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Category: Study Abroad

Rustic Rhone, Alpine Charm: Lyon and Grenoble

Rustic Rhone, Alpine Charm: Lyon and Grenoble

Exploring Lyon There’s this ancient astronomical clock in the Lyon cathedral. It’s gorgeous and amazingly ornate but didn’t work when I saw it in December 2017 because people had destroyed its inner mechanisms a couple times throughout history. Isn’t that wild? I wondered what would make someone wreck the clock, and thought maybe they wanted to freeze time. I could sympathize–– I was leaving Europe in a couple weeks so I wanted to freeze time, too, and keep on traveling….

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Two days in Paris

Two days in Paris

Day 1 I had a mission: to see the Christian Dior Couturier du Rêve exhibit at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. A couple days after finals ended at Sciences Po I took off. Advance tickets for the exhibit were not available, so I expected the line when I arrived that morning. I just didn’t expect the four-hour wait. At first I thought the line would take about 90 minutes. But as the cold and rainy afternoon progressed, I…

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One Year Anniversary

One Year Anniversary

One year ago today was my last full day in France. Thinking about it right now makes me smile, but it also makes me nostalgic and sad, because my four months in Europe were so beautiful. When I close my eyes I can still trace the 27-minute walk from my studio to school: The wide shiny boulevard of Place d’Erlon, the narrow side streets with crumbly stone buildings and bright shutters, the hot sugary scent of baking treats unfurling from…

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In the time of champagne

In the time of champagne

It might not seem that way from my illustrious travels, but I actually was in school during my time in France. I spent the rest of November and beginning of December studying, which could be difficult considering my my mild distaste of various aspects of Sciences Po University. But by virtue of living in the champagne region, this time was interrupted here and there by glasses of chilled bubbly. Sciences Po threw a James-Bond themed “Sky Ball” at a champagne…

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Beautiful Hallstatt

Beautiful Hallstatt

Our last stop on our 5-city tour was Hallstatt, known as the most beautiful town in Austria. It’s a little jewel of a town tucked into the Alps, waterfront to a deep blue lake. It’s so pretty, in fact, that the Chinese replicated the town in China. Anyway, Hallstatt: gorgeous, but a real odyssey to get to. We took a standing-room only bus from Salzburg to a station high in the Alps. Although we were basically leaning against the driver…

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Von Trappin in Salzburg

Von Trappin in Salzburg

I know, I know. It’s been 3 months since I’ve written last. But good things are worth waiting for, right?;) Although it’s no excuse, my post-France semester was filled with the harsh realities of normal, non-globe-trotting life. School and work and extracurriculars and finding housing for senior year (secured!) and an internship for the summer (nailed it!). But now it’s summer, and besides my 3 days a week interning at a cool PR firm in Greensboro, I’ll have plenty of…

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Vienna in Vogue

Vienna in Vogue

Austria was the next stop on our 12 day trip! We took a sleepy afternoon bus from Budapest to Vienna, and then made our way to a sweet Viennese neighborhood where our Air BnB was located. The area was filled with old apartment buildings, independent grocers, and the occasional towering church. That night we made Indian food and chilled, happy with a homemade meal and Netflix after traveling for six days. We only had one full day in Vienna, so…

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Hungary for Budapest

Hungary for Budapest

Budapest might be my favorite city I visited during my whole semester. It’s beautiful, but it’s also a little quirky and gritty. It’s called the “Paris of the East,” an understandable nickname what with it’s Parisian-style buildings and pretty boulevards. But Budapest feels more exotic; it is instilled with a fun youthful energy and cool vibes. After we checked in to Avenue Hostel (would also highly recommend! Free breakfast, free Monday night dinners, and very easy to make new friends)…

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Czech? Check. A Weekend in Prague.

Czech? Check. A Weekend in Prague.

I know it’s been forever since I’ve written, but I’ve been so busy having my own adventures I haven’t had any time to write about them… A week after Strasbourg was fall break, and I embarked on a 12 day trip around Central/Eastern Europe with two of my friends. The first city we visited was Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires. Prague is a beautiful city straight out of a storybook, with gothic churches and winding side streets and…

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Strasbourg, spaetzle, and smiles

Strasbourg, spaetzle, and smiles

Strasbourg enchanted me when I visited last week. It’s a colorful city filled with flowers, half-timbered medieval buildings, and a soaring Cathédrale Notre Dame that sits on the skyline like a moody, Gothic giant. Its canal flows blue-green in the daylight and shimmers peacefully under street lamps at night. And, perhaps most wonderfully, books spill onto every street from countless book markets and bookstores. I was in heaven. Strasbourg is a French city with Germanic influences (it sits near the…

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