Today we were back in Belgium. Unfortunately, we had crew boat drill, a process our captain has us run once a week. I’m very lucky that my station is inside, in the theater, because it was freezing cold outside. After the long drill, we all rushed to get off the ship, because we didn’t have much time in this port. Jade and her husband Sam, Micheal, Christain, Brian, and I hopped on the shuttle. We were taken to a small city, where we had to catch the train into Brugge.
We had about 40 minutes to wait for the train, so we went into the station to drink some delicious hot chocolate. Then, we hopped on the train. I LOVE riding trains and subways, it feels so city to me. I was in complete bliss, chatting next to Brian across from Jade and Sam. It felt like we were four good friends, riding into New York :D LOVE IT!!!!!
When we made it to Brugge, it had started to drizzle a bit and the wind was still beating against our faces. We took shelter in a cute sandwich shop, where Jade and Brian suggested we eat lunch because they had eaten here last time and it was awesome. I ordered an omelet baguette that was HEAVEN. It was a bundle of eggs, cheese and spinach! YUM! SO SO GOOD! We explained to the lady who owned the shop why we seemed like we never ate, with the way we were scarfing down the food. She was so cute, we talked to her about her husband that owned the shop with her but they had issues with his crazy ex. (Wow, it’s the same ALL over the world!)
After our amazing food, we headed over to a shop nearby that Sam said housed the best waffles in Belgium. Unfortunately, they must have had a different cook the last time he had the waffles, because we were all disappointed. I had ordered my waffle to come with chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, strawberries, and other seasonal fruit. The only thing that came out was my hot chocolate, and the chocolate ice cream. The waitress never brought a waffle for me, forgot Brian’s coffee, and brought two burnt waffles to Brian and Micheal.
Because we didn’t have much time, we all ate what we got, except Brian who went to buy Belgium Beer instead, and paid for the bill. Jade talked over the issues with the waitress, who was very nice and understanding and didn’t charge us for Brian’s waffle, nor my missing waffle and the missing coffee. So we got back on the train to head back to the ship. I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t get a waffle, but we have one more time there so I should be able to get one then. I try not to make small, silly things like that ruin my entire day.
The bus ride back was pretty entertaining. Norwegian is such a funny language to me, it sound like a bunch of random sounds spoken sloppily, rather than an actual conversation. Needless to say, I learned a new way I want to sneeze, thanks to the guy behind me. The guests on our ride were drunk from the beers and were a pretty rowdy bunch. But, unfortunately for us, they were Homer Simpson drunks. Loud burps, disgusting manners....yuck. :/
Once we were back on the ship, news traveled fast to us that we are back in Code Red with GI cases again. Christian called us up to the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge to rehearse ABBA because Dave, the new cruise director, wanted to move it there instead of in the Viking Crown. Right after rehearsal, Chris knocked on my door and said, “No more ABBA tonight, we are helping Dave do YMCA because Brandon has GI. We will have re-block for Boogie Wonderland in the morning, and Windjammer shifts will start again tomorrow.”
So, that’s just great. I don’t know what to plan to do tomorrow in Amsterdam, because I don’t know how long rehearsal and tech run will take, or when my shift will be. I have done all I wanted to really do there, so I’m ok with just walking around the city, but if they don’t let us off next cruise for Paris, I WILL BE VERY UPSET AND DAVE WILL KNOW IT!!!!!! All I can do is pray for now, and wash my hands even more than usual. I just hope we are more aware of how to handle this than we were in Brazil. I say we force the guests to wash their hands before entering the ship because they are the ones bringing it on. UGH people, WASH YOUR HANDS!!!!!!!
That’s all for now, please pray that I will be able to get off the ship for my last four cruises. LOVE!!!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Two Different Worlds, Part 2
Part 2. Afternoon
After the Frank house, I came outside and walked around for ten minutes in search of my bus. Luckily, I found another lady who was in my tour group and also couldn’t find it. Els had told us to wait outside for her or cross the street to the bus. But neither was there….
We decided to try another street down, and hope for the best. Thankfully, the bus was parked across THAT street, and they were all waving for us to get on. Els apologized and said they had to move the bus because the cops were on their tail about parking regulations. I’m just glad we had found the bus, I didn’t want to miss it!!!
Once all the guests were off the bus, I looked at all the vendors in the terminal. I was waiting for Neeko and Robert, who were on other tours that day, so we could go off together. Neeko arrived shortly after me and we got on the boat to find Allison, who is our camera lady. In the gangway, we picked up Bernardo (cruise staff and acting as activities manager for this cruise) and he joined our posse. We met up with Robert outside and headed into the city.
Since Bernardo had just gotten off work and I hadn’t eaten lunch yet, we decided to stop at one of the restaurants on the street. The other three said they would meet back there in an hour to pick us up. Well, poor boy had to eat Italian with me instead of dining in one of the popular meat houses because I don’t eat meat! LOL. But it’s ok, he ordered a steak anyways and I happily ate my macaroni and cheese. :D We ate outside, in the heart of the bustling city. After our delicious meal, we waited for the others but they never showed! (I later learned that they had forgotten which street we were on! That’s what happens when we are in new cities, it’s all unfamiliar territory! HA)
So Bernardo and I walked along the shops and restaurants, soaking in all the culture. There were a ton of sports fanatics running around and we learned there was a soccer (or “futbol”) tournament tonight, the two biggest rivals of Amsterdam. I wish we could have gone, but we didn’t want to chance missing the ship because we were fighting our way back through all the traffic. I hope one day I can return to Brazil and attend a soccer match, they are the kings of the game after all! (As Uly would LOVE to point out, but I still say America is NUMBER ONE ;)
Yes, it is true. There are girls in the windows calling gentlemen to them in the Red Light District. There are sex shops all over, and you can smell the “coffee houses” every which way you turn. However, the atmosphere of it all surprised me. To me, Las Vegas is trashy. But Amsterdam was not. It felt more like a 70’s free-minded spirit than a disgusting area. I think I realized this is a part of culture, and they are very open and willing with it. I was never offended, where as the people in the streets of the Vegas strip, handing out call girls’ cards, is difficult for me to accept.
I felt like I was in a completely different country than where I was that morning. I even talked to one lady, working in one of the stores, about how I thought people have three main views of Holland. I think they know the history of Anne and the holocaust. When they hear Holland, I believe they see windmills, cute little Dutch kids kissing with the wooden shoes on and tulips in the background. But when they hear Amsterdam, they think of the Red Light District, and all that that includes. I guess she agreed with me because when I mentioned the windmills and tulips she said “THANK YOU for thinking that way about Holland!”
After the long day in Amazing Amsterdam, I returned back to the Vision, showered and dressed for the night’s entertainment- The Beatles! Unfortunately, two of their players hadn’t made it on the ship so understudies were used. And it wasn’t as good as it normally is. But overall, I enjoyed my time in Holland and I can’t wait for when we return!!!!
After the Frank house, I came outside and walked around for ten minutes in search of my bus. Luckily, I found another lady who was in my tour group and also couldn’t find it. Els had told us to wait outside for her or cross the street to the bus. But neither was there….
We decided to try another street down, and hope for the best. Thankfully, the bus was parked across THAT street, and they were all waving for us to get on. Els apologized and said they had to move the bus because the cops were on their tail about parking regulations. I’m just glad we had found the bus, I didn’t want to miss it!!!
Once all the guests were off the bus, I looked at all the vendors in the terminal. I was waiting for Neeko and Robert, who were on other tours that day, so we could go off together. Neeko arrived shortly after me and we got on the boat to find Allison, who is our camera lady. In the gangway, we picked up Bernardo (cruise staff and acting as activities manager for this cruise) and he joined our posse. We met up with Robert outside and headed into the city.
