I woke up this morning and tried to catch some of the game, but I had no internet in my room and did not feel like walking down to the kitchen, so I turned over and hoped for the best. Later, when I finally woke up, I learned the worst. C'mon Rangers! Wake up!
I spent this morning taking care of a few things online and generally taking some time off. In the afternoon, my friends from Auburn arrived in Florence for a fun weekend! After we got them settled in their hotel, and took our time figuring how to get train tickets to Venice for Sunday and bus tickets to the small town of Friesole before that, we were able to do some sightseeing.
I took them to see Santa Maria Novella, and I think they enjoyed it. I appreciated seeing it a second time and noticing some details I missed the first time. On the way to the Duomo, we happened to notice a small church, Santa Maria Maggiore, that was open, so we stepped inside. What a beautiful little church! Yet another example of how Europeans have been able to pack so much art and beauty in random little churches around the cities.
By this time the Duomo was closed for the day, so we took our time walking around the Baptistry and Duomo and just taking in the sights. I then took them down past Orsanmichel to the Piazza della Signoria and the Palazzo Vechho, where we looked at the statues and tried to figure out where to get dinner. We eventually settled on Trattoria Nella. I eat a mixed salad, fettucine bolognese, and a slice cream and chocolate cake. We also shared some delicious house Chianti. We tried to be true Italians, and took our time eating and talking, outlasting 3 runs of other tourists coming in to eat. We had some "small world" moments. One couple was from Houston (Kingwood), the wife used to live in Mobile, and the husband worked at Johnson Space Center. After I told them my research topic, he gave me their email and phone number to contact them when I return to the States. What a nice couple! Later there was a large family, all from Bryan/College Station! There were not Aggies (one man admitted to being a Baylor Bear), but they again were nice and friendly. It is amazing who you can run into.
By that time it was getting late, so we took a quick walk down to Ponte Vecchio before heading in for the night. Tomorrow should be a very busy museum day since we have reservations at the Accademia (home of David) in the morning and the Uffizi Gallery (largest collection of Renaissance Art) in the afternoon. I should have some more interesting stories to tell!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
A Good Day
I woke up early this morning (4:00) to check on World Series Game 1. Unfortunately, the Rangers were losing in the 7th. I stuck around until it was out of reach in the 8th and went back to bed.
Shortly after I woke up this morning, I had to move to a smaller room in the house because the owner had overbooked. My new room is, I am affectionately calling it, a cell. It is also the farthest room from the kitchen where the WiFi is, so I have little to no signal there. Hence, I am now doing my interneting from the kitchen area and making everyone else listen to my conversation with my fam on Skype!
After that, I was able to go to Confession with an English-speaking priest at the Duomo. It was nice, because I was able to see another part of the Duomo that most tourist do not get to see since it is blocked off from them. I did not take pictures, however, because I felt that would be inappropriate.
I then headed out to see the rest of the Florence sights south of the Arno. This started with the Pitti Palace, which was at different times a home for the Medicis, the Hapsburgs (yes, of Austria), Napoleon, and the first king of unified Italy since Florence was the first capital. It is now both preserved as the palace as well as an art museum, costume museum, porcelein museum, and entrance to the immense Boboli Gardens. Unfortunately once again there were no photos allowed inside, but I took plenty in the gardens. The exterior of the palace, while obviously huge, is also intentionally downplayed to "hide" the treasures inside.
When I made my way into the museum/palace, I happened upon a special tour of the king's apartment and bathrooms usually closed to the public, so I of course came along. The tour guide was a nice 20-something guy who apologized for not speaking English well enough, though we did not have any problems. I was joined by a couple from Manchester, England, the husband was originally from Scottish and still had a nice brogue. The king's apartment was impressive, but I really marveled at the separate baths for king and queen (hers was huge, the lady on the tour with me rightly remarked it was like a jacuzzi). Moving on, the palace/art gallery is amazing and varied. Our tour guide had pointed out that, unlike most museums that have rooms dedicated to a period, this was preserved as they inhabitants had had it so 16th century paintings were next to 17th century furniture and 18th century walls. Perhaps most impressive were the huge murals on the ceilings of the Medici rooms, each dedicated to a Roman god personified by the Medicis themselves.
The other exhibits were not particularly interesting to me, though I did think it was interesting that they had on display the burial garments of one Medici couple (a long story as to how they got them). They were historically important because they are some of the few remaining garments from their time period.
I then moved out into the Boboli Gardens, which begin with a large fountain then move up a steep hill to a giant Neptune (I think) statue which affords an amazing view of Florence. I also walked over to the Bardini Gardens, but they were much smaller and not nearly as impressive. Unfortunately the Forte di Belvedere, which had commanded the eastern approach to Florence, has been closed for a few years so I was not able to see inside that. Apparently at a certain spot numerous animals had died, and after a girl fell to her death the populace was in an uproar until the town was forced to shut down the entire fort until something can be done to fix the situation.After making my way back to the entrance of the Pitti Palace (I had been there over 3 hours, so imagine the last few paragraphs taking much longer than I typed), I decided to move on to see the Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato Church. On the way, I did stop in a small bakery and had a pastry with sugar coating and chocolate filling, somewhat like a donut though much better than any I had had before (my apologies to Dunkin' Donuts and the Triple Chocolate Imperial in Quebec).
On the map, it looked like a rather short walk. In truth, it was anything but. To get there, you have to walk up a hill/mountain on an almost straight up grade until you have about passed out. Then, you get to walk up some more steep steps to the church/still working monastery. It, however, was worth it. From the outside, it looks almost like a mini Santa Maria Novella. The inside is quite small, but filled with beautiful but simple artwork. It must have been something for the Benedictine monks who originally lived there, on top of a hill away from the rest of the city.
More recently, the grounds have been filled with the tombs and crypts of some of the wealthiest families of Florence. This only started in the late 19th century, so many of those buried here still have close family nearby, and therefore many had fresh memorials. These tombs and crypts are absolutely remarkable, I could not help but take pictures of some of them. I really wish I could share all of them, because the artwork rivals that in the museums. One that struck me was two life-size statues of a man in uniform and his wife, standing like they are greeting each other. I noted that she died in 1942 and he in 1944, both in their 20s, so I can only assume because of the war (you can see them on the right side of the picture).
I made my way over to the Piazza Michelangelo, which other than the view of Florence was a pretty big dud for me. So I made my way back down the hill, thinking about catching dinner at one of the restaurants on the south side of the river. When I reached the one Rick Steves had told me to eat at, I noticed that the menu had upped in price considerably since his writing. I decided to head back to the house and rest my feet for a few minutes before catching dinner nearby.I was going to go back to the first restaurant I had stopped at my first night, but I lost patience waiting for it to open. Instead, I ventured toward the Piazza di Republica. I was escorted into a restaurant there with an outsiding eating area but heaters since it was getting cooler. I say escorted because they have a hustler working outside the restaurant urging passersby to eat there instead of the restaurant next door (I was going to eat there anyways because I had seen the menu, but I still thought it was funny). I had a rather large dinner, deciding to splurge a little for my birthday dinner. I started with a salad of shrimp, ham, and avocadoes on greens and tomatoes. Next came my main course, pasta with sausage and tomato sauce. I also had to have some cake, so I had a piece of cream cake with a chocolate frosting. I should add that I had a delicious glass of the house chianti with my meal. It was a good feast.
When I made it back to the house, I was happy to be able to talk to Mom (again) and Dad for over an hour, perhaps the last time I will be able to for a few days. Overall, it was a very good, if tiring, birthday. Thank you to everyone who remembered me!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Any More Information?
Yesterday I spent most of the day in the archives, getting what information I can from their holdings. It is not much, but something.
In the morning I had ventured over to the Central Market and purchased some food for dinner. I made a salami sandwich with fresh made salami, tomatoes, and a kind of baguette. It was good, and tonight I plan on doing something similar.
Today was more of the same in the archives, though I finished early, around 1:30, because I had seen everything that they had to offer for me. Yes, I am done, for now. Oh, I did take a picture of the outside of the villa that houses the archives for now until they move into a new (and better) place next year. I guess I will have to find something to do in Florence to keep me occupied for the rest of my stay.
I started by checking out the inside of the Duomo (after a dark chocolate gelato). It is somewhat bare inside, but the dimensions are truly astounding. The front of the church, under the dome, is blocked off with chairs for Mass, but you could still look up into the dome and see the frescos. Really, more than anything, the size is hard to comprehend. It is even more difficult to think that, since they did not have the knowledge at the time they built it to make the dome, it sat there with a hole in the roof for over 100 years!
I then went to the Baptistry infront of the Duomo. Apparently they think it was originally a Roman temple, which does not really surprise you when you walk inside. The true highlight is the golden roof with Christ at the center. More than anything, for me, it is fun to think about the history of such places and who would have been in the same spot as I was able to stand.
I made my way back to Santa Maria Novella to see the museum and cloisters which was closed on Sunday. To enter, you walk through an open space, the green cloister, with frescos on the walls depicting creation, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They also have a chapel built for Spanish Dominicans with amazingly detailed frescos on the walls. Luckily, they have a well-written description to help you understand all the symbolism. One thing I had not known: Domicans were often represented as dogs, watch dogs, safeguarding the Church. They even had one depiction of St. Dominic commanding his dogs to destroy a fox, representing heresy and sin.
They also have a museum and treasury in another chapel. I found their reliquaries especially interesting. They included St. Catherine of Siena, St. Sebastian (a golden arm with an arrow through it), Dominican priests, and thorns and purple cloak from Christ (third class, I believe). I always marvel at these and wonder about the stories they could tell.So, it looks like I will not need to return to the archives. I plan on trying to wake up early tomorrow morning to catch some of Game 1 of the World Series. Then, I should have a good day of sight seeing. I am not sure my plans, I will have to do some research tonight. Hopefully I will have some more good stories tomorrow!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Another Side of Florence
I went to the archives today for the first time, and it was somewhat interesting. I decided to walk there, which I believe Google said is a 2 km walk, both ways. That translates to about an hour walk. It is on the extreme northwest side of Florence, so I had to walk through the domestic areas, places most tourists have no reason to see. It was interesting, they are not quite "bad" parts of town, but obviously not the best either.
