Cali Girl & the Winter Wonderland

I am a California girl through and through. Many stereotypes go along with that name. Some are down right ridiculous, but many aren't far from the truth. Most people think of the beach when they think of my home state. The California coast is 840 miles long, which I admit is a lot. But, you need to put that in perspective with the rest of the state which is 163,707 square miles. That's a lot of state! And we have one of the most diverse states out of the fifty. Mountains, lakes, deserts, an ocean, forests, rivers, and so many other things fill up the Golden State. But before I start sounding like a promoter for California tourism, let me get to my point. Much like California, I am full of the expected and unexpected. 

Growing up as Southern California girl has defined me in a lot of ways. And true to So Cal girl form, I'm not the biggest fan of being cold or enduring Winter. We don't really have Winter, you see. It's not that I don't like the romanticized idea of wearing lots of cute layered clothes, playing around in the snow with friends, going on sleigh rides... the list could go on and on. But the reality is, I hate wearing too many layers because I get all hot and claustrophobic. And playing in the snow is all fun and swell until you get snow in every crevice and discover how wet and miserable you are. And sleigh rides just go and mess up your hair with all the wind whipping around. Not at all whimsical and wintery. Now of course Winter can be magical. I just like it in very, very small doses. Like a weekend trip up to Lake Arrowhead, or evening spent bundled up walking around Naples (in Long Beach) caroling to the unsuspecting homeowners, or even a nice afternoon of ice skating at the local ice skating rink. That's about all I need of winter, and I'm totally content.

I must admit, I was mortified about the idea of having to rough it through a "German Winter." Mortified. But as November rolled around, and then December, I realized that I had been worrying for no reason. Because I got freaking lucky. This year is considered to be the driest European Winter in fifty years. Now, that doesn't mean it is like 70 degrees and I'm tanning on the balcony. Nooo. It's been really cold (like between the 20's and 40's), cloudy, and raining. It was sunny the other day and I just about had a heart attack because I hadn't seen the sun in so long. I'm getting paler by the second. 

Because of the dry conditions, there hasn't been much snow. Not that there hasn't been snow. From the pictures I've seen, I would classify it as lots of snow in other parts of Germany. But I'm biased. Any snow is a lot of snow to me. But Karlsruhe is "the warmest city in the country" (as I've been told countless times), so we have seen a lot less snow here than the rest of Germany. It's really only technically snowed here three times, but it was like really wimpy. Even by my standards. But today changed that! It has officially snowed. And I must say I was (and still am) quite excited.

Last night, when I went to bed, it was snowing. So when I woke up this morning, I uncharacteristically bounced out of bed to see if the snow had managed to stick around. When I opened my blinds I was greeted with rooftops coated in a soft white powder. I giggled delightedly and got ready real quick. There was no way I was spending the morning inside.

View from my bedroom window.

Some snow on my window!

Not much later I found myself standing out on my street surrounded by all sorts of white covered objects. (The cars made me laugh the most, they just looked so ridiculous). One step into the street and I knew I was in trouble. It was coated in ice. Being the klutz of the century, I immediately put my arms out (air plane style) and tread as slowly across the street as I could. Thus, making a fool of myself in front of all the people who were out walking on this glorious morning. But I didn't mind. My child-like excitement was more concerned about snow than people. 

Me and the snow... such a rare sight to behold.

All morning I frolicked about in the park near my house. Most of that time was spent giggling evilly as I made tracks in untouched snow, basked in weak sunlight, and tried not to fall on my ass. 

Walking down the park pathway.

Playground area of the park.

My footprints.

After my park adventure, I needed to go into the city center to get some birthday cards. (February is quite the month for birthdays!) So I made the trek to a store called Ernhardt's, which has a fabulous selection of cards. Once I bought my cards, I wandered around and enjoyed all the snow on the rooftops. The snow on the ground had been cleared in most spots, but it was still a lovely sight to see.

