Last and FINAL post!!!

As I sit here in Amsterdam airport, where I will soon be boarding my plane to Chicago… I reflect back on my experience here in Europe! I am SO SO SOOOOO lucky that I have been able to come here… and on top of that, I formed amazing relationships with people here, that I could never forget. I was able to experience fabulous places throughout the continent, but these experiences would not have been half as fun, or half as amazing without the people that I was able to share them with. I never thought I could meet so many people who are so kind, sincere and of course, FUN as I have met here. There are few and far between, and somehow, they were all placed in the same place, at the same time… to share magical moments that we could never forget! I shed tears as this bittersweet moment hits me harder, the more I write. I can’t believe how excited I am to go home, as I SERIOUSLY miss home… my family, the comfort, my friends, just everything… there TRULY is no place like home! I LOVE home, but I never thought being so far away for so long, would make me want to hug my house… and you better believe I’m going to… I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to hug the outside, or the inside… food for thought on my long plane ride to Chicago I suppose! I really miss a lot of things from the States… family, sports, English… I could literally go on forever! But, not having the comfort of home and the States, made me learn many things, which will forever stay with me and help me… I grew up… even more than I already was! Through all this growing up I did… I had SOOOOO much fun… I never thought I could have this much fun… it has been unbelievably fun! I know I was here to “study” but there was very little of that as I was busy enjoying my time here! I did well, as school was NOTHING like real college… it was almost like high school. Classes were fairly easy, and all the kids talked like crazy in the classes. They also had attendance… WHAT!? You say… yes they took attendance, and if you missed more than three classes, you failed the class! It was because the kids that attend school there… their parents didn’t like that their kids weren’t going to class, and they were paying for them to go to school there! I couldn’t believe my ears when my French teacher told us this… unbelievable!!! I thought it was the most absurd thing I had ever heard in a University, until I heard that the kids’ parents payoff teachers to give them good grades… and the kids cheat like it is nobody’s business… good golly! Sooo… with this being said, I refuse to cheat, I do not believe in cheating… so I could have done better in my classes, had I written the exact answers on my hand before the exam, or take a picture of the exam on their iPhone and copy it (somehow the kids got a hold of the exams and sent around pictures of the exams to students that contained all the answers)… this school was really something else… but I guess it’s just the way it is over here! This school made me appreciate real classes back home, that actually contained useful information, where I was tested on my knowledge gained from the class, rather than my abilities to cheat… I never thought that would be possible! Needless to say… the school aspect was my least favorite part (go figure)! France itself taught me more than the University did… like for example, I am a pro hover over toilets now, because in Europe, they don’t put toilet seats on the toilets… odd!? Yes… and a lot of the bathrooms aren’t exactly clean most of the time, so I learned quickly how to avoid sitting… France also taught me how courteous Americans are for the most part… because generally speaking, the French are not very nice to people… they are also very inconsiderate… which is something I miss from the states! I met some very amazing French people that do not fall into this category, but generally speaking… the vast majority aren’t very nice! I am sure some of you are curious as to how my French came along while here… well, I can understand WAY WAY more than I can speak… French is a very tough language, and very different from German…. Although when going to Germany, my German improved, and I found out how much I actually knew and could communicate. So overall… my language skills in the Foreign department improved greatly… but my English went down hill… I found myself speaking English, German, and French all in the same sentence, MANY MANY times!!! I also have been misspelling words like crazy (I have to write this in a word document, until I acquire my English skills again)… I even started forgetting how to say things in English… my native tongue, going down the tubes!!! Hopefully when I come back… I will regain my abilities to speak English correctly before going back to school. I can’t just throw out German and French while talking or writing… going to have to make a conscious effort to fix this! France also taught me how many creeper men are out there in the world… good gosh, I am SOOOO glad I had pepper spray everywhere I went… the men there are very persistent and desperate… it was a little scary at times, but I made it through safely! The best thing I learned while over here… is how big the world is, but yet so small. It has so many magnificent things to offer, but it is still so small… I met people who know people I know… and it is just SO WEIRD!!! It’s a small world after all… I truly have learned SO very much about life, myself, culture, and the world… I wish I could describe it all!!! The bittersweet taste I have becomes stronger and stronger the more I think about both sides… I am not sad that it is over, I cherished every single moment here, and I have absolutely no regrets of anything!!! I did almost everything I wanted to do… I met some absolutely amazing people… and of course, I had an absolute BLAST!!! I never really got homesick, as I decided at the beginning that I would rather be enjoying every moment than thinking of something that wouldn’t happen for a few months… so I never got homesick! Of course, I missed home, but I never got homesick… I wanted to be here more than anything else, and I knew it would only last a short while! I wanted to cherish every moment I was able to get my hands on! Although this is really no different than my outlook on life… I knew it would be a little harder to obtain my main objective when I live… which is to live in the moment… every moment should be your happiest moment!!! I love being happy… who doesn’t so that’s exactly what I do… /did! I made sure I was happy, of course I had a few brief moments of missing, but I never really gave it a chance to set in… I decided against it at the beginning and stuck to it!!! So… with that being said, you can only imagine how much fun I had while I was here!!! If anyone who is reading this, and is in college considering studying abroad, I HIGHLY recommend you do… don’t be afraid, it is the best few months I have ever experienced, and I know it will be the same for you… message me anytime, and I have great advice for you, even programs that you can go through… please let me know!!! I will bring this blog to a close… and this is it forever… I will not continue blogging any longer, as my facebook is my day-to-day update!

Here, I will take the time to thank my very special and dear mother… who allowed the tiniest Scott to explore the world… and she even came over to see me… along with my amazing and AWESOME big brother (Nicky) and my fabulous and caring sister (Jackie)!!! I wish I could thank you more Mom… I know your reading this… and I don’t know if there is anything I could ever be able to do or say that would allow for me to express my appreciation and love for you… you are absolutely the best mother!!! Thank you for everything!!!

And thank you to everyone who has given me support throughout this experience… all of my friends back home, and the ones I have met… as well as my family and friends that followed me… I love you all… you are all AMAZING people!!!

Please, have a very safe and merry Christmas!!! I will be celebrating Christmas tonight with Dad’s family, and I couldn’t be more excited to see my family… I was skyped into Mom’s side last night, although I really wished I could have been there!!!

