tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47869019174471385062024-02-18T21:24:50.170-08:00Semester Abroad in Grenoble, FranceAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-33584118979276094042014-05-04T10:10:00.001-07:002014-05-04T10:10:48.934-07:00Apology and UpdateI 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.<br />
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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.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2NOmjhABPnDi62rw91iN3Z3M562nztG6UqspEi76lkWHLjlU1wpLbpZ9cMIiDmXGtPeeSmBHIaxlP1gQpcOhQtEmEiKafpNOPgcyHFEKzXPod2t15n2l5i9hd84e6DV9JxBTPMUUvsI/s1600/IMG_2650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2NOmjhABPnDi62rw91iN3Z3M562nztG6UqspEi76lkWHLjlU1wpLbpZ9cMIiDmXGtPeeSmBHIaxlP1gQpcOhQtEmEiKafpNOPgcyHFEKzXPod2t15n2l5i9hd84e6DV9JxBTPMUUvsI/s1600/IMG_2650.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIXcXQoXzGktlXTJsB7tZzwmNd-K8kUzoajfnEKmWZ7Ovp7I8iyyMhW9LJQoIkhJDKfpIEdcd9JbXnXIk4uc5fJqLpwAw2_9OCNeGZfiv8vgCeG6wNEQQFVJJXeIGr_S4KXRSlLOeDhg/s1600/IMG_3484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIXcXQoXzGktlXTJsB7tZzwmNd-K8kUzoajfnEKmWZ7Ovp7I8iyyMhW9LJQoIkhJDKfpIEdcd9JbXnXIk4uc5fJqLpwAw2_9OCNeGZfiv8vgCeG6wNEQQFVJJXeIGr_S4KXRSlLOeDhg/s1600/IMG_3484.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwgWkEGVhvZgtN2RB841HIdBsRnuxHs2oAqKqeBbQFZ-PDCtE1BKz_htNnCXZHd7GH2EBRn3ItBSLpn8YYO4epemC4zS46nWWtMIVfBrGnT1Gm-TjvbojlRnmBYTLQ9VxaaF0lv0yOCQ/s1600/IMG_3092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwgWkEGVhvZgtN2RB841HIdBsRnuxHs2oAqKqeBbQFZ-PDCtE1BKz_htNnCXZHd7GH2EBRn3ItBSLpn8YYO4epemC4zS46nWWtMIVfBrGnT1Gm-TjvbojlRnmBYTLQ9VxaaF0lv0yOCQ/s1600/IMG_3092.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>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.<br />
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So to sum up the month of March... I visited eight different countries and ten different cities. Wow!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQoPRggYNQFMCMpfSYCrTuOw9HSoqH84lp2UvDsBzYJSy4WIbvbQEKYUJ6sYUKdgvPmfwRW6G2x7fktgryAnduvoOKxr1h943O3vlw4NIW1BHNiehOvF97SbgQiUINZkzz6ykBenUbok/s1600/IMG_3658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQoPRggYNQFMCMpfSYCrTuOw9HSoqH84lp2UvDsBzYJSy4WIbvbQEKYUJ6sYUKdgvPmfwRW6G2x7fktgryAnduvoOKxr1h943O3vlw4NIW1BHNiehOvF97SbgQiUINZkzz6ykBenUbok/s1600/IMG_3658.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdxI5UGAedvyc5960P_AcZAIt-cq7-ttCaa7dvs6sadugIaepX4mVT_GPaL31qKjzWOjlPKmK5uJLwfWMQ0aU2Bw3nj68yKppYOJhQdXN1QMM-5WjrJO5bkofJJ4tSoI5KKZhKeaz-TE/s1600/IMG_3631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdxI5UGAedvyc5960P_AcZAIt-cq7-ttCaa7dvs6sadugIaepX4mVT_GPaL31qKjzWOjlPKmK5uJLwfWMQ0aU2Bw3nj68yKppYOJhQdXN1QMM-5WjrJO5bkofJJ4tSoI5KKZhKeaz-TE/s1600/IMG_3631.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZVDfQCiCfcIpSnk4Fngjn3OYd9A7mz0U8GbpLi11ip2O5EPPHstkS6TOyJU-9Dny_sTVYAzHpVA9FOgDe2KRWEHqqtX4-Pk3KqXf0G95UnU072sNeO9Wwdrl6EVQHloWFzoYXbyfRZg/s1600/IMG_3684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ZVDfQCiCfcIpSnk4Fngjn3OYd9A7mz0U8GbpLi11ip2O5EPPHstkS6TOyJU-9Dny_sTVYAzHpVA9FOgDe2KRWEHqqtX4-Pk3KqXf0G95UnU072sNeO9Wwdrl6EVQHloWFzoYXbyfRZg/s1600/IMG_3684.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6IBYPgfsEU1h3gUsYu5HeyeED0qsCmaIAfuDTt96W1pDmVQ0OkLwEhWZsPymE4W7KPRU5r14QYvfoK9VmgTe0sfYTxudJrbrRMEIqdZ13ZN_yRjuK56tg6PmmyANcL7gyzueK43oB9Y/s1600/DSCN2032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6IBYPgfsEU1h3gUsYu5HeyeED0qsCmaIAfuDTt96W1pDmVQ0OkLwEhWZsPymE4W7KPRU5r14QYvfoK9VmgTe0sfYTxudJrbrRMEIqdZ13ZN_yRjuK56tg6PmmyANcL7gyzueK43oB9Y/s1600/DSCN2032.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWm9eY_EVyJrk4dJbsU9h2rAZ9S9sBoTPjCs1AMb9QHvpf0OrgVVGblPm2qKoLT3J41FVoKqP-9FB_2qgFT87kS5A21Xj8eOWAnEQN9L8ZkhALy1l8HE8h3BuduZCjslX0Mq1fuwD90K8/s1600/IMG_3811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWm9eY_EVyJrk4dJbsU9h2rAZ9S9sBoTPjCs1AMb9QHvpf0OrgVVGblPm2qKoLT3J41FVoKqP-9FB_2qgFT87kS5A21Xj8eOWAnEQN9L8ZkhALy1l8HE8h3BuduZCjslX0Mq1fuwD90K8/s1600/IMG_3811.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzg7W8PYnZWbDoGTZEYYVftMukUYCnFn4GGHaxibNDMxbluFYyYTfbCm_ZTUfE9kIptL0HlK5qpC4SC3PiDzIHd5U2AsH1anChblt763bV6tIWoCJqexjirwgu9hDUfHgtqMF7KRb8ow/s1600/DSCN2086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzg7W8PYnZWbDoGTZEYYVftMukUYCnFn4GGHaxibNDMxbluFYyYTfbCm_ZTUfE9kIptL0HlK5qpC4SC3PiDzIHd5U2AsH1anChblt763bV6tIWoCJqexjirwgu9hDUfHgtqMF7KRb8ow/s1600/DSCN2086.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>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.<br />
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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<br />
so many amazing things.<br />
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Much love to all!<br />
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Au Revoir!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-88775220157340065612014-03-17T13:13:00.001-07:002014-03-17T13:13:39.600-07:00Munich<div>
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On Friday night Jamie, Ken, and I arrived in Munich at 10 PM. After about a four hour train ride from Strasbourg we were completely exhausted. Since I am currently taking an online class as well I had some homework that I had to complete by Monday night so Jamie and Ken had some drinks and sat with me while I did my work. We had a very nice room at the 4you hostel with a private bathroom and 3 twin beds. We all slept very well that night since Jamie didn't have bed space for us the night before. Definitely more comfortable than the floor! </div>
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Saturday was Jamie's only day with us in Munich so we tried to do things that she wanted since she had less time. We did the free walking tour of the city to start out our trip. This is always one of my favorite things to do to learn about each city I go to. The tour as usual was 3 hours long. Our tour guide was from just outside Munich originally and had lived in Florida for about half her life with her parents before deciding to move back. I definitely think my theory about tour guides who are originally from the cities they are talking about always make the tour better. Virginia was our tour guide and she was fantastic. On this tour she actually took us inside one of the churches which was really nice to see inside. We learned a lot about the Third Reich and the rise of Hitler and his influence on Munich. In addition we learned about various kings and queens who were in power in Munich. And finally, we learned a lot about the influence and traditions of beer in Munich. It's pretty amazing how much influence beer has had on Bavaria. We would later learn the difference between beer in the US and beer in Munich. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiMhd2D1CLuqOOlc-51X0xTu66LW9DbU4wycGk2ps_MU89qsrq2Rq9hZ5wNjYe32Ew6aQpWxV3jx6KlmQklYFuh_RN3kpGLXf0nVSMEPfChtbj87LUA1QKDnbEg-JTQM5erEij4fF4BE/s1600/IMG_2049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiMhd2D1CLuqOOlc-51X0xTu66LW9DbU4wycGk2ps_MU89qsrq2Rq9hZ5wNjYe32Ew6aQpWxV3jx6KlmQklYFuh_RN3kpGLXf0nVSMEPfChtbj87LUA1QKDnbEg-JTQM5erEij4fF4BE/s1600/IMG_2049.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zVRALyaEKm0OBLEZf49Ks1vWiMawqxZ_8-Wp5Gy6pVb0o7L4NTcSjs1rH7z9rIvtB8mBfllxlZ9g0oJwZARR9_QeXH9ZlEGU3INn4e9uZg75xrXlJj3h-jUW519yctuerHY_uRw682c/s1600/IMG_2046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zVRALyaEKm0OBLEZf49Ks1vWiMawqxZ_8-Wp5Gy6pVb0o7L4NTcSjs1rH7z9rIvtB8mBfllxlZ9g0oJwZARR9_QeXH9ZlEGU3INn4e9uZg75xrXlJj3h-jUW519yctuerHY_uRw682c/s1600/IMG_2046.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>After the tour we decided to stop in the outdoor beer-garden/market for lunch. We each had a beer and sausage on a roll. We walked around the market a bit and then decided to look for the Englischer Garten. Although the weather was cold and cloudy it was still a beautiful park to see. We didn't spend too much time in the park but what we saw of it was really nice. After the park we walked back into the center city and looked in a few shops and walked around. We were starting to get hungry around 5:30 so we decided to find something for dinner. We stumbled upon an authentic German restaurant which was delicious. For dinner I had beef with gravy and a dumpling and for desert I had an apple strudel with vanilla sauce. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3IOTG0IFkeFj8rMtqKXzihyps75R_hIaZVmmMsHD5Tfyn6KsZgA_UrltPVx6GfI0OYZexZNLmQ5D2JyvUDoTSE60SJeM5goG6B8lZOt1PHZNh7X10QmFcOlpJoQ2hjlvzt64PbVfo_E/s1600/IMG_2068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3IOTG0IFkeFj8rMtqKXzihyps75R_hIaZVmmMsHD5Tfyn6KsZgA_UrltPVx6GfI0OYZexZNLmQ5D2JyvUDoTSE60SJeM5goG6B8lZOt1PHZNh7X10QmFcOlpJoQ2hjlvzt64PbVfo_E/s1600/IMG_2068.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>After dinner we went to one of the most famous beer halls in Munich. The three of us all got our Hofbräuhaus beer and enjoyed the environment of the beer hall. It was definitely and experience I would recommend to everyone. It is not something you can really explain very well. They were enormous rooms filled will long tables. Each table was jammed with as many people as possible which encourages you to talk with your neighbors. We spent a couple hours there and then decided to finally head back to our hostel. We stayed up and talked for a little while but we were all pretty tired and Jamie had to get up very early to catch her bus. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX6wfIue8IsLpTaf4m1E5KbJt0AvD6951if_NKvCD3VfjowrqtrO7TG79yNhW2Lr3eP2MzHvBtGR98xNEp1I50V5BzvyIj1_fN_bCrARv83ZYC5Ph5xOEo0a4XxSKHOCEzcGg-8tpwpw/s1600/IMG_2143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX6wfIue8IsLpTaf4m1E5KbJt0AvD6951if_NKvCD3VfjowrqtrO7TG79yNhW2Lr3eP2MzHvBtGR98xNEp1I50V5BzvyIj1_fN_bCrARv83ZYC5Ph5xOEo0a4XxSKHOCEzcGg-8tpwpw/s1600/IMG_2143.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlLX18lhw_CwWQvV8uTTSSeLBqKwyY2axkku5dKC82ygsche6J4Ubz2qklHZeSWWuyQnlj36EMCAY-iO2qhrxbUH7ymkPK0a3okn103VRJY-jSERGVHFqGioAKt-P9ZKYdY0ztxJ3NMs/s1600/IMG_2098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlLX18lhw_CwWQvV8uTTSSeLBqKwyY2axkku5dKC82ygsche6J4Ubz2qklHZeSWWuyQnlj36EMCAY-iO2qhrxbUH7ymkPK0a3okn103VRJY-jSERGVHFqGioAKt-P9ZKYdY0ztxJ3NMs/s1600/IMG_2098.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>The next morning when I woke up Jamie was gone. We will be seeing her again in Paris in a couple if weeks. On day two Ken and I decided to go to the Dachau concentration camp. We decided to go there with a tour guide to help us get there and also to give us a little more of the history behind the camp once we were there. It was another cold cloudy day. The camp was very eerie. We walked around the entire camp. Dachau was the first camp that was built and every one after was modeled after this one. We first saw the roll call area. Our guide told us the length at which it would often take place in order to further torture the prisoners. There was a museum inside the main building of the camp which the tour guide didn't give us time to look at which was disappointing. He pulled out a few major points that he wanted to touch on, but it would have been nice to look around a little more. We watch a video on the liberation of the camp and learned how the Americans responded to what they saw. We saw the sleeping quarters and the progression through time of the amount of space the prisoners were given to sleep. We saw the religious memorials for the victims of the camp and learned about why and when they were each built. Our final stop was the gas chambers and infirmary. We learned that there was no proof that the gas chambers ever were used at this camp, but because of the brutality of the camp and the experiments being done it was assumed that at some point they were likely used. Although I have learned about WWII and the holocaust before, coming to Munich has really made me want to educate myself more on the entirety of this time period. We talked about how around the world we can still see things like this taking place. WWII had a huge impact on my family and seeing the camp first hand really changed something inside of me. I left the camp feeling sick and uncomfortable. How could anyone be so cruel and how could so many people claim to not know what was going on? It just does make sense. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTUFXnK2y4N2PthRK3TT-kBFMe5ZKReOK7kUPjXzbPw_oc_6neWXEEVLD3ZvUKgKkj-YRm4cw2mrcu0kLPIFgQ6rIRb3ZvTp1wLt3GHiT6goQLUqcsduegF8P_5mQjpgHBUBCJ7u__V8/s1600/IMG_2163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTUFXnK2y4N2PthRK3TT-kBFMe5ZKReOK7kUPjXzbPw_oc_6neWXEEVLD3ZvUKgKkj-YRm4cw2mrcu0kLPIFgQ6rIRb3ZvTp1wLt3GHiT6goQLUqcsduegF8P_5mQjpgHBUBCJ7u__V8/s1600/IMG_2163.