"Not all who wander are lost"

     Happy Holidays!!! Hardy and I are back from Paris and right now I am kinda pumped while writing this because this time around I get to type on a real keyboard since Hardy brought my computer here.  No more tiny iPad touch screen. Today we slept in past noon because the past week has been filled with so much walking and fun, 12 hours of sleep felt like barely enough to help us recover. Currently in Travers, there are about five inches of snow on the ground and it's pretty beautiful to look at from inside my warm hobbit hole. With the lazy day inside, it's the perfect opportunity to write about our time in the city of lights.

Day 1: "My feet hurt"    

      The trip started off with some adrenaline right off the bat.  Up at five AM, we got ready and I was able to cook up some breakfast burritos to fuel the long day ahead.  Hardy had still yet to pack which already was giving me bouts of anxiety because my bag was ready to go much earlier the day before. Anyways, we clean up and he tells me we have two minutes so I think perfect! That gives me just enough time for a little makeup since I never put on much to take more than that.  Well by the time I had my coat on, ready to go and locking the door, we had four minutes till our train from Travers at 6:19 would leave for Neuchatel.  Now it wasn't imperative to leave on this one because the next one at 6:49 would get us to Geneva in time, but only with 10 minutes to find our train to Paris.  Some other important info for this story is that when walking from my home to the train station, it takes a total of 10 minutes, seven if I'm power walking. You can see that hearing Hardy say we had 4 minutes to get to the station meant Gabbi had to run with her very full backpack, other mini bag with wallet and other necessities, the tin of chocolate peanut butter balls her dear Aunt Kim sent her WHILE IN HER NEW 3 INCH HEEL BOOTS. What the @!*$ was I thinking? We hauled ass down the hill, (thank god there was no snow or we would definitely would have taken the later one and hoped the transfer wouldn't be complicated) and somehow someway caught the train just in time. As we walked down the train and I was hyperventilating, I frantically looked to see if my Aunt Noelle and Isaiah had made the train as well. They were staying in Couvet with my coach and had to catch the same train one stop before us. Well due to the morning we were already having, of course she was not on the train and I thought how poetic it was that I just ran down a really steep hill in heels to realize they hadn't even made the early train with us. Gabbi then proceeded to fume on the way to Neuchatel while Hardy in typical fashion sat quietly and calmly because otherwise it would only fuel my anxiety/rage further.  Opposites attract has never been more true in this situation. 

       We arrived with just enough time to buy some croissants for Hardy (he has almost two every day) before the ride to Geneva and my emotions had enough time to calm into the mantra of "whatever happens happens".  Hour and a half later, we make it to Geneva with plenty of time to find where our next platform is.  Looking for the bathroom Hardy exclaims "there she is!" and sure enough there's Noodle (her name within the family, I used to be "little Noodle") walking towards us. First thing that comes out of her mouth, "Did you guys JUST get here?" She happened to take the train at 5:40 before us and had already been waiting for us ergo why she wasn't on our same train to Neuchatel. With that I was officially back to normal and as usual, felt silly for over reacting which isn't anything new for me. Fast forward and we make it on the TGV train to Gare de Lyon without fret. Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV), or high-velocity trains for english speakers, run almost 300 KM/H which is about 186 mph, much faster than my little dinky train in Val-de-Travers. We are crammed into a compartment with two sets of four seats accompanied by some strangers right next to two doors that separate the main train car from the vestibule where you can answer phone calls and find the restroom.  This meant throughout the whole ride there, we were bombarded with constant doors opening and closing, sometimes with no people going through because our feet would somehow trigger the sensor.  Some sort of sick karma was with me as well for after I took off my new boots because wearing shoes at this point was not an option, the guy who sat facing Hardy and I spilled extremely hot coffee on my foot.  Wasn't sure how to feel because I now had a scalding toes and coffee stained socks but my new shoes were unscathed. I swear these damn shoes have some sort of hocus pocus attached to them. Four hours and we finally made it to the last train of the day but there were plenty more adventures to behold for the afternoon.

    Gare de Lyon seemed to be a giant warehouse that instead of holding boxes had many train tracks with thousands of people scurrying from track to track.  We made our way underground to find the metro and found our first experience of the Paris metro came with a very pungent smell of pee which I'm sure is much worse in the warm summer months.  We found a ticket machine and decided to purchase a ticket that gave unlimited access on all public transit for five days.  What was the frustrating part was the stupid machine just happened to not work for the stupid Americans, so with many failed attempts and a rather large line building behind us we abandoned our cause in search of real person who might be able to aid the transaction. With another period of waiting we finally were able to make contact. Because I only have so much French and the morning had taxed all of my patience, I asked "Parlez-vous l'anglais?" To my dismay she could only say a little, so with my broken French and her limited English I somehow managed to order the right tickets and we were one step closer to being done with all this madness. But not before both Noodle and Hardy got stuck in the metro gates and a woman had to tell me "Ticket! Ticket!" and I placed mine in and pushed us through, officially announcing to anyone watching that we were a bunch of tourists. With a connection to Gare de Nord then Colonel Fabien, we ended up northeast of the heart of Paris only to face our next obstacle, finding our rented apartment.  

        We were already an hour and a half later then expected so the people we rented from had contacted us, worrying whether we had made it or not.  We found the street not problem, but had forgotten to write the address down and with no internet had no way of contacting them or looking up the information. (Sidenote: drivers and pedestrians here DGAF or in other words, every man for himself.  Jaywalking, no lines separating lanes and people backing up on one way streets with heavy traffic seem to be the norm here.) Noodle found the info after some investigation while we all huddled in the cold together.  Building 22 on the fifth floor. Just so happens that on this street, there is a building marked 22 TWICE. One door leads to the correct flight of stairs while one does not.  I think you can guess which one we found first. Not realizing the real one was about a 100 feet down the way, we lugged all our luggage up the first flight of stairs, knocked on some doors with no answers and conceded we had not found the right spot. The next door over we tried again, but this time I went up myself with no bags to hopefully find our renters and sure enough the search was over! The apartment was small but cute, and had just enough space for the four of us which was a welcome sight after everything that went down. The trials of our day meant we arrived with not much daylight so we headed to a cafe nearby on the next metro stop over before making one stop to see the one thing I was most excited to see, the Eiffel tower! 

       Our dinner was accompanied by rather large beers because we deserved them and it's vacation and do you really need an excuse to drink a beer? (save for Isaiah of course) Noodle had been here previously and said she ate the best omelette ever so we were hoping for some good food to go with our beverages. Unfortunately, my first experience with french food was not great and my steak was pretty bloody and average to say the least. What was fun was Isaiah decided he wanted to try escargot so we tried a truly french dish and I was quite surprised the texture didn't completely make me want to puke.  They pretty much tasted like whatever you cook them in which in this case was lots of butter and garlic.  I'd say less chewy than clams which I appreciated immensely.

        After dinner, we took the metro to where are all the magic is.  The walk from the station to the tower is filled with tons of people, crazy drivers, and men coming up to you yelling "5 for 1 euro!" with their numerous Eiffel merchandise.  Along the way, there were also mini souvenir and crepe/waffle stands which tempted me already because I am a sucker for useless trinkets.  What kept me moving was the fact during the whole walk there, I could see the incredible view of the famous Paris landmark every step of the way, beckoning us closer and closer. Upon arrival, I was completely transfixed on the sight. I have waited almost all my life for this moment and it was finally here.  As some of you have seen, I took many many pictures from as many angles as I could find.  One just cannot do it justice.  As we walked closer to see it underneath, we came upon a sort of giant inflatable bubble, snow globe perhaps, filled with Christmas trees.  Holidays are in full swing and the tourism attraction factor is everywhere. After I was finally able to pull myself to look away, we wandered through one of many Christmas markets that was next to a rather shabby but cute ice rink where many kids were attempting to skate on. The shops included souvenirs, chocolates, artisans products and more! After the long day, Isaiah was not totally on board to come along, but the idea of ice skating for the first time ever brightened his spirits right up. What was even cooler was every hour, the Eiffel tower has thousands of lights that flicker on and off and I was even more in awe than before. Not the best ice for a first timer but I was able to get him to try a few laps and we soon were back to exploring the area.  

