Things in France

Bienvenue, mes amis!
So, I am in Paris now! It is wonderful to have had a few days to relax and get settled in. I am living on the very top floor of an 1800's apartment building. Most of the ones I have seen so far are set up similarly, with stores on the front, lower, and just a random door in the wall that leads to a courtyard. From the courtyard, depending on the building, there might be a lobby or several doors or a mailroom or something. In ours, you walk through the mail room to a tiny elevator, or a winding wooden staircase, and climb to the 5th floor. Our host is very nice, her name is Catherine and she is a journalist who lives by herself. I'd guess 50-60s for the age. Tori and I share a large room and bathroom at the top of a circular staircase in the corner. It's cozy and grand! I am getting the hang of the metro system here, and the people have been very nice. People are right when they say it is dirty, but it has more than 8 million people packed into a very small space, so don't be too hard on them. It is also one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It's incredible just walk down the streets and see engravings and sculptures everywhere, the sorts of things people put onto postcards, and you're just having lunch next to it like it is no big deal.

Typically we will have classes twice a week and an outing or two, ranging from museums to theater to trips outside the city. This week we meet every day, however, for bits and bobs. I'm loving it here, and as soon as I have pictures or stories that aren't just me making a fool of myself, I'll share them! Thanks for the support everyone, you are the best! It's great to feel like I still have friends even when  I am across the globe :)

PS, I apologize for typos I don't catch. I have my computer set to french spell check, so EVERYTHING is wrong haha. I try to proofread, but alas, je ne suis pas parfait!

Airport, Again

I'm waiting in an airport, yet again, to catch my flight to Paris. It it 5:50 AM, and I have already walked across Dublin, caught a bus, hauled luggage through security, and found my gate. Way too much stuff done for it to not be 6am yet. I'm a little nervous because my carry on baggage is definitely bigger than everyone else's, but hopefully that doesn't cause any issues...

Dublin was a great place to stop, and September was a great time to be there. I loved the history of it all. There was a certain charm to the cobblestone streets and River Liffey bridge, and an attitude of rebellion in the streets, which I like to think is a combination of the revolutionary history here and the incessant abuse of substances.

I loved visiting the western coast, and I think I prefer Galway to Dubin, and I know I prefer the country side to the city. Next update will be from Paris! I am excited to finally have a place to call home, and not have to live out of a suitcase.

Merci, Dublin, et à bientôt! 

Things that Aren't Actually Going that Well...

Washing my hair. I figured it out the first time, and y hair was beautiful, but since that time, I haven't been able to get my hair clean, and so now it's just greasy, and layered, and GROSS. I'm not a fan.

I sort of accidentally dipped my phone into Exotic Fanta (Which is DELICIOUS). So it's taking a little rice bath right now.....oops.

I can't find ANYTHING I want to take with me as a souvenir. Tragedy, that is.

And This.

I don't ever want to walk. Ever. Again.

So. This, is my foot. Gross huh? It hurts SO BAD. I've had this blister growing for a few days now. I tripped climbing up a tower yesterday and came down so hard on my foot it popped. (Instant relief, though painful in other ways). It started hurting again yesterday afternoon, and I've been hobbling for two days now to keep the pressure off. I peeled off my sock this morning to take a shower, and found this. Pus covered, pulsating, painful blob on my foot. I never ever ever want to walk again. And my room is on the third floor. And food is down the street. I'm going to take the elevator upstairs and then die of starvation. Capeesh? 

I'm just going to go cry now. 

I hope you're having a good day!

I miss you, Mommy!

About the Bathroom

I guess I didn't really stop to think about it, but the bathrooms are very different here. Some good, some..not so good.

1.They are almost always their own little tiny room, drywall, paint, real door, deadbolt lock, for each 'stall'
2. Toilet paper unrolls from the center-out, eliminating that annoying(but crafty) brown tube.
3. Paper towels are non-existent.
4. Hand driers are the answer. If they work. If they exist. It's the thought that counts, right?
5. Same goes for soap.
6. Hot and Cold water taps are always separated, which makes finding your perfect temperature a bit like musical faucets.
7. Sinks are so low. Why? Whyyyyyyy? My back hurts, just from washing my hands with no soap and drying them on my shirt (again). Ugh.
8. Oh, and toilets are way more round and compact here. And they make cool flushing noises.
9.Creepy ones are still creepy, Irish highway, or Washington highway.
10. In the McDonald's on South Abbey St in Galway, you have to ring a bell and get buzzed into the bathroom corridor, which is long with steep stairs. Now you know.

