Day 1

I have finally made it to Europe without any problems or delays! I found Ashley waiting for me at the terminal and we both hurried to get on a train into Paris.

Here we are on the metro heading out of Charles De Gaulle. Our train from Paris to Troyes was not till 12:13 so we went across the street and had some coffee and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Once back in Troyes we headed to Ashley's apartment to drop off my bags then out to see the beautiful town of Troyes. I forgot to grab the camera on the way out the door to buy food but I'm sure I will get some more pictures tomorrow when Ashley is at class or when we explore even more.

So a quick update on the paper chain Ashley made....

IT IS DONE! I ripped the last one down she did not have time the in the morning before she came to get me from the airport to get it so I thought I would take the liberty to get it down.

Tonight we are having a 5 course meal prepared by the hostess with the mostest Miss Ashley Brown! I will let her take a quick break from preparing food to explain each course.

1.Apéritif- The french start off their meal with a drink...due to my location I choose a delicious bottle of one of my favorite Champagnes.

2. Entrée- Appetizer Tomato Mozzarella Salad paired with a Riesling from Alsace.

3. Plat Principal- Main Course Lamb with Potatoes and Green Beans paired with a red wine from Bordeaux.

4. Fromage- Cheese Course! Comte and Chaource with a fresh baguette. Which Dustin almost ate on the way back home and almost had to use it as a weapon on a cyclist coming full steam at us but the cyclist chose well and went into the street before being baguetted (Only Dustin uses it as a verb).

5.Dessert- Pastries that we bought from my favorite boulangerie/patisserie Gérard

getting close....

Right now I'm sitting in O'hare waiting for the flight to Paris, it looks to be on time and if all goes well I should be in France and with Ashley in less than 9 hours! It really does not seem possible but very soon I will be able to be with the most amazing girl I have ever met (I still think you are amazing mom!) 7 months seemed like an eternity but know its finally over I do not even know how to react!

Stay in touch more to come as we venture across western europe together!

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T- Minus

Its getting down to that time... T-minus 5 days! in one hour it will be 4!

Eurail Passes are in Hand!

As it gets closer to the big adventure it becomes harder ad harder to sleep and tonight will be even harder. Ashley and my Eurail passes came in the mail today!

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Paper Chains

So anyone who has been in a long distance relationship knows it is not easy. It takes a lot of patience, trust, and understanding on both ends. It requires strength and commitment to keep a relationship alive and strong despite the distance and time apart. It's not easy being away from those you love.
Even though I have thoroughly enjoyed being in France experiencing the culture and language, living in a foreign country does have it's lonely moments. So to help with the time apart I decided to make a paper chain from a couple of old bird watching magazine's my parents left behind to count down the number of days til Dustin comes to France.
It's silly but being such a visual person, seeing the time and distance become shorter creates a greater appreciation for my experiences in France while getting excited to travel throughout Europe together.

I started out with 86 days and am now down to 34 days! Bottom line I can not wait til April 13th for Dustin to get here so, we can start traveling around Europe together.

Fête des rois

One of my favorite French traditions is the Fête des rois (Celebration of the Kings) or L'Épiphanie (Epiphany). The official holiday is on January 6th but the French celebrate it throughout the entire month. The holiday recognizes the day the wisemen saw the baby Jesus. Below is a picture of a galette a thin buttery cake with an almond cream inside and like all French pastries it's delicious. The tradition goes everyone takes a slice of the galette and inside is a little figurine or bean and the person who is fortunate enough to find the piece is the king or queen of the day!

I celebrated this holiday on two separate occasions and was the queen of the day for both. Might be a sign...

Eurail Pass

Today I bought the Eurail Passes for our adventure! Im really excited to get outta here! This past Friday I got my International Driving Permit, it basically looks like a cheap passport and translates your American Drivers License into 11 different Languages.