Marbella, Espana

 

Marbella, Spain was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined making it the perfect place to spend Spring Break.  Southern Spain reminded me a great deal of Costa Rica with the beautiful combination of clear blue water and tree covered mountains.  The town of Marbella was very charming with a lot of character, i.e. the alarmingly high number of stray cats that seemed to appear out of thin air....or dumpsters.

The week was filled with spending time at the nude beach (also alarming at first), laying by the resort's pool, taking the bus into town for flea markets, and of course tapas!

 

I realize each time I travel that there are many things I take for granted in Paris, one being the ease of transportation.  Paying 9 euro to get to the airport or having to wait any longer than three minutes for the metro seems trivial after spending a week outside of the city.  Each time we needed to go into town from the resort, it usually included a 20 minute wait for the bus and then another 45 minutes on the bus.  Let's just say we were a little impatient with Marbella's transportation system at times.  But who can really complain when the view from the bus looks like this:

 

This trip left me very curious about what the rest of Spain is like.  Unfortunately, there will not be time to explore any more Spanish cities but I did recently discover that next Spring, my brother Kyle will be studying abroad in Barcelona!  He may be the single hier to "Same Girls, New Continent", that is if he is up to the challenge....

More to come on my trip to Marbella tomorrow!  Bonne weekend tout le monde!

Bisous bisous,

Mary

Jour des Photos--My Dad & Pam's Visit

 

What exactly is a Brasserie?

bras·se·rie/ˌbrasəˈrē/ :

Noun: An informal restaurant, esp. one in France or modeled on a French one and with a large selection of drinks.

In high school French class, our textbooks defined a Brasserie as a Bar/Restaurant.  In Paris I would have defined a Brasserie as a restaurant but more along the lines of a cafe.  However, as Pam's friend Allen who has spent his entire life living in Paris taught me, a Brasserie is really neither....

From what I have gathered from Allen's translation, a Brasserie fits the following definition(s):

1.  A Brasserie is French, and therefore there really is no English word equivalent.

2.  Although the waitors dress up in very traditional French attire, the overall atmostphere of a Brasserie is casual.  Think upscale Damon's Grill.

3.  They serve classic and traditional French dishes, such as the Coquilles St. Jacques or sauteed sea scallops.  Again, think upscale Damon's Grill with better food.

4.  Like the upscale attire of the waitors, the tables are almost always decorated in white linen tablecloths making the mood one that is very traditionally "French".

5.  Last but not least, as Allen taught my Dad and me, dinner at a Brasserie is an integral part of French culture and is therefore necessary to visit for authentic French cuisine and ambiance, especially when in Paris.

Bisous bisous,
Mary

Mon Père et Pam à Paris!

Springtime in Paris

My dad could not have picked a better week to come to Paris.  Not only was the weather INCREDIBLE but his cousin from San Francisco, Pam, was visiting Paris at the same time.  Our week was filled with amazing meals in the 6th, walking 6+ miles each day from one end of Paris to the other, and, of course, a beautiful bike trip through the gardens of Versailles.

I had not seen my dad's cousin Pam since our family reunion in Hilton Head when I was eight years old and it was fantastic getting to see her again!  We share a mutual love for Paris and could talk about our favorite places and stories of Paris and French culture to no end.  She studied at the Sorbonne at age 22 so we have had rather similar experiences.

Pont des Arts

Pantheon

All in all, it was an amazing week and made me appreciate Paris even more if that's possible.  It is always nice to have an outsider's perspective on Paris.  My Dad could not believe that literally everywhere you looked was filled with something new and beautiful.  Even the architecture of the apartments is hard to get used to.  My Mom sent me an e-mail this morning saying it was his "new favorite city"...thus my work here is done.

Versailles Gardens

Bike riding at Versailles

Right now I am in Marbella, Spain spending the week with 3 friends from my program in Paris!  In addition to spending the next 5 days in Espana, I have some exciting news to share with you all.... I officially will be interning at UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) this summer and working in the internal communications department.  I am ecstatic to not only have an exciting internship to come home to but to live in Pittsburgh for three months near family and friends.  This internship has certainly eased the pain of having to leave Paris in May!

On another note, Same Girls, New Continent are all on spring break this week so I apologize for the lack of posting these past few days...I promise lots of new stories for you very soon now that I have discovered I can get internet in the hotel lobby!

Bisous bisous,

Mary

Jour des Photos

 

 

 

 

Bisous bisous,

Mary

A Sunday Afternoon in Belgium

 

Because three days in Amsterdam wasn't enough traveling for one weekend, my friend Melissa and I made a pit stop in Brussels, Belgium on our way back to Paris.  Like the Matt & Kim concert, Brussels proved itself to be another one of my great decisions made on quite a whim. 

Brussels, Belgium

Notre Dame Poser

About five minutes off the train in Brussels, we ran into a friend from London, Phil, who we had met that weekend in Amsterdam.  Possibly one of the strangest coincidences of my life, the three of us decided it was necessary to go find some Belgium waffles and an internet cafe before he hopped back on the train to London. It was a good omen right from the start.

 

After our waffle recharge, Melissa and I found a map and started making our way to the city center and one of the most beautiful city squares I have ever seen.  The art nouveau architecture was like no where I had ever been before.  However, like the rotunda at UVA, the Grand Place of Brussels is a UNESCO world heritage site and is therefore against international law to bomb.  

Me in front of a UNESCO world heritage site in Belgium

Same Girls, New Continent in front of a UNESCO world heritage site in Virginia

And I will leave you with that.  Lots to get done before my Dad arrives early tomorrow morning!

Bisous bisous,

Mary

iAMsterdam

Scene from our boat cruise through the canals of Amsterdam

After more than three days of traveling in Amsterdam and one in Brussels, I am finally back home in Paris with so many new stories and adventures to tell you all!  Amsterdam must be the strangest yet obviously one of the best cities I have ever visited.  It is a combination of beautiful canals, a red light district, an uncomfortable number of "coffeeshops", and the boldest group of Dutch bikers around.  On our last full day, the four of us rented bikes and rode them to Amstelpark.  I had two near death experiences and was lectured by a Dutch woman for a good five minutes.  Dorothy was not in Camp Hill anymore.

Amstelpark

Below is a picture of our hostel.  The majority of the people in the hostel were college students from the United States.  We met at least five different people from Duke and UNC--what a small world!

Our hostel

Me, Melissa, Kevin, and Eleanor at dinner in Rembrandt Square

Rembrandt Square

On our way to the Van Gogh Museum

My favorite touristy activity we did in the city must have been the Anne Frank house.  I found myself myself in tears once as we went through the tour.  

"Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart." --Anne Frank

The Anne Frank House

Because the museum/house tour was so overpriced, we told the front desk that we were seven years old and therefore our tickets would be free. To our surprise, that didn't work BUT we were given the Anne Frank house quiz and because we completed with 100% we each won some pretty awesome Anne Frank bookmarks.

Anyways, get ready for a post tomorrow on Brussels!  Also, my Dad comes to Paris in two days so lots of fun activities planned for the rest of the week:)

Bisous bisous,

Mary