New Year Euro Trip 08-09

Well, a lot has happened since Christmas in Lavardin. I think I will save most of the stories from our big Eurail trip to share in person, mostly because there are way too many to recount here. We left out for Geneva, Switzerland, on December 29. We had a blast there; it was interesting hearing French with a Swiss accent. It was a little difficult for me to understand them sometimes, but all the people we met were really nice. We also stumbled upon a real gem-- Dr. Pepper!! It doesn't exist at all in France, but apparently they drink it in Switzerland. So, of course, I had to stock up. However, what I didn't think about was the fact that I was going to have to carry it along with me on the rest of the trip. There were several instances along the 2 week journey that I wanted to just drink it and not have to deal with it, but I managed to get it safely back to Nantes. So now I have a rationed supply to last me until I get home in May! We saw the UN headquarters, Rousseau's birthplace, John Calvin's original church, etc. That briefly describes our first stop. Then we headed off for Berlin. We arrived on New Year's Eve Day, just as it was getting dark, and I cannot even describe the state the city was in. Apparently people are allowed to shoot off fireworks from their homes, and it was so smoky you couldn't see 2 feet in front of you. Add trying to find your hostel in a strange and foreign city on top of that, and yeah, I have to admit it was pretty scary. Fireworks were going off everywhere; Mark had one thrown on him out of a window and he had to shake it out of his hood and run to escape the explosion. Long story short, we wound up bringing in the New Year with the German guys running the hostel-- it was insane!! We stayed up on the roof of the hostel drinking German champagne and watching the fireworks. All other details will have to be filled in in person... in Berlin, we visited too many places to list-- the last bit of the wall still standing, churches, memorials and museums galore, the sight of Hitler's bunker, the SS Headquarters, Checkpoint Charlie, and we also took a day trip to Potsdam to see the palace. We stayed in Berlin 5 days, then took a night train to Amsterdam. The night train was pretty interesting. We didn't board until midnight, and there were already people sleeping in our cabin and they had the door chain-locked from the inside. We had to knock for over 30 mins. before they finally got up and opened it. Amsterdam was, well, Amsterdam. I love the Dutch architecture... and that's about all I'll say about that. Again, stories to tell in person. I will mention that the houses are known for their steep, tiny, narrow, endless staircases, and we experiened this firsthand because our hostel was in an old house. We were on the 6th floor-- no elevator, bien sur. Then we left for Brussels. Okay, another train story here: our train was heading to Paris, but stopping in Brussels. We were in line with a big group of people waiting to get off after they announced the stop in Brussels, but no one was allowed to get off for a few minutes because the train was joining another. Well, we waited and waited, and the doors never opened, and then the train starts moving again. Finally a comptroller comes back and informs us we are now going to Paris! The doors never opened and there were about 15 of us that were stuck going to France-- so, we got off in Paris, and then had to take the next train BACK to Belgium to finish our trip. Yeah, I know. Once we got back to Brussels, we had a blast. My favorite part of the city was the Grand Place with the Hotel de Ville, etc. Then we came BACK to Paris on Jan. 9, this time for real, and headed back to Nantes. It was a great adventure, and I will post pics soon. Since we have been back, the city looks different. The Christmas decor is all put away and the market has been torn down. It seems gray and forlorn, and much quieter. Although there were more student protests already this week. After freezing in Germany and Amsterdam though, the weather here is great. It is about 40 F, and we were in 10-20 F weather in Berlin. It is business as usual at the university-- my schedule of classes had not been created as of Thursday, and classes are supposed to start Monday. This was the point last semester where I was completely freaking out and thinking about abandoning the whole trip and flying home. I realize now it is just a different way of life here; no one really stresses out about anything and things just get done VERY slowly. I checked to day on the schedule, and yay! it was finally posted-- but not finalized. Oh well, one thing at a time! I look forward to another semester here, and I am feeling a little sad-- I know this semester will go by way too fast. Mais, la vie continue; I know it won't be the last I see of la Belle France!