tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18584389065450846562024-03-12T20:57:48.904-07:00Mon Voyage En FranceFollow me on my adventures from Seattle to France as an exchange student!Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-12581773713776500102012-04-02T10:21:00.000-07:002012-04-02T10:21:45.770-07:00Annecy!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/552369_10150690437461878_716466877_9125120_269234492_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/552369_10150690437461878_716466877_9125120_269234492_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This weekend I had a freaking blast attending the Rotary-sponsored "Journées Rotariens de la Jeunesse" (Rotary Youth Days, loosely translated), a four day event which takes place every four years and unites all the Rotary exchange students in France. This year it was in a town called Annecy, located in south eastern France and known as the "Venice of the North". There were over 400 other exchange students there, representing 31 countries! It was fantastic. I got to see lots of old friends, including some people I met when I got my visa in San Francisco, and make lots of new friends. In general an amazing time!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bus, hangin' with Dale, our new Australian. He just arrived since they're upside down in Australia and arrive in January instead of August like normal people (please note that all jabs at Australia are meant quite fondly) </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my sunglasses which were squashed the next evening by some wild dancers of various nationalities. Oh well, their last few days were pretty scenic :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stopped on the way at a museum of old airplanes. Posing with my buds from Germany and Canada. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And spring is magical at a wine museum in Bourgogne!</td></tr>
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-63975178305642233722012-02-28T11:20:00.000-08:002012-02-28T11:20:18.526-08:00Switzerland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Over the vacations of February, I was invited by some family friends who live in The Hague to tag along for their ski trip in Switzerland. I just got back, and for once I'm posting about an adventure within a month of said adventure actually happening. I'll put up more photos later...For now I'm just putting up some photos taken by Ivy, the family's au paire, and stolen off facebook. Right now I'm too lazy to get photos off my camera, and I guess some photos are better than nothing! So, without further ado...A few pictures of the Switzerland portion of the trip!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from the road...This is probably in France, Belgium, or Switzerland, because "Sortie" is Exit in French, but I'm not exactly sure.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ivy wanted to see where I live. This was at a Shell station somewhere near Strasbourg.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy was hitchhiking and asked us for a ride at a gas station. We were too packed to take in another set of skis, let alone another person, but we enjoyed his outfit...I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but he's wearing a corduroy suit with bell bottoms! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picturesque houses from somewhere along the route.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and part of the family on the gondola up the mountain on the first day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chairlift I didn't go on...My insurance doesn't allow me on chairlifts, so it was all cross country skiing for me, which was awesome so I didn't mind respecting the perimeters of my insurance.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where we are staying...And yes, it really was that adorable.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute little historical exhibit thingy on the village main street, one of several.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a view of my first pair of skis, although on Ivy's feet, and the cross country trail along the mountain where I experienced cross country skiing for the first time!</td></tr>
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-8862303500334981342012-02-13T09:35:00.000-08:002012-02-13T09:35:22.234-08:00My Noyon Photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've already posted a few pictures of the Noyon trip, but those were lazily taken from Facebook and I haven't yet bothered to post my own Noyon photos. Until now. <br />
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P.S. From now on I'm going to focus less on organization and writing the post and stuff, and more on just getting up the photos. Because I know that's what you all want to see. The captions should explain enough, and then I can tell the stories behind the photos at length when I see you all at home :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing special, just a cool building :) I'll photograph pretty much anything with a tower. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial for the citizens of Noyon who died in WWI. At the top of the doors it reads, "Noyon, for her children who died for France". I'm not sure if "children" is meant metaphorically or not. Maybe both.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wwy0B3lkBCs/TzlGidd9D9I/AAAAAAAABNs/1BS0AHuiFLY/s1600/100_0701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wwy0B3lkBCs/TzlGidd9D9I/AAAAAAAABNs/1BS0AHuiFLY/s400/100_0701.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous cathedral of Noyon, which according to Wikipedia is where Charlamagne was crowned, but not according to most other people I've asked. So I don't know.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty flower carvings.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gates of the cathedral.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One remarkable thing about the cathedral of Noyon is that it had lots of really beautiful metal work, something I've never really seen in other cathedrals I've visited.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Podium for the priest to stand in the middle of the congregation, back in the days before microphone systems.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting, if my memory serves me well, of John the Baptist and someone. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sgorn1vXDIM/TzlHlza3iwI/AAAAAAAABOk/WUAt40rimx0/s1600/100_0741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sgorn1vXDIM/TzlHlza3iwI/AAAAAAAABOk/WUAt40rimx0/s400/100_0741.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was at the entrance of the cathedral, a little piece of evidence for the "Charlamagne-was-crowned-here" theory...</td></tr>
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-43469719454372772332012-02-13T08:57:00.000-08:002012-02-13T08:57:54.652-08:00Mont Saint Michel Trip, Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--WBvTi9izJY/Tzk3-H09qyI/AAAAAAAABK8/4cbEha2T4xc/s1600/100_0564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--WBvTi9izJY/Tzk3-H09qyI/AAAAAAAABK8/4cbEha2T4xc/s400/100_0564.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Mont Saint Michel...Remind you of anything? I know I've said this to most people I know many times, but Mont Saint Michel was in fact the inspiration for Minas Tirith in the Lord of the Rings movies. And you really get that feeling when you're there, it's very much like stepping back in time. You can also see the back of Noah's head, for anyone interested, and Anita in profile, and the back of Gero's head. And the bus.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ryEQsdyRqow/Tzk4KHKpLhI/AAAAAAAABLE/-GksbbV2JmQ/s1600/100_0566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ryEQsdyRqow/Tzk4KHKpLhI/AAAAAAAABLE/-GksbbV2JmQ/s400/100_0566.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting closer, craning neck to see up...This is at the very base of the walls.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-50sM0IS2saM/Tzk4UQlAUTI/AAAAAAAABLM/nZZIuBZHcAY/s1600/100_0568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-50sM0IS2saM/Tzk4UQlAUTI/AAAAAAAABLM/nZZIuBZHcAY/s400/100_0568.