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf9G_dl9wWpwwsE2mhyZ7Ipshfq6Gck1hpigdR4l8SH97yw40QyxaxNK7UNxune1u2fKWDi-JpnHSBZ45beHL82pYPIeQB7NnCzwoeMjhoUDx6NCGAZeP7HmmECeO-aVdHccqDmtxmj8/s1600/IMG_2160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKf9G_dl9wWpwwsE2mhyZ7Ipshfq6Gck1hpigdR4l8SH97yw40QyxaxNK7UNxune1u2fKWDi-JpnHSBZ45beHL82pYPIeQB7NnCzwoeMjhoUDx6NCGAZeP7HmmECeO-aVdHccqDmtxmj8/s1600/IMG_2160.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>After the camp we made our way back to Munich. I had to go to the hostel to do some more work for my online class before going to dinner. We decided to go to a beer hall for dinner that night. We chose the Augustine beer hall to try something different. For dinner I had duck, red cabbage, and a dumpling. Everything was very delicious and by the end of the meal I was completely warn out. We made our way back to the hostel and shortly after went to sleep. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkt0SWTk8FcwjgMyClIyyZVjSTCpfg0typ0_rVxg7KTKCFsiscV2fF0bHnizHA_RocpA0VcAm1V2hEi150TvIB4etkErI5ugyDCdv3x3Q7D2ovEJGIO9g2M1HGoPnhcEWuvXLVQiZ38s/s1600/IMG_2180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkt0SWTk8FcwjgMyClIyyZVjSTCpfg0typ0_rVxg7KTKCFsiscV2fF0bHnizHA_RocpA0VcAm1V2hEi150TvIB4etkErI5ugyDCdv3x3Q7D2ovEJGIO9g2M1HGoPnhcEWuvXLVQiZ38s/s1600/IMG_2180.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLb7l3TZFmc5a-P_NdQQ5xUHwSLqrRYv6As1nDjEU-iKbZ319zrvY5mhlFL0eRzgved7x0aXddgwkiEmRMIz45qXeqKKjU6VptojCvhOmNtgawWz14saoj6LbZ2dFOgFDfHe7z1b-K8Y/s1600/IMG_2177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLb7l3TZFmc5a-P_NdQQ5xUHwSLqrRYv6As1nDjEU-iKbZ319zrvY5mhlFL0eRzgved7x0aXddgwkiEmRMIz45qXeqKKjU6VptojCvhOmNtgawWz14saoj6LbZ2dFOgFDfHe7z1b-K8Y/s1600/IMG_2177.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>On our third and final day in Munich we ventured again on a tour to see the Neuschwanstein castle about two hours south of Munich. To give you and idea of what we expected just imagine the famous castle at Disney World (which was actually modeled after this castle). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JIq_xmraxaeCfuwLCnh4y0KA9TJfQ-ayN9s4JbXbSC_e3fl4nc0e0BrIZeOByfJrcYet4B8I9bLD1QXhKZ5i18FBJrgWKYo-KwY2qZxskRv8LTb52hP-loz1Wx9PnFAbRPOxi-mWJCo/s1600/IMG_2186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JIq_xmraxaeCfuwLCnh4y0KA9TJfQ-ayN9s4JbXbSC_e3fl4nc0e0BrIZeOByfJrcYet4B8I9bLD1QXhKZ5i18FBJrgWKYo-KwY2qZxskRv8LTb52hP-loz1Wx9PnFAbRPOxi-mWJCo/s1600/IMG_2186.jpg" height="277" width="320" /></a>When we arrived we sat down and had lunch which consisted of curry wurst and fries. We slowly made our way around the area and saw the original castle where King Ludwig II grew up. We saw a beautiful lake where you could see Austria's mountain in the distance. We learned about the king and what led to him building three castles, one of which was Neuschwanstein. We then hiked our way up the mountain to the castle. The closer we got, the more amazing it became. I literally felt as though I was in a fairytale. We took a tour of the castle which was built over a period of 17 years. Every room was built as part of the king's playful imagination and to exact specifications of the king. If there was something on a wall at all he did not like, he would find someone new to completely start the project over. To give you and idea, it took 4 years to finish his bedroom. The castle actually was never completed because at 40 years old the king died during the middle of construction. He lived in the castle for a total of 172 days. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGLKKh5gQD7LAMbpvU2e6HuWfCUtUqH6LJX-ncW_lcB1IJ_5bkQOUnwq6b3pXqftNttfXlq6yNUE0y_rlA_cA1jMxefPBe8qijiYraBrS-RoNLG0aXfIFteeN6gVhkLW3WXPVJWpb_M4/s1600/IMG_2242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGLKKh5gQD7LAMbpvU2e6HuWfCUtUqH6LJX-ncW_lcB1IJ_5bkQOUnwq6b3pXqftNttfXlq6yNUE0y_rlA_cA1jMxefPBe8qijiYraBrS-RoNLG0aXfIFteeN6gVhkLW3WXPVJWpb_M4/s1600/IMG_2242.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>After we left the castle (where we could not take pictures), Ken and I lost the rest of the group. Our tour guide had told us where we were going next as well as where to meet and when if we did happen to get separated. So we made our way toward the bridge where we could get a better view of the castle. On our way there it began to snow. It felt so magical. </div>
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The view was INCREDIBLE. It was so beautiful I could have stood there all day if it had been a little warmer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLWQk_drlXCzBsBUFaDSCqab9i6EBCcHPrXywimU16xZPkgxIvF5h_W28zBiJcHiohb6ME1J1FDZHMFgpizjfvnmI15PSCwFeNEZMVBfRKdROB6XdMKFdI1wsAd5DEmRsB-aQfodzbDA/s1600/IMG_2232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLWQk_drlXCzBsBUFaDSCqab9i6EBCcHPrXywimU16xZPkgxIvF5h_W28zBiJcHiohb6ME1J1FDZHMFgpizjfvnmI15PSCwFeNEZMVBfRKdROB6XdMKFdI1wsAd5DEmRsB-aQfodzbDA/s1600/IMG_2232.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>We took several pictures and then decided to head back down the hill. On our way down we ran into our tour guide and the rest of our group so we headed back up to the bridge again with them. </div>
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We walked down the mountain along an off-road path rather than going the same way. When we got to the bottom we played with and fed the horses that people often take with cartridges up the mountain. I wanted to look in a couple shops so I had Ken run ahead and find out where the group would be. He said we would be leaving an hour later than the original plan because one of the guys in our group took the horse carriage and it took 40 minutes to wait for it. When we went down to the bus station our group was no where to be found. Luckily we found the Spanish group and they brought us back to the train where we finally met back up with our group. Ken and I decided to call ourselves "the problem children." It was sadly too true.<br />
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When we got back into the city we had dinner at a nice restaurant in the downtown area before we had to pack up our bags and catch our 10 PM bus to Vienna. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-91166924104304923452014-03-11T04:54:00.000-07:002014-03-11T04:54:13.640-07:00A quick visit to Strasbourg<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0whOIcGqMa3HawgmYVdzeNz27pzN5bi2XMNCjwt6H5hbIRPWtGXrdYuXmYTVivkpM7AM5_fvVN46o5b3bqaXNG2r2__RbpPr1_D9jZrSRkQwVZltzSo5wsHH9JwOVmxfI5XbQDLaQuMs/s1600/IMG_1864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0whOIcGqMa3HawgmYVdzeNz27pzN5bi2XMNCjwt6H5hbIRPWtGXrdYuXmYTVivkpM7AM5_fvVN46o5b3bqaXNG2r2__RbpPr1_D9jZrSRkQwVZltzSo5wsHH9JwOVmxfI5XbQDLaQuMs/s1600/IMG_1864.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">After a weekend skiing in the alps again and getting a little tan and then a week of being sick and studying international finance my birthday trip would finally begin. I had 11 days off of school and I intended to travel every minute I had. </span></div>
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I first made my way north in France to Strasbourg where I would meet Jamie and Ken. The two of them spent a week in Italy traveling to Rome and Venice. When I arrived my two friends were waiting for me with a sign with my name on it. After such a long time it was great to see them both. We went back to Jamie's apartment which was very similar to a college dorm to drop off my luggage. I then saw the horror that ken brought along that he called a weeks worth of clothing. Jamie concluded that you could easily fit a person inside of his suitcase. Needless to say it took up a majority of the floor in her room. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVLZ6ivbka54DOKTVUMf40Jf25bIHVogIn6oroXRsprPwU8s8_FaZlVOf_n-SwRN5Nt5lQ256OWpZrhCc4GcrS9u8ccVv00JTAz3P9Vhvkfd3lSESmrzeXnvh2qHGiliyAWy4ouNKU80/s1600/IMG_1937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVLZ6ivbka54DOKTVUMf40Jf25bIHVogIn6oroXRsprPwU8s8_FaZlVOf_n-SwRN5Nt5lQ256OWpZrhCc4GcrS9u8ccVv00JTAz3P9Vhvkfd3lSESmrzeXnvh2qHGiliyAWy4ouNKU80/s1600/IMG_1937.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>We then decided to head out for dinner. Jamie took us to a pizza place where her school had brought the international students on her first few days there. We had a great time and the food was fantastic. We talked a lot about their trip to Italy and it was really fun to hear about all of their adventures. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Lm8iHv-JMBZXfzNzoVzS-t8-xLz3OjMishvBvk5XLeirAeB2faEnSyk7MyADupSnlozVRORPMwTClipMSH9OfCtjfDAvphILCpRTgVLeYTwUBAzzbCUY9XmoTb94VpDKcyprYkGgMO8/s1600/IMG_1966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Lm8iHv-JMBZXfzNzoVzS-t8-xLz3OjMishvBvk5XLeirAeB2faEnSyk7MyADupSnlozVRORPMwTClipMSH9OfCtjfDAvphILCpRTgVLeYTwUBAzzbCUY9XmoTb94VpDKcyprYkGgMO8/s1600/IMG_1966.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>When we got back to Jamie's place we set up our beds for the night. Ken and I shared the floor after moving his giant suitcase so we would have space. It was definitely not a good nights sleep. I was cold and uncomfortable but it was only for one night and it was free! So I didn't mind too much. Also Ken gave me his blanket when he realized how cold I was. I think that says a lot about him! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xuuDfJ1L41vBJvKJ8-dNHdX3oZxX-j4ef_4fpJkv6fGaNS6DhS7xKrOrC5tebehalA97y6Ql1te52RfGjLem27rHLYnHY1QnGD3D-PQCvCRgX4Ib3N_phvwQOcisPbUn1N_jY77xL14/s1600/IMG_1961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xuuDfJ1L41vBJvKJ8-dNHdX3oZxX-j4ef_4fpJkv6fGaNS6DhS7xKrOrC5tebehalA97y6Ql1te52RfGjLem27rHLYnHY1QnGD3D-PQCvCRgX4Ib3N_phvwQOcisPbUn1N_jY77xL14/s1600/IMG_1961.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSTupIF8yHTlD0meS5y0NtzMva5XSA3Af5qPum3Yl7fmQfKAXJU2WKZaWTFA8zkNHJ0cPViRv27jLHS8zGku8p-XHcnhmBuquAT-QXnA2u_WYtn_1XYNi7MGmmU_pNZIGtBlWgrPGceE/s1600/IMG_1964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSTupIF8yHTlD0meS5y0NtzMva5XSA3Af5qPum3Yl7fmQfKAXJU2WKZaWTFA8zkNHJ0cPViRv27jLHS8zGku8p-XHcnhmBuquAT-QXnA2u_WYtn_1XYNi7MGmmU_pNZIGtBlWgrPGceE/s1600/IMG_1964.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>The next morning we woke up easily because we didn't want to be on the floor any longer. We all took showers and got ready to hit the town. Jamie showed us the city center and little France, which was beautiful. We then had a wonderful sushi lunch. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3y2rqI58o-m0wwjkuO0cVXE6sfsKEGveM2FEsEy_do0ZX8_rdGZn-bP8o2bpXkQxX2-uyFQO0Le234lR89nU6TDvSyqGvdnvT5d2zcSzfZQoZPS5Ml7Zeo3WvHXNCfMd37esXlPlt54/s1600/IMG_1967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3y2rqI58o-m0wwjkuO0cVXE6sfsKEGveM2FEsEy_do0ZX8_rdGZn-bP8o2bpXkQxX2-uyFQO0Le234lR89nU6TDvSyqGvdnvT5d2zcSzfZQoZPS5Ml7Zeo3WvHXNCfMd37esXlPlt54/s1600/IMG_1967.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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Jamie took us to the famous cathedral in Strasbourg and on our way there we saw a mini carnival going on. We decided to stop and grab some crêpes and hot wine and enjoy the warm weather. The cathedrale was beautiful. Jamie and I walked around inside while ken decided he wanted to climb to the top. Jamie had already gone before and I had done it in Bordeaux so I thought it might be similar. Neither of us really had any desire to do it. Somehow ken managed to go all the way up and come back down in 20 minutes. Jamie and I are convinced he never actually made it to the top. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEojACxn-fTDtM1oBEjEZ475stitIEwJV3jcal9197UB6oPZGIaZ1IR16tLpxC7cFKyqYI5NgWokHE1JxVPfDKso2ZgNZwabIlsf_85s7nKVqY8dzJ24kfYuVyDrZEJSugBlf5vgKXCrw/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEojACxn-fTDtM1oBEjEZ475stitIEwJV3jcal9197UB6oPZGIaZ1IR16tLpxC7cFKyqYI5NgWokHE1JxVPfDKso2ZgNZwabIlsf_85s7nKVqY8dzJ24kfYuVyDrZEJSugBlf5vgKXCrw/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Afterwards we took a look at the European Parliament building and walked around it a little before heading back to Jamie's place to get our luggage. Next stop, Munich! </div>
