This post is mainly about:

• Thanksgiving things that I brought from America and shared with my French friends. (Mostly food. And we made hand turkeys.)
• Photogs from my day trip to Geneva. 
• More food things.
• Huzzah!

These are walnuts from my friend’s tree.

These are mussels. I admit, I was weirded out at first, but I ate them, and it wasn’t bad! I actually liked them. It definitely isn’t the strangest thing I have ever eaten. Iguana is a whole other animal. …GET IT? 

I cooked a true Thanksgiving meal for my friend and her family. (Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, 2 chickens [turkeys are small and hard to find here], pumpkin and pecan pie, and GRAVYYYYYY.)

This is me working on some gravy. Look at that gravy, y’all.

Meet Hobbes. He is the chief of Thanksgiving. Look how smug he is.

I have shown you a view from my friend’s terrace in previous posts, but here is a shot at dusk. I find it quite beautiful. The air was crisp and I smelled like pie. It was nice to look at the mountains wrapped in fog.

Moving along to Christmas things. I went to the Noel market in town and got some poutine. It is traditionally a Canadian dish, but some ladies from France lived in Quebec and brought it back here. 

An American friend and I decided to take a day trip to Geneva. It is only about an hour away from Chambery, so we took the train and explored. 

First thing is first. Coffee.

When we were all jacked up on caffeine, we walked around. Here’s a statue. Neat.

Flower Clock. “Horloge Fleurie”.

SWISS CHOCOLATE. Wowza, this stuff if so good. I bought these at a little bonbon cafe in the heart of downtown Geneva. It was delicious. The one on the left is pistachio; to the right is walnut. (In case you couldn’t see the huge nut on top of it…) 

My friend ordered a piece of cake. It is similar to Tiramisu. 

Here are some lights in Geneva for your viewing pleasure.

As I wrap up the semester, my dad will be coming to travel a bit with me. We will be heading to Lyon, the second largest city in France. Hopefully we don’t get stuck in a blizzard and I can get some photogs for yous guys.

a bientot!

Mollie

I couldn’t think of anything funny to put there. 

So, I returned from my Geneva/Rome trip last night. It was fantastic! I am going to keep the typing to a minimum for y’all. Enjoy the photogs.

Meet roasted chestnut. Europeans are crazy for these around Christmas time. I personally found them to be a bit gross. It is soft and has the consistency of an egg yolk. 

One evening in Rome, I ate at a little cafe right outside of the Pantheon. It was perfect! 10 euros for bruschetta, a plate of pasta (mine being fettuccine with meat sauce) and a glass of white wine. We were serenaded with nice background music throughout the dinner while seated next to an outdoor heater. 

Sorry the photog quality is pretty terrible. It was a tiny cafe and I couldn’t move far enough away to focus. You’ll be okay. 

Holy cow, Batman. I am not the pizza lover/connoisseur that my boyfriend is, but I can give this stuff a 9/10. There are little pizza places everywhere with huge squares of pizza. You get a large rectangle cut out and you pay by the weight. For a slice big enough for two meals, I paid 4 euros. Not too bad. This was spicy meatball pizza. No red sauce, just garlic bread, butter, cheese and meat. 

Sweet treats at a shop near Trevi Fountain.

Near the Spanish Steps (also the high-end shopping area) we got some of this stuff. Coffee and Caramel Creme gelato. We ate and looked at really old stuff. It is everywhere in Rome. Who would have thought.

You can never go wrong with Milka or some sort of wafer cookie. I ate those with my tea. Speaking of which, I have unveiled a secret love for tea since I’ve come to Europe. I drink it all of the time now. Twinings Vanilla seems to be my favorite for the moment.

Look at that weird cauliflower.

Now I am going to list some things that I found interesting/intriguing from my trip. You should read them even if you don’t care:

• I saw a protest in Geneva. Secretly, I think people just wanted a day off of work. So they thought it would be a better route to stand in the cold and blow horns and wave their flags.
• I went to Rousseau’s house in Geneva. I didn’t even know he was from Geneva. 
• Men in Rome are forward. People aren’t kidding when they tell you this.
• Monumento a Vittorio Emanuelle II is my favorite monument in Rome. Maybe I will post a photog of it. Maybe I won’t.
• You really shouldn’t photograph the Sistine Chapel ceiling. You might get kicked out.
• In Rome, there is an awesome Irish owned/operated pub called the Scholar’s Pub. Go there and get a Magner’s cider. The live music is fantastic. 
• The Colosseum. Wow.  
• No, really. Take the time to read the plaques in the Colosseum. I learned a lot.

