Frankfurt & The Rape of Lucretia (An Opera)

Hallo Freunds!
Rashawn & I were fortunate to be visited by Altovise & Tabbetha during their Spring Break from the states. We decided to spend Ostern (Easter) weekend in Frankfurt, the main city of Germany. Frankfurt is a.k.a. "Main-Hattan" because of it large urban similarity to that of a U.S. city. After the II World War, most of Frankfurt, and most of Germany! was destroyed. The city of Frankfurt decided to take a different approach involving modernity versus the recreation of its once "old & historic" city.
While in Frankfurt, we all took part in our first ever Opera, The Rape of Lucretia, yes Lucretia!. And while this was the English version of the opera, we all still feel that translation was needed. This particular Opera takes place at the time of the tyrant Tarquinius, yes Tarquinius! Talk is amidst about roman wives infidelities and Tarquinius decides he will attempt to seduce Lucretia, the wife of General Collatinus, as it is said that she alone is resistant to mens advances. So begins a tragedy...Lucretia is unable to live with herself after Tarquinius rapes her and takes her life in the presence of her husband. Intersestingly mournful. Nice experience. Will go it again...an opera.

Enjoy the pictures we have posted for you. Also, make note of the lovely & contemporarily stylish hotel we stayed in. I must mention that the junkies DO come out at night everywhere, Frankfurt included! Being the nurse that I am, I spotted a syringe...and a few feet down an empty needle package...and a few feet down, another needle! Hmpf...You will find it interesting to know that Frankfurt was among one of the first cities to establish a Needle Exchange Program. This program allows for druggies to get nice clean needles before they shoot up! Interested? Read more here...
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2000/05/byo_heroin.html

Frohne Ostern! Happy Easter!

Friends Altovise & Tabbetha come to visit in Germany! We spent time in Frankfurt & Mannheim! Enjoy looking at our adventures...

http://picasaweb.google.com/InternationalRays/Gemany2008PartII

Paris 2008

Paris really IS all that!

http://picasaweb.google.com/InternationalRays/Paris2008

Paris really IS all that!

Paris is absolutely amazing! The city is romantic, gothic, and intriguing...all in one! I fell in love with the Notre Dame Cathedral...this medieval architecture invades your mind with what once was, what still is, and what is to come! It is riveting and impossible to catch in one photo. The Louvre museum is spectacular, as it is also almost impossible to see in one visit. The Mona Lisa, which millions flock to see, is housed in The Louvre. Oh I could go on & on about the Arc de Triumph, the Champs-Elyses, & the bare nakedness of the Moulin Rouge, but I cannot properly end this blog without leaving you with a taste of the Eiffel. Towering over Paris, with Gypsies begging for your change, with shimmering lights by night, stands the magnificent Tour de Eiffel (The Eiffel Tower). Breathtakingly, we went to the Top of The Eiffel, had lunch at the Eiffel, and concluded our day's journey with down the winding stairs of the Eiffel! The pictures and views were exhilarating! Thanks Rashawn, Stephanie, and Daphne for sharing this amazing adventure with me! We shall not be sad to have left Paris, for we know we will return...sometime, sometime soon!

Until next time...and until the next country...and until the next visitors!

Paris, the French Nina Sky, and the Nosiest Man in the World!

So Paris is the most spectacular city I have ever been to! There is so much history and culture. Additionally, Daphne and Stephanie are so much fun! They made this trip one of the best I have ever had the privilege to go on. Below are some pics from the trip that do not do Paris any justice, but hopefully you will see the beauty and elegance of the area nonetheless. The pics are from the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower, the Moulin Rouge, and a few tours we went out. I would give a detailed account of what we did and place captions below the pics, but I am sure Cynthia will do that. Here pics are so much better than mine. However, I did get some decent pics from all angles of the Eiffel Tower (bottom, top, middle, off the edge). And Daphne and I saw Mos Def walking to the top of the Eiffel as we were walking down. Who can say that?! We were on the Eiffel with Mos Def! What!

Still, I must come with the funniness! As stated above, Stephanie and Daphne are really fun. They are also really funny! Daphne makes some statements that will have you cracking up laughing. Stephanie reminds me so much of my mother it is uncanny. I just laugh at some of the stuff she does. Taken together, below are some of the famous phrases from their time in Europe. Enjoy!

"This cake so good it make your tongue slap your brains out. That's how I feel."-Daphne
Daphne's comment after eating some dessert.

"The dog look better than him. The dog need to be walking him."-Daphne and Stephanie Comments after seeing a man walking a gorgeous white husky looking dog. Unfortunately, the owner did not live up to his dog...

"Hello, Mercie, Bitte Schun"-Stephanie
Stephanie's general convo when meeting someone. Hello (English); Mercie (Thank you in French); Bitte Schun (Your welcome in German)

"Well why he over there talking to himself then."-Cynthia
Cynthia's comment after asking me if something was wrong with one of our new Paris tour friends. Initially, I responded, "No, I think he is ok." After further inspection of him doing what Cynthia proposed above, I retracted my statement.

"I laughed at that last night in my sleep all night."-Daphne
Daphne's response after recalling something funny from the day before.

"I grew on Munchken and he grew on me... Munchken Dickerson."-Daphne
Daphne's epic story about her Grandmother's dog and how her and the dog grew into each other...

"The dreams caught up with me in my mind."-Daphne
I don't even know what made Daphne say that, but it was hilarious at the time... And still is... heehee

"This the closest I want to be to Jesus!"-Stephanie
Stephanie's comment on the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

"You got the menus of the FAST FOOD RESTAURANT. You know the ones that DELIVER. TAKE OUT"-Stephanie
Stephanie stressing her words to the hotel attendant who spoke English fine... Note she was asking for menus... We just walked into the hotel str8 out the cab... lol

"He look like a baby making machine"...5 minutes later... "He look like a baby making machine"-Daphne
Daphne's comment after seeing Mos Def and me saying that he supposedly has several children.

Below is a video from when we scared Daphne and Stephanie. They are already paranoid. We got them pretty good. If Stephanie was in front, I am sure she would have screamed. Daphne didn't know what to do. She was getting ready to dream about Munchkin in her mind at night.

Now, I proceed to two classic incidents that are sure to go down in RayHistory as two of the funniest things we have ever witnessed in life. First, we were on the subway returning to our hotel when we heard 50 Cent's music blasting from the subway platform. Then, we noticed that the music found it's way onto our train. As we gazed to the other side of our train, we saw this... Hilarious I know... Watch the man try to get away and almost fall. We don't even think that was his stop. He just wanted to get away from them. The French Nina Sky! Be on the look out for them. Remember you saw them first here on InternationalRays.

Second, we were on the train returning from Paris back to Mannheim when Cynthia looked over and said, "What does this man keep looking at?" I look over and this is what I saw... Hilarious! He is hands down the nosiest man in the world! Granted what are we called since we were laughing at his expense and video taping him but anyway don't dwell on that. Simply note that nothing was happening on the train. It was super quiet. He was just looking just to be looking. The Nosiest Man in the World! I really think he felt like the song, "I always feel like, somebody's watching me! I ain't got no privacy!"

Scaring Stephanie and Daphne

The French Nina Sky

Nosiest Man in the World I

Nosiest Man in the World II

Nosiest Man in the World III

Germany 2008

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http://picasaweb.google.com/InternationalRays/Germany2008