San Sebastian, Spain

San Sebastian is absolutely beautiful!!! As you can see from the pictures, we experienced one of the most amazing sunsets we have ever seen.

Friday night when we got there, we just had enough time to go to our respective hotels (we stayed at Pension Loinaz in Parte Vieja--old part) and get ready. Unfortunately nobody in the other hotel had a cell phone (GRRR!) so we didn't end up meeting for dinner. Me, Alex, Whitney and Grant first drank some champagne in the hotel room for Alex's bday (might not have been the greatest idea) and then went searching for food. We stopped at a little tapas restaurant and grabbed some food and beers there. Then we went to meet the other group (Ashley, Amber, Anel and Colton) at our meeting point at 11:30. We had some more drinks there and started walking around the old part of the city to look for bars. There are tons of small bars there that were loud and a little cramped, but we found a few that were lots of fun!

The next day Alex wasn't feeling so hot (most likely due to the champagne on an empty stomach) but we rallied the troops and set out for the beach anyways. it wasn't very warm, but it was sunny and a little breezy and we set up shop on the beach. We all took short naps on the beach which was really nice since we were all tired. Whitney and Grant headed back earlier because it was a wee bit chilly, but me and Alex stayed out for quite a while. Although it wasn't extremely sunny, we both got A LOT of sun through the clouds (maybe even a little burnski).

After the beach we got some gelato (yogurt flavor=UNREAL) and headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for another night! We also picked up some cheap Spanish beer (San Miguel) and drank a beer at the hotel while we got ready.

Then we sat in the hotel with the windows open, drinking Spanish beer and listening to the loud Spanish people in the streets outside. We decided to walk to a restaurant about 10 minutes away that was on the beach so we could watch the sunset. It was maybe the best idea we've ever had, because it was simply amazing. The beach and the town there are unbelievably beautiful as it is, and the sunset that we saw sitting at that little restaurant on the beach was breathtaking. The pinks and purples and all sorts of colors lit up the sky as the sun set between the mountains across the bay.

I didn't think I ever wanted to leave. After dinner, we sat and had drinks at another tapas bar until after midnight. Then, me and Alex went out again after Whitney and Grant went back. We found another little tapas bar and drank some sangria with some crazy Australians. Then, just when we were ready to head home for the night, we ran into the other half of the group!!! So, instead of going home we all headed out to another bar for another awesome night. Just a bunch of crazy Americans in a tiny bar singing loud American songs. Classic.

Well, as I said, I didn't think I ever wanted to leave. But then on Sunday the weather was terrible! It was just dreary and rainy and not very fun. We wanted to do a hike but we had to carry around our bags so that was out of the question! We also tried to shop but it was Sunday so all the good stores were closed!!! Instead we got a few souvenirs, walked around a little more, sat on a bench for a while, and wasted time drinking large pops in McDonalds. A little sad, yes. Then we finally made the trek to the train station and made our way back to Arcachon.

This past weekend was amazing, and I'm really looking forward to our trip this weekend--- next stop, Bologna and Florence, Italy! I can't wait.

Bordeaux Wine Tasting/DONE with Journals!

I have really been slacking on my blog entries! I'm already a week behind... but I will try to catch up right now.

On Wednesday after our EU law final exam, we hopped on the bus and headed to a winery in Bordeaux. The bus ride was pretty long but it was beautiful, seeing all the different chateaus and the grape vines. The winery we went to was called Chateaux Gisconde and it was one of the largest in the Bordeaux region. We saw lots of barrel of wine-- millions of euros worth of wine in just a few rooms! We also saw the process by which they make sure the wine is ready to take out of the barrels and move onto the next step (very sophisticated-- they pour it in glasses and check the color by candlelight). We also got to taste some wine, and I bought a bottle of it as well. Not my favorite red wine so far, but it was definitely tasty! I also bought a wine glass there too, so hopefully that makes it back in the suitcase.

Testing the wine by candlelight

Wine Barrels

More wine barrels

On the way back it was serious nap time. Then, I got moving on my last journal application. I wrote the essay pretty quickly and finished just in time! It was a pretty stressful evening, but all in all it was totally worth it because after I turned it in I was DONE. Done with journal applications! I'm really happy that I finished both of the ones I wanted to do. But now its over, and I can just focus on class and having a good time here, and relaxing a lot more.

