Mountains and Forests and Lakes, Oh my!

I think I am finally getting better I writing down my experiences now that I have so much more time on my own. Even so, since my last post I have been to quite a few cities and seen plenty of long-awaited countryside. My long train ride to Grenoble was gorgeous: I saw vineyards, French Alps and hilly farmland just as the sun was setting. I had a long wait at one train station before the final leg of the journey but met some nice Canadian girls and an American guy to chat with while we waited for the bus. They were studying in Grenoble for two months and had just been in Marseille for a day trip. We played cards for a while and they shared their M ‘n M’s. When we finally got to Grenoble after midnight, they helped me find where my hostel was and were very helpful. Luckily, the hostel I was staying at was not very full and I had a room to myself which was nice so I didn’t have to wake people up at 12:30 at night. The next morning I brought all my things with me to the train station and bought a ticket to Strasbourg, which is a pretty town right on the border of France and Germany that I had heard a lot about. I had about four hours to explore Grenoble before my train left and still had all of my things so I improvised and walked to the hotel of the Canadians and asked the front desk if I could leave my bag there for a few hours. It was a long shot, but luckily, the girl was nice and understood enough English to realize I was in distress. She graciously allowed me to leave my huge backpack in the office until I returned. We put a sticky note with my name and the time I would return on it and I was free to explore for a few hours, which as it turned out was all I really needed. The town was very pretty and surrounded by the French Alps but didn’t have too many touristy things to do. I did really enjoy the view from the old fortress that was up on a cliff overlooking the town. I took a small gondola up there and enjoyed the view in the rain for a little while before heading back down and going to the museum. It was a very nice museum with a great collection of modern art and a few nice romantic and impressionist pieces as well. Plus, it was only 2 euro to get in! I wandered around a bit more and found an adorable café to sit in and eat a Panini sandwich for lunch before heading back to the station.

My last long train ride was uneventful but also had some wonderful scenery. I arrived in Strasbourg fin late evening and was able to walk to my hostel, which was very close to the train station. Even during my short walk, I knew I would love the old French-German town surrounded by canals and filled with bike-riders and cute shops along the narrow streets. The next morning I woke up, had breakfast, then went back to my room and chatted with a couple girls that were staying in the same room. They were from Atlanta and had just finished a year in British boarding school as a gap-year experience before college. They were nice to chat with and invited me to go bike riding with them. I was eager to explore the town but riding a bike sounded very refreshing and they promised to show me around the town a bit before we continued onto the countryside so I agreed to go along. It was the perfect decision and after renting our bikes we rode over to the cathedral and explored the area for a short while before going to the tourist office and finding a bike route. Since we were so close to Germany we decided to bike over there and have lunch in the border town. It was a beautiful day and the riding was a refreshing way to get around—I felt like I was flying down those tiny cobblestoned tourist packed streets. We made it out into the countryside, finally, which was even more refreshing and beautiful, plus there was a gorgeous little park that we stopped in just before the river that bordered Germany. Once in Germany we were all overwhelmed by the adorable red-roofed houses and beautiful overflowing flowerboxes on almost every window. We careened around the town a bit then continued up the river for a while. On our way back into town, we found a nice cheap café overlooking a busy square where we stopped for lunch. I had an amazing salad with fresh veggies and local German cheese and we each had a glass of white beer, which was a very delicious regional specialty. After our lovely afternoon I walked around the town a bit on my own before walking back to the train station for yet another train. I was very excited though because the train was only two hours long and would take me directly to my location. The train was very comfortable and on time, the German people were very helpful in the station, and I was able to speak English with all of them. Let’s just say after my stressful experience with the trains in France I was happy to be in Germany!

My next city was Freiburg, and since I could tell I was getting a little worn out I decided to stay there two nights which was a great decision. I arrived in Freiburg around 7:30 and found the tram to my hostel very easily. However, once I got of the tram I was completely confused about which way to go so I was standing with all of my luggage at the crossroads of two streets holding my tiny map and looking very confused when a nice Germany girl approached me and asked (presumably) if I need help in Germany. I said “Yah” and pointed to my map and the name of the hostel and she nodded and asked if I spoke English. I said “Yes!” quite enthusiastically and she laughed and gave me perfect directions to the hostel, which turned out to be very close by. Somehow in my tiredness, though, I got myself lost by turning right instead of left (even she SAID left, AND pointed) so I randomly asked a nice guy with a bicycle who also gave me perfect directions in English. I finally found the hostel after feeling slightly stupid about my inability to listen correctly, checked in, and took a long-awaited, very necessary shower. I made myself dinner with my groceries and relaxed with my book before falling deeply asleep, unconcerned about my full day ahead of me with no travel plans.

