final weekend :(

Well I have just about neared the end (tear) and just had an amazing last weekend here in paradise!  The festival was coming to an end and we were all getting a little tired of the crowds so we spent most of this weekend enjoying the beach!

Friday night we decided to have a huge beach party.  This would have been fun enough on its own; however, the night was complete with a huge fireworks show which was so much fun to watch from the beach!

Saturday we spend the entire day hanging out with everyone at the beach (like 40 of us!).  its so much fun now that everyone on the program is so close; yet also that much sadder that we are leaving each other so soon.  That night a few of us decided we wanted to have a beach picnic/watch the sunset.  So we hauled our butts to the nearest grocery store in the sauna like weather and stocked up, and I do mean stocked up.  We had it all: bread, cheese, pears, wine, juice, dessert, foccaci, even crab meat!  We set up our picnic on a prime beach spot and sadly realized the sun doesn't set over the Mediterranean, rather it sets behind a bunch of buildings.  Innocent mistake, but we didn't care because we were happy to enjoy our feast and each other's company.  We sat for several hours and when it got dark we decided a night swim was in order.  So we swam off about 7 pounds of food each then just hung out the rest of the night drinking good wine and having a blast.

    

Sunday we ended the weekend the way it started, on the beach.  That night we all decided to try out a bar that had just opened.  It's called Coco Loco and it's a rum bar that offers all you can eat/drink for $12 euro!  We had a giggly fun time here then headed to our favorite Irish pub Morrison's for ladies night and live music.

All in all I could not have asked for a better last month and last weekend!  I will be soooo sad to leave my new home but I sure am excited to see everyone back home!  So here's to a great last 4 days (ahhhh!)

Paix,

Leah

AMFAR

Wow. that's all I can really say about the event of the season last night, AMFAR's Cinema Against Aids dinner and auction.

I arrived at 9:00 that morning and immediately set to work fixing all the tables so they passed the perfection standard of Versace.  I kid you not we probably changed table settings around 80 times (since celebrities don't find the need to call before deciding they want to attend).  The site looked absolutely stunning and I only wish I could have taken pictures to show you the amazing work Versace and her team dreamed up.  That afternoon we were able to hear Annie Lenox warm up before her evening's performance and then were shown to the beach front cabanas we were able to use to prepare ourselves for the evening (keep in mind this is the most exclusive hotel in all of France).  We looked out over the Mediterranean as we primped and pampered. 

 So since I had been volunteering earlier in the week, I was given 1 of 6 volunteer wrist bands that granted me access to the actual tent (not everyone got in because of the tight security that comes with Bill Clinton). The evening began with a speech by Bill Clinton and Sharon Stone and an opening number by Annie Lenox.  It really was amazing to me how little attention the guests paid to the stage and most of the time they simply talked and networked with each other (I even saw some model on facebook on her phone!).  The ladies always travel in groups of at least 3 to the restroom or else force their date to parade across the room with them.  After this there was a tribute to the late Natasha Richardson (who had been a huge supporter of AMFAR) and even included a note from her husband.  It was very moving and Sharon Stone could hardly make it through her speech. 

 Next up was the live auction.  This was super cool to see since the auction items included things like Bill Clinton's old sax, a private screening of Inglorious Bastards, a Chanel segway and plenty of jewels and babbles oh and Robert Pattinson agreed to kiss 2 gentlemen's daughters for $20,000 each!  When I wasn't helping to move table settings at Paris Hilton's table or Mini Me's table, I was posted up right next to the stage in between Josh Hartnett, Hayden Panettiere and Dolce and Gabbana!  Throughout the course of the evening I had the opportunity to see so many people I admire (and some that I don't) such as....Sharon Stone, Bill Clinton, Mini Me, Mike Myers, 50 Cent, Joshua Jackson, Diane Kruger, Armani, Dolce and Gabana, Cavalli, Missoni, Paris Hilton, Doug Reinhardt, Hayden Panettiere, Claudia Shiffer, Versace, Kerri Washington, the CEO of google, Dita Von Tesse, Kenneth Cole, the editor of Vogue, Robert Pattinson (without a date ladies..), Peaches Geldof and countless young, cute gold diggers on the arms of 80+ gentlemen.  I was not nearly as star struck as I thought (probably due to the fact that I was constantly running around and sweating) and really it was just interesting to sit and observe and see they actually are just real people (and pretty rude at that).  During Annie's final song almost no one in the crowd was listening so after she finished she stood up and through her bottle of water all over the stage then stormed right past me. 

