Gretchen whirlwind and future plans
Suddenly Gretchen is gone, the CPE is finished (though potentially not the protests...) and I’m supposed to start thinking of homework and finals again, not to mention the two week jaunt around France that begins come Friday morning. Uff. “La vie quotidienne” (daily life) simply doesn’t exist here. I’d say it’d be difficult to count more than two weeks spent here that passed with a similar daily schedule and some sort of basic routine.
Life here seems to be constructed in various linked capsules, each with their own interior world. From the first weeks of going out nightly with the LC crew and trying to settle in to a seemingly restrictive host-family situation... to discovering Strasbourg with new found German friendship in the form of Martina... to Amsterdam adventures with Derek (a suddenly-really-good-friend for a condensed period time), London and Ireland with Ariana... to grêves throughout Strasbourg, cancelling of classes, Martina’s friends visiting, and life feeling very non-school oriented... to slightly awkward Lebanese salsa dancing advances... to Gretchen arriving, summer plans solidifying, past life mingling with present to create something totally new... and now, with a month and a half to go, I foresee a good three or four “capsules” left to savor in the form of Paris with a now-distant LC group (trying not to worry that it’ll be weird), France travels with Martina, suddenly-finals-for-which-I-am-sorely-unmotivated/unprepared, and simultaneous preparations to leave for summer travels....
So much has happened in the past while that I doubt I’m up to explaining it all or that any reader is necessarily content to read through it all. Hence, I will pull out the ever-useful bullet point, and try to condense life down to a series of potentially unrelated summaries...
Gretchen arrived on Wednesday afternoon, which happened to be a second day of closed-campus due to CPE-related striking. The weather was not in the least welcoming... it definitely offered some spring time SNOW drizzle in the morning hours in preparation for her arrival, seemingly forgetting about the beautifully warm sunny days it had previously bestowed us with. Thankfully, however, sun was re-instated the next day and lasted through Saturday evening, whiched proved perfect for Strasbourg site-seeing and even a trip to Germany’s black-forested Baden Baden.
Food was a primary focus during Gretchen’s stay (to be expected when having a veritable chef staying with you... fyi to those who may not know Gretchen: She is a fellow Lewis & Clarkie, a good friend and former apartment-mate from last semester, and a veritable magician in the realm of baked goods and other kitchen-related delights...). After putting forth some euros to eat a couple veritable french/alsacian restaurant dinners (Alsace’s regional speciality of Tarte Flambée and the tried and true traditional French crêpe), the tables eagerly turned and we took donned the chef’s attire. After Gretchen’s exciting purchase of two french cookbooks, we decided on two recipes from the Tartes/Quiches/Savory Cakes book and made a mess of Martina’s small kitchen in whipping up some delicious creations. Palm Sunday brought more crêpes home-made style (again at Martina’s), and upon Gretchen’s leaving, I received my first (early) birthday present of a lovely french cookbook all to my own... written specifically for children eager to discover and learn the joys of cooking, filled with colorful pictures, useful descriptions, and indespensible vocabulary lists. In other words, the absolute perfect cookbook for me. Gretchen gets mucho brownie points... and I need to find some way to hide this book before finals!
Probably second on the priority list after num-nums was the planning of summer travel. Gretchen and I will be travel buddies for over half the summer’s European adventures, and thus it was very fortunate she could come and visit so that we could finally, easily begin to lay out the groundwork and itinerary for our trip. The day after our inital planning I learned that, due to CPE-induced university closures, our finals were being pushed back a week... which then sent the two of us back to the drawing boards, as I am no longer free to pick up and leave Strasbourg until after May 25 (as opposed to the 19th). As it is, the week-long delay didn’t make a huge dent in our plans, and we are currently foreseeing Norway, Copenhagen pit-stop (where Gretchen is currently studying), Budapest, whirlwind Italy, Southern France, and Spain.
Come early July we will split ways and she will explore more of France’s offerings (which I will have already done) and, after stopping to perhaps do a load of laundry and catch a moments pause back in Strasbourg, I’ll head up to Germany territory to visit Martina’s stomping grounds (around Munich), from which point I’ll hop a plane to Ireland for a week of traditional music/dance camp, followed by another seven days of Western Ireland solitary explorations. Another plane will take me to the finale – a few days in Prague, where Martina may end up joining me – and then back to Strasbourg to gather my belongings from chez Mme (she’s kindly invited my baggage to stay on while I’m on my traipsings), and hop a final loooong plane that will take me back home in early August.