Since Bernardo had just gotten off work and I hadn’t eaten lunch yet, we decided to stop at one of the restaurants on the street. The other three said they would meet back there in an hour to pick us up. Well, poor boy had to eat Italian with me instead of dining in one of the popular meat houses because I don’t eat meat! LOL. But it’s ok, he ordered a steak anyways and I happily ate my macaroni and cheese. :D We ate outside, in the heart of the bustling city. After our delicious meal, we waited for the others but they never showed! (I later learned that they had forgotten which street we were on! That’s what happens when we are in new cities, it’s all unfamiliar territory! HA)
So Bernardo and I walked along the shops and restaurants, soaking in all the culture. There were a ton of sports fanatics running around and we learned there was a soccer (or “futbol”) tournament tonight, the two biggest rivals of Amsterdam. I wish we could have gone, but we didn’t want to chance missing the ship because we were fighting our way back through all the traffic. I hope one day I can return to Brazil and attend a soccer match, they are the kings of the game after all! (As Uly would LOVE to point out, but I still say America is NUMBER ONE ;)
Yes, it is true. There are girls in the windows calling gentlemen to them in the Red Light District. There are sex shops all over, and you can smell the “coffee houses” every which way you turn. However, the atmosphere of it all surprised me. To me, Las Vegas is trashy. But Amsterdam was not. It felt more like a 70’s free-minded spirit than a disgusting area. I think I realized this is a part of culture, and they are very open and willing with it. I was never offended, where as the people in the streets of the Vegas strip, handing out call girls’ cards, is difficult for me to accept.
I felt like I was in a completely different country than where I was that morning. I even talked to one lady, working in one of the stores, about how I thought people have three main views of Holland. I think they know the history of Anne and the holocaust. When they hear Holland, I believe they see windmills, cute little Dutch kids kissing with the wooden shoes on and tulips in the background. But when they hear Amsterdam, they think of the Red Light District, and all that that includes. I guess she agreed with me because when I mentioned the windmills and tulips she said “THANK YOU for thinking that way about Holland!”
After the long day in Amazing Amsterdam, I returned back to the Vision, showered and dressed for the night’s entertainment- The Beatles! Unfortunately, two of their players hadn’t made it on the ship so understudies were used. And it wasn’t as good as it normally is. But overall, I enjoyed my time in Holland and I can’t wait for when we return!!!!
Two Different Worlds, Part 1
Part 1. Morning
Sunday was Holland, or the Netherlands. We ported right into Amsterdam. I was signed up for a tour around the center of the city, a cruise along the canals in a glass topped boat, and then a stop at Anne Frank’s house. The Netherlands has 12 provinces, which are like our states. Amsterdam is North Holland.
Our tour guide was named Els, because she was such a handful that her mother said, “She’s something ELSE.” So right away, I knew she was going to be an awesome guide. And she was, very knowledgeable and humorous. She informed us the official language her is Dutch or “the disease of the throat”. “I think Danish is the ugliest language,” she joked, “if someone gets up and sounds like they are going to throw up, that’s Danish.” Els explained that here, they protect their trees so there are a ton all over. In fact, they are so organized; each dog has their own tree. TEE HEE. “We smoke a lot of coffee, that’s what we do in this country!” LOL.
We started heading downtown, and she pointed out the Portuguese synagogue that to this day doesn’t use electricity but instead lights the church with candles. Amsterdam had been welcoming to anybody, no matter what. Its inhabitants were largely immigrants that had fled from other places: slaves and those exiled from the Spanish inquisition. We passed the Jewish museum and saw a statue with a man clutching his fists. That was where the first strike against the Nazis occurred. It was organized by a communist, and shortly after the famous illegal newspaper started running its underground operation.
We moved along through the city and out to the country. She told us a traditional fable about an old man who was a good man. He was a miller, righteous, and religious. Every night he would read the bible. “And the Good Lord created the world,” he read. “Yes” he whispered, “but the Dutch created Holland!”
We made a stop at a windmill. Since 35-40 % of the country is below sea level, the mill is an important part of Holland’s agriculture and way of life. They have a popular saying; if someone is crazy they say he was “hit by a windmill”. In the olden days, they had a windmill language to alert the townspeople of things. The mill had two doors because of course, if the wind is blowing, you can’t enter through the front! It was actually somebody’s house, but you have to be a miller to live in a wind or watermill. There used to be 40,000 mills across the country, but now there are only 1,000.
Bikes are the number one form of transportation here; there are specific roads for them along the streets. In fact, they have the right of way over pedestrians. You have to be careful on the streets, always listen for the ringing of their bells or they will run you over. They are so expensive here too! Els said she bought her secondhand bike for $750 EUROS!!!!!! Most people insure them incase they are stolen; she says bikes are their kids.
Back in the city, we drove along their mess of construction. Els was pretty upset, she said the people are fighting against the city because they had voted against the project. They are trying to build an underground railroad, but the soil is not easy to work with and we witnessed boarded up houses from the 17th century that were being destroyed because of it! It was really sad to see, they are going to lose all that history.
We saw the floating flower market, and the old mint tower where they used to make the coins. This month is the Queen’s birthday so they had set up a carnival in Dam Square. April 30th is therefore the craziest day of the year, with over one million people in town eating, drinking, and dancing. Everyone wears orange, the color of the Royal family. We passed the cathedral where the current Queen was married and where Rembrandt was buried. Anne Frank had described the bells of this same church; it was her only connection to the outside world while she was in hiding.
Beside the church we boarded the canal boat for our cruise along the river of the city. We passed the boathouses and saw people having breakfast or reading magazines on their porch. It was pretty funny passing them and they are attached to the dock, I’m not sure I would enjoy that as a house. Els explained the stone slates that hung over the door of some of the houses. They were used to announce who lived there, since the houses were so similar. They contained a picture, story, or passage from the bible. She pointed to one with a picture of two chairs, the owner of the home had been a chair maker.
Heading out of downtown, we passed a three-story garage just for bikes! We floated out to the harbor, where there were ferries to take people across to the opposite side for free. We saw Nemo, a restaurant and techno museum. The design of the building is opposite of the Titanic, a large boat popping out of the water. We passed near its smaller boat attached to the dock, with Holland’s flag flying high. The canal had a lot of swans swimming alongside the boats. The swans are protected, you can’t kill or eat one because they are for beauty.
Els told us the canals are 3 metes deep; one meter of pipes, one of water and one of…bikes. LOL. Apparently, if you are going to beat someone up, you also throw his bike in the water.
One of the guests sneezed and Els told him he needs to sneeze three times so they would have a good day tomorrow. Some of them asked what Dutch food they should try. She joked, saying well you can go to McDonalds and get a “McFried chicken of whatever” (LOL I love when people from other countries try to say “American” things, its so cute!!!) She recommended French fries with mayo, (which I find so interesting because I had never seen people do that until Brazil, because it’s very popular there as well) and Dutch pancakes.
We floated under a bridge, where it was tradition to kiss someone you wanted to stay friends with forever.
As we turned into the city canals, we passed large boards with images from the Holocaust and the war. 95 % of the Dutch Jewish population was massacred. Els said people from Holland are humble, but in the olden days there were two ways to show status without being over the top. Stairs were one of them. If the house was without a staircase, the owner didn’t have much money. If it had one set of stairs, they were of middle class. But if the house had two staircases, they were very, very rich. The other way to boast was to display prized possessions in the window. For example, a captain’s wife would arrange her gifts of the porcelain, silk and spices from around the world so that the neighbors could see. The windows of Amsterdam are always visible; most don’t even have curtains, which is pretty different. The narrow houses themselves are titled forward, because the architect used an illusion to make them look wider than they are.
Els pointed out the large crown that was on top of a cathedral. Because the Netherlands funded a king's war and he was victorious, he gave the country his crown in thanks. She also explained that Amsterdam’s flag has three black x’s on them. These represent the three disasters that hit the city: a fire, flood, and the plague. We also saw St. Nicolas church. Els told us that December 5th is a celebration bigger than Christmas; with presents, poems, sweets, and kids playing tricks. And we passed the Tower of Tears, where woman said goodbye to their husbands sailing away. In the olden days, they would cry because their loved ones were sailing off to war or venturing to new lands, and would probably never return home. But as Els put it: modern woman would cry because they aren’t sure if they are insured. ;)
Our next stop was Anne Frank’s house and the secret annex. The eight people that hid there couldn’t wear shoes and they had to tip toe around. Because the smoke would give them away, they couldn’t cook anything. They had to whisper and sit on each other’s laps. It’s unbelievable that they lived like this for two years! The house had videos in most of the rooms, with excerpts from Anne’s diary and interviews of the people close to this story. One lady had been Anne’s friend and was the last person to see her alive in the camps. She said that after her sister died, Anne thought she had no reason to live. If only Anne had known her father was still alive, she might have made it. She died two weeks before the liberation.
