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Archive For April, 2012

This Post is Not Called ‘When in Rome’

April 30, 2012 · by Nikki

…because that would be too easy, and of course I’m way more creative than that (obviously not).

So I have just returned from a short trip to Rome, and the bottom line is that this city rocked my world. Having not been particularly wooed by Italy in the past, I was really surprised to discover the love that soon sparked between Rome and me. At first it felt like casual flirting: she winked at me; I thought she was pretty.

Then we started talking and I realized there was chemistry.

And on my very last day, there was no doubt in my mind: we were in love.

Imagine riding through the streets of Rome on a bright red Vespa, stopping only to take in the amazing sights, a sip of Italian espresso, and some spoonfuls of deliciously creamy Gelato. The smell of flowers and trees in bloom was ever-present, the sun was shining, the city was alive and the charm felt in the streets never dulled for an instant. I couldn’t believe what I was experiencing was real, but it was.

Rome, you have won my heart. I will be back.

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Tokyo

April 17, 2012 · by Nikki

As a follow-up to the post about my experience in Japan’s capital, here’s a collection of my favorite photos from the trip:

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Let’s Talk About Tokyo

April 16, 2012 · by Nikki

Last month I traveled to Tokyo for the first time. I have to say that I’ve had the desire to visit Japan for a while now, but Tokyo has never been the main draw. I have been attracted to the imagery I’ve seen coming out of some of the more rustic parts of Japan, but always assumed Tokyo was just a crazier version of New York. Fortunately, the experience I had during my week-long stay has proven me wrong.

It’s true: there are definitely some striking similarities between the two cities. Ginza resembles 5th Avenue with luxury shops lining the street. Shinjuku reminded me of Times Square with it’s skyscrapers, billboards and bright lights. Shibuya takes after Soho in it’s own way, with a focus on fashion, youth, and nightlife.

Welcome to Shinjuku, reminiscent of New York City

But what’s really interesting about Tokyo is where it differs from New York. The city is alive and energetic, but calm. The streets are bustling and full of people, but quiet. And Harajuku… well, nothing compares to Harajuku. Unless, of course, there’s some part of New York City where thousands of people of all ages dress up as dolls and cartoon characters and role play every Sunday.

Colorful, to say the least

During my time there, I got to see some pretty amazing things, but I know I missed out on a lot of what the city has going on. That being said, I have to admit that I was really impressed with the Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa, the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, the shopping at Ginza, Shibuya and Shinjuku, the amazing food, the friendly people, oh… just about everything. It could be because my expectations were low, but Tokyo really blew me away.

The only thing I wish I could have done differently is visited the city during their famous cherry blossom season–kaika is when the blossoms first open and mankai is when they are in full bloom–which we missed by only a few weeks. Nevertheless, I did manage to snap a few shots of some of these extraordinary flowers, which are one of the symbols of Japan.

Perhaps one of the most memorable things about this trip is the fact that I was there during the first anniversary of the monumentally devastating disaster known in Japan as “The Great East Earthquake.” The city was somber, yet optimistic, and I was really touched to be among people who were remembering those they had loved and lost. There was no shortage of footage of memorials, interviews, and the destruction itself which, even one year later, took my breath away.

Headlines from the English newspaper in Tokyo on the anniversary of the Great East Earthquake

To sum it all up, Tokyo was awesome. I can’t emphasize enough how friendly and hospitable the people were, and it made for such a great experience. Although I’m not one of the masses who finds Parisians rude or unbearable, it was definitely a nice change of pace to be in a city where you felt like everyone was looking out for each other–even foreigners. If you have a chance to go to Tokyo, take my advice: don’t pass it up. You won’t be disappointed.

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An Update and a Confession

April 10, 2012 · by Nikki

I have been lazy. And this isn’t even the confessional part of this post. I probably shouldn’t reveal this little secret, but the truth is that most of the posts I publish have usually been written days, and sometimes even weeks, before they reach your eyes. I’m sure this isn’t unusual, but the point is that when I published all of my pre-drafted posts, I didn’t write any new ones. So the last month has been a rather boring one here at Perpetual Passenger, and I intend to change that. 🙂

: This was me being lazy last year. Apparently it happens often.