I finally made it to the Piazza Edison, and found my way to the entrance to the archives villa. On the website, it says to walk through the stone pillars and up the steps to the villa. When I read that, I thought 5, maybe 10 steps tops. Boy was I wrong. I took a picture of the scene as I turned corner number two, and that was not the end. I started to question where exactly I was heading, as it seemed something out of a horror movie, or maybe Big Fish. I finally made to the top, and the villa was actually quite nice.
I met the archivist in charge of the ESA archives, a pleasant Italian who showed me how to search their holdings, "fonds", and how to request documents. You have to fill out a special card, and can only request three at a time. They also have a form I have to fill out if I want to use my digital camera to take photos of the documents (which I usually do instead of paying for copies), but you are limited to 500 for your entire visit. Just as a reference, when I was at the National Archives in Fort Worth I took at least 300 a day for the 3 or 4 days I was there. Needless to say, I have decided to just take notes and only take photos if necessary.
During one of the breaks of waiting for them to bring me more documents, I took some time to look outside the window and enjoy the Tuscan countryside. I dutifully took a picture to share with you. As you can probably tell, it had rained a lot last night and was cloudy/rainy all day today.I finished in the archives a little after 4, since they close at 5 and I did not think I would have enough time to request more documents and look through them. On the way back, I stopped off at Grom again and tried the apple gelato for my lunch/snack.
For dinner I headed over to a restaurant nearby that Rick Steves suggested, Trattoria Marione. I got there 5 minutes before it opens at 7, but there was already a line of other tourists waiting for it to open. Apparently it is so popular that it has a line all night, so I was happy to be able to get in right away. I had a mixed salad, just greens, tomato, and carrots, and the lasagna, which ended up being a white lasagna (i.e. no tomatoes). It was all very good, as usual.
Tomorrow should be another fun day at the archives, though I am going to actually try and wake up early enough to get over to the market before I go to the archives. I guess that means I have to get to sleep soon.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wow
Today ended up being much more busy than I expected. I slept in a little because I was so tired from yesterday, but I was able to get to 1030 Mass at Santa Maria Novella. I will talk more about it a little later.
After Mass I headed over to the Medici Chapels, one of the few places supposed to be open on Sundays. I walked past what I thought was the entrance, but it did not look open, so I kept walking around the building until I got to the Basilica di San Lorenzo. I was able to peek into it, but they were having Mass so we could not go all the way in. Yes, unlike Notre Dame, the Florentines get it right: all active churchs are closed during Mass so people cannot just meander around. The lady working there informed me that the Medici Chapels are closed every other Sunday, and of course this was that Sunday.
Undeterred, I walked toward the Duomo to check out the Duomo Museum. This w
as more than worth the price of admission. This museum holds the majority of statues for the Duomo, since most of those on the outside now are replicas. By far, the highlight for me was Michelangelo's last pieta, which includes Niccodemus sculpted in his own image. They also have a reliquery with John the Baptist's severed finger. These are just a few of the many beautiful pieces in their collection.
as more than worth the price of admission. This museum holds the majority of statues for the Duomo, since most of those on the outside now are replicas. By far, the highlight for me was Michelangelo's last pieta, which includes Niccodemus sculpted in his own image. They also have a reliquery with John the Baptist's severed finger. These are just a few of the many beautiful pieces in their collection.After that, I walked around to the Duomo's Bell Tower and decided to walk up to the top. I read that it is perhaps not as bad a climb as the Duomo Dome, since it is 50 steps less
, but that still means it is 414 steps, and believe me you feel them. There are 4 or 5 stops along the way, each one teasing you that you are there, but not quite! The final flight of steps are so tight, it is extremely difficult for two people to squeeze through. But, once on top, the view is worth it. You really can see all of Florence (save some blocked by the Duomo itself), and miles in each direction to the hills surrounding the town. From up there, you can see how the street layouts make sense, of course when you are down among them, like last night, they are slightly more complicated.
, but that still means it is 414 steps, and believe me you feel them. There are 4 or 5 stops along the way, each one teasing you that you are there, but not quite! The final flight of steps are so tight, it is extremely difficult for two people to squeeze through. But, once on top, the view is worth it. You really can see all of Florence (save some blocked by the Duomo itself), and miles in each direction to the hills surrounding the town. From up there, you can see how the street layouts make sense, of course when you are down among them, like last night, they are slightly more complicated.After that hike, I decided to treat myself to lunch at a local gelato shop Grom, which was highlighted in my tour book. I can definitely tell why. I had to ask what their Flavor of the Day was, it was something like cream, yogurt, fig, and something else. He asked me if I wanted to taste it, who was I to say no? It was surprisingly good, since none of the individual flavors appealed to me. Once I saw the Extreme Dark Chocolate, however, I could have no other. I hardly think I have ever spent a more worthy 2 Euro. I may just have to stop by Grom again to taste some of the other flavors (I am especially intrigued by Apple).
Sufficently decadent, I decided to head back to Santa Maria Novella to visit as a tou
rist. This church is even more beautiful when I got to see the detail than I first imagined. I was very glad to have my book which included a tour of the church. Unfortunately they do not allow photos inside, but I can say with great conviction that no words, or images, can begin to describe this piece of art. The frescos are amazing, especially three walls to a side sanctuary depicting Dante's Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell. Now, I understand and respect people who differ with my religious beliefs, but I truly feel that places like Santa Maria Novella are proof positive of God, because He is the only reason for such beauty. Renaissance Florence must have been an amazing place to live.
rist. This church is even more beautiful when I got to see the detail than I first imagined. I was very glad to have my book which included a tour of the church. Unfortunately they do not allow photos inside, but I can say with great conviction that no words, or images, can begin to describe this piece of art. The frescos are amazing, especially three walls to a side sanctuary depicting Dante's Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell. Now, I understand and respect people who differ with my religious beliefs, but I truly feel that places like Santa Maria Novella are proof positive of God, because He is the only reason for such beauty. Renaissance Florence must have been an amazing place to live.After that, I decided to head back to the house (only a couple blocks away) and rest for a little while before venturing out again.
Rested, I decided to take the Renaissance Walk from Rick Steve's podcast that I had downloaded to my iphone. This walk starts with the Duomo and Baptistry, walks down Via dei
Calzaiuoli to the Piazza della Signoria, past the Uffizi Gallery to Ponte Vecchio on the Arno River. The tour had a good mix of Renaissance history while pointing out the highlights along the way.
Calzaiuoli to the Piazza della Signoria, past the Uffizi Gallery to Ponte Vecchio on the Arno River. The tour had a good mix of Renaissance history while pointing out the highlights along the way.One of the highlights is the Orsam-michele, a grainery transformed into a church. The inside includes a huge altar built to fit inside the space perfectly (again, photos not allowed inside). As the tour guide says, seeing a piece of art like that can only be truly appreciated in the space where it was made to be housed, museums cannot convey the true power of the image as a whole.
The Piazza della Signoria includes the Medici's palace (Palazzio Vecchio) and was a popular spot for nearly anything during the Renaissance, including beheadings and pyres. More famously, it was the original location of Michelangelo's David, guarding the entrance to the palace. A replica stands there today. There are a number of other statues in the square, including a Neptune fountain, a three-in-one sculpture of a Roman stealing a wife from a husband, and Perseus beheading Medusa.
The courtyard for the Uffizi includes statues in the recesses of the pillars of so
me of the most famous Florentines, including Donatello, Michelangelo, Amerigo Vespucci, and Galileo. I then had my first view of the Arno, at this point a nice, peacefully flowing river. The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge spanning the Arno in Florence. It was famously saved by a Nazi General in WWII, who was ordered to destroy all the bridges, but could not make himself destroy this piece of history. It used to be lined by merchents like tanners, but more recently it has become the place for gold and silver shops.
me of the most famous Florentines, including Donatello, Michelangelo, Amerigo Vespucci, and Galileo. I then had my first view of the Arno, at this point a nice, peacefully flowing river. The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge spanning the Arno in Florence. It was famously saved by a Nazi General in WWII, who was ordered to destroy all the bridges, but could not make himself destroy this piece of history. It used to be lined by merchents like tanners, but more recently it has become the place for gold and silver shops.My tour ended on the other side of the Arno, and I had no plans from there. I saw a number of signs for points of interest, so I somewhat randomly decided to walk towards the Santo Spirito. I was infinitely glad I did. I was able to walk in, though it would soon close in preparation for Mass (again, no photos). The tour book said the only real piece of note in this church was a crucifix sculpted and painted by an 18-year old Michelangelo, but I hardly felt that justified it. Again, the church itself was an amazing piece of art, with numerous side altars and tombs along the walls. And of course the crucifix was worth an extra mention, especially considering the age at which he made it and the amazing detail spent on a piece intended for high up the top of the altar where no one would be able to see the detail.
Recharged, I decided to venture further west toward the San Frediano gate, the or
iginal Roman gate and wall. It was impressive, though I did not linger long in a somewhat questionable neighbor. On the way back, I stopped in Santa Maria del Carmine, but the rosary was being prayed so I did not want to desturb. I also stopped in a pizzeria/ristorante Tratorria Pizzeria Dante, which was suggested by my tour book. I decided to try the ham pizza. It was quite good, though I was surprised when they served as a whole pie, no slices, so I had to eat it with knife and fork.
iginal Roman gate and wall. It was impressive, though I did not linger long in a somewhat questionable neighbor. On the way back, I stopped in Santa Maria del Carmine, but the rosary was being prayed so I did not want to desturb. I also stopped in a pizzeria/ristorante Tratorria Pizzeria Dante, which was suggested by my tour book. I decided to try the ham pizza. It was quite good, though I was surprised when they served as a whole pie, no slices, so I had to eat it with knife and fork.At this point it was getting late and dark and I was somewhat exhausted, so I walked back to the house via the Duomo (I have not quite got the hang of the city, so I have to use landmarks to guide me). I was happy to be able to talk to most of the fam on Skype, and now I need to look ahead to tomorrow and figure out where I have to go for research. It should be an interesting first venture into the archives. Ciao!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Long Road to Firenze
It has been quite a long day. I woke up just after 400, in time to see the 7th, 8th and 9th innings of the Rangers clinching the first AL pennant. I was very happy to be able to see the end of the game before I had to catch my train at 613.
