Lyon --> Paris (Running of the people to the train, The Louvre, etc.) :)

8:45 am: Well we've had an interesting morning! And its not even 9 a; yet. I am writing this while on our train to Paris. But first let me back up a bit. Yesterday was a very chill day. We literally did nothing! Besides go to the grocery store a couple times and a few other places in Brignais. Then we had dinner at home with Nadine. We helped her finish all her leftovers from the party! The dessert was especially delicious! Taylor and I actually really enjoyed tiramisou. We thought it would taste too much like coffee, but actually it was great. And we also had some wonderful homemade ice cream which Nadine made herself! It was strawberry. So fresh and tasty! :) After our nice dinner we finished packing and then went to sleep in order to be as rested as possible for today.

This morning we had a nice 6:15 am wake up call and then hurried out the door a little after 7 am. Our train left at 8 am. Traffic was pretty heavy, so by the time we were near the station it was like 6:57 am (or later!). We literally ran from Nadine's car up to the track and climbed on board as the minute warning bell rang. I am still a bit shocked we actually made it! Of course, then we realized we weren't in the right cabin, so at the first stop we hopped off and then ran even faster to get to our cabin before the train started again, which was about 7 cars away! We were very out of breath when we got on. But at least we got to the correct seats.

11 pm update: Of course that didn't even really matter either because no one ever came to check our tickets! The train ride was really quick and easy. I enjoyed it more than an airplane. The seats are bigger and more comfy, and it just was nicer overall.

After getting off the train, we figured out how to get to the metro. We had no problems finding our hotel, which is a cute little place in the heart of Paris. We are very happy with the location, and for one night the room is fine. Then off to another place tomorrow. The life of a European traveler... ;) When we got to the hotel it was too early to check in, so we just left our bags and had a nice little lunch at a cafe down the street. Once again, we had ham and cheese sandwhiches. For someone who never really ate ham at home, I am really getting to the point where I am ready to have a new lunch! It always tastes good, but no matter how good a meal is having it too much can just make ya uninterested I suppose. But I am honestly going to miss the food. And I am really going to miss all the cafes! I would go buy a new loaf of bread every morning at a little boulangerie/patisserie if we had good ones at home!!

Once we finished lunch, we headed to the Louvre. I am really not a big "museum" person. Typically I don't enjoy them all that much after a half hour or so. But this one was different. It is an exhausting place, but SO cool. We all agreed it was well worth the trip and we really enjoyed it. Just the outside is awesome. At first we thought it was going to take awhile to get in, but the line moved very quickly and once inside we waited no more than 5 minutes to get our tickets. We started off with the Egyptian wing. That was all very interesting and a really neat way to start off seeing the museum. It is just so crazy how intricate they made things and how much work they put into preserving the people. We walked in a tomb, saw a mummy and sphinxes, and lots more.

We spent a good amount of time with the Egyptians, and then headed to another area to check out some Roman sculptures. Sadly I know very little about art, but I know we saw a couple famous ones! And then we decided to try and find the lovely Mona Lisa. Which really isn't that impressive. I need to learn more about what makes it so famous, because going in person and seeing the mass amount of crowds around a little portrait like that just doesn't make a ton of sense. They were so many more "impressive" pieces of art around that it almost seemed funny that everybody was there to see THAT. But, I am still very glad we did, if even just to say so lol.

We walked around a bit more after seeing Mona Lisa, but by that point we were getting a little sick of walking around such a gigantic place. We walked through the Napoleon III Apartments, which had some awesome chandeliers. Still not entirely sure what the apartments even are for (Napoelon did not live there by the way)... Taylor and I had a nice laugh because we felt like we were recreating a scene from The Hangover when we had this little convo:

Taylor: So all of these objects are from Napoleon's house?

Me: I don't think Napoleon lived here!

Taylor: You sound like Alan when he asked if Cesear really lived there!

.... Ok, so it was definitely funnier in person! Anway...

We walked around outside near the Louvre for a bit, and Keegan and I had some yummy gelato. Then we came to the hotel for a little siesta time. After resting up we headed to the shopping area right by our hotel. We spent all our time at one store that has like 6 stories. It is massive! And way too expensive for us. I enjoyed looking at the 101,000 Euro Tiffany ring and Marc Jacobs purses though! And Keegan enjoyed looking at 20,000 Euro wine! Pretty intense stuff!

We had dinner at the Chinese place in the mall. I didn't love mine but Keegan and Taylor liked what they had. Then after a bit more shopping we headed back to the hotel. But first we had to stop at the pub/cafe next to our hotel for Keegan to have some strange drink. I had more unnecessary ice cream. And now we are in our hotel room with the window open listening to the live music from a band at the club/bar also just down the street. We kind of want to go down and see the show, but we will probably just listen from up here instead.

I am really excited to see more of Paris the next couple days! Lots of fun things we still plan to do. We all agree that we like Paris WAY more than Barcelona. London and Paris are probably tied at the moment. Love them both. I would definitely come back here again sometime!

Bonsoir mes amis!

Kaitlyn

Lyon Love :)

Bonjour mes amis! We have been enjoying a much slower pace for the past couple days in Lyon. It is nice to sleep in as late as desired and not have a huge agenda. I love Nadine's apartment so much, so I have no problem just hanging out around here and relaxing! Yeterday we slept in and then explored the town of Brignais (technically where Nadine lives) for a little while. We had a very French lunch of croque-monsieurs and a bagette to go, plus dessert pasteries.

I told my mom the other day that one thing I am enjoying here is watching the tv show Friends in French! I really think there is a tv channel here that only airs Friends, because every time I turn it on the show is on. And since I basically have all the episodes memorized in English (and can still read their lips if I try hard), it is fun to try and understand it in French. Hopefully it is helping me improve my French a bit! :)

After a nice lunch and relaxing early afternoon, Brahim picked us up and took us to explore another area in Lyon while Nadine hosted some of her colleagues for a little get together. We had a very nice dinner at a little local place in Lyon that Brahim and Nadine enjoy. Keegan and Brahim had kebabs, Taylor had steak, and of course I had chicken ;). The meal came with fries, salad, and two kinds of rice. And lots of bread! It was very good. Afterwards, we walked around and saw a very nice shopping area in Lyon, as well as the mairie (town hall) and a cool fountain statue. Then we were very French and had some delicious Haagen-Daas ice cream. Ha. It was really really good though! And afterwards, we were all stuffed!