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is from the very base, only from the back. I was surprised by the green hillside, since from the front Mont Saint Michel looks like a pile of grey stone towers in the middle of an expanse of grey sand.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgvkNoco92Q/Tzk4mr__nvI/AAAAAAAABLc/2LskRbAdf9E/s1600/100_0573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgvkNoco92Q/Tzk4mr__nvI/AAAAAAAABLc/2LskRbAdf9E/s400/100_0573.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the view looking towards the bay from the back of the Mont. This other island played a role in the Hundred Year's War which you can look up if interested, but I'm not going into it here :) Anyway, this is at the very start of our journey crossing the bay on foot. I remember being thrilled to dunk my feet in salt water and sand again...As an island girl living in mainland Europe, I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the beach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hE3rBcHNOlE/Tzk4uMUNqEI/AAAAAAAABLk/cfOArGvz9Es/s1600/100_0574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hE3rBcHNOlE/Tzk4uMUNqEI/AAAAAAAABLk/cfOArGvz9Es/s400/100_0574.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty far out in the bay, a bunch of exchange students and the shadowing sillhouette of the Mont...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1UmXUD6_-Qs/Tzk44j8y6tI/AAAAAAAABLs/TQy3klHMjnc/s1600/100_0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1UmXUD6_-Qs/Tzk44j8y6tI/AAAAAAAABLs/TQy3klHMjnc/s400/100_0576.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way across the bay the other direction, we got to see several horsepeople galloping across the sand, a really beautiful sight. The sand here seems to go on forever, and being around Mont Saint Michel already feels like being in another time without galloping horsepeople, so it was just stunning when we saw them.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEUlVB_pIDw/Tzk5IYwNx9I/AAAAAAAABL0/RsUgnCLWipI/s1600/100_0571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEUlVB_pIDw/Tzk5IYwNx9I/AAAAAAAABL0/RsUgnCLWipI/s400/100_0571.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rj9ZEccfusg/Tzk5PgbF2zI/AAAAAAAABL8/Uw8ZG7-Bqis/s1600/100_0584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rj9ZEccfusg/Tzk5PgbF2zI/AAAAAAAABL8/Uw8ZG7-Bqis/s400/100_0584.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing the Mont is a matter of navigating a zigzagging path of narrow streets and old stone stairways like this one. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hRfunkXTsiU/Tzk6uawZ3JI/AAAAAAAABME/wAat6ZuGqKU/s1600/100_0592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hRfunkXTsiU/Tzk6uawZ3JI/AAAAAAAABME/wAat6ZuGqKU/s400/100_0592.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was hanging out with a couple other students at this point, and our path ended up leading us through a cemetary next to a small chapel. This flowers were growing near the enterance. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PMWxkCtlssw/Tzk64SoY7WI/AAAAAAAABMM/Fj9oiTt2YWM/s1600/100_0607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PMWxkCtlssw/Tzk64SoY7WI/AAAAAAAABMM/Fj9oiTt2YWM/s400/100_0607.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was taken pretty close to the top...My favorite part of French churches are, as I have mentioned before, the gargoyles. Of course I couldn't get any kind of a close up of this ones, but you can still see them, sticking their lovely gothic necks off the roof of the cathedral.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ynFRdJqrPXI/Tzk6-yUJvdI/AAAAAAAABMU/mvN5fJRmcZc/s1600/100_0616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ynFRdJqrPXI/Tzk6-yUJvdI/AAAAAAAABMU/mvN5fJRmcZc/s400/100_0616.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H17zWqzedzo/Tzk7EakAnqI/AAAAAAAABMc/RpdJWyCV3G0/s1600/100_0623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H17zWqzedzo/Tzk7EakAnqI/AAAAAAAABMc/RpdJWyCV3G0/s400/100_0623.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know what the exact meaning of this coat of arms is, but I know Mont Saint Michel was a huge pilgrimage destination for over a thousand years (Still is, in fact, only they started calling it tourism at the turn of the 20th century) and in the middle ages cockel shells like these were worn by pilrims and kept as souvenirs of their pilgrimage.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MGmqnhoXpW4/Tzk7Ko7qJeI/AAAAAAAABMk/RPuIZFOu1e0/s1600/100_0634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MGmqnhoXpW4/Tzk7Ko7qJeI/AAAAAAAABMk/RPuIZFOu1e0/s400/100_0634.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of the Marveille, the grand cathedral at the very top of the Mount. It's quite an architectural marvel, but again, I'll let you readers do that fascinating research on your own as it's quite a detailed story.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lyQEvXYKb60/Tzk7RvggsSI/AAAAAAAABMs/j-yAZ1KzsHc/s1600/100_0641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lyQEvXYKb60/Tzk7RvggsSI/AAAAAAAABMs/j-yAZ1KzsHc/s400/100_0641.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this was in a room in the monestary area, just off the main cathedral, called the Knight's room. I don't remember why there was a ship, but there was a ship.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3lnIJTVH4jo/Tzk7e6KR3cI/AAAAAAAABM8/06cwH2Z3QIQ/s1600/100_0658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3lnIJTVH4jo/Tzk7e6KR3cI/AAAAAAAABM8/06cwH2Z3QIQ/s400/100_0658.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtyard with amazing carvings, of course, because here pretty much every inch of the place is covered with amazing carvings.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-66ktuSlOGJ0/Tzk7s0tbabI/AAAAAAAABNM/HU59owJtC4c/s1600/100_0661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-66ktuSlOGJ0/Tzk7s0tbabI/AAAAAAAABNM/HU59owJtC4c/s400/100_0661.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the beautiful perspective created by the rows and rows of collumns all around the perimeter of the courtyard, and of some very French hedges.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n72koNc3t38/Tzk71gN_VaI/AAAAAAAABNU/M2yHgUHeS3w/s1600/100_0680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n72koNc3t38/Tzk71gN_VaI/AAAAAAAABNU/M2yHgUHeS3w/s400/100_0680.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And finally, the view of the bay colored in pastels by an ancient stained glass window. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-74868932900557524592012-01-08T07:09:00.000-08:002012-01-08T07:12:46.202-08:00Mont Saint Michel Trip, Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>You all know the story about how I left my camera in someone's backpack at Mont Saint Michel, but luckily that happened after I got the chance to take lots of pictures! That trip happened over several days, so there are photos of many different places. I'll try to put them in some sort of order, but please forgive me if it's a bit confusing...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nSjipsh_NX4/TwmKpO_jMYI/AAAAAAAABKM/u96la5H6WtI/s1600/100_0549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nSjipsh_NX4/TwmKpO_jMYI/AAAAAAAABKM/u96la5H6WtI/s400/100_0549.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first day of the trip was spent stopping by various sites on the way to Mont Saint Michel itself. One of the places we stopped was a circular cinema in Normandy where we saw a video made of various segments of period footage of D-day and other WWII history of this area. It was quite eerie, because everything was in a circle, so you got a bit of an impression of being in the battlefield. I remember once hearing shooting behind me and having to resist the immediate instinct to duck. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSCGNszTLnU/TwmKy020zjI/AAAAAAAABKU/4SOepGpi7Qw/s1600/100_0551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sSCGNszTLnU/TwmKy020zjI/AAAAAAAABKU/4SOepGpi7Qw/s400/100_0551.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This monument was just outside the cinema. