The Champs Élysées at Christmastime

     As the Champs Élysées is one of my favorite spots to run, just after Halloween I began to notice booths and stalls being set up and lights being strung, little did I know that a beautiful Christmas market would soon emerge.

Smoked fish stall

     Whether you're cold, hungry, craving something sweet, in need of souvenirs, jewelry or any other sort of knickknack or homemade craft you're sure to find it among the stalls on either side of the street. The whole market is sensational. As soon as you arrive you're greeted with the dreamy smells of warm soup, an array of meats and cheeses, and many scrumptious desserts. There is Christmas music playing from speakers along the way and one can't help but sing along. Each booth is filled with so many wonderful little things that your eyes don't know what to look at first! I walk slowly to try to intake it all.

     Even an ice skating rink holds a place on one side, with it's own soundtrack and even lights.  It has a small section for beginners and bystanders can share in the enjoyment of parents helping their small children skate with what looks like a little chair. One girl that I saw was actually sitting in the seat just being pushed around on the ice by her poor mum! And a father helping his little boy, holding on to make sure he didn't fall but also trying to let go and let the child try on his own, it was heartwarming! I'm not surprised I wasn't the only one standing there watching with a smile on my face.

    All along the way they give you more things to look at, some fitting the Christmas theme.. 

    While some maybe not so much.. 

Nonetheless, there is a strong Christmas vibe that is felt by any and all in the vicinity. Many walk along warming their hands with mulled wine or hot cocoa while enjoying the different Santa Claus statues set up near the street.  There are even places to sit and enjoy all the tasty foods the market has to offer. When I came a week or so ago, Ellen and I got hot soup to warm our cold bodies! She had carrot and I had broccoli, both of which were delicious and were hard to eat slow enough so as not to scorch our tongues. Today, I tried a strawberry streusel pretzel of sorts, I ate it as I walked along and watched the faces of people I passed who eyed the dessert in my hands as if it were a prize! I do plan to try more and more things in the next few weeks :)

     At the very end of the Champs Élysées there is a massive Ferris wheel. I don't know what it is about them but for me personally, I am not about to go on it but I will admit that it looks quite beautiful and fits as the destination at the end of the market.

    Back the other way, once the market ends at before the stores begin, there is a small area adorned with many lights in an array of colors. During the day you might not realize how gorgeous these lights are but once the sun goes down, their magnificent blues shine brightly.

     Further along some of the shops have gotten into the holiday spirit in one way or another with lights and gifts and trees and even a giant lady that I have yet to grasp the meaning of..

     Taking a long stroll down this street is worth it day or night, it can get anyone in the Christmas spirit!! I'd know because I do it whenever I have free time. ;)

Spread some love today and go out of your way to do something kind for another human being :)

Thanksgiving

     Unfortunately Thanksgiving is a holiday not celebrated in Europe; no Thanksgiving turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, moms famous corn casserole, and of course pumpkin pie, but even without the food traditions I still like to spend today being thankful for all the wonderful gifts I've been given in my life.

Jesse and Ciara and I in Florence

     I am so incredibly thankful for my huge family! Growing up with five siblings and loving parents was more of a blessing than I realized. It's so uplifting having people around you that will support and love you no matter. For example, when I made my decision to stop going to college and to travel instead, when I told my mother, instead of telling me I was making a bad decision or that my education was more important, she told me to go for it, to live my dreams and have a great time exploring! That was a great boost of confidence that helped me along my way. In the end they even came to visit me while I was in Italy and we had an incredible time together! Of course we fight and argue like any family does, but putting that aside we have so much fun and love each other dearly. I am also grateful for the huge extended family I have as well! Tons of cousins, aunts, uncles, and wonderful grandparents here and departed. Alisha, a cousin of mine, and I have always had a great relationship and along with being family, I'd say she's one of my very best friends! We have a pretty similar quirky personality, come to think of it, one great thing about my entire family is how fun they are! There is never a dull moment.