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Au revoir! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-28590064996702137272014-03-10T15:25:00.000-07:002014-03-10T15:25:15.533-07:00A little taste of France: Weekend away in Bordeaux and Toulouse<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0OYa4kr2_FaZhas1l0iIVey_gGavKFt1QG6Z1ELiiT9g-3ImYTsFf9wy4Gbb0eQjaXLPtXuUoZE5oCZSRwLHeCmLqR4DviAEk1BBDV43OW8QPQT6ltjJ3Ls3QqDq6ivDbrd9-BNyzI0/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0OYa4kr2_FaZhas1l0iIVey_gGavKFt1QG6Z1ELiiT9g-3ImYTsFf9wy4Gbb0eQjaXLPtXuUoZE5oCZSRwLHeCmLqR4DviAEk1BBDV43OW8QPQT6ltjJ3Ls3QqDq6ivDbrd9-BNyzI0/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">On Valentine's day this year, me and one of my other single friends here ventured off to Bordeaux. We spent the entire morning traveling. It actually took much longer to get to Bordeaux than it did when I traveled to Brussels or back from Amsterdam. It took us three different trains to get us to Bordeaux. It was a very long morning, but Miki and I slept the majority of the way there.</span></div>
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Once we arrived we dropped off our luggage in the hotel which was directly across from the train station and ventured into the city. We walked into an art school and had fun looking around there. Next we visited the St. Andre Cathedral, which was one of the major three of Bordeaux. We found the main bridge in Bordeaux and took a stroll across to the other side and then came back again. From there we tried to find the tourism center to find out about doing a wine tour the next day. We found it relatively quickly and signed up to go the next day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj342R5BXfVxbQozAiwSvycJAHKLZEXqERHwmTdEIgbKXi7EZAXRk0AN6R1vUy7kuElkbL0GUdeSDJf-5IxcU8DshUxrdeGvHXlGtaFe_r-LqPjIZyV7TbPSoKod-5U6brfV-nwPDoCcUg/s1600/IMG_1637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj342R5BXfVxbQozAiwSvycJAHKLZEXqERHwmTdEIgbKXi7EZAXRk0AN6R1vUy7kuElkbL0GUdeSDJf-5IxcU8DshUxrdeGvHXlGtaFe_r-LqPjIZyV7TbPSoKod-5U6brfV-nwPDoCcUg/s1600/IMG_1637.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZPuLAVgJlz0h5fqj5C3XWldCdTQI3Sy8PZCseiM5zCHTJ4Y5LTFeIR281YQ3HRZBFxu6VlQVGuUSx2qKWADQuckfa7KeFq-BI4gdPyT1ZmYbUCTLlEc_AFQf-bJKcWf5VOWMUQViMys/s1600/IMG_1639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZPuLAVgJlz0h5fqj5C3XWldCdTQI3Sy8PZCseiM5zCHTJ4Y5LTFeIR281YQ3HRZBFxu6VlQVGuUSx2qKWADQuckfa7KeFq-BI4gdPyT1ZmYbUCTLlEc_AFQf-bJKcWf5VOWMUQViMys/s1600/IMG_1639.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUA4TF7h2zWvvS1cBVdheyIL_gEgslM-VO6fR_D51_uFsVwbKUDX521_mRz_2YGzvIFe_yPxM9tq_lV2LvNhvv5jgGmQt6YO9Q12gIREzzl8qtqoXNpo2z-WSDIbo2ufJ6bTsZh_nw-g/s1600/IMG_1638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUA4TF7h2zWvvS1cBVdheyIL_gEgslM-VO6fR_D51_uFsVwbKUDX521_mRz_2YGzvIFe_yPxM9tq_lV2LvNhvv5jgGmQt6YO9Q12gIREzzl8qtqoXNpo2z-WSDIbo2ufJ6bTsZh_nw-g/s1600/IMG_1638.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>We then walked around the main part of the city and saw the fountain which was beautiful. We then decided at 7 to find something for dinner. Since it was valentines day we found a great restaurant right on the river but we had to be finished within 1 hour because of the reservations they had coming in at 8. It worked out perfectly and when 8 rolled by there were still some empty tables so it was no problem at all. </div>
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After dinner we were exhausted from the travel and walking so we decided to head back to the hotel. Plus it was almost 9 PM by this point anyway. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGta0u2rq2-I6XlKDZG-UGtmaJ_u13nc6EbOSIQsrSldBAyxRoWUZAg9O6APdljAaBlEoS14zkzPz3nd4ZtwcJr3c12kJcBnaVS7ynIrk0Ro9sEZSEP0aljsdalPmKo9zU58C7Mp9eB8/s1600/IMG_1677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGta0u2rq2-I6XlKDZG-UGtmaJ_u13nc6EbOSIQsrSldBAyxRoWUZAg9O6APdljAaBlEoS14zkzPz3nd4ZtwcJr3c12kJcBnaVS7ynIrk0Ro9sEZSEP0aljsdalPmKo9zU58C7Mp9eB8/s1600/IMG_1677.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzL0DlIG5hOB6vcnpH4h5RuL2ADNRjyK6NhDrdpeSTiPf7duUAal7u5x6ECeYla95cgDX4Cu4_suXNbO-qTze7mPJZ-ZemUL58ZsPOLvh9PDjJvY7k0baNQkabYGKJWNMVVdHh-41y2CY/s1600/IMG_1650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzL0DlIG5hOB6vcnpH4h5RuL2ADNRjyK6NhDrdpeSTiPf7duUAal7u5x6ECeYla95cgDX4Cu4_suXNbO-qTze7mPJZ-ZemUL58ZsPOLvh9PDjJvY7k0baNQkabYGKJWNMVVdHh-41y2CY/s1600/IMG_1650.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>The next morning we woke up and made our way to the wine museum. We learned a lot about the history of wine in Bordeaux which was very interesting. We got two wine tastings at the museum at the end from two different wine regions in Bordeaux. Both were very good!</div>
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After the museum we went to find a quick lunch and then made our way to the bus for the wine tour. </div>
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We were taken to a family owned winery first. The process is done with such care and the couple who owns it tastes the wine until they have the perfect combination. The wine there was excellent and they had a plate of cheese and crackers as a pallet cleanser between the two wines. The second wine was definitely my favorite. 2009 was supposedly one of the best years for the Bordeaux region. </div>
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The second winery we went to was a much older larger scale one. The process was done primarily by machines uses the latest technologies to perfectly blend the wine. Miki and I felt as though during the wine tasting you could definitely tell this. Neither of us liked the two types of wine we were given to try. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbXc30CMzBVMFJgm_rq1GzUh5k6o5ZE5-8F-HtwyKD5AMck0kUQxqf-qX9Qkx65HT5PMFCVb1dme4X4tquBblUZFYMQWwuYTZHCoKwfW3W-1nLU3MBSxflo7JqugNG1b5FVKNXXJir4Y/s1600/IMG_1740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbXc30CMzBVMFJgm_rq1GzUh5k6o5ZE5-8F-HtwyKD5AMck0kUQxqf-qX9Qkx65HT5PMFCVb1dme4X4tquBblUZFYMQWwuYTZHCoKwfW3W-1nLU3MBSxflo7JqugNG1b5FVKNXXJir4Y/s1600/IMG_1740.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYTpJzHUVLbqE47jTZ2hAP70QvCQHrXFsU36geQCzYc0dYdlZFw-vJo5xYDSBVo6Hh2798UtOZzhWe_-4MChDs9H0hGXV-t-pjzuafsGpBDLxGlPvgWTFRs5ElQlcNlFpnPLFl9NC_4Y/s1600/IMG_1738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYTpJzHUVLbqE47jTZ2hAP70QvCQHrXFsU36geQCzYc0dYdlZFw-vJo5xYDSBVo6Hh2798UtOZzhWe_-4MChDs9H0hGXV-t-pjzuafsGpBDLxGlPvgWTFRs5ElQlcNlFpnPLFl9NC_4Y/s1600/IMG_1738.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>We got back into the city around 6:30 PM where we met Zoe. The three of us found a nice seafood restaurant by the river again to eat dinner. I had soup and salmon which were both unbelievably delicious! </div>
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After dinner we walked along the river and saw the bridge lit up as well as a couple other buildings, which all looked incredible at night. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVCvJ04SEYhnxzDreJsLmQZpsVvFdLr4jRyLvIHSXN8mryiQ3liAwohGhdVyCOje9Is7PFVs6ND_ULS4TzZkiDe5L84PeH9zheHg42zMXNuynTcDtigHE70nOcQn0WxkzsbF4hqg5f68/s1600/IMG_1742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVCvJ04SEYhnxzDreJsLmQZpsVvFdLr4jRyLvIHSXN8mryiQ3liAwohGhdVyCOje9Is7PFVs6ND_ULS4TzZkiDe5L84PeH9zheHg42zMXNuynTcDtigHE70nOcQn0WxkzsbF4hqg5f68/s1600/IMG_1742.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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On Sunday we took another walk across the bridge. Since Zoe wasn't with us the first day she didn't get to walk on it yet and we didn't mind doing it again. We visited a church that was across the river and then headed back to the main part of the city. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdl0m9qhBEqFSKISWKzfJdwYYmXSp_3ACs_2LagdOL9KZX2WprZyle1UpkHr8D31ufkKY79irBatZtmhPxJxY6uyhdHqG1XqS_6KHcDG_jam0617QhgCi6eDmq3OplQupZRUaC77mrW8/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdl0m9qhBEqFSKISWKzfJdwYYmXSp_3ACs_2LagdOL9KZX2WprZyle1UpkHr8D31ufkKY79irBatZtmhPxJxY6uyhdHqG1XqS_6KHcDG_jam0617QhgCi6eDmq3OplQupZRUaC77mrW8/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>We then made our way to the Notre Dame Church in Bordeaux. We found out that we could walk up to the top to get a better view of the city so we decided to do that. The walk wasn't so horrible and the view was absolutely amazing. However, the walk down was so terrible. I was so scared and moved so slowly. I was moving as if I had never walked down a flight of stairs before in my life. </div>
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When I finally got to the bottom there was a small market where I found some really good homemade grape juice which I could also use to make sangria by adding wine. After that we headed to the train station to head to Toulouse. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnVkcomIMi_8sIF7HNK8bf6EH1IoE5E0Tat9WdD7KQZL43pMUNjZv5pqcCRsI8I7FuxOw8zotwpulvkldVprjrUaqR-VCWeJf_adVDzDyeT4QclaZ6zat75VzzINIU2PU4Oj4xgJ3Iyo/s1600/IMG_1786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnVkcomIMi_8sIF7HNK8bf6EH1IoE5E0Tat9WdD7KQZL43pMUNjZv5pqcCRsI8I7FuxOw8zotwpulvkldVprjrUaqR-VCWeJf_adVDzDyeT4QclaZ6zat75VzzINIU2PU4Oj4xgJ3Iyo/s1600/IMG_1786.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vpt-1623rDu09EIWdDLyrqeI7mc8QY1A3OolTNfEZLZPndmdBKYVF6gIjFaFwJhxWYpYj4YVLESo7DNlRIwe9XwA4E-1iBAq-FlfX71rzmYd59AFJ1gac48qra6IrsqeBFCvo8JKF-k/s1600/IMG_1788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vpt-1623rDu09EIWdDLyrqeI7mc8QY1A3OolTNfEZLZPndmdBKYVF6gIjFaFwJhxWYpYj4YVLESo7DNlRIwe9XwA4E-1iBAq-FlfX71rzmYd59AFJ1gac48qra6IrsqeBFCvo8JKF-k/s1600/IMG_1788.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>On Sunday, February, 16th we made our way to Toulouse from Bordeaux in the afternoon. We only knew of a few attractions there and weren't expecting much. As soon as we arrived we headed off toward the city center. We saw the center square and the Theatre du Capitole. Beneath the center archway there was a man playing music with an interesting instrument that livened up the square.<br />
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We made our way toward the river next to see the sunset. We walked over the bridge to cross the river and then came back. Miki and Zoe love taking photos so I told them I wanted to walk down by the river and the come back and meet them. The sky was unbelievable and there were so many people out walking and jogging with their friends and family. It was a pretty amazing atmosphere. By the time I met up with the girls again the sky was very dark and we decided we should start looking for a place to have dinner. We headed back toward the main square and found a very nice restaurant. I had a tilapia and lemon pie for dessert. After dinner we were all very tired and decided to head back to the hotel for the night. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJEKG-Cf4y-lJz-J-1_JDf4Spg4XPHeDPFSVZeNHKnLxca1jMnoBSocLpXro2udAPo_dpISCNnGdXeqJFNxKVEUls6etn4aYLNF6QL90SlMaWpb81z6BT8RyO_qJUCnRBlhLJkK9wSME/s1600/IMG_1829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJEKG-Cf4y-lJz-J-1_JDf4Spg4XPHeDPFSVZeNHKnLxca1jMnoBSocLpXro2udAPo_dpISCNnGdXeqJFNxKVEUls6etn4aYLNF6QL90SlMaWpb81z6BT8RyO_qJUCnRBlhLJkK9wSME/s1600/IMG_1829.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZzDyWxlizCG72ey257SwwqQpQYcjx4VA3aRcdMxgTfICrvla1C8tLUcjyhPBhajJnQR3ghvLKQZ48_KfUwj3zwdefyQWY8E9pi2WqhxZLjtBoUMO28r9tYRcVzaxGAhecgOZ9hgK3uE/s1600/IMG_1839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZzDyWxlizCG72ey257SwwqQpQYcjx4VA3aRcdMxgTfICrvla1C8tLUcjyhPBhajJnQR3ghvLKQZ48_KfUwj3zwdefyQWY8E9pi2WqhxZLjtBoUMO28r9tYRcVzaxGAhecgOZ9hgK3uE/s1600/IMG_1839.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>The next morning we felt as though we had already seen most of the major points of the city. We decided to walk the other direction though and found the Jordan gardens. We spent a long time there because it was such a beautiful day and the girls loved taking pictures. From there we did a little shopping and Zoe and I found a nice place to have lunch. Miki wanted to shop more and eat at Subway so she didn't come with us. After lunch Zoe and I made our way to the church. We had walked past it several times the night before but we wanted to see inside as well. </div>
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We didn't have much time afterward before we had to catch our train. We did a little more shopping and then made our way back home to Grenoble. </div>
