It's been a while!!

Me at the Eiffel Tower



Eiffel Tower at night :)

So, its been a while since I've blogged about my travels. Long story short, I left Arcachon, then my parents, Julie and Cole came to meet me in Paris, and we spent a week in London. It was amazing!!! but more about London details later when I have time to sit down and remember everything we did there. I'm currently in Paris where I have an internship for 3 weeks. It's pretty short but I've been doing some interesting work already and I think it will be a great experience! Plus, I get to hang out in Paris with Cole for 3 weeks and travel on the weekends with him. And I'm also working on my French skills so hopefully I will be more fluent when I return.

Our apartment is tiny but its good for the time here. Mainly the kitchen appliances are ridiculously small, especially the teensy laundry machine that only fits a few things, and there is no dryer so sometimes I have to hang my skivvies outside to dry. But overall, not bad and there is wifi and cable (even though all the channels are in French-- as a sidenote we have been enjoying watching French music videos). Here are some pics of the place!

Cole in the bedroom/futon/TV area

Our wee little kitchen (note the small appliances and lack of preparation space)

The tiny washing machine

Hand-to-door comparison for emphasis

Me on the deck (with enough space for 1 person to stand)

View of the courtyard

ITALIA!

Italy this weekend. Amazing. First of all we took RyanAir and for most of us it was the first time on one of the cheapo airlines. The flight (round trip) was around 40 euros which to me was absolutely unbelievable, considering I paid around 350 euros to get to Madrid a few weeks ago! I was expecting a tiny plane but it was actually pretty big, just bare-bones. No front seat pockets and very little leg room. It really wasn't a big deal since we all talked and listened to music anyways-- also, I discovered that I can play solitaire on my iPod so that is a new obsession. However, on the way back there was lots of turbulence and a pretty rough landing...

Anyways, back to the good stuff. We arrived in the evening on Friday in Bologna and checked into our hostel/hotel... more of a hotel, but with single beds. We ate at the most incredible restaurant of my life. When we got there, they handed us glasses of champagne to drink while we waited for them to fix up our table. The waiter was so nice to us, and he even brought Vince (Jaye and Tony's adorable 2 year old) some coke in a wine glass. Me and Anel shared the caprese salad to start-- the first of several this weekend. It was delicious, especially drizzled with the balsamic creme (reduced balsamic vinegar) which was unreal. I also had possibly the best pasta of my life. Orechietti with tomatoes, mozzarella, and porcini mushrooms!!! It was so tasty. Not to mention the delicious white wine that we ordered. It was just the house wine, but it was one of the best whites I have ever tasted. After this trip I think I definitely prefer Italian wine over French wine-- but shhhh,  don't tell.

That night we got a good night's rest, and then in the morning we were up early for some SHOPPING. There were a bunch of stores like Zara, H&M and other similar shops along the main street in Bologna. I got a few things, like a few skirts and an amazing dress and JEAN VEST which I am super super duper excited about. Later on that day around 5 we picked up our luggage at the hotel, and headed to the train station to catch a train to Florence.

Once we got to Florence, we headed to our hostel and dropped off our bags. It was pretty similar to the one in Bologna, with single beds and a bathroom for each triple. We walked around in one of the piazzas (plaza/square thingy) and looked at all the statues there. We sat outside and ate at a restaurant in the square, ready for some more delish Italian food. Well this one wasn't quite the same as the restaurant in Bologna, but it was decent. The gnocchi with pesto was actually really delicious and made me happy. After dinner, we hit up an Irish bar. We had some snake bites (Strongbow cider and lager) and some cheapo tequila shots--- obviously a brilliant idea.

After we left the bar around midnight, we stumbled upon a carousel and clearly had to go for a ride. Interestingly we were probably the youngest people on it. The two men in front of us appeared to be in their 50's haha. After that we started to wander back and came upon a gelato store open late!! It was pretty glorious and really hit the spot. We decided to go home relatively early that night so we could get some rest for the day of sightseeing ahead.

The next day we hit up all the important sights in Florence. The Michelangelo statue of David at the Accademia, the Uffizi museum with the Birth of Venus by Botticelli, the duomo, and a really awesome bridge that had a pedestrian walkway with a bunch of shops and some great views. Afterwards, we went to get some gelato (reportedly the best in Italy) and went to the Irish bar once again! The gelato was pretty phenomenal-- I had pistachio, always a good bet, and rice pudding flavor as well which was really interesting and soo tasty! A the bar, we drank lots of cider again and limoncello shots too. Post Irish bar, we decided to find a gay bar. We found one called YAG which was playing some sweet music and we stayed there for a while. Pretty crazy night! And lots of fun for sure.

The David in Florence

Girls out in Florence!

Duomo in Florence

In the morning, after passing out, we woke up and had to scramble to check out. There was also an incident with the bidet but I won't mention that here.... anyways most of the day consisted of us traveling to Bologna and then flying back to Bordeaux. The landing was pretty rough on that flight and there was lots of turbulence, but we made it.

Now we are back in Arcachon. I'm pretty happy to be back and maybe have a chance to relax some more! Now I just need to hope for good weather this week. No rain please!!!

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.