Swiss Alps.

Old stuff just hanging out in the middle of Rome.

Here’s that cool building I told you about. If you actually read the bullet-points. Jerk. By the way, this building is so huge and crazy. You can’t even see the people standing by the gold bit. It’s that big. 

For my fellow art history buffs. Yes, I cried. Yes, St. Pete’s is worth the trip. I don’t care if it is “touristy”. It has flocks of crowds because it is incredible.

This is what I was most excited about. Bernini was a genius. Look at this thing.

I don’t suggest that everyone treks to the top of St. Pete’s. It was quite a long staircase and if you have problems with tight spaces, you won’t like the climb to the top. I got some pretty sweet shots, though. 

Hall of statues in the Vatican.

School of Athens, y’all. So awesome.

Yeah, that’s the Sistine Chapel. And my chin. Don’t judge me.

Staircase exiting the Vatican museum.

Pantheon! Not to be confused with the Parthenon. That’s in another country.

Aaaand, the Colosseum. It was pretty amazing. It seated 50-70 thousand spectators. 

That’s all, folks. Have yourself a great week, okay?

a bientot!

Well. I have most definitely been procrastinating on this blog post. I mean, not because I don’t like blogging, but because it takes a long time to load the photogs and then I feel like I need to be witty when I write the captions. And that hurts my brain most times. Also, I am leaving for Rome in three days, so I thought, “Hmm, maybe I should just combine everything from these two big trips and it’ll be easier.” But then I retorted to myself, “No, that would be even more of a pain in the butt.” So, here I am. This post is about food from The Netherlands and Paris. I plan on including photogs from Chambery at the end like I normally do, but we’ll see how tired I am by the end of the post. No promises.

Sadly, let me tell you that I don’t have any food shots from Haarlem or Delft. And I only have one from Amsterdam. I am really sorry about this. I want to tell you about Stroopwaffles, though. (They are pronounced like “STROPE VAWFULLZ”.) They’re my absolute favorite cookie now. It is this magical combination of two thin and slightly crispy waffles that are sandwiching this honey syrup stuff. It is perfect. Also, there are these Christmas cookies that are essentially miniature ginger snaps. They kind of look like dog food, but they taste fantastic. Yeah, most of Europe puts up Christmas decorations before Halloween. I am okay with this.

So here is the one photog of food I have from Amsterdam. It isn’t anything super out-of-the-ordinary, but they were delicious and “The best in Holland”. Let’s welcome, Manneken Pis ‘Verse Vlaamse Frites’.

Next, we take a comfy three-hour train ride to Paris. Meet me at the cafe across from the Sacre Coeur Basilica (Sacred Heart church). There are terrible, rude waiters, but the view is perfect. This is a plate of fries (I needed something fried again, okay? I miss being in the South), braised ham, etc. You can see for yourself.

Moving along to the area near Fontaine St. Michel: we ate at this little cafe/pub where we did Sunday brunch. I chose a two course meal consisting of French onion soup (SO GOOD!!!) and some kind of chicken with egg noodles and a cream sauce. Honestly, it wasn’t very good. It needed some kick. And lots of salt. But the things I would eat later in the day would make up for it. Don’t lose hope, y’all. Han shot first.

My Parisian friend (whom was graciously housing me during this trip…and I forgot to tell you that her roomie is Dutch. He is the one who let me try the dog food cookies that taste so good) told me at this cafe that I could not order dessert here. I was feeling conflicted because I had spotted Creme Brulee on the menu. I think most of you are aware of my love… okay anyway. I was not disappointed whenever we went to this little street vendor and ordered crepes. I got nutella in mine. IT WAS SO GOOD. The photog isn’t very pretty, and it doesn’t capture the majestic qualities of this treat. If my stomach could talk…

As I was stuffing my face, I passed this beautiful display. Actually, there were many of them. I only thought it was fair to ask my friend to hold my crepe and 2 bags filled with cameras, books, travel goods, etc., one time so I could snap this photog:

After a few hours of touring Notre Dame (they were fresh out of hunchbacks, sadly), the Shakespeare bookstore (where I found a copy of J.R.R. Tolkiens, “Mr. Bliss”), and some obscure other little areas that aren’t touristy, we went to this amazing Thai restaurant. Apparently, it is the best in Paris. I was skeptical at first, but the line was outrageous when we left. I am glad we got there early. I ordered broccoli with beef in some kind of sauce with a side of fluffed white rice. Really great!

