The Catch Up

Attempting to play the Accordion in Paris

Dear Blog,


   It's been awhile since I have last written in you. Please forgive for I have not abandoned you, but I have been away discovering far off places (Switzerland 3 hrs away and Paris 4 hrs away) while meeting new people. Some of which I adore and miss, while others are just a great story to talk about.... I sit here on my 24th birthday drinking a jug of Vin Rouge De France and eating Karamell Nuss Ritter Sport chocolate.. keeping it classy.
Some might wonder why am I not partying my ass off. The reason is, it's a Monday night, the first day back at school, and to be honest with you, now that I am 24 years old, I need to save my energy for the "party machen" on Wed at our local "Disko" called Top10. One must be quite intoxicated to go to the place. Sorry mom and dad, but it's true. Drinking heavily is a must in this type of club. So I sit here tonight and write to you, dear blog.

I guess I never took myself seriously. 1988 with mama!

  If anyone remembers what I was like as a child, you would have never thought I would be living in another country so far away from home. Well, times change and people grow up. I am still amazed by this. I guess some people are ready to leave the nest earlier in life and for those like me, we realize it later. For those of you who didn't know me as a child, I was seriously attached to my mom. I was attached to her hip. I couldn't leave her side, and when she would leave for work, I would run to the front to of our house, which had a mail hole, and cry through the mail hole, hoping she would hear me and come back. Now, let me remind you, I was like 2 or 3 years old, so it's normal for a toddler to cry when a parent  leaves. My problem was, I had this separation anxiety till the age of 19. I didn't cry until that age, but I feared leaving my parents. Then something sparked in me and I had to cut the umbilical, leave the nest, and travel to Europe. Since my European trip in 2006, I worked my ass off to get back here to this wonderful continent.  Now that I am here, I am trying to find ways to stay. I tell people I want to marry a German and stay... they laugh at me, but I am serious : ) I guess I should marry for love instead of permanent residency, but this country  kick major ass. So any sort of alternative to stay... I might consider it. Otherwise it's back to the states for Julie. Don't worry my European friends, I will return again, maybe next time I will stay even longer : ) Maybe I could come back and get my Masters here. It's a lot cheaper to get your Masters here in Germany than in the states, even if you are an international student. The average cost to get your Masters is around 500-600 Euros a semester. So we are looking at around 500 Euros = 680.45 USD or 600 Euros= 816.54 USD. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than in the states, considering the fact that an average Masters program in the states is around $20-30,000. I am heavily considering this. It's incredible that nowadays one must get their Masters to get a decent job. No longer is your Bachelors the most valued degree. Times are changing and so are the standards, they keep getting higher and higher. Can I keep up?
   On a lighter note, steering away from financial and academic aspirations, lets talk about traveling!

Basel, Switzerland, Rhein/ Rhine River

So I have been a neglecter to this whole blog situation and "es tut mir leid= sorry." I have been on the go since December. My friend came out here, we traveled through die Schweiz (Switzerland) and Frankreich (France).  Switzerland is extremely over priced. Basel is a cool city, but one must be smart with their money, because it goes fast. We lived off of Döner and wine the entire time.  Unfortunately, our time was limited and we couldn't check out the array of museums. When I say array, I mean the continuous spectrum of museums from the most random "Kutschenmuseum" which displays coaches and sleighs of the 19th and 20th century  to the "Kunsthalle" which opened in 1872 and is one of the leading houses for international contemporary art. Instead we just explored the city and sat next to the Rhein River and listened to beautiful Zach Condon from the band Beirut sing one of my faves "Rhineland." My infatuation with that man has grown deeper... We also were trying to avoid our psychotic room mate from the hostel we were staying at. His name was Joseph and he was from Sicily. I could tell you the story, but this blog would turn into a novel.

Notre Dame

       PARIS! The greatest city in the world! But they should definitely reconsider the name, "City of Romance , and rename it, "The City of Stairs." My "glutes" were at their "maximus" while climbing up hundreds of stairs. At one point in one of the metros, I had to pull over to the side and take a breath. 
Every time I go to Paris, I never want to leave. I truly think it is a city I could live in. The people, culture, food, and architecture are incredible. I have never had a hard time in Paris. As long as you are an open-minded individual willing to learn about their culture and respond with a "Bonjour or Merci" you will be fine. In fact, one of our waiters explained the entire menu in English and in French. It took him like 20 minutes to do so.... need I say more? Paris rules! My goal was to meet a cute Frenchie name Jean-Luc and walk along the Seine, gazing into one another's eyes.. him saying sweet nothings into my ear........ but that never happened. Instead Jackie and I did the complete touristy thing and jammed packed our days to the max with sightseeing. If anyone is considering going to Paris, check out this link. It is the best guide to the Paris metros, and if you follow it, you will never get lost. If you get lost, you are an idiot, because even I could follow this with no problem.
http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21879/tourists/
We arrived in Paris on a Saturday night, and the first thing we did was go to church! Mom and dad you would be so proud. We went to the Notre Dame and attended the Saturday evening mass. This Gothic masterpiece took 170 years to construct.  Pope Alexander III laid the first stone in 1163 which marked the toil by armies of Gothic architects and medieval craftsmen. Who would have thought this cathedral would attract millions of tourist like ourselves... standing in the freezing cold weather, fearing frostbite. The cathedral was spectacular, but my favorite part was mass...really. I enjoyed standing in one place, listening to the priest in French, instead of walking around and fighting the crowds. The choir was spectacular. Their voices echoed, deep and powerfully through every portal within the church.