Waiting in a train station is one thing. Waiting in a train station in the cold is another. Waiting in a train station in the cold at 600 in the morning is a whole other world. Waiting in a train station in the cold at 600 in the morning with a bunch of weird Germans is something one must experience.
So I got on the train having not eaten breakfast, since the train from Paris had served breakfast I assumed the same for the German train. Boy was I wrong. I think they once came by with some drinks and food stuffs to sell, but I did not want to venture the price, so I decided to stick it out. One thing that was nice, when we stopped in Stuttgart a couple got on and sat next to me with 2 oversized bags and roughly 6 other assorted bags. I heard them talking and knew they were Americans, so I struck up a conversation. Turns out they are from DC, he is an engineer (PhD Industrial Engineering) over on business, and she met up with him to see Stuttgart, Zurich, and Geneva. They were quite nice, and we both agreed it was nice to talk to another American. He also gave me interesting advice for writing a dissertation that his advisor had given him: write for two hours a day, solid, then take the rest of the day to recoup and think about tomorrow. We did eventually get a tiny snack bag of pretzels and stuff, my breakfast. All three of us enjoyed watching the scenery pass by. Rural Germany is quite a nice scene, lots of trees and there was a small brook following the tracks most of the way.
They stayed behind in Zurich as I moved on to catch the next train. I was a bit worried since I had 20 minutes between trains, but the Germans are punctual and I actually got to the platform before the train to Milano. So now I was on an Italian train. Most importantly, I got my first view of the Alps. I tried taking some pictures, but trains windows do not like to cooperate. I did nap for a good part of the 4 hours down to Milan. What I did see of Switzerland, however, was amazingly beautiful. I have to say that it is by far the most beautiful countryside of the countries I have seen. The varying topography, sometimes quite drastic, is a marvel, and the land is dotted with amazing lakes. As we neared Milan, I noticed that the time for our arrival came and went, with no signs of us slowing down or getting closer. We finally pulled into Milan with quite literally 5 minutes before my connecting train to Florence. Needless to say I, as well as most of the people from the train ran through the station to the train which was, of course, on the opposite side. I think the conductor saw the herd of crazy running people and decided to hold up the train for a few minutes. I hopped on as soon as I could, fearing it would take off, and of course I found out my seat was on the far end. I had to wade through about 8 cars to get to mine, only to find my seat filled by a father and young boy. Not wanting to confront them, and knowing I was the second stop, I crashed in another seat.
The scenary down to Florence was very nice as well. I loved seeing the miles of farmland dotted by Italian villas that look exactly as you would imagine them. The Italians sure have a flair for the dramatic. They came by and served a drink and a snack, so I had some hot tea and a small bag of some kind of dry bread niblets in a bag, my lunch. We finally arrived in Florence a little after 500.
When I walked out of the train station, it was like a whole other world. Very busy, somewhat closed in, people everywhere. Luckily the house I am staying in was only a few blocks away. The lady who owns the house showed me and and brought me to my room. I will actually be staying in a double for the majority of the time because the single was full. I say most of the time, because she told me she overbooked between Thursday and Saturday, so I will need to move to a smaller room for those days. I told her it was no problem, but she said she would charge me 10 Euro less for those days because of the inconvenience. I will not argue that!
The house is nice. There is a long corridor leading to each of the room, with a bathroom at the end of the hall, then a kitchen leading to the courtyard in the back. The kitchen looks nice, though I will be sharing it with a few other people, but I should be able to make dinners here after I go to the Central Market (perhaps tomorrow?). I did not go in the courtyard yet, but it looks like a nice, peaceful get away. We talked for awhile, and then I settled in a little before finding dinner. Italians like to make a big deal of dinner, and in fact most, if not all, restaurants do not open until 700. Dinner usually consists of an antipasta, a first course of pasta or soup, a second course of meat, perhaps another antipasta and then dinner. Of course you do not have to get all the courses, and if you do the bill will add up very quickly (5-9 Euros for the antipasta, 8+ for the first course, 12+ for the second course, etc.)
I looked in my guidebook and marked on my map a couple of restaurants close by to check out. It ended up the map was no help, because I was easily turned around but ended up at the restaurant I was looking for originally, so I guess it worked out. When I arrived at Trattoria al Trebbio, there were already about a dozen other tourists waiting in line outside. After they opened the doors, I was taken to one of the smaller rooms (there are, from what I could tell, 4 or so different eating areas). I ordered the Bruschetta (toasted bread with tomatoes) for antipasta, the Spaghetti alla polmadora (I think, it was a tomato sauce), and a glass of the house red wine. The wine was absolutely perfect, smooth and no aftertaste. The bruschetta was quite good, and even had a small salad with it. The spaghetti was very good as well. I was very hungry, and probably did not enjoy them as much as I should have. So hungry, I realized I had not taken a second to take a picture of the food. Nevertheless, it was an excellent first taste of Florence.
Fairly full, I walked back to the house past Santa Maria Novella, where I think I will attend Mass tomorrow. It is a beautiful structure from the outside, and I can only imagine the inside. I made it back to the house in time to see some of Joseph's birthday! It was great to see the whole family, though it only made me wish to be home more.
I am not sure my plans for tomorrow, after Mass. I probably want to check out the Central Market and get some food for the week. I will probably also wonder around and take in the sights. Not sure now if I will go in anywhere or not. I am excited about my first full day in Italy!
Waiting in a train station is one thing. Waiting in a train station in the cold is another. Waiting in a train station in the cold at 600 in the morning is a whole other world. Waiting in a train station in the cold at 600 in the morning with a bunch of weird Germans is something one must experience.
So I got on the train having not eaten breakfast, since the train from Paris had served breakfast I assumed the same for the German train. Boy was I wrong. I think they once came by with some drinks and food stuffs to sell, but I did not want to venture the price, so I decided to stick it out. One thing that was nice, when we stopped in Stuttgart a couple got on and sat next to me with 2 oversized bags and roughly 6 other assorted bags. I heard them talking and knew they were Americans, so I struck up a conversation. Turns out they are from DC, he is an engineer (PhD Industrial Engineering) over on business, and she met up with him to see Stuttgart, Zurich, and Geneva. They were quite nice, and we both agreed it was nice to talk to another American. He also gave me interesting advice for writing a dissertation that his advisor had given him: write for two hours a day, solid, then take the rest of the day to recoup and think about tomorrow. We did eventually get a tiny snack bag of pretzels and stuff, my breakfast. All three of us enjoyed watching the scenery pass by. Rural Germany is quite a nice scene, lots of trees and there was a small brook following the tracks most of the way.
They stayed behind in Zurich as I moved on to catch the next train. I was a bit worried since I had 20 minutes between trains, but the Germans are punctual and I actually got to the platform before the train to Milano. So now I was on an Italian train. Most importantly, I got my first view of the Alps. I tried taking some pictures, but trains windows do not like to cooperate. I did nap for a good part of the 4 hours down to Milan. What I did see of Switzerland, however, was amazingly beautiful. I have to say that it is by far the most beautiful countryside of the countries I have seen. The varying topography, sometimes quite drastic, is a marvel, and the land is dotted with amazing lakes. As we neared Milan, I noticed that the time for our arrival came and went, with no signs of us slowing down or getting closer. We finally pulled into Milan with quite literally 5 minutes before my connecting train to Florence. Needless to say I, as well as most of the people from the train ran through the station to the train which was, of course, on the opposite side. I think the conductor saw the herd of crazy running people and decided to hold up the train for a few minutes. I hopped on as soon as I could, fearing it would take off, and of course I found out my seat was on the far end. I had to wade through about 8 cars to get to mine, only to find my seat filled by a father and young boy. Not wanting to confront them, and knowing I was the second stop, I crashed in another seat.
The scenary down to Florence was very nice as well. I loved seeing the miles of farmland dotted by Italian villas that look exactly as you would imagine them. The Italians sure have a flair for the dramatic. They came by and served a drink and a snack, so I had some hot tea and a small bag of some kind of dry bread niblets in a bag, my lunch. We finally arrived in Florence a little after 500.
When I walked out of the train station, it was like a whole other world. Very busy, somewhat closed in, people everywhere. Luckily the house I am staying in was only a few blocks away. The lady who owns the house showed me and and brought me to my room. I will actually be staying in a double for the majority of the time because the single was full. I say most of the time, because she told me she overbooked between Thursday and Saturday, so I will need to move to a smaller room for those days. I told her it was no problem, but she said she would charge me 10 Euro less for those days because of the inconvenience. I will not argue that!
The house is nice. There is a long corridor leading to each of the room, with a bathroom at the end of the hall, then a kitchen leading to the courtyard in the back. The kitchen looks nice, though I will be sharing it with a few other people, but I should be able to make dinners here after I go to the Central Market (perhaps tomorrow?). I did not go in the courtyard yet, but it looks like a nice, peaceful get away. We talked for awhile, and then I settled in a little before finding dinner. Italians like to make a big deal of dinner, and in fact most, if not all, restaurants do not open until 700. Dinner usually consists of an antipasta, a first course of pasta or soup, a second course of meat, perhaps another antipasta and then dinner. Of course you do not have to get all the courses, and if you do the bill will add up very quickly (5-9 Euros for the antipasta, 8+ for the first course, 12+ for the second course, etc.)
