HELLO!!! I honestly have no clue why I just did that. (Maybe that's because I needed to say hi.)
Anyways, today I went to a castle that's basically in my backyard! Well, not exactly back, more of my side yard! Now I know I've wrote about this castle in the past, but as some of you may know, I didn't go inside of it. Let me just tell you, this experience, brought me to thinking about some of the brave solders who decided to take part in the deadly battle that was in this castle.
When I first set foot int the castle, I noticed that it was very small. Hmm. It doesn't look small from the outside. I asked our tour guide how one hundred solders fit into this tiny lobby-like room. He told me (in french) that people were smaller back in the 1500's. Afterwards, he took us to, THE DUNGEON!!!!!!!!! He let us look around, and then he started walking away. We quickly scrambled to catch up with him. He then brought us to one of the bedrooms of the soldiers. I noticed that there was a bathtub-like bowl. I asked my dad why that was in the bedroom instead of the restroom. "A tube that catches the rain from outside is attached to this," He replied. "That was what they drank from. Then, the leftovers went down this pipe, and into this underground well for storage." I then asked him why they needed to store water. "Because if there was a drought, they wouldn't run out of water. The Italians were outside the castle waiting for them to come out. But they've already had enough water to last years!" He explained. The kitchen even had enough food to last years!
Our last stop was the roof. I was amazed by the spectacular view of the harbor, and the city of Nice and the Villefranche Sur-Mer. The roof was made out of indestructible bricks! Not even a cannonball would shatter those bricks! That's why the the soldiers inside were safe. There were some cannons going straight through the wall so that they could fire at the Italians. I took a long look at the wall. I then noticed that the wall underneath it, was not brick. I went over to our tour guide and asked hime what the other wall was made of. "The wall is made out of layers of bricks, cement, and sand. This makes it completely indestructible! And it also results in 15 feet thick wall structure!" He replied in french. "Why is the top layer in brick though?" I questioned him. "It's to reinforce the structure from enemies that might attack the soldiers." So that's why!
So now, I have increased your knowledge about this castle I have been to many times before, and now, you can decide wether you could live in a castle for 5 years straight! Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Picture this… It’s 540 A.D., you live in Ravenna Italy, and the town you live is crawling with barbarians. However, a new emperor from the East comes to bring stability. 1,400 years ago, a church established by the Justinian Empire still remains there to this day! I went to that church today! This is my story. (Sorry I am a few days late on posting my blogL)
I inhaled the air in the large church as I took a step foreword into its dark chamber. My jaw about hit the ground as I saw the ginormous size of the room! One thing I noticed is that the ceiling was covered with pictures, but I also saw that the pictures had gaps in between each color change. I asked my dad what the gaps were, and he said that it was a mosaic picture. Then, I walked away as if I knew what mosaic meant. A few minutes after staring up at Jesus and the cross, I strolled up to my mom, and asked her what a mosaic was. She told me that mosaic is a picture, design, or pattern that has a couple of different color materials, such as tiles, or glass for example each about the size of a fingernail. That’s what the gaps were! I was amazed by the perimeter of the ceiling! How was it possible for the people 1,400 years ago, to make a mosaic picture this big?
After we left the church, we decided to visit the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. I couldn’t take it in that little room! It was so small, and stuffed with people, I couldn’t breath! That figures that the church is one of the biggest rooms I’ve ever seen, and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia right next to it, was one of the smallest things I’ve ever seen! Anyhow, what I did notice when I was in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, is that all the windows, were covered with a thin layer with marble. Red marble! That’s why the room was half red! I knew there was a picture of something underneath the window, but someone’s head was in the way, so I couldn’t see. It was pretty dark in there, and I could see something made out of concrete. “Wait, that almost looks like a- OH NO!!! IT IS!!!! IT’S A TOMBSTONE!!!!” I screamed in my head. “D-D-DAD.” I stammered. “W-W-Why are there tombstones in here?” “Because there are some very important people in those tombs.” I gasped. I got out of there as fast as I could to see about 50 more unburied tombstones outside! And guess what? ONE OF THEM WAS OPEN!!!! Do I dare? I thought to myself. Yes! Do it to prove to yourself that you are brave! I tiptoed up to the tomb, and peeked over the edge. I expected to see bones, but I saw moss, and weeds instead. I was relived. I thought that I would see a real dead body!
So now you know some of the history about the old church, and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. So you’d better hurry, the tombstones are waiting for you!