The next day was wonderful. I left myself sleep in and leisurely got ready for the day. I took my book to the café where hostel-members received a discounted breakfast and ate two yummy buttery croissants with my coffee while chatting with the bar-man in Spanish. I felt very relaxing while wandering around Freiburg and got to see plenty of sights. I sampled some yummy cheeses in the local market just in front of the Munster cathedral and wandered up and down the streets lined with tiny ancient canals and leafy Black Forest trees. After a few hours of wandering and another fresh salad at a local café, I had strange longing to get on a bicycle again. Luckily, my hostel rented them for only 5 euro for 24 hours so I took advantage and rented one that afternoon. The hostel workers were very helpful, gave me a couple of maps and described the bike-route to get out of town. I decided to take the more flat route to ride past the vineyards and into a neighboring town since I was still fairly tired. It was a good choice and I had a beautiful ride along the river, and then right through a long stretch of tall dark pine trees. It was gorgeous. Just past the edge of the forest were miles of vineyards and several adorable towns dotting the edge of a winding stream. I explored the towns a bit, rode along the stream awhile, and then stopped for a glass of local white wine in a café nearby. It was delicious and I was tired after the 14-kilometer ride out there. The ride back was also gorgeous and I knew the way so I didn’t have to stop and check the map at all. I stopped to pick up some groceries on my way back and took another refreshing shower before making a huge pasta and vegetable meal to refuel for the next day. I went to bed early with plans of hiking up into the mountains of the Black Forest before my mid-afternoon train to Constance.

Even after my long bike ride the previous day I was up early to start my hike up the mountain. I talked to the hostel worker again and found an esy route that would take me directly into the forest without having to take a train or gondola ride. I took my bike to the start of the path and was hiking up the trail through the gorgeous wilderness by 9:45 am. It was soooo beautiful and I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. All of the birds were singing and the trees were so tall, gorgeous, and impressive. I was in the mood to hike and for some reason kept wanted to get up higher. So, I kept going UP. I saw some wonderful views of the city, as well as the other mountains in the distance. I quickly ran out of water in my bottle but the Germans are very smart and have water spigots of fresh mountain water strategically placed on the well-marked trails so I filled up and drank deeply. It was very fresh and cool and I felt much better. The best part about the area was that even though it is a popular hiking area, there are so many trails and paths that I only saw three other human beings the whole three hours I was out there. I was in heaven. It was the perfect way to spend the morning.

After yet another shower at the hostel I made my way back to the train station and took a train to Constance, where Kirsten is studying for the semester. For some reason the trains went through Switzerland, which was exciting to discover when I had to wait for a connection at the station in Basel and walked past the Swiss guards with their big guns. Upon my arrival in Constance, Kirsten was waiting for me and we had a great time chatting on the bus; it was nice to have someone to share stories with in English.

Well I will continue my stories about Germany and my adventures with Kirsten in the next blog. I am still having a wonderful and I hope everyone is enjoying summer at home!

Love, love, love

Maia Jo

Adventures in Southern France

Hello my dear family and friends,

Well I am currently sitting on a train taking a five-hour journey from Nice to Grenoble. It is a long trip and I have to change trains once but right now I don’t mind at all because the scenery is spectacular: the weather is slightly cloudy and stormy looking which makes the vast vineyards, sparse palm trees and hillside forests look vibrant green against the deep orange soil and rough rocks of the mountains. We pass stretches of coastline every now then looking out over the rough but clear aquamarine waters of the Mediterranean. The towns that line the Cote d’Azur are filled with adorable stucco houses that dot the mountainsides and cluster around the beaches. Bright red flowers that look like poppies fill fields and line the train tracks with bursts of color. Great big sunshine yellow bushes cluster around trees at the edges of lavender fields still in their light tan pre-flower stage. A young French boy sitting across from me is (almost) silently rocking out to his Mp3 player, whose beat I can distinctly make out. I am looking forward to seeing the sunset as we begin to head North in a couple of hours towards the French Alps and the small town of Grenoble.

