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    Media Minds: How France Writes about Muslim Footballers

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    As a recent grad from the University of Colorado, I now find myself in the position of having spent four years working towards receiving a piece of paper, and a year of research and writing to add three little words to that piece of paper: summa cum laude. Now I'm asking myself what the hell I'm supposed to do with the year-long research project and 80-page thesis I just devoted the past nine months to.

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    Invictus: the Best Time Travel Novel I’ve Read in Ages

    August 27, 2022
    Strange the Dreamer review and aesthetic

    A Dream like Magic, A World Like Poetry: the Strange the Dreamer Duology

    August 31, 2022

    Kaikeyi: the Evil Step-Mother We All Wish We Could Be

    February 5, 2023
  • Plane Travel

    Covid Catastrophe in the Czech Republic

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    I can't say that I didn't know any better. But we thought we were untouchable. We thought the chaos wending it's way through the world was ridiculous. There was no precedent for everything shutting down. Surely in a week or two everything would be back to normal. Do you remember when we all thought that?

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    A Kaleidoscope of Rotorua and Taupo – Central North Island of New Zealand

    September 18, 2023

    Beginning in Bali: The Start of My Asia Travels

    May 4, 2024

    Middle Earth Magic in New Zealand

    February 8, 2024
  • Ants-eye view of the glowing Eiffel tower at night
    Plane Travel

    Paris à Pied: Exploring the City of Love in 30 Hours

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    I spent 30 hours in Paris this weekend–a whirlwind vacation. My friends were busy, so I hopped on a train by myself and came to the City of Love. (Pairs is both the City of Love and City of Lights). Lucky Paris–to be known for both great things! Paris Catacombs I kicked things off with the Paris Catacombs. The underground quarries here were begun in the 14th century and then later abandoned. In 1774, parts of Paris collapsed and Louis XVI created a department to protect the quarries and fortify them so they did’t continue to collapse. Major health problems from overfilled cemeteries and charnel houses also plagued the city.…

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    Amsterdam for Introverts like Me: How to Make the Most of a City Known for Weed & Sex

    May 21, 2022

    1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: January & February

    February 3, 2024

    Beginning in Bali: The Start of My Asia Travels

    May 4, 2024
  • Plane Travel

    Barcelona Basics: Food, Friends, and Gaudi

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    Barcelona was a non-stop adventure. I arrived at midnight on Friday night and made my way to Don Moustache Hostel via the Aerobus. My friends, Kate and Sarah, had arrived Thursday night. After a good night’s sleep (despite all the snoring–good thing I always travel with ear plugs!) we started off Saturday morning with some Gaudi. Antoni Gaudi is Barcelona’s most famous architect and his designs can be found all across the city. Our first stop was Casa Batllo. Casa Batllo Gaudi designed the house for a wealthy aristocrat who lived with his family on the first two floors and rented the rest out as apartments. It’s said there are…

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    Camp des Milles: What France once Tried to Erase

    February 29, 2020

    1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: July & August

    July 29, 2023

    The North of the South: Picton to Golden Bay

    October 2, 2023
  • Plane Travel

    Camp des Milles: What France once Tried to Erase

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    Camp des Milles is located in the old tile factory in the town of Les Milles. In fact, the roof of one of my school’s buildings is tiled with tiles from this factory. But that’s not why we we’re here. From the beginning of World War Two in September, 1939 until June, 1940, the French government (the Third Republic), interned Germans and Austrians who had fled from Germany in the 1930s, and other foreigners who were considered a potential threat. In reality, most of these people were anti-Nazi or had been living in France for years. The internees were given straw and told to sleep on the floor near the…

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    1 Year of Travel Selfies: May & June

    July 2, 2024
    The ridge path to the top of Montagne Sainte-Victoire

    Aix-periences Closer to Home: Montagne Sainte-Victoire and Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur

    February 24, 2020

    1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: September & October

    September 22, 2023
  • The ridge path to the top of Montagne Sainte-Victoire
    Plane Travel

    Aix-periences Closer to Home: Montagne Sainte-Victoire and Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur

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    Montagne Sainte-Victoire A friend and I decided to hike the prominent mountain to the northwest of Aix: Montagne Sainte-Victoire. We began by walking along the ridge (above right), then the trail pretty much goes straight up the side of the peak. It’s a total of 10 kilometers and over 1,700 feet of altitude gain. Despite the hot sun, it was a great hike. We got to scramble up rocks and had amazing views the whole time. In the 13th century, a chapel was built on top of the mountain. Today it’s called the Priory of Sainte Victoire, but it was abandoned in the 17th century. Now it’s a popular spot…

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    bull elk coming over a rise

    Waiting on Wapiti: a Lifetime Hunt for a Bull Elk

    September 26, 2022

    My Love for Laos Restored by Looms and Rice

    July 20, 2024

    Crashing through the Catlins + Cool Coastlines

    January 5, 2024
  • Plane Travel

    A Day in Marseille: History and Street Art in France’s Oldest City

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    La Porte d’Aix is Marseille’s triumphal arch, like the Arc de Triomphe. Construction begun in 1784 to honor the Peace of Paris, which ended the American Revolutionary War. The arch was finished in 1839. It marks the entry point to the city on the old road from Aix-en-Provence. Marseille has existed as a port city for over 2,500 years, the oldest city in France and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe. This area of town is known as the old port (Vieux Port). Behind me, on the hill in the background, is the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde. It was constructed in the 1800s, but a chapel…

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    Arthur’s Pass: My Favorite Alpine Region of New Zealand

    December 6, 2023

    A Backpacker’s Life, Introvert Style

    January 17, 2024

    The Lone Mussel: My Moana Moment

    August 30, 2023
  • Plane Travel

    Nice Carnival: Battle of the Flowers

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    Carnival kicked off in Nice today with a Flower Parade, called Batailles des Fleurs. We embraced the sun and the season (even though all the locals were in coats and scarfs). It is a Flower Parade, so we wore our flower clothes! There are a bunch of performers and floats, but what is most unique is that the floats feature local flowers that are thrown into the crowd as the parade follows the route. All the spectators get to go home with a bouquet of flowers. This was an incredible experience because fun and festivities are universal. It didn’t matter that most of the performers probably didn’t speak my language…

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    Embracing Surrealism: Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef

    April 30, 2024
    Carcassonne Castle at dusk

    Carcassonne: a Castle Playground

    February 3, 2020

    A Backpacker’s Life, Introvert Style

    January 17, 2024
  • Peach clouds at sunset over the Côte d'Azur
    Plane Travel

    La Côte d’Azur: Sunshine, Flowers, and Spring-time!

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    Spring has come in Nice, France! The colors are bright, the sea clear, and the sun shining. We walked through the old town, grabbing a lunch of traditional foods: socca (flatbread made from chickpea flour), pissaladière (pizza topped with onions, anchovies, and olives), and les petits farcis (eggplant and zucchini stuffed with ground meat and garlic). We met our Airbnb host and dropped off our bags after climbing four stories of narrow steps to the very top of the building. These pictures are around the entrance to our apartment. The door is sandwiched between a tea shop and a specialty salt shop in the Old Town. Like many cities in…

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    The Jurassic World of New Zealand’s North

    August 3, 2023

    The North of the South: Picton to Golden Bay

    October 2, 2023

    A Day in Marseille: History and Street Art in France’s Oldest City

    February 23, 2020
  • Plane Travel

    The History of Geneva, as told by a Church

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    When I told my dad I was going to Geneva for the weekend, his reply was, “I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland, and now you’re going there…in a way.” F for geography skills, Dad, because Geneva is in Switzerland. But, also, I know exactly what he means. It sure doesn’t feel like Switzerland. It just feels like a big city…where they happen to still speak French. Nonetheless, I had a good time exploring the city. We saw the infamous Jet d’Eau. This is the tallest fountain in the world at 140 meters. Originally, Geneva had a 30 meter fountain intended to release the pressure from a hydraulic plant. It…

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    red roofs and green hedges through an arched balcony

    High-Up in The Austrian Alps: 48 Hours in Innsbruck

    December 14, 2022

    1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: November & December

    November 5, 2023

    Dizzy and Delighted in Kaikoura

    October 11, 2023
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Traveler, Reader, Writer

Hi! My name is Maddie. I am a traveler, reader, and writer. Pages to Planes is where I catalogue stories of my (history-obsessed) adventures and write reviews of my favorite books. Welcome!

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