Haven't Thrown Away the Key Quite Yet

There is a tradition in Paris for sweethearts to go to the "Love Lock Bridge" on the Seine River and put a lock on the bridge together, adding to the millions of other locks. They then throw their key into the river, symbolizing the permanence of their love. Well, since I went to this bridge with my roommate Jill... and she's not exactly my lover... we thought we would still do something cheesy that would involve our future husbands. We each put our own lock on the bridge, but instead of throwing our keys into the river we are going to keep them. Then when we find that special someone we will "give them the key to our heart" as it were and hopefully return to throw the key in together as husband and wife. Mostly I just want to use this as an excuse to persuade my future husband to take me back to Paris someday and since it's tradition he can't refuse, right? ... Right? 

Ummm. Paris. Wow.

Paris was nothing less than an adventure. Jill and I thought we had everything planned out pretty well. We had our bus and plane tickets, and knew which metro to take to our hotel once we got in the city. But I am learning that Europeans like to go on strike. Especially with public transportation. And it usually happens right when I need to use that particular public transportation. Our flight ended up being delayed by two hours and since it was already a pretty late flight we didn't get in to Paris until midnight. Much to our horror, there were also no ATMs in the airport and our bus was leaving in 5 minutes. The machine for tickets didn't take our cards. By some miracle Jill found a 20 euro bill in her wallet hidden among all the British pounds. We barely made it onto the bus and were on our way to the metro stop. We only then realized that the metro had stopped running at that point because it was already 12:30. Yep... we began to discuss walking to our hotel. Luckily a nice Canadian guy we met on the bus helped us get off and find an ATM and then grab a taxi. I swear I meet nice Canadians everywhere I go. The taxi driver spoke absolutely no English but we managed to finally make it to our crappy Hotel on some back street in Paris. Our hotel manager also spoke no English so after a lot of miming we got our key and went to our room, exhausted. After 10 minutes we figured out how to actually open the door and fell asleep after saying a prayer of gratitude that two inexperienced American girls managed to navigate our way through this strange country. We woke up at 11.

Up until this point we weren't really loving Paris. It's amazing what a difference it makes to not be able to understand anything anybody is saying. At least in Italy I knew enough to get by. France was a whole different story. But once we got a hang of it, I loved Paris like I've loved every other place I've been so far in Europe.

The main thing I noticed about Paris was how quiet it was. Especially considering it's a city. But it was! Even the language seems to be whispered. I understand now why people say it's the most romantic city in the world. I loved this view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. The buildings are all literally cream or white. It was stunning. 

We also went and saw Notre Dame. It was one of the prettiest buildings I have ever seen. The architecture is so intricate and detailed. I couldn't help but fall in love with it. We didn't want to pay to go inside... but someday. 

We also didn't want to pay to go inside the Louvre. Before you gasp at how I went all the way to Paris and didn't see the Mona Lisa let me tell you this: I am most definitely not a museum person. I saw more than my fair share in Italy and I did appreciate a few key pieces like Michelangelo's "Davide" and all of Bernini's sculptures, but I heard the Mona Lisa is small and hidden behind a huge glass box so you can't even get near it. Plus the museum is HUGE. And we were only in Paris for two days. But I did get the famous picture, as you can see! It only took us 20 minutes to get my hand in exactly the right spot. 

The streets of Paris were beautiful in themselves. They looked like this mostly and the street right by the Seine River was lined with old books and pictures. Jill and I walked these streets a lot... mostly because we were looking for somewhere reasonably priced food to eat and couldn't find a single thing. But the dessert more than made up for this downfall. 

This is just a taste (punny am I not?) of the desserts we had in Paris. Mostly because we only ate dessert and bread since everything else was outrageously priced. Macaroons are now one of my most favorite things in the world. But you can't find them in the U.S. like this. They are so rich that one is all you need. And the eclairs... don't get me started. My sweet tooth liked Paris, I'll tell ya that. 

Pieces of England So Far

LONDON BABY! 

London is one of my favorite cities in the world. It has a laid back feel (unless it's a Saturday and there is a gay pride event in Trafalgar Square) and for the most part the people are all very classy and well-behaved. The city exudes a sense of freshness and the hints of royalty laid throughout London add a regal impression. 

On the first day we saw Stonehenge and Windsor Castle where Henry VIII lived. Although Henry VIII pretty much lived in every castle in England so I am not sure why this one is specifically known as his house. > My favorite part of Windsor Castle was not actually the castle itself. It at two points outside of the castle. The first was with a guard who, every time Elise got close to him so she could get a picture with him, would begin to march away in the opposite direction. Then he would return, and repeat the charade all over again when she would try to sneak up on him. The next point was at a little fudge shop down the street from Windsor. We were greeted by a very enthusiastic British man who looked a lot like Russell Brand, Katy Perry's ex-husband. He gave us as many free samples as we wanted and began to sing a jolly little song about fudge. This was my first impression of Englanders. 

