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Travel Tips: Planning a Cheap Trip in Europe like a Pro
The best part of being in Europe is taking advantage of how close and accessible all the different countries are! Getting to Europe and back from the States may be a long and pricey flight, but once in Europe it’s super easy to frolic around for cheap! During my semester studying in France, I became familiar with some of the resources for cheap travel. Now that I am working in France for 8 months, I am taking advantage of all these resources ! Here’s how I typically plan out a trip. 1. Pick a destination Sometimes I choose my destination based on an event or time constraint. How long of…
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Life as a TAPIF Language Assistant
Let me describe a typical day in the life of a Language Assistant in the TAPIF program. This is part of an excerpt from my journal: Today is Wednesday. As of Sunday at 8:30pm, I had ZERO classes scheduled for the week! I had to reach out to my prof référent to be like “uhhh… what should I do?” He emailed everyone reminding them to fill in my schedule, but made sure I knew not to worry about coming in Monday because it was already late. Anywho, I’m scheduled for an 8am Tuesday. My coworker drives me to work that day as she lives near me. We barely arrive on…
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A Day in Luxembourg City
In my New Year’s post, I mentioned briefly that I visited a new country in December! I visited Luxembourg City. Luxembourg is the small country at the intersection of France, Belgium, and Germany’s borders. The country is only 2,586 sq km! I was curious about the size ranking so I looked it up and apparently Luxembourg is only the 28th smallest country! I thought it would be higher on the list. Anywho, I went to Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg, with my momma in tow. This was one of the stops we made on our little Christmas week voyage. I partially chose the city just to break up one…
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Lyon’s Fête des Lumières: A Celebration of Lights
Every year, Lyon hosts the amazing Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights). It takes place over a three day period on a long weekend. About a month ago, I headed south to Lyon with a friend to explore the city by day and the lights by night! The Fête des Lumières website provides an idea of the different installations there will be ahead of time. Before arriving, my friend went through the info on the website to make a list of the installations she wanted to see. I didn’t have time to check out the website beforehand, but luckily all the hostels in Lyon are prepared with tons of pamphlets for…
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2016 – A Year in Review
I have a lot to write about since my last post, but I’m going to catch up on that stuff next year 😉 . As New Years Eve approached, I started thinking about my year and decided I should write a blog before the New Year begins! The year 2016 was a big one for me. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around all that has happened and all the travel I was able to do in merely 12 months! I started off the year working at a law firm in Washington, D.C. Having watched my father build an impressive career in the public sector, I have never wanted anything less…
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Iconic Amsterdam: Canals, Coffee Shops & Culture
Amsterdam is one of the most iconic port cities in Europe! Famous for its beautiful canals, red light district, and coffee shops, this city was at the top of my bucket list. I visited Amsterdam while studying abroad in 2013, and I was happy to revisit the city in 2016! Walking Tour During my first visit to Amsterdam, I went on my first ever Free Walking Tour. After enjoying it so much, I began seeking similar tours in other destinations. It sounds like it’d be redundant, but I decided to start off my second stay in Amsterdam with another walking tour! I used the same company, but obviously I had…
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Rotterdam, Netherlands: Highlights of the History and Modern Architecture
Rotterdam is a major port city in the Netherlands. I knew close to nothing about this city prior to visiting during my Vacances de Toussaint in 2016. I enjoyed the city so much, I revisited just three months later! I decided to visit Rotterdam because it was right in between Antwerp and Amsterdam! As it turns out, this city is extremely young with impressive modern architecture! Rotterdam was bombed during World War II and nearly the entire city was destroyed. There is an incredibly moving statue beside the Maritime Museum, by Ossip Zadkine, named “The Destroyed City.” He said that when he arrived to Rotterdam after the war and saw…
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Three Days in Ghent, Belgium
For my first vacation of my teaching term, Vacances de Toussaint, I booked a ten-day trip through Belgium and the Netherlands. My first stop – Ghent (or, in French, Gand)! While in Dublin the weekend before this, a fellow traveler I crossed paths with told me that this was his favorite city in Belgium and highly recommended that I check it out. According to Google, most travelers spend about a day or two in this city. I didn’t intend on staying more than two days, but the only open hostel that weekend had a three night minimum (benefits of booking a trip 24 hours in advance). So three days it…
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Life in France – November Update
Well hello there! I took an unintentional 3 week break from my blog. Aside from all the political mess, I also accidentally broke my laptop and have had limited access to computers! In my apartment, the WiFi is stronger closer to the window. Two weekends ago I set up my computer on the floor by the window to lesson plan, because sometimes if I am sitting on my bed the internet will cut out randomly. I was cooking a late lunch, so I figured I could work while boiling the water. Another instance of me failing at adulthood… I forgot that I had water in the pot already and…
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A Weekend in Dublin: Guinness, Castles, and Irish Charm
Dublin is the capital of Ireland, located on the Eastern Coast of the country. This city boasts many amazing attractions! I spent a solo weekend in Dublin in the fall of 2016. These are my highlights of this charming city: Pro Tip: Grab a rain coat or compact umbrella for your visit to Ireland – you never know if you will get stuck in a rainstorm! I started my weekend in Dublin by going on a Free Walking Tour, exploring the south side of the city. This worked out especially well for me because I had zero game plan when I arrived. The tour starts near the Dublin Spire, then…
