Ah (sigh) ... Nice: Tu nous manques !

Overlooking the Baie des anges, the Promenade des Anglais, and Old Town Nice

Was This Dinner Party a Success?

Vaux-le-Vicomte 
a chateau 55 km southeast of Paris 
built for the aristocrat 
Nicholas Fouquet
 superintendent of finances for Louis IV.  
It was constructed from 1658 to 1661.
Three very talented men were brought together to create the home and gardens:  
architect Louis Le Vau, landscape architect Andre de Notre, 
and painter-decorator Charles Le Brun. 

When the project was completed the Fouquets entertained the King and other guests with an amazing dinner in a remarkably beautiful chateau, a walk through elaborate gardens, a play by Moliere, and finally a fireworks display.  The Fouquets went to bed very happy that night congratulating themselves on a tremendously successful evening only for Nicholas to be arrested a short time later.  As Voltaire put it:

"On 17 August, at six in the evening Fouquet was the King of France: at two in the morning he was nobody."

I guess it didn't pay to outshine the Sun King.  (There were also people at court plotting against him.)  Fouquet was sentenced to life in prison.  The king took Fouquet's team of designers and had them transform his father's hunting lodge into Versailles.  He also confiscated the decor of the chateau and even the orange trees. 

Wedding Party in Traditional Clothes

Gordon and Meg by the Stables

On Saturday nights for several months of the year you can visit Vaux-le-Vicomte by candlelight.  About 2000 candles are lit for this event.  It makes it even easier to imagine the splendor of the night so long ago.  The last Saturday of the month the evening concludes with a firework display just as did that August evening in 1661. What an unforgettable time to visit one of the most influential chateaus in France!

Germany: A fairytale come to life

Germany has been one of my favorite places that I have ever visited and this side trip that I took after the UVU study abroad only strengthened those feelings that I have for this magical place. I have only been to the Bavaria region, so naturally I was over the moon about being able to return to Germany and visit another region where my love for it could be deepened even further. During my time in Germany I stayed in the city of Kaiserslautern, which is an hour south of Frankfurt. The city is just a wonderful small town that houses many U.S. servicemen. The picture above is of Heidelberg, so as to not confuse that with Kaiserslautern. 

The Black Gate

On my first excursion in Germany, I visited the city of Triers, The home place of Karl Marx and the oldest city in Germany. In the picture is a place called "The Black Gate", named that due to the chemical reaction that has taken place over time and given the building a, somewhat, black appearance. This used to be an old city gate built by the Roman Empire during their occupation of the Barbaric Countries. 

Another view of The Black Gate

Roman Bath House Ruins

Trier has a lot of Roman Empire History so you find the most fascinating things here. Pictured above used to be a Roman Bath House that would have most likely been a gathering place for a lot of the Military Elites of the Roman Empire. These were some of the coolest ruins I've been to and on this day it was unbearably hot outside so to walk around the cool and breezy ruins underground was refreshing.

Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg was the second city in Germany that I visited while I was there and that is when I truly remember that Germany is a fairytale land. My theory is that Disney got their inspiration for their movies from Germany (which it is true about the Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian region). 

Hitler's Amphitheater

Right across the valley from Heidelberg Castle is an amphitheater that Hitler gave some of his discourses from. I have no idea what the actual name for it, so I properly named it "Hitler's Amphitheater." Standing around these grounds gave me an unreal feeling thinking that arguably the most infamous figure in History stood and gave speeches that changed the course of History. Everything about this place gave me such a feeling of gratitude towards the world I live in today. There is beauty all around and we get to go out and explore; and I could not think of a better place to explore other than Germany. 

For anyone reading this and questioning as to why I wrote an entry about Germany, let me explain myself. This place is beautiful and magical. The people that fill these streets and business are so kind and inviting. If there is one place that everyone should take time to visit before, during, or after their study abroad, my suggestion will be Germany. You just can't go wrong with this place and I would highly recommend visiting this fairytale land.

Normandy: Worth the visit

France is a magical place and there is no other fairytale type of place than Mont-Saint-Michel. Named after Saint Michael, the Archangel, it sits in the normandy region 4 hours away from Paris. As you are driving up to the castle you can see it standing in the middle of the ocean and it is just a moment of awe. There is no other way to describe this place other than majestic. 

The most interesting thing about this castle is where it is located. It is just offshore with only a small road connecting it to the mainland. There is only a few months out of the year that you can reach the castle because of the tide. During the Fall and Winter seasons the tide rises and the road to reach the castle is completely submerged in the Sea. Right now they are in the process of building a road that will make the castle accessible year-round but, for me, that just takes away from the charm of the castle.

The Normandy region is pretty famous around the United States for what happened here on June 6th 1944. The day that the Allied Forces landed on several beaches around this area, the day famously labeled as D-Day. In the picture is Omaha Beach where the United States Marines landed on that day. 

