just a-journalin'

Since I've arrived, I've been journaling constantly ... there's so much going on that there's always something new for me to process or think about or observe. For a writer, it's exciting because there's a lot of grist for the mill, a lot of new, meaty experiences to sink my teeth into. And right now all of my groupmates are searching the internet for hotel deals in Venice, which I'm hopeless at. Clearly. So here's a transcription of some of my recent journal entries.

From May 26, near midnight:
I think photographs can say so much more than my utterly incompetent words ever could. In fact, as I journal, I'm feeling extremely frustrated. The words won't express how I feel at all. So, let me try to set this small scene: it's near midnight, downstairs in the lobby/kitchen area of the Villages Hotel; the night manager has one of the glass doors open and he's talking loudly in French on the phone ... two of my classmates just came in from dinner and said they tried some bizarre mixture of liquer and beer. The outside street is quiet, but over my iPod I can still hear the clinking of tiny espresso cups from the neighboring cafe, and I can hear chatting and coughing wafting in along with a cool breeze from the open door ... a small red motor scooter revs down the road, past the red sign on the door to the hotel that says Bonjour! Entrez vous etes les bienvenus. As well as variations on that theme in German and English. My body is sore, my head is hot, I'm a mess ... but I'm also completely peaceful.

A castle, a hotel and a lake - it's Switzerland!

More pictures ...



For some reason, I've been taking pictures of every weird sign I see ... this one is probably my favorite. I'll have to post my Strange Sign Series at a later date, when I'm less scatter-brained.



Geneve, Switzerland ... everyone rides motor scooters around Europe.



The famous Lake Geneva. It was big, it was watery, it was a lake. It was beautiful, sure, but everything else was more interesting than it, really. Such as the chocolates.



Montreux, Switzerland ... I really, really loved Montreux. If I could go back, I'd skip Lake Geneva and just spend an entire day roaming the waterfront in Montreux. It had such an easy, breezy feel, and was just gorgeous. Plus, there were so many different types of people and foods and trinkets ... very cool.



The mountainous, watery vista on the cobblestone path toward the castle ...



The castle in Montreux ... it cost 12 euros to get in, and the line was enormous, so I had to enjoy just the outside. Which was amazing, in and of itself.

I promised it, so you get it ...

Pictures! These are of Dijon, the city where we're staying...



Set for dinner ... about 6 blocks from our hotel.



The biggest, oldest, and only "official" cathedral in Dijon. The size is intimidating.



A close-up on the detail of the underside of a staircase in the cathedral.



A building front on the street ... very old, medievalish and well-preserved.



The Palais du Ducs Bourgogne, or in other words, the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. Facing it is several cafes, and it's so beautiful at night when there are hundreds of people out eating dinner in the evening hours.