COMMENT CORNER:
KATIE: hi i miss u and i was always wondering how perfume was made so thank u sooooooooooo much love,katie p.s. i miss u sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much.
MY RESPONSE: HI KAT!!!!!!!!!!!! (my computer said "kat" is wrong. i don't think it speaks "kid") lol!!!!!!!!!! i miss you a lot!!!!!!!!! And can't wait to see you!!!!!!!!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Perfume Factory?
Did I actually go to one of the first perfume factories ever made? I think so! Today, I will tell you about my amazing day at the perfume factory!
Okay, one thing is, never use too much perfume. Why? Because perfume has aluminum in it, and too much aluminum can be poisonous. You might be thinking, Perfume has aluminum foil in it?! Well if you thought that, you thought wrong! The kind of aluminum I'm talking about, is a special kind of aluminum, found in the center of the earth! Now you may be wondering, Well, if aluminum is so bad for you, then why to perfume makers put it in the perfume? Sorry to break this to you, but they unfortunately don't have a choice. :( I'm still confused!! You may be complaining to yourself. You ask a lot of questions! (That's not a bad thing!) Anyways, the answer to why these good smelling liquid creators don't have a choose, is because aluminum grows in the ground, (like I said before) And it isn't too far from the surface, so when plants grow, guess what grows up inside the stem? When the perfume makers pick the flowers to use in the perfume, they are also picking the aluminum which is also in the flowers buds!
An old method of making perfume, takes us back all the way in to the 1900s! Fasten your seat belts! We are going back in time!!! (Back in time noises)
Now this method of making perfume, is very odd! You take this glass plate that you can get from any local store, and then you get some animal fat, (Don't ask me where to get that!) heat up the fat, then place on the plate, next take about ten flowers, and mold into the fat. Leave that to set for about two years. (Seriously!!!)
Our next method is still used today! Now look at this big bin that is about 9 feet tall, and the exact same one next to it! One of these bins have a big net inside it from one end to the other. Why? Because the flowers go on that net! Then, underneath that net, FIRE!!! You heat the flowers, and the smell of them, goes through that big tube at the top of each bin, and then, once in the other bin, (which has water inside it instead of fire and a net) the smell soaks into the water, and becomes perfume!
Unfortunately, our journey back in time has to end. Please buckle your seat belts to retune home. (VROOOOOMM)
Okay, I am glad you enjoyed our little journey! I hope you can join us next time! (Sorry for no pictures!)
COMMENT CORNER
Mrs Brink- Wow! Maddy, you are one lucky girl to be learning in two different places. I would love to see a picture of your house there. It sounds like you are doing well. When will you be back in the states? How was your sister's wedding??? I bet it was pretty!!!!! Have you been very busy? Tell me about your visit with Nora and her family..:) We miss you!!!
My Response- Hi Mrs. Brink!!! I'll put some pictures of my house on on my next blog! I couldn't
this time because I couldn't find the cord to connect my camera to the computer! I will be probably be back a bit earlier than expected, on account of my dad's work, he is having some major problems, and some meetings that he can't miss. My sister's wedding was beautiful!!! I loved my dress, even if it was too short! I have been very busy, and everyday, I have a list of new activities planned! Nora was a blast, and a very polite friend to have over! We loved having them over! It was a charm!!! We miss all of you, and i plan to return to Willis to say "Hello" sometime soon!
Okay, one thing is, never use too much perfume. Why? Because perfume has aluminum in it, and too much aluminum can be poisonous. You might be thinking, Perfume has aluminum foil in it?! Well if you thought that, you thought wrong! The kind of aluminum I'm talking about, is a special kind of aluminum, found in the center of the earth! Now you may be wondering, Well, if aluminum is so bad for you, then why to perfume makers put it in the perfume? Sorry to break this to you, but they unfortunately don't have a choice. :( I'm still confused!! You may be complaining to yourself. You ask a lot of questions! (That's not a bad thing!) Anyways, the answer to why these good smelling liquid creators don't have a choose, is because aluminum grows in the ground, (like I said before) And it isn't too far from the surface, so when plants grow, guess what grows up inside the stem? When the perfume makers pick the flowers to use in the perfume, they are also picking the aluminum which is also in the flowers buds!
An old method of making perfume, takes us back all the way in to the 1900s! Fasten your seat belts! We are going back in time!!! (Back in time noises)
Now this method of making perfume, is very odd! You take this glass plate that you can get from any local store, and then you get some animal fat, (Don't ask me where to get that!) heat up the fat, then place on the plate, next take about ten flowers, and mold into the fat. Leave that to set for about two years. (Seriously!!!)