Madreed!

Just got back a few hours ago from an amazing weekend in Madrid with Jules. I am completely exhausted but it was so worth it, even just to be there for 2 days. I left early Saturday morning and flew direct out of Bordeaux. I got into Madrid around noon and Julie came to meet me at the airport. There was a big soccer game in town, and the metro was packed! Big groups of wild Germans and Spaniards singing songs and yelling at each other in various languages.

We went to my hostel (Cat's hostel near Sol) which was pretty decent, and I just put my stuff in my room, changed and we headed out. PS-- note about the hostel-- they had a BEER VENDING MACHINE. 100% genius. We met up with some of Julie's friends and got some tapas outside in Plaza Santa Ana. Manchego might be my absolute favorite type of cheese. Outside the soccer fans were getting rowdy, shaking taxis and taunting police officers.

After lunch we hit up the chino to get some 40's of Mahou. We each got a 40 plus some other cans and headed to a park to sit and chill and drink. The weather was beautiful! (And luckily its still really warm in Arcachon too) In the evening after drinking in the park, the guys headed off to the bull fight and we went back to the hostel to get ready and such.

Me and Jules met up with her friends again at mercado San Miguel, ate some sushi and drank some 40's again. After the mercado we went to the d(b)oner kebab place for some patatas and some shots of Negrita which came back to haunt me a few hours alter. Then we heading to Kapital, a huge club in Madrid. It was pretty sweet-- 7 floors with something different on each floor, and the top floor was open since it was so nice out. It was definitely an awesome night! I headed back around 3:30 when I was pretty much donezo.

Me and Jules in Madrid (pre-Negrita shots)

Chris and Greg (post-Negrita shots)

Greg and Scott-- Canadian brothers!

Me and Jules had some issues getting up in the morning on Sunday, and while she was still sleeping I went to grab some patatas bravas (roasted potatoes with a slightly spicy red sauce, so delish) at a local tapas bar. Julie met me out and we grabbed some sushi too. It wasn't Oyama (amazing sushi in Iowa City) but it was pretty decent, and their miso was really good. Then me and Jules did some awesome shopping around Sol... Zara, Sfera, and lots of other places. Pretty solid day, minus the fact that I got pooped on by a bird. But I bought a new outfit so it turned out alright.

We went back to change again and had some vending machine beers. Around 8 we met Julie's friends out at El Tigre, a tapas bar that is AWESOME! You order a giant 6 Euro beer, and they give you a plate of free tapas. So patatas bravas, manchego and pan, and croquetas (breaded and fried cheese). The bartender there knows my sister and her friends so they gave us extra food too. After Tigre we headed to some Irish bar that had 1 Euro shots of whiskey for the last 5 minutes of every hour... so we hung out there for a while. Around 1, we all left since Scott and I both had to fly out in the morning (me back to Arcachon, Scott off to some other party destination).

Madrid friends at Tigre-- Scott, Claire, Greg, and Chris

SAD :( I wish I could have stayed a few days longer. I LOVE Madrid. And I miss Julie! I want to go back!

Now I'm back in class, fun times. We have our final exam tomorrow and also another journal application due... stress time again. But on a happy note, we are going wine tasting in Bordeaux tomorrow after the exam!

Journal Applications...

Journal apps, whyyyyy? They handed these things out to us right after finals, like literally when we walked out of the Criminal law final. So for the past week I have been scrambling to find time to work on the two that I intend to apply to. It has been pretty stressful, with that and everything else going on! I might have to scramble again to finish the one due Tuesday, but after that... I am ready to soak up some rays every day after class. SO READY. And to explore Arcachon!!

I am heading off to Madrid this weekend to visit Julie. I can't wait! I already went there and did the tourist stuff (Prado, Reina Sofia, Retiro, etc. etc.) so this time I am pretty pumped to just hang out with Jules, do some shopping, and have a good time all around. Madrid is a really cool city so I'm sure it will not disappoint!

I need to finish up this application real quick so I can email it in, and get back to packing! Expect some Madrid pics/party pics on Monday or Tuesday!