Otto, Anne’s father, was the only survivor of the eight. He returned home in search of his daughters, but was only able to gather a few of their old belongings to remember them. When they were captured, the police confiscated all of the furniture and rid the house of everything. Miraculously, Miep, who had worked for Otto and helped them go into hiding, was able to take Anne’s diary and kept it in case she returned. Otto read about how she had dreamed of being a famous writer, and was surprised how even though she was scared for herself and her family, she hoped people in the future would learn to love each other no matter their differences. He published her journal and opened the house as a museum in tribute.
The feeling in the house was sad but hopeful. And hearing Otto’s interview and reading his thoughts was inspiring. He stated, “In order to have a successful future, you must know the past.” Otto wanted his museum to show the tragedy that occurred, but also to teach how discrimination is still an issue today. It was amazing to me that someone who had been thru so much and lost everything, could still have hope in the human race. That he would still want to help, when he had been treated so badly. I pray that everyone who visits the house, or even when they hear the Frank family story, will reflect on their own actions towards other people. Are we nice enough? Do we care enough? Do we offer help as often as we can? Do we love enough?
Sunday was Holland, or the Netherlands. We ported right into Amsterdam. I was signed up for a tour around the center of the city, a cruise along the canals in a glass topped boat, and then a stop at Anne Frank’s house. The Netherlands has 12 provinces, which are like our states. Amsterdam is North Holland.
Our tour guide was named Els, because she was such a handful that her mother said, “She’s something ELSE.” So right away, I knew she was going to be an awesome guide. And she was, very knowledgeable and humorous. She informed us the official language her is Dutch or “the disease of the throat”. “I think Danish is the ugliest language,” she joked, “if someone gets up and sounds like they are going to throw up, that’s Danish.” Els explained that here, they protect their trees so there are a ton all over. In fact, they are so organized; each dog has their own tree. TEE HEE. “We smoke a lot of coffee, that’s what we do in this country!” LOL.
We started heading downtown, and she pointed out the Portuguese synagogue that to this day doesn’t use electricity but instead lights the church with candles. Amsterdam had been welcoming to anybody, no matter what. Its inhabitants were largely immigrants that had fled from other places: slaves and those exiled from the Spanish inquisition. We passed the Jewish museum and saw a statue with a man clutching his fists. That was where the first strike against the Nazis occurred. It was organized by a communist, and shortly after the famous illegal newspaper started running its underground operation.
We moved along through the city and out to the country. She told us a traditional fable about an old man who was a good man. He was a miller, righteous, and religious. Every night he would read the bible. “And the Good Lord created the world,” he read. “Yes” he whispered, “but the Dutch created Holland!”
We made a stop at a windmill. Since 35-40 % of the country is below sea level, the mill is an important part of Holland’s agriculture and way of life. They have a popular saying; if someone is crazy they say he was “hit by a windmill”. In the olden days, they had a windmill language to alert the townspeople of things. The mill had two doors because of course, if the wind is blowing, you can’t enter through the front! It was actually somebody’s house, but you have to be a miller to live in a wind or watermill. There used to be 40,000 mills across the country, but now there are only 1,000.
Bikes are the number one form of transportation here; there are specific roads for them along the streets. In fact, they have the right of way over pedestrians. You have to be careful on the streets, always listen for the ringing of their bells or they will run you over. They are so expensive here too! Els said she bought her secondhand bike for $750 EUROS!!!!!! Most people insure them incase they are stolen; she says bikes are their kids.
Back in the city, we drove along their mess of construction. Els was pretty upset, she said the people are fighting against the city because they had voted against the project. They are trying to build an underground railroad, but the soil is not easy to work with and we witnessed boarded up houses from the 17th century that were being destroyed because of it! It was really sad to see, they are going to lose all that history.
We saw the floating flower market, and the old mint tower where they used to make the coins. This month is the Queen’s birthday so they had set up a carnival in Dam Square. April 30th is therefore the craziest day of the year, with over one million people in town eating, drinking, and dancing. Everyone wears orange, the color of the Royal family. We passed the cathedral where the current Queen was married and where Rembrandt was buried. Anne Frank had described the bells of this same church; it was her only connection to the outside world while she was in hiding.
Beside the church we boarded the canal boat for our cruise along the river of the city. We passed the boathouses and saw people having breakfast or reading magazines on their porch. It was pretty funny passing them and they are attached to the dock, I’m not sure I would enjoy that as a house. Els explained the stone slates that hung over the door of some of the houses. They were used to announce who lived there, since the houses were so similar. They contained a picture, story, or passage from the bible. She pointed to one with a picture of two chairs, the owner of the home had been a chair maker.
Heading out of downtown, we passed a three-story garage just for bikes! We floated out to the harbor, where there were ferries to take people across to the opposite side for free. We saw Nemo, a restaurant and techno museum. The design of the building is opposite of the Titanic, a large boat popping out of the water. We passed near its smaller boat attached to the dock, with Holland’s flag flying high. The canal had a lot of swans swimming alongside the boats. The swans are protected, you can’t kill or eat one because they are for beauty.
Els told us the canals are 3 metes deep; one meter of pipes, one of water and one of…bikes. LOL. Apparently, if you are going to beat someone up, you also throw his bike in the water.
One of the guests sneezed and Els told him he needs to sneeze three times so they would have a good day tomorrow. Some of them asked what Dutch food they should try. She joked, saying well you can go to McDonalds and get a “McFried chicken of whatever” (LOL I love when people from other countries try to say “American” things, its so cute!!!) She recommended French fries with mayo, (which I find so interesting because I had never seen people do that until Brazil, because it’s very popular there as well) and Dutch pancakes.
We floated under a bridge, where it was tradition to kiss someone you wanted to stay friends with forever.
As we turned into the city canals, we passed large boards with images from the Holocaust and the war. 95 % of the Dutch Jewish population was massacred. Els said people from Holland are humble, but in the olden days there were two ways to show status without being over the top. Stairs were one of them. If the house was without a staircase, the owner didn’t have much money. If it had one set of stairs, they were of middle class. But if the house had two staircases, they were very, very rich. The other way to boast was to display prized possessions in the window. For example, a captain’s wife would arrange her gifts of the porcelain, silk and spices from around the world so that the neighbors could see. The windows of Amsterdam are always visible; most don’t even have curtains, which is pretty different. The narrow houses themselves are titled forward, because the architect used an illusion to make them look wider than they are.
Els pointed out the large crown that was on top of a cathedral. Because the Netherlands funded a king's war and he was victorious, he gave the country his crown in thanks. She also explained that Amsterdam’s flag has three black x’s on them. These represent the three disasters that hit the city: a fire, flood, and the plague. We also saw St. Nicolas church. Els told us that December 5th is a celebration bigger than Christmas; with presents, poems, sweets, and kids playing tricks. And we passed the Tower of Tears, where woman said goodbye to their husbands sailing away. In the olden days, they would cry because their loved ones were sailing off to war or venturing to new lands, and would probably never return home. But as Els put it: modern woman would cry because they aren’t sure if they are insured. ;)
Our next stop was Anne Frank’s house and the secret annex. The eight people that hid there couldn’t wear shoes and they had to tip toe around. Because the smoke would give them away, they couldn’t cook anything. They had to whisper and sit on each other’s laps. It’s unbelievable that they lived like this for two years! The house had videos in most of the rooms, with excerpts from Anne’s diary and interviews of the people close to this story. One lady had been Anne’s friend and was the last person to see her alive in the camps. She said that after her sister died, Anne thought she had no reason to live. If only Anne had known her father was still alive, she might have made it. She died two weeks before the liberation.
Otto, Anne’s father, was the only survivor of the eight. He returned home in search of his daughters, but was only able to gather a few of their old belongings to remember them. When they were captured, the police confiscated all of the furniture and rid the house of everything. Miraculously, Miep, who had worked for Otto and helped them go into hiding, was able to take Anne’s diary and kept it in case she returned. Otto read about how she had dreamed of being a famous writer, and was surprised how even though she was scared for herself and her family, she hoped people in the future would learn to love each other no matter their differences. He published her journal and opened the house as a museum in tribute.
The feeling in the house was sad but hopeful. And hearing Otto’s interview and reading his thoughts was inspiring. He stated, “In order to have a successful future, you must know the past.” Otto wanted his museum to show the tragedy that occurred, but also to teach how discrimination is still an issue today. It was amazing to me that someone who had been thru so much and lost everything, could still have hope in the human race. That he would still want to help, when he had been treated so badly. I pray that everyone who visits the house, or even when they hear the Frank family story, will reflect on their own actions towards other people. Are we nice enough? Do we care enough? Do we offer help as often as we can? Do we love enough?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
MMMMM!!!!!!!
