Monday, September 15, 2008
Press Republican Photos
hey, here are two photos that I think may be published in my local newspaper.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
yuliyas visit
hey, so its been a while since i wrote here. hoepfully you havent been in too much suspense waiting for the next edition. theres so much going on here that its hard to keep it all straight and up to date. although its throughoutly enjoyable every minute. so the week after the running of the bulls was quite painful (literally) as my entire front side was sunburned except for a curious patch in the center of my chest, for what reason i dont know. although i met up with my firend Flo Cognat who I visited in Lyon one night for dinner which was pretty fun. the next weekend was Bastille day weekend. My friend Yuliya from UNH visited. She came in on the TGV on friday night and right from the train station we were off. We walked all around until about midnight by which time we were both dead. It was fun to see her reaction to all of the things I have seen many times by now. Especially fun was the eiffel tower because on the way there, and the entire weekend, it seemed like we were in some epic quest for "the perfect picture" which is pretty much any picture of it because for some reason it has a quality i think that makes even the most amateur of photographers seem really good when you look at the pictures. We got back to the maison Etats Unis as nearly 12:30 and after making pasta for dinner, went to bed.
The next day was huge, we started by going to an SNCF (train) station so I could buy my tickets for August (which as I write is acutally tommorow :) ) and then were off. We went to Luxembourg and then to the Pantheon and then we walked around the back of Notre Dame and coming to the front I spotted someone in front of me that I thought I recognized and to our astoundingly huge surprise, it was a one Mr. Richard Drenkin!! So, probably only people from UNH know who this is but for those who dont, he is another UNH student, was the student body president, and both Yuliya and I knew him in some way or another and this was one of those like 1:1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 chances of happenning because I mean seriously, being in the same foreign city as another person you know at the same time is rare enough I would think but then happenning to stumble upon them in such a huge city with massive crowds like PAris. Whoa! Thats unbelievable. So we all went and got lunch together. After saying goodbye, Yuliya and I continued on our journey and went to the Musee d'Orsay. It was just as cool this time and even more fun with another person, especially because i got to tell her about the aintings I knew and try to explain to her what little I knew about their meaning. After that we went up towards Centre Pompidou to find a place to eat and stopping in a gift shop to buy a tshirt, the lady said she recognized me. It was crazy that in such a huge place with so many tourists, she recognized me(kind of cool)! We then started to walk and after getting semilost a couple times we managed to find our way all the way back to the Latin Quarter (which is next to Notre Dame) and found this amazing little restaurant called Le Tango du Chat where we had an amazingly French dinner complete with, of course, escargot and Creme brulle (not mixed though).
The next day we planned to go up the Eiffell Tower so we were going to beat the crowds and get there when it openned at 9am......I guess a lot of other people had this same idea because it turned out the wait was nearly 2 hours. However, it was made interesting because the entire bottom section was cordoned off at one point and the Gendarmerie (police force) were running everywhere with machine guns. I still dont know exactly what this was for though. The top was amazing and it was as clear a day as anyone could have wished for so we got a view like nothing else. After that, we were going to go to Versailles for the afternoon. I mean, I was excited to see Versailles but it seemed like it was the most important thing for Yuliya in the whole universe so her being excited made me really excited to and helped alleviate the thought that all we ate until nearly 6pm was a bite of bread and an apple. On the train there, we met some people from Texas and discussed aboutour adventures and shared reactions and tips and other fun stories. When we got there though, Yuliya and I raced ahead and getting to the entrance saw a line that seemed to curl 8 times and was like some dragonof people waiting. We stood in line for a bit and then Yuliya went to get a map. Coming back she tld me to get outof line cause she had to tell me something. Reluctantly she pulled me out of the line and i was ready to get mad at her when she showed me two tickets she had somehow managed to buy when she went to get a map. What!?!? Amazing!! So we were feeling like a million bucks when we walked in and had the most time in the world. The chateau was nice, big, very big, and overtly decadent. However, I think even more amazing were the gardens outback. Initially, we thought we had to pay more to get to these but we bumped back into the Texas people in the chateau and together we found what seemed like a free entrance. I dont know exactly what it was but in any case, we didnt pay a euro and we got to see the Gardens. They were absolutely huge!! Like it seems as if they go on forever and then when they stops theres this lake that starts and behind that is a huge field. And the hedges in the gardens,huge!! and in every alcove theres a different fountain to a different Greek god. It was very fun to walk around although by the end we were getting quite tired and we happy to find the exit and say "au revoir" to Versailles. We got a sandwich on the way back for dinner and re-energized, we went to Montmartre to relax on "la butte" (the hill) with some wine. we walked around for a bit and then when it was getting later we headed down towards the redlight district to see the Moulin Rouge. Ill spare the descriptions of some of the things we saw, but i would say many of them fit with the conceptions one may have of a red light district and was pretty bizarre. We then were walking around the district for a while and stumbled upon this square where a band was playing. We stopped and listened for a bit and then decided that there was no way we couldnt dance. So, Yuliya and I, along with some guy from Senegal who seemed to be very friendly, although in a quite inebriated state i think, single handedly started a dance party. It was great because at first it was only us and then a few more joined in and then a few more and after about an hour, lots and lots were dancing, from little children of a few years to seniors. It was the most fun I have had there and it pasted a permanent smile on my face that didnt leave for a long time. One of the reasons for the band though, was because it was July 13th so it was like a celebration the night before for the Quatorze Juillet celebration, so there was also a few drummers there who were all dressed in traditional army garb playing marching beats that were acutally really intense and there hands were going so fast you couldnt see them move. It was very cool. After this, it was quite late and we made our way back to Cite U for the night.
