tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70344763779050125252024-03-13T11:15:35.696-07:00An American in MentonUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-22156627173781933152012-09-28T20:39:00.001-07:002012-09-30T08:33:54.494-07:00"Major Policy Address"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now that I'm back in the United States (I actually have been all summer) and back at school, I'm going to keep this blog going, posting as interesting things happen. <br />
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Something interesting happened when I got this email on Wednesday:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pT6RdXz71t7xfTnRAkFyiLvf0_R2zjf4jx1SING6l95ilVOeiiGn3Nl3VQpQhvKNJTopSGGlXmm-1jEYGAtsAAfAg2LT9_UmiynaaTtpBk0ugLdAdFcHpjNygejUdP693hngdoWg3fjD/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-09-28+at+4.38.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pT6RdXz71t7xfTnRAkFyiLvf0_R2zjf4jx1SING6l95ilVOeiiGn3Nl3VQpQhvKNJTopSGGlXmm-1jEYGAtsAAfAg2LT9_UmiynaaTtpBk0ugLdAdFcHpjNygejUdP693hngdoWg3fjD/s400/Screen+shot+2012-09-28+at+4.38.27+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Famous speakers parade in and out of Princeton. Before I was even a full student, I saw Ban Ki Moon speak at Princeton Preview, and during my freshman fall Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke to a packed house. But rarely does an email specify a "major policy address," as most of these politicians are practiced in the art of talking for an hour without saying anything.</div>
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On the other hand, and perhaps because I've recently dived into this history of America's great statesmen, I am all too aware that politicians have historically given these landmark addresses to unsuspecting scholarly audiences. </div>
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George Marshall's eponymous plan for Europe appeared in rough outline at Harvard in 1947. President Obama's "Cairo Speech" was in fact delivered at Cairo University, and he delivered a major economic strategy speech at Georgetown University in 2009. President George W. Bush drove home the "Bush Doctrine" at West Point in 2002.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/General_George_C._Marshall,_official_military_photo,_1946.JPEG/250px-General_George_C._Marshall,_official_military_photo,_1946.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/General_George_C._Marshall,_official_military_photo,_1946.JPEG/250px-General_George_C._Marshall,_official_military_photo,_1946.JPEG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Marshall, from his Wikipedia page</td></tr>
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Now European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has delivered his own "major policy address." I don't expect Barroso's speech to have quite the same policy weight as some of those listed above, particularly as it would be strange to give a cornerstone speech about the European Union to a room full of Americans. But I do think it signals a major policy push.</div>
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In light of the European debt crisis, many have speculated about the collapse of the European Union, the exit of Greece, or even Germany, and a prolonged collapse that would destroy faith in the euro and subsequently the economies of all countries using it. President Barroso refuted this prediction, for the European Union, "rumors of our death are greatly exaggerated." He touted the role of the EU in preserving European peace and stability on the continent that saw what he called "two European civil wars," and in institutionalizing some of the best human rights, women's rights, environmental protection, and prosperity that the world has seen.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He spoke warmly of the history of the EU and its predecessors, saying, "<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Europe integration has been in steps, but there have been different
sizes of the steps," before laying out his big announcement: a "very big leap forward."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A 'big leap forward,' in the vague outline that was Barroso's speech, would entail a "federation of European states," with much greater monetary, fiscal, and political integration, as well as dramatically strengthened "hard power" capability--Barroso stopped short of calling for a European army. What exactly that 'federation' would look like was not specified, leaving Barroso, the EC, and the member states plenty of wiggle room.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The view that Barroso outlined was already the most logical alternative to a European breakup, since countries like Germany (and by that I mean, well, just Germany) would not tolerate bailing out the rest of the continent without a guarantee that this situation won't arise again. That guarantee would necessarily be greater integration and oversight, the lessening of some national sovereignty in favor of pan-European control.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The economy is not the only factor in this call for more unified decision-making, and may be less of an impetus in the foreign policy realm than issues such as the Arab revolutions of 2011. The weak Italian response to waves of refugees coming from North Africa spilled over into neighboring countries and raised the hackles of those who felt they were paying for another country's mistakes.</span></span></div>
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Paying for another country's mistakes is the main point of contention for unified Europe, and makes further integration tricky--countries will become even more liable for one another. Integration should, however, force them to take more decisions jointly and thus limit others' mistakes--or at least spread around the responsibility when they do make mistakes.</div>
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All this unification is thus a risky proposition. Which is why Barroso highlighted, "obviously, support of European citizens is key." However, Barroso was not in New Jersey to make the case to the Germans, but rather to rally U.S. support. This was a call for a favorable opinion in the U.S., and moreover for the U.S. to become <i>invested</i> in the outcome of the EU. Support here could have ramifications in Europe by way of academic research, official policy, and financial investment. Investment, or lack of it, lies at the heart of the crisis and the European debt burden, and while 'confidence' won't draw back that investment without a change in the underlying economics, Barroso <i>is</i> talking about changing those underlying economic fundamentals (albeit with typical political ambiguity).</div>
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"It is important not just for us, but for the rest of the world, that we succeed," said Barroso. He touched on our existing economic ties, saying that the U.S. has more invested in the Netherlands than in China, Brazil, and India combined*. He disavowed claims of major differences with a joke, saying "Americans are not from Mars, and Europeans are not from Venus." Saving Europe is, as it was in Marshall's day, the right thing to do, according to Barroso. Peace and stability are not foregone conclusions, he said, citing UN failure to achieve consensus on action in Syria. Promoting stability and prosperity in Europe is a moral obligation.</div>
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Barroso finished with a call that echoed louder at Princeton than it may have in less idealist institutions. He cited our own Woodrow Wilson: "Tell me what is right, and I will fight for it." Barroso has told us his vision of what is right, and he has invited America and Princeton to fight for it in the nation's service and in the service of all nations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*My references come from notes that I took during the talk. There is a possibility that I misrecorded the exact wording, though I tried to be diligent. If anyone has a transcript of the speech, I would love to hear it.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-426508094213571342012-08-05T21:19:00.000-07:002012-08-05T21:19:37.540-07:00From the US - linkages<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm in the U.S. for the summer, in Connecticut, and going crazy from France withdrawal.<br />
I've been passing a patisserie/boulangerie all summer and haven't gone in yet. I expected it to be kitchsy and fake and way overpriced because it was 'French'... like the 'French' restaurant I went to where the entire staff spoke with heavy Spanish accents.<br />
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BUT! It turns out that the owners are French, they're actually Rémois. Reims, the city they're from, is home of the Franco-American campus of Sciences Po., one of our biggest rivals at Minicrit. I had to stop myself from judging them poorly for it. (kidding)<br />
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It felt soooo nice to speak French again, not just type French on Facebook chats. It's also always a lovely ego boost to hear people compliment my French. :-) We talked for a while about if their daughter should consider Sciences Po. for college, compared to an Ivy League school in the U.S. Cost is a big issue that doesn't play in quite the same way when deciding between two American schools. It also matters what she wants to do after school--stay in France or come back to the U.S.? But it was great to chat with them about it.<br />
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ANNNNNDD I bought some delicious pains au chocolat. I would post pictures, but I ate them already. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be going back soon, and this time I'll remember to take pictures.<br />
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In the meantime, I will tide you over with the website of their establishment:<br />
<a href="http://www.isabelleetvincent.com/" target="_blank">Isabelle et Vincent</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-1086111101685881492012-05-11T03:42:00.001-07:002012-05-11T06:11:57.798-07:00Des fois... il faut bosser<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh that's right... I have classes.<br />
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This is going to be a long, rather boring post without pictures, but let's not forget that I am in school here...<br />
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Figured I should give a little academic run-down on the sitch here. It's very different--much more so than I expected it to be.<br />
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My courses are as follows:<br />
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<li>Arabic Level 3+ (en français et bien sûr en arabe, avec 3 étudiants arabophones de 1ère année, et deux étudiantes non-arabophone de 2ème année, enseigné par professeur Farid ABABOU)</li>
<li>Islam et Mondialisation (en français, avec les étudiants de 2ème années programme français, enseigné par professeur Jean-Pierre FILIU)</li>
<li>Wars of Memory (in English, with 2nd year English and French program students, taught by professor Christian DEVOOGD)</li>
<li>Moyen-Orient Entre Crise et Espoir (en français, avec les 1ère années programme français, enseigné par professeur Stéphane LACROIX)</li>
<li>Sociology of the Arab State (in English, with the 2nd year English and French program students, also taught by professor Stéphane LACROIX)</li>
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Exchange students are capped at this sized course load, but full time students here take somewhere between 8 and 12 courses each semester. That seems impossible, until you realize that some of these classes only met for 6 or 7 2-hour sessions throughout the semester. Furthermore, students also include in their courses some things like painting, or soccer, or theater, that are more atelier courses than academic work.<br />
