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Arrived safely home in Aix Saturday midday in time to hit the markets; needless to say I bought nothing because I am very good at persuading myself I don't need it( thanks for instilling something good in me mom!). Sunday I relaxed and did laundry!!! Walked around town since it was warm and cloudless for once, and a french couple stopped and asked me for directions. I felt so sorry for them because they were completely headed in the wrong direction. So I began explaining to them how to get to their destination and I could see it dawn on their faces that this girl doesn't speak french as her native language and yet she is telling us how to get around. I guess it's the little things in life that make your days!
Yesturday I proceded to eat dinner with Jess as I have every Monday for the past 2 months! And we were able to persuade Andy to watch Garden State with us. Today I did homework while laying at the park with friends. And it is starting to dawn on me that I will be leaving them and this wonderful place in less than 3 weeks. And although I am sad, I am very glad and grateful for my parents to allow me such a wonderful opportunity. Although I think mom might have liked it if I called home a little more often! At least I can go home saying I can hold conversations in french, and I feel at ease when traveling even in places such as greece, because I was able to speak to people in English and French even when both was our second language. The barriers just seem to keep getting smaller!

Lake Bled

Lake Bled
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

After arriving in Lake Bled we had to search for our hostel. It would have been easy but I guess we got off at the first stop and should have stayed on for the second one. In the hostel we met up with an Australian girl named Cynthia who was in the hostel from the night before. We all decided to walk around the lake and then climb to the castel. It looked like it would rain but it held out till the next day. Had a traditional slovenian meal of roast beef and potatoes. And the meal came with a wonderful garlic bread. In the morning it poured down while we ate breakfast at the hostel. Eileigh and I decided to leave and bid Cynthia good bye and headed for the train station. With the map we had we got completely lost and saw the train pulling away from the station. So we headed to the bus station and happened to run into Cynthia again and she decided to come with us since she needed to leave at 5am the next day and didn't want to miss it either. So we finally arrived late afternoon in Trieste and then took a night train to Florence. Got to Livorno, Italy and took a ferry to Corsica. The weather was beautiful and we found the cheapest room yet! Spent the next day around the old port and we saw the movie The Ring 2 in French! Still scary. The night ferry to Toulon friday night and we were home and shopping at our own market Saturday morning! A wonderful trip, but too many night ferries, buses, trains!!!

Ljubljana, Slovenja

Ljubljana, Slovenja
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

Took a ferry from Igomenitsa to Ancona, Italy and Jess and Andy headed for Venice and Eileigh and I went to Trieste. In the morning we headed for the Slovenian border, but it is difficult to cross, so we had to walk across. We felt like refugees. But I did get my passport stamped by Italians and 20 meters later, by Slovenians! Made our way through town to the tran station but the only train to Ljubljana(the capital) was at 19:48. The friendly lady at the station called the bus station and told us that she would drive us to the bus because it was leaving in 4 minutes and it took that long to drive there. So we made the bus and had found the hostel celica(nicest one i have ever been in) by the time the train would have left! The next day we explored the old center, the castel. It is amazing how quickly the architecture changes. Then bought fruit, bread and cheese with kumin in it for our bus ride to Lake Bled. It started raining as we were leaving, what good luck!

Meteora at our fingertips!

Meteora at our fingertips!
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

after leaving beautiful Skopelos, we headed to Meteora, in central Greece. The man at Hotel Sydney said we needed at least 2 days to be able to see the monasteries on the cliffs, and he was right. We climbed up the cliffs and saw 3 monasteries and 2 convents. They are eastern orthodox and so the art work in them is very different. In fact, they had a chapel in the Great Metamorphasis Monastery that had saints with their heads cut off. They had sun discs and there was blood jutting from their throats. Eileigh and I had a hard time of not laughing, since Monte Python seems to be the film we are quoting on the trip!!! It was quite a hike from each one but teh view was worht it. At each one women are required to wear a skirt, but since it is so windy up there we just wore the ones provided-felt like in the Sound of Music. Luckily the weather was great and we didn't have to rush. I made us take this picture on top of this lookout rock, but poor andy is afraid of heights!

Skopelos Island

Skopelos Island
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

The next morning we took a ferry out to Skopelos Island and when we arrived an older man came right up to us and asked if we needed a room. His hotel was only 50 meters away and we could see the port and all the sun rising in the morning! We walked around town and ate dinner at one of the few places open. I ordered a portion of chicken, and recieved a whole one! It was so delicious but I didn't need to eat until lunch the next day. The island is being completely redone for the summer time and we are the only touriste in town. We try what little greek we know and everyone laughs, I feel like the talk of the town, but I don't mind at all! We found an internet cafe and Andy and I play chess, and I am imroving! The next day we spend the morning at a beach on the other side of the island. A bus drops us off. There is no one else here and we dip into the ocean which is so cold that I lose all feeling, until Jessica points out that there are jelly fish. So i guess we aren't totally alone!!! Not sure when the bus comes back we decide to walk to the nearest town. Once there they tell us it is another hour wait, so we continue to walk. But we are tired from being in the sun all afternoon, and after about 4km we find a random bus stop and sit and wait. The bus arrived 20 minutes later, so it worked out well. We ate dinner at the other local spot in town and I tried octopus pasta. It was good, but I don't fancy the suckers still been on:) So many cute shops with tunics and sandals, but they were mostly remodeling for the summer so we didn't have luck with purchasing.

