How Many Different Cheeses Are There in France?

Trick question! Nobody can really put a number on the actual amount.
Only 56 cheeses are classified, protected, and regulated under French law. But traditionally there were anywhere from 350-400 cheeses, and now there are over 1,000.

Final Days

Well, this is it. The last  week! I can't believe how quickly it's gone. And slow at some points. But it's all coming to an end now...soon it'll be back to work and responsibilities.

Wednesday mom started preparing Thanksgiving dinner, and I had plans to meet Justine downtown to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter et les Reliques de Mort). Mom ended up coming with us because she had originally planned to meet dad downtown (because he was going with a guy from Steelcase who had come in from Amsterdam) but it was too complicated to try and figure out the meeting places and times for her, so she came to the movie with me. The movie was amazing, I was VERY happy with it! I can't wait to go home and see it again!
After the movie, mom and I got on tram C to go back to Homme de Fer where we take tram B to Lingolsheim Allouettes and get on bus 22 to Holtzheim Ouest, where we get off and walk only 2 minutes to our house. While we were riding on tram C, I pulled out the bus schedule, only to discover that the last bus ran 20 minutes ago.
So now, we were in a tricky situation. We could still take tram B, but then we would have to walk home from Lingolsheim...a rather far walk, and it was COLD out. Or, since we knew that dad was downtown, and even where he had parked, we could go and find the car. This is what we decided to do. It was about 8:30 (20:30). We didn't have any trouble finding the car in the parking ramp...the only problem we had was what to do after that. We knew dad wouldn't really be done with dinner soon, but we didn't want to try and go find him because there are thousands of restaurants downtown, and it would be only too easy to miss him. So, we waited. And waited. And waited. A little over an hour later, dad's bright blue coat appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Whew!

Thursday, dad dropped us off at Justine's apartment so that we could take over their kitchen and prepare Thanksgiving dinner for her and her parents and Claire and Marion. Justine had given me a set of keys the previous night at the movie, because her parents and herself had already left thursday morning for work and school. So mom and I let ourselves into the foyer, with two massive bags of supplies, plus three different dishes, and make up bags and such. We took the elevator up to the 2nd floor, went up to the apartment, turned the key twice...and nothing happened. We could hear the locks clicking, but the door was not budging one bit... So now what?
Well, a very long and embarrassing story later, a guy in a reality office below helped us to figure out the trick to the door (turn the key, then pull the key slightly, and push the door). So we got in and spent the day cooking up Thanksgiving dinner. We made; two turkeys, raspberry jello, mashed potatoes, corn,  mom's sweet potato dish, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. Justine got home around 4:30 (16:30), and her parents a bit after that. Claire and Marion came over around 7:00 (19:00) and then we sat down and had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Today we are meeting Justine and her parents downtown. Tonight is the night that they turn on all the lights they've been diligently putting up for a few weeks. So all the alleyways will be light up and decorated for Christmas. Then tomorrow we are meeting again downtown to go to the Christmas market. Sunday my parents and I might visit a few Christmas markets in surrounding villages. Then later in the day I'm going to nap till about midnight, so that I can be up and ready to go at 3:20 Monday morning to catch our 4:15 bus from Strasbourg to Frankfurt! Then we have a full day of travel, finally landing in Grand Rapids, MI at 6:30 pm. That is...if everything goes smoothly...

Sunday and Monday

Sunday was another uneventful day. We drove around Strasbourg a bit to see some sights my dad wanted to see. Then we stopped downtown, got lunch, and picked up some yummies for chocolate fondue (which I happened to ruin the first bar of chocolate we had, so we had to bust out the second. Oopsie!).
Monday, mom and I took the train to Paris to use up a train ticket.

We went to Montmartre, and saw Sacre Coeur. Mom did a bit of shopping, and we got lunch in a really cute restaurant (where we saw a little mouse scurrying along, the guy sitting near us freaked out. It was awesome).

Then we went to La Cinémathèque Française for Logan. We took some pictures, and went inside to look around. Mom wanted to see the  INSIDE of Notre Dame (something she's never done...even though she'd seen it twice now).

