Day Trips > Studying

This post is about my last full weekend abroad-- cue sobs. 

I was slightly worried about needing to study/ I wanted to spend the little time I have left in Florence so I didn't plan a trip for this weekend. Instead,  I did some small day trips and finally checked off the last of my touristy things in Florence. 

It was very nice not to have to pack and get to the airport or train station on Thursday. I had a nice relaxing afternoon and then attended the LDM farewell dinner that night with my other classmates. Whoever picked the food apparently was confused and didn't realized they were catering to college students. It wasn't horrible, but there could have been better choices for food, and a lot more of it. 

Afterwards I hung out with a lot of the ID majors, signed the High Point shirt at Lion's Fountain pub, and even made it to (one of) the famous secret bakery! -Secret bakeries are present all around Florence, but as the name implies they are secret and the location of each is "unknown." These bakeries start up their ovens around 1, 2, or 3 am in the morning to make the pastries for the next day and if you are there at that time they will sell the freshly baked goods to you at a reduced price.-

Friday morning was slightly hectic, as my alarm for 5:30 am either didn't go off or I slept through it and only woke up at 6:36 when Jackie asked me "Don't you have a trip today?" I did, and I was supposed to be at the train station at 6:40 to meet and get on the bus- about a 15 to 20 minute walk! At 6:54 (pretty impressed with myself, btw), I arrived after throwing on my clothes and sprinting to the station amid strange looks from the few other people out. Irritably, many other people were late too and we didn't end up leaving until 7:30 (I could have used the bathroom!). But the important part is that I made it. :)

Friday's trip was to one of the only places I knew I wanted to visit before I got to Italy: Cinque Terre. It's located in the Liguria region of Italy and is known for it's colorful houses. Cinque Terre is made up of 5 seaside villages close to one another; the name literally means "Five Lands."

The bus dropped us off at Manarola and we had about 30 minutes of free time (most of which were spent waiting and then using the bathroom), before we took a high speed train to Riomaggiore. The train ride was less than 2 minutes so we didn't even bother sitting down. 

At Riomaggiore, we had a little time to wander and explore the cute sea town. Marina, Lynde and I spent the most time on some rocks near the sea, taking pictures of everything and enjoying the sun. 

Later we took a ferry to get to another city (instead of the train). The ferry gave us excellent views of the cities as they looked from the water, farther away. I really enjoyed being on the ferry and just relaxing in the sun- the smooth rocking of the boat could have sent me to sleep! The ferry stopped at Vernazza, and then Monterosso al Mare: our stop. Monterosso al Mare literally means "Red Mountain by the Sea." 

We decided to get lunch with the group here, which was excellent. My only regret is that I didn't have more of the pesto pasta. Our lunch consisted of: bread and olive oil, water and white wine to drink, seafood salad, pesto pasta (main course) and gelato with fruit for dessert. 


After lunch, we wandered around the city for the remaining 2 or 3 hours of our visit. We browsed shops (I bought a crocheted blouse) and found a geocache with the app on Lynde's phone! It was such a beautiful day to see such a beautiful village. We also tried Caproska Fragolas, and then sipped them by the beach. I've decided that if I get rich, I'm moving to Monterosso. 

We met up with our group around 4:10 and took a train to Spezia, where we boarded the bus and returned to Firenze. We got back at 7:30, so I was just in time to take a quick shower and then eat dinner with the Riccis. 


Saturday, I did some homework and preparing for finals because the studio was open and yes, Dad, I'm here to study. I finished my portfolio for my graphic design class so I rewarded myself with Gusta Pizza for dinner. :)

Aaannnndddd- here is my completed Portfolio- click on the picture of the cover to download the complete file as a PDF! 

Sunday morning, I woke up early-ish and walked around the block to climb the bell tower of the Duomo. I knew I'd eventually get around to it... and then I realized this was my last week. Eep. 

I was the first one there at 8 (it opened at 8:15) and the first one to get up to the top and take my beautiful pictures of Florence from above. I also went inside the cathedral and the baptistery. 

On my way home, I stopped to get flowers for my host mother for Mother's Day- even though Mother's Day in Italy was technically on Friday. They celebrate it every year on May 8, as compared to ours on the second Sunday of May. 

She seemed to love the flowers, and I told her they were for both her and my mother at home, but my mother got them in digital form via a picture. :)

That afternoon, I went on a wine tasting trip to the Chianti region. I was slightly worried that it would overlap with the other day trip Chianti tour I went on earlier in the semester, but it was completely different. I did this trip as a substitute for the field trip my wine class went on that I skipped in order to go to the Amalfi Coast. 

The first stop was Greve, a quaint small town that has a very middle ages flair. It was probably first built in the 11th century. The city center is in the shape of a triangle and noteworthy for the loggias (a sort of exterior covered corridor) that surround the entire area. Markets are held here frequently, the best of which are on Sundays (guess I picked the right day to go). The loggias were built to ensure that market activity could continue even in the event of rain or other weather. 

