Au revoir France

Bonjour tous le monde!

This is my last blog post...I am heading home in a few short days!!!

I know I haven't updated in a long time, but there will be tons of stories to share when I arrive home. We just got back from our final sketch/travel break for the year. This one was a lot of fun, because it was three weeks long and the destinations were unbeatable. I started off by traveling to Venice, Florence, and Rome with a group of friends. I absorbed so much culture and learned lots in each city that I visited. In Venice I convinced my friends to go on a gondola boat ride with me. I was enchanted by the "sinking city," which was coherently beautiful and ancient all the way through. I didn't want to leave. In Florence we visited lots of art museums, including the famous one where Michelangelo's David is housed. There was also lots of interesting architecture to discover. Of all the cities I visited, Rome had the most to offer. Every turn around the corner gave way to a structure, statue, or monument that was 2,000 years old. We explored the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Vatican and Sistine chapel, and a few Baroque churches by the masters Bernini and Borromini. The churches were my favorite.

After our week-long trip throughout Italy we flew to Athens to begin the sketching portion of our trip. A group of about 10 of us was led by a sketch instructor who had previously been a student of the Versailles program many years back. We spent one day in Athens, sketching on the Acropolis. Then the next day we took a ferry to Mykonos, where we spent about four days. I liked Mykonos the best. It is the island with the "five windmills," very picturesque structures that are no longer in use, yet much adored for their quaint history. I loved walking through the winding streets of the maze of white-block buildings, red- and blue-domed churches, and laid-back cafes and giftshops that made me feel like I was on a tropical honeymoon vacation. Everyone agreed that it was paradise. On day on Mykonos we took a small boat to a nearby uninhabited island, Delos, to check out the archeological ruins. It was worthwhile.

Our next, and final, stop was the island of Santorini, acclaimed to be the best and most "picturesque" of all the Greek islands. We stayed in the part of the island called "Fera" and traveled to "Oia" to watch the sunset the first night we arrived. Unlike Mykonos, Santorini has really steep cliffs covered with white block-houses. It's churches have even bluer domes and are more perfect in geometry. But I liked Mykonos better. We walked to the very top of Oia and looked down on the city below us. A single sailboat tottered its way far out away from shore, giving its occupants the perfect view of what was to come. Soon the sun dipped beneath the clouds and the sky was soaked pink-red. It was an evening to remember.

Another night we stayed on Santorini the Greek family running our hotel held a party outside and invited us. They had live Greek music and were dancing just like the Greeks do. They pulled us out of our seats and told us to join them. We all gathered in a circle and danced like crazy. Then we sat down and they treated us to a Greek buffet. I had a wonderful time. Nobody wanted to leave Greece.

After our Greece sketch trip I traveled to Vienna to enjoy one more city before heading back to France. In Vienna I visited the Belvedere(where Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss' is held) and listened to a classical music concert where they played the Four Seasons.

Upon arriving back in France I relaxed and spent my time going into Paris and doing the remaining things I wanted to do. I ate at an American diner(which was fabulous), walked through the catacombs, traversed the Champs-Elysees(for the last time) and climbed to the top of the Arche de Triomphe, and passed the Eiffel Tower for a final glance at the structure. Then the following day I visited the Chateau and had lunch in the gardens. Soon afterwards the fountains started going off and classical music was playing. It was the perfect day.

Tomorrow I have my fairwell dinner with my French family. Then two days after that I leave to head back to the United States. I am sad to be leaving France, but feel ready to go and begin a new page in my life. One thing I know for sure is that my life will never be the same...this experience has changed me into a different person, one much more intelligent, aware of her surroundings, cultured, and able to deal with all types of situations. Now I know what the previous students meant when they said that it was worth more than money can buy. I feel the full weight of the value of this trip, and I know in my heart it was the right thing, the only thing, to do to help myself grow. I have grown in all the ways that I wanted to, and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

I can't wait to see everyone when I get home, and tell you all about my wonderful year-long adventure.

See you soon!!!!
Diana