Bonjour Bonjour Bonjour!
Visited the gorgeous Paris, France this past weekend with Ms. Aleksandra Rance..and boy did we put a few notches on the ollleee....belt!
Friends Anastasia and Laura (and Jill...yikes) hosted us for the weekend! Thanks to them again...
Upon our arrival we were obviously immediately struck by the beauty and grandeur of this fair city! Berets and croissants and mustaches galore! After settling in, we were ready to explore! First stop was the Champs-Elysees. Casually strolling up and down the beautiful street, we took in the sites and sounds of this city of lights. Had a WONDERFUL dinner and were back to the apartment...preparing for a huge day to follow!
Upon waking up we were primed and ready to take on Paree. Baguettes, cameras, and water in hand we were ready for a day of fun. And fun it was indeed. First stop...the Louvre. I do believe in French this term means "Maze of Death", but some translations differ. This side-winding, criss-crossing, confusingly mapped, art-filled, head-sculpted, overly-heated, stair-laden hell trap led the Tripod (Me, Rance, and Nastia) on the biggest art themed death march of our lives (since we will have multiple themed death marches). Hammurabi's code would have been better used than observed...Dear Louvre, get a new map! We nearly lost 10 lbs attempting to see "the biggies" in the museum, but I must say that Mona in her glory, lots of sculptures from the neck up, and hilarious moments made the trip well worth it. Loved it! Next up was the basilica Sacre Coeur du Montemartre, (Sacred Heart Cathedral). It was gorgeous and the views of the ENTIRE city weren't bad either! Last stop was the Arc de Triumph. Got to climb inside of it and took some fab pictures at the top! After dinner, Anastasia was nearly attacked by a labradoodle after its owner told me to hold its toy...getting mauled to death was not in my itinerary and after blindly throwing the toy over my head, the pup was after Nastia! She survived....
Friday night was truly epic, however. It began in the penthouse sweet of one Calo Ospina, or friends of his. Located a stones throw from the Eiffel Tower, this lovely apartment afforded us a view of the sparkling steel structure that most would dream of. A glass of champagne and fancy outfits on the terrace may have been common to these lucky Parisians, but Aleks, Jorge, Camilo, and I sure stood out as we had our own photo shoot on the veranda. After this..pre-'party'...it was off to Club Cab. Calo got us in to the VIP section, but soon after our entry it became clear we did not belong. After sitting awkwardly for almost an hour, we were casually invited to the table next to ours that had been adorned with flaming bottles of Grey Goose for what appeared to be days. The men, who claimed to be Turkish princes (false...there is no royal family in Turkey...thank you Blackberry) offered us drinks and we politely declined because we 'felt bad that they paid for them.' However, upon seeing the money clip that looked more like a green phone book fall out of Prince Ali's pocket, we felt a little less guilty. We danced our hearts out and once the clock struck 5 we were told the club was closing. BUMMER....but NO...Prince Ali and his entourage were off to another...open until 7 a.m...Needless to say the return to Anastasia's apartment at 7:30 (while most were leaving for work) was one for the record books.
Saturday was a rough wake up call...but we were up to the task once more. Our 1 o'clock arrival to the Eiffel Tower left us unable to ascend to the very top, but floor 2 was high enough for me ;-) Some great pictures and many laughs later we were off to Versailles. Nothin' like a casual evening trip to a giant palace. We were only allowed inside for 30 minutes, seeing as we arrived so late, but walking around the gardens was so great! Thank youuuuu Louis.
Night three did not disappoint...round two with the Istanbullians? Of course! This time we were off to another apartment get together, which just so happened to be directly within the circle of the Arc de Triumph. Jorge took some much needed Facebook photos while we mingled...all in all another great night with the tres chique group in Paree!
Many crepes, memories, and fantastic pictures from the gorgeous city! Only wish I could eat at Breakfast in America and scream PARLEZ VOUS FRANCAIS!?!?! at the top of my lungs every day!
All in all a huge success and great check mark off the list of destinations....