     Our frozen fingers and not so full tummies led us to some delicious street food and hot cocoa before deciding it was time to head home for the night.  On our way back towards the metro though, we made a quick stop to a pond next to the tower that supposedly is home to a giant koi fish Noodle had seen her last visit.  Unfortunately it was too dark to see in the water, but we did happen to see some ducklings on the shore next to it...or so we thought.  As we got closer Noodle stops dead in her tracks and asks, "Wait, are those rats?!" Sure enough we had found Rataouille and his brother chilling by the water and Noodle was moving very quickly in the other direction. I probably could have stayed out all night had my feet not been so incredibly furious with me due to my choice of footwear, but a girl has to look fabulous in Paris.

      It is still surprising how many people here speak English.  At most of the shops and places to eat, the staff there are either fluent or speak enough to easily communicate with customers almost to a point I wonder if it is a requirement. Especially if you work somewhere with heavy tourist traffic. Only one person so far we had trouble communicating with was the woman at the metro ticket office but she was soon replaced after us with a guy who I heard speaking English quite easily with the next customer. (Just our luck I suppose)

Day 2 Christmas Eve:

     Due to a long day of traveling and no sleep the night before, we slept in a bit before an American petit-dejuner and we were off! Hardy had researched a park near where we were staying so we made our way on Christmas Eve with just enough clouds to keep the sun away.  As I was enjoying the scenery, Hardy was just a few paces ahead of me when I stopped immediately.  Here's what I saw, see if you can spot the culprit.

If you happened to see the giant spider thing in the bottom right corner then you have found what nearly gave me a heart attack. Upon closer inspection, it was only graffiti which only slightly eased my discomfort.  With some fear induced energy, we made it to our first destination, Park des Buttes-Chaumont.  Here you can tell this place is more suited for locals getting their daily exercise by running, walking, or what can only be described as a much slower version of Zumba for some cute old ladies. From the ridge, there is an expansive view where you can see a large building in the distance which I think is the Palais Royal but I could just be making that up. On a clearer day, the Eiffel Tower can be seen but alas it was very PNW weather so we left to see what else we could find. 

     I have yet to really iterate how expensive Switzerland is. Everyone tells me to never buy anything here and go to France to find deals so I was hoping to find some good shopping in Paris. Hardy proceeded to find an area called the "Warehouse district" which sounded promising for me to blow some cash. Unfortunately this turned out to be just a bunch of shops selling really cheap jewelry that would break if the wind blew on them.  The real gem that we found was the statue just outside of the metro stop that depicted the French Revolution.

just Aslan and I kicking it leo style

 One of my favorite things about traveling is learning the history of the area.  My first trip to Europe (dawgs abroad) came with the knowledge and expertise of a UW professor who was the leading expert in all things Rome.  I was enthralled with all the stories and facts he was able to provide us during our trip and I would have loved to be granted the same experience with many of the monuments and parks we found in Paris. What also made this area special was the a little bakery Hardy stopped at to get a croissant and espresso from.  Croissants are one of his favorite things to eat and he's been trying to perfect his own methods of making them.  We happened to find the best one we both had ever eaten and I regret that we didn't buy a dozen of them because they were flaky little puffs of heaven.

     Down the road there was another little park (Square du Temple) with a gorgeous pond and families again playing together.  We saw a dad and son playing ping pong together and this would be a theme I would see throughout the trip.  I saw many dads and kids walking together and enjoying their time with each other. It may be just me being more observant since I'm a tourist but I feel I don't see dad/child pairs having outings as often as I witnessed here which was kind of interesting to think about.  It was fun to explore this non-touristy area and for a long while we explored the back streets, shops, and stumbled upon this history museum with a big beautiful courtyard.  They really love their courtyards in France. So many places to just stroll and enjoy your surroundings. 

Here's another one in Place des Vosges. 

I know this place must be beautiful in the other seasons when the trees are full

King Louis XVII

     

   Our next thing to visit would be next to the famous Notre Dame because we wanted to visit shops we thought would be closed on Christmas Day. The walk over was pleasant even though my feet were still cross from the previous day's shenanigans. We found the Seine river and decided to take a selfie of course when a woman came up and asked if we wanted her to take our picture.  We politely declined but immediately after Hardy looked at me with a grin and I knew we were thinking the exact same thing.  We figured we could outrun her if she tried to jack our camera but we weren't in the mood for a high speed chase. In no time we could see one of Paris' many famous landmarks in the distance and the pictures started to accumulate immensely. Before we made it closer though we came upon a lone souvenir stand near a bridge selling locks and keys.  I of course became really excited because that bridge happened to be one of a few that are now the famous love lock bridges you see pictures about. 5 euros well spent if I do say so myself.

The blue and white one that has the Cubs emblem on it. Go  Cubbies! (yes I know they suck, but so do the Bears. No band-wagoners in the Parker fam)

    Because I have so much more to talk about, here are bunch of pictures we took which really do all the talking.

such a good sport

obviously the Hunch Back wore jeans and had a tail

classic jumping pic with the Xmas tree donated from the Russian Government. Mother Russia!

It took 700 years from start to finish to build this place. 1163-1860, some serious dedication. 

    With some sightseeing and corny tourist pictures, it was time to visit a famous bookstore called Shakespeare and Company. An all English book shop that saw familiar faces such as Earnest Hemingway and other famous writers for many years.  There are two separate shops, one for serious book collectors looking for first editions and the other a sort of library with wall to wall books with just enough space to walk through and browse cozily next to other people. We both decided this meant we had to buy a book from here because why the hell not? Unfortunately no pictures were allowed inside the shop but if you're ever in Paris I recommended a visit here. It has a lot of character and every type of book you can imagine. The upstairs includes a reading area with a fat white cat that adorns the bookmarks they give out with your purchase. In true fashion of our personalities, I bought the 200th anniversary edition of Fairytales from the Brothers Grimm while Hardy bought a book from some guy who won a Nobel Prize and is about how to make decisions, Thinking Fast and Slow. We're nothing if not predictable.

    A quick chat with the French speaking Londoner who helped us with our new treasures led us to a little French bistro we were hoping would give us the taste of French cuisine everyone gushes so much about. Though it was better than our first experience, we still didn't have the wow factor we were looking for. Hardy has officially ruined me when it comes to eating food because I used to eat just about anything and think "yea this tastes good so it's good enough." Nope not anymore,  I am now a full fledged food snob who has to analyze everything I eat.  The staff who worked their though were very nice and spoke English which debunked the other stereotype that all French people hate English speaking Americans. 

    The rest of the evening was spent sloshing through drizzly rain, and a quick stop to the Louvre trying to find Noodle but to no avail.  I was really excited to see this at night because my favorite part of the movie "The DaVinci Code" is when Tom Hanks kneels next to the pyramid at night.  Not quite the same thing with all the tourists taking the signature picture where you place your hand just where it looks like you are holding it up from away but still pretty cool all the same. 

      When we decided we weren't going to meet up with the fam, we ended up at a cafe looking for wifi to try and contact Jo and Taylor who happened to be in Paris as well.  We were able to connect and planned to meet under the Eiffel Tower where they happened to be staying very near to.  Now, I have realized with my time overseas and having other friends doing the same that I don't realize how much I miss someone till I see them again.  Last year, I saw Kelcey Dunaway randomly at the Zoo Lights at Point Defiance and was so overcome with surprise and excitement I started crying because I realized then and there how much I missed her.  She had been in Switzerland for the past five months as I just had finished my senior year at UW and had too many emotions to really have any self control.  So when I saw JO finally after four long months I couldn't let go. It's amazing how close the bond between teammates is, and I think they are particularly strong within the UW program because I truly love all of those girls with all my heart. I don't think we let go of each other for a minute which is a big thing because even though I'm a hugger, Jenna really uses her supply only for special occasions. Hardy got to see his best friend and it really couldn't get any better than that. The next two hours were spent catching up (Hardy and Taylor solely talking volleyball big surprise) and being way too loud at a little cafe with not so great food again until it was time to go home. At this point we had walked up to 6 miles (9 kilometers). Hardy and I began our trek back to the metro but not before a perfect ending to our long day. The clock striking midnight, the Eiffel Tower sparkling magnificently, and the loud cheers from everyone around because it was officially Christmas!!! Is this real life?