I made it back to the house, quite grateful to have survived. Yes, I know, I'm such a drama queen. But as I said, this Cali girl doesn't do the whole "Winter" thing. Now, you are probably wondering why I was so excited about snow today if I don't like it. Well you see, I have a love/hate relationship with snow. It's gorgeous, and a blast to play in. But it's cold, and will eventually get me all wet, cold, and mushy. Or it will turn into ice and have me fall on my ass for the world to see. Snow. So fun, yet so evil. Point being, I like it in small doses, just like I like my Winter. And waking up to it this morning was just so lovely and wonderful and whimsical that I couldn't help but be excited. I also couldn't help being so excited that I acted like I five year old most of the morning. What made the day good was that I didn't fall and I kept dry and warm. And most importantly, I didn't get snow in my boots (long traumatic childhood story attached to that haha). 

So my verdict on Winter? Well, it hasn't changed. It can be magical. As long as it stays out of my boots.

Blonde Girl Takes on Paris (Day 4)

Here's part four of my story of how this blonde girl fell in love with the city of lights, and how she learned to blend in and stick out all at once.... all in quick and easy to read bullet points that I jotted down in a moleskine as I explored or took a breather from all of what Paris has to offer.

To find the other parts of my Paris trip, you can click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Day Four - January 5th, 2012

Weather:
- Crazy extreme! Cloudy and rainy on one side of the sky (East) and blue skies and sunny on the other (West)
Places:
- Seine River Walk, Place de la Concorde, and Train Station (Gare de l'est)
Events:
- slept in (still felt sick)
- got ready real slow, packed up, checked out, and left luggage at front desk
- went to the Seine River and walked along the river walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Place de la Concorde (after I missed my boat tour, this became my plan B, it turned out to be more fun than a boat tour anyways)
- saw a bunch of statues (mostly war memorials) as I walked
- saw/walked around the Place de la Concorde (the Obelisk was amazing)
- totally nerded out here (my guidebook helped me nerd out a lot the whole trip), but knew I had to get going so I headed towards the nearest metro station
- had another fun encounter with a guy (what is it with these French guys and I??), this time one who got seriously pissed off at me for not wanting to talk to him. fun stuff
- picked up my luggage at the hotel and headed to the train station which was almost right across the street
- got there 30 minutes before my train was to leave, and waited at the correct platform patiently
- little did I know that the platform next to me had my train, because they had switched things around (I didn't know because everything was in French)
- thus I missed my train, waiting at the wrong gate
- my ticket was non transferable, and Johannes and Christiane had warned me not to miss my train no matter what I did. I thought I was prepared for every possibility by coming early, but I wasn't
- I called Christiane, and she told me to talk to the ticket office. This turned into a several hour adventure of dealing with people that spoke very little English along with lots of ticket complications
- finally, once they were all super fed up with me, the ticket office just sent me on a train with a copy of my receipt for a ticket Christiane had bought for me online
- I was mortified that without an official ticket that I was going to be kicked off the train and either be completely stranded in Paris, or in the middle of nowhere
- the ticket master ended up taking pity on me after I was crying on the train while explaining to him why I didn't have a ticket
- he let me stay on the train but I had to pay for the train I would take from Mannheim to Karlsruhe in a few hours. Miraculously I had just enough money for that ticket on me (that's a God moment right there)
- I spent the rest of the evening on trains wallowing and trying not to cry about how miserably such a wonderful trip had come to and end
- I finally got to Karlsruhe Hbf near midnight, and then had to wait a half hour for a Straßenbahn to get me home
- when I finally got home, I dropped everything on the floor, got my pajamas on, and went to bed
Thoughts:
- "Let's Go Europe" (2010) is a great guidebook.
- I love the pop out map of the city that Christiane and Johannes got me. I used it so much. The mini metro map also came in handy a lot!
- I seriously have quite the creeper fan club in Paris. Is this what I get for being blonde?!
- One of Christiane's co-workers got me a Paris moleskine for Christmas. I used it a lot (that's where I jotted down all these notes about my trip). I love it, can't wait to add to it and use it as a reference next time I go to Paris.
- Though I am an over packer as it is, I need to bring along at least a little bit of cold medicine on trips from now on. Never know where and when I (or someone else) will get sick.
- The ominous weather made the Place de la Concorde so intense. I could totally imagine the place full of a blood thirsty crowd, watching people get their heads chopped off by the guillotine. It's so interesting that the Obelisk stands in place of the guillotine now.
- Oh, French people... so frustrating. I really missed my Germans.
Fun Facts:
- Seine River
    ~ It's pretty much brown. Lovely.
    ~ It took me almost 2 hours to amble just a portion of it.
- Place de la Concorde
    ~ Paris's most infamous public square.
    ~ Built between 1757 and 1777.
    ~ During the French Revolution it was named the Place de la Revolution.
    ~ In 1830 it was renamed to it's current name.
    ~ Also in 1830 the Obelisk was placed in the middle.
    ~ The Obelisk was given to Charles X by the Viceroy of Egypt.
Photos: 

It's super faint, but there is a full rainbow in this picture. Amazing that I had a rainbow the day I arrived and the day I left!

