better late than never

So I feel like a blogging failure. My last two months of my studying abroad adventure were jam packed and left me no time to blog. But I did post most of the bazillions of pictures I took to FB- and you know how the saying goes- a picture’s worth a thousand words- so here is the spark notes version of what my life looked like

Spring break – 2 weeks Rome, Florence, Venice, then a cruise to Greece, Turkey, & Croatia

Rome- The history there is amazing. Walking through the streets thinking about how the people who shaped history walked the same streets I was walking. We walked SOOOO much. Stayed at the probably the worst hostel of the trip (it was basically an apartment turned hostel, funny bunkmates, cold tiny showers, ect) hey but we saved lots of money =) We celebrated Megan’s 21^st on our last night. Had a great dinner at a restaurant that was basically out of a movie, popped a bottle of champagne and drank it at a little fountain and experienced the Roman nightlife, which was almost all American students. My sweet Swedish friend Anna got here phone stolen on the Metro, realized it right after it happened saw her phone in some lady’s purse and took it back- she is a bad a$$. =) Oh yeah and most importantly we had the best GELATTO ever. You order a small and you can have 3 different flavors and it is the size of your face. I don’t think we went a day in Italy with out gelato. I have spent the whole summer trying to get rid of the damage =/ it was worth ever bite =)

Florence- FELL IN LOVE right away. I could live here forever I think. A beautiful small city surrounded by vineyards, snowcapped mountains, and full of amazing food, architecture and beautiful friendly people. We had an amazing hostel with a six bunk room to ourselves, computer in our room, French toast for breakfast, cute little courtyard right out side of our room. We took a wine tour in Chianti. The bus ride was so beautiful. Tuscany is to die for. The wine was probably my favorite to top it all off. We visited a little village at the end of the day and bought some local cheese, bread, sausage, and wine that we shared riverside that night.

Venice- So unique. There are really no streets or cars. You walk or take a boat. Navigating is impossible. Forget the map and just give yourself extra time. Pay attention too. The sidewalk sometimes just suddenly ends and drops off into a canal. We took a water taxi to the near by island of Murano which is famous for glass making. A lot less crowded than Venice and simply a very enjoyable place

The Cruise- We took a 7-day Royal Caribbean cruise to finish off our spring break trip. Yeah- it was awesome. We got to eat amazing food breakfast lunch and dinner, we were constantly entertained by the staff, and we did not have to worry about catching trains or plans, finding hostels, forking out our life savings every time we wanted to eat a good meal. Also this was when the volcano was erupting in Iceland. The day or ship left was the day they closed almost every airport in Europe, so needless to say- we were on a ship that was only half full. I am so thankful we decided to travel in Italy the week before and therefore were not affected. The ship had mostly American passengers. We made friends with some many moms and dads that were really worried about us because we were traveling with out parents. It was nice to talk to adults again.

Greece- first we stopped in Corfu. It was not the Greece I had pictured- but it was the real Greece. Everywhere you could tell the economy is struggling. We walked through the residential part of town to get to the touristy city center. The Greeks always greeted us with smiles. We got to sample different types of baklava- SO good =) The next day we arrived at the island of SANTORINI- this place is out of a story book. When the ship was getting closer to the island I kept on saying how I was so surprised that there was snow at the top of the island- yeah it’s not snow- it’s the white buildings =).We took DONKEYS to the top where the village is. BEST 5 euro I spent during my travels. I don’t think I have ever smiled so much for 20 mins straight. It was so fun- yes- just like the sisterhood of the traveling pants. The rest of our day in santorini was spent exploring. We walked around most of the village, it was very quiet so that was nice. Views were amazing no matter where you looked. It felt like a dream. We stopped and had drinks and some taziki at a little bar with the most amazing view. We had this hobby when we were traveling called “have drinks with the most amazing view”. It was always worth the hunt and whatever ridiculous price we paid. Greece was a dream. I am so thankful that I got to experience this paradise.

Turkey- Honestly, it was not at the top of my places to see, but the cruise took us there- so I was excited, but had no idea what to expect. I took a tour of Ephesus and got to see the famous theater where Paul preached and also where Mary spent her final days. I’m really glad I got to take the tour and see these amazing places, but I was kind of scared the whole time. The locals hassled you to buy whatever they were selling, I have learned to expect this, but for some reason it freaked me out this time. The men would look you up and down and you never saw a Turkish woman. Later in the day when we were walking in the market near the port we got called ever name you could think of by the store keepers (Charlie’s angles, jlo, blondie,ect) Men were even asking us American girls to marry them and take them to America- hahaha- you will be happy to know we all said NO =)

Croatia- our last cruise stop. Dubrovnik is in the most southern part of the country and my first thought was “ Is this a movie set? “ It was so beautiful! We wandered around the old city and took lots of pictures. The old city is right on the water and we found a fun looking cliffy area and explored (it was safer that I make it sound). I hope to go back to Croatia and spend more time.