I can’t wait to see everyone and I tell everyone of my spectacular adventures here in France/Europe!!! I will be home soon… and I can’t wait!!!

LOVE TO EVERYONE!!! God bless!!!

London... Some call it "The Smoke"... I call it "The Perfect Storm!"

So right off the bat... I am sure you are wondering what exactly I mean by my oh so clever title of this blog post. Well... "The Smoke" is an old term that people used to call London because it's so foggy and smoggy! Probably not the part you were wondering about.... but I'll get to the second part soon. This lovely story all starts with... bet anyone from Antibes could guess... A STRIKE! Oh how the French LOVE to screw over people's travel plans by striking... has happened many times to almost all of us. Our Easyjet flight from Nice LUCKILY only departed a half-hour later than intended, which was extremely lucky, considering normally we are not so lucky. Some people's flights were cancelled completely... but our flight was not one of those.

One of my great friends that I have become close with here in Antibes, Gianna, took me under her wing for the weekend, showing me around London, and most importantly, knowing all the greatest places. As we set off into the fall night from Nice, we met a few friends who were also heading to London the same weekend. The short two hour flight was very quick, as we all were able to talk and have fun. When we landed in London, our first mission was to get Pounds. Darn England isn't using the Euro (which is failing, so that's probably a very good thing) so we had to convert our money to Pounds.

Instantly, as we landed, I noticed how different London was compared to the rest of Europe because.... EVERYTHING WAS IN ENGLISH!!! Ohhhh it was a glorious sight!!! I didn't have to think at a million miles an hour to try and figure out what people are trying to say to me... magical!!! We took a bus from the airport to Baker Street (yes, the one in Sherlock Holmes... it exists) to catch a different bus that would take us to Gianna's sister's house. The great London weather had set in as we were riding the bus from the airport, so when we got off, it was raining. Lucky for us, the bus we needed next came almost instantly! We hopped about the double decker red bus (yes, once again, they do exist... and are still used... those things are EVERYWHERE)... as we went upstairs to the second floor, we found ourselves front row seats to see the beautiful city. When we arrived at the house, we got off, and walked into the door... we were SO close to the bus stop, it was CRAZY!!! Once inside, it was about 1am and we were exhausted, but we stayed up to visit with Gianna's sister and friends, before hitting the hay.

On Friday morning, I woke up early (as always) and got us going to get sight-seeing. Gianna took me EVERYWHERE in London. We went to Oxford Circus, Picadilly Circus (LOVE that name), and Camdentown. Camdentown was by far my favorite place of the three. Here, is where I found that London was the perfect storm. Why? Because London is the PERFECT mix of Europe, and the United States, all in one city! It is absolutely fantastic!!! Camdentown had the weirdly and oddly dressed people that you never see anywhere else anymore... lots of markets, shops... all of different type! I can't even explain all the different things that were in this part of the city! It truly was something I had never seen before. After Camdentown, Gianna and I met some of her friends for Nando's, which was very fun. I got to hear a true London accent, as well as experience great chicken... something that I don't have often when out to eat in the riviera. After dinner, we went to go to a festival called "Winter Wonderland", but unfortunately by the time we got there, it was closed. Instead, we headed to a pub to get some tradition Cider, which is apple tasting beer... DELICIOUS!!! After our cider, we headed back home, to get some good sleep for Saturday.

I once again, woke up quite early Saturday morning for some sight-seeing. But... by accident, I fell back asleep and we woke up quite late. We got up, showered, and headed out to have a true Mexican lunch. This Mexican food was probably the best Mexican food I have ever tasted (or maybe I just wanted Mexican so badly that I wouldn't know if it was bad or good... but I will guess that it was really really good instead). I had REAL drinks (grasshopper and mojito... made correctly I might add)! After our big Mexican meal, it was 4pm... YIKES!!! We had to get MOVIN'!!! So we ran to the Tube (also know as metro, subway, or train) and went to Buckingham Palace. We took a few pictures, admired the guards, and ran off to the Tube to go see BIG BEN. We saw many things as we walked towards Big Ben from the Tube. We were even so lucky as to hear the lovely sounds Big Ben makes when the clock strikes the hour! After... we had seen all the sights we wanted to see, and headed off to Harrods to see how gorgeous it was all lit up and see Gianna's friend. Harrods is like the Nordstrom of London! After Harrods, we headed to meet some other friends and go to "Winter Wonderland" for the second time. This time, when we arrived... it was open!!! BUT with MILLIONS of people... darn it! We waited in line, and got in. We walked around drinking hot chocolates, mulled wine, and ciders... ate some great food, and looked around the market/fair! It was very festive and gorgeous! We spent a lot of time there, before heading back to the house to change clothes to go to the Rave. The Rave was realllllyyy fun! We went to a club that had FOUR different DJs, and each was great! We got home a lot later than anticipated... but oh well! We got two hours of sleep before waking up for our flight back to Nice. We didn't mind much, we just slept the whole plane ride back.

Now that I am back from London... I can't get back into the swing of speaking French... ooops! I guess I left it all in London! ... I loved London, it may have been my favorite city... I can't decide! It was the perfect storm however, and that was just magnificent to see!!!

I am painfully typing this next sentence, as I can't stand to say it... but I will not be taking any more trips before my departure back home! I know I have seen almost everything I have wanted, here in Europe, but it is still so bitter/sweet to say! There are a few places that I missed seeing and wish I could have... but I will be back! Those places will be off the checklist... eventually! But for now, it's study time for finals! I finished class on Monday, so now I have a little over a week before my finals... which I am trying to study for... and trying to enjoy my last days here in the Riviera... a very difficult task that I am not equally succeeding at (more the enjoying part than the studying part)!

I am home in ELEVEN days from this day... SOOO very weird to say that! But I can't wait to be home... however I am FULLY enjoying my last days here!

Love to all my family and friends!!! Can't wait to see you all in just over a week!

I will be sure to blog about my entire experience before I stop blogging all together! So there will be only ONE more blog to read after this...

God Bless!!!

BAKER Street!!!

Buckingham Palace

The Countdown to the Summer Olympics in London!

These still exist too... it's no Hollywood misperception!

London

BIG BEN!!!

This Blog Post is SUPER Long... It's Our Awesome Family Adventure!!!

