Wine, cheese, baguettes and flamingos in Southern France

I took off from Berlin the next morning, leaving all of my wonderful friends behind. Luckily, I have other wonderful friends in France that I met on my internship in Ireland. First stop was Grenoble, France. It is a smaller town close the Alps.

Picture:

I met Olivier there (my french friend from Ireland who had visited me in Berlin in October) and then we waited for Laetitia to get off of work. It was great to see him. We had a coffee and then set off around Grenbole. A very small city, but seeing it was my first time in France I wanted to soak it all in! Olivier had just gotten back from Nepal (talk about world traveler) and so he shared some of the experiences he had while there. Soon enough Laetitia was off work. The plan was to go out drinking; and boy did we manage that! We went bar hopping. Laetitia's boyfriend, Xavier, led us around buying us drink after drink. I even had one drink where they light it on fire and then you have to suck the fumes in through a straw! They also spoke English the whole time for me. Laetitia's English has gotten so much better, and Olivier always spoke pretty good English. But I am working on my French ;) Me and the french at the last bar:

The next morning, we woke up early (7 am) to go skiing. I was feeling a bit hungover but got my butt out of bed. Laetitia had to work, so it was Olivier and a friend of his. I was definitely the worst at the whole skiing thing, but it was great to get on the slopes, even if it is only one time a year. I love the slopes that aren't steep and you can kind of just coast along. But I did surprise myself and improved greatly in one day. This makes me want to take a week long skiing trip; maybe then I would be able to do a black diamond! Olivier, his friend, and I on the slopes:

Another beautiful picture of the mountains:

It was also sooo warm! Probably 70 degrees on the slopes. Thank goodness because all I had on was a fleece and a wind breaker. I ate lunch in just my tshirt! Very very fun experience. The next morning Olivier and I headed back to Montpelier. I got to stay at his house for almost a week. It was lovely; I met his friends and he took me out exploring to a different area every day.
Highlights include:

Seeing a palm tree for the first time in months.

Sitting on the beach watching the sunset.

Eating lunch overlooking the city of Montpelier.

Driving to a small french town made of stone and enjoying a bottle of wine and some duck.

Taking a hike up to the top of a mountain (in my Toms!! They were destroyed. I was probably the only person on the entire mountain not wearing hiking boots).

Seeing flamingos in the wild.

Walking around a nature preserve.

Beating all of his friends at pool.

Chilling with Olivier.

Other quick notes: French people eat baguettes a lot, it's not a stereotype. I ate cheese and it wasn't horrible. I love those dried French sausage thingies.

All in all, a wonderful trip. I can't wait until he comes to visit me in California.

February- Birthday and Valentines

As I posted in a previous post, February was... bad. February 3rd was Kylie's accident and I was in a black hole for about a week. Of course, this black hole week was also the week I had a 45 minute presentation in German in a German course, and a test for a class, both of with determined my entire grade. So not only was I in a black hole of depression, I was also in a black hole of seeing no point in studying when my best friend was fighting for her life. However, I managed without making a complete fool of myself... something looking back, I can't believe I managed that.

The day after the accident my dad told me to leave my apartment (it was a struggle... I could hardly go anywhere without crying) to go watch an opera I had bought tickets for. It was the "Komische Oper" or in English, the weird opera. And let me tell you, it was weird. Besides the fact that my brain was in another world, half of the opera was some naked man running around stage like a wild animal. Seriously weird. Part of our group left halfway through because they couldn't handle it. The Sunday after was the Superbowl. I watched at an American bar in Berlin. It had a feeling of home; everyone was speaking English and being American. The even were serving American beer! Considering the game was being played here at around midnight, I only made it to half time. But it was nice to get out of my apartment.

On my birthday, my apartment planned to have a going away party for Martin (he was heading off to Poland for an internship) joint with my birthday party. Thank goodness for good news about Ky, I was able to celebrate properly. To make it even better, Jeff (yes my brother!!) showed up. As I wrote earlier, hugging him that moment was what I needed. It felt so right; those moments that remind you how much your family really means to you! All of my wonderful friends here showed up and gave me plenty of chocolate and laughter, making it a birthday of good memories. The next day I was off to visit Phil and celebrate our birthdays together in Wolfsburg!

