Prague back to Paris

April 25th began a long travel day. I was slow to rise knowing it was my last time in a bed for the next day and a half. Once breakfasted and checked-out, we dragged our bags down to Fira’s bus stop to catch our 11am coach to Santorini’s port. Our ferry was not scheduled to depart until 3:30pm, so we killed three hours in a café enjoying Greek yogurt and honey. The girls took my suitcase, so I could ninja ahead onto the boat to stake out a table. We learned our lesson from having to sit in the hallway on the first ferry. We made it to Athens at 11:30pm where Bri, Mary and I parted ways with Amy to head to the airport for our 4:25am flight to Prague. I slept on the flight, cherishing the two hours of shuteye.

We landed in Prague at 6:30am where Mary and I spent the next ten hours exploring the city during the layover before our flight to Paris. Still trying to wake-up and rally, we made it to the Old Town neighborhood of Prague. At 8am we watched the Astronomical Clock (in above picuture) in the town centre strike the new hour. It is a beautiful, giant old clock that tells several different version of time with celestial hands and astrological signs. We wandered through the Old Town Square and across the Charles Bridge. It is Prague’s oldest bridge with impressive stonework and large religion statues. I love that both the streets and sidewalks are all cobblestone.

Once we crossed the Charles Bridge to the Little Quarter, we made our second stop for coffee. We continued up through the Little Quarter to the Castle Quarter. Here we investigated the Prague Castle, although I would call it more of a palace since it has no fortification. Inside Prague Castle, my favorite building was St. Vitus Cathedral. It has a gothic façade and an interior of imposing vaulted ceilings and stained class. The stained class looked almost mosaic due to the small size of each colored piece that is welded together with iron.

Our lunch was a traditional Czech meal of duck, dumplings and cabbage with apple strudel as we dined on wooden benches. It was now time to head back to the airport. I loved the brief detour in Prague, although in our short time, I failed to master the monetary system of the Czech koruna. I pulled out a 1,000 koruna note from the ATM, yet it is only equivalent to $60. I felt confused all day attempting to figure out conversion rates in my head when a latte was 85 koruna and we spent 624 koruna at lunch!

Santorini

On April 21, we arrived in the dark early hours of Thursday morning at Athens’ port to catch our ferry to Santorini. The idea our eight hour ferry ride would be a “Mediterranean cruise” was hopeful. The first 2.5 hours were spent on the deck until our feet no longer had feeling from the wind, but at least we could sit. We moved inside and hunkered in the hallway with the four of us rotating between the floor and two chairs. At the first port, we were finally able to snag a table when some passengers disembarked, so the last three hours were bearable. Welcome to “OIKONOMIKH θEΣH” or economy class. The ferry ride outside was beautiful past islands, distant coastline and the occasional cruise liner. The water was a gorgeous dark blue water with strong winds creating miles of white caps. When we made it to the Athinios Port in Santorini, we caught a bus to our hostel in the main town of Fira. After check-in, we had dinner, explored Fira’s downtown with window shopping. We wrapped up the day by spending over twenty minutes watching the sunset over the smaller, adjacent Kea Kameni island that house Santorini’s volcano.

Friday morning we took the brief cable car ride down the island west cliffs to catch our sail boat to Kea Kameni to hike around the volcano. There are lots of black rocks that serve as the remnants of century old eruptions. Yellow lines stained some of the black rocks from the high sulfur levels. Steam seeped through the ground that was hot to the touch. Our boat then carried us to Palia Kameni, which is the even smaller island next to Nea Kameni. Here we jumped from the boat into Ballos Bay to swim 50 meters into an alcove of natural hot springs. Once back on the main island, we rode donkeys into Fira to allow us the opportunity to rinse away the salty sea from our skin and hair. In the evening we rented ATVs for the next couple of days. We rode them up to Pyrgos for their Good Friday celebrations. They line all of their buildings’ roofs with large torch candles. Once the sun set and the Greek Orthodox service ended, the village lite up. As we drove away from the Pyrgos in darkness, the village looked ablaze with three light cross to mimic Calgary where Jesus was crucified.

