Ola

So I've started my grand adventure. I packed everything up from my flat on Friday, shipped it off, and say goodbye to Bethnal Green. I should have been a little sad to leave London, but I was so excited to start my holiday, nothing could bring me down. I caught my flight to Frankfurt and it all went pretty uneventfully. Yeah, right. This is me - there's no such thing. I headed the right direction for my connecting flight to Madrid, but made wrong turn somewhere and ended up where I started, except I had to go through passport control (my favorite place) and they gave me a little trouble, although the guy was really friendly, because when I was deported from the UK in January, my place of origin was Frankfurt because I had connected through there from Chicago. Somehow, they were able to see all this by the way the stamp was placed on my passport. It wasn't too much hassle, I just feel like you get deported once and you are on the Interpol list for life. On the good side, I got the German stamp in my passport.

Flying into Madrid, I could already tell that Spain was a beautiful country. The soil seems redder and it looked much different than anything I've flown over before..

I have to admit, I didn't even bother with figuring out the public transportation and just got a taxi to the hotel. It's the first time in my travels and although it was so much easier and only 22 Euros, I feel less authentic and much more like a "Turisto."

Now, the moment of truth was about to avail itself - was doing a 13 day trip with a huge group of strangers a really good idea or was it a really, really bad idea? After checking in, I went to my room and my roommate was there, but dead to the world she was asleep. I tried to wake her politely, but no luck. So I went out and got something to eat. When I got back, she was stirring and I introduced myself. Unfortunately, she doesn't speak English. She's from Tijuana. I'm not quite sure how she ended up on this tour because all of the lit and the website are pretty clear that everything is English for the whole trip. I feel badly because not only can we not communicate, but all the instructions and information are English. And then she asked to borrow my hairbrush. At first I thought I wasn't understanding until she walked over and gestured for my brush in my hand. I was kind of shocked and just handed it to her. Some of the guys reading this might not think this a big deal, but girls are you with me on this one? Unless I am somehow related to you, we're good friends, or you're a famous movie star and I think I could sell any stray hairs on ebay, I'm not exactly excited about sharing my hairbrush with you.

This wasn't really how I hoped this trip would start.

Despite the unfortunate roommate situation, the rest of my group seems cool. It is mix of college kids and some older adults like me:-) It is also a mix of Americans, Canadians, Aussies and a few other countries represented. We had the first dinner together near the hotel and then went out to Club. And when I say club, I mean disco in a way I have never seen before. This place puts any NY or Chicago club to shame. It was 8 floors and it was pretty hard-core. The Spanish love to dance. I was particularly fond of the Spanish men dancing without their shirts.

It was a pretty late night but that didn't stop us from a really early start to go see the palace. It was pretty cool, but I'm a little castled/palaced out. You can only see so much extravagance without becoming a bit immune to it. After the palace, some of us headed to the mountains to see the valley of the cross. It was really, really beautiful and a bit intoxicating to breathe mountain air. It strangely reminded me of home and the Cascade mountains and the Nye cabin because there was so many pine trees, which I wouldn't have expected in Spain if I had ever given it a thought. The cross was huge, but the really amazing part was the cathedral below. It was actually built in the hollowed out rock. Think about three football stadiums inside the rock hallowed out to make the church. It was really, really beautiful - one of those things I would have missed if I was visiting on my own and glad I didn't miss it.

After returning from the mountains, we walked around the city a bit, although many things were closed because it was Sunday. One of the best parts was sitting outside on at a cafe having tapas and Sangria with some of my new friends Patrick and Christine. Many of you know that my favorite restaurant in Chicago is a tapas place, so it was a treat to be having the "real" thing in Spain. Yum - it was delicious, especially my favorites - the manchengo cheese and potatoes bravas.

The sangria and the sun did me in and I called it an early night. It was great to get a good night sleep in preparation for the long, long bus ride the next day.

Overall, I liked Madrid and my first taste of Spain. I would take a day or two and visit if you can fit it in your travel plans, but probably not make a whole trip of it by itself. Next entry - Barcelona. Teaser... Topless beach.

Mind the Gap

So my time in London is coming to a close. I should be packing up as I write this.