Saturday we ported in Belgium, the capital of chocolate. :D Zeebrugge is just the dock, so you have to take a shuttle out to Brugges or Brussels. I was a tour guide for Brugges sightseeing and chocolate tour! It was really busy in the city because they were having their yearly fair, so there was a ton of carnival rides set up in the squares. It was different to see a fair in the middle of town rather than a theme park. Most of Belgium speaks French and they are famous for their lace, beer, waffles and of course, my favorite, CHOCOLATE!!!!
Our first stop was the market square. Every year there is a procession of the Holy Blood. When the French owned Belgium, punishment and death by guillotine happened in the square. I can’t believe executions drew such large crowds, I can’t even watch it in movies and that’s fake!
The Belfry Tower and Town Hall also stood in this marketplace.
We walked on to the chocolate museum. Inside, they had displays of several statues, including a life-size Obama made completely out of chocolate. They gathered us into a room, where we watched a chocolate demonstration and learned all about chocolate. The chocolate-ier told us Belgium chocolate usually has a filling inside.
Cocoa beans grow in countries near the equator. The fruit grows, not on trees, and the beans are inside. Once you break open the fruit, you dry the beans so that the white coloring on top disappears. Although the beans smell sweet of chocolate, they are bad for the stomach to eat straight out of the fruit. Experts who collect the beans smell them to determine their quality before shipping to the buyers.
Once you have the beans, you can either crush and roast or roast before crushing them. We saw the pure cocoa pieces, or Nibs, that are bitter because they haven’t been mixed with sugar yet. Sometimes, Nibs are used for a filling to make the chocolate crunchy. They are healthier than adding any type of biscuit. From Nibs, you can make chocolate paste, or cocoa butter. This is the start for every chocolate, even white.
When you add heat, you can extract the cocoa butter to make cocoa powder. White chocolate is made without cocoa paste, so some consider it “not real” chocolate. Different places in Europe make different types of chocolate. Belgium sells the sweeter chocolate. Scandinavian areas prefer milk chocolate, and places like France, Italy and Spain produce dark for a more bitter taste. Europe has a new law allowing 5% of the cocoa butter to be replaced with other fats, such as palm oil. Upper Europe, like Belgium, doesn’t replace so their chocolate melts on the tongue. But the chocolate that contains something else, it will leave a thin layer of fat when the chocolate is gone. That explains why Belgium chocolate is perfect and the leader in the industry!
Although there are only three types of chocolate: milk, dark and white, there are a variety of flavors that can be made from each. It depends on the cocoa beans. Generic chocolate, such as Nestle or Hershey’s, are mixed cocoa beans from all over to get that one specific taste. But if the beans used come from only one place, it’s called an origin chocolate. We got to taste the difference between normal dark chocolate, and an origin chocolate made from the beans of Peru. The Peru chocolate had a special tang to it, unique from any other chocolate I’ve had.
He showed us how they make the shapes of the chocolates they sell. It’s important to start off with the right temperature of everything. The heat has to be specific to cook the crystals properly. White should be in 29 to 30 degrees, milk at 20 to 21 degrees and dark 31 to 32. The mold needs to be room temperature. He used a machine that vibrates the mold while it pours the chocolate into the shapes. The vibration rids the chocolate of the air bubbles, a way you can tell the quality of candies sold in stores. If there are tiny holes in the chocolate, it isn’t made properly.
We watched the chocolate harden in the mold and then he put it in the fridge to cool at 20-25 degrees. Chocolate shrinks 10 degrees so it will pop out of the mold when it’s done. After a few minutes, you can put a filling in. The most popular filling in Belgium is made with roasted nuts, caramel and milk chocolate. After it has cooled in the oven, you put another layer of chocolate on the top to seal it. If it’s a good mold, it will have a shine.
He also showed us the process of making the Easter eggs. Using an egg mold, you make two halves of the egg. You heat a marble or metal slab and melt a little of each half to glue it together. We tasted samples of this delicious chocolate that had a thin layer of strawberry in the crust and an amazing cream filling. Simply divine. In the gift shop, I purchased a bag of milk chocolate made of cocoa beans from Venezuela.
Belgium is full of sweet streets. I can’t live here, I would become SO FAT! I walked along, taking in the aroma and longing for it all. But, bikes are common here, so I guess that’s how they burn off all the food!
I talked for most of the tour with this adorable old man from Brazil. He told me about how he sent his daughter to London to learn English. She was invited to attend the American Academy in New York and study acting. Unfortunately, because of her British accent, she wasn’t invited back for a second year at the school, so she now lives in Brazil with her British husband she met in London. It is a pretty crazy story, all over the map. But I love it, so romantic! I am so thankful I live in this era, when we can actually meet amazing people from around the world and stay in touch with them. I always imagine how hard it must have been to write letters and wait months for news. It’s beautiful we can keep relationships thriving now; it makes the world seem smaller and brings us closer.
Continuing our tour, we saw the Church of Our Lady, where Michelangelo sculpted the famous statue of Madonna. There was a statue in front of the church with a man and woman dancing. It was erected here to remind young ones in love to stop and think before they enter the chapel. I found the frog, the signature of the artist. When we were given free time, I looked around in a few of the shops, looking at the homemade lace work and the dolls. I also bought a waffle topped with chocolate and powdered sugar. UGH IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! I think FOR SURE I will get a waffle each time we are in Belgium. That way I can compare Brugges waffles to the ones in Brussels, and I can crown the champion.
Our first stop was the market square. Every year there is a procession of the Holy Blood. When the French owned Belgium, punishment and death by guillotine happened in the square. I can’t believe executions drew such large crowds, I can’t even watch it in movies and that’s fake!
The Belfry Tower and Town Hall also stood in this marketplace.
We walked on to the chocolate museum. Inside, they had displays of several statues, including a life-size Obama made completely out of chocolate. They gathered us into a room, where we watched a chocolate demonstration and learned all about chocolate. The chocolate-ier told us Belgium chocolate usually has a filling inside.
Cocoa beans grow in countries near the equator. The fruit grows, not on trees, and the beans are inside. Once you break open the fruit, you dry the beans so that the white coloring on top disappears. Although the beans smell sweet of chocolate, they are bad for the stomach to eat straight out of the fruit. Experts who collect the beans smell them to determine their quality before shipping to the buyers.
Once you have the beans, you can either crush and roast or roast before crushing them. We saw the pure cocoa pieces, or Nibs, that are bitter because they haven’t been mixed with sugar yet. Sometimes, Nibs are used for a filling to make the chocolate crunchy. They are healthier than adding any type of biscuit. From Nibs, you can make chocolate paste, or cocoa butter. This is the start for every chocolate, even white.
When you add heat, you can extract the cocoa butter to make cocoa powder. White chocolate is made without cocoa paste, so some consider it “not real” chocolate. Different places in Europe make different types of chocolate. Belgium sells the sweeter chocolate. Scandinavian areas prefer milk chocolate, and places like France, Italy and Spain produce dark for a more bitter taste. Europe has a new law allowing 5% of the cocoa butter to be replaced with other fats, such as palm oil. Upper Europe, like Belgium, doesn’t replace so their chocolate melts on the tongue. But the chocolate that contains something else, it will leave a thin layer of fat when the chocolate is gone. That explains why Belgium chocolate is perfect and the leader in the industry!
Although there are only three types of chocolate: milk, dark and white, there are a variety of flavors that can be made from each. It depends on the cocoa beans. Generic chocolate, such as Nestle or Hershey’s, are mixed cocoa beans from all over to get that one specific taste. But if the beans used come from only one place, it’s called an origin chocolate. We got to taste the difference between normal dark chocolate, and an origin chocolate made from the beans of Peru. The Peru chocolate had a special tang to it, unique from any other chocolate I’ve had.
He showed us how they make the shapes of the chocolates they sell. It’s important to start off with the right temperature of everything. The heat has to be specific to cook the crystals properly. White should be in 29 to 30 degrees, milk at 20 to 21 degrees and dark 31 to 32. The mold needs to be room temperature. He used a machine that vibrates the mold while it pours the chocolate into the shapes. The vibration rids the chocolate of the air bubbles, a way you can tell the quality of candies sold in stores. If there are tiny holes in the chocolate, it isn’t made properly.