We spent the day in Venice before Flaying back to Paris. I meet up with some friends in Paris the next day- then it was back to school- for a week =) then 2 more weeks of traveling =)

May Trip- so technically these were our “study weeks” but who the heck needs 2 weeks to study?!?! So we planned a really great trip instead =) don’t worry I still got at 3.5 for the semester. Kim from UCF, Charlotte from Hong Kong, and I traveled to England, Ireland, and Spain during 2 weeks.

England- we had 4 rainy, but great days in London. I was so nice to not have a language barrier for the first time in 4 months. The first thing I noticed was how darn expensive London is. We saw all the sights, some crazy protests, visited the markets, and ate amazing Chinese food with the girls from Hong Kong.

Ireland- we flew into Dublin. Right away we noticed the people were so friendly- everyone wanted to help us find our way. Enjoyed the heavy Irish food- bangers and mash, pies, black pudding ect- and of course Guinness. Took a tour to Kilkenny (the medieval capital), the Wicklow Mountains, and Glendalough- all of which were beautiful. We drove through a lot of places where they filmed PS I love you and Braveheart- btw this tour was free through our AWESOME hostel. We took bus to Galway the next day. Galway was a lot smaller but really nice. We did tours both days we were there. One day to the Cliffs of Moher and the other to Connemara- probably the two most beautiful places I visited during my 5 month trip. I had dreamed of going to Ireland for the longest time, I have a lot of Irish in me and it was just really cool to see where I came from.

Spain- our time in Barcelona got cut short a little bit by the DUMB volcano. We had 1 extra day in Ireland and one less in Barcelona- but it all worked out. We had a hostel right on the Ramblas (the main street in Barcelona where all the action is.) We thought we were going to starve- my friends had told me to order tapas at dinner- and soon we learned that tapas are snacks NOT meals. We went to the market every morning and ate crazy good fruit. We toured all around the city and saw the Olympic park, the cathedrals, and my fave the BEACH! The beach was a very European beach- we all tried not to laugh too hard- but lets face it, we are immature Americans =)

That’s it for my 2 big backpacking trips- After that we had our tests- I moved out of my dorm in Angers and went to the south of France near Aix-en-Provance for 2 weeks- then Paris for 4 days – then back to the USA! I’ll blog about that later- Thanks for reading my novel- lol

Amsterdam and Brussels

I Amsterdam

Last month I went to Amsterdam and Brussels with 5 of the girls from UCF. I was really excited for this trip, but I really did not know what to expect.

We had to catch the 6am bus to get to the train station to catch our 6:45 train to Paris. After an hour and a half train ride to Paris we had to get off the train and get on the metro (during rush hour) to get the other train station to meet our train to Amsterdam. One of the girls going with us over slept- and missed both trains. She was lucky enough to be able to get on a train that arrived in Amsterdam 45 mins after ours, but I think we all learned a valuable lesson, don’t over sleep! And set a few alarms =)

We got to Amsterdam at 1pm. It is so easy to sleep on trains, so we made up for our lack of sleep on the trains. Once we all got together at the train station in Amsterdam we ventured into the city to find out hotel. The streets were packed with people, and BIKES.

The amount of Bikes in Amsterdam is CRAZY. EVERYONE rides a bike. We saw parents with 2 and 3 kids on their bikes with them. There would be a baby seat behind the handlebars or behind the seat. Some bikes had large boxes in the front where the children were placed. Also the rack on the back of the bike is used as a seat for a friend, or a place for a child to stand. I LOVE how everyone rides bikes in Amsterdam. I think it’s probably one of the best ideas ever. Not once did I see traffic in the city. I don’t think I saw an over weight Dutch person either. What a great idea, now being back in angers I am riding my bike more and more.

So back to Amsterdam. It’s BEAUTIFUL! I heard it is called the Venice of the north and now I see why. There are streets and cars, but there are canals all throughout the city. Everywhere we looked I felt like I was looking at something out of a book.

We found the big I AMSTERDAM sign, which also serves as a playground. Of course we took loads of pictures. We made our way to the Heineken brewery. I thought 15 Euro was a steep price, but we soon learned it was well worth it. We learned about how it is made and the history behind it. There was a little “ride” here they take you through the whole brewing and bottling process. We learned how to drink a Heineken and had a small sample. Then we went to the bar at the brewery where we got 2 drink included with our tour. We meet some other American students studying in Europe and hung out and talked for a while.