Next we came back to Nadine's where the party was still in full swing, but we were all too tired to really interact much so instead we took turns getting cleaned up and ready for bed. After the party we helped Nadine clean up a bit and then she helped us book our train to Paris. We are going a day earlier now, which will be nice because it gives us plenty of time to see the wonderful city of Paris. I am looking forward to it. I will miss this place though.

One interesting note I wanted to include about our travels is that we have found everything in Europe seems to be just two hours away through some mode of transportation! It is a running joke we have now, because every time we ask how long it will take, it is two hours (sometimes a little less, but generally around two!). For example, the flight from London to La Rochelle was about 2 hours, and all other flights have been 2 hours or less. The bus from Palamos to Barcelona was 2 hours. The car ride from Ile de Re to Bordeaux was two hours. The car rides from Lyon to La Feclaz and from Anncey to Lyon were both two hours. We all had a good laugh the other day when Taylor asked Nadine how long the train from Lyon to Paris would be, and her response was yet again, 2 hours!! Just something I wanted to share :)

Today is looking to be another relaxing day. It has been really hot here, with temps in the 90s, but today it cooled off and is very pleasant outside. I think we are planning on just kind of relaxing and reorganizing until Nadine gets back. I might try and catch some Wimbledon for the first time since I have a little extra time to kill. Why not! :)

Looking forward to Paris tomorrow! Will update when I can. I can't believe we come home Sunday, so in 4 days?! I am looking forward to seeing everyone again, but I really am going to miss Europe! It will be bittersweet I suppose.

A bientot,
Kait

First Full Day in Lyon

Bonjour! We had a nice day in Lyon yesterday. After sleeping in A LOT... as in until literally almost noon, we got up had breakfast and then caught the bus to go downtown. Lyon is a very nice city and easy to get around. We walked a bit and shopped without buying anything I believe, and then we had a very unFrench bite to eat at McDonalds. We realized later that we have managed to eat at one in every country: in Chicago at O'Hare before the flight to London, in London before the Trooping the Colour parade; in Barcelona at the airport at 5 am before our flight, and now in Lyon. We had intended not to eat at one anywhere, but apparently that just can't be done! This McDonalds was our favorite though. It had these cool machines in the area by the counter to order where you insert a credit card and order from a screen. I wish we could do that in the US! It was nice because you can change the language to English or a lot of other options, so you don't have to hope the French speaking cashier understood you. Pretty smart idea, McDonalds!

Anyway, after that we walked a bit more and Taylor and I decided we LOVE the home stores here. They have such interesting cups, plates, art, and other home items. We love it all! After browsing these stores a bit, we went to a little plaza area and met Keegans cousin Brendon and his wife Alicia. They were very nice and showed us many interesting areas in Lyon. Plus, they got McDonalds right after we met up with them, so we felt less silly for having it ourselves :)

Brendon and Alicia showed us the old area of Lyon, which he said is where the largest amount of architecture and such from the Renaissance period in Europe remains (hopefully I got that fact right.) Then we went in a church, had a drink at a pub to cool off (where the bartender was very rude to Taylor and me for just getting water haha oh well!), and then we got on a tram/metro to go up to higher ground. Once there, we saw a basilica which was gorgeous inside. I took a couple pictures and then realized I probably wasn't really supposed to do that! It was very nice and interesting to see. And then we walked over to see two very old Roman theatres! I love seeing ruins like these. It is crazy to think about how old it is. When we were there they were setting up for a concert. Keegans cousin said Jack Johnson is going to be playing there in a couple days! Kinda cool haha. The only other singer/band we recognized on a little board that said who would be performing there this summer was The Artic Monkeys, one of Keegans favorite bands.

After seeing the Roman theatres, we walked back down. I never knew before this trip that it can be just as hard to walk down a hill as it is to go up one. Sounds silly, but when it is really steep and really long, it takes a lot of energy to maintain your balance and such! I know my calves hurt by the end of the day! After that walk down, Alicia and I got some ice cream and the others just got drinks at another place. They made us stand a little distance away to finish our ice cream since we bought it somewhere else, and then we joined them for drinks. And then Nadine met up with us for dinner!

We mainly had hamburgers for dinner, with salad and potato wedge fries. I got in trouble with Keegan because apparently I was supposed to be eating the burger with silverware like everyone else! I didn't even realize that was what they were doing, so I looked very silly! The burgers were delicious, and our meal came with an option for dessert or cheese and we all choose desserts. Keegan had a fruit tiramisou which was very good, and Tay and I had the chocolate cake dessert with mango ice cream. It was delicious! And I was surprised to find how well the ice cream and chocolate cake went together. Very very good and filling!

Then we headed back to Nadines and helped her rearrange her apartment a bit because she is having some colleagues over tonight and needed to make more room. I love her apartment building! We found out last night that it has a garage underneath and a little cellar, which is perfect for storing things and adds a lot of room to her already large apartment. I would love to live in a place like this someday! After helping her a bit, we were all ready to shower and sleep! I am up earlier than the others so I decided to type this while they rest a bit. Will probably write another blog tomorrow! Hope everyone has a great day!

xoxo Kaitlyn

Adventures in the French Alps and Lyon!

Well, we made it back to France! (After a VERY long night at the airport) I think we are all trying to just forget about last night. It was exhausting. The benches at the airport were not comfortable at all and we had an awful time trying to get situated. We eventually found a nice quiet spot in the airport where we all grabbed our own separate benches. I was just falling asleep when two unfriendly policemen came and woke us up wanting to see our boarding passes. We didn't have them yet because the area for that was closed until 4 am, but they were insistent and annoying about the whole thing. It was especially annoying because they'd already seen and talked to us a littler earlier, yet they waited until we were asleep to ask for this. So, unfortunately it was a long night that I'm just glad is over.

