I'M COMIN' HOME

As I was listening to my ipod on shuffle this morning, "Home" by Michael Buble came on.  I've never paid attention to the lyrics until now, but they pretty much summed up my day perfectly.  Soundtrack to my life, day 125/125 in Europe this semester:

"Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home

Another airplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home

I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
I’m coming back home."

BACK IN THE USA TOMORROW!!!!  CAN'T WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE!!! xoxo

Isle of Capri

Pompeii and Amalfi Coast

Vatican City

Roma

Hasta Luego, Spain

These past four months in Valencia have absolutely flown by, but when I look back on the semester and all the trips and experiences we've had, I can't believe all that we've done in this short time.  But, as there is always more to see and do, we've packed some exciting things into our last week here:

(Saturday round of casual drinks after a loca Friday noche at discoteca Mya.  Enjoying our last trip to Cien Montaditos and la Plaza de la Reina.)

(Checked out a Sevillan festival in the Rio, complete with flamenco dancers and lots of patatas bravas.)

 (Went to an international horse competition in the park.)

(Hugged my two favorite teachers, Pilar and Rey-Tor - just because I didn't take a class with him doesn't mean I can't love him.)

Since the program people all flew back to the States on Wednesday (11 May) and I don't leave until Saturday (14 May) to meet my mom in Rome, I've had a few days to do some things in Valencia that I never got around to doing this semester.  First, I went to this really cool outdoor mall called Aqua that sits at the far end of la cuidad de artes y ciencias (the City of Arts and Sciences - all the really modern buildings in the park).  Its location offered a great walk on the beautiful day that was Thursday, so I took full advantage by snapping some pics:

 (Opera House)

(View from mall to Oceanografic.)

Also checked a must-do off the list:  climbed to the top of Valencia's main cathedral.  Again, killer steps, but definitely worth it in the end for the 360-degree views of the city.

(Cuidad de artes y ciencas from afar)

(View from above of Plaza de la Reina)

(Rachel - studying here until July - and me)

(Can you see the Mediterranean?)

(Torres de Serrano - old gate to the city back when it was walled - and mountains to the north)

(After making it safely back to ground level, we browsed the market set up in la Plaza de la Reina before heading to la Plaza de la Virgen right next door to see the following:)

(Picture of the Virgen in the Plaza - made completely out of flower petals!)

And to top of my four months here in Spain, I convinced Rachel to split this nutella crepe!
1.  Yum (noun):  better expressed through photos than words:

As they say, there's no goodbye, only "hasta luego."  Off to ROME and then Pompeii and Isle of Capri with my mom tomorrow!!!!!!

Spring Break in Paris with the Fam

J'ai eu le privilège de voyager à Paris pour voir ma famille sur les deux vacances de printemps de semaine. Je suis allé avec mon père, mes oncles, et ma grand-mère, heureux pour moi, elle est une vieille femme très saine !  La ville est si belle et j'ai aimé traîne et regarde tous les bâtiments, regardant dans les fenêtres de magasin luxueuses, et regardant juste tous les gens. Je pourrais être la séance heureuse sur un banc pour les heures, simplement recevant à Paris l'ambiance.  

JK YOU GUYS!!  As if I speak French or would even write this blog in anything but English.  That came from a free translation website, so sorry to all my French-speaking readers (Mom and Dad) if its (probable) multitude of errors offend you.  Ok, now for the real entry:

Sorry for the delay on this one, folks!  Since I am now writing this two weeks after the fact and five final exams later, I feel it would be better to express the essence of the trip through a chronological set of pictures than to try to recall all of the sights and stories.  So, here we go:

This time, instead of staying in a run-down hostel with ratings that clearly read: "really dirty, smelly rooms, cramped beds, i was afraid to touch the bathroom curtains because they were so dirty, staff wasn't too friendly, the showers are so far away" (actual hostelworld.com reviews of our London hostel), we stayed in a short-term rental apartment in a great location near the St. Paul metro stop.  As Jackie said, "a step and a half" up from the norm this semester.

WEDNESDAY:

Wednesday morning, shortly after my dad arrived, we headed out for a tour of the neighborhood he lived in during the year he studied abroad (1977-78).  He lucked out (like me!) with a great family and a great location - the 16th arrondissement.  "With its ornate 19th century buildings, large avenues, prestigious schools and museums and various parks, the arrondissement has long been known as one of French high society's favorite place of residence (comparable to New York's Upper East Side or Los Angeles's Beverly Hills," - thanks, Wikipedia.  After strolling the neighborhood streets, we headed down Victor Hugo in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe, which I convinced my dad to climb.

After 382 of these guys...

...We had to take photographic evidence at the (windy) top!

(Very zoomed) View from the top of the Arc de Triomphe down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Royal Palace/Louvre. 