I looked in my guidebook and marked on my map a couple of restaurants close by to check out. It ended up the map was no help, because I was easily turned around but ended up at the restaurant I was looking for originally, so I guess it worked out. When I arrived at Trattoria al Trebbio, there were already about a dozen other tourists waiting in line outside. After they opened the doors, I was taken to one of the smaller rooms (there are, from what I could tell, 4 or so different eating areas). I ordered the Bruschetta (toasted bread with tomatoes) for antipasta, the Spaghetti alla polmadora (I think, it was a tomato sauce), and a glass of the house red wine. The wine was absolutely perfect, smooth and no aftertaste. The bruschetta was quite good, and even had a small salad with it. The spaghetti was very good as well. I was very hungry, and probably did not enjoy them as much as I should have. So hungry, I realized I had not taken a second to take a picture of the food. Nevertheless, it was an excellent first taste of Florence.
Fairly full, I walked back to the house past Santa Maria Novella, where I think I will attend Mass tomorrow. It is a beautiful structure from the outside, and I can only imagine the inside. I made it back to the house in time to see some of Joseph's birthday! It was great to see the whole family, though it only made me wish to be home more.
I am not sure my plans for tomorrow, after Mass. I probably want to check out the Central Market and get some food for the week. I will probably also wonder around and take in the sights. Not sure now if I will go in anywhere or not. I am excited about my first full day in Italy!
Friday, October 22, 2010
And This Is How We Say Goodbye...In Germany!
Ok, I could not pass up the chance to quote one of the best movies ever (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade for those who might not know - Mom!).
I slept in a little today since I thought today was going to be an "off" day. Around 1100 I checked my email and found an email from a retired man who said he could meet with me today for an interview. Of course I said yes!
I quickly learned why, when some of the other men had mentioned that I should talk with him, they asked if I had the next few weeks open. He is quite a talker. I think it took him about 90 minutes to give a long and winding explanation of his work history at ESOC, which was just a fraction of what he could have talked about. It was great to hear him and all of his stories, but slightly difficult to get him to focus and talk about the questions I had. Our conversation when on for almost three hours, at which point he realized that he had another person waiting to meet with him, so we had to part. I think I got some good information from him about some of the early days at ESOC. Overall, I am not complaining about this interview, just wishing I could have learned a little more specifically for my project.
I spent the rest of the afternoon packing and realizing that I have to catch the train at 600 tomorrow morning, which means a (hopefully) early night. For dinner I decided to have a bit of a smorgasbord of German food. There are a number of little food places in the train station, somewhere between a food court (but with fresh food rather than fast food) and a market. I ended up sampling a little from a number of places, including a real German pretzel (I had to get one), a bratwurst sandwich, a mozerella and tomato sauce sandwich (almost a mini-pizza), and a double chocolate muffin as the piece de resistance (or whatever the German equivalent is). It was a good, and quite filling, dinner.
And so I leave Germany. It would be interesting to come back some time to a larger city (Berlin perhaps) so that I could compare the experiences. I doubt Darmstadt is a good example of Germany, but if it is I have to say it was a bit disappointing. I understand why so many ESA people see it as not the best place to work. But that's ok, I got some good information, and my next post should be from Florence! I just hope that my personal hype will not mean that it cannot live up to my expectations. We will see.
I slept in a little today since I thought today was going to be an "off" day. Around 1100 I checked my email and found an email from a retired man who said he could meet with me today for an interview. Of course I said yes!
I quickly learned why, when some of the other men had mentioned that I should talk with him, they asked if I had the next few weeks open. He is quite a talker. I think it took him about 90 minutes to give a long and winding explanation of his work history at ESOC, which was just a fraction of what he could have talked about. It was great to hear him and all of his stories, but slightly difficult to get him to focus and talk about the questions I had. Our conversation when on for almost three hours, at which point he realized that he had another person waiting to meet with him, so we had to part. I think I got some good information from him about some of the early days at ESOC. Overall, I am not complaining about this interview, just wishing I could have learned a little more specifically for my project.
I spent the rest of the afternoon packing and realizing that I have to catch the train at 600 tomorrow morning, which means a (hopefully) early night. For dinner I decided to have a bit of a smorgasbord of German food. There are a number of little food places in the train station, somewhere between a food court (but with fresh food rather than fast food) and a market. I ended up sampling a little from a number of places, including a real German pretzel (I had to get one), a bratwurst sandwich, a mozerella and tomato sauce sandwich (almost a mini-pizza), and a double chocolate muffin as the piece de resistance (or whatever the German equivalent is). It was a good, and quite filling, dinner.
And so I leave Germany. It would be interesting to come back some time to a larger city (Berlin perhaps) so that I could compare the experiences. I doubt Darmstadt is a good example of Germany, but if it is I have to say it was a bit disappointing. I understand why so many ESA people see it as not the best place to work. But that's ok, I got some good information, and my next post should be from Florence! I just hope that my personal hype will not mean that it cannot live up to my expectations. We will see.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A Day in the Library
Ok Rangers fans, and Yankee haters (i.e. smart people), you can blame me for last night's game. I had not watched any of the other games, but I was able to catch the first few innings last night. I decided to stop watching and go to bed when it was 4-0 and I realized how much damage I had brought to them. Unfortunately, they were not able to make up for my bad mojo.
Last night, I did go to the Italian restaurant (Vapiano). When I entered, the hostess gave me a card and asked (in German) if I had been there. I told her no, and when she started to explain in German, I asked if she spoke English. She did not, but she was nice enough to take me to one of the bartenders who told me how it works. Basically, they have a line of cooks for pasta, pizza and anti-pasta, and salads. You order what you want and they make it in front of you. They put what you ordered on the cards, then you pay when you leave. It's actually pretty cool. I got some bologonese spaghetti, which was quite good. I walked up to the bar and ordered rotwein (red wine). When the bartender (a different one) asked me what kind, I just said "house" and he seemed to understand. The wine was pretty good as well, somewhat like a quite not as dry pinot noir. The seating was not my favorite. The majority of the restaurant was a series of long tables where different groups sit together, and next to the bar there were smaller tables, which of course were all filled up. I eventually found a corner of a table next to the window, so it was ok. What was really interesting was that they were playing house disco music. Overall, I really liked it, especially the price (5.50 Euros for the dinner, though 6.50 for the wine!).
Today I woke up a little bit later than I wanted, so I got to ESOC a little later than I wanted. But it was ok, because all I had for today was as long as I needed in the library. I was reading through one of the books when the librarian showed up. I told her my research interests and asked her for help. She did the best she could, but they really do not have a lot there. I asked if they had any archival material, and she looked at me quizzically. She did take me downstairs to a seperate area where they have older books and journals. So I spent the rest of the day combing through their journals and the few books that could help me. I did find a few interesting things, like the documents for the creation of ESA, as well as a pdf file with floor plans for the control centres, but again it was very limited. It was a slightly disappointing day, but not a total waste. That, however, completes my time at ESOC since I have no reason to return tomorrow.
Tonight, I walked back down to the town square to check out a German restaurant/brew house I had been told was the best in town. When I walked in, it was completely filled, standing room only. I immediately turned around and left. I looked around for another restaurant, but all they have are cafes and a few American restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut), which I am avoiding at all costs. Disappointed, I decided to walk back to Vapiano from last night. I figured I could try one of their pizzas, so I ordered the Salame pizza. It ended up being basically pepperoni pizza, which was not a disappointment. It was quite good, very thin crust, though slightly burnt. Again, I will not complain for their prices.
I was just able to talk with Mom and (surprise) Dad, which is always good. Since I am not going to ESOC tomorrow, I think I will take most of the day to sort through what I have and perhaps begin to write a few things down. I would do siteseeing, but I think my walks down to the town square means I have seen the site. I will not lie, I am eagerly anticipating Saturday morning when I will be heading through more interesting sites (Zurich and the Alps) to a warmer climate.
Last night, I did go to the Italian restaurant (Vapiano). When I entered, the hostess gave me a card and asked (in German) if I had been there. I told her no, and when she started to explain in German, I asked if she spoke English. She did not, but she was nice enough to take me to one of the bartenders who told me how it works. Basically, they have a line of cooks for pasta, pizza and anti-pasta, and salads. You order what you want and they make it in front of you. They put what you ordered on the cards, then you pay when you leave. It's actually pretty cool. I got some bologonese spaghetti, which was quite good. I walked up to the bar and ordered rotwein (red wine). When the bartender (a different one) asked me what kind, I just said "house" and he seemed to understand. The wine was pretty good as well, somewhat like a quite not as dry pinot noir. The seating was not my favorite. The majority of the restaurant was a series of long tables where different groups sit together, and next to the bar there were smaller tables, which of course were all filled up. I eventually found a corner of a table next to the window, so it was ok. What was really interesting was that they were playing house disco music. Overall, I really liked it, especially the price (5.50 Euros for the dinner, though 6.50 for the wine!).
Today I woke up a little bit later than I wanted, so I got to ESOC a little later than I wanted. But it was ok, because all I had for today was as long as I needed in the library. I was reading through one of the books when the librarian showed up. I told her my research interests and asked her for help. She did the best she could, but they really do not have a lot there. I asked if they had any archival material, and she looked at me quizzically. She did take me downstairs to a seperate area where they have older books and journals. So I spent the rest of the day combing through their journals and the few books that could help me. I did find a few interesting things, like the documents for the creation of ESA, as well as a pdf file with floor plans for the control centres, but again it was very limited. It was a slightly disappointing day, but not a total waste. That, however, completes my time at ESOC since I have no reason to return tomorrow.
Tonight, I walked back down to the town square to check out a German restaurant/brew house I had been told was the best in town. When I walked in, it was completely filled, standing room only. I immediately turned around and left. I looked around for another restaurant, but all they have are cafes and a few American restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut), which I am avoiding at all costs. Disappointed, I decided to walk back to Vapiano from last night. I figured I could try one of their pizzas, so I ordered the Salame pizza. It ended up being basically pepperoni pizza, which was not a disappointment. It was quite good, very thin crust, though slightly burnt. Again, I will not complain for their prices.
