Hi friends. Hi family.
Sorry I've been MIA. This whole trying to get to the computer store when it's actually open has been a wee bit of a struggle. And businesses in Italy don't believe in posting their hours... fun stuff.
Last Sunday I set out for the lovely Parigi, or Paris as us English folk like to call it.
The whole way over I was so excited. I've always dreamed of what seeing Paris at night for the first time would be like, or seeing the Eiffel Tower, or the Arc de Triomphe... and let me just tell you, my expectations were definitely fulfilled and more.
Upon arriving to the airport in Bologna, I had the most relaxed airport experience of my entire life... Thanks parents for making my name so Italian. When I got to the security gates, they looked at my ticket, DID NOT ask for my ID, and didn't make me take off my shoes. Butttt, the blonde girls behind me speaking German were practically yelled at when told to take off their shoes. Awesome.
ALSO, I was able to fit all of my belongings into my backpack. For those of you who know me, this is no easy feat, unless I'm backpacking for a few days, and then I definitely don't care if I wear the same thing for a week at a time. Don't judge.
Before leaving, my friend Stella gave me amazing instructions for how to get through the airport and navigate the metro. It made my life super easy, but at the same time - once I got to the airport and metro - it wasn't that hard to figure everything out. The signage is great and it made my life a breeze.
The flight over to Paris was incredibly beautiful. My favorite kind of sunset. The one where the sky is completely clear and blue, except for a tiny line of orange, pink, and yellow that hovers over the horizon. The land was completely black except for a few city lights sprinkled here and there, and the blue sky that reflected in tiny lakes. So beautiful.
At take off, when we were piercing through the clouds and the sun was starting to set, we literally flew through a cloud where you could see the golden lining on the rim of the clouds. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I tried to take a picture of it, but it definitely doesn't do it justice. (I had a window seat).
The two people I sat next to were an older couple, maybe in there 50's or 60's, but seemed like they were on their honeymoon. They were super nice, but all over each other. Hey guys, thanks for reminding me I'd be kickin' it solo in the most romantic city in the world.
When I got to the station, I was so happy to see Stella. I got off at Gare de Lyon. She lives super close to the station, and we walked over together. It was already a bit late, so we stayed in for the night and went over the itinerary for the next few days while we ate pasta. I was literally so excited I couldn't handle it. Casually talking about seeing the sights of the Paris was absolutely unreal.
The next morning I went to Versailles by myself. I transfered on a few trains, and eventually ended up on the RER C. The train was so cute, with leather seats, mini chandeliers, and the works.
The palace was closed, little did we know the palace is closed on Mondays, but that was more than okay, because the gardens were open AND FREE! In case some of you weren't sure, college students still love free things. The gardens were so beautiful and there was hardly anyone there.
At first, I was really nervous to ask people to take pictures for me, but after awhile, I just sucked it up, and asked. I would see a couple who struggled with taking a picture of themselves, and would ask if they wanted a picture, and then they would be more than grateful to take a few pictures for me, PERFETTO.
Right now I'm just going to type up a journal entry I wrote on my way back from Versailles, because I'm too lazy to recall everything :)
"I'm on the train waiting to leave Versailles and my hands are so cold I can barely write. Across the aisle from me is a guy named Levy or Livy. I think it's Levy. He's from the Phillipines and he's studying in Copenhagen, but originally studied in Japan. When I was walking through the gardens, he was walking toward me and asked if I could take a picture of him. I said yes, then he took some pictures for me. Then we parted ways. While I was leaving, we ran into each other again, took more pictures for each other, and now here we are.
So many people have been so incredibly helpful. When I got off the train, I wasn't sure where to go. Stella advised to follow the tourists. I tagged along behind a couple, and they stopped in front of a bus map. At first I was too scared to ask where they were going, and then I sucked it up and asked. Through broken and mixed languages we helped each other figure out where to go (MY TRAIN JUST LEFT VERSAILLES) and later I saw them and we smiled at each other. There were 3 other groups/couples that took photos for me, and I for them.
