French Keyboards suck / Getting lost in a maze of canals
Well, heres the next installment of Dave's European tour! I'm currently sitting at Cafe Blue, which is a cafe/bar in Venice sipping some pretty strong coffee. Unlike London, the coffee here is fantastic. I don't know what its like in Sydney, but its really warm over here and its great...(except that I feel really clammy and maybe smelly)
Stepping back half a week ago, I managed to jump on a Eurostar train from London to Paris. The trip was great and quick...there were plenty of fields to look at. When I finally got to Paris, it was really quite surreal and I sorta had to pinch myself a few times to realise that I was truly in Paris. I got to my hostel/unit at Montmarnte and my first stop was to Sacre Crou (Where a scene from Amelie was filmed). I was blown away by the view from the top and the walk up to the top was awesome. This was 1 of 4 visits I would make to Sacre Crou, and I reckon I could've visited it 10 more times!
I then took a walk down to the bottom of Sacre Crou and walked to the Moulin Rouge, which wasn't that spectacular. I decided to Take a tube to Arc De Triomphe, which is on the west part of the city. The architecture of the Arch was amazing, so much detail, and so big. Whats more, I didn't even see an accident at the roundabout there. Its basically a 6-10 laned roundabout where its completely random, and I couldn't figure out why people didn't crash more often! Some people were game enough to ride their bikes through there...it was pretty funny. I tried to dare myself to run accross it, but I decided to use the underpass...and there were also cops on the otherside, so I would've got busted. I managed to get to the top of the Arc De Triomphe and it was an awesome view of the roundabout and the surrounding city.
I got to meet some dudes at my hostel. 3 Australians from Blacktown, and 3 American's from Alabama (yep, i busted out some Forrest Gump Jokes). I spent my 2nd day with the Aussies going to the Eiffel Tower (didn't go up though because it was too expensive) and Notre Dame. The Eiffel Tower was pretty cool, I think people were trying to spit on us though...There's a tonn of parkland around the Eiffel Tower so we spent a lot of time strolling in it. Notre Dame was very cool. This was one of the few churches I got to visit in this city. The architecture was amazing inside. There was minimal lighting supplied by candles and a few globes here and there, and natural light pouring through the tinted glass windows. The ceiling was very high and decked out in artwork. I wasn't able to vist the Crypt outside the Notre Dame because it was closed to the public. After Notre Dame, I got to chill out at a cafe and have a cocktail, where I again proceded to Sacre Crou to visit the site at night. The view of Paris at night was very very pretty. Hanging out with the Westies were cool, they definately made me feel better as they were great company and we had some good times.
My 3rd day consisted of visiting the Louvre. Because it was the first Sunday of the month, it was free! Well every Museum in the city was free...The Louvre was the most amazing Museum I've ever visted, its impossible to complete it in one day. The main attraction is the Mona Lisa, it was small and very crowded, but good to see. The exhibits I was blown away by were the French and Italian Sculptures and statues, and the Egyptian and Middle Eastern Exhibits. I was in awe when I saw the statues and sculptures, they were so thought provoking and emotive... The relics and archaelogical stuff (tombs, hieroglyphics, tools) they had were amazing. It was really hard to take it all in after walking around for hours, but I was truly stoked I visted them. That night, I visited Sacre Crou again at night with my new-found American friends (by this time the Aussies had left).
I did a lot of wandering around in Paris and tried to soak in the culture of the city. I really enjoyed the architecture of the buildings in Paris and particularly the chruches....there was so much detail that lay in the design and construction of them. The people were very cool and one person commented that I had a good French accent...hmm perhaps I can speak French afterall. My last attraction was my visit to Van Gough's house to Montmarnte. It was obviously refurbised, but it was cool to visit and soak in the view/inspiration that he would've had from is apartment window.
It was kinda sad to leave Paris...I took a 14 hour overnight train trip to Venice. My inital impression of Venice was not good. People weren't very nice/helpful but I guess thats what happens everywhere. The other thing I noticed was that it was substantially hotter than Paris and London. So you can imagine me carrying my backpack around in 30-35 degree heat. However, staying here for a few days has changed my outlook on the city, and there are some really cool Italian's who are helpful and who are very joyful in their manner.