I was just able to talk with Mom and (surprise) Dad, which is always good. Since I am not going to ESOC tomorrow, I think I will take most of the day to sort through what I have and perhaps begin to write a few things down. I would do siteseeing, but I think my walks down to the town square means I have seen the site. I will not lie, I am eagerly anticipating Saturday morning when I will be heading through more interesting sites (Zurich and the Alps) to a warmer climate.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Roaming Free
I realized that yesterday's post was too long, so I will do my best to make this short and sweet.
Last night I went to dinner at a local German restaurant, Braustabel. It was kind of interesting. When I took my seat, the waiter asked me what I wanted to drink. All I said was "beer" and he returned with an English menu. It's pronounced the same in English and German, how could he know? Anyways, I ordered the Darmstadter, a mound of gound beef in onion sauce with bread. It was pretty good, though it did not have that much taste. What was interesting was, when I ordered it, the waiter looked at the kitchen as if to find out if they could make it, then shrugged and somewhat reluctantly said "OK". Then, not 5 minutes later, it was on my table! I have literally never had food served that quickly in a restaurant. German efficiency!
When I got back to my room, I figured since the router is sitting in the hallway, I might as well give it a try, so I simply unplugged it and plugged it back in. Viola! It works! Now I have internet access in my room. I probably would have done it sooner, but I was somewhat reluctant to mess with their internet. Anyways, I was able to get on Skype and have a long conversation with Mom, which was great.
This morning was one of those mornings where you just do not want to get out of bed. I forced myself up and got to ESOC only about 30 minutes later than I had said. I was immediately escorted to their library where I encountered a very new phenomenon: no librarian. On top of that, a completely different system for shelving and no guidance. There was a sign that there should be a librarian between 1130 and 1500, so I had free reign in the morning. I meandered through the shelves and found a few interesting titles before my lunch appointment with another interviewee at 1230. The librarian never showed up.
After a nice lunch of peanut sauce chicken skewers with rice and mixed veggies, followed by the customary coffee (or green tea), I had another interview with someone in navigation celebrating his 30th year at ESOC. Both interviews were interesting, though I am not sure how much they will help me. Anyways, after that interview, I called it a day.
I should mention that, after my main contact's secretary dropped me off at the library, I was pretty much walking around by myself all day. This is not that big of a deal, except that to get in anywhere you need a badge, and my visitors badge does not grant access to anything since I am supposed to be accompanied by someone at all times! That means when I had to go into a building, I basically had to stand around outside the door until someone else came by and opened the door. I felt a bit like I was sneaking around into places, which was interesting.
Tonight I think I am going to try an Italian restaurant that multiple people have told me to try. I guess I will see how it is. My main contact will be out the rest of the week, but he assured me I could have free reign of the library again tomorrow (and presumably Friday if needed) for more research. It should be interesting.
Last night I went to dinner at a local German restaurant, Braustabel. It was kind of interesting. When I took my seat, the waiter asked me what I wanted to drink. All I said was "beer" and he returned with an English menu. It's pronounced the same in English and German, how could he know? Anyways, I ordered the Darmstadter, a mound of gound beef in onion sauce with bread. It was pretty good, though it did not have that much taste. What was interesting was, when I ordered it, the waiter looked at the kitchen as if to find out if they could make it, then shrugged and somewhat reluctantly said "OK". Then, not 5 minutes later, it was on my table! I have literally never had food served that quickly in a restaurant. German efficiency!
When I got back to my room, I figured since the router is sitting in the hallway, I might as well give it a try, so I simply unplugged it and plugged it back in. Viola! It works! Now I have internet access in my room. I probably would have done it sooner, but I was somewhat reluctant to mess with their internet. Anyways, I was able to get on Skype and have a long conversation with Mom, which was great.
This morning was one of those mornings where you just do not want to get out of bed. I forced myself up and got to ESOC only about 30 minutes later than I had said. I was immediately escorted to their library where I encountered a very new phenomenon: no librarian. On top of that, a completely different system for shelving and no guidance. There was a sign that there should be a librarian between 1130 and 1500, so I had free reign in the morning. I meandered through the shelves and found a few interesting titles before my lunch appointment with another interviewee at 1230. The librarian never showed up.
After a nice lunch of peanut sauce chicken skewers with rice and mixed veggies, followed by the customary coffee (or green tea), I had another interview with someone in navigation celebrating his 30th year at ESOC. Both interviews were interesting, though I am not sure how much they will help me. Anyways, after that interview, I called it a day.
I should mention that, after my main contact's secretary dropped me off at the library, I was pretty much walking around by myself all day. This is not that big of a deal, except that to get in anywhere you need a badge, and my visitors badge does not grant access to anything since I am supposed to be accompanied by someone at all times! That means when I had to go into a building, I basically had to stand around outside the door until someone else came by and opened the door. I felt a bit like I was sneaking around into places, which was interesting.
Tonight I think I am going to try an Italian restaurant that multiple people have told me to try. I guess I will see how it is. My main contact will be out the rest of the week, but he assured me I could have free reign of the library again tomorrow (and presumably Friday if needed) for more research. It should be interesting.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A Super Bouncy Ball
Well, I have been quite busy the last day or so, despite (or because of) limited internet access.
Let me begin by saying that I failed to mention yesterday about my first train ride. What an experience! I now understand why so many people have fallen in love with rail travel. I was a bit nervous when I got to the station since I had never been on the train before, but I quickly learned that, at least at Paris Gare de l'Est, it is more about finding somewhere to sit around and wait. Since they do not release the location of the trains until 20 minutes before they are scheduled to leave, and I was there 90 minutes early, I had plenty of time to stand and sit around, feeling cold in the 30-40 degree weather. I soon realized why so many people were standing huddled around the space heaters sticking out the floor at intervals near the boards. Once my train location was announced, I followed the herd to my car, and was suprised when there was no one there to greet me or ask for a ticket. So, I found my seat.
A few minutes later, a young Japanese boy started talking to me in French and pointing at my seat. It seems as though he wanted my seat. I simply said "English," and he told me I was in the wrong seat. Long story short, I was. You see, each seat had two numbers, one of them lit up. I had found the seat with my number (62), but it was not lit up, so it was actually seat 21. After this was explained to me, I sheepishly acknowledged my error and found my seat further down the car. Now, to my defense, as a first-time rider it is awfully confusing when each seat has two seat numbers.
Firmly settled in my real seat, I sat back and enjoyed my first experience. There is nothing quite like watching the scenery flash by at 150 miles per hour (or however fast they go). Do not get me wrong, I love driving, and flying is good too, but I may be converted after this first trip. After an hour or so, we were served lunch. I say "we," but I really me "everyone but me," and I am not making that up. Apparently they ran out of food just before they got to me, and the guy (train attendant?) simply walked away. I was confused, especially since I was literally the only one without food. Did I do something wrong? Was it because I was American? After a half hour or so, he came back to pick up the trash. He did not speak English very well, so I tried to ask him to the best I could about food. He told me they ran out and he might be able to get a roll or something. To be fair, he did eventually return with a full meal and some quite good tea. Still, I wonder why I did not get that food in the first place?
Four hours on the train passes surprisingly quickly, even when all your doing is listening to music (in particular Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, apparently I was in a WWII reflective mood moving from France to Germany) and looking out the window. Before I realized it, we had arrived in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt Hbf is an interesting place, when you have an hour layover and there are about five benches in the entire station. Luckily, I was able to get a seat rather quickly, so I sat there and was intrigued by the people walking in and out. If I did not quite get French style, I certainly do not understand the Germans. Roughly half looked as if they were on their way to a metal concert. Another quarter were dressed in business attire. The rest looked as though they basically threw on whatever they found laying around their room. One thing is common: almost everybody wears black, or at best a dark gray. Now, I get wearing black, and am doing so as I type this, but it does not exactly add to the already dreary surroundings (perhaps that explains it?). Alas, around 45 minutes before my train was to depart the track number came up, so I started to head that way, if nothing else to get my blood flowing again (it was even colder here).
As I boarded the train, I saw an attendant and made sure it was the train stopping in Darmstadt. She said yes, then quizzically said "in 40 minutes?" I smiled, said yes, and took my seat. I forgot to mention about tickets. I was surprised that, on the train from Paris, they only asked for my ticket once, about 10 minutes after we left the station, and never asked for my passport. I was even more surprised that, even though it was only about a 20 minute trip, they never asked me for my ticket to Darmstadt. Oh well.
So, I got to Darmstadt, and I pretty much mentioned what happened after that. I had a hard time finding someone who could give me a map to the town, since they barely spoke any English (a recurring theme in this rather small town). After struggling with the whole no wifi thing, I decided to make my way to the town square to see if it was any better. Yes, there were more people there, and some stores, but the overall dreariness did not change. I understand that the town was heavily bombed by the Allies in WWII, and had to almost completely rebuild, but they did not have to get the worst Soviet "architects" to do so! I kid, of course, but it does not seem much different from what I imagine those Soviet industrial cities look like.
I eventually stopped for dinner at a Greek/Italian restaurant (I know, I know). The man barely spoke any English, but they did have an English menu, so that helped. I had the Sovlaki Special, two pork skewers, with a salad and tzatziki and rice. It was quite good, the pork was very tender and juicy. I also had a lighter German beer, that was also pretty good. After dinner I made my way back to my hotel, was able to speak haltingly on Skype with dad and later mom in the stairwell as people gave me funny looks, and eventually went to bed (which I should mention consists of a cover and a blanket not large enough to cover the bed, but I was warm enough after I turned the heat on in the room).