I had a friend that was visiting and living with his sister in Germany while her husband was stationed there and luckily he played trumpet for the Army Band. He was supposed to play, with his band, at the 70th anniversary commemorations. My friend and his sister's family were wonderful enough to allow me to tag along on their adventure throughout this region.

Pictured above is my friend's brother-in-law, one of his fellow bandmates, and some re-enactors dressed up as soldiers from World War 2. As we walked Omaha Beach on the Anniversary of D-Day everyone wanted to take pictures with actual servicemen from the United States, but no one wanted to get a picture more than these five gentlemen. It was a great experience to be there around this time of the year and I would highly advise anyone visiting France around June to plan a trip up to Normandy and just take it the History that they have there.

Paris: Arguably the best tourist trap in the world.

Paris is a completely surreal type of place. From the first moment you see the Eiffel Tower your whole life changes, and you realize that this city completely lives up to the reputation that it has built up over the years. Pictured above is my favorite picture that I took while on the UVU study abroad. The whole entire week we had the absolutely best weather you could ask for.

The cool weather and the clouds not only helped with the picture taking but it was also a great way of staying moderately cool throughout the day while we walked everywhere. Going from Museum to Museum can get really tiring and I couldn't even imagine having to do that while the Sun was out and the temperature rose. The only time it got real uncomfortable was when we'd have to use the Metro during rush hour, but other than that the days were beautiful, in my opinion.

Out of all the places that we visited I feel like I need to talk about one of the most amazing rooms that I have ever visited. The Tomb of Napoleon would make any king envious of how extravagant and lavish everything inside is set up. We were the first people to enter the building, since we got there as soon as it opened, and so we were able to experience some silence while we walked through. The way everything is set up just impressed me and shot this building straight to the top of my "must visit museums" list.

For some extra aesthetically pleasing photos I thought I'd add this shot of the Notre Dame that I took. I really like it but I know there are millions that blow this one right out the water, the important thing is that I'm proud of it and that's why I'm posting it. To visit Paris is to make a dream come true and I think it's important to capture the moments that take your breath away, it may not impress others but it can help you relive the moments you enjoyed on your trip while you plan your return to that exact same spot!

To finish off my blog entry I wanted to add a picture that illustrates why this city is so magical. Paris is a romantic city and it should be celebrated for it. I captured a moment between our UVU study abroad Professor, Tammy Christensen, and her husband, Brent Christensen. I wanted to bring capture a moment of love in the city of love and I feel like this picture captured just that. 

In conclusion Paris is an amazing city that deserves, at least, one visit in a lifetime from everyone that have the means to get there.

The end of the trip.

As the second session began, one could think that it would be the same as the first session. you go to ACTILANGUE in the mornings and have free time the rest of the day. There is 95 percent truth to that. In both of my sessions in Nice, they've been practically identical. The only thing is that some excursions are going to different places. They're still nearby and you can use the bus pass to go to the nearby places.
    Another slight difference is the weather. In the second session the weather is warmer. But people who are used to the Utah weather aren't really (or shouldn't be at least) bothered by which session to go to. Everything else is still basically the same.
   Just because things are going to be the same, doesn't mean it's going to be any less better. Every time you're in Nice with some great new friends that you meet on the trip, it'll always be a good time!
   Beaches to relax in, great food in restaurants, sport complex in vauban stadium, train stations and busses to go to other cities, maybe making a quick side trip to Rome like me and some new found friends have done, there is still plenty to do!

I would like to thank UVU for choosing such a great and beautiful area and planning out plenty of activities to keep us busy. I had such a great time getting to know Nice even more than I have previously and getting to experience this with some fellow classmates.

Halfway there...

As you may have already learned from the first post, I already have a bit of experience when it comes to living in France. As Jander and I have reached halfway towards the end of the program (since we've stayed for both sessions), we see the bittersweetness of those who have to leave. I say bittersweetness because they're sad to leave, but happy that the end of their trip will be spent in Paris. The newcomers first experience to France consisted of visiting the loire valley and spending time in paris. They were very exited about it as it was quite the introduction to France for them.

      We spent a couple days in the Loire valley and also spent some time in paris as I've mentioned before. The main thing we did was obviously tour around to the well known places. Better keep those phones and cameras charged because YOU. WILL. NEED. THEM.

Take a small notebook and a writing utensil to take notes for certain areas. Depending on your course, you will have to give a brief explanation on a certain building, castle, museum, etc. I'll give you guys a tip, look for FAQ's because there will be somebody in the group who will be curious enough to ask them. Also look for fun facts! It's always interesting to know some random fun facts!

   To some, the week in the Loire Valley and Paris will be the final week of their french excursion, to others it will be just the beginning, and to others it's just the middle. It doesn't matter if it'll be the beginning, the middle, or the end of your french excursion with UVU, because a week in the Loire Valley and Paris is definitely a wonderful experience and a good way to start off or end your trip. It's a great time to spend with your classmates!