More of being a tourist

Tourists looking off from the Eiffel Tower's second level.

Iron lattice of the Eiffel Tower.

Aww, it's a baby Louvre!

The Louvre at night, as opposed to the day when it didn't lend itself to a photograph.

A European Union and a French flag hang beneath l'Arc de Triomphe.

And for funzies, an animated gif of the tower at night. It would have helped if I held my camera still.

On second thought, not enough money to leave Paris

I wanted to stay in Paris for just a couple of days and then go south to Switzerland and then swing into south Germany until break was ending, then fly back to London. But then I checked my bank account. But also, there really was so much to do in Paris so I decided to stay in the cheap hostel for the rest of fall break.

Notre Dame.

One of Notre Dame's main front doors.

Two tourists light a candle inside Notre Dame.

Light from outside casts a shadow of decorative gates inside Notre Dame upon the tiled marble floor.

Gargi the Gargoyle (not actual name) on Notre Dame.

First days in Paris

La Tour Eiffel behind the Monument for Peace in the Parc du Champ de Mars.

Although getting to Paris was expensive, Paris itself wasn't too bad. My hostel was only €19 a night. And the reason for that became quite apparent. The place was pretty run down, which I really didn't get the impression of from their website http://www.woodstock.fr/ which looks well up-kept. Worse than the actual building were the two clerks who ran the desk downstairs. They were the most miserable, irritable and unfriendly people that could possibly be running the hostel. They were the exact antithesis of the positivity emanating from their website.

One of the kids I was sharing a room with (I think his name was Iku?) in the hostel was from Osaka, Japan, and didn't speak English that well at all, and we sort of struggled talking to each other, as I didn't speak any Japanese whatsoever. But I really enjoyed that. This one girl running the hostel, however, had no tolerance for his broken English. Iku's luggage found its way on another plane during his voyage to France, so he didn't have much on him but the luggage was supposed to be delivered to the hostel when it arrived. When he and I were about to leave the hostel for the day, he wanted to ask this hostel girl to keep an eye out for his luggage, and, because his English was poor, the girl couldn't quite understand him and she was so visibly annoyed and was unbelievably rude to this poor kid.

Both hostel clerks constantly averted making eye contact with visitors, they spoke minimally if you wanted some information and were unhelpful. They just made me really upset in general even though they weren't necessarily mean to me personally.

And in contrast, the visitors I was living with for the week were amazing. The guys there came from countries including Poland, Germany, Argentina, Australia, Japan, Brazil and Mexico. Most of us would hang out in the evening and talk. It was cool. I was initially uneasy about the idea of sharing a room with other people, but I think it was in fact one of the best experiences I had in Paris.

Two Parisians enjoy some freestyle BMX action near the Eiffel Tower.

The subterranean Catacombes de Paris, the well-known ossuary.

It was really dark so not only did I have to use a very low shutter speed, but my autofocus wouldn't cooperate.

Fall Break

Saint Malo Cathedral at night, within the walled city, La Ville Intra-Muros.

I flew from Stansted airport to Dinard, France, near Saint Malo, a walled port city and former notorious home of the French corsairs.

Photo Class Work

Susan Pattie, our ANT 400 professor leads a walk down London's East End markets.Susan Pattie, director of the Armenian Institute in London, finds a book in the center's library.

Shieldaig

Sheep graze in fields outside of Strathcarron.

This past weekend I went to visit a family through the HOST program who live in Shieldaig, Scotland. I had booked a flight from the Gatwick airport to Inverness through EasyJet, and although I arrived an hour before departure time, they said the check-in desk was closed and that I couldn't board. Meaning I just wasted £80. This doesn't make any sense, as when we left for France last weekend, we bought our tickets, checked in and boarded the plane just 10 minutes before departure time. This was through RyanAir though, which may have been the key difference. In any case, this was rather infuriating and I'm going to try to have them refund my money soon.

