France

What I really need to find is a cozy, hip little cafe in Berlin where I can do a bit of light reading, enjoy a good latte (they've been few and far between), journal, and blog like a champ. On the other hand, I like blasting music and taking little dance breaks in my room too.

After spending two weeks in the UK, it was time for me to leave the comfort of English and travel to the land of baguettes, croissants, and macarons. I was quite nervous since I didn't speak a word of French, but I managed just fine. I can assure you the only phrases you really need to know are:

• Bonjour!
• Bonsoir! (Or be me and just know bonjour and face that people will think you're an idiot at night)
• Je ne comprends pas.
• Parlez vous anglais?
• Pardon.
• Excusez moi.
• L'addition!
• Merci beaucoup!
• De rien.
• S'il vous plaît
• Au revoir!

Words like entrance, exit, push, pull, etc. are picked up quite easily when you encounter them all the time. For example, the moment I got off the Eurostar, I knew "sortie" was the French word for exit.

Speaking of the Eurostar, I had to mention that I thought it was a pretty wonderful experience. It was just like going under the bay on BART from Oakland to SF except it's going under the English Channel from one country to another. Most of the time is spent traveling across France to Paris, and crossing the channel itself obviously doesn't take long at all. The whole trip is faster than a flight and probably very comparable in price if not cheaper, and you can take whatever liquids you want! Plus St. Pancras International is an absolutely gorgeous train station with plenty to do before departure. Fun fact: when my dad was in London in 1993, the train had not began operations yet, but he's wanted to take it ever since. He hasn't been to Europe since leaving that same year, but he was very excited for me when I told him I'd be taking the train from London to Paris.

I don't really have too many words to describe Paris. It is truly as romantic and beautiful and sophisticated as one would imagine, or at least as I would imagine. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, Versailles, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica... the list goes on. There's an endless list of things to see and do. The Louvre itself is something you could spend weeks wandering. 

TIP: If you are a student studying abroad in Europe without an EU passport, bring your student ID to Paris!!! And if you already have your residence permit, even better! The only way I guiltlessly funded all my meals out and Pierre Hermé delicacies was by free admission to the places I wanted to see. Keep in mind that I have the shittiest little piece of paper that functions as my ID at FU and normally I show my California drivers license or American passport in conjunction because my ID has no photo. Particularly worth noting:

• The Louvre is free AND you don't have to wait in the long line to buy tickets. Just proceed directly to one of the ticket control stations and show them your student ID. It is also free on Friday night for anyone under 26 from 6 PM to closing.
• I've wanted to visit the Château de Versailles ever since taking AP Art History in high school. The gardens are free to visit, but with your ID you can also get inside the palace itself for free and see everything from the royal chambers to the Hall of Mirrors. I expected them to be a bit more of a pain in the ass about my ID, but it was the easiest place for me to get into after the Louvre. The guy at ticket control said it was because my ID specified it was valid for the current semester and thus didn't require me to have a residence permit.
• Musee D'Orsay - Millet's The Gleaners is here as well as a generally great collection of Toulouse-Lautrec and van Gogh.
• Rodin Museum - shout out to my friend Emily for the recommendation!

gotta fund these babies somehow

I was asked for a residence permit for the Sainte-Chapelle and to climb the Towers of Notre Dame. They're only a couple of euros each without though and definitely worth doing. I must say that the meanest person I met in France was the lady at the ticket desk at the Sainte-Chapelle. She was just really mean.

People can say what they want about Paris, but there's no denying that it is a stunningly gorgeous city. It lived up to every expectation and then some. Take the Eiffel Tower, for instance: it never crossed my mind that it would be as big as it is, and I loved climbing every damn step.

I ended my month in Nice. Honestly, I spent more time there than I wanted or needed since the end of February isn't exactly the best time to visit the French Riviera. The biggest torrential downpour I encountered was actually on my penultimate day there. It was also surprisingly more expensive than in Paris. The result: lots of socca for lunch and McDo's & KFC for dinner. (And I'm not sorry because the McFarmer and the Tower were delicious, and we don't have them in the US as far as I'm concerned.)

socca: so simple, so delicious

I think the most disappointing thing about France was that Monoprix failed to be the French equivalent of Tesco. I couldn't get dinky little sandwich meals for cheap, and I didn't eat a single good banana the whole time I was in the country!

I was in Nice during Carnevale, but it was quite tame. Nothing like what all my friends in Köln were doing ;) I partook in the Flower Parade and went home with my own little bouquet.

I spent a lot of time wandering the city. There isn't much to do besides shop and walk. I went to the old town a lot and perused the shops in the narrow little walkways. It was quite the peek into what Europe used to look like. I also frequented the promenade whenever the weather was good and one morning I had a pleasant little chat with a Bulgarian expat. He told me that I was the first solo Asian female traveler he's seen in a long time and to top it off, an American! Apparently that's what brings all the boys to the yard.

While in Nice, I took a day trip to Île de Sainte-Marguerite. The island is a hidden little treasure off the coast of Cannes. I actually don't have words to describe it. I was there on a sunny weekday and while there were other people there too, I felt alone. It's small and completely walkable, the perfect spot for a picnic. I got a lot of writing and meditation done while sitting right next to the crystal clear water. I have never felt so at peace with myself in my entire life. BLISS, I TELL YOU.

The island also houses the prison cell where the Man with the Iron Mask was once held, if that means anything to you. It doesn't mean too much to me and I'm not really into all the conspiracy theories, but my dad loved the movie so I had to see it.

I took another day trip to Monaco. It was significantly less exciting. I'm glad I went once, I'm glad the Grand Prix is there, I'm glad the women there feel comfortable walking their dogs in heels, I'm glad there are escalators built into hills so people can be lazy, I'm glad the streets are lined with fragrant orange trees. Would I rush to go back? Hell no. I think it took me about 3 hours to walk the principality four times. As lush as it is, I'm a lot happier in grungy Berlin with my alternative bars, cheap eats, and real people.

But it is pretty.

Well, this recapitulation took forever, and I didn't even say anything about a lot of the art and architecture I saw, the sketchy situations, some of the not-so-positive experiences. In the end, all the details - the first impressions, images, emotions - are stored in some spot in the back of my brain for me and my memory only.

Before I embarked on this trip, I didn't really get the whole hoopla behind traveling. In fact, before I left home for Berlin, I was satisfied to say I've been to New York and LA. 

Now?

The world is my oyster. :)