Castles, Beaches, Trains

It's been a week since my last post so I apologize that it has taken me longer than normal for an update! Last week was mostly uneventful, marked by visits to see Monet's lilies, a hike up the wonderful Eiffel Tower, and some time in Loire Valley. Monet goes down as one of my favorite artists in history; his ability to translate seemingly arbitrary brush strokes of color into a magnificent image of scenery is truly impressive. I sat in front of his 8 lily paintings for close to an hour, admiring the simplistic complexity inherent in his art. What's more amazing is that his art gains an added layer of depth and realism on film so I was able to capture what I feel to be Monet's essence on my camera!

Our climb up the great tower was difficult to say the least. The last count I heard was near 750 steps to the 2nd level which was more of a work out than I've had in quite some time, especially in the 12pm sun of Paris on the warmest day we've had thus far but the view was well worth it! The lift took us the rest of the way to the summit of the 20th century masterpiece and we could see all of Paris sprawled out in all directions. Only then does one truly gain an appreciation for the chaotic layout of this wonderful city.

Loire Valley was a let down overall with shining moments of awesomeness laced in for good measure. In the states, our bus driver would never pass a driver's education test much less be allowed to drive students around the country side of France but in this country, I guess anything goes. Plenty of times, we grabbed onto one another for a feeling of pseudo-safety as we snaked in and out of lanes for a few hours til we reached our first chateau of the evening, Chenonceau. The entrance to this home opens up on one bank of the Loire river and the great hall expands the river to another entrance on the opposite bank, presenting an amazing site for us to visit. Aside from the wonderful architecture, we really enjoyed the wine grown at the chateau's own vineyard (I bought 3 bottles, one of which I am working on as I write this!); I am not a fan of red wines typically but this has a few subtle notes that work really well for me. The last chateau (more of a Gothic castle) was totally underwhelming for its stature and apparent significance. We requested to cut the tour short for the sake of time and left for the train station for our trek to Spain!

Oh, Barcelona! We arrived at 9am, dropped our luggage off at our respective hotels (more on the 4 stars later) and preceded to the beach to relax as a group in what turned out to be a very sunny day. The crashing of the waves, the salty spray in the air and the warm sun made for the most relaxing 4 hours in a long, long time. The Mediterranean is wonderfully blue with this fun tinge of green mixed in to remind you that this is not the Caribbean. Everything about this beach had a refreshing feel to it and we either took naps or read the afternoon away. The guys spent the next day relaxing in our amazing hotel, swimming, relaxing in the sauna, and napping with a wonderful view outside of our window. The seven of us convened that night to celebrate Amy's 20th birthday by playing drinking games and relaxing some more (common theme for the weekend, no doubt). The next day, the guys checked out and went straight to the beach to enjoy the sun for another few hours; my two straight friends really enjoyed the topless part of the Barcelona beaches while I slept on my Barca towel (first truly touristy souvenir I've purchased). We had dinner with everyone and boarded our train at 9pm to end our truly relaxing weekend.

Our final test is tomorrow at 1pm but I've decided to forsake studying and to continue drinking this lovely bottle of wine and catch up with life outside of Europe. For the first time, feelings of homesickness have crept up and put me in a weird mood although it's nothing to be alarmed by. I spoke at length to my mother earlier today and then talked with Taylor, both of which relieved my ill-feelings. Once our test is finished tomorrow, we have several more days to enjoy Paris without the worry of class, homework and tests to interfere. This has really been an amazing experience for me and thus far, I have learned more about myself than statistics and probability (although I've done quite a bit in those regards too), which was the real reason for me to make this 6 week journey 5000 miles away from home in the first place. I hope everyone back in Texas is enjoying the heat and doing well!