After that we went over to Champs-Èlysées to visit Laduree, a famous store that sells the world's best macarons. Then we stopped in a restaurant to have hot chocolates and dessert before getting on our train back home. A very fun day!

We made sure to touch Point Zero before leaving!

On the Road Again

Went back along the wine road today. We stopped and had lunch at a really neat place, and then we made our way to Riquewhir. Wandered around for a bit, got some hot drinks and yummy desserts. Then, since it was bitter cold, we decided to make our way back home. It was a fun day, nothing too extravagant happened. Now we are just getting ready for the big week ahead of us!

Will Write Soon

I should be writing about the movie mom and I went to see and how non-hilarious it was when everyone gave us strange looks because my mom was standing there eating a bucket of stale movie theater popcorn, but I really don't feel like writing. So maybe tomorrow. I might even write about the excessive wedding ideas I've been collecting the past couple of days...but only maybe...

Let the packing commence!

Yesterday, mom and I thought it would be a good idea to see whether or not all these wonderful gifts we've bought for everyone will actually make it home in our suitcases with us. Luckily, between my carry-on and my smaller check bag, they fit perfectly. Although neither had much room left for clothes. So today I packed all my clothes into my biggest check-bag...and VOILA! Everything so far fits beautifully...now let's just keep our fingers crossed that they aren't waaay over the designated weight!

Les Bains de Lavey

Sunday, my mom had to decide between driving to Geneva, or going to a spa in Switzerland that was on the way home. She chose the spa.
After spending quite a bit of time searching for this place ( Les Bains de Lavey ) , we finally found it, and went in. This spa was a bit bigger than the one we went to in Germany. The outside pool was bigger, and had a really cool whirlpool area in the middle. They also had lounge chairs set up inside, in front of floor to ceiling windows so you could lay in the sun, without being in the cold air. They had lounge rooms, that were scented and lit differently. They had saunas (1) small one 2) bigger one and hotter 3) medium temperature...but nude) and hamamas which are steam rooms (1) women only and  nude 2) men only and bathing suits 3) menand women with bathing suits). They even had a bar. It was quite enjoyable.
After three hours here, it was time to head home, stopping in Colmar for dinner.

"Don't You Think?!" Drunken Momma

Well, this weekend was our farewell to going abroad. No more long travel days and lugging luggage. While this is a happy thought, it's also a bit sad because it means this vacation is coming to an end.
So saturday, up and on the road. We drove to Evian (yes, like the water bottles), France. The funny part about this, was that we drove through Switzerland to get there. The original plan for this weekend was to stay in Evian, because it was cheaper than in Switzerland, but spend the majority of our time in Geneva. We never even saw Geneva.

On our way to Evian, we stopped and ate lunch somewhere in Switzerland along Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). Once we got to Evian, we parked and got settled into our hotel. Then, since it was getting late in the afternoon, we decided to stay in Evian for the evening. We wandered around the streets for a bit. Then we stopped into a salon de thé. I got a really yummy coconut cappuccino. My mom had decided that we were in need of a night out, since we hadn't seen much nightlife (apparently the time in Nice, Rothenburg, and here in Strasbourg with Justine's family were forgotten). So we went to dinner at an italian restaurant and after dinner, my mom and I each ordered a grappa, and my dad  ordered a eau de vie. Grappa can be anywhere from 70 to 100 proof...needless to say I couldn't drink it. With dinner I had ordered a sirop l'eau (which is like grenadine...but isn't just cherry flavored, there are all kinds of flavors) citron (lemon). So I just poured some of the grappa into my drink. Then it didn't taste too bad! But I only poured about half of the grappa I was given, so I still had quite a bit left (the glass came with the grappa over the directed pour line). My mom didn't really like hers, but still felt the need to finish it. She then proceeded to help me with mine. After having half a bottle of a strong red wine with dinner...she was quite happy at this point. It was only 8 o'clock.

