Last night was a terrible night. It started really great, but got a lot worse. Tonight was the last night of presentations. These are the presentations that several countries make each week. This week it was Russia, China, and Italy. Each one consisted of a really long video segment, a couple games, a dance, drinks, and food. When I arrived, I had a shot of vodka and a pickle to wash it down. This is a very good combination; I recommend it to those who haven't had it before. Then I had some Russian salad. By the time I finished talking to people near the Russian table, the presentations had started and there was no Italian pizza left. My laboratory partner told me that he would serve me a piece if I arrived early. Well I got there in time to eat, but I was talking so much I didn't get to eat.
The presentations started with China, I think, then Russia, and Italy. Maybe Russia was first, but they showed each group's preview first. Each one was funny, and gave sampling of what their whole presentation was going to be like. Each one was great, and the videos were really well done. The Russian one was very long, but was of good quality. The Chinese one was pretty cool, but the audio was pretty bad. The Italians showed themselves trying to pickup girls in creative ways, it was very funny, but a little long.
There was an afterparty at a place called Sasazu. I didn't really want to go, but I was convinced by my girl, Ludivine. We travelled with a huge group of people. The whole trip there was much better than the actual club. First, the people that are in our program are really great. There aren't many, or any, really nasty people. Everyone seems to get along pretty well, even though there are over 400 people. However, the times when I've run into other Erasmus students (Erasmus is the European exchange program), I've had a bad time.
Once, I went to an 80's party, I didn't like that some people were trying to cut in front of me, so I told him and his group to get lost. Then later on, I was dancing with Ludivine when two guys came up and started dancing with her, and telling her they thought she was blah blah. So, I had to chase them away, and then had to chase them away again when they came back. Later that night, I watched two guys be assholes, one climbed on something, so he got thrown out of the club.
Last night, the trip to the club was really funny, there were many people in the train. The Brazilian and Portuguese guys were crowd surfing on the train, jumping a lot, and making lot's of noise cheering. We arrived, and had to wait ouside in the cold for 45 minutes. At this point I wanted to go home, but we made it inside. Ludivine and I split up for short time. I had a beer and was watching the crowd. The place is a giant dance floor ringed by bars. I was gazing at the crowd, the light pulsing with the music, when I hear to my right, "you spilled beer on me!" A guy, probably a foot taller than me, was yelling at a shorter bald guy. The bald guy did something to the tall guy, so the tall guy pushed the small one saying, "don't touch me!" Somebody threw a punch, the small guy tried to get in close to punch the taller guys face. I stood with my half full plastic beer cup and tried to stay out of their path. The small guy was only up to the other's armpits, and was in a dire situation. Fighting with someone looking into their chest is not a good place, especially one who has about 30 lb on you. They both hit the ground with the big guy on top. Thwap! Thwap! Thwap! The big guy barraged the bald guy's face with his huge fist and arm, the small guy went limp. Blood started coming out of his nose. Thwap! I dropped my beer and jumped on the big guy, pulling his neck with my forearm. He stopped punching the small guy, since he couldn't reach him. Then he started to back off. I let go and walked away, lest he turn his anger to me. Luckily he didn't, he looked at me, and then walked away the opposite direction into the crowd. The bald guy lay bleeding from the nost, a circle of people closing around. Phone calls were made, and security rushed over. He was limp for another minute, but then stirred, and eventually stood up.
I usually don't like to intervene in other people's problems, but when I saw that the guy was knocked out, I thought he was going to kill him. I really don't like this club now, and (sadly) I especially don't like the parties with other Erasmus students...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Prague First Week (continued)
The next day, was a Friday, but for me it was like a weekend everyday for a week. Demarcus and I met my buddy here in the dorm. Vojtech was going to take us to some of his favorite places. For lunch, since we had no idea how to eat, we went to a gyro place and got some yummy meaty sandwiches. I have posted the picture of this event in the previous entry. People here call them kebabs, not gyros. At least my buddy does.
Then we went and played some more pool. It was really nice, kind of early in the day, and no responsibilities. I had been warned before about the toilets in the Czech Republic. Sometimes they do not have toilet paper, and sometimes they do not work. In the basement there were many toilets and many of them didn't work. I was a little scared of being in this place, because of the front door. To leave the building, the door had to be unlocked by the receptionist. If there was some kind of emergency, this would be a problem. This system was used so that people don't leave without paying, but it made me feel unsafe.
The next week was a learning experience. Firstly, there is a kind of collective information system that was used by us, called word of mouth. This works like this, one person learns something that all the Americans should do, and then tells someone, who then tells someone, until everyone knows. At the time, we were like children, having no idea how to do anything. How do we do laundry? How do we eat? When are the menzas (cafeterias) open? The problem with this method of information transfer is its unreliability; people provide incorrect times, dates and other things. Learning how to use the menza was funny. We were given student cards that could be used to buy food. Somebody said that we needed to put money on the card to use it, but nobody knew where we had to do that. For some time, we didn't know where the menza in our building was; there are two or three eating establishments in or near the lobby of our building. The one that we could see from the entrance was not the menza, the one in the basement wasn't either, but there was a sign on the door of the first that indicated where breakfast could be found. However, the arrow on the sign was not very descriptive, until I realized that there is a sort of hidden hallway next to the staircase, and the menza is down that hall.
The lobby of the building has five stairs in it. There is a staircase straight from the entrance, the main stairs for this part of the building; then there are four stairs kind of like an H without the middle line. I have many choices for stairs, and if I see someone I don't want to talk to, I can simply can another set of stairs.
The first night I went out to a club, the Americans decided to go to the "five story club," which has a real name, but no one can remember it. This was the first night that I hung out with the Americans, since most of them I've never met. Demarcus is the only one in my grade, the rest are Juniors. I think this was a Tuesday, but I'm not sure. I think there were 12 of us. It was around midnight when we got to the tram stop. We were supposed to take one tram into the city and then walk, we let one tram go past, and were waiting for the next. We waited for about an hour, and decided to take the tram that came. All the Americans were drinking beer and using the bushes across the street.
Where was the freaking tram? Why hadn't the right number come yet? Because, the last tram, with the number we wanted, had already left. Now, only the night trams were running. Luckily, we had someone with us who could find directions. He was one of the American's flat-mates, from Russia.
There are many Russians going here, who are from Siberia, and they all live in our dorm. They're very nice, and are really fun to hang out with. For a long time I thought that this guy was named Alex, but I was mistaken, his name is Oleg. I trusted that he would find out where we had to go, since he was text messaging someone who lives here. However, we got the second set of directions wrong.