Our next method is still used today! Now look at this big bin that is about 9 feet tall, and the exact same one next to it! One of these bins have a big net inside it from one end to the other. Why? Because the flowers go on that net! Then, underneath that net, FIRE!!! You heat the flowers, and the smell of them, goes through that big tube at the top of each bin, and then, once in the other bin, (which has water inside it instead of fire and a net) the smell soaks into the water, and becomes perfume!
Unfortunately, our journey back in time has to end. Please buckle your seat belts to retune home. (VROOOOOMM)
Okay, I am glad you enjoyed our little journey! I hope you can join us next time! (Sorry for no pictures!)
COMMENT CORNER
Mrs Brink- Wow! Maddy, you are one lucky girl to be learning in two different places. I would love to see a picture of your house there. It sounds like you are doing well. When will you be back in the states? How was your sister's wedding??? I bet it was pretty!!!!! Have you been very busy? Tell me about your visit with Nora and her family..:) We miss you!!!
My Response- Hi Mrs. Brink!!! I'll put some pictures of my house on on my next blog! I couldn't
this time because I couldn't find the cord to connect my camera to the computer! I will be probably be back a bit earlier than expected, on account of my dad's work, he is having some major problems, and some meetings that he can't miss. My sister's wedding was beautiful!!! I loved my dress, even if it was too short! I have been very busy, and everyday, I have a list of new activities planned! Nora was a blast, and a very polite friend to have over! We loved having them over! It was a charm!!! We miss all of you, and i plan to return to Willis to say "Hello" sometime soon!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
This week I started school, and it wasn't that bad! Initially, I was dreading my first week.
Since I only have a half day everyday, I sometime go to lunch in Nice, with my friend Sabine. (See her goofy face below?)
By the 3rd day of school, the homework started to rise up like a witch's brew about to overflow. And with that overflowing brew, my schedule began to change. On fridays, instead of Art, Math, and English, I now have Spanish, Math, and French, and on Mondays, instead of Math, Technology, and English, I now have French, English, French! Most of the people in France worry about learning English, but I'm worrying about French and Spanish! Schedule changes and internet blackouts are typical French obstacles.....But life must go on!
The bottom line is that I made it through the first week and now I feel as if I can conquer all things...at least as far as I know!
When I saw the big red school bus coming, I prayed for it to just hit me so I wouldn't have to go. But unfortunately, it was only a few feet away from the curb. :( I held my breath, and tried to fight back painful tears which stung my eyes. My mom and dad kissed me goodbye as the bus pulled up to the stop. I twirled my hair on my finger, and walked through the isle, and hoped I'd see some of my old friends from last year. I sighed. I didn't know anybody. I took a seat in the back of the bus, and it slowly moved foreword. I watched my parents until they became little itty bitty specks. What if I don't know anybody? I thought to myself. As if I don't stick out enough going only 3hours a day! Yes, you heard me, 3 hours of school. When everyone goes to lunch, I go home, so when everyone is leaving the room to go lunch, I am leaving with my backpack. Everyone stares, and points at me, but I don't know why.
The first time I stepped into my school building, I thought, Oh my god! I can't do this! You just lost it Maddy! But I knew that I had to be strong. So I walked up the stairs, knowing no one, until, I walked into room 14G (my classroom) and what a surprise! I knew just about everyone there! My friends greeted me with joy, and I told them all about the bus, and not seeing them, and how I had wanted to get hit by it! And they said how they had felt the exact same way with their busses! They had said they were taking the bus, just not which bus! Who knew? My day didn't go as bad as I thought it would!
Since I only have a half day everyday, I sometime go to lunch in Nice, with my friend Sabine. (See her goofy face below?)
By the 3rd day of school, the homework started to rise up like a witch's brew about to overflow. And with that overflowing brew, my schedule began to change. On fridays, instead of Art, Math, and English, I now have Spanish, Math, and French, and on Mondays, instead of Math, Technology, and English, I now have French, English, French! Most of the people in France worry about learning English, but I'm worrying about French and Spanish! Schedule changes and internet blackouts are typical French obstacles.....But life must go on!
The bottom line is that I made it through the first week and now I feel as if I can conquer all things...at least as far as I know!
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| Me and my dog at the "local castle" behind my house! I finally got some time off of school to hike up into the mountains! |
Sunday, September 11, 2011
My celebration of starting college!
