Bitter-sweet goodbyes!

Last night in France and although I am excited to come home I am also sad I dont get to see more of this amazing country! It has been quite an eye opening trip and, even if I did have some off days, I am so glad I did it! I have had the most amazing experiences this past month, starting with my first day here up until the very last moment. The last few days of my trip have been spent shopping in the cutest little vintage shops in Paris, getting 60s style skirts for 5 euros, then seeing the beautiful Le Chateau de Fountanebleu, which is in fact older than Versailles, here near Melun, visiting a very French amusment parks with one of the most fun rollercoasters I have ever been on, then sushi and singing to finish with a "she-bang." I am going to wrap this up quickly since its now 1 in the morning here and we are supppoosseedd to wake up at 530 and I would still like to write thank you letters to all of the Ségla family for being so nice to me while I was here.. So, thats a wrap:) See you on San Diego time! Kisses

Paris, Paris, how beautiful are thee!

It has been quite an interesting time since being back from the French coast, a little bit of drama lets call it, but there has also been some great fun and adventures so lets focus on those shall we?:) Sunday was our first official day back and as I havent done any sort of physical activity since Ive been here, I figured it would be a nice day to go for a run. I ran all around the La Rochette village and just barely into Melun. It was so nice and peaceful and I could really feel a surge a happiness pulse through me with every breath of fresh air. I got lost a few times, but thats all part of the fun of it! The next morning, Monday, Anne-Laure and I took an afternoon train into Paris and spent the whole day roaming around the city. First we walked by Moulin Rouge and the more provocative part of town, then we went a little farther North, a little meaning a very small distance on the map but quite a long distance on foot, this was the day I truely got a taste of how large this city really is. We ate our home made lunch in a park where we spyed on a cute, young man somewhere around 22 with who we prayed was his little sister, then we did a lot of walking up hill to get to the famous Sacred Heart church that has an amazing view over much of Paris. We walked through the older streets that remind you of Paris in the early 20th century and spent a little time in a famous artist and bistro area; here we also found a wall covered in graffiti art which I became obsessed with taking pictures of, in addition, we also found a cute little clothes shop selling vintage clothing for comparatively cheap prices. Once inside the store, you discover a golden spiral staircase that leads down to a cellar; dark and dusty with almost a dungeony feel, it housed hundreds of cute jackets and dresses, not too mention a spice girls poster (wierd). I bought a long satin blue skirt and Anne-Laure a fringe covered top. Afterwards, we headed back to the Metro and took it to the Arc de Triomph and got picture directly in front, which we had to stand in the middle of the street to get. Then, a short 30 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower and we stood under the massive steel structure taking pictures, which was difficult because its nearly impossible to get the whole thing in! We had to walk a couple hundred yards away just so we could get the sought after picture of one with the whole tower in the background. At about 8 we decided to throw in the towel and head home because the pain overcoming my feet was too much to handle. Yesterday was spent as a day of rest and recuperation so we stayed at home and did girly photoshoots all day, then we spent the night at one of Anne-Laures friends and stayed up nearly all night watching scary movies.. which is partly why I cant go to sleep tongiht. Haha So today was another day of relaxing and napping and tomorrow I beleive Anne-Laure and I may go into the city again for a day of shopping, peut-etre. Till next time, a bientot! Kisses, DK.