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Nevertheless, I have less work here than I would at home, by far. Fortunately that means that I can spend time travelling, spend time going to all of the talks here and getting involved in extra-curriculars, and putting more time into the classes I am taking... which is most important for me for Arabic. It's a fascinating dynamic in the class, because I much more need to work on vocabulary (you know, so I understand the words we're reading...) whereas the Arab students know all of the vocabulary, but don't know some of the grammar I learned in my first year. Things like case endings in iDaafas, or after haruf al-jarr, or that nominal sentences are divided up into the khabar and the mubtada. I was surprised to see the simplifications they used for these sentences like "after 'inna' the first word is monsoob and the second word is marfu3..." I'm sorry, I know that doesn't make any sense to the people who don't speak Arabic, but it's basically just an oversimplification of the grammatical concept there.<br />
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That said, I was definitely struggling with the texts we read. Fortunately, I had the time to go through and translate, and take notes on, texts that would take them ten minutes to read. And I was always able to ask the Arabic speakers on campus for help. Not to play favorites, but if we're talking about who's closest to fuSha, I found that it was the Saudis, Yemenis, and Iraqis... followed by the Lebanese/Palestinians. As much as I love the Moroccan dialect (darija), I still have problems understanding it, even after studying in Morocco. But I liked that the professor, Ababou, was Moroccan, because it meant that even though we were in a fuSha course, he smiled every time I replied "wakha" for "ok."<br />
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<b><u>The Library</u></b><br />
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Well, the library is pretty much non-existent. It's been slowly getting better this semester, since they've just moved into the building. But still, the library is probably around 2000-3000 books, and is about the size of around 4 Frist classrooms put together. It also closes every day no later than 8 pm, and often earlier if there isn't someone there to work the book check-out desk. The entire campus is closed on the weekends and on national holidays (which included the day before finals started). Also, while you can order books from the other campuses, even the Paris library isn't anywhere close to what you would get at Princeton. The good thing is that pretty much all of the books are on politics/law/religion/economics/the Middle East and the Mediterranean/Europe, so the percentage of books that you may find relevant is probably higher. Also, don't assume that because the book is assigned for a class, they'll have a copy in the library... nope. There are quite a few beautiful tomes in Arabic. Too bad my Arabic isn't anywhere near good enough for me to slog through them.<br />
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Honestly, the lack of academic resources such as the library has been my least favorite part about being here. If you're studying here DO NOT FORGET TO SET UP THE PRINCETON VPN before you leave. Having access to those online resources saved my life and my sanity. People here haven't ever heard of JSTOR. They have some kind of French equivalent for it, but the selection (especially in English, of course) was far more limited.<br />
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<b><u>French Courses</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b><br />
The courses here, especially for first-year students, are much more of the style where the professor stands at the front of the class and lectures at you. These lectures are occasionally interrupted by indignant students from whatever country is being discussed vocalizing their beliefs that ______ isn't actually the reality in _____ country. (In Lacroix's Crise et Espoir class, I don't think the Moroccans <i>ever</i> agreed with him). The thing is, it's not really clear who is right. This is partly because the lecture isn't based on studies or readings, but is a synthesis of the professor's understanding of the situation/region. Which is great when you're overwhelmed by a lot of information, but also forces you to take the professor at his word. On the other hand, the students' experiences are often not much more representative of the situation in the entire country. Most of the students, particularly from the Arab world, come from affluent backgrounds, live in nice areas of the biggest cities, grew up going to very Western schools, and often have families involved in politics (ambassadors, ministers, etc). So when they say that "no one feels tribal affiliations anymore," I take it with a grain of salt. Especially when they go on to say that well, maybe there are "family" affiliations, and say that these families can vary in size up to thousands of members.<br />
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So... few readings in the course. <br />
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Then there's the grading. Depending on the course, I've had between 2 and 3 graded assessments (paper, "fiche", exposé, test, etc.) per course. All grades are given out of 20. A 20 is impossible to get--they're just not given. These students, the cream of the French system crop, have told me that they never even got 20s in <i>high school</i>. You can imagine how thrilled I was to get an 18 on an Arabic final essay. (hint: suuuuuper thrilled) Generally anything about about a 15 is an "A". But here it seems like grades are given much less value as long as you're passing--because with 10ish courses per semester and only one or two grades in each one, people do fail courses. I think if they fail 2 they have to repeat the year. Passing is a 10/20, so right now, during finals period, the end goal for most people is just to "valider" the class. People are going around saying "I need a 4 to validate," or "I need a 6 to validate." It's a very strange concept.<br />
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Then there's this whole issue of form versus function... the French looooove things to look pretty. As I was making an outline handout for Wars of Memory*, my partner stopped me and said "No, you have to have two bullet points under this heading, because you had two bullet points under the other heading." I just stared at him. Also, I've seen people turn in 10 pages papers where I swear to God half of the pages were taken up with headings. They also <i>like</i> when you put pictures in your essay. I don't understand. I really just dont understand.<br />
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Also, don't expect very much discussion in your classes. As I said, mostly just lectures, some discussions among the more American-style professors.<br />
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Ok now I've complained about classes here for long enough, let's talk about the good aspects of the school...<br />
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1) A whole different viewpoint: the authors they read here are different, the things they expect you to know are different. I'd never read Weber before, but he's been cited repeatedly in every class I've taken here. Ghassan Salamé has also been cited repeatedly, and he's pretty impressive: he was Director of Research at the Centre nationale d'études scientifiques, and now he's Director of Studies at Sciences Po. He was also Minister of Culture, Education, and "Enseignement supérieur" (which I guess translates to something like university-level teaching) in Lebanon. Anyway, reading all of these different authors (because even if they're not all assigned, I had to go read them to get all the references) very much broadened my academic foundations. <br />
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Similarly, the history that most people know off the top of their heads is very different from what we know. We can talk to you all about the Civil War and the American founding fathers, but here the history of the Caliphates and the Roman Empire is really widespread. The Italians, unsurprisingly, have a particularly strong affinity and appreciation for history. I say that with some bias, because it was one of the first things that attracted me about my boyfriend... he started throwing out the names of Roman senators and emperors like they were days of the week.<br />
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2) Language and code-switching. Professors are much more comfortable throwing in cultural and language references from English, French, and Arabic here. So when we're talking about Yemen, they'll note that the main square of the protests was "Taghayir" (تغيير) Square, which means "change." Or while they'll also note the king of Morocco as the "Commander of the Faithful," he's also caller "Commandeur des Croyants," or "Amir al-Mu'miniin" because those are the terms for him in Morocco. Also, there are students here who either don't speak French or don't speak English, so for them the common language is Arabic. So in things like dance practice, they'll suddenly switch. While I still have a hard time speaking it back, I actually understand most of it, at least enough to get the gist of the conversation. And through simple things like a line we sing in our dance, I've learned a typical Arabic wedding blessing. (يبرك الله عليها، وربي يهديها, which means "May God bless her and guide her"). Not only has speaking three different languages all the time improved my ability in these languages, it's also generally kept me on my toes and kept me alert.<br />
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3) Outside of the class there are more benefits. The most striking one that I've seen is the generally negative view of certain facets of American politics, which forces one to clarify and prove one's own beliefs. I'm among the first to say that I see the mistakes and the injustice of American action in the Middle East, but never once have I truly believed that the U.S. orchestrated or permitted the 9/11 attacks to justify going into the Middle East. I have always considered those conspiracy theories that didn't really deserve my time. However, after being here and seeing so many people who believe them, and having them ask me about so many specifics that I'd either never heard or never bothered to investigate, I realize that I have a duty to find out those answers. I still don't believe that the U.S. planned/permitted the attack, but one of my personal goals for this summer is to write a thoroughly-researched paper doing as much as I can to prove that. Then at least for myself, I'll know what to say next time someone brings up the Michael Moore documentary to me.<br />
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As an American abroad, you are most definitely a representative of the country. My favorite exposé (class presentation) this semester was one I did in Arabic on the American Constitution. Yes it took me forever to find the terminology and try to clarify some of the ideas, but when we're talking about a region where so many countries are questioning their own constitutions, I was both proud of ours and excited to be able to share everything I find so wonderful about it. The U.S. is really quite rare in its adherence to its Constitution and the foresight of the Founding Fathers. Even the French Constitution only dates from 1958.<br />
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I commend you if you've read this far. For a treat, here's the Lip Dub that we created for the end-of-year inter-campus competition (Minicrit)!!<br />
