Andrew Bird in Stockholm

It was super cool to be right next to the stage.  Thank goodness I can't read Swedish and showed up 4 hours before the show actually started.

A little bit of the south of France...

"Sometimes it's more heroic to lose."

Two of the greatest books about two of the coolest guys ever.  I highly suggest them.

"I believe that life is basically a process of growth-that we go through many lives, choosing those situations and problems that we will learn through.  I believe that we form our own lives, that we create our own reality, and that everything works out for the best. I know I drive some people crazy with what seems to be ridiculous optimism, but it has always worked out for me."

-Jim Henson

Versailles: three times is probably enough.

Took my parents to Versailles while we were in Paris, since it is definitely worth checking out if you haven't before.  I'm more of a fan of the gardens and Marie-Antoinette's little hamlet, but the insane size and opulence of the chateau is pretty amazing, and the entire thing definitely makes me think "well of course the peasants hated them! this is ridiculous!".  Also ridiculous is the amount of people there, waiting in the ticket line, the line to get in, the bathroom line...thats why the grounds are nicer because they are huge and people are more spread out. It's a very cool place though...you can rent bikes and rowboats and golf carts or go running or whatever.  This time around we went into Le Grand Trianon and Le Petit Trianon, the vacation home and Marie-Antoinette's digs, which were small but interesting and not crowded.  And then of course, the Hamlet, my favorite part...which makes one realize how totally awesome it would have been to be able to have an entire perfect Disney-princess village to one's self. Probably not worth it considering the outcome, but it was probably a blast while it lasted.  It's kind of cool that they still use it as a farm/animal sanctuary, with cows and ducks and sheep and everything.  

Ouchy take two!

Mmmm cheese

My parents just left yesterday, it was super fun having them here, and very strange to see them leave and then spend Easter alone watching Gilmore Girls and eating poptarts. It was definitely a new experience leading people around Europe...I don't think anyone's going to hire me as a tour guide any time soon. Our first little trip was to Gruyere, about 50 minutes from Lausanne (longer if you can't follow the google maps directions). It's a little higher up in the mountains, very old and quaint with a castle and walled village, and pretty amazing views of the Alps. The town is probably most famous as being the home of Gruyere cheese, the delicious salty expensive cheese.

There was a really old wheelchair at the castle that I thought was cool, I'm not sure how the guy got around with those little joysticks, but apparently there was a trapdoor and pulley system they built so the wheelchair could get to the second floor. Those smarty pants Switzys I tell ya!

For a certain little man.

Maybe a potential stationery design.

Maybe?

Baby Pigs!

And we're off!

Image via http://www.geocities.com/napavalley/3227/images/pr_lutefisk.jpg

Lots of exciting things happening....my mom and dad are coming Friday for a week-it will be our first time together in a foreign country!  Let the shenanigans begin.  We're going to Paris for a few days and then hanging out around here...eating poptarts and watching Gilmore Girls...mmm just like home.  

BUT what is also exciting is my graduation present.  My brothers got cars, and I got....financial assistance with a trip to Sweden and Norway!!  The land where everyone will be able to pronounce my last name.  It's going to be bitchin'.  My knowledge of Norway is basically that they are mainly descendants of vikings and the villagers the vikings raped, things are really expensive, there are lots of fjords, some of the food they eat is very unappetizing (like lutefisk a.k.a. fish marinated in lye), and enjoy strong drinks (or maybe it was just my Grandpa that liked spiced hot wine mixed with everclear...hmm).  Probably none of these things are true, except for the lutefisk part. I want to try and see if I can find some distant relatives with my last name....I have a small hope that I might find someone with my exact name.  A little freaky, possibly unlikely, but one of those stupid things I wonder about.

Spring is coming slowly but surely.

These little yellow flowers have been popping up all over, as well as little purple ones.  I'm not sure what they are, but they're pretty and are getting me excited for spring-my favorite season!  This dog poop bin is not as pretty, but I like how it says "bravo", or the dog is supposed to be saying it or something. 

Another pretty thing I've discovered lately is the Iron & Wine song "Flightless Bird, American Mouth".  Ok, discovered from the Twilight movie....that's right, I kind of liked it, and watched it two times in a row (I couldn't tell if I liked it or not the first time).  Robert Pattison is nice to look at...although it seems that the screenwriters thought it would be a good idea to make the inner monologues of the book into silence in the film.  Or maybe it was just Kristen Stewart...who knows.  I read all the books in about a week and a half and liked them a lot, I am now unashamed to say.  I will take all the forms of entertainment I can get at this point, secretly-preachy-mormon or not.

Naar kip centraal!