Kids in Greece

 

     I'm thankful for the blessed and fortunate life I have been able to lead thus far. Having spent last year working in Italy and traveling around it, the last few months here in Paris and big plans for Southeast Asia in my future. Not to mention all the vacations I've been on with my family in the past and the three weeks I spent on a missions trip in Bolivia. I love to travel and it is far beyond exciting. All the new experiences and lessons I learn, along with meeting magnificent new people and getting to be fully immersed in new cultures. I couldn't be happier.

     I am so very thankful for my friends.Friends from home that I've known and loved for years, and friends that I've met on the road that have become part of my life. My best friend Sydney who is there for me anytime I need her!And whenever I return home, we pick up right where we left off, as if I'd never even left. Also my boyfriend Tyler, we first dated when we were 11, and now all these years later having been friends this whole time, have found our way back to each other. He's kind and fun and loves me for everything that I am and everything that I'm not, and he's also a total babe ;) Living in a small town you keep many of the same friends for years and years and I am grateful for long standing friendships such as those. In the time I've lived abroad, I've become friends with people from all over the world! Some of these girls I feel as though I've known forever. I've met so many wonderful people in my life and I am so happy to know them and I love thinking of all the adventures and great times we have had and will continue to have! Friends make life sweeter and it's much more fulfilling to share in life's pleasures than to do them alone.

  I'm thankful for Jesus and the fact that He died on the cross to save me. I'm thankful every day for the gifts the Lord has given me in my life and will continue to provide. I love the way He made me me, with a strong will, a deep compassion for others, and a love for all life around me! I'm grateful for this earth He's given us to live on and that which I will do my best to help protect! I'm thankful for the opportunities He provides and the plan He has for me.

Everything in life can be a blessing if we choose to perceive it as such.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

Provins

A short distance from the hustle and bustle of crowded Parisian streets, there lays a small medieval town called Provins just waiting to be explored. This little sleepy village has much to offer any type of traveler, from its magnificent 12^th century cathedrals to its scrumptious patisseries and picturesque waterways.

Life in the village seemed dormant and quiet when we arrived, but then again the day we decided to visit was an incredibly cold and wet fall day. Nonetheless after a little over an hour on the train, we followed the giant looming cathedral on the hill and were happily surprised along the way. Snaking behind houses and in-between streets are some little rivers that almost give you the feel of being hundreds of miles away amongst the water ways of Venice. But we’re brought back to France by the lovely medieval houses adorning the streets. With old wood work and an array of colors, the walk through the new city and up to the old is quite pleasant and after making our way up a small hill we reached the Saint- Quiriace cathedral built in the 12^th century. The pink marble inlayed around the center of the dome’s interior stood out as something not often seen in the cathedrals I’ve been to around Europe. It was quiet and the remnants of paint on the walls makes you wonder what this church must have looked like when it was built, nearly a thousand years ago.

                Just across the square and up a small hill there is another looming building which resembles a fortress and is called Caesar’s Tower. It was once used as a prison but is now the bell tower for the church. We tried to enter but found out that tours didn’t start for another hour or so and decided to find someplace to eat before going back to view the inside.

 Just a couple minutes’ walk away is the big old town square, fortunately adorned with little restaurants on all four sides. We made our choice and gladly accepted the warmth upon entering. After reading the menu, which was in both French and English, we decided on their special. Crepe with onions, potatoes, sausage and gravy as well as a warm mug of rose hot chocolate. This little town is known for their roses but I’d never had hot chocolate flavored with them and as a lover of hot chocolate, I was very pleased with its rich flavor.

                We’d spent enough time refueling and warming up that we were now ready to enter the Tower. There were many different levels and each one offered a gorgeous view of the little town and surrounding areas, as you went higher and higher up, the panoramic picture just got more and more beautiful to look at. The rooftops were interlaced with trees in all shades of fall colors; reds, oranges, yellows and golds. Those made it even harder to pull ourselves away and explore the innards of the structure. There was a large main circular room and smaller ones that opened up at different points along the circle. The highest level housed the bell or two actually, and is surrounded by wooden planks so we weren’t sure at first what we were looking at till I spotted a bell behind all the crisscrossing wooden beams. We stayed up there enjoying the view as long as we possibly could but once our extremities started to go numb, we reluctantly left to finish wandering the town.