Before arriving in southern France, I had a couple days in Málaga, a small city on the coast of eastern Spain. That was very relaxing and I wandered around the town and met some neat people while soaking up the Andalusian culture as much as I could before flying to France. On Monday of this week, I took the bus to the Málaga airport to catch my afternoon flight. A young girl around one and a half was pretty fussy for a few minutes and clearly unhappy about being unable to run around on the bus, so I started making faces at her and she took a fast liking to me. I sat next to her and her father and we played silly children games while everyone watched on clearly amused for about 45 minutes. She was adorable, and very sleepy, so she let me hold her and then rested her head on my shoulder for a while as an older woman next to us sang her a Danish lullaby. It was awesome. I felt pretty proud too when the father thought I might be French or Italian rather than American. That’s always nice just because it means I don’t have a American accent when I speak Spanish anymore, which is a big accomplishment, I think.

When I arrived in Marsielle I took a bus directly to Aix-en-Provence, a small Provencial town about 30 kilometers from the airport. The ride was very beautiful and was swept away by the scenery that I experienced just as the sun was setting. Once in Aix, I just had to find my hostel that I’d booked a room in a few days earlier. After sitting at the wrong bus station for about 35 minutes, I finally figured out where to go based on the fact that I watched my bus go down a different street. So, I crossed the huge roundabout to the correct stop, and waited about 20 minutes more for the next bus. I made it my hostel, met a nice Argentinean girl, Ana, and chatted with her in Spanish over a huge salad at the bar of the hostel. It turns out she was traveling on her own as well and was happy to show me around Aix the next morning. Also, she invited me to go with her to Cassis, a small town that is famous for its proximity to the coastal calanques, which are similar to fjords. I said, “Sure!” (in Spanish) and the next morning we discussed the plans over breakfast. Another girl from our room, Emily, was on her own as well and went with us into the center of the town on Tuesday. Ana wanted to use the internet and upload some pictures so she guarded my luggage while Emily and I wandered around the town for a few hours. It was very cute French town and we thoroughly enjoyed the market that we walked through that was filled with various wonderful smelling spices, fresh fruits and vegetables, gorgeous flowers, and plenty of cheese. In fact, one stall had several different flavors set out with samples. I tried every single one and loved them all. It was very French.

Ana and I took an early afternoon bus to Cassis and were in awe of the bright blue ocean that suddenly appeared out from behind the rugged hills and forests. We wandered around the port town and snapped pictures of each other in front of the sailboats, the cliffs and the random crashing waves. It was nice to have someone to talk to the whole time and we shared snacks and traveling stories the whole time. In order to get to our hostel, which was in the middle of a national park up on top of one of the calanques, we had to take a bus that was going towards Marseille, get dropped off in the middle of nowhere, and wander up the winding road toward the park with all of our luggage until the park ranger drove by, took pity us, and brought us the rest of the way (five kilometers up and down hills!). It was pretty adventuresome. Our hostel was definitely a backpackers’ hostel being out in the middle of nowhere and not having showers or serving any food. Ana and I had bought some food to prepare for dinner and breakfast, which was perfect. We spent the evening chatting with the other guests in whatever language was most common and then translating for the others. It was mostly middle-aged people from France, Germany and the Netherlands seeking some southern France sunshine and fresh coastal air. That was nice just because plenty of hostels that I have stayed in are all Americans and Australians. I love Australians though because they love crazy adventures and always have great stories. Anyways, our hostel in the middle of nowhere had a great atmosphere and was very relaxing.

The next day Ana and I spent hiking around the park out to the calanques to lay on the beaches and swim in the clear cold water. The water felt perfect after hiking up and down mountains in the sunshine. I don’t know if there are words to describe how gorgeous it was. After hiking through the forests and up and down small hills inbetween the mountains we suddenly turned a corner and found ourselves on a small beach nestled between two huge cliffs filled with gorgeous blue-green crystal clear water. We arrived pretty early in the day while it was quiet and then started off again after a swim and a nap in the sun. The hike to the top of the cliff was laborious, but totally worth the view. Ana and I took so many pictures. The second calanque was also gorgeous and we rested there briefly before continuing back to town. By the time we completed our hiking and made it back to the hostel it was pretty late and I was uncertain that I would find a train to Nice that night so I decided to stay one more night there and leave the next morning.

