I obviously didn't have the blood investment to the EuroCup as everyone else here did. My first exposure was the flags hanging of the balcony. And not just the Swiss flag, any European nation. Then the honking. Then, watching a semifinal the fanzone in Lausanne. Wow! More people watching a big screen, adorned with face paint and/or flags than I'd expect at a Rice football game. The other semifinal in the Geneva fanzone--more crowded, more crazy. And the final, Spain vs Germany; the Lausanne fanzone was at full capacity, so I had to find a bar to watch the game. After Spain won, celebrations began. All buses running from the Lake to downtown were diverted to the train station. Why? Spaniards were taking over the streets! I first saw Place St. François taken over by a Spanish crowd, with more fans coming from every direction. Was it programmed in their blood? There were more crowds, all over le centre ville. People driving cars just to honk in celebration. Ten times as many Spaniards than I expected would ever be in Lausanne gathered downtown after the victory.
I can't believe how crazy it'd be in Spain or Vienna. Or how somber in Germany.
That was two weeks ago. The soccer fever is over, so now it's time for festivals! There's already been the Federal Yodeling Competition in Lucerne (can you imagine?) and now is the Fête de la Cité in Lausanne featuring up and coming artists. The music Saturday night wasn't amazing, but it's definitely the place to be. What will compete for my time is the Montreux Jazz Festival. This is more internationally acclaimed with wellknown artists (Gnarls Barkely, Alicia Keys, Quincy Jones, Sheryl Crowe, etc). I can't afford tickets for the big names (min 85 CHF), but there's two free venues. As long as I get myself to Montreux, only 10 CHF and 40 minutes by train, that's free entertainment!
I'm now sitting by the lake in Ouchy (where there's WiFi!). It's cleared up a lot since I arrived a month ago; I can now see the tops of the mountains across the lake. Beautiful. The lake's extremely clean, making it a lovely hue of blue. I plan to make it down to the lake for sunrise sometime soon....
Monday, July 7, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
I'll Start Blogging More Often....I promise
Since my last post, more than two weeks ago, it seems I haven't caught on about how to be a blogger. I was traveling without internet (a reasonable excuse), but that was only for a week. I'll try to post more regular blogs.
What I've been doing:
1. research (sort of)
2. Italy
3. France
1. Research: I'm still spending days in lab on the internet: blogging, looking at possible weekend destinations, and looking at grad schools. It's a combination of guilt and frustration. Guilt because I'm getting money for being here, doing 'reserach'. Frustration because it's not my fault. My assigned mentor has been 'under-loading' me, which was nice for the first week when I had to move in; otherwise, it's boring. I feel obligated to stay in lab during work hours, but am doing nothing while it's soooooo beautiful outside. I've read the literature and learned the protocols but am doing nothing. Supposedly the latest hold-up is waiting for magnetic beads to isolate dendritic cells. Not happy in this area. But I'd rather have it be research than my living situation, I guess.
2. Italy! I spent a week with my mother and sister exploring Italy. What seems to the most characteristic feature of Italy is the architecture and many statues. 2 days in Rome, 3 days in Tuscany. Naturally, Rome was more high energy 'let's see all the sites', while Tuscany was a more relaxed 'enjoy the scenery' region. I don't need to go back to Rome--I've seen the sites-- but I'd always enjoy going back to Tuscany. The farmhouse we stayed at in Tuscany (Casalore de Libbiano, fantastic) served amazing multi-course dinners, which took away the stress from deciding from a menu.
I also had an unexpected and expensive overnight in Milano, due to my train being an hour late. I therefore have no remaining faith in TreinItalia.
3. This past weekend, I returned to l'Étrat France, where I lived six years ago. It was such a nostalgic visit! Not much had changed as far as buildings, which was nice. We stayed with our host/sister French family. A relaxing weekend with friends. One of the highlights was watching at Laurence scold the cat held at the neck by JF for bringing a dead squirrel into the house.
My current plans/ambitions are to spend an afternoon walking the Lac Léman shoreline (this afternoon), go to the Lausanne museums Saturday (free!), go to Chateau Chillon by boat Sunday, attend Festivale de la Cité next week. After that, I don't want to spend another weekend in Lausanne--I'm going to explore Swizerland!
More blogs, more often....I promise!
What I've been doing:
1. research (sort of)
2. Italy
3. France
1. Research: I'm still spending days in lab on the internet: blogging, looking at possible weekend destinations, and looking at grad schools. It's a combination of guilt and frustration. Guilt because I'm getting money for being here, doing 'reserach'. Frustration because it's not my fault. My assigned mentor has been 'under-loading' me, which was nice for the first week when I had to move in; otherwise, it's boring. I feel obligated to stay in lab during work hours, but am doing nothing while it's soooooo beautiful outside. I've read the literature and learned the protocols but am doing nothing. Supposedly the latest hold-up is waiting for magnetic beads to isolate dendritic cells. Not happy in this area. But I'd rather have it be research than my living situation, I guess.