Wolfsburg is a small town about an hour from Berlin. It is completely built around the VW Factory. Phil said 9 out of 10 people in the city work for some part of the factory. And the factory itself is like its own city! It's got almost anything you could ask for. They also have an Autostadt. It is like the Disneyland of cars; there are showcase halls to show off all of the different brands of cars that they make including Porsch, Lamburgini, Audi, and of course the classic VW.

The first day I was there we didn't step foot into the factory. Instead, we got ready for our America themed birthday party that Phil had organized. He invited his good friends to his flat; surprisingly, most were girls! Oh Phil ;) They were all dressed up too with blue hair, face paint, the works! We drank sect, talked, ate, and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Very nice people.



The next day we went to a bigger city an hour from Wolfsburg called Hannover. It had been pretty cold lately, so a big lake had completely frozen over. This hadn't happened the last 3 years! I was lucky enough to enjoy it. We rented ice skates and skated 3 kilometers to one end of the lake and 3 kilometers back. By the end of it, I had gotten my work out.

The whole idea of the frozen lake was so cool! People were playing ice hockey, sliding on their stomachs, walking; a very new but exciting experience.





The next day, Phil worked half of the day and then we went to the Autostadt. I don't know much about cars, but Phil knows load especially about the VW cars. They were all so shiny and pretty, can't wait to have my own :) This was also the spot where people pick up their cars. They order them, and then fly to the VW factory and drive them home. There is a whole system set up for it. Everything was new for me. I had no idea there was something like that for cars. There was even a car elevator, a place to test your car on different types of pavements, a car on a wall, and a currywurst specific to VW. Each showcase hall also had a different theme. One was a light show another you could swing on a swing. Very cool :)

A really really nice car, but I'm not sure what type:


The actual Fabrik (factory):


My next car??


Me in front of the VW sign:




It was so wonderful seeing Phil and where he lives and where he works. It was a wonderful weekend, so thanks Phil!

The following Tuesday was Valentines Day! Continuing my tradition of not having a Valentine, we made dinner at Ethan's house. Joe, however, being the nice man that he is, got Liz, Caroline, and I flowers :) It was so thoughtful, and I've continued to buy myself flowers just because they look so nice in my room!!! (Oh yeah. I changed rooms! My new room is small and not decorated at all meaning I took complete freedom in putting up all of my decorations; it feels much more me than pink and Audrey Hepburn ;)

Joe in front of my newly decorated wall:


Flowers from Joe!:


In February, a really big film festival also occurred called the Berlinale. Stars were said to be walking the streets of Berlin; this includes Christian Bale and Robert Patterson! I didn't see any stars, but I did go see a swedish film (with english subtitles). I think it was called "The Crown Jewels" but I could be very wrong. It was an excellent film about life, love, happiness, and that sort of thing. Of course, it wasn't a happy ending and had some very weird twists on it. I enjoyed it though!

Me with the Berlinale bear:


The rest of February was finishing up school and papers and saying goodbye to good friends that were going back home after a semester abroad. It was sad to see them go, they really made Berlin such a wonderful city for me.

Our last night altogether in Berlin:

January = SNOW

January was a weird month. Seriously no big events in Berlin happened in this time except for one- we finally got SNOW!!! It began to fall from the sky and I was so incredibly amazed. It happened 3 times when I went to bed, and woke up the next morning to a blanketed outdoors. Another check off the bucketlist! So exactly how did I deal with the cold? I wore this big jacket with a sweatshirt underneath, leg warmers, a scarf, boots, gloves, and tights underneath my jeans. Those were necessary. And while it wasn't ever warm, I wasn't ever disastrously freezing, even when it reached almost 0 degrees Fahrenheit. That kind of cold only last for 2 weeks but had some positives. Lakes and ponds froze over which I have never seen before. I clearly remember one day throwing rocks at a pond and being so amazed when the splunked through the ice into the water. Fascinating :)



SNOOOOWWWWW!!!


This months was slightly depressing. I even started taking a picture a day just to make sure I was taking pictures!! Here's one:



It translates to "If I fall, who will catch me?" It was written on this beautiful fountain in Volkspark, Friedrichain (the closest park to my apartment). I went back today for a run and it was still there!

Continued to have dinners with my sprachkurs group (Annalous, Damian, Augustin, and Hipo). Fun group of awesome people from everywehere:

Me, Annalous, and Augu:


Me, Hipo, Annalous, and her boyfriend (Damien went missing for a bit):


Other things that I remember doing (now only because I have pictures!!)

