Life.

Some time has passed, thus it is time for an addition to the story of my life…Well, I have done a lot and seen many things. I’ll start from February, when this chapter began... I had a break between my two semesters so I decided to spend some time in Paris just exploring the small corners that one can’t find with a Lonely Planet. I also spend 5 glorious days in Barcelona filled with sun and fun on the beach (with a scarf and jacket of course!)

I managed to find some really cool café’s… it really takes getting away from the very heart of Paris to find real cafés with style: in the cooler quartiers say goodbye to snobby waiters, tiny tables and rushed cafés. Say hello to purple velour sofas, comfortable cushions and friendly lesbian waitresses… My favorite quartier for these real cafés is in the 12th and also in the 10th near the Canal St. Martin. That’s where you’re going, dad!

With no friends left to travel with I ventured to Barcelona on my own. I left a grey, cold city and arrived in a warm, colorful city where the sun burned my baby blues made unaccustomed to such light by the tall Haussmann buildings in Paris. I made a bee line from the bus station straight to the sea where I sat in the sun and read for a while, an activity I greatly missed during the winter months. Mmmm... Sangria!



I walked along the coast until I found a very nice (a nicely located) hostel where I took the last bed (the VIP bed). Settling into my VIP bed, VIP because it was 8 feet above the ground and I had to climb up very high to get there, I set out to explore the city. Walking along Port Veil, I stumbled into the Gothic quarter: full of tiny, windy streets filled with cafés, boutiques, and tapas bars. Wandering along the Ramblas I bumped into the “parade of the Giants” where a giant princess and frog waddled by… While winding home, I met a man from Cameroon and he invited me to a tiny bar with fried fish and great cheap wine… then we moved onto another bar where we enjoyed cool cider from a barrel (from which I got to pour my own glass which was quite a science.)


The next day, Valentines Day, I work up early and went to do a Gaudi Tour: it took us to the Sagrada Familia, Güell Park, and two other buildings which he designed. It was really interesting to learn about Gaudi as I didn’t know very much about him before I went to Barcelona.

Here is one of the tops on one of the many towers of the Sagrada Familia... Gaudi incorporated a lot of mosaic pieces into his architecture and was inspired by nature. His works are incredible!

This is at Park Güell with a very famous lizard.


More of the park (above) and one of his building... As legend has it it is the design of a dragon (see the spine on the roof and all of the scales?)

That evening I went out with a roommate from my hostel to a very cool, small, red bar with artsy pictures of naked ladies and its menu on records. It was really cool, the kind of place on would imagine the locals hang out… however, every other tourist thought the same. Regardless that it was all Anglophones, Andre and I met some other Germans (in their mid thirties) had fun with sangria and mojitos before we all moved on to a disco with great 50-80’s music upstairs and ghetto rap under ground. It was quite an odd valentines day: dancing to swing with a bunch of older Germans… odd but fun all the same.

The photo below is of one of the women I was with... I think it is pretty awesome!

I also got the chance to go to Montserrat for the day: however it was quite cold so going up into the mountains effectively brought me into the clouds. Arriving up on the mountain during off season, one asks one self, what now? The little city they have up there was deserted, save a few high school boys playing hacky sack (that still exists?) I wandered around, took some photos then headed to see the Black Virgin Mary, the only thing to do there on a cold day. The room that housed her was one of the most ornate I have ever seen. Jewels, treasures, glittering gold that covered the walls… the works!

After returning from my break, I began a new semester full of French. My classes are very interesting, but also very challenging… go figure, learning completely in a foreign language would be difficult!

The photo below is from a quick weekend trip I did to Bordeaux... I was with a girlfriend and we had the most amazing time! Lots of great wine (Bordeaux 2005 is a secret treasure!) and food, sun and relaxation. We went to their most famous wine bar, Masion du Vin, and as you can see in the photo... it is practically a masion built out of wine!



