Marseille, France

It’s only Saturday and I’m already back from my 2 day trip to Marseille which is the second largest city in France.  Very early in the semester, my roommate Lena asked me if I’d like to go on a 20 euro round trip to the south of France... I couldn’t refuse! I've had these tickets since the first week of school and I honestly knew nothing about Marseille.

As we took the bus shuttle from the airport into Marseille, we got a really good view of the outskirts of the city.  It was nothing like I imagined.  The buildings and houses were old, filthy, and deteriorating.  I was in awe to see people living there, hanging their laundry from the paint-stripped windowsills and walking down the rubble streets.  I was captivated and attentive in my seat while my friends napped from the exhausting early morning flight.  I knew we were only passing through the area and staying in a much nicer part of the city but I felt thankful to have seen it and thankful for the life I live.

Everywhere I’ve been so far has been very touristy and extravagant.  This was real.  This was seeing the world and I was glad to at least witness conditions that I haven’t been exposed to yet on this trip.

I've never been someone who's lucky with cards or gambling or even bingo (I unfortunately don't take after my "high roller" Grandma Renate in that sense) but I feel I've always been lucky with what's most important in life.   I have a wonderful family, a beautiful home, I'm healthy, I'm loved, and I'm happy.  For that, I've always felt like the luckiest girl in the world.  Seeing this part of the city meant a lot to me since I'm so used to living like a princess in my European castle.

Where we were actually dropped off was an entirely different story.  We stayed in an adorable hotel with the nicest concierge in the history of concierges.  He was very sweet, genuinely interested in all of us, and wanted us to have the very best time possible.  He was especially nice after I told him that I’m studying to become a speech pathologist since he has a 10 year old son who’s currently seeing one for help with his /R/'s!!

View from our hotel window

We spent the first day walking around our hotel without an agenda.  The hotel was perpendicular to a main shopping street and we were very close to the Vieux-Port (Old Port) which is the main harbor and marina of the city.  It is guarded by two massive forts (Fort St Nicolas and Fort Saint Jean) and has many cafes lined all along the waterfront.  Each morning the Quai des Belges takes place which is where all the local fishermen set up stands and sell their fresh catches of the day.

The Vieux-Port with Fort St Nicolas in back

Unfortunately, our first day was a little rainy but we used it as an excuse to stop in as many beautiful shops and boutiques as we could.

At night, since we felt that we were saving some money with our airfare and shorter trip, we felt that we deserved to treat ourselves to some delectable French cuisine!  We chose a cozy restaurant near the water which was very très chic.

For my first course, I got a goat cheese salad and it was by the far the best cheese I've ever had in my life!

For my main meal, I decided to get bouillabaisse because it originated in Marseille and the people adore it.  Bouillabaisse is a fish soup that has assorted shellfish, fish and vegetables and is served with rouille, toasted bread, and grated cheese.

Me with the rouille, toasted bread and grated cheese but I didn't eat it :(

I have to say, I am really not a picky eater at all.  I love to eat anything and everything.  I can't remember hating something in maybe 10 years or so.  However, I wholeheartedly HATE bouillabaisse.  Maybe it was because I didn't eat that delicious looking plate of toasted bread, rouille, and grated cheese that came with it to avoid the gluten.  Even though it was seafood (which I love), it tasted like minced meat infused with smelly fish sauce filled with the boniest fish fillets I've ever had.  Bon appétit my ass!

To make up for the bouillabaisse, I shared a creme brulee which is my all time favorite dessert.  It has been since I was little and I always find it interesting that it's one of the few delicious desserts that doesn't have any flour in it! 

The next day, the weather was absolutely perfect.  The sun was shining but there was still a wonderful breeze from the water that kept us cool.

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful day by going on a guided city tour.  From almost any spot in the city, you can see Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica sitting high up in the mountains.  In order to get there, we took this cute little trolley...

 The tour was absolutely breathtaking.  To get to Notre-Dame de la Garde we rode all along the coast.  Marseille is right on Mediterranean sea which was lovely to see...

Chateau D'if!!! The prison from The Count of Monte Cristo!!!

 Once we got to Notre-Dame de la Garde at the top of the mountain we were blown away by the magnificent view, the beauty of the basilica, and literally by the wind itself...

NOT très chic

Overall I had a wonderful time and I'm very happy that I went.  I can only imagine how beautiful the city must be during the summer time.  Maybe some day I'll make it back to Marseille. 

Au revoir for now!

xoxo

Italy! Venice & Rome

Mama Mia!