We watched the chocolate harden in the mold and then he put it in the fridge to cool at 20-25 degrees. Chocolate shrinks 10 degrees so it will pop out of the mold when it’s done. After a few minutes, you can put a filling in. The most popular filling in Belgium is made with roasted nuts, caramel and milk chocolate. After it has cooled in the oven, you put another layer of chocolate on the top to seal it. If it’s a good mold, it will have a shine.
He also showed us the process of making the Easter eggs. Using an egg mold, you make two halves of the egg. You heat a marble or metal slab and melt a little of each half to glue it together. We tasted samples of this delicious chocolate that had a thin layer of strawberry in the crust and an amazing cream filling. Simply divine. In the gift shop, I purchased a bag of milk chocolate made of cocoa beans from Venezuela.
Belgium is full of sweet streets. I can’t live here, I would become SO FAT! I walked along, taking in the aroma and longing for it all. But, bikes are common here, so I guess that’s how they burn off all the food!
I talked for most of the tour with this adorable old man from Brazil. He told me about how he sent his daughter to London to learn English. She was invited to attend the American Academy in New York and study acting. Unfortunately, because of her British accent, she wasn’t invited back for a second year at the school, so she now lives in Brazil with her British husband she met in London. It is a pretty crazy story, all over the map. But I love it, so romantic! I am so thankful I live in this era, when we can actually meet amazing people from around the world and stay in touch with them. I always imagine how hard it must have been to write letters and wait months for news. It’s beautiful we can keep relationships thriving now; it makes the world seem smaller and brings us closer.
Continuing our tour, we saw the Church of Our Lady, where Michelangelo sculpted the famous statue of Madonna. There was a statue in front of the church with a man and woman dancing. It was erected here to remind young ones in love to stop and think before they enter the chapel. I found the frog, the signature of the artist. When we were given free time, I looked around in a few of the shops, looking at the homemade lace work and the dolls. I also bought a waffle topped with chocolate and powdered sugar. UGH IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! I think FOR SURE I will get a waffle each time we are in Belgium. That way I can compare Brugges waffles to the ones in Brussels, and I can crown the champion.
Je parle français.....
Friday we pulled into Le Havre, France. Le Havre is a small shipping city in upper Normandy, about 2 hours from Paris. For this stop, I signed up for a tour to Giverny and Rouen.
This day started out a little crazy. All the guests met in the theater like normal, waiting to be escorted to the buses. But, we were informed there was a strike going on outside, and we should return in an hour. Neeko, Robert, Maude and I went to get coffee and wait. Neeko said strikes are so common in Europe; so I need to be aware and careful when I go to Paris plan that into travel time, especially on trains.
We were able to get off an hour later, and there were only nine people on mine! A private tour! I met my guide, Oliver (pronounced like “Uleverr” LOL) and he said we were two hours behind schedule so we weren’t going to Rouen. After we took off, one lady came over and asked if I was a representative for Royal. (UH OH, I thought, here we go….) Since I wear a tour escort badge, there was no getting out of it. So I said yes, and she began to tell me she was very upset that we weren’t going to the second city.
It was completely understandable; the guests paid $170 and now they were only getting half the tour. I assured her I would talk it over with the guide. I was very nervous but I politely asked him if he could explain the situation to me so I was clear about the plan. I asked why we couldn’t adjust the timing to fit it all in and at first he was resistant. He told me we couldn’t skip lunch at the restaurant because we had reservations there…? Even though the guests said they would rather not have a long sit down lunch if it means missing the other half of the tour.
He then told me it was about time because Giverny is 2 hours from Le Havre and then the drive back; and it is illegal for the bus driver to be in the port after 7:30, so we had to be back on time or he would lose his license. The lady said, “Then cut out all the free time/ shopping time,” because he said instead of going to Rouen we would extend lunchtime and have several hours to kill in Giverny.
Finally, he called into his supervisor and surprise- we could do it. The whole thing was a little sketch so I’m happy I pushed him to go. And for the rest of the tour, the guests repeatedly came to me and thanked me. I felt like a hero, saving the day :)
So after dealing with that mess, I was able to relax and enjoy the tour. We drove through France, and listened to Oliver’s information. We learned that Normandy is split into two sections, upper and lower, by a natural boulder. There is a project in progress working on unifying the two. We passed mistletoe trees and he said like in the states, it’s a tradition here to kiss under mistletoe, but on New Years rather than Christmas. I learned that depending on the region, Europe kisses hello and goodbye. In Normandy, it’s two kisses.
Normandy is beautiful country land; brilliant colors that attracted landscape artists throughout time. Upper Normandy is famous for it’s candles and cheese, or “cheese-ees” as he kept saying. LOL SO CUTE! Also, the apple cider is very popular. They use the aged cider for desert and the young for cooking.
Our first stop on this tour was at a restaurant tucked away in the forest. It had a large watermill, or Moulin, and an amazing view of France’s hills.
We dined on a three-course meal and wine. The salad had noodles in it and I ate several pieces of the delicious bread and homemade cheese. The lady next to me was making me a little nervous though, because she said they don’t pasteurize their dairy products here and he brother-in-law got tuberculosis from European dairy. WHAT!?!?!
The second course was mashed potatoes, a tomato, and a slice of meat. Everyone thought it was chicken or duck, but our guide told us later it was liver, BLAH. I enjoyed my potatoes ;) Our desert was a tasty apple cake, the perfect end to the French cuisine. After lunch, we boarded the bus again.
We were headed to Giverny, to tour Claude Monet’s house and gardens, including the famous lily pond and bridge.
While Monet was alive, his art was unique and at times, “scandalous”. We learned about two paintings in particular that were rejected by the council in his era. The first was his Olympia painting. It was only allowed to paint nude images of Roman Gods/ Goddess, and she was a prostitute. The traditional color of the subject was pink or blue tints, but Olympia’s skin was the real color. Monet also painted lunch in the forest of France, with two ladies and two men. Seems innocent enough, except the two ladies are almost completely naked. And in that time, you were supposed to be painting portraits, mythological, religious, or political subjects, but never a landscape. SCANDAL I TELL YOU!
Monet began sketching and painting at a young age, and worked with an art dealer to sell his collections. There was also another artist living in the same area at the time named Boudin. He was walking in town one day and saw Monet’s paintings in a window. He entered the store and asked the dealer to meet the artist. Boudin told Monet he was very talented and had a lot of potential. He advised that if Monet was serious, he needed to go to Paris to study and take on the art movement. Boudin was about thirty at the time and Monet, fifteen!
Monet became a student under Boudin’s authority and observed him in the country. Monet learned to study a subject, work in the studio, and then return to the subject several times to see how the light and seasons change rivers, trees, hills.
In the 1800’s, impressionist paintings were not successful in France. Most artists sold their work in the U.S. and Britain, where they were wanted. This is why most of Monet’s art is in New York and Chicago.
Monet grew older, and so did the world’s demand for his art. In his early stage, a painting of a bridge would sell for 25 euros. Several years later, one cathedral would be 300 euros. At the peak of his career, age 41, his paintings easily sold at 100,000 euros, EACH. Monet spent all of his money keeping his two gardens and house in picturesque condition.
Monet lost his wife and mother of his two kids to the cancer battle. He later hired Alice, wife to Ernest, to nanny the kids. Alice became his mistress and because-as Oliver said- “this is France” they all moved into a large house Monet bought. Five people all living together; the rumors and gossip certainly began to fly.
Soon, the war began. France was home to “the longest day ever”; when the world was forced to wait for either Hitler to successfully move and gain power, or to fail and the threat squashed. Monet was too old to fight in the war, but he began sending money from his art to the French Red Cross. At the time of his death, he donated his water lilies to France. Monet broke traditional canvas size and painted very long pieces, so he cut his art to transport them easier to the museum. The house and gardens are now open to the public but only two seasons out of the year because of course, fall and winter supplies no flowers.
The gardens were amazing. You could smell the fresh flowers and picture him sitting in one of his three studios, painting. It must have been paradise for him because the blend of the various colors were heavenly. I got a little creeped out being inside the house. The original Japanese art that he collected for inspiration were still hung up, and they had an old photograph of Monet in his house and all the furniture and decorations were still in the same place. That was so eerie to me; I got the shivers and had to leave.
We headed out of Giverny, towards Rouen. It is the capital of upper Normandy. We passed a church that had 26 towers, one for every letter in the alphabet. We stopped and gazed at the Cathedral Notre Dame, not the famous church from the Disney movie, but a beautiful one nonetheless. In fact, just across the street was Monet’s studio, where he lived and studied the church. Oliver told us a funny story about Monet and his art dealer while he was here.