This was on Friday, so I looked for other flights heading out of Gatwick to Inverness, and there was this other small airline which would have charged £214, so I didn't do that either. I was frustrated and my only choice was to book a sleeper train from London Euston to Inverness that night. For £117. Luckily SUL will reimburse me to a degree for these costs as I had to do this program because of SUL. Anyway it was pretty miserable, as was the sleeper train because apparently you have to pay much more to get a bed or even a reclining chair, which I did not do. I didn't sleep at all, and arrived at Inverness at about 8:30 a.m., then took a train from Inverness to Strathcarron. The picture above is from the train ride.

The HOST family picked me up at the Strathcarron train station and drove me to their house in Shieldaig. It was a very beautiful area.

My hosts live in that white house off to the left.

I climbed some mountains and walked around. I accidentally dropped my phone off into a ravine. So I had to buy a new one. And then I accidentally lost a blank CF memory card off a cliff.

The weekend was very expensive.

My hosts run a bed and breakfast year-round and are actively involved in restoring the forests in their approximate 1,500 acre estate, which like most of the Highlands in the region, are bare (the picture below is an example of this). The region was once the ancient Caledonian Forest of the Highlands, but now the native forest is nearly gone and its regeneration is especially difficult because of local farmers' sheep overgrazing the area, as well as red deer. It's a very relevant is topical issue up there because the Scottish government pays locals yearly for keeping sheep - this is done as an incentive for people to make a living up in an area with an otherwise low population. Every sheep that a farmer buys and keeps, the government pays a bit more. These farmers own vast estates in the Highlands and overgrazing is rampant.

My hosts own no sheep, and have fenced there area to prevent neighbors' sheep from entering, as well as red deer, so that their reforestation work can be fruitful.

Me by the mountains in Kinlochewe, the Scotland Highlands.

Food Diary: Day 14 - Last Day

Tuesday 10/14/08

Having arrived back in London at about 7:30 in the morning, I stopped at a café in Euston and grabbed a cup of hot chocolate. The train was absolutely freezing and I really needed some warming up, especially before venturing out again to return to the flat. After getting back and before going to the class I had that day, I stopped again at the Tesco Express by Holborn and bought two blueberry muffins and a water and had those before class began.

I didn’t eat again until much later that evening. This is because I was so tired after the previous night’s sleepless train ride and went to bed soon after getting back from class at 5pm. I woke up later and one of my flatmates made Ramon noodles for himself, me and another. I had water with this. I then went to bed.

Food Diary: Day 13

Monday 10/13/08

Tea with milk and sugar, toast, butter, crunchy peanut butter, porridge and orange juice started off my day. The meals I’ve been having these past few days are absolutely wonderful and I feel great having such variety. I think I am just too lazy to set aside the time at home to actually prepare all these things, and I think I also lack the knowledge to a degree to make some of these meals possible (not necessarily this mornings, but other meals I’ve been having such as last night’s curry and all its side dishes).

In the afternoon I had two tuna fish sandwiches (with mayo and bread) and tea. At this point in the day, I must have had tea at least four times already. It certainly is a drink used I believe for social purposes more than anything else (it isn’t that delicious, but it is good, and it gives you something to hold on to during a conversation which can lessen any awkwardness that may ensue).

That evening I left and was going to take a sleeper train back to London. I bought two energy drinks (called IRN-BRU, I guess? The labeling was unclear) and M&Ms. I would’ve bought more of a meal, but at this point in the day (about 8pm) restaurants were closed at the train station and only a convenient store where I bought both the energy drinks and M&Ms was open. I needed the energy drinks for some homework I needed to get done for classes on the next couple of days, and I wasn’t likely to get much sleep on the train anyway.

My eating experiences with this family made me do some thinking. I really enjoyed almost all the food I ate while here, so why don’t I eat more like this back at home or in the flat? Similarly, if I was with my family, I’d certainly be having quite a variety like I did with this family in Shieldaig. I need to start expanding my diet which probably isn’t too healthy. On the other hand, it’s sometimes difficult to do that when constantly working or doing homework. If meals were prepared for me (like they sometimes are back at home in the U.S., or like they were during my stay in Scotland), then I have no problem with – and in fact enjoy – eating healthier. I need more incentive I suppose, as I really have had virtually no negative side effects of my eating habits ever. At least, none that are apparent to me.