During breakfast this morning, I mentioned to the girl at the desk about the wifi not working upstairs. She said "that is not good," and explained that she would tell the owners but, since they live in Frankfurt, it may take until tomorrow to fix. I also was able to see on my iphone that the Rangers had beaten the Yankees 8-0 (!) and check up on a few things before heading to ESOC. To get there, I actually walked through the train station, taking a slight shortcut rather than finding a bridge over the tracks furthers down. My main contact at ESOC is the Mission Operations Director, meaning he is basically in charge of the operations side (control) of all missions currently in flight. This is quite the job! He is extremely nice, and began by sitting me down and showing me four powerpoints he had made up on ESA in general and the control centre in particular, all of which he copied onto my flash drive! He then took me on a tour of the computer centre, the main control room, and the various mission control rooms. I have to say that, aside from talking to the guys who work here, actually getting to walk into the sites and see them up close and personal is definitely the biggest perk of this research.
I mentioned to him that the men I had talked to at Headquarters and mentioned I should talk to a certain individual, so he was nice enough to call him up. Unfortunately this contact was getting ready to leave on a job this afternoon, but he was nice enough to sit down with me for 30 minutes or so and try to give me other contacts of people who could supplement him since he will not be around. Did I mention ESA people are extremely nice and helpful?
After this, my main contact invited me to lunch with a couple of guys who just happened to be here from NASA's JPL to talk about how ESOC runs (copiers). I blush to say that the lunch was in a private room with a waiter and everything. I further blush to admit that, since I was an invited guest, I did not have to pay for my delicious lunch of a half rosemary and lemon chicken, pommes frites (French fries), and a glass of red wine (I also had a green tea while the rest, in European fashion, had coffee or expressos). It was quite interesting to hear them talk in detail about the nitty-gritty of their work, like I was eaves-dropping on some relatively important international relations. My contact even convinced the JPL guys to give me their contact information (unlike the Europeans, they were very reluctant to do so).
I do have to mention that after lunch, since it was raining outside, my contact walked me back to his office through a series of underground walkways between buildings. I hope that was not a security secret. He then had me ushered to another meeting with two men who had worked for ESA at both Johnson Space Center and JPL, so they had intimate knowledge pertaining to my interests. Again, both were very nice and helpful. We had a good hour-long talk, after which one of them walked me over to the public relations people. The main lady was not there, and I finally found out why so many of the contacts people had been giving me were gone this week: it's a student holiday this week! So basically I came here at the worst possible week (other than, as one of them noted, the week between Christmas and New Years). That means my personal contacts will be limited this week, but at least I have so many emails of people to contact later.
The public relations lady that was there was nice enough to give me a bag full of copies of materials on ESOC. I gladly thanked her for these, all the while wondering about how I am going to get them back to the States. Well, I guess I will find a way. That about concluded my day. After walking back to my hotel, I grabbed my computer and am currently sitting in the breakfast area downstairs, drinking some more green tea, and pretending I am in a German cafe. I will probably try one of the German restaurants that my main contact told me about, so I can test out the local cuisine, such as it is. Tomorrow I am supposed to start in the centre library before bouncing around again in the afternoon between interviews. Hopefully they will be just as good.
Let me begin by saying that I failed to mention yesterday about my first train ride. What an experience! I now understand why so many people have fallen in love with rail travel. I was a bit nervous when I got to the station since I had never been on the train before, but I quickly learned that, at least at Paris Gare de l'Est, it is more about finding somewhere to sit around and wait. Since they do not release the location of the trains until 20 minutes before they are scheduled to leave, and I was there 90 minutes early, I had plenty of time to stand and sit around, feeling cold in the 30-40 degree weather. I soon realized why so many people were standing huddled around the space heaters sticking out the floor at intervals near the boards. Once my train location was announced, I followed the herd to my car, and was suprised when there was no one there to greet me or ask for a ticket. So, I found my seat.
A few minutes later, a young Japanese boy started talking to me in French and pointing at my seat. It seems as though he wanted my seat. I simply said "English," and he told me I was in the wrong seat. Long story short, I was. You see, each seat had two numbers, one of them lit up. I had found the seat with my number (62), but it was not lit up, so it was actually seat 21. After this was explained to me, I sheepishly acknowledged my error and found my seat further down the car. Now, to my defense, as a first-time rider it is awfully confusing when each seat has two seat numbers.
Firmly settled in my real seat, I sat back and enjoyed my first experience. There is nothing quite like watching the scenery flash by at 150 miles per hour (or however fast they go). Do not get me wrong, I love driving, and flying is good too, but I may be converted after this first trip. After an hour or so, we were served lunch. I say "we," but I really me "everyone but me," and I am not making that up. Apparently they ran out of food just before they got to me, and the guy (train attendant?) simply walked away. I was confused, especially since I was literally the only one without food. Did I do something wrong? Was it because I was American? After a half hour or so, he came back to pick up the trash. He did not speak English very well, so I tried to ask him to the best I could about food. He told me they ran out and he might be able to get a roll or something. To be fair, he did eventually return with a full meal and some quite good tea. Still, I wonder why I did not get that food in the first place?
Four hours on the train passes surprisingly quickly, even when all your doing is listening to music (in particular Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, apparently I was in a WWII reflective mood moving from France to Germany) and looking out the window. Before I realized it, we had arrived in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt Hbf is an interesting place, when you have an hour layover and there are about five benches in the entire station. Luckily, I was able to get a seat rather quickly, so I sat there and was intrigued by the people walking in and out. If I did not quite get French style, I certainly do not understand the Germans. Roughly half looked as if they were on their way to a metal concert. Another quarter were dressed in business attire. The rest looked as though they basically threw on whatever they found laying around their room. One thing is common: almost everybody wears black, or at best a dark gray. Now, I get wearing black, and am doing so as I type this, but it does not exactly add to the already dreary surroundings (perhaps that explains it?). Alas, around 45 minutes before my train was to depart the track number came up, so I started to head that way, if nothing else to get my blood flowing again (it was even colder here).
As I boarded the train, I saw an attendant and made sure it was the train stopping in Darmstadt. She said yes, then quizzically said "in 40 minutes?" I smiled, said yes, and took my seat. I forgot to mention about tickets. I was surprised that, on the train from Paris, they only asked for my ticket once, about 10 minutes after we left the station, and never asked for my passport. I was even more surprised that, even though it was only about a 20 minute trip, they never asked me for my ticket to Darmstadt. Oh well.
So, I got to Darmstadt, and I pretty much mentioned what happened after that. I had a hard time finding someone who could give me a map to the town, since they barely spoke any English (a recurring theme in this rather small town). After struggling with the whole no wifi thing, I decided to make my way to the town square to see if it was any better. Yes, there were more people there, and some stores, but the overall dreariness did not change. I understand that the town was heavily bombed by the Allies in WWII, and had to almost completely rebuild, but they did not have to get the worst Soviet "architects" to do so! I kid, of course, but it does not seem much different from what I imagine those Soviet industrial cities look like.
I eventually stopped for dinner at a Greek/Italian restaurant (I know, I know). The man barely spoke any English, but they did have an English menu, so that helped. I had the Sovlaki Special, two pork skewers, with a salad and tzatziki and rice. It was quite good, the pork was very tender and juicy. I also had a lighter German beer, that was also pretty good. After dinner I made my way back to my hotel, was able to speak haltingly on Skype with dad and later mom in the stairwell as people gave me funny looks, and eventually went to bed (which I should mention consists of a cover and a blanket not large enough to cover the bed, but I was warm enough after I turned the heat on in the room).
During breakfast this morning, I mentioned to the girl at the desk about the wifi not working upstairs. She said "that is not good," and explained that she would tell the owners but, since they live in Frankfurt, it may take until tomorrow to fix. I also was able to see on my iphone that the Rangers had beaten the Yankees 8-0 (!) and check up on a few things before heading to ESOC. To get there, I actually walked through the train station, taking a slight shortcut rather than finding a bridge over the tracks furthers down. My main contact at ESOC is the Mission Operations Director, meaning he is basically in charge of the operations side (control) of all missions currently in flight. This is quite the job! He is extremely nice, and began by sitting me down and showing me four powerpoints he had made up on ESA in general and the control centre in particular, all of which he copied onto my flash drive! He then took me on a tour of the computer centre, the main control room, and the various mission control rooms. I have to say that, aside from talking to the guys who work here, actually getting to walk into the sites and see them up close and personal is definitely the biggest perk of this research.
I mentioned to him that the men I had talked to at Headquarters and mentioned I should talk to a certain individual, so he was nice enough to call him up. Unfortunately this contact was getting ready to leave on a job this afternoon, but he was nice enough to sit down with me for 30 minutes or so and try to give me other contacts of people who could supplement him since he will not be around. Did I mention ESA people are extremely nice and helpful?
After this, my main contact invited me to lunch with a couple of guys who just happened to be here from NASA's JPL to talk about how ESOC runs (copiers). I blush to say that the lunch was in a private room with a waiter and everything. I further blush to admit that, since I was an invited guest, I did not have to pay for my delicious lunch of a half rosemary and lemon chicken, pommes frites (French fries), and a glass of red wine (I also had a green tea while the rest, in European fashion, had coffee or expressos). It was quite interesting to hear them talk in detail about the nitty-gritty of their work, like I was eaves-dropping on some relatively important international relations. My contact even convinced the JPL guys to give me their contact information (unlike the Europeans, they were very reluctant to do so).
I do have to mention that after lunch, since it was raining outside, my contact walked me back to his office through a series of underground walkways between buildings. I hope that was not a security secret. He then had me ushered to another meeting with two men who had worked for ESA at both Johnson Space Center and JPL, so they had intimate knowledge pertaining to my interests. Again, both were very nice and helpful. We had a good hour-long talk, after which one of them walked me over to the public relations people. The main lady was not there, and I finally found out why so many of the contacts people had been giving me were gone this week: it's a student holiday this week! So basically I came here at the worst possible week (other than, as one of them noted, the week between Christmas and New Years). That means my personal contacts will be limited this week, but at least I have so many emails of people to contact later.