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*Rant: I take plenty of French classes here, along with other non-francophone students, and we <i>never</i> speak in English in class, or get words translated into English for us. But in the English classes, students regularly switch into French to ask questions, professors show videos in French without subtitles, and we included on our outline translations of words that are normal for anglophones, but that would be challenging for francophones. Words such as "steed," "doth," "dost," and "scions." Granted, the French in class never really bothered me personally because I speak French, but really it's the principle of the thing...<br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-36131795818755650912012-05-10T17:55:00.001-07:002012-05-10T17:56:48.337-07:00Thea's Travel Tips<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As you may have seen from my previous blog posts, I've done a fair amount of going around with a friend named Thea, who's also an exchange student. <br />
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I like to think I've done a fair amount of travelling in my lifetime, but it's nothing compared to her. She was born in Holland and lived there until moving to the States at around age 10. She spent the three months before coming here in Egypt, with a brief Netherlands break before classes started. She also is one of the most individual, witty, perceptive people I know. I've learned some interesting travel tips from her, and it wouldn't be fair not to share them.<br />
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Also, check out her blog <a href="http://theculturalsponge.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Tips:</div>
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<li><span style="text-align: left;">Instead of taking liquid shampoo/conditioner, go with solid shampoo bars. Easier to pack, lighter, small, and you don't have to worry about them spilling. She uses the ones from </span><a href="http://fr.lush.eu/shop/product/category/path/147_148/shampooings" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Lush</a><span style="text-align: left;">. I picked up one of my own when we were in Nice once, and have used it to great effect. But according to Thea, they last 3x as long as a normal shampoo bottle. They also come in different varieties for different kinds of hair.</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjML_w0hHkW8FzfCh_vITX9QqyjIzvLd9_Q-rWiYOoV932gzB7n5LvhwcHvPE2DyKQnNxOcFW2FGOqYleZTaj5A77zYODM2t3TYXSUuSpVyFdVfSTMDEBtozNJzH3OuFM3gDWsYdYw4KVia/s1600/DSCN0732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjML_w0hHkW8FzfCh_vITX9QqyjIzvLd9_Q-rWiYOoV932gzB7n5LvhwcHvPE2DyKQnNxOcFW2FGOqYleZTaj5A77zYODM2t3TYXSUuSpVyFdVfSTMDEBtozNJzH3OuFM3gDWsYdYw4KVia/s640/DSCN0732.JPG" width="378" /></a></div>
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I got the lavender juniper kind, for hair that gets oily quickly. So far I'm really happy with it, although it does quite live up to the saleswoman's claim that I can cut down to only washing my hair every other day. This solid shampoo was also definitely handy for my other travels. I've taken it to Istanbul and around Italy, and avoided having to deal with a big bottle that might leak, or using only bad hotel shampoo.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">2. Overstuffed suitcases are more likely to get opened by TSA, because when they're densely packed it's harder to distinguish what's inside them purely by x-ray. That said, if you know you need to be carrying your luggage by yourself, or aren't going for very long, a travel backpack is often a better choice. This was just a one-night trip in Turkey, so I wasn't wearing my full hiking backpack, but look! With the scarf, you can't even tell that I have a backpack on!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KsGtxgFhKuNXxb-XBdk0XS7IrvDYNHSPgkuCsca2ZtkHZtImInMZt4e9QO7QsxKFPkTTI7BpCxullIMHZ6bzYNue6NuJRCW9cC4GV7pFjay5ZoUIATwVSsbU5gBV5HKdflJiSXM_BjgT/s1600/DSCN1313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KsGtxgFhKuNXxb-XBdk0XS7IrvDYNHSPgkuCsca2ZtkHZtImInMZt4e9QO7QsxKFPkTTI7BpCxullIMHZ6bzYNue6NuJRCW9cC4GV7pFjay5ZoUIATwVSsbU5gBV5HKdflJiSXM_BjgT/s640/DSCN1313.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">3. I already roll my clothes to save space when packing, but Thea took it a step further. If you're going to be living out of a suitcase or a backpack, roll your clothes based on all those you would need for one day (including underwear and pajamas and socks, etc.). That was you don't have to destroy your entire suitcase to get to the jeans down at the bottom. Also, this will help with planning outfits and packing an appropriate amount of clothes, particularly for us girls who take an entire closet for a weekend.</span></div>
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4. This one I love, even if it makes me feel like a hobo: if it's raining and your shoes aren't waterproof, wrap your feet in plastic bags before you put your shoes on. #Totalhobomove, but I've used it to great effect in Torino and Istanbul. I didn't bring rainboots with me to France--they were too big and bulky to pack. And in Menton it hasn't really been a problem, because even when it rains it's pretty warm. But elsewhere it was FRIGID, and my leather boots are getting old and letting some slush in around the edged. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVoZI6QCb-sgjvUTJ6jfv1sZrfMYYaeEbtVGB1Yyk9IXYUflJdqe-rmnVXGNsAjNEj0BAPzRmPP5f6yWvAlpDSZDEMK40l2nLISARbZpmrgQjYH3nvwHaPLpE7qozIp00j1xi-kmuyzK0/s1600/DSCN0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVoZI6QCb-sgjvUTJ6jfv1sZrfMYYaeEbtVGB1Yyk9IXYUflJdqe-rmnVXGNsAjNEj0BAPzRmPP5f6yWvAlpDSZDEMK40l2nLISARbZpmrgQjYH3nvwHaPLpE7qozIp00j1xi-kmuyzK0/s640/DSCN0269.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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You can't even tell! And you know I wouldn't be smiling if my toes were wet...</div>
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Honestly, this trick reminds me a lot of sailing--it's just like wearing a drysuit. The bags don't keep your feet from getting cold, and they don't keep the water from getting in your shoes, but they do keep your skin dry. This plus a solid pair of wool socks (see my post on Mes Achats de Nice) will keep your toes both dry <i>and</i> warm.</div>
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5. If you need something to collect from your travels, think about collecting sugar packets. They're free, they're readily available every time you stop for food, so no need for time wasted looking for them, and they're usually written in the local language. People think it's cool to say "hello" in every language known to man? Knowing how to say "sugar" is infinitely cooler (and less utilitarian)... Sucre, zucchero, Zucker, azucar, سكر</div>
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6. Last one for today: check out the supermarkets. Not only is it way cheaper than eating out for every meal, it also gives you a real insight into the local culture. </div>
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From Turkey, here is ayran (yogurt, water, and salt drink--don't confuse it with milk!).</div>
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And from Florence, pizzas, mushrooms, and lots of pecorino cheese (a specialty of the region) at a local covered market.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGcKxl5c1x5OxBg9EN4rAHmN0_B3AKfWyHicajiJCFZMmKEIhf_ohie0u3j-HWLgRMb4dLXcw-UkTWIk5Dou22UY7Ua-2GrQatri4To55xD_D6UfyL2YEwq0kTqZon2po4IEiQBwNCZC3/s1600/DSCN2739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGcKxl5c1x5OxBg9EN4rAHmN0_B3AKfWyHicajiJCFZMmKEIhf_ohie0u3j-HWLgRMb4dLXcw-UkTWIk5Dou22UY7Ua-2GrQatri4To55xD_D6UfyL2YEwq0kTqZon2po4IEiQBwNCZC3/s640/DSCN2739.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Here are the sandwiches we made with the deliciousness from that market...</div>
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And the desserts we're half bad either... (who am I kidding, I'm drooling just remembering it.)</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-47039424049078771942012-03-21T17:45:00.000-07:002012-03-21T17:45:50.276-07:00Finally - Prelude to Turkey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Oof, I knew this would happen. I'm really bad about updating blogs. But I can't not update, because I have so many cool things to tell everyone.<br />
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Over spring break, I went to Istanbul to visit Grace, who's studying there for the semester. I had a ton of preconceptions going there, because last semester I took a class on Turkey as a model for the Arab states post-Arab Spring. I've found that people are really gung-ho about Turkey and its virtues and how great it will be for the Middle East, as well as how developed and beautiful and cool it is... Let's just say I'm not as convinced. However, after visiting, I would say that my views are a little more nuanced about how I view Turkey. And honestly, that was the primary reason I went there--I wanted to see for myself.<br />
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Before I even got to Turkey, though, I spent a night in transit in Zurich. I had very very briefly been to Zurich when I visited Switzerland previously, but really only seen the train station and the airport. This time, I had time to go into the city, although I only saw it at night.<br />
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The number one thing that always impresses me about Switzerland is efficiency. When I arrived, I went to buy a train ticket into the city. The woman at the counter spoke German, French, English, and probably a bunch of other languages, and she was able to change currency for me, sell me my tickets, print me out the times of the last train that night back to the airport and the first train the next morning, give me a map of Zurich downtown, and suggest stuff to do. So nice. Justifies how expensive Switzerland is.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfa1T5k8w9kTE0MLoMCN5uJV_ZJvXc8qrE-Qjz8V2ak2R2PqRA3uxgxXKuYoHH2MzozsnWTWLsn_arWtvLYBWjC1Q3wr2Yua-qgwb52G8HmR7TAN6GWXJc4_cIvRJs6dERHjRR1SD_Y0Xm/s1600/DSCN1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfa1T5k8w9kTE0MLoMCN5uJV_ZJvXc8qrE-Qjz8V2ak2R2PqRA3uxgxXKuYoHH2MzozsnWTWLsn_arWtvLYBWjC1Q3wr2Yua-qgwb52G8HmR7TAN6GWXJc4_cIvRJs6dERHjRR1SD_Y0Xm/s320/DSCN1037.JPG" width="206" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">It turns out that the night I was there was Carnaval in Zurich! There were bands everywhere dressed up in crazy costumes, and because the city was so lively (probably more so than usual) I felt very safe even though I was there late at night. I got a bratwurst and ate it while watching one of the bands play.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhau-IHVeILOONxqqc6SzkQ5WD2-ycYMTnAqwllbnmNcstaGZvZ06QOSlrZHx0DzHi_E7CVaBmV-25trRYCwncCMsmwA7pkTF8PEpaa8CHaRtjMmXzfeeZXgIS_oM-_AuAt16M_RxIzrK5W/s1600/DSCN1016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhau-IHVeILOONxqqc6SzkQ5WD2-ycYMTnAqwllbnmNcstaGZvZ06QOSlrZHx0DzHi_E7CVaBmV-25trRYCwncCMsmwA7pkTF8PEpaa8CHaRtjMmXzfeeZXgIS_oM-_AuAt16M_RxIzrK5W/s320/DSCN1016.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last time I was in Switzerland was with my parents about seven or eight years ago. We all really loved the fountains everywhere, and made it a point to take pictures of them. We have a whole collection of fountain/trough pictures from that trip, so I continued the tradition on this trip to Zurich. I found quite a few fountains, but this one above was unique--never before have I seen someone use a public fountain as a beer cooler...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKdkFQdikMpY80e67KIJgYZ7VCuLbbbYJAUp7jjRUhk6lEjC-8Ax-6QboOweRK34GWuS9XR8viMW3bVpqTGTCdkRNYq0kLJqJyO_MtFItZfFO5tlgr4_aZ8qWBRz3ul5S9XF4ozyqoGH2/s1600/DSCN1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKdkFQdikMpY80e67KIJgYZ7VCuLbbbYJAUp7jjRUhk6lEjC-8Ax-6QboOweRK34GWuS9XR8viMW3bVpqTGTCdkRNYq0kLJqJyO_MtFItZfFO5tlgr4_aZ8qWBRz3ul5S9XF4ozyqoGH2/s640/DSCN1013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was hard for me to get good pictures at night, but here one can see how lovely the lights and the river are. It was at once quaint and modern, and very very clean. Maybe it was the cleanliness that made it feel so safe, despite the fact that there were drunk/drinking people all over the place.