                One of the best ways to experience a European city is to stop in a local bakery or, in France’s case, a patisserie. So we purchased a few deliciously odd looking items to enjoy on the train ride home. Walking along we found a few more incredibly interesting churches like Saint Crioxe, laced with statues of all sorts and gothic architecture as well as the bell tower of Notre Dame- du- Val. Eventually wandering too far and reaching a park where we stopped to feed some ducks, we realized we needed to be at the train station quite soon and had no idea where we were. So after asking directions quite a few times, we were running through the town, trying to take it all in one last time as we sped by! I yelled a good bye and thank you to one of my new favorite little towns, and upon reaching the station with a few minutes to spare; we caught our breath and boarded the train. On the way home I enjoyed my pistachio éclair while being mesmerized by the brilliant orange sun setting over the hills in the distance.

Paris

   Can't believe how long it's been since I've written on here! Anyways the big city of Paris is my current home, but only for the next 4 weeks or so. Then I'll be headed on a two week vacation around Europe with my family, and when that's over I'll be spending a couple weeks with friends in England before flying to Southeast Asia for a few months. I am so excited!! But for now, Paris is my home and a beautiful one at that.
   After visiting all the big and famous monuments in Paris like; the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, and so on, I had to start looking harder for interesting things to see. I used TripAdvisor and created a list of all the extra things to see around this grand city. So over the last few months my list has taken me to the most visited cemetery in the world, Pere Lachaise, which is the final resting place for a few famous people such as Oscar Wilde and Gertrude Stein. I've seen a few other cemeteries as well, all quite interesting and very grand, much larger than any I've seen in America with some very interesting graves. This photo is from the cemetery monmartre.

I explored the 2km long underground catacombs beneath the city, the entire pathway was lined high on either side with hundreds and thousands of bones, some set decoratively into the walls. With my love for the outdoors, I had to explore every park I could find. Park Andre Citroen is very modern with a hot air balloon, giant fountain, and contemporary spaces used by many for relaxation. Parc Monceau, one of my favorites for its relative closeness to me, is a lovely park used by many joggers that has a few odd structural pieces like a pyramid and an archway as well as a row of columns in the pond. This park is a sweet and peaceful place to chat on a park bench, enjoy a baguette for lunch, or read a book. Sadly Parc des Buttes- chaumont is so far from me or I would likely spend much of my time walking around the giant cliff surrounded by water and taking in the breathtaking views of the whole park and city from the top of that cliff. There are also many small random green spaces in Paris that I walk through whenever I spot them.
  
















I've been through the home of Victor Hugo, many different museums and dozens of churches. Every street in Paris seems to hold something aesthetically interesting. One of my favorite churches that I went through after reading the DaVinci Code, was the church Saint Sulpice, very similar to Notre Dame but housing some notable paintings and also playing choir music that sounds enchanting in the giant cathedral.
   Food in Paris is quite different for each person. Often around lunch time you see people walking down the streets eating a baguette as they go, seemingly in too much of a hurry to sit down and eat their meal. But on the other hand, there are many restaurants and braserries, where people sit outside and enjoy their company and their meal slowly and peacefully, not leaving out their espresso or cigarette. I haven't had the opportunity to eat much French food besides the occasional baguette for lunch. I have though been able to try some of their delicious pastries. From fruit tarts and chocolate croissants to eclairs and flan, French pastry is something to be savored and enjoyed.