Day 3: Joyeux Noel!!

     Setting an alarm was futile because we were so exhausted still so after hitting the snooze button numerous times, it was finally time to see what Pere Noel delivered to us. Noodle brought stockings for everyone and in the morning we had more chocolate from a stand that I had managed not to buy anything from the first night there, cute Espana trinkets, sangria and my very own Christmas ornament to commemorate my time in Paris.  With different things to see, we all separated ways again.  Hardy and I first visited Sacre Coeur which is a church that sits on top of a hill with an incredible view of paris. To the right you can see Tour Eiffel and a large part of the city.  Due to our status of old bones and tired muscles, we veered towards the gondola ride instead of the massive stairs.

    I guess we shouldn't have been too surprised this place was swarming on Christmas Day so trying to explore inside really only meant we saw everything from the entrance than left because we managed to get there right as mass was ending. The area surrounding the bottom of this landmark is filled with souvenir shops and restaurants catered specifically for tourists and with that we left because there was much more to see in the hours to come.  A common thing we encountered this trip was being very close to finding metro stops but not actually finding them before walking aimlessly until we gave up, found wifi, google mapped our location and eventually finding to the right area. We were hoping to find JO and Taylor again but it's difficult to sync up the right time and place with no means of communication unless you find a Starbucks nearby.  We made our way to the Louvre again and it was really flipping cool to see the night and day difference. What was even better was by the time we got there, the weather was incredible and we had beautiful blue skies so I took a million more pictures. We also had a little too much fun with the statues at the Tuileries Garden. 

This is the entrance to the park that is in between the Louvre and Champ de Elysee. 

"Hardy take a picture!" apparently means to look like you're in pain

 That's better

    Even though you can see it from the ferris wheel, the Arc de Triomphe was a much longer walk than we wanted to endure so we hopped on the metro to find our last must-see landmark.  Upon arriving, we were bombarded with street noise, crowds and questions on how to get under the Arc.  It is surrounded by a giant roundabout that has NO LANES FOR TRAFFIC which is terrifying in itself. We saw some brave souls frogger across the street and decided that was our only option. So the stupid Americans almost got hit by a scooter but we made it relatively unscathed. 

What I didn't know about this place is that it's a memorial to all the soldiers from wars fought by France.  Soldiers are buried directly beneath it's cover, and many names are carved on the inside. Thinking of my French descent I thought I might be able to find DeCroix on the walls because that was my great-grandmother's maiden name and it might be a common within the country. As I scour the walls all of sudden Hardy exclaims, "Hey look it's me!" 

Guess I should have expected this but I was still a tad jealous.  While we were making our rounds, horns started blaring and we heard shouting coming from the cars circling the arc.  A wedding party had presumably just finished their ceremony and were making quite a bit of racket, one particular individual screaming from his car, "yea mother @#%$^!!" Quite entertaining but all I could think was, wedding in Paris means beaucoup bucks.  Once we decided we were done exploring the next challenge was to get back over to the main walking area. We walked to the far side of the arc and low and behold a stairwell to a tunnel appeared! Following the masses, we walked underground coming upon historical pictures of the arc from it's creation to present day and came back to almost the exact spot where we appeared from the metro. I will repeat again, stupid Americans. With a few more hours of daylight, I really wanted ANOTHER picture of the Eiffel tower in a different setting so we made a stop to an area that had an absolutely incredible view of it with the Seine river in front.  What was even cooler was as we approached a viewing area, we saw the same married couple from earlier taking their wedding pictures here. I can only imagine how those turned out. (Unbelievably beautiful is the first thing that pops in my head.) And yes I'm a creeper for wanting them in the picture to indicate how pretty those pictures would be.

    With all the big sights checked off our list, we had time to see Napoleon's Tomb which has another fantastic view I couldn't resist. 

What I could resist was avoiding the whole "look I'm holding the Eiffel Tower picture"

    We made another effort to try another French cafe and came up with Le Wilson. After deciding it looked less busy than other places and had my mother's maiden name in the title we took the plunge. The waitress spoke English but not too happy about it and this so far was the better food we had eaten out but still not great with Hardy getting the wrong thing for one.  Can't say we didn't try!

With night approaching, we grabbed a waffle with Nutella and chantilly (whipped cream) for the road from a street vendor and it was absolutely the best thing we'd eaten all day. Street vendors and bakeries seem to be the only way to go here. The sunset picture was a great way to cap off our evening before heading home for some Christmas fun with Noodle and Isaiah. 

Card games with fun hats, lots of wine, and an italian dinner helped end our immensely fun but long day. When I sat down to think about it, both Hardy and I both agreed that it didn't feel like Christmas day but the days leading up to it.  This was my first one without my family and it really clicked how being family and with all those who you love are what really make the holidays special.  At the beginning of my journey this past August, I was upset because my holiday break wasn't long enough to really warrant an expensive flight back home to see everyone. I am extremely fortunate to say I was in Paris obviously but it is weird to say Christmas has come and gone because I wasn't home.  Moments like this finally make you understand why in all those movies, it is so imperative for the main character to make it home by Christmas day.  Thankfully I had a few of my loved ones which really made this holiday one to remember. 

love these knuckleheads

Day 4 Last day:

    With us over trying to find a place to eat by accident, we did some research of cafes that had good reviews near the shops we planned to visit for our last day. Better safe than sorry was our motto and found "Breakfast in America".  Everyone spoke English, I knew everything on the menu, and to cap it off the food was muy bueno!! Happy Americans left that establishment ready for some adventure.  This day was dedicated to finding souvenirs and buying meat, cheese and macaroons from well known shops we researched about. Of course we could not find any of these things in the beginning and instead came across a French university and the Pantheon.  Fun fact: Voltaire and Madam Curie were buried in the latter and we would have entered but it costs money and we were trying to be cheapo shmeapo when it came to landmarks.  

   Next we, once again, accidentally came across a park and this was one of my favorite parts of the trip concerning things we saw without purposefully looking for them. Jardin du Luxembourg is an expansive area with a, surprise surprise, huge courtyard.  This one was particularly cool because it was surrounded with statues of former queens, female saints and other female royalty from French history. Here also lies a huge fountain in front of what I thought might be a Senate building. Hidden away among the trees to the right of this area was another beautiful but much smaller fountain with more statues and koi fish swimming in the deep end.

 Senate Building

 La Fountaine de Medicis

Kind of cool to think if we hadn't been lost looking for our shops, we may not have found this place. Everything happens for a reason I suppose. With that fun experience, we continued on and were able to find wifi (thanks to Starbucks) and located everything we looked for and spent just about the rest of our budget on delicious croissants, salami, smelly cheese, and the best macaroons that I'm sure exist. They were from an apparently famous shop called Ladurée which I read was the guy who created the first one. They were expensive (24 for 50 euros no thank you) so we bought eight in different flavors to be eaten at a later time.

 The remainder of our day included getting lost again looking for a cooking store and we weren't patient enough to keep searching. All that was left to do was meet Noodle and Isaiah for our last dinner of the trip together. We hit a fondue place near Sacre Coeur that has quite the reputation for a unique eating experience. Basically, Hardy and I had to climb over our table with the help of our host to sit down, we drank wine out of baby bottles, and sat elbow to elbow with each other and strangers. Quite an evening to remember. 

Jus d'orange for the youngin of course. 

Our night ended with a view of the Arc de Triomphe lit up at night, accompanied by rain and a walk through Champs de Elysee and the Christmas market there. 

Day 5: Adventure isn't over yet

     Now if you're tired of reading my play-by-play commentating, I can't help but gush about every detail of this trip because the stories don't stop just because we crossed the French border back to Suisse territory. Noodle and Isaiah were up and gone by three AM with their morning flight back to Madrid so we were off together in the morning without anyone else to confirm we didn't forget anything. Out the door by seven AM, we made it to our train with no stress and had more comfortable accommodations than the ride over.  We also ate the two of the macaroons to see what all the fuss is about.  THEY ARE SO FREAKING DELICIOUS I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE WHOLE STORE.  The flavors taste like the real thing but with a cookie/creamy/fluffy texture. We've eaten them all by now and I want to go back just for those.  

