C'est la vie

My first week in Paris is just about over, and I have finally somewhat settled in. Since I have been raving about my neighborhood and office views, I figured I should at least have a few pictures to show everyone where I am and what life is like here for me--an Italophile living in France for the first time with very very limited French language skills. I'll start with the flat. It's located in a cute neighborhood that feels like a village, called Montmartre. There are tons of cafes and restaurants around here with a variety of cuisines, and of course lots of open air seating and people watching going on--especially when I'm on my way home from work. It can attract some tourists because of its proximity to the Sacre Coer, but it has managed to stay pretty French (and safe!) nonetheless. Right down the hill, however, is the Pigalle area which includes the Moulin Rouge and other wonderful establishments catering to the seedier tourists. But thankfully my flat is relatively separate from this area.

I have the flat to myself. It's a studio with a loft on top and it's just right for me and my many visitors this summer!

Here is the kitchen:And the "living room" with the loft on top:

And, of course, the bathroom, although this is a terrible shot:

So now that you know where I live, I guess I should tell you a little about what brought me to Paris. Without going into too much detail here, the short story is that I am interning in the Culture sector at UNESCO, focusing on issues surrounding the return of cultural property to their countries of origin. For those of you who know me well, you understand how passionate I am about this subject, so working in the area, albeit for a brief period, only interests me more in the subject. Aside from all of this, there is one very big perk to my job that almost trumps all the rest, and it is this view from my desk:

And me sitting at my desk:
And another view from the side window in our office. It's pretty much a panoramic view of the Parisian skyline. You can't ask for much more from an unpaid internship.

...And We're Back!

I can't believe that it's been more than a year since my last post, but much has happened since then. I have decided to pick up sort of where I left off and begin by detailing my upcoming summer adventures in Paris. But before I can do that, I actually have to begin my adventures and that won't happen until July 7th. So, for now, I'll tease you with some pictures of how my last summer ended--three weeks of non-stop travel that were amazing and sometimes way too draining for me, through no less than ten cities in four countries on two continents!

We'll start with Greece:

This is Monasiri Beach on the island of Paros

Sunset on the island of Naxos

The picturesque Santorini! (Town of Oia)

Scott and Me above Red Beach in Santorini

Our favorite little mini-town below Oia. The place to get sea urchins, fresh octopus and Mythos beer while watching sunset every evening.

More from Santorini:
Documentation of our great four-wheeling adventure around the island.
The Money Shot. Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens.

Our favorite pasttime: 1.80 euro Gyros
I have quickly filled up one entire post on my wonderful trip to Greece, when I promised to be concise and tell you about all of my adventures. But for now, one post is enough to digest a seven day trip island hopping in the Aegean.

Amalfi

Now that I've revisited this blog nearly a year later, I found an old post-in-the-making, so I guess I'll publish it, too!

A few weekends ago, I went down to the Amalfi Coast area south of Naples, and visited Sorrento and then hopped on a ferry to Capri for the remainder of the weekend. In a nuttshell, it was an incredible weekend.

Getting to Sorrento was a trek, however. On Friday after work, we took the train to Naples and then switched to the Circumvesuviana train all the way to Sorrento. By the time we arrived, it was already 10 PM and we were all starving. We took a 50 euro cab up the hill to our hotel that was well outside of the center of town, and the further away we got, the more we realized that we might go to bed without dinner. We checked into the hotel finally only to realize that I had booked the correct day during the incorrect month. Luckily, the hotel owner offered us the same price for two rooms. The food problem was solved as well, as a young, attractive waiter came down the stairs and invited us to his family's restaurant. He had a van waiting in the driveway to bring us there, and we walked in to find an empty restaurant that they kept open just for us. The chef came out to tell us that we could no longer order from the menu so he'd just whip us up some fish. This turned out to be one of the best dinners ever. We were even treated to a tour of his kitchen and some homemade limoncello at the end. This dinner summed up our stay in Sorrento, and the next morning we wandered around a bit before taking the ferry over to Capri.

[note: the post ended here, which is probably why I did not publish it. But I remember the weekend fondly, so I'll sum it up for you, including some pictures.]