Of course that’s still all to be finalized. But it’s certainly more concrete than the nightly nervous/excited ponderings I was fraught with back a few weeks. Suffice it to say, Gretchen and I are both more of the “yes, I need an itinerary and some concrete plans” types than the free-wheeling “pick up and go somewhere when I feel the whim” backpackers that often make their way around Europe. But hey, what can we say? We’re now devout disciples of the guru that is Rick Steves, the American European-travel-expert that writes helpful and witty travel guides on all of Europe, along side staring in his very own “Rick Steves’ Through the Back Door” travel show (Check him out at: www.ricksteves.com).
And just so you don’t think all I do in Strasbourg is plan for the time when I will be leaving this beautiful city... sometimes I do actually leave to see near-bye attractions! Okay, truth be told, I haven’t seen much of Alsace beyond the first group trip the LC kids took to Colmar and Munster. This really should change. HOWEVER, Gretchen and I DID make it to Germany’s neighboring Black Forest for a Saturday day trip, during which we decided to opt out on sampling true Black Forest cake in favor of some Rick Steves’ recommended gelato (this executive decision was made after Grechen and I both discovered that neither of was really a fan of Black Forest cake to begin with and would rather enjoy something typical than get a slice of cake just to say we ate Black Forest in the Black Forest).
Gelato aside, we did get a small glimpse of the Black Forest’s beauty in an early afternoon hike up Baden Baden’s forested hills to “Altes Schloss” or “Old Castle (?)”, the ruins of a had-been castle that is now available for unsupervised exploration up its many staircases, through its dark corners, and even up to the highest look-out tower. Besides some hand-rail reinforcements and a few fenced off areas, the castle is pretty much up for grabs. And me, with my “over-protective American background” was gasping every time I saw a low-ledge or a steep incline and imagined what fate could befall an unsupervised child (I’ve learned, since coming to France, that America is known as one of the most worrisome cultures in regards to its children. Here, things aren’t child-proofed, even in an apartment – like mine – that serves as a day care five days a week. The children are expected to know better. To be little adults. But that’s a whole other story I dare not launch into at this point...).
After finding our way back to central Baden Baden, our tired legs and sun-swept spirits were quite ready to indulge in what the city is known – and named – for: its baths. Martina explained that “Baden Baden” is a german redundancy essentially translating out to be “Bathing Bathing.” According to my host mom, it’s a top resort spot, particularly for scads of Japanese folks who come to Germany specifically for its two baths/spas: the traditional Roman and the more modern Cara Calla, which happens to be cheaper. 14 euros at this second spa got us three hours of water works bliss in the form of heated pools both indoor and outdoor, steam rooms, heat/sun lamps, aromatherapy saunas, and – what neither of us were expecting – our first “roman” experience on the top floor of the establishement, where swimsuits were “interdit” (not allowed).
This top floor, specifically devoted to a wide variety of sauna experiences (some which included out door huts, meaning walking around under the trees in fully “natural” attire), was actually where we ended up spending the majority of our time, experiencing everything from wet saunas to dry saunas to freezing baths, hot water jacuzzis, and the takes-your-breath-away (literally) bucket of ice cold water that douses you with glacial swear-inducing cascades at the tug of a rope. On top of all the water wonders was the liberating and perspective-giving experience of being stark naked amist a whole bunch of other nudists of every shape, size, age, and nationality. A hundred times healthier than most of the advertisement/pornography nudes that fill countless minds with unachievable “ideals,” I’m now of the mindset that roman baths should be routine therapy for those with body image discrepancies (i.e. just about every teenager on up through a good deal of adulthood).
Of course, I came home and mentioned to Mme that I’d been “upstairs” and she just about flipped... “Non... non... tu n’es pas allée... non... en haut??!! Avec tous les hommes?! Tous nus? Non... c’est pas vrai... Oh, j’ai jamais fait ça... Jamais!!” (“No... no... you didn’t go... no... upstairs??!! With all the men? All naked? No... it’s not true... Oh, I never do that... never!”). At the end of it all, I got the tiniest impression that her words were laced with a dash of admiration. Just another thing to add to her list of things that makes me “different” (and of which I have to admit I am rather proud... like the fact that I haven’t, contrary to her utter disbelief, eaten at MacDonald’s since arriving in France. Nor back in the US, for that matter).
