Belle Catastrophe

This Blog has moved!

Hey all! It’s been a great adventure BelleCatastrophe. But recently I’ve felt a little out of sorts with wordpress.  Also I got a free TypePad account :)

From now on I will be blogging from  www.mahface.com.

I’m really excited about this new blogging adventure as it is a joint project between my youngest sister, Chelsey  and I.

So happy reading and see you over at MahFace :)

Bikes in Reims

We really want to get bikes for next.  As three of us are toying with the idea to spend our second year in Reims, France the idea of settling down and in seems to be going around in all our heads.

When we came last semester we came with an air of uncertainty, the knowledge that we would be splitting our time between Reims and Paris; thus moving 6 months through.  There was also the uncertainty of staying for the second year: we asked ourselves, “would we stay?, would we pass?, would we want to?”. As exam results came in last week we  answered “would we pass?” and now are faced with the remaining two questions.

I want a bike, so does that indirectly mean I want to stay?  I like the idea of biking around Reims, just small enough to not be killed by traffic, and just small enough to not be a taxing endeavor .  Staying for the second year means things are going to heat up scholastically.  We will have a 80-100 page thesis due, a 20 page report on our internship, and a new battery of seemingly impossible exams.  But I also have our student council group to look forward to, the optimization of French skills, and also a chance to avoid a December graduation.

All in all it also comes back to: “Do I want to go back to Boston?”

Petite Anglaise

I went to a book reading the other night to hear a British blogger that has written a book inspired by her blog. It was a really good time as we were given glasses of champagne and then the opportunity to have our books signed.

You can check out her blog here.

I also bought a lovely copy of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It has gilded pages.

Paris: Here I come

I’ve been wrapping things up as of late in the booming metropolis of Reims. Over the last week I have pretty much been commuting to Paris going from interview to interview! Today, I can honestly say I have done the most interviews of my short life . . . in French. I was asked so many questions, like: what is your favorite website?; what is a life proverb that you have?; and also a plethora of normal questions, but mind you everything was in French and everything was responded to in French.  I practically had an ulcer after day one.

The craziest experience was when I was at L’Oréal and they squirted shampoo on the table and asked me to give three adjectives about the smell and color. I can promise you; I’m not working at L’Oréal. But all that is finished now that I have a job! Hooray! A job that is going to be interesting and exciting as I know the company and they are going to send me a portfolio of information to get started (I’m taking a week off to move and be a human). And to boot, we also found an apartment that isn’t very far from where I’m going to work. I think I will have a 20 minute commute but that is “peanuts”*.

So that means I have to devote all my attention to the looming exams that are coming up in a week. I just started studying on Friday when I was sure I had a job (before then I had been too stressed) and now things are all coming together. Hooray! So pardon my absence during these next few weeks! I’ll be studying, examing, and then moving! Bleck! But then I’ll be in Paris!

*For some reason in France it is common to use “peanuts” in their daily lingo. My managerial finance professor when describing a 100,000 difference in an answer. . . c’est peanuts.

Sisters

Winter Break

I’ve been back two weeks and sorry for my delay in writing this new post, but things have been a bit topsy-turvy these days.

Our trip:
Reims->Paris->Lyon->Reims->Barcelona->Reims

We’ll start with Paris. Paris was really a good time. Chelsey and I searched high and low for vegetarian restaurants and we found two. One, on purpose and the other by sheer luck (we we’re looking for an English bookstore). We stayed at the Aloha hostel, which isn’t too bad. It’s located in the lower 15th and we had two Chinese Roommates and two American Roommates. I had been reading reviews for the hostel and had been slightly nervous about going there. Paticularly where people had written “the showers are outside”. Since we had been visiting in late December and Paris was undeniably freezing, this was slightly worrisome. But it wasn’t bad at all. The showers were in the unheated hallway, and so the air around them was cold, but they actually produced hot water (if you pressed the button long enough), so all ended quite well at that hostel.

I really like the Pompidou, their collection of art is amazing and even though our feet had been rubbed raw by all of our walking, we shuffled through all the exhibits and loved it. Chelsey and I decided we would not visit the Effiel tower, but really loved Pere Lachaise cemetery. We ate lots of crepes, but Chelsey was slightly unsatisfied of her salty crepe to sweet crepe ratio. We drank coffee, but not in cafes; the best starbucks in Paris is next to the Opera, it is enormous and has cushy chairs and chandeliers; I don’t even like Starbucks, but it has a wonderful ambiance.