Food Diary: Day 12

Sunday 10/12/08

I was made scrambled eggs, bacon (from a local butcher and it was very good), and was given orange juice, tea (with milk and sugar), toast, butter, and I tried a bit of Marmite (puh!) on my toast.

In the afternoon I had a different type of vegetable soup and several servings of tea throughout the day. Later in the evening I tried some Sherry liquor, red wine, and my HOST family had made chicken curry which I enjoyed with rice, nuts and banana slices. I had water as well. The meal was quite thought-out, and several toppings (such as the nuts and banana slices) were prepared, in addition to several others, to put on the curry. Clearly curry is a meal that even holds some value cultural attachment as far north as Shieldaig. This was followed by locally-produced vanilla ice cream and a hot chocolate sauce made by the family.

Food Diary: Day 11

Saturday 10/11/08

I arrived in Inverness and then to Shieldaig, my ultimate destination in Scotland for my HOST family visit, in the late morning. I was made tea (Unsure what exactly), and then later lunch, which was a vegetable soup (which I’m not too fond of, but the vegetables are quite soft and easy to consume when in soup form), toast and butter.

Later that evening I was taken to a bar/restaurant nearby in Applecross and enjoyed a Guinness and Scottish Chicken (grilled chicken, salad, chips). I also had a local and traditional Scottish dessert called Cranachan, which was absolutely delicious. I wasn’t exactly sure what was in it, but according to Wikipedia, “a mixture of whipped cream, whisky, honey, and fresh raspberries topped with toasted oatmeal.” It was quite good.

Food Diary: Day 10

Friday 10/10/08

Today was kind of disastrous, both food and otherwise. I left early in the morning without having eaten to catch a bus to Gatwick airport. When I arrived, I was told by EasyJet that arriving one hour before departure time is apparently too late and that the check-in desk was closed, and I was denied entry. I was quite upset, poor and starving and panicking a bit about what to do at this point. EasyJet had just robbed £80 from me which did not put me in a good mood. After a while of trying to figure out what to do, I just sat down at a Burger King in the Gatwick airport and had a sprite and a cheeseburger. Ever so appropriately, President Bush had just appeared on the televisions affixed to the walls and was giving a speech. I felt like I was back home, but not in a good way.

I was going to take a night train to Inverness, and had a few hours to kills. At the Euston station I went into a bar and got a Guinness, and then a pint of Hoegaarden. Afterwards, I couldn’t resist buying three delicious and soft-looking chocolate chip cookies from a stand in the station. I also bought a bottled water. I ate the cookies and drank the water on the train, and then had kind of a miserable and sleepless night on the sleeper train.

Gone for yet another weekend

Around Inverness, Scotland until Monday.

Food Diary: Day 9

Thursday 10/9/08

My photo class was canceled today, and it being my only class on Thursdays, I slept in. I got up to go to Faraday at 12pm to pick up some tickets, and on my way back I stopped into a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop by Holborn and bought three delicious donuts to bring back to the flat with me. I had skim milk, not water, this time.

For lunch I stayed in and made a sandwich from Turkey slices, cheese, mustard and olives that I still had. Deli sandwiches are a perfect lunch for me. They’re light, healthy (I think – they at least appear that way), delicious and easy to assemble.

In the evening I didn’t eat anything, as my lunch was late, I wasn’t too hungry, and I didn’t have a ton of food at the flat, and I really didn’t feel like going out. I drank a Relentless energy drink that kept me up for a while in the evening, as I had a lot of preparations for the next day (I was leaving for the Scotland Highlands as part of a HOST program for my photography class) and I was nowhere near ready for that.

Uh, je ne comprends pas?