After dinner, mom wanted to go to the casino bar for our "late night out". So we walked to the casino and got in. Mom wanted to gamble a little, so we got set up at a slot machine. Dad and I couldn't figure out what exactly we were supposed to do, so I just cashed out after a couple tries and only lost like 20 cents. My mom was happily pushing buttons and miraculously winning money. We managed to persuade her to cash out before things got out of control and she won 4 euros! Then we went to the bar. She ordered a "martini" but it wasn't a martini, it was a drink with Martini brand alcohol. It wasn't bad. I ordered a Tangenika, which had vodka, orange, pineapple and apricot juice in it. It was super delicious! By the end of this (around 9:30) mom was a bit...smashed. So it was time to call it a night. We headed back to the hotel, but had to stop at the car because mom, and I quote, "I have to have some of my chocolate!" The only problem is that we had parked the car on the third level down of the parking lot. And the stairs were spiral. She laughed at them the entire time down. By the time we got to the bottom of the stairs, I was laughing so hard at my mom laughing at the stairs and saying "these stairs are so funny!" that I was crying. Our late night may only have lasted until 10 pm...but it certainly was no less entertaining for it!

Deux Dindes!

Well, today was very successful!
Mom and I woke up early and got ready to go. We had made plans with Justine to pick her up from her house, and drive to Betschdorf, France; which is a city along the pottery road. There is classic pottery for the Alsace region. It's really beautiful and we've been wanting to go there for awhile.
So, my mom drove my dad to work in order for us to have the car, and we set off. This was going to be the 4th time we have driven to Justine's house (1st time for my mom driving), and every time we have gotten all turned around and lost. So we left here just a little bit before 10:30 (we were supposed to meet Justine at 11, and it is SUPPOSED to only take 15 minutes to get to her house...but has always taken us much longer). We got there 15 minutes later...without a single hitch! We were actually early!
Then we went on our way. This drive went smoothly as well (after a near death experience during a left hand turn and a confusing intersection...) and we got to Betschdorf in good time. Good job mom for excellent direction following!

We walked up and down the slightly deserted streets (it was a bit like a ghost town...but with a surprising amount of traffic) and stopped in a few shops. My mom picked out some things and I got something special, and then it was time for lunch. So we ate at a little restaurant, and then back on the road.
Justine showed us the way to a town in Germany because she thought they would have jello for us (my mom has been looking for it for one of her Thanksgiving dishes and France doesn't seem to like jello). We got to the store and found the jello. Then we made our way to where the milk was, and once there, I noticed my mom had fallen behind...she was in the frozen meats area. I motioned to her and she said, very excitedly while holding a frozen, wrapped bird, "I think it's a turkey!" So I went over, only to discover it was a goose (I think it's safe to say that 'bird-watching' can be scratched off my mom's potential hobby list). But further down the aisle, was a whole spot full of turkeys! So we now have two turkeys 'chilling' in Justine's freezer, waiting to be enjoyed for Thanksgiving dinner here in France. By the way...in case you were wondering, I named them Bill and Paul : )

Une dinde GROSSE!

We got chocolate fondue. Yum!

Well, yesterday mom and I met Justine downtown so that she could help us at a boucherie. We are cooking Thanksgiving dinner here in France for Justine, her parents, Claire and Marion. Only problem...the French don't really do turkey like we do, in fact...they don't really eat turkey like we do.
So we went into a butcher shop, and Justine talked to the guy behind the counter. Surprisingly, he was very helpful. We would be able to have it by Thanksgiving, they had the proper size...and it costs over 14 euros per kilo. We need about a 7 kilo birdie...

14 euros x 7 kilos = No Thanksgiving Turkey

Instead, my mom is going to buy the seperate meat pieces at a hyper-marché. So there will still be turkey, just not a big, uncarved bird. Which would have looked much more impressive, but it's not worth the 140 euros.

Today mom and I went downtown to see a store that Justine told us about. Monday night, we went to an E. Leclerc that we pass by occasionally, and it is a hyper-marché (which is the next step up from a super-marché). The place was HUGE! It was like knapp's corner Meijer...only TWICE the size! I walked down the toy aisles...and felt like a kid again. They went on forever.

This is just the toy area...

But Justine had told us that the Auchan is even bigger. So mom and I took the bus to the tram to the other tram there today (which took us an hour), and when we walked in, it first felt like a mall. There were all sorts of shops, sort of encircling the grocery store. Then the grocery store itself was super big. It was quite the adventure. We wandered around a bit, and my mom found sweet potatoes that would work for her really delicious sweet potato dish.