So, after several weeks of life as usual in Paris… métro, boulot, dodo (a saying in French: Métro, work, sleep) I had my spring break finally (it was just last week)! Straight from class I hoped on a train to Hyeres in the South of France where David picked me up and whisked me away to le Lavandou, a small city right on the Mediterranean. There, we met up with David’s parents and sister who spent a week on vacation there, with David, before me. Sitting poolside in the last, golden rays of the day, I relaxed… far from the métro and the boulot, and very close to the dodo. My first day on vacation we awoke earlier; after a typical French breakfast (lots of Nutella and fromage blanc) we set off to the beach to watch a boat race. After learning that the castle-of-house on the cliffs belongs to Carla Bruni’s family, President Sarkozy’s wife, we set off to Bourmes-les-Mimosas, a very charming village in the hills with the best home-made soap and lotion. Wandering around the small rues, ancient and overgrown with charming wild-flowers, we made it up to the top of the hill for a magnificent view of the city.
Later that day David’s family returned to Germany and it was just me and David for the rest of the week… and what a week we had! For Easter, we ate lots of chocolate and did a hike to a small chapel that overlooks the sea. The days have all melted together in my memory as they were all very similar… I would wake up earlier to do yoga poolside which was sea-side. Up on the cliffs I would stretch and contract with the early morning sun beaming down on me (as well as curious eyes… what is that crazy girl doing on her vacation?!?). It was amazing. Then I would pick up a baguette or two and David and I would have breakfast on the terrace. Next, we would head down to the beach and would just “be” there all day long. Reading, napping, swimming (yes, I actually swam in the sea despite its chilly disposition), and eating were the only things on the menu for us. It was really incredible and I already wish I were back on the sparkling beaches of the Cote d’Azur. Here are just a few of the many pictures from the trip:

The cute town...

This was my view while doing yoga... definitely the reason I felt so inspired to do it!

Spring time is here!

Me in my very cool beach hat!

Some fun pictures on the cliff...

Hello!
The little chapel on the cliffs!

A great view!

Just fun stuff.

Here is the very beautiful Bourmes-les-Mimosa:

cool

Now, we are in the present. I just had an expose today that was… interesting. Class lasts for 2 hours, so normally there are several oral presentations or debates to take up the time. Well, the other presentations of the day did not show so there was just our presentation (me and my partner, Michelle). So, thanks to all this extra time, my professor decided to critique every thing we did, for the good of the class. For a 15 minute presentation, we stood in the front of the class for over an hour trying to melt away…. No such luck.

Well, glad that’s over. Now I am making plans and very much looking forward to when my dad comes… just 4 days.

I hope you are all well. Thanks for reading. Until the next time…

Love, Nikki

World wind tour

Finally after a long hard semester filled with papers and exposes I had a week free to "revise" for my upcoming exams. However, I saw revision week more as a week for travel, and travel I did!

But, before the fun travel stories, a quick word about the inauguration. How amazing!!! I can tell you, I feel so differently about being an American: I feel proud! I went with some friends to an American bar near the Opera and we watched the CNN coverage (in English, thankfully). The bar was really cool, as you can see in the picture. Lots of personality.

Hooray!

Okay, back to the week of travels... I left right after my last class on Friday for Karlsruhe to see David. We had such a great weekend. Saturday we went to Baden Baden and did a couples spa day at the Friedrichbad which was fantastic. It is the only thermal powered spa left in the world, so they say, so after 17 rooms of hot wet air, hot dry air, pools, scrubbing, showers, an icy cold bath, lotion rub down, nap and a quick gossip magazine I felt like a million euros!

Sunday David and I joined a few friends for a nice horseback ridding adventure in Alsace. Quite unlike in the States, we were put to work right away brushing the mud off and saddling up.

Here we are on the trail. We were so lucky to have a clear day, however, as you can see rain was in the not so distant past. Yes, muddy pants were had by all.

The tour was great. The day was clear and we could see far off into the distance. We galloped quite a bit, which was a nice break from the bruising pain of the cantering. Ouch!

Here we are after the ride, helmet hair and all. We finished the afternoon in a cute cafe/restaurant, which was a part of the farm; we had hot chocolates and homemade cakes. We were dotted on my a very friendly, (and very happy about Obama) server. It was such a quaint place filled with dogs and friendly faces.

After such a nice weekend with David, I was off to Dublin. I arrived and found a great hostel right by the city center. I settled in and went out in search of dinner. I came across Madigan's, a pub on the main street. I had a nice dinner and a good Irish beer. Then I sat at the bar and made friends with a few ladies. Well, I got to try lots of Irish beverage specialties that night...

The next day, after a nice Irish breakfast, I went to see the Bodies exhibit... fantastic! Absolutely incredible! If you haven't already seen it... go!

They had a few things about being healthy, and after seeing black lungs some people decided to quite then and there.

The next few pictures are just things I came across while walking around...

Here is the city center with it's (rather phallic) spire to mark the spot! I was incredibly lucky to have been there on a perfectly clear, warm day! Not a drop of rain my entire stay of two days!

Traveling alone, one must find creative ways to document you were really there...

This was the best tea and pie in the whole of Dublin!

More of Dublin...

Then I was off to...

Stockholm! Here is a photo of our hostel on the river. Stockholm was incredible, and incredibly cold! I know, I know... what was I expecting visiting Sweden in January? But it was still worth the visit!

Some cool modern art from the National Museum. Love the textures.

Again, our boat hostel on a clear evening.

I really enjoyed seeing the fashion in Stockholm. It is so authentic and original. I must admit that I guilty of doing a bit of shopping, but just a bit. Love it!

