Hey all,
This is my chronicle of my European adventures, or at least the ones I choose to share with you. It's getting quite close now, just over a month until I hop the pond to Austria.
So, here's the plan.
My aunt Gretchen and I are leaving on the 16th of May and flying for over 24 hours (on and off) to Austria. From there, we'll sleep off some jet lag and spend time with our cousin Megan and her family in Vienna. Then, we'll explore Vienna a bit, visit some castles, try to learn some German, and then take the train to Munich. After probably a day or so there, Gert and I will take an overnight train (how European!) to Paris, where we'll spend at least four days, hopefully renting a small apartment for a bit.
We'll spend the majority of our two weeks of travel in France, I believe. From Paris, we'll take another train to Nice, and hopefully take a day trip up to Grasse to visit the perfumeries and flower fields. After that, probably on the 28th or 29th, we'll take another train from Nice to Lyon, where I'll be spending the rest of my time in France.
Sometime after that, I'll meet up with my host family and get ready to start my Gastronomy and French Identity and the French Culture classes on Monday, May 31st. Gretchen will fly home by herself (tearful goodbye, try to reassure my parents that I'll live) and I'll get down to business. I'll be flying back on July 10th, and hopefully back in Columbia around July 13th.
So I'm getting nervous now, photocopying everything and mentally packing. (How many pairs of high heels should I take?) I have a foot-long checklist of things that still need to get done, on top of finals and essays. When on earth will I find time to sleep? Probably August.
I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible, but I still don't know if I'm taking my laptop... hm.... Probably. Add insurance to my list of things to get.
If anyone has any tips for me about safe yet fun travel in Europe, please let me know! I'd love to hear about your adventures before I start mine.
A bientôt!
Claire