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kpD32Lgi0EQ/TwmK7bVK5JI/AAAAAAAABKc/EUeSYZ3w2h0/s1600/100_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kpD32Lgi0EQ/TwmK7bVK5JI/AAAAAAAABKc/EUeSYZ3w2h0/s400/100_0553.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I don't have a picture of the top of this monument, but I think it was just a simple obelisk. The inscription reads,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">"This monument is commemorative of the centennial of the naval combat of Arromanches on the 7th and 8th September 1811 erected on the hill where the fort stood. </div><div style="text-align: center;">The courage of our sailors and of our soldiers decided the victory. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Honor to their bravery! </div><div style="text-align: center;"> 8th September 1911."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ykt2GUTG4Zc/TwmLOq67x1I/AAAAAAAABKk/XuICiUvyPBQ/s1600/100_0558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ykt2GUTG4Zc/TwmLOq67x1I/AAAAAAAABKk/XuICiUvyPBQ/s400/100_0558.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the cinema, you could take a trail leading down the hill towards the beach. About a quarter of the way down the hill we found this tank, which of course everyone had to climb on and wave their country's flag. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5969IHG9Pc/TwmLb8fRpcI/AAAAAAAABKs/agULqRr1OY8/s1600/100_0562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L5969IHG9Pc/TwmLb8fRpcI/AAAAAAAABKs/agULqRr1OY8/s400/100_0562.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately we didn't have time to get all the way down to the beach. This photo was taken from the tank, which was<br />
the closest we got to the famous beach at Normandy. Sorry Mr. Kramer. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The next place we went was the American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy. This was probably the most emotional place I've visited in France. The sheer size of the place was hard to digest, when you thought about how each of those crosses represented a life that was never lived. Looking at the birth and death dates, most of those men were in their late teens and early twenties. They had their whole lives ahead of them, and those lives never happened. That's what I really got from my visit there. Another aspect that hit me hard was the fact that each cross had the state where that person came from written on it. Something about that made it seem more personal. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Colleville_Cemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Colleville_Cemetery.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't take any pictures here, because it didn't feel quite right- sort of disrespectful. This photo is from Wikipedia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/313968_2521812803427_1196525719_33084643_962798636_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/313968_2521812803427_1196525719_33084643_962798636_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here I am with all the other Rotary students in the Paris area in front of the memorial. This was taken by a Rotarian. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>So that's the story of how we got there and all the interesting things seen on the way. I'm going to break off here, and do Mont Saint Michel proper in another post, coming soon!</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-36205792520802244492011-12-13T03:40:00.000-08:002011-12-13T03:42:33.040-08:00Christmas Lights on the Champs-Elysées<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Last Sunday evening I had the opportunity to see the Champs-Elysées all lit up for the traditional Marché Noël. It was magical. I'm not going to write much on this post, because I think it's best to just let the pictures do the talking in this case. </div><div style="color: black;"><br />
</div><br />
<img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-68kPS_-jlzQ/Tucziyck2AI/AAAAAAAABJU/4bNgihYDGbU/s400/100_0961.JPG" width="400" /> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the fountains in the surrounding area were decorated like this, with fake snow sprinkled around so it looked like a wintery fairlyland.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OEFtgG7sEPo/Tuc0Ye3sePI/AAAAAAAABKE/CPd9LyRfYbg/s1600/100_0965.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IEp3S50oIes/TuczzlfZEaI/AAAAAAAABJc/wmfZwvpdcfU/s1600/100_0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IEp3S50oIes/TuczzlfZEaI/AAAAAAAABJc/wmfZwvpdcfU/s400/100_0966.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These brightly lit hot wine stands were all over the place, all festively decorated in a sort of Germanic style with lots of garlands and vintage style Père Noël posters. Apparently the Marché Noël in Strasbourg is amazing, so maybe that's where the Germanic inspiration comes from...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S-bSflEqat8/Tuc0B3xmHlI/AAAAAAAABJk/z-XCKnlmsYQ/s1600/100_0968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S-bSflEqat8/Tuc0B3xmHlI/AAAAAAAABJk/z-XCKnlmsYQ/s400/100_0968.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another common feature are roasted chestnut stands ("Marron" means chestnut and "chaud" means hot).</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WbV33DdcuOk/Tuc0Hq3q-6I/AAAAAAAABJs/_1sdNsENmLo/s1600/100_0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WbV33DdcuOk/Tuc0Hq3q-6I/AAAAAAAABJs/_1sdNsENmLo/s400/100_0970.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some may say that this picture didn't turn out very well, but I like to think of it as an artistic portrayal of the hustle and bustle of the Champs-Elysées during Christmastime.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V_sAPjT8I8E/Tuc0NMh0TxI/AAAAAAAABJ0/feVEarlWisc/s1600/100_0974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V_sAPjT8I8E/Tuc0NMh0TxI/AAAAAAAABJ0/feVEarlWisc/s400/100_0974.JPG" width="348" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do I need to explain what this is?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mocnxMTP55g/Tuc0SyblrvI/AAAAAAAABJ8/gRqs8FR4kVM/s1600/100_0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mocnxMTP55g/Tuc0SyblrvI/AAAAAAAABJ8/gRqs8FR4kVM/s400/100_0975.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was taken while literally standing in a crosswalk in the middle of the Champs-Elysées with traffic rushing past on both sides. It was such a perfect perspective I had to get a picture.</td></tr>
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-50480280300598300012011-12-04T12:58:00.000-08:002011-12-04T12:58:47.051-08:00Noyon Photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I realized that if I kept waiting to have time to create an organized post with all the stories I want to eventually include I would never get the most important part (photos) posted. So here they are, some photos from the Noyon trip which I will talk about more later! Basically, we saw the (fairly famous) cathedral of Noyon, where Charlamagne may or may not have been crowned. I'm not yet sure on that one. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dYLGBxajj-I/TtvcsQXVzdI/AAAAAAAABI0/nRk0jCgOozs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dYLGBxajj-I/TtvcsQXVzdI/AAAAAAAABI0/nRk0jCgOozs/s400/1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Haruka (Japan), Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjEyPeh4Wpo/TtvcuKwdwCI/AAAAAAAABI8/hmBx0Aj2JkQ/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjEyPeh4Wpo/TtvcuKwdwCI/AAAAAAAABI8/hmBx0Aj2JkQ/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you have the whole spectrum of emotions, starting with Amanda looking joyous and friendly and ending with me looking grim and forbidding. I promise, I wasn't looking that way on purpose. I guess my face just goes that way when I'm not thinking about it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hW9zMbFzvQI/Ttvcvz-CDTI/AAAAAAAABJE/MvudgEuaTmE/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hW9zMbFzvQI/Ttvcvz-CDTI/AAAAAAAABJE/MvudgEuaTmE/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some details of the Cathedral- by the way, those large chips you can see on the stonework aren't just from age, they're bullet marks from WWI.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBBINUsRTFU/Ttvcw1YxDAI/AAAAAAAABJM/-gohgEABEmE/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBBINUsRTFU/Ttvcw1YxDAI/AAAAAAAABJM/-gohgEABEmE/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here you can see one of my favorite aspects of French cathedrals- the gargoyles, or gargouilles as we refer to them here. These guys are there to conduct the run off from the roof, so when it rains all the water pours out of their mouths. One thing I really want to do is go to Notre Dame de Paris when it's pouring rain, because apparently with all the gargouilles there it's quite a sight.</td></tr>
