Falling more in love with this city by the day

I didn't think it was possible to love Paris more than I already do, then another day passes. Everyday I discover either a new cafe or a cute boutique or meet a nice and welcoming Parisian that breaks the stereotypes. There is so much to discover in this city! My favorite thing to do is to pick a new area on the days that I don't have class or I only have a few hours of class, and just walk around and explore. It's so much easier to discover new things when you don't have an agenda for the day. Some of my favorite areas that I've explored so far are the Marais, Palais Royal area, and Saint Germain des Pres.

Exploring! 

Taking advantage of a pastry class at La pâtisserie des rêves. 

Amazing french onion soup! 

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Loire Valley with our program. Its to the west of Paris and there are many famous castles that were home to french royalty. The castles that we visited were Chateau de Chambord, Chateau Amboise, and Chateau de Chenonceau. They were all beautiful! We all loved just walking around the gardens surrounding the castles because had missed the greenery since living in Paris. I had no idea but Chateau de Chambord inspired Beauty and the Beast! Our program also surprised us with a wine tasting in Loire Valley. We got to try white, red,  rosé, and also Crémant which is the Loire Valley version of Champagne. They also gave us samples of venison and goat cheese to spread on little pieces of baguettes. Of course I couldn't leave empty handed so my friend and I split bottles of the white wine and Crémant :) 

Chateau de Chambord 

View from the top of Chateau Amboise.

This past weekend our program took us on another excursion but this time to Normandy. We went to the American Museum (which opened 2 days before we got there because of the government shutdown), Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, and Le Mont Saint-Michel. Walking on Omaha Beach was unbelievable. It was so calm and it looked like the beach went on for miles. I learned so much in the museum about the history from all the different countries involved. Later that day, we went to an apple farm for an apple cider tasting. Since Normandy is known for their apples, this farm was very popular and produces over 40 different kinds! One of my favorite things about fall is apple picking so this definitely cured my apple craving! The next day we went to Le Mont Saint-Michel. The castle used to be on the mainland but now it is out further in the sea and affected by tides. When the tide comes in, its impossible to get to the castle. But when it goes out, a road opens up and visitors can discover this beautiful castle. The area around Saint-Michel is known for the way they cook their eggs because they whip them heavily. We all tried them but I wasn't too crazy about it. I felt like I was eating one big cappuccino because of how much foam was on the inside of this omelet!  

Omaha Beach

Our weird whipped omelet with of course, some french fries. 

Le Sont Saint-Michel

I've been really busy in the past few weeks with presentation and exams in my classes and that could only mean one thing...FALL BREAK! Don't get me wrong, I'm a little sad that we're almost halfway done with our time here, but I am excited for this adventure. Me and a few other girls on my program are taking an eastern Europe trip. Were going to Interlaken, Switzerland first and into Grindelwald for a day. Grindelwald is where I competed in my Young International figure skating competition when I was 12 so I'm really excited to go back! Then we are going to Budapest, Vienna (where my mom studied abroad for a year), Prague, Berlin, and Munich. We are taking the trains everywhere we go and even a few overnight trains in some of the further destinations. I am insanely excited for this! We all refuse to sleep while were on break because of how little time we have in each city and how much we want to get out of this adventure. All of this sleep deprivation should make for one happy Sam for when I come back to Paris next Saturday and MY PARENTS ARE HERE! I'm so excited to see them and show them around Paris and all of my favorite spots!