What is next for this blog?
Wow! That last entry (underneath this one) was a long one. It just shows how incredibly difficult it is to summarize how awesome my trip was.
I wanted to (quickly, I promise) say thank you to everyone that has kept coming back and following up with me on this blog. Writing to everyone made my trip even more enjoyable because I got to share it with friends, family, and people I am sure I do not even know. With about 600 individuals that regularly came back to read and look at my pictures, this has been much more successful than I ever imagined it would be.
That said… many people have used the contact page to ask me what I will be doing with my blog now that I am back to the U.S.! My answer is this:
The U.S.A. may not be abroad for me, but it is abroad for many people and there have been a surprisingly large amount of people checking this blog that do live abroad. My plan is to continue writing entries and uploading pictures with anything and everything I want :) Entries may be shorter and will most definitely be about random topics. They may be about my response to events that happen in the world or they will be about specific events that happen to me. (concerts, event, politics, popculture, etc)
I have enjoyed every part of this blog and the feedback I have been getting has been incredibly positive so I do not want it to just stop.
I would absolutely love to hear everyone’s ideas of how I should continue the blog or what people would be interested in reading about and seeing, so please feel free to tell me everything via the contact page.
Once again, thank you so much for making me never regret starting this blog. It means everything to me to know that people are interested, enjoying, and sharing what I have to say and show.
The picture above is of me and my incredible horse, Huck.
xx Eve xx
I wanted to (quickly, I promise) say thank you to everyone that has kept coming back and following up with me on this blog. Writing to everyone made my trip even more enjoyable because I got to share it with friends, family, and people I am sure I do not even know. With about 600 individuals that regularly came back to read and look at my pictures, this has been much more successful than I ever imagined it would be.
That said… many people have used the contact page to ask me what I will be doing with my blog now that I am back to the U.S.! My answer is this:
The U.S.A. may not be abroad for me, but it is abroad for many people and there have been a surprisingly large amount of people checking this blog that do live abroad. My plan is to continue writing entries and uploading pictures with anything and everything I want :) Entries may be shorter and will most definitely be about random topics. They may be about my response to events that happen in the world or they will be about specific events that happen to me. (concerts, event, politics, popculture, etc)
I have enjoyed every part of this blog and the feedback I have been getting has been incredibly positive so I do not want it to just stop.
I would absolutely love to hear everyone’s ideas of how I should continue the blog or what people would be interested in reading about and seeing, so please feel free to tell me everything via the contact page.
Once again, thank you so much for making me never regret starting this blog. It means everything to me to know that people are interested, enjoying, and sharing what I have to say and show.
The picture above is of me and my incredible horse, Huck.
xx Eve xx
Last Summer Entry - July 30th, 2012 - 4:15 pm (Heathrow Airport, London, England)
And here we are. Seven amazing weeks abroad are coming to an end at the same airport where they started. I don’t know how all of your summers are going, but I cannot believe how quickly these 7 weeks just went by. I am really sad to be leaving Europe but at the same time, I have had such an incredible time that it feels “okay” to be heading back to the states.
What a trip. Someone asked me yesterday what my favorite part was and I answered with the cliché "It was all incredible. I can't choose just one…” answer. But it is so true! Each city's experience was so different, which makes them each so hard to compare.
Paris was a week of discovery. I had never really spent time there and to visit with my dad, who has so much history and life attached to Paris, made the week so personal and impressive. If anyone still has the chance to travel with each of their parents, separately, in the city they grew up in, I highly suggest you take the opportunity. It opens up an occasion for you to get to know them so much more than you ever thought. The stories that just flow out of each building or area you pass that they knew are all bound to be fascinating. Paris made me really excited for the day I get to show my children around Washington and Boulder and to redo the trips I did in Euro with my parents with them.
Annecy was definitely the most incomparable to the rest. It is such a beautiful place and I have spent a lot of time there before. Spending an entire month in Annecy this time only added to how it feels almost like another "home". Not only did I get to horse ride, waterski, swim, and hike but I got to learn how to paraglide and go on an unforgettable tandem flight for over an hour and a half overlooking the lake and the Mont Blanc. Annecy was also a really important place for me because I was able to spend a lot of time with my grandmother who is living with Dementia. She kept telling us many great stories about her life and my dad's and, even though it was sometimes very tough, the time we all spent together made this trip to Annecy the most memorable one.
