Sunday meant we had to go home sadly, but not after we met up with Georgetown's very own Alice Antunes, who had just recently moved to Lausanne from Paris. It was lovely to see her smiling face (and cute dog) as the 4 of us walked down to Ouchy, Lausanne's port on the lake. What a bummer - unlike the day before, today was cloudless and sunny - a much better day to hike. But oh well...
So we decided to walk back up the enormous hill (something the locals evidently NEVER do) toward the train station, said goodbye to Alice, ate lunch at a pizza place (expensive as always), and then said goodbye to our lovely host Anna before MT and I went to the train station. There we caught a direct train (3 1/2 hours) to Paris, where we walked around for an hour, hoping to get some famous Berthillon ice cream on Ile de Saint Louis, but the line was outrageously long.
The two train stations we were in in Paris were jammed pack with people, likely Parisiens coming back from vacation. It was amazing how crowded it was.
And so we caught the slow train back to Tours - and returned around 8:30pm. A lovely trip overall.
I returned to find myself with a new housemate - a nice 60-year-old woman from the German part of Switzerland whose French is fortunately worse than mine. :)
Showing posts with label Lausanne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lausanne. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Switzerland!! (Day 1)
Well, so it has always been a dream of mine to go to Switzerland - mostly for the majestic Alps and lovely lakes, which look so awesome in photos. So hence why I chose to go with my friend Maria Theresa to Lausanne, a town on Lake Geneva in the French-speaking portion of Switzerland, this weekend. There we would be staying with one of her friends and fellow Georgetown-er Anna Marie.
I was not disappointed. Friday afternoon (after an excruciatingly easy test at the Institut), I headed straight to the train station and took the long, 2 1/2 hour train to Paris, where I had 3 hours before my connection to Geneva. I spent this time walking around seeing the sights I hadn't seen on my previous trip to Paris - Jardin du Luxembourg, Ile de Saint-Louis, Place des Vosges, and a bit of the Le Marais neighborhood (including a nice church named Saint-Paul). It was a nice walk - I was happy to see Paris again - but I am too eager to go back. It's not my scene, I guess? Too many people, too many tourists, too stressful, too many crazy drivers, too much everything.
Boy was it different in Switzerland - after a 3 1/2 train ride, I barely made my tight connection in Geneva (just across the border) and met MT and Anna 30 minutes later in Lausanne. After grabbing a quick bite to eat (6 francs was the cheapest thing in town), we walked around a bit and saw a bit of the night scene - saw some cool bars (but didn't really go in) and finally settled at a place for a quick drink before we caught the midnight train to the nearby town of Lutry, where Anna lived.
Switzerland is calm and welcoming - a great feeling and contrary to Paris. Walking through the quiet vineyards in Lutry, we finally made it to the Christiansen residence - an incredible house with an amazing balcony view and a complete furnished "basement" which used to be a wine cave for the previous owner. What a great place - and Anna's parents were lovely and incredible hospitable as well.
After eating a bit more, we headed to bed - I was planning to hike the next day!
I was not disappointed. Friday afternoon (after an excruciatingly easy test at the Institut), I headed straight to the train station and took the long, 2 1/2 hour train to Paris, where I had 3 hours before my connection to Geneva. I spent this time walking around seeing the sights I hadn't seen on my previous trip to Paris - Jardin du Luxembourg, Ile de Saint-Louis, Place des Vosges, and a bit of the Le Marais neighborhood (including a nice church named Saint-Paul). It was a nice walk - I was happy to see Paris again - but I am too eager to go back. It's not my scene, I guess? Too many people, too many tourists, too stressful, too many crazy drivers, too much everything.
Boy was it different in Switzerland - after a 3 1/2 train ride, I barely made my tight connection in Geneva (just across the border) and met MT and Anna 30 minutes later in Lausanne. After grabbing a quick bite to eat (6 francs was the cheapest thing in town), we walked around a bit and saw a bit of the night scene - saw some cool bars (but didn't really go in) and finally settled at a place for a quick drink before we caught the midnight train to the nearby town of Lutry, where Anna lived.