Boats on the Seine River.

View of the Eiffel Tower from a bridge over the Seine.

Clouds beginning to loom in the North and East.

It crazy windy! Me on a bridge over the Seine near the Eiffel Tower. As you can see, my firework burn starting to look less gross on this day, but it is definitely going to scar.

I love the character of the types of river boats in Paris.

The Seine River walk. Everything looks so bare and wintery, guess that makes sense haha.

I have no idea what these actually was, all I know is that I immediately thought: the Statue of Liberty's torch.

I love the contrasts in this picture, this is still on the path along the Seine.

This statue had all it's writing in English (I was ever so excited) because it was gifted by American school children to the French after a war (can't remember which war).

Epic view of the Paris Eye, the Obelisk, and the looming storm in the East.

Place de la Concorde... the place of peace, very ironic considering how many people were murdered in this location during the French Revolution.

Me soaking up my last bit of France.

Smiling, so stoked on my trip. Little do I know that I'm about to deal with missing a train and all that comes with that. Fun times.

On this trip I saw and experienced so much, yet I barely made a dent on the list of the many things that I can do there. Amazing. Paris was a city that I had a lot of preconceived notions about. While many of those turned out to be true, many proved false. I would say in this case it was great to be proven wrong.

Paris, keep the lights on for me, I'll visit you again someday!

To relive the story, you can check out my other days in Paris here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Blonde Girl Takes on Paris (Day 3)

Here's part three of my story of how this blonde girl fell in love with the city of lights, and how she learned to blend in and stick out all at once.... all in quick and easy to read bullet points that I jotted down in a moleskine as I explored or took a breather from all of what Paris has to offer.

To find the other parts of my Paris trip, you can click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 4

Day Three - January 4th, 2012

Weather:
- Morning = sunny, blue skies (hazy)
- Afternoon/evening = cloudy and rainy
Places:
- Basilique du Sacre Coeur and the Musee du Louvre
Events:
- woke up with a sore throat, ear infection, and nasal congestion (why do I always get sick on trips?!)
- dragged myself out of bed, and by the time I was showered & ready it was almost noon
- went to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur
- crazy steep incline to get there (stairs and steep hills have invaded my life here in Europe)
- surrounding Sacre Coeur are house and shops (very touristy, but had "old Paris" feel to the neighborhood)
- bought 2 croissants (very buttery)
- in one of the squares there were a bunch of artists with their paintings (selling them) and portrait artists trying to get everyone to commission them
- I got hit on yet again. This time it was a portrait artist. He told me my face was "a vitamin to the soul" and the convo went downhill from there. Nice... but creepy. Ugh
- got to the church, amazing views of the city standing on the steps
- went inside church (no pictures aloud)
- still was feeling lousy (fever) I went to a restaurant for tea
- waiter was a jerk. Talked about me to a guy at my table, and was like "the table's not the greatest location, but the view is great (they both then stared at me.... oh good Lord).  At least they didn't try to hit on me....
- did some touristy shopping (got cool posters and postcards)
- met nice lady traveling alone, we chatted a bit
- decided to go by hotel to drop off posters (so they wouldn't get bent)
- realized just how sick I was once I sat down on my bed
- rested for a bit, then seriously debated just staying in the hotel the rest of the day to sleep and feel better
- dragged myself out of bed and across the city to see the Louvre
- got lost once I got out of the Metro, enjoyed a walk in a non touristy part of town
- stopped at Bistro Pyramides for dinner
- sweetest waitress & bar tender (both were my servers... it was a small place)
- got a coke, fish & chips, salad, and bread
- liked the food, but it wasn't my favorite of the food I had had during the trip
- for dessert I got a Tarte aux Poires (weird/strange)
- once again debated on going back to the hotel to sleep
- was dealing with a really nasty fever, shakes, congestion, and my ears hurting (was so over it)
- ended up going to just look at the outside of the Louvre, but once I got there I knew I would have to go in, no matter how sick I was
- great decision, the Louvre is the best museum ever. I was giggling the whole entire time, I'm such a nerd
- saw Egyptian artifacts, Roman sculptures, Greek artifacts, and Italian paintings (including Mona Lisa)
- bought a poster in the gift shop
- Thoroughly exhausted, I went back to the hotel to sleep. Tossed and turned, wishing I had medicine with me, but I finally fell asleep
Thoughts:
- My hotel key was so freaking heavy. And it was an actual key, not a card. So strange.
- I always get sick on fun trips! It's beyond annoying.
- The Sacre Coeur is really cool, but the surrounding area and the view impressed me the most.
- The hotel wifi sucked. But, on the bright side... at least they had free wifi.
- I love the posters I bought. Can't wait to hang them up at home.
- The Louvre is like crazy huge and amazing, and it's the best museum I have ever visited. I must return!
- It's impossible to see everything in the Louvre. It's also very easy to get lost, which I managed to do.
- My favorite thing at the Louvre was the Egyptian artifacts. Especially seeing the eye of Horus everywhere. I am such a nerd.
- Even though I was nasty sick, I am really proud of myself for pushing through and continuing my exploring of Paris. I really would have regretted not getting to go to the Louvre if I had just slept.
Fun Facts:
- Basilique du Sacre Coeur
    ~ Very well known for it's "white onion domes."
    ~ Was built to repay a war debt to Germany.
- Musee du Louvre
    ~ over 30,000 items in the museum.
    ~ organized into 3 different wings.
    ~ General admission is 9 Euros.
    ~ People 26 and under can get in for free Wed & Fri after 6 p.m.
Photos: 

