Magic in the Air
This was a whirlwind of a month. I started the month running and didn't really get the chance to slow down until, well, now. First, I had to refocus my anthropology research due to some issues with participant observation, which meant that I had to collect a month's worth of research before my presentation deadline--three days from when I had to change my project. Once I finally finished with that (and the caffeine overdose I induced in myself), it was time to study for midterms and prepare for interviews. By the time I finished midterms and got my first interview done, it was time to get ready for my week of travels throughout Europe!
I began in Amsterdam and spent about 3 days there. Initially, I had planned to travel with a group, but, when plans fell through, it ended up becoming solo travel in a completely new and different city. On the first day, I was wary of too much walking around on my own and stuck to pretty much the immediate vicinity to my hostel. Soon, however, I realized that I couldn't stay within a half-mile radius for three days; there was a whole city waiting for me and I had to be brave if I wanted to experience it. That's how I ended up spending 5 hours in museums, trying the best burgers I have ever had, encountering the little shops in the Sunday markets, taking a canal cruise, and riding a Ferris wheel at a very early Christmas fair. Of course, not all travel is easy or great: the hostel was not ideal, I didn't get to see the Hermitage Amsterdam, and I traveled all the way to the Red Light District for a museum that had to close due to technical difficulties. However, I left Amsterdam with a new sense of courage, which I took with me to Brussels.
Unlike Amsterdam, Brussels' public transportation was not easily accessible, my hotel was relatively far from the center, and I only had half a day. Exhausted from the early and long bus ride, but determined to make the most of my time in the city I had been most looking forward to, I dropped my things in the hotel and walked towards the center. There, I ate the best fries I have ever tasted, bought a ridiculous amount of chocolate, walked around Grand Place, stumbled upon a very classy shopping mall, and even got to go to a comic book museum. I made it back to the hotel just before dark only to realize that I was hungry for dinner and would need to venture out towards the center once more. Tired and somewhat lazy, I stopped into the first restaurant and was pleasantly surprised to taste an amazing traditional Flemish stew (served, of course, with more fries). I returned to the hotel satiated and ready for a good night's sleep.
We had an early start to take a train from Brussels to Bruges. At first, I had thought Bruges would be a waste of a day that could have been spent in Brussels. After all, Bruges was just some place for nice pictures, right? Well, yes and no. Sure, the main selling point of Bruges is that it is gorgeous--and let me tell you, it is the MOST gorgeous town I have ever set foot into--but there was so much more. For example, there was a history museum I stepped into that turned out to be a slightly interactive movie about Jan van Eyck's Virgin and Child. But, more than museums, it felt like a town where real people lived. It wasn't overcrowded and I didn't hear English being widely spoken, which was a nice reprieve. As much as I love Florence and the other great European cities, they can feel touristy to say the least. Bruges felt nearly immune from this, with its boutique shops and near-empty roadways. I very rarely enjoy small towns (I'm all about lots of stimulation all the time), but I loved Bruges. I would happily return any day for as long as I possibly could. Really, seriously considering starting my investment in retirement (and French language skills) now so that I can do it there.
I began the trip feeling as though I was wasting time that I could be spending in Florence--overdramatic, I know, but my love for this city is really that immense--but Bruges had helped lift my spirits just in time for the last leg of my journey: Paris.
What can I say about Paris? I could go on for pages and write an entire novel on the many things I saw in just a few short days in the City of Lights (Montmarte, the Moulin Rouge, the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Shakespeare and Co, the Louvre, Luxembourg Park, and so much more), but I would never do it justice. It was better than I had ever imagined, than I could ever have imagined, even with this creative brain of mine. Every moment felt surreal, like I had stepped away from the real world into a fictional one where I was suddenly the protagonist in a tale of adventure and wonder in the famous setting of Paris. Perhaps it is this mindset, combined with the feeling of closeness with some of my favorite past authors that called this city home, that added gallons upon gallons of fuel to my greatest passion: writing. It was impossible to deny, sitting on the banks of the river Seine or wandering the picturesque streets, my immense love for writing. I was reminded of Rainer Maria Rilke's words in the first of the Letters to a Young Poet: "ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple "I must", then build your life in accordance with this necessity." Standing in that city, it took no digging for my response to be a loud "I must," silencing every other thought or worry my mind usually offers.
It is understandable, then, when I say that I wish I could have stayed forever in Paris, perhaps even as one of Shakespeare and Co's tumbleweeds.
My return to Florence was bittersweet. I was leaving a city I love for another city I love. Unsurprisingly, readjusting after even just a few days of travel has been somewhat difficult. If anything, I'm just reminded of how short my time here really is. As of today, I only have a month and a half, and I know that this time will fly by all too quickly.
This readjustment was made a bit easier when I found out that Halloween, contrary to what I have read, is actually celebrated relatively largely here. I ended up spending Halloween night watching The Shining in Italian with a friend of mine. I was ready to end my peaceful night at 1 AM when, walking down my street, who else but Pennywise the Clown actually starts running at me. The guy in costume stopped just short of me (enough for me to notice how terrifyingly realistic the costume is) and I, being the scaredy cat that I am, froze. A moment later, I made to walk around him, only to have him block my path. It was 1 AM, I was coming back from The Shining, I was exhausted, and I was scared to death of what has recently been haunting my nightmares (thanks to the combination of the book and movie). Needless to say, I think he saw exactly how not in the mood I was and eventually let me pass (of course, he just kept staring creepily).
And now it's November! This month is going to fly, I already know it. My birthday is Friday, I go to Monaco this weekend, I have my interviews due next week, and later this month I have to conduct a focus group and I have a trip to Disneyland (plus I'm trying to fit in a trip to Christmas markets somewhere at some point). All the while, my classes are starting to finish up, which means presentations and papers.
