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!

Always so much to tell!

Coucou! Howdy-do!

Well, I feel that so much has happened lately, that it is time for an update...
My test went well, I will get the results in a bit, and hopefully my note is comme-ci, comme-ca. But, in a preemptive celebration, I went out with several other people from this class and we had a blast (if I may use this 90's term)! Cocktails at Montparnasse, dancing at St. Michel... it was really fun to let loose!

Then I spent Sunday cleaning, cleaning, cleaning... momma's coming to town! After some delay on my behalf, due to a Metro strike, I received my mom on her first trip back here in many years, of course with a pain au chocolate in hand. Since then, mom and I have been really seeing and doing everything there is to do, and catching up on some much needed sleep. I keep saying that I am using my mom's jet lag to my advantage! Who loves naps!

So, while this week was my last week before vacation, I had a few classes in the afternoons, which has left Susie to do some wandering. And boy, she was wandered all around! The Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Marais (the most amazing quartier: old, chic, new-age, gay and Jewish), the American church, and many unnamed petits rues.

With school only in the afternoons, that left us the evenings free... the first two of which we slept away (oh the jet lag) but yesterday and today have been magnificent! Yesterday, I bought tickets to go see a modern dance performance a la Theatre de la Ville. It was based on Dante's Divine Comedy and the performance was superb: interesting, moving, bright, dark, innovative, and with electric guitars. We topped off the evening with wine at a nearby cafe on the Seine. Parfait!

Today was a bit stressful for me: first of all I had registration for my next semester at Sciences Po... not a fun process as classes fill up in the blink of an eye and the system kept crashing, then I had my medical exam for my Carte de Sejours, so to become a semi-permanent resident. Sadly, French waiting rooms are no less dreary and stressful, everyone waiting for their mispronounced name to be called. Then, you have to do some tests and take off you top to get an X-ray (which they let you keep!), but in the end I got my card and now am free to travel and work as I please! Hooray!

Well, I have decided to put up a few unrelated to anything photos, in case you're interested. Enjoy!

Here is an interesting view of the Louvre from the Ferris wheel that they put up for the holidays... had it not been so foggy, the view would have been incredible!

Here I am in my Frenchie-BonBon hat down by the Seine.... if you look carefully in the distance, you can see the Tour Eiffel. Cool.

Here is my favorite shop in Paris by far... Marriage Freres, a lovely tea shop.

Here is me and my beau, David, looking rather monochromatic and romantic...

Here is the lovely Strasbourg, also known as the capital of Christmas. It has one of the most magnificent Christmas markets, something we Americans know nothing about, where the vin chaud is great, the people are friendly, and the shoes are beautiful!

Here is the amazing Thanksgiving meal David and I cooked totally from scratch for some friends in Germany... other than the fact that my turkey was a goose, everything was traditional and delicious!

Here are Monet's Lillies at the Orangerie in Paris. I had no idea what to expect, then I was taken aback by the intensity, purity and shear beauty of these pieces.

Here I am, again, on the Pont des Arts, again with a Eiffel Tour in the deep distance. This was my favorite place to be during fall, especially at this time, sunset... the bright colors of the leaves, and the rosy color of the sky was breathtaking.

Until next time! Bisous! Kisses!

Defrosted Toes

I have my first exam tomorrow, yes a Saturday, and a early Saturday morning at that.... 8:30am! Ouch! Oh well! I just had some friends come over and we filled our brains with as much information about the history of the French Republic while nibbling on treats of chocolates, nuts, cookies, and chevre (yum!) so it was a nice mix of fun and work.

I am hoping I can get up in the morning; it is a really hard thing to to in Paris for two reasons: 1. at 8am it is still dark out, so my body thinks I am crazy for wanting to leave my warm bed for the cold, dark world. And 2. Paris is not an early morning city, meaning nothing opens before 9:30am, except bakeries. So, there is less of an incentive to get your day started, "Why should I get out of bed when I can't get anything really done?" There is no going to the post office, no bank, no grocery stores (they might open a little earlier than 9:30 but I am not sure... something I will probably never learn!), no school library. Nada.