After the dinner (which hardly anyone ate) they crowd moved on down the road to the afterparty.  Also very interesting to observe the happenings around here.  We finally called it a night around 1:30 then crawled back to our beds, satisfied with my celebrity intake for the next lifetime!

wahoooooo

Last night I went to the film: I love you Phillip Morris (set to come out in February 2010) starring Jim Carrey and Ewan Mcgreator.  It was sooooo good!  Basically it's a story about these two gay men who meet and fall in love in prison.  The plot made you laugh out loud, cry, and just fall in love with the characters.  This is my favorite movie of the festival thus far!

Today I volunteered allll day for our AMFAR event tomorrow.  As I have said before this  an event to raise money for aids and this year is hosted by Sharon Stone and Bill Clinton.  Pretty much everyone who is anyone will be in attendance from 50 Cent to Madonna to Brad and Angelina.  So anyway today I volunteered my services to set up.  The event will be taking place at Hotel du Cap in Antibes and it is "the" hotel of the French Riviera.  It is absoultely STUNNING easily the nicest place I've ever been in my life.  (Madonna, Brangelina, Bill and Robert Pattinson are also staying there for the festival).  

So basically our instructions for the day were try not to look super trashy and hide yourselves from well just about everyone ha.  So we mostly worked on setting up the tent and all I can say is WOW.  The venue was designed by Versace (who will be in attendance) and the plates alone cost $500 each.  There are photographs all over by the famed photographer Bruce Weber that are beautiful and overall the place is just overwhelming.  So much for being star struck by the celebs I was literally star struck by the room!  I worked closely with one of Versace's men (who is basically a gay, sassy princess) and I LOVED it!  While he has made it big now, he is from Omaha so we had a riot making fun of how hick the other was, and while he did refuse to call me by my name (who am I kidding he didn't even ask ha!) he did affectionately call me kansas City all day.

After a long day's work we headed outside to wait for our ride back (did I mention we looked pretty scrubby?).  Tonight also happens to be the premier of Brad Pitt's movie so there were a ton of important people around and let's just say they were none to pleased to see 11 crusty girls hanging around the front of the most exclusive hotel in all of France.  So they very clearly told us we needed to hide ourselves in the bushes (literally this is a quote). Ha soo we looked even more awkward standing huddled around some bushes in our scrubby clothes.  Well who should happen to saunter on by but THE Robert Pattinson (Twilight and Harry Potter!)  He literally was all smiles and giggles until he caught a glimpse of us and suddenly had a look of disgust on his face! Ha oh well priceless memory for us!

I am so beyond excited for the big event tomorrow.  Bill Clinton is playing the sax and then auctioning it off-I suggested a duet with 50 cent!  Also it raises a ton of money for adds (last year $10 million) soo Ill will be sure to let you know if this is the night I'm gonna make it big!

halfway there...

So, I thought my second trip down the red carpet might not be as cool as the first, you know without the initial thrill and shock but I was wrong, it gets better with every time!  Last night as I mentioned I was able to see Agora starring Rachel Weisz (The mummy).  It was an amazing movie about Roman antiquity and the struggle for religious power.  I think this time it was even cooler being in the presence of the actors and directors because I actually liked the movie.  Rachel was amazing in her role and you could tell she was really moved by the audience's acceptance.  Afterwards I was even able to stand next to her as she got in her car and drove off (and I did proceed to run after it....alright I'm shameless!)

     

Today I was planning on taking it easy.  I headed to the beach for a while then decided I just had to see something today so I went to a showing of Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock (starring Demitri Martin, Emile Hersch, and Denny from Grey's).  This movie is coming out in the states I believe in the next year and was based on the story of Woodstock's beginning.  It was pretty fun and has some blockbuster potential.  

on the hunt

Today I spent the majority of my day shopping-for celebs that is.  It's not that I consider myself a stalker by any means but it is such a thrill to find a group of people with cameras huddled around an unknown celeb and immediately race to push myself to the front to determine the identity!  Today's big hit was famed director Quentin Tarantino (director of inglorious bastards starring Mr. Pitt premiering Wednesday!).  I just happened to be staring between the wall slants in the Carlton's Restaurant when who should I happen to spot but Tin Tar (as I like to call him).  He was enjoying a nice lunch and so I sat around for a few minutes (or 25) to enjoy his lunch with him :)

Anyway he seemed like a very pleasant man!  After this I was just strolling down the street listening to my ipod when I see another group of people taking pictures of a couple who kept gettin in and out of a car several times.  I thought this was odd and I didn't know the couple but I of course started snapping pictures too.  I was just asking a woman next to me who the couple was, when she said this is a scene for a movie, you are standing with the extras.  Ha whoops, innocent mistake!  Apparently this was a fake group of stalker fans taking pictures and the other real stalkers were across the street taking pictures of the movie scene.  Needless to say, I can not add extra in a french film to my resume!     

