We Be Killing Em

"People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for."

 - To Kill a Mockingbird

Well, I survived Spring Break 2013. There were moments I wasn't sure I would ever see the beautiful beaches of Antibes ever again (not really, I'm just being dramatic mom and dad...), but we made it! Alyssa, Jen and I set out for our adventure at 3 in the morning thanks to an early morning flight and no busses running after 3 am. And a 60 Euro cab to start spring break was not in the cards for these guys. I'm happy to say all the plane rides were uneventful and went off without a hitch. Better than can be said with the trains in Paris.

First stop? The city of love. I admit. I went in hopes high and wide eyed like a child waiting for Christmas morning. But like a kid who finds only charcoal in his stocking, I left brokenhearted. Well, not really. But It wasn't all that I dreamed about and more, that's for sure. I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Love Lock Bridge, L'arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Sacre Couer and the Moulin Rouge. I feel like I saw all the high points of France. I ate a crepe. I went to a club where all the college kids hang out. I rode the metro. Things went south during our time in Paris when we decided it'd be a great idea to go to Versailles. After Jen and I witness Alyssa and her friends April and the other Jen (Jen 2) miss the train by getting smashed into the door, we manage to make it to the correct platform. After a great tour of Versailles, we head back, and as I stand on the platform waving goodbye to Jen, Jen 2, Alyssa and April I realize this isn't supposed to be a scene from some war movie where I stand on the dock and send my lover off on the ship... I was supposed to be on that train too- unfortunately I tend to be slower than others apparently. I did however, get on the right train. My friends had to get off of the one they got on and get on mine- in the end I was justified.

That night, while getting crepes, we got chased by an old man. I mean, literally followed around the block by him, and we ducked into a bar to get away. Not my favorite memory. Then, on our way home from a club, we manage to almost get locked out of the subway, get chased up some never-ending staircase by a crazy lady, and then get chased, full sprint, down the street by a man selling roses. Paris did not treat us well. I was never more excited than when I was walking 30 minutes in the freezing rain and snow to catch a shuttle bus to the airport. 

Budapest on the other hand was amazing. We had dinner with a family I knew from Little Rock and they showed us the city at night. It was amazing to see, and the fact it wasn't snowing, and we made it back to our hostel without being chased made the night a win in our books. Budapest is a magical city- one mostly undiscovered by tourists. It's small- we managed to walk almost everywhere we wanted to go, and it's charming. The bridges connecting Buda and Pest (now Budapest, but it used to be a divided city) are gorgeous, with views of both sides and of the Danube. We spent the three days there wandering around the market, walking across the bridges, and exploring the city. The coolest thing I think we saw was the Jewish shoes memorial. On the bank of the Danube, near the Parliament building is a bunch of shoes all lined up. Here's a picture. 

As I stood there, I saw the beauty of the city on the other side and the brown water of the Danube beneath me and for a moment I imagined what it would've been like. Jews, lined up, executed so that no burial would be necessary. The weight of what humanity can do to each other sits heavy on my heart. What might they have been thinking as they looked either into the eyes of their killers, or looking as such beauty on the opposite bank. It's something that breaks your heart. 

After Budapest, we flew to Rome, spent a whirlwind few hours seeing the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Pantheon and Spanish Steps. Of course, no tour of Italy would be complete without gelato, cannoli's, pasta and pizza. At 2:30 we boarded a bus, drove ten hours with an old man hacking up his lungs in the back of the bus, and a little boy throwing up next to me and Alyssa, and were finally home in Antibes. I've never been happier to walk through the doors of my own home. Spring Break was a blast, a time I'll never forget, and I know that the random stories from break will continue to come out little by little. But until then, I'm tired of typing... and I think you're probably tired of reading! 

Bon nuit!

Jackie