I'm always surprised by the kindness of people. I always assume it's going to be so bad, and you know what? It's not. I had so much fun getting lost in the gardens. The only thing that sucked is all the bathrooms were closed. I feel like I'm going to pee my pants, but it ain't no thang.
I found one garden that I was absolutely in love with. I tried to take a cool picture with me throwing leaves and not only was the first attempt a fail, but a garden employee appeared out of nowhere and stood and watched to make sure I wouldn't do it again. To spite him, I took a leaf. It's in my journal.
The french country side is so beautiful. It's everything I imagined it could be. There's a part between Stella's house and Versailles that looks so much like San Francisco/Daly City, but with cuter buildings. I think I'm in love with this city. It seems so much like the bay area, and yet so different. I'm honestly proud of myself for having the courage to ask people questions, and also grab the transportation system by the horns, and conquer it.
When I first got to Versailles and started walking in the gardens, it was lightly misting occasionally, but it wasn't a thick mist. I'm so glad I sat on the 2nd level of the train on the way back, because the view is so much better."
Here's what I wrote later that day:
"Today was SO amazing. After getting back from Versailles, I chilled at Stella's for a bit. She had bought a baguette and I took a little piece, sliced it open, put some pesto, sprinkled some lettuce, and put a slice of salami. While I ate, she went over a list of thing I/we could do for the rest of the day and everything sounded perfect. We went to Angelina's and I ended up having the best hot chocolate of my entire life. It tasted rich, and like melted chocolate. It came in a huge pitcher, enough for 2 and half cups each. On the side there were two little espresso glasses filled with the best cream. We must have slowly sipped on our hot chocolate for at least and hour and half. SO GOOD.
Afterward, we got macaroons, one was olive oil, another was peach with safron. Best macaroons, so light an amazing. In this same area I saw so many sights (WILL WRITE THEM IN LATER)."
To be continued....
Sorry I've been MIA. This whole trying to get to the computer store when it's actually open has been a wee bit of a struggle. And businesses in Italy don't believe in posting their hours... fun stuff.
Last Sunday I set out for the lovely Parigi, or Paris as us English folk like to call it.
The whole way over I was so excited. I've always dreamed of what seeing Paris at night for the first time would be like, or seeing the Eiffel Tower, or the Arc de Triomphe... and let me just tell you, my expectations were definitely fulfilled and more.
Upon arriving to the airport in Bologna, I had the most relaxed airport experience of my entire life... Thanks parents for making my name so Italian. When I got to the security gates, they looked at my ticket, DID NOT ask for my ID, and didn't make me take off my shoes. Butttt, the blonde girls behind me speaking German were practically yelled at when told to take off their shoes. Awesome.
ALSO, I was able to fit all of my belongings into my backpack. For those of you who know me, this is no easy feat, unless I'm backpacking for a few days, and then I definitely don't care if I wear the same thing for a week at a time. Don't judge.
Before leaving, my friend Stella gave me amazing instructions for how to get through the airport and navigate the metro. It made my life super easy, but at the same time - once I got to the airport and metro - it wasn't that hard to figure everything out. The signage is great and it made my life a breeze.
The flight over to Paris was incredibly beautiful. My favorite kind of sunset. The one where the sky is completely clear and blue, except for a tiny line of orange, pink, and yellow that hovers over the horizon. The land was completely black except for a few city lights sprinkled here and there, and the blue sky that reflected in tiny lakes. So beautiful.
At take off, when we were piercing through the clouds and the sun was starting to set, we literally flew through a cloud where you could see the golden lining on the rim of the clouds. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I tried to take a picture of it, but it definitely doesn't do it justice. (I had a window seat).
The two people I sat next to were an older couple, maybe in there 50's or 60's, but seemed like they were on their honeymoon. They were super nice, but all over each other. Hey guys, thanks for reminding me I'd be kickin' it solo in the most romantic city in the world.