Thursday was my travel day. I was supposed to be in Nice by midday to meet up with Sean and Molly from St Olaf but unfortunately there was a train strike that day. That means that many trains were cancelled and hundreds of people were stuck in random places and were having trouble getting from place to place. Apparently the train workers decided on a specific day to strike based on the amount of problems it will cause. Well, they chose a good day and definitely caused problems because many people were trying to get to Nice, Cannes, and Monaco for the film festival and the Grand Prix. I ended up taking three different trains, backtracking once based on wrong information, and was stuck in Toulan, a small port town, for six hours. By the time I got to Nice it was well after midnight! I was frustrated, but of course it was an experience and I met some great people who were also stuck and trying to get somewhere. Also, I had a good mozzarella and tomato Panini for dinner overlooking the harbor and reading my book. From Toulan, Ana decided to go to St Tropez while I chose to continue on towards Nice in order to make my hostel reservation and hang out with my friends.

Friday morning I woke up in my hostel in Nice and went down to breakfast early to wait for Molly and Sean. I didn’t know if they knew when I was coming so I planned on just waiting at breakfast until they showed up. That was effective and they walked in shortly after my second piece of toast. We shared stories and adventures over our huge buffet breakfast and then went to the train station to meet our friend Peter who had met up with them in Florence and was only staying at a different hostel in Nice. We decided to get a small picnic lunch from the grocery store to eat down at the beach since we’d eaten so well for breakfast. We wandered down toward the boulevard along the ocean and we once again awestruck by the color of the water. The whole day was very relaxing since we just laid on the beach and then wandered around the old town streets soaking up the French Riviera culture and doing some window shopping. Sean and Molly were taking the overnight train to Rome that evening and Peter to Paris, so after we said our goodbyes I went back to hostel and made my dinner with some fresh made pasta, tomatoes, zucchini and green peppers. Luckily the hostel had a great kitchen and a very popular common room with plenty of people hanging out at the bar. I made some fast friends when I offered to share my leftovers J

Today I was on my own again but I had a plan. I wanted to see the Matisse Museum and the Russian Orthodox church so the nice activities director of the hostel told me exactly what to do and how to get around. I organized my things in the morning and called the hostel in Grenoble to get directions for tonight. I made it to the Matisse museum, which was wonderful, and spent a little over an hour contemplating the bright happy colors and cutout shapes of his artwork. It was a long walk after that towards the ocean, but the sun was shining and when I realized that I was lost I ran into two nice Australians who were also lost but had a map. We figured out where were going and then chatted on our way to the beach. I do love Australians, especially their accents. I made it to the Russian Orthodox church around lunchtime and wandered inside not knowing anything about the differences between the eastern and western Catholic faiths. Luckily, there was a useful guide to read and I learned a lot and definitely enjoyed the architecture and decorations. It was very random to see the Russian-style mushroom domes in the middle of the baroque-style pastel French neighborhood. I liked it.

So tonight I am on my way to Grenoble which is a small town at the base of the French Alps. I’m very excited to see mountains, and definitely excited to be on my way to Germany where they have no train strike.

Paris in the springtime!

Hello my wonderful family and friends! I apologize again that this is late… I went to Paris about three weeks ago, but I wrote in my journal so I remember everything that happened. It can be difficult on those trips though because we do so much in so little time; it can be easy to forget! Plus when I return I always have a lot of work to catch up on… But anyway, I went to Paris for the first half of Semana Santa to hang out with my friend Abby from St Olaf who is studying in Rennes. A few other friends from Olaf who are studying with me in Spain were there that weekend as well which was nice because I stayed until Tuesday and Abby had to go back to Rennes on Sunday. The whole trip was really wonderful. I was definitely there during the springtime because it was slightly rainy, but overall we had really good weather! I saw so many famous buildings and picture perfect scenes, as well as countless masterpieces of art. It was fantastic. Here’s my slightly more detailed account of events! (Don’t forget to check out the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/maiajoh )