And then came London… Equally memorable but for other reasons :)
Being able to be in the host city of the Olympics is one of the most outstanding experiences. Even though most of the Londoners that we talked to were not too keen that the games were “interfering with their daily routines”, there was that certain, constant, Olympic buzz. Everything had Olympic references whether it was the sport related manikins in a store window or the awe-inspiring Olympic Rings hanging from the Tower Bridge. I was able to see the Olympic torch pass through a tiny island I spent summers at as a little girl and watch the opening ceremony surrounded by thousands of excited and united people in a park while the red arrows soared above us. Any annoyance Londoners may have had were instantly erased when the national anthem was sang, when the queen joined James Bond to jump out of a helicopter and when Team Great Britain walked out into the stadium. No matter what nationality, at that point everyone was on their feet cheering and that is an experience I will never forget.
People have asked me why this trip to Europe has been any different than any other trip I have taken abroad and there are many reasons but the overlying one is that I am now at an age when I can appreciate many different aspects of travelling that I had not truly thought about or noticed before. Just simply, for example, being able to connect differences and similarities between cultures and daily routines in people and cities was fascinating because they had all been examples for the theories or texts I have been learning about as a Sociology major. To be able experience everything that I was lucky enough to experience during these past seven weeks and to be at an age where there is no doubt that I will forget any of it is really why this trip has been unlike any I have ever taken and one I will never take for granted.
I will upload the rest of my photos when I land in DC. Thanks again for keeping up with me this summer, it has made my trip even better!
xx Eve
What a trip. Someone asked me yesterday what my favorite part was and I answered with the cliché "It was all incredible. I can't choose just one…” answer. But it is so true! Each city's experience was so different, which makes them each so hard to compare.
Paris was a week of discovery. I had never really spent time there and to visit with my dad, who has so much history and life attached to Paris, made the week so personal and impressive. If anyone still has the chance to travel with each of their parents, separately, in the city they grew up in, I highly suggest you take the opportunity. It opens up an occasion for you to get to know them so much more than you ever thought. The stories that just flow out of each building or area you pass that they knew are all bound to be fascinating. Paris made me really excited for the day I get to show my children around Washington and Boulder and to redo the trips I did in Euro with my parents with them.
Annecy was definitely the most incomparable to the rest. It is such a beautiful place and I have spent a lot of time there before. Spending an entire month in Annecy this time only added to how it feels almost like another "home". Not only did I get to horse ride, waterski, swim, and hike but I got to learn how to paraglide and go on an unforgettable tandem flight for over an hour and a half overlooking the lake and the Mont Blanc. Annecy was also a really important place for me because I was able to spend a lot of time with my grandmother who is living with Dementia. She kept telling us many great stories about her life and my dad's and, even though it was sometimes very tough, the time we all spent together made this trip to Annecy the most memorable one.
And then came London… Equally memorable but for other reasons :)
Being able to be in the host city of the Olympics is one of the most outstanding experiences. Even though most of the Londoners that we talked to were not too keen that the games were “interfering with their daily routines”, there was that certain, constant, Olympic buzz. Everything had Olympic references whether it was the sport related manikins in a store window or the awe-inspiring Olympic Rings hanging from the Tower Bridge. I was able to see the Olympic torch pass through a tiny island I spent summers at as a little girl and watch the opening ceremony surrounded by thousands of excited and united people in a park while the red arrows soared above us. Any annoyance Londoners may have had were instantly erased when the national anthem was sang, when the queen joined James Bond to jump out of a helicopter and when Team Great Britain walked out into the stadium. No matter what nationality, at that point everyone was on their feet cheering and that is an experience I will never forget.
People have asked me why this trip to Europe has been any different than any other trip I have taken abroad and there are many reasons but the overlying one is that I am now at an age when I can appreciate many different aspects of travelling that I had not truly thought about or noticed before. Just simply, for example, being able to connect differences and similarities between cultures and daily routines in people and cities was fascinating because they had all been examples for the theories or texts I have been learning about as a Sociology major. To be able experience everything that I was lucky enough to experience during these past seven weeks and to be at an age where there is no doubt that I will forget any of it is really why this trip has been unlike any I have ever taken and one I will never take for granted.