Thursday night, I flew into Venice with my roommate Liz and our new friends Holly, Jayne, Ziggy (her real name’s Erica but she goes by Ziggy after Ziggy Stardust!), Molly, and Kristen.  Our hotel was outside of Venice so we didn’t really have a lot to do other then grab dinner and get to know each other.  I tried really hard to choose a meal that night that didn’t have any gluten in it but I quickly gave up.  I wanted to experience Italy to the fullest! Clearly Liz did too........

The fact that I’m still breathing and functioning after all the gluten I ate this weekend definitely makes me think I’m growing out of it!! The 7 of us had such a great time together and we all got along very well.  It was nice to be with new people.

We checked out early the next morning and took the hotel shuttle into Venice. The weather was a little colder than I expected and the hazy clouds blocked the sun.  Regardless, Venice was breathtakingly beautiful.  I would even say that it was the most beautiful city I’ve been to yet.  We spent the morning walking around and I couldn’t believe how pretty everything was.  After about an hour, we found ourselves in St. Mark's Square where St. Mark's Basilica is.

I felt like I was dreaming when I saw it. The Basilica truly took my breath away and made me say “wwwoooooooowww." Liz had to push up my gaping jaw. (so embarrassing)

We then climbed the watchtower (well we really just took the elevator) and the view from the top was incredible.  Hazy, but incredible.

We didn’t have a lot of time in Venice because we had to make an afternoon train to Florence.  We took a water taxi on the Grande Canal back to the station which was so much fun and gave us a great view of the city.  

Even though I was only there for a short period of time, I was glad I got to at least see it.  I know that I definitely want to return to Venice  in the future.  

Florence was just as wonderful and there was so much more to see!

The Duomo

The inside of the dome!

We climbed to the top of the Duomo which was my favorite part of the trip.  463 steps to the top! It was really well worth it since I'm sure my butt is more toned AND we got to see this view from the top...

The building with the blue dome is Florence's beautiful Jewish Synagogue

We also walked across the Ponte Vecchio which is a lovely bridge lined with windows filled with sparkling jewelry. See the back of the shops leaning off the water?

Another one of my favorite parts of Florence were the "Loving Locks" which hung right by the bridge...

Rumor is, that the tradition of these locks began when young soldiers had to leave their homes for battle.  Before leaving, they'd attach a lock to one of the bridges as a promise to return home and survive the war. 

 

Now a days, the locks have a more romantic implication! The act of attaching a lock to a bridge obviously symbolizes the unbreakable bonds of true love.  The bridge, which unites land over the river, is also meant to unite the couples in love.  By tossing the key into the water, they seal their love for eternity.  

 

We saw so many couples doing this over the weekend.  You could really see how the Italian men cherished their women and it made me miss Jack a lot. Especially since it was valentine's day weekend. I'm so thankful that he's coming to visit me in Paris though!  Only 18 more days but the trip couldn't come sooner!

 

Early tomorrow I'm off to Marseille (in the south of France) and I'll be back a day early so hopefully I'll get a chance to write a more detailed post. I'd write more but I'm off to class.  

 

Here are the rest of the pics:

 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090148&id=1338210484&l=975d00a8b1

 

Lots of love as awlays.

 

Ciao!!

XOXO

 

 

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

When I found out that I was accepted into the castle program, I honestly did not even think that I’d make it to Stockholm, Sweden.  Before I left for Europe, my roommates and I decided to plan our first free weekend excursion together to get to know each other and bond in a new city. We each did a lot of research on flights and places to see and out of all our options we were drawn to Stockholm.  This trip was our only concrete plan for the entire 3 months.  Now that I’m back, I don’t think we could have chosen a better city to get close in or had a better time.

One of the main reasons why our trip was so special was because of Åsa. Åsa is a close family friend of my old neighbors Michele and Bill.  One night over winter break when I was babysitting for their kids, I told Michele about my plans for Stockholm and she got so excited because Åsa is from Stockholm.  Michele was extremely kind and had me in touch with her through email the very next day. 

Since that point on, Åsa had been above and beyond helpful to my roommates and me.  For weeks, she kept in touch and gave me many tips so that we’d have a wonderful time in the city.  We made plans to all meet Friday night for dinner and then she’d show us around on Saturday. We were so anxious to arrive.

It has been a little tricky getting used to how quickly everything happens here.  I literally got back from Amsterdam and in 4 days we were off to Stockholm.  The flight was very fast and it took us under 2 hours to arrive in Sweden’s Skavsta airport.  During the flight, I was sitting in a window seat and every time I’d look out, I could only see my reflection against the black night sky.  Normally back home, I feel very mature and in control of myself but when I was looking at my reflection, all I could think about was how young I looked and how much lies ahead of me.  I hardly recognized myself.  I felt small and a little homesick, but also very proud of this brave 3 month adventure that I pushed myself to go on.   I had a feeling that this was going to be a great trip and from the moment I stepped off the plane, I instantly liked Sweden.