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(P.S. These are off Facebook, I didn't take them. Credit goes to Amada Leibel for these. I'll post the photos I took along with the organized post, when it happens)<br />
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-71993118021249001122011-12-04T12:35:00.000-08:002011-12-04T12:35:45.790-08:00100 Days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">And after posting the banque alimentaire post I glanced at my countdowner widget and noticed that it said it's been 102 days since I've been in France! So here's a little post celebrating the 100 day mark, although a bit belatedly. It's gone so fast!</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-43603722463963855402011-12-04T12:32:00.000-08:002011-12-04T12:32:59.005-08:00Banque Alimentaire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">...Or food bank, for those of my readers who don't speak French :)<br />
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The Friday before last, I participated in a food drive with the Rotary club at a local grocery store. We stood at the door and passed out bags to shoppers entering the store, which they would use to carry a few extra nonparishable items which they bought during the course of their normal shopping. When they exited the store, we would be waiting with specially marked shopping carts in which they could put their contributions to the food bank. I stood behind a shopping cart and said the phrase "Merci beaucoup, bon soir!" more times than I ever have in my life. <br />
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It was nice to do something for such a good cause, and I wanted to share my experience and a photo (below) on this blog to show that being a Rotary student isn't just about hanging out in Paris and eating lots of delicious French food, it also means contributing to your host community. Any future exchange students who are reading this blog should know that your experience will be so much richer if you get involved with your community and always be conscious of the fact that you are a citizen of the world, and as someone living in a foreign country and town you should do something to give back to that country and town. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1GcmXDstt0E/TtvYUTYVuDI/AAAAAAAABIs/cnsDlA6EiX4/s1600/BanqueAli1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1GcmXDstt0E/TtvYUTYVuDI/AAAAAAAABIs/cnsDlA6EiX4/s400/BanqueAli1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the banque alimentaire, with some of the Rotarians I worked with.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>...And I promise I will have the pictures up extremely soon. Promise.</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-77216611787417533282011-11-28T10:01:00.000-08:002011-11-28T10:01:41.846-08:00I Got My Camera Back!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The title pretty much says it all. I just finished organizing all the pictures I had on the prodigal camera, and now I'm going to do several long overdo posts about several events all at once...Loads of photos coming up!</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-30833151883627418182011-11-24T08:58:00.000-08:002011-11-24T08:58:38.014-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Living in a country where the only reason anyone knows about Thanksgiving is because they celebrate it on <i>Friends</i>, I just want to wish everyone back home and all the other American and Canadian exchange students who are also feeling the lack of the holiday a happy Thanksgiving. <br />
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I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with my host family the weekend after next, due to various reasons including late mail, lack of ingredients, a sick host brother, and an absent host sister. I explained to my host family how Thanksgiving is a time for family to come together, and we all agree that it would be best to celebrate at a time when it can be stress free and everyone is actually together, and the next time that is possible is next weekend. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures (I will definitely have my camera back by then) so all my readers can look forward to photos of my French Thanksgiving!</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-30987774585311249962011-11-10T07:50:00.000-08:002011-11-10T07:50:48.064-08:00Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Nothing extremely eventful has happened recently, just spending time in Paris, learning French, going to school...Life on exchange. Every moment is worth noting, but after a while so many notable moments happen that you can't note them all anymore. If that makes sense. I guess this is just a general update, since I haven't written anything in a while and I don't want to be neglectful...So here's a sample of some of the stuff I've been up to. Unfortunately, no pictures, because I STILL don't have my camera (Beauvais is a loong ways away). <br />
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I realized the other day that on Thanksgiving I will have been in France for three months to the day, which is an interesting coincidence. I've had a lot of rebounds tell me that things change after three months, so it'll be interesting to see if that's true.<br />
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Last weekend I spent a lot of time in Paris, in le Marais district with some other exchange students. I got falafel there for lunch two days in a row, and the falafel there is the best I have ever tasted. I believe the rumor that le Marais is the best place to get falafel outside of Israel. Although, having never tried Israeli falafel, I can't say for sure. Guess I'll just have to go to Israel and find out!<br />
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Last weekend I also bought a Paris map booklet which is exceedingly useful. And also interesting...Is it weird that I like reading my map of Paris for pleasure? It's just so fascinating to see how it's all laid out, and I think it's good to have a general knowledge of where stuff is. I'm excited to get to know Paris better. It's such a delicious feeling to know off the top of one's head which metro line is the best to get to the Louvre (It's Line 1, by the way), or how to walk from the Hôtel de Ville to Notre Dame without getting lost...how insane is that, getting to know stuff like that that only comes from spending time in a city?<br />
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I'll be going to Noyon, the town where Charlemagne and Hugh Capet were both crowned and where John Calvin was born, in the last weekend of the month. Rotary is doing a trip there for all the Paris students, so hopefully I'll get my camera back then! Then I will take lots of pictures of everything to make up for lost time.<br />
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I can't think of anything else to say, so I guess I'll sign off now. Until next post!<br />