So I got into to Paris on Thursday night. My flight left late from Sevilla (it was on Spanish time) so I got there around 7:30 and it was raining. I figured out the train system and underground and made it to the correct stop close to my hostel (and close to the Louvre!). I checked in and went up to room, which was a quad, and found the luggage of three other girls inside. I put my things down, made my bed, and left in search of food. It was still rainy but I wandered around a bit to explore the area. Obviously many of the restaurants were very expensive, especially since I was right in the center of the city, but I finally found a reasonable place. There was only one other couple there, and the waiter didn’t speak English (and I only know about four words in French) but I managed to order a cheese pizza and a water. It was delicious and I ate the whole thing! It was funny because shortly after I arrived someone changed the soundtrack playing and suddenly I was listening to Norah Jones. They definitely played the whole CD too! Upon my return to the hostel I found three young French girls in the room I was sharing with them. They were obviously confused at first, and none of them spoke English (or Spanish), but they let me in and smiled and seemed pretty harmless. They went down the hall to converse with a group of guys who were with them and probably tell them about the strange American girl traveling alone and staying in their room. After a few minutes one girl came back and got up enough courage to try out her limited English and ask me the basic questions: name, age, and where I’m from. The rest of the group came back (four boys in addition to the three girls) and I was introduced to all of them. It was an interesting experience, not being able to communicate hardly at all. I learned that they lived just outside Paris, were all around 16 or 17, and were traveling together for the weekend. One girl also finally mentioned that she knew a little bit of Spanish so that came in handy when I tried to tell them I was going to sleep and they could leave the light on. They were very nice though and I think a little in awe of me, especially when they found out that I’m 21. The one girl who had a bed above me came in after I was in bed accompanied by a young guy I hadn’t met who quickly said to me in a British accent, “She just wanted me to tell you she needs to make her bed up and then she’ll let you sleep in peace,” and walked back out. I laughed and said, that’s just fine, it doesn’t bother me. It was great, and I slept just fine.

Friday morning I got up pretty early (still later than the French girls, surprisingly) to go to the Musée d’Orsay. I knew I wanted to spend a lot of time there and I didn’t mind being there by myself. I got there just when it opened and there was no line to get in! (I was proud of that when I walked by later that day and the line was really super long). It was a GOREGOUS museum, and there were two exhibits of the Impressionists Monet and Manet, along with the huge regular collection of Impressionist art they have. I spent my whole time in those exhibits (almost three hours) and could have spent more. I wanted to get over the Eiffel tower though to meet my friends from Olaf for the afternoon. I left at noon and walked all the way to the tower where Dan and Sean were waiting with Sean’s friend Kayla from his hometown. Kayla is studying in Paris and Sean and Dan were staying in her apartment for the weekend while she was in London with friends. We all admired the tower for a while, and then decided to go get food and warm up a bit. We walked to the top of the hill across the river and found a small café for sandwiches and coffee. After that Kayla had to go to class and the boys and I decided to go over to the Musée Pompidou to see the modern art collection. It’s a huge museum, and is well known for its modern architecture. Basically it’s made to look like it is inside-out. All of the piping and skeletal structure is on the outside of the building, and it looks pretty strange. But it was neat. We spent a couple hours in there, running around and trying to see as much as possible. I don’t understand a lot of the contemporary art, but it was really cool to see. There were some awesome exhibits. After that I finally went back to the hostel to meet Abby who had just arrived off the train. It was wonderful to see her! We chatted a while and then went out in search of food. We walked down the river towards Notre Dame and Abby showed me around the Latin Quarter where she had stayed during January. We bought our dinner from a cheap café that opens onto the street where they sell panini and crepes. We both got one of each (mozzarella, gorgonzola and tomato on French bread pressed hot; Nutella and banana on a fresh hot crepe) and took them over to the island to sit in front of the Notre Dame and eat. It was absolutely perfect. The food was so good, the night was gorgeous, and the Notre Dame was all lit up and beautiful. We ended up chatting with some nice guys who were sitting beside us and they took our picture for us in front of the cathedral. After our satisfying meal we took a long walk up the Champs Élysées to see the Arc du Triomphe (sp ?). It was a beautiful night and a good walk for Abby and I to chat about our lives abroad.

