Farewell

After all, seasons change

So do cities.

People come into your life,

And people go.

But it’s comforting to know

the ones you love are always in your heart.

And if you’re very lucky

A plane ride away.

So that may just be a quote from Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City, but I found it rather fitting. I'm flying home today after spending four months in a foreign country. I'm so excited to be home and see everyone and everything I missed, but it's definitely bittersweet. I know I'm going to miss it here, especially the friends I've made. But c'est la vie, I suppose.

It's hard to believe my next update will be from across the ocean!

I never thought this week would come

Long time, no blog, eh? Life in Europe is hectic, what can I say? Haha, no good excuses here, just kept forgetting to update. And somehow it's my last week in Paris. I've been saying the whole time I've been here that time just seems to go faster here. I still believe that.

In the past month and a half, I've been to London, Belgium, braved a 10 day long metro strike (when I live 45 minutes from my school walking!), had my boyfriend come visit, and went to Vienna! Not to mention that I've had classes and tried to do things in Paris in the meantime.

I just can't bring myself to write my goodbye post yet, because as much as I'm ready to be home, I'm not ready to leave. I get a pang of sadness every time I have one of those "last moments." I had my last fashion class today. I'll have one of my last baguettes tonight. I'll have my last crepe on Thursday. And my last night in Paris is Friday.


So soon, soon I'll be home, hopefully celebrating a white Christmas and getting to see everyone that I've missed for so long. Maybe I'll even put some more pictures up from my travels.

La Dolce Vita

Yes, yes, it's already November, and I haven't gotten around to updating! I'm going to start with this past week, which I spent in Italy! It's fresh in my mind, so I figure I should start with it.
I left for Florence Friday, October 26th. We got into Pisa around 8pm, and then took an hour bus into Florence. We eventually found our hostel and then went and ate our first dinner of many. I had some delicious spaghetti carbonara.

Me, Annie, and Audrey on Ponte Vecchio

We spent Saturday exploring Florence, and then Sunday we took a day trip to Cinque Terre! Cinque Terre are five small towns along the Mediterranean coast, and there are hiking trails between them all. We only did the first hike, which took us about an hour and a half and was pretty tough! We didn't have enough time to hike the rest, so we took the 5-10 minute trains between them instead. We got lucky and had a sunny day, and everything was beautiful!

Me in Cinque Terre on a gorgeous day!
Postcard perfect towns in Cinque Terre!

On Monday we went to Siena for the day. We took a 70 minute bus ride through the hill towns of Tuscany during the perfect time of year. The leaves were changing on the trees, and I dreamt of someday renting a villa and spending an autumn in Italy. Siena itself was a cute little town that was battling with Florence for power in the middle ages, until the plague came through and wiped out over half the population. The main square, called Il Campo, is at the town hall and I ate gelato at Natalie's favorite gelateria in all of Italy.

Tuesday was our last full day in Florence, and unfortunately, it was rainy. I went to the Science museum in the morning and saw the lens through which Galileo discovered Jupiter's moons, as well as his middle finger. I'm not sure why Galileo's finger is in the museum.. but it was interesting to say the least. I went into the Duomo after lunch and lit a memory candle while Charlotte climbed up Brunelleschi's famous dome. After that, the rain reduced to a drizzle, and I explored on my own for a while. I got some gelato at Vivoli's, which was quite delicious (I ate gelato every day!), saw Santa Croce, where Michaelangelo and Galileo's tombs are.

Me and the Duomo in Florence!

Wednesday, Halloween, I got up and checked out of the hostel and decided to take an earlier train to Rome so I'd have a bit more time there. I went to the San Lorenzo Market before going to the train station and picked up a few souvenirs. The train ride was about 3 hours and 45 minutes, and then I was in Rome!

I found our hostel, and figured out what I wanted to try and see while in Rome. At 5pm I went and picked up the rest of the girls at the train station and showed them how to get to the hostel. That night, Annie and her friend Kristy, who is studying in Rome, came and showed us around! I saw the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon all lit up at night.

Thursday we all tried to go to the Borghese Gallery, but there were five of us and only 4 reservations, so Jess and I decided to skip out. We explored Rome in the rain, and saw the Spanish Steps, the Ara Pacis, and the Piazza del Popolo. We tried going to the Colosseum in the afternoon, but it had closed early because of All Saints Day! We took some pictures, and then went back to the hostel and out to dinner.