Next, we went to a vineyard for our first wine tasting. This vineyard, Riseccoli, specializes in Chianti Classico, which is the wine highly regulated by the Consorzio del Vino (aka Wine Consortium). 

The winery gave us 3 wines to try along with some typical snacks. The first was Chianti Classico, which they make with 90% Sangiovese grapes. The remaining 10% is a mixture of Cabernet/Merlot. 

There are numerous rules about how the wine must be made; the primary one being that a minimum of 80% of the grapes used to make the wine must be Sangiovese. The Consorzio del Vino also prints labels for all bottling companies to use, and no one is allowed to bottle and sell more wine than the amount of labels they have. True Chianti Classico wine is easily identified by a symbol of a black rooster. 

Riseccoli also served us their homemade Finocchiona sausage with the wine, which has fennel and black pepper in it- very good. The second wine was a Super Tuscan (we have learned about this in class, as well as Chianti Classico). It was made of 40% Sangiovese and 60% Merlot and ages in French oak barrels for 3 years. The third wine was a white dessert wine made of numerous grapes that tasted almost like a liquor. They also gave us pecorino cheese with this wine. After the wines, we also were able to taste some of the olive oil they produce which was a blend of 2 black and 2 green olives. I bought some of the sausage to take back with me and I plan to share it with the Ricci's and Jackie at our last dinner together (sniff). 

Then we left to go to the next tasting at a different vineyard. The small drives were great for naps, but I forced myself to stay awake and take in the beautiful scenery. 

The second winery seemed much more industrial and less of a family company (to me). They used stainless steel vats to age and churn the wine, in addition to oak barrels. There our first wine was also a Chianti Classico made with 90% Sangiovese grapes. Not much you can change about the taste when the specifications are so strict. But still one of my favorite wines, so no complaints from me. The second wine was 100% Sangiovese and produced organically with no filtering- this was my favorite of the day. The third was another Super Tuscan wine. 

After some time to wander around the vineyard and take pictures of the gorgeous landscape, we boarded the bus and returned to Florence. Now I am forced to face the reality of more studying and then exams and then... an airplane to take me back to America. 

Current Status: soaking in all the Italy I can. 

Swiss Family (Robinson)

Making big strides in the independent adult area of life- I flew by myself to a foreign country. Whatsup.

Thursday afternoon (4 pm) I went to get the bus to the airport (4:30) which was late because of the traffic from the holiday weekend (Labor Day in Italy), so I didn't actually leave until 4:45. Then the bus continued to get stuck in traffic (but this time while I was on it), and didn't arrive to the airport until 5:20ish. For reference- the shuttle to the airport from the train station should take about 20 minutes. But then I got through security very quickly and was seated at my gate with about 40 minutes left to wait before boarding. Whew!

I boarded my flight, flew about 1 and a half hours (bonus: roll and chocolate on board), and landed in Zurich around 8:30 pm! At the arrivals area, I met my cousins Christa and Sigi. My parents and I had stayed with Christa’s parents Heidi and Herbert about 20 years ago, and met both Christa and Sigi- but as I was only 10 months old, I do not remember this at all.

I walked with them to the parking area of the airport and then Sigi helped me put my bags in the trunk of their car. They live only a 20-30 minute drive away from the airport in Urdorf, depending on traffic of course and I was happy to have a designated ride instead of figuring out the train or bus system from the airport!

We got to know each other a little on the ride, and then some more once we arrived at their apartment over some mint tea and yogurt. Fairly soon, I headed to bed- both because I was tired from travel and to prepare for a big day of whatever (I had no idea what plans were) the next morning.

Friday I had a nice shower, and then joined Christa and Sigi for breakfast around 8. They had asked me the night before when I normally wake up and eat (I said 7:30) and they said that time or a little later would work for them. Nice to stay on a similar schedule. For breakfast we had a traditional type of Swiss bread- zopf, named for the braided top. There were also many slices of salami and prosciutto, as well as cheese, butter, and jam. We had coffee that they made from their machine- you just press a button and it brews everything for 1 cup for you! Sort of the same idea as a Kurig machine, but without the small disposable cups- it uses coffee beans and grinds just enough for one cup. 

We hadn’t made plans the night before because we were all uncertain about the weather. Unfortunately, it was raining- so they suggested (and I agreed) that we go to Basel, Switzerland and then briefly over the German border to visit the Vitra Museum Weil am Rhein. This museum had many of the chairs and styles I have learned about and it was very nice to wander through. Some of the settings reminded me of the HP furniture market! Everything was very organic and the main design focus (I think) was Scandinavian modernism- Alvar Alto, Charles & Ray Eames, Panton, etc. Christa said I should get a job with the museum as apparently they change the layout of the furniture and the designs every 2 weeks.