I will upload the rest of my photos when I land in DC. Thanks again for keeping up with me this summer, it has made my trip even better!
xx Eve
Summer Entry #7 - July 20th, 2012 - 9:30 pm (Isle Of Wight, England)
Welcomed to England by rain - typical :) We have just spent a week in the stunning Isle of Wight and out of the 7 days, it rained for 5. None the less, this has been such a great week.
The isle of wight has a specific importance to my family. My mum's parents bought a cottage on the island and they spent almost every summer there. After spending almost a month looking back at my dads childhood in France, it was really nice to get to have some time to really explore my mums too. We invited two families of friends that we have known forever and we all stayed in this adorable cottage together, laughing and reminiscing.
Our welcome to the island was actually a pretty impressive one. Even though we had rain, we were also welcomed by the Olympic Flame! So, off we went, with our group of 12 people, in the rain to follow the torch. Even though it wasn't as theatrical and impressive as I had imagined it to be, it was quite a special moment to be able to stand right next to something that symbolized so much unity and hope for so many people and to promote that even more, the girl that was holding the torch was a Para-olympian.
For the rest of our time on the island, we walked and drove around revisiting my mum's childhood summers and exploring every cute village we could find. Of course, my dad was up and out at the crack of dawn on our first day trying to find places he could paraglide. And boy did he find a good spot.
Butterfly Paragliding in the Isle of Wight is a small paragliding school/company owned by someone that signs contracts and introduces himself as "Butterfly Dave". He lives on a cliff in a town called Chale and has been there for about twenty years. Dave was one of the nicest people I've met his trip. He had so many stories and was so pleased to meet new friends. His entire living room was full of instruments and books which obviously pleased our family and friends of musicians. So Dave's house and paragliding spot became our main attraction.
I would be lying if I said that I am not incredibly excited to find myself back in a real and big city. We head off to London tomorrow and I really cannot wait to be back in a city. With a week left in Europe, I know it is going to be pretty special to be in the host city of the 2012 Olympics as well.
I am uploading the Isle of Wight photos right now and I hope you like them all! Expect more regular updates now, because I am going to be connected to the internet from now until I go back to the states! Hope you are all still enjoying this blog as much as I am enjoying writing and updated it!
Keep sending me feedback. I would love start answering questions that people ask on updates as well!
xx Eve :)
The isle of wight has a specific importance to my family. My mum's parents bought a cottage on the island and they spent almost every summer there. After spending almost a month looking back at my dads childhood in France, it was really nice to get to have some time to really explore my mums too. We invited two families of friends that we have known forever and we all stayed in this adorable cottage together, laughing and reminiscing.
Our welcome to the island was actually a pretty impressive one. Even though we had rain, we were also welcomed by the Olympic Flame! So, off we went, with our group of 12 people, in the rain to follow the torch. Even though it wasn't as theatrical and impressive as I had imagined it to be, it was quite a special moment to be able to stand right next to something that symbolized so much unity and hope for so many people and to promote that even more, the girl that was holding the torch was a Para-olympian.
For the rest of our time on the island, we walked and drove around revisiting my mum's childhood summers and exploring every cute village we could find. Of course, my dad was up and out at the crack of dawn on our first day trying to find places he could paraglide. And boy did he find a good spot.
Butterfly Paragliding in the Isle of Wight is a small paragliding school/company owned by someone that signs contracts and introduces himself as "Butterfly Dave". He lives on a cliff in a town called Chale and has been there for about twenty years. Dave was one of the nicest people I've met his trip. He had so many stories and was so pleased to meet new friends. His entire living room was full of instruments and books which obviously pleased our family and friends of musicians. So Dave's house and paragliding spot became our main attraction.
I would be lying if I said that I am not incredibly excited to find myself back in a real and big city. We head off to London tomorrow and I really cannot wait to be back in a city. With a week left in Europe, I know it is going to be pretty special to be in the host city of the 2012 Olympics as well.
I am uploading the Isle of Wight photos right now and I hope you like them all! Expect more regular updates now, because I am going to be connected to the internet from now until I go back to the states! Hope you are all still enjoying this blog as much as I am enjoying writing and updated it!