Last week Saturday, was FINALLY the day I had been waiting for… the day that I got to see my beautiful sister, Jackie!!! I was SOOOO excited to see her I could hardly wait! My flight out of Nice was to take off at 6:20am… YIKES, so early!!! I had a cab arranged to pick me up from my apartment as there is no public transportation until about 6:20 in the morning…. Which clearly wouldn’t be working for me! So the cab was to arrive around 4:30am for a 30 minute car ride to Nice airport. I went to bed a little later than expected, because I couldn’t fall asleep, so 1:00am was when I was finally about to fall asleep! When I woke up next, it was 3:58am… WHOOPS!!! I jumped out of bed and into the shower! As I quickly got ready, I flipped open my computer to see the time, and to shut it down to take with me, and it read 2:22am… WHAT!!! How could this be… I swear my phone read 3:58am, but somehow I had accidently read the time wrong, and jumped in the shower at 1:58am… GREAT!!! Now I was wide awake, and my hair was still dripping wet… basically impossible conditions to fall back asleep in, so I got myself completely ready to go, packing all my last minute necessities, and getting myself all ready, except for getting dressed. So for the next twoish hours or so, I watched one of my favorite movies of all time, Miracle!!! I didn’t get to finish it, but I have seen it many times, and know the ending, lucky for me!!! Finally it was time to get dressed, get my bags, and head downstairs to get my car to the airport. When I arrived at the airport, I checked my bag, went through security, and waited for boarding… just the standard airport happenings! I boarded my flight to Paris, and it was GREAT… THREE WHOLE SEATS to myself!!! YESSSSSS!!! I passed out completely before the plane even left the ground! Before I knew it, we were circling Paris, and landing in about 10 minutes!!! When I landed, I got to my next gate to board my flight to Florence, finally!!! I had two hours to waste before I was to depart, and spent it working on projects, and presentations that were due when the family left. I finished everything in perfect timing to board my flight to Florence, where I would be meeting Nick and Mom, and of course, Jackie! 

The flight to Florence was very pleasant, as almost everyone was American, which was very odd, but also refreshing for I miss the native tongue of American English. I sat next to a very nice man who was heading to Florence to visit his daughter, along with his wife and son! I guess the Scotts aren’t the only ones who thought Thanksgiving break was a good time to head to Europe! Finally when I got to Florence, I had to wait an hour and a half for Jackie’s flight to arrive, and then head to the Hotel to meet mom and Nick! I sat on the cold floor, touching up my projects, before getting kicked out! They made me go to the common area rather than sitting by the luggage belts. So I went out and saw Nick! I was not expecting to see him, as they were supposed to be at the hotel already! It turned out that their car transfer to the hotel, went to Pisa instead! So they decided to wait for us, so that we could maybe take one car to the hotel. Mom was of course, freaking out because I didn’t come out of the luggage belt area for about 30 minutes after my flight landed, and she didn’t know where I was. She’s a worry-wart! So the three of us waited for Jackie’s flight to land. Around 2pm, she finallllyyyy came through the doors!!! I was SOOOOO excited to see her!!! After a few minutes of hugging, we found our car transfer, and the guy was able to get all four of us, and our luggage into his car, which was great! 

We arrived at the hotel, got checked in, and put our bags in our rooms. We were all quite hungry, so we headed to go get lunch, and to explore the area in which we were staying. We went to this place called ZaZa’s, which has really wonderful food! Yummy! After lunch, we started walking around, finding that it was quite chilly in Florence! DANG!!! We found a bunch of little shops, and even a few cute markets with decent priced items! We saw a big green and white marble church, which was very pretty, as well as some other cute sites! It was very interesting to see how different France and Italy are! Florence is a very beautiful city, and the artsy feel is very welcoming! We walked around for quite some time, before all getting quite chilled, and deciding to head back to the hotel to get some good sleep. We played a few games before we headed to bed to prepare for a busy day of site-seeing in the morning. Sunday morning, we woke up early to get breakfast, and get ready to catch our bus that allowed us to see the entire city of Florence. We searched for a little bit before finally finding the bus stop, where the “hop-on hop-off” bus was. We decided to ride the bus through it’s entire route, so we could see all the sites, and then get off at the ones that we wanted to see or were worth seeing. Nick and I sat on the top level of the bus, and in the front so we could see everything!!! It was AWESOME… I was freezing my butt off, but it was worth it! Halfway through the tour, we got stuck in a traffic jam, because there was a car accident at the intersection, and nobody could go through. So we got off the bus, and figured out a way to catch a different bus to tour the city… and caught it just in time! We got on this bus, which took us on a different route than the one before, but we didn’t mind. We went up into the mountains a bit to a small village, where we got off for some lunch. We were able to see the entire city of Florence from here, which was absolutely glorious! After our lunch, we headed back down the mountain to catch the bus we were originally on, and see the rest of the sites that we had missed! 

Throughout the day, we got off the bus, seeing all kinds of beautiful sites, and loving the gorgeous city! We took the last bus back to our stop by our hotel, and went to the rooms to chillout before heading out for dinner! We talked and reminisced the past, laughing and chatting… which continued throughout dinner. After dinner, we were all quite exhausted, and knew we had an early flight to get in the morning to head to Paris for a few days. We woke up in the morning, very early, so we could be at the airport on time for our early flight. When we checked in, we found that everyone in our family was granted first class… except me. We aren’t sure how that happened, but everyone got to enjoy the great space and food of first class. I didn’t mind too much however, I sat in the very back of the plane, where they put all the children, because it’s close to the bathroom, and I sat next to a guy that took up his whole seat, plus half of mine, so I curled up in the corner and passed out, again! The flight was actually quite pleasant, even without the amenities of first class… I didn’t mind too much! 