I can't even remember anything about our flight to Lyon, France except for a couple minutes I spent looking at the sun as we took off. Next thing I knew, we were in France and landing. I think we all slept that entire flight. We were half awake due to lack of sleep, and then Nadine and Brahim picked us up and drove us straight up to La Feclaz, the town in the French Alps where the chalet is located. I fell asleep again and was not thrilled to wake up right as we were manuevering around a crazy curve. I've never been on one like it! My stomach was in knots by the end of that trip!

The chalet is really cute and on a nice quiet street. It is so interesting to see all the different landscapes in France/Spain that we have seen. The island and beaches are probablyy my favorites! Lyon is nice as well, at least the suburb of it that Keegan's aunt Nadine lives in. More on that later!

After arriving at the chalet, all we wanted to do was sleep, so the three of us headed straight to bed for about 2 hours. It was tough to get up after that, but we did and we had a nice lunch. Then we took a hike. This hike was unlike any I've ever done. We went up the mountain to two separate spots with amazing views. After the hike, I was told we did about 10 km, or like 7 miles total. Considering how steep it was and how high we went, I was very impressed with what we did! It was exhausting, but in a good way.

After the hike and a delicious Morroccan dinner (Keegan is ready to head to Morroco next after Brahim's wonderful cooking), we all brushed our teeth and went straight to bed! Funny story about teeth brushing :) ... I have discovered that Taylor cannot stand in the bathroom while burhsing her teeth; she always moves around and goes to another room. I promised her this would make the blog, because I think it is fun the little things we are learning about each other!

Then this morning, we got up and had a nice breakfast before heading to the city of Annecy for the day. This is another nice place in the French Alps. It is beautiful and I highly recommend visiting. I haven't been to Italy yet, but Taylor has and she says it is comparable to the city of Venice. There are canals throughout the streets and it is so pretty just to walk around. The main thing to see in Annecy though is the lake. It is right between the mountains, and on beautiful days like today there are lots of boats out on the lake and people swim/tan etc. It is quite a site. We got some quiches and dessert pasteries and had a little pique-nique in the park by the lake. It was yummy, especially the chocolate mousse cake things Tay and I had!

After lunch and exploring Annecy's streets a bit, we drove a few minutes out of the city centre to visit a very old castle! Supposedly, it is the one Walt Disney based the castle in Sleeping Beauty on. The tour was very interesting but in French so Nadine translated for us. My favorite part was the library, which had between 8000 and 12000 old books from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Very cool to be around. We all enjoyed the castle a lot. Then we drove back to Lyon.

Nadine has a very nice apartment we are all excited to be at. We had lamb and turkey kebabs for dinner, and now we are ready to crash again! Bon nuit!

Barcelona Airport Boredom

Note: I'm posting this blog exactly how I wrote it when we were in Barcelona, so technically the present tense should be past and such, but I wanted to keep it as authentic as possible :)

I probably won't be posting this until after leaving the airport, but I'm still going to write it as its happening so those of you reading this blog can better understand our emotions. It's midnight now as I write this on an uncomfy bench at the entrance to the Barcelona airport. Our flight leaves at 630 am so we decided to just chill at the airport rather than pay for a night at a hotel. Ill descibe more of this later but first let me back up and pick up this blog where I last left off.

Last night there were lots of fireworks going off all around us in Palamos as the people celebrated the festival of San Juan. It annoyed me at first because I felt like I wouldn't get much sleep due to the noise; but I must admit it was pretty cool to see. The fireworks were not as big as Thunder Over Louisville obviously; but we had fantastic views from the balcony. It was like our own personal fireworks show. And we were finishing up laundry (which had to be hung up to dry on the rooftop terrasse) and up there we had an incredible 360° view of multiple fireworks shows! Very cool.

We got up a bit earlier than usual, hopped in a taxi, and headed to town to catch a bus to Barcelona. Then we lugged our suitcases from the bus station to the Urbany Hostel, where Jake and his friends were staying for the weekend. Still can't believe we got to hang out in Spain with him like that! Fun stuff. It was funny at the hostel at first because we felt like stowaways for a few minutes when e hid in the stairway while Jake got a new roomkey, because technically we were supposed to pay but we rebelled. Then we all headed to lunch at a tasty Spanish cafe. We had croquettes for the first time and finally had a good paella experience. It was all good.

After lunch, we let Jake head out to see everything he had planned for the day, and the three of us got on a bus tour. We were exhausted so this was a nice change of pace. Barcelona is really an exhausting city. We all agree it is our least favorite place we have been but I'm still glad we got to see it. And Palamos was amazing so we can't speak bad about all of Spain! If I ever come back to Barcelona, I want to just have a specific area in mind to visit and stay in it all day.

After awhile, we got off the bus and had more gelato. Then we headed back to meet Jake again and get our suitcases. And then we came to the airport. Which apparently shuts down all shops and restaurants at 10 pm and won't let us check in for our flight until 4 am. So instead we are bored and sitting on very hard benches that are going to be tough to sleep in. And it is crazy hot inside so Keeg and I keep stepping out to get some fresh air.

I'm ready to get back to France!!! Another update soon!
Kait

Last night in Palamos :(

Before I begin, I have some bad news for my faithful followers. This may be the last blog for awhile. We aren’t sure what the internet situation will be like at our next destinations. We’ve been lucky so far, so maybe our good fortune will continue. I like to try and keep everyone as up to date as possible! :) Thank you for your support and interest, though. It’s fun knowing someone besides myself may be reading this thing!

But back at our trip! Our dinner last night was very tasty. We made two different kinds of pasta: ravioli with spinach and ricotta cheese filling, and tortellini with 4 queso :) filling. It was all yummy. After pasta, we “vegged out” (Keegan terminology) and then while Taylor was catching up with people at home, Keeg & I stopped by the beach bar again for a little dessert & drink combo. I ordered a drink called Le Quiero for him to try, and had the chocolate gelato for myself. We enjoyed both very much! Then the three of us chatted in the room a bit before calling it a night.

