Greetings from the Deep South.  I am happily home now, after a wonderful but exhausting 5 weeks on the road in Europe.  There is very little evidence of the ceiling cave-in at my apartment (shout out to Amanda for that one).  I slept very well last night, more than content to sleep in my own super-comfortable bed.  Jet lag may help me climb out from under the massive pile of work that has accummulated, since I woke up today at 5:30 am. 

My laptop that was shipped from Germany back to here in early June is not at my apartment.  I am trying not to stress over this, until I check at school.  For the record, this means I have one old computer, one missing computer, and one computer without a power cord. 
UPDATE- The computer was at the office.  Sigh of relief.  I do feel dumb now, though, for emailing the Germany group yesterday to find out where they had shipped it. 

The flights home were just fine.  I can't really think of much that is worth reporting.  On my Amsterdam - Memphis leg of the flight, I met several nice people.  You've just got to love the friendly southerners, who made up a large portion of that flight.  They were very chatty, and one older man in particular amused me with his un-PC comments about Europe.  Interestingly (for me), his son coaches Nik Caner-Medley in a German professional basketball league.  I love that Terrapin connection.

Once I sort out this computer situation a little more, I'll start posting pictures and more stories from the last part of my journey.  Until then.

As I've whined about time and again, I have limited computer power and internet access, but to tease you a bit, I wanted to make a list of entries that I will post when I have the available resources.  I am happy to report that (I think) I am finally almost healthy again.  Just in time for a 10 hour flight.

+  Driving throught the Italian Riviera.  Oh. My Gosh.  Gorgeous.  This includes lunch in San Remo, which was my second-favorite meal of the trip.  It was a Rick Steves Back Door experience, with all the charm that entails.

+ The Cinque Terre in all its glory.  I loved it there.  Even though I didn't feel so great.

+ Pisa, and many steps.

+ Siena, and my third favorite meal of the trip.

+ Florence, more steps, and the best meal of the trip.

+ Rome, the Colosseum, the Vatican, and more steps.  Plus, Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps, and yummy gelato.

+ Some thoughts on the ESA conference in Rome. 

I hope I don't forget the funny stories.  If they don't make it to the blog, I'm sure they'll find their way out of me in conversation.  At least, that's been my experience so far!

Top 10 things I'll miss about Europe:

10.  The ability to get around without a car.  (And seeing daredevil Vespas EVERYwhere.   Polly, I now understand your prior infatuation with them.  I want one).
9.  Not having to cook any of my meals.
8.  Interesting, fun travel companions.
7.  Constantly changing cityscapes/landscapes.
6. Incredible art collections of the masters.
5. Really old, beautiful churches and ruins.
4. Good, cheap Italian/French wine, and German/Czech beer.
3. Gelato.
2. Good coffee, lattes, cappuccinos.  Consistently good.  Mmm. 
1. The Italian Riviera.

Top 10 things I'm looking forward to at home:
10.  Showering without flip flops.
9.  The ability to communicate via phone and email at will.
8.  The return of my personal space (thank you, America, for your ridiculously large personal space parameters).
7.  Driving my Honda. 
6.  My church and church friends
5.  My towels, which smell like my detergent.
4.  My sheets, without mystery hairs.
3.  Computers, with power cords, that do not have to be carried many kilometers on my back.
2.  My bed.
1.  Being able talk to and see my family and friends (I miss you!).

NB-- this was written June 22.  This is the first time I have had a wireless connection since then.  Unfortunately, my battery will die in less than an hour, so I won't be able to update much more today...  I am in Germany for an overnight layover (yes, I paid for a hotel room), and then it's a 12-hour-travel-day tomorrow to arrive home. 

I love budget airlines, I hate budget airlines.  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

I woke up today feeling like the flamenco dancers from the other night were dancing on my face.  I love sinuses.  A., who is fluent in French, was able to translate the information page for the medicine I bought in Paris, and it turns out it was perfect for my symptoms.  Feeling a bit more human, A., K. and I packed and checked out of the hotel, which was the worst 5 star hotel I’ve ever stayed in.  (okay, so I don’t have extensive experience in this area).  It would have been a bad 4 star.  Or 3 star.  The workers were rude on every front, except in the hotel terrace bar.  The concierges were rude, the deskmen were rude, the breakfast waiters were rude; when K. complained about construction noises that had kept us all up one night, their initial response: “Oh, well, it must be one of your friends.”  What the crap.  All of her friends were trying to sleep in the room too.  None of us had snuck into the ceiling to bang on pipes with a hammer.  When she further explained that the noises were coming from the ceiling (and we were on the 14^th floor of a 14-floor building), only then did they say they would look into it.  Yeah, so back to the bill—we were charged 16 euros—yes, that’s 16 euros, because we asked the jerkface concierge about local wineries.  Jerks.  5 stars = kiss my butt.  5 times.