Saturday was our first full day of ATVing around the island. We headed south out of Fira with our first stop being the Red Beach. Because Santorini was built through several volcanic eruptions, the island has several different colored beaches. The Red Beach consisted more of giant rocks than sand, but it was beautiful. The water around Santorini is a deep healthy blue, but the closer you get to shore and the shallower the water, it turns a turquoise color. We searched fruitlessly on the ATVs for the White Beach. Instead we found the light house at the very most southwest tip of the island. The view from there is lovely, because with your back to Santorini you see nothing but the ocean bending over the horizon. Back on the ATVs we found another beach nook with a Greek snack shack where we feasted on Greek yogurt and honey, spending a few hours staring into the distance trying to decide where the ocean ended and the sky started. We then went to the most opposite end of the island to Oia for the sunset. Unfortunately, dinner at a terrible restaurant caused us to miss the sunset. Oia however is a lovely town, so we decided to return tomorrow.

The 22nd was Easter Sunday, although we did not dawn our Easter best for the second day of ATVing. We went first to Kamari Beach – one of the island’s black beaches. We stayed long enough to watch the tide come in before driving up to ancient Thira to find it closed for Easter. At this point we headed back to Oia. We had lunch and wandered around the cute shops. Like most places in Santorini, the view is postcard perfect. ATVing was surprisingly cold from the wind chill off the ocean and the fact we under packed expecting warmer weather as the temperature hovered in the low sixties. Back in Fira, we had two hours before the ATVs were due back. Amy and Bri decided to do more shopping, so Mary and I took-off towards Kamari and went off roading on the first dirt road we found. It was a blast as the ATVs went much faster with half the weight as Mary and I took turns literally eating each other’s dust. When I was leading us back to Fira, I must have driven onto private property as I was charged by an angry German Sheppard trying to get back to the main road! We made it back onetime and said good-bye to Thelma and Louise as we had dubbed our ATVs. We watched the sun go down over the caldera and our last night in Santorini. Back at the hostel we packed up and showered to wash away the road dirt and sea mist.

Athens

On Monday I left Paris for Athens, Greece on a three hour Olympic Airways flight. On board they served me a lunch of octopus and pasta (which I later learned is a normal meal in Greece). I arrived at our hostel to meet Amy, Bri and Mary in the shadow of the Acropolis. My expectations of Athens quickly adapted as I realized it is not a beautiful city. It is covered in graffiti, dirty and overrun with stray dogs that were all in need of my adoption.

Tuesday was kicked off with three cups of coffee and exploring the Acropolis. All that remains are a few crumbling pillars and walls that once held of the ancient buildings devoted to Athena. Understandably, the ruins were covered in scaffolding due to the Acropolis’ ongoing restoration, yet I still felt disappointed by the metal construction hiding the marble architecture. The view from the Acropolis is lovely and expansive as the city sprawls over the hills with uniform looking square building of the same height. We walked down the massive hill to Socrates’ prison that held him in his final days before his hemlock execution. We wandered down a long stone path to the dilapidated Temple of the Olympian Zeus. I enjoyed these ruins more than the Acropolis simply because of the absent scaffolding. They are lovely reminders of the city’s history. We walked through the National Gardens, past the Greek parliament and looped back through the flea market to Monastiraki Square. We spent the evening on our hostel’s roof top bar with great views of the Acropolis. We drank a Greek lager called Mythos served in glasses that hold a half-liter of beer!

On Wednesday, we headed through Monastiraki Square and the corridors of the flea market to the Ancient Agora. It was the market place of the ancient Greeks that has since been reconstructed to include some of the original marble. My favorite statues belonged to Aphrodite and two men depicting the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Agora also has a little museum of several centuries worth of pottery and household ceramics. As we walked by the remnants of the speaker’s platform, I imagined the times Socrates and Plato had stood there spewing their ideas. I was impressed by the water clock the ancient Greeks had developed to time speakers. Water dripped through the basin of a ceramic vessel and when the last of the water emptied, six minutes had passed and it was time for the next speaker. The temple in the Agora is I think the best-preserved ruins we saw in Athens. The less well-preserved buildings are the Olympic stadiums from 2004. It was depressing how ramshackled and covered in graffiti these athletic building built for champions had become in just seven years. They could be a metaphor for Greece’s current economics.