After this I stumbled on a press conference for a festival film then decided to head back. I had just posted up with my computer back at the college when my friend Mark calls me again saying if I sprint back down to the festival grounds I can maybe get a ticket for that night's premier.  Well shoot, off I went in a tizzy!  I had just slugged myself into line-sweating profusely- when they tell me tickets are done they may have more at 5:30.  Well I waited it out and was lucky to be early in line and get a ticket!  So tonight I will be seeing Agora on the red carpet, I'll be sure to keep ya posted!

Night 2

I have to make this a quick post because I'm going to head in to town to try and get tickets for Taking Woodstock tonight.  

Last night was amaing (I feel like that may be the theme for the festival).  We were so lucky to get tickets to the premier and only showing of Michel Gondry's film: L'epine dans le coeur (a thorn in the heart).  He was the director of hits such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, etc.  This movie was premiering in the palais but in a smaller theater, which made it even more amazing when were realized we were sitting only feet away from him!!! The movie was a documentary about the life of his aunt and her relationships with her family, and it was very moving to see.  After the screening we were able to take pictures with him, and he seems incredibly down to earth and is an amazing director.  One of my friend's Ashley was nearly in tears since he is her absolute favorite director, so that was very exciting to watch her meet him.

After the screening we headed to a bar to a bar near the Palais to see and be seen (pretty sure it was more of the former...), all in all making it a very exciting and successful night 2!  

OMG

      

Omg Omg Omg....I just had the best day of my entire life, and this is not even an exaggeration.  

So this morning/afternoon we headed back into town to figure out what movies were good enough to check out that evening (ha who am I kidding we were def. looking for the most famous one). 

 We decided to get a bunch of tickets to the Quinzaine des Realisateurs, which are films that are not in the direct competition but still screen in Cannes (they include films like Francis Coppola's Tetro and the new Jim Carey film).  We headed back to shower and prepare for the evening when all of a sudden my friend Mark comes bursting in my room to announce that the College has received a limited number of tickets to the premier!  So I raced out of my room 39% naked and went to grab my golden ticket.  I received my precious gift at approximately 5:45 and soon learned that we had to leave at 6:00!  

Well, you ain't never seen a lady get herself red carpet ready so fast! There was a group of 15 of us that received tickets and we literally had to run to make it to the carpet before it closed for us 'nearly' famous people.  So with windswept hair (not in the good way) and a few makeup smears I ascended my first red carpet.  I can't even describe how amazing it was!  There were literally like millions of lights and paparazzi, and although they hustled us rather quickly to the doors I still felt like a really rich princess or something.  So we floated on into our amazing seats and were able to watch the red carpet action on the big screen and then literally see the celebs walk through the door to their seats.  I even saw some famous girl take off her clip-on earings and text on her blackberry (ha so celebs are VERY exciting).  The film we saw was a Chinese Film called Chun Feng Chen Zui De Ye Wan de Lou Ye or Spring Fever and although it was really odd, it was so surreal to be able to see the director take his seat with the starring ladies by his side.  There were also plenty of well known celebs in attendance including Elizabeth Banks (40 year old Virgin).

So 10.5 hours later when the movie ended we all stood for a standing ovation and then headed back to the carpet.  This time around paparazzi would literally stop groups of us to take our pictures (they clearly understood I am about to make it big) but I had to play it cool and act like I actually didn't want 50 cameras taking my picture (45 would be sufficient to catch my good side!).  We floated back home to the college and here I am absorbing every memory I can about the best night of my life! 

Cannes Film Fest: Night 1

So I will post pictures later but I just wanted to update everyone on the first night of the festival.  First let me just say it was, well, AMAZING!!!! I hardly recognize my city anymore- it's turned into Paris on crack, but I am in love.  I decided to pass on class today and went to the Palais to check out the final touches being made before the big premier.  It was amazing to be in the presence of a real red carpet (I touched it!) and see the behind the scenes of a huge celebrity event.  

This afternoon, we had a meeting at school where we received our official badges.  With these badges we are allowed to see all the premiers, as long as we are willing to wait in line for the tickets (um, yes is that even a question!?)  They also just make me feel very official and important so do not be surprised if I continue wearing it back in the states.

The beach has kicked out all the topless ladies and set up these massive tent parties for celebrities, which are for the most part all white with really cool lounge areas and amazing bars-I'll get back to you on whether or not I can sneak my butt in.  A few of my friends are interning with this company that basically requires them to go to a bunch of the parties so rough life for them!