11 Things I've learned, so far

1. Green crosses do not mean marijuana. They are a sign for pharmacies.
2. American music is EVERYWHERE. Especially Mr.Brightside. They are obsessed with that song, I swear.
3. Soda here is mega cheap and super delicious
4. There is much more to Ireland than Dublin, and if you assume that Dublin is a fair reflection of the country, you are an insult to the Irish, and your own awareness. Dublin is a tourist trap. Ireland is a county.
5. Double Decker Buses. That's all I have to say. Yes.
6. Bus fare? Expensive! 2.80 euro!
7. Irish men think that North Americans, and Brazilians are easy. Catcalls are in order.
8. When cute Irish men recommend something, it's probably amazing.
9. When you're am American tourist here, everyone knows it. Sorry...
10. Bread. Bread bread bread bread bread. Bread and soup, bread and butter. WHY DOES AMERICA HAVE SUCH TERRIBLE BREAD?!
11. Hostels are not just for people like me. Young backpackers are the minority.

Shopping time!

Two really exciting things happened to me yesterday: I WENT INTO A PRIMARK!!!!! (EEEEP!!!!!!) And I finally bought a watch!

First of all, Primark. I actually went into a Penney's, but it's owned by Primark, and the label on my new jeans says Primark, so there. I left for a tour yesterday morning and I realized I didn't want to be wearing my shorts, so I stopped into Penney's looking for some jeggings or the like. I found a great pair of jeans on sale for 6.80, which have become my blue best friend. I washed them in the hostel sink, AFTER they dyed my legs, and I'm currently hoping our window can dry them out enough to wear today! Primark has EVERYTHING. I was only on one floor of three, but it was like a Ross, Forever 21,  Jc Penny, and Walgreens combined. I was in love. Beautiful.

Next I needed a watch, so I stopped into a store recommended to me by the receptionists. It's called Argos, and it was a strange but lovely experience. They have three different stations inside, a catologue station, a pay station, and a counter to pick up your goods. So, you flip through a MASSIVE book of all the things they offer. When you find something you like, you type in the numbers on a screen to check if it is in stock. If it is and you want it, you write it down and take it to a pay station. They have card and cash stations. I went to a cash station and typed in the product code. After verifying everything I wanted, I paid the machine and it gave me a receipt. A screen over the pick up counter said my order was being processed, and about a minute later, a lady came out and called my number. She handed me a little box and a warranty and told me to have a nice day. And that is how I bought this amazing little time telling machine for 6.99 yesterday :)

Cool story, Bro.

I love this place

Breakfast time! This hostel has a free breakfast bar open 7-930. I had toast, biscuits (conveniently sneaky name for a cookie, eh?) and two drinks. I'm not sure what the yellow one is, it smells like citrus and I think it's juice from a can, and chocolate, which is much closer to drinking chocolate than hot chocolate. It's dark chocolate and I left no room in my cup for milk, so it will probably cool down enough for me to drink by tomorrow.

I slept really well, I love my bed! It's perfectly firm and has a fluffy blanket, its luxury as far as I'm concerned. I do tuck my microfiber into the edge like a blanket, because I went to sleep before many of the others, but the drunken singing outside was like a sweet lullaby to my ears...just kidding, it wasn't, but it was very Irish sounding, which was exciting to me :)

I still don't have a watch and my phone doesn't work over here so the only time telling object I have is my laptop. Getting a watch is on my checklist for today, the man at the reception desk last night told me he will show me where to get one for less than €10, so that is on my to-do list for this afternoon, along with finding a shoe repair shop and wandering the Liffey. I'm going on a walking tour this morning, and I am looking forward to that.

If you're wondering why I am updating already, it's because it takes my laptop AGES to charge, so I decided to bring it down for breakfast and here we are.

Oh yes, since I didn't have a watch, I had to guess at the time based on the light outside and the number of people moving around. I felt well rested and got up to shower around 7:10. I was down at breakfast just after 7:30 and I'll likely hang out down here until its time to get ready for my tour--I only did bare minimums this morning since everyone was still asleep.
I'm on the third floor, in a 16 bed all female dorm, which is attached to another 16 bed, and we share a bathroom with two toilets and two showers and two sinks. It sounds crazy, but so far it hasn't been. 16 beds is less than you think, and everyone is considerate about each other. The biggest problem with the bathroom isn't lack of facilities, but lack of space, as every door is that of the "must sneak around the edge because there is no space" variety.

Overall, I think its a wonderful value for the money, its a great atmosphere, people are really nice. It's full of resources and they have all kinds of amenities, pretty much everything I could ask for. ie-over 200 dvds to check out, willing to book a tour for me, willing to do research for me, free wifi, pcs to use, great tips on the city and neighborhood, and some of the most fun and helpful receptionists possible. <-seriously.

I'm going to go wash my dishes now, cheerio!
PS, I actually heard someone say that, multiple times yesterday. oh my goodness :D

Dublin, Day one!