Uzès: over and out

Outside the amphitheatre

Wednesday, April 13, Jeremy and I took a road-trip to Nîmes, although it is only about a 45-minute drive from Uzès. The drive was beautiful past vineyards and then up a steep, curvy road. Periodically rows of what I think are white aspens lined to road to make lovely groves to drive under. The outskirts of Nîmes are not especially nice to look at, but the city centre is pretty with numerous Roman ruins. We were proud of our navigation skills as we arrived without using any maps, while this success did include some wrong turns.

My gladiator sandals in the amphitheatre.

 Our first stop was the Roman amphitheatre. It was built about 100 CE to seat 24,000. It is also the best-preserved amphitheatre from the Roman Empire. It was great to experience a piece of living history as it is still used today for concerts, battle reenactments, ect. I wore my gladiator sandals on purpose to feel like I was perhaps an ancient Roman. We walked up Victor Hugo Boulevard to the Maison Carée. It was originally a Roman temple, but now it serves as a movie theatre where you can watch a film on the history of Nîmes. Jeremy and I opted out of the movie to explore more outside. Our last stop was the Garden of Fountains. There are aged statues of Roman gods and emperors with numerous water fixtures that were not in use. I think we agreed it was the most beautiful part of the day between the greenery, evidence of the city’s Roman heritage all over the park and the crepes we ate on a bench in the shade.

Garden of Fountains

 Thursday was a fairly low-key day compared to most of our time in Uzès.  Jeremy, Max and I went go-carting in the neighboring village of La Calmette. The boys lapped me twice on the course, which was fine by me as I enjoyed cruising the track by myself. The drive to and from go-carting was once again beautiful. I love our drives in the south of France, my favorite so far being the road to Nîmes.

I spent the afternoon reading on the back lawn, while the boys played tennis. We went out for dinner to a cute restaurant called the Tractor. It is unique because the menu changes daily based on the fresh ingredients the owner/chef buys at the market. You only have two choices for your appetizer, main course and dessert, because the chef is so selective about what he buys at the market. The food was truly exceptional.

Friday morning we left Uzès to catch our afternoon train from Avignon. Once back in Paris, Jeremy and I had to march down to the Eiffel Tower to do more of Linda’s bidding. This order included 50 additional Eiffel Tower key chains and ten more 10-inch towers for her wedding favors and table center pieces (to be added to the 100 key chains and ten 10-inch towers that have already been carted back to Seattle for her). This bride gets what she wants.

Dinner on the Calife

 For dinner we went with Max on a dinner boat cruise on le Seine on a barge called the Calife. We had eaten here when we were in Paris with Linda and John, but due to high river levels in December we were unable to leave the dock. Tonight the ship sailed down the river making everything so much more magical. It is such a wonderful vantage point to see Paris from as we cruised under beautiful bridges, past the Louvre, Notre Dame, and arrived at the Eiffel Tower as it began to sparkle at 11 o’clock.

The Eiffel Tower from the boat with the moon.

This morning was my last with Jeremy until I return to Seattle in a month and a half. We walked up to the Arc d’Triomphe together where he caught his coach to the airport. It was not until the luggage was loaded into the bus’ undercarriage and it was time for Jeremy to go that I felt sad. It surprised me, because before that moment I felt content with knowing I would see him in less that six weeks, a small amount of time compared to what he have already accomplished. I had to stifle tears. I watch him board the bus and take his seat by the window. He blew me a kiss, I saluted him good-bye and walked home to Max’s.  

Uzes (so far)

Max's house from the back

Sunday, we took an afternoon train to Max's home in the south of France, in the town of Uzes. It was a beautiful train ride past little villages, rolling countryside, vineyards and fields of yellow flowers used to make canola oil. Max's house is gorgeous, maybe I should even call it an estate with its twenty-six acres and full-time groundskeeper. The house was built in the 15th century and was originally owned by nuns. Our tour of the house included its ten bedrooms, pool, summer kitchen, regular kitchen, two offices, "the towers," gym, the living and dining rooms, tennis courts and the mini orchard. I feel very fortunate to be staying in such a lovely place in and out and with wonderful people.