The next morning we woke up at 6:30am and after getting ready, made our way to the Champs Elysees for the parade to celebrate the Quatorze Juillet. After getting some breakfast at a boulangerie we waited....and waited...and waited some more. More people were piling in behindus and by the time the parade started the entire sidewalk was packed, but we were right in the front. It was pretty cool. This was like no Ameerican 4th of july parade though. There was no candy, no boyscouts or girl scouts, no fancy cars or antique cars. This was a military parade and indeed, it was military. It started with the ground military lining up from all different countries in the EU because Sarkozzy had invited them all to be a part of it. When they all got at attention, Sarkozzy drove down, waving to everyone and it was a very fleeting sight to see him dirve by. They the parade started. Jets flew over head and released smoke to make a French drapeau in the sky and then planes after more planes flew over. And then the marching, they all started to march and they were then followed by trucks and tanks and huge army vehicals I could never imagine. They were all just so, big! It was quie intimidating I must say. And the order of the whole procession was very particular with line after line of vehicle. After a couple hours of this though, we decided to go because theres only so much flexing of a nations military " machoness" that one can handle I think. And, the Louvre was open free for visitors today. So that was the next destination. It took us over an hour to find our way there but eventually we got to the Louvre. And I can confidently say that it defeated us and kicked our butts. It was partly because we were so tired but it was also simply because it is just such a huge museum. Its massive! Truly. And at a few ponits, I think we got lost easily. We ended up seeing most of the key things and, although I was not surprised this time, the Mona Lisa was indeed quite underwhelming. Although it was pretty cool to see Hammurabis code I think, even though it was right at the end and Yuliya was pretty much draggin us through to the end of the museum, both of us dead tired. Afterwards, we went out in to the courtyard and took a nap before heading back to the Cite to collect her things. We sat in park Monsourris (across the street from where I live) for a bit and just marvelled at how different life is here and how "hanging out" in France is nothing like "hanging out" in America. We then said goodbye at the trainstation and she was off. It was an extremely fast weekend but, right when she left, I went to the ticket both and bought tickets to Brest for the next weekend. I was going to Bretagne!! Later that night, I went to the Eiffel tower to watch the fireworks where I met some really fun people from the University of Florida . The fireworks were spectacular and it was amazing to see them with the Eiffel Tower in the same image. LAter, I discovered that that night, there were over 600,000 people at the Eiffel tower for the fireworks! This was kindof overwhelming. This explains why getting back on the Metro was like a fight to breathe, although I must admit that I have reallyfound awarm space in my heart for the "friends" I make with those pressed up against you, sometimes in a awkwardly intimate way,on the metro. At the end of the night, I was officially exhausted but very glad for the entire weekend
The next day was huge, we started by going to an SNCF (train) station so I could buy my tickets for August (which as I write is acutally tommorow :) ) and then were off. We went to Luxembourg and then to the Pantheon and then we walked around the back of Notre Dame and coming to the front I spotted someone in front of me that I thought I recognized and to our astoundingly huge surprise, it was a one Mr. Richard Drenkin!! So, probably only people from UNH know who this is but for those who dont, he is another UNH student, was the student body president, and both Yuliya and I knew him in some way or another and this was one of those like 1:1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 chances of happenning because I mean seriously, being in the same foreign city as another person you know at the same time is rare enough I would think but then happenning to stumble upon them in such a huge city with massive crowds like PAris. Whoa! Thats unbelievable. So we all went and got lunch together. After saying goodbye, Yuliya and I continued on our journey and went to the Musee d'Orsay. It was just as cool this time and even more fun with another person, especially because i got to tell her about the aintings I knew and try to explain to her what little I knew about their meaning. After that we went up towards Centre Pompidou to find a place to eat and stopping in a gift shop to buy a tshirt, the lady said she recognized me. It was crazy that in such a huge place with so many tourists, she recognized me(kind of cool)! We then started to walk and after getting semilost a couple times we managed to find our way all the way back to the Latin Quarter (which is next to Notre Dame) and found this amazing little restaurant called Le Tango du Chat where we had an amazingly French dinner complete with, of course, escargot and Creme brulle (not mixed though).
The next day we planned to go up the Eiffell Tower so we were going to beat the crowds and get there when it openned at 9am......I guess a lot of other people had this same idea because it turned out the wait was nearly 2 hours. However, it was made interesting because the entire bottom section was cordoned off at one point and the Gendarmerie (police force) were running everywhere with machine guns. I still dont know exactly what this was for though. The top was amazing and it was as clear a day as anyone could have wished for so we got a view like nothing else. After that, we were going to go to Versailles for the afternoon. I mean, I was excited to see Versailles but it seemed like it was the most important thing for Yuliya in the whole universe so her being excited made me really excited to and helped alleviate the thought that all we ate until nearly 6pm was a bite of bread and an apple. On the train there, we met some people from Texas and discussed aboutour adventures and shared reactions and tips and other fun stories. When we got there though, Yuliya and I raced ahead and getting to the entrance saw a line that seemed to curl 8 times and was like some dragonof people waiting. We stood in line for a bit and then Yuliya went to get a map. Coming back she tld me to get outof line cause she had to tell me something. Reluctantly she pulled me out of the line and i was ready to get mad at her when she showed me two tickets she had somehow managed to buy when she went to get a map. What!?!? Amazing!! So we were feeling like a million bucks when we walked in and had the most time in the world. The chateau was nice, big, very big, and overtly decadent. However, I think even more amazing were the gardens outback. Initially, we thought we had to pay more to get to these but we bumped back into the Texas people in the chateau and together we found what seemed like a free entrance. I dont know exactly what it was but in any case, we didnt pay a euro and we got to see the Gardens. They were absolutely huge!! Like it seems as if they go on forever and then when they stops theres this lake that starts and behind that is a huge field. And the hedges in the gardens,huge!! and in every alcove theres a different fountain to a different Greek god. It was very fun to walk around although by the end we were getting quite tired and we happy to find the exit and say "au revoir" to Versailles. We got a sandwich on the way back for dinner and re-energized, we went to Montmartre to relax on "la butte" (the hill) with some wine. we walked around for a bit and then when it was getting later we headed down towards the redlight district to see the Moulin Rouge. Ill spare the descriptions of some of the things we saw, but i would say many of them fit with the conceptions one may have of a red light district and was pretty bizarre. We then were walking around the district for a while and stumbled upon this square where a band was playing. We stopped and listened for a bit and then decided that there was no way we couldnt dance. So, Yuliya and I, along with some guy from Senegal who seemed to be very friendly, although in a quite inebriated state i think, single handedly started a dance party. It was great because at first it was only us and then a few more joined in and then a few more and after about an hour, lots and lots were dancing, from little children of a few years to seniors. It was the most fun I have had there and it pasted a permanent smile on my face that didnt leave for a long time. One of the reasons for the band though, was because it was July 13th so it was like a celebration the night before for the Quatorze Juillet celebration, so there was also a few drummers there who were all dressed in traditional army garb playing marching beats that were acutally really intense and there hands were going so fast you couldnt see them move. It was very cool. After this, it was quite late and we made our way back to Cite U for the night.