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hopped back on the train to the airport that night late, and hung out in the airport until my plane left... needless to say, I slept the entire flight to Turkey.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The beginning of the Turkey trip coming soon... this was just to get me back in the habit of writing these.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-6067493443579300252012-02-19T17:05:00.000-08:002012-02-19T17:05:22.881-08:00Antibes: Ville de Mer et de Picasso<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We headed to Antibes for a day trip last Saturday (the 11th). Claire, Caitlin, and Nico went early in the morning, but Ciera and I had gotten back late the night before from Monaco, so we slept in. Due to a fluke of the train scheduling though, we only arrived in Antibes about an hour after the other girls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It never ceases to amaze me the sights we see from the train as we travel along the coast here. Part of that surprise stems from the fact that the entire coast isn't developed... the same surprise I had in Morocco, where a massive graveyard lines the hill in Rabat going down to the beach. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQ_5MaEAKQHBN7KpxGtw32wlBdEu7K-OZFY2TIPQ7EVG5QZEJzKwnegzaa0O3AJWnqSDKym3HqjxopXqrHI6IDbo25npOjlulxOfGSjnmHQvhVcTsBeeUlR3GLVfy7JlZ3xw7w3FAEnSf/s1600/DSCN0552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQ_5MaEAKQHBN7KpxGtw32wlBdEu7K-OZFY2TIPQ7EVG5QZEJzKwnegzaa0O3AJWnqSDKym3HqjxopXqrHI6IDbo25npOjlulxOfGSjnmHQvhVcTsBeeUlR3GLVfy7JlZ3xw7w3FAEnSf/s640/DSCN0552.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we got to Antibes, it was pretty cold and windy. I'm glad the other girls warned us about the weather, because I wouldn't have worn a heavy coat otherwise. I can't wait to see these places when it starts getting warmer (which will be very soon, if this week was any indication). Until then, I'll be bundled up, with lots of pictures of my hair in my face, like this one.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTh_Ve1EfyjIXVnl5Lp0tQHISkVrW04cgrH5g3nmBfE0PbM73TNrBy35gkOU9VPYwH6SY4hyzhBnyx5uggyTdeW7paMFv67lOMZOPbUHuWGMkTMtx-59DQmh1t1W0lui4HsCGrh0vAUsIH/s1600/DSCN0556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTh_Ve1EfyjIXVnl5Lp0tQHISkVrW04cgrH5g3nmBfE0PbM73TNrBy35gkOU9VPYwH6SY4hyzhBnyx5uggyTdeW7paMFv67lOMZOPbUHuWGMkTMtx-59DQmh1t1W0lui4HsCGrh0vAUsIH/s640/DSCN0556.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We wandered around town for a bit, stumbling upon these adorable postcards... Marwan thinks it's just a corporate ploy to get you to buy all three, but I think it's worth the money to send someone all three postcards comprising one of the towers, maybe over an extended period of time?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcHsFPCGdXPe92JpZR7dAQ6oQt0ugf5bdCN1uCrC8gNP4MVwIbkihuVs0J1eubGLqHfaW7tRxcKRdU_XSOa60proFnCFficobcUPCy68nGIiB5ijYCL0gsxGpwHIMN8L-R1ycuJxLU301/s1600/DSCN0567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcHsFPCGdXPe92JpZR7dAQ6oQt0ugf5bdCN1uCrC8gNP4MVwIbkihuVs0J1eubGLqHfaW7tRxcKRdU_XSOa60proFnCFficobcUPCy68nGIiB5ijYCL0gsxGpwHIMN8L-R1ycuJxLU301/s640/DSCN0567.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We went into the most amazing haberdashery (do you know how long I've wanted to use the word haberdashery in context?) and I wanted to buy every single hat, but I knew I would never wear any of them. I almost gave in and bought a beret, but I figured that was better left to Jen H. in Paris.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1hOfMhDAznDj1EARMzLyOwG6eBOZ9vsdwpQvbujAY0KohIET8M6_OcoHXEq4ll9lcffTNbkdnA-2KJY4rVTmEbuVqi1p12dnJDKeD-Sr5Ou9LZ5Fx4c0Aiy7nuOSuQyeZkYGiAC8aQ2X/s1600/DSCN0579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1hOfMhDAznDj1EARMzLyOwG6eBOZ9vsdwpQvbujAY0KohIET8M6_OcoHXEq4ll9lcffTNbkdnA-2KJY4rVTmEbuVqi1p12dnJDKeD-Sr5Ou9LZ5Fx4c0Aiy7nuOSuQyeZkYGiAC8aQ2X/s320/DSCN0579.JPG" width="248" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8lIn5SyzcOAci8xm-MyIXJcXuFxmedT_Yt0g57a5_yERAfsLsaRiK9Sl0c39UkuMJUBN3Li9vkfT2CEsM3M57z7HzRg3PEnARJbbAS20QEXqUVEDEkmh7qg9KYsqD-K-sk_eI4AkN7Zh/s1600/DSCN0580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8lIn5SyzcOAci8xm-MyIXJcXuFxmedT_Yt0g57a5_yERAfsLsaRiK9Sl0c39UkuMJUBN3Li9vkfT2CEsM3M57z7HzRg3PEnARJbbAS20QEXqUVEDEkmh7qg9KYsqD-K-sk_eI4AkN7Zh/s320/DSCN0580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maybe for Lawnparties??</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF74uoWA-0r4g9CKAvLVjbqRwJQ64Wr58qkOu4GhAxp8roHvkIJ7JRttRgk3mYPJUf8PQP7hQnOejU4ZAqhI3ijjiZfFhttmf2UMDUgDy_Xvs__5XNJIYTJ1eVHh955v_tseQCMa1Rl8zv/s1600/DSCN0581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF74uoWA-0r4g9CKAvLVjbqRwJQ64Wr58qkOu4GhAxp8roHvkIJ7JRttRgk3mYPJUf8PQP7hQnOejU4ZAqhI3ijjiZfFhttmf2UMDUgDy_Xvs__5XNJIYTJ1eVHh955v_tseQCMa1Rl8zv/s320/DSCN0581.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Or can we make a new theme night... like British Royal Wedding theme?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was also an amazing market that was a joint effort between the French and Italian Chambers of Commerce, but that's going to get its own post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All this time, we were slowly making out way to the Picasso museum. The collection is small, but it's fun to see because the location, the old Grimaldi Castle, served as Picasso's home for a period of time, and his work took inspiration from its position overlooking the sea. He also drew on the Greek history of Antibes and the fishing culture of the town, with many paintings featuring sea urchins, mariner shirts, and boats. This is the view from the castle:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NswVCtjVR9TbNMwmY26X1gm8qhwaUcJZ8tpskuQXmG8wDF03FLg9aRqIGqVtjjpLc94EEcY2TA6wYduHZj-UQcH7TMCswCM7SlGr6cJSuqdepIxDxOpRca3ctpDHm4TX934-w4ICWxJN/s1600/DSCN0629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NswVCtjVR9TbNMwmY26X1gm8qhwaUcJZ8tpskuQXmG8wDF03FLg9aRqIGqVtjjpLc94EEcY2TA6wYduHZj-UQcH7TMCswCM7SlGr6cJSuqdepIxDxOpRca3ctpDHm4TX934-w4ICWxJN/s640/DSCN0629.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here are two of my favorite paintings in the museum. I bought postcards of both of them, and I think they were rather representative of the work shown in the museum.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.culture.gouv.fr/Wave/image/joconde/0401/m086800_3c00863_p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://www.culture.gouv.fr/Wave/image/joconde/0401/m086800_3c00863_p.jpg" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pêcheur attablé</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This one wasn't any particular theme, it was just surprisingly evocative given its abstraction...</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ledevoir.com/images_galerie/13700_38472/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ledevoir.com/images_galerie/13700_38472/image.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nu assis sur fond vert</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The impact of the sea was very clear in other ways too. Antibes is definitely one of those places on the Côte d'Azur that is known for its yachts and sailboats. The harbor was pretty, if quiet in the winter, and is clearly the center of the town during the summer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWCC31RD3byFsQ7K8KAh1oUG6YJPBTWeDViOlytY7mlRDu53FTFfR5PwwdgHZmbDFrkB5yFe9e9lAHh3KXSjWQofdKb60V9Sdwpz8NteWbm5vKXm3QeTMTGhnEyb42UgidamGD9HWZSNJ/s1600/DSCN0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWCC31RD3byFsQ7K8KAh1oUG6YJPBTWeDViOlytY7mlRDu53FTFfR5PwwdgHZmbDFrkB5yFe9e9lAHh3KXSjWQofdKb60V9Sdwpz8NteWbm5vKXm3QeTMTGhnEyb42UgidamGD9HWZSNJ/s640/DSCN0674.JPG" width="316" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The town is remarkably anglophone--there is a strip of British and Irish pubs, a British grocery store, and an anglophone bookstore, stocked with sailing books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcL2GLssEBHo0r6Y5yj0ge4BHe0rP-3HE4buprxkhKHwDsWLIO4aM4FArIJugzVKsGkvhlWoZbcfTHsYHOnGKVgnhTJbPrl59nWHlZ2b5FqWqPOFrKWu3swNxzV6X1IXUIh4WV1GFR8zOp/s1600/DSCN0678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcL2GLssEBHo0r6Y5yj0ge4BHe0rP-3HE4buprxkhKHwDsWLIO4aM4FArIJugzVKsGkvhlWoZbcfTHsYHOnGKVgnhTJbPrl59nWHlZ2b5FqWqPOFrKWu3swNxzV6X1IXUIh4WV1GFR8zOp/s640/DSCN0678.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGZ8zQAQGNB_8ie4ME7H9OTDv8ed6ptZgaBFXfAQvt5hEkDTyRdFg1cGekpsm1PHvuTreVpPO1yJpgrbllYFQD7c367K1N8CzToT8qhbpar2RULTV_LGPo5Fca46L4V6L92dXPamKu4cq/s1600/DSCN0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGZ8zQAQGNB_8ie4ME7H9OTDv8ed6ptZgaBFXfAQvt5hEkDTyRdFg1cGekpsm1PHvuTreVpPO1yJpgrbllYFQD7c367K1N8CzToT8qhbpar2RULTV_LGPo5Fca46L4V6L92dXPamKu4cq/s640/DSCN0679.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FNhrZdaA3-nbSL75DqKop7saANdPRgCM-oGcJZ4C9ZoZAvmmW5eSgxzNWimUK4LQu1kVacAPjPRvs2xBNt4BabRZx2YRPgZ0LZO_bOy9eaQ4Pjcp_Rlzb6CvI2RNisx6TOMAgtPgASgO/s1600/DSCN0680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FNhrZdaA3-nbSL75DqKop7saANdPRgCM-oGcJZ4C9ZoZAvmmW5eSgxzNWimUK4LQu1kVacAPjPRvs2xBNt4BabRZx2YRPgZ0LZO_bOy9eaQ4Pjcp_Rlzb6CvI2RNisx6TOMAgtPgASgO/s640/DSCN0680.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
There were also plenty of sailing paraphernalia shops. I don't have pictures of the "yacht construction" store or the hardware store where you can get brass knobs all match your spyglass and your handrails on your boat...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1iZ1jmhGSxMg5vDGcduQ8ZFbdYKETt9X4wNayDNNifE5B4PlTOAAxQg16C3RNbsTNNs2VcpHijv550o6JAjVp9VcWcfJDNxo22Z74I6kwunO6xqnl4PBo3VS4HfQcLj28qi_yybpjiCW/s1600/DSCN0686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1iZ1jmhGSxMg5vDGcduQ8ZFbdYKETt9X4wNayDNNifE5B4PlTOAAxQg16C3RNbsTNNs2VcpHijv550o6JAjVp9VcWcfJDNxo22Z74I6kwunO6xqnl4PBo3VS4HfQcLj28qi_yybpjiCW/s640/DSCN0686.JPG" width="286" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But the most beautiful boats are the simplest. Like this one, below. It gets points off for not being a sailboat, but makes up for it because of the color and because it is obviously used, but used with love.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XOdoYNJuKB_Rq7f_kJyL71KlHUCSalD6C2N0vzFEYVKWiI8RmvaHEgWc10tlYGHLSfkiIk9E8YK5SYPSpUOIfTLwH2x9fSGKtIsxdVckwEQGUX8NMCqfHqMdQsE00hfN9JcG4PwihN8R/s1600/DSCN0687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XOdoYNJuKB_Rq7f_kJyL71KlHUCSalD6C2N0vzFEYVKWiI8RmvaHEgWc10tlYGHLSfkiIk9E8YK5SYPSpUOIfTLwH2x9fSGKtIsxdVckwEQGUX8NMCqfHqMdQsE00hfN9JcG4PwihN8R/s640/DSCN0687.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Like a well-worn book. I hate when people keep their books pristine. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VoT8pN-APkOnEJdARGsEnHopualfCpGo2ayTAA_G_uzx4GHxWiTnKMm6c2ejz3vPUc_qld-BWROJD9PhvXGXyQ2p5IqeGUwq4ml87C6OpGXBlZCjS0a7_gm0cLbidz8VRvqeXF6868jd/s1600/DSCN0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VoT8pN-APkOnEJdARGsEnHopualfCpGo2ayTAA_G_uzx4GHxWiTnKMm6c2ejz3vPUc_qld-BWROJD9PhvXGXyQ2p5IqeGUwq4ml87C6OpGXBlZCjS0a7_gm0cLbidz8VRvqeXF6868jd/s640/DSCN0688.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
Antibes' connection with the ocean was a lot like Torino with the mountains, but obviously a different aspect of nature. I love how art, daily life, and commerce all center around the water. These types of locations keep proving to me the interconnectedness of all different facets of life.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-75149859595290055832012-02-09T13:17:00.000-08:002012-02-09T13:17:23.227-08:00Just around the corner...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So, I can walk to Italy. The border is about a half-hour walk, but to get to the next actual town, Ventimiglia, takes about 3 hours walking. So we generally opt for the train (but walking there is still on my to-do list!).<br />