We would take the next night tram and get off at some stop; it really didn't matter where we got out. About 40 minutes before we got on the tram, two of the Americans, Dearon, and I think Sam, decided to go on an adventure. They would walk there. I thought that this was a really silly idea. After my time in Tokyo, I would never walk anywhere for fear of getting completely lost. This was the night I realized how much smaller Prague is. We said bon voyage to them, and continued waiting, knowing full well that we would never see them again. I actually thought that we would get there at the same time as them, because things usually end up like that. For example, when I was in NYC, two groups of people were going to a bar. One group went by train, and the other by car. We went from Brooklyn to Queens, and we both got there around the same time. We took the tram to a stop right next to the river. We were supposed to transfer to another tram, but it was across the street, and we didn't get on it. Again, the group split up. Some people decided to walk to the club, and some were going to wait. I was going to wait for the next tram, but then we found out that we had missed it.
We started to cross the bridge, when the two missing Americans appeared. I was completely bewildered, there was a river to one side, and a giant hill to the other. Dearon explained how they were walking around, ran into some people, who gave them a beer, and pointed them in the right direction. Then they walked through this big park and down a giant set of stairs to the bridge. I thought we were going to see them at the club, but was happy to see them a little earlier.
We walked along the river to the famous Charles bridge, and through a kind of underpass, filled with little stores selling junk. The club was just outside this tunnel. It was a hundred crowns to enter. I was surprised that the bars inside served beer in glass cups. I also found out that bartenders change the price of beer randomly. At this place they charge you and then ask if they can keep the change. In the Czech Republic tipping is usually just the change, not the usual 15%-20% in the USA. Each floor of the club is a different kind of music. People ended up dancing on different floors, but I think the group I was with was dancing in the hottest one. I don't remember what I was wearing, but I was sweating up a storm the whole time I was there. I would take breathers and beers after about 15 minutes of dancing.
I had lots of fun dancing in a circle, dancing as pairs, dancing by myself, etc. Now that I think back on it, I'm not sure if I'm remembering the first time or some other time I was there. Anyway, I had fun the times that I was there. However, like most clubs, there is some time when all the girls leave, resulting in many guys.
What I learned from this experience, find out the tram to get there and back, and find out the times of the trams, before walking out the door. It can be a hassle to find the right tram. If you do know the last tram that you need, you still need to know what tram connects with that one, and where. It really stinks when you have to wander around looking for the tram, or when you have no idea what tram to take. Luckily there is a nice website that can figure out how to get from one place to another, for the whole country. It includes information on connections, and times. Another nice feature of the Czech transportation system is the timing. Trams, buses, and the metro are usually on time, or arrive within a minute of the scheduled time, and all this information is online.
Then we went and played some more pool. It was really nice, kind of early in the day, and no responsibilities. I had been warned before about the toilets in the Czech Republic. Sometimes they do not have toilet paper, and sometimes they do not work. In the basement there were many toilets and many of them didn't work. I was a little scared of being in this place, because of the front door. To leave the building, the door had to be unlocked by the receptionist. If there was some kind of emergency, this would be a problem. This system was used so that people don't leave without paying, but it made me feel unsafe.
The next week was a learning experience. Firstly, there is a kind of collective information system that was used by us, called word of mouth. This works like this, one person learns something that all the Americans should do, and then tells someone, who then tells someone, until everyone knows. At the time, we were like children, having no idea how to do anything. How do we do laundry? How do we eat? When are the menzas (cafeterias) open? The problem with this method of information transfer is its unreliability; people provide incorrect times, dates and other things. Learning how to use the menza was funny. We were given student cards that could be used to buy food. Somebody said that we needed to put money on the card to use it, but nobody knew where we had to do that. For some time, we didn't know where the menza in our building was; there are two or three eating establishments in or near the lobby of our building. The one that we could see from the entrance was not the menza, the one in the basement wasn't either, but there was a sign on the door of the first that indicated where breakfast could be found. However, the arrow on the sign was not very descriptive, until I realized that there is a sort of hidden hallway next to the staircase, and the menza is down that hall.
The lobby of the building has five stairs in it. There is a staircase straight from the entrance, the main stairs for this part of the building; then there are four stairs kind of like an H without the middle line. I have many choices for stairs, and if I see someone I don't want to talk to, I can simply can another set of stairs.
The first night I went out to a club, the Americans decided to go to the "five story club," which has a real name, but no one can remember it. This was the first night that I hung out with the Americans, since most of them I've never met. Demarcus is the only one in my grade, the rest are Juniors. I think this was a Tuesday, but I'm not sure. I think there were 12 of us. It was around midnight when we got to the tram stop. We were supposed to take one tram into the city and then walk, we let one tram go past, and were waiting for the next. We waited for about an hour, and decided to take the tram that came. All the Americans were drinking beer and using the bushes across the street.
Where was the freaking tram? Why hadn't the right number come yet? Because, the last tram, with the number we wanted, had already left. Now, only the night trams were running. Luckily, we had someone with us who could find directions. He was one of the American's flat-mates, from Russia.
There are many Russians going here, who are from Siberia, and they all live in our dorm. They're very nice, and are really fun to hang out with. For a long time I thought that this guy was named Alex, but I was mistaken, his name is Oleg. I trusted that he would find out where we had to go, since he was text messaging someone who lives here. However, we got the second set of directions wrong.
We would take the next night tram and get off at some stop; it really didn't matter where we got out. About 40 minutes before we got on the tram, two of the Americans, Dearon, and I think Sam, decided to go on an adventure. They would walk there. I thought that this was a really silly idea. After my time in Tokyo, I would never walk anywhere for fear of getting completely lost. This was the night I realized how much smaller Prague is. We said bon voyage to them, and continued waiting, knowing full well that we would never see them again. I actually thought that we would get there at the same time as them, because things usually end up like that. For example, when I was in NYC, two groups of people were going to a bar. One group went by train, and the other by car. We went from Brooklyn to Queens, and we both got there around the same time. We took the tram to a stop right next to the river. We were supposed to transfer to another tram, but it was across the street, and we didn't get on it. Again, the group split up. Some people decided to walk to the club, and some were going to wait. I was going to wait for the next tram, but then we found out that we had missed it.
We started to cross the bridge, when the two missing Americans appeared. I was completely bewildered, there was a river to one side, and a giant hill to the other. Dearon explained how they were walking around, ran into some people, who gave them a beer, and pointed them in the right direction. Then they walked through this big park and down a giant set of stairs to the bridge. I thought we were going to see them at the club, but was happy to see them a little earlier.