Ellen and I enjoying a strawberry tart and piece of flan

   One of my favorite things about my life here is the gorgeous view I have just outside my window. When I first arrived in September, the trees outside my window gave me a small view of the top of the Eiffel Tower, but as fall progressed and the leaves began to fall from the trees, my view got bigger and bigger. Whether it be in the morning when the sun has come up or on a foggy day when I have to strain my eyes to see it, or at night when it glows brightly making the entire sky a slight shade of orange, I love this view and am so thankful for it.

Florentine Weekend of FREE Food

     This weekend has to be one of the best since I got here in Italy! A weekend full of Tuscan food at the best possible price :) Saturday Lizzy and I mapped out four different places we had found in the Florentine newspaper that would be giving away free treats to those who came in a certain time period. So we circled the streets and added the names and times to my map and we set off! Our first stop was a local grocery store called Conad right by the Ponte Vecchio. They had a small stand set up inside offering little bits of biscotti made on the island of Giglio, which is right near where the cruise ship the Costa Concordia sunk. Each was a little different from the next, either with texture or ingredients, different nuts, with out without honey, and different dried fruits. After trying as many variations as we thought acceptable without buying any, and having a little chat with the salesman, we made our exit. The next place on the list was a small vintage store that we'd gone to once before but never purchased anything because the prices are very high. We got small cups of wine and a little piece of dark chocolate that was made without eggs, four, butter or sugar and it was delicious and creamy! Went very well with the wine. We perused the lines of colorful and funky clothes but gave up shortly after. The third stop was by far my favorite for the entire weekend. It seems we got into a food tasting competition of some sort where many bakeries that make and sell their own sweet Easter bread had them on display and cut into sample strips for us, the judges, to try. Right as we arrived we were given beer in a fancy glass, one of the nicest beers I've had. But we had to chug it unfortunately, we didn't have enough hands to carry the glass, the plates we'd been given, and the gelato we were drooling over at the next stand. After we got our mini cups of cream and orange gelato, we turn to the right, and see a long line of tables. And what's on those tables? Samples! Tables and tables of samples and we tried them all! I can not even tell you how many there were, but I can tell you the best one. Many of these breads were either plain or had raisins, Sicilian fruit, orange, or apricots inside. But one, one was a wonderfully blue purple color and had olives! The bread was still sweet but you could taste the olive distinctly whenever you bit one. It was the most unique and beautiful bread. Almost like taking a bite of Tuscany and what it truly stands for. I would give the runner up to the orange, chocolate, cinnamon bread but perhaps my love of cinnamon makes me biased. We were giddy with excitement over all this incredible free food! We were the kids in the candy shop, laughing and excited at our luck while all the posh Italian adults were taking the competition much more seriously. The last X on the map for the day was a bit harder to find, but make it there we did! It was held in a home decor store with very modern furniture and light fixtures. I probably wouldn't have purchased anything in that store ever, but we got our wine and pretended to be interested. There were also a few funky cheeses to try. I enjoy cheese, but mostly mellower cheeses; like fresh mozzarella or ricotta or even parmesan. Not chunky salty cow cheese, or moldy cheese. The goat cheese wasn't bad though, very creamy but I'd prefer to stick with my boring cheeses. The best thing to go with wine and cheese is chocolate and they had individually wrapped chocolates that even the posh Italians present were taking handfuls of. Thus concluded day one of the foody treasure hunt.
     Sunday the 10th I started my morning at ICF church located right near the duomo. Much later in the afternoon Jess and I went to the first of just two free food events of the day. It took place in another wonderful but overpriced vintage clothing shop. The odd thing was that they had actresses dressed up very old fashioned and they were sitting around a table pretending to have a tea party. Sometimes they would laugh and sing and do little dances and then they would all stand up with plates of bread or chocolate and wander silently around the room offering the treats to all the spectators inside. There were also small tables set up with more free beer and wine. One of the chocolates being offered by the actresses was dark on the outside with pistachio inside and it was really nice! We stayed awhile, watching the show and helping ourselves to the sweets. We then went back to my house and made Gnocchi with vegetables for dinner. Soon it was time to go to Il Re Gelato (the king of ice cream) to sample olive oil gelato. We thought it sounded odd, but olive oil and gelato are two things Tuscany is so well known for we had to see what it would be like if they put them together. As the woman was putting some in a bowl for me, a boy behind us started whispering, "Don't do it. Don't do it." I started wondering if this was a good idea or if the taste would ruin my love for the frosty treat. She put three different savory toppings on each of ours and we sat down to draw our own conclusions about the gelato. I never would have thought I would eat savory gelato but actually, it's pretty good! The bit with the toasted sesame seeds was the best so we added some more of those. The worst bit was with these big black crystals of sea salt that were so overpoweringly salty we couldn't eat them. Luckily the black color came off so we could see just which parts to steer clear of! Olive oil gelato= a success! Just like my whole weekend was. Whether or not we had gotten so much delicious free food wouldn't really have mattered as it was a pretty fun scavenger hunt.. Oh who am I kidding? It wouldn't have been nearly as great! All the goodies along the way made for an excellently scrumptious two days.

