Farewell France (for now)

So, I have been back in the U.S. for a few weeks, but I wanted to conclude my blog about my time in France with a few last photos and a few favorite memories.

My last week was spent with friends and enjoying a last couple days in Grenoble. I wandered around the streets of centre-ville for a bit and took advantage of a free ride up the gondola to the Bastille. It was really warm and beautiful for those activities, but then the day before I left the weather got really cold and rainy (maybe to prepare me for the pacific northwest weather?)

View of the old part (and the centre-ville) of Grenoble from the Bastille

I went with some friends to La Table Rounde, the second oldest café in France! It was super nice to spend an evening at a restaurant with my friends who were still in Grenoble. I ordered a salade niçoise, one of my favorite French dishes even though it's not regional to the alps.

Caitilin, Julia and me at La Table Rounde in the old district of Grenoble

I got all my stuff packed up and moved out of my dorm. With all of my huge luguage, I got to the train station and said farewell to Grenoble. It was freezing and rainy when I got on the TGV, but when I got off 3 hours later in Paris, it was clear, sunny, and rather warm. I couch surfed with a Parisian and hung out with his friends on the Seine that night, the most perfect last night in France. I never knew what a night on the Seine really meant until then!

Tuleries; watch your head

The next day I walked around Paris rather randomly, and mildy on the search of bookshops. I was super temped to buy a 19th century map from one of the vendors on the river, but I decided that I should probably save my last euros for food. But, there were some really beautiful maps, even one of the départements before the revolution! It was hard to leave them to the hands of other tourists. Anyway, it was a lovely final afternoon wandering.

Ah Paris, Je t'aime! Even when there are hoards of tourists on the Champs-Elysées like this. This is not an example of Parisian fashion, by the way. 

I got my luguage from the person I was couch surfing with and took the long metro ride to Charles de Gaulle airport where I stayed for the night. I thought it would be a pretty boring and sleepless night in the airport, but I met a Canadian who had been playing professional volleyball in northern France since September, so it wasn't so bad. I even slept for a bit on some of the airport chairs, for about 2 hours. At 8 am the next day, I caught a flight to Iceland where I had a 7 hour layover. It was pretty boring, especially right before an 8 hour flight, but I got through it. Now I kind of want to explore Iceland...

Chillin' at the Iceland airport with a super delicious croissant and probably the best cup of coffee I have ever had (sorry Seattle). 

Et alors, my time in France was over! I had so many wonderful experiences from the fête des alpages in Annecy to snowboarding in Chamonix to couch surfing in the pays basque! Most importantly, I met so many wonderful, interesting, and kind people whether I knew them for the entire 9 months or for just a day. So, I say farewell to France for now, but look forward to adventures in my own country as well as going back to France to explore and enjoy French cuisine and way of life. 

Finally some French beach

As my last excursion while in Europe, I went couchsurfing outside of a small city called Dax in southwestern France. I stayed with the most wonderful couple Sylvie and Stéphane at their home for three nights. First, on the long train ride there, I stopped in Toulouse for a few hours to walk around the city a bit. It was really beautiful and warm and it was of nice to see a new French city. Toulouse is known as the Ville Rose (Pink City) because all of the buildings are made out of a specific local stone that is a pink color. 

A building in Toulouse under a bright blue sky

I got to Sylvie and Stéphane's house on Friday evening and we all ate dinner together. Sylvie had to work on Saturday, but Stéphane and I drove alone the coast of the Pays Basque in France starting with Bayonne, Biarritz, et St. Jean de Luc! It was soo so beautiful and I learned a lot about the culture of the region. The weather was also really nice and warm, and i tried a gâteau basque (cake from the basque area - so delicious by the way).

Bayonne, a very Pays-Basque city with red, green, and white buildings.

First sight of the ocean in 9 months and a beautiful one at that!!! Baby, it had been too long.

sooo beautiful, near Biarritz

Rocks at the Biarritz beach

Marina at St. Jean de Luz

The next day all three of us went to Capbreton, a coastal city with some very expensive homes, especially around a lake near the coast. It was a bit cloudy, but still really cool to see the coast and another beach.

Homes at the Capbreton coast

On Monday morning before my train left, Sylvie and I went into Dax and walked around for a while. It is a nice small city that is famous for healing hot springs and regional bull fighting. I had such a nice weekend with the two of them learning about the culture, seeing new things, and just talking in about whatever. They are both such kind people and I feel sooo lucky to have had my first couchsurfing experience with them! They also have 3 goats, which I thought were really adorable.