The next morning we woke up at 6:30am and after getting ready, made our way to the Champs Elysees for the parade to celebrate the Quatorze Juillet. After getting some breakfast at a boulangerie we waited....and waited...and waited some more. More people were piling in behindus and by the time the parade started the entire sidewalk was packed, but we were right in the front. It was pretty cool. This was like no Ameerican 4th of july parade though. There was no candy, no boyscouts or girl scouts, no fancy cars or antique cars. This was a military parade and indeed, it was military. It started with the ground military lining up from all different countries in the EU because Sarkozzy had invited them all to be a part of it. When they all got at attention, Sarkozzy drove down, waving to everyone and it was a very fleeting sight to see him dirve by. They the parade started. Jets flew over head and released smoke to make a French drapeau in the sky and then planes after more planes flew over. And then the marching, they all started to march and they were then followed by trucks and tanks and huge army vehicals I could never imagine. They were all just so, big! It was quie intimidating I must say. And the order of the whole procession was very particular with line after line of vehicle. After a couple hours of this though, we decided to go because theres only so much flexing of a nations military " machoness" that one can handle I think. And, the Louvre was open free for visitors today. So that was the next destination. It took us over an hour to find our way there but eventually we got to the Louvre. And I can confidently say that it defeated us and kicked our butts. It was partly because we were so tired but it was also simply because it is just such a huge museum. Its massive! Truly. And at a few ponits, I think we got lost easily. We ended up seeing most of the key things and, although I was not surprised this time, the Mona Lisa was indeed quite underwhelming. Although it was pretty cool to see Hammurabis code I think, even though it was right at the end and Yuliya was pretty much draggin us through to the end of the museum, both of us dead tired. Afterwards, we went out in to the courtyard and took a nap before heading back to the Cite to collect her things. We sat in park Monsourris (across the street from where I live) for a bit and just marvelled at how different life is here and how "hanging out" in France is nothing like "hanging out" in America. We then said goodbye at the trainstation and she was off. It was an extremely fast weekend but, right when she left, I went to the ticket both and bought tickets to Brest for the next weekend. I was going to Bretagne!! Later that night, I went to the Eiffel tower to watch the fireworks where I met some really fun people from the University of Florida . The fireworks were spectacular and it was amazing to see them with the Eiffel Tower in the same image. LAter, I discovered that that night, there were over 600,000 people at the Eiffel tower for the fireworks! This was kindof overwhelming. This explains why getting back on the Metro was like a fight to breathe, although I must admit that I have reallyfound awarm space in my heart for the "friends" I make with those pressed up against you, sometimes in a awkwardly intimate way,on the metro. At the end of the night, I was officially exhausted but very glad for the entire weekend
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Spain (The night and the race)
So, as I was reminded I never got to the race and did not get to say that I survived. So for the count, I am still alive and in good health.
We left San sebastien early the next morning and went to Pamplona. When we got there we immediately went to find some red garb to wear for the day which wasnt too difficult because it was being sold everywehre. As we neared the center of town the scene got ridiculous. There were people everywhere and it was only 10:30am but all of the bard were open and full to the brim. I think the ratio of open bottles to people was somewhere around 3:1 and people were throwing it all over each other. We realized that it would be difficult to not get dirty so Vass and I split up from Marly and Anna and started to try to go more towards the center of town where the festival was supposed to officially begin and try to get a real feel of it. We managed to get part of the way and then it just got so dense with people that we just had to go with the wve of the crowd. so we tried to take another direction, the whole while, sprays of wine were being thrown everywhere and half of the people were covered in mustard, ketchup, and flour ( I dont totally understand this but the theme was to make the white clothes that everyone was wearing as dirty as possible before noon I think) So as we tried to take the side street Vass and I got split up somehow and after looking for a few minutes and realizing it was utterly hopeless in the crowd I started to walk around and see what everyone was up to. For the majority, people were drinking. Although in addition to this, there was a curious, what I would think is a tradition, that was going on. From all the windows of the apartments overlooking the streets, people were watching the craziness below and sa, because we were all so dirty, a large group would begin to gather under a window and all together, sometimes in a clever little chant (in Spanish of course), we would all start shouting "Agua agua agua (water water water)" And out would come a huge bucket of water that we were calling for. After joking to pour it a couple of times and many more shouts of Agua, the people from above would pour the bucket of water to fall down on those below. It was absolutely spectacular and it felt so great to be mixed in with everyone and all together get this water poured all over us. It was also fun to try to mimick the Spanish chants that they were making, even if I couldnt understand them. And then I found..."THE BAND". The kickoff for San Fermines is sort of heralded in by this band that marches through the streets of Pamplona amongst the chaos and plays this one song ove and over again. The point of the crowds is to slow the band as much as you can so that they must play for a longer time. So I followed along with the band and pretended to sing along with the song as I heard others singing. Everyone was dancing and a congo line was started for a while. It was fun to see the band interact with the crowd and it was a sort of friendly type musically inclined aggresion between people that was all taken in good nature. For instance, whenever anyone was being too obnoxious near the band or not moving at all, one of the people playing would put the mouth of their instrument right in the persons ear until they left and the person would notice right away and turn around, give them a smaile and then dance off. After marching for quite a while, the band stopped in the middle of the street and made a circle to finish the song. I thought it was the end but I was mistaken. Instead, they wre taking a break and from the restaurant next to us, people brought wine and fried pinchos, what a snack!
After an hour or so of this, we all met back up and then went to try to find a couple of annas friends we had met the night before. We started walking down the streets and it seemed that everywhere I looked there were just more and more people. It was ridiculous how many people were there, packed unto these 8 foot wide streets, all carrying either a box of wine or sangria. We met up and walked around for a bit, continually talking to the locals and making new friends every 10 feet. People were all so festive and just happy to be there and it was a really good kind of energy that was going around. Although after about 2 hours of this we were tired and hungry and it was getting towards siesta time so we walked back towards the bus station and sat down to have lunch. We mixed our wine with soda to make something called "vino di pinto" (know that that may be butchered but it was something like that and it seemed to be what everyone drinks in the summer time in Spain, any time of day) and had some more sauchison and bread for lunch.
After lunch we took our time walking to a bar where we were to meet back up with annas friends and walked part of the route of the run for the next day. we made it all the way to where the entrance to the stadium was and I thought to myself then that I had to make it in the next day, I just had to. At about 7pm we met up with her friends, some who were German, two who were Spanish, and two Australian guys they had met that day. We danced for a while and the Spanish girls taught me some Spanish phrases when I would ask. I was interesting to try to learn because only one of them kindof spoke English so the amount and quality of translating in both directions that went on was questionable. Anna and her sister left at 9pm to take a bus back to San Sebestien for the night because they werent running the next day and were going to return later in the week. So Vass and I stayed with their friends as we still had a little over 10 hours to pass until the race.
