The weather here in Los Angeles had reached to it's maximum hundred plus degrees and it makes me miserable. Now, here I am bitching about the weather, another negative vibes. But anyways, I heard today will be the last highs of the weather. It's really surmountingly high that it can fry my brain to a crispy bits, just kidding. But it was really uncomfortably hot and that I cannot attain my normal sleeping hours (I sleep during the daytime because I work graveyard shifts.) because my apartment has no air conditioning system. I ended up setting up a folding bed outside my porch and slept with my dog half naked letting the humid breeze outside comforting my pale brown skin (I'm chronically anemic).
Enough about bitching regarding the weather. Now let's go back to my impending vacation which is about to happen one month from now. I have laid up some impending goals of the places I needed to go and visit. I mean there's a lot to plot but not just enough time to do it so I must probably cut my list to a minimum of ten so that I won't be devastated and frustrated when I'm there next month.
I've set several places to go and topping my list will be Cologne, Paris, Rheims, Nancy, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Montpellier, Arles, and Nimes. I may put London as an alternate destination if I still have more time. Hope I can check off most of these places when I am there. I mean there's no harm in planning ahead of time. I can still adjust my schedule if time does not permit it. I'm a very versatile and flexible person (which is the right thing to do). I am there to travel and have fun and not to stress out myself anyway. Believe me, I have enough stresses in my life to deal with. And that's why planning ahead of time is paramount in achieving and making successful expected outcomes.
I grew up to be organized. Thanks to my mom for teaching me that value and for giving me the virtue of patience. I owe it a lot to her. At least I grew up to be a person with principles and discipline and I never regret growing up with a very constrictive parents. At least it made me the person with a lot of thinking-before-acting-a-certain-action thing (and I'm proud of it). My mom probably is proud of me as well right now. Mom, wherever you are I am always indebted with you. Thanks for guiding me and for teaching me to be resilient in anything no matter what the odds are. You are such the sweetest person I've ever known and have. Honestly Mom... and that's the truth. You know that.
Topping the list of the destinations in my travels are the following:
1. Paris - I needed to see the Musee de Orsay, Napoleon's pantheon, and the catacombs. I mean, I've been to Paris three times and I really believed that I scoured this enormous romantic city already but I was wrong. How come I missed these three very famous places within the city itself? At least I got to see Rodin's famous masterpiece work, which is also my favorite.... "The Thinker" statue, and I will be at peace. I will got to pay respect to Napoleon at the pantheon, too. The catacombs will be a plus if I happen to get through it cuz I heard it is hard to find.
2. Rheims - the only place I needed to see is the cathedral. I heard French Kings and Queens were being crowned in these famous cathedral during the French medieval times. The colorful stained glass windows were the famous topic and word of the mouth. And the gothic building was very impressive and stunning. That's all I've got from doing extensive research online and that had lured me to promise myself to see it. I might not be staying in this little town for long. All I just have to do is to see the cathedral and that's it. A very shallow reason but that's the importance of why I travel, to quench my thirst for sight-seeing. Lol.
3. Cologne - this is the only city that I needed to see in Germany although the nearby Bonn and Duseldorf were equally enticing. I heard the neo-gothic cathedral was massive and famous all of Europe. I just wanted to see the golden chest that the magi (Remember the three kings?) had brought to offer Jesus in Bethlehem. It was being kept in this church with maximum security. The city center was also nice to peruse as what I've heard. So I might take a three hour train ride from Paris just to see this very important religious artifact.
4. Nancy - another small town in eastern France which I believed has the very beautiful piazza or town center called "Place Stanislas". Intricate buildings and structures all around there. I might probably spend a night there then travel to the nearby city of Strasbourg the following day.
5. Strasbourg - yes... this is the epitome of the most beautiful cathedral (Notre dame as what the French call it) in the whole of France as what I've heard so I might as well see it since I'm nearby (I'm in Nancy a night before). I can't wait to see the enormous facade of the church with intricate statues, carvings, and reliefs, and the famous huge round colorful stained glass in the interior was also worth the visit I've heard. A must see!
6. Toulouse - another French city that I needed to see. It's beautiful capitol building at the city center was a structure worth visiting for. The riverfronts as well with it's simple yet vintage brick bridges that beautifully reflects on it's clear waters was also beautiful to look at at the pictures online via Google. I just need to visit this magical place south-west of France.
7. Arles - a small French town which once catered a famous Danish artist in his heydays for quite a small time in the 1800s. The Vincent van Gogh Museum is probably worth the visit I heard. I love anything related to van Gogh anyways!
8. Montpellier - another south-western city in France worth visiting for. It's ultra modern city was a breath of fresh air situated along the coastline of the famous French Riviera in the Mediterranean sea. Can't wait to see the headless and armless angel statue at the city center. A replica of the one that I found at the world renowned Louvre Museum in Paris..... the one that was featured in the first few chapters of the famous novel by Dan Brown ... "The da Vinci Code."
9. Nimes - this is indeed the top of my list. I got to see this ancient Roman city first. It is a seat of the Romans in ancient times in France and some of the structures were still there. The famous Nimes Roman Colisseum. Although it's small in structure and size yet the beauty of it is so appealing, looking like an intact Roman Colisseum from Rome. The Roman aqueduct also in one of the outskirts of the city is a must see as well, the only intact Roman aqueduct outside of Italy. I mean.... plenty to see there and I must be there first to top it off.
10. London - this will be my alternate destination if I still have more time. Maybe a day or two will be fine to spend there. I will take a bullet train from Paris then stay at my friend's house and voila.... London here I come! I might probably be meeting two of my cousins as well when I am there. We'll see!
Aaah.... so many places yet not enough time to spend. Hopefully, I will fulfill at least fifty percent of this list. I maybe underestimating it but fifty percent is enough for me, (I will die happy with nystagmus) so that I won't get frustrated or upset when I am there next month. Anyways, I still have more time to come back in the near future.
Last but not the least, I still have to revisit and review (If I needed to dug all my notes, I will.) my warped knowledge of the French language and grammar because I felt rusty already from not using it for four or five years or so (Believe me [just a reality check] French people are very rude to tourists who doesn't try speaking their own language..... based from my bitter first hand experiences in the past. They were very nationalistic people, I'm telling you.) J'aime tout en Francais de toute facon. Viva la France!
Sorry for this very ambitious list but I mean it's just an intended agenda.... an anticipated goal....a premeditated objective.....or an expected outcome..... an informal inspiration per se. I hope you all get the whole point at its entirety .... hehehe. Thank you very much for empathically understanding and agreeing at my extreme delusions! Hahaha.
No comments:
Post a Comment