We walked along the river to the famous Charles bridge, and through a kind of underpass, filled with little stores selling junk. The club was just outside this tunnel. It was a hundred crowns to enter. I was surprised that the bars inside served beer in glass cups. I also found out that bartenders change the price of beer randomly. At this place they charge you and then ask if they can keep the change. In the Czech Republic tipping is usually just the change, not the usual 15%-20% in the USA. Each floor of the club is a different kind of music. People ended up dancing on different floors, but I think the group I was with was dancing in the hottest one. I don't remember what I was wearing, but I was sweating up a storm the whole time I was there. I would take breathers and beers after about 15 minutes of dancing.
I had lots of fun dancing in a circle, dancing as pairs, dancing by myself, etc. Now that I think back on it, I'm not sure if I'm remembering the first time or some other time I was there. Anyway, I had fun the times that I was there. However, like most clubs, there is some time when all the girls leave, resulting in many guys.
What I learned from this experience, find out the tram to get there and back, and find out the times of the trams, before walking out the door. It can be a hassle to find the right tram. If you do know the last tram that you need, you still need to know what tram connects with that one, and where. It really stinks when you have to wander around looking for the tram, or when you have no idea what tram to take. Luckily there is a nice website that can figure out how to get from one place to another, for the whole country. It includes information on connections, and times. Another nice feature of the Czech transportation system is the timing. Trams, buses, and the metro are usually on time, or arrive within a minute of the scheduled time, and all this information is online.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Prague First Week (continued)
After two beers, one light and one dark, we were both feeling pretty good. We were full and happy. I'd never had Czech food in a Czech restaurant. I learned that there are some unhealthy things in the Czech republic. My list of unhealthy things now had two items, beer and fried cheese.
We went back to the dorm, and ran into some other Union students. The other two Electrical Engineers were going out with their buddies. We made plans to meet later. It was quite an adventure. Every city I've been to looks completely different at night. The neighborhood of the dorm is simply empty, but the downtown area is really magnificent at night. There are lots of people, and the lighting is wonderful. The type of people changes too; instead of tourists shopping, it's people enjoying drinks outside, and going to hang out with their friends or going to a bar. I had never been to the city center before, so going there was kind of like going into a maze. I didn't recognize anything, and since it was night, I couldn't even guess at what direction we were going. It's like when you get in a cab in a new city, and the driver just goes. When we got off the train, Vojtech told me that we were at the biggest square in Prague, or maybe it was the longest square. There are two squares in Prague that I went to. So we walked down along this square, then down some small streets and finally found the pub that we were looking for. It had green lettering above the entrance. We walked into the ground floor, which was a small bar, and then past this, down some stairs into the basement. The basement was a huge beer hall, equipped with a huge bar, and giant wooden tables. They served the famous Pilzner, in half litre mugs. Vojtech had mentioned that you have to pay for everything, but I was kind of hungry and I thought it was so nice that there were pretzels on the table. So I had to pay about a dollar for a really bad pretzel. They have them on the table for people like me. Here, I met Dan, Nate, and their buddies. We drank a few beers and talked loudly. The inside of the place was really neat. The ceilings were high, the barmen were large, and there was a lot of copper near the bar. We decided to play pool in some place I'd never been before. However, we would first go to another bar.
We went to a place that I learned was known for having underage people. It was three Union guys, Nate, Dan, and me, with three Czech guys, Vojtech, George, and another friend, George. One George is very tall, and when I saw him 2 weeks ago, had blue hair. The other George I haven't seen since. However, these were not their real names, but for the sake of our American tongues, and ears, they were George. If you asked me now to retrace my steps, I wouldn't be able to tell you at all. I was truly a sheep following the herd. We were in a fairly bright place, mabye one of the major squares. From there we we about a block or two to a darker street, with crumbling and graffitied walls. The place was empty on the first floor. There was a bar, where we each got a beer. There was a spiral staircase to the basement, from which a lot of noise was coming. As we walked down the stairs, we looked to the source of the commotion, which was a large table of about 15 young people. I think each one of us paused a moment to look at them. The basement was big enough to fit about 4 tables, with some walking room in the middle. The big group took up 2 tables opposite from where we sat. I think there was either another bar there, or just a lady to look after the basement, but I wasn't really paying attention to that corner of the room. We talked and had a nice time. This was where I heard that the legal age is much lower in the Czech Republic, than in the USA. These other people were probably school kids, who shouldn't have been out late drinking beer in some pub. I think they left the pub at about 11, because it was probably their bedtimes.
We left shortly after to play pool.
The pool place was gigantic. It was also down an alley, and was a little scary from the outside. This place used to be a gymnasium of some sort, and is now a pool hall, with bowling, table tennis, and (of course) a bar. Some of us got another beer, I think all the Americans did. We played Americans against Czechs, and we lost. The Czechs and the Americans split up and went to their respective homes. Now that I'm writing this, I don't remember how we got home, but I think it was using the metro. Vojtech lives about 45 minutes from my dorm, in the opposite direction, and I don't think the other Czechs lived in the same direction either. So now I'm curious as to how we managed to get back. Well, since it's really easy by metro we probably did that.
Pool hall!
We went back to the dorm, and ran into some other Union students. The other two Electrical Engineers were going out with their buddies. We made plans to meet later. It was quite an adventure. Every city I've been to looks completely different at night. The neighborhood of the dorm is simply empty, but the downtown area is really magnificent at night. There are lots of people, and the lighting is wonderful. The type of people changes too; instead of tourists shopping, it's people enjoying drinks outside, and going to hang out with their friends or going to a bar. I had never been to the city center before, so going there was kind of like going into a maze. I didn't recognize anything, and since it was night, I couldn't even guess at what direction we were going. It's like when you get in a cab in a new city, and the driver just goes. When we got off the train, Vojtech told me that we were at the biggest square in Prague, or maybe it was the longest square. There are two squares in Prague that I went to. So we walked down along this square, then down some small streets and finally found the pub that we were looking for. It had green lettering above the entrance. We walked into the ground floor, which was a small bar, and then past this, down some stairs into the basement. The basement was a huge beer hall, equipped with a huge bar, and giant wooden tables. They served the famous Pilzner, in half litre mugs. Vojtech had mentioned that you have to pay for everything, but I was kind of hungry and I thought it was so nice that there were pretzels on the table. So I had to pay about a dollar for a really bad pretzel. They have them on the table for people like me. Here, I met Dan, Nate, and their buddies. We drank a few beers and talked loudly. The inside of the place was really neat. The ceilings were high, the barmen were large, and there was a lot of copper near the bar. We decided to play pool in some place I'd never been before. However, we would first go to another bar.
