Toulouse

Toulouse is an adorable little city, and the site of the first week of my study abroad.

Snoop Dogg feat. Dr. Dre: Eat Croissants Everyday.

(I mean, really it should be every (space) day, but I'm not here to tell anyone how to live his life.)

Capitole de Toulouse

Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse

St. Sernin was once the largest cathedral in France (until the Notre Dame), thus the most popular pilgrimage site in France. It is on El Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James), and you can have your passport stamped in the church. I did not.

Garrone

This river made for a perfect a.m. jogging setting. So wonderful. I will jog at home and close my eyes and pretend I'm here. But not for too long, because that's dangerous.

The Youths hang out on the banks of the Garrone around this point on Friday and Saturday night. We thought we'd live like the locals on Friday and join them. It was authentic, but nothing makes an adult in her late-20s feel older than being surrounded by 17-year-olds making merriment.

Gotcha

All the wine.

More of the wine.

Best. Meal. Ever.

This was food-induced euphoria. There was also a good deal of wine and an even greater deal of silliness. Everyone needs to experience, just once, being in a setting that is just way fancier than you or your behavior. As an adult. And to feel so embarrassed that you're having such a good time, but you're having too good a time to really let the weight of shame last long. Am I right?... You can't take me anywhere.

Carcassone

Visited a castle. Awesome.

Pro Tips and Rookie Mistakes

1. Pro Tip: Drink all the wine. Just do it. The wine is amazing. The food is amazing. Drink all the wine. Gain all the pounds. It's fine.
2. Pro Tip (bonus): I know I might be the minority here, but... Toulouse > Paris. Don't be mad. Paris is beautiful and romantic... and crowded and expensive. Toulouse is quaint and welcoming and reasonable. Paris obviously has an authentically and inimitably French culture vibe, but Toulouse oozes a much different, more laid-back French culture that I really loved.
3. Rookie Mistake: I don't know, maybe I should have gotten my passport stamped at the church. I have so many empty pages. Now that the EU is all Shengened, I didn't get to fill up those pages like I could have 20 years ago.
4. Rookie Mistake (bonus): Maybe I shouldn't have spent so much time at the English pub... No, that's ridiculous; I regret nothing.

More Paris and travel to Toulouse

Paris, though undeniably one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen, was not my favorite. It's more expensive and crowded (particularly in June and July)

If the first day was veritable sleepwalk through Paris, the second day was a reality TV show in which the contestants must SEE. ALL. THE. THINGS.

Paris (EXTREME TOURIST EDITION)

Notre Dame Cathedral

"SANCTUARY!" ...It's unfortunate that The Hunchback of Notre Dame was not a better Disney movie.

Incredible detail

The Notre Dame Cathedral is definitely a "don't miss." The intricacy of the stained glass windows, chiseled stone facade, carved wooden accents and altars throughout the cathedral could absorb a full day of attention to detail. The exhibit which tracks the building and development of the cathedral beginning when the first structure was built on the "Île de la Cité" in the 12th Century was also a favorite.

I was perfectly happy exploring the main level of the cathedral on my own sans tour (hello, free) and skipping the hour-plus line to go into the towers.

Eiffel Tower

It's pretty cool to stand at the base and let the sloping iron lines draw your gaze up to the sky. It's iconic.
It's also teeming with tourists (hi) and tourist traps.
I did not get pickpocketed (great success!)
I resisted the sellers of Eiffel Tower keychains ("5 for 1 euro!") and selfie sticks ("Selfie, selfie, selfie!")
Everybody's gotta make a living.

Arc de Triomph

Fierce

"There it is!"
"Wait, there are like 6 busy lanes of traffic around it..."
"Le Frogger?"
Don't worry, there's an underground passageway.

Louvre

This thing is huge.

Pont des Artes

The love locks are all gone now, but it was pretty special to see them just two days before their official expulsion. Even so, there were still couples placing their locks. It's amazing they found somewhere to hook them onto; there are locks locked to locks so much that there is hardly any space left. It's a really lovely thought, but I can see how this would be an issue for centuries-old bridges.

Proceeded to pick up cheese, baguette and wine; and called it a night.

Place de la Bastille, July Column

The handy Metro map had a Bastille stop, so we figured we'd hop off and take some pictures before hopping back on and making our way to catch the train to Toulouse.

Toulouse

For the full Eurotrip experience we nabbed tickets for a sleeper car, with the idea that we'd just nap all the way south to Toulouse. 

Apparently that is not the way it is done. The bottom 2 bunks on either side of the cabin were folded down into benches for six adults and one talkative toddler.

The tickets were an incredible deal, so I regret nothing.

