-It begins...-

Spring Break got off to a great start on Friday as Eyjafjallajokull the Icelandic volcano erupted all over Europe's travel plans.  With so many canceled flights, this meant that everyone got to stay in Paris over the weekend and celebrate my birthday!  Disclaimer: I had planned all along on staying in Paris until Wednesday, and none of my flights were affected.

Saturday afternoon a group of us girls saw a movie in St. Michel and then ate pizza down by the Seine.  And for the evening, I met up with more students - all angry that they were stuck in Paris - to toast my 21st and curse the volcano.

Sunday was the nicest weather I have yet seen in Paris, and Maria joined me for a stroll through the gardens of Versailles.  I needed sunscreen, which tells you how drastically the weather had shifted from chilly spring to full-on sunshine (this proved to be short-lived).  The lines for the palace looked long, so we only went through the gardens, but really, how many can say they got to spend their 21st birthday wandering the luxurious gardens of Louis XIV, the Sun King?  We topped off the evening with a few other friends for falafel in Le Marais, and I may have purchased some chocolate as a birthday present to myself...

I spent a few more days in Paris before jetting around Europe...I didn't actually do that much jetting, only 3 flights, but I saw so many things I shall soon be sharing on this blog.

Monday being my first day of no school, I slept in before going to the Parc de Belleville to sit in the shade, eat my croque monsieur sandwich and Paris brest pastry, and do some of my homework reading: Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac.  It really is a beautiful park, and I had a hard time finding a spot because it was so crowded.

Tuesday my AU friend Caleb was making his way through Paris via train, since his return flight from Italy to London had been canceled.  After having un café and sending him on his way back to London, I ate a crepe in front of Notre Dame and then walked the entire way through the Jardin des Tuileries.  I'm going to miss all of the gardens in Paris; we just don't grow things like this in Idaho.