Madrid—2 thumbs way way up.  It’s a great city.

Hotal Husa Princesa (not really) 5 star hotel—two thumbs way way down.  Avoid it.

After checking out, we had lunch at a nearby (crowded) café.  I don’t know why anyone eats there.  It was crap.  First of all, and this was language-related and not their fault, we thought we ordered fish but we ordered pork. Yuck.  Then, K. found 2 hairs in her salad.  Then, I had a hair on my egg.  Here’s the kicker—when I took it in to show them, the jerk worker said (in Spanish) “that’s not mine or his, that’s your hair.”  I would like to describe the hair to you—it’s short, and black. My hair is not short and not black.  Jerks.  I was so annoyed, and this came on the heels of our fun with Hotel Kiss My Butt.

We then took a taxi to the Museo del Prado, which (due to scheduling delays) I only got to see for about 45 minutes.  I have to say, though, buying the museum pass the first day made me feel better—I didn’t feel like I had dropped 6 euros for a quick spin.  [I used that pass for all 3 museums].  It may have worked out well in the end, too, since it was lots of renaissance and enlightenment art, and I’ve had a lot of that lately.  I’m about at my saturation point there.  I got to see a very intriguing painting by Bosch, a tri-something (three panels, where the two side ones can close over the middle one), in which the left panel depicted paradise/creation, the middle panel, earth, and the right panel, hell.  It was very interesting, and very different from a lot of the other paintings there.  And the company in the taxi and museum was nice.

Due to rush hour timing, I decided to use the metro to get back to the hotel to collect my luggage, then get to the airport.  I arrived about 90 minutes before my flight—should be ample time, but I have been giving myself more on these European flights.  Maybe not such a good idea.

So budget airlines are the reason I’m able to do so much city hopping while I’m here.  At the same time, they have been the source of many headaches on my trip.  I’m not sure I’d use them so much if I were to ever try this again.  Today’s latest experience was another day of exorbitant fees.  My luggage, as you all well know, hovers around the 20 kg mark. Unfortunately, RyanAir only allows 15 kg.  I knew going in that I was going to pay for this one, and I did, but to top it all off:

- The check in counter for them was hidden (no joke here, I wasn’t being spacey, it was hidden).  So I practically ran from terminal 2 to terminal 1, then covered the entire length of the not-small Terminal 1, only to learn I had to go back to the other end.  Nice, eh. 

- The line was very long, and the workers were working in the opposite of forward motion.  I didn’t get through the check in line until my boarding time, and I still had to hit security.  And I wasn’t the last person in line, by far.

- I had to pay 40 euros for my baggage (okay, can’t really be too bitter, I knew this one going in).

On a bright note, I got an exit row seat = lots of leg room.

The flight was uneventful, but I can’t hear out of my left ear again.  Flying in, I saw some of the most breathtaking landscapes I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes.  Gorgeous, gorgeous Marseille.  J

But wait, there’s more to this day—

So the plan was for me to call P. (friend from DC) and B. (friend of P. living in Switzerland) to meet me at the airport, and we’d drive to our hotel.  I arrive, and after about 5 futile tries on the pay phone with my calling card, can’t get the call to go through.  I then realize I have two versions of B.’s phone number, so I doubled the frustration, because I had to try each method twice.  Even though I have a calling card, I had to use a credit card to finally get it to work.  Thankfully, a very kind French woman, Carolina, helped me try to figure it out.  I must have looked pretty pitiful.  She helped me decipher the European cell phone number, and how to make the call, and walked me to the other Terminal even.  When she left, she gave me her phone number because at that point, I still hadn’t figured out a way to connect with P. and B., and I also have no information about what hotel we’re staying in tonight.  Bonus.  After much ado (but I don’t think it was about nothing), I got through, and got voicemail, which didn’t say the name.  Ack.  I left a message, having no idea if it was the right number, and then tried again about 10 minutes later, and got the guys.  Apparently, my first call coincided with a potty break on their drive from Switzerland to Marseille.  So we finally connected, and I then learn that the rental car place didn’t have a car for them when it was supposed to, so they were 5—count ‘em 5—hours behind the expected schedule.  So I’m sitting in the Marseille airport typing this, waiting for them to arrive.  But, they will arrive, and we will have a good time.  I’m actually feeling more at peace now than since my day began with annoying charges from an annoying hotel that is deluded about its specialness.

Except, interjection here about 10 minutes after writing that—I just realized that A. and K. have my computer charger.  I guess in the packing, someone grabbed it thinking it was theirs.  This is very very bad!!!

I am totally stoked for this next portion of my trip—reading the guidebooks on the plane ride, they all say variations of the same thing: Beautiful beaches, beautiful towns, fantastic food, fantastic wine.  Bring it on!