Acropolys

Acropolys
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

We took a morning train to Milan and flew to Athenes, Greece. On the way to the ancient city we passed the changing of the guards. The uniforms have been the same for centuries and are very decorative. Spent the morning exploring at the Acropolys and many of the temples that lie in ruins below it. It is so amazing that the Greeks built these huge temples on these cliffs with the wind wiping all around. But when you are up there you feel as though you are in a different world! After exploring the ruins we went back through the markets and had lunch at a cafe- you can't beat a Greek Salad with feta cheese! There are so many cats in this country, they just lay around you while you are eating hoping that you drop something. So of course, Eileigh and I dropped some bread crumbs! Only having 2 days in this city made it hard to want to leave, especially when there are 200 bus lines and we couldn't figure it out! We missed our bus to Delphi, but not discouraged. We just headed to Volos which is a beautiful port town and a lovely lady in the bakery taught us how to say thank you in greek: apheristou( a fer e sto)! And it is here where we ate tonnes of baklava!! i found out that if you eat local honey then your allergies won't bother you!

went to a bar til 2 am to eat and listen to techno! then overnighted it in genoa train station with jess, andy, eileigh and a guy from penn named nat. hoped 6 am train to milano and flew to athenes. sunday we went to the acropolis and agora ruins, plus we hit the markets! a little confusing with transport b/c there are 200 bus lines in athenes, but the people here are great!! they speak english and tonnes of people stopped to ask us where we needed to go and would take us there. can't get enough souklavi and baklava!! the greeks know how to eat well! and the city is beautiful. now headed for volos and take a ferry to islands in the agean sea!

wine tour

wine tour
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

For the weekend of April 2-3rd we went to the Camargue with our program. We saw bulls up close, some flamingos and I went on a jeep safari! It was a little windy but I loved it. It felt like I was back at home, except there were marshes everywhere. We had a 5 couse dinner on Saturday night and it lasted til 2am. There were 3 men playing guitars and singing spanish songs! Sunday we went to the town of St. Maries de la Mer. It is on the sea. Went to church and discovered the Pope had died, so that was a sad. Then we had free time at the medieval town of Aigues-Mortes. The afternoon was filled with a salt manufacturer tour(the land used to make the salt is as big as the city of Paris)and they also grow wine here so we had a taste! If the picture isn't too dark, you can see how big the oak barrels were!

Paris for Easter!

Jess and I woke up at 4:30am Saturday morning, so we could walk to gare and then go to the TGV station. No one was there, so we danced to some funky techno at 5:45 in the morning! The train left at 6:40am and we rolled into Gare de Lyon station in Paris around 9:40. Jess' friend Nasarah let us sleep at her appartment and her and her mom picked us up from the station! We rode through Paris in their car and it was a blast. i was sure we were goners a few times!!! They made us lunch and we took buses to the Champs Elysee! Stopped and had these great fruit drinks at Les Paradis des Fruits! It was so much fun and everyone got a different kind and they were different colors! Then bought cd for Jess' brother at Virgin Mega Store and it started to rain so we headed home. That night Nasarah's older sister and brother-in-law came over and we all had dinner together. They plugged these plates in and set them on the table and it was like fondu! For desert Bryan(b-i-law), made us mint tea from Morroco! Next day we saw Sacre Coeur but didn't go to mass because their family is Muslim and they were taking us around. Then went under the Eiffel Tower and I was taking a picture when 2 guys from French 1, Laurin and Ryan, spotted me. So, we took a picture together. They are studying abroad in Europe also! What a small world huh?! On Monday, Jess and I were served Pain Perdue(french toast, but different), and then just her and I spent the day alone. We went to Invalides, where there is an awesome WW1 and WW2 musuem and this is where Napoleon is buried. Then we walked by lots of old men playing patonque and boulle. We walked along the Seine and bought pictures and then it began to rain, so we skipped going to Ste. Chappelle and just headed for the train station. The train left at 6:20pm and we were home and eating by 10pm! Was a great trip even with the rain and we think we spoke more french in the past 2 days then we had in the past 2 months!

