Sunday, March 8, 2009

The last 81 days

I'm so, so, SO pumped about my remaining 81 days in France. It's simply not enough. I thought it would be, but it's not! Unfortunately it's non-negotiable as I leave May 30 and have to begin taking summer classes at UK by June 11, which isn't enough time with my family after this big France thing... sigh. Such is life when you've been slacking off in France for nine months, I suppose. I will probably have more of a course load this summer than I ever did here in Normandie. Anyway, here is my tentative travel plan, as far as I know it, for my last 81 days:

March 14-15: Meeting HEIDI AND ZAK (my roommate and her boyfriend) in Paris.
March 17: Mont St. Michel (#2 on cities you must visit in France)
March 18-19: Loire Valley to see some Renaissance chateaux, possibly including the one that inspired the story Sleeping Beauty.
March 25: Field trip with my class to Rennes
Sometime at the end of March: Versailles and maybe a little more Paris
April 4-17: SPRING BREAK!!! I will be visiting the following countries (possibly): England (London) (if not England, than the south of France), Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice), and Spain (Barcelona? Maybe? I don't know much about Spain.)
April 30-May 3: Ireland!!!!! Where I will quite possibly purchase an Irish flute, if I actually get paid for teaching!

I reeeeeally hope that I can make it to the south of France somewhere in there if we decide to go to London instead of Provence. I want to see fields of lavendar! It's just hard and expensive to get there, even from Paris. Sigh. For those of you who have been to both the south of France and London, which one would you choose? Keep in mind that I'll be seeing some Mediterrannean culture in Italy, and I will be going to Ireland as well.

For those of you planning on traveling in Europe, or possibly just traveling period, check out ricksteves.com. He's the cheesy guy with the PBS show. I have his France book and it has been invaluable throughout my stay here. He really knows what he's talking about and can help you plan a trip to almost any major European city without feeling overwhelmed by everything there is to see there.

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