Me in front of the Colosseum the day it was closed

Friday, my last full day in Rome, was quite busy. We woke up and tried to go to the Vatican Museum, but the line was gigantic! The other girls weren't leaving until 6pm on Saturday, so they agreed to come back then and try to see the Sistine Chapel, because I didn't want to wait and risk missing the Colosseum again. We went into the Vatican and jumped in line for St. Peter's Basilica. It was quite beautiful inside, huge and very light, and so different from the churches in France. We grabbed -guess what- yup! More gelato! and then went over to the Colosseum, and did a tour inside. I learned all about a typical day at the Colosseum 2000 years ago, and we got some free time to explore. Afterwards we did an included tour of the Palatine Hill and ended up at the Forum. We then walked over to Trastevere and met up with Annie and Kristy for our last dinner in Italy. I had pizza. : )

In Vatican City! Looking towards St. Peter's Basilica

Inside of the Colosseum, recreating Gladiator!

I am in LOVE with Italian food!!!

Saturday I woke up early, and took a train to the airport with Lara. I finally got back to my apartment around 3:30 in the afternoon, and I spent it lazing about! I watched episodes of Grey's Anatomy, The Office and Scrubs online and spent the night not doing anything. It was wonderful.

Today has been just as lazy! But tomorrow I have to go back to the real world. Waking up and grocery shopping, followed by a day of studying and then a test at 5pm. I think tonight I'll dream of Italy and the amazing food. I can't wait to go back someday.

My laptop caught the plague

I have so many stories and yet no time to tell them! My mom has been here since the 6th of October, so we've been busy busy busy (which obviously leaves no time for updating), and the night before she arrived my laptop decided to stop working.

It only opens in 'Safe mode with networking,' which means no sound or microphones, and everything is super-sized. I've at least been able to go online, but no tv shows, music or movies, and no skype either... But my mom is taking my laptop with her tomorrow when she leaves for Minnesota, and is then shipping it to Winona to fix. Hopefully I'll have it back within a week.


But until then, you will have to wait anxiously for pictures, and me hoping I remember all the stories that go with them! Sightseeing with mom and a weekend in Aix! I'm also off to the Loire Valley Chateaux this upcoming weekend.


So I can't upload my new pictures until I get my laptop back, but I am anxiously awaiting it's return, and it hasn't even left yet. Here's wishing you a safe journey, laptop!

it's already october?!

I've been back from the Northern Coast of France for a week now, but unfortunately I don't have many pictures due to my broken camera. But I have a few that I stole from others!

The weekend was a really nice break from hectic Paris life, except for the hours and hours we spent in a bus. We rode about 4 hours to Rennes, the capital of Brittany, where we had a little tour and time to eat lunch. We ate at a galette and crepe restaurant (the specialty of the region) and it was a good time. I had a ham, mushroom and cheese galette (which is just a savory crepe). It was good, but I definitely like the crepe I got from a stand set up in the main square right before we left. I was adventurous and got a "Salted Caramel Butter Fudge" crepe- which really ended up being a crepe filled with what tasted like a melted handmade wax-paper wrapped caramel. It was amazing! I think that caramel is a specialty of the region as well.

Me and my Crepe!

Then we hopped on the bus for another 2 hours or so and went to St. Malo. St. Malo was definitely my favorite part of the trip. It's a small fortified town that was the only stronghold left against the British in the north during the 100 years war. It was the cutest town I've visited, and was right on the English Channel. The fresh sea air was such a welcome change from city air.

The view from the ramparts

That night we stayed across a small bay in a town called Dinard, also completely adorable. It was one of the first towns with 'vacation homes' for the British. Our hotel was about 2 minutes away from the Channel, and some girls and I went at midnight. It was an amazing experience! We put our feet in the water and the stars were out, and there was just the right amount of briskness to the air. It was so unbelievable that I was putting my feet in the ENGLISH CHANNEL! It's so amazing to be seeing different parts of the world like I get to!