I think the tentative plan is to see a little bit of Provence, then head to Monaco to meet up with a few of B’s and P’s friends, then hit my most-anticipated portion of the trip—Cinque Terre in Italy.  Woo hoo!

I know I’m behind on pictures… I’ll work on that!

So the title is not quite what you think, probably.  I am learning a lot at my conference, and I present later today.  I am nervous, but the presentation is only 10 minutes, so it can only be so bad.  Hopefully, of course, it will be good. 

I have had some interesting lunch companions the past few days.  Yesterday, I ate with one of the world's leading experimental economists, and today I ate with a leading neuroeconomics guy, and the one and only Vernon Smith (a Nobel prize winner in economics).  As you can probably imagine, I think I spoke a total of 10 words at the lunches.  Combined.  It has been completely accidental, but at least it gives me a story to tell, I guess.  The conference has been very tightly scheduled, which is better than a poorly-managed one, but it leaves little room (almost none, in fact) for sight seeing.  I may try to see a little bit before leaving tomorrow for Germany.

In case you are keeping track, I still do not have my power cord, and my luggage will be hideously over the weight limit for the first leg of my flight home, since I am flying a budget airline to Germany.  The good news is, I just found out today that some folks I know from my stint there a few weeks ago will be on my flight. 

Off to another conference session...

Buongiorno!  Unfortunately, this is going to be another short entry.  My hotel here in Roma does not have internet, and so I am stuck with internet cafes.  Plus, the whole power cord issue...

Anyway, I am continuing to enjoy Italy.  From Cinque Terre, we drove to Pisa and got the obligatory leaning tower shot.  B, P an I had quite a bit of fun photographing other tourists looking silly.  The baptistery and cathedral there were both very impressive-- we were glad we decided to side trip there.  We then hit Siena in Tuscany, which was fantastic, and spent a day in Florence.  Donna-- I now have my own Ciao Bella shirt. :)  Florence was great, and we ended the day with an incredibly delicious dinner.  The restaurant was wonderful.  It will get its own post later! 

From Siena (our base for those 2 day), we came to Roma.  Yesterday, we saw the Colosseum, an impressive structure.  It is surreal to be here, seeing things from thousands of years ago.  Today, we hit the Vatican City, and saw the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peters Cathedral (and yes, we climbed all 550 steps to the top!).

I have so many fun pictures to share, and am excited to post them the next time I have wireless access.  I will also post more detailed accounts.  Until then!

Ciao.

Hi all-

Internet access in this portion of the trip is, as you can tell, sporadic.  I had quite a day on Friday, and wrote a long entry about that, only to discover that my laptop charger had unfortunately been packed in K's bag, and so is in Lisbon.  I am trying to conserve my laptop use so that I can work on my Rome presentation.

The past few days have been a blast.  I met up with P (friend from DC) and his friend B (who lives in Switzerland now) on Friday night in Marseille. For the record, Marseille looks very rough at 11 at night, which is when we arrived.  After driving around looking for parking, we finally checked into the hotel.  None of us had eaten dinner at this point, so we went looking for food, now after midnight. After a wild goose chase through the port region, arriving at several restaurants to hear them say "sorry, we stop serving at twelve" we were directed to a 24 hour kebab place.  We were happy to find something open, and happily ordered.  Once we sat down, we made the startling realization that I was the most-clad woman on the block. Yes, beyond all odds, we had managed to eat dinner on a street side cafe in the red light district.  Just so you know, Mom and Dad, it is decidedly NOT my goal to see the red light district in every city, though it may seem that way.  We chuckled our way through dinner, then headed back.  We got a mid-morning start on Saturday, and had much better thoughts about Marseille in the daylight.   

The drive eastward was fantastic, with unbelieveable views of the Mediterranean the whole way.  We met up with 2 of B's friends in a small Italian town called San Remo.  There, we all decided we loved Italy.  We seemed to be the only Americans in this seaside town, and our waiter was very helpful and friendly.  We even got a picture with him!  It was so charming.  Just wait until you see the pictures.  We then made our way to La Spezia, where we stayed for 2 nights.  Sunday, we hiked through Cinque Terre towns 1 through 4, and then took a train to town 5, where we swam in the sea.  It was every bit as beautiful as I was hoping.  It did not disappoint.  All 5 of us were glad we had done that. 

I am going to have to post some more stories later, but we are off to Siena and Pisa today, Florence tomorrow, and Rome on Wednesday.  Italy is by far my favorite country so far.  This place is just gorgeous.

Arrivederci!

Happy birthday, Walter!

Yesterday was a more relaxed day in Madrid, since all the others were away for a day trip to Toledo.  It provided a nice break, and since I am sick again  (sucky!), it was good to take it easy.  I got a haircut at a local salon.  The cut wasn´t too bad, but the lady insisted on doing a special treatment that doubled the cost.  I tried arguing in Spanish, but wasn´t having success, and then just gave in.  I think I like the haircut. 

