Gratitude.

I have no great words of wisdom for my readers, as many others who have studied abroad seem to have when it is time to close this particular chapter of their lives.

All I have is a shattering sentiment of emptiness, as if something very precious from me has been stolen.

The funny thing is, though, that nothing has been stolen from me. To the contrary, I have been given so very much. The ability to feel such loss is proof, in and of itself, that this past year, I have loved and lived as much as I am capable. 

I guess that all I can say is that I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to study in France, to discover Europe for the year, to have met Antoine in the university residence kitchen my very first day in Rennes, and to have loving family and friends who will be there for me when it is all finally over and I have arrived in Denver.

I know in my heart that this is far from being one of my last voyages — I have come to find that I have itchy feet, and that I thrive on change and the foreign. While my last year at university will certainly not be the same as study abroad, I expect it to be the preparation I need to lead the life I desire: one in which I can constantly learn, challenge myself, discover, and be an active participant in this world while I still have time in it. 

And so I finish the last few pages of this adventure with a rather short epilogue, of which the last three words are:

To be continued. 

Dani

Antoine and I after scuba diving next to the îles Cerbicales in Corsica, June 7th. 

The Hills are Alive: April Adventures Part Two

From Liechtenstein, our worldly adventuring took us east... to Salzburg!

And, as musical theatre people who are virtually obsessed with Julie Andrews, Lydia and I had a killer time in Salzburg. It’s not only a beautiful city, but we were in many of the same places where the coveted star filmed The Sound of Music. How freaking cool is that?!

This staircase can be found in the Mirabell gardens, where the "Do-Re-Mi" scene in the movie is filmed. 

Doe, a deer, a female deer.. 

So basically our entire time spent in Salzburg was dedicated to Maria and the Von Trapp family singers.     

I am sixteen going on seventeen...

The backyard of Captain Von Trapp, where the children and Maria fall into the lake after the Captain returns home from seeing the Baroness in Vienna. 

Outside of our nerd-out for The Sound of Music, some highlights of our time in Salzburg included a visit to the Mozart family’s house, which serves currently as a museum.

With the purchase of the Salzburg City card, we were also able to go on a tour of the Stiegl brewery and try four of their beers. FO' FREE. 

"WE'RE IN A BEER GLASS!" We were quite titilated by the 3-D animation of our educational beer film! 

With "Edelweiss" stuck in our head and hearts, we boarded the train Monday morning to head to Prague!! :D

April 20^th, 2015

Upon arriving at the Art Hole Hostel in Prague (which I would most highly recommend), we immediately ran into an old friend from France:

KEVIN!!

We look happy, but those were actually the worst margaritas ever to be made on Earth. 

The three of us spent the next few days exploring the city together, partaking in a guided tour, eating (twice) at the best bakery on Earth called the Bake Shop (I have never had better quiche crust in my life. Sorry, France), embarking on a pub-crawl, and posing with things.

Center square! 

Photo shoot at the John Lennon wall.

We definitely did not spend enough time in Prague, and I would return there in a heartbeat. The city has a wonderful energy about it, and its architecture is not something that you would find in cities like London or Paris!

April 23, 2015 

Vienna, like Prague, is another city in which I wished we had more time to stay. There is only one word to describe it, and that word is GORGEOUS. Vienna has some of the most beautiful, elegant buildings I have ever seen, and it was astoundingly clean for a city of almost 2 million people!

My favorite two activities in Vienna were seeing the Schonnbrunn Palace, as well as going to see a Bach concert in the Konzerthaus.

The Hapsbergs used to live in this Palace during their time as rulers. I guess I wouldn't mind it. 

Our volunteer photographer: "Do something different!" 

While we didn't hear a whole lot of the Vienna Boys' Choir during the concert -- in fact, I think they only sang for about ten minutes in total -- we really enjoyed experiencing such classic, baroque music. I imagined myself lounging next to a backyard pool in an enormous hoop skirt, with numerous cherubs flying around my head and feeding me strawberries while an incredibly attractive blond played harp in the corner. 

Our final destination on our trip was Budapest, the capital of the Czech Republic.

I thought of a great metaphor for our April voyage: our two and a half weeks spent traveling can be represented by a giant sandwich. The fillings and the condiments of the sandwich are super awesome (think ancient-grain mustard, gruyère and parmesan cheese, fresh lettuce, all that good stuff). Then, imagine putting all those delicious middle parts between two slices of bread made of squirrel poo and shredded Wal-Mart bags. That was essentially our trip -- a super bad start (forgotten train pass) and ending with an awesome middle.

You see, in between soaking in one of Budapest's many bathhouses and going to get a massage at a day spa... Lydia's wallet got stolen on the metro. 

Money, credit cards, metro tickets, student IDs = gone. 

The upside was that her passport was safely locked in the hostel; so while the whole situation was stressful, everything ended up being all right! Afterwards, however, we needed that massage more than ever, and so we gratefully lounged in the Isis spa drinking tea and getting rubbed with mango butter for a full hour. 