Alright so tonight was the opening ceremonies and  the PIXAR film, UP was premiering so we decided to check out the red carpet happenings.  We were literally a few feet from the red carpet and paparazzi mayhem and were able to see Robin Wright-Penn and the other festival judges as well as that girl from Superbad (blonde haired crazy chick).  The carpet was also lined with adorable little ballerinas dressed in white standing in different poses up the stairs. The energy is crazy around the red carpet with people screaming and flashes going off everywhere-very very hollywood cool.  After this we grabbed dinner and drinks at a restaurant close to town and just people watched.  Everyone is in tuxs and formal gowns (even during the day) and I'm pretty sure everyone thinks they are super important so we pretty much just try to do the same and act like we aren't crazy overwhelmed by it all.

All in all it was an amazing first day!  I will be sure to get you guys updated on my celeb sightings!

Paix,

Leah

    

a last hurray

This weekend was the last before the festival craziness begins and it really made me appreciate the great friends and memories I have of my time in France thus far.  

Friday we chillaxed on the beach then celebrated my dear friend Jeremie's 21st birthday (even though its so not a big deal in France).  We went to the Palm beach club, which is a supposed favorite of Paris and Diddy!  We danced the night away and had a blast...          

The next morning we had our final AIFS 'field trip' to Les Gorges du Verdon (or the French answer to the grand canyon!).  Of course we were surrounded by amazing views and were able to kayak, lay out, paddle boat, etc.  The weather was once again perfect and it was such a relaxing way to wind down the semester.  After this visit we headed over to the cutest village I've ever seen: Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, which was voted as one of France's best villages.  There were few cars and even fewer tourists and the area was full of winding rows with precious shops (the village specializes in hand made pottery).  The only down side to the village I am sad to report where the bathrooms-ewww!  There were literally holes in the ground surrounded by deadly looking bathroom flies and the pipes were all exposed and there was hardly even sufficient toilet paper!     

Sunday morning I took the opportunity to stroll around town and see what was up with the festival!  It seems everyone has arrived and there are even a ton of film geeks staying at the college (sooo weird to hear English now!).  The red carpet stage has been built and now we are anxiously awaiting the opening on Wednesday.

Tonight (Monday) I went to see the Theater classes production: Retour.  It was soo amazing to see my fellow frenchie students put on an hour long play in french, it definitely shows how far we have progressed.

Paix,

Leah

May Day in Munich

So sad to report that I just got back from my final European trip-next time I get on a plane will be to head home (ahhhh soo weird!)- but what a great final trip!

           

Me and Felicia left Thursday evening and hoped on a plane to Munich.  We arrived at around midnight and saw barely any people still there sooo we had to conquer the Munich underground by ourselves and figure out how to get to our hostel (about an hour away!).  Needless to say we were quite proud of ourselves and made it safely around 1:15!

The next morning we were up pretty early and decided to explore the city on foot.  We were able to see the Theatine Church, Marienplatz, the Opera and had a great time hanging out/drinking beer in the English gardens.  The weather was absolutely perfect and I was pleasantly surprised to discover how light and beautiful the architecture was!  This weekend was also May Day in the city which is a big celebration where no one works and everyone parties (my kind of holiday!) soo were hung out for a while watching some concerts in the main plaza and absorbing all things German.  That night we met our friend Mira!  She is German and studied at the College in Cannes in with us for a while in February.  She lives a few hours outside of Munich and heard we were coming so she brought two friends to come hang out with us for the weekend.         

 We had a traditional German dinner (schnitzel) then went to a German fraternity party.  This was such an awesome experience to observe the similarities and differences and I must say they aren't that different.  Lots of boys drinking beers, people playing guitars, naughty girl posters on the wall, fridges full of beer, etc.  One funny thing I did notice is that in order to become a member of the fraternity you have to participate in a fencing battle and nearly all of them had scars to prove this!  They boys were great hosts and we had such a good time drinking and learning more about the German culture.  An additional plus-since it was May Day they all dressed up in traditional Bavarian clothing so that was funny to see a frat dude in ladenhosen!

     

Saturday morning, we started with a tour lead by Mira.  We saw pretty much every inch of Germany and I absolutely loved it!  We went back to the English gardens and were joined by a band playing jazz/freestyle rap-it was unbelievable they were sooo good and it was such a beautiful day.  Additionally, we were surprised to learn this was a nudey park!  I wasn't even aware that nude parks existed but sure enough we were surrounded by all shapes an ages enjoying nature in their birthday suits! 