The public relations lady that was there was nice enough to give me a bag full of copies of materials on ESOC. I gladly thanked her for these, all the while wondering about how I am going to get them back to the States. Well, I guess I will find a way. That about concluded my day. After walking back to my hotel, I grabbed my computer and am currently sitting in the breakfast area downstairs, drinking some more green tea, and pretending I am in a German cafe. I will probably try one of the German restaurants that my main contact told me about, so I can test out the local cuisine, such as it is. Tomorrow I am supposed to start in the centre library before bouncing around again in the afternoon between interviews. Hopefully they will be just as good.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Deutschland
Well, I arrived in Darmstadt about an hour ago. My first reaction: to quote C-3PO "What a desolate place this is!" It does not help that it is very overcast and the streets are nearly empty. Only 5 days.
My room is on the 4th floor, and my WiFi signal goes in and out. I had to walk down to the 2nd floor and am sitting on the stairs to type this. Only 5 days.
I do not know, therefore, if I will be able to keep updating. I will try walking down to the town square in a little while to find some dinner and hopefully life. I am trying to keep a positive attitude, but when a place looks like the bad remnants from the Eastern Bloc, it's difficult. Only 5 days.
My room is on the 4th floor, and my WiFi signal goes in and out. I had to walk down to the 2nd floor and am sitting on the stairs to type this. Only 5 days.
I do not know, therefore, if I will be able to keep updating. I will try walking down to the town square in a little while to find some dinner and hopefully life. I am trying to keep a positive attitude, but when a place looks like the bad remnants from the Eastern Bloc, it's difficult. Only 5 days.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Last (full) Day in Paris
Let me begin by saying, Go Badgers! Uncle Bob, you certainly called it. A mixed day of sports yesterday. Of course, the Aggies looked pathetic again. Auburn barely pulled out a win, avenging the Aggies against Arkansas, thanks to their QB getting a concussion early on. The Rangers were able to hold on (I was able to watch the first 7 innings before it just got too late). Unfortunately the Giants won. And, to make the Aggies loss worse, those people from Austin actually won in Lincoln. A truly mixed bag.
Slept in a little this morning because I could. I eventually got going and went to Mass at the local church, St. Pierre du Gros Caillou. It was interesting because they had a little ceremony at the beginning, I think with someone studying to come in to the Church, but I am not 100% certain since I could not understand a word they said.
After Mass I walked back to my apartment, and I had my "Paris" moment. I passed a family with a small boy (maybe 5 or 6) who was singing Frere Jacques in the cutest little voice. I could not help but smile and think it was a perfect end to my stay.
I ended up spending most the day in because I realized as I walked to and from church that my foot was telling me I would have to take it easy today. I made a productive day, however. Aside from packing and doing a last load of laundry, I was able to sort through my photos so I hopefully will not forget what they are later. It took a while, but it was worth it. I also took a walk down to find the Taxi station for my ride to the train station tomorrow, bought a last baguette so I can have breakfast tomorrow and lunch on the train, and another ham (and mushroom) pizza for dinner. Now I have settled in for the evening to watch the Texans (and Packers) before a somewhat early night.
My next post should be from Germany!
Slept in a little this morning because I could. I eventually got going and went to Mass at the local church, St. Pierre du Gros Caillou. It was interesting because they had a little ceremony at the beginning, I think with someone studying to come in to the Church, but I am not 100% certain since I could not understand a word they said.
After Mass I walked back to my apartment, and I had my "Paris" moment. I passed a family with a small boy (maybe 5 or 6) who was singing Frere Jacques in the cutest little voice. I could not help but smile and think it was a perfect end to my stay.
I ended up spending most the day in because I realized as I walked to and from church that my foot was telling me I would have to take it easy today. I made a productive day, however. Aside from packing and doing a last load of laundry, I was able to sort through my photos so I hopefully will not forget what they are later. It took a while, but it was worth it. I also took a walk down to find the Taxi station for my ride to the train station tomorrow, bought a last baguette so I can have breakfast tomorrow and lunch on the train, and another ham (and mushroom) pizza for dinner. Now I have settled in for the evening to watch the Texans (and Packers) before a somewhat early night.
My next post should be from Germany!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Adventures in the Latin Quarter
I woke up a little later today than I wanted. I really wanted to catch the beginning of ESPN so I could watch the Yanks/Rangers highlights without knowing the outcome, unfortunately the feed was off and I saw the end before the beginning (if that makes sense). Hopefully the Rangers can bounce back in a few minutes and at least go to New York tied.
I decided to head out to the Latin Quarter, since Mom had been bugging me about it. On the way, my left heel started to hurt pretty bad. When I made it to my first stop, the Musee National de Moyen Age, I tried to readjust my shoe, and when I did I noticed a nice red spot on the back of my socks. Yes, Curt Schilling would have been proud of my bloody sock. I, of course, pressed on. The Museum was quite beautiful, with a number of nice pieces from t
he Medival Age. I especially liked the chapel, which was somewhat tucked away in a corner. Oh, I should also point out the narwhal horn that they said was believed to be a unicorn horn at the time (though I cannot imagine a unicorn that size!). I had a leizurely time making my way through this museum and the beautiful gardens outside.
he Medival Age. I especially liked the chapel, which was somewhat tucked away in a corner. Oh, I should also point out the narwhal horn that they said was believed to be a unicorn horn at the time (though I cannot imagine a unicorn that size!). I had a leizurely time making my way through this museum and the beautiful gardens outside.I then headed south, past the Sorbonne and the students just hanging around outside, to the Pantheon. About all I can say is "Wow!" This is an amazing building, with some beautiful
frescos of St. Genevieve, Joan of Arc, Charlemagne, and St. Louis. If the upstairs is not impressive enough, the crypt houses the tombs for some of the greatest French in recent history, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Dumas, Victor Hugo, Braille, the Curies, etc. It has been one of the highlights of my trip so far, for sure. It was a little interesting to read in the crypt about the structural problems they have been having. Not exactly the place you want to read something like that!
frescos of St. Genevieve, Joan of Arc, Charlemagne, and St. Louis. If the upstairs is not impressive enough, the crypt houses the tombs for some of the greatest French in recent history, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Dumas, Victor Hugo, Braille, the Curies, etc. It has been one of the highlights of my trip so far, for sure. It was a little interesting to read in the crypt about the structural problems they have been having. Not exactly the place you want to read something like that!Just behind the Pantheon is St. Etienne du Mont, which holds the remains of St.
Genevieve and some other religous figures. Unfortunately it closes from 1230-1400, and I was there just after 123o. I decided to move on to the Jardin du Luxembourg instead. This includes a very large pool and mansion and some beautiful statues in the gardens. It was a nice peaceful time just walking around.
Genevieve and some other religous figures. Unfortunately it closes from 1230-1400, and I was there just after 123o. I decided to move on to the Jardin du Luxembourg instead. This includes a very large pool and mansion and some beautiful statues in the gardens. It was a nice peaceful time just walking around.I then headed back north to find St. Severin. I am quite glad I did. This is another im
pressive example of Gothic architecture, almost like a mini-Notre Dame. Interestingly, they have a somewhat modern chapel on the southern side that holds the Blessed Sacrament. I was somewhat dismayed that there were some people instead bugging visitors to sign some kind of petition (I think, I did not let them get close enough to explain what they were about). You would think that they would respect a Holy site, but of course not.
pressive example of Gothic architecture, almost like a mini-Notre Dame. Interestingly, they have a somewhat modern chapel on the southern side that holds the Blessed Sacrament. I was somewhat dismayed that there were some people instead bugging visitors to sign some kind of petition (I think, I did not let them get close enough to explain what they were about). You would think that they would respect a Holy site, but of course not.Anyways, after this I walked about two blocks east and found St. Julien le Pauvre, a former Catholic church that is now (I believe) Greek Orthodox. It is much smaller, but still something to see.
Just slightly north of there I found the Shakespeare bookstore and had to walk inside. I 
was tempted to buy a book just so I could get their stamp inside it, but I am always thinking about not wanting to lug stuff around. So, I moved on back west and stopped at the St. Michael fountain.
was tempted to buy a book just so I could get their stamp inside it, but I am always thinking about not wanting to lug stuff around. So, I moved on back west and stopped at the St. Michael fountain.I did not know of anything else to see in the area, so I started heading back. On the way, I spur-of-the-moment decided to stop at the Musee d'Orsay since I had not been able to see it last weekend. I have to admit that, unfortunately, this was my first disappointment of the trip. Yes, there was some nice art in it, such as the huge gold and mirrors ballroom. I did appreciate some of the sculptures as well, and some of the paintings were nice (I found an especially beautiful room with some Arabic paintings), but overall it just was not my cup-o'-tea. I understand the appeal of Impressionism, but I just cannot get behind it. Also, they do not allow photography anywhere in the museum, so I cannot share any of the nice pieces I found. So, disappointed, tired, and with a bloody heel, I began to return to my apartment.
On the way, I remembered a church I passed every time I walked east, so I decide
d to finally make a stop there. Sainte Clotilde is yet another marvelous church. There are not really any artifacts, per se, but I was able to appreciate the building itself. I believe it is a newer church, built as Neo-Gothic. The rose stainglass windows on either side of the altar were especially beautiful. It was nice, also, that an organist was practicing while I was there so I had a (somewhat stilted) soundtrack!
d to finally make a stop there. Sainte Clotilde is yet another marvelous church. There are not really any artifacts, per se, but I was able to appreciate the building itself. I believe it is a newer church, built as Neo-Gothic. The rose stainglass windows on either side of the altar were especially beautiful. It was nice, also, that an organist was practicing while I was there so I had a (somewhat stilted) soundtrack!By this time I was very hungry and tired, so I finally made my way back to my apartment. After an hour or so of resting up, I walked over to the market and picked up a salad and salami sandwich for dinner. Yes, Mom and Dad, I also bought some bandages for my heel. I made it back in time to watch yet another pathetic showing by the Aggies before posting this (which is somewhat helping me take my mind of the patheticness). Tomorrow is my last full day in Paris, so I will try to make it a good one!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
More Archiving
The last two days have been spent mostly at the archives. Well, ok, so I slept in a little on Wednesday, but still it has been a lot of time at the archives. And I think I have found some good information, including a two-volume history of ESOC written in 1997 by a woman who had worked there from the beginning. It had a lot of good, personal insights that helped make the centre more accessible, and the people working there more human.
