On my last afternoon in Edinburgh

It didn't rain.
It poured.

I didn't get wet.
I got drenched.

But I liked it.
I was happy.

Three weeks of Spring holiday, all summed up in this one post.

Here it goes.

It started with my parents coming to visit, which was a supremely condensed trip for us.
They arrived in Edinburgh in the late morning, and were pretty jet-lagged. I let them rest for a bit before having a somewhat foggy exploration of Edinburgh (foggy in the sense that everyone was exhausted, and in the sense that the weather was shit).

Nonetheless, we had a pretty good day walking around. We saw the Edinburgh Castle.

The next day we actually went around Edinburgh, and although I didn't feel like an amazing tour guide with loads of activities planned, it ended up being a nice time to just go around aimlessly and visit the sites we spontaneously decided to see.

Unfortunately, I was not on top of my photography game those two days, so I don't have any photos to share. But it was a nice time. My only regret is that the weather wasn't nice enough for us to climb Arthur's Seat.

The weather for our duration was mostly like this.

For the next few days, we had rented a car. We drove around Scotland: from Saint Andrews to Fort William, to Stirling.. and all the places in between. We had a wonderful time seeing the countryside and taking short stops in quaint towns.

Saint Andrews

At the golf course

Walking in Saint Andrews

Part of Saint Andrews Castle

Leading up to Urquhart Castle

Being lovely at Stirling

Looking down at the view from Stirling Castle

All hail the King and Queen! (Stirling)

We then ventured to London. I was pretty psyched as my last trip to London wasn't nearly long enough, however, wouldn't you know it.. I got food poisoning on our first official day there! So I was stuck in the hotel most of the day. But fortunately I was recovered for the next day, and Mom and Dad were still able to see the major sites on the day I was ill.

I consider this my masterpiece.

Trafalgar Square was closed! But here we are, anyway

I got a picture with Sherlock so I guess London was successful!

This concludes what was week one of my Spring holiday. Although the weather wasn't nice until the very last day that my parents were here (classic Scotland) it was a fantastic trip and I had a fantastic time.

After I said goodbye to my parents, I immediately got to packing for my two weeks in France.

My agenda was as follows:

• 19 hour bus ride to Paris
• One full day in Paris with Zubin, Lindsay and her sister, Talia
• Five days in Annecy (toute seule)
• Meeting up with Zubin and Rentao in Nice, later joined by Tayllor and Jane
• Two nights in Marseille
• Three nights in Toulouse
• 33 hour journey from Toulouse to Edinburgh with Zubin (which included a 21 hour bus ride)

Ah yes, some of that sounds absolutely dreadful. But the bus rides were manageable (especially considering the money they saved us).

My day in Paris was rushed, but efficiently filled.

We took a three and a half hour tour of the city, with a lovely and energetic tour guide, Roberta. We also saw the Arc de Triomphe, the Tour Eiffel, and the Museé d'Orsay (the three main sites I wanted to see). I plan on going back to Paris, eventually.. but for now, my one day was sufficient.

Roberta!

Sandwiches and a bottle of wine next to the river

Arc de Triomphe

Tour Eiffel at night

My time in Annecy was extremely relaxing. The weather was gorgeous there, and the lake was lovely. I thank my old roommate, Lauren, for the suggestion.

Boats on Lake Annecy

The Canal

Morning farmers market

Canal

Although being by myself for five days in Annecy was great, and it really helped me improve on my travel and speaking skills, it was nice to meet up with friends again. 

Nice was a neat location. Having no agenda, we ended up spending most of our time around the beach.
The entire week we spent in the south of France was pretty chill.

Meeting up with Zubin and Rentao in Nice

Then we went to Marseille. The flat we stayed in was INCREDIBLE. I didn't take any pictures because it honestly wouldn't have captured the essence of the place. Extremely quaint, tastefully decorated, and all around perfectly cozy. With plenty of records and a turn table, we cooked dinner for our two nights there and dined with vinyl music.  Hanging out in the flat was actually the greatest part: getting to relax after our long days of activities.

From Marseille we took a day trip to Cassis, which ended up being my favourite part of my time in France.

Sunset in Marseille, from the Cathedral

Watching the sunset

Mediterranean Coast

Our day trip to Cassis

A lovely day spent climbing rocks in Cassis

Our last stop in Toulouse was a great way to end our trip. We met up with our friends Christine and Nolan for the last day, before Zubin and I began our extensive journey home. The weather was pretty crappy that day, and it was Easter, so most businesses were closed. We stayed inside and played games all day. It was a nice wind-down for us.