The next morning we ran back to shore for a few minutes before re-boarding the buses yet again, and then it was a one hour trip to the Mont St. Michel. The Mont really was breathtaking, but it seems more touristy than St. Malo. It was still stunning all the same. We arrived at high tide, and in the past (before the road was constructed) when it was high tide, the Mont would be an island! Pilgrims to the Abby had to cross the sand (and quicksand!) by foot during low tide, and then stay on the island until high tide had passed.

We spent a few hours there, and then started back for home. About halfway back to Paris, we stopped in Beauvron-en-Auge (that might be spelled wrong) for a typical snack from Normandy. We had tarte tatin (an apple tart) and some cider that, according to our guide, was stronger than the cider you buy in shops because it tasted of the "country." I didn't finish mine, haha. It was a cute little village that we stopped in, and was where many soldiers were air-dropped during WWII. I'm constantly in awe at how much I'm surrounded by history everywhere I go. I love it.

The 3 1/2 hours home after that were uncomfortable and seemed to take forever, and it felt so nice to be back and out of that bus. The school week always flies by for me, I don't have any idea where the days go. On Monday I went to the Chanel and Hermes headquarters for my Haute Coture class (and felt very poor!) and Thursday we walked around the Marais for Architecture. Fashion week 2007 has also been going on this week, so some of the kids in the program have been trying to crash Fashion shows.

Amee and I were tired of not going out and doing things in Paris, so we went to where the Alexander McQueen fashion show was tonight, and got there after it ended, of course. We decided to walk around anyway, and found some fashionable looking people leaving one of the doors. I decided to take my chances, and just walked in and asked the security guard if i could go in and look at the runway setup. He was like, Sorry it's not allowed, but we chatted a bit and then they let us back!

It was such a beautiful set up, I only wish I could have seen it with the lights off. But how many people can say they walked the runway where the Alexander McQueen show was?? Now I can!

And to make things even better, my mom is arriving tomorrow! So don't expect an update for a while, because we're going to be busy busy busy! Times are good in Paris, that's for sure.

A Weekend in Bordeaux

I made it to Bordeaux and back without any complications this past weekend!

I got done early at the Museum of Decorative Arts on Thursday night, so I went to my school to meet up with a few kids at the tail end of Crepe Night (there was even a crepe left for me to make! No more nutella, but I discovered lemon juice and sugar is an amazing combination!). It was Jessica's birthday, so we went back to her apartment and hung out for a while. I left to go back home when they left to go out to celebrate. I didn't get to bed until a little after 2 am (because I didn't get home until midnight-ish and still had to pack and get ready!), so I ended up only have a few hours of sleep before getting up at 6am to have time to get to the train station.

I made it to Gare Montparnasse (the train station) with plenty of time, and got on the train without even needing to ask for help! I napped a bit on the ride down, which was 3 hours long. And Anne-Suzy was there to pick me up about 20 minutes after my train pulled in.

We then went and got some lunch and I got to try out my newly improved French skills. After that I had to accompany her to 2 classes (Portuguese and Spanish) and I met some of her friends, who all talked incredibly fast. Then we eventually made it back to Anne's house (which is about a half hour away by tram and bus in a cute town called Carbon Blanc) and I met her mom, who was leaving to pick up Anne's aunt from either the train station or airport. Anne and I then ate a quick dinner and got ready to go back into Bordeaux.

The view from Anne-Suzy's balcony

As I mentioned before, the Rugby World Cup is going on in France, and there was a game Friday night in Bordeaux. We didn't go to the actual game, but went over to one of Anne-Suzy's friend's apartment to watch it on TV. We then headed over to the town center where there was a big screen that had been playing the game. France beat Ireland, so there was much rejoicing. We ended up wandering over to an Irish pub, where everyone was gracious losers and just having a good time! And the night didn't end there! I then went to a nightclub with Anne and some of her friends, but by that time it was about 1:30 in the morning and I was exhausted. I hung back and just watched the goings-on there, and we actually didn't stay at the club very long. Anne-Suzy's mom actually came out and picked us up at 3am! That was really nice, especially because I was exhausted and my feet hurt more than they have the whole time I've been in Paris! I walked all over Bordeaux that night.

Anne and I at her friend's apartment!

