fourteen day- take three.

we got home last night after traveling from seven am to nine thirty pm! i was ready to do laundry and unpack. and i did. i got a package while i was away so i opened that and went to bed early. and now im watching the office ((two episodes cause we were gone for fourteen days!)) and blogging.
paris was definitely my favorite city of the trip! there is just soo much to tell so im going to talk just about paris and genova. if you are dying to hear about somewhere specific email me or we can have lunch when i get home...

yes.
paris and genova.

PARIS: I briefly overviewed this before so i suppose i dont have much to tell. the tower was beautiful! during the day was my favorite- at night the lights were two different colors, white on the top and green on the bottom to celebrate the rugby world cup. my ocd kicked in. also there was a huge blow up rugby ball suspended on it so all my photos are from a side angle to cover the ball up! hopefully by the time i go back itll be down so i can get forward shots as well.
the french were so interesting to be around- im always surprised that cultures can be so different than mine! id never considered how certain things could be done differently! for example crepes. everyone raved and raved about them so the last night we were there i got one from a vendor under the eiffel tower. and... its a pancake. a skinny pancake! what?!?!? i know.. i was so confused. everyone made fun of me because apparently they make crepes in america too. whatever. id never heard of them. it was a fun new thing but in the end i prefer my pancakes for breakfast. but on a deeper level kinda the women there had an attitude that americans dont posess; all pouty. it reminds me of meg ryan in french kiss when she frusterated with french women.
"happy, smile. sad, frown. use the corresponding face for the corresponding emotion!" its true, there was a couple on the train next to us and the women worked that guy! she pulled the face and the tone and he was eating out of her hand... i didnt have to understand the language to understand that language!
it was a learning experience for sure.
in some cities its easy to see the history, or understand how the history fits in with the city now. in paris however i had a hard time connecting the french revolution with paris.. it just seems so different

genova: genova was the final stop on my trip and it was a great way to end a busy two weeks. it was the first city in southern europe wed done so stepping off the train to warm weather! it was a true italian city, lots of people and noise and the entire city is built on three large hills surrounding the harbor. we climbed up a huge hill with all our bags. i was really hot at the end of the two hours but it was a pat on the back accomplishment i thought. we spent the two days we had there just relaxing, the other girl on the trip and i spent a day just going through the market streets! i got black flats and a ring for eleven euro. italian leather, and really everything was cheap there. we got gelatto as well it was pretty incredible...
we walked around the harbor and watched the sun set over the water, there was a large glass ball on one of the piers that reflected the sun during the day but at night it showed the inside- a greenhouse. a perfect ending.
-- the people here were also different. after living in vienna it was actually a shock to be with such close people. in vienna, even on a crowded train it doesnt feel like you are in a crowd.. people keep there own personal bubble even when they are touching you. in genova on the bus there would be ten other people riding with me and i would feel the need to shrink back. how easily i became accustomed to one style. i wonder if i had started my studies in italy if austria would have felt distant and impersonal?
fun fact: christopher columbus was born there.



so that was a lot of stuff and no photos... ill post some today or tomorrow!