Pompei, Mt. Vesuvius and Napoli

         I started Wednesday the 20th off early with a 7am train. Three hours later I arrived in Napoli, bought a ticket to Pompei (the wrong Pompei) and ended up riding the train all the way to Salerno waiting for my stop that never arrived. I had to wait about an hour until I could take a train back to Napoli and figure out what went wrong. In the Napoli station, you must go downstairs to the Circumvesuviana station and buy a different kind of ticket to a different Pompei. At this point I was wary and doubting my skills at traveling independently. But I made it to the waiting area and about another half hour later I got on the right train and thirty minutes after that I FINALLY make it to Pompei Villa Dei Misteri (The right Pompei)! I decided not to worry about the problems that I had had and just to be happy that I made it. I find my hostel easily, Easy Bed Hostel by name and I highly recommend it. I meet the owner and get settled. By now its a quarter to three and I decide to walk to the ruins that are only five minutes away. 

     Pompei is the one place in Italy that before I came, I knew I had to visit. I can now check it off my bucket list! If I could only remember where I'd put the darn thing.. Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD destroying the cities of Pompei and Herculaneum. It is just simply incredible to see what is left of the city after thousands of years. Many of the ruins looked similar to each other, long rows of crumbling houses but mixed in there are large amphitheaters, rooms that are still full of color, and random statues that couldn't help but make me wonder what life would have been like. I was most fascinated by some of the walls that still had paint and pictures on them. They were beautiful to look at and I enjoyed walking around to find painted spots, writing on walls, and stone pictures in the floor. I felt like an explorer, searching through the rock and rubble to find the magnificent. I stayed until it closed. The only thing that was disappointing was that I thought I would see the plaster people and animals as they were when the volcano erupted but unfortunately, I saw none. They must be too fragile and are in some sort of museum or lab. Too many people had the map that told them the main buildings to see, and in between one to the next they walked quickly, without taking the time to see that although the map may have the biggest things, there were still many amazing things to see on the way! And sadly they went unnoticed by most. I watched the sunset from just outside my hostel and then went in to meet another girl in my room named Constanza. Dinner was some cold pasta I had put in a ziploc bag that morning! And the rest of my evening was spent talking and then reading until I drifted off to sleep.

Amphitheater

Snake Painting

      The next morning at breakfast, which was yogurt with a doughnut and pizza, I invited Constanza along with me to Mt. Vesuvius, so we set off just before nine. I thought the bus service to Vesuvius was running but apparently it stops during the winter. The taxi drivers said they would take us but wanted to charge a hefty fee. We decided to go back and ask the hostel owner. He told us to take the train to Ercolano and then take the bus from there. We did as he said and shortly after receiving his advice we were in a van with an older english couple headed to the mountain! I couldn't contain my excitement. The closer we got, the more bouncy and bubbly I became. When we reached the drop off point, we put on all our layers as there was snow outside, got our tickets, and finished the hike up to the crater. Wow, even on a bit of a foggy day the view was wonderful, I could see all the cities below, some that I knew including Pompei (new and old), Napoli, and many others as well as the coast. The crater itself was magnificent, smoke rising in a few different spots, and plants growing on the floor. We spent lots of time looking into its grand mesmerizing vastness and wondering just how far down it went. I decided that we should walk all the way back to town instead of going with the bus, so off we went! The next couple hours were spent walking and learning about each other and the culture we grew up in, as she is from Argentina. During that time we found a trail and decided to follow it, eventually making it to a different small town and started walking in the direction we thought we should be going, using the mountain in the distance as our guide. After asking a few people for directions, and one short bus ride, we were back at the station and made it back to Pompei. I'm told that Mt. Vesuvius is the most dangerous volcano in the world and I'm very thankful that it proved safe for me and my friend.