Special K Red Berries

Special K Red Berries has raspberries and cherries in addition to the usual strawberries... is that a French thing? If so the U.S. needs to step it up. Anyways, it is amazing, and I will be bringing some home.

Warm brie and figs on baguette!

I have had some delicious food here. There are restaurants on every corner, and each one seems to be better than the next. Our most recent discovery has been the bakeries close to the hotel where we have class (Le Nautic). They have the most delicious tarte aux pommes, tarte aux framboises, etc. (apple and raspberry pastries). Not to mention delicious bread and sandwiches.

Today I got a sandwich that was a baguette, with a thin slice of brie with figs. It was absolutely amazing. It was heated up a little bit and it was sooo delish. A little bit too much cheese for me at once (I am still not 100% used to it) but worth it. I am trying to eat cheese, but keep it to a minimum so that my stomach feels OK. There is just so much great cheese here, its hard to even choose what to buy!

Arcachon is such a beautiful town, and I wish I had more time to explore! Right now, I need to work on my journal applications and do some reading for this week. More after I finish these apps-- I will have lots more time to see the sights of Arcachon.

First day of class

Today was the first day of our EU/French law class! This morning before class, I took some people to the phone store to translate and help everyone either buy phones or get sim cards. That took a few hours, but everyone got what they needed-- except internet on the phones, but oh well, we will have to survive for the next month getting our internet from this cafe and the hotel.

After the phone store, I went to the sandwich shop on the corner and had a great salad. It was called "chevre chaud"-- hot goat cheese-- and it was amazing! I thought the goat cheese would be in the salad, but instead it was on top of baguette slices, drizzled with honey and heated in the oven for a few minutes. DELISH. The goat cheese/baguettes were on top of a salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and a vinaigrette. I will definitely going back there for more... and they also have sandwiches and grilled cheese (with various toppings) that look rather tasty.

After lunch, we headed to the hotel for class. Luckily there is internet there as well. I met Professor Amado for the first time, after having emailed with him back and forth for a few months. He's really nice and easy to talk to, even in French. He's teaching our first class on French and EU law, which is actually pretty interesting because of the differences/comparisons with American law. He speaks English with a British accent which is really cool! He speaks it pretty well too. I'm excited to learn more about international law and to do the internship with Amado in Paris.

After class we made some dinner-- spaghetti with veggies and olive oil, salad with toasted almonds and strawberries and goat cheese croutons. It was pretty awesome with the red wine we bought. All the wine here is pretty great!

Anyways, we are at the cafe once again. I'm sure the bartenders and the people who work here will get pretty sick of the big group of loud American students by the end of the trip...

PS See pictures I'm adding here and in some of the other posts!

Sand in my shoes

Today we went to the Pyla dune in Arcachon. It is apparently the biggest sand dune in Europe! It was pretty cool, like a big sand mountain. We walked up some stairs to the top, then hung out up there and looked over the Arcachon Bay. Afterwards we went to the shops around the area to buy postcards, other souvenirs, and gelato of course. There is ice cream and gelato everywhere!

Needless to say, there was about a pound of sand in each shoe after walking up and down the sand dune. I got most of it out, but didnt have a chance to come back to the beach house and change before heading to the Hotel Nautic to do RA stuff-- attempting to figure out the printer and projector and sorting towels and stuff.

That was pretty much my whole day. I made a salad for dinner and then came to Cafe de la Plage again to get on the internet. I still have to work on law school journal applications tonight (YIKES!) and also do my reading for class tomorrow.

PS I attempted to put up pictures tonight... but I brought the wrong cord with me. Next time.

FINALLY in France!

OH YEAH, we are in France. Finally. On the way to the airport in Toronto Thursday, we were thinking that everything was set. The woman who supposedly booked our flights the night before (Margo-- now known as incompetent customer service woman #3) did not, in fact, actually book our flights. Well, she booked Ashley and Whitney, but not me and Alex... so when we got to the airport, we found this out. Alex nearly had a panic attack. But the woman at the desk was helpful for once, and she booked our flights for us. FOR REAL this time.

