Bienvenue Beaujolais !

Last week our university finally planned an event for all us International students. So last week we travelled to Beaujolais to celebrate the new wine for 2012. For 17 euros we got to sample tons of wines, different foods and take part in a bunch of traditions and games. Had tons and tons of wine—rose, white, red and cheese and bread to accompany ever sip. It was a long day of drinking but we had a great time with everyone. Finally felt a part of a French tradition—it was a happy and exciting place to be. I’ve learned that wine really is the best way to crack a smile from the French. Sante!!!!!!!!!

Xo

-C

  welcoming to Beaujolais!                     

 

 

 

Ladies looking pretty and a little dizzy he he

 

  Took a sip from the French's "holy glass"

1 MORE MONTH TO GO!!!!!!

 Just wanted to make note that today is the 3 month mark for how long i've been here and 1 month mark till i'm home!!!!!!!!! Can't believe how fast time is flying. Feeling bittersweet right now... soo excited and eager to be coming home to see you all, especially with christmas around the corner but sad that my journey is coming to an end. Will do my best to enjoy my last month here... in the blink of an eye i'll be squeezing my stuff back into a luggage and on an airplane home.

A Bientot!

Xo
-C

IRELAND

On to my final destination of the week….. IRELAND!

When I planned to study abroad, I knew Ireland was the one place I really really wanted to travel too. Partly because when I watched P.s. I love you I absolutely fell in love with the scenery (and Gerard butler of course) so from then on it was always on my list of MUST see places.

Our flight there wasn’t too enjoyable. Probably the worst turbulence I’ve ever experienced and my luggage wouldn’t fit in the stupid compartment so I had to pay a fee. (Learn from my mistake and don’t ever fly with Ryanair). But as soon as we landed I immediately wiped away my tears and had a huge smile from ear to ear. (Must’ve been something in the irish air… or the cute Irish man who greeted us when we arrived he he). We arrived on Halloween night and I found out that Halloween actually originated in Ireland since it was a Celtic tradition. Upon hearing that we knew we had to put together a costume, find a local bar and celebrate Halloween as the Irish do. We were staying at an older couples cottage for the weekend. Took us quite a trek to finally get there… was definitely the boonies of Ireland. Had to pull over a few cars to find where we were going but luckily everyone was so nice and welcoming. They were by far the nicest people I have ever encountered. They went above and beyond to help complete strangers… we couldn’t find our apartment so a lady and her daughter pulled over the car and stood with us for 20 minutes looking it up on their phone, we couldn’t find the bus stop… a police man walked us to the main road and stopped a bus in the middle of the road to make sure we got on and we’re going in the right direction. Everyone was just amazing.  

When we arrived at our cottage it immediately felt like home. The couple welcomed us with tea and biscuits and told us all about where to visit and how to get around. They were so sweet. Every-time we got home we’d fill them in on our day and they just loved hearing all about ourselves. Thanks for hosting us Teresa!

That night we went to Temple bar, a well known Irish bar. We put our eyeliners to use and dressed up as Cats. Not the most original costume but it was all we could put together in 20 minutes. The next few days we spent sightseeing and walking around the city. We visited St. Patricks Cathedral, Trinity University and also did a tour of a castle. And of course whats Ireland without visiting the country side, the place where Holly and Gerry fell in love. So we did a bus tour that took us to Wicklow and Glendalough, up the mountains and through the country side. The views were breathtaking. The wind wasn’t so enjoyable but our driver treated us to a shot of whisky before exiting the bus so it wasn’t so bad.

Our last night we went out with some friends we met on Halloween. They took us bar hopping and we’re a lot of fun. Our flight the next morning was at 6am so rather than sleeping and wasting the night away we partied till 3.. went home to pick up our luggage and headed straight to the airport. Survived our first “overnight experience“at the airport YAY!  It was a long 12 hour day of travelling home- had to stop in Paris then catch a train etc…. But it was WELL WELL worth it. I’m so glad I made it to Ireland. Met great people, learned some Irish lingo and just really enjoyed every minute.

After a week long trip in the UK and hearing English in every country we were in and just feeling so welcomed and at home it was definitely hard re-adjusting to life back in Lyon. But with only a few weeks left I’ll be sure to make the most of it.

Lots of love

Xo

-C

Our cottage for the weekend!

Our lovely hostess

Halloween at Temple Bar

Grrrrrrrrrrr

 

 

 

 For

all you ps i love you fans I captured the exact spot where Gerry and Holly met:)

 

 WOW!!!!!!

 

Taking a shot of whisky before struggling through the windstorm once we made it to the top...

 

 

 

 

 

EDINBURGH

Our next stop…..EDINBURGH; a small town in Scotland home of delicious shortbread cookies and whisky. Our trip here was much more relaxing than London. Since it was such a small town we knew we had plenty of time to get a good feel for the city. So when we landed, we immediately dropped off our bags where we were staying and found a local place to indulge in a full Scottish breakfast. The town itself had a lot of gothic architecture and lots of castles- so it had a very eerie feel, especially at night. It felt even more eerie because everything was decorated for Halloween. Since the city itself was so small, we saw mostly all of its attractions in a day. We visited the famous Edinburg Castle, the University and climbed our way to the top of various mountains and hills to catch beautiful views of the city. We even managed to visit an underground prison in the castle- it was where the prisoners of war were kept. Was so interesting to see….looked as if everything had been left just as it was from years ago.

Since Halloween was just around the corner we thought we should do something festive.  So we decided to do a ghost tour that they offered. It took us to these underground vaults where poor people of the city used to live. It is believed the ghosts of these individuals still haunt the vaults. Luckily I never encountered any but there is tons of documentation that they actually exist. Soooo spooky!!!