Switzerland is calm and welcoming - a great feeling and contrary to Paris. Walking through the quiet vineyards in Lutry, we finally made it to the Christiansen residence - an incredible house with an amazing balcony view and a complete furnished "basement" which used to be a wine cave for the previous owner. What a great place - and Anna's parents were lovely and incredible hospitable as well.
After eating a bit more, we headed to bed - I was planning to hike the next day!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Lausanne Tomorrow!
Well today we had our first two tests of the new class - one was expected and consisted of reading an article (about the show "Friends"?) and answering some questions. Not too bad. The other was a pop quiz on oral comprehension - listening to a tough piece and trying to answer questions. Much harder. This class is not the breeze I thought it might be...
After a long day of classes, I went home and worked on getting ready for the trip tomorrow (to Lausanne, Switzerland!!) and attempting to buy tickets for the Eurostar back to London just before I leave in early August. But of course it didn't work - I got so close to booking and then, long story short, my credit card didn't work and I am blocked out of the system. I guess I have to call either Eurostar and/or Visa soon to figure out what's up. Booooo...unneeded stress.
I had a long, 1 1/2 hour discussion with my host parents tonight about many things, including my Polish heritage, my plans in life, etc. It really was great, and now that the kids are gone, it's just me and them and so I can really work on improving my speaking ability. But we are getting a new visitor (who is evidently in her 60s) who is from the German part of Switzerland and is evidently here to learn French as well. So we'll see how that goes...she gets here when I get back on Sunday night.
As for the Lausanne trip, I leave tomorrow at 12:29pm, have 3 hours in Paris to explore a bit, and then go Paris-Geneva; Geneva-Lausanne, where I hopefully will meet MT and her friend Anne Marie (who we are staying with) at the train station around 10:15pm. I plan on bringing only a backpack and no laptop, except this time I think I will actually get a bed, or at least the ground inside, to sleep on. :)
We get back Sunday night around 10pm - in the meantime, I hope to hike a bit in the area, maybe around Montreux in the outskirts of the Alps!! Can't wait! I will update again after the trip!
After a long day of classes, I went home and worked on getting ready for the trip tomorrow (to Lausanne, Switzerland!!) and attempting to buy tickets for the Eurostar back to London just before I leave in early August. But of course it didn't work - I got so close to booking and then, long story short, my credit card didn't work and I am blocked out of the system. I guess I have to call either Eurostar and/or Visa soon to figure out what's up. Booooo...unneeded stress.
I had a long, 1 1/2 hour discussion with my host parents tonight about many things, including my Polish heritage, my plans in life, etc. It really was great, and now that the kids are gone, it's just me and them and so I can really work on improving my speaking ability. But we are getting a new visitor (who is evidently in her 60s) who is from the German part of Switzerland and is evidently here to learn French as well. So we'll see how that goes...she gets here when I get back on Sunday night.
As for the Lausanne trip, I leave tomorrow at 12:29pm, have 3 hours in Paris to explore a bit, and then go Paris-Geneva; Geneva-Lausanne, where I hopefully will meet MT and her friend Anne Marie (who we are staying with) at the train station around 10:15pm. I plan on bringing only a backpack and no laptop, except this time I think I will actually get a bed, or at least the ground inside, to sleep on. :)
We get back Sunday night around 10pm - in the meantime, I hope to hike a bit in the area, maybe around Montreux in the outskirts of the Alps!! Can't wait! I will update again after the trip!
Monday, June 14, 2010
First Day of Classes...and Adventures with Train Booking
So today was a crazy day, full of new challenges and new rewards. First, we began our class today about French culture - we discussed my favorite subject ever - geography - as well as history, completely in French of course, because we all signed the pledge. It's amazing the difference it makes when English is not used as a crutch. At Georgetown, when the professors regularly use English, I am now convinced that it is not helpful, but instead makes it more difficult. Of course, the total immersion here in France also helps with comprehension, not having to return to other classes that are in English, which disrupts the flow.