It was getting towards 11pm (i think) and the night was going well. We started to walk to a different place and somewhere along the way I turned around to look for Vass, who I thought was right behind me, and as my luck had it, he wasnt. I started shouting his name and looking around for a bit but realised it was useless after a bit and that we would half to rely on some sort of bizarre luck and the passing mention that we were going to drop our things at the bag check place at around 5am. So, accepting that I was lost from them, and not exactly knowing where I was or what direction I should walk, I checked to see what I had. Beyond my clothes which were soon becoming soaked in wine and other drink, I had 5.90 euros, my digital camera, and my pocket knife. (I felt like an urban Bear Grylls) So I began to wander, making single serving friends in my search for the bag check. At one point, I remember feeling something wet on my head and turned around to find some drunk middle aged woman pouring an entire box of wine all over my head. It ran all down my shirt and all I could do was smile at her and give her a semi hug because that seemed to be what the theme of the night was. finding my way from street to street, I finally foudn the bag check area. I sat down on the steps hoping to see Vass mosey up "any moment now". An hour passed. No Vass. I checked my pocket, still only 5.90euros. I then thought back to the bus and realized it was 6.50euros and so I figured that I needed to somehow get another .60 so I would watch as people sat down on the steps and when a coin would fall out of there pocket, I would wait until they left and then snatch it up. Not that enyone was watching but I can imagine it was a fairly pathetic scene. It was also getting kindof cols by this time (1am) and so I would periodically walk inside the bag check to get warm and pretend to look at the map of Pamplona so the security guard wouldnt kick me out. While I was sitting on the steps, I started talking to three Americans I heard and it was fun to hear about their travels (not to mention it helped pass the time) and it turned out one was actually from UMass Amherst. It became a very small world and it seemed like an instant friend. After they left I decided to go try to look for Vass in a couple new areas where he might be. On my way back I was walking and a girl on a bench, with two friends (a guy and a girl) said hi and asked me what I was doing. I explained my situation, as they were sober and could thus understand me. They were Basque and lived nearby but this was only there second time at San Fermines. They invited me to walk around with them until they left and so for the next couple hours,I did. It was great. It was like I had some new friends for the night and they were actually very nice. At one point, A drunk guy walking towards us gave me a shoulder and knowcked me down. he then started speaking to me, in Euskaras, and when I couldnt understand him and all he started to get mad at me. I was fearing a repeat of my second night in Paris, but the guy with us (Xabi) said something and then said that we were leaving and like that it was over. So we walked around and went in a night club for a bit to warm up, and then at about 4am we parted because they had to go home. So, I went back to the steps and waited again. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to see Vass again and I started to think about all of the possible scenarios of how things may turn out. Although I was not too concerned because I had managed to gather enough money to be able to ay for a bus ticket back to San Sebastien so in my mind, I was doing pretty good. And then, as I was just sitting there, I hear from my left, "Sam, what are you doing?" It was Vass! Finally!!!!! It was such a huge relief to see him and I couldnt have asked for anything more at that moment. After sitting and laughing for a long while about what had happenned that night/morning (?) we sat down next to a group of people and took a 30minute nap (one needs their beuaty sleep when preparing for a run).
We woke up at 6:30 and went for a warm up jog around town to stretch out and then went back to drop our stuff off at the check. this is when we really started to get nervous. It was like nothing I had ever had before because I honestly new that what I was going to do made not that much rationaly sense but it had been something I wanted to do for so long that I was going to do it. It really was a bizarre feeling, accompanied of course by boughts of lightheadedness and nausea :) We started walking down to the course and found the first entrance in. (I will do my best to describe what happenned but it really is difficult) The scene here was like nohitn anywhere at anytime I have ever experience. The people on the sides were looking anxiously on, anticipating what was going to happen, Im sure some of them in their minds were hoping to see something "interesting" and "worth while" rahter than just people running. The people on the inside, of which the composition, honestly, was about 99.9% men. No joke, I saw 2 women, and thousands of people were running. The people on the inside were mixed. There were people who you could tell were locals and had done this before, there were Australians everywhere who you could spot obviously because they all were wearing the same shirt (now pink from wine), there were many many drunk men, somehow confident in their abilities to still be able to run in their present state, and then there were people like Vass and I who were discussion our "strategies". It was like devising a game plan...for survival, which essentially consisted of DONT GET IN FRONT OF THE BULLS. At about 7:45am, the police made a line about 10 feet in front of where we were and everyone in front of this line they walked up and kicked out. (Im glad we got to stay) The remaining crowd then got pushed back and even more crowded. The police made a gap in the middle of everyone and through it walked the mayor of the city and some of her entourage, all of them decked out in classy dress (with no wine on them at all). A few minutes later the crowd began to move foward and some began to run for some reason. As the crowd spread out, the police began to spot both drunks and people with cameras and they would take no exceptions and kicked people out left and right. And then...."BOOM!!" The first rocket went off which signalled the bulls had been released. At the a huge amount of people started running and everyone was yelling "corrilla corrilla" and it was utterly organized chaos. I was immediately pushed up against the wodden fence I was by and the only thing I could do was pucsh back so thats what I did and it seemed to work. Everyone was pusshing. It was the only thing you could do and if you didnt, well, I dont want to know what would happen itf you didnt. We made it aroudn the first corver in front of uss, the one that is supposed to be like the corner of death where all the bulls slop and kill people and then about 50 feet after that, I hear what seems to be this wave of screams coming up the street. They were coming. They really were coming now. This was it. The screams were approaching and so keeping with the tradition I started screaming as well. And then the surge. People pressed towards the wall. Everyone wanteing to get as far away from the path of the bulls as possible. (For grandmothers reading or others who had similar fears I will assure you that the next event took place with me behind a wall of 4 people deep) And then they came. You could literally feel it all through you. Their presence and through the ground and the sound of their feet stomping on the ground. My heart was pounding so fast and so hard and then I turned to my right and within a meter and a half of me I saw a pack of 6 bulls, each as tall as myself, come stamping by. They were utterly and undescribably enormous. At that moment I was happy not to be any closer than I was. But I still knew I wanted to get into the ring. So I started running more, and pushing, and yelling "corilla" like a mad man with everyone else (Note: Vass and I lost each other from the first step I think). As we neared to stadium, the pace slowed and there were shouts of victory from everyone in the street. A shivver went through my body as I stepping into the stadium and it was all I could do to cheer and yell along with everyone. It was overwhelming, the feeling. Walking around I, started looking for Vass, realizing soon it was hopeless. However, after 5 minutes I spotted the guy from the busride here. It was amazing to see him and very fun to reminisce about the race. Although standing there we heard a loud raucous and then a surge of people started pressing up against the wall, and into the ring comes a huge bull, stragglnig behind the rest. After that, they let a "baby" (Im guessing it was still around 1000lbs) into the ring to run around. guys would run up to it and try to touch it. It was quite a raw show of trying to prove ones courage I suppose. Although I must admit, it was pretty funny to see someone run up and try to slap it only to have him spin around and totally check the guy to the ground. I even saw a couple people get run over by the baby. But no worries, there was no way I was getting anywhere near it. After 5 or ten minutes of this, I decided i should meet Vass so I left and ran back through the course, feeling like a seasoned veteran and getting funny looks from all the passerbies who had just arrived with there perfectly white clothes and neat little kerchiefs they had just purchased. I met Vass at the bag check and we walked back to the bus station, all the while not believing what we had just done and saying to each other just how big they were. We took the bus back to san Sebastien then and for me the feeling of contentedness and sucess will never be quite the same as after that.