It just goes on for days...

Then we were both starving, so we found a sandwich shop. We sat down and ate, and then we were standing at the cash register paying. The guy that had served us came over and, he must have heard us talking, because he said "anglaise?" and I told him american. He made a shocked face and said "oh!" and then he smiled and walked away. As we were just about to leave, he comes over and hands me a little package, and said something really quick. The only thing I got out of what he said was, "Barack Obama" I looked inside the bag and there was too little bonsbons (candies). I thanked him with a huge smile on my face and as we walked away I explained to my mom what he said, and we both cracked up. Thanks Obama for the free cookies!

Goodbye for another couple years...

Sunday morning we got up...rather slower than usual. We got breakfast, and then Guenter picked us up at our hotel (just as bubbly and buoyant as usual!).

He took us on a little driving tour and Aalen and showed us a few of the sites. We stopped first at a really neat old castle (where Guenter told us a very entertaining tale from his young years), and then saw a church with a crazy intricate ceiling. After that we stopped at another castle, and then went back to his house.
We had  planned to go into Ulm for the day and walk around and get lunch. Luzimar had originally planned to come with us, but she was teaching two dentists to speak Portuguese (she speaks Portuguese, English, German, French, Danish, Swedish...am I forgetting anything...hmmm...) at 4, and our driving tour had pushed us into early afternoon. So she decided to stay behind and prepare for her lesson. She was very anxious about it because the doctors only had two more weeks before they were leaving.

So we headed out and got lunch first thing in Ulm. We had Pfannkuchen (or Eierkuchen), with is a german traditional food. It's pretty much like a giant french crèpes. It was pretty good. Then we wandered around the city. My mom really liked it. It was a really cool town. They had old and new everywhere.
Then we bid goodbye. My dad and Guenter said, "See you in another few years."

Everything (besides the clock) was painted on the town hall.

Well...I went to Germany, met an older man, who gave me some drinks, and then gave me a diamond!

So this weekend was a blast. My dad met a guy, Guenter, about 22 years ago through work. They have kept in touch, and seen each other a small handful of times over the years. So, it seemed silly that we wouldn't see each other while we are here in Europe.

We drove to their house saturday morning, and arrived to a friendly welcome from Luzimar (Guenter's girlfriend). She entertained us until Guenter came home from the grocery store. He was very excited to see my dad and us. He gave my dad a hug and greeted both my mom and I with a good amount of enthusiasm.
He then showed us a cake his mom had baked for us, so we all sat down and enjoyed a very delicious apple pie/cake. It was super fluffy with sweet apple chunks in it. After a few minutes of enjoyable cake and conversation, we went off to check us into the hotel (and ended up driving to the wrong one...who knew there were two Hotel Adler's in the Ostalbkreis area of Germany?), and then off to Limes-Thermen.

All over Germany they have what they call "spas" but they are very different from our spas. They have massages and such, but they also have saunas (nude only...) and natural mineral water hot spring baths. This is what we went there for. Not the saunas! But the baths. : ) At Limes (pronounced Leemess)...luckily bathing suits are required. They have about 5 of these baths (which are essentially shallow, heated swimming pools).

1. indoor/outdoor. You walk into it inside, and then swim/wade outside. This pool was quite large, and had fountains in an area coming up from the sides, so you could stand under them. And jets to massage.
2. seperately closed off. This one was nice because when you walked into the seperate room, it smelled lemony. The whole building was decorated in an ancient Roman style, and this pool had marble blocks in it with marble towers on top of them.
3. centrally located, probably the second biggest, and the second warmest. the pools were all supposed to be different temperatures, but 1 & 2 were similar degrees.
4. this one was in a small enclosed area and was the hottest. It was just like a hot tub you might find at a nice hotel in the states
5. a teeny little one, three person max I'd say, that was full of freezing water. Gunther managed to convince me to try this one, going from 4 to this one...I literally lost my breath when I went from standing in it, to up to my shoulders. It was COLD! but did feel good!