Today was more of a cleaning/packing/preparing for our next move kind of day. We managed to do laundry (major props to Taylor for figuring that out!), went to the supermarcat, and reorganized our belongings. Keegan & I took a short hike which Tay decided to pass on. It was more of a rugged hike than I imagined, but fun. We climbed some rocks & took cool pictures. Later, Taylor & I hit up the beach for awhile while Keegan napped. It was fun just being girls (sorry Keegan!) and having time for girl talk & such! :)

Tonight we headed in to town again for more shopping, dinner, and gelato! We shopped in record time due to Keegan’s obvious hunger (he chanted the name of the restaurant until we finally went there). The restaurant was called CanPaco. It was simple but inexpensive and tasty. And quick, which was good because we were mainly excited to get gelato. We tried a different place than we had previously been to, and it was good but the lady working wasn’t as friendly. So, we decided to be crazy and go back to the initial gelato place after to get ANOTHER scoop… but that guy wasn’t working tonight L. Keegan and I still split a cone just because we felt bad for not going there originally lol. Then we walked back to the apartment place.

There is a festival or celebrations going on all over Spain tonight because it is the festival de San Juan or something like that. Everybody is letting off fireworks. I jump every five minutes from the “BOOM”. I have a feeling I won’t be sleeping so well tonight!!

I’m excited for tomorrow. We are heading back to Barcelona, and have made plans to meet up with our friend Jake! It’s so crazy to me that Jake lives literally down the street from me in New Albany and we are able to meet up with him for a day in SPAIN. Love how small the world is sometimes! :)

I’m a little bummed though because we are already on the last leg of our trip. I realized this because Wimbledon started this week, and it ends the day we fly home. Yes, only someone as obsessed with tennis as I am would use a tennis tourney as a calendar/time keeper! (Go Nole!)

On another note, I’ve eaten wayyyy too much pizza in Spain. It’s so good though!

Buenos tardes amigos!

-Kait

Palamos Beach Bums!

Don't worry, a new blog is here! Sorry for the delay! We’ve all been enjoying our time here in Palamos. The pace is very nice—sleep in, have a nice breakfast, throw on swimsuits/trunks, and head out to the beach! That’s our typical morning routine now J. Sunday it was a bit crowded, but during the week crowds have definitely been minimal. We are always able to find a nice spot without many people around. I love the beach here. I know I haven’t been to a ton of beaches, but I always dislike the ones with the crabs everywhere or the really rocky sand. This one is great; haven’t seen any crabs in the sand and its nice and soft, though it does get hot! We’ve had fantastic weather. I don’t know if Spain is just always this picture perfect, or if we’ve gotten lucky. The only rain we’ve seen was a tiny bit in London, and even that was minimal for London.

I don’t think Keegan was prepared for the way girls treat going to the beach. Taylor and I are more than content to just lay and sunbathe for 2-3 hours at a time… and he isn’t. So, we get in the water some, occasionally get drinks or ice cream at the beach bar, and find other things to do. I could definitely keep this pace up for a few more days. We had to be careful today though because it was hotter than it’s been other days. Yesterday it was really windy which was annoying for laying out, but today was much better. They rake the sand it seems every other day, which is nice. And the water is awesome! I’m not much of an ocean swimmer typically, but I did get in today (as did Taylor and of course Keegan). It’s so clear you can see all the fish in the bottom. I wish they were colorful fish, but I’ll take what I can get J. It’s not that deep either and not very rocky, which is nice. Very family friendly area!

Keegan and I bought a little set of the beach tennis game, and although it can be tough with the wind, it’s still fun. And I’m still trying to convince him to build a sandcastle with me! I didn’t do that as much growing up as I feel the typical child does, so I want to make up for it now! J We feel a tad silly buying a pail and shovel though, so I don’t know if it’ll actually happen.

Yesterday early evening we walked in to town to do some shopping and have dinner. Taylor and I really wanted to try paella, so we got all excited to try this fancy looking place with pretty cheap prices. We were given the English version of the menu (we’ve decided it must just be stamped on our foreheads that we speak English or something), and there were many different types of paella. Some types had fish, and some were with meat. One just said “paella” and we thought that was just rice, so Tay got that and I asked for it with “pollo only” (chicken only)… too bad I said ONLY in English, which meant the guy didn’t actually understand what I meant. I’m sure the looks on our faces were priceless when a big frying pan was placed in front of us filled with mussels, langoustines, rabbit, possible chicken, some rice, and more that we couldn’t identify. I suppose we really should have expected all this, but we didn’t. So Taylor and I were a bit thrown off by the looks of the meal which made it difficult to eat, though we managed to have some of the rice and bread. Keegan had mussels (again), but said they weren’t nearly as good as at previous places. So after dinner, we chowed down on some delicious gelato, which made up for the less than stellar dinner experience J. I have yet to have a bad gelato experience!

Keegan has pointed out numerous times that I’ve failed to mention someone who has been a big part of this trip: Jacques (pronounced Jack with a French accent). This is the name Keegan gave to the first langoustine in his meal in Barcelona. For anyone unaware, this species is placed on the plate in full body, including claws and eyeballs. Tay and I were fully disgusted and couldn’t stand to watch as Keegan began to name and play with his little Jacques. He couldn’t bring himself to eat his friend though. After that, anytime one came with his meal he wouldn’t eat it and would say he was “saving Jacques”. Jacques has shown up at multiple meals now. It’s safe to say I doubt I’m ever able to eat a langoustine in my lifetime now. And last night, Taylor and I were lucky enough to meet the rest of Jacques’ family. They were all saved, too.

We’ve decided to spend an extra day at the beach tomorrow because it is so lovely here, and are just going to head to Barcelona Friday morning. We are enjoying perfecting/practicing our Spanish and French in the meantime, and just relaxing. Our plan for tonight is to attempt to cook some pasta, then maybe go out for drinks/dessert.

