Location: Munich, Germany
Sorry, a couple weeks late on posting this.
Location: Barcelona, Spain
By far my favorite city so far. The train rides there and back weren’t so great, but Barcelona itself had everything: beaches, architecture, Las Ramblas (a market strip), a massive park with a view over the whole city, excellent food, a zoo that I didn’t go to, etc. In total we probably had less than 36 hours in the actual city with travel time, but it was probably the most enjoyable.
Like I mentioned, the actual travel time was no fun. We opted to take a night train on the way there, with no couchettes (no beds, only seats) for a 9 hour ride, only because it was 20 euros cheaper. We sat down in our seats and a rather heavy-set lady with really bad body odor sat in front of us. After working in an ER for over a year, I thought I had grown immune to bad smells. But 9 hours with a stinky woman 3 feet in front of your face is astoundingly nasty. By the time I got off the train, I felt like her musk was engrained in my clothes, embedded under my skin, and in my mouth and nostrils. On top of that, she had a young girl with her who would wake up and cry periodically throughout the night. I wanted to tell her that I felt like crying too.
The train back was bad too, although only because we had to train hop onto 5 or 6 different trains for the entire day to find a route back to Metz. 13 hours of traveling on Monday, and we were back in sweet Metz.
But enough of my whining. Enjoy the pictures.
Locations: Hackenburg Fortress and St. Avold, France
Hackenburg = a fortress on the Maginot Lines built between WWI and WWII as part of the Maginot Line.
St. Avold = the largest American cemetery in France, larger than Normandy. Approximately 10,500 American soldiers buried.
Took two very different field trips today.
In the morning we visited the fort. Spent a lot of time in closed, musty, dark spaces.
In the afternoon we went to the cemetery. Green grass, blue skies, and silence.
The cemetery was pretty awe-inspiring. Listening to the little lady tell stories about some of the individual soldiers was interesting as well. It’s always easy to forget that each soldier had his own life, his own story of sacrifice. It was crazy to think I was walking in the midst of 10,500 different stories. Honestly, it was a little overwhelming and humbling.
I am blessed.
Summer tobogganing was something we tried at the top of the mountain in Switzerland. Basically you sit down in a little sled with four wheels, and you have one long hand-brake you hold on to.
There is no steering, no seat belts, no size requirements. You basically are either going full speed or braking. Down a mountainside. Around sharp turns and slopes. Pretty sweet.
In honor of my (Atlanta) roommate Zach, I present Nutella-Spoon Time.
A Blur
these past weeks have been.
This past weekend was Switzerland. The Alps are beautiful. We took a gondola up a mountainside and the view was incredible. I looked down in the valley, and the mountains were big and I was small. It was that simple.
Today, back in Metz the president of Georgia Tech came to visit, along with the CEO of Coke, his body guards, and other people more powerful than me. They came because it was the 20th anniversary of the Georgia Tech Lorraine program. There were white catering tents and a buffet line with strange meats and free Coke products. Two ladies dressed like flight attendants were hired just to say “Bonjour” to the incoming visitors. Probably a little overkill.
Tomorrow there will be a field trip to a WWII American cemetery at St. Avold and to a fortress on the Maginot Lines. Me being the tourist that I am, I am stoked.
This next weekend is Barcelona. Estoy listo.
Locations: Interlaken, Switzerland; Random Mountain Towns, Switzerland
I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw the Swiss Alps again in Heaven.
