Allegra's France journal: she's back!

I thought it was about time to let you all know that I'm still alive! HELLOO!
I can't believe it's already been a month since I last wrote! Time is starting to fly by!

Highlights of the last month: Last time I wrote, I was soon headed to Belgium and Amserdam. It was a wonderful trip, and I had a great time getting to know the girls I went with better (mostly all from my Wellesley group). Let's see...we first checked into our hostel in Brussels on a Tuesday night. From there we went out and explored the Brussels night life, mostly in and around La Grande Place. It's a spectacular place, with beautiful architecture and waffles and fries everywhere! A pretty impressive selection of beer, too!
The next day we got up early and explored Brussels by day, going first for breakfast (waffles, of course!), next to the Dali museum, then through multiple parks to the Palais Royale and the Senate, allll around, stopping only for a nice Italian lunch. We then came back to the hostel to rest for a little bit, then went back out for dinner. It was a relatively early night, because we were all tired and would be traveling to Brugges the next day.
The next day we found our way to the train station and took the hour long train to Brugges to spend the day. I loved it! It's such a quaint little town, with cute houses, horse-drawn carriages, and canals. A bit like a cute, little dutch version of Venice. We spent the day biking around, taking a canal tour, and of course sampling the local chocolate, fries, and beer (I think you're getting the idea of what my diet consisted of for the week). Then we headed back to Brussels, exhausted but happy, had a light dinner and then went to bed.
The next morning we woke up at 4am (!) to catch our 5:30 bus to Amsterdam. We found it easily enough, and I slept the whole way. When in Amsterdam, we checked into our very classy hostel, went for a group lunch at a fantastic little cafe nearby, then split off to do our own thing. My friend and I went into Amsterdam proper to take an open-air bus tour, to get a sense of the city. It was a great idea- we got to see alot! On the way we marked places we wanted to go back to. That night we all met at a little local restaurant and proceeded to be served- and eat- a heaping buffet of local food. Meat, veggies, potatoes...that sort of thing. It was delicious! After that we walked around the city for a bit and then to a pub for a quick drink. My friend and I were thinking of going to a club located in an old church, but the place was riotously expensive, and we frankly didn't have the energy for much dancing. So we returned home, and slept very well.
The next morning we woke up, had breakfast in the hostel, then headed out to the Anne Frank museum. It was an incredibly moving presentation. From there, we all met back up at the famous AMsterdam sign, had a quick strobbewaffle, and then proceeded to have a photoshoot (like every other tourist in the world who comes to Amsterdam). From there we strolled around, taking pictures of the canals and doing a bit of shopping. Some of us witnessed the grand opening of the biggest Apple store in Europe, got free Tshirts and took a tour. Later that night, we met up for Indonesian food - and the dutch REALLY know how to make their Indonesian! When our tummies were full and we could eat no more, we hung around the town for a bit, enjoying the weather and energy, then slowly made our way back to the hostel.
Our last morning in Amsterdam, we took it easy, sleeping in until we were awoken by the made telling us we needed to check out (oops). So we packed our things and headed to the same cafe of our first lunch to hang out and wait until it was time to take our bus back to Brussels.
When back in Brussels, we checked into our hostel, and then went out for one last woohoo together before the end of our trip! The next morning was another 4am wake up, and we all trudged to the bus, then the train, and then the plane back to Marseille. It started to rain on our way there, and then was snowing when we boarded the plane. Gates do not really exist here, so we had to walk in it, only to stand around and wait until we could get on. I was soaked, tired, and unhappy when I got on that plane. A nap helped though, and I awoke to the view of the sunny, golden coast of Marseille. We were very happy to be back.
I came back to the apartment, exhausted and utterly relieved to be home. I rested and unpacked, then somehow found the energy to make it to my theater class that night.
So ends that story! As I mentioned, a fantastic trip with many good memories and good friends. I have to say though, that I was absolutely spent by the time we got back- it took me a couple days just to catch my breath and to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Since then I have enjoyed myself immensely: going to class (blah), spending time with the family...I've even planned a few more trips since then, which will be coming up shortly!
I just got back today from a weekend spent in Paris with my exchange little sister, Celia. We had a great time, walking the streets, sitting in parks, and enjoying the sun. What a different place Paris is in the summer! It was quite warm, and swarms of people were out strolling, sipping wine, and dozing in the sun in the parks or along the Seine. We went back to the Jardin Luxembourg, and I was stunned by the masses of people around! They had good reason though, everything was green, the flowers were blooming, birds were singing, there was a slight breeze....it was heavenly. But crowded, that's for sure.

I've realized that, looking at my calendar, I have no weekends 'free' until the beginning of exam period! This Friday our Wellesley group is taking a short trip to Switzerland; next week my wonderful parents and grandmother are coming to visit until the next weekend; Easter weekend I'm looking to go to Nice; the weekend after that I head to Madrid to meet up with two good friends from Wellesley; and then the weekend after that our Spring break starts, and I'm going to Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Milan with friends from here!
It's crazy..I can already see the end of my time here approaching: I only have a few weeks of classes left! When I get back from Spring break though, I know I will be staying around Aix. I want to spend the last little time I have with my family.

Well, friends, that's all for now! It's about time I motivate myself to do some work before theater class tonight.
I'm missing you all! I hope to write again soon- sooner than last time!
My love to you <3