Hello!

So I am technically still on vacation for two more days.  Well, the rest of today and tomorrow.  Last week I went to Paris just for three nights; it was so great to be back in that city.  I met up with a family member from my dad's side of the family, Megan.  My dad and her mom are cousins, so that makes us second cousins, right?  Not cousins once removed or something?  I never got all of that lingo...so she's just a cousin of mine haha.

We did a ton of walking around the city.  We ate lunch on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower, on the steps of Sacré Coeur, explored Montmartre, went to the Arc de Triomphe (which actually has the name Amberg engraved in one of its columns), went to Notre Dame, took a boat tour on the Seine at night (Bateaux Mouches was a pretty legit company...boards right at le pont d'Alma, about 10 euros each).  We also walked around the Tuileries gardens which at that time were beautiful with the green, red, yellow, and orange there to contrast the grey gravel.  We found Café Angelina, which is right next to the Tuileries gardens: home of the best hot chocolate ever.  I mean, it is basically like drinking chocolate fondue in a way.  Let's put it this way: the hot chocolate is so rich and think that you don't even ask for "une caraffe d'eau" (jug of tap water that is free), it just automatically comes.  On top of that, they asked us if we'd be willing to move to a smaller table to make room for a bigger party of people and we did, which resulted in us getting four free macarons!

I had been hoping this trip that I might have been able to really splurge on a great french restaurant, although after looking up the prices for Joël Robuchon's L'Atelier, I was proven wrong.  However, I still had great classical french food when I was there.

I got home Friday afternoon and have just been hanging out since.  All in all, life is good here.  When it really comes down to it, I'm living here.  My slippers don't have that awkward new slipper feeling anymore, they've molded to my feet.  I have my re-usable grocery bags that I take with me every time I go to the grocery store or market.  I have even tried out a climbing gym here in Strasbourg, which was pretty cool, although I need to meet some other people who climb here haha.  I have a laverie (laundromat) that I go to semi-regularly where everyone walks in and says Bonjour to you even if they don't know you.  I think that at this one bar/café that I really like, Jeanette et les Cycleux, the woman who always works there has started to somewhat recognize me.  I have a group of friends who I really like.  I still keep in touch with my host mom from when I was last here.  So, all in all, life is good...and I can't really imagine myself wanting to leave here for a while (minus Christmas break when I go home).