The bull statue in Dax, just outside the bull fighting ring

Stéphane, Sylvie, me, and 2 of their 3 goats right before I caught the train to Montpellier

I caught the train to Montpellier to meet Patricia and her boyfriend and a couple of his friends. I stayed there for two nights and spent a good amount of time at the beach. Honestly the beach was beautiful, but I think that I prefer the beach at Biarritz because of the sand a beautiful rocks everywhere. At Montpellier I actually had the opportunity to go swimming and just lay out on the beach for a few hours. At the end of the afternoon, we played a little bit of volleyball and then made dinner together at Patricia's boyfriend's place. 

beautiful, clear blue water at the Montpellier beach

Perfect day at the beach on the Mediterranean 

Overall, my trip to the south and the beaches was a perfect conclusion to my time in France. I couldn't have asked for a better week!

Some official business

Last Saturday I went to meet Carmen and Nadia in Geneva with my friend Rachel. We were only there for a few hours, but we walked along the dock a little bit and toured the United Nations building. It was pretty cool to see the headquarters of international organizations I've studied. 

A dock in Geneva

Swiss Bank and Swiss flags

Flags leading up to the entrace of the United Nations building

This looks familiar...oh right, it is the main conference room for the United Nations. The Vatican City is the only country not in the UN. Yes, that means North Korea is even a member.

Hmm, yeah I don't really get the ceiling either.

Another important coference room. The paintings were pretty cool.

One last important conference room with the UN symbol. 

Chartreuse and a double rainbow

Last week I went with a friend to Voiron to visit the cellars where the Chartreuse liquor is made. The town is just a short train ride north of Grenoble, and after we got there, we walked around the city a bit and then took a tour of the cellar. The entire place smelled mildly of the liquor, and at the end we got a free sample. The Chartreuse cellar is the longest liquor cellar in the world. 

Church in Vioron with a brightly colored roof

On of the many massive barrels full of Chartreuse 

Me next to a picture of Chartreuse Jaune

Later in the week, we had a little bit of rain and there happened to be a double rainbow visible just outside of where I live. It was really beautiful!

So you can't really tell in this picture, but it was a double rainbow

Clocks, bears, flowers, and francs

Last weekend I went to Switzerland to visit my friend Carmen who worked at Camp Orkila with me a few years ago. She lives with her family in an adorable Swiss village called Reiden in the middle of the country. I took the train from Grenoble to Olten where I met her. It was so nice of her to have me over and I really enjoyed spending time with her and seeing Switzerland.

I had an hour in Geneva, so I walked around for a bit and found this clock made out of flowers. 

Part of Lake Léman and the pier

The Swiss countryside is so beautiful, and this is what I saw when I looked out the train window: tranqual pastures, many of them in bloom with yellow folwers used to make a cooking oil. 

The next day Carmen's friend Nadia, Carman, and I took the train to various cities and villages west of where we were. We had a couple hours in Bern and then took the train north to a village. There we caught a boat to Neuchâtel and walked around a bit.

Nadia, Carmen, and I in Bern

Food market outside a government building

Woman buying flowers at the market

 Famous street with a bunch of regional Swiss flags. I think I was just about the only tourist, which isn't normal.

Famous clock in Bern. There really are lots of clocks in Switerland. 

Another view of Bern

The symbol of Bern is the bear, and they actually have 3 or 4 real bears in a place along the river. Here is one of them!

Murten: where we caught the boat to Neuchâtel. It was nice and sunny along with a beautiful view of the water.

Little boy who has already mastered sailing. He was near one of the docks the boat stopped at. 

View from the boat

Neuchâtel

Rooftops in Neauchâtel

Can you see the similarities between my photo and the postcard I bought in Neuchâtel?

On Saturday evening, we ate dinner with some of Carmen's good friends. It was a beautiful evening and it was really fun just hanging out. I learned maybe one or two words in Swiss German :)

Carmen's friend Tina and the beautiful evening

On Easter Sunday, we had a super delicious brunch with tasty cheese, meat, eggs, and really good bread that I had never had before. In the afternoon we drove to Lucern, a Swiss town on a lake. 

Old tower and bridge in Lucern

Famous lion scuplture in Lucern

Carmen said that Lucern is "the most beautiful city in Switzerland"

On Monday morning before I left, Carmen and I went for a bike ride to a village close to Reiden. It was so beautiful! I love Switerland!

Flannel is best

 Today a few friends and I went for a short hike near Sassenage, a town just northwest of Grenoble. There is a really beautiful waterfall there, and the spring leaves on the trees were a bright green in the sunlight. It could have been a little warmer, but it was a wonderful afternoon adventure!

Hiking along the river to the waterfall 

Everyone excited to be at the river, even if the water was pretty freezing

Flannel is best

So beautiful!

Caves along the hike

Fountain in town walking to and from the trail head

The lovely smelling Wisteria blooming over a door to someone's garden in Sassenage

Cross and fountain in town

Oh, when we stopped in Annecy on the way to Chamonix last weekend, I bought an Opinel knife with mountain goats carved on it! I am quite a fan. The Opinel company is a French brand that makes the knives in here in France with French materials.