mom and gi

Mom and Gi arrived friday evening and Jess and I took them to a pizza place for dinner. The next morning we walked through all the markets and bought some brioche glace(like doughnuts) at one of my favorite bakeries! Then the three of us hoped a train to Monaco!! The weather was great and we made it to Palm Sunday Mass at the Cathedral where Princess Grace Kelly's tomb is. Then we walked in all of the gardens that line the cliffs to the sea. There were seagulls everywhere. I got my picture taken in front of a yellow submarine(Beetles) in front of the musuem of oceanography. Then went to Marseilles. Chateau D'If was unfortunately closed on Monday, so we couldn't see that. But we went back to Aix and went to a la cave where they have some of the best selections of wine from the area and the world. Gi and I both bought a bottle of local wine. Tried walking back into town, but we walked about an hour and we're not even close, so caught the bus. They went to their hotel because they had a 5:30am flight. It was a wonderful weekend and we were lucky because the weather warmed up just in time!!!

summary of the week

Monday of course I had my patisserie class, which went well. And then headed to Cafe des Negotiates where we all meet up every week. Jess and I made plans and Tuesday we went shopping through all the markets and went to the natural history museum-where there is a special on the migration of penguins and tortuses. Wednesday in Dialogues de Cinema we watched Ameli! Thursday, the rest of my class presented food from their countries. Freddy made a pineapple cocktail(Equador), Eka made rice with spices and crab on top(Indonesia), Celia made noodles with different kinds of mushrooms, peppers and squash(Taiwan), Anna made cornflake treats since they don`t have rice krispies here(USA), Tassim made rice with vegetables and spices wrapped in grape leaves(Turkey), and Yilmes made Baklava with a caramel topping!(Turkey): different than in Greece. It was baked and in littles balls!!!!!!
Then I had my second wine class and we learned about how wine is made and why some places times it is better for vines to be on hilltops and other times it is better in valley. At the end Guilliame gave me the rest of one of the wines we tasted because he knew I really enjoyed it!!! I was from his friends vineyard and is a Saumery Chirac. Thursday and Friday it was warm enough to just wear a jacket...yeah!!! Had Eileigh, Lauren, Iris and Sophia over for lunch and we listened to some country music, so I thought about home:) Tomorrow we are going to Marseilles...if the buses and trains are done being on strike. Then going to see "The Life Aquatic" on Sunday afternoon!

Tarte

tarte
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

Here is an upclose picture of our tarte! We drissled creme fraiche on top and drank it with tea(milk added of course). It was a great treat and I wrote down the recipe, so I can make it again. It was to bake again since I dont have an oven here, and make everything from scratch!!!
Not to mention, I got to practice my french and see how they decorate their homes here!

patisserie

patisserie
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

This is in Madamme JoJo`s home. We made Tarte Tatin for the patisserie class today(Monday, 7th March). Lori is in the middle and she is a friend visiting Suzanne who took the photo. Suzanne lives with Mme.

lauren and erin

lauren and erin
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

During the parade in Nice on weekend of Feb. 26 and 27th. Right before it started to rain. The parade was so colorful and music from all over the world- bagpipes, african music, and american music always in the background!

Colosseum

P2150142
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

What a great shot of the Colosseum. Maybe I should switch to photography for my major!!! It is so weird to walk up to because it is surronded by modern buildings(a few hundred years old)!!

Roma!

P2160160
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

This is our second day in Rome, when we were at teh Vatican!! Makes you think of the book Angels and Demons. This was the best day in Rome and one of the warmer ones.

Florence

P2130117
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

Even though we were in Florence before Roma, I forgot to add this picture first, so bare with me!
This is Erin and I sitting on the top of a hill with the duomo behind us!
This is where Da Vinci would come and think while he was in Florence(Firenze)!!!

Trevi Fountain

P2150153
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

I made my wish in the Trevi Fountain, on our first day in Roma!! So, I should have lots of good luck!!!
I also rubbed St. Peters foot in the Vatican, so I figure I am covered!

the pantheon

P2170187
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

Erin and I trying to reach around a massive colleum at the Pantheon. We were more amused by the outside of the structure, than the inside!!!!
It had a big hole in the ceiling.

my class!!

P2230191
Originally uploaded by villagirl.

I decided to write a little about my class. It is so much fun to take french with people from all over the world!! You tell accents and who speaks best just from the continents they are from. We have 2 guys from turkey and one from Equador. Then the rest are girls. They are from Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Sweden, Agrentina and a girl from Tennessee. This thursday and next Thursday we have to give a presentation and bring in food from our own countries. I made 7 layered dip(la purée à sept couche). Everyone really liked it and I have to say the Swedish girls had some great food too. Eileigh, my friend from Tenn. made a Bourbon cake, which was awesome. I decided on dip because people are always snacking on dips before the meal when they are hanging out with friends, and people don`t do that in the rest of the world. Can`t wait for next week to try the rest!