I have been putting this off for MONTHS. Mostly because I am quite the lazy bugger...Enjoy the ramblings of a 20 something black girl's first trip to Europe. I didn't have to hop from Hostel to Hostel or take the public transportation. I got a non touristy version and I loved every moment of it.
It is unfortunate that I didn't finish writing about my trip I am pretty sure what happened was the days were so stocked full of me touring France towards the end that I stopped documenting it. So I decided to leave it as is. I will post picture of what I did afterwards as a visual blog (not to be confused with a video blog lol) of the rest of my trip.
:) Enjoy!!!
June 8, 2011
Flight time
It is 2:00 am...that is in Geneva Switzerland as I type. A six hour jump and time seems like something that will be my undoing. The first order of business is to sleep. Unfortunately for me all of the lights in the cabin are on. Mostly because we are about to have dinner. To my dismay, my in flight tv stopped working literally 30 seconds into the flight. The sound cut out. That leaves me with very few options, if any, for entertainment. I would play words with friends but alas, you know why I can't those internet charges man. They really pack a punch! Heres hoping this Merlot kicks in soon. Counting sheep seem to be what's next on the agenda.
June 9, 2011
Geneva, Switzerland
I Arrived at 9: 40 am. Which mean it was 2' oclock in the morning in the US. It was a beautiful landing. The land scape is completely different. Anton picked us up from the baggage claim and we were off! Geneva has a lake that splits France and Switzerland. Instead of cows I saw goats. Instead of high rises I saw mountains. It was lovely. Anton said it was a shame it was such a cloudy day, but I thought it was beautiful. We are headed to that said lake now. Once there we will take a ferry across into France for lunch ;).
We have arrived at Anton's house. It is just as beautiful as the rest of Geneva. I have two roommates I share my view with, Donkeys. The hillsides are steep and the donkeys are a nice touch against the flush green.
We came to the house for Breakfast. I had a croissant and Austen had pan de chocolat. We shared a Swiss delicacy which is a tart made of salt and cream. It was delicious. I looked outside at the scenery and enjoyed the little time I would have to take in Switzerland before Jetlag set in. We went to Nyon which is just a few minutes away from where Anton lives. Anton pointed out all the vineyards across the hill as we snaked our way down the winding road from his house. We made it in time for the 2 o'clock ferry that would take us across Lac Leman to a small village in France called Y'voire. That's right, you can take a ferry boat across the lake into France. Switzerland is a small country Surrounded by three larger ones: France, Italy, and Germany. Can you guess what three languages are spoken? Depending on what region you travel through, you will find an assortment of postings and locals speaking the language of choice. Geneva is in the French region, and so I spent most of the day saying “bonjour” and “merci.” It was fun.
We took a more modern boat across the lake and arrived in Yvoire. I immediately fell in love with the tiny road ways and exposed brick. A shaggy dog ran up and down the docks as tourist threw sticks and even a large log into the lake for the dog to fetch. Sopping wet, the dog would retrieve the items and place them back on the stone shores before giving a great shake. Lunch is often served between 12 and 2. We arrived a little after and had to find someplace that would still serve us. We were lucky to find that Les Flot Bleus would make us a quick lunch. And what was the specialty of Yvoire? Why perch and patates frites of course. It was delicious. The meal came with a hard roll and a salad. The Waiter brought a wonderful, if not fattening, cream sauce to pour over the fish. I preceded to top my fries with the sauce as well and was in a flavor heaven. The perch was salty and tender. The fries were golden brown and really brought the meal to a state of greatness. It may have been apart of a hotel known for it's tourism, but The dish was perfect and left a lasting impression on me about what can be achieved when you keep a dish simple. Our next stop was past a few tourist traps to a miniature more intimate version of the New York Botanical Garden or anything similar. Le Labyrinthe- Jardin des Cinq Sens was a horticulture paradise. The little garden contained 7 compartments filled with flowers being tended to by actual gardeners. The Labyrinth was split into the five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound. The sense was sight. A beautiful garden beneath the Chateau d'Yvoire, a military stronghold off the coast of the lake. After that we ventured further and found taste. A cloister that gave way to a beautiful fountain, which you will find many in Switzerland, and four different section housing medicinal herbs and poisons. This includes opium, as the kid kept saying, “This is a drug! This is Heroine,” and another deadly plant that if ingest would prove fatal. We were watching the time. The last ferry back to Nyon was at 4:20 and already it was 4 o'clock. We found our way to the smells portion and enjoyed the herbs and spices that ranged from Indian Lemon, to Lavender. We came across taste again, and saw apples and raspberries in bloom. We also entered the area involving touch, from prickly spiny vegetation to silky soft leaves you'd want to sleep on. Unfortunately time would not permit us to venture any further into the Labyrinth. But I enjoyed every minute we had before running to the last boat back to Nyon.