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-21507485060967272762011-10-31T05:58:00.000-07:002011-10-31T05:58:41.071-07:00Long time, no post...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Many apologies for not posting in <i>ages</i>, especially considering that I've been up to all sorts of adventures since my last post which I have not shared. However, I have an excuse...and it's very valid. During one of my adventures, during which I took lots of pictures, I left my camera in the backpack of one of my Rotary friends, so I wouldn't have to carry it around and risk setting it down someplace and losing it. And of course I forgot to get it back. And Rachel, the friend with the backpack, happens to live on the extremely dangerous and forbidden RER train line D, so I can't just hop on a train and get it back. However, I should be getting it back pretty soon, and as soon as I do I promise to upload all sorts of lovely photos of the lovely things I've been doing. So expect a sudden burst of posts sometime within the next month. Until then, suffice it to say that I'm having a lovely time and seeing lots of amazing things that I can't wait to share with all you readers! </div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-81965725485731000712011-10-09T06:56:00.000-07:002011-10-09T06:56:35.041-07:00Versailles!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I started writing this post a while ago, but then had some difficulty uploading the photos, then forgot about it, so it's quite late...Sorry! Here it is, finally...My Versailles trip. <br />
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I'm watching Sofia Coppola's <i>Marie Antoinette</i>; so it seems like an appropriate time to write a post about my trip to Versailles last Sunday! It was a lovely day, perfect for being outside, so we spent the whole time walking around the gardens. It was gorgeous. We were there on a day when they had the fountains going, so we got to see the whole magnificence of the place. Being at Versailles was like going to Paris for the first time for me in that it was a totally surreal, is-this-really-happening, I-feel-like-this-is-a-movie experience. Especially later, as the sun got lower in the sky and started hitting the walls of the chateau, making the whole thing glow gold...It was incredibly beautiful. But I don't need to tell you about how gorgeous it was, you just look at these pictures...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mgG2nhbPwYA/TpGjMP_jgBI/AAAAAAAABG8/X5CAwtdpH3Y/s1600/CIMG0872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mgG2nhbPwYA/TpGjMP_jgBI/AAAAAAAABG8/X5CAwtdpH3Y/s400/CIMG0872.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o0fjOqe8-9E/TpGjPVuZYNI/AAAAAAAABHA/a7eilY1lu6I/s1600/CIMG0874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o0fjOqe8-9E/TpGjPVuZYNI/AAAAAAAABHA/a7eilY1lu6I/s400/CIMG0874.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy hair and a huge smile- a sign that fun is being had!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T7C9N62eBws/TpGjsNtBkSI/AAAAAAAABHE/AENQGck3NzQ/s1600/CIMG0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T7C9N62eBws/TpGjsNtBkSI/AAAAAAAABHE/AENQGck3NzQ/s400/CIMG0882.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the outdoor ballroom in the garden...The fountain was decorated with exotic shells brought back from the Red Sea by the French Royal Navy of the time.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bBqAnHQqTO4/TpGjvBdbqbI/AAAAAAAABHI/0k3qdyHYhbQ/s1600/CIMG0880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bBqAnHQqTO4/TpGjvBdbqbI/AAAAAAAABHI/0k3qdyHYhbQ/s400/CIMG0880.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is also at the ballroom...You can sort of see the exotic shells, along with the obligatory (this is Versailles) large ornate gilded thing. And yes, I know it looks like I have no eyes...It was really sunny, and I'm squinting in almost all of these pictures.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CgMJPP35vhE/TpGjxlTtB9I/AAAAAAAABHM/z5SIWgxqitY/s1600/CIMG0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CgMJPP35vhE/TpGjxlTtB9I/AAAAAAAABHM/z5SIWgxqitY/s400/CIMG0884.JPG" width="355" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again at the ballroom...And me in the middle of saying something...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lm3YnMiHdfY/TpGj0zirltI/AAAAAAAABHQ/UdEBkJ-l9ww/s1600/CIMG0889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lm3YnMiHdfY/TpGj0zirltI/AAAAAAAABHQ/UdEBkJ-l9ww/s400/CIMG0889.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Versailles, the gardens, the fountains, the glory</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ditto...</td></tr>
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-332693976892304872011-09-27T05:11:00.000-07:002011-09-27T05:11:29.525-07:00Les Passages Couverts Paris<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Saturday before last I went with my Rotary club to see les Passages Couverts in Paris. I know this post is a bit late coming, but I forgot my camera that day, so I had to wait for lovely people from the Rotary club to send me their pictures before I could post. Thank you to Micheline for sharing the pictures I've posted here.<br />
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For those of you who are unfamiliar with les passages (as I was before I saw them), they are basically shop-lined streets covered by glass roofs and (of course, since this is Paris) decorated with beautiful art. The tour guide of course said everything in French, which I couldn't understand because she spoke very fast, but the Rotarians were very helpful in doing their best to translate for me, and with their pretty good English and my very little French, I was able to learn some interesting things. However, the most interesting part of the day was by far the beautiful art, so, without further ado, here are the pictures!<br />
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-43416093561403958092011-09-14T09:44:00.000-07:002011-09-14T09:44:47.334-07:00gqhhh; AZERTY<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Trying to type on qn AZERTY keyboqrd is one of the ,ost frustrqting things I hqve ever done: I've been battling the AZERTY transition up until now, but I've decided that as long as I'm in France, I might as well learn the keyboard layout so I can work on computers other than my own without taking five minutes to find the comma. Since my computer obviously has the keys marked for QUERTY, this transition is rather difficult because I have to keep an AZERTY keyboard diagram constantly open in another tab and refer to it whenever I don't know where something is.<br />
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As I'm currently using AZERTY, this post has taken an inordinate amount amount of time to create, so I'm going to sign off now, but not before putting this out there...If any of my friends or family in the United States wants an idea for an easily mailable gift, next time there is an occasion for gift giving please send me AZERTY keyboard stickers!<br />
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Now, just for fun, I'm going to write a secret message by typing as if I was on a QWERTY keyboard but using AZERTY:<br />
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Thereùs q very zeird Qustrqliqn exchqnge student in ,y clqss qt school: Her nq,e is Qnnie; she zill be in Frqnce for six ,onths; qnd this is q shout out to her1<br />
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Best zishes to qll fro, Frqnce;<br />