Saturday morning Abby and I went to the Notre Dame again to go up to the towers. I had decided I would rather go up to the top of the cathedral than to the top of the Eiffel tower. Call me crazy, but I think the cathedral is prettier; plus it’s older, therefore more interesting, and much cheaper. The line was pretty long, but luckily there was a man in a scary mask to entertain us. He would surreptitiously follow people walking past our line and then put his arm on their shoulder and startle them with his scary mask. He also definitely chased a huge tour group of young Japanese girls who screamed and ran away from him. It was rather amusing. We finally made it inside the towers, and then it was a long climb to the top, all spiral stairs, but it was worth it! It was a beautiful sunny day and the views were incredible! We stayed on the middle level for a while and got to hear a wonderful chorus from the bells of the tower (loud but very enchanting) and then finally went up to the very top. It was wonderful! After all that climbing we needed a break and a bathroom so we wandered over to a café for a quick cup of espresso and the right to use the restroom. It was nice to sit outside at our table and watch the people for a while, we felt very French. After our coffee we wandered around some more and stumbled into a Saturday market where they had lots of food, pretty jewelry and scarves. We decided to grab a snack for lunch and picked up some fresh strawberries and a couple chocolate éclairs. Since it was such a beautiful day we walked up to the Luxembourg gardens, found a bench, and did some people watching while enjoying our lovely lunch. It was such a perfect little French picnic. After that we took the metro over to Montmartre since I wanted to see the Sacré Coeur. There was another long climb up to the top of the hill, but it was also worth it. It’s a gorgeous basilica, and something that I have always wanted to see so that was really exciting. Abby and I walked around inside for a while and then sat on the steps with the other hundred and fifty people just chilling in the sunshine listening to music and chatting. After going back down the hill we wandered over to look at the Moulin Rouge and take the obligatory picture of the windmill and bright signs. It was an interesting street to be on, but we decided to leave before it got dark out. That night we went out to another cheap sandwich place and met a couple of Abby’s friends to go to a bar with us. It was nice relaxing evening.

Sunday Abby and I woke up and went to mass at the Notre Dame! It was Palm Sunday, so it was filled with people, decorated beautifully, and we each got a little palm branch. We sat down so we could listen even though it was in French, and it was very interesting and pretty to listen to. The choir was really good, and it was worth it just to sit and listen to them. After that we went to the Louvre for the whole afternoon! It was amazing to see all the incredible art. Not only did we visit the famous pieces like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, but we saw plenty of other amazing works of art. We did the whole renaissance sculpture wing, and after Abby left to go back to Rennes (I was so sad) I did the entire French renaissance and neoclassical wing which I have studied before so I knew quite a bit about J. That was fantastic because the museum is just so huge that you would wander around a get a little lost and then turn a corner and BOOM there’s a huge painting by Delacroix or a self portrait by Dürer. I ended up staying there for just over five hours! We took a break in between for a cup of coffee and a croissant, of course. I don’t think it’s possible to see that much art with a slight break in the middle. The rest of the night was very relaxing; I walked over to the church of San Eustace and got to see another Palm Sunday mass while walking around enjoying the serenity. I met the boys with my bags at the Notre Dame when we’d planned on meeting and they accompanied me back to Kayla’s apartment which is about 15 minutes away by metro. Kayla had just returned from England so we all chatted for a while and tried to figure out how we would all sleep in a one bedroom (tiny) apartment with only one futon. Kayla had an extra mattress pad but it was only twin size. When she went downstairs to take the garbage out though she found the solution—someone had just “thrown away” a whole stack of mattresses that seemed like they were in pretty good condition. A couple of them were even in bags so they didn’t smell! I went back down to the garbage room with her and we carried one up, took it out of the bag, put a couple sheets on it and it was just fine. We had to move the tiny kitchen table into the tiny kitchen to make room for all of us but it worked out. Kayla and I shared the futon-bed and the boys each had their own mattress on the floor. We had to improvise pillows and blankets but we all slept fine so it was awesome. There’s nothing like being a college student studying abroad on a budget!