So, after a few days in the city, we made our way home, back to the reality of exams. A great week has come to an end...

Holiday Happiness

Happy New Years!

Well, another year begins, so the reflection on the past one must begin.

As some of you may know already, my Mom came to visit me over the holidays, for about two and a half weeks and we had a wonderful time! We started here in Paris,

and I still had a week left of classes, and an interesting medical exam to receive my Carte de Sejours, (my visa to live here for the rest of the year). When I was studying hard at school, mom “hit the streets” and was out seeing museums and searching for a real millefeuille , no easy task. See saw le Louvre, le Musée Clunny, and le Musée d’Orsay… so much culture! One evening mom and I got all dolled up for an evening at the theater. I had tickets to see Purgatorio, Greco Program 2, a dance performance that modified Virgil’s Divine Comedy,” and was held at the Theatre de la Ville. Oh la la! What an experience! The dancers were incredible: their movements were different and fun, and they incorporated electric guitars into the action… needless to say, it was really fun.

(Here is a view of Paris from Montmartre)

One evening we were invited to a dinner party by our friend Michel, who had just finished her studies at the Cordon Bleu. We were very excited to enjoy some amazing food with our good friends. So, after a nice day at Montmartre just wandering around, exploring the unique shops there, we set off to our dinner, bottle of wine in hand. Boy, we were in for a night! Michel had a six course meal planned, complete with perfect French order. A fois gras dish, of course with the appropriate wine to accompany it. Then we had a scallop dish with truffle mashed potatoes; shrimp risotto (here in the photo), artichoke-heart salad, a very smelly (which means it was amazing!) cheese course, and then a mélange of good deserts.

We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying good food and coffee and exploring more museums before we left for our adventure in Switzerland. Here are a few photos from our walk-abouts in Paris...

Arriving in Bern in the afternoon, we wandered around the cold and amazing city. Mom also lived here when she was about my age, so it was fun to reminisce. We enjoyed a ovalmaltine-warm - a delicious malt/hot chocolate drink.

Here is a view of the city of Bern, where Albert Einstein discovered his Theory of Relativity.

Then, a train, bus and a quick car ride later we arrived in our winter wonderland that is Lis’ home. Lis, a dear friend of our family, lives in the foothills of the Alps with her husband, Ueli, and three boys, Kaspar, Hannes, and Moritz. I have been fortunate enough to spend several summer holidays with them, and I was so excited to spend the holidays with them.They are such a lovely family; we really enjoyed our time there with them at Christmas (which came with a beautiful six course meal), going to a salt water spa with a beautiful view of the Alps, playing lots of games, talking, laughing, massaging, cooking, eating, and being very happy. Some of the pictures here are from a beautiful walk we did… you can see just how picturesque there home is.

The Alps as seen just behind their home. The valley is covered in a sea of fog...

Here is one of my favorite pictures from the trip...

It was a really foggy morning, as you can see. But we walked up the hill a little bit and started to come out of it. This is from our passing from fog so thick, we couldn't see the sun, to a perfectly clear sky without a cloud in sight!

Here is a photo of one of their sheep guarding dogs... they are massive and very smart! (sorry for the crink in your neck... I couldn't turn it!)


Here is baby Paris, who I got to feed a few times (a simple highlight to my trip!) Boy was she hungry and feisty... thus why I dubbed her Paris!

After a week in Rueggisberg Switzerland, we made our way to David’s parent’s house. We arrived in the very cold city of Neustadt, but had a very warm welcome. We enjoyed a traditional Germany meal in a traditional German restaurant where mom and David’s family got to know each other… it went well! We spent New Year’s Eve Day in casual fashion: waking up late and enjoying a leisurely breakfast. The kids all left in the afternoon to make our way to our respective cities where we would bring in the New Year! David and I attended a party at his friends house, with several other friends, in Karlsruhe. We enjoyed a very interesting night: fun fondue, lots of wine, firesaltsbollen, a hot wine with a huge flaming alcohol-soaked sugar cube, and champagne at midnight, which we enjoyed outside with lots of fire works! It was loud and colorful sky that gradually became foggy from all of the fireworks. In the romantic lighting, we all returned home to play some games… limbo and the like.

Here is a photo of us playing soccer with our lungs... quite hard after a few blows!


We slept late and rushed to meet up with the parents and David’s sister, Christine, in my favorite German city Heidelberg. This city, especially during non-wintertime, is absolutely incredible and I can highly recommend visiting it. It is very old and well preserved. There is one of the oldest castles there that you can visit with a humor-filled tour, which we did and rather enjoyed, despite that it was freezing and icy!
Our final evening all together we dined in an Italian restaurant, and then made our way home, dozing all the way.
Thanks mom!