     Now our original plan upon arrival was to explore Geneva because I had yet to see the sights.  Our exhaustion paired with extra baggage of gifts, souvenirs, food and the rain (with snow on the ground) derailed those plans quickly. Instead we decided lunch then a train home was the better option.  Long story short about our meal in a few bullet points

• Cafe de Paris was the name of the place.
• Quick peek online said it was a little more expensive but we were hoping that meant good food.
• Got lost (again)
• Made it...only to find out they have one item on the menu. 
• STEAK
• That means really expensive even for Suisse standards
• Group next to us ordered basically raw steak that was still mooing.
• Food comes out on plate (heavy on the rare side) and set on fondue warmer set. 
• We proceed to cook said steak at the amusement of our neighbors and staff
• DELICIOUS
• 113 franc lunch for two

     Some big differences that were immediately noticeable as we walked briefly through Geneva was how much more we were able to relax there compared to Paris.  Our trip was very fun, but you are on constant alert for fear of pick pockets and all of the noise that comes with a big city. I felt so much better once we made it back home because it was so quiet and I felt like I could breathe freely again. The only downfall was the somewhat cold walk home (yes the very same one I ran downhill on with my new shoes) with our numerous bags and angry feet.

So happy it snowed can't you tell?

As I finally bring this post to a close, it is now two days later since I started because it was a butt-load of information to sift through and I still left out a lot of stories. This week truly has been something I have been dreaming since I can remember. My number one bucket list item has been checked off and I was there on Christmas no less.  I hope you all are having a fantastic holiday and a Happy New Year!! Signing off now while snowed in here at the Shire. There is double the amount of snow on that table from when this was taken.

Sincerely,

A very happy, exhausted and cold American.

More food, less problems

  Hello again! It's been awhile since my last update but I figured I'd wait till something a little more exciting than Netflix binging came my way. It's almost Christmas and the holiday spirit is in full swing here in Switzerland. As you drive from village to village, trees are decorated in various lights and multiple people have little Santas hanging from their windows as if they were trying to climb their way in. Neuchâtel has many alley ways and walking areas filled with lights and decorations galore. Similar to what I always see when driving through Florence during the holidays. Apparently they have skimped on the festivities according to my teammates but I think it still looks quite jolly. My demeanor has changed quite dramatically in the past week because...drum roll please...HARDY'S HERE!! Already a week has gone by before my very eyes. Time moves very differently now I have someone to hang out with during the day and go on adventures with. It's like I've gotten a second wind after the kind of numbness I acquired from being alone for so long. Humans, or me in particular, should not go without social interaction for too long. Really does mess with your psyche. I feel more myself again and am eating very well for my personal chef has been hard at work.

     Regarding volleyball, we have sustained a couple losses since my last post. To two higher level teams but nevertheless it sucked because I hate losing. We are still in position to be in the top 4 of our league which guarantees playoff status and if we win out the remainder of our matches we have a good shot at the championship. But it has been ingrained in me from Jim to not think that far ahead and focus on the present. Sometimes that is difficult when the team culture here is to talk about those things freely but to each their own. Hardy has been fortunate enough to be able and play with the local men's team here so we are in our typical routine of immense free time followed by practice three days a week and one match each weekend. Today is a particularly rainy one so we are not out exploring.

     With my little motivation to do anything before Hardy's arrival I have not done much other than sit at home and wallow about how I have nothing to do. Loneliness is not a good look for me. I have however eaten some really good food and tried more traditional swiss dishes that were really good. After much hype, I finally tried raclette and to my surprise I rather enjoyed it. Basically you heat cheese till it has melted and mix it with potatoes, assorted pickled foods and spices of your choosing.

I think we used gruyere cheese which is very popular here. Kind of like how Americans feel about cheddar or mozerella. 

The cheese is then placed on little skillets that are placed in a sort of electric heater like this. I have seen in pictures you can places meats and such on top to cook and eat with the cheese but we stuck with the basics. After your cheese has melted sufficiently, you scrape it on to your plate and mix it with whatever you like. We had pickled garlic, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and baby corn to choose from as well as some spices. Any number of years ago I would have said hell  no to this sort of dish due to my distaste for the texture of melted cheese by itself. For awhile I completely avoided mozerella sticks and plain cheese pizza because too much melted cheese was no Bueno for me. Also the idea of  anything other than pickles would make me run away but overall I really enjoyed the experience. Of course with every meal we had beaucoup wine and that is always something I can jump on board with. 

 Similar to fondue, this is a fun meal to enjoy with a group and have nice little social gatherings well into the night as we did. The more traditional version to eat raclette is to melt the cheese while it is a whole block of it still then sheared off and mixed accordingly.

     Not only is my boyfriend a great cook, many of my teammates have cooked for me and the results have been delicious. My domestic skills are quite inferior but I am improving. Anywho, Fabi my cute little blonde Swiss German made for me a dish typical in that region called rôsti. Now I had something like this but really just the potato part (similar to hash browns). What she made pretty much blew that out of the water as she added sausage, a sort of onion sauce and boiled apples. It is very common in Swiss German cuisine to mix sweet and savory dishes or so I've been told. Like with hot cheese, sausage has never been a favorite food of my childhood but for some reason now it tastes soooooooo good. Kind of one of those meals where even though you are full you want to keep eating just because it's so yummy. Unfortunately I cannot find the picture I took but it didn't do it justice anyway.  My Italian teammate Arriane made her famous carbonara and that is another dish I would eat myself to death with. Not Swiss but it is worth mentioning because dear god it was good.

     Even though my own cooking skills lack practice I decided to tackle something I thought I would never do...Thanksgiving. Growing up I always envisioned myself going to someone else's home for this American tradition because there was no way in hell I would put myself through that sort of stress. With the holidays looming I decided I wanted to try and hope for the best because Thanksgiving is just one of those holidays I cannot go without. With much deliberation I settled on some classic recipes (thank you Pinterest) and invited anyone who wanted to join. Instead of turkey we ate chicken thighs and there were none of my aunt Kim's famous chocolate peanut butter balls but I managed. Cooking for other people is one of the things that makes my heart rate go up but I really put myself out there organizing this entire shindig. With some help from the ladies who attended. I'm happy to report it was a success! Of course as I always critique myself, my potatoes were too runny and the chicken didn't have the texture I wanted but the reviews from my guests were all smiles and requests for recipes. I'm excited for future holidays because now I have an added spark of confidence to try again next year. 

     Another fun night I had was going to watch the Neuchâtel LNA team play against a team from Zurich with a couple players many volleyball fans might recognize. USC's Natalie Hagglund and the legend herself Courtney Thompson!! I felt so young again watching her play because the last time I saw her in competition in person was 2005 when they beat the ducks in 5 at Mac court. I was 13 at the time and just beginning to decide I wanted to play D1 volleyball. Happy to say at the  time I was cheering for the right team because I always rooted for anyone who played against the Ducks. Who would've known a few years later I would be playing on that court for the first and last time before the monster of a Matt Night center was built. Even weirder to think that was now almost 10 years ago. Holy crap. 

    This past weekend, Magali was kind enough to drive Hardy and I to Strasbourg, France to see the famous Christmas market. All I can say is mother dearest, you would have died and gone to heaven. And you would have needed an extra suitcase to take home all your new decorations. The drive from Neuchâtel was about 3.5 hours but no traffic so we made good time and had the whole afternoon to explore. Upon arrival we quickly found our way to a map that showed us the whole of the festivities and set off. The market reminded me a lot of Oktoberfest. Little tents/shops set up wall to wall filled with knick knacks, food, drink and anything Christmas you could think of. Currently I have no pictures due to a slight mishap in getting my pictures from the camera we used to my gallery but hopefully you can check those out on Facebook soon. We first were able to buy a cup of hot apple juice which then turned to hot white wine and then finished off with hot red wine. For most of the day I was able to resist buying trinkets here and there save a few postcards and a cute little "family portrait" thing I could not go home without.

