It took me three plane rides, two books (neither finished), and one conversation with an Irishman to get me to Europe, but I made it! The conversation, by the way, consisted in part of me convincing my airplane friend, who had just spent a week in the Chicago area for an “American wedding,” that not all beers in the USA are watery and yellow. I recommended he go to the NW. He recommended I visit the bar he manages in Mayo, Ireland. I traversed the Atlantic from Chicago to arrive in Bath, England where I was picked up by my soon-to-be sister-in-law. She drove me from the airport to her and my brother's home. The following day would be their civil union and I had come to celebrate with them and to be a witness at the ceremony. Our next step would be France, where we were joining the rest of our families and friends for a weekend celebration of their marriage. We were ready for days of fun. Fate however, had something else in mind. The night before traveling, Vanessa and I were very suddenly hit with the Norovirus, a 24-hour nausea-inducing virus. We spent the night and the following day traveling to France all the while painfully cleansing ourselves, to put it lightly. The Norovirus had apparently been spreading through the UK, and it managed to find me by my second day on the island. In the following two days, three more family members succumbed to the virus, with Vanessa and I on their trails sanitizing the bathrooms. As we all made our way to south-central France, we continued to religiously wash our hands and never shared food until finally the nausea subsided for everyone. By the time friends and family arrived to the beautiful location of the wedding ceremony, no one was sick and we were all definitely ready for days of fun. My job was to translate the ceremony from English, being read by the celebrant (in white shirt above), into French so that our French-speaking relatives and friends could understand. The bride and groom didn't need any help translating the kiss into French, however. AND THEN DANCE!!!!
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"I'm sweating from eating," said my brother Mathias, apparently struggling through a second slice of Chicago deep-dish pizza. Though it was late on my first evening in Chicago, I was told we had to eat some deep-dish while I was in the city. Certainly, it was filling, and great as left-overs. As the Euro Cup 2012 began, I explored Chicago. I stayed with Mathias and his friends for about a week, walking, running, and eating my way through the city's pervasive summer block parties, beachwalk and parks. Below are some highlights. Art The Art Institute of Chicago currently has many Lichtenstein pieces on display. My mom (right, with a POW coming from her mouth) and I had our photos taken, a la Lichtenstein. Food If you need a travel book while in Chicago, go to Kopi, a Travelers Cafe in Andersonville, where two large shelves at the back of the little cafe/restaurant hold Lonely Planet guides for every place around the world. I had searched Chicago all morning for a bookstore with a good travel section, and this was the best I found. Here I researched Spanish hostels while warding off the summer heat (and improving my memory) with a green tea/ginkgo biloba/ginseng mango smoothie. Whoo! If you want a breakfast or lunch that'll sweep you up satisfied with quality ingredients go to Toast. On the menu you'll find lots of fruit, honey, benedicts and the Pancake Orgy. Music Drink Shayna has studied and toured many of Chicago's historic establishments so she was a great tour guide. She pointed out The Berghoff, a German style eatery as well as the first place to receive a Chicago liquor license after Prohibition. #1! Architecture
There's as much to see by looking up as there is right on the ground. |
yes blog is currently 'archived'yes blog started when I moved from the States to Spain in 2012 and documented the results of saying 'yes' - to the people and learning opportunities - that came my way. Archives
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