What a week!! London and Venice were a whirlwind.  I have to say I preferred Venice for its laid back atmosphere and warm weather.  London was a bit too much like the US for my taste, but it was still a great vacation.

     In London we saw the Olympic stadium (can't wait to watch it on television...very cool!), Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Platform 9 3/4 (yeah Harry Potter!), Tower Bridge, London Eye, and Hyde Park.  Our hostel was great.  Really clean and the staff were very friendly! (Astor Victoria Hostel)  I would definitely recommend it for any young people looking for a cheap stay in London.  It's only a 10 min walk from Buckingham Palace and really close to Victoria Station.
The first day in London, we went straight to the Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard...what a crowd!  Too many people for my liking.  The ceremony lasted over 30 min; we only stayed for about 20.  It was too hot to fight for a picture of marching guards.  Upside:  two marching bands led the guards into the Palace and they played American jazz music.  Interesting choice...
Westminster Abbey was beautiful!  We did not want to pay 13pounds (about $20) to see the inside, but the outside was magnificent.  I can see why the royals get married there...I wouldn't mind if I had to!  Right next to the Abbey is the British Parliament building.  It was probably my favorite London building. The architecture is simply amazing and intricate.  Very neat.
One afternoon we ventured to Covent Garden.  It's a kind of outdoor market filled with vintage odds and ends, but surrounded by designer boutiques.  An interesting mix of old and new.  I would definitely recommend this area if not for the shopping, for the street performers.  There is always something to watch!

Olympic Stadium 2012

     Venice was absolutely amazing.  The weather was perfect (mid-80s) and the people were so nice and helpful.  When Terra and I got to our hotel the first night (the group's apartment wasn't available til the second night), we asked where to find shampoo and razors.  The man (presumably the owner) brought us to a giant store closet and gave us free shampoo and cheap razors!  Talk about a great first impression.  The hotel was spotlessly clean and I would also recommend it for its private bathrooms and free wifi (a rare thing in Europe)! (Casa Gerotto Calderan)
     On our way to the apartment the next day, we got lost...about one hour off course.  The roads of Venice are such a labyrinth.  They end abruptly and are ridiculously winding and narrow...very easy to get lost without a map.  After that mildly-stressful situation, the rest of our time in Venice was peaceful.  We saw San Marco Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs, the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge, went to a beach, and took a water taxi ride.

     I can truthfully say I never had a bad meal the entire trip!  British fish and chips are all they're cracked up to be.  And so is the hard cider!  The pasta and pizza in Italy were even better than expected.  The only bad experience was the famous Venetian drink, Spritz (recipe).  It was recommended by everyone we spoke to, but it was awful!  It has an incredibly bitter taste and is nothing I would like to taste again.

     Getting home today was a bit of a struggle.  Our plane from Venice left in Italian time...30 min after the printed ticket.  Our hour layover in London turned into 20 min.  If not for the kindness of two British security guards, we would not have been able to cut the security line and RUN to catch our flight.  Someone must have been looking out for me!

Where to begin!  These past few days have been great.  Today was our last day of first session class.  Three weeks gone already!  Time is flying by.

Wednesday night was l'Institute de Touraine talent show...we sang the MSU fight song and alma mater!  Of course, no one understood anything and we sounded terrible, but it was fun to share our traditions with La Guingette.

Yesterday was La Fête de la Musique!  It is a nation-wide holiday of-sorts where live music is played all day and well into the night.  And it's free!  The perfect day for a poor American college student trying desperately to stay on budget.  There were all kinds of music--rock, rap, classical, punk, ethnic, etc.  We saw a steel drum band at La Guingette that was really awesome!  And at Place Plumereau, we saw a rock band....and I participated in the mosh!  It was an interesting experience (one that I can say with 99% certainty that I will never do again), but it was fun and I'm glad I was peer-pressured into it.  At least I burned off some of the excessive calories for the day!

La Fête de la Musique

Like I said before, today was our last day of first session.  I will be sad to see my days of no work be left behind.  But I suppose it is time to actually start working!  This afternoon, we took an oral placement test, and when we return from our week-off, we learn our class schedule for July.  After the placement test, I got ice cream--Kinder Bueno Bar flavored!  If you haven't had a Bueno Bar before...you have not lived.  And they are sold in the states, so buy one ASAP!  They are heaven in a candy bar.

For dinner tonight we had sardines!  I was extremely nervous that I would hate it.  In the states, sardines are known to be disgusting, fishy crap not worthy of eating.  But they were delicious!  Not bad at all.  I don't know if it was the way Hugette cooked them, but I would eat them again.  There was also pâté de lapin...also amazing!  She also made us homemade tiramisu--words cannot describe how amazing it was!  And Wednesday night she gave us millefeuille, a famous french dessert (Images of Millefeuille).  Today I treated myself to a mini chocolate pastry that was to die for.  I also tried un macaron nutella yesterday for about 1euro.  I could eat French desserts (really all French food) all day, every day.

Le 3 Chocolat

Sunday I leave for London!  And then on to Venice on Wednesday night.  I am so excited for my week-off.  It will be the best experience of my life.  Hopefully I don't get lost!

