Forgive me for taking so long to update you on my travels, but I have been extremely busy. I am back in Montpellier, which I have discovered is just as exciting as my hometown of White Bear Lake. So, obviously, this is a hoppin’ town. After spending a week in Italy I have lost desire to go to school, because why go to school when I can travel and see beautiful sights? Yet, I trudge on. Barely learning French and staring blankly at my teachers – back to life as usual.

Enough depressing school talk.

Let’s talk about Italy. I had one week off of school, so my roommate, Brianna, and I traveled to Rome and Florence. Getting there was ludicrous. We stayed up late packing and procrastinating which led to us having a grand total of four hours of sleep between the two of us. We left Montpellier at 10 AM, and several train changes later, we arrived in Milan at 11:30 at night.

Our arrival in Milan was half-baked and we had not made plans of any sort of what to do. The train to Rome had left as soon as we had arrived – so it looked like we were staying in Milan. Ugh. After sitting in the warmest place we could find for some time, which was conveniently located next to the bathroom, we decided we were hungry and left the train station. After wandering around for two hours, passing a group of hopefuls outside of Armani (Did I mention it was fashion week?), our backs breaking from lugging our bags around, and convincing some kids that we were British, we finally found a hotel that wasn’t booked out due to fashion week. (Note: Just because Milan is one of the fashion capitals of the world does not mean that it is an exciting or beautiful city. Truly, if you aren’t going there to shop, you shouldn’t go there at all.) The hotel that we found was a four star hotel, which is usually out of my price range. But, I think the concierge took pity on Brianna and me and gave us a 40 euro discount based on our tired and haggard looks. I have never been more excited to be in a hotel room. Ever.  The 90 euros we spent on the hotel was used efficiently and I think we got our money’s worth. I mean, I got to take a hot shower without worrying about how much I was using, I got to sleep in a bed instead of on the streets of Milan, I got to eat a delicious continental breakfast and pocket a bunch for lunch, I got soap that smelled like candy. I also learned that it is usually a bad idea to show up in a strange city without any plans of what you are going to do.

When we finally made it to Rome we definitely did all of the tourist things, but there are things in Rome that if you go without seeing them you are missing out on something. I was in Rome in 2005 and this time around I saw it with new eyes, probably because I am no longer a surly teenager, but a surly young adult. Of course, we went to St. Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel. Of course, we went to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Of course, we saw the Colosseum and the Roman Forum (we just looked, didn’t actually tour it). But, we also went to the Non-Catholic Cemetery and saw the graves of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Me, being the nerdy English major that I am, stood in front of Keats’ grave weeping. Brianna, being the cat lover that she is, donated money to the cemetery because it is also a cat sanctuary. I have a soil collection from every place that I have visited, so I scooped up some of the dirt from Keats’ grave as a new addition to my collection.

In Rome, it rained every day. I have had to super glue the soles of my shoes back on twice in the past 2 weeks. Awesome.

Florence was completely different from Rome. When I got back people asked, “Did you like Florence or Rome better?” That question is unanswerable. They are completely different cities, with completely different vibes, and completely different sights. They both have so much to offer, so please don’t ask that question.

The art in Florence was absolutely breathtaking. After seeing Michelangelo’s David, every statue seems insignificant and unimpressive. The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli is much more consequential in real life, a book or a photograph can never do it justice. The city itself was one of the most beautiful views I have ever witnessed. Brianna and I walked up this huge hill to Michelangelo’s Piazza and could see the entire city and the mountains behind it. It is definitely a sight to see. The color scheme of the city is also something to take note of. The yellows and oranges play perfectly with one another against the foliage and the blue/brown of the river.

There are two things that I would like the US to adopt from Italy.

1. Aperitivo buffets: You go to a bar, order one drink and are given access to an entire grad party-esque buffet. There are a variety of pastas, breads, fruit and vegetables, and other delicious treats. This makes eating out much cheaper and every bar that has an aperitivo has a different selection of foods.
2. Lucky Strike Girls: In the US we have Red Bull Girls, and unless you want to stay awake longer while you get drunk there really isn’t any point of drinking Red Bull. Have a cup of coffee for Christ’s sake. In Italy, there were girls walking around handing out free packs of Lucky Strikes to promote the new line of cigarettes. This would probably be the hardest thing to legalize in the US, but a girl can dream.

This has been an extremely long post.