When we went to the Louvre the next day, we took a break at the cafe near the Italian Renaissance wing. I had heard that Paris had amazing hot chocolate at pretty much any cafe. So, I ordered “chocolat chaud” and the infamous “pain au chocolat”. I was not disappointed. 

I am going to comment on the pain au chocolat for a moment. This one wasn’t as flaky as the other ones I have had. I liked it, but I think I may need to show you how they are supposed to be. And by that I mean the bakery down the street from my flat has the most incredible pastries I have EVER had in my life. I will try to get a photog of them sometime. I wish I could teleport you one of her cream danishes or pain au chocolat pastries. It is unreal.

Back to Paris. My Parisian friend took us to the most famous macaron store in the city. I bought 8 of them. Flavors (sorted by my tastebud’s preference):

• Creme Brulee (I know this is truly shocking)
• Infiniment Cafe (coffee)
• Infiniment Caramel
• Americano Pamplemousse (Orange, Campari and Grapefruit)
• Infiniment Rose 

They were all divine. I noticed that almost all of the macarons were dusted with some power that looked like mineral makeup. I didn’t mind because it tasted good.

Man, I just noticed how much I am really slacking on the aesthetic quality of these photogs. Sorry, y’all. I was more concerned about the temperature of my food and the calling of my stomach rather than all 3 of my blog-followers. I need to get my priorities straight. 

To make up for this, I will post a photog of the catacombs underneath Paris. Then I will post some neat shots from around Chambery.

GUESS WHO I AM.

Aaaaaand I spotted the first snow!

Fall in France is truly beautiful. The seasonal flowers are holding strong and beautiful and the leaves look like fire. I love it. This was taken at the Chateau (castle) not far from my flat.

I will wrap this up by showing you the old church in town that is next to a sweet little pub that makes a mean Monaco. Tune in next time - same bat time, same bat channel. And by bat, I mean Mollie. Or something.

It was funny in my head, okay.

a bientot!

Okay, folks. I am back (so soon, yes) to show you some delicious and beautiful things from my weekend trip to the French Riviera and Southern France. 

First, I need to tell you that my mom sent me a care package with ingredients for queso as well as caramel corn, candy corns and pumpkins (not available outside of the US, I’m afraid) and other various foods for the upcoming Thanksgiving feast. I am awaiting a package that has homemade cookies and other scrumptious items filled with love! There’s nothing like mom’s cooking, no matter where you come from. 

Let’s begin the visual food coma, shall we?

A little lunch consisting of fresh goods from the market. The balsamic dressing is my newest obsession. I pour a generous portion onto fresh veggies and hard-boiled eggs just about every day.

The grapes. Oh lawdy, the grapes. They are nothing like anything I have ever tasted. They’re bursting with flavor. French soil must be laced with magical fairy dust or something. The wines in the photog are older than most people I know. They were absolutely amazing. My friend’s grandparents have a wine cave filled with delicious wines from all over France.

Okay, I have to apologize for being so hungry that I forgot to snap an image of this before I started stuffing my face. Halfway through, I mumbled “dangit”. Sorry, y’all. Anyway, this is a pizza. In case you were wondering. It has bacon, olives (I had never had truly fresh olives until this day. They taste totally different than in the can), several cheeses, cream sauce, garlic, and artichokes. 

I love the coffee here. Perfection in an adorable cup. I mean, really. Look at that cup and saucer. AND THE LITTLE SPOON. Even the sugar is cute. And the cocoa almond. I can’t handle it.

World, meet creme brulee. Creme brulee, meet my tastebuds. You guys will be best friends. 

Omnomnomnom…

Are you calling me fat? I don’t even care. It was divine.

Look at those beautiful olives. They were everywhere, just hanging out. Pun totally intended.

Sadly, I don’t have any more foods to share for now, but the creme brulee is rich enough to last for a little while. Now, here are some cool things that you may/may not be interested in. If not, that’s your loss. 

