blog d'amour

the most magical moments here lately have been while taking long walks, usually (and preferably) on my own. whether it be early in the morning, mid-afternoon, or late at night - i've always really looked forward to clearing my mind and organizing my thoughts by aimlessly walking and admiring my surroundings. my go-to route in iowa city includes a detour through the ped mall to people watch, down along the river where i cross every bridge i see, and over to city park where i usually end up sitting in the shakespearean theatre for awhile before heading back. in dubuque, i love the routes through the forest of swiss valley, heritage trail lined with tall trees, and sometimes just simply along the gravel roads near my house.
but, in paris, it's another world. whenever i feel out of it, not myself in someway, or just simply nostalgic, i force myself to get up and take a walk which, naturally, always turns into hours and hours of getting lost along the seine and exploring which ever old street has the most provocative stone passageway or the most colorful storefront. this city seems so small sometimes, everything seems to be within eye-sight. 2 minutes from my apartment, there is a beautiful view of the sacre coeur in the distance and a view of the eiffel tower from the other side. if i keep walking i run into the tuileries gardens, the louvre, and the notre dame. but in general, everywhere i look there is some kind of artful masterpiece, beautiful garden, or mind-blowing cathedral.
walks of solitude, to me, really seem to be a healer of all wounds - for anything from a hangover to homesickness. i come back to myself when i am able to really lose myself in the beauty that surrounds me.

im going to normandy this weekend with some people from my program - really looking forward to it. but even more than that, i am unable to express how excited i am about my little sister coming to visit me in less then 2 weeks! when i think about it, the only thing that could make this experience better would be to share it with a loved one from home. i am so antsy to take her to my favorite walking spots and to share a bottle of wine with her in a local cafe, to dance the night away together in a foreign country. we will spend the last weekend of her visit in venice, italy where i hope to indulge in the best pizza in the world and get hit on by the best flirts in the world. plane ticket and hostel were booked last night - couldn't be more stoked!