For lunch, we picked up about 6 pizzas from an “Italian” pizzeria (basically I never left Italy haha) and then drove back into Switzerland to Regula’s house (Christa’s sister). There we ate the pizza with Regula, and her 16 year old son Raphael. Regula does acupressure and feng shui, and her husband (Daniel) is an architect. They designed and built their house and Regula’s acupressure practice and Daniel’s office are located at opposite ends of the bottom floor of their house. Nice to work so close/ literally at home- as long as you are able to separate your work life and home life, I suppose. It was very interesting to get a tour of their house! I really liked the functional modern design and bright colors.

That afternoon, Christa, Sigi, and I took a train in to downtown Basel. We saw the main building: Basler Münster (Basel Minster in English-a church, of course- this is Europe) and then an area overlooking the Rhine River. 

On the car ride back (about 1 hour), I took a short, much needed nap. We went straight to Heidi and Herbert’s house in Rudolfstetten, as they had invited us for a “barbeque”. It was so nice to meet them both (again?). For dinner we had salad, pork (grilled outside by Sigi and Herbert), mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables (carrots, celery, etc.). A little later, we also had traditional Swiss sausage: grillschnecke. And for dessert (even though I was already full) we had carrot cake, along with mint tea that Heidi made with mint from her garden.

Once we returned to Urdorf (only about a 10 minute drive), it was around 9 pm. I went through some of my pictures and even did some Italian homework before heading to bed. The next day’s forecast was much better so we planned to do some “trekking.”

Saturday morning, Christa asked me if I would like eggs for breakfast. I may have said yes before she finished talking- just really miss that American tradition, I guess. I made some scrambled eggs for all of us (cooking, wow) and then we also had some bread, cheese, and meat slices- and of course, coffee.

We quickly finalized some general plans for the day, and then took the train into the center of Zurich. We walked around the small cobblestone streets and went into various buildings; such as the Grossmünster Church, which had cut stones in the windows that looked like geodes, and the Fraumünster Church, which is famous for its Chagall stained glass windows. Neither of these churches allowed you to take pictures inside.

When the grey clouds started to clear some, we walked to the lake and took a path around one side of it through a very pretty park. The sun even came out, and at one point we just sat on a pier enjoying the nice weather and relaxing for about 15 minutes. Previously we had bought luxemburgerli- small swiss specialty desserts. They reminded me of small macaroons, and Christa described them as small sweet hamburgers with creme filling.

Because the weather was nice, we decided to go up the mountain for lunch and a hike. We took the tram to the nearest station, and then a cable car up to the top of Felsenegg; where we had lunch at Felsenegg Café. We got 3 different plates to share- the best way to order in my opinion. Our meal included: lightly breaded and fried fish with pommes frites (French fries), baked ham with potato salad and some other vegetables, and Swiss sausage with pommes frites.

After our (very) filling lunch, we started the trek to another mountain: Üetliberg. The hike was about 2 hours, and very nice- nothing too strenuous. I really enjoyed it, especially because the weather was so nice. Made me miss hiking in the NC mountains, and we discussed the possibility of Christa and Sigi coming to visit my house and family sometime. It would be so fun to show them around and take them to see the Blue Ridge parkway!

Once we reached Üetliberg, there was a tower to climb (free of charge) to get the best possible view of Zurich, the lake, and all surrounding countryside. We also got some pictures of all 3 of us together at the top of the tower. Then we went down the opposite side of the mountain about 10 minutes to the train station.

We took the train back to Zurich city center, where Christa bought some groceries for dinner that night- at a grocery store inside the train station!

That night, we made fondue! I helped stir everything together, and Christa gave me slight instructions from time to time. She also gave me the recipe so I’ll try and make it again once I’m home!  When eating fondue, it’s important to completely dip the bread in and stir it around on the bottom, otherwise the cheese will harden, burn and be ruined. When you do get to the bottom, you will have a small portion that is hard and cooked- they call it a “burned grandmother” for reasons unknown to Christa, or me. Haha

After dinner, we watched some “English” aka BBC tv. The third time I woke up from briefly falling asleep, I decided to just make it an early night and head to bed.

Sunday morning Christa and Sigi made fried eggs with mushrooms and onions, and then put it on bread. So yummy :) We also had rhubarb flavored yogurt- and coffee to help us wake up.

The rain from Friday had returned, but we tried not to let that ruin our day. We drove to the area around Lake Lucerne and up Seelisberg Mountain where we had a somewhat foggy but mostly clear view of the lake (and steamboats) below. We were also able to see Rütli - a meadow where many years ago an oath was made that helped form Switzerland into the confederacy of cantons (or states) that it is today.