So after a few hours of trying each pool and relaxing, our fingers were thoroughly pruny and our tummies rumbling hungry. So we got dressed and while we went back to the hotel to get ready, Guenter and Luzimar went back to their house to prepare for a party they were having.

When we arrived at their house, there was already two other couples there. One, who had just stopped in to say hi really quick, left shortly after we got there. Another couple arrived not long after that. Jeff and Carina were one couple. My dad had actually met Jeff around the same time as Guenter, as they were all working on the same project. And Jeff is actually born and raised in Flint, Michigan! But he has been living in Germany for the past 18 years (I think).  It soon became very clear that Guenter and Jeff are very good friends. The other couple there were both German, the woman was born in Berlin, and the guy in the area that Guenter lives in.
When we got there, Guenter was making a drink that he had told us to be prepared for earlier. It's a brazilian drink called Caipirinha. Luzimar is Brazilian, so I'm sure this is where Guenter learned it from. Now...something you need to understand about Guenter...he certainly does like his alcohol. And, knowing that I am 20, (and the drinking age for beer and wine being 16 and alcohol 18 in Germany) he offered one to me. He had told us about them earlier, describing them to have lots of sugar, and lemon (but he meant lime) juice in it, I figured it was worth a try. Holy Alcohol...strongest drink I've ever tried...to date.
While I cautiously sipped on that, everyone was talking and drinking there own drinks. After about twenty minutes, I still had about 5/6 of mine still left, and my mom's was now gone. She kindly offered to help me with it. It was down to about two sips in probably ten minutes.
After appetizers and the Caipirinha's, it was time for dinner...and dinner drinks. Luzimar was asking everyone what they wanted. I took a champagne with cassis in it. This was yummy, and I drank it myself.

After dinner...Guenter started pulling out bottle after bottle of different alcohol's. It was so funny to see him stand at the end of the table with probably a dozen different bottles in front of him. He poured me about two sips of something or other into a shot glass and insisted I try it. I was seated next to Jeff, and every time Guenter got him a drink, he would pass it to me and tell me to try it first. I probably tried about 6 different ones. It was quite entertaining.
Then, Guenter was telling us about a friend he has that is working with a new technology. Basically, the guy can make metals look like gold (Guenter showed us a completely silver coin that looked like a gold coin) and he can color diamonds as well (or cubic zirconias). He comes over to me with some tissue paper, and shows me a diamond sitting in it. He tells me that this is what I should tell John I want (it's a pretty nice sized stone). He then tells me that it's a cubic zirconia though, and is covered in diamond, to make it look more real (and let me tell you...it DOES), and then tells me that he is giving it to me! I almost fell out of my chair. It's b.e.a.utiful!
Later, after everyone had a few drinks in them, we all went for a walk in the cool 1 o'clock in the morning air. Then we came back and talked for a bit more. Finally, it was time to go. Guenter had pre-arranged for Carina to drive us to our hotel on their way home. So they did that (but once we got there we had to turn right back around because my dad had forgotten the hotel key in the car...which was parked at Guenter's...).
Once we got into the room, my dad (who had had about 4 beers, and a few shots of different liquors) laid down on the bed to wait for my mom and I to finish getting ready for bed. I came out of the bathroom to find him still laying on the bed...eyes closed and mouth agape. I told him the bathroom was free and he mumbled something and then said, "but that means I have to get up." He didn't move. About three minutes later, as I was just relaxing and starting to fall asleep...I heard a few snores coming from my still dressed (shoes and all) dad.

Where was Marie Antoinette from?

Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna was born in Vienna, Austria.


Post coming soon...here's a bit of a precursor...

Diamonds are a girls best friend!

Happy 50 Mom!

The birthday present to my mom from the Achards.


We left it home still wrapped when we left for Italy.
And broke into it tuesday...

 yumm...

It was gone thursday after dinner : ) Delicious!

Firenze > Milano > Bâle > Strasbourg

Sunday morning we woke up, thinking we had overslept. So we rushed downstairs, and discovered another couple standing there, and they told us that there was no breakfast. They were confused because they knew they were supposed to do breakfast each morning, and wondered what was happening. I went back up to the room to finish getting ready, and my mom soon followed. Then my dad came up a few minutes later and told us that there had been a time change! We had gained an hour at midnight. So after getting ready, we went back downstairs and breakfast was ready.