Looking back over my shoulder at one of the streets I walked up to get to the Sacre Coeur.

The amazing view from the steps of the Sacre Coeur.

See what I mean about "white onion domes"?

It was really windy!

Enjoying the sun after so much nasty weather. It was still really cold though.

Smiling through the fever... I'm fierce like that.

Me in front of the Louvre.

Statue that is apart of the Egyptian exhibit in the Louvre.

Hieroglyphs.

This Egyptian lady would fit right in with today's fashions haha.

Where did the mummies go?!

I got a poster of this artwork! Love it.

I immediately recognized this, not because I'm so art smart (sorry Mrs. Akashi), but because this is on a Coldplay album. I'm pathetic.

The Mona Lisa! Small and fierce, demanding a loooot of security.

A Roman statue.

To continue the story, you can check out my other days in Paris here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 4

Blonde Girl Takes on Paris (Day 2)

Here's part two of my story of how this blonde girl fell in love with the city of lights, and how she learned to blend in and stick out all at once.... all in quick and easy to read bullet points that I jotted down in a moleskine as I explored or took a breather from all of what Paris has to offer.

To find the other parts of my Paris trip, you can click here: Day 1, Day 3, Day 4

Day Two - January 3rd, 2012

Weather:
- Cloudy, rainy, and crazy windy.
Places:
- Palais de Justice, Notre Dame Cathedral, Square Rene Viviani, St. Severin, Latin Quarter, Pantheon, and the Arc de Triomphe.
Events:
- being lazy/tired, I slept in
- hotel walls and door were super thin and my neighbors were really loud (door slamming & talking)
- the poor maid kept trying to come and clean, but I wasn't ready to leave
- took a crazy hot shower (lovely)
- missed hotel breakfast
- got on metro, got off on island in the middle of Seine
- was going to Notre Dame, got sidetracked by hungry stomach and architecture
- saw Palais de Justice
- ate right across the street at Lex Deuc Palais Cafe
- got the (French) onion soup because it reminded me of my grandmother (got Coke too)
- soup tasted different than I'm used too (still was ah-mazing)
- let out my inner tourist: bought a beret and mini Eiffel Tower statue
- went to Notre Dame Cathedral
- met a really nice British/American couple when I asked them to take my picture
- I really took my time at Notre Dame, probably my favorite place of the day (of the trip?)
- went on the free look of the cathedral (you can pay for tour, and wait in a fatty line... no thanks)
- hung out by the Seine, made friends with a gull
- walked across bridge, off island, to see Square Rene Vivianni
- then got lost in Latin Quarter looking for Jardins de Luxembourg
- gave up on gardens and just walked around
- saw St. Severin after walking around a heavily touristed area of the Latin Quarter
- went to Pantheon
- got hit on by an Egyptian guy after he asked if I need a picture of myself in front of the Pantheon (tooootal creeper...)
- went inside Pantheon, saw crypts of famous French people (like Voltaire)
- ate dinner at restaurant near pantheon
- service wasn't so great, but it was the best food ever
- I had a glass of white wine, salad, a baguette, and lasagna (holy cow amazing)
- got hit on by another creeper while I was slightly lost on the metro, was able to escape him in a crowd
- went to the Arc de Triomphe
- my ears were having a hard time popping at this point and I was starting to feel a little funny, figured I was just tired
- took awhile to figure out where the Arc entrance was, turned out it was an underground tunnel
- saw Tomb of Unknown Soldier