> My favorite part of Stonehenge was the mystery aspect to it. No one really knows what its purpose was or why it is still standing today. Some think it had magical healing powers. And since I love spooky things, I let my imagination run wild and enjoyed it all the more. 

The next day we did a double decker bus tour around London. I turned on "London Calling" on my ipod and had one of those surreal moments when I couldn't believe I was doing something I had always dreamed about. 

We drove past Big Ben and the London Eye. I got a picture of both at one time :) 

But let's be honest. My favorite part just may have been shopping on Oxford Street. 

Airport Adventures

My flights are always more exciting than I anticipate. I think this has proved to be both a good and a bad thing.

- My first adventure started while I waited for 4 hours in the airport for my flight (my friends' flights were all earlier than mine). There was a large group of Brazilian ladies sitting around me and it was obvious they didn't speak any English. They were having trouble connecting to the free wifi and once they saw that I was successfully using my computer... they flocked. So I helped each Brazilian woman log onto their phones and computers, one by one, while they showered me with hugs and squeals because that's the only way we could communicate. I love that appreciation can be shown simply through expressions and gestures. Language barriers can't stop all communication.

- Later while I was standing in line, a guy came up behind me and surprised me by saying in English "Why, you're as American as shit, aren't you?" He was referring to my leopard print luggage, which I lovingly bought in my junior high years but now wish I could leave on the side of the road. We got talking and apparently he makes commercials in New York for a living. Budweiser commercials, and Skullcandy commercials... or so he says. But all I could think about was the movie "Taken." I mean, he was a good looking guy in his thirties, flirting with me and telling me he lived a fabulous life in New York City. I ran away quickly.

- The flight was pretty painless from Italy to England. I slept for most of the short three hours. It was landing that was the issue. I have never been through such an intense customs line before. First off, the line was probably a good hour and a half long wait. But I met a nice Canadian girl and passed time talking with her about Italy since she had just come from studying there too. The Heathrow Airport workers are pretty fierce about their questioning. It was like an investigation and I almost didn't get through the border because I didn't have an address of my friend's cousin with whom I would be staying. Luckily they took a phone number. I was finally officially in London  :)

Leaving Home

For some reason I never got homesick for Utah. I definitely miss my family and want to be with them, yes. But Utah? Nah, I haven't really been feeling any of that homesickness stuff. Until I left Italy. Siena started to feel like home to me after living there for 5 weeks. I had host parents and ate dinner with them every night. I had a roommate and friends in my program who began to feel like my brothers and sisters. I started to make friends with locals and through practicing my Italian with them, began to feel like I was finally getting a hang of the language. I went on daily runs on the Fortezza with a beautiful view of the city (as seen in the picture below). And then my time was up. Utah is home because that is where my family is, but aside from my family, Siena feels more like home than anywhere else in the world. Sometimes I miss it so bad it hurts.

Miss These Moments in Italy

Empty park + Empty swing = Me having my very own view of the Tuscan countryside. 

My Italian Idol

I didn't know what it was specifically that was different about Italian women when I first came to Italy but I have realized it is because they are confident in themselves so completely that they can't help but be happy. It's obvious in the way they present themselves and interact with one another.

One time I was sitting in the piazza switching between reading and people watching - two of my favorite pastimes- and I saw the cutest Italian couple. Both in their 20's and gorgeous, they were just relaxing in the piazza like they didn't have a trouble in the world. The guy would tease the girl and she just laughed and waved him off. They laugh so easily and seem so carefree, I can't help but admire them.

There is one Italian woman in particular that I especially admire. She is the daughter-in-law of my host mom and came over a few times for dinner with her adorable little girls Vittoria and Claudia. Everything about her struck me as intelligent. The way she held herself so upright and came in with a presence that overwhelmed the room. She immediately greeted me and Melanie with a smile and a firm handshake, and was outgoing and good-mannered, making sure to slow down so we understood her Italian. She just looked like walking success. But what really struck me about her was her confidence. She didn't seem cocky, but rather like she knew she was someone with a worth that didn't come from outside sources but from within. Later on I found out from my host mom that she did really well in school and is now a successful lawyer working to help people who struggle with jobs and things like that. She is smart, but she uses that intelligence to help other people. Really she is just my Italian idol. She possesses many of the qualities I hope to see in myself some day. There is a passage from this book called "Juliet" that I read while in Italy because it is set in Siena, where I was living. The main character comments on one of the Italian women she sees around her saying:

      "She laughed out loud, a warm knowing laughter that made me once again wonder about the secret ingredient in these women's lives. Whatever it was, I was clearly missing it. It was so much more than just self-confidence; it seemed to be the ability to love oneself, enthusiastically and unsparingly, body and soul, naturally followed by the assumption that every man on the planet is dying to get in on the act." 

This description is completely accurate. These Italian women have got something figured out. They know how to love themselves, and that seems to be directly linked to confidence and happiness, two of the qualities every girl wants to have.