More to come soon!

Hasta Luego,

Kait

Barcelona --> Palamos... Love Spain :))

Well, I’m happy to say our opinion of Barcelona improved after seeing more of it during the day. We woke up after a good night of sleep at our hotel, the Confortel Auditori. I recommend the place; very clean and had everything we needed in a good location and nice staff. We left our bags after checking out and then started our walking tour of Barcelona! (Ok, not really a tour since it was self guided and made up as we went, but essentially like a tour!)

We realized our hotel was only a few blocks from La Sagrada Familia so we headed that direction first. This is a very famous church designed by Antoni Guadi that wasn’t finished before we died and still isn’t. So, every time you go there it is a little different because it is still being worked on (at a very slow pace it seems).

Before actually making it to La Sagrada Familia, we realized we were hungry and made a spontaneous decision to eat at a Japanese restaurant, which we weren’t even sure was open because no customers were inside, but a waitress ushered us in so we decided to try it out. It seemed a little silly, having Japanese in SPAIN, but we were hungry and it looked nice. And we were pleasantly surprised by how tasty it all was. And very reasonably priced!

After lunch, we headed to the church. I have many pictures of the outside, but none of them really do it justice. It’s extremely impressive architecture and in size; almost too much to take in at once. I’m sure the inside is impressive as well, but we had too many other things to check out so we moved on.

We started the long walk to La Rambla, a very famous street in the barrio gotic (Gothic district/neighborhood). We passed by many buildings with unique architecture on our way, as well as La plaza de Catalunya (or something like that), which I’d heard of before but wasn’t exactly sure what we would find. We were greeted with protesters in the plaza who had put up signs on all the statues and monuments. It was strange, so we didn’t stand there too long. Oh, and everytime we crossed at a street corner, Keegan would tell Tay & me to guard our purses J. Of course, I also had on my money belt (hope that makes you happy Madre!), so I wasn’t that concerned. J

We finally got to La Rambla, and it was an interesting street indeed. Lots of tourists, street vendors, people acting like statues, etc. The street goes all the way to a port by the ocean, so we followed it to there and grabbed a taxi. Then we got our bus tickets and bags and headed to Palamos!

It was a really pretty bus ride from Barcelona to Palamos. I love seeing the mountains, city, and beach/ocean all very close by. I started to enjoy the ride less at the end when I relized I drank way too much water before boarding, but once we made it to Palamos I was much better! We took a quick taxi to the apartment, which Taylor and I are in love with (I think Keegan is, too, he just expresses his emotions less). It’s the perfect sized place for the 3 of us, decorated so cute and filled with everything we could possibly need. And the view from the balcony STILL takes my breath away. Absolutely incredible. You can see the beach, ocrean, cliffs, and some other apartments and houses all at once. I can’t wait to put up pictures!

We had a nice meal at the little restaurant at the base of the apartment last night and then got settled in. After a quick walk on the beach, we called it an early night. This morning, we walked to the “supermarcat” just down the road to stock up a bit, had breakfast, and then hit up the beach! It’s so nice and relaxing. We love it here. Keegan and I got some fruity drinks at the bar right by the ocean, and then we all came back up to the apartment for lunch. Then after a little rest we took a walk to the old town area of Palamos, which is very nice and fun to walk around. Unfortunately, many places are closed because we forgot it is Sunday, so we are going to go back another day. Now we are resting again then heading to dinner somewhere nearby.

I’m definitely not going to want to leave this amazing place for a few days. Spain is beautiful and the weather couldn’t be more perfect! J Adios for now amigos!

~Kait

Bordeaux --> Barcelona! (No, I don't want to buy myself a rose...)

Hola. I'm quite surprised and bummed that this entry isn't going to be as upbeat as all the previous ones. Maybe we have just been spoiled by everywhere else we have been so far on this trip. But I really don't have many positives to say about Barcelona. We aren't sure if maybe all the negative comments we have heard about pickpockets and guarding our wallets has made us too nervous/untrusting of this city or what, but I think I speak for Taylor and Keegan too when I say we are hoping our opinion changes a lot tomorrow about this city.

But let me back up to cover more of the day. It hasn't been all bad and maybe I shouldn't be so negative. I don't want to be! We woke up and left Ile de Re around 10 am, got to Bordeaux around noon and had lunch, and then were ready to board our flight with more than an hour to spare. The Bordeaux airport was not what I was expecting. It was very quiet and pretty empty. Comfy benches to sit on though. I was getting excited because it seemed like there were only going to be 12 people on our flight, but when the plane got there we realized that many people on board would be staying on for the plane's next journey as well. Still, it was an airplane that only seated about 50 people (pretty sure that number includes pilots and staff because I counted less than 40 passenger seats). I liked that it was such a small plane. And the flight was so short it didn't even matter how big it was. We'd barely been offered a drink and snack before we were told to prepare for landing.

Then we arrived in Barcelona. And the weather is great and I love the palm trees, of course. I have a small obsession with palm trees, so just seeing them perks me up. We took a cab from the airport, which was reasonably priced especially compared to London. It was up to me to get the cab using my Spanish, which I must say I have severely forgotten since high school! I don't know how people can easily switch from one language to another. I asked how much a taxi was in Spanish, and after getting an answer I responded with "Merci!" And then looked quite silly I'm sure! Hopefully more Spanish will come back to me. I slowly remember a bit more the longer we are around it. Our hotel is nice, very trendy and has all the amenities we need for one night. After settling in, we all got cleaned up and rested a bit before heading out for the evening. I guess that's when our opinion of the city started to decline a bit.