Afterward: Ok, so honestly, it was one of the funnest thigns I have done in my life. It was ana amzing festival all around and the run was utterly...amazimg. And, now Im sure no one will believe me if ou read this, and I wouldnt expect you to, but when the bulls ran past me, I did not feel in danger even once. That may take some more explaination, but for now I can say from first hand account, that if you are smart about it, it is not dangerous.
We left San sebastien early the next morning and went to Pamplona. When we got there we immediately went to find some red garb to wear for the day which wasnt too difficult because it was being sold everywehre. As we neared the center of town the scene got ridiculous. There were people everywhere and it was only 10:30am but all of the bard were open and full to the brim. I think the ratio of open bottles to people was somewhere around 3:1 and people were throwing it all over each other. We realized that it would be difficult to not get dirty so Vass and I split up from Marly and Anna and started to try to go more towards the center of town where the festival was supposed to officially begin and try to get a real feel of it. We managed to get part of the way and then it just got so dense with people that we just had to go with the wve of the crowd. so we tried to take another direction, the whole while, sprays of wine were being thrown everywhere and half of the people were covered in mustard, ketchup, and flour ( I dont totally understand this but the theme was to make the white clothes that everyone was wearing as dirty as possible before noon I think) So as we tried to take the side street Vass and I got split up somehow and after looking for a few minutes and realizing it was utterly hopeless in the crowd I started to walk around and see what everyone was up to. For the majority, people were drinking. Although in addition to this, there was a curious, what I would think is a tradition, that was going on. From all the windows of the apartments overlooking the streets, people were watching the craziness below and sa, because we were all so dirty, a large group would begin to gather under a window and all together, sometimes in a clever little chant (in Spanish of course), we would all start shouting "Agua agua agua (water water water)" And out would come a huge bucket of water that we were calling for. After joking to pour it a couple of times and many more shouts of Agua, the people from above would pour the bucket of water to fall down on those below. It was absolutely spectacular and it felt so great to be mixed in with everyone and all together get this water poured all over us. It was also fun to try to mimick the Spanish chants that they were making, even if I couldnt understand them. And then I found..."THE BAND". The kickoff for San Fermines is sort of heralded in by this band that marches through the streets of Pamplona amongst the chaos and plays this one song ove and over again. The point of the crowds is to slow the band as much as you can so that they must play for a longer time. So I followed along with the band and pretended to sing along with the song as I heard others singing. Everyone was dancing and a congo line was started for a while. It was fun to see the band interact with the crowd and it was a sort of friendly type musically inclined aggresion between people that was all taken in good nature. For instance, whenever anyone was being too obnoxious near the band or not moving at all, one of the people playing would put the mouth of their instrument right in the persons ear until they left and the person would notice right away and turn around, give them a smaile and then dance off. After marching for quite a while, the band stopped in the middle of the street and made a circle to finish the song. I thought it was the end but I was mistaken. Instead, they wre taking a break and from the restaurant next to us, people brought wine and fried pinchos, what a snack!
After an hour or so of this, we all met back up and then went to try to find a couple of annas friends we had met the night before. We started walking down the streets and it seemed that everywhere I looked there were just more and more people. It was ridiculous how many people were there, packed unto these 8 foot wide streets, all carrying either a box of wine or sangria. We met up and walked around for a bit, continually talking to the locals and making new friends every 10 feet. People were all so festive and just happy to be there and it was a really good kind of energy that was going around. Although after about 2 hours of this we were tired and hungry and it was getting towards siesta time so we walked back towards the bus station and sat down to have lunch. We mixed our wine with soda to make something called "vino di pinto" (know that that may be butchered but it was something like that and it seemed to be what everyone drinks in the summer time in Spain, any time of day) and had some more sauchison and bread for lunch.
After lunch we took our time walking to a bar where we were to meet back up with annas friends and walked part of the route of the run for the next day. we made it all the way to where the entrance to the stadium was and I thought to myself then that I had to make it in the next day, I just had to. At about 7pm we met up with her friends, some who were German, two who were Spanish, and two Australian guys they had met that day. We danced for a while and the Spanish girls taught me some Spanish phrases when I would ask. I was interesting to try to learn because only one of them kindof spoke English so the amount and quality of translating in both directions that went on was questionable. Anna and her sister left at 9pm to take a bus back to San Sebestien for the night because they werent running the next day and were going to return later in the week. So Vass and I stayed with their friends as we still had a little over 10 hours to pass until the race.
It was getting towards 11pm (i think) and the night was going well. We started to walk to a different place and somewhere along the way I turned around to look for Vass, who I thought was right behind me, and as my luck had it, he wasnt. I started shouting his name and looking around for a bit but realised it was useless after a bit and that we would half to rely on some sort of bizarre luck and the passing mention that we were going to drop our things at the bag check place at around 5am. So, accepting that I was lost from them, and not exactly knowing where I was or what direction I should walk, I checked to see what I had. Beyond my clothes which were soon becoming soaked in wine and other drink, I had 5.90 euros, my digital camera, and my pocket knife. (I felt like an urban Bear Grylls) So I began to wander, making single serving friends in my search for the bag check. At one point, I remember feeling something wet on my head and turned around to find some drunk middle aged woman pouring an entire box of wine all over my head. It ran all down my shirt and all I could do was smile at her and give her a semi hug because that seemed to be what the theme of the night was. finding my way from street to street, I finally foudn the bag check area. I sat down on the steps hoping to see Vass mosey up "any moment now". An hour passed. No Vass. I checked my pocket, still only 5.90euros. I then thought back to the bus and realized it was 6.50euros and so I figured that I needed to somehow get another .60 so I would watch as people sat down on the steps and when a coin would fall out of there pocket, I would wait until they left and then snatch it up. Not that enyone was watching but I can imagine it was a fairly pathetic scene. It was also getting kindof cols by this time (1am) and so I would periodically walk inside the bag check to get warm and pretend to look at the map of Pamplona so the security guard wouldnt kick me out. While I was sitting on the steps, I started talking to three Americans I heard and it was fun to hear about their travels (not to mention it helped pass the time) and it turned out one was actually from UMass Amherst. It became a very small world and it seemed like an instant friend. After they left I decided to go try to look for Vass in a couple new areas where he might be. On my way back I was walking and a girl on a bench, with two friends (a guy and a girl) said hi and asked me what I was doing. I explained my situation, as they were sober and could thus understand me. They were Basque and lived nearby but this was only there second time at San Fermines. They invited me to walk around with them until they left and so for the next couple hours,I did. It was great. It was like I had some new friends for the night and they were actually very nice. At one point, A drunk guy walking towards us gave me a shoulder and knowcked me down. he then started speaking to me, in Euskaras, and when I couldnt understand him and all he started to get mad at me. I was fearing a repeat of my second night in Paris, but the guy with us (Xabi) said something and then said that we were leaving and like that it was over. So we walked around and went in a night club for a bit to warm up, and then at about 4am we parted because they had to go home. So, I went back to the steps and waited again. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to see Vass again and I started to think about all of the possible scenarios of how things may turn out. Although I was not too concerned because I had managed to gather enough money to be able to ay for a bus ticket back to San Sebastien so in my mind, I was doing pretty good. And then, as I was just sitting there, I hear from my left, "Sam, what are you doing?" It was Vass! Finally!!!!! It was such a huge relief to see him and I couldnt have asked for anything more at that moment. After sitting and laughing for a long while about what had happenned that night/morning (?) we sat down next to a group of people and took a 30minute nap (one needs their beuaty sleep when preparing for a run).
