Took a great hiking trip today with Roecker and Lauren. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday. We went to a little market to buy some sandwitches for lunch, and then we were off. After only an hour or so, we found ourselves with the most magnificent view of the Mount Sainte-Victoire. Along the way, we kept seeing small groups of guys in PT uniforms running up and down the trails singing cadences in French. Needless to say, it was quite suprising. Later on, we talked to some of them, and it turned out they are from the French military high school here. It was exciting to talk to them. The weather was perfect. Much different than the blistering cold it has been here in Aix the past couple of days. Only one more week until Prague and Vienna! I'm already getting excited.

It was another chilly day here in the south of France. For being here along the Mediterranian it's a little colder than I imagined. This morning it was a brisk -2 degrees Celcius! I visited the Cathedrial today to get some pictures of the inside. Even during the day it was cool inside. The picture of the whole in the ground with the pillars is an ancient Roman baptisimal pool dating back to the 5th century! I have one class tomorrow and then it's the weekend! I have no travel plans, which means I can spend the whole weekend enjoying the beautiful city of Aix.

I had the great opportunity to attend Ash Wednesday mass at the Saint-Sauveur d'Aix. It is a cathedrial that was origionally built on top of Roman temple ruins in the year 500. The current building itself was built in the 12th century. It was beautiful inside. I will make sure to take some pictures next time I'm there. Only complaint, there was absolutely no heating insite whatsoever. It made for a very cold mass. Also, I had pretty much no idea what exactly was happing due to it being in French. I was able to make out a few phrases and even parts of the homily. It definitely was an experience I will never forget. Another memorable thing to note, in my Living in France class we had a wine and cheese tasting. Hands down, best class ever.

Well, I bought my airline ticket for Prague yesterday. Hurt my wallet a little, but I can hardly wait. I am going with a group of my good friends. We will split a week between Prague in the Czech Republic and Vienna in Austria. I've already started a list of places I will visit. I am thrilled to visit the city where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did most of his work. Unfortunately, we can't make the trip to Salzburg, where he was born. However, his tombstone is in St. Marx cemetery in Vienna. I also can't wait to visit the Hapsburg palace in Vienna. I've been looking at pictures, and it's incredible. The garden out back is as big as the entire nation of Monaco. I don't know how I'm going to be able to focus on the next two weeks with these two beautiful cities on my mind.

Well I made it back from the French Alps without any serious injury! It was incredible up there. The mountains are breathtaking. All 8 of us Americans were in the same lodge, which was perfect. When we arrived there, it was dark, and we had no idea what the view was like from our porch. We made sure to close all the blinds before we went to bed. The next morning, we all gathered around the window. After a short count down, we flung open the blinds. It was like Christmas morning. The view was astounding. We quickly headed downstairs and rented all of our gear. Soon I was on a lift headed up the bunny slope. Luckily, one of my friends is a very experienced skier, and she taught me all of the basics. The first hour or so was pretty tedious. I quickly learned the best way to get up after a fall. However, soon I was making it all the way down the piste without falling.  After a long day on the slopes, we worked together to make a delicious dinner of pasta. The next day, I was ready to go. After an hour or so on the green slope, a friend and I decided to take on the mountain. We made our way down a trail to a chair lift that would take us to the top. For some reason, this lift was the most terrifying experience of my life. I've never had a fear of heights, but something about it was unnerving. I did manage to take a couple quick pictures with a death grip on my phone. When we made it to the top, we found out that the green piste had some blue mixed in with it. Bravely, we pushed off and began a long, arduous journey down the mountain. Luckily, we made it without any severe injuries. I finished off the day with a few quick slopes, and then it was back to Aix. All in all it was a perfect weekend trip. I can't wait to go skiing again soon hopefully. 

I am finishing up my packing for my skiing trip. I leave in a few hours. I can't wait to see the beauty of the legendary Alps. I've packed nearly every warm article of clothing I could find. I am expecting to spend a lot of time getting up from the snow, as this will be my first time skiing. I can only imagine the view that I will have from the tops of the mountains. My camera is charging right now, so look forward to some great pictures when I get back sometime on Sunday. My main partner in crime, Roecker, has been pretty sick the past couple of days. Hopefully he will feel better soon. I have discovered a new thing to eat for lunch. A baguette and Nutella. Super cheap, yet not healthy what so ever. It's fine. Calories don't count here in France right? Something about the metric system.It has been colder here than usual. Compounding that is the incredible wind that blows through the tight and winding streets. I invested today in a classic French écharpe or scarf. It makes all the difference. Other than that, I'm just enjoying the daily, relaxed French lifestyle. I am posting some of the pictures from my photography class photo shoot around Aix yesterday. I'm looking forward to a great weekend in the Alps!

Enjoyed another beautiful day here in the city of Aix. Without a doubt, the best part of my day occurred during my Living in France class. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, there are open air markets in to of the squares in town. You can buy nearly anything there and at low prices too. The atmosphere is very lively and colorful. Anyway, our assignment in class was to walk around these markets and write down everything that we observed. While we were there, a pair of real medieval musicians started playing. Needless to say it was greatly entertaining. Roecker and I watched them for a full ten minutes. Afterwards, we were even able to take a picture with them. It made our day. Other than that, the only other noteworthy thing was a dog that we saw running around with video camera strapped to it's back. Very odd indeed. I was able to borrow some pants for the skiing trip to the Alps this weekend, however, I have never seen a more 80's looking pair of pants. they will definitely make for an interesting trip.