We drove further and found a heavily flowing stream and many waterfalls along with many small huts that are used to make cheese. The rain slacked off a little, so we stopped here to eat lunch: sandwiches that we made that morning and packed with us (on more delicious zopf bread). To drink, we had Rivella- which is the most popular Swiss soft drink and is made from milk whey (the watery milk left over after cheese production- aka regular milk minus fats and solids) along with other fruit juices, water, carbonation and other natural flavors. I looked up the ingredients and percentages just for curiosity- and Rivella is made from 35% milk whey!

After we finished our lunch, we drove back down the mountain and over the town of Lucerne (or Luzern, if you spell it the Swiss way).  Here the rain had mostly stopped, and the sun came out! We walked around the city, happy to be rid of our umbrellas. First, we saw and walked over the old chapel bridge and learned about the spiked used to control the water level of the river/lake and hopefully prevent flooding of the town. Then we went to the Kunstmuseum (aka art museum), not to view the museum pieces, but to see the incredible architecture of the building and go to the top story where we had an excellent view of the city.

Instead of merely heading directly back to the car and driving back, we decided to enjoy the sunshine more and meandered in a zigzag formation back to the place we parked. We climbed up a tower at random and happened upon the Musegg wall. There are 9 towers along this wall, even though only 4 of them are open to the public. We went up one more, and then down a third- and exited on the other side of the town wall.

From L-R: Sigi, Christa, Amanda, Heidi, Herbert

We returned back to the apartment at 3:50- which gave us about an hour to rest before we drove to Heidi’s for another lovely dinner. I took some pictures of all of us with the self-timer function on my camera- which will be nice to compare to the ones that were taken when my parents visited 20 years ago!

For dinner, we had salad to start off, and then Heidi’s chicken curry- so incredibly good. Herbert has been trying to improve his English, so all through dinner Christa kept talking to him only in English. Apparently he’s excellent at reading a writing but has difficulty with conversation- which I completely understand as I’m the same way with Italian. 

For dessert, we had mandelgipfel (an almond pastry) that Christa picked up at her favorite bakery in Seelisberg. We also had black forest cake and some more fresh mint tea.

Since I was flying alone, I was able to book my return for Monday morning instead of Sunday (I have no classes on Monday until 6 pm) to save money and give me some extra time with my family there. It was very nice to be able to have a stress free day not worrying about getting to the airport on time in the afternoon or evening, and then just relax that night and go to bed early.

Monday morning, we had a small breakfast (mostly just for the coffee) around 5 am, and then Sigi and I left at 5:30 for the airport. I only had to wait about 10 minutes after security for my gate to be announced and then I was able to sit and catch up on some homework while waiting to board. Then, before long I was back in home sweet Florence.

Cheers to the last week before final exams!

Christa, Sigi, and I at Lake Lucerne

The Best Reunions Happen in the City of Love

Just a quick recap of the last week- primarily my photography class- and then I'll dive into my adventures in Pariiii :)


Tuesday (April 21st), my photography class went to Santo Spirito- a delightful piazza on the other side of the river close to Michelle and Liz's apartment- to practice shooting street photography. Most of the time, I felt like a creeper. But I am glad of my time there now, as I have pictures that capture the genuine way of life and Italian spirit. Walking back to the school buildings, we took a group break and got gelato (best class trip ever). I also saw a street performer playing Vivaldi's Spring (of the 4 seasons) on the violin while wearing roller skates. I have no idea why she was wearing roller skates because she wasn't moving while playing, but I guess she thought "why not?" I've decided that my new goal is to be as happy as she was that day. 


And now- my weekend trip! Last Thursday, Jackie and I flew to France to see Nadege (the other host student that stayed with the Ricci’s for the first 2 weeks we were in Florence) as she had graciously invited us to stay with her and her husband for the weekend. We were both very excited to see her again, and to be able to see Paris!

When we first arrived, we didn't immediately see Nadege, so we called her on FaceTime- but it went to her iPad which was at home and her husband, Pascal, answered. Seconds later she found us and then drove us to her home in Senlis, France there we met Pascal- in person this time haha. Nadege and Pascal's house is simply gorgeous and the neighborhood is adorably quaint. I would have been happy staying for much longer than a weekend. 

Nadege and Pascal's beautiful backyard/garden!

That night, we did some nice catching up (with Nadege) and getting to know each other (Pascal) before heading to bed.

Friday was a nice leisurely morning with breakfast around 9:30- sleeping in for us! Pascal went to Lo Boulaugerie (what we would probably call a bakery or pastry-shop) to pick up Viennuiserie, or what we would call pastries. We had a wide assortment- chouquettes, pain aux raisins, croissants, pain au chocolat- as well as fresh blueberries, yogurt, and coffee.

Next we went to the neighborhood market with Nadege to get food for lunch, and dinner. We could tell that we were definitely far away from tourists; we stuck out a lot! So neat to see such a unique and authentic part of France- especially with a guide since I knew a total of 6 words in French before arriving (Jackie and I counted on the plane!).