Okay. So much for my bullet points. I think I’ll stop there, considering I’ve been chosing to do everything but my homework in the past, oh, MONTH, and that if I must insist on this path of procrastination, the least I could do is spent some time organizing for Friday’s morning departure and perhaps stocking up on some good nights of sleep.
À plus!
Life here seems to be constructed in various linked capsules, each with their own interior world. From the first weeks of going out nightly with the LC crew and trying to settle in to a seemingly restrictive host-family situation... to discovering Strasbourg with new found German friendship in the form of Martina... to Amsterdam adventures with Derek (a suddenly-really-good-friend for a condensed period time), London and Ireland with Ariana... to grêves throughout Strasbourg, cancelling of classes, Martina’s friends visiting, and life feeling very non-school oriented... to slightly awkward Lebanese salsa dancing advances... to Gretchen arriving, summer plans solidifying, past life mingling with present to create something totally new... and now, with a month and a half to go, I foresee a good three or four “capsules” left to savor in the form of Paris with a now-distant LC group (trying not to worry that it’ll be weird), France travels with Martina, suddenly-finals-for-which-I-am-sorely-unmotivated/unprepared, and simultaneous preparations to leave for summer travels....
So much has happened in the past while that I doubt I’m up to explaining it all or that any reader is necessarily content to read through it all. Hence, I will pull out the ever-useful bullet point, and try to condense life down to a series of potentially unrelated summaries...
Gretchen arrived on Wednesday afternoon, which happened to be a second day of closed-campus due to CPE-related striking. The weather was not in the least welcoming... it definitely offered some spring time SNOW drizzle in the morning hours in preparation for her arrival, seemingly forgetting about the beautifully warm sunny days it had previously bestowed us with. Thankfully, however, sun was re-instated the next day and lasted through Saturday evening, whiched proved perfect for Strasbourg site-seeing and even a trip to Germany’s black-forested Baden Baden.
Food was a primary focus during Gretchen’s stay (to be expected when having a veritable chef staying with you... fyi to those who may not know Gretchen: She is a fellow Lewis & Clarkie, a good friend and former apartment-mate from last semester, and a veritable magician in the realm of baked goods and other kitchen-related delights...). After putting forth some euros to eat a couple veritable french/alsacian restaurant dinners (Alsace’s regional speciality of Tarte Flambée and the tried and true traditional French crêpe), the tables eagerly turned and we took donned the chef’s attire. After Gretchen’s exciting purchase of two french cookbooks, we decided on two recipes from the Tartes/Quiches/Savory Cakes book and made a mess of Martina’s small kitchen in whipping up some delicious creations. Palm Sunday brought more crêpes home-made style (again at Martina’s), and upon Gretchen’s leaving, I received my first (early) birthday present of a lovely french cookbook all to my own... written specifically for children eager to discover and learn the joys of cooking, filled with colorful pictures, useful descriptions, and indespensible vocabulary lists. In other words, the absolute perfect cookbook for me. Gretchen gets mucho brownie points... and I need to find some way to hide this book before finals!
Probably second on the priority list after num-nums was the planning of summer travel. Gretchen and I will be travel buddies for over half the summer’s European adventures, and thus it was very fortunate she could come and visit so that we could finally, easily begin to lay out the groundwork and itinerary for our trip. The day after our inital planning I learned that, due to CPE-induced university closures, our finals were being pushed back a week... which then sent the two of us back to the drawing boards, as I am no longer free to pick up and leave Strasbourg until after May 25 (as opposed to the 19th). As it is, the week-long delay didn’t make a huge dent in our plans, and we are currently foreseeing Norway, Copenhagen pit-stop (where Gretchen is currently studying), Budapest, whirlwind Italy, Southern France, and Spain.
Come early July we will split ways and she will explore more of France’s offerings (which I will have already done) and, after stopping to perhaps do a load of laundry and catch a moments pause back in Strasbourg, I’ll head up to Germany territory to visit Martina’s stomping grounds (around Munich), from which point I’ll hop a plane to Ireland for a week of traditional music/dance camp, followed by another seven days of Western Ireland solitary explorations. Another plane will take me to the finale – a few days in Prague, where Martina may end up joining me – and then back to Strasbourg to gather my belongings from chez Mme (she’s kindly invited my baggage to stay on while I’m on my traipsings), and hop a final loooong plane that will take me back home in early August.