Hi! That’s me, hanging out on the side of a rocky mountain. I am masking my fear of falling over the side due to strong winds (really and truly, they reached up to 50+ mph) because I realized I needed to take photogs where I am actually IN the image. Really pretty, yeah? Thanks, my mom says I am pretty too. 

I stayed in a home near the top of this. The view was really incredible.

This is me being artsy. But really, the trees and vines were starting to turn with the season, and it was beautiful. 

This is the monastery we visited. The giant field to the top of the image is lavender. This region (Provence) is known for the massive amounts of lavender that is exported worldwide. It smells wonderful. 

Passion flower! I have never seen anything remotely like this..until I saw this. Neat, yes?

This is the cathedral at the highest point of Marseilles. The detail boggles my brain. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

The tiny little island in the middle has something to do with Monte Cristo. I couldn’t understand what everyone was saying because it was in French. Oh, and this was taken from outside of the cathedral. There are other neat views of the whole city, but I don’t feel like waiting another 2 minutes for the photog to load. If you really want to see them, email me or something.

These are boats. The one closest to the front is a typical fishing boat in Marseilles. From what I understand, there is something special about how they are built and shaped. And the water you are looking at is the Mediterranean Sea. Neat! Again, I have images of the actual beach, if you want to see them. 

These are the sunflowers I bought at the market yesterday. The flower lady talked to me about languages and such. They make me happy, and I hope you feel warm fuzzies too. I bid you adieu! 

a bientot!

Mollie

Hello, dear friends. This week I have decided to keep it simple and delicious. I have a few photogs of food I have either made/bought/tasted/etc. I will put a little description about each. Unfortunately, I have not been very good about taking my camera everywhere, so I will try to get more food snapshots in the future.

A delicious breakfast dish I enjoy is a scrambled eggs with chopped bacon in it cooked in Boursin’s chive and garlic cheese. Simple. Yummo.

This is a salad I threw together with celery, broccoli and cauli florets, various tomatoes, sliced jambon and saucisson, and a homemade dressing from my French mother (Mme Hacquart) consisting of: Vinegar, olive oil, pepper/salt, Dijon and seed mustard, garlic, and some various spices. I have to say, I love the French bagged salad. They choose the biggest, crunchiest leaves. 

Speaking of Mme Hacquart, she had my mother, myself and our friend over for dinner last week while my mom was in town. She made a cute appetizer out of circle breads topped with homemade figue jam and foie gras. For the main course, a variation of beef stroganoff that was to DIE FOR. And then a plate of tiny-sized desserts such as the italian cheese (I can’t remember the name) covered in strawberry sauce, a cookie, and two kinds of fabulous macarons. All homemade. She was wonderful!

Next is my fancy plate. This was from my hotel in Switzerland. It is a crab cake topped with wasabi-avocado paste and radish, sitting in foamed soy sauce. Small portioned and perfect. I ate this with a multigrain miniature baguette and finished off the meal with Earl Grey tea and lavender icecream on top of a raspberry-peach tart. Decadent.

I think this next photog takes the cake for me (along with macarons and creme brulee…) as far as favorite foods. Meet Kebab. Yes, I know you are thinking (if you are from the US) that kebabs come on a skewer. Well, not in France. My favorite kebab place is just down the street from my flat and it is open very late. Convenient. The meat is on a big skewer turning in front of a fire. Kebab man uses a shaver to take the meat off and places it on a bed of toasted pita with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, sauce of choice (mayo) and stuffs french fries in it. I love this combination. It is enough like home to be comforting but tastes a little different than anything I have had, so it is new to me. I love this. I got a loyal customer punch card last night. YES.

I think I should cover beverages just for a moment. As I have stated before, I am not a big drinker, but I appreciate fine wines and an occasional beer. I have discovered that Monaco drinks are very popular here. I love them! It is a sweet beer for women, I have decided. I also very much enjoy the coffee in France. It is small, rich and delicious. Withdrawals will quickly ensue once I leave…

Last, but certainly not least, I present to you: Saturday Market. I love this place. It happens each Saturday from 6:00am-noon. You can find just about anything you’d ever need. (Live chickens and rabbits for dinner, anyone?) I personally enjoy looking at all of the cheeses, flowers and vegetables. They are beautiful. Here are some photogs for your visual enjoyment. 

And a few images that I just really like…

(This one was taken by my friend’s mother at her home in town!)