Sophia</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-26594015861730107922011-09-04T03:17:00.000-07:002011-09-04T03:17:26.873-07:00Maison Van Gogh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Okay, this is going to be a quick post with mostly pictures, because I really need to clean my room. So basically, the day before we visited Paris my host mom and sister took me to Van Gogh's house, which is about 20 minutes from my house. This is the house he lived in for the last 60 days of his life, where he did his best work and also where he died. It was an incredible thing to be standing in the room where Van Gogh died. I almost cried. It was very intense. We also walked around the village, Auvers-sur-Oise, which is quite gorgeous. So, without further ado, here's the pictures!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely corner of Auvers-sur-Oise...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0jA1ZTnDdXY/TmNNmi3aEDI/AAAAAAAABFk/2gY5kyFDyPc/s1600/IMG_9011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0jA1ZTnDdXY/TmNNmi3aEDI/AAAAAAAABFk/2gY5kyFDyPc/s400/IMG_9011.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, standing on a stairway in said lovely corner....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-oymJtLm7E/TmNMv-Oqt0I/AAAAAAAABFM/vHv2jsqD2Hs/s1600/100_0402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-oymJtLm7E/TmNMv-Oqt0I/AAAAAAAABFM/vHv2jsqD2Hs/s400/100_0402.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Van Gogh's painting of said lovely corner!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eEPgXrIo6Y/TmNNLQx8uDI/AAAAAAAABFc/BYPheIY_YlQ/s1600/100_0414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eEPgXrIo6Y/TmNNLQx8uDI/AAAAAAAABFc/BYPheIY_YlQ/s400/100_0414.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hotel de Ville of Auvers-sur-Oise....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGmViGdR3uE/TmNM-MSwnEI/AAAAAAAABFU/dg6gyUlNE98/s1600/100_0413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGmViGdR3uE/TmNM-MSwnEI/AAAAAAAABFU/dg6gyUlNE98/s400/100_0413.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Van Gogh's take on the Hotel de Ville of Auvers-sur-Oise!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NgFKOo9BL94/TmNNQ8tlqdI/AAAAAAAABFg/NpPEC2M9ejE/s1600/100_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NgFKOo9BL94/TmNNQ8tlqdI/AAAAAAAABFg/NpPEC2M9ejE/s400/100_0417.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in front of the Auberge Ravoux, where Van Gogh rented a room for the last 60 days of his life. He lived in a small room upstairs. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table> I have a lot more pictures which I think I will post as I get the chance...Pictures just take so long to upload, and it's hard to sit for an hour on the computer to make a blog post when I could be doing so many other things here!<br />
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-77054821204169131912011-08-30T04:59:00.000-07:002011-08-30T10:07:00.260-07:00Paris!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4xech1vfts/Tl0YEzAeFWI/AAAAAAAABE8/qN632yUDszc/s1600/100_0477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Yesterday...I went...to...Paris!!! There aren't enough exclamation points in the world for me to express my happiness. It was everything I imagined, and, considering that I've spent a lot of time building up Paris in my imagination, it's pretty impressive that it lived up to my expectations. It was like being in a book or a movie. I knew that Paris had an extremely high concentration of beautiful historical landmarks, but the sheer amount was still staggering, when I saw it first hand...You could stand on the oldest bridge in Paris, built by Henri IV, and see the Eiffel Tower, the Conciergerie (which started as a palace, became the prison where Marie Antoinette spent her last few months, and is now a museum), the oldest public clock in Paris (600 years old, still working), the Palais Conti (former national mint), and Notre Dame de Paris, <b><i>all at the same time</i></b>. And that's just what you could see from one spot, in the immediate area. And even if a building wasn't historical or breathtakingly magnificent, everything was at least beautiful. Even the brickwork on the streets was in a fish-scale pattern instead of just straight rows. It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around the sheer volume of beauty.<br />
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Anyway, here's some chronologically placed pictures of my day:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oohl1DSKcuA/TlzCoYBPdOI/AAAAAAAABEE/iVSVf0YgvxM/s1600/100_0483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oohl1DSKcuA/TlzCoYBPdOI/AAAAAAAABEE/iVSVf0YgvxM/s400/100_0483.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first big landmark I saw was the Eiffel Tower. We rode the RER train into Paris, and in the area approaching Paris, the train is in a tunnel. So we come out of this tunnel and suddenly, we're in Paris and THERE'S THE EIFFEL TOWER. Just like that. Then the first thing we did after getting off the train was go climb the tower. I didn't get all the way up to the top, but I did get to the third level. It was pretty amazing- you can see all of Paris. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Including this...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YsLm5mTv_1E/TlzDPJrrW8I/AAAAAAAABEM/R3oSBADHKQY/s1600/IMG_9054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YsLm5mTv_1E/TlzDPJrrW8I/AAAAAAAABEM/R3oSBADHKQY/s400/IMG_9054.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, I think on the second level.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4xech1vfts/Tl0YEzAeFWI/AAAAAAAABE8/qN632yUDszc/s1600/100_0477.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4xech1vfts/Tl0YEzAeFWI/AAAAAAAABE8/qN632yUDszc/s400/100_0477.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the (almost) top of the Eiffel tower, looking down...This one's for you, Sean.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i6_y6Pd9ymw/TlzEO6340mI/AAAAAAAABEc/2KhGWIxOZy0/s1600/IMG_9125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i6_y6Pd9ymw/TlzEO6340mI/AAAAAAAABEc/2KhGWIxOZy0/s400/IMG_9125.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the Eiffel Tower, we walked around a bit. This statue is one of many in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me again. Just to prove I was there ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj1NZATstJw/TlzEr_MRtCI/AAAAAAAABEk/TdlCqbuknag/s1600/IMG_9147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj1NZATstJw/TlzEr_MRtCI/AAAAAAAABEk/TdlCqbuknag/s400/IMG_9147.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next, we made our way to Notre Dame de Paris, which was absolutely awe-inspiring. It was massive, extremely old, and you could spend a lifetime just observing the sculpture on the exterior. Just outside of this picture there was a very old statue of Charlemagne that looked like it belonged in Gondor. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKYjZimj0fs/TlzE48humOI/AAAAAAAABEo/T_hV0qkPM7Y/s1600/IMG_9151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKYjZimj0fs/TlzE48humOI/AAAAAAAABEo/T_hV0qkPM7Y/s400/IMG_9151.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If the outside of the church was amazing, the inside could only be described as magnifique. The size itself was mind blowing. This church is so big, it contains the main church and then at least a dozen chapels on the side. Art covered everything, and the whole place was lit only by the famous stained glass windows and saint's candles you could light for a donation of 2-5 euro. I didn't light a candle, but I did buy a Notre Dame medal for 2 euro. This church is one of the most awe inspiring things I have seen in my life. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7GB_oxkkPI/TlzFMJNJ2TI/AAAAAAAABEs/w9a0qAGF3GI/s1600/IMG_9175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7GB_oxkkPI/TlzFMJNJ2TI/AAAAAAAABEs/w9a0qAGF3GI/s400/IMG_9175.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaaaand...I saw this, and I was <i>gone</i>. As my host dad said, "You saw "Shakespeare" and <i>zip</i>!" I ran towards this store like my life depended on it. This is a very beautiful bookstore, full of antiquarian and/or English language books. Of course, the books are very expensive because they are in English, but it was very fun to look. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CPhsYcHI370/TlzFdi7niOI/AAAAAAAABEw/g1_cUHpxI4M/s1600/IMG_9193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CPhsYcHI370/TlzFdi7niOI/AAAAAAAABEw/g1_cUHpxI4M/s400/IMG_9193.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bridge we saw while walking along. I don't have pictures of this, but one of my favorite things we encountered while walking along was the booksellers selling mostly antiquarian books out of green metal stands on the sidewalk. It was very classic Parisian. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-evg20ebiwLI/TlzFtJVqR3I/AAAAAAAABE0/Nv8QK4X3QaU/s1600/IMG_9215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-evg20ebiwLI/TlzFtJVqR3I/AAAAAAAABE0/Nv8QK4X3QaU/s400/IMG_9215.