shelly
I'm just a free-spirited life-lovin' girl from the states who has a passion for travel. in 2005 I explored New Zealand and had an adventure of a lifetime. Now, I am off to discover the joys of Europe where I will teach English to kids in France. You are more than welcome to follow my travels! I welcome any travel tips/advice/suggestions from any fellow globe-trotters...ShellyAbroad
Feel free to browse the entries, pictures, and leave a comment. Drop me an email:)
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." -- St. Augustine
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain
Hi friends! I am seeking employment opportunities in International Education. I want to travel around and share my love of learning and traveling! Any suggestions or advice would be welcomed! Let me know if you hear of any interesting options!I am open to everything and everywhere!!
Travel Blog Posts
Where the English Things Are...
Published: February 22nd 2007Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London
January 19th 2007
'Ello Fellow English speakers! I did it! I took a break (much needed rather) from the land of Babel, lost in translation, and mix up that comes with living in a foreign speaking land. Katie, Kelly, Carla, and I decided to hop the English Channel over to the land of crumpets, red phone booths, tea, hot accents (princes too!), and the Queen. We all figured that "Of Course!! London will be such a breeze, totally a piece of cake!!", since we could speak their Official langauge. Well, were we ever wrong!!! Right off the bat, we were flabbergasted by the complexity and disorganization of the city. If we could manage our way through Budapest in a jungle of hungarian signs, why could we not get from point A to Point B in an English speaking country??? ... read more
January 9th 2007
Bonjour tous le monde!! here are some photos of the trip to Chenonceau that I took with Phil! it wasn't a long trip, just about 45 minutes from Chatellerault by train. The Chateau is gorgeous and right on the Loire. We enjoyed yummy baguettes with Peanut butter and jelly in the castle's gardens. There were not very many people there except a highschool tour group of Americans... can we say "hormonal teens"??? But, we ended up losing the crowds and touring the castle by audio guide. That night, we made a heap of tacos and kicked back for the last supper with Carla and Katie. Taco night is always a fabulous way to end a trip. Stay tuned for more blogs!! -Shelly ... read more
To the Heights of Europe: An Alpine Ascent in Chamonix
Published: January 26th 2007Europe » France » Rhône-Alpes » Chamonix
January 5th 2007
Hitting the Alps!! Salut tous le monde! Onward with the journey mes amies! From Paris, Phil and I boarded a train enroute to Chamonix in the French Alps. Immediately, the adventure of the twelve hour french sleeper train commenced. One would imagine that on said train that one could most definately find a dining car...pas de problem, non? Try it again buddy. After getting prepped for a night on the non existent car of dining, we quickly found out from the cold and unhelpful Train controler as he shrugged "Non, pas ici! Il n'y a rien!!!" (translation: NO! not here! There is nothing, what are you thinking you dumb Americans with bad accents?!...ok maybe I added that last part...) So, like I said...onward. We took our hungry selves to the only vending machine we could find ... read more
Gargoyles and Stained Glass: Visiting Chartres Cathedral
Published: January 24th 2007Europe » France » Centre » Chartres
January 3rd 2007
From under the Eiffel Tower to the most beautiful Gothic Cathedral.... Phil and I continued on and took a day trip to the infamous Chartres Cathédrale de Notre-Dame(a special merci to the Dimons!) The cathedral is a must see on any visit to France. Only about an hour by train from Paris, and you can see one of the most (if not the most) beautiful examples of Gothic architecture in Europe. There are over 130 stained glass windows (most not even changed since the 13th century) I recommend taking a guided tour or renting the audio tour of the church, we did, and we learned quite a lot about the symbology behind the stained glass and the stone sculptures. It is really a magnificent example of medieval Gothic architecture! Unfortunately we could not take photos inside ... read more
St. Sylvestre sous le Tour Eiffel! New Year's Eve Under the Eiffel Tower!