So me and Alex were put on standby... ABSURD! Mild freak out. As the plane boarded, we were on the verge of tears... until the very end, when almost everyone had boarded... and they called our names! AND we got seats next to each other. After that, it was smooth sailing until Paris. The flight was great, very comfortable, and I got to watch Avatar.

But the rest of the day was hellish. When we got off the plane, we got all the luggage, then found tickets into Paris. Turns out it was the Metro, which didn't seem too bad (we couldn't find the bus??). We figured out the route OK and got on the right lines, but it was pretty tough lugging our heavy bags up and down and up and down when we had to transfer.

We eventually made it to the Montparnasse station, and after a few hours of waiting in the cold (the station is open to the outside) we got on the high-speed TGV. The problem was that it didn't go all the way to Bordeaux--- the tracks are out there. We had to go to Libourne, then take a BUS to Bordeaux!!! When we got to Bordeaux, we got on our last leg of the trip. Train to Arcachon! AT LAST!!

Since we've been here, it has been busy but amazing. I had to wake up early to do RA stuff--- sitting outside waiting for people to arrive. It was beautiful outside all day, and I actually got a little color! I also had a chance to walk around town (SO CUTE!) and went to the grocery store. The grocery store was fun! I got some tasty cheese, some fresh veggies, fresh bread, olives, classy Hoegaarden in a can, and even soy milk! But I was told that to get tofu, I should go to the next town over where there is an organic market or something. If I have a chance to get there by train or something I will have to check that out!

Right now, we just finished eating group (the whole program together, as an opening dinner) and we are at the internet cafe. A cafe with beer and coffee and free internet, right by our house. It's perfect, and I will probably be here a lot!

On a side note, my french is already improving after talking to the couple that owns/lives at our house and finding my way around.

Next time, I promise to post pics!

still in North America...

Our trip started out smoothly. Maybe too smoothly. Cole drove me, Whitney and Ashley from Iowa City to Alex's house in Chicago (THANKS COLE! You are the best). Me and Cole said our goodbyes (holding back tears, but we made it...) then I headed out with the girls for some lunch and shopping in Chicago. A nice little afternoon. In the morning, we woke up, my global phone came in the mail with plenty of time to spare, and we took a cab to the airport.

Bags all under 50 lbs, perfect. Through security with no hiccups. Calmly waiting at the gate for our Chicago-Montreal flight, watching Lost and Glee, when we realized a fatal flaw in the plan. Our flight was delayed, meaning we would only have 30 minutes (or less?) to get off the plane in Montreal, through customs, back through security and onto the Paris flight. I made a call to Air Canada customer service and probably encountered the most incompetent person of my life (I only wish I remembered her name for my extensive complaint).

When I asked about our flight problems, she immediately rebooked all 4 of us on a flight through Toronto to Paris. She assured me that we would have 1 hr 20 minutes to make the connection. Here we were, thinking all was well in the world and that we would make it to Paris the next morning.

FALSE ALARM. As the flight approached, my dad (thanks dad! for being vigilant) informed me that we had not 1 hr 20 minutes, but only 20 minutes to make the connection. Apparently, the lovely customer service woman was unaware of the problems caused by TIME ZONES. Alas, we had to choose between staying in Chicago, and flying to Toronto with the chance of the plane being delayed and being able to make the connection. We decided to take our chances.

On the plane to Toronto, the flight attendants gave us a message from the pilot-- get your bags after customs and see the connections desk for flight vouchers. Ashley was worried that she would lose money on the train pass she bought. She needed to use it by today-- Thursday-- before turning 26 and becoming ineligible for the youth pass.

In Toronto, we were given false hope AGAIN by Air Canada customer service (incompetent #2), who told us we could connect to London, then to Paris. But alas, at the flight desk, we were told the flight was full. The result was 4 generally disgruntled and exhausted future lawyers.

But in the end, we finally encountered a kind woman at the flight desk who sympathized with our plight. She gave us 2 free rooms at the Holiday Inn Select near the Toronto airport, plus breakfast and lunch vouchers. We are about to use the free lunch vouchers as I speak. So, all in all, the hotel is nice, with comfy beds and delicious food. Not a bad consolation prize.

More updates to come-- lets see if we can make it out of North America today! Flight to Montreal at 4, then to Paris at 8. We can only hope that our string of misfortunes is over.