Christmas brunch:
We went to this place called Joe Allen’s which served up a stellar American breakfast. . . even though it was ridiculously pricey. . .but, it was Christmas. We met up with two American girls from my school program and it was a lovely morning.

Lyon:
My host parents called us on Saturday, and Chelsey and I visited them on Tuesday evening (Christmas night). I was so happy to see them, and they told me that they feel like I had never left, which makes me so happy and delighted. My heart was skipping beats between joy and joy. My host mum had cooked endless delights for us, a quiche, a dessert with meringue and candied chestnuts, but she wasn’t satisfied that we had had enough! She chased us with papillotes. I really love them. They are so nice and welcoming and even though Chelsey didn’t speak French, they kept prompting her and including her. Which was nice and wonderful and why we went, because they remember everything and I will never forget their kindness and how everything was perfect. We went bowling one afternoon: I won.

Barcelona:
Bikes! Wonderful cruiser bikes and warm weather were themes of Barcelona. We traveled all over that city happily on bikes and with sweaters (no heavy jackets! :)). It was glorious. I still marvel at the modern work of Gaudi prevalent throughout the entire city, the clash of fun, optimism, and color. Barcelona was a city alive with color and silliness, which was a dramatic change from the gray of France. We tried all the great things that it had to offer. Their thick pudding-like hot chocolate sometimes with espresso and sometimes with chili! I really think it might be one of my new favorite cities in Europe. It has a vibe: a party vibe. We even went and found the 1992 olympic stadium, which was an adventure in itself. I think I shall go back and I’ll be sure to ride bikes.

Reims:
We got home and we were tired. Not only were we tired, but we were sick! Chelsey had caught a bug on our crazy overnight train back (12 hours for 43 euros! :)) it was a price saver, and an adventure to boot. But after all our traveling it set up the perfect storm for a cold to set in. Chelsey got sick, and then I followed. We did end up going shopping and eating wonderful delights even though we were fatigued and mucus-y. Bread from the yummiest and more delicious store in Reims, crepes from the stand, and saucy salads.Chelsey left the Saturday after we got back from break, and it was pretty sad. After a month I had gotten used to her being there and having someone to talk to all the time. It was a really good month. I’m so glad she came. We almost missed her train to go to the airport. Never a dull moment with the Blackmon sisters.My photos are: here and Chelsey’s photos are: here.

Off on grand adventures

Chelsey and I are off voyaging around France and Spain.

Ok so we are really just going to Reims, Paris and Barcelona.

We probably found two of the only vegetarian restaurants in Paris during our 4 days there.

But we are having lots of randomness and good times.

The lady who rode in our 4 person sleeper train made unimaginable and somewhat unearthly sounds throughout the night.

Updates soon.

Oh and Happy New Year.

A Road Trip: Toussaint

We (me + 3 other girls) had the day after halloween off and so we decided to do what any other sensible person living in Europe would do. We went on vacation. After looking at several destinations and modes of transportation, we decided to rent a car. I wanted to rent a Panda. If only because I think that a car called a Panda is the most hilarious thing in the world. I mean think of the marketing: step into my speedy, sexy new . . . panda? Or want a ride in something slow, predictable and apt to munching on bamboo, well we have just the car for you. . . a panda! The panda didn’t work out much to my chagrin, but we did get an awesome Megane.

The Megane was kickass, a blue beauty with a credit-card looking key. So cool. Though I admired all of the cars I did not get to drive. Why would a licensed and perfectly capable American girl not have to share the workload of driving in Europe? Well let’s just thank the stars for never learning how to drive manual. I was the co-pilot and the worthless backseat rider. It was awesome.