We woke up at 6:30 and went for a warm up jog around town to stretch out and then went back to drop our stuff off at the check. this is when we really started to get nervous. It was like nothing I had ever had before because I honestly new that what I was going to do made not that much rationaly sense but it had been something I wanted to do for so long that I was going to do it. It really was a bizarre feeling, accompanied of course by boughts of lightheadedness and nausea :) We started walking down to the course and found the first entrance in. (I will do my best to describe what happenned but it really is difficult) The scene here was like nohitn anywhere at anytime I have ever experience. The people on the sides were looking anxiously on, anticipating what was going to happen, Im sure some of them in their minds were hoping to see something "interesting" and "worth while" rahter than just people running. The people on the inside, of which the composition, honestly, was about 99.9% men. No joke, I saw 2 women, and thousands of people were running. The people on the inside were mixed. There were people who you could tell were locals and had done this before, there were Australians everywhere who you could spot obviously because they all were wearing the same shirt (now pink from wine), there were many many drunk men, somehow confident in their abilities to still be able to run in their present state, and then there were people like Vass and I who were discussion our "strategies". It was like devising a game plan...for survival, which essentially consisted of DONT GET IN FRONT OF THE BULLS. At about 7:45am, the police made a line about 10 feet in front of where we were and everyone in front of this line they walked up and kicked out. (Im glad we got to stay) The remaining crowd then got pushed back and even more crowded. The police made a gap in the middle of everyone and through it walked the mayor of the city and some of her entourage, all of them decked out in classy dress (with no wine on them at all). A few minutes later the crowd began to move foward and some began to run for some reason. As the crowd spread out, the police began to spot both drunks and people with cameras and they would take no exceptions and kicked people out left and right. And then...."BOOM!!" The first rocket went off which signalled the bulls had been released. At the a huge amount of people started running and everyone was yelling "corrilla corrilla" and it was utterly organized chaos. I was immediately pushed up against the wodden fence I was by and the only thing I could do was pucsh back so thats what I did and it seemed to work. Everyone was pusshing. It was the only thing you could do and if you didnt, well, I dont want to know what would happen itf you didnt. We made it aroudn the first corver in front of uss, the one that is supposed to be like the corner of death where all the bulls slop and kill people and then about 50 feet after that, I hear what seems to be this wave of screams coming up the street. They were coming. They really were coming now. This was it. The screams were approaching and so keeping with the tradition I started screaming as well. And then the surge. People pressed towards the wall. Everyone wanteing to get as far away from the path of the bulls as possible. (For grandmothers reading or others who had similar fears I will assure you that the next event took place with me behind a wall of 4 people deep) And then they came. You could literally feel it all through you. Their presence and through the ground and the sound of their feet stomping on the ground. My heart was pounding so fast and so hard and then I turned to my right and within a meter and a half of me I saw a pack of 6 bulls, each as tall as myself, come stamping by. They were utterly and undescribably enormous. At that moment I was happy not to be any closer than I was. But I still knew I wanted to get into the ring. So I started running more, and pushing, and yelling "corilla" like a mad man with everyone else (Note: Vass and I lost each other from the first step I think). As we neared to stadium, the pace slowed and there were shouts of victory from everyone in the street. A shivver went through my body as I stepping into the stadium and it was all I could do to cheer and yell along with everyone. It was overwhelming, the feeling. Walking around I, started looking for Vass, realizing soon it was hopeless. However, after 5 minutes I spotted the guy from the busride here. It was amazing to see him and very fun to reminisce about the race. Although standing there we heard a loud raucous and then a surge of people started pressing up against the wall, and into the ring comes a huge bull, stragglnig behind the rest. After that, they let a "baby" (Im guessing it was still around 1000lbs) into the ring to run around. guys would run up to it and try to touch it. It was quite a raw show of trying to prove ones courage I suppose. Although I must admit, it was pretty funny to see someone run up and try to slap it only to have him spin around and totally check the guy to the ground. I even saw a couple people get run over by the baby. But no worries, there was no way I was getting anywhere near it. After 5 or ten minutes of this, I decided i should meet Vass so I left and ran back through the course, feeling like a seasoned veteran and getting funny looks from all the passerbies who had just arrived with there perfectly white clothes and neat little kerchiefs they had just purchased. I met Vass at the bag check and we walked back to the bus station, all the while not believing what we had just done and saying to each other just how big they were. We took the bus back to san Sebastien then and for me the feeling of contentedness and sucess will never be quite the same as after that.
Afterward: Ok, so honestly, it was one of the funnest thigns I have done in my life. It was ana amzing festival all around and the run was utterly...amazimg. And, now Im sure no one will believe me if ou read this, and I wouldnt expect you to, but when the bulls ran past me, I did not feel in danger even once. That may take some more explaination, but for now I can say from first hand account, that if you are smart about it, it is not dangerous.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Spain (day 1)
So, last weekend, as you may or may not have known, I went to spain to visit my friends Anna Bruning and Vass vorotnikov who are both studying on IROP grants as well. We decided that we had wanted to go to the festival of San Fermines and Vass and I decided we wanted to do the running of the bulls!