We finally landed in the beautiful city of lights, and got our car transfer to our hotel. Our hotel was in the Latin Quarter, which is the younger district of Paris, where there are many fun bars and clubs about. Once at the hotel, all checked in and settled, we immediately set out to see some of the awesome sites that Paris has to offer. I had been to Paris just a few weeks earlier, so I knew they metro system very well, which helped save us a chunk of money on not paying for taxis everywhere. So we got some lunch near the hotel, and took the metro to the Louvre. When we got there, we found that the Louvre is MASSIVE!!! Holy cow!!! We searched about, finding the Mona Lisa, and other famous paintings and sculptures, which was awesome to see. But just so everyone knows, the Mona Lisa is small, behind a lot of glass, and roped off, as well as surrounded by hundreds of people ALL THE TIME!!! You have seen better pictures online or in movies… one of the only things that I have found isn’t more amazing in person than you imagined. After we explored more of the Louvre, we walked the Champs Elysee, the most famous street in Paris. We walked out of the Louvre and walked all the way to the Arc de Triomph, which is at the end of the Champs Elysees. As we walked away from the Louvre, we found a little Christmas village type thing along the street. It was amazing… beautiful lights, lots of Christmas Trees, Christmas decorations everywhere, and of course, shops with lots of different types of things to buy. As we wander through the village, we found tons of awesome things, satisfying mothers obsession with Christmas. After the village, we proceeded to walk the Champs Elysees, rummaging through different shops, and eating dinner. 

After a long day of traveling, sight-seeing and walking, we were all quite tired… so I navigated us back to the hotel. Of course, many of you know, I have an innate sense of direction, which has aided me in being able to navigate myself anywhere and everywhere (thanks Dad!!!), so I used my eagle eyes to navigate us around the city, through the metro, and walking us to all of our destinations. Once we arrived back at the hotel, we all basically fell asleep, knowing we would have another day of sight-seeing and exploring early in the morning. When morning arrived, we woke up to eat breakfast, and go catch our sight-seeing bus that took us to all the major tourist destinations around the city. We headed to Notre Dame first, which was where we were to catch the bus. We of course, walked through the magnificent cathedral, wondering if we would see Quasimodo in the tower! After exploring the old and historical church, we found our bus and hopped on. As we waited for the rest of the people to get on, we mapped out the best way to get the most out of our hop-on/hop-off tour. Our next destination was the Eiffel Tower. Of course, we sat on top of the double decker tour bus, and in the front, with the best view. We saw SOO many awesome things (even things I hadn’t seen when I was there). We enjoyed the all the beautiful buildings, and the explanations of all the history that is behind the buildings, gardens, bridges etc. Once at the Eiffel Tower, we decided that we only wanted to take pictures, and we would go up it at night! We did a half hour photo shoot/admiring session before proceeding on with our tour. 

Next, we decided to get some lunch. So we headed back to Notre Dame, to eat at a restaurant called Quasimodo. If any of you aren’t Disney fanatics like us, Quasi was the hunchback of Notre Dame in a Disney movie that we used to watch as kids. He lived in the tower of the cathedral ringing the bell, but wanted to see the rest of the world… I don’t remember the rest of the story really, but it was a cute movie. After our lunch, we did some rummaging through the touristy stores that were about the area, before getting back on the bus to go to the Opera. Here, we saw many shops and beautiful buildings, and enjoyed a hot cup of hot chocolate at Starbucks. By this time, in France, it is dark. We once again got back on the bus, and headed to the Champs Elysee to go back to the Christmas village. We loved it SO much, we had to go through it again… it really is the cutest thing, with such cute knick-knacks to buy… and yummy Christmas food and drink as well. 

After going through the village, we walked back to the Arc de Triomph, which was where the bus would pick us up. We once again, got the front of the bus, and on the top, so we could see EVERYTHING… and let me tell you… the round-about around the Arc is complete chaos. I have never seen a more idiot  traffic jam in my life. The Arc’s round-about (that is, the Arc is in the middle of a wide round-about), where TWELVE streets enter and exit. Oh… and, there are NO established lanes for traffic, so everyone is absolutely EVERYWHERE… it is the most chaotic thing I have ever witnessed. After getting through that mess, we finally were headed back to the Eiffel Tower, to head up to the tippy-top. We actually didn’t stand in line all that long. Normally, the line is insane, but it wasn’t too bad (surprisingly). After the semi-short wait, we headed up in the elevator. It makes you change elevators at the 2^nd floor (for those who can not go to the top), and get on a smaller elevator to head to the 3^rd floor. We got in the 3^rd floor elevator, and started out ascend to the top. If you looked up, the ceiling had windows, which was really neat. The travel up was awesome… I am not afraid of heights, and I was even like WOW… this is high!!! It was AWESOME!!! Once at the top, we observed the gorgeous city, taking pictures, and admiring the sight of such a beautiful place. 

After some time, we headed back down to the 2^nd floor, where Nick and I opted to take the stairs to the 1^st floor, where we would meet Mom and Jackie. Walking down the stairs was reallllllyyyyyyy awesome. It was grated stairs, so it was such a thrill walking down… I loved it!!! Nick and I screwed around taking funny pictures on the stairs most of the way down, and of course, beat Mom and Jackie down, because they had to stand in line for the elevator. We were going get a glass of wine at the restaurant on the 1^st floor, but they didn’t allow that, so we decided to head somewhere for dinner instead. I took them across the bridge, and up some stairs for a better view of the tower… before heading to a cute restaurant near where I had just taken the family. This was the best food I have had thus far, as well as the best service. It was GREAT! Our waiter was so sweet, and the food… fabulous! After dinner, we were all exhausted, so I once again navigated us back home. We had an early flight to catch, again, back to Nice, where we stayed in Monaco. 

The flight back was fine, we were delayed for a bit, but nothing major. Once in Nice, we took a car to Monaco, where we stayed for the night. Once we arrived, we checked-in to our hotel and got ready to go out to see the small country. We took the free shuttle ride to the famous, Monte-Carlo casino. We wandered around the area, finding the Formula-1 race track, seeing the beautiful Mediterranean waters, and of course, the casino. We didn’t go inside however, because it costs 10 euro to enter, which is quite expensive, if you don’t plan on gambling. We sat down at the Café de Paris, and had a small lunch, while enjoying some French wine. We took our time sipping our delicious wine, before going to do more exploring. We found the shopping mall, which I had been in before… the nicest mall EVER… so pretty!!! We wandered through, looking through some of the shops, but everything was very very expensive. Our next destination in Monaco was… well, we just wandered around… again!!! We found the place that we wanted to eat at, but it didn’t open til 7:30pm, so we walked the streets looking for a place to get drinks. Finally, we found a cute little restaurant that was open. We walked in and found ourselves a table. When the guy came to ask us what we wanted to drink, he spoke perfect English, so I asked him if he had brandy… he looked at me funny and said “I knew a girl named Brandy!?!”… and instantly, I knew, he was no bartender! Mom asked him for a martini, and he didn’t know that either… he apologized, because his bartender was not here yet… so of course, we told him that I was, so he suggested for me to come bartend for him. I thought he was kidding, but he was NOT!!! I went behind the bar, and found where all my necessities were, and made us our drinks. It was really weird to bartend somewhere else, I am just so used to being organized at Maple View! Even though that was really cool to do, I prefer bartending at Maple View!!! We had our drinks, and enjoyed talking while we got to know the guy, who turned out to be the owner of the restaurant. He is twenty… it was pretty cool, but he should probably learn to bartend!!! After our drinks, we headed to the restaurant that we were suggested to eat at. This restaurant was so cute, many many different colors, and SUCH great food!!! Afterwards, we were all exhausted, none of us had slept a whole lot with getting up early everyday… so we headed back to the hotel, where we relaxed and sat on the balcony. When morning hit, we didn’t get up early… that’s the first time I have said that this whole time!!! 