For lunch we found an all you can eat sushi restaurant for only 7 measly euros-alright so it wasn't exactly German but delicious none the less and a great time.  After our day full of walking and exploring we decided to shop around for some posh going out outfits then headed back to relax for a little.  Later that night we met up at the Hofbrauhaus and although it is pretty touristy it is a Munich must!  We enjoyed a light dinner of beer, pretzels, sausages, potatoes, cabbage and pork then headed to a local night club.  Oh techno/house music-where do I even begin.  It is sooo funny so see a group of people dancing to this music.  It basically resembles the awkward new kid dance with everyone standing in a circle bobbing their heads and staring into the distance-very enjoyable to observe!  So we tapped our feet all night long then headed back in the weeee hours of the morning.

Sunday we had just enough time to grab some yummy pastries then head home :(

I am supppper excited that the film festival is almost here!  I will have a pass which grants me access to the movies and allows me to walk around and chill with celebs (I plan on yelling an M-I-Z to mr. pitt!).  I will also be volunteering at the AMFAR dinner hosted by Sharon Stone!  This is a $100,000/plate dinner that is loaded with celebs and raises money for AIDS so I will be sure to update you on what is going on with Angie and Jen and the others!    

Finally, I have my first and only final this week in art history then I am done with school!  Anxious to see everyone but getting really sad to leave!

Paix,

Leah

Smellin' Lavender in Provence

I just got back from my last AIFS sponsored trip throughout Provence, and again I can't say enough good things about these trips!  

We weren't leaving until Saturday morning, so Friday we had a wonderful beach day in hope of perfecting my tan before Festival time!  After this we decided to watch a school volleyball tournament being held in the courtyard.  It apparently turned into a mini Olympic games with students from Sweden taking on the Mexican students followed by the Dutch, etc.  Very entertaining to watch!  Somehow, team America (lead by my friend Tanner) was a little too confusing for the foreign students and we became Team Tina! After several matches, we were wiped out (well ok we didn't play, but we sure watched a lot of sweating going on!) so a few of us hiked it down the beach to grab some cocktails!  I ended the week with a delicious bloody mary-go figure!

Friday night we just hung around in a friend's room enjoying each other's company!  It was a really low key night but reminded me how much I am going to miss all my new friends!

The next morning we were up early for an 8:00 departure.  Our first stop was Arles where we were able to see their colosseum (built 400 years before Christ!), the eclectic market, and explore the city on our own. 

 After this we had a short bus ride before arriving in Baux-de-Provence.  Alright go ahead and add this to your bucket list-it was AMAZING!  One of the main attractions to the little village is an old quarry.  Artists have transformed it into a living art exhibit!  Every year a different artist is spotlighted  (This year Picasso) and there are giant projection slide shows that take place all over the quarry creating a 3-D moving art exhibit accompanied by music.  The space is dark and chilly, similar to a movie theater and it really is a must see!  After this we hiked it over to the town's castle ruins.  It was a very windy day, but the area had amazing views and we were even able to see a catapult show .     

Our final stop for the day was Avignon.  I was delighted to learn that we were staying in a cute little hotel that had a shower AND A BATH! What a wonderful treat for us weary travelers.  That night we had a group meal that consisted of 3 courses (tried foie gras yuckkk!) and wine all paid for by AIFS and then some of us found a local bar.

The next day, unfortunately, we awoke to pouring rain.  But that didn't stop us and we sloshed on over to the Palais des Papes (Pope's Palace).  This was pretty cool to see (alright kind of boring but again paid for by AIFS so who cares!) and then walked around and grabbed a bite to eat.  Sadly I chose the wrong shoes for the day- my rainbow flip flops- and was literally drenched up the the knees, and somehow my shoes died my little feet a nasty chocolate brown color that has yet to come off!

Our final stop on the trip was chateauneuf de papes vineyard, which is ranked among the top 3 best wines in the world!  We had a wine tasting and were able to purchase vineyard goodies to take home!  We were all exhausted for the bus ride home but it was a great final group trip!  

Sadly I only have 1 more trip to Munich this weekend before the Festival and the end approach!

Paix,

Leah 

Easter in Dublin

Well I must say this Easter was unlike any I have ever experience and it was absolutely wonderful!  Friday afternoon I traveled with 4 other friends to Dublin.  We were a little surprised to learn that every pub and bar in the city were closed due to Good Friday, but we were assured that this meant everyone was EXTRA crazy on Saturday.  So we grabbed some Chinese food then had a pretty low key night.

Saturday morning we were up super early for a full day bus tour of the Irish countryside.  This was such an awesome experience.  The guide was a bubble older Irish man with a robust gut and a little tiny tie but he was very informative and made the day very enjoyable.  We were able to see the bogs, scenes from p.s. i love you and braveheart, monastic ruins, and beautiful countryside.  We stopped for lunch in a quaint little village and were able to enjoy our first Irish meal! (Alright I had Salmon and a beer but still wonderful).  After the tour we explored the city some more on our own and were able to see St. Patty's Cathedral (sooo beautiful), Christ's Church, Henry Street and other Dublinish sights.  The weather was absolutely wonderful and it was such a relaxing day.  That night we hit some Irish bars around the Temple Bar area and were able to see live Irish music and drink plenty on Guinness!