Although we originally planned to make it to Positano for a day as well, we fell in love with our hotel in Anacapri, the less touristy town on the island, and couldn't take ourselves away from the beautiful ocean. I mean, how can you say no to a greeting like this?

We had a ton of fun on the mostly sandless beaches Capri has to offer, and my friends even got me to jump off this cliff!



But our real reason for waiting was because we wanted to try our luck at the Grotta Azzurra--one of the most famous attractions in Capri that can only be visited if the tide is just right. The entrance is through a small cave that disappears when the water's choppy or high, so you have to time it just right to sneak a peak inside. Here we are waiting in our little boat to go in, and here's a picture inside. No, I didn't play with photoshop to enhance the colors...that's really what it looked like! An unbelievable experience that was worth the wait.



Overall, the trip was wonderful and I was quite sad to leave, but of course another amazing view accompanied my departure from the island:

La Cena

Most of the other interns (including all of my roommates) have finally arrived in Rome, and because some of us live relatively close to each other, we've started a sort of tradition for making a family dinner about once a week to get everyone together and cook mostly Italian dishes with some of the best ingredients available for incredibly cheap prices.

Our first try. Trofie pasta with zucchini and cherry tomatoes.


Try #2. Joe's debut as chef extraordinaire. Spaghetti with eggplant red sauce. Veal with cream sauce. An extremely high standard was set.

Military Madness

I had the luck of being in Rome for the National Day of the Republic. The Romans celebrate this holiday by parading any and every arm of their military around the Colosseum and past the Forum to show everyone how well dressed they are. It ends in a "freccia di tre colori" put on by the finest pilots in Italy. It's quite a sight, and includes also armies from other nations and NATO. Here are some of my favorite snippets:

Look closely, and notice the firemen repelling off of the Colosseum. Yes, this really happened, no there was probably no really good reason for this other than to protect the colored fabric hanging from the sides of it...


Roommate (Elizabeth), Italian friend (Nicole) and me:


Napolitano and Prodi:


The Greek military:


The Italians. Yes, they're as short as they seem.


French military:


The special "skiers" of the Alpine Army. Carrying their skis. Classic.


Wow. Not sure who these guys are, but they're quite intimidating!


...and last but not least, the gem of the parade: a Lamborghini police car. Only in Italy.

Assisi

I took a day trip to Assisi this past weekend...by myself. This was the first such trip of the summer and it definitely whet my appetite for the longer voyages I'll be taking in the coming months.

Assisi was one of the towns I always wanted to go to while I was living in Florence, but somehow I just never made it. I had heard it was beautiful, but wasn't expecting this view as I made my way to the top of the hill:





It is an extremely spiritual city--more so than any Italian city I have visited--and accordingly there are an incredible number of large churches in such a small town. Because of St. Francis' love for animals and the city's motto as the "city of peace," they have hung up these strings of fake, glow in the dark birds. I wonder what it looks like at night. Here are some of the churches:






And here I am, hanging out in Assisi:





And finally, my artistic photos for the day:

Cibo e Chiese

Since I've seen most of the major touristy stuff Rome has to offer, I've been at a loss for what exactly I can do to enrich my experience here. My solution has mostly been to blend into my surroundings and pop into churches and other short tourist visits here and there as I happen upon them.

The first stop was Santa Maria in Trastevere. What was the first of I'm sure many future visits.



San Pietro in Vincolo. Featuring Michelangelo's Moses.



Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. With some beautiful Lippi paintings.



A stop on my shopping trip in Via del Corso.


Those of you who know me well understand my love for Roman fountains. Here's another one on Via Giulia, right next to the French Embassy (Palazzo Farnese):


Watching the sunset with an Italian friend in a park overlooking the Colosseum.


My sustenance:

(Pistacchio, Amarena and Strawberry)


(Caffe granita. The Italian frappuccino, only so much better)


And finally, my dinner with Chelsea and Kyle on their stop through Rome during their vacation in Italy. At my favorite pizzeria in Trastevere that I'm now told by locals is called "obitorio" (morgue) because of the marble tables. Great food, terrible service...seems to be the trend in Rome these days.