What a treat it was to arrive at the dock and be greeted by a 1920's Savoie ferry. It was beautiful and I watched the engine start up before jettisoning us back to Switzerland. When we were back in Swiss territory I bought postcards. We walked around the villages stopped for gelato, carmel for me, nutella for Austen, and walked up the steep streets towards the castle that sat atop of it. We took in the view and read up on the history of the castle before making our way back to the car and back to the house. Anton made pasta primevera. It was too good. It was sweet from the carrots. The meal left me more than ready for bed and after a shower I hit the sheets faster than you can say sleepy time bree. And boy was I sleepy because I didn't stir from bed until...
June 10, 2011
I woke up at 12pm. No not US time, Swiss time! I was in bed by 11 and woke up at 12! I only woke up at 12 because Anton woke me up. I washed my face and clothed myself before sitting down at the breakfast table for a real swiss breakfast. Everything was from the region or made at the house. This included Croissants, baguettes, honey, jam, raspberries, strawberries, and a sugar bun. The fruit was so tasty. It actually had flavor unlike the fruit you find in The US. They were tiny and sometimes sweet, sometimes not so sweet. The honey was made from Anton's wife's honey bees. It was creamy and sweet! With warm tea, It was a great way to start the morning.
After eating breakfast we packed up so we would be ready for the 6 hour drive to Paris. We decided to leave around 4pm and after packing went swimming at the public pool a few villages over. It was so clean! The water was so blue! And my eyes did not burn like usually when I went swimming. I'm sure that meant there was no chlorine in the pool, but who cares! I was in Switzerland! With no sun in sight, I swam in cool water and loved it. When we got back to the house I took a very warm shower though. Afterwards, we had a quick lunch. There is a bread made out of the same dough pretzels are made out of minus the salt. Using a bit of butter and thin slices of beef that resembled prosciutto, we made little sandwiches that were very tasty. I can not recall the name of the beef, but It was another delicacy of Switzerland, how lucky am I?
We began our long drive to Paris. Anton took me through the mountains. For the first 2 and a half hours we drove down winding roads with beautiful villages sprouting up beside them. Forests, farmland, vineyards, and Lac Leman were the scenery I got to take in as we left Switzerland and entered into France. As soon as you cross over the country's line, the houses changed! The architectural differences were easy to spot: the archways and patterns were completely different. We made it to a highway around the 3rd hour and from there we drove on almost to midnight through France. We made it to Florence's house. I had tomatoes and mozzarella for dinner. It was great. Sleep.
June 11, 2011
I woke up around 10am. I wanted to go back to sleep but I knew it was in my best interest to stay awake. I washed and dressed and took a look around the grounds. There are gardens and terraces. The dogs ran around me, the love hogs that they are, and I took in the sight of being in France. For breakfast I had raisin bread and walnut bread. I find that it is a usual breakfast meal to eat bread, butter, tea, and fruit lol. After eating breakfast I sat and talked with Anton and then sat outside and talked with my friend who lives in Montserrat. It was the first time in a long time that we saw each other via skype. I got off with him and my dad Skyped me. We chatted for a second and then had lunch. We sat outside and had a very simple lunch of fresh mozzarella on top of sliced tomatoes with olive oil and salt. We also ate a fresh green salad with some sort of salty fish. I enjoyed my meal with a Hoegaarden beer; one of my favorites I found in NYC. For desert We had Magnum ice cream bars and I was more than full after that. I played outside taking in the few burst of sun that happened between the clouds.
Anton drove me around the property and I got to see the outside of where I would be eating tonight.