I had the opportunity to do a little work, too, which was good.  That´s about it for Thursday.  We are going to see the Museo del Prado today before leaving, then I´m off for the roadtrip portion of my trip.

Adios, una vez mas.

Wednesday was another full day of fun in Spain.  My two new friends (A. and P.)  and I set out for the Museo de la Reina Sofia, which has an extensive Picasso collection.   I tend to prefer Impressionism and more realistic paintings, but have a new appreciation for Picasso’s work.  This museum houses La Guernica, and it was very cool to see all the sketches that were behind that huge work.  After several hours in the museum, we were very hungry, so we just picked a nearby café for lunch.  P. and I ordered “hamburguesas” which apparently in Spain is “fried ham patty” and NOT beef.  Unfortunately.  We were so hungry, we ate it anyway, but that’s a lesson to remember.  Ick.

After that, we took a little break, and I had the most delicious gelato of the trip so far.  Clearly, the Germans had no idea what they were doing—I actually thought in Germany that I wasn’t a big fan of gelato.  Turns out, I don’t like bad gelato.  Mmm!  I can’t wait for Italy’s version.  We wrapped up our day with a walk by the Palacio Real, a beautiful palace and gardens.  

Another friend from grad school who is a professor here in Madrid met up with the big group for dinner, and took us to a great Mexican place near where he lives.  Again, we were all quite hungry, but E. didn’t seem to get this, so we walked in what seemed like circles through back alleys for 30 minutes until we got to a quaint square with the restaurant.  The food was fabulous, and our waiter was fun. 

We had made reservations for a flamenco show, and were supposed to arrive by 10 pm to keep our reservation.  After the leisurely dinner, a few of our group decided to go ahead and reserve the table while the rest of us settled the bill.  Unfortunately, the group that left included a resident of Madrid, and our appointed navigator.  Which means that the 5 of us remaining were in trouble.  We realized, after arriving at the plaza where the place was, that none of us knew the name of the place, or the address, or even which street it was on.  This made for an interesting evening.  We decided to ask passersby where a nearby flamenco place would be, and proceeded to go on a wild goose chase throughout Madrid.  I think we ran from corner to corner for more than 30 minutes, stopping additional people when we lost our way.  At one point, we think we ended up in Madrid’s version of the red light district, which was interesting, I guess.  It’s certainly not a part of town I would have seen otherwise.  One of the flamenco clubs we tried seemed a bit less focused on the flamenco part, and more on the dancing women part, if you catch my drift.  It was an adventure, for sure.  I had just about given up hope of finding the place (Okay, we’re in a city where we barely speak the language, we have no name, and no address—needle in a haystack, anyone?), and another in the group had proposed giving up the search if the next place wasn’t it.  But, lucky for us, it was.  We were happy to meet up with the group, and they were happy to see us, as they had realized that we probably were having trouble.  

The flamenco show was absolutely brilliant.  The dancers were amazing, their feet were blurred because they were moving so fast.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was completely blown away by their talent.  

On Thursday, all those associated with the conference are heading to Toledo for a day trip, so I am hoping to hole up and get some work done, around a trip to the Prado.  As you may have noticed, there haven’t been many mentions of work for the past 2 weeks… J  I have to prove to the doubters that I am actually doing work while I’m over here, even when I’m not in the conferences! 

Hello again from Madrid, a fabulous city.  Today was a nice day that seemed like 3 days in one.  The morning involved a leisurely breakfast in the 5-STAR hotel I'm staying in, which contributed to a late start.  In case you are wondering, 5 stars are very different from 2 or 3 stars.  Whoa, that's all.  WHOA. 

My new friends and I (friends of the friend I'm staying with here, who is stuck in a conference all day) ventured out to the Thysseum Museum, via the Puerta del Sol (Gateway to the Sun) plaza.  It was a picture perfect day, and this city is gorgeous.  We spent a few hours wandering through the enormous gallery, which housed all sorts of paintings.  It even had several sculptures by my new favorite artist, Rodin.  It was a really great collection, and taking in art with others really adds to the experience (plus, one of the women is an artist, providing that perspective). 

We met up with the others for dinner, and after a muy deliciosa dinner of tapas and sangria, we wandered through the streets a bit more.  I am happy to report that our waiter this evening was very pleasant, and was helpful in directing our ordering.  I got three pieces of art from an artist in the Plaza Mayor, which show three perspectives of the Plaza. I was (and still am) stoked about the art, but have to admit that I was a tad disappointed to learn he was from New York and had lived in Boston!  It made it seem less authentic, but hey, the drawings are in Spain, of Spain, and definitely originals. 

So after a fun day, full of laughs shared by friends new and old, I am ready for bed!

Ciao.