SPRiNG BREAk:

drinking a cup of coffee at my desk and enjoying my first time alone in days. break has been perfect so far. although, it feels like it has taken place over one long blurr of a day rather than 5 separate days -- full of loud laughs, countless bottles of wine, late nights that have quickly turned into early mornings, rainy afternoon walks, blissful emotions. the closer i become to the people around me, the more rich this experience seems to become and the more anxious i become when i think about leaving this magical, romantic place. i have begun to film random moments with my friends, mostly for myself, to enjoy later in the future -- nothing specific, just small bits of conversation sitting in my room late at night or drunkenly dancing in the streets of paris.

i am slowly beginning to plan out the music fest for this summer -- the date is still up in the air but it should be happening within the first two weeks of august. my cousin, rory, and i have decided to give it an official name this year: "Seldom Seen Music Fest." i am really looking forward to putting together a beautiful weekend of music on the farm that i hold so dear to my heart. i am also hoping that some of my study abroad friends will be able to make the road trip and join in the fun!

in general, really loving this moment and feeling so ready for the adventures in my future - tonight, this summer, and years from now.

sending love & light -- <3 <3 <3

it was one of those weekends that it really hit me where i actually am. i look around at my life and wonder how the hell i got here -- sitting in a white and yellow, sun filled room surrounded by photos of love. i feel so genuinely blessed in my life right now. 

loire valley, as expected, was absolutely breath-taking. the group was slightly different yet equally as wonderful. many make believe games were played as we walked into each chateau as if we were viewing it as a possible home for the upcoming summer months -- we discussed in detail of the parties we would have, who would take which rooms, and how we would spend most of our time laying in the gardens and swimming in the water. i came away with much too many "husbands/lovers", "roommates", and "future homes" which just goes to show that some things never change... 

saturday we viewed château de chambord and château de blois, two massive, royal castles which seemed to go on and on with rooms covered in gold leaf and floral wallpaper. that afternoon we had a wine tasting at chateau gaudrelle, an ancient, family-owned business whose focus is mainly white wine but varies in all different directions from dry, sparkling whites to still, sweet dessert whites. we were lucky enough to try a little of everything! that night we stayed in tours, which i didn't realize is actually just a big college town. in the middle of the town is a square filled with all kinds of cheap bars and great looking restaurants, young students sit around drinking and hanging out. it was the perfect atmosphere to spend our saturday night. 

  sunday we all awoke early to continue our journey. first, we saw chateau d'azay-le-rideau which was great because there was almost no one else viewing it that day so we were able to get some great photos and really appreciate the smaller details of the castle. we took off our shoes and had a sliding contest in one of the royal bedrooms then spent the last bit of our time there laying in the grass outside talking about our hometowns and future travels. after that we went to château de chenonceau, which we almost all agreed would be "the one", our home for the summer, where we would spend our time when we weren't adventuring around europe. in other words, it was our favorite. surrounded by the most astonishing gardens, including a maze, and acres of paths carved into the forest. the castle was big but not massive and it had an incredible 5-room kitchen which overlooked the water. we were blown away. 

the ride home went quickly and smoothly -- especially compared to normandy. no one got sick or claustrophobic and the ride was much shorter but it still left us all exhausted and ready for a long night's sleep. 

time is going so quickly. after this week, we have a 4 day weekend for easter and then 2 1/2 weeks off for spring break. after that, i'll only have a month left here. it's unbelievable that it's already april and, on account of, we only have 9 days of class in the duration of this month, it's bound to fly. i'm not sure how i feel about going home at this point. one semester does not seem like nearly enough time here yet i am anxious to spend the summer months with my friends and family in iowa. 

going to see a vivaldi concert tonight -- really looking forward to it especially considering that since i've been here, i've spent a lot of time listening to opera and classical music (including vivaldi). it serves as great studying/relaxing music for early mornings and late nights. 

bisou ! xo