Au revoir cote d'azur

So we are back at home in Melun after a lovely trip to the French Riviera, or Cote d'Azur as I learned, and I am already missing the warm weather because, since I only brought pajamas that come just below my knees, my ankles are fffreezinng! I had such a wonderful time in the South of France, it truely was beautiful in every way; with the brightly colored buildings, vibrant flowers and lush forrests, iridescent bays of the Mediterranean, and even the two goats that lived next to the pool, it was paradise. Every morning we all had breakfast on the huge terrace outside the flat in Antibbes and then spent the rest of the days exploring the many cities along the coast; first to Saint Tropez, then Cannes, Saint-Juan, Nice, Marseille, and a few other little lovely towns with things like Medieval castles and old perfume factories. It rained one morning and we nearly all went crazy being trapped in the tiny apartment, but in the late afternoon it cleared up and became the most beautiful sky so Anne-Laure and I walked to the harbor and snuck into the docks and walked around looking at all the fabulous yachts; we sat at the very end with our feet hanging over the edge for probably an hour, just looking out at boats bobbing in the water and the pretty view of an old 18th century fort in the distance. Later we walked through all the shops in the village and tried on hats and shoes, I bought a cute floral dress and then we finally headed back up the hill for dinner. A really peaceful day. The next day we went to Cannes and took pictures on the red carpet and then tanned for hours and I got severely sunburnt, as usual (Haha), so the next day was spent mostly inside and in the shade by the pool, where I discovered the two goats that lived in a tree-filled pen next door. Later that night, Cyrille and Marie-Line suprised us all with tickets to a famous Jazz festival in Saint-Juan; it was a really fun concert with what I like to call " The Temptations kind of music," after which we got the singer of the headliner to sign our souvenirs. The next day was Friday, and more importantly, Nicci's Birthday! I thought of her all day long as we travelled up the coast to vist a castle near Marseille. It was very pretty and interesting because every room where someone might have lived so many years ago have now been turned into dozens of little shops and galleries. We browsed for hours and went into the garden that had beautiful landscaping and statues and an awe inspiring view of the seashore below. " They're breakdance fighting." Later, we went into Nice for dinner and watched many street performers do some crazy breakdansing flips and spins and another group doing the salsa; but of course I have to make one tiny comment about how I used to take spanish dance lessons and Cyrille is already over to one of the dansers telling him I am a professional Salsa danser. He pulls me into the middle of the circle and I procede to make a complete fool of myself as we trip over each other, or rather I trip over him, until finally I get the hang of it and we finish with a few spins. One of the more embarrassing moments of my trips, but definetly memorable. Finally, on Saturday, the final day of our trip, we took a nice trip to a perfume museum made out of a perfume factory established in 1890. We took a tour and learned all about how they used to make the perfume and the highly regarded position of The Nose, or Le Nez, who studies scents for years and years until they can differeciate between nearly 5,000 scents! Anne-Laure's parents were so kind and bought me and the other girls what I might say was quite expensive perfume. Later we had a nice lunch and then hopped a plane back to Paris; back to the cold. Overall it was quite an amazing time and I would love to go back someday, but as for now I am going to enjoy the rest of my stay in Northern France. Tomorrow Anne-Laure and I are going into the city to roam around and see sights like the Arc de Triomphe, since I would to actually climb the stairs to the top, Moulin Rouge, and maybe where Jim Morrison is buried. A bientot! Kisses!

Bastille Day and the French Riviera

I havent written in a couple days so Im going to try to catch you all up on my adventures in a quick summary: Last Thursday was Bastille Day or the anniversary and celebration of the over turning of the French Monarchy, so of course, like any good holiday, there were fireworks and a lot of good food. In the morning we watched the national parade on TV. The President attended and the firemen of Paris, or pompier, did acrobatic tricks and displays for the crowd. Later in the day we drove into Paris and like true Parisians we walked, e-ver-y-where. We walked for hours though the streets seeing the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuilleries, which was incredibly beautiful and the clouds, which had been raining all morning and had now parted to reveal bits of blue sky, made the perfect backdrop. After a walking a bit farther we made it onto the Champs des Lysées and had a nice view of the Arc de Triomph then turned to head for the Eiffel Tower. We attended a concert festival at the base of the massive structure with another 1 million people in the crowd! The concert went on for nearly 5 hours and played all different kinds of music from Reggae to Michael Jackson to Pop to some African music thown in; finally, the sun went down at about 10 pm and we were able to see I sparkling lights of the tower after which were the fireworks. What a beautiful sight it was. Now moving forward to Saturday where we began our trip to the South of France and where I have been since. It is really pretty and has fairly good weather despite one day of raining, it reminds me alot of San Diego which makes me feel both at home and a little homesick; but, it is very nice and beaches have pure white sand and crystal clear water. You can waid out nearly 20 yards and still see your feet kicking underneath you. We have visited a few very very pretty cities including the famous Saint Tropez which has known famous movie stars like Brigit Bardough. Yesterday we went into the city of Cannes, which I have been told is the Hollywood of France, and walked along the red carpet and saw handprints in the concrete like Meryl Streep. I am having a lovely time here in the French Riviera and I cant wait to see where this adventure will take me next. I love you all, til next time. Kisses! DK

Harry Potter, Ooh! Harry Potter, yeah!

