Ez Utzi Kaxrkuyt.... Basque? What language is this!?

In the very north of Spain, just bordering France, lies the posh beach town of San Sebastian, or Donostia, in the Basque language. Although located is Pais Vasco, a region of Spain that often demands independence, San Sebastian's friendly environment attracts tourists and stuns them with its charm and winsome scenery. We arrived just in time to catch the last day of the towns 55th film festival. Although I disliked the movie we saw with a passion, it was neat to be a part of the jamboree! San Sebastians wouldn't stop talking about Demi Moore's appearance, but standing in lond lines and peering over people's shoulders didn't appetize us much. Instead, we chose to hike what at first, looked like a random mountain with a statue. However after reaching the top, we learned that it was once a fort, built to fight off ships from the opposing sides and was used during numerous battles. The view from the top, as expected, was incredible, and although it was a bit overcast, one could see for miles into the blue and violet mountains in the distance.

Excited to be in such a beautiful place! Note the Jesus statue in the background.

View from the top of the mountain. Beach, city, then mountains.

A shot creatively taked through sunglasses by Jenna

Leaning against the remains of the fort's wall.

Vast ocean

Trees right on the beach

This message was written in one of the bathroom stalls on top of the mountain. "I miss you. It is difficult to be without you in a place so beautiful." How appropriate.


Having traveled in France for a good amount of time, it was a bit difficult to stop asking for "l'addition s'il vous plaît", however what really threw us completely off was the Basque language. It has no historical link to any other known language, and uses a crazy amount of k's x's and q's, often all in a row!

??? No clue whatsoever...


I have been warned about Europeans' impressions of Americans, loud, obnoxious, and drunk. But I have decided they may be mistaking the English for Americans? We ran into a group of 15 or so English men celebrating a Bachelor's Party and the lucky man wore a pink cowgirl's hat and in both hands, numerous light up toys. Foolish or funny? I'm not sure... but definately entertaining!

What a trip! Before we knew it, we were back in Madrid, out of our American bubble, and living on our own in Madrid.

One last picture of the group! !Adios amigas, nos vemos pronto!

Oh, Mother Nature...

Thanks to a good friend's recommendation (Ezra, ofcourse), we made it out to the small beach town of Arcachon and Dune du Pyla, located just outside.

Arcachon was a needed break from the bustiling city of Paris. Although very humble, it did not lack delicious food (c'mon its FRANCE!). We met an Irish elderly couple at one of the boardwalk restaurants (the man had a stiking resemblance to my grandfather which was strange and fitting as he loved Ireland), and ran into them again at dinner time, taking their strict advice: "only go to a place where there a lots o' people!" It was the best decision ever and we managed to stuff ourselves with what I can only classify as "the meal of a lifetime." Really, nothing beats French desserts. After we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant, we stumbled upon a very strange casino, oddly located in town. I gambled for the first time, putting in five euros I spent two, and with no luck, gave the other three to my friends. Ofcourse Jenna won 20 euros off my one! Nicely, she gave me back five, so I'm glad to say that my first time gambling, I broke even! :) Arcachon was originally supposed to be the destination for the perfect beach vacation with the purpose to be bronzed and tanned, however Mother Nature was not on our side...

A damned beach vacation... (we tried to make it seem miserable as possible)



since there was no sun, we made sure to entertain ourselves, taking corny pictures, but we thought this red bench was especially cute



"the band picture" (don't you just love cameras with timers? that way, you avoid asking strangers to take embarrassing pictures)



... and we had a ninja photoshoot...



exploring my zoom feature



father and daughter sand castle building



The largest sand dune in all of Europe truly has something to boast about as the view was absolutely breath taking and well worth the steep climb. From the top, both a forest and ocean could be seen, the best of both worlds! I guess Mother Nature didn't want to dissapoint us! These pictures in no way can represent this place's true beauty, but I hope that you get the gist!

it's hard to tell, but this is my friend Allie and I sitting on top of the dune, looking out onto a forest that seemed to stretch for miles



the immediate and highly rewarding view just after the steep climb





treking along the dunes, what a handy walking stick!

je t'aime paris

Tired from a set of impossible finals, and after an early flight, a train ride, and some metro mania, we couldn't have started our trip off with anything better than a striking view of the Parisian skyline paired with a delicious platter of cheese. Vivian is ofcourse lucky to be living in a vibrant city, but I couldn't blame her if she chose never to leave her balcony.



What a relief it was to escape from tapas and ham! We took full advantage of being in Paris, and together, savory and sweet crepes, cheese, baguettes, and ofcourse a bottle of Bordeaux wine, made up our regular menu of the day. Fortunately for us our visit was only 4 days, for if we had stayed any longer, pants with an elastic waist line would have been added to our shopping list! Possibly my favorite experience, besides Paris' incredible museums and exhibits, was grocery shopping with Vivian at a local street market. Fresh vegetables, pots of strong coffee, and various cheeses and breads lined the sidewalks, creating a scene very similar to Davis' Farmer's Market. However Paris beats Davis merely by its delicious galletes, a dish very similar to a Jewish latkah, but filled with cheese ofcourse! (what do you expect? It's France)


a delicious banana, nutella, whipped cream crepe... the perfect way to escape the rain.


We were told that the Louvre was overrated and would be unpleasantly crowded, but this didn't stop Allie and I from making a visit that was well worth our dreadful trek through the rain while unfortunately wearing dresses. The Mona Lisa was surprisingly small and inconveniently set back by a glass case and ropes. Crowds of people held their cameras high in the air, hoping to catch the perfect shot of the famous painting. Allie and I would have been glad to wait in line for a glimpse, but soon after realizing that lines didn't exist and patience wasn't a Louvre mannerism, we pushed our way through and took our touristy pictures. We also visited Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Picasso, Centre Pompidou, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur basilica at the top of the Montmartre hill, and went to a great Jazz club with incredible swing dancing.

Unlike their reputation, the Parisian people are extremely friendly and always willing to meet you half way in English. After my visit to Paris, I am officially obsessed with Monet and Renoir, am dying to learn more French so as not to butcher the language ("écureuil"-squirrel and "je ne parle pas français", is about all I know), and am excited to wear my new red beret!

woman praying at notre dame

prayer candles, notre dame

interesting "art" at pompidou

AMAZING jazz concert, the band caught in blurry action

accidental picture that turned out to be quite the shot. allie infront of the eiffel tower

image of the eiffel tower painted by a rain reflection

family