I screamed and laughed as I jumped off the rocky cliff, about 15 feet above the sea. Everyone who had done this high dive had said it would be a super fun jump! I trusted them, and soon enough, experienced it for myself! Whoa whoa whoa, I think I've gone too far ahead of myself! Let me just begin by saying, that this is my 7th day here in Ville-Franche, France, and tomorrow I start "college"!
College is what they call the middle school here...awkward.... Anyways, school here is much different than school back home where you guys are, for one thing, it's all in french. There are so many differences that I can't even fit them on this page! So you get the point, it will be a really hard day for me tomorrow, and so my parents promised to take me to the beach today! :) So that's what leads to the cliff diving! When we got on the train, we noticed that it was packed! We couldn't even get a seat. We had to stand half of the way there, and fortunately we got a seat half way to the beach! The beach we were going to is called Cap D' Ail. (The L is silent)
College is what they call the middle school here...awkward.... Anyways, school here is much different than school back home where you guys are, for one thing, it's all in french. There are so many differences that I can't even fit them on this page! So you get the point, it will be a really hard day for me tomorrow, and so my parents promised to take me to the beach today! :) So that's what leads to the cliff diving! When we got on the train, we noticed that it was packed! We couldn't even get a seat. We had to stand half of the way there, and fortunately we got a seat half way to the beach! The beach we were going to is called Cap D' Ail. (The L is silent)
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| Cap D' Ail Train Station |
Cap D' Ail is one of my favorite beaches in France because of the clearness of the water, the fine restaurants, and the breathtaking beauty! The area is extremely popular and my dad reserved a spot for us the day before so that we could lounge and swim. After lunch, we decided to take a 4 mile swim, out to a cave to go cliff diving! I was so exited, I just couldn't help running straight into the water! I knew that it would take a little while to get everyone into the water, so I gave them five minutes before
I bulleted off towards the rocky cave walls. It took us about 1 hour to swim all the way there. (Blame it on the beautiful scenery underwater, we just couldn't help exploring the ocean beauty!) But when we got about half way into the deep cave, I realized that the water had turned black. I went to my dad to ask him why it had changed colors. He told me that it was because we were above a HUGE black rock! I thought that was pretty amazing, so I was no longer worried about it. I kept swimming until I found a rock on top of the black one, I stood on top of that one, and gazed at the stunning cave. We stayed there for about ten minutes, before we started swimming out farther to cliff dive. When I saw the size of the cliff, I got really dizzy. No way I can jump this! I thought. But my family had already made a line behind me. So that meant no turning back! My dad was down at the bottom giving me directions. "Okay! I want you to Jump as far out as you can! DO NOT jump close to the rocks!" His words scared me! What if I jumped to close to the rocks? What if I tripped and was laughed at as I dangled from the sharp boulders? There was only one way to find out what would happen.
I bulleted off towards the rocky cave walls. It took us about 1 hour to swim all the way there. (Blame it on the beautiful scenery underwater, we just couldn't help exploring the ocean beauty!) But when we got about half way into the deep cave, I realized that the water had turned black. I went to my dad to ask him why it had changed colors. He told me that it was because we were above a HUGE black rock! I thought that was pretty amazing, so I was no longer worried about it. I kept swimming until I found a rock on top of the black one, I stood on top of that one, and gazed at the stunning cave. We stayed there for about ten minutes, before we started swimming out farther to cliff dive. When I saw the size of the cliff, I got really dizzy. No way I can jump this! I thought. But my family had already made a line behind me. So that meant no turning back! My dad was down at the bottom giving me directions. "Okay! I want you to Jump as far out as you can! DO NOT jump close to the rocks!" His words scared me! What if I jumped to close to the rocks? What if I tripped and was laughed at as I dangled from the sharp boulders? There was only one way to find out what would happen.
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| The cliff we dove from :) |
I decided that it was all worth it in the end and took the plunge! Not too long after a long swim back, we had to head back to shore.
The walk home from the train station was so long, that I jumped straight into the pool when I got home! It's not very often that I get to go to the beach in Cap D' Ail, so it was a perfect way to celebrate starting college! The pictures below show some of the fun times we had today! Au revoir!
The walk home from the train station was so long, that I jumped straight into the pool when I got home! It's not very often that I get to go to the beach in Cap D' Ail, so it was a perfect way to celebrate starting college! The pictures below show some of the fun times we had today! Au revoir!
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