Provence, France

 From the 23rd to the 27th of October, my host family and I stayed with a friend of my host father's in Provence. It was very beautiful there, and reminded me a lot of Colorado because of the climate and mountains. Provence is known for its lavender fields. I didn't get to see them in bloom, but there was a general theme of lavender (and honey) vending all through the countryside, and the rows and rows of wintering lavender plants were still quite impressive along the roadside. I didn't manage to capture it in these photographs, but the autumn leaves on the mountainsides were a sight to see, and I loved all the little towns, clustered about church towers.

The pictures above are from my favorite village that we visited was called Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.There was a stream right down the center of the town which was boarded by green and crossed here and there by arching stone bridges. It was very beautiful with all it's old buildings, and if you took the stairs up the side of the mountain you came to a quite churchyard and its chapel. Directly above the church, strung between two mountains, hung a golden star that you could see (but not get a great picture of) from the town. Here is an old stamp to give you an idea of what it looked like.

After we visited Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, we went to see the lake Sainte-Marie. My host family rented a small boat called a "pédalo" which you row by peddling, and we used it to go up the river into the canyon. No, you are not mistaken, the photo below is of my host dad smiling! I caught him! Afterwards we relaxed on the shore, gathered nice pebbles, and tried skipping stones.

The photos above are of me doing "acrobrach", a sort of sport that is composed of many trees, cables, and harnesses. It was awesome!!! The zip lines were very fun, and I had a great time going through the various courses with my host mother and sister. We tried the highest level at the end and failed from lack of arm strength. The French are really serious about their jungle gyms!

The photos above are of the "velorail" that we took around the country. It is an iron contraption that you peddle down the railway. My host parents decided to peddle the way there, but little did they know, the way back was downhill. My host sister and I really had to work hard at not doing anything when it was our turn! I guess the rout was beautiful, but I was preoccupied watching the lizards scurrying along the rail in front of us. Very fun! Would do again!

On our last day in Provence, my host family drove down the canyon. It was incredibly beautiful with many amazing rock structures, elegant fall foliage, and a fresh, autumn breeze. We stopped at a little town besides a cliff that you can see in a photo above. I did not include a photo, but there too were the "Turkish" style toilets. Be warned my friends, be warned... All in all, it was a great trip, and I loved getting to see some of what I had learned in French class in action!

Rendez-vous Bundesplatz

 This evening I took the bus with my host sister Tabea to the train station in Romont and then traveled to Bern where we spent a lovely hour like teenage Americans, drinking Starbucks. I tried pumpkin spice for the first time, and yes, it was delicious! I also experienced for the first time, the wonderful name interpretation of Starbucks employees. I am now Lydie. Anais, who studies in Bern, met us there and tasted our drinks, and then we walked together to the square in front of the capital building to met my

host mom. The sky darkened, the square filled up with people, and the lights of the buildings all around went out. A bell rang out and a clock, projected on the face of the capital building, started to count down to the start of the show. First, we saw the capital building, projected on the capital building. But then it started to melt and lava poured through. We were presented the formation of the earth, the cooling, the ice-age, the movement of the continents, and eventually the formation of the famous Swiss mountain

Matterhorn. The mountain came to life with the illumination of a magic crystal, and out popped a friendly mountain face that enjoyed the thriving wildlife around it. Then a man came. He brought others and they began to build the capital building, first in wood, then in stone like a castle, and then there was an industrial revolution represented by trains and gears. The capital was then built in glowing blue stone to represent the future, and at the very top was a spot for the magic crystal that had brought the mountain to life in the beginning. Everyone then went to the mountain to fetch the crystal, and a psychedelic scene erupted, prompted by an overabundance of ropes that the Swiss were using to climb the mountain. Eventually they cut out the crystal, and a great storm erupted as the mountain cried. The Swiss returned to their capital building, but they were afraid, and it was destroyed by the lightning. They crystal was then returned to the mountain, trees were planted, and the animals all returned. ...And they all lived in harmony! The 60's song "Respect" then blasted through the square and another psychedelic trip commenced with the capital building twisting, turning, and changing color in an astonishing feat of illusion. The lesson? Don't let in tourists and take care of the environment!

Afterwards we went back to the train station where we bought roasted chestnuts! It was my very first time eating roasted chestnuts, and they were delicious but incredibly difficult to get out of their shells. I shall become an expert! The practical Swiss serve them in little paper sacks with one pocket for the unopened and one for the shells. Now I know the magic of chestnuts as was attested to in the Christmas song "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...". I believe I have now seen these wonderful stands at every big city train station in Switzerland, so I will be sure and find them again! Merry Bundesplatz to all, and to all a good night!

The Rendez-vous Bundesplatz started the past year and takes place twice a day in the evening from October 18th to the 23rd of November. It is the projection of a light show on the capital building. For more information learn French and read the website: http://www.rendezvousbundesplatz.ch/fr/

Milan Cathedral - Duomo di Milano

Expo Milano 2015

Website: http://www.expo2015.org/en