      

Sunday, being the good children that we are, we decided to wake up at 7:00 (yikessss!) to catch the 8:00 service at St. Patty's for Easter; however, apparently we had the times confused and the service wasn't until later.  No problem, we decided it would be a perfect time to head over to the Guinness factory!  Apparently God caught wind of our plan, and on the way over he sent a giant bird to poop on my friend Grant's head! Quite funny, and we still decided to visit the factory.  This is a really cool interactive brewery tour and concludes with a free Guinness at the Gravity bar which overlooks the entire city.  After the brief stint at the beer factory we headed back to Church only to find we had the times wrong again!  Again no problem, we headed to Trinity College and explored the city on our own!  Again it was another beautiful day (pretty rare in Dublin) and we were so excited to see all the Irish locals and happenings of the city.   

Finally we made in back to the cathedral for a 3:15 service.  It was an awesome hymnal service full of beautiful singing by the all men's choir.  Unfortunately there was a slight slip-up on our part.  Several of the boys and men had solos.  Well one of the poor boys was clearly in a rather awkward stage on puberty and sounded like a drunk kermit the frog!  We could barely contain our laughter and had to focus super hard to get through that part of the service!  After this we headed back to the Temple bar area to enjoy the area.  We had another traditional Irish meal then were able to see an adorable, elderly Irish band complete with flutes, guitars and singing.  It was awesome!

Monday morning we walked around a bit then headed back!  I only have 3 days until I leave for Amsterdam so it's a very busy week!

paix

Leah 

Spring Break '09: Euro style

So get ready this is gonna be a long one.....

I just returned from Spring Break and had a fab fab time!  We landed in Rome Saturday afternoon and were met at the airport by our friends Edwardo (from Rome), Enzo Jeremie 1  and Jeremie 2.  They had brought us fresh Italian sandwiches and whisked us away to enjoy them in a park full of daisies!  After lunch we lounged, listened to music then rode these crazy four person bike things which were a ton of fun.      

That night Edwardo introduced us to delivery pizza Italian style (to show us how superior Italian pizza is).  We were able to meet his precious family and hang out for a while.  His dad was a hoot!  He is a well known elderly spine surgeon in Rome who speaks very little English but loves to meet Edwardo's friends.  Throughout the course of about 2 hours he apparently decided he wanted to show us everything in his life he had acquired so here goes the list of "treasures" he showed us:

-pair of bongo drums (which he attempted to play ha)

-Saber tooth sword

-painted ash tray/vase (don't quite know the connection between the two)

-picture of a man made waterfall in Italy

-Encyclopedia

-3 stacks of pictures (all prior to Edwardo's birth)

-a picture of him performing open spine surgery

-a book on the spine

-and finally his collection of Elvis albums

During the show-and-tell he also played dj with music he had mixed haha including some Spanish numbers, Italian ballads and even Barbie Girl! We were nearly in hysterics every time we showed us each new piece and had a great time attempting to guess what was coming next.

The next day we enjoyed some amaaaaazing Italian pasta then Edwardo showed us allll around Rome.  He was such a good sport considering the weather was rainy and he has already seen everything like 80 times but it was such a good day.  We were able to try the best gelato, cappuccino and pasta all in one day! That night Edwardo's kind mother cooked us all a giant Italian dinner then we were invited to the house of Edwardo's good friend (also son of an Italian ambassador).  Turns out he is also a hypnotist and wanted to test his skills on me.  This had to be one of the funnies moments of the trip-here is this Italian attempting to hypnotize me using some sort of grunts with an attempt at English and it did work to some extent (they said I went kinda cross eyed then slumped over-very cute) but I was getting distracted and it was not a complete success.  

Morning morning, the boys drove us back to the airport (super early!) to catch our flight to Athens where we would sleep for the night before catching our ferry.  I had heard this was a pretty dirty city and sadly I must agree.  However we were there long enough to see the Acropolis and enjoy the BEST GREEK FOOD EVER at a restaurant close to our hotel called Vitro.  We feasted on hummus, roasted peppers stuffed with feta, grade leaves, oven baked feta, gyros, and more.  The staff apparently loved us and brought all four of us 5 shots of ouzo each and free baklava! 