Friday I tried to sleep in a little but that proved impossible so I got up and packed my things to leave. Again we had pizza with breakfast, and I know it's Italy but that's just not normal! Very glad that I brought my rain coat, it was coming down pretty good outside. After check out I caught a train to Napoli and when I arrived, I went straight to the information office and asked the guy what I should see since I have to be back to the station for an evening train. He was very helpful and drew me a route on a map. Off I went! Straight out of the station I could already sense the enormity of this busy dirty city. I'd only been walking for a few minutes when I had my first experience with pickpockets. As I was walking, an older man on a moped pulled over and started honking and yelling at someone who was trying to get into my backpack. I felt a little pressure on my bag but hardly noticeable, when I turned around there was nobody there. The culprit fled, thankfully without any of my possessions. I am so grateful for the man on the bike. From then on, I felt a little silly but I turned my bag around and wore it on my front instead of my back. I walked with confidence and with a face that, I hope, said don't mess with me! I went into the first church that I saw and just sat for awhile. I prayed for courage and protection to conquer this city on my own. I decided the best thing for me to do to was find the popular churches and spend time looking around inside and also find the archaeological museum. So that is just what I did. Napoli does have some really beautiful and extravagant churches just as many cities in Italy do. With life size paintings, numerous candles, and dozens of statues. The museum was very interesting also, it was full of statues and pictures too delicate to remain in Pompei so they were all brought here. They even had a "secret room" that was full of all the sexual paintings and sculptures created in that period. After looking at all the museums pieces, I went back out into the rain with my front-pack. Through the maze of city streets I followed my map trying to find where all the streets stop and the sea begins. One of my biggest moments of relief happened then, as I was walking and getting slightly frustrated with the crowds and the noise, I see in front of me an endless blue. My face burst into a huge grin. I spent quite awhile walking down and then back up the coast. Wind in my hair, no sound of cars, only the sea and me. Along the way I walked past a couple of really amazing old castles, one out in the water and the other just a street inland. The last few days I had been reading the book Eat Pray Love (which is a really wonderful book) and in the story she tells of the best pizza in Napoli, so the last thing on my list was to find this place and order the extra cheese margherita pizza. Thankfully finding this place wasn't very difficult so I bought my pizza and walked with it back to the station. I then spent the next couple hours reading and writing and eating my pizza with a crust like clouds! Pizzeria Da Michele has been in business since 1870 and their crust is better than any I have ever had. I got the last train back to Florence and arrived just after 10pm. 

Sea with the Castle in the Background

     I proved to myself over these last few days that I really can make it on my own. I can be independent and rely on myself although I very much enjoy having company. Many times this trip brought me an incredible sense of relief, especially in Napoli and I know it is important to forget those moments of frustration and focus on the easing of those situations. I thank the Lord for this incredible opportunity to be here in Italy and to get to have this small little trip as well as for keeping me safe. I know I made mistakes and got frustrated a few times but life is always a learning experience. 

Ciao Ciao! :)

Eat Pray Love book: http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/books/eat-pray-love/

Pizzeria Da Michele: http://www.damichele.net/

Easy Bed Hostel: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Easy-Bed-Hostel/Pompei/60567?sc_sau=sfab&sc_pos=3