<br />
Every Friday there's a market in Ventimiglia for local farmers and vendors. We went last Friday, and had some time to check out the town as well as the market.<br />
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How cool to see truffles fresh from the countryside!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdvH-4bpSq3tJEHlcGqCebqt48Eh-AqhKLo1HYhRS95XzTPIbKh9_JNeMDL3ocFO9AW6FYcYAuUSIwAK9zfoVOov_7XzPGbvrDL6eIdL4AfBRgrOuheeKl6pT1fjEqUXO_j5_mQZ8p7yR/s1600/DSCN0391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdvH-4bpSq3tJEHlcGqCebqt48Eh-AqhKLo1HYhRS95XzTPIbKh9_JNeMDL3ocFO9AW6FYcYAuUSIwAK9zfoVOov_7XzPGbvrDL6eIdL4AfBRgrOuheeKl6pT1fjEqUXO_j5_mQZ8p7yR/s640/DSCN0391.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think my parents have been worrying because I haven't been posting enough about food. Last time I was in France it was all I talked about. The big difference is that here I have to make my own food. I'm not so good at that. But after Ventimiglia I made an eggplant parmesan-style dish, just without parmesan and with Toma Cunese and fresh mozarella substituted in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1cwD6xKMhdjFM1hGiWYSMKHmD5nvuSbx7r_eDuHXcl4a4uM9gFGdC6IGUlQhyphenhyphenJR33c1S0lAOWxjJSBCeFIiCo9xUK2aC7jja_mtPW4T8DSSLfIjAirld40JG0VlEd_sZGasQbDJ7_sTO/s1600/DSCN0486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1cwD6xKMhdjFM1hGiWYSMKHmD5nvuSbx7r_eDuHXcl4a4uM9gFGdC6IGUlQhyphenhyphenJR33c1S0lAOWxjJSBCeFIiCo9xUK2aC7jja_mtPW4T8DSSLfIjAirld40JG0VlEd_sZGasQbDJ7_sTO/s640/DSCN0486.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> I also found these surprisingly hot dried red peppers... I thought they were sun-dried tomatoes when I bought them, but not complaints about what they turned out to be! They went really well with the eggplant concoction.<br />
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</div> We went after class, so the sun was just starting to set over the Mediterranean.<br />
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There was the most hilarious dichotomy between the view of the inland and the view of the sea. When I looked inland, I saw mountains and snow:<br />
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When I looked toward the sea, I saw palm trees and flowers:<br />
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With France so close, the Italian flags on the mountain were actually useful in demarcating territory...<br />
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However, the swans on the river made me think not of France, but of Lucerne in Switzerland...<br />
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</div>These flowers, leading to a WWI memorial, were so pretty that I couldn't help but buy a pot of them for me room back at Villa Jasmin (the girls' residence).<br />
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</div> What else do we do in Italy but drink coffee and eat pastries? More Marocchinos, and a sinful cannoli.<br />
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Thea and Claire did actually sleep at one point on the (15min) train home, just not while I was trying to get their picture. But Thea's face was presh (#jokessss).<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow we're going to Antibes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hopefully it'll look something like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://download.viamichelin.com/images/desti/102481_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://download.viamichelin.com/images/desti/102481_10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Found this photo online---not mine!</span></div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-78540670828082678362012-02-03T12:07:00.000-08:002012-09-28T13:06:27.385-07:00Museo della Montagna<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Perched above Torino attached to a church was the Museo della Montagna, the Museum of the Mountain. It tracked the history and development of mountain life, with a particular focus on the Alps. <br />
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While the museum was generally pretty Euro-centric, it was still really fascinating. Particularly surprising was the focus on how recent <i>alpinisme</i> is, and how much the mountains were feared and revered until technology allowed people to "conquer the mountains" so to speak.<br />
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Obviously, "technology" meant something very different fifty or a hundred years ago. Below is a style of alpine lodging for hikers. Forgive the poor picture quality; I got in trouble for taking pictures with flash.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqf5hyqKxrRK5dxHgE_I7b51UTSab2EGsU8ryDtKZK942KQDEV3P5WJx1kR4lH1zFUajT7ueL9_FSVv4x9yAy8elNcrsVS9aKHK4y0DM5oLWQsyQDtMwcrjpqygrnU7B7kKEaBlMIETu2n/s1600/DSCN0305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqf5hyqKxrRK5dxHgE_I7b51UTSab2EGsU8ryDtKZK942KQDEV3P5WJx1kR4lH1zFUajT7ueL9_FSVv4x9yAy8elNcrsVS9aKHK4y0DM5oLWQsyQDtMwcrjpqygrnU7B7kKEaBlMIETu2n/s400/DSCN0305.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next few pictures are all just different kinds of climbing gear. I don't quite grasp the intricacies of this equipment or how it has evolved, since I'm not a climber, but I thought others might appreciate it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPd1POVZGUwpo-GDUx5oMb4_TbKyFEZ6l-9qtv-sDD6qesW76HvgJSBIqZNstwMLZcLMJOmcQNjrUoN9nvV82tT8Ze-Hhfa6YdMquX3aUwkeYl0sxLwEYcGzYYGRAsvlgplA8E2GdUpRub/s1600/DSCN0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPd1POVZGUwpo-GDUx5oMb4_TbKyFEZ6l-9qtv-sDD6qesW76HvgJSBIqZNstwMLZcLMJOmcQNjrUoN9nvV82tT8Ze-Hhfa6YdMquX3aUwkeYl0sxLwEYcGzYYGRAsvlgplA8E2GdUpRub/s400/DSCN0313.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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And here's the part I like... the skis. </div>
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Tangentially related, I was up in Stowe a few weeks ago and heard the story of the founder of Head skis showing off his first aluminum ski to a bunch of other super intense skiers up there. When someone tried to test the flexibility of the new ski (compared to wooden skis), it broke!! After that, I had to take some pictures of their collection of wooden skis, and skis through the ages, including a pair of Head skis... although I'll always be partial to Rossignol.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuvrVBw7ahEzZmiV2M0B2TBG-Kb2wAVPneS3yMW2vjuDwRg9FHljIfWm0GzlVgxyZ6KGTatE9JEElYqTP0Qtaqhw4Hn34l1uNkHA8F7SH9fQKcYWcJFVHYGvEyO_glOiLVh6YkQ9amcbq/s1600/DSCN0325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuvrVBw7ahEzZmiV2M0B2TBG-Kb2wAVPneS3yMW2vjuDwRg9FHljIfWm0GzlVgxyZ6KGTatE9JEElYqTP0Qtaqhw4Hn34l1uNkHA8F7SH9fQKcYWcJFVHYGvEyO_glOiLVh6YkQ9amcbq/s640/DSCN0325.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The museum also charters peoples' efforts to scale mountains in the Himalayas and in the Alps. They have videos and samples of the best, newest technical fabrics, and tents and sleeping bags for camping in the snow. </div>
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But it makes one reflect to some extent on how arrogant we are to think that we can conquer nature. In the case of the cold/snow, humans still change themselves and their lives to suit Mother Nature's whims and flights of fancy. Our trains were delayed coming back from Torino for snow. And just yesterday on a bus to Nice, the people next to us (me and Ciera) told us about their friend who <i>died</i> last year skiing in Zermatt. (My mother just read that sentence and thanked God she didn't let me ski when we were in Zermatt. Apparently he did exactly what she was afraid of me doing--he skied off the slope and into a crevasse.)</div>
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In some respects, nature truly is the embodiment of a deity, more than humans will ever be. It rolls up splendor and majesty with sheer power, practically beyond our comprehension. Alors, il faut le respecter autant qu'on l'aime. A propos de cette respecte, il y avait une citation dans le musée, disant "si tu laisses les traces, il faudra que tu te tiennes compte pour eux devant tes collègues," ou quelque chose comme ça. Je le trouvais bien impressionante. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-32049048046304474492012-01-31T18:30:00.000-08:002012-01-31T18:30:36.536-08:00Caffè Italiano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">French coffee is pretty damn good, but I was won over by Italian coffee this weekend. Stopping in coffee shops was a great way to get warm, get caffeinated, and figure out our next moves around the city. We also got to practice our Italian--"Vorrei un caffè, per favore." I know how to say this and "prego" and most of the possible pizza toppings. I'm basically fluent already.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But pizza is a whole separate story. On the topic of coffee, the first one I tried was a "Marocchino." Obviously I would go for the Moroccan-inspired coffee. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BZ_NGmFd-p-iZlnJH4YmEMoOIivk__vHq9nFALPsrKblPB4RpprIRiyAXMXH3SaL5p2qodO43GgwBVH5bQgGswI7VbN3iqPUJ42MJITB7R268EUppVj9ZMrpwBYKCF6lcvJA7ZoI4tIf/s1600/DSCN0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BZ_NGmFd-p-iZlnJH4YmEMoOIivk__vHq9nFALPsrKblPB4RpprIRiyAXMXH3SaL5p2qodO43GgwBVH5bQgGswI7VbN3iqPUJ42MJITB7R268EUppVj9ZMrpwBYKCF6lcvJA7ZoI4tIf/s640/DSCN0220.JPG" width="331" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not only did it have cacao on top, it also had chocolate throughout, and particularly at the bottom of the glass. This was a great choice for someone who has as much of a sweet tooth as I do.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Apparently Marocchinos are typically served in glasses because of the aesthetic appeal. Looks good to me!</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BZ_NGmFd-p-iZlnJH4YmEMoOIivk__vHq9nFALPsrKblPB4RpprIRiyAXMXH3SaL5p2qodO43GgwBVH5bQgGswI7VbN3iqPUJ42MJITB7R268EUppVj9ZMrpwBYKCF6lcvJA7ZoI4tIf/s1600/DSCN0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2i0-Zxc7QUUqQsIzHXQsUzXBWr4-ytfl8F6NviTxP122i9l-Ai4shExlK7CE6OFnN3Upjqu5QK4kMqwp2acXmIU1DUF03kbcKnqs4DATvilIPc347nvrI_76yGSw-56CtmKcYaJcVpg_/s1600/DSCN0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2i0-Zxc7QUUqQsIzHXQsUzXBWr4-ytfl8F6NviTxP122i9l-Ai4shExlK7CE6OFnN3Upjqu5QK4kMqwp2acXmIU1DUF03kbcKnqs4DATvilIPc347nvrI_76yGSw-56CtmKcYaJcVpg_/s320/DSCN0217.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up was Caffè d'Orzo. It tasted like coffee but smokier. Like someone had managed to make burnt coffee taste amazing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEuiEPoMoN9zRV1k7ZCU92ksminYZDbxecRpuz1DKQCnln31OijtHpBVPQw5xiFQ2aX4s8IHjjcqSUeNUHRBTBFigwKv6Nde5yfsk_G9pR1LmLoHDvD_TWQqhlhlqoGcYdyrN9DjJh941/s1600/DSCN0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEuiEPoMoN9zRV1k7ZCU92ksminYZDbxecRpuz1DKQCnln31OijtHpBVPQw5xiFQ2aX4s8IHjjcqSUeNUHRBTBFigwKv6Nde5yfsk_G9pR1LmLoHDvD_TWQqhlhlqoGcYdyrN9DjJh941/s320/DSCN0243.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>So I just looked it up, and it actually is made from orzo (barley). I totally didn't realize this when we ordered it... multiple times. It also apparently doesn't have caffeine. I've given up on coffee really affecting me, so I didn't notice when I had it that it didn't make me hyper. This will definitely be my decaf "coffee" of choice in the future.