Loooong time since I've updated. Apologising. Ok, so I flew from NY to London via Zurich, and spent the whole way in awe of the Swiss air hostesses who not only spoke English, French and German, but remembered after pretty much one short conversation that i spoke English and my neighbour spoke French. Landed in London, fell asleep (well after getting to Brad's by AWESOME tube (damn I'm going to need to come up with more adjectives)). I didn't really see all that much of London, or at least the touristy side - it seemed weird to be a tourist in a country so similar to my own. I did see Westminster Abbey though, and Parliament House, and i walked up the South Bank which is pretty much the British, non Opera House version of Circular Quay. I love British buskers, though - it seems every country has their speciality, and while the United States was dancers (break and tap, to be precise), I discovered when the ancient Circular Quay art of painting yourself funny colours and standing perfectly still for money came from - the British.
I saw a lot of British parks (I have to say in this respect they own the Americans and even the French and put our measly Hyde Park to shame with their real one). What you have to understand about the British is they love their sun. People think Aussies love their sun - its not true. We are so inondated with sun, that we take it for granted. We enjoy doing things in the sun.
The British LOVE the sun. Because it happens so rarely. So Hyde Park and Regents Park and the other one attached to Hyde Park i've forgotten the name of (Kensington Gardens?) are absolutely packed to the brim when its sunny. I spent a lot of time in Regents Park, which is so beautiful, and very well balanced between flowers, lakes, and fottball fields. If only Australia was so balanced...
I saw Spring Awakening. If and when it comes to your nearest capital city, (i.e. Sydney for most of you) GO SEE IT. About teenagers but not for children. Very beautiful, and very painful.
Anyway, one thing i obsessed about when i was in both London and Paris was the Metro/Tube. (On another random note, there is a lot less tunnel involved in the Eurostar trip than I thought. Very beautiful, and soooo much more comfortable than a plane trip. You can bring your favourite sharp objects too.) These cities have spent a long time perfecting the single best way to get around a city (a well designed city. I have plans for Sydney though...they involve major cosmetic reconstruction), and they citizens reap the benefits every day. It is literally useless to own a car if you live in centralish Paris or London (especially Paris; when there is the awesome Velib bike system - www.velib.fr, although I think its in French). The roads are much more intimate than in cities designed for cars - although you probably have the same chance of getting run over in San Francisco and paris, it FEELS like you won't in Paris).
I arrived in Paris on a Monday, staying a week at the hippyish Woodstock Hostel. Very cool cat there, and cool people. I met a couple of South Americans with whom I have a long conversation in Portuguese, with only occasional detours into French or English (note; i don't speak Portuguese, although I would love to) I was in the trendy area of Montmartre; which is famous for the Moulin Rouge and the Sacre Coeur church, although i didn't see either while i was there because I'd seen them before.
I did see a few museums; the Louvre was one, although i found it as intimidating as I did the last time, and I think I had more fun painting the building while it was closed than going inside on the day it was open (who knew the French celebrate the 1st of May with flowers and closing everything?) I also saw the Kandinsky exhibition at the Centre Pompidou, which was awesome, it was like walking through the guy's life and it was a very colourful life (in a literal sense too - have you seen his paintings?) I bought watercolours after that too, so you may be seeing some interesting pictures when i come back. Again on the photo front, my memory card reader hates all of mankind, so I haven't been able to put up any photos. if and when i can, there'll be a deluge...
Anyway, i still haven't gotten up t present day at La Barraque, but I will post again in the next few days with other things i did in Paris, the wonders of the TGV (Train Grande Vitesse or high speed train, in case you were wondering) and wonderful farmlike things like milking cows, slug attacks and a very cute cat with no sense of balance...
See you all later!!!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
New York
First thing I'll say is - I can't put any photos up because my card reader doesn't work with Aunt Kristin's computer (don't stress Dad, it'll work with other computers).
