The South of France... The French Riviera... The Côte d'Azur... You might be tempted to call it Paradise for a couple days, depending on what you're looking for. Whatever they choose to call it, one thing is undeniable: the hordes of vacationers who end up of the beaches of south-eastern France all agree that a hell of a place for a relaxing vacation. Having heard for years about how gorgeous the area was, I decided to head down to see for myself. From Friday night, May 18 until Tuesday the 22nd I got to bask in the semi-tropical climate of [View Full Entry]

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NEWS FLASH! Nicolas Sarkozy is the new president of France!!!! On Sunday, May 6, the French population elected UMP candidate Nicolas Sarkozy over Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal in an electoral battle for the "new face of France". Following the victory of the conservative/moderate-right candidate for the 2007 presidential elections in France, the 6th president of the 5th Republic is Nicolas Sarkozy (popularly named "Sarko" by fans and detractors alike) of the UMP party. Everything has been culmining towards this point since the acceleration of the political campaigning in Octobe [View Full Entry]

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Did you know that it is possible to go skiing in the Northern Hemisphere during the month of May? I sure didn't, until Dominique invited me to accompany her on her annual 4-day skiing trip to Val Thorens in Haute Savoie, France! As the highest ski resort in Europe (the base is at about 2300m and the summit is at 3300m) they are able to stay open until May 8 every year, long enough to extract the last of the money from season-ending ski-addicts like us! I was thrilled when Dominique invited me to go skiing, because (if you didn't [View Full Entry]

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10 hours in a train seat is never my favorite way to spend a night, but it was worth it to get down to Sevilla (Seville) from Barcelona. As far as traveling goes, it's a pretty efficient way to go: cheap, low-polluting, and time-economizing: we arrived at 9 am and didn't have to waste a moment of daylight! Upon our arrival we walked (under gray skies...boo) to our hostel, which was in the center of Sevilla and only 25 minutes from the station. On the way we managed to buy ourselves some fruit from a small grocer, providing another opportunity [View Full Entry]

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My Easter vacation this year (which is a full week in Europe!) was spent in Spain- my first visit to country and only my second opportunity to use my rudimentary Spanish-speaking skills that I acquired in Peru. It's pretty much terrible, but sufficient to get me through 9 days in Spain, during which I criss-crossed the country by train and got to experience many different regions of the country. It was, as usual, a fabulous trip, and I am really glad I decided to (finally) go. It is so close to France (albeit all the way to the south) that [View Full Entry]

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I just had the most fabulous week with my Mom here in France. Her long-anticipated vist to see me was even more fabulous than I had been hoping for, and we certainly managed to pack a lot of stuff into 8 days! She arrived early on Sunday, March 25, and stayed until noon on April 2nd. During that span, we spent 3 days in Bretagne (Brittany, in the north-west of France), stopped in Chartres on the way home to Paris to see the cathedral, spent 1 1/2 days in the Valley of the Loire, and even managed to run around [View Full Entry]

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I just jogged by a man(?) in the street who was wearing a full gorilla suit, complete with hair, and carrying a black leather briefcase. What the ****???? I guess there are wierdos everywhere...France is no exception. That is all. ~Puzzled In Paris [View Full Entry]

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I am just about the luckiest person in the world. I basically just spent ANOTHER week on Sprink Break, but this time I did it in Paris, with friends, the traditional way...sightsee every day, party every night. Technically I did have classes, but since I have nothing to do yet, and 3 of 12 classes the first two weeks were cancelled...it was theoretical mostly. So why the sudden spurt of "oh my god I'm living a college kid's dream in Paris" self-indulgence? Two words: Lynsey and Georgetown basketball. My really good friend Lynsey just spent a week here in Paris for [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday I had the luck and opportunity to attend a conference at Sciences Po called "Committing to the Planet" (S'engager pour la planète) which was organized by an organization called La Nouvelle République. It was a fascinating experience because I got to see CEOS of big industry, politicians, ecologists, and scientists all sit down together and discuss ways for Europe (and France) to take engage themselves in the struggle to reduce greenhouse gases and what kinds of CONCRETE measures can be acted upon soon. The Environment Commissioner of the E.U. was present, as well, and it was inspir [View Full Entry]

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It is great to be back here in awesome Paris after my travels...I'm ready to stay put for a while! (Well, at least until my Mom comes at the end of the month and we go to Bretagne together). Classes started up this past week, and they all seem pretty good...with really light work-loads! Yay. So I'm taking advantage of the slow start to go out and enjoy "la vie à la parisienne" (take advantage of the Parisian lifestyle). Tonight I had so much fun I just have to blog about it...it was pretty much the perfect day, I have to [View Full Entry]

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