So, I left work on friday afternoon and took the Metro to the Eurolines bus station to take my 11 hour bus ride to Spain. It seemed like the best deal that I could muster in the time I had to buy my ticket and I think everyone else on the bus had the same idea. Nearly everyone was going down for the festival and the running. Most of them were Australian though and there were also a lot of Americans with I think maybe 4 Spaniards, one of whom I sat next to who taught me a bit of Spanish on the ride down. The ride was absolutely horrific and did I emntion it was 11 hours. The sleep was sparse and by the end I thought I wouldnt be able to walk because the seats were so uncomfortable. When we arrived, it was sprinking and so together some of us started of together but had to split up halfway through because I was on the opposite end of the city. I walked to the Albergue La Sirena and started to wait when at the door I saw Vass walk up out of nowhere. It was bizzarre and our meeting had worked out way too perfect. So after talking to the lady we went and had some breakfast and then came back to meet Anna and her sister Marly back at the hostel where we checked in. We then left and went to explore San Sebastien for a bit. So we walked around and found white clothes for the next day and then went and had bocadillos for lunch. They were really really really good spanish sandwiches with which we had cidre (I think its like cider) that you had to pour into a glass from like 4 feet up to make it nice and bubbly. Anna and MArly then went to take a siesta nap, as did most of the rest of San Sebastien but Vass and I decided we wanted to climb the hill on the coast up to this huge Jesus statue they had erected atop it. The view from the top was amazing and well worth the climb although I couldnt imagine hauling the huge rocks up there to build the statue. We then met Anna and went to buy our tickets to get to Pamplona for the next mroning and went grocery shopping. We met up with Marly afterwards and did some research on the bull running. The entire day and the next day also, Vass and I were continually talking about our "strategy" of how not to get skewered by a horn. At nearly 9:30pm we finally left for dinner (they do things like 2 hours late in Spain, everything) and went out to some bars for what are called Pinchos. They are like fancy bar food that you choose one at a time. It was really fun and I tried some traditional spanish type foods in addition to Octopus and some sort of Basque type liquor that I think is "indigenous" to that region (hopefully thats the right term to use). Vass and I got back to the hostel at 11pm went straight to bed. It was a full nights rest, at last, and I slept like a rock.
So, I left work on friday afternoon and took the Metro to the Eurolines bus station to take my 11 hour bus ride to Spain. It seemed like the best deal that I could muster in the time I had to buy my ticket and I think everyone else on the bus had the same idea. Nearly everyone was going down for the festival and the running. Most of them were Australian though and there were also a lot of Americans with I think maybe 4 Spaniards, one of whom I sat next to who taught me a bit of Spanish on the ride down. The ride was absolutely horrific and did I emntion it was 11 hours. The sleep was sparse and by the end I thought I wouldnt be able to walk because the seats were so uncomfortable. When we arrived, it was sprinking and so together some of us started of together but had to split up halfway through because I was on the opposite end of the city. I walked to the Albergue La Sirena and started to wait when at the door I saw Vass walk up out of nowhere. It was bizzarre and our meeting had worked out way too perfect. So after talking to the lady we went and had some breakfast and then came back to meet Anna and her sister Marly back at the hostel where we checked in. We then left and went to explore San Sebastien for a bit. So we walked around and found white clothes for the next day and then went and had bocadillos for lunch. They were really really really good spanish sandwiches with which we had cidre (I think its like cider) that you had to pour into a glass from like 4 feet up to make it nice and bubbly. Anna and MArly then went to take a siesta nap, as did most of the rest of San Sebastien but Vass and I decided we wanted to climb the hill on the coast up to this huge Jesus statue they had erected atop it. The view from the top was amazing and well worth the climb although I couldnt imagine hauling the huge rocks up there to build the statue. We then met Anna and went to buy our tickets to get to Pamplona for the next mroning and went grocery shopping. We met up with Marly afterwards and did some research on the bull running. The entire day and the next day also, Vass and I were continually talking about our "strategy" of how not to get skewered by a horn. At nearly 9:30pm we finally left for dinner (they do things like 2 hours late in Spain, everything) and went out to some bars for what are called Pinchos. They are like fancy bar food that you choose one at a time. It was really fun and I tried some traditional spanish type foods in addition to Octopus and some sort of Basque type liquor that I think is "indigenous" to that region (hopefully thats the right term to use). Vass and I got back to the hostel at 11pm went straight to bed. It was a full nights rest, at last, and I slept like a rock.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
week 4
The sunday after La fete de la Musique, I went to Orsay and met up with Marouan to have lunch and then go play soccer. It was fun but the combination of the lunch of merguez sausage and orange juice just 15 minutes before we played along with the blazing hot sun and dire lack of sleep from the night before meant I did not "marker" this time:( Afterwards we went back to MArouans and hung out until the match where Portugal lost to Germany. And then, as is tradition, I walked back from Orsay to Supelec...the distance never seems to shorten.
This week at work was very fun and I spent a lot of time in the lab working with the detectors with Marouan, Franck, and Piotr (a PhD student who just arrived from Virginia summer school at Jefferson Lab). It is sooooooo much fun, the work I do. And I cant get over how hands on and fidgety you can be with the detectors. On Tuesday, we couldnt figure out what was wrong with it and so they just started to take it apart, right there, nothing special apparently. When they finally revealed the innermost layer of strips, we found the problem and then work ceased for a few minutes while we let a gnat crawl across the detector. We have also started to work with a smaller prototype of the detector that goes in a magnetic field to test what is called the "Lorentz angle" that is not a good thing to have a lot of and something that we are trying to study to reduce as much as possible. These tests are done with an infrared laser that you cant see so if it shines in your eyes then you dont even know you are losing your sight until you cant see anything...so we wear goggles. And it is fun because I am slowly becoming confident enough in knowing the equipment to be able to turn knobs and push buttons and know what they will do. Although when everything is turned on, there is constant reminders from everyone to "ne touche pas" because of the high voltage (400V-~2000V if you are interested).