Oh, I had been asked to take a picture of ESA HQ, so here goes. I tried to take it a few times, but I did not want to when there were people smoking outside (most of the time) since they already think I'm a CIA agent.
Tonight I went back to the cafe where I had eaten twice before. I want to venture out and try new places, but unfortunately I am staying in the richest part of town so most of the restaurants are way too expense. For instance, there is a restaurant just outside my apartment that looks (and smells) very good, but the cheapest dish is 30 Euros, way too much for me.
Anyways, tonight I tried the Plat du Jour, which was a mound of noodles in a cream sa
uce with mushrooms and (I think) lamb. I thought I had ordered a different lamb dish, but I went ahead and ate this anyways. It was quite good. I also had a glass of Cote de Provence (blush) wine with it, and some chocolate mousse after. Quite the good dinner, making up for me working through lunch in the library.
uce with mushrooms and (I think) lamb. I thought I had ordered a different lamb dish, but I went ahead and ate this anyways. It was quite good. I also had a glass of Cote de Provence (blush) wine with it, and some chocolate mousse after. Quite the good dinner, making up for me working through lunch in the library.Tomorrow is my last day in the archives here, and I still have a good pile of information to go through. It should be a long, but good, last day at ESA HQ, before my second weekend in Paris!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Oral Histories are the Best Histories
I didn't post anything yesterday because it was a pretty boring day. I was in the library archives virtually all day, went to a pizza place that was closed, took a few pictures of the Eiffel Tower at dusk, then went back to my apartment and made another ham and cheese sandwich.
Today was more of the same in the morning, though perhaps a little more productive since I started getting into stuff specifically on the ESOC rather than general ESA histories. After lunch, I was able to meet with two men who had worked at ESOC and could give me some insight.
The first was a Brit who had worked on a few missions at ESOC, plus some at Marshall, JSC, and JPL. He was very nice and was able to give me some very good insights into the operational side of European Mission Control vs. NASA Mission Control. The interview went well over the hour we had set aside, so I had to excuse myself just as we were hitting a stride. He assured me that I could contact him with any more questions I had and he would do the best to answer them. He also gave me another name of someone to look up while I am in Darmstadt next week.
My next interview was with an Irishman working in human resources with a sociology background. He really could not say much about working in the Control Centre itself, since he had not done so, but we had a very interesting talk focusing on the mentality of ESA employees and what it is like to work for a truly multi-national agency. It was incredibly enlightening. So my two interviews were extremely different, but very helpful for some of my most pressing questions. I felt very blessed to have been given the opportunity to talk to these two men. As my ESA history contact said, these oral histories will probably be more helpful than anything I could get out of the archives at Headquarters.
I did end up going to a pizza place tonight, though a different one than I had originally planned. I forgot to bring my menu decoder, so I had to do my best. I ended up getting a pizza with ham, mozerella, and what I thought (hoped) was onions. Nope! They ended up being mushrooms. I tried eating some of them, but took many of them off. It was still quite good, though I somewhat hankering for some good ol' fashioned pepperoni pizza. I could go down to the Pizza Hut or Dominos that I saw around the corner (the only American restaurants, by the way), but I am doing my best to try more local stuff.
One last thing, I am not sure if it has made it back to the States but today started a pretty good sized strike. The demonstrations are no where near where I am, but they are heavily effecting public transportation. Thankfully I am close enough to walk where I need to go, but I am concerned it will continue into next week when I have to catch the train to Darmstadt. I do not know how much it may, if at all, effect my travel, but I would rather not risk the chance.
Anyways, I am actually somewhat looking forward to going back to the library with my new knowledge from my interviews. Au revoir!
Today was more of the same in the morning, though perhaps a little more productive since I started getting into stuff specifically on the ESOC rather than general ESA histories. After lunch, I was able to meet with two men who had worked at ESOC and could give me some insight.
The first was a Brit who had worked on a few missions at ESOC, plus some at Marshall, JSC, and JPL. He was very nice and was able to give me some very good insights into the operational side of European Mission Control vs. NASA Mission Control. The interview went well over the hour we had set aside, so I had to excuse myself just as we were hitting a stride. He assured me that I could contact him with any more questions I had and he would do the best to answer them. He also gave me another name of someone to look up while I am in Darmstadt next week.
My next interview was with an Irishman working in human resources with a sociology background. He really could not say much about working in the Control Centre itself, since he had not done so, but we had a very interesting talk focusing on the mentality of ESA employees and what it is like to work for a truly multi-national agency. It was incredibly enlightening. So my two interviews were extremely different, but very helpful for some of my most pressing questions. I felt very blessed to have been given the opportunity to talk to these two men. As my ESA history contact said, these oral histories will probably be more helpful than anything I could get out of the archives at Headquarters.
I did end up going to a pizza place tonight, though a different one than I had originally planned. I forgot to bring my menu decoder, so I had to do my best. I ended up getting a pizza with ham, mozerella, and what I thought (hoped) was onions. Nope! They ended up being mushrooms. I tried eating some of them, but took many of them off. It was still quite good, though I somewhat hankering for some good ol' fashioned pepperoni pizza. I could go down to the Pizza Hut or Dominos that I saw around the corner (the only American restaurants, by the way), but I am doing my best to try more local stuff.
One last thing, I am not sure if it has made it back to the States but today started a pretty good sized strike. The demonstrations are no where near where I am, but they are heavily effecting public transportation. Thankfully I am close enough to walk where I need to go, but I am concerned it will continue into next week when I have to catch the train to Darmstadt. I do not know how much it may, if at all, effect my travel, but I would rather not risk the chance.
Anyways, I am actually somewhat looking forward to going back to the library with my new knowledge from my interviews. Au revoir!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Quasimodo
I had a bit of a lazy morning, but I was able to get to Notre Dame in time for the 113
0 International Mass. It was quite interesting, and my first time to go to Mass in a language other than English, so a bit of an adjustment. Of course, the beauty of Mass is that it's the same no matter where you are, so I didn't feel too lost.
0 International Mass. It was quite interesting, and my first time to go to Mass in a language other than English, so a bit of an adjustment. Of course, the beauty of Mass is that it's the same no matter where you are, so I didn't feel too lost.After that I headed down to the Crypte Archeologique, where they have excavated old ruins back to the Ro
man days. I found it interesting to see the layers of history on top of each other, though I have to admit I wish there was a little more to see.
man days. I found it interesting to see the layers of history on top of each other, though I have to admit I wish there was a little more to see.I took some time to walk around Notre Dame. To say it is a marvelous piece of architecture is an understatement.
I then went over to the Conciergerie, where they held prisoners during the Revolution.
The main attraction, of course, is Marie Antoinette's cell and chapel. They were admittedly quite beautiful.
The main attraction, of course, is Marie Antoinette's cell and chapel. They were admittedly quite beautiful.Next I walked over to Sainte-Chapelle. There was a long line to get in, but luckily I had purchased a double ticket while at the Conciergerie and was able to skip to the head of the line. When I entered, it was the downstairs chapel, and I had a moment of "Is that all?" Then I noticed peopl
e heading upstairs, so I followed. As I entered the main chapel, I was immediately hit by a blast of light from the sun through the stained glass windows, and it almost took my breath away. I could not help but let out an audible "WOW!" Unfortunately (though necessarily) they are in the middle of restoration, so the alter and the front of the chapel are blocked off, but the view of the windows was enough for me.
e heading upstairs, so I followed. As I entered the main chapel, I was immediately hit by a blast of light from the sun through the stained glass windows, and it almost took my breath away. I could not help but let out an audible "WOW!" Unfortunately (though necessarily) they are in the middle of restoration, so the alter and the front of the chapel are blocked off, but the view of the windows was enough for me.By this time
the Masses had ended at Notre Dame, so I went back to tour around th
e inside. Again, I took my time looking at all the details I could take in. I also paid the little extra to see the treasury, which included more relics than I have ever seen (though admittedly I had not seen many before). I really enjoyed seeing all the little side chapels, which most people just walked past.
the Masses had ended at Notre Dame, so I went back to tour around th
e inside. Again, I took my time looking at all the details I could take in. I also paid the little extra to see the treasury, which included more relics than I have ever seen (though admittedly I had not seen many before). I really enjoyed seeing all the little side chapels, which most people just walked past.At this point it was still somewhat early in the afternoon, so I decided to venture to the long line leading to the stairs to the top of Notre Dame. After waiting for a little over an hour, I was finally able to get inside and begin the climb. While I had been warned, that did not help prepare me for this climb. Winding, small staircases, one a
fter the other. And every time you stop, you realize that there are quite a few more to get to the top. On the way up, I kept reminding myself that I still have to go dow
n as well, which didn't really help. I did try to enjoy taking in the view, and throughly appreciated the protective screens to help lessen my fear of heights (somewhat).
fter the other. And every time you stop, you realize that there are quite a few more to get to the top. On the way up, I kept reminding myself that I still have to go dow
n as well, which didn't really help. I did try to enjoy taking in the view, and throughly appreciated the protective screens to help lessen my fear of heights (somewhat).After that experience, I was done for the day. While walking back to my apartmen
t, I did take the opportunity to walk along the Seine. Not just on road level as I had been doing, but down on the water level. I also tried to take my time and enjoy the views.
t, I did take the opportunity to walk along the Seine. Not just on road level as I had been doing, but down on the water level. I also tried to take my time and enjoy the views.By the time I made it back to my apartment, I was beat after this weekend. I decided to just make myself another ham and cheese sandwich and watch some football. Unfortunately, the Texans game was even worse than the Aggies game last night. But, tomorrow starts a full week in the ESA library, and I am hoping there will be enough to make me go back for the whole week. If that's the case, I probably will not have much more to say for the rest of this week, but maybe I will venture out during the night. We will see.
Oh, and please let me leave you with my quintessential image of France:
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)