So after class, the whole group split up (unintentionally) and somehow got back together within 30 minutes or so to get lunch. Sandwiches here rock! I love the "jambon, beurre, fromage" on a French baguette. Today's sandwich was a bit tough because the bread was not as fresh, but good all the same.
The highlight of the day, but also the most ridiculously stressful, was when MT, Hansky, and I went to the train station to book reservations on trains for our long trip in 2 weeks. It was ridiculous because first of all, all of the reserving for our complicated, several-layered trip was in French, and secondly, because we had to rearrange our plans on the spot, shuffling destinations and arrival and departure times at the blink of an eye. Of course, it was amazingly difficult to do this all in French, but I truly felt like I stepped up and felt confident enough to convince the person at the ticket counter (le guichet) to look up complicated train schedules with connections and whatnot.
Eventually, we figured it out - we have to scrap our Grenoble plans as there was no room (French vacation time booo). So we are now taking an overnight train to Florence a day later than originally planned, but we would get there close to the same time as the original plans. So 2 days in Florence, 2 days in Nice/Monaco and 1 day in Lourdes, with the rest being travel days. Kinda crazy with lots of trains and lots of connections, but do-able.
MT and I also went back and booked our tickets for our trip to Lausanne, Switzerland, now set for the 16-18 of July. The man we had at the ticket counter this time was not as helpful as the other and spoke insanely quickly in French. And when I asked why we could not use our Eurail passes on the same train where there was availability for other paying customers, he refused to give me an explanation. It's the French way...the way it is is just that: the way it is. No questions. A good experience nonetheless.
Busy, busy, busy! I now have lots of stuff to think about: hostel reservations for the 1-week trip, a new itinerary, and now...homework. :( Boo...back to the real world of taking classes. But tonight's homework is geography and history. Awesome. :)
Bonne nuit,
Andrew
So after class, the whole group split up (unintentionally) and somehow got back together within 30 minutes or so to get lunch. Sandwiches here rock! I love the "jambon, beurre, fromage" on a French baguette. Today's sandwich was a bit tough because the bread was not as fresh, but good all the same.
The highlight of the day, but also the most ridiculously stressful, was when MT, Hansky, and I went to the train station to book reservations on trains for our long trip in 2 weeks. It was ridiculous because first of all, all of the reserving for our complicated, several-layered trip was in French, and secondly, because we had to rearrange our plans on the spot, shuffling destinations and arrival and departure times at the blink of an eye. Of course, it was amazingly difficult to do this all in French, but I truly felt like I stepped up and felt confident enough to convince the person at the ticket counter (le guichet) to look up complicated train schedules with connections and whatnot.
Eventually, we figured it out - we have to scrap our Grenoble plans as there was no room (French vacation time booo). So we are now taking an overnight train to Florence a day later than originally planned, but we would get there close to the same time as the original plans. So 2 days in Florence, 2 days in Nice/Monaco and 1 day in Lourdes, with the rest being travel days. Kinda crazy with lots of trains and lots of connections, but do-able.
MT and I also went back and booked our tickets for our trip to Lausanne, Switzerland, now set for the 16-18 of July. The man we had at the ticket counter this time was not as helpful as the other and spoke insanely quickly in French. And when I asked why we could not use our Eurail passes on the same train where there was availability for other paying customers, he refused to give me an explanation. It's the French way...the way it is is just that: the way it is. No questions. A good experience nonetheless.
Busy, busy, busy! I now have lots of stuff to think about: hostel reservations for the 1-week trip, a new itinerary, and now...homework. :( Boo...back to the real world of taking classes. But tonight's homework is geography and history. Awesome. :)
Bonne nuit,
Andrew
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