Ok, so the only words of Dutch that I learned (and retained) are to, chicken, and central.  Which may happen to be the name of a restaurant somewhere in Holland...or just a fun phrase to say.  At any rate, Dutch is super hard to understand, unless you know German or are super smart and language-savvy.  Luckily, pretty much everyone speaks English (since no other countries speak Dutch and they realize it's silly to not be able to talk with anyone else in the world), and of course are super-achievers and start learning French and German at a young age while ALSO learning English.  If that doesn't make you feel badly about yourself, most Dutch people also apparently get at the very least their Masters degree.  

They are so smart that they successfully live on mostly reclaimed land below sea level and don't get flooded all the time like Venice.  Slightly weird to think about, but the canals are pretty and I suppose make for more apartments with a nice view.  The transportation is pretty great and easy, although everyone says the best way to get around is by bike, to get "the real Amsterdam experience".  What they fail to include is that while it may be real and green and all that, it is incredibly stressful.  It is great that they have so many bike lanes and little special bike stoplights and everything, but after almost running over a few tourists and near accidents with other bikes, an hour was enough for me.  Walking is much easier and safer (if you stay out of the red-colored bike lanes).  I did get the chance to ride on the back rack of someone's bike, which was sort of more fun than riding the bike myself, but terrifying and a little unnatural.  And a last note on bikes-I learned from some local people I met that junkies will often try to steal bikes to sell for drugs, although they can really only get 5 euros or something per bike.  Sort of funny, sort of seems like a waste of time?

As for sights....I visited the Van Gogh museum (very crowded, but cool stuff), the Anne Frank House (kind of sad, but not really worth the wait), the flower market, and walked through the Red Light District.  It was slightly shocking and a little sad...but cool to see the brothels the city has been buying and turning into showrooms/shows for young designers.  On a side note, I was in Paris for a few days before that and happened to walk down the Rue St.-Denis where apparently the hookers hang out-my first amazing experience of watching a john buy condoms with his hooker....but they were slightly classier and prettier than the prostitutes in Amsterdam.  Only slightly though.  I also went to a show at Boom Chicago that was pretty fun, pretty different because of the Dutch they used at times and I think they did more simple English jokes for everyone to understand.  I should have known not to sit in front or give a suggestion, because somehow that made the unwilling audience participant for 2 sketches...the latter of which (while I did get a free cocktail) was to find me a man in the audience.  Awkwardness and embarrassing moments follow me wherever I go I guess.

Oh and plein means square. I think.

That Pope! He is a riot...

glububublgublgug

It's unfortunate that scrambled eggs look very similar before going into one's stomach as to their state coming out of one's stomach.  And unfortunate that such circumstances result in staying inside all day reading lord of the rings instead of skiing and being happy in the sunshine.

Some more Rome highlights!

Mummy Hair!

Giant Pinecone Statue!  Or maybe a weird tree statue!

A super old building at night!

If you lose your glove in the Vatican, don't count on seeing it again.

Rome is totally super cool.  Sort of like Paris's cooler, funnier, more fun older sibling who likes to wear bright colors.  In personification terms, not in Nicky Hilton terms hahahaha!  But anyways...there is tasty food and wine everywhere, craploads of tourists everywhere, and if you just start walking there is a good chance you will run into something super old and important.  I walked a whole lot, mostly because I was alone and not sure what to do with myself, and because many of the super old and important things are within walking distance of each other.  I very much enjoyed the Pope Mobile and the Vatican...Trevi Fountain was pretty amazing...I was a little thrown off by the Spanish Steps, because it is really just a very long, old staircase outside.  My favorite part of Rome was/is the Colosseum and Forum/Palatine Hill, but of course my camera battery died and I only have pictures from when I went to see the Colosseum the first night I was there...it's pretty amazing to be surrounded by stuff that is so incredibly old, older than the majority of the old stuff around.  A lot of it was obviously unrecognizable (a guided tour may have been a good idea), but after eavesdropping on an American tour in the Colosseum I heard that some silly ruler started taking all the important old stuff apart to use the materials for other things, which I did not know!  But seriously, there were a bajillion tourists.  From everywhere.  So I don't know what is up with the "worldwide banking crisis", but apparently it's not stopping people from enjoying Rome.  And I am still mad that I lost one of my gloves in the Vatican.  Damn those silly guards in their silly plumed hats and their silly luscious velvety capes.       

Yeah, so Florence...

Florence was very pretty, but sort of unimpressive.  I feel like I should have liked it because most people love it there, but minus the Duomo (nice job on the doors, Ghiberti!) and Uffizi, it seemed like any other town in Europe.  I did meet some fun people at my hostel, and revisit the great pastime of drinking in an Irish bar and going out dancing in a club full of what may have been drunk 15 year olds.