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The third style of caffè from this weekend was the basic caffè, espresso. I don't know how to describe what really good coffee tastes like, but this was it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCBMn9cvcqqtjd-13h7SCCXGqfsm80wd-RQ6HwXZKFSjtUz7zP7K3ZH4_jmuYCMTzN9UxnZTPtxBbHPl44j95srpbjyvUephBjdjy2R5gV51xdKZias5N0azSrbMfVQYJQdu8yMDfHfG5/s1600/DSCN0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCBMn9cvcqqtjd-13h7SCCXGqfsm80wd-RQ6HwXZKFSjtUz7zP7K3ZH4_jmuYCMTzN9UxnZTPtxBbHPl44j95srpbjyvUephBjdjy2R5gV51xdKZias5N0azSrbMfVQYJQdu8yMDfHfG5/s320/DSCN0361.JPG" width="206" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tDZRAErlquSfWLITIkel2jZgts1J90ghg5AVm6K9xWi1rS6EBAI5ffkC-J25ubbXahQzqNVM2FPuTgYj0VlvMAacCCI8jUy9YXDkl2WaAtnSp5d8AN_vPe2xUjRR_b-Wp_AV_82-zthZ/s1600/DSCN0360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tDZRAErlquSfWLITIkel2jZgts1J90ghg5AVm6K9xWi1rS6EBAI5ffkC-J25ubbXahQzqNVM2FPuTgYj0VlvMAacCCI8jUy9YXDkl2WaAtnSp5d8AN_vPe2xUjRR_b-Wp_AV_82-zthZ/s320/DSCN0360.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How cute are all the different kinds of coffee cups? I'm still on the lookout for the fluted espresso cups that we used in Annecy, but these styles and patterns make me smile too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-82677916664934310532012-01-30T15:30:00.000-08:002012-02-01T17:59:51.224-08:00Torino: Winter Wonderland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you may have gathered, Rome didn't end up working out this weekend. Ciera, Thea, and I were supposed to join three other exchange students who had gone down on Thursday. The Italian train workers went on strike, which meant that we wouldn't have been able to leave for Rome until Saturday morning, and spend all day Saturday on the train.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When this turn of events became official, we copped a squat in the waiting room of the Menton train station, across the room from a sketchy homeless guy and his dog. We were pretty dejected, but we broke out the chocolate, bread, and wine, and tried to make contingency plans. Ibiza, Corsica, Barcelona, and Paris were all scratched off the list. We ended up with Torino, Italy, home of the 2006 Winter Olympics, Ferrero Rocher, and the Shroud of Turin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We left Menton early on Saturday morning, and it took us about four hours to get to Torino. Part of the train ride was lovely, with lots of ravines and homes built into cliffs. But as we got closer to the city we saw more and more crumbling factories and industrial wasteland. And the weather turned colder. I was terrified that Torino would be like that too and we would have a miserable time. I felt particularly bad because I was the one who convinced the other girls to go there.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGt400o329PKk9ySvesGO3dNNLZvsiPzpBTQZZlGaKG_cuR8F4ZLUOP0BpHfHa6q1ysxsRGJYDGIUBwuS5euRK_hyphenhypheny3-WnU8FWAw5GLA_Vw0Cg-nh0sJY_QQ5dfxhfu17CesefoPhurlhd/s1600/DSCN0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGt400o329PKk9ySvesGO3dNNLZvsiPzpBTQZZlGaKG_cuR8F4ZLUOP0BpHfHa6q1ysxsRGJYDGIUBwuS5euRK_hyphenhypheny3-WnU8FWAw5GLA_Vw0Cg-nh0sJY_QQ5dfxhfu17CesefoPhurlhd/s640/DSCN0222.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was raining when we made it out of the train station after a fiasco with Trenitalia. But the city was actually still beautiful! This was one of the many <i>piazzas</i>. If you look closely on the right, you can see the porticos that are all over the place (and were very welcome in the rain). The style of architecture fits so well with the clean grid layout of the city.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoUpuo5TCnyJj3vOvOrj_KdaUBW6eaTFvywZIc7BT6LNP-Toz7aGyXBQiSw46GUX3FC0g3vREGvbIBPe4Xz_FY3TR30HS9g6lmHr73qk-2GLM-jw4_riPNyFgyxZy_DgbpNhNG-C6xhYR/s1600/DSCN0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoUpuo5TCnyJj3vOvOrj_KdaUBW6eaTFvywZIc7BT6LNP-Toz7aGyXBQiSw46GUX3FC0g3vREGvbIBPe4Xz_FY3TR30HS9g6lmHr73qk-2GLM-jw4_riPNyFgyxZy_DgbpNhNG-C6xhYR/s320/DSCN0253.JPG" width="240" /></a>We had a blast despite the drizzle (more to come about Italian coffee, markets, churches, and protests). But we still much preferred to wake up the next morning and see that the rain had turned to snow, and started to stick! <span style="text-align: center;">This is the view from our hotel window. The distance, price, and amenities made Hotel Napoleon a much better choice than one of the two hostels in the city.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWRESmTcpBSGp9KFU1t2NiKhF3tXOXW1YBig8n1CFHlvrOXDtLa2HhpqWDpL3v7mm4-uAnBQPKoIqbG9Ntch8YGxq5ZyZAll9Ip9jjA11i087oEr6hp-y5SARWm4tRusjFCQnx4-Hl2Aa/s1600/DSCN0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWRESmTcpBSGp9KFU1t2NiKhF3tXOXW1YBig8n1CFHlvrOXDtLa2HhpqWDpL3v7mm4-uAnBQPKoIqbG9Ntch8YGxq5ZyZAll9Ip9jjA11i087oEr6hp-y5SARWm4tRusjFCQnx4-Hl2Aa/s400/DSCN0268.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>We walked through several of the beautiful Torino parks. The snow, the thick winter coats, and the heavy square architecture made me think of Russia... not that I've been there. Can anyone tell me if this is an accurate impression?<br />
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The snow got heavier as the day went on, and by the time we made it to the part of the city on the other side of the river, it was probably about eight inches deep. The deeper snow also meant less slush.<br />
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I love snow, and I love how it made the whole city white and crisp. It might have wrecked the panoramic views, but seeing such a wintery city covered in snow just made sense. I could imagine the Olympics going on there, and I could imagine coming back for après-ski after a day on the slopes. In fact, I might head back up there to go skiing at some point.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd6nDfHz7nvu4dvOfEEzHsnAoqHI1so_avZw1r5tz2exciOAOS577O5DV13zCmVuFG1qUvPQfXsbd8k6wa9O2CgIMak8AjmSwmH1U0FrO8MYMnZ6SOuxX25ApaW6opBOClh9PMxCryACt/s1600/DSCN0352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd6nDfHz7nvu4dvOfEEzHsnAoqHI1so_avZw1r5tz2exciOAOS577O5DV13zCmVuFG1qUvPQfXsbd8k6wa9O2CgIMak8AjmSwmH1U0FrO8MYMnZ6SOuxX25ApaW6opBOClh9PMxCryACt/s400/DSCN0352.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I put my new wool socks to good use! And I'm very glad I brought my winter jacket to France for in case I go to Vancouver. Unfortunately my boots weren't meant for slushy snow, and my feet weren't quite as dry as I would have liked. By that I mean that I had about as much water in my boots as I do when I'm sailing, particularly in this picture, while the slush still predominated. Oh well, it was a great excuse to stop into cafes and warm up!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT42fdz9FIDFrEA73zUDQ1w16oi0jmIO7dDHywIgHnx0JBEOc_21DcvUXVX_iJSzb-iKPT1XKxWiAGQ5CA3YBTKsBhquIjygvZwIrum5iyUpXaXOucBcA-CG2j1rnKqCp3WN5tgscA4sQ8/s1600/DSCN0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT42fdz9FIDFrEA73zUDQ1w16oi0jmIO7dDHywIgHnx0JBEOc_21DcvUXVX_iJSzb-iKPT1XKxWiAGQ5CA3YBTKsBhquIjygvZwIrum5iyUpXaXOucBcA-CG2j1rnKqCp3WN5tgscA4sQ8/s320/DSCN0269.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>One of the highest points in the city is <i>Monte dei Cappuccini</i>, which houses a church and the Museum of the Mountain (post coming later). Usually, you can see all the way from here to the mountains that surround Torino. Visibility during out visit was not quite that good...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKrCzaJBOoQQNXZ5na-q4PpX3m3wLiUaKS7HOJMcg4-ZlnGXk2ohClJxjg0acxQEWkYJLUy6qMFVRRkhJ8c2KKJifdARnum6XvDjzrTR16luR6CRFe3uhLRngis4eaoFrYcwVy8mJV5RJ/s1600/DSCN0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKrCzaJBOoQQNXZ5na-q4PpX3m3wLiUaKS7HOJMcg4-ZlnGXk2ohClJxjg0acxQEWkYJLUy6qMFVRRkhJ8c2KKJifdARnum6XvDjzrTR16luR6CRFe3uhLRngis4eaoFrYcwVy8mJV5RJ/s320/DSCN0334.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="text-align: center;">But again, I think I prefer the solid white snow.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbjLTUnMOXnE4qurf9bYk39otsi9OFCHf1hde84tBAb0SWncCEpmuMfcCljTUcRPuyK5J0GD-AFBciaGqCBwtPhL891KcZNciQr1jCa-TzVp1ApggZoRzyp8T6vsgpponEBeAdJYuSJDk/s1600/DSCN0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbjLTUnMOXnE4qurf9bYk39otsi9OFCHf1hde84tBAb0SWncCEpmuMfcCljTUcRPuyK5J0GD-AFBciaGqCBwtPhL891KcZNciQr1jCa-TzVp1ApggZoRzyp8T6vsgpponEBeAdJYuSJDk/s320/DSCN0292.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>Umbrellas were popular for this wet snow. Even I gave in on occasion. But umbrellas have a negative connotation for me; I associate them with rain, not snow. So it was strange to see people using them for this kind of weather...<br />
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</div><span style="text-align: center;">Especially when I was considering sledding down the hill on my butt. I did end up running down one of the hills like a little girl, and I still don't understand how I didn't end up falling. I think I was sliding more than running.</span><br />
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This was my first time in Italy! And although it wasn't Rome, it showed me a different side of Italy, namely the side that reveres nature and the mountains, and respects their power. Just like in the photo below, harsh snowy weather is an essential aspect of Alpine or Piemontaise life. I find it kind of exhilarating.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jA3QlQPt7ErYhwfIMo8CL1db95PnqDYJncCBgwj5GlU9zYORyx6-bnUeCeaPRdh04nU1kVnlo5tm-ZuwKx4Nr3Kjfv5aguMxbHDLyDjBsM00JMjOICPeXtjEiPmxX-78hvPWYMFWqZT5/s1600/DSCN0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jA3QlQPt7ErYhwfIMo8CL1db95PnqDYJncCBgwj5GlU9zYORyx6-bnUeCeaPRdh04nU1kVnlo5tm-ZuwKx4Nr3Kjfv5aguMxbHDLyDjBsM00JMjOICPeXtjEiPmxX-78hvPWYMFWqZT5/s640/DSCN0320.JPG" width="480" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-35372643500510404312012-01-29T19:40:00.000-08:002012-01-29T19:40:43.419-08:00Pour les Filles: Mes Achats de Nice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As I mentioned, Nice was pretty much just a shopping trip. I didn't go crazy, but I found two things I liked.<div><br />
</div><div>Wool socks:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdooflxlWXqf_eynHatwQwU8iaKGkZn6qsuAr29OCeLRXxpc2wRL10eSUGdsTUx7XuXKIuS-kMKCgQkq00ajZ37Qhk67fV4hN2CX0_d9Bx9IyBFaE6DipWASKRCmgo4sSQa7tm7ja8y4j/s1600/DSCN0187a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdooflxlWXqf_eynHatwQwU8iaKGkZn6qsuAr29OCeLRXxpc2wRL10eSUGdsTUx7XuXKIuS-kMKCgQkq00ajZ37Qhk67fV4hN2CX0_d9Bx9IyBFaE6DipWASKRCmgo4sSQa7tm7ja8y4j/s320/DSCN0187a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I felt like Dumbledore, when he tells Harry that all he wants for Christmas is a pair of nice, thick, wool socks. Of course he was lying, but there really is something wonderfully cozy and wintery about wool socks. I was kind of wishing for winter weather, since I missed the snow back in the States, and Menton is much warmer than I'm used to during the winter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These actually come up to just under my knees, and I really liked the pattern. They turned out to be a good choice--you'll see them in my pictures from Torino. That whole "in the mood for winter" idea came to fruition this weekend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The funny thing is that I got the socks from H&M. It's a little silly, that I'm all the way over here in Europe, and I went shopping at H&M. I like to think they have better items in Europe... (cognitive dissonance?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On a bit of a random note, did you know that H&M stands for Hennes & Mauritz? I didn't actually find that out this trip, I saw it spelled out once on an H&M in Switzerland.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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The second item is this blue and white striped shirt from Le Petit Bateau. The picture is on our balcony, taken by my roommate Anaïs while we were enjoying the sun out there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_kkhdNxOnXgL5TTWSlcI4BvKZ72oe_YPHZ3S27ExOLaK4Ox_BUk0J-iLTE1ERF_lUMI6L7zfQr1Q4AgvYfkzsoY0skjnoeE9dCGS-2OZbAjE-hhZ2kf36eWXqtC_rzsjLr7gOfqCv4Ni/s1600/DSCN0190a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_kkhdNxOnXgL5TTWSlcI4BvKZ72oe_YPHZ3S27ExOLaK4Ox_BUk0J-iLTE1ERF_lUMI6L7zfQr1Q4AgvYfkzsoY0skjnoeE9dCGS-2OZbAjE-hhZ2kf36eWXqtC_rzsjLr7gOfqCv4Ni/s320/DSCN0190a.jpg" width="158" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anaïs found the shirt highly amusing, because she has one almost identical to it. Hers is even from Le Petit Bateau too! I'd been looking for a shirt of this style, and I really like the rather heavy weight of the fabric. I must confess, it didn't hurt that Garance Doré recently did an <a href="http://www.garancedore.fr/2011/12/20/dance/">ad campaign</a> for the company. If any contemporary figure epitomizes carelessly chic French style, it's her.