We were up super early Tuesday morning to catch our ferry to Mykonos but we were all super excited!  Our group consisted of 15 students from the college and we arrived on the island around 1:00.  After finding our precious hotel we were ready to run to the beach.  However, since it is not full tourist season there weren't that many boats traveling to the beach sooo we ended up having to catch a ride with the local school bus dropping kids off at home.  We felt more than a little awk in our itty bitty bikinis next to a bunch of 4th graders but hey when in Greece!  The weather was wonderful and the beach was deserted except for our group so we were able to relax!  

   

Wednesday it was a little chilly so this gave us a perfect chance to explore the town.  There were adorable shops and restaurants selling the local honey, olive oil products and souvenirs.  

Thursday and Friday were great beach days and I 100% enjoyed the chance to finally relax after some very busy months.  The locals were wonderful to us, the weather was perfect, the food was AMAZING and it was a great trip!                       

So I finally made it back to Cannes Sunday afternoon and on my beach run was surprised to learn that while I was gone the tourists had arrived which also meant that arrival of the boobies! I saw them all: old (very old) young, big, small, real, really fake, etc.  Makes it pretty easy to spot the tennage boys on vacation!

Im leaving for Dublin on Friday so better rest up!

Paix,

leah 

Cannish Happenings....

What a great weekend!

We decided to kick it around Cannes this weekend and ended up having a BLAST.  Friday afternoon I decided to head into town for a little shopping (no worries rents I didn't buy anything).  I was attempting to try on a chic little dress in Zara and got it over my head just fine; however, when I went to take it off I literally got stuck with my hands over my head.  Here I am in a French clothing store sweating, flailing around with my hands over my heads in some stupid little dress, and even beginning to hive just a bit.  Finally I used my brute strength to get the dress over my head, but I did receive a battle wound from the incident! 

 This picture does not even do the injury justice!

That night we were celebrating Maria's 21st birthday so we got dinner at a wonderful asian fusiony bistro in town.  Although the meal did take 3 hours (that's the excellent French wait staff for ya) we had a ton of fun.  After dinner we headed to a local bar/dance club to get our groove on.      

Saturday morning I had a pretty early wake up call to head with an AIFS group to Aix which is about 2 hours from Cannes.  It is such a cool town full of students and was so much fun to explore.  We went to the antique/food market and saw some cool fountains (like KC it's the French city of fountains).  Finally we saw Cezannes former studio.  We were even able to see the spot where he painted some of his most famous mountain scenes.        

We got back to the college around 6:30 then had to be at the Palais du Festival at 8:00 to see the Brasil Dance Troupe in town for the night.  For some reason I was under the impression we were seeing the Russian ballet so needless to say I was extremely surprised and excited to see a bunch of half naked Brazilians incorporating hip hop, crunk and countless other forms of dance in with a very modern ballet.  It was the best dance performance I have ever seen (and if you know my love for the great hip hop dancing you will know why...) After the performance clearly we were ready to show off some of our best moves so we headed back to the dance club for round 2.  

Finally Sunday we headed to the beach for a day of fun in the sun!  This is the first time I have ever lived by the beach and it is sooo amazing to literally be able to walk out my door and onto the sand.  The weather has been getting better and better each week and I can not wait until spring has fully sprung!

We are leaving for Rome and Greece at the end of the week for Spring Break '09 and I can't WAIT (sorry if you are currently at work or school-that really sucks :)

Paix,

Leah

            

Mom and Vickie came yay ya!

Sadly, my mom and my aunt Vickie have just left me, but we had such a fun week together!  They started out in Rome while I was in Paris then we met up Monday after my class.  We decided to trek it to Eze village again and I think it's safe to say this was there favorite part of the trip!  Eze is just beyond beautiful as I have explained before, and this time we were able to get a cocktail at the famous restaurant that hangs off the cliff, giving its' patrons the BEST view of the village.  I had a flower and blueberry martini that was to die for!  

After this outing we grabbed dinner at my favorite restaurant, La Piazza, and Vickie had an yummy black squid ink pasta!

Tuesday I had class in the morning so I sent the girls to Monaco and Monte Carlo to explore.  I believe they had a great time people watching (surprise surprise) and oogling over the massive yachts.  When they returned, we decided to grab a beer since it was St. Patricks day and then decided to take the tour of the Palais du Festival, which is something I had not yet experienced!  Although the building didn't look nearly as cool without all the Hollywood glitz it had some amazing views and was a great chance to see behind the scenes.  

After the tour we explored Cannes some more then got dinner in le Suquet which is a charming area of Cannes with super narrow winding roads containing local restaurants and shops.  