Paris was amazing!  I visited le Musée d'Orsay (Was literally a foot away from real Pissaro and Monet artwork! Cannot believe this is real life), went to the TOP of le tour eiffel (absolutely terrifyingly-awesome), successfully got lost at least twice (took us two hours to find our hotel that was only a 30 min walk from le tour eiffel), ate food that was so good it is impossible to describe, bought a painting in Montmartre near le Sacre Coeur, went to la Cathédrale Notre-Dame, and to top it all off, got some sun :)

Observations of Paris:
1.  Heard more English than French...disappointment.
2.  A lot of French restaurants close to major monuments serve American dishes to please the American tourists...understandable but seriously, hot dogs are not that great!  They'd get a better pay-off with hamburgers.
3.  There is nothing like lounging in the park under the Eiffel Tower.
4.  Montmartre is probably one of the COOLEST places I have ever been.  I thought that the first time I was there, and second time around, it still holds true.
5.  Les Champs-Elysées is over-rated, in my opinion.  Too many people and not a practical destination for a broke American college student!
6.  Sleeping eight people in one hotel room is actually not that bad...especially when we pay only $33/person per night to stay in Paris!
7.  Taking the stairs on the Eiffel Tower is terrifying, but definitely worth it!  Only 9euro to get to the highest point in Paris?! Yes, please.
8.  Maps of Paris are tricky.  You think a street is straight...and next thing you know, you're an hour away from your original destination.  Advice?  Get a taxi hahaha
9.  The Metro is confusing.
10.  I can't wait to come back!

(Also please excuse the awfully placed pictures...I am still trying to figure out how to make it uniform with two pictures per row!)

 <--A real Monet painting!! <--a bridge full of locks

<--La Seine                    <--la tour eiffel

               <--View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

 <--Best French wine     <--dessert w/ sparkler!

                 <--Street band

 <--First French Café

<--Montmartre artist   <--Keila and I @ le Sacré-Coeur

     <--le Sacré-Coeur     <--l'Arc de Triomphe

Tomorrow I go to Paris!  Yay so excited.  Today in class we talked about the differences in the concept of marriage between France and the United States.  It's very interesting that the French regard a mistress/second family as an everyday occurrence!  The President of France has had quite the romantic history and they don't mind at all.  They see privates lives as private, no questions asked.  And then you have the US, where we know the name of the President's dog and his daughters' favorite things to do.  It was a very interesting discussion.

We had our first excursion today to les châteaux de Villandry and Azay-le-Rideau.  Both were awesome, but I preferred Villandry for its beautiful gardens. It was magnificent!  But if I had to live in a château...Azay-le-Rideau wouldn't be so bad.
Also for lunch I had les fraises et deux croissants again, but it was awesome when the vendor recognized me!  Probably more-so the fact that we are boisterous Americans that travel in a pack and would be difficult to forget, but it was still cool.

Les jardins du château de Villandry

                                             

le château d'Azay-le-Rideau

In class today we learned about the symbol of France:  Marianne.  She represents France and its revolution.  The blue is the color of France.  The red is the color of the revolution and the white is the symbol of royalty. Together they are France. She is female to represent the idea of a mother (hence, the exposed breast).  We also covered France's national motto:  Liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity).  It was an interesting class!  Probably the best one we have had so far.
After class I wandered with another student and bought lunch for 3.90euro--a sandwich, drink, and a pain au chocolat (a dessert croissant).  What a steal!  I also bought a backpack for my weekend/upcoming week trips that only cost 13euro!  It was a good day for my wallet.

Yesterday started off on a bad note for me.  Prior to leaving for a day trip to Amboise, France, we decided to pack our own lunches and bring them along to save some euro.  I went to a grocery store before the train station that morning to get some things.  I brought my things to the check out, but the woman picked up my apple and started speaking to me in rapid-fire French, using words I didn't know, and I was SO confused.  Eventually she took me back to the fruit and I figured out you had to weigh the fruit and get a sticker to put on it that would say the price...something that never happens in grocery stores in the US.  Little to say, I was embarassed and she hated me....probably will not go back to that grocery store again haha.
The rest of my day was fabulous though!  Le château d'Amboise was gorgeous and the views were amazing.  It belonged to a few French kings in its time--Louis I and Francois something-or-other.  Leonardo da Vinci is buried there in a crypt, so we got to see that, as well.  We had our lunches and champagne by a creek, and then found la maison de Leonardo da Vinci.  It was a small château itself!  The gardens were massive, and they had taken some of his inventions and brought them to life--a playground, fake guns, a tank, bridges, etc.  Very interesting.
For le dîner, we ate at a local restaurant and had the best food of our trip!  I had a une cocotte (casserole) with ham, potato, mushrooms, and local cheeses.  Words cannot describe how delicious it was!  For dessert, I had une crêpe nutella...just as amazing.  It was jazz night, and the owner played a piano in the window and sang.  The atmosphere was unbelievable.  Very French and relaxing; we didn't want to leave!  It was the perfect ending to a great day.

un crêpe nutella

the crypt of Leonardo Da Vinci

le château d'Amboise

la maison de Leonardo da Vinci

Amboise, France