We were told that the Port Olympic area would be best for dinner and then going out after for dancing at the discotecs, so we hopped in another taxi and for less than 7 euro made it to that area. It looks very pretty, but the people were extremely annoying! Maybe we just were too naive or something, but we were very taken aback when EVERY restaurant we walked past had more than one person out front trying to convince us to eat at their place. Then an annoying man selling flowers started putting them in our face and would not take "no" for an answer. We finally picked a restaurant, and again were a tad disappointed. Except Keegan! He enjoyed all his seafood and said it was worth the money. I ordered Lasagne and was given Spaghetti, which to begin with was not cool. I don't remember ever ordering spaghetti in a restaurant, and I can assure anyone reading this that the spaghetti I make on pasta nights is MUCH better :). Taylor had spaghetti with a different sauce and said it tasted exactly like Spaghettios lol. We did enjoy the dessert though. But were very just taken aback again by the atmosphere and the people. It was a much less friendly place than we experienced in both London and France. However, I have decided that I definitely want to try some paella. It looks delicious and I think it's something you must try while in Spain. And how can you go wrong with rice?! haha :) That's on my agenda for Palamos I think.

After dinner, we took a nice little walk by the port. But then we started getting very annoyed (again) by all the men trying to sell us random things - ugly hats, tickets to discotecs, water, beer, etc. It got old fast. Overall, it was just a disappointing evening. We had high hopes for Barcelona nightlife, and it was ruined by the street selling people and our worries that people would try to pickpocket us. Maybe we were just too tired, too.

So, we are sleeping earlier than planned in hopes that tomorrow our opinion of Barcelona changes. I really want to enjoy our time here because I've heard such good things. The area is lovely, it's just shame that these few things have to make the atmosphere so unappealing. I also think we are all anxious to just get to the beach tomorrow evening and relax for a few days. Cities are exhausting. Again, we've definitely been spoiled by our previous hosts and locations, so that makes it tough for Barcelona to keep up I suppose :). Still happy we came here and feel lucky to be in this city. I think a good night's rest will do us all well. We'll try to tackle this big city again tomorrow. Buenas Noches!

-Kait

Really the last blog from Ile de Re :)

Bonsoir! I decided to post one more quick update before heading to sleep since I'm not sure when I'll write again. As I said earlier, today has been very laid back. We had a good nap/siesta time after lunch, and then Keegan and I took a little walk before the three of us went to dinner at the crepe restaurant again. This time, Keeg & I split a pizza and Taylor decided to just get the dessert crepe. It looked so good I could hardly finish the pizza! We LOVED the dessert crepes! Definitely worth coming back just for another one of those :). I had "La Lola" which was a crepe with chocolate, whipped cream, dark chocolate ice cream, and almond shavings. Delicous! Horrible for your health I'm sure, but well worth a stomachache (which amazingly, I never even got!) You'd think the person with the worst stomach on the planet (in my personal unbiased opinoin..) would have had trouble digesting such a rich dessert, but I didn't. So far, I'm very proud of my stomach on this trip! Ha :)

As we were enjoying our pizza, Keegan's uncle and cousin Laura happened to drive by. They offered for us to stop by their house after finishing our meal, so we decided to take them up on this offer. When we arrived, his aunt was attempting to translate some French text into English for another cousin. We tried to help, and I think I surprised Keegan by how much I was able to actually translate! Proud moment of the day for me! Ha. His aunt was still better than me though and even correcting me on my English!! But still, it was interesting to try and translate in the opposite way. I felt like I was back in French class for a few minutes!

After all the translating, we chatted for a few minutes and then came back to the house. Now we are doing some last minute gathering of items before calling it a night. I don't think any of us are too excited for another plane ride, but it is nice that all our intermediary flights are less than 1 1/2 hours. Off to sleep for now. Sorry this entry is not as long or exciting. I'm sure I'll have plenty to post about Spain whenever I am able to do so! Still a tad bummed to leave Ile de Re tomorrow. But, we have lots more to see and do on this amazing trip! I feel so lucky to be on such an incredible vacation. Not taking a moment of it for granted!

Bon nuit everyone reading this! And Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there, including mine! (Just in case we don't have internet for a few days in Spain)

Lots of love, Kaitlyn

Ile de Re! (probably last post from here)

We've officially made it through one week of the trip! It's crazy to think about how much ground we have covered in just one week. Yesterday started with breakfast as usual and then a quick trip to the town centre and Carrefour (grocery store). Then we had a nice lunch outside before Keegan's cousin, Kelly and her friend stopped by to pick us up for the beach volleyball tourney. We thought it might be cold on the beach (because of the breeze from the ocean), so we all changed into pants and left swimsuits at the house... bad idea!! The beach was VERY warm, and everybody there was in swimsuits. So we went back to the house to change back into ours.

Once we had the proper attire, we enjoyed the beach much more. The others were very concerned about my skin, so they made sure I reapplied sunscreen every 15 min or so. I did very well at avoiding burns, except a slight one on my nose and forehead. It's already much better today though. It could have been much worse! Hopefully after Spain I'll actually have a little color to brag about... ha. Anyway, after the matches Kelly took us back to the house so we could clean up and have dinner before going back to the beach for a party/concert.

For dinner, Keegan informed me we were having omlettes. A small part of me panicked for a second, as I'd never actually ate an omlette, but I promised to try it. And I must admit, it was delicious! Of course, the fact that it was covered in potatoes probably helped! :) I wish I had a picture of it, because it looked more like a pizza than an omlette. Really cool!

We got back to the beach around 9:30 pm and met up with Kelly and her friends. They were all very fun and nice. Their English is much better than our French! It really makes me want to learn more French, though. I was surprised by how much we were able to communicate. It was neat to meet all of them and Keegan, Taylor and myself all enjoyed our time with them.

The "concert" was actually a reggae band in a bar. It was quite an interesting site (the lead singer had a funky hat and dreads, and the drummer was in all cheetah print...). We enjoyed a couple free drinks (mine were mostly the soda Orangina, but I did try sips of others) and fun conversation (when we could understand it). Eventually we were too tired to stick around, so Kelly brought us back. Another great day though!

