Unfortunately, it has been almost a month since I last posted but it was a very busy month. I returned to Nice for Carnaval which was awesome! Everybody dressed up and the floats poked fun at just about anything and anyone, including a float of America with a very overweight statue of a liberty holding a coke and the pedastal was a cheeseburger. Don't worry, it wasn't strictly hating on America, it made fun of just about every country. After Nice, it was time for spring break!
For break, I traveled to Malta and Venice. I totally loved Gozo, the little island off of Malta that I stayed on. It had absolutely beautiful landscapes and really cute small villages. I spent my birthday in Gozo, where complete strangers sang me happy birthday with cake. So even though I was far from home, I felt very welcomed by this Gozitan family. I also got to go swimming on birthday, not just once, but twice. It was the perfect start and end to my day, a nice cold refreshing dip in the most beautifully clear water I've ever seen. I could have stayed there all week. However, I fell in love with the glass blowing and all the amazing glass products so my wallet was happy to leave Malta. Venice was beautiful too, with its bridges and canals, but after the crystal clear water of the Mediterranean, it felt a little dirty. There was so much to see and do there though. We stayed at an awesome camping place in a quaint little bungalow. For anyone going to Venice and looking for a decent place to stay, Camping Venezia is great.
Returning to class after break was a little torturous, But I pulled through the week knowing that I only had Monday through Thursday and then Friday through Sunday would be spent exploring art museums in Paris. Oh, but before I get to Paris, I should mention, I started my internship the week before break, and continued this past week. I am interning at a company called Ecogeosafe who works toward the prevention of industrial ecological accidents and works on resolving issues after natural accidents have taken place. Right now, they are working to solve problems with pipes bursting underwater due to excessive bacteria growth and so I am working with microbiologie. Its totally new to me but also really interesting. I can't wait to learn more about microbiology and continue interning with them.
So now, Paris. It was incredible! The first time I visited, I absolutely hated Paris, we had to take a bus in which took forever, and it was super crowded since it was the summer. I had the complete opposite feeling this time. I don't think I can say I have ever spent so much time in museums. I probably haven't even spent that much time in all the art museums I've ever visited all together. Although, since it was for an art history class, the nearly 12 hours of museum time made perfect sense. It was even fun, I especially enjoyed the extensive time spent in the Louvre, although a nice long lunch break was much needed to rest my sore feet after hours of standing and walking. I loved going to see the Eiffel Tower at night, and the late night snacks we found in the Latin quarter the second night, Overall, it was an absolutely amazing weekend, and I would love to return to Paris again if I get the chance (I never thought I would ever say that since I hate large cities). Lucky for me, a new train company is starting with super cheap trips from Aix to Disneyland Paris, so I think before the end of the semester I will definitely return.
Next weekend I will be skiing in the alps! I can't wait and hopefully from now on, I will be better at keeping up my blog and posting pictures. Maybe a few of the following will be in french as I have been keeping up with writing my journals for french honors.
For break, I traveled to Malta and Venice. I totally loved Gozo, the little island off of Malta that I stayed on. It had absolutely beautiful landscapes and really cute small villages. I spent my birthday in Gozo, where complete strangers sang me happy birthday with cake. So even though I was far from home, I felt very welcomed by this Gozitan family. I also got to go swimming on birthday, not just once, but twice. It was the perfect start and end to my day, a nice cold refreshing dip in the most beautifully clear water I've ever seen. I could have stayed there all week. However, I fell in love with the glass blowing and all the amazing glass products so my wallet was happy to leave Malta. Venice was beautiful too, with its bridges and canals, but after the crystal clear water of the Mediterranean, it felt a little dirty. There was so much to see and do there though. We stayed at an awesome camping place in a quaint little bungalow. For anyone going to Venice and looking for a decent place to stay, Camping Venezia is great.
Returning to class after break was a little torturous, But I pulled through the week knowing that I only had Monday through Thursday and then Friday through Sunday would be spent exploring art museums in Paris. Oh, but before I get to Paris, I should mention, I started my internship the week before break, and continued this past week. I am interning at a company called Ecogeosafe who works toward the prevention of industrial ecological accidents and works on resolving issues after natural accidents have taken place. Right now, they are working to solve problems with pipes bursting underwater due to excessive bacteria growth and so I am working with microbiologie. Its totally new to me but also really interesting. I can't wait to learn more about microbiology and continue interning with them.
So now, Paris. It was incredible! The first time I visited, I absolutely hated Paris, we had to take a bus in which took forever, and it was super crowded since it was the summer. I had the complete opposite feeling this time. I don't think I can say I have ever spent so much time in museums. I probably haven't even spent that much time in all the art museums I've ever visited all together. Although, since it was for an art history class, the nearly 12 hours of museum time made perfect sense. It was even fun, I especially enjoyed the extensive time spent in the Louvre, although a nice long lunch break was much needed to rest my sore feet after hours of standing and walking. I loved going to see the Eiffel Tower at night, and the late night snacks we found in the Latin quarter the second night, Overall, it was an absolutely amazing weekend, and I would love to return to Paris again if I get the chance (I never thought I would ever say that since I hate large cities). Lucky for me, a new train company is starting with super cheap trips from Aix to Disneyland Paris, so I think before the end of the semester I will definitely return.
Next weekend I will be skiing in the alps! I can't wait and hopefully from now on, I will be better at keeping up my blog and posting pictures. Maybe a few of the following will be in french as I have been keeping up with writing my journals for french honors.