The hostel I was staying at was 20 mins shuttle bus ride from Venice city. My first day here was spent getting totally lost in the maze of canals. It was pretty frustrating but kinda fun at the same time...you just following the crowds of people and you hope they're going to the main attractions. The major highlight of this city was visiting Piazza San Marco, which is a massive square/courtyard on San Marco island (Venice consists of 3 or 4 islands). There were a tonn of pidgeons there and people were feeding them, which I thought was gross. So I was trying to take in the view of the square, which was awesome, but also tried to avoid getting pooed on and hit by pidgeons. I sat at the wharf next to the square and the view was really pretty. You could see out to the ocean and to the adjacent islands. Thankfully, there was a nice breeze there so you could cool off as well. Yesterday, I managed to hit the Accademia museum, which contained Venetian art. The museum was OK and I saw some impressive Christian/Catholic paintings and still life artworks.
I've met some cool people in Venice. In my cabin, I met another Aussie who use to live in Eastwood, but now lives in London, and another who also lives in London but is originally New Zealand. Last night, an English couple at a cafe I was having dinner at were gracious and invited me to have dinner with them. Really cool dudes...so Im stoked that Im having opportunities to meet people and that Im not feeling too alone in this foriegn country!
Today, I leave for Florence. Originally, I wanted to visit Bologna, however there wasn't any accommodation available...so I guess Florence it is then!
Some questions you may have that youì're maybe wondering about:
-Am I having a good time?
Yes I am! Its surreal to be in Europe and hard to remain excited about it, but its fun to see something different...particularly for a shire guy.
-Is it expensive?
Yes it is! Food and living is quite expensive...Aussie dollars suck
-Have I tried Gelato?
YES! I've had Gelato on both days I've bneen in Venice and its awesome...so yummy! I've had coffee, lemon, strawberry, Creme Caramel,chocolate. All very good! I'll some more for you if you like!
Anyways, nuff said. Gotta do some more sight seeing and catch a train. More blogging soon.
d
Stepping back half a week ago, I managed to jump on a Eurostar train from London to Paris. The trip was great and quick...there were plenty of fields to look at. When I finally got to Paris, it was really quite surreal and I sorta had to pinch myself a few times to realise that I was truly in Paris. I got to my hostel/unit at Montmarnte and my first stop was to Sacre Crou (Where a scene from Amelie was filmed). I was blown away by the view from the top and the walk up to the top was awesome. This was 1 of 4 visits I would make to Sacre Crou, and I reckon I could've visited it 10 more times!
I then took a walk down to the bottom of Sacre Crou and walked to the Moulin Rouge, which wasn't that spectacular. I decided to Take a tube to Arc De Triomphe, which is on the west part of the city. The architecture of the Arch was amazing, so much detail, and so big. Whats more, I didn't even see an accident at the roundabout there. Its basically a 6-10 laned roundabout where its completely random, and I couldn't figure out why people didn't crash more often! Some people were game enough to ride their bikes through there...it was pretty funny. I tried to dare myself to run accross it, but I decided to use the underpass...and there were also cops on the otherside, so I would've got busted. I managed to get to the top of the Arc De Triomphe and it was an awesome view of the roundabout and the surrounding city.
I got to meet some dudes at my hostel. 3 Australians from Blacktown, and 3 American's from Alabama (yep, i busted out some Forrest Gump Jokes). I spent my 2nd day with the Aussies going to the Eiffel Tower (didn't go up though because it was too expensive) and Notre Dame. The Eiffel Tower was pretty cool, I think people were trying to spit on us though...There's a tonn of parkland around the Eiffel Tower so we spent a lot of time strolling in it. Notre Dame was very cool. This was one of the few churches I got to visit in this city. The architecture was amazing inside. There was minimal lighting supplied by candles and a few globes here and there, and natural light pouring through the tinted glass windows. The ceiling was very high and decked out in artwork. I wasn't able to vist the Crypt outside the Notre Dame because it was closed to the public. After Notre Dame, I got to chill out at a cafe and have a cocktail, where I again proceded to Sacre Crou to visit the site at night. The view of Paris at night was very very pretty. Hanging out with the Westies were cool, they definately made me feel better as they were great company and we had some good times.
My 3rd day consisted of visiting the Louvre. Because it was the first Sunday of the month, it was free! Well every Museum in the city was free...The Louvre was the most amazing Museum I've ever visted, its impossible to complete it in one day. The main attraction is the Mona Lisa, it was small and very crowded, but good to see. The exhibits I was blown away by were the French and Italian Sculptures and statues, and the Egyptian and Middle Eastern Exhibits. I was in awe when I saw the statues and sculptures, they were so thought provoking and emotive... The relics and archaelogical stuff (tombs, hieroglyphics, tools) they had were amazing. It was really hard to take it all in after walking around for hours, but I was truly stoked I visted them. That night, I visited Sacre Crou again at night with my new-found American friends (by this time the Aussies had left).