Published: January 22nd 2007Europe » France » Île-de-France » Paris
December 31st 2006
Bonne Année!!!! Happy New Year!!!! What a way to ring in 2007! Once back in Paris and reunited with my buddies from abroad, including an exciting new addition who some of you might know as Phil, the festivities began. We started off the Happy New Year Happy Hour in the hotel with lots of red wine, champagne, fine french fromage and baguettes and of course les chocolat. Once we were completely fired up we hailed a taxi to the glittery Eiffel Tower where we celebrated in complete french fashion...popping champagne shouting "bonne 2007" to passers by and of course, les bisous! At the stroke of midnight the entire Tour Eiffel sparkled and fireworks were set off, truly trés magnifique!! After a night of minor debauchery with mes amies , Rachel, Phil and I thought it best ... read more
Frohes Fest! Joyeux Nöel! Merry Christmas!
Published: January 22nd 2007Europe » Germany » Hamburg » Hamburg
December 25th 2006
Updates are on the way!! more photos are yet to be uploaded! just wait Hello Friends from around the world!! I apologize for going under the radar lately, internet is very sloooww here in my town and makes updates difficult. More blogs and photos are coming though , so no need to fret! The next several blogs are about my vacation for the Christmas hoolidays: Germany, Paris, the Alps, around France, and soon I will include my Birthday in London!! Right now, I am back in my town teaching english to the french kids. Today we learned the most important lesson (in my opinion!) in order to survive in the USA..."How to order in an American Restaurant". Lots of fun simulating a US restaurant. The kids learned key phrases and vocabulary for reading the menu, ordering, ... read more
November 15th 2006
Dobré Jitro Everyone! After the few days in Budapest we moved on- Next up was Prague , which meant back on the beloved autocar, but this time our sentence was only 12 hours- this thrilled me! Once in Prague we had to regroup yet again change currency yet again and try and figure out the Signs (all in Czech) yet again... Whern we arrive to our hotel I was a little worried when I saw and smelled the inside. But were soon told (in only Czech mind you...here goes the Sherades game again..) by the hotel worker that we were being moved....,but to where? We had no idea but the words "appartment" and "we go" kept being thrown around and judging by her gesturing with her hands to illustrate the phrase « very big » ... read more
I'm Hungary, let's eat Buda!: Budapest
Published: November 24th 2006Europe » Hungary » Central Hungary » Budapest
November 15th 2006
Szervusztok from Hungary!! I recently got back from a trip to Eastern Europe. A good thing about the frenchies is that they take a lot of vacations and time off!! Teachers work an average of 18 hours a week and usually have three day weekends If the grueling work week is too much to handle the government gladly secures several national holidays in which everything is closed down; this includes all public forms of transportation!! I have had some trying experiences recently; it is a story that will be told at a later date, when the steam is burned off! I took advantage of the generous amount of time off and took a trip to the capitals of Hungary and the Czech Republic with Katie and Kelly. We thought we were so savvy in securing a ... read more
Chateau sighting and hanging with Leo Davinci!
Published: October 16th 2006Europe » France » Centre » Tours
October 15th 2006
This past weekend I took a short visit with Katie and Kelly to Tours, a city between my town and Paris. I love highspeed trains, the ride only took 45 minutes! We just stayed for one night but we packed in a lot of fun times. Tours lies in the beautiful valley of the Loire river and is a jumping off point for visits to chateaux in quaint medieval towns. We went straight to the small town of Amboise, about 10 minutes from Tours. Amboise is small and intimate with cobble stone streets and sidewalk cafes, chocolatiers, boulangeries, and chapels. I felt like I had traveled back in time as we climbed the pathway to Chateau d'Amboise. http://www.chateau-amboise.com/ Originally built in the 15th century, the castel has goen through extensive renovation and deconstruction throughout the centuries. ... read more
Settling into my French hometown
Published: October 16th 2006Europe » France » Poitou-Charentes » Châtellerault
October 11th 2006
Bonjour to you from Chatellerault! It was a complicated trip from Paris to Chatellerault but I made it (after a no-show taxi and bolt through the Paris train station that ended in a missed train and a purchase of an entirely new ticket). Isabelle, (my supervisor here at the highschool) picked me and Kelly up from the train station and welcomed us into her home. She cooked us a big dinner, yum! The next few days were spent getting me settled (with the help of Kelly) into my little dorm apartment at the Lycée. For lack of a better term and lack of a more aesthetically pleasing living quarters, I have dubbed the dorm apt "The Chateau" or "La Palais" or even more "The Mansion". Inhabitents of The Mansion include Veronica, a girl from Mexico. She ... read more
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