Last night, I was so excited because the Ukranian girl, Natalia, made dinner for us! She made pork in the oven and she fried potatoes in a skillet...but she used different sauces and methods of making them, so the potatoes definitely looked like fish to me! It was all DELICIOUS, and I ate a TON (shocking, right).
We sat around the table after dinner just talking, joking around, etc. It is always so interesting because we have the French family, Didiers, Catherine, and Jules, their friend Christine from Paris who is in town staying with us, the two Columbian girls, Daniella and Daniella, then Ukranian girl, Natalia, and me, the American : ) This makes for GREAT conversation every night, as everyone has different ideas for things based on where they come from and what is standard in their country. This means that every night our dinner lasts at least 2 hours, its great!
This morning, I went for my LAST jog in Montpellier. I was not so upset about this. I hate running, so I was very happy when that was over : )
We just got finished with class for the day -- I am about to head to a little shop to buy a bottle of wine for the family for dinner tonight -- then I will return "chez Gardair"...a.k.a. back to the Gardair house, my host family.
Tonight, I will be packing my bags, studying a good bit, and spending my last hours with my host family. Tomorrow, I will wake up early and go immediately to school for my final exam. I will then catch my train to Paris around 130, putting me in Paris just short of 5 o clock.
THE TIME HAS COME. I consider this the definition of "bittersweet."
I have now spent just about 2 months in Montpellier. It has been probably the most beneficial growing experience of my life thus far. I have learned so much about independence, taking initiative, and mostly about myself in general. I have loved living with people from different countries and cultures and learning to connect with them despite language barriers. This experience, to say the least, has put me out of my comfort zone, and forced me to immerse myself into a completely different environment in which I have learned and have grown more than ever before.
I am, however, ready to move on. I look forward to spending a week in Paris with my mom (WOOT WOOT!) and then returning back home to see my family, my friends, and MY collegetown : )
I will try and write again from Paris! (and possibly include some pictures too)
I'm off to enjoy what is left of my stay in Montpellier!
CIAO
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
BARCELONA : Sagrada Familia
the side of the church that represented the death of Jesus
Gaudi studied the geometry of nature, and built every facet of this church according to his discoveries...these windows were built to resemble honeycombs.
the side of the church that represented the nativity
some other of his geometry in nature symbols...i cant remember what these represented, but they look cool : )BARCELONA : Sagrada Familia
notice the crane outside the window! anddd all the pretty reflections on the pillar from the stained glass windows.
the church has been under construction for CENTURIES, because they are trying to finish Gaudi's plans. The construction is funded by generous donations as well as these tours, a.k.a i helped fund it :) so there was all of this going on while we were there! SO interesting!
i loved all the different shades of blue
GORGEOUS COLORS!BARCELONA : Mount Tibidabo
The 100 yr old Blue Tram we took halfway up the mountain
Then we took this rickety thing up the rest of the mountain...I could have sworn it was about to break down at times.
Me at the top overlooking Barcelona and the Mediterranean sea in the distance!
Some of the amusement park at the top of Mt Tibidabo!BARCELONA : Sports Complexes
The famous FUTBOL CLUB BARCELONA stadium!!...If only I got to witness a match...or even a riot in the streets afterward...I'll hafta go back.
1992 OLYMPICS
the Olympic stadium...beautiful!
where the torch was litBARCELONA : Port Vell
People relaxing in the park by the port.
So many yachts!
The water was SO blue!Sunday, July 19, 2009
oh, the exhausting life of being a tourist...BARCELONA!!!
I just returned back to Montpellier from Barcelona! The weekend was WONDERFUL! Aside from Paris, Barcelona is my favorite city I have visited in Europe. (okay, so I haven't visited THAT many, but still...i loved it!)
We took 2 different trains to arrive to Barcelona. The train tracks are different in Spain than in France, so we had to switch trains in Port Bou, Spain, just over the border.
Upon arriving in Barcelona, we were a little nervous about not speaking the language. Luckily, I took Spanish this past year at UGA, so while I am FAR from being capable of carrying on a conversation, I was at least able to recognize signs, etc.