Our weekend trip to France went a bit awry. Instead of Grenoble, we accidentally arrived in Rodez, which was not at all close to where we wanted to be. But that was okay. We hitchhiked to Séverac le Chateau, which was kind of in the middle of nowhere, and by the time we got there, and due to the lack of outward bound traffic (and therefore no more hitchhiking) we ended up having to stay the night there. We initially couldn't find a place to stay. But while searching, Andrew and Juliette walked into a hotel at about 11pm and found a key to a room just sitting on a desk by the door. It was pretty sketchy, but we were desperate and considered just taking the key and the corresponding room for the night for free. There was no reception to talk to of course at this hour, and the lobby and halls were completely dark.

Instead, we walked along a back road and found a hotel and bought a room for the night. Not nearly as cool as sneaking into a hotel room at night, but it was more legal.

The next morning when we left, a random donkey came up from a hill beneath to greet us.

We all harass the poor donkey with our cameras.

Our hotel, the donkey on the left, and Séverac le Chateau, which this town is named after, back in the distance.Nice was nice.

With a few hours to kill before taking us to Montpellier where we could catch the main railway, we went uphill and eventually to the castle. There was a splendid view.

Lost, France.

Atop Séverac le Chateau. Click and drag to rotate 360 degrees.

Another location from atop Séverac le Chateau. Click and drag to rotate 360 degrees.

St. Martin Vésubie in the French Alps. Click and drag to rotate 360 degrees.

Food Diary: Day 8

Wednesday 10/8/08

I bought a blueberry muffin and chocolate chip cookies from Tesco’s as well as a bottled water before heading to my first class today. Another quick and easy breakfast, though not noted for its healthiness. Blueberries are healthy, aren’t they? Of course they are – breakfast choice justified.

In the evening I had ordered a Dominos pepperoni pizza and garlic bread. This is the first time ordering from Dominos since in London. Dominos has always been there for me during late nights back at Syracuse University, being open until 3am, and I guess I had bit of a craving. I bought a 2 liter bottle of water from Tesco’s for only about 40p, which was an amazing deal. Eating as a student here in London so far as really not proven much different than eating as a student in Syracuse, New York. The same time pressures, the same desire to get a fix of food quickly so as to carry on your day without much delay still applies here.

Food Diary: Day 7

Tuesday 10/7/08

In the morning before leaving for the airport to return to London, we ate a small restaurant serving breakfast. I had a croissant, butter, and an apple tarte along with water. This combination was unbelievably expensive, so we didn’t eat more at this place, but waited until we got to the airport. When we were there, I had a quite delicious chicken sub sandwich (grilled chicken slices, tomatoes, lettuce and some good dressing) and a bottled water. This was surprisingly cheap, especially considering the size of the sandwich and amount of meat on it (quite a bit). I bought a cheap 6-pack of Mentos at the airport’s duty-free store. Mentos are supposed to be a sweet breath-freshener, I believe, but I eat them as candy (they’re too difficult to savor for long with chewing).

Later that evening when we got home, I had cheese and crackers that were left over from earlier and water, and some hot chocolate.

Food Diary: Day 6

Monday 10/6/08

I started out the day early to get a chance to explore the Alps a bit. I grabbed an apple tarte from a Pâtisserie and had a bottle of water. Before we left the town a few hours later, we went back to the same Pâtisserie and grabbed two personal pizzas for the three of us to share (the toppings of the pizza were a mystery as they were covered by cheese and only slightly visible, but they were typical vegetables for a pizza – green and red peppers, some meat and the sort).

That evening, lacking money and motivation, and being surrounded by overpriced restaurants in Marseilles, I resorted to McDonalds and had two cheeseburgers and a strawberry milkshake. I’m not proud, but I was a bit hungry. I always have a bit of uneasiness when going into a clearly American restaurant like this. I think it’s because I want to help reevaluate the idea in peoples’ minds that these fast food places are so essential to Americans. I don’t want foreigners to think that I’m traveling all the way to France to go to a McDonalds, but there I was. In other circumstances (having more money) I would have chosen to go somewhere else. But I certainly wasn’t the only one in that position, as many other locals were waiting in line just as I was. They can’t judge me if they’re waiting in line at the same place, right?

