Paris in the fall

You know when you love someone, and then see them in a new light? Maybe they do something you've never seen before or make a weird noise and you see them through new eyes?

Well, I thought I loved Paris when we met in the summer. And then we met again in autumn...it was colder, the leaves were falling, the population of tourists had taken a dip...and I realized we were definitely meant to be.

My aunt Dawn and I had a beautiful weekend. She is a flight attendant and caught a flight to France just to see me! I think after two trips to India, she needed a European break. The two of us met up at our hotel (The Marriott on Rue St. Jacques, which I would highly recommend) on Friday night and spent the next four days having a blast.

Our view from the hotel room:


Our first night we spent catching up over red wine and hors-d'oeuvres in our VIP lounge and then we went out to a little restaurant nearby. We mapped out our weekend a little bit and just had a good time.

Saturday morning we started with breakfast (coffee, croissants with apricot jam and/or nutella, and cereal) and a jog in the sunshine. Pretty perfect, huh? Then we got ready and took the metro to the Pere Lachaise cemetary...final resting ground for Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and Edith Piaf. Of course, I had to put roses on Piaf's grave and after navigating the map for a long time, it turned out she was right in front of us!


We also had lunch next to Hotel de Ville and went shopping on Rue Rivoli before retiring for the evening. Funny side note: at the restaurant where we ate lunch, there were a bunch of bees flying around and I noticed you could tell someone's nationality by how they handled the little guys. French people ignored them entirely, Americans blew at them or waved them away with a menu, and Italians clubbed them to death. Gotta love cultural differences!

Sunday morning Dawn and I headed out to Les Puces de St. Ouen. I love antiques (especially chandeliers) and wanted to visit the flea market...especially after seeing A Midnight in Paris.

On the metro to the market:






Of course, the two of us didn't buy anything since chandeliers and giraffe carvings are difficult to pack in carry-ons, but we did get Dawn a new jacket! It's glamorous, you'll see a picture soon. Then, we went to see Sainte-Chapelle! I had no idea this church even existed until a friend of mine recommended it a few days earlier. And since my trip was all about seeing new things in Paris, we put it at the top of the list of things to see!

The church itself is pretty small, but the stained glass windows were out of control. Each pane represented a book of the Bible and the big rose window depicted Revelation.




Conveniently, the Palais de Justice and Notre Dame just happen to be next door:




Dawn and I also visited Pont de l'Archeveche, which is known for its "Love Locks". Couples write or engrave their names and the date on a padlock, lock it to the bridge, and throw the keys into the river below. It got both of us a little teary...


Another highlight was seeing the bird and flower market!




Our last day we spent moseying through the Jardin de Tuileries and the Champs-Elysees...stopping by the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the National Assembly, and Pont Alexandre III.




I can not tell you how refreshing the weekend was.
Europe has been the greatest adventure, but Paris still has my heart.

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

Oktoberfest!

I'm in a blogging mood, so get ready for about three in a row!

When I left you, I was getting ready to go to THE ORIGINAL Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Oktoberfest started in 1810 as a celebration of the wedding of a Bavarian princess...and has continued ever since! My friend Megan and I left after my class on Friday afternoon and took a train to Paris, where we transferred and took an over-night train to Munich...or Munchen (pronounced Moon-chin). Word to the wise: I would definitely recommend upgrading from bottom class when taking an over-nighter. We were cramped in a cabin with 4 other people and without leg room or reclining chairs. Obviously, I wasn't too well-rested the next morning when we arrived in Germany.

However, the atmosphere carried us through the day. We got off the train at 7am, in already crowded Central Station. The station is not just for incoming trains, but also all the metro lines, so it was FULL of men in lederhosen and women in dirndls (the traditional Bavarian outfits- all eating a breakfast of champions: pretzels, sausage and beer.

Megan and I walked around for a little bit, exploring where the Oktoberfest tent grounds were, and trying to find cheap dirndls. Then, we got in touch with our CouchSurfing host. Yes, COUCHSURFING! It was my first time trying out this online forum, where travelers can network and stay on someone's couch for free. I was a bit nervous...and ready to resort to finding a hostel...but it turned out to be one of the greatest experiences! We stayed with Jorn and his dog Lola, who were both extremely hospitable.