For now, though, I'm just looking forward to my birthday--I make two decades this year!--and my trip to Monaco. Thankfully this week should be smooth sailing now; I could use a moment to catch my breath after the past few weeks.
I began in Amsterdam and spent about 3 days there. Initially, I had planned to travel with a group, but, when plans fell through, it ended up becoming solo travel in a completely new and different city. On the first day, I was wary of too much walking around on my own and stuck to pretty much the immediate vicinity to my hostel. Soon, however, I realized that I couldn't stay within a half-mile radius for three days; there was a whole city waiting for me and I had to be brave if I wanted to experience it. That's how I ended up spending 5 hours in museums, trying the best burgers I have ever had, encountering the little shops in the Sunday markets, taking a canal cruise, and riding a Ferris wheel at a very early Christmas fair. Of course, not all travel is easy or great: the hostel was not ideal, I didn't get to see the Hermitage Amsterdam, and I traveled all the way to the Red Light District for a museum that had to close due to technical difficulties. However, I left Amsterdam with a new sense of courage, which I took with me to Brussels.
Unlike Amsterdam, Brussels' public transportation was not easily accessible, my hotel was relatively far from the center, and I only had half a day. Exhausted from the early and long bus ride, but determined to make the most of my time in the city I had been most looking forward to, I dropped my things in the hotel and walked towards the center. There, I ate the best fries I have ever tasted, bought a ridiculous amount of chocolate, walked around Grand Place, stumbled upon a very classy shopping mall, and even got to go to a comic book museum. I made it back to the hotel just before dark only to realize that I was hungry for dinner and would need to venture out towards the center once more. Tired and somewhat lazy, I stopped into the first restaurant and was pleasantly surprised to taste an amazing traditional Flemish stew (served, of course, with more fries). I returned to the hotel satiated and ready for a good night's sleep.
We had an early start to take a train from Brussels to Bruges. At first, I had thought Bruges would be a waste of a day that could have been spent in Brussels. After all, Bruges was just some place for nice pictures, right? Well, yes and no. Sure, the main selling point of Bruges is that it is gorgeous--and let me tell you, it is the MOST gorgeous town I have ever set foot into--but there was so much more. For example, there was a history museum I stepped into that turned out to be a slightly interactive movie about Jan van Eyck's Virgin and Child. But, more than museums, it felt like a town where real people lived. It wasn't overcrowded and I didn't hear English being widely spoken, which was a nice reprieve. As much as I love Florence and the other great European cities, they can feel touristy to say the least. Bruges felt nearly immune from this, with its boutique shops and near-empty roadways. I very rarely enjoy small towns (I'm all about lots of stimulation all the time), but I loved Bruges. I would happily return any day for as long as I possibly could. Really, seriously considering starting my investment in retirement (and French language skills) now so that I can do it there.
I began the trip feeling as though I was wasting time that I could be spending in Florence--overdramatic, I know, but my love for this city is really that immense--but Bruges had helped lift my spirits just in time for the last leg of my journey: Paris.
What can I say about Paris? I could go on for pages and write an entire novel on the many things I saw in just a few short days in the City of Lights (Montmarte, the Moulin Rouge, the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Shakespeare and Co, the Louvre, Luxembourg Park, and so much more), but I would never do it justice. It was better than I had ever imagined, than I could ever have imagined, even with this creative brain of mine. Every moment felt surreal, like I had stepped away from the real world into a fictional one where I was suddenly the protagonist in a tale of adventure and wonder in the famous setting of Paris. Perhaps it is this mindset, combined with the feeling of closeness with some of my favorite past authors that called this city home, that added gallons upon gallons of fuel to my greatest passion: writing. It was impossible to deny, sitting on the banks of the river Seine or wandering the picturesque streets, my immense love for writing. I was reminded of Rainer Maria Rilke's words in the first of the Letters to a Young Poet: "ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple "I must", then build your life in accordance with this necessity." Standing in that city, it took no digging for my response to be a loud "I must," silencing every other thought or worry my mind usually offers.
It is understandable, then, when I say that I wish I could have stayed forever in Paris, perhaps even as one of Shakespeare and Co's tumbleweeds.
My return to Florence was bittersweet. I was leaving a city I love for another city I love. Unsurprisingly, readjusting after even just a few days of travel has been somewhat difficult. If anything, I'm just reminded of how short my time here really is. As of today, I only have a month and a half, and I know that this time will fly by all too quickly.
This readjustment was made a bit easier when I found out that Halloween, contrary to what I have read, is actually celebrated relatively largely here. I ended up spending Halloween night watching The Shining in Italian with a friend of mine. I was ready to end my peaceful night at 1 AM when, walking down my street, who else but Pennywise the Clown actually starts running at me. The guy in costume stopped just short of me (enough for me to notice how terrifyingly realistic the costume is) and I, being the scaredy cat that I am, froze. A moment later, I made to walk around him, only to have him block my path. It was 1 AM, I was coming back from The Shining, I was exhausted, and I was scared to death of what has recently been haunting my nightmares (thanks to the combination of the book and movie). Needless to say, I think he saw exactly how not in the mood I was and eventually let me pass (of course, he just kept staring creepily).
And now it's November! This month is going to fly, I already know it. My birthday is Friday, I go to Monaco this weekend, I have my interviews due next week, and later this month I have to conduct a focus group and I have a trip to Disneyland (plus I'm trying to fit in a trip to Christmas markets somewhere at some point). All the while, my classes are starting to finish up, which means presentations and papers.
For now, though, I'm just looking forward to my birthday--I make two decades this year!--and my trip to Monaco. Thankfully this week should be smooth sailing now; I could use a moment to catch my breath after the past few weeks.
I love how one of your hashtags are "Pennywise the Clown"
ReplyDelete