We went to a place that I learned was known for having underage people. It was three Union guys, Nate, Dan, and me, with three Czech guys, Vojtech, George, and another friend, George. One George is very tall, and when I saw him 2 weeks ago, had blue hair. The other George I haven't seen since. However, these were not their real names, but for the sake of our American tongues, and ears, they were George. If you asked me now to retrace my steps, I wouldn't be able to tell you at all. I was truly a sheep following the herd. We were in a fairly bright place, mabye one of the major squares. From there we we about a block or two to a darker street, with crumbling and graffitied walls. The place was empty on the first floor. There was a bar, where we each got a beer. There was a spiral staircase to the basement, from which a lot of noise was coming. As we walked down the stairs, we looked to the source of the commotion, which was a large table of about 15 young people. I think each one of us paused a moment to look at them. The basement was big enough to fit about 4 tables, with some walking room in the middle. The big group took up 2 tables opposite from where we sat. I think there was either another bar there, or just a lady to look after the basement, but I wasn't really paying attention to that corner of the room. We talked and had a nice time. This was where I heard that the legal age is much lower in the Czech Republic, than in the USA. These other people were probably school kids, who shouldn't have been out late drinking beer in some pub. I think they left the pub at about 11, because it was probably their bedtimes.
We left shortly after to play pool.
The pool place was gigantic. It was also down an alley, and was a little scary from the outside. This place used to be a gymnasium of some sort, and is now a pool hall, with bowling, table tennis, and (of course) a bar. Some of us got another beer, I think all the Americans did. We played Americans against Czechs, and we lost. The Czechs and the Americans split up and went to their respective homes. Now that I'm writing this, I don't remember how we got home, but I think it was using the metro. Vojtech lives about 45 minutes from my dorm, in the opposite direction, and I don't think the other Czechs lived in the same direction either. So now I'm curious as to how we managed to get back. Well, since it's really easy by metro we probably did that.
Pool hall!Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Prague First Week
9/10/09
I'm writing this now about two weeks late. It's Wednesday around noon, and I'm supposed to go to the gym today. Luckily that's my only plan for the whole day. I now have my class schedule, and had one class yesterday called Photovoltaics; it's about solar cells and solar panels. We got a high level overview of all the things that need to be factored into designing a solar plant. Meaning everything related to the sun, ie. the path of the sun during the day, the path of the sun over the course of the year, the incoming power in the radiation, etc. We had a laboratory session, which was really fun. The building with the laboratory has a really large space in the middle, sliced into smaller rooms, and is partially ringed by a hallway. This hallway was actually only a U, and our room was at the top of the U. We rang a doorbell, which seemed to have the right number, except for the letter a at the end. A guy came to the door, and was extremely unhelpful. The door said 32 on it, but we had to go to 32a. He said there was no class here. To which we responded, "fine, where is 32a." He sidestepped this question and said flatly, "surely your class is not here." So we left in a huff, and walked all the way around the U to the other side of the room. There was a door that said 32a, and we could see that guy sitting at the other side of the room. I was very peeved at that man when our professor came, and let us into the lab room.
There were many doors in the left wall, that led to the labs. Turns out the "walls" between the various labs were less than 6 feet tall, so they weren't really rooms. The lab was only wide enough for a lab bench and sitting space, so if someone wanted to get by, we had to scoot in. It was quite fun. We learned about the typical solar cell's voltage current characteristic, and about what factors affect it. Turns out that an increase in temperature decreases a cell's efficiency. So maybe there is more sun in the desert, but the solar panels won't not run as efficiently. A typical rating is 0.4% efficiency per degree kelvin. Room temperature is 20 degrees centigrade, but his example was a cell at 80 degrees centigrade, meaning a 24% decrease in efficiency, I think. I'm sure we'll learn about this in more detail later. My trip to Prague was a lot more interesting.
I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Thankfully, my roommate had an alarm that worked pretty well. Maybe his cell phone. It would talk to you in a quiet, but building, high pitched voice that said, "good morning." Kind of a strange thing to wake up to, but it worked. After checking in, I waited in the terminal, and could see a plane out the window that seemed like it was ours, mainly because the hallway that all the other passengers were heading down, went towards a plane. I was grateful that soon I would be sitting. I gave them my ticket and walked down the hall toward the plane, but the end was blocked off, and I was forced down a flight of stairs, and onto a bus. My heart skipped a beat, and the image of my dad ordering tickets came into my head. I could see him choosing the very cheapest tickets, but somehow not noticing the travel time, "15 hours by bus." Then I thought that maybe the plane had been canceled, and they were just going to drive us by bus. Luckily, it was just the bus to the plane, but I still had to stand, and wait for the rest of the passengers. I felt so cheated; this plane was sitting right there waiting for us, and they had waved it in front of our faces and then packed us all into a bus instead. The bus took us to the plane and the plane took us to Prague.
Thankfully there were no customs this time, so I got my bag quickly, and met my buddy outside. We got on a bus that took us along an unknown street. It was a little hilly, and quite barren. It turns out that this bus actually went right to the school. I've learned that there is a bus circle here, and that many people come through this area on their way to wherever. This is also the last stop on one of the subway lines. People take the train here and then take a bus or tram out of the city. There are constantly people with luggage waiting for the bus, or changing to another mode of transportation.
My buddy, whose name I can't type out in Czech, took me to fill out some paperwork for housing. He took me to the bank to take out 8,000 Czech crowns, which is about 500 dollars. 5,000 of this was a security deposit for housing, so I'll get some of it back. Then there were a bunch of other things I had to buy and wait in line for. The photos I brought were too big, so we had to go to the photo booth in the train station. The booth had instructions in English, but said them all really loudly, to my embarrassment. Then we didn't have any change so my buddy had to go buy a stick of gum. While I was waiting outside the booth, some lady came up in front of me, faced the wall, and I think talked to herself. It was kind of strange. The photos came out, but my blue/green, yellow hair, looked a little different in the pictures. I then got 4 new pieces of identification: a resident card for the building, an international student club card, an id for the transit system, and a student id for the school. That's in addition to my international student id card, college id card, state id card, and passport. Oh and my debit card has a picture of me on it too. I arrived at around noon, and we finished all this necessary stuff at around 4pm. My buddy, Voitah as it's pronounced, took me to the nearest food place.
The place we went is right on campus, and the downstairs felt really dated. This is about when I realized that I wouldn't be able to understand, or even guess at, anything. Everything was in Czech, but there were pictures. My buddy told me he was getting a famous Czech dish, "frightened cheese." This really confused me, but after some discussion we figured out that it was really, fried cheese. Something like a giant mozzarella stick, but when I asked what kind of cheese, the response was "brick cheese."
