TravelStream™ news feed for member gracepoe on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/gracepoe en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:41:40 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201914000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201914000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201914000/tpod.html Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:41:40 -0500 I've made it to the land of wine and cheese!

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Venice, Italy

I went to Venice for Carnevale on the 1st. It was a huge group of us from the dorm. We all bought tickets together on the same bus and planned to spend the weekend at Carnevale. However, the bus ride didn't quite go as planned. We were supposed to leave Marseille at 8pm Friday, get to Venice at 9am Saturday and leave for home at 10pm Sunday. Not only was the bus an hour late to pick us up, but we got stopped at an accident on the freeway near Genoa, Italy (I think it was) for 2 hours, and our driver had no idea where we were going once we got to the city. He for the life of him could not find the port where we were supposed to catch the ferry to the island. So instead of getting into Venice at 9 we got to the island just before 2 IN THE AFTERNOON.

Other than a few other mishaps with the bus driver, Venice was just amazing. The canals and churches are breathtaking. Not to mention the little things like window boxes, laundry hanging between buildings over alleyways, and plaster crumbling off houses.

I also took a little time to go to Burano, known for its lace, and Murano, famous for its blown glass (they say the masters of glass blowing are brought up in Murano - it's a trade passed down from one generation to the next for centuries). I first became interested in blown glass artwork when I saw a documentary on Dale Chihuly a few years back. There were some of his pieces on display in Murano. If you don't know who he is you MUST google him. His artwork is astounding. www.chihuly.com - make sure you look at the installations where he puts his art on display out in public. He was at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus for a few months after I'd gone to college, but I made sure I got back to Ohio at some point during the exhibit to see it. He is a fantastic glass blower, but his true talent is forming teams and bringing famous blowers from all over to work together on some elaborate pieces. I especially like the way he thinks to place each piece. Some pieces seem so simple, but just elegant, floating in a pond with koi for example. It must take so much time and not to mention all of the pieces that break in transport.

Of course I ate lots of pasta and pizza and gelatto and drank lots of wine, all delicious. Got to go to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum this time. I think my favorite was Empire of Light by Rene Magritte. The picture kind of took me by surprise. I could tell that there was something off, but it took a minute for it to click. I think that's why I remember it so well. I won't tell you what's surprising you just look. I have a fondness for Jackson Pollock as well, ever since a report I did on him in high school.

So anyway here are some pictures I took before my camera died. There were people dressed up in costume everywhere, stages were set up in piazzas for live music and such to go on all day long, I didn't get to ride in a gondola (too expensive), but I did take the "boatbus" a lot :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201828020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201828020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201828020/tpod.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:32:01 -0500 I've made it to the land of wine and cheese!

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Marseille, France

Les Calanques are the cliffs that meet the Mediterranean Sea behind our campus. If I get off of the bus at the school it's a 45 minute walk to the water's edge... and let me tell you it's a hike, but amazingly beautiful! I did it again today and went both up to the top for the view and then all the way down to the water to sit, write, and soak it all in... so I'm exhausted physically but wound up mentally :)

Here's what I wrote while we took our break overlooking the boulder covered "beach." There isn't any sand, so I don't know if technically it can be called a beach.