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Au revoir!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5NV8JrlqdnYf_WyRgmRNDrKeYGfYMq1hmv4fyFv0BPCXb5dyUc85kAFn_LO5ZFrYXCe_vxXz5cWeX2W-DhZTiIghCWPEes-nwaLh1cDoQXZ17ZaN7Uul4wIaj-d_d5qWkhaayzTXWg4/s1600/IMG_1446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5NV8JrlqdnYf_WyRgmRNDrKeYGfYMq1hmv4fyFv0BPCXb5dyUc85kAFn_LO5ZFrYXCe_vxXz5cWeX2W-DhZTiIghCWPEes-nwaLh1cDoQXZ17ZaN7Uul4wIaj-d_d5qWkhaayzTXWg4/s1600/IMG_1446.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I arrived in Amsterdam at 8:30 AM. I walked out of the train station straight to the information desk since I really had no idea where in the city I was in relation to my hostel. I purchased the 48 hour tram pass which I learned was extremely good to have. I went straight to the hostel to drop off my luggage and have some breakfast. I found there was a walking tour given by the same company that I had been with in Brussels. I decided that would probably be a good way to learn the history and layout of Amsterdam rather than wandering around on my own. The tour left from the hostel at 10:40 and we headed straight toward Dam Square where the tour would officially begin. Again, I think the tour was a really good idea. The tour guide was from England, not the Netherlands, so I think she wasn't as good as my tour guide in Brussels, but she still did a good job educating us on the city. Unfortunately, for the entirety of the tour it was pouring rain. I quickly learned that my umbrella was useless and basically was destroyed by the wind within the first hour. After the tour finished, our tour guide invited us to have a traditional Dutch meal called Stamppot. Basically this is just a plate of mashed potatoes with vegetables mixed in and your choice of either a pork sausage or beef meatball all covered with gravy. It was not the most appetizing looking meal, but it was very tasty!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjTrV3-ntwnkqMM3sHmhCCJ0nBRP7l2nlGu0tPqGLoEqZlG8Xzqg46KyFwUAkCSNgcNM8zc5qW460sqd7HhKz-FWRjcvXgHKF2RqdfSH4lF3WT8y7QF9XIz1TmQFubOYBd0sMaLQAlSI/s1600/IMG_1454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjTrV3-ntwnkqMM3sHmhCCJ0nBRP7l2nlGu0tPqGLoEqZlG8Xzqg46KyFwUAkCSNgcNM8zc5qW460sqd7HhKz-FWRjcvXgHKF2RqdfSH4lF3WT8y7QF9XIz1TmQFubOYBd0sMaLQAlSI/s1600/IMG_1454.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>After lunch I walked around the city for about an hour and then I decided to go back to the hostel, shower and change into warm, dry clothes. By the time I was ready to head out again (with my raincoat this time) it was almost time for dinner. I found a really nice restaurant that was nearby the hostel. I had decided to sign up for another 2 hour walking tour of just the red light district that started at 7 PM so I had to eat fairly quickly and then make my way to Dam Square. On the tram ride over, the tram I was on was hit by a minivan and so they made everyone get off. No one was hurt, which was good. I just could not believe that happened! If you ever have been to Europe you probably are not too surprised because of the way that the tram is set up on the roads. I started running to make sure I didn't miss the tour. This one was not free!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaWyrbKzG4uMbCgPOsK3vyGNGszbsox8lumYLcSMFg-OpMJnPqn8OdizR4glUckQ9iwQWR4oPJ3aV1Ac6rT6c5DP6E8_zw05-tRAr5CIj378QlIG7v3cCbwvXDF9XHoWlQyq0CfrIf4s/s1600/IMG_1469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaWyrbKzG4uMbCgPOsK3vyGNGszbsox8lumYLcSMFg-OpMJnPqn8OdizR4glUckQ9iwQWR4oPJ3aV1Ac6rT6c5DP6E8_zw05-tRAr5CIj378QlIG7v3cCbwvXDF9XHoWlQyq0CfrIf4s/s1600/IMG_1469.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>The tour guide was from Alaska originally and she was very funny. She told us all about when and how the red light district was developed and how it is going to slowly disappear in the next four years. Currently it is a pretty large part of Amsterdam. The city has decided that they want to limit it to one road rather than several. One thing I did not know before coming to Amsterdam was that prostitution is legal. One of the reasons why I say that Amsterdam is tolerant. We learned all about how the industry works there. I was also amazed to learn that the city had spent $4 million on security cameras throughout the red light district making it an incredibly safe place to be. There hasn't even been a murder in Amsterdam in 5 years! One of the reasons I think I liked Amsterdam so much was because I felt so incredibly safe the entire time I was there. Unfortunately, I have not felt this way in every place I have visited (I just compensate for this by heading home early). After the tour I walked around a little bit more and then finally headed back to the hostel. I sat in the lobby until about 11:30 so that I could get wifi and touch base with my family and friends before going to sleep.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvds7EICL-o6WBhyRb_Rozpega5EFieXWNU2g2wtyEsKmnsNGV1t4X_7Qa16pqAd5TZAXC3J4_lGFVWIjbntKrR7-yRYdLAFQhem0xbFw6UO2qCeWLlyz4AaxYrCQC3Y1iLHts3Vt2yo/s1600/IMG_1482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvds7EICL-o6WBhyRb_Rozpega5EFieXWNU2g2wtyEsKmnsNGV1t4X_7Qa16pqAd5TZAXC3J4_lGFVWIjbntKrR7-yRYdLAFQhem0xbFw6UO2qCeWLlyz4AaxYrCQC3Y1iLHts3Vt2yo/s1600/IMG_1482.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPBKKSJkPJM6nhf5k3n5yd6uXEpa1rq7P6Ev0b4Pg3aEnqPfKn6LzQN7C0avE-qQw1AMumEisy8uPa5aZIcvww-vX4aMuMbYFBLb70U9aPbXpE2bIVsvy1Ew-86mXZxSc0KiHbrwjz-8/s1600/IMG_1470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPBKKSJkPJM6nhf5k3n5yd6uXEpa1rq7P6Ev0b4Pg3aEnqPfKn6LzQN7C0avE-qQw1AMumEisy8uPa5aZIcvww-vX4aMuMbYFBLb70U9aPbXpE2bIVsvy1Ew-86mXZxSc0KiHbrwjz-8/s1600/IMG_1470.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8lOhgOnj-Vx_Vv4s8sVvWiQADsPabIpdFXElWsVHMP1MZZmh1nGYvGlYKt1akDrp1GjU9_JSz9lcBqygmfo5-VNbu43RIRhkR8DLCaz6eXjjONDZmQI81K9p7vWCM3J8joD2_7Yh0pU/s1600/IMG_1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8lOhgOnj-Vx_Vv4s8sVvWiQADsPabIpdFXElWsVHMP1MZZmh1nGYvGlYKt1akDrp1GjU9_JSz9lcBqygmfo5-VNbu43RIRhkR8DLCaz6eXjjONDZmQI81K9p7vWCM3J8joD2_7Yh0pU/s1600/IMG_1475.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>On day two in Amsterdam I was lucky enough to be joined by my college roommate Jamie! We planned to meet at the Anne Frank house at 9 AM (right when it opened) to beat the crowd. It was really an amazing museum and I highly recommend it to anyone planning on visiting Amsterdam. From there we went to the Rijksmuseum. Neither of us liked the museum very much, but it gave us a chance to walk around and catch up which was nice. We decided that it was a good time to find lunch after the two museums so we found a mexican restaurant nearby which was very good. After lunch we continued our day of museums and headed to see Van Gogh. I decided to buy the audio tour which was very interesting. We spent about an hour and a half in the museum and then next went to our final museum for the day, the Heineken Experience. We had fun learning the history of the beer and how it was made. We got to experience firsthand how the beer is made in "the brew you ride". We finished the "experience" with a sample of Heineken!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrm8gKv0IEamP2QpqfjPgK-i1A4_it7KlFUPpQ_6TxK022MekVejaVpkXF1QKX5OqGfGiweBAWEDoCb2MiMN4txPrkr1gYu4IamcTQtBpdrnMMBOs1vpKhFrJ0n6zD5Q41ssuJfj_QNg/s1600/IMG_1510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrm8gKv0IEamP2QpqfjPgK-i1A4_it7KlFUPpQ_6TxK022MekVejaVpkXF1QKX5OqGfGiweBAWEDoCb2MiMN4txPrkr1gYu4IamcTQtBpdrnMMBOs1vpKhFrJ0n6zD5Q41ssuJfj_QNg/s1600/IMG_1510.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
In the evening I took Jamie into the red light district to walk around and explore. We stopped at a restaurant to get dinner where they proceeded to lose our order making our dinner take much longer than anticipated. We went into a couple shops and explored the essence of the red light district at night. We walked around for a couple hours before heading back to our hostels for the night. I was very happy to have the company for my second day in Amsterdam.<br />
<br />
The next morning I had to catch my train back to Grenoble at 10:30 which gave me plenty of time to get to the station. Definitely was worth the trip! I highly recommend it. If I had more time I would have liked to see Bruges in Belgium and Rotterdam. <br />
<br />
Au Revoir!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-30253011888582033502014-02-20T11:46:00.002-08:002014-02-20T11:46:40.649-08:00Brussels, Belgium <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNXYQCQ-CWM2tqPYICeMtsQbty5lwa55TdIS03HNRZkJ_mxffhHcV7FvA0F-K6OOXN9PIUvCEyCt5tlN_zCMHl6k4zi_cxMGBPWTSuuwmufORAGrYr6DMN92Sfs9eh45j_7gsyENUrUo/s1600/IMG_1374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNXYQCQ-CWM2tqPYICeMtsQbty5lwa55TdIS03HNRZkJ_mxffhHcV7FvA0F-K6OOXN9PIUvCEyCt5tlN_zCMHl6k4zi_cxMGBPWTSuuwmufORAGrYr6DMN92Sfs9eh45j_7gsyENUrUo/s1600/IMG_1374.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Wednesday morning (February 5<sup>th</sup>) I woke up bright
and early to catch a 6:50 AM train to Brussels. The train ride was uneventful,
which is always nice, and I managed to sleep almost the entire trip. I arrived
in Brussels around 1:30 in the afternoon, and made my way to the Meininger
Hotel, where I would be staying for the next two nights. The staff was very
friendly and let me leave my luggage in a storage room since my room wouldn’t
be ready for another hour or so. I decided to start right away and venture into
Brussels to find the Magritte Museum. I got out of the subway and proceeded to
walk from the Park to the museum. I wandered back and forth in front of the
museum for a while before realizing it was inside the larger building. Every
first Wednesday afternoon of the month in Brussels they offer museum exhibits
for free. I was extremely fortunate to come on this particular day. The museum
was very nice, but as it turns out a trend started for my trip where I would
always be stuck near a group or class of younger kids. Always about 10 years
old. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqgaGhNosPe79VsbLGp9G7D2X1KQQ1PJS1AmqcZ-pVfmWV7aUSkq4dzhLs51UXrmBUZ0Kp74dZcwgLy2L3S6B6rXXY5Uag11J89d-q9rjmvEOwirWcv9SgNUw_Se5OJ037oAr5U25W2w/s1600/IMG_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqgaGhNosPe79VsbLGp9G7D2X1KQQ1PJS1AmqcZ-pVfmWV7aUSkq4dzhLs51UXrmBUZ0Kp74dZcwgLy2L3S6B6rXXY5Uag11J89d-q9rjmvEOwirWcv9SgNUw_Se5OJ037oAr5U25W2w/s1600/IMG_1280.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the museum I decided to find Le Morte Subite, which my
Aunt Bev suggested to me. I asked two women at the museum if they could point
me in the right direction. On my way to the café I decided to stop at Cathedrale
St. Michael. The Cathedrale was traditional Gothic style and extremely
beautiful both inside and out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Tgj5Sje2RI7wXTH8PntmXCckfH8kKeMuQmmChyphenhyphenDVeAw6V_UtX2ocGFH8hQTxO6xV_yr3AnGNv9ulu08hF9hqUjJtxGs0eDz5N1jRGXXOaDccXNxQ7JNoJO5U8xkZ32mK_aIgQCuhY-o/s1600/IMG_1298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Tgj5Sje2RI7wXTH8PntmXCckfH8kKeMuQmmChyphenhyphenDVeAw6V_UtX2ocGFH8hQTxO6xV_yr3AnGNv9ulu08hF9hqUjJtxGs0eDz5N1jRGXXOaDccXNxQ7JNoJO5U8xkZ32mK_aIgQCuhY-o/s1600/IMG_1298.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52on01GI7ep4RuM-RWP_C3FF5NV07BqgpTBEq-I9pHiv5lY7ZVzrL6-at1XFlTpAjvhKwNXfRh2Hw1mxoR_R5n2HLd8cOlxMNQNhtVbj3YR8UV8oAs_cEnzG_IblJm1xueoCRx60tfEk/s1600/IMG_1297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52on01GI7ep4RuM-RWP_C3FF5NV07BqgpTBEq-I9pHiv5lY7ZVzrL6-at1XFlTpAjvhKwNXfRh2Hw1mxoR_R5n2HLd8cOlxMNQNhtVbj3YR8UV8oAs_cEnzG_IblJm1xueoCRx60tfEk/s1600/IMG_1297.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADnUX7RDqkMu5trbxSF4w-lLm1qUo890Fw90X-fABH6qy6QT3Xz_rq3UoS5F0iGDU9MxTa0XiCkS6D-8hK79NUTNLdYrXN11wZQ_Qlur8UZLYb91vjYL0PLN8jASGyDclh6v4UohrWK8/s1600/IMG_1299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADnUX7RDqkMu5trbxSF4w-lLm1qUo890Fw90X-fABH6qy6QT3Xz_rq3UoS5F0iGDU9MxTa0XiCkS6D-8hK79NUTNLdYrXN11wZQ_Qlur8UZLYb91vjYL0PLN8jASGyDclh6v4UohrWK8/s1600/IMG_1299.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>I finally found my way to Le Morte Subite. I found a quite
table in the back. This café was known for their variety of beer and their dark
bread and cheese dish. Much to my surprised it was not what I was expecting. I
was given the plate of food and had to create the dish myself. It was a very
long thing piece of bread. The cheese was very soft and easy to spread across
the bread. Next, I had to cut up the chives and radishes and spread them around
the bread. Lastly, I could top it off with a little bit of salt and pepper.