Here is a picture of Vojtech (my buddy), and Demarcus, on Friday eating some yummy gyros.
I'm writing this now about two weeks late. It's Wednesday around noon, and I'm supposed to go to the gym today. Luckily that's my only plan for the whole day. I now have my class schedule, and had one class yesterday called Photovoltaics; it's about solar cells and solar panels. We got a high level overview of all the things that need to be factored into designing a solar plant. Meaning everything related to the sun, ie. the path of the sun during the day, the path of the sun over the course of the year, the incoming power in the radiation, etc. We had a laboratory session, which was really fun. The building with the laboratory has a really large space in the middle, sliced into smaller rooms, and is partially ringed by a hallway. This hallway was actually only a U, and our room was at the top of the U. We rang a doorbell, which seemed to have the right number, except for the letter a at the end. A guy came to the door, and was extremely unhelpful. The door said 32 on it, but we had to go to 32a. He said there was no class here. To which we responded, "fine, where is 32a." He sidestepped this question and said flatly, "surely your class is not here." So we left in a huff, and walked all the way around the U to the other side of the room. There was a door that said 32a, and we could see that guy sitting at the other side of the room. I was very peeved at that man when our professor came, and let us into the lab room.
There were many doors in the left wall, that led to the labs. Turns out the "walls" between the various labs were less than 6 feet tall, so they weren't really rooms. The lab was only wide enough for a lab bench and sitting space, so if someone wanted to get by, we had to scoot in. It was quite fun. We learned about the typical solar cell's voltage current characteristic, and about what factors affect it. Turns out that an increase in temperature decreases a cell's efficiency. So maybe there is more sun in the desert, but the solar panels won't not run as efficiently. A typical rating is 0.4% efficiency per degree kelvin. Room temperature is 20 degrees centigrade, but his example was a cell at 80 degrees centigrade, meaning a 24% decrease in efficiency, I think. I'm sure we'll learn about this in more detail later. My trip to Prague was a lot more interesting.
I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Thankfully, my roommate had an alarm that worked pretty well. Maybe his cell phone. It would talk to you in a quiet, but building, high pitched voice that said, "good morning." Kind of a strange thing to wake up to, but it worked. After checking in, I waited in the terminal, and could see a plane out the window that seemed like it was ours, mainly because the hallway that all the other passengers were heading down, went towards a plane. I was grateful that soon I would be sitting. I gave them my ticket and walked down the hall toward the plane, but the end was blocked off, and I was forced down a flight of stairs, and onto a bus. My heart skipped a beat, and the image of my dad ordering tickets came into my head. I could see him choosing the very cheapest tickets, but somehow not noticing the travel time, "15 hours by bus." Then I thought that maybe the plane had been canceled, and they were just going to drive us by bus. Luckily, it was just the bus to the plane, but I still had to stand, and wait for the rest of the passengers. I felt so cheated; this plane was sitting right there waiting for us, and they had waved it in front of our faces and then packed us all into a bus instead. The bus took us to the plane and the plane took us to Prague.
Thankfully there were no customs this time, so I got my bag quickly, and met my buddy outside. We got on a bus that took us along an unknown street. It was a little hilly, and quite barren. It turns out that this bus actually went right to the school. I've learned that there is a bus circle here, and that many people come through this area on their way to wherever. This is also the last stop on one of the subway lines. People take the train here and then take a bus or tram out of the city. There are constantly people with luggage waiting for the bus, or changing to another mode of transportation.
My buddy, whose name I can't type out in Czech, took me to fill out some paperwork for housing. He took me to the bank to take out 8,000 Czech crowns, which is about 500 dollars. 5,000 of this was a security deposit for housing, so I'll get some of it back. Then there were a bunch of other things I had to buy and wait in line for. The photos I brought were too big, so we had to go to the photo booth in the train station. The booth had instructions in English, but said them all really loudly, to my embarrassment. Then we didn't have any change so my buddy had to go buy a stick of gum. While I was waiting outside the booth, some lady came up in front of me, faced the wall, and I think talked to herself. It was kind of strange. The photos came out, but my blue/green, yellow hair, looked a little different in the pictures. I then got 4 new pieces of identification: a resident card for the building, an international student club card, an id for the transit system, and a student id for the school. That's in addition to my international student id card, college id card, state id card, and passport. Oh and my debit card has a picture of me on it too. I arrived at around noon, and we finished all this necessary stuff at around 4pm. My buddy, Voitah as it's pronounced, took me to the nearest food place.
The place we went is right on campus, and the downstairs felt really dated. This is about when I realized that I wouldn't be able to understand, or even guess at, anything. Everything was in Czech, but there were pictures. My buddy told me he was getting a famous Czech dish, "frightened cheese." This really confused me, but after some discussion we figured out that it was really, fried cheese. Something like a giant mozzarella stick, but when I asked what kind of cheese, the response was "brick cheese."
Here is a picture of Vojtech (my buddy), and Demarcus, on Friday eating some yummy gyros.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Day 6
Wednesday 9/9/09
This morning all four of the roommates had breakfast. We had a nice talk and then went our separate ways. I took a nap and was late meeting Shelly. I actually got really lost and was a half hour late, but she had gone shopping anyway. When we met, we had lunch at the corner, which was really delicious and cheap. It was thirteen euro for an appetizer, a main dish, and a beer. The appetizer was eggplant and some kind of cream, and the main dish was a salad. The salad had an oil and vinegar dressing and consisted of thin slices of meat and beans with onions. I was very happy after that meal. We took the bus and saw the Rodin museum and Napoleon's tomb. The best ones were of lovers. The human forms entwined in each other and blending into the stone. The bare skin of the figures gave radiated carnality. Napoleon's tomb was very different, it was so overdone that it lost any sense of authenticity. None of it could be taken seriously. Afterward I said farewell to Shelly and headed back to the hostel.
Napoleon's Tomb
Pretty
Today is my last full day in Paris, I am catching an early flight tomorrow morning. I think I have to leave here at seven thirty to get to the airport in time. I will bring my phrase books along so that I can navigate properly. I hope that my buddy finds me at the airport. I will be getting dinner soon and putting some letters in the post box. Unfortunately some of the pictures that I took today were corrupted and lost. So I don't have any pictures of the tower up close. Next time I write I will be in Prague...
