Prancing through France: On the Road Again

Hello Everyone!

I am long overdue for an update! I was traveling for most of October, but am finally back in Aix for awhile. Here's a "quick" recap of what I've been up to:

At the end of September, I traveled back to the US for 3 weeks to do some work, see family and friends, and attend the wedding of my two favorite residents of Charleston, SC. As expected, every trip is not without its adventure. After one year of living in France I finally came face-to-face with the dreaded transport strike…

Although Air France pilots started their strike in the middle of September, by the time it came for me to travel to the US at the end of the month they still hadn't reached a resolution. I was scheduled to fly from Marseille (my home airport) to Amsterdam with Air France, then on to the US with KLM. So, when Air France officially canceled my flight to Amsterdam with just over 24h notice and no other immediate flight options, I decided my best bet was to quickly pack my things and take the 8h train ride to the Netherlands to ensure that I would make my connecting flight. Luckily, the rest of my trip to the US was uneventful and I made it to Denver about 34 hours after leaving home.

Denver

Before my first week of work at the University of Wyoming, I spent my weekend in Denver with Tiffany, Michael, and Mya. No jet lag for me...The first morning it was "up and at 'em" for some serious hiking to Blue Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Posing with Tiffany in front of the glacial Blue Lake.

Wyoming

After my weekend in Denver, I drove ~2h to Laramie, WY to work for the week. The weather was not super warm by any means (I even saw a few snow flurries), but at least it was better than when I visited in February. As usual, the company was great and I enjoyed dinner and drinks with old and new friends.

Cheers!

Enjoying the Moscow Mules.

Las Vegas

Taking a break from work and the cold, I had a week of vacation in the middle of my trip and made my first stop in Las Vegas. We enjoyed a small dinner at the house where I was able to catch up with family and friends and we also took some time to "play tourist". Now that I have actually been to the real Paris, I wanted to make the comparison for myself. Although some things were quite true to form, a good macaron couldn't be found :( Jim actually had better luck finding legitimate macarons at a French bakery just down the street from the house! I capped off my Vegas trip in Brazil (i.e., the Rio) having dinner and playing some slots with my Dad.

Visiting the Eiffel Tower: Las Vegas style.

Time to see if this "Paris" lives up to the real deal.

Don't let these smiling faces fool you…we are ready to play some serious poker.

The Carolinas

The next stop on my vacation tour was North Carolina (mostly just passing through on the way to the wedding in Charleston). I was happy to be able to reconnect with Gabe and Amalia…my good friends and travel companions that left Aix to go back to the US ~2 months before. We celebrated our reunion at Cookout where I restrained myself from ordering my usual corn dog with a side of corn dog. I did however give in to the hushpuppies.

Time for the much anticipated Cookout milkshake!

After the quick hello to NC, I carpooled with Lauren and Alessa to Charleston for Rebecca and Josh's wedding festivities. It was a great weekend of catching up with some old friends, discovering a new city, and watching two dear friends start their new life together. Congratulations, Rebecca and Josh!

Another long awaited reunion.

A quick picture with the beautiful bride!

Following the wedding, I headed back to Wyoming for a 2nd week of work. No pictures...you'll just have to take my word for it ;)

Denver

Finally, I ended my US trip with one last "Fall Fest" weekend in Denver. The goal: enjoy the amazing fall weather, visit the pumpkin patch, and eat everything pumpkin flavored in sight. I will admit that the US pumpkin craze has gone a bit far…I love me a good PSL (pumpkin spice latte), but pumpkin marshmallows, gum, and chapstick? Too much. But of course we won't talk about the fact that I stuffed my suitcase with both pumpkin spice coffee and canned pumpkin before my return trip to France.

One last hike to finish out the trip.

Pau

I made it back to France at the end of October, but was only in Aix for a week before I headed to Pau (SW France) for a conference. Some of you may remember that I already visited Pau last December when I spent Christmas with my roommate Sophie and her family. They were kind enough to welcome me again and we spent the weekend before the conference flying over the Pyrenees mountains and swimming in the Atlantic. I also stayed in Pau the weekend following the conference and went hiking in the Pyrenees to see them from another perspective :)