Wow! What a treat it was! It was so delicious. The waiter recommended that I
try the cherry beer to go with my snack. It was the perfect treat for the
afternoon. I spent some time enjoying my bread and wine while writing in my
journal. It was a very pleasant afternoon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KKC4lYxeuHPRcyKPqWOzofBCw7Ql0vSStQ78rv5mGX8iwbGUIorKzii6iR0JkpJ0uIBXb242TXqA0ruONMMadSAoR9HyxiTsbEsT7Ah_Zk_dMCwFb9HaUeWbK_k2rWgx2ICejnpP-d0/s1600/IMG_1304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KKC4lYxeuHPRcyKPqWOzofBCw7Ql0vSStQ78rv5mGX8iwbGUIorKzii6iR0JkpJ0uIBXb242TXqA0ruONMMadSAoR9HyxiTsbEsT7Ah_Zk_dMCwFb9HaUeWbK_k2rWgx2ICejnpP-d0/s1600/IMG_1304.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6oW61dTWpJdUgVo6IFjWopnlIrEs662Y0f7R3tjdt3d6Q6UKGLugJAEvRCNaDSMGfpIgmqs3xY_1n7yWRJ52qLu2OJkYTZEFQNfwSvLoiwpfGnrD97y3385bGvbDOfSyrmsXe8M0dmQ/s1600/IMG_1308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6oW61dTWpJdUgVo6IFjWopnlIrEs662Y0f7R3tjdt3d6Q6UKGLugJAEvRCNaDSMGfpIgmqs3xY_1n7yWRJ52qLu2OJkYTZEFQNfwSvLoiwpfGnrD97y3385bGvbDOfSyrmsXe8M0dmQ/s1600/IMG_1308.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>I decided it was then time to wander the streets of Brussels
a little bit more. I found a nice little chocolate shop with excellent
chocolate and then made my way to the Waffle Factory. I experienced my first
official Belgian Waffle. I decided that after treating myself to the bread and
then the waffle, I probably didn’t need to have dinner that evening. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I made my way back to the hostel while it was still light. I
had heard that hostels were a great place to meet new people from all over the
world. Before I had left it looked like the bar area had several games such as
pool and fosse ball as well as a nice atmosphere. I went to my room first and
got all settled in. Unfortunately, one of my roommates had very smelly feet so
I left the room quickly to find some new friends. I was lucky enough to meet
one from New Zealand! The hostile wasn’t as social as I had hoped for it to be,
but I had a lot of fun talking with this guy from New Zealand. If I remember
correctly, he was 19 years old and just wanted to come explore Europe for a
little while. His plan was to visit some friends and work a little as well. We
spent at least an hour talking before we both decided to go to sleep for the
night. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGw_yrBKmBLoV0iDntn9maAJ0czwP7MfXtqJHvjB84S-DOVRe3CrTVQqrDlF35mScZUbfp2iGczc79KoCZSukBtksC8cFVkfD8ofYwjsa4Uj8zwvTbIxiX1YF0PMqq8T3cP7yERyzfQI/s1600/IMG_1356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGw_yrBKmBLoV0iDntn9maAJ0czwP7MfXtqJHvjB84S-DOVRe3CrTVQqrDlF35mScZUbfp2iGczc79KoCZSukBtksC8cFVkfD8ofYwjsa4Uj8zwvTbIxiX1YF0PMqq8T3cP7yERyzfQI/s1600/IMG_1356.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>The next morning I met my friend from New Zealand again at
breakfast. He was leaving for Bordeaux that afternoon so we hoped to maybe meet
up when I visited Bordeaux. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZYtuxNh4MDILA3arL2uM12kki9TMpcFbxNTwJhqSHEA4hXE6XM8rdMXZFQYFMfUpb5EJjIaMSlwdAPSLyClqZu4qJlEv4pp37Q9_IHejbiD477DqvYOv2w2YtvOcpnhsHnRLBaSuVTU/s1600/IMG_1352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZYtuxNh4MDILA3arL2uM12kki9TMpcFbxNTwJhqSHEA4hXE6XM8rdMXZFQYFMfUpb5EJjIaMSlwdAPSLyClqZu4qJlEv4pp37Q9_IHejbiD477DqvYOv2w2YtvOcpnhsHnRLBaSuVTU/s1600/IMG_1352.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzmYR8TuUGYuKkA-cQd7X5HgohofiTx26rBGNP2zNSHE6nZx0g5Yy1iMXpzVGu3ixwcnC6ZWL17hbI8OCtksl6U2XAbv_Yi1uPnfhEVTlEOxagy5TZfqLsYRaqVymRgK7wrdwc6zm03k/s1600/IMG_1342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzmYR8TuUGYuKkA-cQd7X5HgohofiTx26rBGNP2zNSHE6nZx0g5Yy1iMXpzVGu3ixwcnC6ZWL17hbI8OCtksl6U2XAbv_Yi1uPnfhEVTlEOxagy5TZfqLsYRaqVymRgK7wrdwc6zm03k/s1600/IMG_1342.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I decided to do the free walking tour of Brussels on
Thursday because I still didn’t really know the basic layout of the city. It
was a 3 hour tour with a 20 minute break in the middle. Our tour guide was
named PJ. He was Flemish and originally from Brussels. He showed us all the
main points of the city and gave us interesting history, facts, and legends
about various buildings and aspects of the city. He was very passionate about
the information he was sharing, which I believe made the tour much better. I
decided to sign up for a beer tour with him later in the afternoon as well
because I enjoyed his tour so much! On the walking tour I met a girl named
Quinn from Australia as well. She was staying in the same hostel as me and also
was planning to attend the beer tour later. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJCH8UrujqgDVQLr7VM_Uihh9Wwny7Ve4LLiZ9M3xdXaR7yTIzEsFOPwn3HjZFu1vUbYsRk09B2A7vaYmB2ts3GCuWcwdDtIXTYR2Qp8gpAZeMcqQ1bOkdYEwT083KESJk4z_X9RegrY/s1600/IMG_1383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJCH8UrujqgDVQLr7VM_Uihh9Wwny7Ve4LLiZ9M3xdXaR7yTIzEsFOPwn3HjZFu1vUbYsRk09B2A7vaYmB2ts3GCuWcwdDtIXTYR2Qp8gpAZeMcqQ1bOkdYEwT083KESJk4z_X9RegrY/s1600/IMG_1383.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6GYKwz9v5JC6fK7bt7BLdMgiYv_Ni9CvvMWcVOJPnhMDNVGnD2sTlDozE5KIUjeysjKPPaWVUXcsBZutU9lzVbvggbAyexp7JFr67OJfsjUlkPKek3xYuI_D7Fo-Av3GHaXk2Xk_pFw/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6GYKwz9v5JC6fK7bt7BLdMgiYv_Ni9CvvMWcVOJPnhMDNVGnD2sTlDozE5KIUjeysjKPPaWVUXcsBZutU9lzVbvggbAyexp7JFr67OJfsjUlkPKek3xYuI_D7Fo-Av3GHaXk2Xk_pFw/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>I decided that I would part ways quickly from the group
after the tour ended so that I could visit the Horta Museum, which had received
great ratings online. I made my way via public transit to the museum. It was
basically just a house with furniture that was meant to show the beautiful architecture
from Horta. Again, I was stuck behind a group of kids. Even though they arrived at the same time as me they were put through the coat check first so I had to wait a while to get in. I did not enjoy this museum at all. I think that they could have
made it much more interesting. It took me longer to get to it than it did for
me to walk around inside. The house was very beautiful, but I didn’t feel like I
learned anything at all. It was nice to see, but definitely not worth my time
or money. I wish I had gone to see the comic book museum instead. <o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3bkV3o2lw4mTaB2eOORn6o171FICUcjoQupFdeShOqnF1jabU2jevTvYey-F-sK_e_mncYJoghuCjP70oyTeVPbONz3Byawmnkl_yilNnNIPlPopVqEsE3gxySnOCbU7K2YhPDcVUNs/s1600/IMG_1389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3bkV3o2lw4mTaB2eOORn6o171FICUcjoQupFdeShOqnF1jabU2jevTvYey-F-sK_e_mncYJoghuCjP70oyTeVPbONz3Byawmnkl_yilNnNIPlPopVqEsE3gxySnOCbU7K2YhPDcVUNs/s1600/IMG_1389.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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I made my way back to the center of the city. I had another
waffle because I was in Belgium, so why not? This time it was more traditional
with just the light powdered sugar, rather than the chocolate filling. I
realized that it was getting late and I probably should find something good for
dinner. I found a cute restaurant right across from where the beer tour was
starting. The food was amazing! I had a traditional "beef stew" meal that I was told was a typical dinner in Brussels.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERNAXp8DuLT3b23U36DEl0yece6gbEtcszy7mh5WdDGDRX8AVVpZ2zMhZnXBnL_4XsupcVaQMRZBAoXFR4OnsuyL-2EjsYh2POGzZ-0u7RxKXTq80CS7Ilj36oipk-6Q0l5LuuXRLk6Y/s1600/IMG_1402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERNAXp8DuLT3b23U36DEl0yece6gbEtcszy7mh5WdDGDRX8AVVpZ2zMhZnXBnL_4XsupcVaQMRZBAoXFR4OnsuyL-2EjsYh2POGzZ-0u7RxKXTq80CS7Ilj36oipk-6Q0l5LuuXRLk6Y/s1600/IMG_1402.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Del</td></tr>
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I finished my meal quickly and headed across the street. PJ
informed me when I arrived that Quinn and I were the only two that had signed
up for the beer tour and they needed at least 4 people for it to run. Instead PJ bought each of us a drink and talked about the beer and the importance of the foam ("head") at the top of the beer. When Quinn came, she had made friends with 4 guys from Italy at our hostile. The four of them decided to join us for the evening. PJ then took the six of us to a pub called Delirium. They offered over 3,000 different types of beer. From there we went to have a little snack before the pub crawl began. When the others were ready to go to that I said my goodbyes and headed back to the hostel to get some sleep.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYphUPABMIZGZSfqEdfwBz4qgac_WEFS2IlyWtOLnSXijHcON_DuyY67RaBZqtYXLgc_lt0Wqp2_rdn6J-f56chHE4XAbk4d1Ltqg4tVggKD9LpC8QtQjXf7uowkB6kvds1J5Ev_Ilt0/s1600/IMG_1345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYphUPABMIZGZSfqEdfwBz4qgac_WEFS2IlyWtOLnSXijHcON_DuyY67RaBZqtYXLgc_lt0Wqp2_rdn6J-f56chHE4XAbk4d1Ltqg4tVggKD9LpC8QtQjXf7uowkB6kvds1J5Ev_Ilt0/s1600/IMG_1345.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>At 6 AM the next morning I left Brussels and made my way to Amsterdam.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Au Revoir! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-35234587690036794542014-02-03T15:05:00.001-08:002014-02-03T15:05:41.125-08:00Lyon, Skiing, and Planning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I want to apologize first for my inconsistency with my blog posting. I have never been good at keeping up with writing in journals or blogs before, which is mostly why I have never written one before. I have been staring at my calendar trying to remember everything I have done in the past two weeks since my last entry and as the title of the post says, the three major things I have done were traveling to Lyon for a couple days, skiing in the French Alps, and planning my upcoming trips.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkVjLY02R4yFK_fByLAUJooVfVyV3wYky-dRm8rqAWR2DSrNUxcV-IaJEf8SVAbSypl6PRdfJQGHWrXsJTWt4wBVU6yZbldMNh6Ehdj59_ugj7apOcvGhWab-w7tvUkzEyaTifs_SYno/s1600/IMG_1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkVjLY02R4yFK_fByLAUJooVfVyV3wYky-dRm8rqAWR2DSrNUxcV-IaJEf8SVAbSypl6PRdfJQGHWrXsJTWt4wBVU6yZbldMNh6Ehdj59_ugj7apOcvGhWab-w7tvUkzEyaTifs_SYno/s1600/IMG_1042.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZe2nHHOVmV7gWpxVwjFXN5ffXaO8mC54MWEB6KAzl5g5ar0QgGJkxzKnimUqqujRqiBTqgesdiji9MqHM2TxdPllzg-YmgcDo4FgPhULncr91qSDsW3y0htpgh4tYnv-rIHum2ajvRg0/s1600/IMG_0933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZe2nHHOVmV7gWpxVwjFXN5ffXaO8mC54MWEB6KAzl5g5ar0QgGJkxzKnimUqqujRqiBTqgesdiji9MqHM2TxdPllzg-YmgcDo4FgPhULncr91qSDsW3y0htpgh4tYnv-rIHum2ajvRg0/s1600/IMG_0933.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>On January 25th at 9:24 AM myself and seven other girls caught a train straight from Grenoble to Lyon. I sat with Lucy on the train and we chatted for a while (like 15-20 minutes), then me being me fell asleep for the rest of the trip. As far as road trips go, unless I am singing the entire time, I am a horrible companion because I ALWAYS fall asleep. We arrived about an hour later in Lyon. We found a map and ventured into the subway. We had to take two different subway lines to get to the center of the city. When we stepped out into the city we were welcomed by an extremely large ferris wheel. Four of us decided to pay to ride it and got to see an amazing view of the city. At first it seemed like a great idea, but the further up we went the more terrified I became. I would not let go of the center pole. It went around about 4 times, and by the end I was definitely more comfortable. I was too scared to turn around to see the view behind me, but I was still able to get some good pictures, just from a strange angle. We later found out that the pole in the middle could actually turn the seat in circles to get a better view of the entire city. I was happy we hadn't discovered this until later, I would have been even more terrified. After we got off the ferris wheel, we took a few more pictures and then headed to the Cathédrale St-Jean. From there we grabbed lunch and walked around the cobblestone streets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMxXq6elLAIfzg9HQh4Oo4L7cTfdqCfbmNLrQQPtUqcoCUtvYYie0qPQFYDSwPMR7SuQpyTkVov28KGxG8Rzjq_sirS1bTlMBswa841KS42jBLi7phfY_E095wjRFtvXZmNslrm_jIZk/s1600/IMG_0959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMxXq6elLAIfzg9HQh4Oo4L7cTfdqCfbmNLrQQPtUqcoCUtvYYie0qPQFYDSwPMR7SuQpyTkVov28KGxG8Rzjq_sirS1bTlMBswa841KS42jBLi7phfY_E095wjRFtvXZmNslrm_jIZk/s1600/IMG_0959.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Majestic-for my Dad :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTUhrBj9luGHQrMd9D2yepKf1qYd6icgMS1q_uTi8pbB-cAs-MYxSruukoBqFCI7-IIlzrT-5GvYjSxzEDtSaxxHdNcs7WWMYALvkDB9q3FVc9lOLcT2r-iHe5JAfAl4M3t21mx9kW1k/s1600/IMG_0947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTUhrBj9luGHQrMd9D2yepKf1qYd6icgMS1q_uTi8pbB-cAs-MYxSruukoBqFCI7-IIlzrT-5GvYjSxzEDtSaxxHdNcs7WWMYALvkDB9q3FVc9lOLcT2r-iHe5JAfAl4M3t21mx9kW1k/s1600/IMG_0947.jpg" height="200" width="105" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isabelle and I</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYHTDU4VlHgsMZREXMn7i7xLCyqKOneRodT0FrUcWj7BFVwLPtfXqm1UFe0XxuaujCtvFJUpSd2KeFZGn0ypDdEsVnpQ_wm9hxJ0U2RMWa0LL3CfEVpP0Y9MjsRMLFOUrmtOtcrCnOFE/s1600/IMG_1016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYHTDU4VlHgsMZREXMn7i7xLCyqKOneRodT0FrUcWj7BFVwLPtfXqm1UFe0XxuaujCtvFJUpSd2KeFZGn0ypDdEsVnpQ_wm9hxJ0U2RMWa0LL3CfEVpP0Y9MjsRMLFOUrmtOtcrCnOFE/s1600/IMG_1016.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>After finishing lunch we discovered the Musée Miniature et Cinéma. At this point our group of eight decided to split in half. Some of the girls wanted to wait until the next day to see the museum, others weren't interested in going at all. The museum was definitely one of my favorite parts of Lyon. To some people this might sound a little strange or lame. But I really learned a lot while I was there and it was interesting seeing movies that I was very familiar with and learning how they created the special effects for various scenes. Also, there were tiny rooms with tiny items and tiny furniture and tiny people. I was truly fascinated by the attention to detail in each piece and the complexity of every room that was created. I took so many pictures in this museum, unfortunately the miniature rooms looked completely normal, so it was hard to tell how cool it really was. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAeVJ2KEbJ3ZNkOt11RcYyoTt7tIZgikmY4Ag-UIX-HNaI_-QB2OMDYA8AdOn3HD99QYFRbt-kTJ2Yvn4ywJMbXPHd8yK63lhr_sXU5-GjC1-e0hpvQlpi_QVE9ZsMTcUGd_JYKXqOK8/s1600/IMG_1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAeVJ2KEbJ3ZNkOt11RcYyoTt7tIZgikmY4Ag-UIX-HNaI_-QB2OMDYA8AdOn3HD99QYFRbt-kTJ2Yvn4ywJMbXPHd8yK63lhr_sXU5-GjC1-e0hpvQlpi_QVE9ZsMTcUGd_JYKXqOK8/s1600/IMG_1037.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>After the museum we decided to wander through the streets a little more. Mona had booked a hostel for the night since she had decided to join us after we already booked our hotel. She had brought a suitcase with her so we decided to walk with her to the hostel to drop off her luggage and get her checked in. We had planned to meet back up with the girls in front of Cathédrale St-Jean at 4 PM so we headed there next.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkx6WM3dxJUZ_u8HMi8HZwNjb1v317IGwV97agiZn3SXhI2EjT4X_RavjpzSRT0pnqudszil3SyTgXnQyNVwtm-cC9NQv0_Z65v1yynSCV59gj8y5sUFHQgKxCk36cU0UqdrdJWXp400/s1600/IMG_1067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkx6WM3dxJUZ_u8HMi8HZwNjb1v317IGwV97agiZn3SXhI2EjT4X_RavjpzSRT0pnqudszil3SyTgXnQyNVwtm-cC9NQv0_Z65v1yynSCV59gj8y5sUFHQgKxCk36cU0UqdrdJWXp400/s1600/IMG_1067.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPdmTXtMggU_6-IO667SaTtIim2ShDyf65n16-plixZXWvR3g-cs_s0pccLNbjd9vhUebnN3SRjxEH5Q_aatQkUFJeofhzWjvNjNrnosnW11nzM36tAItP9qUFsYvCsn2ZDF7Ystu8kg/s1600/IMG_1040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPdmTXtMggU_6-IO667SaTtIim2ShDyf65n16-plixZXWvR3g-cs_s0pccLNbjd9vhUebnN3SRjxEH5Q_aatQkUFJeofhzWjvNjNrnosnW11nzM36tAItP9qUFsYvCsn2ZDF7Ystu8kg/s1600/IMG_1040.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Our next adventure for the day was to take the tram up to Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière. It was on top of a mountain overlooking the city. We wanted to make sure we were able to see the view before the sun set. We got halfway up and got off so that we could see the Théâtres Gallo-romains (Roman theater). We were standing across the street from it and some of the girls worried we wouldn't get to the top before the sun set so we ended up walking the rest of the way. It was very steep, but once we got to the top it was definitely worth it. The view was incredible. We went inside the Notre-Dame which was in the middle of a service, but it was absolutely beautiful. After walking around the grounds for a while we decided it was still light enough and we wanted to head back down to the Roman Theater.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3bJ7XzV6zdz36ydJXJy2bA9UNKGBV-jmKY8pPzU9NXlV0dxkiMq4b2KLdFF7IbugKJMtZ-RS3zmzjA8DBs5UA7rxouQjWfj_ztt9Cz_ndM1xR55zNPQwFjrNoFAqvXpfcfr5-RL4n4k/s1600/IMG_1094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3bJ7XzV6zdz36ydJXJy2bA9UNKGBV-jmKY8pPzU9NXlV0dxkiMq4b2KLdFF7IbugKJMtZ-RS3zmzjA8DBs5UA7rxouQjWfj_ztt9Cz_ndM1xR55zNPQwFjrNoFAqvXpfcfr5-RL4n4k/s1600/IMG_1094.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Théâtres Gallo-romains</span></td></tr>
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It was very fun to see and take pictures there. It was only about 6 PM by this point but we were all already getting tired. We went back up the hill a little ways into a garden and sat on a ledge and watched the sun set. The city at night was pretty spectacular. When we all were about to turn into ice cubes we decided to head back into Lyon. Two of the girls wanted to stay and enjoy the view a little longer, so we planned to meet up with them again later. We made our way back to the hotel and got all settled in; I stayed in a room with Miki and Lucy. Lucy wasn't feeling to well when we arrived so she decided to stay behind while the rest of us went to find something for dinner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_vPQxh0_ytxMb6rIT9aQrow1CbNqgaSmJhpdDf_iXnxDvqrbIuSKaNwdGf3Ck8Kw6jk7w8Fd2c1VPNUmuKS3rGR5dn3efQ0Br3dzO37rC1OncIwdkhgU-77w-eYqViN18zJgNhb_VS0/s1600/IMG_1127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_vPQxh0_ytxMb6rIT9aQrow1CbNqgaSmJhpdDf_iXnxDvqrbIuSKaNwdGf3Ck8Kw6jk7w8Fd2c1VPNUmuKS3rGR5dn3efQ0Br3dzO37rC1OncIwdkhgU-77w-eYqViN18zJgNhb_VS0/s1600/IMG_1127.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnZUPqB5NHiwZ88LWBRfNxg6lIt6fUA9vdjR4EQHbCYTbCHqAFkpglxmXd7grDxjxSybj_wDLUJW18ITeS19c7I-yVLTId2KtElvsvODK-MhAhJP7IwYZb1yXz3rxXnW3R2TMXIPw9W8/s1600/IMG_1125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnZUPqB5NHiwZ88LWBRfNxg6lIt6fUA9vdjR4EQHbCYTbCHqAFkpglxmXd7grDxjxSybj_wDLUJW18ITeS19c7I-yVLTId2KtElvsvODK-MhAhJP7IwYZb1yXz3rxXnW3R2TMXIPw9W8/s1600/IMG_1125.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE60g0fy4jMrEVwnTWCaPvouGXzeX6CuuxOmZJKuqBV4MKDHCq4qR6b45WCcIt-QzYAjh8rVPhFKbViuqtZMU6jl8o0qWxX5BU4xLOKFNqejFPnoX1QP95VRymV1O26pjTmMvHhT-rxR0/s1600/IMG_1126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE60g0fy4jMrEVwnTWCaPvouGXzeX6CuuxOmZJKuqBV4MKDHCq4qR6b45WCcIt-QzYAjh8rVPhFKbViuqtZMU6jl8o0qWxX5BU4xLOKFNqejFPnoX1QP95VRymV1O26pjTmMvHhT-rxR0/s1600/IMG_1126.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6szhiKsGXpnwKQG18mgqbcBn-7ppqJXjZFWs75vZo5TXv93XuGEX97CfY9MWFQeI3jQJkzyyEvJIS1UVJ8ECYsZcgxogLGpbFjluQODGtjxcHbclhexee9oveWHicpPwHLS4QjQIE7Cw/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6szhiKsGXpnwKQG18mgqbcBn-7ppqJXjZFWs75vZo5TXv93XuGEX97CfY9MWFQeI3jQJkzyyEvJIS1UVJ8ECYsZcgxogLGpbFjluQODGtjxcHbclhexee9oveWHicpPwHLS4QjQIE7Cw/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6szhiKsGXpnwKQG18mgqbcBn-7ppqJXjZFWs75vZo5TXv93XuGEX97CfY9MWFQeI3jQJkzyyEvJIS1UVJ8ECYsZcgxogLGpbFjluQODGtjxcHbclhexee9oveWHicpPwHLS4QjQIE7Cw/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" height="150" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRRvuFDZsJMl4K_BL0tbA09C8xZ4DXEZJfdRVbeK8sV2TuD__aNNMqwJ-5h-LmRUbuu0gvB6Dscc6CLAphAK_imwyEMZF77tjkE2eL7dCu-5Ls2Nky3xk_0G50l16fn3mngCQePEFRwY/s1600/IMG_1107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRRvuFDZsJMl4K_BL0tbA09C8xZ4DXEZJfdRVbeK8sV2TuD__aNNMqwJ-5h-LmRUbuu0gvB6Dscc6CLAphAK_imwyEMZF77tjkE2eL7dCu-5Ls2Nky3xk_0G50l16fn3mngCQePEFRwY/s1600/IMG_1107.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>We wanted to find food that was traditional to Lyon so we found a place called La Mère Cottivet that looked like it would do the job. The prices were reasonable, it looked pretty crowed so we figured they probably had good food and it looked like an interesting restaurant. I had French onion soup, some sort of fish that I can't remember the name of with rice, and a brownie that all five of us shared.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQFb0RzD0ew0z0id9zaWRgBzlBDwxcpyfdlvD69yEZodRqrfXMyU9mL9H80h6lSs0ywO6YoopgnxmuHf67lnTFAbTBDqiLIRAuKqz9pyri_AN3r4KwTsWUWphoTeKSMkIgaadHQFSHE8/s1600/IMG_1121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQFb0RzD0ew0z0id9zaWRgBzlBDwxcpyfdlvD69yEZodRqrfXMyU9mL9H80h6lSs0ywO6YoopgnxmuHf67lnTFAbTBDqiLIRAuKqz9pyri_AN3r4KwTsWUWphoTeKSMkIgaadHQFSHE8/s1600/IMG_1121.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>We got back to the hotel around midnight and fell right asleep. After such a long day, a warm bed was exactly what we needed.<br />
The next morning we got a late start although I was up and ready at about 9:30. I am so eager to see everything that it makes it much easier for me to get up and moving in the morning here. Sunday was a little more laid back. We mostly walked around the city. We found a shop to get food for bunch. They had sandwiches, drinks, and dessert for only 5 euros. Lyon is famous for their wall paintings which are suppose to look three dimensional so we ventured around the city looking for a few of them. We walked through a market, then to the opera house and the art museum, and saw 3 different wall painting along the way. We headed back toward the Cathedral and walked into different shops and tried to relax a little. After everything we had done, we were all pretty worn out by this point (it make me worry about my stamina during my future trips). At 4 PM we headed back to the train station and rode back to Grenoble.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2Fp9J28ctGGjZyYEIdBDUNsHG6tm8FUV0I1GETWRTOFhw3Q1ZG9MuBbK8oj1hATHi2Pcjvnau5SrND86Nl657OoEICnasuLEDD6NtSTwHnIp2rPr0lf4ofCTkRMqUi9GghyphenhyphenL6O4YxVA/s1600/IMG_1120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2Fp9J28ctGGjZyYEIdBDUNsHG6tm8FUV0I1GETWRTOFhw3Q1ZG9MuBbK8oj1hATHi2Pcjvnau5SrND86Nl657OoEICnasuLEDD6NtSTwHnIp2rPr0lf4ofCTkRMqUi9GghyphenhyphenL6O4YxVA/s1600/IMG_1120.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnQE0PfavRLIZYQS0NfVNcgpcNwdL3Z4WybyFVqxBYfGrdSxOnb77TOMNFNvlc-F8PLYDgiD8ui-dg3uXpnkzCbme9NjXeRa7diIR1ArcrAzaA0rOkU-g787onRAMxuAvAv3IStofy0g/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnQE0PfavRLIZYQS0NfVNcgpcNwdL3Z4WybyFVqxBYfGrdSxOnb77TOMNFNvlc-F8PLYDgiD8ui-dg3uXpnkzCbme9NjXeRa7diIR1ArcrAzaA0rOkU-g787onRAMxuAvAv3IStofy0g/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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Monday I started off strong with a full day of European Business Environment from 8 AM until 6 PM. I had two more sections of it on Tuesday coupled with 3 hours of French. Wednesday I had 4.5 hours of European Business Environment again and finally finished the week on Thursday with 3 hours of international business law. Needless to say, by thursday afternoon I needed a nap. Thursday night I attended an International student party and Friday I finally had a whole day to myself to relax.<br />
Throughout the week I also planned various trips that I will be doing for the next few months. This week I will be leaving on Wednesday headed for Brussels and Amsterdam which is planned and booked. Next week I will be traveling with Zoe and Miki to Bordeaux and Toulouse for four days. At the end of February I will have about 2 weeks off from school. Luckily for me this will fall right on my birthday as well. My friend Ken from Clarkson finished school so he will be coming to visit. I will be meeting him and my roommate Jamie (also from Clarkson) in Strasbourg. We will spend about a day there to see the city and then leave the night of the 28th for Munich. We will spend 3 nights in Munich. Jamie has to start school again, but Ken and I will continue on for a trip to Vienna for three days and then spend four days in Prague before finally flying back to Grenoble. The next weekend Ken will be flying out of Paris so we will spend a couple days there before he goes home. Also, I have planned our "spring break" with my friend Lucy. We will be traveling to Geneva, Stockholm Oslo, and Copenhagen. We are hoping that it will be a little warmer by that point, but will still be preparing for the worst. And finally I have started to plan with my dad for his visit. It is still in the very early stages but I am extremely excited for him to come! I am hoping that we can see Normandy together since he majored in History and knows so much. However, whatever we do I know that we will have an amazing time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camila and I</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJWRKCgJ4IgTv4paCcjgswFEHFSVU1SZOyq4qRseDXwJ9tpt8r7enSN5hAxONRQHNpZUTShVs9WEEQZAte_OaPGceAwc9o11RRrcmxSlRijrboR0mfac31ffUbXgTBX_KCIcbe44wou0/s1600/IMG_1217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJWRKCgJ4IgTv4paCcjgswFEHFSVU1SZOyq4qRseDXwJ9tpt8r7enSN5hAxONRQHNpZUTShVs9WEEQZAte_OaPGceAwc9o11RRrcmxSlRijrboR0mfac31ffUbXgTBX_KCIcbe44wou0/s1600/IMG_1217.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpc7gB7slSK-fIz_t_8GamzBGH-UPuKThnZPCUvk5KREE7G_sJIuRQMuBqfABJeslSOddDjPhNfGiOcF-DCyiQkKsD3eWruufR8TV2lxCd6bGyLWrRNy6UxpCgBI8WRsk42Mk3SUdx7iE/s1600/IMG_1222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpc7gB7slSK-fIz_t_8GamzBGH-UPuKThnZPCUvk5KREE7G_sJIuRQMuBqfABJeslSOddDjPhNfGiOcF-DCyiQkKsD3eWruufR8TV2lxCd6bGyLWrRNy6UxpCgBI8WRsk42Mk3SUdx7iE/s1600/IMG_1222.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>On Saturday I traveled with the school's sports club to Les Duex Alps. It took about an hour for us to get there, which I didn't notice because I was sleeping, and it was so incredible. When I have gone skiing before, even at really large locations, there is usually a ski lodge where you rent your equipment, eat/buy your food, and people are usually trying to escape the cold. Here, this was not the case. There was an entire village in the center of the slopes. There were pubs, hotels, grocery stores, rental shops, and much more. We got off the bus and rather than getting a tag that you wear on your zipper, we received cards that looked like a hotel room key. If you put in in your left pocket, it would scan it as you entered the lift area so you could gain access. Unless you were going way up into the mountains they used a tow lift that had a little black disc that you would sit on. Even the "baby" slopes weren't very small. The most challenging part about skiing in this area was that the slopes were so much steeper than what I have been use to before. Camila, who had only been skiing one other time spent most of the day skiing with me because she felt pretty confident and I didn't want to ski alone so she tried something a little more challenging, and I stayed on a slope that was a little easier which worked at nicely for both of us. we stopped for lunch. I loosened my ski boots are relaxed a little bit. I had a sandwich that I had purchased at the grocery store in town.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy and I renting our equipment</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFf5u2RFLtzR2Hs4tp28ZBOwYF0F4hwSxBXDKUcO7HFjHabi6jQfGifGQa2wBCaNyHK-TupB51wwj1Tdaw0dHFc0-3VMs0VCNr2Ga9M_JjQvG_x555xOJooOrW54jLvPh8JlZDjITUMI/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFf5u2RFLtzR2Hs4tp28ZBOwYF0F4hwSxBXDKUcO7HFjHabi6jQfGifGQa2wBCaNyHK-TupB51wwj1Tdaw0dHFc0-3VMs0VCNr2Ga9M_JjQvG_x555xOJooOrW54jLvPh8JlZDjITUMI/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot wine and Crepe!</td></tr>
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After lunch, we decided to take the large ski lift up to the top of the mountain so we could have a better view of the mountains. We decided we would just ride up and back since Lucy and Laura were both beginners. Even for me and Camila, it looked like it wasn't so bad, but we figured it probably was much more steep than it appeared. We came back down and went on the slopes we knew we were more comfortable with. After several more trips down the hill I felt as though my boots were on properly and they were hurting my ankle. It was really unstable when I went around turns, so I decided that maybe it was a good time for me to stop before I got hurt. I went into a pub that had a nice fire and ordered hot wine and a crepe to warm up. Camila joined me shortly after and we realized we were probably both done for the day. We headed back to Grenoble at 5 PM and I was completely exhausted by the time I got home.<br />