Today we have just been packing and reorganizing our things so we can be ready to head off to Barcelona tomorrow! I think we are all a little bummed to be leaving this wonderful place, but also excited to see what Spain has to offer. We have heard only good things (minus the pickpocketers!) Now, we are having a little siesta. Might walk to the beach nearby in a bit. I'll try and post another blog sometime in Spain, but I'm not sure what the Internet will be like there. We shall see. C'est la vie. (Not sure that really fits in this sentence/paragraph, but I heard Keegan's grandfather say it at lunch and was determined to work it in somehow!) haha. Au revoir!

Ile de Re - Day 2 (Tuesday)

Another fun day in Ile de Re! We are enjoying sleeping in until 9-9:30 am and having a slower pace than we had in London. After breakfast this morning Keegan led Taylor and I on a bike ride to La Flotte, another "village" on the island. I never realized how large the island actually is. It's neat to see all the different villages. The bike ride was not as easy as I'd hoped. Myself not being a regular bike rider, I was not prepared for the body pains I experienced just after our much shorter bike ride the previous day! I have much respect for people I know who ride long distances, because I definitely would struggle with that at the moment! Taylor and Keegan were much better at keeping a fast pace... :)

But eventually, we made it to La Flotte, and after initially ignoring directions on street signs (typical man behavior exhibited by Keegan! lol) we found the market. Keeg described it as something almost out of the Middle Ages. It's definitely unlike anything in the US. Very interesting to see and experience, and a good way to start the day! Afterwards, we biked back to the house, which luckily went by faster than the ride there, and got ready to head to La Rochelle for the day with Keegan's aunt, Anne.

We had about 3 1/2 hours to kill until we were to meet her and her husband to head back, so we started with lunch by the port. I must say, trying to order in French at a restaurant is probably the most nervewracking experience we've had yet, at least for Taylor and myself. Luckily Keegan is pretty confident in his ordering skills, so we rely on him when issues arise. I always feel a little proud of myself when I recognize foods on the menu, but today I almost ordered an uncooked steak! Instead, I got the "cooked" version, but it wasn't exactly cooked to my American standards. I'd say it was even less done than meat Keegan enjoys, and that is saying a lot! We were joking about how in London they overcook steaks, and here they undercook them, at least by the US standards. Just a different way of life I suppose. So, not my fave food but the atmosphere at the restaurant/cafe was nice. We sat outside. And Keegan LOVED his mussels, so all was well.

After lunch, we walked the streets and eventually got ice cream (so good!) and then Taylor and I bought some cute French scarves :). I still want to try and buy a hat and maybe one other thing before coming home! Ha. Then we got back to the island, had some R&R, then another delicious meal. Tonight: French bread, slices of ham, awesome potatoes, and super tasty melon (cantaloupe). Keegan and I have a system; he drinks my wine and I eat his melon! I really enjoy dinner with his grandparents. Tonight we talked about some of the trips they have taken all around the world, from the US in Arizona/Vegas to Egypt to Peru! My cousin Sarah warned me that after my first trip out of the US I might get the travel bug, and she is definitely correct about that! :)

After dinner, the three of us took a walk. Taylor and I are still surprised by how bright it is until late here. It's not fully dark until about 11 pm! The sun is still out until like 9:30 pm. We get confused about what time it is because of this! Anyway, we walked to an old church nearby, tried to take pics of a snail, and then settled in for the night.

Tomorrow we are going to the beach with Keegan's cousin for a volleyball match tourney she is in with her friends from school, and then there is a party on the beach afterwards. Looking forward to meeting her and other people tomorrow! For now, bonne nuit! (Probably spelled that wrong, I'm tried, sorry!)

FRANCE: La Rochelle/Ile de Re

We arrived from London to La Rochelle Sunday afternoon, again with no problems whatsoever. Taylor and I loved how cute the La Rochelle airport is. Pretty sure only one flight can land at a time; and there is only one baggage claim carousel for example. Keegan’s grandparents and aunt and uncle greeted us at the airport. Everybody is extremely nice. His grandparents brought us back to their house on the island, and I am in love with it! Taylor, Keegan, and I are in the detached guest house. There is a pretty courtyard area outside between the buildings, plus trees and a garden. The architecture here is gorgeous! And the little streets are so cute. I’m in love J. Also, I’m glad we are back to driving on the right side of the road again!

After arriving, we had tea (this was my first tea experience and I actually liked it). But it probably helped that we had some delicious galette (cake) and cookies with it! Dinner was great as well: cold cut chicken legs/meat, thin Spanish ham, French bread (of course), cheese after, and then dessert yogurt. Mint chocolate- yummy! I feel like we are getting in better shape just by being forced to eat less processed food. It’s great. And after dinner we went to bed and all slept in, which was much needed after the early morning for the parade.

Today after petit dejuner (breakfast), the three of us road bikes around town. We went to the ocean, which was a tad chilly but still pretty, road around the village, stopped by the market/town centre, and then headed back to freshen up before lunch. Lunch was a fun barbeque with lots of Keegan’s family! I’m getting used to kissing on the cheek now J. It was really fun to meet everyone. I am enjoying being in a place where English is not the first language. The adults do speak it well though so we were filled in on what the conversations were about often. The bbq was delicious as well. I didn’t realize how many courses there would be! Appetizers: crackers, melon, crushed olives and something, chorizo, peanuts, cubes of cheese, etc. And to drink, Sangria! I actually liked it. Haven’t really had any wine… Keegan always has a glass for me. Then we had “hot dogs” but they are much different than ours. Still good! Then some kind of sausage, which I tried and didn’t hate lol. Then we had pasta salad, followed by the main meat options: chicken, lamb, and duck. Plus bread, obviously. Afterwards, we had 2 cake options, one made by Keegan’s cousin Juliett. The chocolate was my fave! Very rich. Then came coffee and afterwards the family left and it was siesta time.

Later in the evening, Keegan’s grandparents took us to Saint Martin, a fortified village on the island. It was beautiful and very interesting. Keegan’s grandpa filled us in on all the history behind it. We saw structures from the 16^th century. It’s amazing that it lasted that long, especially since many structures have been destroyed from wars. There is a really old fort that is still used as a prison. After touring this area, we went back to their village for crepes. Keegan has told me about this place many times, so it was very fun to go there and experience it. Now we are all ready for bed, as tomorrow promises to be another fun day! I don’t want to leave France after this trip ends. Definitely coming back here someday J. Au revoir!