That’s another thing I really liked. EVERYONE spoke English. All the Dutch people spoke perfect English, which was good for me; I don’t know a WORD of Dutch. Also I have not meet that many Americans since I have been here in Europe. I felt like the only tourists in Amsterdam were Americans or English.

Nice.

We visited the red light district- that was interesting….I can’t believe it really existed, I feel like most people find it rather amusing, I did not find it very funny- rather disgusting and sad… I’m not going to sit here and preach, that would just take too long, but yeah- I just can’t believe that it is legal and that it really exists.

On our train home we learned a valuable lesson about watching your bags on trains. We all fell asleep and while we were sleeping one of the girls’ backpack was stolen =/ luckily she had her passport, money, iPod, camera ect in her purse on her, but still she lost her clothes and some other stuff. So now I know- don’t take your eyes off your bags on the trains.

On our way home we stopped in Brussels for about 6 hours in-between trains. It is such a beautiful city; everyone was so nice there. Of course we bought loads of chocolate and had some waffles =)

I am really behind on blogging- I know it took me nearly a month to put this one up… check back soon to hear about my 2 week trip to Italy and my cruse to Greece Croatia and turkey =)

Lovely Lyon and Playing Princess

Last weekend after a few weekends in Angers some of us decided we wanted to go discover another part of France, so Elizabeth from Texas, the 5 Finnish girls and me went to Lyon for the weekend.

Lyon is the birthplace of French cooking so I was excited, but that’s all I really knew and I had pretty low expectations. But little did I know that Lyon would turn out to be one of my favorite places in France.

We took the slow trans to Lyon because it was about 30 Euros cheaper but took 3 more hours. They ride was so nice though. We got to see a whole different part of France and boy was it beautiful. The rolling hills and small towns were so beautiful (see my pictures on Facebook).

4 of us couch surfed again. And once again it was a really great experience. We actually stayed with a girl who graduated from the University and program I am going to now. So that was really cool and we had lots to talk about. The first night we cooked dinner for all the roommates who lived at the flat we were staying. We all got nervous when Alex (one of the French roommates) came into the kitchen while we were cooking and told us he was learning to be a chef, great a French chef would have to eat our pasta. Hahaha- It turned out really good, and everyone enjoyed it.

Saturday morning we started by going to the highest point in the city to get a good view. St. Nicolas Basicalic is at the top there and we took lots of pictures and admired the views. Next we decided to go to theses 2 old Roman theaters near by- and this is when things got CRAZY!

So we are walking up to the theater and there is a tour group- no big deal we see this everyday- I saw a girl with long blond hair (but only her back) and thought to myself that she looked a lot like one of my sorority sisters- but there was no way. (Ok background story- Courtney, a sorority sister of mine, told me that she was going to the south of France for spring break with a group from UCF. 3 weeks ago she reminded me- but I already have plans to go to the south of France later, so I wished her a good time and told her that I would see her in August). Anyways- back to the story. This group of tourists is walking into the museum, we continued to walk into the theater, and then I saw my TEACHER for UCF. My heart kinda stopped and I ran down the stairs telling the other girls that I would meet up with them in a second. I went in the lobby of the museum and went up to Courtney and just said “this is so CRAZY” we just kinda looked at each other and were amazed that we had just ran into each other. I get excited when I see friends at Wal-Mart or target back home- so you can only imagine how happy I was to see Courtney. Everyone in her tour group took pictures of us. It was SO good seeing someone from home and very surreal. I think it was then I realized that I have been gone for 2 months, and how much I miss everyone back home. We talked for a few mins, I talked to my teacher for a little and then we both had to leave. There is one thing that is for sure, there is no way this could have been a coincidence. I truly believe God wanted us to see each other, and it really made me so happy to see a friend from home. So crazy=)

Anyways- the rest of the day was really good. We played in the theater, took the most lovely walk down to Le Vieux Lyon (the old part of the city). The old part of the city was SO beautiful and just nice to walk around. We had a good lunch at a little restaurant and did so shopping in the city center. Elizabeth and I also went to the fine art museum.

Alex, the French chef in training we are staying with, cooked us a great French dinner. I think it might have been better than our expensive lunch =). We headed to a house party to see some of the Finnish girl’s friends from school in Finland. It was really cool because there were about 20 people there but only 3 of them were French, we had some good conversations with people from all over and then headed to the Boat.