It has been an adventure. And a learning experience. And some fun. And lots of hard work.

I can't say I came without any expectations, but to be honest, I can't remember what they all were. I did expect to be spend a lot more time in pubs than I actually did, so although my social life was less than stellar, I am on very good terms with my liver...at the moment.

There are some things about London that I will really miss...

• The marketing team - Helen, Andrew, Bhav, Bruce, and sort of Paul - you made me laugh everyday and you put up with my "well, in the states, we do it like this..." every 20 or so minutes. Don't worry, they think I'm a know-it-all in the states as well. Most importantly, you taught me to swear properly. (Sorry for taking a piss at you Andrew instead of taking the piss out of you)


• Friends of friends - Budgie, Brad, Greg and Nicola, Laura - I met some really great people who took time out of their lives to keep me company and show me a bit of real London. Thanks!!


• The grocery stores - I don't know why, but I love British grocery stores, they're perfect for shopping for one.


• The accents - I'll never get tired of them and I can now tell the difference between an Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Aussie, Cockney, and regular London accent.


• The lady who did my nails and the one who helped me get to Ikea - the two nicest strangers I met in London


• The Tube (but it is also on the things I won't miss list) and double-decker buses - I like the signs telling you how long until the next train/bus, which is always just a few minutes because they come so often and seeing the city from the upper deck of the bus


• Spitalfields market - no particular reason, just loved it


• Being able to cross off "work in another country" on my life's TO DO list


• Proximity to the rest of Europe - and being able to visit places I have always said "someday" about


• Lots more - I'll add them as I think of them, probably once I get home and really get a chance to miss them

What I won't miss...

• The prices - Almost everything is 100% more expensive in London (except for allergy medicine). I never was able to just let go and stop converting everything to dollars. Don't even get me started on the cost of dry cleaning.


• The Tube in the morning and/or when it's warm outside - miserable


• The service - in restaurants it is pretty poor most of the time and in shops it is generally indifferent


• Mayonnaise/egg/onions in almost everything


• My tiny little kitchen and planning my life around getting my laundry done


• My less than full social diary

I would do it all over again, even if I couldn't change a thing. It has been a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am a very,very lucky girl.

-Michelle

P.S. So, what next? I'll be taking a real two week holiday for the first time in my life. I'm very, very excited. I'm doing a tour so that 1) I didn't have to plan squat and 2) I have other people to travel with - keep your fingers crossed for me that they're cool. So Saturday, I fly to Madrid and from there I head to Barcelona, Avignon, Nice/Monte Carlo, Pisa, Florence and then end in Rome before flying back to Chicago.

An American Girl in Paris (Part Deux)

Bonjour!

Paris. I had heard mixed reviews about it lately (maybe Carrie’s disappointment in the city unconsciously lowered my expectations), so I went back and forth deciding whether to go or not, but I finally decided that I would go and make up my mind for myself.

I apologize in advance for all the clichés to follow – I just can’t help myself. I’m just not conceited enough to think that I actually had any original thoughts about Paris as it is one of the most written about cities in history.

I LOVED Paris. It was beautiful. It was romantic. The shopping was amazing (but I refrained). The croissants were buttery and the coffee strong. The men were flattering and the women confident. The banks of the Seine were decked with Parisians drinking wine and enjoying the weather. The city itself was at its peak with bright, blue sunny weather – around 80F/26C. I don’t think I could have hand picked a more beautiful weekend to explore Paris.


And not one single Parisian was rude to me!

If you read my last entry, you might note that my first night didn’t start my weekend the way I had hoped. But that is the beauty of traveling, the misadventures make for the best stories. I survived the nasty hostel on Friday night - you can even say it was a good inspiration to get an early start on Saturday morning.

After leaving my bag on the bed and hoping that karma has already had her way with me and wasn’t going to find a reason to steal my stuff, I headed out. Mission 1 in Paris – Croissants. Those of you in London know that I have established a bit of an addiction to the beautiful croissant. Those of you at home might notice I look a little thicker in some pictures. Those two things are directly related. I swore that this weekend was going to be my last hurrah with my addiction – and boy did I hit rock bottom. On the way to the Eiffel tower, I had 3 (two butter, one chocolate for those interested in the details).