My roommates and I celebrated Martin's birthday by going dancing to some Balkan beats (mix Russian music with electro). This was the night I met tattoo guy for my friends that are reading:


I also went to an abandoned amusement park in Berlin. Quick note: there are a lot of abandoned things here, especially in the east. After the GDR got kicked out, it left a lot of empty government buildings; when people left, a lot of residences and other types of places were also left behind. Other places that I've heard of: ice factories, jails (been to that one), military bases, etc etc. This leaves a lot of places to explore :) So we went to the amusement park. You can sneak in, but we just took a train around it because me and sneaking in don't go well together (I wish it did sometimes!!!) Another friend of mine told me a story of how he actually got on the ferris wheel and it went around and he almost couldn't get off (it spins because of the wind, not because anyone is operating it). Oh and it creeks; very very eery! It's abandoned apparently because the owner sent rides to Peru for repairs and was actually smuggling drugs in the rides! Pictures:





Also made it to the German parliament, the Reichestag! Watched them debate about something about animal rights. Couldn't quite understand, and it was bit boring to be honest. But the architecture of the dome on top is fantastic!


One cold day, the Americans (as I lovingly dub them) went to Potsdam. Potsdam is considered the "royal" type of suburb in Berlin. There are actually castles here that weren't destroyed in any of the bombings. It was FREEZING this day but was the first time I saw snow stick to the ground!!



Also made it to the Soviet Memorial near Treptower park. This was built of course by the Soviets for all of the soldiers they had lost. IT IS MASSIVE!!! They really wanted to make a statement. But definitely worth the visit, it is gorgeous:





In the top picture, the statues way off in the distance is a) huge and b) crushing a swaztika with a sword. Cool :)

Lastly, I'll leave you with some creative graffiti seen around Berlin. I guess not creative, more just to the point:



So to explain this one, hipsters are guys and girls in skinny jeans with a cool haircut, and weird shoes:


Another one needs no explanation:


This was at the entrance to a club. So creative!! It's a way to collect bottles to get "Pfand" (money back, 8 cents a bottle):


Think that's it for January! Longer post than I thought :) January wasn't so bad after all.

Back to blogging- where I've been

So I've been off of the blog for a while. It's been a combination of factors. In January, I had a rough time here. The horrible weather, just leaving my family, and the guy I had been hanging out with for a while decided he didn't really want to hang out anymore. I had a short quick burst of genius though and made my bucketlist of things to do in Berlin before I leave. And the list is long :) Looking forward to the next four months here.

I also went traveling for the last month, which most of you know, I really enjoy. I saw loads of incredible things in 5 different countries: France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, and Ireland. Even better was I had friends in 3 out of 5 places which saved me incredible amounts of money and I got to see some really good friends that I haven't seen in a while. More about this later...

February was a different story. As many of you know (if you are reading this I am sure you know) one of my best friends, Kylie, was hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street and sustained major brain injuries. Two months later she is doing much better but it is baby steps.

Her and I in Texas this time last year:


I am so thankful that I have a strong group of friends at home, I do not know what I would do here without them. They are amazing, beautiful, smart girls that I am so lucky to have in my life. We have all been there for each other for the last 8 years of our lives, and it didn't change after Kylie got hurt. I do not know what I would've done without them. Kristen, Sarah, Nicole, and of course Kylie last July:



I didn't want to blog after this. I felt like I was bringing unwanted attention onto myself, when all of my thoughts were going to Kylie. It was hard for me to do anything the following week. Thank goodness I have wonderful friends here that were very understanding and did everything in their power to cheer me up. A week later we were receiving better news about Kylie and I was able to celebrate my birthday without crying :) I think I even laughed a few times. To make it even better, Jeff was in Berlin. So I got to celebrate with my wonderful brother. When I got to hug him, it felt so wonderful and was exactly what the doctor had prescribed :)

So before more about that, on my travels I've collected pictures of crosses in various countries. At every one, I said a prayer for Kylie. I wish that I could see her and tell her that I love her, but I know in four months my time will come. I only ask if you are reading this to say a prayer for Ky; she's doing great and your prayers will only help.

A small town in South of France:


A wonderful hike to this one near Montpelier, France:


Cascais, Portugal:


Suburb of Lisbon, Portugal:


Copenhagen, Denmark:


Dublin, Ireland:


County Meath, Ireland:


I'll leave you with this lovely picture of Dublin the day after St. Patty's day. It's views like this that remind me that miracles do happen and to have faith. Keep going Ky.