So Lyon has 2 rivers that run though it, and on the banks of the river there are some boats that are bars and nightclubs. It was really fun, but really crazy. EVERYONE was dancing and so full of energy. It was cool that we were on a boat though, but I did not have enough energy to fully enjoy it. We went home when the bar closed at 3 am. Once we go back to the apartment we all needed the bathroom. We got in the elevator- and before we got to our floor- it stopped =/ yep we were stuck in the elevator at 3:30 am all needing the bathroom. We called the mechanic’s number and they told us it would be 45 mins. Aura and I watched the Lion king on my iPod and finally we were saved =)

Lyon was so amazing. The city was so beautiful and I feel like I could walk forever and never get bored. If you’re going to Europe- go to Lyon! You won’t regret it!

This past week was really busy with school, but it was also St. Patrick’s Day, so we had a good time. There are loads of Irish pubs and Irish people living in Angers, so we went to a few of the pubs on Wednesday and boy were they packed! It was so much fun though. Everyone was really excited and there were live bands at a lot of the pubs and everyone was dancing and having a good time. We even saw one of our professors at a pub- I feel like this would never happen in the US.

This pasted weekend was our trip to the Loire Valley castles. Angers is in the Loire and basically there are castles in every town here. So we had a nice 2-day tour organized by students who are training to be tour guides. We took a coach bus to all of the castles so we got to see lots of castles in a short amount of time. It was nice to have guides at each castle too, instead of just walking though each castle and learning nothing. It goes without saying that the castles were so beautiful. We all were deciding which one we would rather live in =) a girl can dream. Some of the castles have families living in them today still, I asked if they had sons, but they are my little brother’s age =( oh well

Head over heals

So I guess I have not written a blog since Milan- dangs. Milan seems like it was years ago- lots has happened. I think I have officially fallen head over heals IN LOVE with Angers, France =)

I have not gone on any big trip since Milan. But I don’t know why I would want to pay to go somewhere when the town I live in is so amazing. Not to mention the people I live with are even more amazing.

I think I have mentioned before that we do a lot of family dinners here. Family dinners started out as being for our class (23 people). EVERYONE in my class loves each other. We do almost everything together. It is quite a challenge to cook for 20+ on a budget, in a SMALL kitchen, without an oven. But we manage. So far we have had Swedish meatballs made by Liza from Sweden, Federico from Italy made pasta, Megan from Orlando made pasta too, Kim from Orlando had taco night, all the Asian students made us sushi, the Fins and Texans have made spaghetti, and they hosted a crepe dinner, and I had nacho night. We just all really love each other and love being together. Out family dinners now include other people not from our class that live in the building, I think we have had over 30 people a few times. It’s crazy but so fun. Everyone brings a few euros to help cover the cost of the food. I really thought I would miss my communities I have back home, mainly Wesley, Phi Lamb, and my Family. Don’t get me wrong- I miss everyone A LOT. But the community over here is AMAZING. It is just so diverse and everyone is so different, yet we all get along beautifully well. It’s beautiful.

I think I have talked about the park that I run at, but I am going to talk about it again. Every time I go to the lake there is something new to discover (a photo shoot will happen there soon- don’t worry). It is just so peaceful and natural there- Just dirt paths up and down hills, trees, animals, AMAZING views, waterfalls, little bridges….ooooo I just love it there. I love it so much that I’ll go run there when it is below freezing. There are sometimes when I can just sit on a bench and stare out at the lake forever and think about how great life is.

Last weekend we went to a near by town called Nantes. It is west of here on the coast (only 45 min by train). They have a really nice castle that we went to right away. We are taking a Loire valley castle class at school, so it’s nice visiting castles now and understanding them a little better. Nantes was big in the slave trade and sugar, and we learned all about this in the museum at the castle. It was really interesting and we could have spent hours there, well we did because it rained all day, but we still had fun. Nantes is famous for theses little cookie things. So I bought a tin- and we ate them on the train home =)

I’ve realized that I never want to leave- ever.

Who needs a valentine when you have gelato

Last weekend I fell in love- with Italy- mostly the food though =)

All seven of us girls from UCF bought plane tickets to Milan, Italy for Valentines Day weekend. There are a few lost cost airlines here in Europe- Ryanair is our fave- I think we paid 50 Euros for the plane tickets ($75) not bad for a weekend in Italy. The first lesson we learned is it is not as easy as just getting on a plane and your there. To get to Milan we took- bus- train-bus-plane-bus- yeah- it’s exhausting, but so worth it.

