bodies would send us into immediate unconsciousness. When we landed at eight that morning it was 2:00AM Ohio time - by noon we began to lose feeling in our legs. But we still pressed on - who sleeps in Paris anyway?!

After our failure with the museum we decided to shoot for the Arc de Triomphe which was a foolproof plan. Once we arrived and were stunned by the intricate beauty of the masterpiece Logan, Mrs. McDaniel, Alicia, Ben, Alex and I climbed the 300 steps to the top. As I emerged from the dark stairwell into the bright sunlight there was only one structure that captured my complete attention: the Eiffel.

She judded out so exquisitely from the layout of the city. The view was seriously like looking at a picture of perfection; the Eiffel defined the city without being a blatan eyesore.

After many minutes of taking pictures and drooling over the Eiffel I was finally sucked back into the streets where I guided to another museum and then finally dragged back to the hotel.

So, that was my first day in Paris summed up into a nutshell. I would unsually now continue and describe my experiences and opinions for today but it's already 1:37AM already and I have a bus to catch at 7:30AM. Therefore good night and good bye!

...and did I mentioned how much I love Paris? :)

Five, four, three, two...

When you enter my room the first thing that you notice (other than my gigantic bed) is the colossal mounted photo of the Eiffel tower hanging above it. It shows a glimmer into my obsession with France; specifically Paris. Ever since my parents toured Paris when I was younger I cannot think of any other place I would rather visit. The way they described the lifestyle, museums and most importantly the food made it the top of my list of places to go! I hope to taste the most wonderful baguettes and moldy cheese... and if the pasta and beef bourguignon is anything like how Julia Childs described it, I may never come back!

So here I am, tortured by five mere days standing between myself and Paris. I have not begun to pack, yet I'm already blogging. What a typical procrastinating Brenkus I am.

While I'm there I may be day dreaming about my fabulous travels, but my heart will always lie in Ohio. You know what they say - you can take the girl out of Bellville, but you can't take Bellville out of the girl ;)