Monday was a pretty chill day. We had planned to take the train to Versailles but we found out that morning that it was closed. Apparently a lot of things close on Mondays because most tourists leave on Sunday. So we literally just walked around pretty much all day, seeing the sights and taking pictures. It was pretty cold out so we stopped for coffee to warm up and use the restrooms. That’s always a constant concern for girls when traveling—when and where can I find a free bathroom? Taking advantage of museum bathrooms is the most useful, but when they’re all closed on the same day I’ve learned you just have to stop somewhere a pay for a drink or something to gain the right to use the bathroom. But still, buying a drink, especially coffee, just perpetuates the problem so it’s really hard to decide what to do. Anyway, we stopped in a few stores on Champs Élysées, one of them being Louis Vuitton. Seeing as it was just me,e cheapest was a contest though to try to find the cheapest and most expensive things in the store. e bathroom. Sean and Dan, it was an interesting experience. The boys made up a contest though to try to find the cheapest and most expensive things in the store. The cheapest was a small key ring valued at eighty Euros and the most expensive was a complete set of luggage valued around three hundred thousand Euros. It was pretty insane! For dinner that night the boys and I decided to make a meal for Kayla to thank her for letting us stay with her. We went to get our groceries and wine and on the way home stopped at a pastry shop to pick up a couple to share amongst us for dessert. The whole cooking process was quite the experience in that tiny kitchen. There was literally only space for three people to stand, and that was only if you didn’t open the fridge or need to use the stove or try to open the cupboards or try to turn on the sink. Plus, halfway through the process we realized we’d forgotten to buy milk, which I needed for my sauce. So Kayla and I literally went knocking on doors in the apartment waiting to see if a nice French person would lend us a cup of milk. We finally found guy who gave us a whole carton! Thanks to him, we completed our wonderful meal: Dan made steak and a sauce, Sean cooked the vegetables and I made the pasta and sauce. It was a fantastic meal, especially with the wine and pastry desserts. After our late dinner we decided to go meet up with a few of Kayla’s friends to celebrate St Patrick’s Day at an Irish Pub in the city. It was crowded pub and I met some people who spoke Spanish so that was very enjoyable. It was a good end to the day.

Tuesday was our last day and the boys wanted to go to the Musée d’Orsay but I had already been there and wanted to see a few other things. So we split up for the day and I went to San Chapelle, a small church on the same Island as the Notre Dame that is famous for its stained glass windows. The church is very popular so there was a line and you have to pay to get in but it was worth it. Basically the entire church is made out of stained glass windows, or so it seems. You enter the chapel from underneath, so when you get to the top of the small staircase you are just surrounded by an incredible light streaming through the windows that cover the walls from floor to ceiling and completely encircle the chapel. It was SO beautiful. Plus it was educational! Every panel told some biblical story, as most stained glass windows do, but these were in tiny little circles and can be read from top to bottom starting on the left and going all the way around. It was very exciting. After I left San Chapelle I decided to take a little journey out to a museum I had heard about from Kayla. You have to take the train there but I had enough time and I figured it out how to get there pretty easily. It’s called the Musée Marmottan Monet, and as the name suggests it is a museum full of artwork by Claude Monet. It was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life to go there. It was in a gorgeous old house and since it was away from the center of the city there weren’t too many people there at all. It was nice and quiet, and there was plenty to see. The main floor and the top floor had plenty of works by famous impressionists, and a few early works of Monet, which were incredible by themselves. But the lower level was absolutely amazing. It was ALL famous pieces by Monet during his time at Giverny, and it was fantastic. I couldn’t believe the amazing pieces that were there: most of his water lily series, lots of the famous bridge pieces, his famous Impression: Sunrise, a couple of the cathedral pieces…. It was amazing. I first walked around and looked at every piece closely and admired the detail, color and blending. Then I walked through again and admired them from afar, noting how clear and perfect they appeared at a distance. It was amazing. I would go back in a heartbeat. It was the perfect way to end my trip to Paris. I stayed in that small museum wandering through the artwork time and time again for almost two hours. I finally had to leave to go get my luggage and make the trek back to the airport. It was the most complex use of public transportation I have ever executed in my life. Metro, metro, tram, train, bus, plane, bus, bus…. It was crazy. But I made it home safe and sound and had plenty of time to enjoy Semana Santa! I wrote a little bit about that week in my blog on Ronda and Córdoba but I will add more later J I hope you all are enjoying reading about my travels as much as I enjoy writing them! I know it will be great to look back on when I’m older and need a refresher on what happened.

I’ll try to send some warm weather your way!

Love, love, love,

Maia Jo