We got some good rest, before packing our suite cases, once again, to travel to Antibes. I took the family on the train, so they could see how beautiful it is to ride along the coast on the train. Finally, we arrived in Antibes, and I took them to the hotel before going to lunch. We ate lunch in the hotel restaurant, which was pretty good. It came with a fabulous view!!! We ate a little quick, because I had to go to class at 3ish! So while I went to class, we figured out what to do for Thanksgiving. It was SOOO weird not being at Grandma and Pop-pop’s (Scott) for Thanksgiving like we have for as long as I can remember. All my friends in Antibes decided to do a Thanksgiving dinner together at a friends place, which Nick and I went to after we all went to dinner together at a restaurant near my house. This restaurant I had been to before with Marlena when she came to see me for a few days in Nice. I really enjoyed the food, as well as the owner. The owner does all these funny tricks, makes fun of you, messes around with you… just very fun!!! We had a very fun and delicious dinner, even though we didn’t have turkey! Afterwards, Nick and I went to my friends’ for the Thanksgiving celebration, where he was able to meet all of my friends! It was really a great time!!! Nick and I headed in early because we knew we would once again be getting up early to go to Ventimelia, Italy in the morning. 

We once again were up early, and heading to Italy for the big market they have on Fridays. We took the train for about an hour and a half to Italy, all along the coast… it is a very beautiful ride! When we arrived, we got hot chocolate to warm up, as it was a chilly morning. The hot chocolate we got, was actually hot pudding… very weird, but delicious! After our warm up, it was a bit warmer outside, so we walked the market, finding tons of scarves, and knick-knacky stuff! I love this market, it is rescannable, and has everything you can think of!!! After a few hours of rummaging through the market, we went to get some lunch! We ate at a little pizzeria, which was very good. Afterwards, I took the family the opposite direct, to Cannes (g20 was held here in early November). It’s about 15 minutes from where I live, so we were on the train for about 2 hours, before finally reaching Cannes. We walked around the stores in Cannes, finding a shop that sold cheap French Riviera shirts and souvenirs, so we got some cool things from there, before we decided to head back to Antibes again and chill out before heading to dinner. For dinner, we ate Italian again, and it was very good food. I really enjoyed the place we went to… very good food! We then headed back to the hotel to hit the hay.

 We were to wake up at a decent time to go to my apartment to pack some of my stuff to put in Jackie’s suitcase to go home with her. We packed some of my things in her suitcase, and headed to Nice. We got a hotel in Nice for the night because Jackie’s flight was very early in the morning, so we got a hotel near the airport. We also wanted to walk around Nice, and see some of the sights in Nice. We walked around Nice, finding many different things, as I took them down the main strip of shops, and showed them some of the prettier sights Nice offers, before finding a gelato place to get some yummy ice cream. We then walked around a little more, before finding a place for dinner. After dinner, we once again went back to the hotel to hit the hay… we have been running around everyday!!! EARLY EARLY Sunday morning, we took Jackie to the airport to fly her back to the States. We said our goodbyes, and I sent her off, only to see her in just a few short weeks. Mom and I went back to the hotel to get a little more sleep, before getting up to catch a train back to Antibes. 

On this day… we were all pretty exhausted, so we decided to lay-low in the hotel room. We ate dinner out at a restaurant we had already tried, and I bought them some groceries, as I had class all day Monday and didn’t want them to starve!!! Nick and I stayed up pretty late watching movies in German and waiting to hear back from the lone-ranger that had headed home earlier that day. (Jackie broke my phone by dropping down two stories in the Lourve, so I didn’t have a phone for a while and she couldn’t contact me other than computer) After we heard from Jackie, we fell asleep. In the morning, I had lots to do before class. I left mom and Nick for my classes all day, and from what I know, they did another relaxing day at the hotel. They had pizza at Nick’s new favorite pizza place, and sat on the patio near the Mediterranean. When I got home from class, Mom made dinner for me and all my friends for my birthday.  My three roommates McKenzie, Kallie, and Kim all came, as well as my friends Eliza and Gianna! McKenzie and Mom made me a birthday cake, and Nick lit my awesome flower sparkler candle… the best candle I have ever seen! It even sang!!! After dinner, everyone left and we once again, watched movies in German before falling asleep. 