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Yesterday and today I spent the day preparing for my online course Midterm exam. I took it today at noon and I am just happy to say it's over. I am completely worn out from it because I crammed so much information into my head in such a small amount of time.<br />
Tomorrow I have my law class and hopefully I can make a trip to Ikea. I was going to go today, but I came home and took a nap instead. I think it was a very good decision!<br />
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Au Revoir!<br />
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Photos from the Restaurant in Lyon<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opera House</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsCDq1LTmlUTcYW2QuY3mfMXUf7nwtOI961yJhUzM_uPRcYBBheKvtGgqvC3V0mQSp-imu5fWE_H54aVO-gPqHRU85fchKdXhxgpLfKJcHLpD61OtXqk9G5GcDXUfksBmoLq95OvYOPk/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsCDq1LTmlUTcYW2QuY3mfMXUf7nwtOI961yJhUzM_uPRcYBBheKvtGgqvC3V0mQSp-imu5fWE_H54aVO-gPqHRU85fchKdXhxgpLfKJcHLpD61OtXqk9G5GcDXUfksBmoLq95OvYOPk/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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On a more positive note, I started my French class yesterday. I absolutely love it! I definitely think it will be my favorite class. The professor is very nice and helpful. We often would get off on tangents and she would answer all of our questions. We learned some basic questions/responses and phrases. We will be meeting every week for 3 contact hours and also are required to complete out of class learning exercises as well. One of the options is to meet one-on-one with a tutor for 30 minutes to work on anything that we may want to improve on. I think that this exercise will be my most useful tool to improve my French. I have continued practicing with Rosetta Stone, but it is nice to have feedback on my pronunciation. I think that with the combination of the two I will be able to learn the language much quicker.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbl2LVB9_zV49eEGn-jWM9YmcnfWJkYZHzFKSecdsyXYuH6jGfusZNckR5MTNtl5eIf1hBsWJbf7pR9k5UR3yXQn877wz_yYufTwMsxS1KqLr4uGX76h6n-aVGpLYw5m3LAAgH69b-yzY/s1600/IMG_0892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbl2LVB9_zV49eEGn-jWM9YmcnfWJkYZHzFKSecdsyXYuH6jGfusZNckR5MTNtl5eIf1hBsWJbf7pR9k5UR3yXQn877wz_yYufTwMsxS1KqLr4uGX76h6n-aVGpLYw5m3LAAgH69b-yzY/s1600/IMG_0892.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
As for the rest of my week it wasn't too eventful. I had a class presentation on Monday, so I spent some of the weekend working on that as well as starting to panic a little about being away from home. Fortunately with the internet and technology we have now I was able to talk to my parents and some friends and they helped me think more positively about my whole experience. Over the weekend I had a wine and cheese night with Rohit and we watched a movie. On Saturday morning I went with Lucy to go grocery shopping. We took her suitcase so we could carry more back, which was really nice.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBcRhKqP0si3hYDri-p48A3MT7mdqy31JlheHgqhugt9GPP7yECXZQqkoCwToaMWi11crv8-zVRYTUCa5cPuZ0NGOg9OY3YhdnxWUia4Q3KX4ark0JoVunHF1gTThyphenhyphenNyAs6K8pi6BMLw/s1600/IMG_0914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBcRhKqP0si3hYDri-p48A3MT7mdqy31JlheHgqhugt9GPP7yECXZQqkoCwToaMWi11crv8-zVRYTUCa5cPuZ0NGOg9OY3YhdnxWUia4Q3KX4ark0JoVunHF1gTThyphenhyphenNyAs6K8pi6BMLw/s1600/IMG_0914.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinObaZOcTKPkwy3Rlx9mOM9GqkCJrYdzfxmGQ2fJEz5J9JJGkh9k7pLf6NcifCmn34cdLF5Xo1xtSFI_mILwe8lh6GKeKLHKNpTjGOVwk1h_Q99tBvQZxfeDJp7aoT0vqjUtIU_bjtMpk/s1600/IMG_0907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinObaZOcTKPkwy3Rlx9mOM9GqkCJrYdzfxmGQ2fJEz5J9JJGkh9k7pLf6NcifCmn34cdLF5Xo1xtSFI_mILwe8lh6GKeKLHKNpTjGOVwk1h_Q99tBvQZxfeDJp7aoT0vqjUtIU_bjtMpk/s1600/IMG_0907.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Yesterday after I got out of my French class Isabelle and I went to Le France where they only serve beverages. We got coffee and wine and had a really nice time hanging out. She had a presentation to give today so she practiced and I gave her some advice to improve. I tried to get some reading done for my law class tomorrow but we mostly talked. We made a plan to cook dinner and drink wine Thursday night at her apartment. This coming weekend I will be going to Lyon with a group of 8 girls to explore. I am really looking forward to that. I think it will be a great weekend. Unfortunately I didn't have the most thrilling week so I wanted to wait until I had more to write about before posting a new entry. This afternoon will consist of a visit to the bank and hopefully a walk up to la Bastille. It is a beautiful day. I hope I left myself enough time to fit everything in! <br />
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Au Revoir!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-9645470113903411742014-01-14T13:29:00.002-08:002014-01-14T13:29:35.581-08:00One week completed! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBcBI53kHBo1XJ5a4kyG_-vZgr0HVsBcTifyrU8uVeUIwEgnQLjg0b9rTzekrYwmmw4X_YpQjiQS4VJUe1AHnLcpcwNRzRpSlapJljLlW_oqTT7Q1mUYsS7nVzKj6m0YOvcwB_EFmWS8/s1600/IMG_0884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBcBI53kHBo1XJ5a4kyG_-vZgr0HVsBcTifyrU8uVeUIwEgnQLjg0b9rTzekrYwmmw4X_YpQjiQS4VJUe1AHnLcpcwNRzRpSlapJljLlW_oqTT7Q1mUYsS7nVzKj6m0YOvcwB_EFmWS8/s320/IMG_0884.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxWLHz_0LNFTiST_1v8FdyULqMRmakueH27Qespttj4ti_Na_faFy9TfC009hGwIehYxEmFZ6JTajayrz8houtdcBIEYVxwCbk9f4knGRNrBXoIysbjYunSo16STCoxUupRIqyv2LXAw/s1600/IMG_0880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxWLHz_0LNFTiST_1v8FdyULqMRmakueH27Qespttj4ti_Na_faFy9TfC009hGwIehYxEmFZ6JTajayrz8houtdcBIEYVxwCbk9f4knGRNrBXoIysbjYunSo16STCoxUupRIqyv2LXAw/s320/IMG_0880.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I am happy to say that I have no successfully completed one week in Grenoble! I have already made some great friends and created some lifetime memories.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXRpg_BY2Qww3UnlhbvKV7KlU0n9AyGRVhd5OrnoYPTOf8_aHadgsR_SUhJDYw0-rrul1fiBdyphbr2gzhu-rpeQ3lAIkfslZ7yD3rhXoIxYn3WziyIUkTsVBcRhEIyyA_OzYF-TQfrs/s1600/IMG_0853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXRpg_BY2Qww3UnlhbvKV7KlU0n9AyGRVhd5OrnoYPTOf8_aHadgsR_SUhJDYw0-rrul1fiBdyphbr2gzhu-rpeQ3lAIkfslZ7yD3rhXoIxYn3WziyIUkTsVBcRhEIyyA_OzYF-TQfrs/s200/IMG_0853.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh592_ij6uFOhy67OOxWYMMfdQgXdyusVf3hUbpl-EgYczen5t6bJGbiP6J_g-KsPWmf6GUL8KcAshPv3YhrxSgUgPCix5gpUbhyUGGElAoCKn8Qmij8ntWOI5r_kJLy5uYZB346mxvBdA/s1600/IMG_0852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh592_ij6uFOhy67OOxWYMMfdQgXdyusVf3hUbpl-EgYczen5t6bJGbiP6J_g-KsPWmf6GUL8KcAshPv3YhrxSgUgPCix5gpUbhyUGGElAoCKn8Qmij8ntWOI5r_kJLy5uYZB346mxvBdA/s200/IMG_0852.jpg" width="150" /></a>On Saturday morning I met my new friend Rohit, who is from India studying as a Master's student for a full year at Grenoble, for a personal tour of the city. He met me at my apartment and showed me a second way to get to the school. Also a plus, this way will help me avoid the train/bus station better at night making it safer for me to walk home. We walked all around the center of Grenoble and grew more and more familiar with the city. We crossed over the river to the Italian section of the city where we discovered almost everything was closed. We ventured back into the city to find a place to grab a cup of coffee. In France a cup of coffee is about the size of a shot of expresso. A grand (large) café au lait is only about 8-10 oz. After finishing our coffee we decided to find a place to eat lunch. Rohit was determined to have me try a taco. Needless to say, they are huge, and I knew I wouldn't be able to eat a whole one at that moment. I settled for a turkey wrap, sort of, instead which was very good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVoEx1ZSXi6fKbBlC0CYjxipzG38K3pyV6mcpqfafyieLg0IklyLhSetUswbODwM0F4704yz-0T3QFIEjn0bvdV5T4pp3keU59bpaqU61MJKicyorSLVa3r0jzA8UI6o9P6I8Kj6ib8k/s1600/IMG_0868.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVoEx1ZSXi6fKbBlC0CYjxipzG38K3pyV6mcpqfafyieLg0IklyLhSetUswbODwM0F4704yz-0T3QFIEjn0bvdV5T4pp3keU59bpaqU61MJKicyorSLVa3r0jzA8UI6o9P6I8Kj6ib8k/s320/IMG_0868.PNG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6QkCkxFeHr67XOc161J4z2sfXgMOc8V2PBf8YTfBQeEzf44sRBLc-mI5QfgLQidh7IwWlNyyi7CA-yYFNmMMJPACucM4F2SWJBslNYNGRSntN0uur7sC-UAhFYHvZS7y9AMnzVTgcwY/s1600/DSCN1726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6QkCkxFeHr67XOc161J4z2sfXgMOc8V2PBf8YTfBQeEzf44sRBLc-mI5QfgLQidh7IwWlNyyi7CA-yYFNmMMJPACucM4F2SWJBslNYNGRSntN0uur7sC-UAhFYHvZS7y9AMnzVTgcwY/s200/DSCN1726.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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After lunch Rohit and I met up with Isabelle to see the Notre Dame and the local art museum. The Notre Dame was very nice and looked incredible for its age! The museum unfortunately wasn't so great. But we each took turns saying what we saw in each of the strange paintings which definitely made it more fun. My favorite part were the older paintings from several hundred years ago. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any photos otherwise I would share a few of them on here. After leaving the museum we saw some boys doing tricks on their bikes, and of course had to stop and watch. Personally, I was terrified they were going to get injured... but it was still very interesting to watch!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutiuXKJbDtxAaUe-JWE2HMhR7DXCOYCY5vBVnKiI48sNEXsY4SFr-IVsX3AmXJ1UdjuZHyQqjbJUUKfexttQWWbyHZ95CuaxKhtBA98H-nyVU7FccEvdsj9LxYoZqzIV2mDltk66Ao3g/s1600/IMG_0867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutiuXKJbDtxAaUe-JWE2HMhR7DXCOYCY5vBVnKiI48sNEXsY4SFr-IVsX3AmXJ1UdjuZHyQqjbJUUKfexttQWWbyHZ95CuaxKhtBA98H-nyVU7FccEvdsj9LxYoZqzIV2mDltk66Ao3g/s200/IMG_0867.jpg" width="150" /></a>We then went to a bar and hung out for a while and chatted. It was nice to have a low key day after all the craziness of traveling and adjusting to Grenoble. I was almost out of money so I got some from an ATM and Rohit walked me home to make sure I didn't get mugged. It was still pretty early so I probably would have been fine, but I appreciated the extra security of him walking with me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx6UqAxtx6jxL-v6Iu-XD2bB4uOnp8IolZmT1hwSWsrZ_J6z3mo0gaxwvmJogzpfGSJ4y2qUgD3cB8MHDvVpziCM8g7c-3WzpbXHJ1a4AJN_ttomzX84ZchoGUq_z6in7H93D8GB58pA/s1600/IMG_0863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx6UqAxtx6jxL-v6Iu-XD2bB4uOnp8IolZmT1hwSWsrZ_J6z3mo0gaxwvmJogzpfGSJ4y2qUgD3cB8MHDvVpziCM8g7c-3WzpbXHJ1a4AJN_ttomzX84ZchoGUq_z6in7H93D8GB58pA/s200/IMG_0863.jpg" width="150" /></a>On Sunday Isabelle, Rohit, and I met at 10 AM. Unfortunately Isabelle had a couple strange incidences with men on her way to meet us, but otherwise we had a very nice day. We started walking toward the Olympic stadium, but ended up just making a huge loop around the southern end of the city and then heading back up to check out another park. Rohit left us around 1 or so to clean his apartment and play soccer after helping me find the much needed sleeping medicine to get me through the night. Isabelle and I stopped for coffee and lunch and then continued to wander around the city until I was about to fall asleep from exhaustion. This happened at about 3... I ended up falling asleep for 3 hours. But I was able to wake up and do my online course assignment and finally sleep through the night.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTk2O9WS4LU0LMPj-ivOR3AhggU2eG9ih8C3owfOJK-5SFSUuSQLuoA13CXcFhgf2PnznwbjTUxn8GE6bwwYOX0ziNA-lf8_RqWshVcLDzOrCYdtLvXRw8ZgZVqGMb1-pkOCF2JaZwew/s1600/IMG_0879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTk2O9WS4LU0LMPj-ivOR3AhggU2eG9ih8C3owfOJK-5SFSUuSQLuoA13CXcFhgf2PnznwbjTUxn8GE6bwwYOX0ziNA-lf8_RqWshVcLDzOrCYdtLvXRw8ZgZVqGMb1-pkOCF2JaZwew/s200/IMG_0879.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
On Monday morning, Isabelle and I met at 10 AM to take care of a few more French administration items. For my tasks I had to go to a few different places throughout the city, but it was nice to be able to walk around a little bit. At 12 we stopped at a nice little cafe for lunch and then headed back to GEM for our 'team building' exercise. The international office had organized a bowling event for us. They randomly placed us in groups of 5 people and it was a blast! I met 4 new friends; two from China, one from Hungary, and one from Germany.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u9x2Qg-FWgi2FGI-RJIG2DpoEntpSGsTgdmXkiPL1J9Q-h89R_BDedzy9Zq0ah4KMVutROVIjwRc-uyzjv8A5ckSr2Ys_chF6rv7A5X4gYBjHswbtwQOOHjhDeeNgK0Ktjbr8rUIU6g/s1600/IMG_0878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4u9x2Qg-FWgi2FGI-RJIG2DpoEntpSGsTgdmXkiPL1J9Q-h89R_BDedzy9Zq0ah4KMVutROVIjwRc-uyzjv8A5ckSr2Ys_chF6rv7A5X4gYBjHswbtwQOOHjhDeeNgK0Ktjbr8rUIU6g/s200/IMG_0878.jpg" width="150" /></a>After bowling Mona, Isabelle, and I went to McDonald's to wait for the rain to slow down that and started on our way to the bowling event. I have never seen such expensive McDonald's in my whole life. The cheapest meal you could get was at least 7 Euros (multiply that by 1.5 and that's what it would cost in US dollars.) We made a mad dash for the train station and headed back into the city. It was about 5 PM when we got back; the night was still young. Isabelle, Felicia (exchange student from Taiwan), and I decided that we wanted to see a movie since it was such a crummy day. We saw Wolf on Wall Street. We were lucky enough to see it in English with French subtitles. I enjoyed it very much; not the most uplifting movie, but I thought it was really well done. I can imagine Brian would like it very much. After the movie we all went our separate ways for the night and again I was able to sleep through the entire night.<br />