All in all was a nice and relaxing weekend. Always feels more authentic being in a smaller city with less tourists. We enjoyed just laying low… and lucky we did… Dublin really knocked the wind out of us!!! Stay tuned…..

Xo

-C

Welcome to Scotland!!!

 

One of many beautiful castles

University of Edinburgh....pretty unreal right?

Underground prison...the beds weren't too comfy!

 

Spooky graveyard

My drink in Edinburgh... warmed me right up!

 

A week through the UK....LONDON

 

Hi everyone!

Hope you enjoyed my recent post. I know my mom and dad did! As some of you know, last week I had a week off school. The university calls it a fall break or reading week but that really means an extra week of travelling and exploring for us international students. So instead of reading books we decided to research all about the UK and spend our week there. We visited London, Edinburg (Scotland) and Dublin all in a week.

Our first stop….LONDON.

From the moment I arrived in London I knew I was going to love the city. I immediately felt at ease when hearing people speak English. It was so nice to finally feel like “one of them” and not have to think about how to conjugate a verb in my head before speaking. We spent 4 days in London—4 long rainy days. But the rain and wind didn’t stop us from exploring this amazing city and seeing everything it had to offer. We did our second hop on hop off bus tour and got to visit the famous Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadily Circus, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey and we even managed to sneak into Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre thanks to al ( he he).  We also visited the “queen street” of London… full of vintage boutiques and independent designers. It was a more urban and edgy area- with tons of cafes and stores. We loved it! We didn’t do much shopping but we did manage to make it to Harrod’s—London’s popular department store. It was fashion heaven for us ladies…. extremely expensive but definitely worth the visit. And of course, what’s a trip to London without eating like a Londoner. We had our first fish & chips and mushy peas meal. It was finger licking good… LITERALLY. We also put aside a few hours one afternoon for tea time . We went to a fancy hotel- beautiful décor and there was even a harp player. It really was our haven from the wind and cold--- and what better way to warm up than with an authentic English breakfast tea and a scone.

 

Overall my trip to London surpassed all my expectations. It was such a lively and energetic city—you couldn’t help but always feel enthused about everything. Despite the rude British woman who yelled at me for standing on the wrong side of the escalator, I loved it. The people, the culture, the food, the energy. London….. I’ll be seeing you!  

Xo

-C

 

Soo excited for fall... can you tell?

                                                      me + a red phonebooth ( i'm such a tourist)

Buckingham Palace!

 

 

The photo speaks for itself.....mmmmmm 

 London Eye! We went for a ride too.... such spectacular views of the city.
 

We stumbled upon a Pumpkin Patch..

 

Afternoon tea... you treated us well !

 

Campodimele.... a hidden gem!

Since a weekend wasn’t enough, I decided to book myself a flight and meet my parents in Campodimele for the weekend. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Campodimele…it is a region in Italy my dad is from. It is a tiny village located on the very top of a mountain.  It is known for the longevity of its residents and people normally live an average age of 95. This means that my weekend was full of meeting and spending time with people 90 +. But I loved every second of it!

Campodimele was definitely the calmest and most peaceful getaway I’ve had since I’ve been here. It was also the very first trip I took myself so I was proud I made it there in one piece. It was so refreshing to finally be in a place that felt like home. To give you all a glimpse of the daily life of the Campodimele residents it basically involves waking up in the morning, washing clothes and then lining them on the clothes liner outside to dry, going outside for a walk or espresso at the towns café, having a large afternoon lunch then nap, and then going outside to the town bar for a beer to mingle with all the locals. So we did exactly that. We spent the weekend meeting the locals, visiting some of my dads family, and lots and lots of eating. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. We stayed in the house my dad and his family just bought. Its over 150 years old and right by the town church. Every day we had visitors and people coming to meet us. Old ladies would come and bring us food and then my mom would make them an espresso and they would talk our ears off about the gossip of the town.  The 90 year old women were incredible. They were so smart and still worked so hard even in their old age.  I only hope that I could have the strength and wisdom they do. I also got to spend a lot of time with my dads cousin Vince and his wife who moved from Canada to Italy about 6 years ago. We spent a whole day at their new house he just built. They invited us over for a rustic meal of pappardelle con funghi, agnello, snails, and cicoria. We spent all night eating and drinking and had such a good time!   

My trip to Campodimele was great. I was so amazed by how the people lived there. They lived so simply and were so happy and content with everything. It really opened my eyes to a lot. I was really sad to leave there. Saying goodbye to all the old ladies and locals and to my family was hard but I know I will be back to visit soon. I’m glad I was adventurous enough to leave Lyon, and travel on my own to this beautiful little town. It was such a simple trip yet so fulfilling. It was probably my most enriching experience thus far. And I’m so glad I could finally understand and see for myself why this little town makes my dad so happy. Me and my mom were both taken by surprise from all that this little town has to offer. But I think we are now thrilled to call it our second home. Enjoy the photos!!!  

p.s. next up…. My big week long trip to the UK. Stay tuned!!

Lots of love,

-C



Our way up the mountain....

  

Casa di Campodimele

 

Campo..right at the top! ( a little traffic along the way up aha)

Afternoon with Zia Olga...thanks for the snails!

 

 

Homemade pizza mmmm 

Afternoon lunch with all the cugi

  

Campo's famous outdoor ampitheatre.. what a view!

Pappardelle con funghi... thanks for the delicious meal vince and mariella!




Cooking up a storm

 Masterchef Vince and his sidekick