On Tuesday, we woke up and headed to my apartment once again, to try to fill up Mom and Nick’s suitcases with some of my stuff. We ended up getting a TON of my stuff in them and now I have hardly any clothes, but it was great because now I should be able to come home in ONE suitcase!!! After repacking for a long time, we headed to Nice to stay over night once again, so Mom and Nick could be at the airport early. We walked along the beach in Nice finding lots of cool rocks and watching the sunset, before going to dinner at our hotel. We made it a decently early night, but I stayed up a little later and watched Spongebob in German… I just love that language!!! We woke up early in the morning to get them to the airport for their flight to Paris. I left them around 6:30am to get a train back to my apartment, feeling a little sick, but didn’t say anything to Mom for she would worry. It turned out to get really really bad, ending in me calling the doctor, with his instruction to go to the hospital. So while Mom and Nick missed their flight from Paris to Cincinnati, because the French airline workers were striking (imagine that… the French strike about EVERYTHINGGGGGG… super annoying!!!!!!!!)… so they had to find a new connecting flight, and whatnot… I am in the hospital. Luckily … soooo thankful for this… my CEA advisor (my study abroad program I went through was called CEA and my advisor sets up all of our apartments and courses and whatnot) came with me to the hospital to speak French for me/comfort me. She is SUCH a sweetheart… saved my butt because nobody at the hospital spoke English. She stayed with me the whole time. At the hospital they took blood cultures, which was a freaking horrible experience. The nurse shoved the needle in my arm and couldn’t get any blood, so she did my other arm, still nothing and after a few tries, FINALLY got someone else to come do it!!! Oh, but not before she left both my arms completely bruised!!! The next girl got the needle in, and gave me an IV of liquids and pain meds! I then went into x-rays, and luckily, they found that scar tissue was causing a minor obstruction in my intestinal tract… YAY!!! Nothing serious… they discharged me with a list of FIVE medications to get from the Pharmacy (I bought them, but didn’t open any of the boxes… I don’t believe in medicine really!). After 7 hours in the hospital, I went home and rested!!! Mom and Nick got their flights just fine after their episode in Paris… and I am now healthy as ever!!!

It was absolutely FABULOUS having Mom, Nick and Jackie here as I was really starting to miss home after so long. I was soooo sooo thankful all of them were able to come!!! I still really miss home and can’t wait to finally be back in the States. As much as I love it here, I really miss home like crazy… seeing all the Christmas lights and stuff is beautiful but that is what is making me miss home the most. Christmas is always spent with family, so I always think of home everytime I see the lights… which is everyday. Not only that… but I’m ready to speak my own language again! I have gotten very good with French… understanding A LOT more than I can speak… but I am ready to hear English… American English no less… it’s just a lovely sound! I am also ready for snow! I can’t wait to see the white pine trees and the beautiful white forest! There just really is, no place like home! I plan on spending the next few weeks, enjoying my last days with friends and adventure… but I will be ready for home soon!!!

Love to everyone back home… I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving!!! And love to the Surges family for their loss, as well as the Hughes family… and Grandama Scott as well!!! LOVE YOU ALL… Wish everyone a strong and healthy heart through the tough times!!!

BIG BIG BIG thank you to my mother… gee wiz do I love her!!! She is amazing… I am soooo thankful for her!!! She brought herself to me… as well as my awesome big brother and my amazing sister as well… I don’t know if I would have made it this whole time if I didn’t get to see them!!! Thank you SOOO much Mom!!!! You are truly the besttttt mother!!! And thank you to Jackie and Nick for coming too… it was amazing having you guys!!!

I will be blogging about my London trip soon, so stay tuned!!!

LOVE to my family and friends!!! And Happy Birthday Dad… LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

The four of us in Monaco!

Nick can carry me and Jackie on his back!!! Scott Family Fun!

Nick, Kallie, Me, McKenzie, Gianna, Kim and Eliza... celebrating my birthday!

Nick and I... walking the beach of Nice!

Nick and I on the beach... en francais, la plage!

Having lunch in Florence!!! Loving the italian food!

Disney stores everywhere... we went in every single one that we saw!

Mom, Me and Nick... on our tour bus in Florence!

The city of Florence behind us!

Florence is a beautiful city!

Florence, Italy!

Us three kids at the Louvre!

Us three in the Christmas village on the Champs Elysees

Sunset and the Eiffel Tower!!! 

Mom and Jackie in front of the great tower!

Mom and I

Nick and Mom

Another sunset picture!

Arc de Triumph

The four of us in front of Notre Dame!

The four of us in front of France's most popular tourist attraction!

Nick showing off again... holding both Jackie and I in the air!

The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower!

Atop the Eiffel!

Another photo of the view!

Nick and I's adventure down the stairs...Nick hanging on the Eiffel Tower!

The swinkling tower!

Birthday in Berlin... Family in Antibes!