Food Diary: Day 5

Sunday 10/5/08

We did a bit more traveling to get us into the French Alps. Before leaving Nice, we found, much to our surprise, an actual supermarket that had quite a variety of food (the first of its kind we found in France). We bought some sliced pepperoni, a couple varieties of cheese, and crackers, which we enjoyed on our train ride north. Cheese and crackers and pepperoni I have always liked as a snack food, and also sometimes as a complete meal (which, this time around, it was). I also bought some Le Petit Ecolier crackers for later (a delicious chocolate and cracker combination that I have enjoyed from time to time back home in the international food section of our local Wegmans grocery store).

Prior to leaving for the supermarket, we ate a complimentary breakfast our cheap hotel provided for its customers, which included a croissant per person, butter and hot chocolate. At this point we had managed to procure jam again so we also had that as an option for spreading on our croissants.

Later that evening, we decided to try an actual French restaurant and, for the first time in France, to eat an actual meal. The three of us shared two bottles of red wine, and I had a generous slice of steak with some unidentifiable (French) dressing coated over it. This came with some green beans wrapped in a strip of bacon, a baked potato with butter, and another side dish that I couldn’t identify (but it had a bready outside and seems to be filled with some cooked vegetables and perhaps some meat, but I really had no idea – it was okay). For dessert I had an overpriced brownie that I thought would be bigger. All in all, dinner was a success, and it was nice to say at that point that we ate at a French restaurant. We certainly felt a bit out of place though. We arrived a bit earlier than most French people go out to dinner (in our defense, we hadn’t eaten well in days) and our French language skills weren’t too great. Undoubtedly we were unaware of some customs that probably go along with eating at a restaurant, although nothing we were aware of – we just felt like we were probably doing something wrong.

Food Diary: Day 4

Saturday 10/4/08

Another day of traveling and not a ton of eating. We left the small French town we were in Séverac le Chateau at 1pm but not before grabbing an apple tarte for myself from a Pâtisserie and a bottled water. We ate outside in the cold as there was no eating room in the shop, and we really didn’t have anywhere else to go. Although not the ideal health option, baked sweets like this apple tarte put me in a good mood, countering the negative mental effects our various travel difficulties were placing on me. All my comfort foods seem to be unhealthy. I do have quite a sweet tooth, so a tarte like that is certainly comforting in that regard, and also I’ve never had any visible negative health effects from eating baked sweets, ever. To go a bit more in depth, I can recall having donuts and bakery items of the sort throughout my life. I enjoyed them more than candy or salty snacks and there was always something home-like about them. My mom had always, from time to time, made cookies and other sweets like apple and pumpkin pies in the oven, so it’s easy to associate baked goods with comfort, without a doubt.

Sadly, that was the last time I ate that day besides some pita bread that we managed to take with us into France from London. Airport security threw out our peanut butter and jam at the airport.

Food Diary: Day 3

Friday 10/3/08

Today I left for southern France with a few friends. We left early to the point where I had no time to grab anything to eat, though I did pour a glass of water for myself. After traveling plans went very awry, the next thing we ate that day was an apple tarte and a small cheese and ham pie/tarte, both of which the three of us shared. This was when we were in France, and between all of us, we only had so many Euros with us, not having found an ATM yet. Water was the beverage of choice, as we already had some on us.

After more traveling incidents, the final thing we ate that day was a pizza we bought in a small French town (cheese, tomatoes, beef and onion). It was that good. The beef sort of ruined it, but due to a language barrier, we felt better selecting that specific pizza than choosing one where we couldn’t properly translate the toppings. Although not too great, pizza was a welcome food as it was very cold outside and we needed something to warm us up. We shared the pizza and a pitcher of water.