Category: France

Ah, the Weather…

Posted on by admin in France, Italy, Travel, United States

Do you ever feel like bad weather follows you whenever you travel? Like when you’re booking your trip you look at the weather at wherever it is you’re going and it looks like (in theory) it’s supposed to be nice, but then when your trip actually rolls around the weather is predicted to be shit? Yeah, you’re not the only one.

Now I know traveling in the off season gets part of the blame for some of the shit weather I’ve experienced, but what else is to blame? Karma? Bad Luck? Global warming (that I realize I contribute to by hopping on a jet)? Is it just weather being weather?

Considering some of the weather I’ve experience on my travels, I believe it must be some combo of what I just listed. I mean yeah, when my keeper booked a trip to Las Vegas at the end of June, it’s not that I wasn’t expecting it to be hot, I just wasn’t prepared for the record setting, tarmac melting heat that we got. When we went to Venice for spring break, I wasn’t prepared to be blown away by the “potential disruption due to wind” that appeared in the weather every day it was opened. Disrupted my day was. When we ventured out to Mont Saint-Michel how could one possibly have prepared for the horrendous wind that rendered our umbrellas useless and made the rain come from the side instead of above?

Coming from a dry climate, I’ll be the first to admit that I am indeed hyper sensitive to a wet cold. It’s the kind that seeps down into your bones and refused to be chased of my anything – not a hot shower, not warm blankets, and certainly not a warm drink.

Where I come from, I know better than most just how unpredictable weather can be and just how quickly it can change. I’ve experienced what felt like all four seasons in a day. And I’ve experienced that more than once. And yet, on every trip I go on, I always experience some level of discomfort from the weather – whether it’s from my own stubbornness when packing or from the unpredictability of the weather – it always sucks when it happens.

BUT, all that being said, no matter how bad the weather is, when you’re traveling you just need to keep in mind that the shit weather does have one good purpose – that you’ll get one hell of a story out of it. Plus, you are traveling after all, so how miserable can you really be?

Louvre

Posted on by admin in France

I stand on a cold, black, metal pole, waiting in the rain. I’m staring at a famous and controversial marriage of old and new, of classical and contemporary, or organic and synthetic. I’m thinking about history and progress, and what they mean. I watch hundreds of people, both mindless tour groups and meandering individual travelers, flock to one of the most famous museums in the world.

The Louvre, located in the heart of Paris.

I see people queing up, ready to wait in line for hours with the hope that they gain entrance and see as much as possible.

The Louvre is a maze, set up for the amusement of those watching over us in the security cameras. Upon entrance, we are mere rats being herded along a labyrinth of corridors, with nothing but the promise of world-class classical art to lure us around each twist and turn.

Today, I am lucky. I have already waited in line and seen what I came to see. I too, waited in the rain for more than an hour before opening, only to spring to the Mona Lisa once I gained entrance. I sought to see one of the most famous paintings with as few others around as possible. I succeeded as much as one can when there are already 20 other tourists and 3 security guards around 10 minutes after the museum opened.

I hurry around the rest of the wing to see what other pieces the museum has on display. From the marvelous marble statues that come from Italy and Greece to the inspirational paintings of past masters to the old apartments of a once grand monarch (((magnificent/opulent/grandiose/frivolous/tyrannical/fallen/overthrown ||| government/rule/monarchy/crown/royalty))), each hall offers something wonderful and steeped in history. It’s no wonder travelers and art-lovers alike make the pilgrimage to the Louvre. Some will return and others will not, but all who visit will leave with an unforgettable memory.

I find my vantage point as I emerge from the secondary exit. The rain drizzles down around me as I sit on my cold wet pole and watch as people from across the globe come and go on their visit to the Louvre. As I watch/observe/stare at the modern glass triangle erupting/emerging/ from the ground while surrounded by medieval and renaissance architecture, I marvel at society. In some regards, we have come so far and made such great advancements. But mostly, we’re still learnings and trying to understand.

The Louvre is a mixture of the best and worst of traveling/humanity. It offers unimaginable works of art, inspirational stories, and glimpses into history. But it also offers mobs of inconsiderate, rude, and downright aggressive people. Which part of your experience you choose to focus on will determine what kind of memory you will walk away with. Visiting the Louvre makes one ponder over history and progress; both important to our culture.