The MASSIVE FREAKING SPIDER count is now up to : 2
1 found in the living room, chilling on the couch with me...
2 found crawling out from under my bed...
oh goody!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Where did all the teens go?
I can't believe that it's October all ready! But more, I can't believe I'm going to be 20! Holy cow! I'm not going to be a teen anymore!
Went downtown today because I successfully read every book I packed for the three months...oopsie! So I bought two new books. I'm starting to really worry about space in the suitcases...
So, wedding stuffs update. John and I are thinking that rather than having a wedding cake (cause neither of us is a huge fan of cake) we would have a chocolate fountain, and a candy counter. Chocolate fountain, my idea. Candy counter, John's idea. I love both! Hope are guests aren't hugely disappointed about not having cake!
Besides...who says you have to have cake at your wedding, just cause all the cool kids do it doesn't mean we have to! And no, Marie Antoinette DID NOT SAY "Let them eat cake." Just thought you all should know : )
Went downtown today because I successfully read every book I packed for the three months...oopsie! So I bought two new books. I'm starting to really worry about space in the suitcases...
So, wedding stuffs update. John and I are thinking that rather than having a wedding cake (cause neither of us is a huge fan of cake) we would have a chocolate fountain, and a candy counter. Chocolate fountain, my idea. Candy counter, John's idea. I love both! Hope are guests aren't hugely disappointed about not having cake!
Besides...who says you have to have cake at your wedding, just cause all the cool kids do it doesn't mean we have to! And no, Marie Antoinette DID NOT SAY "Let them eat cake." Just thought you all should know : )
Monday, October 4, 2010
Nice...how nice!
What an awesomely beautiful weekend in Nice. We had gorgeous, sunny, warm weather the whole time!
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We left thursday night, taking an overnight train. This was a new and interesting experience. The train ride was a little over 12 hours, and I actually ended up sleeping the whole time. Which was nice for the next day.
We got into Nice (pronounced like niece, for those of you who have never heard of it) a little after 9:00 friday morning. We walked to our hotel, and freshened up and changed into our day clothes.
First, we walked all through the back streets and market place. We got a quick lunch, and continued to wander through the little shops.
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We saw a lot of places with salts & spices, and also soaps & perfumes.
Then we hiked to a lookout area. Along the way we saw an archeological site for a church and old castle that had been torn down by Louis XIV I believe?
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The view was stunning. You could look out, see the Mediterranean Sea stretching into the horizon to once side, and see the hills covered in red-roofed, beach worn houses, and see the foothills of the Alps disappearing in the background.
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After admiring the beauty, we walked back to the Promenade and sat on the beach. Their beaches aren't soft and sandy like us lucky west Michiganders are used to. They are covered in pebbles rather. Pebbles of all different sizes. From ones as big as footballs, to ones as big as a toenail. While they weren't particularly comfortable to layout on, they made the most beautiful sound as the waves drew back into the Sea, rushing over all the pebbles and making them bump into one another. It was quite relaxing to lay there and listen to the new sound, soaking up the much missed summer rays. We all ended up dozing off.
After our little nap, we decided to go get checked-in to our hotel. We were all exhausted from our adventure on the night train, and our hike that morning, so we relaxed a bit before heading out in search for dinner.
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Every morning in Nice, there is a market called Marché aux fleurs, and it's booths set up under awnings in a line down an area a block up from the water. Then, in the afternoon, the booths pack up, and the restaurants all along this spot set up their tables and chairs for lunch and dinner.
This was where we decided to eat dinner. We found a restaurant that seemed good. Our waiter was very friendly. He chatted us up every time he came over.
If there is one thing I love about eating out in France, it's that going to dinner isn't a quick affair. You sit, and enjoy your meal and your company. Typically taking around 3 hours. Helped along by the staff.
They don't come over two seconds after you sit down to get your order, they don't pester you every five minutes during your meal to see how your doing, and they don't bring you the check the SECOND you have taken your last bite. Nope.
In france, you sit down at a restaurant and are brought a menu. They let you take your time and look it over. They might take your order five minutes later, or fifteen minutes later.
After you've ordered, they will bring you your drinks, and a few minutes later your meal. Then they leave you alone.
You can sit, and take your time eating your (99% of the time) ridiculously delicious meal. Then, probably 20 minutes after everyone has finished their last bite, your waiter will show up, and ask if you are done, clear away your plates, and ask if you want dessert or coffee.
Occasionally you will order dessert, but almost always you order a coffee, cappuccino or hot chocolate. They will bring you your drink right away, but then leave you alone to enjoy for probably another hour.
You are expected to relax and enjoy when you eat out in France. You aren't rushed out of your seats to get new paying customers in. It's quite lovely.
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My mom ordered a margarita, and it was the strongest one she's ever had. For dinner she got a pasta dish with mussels, clams, and shrimp. My dad got a big pot of mussels, which were very delicious. I got a four cheese pizza, because I couldn't resist.