Of course that’s still all to be finalized. But it’s certainly more concrete than the nightly nervous/excited ponderings I was fraught with back a few weeks. Suffice it to say, Gretchen and I are both more of the “yes, I need an itinerary and some concrete plans” types than the free-wheeling “pick up and go somewhere when I feel the whim” backpackers that often make their way around Europe. But hey, what can we say? We’re now devout disciples of the guru that is Rick Steves, the American European-travel-expert that writes helpful and witty travel guides on all of Europe, along side staring in his very own “Rick Steves’ Through the Back Door” travel show (Check him out at: www.ricksteves.com).
And just so you don’t think all I do in Strasbourg is plan for the time when I will be leaving this beautiful city... sometimes I do actually leave to see near-bye attractions! Okay, truth be told, I haven’t seen much of Alsace beyond the first group trip the LC kids took to Colmar and Munster. This really should change. HOWEVER, Gretchen and I DID make it to Germany’s neighboring Black Forest for a Saturday day trip, during which we decided to opt out on sampling true Black Forest cake in favor of some Rick Steves’ recommended gelato (this executive decision was made after Grechen and I both discovered that neither of was really a fan of Black Forest cake to begin with and would rather enjoy something typical than get a slice of cake just to say we ate Black Forest in the Black Forest).
Gelato aside, we did get a small glimpse of the Black Forest’s beauty in an early afternoon hike up Baden Baden’s forested hills to “Altes Schloss” or “Old Castle (?)”, the ruins of a had-been castle that is now available for unsupervised exploration up its many staircases, through its dark corners, and even up to the highest look-out tower. Besides some hand-rail reinforcements and a few fenced off areas, the castle is pretty much up for grabs. And me, with my “over-protective American background” was gasping every time I saw a low-ledge or a steep incline and imagined what fate could befall an unsupervised child (I’ve learned, since coming to France, that America is known as one of the most worrisome cultures in regards to its children. Here, things aren’t child-proofed, even in an apartment – like mine – that serves as a day care five days a week. The children are expected to know better. To be little adults. But that’s a whole other story I dare not launch into at this point...).
After finding our way back to central Baden Baden, our tired legs and sun-swept spirits were quite ready to indulge in what the city is known – and named – for: its baths. Martina explained that “Baden Baden” is a german redundancy essentially translating out to be “Bathing Bathing.” According to my host mom, it’s a top resort spot, particularly for scads of Japanese folks who come to Germany specifically for its two baths/spas: the traditional Roman and the more modern Cara Calla, which happens to be cheaper. 14 euros at this second spa got us three hours of water works bliss in the form of heated pools both indoor and outdoor, steam rooms, heat/sun lamps, aromatherapy saunas, and – what neither of us were expecting – our first “roman” experience on the top floor of the establishement, where swimsuits were “interdit” (not allowed).
This top floor, specifically devoted to a wide variety of sauna experiences (some which included out door huts, meaning walking around under the trees in fully “natural” attire), was actually where we ended up spending the majority of our time, experiencing everything from wet saunas to dry saunas to freezing baths, hot water jacuzzis, and the takes-your-breath-away (literally) bucket of ice cold water that douses you with glacial swear-inducing cascades at the tug of a rope. On top of all the water wonders was the liberating and perspective-giving experience of being stark naked amist a whole bunch of other nudists of every shape, size, age, and nationality. A hundred times healthier than most of the advertisement/pornography nudes that fill countless minds with unachievable “ideals,” I’m now of the mindset that roman baths should be routine therapy for those with body image discrepancies (i.e. just about every teenager on up through a good deal of adulthood).
Of course, I came home and mentioned to Mme that I’d been “upstairs” and she just about flipped... “Non... non... tu n’es pas allée... non... en haut??!! Avec tous les hommes?! Tous nus? Non... c’est pas vrai... Oh, j’ai jamais fait ça... Jamais!!” (“No... no... you didn’t go... no... upstairs??!! With all the men? All naked? No... it’s not true... Oh, I never do that... never!”). At the end of it all, I got the tiniest impression that her words were laced with a dash of admiration. Just another thing to add to her list of things that makes me “different” (and of which I have to admit I am rather proud... like the fact that I haven’t, contrary to her utter disbelief, eaten at MacDonald’s since arriving in France. Nor back in the US, for that matter).
Okay. So much for my bullet points. I think I’ll stop there, considering I’ve been chosing to do everything but my homework in the past, oh, MONTH, and that if I must insist on this path of procrastination, the least I could do is spent some time organizing for Friday’s morning departure and perhaps stocking up on some good nights of sleep.
À plus!
posted by Melia at 1:36 AM
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