So Ryanair was an experience- felt more like a bus than a plane, but for the price we paid, I’m ok with that. We also had to walk outside and up stairs to get on the plane- something I am not use too- but it was ok. No drinks or snacks. BUT half way though the flight I looked out my window and literally my breath was taken away- we were flying over the Alps. I don’t know if I have ever seen something so beautiful out of a plane window- and I have been on many planes.

Anyways- Nicole, Kim, and I stayed at the Best western (it ended up costing the same as a hostel) and the other 4 couch surfed. The first night we meet up with the girls who were couch surfing at the host’s flat and had dinner with them. The thing a love most about couch surfing is that you get to spend quality time with locals and really learn and experience how they live their lives. Marco (the host) made some crazy good pasta. His friends came over and we all talked for a while. One of the friends brought some home made lemoncello- not my favorite.

On Saturday morning we walked through the park and to the castle. We noticed that the dogs in the park in Milan were much larger than any on the other dogs we had seen in European cities- interesting. We walked though the castle and got some AMAZING gelato. Let me tell you about the gelato. Seriously- the best dessert I think my mouth has ever experienced. Cold stone has nothing on gelato. The city center in Milan is beautiful. It has a lot of pedestrian streets lined with cute shops and cafes. The big cathedral in Milan is the Duomo (check my facebook page for pictures). It is SO BEAUTIFUL! There is just SO much detail that went into it (di Vinci designed it). It was just one of those moments when you get chills up your spine. The square in front of the Duomo is always packed with people. Also, I think the Italians celebrate the week or so before the start of lent, maybe it’s a carnival type thing. Anyways there were loads of children dressed up as animals and throwing confetti. It was cute =)

We took the stairs to the roof of the Duomo. I feel like this is all we have done in Europe- climbed crazy staircases =) Being on top of the church was so cool. We really could see the detail that went into this church now. Of course we took loads of pictures. And apparently the top of the Duomo is the Number one make-out spot in Milan- lol (it was Valentines Day weekend I guess we should have expected it- but really- the top of a church? Lol).

Saturday night we meet the couch surfing host, Marco, at a really cool bar called Noon. Seriously, my favorite bar I have ever been too. So it was really nice. Everyone was dressed up. But there were young people- families- older people- everyone. We all sat around a small table. So drink were 8 Euros (like $12) Sounds a little high, but once you order a drink you can go up to the buffet and eat all night =) They had meats, cheese, veggies, pizzas, and just a lot of appetizers. We probably stayed there for 2 hours. But seriously if you ever go to Milan GO THERE. Marco took us to a few other bars and we danced the night away in Milan. We also went to one of his friend’s house party- that was interesting. It was really PACKED and everyone was smoking. We just could not breath- so we went home early.

The next day (valentines day) we went to see a few museums. First we went to the Steve McCurry exhibit. Seriously- the BEST are exhibit I have ever seen. Google image Steve McCurry. His pictures are amazing. He takes lots of pictures of people (especially children) in third would countries. Every picture was so moving. It was just one of those things where I needed to sit and think about life for like days after seeing all those pictures. Some of his photographs are permanently engraved in my mind now.

We also saw some di vinci exhibits. It was mostly his original letters and drawings. Really cool. We ended our day with some shopping and dinner at a cute sidewalk café. Our sweet waiter sang in Italian the whole time. It was magical. We were all really tired, but we just laughed a lot and enjoyed our dinner and each other.

I can’t believe we just took a weekend trip to Milan. I think I am going to be super depressed when I get back to the states and the only place I can go for the weekend is the beach. Oh well. I’m not thinking about that.

But seriously I am just so thankful for having the opportunity to have this experience. I have been saying since I moved back to the states in 1998 that I would study in France one day- and it has finally happened. I have been dreaming and saving for this for so long- and it a million time better than I ever imagined. It’s going to be really hard to get me to leave.

Turning 21 in France- and a weekend in Bordeaux

So a lot has happened in the past week or so- sorry if this is really long =/

So I had my 21^st birthday here in Angers. The girls from UCF were really sweet and decorated my door =) We all ate dinner together and they had a little surprise birthday party for me complete with balloons, streamers, cake, and champagne. Nearly everyone from my class came along with a bunch of people from the dorms. We had cake and drinks and I even taught some line dances. (I was really sad to not be spending my 21^st at my fave cowboy bar in Orlando- so I just had to do a few line dances).

Anyways I figured since I am Irish, it would only be appropriate to go to the Irish pub that night. So we all went to James Joyce for some pints. We hung out there for a while and went to K’lypso (another bar/club in town) a little later. It was loads of fun. I have been able to buy alcohol since I have been here- so it really is not that big of a deal in France- But I was showing all the French people at the bar that my ID says that I can not drink until 1-28-2010 =). It was a really good night.