I did a lot of wandering around in Paris and tried to soak in the culture of the city. I really enjoyed the architecture of the buildings in Paris and particularly the chruches....there was so much detail that lay in the design and construction of them. The people were very cool and one person commented that I had a good French accent...hmm perhaps I can speak French afterall. My last attraction was my visit to Van Gough's house to Montmarnte. It was obviously refurbised, but it was cool to visit and soak in the view/inspiration that he would've had from is apartment window.
It was kinda sad to leave Paris...I took a 14 hour overnight train trip to Venice. My inital impression of Venice was not good. People weren't very nice/helpful but I guess thats what happens everywhere. The other thing I noticed was that it was substantially hotter than Paris and London. So you can imagine me carrying my backpack around in 30-35 degree heat. However, staying here for a few days has changed my outlook on the city, and there are some really cool Italian's who are helpful and who are very joyful in their manner.
The hostel I was staying at was 20 mins shuttle bus ride from Venice city. My first day here was spent getting totally lost in the maze of canals. It was pretty frustrating but kinda fun at the same time...you just following the crowds of people and you hope they're going to the main attractions. The major highlight of this city was visiting Piazza San Marco, which is a massive square/courtyard on San Marco island (Venice consists of 3 or 4 islands). There were a tonn of pidgeons there and people were feeding them, which I thought was gross. So I was trying to take in the view of the square, which was awesome, but also tried to avoid getting pooed on and hit by pidgeons. I sat at the wharf next to the square and the view was really pretty. You could see out to the ocean and to the adjacent islands. Thankfully, there was a nice breeze there so you could cool off as well. Yesterday, I managed to hit the Accademia museum, which contained Venetian art. The museum was OK and I saw some impressive Christian/Catholic paintings and still life artworks.
I've met some cool people in Venice. In my cabin, I met another Aussie who use to live in Eastwood, but now lives in London, and another who also lives in London but is originally New Zealand. Last night, an English couple at a cafe I was having dinner at were gracious and invited me to have dinner with them. Really cool dudes...so Im stoked that Im having opportunities to meet people and that Im not feeling too alone in this foriegn country!
Today, I leave for Florence. Originally, I wanted to visit Bologna, however there wasn't any accommodation available...so I guess Florence it is then!
Some questions you may have that youì're maybe wondering about:
-Am I having a good time?
Yes I am! Its surreal to be in Europe and hard to remain excited about it, but its fun to see something different...particularly for a shire guy.
-Is it expensive?
Yes it is! Food and living is quite expensive...Aussie dollars suck
-Have I tried Gelato?
YES! I've had Gelato on both days I've bneen in Venice and its awesome...so yummy! I've had coffee, lemon, strawberry, Creme Caramel,chocolate. All very good! I'll some more for you if you like!
Anyways, nuff said. Gotta do some more sight seeing and catch a train. More blogging soon.
d
posted by Dave Luis at 6:31 pm
6 Comments:
Hey Dave!
Good to hear a bit about your trip! Missing seeing you round Sydney man! I am glad to see that eating gelato was a priority...
Have you had a chance to go to any churches over there?
Looking forward to reading the next blog!
dang, stoked to see that you're enjoying your adventure and lappin up creation! the world can indeed be a cool place! praying that you keep enjoyin yourself & that you're continually wow'd by God's soverignty in what he's made. brother. ads!
'Bout time you gave us all an update bro - good to read about it all! Sounds like you're having a ripper time, but are a bit lonely at times?
In Paris were you drinking espresso's (ie. 'coffee shots'), or did they crack out a rare cappucino for you?
Still shootin em up for you every day, so keep the posts/emails coming.
PS anyone told you Steve Irwin died yet? Got stabbed by a Stingray of all things, right through the heart...
PPS Peter Brock died too
PPPS Jesus died
PPPPS Jesus is alive again
PPPPPS I'm still alive. Just.
Hi Dave
Great to hear everywhere you've been... Sorry you tried coffee in London (this is why I only drink hot/iced chocolate - although, the Englich don't do iced chocolate very well either...)
PM is going well, we're coping without you, although almost all the team are made up of engos - I think we were trying to compensate for losing you...
Looking forward to hearing more
Bec
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Kim,
I have been to some churches around Italy and they are really pretty and awesome inside. However, I reckon that many of them are not Biblically sound, or some of the artwork is not Biblical at all, which is disheartening. But I still enjoy looking at them and admiring their design. :)
d
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