Friday night, Erin and I splurged and went to a nice restaurant. We got SANGRIA which was delicious and tapas. We have been missing mexican food like CRAZY, so we were pumped to be able to order chips and salsa and quesadilla tapas :) We stayed there for hours just enjoying the atmosphere and chatting. We then walked down to the port and enjoyed looking at all the gorgeous yachts that I plan on having when I'm older.
We called it a night around midnight as we were very tired from traveling. We returned to our hostel, which was far from 5 star, but it was still pretty great :) Erin and I were the only girls in a room of 14 beds. Needless to say, I slept only 2 hours that night despite being exhausted. The guys in the room were really drunk and loud when they came in and then even when they fell asleep they managed to keep me awake with their snoring...but its an experience, right?!...
We woke up Saturday morning and, following the advice the columbian girls who live with me had given, we went to buy tickets for the Bus Turistic of Barcelona. We figured since we only had ONE full day here, we needed to participate in something touristy like this in order to see all the main attractions. The buses were so funny, they were double-decker and open on top so that you could take pictures and see everything...but it was windy, so by the end of the day, my hair was...as paul would say...SO GRITZY!
There were SEVERAL buses running the three routes and the style was called "hop on, hop off" because you could ride past and just look at one of the attractions, or you could get off when the bus stopped, spend as much time as you want there, and then catch another bus later. The buses ran from 9 am - 11 pm. Here's where I "hopped off:"
-Sagrada Familia - famous church designed by Gaudi, which has been under constant construction, according to what he designed, for centuries. It is expected to be complete it 2030!
-Tibidabo - a mountain that overlooks all of Barcelona. First, we took the famous 100 yr old Tramvia Blau - a blue tram, up the first part of the mountain, and then a cable car up the rest. At the top of the mountain, there is a basilica (and a wedding was going on!) and an amusement park!
-Futbol Club Barcelona - the pitch where the WORLD FAMOUS soccer team plays! It was so awesome being here, as it is SUCH an important part of their culture. I even bought a little something at the FCB Megastore!!
-Estacio de Sants - this is just the train station haha, we made a pit stop to buy our reservations for our train back :)
-Anella Olympica - the site of the 1992 Olympic Games! We got to see where the torch was lit and all the venues for the different events!
-Montjuic - this is a mountain in Barcelona, where we walked around in the Botanical Gardens.
-Port Vell - famous port of Barcelona! There is an IMAX here, an aquarium, and a little amusement park...not to mention all the BEAUTIFUL boats in the harbor! We got ice cream and sat watching the boats come and go.
At this point, it was about 6 pm, and we had seen everything that we thought was the MOST important. We were exhausted, after having eaten ice cream, we passed up the bus option and decided to walk back to the hostel.
We rested for a little bit, then got ready and headed out for dinner. We picked up sandwiches along Las Ramblas (i realize i spelled that wrong in the previous post). While walking after dinner, a guy stopped us and convinced us to attend the PUB CRAWL that night. We figured we were only in Barcelona once, so we might as well. The Pub Crawl proved itself a little pricey, but it was a great experience, as the group was comprised of mainly tourists from ALL over. We went to 4 different bars and got 1 or 2 drinks at each for "free" -- but they were actually covered in our initial charges for being part of the Pub Crawl. It was so fun!
I slept better Saturday (last) night because I was so tired from the long day. This morning, we woke up early again and ate our complimentary breakfast at the hostel :) We packed up our things, checked out, and headed to Las Ramblas. On the weekends, there are little markets set up, where local artisans can showcase their work. There was some really great stuff, but I didn't make any purchases. I controlled myself.
After that, we headed to the train station. I slept most of the way on the ride back, so it was not bad at all. This time we switched trains at Cerbere (which we called Care Bear) which is just on the French side of the border.
I'm so happy to have spent my last weekend of the program in Spain! What a great experience! I do not have my camera cord with me, but I will upload pictures one day this week -- when I am not busy with all the school work we have, as we are wrapping up!
I better head home and let my host family know I am still alive...
MISS EVERYONE!! ADIOS!
We took 2 different trains to arrive to Barcelona. The train tracks are different in Spain than in France, so we had to switch trains in Port Bou, Spain, just over the border.
