- Spring Break Part 3 of 4 – Bordeaux
28 Apr 10Finally, after a stressful week, I have a few hours before I have to start studying for finals.
Here are my photos from Bordeaux, where I spent the most time. There I did lots of things like exploring alone, spending a day in a French high school (not pictured), and going to a small funeral at a small village in wine country (long story, and not pictured), and ate lunch with some British folk (also not pictured). Here are my favorite photos from my wanderings in Bordeaux. I hope you enjoy them! Click on the photos to view them at a larger size.
I got caught in a downpour, but afterwards this rainbow over Garonne River and Pont de Pierre bridge appeared. Definitely worth standing in the rain to see:
The riverwalk and quays along the Garonne River:
Pont de Pierre bridge at night:
The general chaos that is a French street. Trams, bikes, motorcycles, cars, and pedestrians walking any which way:
Place du Palais:
Silhouettes:
Delightful pastries in a cafe:
The riverwalk again:
I was amazed at how much French men pee in public. It seems like they go wherever they feel like. When I looked though my photos, I was surprised to find this. I didn’t notice this guy when I took the photo!
Statues:
Cathedral St. Andres:
Behind St. Bruno church:
Check back in a few days for photos from Nice!
- Institutions
26 Apr 10Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance by Doug North. Read it; it will likely change the way you think about why some nations manage to become rich and others stay poor, despite the billions of dollars being thrown at them annually.
More France photos will come soon, I promise. I am through 1.5/2 papers, so I still have half a paper and a take-home probability exam to finish in the next day and a half, then finals start immediately. I’m just a little busy…
(One paper is over the above book, so this post is entirely justified!)
- Spring Break Part 2 of 4 – Arcachon
19 Apr 10After my short stay in Paris, I took a train a few hours south to Bordeaux, where my friend David lives. After a short nap at David’s apartment, we immediately went to the town of Arcachon, a small but beautiful place on the Atlantic (well, technically on Arcachon Bay, but we could see where the bay opened up to the Atlantic from the beach.) We were originally going to go there two days later, but the forecast was rain for that day, so we went right after arriving from Paris. Below are a few photos. As always, you can click on the photos to make them appear at a larger size.
Arcachon Bay:
The summer village:
Down in the summer village:
Down in the summer village (again):
The breakwater and oceanfront:
Two beautiful houses in the afternoon sun:
Me! (Photo taken by David Wagner)
Next up, Bordeaux! (Check back in a few days!)
- Spring Break Part 1 of 4 – Paris
18 Apr 10I am finally getting around to posting some of my spring break photos from France! I won’t write the story of my trip on here… I would much prefer to tell you in person, so call me and ask me to hang out! (Or if you are too far away to do that, call me and we can talk!)
I will post some of my favorite photos from the trip in a series of posts, one for each place I visited. This post, Paris, will start it out. Coming soon will be Arcachon, Bordeaux, and Nice. Keep checking back throughout the week! Keep in mind that these are just my favorites. If you want to see more of my photos, let me know! (I can show you them at the same time I tell you my stories!)
Click on each photo to see it at a larger size.
Luxemburg Gardens:
A typical Parisian street:
The Seine river at night with Notre Dame in the distance:
A closer view in the daytime:
Notre Dame at night:
Carvings above the Notre Dame doors:
Inside Notre Dame
Sacre Coeur:
Sacre Coeur (closer)
Two metros passing each other (long exposure, handheld)
Eiffel Tower at night from Hannah Stone’s window:
Stairway in the Hotel Herse d’Or that David and I stayed at:
Hotel de Ville from across the Seine at night:
Check back soon for more photos!
- March Madness
25 Mar 10Sorry basketball fans. This blog post is talking about the March madness of Hillsdale and my life. Complete with photos!
First off, the weather has been crazy here. It has gone from the teens to the upper sixties in temperature, and everywhere from snow to rain to sunshine.
Here are a few photos of the campus:
(Click on the photos to view them larger)
March, for me at least, was filled with exams, deadlines, presentations, meetings, photography, and occasional illness. I am happy to report that all turned out for the best.
During the fourth CCA, director Peter Bogdanovich showed up on campus to give an informative and entertaining lecture:
There was a week and a half span where the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The temperature was in the 50s and 60s, and the skies were clear and blue. I did a lot of studying outside those days. There were also a lot of frisbee games and guitars bring played on the quad during those days.
One evening, the classics honorary decided to put on a Virgil Vigil. They read all twelve books of the Aeneid on the quad late into the night:
Also, the Charger Baseball season started!
Last night, instrumental guitarist Trace Bundy did a concert at Hillsdale, which was excellent. I did not take any photos, but I am sure William Clayton will post some soon.
I am leaving a lot of things out, but it is for the best. These things are just a quick glimpse of my past month.
Now, it is finally spring break. I am home in Amherst for the evening, then tomorrow (Friday) I will be on a plane to France to spend spring break traveling around France with my friend David Wagner. I am visiting Paris, Bordeaux, Arcachon, and Nice. I am very excited! I will post about it when I get back.
- CCA III
07 Mar 10A few photos from Hillsdale College’s CCA III: The New Deal, which went from Jan. 31- Feb. 3.
Amity Shlaes:
Bradley C.S. Watson:
Dr. Burt Folsom, giving one of FDR’s famous gestures of dissatisfaction (ironically to FDR’s New Deal policies):