This is the view from my flat. It is really lovely. Now that you’re updated, have a super day! 

a bientot!

Hello, friends! 

 I have returned once again. So while I munch on this delicious French meringue, I will catch you up to speed. There are so many things I wish I could put into words, so I will do my best. Maybe I should list some highlights:

When camping in Montpelier two weekends ago (shortly after my first post), I was able to do some neat things.

• Wade in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Watch a little boy play an accordion and dance in  the town square (it was totally normal, of course.)
• Hear young teens say “BOOYAH KA SHA!” (I appreciate the cultural understanding of these children.)
• Listen to an elderly man serenade the entire campsite with his trumpet ballads.
• Eat several buttery, flaky, French croissants.
• Stare at real, live flamingos wading in the lagoon.
• Use a strange toilet. I do not ever wish this on anyone. Photograph to follow. (I won’t need to put a description about it. You will know what it is.)
• People watch. This is one of my ultimate favorite past-times. 

After camping, I headed back through the mountains to Chambery. I got moved into my new flat (I’ll post some photogs of that as well…don’t fret.) and tried my hand at the bus system of Chambery. I successfully made it to the grocery store just outside of town, purchased my goods (after a few hours of transcribing labels and double-checking my money stash) and made it back to the bus station. Except, I decided to walk home instead of take another bus closer to my flat. So I got lost while carrying 20-30 pounds of groceries. This is okay, I have decided. All of this walking and carrying of items is good exercise. Maybe this bread-and-butter-everyday business won’t show up in my mid section. 

Moving right along, yes. I have discovered a few routes to school (some quick, some not so much…and you have to look pitiful and hopeless and perhaps a kind Frenchwoman will stop and speak English and walk you all the way to campus…)  and a few of the classes I will take. I am eager to try out all of the classes I want. You see, the Frenchies let you sit in as many classes as your heart desires for an ENTIRE month before you enroll. Wonderful.

A few things I will briefly whine about:

• several unexpected expenses: insurance for EVERYTHING.
• Civil Liability Fees
• Social Security (No gold stars for socialism. It is my blog, I can say what I want. If you don’t agree, sorry that I am not sorry.)
• Disorganization and absolutely no help from the university with odds and ends. All of us international students feel a bit in the dark on many issues.

Now that we’ve got that cleared, I will move on. I have a few really neat stories to share, so if you don’t feel bored or annoyed or (enter negative emotion word here), then grab a cup of tea and keep wasting time out of your life that you’ll never get back. Hopefully you find this fun/interesting/etc.

Last Saturday was the night of mayhem. It started out as a nice, relaxing cookout on the side of a mountain outside of town with a few new friends. We arrived around 8:30 and got done eating at 1:30am. I was exhausted and sleepy. Excuse me for being grandma, but I go to bed early. The Frenchies placed a cup of coffee in front of me, and away we went. Where, you ask? I’ll tell you. Hold on. So we all pile in the tiny cars, drive half an hour to Aix-les-Bains, and arrive at “Les Suite” discotheque. Little did I know that this would be one of the most hilarious and enjoyable nights of my life. We paid 10 euros for entry and a free drink, and since we had 6+ people in our group, we got a free bottle of whiskey and coke. I am not a big drinker, but most Europeans are. Anywho-I walk into this fancy club with tons and tons of people dancing. Let me explain a few differences with this club and clubs in the Etats-Unis. (United States, y’all.) The music is faster, more electronic, and fun. It isn’t the kind of music that people attempt to have sex with clothes on, out in public. This was pure fun and adrenaline. So as I am dancing with my friends, I notice this drunk girl taking lots of pictures and being crazy. It was pretty entertaining to see her appear out of a cloud from the smoke machine and her eyes are rolling around as she is slurring words that already don’t make any sense to me. After a while of this, she walks over to me and loudly (yes, I could hear her over the bass beats) starts babbling in French and poking my arm. I said, “JE NE COMPRENDS PAS!” and she responded with hysterical shrieks of joy and yells “AHMEEREECUN! YOU AHMEEREECUN! OH YOU SO BOOTYFUL TAKE PEECTRE!” And she hugs me and pats my hair and gathers her friends around to do a photo session. And my French friends that were standing nearby thought maybe it was a good idea to not do anything to help and that maybe laughing would encourage this drunkard further. I am glad someone enjoyed it. I was bombarded with more people who were saying things and pointing to themselves to reassure me that they knew English and wanted to talk. I could not understand a single word. After a few minutes of this, I broke free and our group was ready to go. I got home at 5:00am. Needless to say, I did not make it to church that day.