First of all... Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful birthday wishes!!! Now to start my story of my trip to Berlin! My good friend Eliza and I decided a while ago to go to Germany again and I wanted to go for my birthday! Unfortunately... the flights didn't really work in our favor, because they didn't have any flights flying out later on Sunday and earlier on Friday... so it was a short and sweet trip, but well worth it! We left about 10am on Friday morning from Nice, flying with Swiss Air! Normally, we take easy-jet, which gets us there all the same... but Swiss Air was SOOO nice! The seats were nice and big, comfy... we got free food, drinks AND swiss chocolate (sooo yummy)... now I ALWAYS want to fly Swiss Air!!! Our first flight took us to Zurich for a short layover before heading to Berlin! Once again, we were on Swiss Air ... and got the same spacious plane, with yummy FREE food (always a plus for poor college kids)! We then arrived in Berlin around two o'clock in the afternoon! We quickly got our bags (had to pack heavy for the cold weather)... and found the bus that took us to our hostel! Being from a small town... I would never think that they would have really bad traffic... but the traffic at this time was CRAZY!!! We were on the bus for about an hour and 20 minutes (normally a 30 minute bus ride)... luckily seated, not having to stand and move for everyone at each stop.  After our long bus ride.. our behinds sore and all... we arrived at our stop for the hostel.  It took us a few minutes to find it, but after a little searching, we found it! We walked into a bar/reception full of fun! This was by far the best hostel I have stayed in!!! It was AWESOME!!! We checked in, put our stuff up into our room, got our warm clothes on... and went to discover what Berlin had to offer! We wandered around the streets close to our hostel, finding a few neat shops to look through, and of course, getting beer (for SUPER cheap)! After a little bit of discovering, we found a place to get a snack and beer! We ended up at a restaurant that served Tapas (traditional catalan food... if I'm not mistaken)... the Tapas were pretty yummy, but what wasn't... was this nasty RED beer that the woman served us... oh my, was it yucky! Luckily, we decided to get some traditional German beer after that, to cover up the nasty taste of the red beer! After our "snack," we headed back to the hostel to get ready to go on a pub crawl! We met a woman who took us to five different bars around the area, and gave us free shots all night... it was very fun! We were able to experience all the different types of bars Germany offers, as well as the different drinks that they love (white russians, hot chocolate and baileys... YUMMY)! We had a great deal of fun... even meeting a few other americans, which was refreshing! The next day, we woke up early to go sight-seeing! We first got some warm coffee at Starbucks, before we headed off to walk along the streets towards all the major sights! We saw a cute market, which had tons of local painters, crafts people... etc! This market had some of the coolest hand-made objects I have come across! We rummaged through, finding many things we liked! We then wandered down the street finding lots of historical buildings, including the Berlin Dome, Reichstagsgebaude, and Brendenberg Gate! They were all sooooo beautifully constructed!!! I loved finding all of these on our journey! We then ate some traditional German food for lunch... which was delicious!!! We had currywurst, potato, potato salad and soup.  After our filling lunch, we wandered down another street and ran into a cute little festival going on.  They had a snowy hill that you could slide down... but most of all SNOW!!! Something I was reallllyyyyyyyyyyy missing for my birthday was that I wouldn't have snow... and then we ran into this little festival, and there, was, SNOW!!! I was SOOOO excited! Eliza and I both went down the hill twice! We also checked out the rest of the festival, which had a little fire, and a few shops, as well as places to get traditional german food, drink, and deserts! It was like Oktoberfest, only instead of beer, they served hot chocolate with baileys, and glug! It was the homeiest feeling I have had so far! We then decided to head back to the hostel after our long day of wandering around, and get ready for dinner! We decided to eat dinner at a restaurant that the hostel suggested that was close to the train station.  We got seated right away, which was awesome because it was VERY busy! We order quite a few Tapas (again), only this time, they were REALLY good, whereas the night before, they were okay... we also split this awesome Velenzian dish which had chicken, duck, beef, and rice... it was soooooo soooo good!!! I LOVED it!!! We also got this spectacular sangria... SOOO yummy!!! Lots of fresh fruit... very very tasty! After dinner, we headed to a different part of Berlin where the Berlin Wall still stood... and boy was that neat to see! It was graffitied everywhere, but it was sooo cool to see! We headed to a bar around that area, before venturing to find the club that was around there as well! After the bar, we went to look for the club, but we couldn't find it, so we decided to head back to the hostel area! We got back to hostel and I was able to skype with Mom, Jackie, Nick... and a few friends from home... Derek and Erik! It was VERY fun... they were able to wish me a happy birthday, which was soooo fun! On Sunday morning, we had to take off quite early (around 8:30am) because we weren't sure how long the bus would take us! It took about 40 minutes, which was perfect for us!!! We checked our bags, got some coffee and then headed through security! Security took SOOOO long... they had you go through one person at a time... it was VERY weird! But after we got through, we were able to get on the plane right away.  We had a short flight to Munich, for a  2 hour layover. Once in Munich, we got some AWESOME lunch... both of us getting traditional german food once again! It was reallllllllllyyyy impressive for airport food! Our flights were smooth sailing, and easy! We got back home, and a few friends and I went out to dinner for my birthday! My birthday was SO much fun... but even better was when I got to see Nick and Mom!

Nick and Mom were able to come on Monday... but of course, I had class ALLLLLL day! I was in class from 1pm til 10pm... long long day... but I made mom and Nick stay up so that they could see me, and get used to the time change! I got to their hotel around 10:30pm and was SOOO excited to see them!!! Seeing them was the best gift... and I can't wait to see Jackie on Saturday... SOOO very excited!!!

Yesterday (the 15th), I was able to show Mom and Nick around the area I live! We were able to drink wine by the beach and watch the sun set... I took them to a few traditional french food places near where I live, and love it here! This morning, I set them off to Rome, for there few days without me leading them around, speaking French for them... then I fly to Florence on Saturday! Jackie flies from Chicago to Florence... and mom and Nick from Rome to Florence! I can't wait to finally have our whole family all in one place in the world... SOOO excited!!!

I will continue to blog about our family trips, and of course all the wonderful things it will bring!!!

ps... I was able to speak German quite well in Berlin, getting Eliza and I around! I needed it A LOT more than I thought I would, and it was SO much fun!!!

Love to all of my friends and family... Hope everyone is taking care!!!

Thank you again for all the birthday wishes!!! I can't wait to see everyone in a month!!!

The Beautiful City of Lights....

