Valencia...

Night and day, I'm continuously impressed with the city's fusion of old-world charm and modern architecture. Above is a picture of Valencia's planetarium and below one of Carmen's cathedral. Last is a photo of the roommates of my Auberge espagnole on their previous trip to Mallorca (includes Florian from Switzerland, and my roommates Verena from Austria, Spaniards Susanna and Neus, and Björn from Sweden.)

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡España!!!!!!!!!!

Before I even had a chance to recover from my departure from Paris, I threw myself into another exotic country yet to discover. I'm not really sure what I'm doing living in sunny Valencia, since it hasn't been easy saying goodbye to Paris, but I sure  am enjoying my time here.



The bottom three photos are in a nearby town called Sagunt, which Kristin's archeologist friend Pablo drove us to explore on July 7th. This (partially reconstructed) roman ampitheater dates from 200 b.c.; a nearby fortification extends out for miles in the distance, as it once protected the Iberians from invaders.

Another Romantic Getaway on the Côte d'Azur - June 2005

There's nothing like a bird's eye view of the French Riviera (too bad it was raining)!

Going from Nice into Italy is one of the most picturesque drives one can imagine. Both country's seaside rivieras are marvelous, although I know the French coast much better than the Italian side. This time, driving from Cagnes-sur-Mer to Nice, then Villefranch, Beaulieu, Monte Carlo, Menton, through a small Italian village called Latte, into Italy's market ridden Ventimiglia, and back (with a whole lot of Limoncella and Grappa), was quite a dream.

Paris Soirée - May 26th

I was the host of several extravagant soirées throughout the year. On this particular night, so many people showed up at my apartment, we all had to gather our belongings and our wine, and head over to the nearby quais on the Seine River. A few friends brought their guitars, and the rest of us just enjoyed the beautiful night out. Pictured first is me on Pont Neuf earlier that day, as well as a bronze statue of Henri IV on a horse riding atop my head.

Paris in late May warmed up, classes calmed down, Matthieu returned from the Cannes Film Festival, and the lazy days passed by without a moment of boredom. I fell more in love with my diverse neighborhood, from the Jardin des Plantes to rue Mouffetard. My favorite thing is Paris' Grande Mosquée located next to my apartment. All the world's Muslim countries donated money to build it once the seperation of church and state complicated its erection in France, so the architecture is a variation of styles from across the Muslim world.
I also added some photos of my neighbors--a few goofy llamas and a red panda with the cutest little tongue. They all live in the ménagerie two seconds from my house, in the Jardin des Plantes!