Monet told the man he wanted to draw 28 pictures of the cathedral. Well, the dealer thought he was crazy, exclaiming nobody would be interested in an exhibit of the same subject! Of course, he was wrong and the collection sold out at the opening. Art collectors bought five to six of the pieces together, because he drew movement; sunrise, afternoon, and sunset, as well as the church standing in all the seasons.
We walked to another glorious church, with the highest iron cast spire in France. Inside, we looked at the pictures of the church during the horrible bombings of the war, and the efforts to restore it. The church is the traditional cross shape and one bomb went straight into a pillar that supported the rest of the building. Miraculously, the bomb didn’t explode and the people were able to retrieve and dispose of it. Had it gone off, the structure would have collapsed and nothing would be left. The church stands today with most of its original walls.
We looked at the tombs inside the cathedral, including King Richard the “Lion Heart”. The tomb contains his heart, and his other remains were buried in other important parts of France, a tradition for heroes. Outside, we walked beside the former Northern Parliament. Here, they found a Jewish school buried beneath the building. We were in the old Jewish quarter.
Walking along the streets, I swear I was getting fatter with each step. I could just eat everything they were displaying in the windows, because it all looked fantastic. Everyone thought we looked so funny, a big group following a numbered stick. The teens mocked being a tour guide, which was cool to hear humor of another language.
Next, we stopped at the old market square where there was a large church in honor of Saint Joan of Arc. There was a statue of her, and a garden surrounded by the wall where she was burnt at the stake. After she was captured, the Duke of Burgundy sold her to the King of England. They tried her for three months and declared her a heretic when she talked about God telling her she needed to crown the new King. She was 19. It was so weird being there, knowing that she was the same age I am today. Weird, and inspiring. In 1920, she was declared a saint because France needed a symbol of victory to prepare for the war. Oliver told us Mark Twain came here to read old documents of the history of France and wrote about her life and what she stood for.
Oliver gave us ten minutes of free time to run around to the souvenir shops, peek inside the church, or get something from the vendors. I grabbed a few postcards and then hit a sweet shop to buy a éclair, because my sister speaks so highly of them. It was chocolaty deliciousness! Next time, when I go to Paris, I think I will get a crepe! That’s next week so check back in!!!!! LOVE TO ALL!!!!!
This day started out a little crazy. All the guests met in the theater like normal, waiting to be escorted to the buses. But, we were informed there was a strike going on outside, and we should return in an hour. Neeko, Robert, Maude and I went to get coffee and wait. Neeko said strikes are so common in Europe; so I need to be aware and careful when I go to Paris plan that into travel time, especially on trains.
We were able to get off an hour later, and there were only nine people on mine! A private tour! I met my guide, Oliver (pronounced like “Uleverr” LOL) and he said we were two hours behind schedule so we weren’t going to Rouen. After we took off, one lady came over and asked if I was a representative for Royal. (UH OH, I thought, here we go….) Since I wear a tour escort badge, there was no getting out of it. So I said yes, and she began to tell me she was very upset that we weren’t going to the second city.
It was completely understandable; the guests paid $170 and now they were only getting half the tour. I assured her I would talk it over with the guide. I was very nervous but I politely asked him if he could explain the situation to me so I was clear about the plan. I asked why we couldn’t adjust the timing to fit it all in and at first he was resistant. He told me we couldn’t skip lunch at the restaurant because we had reservations there…? Even though the guests said they would rather not have a long sit down lunch if it means missing the other half of the tour.
He then told me it was about time because Giverny is 2 hours from Le Havre and then the drive back; and it is illegal for the bus driver to be in the port after 7:30, so we had to be back on time or he would lose his license. The lady said, “Then cut out all the free time/ shopping time,” because he said instead of going to Rouen we would extend lunchtime and have several hours to kill in Giverny.
Finally, he called into his supervisor and surprise- we could do it. The whole thing was a little sketch so I’m happy I pushed him to go. And for the rest of the tour, the guests repeatedly came to me and thanked me. I felt like a hero, saving the day :)
So after dealing with that mess, I was able to relax and enjoy the tour. We drove through France, and listened to Oliver’s information. We learned that Normandy is split into two sections, upper and lower, by a natural boulder. There is a project in progress working on unifying the two. We passed mistletoe trees and he said like in the states, it’s a tradition here to kiss under mistletoe, but on New Years rather than Christmas. I learned that depending on the region, Europe kisses hello and goodbye. In Normandy, it’s two kisses.
Normandy is beautiful country land; brilliant colors that attracted landscape artists throughout time. Upper Normandy is famous for it’s candles and cheese, or “cheese-ees” as he kept saying. LOL SO CUTE! Also, the apple cider is very popular. They use the aged cider for desert and the young for cooking.
Our first stop on this tour was at a restaurant tucked away in the forest. It had a large watermill, or Moulin, and an amazing view of France’s hills.
We dined on a three-course meal and wine. The salad had noodles in it and I ate several pieces of the delicious bread and homemade cheese. The lady next to me was making me a little nervous though, because she said they don’t pasteurize their dairy products here and he brother-in-law got tuberculosis from European dairy. WHAT!?!?!
The second course was mashed potatoes, a tomato, and a slice of meat. Everyone thought it was chicken or duck, but our guide told us later it was liver, BLAH. I enjoyed my potatoes ;) Our desert was a tasty apple cake, the perfect end to the French cuisine. After lunch, we boarded the bus again.
We were headed to Giverny, to tour Claude Monet’s house and gardens, including the famous lily pond and bridge.
While Monet was alive, his art was unique and at times, “scandalous”. We learned about two paintings in particular that were rejected by the council in his era. The first was his Olympia painting. It was only allowed to paint nude images of Roman Gods/ Goddess, and she was a prostitute. The traditional color of the subject was pink or blue tints, but Olympia’s skin was the real color. Monet also painted lunch in the forest of France, with two ladies and two men. Seems innocent enough, except the two ladies are almost completely naked. And in that time, you were supposed to be painting portraits, mythological, religious, or political subjects, but never a landscape. SCANDAL I TELL YOU!
Monet began sketching and painting at a young age, and worked with an art dealer to sell his collections. There was also another artist living in the same area at the time named Boudin. He was walking in town one day and saw Monet’s paintings in a window. He entered the store and asked the dealer to meet the artist. Boudin told Monet he was very talented and had a lot of potential. He advised that if Monet was serious, he needed to go to Paris to study and take on the art movement. Boudin was about thirty at the time and Monet, fifteen!
Monet became a student under Boudin’s authority and observed him in the country. Monet learned to study a subject, work in the studio, and then return to the subject several times to see how the light and seasons change rivers, trees, hills.
In the 1800’s, impressionist paintings were not successful in France. Most artists sold their work in the U.S. and Britain, where they were wanted. This is why most of Monet’s art is in New York and Chicago.
Monet grew older, and so did the world’s demand for his art. In his early stage, a painting of a bridge would sell for 25 euros. Several years later, one cathedral would be 300 euros. At the peak of his career, age 41, his paintings easily sold at 100,000 euros, EACH. Monet spent all of his money keeping his two gardens and house in picturesque condition.
Monet lost his wife and mother of his two kids to the cancer battle. He later hired Alice, wife to Ernest, to nanny the kids. Alice became his mistress and because-as Oliver said- “this is France” they all moved into a large house Monet bought. Five people all living together; the rumors and gossip certainly began to fly.
Soon, the war began. France was home to “the longest day ever”; when the world was forced to wait for either Hitler to successfully move and gain power, or to fail and the threat squashed. Monet was too old to fight in the war, but he began sending money from his art to the French Red Cross. At the time of his death, he donated his water lilies to France. Monet broke traditional canvas size and painted very long pieces, so he cut his art to transport them easier to the museum. The house and gardens are now open to the public but only two seasons out of the year because of course, fall and winter supplies no flowers.
The gardens were amazing. You could smell the fresh flowers and picture him sitting in one of his three studios, painting. It must have been paradise for him because the blend of the various colors were heavenly. I got a little creeped out being inside the house. The original Japanese art that he collected for inspiration were still hung up, and they had an old photograph of Monet in his house and all the furniture and decorations were still in the same place. That was so eerie to me; I got the shivers and had to leave.