A total side note: I wore open-toe shoes today... one word: stupid! I had to walk from school to the Louvre, where I attend an art history class (oh so cool) and halfway there, I couldn't move my toes! I kid you not, when I arrived at the Louvre with pins in my feet, I had to sit down to let my tows defreeze. I felt so stupid, and everyone's glances assured me of this. No French woman in her right mind would wear open toe shoes this time of year, she is clearly not French... their eyes were telling. I'll admit, as an Arizonian girl, I do not know how to dress for the cold. Something I am hoping I will learn soon...

Okay, I must go to bed and get a good night's sleep before my exam... keeping my fingers (and recently defrosted toes) crossed that it goes well. Nighty-night!

Beauty will bear a pinch...

So, I got my first Parisian hair cut today,... I was really afraid that I wouldn't be able to communicate what it was that I wanted (you know, something sexy, fun, French, wearable, easy to do, practically the same length, and healthy) and well, I gotta say it worked out well! The girl was a little rough with the comb and round brush, but beauty will bear a pinch, as my mom always told me. So after a pinch, snip and some goop I was VOLIA! Done. Pictures pending...

But, in the mean time, here are some other random and out of order photos to tickle your taste buds...

This is my favorite market, or rather my favorite by default because it is right by my house and I can't get out of bed early enough on Saturday morning to go any further... But I really do love it!

Here is me and my beau, David, when we visited the Chateau of Versailles. We really enjoyed the gardens and musical water show!

Here I am prancing around with my pretty leaves, a little tipsy from the fresh wine we just had at a lovely lunch on the side of the road; there was a little stand selling fresh wine and all kinds of homemade goodies, all with wild chestnuts in them. So, for lunch we had an onion and chestnut quiche, chestnut cake and chestnut cinnamon roll, with the fresh wine, of course! It cost 7 euros and it was the best lunch so far...


That is me in Dubrovnik in August, so warm and sunny...

A picture of me on Jess' lap while we were sitting under the Eiffel Tour. I was having a hippy moment...

Ok, well, I must do some homework now.... 'Till the next time!

Nice Day

Yesterday, I spent a perfect Parisian day with my friend Sara. We met for sushi at Sushi West, a restaurant near school, then walked around Odeon window shopping and even daring to go into a few of the boutiques that sell scarves for 150 euros! Crazy but fabulous! Then we warmed up with coffee at a great cafe on Boulevard St. Germain and treated ourselves to their amazing eclairs! After that, we trotted along in the brisk air stopping into a few shops here and there, thankful for the heating.

I got to play personal shopper as it is Sara's birthday party on Saturday and she was searching for a nice dress. We stopped into Zara's and we found a few things for her to try on, then I would go search the store again and come back with even more cute dresses... I did this several times until finally we found the right one! I am looking forward to her elegant part on Saturday... we're going to pretend we're grown-ups!

We continued along, stopping here and there in search of Christmas presents, but it really turned into one for you, three for me. I guess I have some more shopping to do in the name of Christmas... shucks.

We topped the day off with a French movie and popcorn. It was such a perfect day, one fun thing after the other and a new great scarf, hat and pair of pants! Hooray!

September-November

Bonjour a tous! Hello everyone!

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you all spent the wonderful holiday with your friends and loved ones. Mine has been postponed until Saturday when I will cook a traditional Thanksgiving feast in Germany with David for some of our friends there… I am so excited.

So, I write you this email from the train I am taking to Strasbourg, it is a TGV and one of the fastest trains in the world. If I am not mistaken, it goes up 320 kilometers per hour, about 200 miles perhour. I am watching the countryside zip by; we pass by small villages so quickly I can just make out the church steeple before it's gone. It is all so quick, like the time. I have already been here for four months! And yet it feels like two weeks. I promise you, that time inParis does not follow the same laws of time as the rest of the world.It is incredible.

