Christmas Villages

So this week I went to Colmar, Strasbourg, and Freidburg. All of which are magical German/Alsatian Christmas towns!

Colmar at night

Freidburg Christmas

PS- I know this post is lame...I just don't have time to write much! Must enjoy my last moments in Paris!

Better than a zoo....

Deyrolle is a must in Paris. I went there last week and then the Times read my mind by featuring the magical store (I love it when that happens).
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/arts/design/15taxi.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

FLASHBACK: Dubrovinik, Croatia

Picture of me on Dubrovinik's cool city wall

Hands down, one of my favorite places in all of Europe is the Dalmation Coast. I truly loved Croatia. It is cheap, beautiful, and fun. Picture a rougher version of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: rocky hills covered with quaint white houses, handsome men, and pure cerulean water charmed me within first moments of my arrival.

There are many opportunities to jump off of cliffs with the sun set in the background.

As winter fast approaches, I daydream about returning to the beaches; well, the sand feels "like powder" as our hostess told us on a daily basis. For any free-spirited travelers.....just in case you feel so inclined: the Croatians fully embrace nudity on their beaches.

The night of terror/hilarity/wearing everything I own

The disembarkation from Croatia really stands out as one of the funniest moments in my recent history. I will not go into prolific details of the evening, which included Katharine and my reenactment of the peasants on the Titanic and the old Croatian ladies cat-fighting over a seat. Needless to say, we were frozen and craffing and sad to leave the coasts of Croatia. Mark my words: Croatia, my love, I will return.

And I'm proud to be an American....

I love Europe so much but I also adore the USA.

1. Halloween. This year I missed the Trick-or-Treaters and the pumpkins and parties. My solution: go to McDonald's and stalk all of the kids getting their faces painted. Next go and buy candy and pretend that someone gave it to you for free. Then go to new James Bond in English to embrace American entertainment. (fyi: The Quantum of Solace came out two weeks earlier here. My review: emotional, bloody, but good.) Eat the candy.

2. Mexican Food. I know, I know....not exactly American but kind of is an essential part of American life, right? The only type of food that I have missed since I have been gone is Mexican. Rio Grande, Cafe Rio, Diego's all call to me. In an attempt to fill this void, I tried to find a decent Mexican restaurant but have failed every time. So, I made Mexican food with Madame and Monsieur Nottin-Dufour. They loved it! The salsa, fajitas, rice, and cookies turned out well!

3. The elections. I cannot even express how amazed I have been as I witness this French obsession with American politics. I talk about the Presidential race any and every time of day with almost everyone that I meet. On Election Tuesday, I felt like I needed to do something patriotic (I had voted via an absentee ballot a few days earlier and got to go into the US Embassy which was kind of exciting) A few friends and I went to a famous American bar thinking a small group of ex-Patriots would just sit and watch the results. Au contraire mon frere. Immediately, I saw swarms of people. Rather than celebrating democracy or the elections, we (mostly the French youth and I) celebrated Obama. I felt like a celebrity because 1- I support Obama and 2- I voted. Plus, everyone loved me even more (cameras were literally flashing all over the place) when I held up Obama sign. If anyone out there has doubts about the potential good our President can do....let me tell you that our foreign relations have already improved.

4. Normandy. These last couple of days I enjoyed the rainy beaches of Normandy. I recommend that anyone who comes to France visit these World War II sites. The War Museum in Caens gave me the chills, brought me to tears, and rekindled my pacifist inclinations. But the beaches and the American Cemetary definitely hit me the hardest. As the clouds cleared and the weather improved, I walked through the rows of graves trying to imagine all of the little blanks left in the unfinished lives of these dead soldiers. For example, what did he plan on doing for his career? or who did he leave behind? Seeing that Armistice Day/Veterans day is coming up I figured I thought it appropriate that I realized the price of liberty. We owe so much to veterans and victims of war.