Upon arriving in Barcelona, we were a little nervous about not speaking the language. Luckily, I took Spanish this past year at UGA, so while I am FAR from being capable of carrying on a conversation, I was at least able to recognize signs, etc.
Friday night, Erin and I splurged and went to a nice restaurant. We got SANGRIA which was delicious and tapas. We have been missing mexican food like CRAZY, so we were pumped to be able to order chips and salsa and quesadilla tapas :) We stayed there for hours just enjoying the atmosphere and chatting. We then walked down to the port and enjoyed looking at all the gorgeous yachts that I plan on having when I'm older.
We called it a night around midnight as we were very tired from traveling. We returned to our hostel, which was far from 5 star, but it was still pretty great :) Erin and I were the only girls in a room of 14 beds. Needless to say, I slept only 2 hours that night despite being exhausted. The guys in the room were really drunk and loud when they came in and then even when they fell asleep they managed to keep me awake with their snoring...but its an experience, right?!...
We woke up Saturday morning and, following the advice the columbian girls who live with me had given, we went to buy tickets for the Bus Turistic of Barcelona. We figured since we only had ONE full day here, we needed to participate in something touristy like this in order to see all the main attractions. The buses were so funny, they were double-decker and open on top so that you could take pictures and see everything...but it was windy, so by the end of the day, my hair was...as paul would say...SO GRITZY!
There were SEVERAL buses running the three routes and the style was called "hop on, hop off" because you could ride past and just look at one of the attractions, or you could get off when the bus stopped, spend as much time as you want there, and then catch another bus later. The buses ran from 9 am - 11 pm. Here's where I "hopped off:"
-Sagrada Familia - famous church designed by Gaudi, which has been under constant construction, according to what he designed, for centuries. It is expected to be complete it 2030!
-Tibidabo - a mountain that overlooks all of Barcelona. First, we took the famous 100 yr old Tramvia Blau - a blue tram, up the first part of the mountain, and then a cable car up the rest. At the top of the mountain, there is a basilica (and a wedding was going on!) and an amusement park!
-Futbol Club Barcelona - the pitch where the WORLD FAMOUS soccer team plays! It was so awesome being here, as it is SUCH an important part of their culture. I even bought a little something at the FCB Megastore!!
-Estacio de Sants - this is just the train station haha, we made a pit stop to buy our reservations for our train back :)
-Anella Olympica - the site of the 1992 Olympic Games! We got to see where the torch was lit and all the venues for the different events!
-Montjuic - this is a mountain in Barcelona, where we walked around in the Botanical Gardens.
-Port Vell - famous port of Barcelona! There is an IMAX here, an aquarium, and a little amusement park...not to mention all the BEAUTIFUL boats in the harbor! We got ice cream and sat watching the boats come and go.
At this point, it was about 6 pm, and we had seen everything that we thought was the MOST important. We were exhausted, after having eaten ice cream, we passed up the bus option and decided to walk back to the hostel.
We rested for a little bit, then got ready and headed out for dinner. We picked up sandwiches along Las Ramblas (i realize i spelled that wrong in the previous post). While walking after dinner, a guy stopped us and convinced us to attend the PUB CRAWL that night. We figured we were only in Barcelona once, so we might as well. The Pub Crawl proved itself a little pricey, but it was a great experience, as the group was comprised of mainly tourists from ALL over. We went to 4 different bars and got 1 or 2 drinks at each for "free" -- but they were actually covered in our initial charges for being part of the Pub Crawl. It was so fun!
I slept better Saturday (last) night because I was so tired from the long day. This morning, we woke up early again and ate our complimentary breakfast at the hostel :) We packed up our things, checked out, and headed to Las Ramblas. On the weekends, there are little markets set up, where local artisans can showcase their work. There was some really great stuff, but I didn't make any purchases. I controlled myself.
After that, we headed to the train station. I slept most of the way on the ride back, so it was not bad at all. This time we switched trains at Cerbere (which we called Care Bear) which is just on the French side of the border.
I'm so happy to have spent my last weekend of the program in Spain! What a great experience! I do not have my camera cord with me, but I will upload pictures one day this week -- when I am not busy with all the school work we have, as we are wrapping up!
I better head home and let my host family know I am still alive...
MISS EVERYONE!! ADIOS!
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