Keep sending me feedback. I would love start answering questions that people ask on updates as well!
xx Eve :)
Summer Entry #6 - July 11th, 2012 - 6:30 pm (Geneva Airport, Switzerland)
What a month! I can't believe this trip is already over halfway through. Every trip back to Europe is always amazing but this year has been so different. I am only twenty, but this trip has made me realize that I really am growing up.
My dad and I are sitting in the Geveva airport waiting for our delayed plane to chose a departure time to London where we will be joining my mum and brother for 3 weeks in England.
Our first England trip is a week in the Isle of Wight. My family and two other families have rented a cottage on this adorable island and it is sure to be a blast - if the weather is nice :) I added my last few France pictures so take a peak at those!
Thanks again so much for reading. I have started getting great comment emails from people i don't know who have been sent to my blog so thanks so much for sharing! Expect another update in about a week and some beautiful photos from the picturesque Isle of Wight!
- Eve
My dad and I are sitting in the Geveva airport waiting for our delayed plane to chose a departure time to London where we will be joining my mum and brother for 3 weeks in England.
Our first England trip is a week in the Isle of Wight. My family and two other families have rented a cottage on this adorable island and it is sure to be a blast - if the weather is nice :) I added my last few France pictures so take a peak at those!
Thanks again so much for reading. I have started getting great comment emails from people i don't know who have been sent to my blog so thanks so much for sharing! Expect another update in about a week and some beautiful photos from the picturesque Isle of Wight!
- Eve
Summer Entry #5 - July 3rd, 2012 - 11:30 am (St. Etienne Sur Usson, Auvergne, France)
After finishing week one of his paragliding, my dad and I took a break from the city life in Annecy, and headed to the middle of France. Auvergne is one of the least populated regions in Europe and is made up of about nine communities and hundreds of tiny French country villages that have more cows and sheep than people. Auvergne is beautiful. There are houses and towns that are hundreds and almost thousands of years old and each field is perfectly colored to make every view look like a painting.
My grandfather and grandmother live in a tiny village called Saint-Etienne-sur-Usson, in the Puy-de-Dôme department, near Clermont-Ferrand. Clermont-Ferrand is known for its volcanoes but more importantly for being the corporate headquarters of Michelin so of course, we went to the Michelin Museum. The amazing thing about where my grandparents live is that my grandmother and her family have lived here all their lives so the entire village is made up of her family.
I recently had a conversation with my friend about traveling and it really stuck with me. My friend is the first of his family to ever travel and he decided to head straight to Cambodia for his first time out of the country. After spending about six weeks there, he came back and could not fall asleep because of how much his trip opened his eyes to the differences between cultures. Being here and talking to him about it really made me think as well about how different people’s opinions about happiness is. Every time I travel, I seem to manage to connect each city or country I visit by a theme. Two years ago, my euro-trip was connected by people’s jobs and what lives each person lived to get to place they were. This year, I think the theme is how history, friendship, ritual and culture generate happiness in different ways for different groups of people depending on where they live. In Cambodia, my friend was telling me that as long as they continued to have clean water, family, and friends around them, there was nothing that could wipe the smiles off their faces. Here, being surrounded by family and being passionate about something, whatever it may be, is what seems keeps smiles alive.
I think my favorite part about traveling is looking back and making these connections between each place I visit. There is so much to learn between the similarities and differences in each city, village, or country because it forces us to take a look at where we come from. It makes me not only appreciate even more the things I have and am used to but it reminds me that there is so much more in the world and how different things could be.
We are just about to head back to Annecy for a week and I am actually getting to start my Paragliding classes!! So there will definitely be many pictures from that. And of course, I have added more pictures so check them out!
- Eve
My grandfather and grandmother live in a tiny village called Saint-Etienne-sur-Usson, in the Puy-de-Dôme department, near Clermont-Ferrand. Clermont-Ferrand is known for its volcanoes but more importantly for being the corporate headquarters of Michelin so of course, we went to the Michelin Museum. The amazing thing about where my grandparents live is that my grandmother and her family have lived here all their lives so the entire village is made up of her family.