Anton took a swim while I went for a walk around the large pond where my Host's parent's lived. I ended up walking into the forest on marked paths. It was beautiful. After Anton finished his swim and I finished my walk, we went back to the house and I took a nap. When I woke up I talked to a friend on Skype and then we left for a authentic french cheese dinner at my Host's parent's house. It was a huge house!! I found out it was actually a Mansion with a Taj mahal-like pond in front. I had actually met the mother in passing before when I was on my walk. She was so nice and welcomed me into her home. I grabbed a plate and a lot of different cheeses , bread and jam. I grabbed a glass of french wine and sat outside eating my cheese dinner with Austen. When I went back for seconds I finally was around for a fresh bowl of salad. I added salad to my dinner and sat back outside enjoying my two favorite cheese of the night: the soft pepper encrusted french cheese, and the thinly sliced smooth cheese. I walked around the property with Austen. I also took in the fixtures and the house in general. It was a very old house with very victorian style windows and tapestry. When I came back desert was being served and I had a little of everything! Every dish was very creamy and very sweet! I sat and talked with a few women at the table and then went to get mint tea. I couldn't figure out how to pour the water and a man helped me. He couldn't figure it out either! We talked as I sipped my tea and another man came up and I talked to him as well. Most of the people I met that night knew English pretty well, but when they started talking having a lot of fun or talking really fast it turned into French. They were all really nice. We went home and I went to bed very full and very happy.
June 12, 2011
I woke up early. It was not because I wanted to, but because I need to get into the rhythm of the day. Today we will be having brunch at my host's house with 30 or so people. I'm less anxious than I was last night. If it is the same people from last night, I will be fine. We had brunch and after brunch we went to the christening. It was being held on my Host's uncle's estate. It was huge. Even bigger than the mansion from last night! There was a church, a stable, and at least two lakes. The church was small and the christening was in French, so I sat outside and watched the children run and play. Another women was visiting like me and asked me to take a lot of pictures of her outside. It was funny. I would take a few, then she would move somewehre else and I would take a few more. After that I took in the scenery. I didn't want to venture too far away from the children, so I walked in the general area. Someone was taking 3 to 4 horses from their stable. I found a little stone building and decided to explore. When I stepped inside the room was cool from the stone, but bright from the large window. I saw a little couch and some sketch books. I opened one and found a beautiful sketch of the surrounding country side. I went up the little steps and found that the upstairs was where most of the magic happened. Whomever the artist was, had a large portrait of a wine glass freshly finished. I saw all the paints sitting around and a chair and desk in the corner. It was really cool to see such a simple love affair between the artist and his work. I went back down the steps and the christening had ended.
I took a tour of one of the insides of the building which was being remade to look how it did in the 1800's. And it looked very much out of a movie. Tapestry hung from the wall, gold and bronze figures holding candles. Mirrors were everywhere. Fireplaces stacked with wood and in every room bouquets of roses wafting off their strong scent throughout the room. At the end of the tour I walked back towards where we were parked because everyone else was headed that way. What I later found out was the party was just getting started! We weren't headed home we were head to a reception area in a building next near the cars. It seems you eat before the christening, then you eat after. A large stone hedge like area we past earlier (now that I think of it a roasting pit) was now being prepared for barbecue. A large grate was placed over the glowing logs and chicken, beef, and sausages of all mixes were placed on the grill. It was so big you could have roasted me on it!! Further down a little reception hall sat full of people drinking sweet desert wine and dining on tarts, cookies, and fruit pies. Little sausages wrapped in a flaky biscuit were being served on trays. Two huge bread bowls sat on the table. Upon further inspection, the insides had been carved out, made into tiny finger sandwiches, and then put back in the bowl. Very cool. I ate tasty fruit cakes and mingled. I met a 15 year old who had been to Los Angelos because her aunt lived there. She knew English. It sprinkled outside the whole time but I was having too much fun sipping on wine and snacking on finger foods. Then the meat came in! After that the party went crazy salads and tomatoes and bread was everywhere. Red wine and sparking water replaced the desert wines. I made a crazy plate full and ate it all. Too full to do much else I took a walk since all the children had their fill of sweets and were off on adventures. I walked around the estate and found a pond with a statue in the middle of it. I wanted to know how deep the pond was but their was nothing to really throw in it. I threw in a stick that floated on top. I threw in another stick and again it just bobbed up and down. I noticed something near where the first stick was and narrowed my eyes a bit. A dark sport seemed to be forming and growing larger and the blackness in me said to stop inspecting and start moving away from the bank. I'm sure there are no alligators in that pond or in France, but for all I know, I could be the first, and last, to make such discovery. I walked all the way back towards the church and went behind it where I saw a horse sitting in his stall. The horse perked up when he noticed me and I carefully approached him. Horses have huge teeth. My biggest fear with them is that they will suddenly clamp down on my arm or hand. But I used great caution to pet the horse on his nose. I waved good bye to the horse because I was unsure if It was okay for me to be there. He watched me walk away looking back and forth. I guess he wanted to play.