So I have lost track of what day this is into my trip but as it were I am going to tell you all about Harry Potter fest! So this last Monday and Tuesday Anne-Laure and I, along with some other friends, attended a Harry Potter marathon at the REX theatre in Paris. Let me start off by saying that this was no ordinary theatre, oh no sir, this was the most magnificent and largest theatre I have ever seen! Nearly the size of six theatres put into one, it had three layers and the third was almost like a stadium! The seat were made of leather and the side walls were decorated with balconies and statues, almost like a scene from Romeo and Julliet, and the ceiling had tiny little strung about it to look like stars. When the first movie was about to begin, the curtains parted to reveal the enourmous screen! I would estimate that it was nearly the size of 3 screens put together. We watched the first four Harry Potter movies on Monday, and the last four on Tuesday, we watched so many they all started to blend together! But just before the last film, the premiere of the final Harry Potter ( a whole day early I might add) the hundreds of Harry Potter fans in the audience were treated to a delight when a few of the actors from the films, including the twins brothers and dad of Ron Weasley and Luna, payed us a visit and said I few words up on stage! I have never heard so much screaming I would not have been suprised if I had gone deaf by the end. After the actors went backstage and the crowd stopped cheering, the final movie started and I wont spoil it for you but it was definetly worth seeing.. what a great movie! After the movie ended at about 3 am, we all went to the pizza hut across the street. This was no ordinary pizza hut, this was a restaurant! It had nice leather seats and candlelit tables and everything! I must have had the strangest look on my face because everyone was asking me if I was okay, I was dumb struck. After eating a buffet of pizza with forks and knives, it was nearly 4, and since we were spending the night at Meradith's grandmother's house in the city we went to get on the metro but soon realized that they had stopped running a few hours ago; so the whole lot of us just walked around the streets of Paris for an hour or so until the mètro opened. Such a nice time it was, so peaceful and beautifully looking at all the old building with no people or cars around, one of my favorite moments of the trip. Until next time.. kisses:)

Day 4/5: A la soirée et Versailles

Didn't somebody once say that Sunday was the day of rest? Apparently us and the thousands of other tourists who came to see Versailles today didnt get that memo; but before we get to that, let me back it up a day to yesterday, Samedi. Yesterday turned out to be a lovely day with the attending of one of the Ségla family friend's Anniversary party, where I learned that the tradition of greeting someone with a kiss on both cheaks is not only seen as polite, but almost mandatory! So as we entered we went through a line of atleast 10 people, I gave and recieved 20 kisses or more before anyone even knew who I was! But it was a lovely dinner party overall; we had hors d'oeuvres and Champagne out of teensie-weensie fluted cups, then for dinner: rabbit with corrots in a meatloaf sort of form, ratatouille and rice.. it all was amazing! So incredibly delicious! The kids played french word games at our table, which I finally got after atleast 40 minutes.. so simple! Ces touches and C'as ces touches pas ( atleast I think that is how its spelled) very simple game, a word is said, something like "dentifrice" (toothpaste) and because ones lips dont touch when its said someone else would say "ces thouches pas" or rather, " they dont touch," they meaning lips. So of course words with Bs and Ms in them would be Ces touches. Anyway, not very compelling stuff but this did take up a good portion of the night, or atleast maybe I only though it did because I just could not get it! Haha Moving right along, after the festivities were over at about 2am, we get some much needed rest; but not for too long because today is the day for Versailles! Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, and Louis XVI have all walked on the cobblestone, marble and gravel of this beautiful, delicate and MASSIVE historic building .. and now so have I! Versailles is truely a sight to see just for its size alone, not to mention the detail work that went and goes into its building and upkeep. Its nearly impossible to put into words what a spectacle it is, we walked for hours through the garden, or should I say forrest, and every corner turned bore a new spectacular treasure made of marble or bronze and somesort of fountain come out or over it. I truly loved it and I can say it is ( atleast for now) my fondest memory of France. After parting with Versailles, which was hard but the acheing in my feet deffinetly helped, Marie-Line took the long way home especially for me through the streets of Paris. I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time and was almost hysterical! Then came the Arc de Triomph then Champs des Lysées and finally the Louvre. Such an amazing city and I cant wait to experience it all outside of a car window! And not oo long until I do! July 14 is Bastille day and Independance day for France and there is a huge celebration which we are likely to attend! Untill then, à bientot! Kisses!

