My post-grad plan, my redo of study abroad and my year of teaching English in France is over! What an experience, what a trip.
1.ICELAND
Cities I visited: Reykjavik
Landmarks I visited: Viking World Museum, Blue Lagoon
2.FRANCE
Cities I visited: Lyon, Bourg-en-Bresse, Paris, Amiens, Grenoble, Annecy
Towns I visited: Oyonnax, Bellignat, Charix, Apremont, Samognat, Creil, Montataire, Nogent-sur-Oise, Pierrefonds, Versailles, Beauvais, Perouges, Villefranche-sur-Saone, Nantua Continue reading
I have been dying to go to Berlin for quite some time- it was on my list of places to visit before I left to study abroad in Montpellier! I didn`t make it there during my junior year abroad and placed it #1 on my travel list when I found out I was accepted to TAPIF! I majored in history in college, after all, and grew up with my dad teaching me episodes during the Cold War. Berlin just has so much to offer for me to learn about WWII and the Cold War, I couldn’t wait. Luckily, there was a flash sale on Ryanair linking Berlin and Adam’s #1 travel destination, Bratislava, so our Christmas trip was practically planned out for us!
There’s just so much to see in Berlin that I felt like I barely scratched the surface!
All. The. Christmas. Markets. Continue reading
Happy New Year! I recently-just this week, actually- got back from a 4 country trip for the Christmas holidays! With Adam, I got to visit the Paris Christmas markets, spend Christmas in Berlin, New Years in Bratislava, Slovakia, along with a much-too-short day trip to Vienna. I had an absolutely amazing time and wil have several blog posts up in the next few weeks, but here are some initial photos from my fantastic trip!
one of the lock bridges in Paris
I`ve been dying to go to Berlin and I am very excited to be spending Christmas there!
I`ll be visiting Adam in Creil, visiting the Paris Christmas markets, maybe Lille. Then an overnight bus to Berlin, where we will celebrate Christmas with schnitzel, bratwurst, and mulled wine! Bratislava is our destination of choice to ring in 2016, with a possible daytrip to Vienna, as the two capitals are very close. Stay tuned!
When I first studied abroad in Montpellier, I wrote a list of places that I wanted to visit while I was in France. After a very short period of time, the list looked like me listing every country in Europe. Well. I can’t do that in one year abroad- without totally blowing my bank account- so I had to narrow it down. This year, once again, I am taking off on a months-long European adventure, hoping to squeeze in some budget travel. The places I’m dying to visit this year are:
-Berlin
Berlin has been my #1 European travel destination for a while now! As a history buff, there’s so much to see in Berlin: Checkpoint Charlie, various WW2/Holocaust museums, the Reichstag, etc. I’d love to visit and be able to explore a major world capital that was once behind the Iron Curtain. (Read about my trip to Berlin here.)
Skyline of Berlin
One of the best things about studying abroad during the fall semester (and the full year!) is the array of Christmas markets than you can enjoy. Europe really does it up for Christmas, and French Christmas markets are spectacular, along with those of other nations’! Here’s a roundup of the Christmas markets I was able to attend in 2013!
Update: Christmas market additions from 2015!
Of course, the that I knew the best is the one near which I lived! The Christmas market was located within the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle- or park at the end of the Place de la Comédie. The two main passages were lined with chalets selling chocolates, jewelry, scarves, Christmas tree ornaments, decorations, hot wine, or food. A big attraction was the ice skating rink located at the front of all the boutiques, with both French and American Christmas carols playing for the skaters. This first Christmas market was where I- along with all the study abroad students- developed a taste for vin chaud, or mulled wine. You can learn more about the Montpellier Christmas market here.
“Les Hivernales”: the name given to the Montpellier market
A Wanderlust Dossier 