IT WAS MARVELOUS. 

Fancy peeeooopplleee!!! 

To celebrate our last night before having to fly back home to France, we stayed for hours at the music festival in old town, eating fabulous food, drinking local beers, and listening to the SoulBand while sitting on an ancient fountain (I would upload one of my many clips I took of the group, but unfortunately they're not working.... :( ) 

Best sausage  I have ever had. 

We arrived back home in Rennes around four on Friday. I don't quite know how I feel about being back. On one hand, it's very sad to think that this was my last grand adventure before flying back to the States in June. Plus, the next three weeks will be spent finishing up essays and taking our final exams; that, paired with the stress of solidifying a summer internship, makes for a neurotic Dani! 

On the other hand, it has been so nice to be in a familiar place and back with Antoine, particularly as there is such little time left to simply be here, in Rennes, my home away from home. 

All I know is that I am not going to take a single second of the coming weeks for granted, because it will all be over only too soon. 

Time sure does go by fast, doesn't it? 

Love and hugs to all,

D 

April Adventures Part One (I'm sorry my wit failed and I couldn't think of a better title)

Guten tag, everyone!

It is April 18^th, and Lydia and I have officially been traveling for more than a week now. It has been two days since we waved goodbye to my aunt in Zurich, and we are currently on our way to Salzburg after an hour-and-a-half delay in Buchs!

We began our trip last Friday, April 10^th, in Geneva – since then, we have also been to Bern, Zurich, Buchs, and Sevelen in Switzerland, and the sixth smallest country in the world: Liechtenstein! Everything has gone almost perfectly according to plan… except when things didn't go to plan, as they happen to do every so often (especially when you're an ignoramous dunce like me). 

So let’s start at the very beginning: with Dani being a dunce! 

April 10^th, 2015

In the wee morning of Friday, Lydia and I joyfully boarded our train in Rennes to stop over first in Lyon, and then continue on to Geneva. Napping most of the way and being our giggling selves the rest of the time, we were thrilled to find that there was a Starbucks immediately upon entering the Lyon train station.

You know what that means?!? Orange mocha frappuccinos!

In reality, we both got lattes. I just had to use the opportunity to make a Zoolander reference. 

While Lydia guarded our bag, I waddled my way over to the corporate coffee chain and ordered myself a Café Latte, and, for Lydia, a Caramel Latte (skim milk, of course). I was contentedly standing at the corner waiting for our deliciously warm beverages when all of a sudden, I almost, quite literally, shat my pants.

From pure HORROR.

You see, it was at this exact moment in time, standing there with my eyes the size of planets and my mouth hanging completely open, that I realized……

I had forgotten my Eurail pass.

MY 300 EURAIL PASS TO TRAVEL. FOR TWO AND A HALF WEEKS.

I must have looked like a gawking idiot standing there, staring into the distance as if I had just witnessed a scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, because a Frenchman  waved his hand in my face to get my attention.

In shock, I wandered back to Lydia, innocently waiting for her Caramel skim milk latte, and declared, “We have a huge problem.”

After explaining the situation to an equally horrified Lydia, and with only a few minutes left to stay in the train station, I frantically started making calls to Antoine (who luckily lives in the same residence as I do). I woke the poor guy up, and, in tears, tried to explain the situation (“You have to go in to my room! You have to send me the train pass! I HAVE TO HAVE IT!”) Like the wonderful man he is, Antoine dutifully made his way to the reception desk at the residence and asked if he could have permission to break into my room (as I had the key, four hours away), find the train pass and send it to me via expedited mail.

The immediate response was a short, haughty, and thus very French “non.”

However, the completely overwhelmed, blithering mess that I was, I nevertheless managed to spit out some comprehensible French phrases on the phone to the woman at the reception desk, and she finally agreed to accompany Antoine into my room (100% forbidden according to resident policies, but evidently my tears of sorrow pulled on her heart strings) to retrieve the train pass.

An hour, a dozen phone calls and four emails later, Antoine had expedited the pass to my hostel address in Bern, to arrive three days later. Lydia and I drowned our sorrows in a bottle of white wine on the train. 

My advice to you travelers: Never. Forget. Your. Train Pass.

At this point, we believed that everything was going to be okay, even if I was going to have to buy my train ticket separately from Geneva to Bern on top of the pass that I had so sensibly forgotten. So, we decided to forget about the Odyssey of the Train Pass while in Geneva – the trip could only improve from then on!

And so it did. We met up with my aunt (whom I will lovingly refer to as NeeNee from this point on) at the Hotel Jade (delightful), and immediately headed to the botanical gardens lining the lake. After exploring old town and taking a boat ride across the lake, we enjoyed an absolutely FANTASTIC meal of fondue and white wine, provided by a merry Spanish couple who had lived in Geneva for forty years.