Mission 2 – The Eiffel tower. I had caught a peak of it on the way through some buildings as was initially a bit disappointed as all I could see was the top and it looked a bit like a really tall power line. Then I entered the Parc du Champs du Mars and saw it completely. On second look, it was pretty amazing, as is the park. The bottom half is immense. Anyone who says “it was no big deal” is unimpressable.

Anyone following this blog along knows that I love myself a tour. To recap – Cambridge – bus tour, Edinburgh – bus tour, Amsterdam – canal tour, Prague – walking tour., London - bus tour. So why would Paris be any different? But it seemed like too lovely of a day for a bus and there was too much to see to do it all on foot, so I decided a bike tour was the way to go. I have to say, it was a great call. I had a blast riding through the city. We had a great tour guide, Mike – relaxed with just enough history/anecdotes to make you feel as though you were learning about Paris, but not so much as to bore you to death with dates and landmarks. To be honest, I can’t list everything we saw as the French names of places all sound a bit the same to me, but that is completely my ignorance speaking. I ended up doing 2 bike tours that day – the day and the night one. They were both great and if you are visiting Paris, I recommend Fat Tire Bike Tours.

Between tours, I picked my things up from the hostel (and everything stayed intact) and moved to a hotel. The hotel seemed five-starred to me by comparison. I even had my very own shower in my room and the bed had sheets on it. Talk about the lap of luxury! After I dropped my bag off in my version of the Ritz, I headed out again with my book and ended up spending a couple of great hours just laying in the Parc du Champs du Mars (pictured to the right here), people watching, doing a little reading and napping. It was a perfect late Saturday afternoon in Paris. Oh, and I had a croissant. Yes, that made the grand total for the day 4. But I am officially off of them now and looking into programs (Helen can attest that I haven’t had one at work since!)

The bike tour Saturday night was spectacular. We saw Notre Dame and rode our bikes through the courtyard of the Louvre. That is one of those moments that you consciously log in your mind so as not to forget the feeling. I kept thinking “I’m in Paris, riding through the grounds of the Louvre on a beautiful spring night – don’t ever forget this feeling.” It was almost as good as riding down the Champs-Elysées and seeing the Eiffel tower at night with its twinkling lights through the trees. It was truly magnificent and I’m incredibly lucky to be seeing and doing all of this. I don’t take it for granted for a second.

I was a bit sore on Sunday morning saying I had spend about 8 hours on a bike the day before, but I had more missions! The Louvre was yet to be conquered, and sadly, I barely made a dent. I saw some of the mandatory stuff, but I was really most impressed by the ceilings. They’re amazing! Without a single piece of additional art, the ceilings could be the whole experience and still not disappoint.

But it was Paris and I couldn’t hang out in just one place, so the next stop was Sainte Chappelle – the church built to house the crown of thorns. It has floor to 100 ft ceiling of stained glass depicting 1000’s of biblical stories. I have never seen light like it indoors.

Then, it was sadly time to get back on the Metro, pick up my bags, and head to the train station. I thought I could do a lot in a weekend, but next I go back, I will spend a week. There is just so much to see. And to really enjoy Paris, you really have to spend some time not doing anything but watching the world go by.

I’ll have to say is if you ever had the thought “I think I would like Paris” then GO!


P.S. The batteries died on my camera the first half of the trip, so some of the pics in this entry I stole from Flickr, but all the ones in the slide show above are mine.

Friday Night no Lights

I knew I was pushing my luck. I should have been happy the first hostel experience worked out so well and left it at that. But nay, I thought I would try it again in Paris. So far, I am thinking this is a mistake.


Which brings me to my current hostel - 3 ducks. Well, let's start with the fact that check in as at the bar. And the court yard in the middle of the rooms is an extension of the bar. So as I lie in my bunk, I might as well be in the middle of the bar. When I came in the room, there were 5 people already sleeping, so I had to make my bed in the dark. That's when I remembered my blackberry. In case of emergency, it doubles as a flashlight - they should include that in their marketing materials. I'm sure I'm physically safe, but there are no lockers, so I'm hoping the best for my things.