I recently had a conversation with my friend about traveling and it really stuck with me. My friend is the first of his family to ever travel and he decided to head straight to Cambodia for his first time out of the country. After spending about six weeks there, he came back and could not fall asleep because of how much his trip opened his eyes to the differences between cultures. Being here and talking to him about it really made me think as well about how different people’s opinions about happiness is. Every time I travel, I seem to manage to connect each city or country I visit by a theme. Two years ago, my euro-trip was connected by people’s jobs and what lives each person lived to get to place they were. This year, I think the theme is how history, friendship, ritual and culture generate happiness in different ways for different groups of people depending on where they live. In Cambodia, my friend was telling me that as long as they continued to have clean water, family, and friends around them, there was nothing that could wipe the smiles off their faces. Here, being surrounded by family and being passionate about something, whatever it may be, is what seems keeps smiles alive.
I think my favorite part about traveling is looking back and making these connections between each place I visit. There is so much to learn between the similarities and differences in each city, village, or country because it forces us to take a look at where we come from. It makes me not only appreciate even more the things I have and am used to but it reminds me that there is so much more in the world and how different things could be.
We are just about to head back to Annecy for a week and I am actually getting to start my Paragliding classes!! So there will definitely be many pictures from that. And of course, I have added more pictures so check them out!
- Eve
Summer Entry #4 - June 25th, 2012 - 6:30 pm (Annecy, France)
It has taken me another five days to add an entry! Gotta wish that these Frenchies would get it together and get wifi but it is almost impossible to find! Good for me because I get to disconnect but bad because I love being able to update this site!
Anyways! After an amazing concert at the Mouling Rouge on Thursday, my dad and I hopped on the TGV (fast train) to Annecy, France. Annecy is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever been to. About an hour away from Geneva, it is a place smack in the middle of mountains and all the towns in the area surround Annecy Lake. My grandmother lives here and my family has been here many times. This time around, it being just my dad and I, it gives it another feel. My dad is an avid Parapentiste and Annecy is a very well known spot for that. I was going to learn, however, I broke my ankle in April so I can't :( BUT I would be lying if I said that I did not have other incredibly entertaining ways to spend my day. I plan on spending my time here waterskiing, wake boarding, horse riding, rock climbing and laying by the lake. I can't complain too much.
Annecy was up for the 2018 Olympic bid and did not get it. After talking to multiple people, it seems that they did not get it because they refused to expand their roads and change the history and feel of the area. Annecy has everything. It may be very touristy, but it is always sunny, the people are all very nice and there is history everywhere. There are castles and prisons that have been here for hundreds of years. While keeping those intact and visitable, they have also brought in a great balance of youth and excitement. Tufts University even has a campus here as part of a study abroad program. I have always wanted to come back here with a family, and this trip is making that even clearer. It is really hard to explain how beautiful Annecy is so this is definitely a post that is going to let the pictures speak for themselves.
I will definitely be adding pictures for Annecy throughout this trip because like I said, the pictures of this place are more important than any entry to explain them.
Thanks again for reading and sharing - views and hits are still going up!
- Eve
Anyways! After an amazing concert at the Mouling Rouge on Thursday, my dad and I hopped on the TGV (fast train) to Annecy, France. Annecy is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever been to. About an hour away from Geneva, it is a place smack in the middle of mountains and all the towns in the area surround Annecy Lake. My grandmother lives here and my family has been here many times. This time around, it being just my dad and I, it gives it another feel. My dad is an avid Parapentiste and Annecy is a very well known spot for that. I was going to learn, however, I broke my ankle in April so I can't :( BUT I would be lying if I said that I did not have other incredibly entertaining ways to spend my day. I plan on spending my time here waterskiing, wake boarding, horse riding, rock climbing and laying by the lake. I can't complain too much.
Annecy was up for the 2018 Olympic bid and did not get it. After talking to multiple people, it seems that they did not get it because they refused to expand their roads and change the history and feel of the area. Annecy has everything. It may be very touristy, but it is always sunny, the people are all very nice and there is history everywhere. There are castles and prisons that have been here for hundreds of years. While keeping those intact and visitable, they have also brought in a great balance of youth and excitement. Tufts University even has a campus here as part of a study abroad program. I have always wanted to come back here with a family, and this trip is making that even clearer. It is really hard to explain how beautiful Annecy is so this is definitely a post that is going to let the pictures speak for themselves.