For the rest of our first day in Munich, Jorn took us to a beer-garden since all the tents were already full and showed us the ropes (and etiquette) of Oktoberfest. It was nice to have a translator since Megan and I don't know ANY German, but then again, beer is the same in both languages. We spent most of the afternoon at the Paulaner Biergarten. Megan and I both agreed it was our favorite beer of the trip :)

Main entrance:


Paulaner Biergarten:


There are 14 beer tents at the festival, with a bunch of little food and souvenir stands between them, outdoor beer gardens, and a carnival section with rides and roller coasters:


Miss Lola:


The Hippodrome is the most exclusive (and colorful!) beer tent at Oktoberfest:


Our second and third days in Munich were really the most eventful after we learned Oktoberfest basics and the metro system that first day. We got up early on Sunday morning and made it into the Lowenbrau beer tent around 9:30am, finding a couple spots to sit with native Germans! They were a little shy at first, but got more confident in their English with a little time...and maybe a liter.







As you can see in the next two pictures, the beer tents are HUGE! And each one has a different theme or dish it's famous for. The Lowenbrau tent is obviously famous for the mechanical lion that sits on top of it. Easy to spot!




Aside from the beer, the cuisine, and the costumes, I learned about another Oktoberfest tradition. I'm not sure what they're called, but there are all of these cookie stands throughout the festival decorated with flowers and phrases in frosting, like 'I love you' and 'Best mom ever'. The first day, I told Jorn I really wanted to eat one, and he was caught off guard because they're not for eating! Little did I know that would be an Oktoberfest no-no. You're supposed to buy them as gifts for other people, who then wear them as a necklace. And the bigger the better!



On our last day in Munich, Megan and I decided to stay away from beer and went exploring the rest of the city. We took one of those 'hop on, hop off' buses, which took us past some really cool memorials, city center, Marienplatz, and even a former Nazi building.

Marienplatz (one of the most beautiful architectural works I've seen):


The statue of Bavaria, who the region is named after:


Before catching our train out, we finished the trip with an amazing meal in the Marienplatz center and shared real German apple strudel. Yummmmmm. On a side note, Germany makes a lot of cars, and all of the taxis are beige Mercedes. Classy.


Overall, Munich has become one of my favorite cities along with Paris and Amsterdam. Next time I visit I have to go on one of the castle tours!

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

where i've been (so far)

I thought this was cool:



xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

BH=23

HAPPY 23RD BRITTANY!!



Love you lots, I hope you can feel it all the way in Kenya :)

Currently listening to The Hop by Radio Citizen

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

forecast: highs of 70, bavarian pretzels, and beer

Only three days until Megan and I head to Munich!
We are going for the last weekend of the original Oktoberfest.
It will be our first time in Germany, our first time CouchSurfing, and our first time buying dirndls. Bound to be a good time!!


Also, I'm loving this cover:


xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

a long list

When I was a freshman in college, I created two lists.

The first is somewhat of a bucket-list. It's all the things I want to do or accomplish before I turn 30 years old.

Why not a standard 'things to do before I die' list? Well, logistically my priorities and desires will change quite drastically over my life (i'm just guessing about each 10 years) and didn't want to create something I wouldn't be excited about finishing down the road. I might put something on the list now that won't be important to me once I have a career or kids, etc.

And since there's an expiration date on my list, it gives me incentive to stop dreaming and actually do them! A few are silly, a few are serious, and a few may never get done.

Already completed:
4) Live/ Study abroad in France
10) Perform another dance (at Ashton Cup at SPU)
22) Run a marathon (October 2010 in Portland)

I have to say, I'm not super strict about my list... I add things every once and a while and for the first time, I'm erasing something because it's obviously not meant to be!

Number 25 says: See the 20 most beautiful libraries in the world.

(Yes, there's an official list: http://www.oddee.com/item_96527.aspx)

If you know me well, you know I absolutely love books and have reverence for most bookstores and libraries (that would explain my love of Borders, Powell's,and Shakespeare&Co). So of course it makes sense that I would want to see the 20 most beautiful libraries.

While I was planning my Europe trip, I made sure to write down each of the libraries which would be on our way. And if everything had gone ACCORDING TO PLAN, I would have crossed off five, an entire 1/4, by this December.

However, I gave up on it. At our first stop in Dublin, the library was closed...not to mention it cost 9 euros for each person just to walk inside. In Amsterdam, the library has been closed for a few years worth of renovations. Dillon and I went on a wild goose chase and found the make-shift library in a small set of cubicles. Around this point I realized that a tour of libraries might leave me disappointed haha.

The second list I created is of all the cool things I've done. I wanted to remember all of the adventures and crazy things in the "in-between". I'll leave you with some of those:
13) Swim with Hammerheads
20) Eat escargot
29) Go to a bull fight
42) Testify in a court case
59) See Big Ben and British Parliament

One's a list of things to look forward to and the other is things to smile back on.

