Sunday, May 4, 2014

Apology and Update

I would like to apologize for my lack of blogs. I started off so well! Once school became busier and trips became more frequent, it became more and more difficult for me to keep up. I have a blog written already for Stockholm which I need to add photos to and upload. But I would like to give a brief idea about what I've done and what's in store for me over the next few weeks. I plan to go back and write about each of my adventures, partly as a memento to remember my experiences through, but also because I love being able to share this with my friends and family.

After visiting Munich the weekend before my birthday, Ken and I made a three day stop in Vienna. What a beautiful city! While there we went to a concert, went on two different tours, and ate wonderful food. We journeyed to our final destination, Prague, which is where I would spend my 21st birthday. Prague was amazing and beautiful. My only regret is waiting until the end of my trip to go. I was so tired that it was hard to see and do as much as I had when we were in Munich and Vienna.

After Prague I had to return to Grenoble for four days of classes. The days went by quickly, and with the end of my online course it made for a busy week. On Friday, March 14th I headed to Paris with Ken. Jamie would be meeting us there as well. The last time I was there I was a toddler, and don't remember a bit of it. However, I have been reminded several times about my childish behavior from family members. In my defense, even as an adult, my feet got very tired after all that walking! By Monday when it was time to head back to Grenoble, I was more than ready for a break from traveling.

The break was short lived due to my Scandinavian trip which would start that Saturday. Only 5 days at home before I was off again! I'm sure many of you are wondering how I ever went to class with all this traveling. To be completely honest, apart from two days I spent at home in February due to illness, I was a very dedicated student.

On Saturday my friend Lucy and I traveled to Geneva for a day trip and then headed up to Stockholm. We spent about a day and a half in each place we went in Scandinavia. From Stockholm we traveled West to Oslo which was very pleasant. From there we did "Norway in a Nutshell" which brought us from Oslo to Bergen over the course of 12 hours through the Fjord. We spent one day in Bergen which was plenty. My dad told me he spent 3 days there when he was younger! I can't imagine what he did that whole time. Finally we flew from Bergen to Copenhagen for the last leg of our trip. I definitely fell in love with Copenhagen. I'm jealous of my friend Liana who will get to spend all of next semester there for her study abroad.

So to sum up the month of March... I visited eight different countries and ten different cities. Wow!

In April, my dad was coming to visit starting the first weekend. I was very excited for this and was counting down the days until I would see him throughout most of my Scandinavian trip. We met in the Paris Airport and spent the weekend in Paris. I had to come back for class on Monday, but my dad enjoyed getting to know Grenoble. On Friday I only had one morning class, so we took a day trip to Lyon and had a very nice time. On Saturday, my dad's cousin Tony and his wife Pascale picked us up and took us to four different French cities over the course of 2 days. We had a very pleasant time together and I hope to see them again. On Sunday night my dad headed back to Paris to catch his Monday morning flight and I headed back to Grenoble for another week of class.

The following weekend my friend Catriona was able to visit me. She is currently studying in Siena, Italy. We made a trip up to the French Alps which was very different than my previous visits there. The conditions for skiing weren't very good, but we did it anyway. On Sunday we were expecting rain, but when the sun came out instead, we decided to take a hike in Grenoble and then see a movie in the afternoon.

The final weekend of April, I headed back up to Paris to meet my friend Dylan who is currently studying in Glasgow, Scotland. We spent Friday exploring Paris and seeing the main sights. On Saturday we headed to Versailles for the day, which was too crowded to enjoy. And it was raining as well, so the gardens weren't very enjoyable either. That evening we headed north to Normandy. On Sunday we took a tour up to see Omaha Beach which was breathtaking. Normandy was one of my top destination for my travels in France and I was so happy I could go. Dylan and I had a very nice time. Monday morning I headed back for Grenoble and had a final exam a 2 PM! I really like to cram things in.

On Tuesday I left again for a trip to southern France with my friend Zoe. She was leaving in a few days and wanted to see the French Rivera before she left, as did I. We visited Nice on Tuesday, Monaco on Wednesday, and Cannes on Thursday. Needless to say, by the time I got back to Grenoble I was in desperate need of a break.

I will be heading to London on Wednesday, but I have given myself 5 days of pure relaxation before my trip, which I am using to my full potential. Tomorrow I plan to take a day trip to Annecy, but apart from that I plan to do nothing but prepare for my upcoming trips, sleep a lot, clean, and do my final two papers for school. I cannot believe how quickly time has gone by and how lucky I have been do experience
so many amazing things.

Much love to all!

Au Revoir!

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