Smotes.com is their website and I think this is a great Christmas present for a family who likes cute doodads such as this. Customized people, names and design...my kind of decoration. I also tried foie gras which on paper sounds kind of gross but is very rich in taste and a little cruel in practice to the ducks involved. It was just like home as we saw protesters wearing duck masks and showing pictures how they treat the animals who go into making this delicacy. I did not see it deter many people but a noble cause still. With many sweets tasted, croissants devoured (though not at all to Hardy's high standard of deliciousness), and a type of french quesadilla for the road we marched back to the car after a day well spent near the French-German border.

      This weekend, my aunt noodle is coming to visit with cousin Isaiah to watch my match and the following Tuesday we are off to Paris! I am so unbelievably excited because not only has Paris been my dream since I can remember, but we get to spend Christmas Eve and day in the "city of lights". Soon there will be too many pictures to comprehend after I get back. I plan to have many adventures and stories to recall after the trip so maybe my next post won't take so long. Miss you all back home so much. Happy holidays and lots of love from Switzerland!

Sincerely,

A very happy American

Hard lessons reap rich rewards

   

   It's November and I cannot believe I have been here for almost three months already. Even though some days are very long with little to do, the weeks have flown by. I'm happy to report that so far my team is 3-0 for the season. I have to say it helps so much to now finally be doing what I moved over here to do. I have been itching to play in a match, especially while following the dawgs in their spectacular season so far. I'm so proud of my girls and look forward to seeing their run in the tournament this December. 

   With the start of match play here, it is hard not to reflect on how different preparation for matches are here versus at UW. As my coach Alex keeps repeating, I live in the real world now and I have to say it is very different than college. For one, I have not laid eyes on a scouting report since my last college match or an ounce of film. Our debut match I admit I still felt the pre-match jitters I would get before facing foes like USC or Stanford. It was almost worse because I literally had no idea what to expect. Due to the nature of my team being composed of many different people with jobs and school schedules to attend to I had yet to play in depth with the same group of women consistently in a 6 on 6 format.  I only had word of mouth from Alex of what to expect from the other team. It took me almost all of college to really understand our scouting methods and how to use that information in matches and now without it I feel like I'm relearning how to play just by my wits and instincts in the middle of battle all over again.  What I realize through the first weeks of play is that I am using every bit of information I learned from Jim, Tui, Keno, Keegan, Murph, teammates, everyone and anyone who coached me before college and more. My coach here of course leads the way, but now it's my job to be able to fix much of my own mistakes and be a leader on the court playing all the way around. As it is well known, I had a much different role at UW and it is a weird but satisfying emotion to be back in the same position I was in high school. 

     This experience is somewhat jarring because between now and high school, I am a completely different person. I honestly don't know how I got through my early years of playing without everything I learned at UW, and I mean much more than just mechanics. One of the reasons it was difficult for me to succeed as an outside in the past were my lack of passing skills, and now it's imperative I continue to improve in that area in order to keep a job as a professional volleyball player. Only now I don't have multiple coaches at my disposal to help me see what I need to work on, to help me not get to frustrated and hold me accountable to higher standards. I am now doing all the work that once belonged to many other people without all the tools I once had available to me. Film, gym time whenever I please and so on. UW volleyball was the hardest thing I ever went through but there were some incredible advantages to being there. 

      My emotional state while training and competing now versus high school can only be compared to once stumbling through fog and now seeing everything on a clear day. In my younger years, if things did not come naturally or easily to me they were of no use to me. If I was told to change something, I would fight tooth and nail to avoid anything uncomfortable that would have me admit I wasn't already good enough to get by. Really makes me cringe to think how immature and selfish I acted for many years when I thought I was doing so much right. (To my former coaches and teammates, sorry for being such a butthead.) Jim told me many times I needed to learn how to learn. Not that I wasn't trying to heed his advice, I just truly didn't understand how to do it. Due to my own nature of hating failure, it took me far too long to embrace change and make myself a better player until it was too late. I missed my chance and only really learned how to train like I wanted to the spring before my senior year.  It wasn't enough to give me what I wanted and I continued to ride the bench with a few moments during my last college season to show what I could have accomplished had I learned my lesson much earlier in my career. As a team we did so much that I am proud of, but I never got what I wanted as an individual and I only have myself to blame. 

     One of my most important skills I left college with was not to become so wrapped up in my own mistakes and failure and learn how to use it as information to improve myself. Lately I have been struggling a lot with serve receive, in particular having to pass balls on the right side. After some embarrassing strings of points against a strong serving team, the next practice we trained heavily to alleviate the situation. I was struggling one particular practice and all of sudden remembered a bit of information that Jim would tell us about a former player (can you guess who?) who would start serve receive with her hands together before the serve so her wrist and hands were together early. I remember this helped me in the past and soon after I saw immediate results that boosted my confidence and made me realize just how easy it is to perform when you aren't spiraling in despair. Five years ago, in the same position I would have ended the practice in tears because I wouldn't have been able to persevere and know how to resolve my dilemma. 

    A similar situation came during our first match. It happened to go to five and the first set went to 32-30 with us being able to take the first game. There were many moments during the match where the momentum continued to go back and forth for each team. Other challenges included not having line judges and many questionable calls and missed calls from the refs. With so many things not within my control, it was quite the challenge for me to ride it all the way to the end. What I surprised myself with so much was how easy it was for me to stay calm in really stressing moments. I may attribute some of that due to my newness to the area and league. Not much is at stake while playing a team from Geneva for me versus a rivalry match against Oregon. But I also found myself realizing that it was so much easier to control my impulses to shout or sulk when things wouldn't go my way. I happened to miss 4 of my first 5 serves but unlike my 16 year old self I didn't completely tank the rest of the match. After everything I went through at UW, nothing can compare to moments that led to my time here now. I still am not perfect and have moments when I might not look everyone in the eye or grow silent, but I am much quicker to shake myself and carry on then before. I think after grueling practices, painful film sessions, and matches such as the one against Oregon at home in 2012 or the USC match (still makes my heart race thinking about it) that sent us to the Final Four, I can take on just about anything with much more composure then I ever dreamed possible. In the end, we beat a good team and I was extremely pleased I was able to not only be effective in scoring points, but stay composed when things got hairy. 

    I have rarely doubted my ability to play when it comes to hitting and what not, but it has been a lifelong battle to know how to control my emotions. As a child, I was incredibly sensitive and an easy target for anyone to make me cry. When I found sports, my strong emotions provided an intensity that were conducive to being aggressive and highly successful in almost anything I set my mind to. Unfortunately with my high highs, came very strong lows and that has been a detriment to many aspects of my life that also go outside of competition. My dad always did his best to make me aware of these feelings because as we both know I am daddy's little girl and with his work ethic and passion he also passed along a hot temper a strong aversion to keeping emotions in check. Many coaches did their best to make me see my destructive behavior but it took some incredibly tough love and many tears in college to understand what they all were trying to help manage. 

   Now I apologize to my non volleyball readers because if you are still reading I applaud your willingness to get through all the jargon that comes with my 15 years of playing this sport. What I guess I am trying to illustrate is how struck I am by the changes I have made since the day I decided I wanted to be Division 1 athlete. If you knew how many times I have cried, been furious, been ashamed, confused, and loathing of my inability to control intense emotions you would see I can't express enough how much a volleyball match here has made me realize how far I have come. I have so many people to thank for my progress, but I know the real work came from the many moments in college when I knew it would be easy to quit in order to feel some immediate peace. Due to my own stubbornness I was able to push through everything. In the end it took me making the conscious decision to think better and put my own insecurities and weaknesses aside for the greater good of the team. I may not have all the awards and accolades I dreamed of but those things don't matter when I look at the bigger picture of how far I have come along in my own personal battle. There still is much work to be done but it does feel good my years of frustration and heartbreak haven't been for nothing.

      Up on the docket this weekend is a double header which will help determine our path in the Swiss Cup. Thankfully match play is helping to distract me from the fact I will not be spending the holidays for the first time in my life with my family. Halloween was the wake up call that it will be very difficult for me to see pictures of friends and family celebrating the holiday season all together.

 Had a whopping 5 trick or treaters 

 Apparently the last American prepared a Thanksgiving feast last year and the girls here did not object to the holiday so I may be playing Betty Crocker soon. Should be interesting but an adventure none the least. What I am incredibly excited for is in a month, my favorite ginger will be on his way to spend three months in Europe with me which only makes it harder to make the days go by faster without missing the chance to live in the moment.

