Busy would be an understatement...

Hello!

I apologize (again) for dropping off the face of the Earth - I have been super busy living the Parisian life - aka doing a lot of homework and traveling!

I'm going to summarize the last two weeks as best as I can -

Day Trip with API to Champagne: As the headline suggests, two weeks ago we went to the Champagne region for the day. We had to meet the bus at 8AM- at which point it was absolutely pouring outside! Luckily the weather cleared up a bit by the time we got to our first destination - the Taittinger Champagne Factory/Wine Cellar. We had a tour of the champagne caves - which was really cool- complete with a champagne tasting at the end! While walking down the many stairs to the cellar my friend Jenna wiped out behind me while taking a picture and sent me flying down the staircase with her! Given my track record everyone thought it was me - which was pretty funny. People at the bottom of the staircase (who couldn't even see us) heard a big thump and all thought it was me falling down another staircase. Luckily nether one of us were hurt - and we all got a pretty good laugh out of the situation. After the tasting, we got back on the buses and headed to Reims - about an hour away from where we were. In Reims is a giant Cathedral where all of the Kings of France were crowned (dating back to Clovis). It is also where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The Cathedral is probably the most spectacular sight that I have ever seen - far surpassing Notre Dame and the likes. We spent the afternoon in Reims, and had lunch at a small bakery in the center of town. Finally we all climbed back onto the buses and headed to our final destination - the Mercier Champagne Factory. This wine cellar was much bigger than the first - and was much more high tech. We started the tour by watching a short film about the company, and then proceeded to get into elevators to take us into the cave. On the way down one side of the elevator opens up to act like a window and you see different levels of scenes on the way down (one of a hot air balloon, followed by a wine cellar, etc.) Finally at the bottom the elevator opens out onto a small train that you climb aboard and from there you complete the tour (it reminded me a lot of the tour at the Jelly Belly factory with Mom and Auntie Kate when I was little). Again, we had a free champagne tasting at the end of our time at Mercier. Overall we had a great day - complete with a MacDo run around 10PM when we got back to Paris. Nothing like chicken nuggets and a frosty to make you day complete.

Our First Parisian Strike - The French are notorious for going on strike. Last week all public transit went on strike for the day - talk about a giant headache. Trains that normally run every 5 minutes ran every hour instead, and when the train actually showed up you needed to battle your way on-board. Super stressful. But I survived and by the next day everything was back to normal.

Barcelona, Spain - Last weekend I went to Barcelona and had an absolutly wonderful time! Hillary and I left late Friday night and met up with Annie and Ellen at HelloBCN hostel - where we were able to share a room between the four of us for a great price. We saw so many wonderful things including Parc Guell, the Olympic Stadium, Gaudi's apartment, the magical fountian (which would have been more magical had it been turned on), the bizarre but really cool Sagrad Familia Cathedral (seriously you should Google this one), and of course the beach. At one point I "pulled a Sarah" and got my flipflop caught in an escalator in the middle of going up a giant hill while my friend was trying to take a picture of me and my two friends. Needless to say a lot of laughter ensued after a minute or two of panicking!

It would be a major understatement to say that the nightlife in Barcelona was impressive. It is common/expected to go out around 12 and not come home until 6am or later! Needless to say living like this for an extended period of time would kill me but for two days it was not too bad. The first night we were there we stumbled upon a gay club which had amazing music and was overall a really good time. On our second night our hostel took us to Razzmatazz the largest club in Barcelona - and dare I say the world. The club hosts over 5,000 people and is converted out of what appears to be an old warehouse. The concept was great, but I would of liked it better had the music been slightly different. Overall I had an amazing time in Barcelona, and enjoyed a much needed vacation- I can not wait until my next trip!!!

Presentation - Tuesday I gave my first presentation while in France. Called an orale expose I stood in front of my class (albeit only about 13 people all of whom I know) and talked about macaroons for an extended period of time. I think I did pretty well overall- but I am certainly glad that the experience is over!

This weekend is Easter, and two days later my 21st birthday! Needless to say the next time I write I should have lots of fun stories :)