This past weekend I traveled to the Northern part of France... yes, we went to Paris- the city of lights! The adventure began on Friday, when my roommate McKenzie and I boarded our 5 hour train ride to Paris! It was pouring rain here... and apparently it stormed like crazy here the whole weekend... but being in the train, we had a lot of room to spread out, as it was very early! We slept for the better part of the adventure! I studied for my French midterm that is coming up this week... which was very hard as the scenery was very pretty! When we finally got to the amazing city... we took the metro to our hostel, where we met up with our friends Matus and Taylor! We immediately started exploring the area around our hostel! Our first stop was to eat a french meal at a little cafe! I had amazing soup, which was something I have been wanting since I arrived (they don't really eat soup over here... which is disappointing because I LOVE soup)! But finally, I was able to satisfy (or tease) my taste buds with some amazing soup! After our meal, we went and saw a beautiful cathedral, which over looked the city! It was amazing!!! We then decided to head to de la Tour Eiffel... also known as the Eiffel Tower! I had never thought that the Eiffel Tower was that amazing.... until I saw it! I then realized how incredible it was to see in person!!! Holy cows... was it just glorious to see!!! We took a few pictures in the park by it (which were beautiful as it is fall and the colors were amazing...)! We then headed to the bigger viewing part, where you saw people doing all kinds of fun things in front of the tower! We saw a guy holding a girl straight up in the air... and she was upside down... it was NUTS!!! We admired the tower for quite some time... it was eventually night by the time we left, so we were able to see the tower light up, and were surprised when the tower started twinkling... which was ABSOLUTELY amazing!!! Just soooo beautiful!!! We then decided to go explore a new area and look for a place to eat! We were told there was a Chipotle in Paris... so we googled the address and went to go find it... and of course, there wasn't one! After about 40 minutes of searching... we gave up, and headed back to our area to bring McKenzie to her hostel! We ended up just grabbing some asian food just down the street, and then headed back to our own hostel to get ready to go out! A lot of friends came to Paris this weekend, so it was really fun to meet up and do things together... such as go to a club called Queen on Champs Élysées, which was featuring the world famous DJ Afrojack! It was very expensive to get in, for college kids anyway... and the drinks were quite expensive as well, but once Afrojack came on, he was AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, we were very tired, and headed home early so we could wake up early and enjoy the city again the next day! Saturday morning, Taylor, Matus and I woke up and started exploring the area by our hostel, because our friend Erica was coming sometime in the morning... so we stuck around so we could meet up with her and explore the city! While exploring we found the Moulin Rouge! It was very interesting hear about the area around the Moulin Rouge (because we caught up with a tour guide who showed us around the area a bit)... we also learned that the area was known for having the best shops for food... best cheeses, baguettes, wine, fresh fish, meat, fruits etc. It was very interesting... then we found Erica, grabbed some food, and headed to Notre Dome! We met up with some friends from school, and got a tour of the cathedral... the woman was very dry, so it wasn't that fun... plus her accent was really hard to understand... she said apostles and I heard applesauce... if that gives you any idea of how funny her accent was! Haha... after the tour (which was free), we walked outside and around the area... we were going to go up into the tower (where the hunch back lived), but we had to pay money... so we decided against it! We then ventured around to the Latin Quarter, and found some amazing sites... afterwards, we decided to go to the Champs Élysées, to explore the shops, and what was offered there! We met up with some more friends... and ate a lovely dinner at a cafe just off Champs Élysées... which was AMAZING... the food was really good, and very reasonably priced!!! I had mashed potatoes for the first time since... I don't even know when! Haha... it was awesome! Afterwards... Erica, Matus, Taylor and I decided to head back to Eiffel Tower! We stopped and got a few bottles of wine first, which we drank before we went up the tower! We were going to go to the top... but they closed it two people before we got to the window (sooo bummed), so we only went to the 2nd floor... which was amazing! We were able to see the entire city... and it was just flooring how amazing Paris really is! Paris was one of the places I wanted to go... but only because I live in France! I didn't give this city much credit... until I went!!! I guess it has been shown in movies and television so much, that I figured I had seen it all already... but it is completely different seeing it on television versus actually being there! After our adventure up the tower, it was time to head back to the hostel! We were all exhausted, and fell asleep almost instantly! The next morning, we woke up and headed out to the museums! In France, the first Sunday of each month, they have free admission to the Museums! We decided to go to Musee d'Orsay... which was absolutely GLORIOUS... I can not even describe how amazing the paintings were! I once again... can not believe how amazing they were, compared to the images I have seen on the computer or on television! I love impressionist art, so I was very interested in the art at this museum! We didn't have time to go to the Louvre, because I had a train to catch at 5:40pm or so... so we went and saw Arc de Triomphe! Which was very interesting... I wish I had gone up, but we were REALLY hungry, so went and got some food instead! I then parted ways with my friends, and headed back to the hostel to get my stuff, before getting on the train to come back to Antibes! On the train ride back, I reflected all of the fun I had, and I am SOOOO glad that I am going to Paris again in two weeks with Mom, Nick, and Jackie!!! Thank GOODNESS!!! There is still so much I didn't see, and do.... that I want to yet! The adventure was amazing, and I loved it! I can't wait to go back!!!

Love to all of my friends and family back home... I can't wait to see everyone in a month!!! 

Our First Site... I forgot the name...

McKenzie and I, in front of the Eiffel Tower!

Just a beautiful picture!!!

The tower twinkling... absolutely amazing!

Notre Dome!

Barcelona!!!

This past weekend, I was able to go to Barcelona, Spain... and boy was it fun! This was my favorite trip so far... probably because of all the dancing we did! My roommate Kim and I got up early Friday morning to catch our train to the beautiful city of Barcelona! It was a long day of traveling on the train... but finally, we arrived! It was really awesome, because Kim's boyfriend is studying there, so he came and picked us up from the train station... and we were able to stay at his place because his roommates were gone! YAY!!! So much money saved, because we didn't have to spend money on a silly hostel!!! When we got there, we showered and got ready to go dancing at the clubs! Clubs are a big thing in Barcelona, and it was an absolute BLAST!!! We got in quite late, and were exhausted from traveling and dancing!!! The next morning, we slept in... then finally got up and went to do some sight seeing! Kim's boyfriend, Ian, took us to an awesome viewpoint of the city! We took a cute trolly ride half way up the mountain... and then got on a cable-car type thing, and road the rest of the way to the top! It was a little disappointing, because it was REALLY cloudy up there, so you couldn't see a whole lot... but on the way up, we were able to see the whole city!!! It was awesome! At the top of the mountain, there was a beautiful church, and an amusement park.... very odd to have an amusement park up there, but it was really cool! We didn't ride any of the rides... although, if it was not so chilly up there, and cloudy, we probably would have! We did go into the church, only to discover that there was a wedding going on!!! OOOPPPSSYYY!!! Luckily, we weren't the only ones who walked in on the wedding... and it was really weird, because it was a museum type church, so we were allowed to be in there... veryyy weird!!! The church was really beautiful though... so I could see why a couple would want to marry in it! After exploring the mountain... we headed back down the mountain! Our next destination... was a bar where we could watch the college football games!!! I was alllll about that!!! On the way... they showed me a few of the different streets, and the districts of Barcelona, which was really cool! We also got the traditional food called Tapas... which is essentially appetizers! They were awesome! After the college game... we headed back to go out dancing again! We decided to try two different clubs this time... and both were SUPER fun!!! The first club, the DJ was a lot better, but it was all fun nonetheless!!! We got in late, once again... and I instantly went to bed, as I had an early train to catch! I woke up quite early to get to the train station! It was realllllyyy different though because at this train station, they made you go through security... and your ticket was checked BEFORE you got on the train... I have NEVER had to show my ticket before boarding the train... nor have I ever gone through ANY type of security at ANY train station thus far.... so it caught me a little off guard! The train ride back consisted of me mostly sleeping! It was lovely to see all the scenery when I was falling asleep! One very weird thing I noticed on the way back (which I didn't on the way, because it was dark...) was that somewhere between the border of Spain, and the city of Montpollier, the train track goes LITERALLY through the middle of a swamp!!! I woke up and I couldn't even see the land under us... it was SOOOO weird!!! My trip to Barcelona was short... but LOADED with fun fun funnn!!! I loved it there, and would go back in a heart beat!!! Next time, I hope to attend a soccer game... that would be SUPER cool!!!

I will be posting often, as soooo many fun trips are planned until the end of the semester!!!

Love to alllll of my friends and family!!! Take care!