On Saturday, we got up around 10 and had some breakfast and took our time getting ready. Around 2 Anne and I went back into town and meet up with her sister's boyfriend. We did some window shopping and then had hot chocolate at a cafe while I tested out more of my French language skills. We then walked to go meet her sister when she got out of work (she's doing vo-tech training to become a hair dresser) and then went back to their house. Anne, Laurence (her sister), Anne's mom and I then ate a quick dinner and headed out to pick up her aunt and go to St. Emillion- a cute little toursity town where a lot of the regions wine is sold. We just got some dessert. And I took a few pictures because it was a cute little town. But later that night, Anne tried to take a picture of me with her aunt's dog before heading home for the night, and sometime between dessert and getting home, my camera broke. The screen cracked and won't show any images. I was really disappointed, to say the least. I think I might order a new one online and have my mom bring it when she comes (which is less than 2 weeks!).

One of the last pictures taken while my camera was still functioning. A tower in St. Emillion.

Sunday was just another calm day, we hung out at home and Laurence did gave me a blow-out for my hair! She also had made fresh crepes for breakfast! It's the straightest it's ever been without using a straightener (she just used a brush and hair dryer). We had duck confit and fresh baguettes for lunch, and then I helped Anne with her English homework and we watched some MTV in French. Then I got dropped off for my 4:45pm train back to Paris.


All in all, it was a good and a kind of stressful weekend. It was quite a brain workout to try and speak French all weekend. Not to mention it was frustrating because I felt like there's no way I could ever understand how fast kids my age talk! But people kept saying that I could speak well, so I tried not to let it get me down too much. And my poor feet and camera got me down too, but the good food, and good time with Anne and a chance to explore a new city more than made up for it!


Now I should work on some homework (seeing as how I didn't do any all weekend) but it's so hard to find the motivation. Who wants to do homework when they're in Paris??

At least I get rewarded by having some cool classes. Today, in order to make up a canceled class from the first week, my advanced French class had our normal class, and then went on a boat tour down the Seine river for free to make up the lost time! It was a bit chilly, but way more fun than sitting in a classroom!

This is the statue that Parisians use to judge how high the water level is. Once the river was up to his neck!

The view of the tower from the Seine!

My first quiz is today

I have my first quiz in my Advanced French class today- on negation, interrogation, the passe compose, imparfait, and the plus-que-parfait. I have an hour and 15 minutes until I have to leave for class, so I'm taking a study break to update!

As for my health, my stomach ache got better by Sunday, but now I have hints of a cold. As long as I keep kleenex handy I think I'll be alright.

I've been really busy these past few days (surprise surprise). Sunday I went to the Palais Royal in the morning (the building itself is usually closed to the public, but because it was the European Heritage Weekend, it was open for a tour), and then went on a walking tour of Montmarte in the afternoon. It was rather warm, so the walking tour definitely tired me out. Monday I had class and did laundry for the first time. Laundry isn't cheap here, but I've managed to go 3 weeks without doing it, so as long as I don't start spilling on myself a lot, I don't think it will be an issue. Yesterday was more classes.

However, to make things a little more exciting, Monday and Tuesday evening I met up with some of the girls in the program and we booked plane tickets and hostels to go to Italy for fall break! I've wanted to go to Italy for so long, and now it's actually going to happen! We're going to Florence for five days, but at least 2 of those days will be day trips (one to Siena, and one potentially to Cinque Terre), and then spending 3 days in Rome. I can't wait till I have some free time to start planning out activities for that trip! Unfortunately it's not going to be a very inexpensive trip, but seeing as how I'm already in Europe, it's cheaper than trying to go to Italy than the US! Plus I've wanted to go so badly, I think it'll be worth it. There's a fairly large group of girls going, but I'm pretty sure we're gonna split up some of the days and nights so we don't have to try to accommodate 7 people's needs all the time! I might even take a day trip alone to Venice, if I can afford it. We'll see how it goes!

Well, I should get back to studying. No fun plans for today- just more homework and cleaning when I get back tonight, but Thursday I have an on-site night visit to the Decorative Arts Museum for Haute Coture class, and then Friday I leave for Bordeaux!!

I'm a little nervous about taking the trip by myself and about my ability to speak French all weekend, but I'll let you know how it goes.