Wednesday I decided to pass on my French class and take the girls to the Nice flower market.  I was a little disappointed to see that the market is not quite as bustling during the week but it was refreshing to be able to explore without an elbow shoved in your side.  We tried socca (fried chickpeas) which is a Nice speciality then headed back to Cannes so I would be on time for my first cooking class!  The class was AMAZING!  We attend a local culinary school and for the first 3 hours work on preparing the different parts of the meal.  For this class my group was on desserts so we learned how to make traditional French crepes and homemade ice cream!  The other group made ratatouille, potatoes, potato and leek soup and duck in a curry sauce.  I don't even need to tell you how delicious everything was!  So after we made the dinner we spend an hour with the head waiter learning how to properly set a French table and which wines go with which courses.  Finally we were abel to eat and yes I did leave 7 pounds heavier I believe.

For the final day of the visit, the girls explored all of Cannes while I was in class (well visiting an art museum for class..) then we grabbed drinks at the famous Majestic bar (home to anyone who is anyone during the festival) and I began my work at making friends with the staff in hopes that they will remember me come festival time!  Finally we ate dinner at le Caveau (which I will never be able to afford again!) and called it a night!

We had such a great time and I am sure they will have more stories to add when they return....

Paris....my forgotten love

Just returned from our AIFS trip to Paris.  I can not say enough good things about all that AIFS has to offer.  We had opportunities all weekend long to participate in different activities from museum visits to boat tours for free and were even given 90 euro as a food allowance!

So anyway, we arrived Thursday afternoon and immediately headed on a 3 hour bus tour to get the general layout of the city.  As far as bus tours go we were all a little sleepy and the guide vaguely resembled a super boring history teacher I had,  so I had to continually pinch myself to take in my surroundings.  However, the tour reminded me of all the reasons I LOVE Paris `  

After the tour we rested in our rooms for a little then a group of 9 of us decided to eat at this really fun fondue restaurant we had heard about.  So being the dumb Americans that we are we decided to try and squeeze all 9 of us in a miniature European elevator.  I literally was shoved into the armpit  of my neighbor but somehow we fit.  We had begun to descend and were just about to stop on the main level well all of a sudden we plummeted to the basement!  Pretty much every girl just had her worst fear realized.  We were stuck.  Trying not to panic we pushed the emergency button-however, being the Europeans are not super into efficient technology the button didnt work.  So now are FREAKING out.  My friend Travis (who is in the military program at Virgina Military Academia) uses his brute strength to pry the doors open a hair and then simply shots one time (in his terribly amusing French accent) AIDEZ. AIDEZ, which means help.  We finally made it out thank goodness and after several hours of shock were able to laugh about it .

So after this near tragedy we headed to our restaurant called Refuge des Fondues.  I would almost require this restaurant as a Paris must!  It is super small and you literally have to climb on the tables to reach your seats but the best part is all the wine is served in baby bottles! I will admit the first time you suck on a bottle's nipple is a little odd-but it was so fun and the fondue was divine.

After dinner we went to a couple of different bars around town and had a grand ole time!

The next morning we were up bright and early to head to Pere Lachaise which is this massive cemetery that holds the remains of tons of famous people from Chopin to Jim Morrison.  Ok so sounds lammme but this was one of my favorite tours!  The guide was able to tell us tons of cool stories and mysteries about the different graves such as the tale of Oscar Wilde's missing willy!        

The picture on the right is some dead guy and apparently if you rub his willy it will make you extra fertile!  Apparently Jim Morrison's tomb is never without a joint and they have to shot down the cemetery on his birthday because there got to be too much drug activity occuring  around the area.  Its super expensive to be buried here since its a very famous cemetery so if your tomb starts to look run down they have the right to un-bury you and give the spot to someone else!  All very scandalous!     

That afternoon we hung out at Musee d'Orsay for a while and then ran back to shower and headed back for more museum fun at the Louvre (free for students on Friday nights!) grabbed a quick dinner then went to Lido which is a well known cabaret show similar to Moulin Rouge.  The costumes were outstanding we had front row seats and even got free champagne, overall amazing night!  Super busy day but tons of fun.

Saturday morning we were up early again to get a guided tour of the famous Opera.  I had seen this before but it is still shockingly beautiful to see and also has some amazing stories (including the phantom of the opera.......)  After this we walked around some different areas of Paris then rested before heading to my favorite area in Paris: Montmarte.  This is where all the old artists used to hang out and its full of enchanting winding roads that lead to giant steps which have the best view of paris at night!  We drank some wine, had a great dinner then called it a night.                     

Sunday we up freaking early again to catch our boat tour of the Seine.  Again, I had previously done this tour, yet, you can never see the sights too many times.  It was a beautiful day and a great way to end our trip.  We grabbed a quick bite on the river perused some bouquanists then called in a weekend!