Currently listening to Little Hell by City and Colour

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

1.5 down, 3 to go

"it is going to be ok
i know that doesnt help
but it will be
everything will work out
and it's normal to want to go home

you are already a month and a half in yay!

slowly slowly
think about how much you have improved since you got there
the best thing to do is eat ice cream, focus on the positive, and don't try and convince yourself that things would be soooo much better in the states
they would be hard/suck just in a different way

keep your head up"

That Brittany Harwell is a real keeper.

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

Nice

Tuesday, the girls and I set off for Nice. Right away we learned a lesson in taking the TGV: get on the right train. It turns out we boarded too early at the Montpellier station and got on a train leaving 15 minutes before ours. We were about 10 minutes into our ride when we figured this out and pandemonium broke out. Megan even tried to get off the train, which was a funny sight. Ultimately it worked out- the trains were going in the same direction so we got off in Nimes and 15 minutes later, the right train came along! Taking the cheap route, we had booked trains with a 'layover' in Marseilles, where we switched to a train with compartments like the ones on the Hogwarts train. We were loving it!

Out the window:


Stretching out in our private compartment:


On arriving, it was about 8:30pm. Thankfully our hostel was a short walk from the train station and since there were 5 of us, we got our own room. Traveling in a large group is a much different experience than with one other person. We spent the night celebrating our vacation in our room since it was too late to go explore a foreign city.


The view from our hostel balcony:


Our first full day, we made for the beach OF COURSE! Our hostel was about a 20 minute walk from the heart of Nice and the Mediterranean. On the boardwalk, we found one of those tourist trains (there's one in Montpellier too) which took us through Old Town, along the Promenade des Anglais, and up to the hill where all the postcard-worthy pictures of the city are taken. We were so excited the entire time!

On the train:


At the top of the hill, where the Chateau is:


Along the Promenade des Anglais:




After our train ride, we found a beach and laid out for the rest of the day. The beaches in Nice are a little different than we expected...a lot more rock and a lot less sand. One of the cool parts about Nice is that it is more of a tourist town, which meant we met a lot of different people on the beach. American, English, German, Ukrainian, French, Polish, Irish, etc. It's weird to sit in one place and hear all of those languages! And I do have to mention the people there were a lot more friendly and inviting than here in Montpellier.

For the next few days, we did more exploring, swimming, and shopping. We found more of an exclusive beach (Coco Beach)and did some topless sunbathing. When in France!





Overall, our time in Nice was the refresher I needed before starting school tomorrow. I am a little disappointed we didn't see any of the free museums while we were there (Matisse and Chagall are high on my list of artists to see), but I may be back in November while my mom and grandma come visit. Until then, I will finally have school to occupy my time!

Hope you're all doing well! If you'd like to send me anything, my address here is:

Caitlin Boyd
75 Avenue Augustin Fliche
Batiment B, Chambre 53
34096 Montpellier Cedex 5
FRANCE

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

and i'm off!

See you in 4 days, I'm going to Nice :)

Food for thought:


xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

An Epic Day

Today was the perfect day.

Last night was a rough night for the group...we went out and got hassled a lot (hellllllo cultural differences), but today was redeeming for France. We had an outing to Le Grotte de Clamouse, the little village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert, and Pont Diable. All of which were absolutely breathtaking. We also had a bit of cool/rainy weather and I think the taste of home put us all in good moods.

Currently my camera is out of batteries, so I've been using my iPhone...they're not the best quality, but here are a few good shots from today:

Grotte de Clamouse:

These caves were so huge, I felt like I was in the Planet Earth documentary...complete with those blind fish and salamanders! I seriously wouldn't have guessed something so amazing was hiding in the french country-side.

Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert is probably the most perfect place on earth. I bought some pieces of art since there were so many local artists around. This is an aerial view (which I obviously didn't take):

The village entrance:

You should google image some of these places...your mind will be blown :)

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

decisions, decisions

Today is the last day of pre-stage classes!! *insert happy dance here*
Our final placement test is tomorrow, registration is on the 5th, and real classes start September 12th.

So all of this means we have 6 days of freedom to vacation somewhere. The choices have been narrowed down to:

1) Ajaccio, Corsica (A French island in the Mediterranean)


2) Nice


annnd 3) Geneva, Switzerland


Tough choice, huh?

Currently listening to Waste by Foster the People (I'M GOING TO THEIR CONCERT IN NOVEMBER!)
xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com