The weather was gross. It was rainy, but thankfully not as cold as the day before. Luckily, we had our reservations at Uffizi, so we didn't have to spend the morning in the rain. So we found our way there again.
Mom had been struggling with our reservations because she wasn't sure if her original order had worked. She had a printout of an email they sent saying that it had processed, but she hadn't received any emails since. So once we got to Uffizi, we found a line for the information desk. We waited in it for about 20-25 minutes, and then once we got up to the desk, they told us we were in the wrong line. So we found the right line, and waited for another 15-20 minutes. We got up to the desk, and my mom handed them the printout. The woman barely glanced at it, and then handed over three tickets. So we found the reservation line and got into the museum. My mom kept saying, "I paid 30 extra euros to wait in line in order to not wait in line." But we only waited a maximum of 30 minutes...when we would have waited 2-3 hours if we didn't have the reservations...in the rain.
Once in Uffizi, we spent the next 3 hours wandering around it. It is the largest gallery in the world. And it's probably the most exhausting. Sorry, no pictures allowed though.
After we finished, we were starving, so we found lunch. We ate at a restaurant that was decorated a bit like something you might find at home (where my parents got into a discussion with the woman about Obama...enough said). They had one, flat screen tv and it was playing a soccer game. There were groups of people all eating lunch and watching the game. I found it more entertaining to watch the people watching the game, than watch the game. Every five or ten minutes you'd hear everyone go "OOooooh!" and smack their foreheads, or shake their heads. It was pretty funny.
After lunch we went back to the market because my dad wanted to get another scarf (one of the things he said he would NEVER wear when we first got here and he saw all the men wearing scarves). On the way, we found another paper store for me to hop into and buy a quill. Then we were sick of the rain, and decided to head back to the villa and relax again before dinner.

We were trudging up the hill in the mud and rain, and we had just reached the gate, where the gravel road ends and becomes flagstones for the courtyard. I was watching where I was walking, since it was muddy and getting dark. But somehow I missed the T-shaped metal gate-stopper sticking out of the ground. The entire toe of my Converse got wedged underneath it...and I went down. When you are falling because your foot got stuck, generally as you fall you are able to free your foot and simply stumble, rather than go all the way to the ground. The entire time I was falling, I was trying to free my foot. To no avail. I fell on my right side, in a very strange way. I twisted my upper body around, and was able to catch myself in a partial push-up position, but my lower body was twisted to the side, with my foot still stuck.
Anyways, I managed to toss my umbrella and turn it completely inside out, scrap up my palms (luckily only one of them bled), bang my knee (which later swelled and turned black and blue), smash my hip (which was very tender and bruised), and tenderize my shoulder. I must say, I felt pretty awesome after that little stunt.

Once back to the room, I got all cleaned up, and got my dirty, wet clothes off to dry before heading out to dinner. My mom completely changed into pajama's, and when my dad asked what time he should make our dinner reservation for, she just kinda looked at him. We didn't end up going out. Instead, we stayed in the room (and were joined at one point by my friend who snuck into our slightly open room and decided to make himself comfortable on my dad's lap), unloaded all the snacks we had packed for the train rides, and played cards. Happy 50th Mom! : )

Monday we woke up to my 7:20 alarm. We went downstairs, with slightly grumbly tummies, and were welcomed by one of the women that works there. She told us she was going to make us cappuccinos and brought out the pastries she was going to be putting out that morning for breakfast. Our stomachs thanked her. Our taxi arrived at 8:00 and trundled us off to the train station (for a steep price of 31 euros...yikes!).
On our train from Firenze to Milano, we ended up sitting next to a younger guy and his mom. Only to discover they were from Virginia! They told us all about their travels, and we told them about ours. When the guy told us that he was going to Paris, I asked what he was going to do there and he just shrugged, saying I have no idea. So I wrote down the major things, helping them to get the best of their time there.
The rest of our travel day went uneventfully.

Strasbourg > Bâle > Milano > Firenze

Four day weekend, two days of which were spent travelling.
Friday we took a train from Strasbourg to Bâle (Basil), from there to Milano (Milan), and then on to Firenze (Florence). With the most beautiful view through Switzerland.