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next we went on one of the <i>bateaux mouches</i>, the boats that go on tours up and down the Seine showing passengers notable sites along the way. The guide would repeat everything in French and English, so I was able to understand, and I learned some very interesting things. We went under some of the most beautiful bridges in the world, each with a different mythology attached to it which the guide would explain. Here I am with my host dad, passing by the Eiffel tower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> These pictures show just a sample of the incredible things I saw while in Paris. And, while I spent the whole day there, there is still so much more I need to see! I hope to have the opportunity to visit this amazing (and, luckily, nearby) city many more times. <i>Merci beaucoup</i> to Mike and Alizee, my host father and sister, for giving me an amazing experience of Paris. Also, to give credit where credit is due, many of these pictures where taken by Alizee, who is an amazing photographer. I took my own pictures, but hers are so much better I decided to use them :) <br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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Sophia<br />
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-28696368435156614412011-08-28T11:22:00.000-07:002011-08-28T11:22:25.571-07:00Long time no post...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Sorry for the lack of posting, I've been wanting to focus on my French and getting to know my host family. The only reason I'm posting now is because it's currently 4:14 in the morning here, I've been up since 1 in the afternoon (23:00 here), I'm dead tired, and I <i>cannot get to sleep.</i> Jet lag creates unhappy situations where my brain is screaming, "I need to rest!!!" while my body clock obstinately refuses, saying, "It's only 7:20, you shouldn't be asleep for at least four hours yet." So here I sit, updating my blog at 4:20 in the morning when I shouldn't be <i>waking up</i> for at least four hours yet.<br />
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Anyway. Here's an email I wrote to my family <strike>subscrib</strike> <strike>excit</strike> describing (see how tired I am?) my trip in and my first impressions of France. My mom suggested I use it as a blog post, so here it is!<br />
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I am already having a lovely time here in France. Both flights went well, and the flight across the country to Philly was a glorious way to say goodbye to the US. Going over the midwest was gorgeous, the fields are so flat and square that it looks like a tiled floor. Pennsylvania was also beautiful from above. I spent most of the first flight staring out the window! <br />
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The transfer went fine, except for a brief scare when I thought I had forgotten my visa card, which was a rather important thing to have...but it all turned out, and I boarded the plane with everything I needed.<br />
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The flight to France was mostly spent reading <i>The Count of Monte Cristo</i>, though I also played a trivia game on my video screen and used said screen to monitor the plane's progress using the GPS app. I managed to get about four hours of sleep. The last hour before landing was spent talking with my neighbor, who was a Frenchman returning to Paris from Baltimore where he was doing stuff with physics. Turns out he was born in Algeria, so he speaks both French and Arabic...and he just happens to be seated next to me. And French and Arabic are the two languages I want to learn. I love fate. Anyway, he gave me some great advice about places to go in Paris. <br />
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That early morning portion just before landing was amazing...the fields were were flying over were so picturesque, so <i>french</i>, and there was mist hanging over everything...<i>tres jolie</i>. And the moment the plane's wheels touched to runway was magical. Finally, I am in France! <br />
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After disembarking the aircraft I promptly realized that the plans for meeting Mike were rather fuzzy, so I got rather panicked and kept desperately trying to find someone who either spoke English or could understand my terrible French. I got all the way to the baggage claim area (Customs was super easy...the guy looked at my passport for about ten seconds, stamped it, and I was on my way) before I finally found got up the courage to use my little French. Turns out he knows Mike, my host dad, so he could lead me to the right place. I am proud to say that I spoke at least three, maybe four full sentences of French to the nice man, explaining the situation, and he understood!<br />
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After we found Mike and the Rotary people, I shook hands with all of them, had my picture taken, and set off for home. Mike's spoken English is actually quite good, so we talked on the way home and helped each other with a few words (steering wheel, flour, ect). First place we went was the bakery to get breakfast...leaving with two bags of pastries and three baguettes, apparently a normal haul for the average French family. Then home for breakfast (tea, orange juice, and pastries). Michel has three clocks set up in the living room, one for Paris time, one for Seattle time, and one for Mexico time (since their daughter Maeva is in Chihuahua City while I am here), which is useful. <br />
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My neighborhood is just like the stereotypical French village. The streets are tree lined, the houses all have functional shutters, and there's a tiny bakery and grocery shop down the street. Pictures coming soon! <br />
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I'm starting to feel guilty for using this much English, so I'll wrap it up. I'm already having an amazing time here, and I think there are many more amazing experiences waiting in my future!</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-47073464081092575802011-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:002011-08-24T09:57:02.603-07:00Sophia Wickman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">...Is in France! More later...</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-35673765848685638782011-08-16T09:03:00.000-07:002011-08-16T09:03:00.524-07:00One Week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It's one week to the day before I leave, and I must say, it's a pretty crazy thought! One week from now, I will be in Paris. Today I'll be having my last Rotary meeting with my sponsoring club and my last French lesson. It's a weird time right now, because the whirlwind has calmed slightly- I have all the documents and everything that I need, so there's no running about frantically gathering applications and forms and papers of all kinds. So now it's just calm, and all I have to do is wait. I've been doing a lot of sewing (one of my hobbies), reading (<i>The Count of Monte Cristo</i>, which I am reading in English since, alas, I am as yet unable to read it in the original French), and being with my family and friends. Since I've been preparing to leave, I've really been appreciating the people and places of home. At the same time, though, I'm looking forward to meeting new people, going to new places, and making a new home in France! </div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-39124382792374480002011-08-12T13:55:00.000-07:002011-08-12T13:55:12.370-07:00Visa!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">My visa arrived! Happy dance! I have every document I need. All I have to do now is pack and get on the plane. And less than two weeks until I do! <br />
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So I'm pretty much freaking out. It's actually weird, I expected at this point to be in a sort of constant state of excitement and happiness, but what's really happening is I'll be just normal, going about my life...then something will remind me of France or exchange or planes or anything remotely related to my trip, and I'll start squealing and jumping up and down with happiness. <br />