Jackie and I after church, we felt rejoiced and cold.

After a dose of religion and history, we checked out the Latin Quarter. This vibrant and lively quarter is great for drinking and eating. When traveling, sometimes I am a little shy, so when owners of the restaurants come running out and offering us a spot at their restaurant, I take it. It's so much easier when the owners seek you instead of you seeking a restaurant. Paris is an expensive city, so Jackie and I were convinced when the owner offered us salad, pizza, and drinks for 15 Euros. Done and done. After stuffing our faces we decided to go to bed and get a good nights sleep. We stayed in the Bastille Quarter with the coolest Frenchies ever! They are actually a friend of a friend of a friend.... if that makes sense. It's like the 6 degrees of separation with this one. Anywho... they were complete gentlemen and great hosts. I even got a free accordion and ukulele lesson. Although I don't think there is a future for me in the music industry, it was pretty fun pretending to play. Did you know that in France, there is a special cake for every month and some sort of traditional event that goes along with it? Just a little trivia for ya.
So anywho... we filled the rest of the week with extreme sightseeing and extreme all you can eat fromage and baguette eating. The French know how to make damn good cheese and damn good wine. 

Louvre

Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

The Eiffel Tower was great as always. It's still romantic and it still has millions of stairs to climb. But here is a little advise for the Louvre.... go first thing in the morning. Don't even attempt what we did and go to the Pantheon and then Montmartre - Sacre Couer  and finally the Louvre. Because by the time you reach the Louvre, you will have no desire to stay there longer than 2 hours. And for this museum you need an entire week to see everything. Lets just say, we saw the  famous pieces and then headed out the door. We were exhausted. 
My favorite section of Paris is the Montmartre. By the end of the 19th century this area was the mecca for artists, writers, poets, and musicians. Between 1890 and 1920 this was home to some of the most talented and influential artists such as Picasso, Van Dongen, Marie Laurencin, and Juan Gris who all resided at the Bateau-Lavoir and its squalid conditions. I guess it gives a new meaning to "stuggling artists." Artists gathered to sample the bordellos, cabarets, revues, and other exotica which gave the Montmartre it's reputation. I enjoyed walking up the tiny squares and winding streets, to long stairways, that led to the Sacré-Cœur. This Romano Byzantine basilica was built from 1875-1914. The reason behind the construction of this church was behind the minds of two Catholic businessmen who made a private religious vow. It was to build a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Christ, should France be separated by the Prussian onslaught. The idea was conjured at the outbreak of the Franco Prussian War in 1870. Here's a little insight: During the Siege of Paris when Prussia invaded France in 1870 that lasted for four months, Parisians became so hungry that they ate all the animals in the city..... you know what that means... any kind of animal, horses, dogs, cats, you name it, they ate it. 

Sacre Coeur

   Versailles Versailles Versailles. Well, it's everything you imagine it to be. Big, beautiful, and very pink...? This flamboyantly decorated Château is a must see! The courtyard of the Chateau is decorated with pink marble paving, urns, busts, and a gilded balcony.  Who knew that King Louis XIV had such a flare for style.  The continuum of construction began in the 1660's by Louis Le Vau. The series of envelopes to this grand Château grew and grew until 1770's. Inside the Château the main apartments were richly decorated by Charles Le Brun with coloured marbles, wood carvings, velvet, gold, silver, stone, murals, and gilded furniture. Whatever sparkled and shined brightly, was used, and used heavily. I was inspired to decorate my own home like this. Sorry for whomever lives with me in the future, but I like glitz and glamor  and so did my boy Charles Le Brun. My favorite part of the palace was the gardens. Even though it was freezing outside, and the wind didn't help matters, it was really cool seeing the dozens of fountains frozen. It seemed as if time had frozen as well. I love the geometric shaped flowerbeds and hedges. I was just envisioning Marie Antoinette strolling through the gardens on a sunny summer afternoon eating cake : ) The fountains were incredible. Highly stylized and dramatic. Strolling through the vast gardens, you can understand why it was the glory of the Sun King's reign. I highly recommend visiting Versailles anytime of the year. No matter what time you go from the dead of winter to the intensely hot summer days, you will get a different effect each time. It's a magical place. Oh! I recommend going on a Wednesday morning in early January.... there were no lines! 