We headed out of Giverny, towards Rouen. It is the capital of upper Normandy. We passed a church that had 26 towers, one for every letter in the alphabet. We stopped and gazed at the Cathedral Notre Dame, not the famous church from the Disney movie, but a beautiful one nonetheless. In fact, just across the street was Monet’s studio, where he lived and studied the church. Oliver told us a funny story about Monet and his art dealer while he was here.
Monet told the man he wanted to draw 28 pictures of the cathedral. Well, the dealer thought he was crazy, exclaiming nobody would be interested in an exhibit of the same subject! Of course, he was wrong and the collection sold out at the opening. Art collectors bought five to six of the pieces together, because he drew movement; sunrise, afternoon, and sunset, as well as the church standing in all the seasons.
We walked to another glorious church, with the highest iron cast spire in France. Inside, we looked at the pictures of the church during the horrible bombings of the war, and the efforts to restore it. The church is the traditional cross shape and one bomb went straight into a pillar that supported the rest of the building. Miraculously, the bomb didn’t explode and the people were able to retrieve and dispose of it. Had it gone off, the structure would have collapsed and nothing would be left. The church stands today with most of its original walls.
We looked at the tombs inside the cathedral, including King Richard the “Lion Heart”. The tomb contains his heart, and his other remains were buried in other important parts of France, a tradition for heroes. Outside, we walked beside the former Northern Parliament. Here, they found a Jewish school buried beneath the building. We were in the old Jewish quarter.
Walking along the streets, I swear I was getting fatter with each step. I could just eat everything they were displaying in the windows, because it all looked fantastic. Everyone thought we looked so funny, a big group following a numbered stick. The teens mocked being a tour guide, which was cool to hear humor of another language.
Next, we stopped at the old market square where there was a large church in honor of Saint Joan of Arc. There was a statue of her, and a garden surrounded by the wall where she was burnt at the stake. After she was captured, the Duke of Burgundy sold her to the King of England. They tried her for three months and declared her a heretic when she talked about God telling her she needed to crown the new King. She was 19. It was so weird being there, knowing that she was the same age I am today. Weird, and inspiring. In 1920, she was declared a saint because France needed a symbol of victory to prepare for the war. Oliver told us Mark Twain came here to read old documents of the history of France and wrote about her life and what she stood for.
Oliver gave us ten minutes of free time to run around to the souvenir shops, peek inside the church, or get something from the vendors. I grabbed a few postcards and then hit a sweet shop to buy a éclair, because my sister speaks so highly of them. It was chocolaty deliciousness! Next time, when I go to Paris, I think I will get a crepe! That’s next week so check back in!!!!! LOVE TO ALL!!!!!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Grandpa Joe!!! When did you get here!??
Yesterday, we were in the tiny city of La Coruna. My tour guide was Maria and we were off to see more churches, squares, and taste some of the common food. One of the more interesting churches was the Santa Domingo church, which stood next to an army building. The church used to be a school that only boys could attend. The top of the building was twisted, but the townspeople insist it is the streets that aren’t straight. I’m not quite sure how that is an applicable argument, but they won’t budge in their word. She also told us they are working on getting rid of all the old army structures, and this was one of the last remaining ones.
The cobble streets were an energetic bustle between people and cars. At one point, I moved a man in my group to the side to avoid the car that was trying to get up the hill. He exclaimed I had “saved his life” and told me I had a very beautiful smile. :D We later chatted on our various travels and discussed the sites of Brazil, since I had just left after four months and he had been right after Carnaval. He was so nice, even sharing his umbrella with me when the rain finally surpassed its sprinkle stage and broke thru the clouds. I was reminded a lot of my Grandpa Joe, and wished that he was here experiencing this all with me.
We stopped at the House of Rosalia, whose husband was an activist writer. Next, we saw the military square and Santiago church with the White Horse of Saint James, where I enjoyed taking pictures of the Priest out for a breath of fresh air. He looked confused and almost worried, maybe because my group was loud and tried to take photos everywhere, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere inside the church. I have seen several churches in the few short days I’ve been in Europe, but they never fail to amaze me. They are each so unique and hold so much beauty in stillness.
We moved back onto our bus and headed out to the beach, where we saw the oldest Roman lighthouse still working to this day. It was built in the 2nd century after Christ!!!! OLD OLD OLD!!!!! Older than my mom!!!!! (LOVE YOU!!!!!) We also passed The School of Arts and Crafts, where Picasso’s father brought his family to study. We saw a sculpture of a dove and Maria told us the story of how Picasso’s father wasn’t a very good artist and couldn’t make feet. He always made Picasso do the feet of his animals. So when he was asked to make animals, he was so fed up that he sculpted them all without feet. Picasso’s first pieces of work were originated here at the school but they now reside in Barcelona because when his sister died, they moved there and he took his art with him.
On the path up to the lighthouse, there were several sculptures and a statue of Hercules sat there too. The legend says Hercules and his enemy were in love with the same girl so the statue looks like he is on the bones of this man, crushing him for the heart of the lady. Back on the bus, Maria was telling us more information about the lighthouse, but was stopped by a man who was trying to wave to her and let her know her microphone wasn’t working and he couldn’t hear her. She fumbled around on her radio, thinking she wasn’t on. The guy laughed, thinking he had saved the day. It was really funny when we told him that we all could hear her and he should try putting in his headphone! LOL.
When we drove onward, to our hotel for a snack, we saw a free hotel that provided free food but nobody wants to live there…can you figure out why? It was a prison, that Maria, she is so clever. On the highway, we passed a Toys “R” Us!!!!! I was half tempted to stop the bus and look for Legos! She told us that there is a lot of United States influence here but unfortunately their movies are in Spanish. I know that in Brazil, a lot of the movies are still in English with subtitles in Portuguese, and she said the same is true in Portugal but Spain tries to switch it all over. I have tried to watch several movies in Portuguese but it’s distracting when the lips are saying different words and especially when you know the voice of the actor and some other weird voice in talking instead. It throws me off and I have difficulty enjoying the movie. Maria told us she hates it too and wants to hear George Clooney’s real voice ;)
The hotel provided wine and coffee, as well as traditional omelets, tortilla wraps, and cookies. There was a fantastic view of a fortress across the way, which is now an institution. That seems to be pretty common here in Europe, turn the old castles into universities. I hope I can see a castle that still holds its’ royal interiors. I want to sit on a throne!!!!!!
Once back at the port, we dropped the guests off. Robert and I, who went on the same tour but was with a different bus, crossed the street and window-shopped in the local area. Maria had mentioned the shops were owned by the government and would be closed, not sure what exactly “today” was in regards to them but we took a peek around anyways. She was right so we hit up the candy store in the mall and returned to the ship.
I wish my whole family could be here with me, I hope that my next contract will allow them to cruise!
The cobble streets were an energetic bustle between people and cars. At one point, I moved a man in my group to the side to avoid the car that was trying to get up the hill. He exclaimed I had “saved his life” and told me I had a very beautiful smile. :D We later chatted on our various travels and discussed the sites of Brazil, since I had just left after four months and he had been right after Carnaval. He was so nice, even sharing his umbrella with me when the rain finally surpassed its sprinkle stage and broke thru the clouds. I was reminded a lot of my Grandpa Joe, and wished that he was here experiencing this all with me.
We stopped at the House of Rosalia, whose husband was an activist writer. Next, we saw the military square and Santiago church with the White Horse of Saint James, where I enjoyed taking pictures of the Priest out for a breath of fresh air. He looked confused and almost worried, maybe because my group was loud and tried to take photos everywhere, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere inside the church. I have seen several churches in the few short days I’ve been in Europe, but they never fail to amaze me. They are each so unique and hold so much beauty in stillness.
We moved back onto our bus and headed out to the beach, where we saw the oldest Roman lighthouse still working to this day. It was built in the 2nd century after Christ!!!! OLD OLD OLD!!!!! Older than my mom!!!!! (LOVE YOU!!!!!) We also passed The School of Arts and Crafts, where Picasso’s father brought his family to study. We saw a sculpture of a dove and Maria told us the story of how Picasso’s father wasn’t a very good artist and couldn’t make feet. He always made Picasso do the feet of his animals. So when he was asked to make animals, he was so fed up that he sculpted them all without feet. Picasso’s first pieces of work were originated here at the school but they now reside in Barcelona because when his sister died, they moved there and he took his art with him.
