Today I started my first or I should say the second session of Python studying, since the online session on Wangyi didn’t last for a coach potato during winter. So, I started another online course on Coursera, which I find extremely awesome.
The session is held by Rice University with 5 elder-geeks who played Rock-paper-scissors-spock like a 5-year-old. However, I assume it to be one of the most inspiring and enlightening Python course of all. Or perhaps it’s just I like it too much. To create a game of my own, it’s a fantastic job to someone who once to be a PC game nerd. :D
Plus the course, the online coding tool/website CodeSkulptor was written by a Ph.D Philip Guo. He started programming during his bachelor study in M.I.T while programming for fun not until senior year in undergrad. He also has a book depicting his Ph.D years, which I presume to be fascinating.
In such world of money, fame and speed, perhaps only the weird geeks sustain the purest pursuit of true knowledge and boring fun. :)
Après moultes tentatives plutôt décevantes pour écrire et tenir d’une manière régulière un quelconque journal/blog, me voici enfin prêt à écrire sur de nombreux sujets.
Tout d’abord qui suis-je en huit points?
1. Étudiant (niveau Bachelor/Licence).
2. De nationalité française, né en banlieue...
Before I planned my trip to Spain, the only city that I was so keen to visit was BARCELONA. I wanted to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, beach, delicious paella, and to encounter the street artists spreading in every narrow street. Granada, however, is not a name on my travel list. It was after my roommate Cristina, from Valencia in Spain, showed me several pictures of La Alhambra that I made up my mind to visit the small city, Granada, located in the south of Spain.
(This could be the photo Cristina showed me, with snow mountain as the background of a gorgeous town/palace.) (Picture from http://neststylehotels.com/granada-tips/, Neststyle Hotels)
It took me 9 hours by train from Barcelona to Granada. Sitting through the whole trip wasn't as terrible as I thought. In the morning, I got to see sunrise from the back of mountains. In front of the mountains are boundless crop fields. It's something that I didn't get to enjoy back in Copenhagen. Then I was wondering, umm, not bad. I took a taxi to the hostel I booked in El Albaicín, the old town of muslim. The taxi driver didn't speak a single English, so I used all the Spanish I knew, which was "sí... aquí... bueno" He dropped me down in front of a extremely narrow street, which only allowed two people to pass through, not a single car and pointed uphill. (The street seemed to be built on a small hill.)
I dropped all my stuff in the B&B and set off for sightseeing. Things turned out to be so different from what I thought it would be. True, it was because I had no idea about the history of the city, the muslim, jewish and christian background. Still, I didn't expect to see something that would be so different from the western culture, the tile roof so similar to Chinese ones and the quiet fountain that is totally the opposite to western ones.
I met a Chinese girl who also planned to do the free walking tour that was cancelled because there were´t enough people. We followed the guide´s advice and ¨sneaked¨ into a student residence near the caves of the gypsies. The residence was like a little backyard for the royal palace, with quiet little fountains, stone roads covered by the shadow of the leafy trees and wood benches where you can either read or take a nap.
在被取消的免费观光后，我遇到了一个中国女生，我们按照导游的指示溜进了一个学生宿舍。但是，那个宿舍就像皇宫的后花园一样漂亮和安逸。有安静的“喷泉”，还有铺满石头的小路，从树缝间撒下的阳光和木椅子。After several sites, including a platform where you can have a wonderful view of La Alhambra, I decided to visit the jewish sector of the city. It's not a popular touristic area. It's another culture, nevertheless. It should be worth a visit I thought to my self. And it was true. The jewish sector was of course really different from El Albayzin, wider streets, lower walls. It was enjoyable because of its quietness and the small hills that can lead you up to La Alhambra.
I went to La Alhambra the second day, and it was also an awesome trip with a guide who would explain everything related to the water construction work and the legends in the palace to you.
Thanks to Etienne for inspiring me and reminding me of opening a blog on Tumblr, since so many nice blog service websites are blocked from home. I'll start to recollect all the great experiences I had in Copenhagen, and other parts in Europe.
Also, I'll keep stories back in Boston, Bali, Chengdu, Beijing, St. Petersburg, Tibet etc. as well.
I'm not sure whether this "blog" should be seen as a travel blog or should it be a diary, or anything that relates to any "popular" topics. It should be unique and special in my definition.
Cheers!
Siqi (Rachel)
in Copenhagen
(This photo was taken in a temple/pura in Bali, July, 2013. People are not allowed to expose there bare legs since it disrespects the God in Hinduism. My friend and I were given this red blanket at the entrance.)