We got into the train station just after 6:00 (18:00). We had some difficulty finding the bus we were supposed to take...and then even more trouble figuring out which stop we were supposed to get off at. After we got off the bus, if I had thought that was going to be the hardest part...I was wrong. We had to hike up a gravel path (uphill) to the villa my mom had booked a room in (keeping in mind we have our luggage with us). We finally got there...only to discover that there wasn't where we were supposed to be. Luckily, we were on the right property, just the wrong building. So we just had to go up a little higher. We finally got checked in and into our room at about...9:30 (21:30). Mom and dad went out for dinner (I was too exhausted and grumpy to hike back down that damn hill for food). So instead I stayed in, took a bath and went to bed.

Saturday we got up and had an awesome breakfast. Afterwards, mom and I were standing in the courtyard in front of the villa, gauging the weather, and I made a friend. He came wandering up and I bent down and was petting him; and when we started to make our way towards the door, he trotted ahead of us and waited till we opened the door to sneak inside. He followed us all the way upstairs to our room, but we closed the door before he came in. He had disappeared once we came out. Oh, by the way, we was a cat. Then we got our bus into Firenze. Once there, we saw a couple of massive Basilicas.

We just kinda wandered around the town, and discovered a huge, sprawling outside market. There was booth after booth of; leather purses, leather jackets, trinkets, scarves, hats, etc. We spent a good amount of time wandering around here. 

After a while we were starving, so we found a really neat restaurant for lunch. I got gnocchi in a delicious tomato sauce, and the best lemonade I've ever had. Once our bellies were satisfied we wandered around some more.

We ended up coming upon the museum that had Michelangelo's David. Now, normally for the museum's in Italy, the lines are just ridiculous. A person would generally spend 2-3 hours waiting in line to get inside the museum. So, instead, what you can do is make a reservation ahead of time online, then you just wait in a really quick line to pick up tickets from your reservation and then you go inside.
But, the line to get in to see David was miraculously short. So we were standing in it, trying to decide if we wanted to go in or not. My dad checked the price to get in, and it was 10 euro a person. So we decided not to go in.

After that, we discovered the Jewelry Bridge. I had heard a woman talking about it earlier in the day, but I didn't think anything of it. I didn't even think it was a landmark. But it's actually really cool. It's a bridge with buildings on both sides, and the shop windows are FILLED with jewelry. The weather that day was very cold and overcast, and so when you looked down the bridge, it practically glowed. I felt blind once we left the bridge from all the bright lights and glittering from window shopping.
We then stumbled upon a massive piazza with statues and a huge building we later discovered was the Uffizi Gallery, which was where my mom had made reservations for Sunday. Good thing too, because even late at night, in November, there was a super long line.
After this, we found our bus and rested at the villa for a bit. Then we wandered into the tiny town we were staying in just outside of Firenze, called Galluzzo. We ate at a pizzeria. Oh. My. Goodness. Best pizza, hands-down. I don't even know how to describe it, other than to quote my dad, "Magical pizza." SuUuper delicious!

We of course tried Gelato!

All over, during our wanderings I kept seeing these stores selling marbleized papers decorated by hand, handmade notebooks, stationary, quills, fountain pens, and wax seals. Of course I had to go in one. I ended up coming out with a wax seal. I had the choice of 1 initial, 2 initials or a symbol. I had to think about it for a bit. If I got 1 initial, then I would obviously get a Z. If I got 2 initials, then I would get a J and a T. If I got a symbol it would be a fleur de lys, but I already have one of those. Not to mention the symbol's were more expensive. In the end, I got a J and T. Perfect for stamping our invitations!

Q & A

Q: When did the French stop using the guillotine?

A: 1977!