On Monday we headed into Uzes to explore with Max. Uzes is everything I would expect a town in the south of France to be. It is so cute and quaint with narrow cobblestone streets and EVERYTHING shuts down for lunch between noon and 2pm. We ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant in the town square before Max and Francette bid us au revoir. Jeremy and I continued to wander around before attempting our way back to the house. We were eventually successful with a few wrong turns along the way.

Duche d'Uzes

In town we saw the Duche d'Uzes, which is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Uzes. It is clearly a residence, while still very much looking the part for its original purpose as a castle/fortress. We crossed the courtyard to climb the Bermonde Tower. This was perhaps the steepest and narrowest stairwell I have ever ascended. After defeating the 135 stairs to the top, we were able to see a panoramic view of Uzes. From this view we could see the homes dotted with colorful shutters and topped with ceramic shingles. The Duche d'Uzes dates from the Middle Ages and it was built on the site of a Roman fortress.

Duche d'Uzes stairs of Bermonde Tower

In the evening we went hiking around the Pont du Gard, which is a Roman aqueducte built sometime between 16 BCE and 50 CE. The next day (Tuesday) we went kayaking on the river that took us underneath the Pont du Gard. I thought it was special to get to see it from several vantage points. Kayaking was a lot of fun, but also challenging. Both Jeremy's body and mine are growing stiff with all the activities of daily life here. Before kayaking, Jeremy went mountain biking with Francette. At one point during kayaking, Jeremy and I managed to tip our boat. We got stuck in some undergrowth in the river and the water came over us. We came up laughing since the water only came to about my chest.

Pont du Gard

We end each night with a delicious meal prepared by Francette. Jeremy and I are loving her food and French food in general. So far, so good.

Versailles

Saturday, April 9 was my first day of spring break from the University of Westminster. I had every intention of sleeping in, but luckily my plan was ruined for something much better. I went on the Fat Tire Bicycling Tour of Versailles with Max and his mom, Francette. I selected a blue bike for the day known as “Inspector Clouseau.” Our first stop in the town was the market to pick up supplies for our picnic later in the day. Before hitting the road peddling, I had the chance to sip on freshly squeezed orange juice and nibble a butter and brown sugar crepe. We initially peddled around Versailles’ gardens (not all 60 acres of them however). It was so gorgeous and expansive.

We stopped at a village Marie Antoinette built a few acres away from the chateau to replicate peasant life. I found it ironic that she lived in such opulence and money ran through her fingers like water, yet she wanted to escape to “a simpler way of life.” We had our picnic at the far of the lake, where we could see the chateau in the distance. The water lapped quietly at our feet, while I soaked up the sun that became a severe burn by the end of the day. We bicycled around the entire circumference of the lake, through downtown Versailles and then up to the chateau/palace of France’s many king Louis.

Inside of the chateau is truly magnificent. From the front gate, you are surrounded by gold painted fences, stone walkways, gorgeous architecture, and lucky for us, blue skies. My favorite room inside was the Hall of Mirrors. At the time it was built, owning a hand mirror was a precious family heirloom. Consequently, to show off his wealth Louis built a room with mirrors from head to toe. For many it was the first time they had seen themselves in a full-length mirror!

The Hall of Mirrors

Back outside, the rear gardens are spectacular with perfectly manicures hedges growing in intricate designs and seasonal flowers growing between the rows. The fountains are numerous – I could not even count them if I made a genuine attempt. Statues line the walkways and water spouts from stone frogs, fish, dragons, women, cherubs and turtles. By now it was about five in the afternoon and time to head back to Paris.

The is a back view of the Chateau & garden

I walked into the apartment to find Jeremy asleep. I started laughing almost compulsively as some strange reaction to seeing him. He woke-up and greeted me with a hug, which prompted my emotions to swiftly change as now I wanted to cry. He said it felt foreign to see me and hold me, so long story short we both had odd reactions once back in each other’s presence. However, within a few hours it was as if no time had passed without the other. 

To-do lists for take-off

Yesterday I managed to turn in all of my papers! I do not feel they are the greatest examples of my writing I have ever turned in, yet it is liberating to be done with all four of them. Yesterday was also a record day of heat in London this early into spring at about 70°F.  I spent some time in Regent Park people watching while I ate my lunch followed by a park nap.