LONDON Day 3: Queen's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour)

Our third day startred a tad earlier than those previous... (5:30 am London time to be exact, even earlier for Taylor who woke up at the crack of dawn because the sun rises so early!). We headed out the door by 6 am and were one of the first onlookers on the Mall by Buckingham Palace for the parade, Trooping the Colour. This event happens every year to celebrate the Queens birthday, though it is actually on a past Queen's birthday, not the current one! I'd heard most of the royal family, including newlyweds Will & Kate, would be in the parade, so I wanted to beat the crowd to ensure front row spots. We were definitely early enough! I'll admit, too early.

So, we chilled at a local McDonalds (very nice by the way) to kill time, and while there a very nice older English gentleman walked up because he could tell we were tourists, and gave us many tips for viewing the parade. We ended up staking out some great spots on a corner by him and some nice British ladies. I find the whole royal history fascinating, and it was really interesting to hear the perspective of someone who lives there. There is a real sense of honor and respect towards the Royals, which surprised me. But the lady I spoke to described it as their history. She said it's not Hollywood, it's a real life; a real family that's been around for as long as they can remember. They are a stable symbol of life that is always there.

Anyway, back to the parade! Things got mroe exciting as the crowds grew, policemen arrived, etc. Thanks to our new British friends, we had fantastic views of the parade. We got to see many guards, who look alike but actually have subtle differences in uniforms, hats, buttons, etc. There was some concern the royals would be in cars rather than carriages, but the rain held off long enough for carriages! We had clear views of everyone I hoped to see. Didn't get great pictures of Kate and Harry, but did get good ones of the Queen! William and Charles were very difficult to recognize on their horses, but they were all there. And Camilla... lol Still, it was an amazing event I feel honored to have witnessed!!!

Rest of the day consisted of delicious cupcakes (and Tea for Keegan!), a failed metro experience due to crowds & closures, and a long but comfy coach bus trip to the next hotel.

LONDON Day 2: Wimbledon!! :)

After a long first day and plenty of jet lag, day two started off a bit slower, though not much. We decided to start back at Buckingham Palace, in hopes of seeing the changing of the guards. We tried the day before but arrived too close to the start time and couldn't see over the mass of visitors already there. Though slightly earlier, we still arrived too late on day 2 (thanks to accidentally setting our alarm an hour later than planned!)

Determined to make the day a good one, we started walking towards Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. Right when the Abbey came into view, we experienced our first London rain shower. Of course, since it was sunny in the am, we hadn't brought umbrellas or dressed too warm, so we seeked shelter in the Abbey gift shop and then a nearby church for warmth (with other tourists). Eventually, we gave up on avoiding the rain and briskly walked to the nerby tube station, glancing quickly at Big Ben and Parliament as we passed!

We used the rain as an excuse to head out of central London to Wimbledon. I can't even begin to describe how excited I was to see the most famous and respected tennis tournament grounds in the world. We were all amazed by the history behind the club, and the tour was greatly enjoyed by all of us even though it was clear initially lonly I was truly excited for it! I splurged and got myself a Wimbledon t-shirt ;)

Under Keegan's mom and dads recommendation, we hopped off the tube at Parson's green to hunt for a pub we were told we'd enjoy. Initially we could not find it, so we went to a different pub where Keegan ordered a British brew while Taylor and I starved.... :) Then we bought some muffins and pastries for the next day, and after asking 4-5 different people, finally found the Golden Lion. It was enjoyed by all, from the potato wedges appetizer to the main courses (and Keegan enjoyed the beer haha). The atmosphere is so much more laid back than in the US. It's really nice. We met some friendly locals who gave us many tips of things to see. If only we had more time in London to see it all!

LONDON Day 1

Bonjour! I'm starting this blog a few days late, but figure that's better than nothing! Wanted to start off talking about our experience in London. Even though we only had about three days there, we definitely managed to see a lot! Our journey started with an exhausting yet smooth plane ride from Chicago. We had a hard time at first after landing with adjusting to the time change. Our plane landed a little before 6 am London time (aka 1 EST) and none of us slept more than about an hour on the fight, so we were ready to crash! First, we rode the tube for the first time. Since it was morning, it was really quiet and just full of business men and people travelling to work. It was funny to see everybody reading something (typically newspapers).

After the ride on the tube, we arrived at Victoria Station and were delighted to find we were only about a 5-7 min walk from our hotel, the Lynton. It was a quaint little B&B owned by some nice brothers, Mark and Simon Connor. Unfortunately, we arrived around 7:45 am and the room wasn't ready until about noon, so we set out with a map and desire to see central London (and stay awake!). After a quick bite at Pret-a-Manger, we walked to Buckingham Palace. Our hotel was only a block or two from Buckingham Palace Road, so in no time we were there. It's a really impressive site. I felt like I was in a dream. I'd just seen this magnificent wedding procession and balcony scene on the tele :) about a month prior and it felt unreal to be in the presence of this exact place. I loved it. Luckily, this would not be the only trip to the palace...

After Buckingham we walked down the Mall to Green Park, which Taylor's cousin told us an interesting background story about. Apparently, some old king used to go to that park to get flowers for his mistresses, so the queen at the time had all the flowers removed from the park and this is why it is called "green"! haha Anyway, we followed the Mall to Trafalgar Square. This is one of Keegan's favorite spots in London. There are some great views, magnificent architecture, and interesting statues. There was also a countdown clock to the Olympics 2012. The Brits seem to have great pride about hosting the Olympics; many buildings are being spruced up for next summer.

After this walk, we were exhausted, so we treked back to the hotel, had an interesting struggle carrying our luggage up to the 4th floor (6+ flights of stairs). We mustered up enough energy to hit up Melissas, a local eatery, and then crashed for about three hours. We woke a bit more refreshed and had our first pub experience!