I think my birthday party was the first time my class all got together and bonded. Before we had kind of dived ourselves and stuck with our friends from our respective countries- but ever since we all went out together on my Birthday we have been mixing and hanging out. It is rare now for us to sit with our classmates from our schools back home. I love it. We ask questions about each other’s countries constantly and just learn a little bit more everyday about different cultures and people.

So this past weekend 10 of us (all 7 UCF girls- Cahal from Texas- Anna from Sweden- and Federico from Italy) went to Bordeaux. We took the train- and can I just say- I LOVE taking the train. It is so nice and relaxing- you have great views- I can’t tell you how many castles I saw on my way. Through little towns- and farm land- but seriously- the soundtrack to beauty and the beast is constantly playing in my head =)

So in Bordeaux 4 of us tried out Couch surfing. Basically how it works is you make a profile on the site and you can look for people who are willing to host people in their home/apartment. It sounds kind of sketch- but I know so many people who have done it and loved it- and by the way- it’s free =) So we (me, Amy, Kim, and Cahal) stayed with 5 roommates (3 guys and 2 girls) at there house on the outskirts of Bordeaux. I’m not gonna lie- I was kind of nervous, but as soon as we arrived I felt welcome and safe. Damien was the main roommate who hosted us. He is a rubgy-playing-magic-trick-playing-handsom- French man =) how’s a girl not going to have a little crush. But seriously- he was really nice. The first night we hung out and had some wine- and just basically got to know each other.

I’m basically in love with this idea- It make so much sense that a person who has a couch or extra bed would offer it up to travelers. I love that we really got to know some French people from Bordeaux and really got to live like a temporary local- not just see the sights. It kind of blows my mind how much I trusted these people- but everything went so well. I plan on couch surfing as much as possible.

Anyways- while we were in Bordeaux we went up the tall bell tower outside the big cathedral- 231 stairs later- we were at the top and had incredible views of the city. We went in the cathedral after- breathtaking as always. We had a real French dinner that night and a glass of Bordeaux.

We also did a wine tasting tour. They drove us though the vineyards past all the beautiful chateaus. We tasted at 2 different vineyards. One in Margaux and the other in Medoc- bought a bottle of the Medoc. I kind of felt like a grown up- don’t know how I feel about that yet.

On our last night in Bordeaux Damien showed us the bars/pubs that him and his rugby teammates hang out at. We went to a Pirate run bar- which felt like you were in a pirate ship- it was really cool- complete with hammocks. Then we went to an Irish pub for some pints of Guinness and good conversation. After visiting one more pub we took a PACKED tram back to Damien’s.

The next morning we left- to show our gratitude for letting us stay at their house we bought them some Jim Bean and a case of Heineken- lol. We spent our last day walking along the river- having coffee at a café in the park and visiting some ruins. Then we got on the train and headed home to Angers.

Friday morning we leave for Milan =) Valentines Day in Italy- here we come- Just the 7 UCF girls- I can’t wait!

Little town- it's a quite village...

So we left Paris last Wednesday. It is hard to believe that we have been in Angers for a week. But I love my new home in Angers and I am excited to explore more.

First lets start with the train ride. So trains are actually a really great way to travel in Europe and the train station was hoppin’ in Paris. Everyone looked like they knew what they were doing- so that was a bit intimidating. We finally figured everything out and then drug all our crap to the train and got on board. Boy were we a sight with all our huge bags.

So the train was really nice, even in second class. We had big seats and everything was nice and clean. I wish the states had more efficient trains like Europe. When we left Paris it was nasty and rainy, but maybe 20 mins into the train ride it was blue skies as we traveled through the French countryside. It was nice to be out of the concrete jungle and see some green =) I wrote in my journal about how happy and how blessed I feel to have been given this opportunity to see Europe again. It really it me on the train ride that I was finally in Europe and free to explore. Oh yeah- and a guy came around to punch out tickets- made me feel like I was going to Hogwarts. lol

When trains stop, they only stop for a few mins. So as soon as the train stopped in Angers I threw all my bags out onto the platform, and then we meet one of our teachers there. Also one of the French girls who studied at UCF last year, Anne, meet us there. We got in a van and headed to our dorms. We got to see part of the city on our drive and it was really cute. We even drove past the castle =)

Once we got to the dorms and paid and what not I made the hike to the 5^th floor (top) to my new room. With the help of some stranger in the hallway, b/c there is no way I could have carried all my bags. Any ways I found my room. Let me tell you about my room. Imagine the smallest cruise cabin you have ever seen- now cut that in half and you have my room. Hahaha. It is bright orange to top it all off. My bathroom is so small that you can hypothetically brush your teeth, take a shower and go to the bathroom all at the same time. But really- my room here is about the same size as my science drive closet.