Last night I went to a drag musical called “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.” It was everything a drag show should be with epic costumes, fabulous glitter, bright colors and ridiculously high heels. Their lip synching was flawless as these ladies rocked out in dresses (with the butts cut-out) under falling confetti. They sang the classics for drag shows from “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” to “Shake Your Groovy Thing” to “I Will Survive” and I had a blast singing along.

Today is my last day interning. At New Century, I experienced my first professional glimpse into the public relations industry. My greatest gains came in a new familiarity with international PR and an enhanced research capacity. I developed a larger grasp on global PR first through working in a London PR consultancy and secondly through investigating the PR environments of emerging markets. This research included the countries of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam. Finally, as my primary role at NCM was research this explains my enhanced research capacity.

This is New Century's building



This is the office



This is the view from the office -
if you look into the distance you can see Big Ben & the Millennium Bridge, the
London Eye is just to the left & the Thames is just below, but out of the frame.

For the future, my time at New Century has made it clear I must have an awareness of the household names of the public relations industry whether that is firms or individual professionals. Also, I need more experience in other sectors of the industry such as an in-house corporate PR department and non-profit PR.   I hope to begin my career in public relations at a large, global firm to gain the initial experience and training needed to be successful later. While interning, I was included in staff and client meetings, special events and the daily operations, which made this an invaluable opportunity in professional development through mentorship and practical experience. I am really appreciative of the opportunity.

Tomorrow I am leaving London for three weeks of travelling in France and Greece! The past few days I have been scurrying to tick off the tasks on my to-do list:

ü  Pedicure

ü  Bathing suit

ü  Sunscreen

ü  Euros

ü  Passport

The majority of my packing is done. Tomorrow I have to attend my last two classes of the year then make it to by 8:02p.m. train to Paris! I AM SO EXCITED!

Windsor Castle & Eton College

I am not sure who I originally heard say this, but I will echo their wisdom. I wish I were studying abroad without the study! Next Wednesday, I have three papers and a portfolio due. I have never dived this deeply into academics in the United States and it is so inconvenient when I would rather do nothing but continue exploring London. I have managed to turn in one paper so far, another and the portfolio are almost done, but I have yet to start the last paper. I am feeling the pressure of this encroaching deadline with an additional to-do list in preparation for spring break. I keep reminding myself that while I have all these assignments do it four days, in six days I will be rewarded with three weeks of travelling in Europe!

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Despite all of my homework, today I broke away to Windsor Castle and Eton College, both about twenty miles outside of London. Windsor Castle is supposedly Queen Elizabeth’s favorite of her five residences around the United Kingdom, and I can see why. I imagine it would be like living in a luxurious vortex of history.  It has a highly impressive exterior of centuries worth of continual stone and construction. The interior state rooms we were allowed to tour are immaculate. Rich tapestries hang from the walls, antique furniture and chandeliers illustrate the opulence of the queenly décor, paintings of past monarchs hang as a sort of royal family photo album in every room and I would expect no less of even the carpet in a royal residence. Windsor Castle also has a private church known as St. George’s Chapel, this too was beautiful. My HIGHLIGHT inside the chapel was the tomb of King Henry VIII where he lays with his favorite and third wife (of six), Jane Seymour.

If you look closely at this desk you can see the carvings I describe below.

This is some of the stained glass at Eton College.

We walked a few minutes away to visit Eton College. It was the first public school in Britain. However, by public, they mean extremely private with annual tuition fees of £30,000! We went on a walking tour of the grounds and interior buildings. The church there has gorgeous stained glass windows and a patterned vaulted ceiling. We saw the dining room where the school’s original students ate and what I would classify as a vintage classroom. One of the very cool things are these carvings into the wood paneling all over the buildings of the names of former (and maybe current) students. They are literally everywhere and some quite intricate. They only unimpressive aspect of the school is the central court yard. It is this ugly expanse of space with stone paths but no grass or greenery anywhere, although I did make it out with some the rocks from this courtyard. I kept trying to imagine my boss and one of my colleagues (both graduates of Eton College) wandering around as their childish selves.  I came up with humorous images of who I concocted them to be. 

This is the stone courtyard at Eton College.