I saw this and had to take a picture and post it, sorry
I had a really crazy, and great time at the bar last night. You see after writing for a few hours, my roommates came back, and just by chance our schedules worked out perfectly. Three of us went to eat, and we decided to meet the fourth for drinks later in the evening. The three of us walked down the strip, at prime time. The streets were crowded with people dipping in and out of small crowded shops. People seemed to come from all directions. There were some young people with backpacks trying to stop people on the street. One such lady had stopped me earlier, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. The encounter was silly though, because I saw what she was trying to do. I made eye contact by accident and knew that she was going after me. I tried to side step her about 20 feet away, but she countered with continued eye contact and a wave, that said "I see you." Then I think I said something in English and that changed her attitude to, "oh you don't understand me, that's maybe why you were dodging me."
We ate at some cafe near the Bastille. I got an oversized steak thing with pomme frites. It was gigantic, and with a lot of fat. I realized after I ate it that I probably should have ordered something else. My roommates both had some pasta, that looked really delicious. We then went to get some gellato, but held off when we actually got there because only one of us really wanted it. So we went to another place directly in front of the train station and had some coffee. I remember the conversation was lively, and very fun. We were relaxing with our cafe, as I am now, when we realized that we had to meet our other roommate.
Made me feel very full
Malik and Hiro (right)
Shortly after we returned our fourth buddy returned. He informed us that he had gone for some food, and had met an Italian guy. We went to meet these new people at a nearby bar. We walked for a while, down to the Bastille and then down a very crowded street. The tides of people were now gone from the main street near the hostel, and were now in this off centre street that was full of bars and clubs. I wished I had known about this place before, but it doesn't matter because now I know where to go next time. We skipped most of the places and our Italian roomy, Simone, found the right place. I can't remember the name, but I do remember certain things about it. It was quite dark inside, and the wood was relatively dark as well. The WC was in the back corner and I think it was behind a crinkled glass door. It was all graffiti on the inside and not in very good condition. The entrance was in the middle of the front, and the bar was right to the right of the door, and then went straight back. It was a narrow place and was not very deep either. There were a few small tables to the left against the wall, then a couple more against the back wall. The table we chose was after the end of the bar but in the center. We had met up with about four people; thus making the group a total of about seven. So it was difficult for us all to fit at one table. There were two bartenders, one guy and one girl. The girl was extremely beautiful in my opinion. Blonde, slender, a gorgeous face, and a very attractive accent. She was one of those people that you hope looks back at you when you look at them. Fortunately for me I was a customer so she had to look at me. Later in the night, the people sitting at the back wall were very noisy, and spilled several drinks on the table and on the ground.
We had met a number of very nice people; Marco had met our roommate Simone. Simone, you pronounce the e at the end in case I hadn't already mentioned it, had gone to a different place earlier to watch a football game, and had made acquaintances with Marco. He said that he had heard some Italian being spoken and then made conversation about the game. I find that Americans are not as friendly. Then again some of us are here in Europe with the mindset that we don't want to meet more Americans. I'm lucky so far, and have only met really wonderful people. There is very little antagonism going on amongst the people I've met here. I think today, three weeks after arriving, I saw the first couple glimpses. There was talk that certain groups were not very friendly, but there are people in every group that become somewhat disliked. For example I think there is one guy who is going to be disliked by most of the girls, and I may be disliked for breaking hearts. The other three roommates, me, Hiro, and Malik, were very happy to meet new people that night. We met Marco's friends, Andrew, a girl whose name I can't remember, and at least one other guy, but I can't remember certain names. It was a truly hilarious and fun night from then on.
I think we were all introduced outside, because there were many smokers, and you can't smoke inside in Paris anymore. We quickly moved inside, and sat at the table. I found out a little about almost everyone. Marco and Simone talked a lot to one another in Italian. Late in the night, they were sitting across the table, talking like mad, and not in English. I was later informed by Marco, that there are many different dialects or languages spoken within Italy. That each region speaks its own language that others can't really understand. He told me about the vatican and Rome, and how they had a kind of private army. He told me about Sardinia and Sicily. He spoke English, French and Italian, was tall, had brown hairs, wore glasses and smoked cigarettes.
There was Andrew, Marco's friend, who is blonde, smoked cigarettes, was originally from Canada, and speaks French, Italian, English and understands Spanish. He was studying to manage people's funds and lives south of Paris. Turns out my hair had turned the same colors as their town's rugby team. So it was good luck for them, since they have been ranked very highly, but have never quite had the glory of some championship.
Then there was this girl, who was very pretty, and really talkative. I can't remember where this started, but she was very insistent on talking to me. However, there was one difficulty, that she didn't speak English, and I didn't speak French. So whenever she wanted to talk to me she had to get someone to translate it. Usually this meant nudging someone who was in another conversation. Marco and Andrew were the usual translators. She would spew these long French lines, and monologues, that would then need to be translated for me. Then I would find something to respond with.
I was sitting at the table with Hiro on my right, and Malik across from him. The French girl sat across from me, with Marco next to her, and Simone on my left. I think this was more or less how we sat at the table for the whole night. One of the first things I found out about her was when Marco said to me across the table, "don't get any ideas, she's Andrew's girl." Still she kept getting Marco to translate, for both of us. I don't remember the conversations, except when she spoke in English, which happened for a while. Then I also told a friend's story, that took about fifteen minutes, because I had to talk very slowly. Afterwords, Malik said, "wow, that took a long time." I had my phrase book, which was pretty much useless, since I could only say stock things. I knew how to say, things like, "I'd like a beer," and "I'd like some water." "How are you?" I could look up phrases, but the best ones were about dating, and I couldn't use them. As the night went on and she got more frustrated, she started yelling at me "TRYYY!!!!!" Then she thought I was making fun of her because I couldn't say anything. Malik tried to intervene, by giving me French words or phrases, but it was no help. Never having taken French, ever. I couldn't do anything. She did try and talk to Hiro for a while as well, and we all tried to teach one another words or phrases, which was a lot of fun.This was probably after two or three hours after we'd arrived, but it was good because I was afraid I was going to get beaten up for talking to this guy's girl too much. It was funny when she'd speak a stream of French and the translation was "She said, she wants to be able to talk to a blue headed American boy." I didn't have a good response to these kinds of statements. She finally got frustrated with me and the group split up. I stayed with Hiro and Malik, while she went with the French and Italians. I was a little relieved, because she was not getting upset at me anymore, and a little happy, because she had not gotten thoroughly upset. It was an experience that I don't think any of us will forget, nor be able to retell well. Hiro, Malik and me, all sat and intently tried to converse with one another and this girl, for a few hours.