I will definitely be adding pictures for Annecy throughout this trip because like I said, the pictures of this place are more important than any entry to explain them.
Thanks again for reading and sharing - views and hits are still going up!
- Eve
Summer Entry #3 - June 20th, 2012 - 7:30 pm (Paris, France)
Sorry about the delay getting another entry up. We do not have Internet in the apartment so I have to make my way up the road to sit down, connect and upload… and after the days of exercise we have been having, it has been pretty hard to get up and walk more. But here I am, stopping my complaining and updating you all!
It is day five and my dad and I have spent everyday biking and walking for hours on end. I have always believed that there is no better way to really get a feel for a city than to walk around, get lost, and set foot in any alley and store you come across and that is exactly what we have been doing. Paris is full of stories and history and it has been amazing to be able to tour it with someone that has a story attached to every street we come across. Even though this is the first time I have ever spent much time discovering Paris, his stories have made me feel as if I already know it pretty well.
Yesterday was a pretty spectacular day. We woke up and had amazing chocolate croissants (no day can go badly after that) and then we hopped on the bikes and heading in all sorts of directions for le centre Pompidou (information on the specific location page) where we wandered and had lunch with my dad's friend of 44 years. After a lunch of catching up and laughing, my dad and I headed up towards the beautiful Montmartre, parking the bikes and trekking up the stairs to the top of Paris at the base of le Sacré-Coeur. Once at the top, Paris changed. An area untouched by chains like Starbucks and McDonalds; there are still apartments, houses, restaurants, squares, and bars that have been around for centuries. As we walk through the little streets and alleys, it is easy to imagine all the poets, writers, actors and philosophers sitting at the cafes clueless to how well known they were to become.
Once we left Montmartre we heading back into town towards Montparnasse where I quickly grabbed my bag and headed out again to visit friends of mine I haven't seen in 7 years. Easy as ever to reconnect, this trip is really teaching me a lot about history and how much stronger and realer bonds get with age. If any of you reading have stayed friends with people that you have known since childhood, be happy because that is a huge part of who you are that you have not lost. And for those that have lost those friends and connections, look to start forming new ones: nothing can replace the old but no matter how old or young you may be, it will always feel amazing to be able to reconnect with them one day and reminisce about how you were years ago.
As for today, we headed over to an area at the edge of Paris where my dad was born. Discovering it for the first time together, it is sure to be a place that we will come back to next time we are here. Many of the pictures I am uploading now are from the park we walked through (le Parc des Buttes Chaumont). Reminding me of New York and central park, it was nice to get away from the busy city and see a calmer side to Paris.
I just realized how I much I have written and I could continue on for pages but I won't. I hope you are all liking this blog and the photos because I am really loving being able to update it. Just so you all know, this blog has already received over 200 individual views (as in over 300 people have come to my website!) and I have gotten over 20 feedback emails. It means so much to me that I can have such an amazing experience overseas and be able to share it with other people - So thank you so much for that! Keep on sharing and sending me feedback emails.
Bisous à tous x
- Eve
It is day five and my dad and I have spent everyday biking and walking for hours on end. I have always believed that there is no better way to really get a feel for a city than to walk around, get lost, and set foot in any alley and store you come across and that is exactly what we have been doing. Paris is full of stories and history and it has been amazing to be able to tour it with someone that has a story attached to every street we come across. Even though this is the first time I have ever spent much time discovering Paris, his stories have made me feel as if I already know it pretty well.
Yesterday was a pretty spectacular day. We woke up and had amazing chocolate croissants (no day can go badly after that) and then we hopped on the bikes and heading in all sorts of directions for le centre Pompidou (information on the specific location page) where we wandered and had lunch with my dad's friend of 44 years. After a lunch of catching up and laughing, my dad and I headed up towards the beautiful Montmartre, parking the bikes and trekking up the stairs to the top of Paris at the base of le Sacré-Coeur. Once at the top, Paris changed. An area untouched by chains like Starbucks and McDonalds; there are still apartments, houses, restaurants, squares, and bars that have been around for centuries. As we walk through the little streets and alleys, it is easy to imagine all the poets, writers, actors and philosophers sitting at the cafes clueless to how well known they were to become.
