I can officially say that my exams are finished for the semester, and I am ready for the Christmas holidays! I fly back to Canada this Saturday, and I could not be more excited to be returning home for a few weeks to see friends and family before coming back to Nice for another semester of adventures. Of course, what better way was there to celebrate the end of a fabulous semester than to travel north for a week to see some Christmas markets and even some snow! Bruxelles, Belgique - Le 14 au 17 Décembre 2017 First stop was Brussels, which was evidently a tad cooler than it is here in Nice. Starting to regret not having brought my winter coat, but I managed to face the cold with multiple layers and a hat. I even caved and bought some mittens... We saw some unique things on our first day here, including a cute little farm: La Ferme du Parc Maximilien. They had chickens, horses, sheep and even alpacas! It was a beautiful natural area in the heart of Brussels. One of their signs said "vivre en harmonie" which translate to "live in harmony". I thought this was super fitting for their farm. They even had a colourful painting of Mother Nature at the entrance, which made it feel very warm and inviting. We also went to do some classic tourist things, like visiting Grand Place and the Manneken Pis. Grand Place was definitely one of my favourite sites in Brussels. The huge Christmas tree in the center of the square really made it feel like Christmas, and it was even more beautiful at night when it and the buildings were all lit up! The Manneken Pis, a famous small bronze statue of a little naked boy peeing into a fountain, was cute but smaller than expected ;) Later that evening, we toured some of the Christmas markets and went skating! Brussels had everything from a merry-go-round to a Ferris Wheel (La Grande Roule). Best part was being able to throw a pair of skates on and take a spin on their outdoor rink. We were all missing Christmas in Canada at this point to say the least. Oh! We even got to have a little taste of Quebec. There was a small store there featuring everything Quebecois, including La tire d'érable (maple taffy/sugar on snow). We all had to try some, needless to say! Our second day there was a little more relaxed. It rained for the majority of the day, so we ended up finding some indoor things to do. We did get to see Notre Dame, the Royal Palace of Brussels and Place Royale before the cold and wet rain got the best of us though. For the afternoon, I checked out the Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM). They had exhibits featuring all kinds of keyboards and claviers, salon musical instruments, instruments from different parts of the world and instruments from the beginning of time. My favourite instruments were the keyboards with the exquisitely detailed art. I think it is so neat how two forms of art can be combined into one beautiful masterpiece! Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Le 18 Décembre 2017After Brussels, I ventured off to Luxembourg, this time riding solo! Being in Luxembourg really helped me get into the Christmas spirit, because there was snow! It was a winter wonderland while I was there! If I had to describe Luxembourg in a sentence, I would say it reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, "little town, it's a quiet village". It even looked like a fairy tale. The two main areas I visited were Vieille Ville (Old Town) and La Corniche, a breathtaking walkway along the walls of Luxembourg. Although Luxembourg was small, I really enjoyed its quaintness. I noticed that its culture, people and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, France and Germany. I even learned that Luxembourg has three official languages: Luxembourgish, French, and German. It was a peaceful, beautiful and snow-filled way to end my final "voyage" of the semester... and of 2017! After Luxembourg, I took a train back to Nice, and what a long train ride that was. Delayed 2.5 hours... I am certainly happy to be back in Nice finally! It was truly an incredible semester living abroad here in Nice and having a plethora of opportunities to travel and explore. Big shout out goes to my parents for having been so supportive (in more ways than one) of me. So excited for you guys to come here and visit next semester and see what I've been up to!
I cannot wait to come back for round two, and I am also excited to take a break. Believe it or not, I am feeling a little traveled out... and am looking forward to Christmas cookies and hot chocolate with my family over the holidays! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! :)
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Well, these past two weeks have been full of adventures to say the least. We are at the homestretch here at the university with one of our courses already coming to a close for the year. The final class of the semester was November 21st, where we did our final presentation. Reality is setting in... but the best news?! No final exam for that class! Only 1 oral exam and 3 written exams to go before it is the start of Christmas holidays. Next week is our last week at the university... which is also why I'm glad I had a few final chances to go sight-seeing and traveling in these past couple of weeks! Cap d'Ail - Le 23 Novembre 2017 This was another outing organized by our Canadian professor. Cap d'Ail is small city up the coast from Nice, just before Monaco, and it is filled with Villas and more beautiful views of the sea. We spent the majority of the afternoon here, which included a guided tour of the Villa Camellias, currently a museum in the town. The Villa was filled with beautiful artwork! The painting featured below (top row, middle) was a favourite of mine. Pictured in it, there are 7 fishermen meant to represent Spain and France. Unfortunately, I forget which side was France and which side was Spain... but regardless, it was an exquisite piece of art! One of the other highlights was the pneumatic piano. A few of us even had the chance to play it, although it wasn't as difficult of a task as playing an actual piano is - it's self-playing! By using an internal pump mechanism and pre-programmed music recorded on perforated paper, all you need to do is sit down, pump the pedals with your feet and control the speed and volume with the dials below the keys. So cool! We later took an evening walking tour, and what a gorgeous sunset we saw! It was a nice, relaxing and enjoyable way to end another week at school. I swear I've just about walked the entire coastline of southern France though... Monaco - Le 27 Novembre 2017 Our next adventure was to Monaco, a small country not far from Nice. Technically, it is a "sovereign city-state, country and microstate" located on the French Riviera, which really had me confused at first because I had no clue if it was a separate country or not. Either way, Monaco is country number 13 for me! Woot! A high school friend of mine ended up meeting me in Nice during his travels, and we took a day trip to Monaco together. We were happy to have brought our own lunches, as eating out in Monaco is truly a wining and dining experience with an expensive price tag attached. Everywhere we turned, there was a designer store of some sort of a high end hotel or restaurant. Conclusion, Monaco is not a country for poor university students... Aside from that, we had a lovely day. We enjoyed our lunch in the port and had a lovely walk around the country - sunshine and clear skies all day! We ended up walking to see the Casino in Monaco, which was (surprise, surprise) nothing shy of exquisite. What the country lacks in size, the make up for in the fine details. Barcelona - Le 30 Novembre au 4 Décembre This past weekend was an incredible getaway in Barcelona, Spain! My roommate and high school friend embarked on this four day trip together, and we had an amazing time. The hostel we stayed at was phenomenal, and we met so many great friends there! All I can say is that we didn't have nearly enough time to see all that Barcelona had to offer. We did get to see the Old Town and the Gothic Quarter, the Olympic Stadiums (which hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics), Montjuïc Castle, Sagrada Familia and other local areas. My favourite was definitely Sagrada Familia - talk about breathtaking and brilliance combined into one! The Sagrada is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church, which was originally designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. They began construction in 1882 and hope to finish by 2026, one hundred years after Gaudi's death. It is a long way from finished, and still a masterpiece to be seen. Gaudi was both a genius and a madman. I was so blown away by the attention to detail - how could a human being construct something this magnificent all from their mind's eye?! I will definitely have to return once it is fully completed! We also engaged in some night life in Barcelona. Spanish music is my jam!! It was such an exciting weekend all around, and I can officially say I had the best tapas ever... I am obsessed! Take me back already! Unfortunately, as always, our adventures had to come to an end, and it is back to reality. Two more weeks to go, which will be filled with exams and some Christmas socials to celebrate the holidays and the end of the semester. Then, it's off to Belgium and Luxembourg!
Bon courage to us all as we enter the last two weeks of the semester. :) |
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