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's great to be in France during the sale seasons, <i>les soldes</i>, although I've learned to not put too much stock in it. Mostly because I always seem to be here during <i>les soldes</i>, so it seems like they happen all the time. If only!</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-38512563327158096042012-01-29T15:09:00.000-08:002012-01-29T15:10:47.360-08:00Nice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;">Popped over to Nice with Maryam for the afternoon/evening. </div><div style="text-align: center;">The train ride is incredible--next to the water almost the entire time. It wasn't the best weather, a little cloudy, but the cliffs going down to the water were amazing!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Once we arrived in Nice, our first order of business was shopping. There will be pictures of my <i>achats</i> later. Nice has a thing for weird lighting: check out this cool pink chandelier off the main street...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cWdNk12_mqzfbM47xe1wHVWD3kIO4P83CxXzuQ9B6jEYn4np4F_toHRvAQGGNDJFtTQYiPADaZoyQa49C6LaIsmzCJZpDMaV4U4BvdwR4q_BezJtA3oUvhGYS2hyJ2ozZL0Pn8bdk_hq/s1600/DSCN0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cWdNk12_mqzfbM47xe1wHVWD3kIO4P83CxXzuQ9B6jEYn4np4F_toHRvAQGGNDJFtTQYiPADaZoyQa49C6LaIsmzCJZpDMaV4U4BvdwR4q_BezJtA3oUvhGYS2hyJ2ozZL0Pn8bdk_hq/s640/DSCN0138.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The other interesting part of the lights and the architecture of Nice was how it all changed from day to night. Here is the church on the main street:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUqRrntuqOUYsl9j1ZakM1uwxJdXwnwZgp0Mntdde73uzktgOHEFaAkjeiusg5wC8Qn8WmWLgYyZ0hyELb-wwsJDLeEwPO89IhRbXLvtWxzJDUQjNjhFt2T2sdWjsJETt-NvBzGQHncdF/s1600/DSCN0137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUqRrntuqOUYsl9j1ZakM1uwxJdXwnwZgp0Mntdde73uzktgOHEFaAkjeiusg5wC8Qn8WmWLgYyZ0hyELb-wwsJDLeEwPO89IhRbXLvtWxzJDUQjNjhFt2T2sdWjsJETt-NvBzGQHncdF/s400/DSCN0137.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cxeSXDmuX6nJbfbz-0DncdN-xqJ_4Itn2u1WqPVekovSBgi_k4-sp9xVHxwUTIA-gb_wusFD_fPfgx72E_DCt8aPdI4wy4-Ho12RVqe6tYPNkys5ifrpiDpajAZv_te9oUQkdCJK00Uq/s1600/DSCN0182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cxeSXDmuX6nJbfbz-0DncdN-xqJ_4Itn2u1WqPVekovSBgi_k4-sp9xVHxwUTIA-gb_wusFD_fPfgx72E_DCt8aPdI4wy4-Ho12RVqe6tYPNkys5ifrpiDpajAZv_te9oUQkdCJK00Uq/s400/DSCN0182.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The main plaza also changed completely from day to night:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWlnPy-4uunBob-ti8tEvqiPvXIAQO99TtIeRQNknUPcwjDimKPAAij-Bhg1NFbjNHlq5iMholY8niMLCCU-_mL80KfyhSqO3K9L5dlziFAsr6VVP9_fKJXVQRLudhsZIIwkoUAydv4Ji/s1600/DSCN0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWlnPy-4uunBob-ti8tEvqiPvXIAQO99TtIeRQNknUPcwjDimKPAAij-Bhg1NFbjNHlq5iMholY8niMLCCU-_mL80KfyhSqO3K9L5dlziFAsr6VVP9_fKJXVQRLudhsZIIwkoUAydv4Ji/s400/DSCN0140.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ignore the rando, check out that super-modern tram going through the very old city!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rqEJbF0hv4JOhuTdvem-lPKGmDjwSw48IhpkJrqd9fy1kOg_RfnnT9znuePlYGPjIIJXfzBLd89YNyzyEGz2Z_cTo5_ngsLwq3mcQV2E61IAe4VB7nVR7cuQScx1Eef8vSKGx-puLVEP/s1600/DSCN0141.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rqEJbF0hv4JOhuTdvem-lPKGmDjwSw48IhpkJrqd9fy1kOg_RfnnT9znuePlYGPjIIJXfzBLd89YNyzyEGz2Z_cTo5_ngsLwq3mcQV2E61IAe4VB7nVR7cuQScx1Eef8vSKGx-puLVEP/s400/DSCN0141.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="text-align: center;"></span><br />
<div><span style="text-align: center;">Sans tram, sans rando</span></div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe_7ZUpPLjxwRzWpDMpXwAuyostbzLMDt-ONlt_StlmvHfEnZyD51SOVNhoNkEjtFdhNS6sf0Nd0jXem4QH-hU2JBQOwRhI9gHZUSwWdeibKus1nsdWvyOivBMDnpp3QjAY3F3X16NojV/s1600/DSCN0179.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe_7ZUpPLjxwRzWpDMpXwAuyostbzLMDt-ONlt_StlmvHfEnZyD51SOVNhoNkEjtFdhNS6sf0Nd0jXem4QH-hU2JBQOwRhI9gHZUSwWdeibKus1nsdWvyOivBMDnpp3QjAY3F3X16NojV/s400/DSCN0179.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The same plaza. Yes, those are neon men sitting on top of poles. Yes, they were there during the daytime.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJ-IzXxnBNLKT0mKLdFyl_8cbkJtgG7wxVfvaZjrMYXwgi0aUZzganJ5TmGtGeWUJyuicZ1GeBsy_eiCobK7X6WPTkPiC7qpGvkiVHyzktqbFy-Yj9dDX9tKdhYo_xwtXz-VEYy5CfHVO/s1600/DSCN0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJ-IzXxnBNLKT0mKLdFyl_8cbkJtgG7wxVfvaZjrMYXwgi0aUZzganJ5TmGtGeWUJyuicZ1GeBsy_eiCobK7X6WPTkPiC7qpGvkiVHyzktqbFy-Yj9dDX9tKdhYo_xwtXz-VEYy5CfHVO/s640/DSCN0180.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We didn't notice either, until they started GLOWING</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It seems that Nice doesn't go to bed quite as early as Menton, and shops still looked inviting even after the sun had fallen. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyjXrGvztldT0u7ScBuin6SYSSAVXWXKnjMK97Sc4Hnx4nx5pETaPmy2Wi-Mzqnt1vAUKiA_pSJ2nKHXTh0a0jD9jhuwc64p4hNin3S5vPo4xt4bUc_QQvmHGCmGJ8Srw0z073ShcKz8D/s1600/DSCN0167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyjXrGvztldT0u7ScBuin6SYSSAVXWXKnjMK97Sc4Hnx4nx5pETaPmy2Wi-Mzqnt1vAUKiA_pSJ2nKHXTh0a0jD9jhuwc64p4hNin3S5vPo4xt4bUc_QQvmHGCmGJ8Srw0z073ShcKz8D/s320/DSCN0167.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The buildings are just as vibrantly colored as in Menton, and much more so than in the north. I love the contrast of the red against a gray sky, but I have a feeling the entire city feels like it should be colored in these fire tones when it's lit by a summer sun. Fittingly, the central figure in this fountain is Apollo, and the whole thing is <i>La Fontaine du Soleil </i>(Fountain of the Sun).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbXM8bnJtWLtJqxONRPSYhSJC9GS8oDdYJzd38esX_5z_HqcYDTMtltuxYURrXogD2vNE5n8eJcf_dr5fq_kElTQIEPV2JDWIOKRaf0-faHtyVJXBPgUO07RCfAu32jOqiQTG30n11akI/s1600/DSCN0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbXM8bnJtWLtJqxONRPSYhSJC9GS8oDdYJzd38esX_5z_HqcYDTMtltuxYURrXogD2vNE5n8eJcf_dr5fq_kElTQIEPV2JDWIOKRaf0-faHtyVJXBPgUO07RCfAu32jOqiQTG30n11akI/s640/DSCN0149.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBG4ckbydWi0xsHYMEZZUjzLbfQQBvLmAOXfx6NK3f_9gL5TOj0t1Dhw0YkVgvLSntDV0lShFDL4dE0_EB03up4iuYagMbBMp6PGEwEF3oJ6h5Idd_Pwi6VaIWRIyX9C_1l3HiidkGZ2i/s1600/DSCN0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBG4ckbydWi0xsHYMEZZUjzLbfQQBvLmAOXfx6NK3f_9gL5TOj0t1Dhw0YkVgvLSntDV0lShFDL4dE0_EB03up4iuYagMbBMp6PGEwEF3oJ6h5Idd_Pwi6VaIWRIyX9C_1l3HiidkGZ2i/s400/DSCN0151.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: center;"> Not exactly sure what this is... some sort of ruin above the city.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvh-_IxnDjXZw9QL6oIHWtZFigoixX8dN-wCGo3pJyzCALqbCM2gZKT9F1J9HITp89Gh628_7UmrRi1C-KUhyxpMnUFaJECuYdIdPE_rZdoNffHrqnjCNk6Dn9wSMnqrP6kGgqVI6FKgb/s1600/DSCN0165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvh-_IxnDjXZw9QL6oIHWtZFigoixX8dN-wCGo3pJyzCALqbCM2gZKT9F1J9HITp89Gh628_7UmrRi1C-KUhyxpMnUFaJECuYdIdPE_rZdoNffHrqnjCNk6Dn9wSMnqrP6kGgqVI6FKgb/s400/DSCN0165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: center;">Map painted on a building highlighting lots of cool sites in Nice... we didn't make it to most of them, so we'll just have to go back.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf6rsiCSu9rGeMdZPmTvSNonqLn8g179vjoq0HL-Q1Agp4YpRnBl3JYcSVHZzhOU8NxTOH4wQnyhJdsnUV-GQKLFdaFg6HV5iH-8TAuXzmdxFvr1c6aBCeYVP_9GodFk-gx2Tcoaq1p1n/s1600/DSCN0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf6rsiCSu9rGeMdZPmTvSNonqLn8g179vjoq0HL-Q1Agp4YpRnBl3JYcSVHZzhOU8NxTOH4wQnyhJdsnUV-GQKLFdaFg6HV5iH-8TAuXzmdxFvr1c6aBCeYVP_9GodFk-gx2Tcoaq1p1n/s400/DSCN0170.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I blame Maryam for making me take creepy pictures of this quintessentially French couple. So classy. Them, obviously, not us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0Wn0B1eAqImRY7PL_dPBOZnlv2yNMKaT2-XdM2XwOHtAgxyikk7XhE4gCof5oBnzrR8vGLdNPkSXAPOBaOTefP_JKwBzjCTH_qd9mJPHs5XMnftHkVgcOSGNyY_PRQAeY1NI60AJh8MC/s1600/DSCN0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0Wn0B1eAqImRY7PL_dPBOZnlv2yNMKaT2-XdM2XwOHtAgxyikk7XhE4gCof5oBnzrR8vGLdNPkSXAPOBaOTefP_JKwBzjCTH_qd9mJPHs5XMnftHkVgcOSGNyY_PRQAeY1NI60AJh8MC/s400/DSCN0174.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVbVT8sF7nEepDDXpq5POwn7w5aJLvR760BFmYWjZl9eGe-DaU_WET7ddqoNCy5RuXIJrPAcavUqZEpWwDsLwe5vqw0BROJBzAlh1Eni7qqFRszT-wgFZkKoAjCa59wXyPN5z6JcHV8Nm/s1600/DSCN0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVbVT8sF7nEepDDXpq5POwn7w5aJLvR760BFmYWjZl9eGe-DaU_WET7ddqoNCy5RuXIJrPAcavUqZEpWwDsLwe5vqw0BROJBzAlh1Eni7qqFRszT-wgFZkKoAjCa59wXyPN5z6JcHV8Nm/s400/DSCN0175.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> This was such an easy trip, just a few hours out of our day. I'm sure we'll be going back regularly. And as with most journeys, good company made everything more enjoyable.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coming soon: Torino (my first trip to Italia)</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-74629525411888163772012-01-27T06:12:00.000-08:002012-01-27T06:14:28.041-08:00Au Pays du Citron<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">When Oren first told me, I found it strange that Menton has a Lemon Festival. Then I arrived, and I realized that citrus (lemons and oranges predominate, from what I've seen) is <i>everywhere</i>. Here are just a few photographic examples of citrus in the life quotidienne de Menton.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTjtPrJvL-Rh_vHmIl1yH1jzkornlEopuUEyWj_NmLlPg-wj5nWfvKHU-nNhJfF7ggi-5F4zpmLQBOUSNnBIcbGh_1N6KcXzheqLL9YQfYcrsQw6Nmk5j6f0YhvGvAG5_w2SOEeyTXlu_/s1600/DSCN0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwXDHOmSF_jkREZ64s2REeCzG5ljygpw4oWzJjs6y7j-muDiNTioti-XMeVRrlOpw0MTNwgL0dw0NrDEE6Mey5rU7AufeKIXHXBG8et_vsmD7dm9-NV_ZGXg6Tv3CK2YppSV5D-MpjWqG/s1600/DSCN0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTjtPrJvL-Rh_vHmIl1yH1jzkornlEopuUEyWj_NmLlPg-wj5nWfvKHU-nNhJfF7ggi-5F4zpmLQBOUSNnBIcbGh_1N6KcXzheqLL9YQfYcrsQw6Nmk5j6f0YhvGvAG5_w2SOEeyTXlu_/s1600/DSCN0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwXDHOmSF_jkREZ64s2REeCzG5ljygpw4oWzJjs6y7j-muDiNTioti-XMeVRrlOpw0MTNwgL0dw0NrDEE6Mey5rU7AufeKIXHXBG8et_vsmD7dm9-NV_ZGXg6Tv3CK2YppSV5D-MpjWqG/s1600/DSCN0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTjtPrJvL-Rh_vHmIl1yH1jzkornlEopuUEyWj_NmLlPg-wj5nWfvKHU-nNhJfF7ggi-5F4zpmLQBOUSNnBIcbGh_1N6KcXzheqLL9YQfYcrsQw6Nmk5j6f0YhvGvAG5_w2SOEeyTXlu_/s1600/DSCN0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTjtPrJvL-Rh_vHmIl1yH1jzkornlEopuUEyWj_NmLlPg-wj5nWfvKHU-nNhJfF7ggi-5F4zpmLQBOUSNnBIcbGh_1N6KcXzheqLL9YQfYcrsQw6Nmk5j6f0YhvGvAG5_w2SOEeyTXlu_/s640/DSCN0104.JPG" width="640" /></a><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwXDHOmSF_jkREZ64s2REeCzG5ljygpw4oWzJjs6y7j-muDiNTioti-XMeVRrlOpw0MTNwgL0dw0NrDEE6Mey5rU7AufeKIXHXBG8et_vsmD7dm9-NV_ZGXg6Tv3CK2YppSV5D-MpjWqG/s640/DSCN0102.JPG" width="640" /> </div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Also, a note about the trees on the Menton streets. While the fruits have orange rinds, they taste like lemons. No one I've talked to really knows what they are.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yvPQ-lDlAQmqkLUdqeEqEC0j58VICWZci3tiTcpN9eBQLQPxnMl_eeU_EWbinhpFznmhOn3yBHYwBOYN4r77W_6omszQYe1YePoruDNwL-NXb0FcmQ_zVR-FZ66OExiUM9ePf17Xm34c/s1600/DSCN0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yvPQ-lDlAQmqkLUdqeEqEC0j58VICWZci3tiTcpN9eBQLQPxnMl_eeU_EWbinhpFznmhOn3yBHYwBOYN4r77W_6omszQYe1YePoruDNwL-NXb0FcmQ_zVR-FZ66OExiUM9ePf17Xm34c/s640/DSCN0105.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