When I got to the station, I was so happy to see Stella. I got off at Gare de Lyon. She lives super close to the station, and we walked over together. It was already a bit late, so we stayed in for the night and went over the itinerary for the next few days while we ate pasta. I was literally so excited I couldn't handle it. Casually talking about seeing the sights of the Paris was absolutely unreal.
The next morning I went to Versailles by myself. I transfered on a few trains, and eventually ended up on the RER C. The train was so cute, with leather seats, mini chandeliers, and the works.
The palace was closed, little did we know the palace is closed on Mondays, but that was more than okay, because the gardens were open AND FREE! In case some of you weren't sure, college students still love free things. The gardens were so beautiful and there was hardly anyone there.
At first, I was really nervous to ask people to take pictures for me, but after awhile, I just sucked it up, and asked. I would see a couple who struggled with taking a picture of themselves, and would ask if they wanted a picture, and then they would be more than grateful to take a few pictures for me, PERFETTO.
Right now I'm just going to type up a journal entry I wrote on my way back from Versailles, because I'm too lazy to recall everything :)
"I'm on the train waiting to leave Versailles and my hands are so cold I can barely write. Across the aisle from me is a guy named Levy or Livy. I think it's Levy. He's from the Phillipines and he's studying in Copenhagen, but originally studied in Japan. When I was walking through the gardens, he was walking toward me and asked if I could take a picture of him. I said yes, then he took some pictures for me. Then we parted ways. While I was leaving, we ran into each other again, took more pictures for each other, and now here we are.
So many people have been so incredibly helpful. When I got off the train, I wasn't sure where to go. Stella advised to follow the tourists. I tagged along behind a couple, and they stopped in front of a bus map. At first I was too scared to ask where they were going, and then I sucked it up and asked. Through broken and mixed languages we helped each other figure out where to go (MY TRAIN JUST LEFT VERSAILLES) and later I saw them and we smiled at each other. There were 3 other groups/couples that took photos for me, and I for them.
I'm always surprised by the kindness of people. I always assume it's going to be so bad, and you know what? It's not. I had so much fun getting lost in the gardens. The only thing that sucked is all the bathrooms were closed. I feel like I'm going to pee my pants, but it ain't no thang.
I found one garden that I was absolutely in love with. I tried to take a cool picture with me throwing leaves and not only was the first attempt a fail, but a garden employee appeared out of nowhere and stood and watched to make sure I wouldn't do it again. To spite him, I took a leaf. It's in my journal.
The french country side is so beautiful. It's everything I imagined it could be. There's a part between Stella's house and Versailles that looks so much like San Francisco/Daly City, but with cuter buildings. I think I'm in love with this city. It seems so much like the bay area, and yet so different. I'm honestly proud of myself for having the courage to ask people questions, and also grab the transportation system by the horns, and conquer it.
When I first got to Versailles and started walking in the gardens, it was lightly misting occasionally, but it wasn't a thick mist. I'm so glad I sat on the 2nd level of the train on the way back, because the view is so much better."
Here's what I wrote later that day:
"Today was SO amazing. After getting back from Versailles, I chilled at Stella's for a bit. She had bought a baguette and I took a little piece, sliced it open, put some pesto, sprinkled some lettuce, and put a slice of salami. While I ate, she went over a list of thing I/we could do for the rest of the day and everything sounded perfect. We went to Angelina's and I ended up having the best hot chocolate of my entire life. It tasted rich, and like melted chocolate. It came in a huge pitcher, enough for 2 and half cups each. On the side there were two little espresso glasses filled with the best cream. We must have slowly sipped on our hot chocolate for at least and hour and half. SO GOOD.
Afterward, we got macaroons, one was olive oil, another was peach with safron. Best macaroons, so light an amazing. In this same area I saw so many sights (WILL WRITE THEM IN LATER)."
To be continued....
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