P.S. Everything is covered in gold foil. So, be warned.

I am currently traveling in Italy and I will update all of you avid readers about my travels asap!

Culture shock (Negotiation Phase): I am finally experiencing culture shock. It didn’t happen when I went to Taiwan or Mexico (actual Mexico, not Spring Break Mexico). My anxiety levels have increased to an (almost) all time high. The language barrier is the most frustrating thing to get past, because even though I have taken a total of 5 semesters in French, I apparently do not know French.

It’s not really ‘shocking,’ as I see it, that stores aren’t open Sunday (certainly there is no 24 hour Cub, which really puts a damper on my 3 AM queso runs) and that everyone speaks French in France. It’s irritating. On top of that I have seen exactly one attractive French boy in three weeks.

Tonight my Saturday consists of solitary debauchery with my roommate as our IKEA apartment falls apart around us. I even skipped class to wait for the FedEx delivery of our train passes, which never arrived even though there was a “guaranteed on time delivery”. Maybe something was lost in translation; ‘guarantee’ merely means ‘probable’ in French?

I have gone out and discovered bars like I like, and along the way, bars that I don’t like. The Shakespeare, although it is an English Pub, has become my go-to place for happy hour (and a half) and good music. They did play both Prince and Dusty Springfield in one night, so this is definitely my kind of place. In addition to being nearby and playing good music, it is also where the attractive boy who was previously mentioned works. So, that is a plus.

The bar that I don’t like is a huge hit with the French. It is Australian themed and called, appropriately, Australia. With their top 40 soundtrack and overpriced tropical cocktails with too much flavored syrup, it is simply not a place I would ever want to be in again. Ever. Again. The admittance system is confusing, the bouncer is an ass, and the decor is identical to Outback Steakhouse. However much I have to complain about, though, I remember my life was just as ridiculous in Minneapolis. It was just easier to drop by a concert or two on the weekend, have a drink with friends and use advanced and grammatically correct English while we converse.

Fin.

Recently the words CLEAR 4G were graffitied into the snow all about Dinkytown in a rather useless street marketing tactic (new snow took it out in a day). Their website Clear.com claims all the super-fast untethered internet you could want from wireless cards you can take anywhere. Clear is of course Clearwire Corporation which acquired Sprint’s WiMAX network in 2008. WiMAX is nothing new, called “Wi-Fi on steroids” it’s Wi-Fi with the power of a cellular tower. Clear’s services are pricey starting at $45 a month not including all the gadgets, start-up fees and taxes.

The ease of using the signal “anywhere” and taking it with you to other cities might sell you on convenience but is WiMAX really worth the price compared to setting up a local connection? Netflix’s official tech blog offers some despairing analysis.

Certainly no one is a fan of Comcast’s monopoly (and less so on Qwest). MPLS residents can’t survive on outdated copper cables into the next decade. It does seem the fastest fast is not very fast and no one can justify the current cost of internet services. Still, any competitors trying to oust the big C would do well to actually excel on performance.

Local musician Jeremy Messersmith will be discussing and performing this Thursday, the 27^th, at Coffman Union’s Whole Music Club as part of the Making Music Series. If you’ve been reading these Wake blogs then you know I’m a fan of Messersmith’s latest album The Reluctant Graveyard. Recently I had the privilege of seeing Messersmith in concert at 89.3 the Current’s Birthday Party at First Ave and can vouch for his live shows. It starts at 8:00 and is free as far as I can tell, definitely worth your Thursday night.

Bonjour mes amis! I am in Montpellier, France studying abroad for 4.5 months. I have left my boyfriend, my family, my friends and my dog to learn French for what is turning out to be the first time – even though I have taken 3 semesters and 2 years in high school. It is somewhat absurd that I have taken so much French and know next to nothing. On the bright side, what better way to learn a foreign language than to be thrown into it? Most of the time when someone starts speaking to me in French I stare at them blankly trying to figure out what they said, or I answer incorrectly. For example, when the waiter asked what I had ordered I said “Ummmm, Stephanie? Quoi?”, when the answer should have been “A raspberry daiquiri.” Thus far, my past 6 days in France have gone as I assumed they would, i.e. I only got stuck in the elevator doors once and I finally found the post office that was across the street.