So first observation of the dorms- LOTS of Americans. This kinda disappointed me. I was hoping for more of a mix, but oh well don’t get me wrong- there are plenty of international kids too, there are just more Americans than I thought there would be.

I live at one campus on the outskirts of town and take classes in town, so this means I take the bus- a lot. It works really well but can get really crowded. And let me just tell you about town. The first time we took the bus into town and got off, we were in front of a fountain; there were old buildings all around and the river too. I was just waiting for people to start singing like in beauty and the beast. This town is really something out of a book.

We have been busy since we got here setting up bank accounts, getting French cell phones, getting stuff with school squared away and what not. It feels good to finally use my French, but it is also very tiring. I feel useful though.

I really think my favorite part has been getting to know people from all over and getting to speak French. It has been so fascinating hearing about other people’s countries and cultures. It is crazy when everyone gets together and you hear a ton of different accents. It just makes me smile.

We were quite spoiled with good food in Paris before we came to angers, so I have been kinda disappointed with the Angers food. We eat a lot of Kebab sandwiches (I think it’s Turkish- lamb maybe) we have tiny fridges in our rooms and a kitchen on the floor to share (but it’s just a stove top and microwave) so my diet has been consisting of a lot of soup, and bread. I think I am addicted to nutella and baguettes. Baguettes seem to disappear in my room. They look quite big, but when you eat a good bit of it on the way home from the store (and the BIG Wal-Mart like store in a 30min walk away) you are left with some to dip in you soup, cheese, and nutella. I hope it warms up a little bit soon so I can go run- lol.

Speaking of running let me tell you about the lake. So like 2 mins from my dorm there is this really great lake with trails all round it. It is pretty big and I tend to get very turned around with running there. But anyways- It’s beautiful. There are GOATS that just hang out, and then a waterfall or 2, and a really big beautiful house that I think is a castle. On Sunday when I went I felt like the whole town was there. Everything (except pizza hut) is closed in Sunday. So families spend time together (what a concept). I thought that was really cool, simple- but everyone looked like they were having a good time. Kinda made me just a little home sick =/ I’ve spent every birthday ever with at least someone from my family- and I turn 21 tomorrow- no family here =/ but I’m sure it will be good.

The past few days

On our second day (rainy) in Paris was started out by going to the Louvre. Everything there was amazing of course and we only saw a little tiny bit. But was saw the biggies like the mona lisa =) we headed to a nearby café for some lunch. We ate on the second floor in a little area and had the cutest view =) we got some sandwiches on baguettes and enjoyed each other’s company.

We decided we were all museumed- out for the day and needed to do some shopping. We headed to galleries Lafayette. This happened to be one of the biggest sales of the year. So it felt like back Friday. I ended up getting a little purple longchamp bag =) I am very pleased with it. We also went to H&M (which btw is on every corner here) and I got a few things.

That night we made dinner at home. We went to the store and bought stuff to make chicken alfreado and of course wine to go with it. Cahal and I cooked and it actually turned out surprisingly well. It was nice to have a really filling meal. The portions here are just a lot smaller and we have American sized stomachs =)

We decided to see what night life in Paris is like so we tried Le Wax, a near by club. It was cute and very retro looking inside. There were not too many people there when we got there but it picked up quickly. Drinks were really expensive. We meet a lot of nice French people and joked round. We danced to a lot of American music. The French dance a lot different than what I am used to seeing in the US. It was kinda funny. We were well received as Americans and everyone wanted to talk to us. I felt popular =)

Yesterday we work up early, despite our late start and went to the Notre dame for mass. It was amazing. I know I had been there before, but it was still amazingly breathtaking. The church is just so beautiful and big. Mass was really good. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I understood and how much I enjoyed it. I just usually hear the word mass and get a bad taste in my mouth =/

After we meet up with Elizabeth (one of the girls from angers who studied at ucf last year) and Cahal meet up with Lucie (one of his former exchange students). We walked to Ils st. louis and got sandwiches for lunch and ate and walked. I think this is when I fell in love with the city all over. It was just a beautiful walk enjoying friends.