The itinerary:
Reims->Luxembourg City->Chateau Bourscheid->Aachen->Brussels->Brugge->Reims

My take on each destination:
Luxembourg City- I don’t know why I have never known or heard that the city is in a gorge and is awesome. You hear people say that, “It’s a beautiful city” (check); that, “It’s a great place for walks/hiking” (check); or that, “It’s a great place to get in touch with nature” (check). But somehow people left out: “It’s a beautiful multilayered city with amazing nooks and crannies to get lost in, and is maybe one of the most breathtaking views in Europe.” No one ever told me. It was a wonderful surprise. Also, the hostel in Luxembourg is AMAZING. It’s newly renovated and thanks to my little lonely planet travel guide we got to sleep in their highly stylish bunkbeds. When I say “highly stylish” I am not being sarcastic. They were hot. DINNER WAS Delicious, they had stuffed peppers for vegetarians and even a veggie lasagna. The hostel food was badass. Included b-fast: yum, yum, yum.

Chateau de Bourscheid - We made this stop on the way to Aacken. It was pretty cool. After driving around some foggy winding roads and one of our friends getting attacked by stinging nettles, we arrived at the 1,000 year old castle. Slightly disappointing was the fog that covered the surrounding valley (a valley I’m more than sure is breathtakingly beautiful; especially in the fall when all the leaves are colorful). We got to storm that castle. No one was supervising and so we were allowed to just walk around the area. That was cool. It felt like exploring. For a minute I felt like a real archeologist*.

Aachen - As we walked around the meeting point of Germany, Beligum, and the Netherlands, you really can’t help but see the different influences on the city. People were speaking in French, Dutch and German (and as always: English), and we got there on a bustling day, Friday. We were on the lookout for waffles, gingerbread, beer and Charlemange as we walked around and ending up going to this really cool coffeehouse called Leo van den Daele. It was made of a combination of merchant houses put together to produce a rambling multi floor coffeehouse with a lot of crazy antiques. We had strudel, gingerbread, and some other treats all while enjoying some great German beer. We left there in search of food and more drinks and we ran into a dilemma: it was only 4 pm. We would run into this problem all week. Because of the drizzling weather and our early starts, we would check out the sites and be finished around 4-5pm each day. We were always faced with the awkward question of what to do until 7/8pm (dinner time!) without going back to the hostel (most of the time they were a bit out of the way). In Aachen we would this beer place that was amazing. We had our first drink at 4:30 and dinner done by 7:00. We decided to leave and go to the BAD AACHEN. I had never been to a German bad (thermal bath) and was so excited to go. We were really nervous about the bathing suit situation (naked or not) and brought everything with us (bathing suits . . . forgot the towels), but soon realized it’s more like a swimming pool deal. Saved! If you ever go to Aachen go to the baths. It was so cool. You could swim outside in the hot-tub like swimming pool without even feeling cold. Or you could sit under steaming waterfalls and relax. It was amazing. They even have a meditation room. A softly lit quiet place to relax in with some chill music. It was one of the highlights.

Brussels- I didn’t know what I thought Brussels would be like. Maybe I thought it would be like D.C. slightly sterile with all the important government buildings. But Brussels was lively. It was lively in the most wonderful way. There were lots of people in the Grand Markt and we got to see the Mannekin Pis, the symbol of Brussels and a statue of a little boy peeing. Every once and awhile you would see a comic come to live on the sides of buildings, that mixed with European institutions makes an amazingly quirky city. I dug it. I also dug my fries drowned in my spicy mayo sauce. Oh yes, and restaurants that make paying customers pay for the toilet are -pun intended- crap, I’m looking at you: Roi de l’Espagne.

Brugge- As Kristyn had read “Brugge is the Venice of the north”, we took a canal tour of the city. Thank goodness, in this little picturesque city canal tours are only around 5 euros, unlike their overpriced friend in the south. We got to see a Michaelanglo, touch the coagulated blood of Christ (for a small donation of course), a Benedictine nunnery and eat some waffles. One of our friends, a beer connoisseur of sorts, had one goal: to get to ‘t Brugs Beertje, a beer haven of more than 300 Belgian beers. 3 of us (one being a designated driver and coincidentally a non-beer drinker) had 4 each. This was purely educational as we felt the need to each have a sip of all 12 beers, a tasting, if you will. We waited all day and got into the bar exactly as the doors opened at 4 pm. Within 10 minutes the place was packed! It was great and we made it home that night safe and sound.

Distanced travel: 1,120 kilometers.

Pictures are here: http://flickr.com/photos/geniusb/sets/72157603045233671/ 

*this is slightly lame, but so true. Ok. it’s more than slightly lame. Leave me alone.