Update

Above is a toy at the parks here that my mom wanted to see. It is like a merry-go-round, but you can climb on it.

So, I haven't posted anything in a while, because nothing has really happened in a while. Spring has not yet sprung, and my travels have not quite yet begun. I didn't intend for that to rhyme. Anyway, things are going well. The weather is greatly improving. Sunny and in the 50's. I will definitely take more pictures of my area when spring and summer arrive. The views are amazing, when it isn't foggy.

Things to look for in the near future are the following: I will be using two of my four weeks of paid vacation traveling with a BYU friend to the following destinations April 16-May 2: Paris, Florence, Neuchatel(my current residence), Munich, Prague, Frankfurt, Salzburg and Vienna. I think, the last two cities aren't completely final, but I think they are on the list. Then in May I am possibly traveling to Venice and Rome. I would really like to fit Greece in as well, but I don't think I can at that time. Also now that the weather is improving I would like to start traveling around Switzerland on my three day weekends. I plan to go to Geneva, Zurich, Basel, Fribough, Interlaken, Luzern, Lausanne, Bern(temple location) and possibly more. Those cities are all within two hours of me. Amazing! Milan will also be visited soon, since I think I figured out a way to travel there for only $28 round trip. Well, that is all. Happy Spring!

Below are just a few pictures starting with the current view from my friends apartment, and the view from the Bern temple (which was amazing, the Alps were so clear, but I couldn't quite capture it, you can faintly see the Alps behind the trees) and the temple.

The south of France

La Croix Valmer, a relatively small city located on the southern coast of France directly between Toulon and Nice. I went there with the fam for 4 days, from Feb. 9-13. It was about a 7 hour drive. Beautiful, windy, cold (10-12 degress C), but very sunny. No snow, it was a nice break from the snow. The town was almost completely empty, not quite tourist season. So here are the pictures!

Also, my employer said it was fine for me to post pictures for my friends and family to see, she just ask that I not include names. So here they are!




Above is the house we stayed in. It belongs to the grandmother of their friends who invited us. It was actually two small houses next to one another. Below is the view of the Mediterranean from the house.Above is just a picture from our drive there. It bore a strong resemblance to southern California to me. The foliage, the sunshine, the soil, the terrain. I have never hear of the two being compared, but that is what I thought. So anyone reading this from SoCal, just look around and you now know what the south of France looks like. Obviously the streets, architecture and people were very different from California.




So the beach kind of slightly reminded me of the beaches in Ghana. The emptiness perhaps. The beaches in Ghana were gorgeous, probably the most beautiful I have ever seen. But they were all empty. There was an area roped of like 100ft by 100ft that you could wade in. I think it was because nobody knew how to swim.


I saw all these posters around, and I was thinking "That looks like Nelly from Little house on the Praire". It is, apparently she is coming to visit France as some celebrity. Funny! People here know much more about old American TV shows than Americans do. I still have never seen an episode of Dallas, but people often hum the theme song when I tell them I am from there.








This is a little nativity scene inside a church. The people are dressed in the traditional clothing from this area.




Above are pasterys from a local bakery. The are a specialty of that particular area. They were so delicious! It was like a thin cake/bread, chewy and more sturdy like a bread, but really soft and a bit sweet like a cake. It was filled with incredibly rich, vanilla creme and topped with powdered sugar and little clusters of sugar that add a little crunch but quickly dissolve in your mouth. So good!

Above are little vegetables made of marzipan. Basically sugar paste. Cute!


Above is a cute picture of the family that I live with.

















Above is a window in a church.






Above is the dress code for a particular beach. The minimum of course. I haven't been to any beaches yet (obviously it is winter) but I do hear that most people go topless. I am going to feel so overdressed! Maybe I will just embrace it and go in an old fashioned knee length, neck high suit. That would be fun.






Above is the family, and below was our entire group.