Then we were off to the champs =) we got LaDuree, which are the best macaroons EVER. So yummy and very fancy. Went in to louis viton to dream =) the up the Arc de Triumph we went. It was a great day to climb the 400 stairs (ugh) and see the city. It was very clear out and you could just see everything very well. We finished up our day on the champs by watching a guy dance like Michael Jackson (he was actually really good) and a little shopping. Nicole and I got some McDonalds too =) Ok- it was just sodas but we did it =)

We ate dinner at a Lone Star like place near the apartment. (The French really are in to the whole cowboy thing) burger and fries =) yummmm.

Today we took a boat tour of Paris. It was a really good way to see the city. We took a lot of pics, but it was kinda cold. We decided to walk to musee d’orsay (about 2 miles in the cold) only to find out it is closes on Mondays- lol. We all laughed.

So we ended up getting on the metro and going to my old neighborhood I grew up in. It was so crazy being back. I got all teary-eyed walking down the street. Saw where we went shopping each day and saw my old apt building. Took lots of pics. We ate at the Boulangerie by my old apt. Had a yummy piece of quiche =) then we were off to my old park. That was really great to get to see the swings I loved so much and the grassy area where my dad and I would play catch. Then we did some shopping at the mall near my old apt. Got some cute French cloths.

We wanted legit French food tonight, so we ate at the café by the apt we are renting. I had a yummy stake and everyone tried escargot =).

Tomorrow is our last day in Paris =/ then off to Angers =)

Bread, cheese, and wine

We have now been in Paris for a full 24 hours. And I just can’t put to words how happy I am to be here and how much fun we are all having together. Everything thing is perfect =)

Sooooo Thursday was the most mixed emotion day of my life. Once I said my god byes and got in the car to go to the airport my stomach got that nervous feeling and my hands were shaking I was so excited. Once I got to BWI and said my good byes to my mom and sat down at the gate, minutes felt like hours. I just could not wait to get to Paris. I ended up sitting next to an old Spanish woman who was married to a man from Belgium. We spoke French for the whole hour I was on the plane =) She re assured me that I spoke good French and that I would be fine. She also to me to find a French boy friend, lol- because they are the best lovers =) hahaha- we will see ;)

Once I got to Philly I meet up with the other girls. I was really happy to be united with the rest of the UCF girls who flew from Orlando (Megan Katie and Nicole). There were a few other girls on our flight who were going to study abroad. We all made our final phone calls and got on the plane =)

Some of the girls slept for a while on the plane (we all took sleep aids) but I think I only slept for 2 of the 7.5 hours. Oh well. I just was too excited =)

Customs was way easier than expected and our bags came out right away. Then we ventured over to the other terminal to find Cahal (the guy from TX) and our driver. I was really proud that we did not get lost. We meet Cahal and got in the shuttle to go to our apartment.

I was really exciting to be in the city and find our apartment. It is really small but it will work for the 5 of us for 5 days. It’s on a little side street and in a very French residential part of the city. We feel ligit.

After we got settled and made some calls home we ventured out into the neighborhood. Walked around for a while in awe, smiling ear looking all around. We kept on reminding our selves that we are in Paris. We love our neighborhood and finally walked in somewhere to get something to eat. They spoke no English, which was fine; it was just kind of hard to get some ideas across. So we ordered “sandwiche fromage” it was really funny eating it- the bread was really hard and we just laughed a lot.

We got some wine from the store. I bought my first bottle =) and went home had some wine and then went to the Eiffel tower =) It was so exciting walking up to it for the first time in a really long it =) it was beautiful of course and we all admired it for a while and took tons of pics.

We decided we needed to warm up with some more wine. So we found a Cafe/ Pub thing by the Eiffel tower. And had to more wine bread and cheese and some meet this time too =) It was so fun and we just talked about how great the day was and how happy we are with everything.

I am so happy with who everything is going. Everyone is really cool and having a blast.

Can’t wait to see what today brings =)

In 2 days...

I will FINALLY be on my way to PARIS =) It has been 11 years since leaving and I really have been dying to go back since the day I got back to the states. It really does not feel like it is really happening yet- but it is hitting me slowly.

Right now my biggest stress is packing- and fitting everything I want/ need for 5 months into 2 50lb bags. So I guess one of the first big lessons I am learning is about living simply =) I will just have to get over it and deal with the fact that I will be wearing the same outfit often. lol

I have been filling my last days in the states with all my favorite American food- chic fil a, wawa coffee, and crab cakes =). I've been soaking up a good deal of American tv as well. And of course large doses of time with family and friends.

I'm so excited for Paris. There are 5 of us who are renting an apartment in the city for 5 days before we head to our school in Angers. Most of them have not been to Paris before so we are gonna hit up all the big sights. ooooooo I CAN'T wait!