I am beginning my spring break adventure where all adventures begin--aboard an SNCF train. I was hoping to sleep for the first portion of my 8 hour journey, but am instead sitting here pondering "who is louder, the toddler yelling in front of me or the African (legit African--like spoke to me in some strange tongue) women chattering behind me? Oh the difficult questions that plague my life these days!
We're speeding through the beautiful French countryside speckled with yellow fields of flowers, small farms, grassy pastures, vineyards, petit towns that seem to have been plopped down in the middle of paradise, and of course, breathtaking coastlines. I have never seen anything as beautiful as the scenery outside my window. France is my paradise. I feel myself falling more and more in love with the country, culture, and language everyday. So if anyone is looking for a roommate in France--I'm your girl.
I'm headed to Nice, located along the ritzy Cote d'Azur. I've never been quite that far south and am looking forward to the rocky beaches, dazzling night life, and bourgeois attitude.
And so will begin my 15 day adventure through Europe. Now that my backpack is packed (weighin precisely 20 lbs) and my passport is in my pocket, much of the stress has dissipated and I am ready and excited to begin this journey.
I'm so lucky to have this opportunity and being here still feels like a fairytale, even three months in. So to everyone who helped me get here: my parents and family for their undying love, support and advice (and financially support once my debit card hits Italy--thanks in advance!), my siblings for being continuously amazed by my stories and for adding normalcy and inspiration to my life, my roommates at ND for allowing French literature to be strewn about our room and for listening to me practice French irregular verbs, my friends for your jokes (yes...I know you hate France), emails, skype sessions, gchats, and for keeping me involved in your lives even from so far away, and for everyone who has helped me learn French over the past few years--this trip may have been impossible otherwise (no Chris, you do not count...your French is rusty). I can't thank you all enough for helping me get here and I'm so excited to share more stories/photos with you when I return.
Until next time, a bientot!!
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