Then, after we had had dessert, and ordered our after dinner drinks, the waiter asked me out! No joke. At first, I didn't understand what was happening, because he was gesturing behind my parents back at me. I was sitting there going, "what the heck is he trying to say?" Then it hit me. And all I could do was laugh and shake my head, hiding my face in my hands because I knew my face was turning the color equivalent to a raspberry.
He was quite persistent though. He gestured every time he came to our table, to take away our empty cups, clear the table, give us the check. All I could do was just laugh. Suddenly, the extra bread, special oil to go with it, free bottle of water, and another free bottle of water, all seemed to make sense. I still crack up when I think about this.
After dinner, we wandered around town for a bit, stopping at a plaza in the shopping area of town to admire the fountains and these really interesting glowing men sculptures way up high on pedestals. We got to our hotel around midnight.
I got to take my first bath of this trip. Oh, it was so nice. Our bathroom in Holtzheim doesn't have a bathtub. And this was the first hotel we've stayed in that had one. I was very excited.
Saturday morning we got up, and found a good place to eat breakfast. Then we rented mopeds.
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Something you need to understand, the traffic in Europe is nuts. Seriously, crazy. So my parents were a little anxious about this idea (which of course had been mine). My mom was WAY too chicken to get her own, so she rode on the back of my dad's. But I got my own.
I had only ever driven a moped once before. It had gone well, but one five minute drive wasn't enough to prepare me for a full day on one, and in insane traffic. But I survived. I had one slight crash.
I was having a hard time adapting to going from a stop to a slow and controlled go, and I was trying to go over to the lane my dad was in at a traffic light. All the cars were stopped and waiting, and I had just enough room to sneak past a car without hitting the curb. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned.
I did end up hitting the curb, because it's impossible for me to go from a full stop to a slow go, while also trying to turn. Long story short, I had to jump off and drop the moped to prevent myself from getting injured, and also to make the moped stop, because my hand was stuck on the acceleration. But, the moped and I survived! Yay!
Well...except my pride was a bit injured. Especially since all the cars waiting at the stop light had just witnessed my horribly amateur moped skills. At least I don't have to ever see those people again!
We road the mopeds from Nice to Monaco, all along the coast. When I wasn't focused on dying, the view was beautiful! We got to Monaco, and had lunch at a small place in one of the harbors stocked full of yachts and sailboats. I had a really yummy cheese panini, with my first sprite!
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Then we rode the mopeds up to Monte Carlo casino. We parked them a few blocks away and walked over to the casino. We went inside, and used to bathrooms real quick. If you ever go to Monte Carlo, you HAVE to flush one of the toilets! When you do, a little gizmo pops out on top of the seat, and the seat itself starts to morph and it slowly stretches into an oval and starts spinning, while the gizmo cleans it! It cleans the seat after every flush! Talk about nice for the cleaning staff!
Since it cost 10 euros to enter the actual casino area, we decided to just pop into a side room that had about two dozen slot machines. I gambled for the first time in Monte Carlo Casino! How cool! It was also with my mom's money, so it was even better. She walked away with lighter pockets though. In my defense, I was the one who earned most of the money back that she lost on the first gamble. So my first gambling experience was a good one.
Then it was time to head back to Nice to get the mopeds in. We checked them back in, went into the coolest shop ever, Coolest Shop Ever , and found a restaurant for dinner. We were looking at the menu (which is different in France. If it says Menu, then it's a set price. Generally, you will choose an appetizer, a meal, and a dessert for this set price.) and the "salesman" for the restaurant came over and started explaining it all to us. My parents decided talked about whether this was where we wanted to eat, and decided it looked good. So we sat down, and were each brought a small glass of champagne! For free! It was good champagne too, according to my parents. I don't have enough experience with alcohol to know good from bad, but I drank it, and enjoyed it!
We had our first 3 hour dinner. When we were paying, our waiter was talking to us, and ended up telling us his amazing story. He is riding all over the world on a bike! He was actually from Slovenia, and told us all about the places he has been and is going. He said he is a photographer, and also writes in a journal, and might write a book one day. His website It was awesome! It's amazing to think about how many experiences he must have. And here we thought we were getting cultured!
The next day was a travel day. We spent all day riding on two trains, finally getting to Strasbourg at about 7:30 (19:30).
Trying to decide which trip has been my favorite so far... Paris, or Nice... hmmm...
.JPG)
We got into Nice (pronounced like niece, for those of you who have never heard of it) a little after 9:00 friday morning. We walked to our hotel, and freshened up and changed into our day clothes.
First, we walked all through the back streets and market place. We got a quick lunch, and continued to wander through the little shops.
.JPG)
Then we hiked to a lookout area. Along the way we saw an archeological site for a church and old castle that had been torn down by Louis XIV I believe?
.JPG)
The view was stunning. You could look out, see the Mediterranean Sea stretching into the horizon to once side, and see the hills covered in red-roofed, beach worn houses, and see the foothills of the Alps disappearing in the background.
.JPG)
After our little nap, we decided to go get checked-in to our hotel. We were all exhausted from our adventure on the night train, and our hike that morning, so we relaxed a bit before heading out in search for dinner.