Day 3: Une petite histoire d'aujour'dui

A short message about today. Today was another fabulous day in France! Anne- Laure, her sister, Marion, and I took a bus into the city of Melun, the second biggest small city in the world. They toured me around the sights and some of the small shops and the schools they attend, then we stopped at a few different boulegeries for some bread and pastries. We ate them on a bench overlooking the beautiful Seine with some swans just coming out for summer. It was such a nice day and now Anne-Laures's friend is over so we can make crepes and watch movies! Ill write soon, au revoir!

Day 2: Chausseurs, chausseurs, chausseurs!

So I have survived my second day in France, and boy what a day it has been! After such an excrutiatingly ( spelling does not matter here) long flight and adjusting to the time difference, especially with food as we eat breakfast at about 1 or 2 am San Diego time, I gave myself a good ten hours of sleep last night to prepare for today. I woke up this morning to no alarm, a strange feeling indeed, only due to the fact that my room was now full of light and I couldnt bare to sleep any longer. After getting ready for the day, Anne-Laure came downstairs to ask if I would like to go shoe shopping today in Paris with her Aunt. Naturally, I said no.. Yeah right;)I was so terribly excited I felt like I wanted to "shout it from the top of a mountain." Anne- Laure helped me pick out a très chic ensemble and we headed out toward the train station. Iconceivable! A mere 30 minute train ride into the center of Paris! Once there we picked up some sandwich de poulet from Bonne Journée, and also had quite the run-in with an awkward moment as three men were standing close to where a line would be likely to form; and of course I have no idea how to say " are you guys in line," so we proceded to stand there just looking at each other until Anne-Laure pulls me through them with a polite exusez-moi, thus ending the awkward moment but not my humiliation. Soon after, Anne-Laure's Aunt arrives and we take the mètro to the underground shopping center. Shoes, shoes, shoes as far as the eye can see! I help Anne-Laure try on many because they are a part of her birthday present, which was on Monday, but I manage to sneak in a few pairs to try on for myself. Anne- Laure picks a cute pair of beige wedges, which I learn are called chauseur courton, and we head back out into the mall where I learn just how much of a firecracker her Aunt is, and how much I love her for it! She asked me how long I was staying in France, and, of course, I couldnt figure out a word of it, but when Anne-Laure trys to translate she quickly shushes her and says " Non,non, non!" Then looks at me and only says it slower, after about the third time I got it and I was so glad that she didnt baby me and just give it to me in english. But she was also so incredibly sweet and bought me a ring, some earings and shoes to boot! Elle était très genereuse! After a long day of shopping we had to say quick goodbyes and jump on the train back to Melun where we had McDonalds for dinner! I had never seen such a clean McDonalds in my life and I got to order a big mac "Le Big Mac." A great day over all and now its time to get ready for bed! Bonuit ma famille!

Bonuit from France

Welp.. I made it! After a very long and cramped flight I am happy to say that I am now writing this blog from the comfort of my own room at the Ségla home. My host family is extremely welcoming and sincere. They have all been so kind and helpful to me, even though my French is extremely sub-par. I will rest up tonight and try my best to speak only in French ( since we have been speaking mostly in English since I arrived this morning) tomorrow. Getting to this point has been quite a whirlwind of emotions since I said goodbye to you all yesterday and my mom this morning. Anxiety, apprehention, confusion, and a little bit of anger toward some noisy fellow passengers has left me a little drained, yet in the kaos of it all I found tranquility in simple pleasure like watching a beautiful sunset and then a magnificent sunrise, both with cosmic arrays of color in just a short three hour time period. How many people in the world can say that? Once I arrived in Paris I was greeted outside the terminal by Anne-Laure and her father who ran to welcome me right away. They also expected me to have much more luggage than I had and could not understand how a teenage girl could fit all of her clothes and shoes into two carry on bags.. but then again, they've never met a Kapalla;) After we left the airport it was about 45 minute drive to Melun, and their house in La Rochette. They have such a lovely home, and quite spacious too; each of the three daughters have their own room along with Marie-Line and Cycille's room, and I am fortunate enouph to have my own room downstairs which is usually like their playroom. After getting settled in I took a nap and awoke a few hours later to a lunch of pork, hashbrowns and a sort of cheese- cucmber salad, all were very good, then after a second nap I, Anne-Laure and Katcha watched a French Rock & Roll Opera musical about Mozart, then we had dinner which was an interesting combination of pasta and ham slices.. and it was so good! Im loving the French food already. Then I read for a bit and said Bonuit to the family and now here I am writing about this long and amazing day! And now its time for sleep! I love you all, until next time! Au Revoir!