On the path up to the lighthouse, there were several sculptures and a statue of Hercules sat there too. The legend says Hercules and his enemy were in love with the same girl so the statue looks like he is on the bones of this man, crushing him for the heart of the lady. Back on the bus, Maria was telling us more information about the lighthouse, but was stopped by a man who was trying to wave to her and let her know her microphone wasn’t working and he couldn’t hear her. She fumbled around on her radio, thinking she wasn’t on. The guy laughed, thinking he had saved the day. It was really funny when we told him that we all could hear her and he should try putting in his headphone! LOL.
When we drove onward, to our hotel for a snack, we saw a free hotel that provided free food but nobody wants to live there…can you figure out why? It was a prison, that Maria, she is so clever. On the highway, we passed a Toys “R” Us!!!!! I was half tempted to stop the bus and look for Legos! She told us that there is a lot of United States influence here but unfortunately their movies are in Spanish. I know that in Brazil, a lot of the movies are still in English with subtitles in Portuguese, and she said the same is true in Portugal but Spain tries to switch it all over. I have tried to watch several movies in Portuguese but it’s distracting when the lips are saying different words and especially when you know the voice of the actor and some other weird voice in talking instead. It throws me off and I have difficulty enjoying the movie. Maria told us she hates it too and wants to hear George Clooney’s real voice ;)
The hotel provided wine and coffee, as well as traditional omelets, tortilla wraps, and cookies. There was a fantastic view of a fortress across the way, which is now an institution. That seems to be pretty common here in Europe, turn the old castles into universities. I hope I can see a castle that still holds its’ royal interiors. I want to sit on a throne!!!!!!
Once back at the port, we dropped the guests off. Robert and I, who went on the same tour but was with a different bus, crossed the street and window-shopped in the local area. Maria had mentioned the shops were owned by the government and would be closed, not sure what exactly “today” was in regards to them but we took a peek around anyways. She was right so we hit up the candy store in the mall and returned to the ship.
I wish my whole family could be here with me, I hope that my next contract will allow them to cruise!
Saint James and The Field of Stars
Tuesday was hands down my favorite port so far. We docked into Vigo, Spain; but I was a tour escort of the neighboring city, Santiago de Compostela. And this city sealed the deal for me, I’m moving here.
My tour guide was Margarina, no relations to the butter she said ;) She was awesome, full of legends and historical events. We boarded a bus and hit the road, because our city was a little over an hour away. I helped hand out headphones and little radios that looked like iPods, so that the guests could listen to Margarina on her microphone. She gave some information about Vigo as we drove out of the city and into the country, then let us take a nice “siesta” (nap) the rest of the way. This was of course, perfect for me because cars affect me right away and I pass out.
Once there, we walked into the square, stopping to taste the samples of delicious cookies ladies were handing out beside their sweet shops. MM….YUMMY!!!! In the square, we saw a beautiful cathedral surrounded by two government buildings and a popular hotel. The church is rich in significance, from the detail in statues to the number of steps (33 for the years in Jesus’ life).
Our next stop was the university. She talked about the weird hours for the library, 7:30 am til 1:30 am. It’s common in Spain to have lunch around 2 followed by a siesta, and since everyone goes home for long dinners, they leave the library open for the students to return late to study. The area had many bars and discos, since it is a college town. I first heard the Brazilian cast refer to clubs as discos and it tickled me. I thought we were out of that era, but apparently not ;)
We made stops at two other squares; one with a statue of horses, and the other the Square of The Dead since there was a cemetery. Margarina took us into an alleyway with a window display of a large, silver incense burner. This was a replica of the original gold burner that was stolen from the city by Napoleon Bonaparte! I saw various food displayed in the restaurants, including entire octopus for sale! She told us that the typical cheese here is shaped like a woman’s breast. A long time ago, a priest reviewing the churches in the town told the sculptor he thought one female saint’s breasts were too big. Well, he was offended and since the ancient people of the town like to play jokes on each other, they shaped their cheese into breasts. The prank lives on to this day.
We took a tour of the Cathedral of Apostles and followed it with a stop at the Monastery. We were told there is a major crisis now because there are too many churches and not enough priests. In fact, present day, each priest has five to six churches he has to serve mass to every Sunday. Margarina spilled a little secret about one priest that was pulled over for the amount of alcohol in his body while driving. He tried to explain he had to get to his other churches to serve and has to consume the holy wine at each, but in the end he had to pay the fine.
Our final stop was the Cathedral of St. James. This church actually holds the bones of Saint James, friend of Jesus! We learned that after the burial site was found, a cathedral was built but it was too small because thousands of people flooded in to pay tribute to the Saint. So another one was erected. However, this church was destroyed when a Muslim leader burnt it down. We were standing at the bottom of the third, and hopefully final, church of St. James.
Inside the cathedral, we saw the Door of Glory that was sculpted out of stone and marble to illustrate Jesus in glory and Saint James welcoming the pilgrims. It was under construction, but she pointed out one of the pillars where the artist had made a stone portrait of himself. Students believed that they could gain the architects’ wisdom if they hit their heads four times against the stone forehead. This, among many other interesting rituals of the church, is no longer permitted.
I’m not sure what I would come to study, but I was so in love with this area. It was so quaint and peaceful, every alleyway had it’s own unique sound and smell, and I could picture myself dining in one of the coffee shops after class. Someday, I will return. I LOVE EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My tour guide was Margarina, no relations to the butter she said ;) She was awesome, full of legends and historical events. We boarded a bus and hit the road, because our city was a little over an hour away. I helped hand out headphones and little radios that looked like iPods, so that the guests could listen to Margarina on her microphone. She gave some information about Vigo as we drove out of the city and into the country, then let us take a nice “siesta” (nap) the rest of the way. This was of course, perfect for me because cars affect me right away and I pass out.
Once there, we walked into the square, stopping to taste the samples of delicious cookies ladies were handing out beside their sweet shops. MM….YUMMY!!!! In the square, we saw a beautiful cathedral surrounded by two government buildings and a popular hotel. The church is rich in significance, from the detail in statues to the number of steps (33 for the years in Jesus’ life).
Our next stop was the university. She talked about the weird hours for the library, 7:30 am til 1:30 am. It’s common in Spain to have lunch around 2 followed by a siesta, and since everyone goes home for long dinners, they leave the library open for the students to return late to study. The area had many bars and discos, since it is a college town. I first heard the Brazilian cast refer to clubs as discos and it tickled me. I thought we were out of that era, but apparently not ;)
We made stops at two other squares; one with a statue of horses, and the other the Square of The Dead since there was a cemetery. Margarina took us into an alleyway with a window display of a large, silver incense burner. This was a replica of the original gold burner that was stolen from the city by Napoleon Bonaparte! I saw various food displayed in the restaurants, including entire octopus for sale! She told us that the typical cheese here is shaped like a woman’s breast. A long time ago, a priest reviewing the churches in the town told the sculptor he thought one female saint’s breasts were too big. Well, he was offended and since the ancient people of the town like to play jokes on each other, they shaped their cheese into breasts. The prank lives on to this day.
We took a tour of the Cathedral of Apostles and followed it with a stop at the Monastery. We were told there is a major crisis now because there are too many churches and not enough priests. In fact, present day, each priest has five to six churches he has to serve mass to every Sunday. Margarina spilled a little secret about one priest that was pulled over for the amount of alcohol in his body while driving. He tried to explain he had to get to his other churches to serve and has to consume the holy wine at each, but in the end he had to pay the fine.
Our final stop was the Cathedral of St. James. This church actually holds the bones of Saint James, friend of Jesus! We learned that after the burial site was found, a cathedral was built but it was too small because thousands of people flooded in to pay tribute to the Saint. So another one was erected. However, this church was destroyed when a Muslim leader burnt it down. We were standing at the bottom of the third, and hopefully final, church of St. James.
Inside the cathedral, we saw the Door of Glory that was sculpted out of stone and marble to illustrate Jesus in glory and Saint James welcoming the pilgrims. It was under construction, but she pointed out one of the pillars where the artist had made a stone portrait of himself. Students believed that they could gain the architects’ wisdom if they hit their heads four times against the stone forehead. This, among many other interesting rituals of the church, is no longer permitted.
I’m not sure what I would come to study, but I was so in love with this area. It was so quaint and peaceful, every alleyway had it’s own unique sound and smell, and I could picture myself dining in one of the coffee shops after class. Someday, I will return. I LOVE EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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