Versailles

Fountain of Neptune

Well our seven days in Paris came to an end and we had to say Au revoir! But rest assure Paris, Julie will be back. Our love affair will never end. Back to the Tuebs!
       24th Birthday! Wow, I am 24, but I feel 16. Will I ever grow up? Time to be serious...? Never! I definitely realized through this journey that my priorities have changed. I no longer want to stay the super senior, I actually want to graduate and move on with my life. Like I said before, I am considering a Masters program... but I still dream about my own Travel Channel Show..... we will see. Shoot high, dream big, and succeed! So the big B-Day was a success. I danced my arse off and shared the day with great friends. They took care of me the entire night, making sure my drink was full, and that I was having a spectacular time and I did...from what I remember : )

24th B-Day wooo hooo!

Top10 Disko

     Berlin Berlin Berlin! I always treated this city like the red-headed stepchild. Every time I visit this city, I was never completely satisfied. I guess I never fully understood the Berlin culture until now. My program traveled to Berlin for a weekend, and lets just say, memories were made. I now really appreciate the city, and I think we now have an understanding between one another. The girls I roomed with were so much fun, and we all shared a common appreciation for my good friend Teddy. After that weekend, the girls were convinced to start a Ted Fan Club. No joke, he changed lives that weekend with his never ending jokes and charming ways. The entire weekend was cultural, historical, and party machen experience. The woman in charge of our program in Tuebingen is part of the  Grünen Partei, which is the green environmental political party in Germany. So she pulled some rank, and we were able to sit in the Bundestag which is Berlin's parliamentary quarter. The members of the Bundestag represent the people of Germany. So we got to hear to speeches about transportation and soldiers in Afghanistan by all the political parties. It was really cool. I felt very important, to be permitted to attend such a political experience. Not only did we listen to the speeches, but we saw Angela Merkel twice. For those of you who are not fans of the Merkel, I understand, but for me, it was a unique experience. I am partial to her views, but it's still an experience to see someone who is at the head of a country. We saw her in the Bundestag and the Bundesregierung. There she was only 15 feet away from us. I slapped my friend Ted when I saw her, then I started to wave. No words came out of my mouth, but she noticed the wave. We were on the go the entire weekend. Walking tours of the city, visiting museums (entirely hungover) and also traveling to the East side of Berlin to see the Stasi prison.  This prison was a former Soviet special camp and remand prison of the Ministry of State Security. This was a depressing day. Hearing the torture that was endured by the prisoners. 

Brandenburg Gate

Blick von der Kuppel. The dome in the Bundestag.

Not only was the Berlin experience a political, historical, and monumental success, but it was a eating success. Gluttony 2011 we are on our way! Wow, anything that looked good, no matter if we were hungry or not, we ate it. First, we gorged ourselves with free 
continental breakfast, then moved onto "California" Burritos, Doners, Chinese food, and the best Burger Restaurant in the world..... "White Trash Fast Food." I was there in August, and it changed my life, so I made it a mission to spread the joy and tell my friends it is a must! That place never lets me down. It's always a magical experience. The decor is fantastic. It's a rock n roll, punk, alternative, musical vibe with musical memorabilia decorations and random items- fish tanks, underwear, and skeleton decor. The burgers kick major ass! I had the Warm Goat Cheese Burger with Walnut Pesto Sauce. My friend had the Extreme chilly cheese burger, and then there was the King Elvis Supreme Burger with sour kraut, bacon, BBQ sauce, and cheddar cheese. The menu states, " Eat this burger tonight and fart like a king tomorrow." Don't go to this restaurant without eating. That would be one of the biggest mistakes of your life.

The real deal.

So Yeah, Berlin was a fun time. Now it's back to work and studying. There is no time for shananagans. In like 11 days I leave for China. I know I know it sounds crazy, but I am convinced I might be a little nutty : ) You might be wondering, Why China? Well, I have always wanted to go there, and I know someone living out there, so why not? This is the time to experience these things. Who knows what the future will bring, so do it now, while you can. The situation is probably the craziest thing I have ever done. I am traveling to China to visit someone I have known for a few days in person, but have kept a daily/weekly contact with him. So yeah, CRAZY, but it will be fun. I have no doubts, it will be a good time. It will be a memory making time. That's what life is all about. If you want to do something, do it. If you want to see something, see it. Experience all you can that life has in store for you. So I leave you with this. A little piece of what is about to happen. Don't worry, I will return with tons of stories and photos. 
                                                                               TO BE CONTINUED.........




Ciao my friends and family! I love you and can't wait to talk to you again!


Yours truly,
Julie