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To the Main! –Heading Inland like the Fishermen of Old
My parents and I greatly enjoyed our time in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, and I would return in a heart beat to climb the Iron Ladder Trails and explore along the rocky coast like kid explorers again. However, there is so much more of Maine to see, so we departed from Bar Harbor early one morning--and headed to…
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I love ME…I mean Maine!
After a busy month of work, hunting, and visitors, my parents and I jetted off to enjoy the easternmost state in the Union. We choose Maine because none of us had been before, and the idea of rugged coastlines, mountainous forests, and stunning fall foliage sounded like an excellent way to spend a week. Even as the plane circled the…
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A Gem in the German Alps: Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Springtime
2022 European Adventure: Part 5 of 6 Garmisch-Partenkirchen (along with being a mouthful of a name) is a beautiful town nestled in a valley in the German Alps. When deciding where to go after the lovely town of Heidelberg, all it took was one picture before I was hooked on Garmisch-Partenkirchen (just scroll down and you’ll probably feel the same).…
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Highway to Heidelberg: a Must-See Stop on the Way Through Germany
2022 European Adventure: Part 3 of 6 Heidelberg is red-roofed, green rolling hills, river running through it magical. The next stop on my European Adventure is Heidelberg, Germany! I picked this place–I’ve been dying to go for ages. Actually, there are very few places in Germany that I don’t want to go. However, this one has been on my list…
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Detour to Delft: Charming Churches & Canals in a Picturesque Dutch Town
European Adventure: Part 1 of 6 The town of Delft in the Netherlands was the first stop on my first trip back to Europe since Covid! I remember leaving Aix-en-Provence, France on March 16, 2020 with the belief that this Covid thing would never last. I planned to travel that summer, retaking the days and experiences I was missing out…
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A+ for Annecy and the Alps
I took a whirlwind day trip to Annecy today, beginning at 5 am. It’s a process to get out of Aix; it’s a 35 minute walk to the bus station, and then a 20 minute ride to the train station…and then, finally, the real journey can begin. And begin it did. We had delays on our ride to Lyon, only…
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Carcassonne: a Castle Playground
Carcassonne is a French town in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France. It’s a 3 hour train ride from Marseille. This is my first time on a train (but not my last). And the whole process was made so easy by my Eurail Pass (thanks Mom and Dad!). Carcassonne is divided into two towns—the Bastide Saint Louis and the Cité. Our…
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My School Abroad: Institute of American Universities
The school in Aix is tiny and scattered among the winding streets. It is made up of four buildings—three of them in the old town and one outside of town. The one outside of town is the art school, so I never go there. I only have classes in 2 buildings: Manning Hall and CEF. Walking through the narrow streets,…
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If Even Popes get Castles…Why Can’t I Have One?
Avignon and Pont du Gard. A day trip spanning Roman times to medieval history to modern day. La Palais des Papes In 1305 Pope Clement V moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon. He did this because he felt unsafe in Rome, and also because the muggy weather didn’t agree with him. The palace that exists today was constructed a…
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Aix Marks the Spot: Exploring my Temporary Home
Aix en Provence is the city of a thousand fountains. Les Fontaines This is the Fontaine de la Rotonde at one end of the Cours Mirabeau, which is the Champs-Élysées of Aix. This is the Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins (Fountain of Four Dolphins). In many of the smaller fountains in Aix, the water is drinkable and my school recommends that…
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A Chateau and a Vineyard…I Must Be in France
IAU, as part of the Early Start Program, planned out a few French activities to introduce us to region of Provence. We began with a trip to petit village of Vauvenargues. Picasso bought a castle in this town at the base of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire in the 1950s. His family still owns the castle and he is buried on the…
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Day One: My Home Away from Home and a Hike with Aix’s Famous
My first full day in Aix-en-Provence, France. It was chilly today, a humid kind of chilly like January in Maryland. School activities and university orientation start tomorrow, so after wandering around Aix for an hour this morning, I returned to my host family’s house to unpack and get settled in my new room. When the first bit of homesickness (mostly…
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Between Konya and Cappadocia: Dervishes, Caravans, and Turkish Rugs
As we traversed Turkey, we followed narrow roadways over uneven landscape, tracing ancient trade routes and stumbling upon small towns nestled among the hills. We visited the monastery of Mevlana, a caravenserai, and experienced demonstrations of stunning Turkish artisanship.
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Along the River Danube: Ancient Fortresses and Fearless Kings
I was doing an excellent job of clutching the trappings of Romanticism tight, so I hardly needed help, but the beautiful countries of Eastern Europe continued to prop up my escapism. After all, now we were starting to see castles!
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