There are even stores devoted to citrus! This one (below) is a particularly cute example, but they're everywhere.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXOt-2uyaDthu7hbpthssA2eiOSLpY53H6paoXOQVhoxhA6YWvgCy5mXmRZKs0qu5jw91RRnz_ceMe-vSY43ivIfVnWvkNLaYvFd8IsyI7bm5-tIGksgFTogAYezHES0N2UBJwxMQeyP5/s1600/DSCN0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXOt-2uyaDthu7hbpthssA2eiOSLpY53H6paoXOQVhoxhA6YWvgCy5mXmRZKs0qu5jw91RRnz_ceMe-vSY43ivIfVnWvkNLaYvFd8IsyI7bm5-tIGksgFTogAYezHES0N2UBJwxMQeyP5/s400/DSCN0115.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And of course, what good would it be to have citrus trees everywhere if we didn't pluck them?</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0L7BYOJuctBdvFnRWL7b3o5qLOhY3Tghf64rsRpFj48W8zjzI95An_huDGaJ86WVyiuFSQJ7D6hM6Pz0IkxADszQ8m3D7QBE6orOpcH4-y28TanU4wNwTLJuHCHcZ1_VZk4M56WrYlj_C/s1600/DSCN0186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0L7BYOJuctBdvFnRWL7b3o5qLOhY3Tghf64rsRpFj48W8zjzI95An_huDGaJ86WVyiuFSQJ7D6hM6Pz0IkxADszQ8m3D7QBE6orOpcH4-y28TanU4wNwTLJuHCHcZ1_VZk4M56WrYlj_C/s640/DSCN0186.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maryam stealing a lemon after getting back from Nice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I can't wait to see what it looks like when the Lemon Festival actually starts!!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-32903008886540321922012-01-25T04:53:00.000-08:002012-01-25T05:01:26.272-08:00Sous le Soleil<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Enfin, je me suis promenée autour de la ville, avant 18h. Le voilà ce que j'ai vu:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfn3XiydHc121CU4T5kO3U9pbc9k6xf7LAOFAjnX-9yN8vQz5q4HbHLrYrZsKWki9yrn91JqT-r2di3s4UP_gAo9jGbFxeQiWPwCNpsMNMVq6mZIIIZc474QyVcv6AVFI4kcUbMunm5He/s1600/DSCN0063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfn3XiydHc121CU4T5kO3U9pbc9k6xf7LAOFAjnX-9yN8vQz5q4HbHLrYrZsKWki9yrn91JqT-r2di3s4UP_gAo9jGbFxeQiWPwCNpsMNMVq6mZIIIZc474QyVcv6AVFI4kcUbMunm5He/s1600/DSCN0063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfn3XiydHc121CU4T5kO3U9pbc9k6xf7LAOFAjnX-9yN8vQz5q4HbHLrYrZsKWki9yrn91JqT-r2di3s4UP_gAo9jGbFxeQiWPwCNpsMNMVq6mZIIIZc474QyVcv6AVFI4kcUbMunm5He/s320/DSCN0063.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO899xR03q7KyERZV_zLBxTqtwUzKoZQNWCLkB2t8mvQnYh7UopEHwvfbn21zbzSieUSEI5HZBmAUn9fQaXyISfikyAr2KUeQBvue4dWAWmTcvKxftGtTlF8QNjWgA9d6Er2uxy1Wlc25W/s1600/DSCN0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO899xR03q7KyERZV_zLBxTqtwUzKoZQNWCLkB2t8mvQnYh7UopEHwvfbn21zbzSieUSEI5HZBmAUn9fQaXyISfikyAr2KUeQBvue4dWAWmTcvKxftGtTlF8QNjWgA9d6Er2uxy1Wlc25W/s320/DSCN0081.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Les palmiers en France! Qui l'aurait pensé? Mais on est au sud...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jQCab_h-S_O8JzowuPedotOuC712FloGlQjt7GWkU0gTSFNGvxiOslDLCKm7oXe1luSJU6mb32OFoPm5Znkoya0igVwwrDT8pXXrqZF5GGuzWOuBq4L7t4DH3Wk2ogBDd-l-cDjqWFmO/s1600/DSCN0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jQCab_h-S_O8JzowuPedotOuC712FloGlQjt7GWkU0gTSFNGvxiOslDLCKm7oXe1luSJU6mb32OFoPm5Znkoya0igVwwrDT8pXXrqZF5GGuzWOuBq4L7t4DH3Wk2ogBDd-l-cDjqWFmO/s320/DSCN0069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Je me suis remarquée que les couleurs sont (1) bien forts, (2) si different de ce qu'on verrai à Paris ou au nord de la France. Je viens pas encore à croire qu'on est sur la Mediterranée </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxvXCV6LR6jFjo4rmXDEHWl-d12OiLAjdheWV07LSTnma6Nc4gCejuu71PWFd9qDdcgo-F5Z7LYxWJe3r32qDkng3v8B-TmolZIFaGi4Tcsmfn2F5XadBgLZVLuO_0IcgJb1R41fjp2EI/s1600/DSCN0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxvXCV6LR6jFjo4rmXDEHWl-d12OiLAjdheWV07LSTnma6Nc4gCejuu71PWFd9qDdcgo-F5Z7LYxWJe3r32qDkng3v8B-TmolZIFaGi4Tcsmfn2F5XadBgLZVLuO_0IcgJb1R41fjp2EI/s320/DSCN0073.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voilà Italie: Ventimiglia</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Les rues piétons sont tellement incroyables. On ne doit pas se concerner des voitures, il y a des petits cafés, les gens s'arrêtent pour se parler...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2UKiwcLKCsAX-xtqAxAINqy51eCvThl-Ab53Oux9F6raIIBcr6dbisFkGTEneXTSe16vzX-89Nz1_wrx4F_CPsUD5tnYVE-SIGDwTxURUdFZmIj3yZRU1AyIi_6kwwh8DoNQFWVrDWFq/s1600/DSCN0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2UKiwcLKCsAX-xtqAxAINqy51eCvThl-Ab53Oux9F6raIIBcr6dbisFkGTEneXTSe16vzX-89Nz1_wrx4F_CPsUD5tnYVE-SIGDwTxURUdFZmIj3yZRU1AyIi_6kwwh8DoNQFWVrDWFq/s320/DSCN0076.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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Ce sont des lieux comme ça qui me font souvenir comment petite soit la ville. J'était au Carrefour, où quelqu'un avait laissé son chien à l'entrée du magasin... dès qu'il est parti (avec son chien) ils ont tous commencé à en parler... "Mon dieu, c'est la deuxième fois qu'il est venu avec ce chien..." ou "Et bien il disait qu'il ne serait qu'un instant, mais nooonnn, il s'est promené..."<br />
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C'est ça qui se passe dans une ville petite peuplée par des vieux... des vieux qui portent toujours leurs manteaux de fourrures. Il fait pas même froid !<br />
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Alors, ça c'est tout pour l'instant... à venir: Rome!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-20868972533880290792012-01-24T13:22:00.000-08:002012-01-24T13:22:16.343-08:00Pour les Filles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I didn't bring shampoo or makeup remover with me, partly because my bags were overweight and partly because I've heard French toiletries are amazing. So here is what I picked up at the pharmacie:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqXvWDaHFlZnX7RrcglozXqA_5Ebu_r4ZnAb7uXR2-V2jys-D5ljr8BAdTvueya-d7ZaNJEt0QhL25nDzetBGgN21MJ2OaZqujWIbNgr4Ew2CzQMjMFCTlsOgstTFtPJW3qR9-g-8hLO1/s1600/DSCN0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqXvWDaHFlZnX7RrcglozXqA_5Ebu_r4ZnAb7uXR2-V2jys-D5ljr8BAdTvueya-d7ZaNJEt0QhL25nDzetBGgN21MJ2OaZqujWIbNgr4Ew2CzQMjMFCTlsOgstTFtPJW3qR9-g-8hLO1/s320/DSCN0062.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
The makeup remover (left) is so-so, but I really like the chamomile & the citric acid in the shampoo.<br />
<br />
Shampoo in French is just such a great word. <i>Shampooing</i>. It's up there with <i>pamplemousse </i>and <i>fauteuil</i>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034476377905012525.post-44790214987914349332012-01-24T08:57:00.000-08:002012-01-26T16:37:00.297-08:00Bienvenue à Menton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7P-4LIwlKpo1hpSngMIRVbp7v5C1Wl6maza-mUI8LCpn-JF7YnKdV2vAaP8-RT0z4hjYZKycn7h4noSvoTgXVLLbw7ogG04xqcIevW04bCxQm-xWCR6fNmxVUYk2eBifsQK03tE6xn0G/s1600/DSCN0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7P-4LIwlKpo1hpSngMIRVbp7v5C1Wl6maza-mUI8LCpn-JF7YnKdV2vAaP8-RT0z4hjYZKycn7h4noSvoTgXVLLbw7ogG04xqcIevW04bCxQm-xWCR6fNmxVUYk2eBifsQK03tE6xn0G/s320/DSCN0019.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from my window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I didn't get to do much this weekend because I was holed up <strike>studying</strike> procrastinating on exams. That said, here are just a few thoughts and photos from the past couple days.<br />
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Planes. I had forgotten how dehydrating they are. And turbulent. I ended up rushing to the airport 3 hours early, barely packed, because my original flight was cancelled (I have a feeling it wasn't full enough to make it worth the trip for them).<br />
I also managed to fall asleep the second I sat down, anywhere. I don't remember takeoff from Philly. I don't remember takeoff the next morning on my LHR - NCE leg of the trip. I don't remember most of the bus ride from Nice to Menton. I remember being in Monaco, and the next thing I know it's the end of the road and Menton, when I thought we were still in the principality.<br />
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Before I even got to France, I had an interesting experience. I set off the metal detector in Heathrow with just a necklace, even though the same one hadn't set off the Philly metal detector. Anyway, I got patted down. It was the most invasive pat-down I've ever experienced. I definitely would have freaked out had it not be a woman doing it. She felt under the top of my waistband... that must be even more awkward for her; she practically apologized as she did it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYCr_T3fc1Svp5QnbeI1P5M3cEuZ7n3_khsb1viU800fijH-54zK_r-Rw8uj9So9UvGvZXrT02RuEJBVBNET4bSjwQoq6gV1KeP-bp-fG_XCv5byMyhIv8f-ac3iPLBCDcVmbGOyrnyz4/s1600/DSCN0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYCr_T3fc1Svp5QnbeI1P5M3cEuZ7n3_khsb1viU800fijH-54zK_r-Rw8uj9So9UvGvZXrT02RuEJBVBNET4bSjwQoq6gV1KeP-bp-fG_XCv5byMyhIv8f-ac3iPLBCDcVmbGOyrnyz4/s320/DSCN0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Sciences-Po St. Julien building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When I arrived in Menton I was glad I had taken the earlier flight, because it meant I made my trek to the Sciences Po building in the daytime. Most of the streets we take are pedestrian, rues piétons, and having to do all that on foot, with bags, in the dark would have been no fun.<br />
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Just to go quickly through the next few days... met my référent, Alexis. He took me for coffee and we chatted about Menton, and the courses, and basically what to expect. Didn't get anything useful done like buying a telephone, or setting up a bank account, of course.<br />
Met a ton of the students--échange et non--at Casa Italia, the nickname for the Italian kids' apartment. Staying in my room studying over the weekend, and taking my finals and my Arabic placement test.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYvGd82G8LSxWxPIF8AXq5XlznEr8UkYf2DgtZHtcglPIkDPKFa8sUifDeeQPPlVeRfEt1PdwHzTOe7-5BrxPzlLrCK8ILOuxzRFwhK7hsX3LxVMWyUySWSnTB_PN13uxERsmEeFYQbXg/s1600/DSCN0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYvGd82G8LSxWxPIF8AXq5XlznEr8UkYf2DgtZHtcglPIkDPKFa8sUifDeeQPPlVeRfEt1PdwHzTOe7-5BrxPzlLrCK8ILOuxzRFwhK7hsX3LxVMWyUySWSnTB_PN13uxERsmEeFYQbXg/s320/DSCN0026.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Finally finished all that today (yesterday by now), and finally got to breathe and see the town with relaxed eyes. Tout d'un coup I saw things I hadn't noticed, little nooks and crannies. It was dark by the time I started walking around, so these pictures don't quite capture everything. But they're a start.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTFhXmnmZEQhrUgb0mvWawt3MA09KR3jHGKdjwPCoGEFY1cqGt7nWiD_c13MuuxqMtuURy94bzzBcxD5KmdaAMTQ5L05JJkw6H6L9P-qS6e0OhuzkHedP1riEqF2x13pQtXofGtW8NSM4/s1600/DSCN0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTFhXmnmZEQhrUgb0mvWawt3MA09KR3jHGKdjwPCoGEFY1cqGt7nWiD_c13MuuxqMtuURy94bzzBcxD5KmdaAMTQ5L05JJkw6H6L9P-qS6e0OhuzkHedP1riEqF2x13pQtXofGtW8NSM4/s320/DSCN0036.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got coffee here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Z_DyoAD3vJwf9W0ocSKr17oyXIzCly0nIA2VexrnPia3zaYSTFNr8xYWgOMJTrpfXuwFl3SaIdR1IreMbUBaaHTT7ivV3Xu-KjMlvv_xFNW65VOH1RGAKci_J-4TDGHE8J9NdKb0Tfpr/s1600/DSCN0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Z_DyoAD3vJwf9W0ocSKr17oyXIzCly0nIA2VexrnPia3zaYSTFNr8xYWgOMJTrpfXuwFl3SaIdR1IreMbUBaaHTT7ivV3Xu-KjMlvv_xFNW65VOH1RGAKci_J-4TDGHE8J9NdKb0Tfpr/s320/DSCN0048.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just another square...</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYvGd82G8LSxWxPIF8AXq5XlznEr8UkYf2DgtZHtcglPIkDPKFa8sUifDeeQPPlVeRfEt1PdwHzTOe7-5BrxPzlLrCK8ILOuxzRFwhK7hsX3LxVMWyUySWSnTB_PN13uxERsmEeFYQbXg/s1600/DSCN0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></a><br />
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