My great-grandmother would always comment on breathing in “good air” and it was the very first thing that I noticed about the country.  The air was crisp and pure and I felt young and alive.  I literally couldn’t believe that I was in Sweden. I also liked imagining that there could be a moose somewhere around the corner :) There was snow everywhere and it wasn’t too cold out.  The entire weekend we were extremely lucky with how nice the weather was.  

Our hostel was actually amazing and it had the best showers I’ve experienced throughout this entire trip.  We woke up Friday morning and took a tour of the royal palace which was absolutely incredible! 

Kate and I in front of the palace

In front of the palace doing a "typical American pose" according to Åsa

All the rooms were beautifully decorated and very ornate.  My favorite part of the palace was the dungeon-like room below it where they kept the royal crowns and treasures.  All the diamonds, gems, and gold where absolutely gorgeous.  We took our time and walked around the old part of the city which was beautiful as well.  Stockholm is a very regal looking city and I felt like it was fitting that a king, queen, and royal family would be living there. 

Åsa warned me about the cold and said that the city is better in the spring or summer but I was happy that we came in the winter.  The frozen ice flowing along the canals was wonderful to see.  As it got closer to dinner time, we made our way back to the hostel so we could meet Åsa.

She was so kind to come find us at our hostel and take us to dinner to talk about Stockholm and our trip so far.  She treated us to a bottle of wine and we had a wonderful time sharing information about ourselves and discussing the difference between America and Europe. 

The next morning she met us at City Hall where the Nobel prizes are awarded.  

 Even though we unfortunately got lost and were a little late, she welcomed us with tickets and arranged that we’d be on an English speaking tour!  It is the huge brick building with different rooms, obviously dedicated to different purposes. The “blue room”, which isn’t blue, is for the grand banquet, and seats aprox. 1,300 people. Upstairs is a completely gold guilded room for dancing. There is also a large meeting hall for debates where anyone, Swedish or not can go to hear them. It also had the most beautiful view of the old city over the water. 

Åsa then treated us to lunch where we met her husband and two adorable boys.  They were so nice and it felt really good to sit and eat with a family especially since I miss mine so much.  Åsa and her husband both grew up in Sweden yet they speak perfect English.  The lunch was delicious and we enjoyed all of their interesting facts about life in Stockholm.

Me with Åsa and her lovely family

Liz Lena Åsa Me & Kate

To top our day off, Åsa then took all of us to the Vasa museum where she again got our tickets.  The Vasa is an old Viking ship that sunk in 1628 but they pulled it up about 40 years ago to put on display and the museum is full of the relics, remains and even a few skeletons that they found. The construction of the ship was amazing and we were able to see the detailed carvings along the it which were originally painted in beautiful colors. It was amazing to be able to see something so old practically brand new, a perfect end to museums of Swedish history.

 

Åsa, you are really such a wonderful person and I’m so happy that Michele put me in touch with you.  Again, thank you for all your kindness this weekend. We had the best time and I truly hope to see you again.

Lots of love to you and your family,

Amy

:) Some thank yous from the girls...

Thank you so much, Åsa! We had an amazing time and it was all thanks to you! I’m sure we would have missed half of the beautiful sights and amazing history if you hadn’t been there to guide us around your beautiful country. We are so beyond thankful for your amazing hospitality which was above and beyond anything even the most generous hearted person would have done, and it was such a pleasure to meet your family! Thank you for everything, and we all have our Swedish horses pinned on our coats to remember the amazing time in Stockholm that we’ll never forget!

Thank you!

Love,

Kate

Åsa,

I cannot begin to tell you what a positive impact you had on our weekend. Not only was your input and guidance invaluable, your generosity was truly a gift. I hope you realize that if it was not for you we would not have left Stockholm with the wonderful memories, experiences, and photos ; ) that we did. I am forever grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope I can return the favor someday!

Love,

Lena

 Åsa,

I hope that I am not being redudent from my friends, but I honestly couldn't put it better myself. Your generosity and kindness truly made the weekend in Stockholm a pleasant surprise. Your family is so special to have someone like you and I cannot stress enough how grateful and appreciative I am for all of your hospitality. You are simply the best. Thank you for such an incredible experience and memories that I will never forget.

Love,

Liz

 (next weekend Venice and Florence!!!)