It turns out that there were many people there that were related to Andrew. This girl was his girl, Marco his friend, his brother came later in the night, and the beautiful bartender was his sister. I was so lucky to be in the company of this fine group of people, and to have met all of someone's siblings. I must say they were a very good looking family. We stayed till closing, and then we exchanged e-mails. I thought I would be able to send them emails later that weekend, but I was so overwhelmed with things to do the next week, that it took some time. I hope I can stay in touch with them, and maybe get some good stories from them.
We said our goodbyes, and made the long trek back to the hostel. I am very grateful to Simone for finding such a nice group of people. I think it was the best note to end my stay in Paris on.
This morning all four of the roommates had breakfast. We had a nice talk and then went our separate ways. I took a nap and was late meeting Shelly. I actually got really lost and was a half hour late, but she had gone shopping anyway. When we met, we had lunch at the corner, which was really delicious and cheap. It was thirteen euro for an appetizer, a main dish, and a beer. The appetizer was eggplant and some kind of cream, and the main dish was a salad. The salad had an oil and vinegar dressing and consisted of thin slices of meat and beans with onions. I was very happy after that meal. We took the bus and saw the Rodin museum and Napoleon's tomb. The best ones were of lovers. The human forms entwined in each other and blending into the stone. The bare skin of the figures gave radiated carnality. Napoleon's tomb was very different, it was so overdone that it lost any sense of authenticity. None of it could be taken seriously. Afterward I said farewell to Shelly and headed back to the hostel.
Napoleon's Tomb
Pretty
I saw this and had to take a picture and post it, sorryI had a really crazy, and great time at the bar last night. You see after writing for a few hours, my roommates came back, and just by chance our schedules worked out perfectly. Three of us went to eat, and we decided to meet the fourth for drinks later in the evening. The three of us walked down the strip, at prime time. The streets were crowded with people dipping in and out of small crowded shops. People seemed to come from all directions. There were some young people with backpacks trying to stop people on the street. One such lady had stopped me earlier, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. The encounter was silly though, because I saw what she was trying to do. I made eye contact by accident and knew that she was going after me. I tried to side step her about 20 feet away, but she countered with continued eye contact and a wave, that said "I see you." Then I think I said something in English and that changed her attitude to, "oh you don't understand me, that's maybe why you were dodging me."
We ate at some cafe near the Bastille. I got an oversized steak thing with pomme frites. It was gigantic, and with a lot of fat. I realized after I ate it that I probably should have ordered something else. My roommates both had some pasta, that looked really delicious. We then went to get some gellato, but held off when we actually got there because only one of us really wanted it. So we went to another place directly in front of the train station and had some coffee. I remember the conversation was lively, and very fun. We were relaxing with our cafe, as I am now, when we realized that we had to meet our other roommate.
Made me feel very full
Malik and Hiro (right)Shortly after we returned our fourth buddy returned. He informed us that he had gone for some food, and had met an Italian guy. We went to meet these new people at a nearby bar. We walked for a while, down to the Bastille and then down a very crowded street. The tides of people were now gone from the main street near the hostel, and were now in this off centre street that was full of bars and clubs. I wished I had known about this place before, but it doesn't matter because now I know where to go next time. We skipped most of the places and our Italian roomy, Simone, found the right place. I can't remember the name, but I do remember certain things about it. It was quite dark inside, and the wood was relatively dark as well. The WC was in the back corner and I think it was behind a crinkled glass door. It was all graffiti on the inside and not in very good condition. The entrance was in the middle of the front, and the bar was right to the right of the door, and then went straight back. It was a narrow place and was not very deep either. There were a few small tables to the left against the wall, then a couple more against the back wall. The table we chose was after the end of the bar but in the center. We had met up with about four people; thus making the group a total of about seven. So it was difficult for us all to fit at one table. There were two bartenders, one guy and one girl. The girl was extremely beautiful in my opinion. Blonde, slender, a gorgeous face, and a very attractive accent. She was one of those people that you hope looks back at you when you look at them. Fortunately for me I was a customer so she had to look at me. Later in the night, the people sitting at the back wall were very noisy, and spilled several drinks on the table and on the ground.
We had met a number of very nice people; Marco had met our roommate Simone. Simone, you pronounce the e at the end in case I hadn't already mentioned it, had gone to a different place earlier to watch a football game, and had made acquaintances with Marco. He said that he had heard some Italian being spoken and then made conversation about the game. I find that Americans are not as friendly. Then again some of us are here in Europe with the mindset that we don't want to meet more Americans. I'm lucky so far, and have only met really wonderful people. There is very little antagonism going on amongst the people I've met here. I think today, three weeks after arriving, I saw the first couple glimpses. There was talk that certain groups were not very friendly, but there are people in every group that become somewhat disliked. For example I think there is one guy who is going to be disliked by most of the girls, and I may be disliked for breaking hearts. The other three roommates, me, Hiro, and Malik, were very happy to meet new people that night. We met Marco's friends, Andrew, a girl whose name I can't remember, and at least one other guy, but I can't remember certain names. It was a truly hilarious and fun night from then on.
I think we were all introduced outside, because there were many smokers, and you can't smoke inside in Paris anymore. We quickly moved inside, and sat at the table. I found out a little about almost everyone. Marco and Simone talked a lot to one another in Italian. Late in the night, they were sitting across the table, talking like mad, and not in English. I was later informed by Marco, that there are many different dialects or languages spoken within Italy. That each region speaks its own language that others can't really understand. He told me about the vatican and Rome, and how they had a kind of private army. He told me about Sardinia and Sicily. He spoke English, French and Italian, was tall, had brown hairs, wore glasses and smoked cigarettes.
There was Andrew, Marco's friend, who is blonde, smoked cigarettes, was originally from Canada, and speaks French, Italian, English and understands Spanish. He was studying to manage people's funds and lives south of Paris. Turns out my hair had turned the same colors as their town's rugby team. So it was good luck for them, since they have been ranked very highly, but have never quite had the glory of some championship.
Then there was this girl, who was very pretty, and really talkative. I can't remember where this started, but she was very insistent on talking to me. However, there was one difficulty, that she didn't speak English, and I didn't speak French. So whenever she wanted to talk to me she had to get someone to translate it. Usually this meant nudging someone who was in another conversation. Marco and Andrew were the usual translators. She would spew these long French lines, and monologues, that would then need to be translated for me. Then I would find something to respond with.