 I miss you all but in no time I will be heading back wondering where the time has gone.  Till next time...

An old American who has learned new tricks

Is this real life?

     Fall has fallen officially here in Val-de-Travers. The trees are now an incredible array of red, orange, and brown with a few green stragglers. I'm very fortunate to experience multiple seasons in this beautiful country. Much has happened since my last update but for time's sake I'll cover the biggies.

First things first: OKTOBERFEST IN GERMANY

       

This trip was so surreal for me. I've been telling people here and there the same thing but I still am amazed I had the opportunity to come. Growing up, traveling around the world and seeing these famous festivals was not something I ever thought could become a reality. I only ever wanted to see Paris due to my family's French heritage, but this truly was something I will cherish forever. A long 5 hour drive from Neuchâtel to München, Germany on a Saturday morning and even longer 6.5 hour drive back was completely worth everything I experienced. My companions included teammates Liti, Arriane, and my new friend Guilia. Halfway to our destination, we stopped for a quick breakfast. Liti and Arriane had a typical Swiss meal; coffee and a croissant. Guilia enjoyed some German meat and cheeses and apparently I was incredibly American with my rôti and egg which was basically hash browns from heaven.  

      Once we hit Germany, the driving became a tad bit concerning for me. Not because my driver was bad, but there is no speed limit in the country and people flying by at least going 90mph (kmph?) made me somewhat a nervous nelly. Surprising yes with how I should be used to it since my father drives like a crazy person but still scary nonetheless. (Love you papa). We reached Munich around 2pm and had moderate trouble finding our rented apartment for the one night. Once we settled in, it was a flurry of makeup, costumes and hair being done so we could join the festivities right away. Apparently, the celebrating is done from morning till 11pm then everything closes. Day drinking is more than acceptable here, it's encouraged.  Donning my outfit that of course was shorter than I would have liked due to me being a giantess, I was told many a time how German I looked with my blonde braids and blue eyes. That would be due to my Parker side of the family danke sehr viel. By about 3 we made our way toward the main event which was a bout an eight minute walk, great planning on my friend's part.

       

                                     

       You can tell you're walking in the right direction by the massive flow of people dressed in traditional Bavarian garb heading towards the same area.  After a quick bite, we found the first tent/beer garden and waited in a line for a good hour trying to get in. They don't let people in certain areas until enough people have left so I became a sardine for a quite awhile which led to one of my favorite selfies since I've been in Europe.

                             

 When at Oktoberfest right?

      We made it to the front only to have them shut the doors right before us so I had a lot of free time and no shame.  After much pushing, shoving and awkward smiles with strangers, we all made it in to the tent and were able to find an empty table. At this point I was freezing thinking it was going to be a nice sunny day instead of bitter cold and overcast. My outfit was ill planned at that point, but not for long. Our first round of drinks came and I'm not sure what I was expecting but it definitely wasn't the tankard of beer that the waitress brought.

 Thing was bigger than my frickin head.

     Needless to say, I put on my beer jacket soon after and no longer felt cold for the remainder of the day. While sitting at our table, we quickly met up with our neighbors of all kinds. To my right were a group of friendly Frenchman who soon after our arrival were singing the French national anthem. Very entertaining and I'm happy to say I was able to document it with a video. Soon we all were chatting and speaking a mixture of broken French on my part and English because everyone loves practicing their English with me. Of course the conversation led to how tall I am and I was compared to each individual guy there. Only one was able to claim he was tallest, but that wasn't the most interesting part of the encounter. It soon led to a particular debacle....

                                                                       Being proposed to with 1-liter beers is definitely something I have always dreamed of, but alas I had to decline due to the nature of me having a boyfriend and all. Beers before rings any day.  As the drinks kept going, we managed to snag a couple of giant pretzels because ordering any other type of food would take up to three hours. And trying to use the bathroom is an absolute nightmare. Just outside where we were sitting, there must've been over two hundred people, and only three bathroom stalls for the ladies. Thankfully, drunk girls who have to pee are very friendly and you are able to chat them up without hesitation. My first trip (TMI? Sorry not sorry) I met a woman from Virginia who had the cutest accent and told me how she has traveled just about everywhere for her job and just so happened to make it to the festival. We also struck a conversation with a lady from Singapore and her English accent was delightful.  Accents really are my favorite thing ever.

       Hours passed but the fun was never ending. I was able to meet people from all over; Hungary, France, Sweden, Germany, Brazil, and last but not least AMERICA! Of course when I meet my fellow Americans is when I get into trouble. Sometime after dark, I met two guys who happened to be cousins and each were in the Army and Air Force stationed in other parts of Europe. Because I get really excited finding other English speakers, I stayed to talk with them while my friends went off to be merry elsewhere. One thing led to another and me being the competitive idiot I am, I challenged the shorter man of the two to a contest to try and jump and reach a wreath hanging from the ceiling. We both failed and nothing went wrong...until someone else attempted the feat then slipped and fell prompting our immediate dismissal from the tent. I managed to stay out of trouble all day until that point, typical American shenanigans.

      With the phrase "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here", we journeyed further into the masses looking for another tent to sit at until everything closed down.  Finding another area to order a beer, I was able to talk about life in Europe with the other Americans. Two from Ohio, one from Michigan, North Carolina (or South? Can't remember quite frankly) and finally Washington D.C.  Leave it up to me to be 5,000 miles away and I find random Americans to hang out with.  We could only be there for so long because it soon was 11 and they were kickin everybody out. Even though our Oktoberfest was over for the night, we decided the night wasn't over and made our way to a local bar for music and fun. Thankfully I was able to meet back up with Liti and Arrianne so all was well by the end of the night. With final goodbyes and reminders to add each other on Facebook, my group made our way back to our place...but not before getting lost first. A good extra hour of walking chilled me back to reality but not all was bad because my company was very entertaining.  We even managed to find another American who was from California looking for a cab. (West coast best coast!) After asking three different cabbies ourselves for directions back to our abode, we were able to collapse around 4am and I have never been more grateful for an air mattress in my life.

    The following morning we decided to brave being tourists while looking very worn and hungover. The actual festival is absolutely humongous. I think there were at least 10 different beer gardens and many many carnival rides and roller coasters. The Germans really do go all out when it comes to day drinking. I tried my first bratwurst and sauerkraut. The dog was good but I'll pass next time on the fermented cabbage. I was able to buy some souvenirs for cheap because it was one of the last days of the festival and everything was on sale. JACKPOT! Due to our resolve not being that strong, we quickly made our way to the local cathedral with a short glance and picture before heading back to the car for our trip home. Due to immense traffic, our drive home was much longer then the day before and I was more than excited to sleep in my own bed after a detour and train ride.  If you ever have the chance to make this trip DO IT. So much fun and thankfully I have many memories to take with me because of it. 

Next: Château de Chillon

      With a couple days to recover I felt refreshed and ready for my next adventure. My teammate Fabi informed me of a castle I could visit a few hours away from Lausanne and that another American would be making the trip. I took the offer and took a day trip to an area called Montreux, which nearby, lies the Château de Chillon. Katy and I took a boat from Laussane to Chillon which took about two hours, the weather was not great but no rain so we were able to enjoy the sights and take as many pictures as possible. During our trip, we met ANOTHER American who was on her way to Israel with their husband. Before departing, she told us to contact her whenever we wanted to visit Lake Tahoe or a part of Italy where she has friends. Talked to her for ten minutes at the most and now I have free lodging for two vacation spots...amazing. Unfortunately for Katy, once we arrived to see the castle, she had to immediately make the walk back to Montreux to catch one of many trains back to the Swiss part of Germany where she was staying. With a couple pictures and a goodbye, she left and I decided to explore the castle by myself.

      This castle was built in the 1500's and was a guard against any forces trying to cross the mountains and lake from the east heading towards the area. I think, I could be making that up but it sounds good right?  Anywho, after I figured out there was an easy format of "follow the numbers", I took hundreds of pictures in dimly lit dungeons, bedrooms, courtyards, and even latrines. Can't miss a moment is my mantra. I never actually use all the pictures but I'm a stickler for not missing a photo op. What I deduced from my time here is that people in the 16th and 17th century were very very short.