So, to give you a clear picture, I am typing this in my bunk in a room with 8 beds, some full, listening to the bar at full blast. Two people just got into the bunk bed above me and I'm thinking it might collapse on me in me sleep, or worse, I'll hear more than the noise from the bar!

I'm thinking the dark might be a blessing because the cleanliness of the room is surely suspect. Can't say I'm expecting a great night sleep because now I have one thought that I can't get out of my head... bed bugs.

I'm too old for this. I'm checking into a nice hotel tomorrow.

London Baby!

Well, that's what Joey said on "Friends" and since this about friends visiting, well.....

It is hard to imagine a more beautiful weekend in London - unless you have great friends in town that make it even better! Sorry this entry is a bit late. I could think of a really good excuse, but it would be a lie. I got nothing.

So last Thursday, Kelley and her mom, Ellen, came to London to visit. However, they were slightly delayed at Heathrow at immigration. Just kidding, they were stalled at baggage claim. Or in Ellen's case, no baggage claim. Her bags didn't make the flight, so they hopped on the train and I met them on the way to my flat. After a scenic tour through the posh 'hood of Bethnal Green, I headed back to work and they slept off some jetlag. They were able to rally and meet me after work for a pint in a local pub and then some dinner. We took the long way home through the notorious Brick Lane and called it a night. Still no bags for Ellen.

Friday found me back at work (what a bother - always seems to get in the way) while Kell and Ellen headed down to the west where Kell had rented a room in the easy-to-find Best Western so that we would be central to all the things we wanted to do. This wasn't like any Best Western I had stayed at - our room was beautiful. After work, I met them and we headed out. Not sure if this is uniquely London, but it was pretty common to order a beer and then take it outside and drink it on the sidewalk, or in our case, then a dead end street. It looked like a regular Chicago street fair with everyone drinking in the streets. After, we decided that proper English fish and chips were in order. Then back to the hotel - still no bags.

Saturday was probably the prettiest day in London history - mid 70's and blue skies. Perfect for an open top bus tour (which I had been dieing to do since I got to London, but was waiting until I had the excuse of "tourists"). We also visited the famous Harrods for a little shopping and general ogling. There was a display of shoes that I might think about well into my nineties. To wrap a great day, we squeezed a little thee-ah-ter. "We will rock you" a musical based on the lyrics of Queen. It was a blast. Entertaining? Absolutely. Great music? Of course. Great plot? Umm, did I mention how great the music was?

Of course, all that being rocked made us hungry. So we headed for a little post theater meal. At this point, it might be pertinent to mention I had 3 glasses of wine during the show (only to catch up with Kell and Ellen who did a little pre-funking at the Manchester United game earlier). Well, we thought we found a happening little Greek place for dinner, but there was so much going on, I think the waiters forgot they served food. It was like walking into a Greek wedding - within minutes, we were dancing on the chairs. The highlight was the belly dancer. The 3 of us were mesmerized. I have bad news for anyone who has vested time in helping me with my career - I'm quitting to become a belly dancer. Don't try and talk me out of it. It was the best free entertainment I've ever had! Although we tried, we never got around to ordering anything. And that's all I can write about the Greek place - all other details are property of an ironclad pact the 3 of us made as we left. But you think that was the end of the night? No way. Kell and I hit a couple of clubs in Soho to finish off the night. Much fun was had, but still no bags.

Sunday, we headed pack to my flat to drop some thhings and headed straight out again to do Spitalfields and the London Eye. We had some transportation challenges, but towards the end of the day, we happily ended up finding our way to the lovely convent garden area and some sublime dining. We were pretty wiped by early evening called it an early night. You guessed it, no bags.

Monday, work got in the way for me again, but they headed to Oxford Street and did some power shopping. Meeting me at St. Paul’s after work, we took in a scenic walk of the church and headed over Millennium Bridge. We had some wine at a place on the south bank of the Thames (which I have learned is pronounced Timmes). One thing that made itself obvious to all of us was that service in London is pretty bad. There is a reason tipping is not common here. Heaven forbid you need your server between the time they take your order and drop off the check.