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Today I had my first day of classes or class depending on how you look at it. I had three hours of Business Development in Emerging Economies. Our professor was Polish but lived in England. He was a very good professor and made the class go by very quickly. We only have 4 more days left of his class for the entire semester. On Monday we will have group presentations and at some point later in the semester we will have a 2,000 word paper due (worth 70% of our grade), but no final exam!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bb4PsUCz0JjTUkK4AktAdTME5NMUgsDV6K40oVSy8U1NIZiL9fQ2rJUPSeEuS-scPMNWe8QrjtYOi3-Y3NOcWpdWT_yML8Ioi8YffLSWjRY7RDRUq2gs3ZI1VrvVo5aiKlXqVk90Y2U/s1600/IMG_0882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bb4PsUCz0JjTUkK4AktAdTME5NMUgsDV6K40oVSy8U1NIZiL9fQ2rJUPSeEuS-scPMNWe8QrjtYOi3-Y3NOcWpdWT_yML8Ioi8YffLSWjRY7RDRUq2gs3ZI1VrvVo5aiKlXqVk90Y2U/s200/IMG_0882.jpg" width="150" /></a>When my class ended at 1 Isabelle and I met for lunch and then ventured into the city to find a couple odds and ends and see what sales were available. Apparently France has a big sale every year for four weeks and it is going on right now. Everything still seems incredibly expensive. I saw a pair of shoes that I liked but it wasn't worth the money especially since I will be receiving a couple pairs of shoes in the mail from my mom soon.<br />
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I needed to talk to talk to the manager of Carline to figure out a few things about my apartment and get some questions I had answered. After speaking with her, I had a glass of wine and hung out for a little while. Isabelle and I met up at 5 by the Gare. We bought some groceries and came back to my apartment to cook some dinner, drink wine, and chat. I had a great time and learned a new recipe!<br />
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I have some reading to complete before class tomorrow, but I am fading quickly. I hope to accomplish some of it before drifting to sleep. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!<br />
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Au Revoir!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-39041448969241311602014-01-10T10:44:00.001-08:002014-01-10T10:44:38.331-08:00Learning to Navigate a Foreign City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGzkvRS7cVPKga5uFaUuOq2OoeXfI8rm2jgK7s1uSCJMwBXaTITo55I8q2jLNyERpNoiC3aUTreUFWbXl2YiqlJIkxgwBj2E6A_8b9AnSHCU3at8a1h274K5M8nLa96FD5ci0YjkuAd0/s1600/IMG_0842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGzkvRS7cVPKga5uFaUuOq2OoeXfI8rm2jgK7s1uSCJMwBXaTITo55I8q2jLNyERpNoiC3aUTreUFWbXl2YiqlJIkxgwBj2E6A_8b9AnSHCU3at8a1h274K5M8nLa96FD5ci0YjkuAd0/s1600/IMG_0842.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
My second day in Grenoble was much, much better. There is a group on Facebook called "GEM January Intake 2014" where I was able to find a student who lives in the same building as me. Since I had so much trouble getting to the school the first day, I decided to find a guide. She and three of her friends were all from China and I am thankful to have met them because I now know how to easily get to and from school. I definitely would not have figured it out on my own. I have to walk through a bus station and under the train station to get to the school. It's a little too complicated for a newcomer to figure out alone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPo3CnySdfvjgLVSAuwDPdLatHHlEmb4Vb2u1srTa5aRHU-dMHjpiDdWEdkQefl-YtqYBBy6CEMwH2zD5-AYS0TN-KvwiweAsxZwF9A2hUcN8xH9XrEO40wa7lfyCCI6xteivmv7SLKTE/s1600/IMG_0847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPo3CnySdfvjgLVSAuwDPdLatHHlEmb4Vb2u1srTa5aRHU-dMHjpiDdWEdkQefl-YtqYBBy6CEMwH2zD5-AYS0TN-KvwiweAsxZwF9A2hUcN8xH9XrEO40wa7lfyCCI6xteivmv7SLKTE/s1600/IMG_0847.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Once at the school I sat through the Welcome presentation, which wasn't too interesting, but as I left the room a girl named Isabelle came up and introduced herself to me. She is from Sweden and we became fast friends. Isabelle is in the bachelor's 2nd year program, so I won't have classes with her but that's okay. The two of us got lunch together after the second lecture and I still didn't have much of an appetite at that point. From all of the traveling I have been doing I have been really nervous and haven't eaten very much. But luckily due to the ridiculous amounts of walking I have done, that has changed relatively quickly.<br />
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After the lectures were over for the day Isabelle wandered the streets of Grenoble with me in search of towels and bedding. After quite a long walk we finally stumbled upon a "mall." Very, very different than a mall in the U.S. We asked several locals where to find them and eventually we got to the right place. It was a store similar to a WalMart or Target, but smaller. I found other necessities there as well such as shampoo and conditioner which were remarkably smaller than what I am use to, but they did have Pantene, which I use at home as well which was nice to find. We decided to take a taxi back to my apartment to drop off all of my new purchases and then headed back into the city to grab dinner. I had my first legal glass of wine and a steak dinner which was huge! I didn't eat too much, but it was delicious none the less. After dinner we parted ways and I went and bought some groceries and then headed home.<br />
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Again Wednesday night I woke up in the middle of the night. Fortunately I was able to fall back asleep for about another hour. It took me a while to actually get out of bed Thursday morning so I didn't have time to eat breakfast. I got to school just in time and we had a lecture by Gordan Roy who was originally from California. He decided to randomly liquidate his life and move to Grenoble with his wife (who was originally from Grenoble) and two kids with no jobs or plans. He had a very interesting talk and talked mostly about "why." After the lecture we had time until we needed to be at the next one, so Isabelle and I walked to her apartment and made pasta for lunch. She also introduced me to a strange fish in a bag that you dip in a mayonnaise type sauce. It was very good actually, I didn't think I would like it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2J_QtMgfBfJV4t3sd7aV90PfDeXFeoQLPnLtZNEL-YumuqkXO7F0IELcBGgUk-IwbFz-mYlG_kM1dAHOrEBUbncQ7obPBQfe4xRqn3gPJAGr-qwG3FRsznc-KVfZV4S04WFdk6xIqEQ/s1600/IMG_0846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2J_QtMgfBfJV4t3sd7aV90PfDeXFeoQLPnLtZNEL-YumuqkXO7F0IELcBGgUk-IwbFz-mYlG_kM1dAHOrEBUbncQ7obPBQfe4xRqn3gPJAGr-qwG3FRsznc-KVfZV4S04WFdk6xIqEQ/s1600/IMG_0846.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>By the afternoon I was exhausted and wanted to take a nap. I decided to skip the last session for the day and get some rest. I came back to the school at 6 however, to meet up with a group of people to get pizza and beer. I had such a wonderful time and met so many new people. I was telling my dad this before but I still haven't made any French friends yet, or American ones at that (although I have met many; they all seem to stay together.) I have met people from Sweden, Brazil, Canada, India, China, Taiwan, and Syria. After pizza I decided to walk home before it got too late. I actually stayed up until 12:30 AM! So i think that it helped with my jet lag. I still woke up during the night but I was able to go back to sleep much more quickly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCDR8LhcI7o5hV1zOhejkEbUJfaPsEj7VFdUhAIgvJ_q8gSYrgI0agKmH3pK4AtLLlDiqW9yvWioGnbxD8B1rb0PdYJyliXsX21KqIkUezBc4kzlpaBzRl6YBxNmMyPxzP0slPjd2QQ4/s1600/IMG_0851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCDR8LhcI7o5hV1zOhejkEbUJfaPsEj7VFdUhAIgvJ_q8gSYrgI0agKmH3pK4AtLLlDiqW9yvWioGnbxD8B1rb0PdYJyliXsX21KqIkUezBc4kzlpaBzRl6YBxNmMyPxzP0slPjd2QQ4/s1600/IMG_0851.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Today was pretty low key. I made my first meal in my apartment of scrambled eggs and French bread. I went to my class this morning and then afterwards had lunch with my friends Isabelle, Mona, and Andrew. I got brochette which is much different than what I have previously had. You get one huge piece of bread with cheese and other toppings placed around it. All three of us girls also had a glass of wine for lunch because we are in France and why not?!<br />
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I took my french language test in the afternoon and it's safe to say I will be placed in a beginner's course. I tried to find my way to get a month-pass for the tram, but I couldn't find it. So instead I walked home after grabbing a few more groceries (because nothing is open here on the weekends). Tonight I will probably relax because I am exhausted and cook myself some dinner. <br />
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Au Revoir!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4786901917447138506.post-71906089291651617792014-01-07T19:56:00.001-08:002014-01-07T19:56:47.882-08:00Lone TravelerWhat a day it has been.... I started my "day" on Monday at 8 AM, I got up got ready and inevitably drove my Mom to work. Unfortunately, the night before when I had tried to lift the suitcase we had purchased, I could barely pick it up. My mom almost started crying and told me I had to find something smaller. So after dropping her off at work Monday morning I went to the mall to purchase the new suitcase. This one was about 4 inches shorter, which for me makes a huge difference. I went home and unpacked and repacked for the third time and was finally ready to go. Brian took me to the airport via way of first dropping my mom's car off at her office and saying our final goodbyes.<br />
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Brian was very nice and helped me check in my luggage and made sure I go up the escalator to security before we went our separate ways. This was the first time I had ever traveled alone before. I have gone on flights without my parents before but not without knowing someone on the flight. But luckily I've traveled enough by myself that it wasn't a huge problem. My flight from Albany to Philly was delayed due to the unpleasant weather and deep freeze, however, we got off only about 30 minutes later. Once in Philly I had about 3 hours to kill before my flight. I filled most of the time by either sitting or pacing back and forth. I ate half a sandwich which later made me feel sick on the plane, but otherwise the wait wasn't horrible. Again in Philly the plane had another delay, this time due to Mechanical issues. However, about an hour later we were on hour way to Paris.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching the sunrise over France</td></tr>
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Apart from not feeling well the flight was very smooth and relatively quick. I watched "The Butler" for the first leg of the trip which I thought was wonderful. We arrived in Paris only 15 minutes later than scheduled, so at about 8:10 or so. I was expecting it would be more difficult to go through security and customs, however it only took me about 2 minutes, including the waiting time in line. I grabbed my suitcase which was 48 lbs and decided that taking a taxi might be easier and less stressful for me. It was about a 30 minute ride to the train station so I had 3 hours to kill until my train from Paris to Grenoble. While I was watching the monitors a girl came and sat next to me. This is how I made my first friend in Europe! She (Dammy) noticed I was reading a book and got really excited and asked me if I spoke English. Dammy was from London meeting her friend in Lyon and didn't speak a word of French either. Her train left an hour before mine but we spend about two hours chatting and it was really nice and we exchanged phone numbers so hopefully I'll have a friend I can visit when I'm in London.<br />
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I got on the train to Grenoble no problem. I was seated in coach because it was only slightly more expensive and I spent most of the trip asleep. France from what I did see was very, very green. I got into Grenoble at almost 4 PM and took a taxi to my apartment. 1 Rue Roger Josserand. The woman in charge got me all settled in and had me sign a few more papers. She showed me around my room as well as the laundry room, fitness center, and sauna. She asked me to come back in 30 minutes because her printer wasn't working. I used this time to finally take a shower. Unfortunately for me, for some reason I couldn't figure out how to get the water hot no matter how much I turned the nobs so it was very unpleasant. Also, I had planned to buy towels and bedding once I got here rather than bring it with me, so I used my shirt as a towel. I highly recommend avoiding this experience at all costs! Take warm showers and use proper towels, you will feel much better!<br />
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After I met with the woman in charge again, she gave me a box full of kitchenware and I was finally ready to go! She gave me a map and I finally ventured into the city of Grenoble. As I tried to follow the map I got more and more lost. I asked a handsome Frenchman to give me directions and I was finally in the right direction again. I approached the train station where I had arrived earlier and could see Grenoble Encole de Management just on the other side. The problem was I wasn't sure how to get to the other side. After asking for directions, again, I was finally able to get there. Once at the school I had no idea where building C was so I got frustrated and left. It was already after 6 and I was tired. I started wandering in what I though was the right direction only to get myself even more lost. I realized I hadn't really had anything to eat and had forgotten my lunch on the train so I stopped at a kabob shop and ordered some dinner. I tried asking the gentleman where on the map we were. I didn't speak French, and he didn't speak English. It made things a little challenging. Another woman walked in who did speak english however, I told me how to get home. I was only 3 train stops and about a 15 minute walk away... After eating, taking the train and finally figuring out where I was I stopped in a store to buy some odds and ends like soap and cereal and garbage bags, to name a few. By the time I finally got back I was ready to crash. I still had no bedding or towels. With the help from my dad I decided to use my coats as blankets for the night and tackle that problem tomorrow. I went to bed at about 9 after having a chance to reconnect with a few people back home. Luckily I have free wifi here so I am able to do so.<br />
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It is now 4:30 AM and I am realizing how bad my jet lag will probably be. I have found someone to walk me to the school tomorrow so I won't run the risk of getting lost again and I am safe and settled. My apartment is perfect for me. This is just a little bump in the road and I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings! <br />
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Au Revoir!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848172077565081849noreply@blogger.com2