 Here are some picutures of what it looked like to live in a real castle...

Secret tunnel that led from a living room to an adjoining bedroom.

This room had murals of all the bailiffs that lived here dating back from the 1500's through the 1700's. Up until the more recent ones, were all originally painted back in the day. The later ones were finished by restoration efforts to help with the asthetics of the room. Along the way, I surprise surprise met more Americans and took a photo with a friendly Spaniard before departing in time to catch my own train back to Lausanne. The walk from the castle back to Montreux takes about 50 minutes and along the way you pass many many mansions. I can't fathom how much money these people have with the some of the homes I saw. I felt very small town after that experience no doubt.  Overall this was a very fun and not too expensive experience and I look forward to visiting more mid-evil structures while I'm here.

  With my continued free time, I have hit rock bottom and actually started running to help pass the time and get some excercise. Really I'm barely going faster than a speed walk but this is a major accomplishment for a volleyball player so I have a lot to be proud of. And thanks to my incredible grandmother, I now have coloring books and delicious brownies to gorge on so thank you again for that. I have started to practice a skill called hand lettering which is a form of typography where you basically create cool pictures using words. Honestly I can't say I just started because all through school I used to do the same sort of thing all over my notes but now I have a fancy term to name the behavior. 

     Finally, what really prompted me to sit and write this particular blog post was a letter I received from a close family friend. My mama Rouleau, who I have known forever and played volleyball with her daughter, my high school baby freshman Sammy. Well this woman is really special to me because throughout high school and college, she has been another mother to me and has always known the perfect moment to send an encouraging text or care package when I really needed it most.  Her most recent news I had already heard about but it had not really sunk until I read her own words. Recently she underwent treatment to fight breast cancer and I am so happy to know she kicked cancers ass! Sue, your positive words and news on your wonderful family really do everything to brighten my day and I couldn't be luckier to have such wonderful people in my life. So on this note, I want to say to all the women in my life currently fighting this disease or who are accomplished warriors with a clean bill of health, I will be wearing pink to my first pro volleyball match tomorrow in honor of your bad ass selves. I especially want to send all my positive thoughts and vibes to another dear volleyball mommy of mine, Melissa Davies.  Lots of love to you, Allison (nugget) and the whole Davies fam. Thank you Mama Sue and know how much I appreciate being your adopted daughter. 

2 months down, six more to go!

The very German looking American

    

 

Bears, beers, battle star galactica

    September 30th, it's almost October. That's absolutely crazy. What have I been doing since my last update? More of the usual. Wake up, Skype Hardy, eat, take the train,go to practice, walk back to the train, read, eat, sleep, repeat. Some days I pepper in laundry and cleaning my house. Listen to a french podcast. I can now sing a Christmas song that goes by the tune of "Jingle Bells". 

   Vive le ven, 

   vive le ven, 

   vive le ven d'hiver! 

I listen to Coffee Break French/Spanish which are great to brush up on your second language. Helps if you have already a little background but they say it's for all levels. Anywho, even though my daily routine is somewhat like "Groundhog Day", I have been fortunate enough to explore Switzerland a bit more and take in some local festivities. 

         Two weeks ago, I rode to Bern with a few of my teammates (Arrianne, Liticia, Magali, and Aurelia who we met there because she lives in Bern.) It was another beautiful day in what they call and Indian Summer or a the beginning of fall that feels like summer. During our 1.5 hour drive, we make a pit stop for a bakery that sells the infamous gâteau au creme. I don't think the freshman 15 is anything compared to the post-graduate 50 I'm about to acquire. The landscape is much of the same, passing farm after farm, cow after cow. Conversations in the car lead to correct pronunciation of English words because so often I cannot understand if Liti is talking about ships or sheep. It is also funny to explain how when some people try and say "oh shit" it sounds more like "oh sheet". Silly bedding materials.

         Our arrival comes around noon so our lunch just happens to be some of that pie from earlier. Life could be worse. You think I would take in the sights a bit more as we approach the downtown area, but the first thing I saw almost brought me to happy tears. My Seattlite senses were haywire as I gazed upon the most beautiful thing I had seen since I arrived in Europe....STARBUCKS. I'm pretty sure I made everyone jump as I cried out at this rare sighting of the green mermaid. Now, I know this goes along with all those stupid internet memes about white girls and their Starbucks but I couldn't help myself after living in the original birth place of this global chain for four years then being deprived of it for 2 months. Don't judge me. 

         Resisting my urges, we kept moving and explored the capital of Switzerland. I had know idea this was the case thinking Zurich would be capital. Really that was only city I knew of before I decided to move here. Kind of like how people who know nothing about Oregon think Portland must be the capital while Salem just sounds like something about burning witches at the stake.  Oh and another thing, NO ONE in Switzerland knows what Oregon is. Typical conversation when I meet someone

    Them: "Tu vien du?" (Where are you from?)

    Me: "Je vien du Oregon" ( I have no idea how to say Oregon with a french accent so I sound incredibly American to them when I saw this.)

    Them: *blank stare* "Ory-gone?"

    Me: (my go-to explanation) "Above California"

    Them: "ohhhh yes Cally-fornya!"

Honestly though if it were the other way around, I would have no idea what Neuchâtel is, let alone Couvet. I digress.

      I was able to see the Switzerland equivalent of the White House which has an incredibly view of the city behind it. You can see part of the river that is one of the well known fixtures here in the capital.

Walking more throughout the streets, there were quotes printed in each of the languages that are spoken in Switzerland: French, Swiss-German, Italian, and Romanche which apparently is a mix of all three used in a small area of the country. How cool is that?!  After a few more blocks, we made it to the main shopping area that is lined cafés and stores with doors that look to lead to cellars. Like so;

These are entrances to stores that are underground which completely blew my mind. They weren't open that day probably because nothing is open here on a Sunday but if I ever go back I would like to see more how these shops look.

    Meeting up with Aurelia for some food and a beer, we rested our legs for a bit before conducting the rest of our touristy day. What I noticed as I had been walking and observing is the theme of bears in Bern. Finally I asked the Bern expert what the significance was. Aurelia let me know that it is the state animal and if I wanted we could go see the real bears. To this I smirked because I figured "haha yea we're gonna go see some 'real Bears', more like statues." Imagine the look on my face when we crossed a bridge and on the other side were just a couple in the flesh, living, breathing bears chilllin in an enclosure right by the river. 

Apparently they use to live in a little hole called "the graben" which was a pathetic excuse of an enclosure. PETA would have a bitch fit seeing the bears like this in their new habitat which is only 3 years old but it's definitely better than the one that was made in the 1800's. Yea they have had bears living just outside of downtown Bern for a couple hundred years. Another side note: Bears and beers is another difficult word to pronounce for many people here which makes for a funny conversation when some asks "want to go get a couple of bears?" After some more exploring, we hiked up another stupid hill to an area that many other tourists were frequenting next to a garden. The view here was pretty spectacular,

But in true Swiss fashion, it began to rain, then it began to pour, and about two seconds after I saw lightning I heard thunder so we hurried to catch a bus back to where we started our day. Before leaving we decided to visit and have a drink and I was able to choose the location. 

That pumpkin spice latte was the best thing I had ever tasted in my life.

      The following Friday, I had been invited by Liticia to go to her work and enjoy a picnic with her and her students. She's a middle school teacher and teaches French, geography, and history. I was excited to see what might be different and similar between US and Swiss schools. Arriving a l'ecole, I met a few of the teachers and all the students were outside waiting for the day to begin. But before that could happen, all the kids must first shake hands with their teacher before the day is to begin. I thought that was kind of cool to start each day with initiating some sort of greeting with each student. I had seen this previously with a P.E teacher before one of my practices but I thought it was just his style. I guess they do that everywhere. When I'm a teachers, instead of handshakes, I'll just chest bump my first graders. Much more my style. 