So we get back to my place on Monday night and there is message on my machine from Kelley's dad "Hi girls. I just got a call from United. They found the bag. It's still in South Carolina." Of course it was found because they were heading home the next day!

Graffiti

Everywhere. That was my first impression of Prague. It could have to do with the fact that I didn't plan well and didn't give any thought how to get to my hostel from the airport (and since my Czech is a little rusty and all of the signs were in Czech, I really blame myself for not doing one iota of research beforehand) so I ended up taking the very, very long route to get there. I'm sure I saw the worst first, because it proved to be a beautiful city. Many times I looked up towards the castle and thought that the city was built to look like a perfect postcard. Beautiful. The reason that Prague has such a medieval feel is that during WWII, it was captured early by the Germans, so there wasn't a lot of damage done by them, and it was too hard to get to (and really not a strategic target) so the allies didn't really bomb it either, so much of the ancient architecture remained in tact.

Feel as though you had your history lesson? Now the good stuff.

After getting to my hostel and taking a quick power nap, I then headed into the main part of the city to do a little sightseeing. As I was walking towards the Charles bridge, I met a couple of American guys going the same way and ended up hanging out with them for the next few hours while we saw the bridge and then retired to a patio near the bridge on the river Vltava. It was one of those great afternoons where you are sitting outside with a drink and just really enjoying the scenery. It would be wrong to not partake in the famous Czech beer, which I’ve heard to be the elixir of life. After a couple of beers, Lauren (an Aussie I had met on the bus from the airport) joined me and we continued to wander around for a couple of hours and grabbed some dinner. We then met up with another Aussie we had met on the bus and some of here friends. The rest of the evening is a bit blurry – I’m having vague memories of a cocktail ounge, meeting back up with the American guys from earlier, a Cuban place with great mojitos, and a scary tram ride back to my hostel. All in all, a pretty good first day.

So I stayed in a hostel for the first time and it wasn't so bad at all. Especially for the price - I think I paid $75 for 3 nights. The hostel is Plus Prague, and although it is a little out of the way, it is really, really clean. Probably because it opened last week. Despite the opening chaos, I would definitely recommend it. Part of the reason I chose to stay in a hostel was to find other people to hang with while in a strange city and it proved to be a good idea. There were all kinds of people, mostly traveling students. First time I've woken up to a strange man with zero guilt. I'm kidding Mom – just trying to be funny. One of the people in my room was a guy who wasn't there when I fell asleep on the first night, but when I woke up, he was in the bed next to me. We actually chatted for a couple of hours in the morning after the 2 Canadian girls woke up and left at 7 in the morning to go sightseeing. Damn Canadians. Anyway, he was the third Aussie I'd met in one day (yes, Ron, I know what you're thinking) and was quite a nice guy. I’m definitely glad I decided to go the hostel route on this trip.

Saturday I was a bit lazy for awhile and played tourist mostly. I really needed some relaxation after the last 6 weeks of crazy hours. The good news is the project I was working on launched last Monday - my company has officially renamed ourselves globally - Cision! I’m happy about the rebrand because 1) I no longer work for a company named after a pork product 2) It will be much easier to work globally under 1 name instead of a dozen plus names 3) this project was part of the reason I got to work in Europe. Sorry to throw in that little bit of work.

So, on Saturday night, I went on a pub crawl with the people in my hostel.The first bar we went to was the first capitalist bar to open in 1989 after the fall of communism. Pretty cool, but besides the history and the eclectic, authentic characters, a regular kind of pub. The second pub was pretty unassuming as you enter, but deceptive. Head towards the back and go downstairs - it goes on forever. A sort of catacombs of rooms. I think it was appropriately called Cave bar. Very cool – and I think my beer cost about $1.60.

But by far one of the coolest things I have ever seen is the third bar – Cross Club. It is almost indescribable, but I will do my best. I had seen it a few times passing by it on the tram, but I thought the entrance was just a random piece of art – it was this huge metal structure that sort of looked like the insides of a clock; I had no idea there was actually anything else back there. But there DEFINITELY was. The inside reminded me of some bar you would find in a Star Wars movie - I kept expecting to see Jabba the Hut in one of the many, many, many rooms of this place (what can I say, I was raised with all boy cousins and a brother, I know my Star Wars). I didn’t think I could get any decent pics that night, so I just stole some off of their site. I’m sure that I completely looked like a tourist because my mouth was probably gaping open the whole time. It was spectacular.

