Montpellier and Nice!

What a great way to end my awesome spring break! Montpellier was so nice!  The train ride there was about 4 hours.  I slept most of the way but when I woke up it was crazy to see how much the landscape has changed.  It was so tropical looking.  Palm trees everywhere.  It was also pretty warm, even though it was cloudy!

The first day we hung out Emilys dorm and later went to the beer cave.  It is this little bar that has 100's of beers.  They had imported beers from all over the place! The first one I had was called Banana Bread.  It was pretty good, I couldnt really tast the bananas  but it was good! The next one I has was a chocolate beer.  It was really good. You could really taste the chocolate! Yum! 

The next day we toured around Montpellier.  We saw this little park that gave us a really good view of the whole town.  Then we went shopping in the market and played on some playground equipment.  Then went and had some really yummy smoothies at a cafe and hung out in the town square!  It was so fun! We went back to the beer cave later that night and then I got a Kriek beer! Its my favorite, its a cherry flavored  beer! It tastes like juice! 

 one of the shelves from the beer cave

 yummm

 megan got weed beer... emily got a blonde

 chocolate beer!

 beer cave

 pretty thing.. haha i dont know what it is

 aqueducts

 one of the best sandwichs i ever had! it was the "american sandwich" just had 4 beef patties and fries in it, and yes i ate it ALL

 doing a hard work out

 yum! fraise and banane smoothie!

 so good!

kriek beer

NICE

Nice might be one of the most beautiful places in the world!! I love it.  The first night we walked around and ate a pasta lounge.  Then we hung out on the beach and later got some icecream! We had a couple drinks at bellas house with her Spanish friends.

Friday we toured around Nice.  We went up to the "castle" which is just a waterfall and an amazing view of the city.   Unfortunately, the waterfall was not working :( but we got some awesome pictures and saw the port.  Later meet up with some of bellas friend and explored more of Nice.  Later that night we went to a hostel and had some drinks with all the study aboard students.

Saturday was about 75 degrees, so we spent most of the day on the beach. We got really burned!  We had an early night because we were all feeling a bit ill from the burn! :(  

Sunday we had to leave, but we explored the farmers market and bought some strawberries.  We ate them by the beach then caught the train back to Nancy. It was 9 hours long! 

 right outside bellas house

 the sea!

 really bad photo fo the waterfall

 megan, bella, megan, margo

 waterfall (broken)

 cactus ice cream?

 beer, black olive, tomato and basil ice cream....

 running into the cold cold cold sea

 Italian pizza

 best strawberries ever

 lots of waves

 so beautiful

 feel the burn!!!!

standing by the falls.. haha

yum, strawberry and chocolate!

MUNSTER :)

Munster was so amazing! I loved it! Judiths family was so nice.  Getting there was a bit of a hassel.  I had a train from Nancy to Luxembourg, and I had 3 minutes to change my train to Munster.  I got off the train and looked for my next one and couldn't find it.  So I missed it. :(  I ended up having to take 4 different trains to get there and got there 4 hours later than I was supposed too.
The first night I was there we had a "spinach cake" as Judiths dad said.  It was a spinach pizza.  I usually do not eat things like that, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty good!  After I meet her sister and we played some Skip-bo!  Judiths friends came over later and we went to a bar.  We had 1/2 priced cocktails! They were yummy.  We were going to go out to a club but I was too tired.
The next day we had such a nice breakfast! Buns and hot chocolate!  Later that day we went to the farmers market and down town for shopping! Later that day I went to a restaurant with her family.  I had lamb and greens beans and potatoes.  Her mom came back with us and we played more skipbo! We had an early night on saturday.
Sunday was really fun! Again a yummy breakfast.  We rode bikes to the zoo and these old houses.  They were so intresting.  It was fun to see how people used to live a couple 100 years ago!  I got a free candle from the man who had the bees!  After we went to the zoo! We saw dolphins, seals, elephants, monkeys, and a lot more!  We just hung out and had a family dinner of lasagna.
Monday I got to go to a German high school with Judith.  It was intresting even though I could not understand anything!  My train back was fine, caught all my trains!

 munster church. the 3 cages were where traitors were hung and shown for the town.. creepy

 town of old munster

 my lamb and green beans!

 old wooden shoe maker

 peacock!

 really dark, but were by a tiny door! people back then were my size

 raisin bread

 bees!

 sea lions

 dolphins

 funny monkeys!

LONDON!

London was awesome, and very very expensive! My Eurostar was pretty good. Slept most of the way there. I knew I was in England when I saw people driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Something that was very cool when I first got there was the Olympic signs. 

  The first thing I did when I got to the station was head up to 9 3/4. There was a huge line to take a picture of it, so i didn't take one with it.  But I did take a picture and I teared up when I saw it!

I got to my hostel pretty easily and of course I was on the 5th floor! but i had an awesome view! I could see the london eye and I think Parliament.

 I went to Oxford street to do some shopping! Stopped into Topshop, didnt buy anything but wanted EVERYTHING.  Then I went to Primark which is a really cheap store that all my British friends recommended.   Of course I had Starbucks! Yum :) I had a really early night because I had to get up at 6 am for my trip to Bath and Stonehenge.

Tuesday
Stonehenge was so cool!  It was a bit smaller than I expected.  I sat next to a really awesome lady on the trip to Stonehenge and Bath.  Her name was Sylvia, she was about 50ish years old.  We had a really great time together.  I wished I could have gone closer to Stonehenge, but there was a path about 25 feet away from the wall that we could walk all around. There were a ton a sheep around there! I thought that Stonehenge would be in more of a wooded area.  But it was all plains.  There were a couple mounds that are called Burial Monds, where ancient people where buried with dogs, horses, and sometimes gold.

 This is Neolithic Ned, a tribute to the oldest man ever found in England near Stonehenge.

 my first sight of stonehenge!

 amazing! :)

 This is me at stonehenge.  Sylvia is the women next to me.

this is what it should have looked like!

Bath was also very pretty!  It was a planned city, which I love! It was so easy to navigate and it is all in the same "bath stone."  I did not try the water because it really does smell like sulfur!  I went to go see the Bath, Jane Austin Center, Assembly Room, and the Fashion Museum.  Sylvia and I hung out the whole day and we had lunch at a really great place.  I had a Traditional English Pasty!

 This is our tour guide Jason, he reminded me of Huge Grant! but not sleazy

 Roman bath!

 Lunch yummm!

 Terrace

 Jane Austin Center!

Fashion museum!

When we got back to London, we went to Harrods then had dinner at a great place called the Spaghetti House. It was cheap and DELICIOUS! :) I had a brushetta and penna pasta with salmon!

Wednesday

 This was my busy day.  Saw Buckingham Palace! Went to the Rugby museum and shop! bought a friendship scarf and a rugby ball! It was so cool!  Then I went to Westminister Abby.  It was so huge and beautiful! I couldn't believe how big it was! You weren't supposed to take photos and I did and got yelled at! oops!! After I went to the Globe Theater and had a tour! It was very interesting! I got to go into the globe and had a very informative tour! After that I got to the Tower of London! I was too late to get a tour but walked around for a bit! It was so old and hard to imagine when what it was like 100s of years ago.  After I went a river cruise!  It was a busy and fun day!

 The last day I meet up with my Uncle Eric's friend and I got to see inside No 10 Downing Street! It was so awesome! :) Got a picture with a police officer! I got to go inside and then I just walked around London until my train!

 Off to Munster. Blog later!! :)