I landed in Dublin this morning after what felt like absolutely FOREVER on a plane. I sat next to an Irish man, who was very kind and shared his caramels with me, claiming it was good for my jaw as we flew haha. When we were beginning our descent, I asked him where to find a cheap clothing store, and he laughed and called his wife over to trade seats with him so she could talk to me. She told me to find the Penny's (JCPenny's!) On O'Connell street, that was fun! She also gave me some great tips on exploring Dublin, which I hope to put into action later this week.

Finally made it!!!

After getting lost a few times (Irish directions in "English" are really quite difficult to understand!),

I don't know if they know this, but that is not how you spell "Stop"

I made it to my hostel, which is in Merchants Quay (pronounced 'key' as I learned), facing the River Liffey, which divides Dublin in two, north and south.

Looking across the river from my hostel.

I was so tired, my head was swimming, even sitting down. I tried to write a blog post earlier, to kill time until my room was ready, but it came out very..strange sounding. I finally decided to try a short walk and I asked the receptionist where a grocery store was, she told me my room was ready and I decided to sleep instead. So, I laid down for a nap at 1pm and woke up at 8....but it was lovely! I woke up starving, and decided to go for a walk to find food like my earlier plan. I found a little convenience store across the road and had a ham,cheese, and coleslaw sandwich, a "happy hippo" cookie, which was incredibly rich, and a drink called "Shandy". Now. Let me tell you a story about the Shandy.

On recommendation, I tried Digestives! Crackers with chocolate..odd

I knew you were trouble when I walked in! Jk..I didn't

I was looking at their canned sodas, and decided to try one we didn't have at home, in the name of getting the full experience, right? I didn't read anything else on the can except the name. Sitting on a bench in front of the river, I ate my sandwich and opened my soda. *Sip* gross!!!! I turned it around and read the first line on the back "a lemon soda". Ok, so I don't like lemon soda, apparently. I finished my food and kept walking, wandering Temple Bar.

Temple Bar is a neighborliness. This is also Temple Bar, in Temple Bar. 

I was just passing City Hall on my way back to the hostel, less than a block away from home, when I decided that even though it wasn't my favorite drink ever, I actually enjoyed this Shandy.

 I turned it around again to read it, since I was now interested, and was shocked to find the second ingredient was beer. Beer. Well then.... When I got back to the hostel, I googled it, and according to the interwebs, since it has less than .5% alcohol content, it's not considered an alcoholic drink, though you can order the real drink in a bar (lemonade mixed with a lager). So there we go, for all you telling me I should drink in Ireland, I did. Oops.


Things I've learned so far:

Irish English is not the same as American English
Check your sodas!
And don't break your shoes on the first day, or you'll have to walk slightly lopsided for the next couple of months. Darn it.

If this isn't the coolest McDo ever, you're wrong. 

Say what?

The title of this blog is "The world by foot", and the URL is "Walking all the world".
No, I'm not walking to Europe. And no, I'm not really backpacking Europe either, since I will have a permanent residence for most of the trip. So...what's all this pedestrian stuff about? 

After living in Seattle for a year without a car, I've realized that you become acquainted with a place in a very different way when you have to rely on it for transportation, entertainment, and safety. Not having a car in Seattle was amazing, but it made things a bit interesting when visitors drove over and asked for directions, as I often walked where cars couldn't go... in any case, I will be using my own little feet to explore my three destinations this fall, with the help of airplanes, trains, and the occasional taxi. So, from a pedestrian's perspective, let's do Paris! 

The deats!

Alright folks, I've had many questions about what this trip is all about, so here are all the details!

I will fly from good ol' Spokane to Dublin, Ireland on September 23rd. I'll spend a ravishing week exploring Dublin, and maybe take a few day trips, soaking in the culture, time zone, and sending home souvenirs for a certain friend of mine, you know who you are! 

On the 29th, I'll catch a plane to Paris, where I'll meet up with a UW student who will be my roommate during the program, and make my way to my new home. I'll be staying with a lady named Catherine, in Paris' 9th District (That's by the Louvre, and the opera!). I don't know yet what my days will include, but I know there will be classes, field trips, studying, and performances! Everyone in the program takes the same three courses, but each course can be credited for about a dozen different things, depending on your degree needs. So right now, all I know is there is a lot of modern and historical culture involved! Each student takes the metro into the center our classes are housed in, and we do group things from there. I'll make sure to update you all on what that includes when it happens! 

I'll finish the trip with a week or so in the UK, and I'll be home again early December! I can't wait to get started, and see what this fall has in store for me!

Europe, by foot! Autumn 2013

Hello everyone! 
     
     As many of you know, I am embarking on a grand adventure to Europe this fall! For October and November, I'll be studying with the University of Washington in Paris! I'll also be spending a few weeks in Dublin (September), and London (December), and I hope to catch a train to Italy, Amsterdam, or Germany while I am out there! 

     This blog is still very much in progress, but as I get things up and running, you'll be able to catch all my fun stories and pictures from the trip! 

Hopefully the first of many journeys!
Janice