It's a Danube Dream

Sooo pretty much Italy was amazing. It was wonderful to see Ale after so many years--and heartbreaking to part once again! I'm really hoping we will be able to get together some other time this semester, but I know she is insanely busy, so I don't know how well that will work. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though!

I'm pretty much obsessed with the entire Bertoli family. It is obvious why Ale turned out the way she did! We spent some time at their house, looking at Mario's art collection (he has some beautiful things!) and talking and eating--sounds like Italy, right? We also went to some lakes and wandered around Brescia and a couple of other super cute towns in the area. Our train ride back was beautiful too! We went through Switzerland and got to see a lot more of the Alps and even stopped to switch trains and grab lunch in Lausanne, so I can say I've been in Switzerland now! Although I'm going to Geneva in a couple of weeks so I will be back.

I feel like I should say more about Italy, but we didn't do a whole lot. It felt so good to just relax a little and spend time with my family, reunited once again (except for Matt). That was my kind of trip--not much sightseeing, but a lot of people time.

I did some sightseeing around Paris with my parents while they were there too. We went up in the Montparnasse tower (side note: French is taking over in my mind. I just typed tour instead of tower!) which was really cool--a 360 view of the city and a great pic op for the Eiffel. They did some tours of their own (that time I mean the English tour :) ), to Normandy and Versailles, while I was in class, but I spent as much time as possible with them, and as an added bonus, away from Mme B! The second Friday they were there, we headed to Reims in Champagne and saw the cathedral where all the kings had their coronations and did a couple of champagne tours--yum! Saturday we had a wine and cheese lunch (double yum!) and I don't remember what all else we did. They left me on Sunday so they could stay closer to the airport to head back to the States on Monday.

I didn't miss them too much before they got here, maybe just because I knew they were coming, but once they left I really did! Especially when other friends were here or when I would pass the street I took to get to their hotel. It was soo nice to have them there and also to have somewhere to go besides my apartment. I'm so stressed all the time because I have to try so hard not to get yelled at so having a refuge was a great feeling!

Oh and I forgot to mention the cake with the host lady incident. She had been weirdly nice for a while (didn't last for too long though) and when she said she wanted to have my parents over for dinner or at least cake, I decided to accept since I thought it would make her happy. We figured dinner would take forever so went for cake, thinking it would be maybe an hour, definitely tolerable. We were wrong. It lasted TWO HOURS and it was basically her talking the whole time, saying the same things over and over again that I had to translate to my parents. We talked about agriculture a little since she knew we lived on a farm (and has surely watched several documentaries about those) and once again about the great problems of our days, such as the fact that there will be no more fish in 10 years. This is not a joke. This is my life in France. So pretty much cake was TORTURE and I was completely exhausted afterwards since I had to translate all of it since she knows no English and my parents no French. Which was awkward as well. Since she started yelling again less than a week later, I really wish that I had declined her invitation in the first place, but you can't blame a girl for trying!

The weekend after my parents left was crazy! I had 5 different friends in and out for 6 full days, and although I didn't get to spend as much time with any of them as I would have liked and I ended up completely exhausted, it was really nice to see all of them! I went to several new (to me) museums with Jon (friend since pretty much forever)...took a picture with "le penseur" aka the thinker at the Rodin museum and pondered some modern art at the Pompidou Center. Had dinner at Hippopotamus with him and Elisa and Kerry and Christy, picked up some palms at Notre Dame--not the same kind as we have back in the US! I looked like I had a tree growing out of my pocket all day. I think the highlight of their visits though was eating Subway sandwiches and polishing off a couple bottles of wine in the garden area right next to the Eiffel with Kelsey and Elisa until the sprinkles got to be too cold. Oh and Jon and Elisa and I climbed up in the Eiffel too. I hadn't done that yet! 670 steps I think--not as bad as I thought it would be, but I definitely could feel it when I trudged up the 3 flights of stairs to my apartment that evening.

And after two weekends at home with Madame Boquet, I was in great need of a break from Paris. Sooo I headed to Budapest, where I'm currently taking in the castles and cafes and relaxing in the hot public baths! It's great to have some cheap but delicious food and big glasses of wine for 1.50 DOLLARS no matter what time of day it is! I was really excited and also more than a little nervous to go somewhere I don't speak ANY of the language (I've figured out hello means hello or goodbye, as does szia) completely by myself. I am really enjoying it a lot though. There's an anonymity that comes with traveling by yourself--no one knows where you're from because they don't hear your English, and you can just blend in and observe the life around you. I've never been one who needs constant attention, so it really is a nice solitude in the midst of a giant city. It's really amazing that I can get around by myself too! I used to think I had about one of the worst senses of direction possible, but I walked all over Pest today with just a map and made it all of the places I wanted to go AND found my way back. :) Last night I went out with some people from the hostel, but all but one left this morning, and he's here until Wednesday so not wanting to see the things I do when I want to see them, so I just set off on my own this morning, had some goulash, saw a castle, went to the baths...a very relaxing day, which is just what the doctor ordered!

I just realized how long this entry is. I'm going to stop writing now. Hopefully starting now I won't be quite as busy and can update more frequently so they won't be as long! I say this two weeks out from spring break though, so I don't actually know if that will be the case. Bisous a tous! Vous me manquez!
(Read: Kisses to all! I miss you!)
K-Dub