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Sunday, August 2, 2009

Bonjour family and friends.

I am in Paris right now with my friend, Alissa. We took a 15-hour train ride from Bilbao into Paris on Thursday night. We arrived really early Friday morning. We got ready and headed out. We decided to go to the Notre Dame because it is close to our hotel. It was gorgeous - we walked up the stairs to the top and looked out over the city. That night, we went to the Eiffel Tower, to watch it at sundown. We stayed out on the lawn and watched it light up at 10PM. It was breathtaking.

Yesterday was really busy. We went up the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, saw the Basilique de Socre-Coeur, Place de Concorde, Champs-Elysees. Like Spain, there is so much history behind all of these places and it's amazing to be in these places that were built and established so long ago.

Today, we went to Versailles, which is the royal palace that was built by Louis the 14th. He wanted to build a palace covered in gold - and he did. It was build in the late 1600s and it still looks brand new... definitely a great day.

When I was in Spain, I missed certain things from home...and even though they were the little things in life, I will appreciate them so much more when I go home. Now that I'm in Paris, I appreciate things from Spain a lot more. I think a big part of why I love Spain so much is the language....and here, I know about 10 words of French. I feel so accomplished when I speak in Spanish and leaving that behind has been difficult. I guess I feel more connected to Spanish culture because I can understand their language.

I cannot believe that tomorrow is my last day in Europe. It is still weird to think that I have been here over a month and lived here. I still cannot wrap my head around it.

I also just wanted to let you know that Europe has not changed the Lana that you know and love -- I fell down the stairs yesterday in the Metro and I'm pretty sure I'm nursing a sprained ankle now. I am a little bruised and swollen, but managing to get by and enjoy my time here. The trip wouldn't have been complete without a little bit of klutzy-ness, I suppose :)

And, last but not least, I cannot wait to fly back. It's been great here, but I miss my home (and my salads with dressing)

See you all soon!!
Amore, Lana