Lake Garda update tomorrow...I have fajitas to make and cards to play...some sort of Hispanic old lady I am!
Thanks for reading this long winded account...
Jenna
P.S. Je vous aime!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
MOD 14B MOD 14B MOD 14B MOD 14B!!!!!!
Hi all,
This is apparently becoming a once-every-15 day blog...not acceptable...so I'm going to start separating my thoughts! WE GOT A MOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We'll be living at 14B next year in BC's gated community...for those of you who don't know what these palatial homes are, they were temporary housing in the 70s and have stood ever since! Seniors vie for them, but only about 20% of the class gets one! These lovely cabin like structures are adorned with cheap wooden cabinets, lovely backyards, charcoal GRILLS, and the occasional drunken freshman. It has made looking forward to senior all the more torturous and I CAN'T WAIT! Although being here in Italy, and casually jet-setting all over Europe is making it a little easier to resist. :-)
Off to Lake Garda for today and tomorrow to see Miss Ryanne Fenimore! Will write about Paris on the train (because it will take a while ;-) and about Garda tomorrow!
Almost halfway finished with this crazy abroad experience! Can't believe it...:-(
Spring's almost here...
Jen
P.S. I love you all very very much!
This is apparently becoming a once-every-15 day blog...not acceptable...so I'm going to start separating my thoughts! WE GOT A MOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We'll be living at 14B next year in BC's gated community...for those of you who don't know what these palatial homes are, they were temporary housing in the 70s and have stood ever since! Seniors vie for them, but only about 20% of the class gets one! These lovely cabin like structures are adorned with cheap wooden cabinets, lovely backyards, charcoal GRILLS, and the occasional drunken freshman. It has made looking forward to senior all the more torturous and I CAN'T WAIT! Although being here in Italy, and casually jet-setting all over Europe is making it a little easier to resist. :-)
Off to Lake Garda for today and tomorrow to see Miss Ryanne Fenimore! Will write about Paris on the train (because it will take a while ;-) and about Garda tomorrow!
Almost halfway finished with this crazy abroad experience! Can't believe it...:-(
Spring's almost here...
Jen
P.S. I love you all very very much!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Are you cold?
EPIC BLOG FAIL! SO SORRY!.....so much to tell
Parma came for a visit last weekend....we turned my lovely single dorm room into a luxurious 3 person suite :-) Showed them the sites and sounds of Milano which was grand. The Castle Sforzesco was a hit! Aside from the HUNDREDS of stray cats running around, we had a blast. There was a carnival just outside the draw bridge, and yes, bumper cars! These b-cars, come to find out, were no place for children. Upon paying our 1 euro fair we hopped in the little buggies of death and were OH so excited. I, having just bought a crepe, was driving with one hand while mangere-ing on this delectable delight, fully confident that i could maneuver the small vehicle and enjoy the heavenly snack all at once. SO WRONG! Ten asians and the 5 Americans voyaged out into the open arena, but we were not alone. The lovely italian gentlemen who "worked" at the establishment joined the fun as well. Instead of sitting in their cars, however, they mounted them like demon horses and were violently demolishing anything in their path. Upon first contact, I suffered severe whip lash and was up on the side barrier...and then BAM! The little Asian brother and sister duo took me OUT...crepe...everywhere. From then on it was pretty much a game of cat and mouse...Americans=mouse...Italians + Asians=cat....horrifying...but all in all we agreed it was the best euro we've spent thus far!
Then, it was off to Parma this past weekend to see Rance and the crew...what a cute lil place it is! Had an absolute blast just casually riding bikes on the cobble studded streets with. It was quite warm on Friday, so I, being the summer lovin' type, went out in a t-shirt. Due to the predominantly geriatric population in Parma, this choice was deemed outrageous! In our short ride from the gellateria, to the Essalunga Supermarket, and back home again, i was asked by 8...yes..8 people, "Non e freddo?!"...."Aren't you cold!??!?"...the general concern was heart-warming (no pun intended) I guess a tall blonde in a t-shirt with a messy bun with gelato on a bike singing That's Amore causes a stir...bizarre! :-) That night was grand as well...had an epic dance off with a Parmesan rugby player...you would have thought we had paid a choreographer! Fantastic stories...