With our shopping complete, Nadege started cooking and Jackie and I took another 20-30 minutes exploration of the streets close by- including the lovely Senlis chapel. We asked the name of the cathedral and Nadege said she didn't know because there is only one so they just call it the cathedral! But the official name is Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Senlis (thanks Google).

We returned and had lunch outside in their backyard (aka paradise) because “this is the last nice day, the rest of the time it will rain”, or so said Nadege. 

Escargot- snails-, daurade royale (Sparus fish), rice, 3 different cheeses (2 goat, one was fresher than the other, and brie), and French bread. For dessert, Nadege had chosen 4 different “Patisserie” (we would say sweets or cakes) from a bakery where they are all made from scratch-so we could try a variety of traditional French desserts. We had: mille feuilles (so named for the "thousands" of layers), Éclair au chocolat (chocolate eclair), une tarte aux fraises (strawberry/pistacchio tart), and une tarte au citron meringuee (lemon tart).

Pascal went back to work after lunch (he's an architect!) and Jackie, Nadege and I went to the castle that was used as an inspiration for Versailles: Chateau de Chantilly. I still want to go to Versailles one day, but this was an excellent compromise since Versailles is very far from Senlis and would take a lot of time to visit. 

First, we walked all the way around the very extensive gardens and trails; only getting lost a couple times. Apparently Pascal had told Nadege to walk down a certain way to see wild turkeys and a kangaroo, but we saw neither; although we did see a couple mute swans!

On our way back to the castle from the grounds, we tried Chantilly cream with raspberries! The region is known for the invention of whipped cream, which (like many other great things) was originally created because of a mistake. 

We toured the inside of the castle, which was primarily in a baroque style but also had many references to Rococo. I saw many of the things we learned about when studying Versailles, such as jib doors and parquet flooring. I also noticed a lot of chinoiserie (aka drawings depicting monkeys dressed in human clothing and doing human activities). 


After our self-guided tour of the interior of the castle, we ran to the horse museum as it was due to close in 30 minutes! The museum was interesting; and they also allowed you to tour the stables! The famous Grand Prix takes place at Chantilly, and although there wasn't a true competition going on, we got to see several jockeys practicing their jumps. 

We stopped at Pascal’s office on the way back home to see the hives of honey bees that he has. In addition to architecture, Pascal makes honey! The labels of his honey jars read "Le miel de l,architecte", or "the honey of the architect."

For dinner that night we had an appertivo of green and black olives, churrizo, radishes, and champagne. Pascal was teasing Nadege because the only thing really French on the table was the champagne. She had brought back the other items from her travels through work the past week (she is a flight attendant for AirFrance). For the main course we had beef and peppers on a skewer that Pascal barbecued in the backyard, as well as white asparagus and a mayonnaise that we helped make- after wasting 4 eggs trying to separate the yolks and whites. Nadege also had problems separating the egg whites, so I don’t feel as bad :p

We spent the rest of the night drinking lovely French wine and talking before heading to bed somewhat early to prepare for our big visit to Paris the following day!

Saturday morning was more of an early start with breakfast at 8:30 so that we could leave by 9 for Paris! We were given a driving tour first as Pascal explained about how the city is planned completely on axis’ and the Arch de Triomphe, the Louvre, and the Luxor obelisk all line up. He impressively parallel parked the car and then our walking tour began.

Our first stop was Laduree café. Gossip Girl was filmed here- it was Blair’s favorite place in Paris for macaroons! So I had coffee (latte) and a raspberry macaroon and took several pictures. Not traditional at all, and very touristy, but still fun!

Next we went to the Madeleine Church. This building was commissioned by the French king at the time and then construction was also overseen by Napoleon. It wasn't complete until after the revolution, during which time they continued building, but obviously the construction went very slowly. The church looked very different from most- it reminded me of typical bank designs with large Corinthian columns.

Jackie and I, near the Louvre

We walked all over that area of Paris, and were able to see the strong symmetry and axis of the city from many different angles. It helps to have an architect as your guide! We went to the lourve, but not inside. I had heard that our student visas would grant us free entry, but after seeing the line I was okay with staying outside. Another thing to do when I return to Paris...sometime. :) I was completely enamored with all the courtyards and beautiful fountains in this area. It started warming up around this time (with no rain in sight!) and everything seemed to be in bloom! 

Just as my tummy started to growl a little, Pascal said we would be stopping for lunch. We went to Alice’s Café- which I never would have gone to on my own. No English menu; so we trusted Pascal and Nadege- just another perk of having native French guides! They recommended croque madam (ham sandwich with egg on top), so that's what I ordered! This is a traditional (and very popular) sandwich in France, and they also have croque monsieur- which is the same thing, but without the egg. My meal also came with a salad which I was very happy about!