First, I’ll start with an update on things that have transpired that I’ve yet to write about (but will do so in more depth in the very near future):

I went to Tokyo! Whoohoo! I have my little city review and a bunch of pictures to share with you.
I’m taking French lessons again! This makes for great inspiration for the quirky little language differences that I’m discovering, most of which will give you a good laugh.
I had a birthday! This is kind of old news, but actually the inch closer that I have moved toward 30 continually generates some new thoughts (read: crazy thoughts) that might be mildly entertaining to some of you.
I got a haircut! Yeah, very mundane. But the cut is pseudo-drastic, and most of my friends and family haven’t even seen it yet. Plus, switching up my style from time to time can be refreshing, and it has a way of motivating me.
I went to a concert! Love her or hate her, Florence and her Machine kick ass live.

Apart from this stuff, I’ve also decided that, although I am an American in Paris–which seems to be a fairly common situation that people have either lived and want to remember, are living right now and can relate to, or have never lived but fantasize about–which gives me lots of Paris-focused things about which to write, this blog started as a travel blog. I plan to keep writing about my life in France and all of the craziness that comes along with it, but also to try and remember the roots of this thing and include more about the places I go. I went to Prague for the first time and all you got were pictures! Sheesh. I should fire myself and hire a new writer. 🙂

And now for the confession.

I make no effort to hide that there are certain things from the US that I miss, but some of the things I miss are more embarrassing than others. Today I have been hit by the addictive force that is Mac and Cheese. I haven’t had it, or anything like it, in close to 10 months now, and a craving has come over me like a tidal wave. Don’t get me wrong–I didn’t eat a that much mac and cheese when I was in the States. But there are some things that you want simply because you can’t have them. I guess that’s how mac and cheese has re-entered my life. I preferred Annie’s Organic Shells and Cheddar, with a little tuna and some peas (Yum! More like a casserole than a dish of pasta covered in processed dairy…) and I think I’m going to crack, and… yes… maybe…

GO TO THE AMERICAN GROCERY STORE IN PARIS AND BUY SOME!

Oh gosh that was painful. I’ve already written about missing mac and cheese, and how most French people I know feel about it, here. But you should know, dear reader, that I am braving nothing less than ostracism by consuming such a dish here in Paris. You should have seen Frog Prince’s face when I told him this morning that I wanted some mac and cheese! It was like I had told him I wanted to eat a bowl of earth worms. But maybe I can convince him to make some from scratch at home (I know you’re reading this, B. Come on! Home made mac and cheese is awesome and you’re the best chef I know!!! 🙂 ). In any case, I need to get some soon or I might just lose my mind.

So there you have it… a glimpse of the posts that are to come, and a juicy confession to snicker about. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

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Death by Sticky Note!

April 4, 2012 · by Nikki

Since the dawn of time, it seems there has always been war. People have amassed to fight over differences in religion, power, money, class, nationality, borders and a slew of other causes. But over the last year or so a new cause has stirred the embers of battle: Post-it prestige.

In Paris, video game developer Ubisoft and their neighbors BNP Paribas (a French bank you may have heard about in economic news as of late) fought for the right to call themselves the Masters of Post-it Art. It all started when, in May of last year, an Ubisoft employee casually decorated her window space using post-its to create a scene from the famous video game Space Invadors. A few other employees followed suit, and other video game personas emerged on glass. Shortly after, neighboring BNP took notice and crafted their own post-it pictures, prompting an all-out war to outdo each other using armaments of creativity and paper.

Here’s a collection of some of the earlier weapons of mass construction:

Post-it Ryu: He's got a few tricks up... where his sleeves would be

One fireball from Bowser could take out the whole army

You might recognize a few of these guys...

BNP Fires back with the Pac

Though several episodes of Post-it violence broke out across Paris, Ubisoft definitely won their battle with BNP when they used their most deadly weapon: an assassin. Here are some images of the team at Ubisoft creating a three-story likeness of Ezio Auditore, a lead character in the game series Assassin’s Creed, and the finished product:

The team at Ubisoft Paris working on their final design

Putting the pieces together

The crowd gathers to watch the masterpiece unfold

Ezio, the Assassin, himself: not very stealth

Like many wars, this one continues to spread. London offices were under stationary siege last fall, and rumor has it that companies in New York and Seattle have also fallen victim to this new form of inter-office terrorism. There’s even an official website dedicated to tracking and capturing the latest (and seriously awesome) developments in this conflict: Post-it War. So arm yourself with Post-its, and prepare to fight!

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