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Eleven days! </div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-66600686718602522172011-07-30T15:34:00.000-07:002011-07-30T15:34:56.436-07:00Blazer Pictures...Finally...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
I said in the post about pins back on May 5th that I would post pictures of my bedazzled Rotary blazer <i>and</i> my DIY bottle cap pins "soon". Three months later...Here they are! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fLnT3pjWeuM/TjSBz84F0aI/AAAAAAAABDQ/xDLRdDphXQo/s1600/100_0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fLnT3pjWeuM/TjSBz84F0aI/AAAAAAAABDQ/xDLRdDphXQo/s320/100_0237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYtcUw_g46Y/TjSBoSyHzWI/AAAAAAAABDI/Os_w9LworHw/s1600/100_0235.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYtcUw_g46Y/TjSBoSyHzWI/AAAAAAAABDI/Os_w9LworHw/s400/100_0235.JPG" width="300" /> </a> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pe0Htq2JPkk/TjSBuaDx9pI/AAAAAAAABDM/_0aetXmIdmE/s1600/100_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pe0Htq2JPkk/TjSBuaDx9pI/AAAAAAAABDM/_0aetXmIdmE/s400/100_0236.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pe0Htq2JPkk/TjSBuaDx9pI/AAAAAAAABDM/_0aetXmIdmE/s1600/100_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1WQoTYD9Lww/TjSB6gtVM5I/AAAAAAAABDU/lLYEt1ferGI/s1600/100_0243.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1WQoTYD9Lww/TjSB6gtVM5I/AAAAAAAABDU/lLYEt1ferGI/s320/100_0243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I used five different pictures for my DIY pins: The Washington State seal, the Washington apple logo, a rhododendron (State flower), a goldfinch (State bird), Mount Rainier, and an orca whale (State marine mammal) (yes, there is such a thing as a State marine mammal).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, here 'tis, the blazer post-District Conference, pre-departure. Look for updates on the state of the blazer throughout the year, as I add more and more pins from all my foreign friends and acquaintances!</div><br />
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</div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-36556309662336511312011-07-29T12:03:00.000-07:002011-07-29T12:29:12.406-07:00Visa Application in San Francisco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is a puzzling fact that the closest French consulate to Seattle is in San Francisco. And to get a visa, you <i>must</i> go to that consulate in San Francisco and submit your paperwork in person. So, on Tuesday I boarded a plane at an ungodly hour of the morning and traveled to San Francisco as necessity demanded. It turned out to be an okay trip, although there was a lot of waiting around in airports. This being the first time I had been in an airport since I was six, it was an interesting experience at first, but soon it became just boring. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">I went as part of a trip organized by a travel company that specializes in guiding future exchange students through the process of getting their visa papers in order and going to the consulate, so I was part of a group of about 9 other students going to France. Once we got to San Francisco we went straight to the consulate and stayed in that immediate area until our appointment, so we didn't get to do much touristy sight seeing, however we did get to explore San Fran a little bit, at least the blocks surrounding to consulate. We got to run around Chinatown for a bit (which was an interesting culture clash: a bunch of American teenage girls mostly from Seattle, Washington, running around San Francisco's Chinatown, while they waited for approval to live in France for a year!). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-64kjQ0HFqCU/TjL700w4Q7I/AAAAAAAABCM/fWR2jOGV0Rs/s1600/100_0163.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-64kjQ0HFqCU/TjL700w4Q7I/AAAAAAAABCM/fWR2jOGV0Rs/s400/100_0163.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> An entrance to Chinatown...lots of touristy souvenir shops await beyond this gate</span><span style="font-size: small;">!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"> We then ate at a very Frenchy restaurant called Caf<span lang="ES">é de la Presse where I had Salade Chevre Chaude (Salad with hot goat cheese) which was quite good. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-37dLSqp3UPg/TjL86SAd72I/AAAAAAAABCc/JF56TnfiBZ4/s1600/100_0172.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-37dLSqp3UPg/TjL86SAd72I/AAAAAAAABCc/JF56TnfiBZ4/s400/100_0172.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cafe de la Presse...With a family speaking in rapid French waiting to cross the street.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="ES">The trip ran surprisingly smoothly and the visit to the consulate went well (Future exchange students, if you have any questions about the consulate appointment, feel free to ask questions in the comments). </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9RTjw2tmnIs/TjL9HrOV-QI/AAAAAAAABCg/hqd-I1CkiBU/s1600/100_0186.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9RTjw2tmnIs/TjL9HrOV-QI/AAAAAAAABCg/hqd-I1CkiBU/s400/100_0186.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Flags outside the French consulate</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="ES"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="ES">Some more pictures:</span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31MN12JOY50/TjL8QHBvPtI/AAAAAAAABCQ/1pE80jN4-K0/s1600/100_0164.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31MN12JOY50/TjL8QHBvPtI/AAAAAAAABCQ/1pE80jN4-K0/s400/100_0164.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I took this while running across a crosswalk. Such a lovely, classic double decker bus... I couldn't let it pass without a picture!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2I4pRlJM3zw/TjL8mXxMToI/AAAAAAAABCU/bUiB943si7g/s1600/100_0165.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2I4pRlJM3zw/TjL8mXxMToI/AAAAAAAABCU/bUiB943si7g/s400/100_0165.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some of the shops in Chinatown. I like that one has my name on the sign :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTDimIGGctM/TjL8vXB-TlI/AAAAAAAABCY/0dSHO4iFOl8/s1600/100_0170.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VTDimIGGctM/TjL8vXB-TlI/AAAAAAAABCY/0dSHO4iFOl8/s400/100_0170.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Me, in my Rotary blazer in front of a souvenir shop...Sorry it's sideways! </span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<tr align="left"><td><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="ES">If my application is approved (and there is no reason why it shouldn't be) I should be getting my visa in the mail in about two weeks. This is quite a milestone, as the visa is the last piece of paperwork I need to live legally in France as a Rotary exchange student (!). I'm unimaginably excited, of course, but it's also a bit hard to even wrap my mind around the fact that in a mere 24 days I'll be in France!!!!!! </span></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></td><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="ES">A bient</span>ôt!</span></td></tr>
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</tbody></table></div></div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1858438906545084656.post-63801000136512195052011-07-10T22:25:00.000-07:002011-07-29T12:06:37.538-07:00Billet d'Avion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I bought my plane ticket! I am so excited...This step just makes everything seem more real, I mean, I've actually <b>got a ticket</b>. I am definitely flying to France in a month and a half! It's hard to wrap my mind around the reality, but that doesn't stop me from steadily growing more and more excited...<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Next up: the terrifying visa! </div></div>Sophia Wickmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08841972665197727890noreply@blogger.com0