Following lunch, we drove to another part of the city and ended up near Notre Dame cathedral. Pascal impressed us with another parallel parking job and then we headed across the bridge to the island that the cathedral sits on (I never knew it was on an island!). They gave us plenty of time to take pictures of the exterior of the cathedral and the surrounding area while they decided which direction to go. Later, Nadege was teasing Pascal for being lost- as he initially headed the wrong way.

We eventually made it to Saint Chappelle-which I studied! Here we were able to get in for free with our student visas (you're the best, France). The church was just as impressive as I imagined (and as Dr. Turpin told us). So many bright colors and lights streaming in through the fantastic stained glass windows. Pascal had been worried it would be too cloudy, but the clouds must have parted just for us, because it was an excellent time to be there. I'm sure my father would have loved it!

Later we stopped for the “best ice cream in France” according to our hosts. Nadege read all the flavors to us very fast, and then eliminated the "Italian" and "American" flavors that we were not allowed to get haha. I tried strawberry and "nut", and it was indeed, very tasty. 

We went across another bridge to a second island and passed two very talented street performers on the way. One was a group playing traditional french songs, and Nadege was singing along most of the time!  On the other island, we walked down near the water. Everything was so beautiful and calm- if I lived in Paris, I would come to this spot every chance I had.

We went back to the mainland over the famous lock bridge where we waited just 10 minutes to board a sightseeing boat that would take us for a cruise on the Seine river. It started to rain just before we got on the boat so we sat on the inside, but then went outside later when we realized the rain had stopped. Neat to get a different perspective and see more of the city- incluudddinnngggg the Eiffel Tower! Pascal was very helpful and gave us a personal tour, since the one on the boat was hard to understand. We all agreed that Pascal could be an excellent tour guide, and he said "I just have to fix my English." (False- his English was excellent)

After our boat ride, Jackie went to mass at Notre Dame cathedral. I took a few pictures of the interior and then joined Nadege and Pascal outside. Pascal wanted a drink (apparently being a tour guide isn't easy) so we went to a small café and were able to sit outside to enjoy the weather. Pascal ordered beers for all of us- quite good, and very light. Afterwards, Nadege led the way to a French bookstore that had a very wide selection of architecture and design books. They were all in french, but I had a good time looking at pictures and recognizing the names of designers I knew. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Since the bookstore was near where Pascal parked the car, we drove to pick up Jackie after her mass around 7:45 and then started towards Senlis. Before we left the city, though, we stopped right near the Eiffel tower to get perfect pictures because, as Pascal put it, "the light is just there." The tower was beautiful with the bright blue sky behind it and the sun at the perfect angle.

We finally made it back around 9; Nadege jokingly apologized for our late dinner since she had promised us that she eats much earlier than italians- "always at 7!" We had dinner at 9:30, which consisted of pesto pasta with pine nuts, white wine, cheese, foie gras (duck liver!), and then fresh raspberry sorbet and biscotti for dessert. 

We talked some after finishing our meal and then watched some of The Voice (the French version of course) while enjoying the last of our sorbet. Pascal was going to go to bed early, but then he realized that this episode was the finals so he stayed up to watch the show. He kept singing along, and was upset at the end when his favorite contestant didn't win. Nadege told him that next year he can be on the show and win The Voice. So, be on the lookout for that. :p 

Sunday morning after breakfast Jackie chose to stay and make cantuccini cakes with Nadege, and I went for a bike ride around Senlis with Pascal. Nadege was so worried about me getting cold from the wind that she insisted that I bring my coat and lent me a scarf. It wasn't very windy, and after about 10 minutes I was too warm for both the scarf and the coat, but I appreciated her concern. It's nice to have a motherly figure around. :) The bike ride was phenomenal!  I was able to take pictures everywhere and Pascal gave me a very good tour of historic Senlis! At one point we rode past an older building that he pointed out as the hospital where he and his son "were arrived." It took me a second to figure out that he meant he was born at that hospital. Biking was amazing; I forgot how much I love it. My butt and legs are still somewhat sore from riding on all those cobblestones though!

Around 12:30 (after returning from our grand bike tour de france) we grabbed all our gear and loaded up into the car for Day 2 in paris!

This time we went to the Monmarte area of Paris, which is up on a hill. Lunch was at an “American” style burger place called Koff- very good and much more filling than a panino (sorry, Italy). Also the meat was artisean and rasied in Paris; the “best hamburgers in France” according to Pascal.It was somewhat refreshing to have a more American meal, but I know I'll be missing all things European in 3 short weeks. :(

It started lightly raining by the time we left the café, but not quite enough for an umbrella. We walked up many sets of stairs to the very top of the hill where on a non-cloudy day you would see a spectacular view of the entire city. We were pretty lucky with weather the rest of the weekend, though, so I will refrain from complaints about not being able to see all of Paris from Monmarte. (that return trip though...)

