C'est Tout!

Cannoli, yum!

Art on the sidewalks

more ice cream!







my lucky bird poop splatter in Italy

pool at our B&B

B&B

Well, vacation is over. I can't believe I was away for seven weeks, which now only feels like it was seven days. I don't have much to report, but wanted to share the pictures of my last week I spent with Calvin in Italy - Pisa, Florence, Siena, and many smaller towns in Tuscany. It was beautiful, just like the pictures, although mine don't do it enough justice.

My last weekend in Nice

It was my last weekend in Nice and it is my last week at school. Calvin arrives Friday and we will at least have one week to spend in France, Italy, wherever we choose. I have a few things I want to do this week before I leave, but I was able to check off a few items this weekend.

1 - I went swimming at night and although I do think the water is warmer at night, I'm sure the wine helped a little bit. We had a great time in the ocean being tossed around like hockey pucks!

2 - I went to the Chagall museum.

3 - I visited the ancient roman archaeological ruins from the 5th century!

Most of all, I just had a great time around town and a great ending to my trip.

Stay tuned for the finale...

Antibes Saturday, Monte-Carlo (Monaco) Sunday

Well, I'm through 4 weeks now and I can't believe how fast the time has passed. It is sad really, because there are still so many things to do, see, and learn. However, I can report that my progress is more evident now than before and although I still have a LONG way to go, I feel that I have accomplished exactly what I was looking for, the life experience. Being here has been a great educational experience, but is has also been great to learn more about myself, those I have met here, the culture, etc. On the weekends, I take advantage of exploring new places and during the week I experience the local tradition of hanging out with my friends, often at the beach with a bottle of wine, other nights I try to study! I feel like there is still so much for me to do and my time is running out! I am so happy that I made the decision to come. I can't believe how many people do this on a more frequent basis and now understand why they do it and am envious of the experience they gain. Here are some new pictures out and about... Antibes, me at the Princes' Palace, driving around town, and the famous Formula 1 corner in Monte-Carlo.

Saorge

Saturday I went to Saorge. I guess it is considered a part of or the tip of the Alps. What was supposed to be a visit to one of the 40 prettiest villages in France became a hiking expedition. There was no sign for how pedestrians can get to the village, so we hiked up the mountain to get to the village. I tried to find out how high up I hiked because the pictures don't do it much justice, it was far and high as hell! Things are still well and I think I will be well prepared for my french class at home. I'm not sure where I'm going this weekend, but should be somewhere good. I'm visiting with a friend of Calvin's and his family Thursday, so I'm anxious to meet them and work on my french. I'll keep the message short and let the pictures speak for themselves, although the beach view is from Nice, not Saorge, but is was so pretty I had to include this time. Hope everyone is well.

It's not all fun and games, but it's sure close!

Tuesday, Bastille Day, I had a good day. I got to walk the red carpet in Cannes and view the fireworks there that night. I held a conversation in French with one of my classmate friends; however poor and basic it might have been, I was still excited. It's been great, but I am a little exhausted trying to keep up with school, studying, travelling, and socializing. I know, what a tough life!! It is going to be hard to leave, especially since I don't have to clean, cook, do my laundry... I sure hope Calvin is ready, becaue I'm spoiled now!

I'm anxious to start my French class back home, I hope this helps progress my studies, but I'm sure it will. Although I have a long way to go, I have noticed that I continue to pick up something new every day. I'm still not sure what I could or will do with a language, but I've sure been having fun in the meantime. I can't believe how fast the time is going. I still need to figure out where Calvin and I will travel to when he visits, let alone make reservations. I have some areas in mind, like Tuscany, but if we are going to rent a car, we'll have the ability to take things one day at a time.

I've added some pictures from Cannes. On the red carpet I wore an Old Navy dress, American Eagle sandals, and the earnings are from Claire's, I believe. I did my own hair and makeup!

I'm not sure where I'm going this weekend, but you'll find out soon...

Grasse

Well, yesterday (Sunday) was a visit to Grasse. I was hoping to view the lavender fields, but apparently they are in the hills and accessible only by vehicle, so instead we just walked around and toured the perfumery, which was interesting. On the way home we made a stop in Mandelieu, which is next to Cannes. Not really much there, but cute; however, we missed the train and had to wait 3 hours for the bus to Cannes to catch the train home from Cannes. Oh, I was tired and pooped, but glad everything worked out. Tomorrow we are free of school, so a few of us are going to Cannes to watch the festivities for Bastille Day, that should be exciting, but Wednesday it will be hard to get up early again. I don't have anything new to report and plan to go home and study now, but things are still well and school was good today. Until next time, here are a few new pictures...