On friday I went to Lyon (as was posted on my previous message) to visit my friend Flo who lives there. I took the famed TGV, of which American French textbooks seem to love to write about. When I got on the train I had to move past a girl to get to my seat so I was polite and said "pardon" and then asked "Nous allons aller a Lyon?" to which she responded "Oui...". And then, about ten minutes later when we got out our passports to have our tickets checked it turned out we were both American. I thought it kindof funny that we had a mini conversation in French before, but from then on we talked in English (still the easier language for me). I got to Lyon at about 5:30pm and it took about an hour to find Flos flat but I got to see a lot of the city on the way, its very beuatiful and the rivers that run through it are amazing. When I got to Flos flat, I met her sister, Appoline, and (a first for France) we did the "une bises" meeting where you do the kisses on the cheek. It was a very nice change and I think something that would be nice if they started in America. Flo and I went out to dinner at a traditional Bouchon Lyonnais and had a really nice meal in a district of Lyon in which there are old Roman ruins, very cool! The next day Flo had to work, so I walked all around Lyon and did much shopping (mostly just window shopping) because the reknowned "soldes" of France have just begun. These are government sanctioned sales that happen once a year in February and once a year in July for a few weeks outside of which time stores can actually get in trouble for putting things on sale. Its kindof difficult for me to fully understand but most stores have sales jusq'ua -70%!! This makes the things which are normally 300euros only 90euros! Hence, I still did not buy a whole lot. But it makes it fun to look. After, I climbed to the top of one of Lyons hills and visited a cathedral on the top from which you could see all of Lyon and the countryside. It was beautiful and really made the "pilgrimage" up the hill well worth it, especially since my shirt was drenched in sweat by now (France has very hot weather, not unbearable, but just guaranteeing that you will sweat through your shirt everyday). After walking around for abit more and hanging out down by the Rhone river, I met Flo and Appoline for dinner back at the flat, and then went with Flo to meet two of her friends and get ice cream. Again, we did the bisous (kisses) and I met Elise and Angelique. Elise spoke some English but Engelique spoke none. Although, amazingly, I was able to get along just fine and I even told them my story about the guy at La fete de la musique who tried to pick me up. (I dont think Ill be able to ever get over this speaking French thing and I think its the greatest thing to speak in another language) We decided to go on a picnic the next day so we spent some time planning that while we ate our ice cream (I had cactus, cafe, and strachiatella). So the next day, Flo and I picked them up and for the afternoon we went to "la campagne" (the countryside) where we visited Perrougewhich is a (maybe I should say used to be a) medieval city. It was so fun and very relaxing to be out of the urban lifestyle for a few hours. When we went back to Lyon we walked around this big park that is there and also went to this sort of zoo place in the park where there were elephants and giraffes and zebras and monkeys ....... It was pretty cool to see (also very hot outside) and the park was quite picturesque with wide grassy fields, a pond, and people playing all about. We went directly to the train station froom there where we said our good byes (with the bisous again :) ) and Flo walked me to my train to help me find it. And..two hours later, I was back at Le guichet where I had the distinct pleasure of walking back to Supelec (FOR THE LAST TIME!!!!!) to catch the end of the Euro finals. Spain beat Germany, who would have thought? I honestly thought Germany was stronger. Although I am going to Espagne next weekend so I am pretty excited about this outcome.
This week at work was very fun and I spent a lot of time in the lab working with the detectors with Marouan, Franck, and Piotr (a PhD student who just arrived from Virginia summer school at Jefferson Lab). It is sooooooo much fun, the work I do. And I cant get over how hands on and fidgety you can be with the detectors. On Tuesday, we couldnt figure out what was wrong with it and so they just started to take it apart, right there, nothing special apparently. When they finally revealed the innermost layer of strips, we found the problem and then work ceased for a few minutes while we let a gnat crawl across the detector. We have also started to work with a smaller prototype of the detector that goes in a magnetic field to test what is called the "Lorentz angle" that is not a good thing to have a lot of and something that we are trying to study to reduce as much as possible. These tests are done with an infrared laser that you cant see so if it shines in your eyes then you dont even know you are losing your sight until you cant see anything...so we wear goggles. And it is fun because I am slowly becoming confident enough in knowing the equipment to be able to turn knobs and push buttons and know what they will do. Although when everything is turned on, there is constant reminders from everyone to "ne touche pas" because of the high voltage (400V-~2000V if you are interested).
On friday I went to Lyon (as was posted on my previous message) to visit my friend Flo who lives there. I took the famed TGV, of which American French textbooks seem to love to write about. When I got on the train I had to move past a girl to get to my seat so I was polite and said "pardon" and then asked "Nous allons aller a Lyon?" to which she responded "Oui...". And then, about ten minutes later when we got out our passports to have our tickets checked it turned out we were both American. I thought it kindof funny that we had a mini conversation in French before, but from then on we talked in English (still the easier language for me). I got to Lyon at about 5:30pm and it took about an hour to find Flos flat but I got to see a lot of the city on the way, its very beuatiful and the rivers that run through it are amazing. When I got to Flos flat, I met her sister, Appoline, and (a first for France) we did the "une bises" meeting where you do the kisses on the cheek. It was a very nice change and I think something that would be nice if they started in America. Flo and I went out to dinner at a traditional Bouchon Lyonnais and had a really nice meal in a district of Lyon in which there are old Roman ruins, very cool! The next day Flo had to work, so I walked all around Lyon and did much shopping (mostly just window shopping) because the reknowned "soldes" of France have just begun. These are government sanctioned sales that happen once a year in February and once a year in July for a few weeks outside of which time stores can actually get in trouble for putting things on sale. Its kindof difficult for me to fully understand but most stores have sales jusq'ua -70%!! This makes the things which are normally 300euros only 90euros! Hence, I still did not buy a whole lot. But it makes it fun to look. After, I climbed to the top of one of Lyons hills and visited a cathedral on the top from which you could see all of Lyon and the countryside. It was beautiful and really made the "pilgrimage" up the hill well worth it, especially since my shirt was drenched in sweat by now (France has very hot weather, not unbearable, but just guaranteeing that you will sweat through your shirt everyday). After walking around for abit more and hanging out down by the Rhone river, I met Flo and Appoline for dinner back at the flat, and then went with Flo to meet two of her friends and get ice cream. Again, we did the bisous (kisses) and I met Elise and Angelique. Elise spoke some English but Engelique spoke none. Although, amazingly, I was able to get along just fine and I even told them my story about the guy at La fete de la musique who tried to pick me up. (I dont think Ill be able to ever get over this speaking French thing and I think its the greatest thing to speak in another language) We decided to go on a picnic the next day so we spent some time planning that while we ate our ice cream (I had cactus, cafe, and strachiatella). So the next day, Flo and I picked them up and for the afternoon we went to "la campagne" (the countryside) where we visited Perrougewhich is a (maybe I should say used to be a) medieval city. It was so fun and very relaxing to be out of the urban lifestyle for a few hours. When we went back to Lyon we walked around this big park that is there and also went to this sort of zoo place in the park where there were elephants and giraffes and zebras and monkeys ....... It was pretty cool to see (also very hot outside) and the park was quite picturesque with wide grassy fields, a pond, and people playing all about. We went directly to the train station froom there where we said our good byes (with the bisous again :) ) and Flo walked me to my train to help me find it. And..two hours later, I was back at Le guichet where I had the distinct pleasure of walking back to Supelec (FOR THE LAST TIME!!!!!) to catch the end of the Euro finals. Spain beat Germany, who would have thought? I honestly thought Germany was stronger. Although I am going to Espagne next weekend so I am pretty excited about this outcome.
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