We went inside the Sacre-Coeur Basilica (or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris)- so gorgeous. Photos were not allowed, although I saw many people disregarding this rule and taking them anyway. The interior of the church was gorgeous with multiple highly-detalied mosaics and stained glass windows. 

After coming back down the hill, we had another driving tour around this area of Paris, before heading to CDG airport for our flight back to Florence. We were going to take a jar of honey each and some cheese back with us, but then realized we weren't allowed to check bags with the type of tickets we purchased. :( So now I have yet another reason to return! 

Jackie and I boarded our flight around 7:15. This was one of the first times I remember not being super excited to return to Florence. France was just so beautiful, and it was amazing to stay with Pascal and Nadege. 

On the plane, I had red wine with my sandwich- thanks to Nadege's advise and expertise! We took a taxi back to the apartment after landing in Florence because it was faster, easier, and not that much more expensive than the shuttle bus. 

Until next time- Au Revoir, France! I miss you already!

Reunited with Nadege! 

Jackie and I with Pascal and his honey!

Noch Ein Bier, Bitte!

Prost! I just returned from a weekend in Munich, Germany- mostly to see the spring version of Oktoberfest- Fruhlingsfest.

I was anticipating a super long and awful bus ride; but it actually wasn’t too bad. We left Florence around 7/7:30 Thursday night, I was able to sleep from 11-ish on until we arrived in Munich around 3:30 am—at which point I went straight to bed once we got to our hostel rooms.

Friday morning, we tested out the hostel breakfast (pretty good, I must say- but nothing can top the cappuccinos from Sorrento) before meeting in the lobby at 10:30 to get to the center of town for our bike tour. Unfortunately our hostel was a bit inconveniently located- we weren’t within walking distance to anything and needed to take the metro. Not terrible, but definitely not ideal either. 

Once we figured out the metro for the first time and arrived at Marienplatz station (also the name of the central square in Munich), we met up with the leaders of our bike tour. I’ll admit that I may have started the day with a slightly negative attitude. It’s just difficult to stay positive at the thought of biking in the rain with an expensive camera and no hood.

But everything worked out fine- I was able to buy a 1 euro poncho at the bike station and then it stopped raining anyway about 10 minutes after we started biking. I LOVED biking around the city. We went through a lot of cute parks as well, which certainly made a nice change from the cement and pavement of Florence (OMG-Is that grass??).

Pork Knuckle with Potato Dumpling

After the tour (2:30 ish pm), we had a late lunch at Hofbräuhaus, one of the most famous beer halls in Munich. I split an order of Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle) with Liz as well as a giant pretzel. Our meal also came with a potato dumpling, which I still don’t know how I feel about- just kind of an odd texture/consistency. But everything was delicious, and I was definitely glad I didn’t order a plate all to myself!

As we were finishing up our meal, we glanced outside only to realize that it had begun to rain again. By the time we ventured outside, it was pouring. We quickly ran back to the station and took the metro back to our hostel to relax for a little while since we were still running on limited hours of sleep.

Langos with Nutella 

Later than we originally planned, around 6, we left the hostel to experience the festival for the first time. I had no idea that there were rides and game booths- it’s basically a huge carnival. The first beer tent we tried to go into asked us if we had a reservation and then promptly refused us entry when we gave blank stares and head shakes as a reply. We were able to go in the second tent, but never found a table for the whole time we were there- SO crowded! But also very cool- everyone was dancing on tables and singing German or American songs (there was a band). I had really wanted to rent or buy a traditional dress- dirndl- but there was never really time, and also they can be quite expensive. More room in my suitcase home for other things, I suppose. Next trip :)

That night at Springfest, after finally leaving the tent, we went searching for something sweet and chocolatey- and found just that. Michelle and I split a circle like pancake dough thing with nutella on top- Langos. Aka the most delicious carnival food ever. 

Saturday, Liz, Marina, and I decided to take a day trip to see Schloss Neuschwanstein, instead of spending the entire day at the festival. This palace that was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s and Cinderella’s fictional castles-the Disney versions, of course!

We decided to take a horse and buggy ride to the top of the mountain where the castle was (in lieu of walking). In retrospect, this was a mistake and I wouldn’t do it again. The ride was pretty and it was nice since I haven’t done the horse/carriage ride here yet (very touristy and expensive in most places), but we had to wait in line for almost an hour. Our tour was scheduled for 1:35, and around 1 we realized we might be in trouble. However, it was too late to back out and walk- we’d be late. We were finally able to squeeze onto a buggy around 1:20 and arrived at the castle (after stopping twice for the horses to poop) at 1:38. :( We rushed over to see if we could get in, but the guard just told us to go get a new tour time. So, our tour was changed to 2:05. At least we were still able to see the castle- very pretty and so detailed. 

My favorite part was a cave on the 4^th floor with access to a garden that had a window overlooking the mountain. I have no idea why there was a cave on the second to highest floor of a castle, but it was cool.