The party continued on but I caught a ride home, I didn't speak much French. Iwas too old to be playing hide and seek with the 7 year olds in the upstairs of the church, I was old enough to have conversations with the adults...but again, I didn't speak French. I spent my night reading Wicked and sipping red wine. I was going to pay for such a full stomach later.
June 13, 2011
I awoke on my own. I tried to wake up early but still didn't stir from be until 10am. I washed and dressed and fixed my hair. I went and had a cup of water. Today I would eat much less than yesterday. So I said to myself. I didn't know yet that their was going to be more partying today. I ate a piece of raisin bread. Then two pieces, then 3. There. French breakfast. But suddenly a flurry of workers came and began cleaning up the outside, my host walked out and began rearranging things. Anton walked out and says, “we are having another 20 people over.” I was shocked!! Will we ever stop partying!! Christenings must be a huge deal lol. And so I was told their would be breakfast. A few people arrived and we ate breakfast. I had a croissant, I had two tiny cups of applesauce, and I had tea. I was full from the three raisin breads from earlier, so I picked at a sweet roll. I sat in the living room and began reading my book. No less than an hour later, I was told we were to have brunch!! what we just ate! The servants were chopping and arranging and more people arrived! Before I knew it, We were sitting down to brunch. I was still full from breakfast. I kept saying, didn't we just eat breakfast? The teenagers giggled. I was not in the mood...but the food looked good. I want to try everything. Even though I was told when visiting a new country not to...Regardless, I wanted what was being served. Roast turky, cheese, a corn pepper and rice salad, tomatoes. I ate it all. I skipped on the walnut bread and indulged (as if I hadn't already). I ate one small plate I only went back for two more tomatoes so I could try a cheese that I hadn't tried. It was strong, good think I got the tomatoes. I needed a drink. Anything but wine! My poor figure. My poor liver! I noticed one of the teens had something red in their cup I read a bottle sittng near the food. It said strawberries on the front. This must be what she was drinking I pour only a little in my cup. It looked rather thick. I took a sip and realized I was drinking straight syrup! I took a closer look at the bottle, yep syrup. Maybe she wasn't drinking this. I read the back. Oh, it was a 1 to 7 ratio of syrup and water. I added water. My drink was a 2 ½ to 6 ratio. Okay. That's it! No more food!!!
We headed into Paris. And parked the car for a walking tour. I saw the narrow streets of old Paris, that still had it's original buildings. I saw the wide avenues that were built in the 1900's to accommodate the horse and buggy. I saw the contemporary arts museum with the pipes and heating system on the outside. We traveled up the escalators to the top of the building and saw a great view of Paris. When we came back down, I had a coffee and sat and enjoyed the scenery. Then It was time for me to make my flight to Spain. They drove me to the airport and I sat on the plane excited for what was to come next: Santiago.
I arrived in Santiago de Compostela and was greeted by Allison. She immediately took me for one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. To get to the little place, we walked through the stoney alleyways that took you all over the city of Santiago. It was cool, but confusing. In my head, everything looked the same. I didn't see any signs really that explained where you were going. I gathered you just had to get used to it. When we did arrive at the sandwich place, I was told the one lady I saw working in the front ran everything; and ran everything she did! What a sandwich: chorizo and cheese toasted on a perfectly baked hunk of bread. I had a glass of wine with mine and Allison had a beer. It was the best “welcome to Spain meal” Allison could have surprised me with.