Chez Achard

Went to Justine's house for dinner tonight!
We were supposed to be at their house at 7:00 (19:00) and my mom wanted to pick up peanut butter (for our sandwiches for the train tomorrow) on our way. So we left here about 6:15ish (18:15). Long and frustrating story short, we didn't get peanut butter and we arrived at the Achards at about exactly 7 o'clock.
Claire and Marion were there as well. It was so good to see them! We sat down to Chinese soup. It was quite good. I've never had it before and didn't know what to expect. I don't know how it is typically done, but we ate it serve-yourself style. They had a big bowl of the soup, which was mostly broth with some cut up peppers, some mushrooms, etc in it. Then they had little bowls of; bean sprouts, green onion, egg, ham, steak, chicken, shrimp, and such, plus a bowl of chinese noodles with seaweed. Basically you took some broth and put whatever of the other ingredients in that you wanted. It was delicious.
After the soup, we had cheese. Of course. They had 4 different kinds, two of which were goat. All delicious.
After cheese they brought out the chocolate fountain. YuuUuummm...
Justine's mom was in the kitchen, putting together the fountain and making the chocolate and we kept hearing lots of noise. Finally, Justine's dad comes out, to show us that her mom had broken the third bottom tier to the fountain. At first, I was sad cause I thought we wouldn't get to do the fountain. But then he just shrugged and said "oh well." Once everything was ready, they brought it all out.
They had; kiwi, apples, pineapple, banana, clementines, and marshmallows. My mom really went to town on the marshmallows (she also had the messiest plate by the end). After having our fill of delicious chocolate covered fruits, we all finished digesting and talked for a bit. It was a very enjoyable evening. Justine's parents gave us a book about Strasbourg (in english, thankfully, so I don't have to attempt to translate the whole thing), and her mom gave my mom a gift for my mom's birthday. It's a chocolate pumpkin, filled with fancy chocolates (picture coming soon). I also borrowed three movies from Justine; How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Chocolat, and Blue Crush. This will be good for mom and me over the next few weeks to relax and enjoy while eating her chocolate pumpkin.

Off to Italy tomorrow! We travel all day tomorrow, Saturday we wander, Sunday to a gallery, and Monday traveling home. Going to be a fun weekend!

A Tale of Me and My Big Fat Mouth

Well, I'm officially an idiot...

Last night, John and I were talking and he was telling me about a conversation he had with a buddy at work...

"So, what if Taylor says 'no'?" buddy from work asked

"Yeah, what if I say 'no'?" I said, jokingly...

"Well, then I will leave you at the airport and drive away." John

pause...

"What was that?" me

"I said 'then I will leave you at the airport and drive away'.." John

another pause...

"But how will you know at the airport if I say 'no'?" I ask... already knowing the answer

In short...John ruined his plan for how he was going to propose. But I feel like the idiot, because I helped ruin it. I should have kept my big mouth shut, and then he would have still been able to do it. I'm so mad...it would have been so cute! And now it's ruined... Stupid me.

Loire Valley Adventure Part 2

Sunday woke up and got breakfast. Then we met our taxi with our luggage and set out for Chenonceau. The ride there was pretty. Our taxi driver didn't say a peep the whole time because he didn't speak any english.
Once at Chenonceau, we got our tickets and left our luggage at the check. I got an audio guide, and then we wandered all through the castle. It was really cool. I didn't know anything about the castle, just that it was really popular. And now I know why. It is super cool.

It was really interesting to listen to the audio, and learn all about the things that happened. It also explained the hall over the river, and why it was built. After wandering through the castle, we got lunch in the cafeteria, in what used to be the Royal Stables. Then we wandered through the old farm, along with the vegetable garden where they grow vegetables and flowers used for arrangements in the castle today. We also wandered through the two gardens, one for Catherine de' Medicis, and one for Diane de Poitiers. These weren't quite as beautiful as they would have been had we gone in the summer. But it was still easy to imagine how gorgeous they probably are when they are all blossomed. It would also have been better had the backside of the castle not been covered up with renovation work.

Then we found the maze built for Catherine de' Medicis and had fun finding our way through it. After that we visited the gift shop, and then it was time to meet our taxi to go to the train station.
On our train from Amboise to Paris, there aren't assigned seats because it's an intercity train. Luckily, we got on one of the first stops, because a few stops after us, there were tons and tons of people waiting to get on. There weren't even enough seats, so people were standing at the doors and even down the aisles. They had to stand for a little over an hour. While my parents and I sat comfortably in our seats.