The castle architecture combines Gothic, Bavarian, and Romanesque styles. The king that commissioned it used all his own private money to build the palace instead of the public money- which obviously made him very popular in the people’s eyes. However, the King was only able to enjoy the completed castle for 120 days before he died! They have a splendid grand hall that was planned for him to host big events, but he never had the chance.

After our (late) tour, we found other members of the group- finally!- to figure out where the next meeting point was and how much time we had left. They were coming back from a beautiful overlook and a bridge that gave you a view of the castle which we “probably wouldn’t have time to get to and back down the mountain.” Challenge Accepted.

We basically alternated sprinting and power walking over to the viewpoint and then to the bridge- totally worth it! Then we continued sprinting back to the castle and walked/ran down the mountain. At one point, Marina was behind Liz and I and we heard her hurried steps and thought we were starting to run again- at which point we then heard a very adamant “DO NOT RUN, I am just catching up!” In summary- horse ride: bad idea, but made for some great stories and laughs. AND workout- I’m still sore!

Oh, and we made it back to the bus only 5 minutes after the time our guide said. And then there were still others that boarded the bus after us.

The castle is located in Hohenschwangu, which is about an hour and a half-2 hour bus ride from our hostel so we watched movies on the bus/slept. Once we arrived back at the hostel, we took a little time to relax and refresh before leaving again to go to Springfest for the night!

Our primary objective was food, because the overpriced sandwich I had at the castle around noon was long gone. We found one of many stands selling the German version of carnival food and ordered bratwurst hotdogs and pommes frites (French fries). Later, we walked around the festival- just taking in everything and doing some people watching. Then Marina and Liz went on a couple rides and I stayed on the ground.

We wanted to go to a beer tent again, but when we passed the place we had gone the night before and saw crowds of people waiting far into the street (I guess it was a line- more of a cluster though)… we decided to look for somewhere else. We found a slightly different version of a beer tent- much more open than the others. Cool because we were outside and there was more room and air, literally cool because it started getting cold really fast! We all ordered steins of beer-Maßkrugs- which are exactly 1 liter (33.8 fluid ounces). I had some trouble finishing mine because the beer makes you feel very full. 

Around 8:55 we left the beer tent to go meet up with Michelle, Lexi, Margaret, and Kristin. On the way, we ran into 2 Germans who ended up walking with us to our meeting point and talking with us for about 30 minutes as we waited until we decided that they were probably in bed already since they had been at the festival all day. Patrick and Jonas (who asked us to pronounce his name with a hard J instead of the German “yo”- probably because it sounded more American), went back to a table at the beer tent with us and we all talked more- even though they didn’t end up ordering a beer. Around 10:30 we were told by one of the servers to either order something or leave, and if we ordered something we had 10 minutes before leaving because they were closing! So we left, because no one really wanted to get yelled at by a tired and angry German lady.

Patrick singing a german folk song in the metro station!

Patrick and Jonas took the metro back with us, and even walked all the way to our hostel with us before saying goodnight and going back to their respective houses. So nice to be able to meet and talk with them! They kept apologizing for their English, which wasn’t necessary because their English was great. We should have been apologizing for our (not really existent) German!

Sunday was an early morning- we made it downstairs for breakfast by 7:30ish so we could meet in the lobby by 8, with our packed bags stored in the luggage room. From there we took the metro, and then the bus to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. We purchased audio guides to enhance the self-guided tour, as entrance was free and the student rate for an audio guide was 2.50 euros.

I found all the information very interesting and thought that everything was laid out very nicely. It was tragically amazing to think about the horrific events that took place there-maybe in the same place I was standing. I enjoyed the museum the most- although I still don’t think I read everything and we inside for almost 2 hours. They had many quotes from survivors of the camp and others that made everything even more impactful. 

There was also a lot of information that I had never hear about before- mostly specific to Dachau, but also about concentration camps in general. The most interesting to me was the press propaganda put out by the Nazis. They made posters with pictures of prisoners and captions such as “professional criminal” or “mentally ill”. This was to make the public believe that the only people in the camps were felons or infirmed and ensure that they felt no pity for them. Dachau also gave tours of the camp to journalists and other foreign ambassadors. During these tours, they were able to show only the prisoners and the certain parts of the camp they wanted them to see and hide the rest. This gave the majority of the rest of the world a flawed, but positive view of the camps.

When we finally finished our walk around the memorial site, we took the bus back to the metro stop and then got a quick lunch at a really cute café. I had a chicken sandwich that also included hardboiled egg slices, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and pickles. Then I also got Nusschnecke (a pastry with nuts) for dessert and a slice of lemon cake for a snack on the bus later.

We arrived back at the hostel just in time to get on the bus and leave for Florence. I had a lovely visit to Munich, but it just so nice to be back in a country where I can usually understand at least half of what’s going on in the native language. And of course, to my own bed and the ever lovely Florence.  :)