June 14, 2011
I slept on a pool toy on the floor. It wasn't so bad actually, but I was much bigger than the toy. Ali had a full itinerary for me.
We started our day with a walk through what I can only describe as the forbidden forest! It was gloriously beautiful. We walked on and on over dirt paths and wooden bridges. Throughout the entire walk a babbling brooke and birds gave a beautiful soundtrack to go along with the beautiful scenery. Little stone rooms, minus the ceilings, wrapped in vines and other shrubbery elicited feelings of far off lands you would probably see in a movie about wizards and elves. The paths were small but from time to time runners would pass us gliding over the terrain like it was nothing. I quite enjoyed our 2 hour walk. Afterwards, we headed back into the stoney alleyways to have lunch at the best possible place ever: the market. The market, of course, is where you shop for food. This market also had a restaurant that would take the fresh food that you just bought and cook it for you. Before picking our lunch to be cooked, we stopped at a little bakery for little desserts. I had a cream puff, which was quite delicious. I also had a little pastry that had a gloppy apricot cream inside of it. It too was quite tasty. After eating our dessert first, we walked down the little open air corridors where the fish was being sold. We walked around until we found what we wanted. We chose our fish and she cleaned and gutted it. We also picked up some peculiar looking morsels that I was to find out later, in a most delicious way, were razor clams. By then Ali's friend Karen had met up with us and we all took our little seafood treasures to the restaurant to prepare or lunch. We sat and chatted as they cooked our food. I foolishly ate all of my bread before the meals came out, it was just so good. My loss, because the left over juices on the plate was just dying to be sopped up by thick pieces of fresh bread. The razor clams came out first. I didn't see our clams moving so much but at another fish stand I saw them gooey in nature pushing out of their shell back and forth. Once cooked, the clam shell was open and you see a long piece of meat sitting and waiting to be eaten. I saw a bulb on the side of of it which I could only guess was either the poo—like the 'vein' that runs in shrimp-- or its organs...I was hesitant. I watched to make sure it was edible. Ali and Karen ate the entire thing, so I would too, and I did. Wow! It was beyond delicious! Ali explained if you want to make a proper Galician dish the four seasonings needed are garlic, olive oil, parsley, and salt. I wanted nothing but more clams. I all but forgot about the fish we also had cooked up. After the clams were done I stared at the drippings left behind on my plate very sadly. Why did I not save some bread. A waste!
Finally, the main dish arrived. The fish was sliced from head to tail and pan fried in, of course, the four main seasonings. I grabbed a fish disk and began eating the tender fish that was so tasty. In no time at all we were done and I was happily full. I wanted more of everything, but mostly more razor claim; not because I was hungry, but because they were so good. We paid our tab and were off. I became a Spaniard instantly. I was still battling jet-lag and that 2 hour walk before lunch had finally caught up with me. Ali when to teach a lesson while I took a much appreciated nap. Lovely.
I awoke refreshed and ready for the night ahead. Tonight was tapas night with Karen and more of Ali's friends. I sat about reading books before we left for a night of free tapas. The first place served us a choice of some sandwich piece or a mussel. Of course I had the mussel! It was nice and spicy, which was unusual for this part of spain. After finishing my vino tiento, we travelled to another part of the alleyway city, as I began calling it, for more drinks and more tapas. I made it a point to try every single one, against the advice of those from the States when I told them I would be traveling all over. It was the first time since being in Europe I had any sort of egg. Every tapa was tasty to me except for one, the croquette. It was greasy mushy and not my favorite. I ate one and only one. We finished our night and a little bar by the name of Sol and Sombre. It played awesome music and was dimly lit with posters of Bob Marley, Muhammad Ali, and Al Greene. Nice.
June 15, 2011
I hoped I was well rested because today we were traveling by bus three hours away from Santiago to climb a mountain. Ali and I prepared a bag to take with us. I had bought cherries previously and when we left out the apartment we bought fresh empanadas to eat on the trip. The Spanish empanada was very different from the ones you would find in latin america. They were pretty gooey looking and reminded me of those pizzas pies with.... *and that's all I wrote O_O!! really* .... There is SO much more to this story... I can't just leave it like that!!! I'm going to write the rest from memory in a second blog post!!! it's just too cool not to finish!!