Verona was our day-trip destination on Saturday. A beautifully sunny, love-filled trip it was! SUCH A GREAT TOWN! We toured "Juliet's House", from the epic Shakespearean tale. Even got to touch her boob (meant to bring good luck with your love life???) We'll see how that little myth turns out! Explored the Roman ruins, had a reenactment of Romeo and Juliet on the 1st century theater stage, and took nearly 7,000 photos in some cute little arches overlooking the city. Sunset...on a 1,900 year old Roman terrace..overlooking a gorgeous city=successful Saturday! Many pictures being uploaded!
Some more BC-ers en route today....The Last Supper, Napolean's palace, and hopefully Torino are in the works for the weekend! Olympic cities seem to be our thing....:-)
I will post tomorrow! Need to get back on track...
From Milano,
Jerdle
p.s. I love you all very much and thank you for reading! :-)
Parma came for a visit last weekend....we turned my lovely single dorm room into a luxurious 3 person suite :-) Showed them the sites and sounds of Milano which was grand. The Castle Sforzesco was a hit! Aside from the HUNDREDS of stray cats running around, we had a blast. There was a carnival just outside the draw bridge, and yes, bumper cars! These b-cars, come to find out, were no place for children. Upon paying our 1 euro fair we hopped in the little buggies of death and were OH so excited. I, having just bought a crepe, was driving with one hand while mangere-ing on this delectable delight, fully confident that i could maneuver the small vehicle and enjoy the heavenly snack all at once. SO WRONG! Ten asians and the 5 Americans voyaged out into the open arena, but we were not alone. The lovely italian gentlemen who "worked" at the establishment joined the fun as well. Instead of sitting in their cars, however, they mounted them like demon horses and were violently demolishing anything in their path. Upon first contact, I suffered severe whip lash and was up on the side barrier...and then BAM! The little Asian brother and sister duo took me OUT...crepe...everywhere. From then on it was pretty much a game of cat and mouse...Americans=mouse...Italians + Asians=cat....horrifying...but all in all we agreed it was the best euro we've spent thus far!
Then, it was off to Parma this past weekend to see Rance and the crew...what a cute lil place it is! Had an absolute blast just casually riding bikes on the cobble studded streets with. It was quite warm on Friday, so I, being the summer lovin' type, went out in a t-shirt. Due to the predominantly geriatric population in Parma, this choice was deemed outrageous! In our short ride from the gellateria, to the Essalunga Supermarket, and back home again, i was asked by 8...yes..8 people, "Non e freddo?!"...."Aren't you cold!??!?"...the general concern was heart-warming (no pun intended) I guess a tall blonde in a t-shirt with a messy bun with gelato on a bike singing That's Amore causes a stir...bizarre! :-) That night was grand as well...had an epic dance off with a Parmesan rugby player...you would have thought we had paid a choreographer! Fantastic stories...
Verona was our day-trip destination on Saturday. A beautifully sunny, love-filled trip it was! SUCH A GREAT TOWN! We toured "Juliet's House", from the epic Shakespearean tale. Even got to touch her boob (meant to bring good luck with your love life???) We'll see how that little myth turns out! Explored the Roman ruins, had a reenactment of Romeo and Juliet on the 1st century theater stage, and took nearly 7,000 photos in some cute little arches overlooking the city. Sunset...on a 1,900 year old Roman terrace..overlooking a gorgeous city=successful Saturday! Many pictures being uploaded!
Some more BC-ers en route today....The Last Supper, Napolean's palace, and hopefully Torino are in the works for the weekend! Olympic cities seem to be our thing....:-)
I will post tomorrow! Need to get back on track...
From Milano,
Jerdle
p.s. I love you all very much and thank you for reading! :-)
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