The white fondue was made of Vacherin cheese and the classic Gruyère, and it paired best the potatoes. The yellow fondue closer to the forefront of the picture was provençale: tomatoes and spices were added. It paired best with bread! 

While in Geneva, we also took time to visit...

THE UNITED NATIONS!!!! HURRAH INTERNATIONAL LAW!!!

We took a tour of some of the conference rooms used today by the UN, as well as the ancient Palais des Nations where the original League of Nations was founded.

We also went to the Red Cross Museum, and learned about the international humanitarian aid they provide!

On April 12th, we hopped on our train to Bern, the wonderfully charming capital of Switzerland. Our first afternoon, we hiked the hill to the Rose Garden (sadly lacking in roses) to see a killer view of the city.

We also visited the Bear Garden right next door (sadly lacking in bears). Luckily, they had enough fake ones to keep us tourists happy! 

While in Bern, we made many different friends at our hostel, Backpackers, including Aman (not AY-man or AH-man or Ah-MAHN, but more like Ay-mun. NeeNee created a new name for our friend each time we saw him), Alex from New Hampshire, and our Mexican friend I can't for the LIFE of me remember the name of. 

Now, you're probably wondering: did Dani get her train pass in the mail at the hostel like she was supposed to?

And to that, I must reply: is life EVER that easy??

The answer is a short, haughty, and very French “non.” I did not get my rail pass as previously planned.

That afternoon, after about 30 more minutes of phone calls, a frantic run to the almost-closed post office and a KILLER headache, I was told that my pass was, in fact, in Bern...two miles west of the hostel. I would need to pick it up the following morning in person at the package depot if I wanted to retrieve it before our train left at 10:02 the next day.

And so the Odyssey of the Train Pass continued.

April 14, 2015

We woke up bright and early so that Lydia and I could take the tram west to the mail depot. After ten minutes of tram and ten minutes of walking, we finally arrived…. At a massive warehouse full of nothing but packages and giant, hulking men in the middle of Bern’s industrial district.

Needless to say, we were a bit out of place.

We first went to the wrong office. After finding the right office, sweltering hot and full to the brim with 200-pounders of the opposite gender, we had to wait about ten minutes for the manager to help us locate the letter. Ten more minutes of phone calls passed.

Then (in thick German accent):

“We have little problem.”

The letter was apparently MIA, on the road, in a truck headed towards our old hostel.

After my blood pressure had enough time to skyrocket and I was about ready to murder everyone in that bloody depot, the manager put on his yellow smock and lead us into the warehouse to search for the letter himself. Gloomy, stressed and infuriated against all things alive and good, I followed him, seething, with Lydia into the midst of hundreds of packages.

An additional ten minutes passed, and a God-sent miracle occurred: the man emerged, smiling, from the masses of packages with an orange envelope.

MY TRAIN PASS!!!!!!!

Literally throwing up my hands and screaming, I thanked the man profusely for his help, and we ran to catch the tram back to the train station and back to NeeNee. 

On to the train to Zurich we went, with three of three train passes in hand, and the Odyssey of the Train Pass was forevermore written in stone, ne’er to be re-visited again.

The next few days were spent in bliss, drinking far too much wine and enjoying the beautiful weather.

At the top of Uetilberg mountain. Killer view of Zurich.

4-hour boat tour of the lake -- we definitely caught our sun, and a fair amount of bugs too! 

What day is complete without adorable cupcakes named after celebrities and fictional characters??

On April 16th, Lydia and I hugged NeeNee goodbye and we went our separate ways. A short train trip later, the two of us arrived in Buchs, Switzerland, where we couch-surfed in order to visit Vaduz (the capital of Liechtenstein) right across the river!

Rosemary and Ernst's home. 

Our couch-surfing hosts were named Rosemary and Ernst. Rosemary showed us around their old farmhouse, complete with chickens, goats, and backyard garden.

Me playing with the family cat at dinner.

Why, hello there! 

We even had our own room and bathroom!!

We immediately hopped on Rosemary’s bikes and took a tour of the nearby farmland, past Sevelen, over the river and into Liechtenstein, the sixth smallest country in the world!

Surrounded by the Swiss Alps on all sides, views were definitely not lacking.

The next day, however, we were not so lucky: after six days of sun, the rain finally caught up with us – it drizzled the entire day, so we spent it inside two of Vaduz’s museums. The first was the Kunstmuseum, full to the brim with contemporary art that certainly was not our cup of tea. Slightly disappointed, we made our way over to the Landesmuseum to see the Marilyn Monroe temporary exhibit… that I absolutely adored. I had so much fun learning about such an icon, and it made up for the “art” at the Kuntsmuseum!

Seriously. Rocks dipped in paint on the floor are not art, people.

With the trip almost halfway over, our adventures keep taking us further and further east. So without further ado, we will say “adieu” to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and “hallo” to Austria!