Overall, my Spring holiday was amazing. I loved France, and visiting it increased my intentions to someday live there for a couple of years.

On that note, this post is becoming quite lengthy.. an indication that I should conclude.

As I've finished my first final, and have two more to go at the end of the week, I am beginning to realise it's all coming to an end. It truly is a bittersweet feeling. But more on that, later.

Until then, stay positive as the year wraps up. Don't forget to enjoy the little things, the loving friends, and the "lasts".

I've got the blues

I returned from my two weeks in France on Tuesday morning, with my friend Zubin.

Last night we were chatting outside, and both of us mentioned that we were feeling kind of glum.
Being we are both pretty enthusiastic people, and typically quite cheerful, this was kind of odd.

Of course there is plenty of explanation for it:

• Finals are coming up
• We spent a week in the south of France where the weather was gorgeous
• The journey from Toulouse to Edinburgh was 33 hours
• We are now back in Scotland which is colder, cloudier, and rainier
• We have to study like mad for two weeks
• Classes being over means less-regularly seeing our friends
• The semester ending means the return home is just around the corner

Yeah, it's not mystery why we are feeling a bit down. 

However, I am determined to make the best of these last few weeks here.

Because even if the weather in Edinburgh isn't as sunny as France, it still has its charm and my disposition shouldn't change with the weather.

Being that I'm fairly busy this week (with my most difficult final coming up first), I plan on giving updates about these last few weeks when I can devote more attention to it.

Pictures and stories to come next week. I just wanted to assure you all that I am alive and well.

And I am.

Wish me luck on finals! 

My parents are visiting!

In less than 24 hours I will be greeting my parents in Edinburgh!

I'm ecstatic that they are going to be visiting, and I can't wait to show them around the city I've been living in for the past three months.

We are planning on renting a car so we can explore some nearby areas (Stirling, York, wherever!), and then on Thursday we are headed to London. I'm glad I'll get to go back, and maybe since I'll be there with my parents I will actually be organised about where I visit.

After London is Spring holiday, since lectures end next Friday (crazy).
I'll be spending two weeks in France; updates to come later!

Currently, I'm in the process of finishing up an essay that is due Monday, but which I want to have completed by tonight.

Anyhow. I will be much better about taking videos and pictures when my parents get here, because then I can feel shameless about my touristic tendencies.

Peace and love!

Oh and by the way, ISU plays UConn tonight in the Sweet Sixteen round. I'm forcing my friends to watch it with me, and I'm sporting my I-State gear! Keep your fingers crossed..

UPDATE: we lost, and I'm sad but also proud of the boys. It's too bad we didn't have Niang in the mix; would have been a whole different tournament.

The Most Original Idea Ever

We decided to go to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day.
What a crazy idea.. I bet no one else would think to do that!

Except that everyone else thought to do that.

Dublin was a neat city, but it was very much a city (of which I can only handle so much of), and it was PACKED that weekend.

Nonetheless it was worth going to, and I had a great time.

Hands down my favorite part of the trip was going to the Guinness Storehouse. The Guinness there was practically a meal.

I couldn't see much of the parade on St. Patty's Day due to being 4'11"..but my dear friend Zubin narrated it for me.

OH! There's one of those vacuums from the Telly Tubbies!

The blue people are fighting the red people!

The president is going around kissing babies!

Oh, the vacuum things were just the street cleaners.

Yeah. The parade was awesome.

Anyway, out of fear that my camera would get stolen, I didn't bring it on this trip and therefore have an unfortunate lack of pictures to show you. But I did run into Gina while I was there, which was pretty rad.

Twenty

I turned twenty today.

The dinner was supposed to be with five people; something small and nice before going to Dublin.
But twelve of my really great friends were there; I couldn't have been happier.

We spent the night dining on good Italian food, eating chocolate cake, drinking champagne, and playing random games.

It was simple, and I enjoyed it.

One: Home
Two: Happy
Three: Careless
Four: Rebel
Five: New
Six: Smart
Seven: Reconstructed
Eight: Creative
Nine: Critical
Ten: Vulnerable
Eleven: Challenge
Twelve: Naïve
Thirteen: Exhaustion
Fourteen: Fear
Fifteen: Insomnia
Sixteen: Patient
Seventeen: Vessel
Eighteen: Deception
Nineteen: Discover
Twenty: Explore