Once we left Montmartre we heading back into town towards Montparnasse where I quickly grabbed my bag and headed out again to visit friends of mine I haven't seen in 7 years. Easy as ever to reconnect, this trip is really teaching me a lot about history and how much stronger and realer bonds get with age. If any of you reading have stayed friends with people that you have known since childhood, be happy because that is a huge part of who you are that you have not lost. And for those that have lost those friends and connections, look to start forming new ones: nothing can replace the old but no matter how old or young you may be, it will always feel amazing to be able to reconnect with them one day and reminisce about how you were years ago.
As for today, we headed over to an area at the edge of Paris where my dad was born. Discovering it for the first time together, it is sure to be a place that we will come back to next time we are here. Many of the pictures I am uploading now are from the park we walked through (le Parc des Buttes Chaumont). Reminding me of New York and central park, it was nice to get away from the busy city and see a calmer side to Paris.
I just realized how I much I have written and I could continue on for pages but I won't. I hope you are all liking this blog and the photos because I am really loving being able to update it. Just so you all know, this blog has already received over 200 individual views (as in over 300 people have come to my website!) and I have gotten over 20 feedback emails. It means so much to me that I can have such an amazing experience overseas and be able to share it with other people - So thank you so much for that! Keep on sharing and sending me feedback emails.
Bisous à tous x
- Eve
Summer Entry # 2 - June 16th, 2012 - 9:00 pm (Paris, France)
AND SO IT BEGINS!
Finally, after almost 9 hours of traveling total, my dad I and arrived at the apartment in Montparnasse in the beautiful city of Paris. I have not been here in over seven years so I am really looking forward to having a trip here that I know I will fully remember.
My dad was born and raised in Paris and there is no one better to be shown around than by him. Having only left the airport for about minutes, we had already passed a building he had lived when he was three. And it did not stop there. Once settled into the apartment, I decided to wander around and at least get a little feel of the area we were staying in. Only three blocks away, I ran into an amazing church called l'Eglise Saint-Sulpice (more info on "Specific Location Information" page). I walked from there right into the beautiful gardens of Luxembourg. There were little kids running around everywhere, people playing tennis, mini horses being shown off and admired and of course, older men playing "pétanque". I continued walking and found myself in the middle of a very busy square surrounded by people catching up, having their evening drink with a cigarette and, of course, watching France play the Ukraine in the European Cup. Spoiler alert but France won that game last night and it was a pretty wonderful welcome because I have never been around French people that were that happy. People started buying everyone drinks and chanting the national anthem through the streets and it felt pretty cool to be part of that. Hopefully they win the whole cup so we get to be here to celebrate with them for that!
This morning, I woke up nicely at 9:30 and was super excited to be able to have a real, french chocolate croissant. If you haven't been to France, you need to visit just to eat their pastries: my dad and I had been looking forward to breakfast here months ago. So after we ate a fair few croissants, we were on our way. We must have walked over 7 hours. Leaving Montparnasse, we followed the many routes my dad would take when he was 20. Visiting multiple alleys and cafes, we made our way up around many different areas landing us in front of the Louvre, near the Royals and then back across La Seine and down back to our apartment. At this point, my partially broken ankle was exhausted so we stopped and went into an amazing movie theater to see an equally incredible movie (Du rouille et d'os).
Enough from me for now because not only are we starving but there is another European Cup game on, so we of course have to go and watch that. I am uploading pictures from today so make sure to head to the photos page to see them!
Let me know what you all think on the Contact Me page!
Thanks a bunch for reading, and I'll talk to you all tomorrow I hope.
- Eve
Finally, after almost 9 hours of traveling total, my dad I and arrived at the apartment in Montparnasse in the beautiful city of Paris. I have not been here in over seven years so I am really looking forward to having a trip here that I know I will fully remember.