I apologise for not posting for a while - I've been busy and distracted and I will post more often when I get to Europe. Since I've been here I've been in to NYC three times, doing lots of touristy stuff and getting a free tourguide in the mix in the form of Grandpa Ethan. Week before last we went in to the Guggenheim Museum. The architecture of the place is awesome - its a work of art in itself. They had some really awesome exhibitions about the influence of Asian culture and spirituality on American artists last century. Ok, so sounds weird, but its all the people I've been studying for the past two years dumped into one big artistic melting pot where they all know each other. Makes me wonder whether in 50 years someone will recognise all the cool people I know as influential to the development of the cultural metanarrative. Or something.
I also met up with Krissie, cousin-in-law and gorgeous second-cousins in Central Park. Its amazing to see how much Olivia has grown, and it was the first time I'd ever seen 10 month old Isabelle. Central Park is such a cool place to be a toddler, I envy them, and I will be posting photos as soon as I can.
But its late, and I'm tired, so I will post again soon.
I apologise for not posting for a while - I've been busy and distracted and I will post more often when I get to Europe. Since I've been here I've been in to NYC three times, doing lots of touristy stuff and getting a free tourguide in the mix in the form of Grandpa Ethan. Week before last we went in to the Guggenheim Museum. The architecture of the place is awesome - its a work of art in itself. They had some really awesome exhibitions about the influence of Asian culture and spirituality on American artists last century. Ok, so sounds weird, but its all the people I've been studying for the past two years dumped into one big artistic melting pot where they all know each other. Makes me wonder whether in 50 years someone will recognise all the cool people I know as influential to the development of the cultural metanarrative. Or something.
I also met up with Krissie, cousin-in-law and gorgeous second-cousins in Central Park. Its amazing to see how much Olivia has grown, and it was the first time I'd ever seen 10 month old Isabelle. Central Park is such a cool place to be a toddler, I envy them, and I will be posting photos as soon as I can.
But its late, and I'm tired, so I will post again soon.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
In NY
I'm at Aunt Kristin's house in Wappingers Falls, New York, and it is sunny for the first time in three days or so. I landed at John F Kennedy airport on Thursday, 2nd April at around 5pm, having left Australia at 11:15am the same day. Its slightly cruel that although I'd been traveling for around 20 hours straight the clock told me it'd only been 6 or so, and I'd actually left Los Angeles airport at 9:30am 2nd April i.e. before I'd left Sydney.
Let me inform the few of you who have never been on an international flight about a few things. Those of you that have been on an international flight can understand and will be found by their less-widely-traveled partners/friends/colleagues nodding in empathy at this post and unconsciously massaging their knees and necks for no apparent reason.
The reason is this. Qantas (or whichever major airline you choose to fly with) spends a lot of money on these pesky planes and they have this annoying need for many many litres of fuel in order to go anywhere. Because of this, Qantas feels the need to cram more passengers than is humanly possible onto the plane. I had the misfortune of not requesting an aisle seat (which, after the age of four, is immensely more desirable than the window seat, which every duped five-year old knows is only a ploy by mummy or daddy to secure the most legroom) and so was stuck between, admittedly, a very nice Canadian grandmother and a sociable baby boomer couple.
However what I was so kindly given by Qantas amounted to about one cubic metre worth of space, and even that was severely impinged on by the guy in front of me who spent the whole flight with his seat pushed back and his back not touching the seat. Anyone who knows me knows I am about 5'10 or 176 cms and thus this wasn't a fun 13 hour flight. Therefore when lovely canadian grandma and baby boomer couple got off at Los Angeles I spread out on their seats and slept for the whole 6 hour flight.
Regardless, I arrived at JFK alive, and was greeted by a very welcoming entourage consisting of Grandma Helen, Grandpa Ethan, Aunt Kristin and my cousins Daniel and Susanna, who are now gangly teenagers. I visited Brad and Ruth Bean last night, and talked for hours and hours, and saw some photos of Mom and Kristin when they were little (Mom looked so much like me). Uncle John and Daniel and Susanna left this morning for Virginia beach to visit relatives and Kristin and I are at home, and about to go for a walk with the darling Lilo (who I have accidently threatened to kill twice so far,once by forcefeeding her chocolate and once by stepping on her - I swear I love her really).