Prague is one of those cities that seem to have a dual personality. On one side, it is this very romantic, beautiful city that seems caught in a moment in time with its beautiful light and cobblestone streets. On the other side, it has this sort of seedy under belly from a history full of oppression and violence. Just as some people are very simple while others are incredibly complex, Prague strikes me as an incredibly complex place. I imagine that it would take a person years and years of living there to really understand it. I sure wouldn’t presume to have gotten more than a mere taste of it.

Girl off an old Brick Lane

Warning: lots of melancholy and little humor in this entry, read at the risk of needing a stiff drink afterward
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A little honesty. I would be enjoying London much more with some friends. I'm usually fiercely independent, but to be honest, I am a bit ill of my own company. I have been wandering around Spitalfields market which is absolutely brilliant and enjoying the sites (Great suggestion Laura!!), but I am having a little friend envy. I can be anti-social for weeks at a time back home and pass it off as charmingly reclusive (well, I know Kelley doesn’t find it at all charming, just reclusive :-).

But it's nice to have the option of calling a friend for brunch. There are some wonderful looking restaurants throughout the market, but I'm disinclined to get a table for one. Don't get me wrong, I know many you are saying "it's okay to sit at a table for one Michelle.". It isn't that I think there is some kind social stigma or that I would care if there were, it's that I am just sick of my own stories and thoughts. It would be nice to hear someone else go on for awhile. I never really thought of myself as a person that needs too many others around, but I am learning that I am no Henry David and Bethnal Green isn't Walden. However, being the trained debater I am, I would argue that it might have been easier for him since he wasn't constantly surrounded by thousands of cheerful people. I know that I am using a bit of literally license by calling Londoners a cheerful lot. Well-dressed, polite, smart, lovely accents and vocabularies, and cosmopolitan? Yes. Excessively cheerful? No.

I digress. I'm a bit lonely in London. I guess stoicism isn't my mood du jour. I want to leave London hating to leave, but I am not exactly having that experience right now. Sorry to dribble a bit of real life into my normally hysterical journal -)

I blame it on Tennessee Williams. As I was a bit at odds last night, I thought I would go down to the theater district and see if I could grab a seat to something. I was in a hurry because I didn't really get to the area until about 7:35 and most curtain calls are 7:30 or 8. At about 7:58, I saw the awning for Cabaret, so I thought "perfect.". I went to the box office, bought a ticket and made it just in time. I sat down and looked at my ticket. Guess what it said? Glass Menagerie. The theatres are right next to each other and I went to the wrong box office!1 For the same uplifting experience, I could have counseled little boys who had just lost their puppies or had a drink with a bride recently left at the alter. Good times. The guy in front of me fell asleep. What's her name was in it. If anyone out there thinks that Mr. Williams is a genius, would you mind sending me an email and explaining why? Bueller, Bueller?

Ergo, I blame my disheartened state on Tennessee. Maybe someone will turn my blog into a play and I'll at least make loads of money.

I hope no one misconstrues the above as complaining, as it is really just a mix of a slight homesickness and melancholy. I really, really do appreciate what an awesome opportunity this is. I also don't want any of the lovely Brits I have met think that your hospitality isn't fully appreciated - exactly the contrary, it is GREATLY appreciated.

Note added 20 minutes after post went live: The neighbor who helped me out on during my lockout adventure below stopped by to say hello. See - things are picking up already. Thanks for peaking in Patrick - look forward to grabbing a cuppa.

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1 Despite the evidence of almost every entry, I am not the dumbest person ever (Please, someone corroborate!), I just occasionally make silly mistakes and feel the need to publish them to the world! I'm not even going to go into how I locked myself out of my flat last week and had to call my brother in Seattle so he could google the number of a locksmith in London. And it gave me a excuse to meet one of my neighbors who lent me his yellow pages and keys so I wouldn't be locked in the stairwell - MUCH appreciated. Now three hours on your porch on a Saturday night - that's how we roll in London.