My dad was born and raised in Paris and there is no one better to be shown around than by him. Having only left the airport for about minutes, we had already passed a building he had lived when he was three. And it did not stop there. Once settled into the apartment, I decided to wander around and at least get a little feel of the area we were staying in. Only three blocks away, I ran into an amazing church called l'Eglise Saint-Sulpice (more info on "Specific Location Information" page). I walked from there right into the beautiful gardens of Luxembourg. There were little kids running around everywhere, people playing tennis, mini horses being shown off and admired and of course, older men playing "pétanque". I continued walking and found myself in the middle of a very busy square surrounded by people catching up, having their evening drink with a cigarette and, of course, watching France play the Ukraine in the European Cup. Spoiler alert but France won that game last night and it was a pretty wonderful welcome because I have never been around French people that were that happy. People started buying everyone drinks and chanting the national anthem through the streets and it felt pretty cool to be part of that. Hopefully they win the whole cup so we get to be here to celebrate with them for that!
This morning, I woke up nicely at 9:30 and was super excited to be able to have a real, french chocolate croissant. If you haven't been to France, you need to visit just to eat their pastries: my dad and I had been looking forward to breakfast here months ago. So after we ate a fair few croissants, we were on our way. We must have walked over 7 hours. Leaving Montparnasse, we followed the many routes my dad would take when he was 20. Visiting multiple alleys and cafes, we made our way up around many different areas landing us in front of the Louvre, near the Royals and then back across La Seine and down back to our apartment. At this point, my partially broken ankle was exhausted so we stopped and went into an amazing movie theater to see an equally incredible movie (Du rouille et d'os).
Enough from me for now because not only are we starving but there is another European Cup game on, so we of course have to go and watch that. I am uploading pictures from today so make sure to head to the photos page to see them!
Let me know what you all think on the Contact Me page!
Thanks a bunch for reading, and I'll talk to you all tomorrow I hope.
- Eve
Summer Entry # 1 - June 14th, 2012 - 5:30 pm (Washington, DC)
There's no place like home. Just thought I would wait until my last day at home to post to be able to sum up the 10 amazing days I just spent in Washington. I bet everyone that has left home and been able to come back understands what a strange but great feeling it is. Being welcomed back by flying over the monuments never fails to bring a smile on my face.
With only ten days at home, I tried my hardest not to stress... I was successful. Relaxing by and in the pool with my Australian Shepard, bathing and riding my gorgeous horse, walking around the monuments, playing with my cat, and just reminding myself why Washington D.C. is such a wonderful city and home.
For those of you reading that have never been to Washington: you really must go. I am lucky to be able to say that I have been to many capital cities around the world and, of course, each are different, but very few cities compare to this one. The amount of history, power, diversity and beauty in one small area would blow anyone away. American or not, D.C. can give anyone a sense of pride in one way or another. So please, come visit. It will be a trip you would not regret... until you realize you need to move houses because you want to live here. Sorry in advance for instigating that move if I did.
All in all, ten days is definitely a long enough time to remind me that my city, Washington D.C., the Capital City, is a pretty special place to grow up and a place I will forever adore coming home to. Enjoy some pictures on the page titled "Photos" on the above navigation column.
As exciting as home has been, I am happy to say that tonight my dad and I are catching a plane heading to another capital city.. the romantic PARIS, FRANCE.
Stay connected!!
- Eve
With only ten days at home, I tried my hardest not to stress... I was successful. Relaxing by and in the pool with my Australian Shepard, bathing and riding my gorgeous horse, walking around the monuments, playing with my cat, and just reminding myself why Washington D.C. is such a wonderful city and home.
For those of you reading that have never been to Washington: you really must go. I am lucky to be able to say that I have been to many capital cities around the world and, of course, each are different, but very few cities compare to this one. The amount of history, power, diversity and beauty in one small area would blow anyone away. American or not, D.C. can give anyone a sense of pride in one way or another. So please, come visit. It will be a trip you would not regret... until you realize you need to move houses because you want to live here. Sorry in advance for instigating that move if I did.
All in all, ten days is definitely a long enough time to remind me that my city, Washington D.C., the Capital City, is a pretty special place to grow up and a place I will forever adore coming home to. Enjoy some pictures on the page titled "Photos" on the above navigation column.
As exciting as home has been, I am happy to say that tonight my dad and I are catching a plane heading to another capital city.. the romantic PARIS, FRANCE.
Stay connected!!
- Eve