- climbed to top of Arc (steepest most spirally staircase ever, I was dying of claustrophobia...)
- bought a keychain and postcard at a gift shop on the top level
- climbed one more set of stairs, found myself outside on top of Arc in the rain
- epic view! Paris at night is beautiful
- was exhausted, went back to hotel, watched the "English Channel" again
- went to bed late again
Thoughts:
- The Paris Combo Pass is amazing. For just 99 Euro you get a free boat tour on the Seine, a 4 day metro pass, museum pass (over 60 museums covered), and get line jumping abilities. (You can get them from two days up to 6 days... the cost varies on the amount of days). It was money well spent!
- The Paris Metro is really convenient. Just be on guard for creepers (apparently, especially if you are a blonde Californian) and pick pockets. I guess that applies everywhere, but all the same it's a good reminder.
- Being blonde, blue eyed, and foreign really makes a girl stand out in Paris amongst a bunch of dark eyed, brunettes who speak French. Slightly annoying that I couldn't blend in like I wanted too. Especially since if anyone heard me speak English they would either be extremely annoyed or overly interested.
- I have quite the creeper fan club (groooosssss).
- I forgot just how much I love living by the water. The Seine made me miss the Pacific Ocean.
- It's amazing how many French people speak English. It was a lot easier to get what I needed and where I needed to go than I thought it would be.
Fun Facts:
- Notre Dame Cathedral
    ~ Built between the 12th and 14th centuries.
    ~ After French Revolution it fell into disrepair.
    ~ Was fixed up when "Notre Dame de Paris" became famous.
    ~ Main admission is free.
- Pantheon
    ~ Celebrates France's greatest thinkers.
    ~ Many famous people are buried in the crypts (like both Curies).
    ~ Ages 18 to 25 get in for 4.80 Euros.
- The Latin Quarter
    ~ Named for it's universities that taught in Latin up until 1798.
    ~ Has large student population.
    ~ Recently richer people have been moving here.
- The Arc de Triomphe
    ~ Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon to honor his Grand Armee.
    ~ Tomb of Unknown Solider has been there since Nov. 11, 1920.
    ~ Ages 18 to 25 get in for 5.50 Euros.
Photos:

Palais de Justice with it's ever so fancy gate.

The Notre Dame Cathedral, complete with Christmas tree.

Pigeons don't give a shit about what, or who they hang out on haha.

Me totally geeking out in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, such an epic church.

My little buddy, Antione the Gull. It was so nice to see something that reminded me of home.

Back/side of Notre Dame Cathedral. It's amazing the detail that went into building this.

Now that's what I call a front door (Notre Dame Cathedral).

Me chilling by the Seine.

A super neat looking bridge next to Notre Dame Cathedral.

Square Rene Viviani... can you believe this used to be someone's front yard?!

My first glimpse of the Pantheon.

My creeper "friend" took this picture of me in front of the Pantheon. Yes, those are Christmas trees!

"Uno, Dos, Tres!" *click* Thank you to the Spanish family who snapped this photo for me!

The Arc de Triomphe... surrounded by the traffic circle of doom.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (with eternal flame) is right next to the Arc.

One of the views from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

My favorite view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

Being silly on top of the Arc de Triomphe.

To continue the story, you can check out my other days in Paris here: Day 1, Day 3, Day 4