Next stop:  the National Opera house.

Burnt out from all the day's walking, we met up with Uncles Lance and Richard at Les Philosophes near the apartment for happy hour.  After the much needed rest, we regrouped with Grandma at the apartment and headed out to dinner at a delicious restaurant in the Saint-Germain area - I got duck!!  SINS - I actually recommend it.

THURSDAY:

Thursday morning we woke up (still a little tired) to some clouds and light drizzle.  We headed out around noon and hit some men's shops for the guys.  They all bought a couple of shirts at a favorite store before we strolled a little more and then grabbed some paninis to-go and brought them back to the apartment for a nice and relaxing afternoon lunch.  Afterward, we split up (boys and girls), and grandma and I checked out some shops in the neighborhood.  

That night for dinner we headed to a different restaurant in the Saint-Germain area with a pretty unique premise:  no menu.  Only question the french-maid waitress asks: "What would you like to drink and how would you like your steak cooked?"  It was a meat-lovers dream.  Two rounds of tableside-cut steak and  a mountain of french fries.  For dessert?  Grandma's choice:

Profiteroles!!!!

FRIDAY:

As the day started off as the prior one ended - drizzly and gray - I headed off solo with my ipod for a morning walk.  First stop: my favorite place in Paris - Notre Dame Cathedral.  Cliche, I know, but I really find it to be one of the most amazing buildings in the world.  Even the rain can't stop it from looking beautiful.  On my way back to the apartment, I also stopped in Paris's Holocaust Museum, which, even with the language barrier, was a moving experience.

Upon entering the front door, I found everyone absolutely glued to the live news coverage of the Royal Wedding.  I don't for one second regret staying inside and watching every minute of it, despite having the whole world of Paris outside our window.  History in the making, right?!  PS, loved the dress....

Still drizzly, we opted for indoor activities that afternoon, so grandma and I headed to her two favorite department stores in the world - Galeries Lafayette and Printemps!  After being cooped up in the world of French fashion and design for about five hours, we emerged to a beautiful, sunny early evening.

Naturally, I had to go watch the sunset in my favorite spot - back to Notre Dame!

Friday evening, the five of us dined at George, which affords an unbeatable vantage of the whole city as it sits atop the George Pompidou Center of modern-art.  (Photo: Uncle Lance and me in front of the super-modern and industrial building.)

With our nine o'clock reservation, we got to see the Eiffel Tower light up not once, but twice!  Views were incredible and the sparkling tower was so mesmerizing.

SATURDAY:

Weather check:  sunny!  More father-daughter bonding time.  My dad and I took the metro out to Sacre Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris), located at the summit of butte Montmarte.  Being the highest point of the city and the clear day that it was, we were able to see everything.  After checking out the inside of the beautiful cathedral, we walked around the artists' square which boasts lots of scenic Parisian paintings and sculptures - along with the artists themselves painting live!

Since we were in the neighborhood (ehhh, Red Light Disctrict..), I couldn't leave without paying respects to the sight of one of my favorite movies ever, the Moulin Rouge.

On our walking venture back home, we stopped in the Luxembourg Gardens to see the beautiful flowers and landscapes.  A really pretty park that's good for relaxing and people watching.

Since I still had some energy stored up, I set out for another evening stroll with my ipod in the direction of - you guessed it - Notre Dame (see left side of picture).  I sat down and enjoyed a few minutes of watching this American jazz band with resident 90-year old dancer (pictured in green dress), before heading back for dinner.

Saturday night, we decided to cook dinner at the apartment and invited some French guests - a couple that Uncle Lance has known for a while as well as my dad's exchange friend from the 70s - John Pierre - and his two daughters). 

It's pretty much a universal custom to bring a gift when invited over to someone's home, but the French took this to a whole new level.  Having insisted on bringing something, Uncle Lance told his friends that they could take care of dessert.  They showed up with:  two bottles of champagne, one bottle of red wine, one strawberry covered pistachio cheesecake, one fruit tart, a bouquet of flowers, and three jars of jam.  Then, John Pierre and crew arrive with the following in tow:  three bottles of red wine (with JP's family crest, 1995) and two more bottles of champagne.  It's safe to say we ended up with more alcohol than we started with.

SUNNY-SUNDAY:

Dad and I got up and early and....what would this trip be without another stroll to Notre Dame?!?!  But seriously, I can't resist!  We snapped some pics with the Cathedral and the Seine in the background, walked around some more, and headed back to the apartment for lunch.  Post-meal, the whole gang strolled and window-shopped the streets of Paris together one last time (had to leave for airport at 5).  The trip was an unforgettable, fun, happy, and great memory that I will cherish for many years to come!  It's not everyday you get to explore Europe with three generations of family in tow.  Very grateful and thrilled to be able to have done so!