Anyway, once I pull out my camera I will be posting photos soon - I'm slightly too lazy at the moment. If you live in Australia, I envy the warmth you are experiencing (it was raining when I left - still warmer than NY). Many many hugs for everyone, I miss Australia already!
Let me inform the few of you who have never been on an international flight about a few things. Those of you that have been on an international flight can understand and will be found by their less-widely-traveled partners/friends/colleagues nodding in empathy at this post and unconsciously massaging their knees and necks for no apparent reason.
The reason is this. Qantas (or whichever major airline you choose to fly with) spends a lot of money on these pesky planes and they have this annoying need for many many litres of fuel in order to go anywhere. Because of this, Qantas feels the need to cram more passengers than is humanly possible onto the plane. I had the misfortune of not requesting an aisle seat (which, after the age of four, is immensely more desirable than the window seat, which every duped five-year old knows is only a ploy by mummy or daddy to secure the most legroom) and so was stuck between, admittedly, a very nice Canadian grandmother and a sociable baby boomer couple.
However what I was so kindly given by Qantas amounted to about one cubic metre worth of space, and even that was severely impinged on by the guy in front of me who spent the whole flight with his seat pushed back and his back not touching the seat. Anyone who knows me knows I am about 5'10 or 176 cms and thus this wasn't a fun 13 hour flight. Therefore when lovely canadian grandma and baby boomer couple got off at Los Angeles I spread out on their seats and slept for the whole 6 hour flight.
Regardless, I arrived at JFK alive, and was greeted by a very welcoming entourage consisting of Grandma Helen, Grandpa Ethan, Aunt Kristin and my cousins Daniel and Susanna, who are now gangly teenagers. I visited Brad and Ruth Bean last night, and talked for hours and hours, and saw some photos of Mom and Kristin when they were little (Mom looked so much like me). Uncle John and Daniel and Susanna left this morning for Virginia beach to visit relatives and Kristin and I are at home, and about to go for a walk with the darling Lilo (who I have accidently threatened to kill twice so far,once by forcefeeding her chocolate and once by stepping on her - I swear I love her really).
Anyway, once I pull out my camera I will be posting photos soon - I'm slightly too lazy at the moment. If you live in Australia, I envy the warmth you are experiencing (it was raining when I left - still warmer than NY). Many many hugs for everyone, I miss Australia already!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Just checking this thing works...
Self explanatory really. I'm all packed, ready to go, and sitting anxiously waiting for it to be Thursday already.
For the uninitiated few, the itinerary is long and unwieldy, but it goes something like this...
2-21 April - New York, staying with Aunt Kristin
21-24 April - London, staying with Brad
24 April - 30 May - Paris, then somewhere around Lyon, doing a farmstay with WWOOF - Willing Workers On Organic Farms - http://www.wwoof.fr/ - have fun with the translated French on that site, its very amusing.
30 May - 30 July - Various cities - Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Zurich. Planning to stop over at the World Bodypainting Festival in Seeboden, Austria - http://www.bodypainting-festival.com/ is awesome and inspiring and I've already made quite a few people jealous by mentioning that I'm going there.
30 July- 17 August - Thailand, going to Bangkok and Chang Mai.
17 August - 20 September - India, volunteering with the Indian Network for Development Exchange in Himachal, working as a teacher's aide in a school - http://www.idex.in
My email address is jess.miller@live.com, and if you want to add me on Facebook, my email for that is not_a_brand_name@hotmail.com.
Also I have just made a Flickr account (although it confuses the helicopter out of me) and my yahooID is m3taf10w3r@yahoo.com.au (the 0 is a zero, in case its unclear), which is I think how you'd find me given the number of Jessica Millers out there.
I made a google map of where I'll be going and you can subscribe to RSS feeds for it if you love me that much and you know what RSS is. This is the URL, because it won't come up on a google search -
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=41.211722,-74.443359&spn=16.054079,39.550781&z=5&msid=112065855629211629873.0004667e07d6fd439924d
I think I've pretty much covered all the technological bases, although never fear, everything will be posted in links on this blog regularly and I will be on Facebook sometimes for all you young'uns that use Facebook.
And now its Thursday.
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