Over the past few days, I have bought some local foods to learn how to cook dishes from this region. Croziflette is a small, square pasta that most people mix with a soft, white cheese called Reblochon and some ham or bacon. It is a casserole that really and truly hits the spot. Frenchie soul food. I love it. You can also make a variation of this dish called Tartiflette. (I have seen how popular this dish is because they have bumper stickers everywhere that say “In Tartiflette we trust.” And I want one.) Instead of the pasta, you make it with mashed potatoes. So delicious. I also made some risotto and homemade salad dressing that is zesty and tangy and wonderful. The local Patisseries and Boulangeries are quite amazing as well. I bought a “pain au chocolat” and “natural meringue” this morning and have been nibbling on them ever since. With all of the walking and stair-climbing I do everyday, I figure it is okay to enjoy these things. 

My last topic of this post is my new friends. These particular friends are also international and Erasmus students. I met a few girls from Wales, other parts of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, and also a girl from Poland, Slovakia, and Latvia. I am very interested in the language and culture of all of these countries, but particularly those of the Slovak/Eastern European countries. One evening this week, we met at a local bar in the Carre Curial (town square, very close to my flat) and ended up with 31 students. It was awesome. We played the game “telephone” in several languages and had a great time. I am very eager to learn more about each of these new and special friends while in Chambery. This experience has already opened many doors for learning and exploration of our beautiful world. I am surprised and amazed to see that most Europeans are fluent in 3 or more languages. It is difficult to find a handful of people like this in the states. I understand that Europe is more compact, but I think there are a few things we could learn from this. Foreign language and culture is very important and interesting. Appreciating other places would do Americans some good. Also, I must add that I am not an Eco-Freak, but I have a deeper appreciation for environmental health since being here. A short two weeks has made me aware of how much trash and water I use and how little I recycle. It is normal to see several different recycling bins on street corners to deposit your garbage. Chambery is a very clean city. I have not spotted a single piece of trash on the ground or in the gutters. It is amazing. All I am saying is that there are things we can learn from other places. I think we should be better stewards of our things and our environments. I don’t think recycling bins and water control is necessarily the cure-all, but being aware can make a big difference in our habits! There. I said it. And I promise I am not the next John Eder. 

So, this has been the second edition of my life in Chambery, France. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I will update sometime in the near future! 

a bientot!

Mollie

P.S. Below are some views of my flat. I had to fly my home colors.

So, for all of you folks who nudged me into making a blog about my adventures…this is for you. I caved into your peer pressure. I will try to update at least once a week. Don’t be upset if I don’t. Here it goes…

Bonjour from Chambery, France! Je suis arrive aujourd’hui. Je passe un bon moment. Je suis fatigue. The jet lag has finally caught up with me from only being able to sleep for about two hours. Although today was a wonderful first day, I am ready to crash. 

As I was flying into Geneva, I got goosebumps from all of the beauty. Mountains covered the landscape and trees covered the mountains like a lush, green blanket. It was breathtaking. After customs, my good friend, Violette (a Frenchie…of course) picked me up and we drove to the awesome town that I will be residing in this semester. I saw campus, the town square, bought a phone, ate french food and had my first conversations (in my meek attempt at broken French) with real, live French people. Yes, I know. It was awesome. I can’t say I was completely surprised, but right off the bat, a man asked me what I thought of our current American president. I decided to keep it short and sweet and change the subject to the delicious jambon panini he made me for dejeuner (lunch).

Late this afternoon, Vio took me to a nearby ski resort and we sat on the lift and enjoyed the sunny, 60 degree (F) weather and some conversation. The scenery was all peaks and wildflowers with the comforting ting-tings of the grazing cows wearing bells around their neck. Cow bells. Seriously. It was so cool. I really did feel like I was in a Ricola commercial for a second.  Then, we came back home to the view from their terrace. (see photo #2)

The third photo is of a street in the middle of town. It looks like a scene from the Bourne Identity or Amelie or something. So cool.

I am so blessed to be experiencing these things. I wish you all could be here to explore with me. I will try my best to share my findings in my time here in Europa! 

Au Revoir!

Mollie