     After introductions, we began our walk to the destination. Now picture my outfit for the day: nice jeans, converse, a flowy tank top, scarf and wrap sweater. Casual school attire right? Yea well I looked around and saw all the adults wearing hiking boots and fitness wear. Began to have same the feeling  you get when you arrive to school thinking it's pajama day but everyone is wearing normal clothes.  What I soon learned was our walk to the picnic included a 3 HOUR HIKE UPHILL AND THROUGH MUDDY FARMLAND. It's a good thing Liticia is cute because I almost strangled her for failing to mention the true nature of the day.  Happy I did not bother wear my nice leather boats, I chatted with many of the students and teachers through broken French on my part, the kids' English they wanted to practice with me and many gestures. After many rest stops and a jaunt through a cow pasture, we made it to Bas des loges where the teacher instructed students to bring firewood to an area where he would make a campfire to cook sausages and other treats. After this they were free to eat and roam where they pleased in the nature.

       Now this is when the cultural differences began to emerge. First, as the kids spread out, I was offered a shot of wine. Wait wait wait hold up. You can drink in front of students?! I'm from the wrong country. Not that they were getting wasted, but I had at least a full glass worth of wine during our lunch. Second, there was no supervision of the kids who traveled far away from the fire pit. I'm pretty sure I was on high alert for something to go wrong because I know they didn't trust my middle school classmates that much. Maybe I'm exaggerating but I didn't see some of those kids for the two and a half hours we ate and visited. Third, I saw at least three knives brought by the students. And only one of them looked like a pocket knife. One I swear looked more like a hunting knife than something used to whittle some wooden sticks. But no biggie, because we were exploring the great outdoors. My anxiety was quickly rising thinking of all the lawsuits that would ensue if we were in America right then. Fourth, my sense of time is at a much faster pace than everyone here. I became pretty restless as we came to the end of our time here while the other teachers seemed so at ease to spend the entire day here

      More things I learned and ate:

-Saucisson de torrée is sausage wrapped in cabbage, then wrapped again in either tinfoil or damp newspaper. After wrapped and tied with string, it is placed under the fire and buried for 15 minutes. The result was incredibly delicious.

-this method is a traditional dish of the region area for the bucheron or lumberjacks back in the day.

-pain de bucheron is roasting pie dough on a stick then adding some sort of spread. Nutella FTW.

-it only took 45 min to walk back down but that was a sketchy adventure in itself.

     Finally, the event I have been hearing about since I arrived here is the biggest party of the year in Neuchâtel; la fête des vedanges. This is supposedly a wine festival but there is a whole lot more going on than casual fermented grape juice. The streets of downtown are closed down for the weekend as stands, food, attractions, games and dancing fill the streets from Friday morning till Sunday evening.  The ground is covered in confetti which I am told you find for weeks after the celebration ends. Kids run around screaming and laughing while spraying people with silly string and shaving cream. There are carnival rides avaialble, and the fair food includes crepes, ice cream and cuisine from all over the world. It is very jostling to see so many people in one area with drinks in hand because I'm so used to the "no open container rule" back in the states. Also, I am still not used to seeing a 16 year old drink a beer openly in public, let alone drunk as a skunk. I swear not all I do is drink alcohol here but I feel like it is very casual when you hang out with people to drink regardless if it's noon or midnight.  All I know is I made it through Friday and Saturday but grandma Parker couldn't make it to Sunday. Sleeping on my teammates couch three days in a row just didn't seem as attractive by then. What I enjoyed most though was how friendly all the people are. Drinking or not, everyone is there to have a good time and I had blast meeting new people and trying to practice my limited French over loud music.

   Until next time, here's a picture of the amazing view of the Creux du van just outside of Couvet.

Sincerely,

The no longer hungover American

P.S:I now have read at least 25 books. Wish I was this productive with my college readings.

Little things

      Bonjour! Since my last update, my schedule has stayed consistent with few events that have thrown me for a loop. To start off on a more somber note, I am still trying to comprehend the passing of my great-grandma Simone. I had been told for some time now that she wouldn't have much time left but there was a part of me that desperately hoped she could hold off until the spring so I could visit her one last time. Unfortunately, life and death have their own calendar and I was subject to learning what happened over family posts on Facebook. I received a text from my mom around 1 in the morning here and thought it strange she would text me so late knowing our time difference. Had I remembered to reply before scrolling through my feed, I would have had the news sooner.  The reason I bring this up is because I realize that every choice can lead to un intended consequences. I made the desicion to fly 5,000 miles away for 8 months to try something new and different. What keeps gnawing at my heart is the reality I had a chance to visit this beloved woman while I was in Oregon over the summer. After coaching a team volleyball camp in Bend, I had the choice to either make the extra hour drive to La Pine or head straight to Eugene and soon after Seattle. Fueling my guilt is the fact I chose the latter due to my own exhaustion and excuse that she would probably be too tired to visit with me while I was there. Not that it would have changed the inevitable, but the fact I am here away from my family during this time is tough to swallow. 

    Something like this is exactly a type of fear I had before leaving for Switzerland. I knew I would have to sacrifice certain events and time with people I love to have this experience. It's not that I didn't have similar sacrifices in college.  I haven't been able to spend a birthday with my little brother for four straight years and after this spring, he'll be in high school!  But of course Seattle is a measly 5 hour drive back to Eugene.  I don't have the time or money to fly back for the memorial service which sucks because my grandmother meant a lot to me.  I know if I begged enough, I could get the time and find the money but I don't think she would want me blubbering in a small church about her. She was someone who wanted the best for her family. When I saw her last, I was extremely excited to tell her my plans to come to Europe and hopefully meet the family she had to leave behind in France. We talked volleyball and boys and she was so happy for me to learn my guy is much taller than myself. Her little mischievous smile made it seem like she wasn't sick at all. The only thing different since the last time I had seen her after I graduated high school was her white hair. She still had the cute thick French accent that could curse like a sailor. I wish I had asked her more about her life. I once interviewed her in middle school for an Ellis Island project on family heritage. I feel like I should have tried again to learn as much about her past and all of her favorite stories. I still remember listening to her sing a little French song that she would sing to all of us grand kids when we were young. I wish I had it memorized. 

    But at the same time I know she doesn't want me or my family to wallow in sadness. So instead I think of my favorite memories of her. Going to her little log cabin to visit her and grandpa Charlie. I think I watched the movie Milo and Otis every single time I was there. Cousin camp with the entire Campbell clan, up to three generations of extended family. This lady had 11 children, my grandmother being the oldest. When we get together as a big group, it's a party. The year I decided to take French in 7th grade and was so excited to have her help me learn my numbers up to twenty. (Un, deux, trois....vingt!)   I was very fortunate to have met her because I realize now how rare it is to have known and grown up with the parents of your own grandparents. (I guess having children before the age of 25 also helps but I plan on starting a new tradition myself...you're welcome mom and dad) 

   So knowing that her 5 foot nothing frame would kick my ass for moping, I am going to instead end this on a happier note. It has officially been one month since I landed in Europe. In one month a few days, we will have our first match of the season to go after the Swiss cup. I am really looking forward to playing in matches and seeing more of this country. Tomorrow, we are playing in a friendly scrimmage against a French team in Neuchâtel. I hope there is room enough for me to jump serve because I am itching to rack up some aces for the hell of it. Soon my roommate Vannessa will be joining me in the Shire during the days we have practice. I am pretty sure she is the Brazillian equivalent of me with her bubbly personality and wide smile. I am now in heaven because my dad and Shelley have sent me peanut butter and that's all I want to eat now. It's amazing the little things that matter. ("When I realize the importance of little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things"....not sure if that was the correct quote but it always pops in my head thank you UW volleyball.) the weather here has been quite temperamental going from sunny and 70 to loud thunderstorms with rain that pelts my roof relentlessly. Quite cozy weather when I all do in my free time is read. And just like that I only have 7 months and change left here. I can already tell once match play begins, I'll be back on a plane before I can blink. Living it up while I can. I wouldn't be here if wasn't for my family and friends.  Especially this  special lady who started it all with a trip across the ocean that would change her life and pave the way for mine.

A bientôt, Gabrielle Simone Parker 

P.S: Yesterday in remembrance of 9/11, I want to say thank you to all the; troops, police officers firefighters, and especially my family who serves for everything you do. I saw this quote in a tweet yesterday and felt it strongly appropriate for my mood this past week "On days like today, hug people a little tighter. Say thank you a little more. Repeat every day after"