I was sitting at the table with Hiro on my right, and Malik across from him. The French girl sat across from me, with Marco next to her, and Simone on my left. I think this was more or less how we sat at the table for the whole night. One of the first things I found out about her was when Marco said to me across the table, "don't get any ideas, she's Andrew's girl." Still she kept getting Marco to translate, for both of us. I don't remember the conversations, except when she spoke in English, which happened for a while. Then I also told a friend's story, that took about fifteen minutes, because I had to talk very slowly. Afterwords, Malik said, "wow, that took a long time." I had my phrase book, which was pretty much useless, since I could only say stock things. I knew how to say, things like, "I'd like a beer," and "I'd like some water." "How are you?" I could look up phrases, but the best ones were about dating, and I couldn't use them. As the night went on and she got more frustrated, she started yelling at me "TRYYY!!!!!" Then she thought I was making fun of her because I couldn't say anything. Malik tried to intervene, by giving me French words or phrases, but it was no help. Never having taken French, ever. I couldn't do anything. She did try and talk to Hiro for a while as well, and we all tried to teach one another words or phrases, which was a lot of fun.This was probably after two or three hours after we'd arrived, but it was good because I was afraid I was going to get beaten up for talking to this guy's girl too much. It was funny when she'd speak a stream of French and the translation was "She said, she wants to be able to talk to a blue headed American boy." I didn't have a good response to these kinds of statements. She finally got frustrated with me and the group split up. I stayed with Hiro and Malik, while she went with the French and Italians. I was a little relieved, because she was not getting upset at me anymore, and a little happy, because she had not gotten thoroughly upset. It was an experience that I don't think any of us will forget, nor be able to retell well. Hiro, Malik and me, all sat and intently tried to converse with one another and this girl, for a few hours.
It turns out that there were many people there that were related to Andrew. This girl was his girl, Marco his friend, his brother came later in the night, and the beautiful bartender was his sister. I was so lucky to be in the company of this fine group of people, and to have met all of someone's siblings. I must say they were a very good looking family. We stayed till closing, and then we exchanged e-mails. I thought I would be able to send them emails later that weekend, but I was so overwhelmed with things to do the next week, that it took some time. I hope I can stay in touch with them, and maybe get some good stories from them.
We said our goodbyes, and made the long trek back to the hostel. I am very grateful to Simone for finding such a nice group of people. I think it was the best note to end my stay in Paris on.
Interlude 1
"Czech Paradise"
On the train to Czech ParadiseSaturday, September 19, 2009
Day 5
Tuesday 9/8/09
This morning I missed breakfast and was late meeting Shelly at Notre Dame. It was five euro to go to the top, which was well worth it. Thankfully she had gotten there about thirty minutes before me and was near the front of the line, because the line was extremely long when I arrived. There were so many stairs that I got kind of dizzy going up. The view is very nice from the first level and the gargoyles are pretty neat up close. The bell tower was open so I got a couple nice shots of that and the very top was also open. The view from the very top is really neat. When we got up there we were greeted by ringing bells from another part of the building. When we had taken enough pictures we descended and had lunch. Later today I am having dinner with a distant relative and have bought a bottle of wine for the occasion.
View from stairs of Notre Dame
In a cage
First gargoyle
Gargoyle above us
View of Pompidou
Looking towards bell tower
Bell in the bell tower
The very top of Notre Dame
Looking east
These relatives live near the Eiffel Tower, which is quite far from here but is still walkable. I set out to walk along the Seine, and it only took an hour. I did see a building that was covered in moss and plants. This was a building I think someone mentioned to me before, but I really couldn't believe what they said because the description was preposterous, but now I have photographic evidence and understand. I came to a park and thought to myself, this must be where the tower is. I took a few steps and saw it through the trees. I edged closer onto the grass and took a picture. I noticed that where I was standing and about twenty feet to my left the ground was bare because so many people must have done exactly what I just did. I walked underneath the tower and then sat and watched some old italian sounding men play boccie ball. After about half an hour I set out to find my relatives' apartment.
The apartment was gorgeous; it was wonderful beige stone, high ceilings, and a nice backyard. We had a drink in the yard and got acquainted. They made a phone call to their daughter in NY and we had a nice conversation. They had two pretty dogs, one would jump up if I stopped petting it. They gave me a bottle of scotch, that was rather accidentally acquired by them, and I gave them a bottle of wine. I had a delicious seafood kebab as a main, and soup for an appetizer. I had a really lovely time with them and hope to see them again.
Three of the four roommates went out to a bar when I got back to the room. It was a little pricey, but they are good company. One is from the US and the other is from Nagasaki, Japan. We got back a little before the hostel closed and talked before going to bed.
This morning I missed breakfast and was late meeting Shelly at Notre Dame. It was five euro to go to the top, which was well worth it. Thankfully she had gotten there about thirty minutes before me and was near the front of the line, because the line was extremely long when I arrived. There were so many stairs that I got kind of dizzy going up. The view is very nice from the first level and the gargoyles are pretty neat up close. The bell tower was open so I got a couple nice shots of that and the very top was also open. The view from the very top is really neat. When we got up there we were greeted by ringing bells from another part of the building. When we had taken enough pictures we descended and had lunch. Later today I am having dinner with a distant relative and have bought a bottle of wine for the occasion.
View from stairs of Notre Dame
In a cage
First gargoyle
Gargoyle above us
View of Pompidou
Looking towards bell tower
Bell in the bell tower
The very top of Notre Dame
Looking eastThese relatives live near the Eiffel Tower, which is quite far from here but is still walkable. I set out to walk along the Seine, and it only took an hour. I did see a building that was covered in moss and plants. This was a building I think someone mentioned to me before, but I really couldn't believe what they said because the description was preposterous, but now I have photographic evidence and understand. I came to a park and thought to myself, this must be where the tower is. I took a few steps and saw it through the trees. I edged closer onto the grass and took a picture. I noticed that where I was standing and about twenty feet to my left the ground was bare because so many people must have done exactly what I just did. I walked underneath the tower and then sat and watched some old italian sounding men play boccie ball. After about half an hour I set out to find my relatives' apartment.
The apartment was gorgeous; it was wonderful beige stone, high ceilings, and a nice backyard. We had a drink in the yard and got acquainted. They made a phone call to their daughter in NY and we had a nice conversation. They had two pretty dogs, one would jump up if I stopped petting it. They gave me a bottle of scotch, that was rather accidentally acquired by them, and I gave them a bottle of wine. I had a delicious seafood kebab as a main, and soup for an appetizer. I had a really lovely time with them and hope to see them again.
Three of the four roommates went out to a bar when I got back to the room. It was a little pricey, but they are good company. One is from the US and the other is from Nagasaki, Japan. We got back a little before the hostel closed and talked before going to bed.
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