"The Calanques are gorgeous! We've been here 23 days now and this is my second trip through the Calanques. I can't put into words the magnificence found here, but I'll try.
'These cliffs shoot nearly straight up out of the Mediterranean, which is a deep, crystal clear teal. The sun and wind dance on the water's surface, moving together down the coast and out to sea.
'The winds here are called les Mistral and they blow full force at the top of the mountains, but taper off to a strong breeze the closer you get to the water's edge.
'The cliff swallows (I guess that's what they are) soar from one nook in the side of a cliff to another so effortlessly, peacefully, and slowly. They just seem to float.
'Seagulls rest on the boulders that have broken off and fallen into the water, evidence of what has to have been a huge landslide.
'There is a little fishing village located just to the west of this little rocky set of beaches. It is completely hidden behind a cliff except for the occasional fishing boat which rounds the corner. There is one now, gathering a pot that it must have set earlier.
'These massive cliffs are scaled by amateur rock climbers [there were a number of them out on my first trip to the Calanques, but I didn't see any today], and I wish I could experience that feeling of adrenaline mixed with this breathtaking view and the caress of les Mistrals.
'The cliffs are a myriad of colors, white, orange, brown, with stripes of grey from centuries of rain, interspersed by deep green foliage, trees and brush that seem to defy gravity.
'The cliffs in the distance are smoother than the ones I'm resting under. These jut towards the sky in different levels which reflect the setting sun with the most beautiful peach glow I could imagine.
'There is one slice of a cliff that has split from the shore and sits about fifty feet out into the sea. I would love to try to climb on it this summer when it's warm enough to swim, but looking down on it, I can't see a way to climb up it. The sides are too vertical until you get about 1/3 of the way up (maybe 20 feet). I'll see if there's a way in a few months :) I can't wait!!

'Kendra and I made the trek to the lookout point and then walked back down and have stopped almost at the nude beach but just past and above the flat rocks and little beach that Interact brought us to the other weekend. *Interact is a group of Euromed students that work to help us international students find our way around campus and get a feel for Marseille, as well as just being an all around huge help! They also throw parties in our dorm on Tuesdays... crazy Frenchies!*
'I love that this is my "backyard." If it is this breathtaking now, I can't imagine what it will be like this summer.
'I'm sure the sounds of waves lapping against rick, les Mistrals blowing, the occasional squawk of a seagull, and the random outburst from Kendra singing half a line of the song playing on her ipod will remain the same.

'I just saw a seagull flying with a fish in its mouth, drop the fish and catch it in midair - twice! Must be dinner time."

So, did you get a feel of how amazing it is here?
I would really like to climb the cliffs and camp up there one night this summer, but don't know if that's allowed. I'll have to find out.

BY THE WAY!!!! I found out that I can do an internship this summer instead of writing a thesis, so I'm looking at jobs in Paris. If anyone has any information about, or connections at Bain & Company (consulting) or World Wildlife Fund, please let me know!

Love you!

PS - I put the map pin directly on the overlook where we sat and I wrote.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201811940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201811940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1201811940/tpod.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:00:02 -0500 I've made it to the land of wine and cheese!

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Marseille, France

Here are some pictures of Marseille on a pretty day compared to the day of the bus tour. Apparently these blue skies are the norm here. It feels like it should be April not January!!!
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Marseille, France

I've been in Marseille for a little over three weeks now and realized that I need to show you what I see everyday. I don't have pictures of the school or dorm (don't want to look like that much of a dork), but I have a bunch of pictures of the city that you should see. It's gorgeous here! Marseille is definitely a big city (and kind of dirty), but the port, and the historical aspects are phenomenal!

I think if you click on each picture it'll show you the caption I'm writing, so hopefully you can see what each thing actually is.

xoxo MISS YOU ALL!!!

PS My map pin is on my dorm. The school is just up Avenue de Luminy... where you can see the track.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1200096900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1200096900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gracepoe/1/1200096900/tpod.html Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:18:13 -0500 I've made it to the land of wine and cheese!

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Marseille, France

We (my classmates Kendra, Heather and myself) arrived in Paris on the morning of the 8th. We were supposed to arrive a day earlier but our flight from Pittsburgh had been delayed and we missed our connecting flight out of Newark. So instead of spending 24 hours in Paris, we immediately caught the TGV, a train that goes over 200 mph or something nuts like that, and arrived in Marseille at about 5pm. Our dorm is a dorm. The closet/bathroom is the best part though. I'll post pictures so you can understand why.
The 9th, 10th, and this morning, we had orientation which included a bus tour of Marseille. It's amazingly beautiful and there's just so much history here! Taking tonight to myself to finish a book and start this page :)
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