.JPG)
This was where we decided to eat dinner. We found a restaurant that seemed good. Our waiter was very friendly. He chatted us up every time he came over.
If there is one thing I love about eating out in France, it's that going to dinner isn't a quick affair. You sit, and enjoy your meal and your company. Typically taking around 3 hours. Helped along by the staff.
They don't come over two seconds after you sit down to get your order, they don't pester you every five minutes during your meal to see how your doing, and they don't bring you the check the SECOND you have taken your last bite. Nope.
In france, you sit down at a restaurant and are brought a menu. They let you take your time and look it over. They might take your order five minutes later, or fifteen minutes later.
After you've ordered, they will bring you your drinks, and a few minutes later your meal. Then they leave you alone.
You can sit, and take your time eating your (99% of the time) ridiculously delicious meal. Then, probably 20 minutes after everyone has finished their last bite, your waiter will show up, and ask if you are done, clear away your plates, and ask if you want dessert or coffee.
Occasionally you will order dessert, but almost always you order a coffee, cappuccino or hot chocolate. They will bring you your drink right away, but then leave you alone to enjoy for probably another hour.
You are expected to relax and enjoy when you eat out in France. You aren't rushed out of your seats to get new paying customers in. It's quite lovely.
.JPG)
Then, after we had had dessert, and ordered our after dinner drinks, the waiter asked me out! No joke. At first, I didn't understand what was happening, because he was gesturing behind my parents back at me. I was sitting there going, "what the heck is he trying to say?" Then it hit me. And all I could do was laugh and shake my head, hiding my face in my hands because I knew my face was turning the color equivalent to a raspberry.
He was quite persistent though. He gestured every time he came to our table, to take away our empty cups, clear the table, give us the check. All I could do was just laugh. Suddenly, the extra bread, special oil to go with it, free bottle of water, and another free bottle of water, all seemed to make sense. I still crack up when I think about this.
After dinner, we wandered around town for a bit, stopping at a plaza in the shopping area of town to admire the fountains and these really interesting glowing men sculptures way up high on pedestals. We got to our hotel around midnight.
I got to take my first bath of this trip. Oh, it was so nice. Our bathroom in Holtzheim doesn't have a bathtub. And this was the first hotel we've stayed in that had one. I was very excited.
Saturday morning we got up, and found a good place to eat breakfast. Then we rented mopeds.
.JPG)
I had only ever driven a moped once before. It had gone well, but one five minute drive wasn't enough to prepare me for a full day on one, and in insane traffic. But I survived. I had one slight crash.
I was having a hard time adapting to going from a stop to a slow and controlled go, and I was trying to go over to the lane my dad was in at a traffic light. All the cars were stopped and waiting, and I had just enough room to sneak past a car without hitting the curb. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned.
I did end up hitting the curb, because it's impossible for me to go from a full stop to a slow go, while also trying to turn. Long story short, I had to jump off and drop the moped to prevent myself from getting injured, and also to make the moped stop, because my hand was stuck on the acceleration. But, the moped and I survived! Yay!
Well...except my pride was a bit injured. Especially since all the cars waiting at the stop light had just witnessed my horribly amateur moped skills. At least I don't have to ever see those people again!
We road the mopeds from Nice to Monaco, all along the coast. When I wasn't focused on dying, the view was beautiful! We got to Monaco, and had lunch at a small place in one of the harbors stocked full of yachts and sailboats. I had a really yummy cheese panini, with my first sprite!
.JPG)
Since it cost 10 euros to enter the actual casino area, we decided to just pop into a side room that had about two dozen slot machines. I gambled for the first time in Monte Carlo Casino! How cool! It was also with my mom's money, so it was even better. She walked away with lighter pockets though. In my defense, I was the one who earned most of the money back that she lost on the first gamble. So my first gambling experience was a good one.
Then it was time to head back to Nice to get the mopeds in. We checked them back in, went into the coolest shop ever, Coolest Shop Ever , and found a restaurant for dinner. We were looking at the menu (which is different in France. If it says Menu, then it's a set price. Generally, you will choose an appetizer, a meal, and a dessert for this set price.) and the "salesman" for the restaurant came over and started explaining it all to us. My parents decided talked about whether this was where we wanted to eat, and decided it looked good. So we sat down, and were each brought a small glass of champagne! For free! It was good champagne too, according to my parents. I don't have enough experience with alcohol to know good from bad, but I drank it, and enjoyed it!
We had our first 3 hour dinner. When we were paying, our waiter was talking to us, and ended up telling us his amazing story. He is riding all over the world on a bike! He was actually from Slovenia, and told us all about the places he has been and is going. He said he is a photographer, and also writes in a journal, and might write a book one day. His website It was awesome! It's amazing to think about how many experiences he must have. And here we thought we were getting cultured!
The next day was a travel day. We spent all day riding on two trains, finally getting to Strasbourg at about 7:30 (19:30).
Trying to decide which trip has been my favorite so far... Paris, or Nice... hmmm...
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