The most wonderful part about France is, obviously, the food. When a slab of steak is only 2 euro and you can get Boursin for .50 euro I am able to eat like (almost) royalty every day. The only sad part about cooking is the 2 burner stove and having no oven in my apartment. Thanks to my trusty guide book I found a farmer’s market, the Marché Paysan, which is held every Sunday from 9:30-1:30. There were dozens of vendors selling local produce, honey, homemade wines, vinegars and oils, and live trout which were swimming in the bed of a truck – which is pretty legit.

My cheap ass is too poor to go out to eat often and pre-gaming is a must if I plan on going out for drinks. The liquor is infinitely cheaper and I was pleased to find my favorite beer (Delirium Tremens, 8.5%) at the grocery store for 2.20 euro, as it is more expensive and hard to find in the States. The strawberry daiquiri I mentioned before was the perfect level of sweetness with a nice bite at the end. The French must be wired differently than Americans when mixing up drinks; the French know that you need to throw in more than one mint leaf to make a proper Mojito.

Last night, the 19th, my study abroad group went out for drinks with the student assistants so we could start to find the “cool” bars around town. My night ended shortly after arriving at an Australian themed bar that only played American music and there was no happy hour.
This is just the beginning of my travels and exploration. I plan on conquering this town. Au revoir!

Oh! Did I mention that it hasn’t gone below freezing and it is sunny everyday?

Now that 2010 has officially ended it is time to reflect on the music of the last year (you’re bound to have seen other lists prior to the new year, but they’re jumping the gun). As always “best” is pretty flimsy word and is often used as a substitute for “popular” or “favorite.” Instead, this will be a list of the albums I was most impressed by in 2010. I gotta admit that there are others on a higher level of musicphile than I am, so please bear with me even though my iTunes library is 7,000 < your library and my vinyl collection has remained static for the last few years (been at 0 for some time now). In alphabetic order:

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

The Black Keys, Brothers

Jeremy Messersmith, The Reluctant Graveyard

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Vampire Weekend, Contra

Hate Win Butler’s Haircut? Think Kanye’s a megalomaniac and VW’s lead singer’s actual name is Preppy Prepperson IV? By all means post your five and let the discussion stretch well into 2011.

Here is the security cam time lapse of the faithful volunteers who cleared “The Bank” for the (millionaire) Vikings.

And now here is the field today!

Don’t forget Minneapolis has declared another snow emergency starting at 9:00pm tonight, just in time to tow most of the Vikings fans to the impound lot.

The City has instituted a back-to-back snow emergency. Just when you thought three days of plowing weren’t enough, they still need to shove it around. It’s not like it’s going anywhere so all that means is that all the work you did excavating your sidewalk will be for null. Don’t worry, windchills below 0 will accompany your poorly manufactured hand shovel this time. Mayor Rybak puts a face on the City, who basically blames lazy people who haven’t unburied their cars. Snow Emergency Part Deux starts at 9pm tonight.

Meanwhile in stadium-land, Chris Erskine of the LA Times gives a damning commentary on the symbolism of our doomed dome.

The wreckage at the overripe architectural monstrosity, caused by too much snow, could only have been a message from God, and the message is, ‘Tear down this stadium!’ How much clearer does He need to be?

His constant reference to the implosion happening on a Sunday sabbath beguiles me–Hannukah was last week buddy! You really think we were sitting around eating latkes waiting for the #snowpocalypse to take down an outdated sports venue that smelled of grease oil.

In honesty, the Dome was never an economic boon for Minneapolis, all the associated retail never materialized. Its plain garbage facility looking design has always been a visual and physical barrier in an conundrum of highways spliced through diagonal streets. The residents at Cedar Riverside got the short end of most of this. As splendid as the aerials might be on our skyline, the Dome is brother to our shameful urban renewal history, the last economic development hurrah in a failed City Council experiment to rejuvenate a still asleep downtown.

Dreams deflated into a sea of white.

It’s no surprise in the MPLS that things collapse often and with great gusto. Why take the I-35W Bridge collapse in 2007 that happened a mere 5 blocks from Wake Headquarters. Even then, the magic of CCTV allowed us to see the collapse in real time action. Today’s Metrodome collapse isn’t unique, the roof was allowed to deflate during heavy snow a few times even in my childhood though to minor proportions without any tears. Unfortunately this time around, it was if the heavens were parting and the beauty of real-time HD cameras with crisp directional boom mics were there to capture it. Flickr also has some fabulous photos of the aftermath.