Well, there is a lot to catch you up on since my last email. Since that time I have attended the month-long orientation at my school, found an apartment, started school, completed six oral presentations(three of which were really important as they made up about 30-50% of my grade), four papers, made some great friends and best of all, fell in love with Paris. Oh where to start…

From the beginning, I suppose. Well, orientation was interesting. It consisted of two classes, one a language course and the other a methodology class because Sciences Po has a very rigorous structure, even by French standards. The classes were good; I met some interesting people, and learned just how much I didn't know about French history, culture, language and politics. Thanks a lot US education system! But, I must admit, I was not that involved in the classes or the activities they hosted because I was consumed with trying to find an apartment, a very stressful ordeal, to say the least. But I managed to find a great apartment in the 14th arrondissement with a great roommate, Anas. With that out of the way, I could concentrate on Jess' visit, which was in mid-September. She came to stay with me for a long weekend and we had a wonderful time visiting the city and just hanging out.

Then in late August I started real school, which consists of Immigration and Discrimination in Europe, Social Policies of Europe, French language, Yoga, Vie Politique Francaise Aujourd'hui (FrenchPolitical life Today) (which consists of a big lecture with a very prominent French political scientist, and then a small class for discussions), modern Dance, and then finally Painting Practices inParis: a Reflection on Art and Society 1630-1830 (which takes place inthe Louvre!). I really like all of my classes, but they area lot of work! Oh well…

David has been to visit me several times since I have been here inParis, and every time we have such a great time exploring the city together. Trying new things and cooking lovely things. The best so far has been, back when it was warm out, we went to practically every park in Paris, the Buttes Chaumont, the Jardin de Luxembourg, the Toulorises gardens, and would just hang out, have picnics and even nap in the warm sun! It was so nice! I too have visited David, during the wine harvest, and it was such a great weekend. All of Germany's vineyards were on fire, not literally, but they appeared to be with the changing of the seasons they were red, orange and yellow. It was an amazing sight for an Arizona girl. And just after they harvest the grapes, they make new wine which is like bubbly, alcoholic fruit juice and they serve it in tiny stands along the road. We went for a walk inthe forest that borders many of the colorful vineyards and found wild chestnuts, which we later cooked, and fresh, tart apples. It was really wonderful! If you haven't noticed, a lot of my good experiences here revolve around the amazing food!

So, life in Paris is even more incredible than I ever could have imagined! There are so many things to do, always a new quartier to be discovered, new food and fun dance-clubs. I live in the 14th right bythe cemetery of Montparnasse and every Saturday there is an open-air market outside my front door and it is becoming a new tradition of mine to go there and buy fresh veggies and fruit and flowers for the week. I love all of the bright reds of the bell peppers and deep greens of the zucchinis, and all of the cold, rosy faces. Everyone is quickly running around, in such a hurry to stand and wait around for the best clementine's or potatoes and talk with their produce man. Lines are something I am growing accustomed to here. But it is so lively and fun to see the rigid Parisians open up and let loose a bit…over a head of lettuce.

And speaking of cold rosy faces, it is starting to get cold, really cold for an Arizona girl like me. But surprisingly I don't mind it that much. It is somewhat refreshing and fun, in some why, but I am not sure which. I always seem to smile when I step out of my building into the crisp air and smile because to me it is so bizarre and ridiculous that it could be this cold. I look like a smoker when Iwalk outside, as do all the people on the streets, which is pretty fun too.

So, yes, I have seen many great things, like Monet's Lilies, and eaten at the best fondue restaurant in town (where you drink your wine froma baby bottle and climb over your table to get to your seat!), and cooked fresh mussels with David, and tasted delicious French wine and escargot, and eaten many marvelous pastries… needless to say, life is amazing here!

Well, I will leave you with that. I am almost in Strasbourg where Iwill drink mold wine on the Christmas market and eat tarte flambe, aspecialty there.

Lots of love from the most beautiful city in theworld! Bisous,
Nikki