2. Italy! I spent a week with my mother and sister exploring Italy. What seems to the most characteristic feature of Italy is the architecture and many statues. 2 days in Rome, 3 days in Tuscany. Naturally, Rome was more high energy 'let's see all the sites', while Tuscany was a more relaxed 'enjoy the scenery' region. I don't need to go back to Rome--I've seen the sites-- but I'd always enjoy going back to Tuscany. The farmhouse we stayed at in Tuscany (Casalore de Libbiano, fantastic) served amazing multi-course dinners, which took away the stress from deciding from a menu.
I also had an unexpected and expensive overnight in Milano, due to my train being an hour late. I therefore have no remaining faith in TreinItalia.
3. This past weekend, I returned to l'Étrat France, where I lived six years ago. It was such a nostalgic visit! Not much had changed as far as buildings, which was nice. We stayed with our host/sister French family. A relaxing weekend with friends. One of the highlights was watching at Laurence scold the cat held at the neck by JF for bringing a dead squirrel into the house.
My current plans/ambitions are to spend an afternoon walking the Lac Léman shoreline (this afternoon), go to the Lausanne museums Saturday (free!), go to Chateau Chillon by boat Sunday, attend Festivale de la Cité next week. After that, I don't want to spend another weekend in Lausanne--I'm going to explore Swizerland!
More blogs, more often....I promise!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Lausanne!!
Ecublens, where I actually live, is cute, somewhat charming, a standard European banlieu dans le paysage. Un boulangerie, un hôtel de ville, une église (on a hill, of course), etc. My housing complex is extremely drab, very prison-like with a spectrum of colors only black to white. The view is decent: a glance of the mountains over the building tops.
Lausanne, however, is incredible, beautiful, AMAZING. I should have seen it sooner; until Monday night, I had only had a glance of the city, from the gare to the metro when I arrived. Last week was rainy and cold, which might serve as an excuse for not getting out into Lausanne, but I did feel like an idiot when I finally did go downtown and walk around. Starting at 8:30PM, I...
1. walked the mile from the main metro station down to Lake Geneva (en français, Lac Léman) to see the Jura mountains --> BEAUTIFUL
2. back up to the downtown pedestrian area, looking at the old architecture --> BEAUTIFUL
3. then up further to the medieval cathedral, Notre Dame de Lausanne --> INCREDIBLE
And, as far as I'm concerned, this was only a preview. Lausanne, which dates back to the Gauls and Romans, was built on a plateau. The city is multi-layered, almost 3D; it spirals into itself. Planar maps would be impossible to read, as buildings are built almost on top of each other. The city doesn't look old at all. The architecture, yes, is reminiscent of the 18th or 19th century, but the buildings are by no means crumbling or showing any signs of age. When passing shops, it seems like the 20th/21st century had been built into the existing city, making for an interesting fusion of past and present.
For a city the size of Bryan-College Station, it is wonderfully developed and completely different. For only $40/month, I can get to wherever I want quickly. Absolutely no need for a car.
I'm just now getting started in lab; still dependent on Jacqui, my mentor/supervisor, to show my protocols and how the lab (Laboratory for Mechanobiology and Morphogenesis, LMBM).
I guess my next blogs will be shorter, more interesting version of how ma vie lausannoise develops!
Lausanne, however, is incredible, beautiful, AMAZING. I should have seen it sooner; until Monday night, I had only had a glance of the city, from the gare to the metro when I arrived. Last week was rainy and cold, which might serve as an excuse for not getting out into Lausanne, but I did feel like an idiot when I finally did go downtown and walk around. Starting at 8:30PM, I...
1. walked the mile from the main metro station down to Lake Geneva (en français, Lac Léman) to see the Jura mountains --> BEAUTIFUL
2. back up to the downtown pedestrian area, looking at the old architecture --> BEAUTIFUL
3. then up further to the medieval cathedral, Notre Dame de Lausanne --> INCREDIBLE
And, as far as I'm concerned, this was only a preview. Lausanne, which dates back to the Gauls and Romans, was built on a plateau. The city is multi-layered, almost 3D; it spirals into itself. Planar maps would be impossible to read, as buildings are built almost on top of each other. The city doesn't look old at all. The architecture, yes, is reminiscent of the 18th or 19th century, but the buildings are by no means crumbling or showing any signs of age. When passing shops, it seems like the 20th/21st century had been built into the existing city, making for an interesting fusion of past and present.
For a city the size of Bryan-College Station, it is wonderfully developed and completely different. For only $40/month, I can get to wherever I want quickly. Absolutely no need for a car.
I'm just now getting started in lab; still dependent on Jacqui, my mentor/supervisor, to show my protocols and how the lab (Laboratory for Mechanobiology and Morphogenesis, LMBM).
I guess my next blogs will be shorter, more interesting version of how ma vie lausannoise develops!
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