Paris=AMAZING!

I fell in love with Paris! I have been a little depressed since I came back and that is why I haven't wanted to write about the trip. The city had such a warm energy and life to it. I felt like it was magic. It really was something I cant explain but I loved it. I had such a blast there. Ingrid (my teammate) had a friend that lived in Paris so when we got off the plane he was waiting there to take us to our Hostel. We got dropped off and had 30 mins to get ready. Then we took the Metro downtown to meet the same friend and one of his guy friends for dinner. It felt so natural...like we always live in Paris and were just meeting some friends for a nice evening out. Dinner was wonderful. We drank wine and chatted and ate fantastic food. The company was good and we laughed a lot. Our waiter was from Poland but he had been to Boulder a few times because he dated a girl from there. He even had been to little Steamboat Springs (What a small world)! From dinner we went to and Australian bar and danced a lot.

The next day we walked around the city all day. We got Starbucks, which they don't have in Denmark, so that was really exciting.

We had perfect timing with everything that we saw. After seeing all the sites and gardens we were close enough to see the Eiffel Tower in the far distant just as the sun began to set. We walked closer and the sunset got better as we approached it. It really was like something out of a movie. I was hoping that I wouldn't be disappointed by the tower, but it was so beautiful! And a lot bigger than I imagined! As soon as we got to the bottom of it these white sparkling lights lit the tower up and made it look glittery. They only stayed on for a few minutes and I'm not sure why they went on. Someone said to celebrate their veterans day. It was very neat.

Our last full day Schnake and I got up and ready earlier than the other two girls so we walked to a cafe and had coffee. She had hot chocolate, but to make it they just gave her a cup of steaming milk and a block of chocolate on a stick. She had to stir her milk with the chocolate and it melted off the stick to make the most amazing hot chocolate ever. We then walked around more and saw everything else we wanted to see in Paris. There was lots of shopping, cafes, watching street dancing, looking up at big beautiful buildings and talking to people. We made lots of friends and walked what seemed like forever. I really liked the Champs-Elysees, which is like a classier Broadway. Lots of shopping and people. During the weekend some of the big things that we saw were the outside of the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Arc De Trioumphe.

Our Last night we were all really tired from the day, but decided to stop in a little pub for a beer and a walking break before heading back to our hostel. We ended up staying there and playing a card game for a long time. Everyone always looks at us weird because we are a group of tall girls who speak English. We ended up making friends with a group of boys there and playing cards with them. They were very nice and very nerdy and I don't think talk to girls often which was perfect. It was nice to make some guy friends and talk to them without feeling like they were constantly hitting on you. It was a very nice ending to the perfect trip. I want to go back!

Paris

Tomorrow I am getting on a plane and flying to Paris for the weekend. We dont have any volleyball and it really couldn't come at a better time. I need to get away. There are four of us Americans going. One girl cannont come because she can't afford it. We are staying in a cheap hostel and I really think it is going to be great. I am very excited. I just want to sit in cafes and drink coffee and listen to a beautiful language around me for once. Danish is about the most ugly language I have ever heard. Dont worry I will take lots of pictures and let you all know about it when I get back. Still missing everyone from home but enjoying things here more and more each day. Below is a picture of the trees outside my window this afternoon. The sun is setting at around 4:00 these days. It is crazy! Such short days. It doesnt rise until 8 or 9.

Sponser work for the store

This morning we got up early to go to one of the local grocery stores to help pass our free breakfast (Gratis Morgenmad...as we were trying to yell in Danish to passing people on bikes). It was the stores 50th year or something like that so today they are celebrating by passing out free stuff. It was really fun actually. We had to wake up at 5:30, I have never been a morning person as many of you know, and now it is even worse because I often sleep in with no responsibility to get out of bed early for. But once we were up and out it was great. Even with the language barrier doing something nice for people, like giving them free breakfast, makes you feel happy.

Then Ingrid and I went back in the afternoon and handed out free beers and goody bags. I really had to practice my Danish then because they wanted different kind of flavors and wanted to know what was in it, and if it was free, and why. Lots of questions to figure out and try to answer. We met a very interesting man who was dressed in big black boots and a fur jacket. He talked to us a long time and told us he was a designer for Versace but I doubt that. He said he wants to be our teams cheerleader. He was clearly gay, but really fun. I felt like I was talking to mogatu from zoolander.

Overall it was the kind of day that makes you smile. I am going to try to do a better job of just inserting a pic and letting you know what I am up to here more often. Then I wont have to feel like when I get on I have to do big updates. I miss everyone a lot and really cant wait for my family to come visit :) Below is a picture of our new "designer" friend. He insisted on talking to us while he put his groceries into the back of his car. I think he really just needed to talk to someone.