Capitole de Toulouse

Well-deserved gelato

Hotel check-in, followed by dinner on the capitol square, made for a perfect relaxing first night in Toulouse.

Pro Tips and Rookie Mistakes

1. Rookie Mistake: The July Column is a spectacular and beautiful landmark, especially against a cloudy backdrop, but we walked around the Bastille plaza for a good 10 minutes trying to figure out where to see the actual Bastille... Guys, the Bastille is no longer standing. When did that happen, and why was I not informed? Oh, during the French Revolution? In the 18th Century? Never mind.
2. Pro Tip: A good international data plan is essential for, among other things, Wikipedia-ing your destination to ensure it hasn't been destroyed for 300 years. Aside from my shameful gaps in history knowledge, I pitied my traveling companions who were tied to WiFi. Every crappy signal I've endured on T-Mobile in the States is worth it for having data rolled right into my plan, for no extra work or money.

Europe Day 1 (Paris)

I had grand plans to blog my epic adventure (GRAND plans). As you can see, that did not happen. Now fully re-assimilated back into the real world (yawn), I think a retrospective is in order. It's also therapeutic in accepting that I work an office job and my life is not one long Eurotrip (yet...)

Day 1 was, more accurately, 2 days. My travel buddy and I took off around 11am Thursday in Phoenix, landed around 10am Friday in Paris, and, aside from a few cat naps on the plane (so many movies to watch! so much excitement!) didn't sleep. Rather than sneaking in a few hours of sleep once we checked into the hotel, we freshened up and went right out into the city.

Musee Rodin was the plan, but by the time we got there, it was Friday afternoon and it appeared to be many others' plan. Plan B: skip it and wander. 

Across the street from the Rodin Museum was a green space with armed guards at the entrance. Naturally, that seemed like a good idea.

Esplanade des Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb

Many panorama shots were taken.

Napoleon's Tomb

I wish I knew more about this sculpture. I was fascinated. 

The map (touristing so hard) showed another huge green space nearby. I want to go to there.

Le Jardin du Luxembourg

Palais de Luxembourg

20 statues of noble and notable French women surround the main plaza. Dig it.

Much love for Eugene Delacroix.

Amazing roses

Absolutely gorgeous. I could have spent a whole day wandering around these lush grounds, people-watching, or just reading a book and sipping wine.

Pro Tips and Rookie Mistakes

1. Pro tip: power through. Despite ending the day tired and hangry, skipping the nap was a good choice. Other than being a little tired the next day, I escaped jet lag.
2. Rookie mistake: plan ahead... some. I'm glad we wandered. It put much less pressure on that first day, and it allowed us to discover some off-the-beaten-path gems. A wise plan would have been finding some possible places to eat and take breaks. By evening I was so hangry I could have eaten my travel buddy, and that is not nice.

THIS JUST IN:

36 Hours in Bilbao, Spain

New York Times, you get me.

Europe decisions: MADE

Option 3 it is.

Barcelona to Bilbao
Bilbao to Lisbon
Lisbon to Paris

Rick Steves was sending me not-so-subliminal messages last week on his "Explore Europe" home screen.

You win, Steves.

Also, not too long after, I found this:
36 Hours in Lisbon

Perfect.

Intercontinental travel booked.
AirBnB requests sent.

I find it mildly amusing that Portugal was nowhere on my list of possible places to go when I started cooking up this crazy idea. Sometimes, that is the best.

Europe decisions

I submitted my last paper of the MBA last night at about 8:30, immediately proceeding to dance jubilantly throughout the house, proclaiming triumphant victory... At which point Jack reminded me that I still have to go to class in Europe. Minor detail.

Never having studied abroad, and hearing great reviews from friends who participated last summer, I decided to sign up for a two-week study abroad trip to France and Spain. I'll spend one week in Toulouse then a second week in Barcelona, both through the Toulouse Business School.

Needless to say, I am stoked.

I scheduled some extra time before and after, because... well, when is the next time I'll spend 3+ weeks in Europe? I am all set for Paris for 2 days before the program, and I have a week to fill after the program. With all the crazy school/work/life stuff that's been going on, I'm just starting to narrow down how to fill that week.

Considerations:
Time -- I only have one week; less than that if you factor in getting back to Paris by Friday, leaving Barcelona Sunday, and travel time in between.
Budget -- I have been saving for a while, so I have a reasonable chunk budgeted for this trip. Flights, hotels, food, and excursions, however cheap individually, add up quickly.
Interest -- There's really nowhere I wouldn't like to go. Heathrow on a stopover to Jordan is the extent of my Europe experience, so I have a lot of untouched ground to cover.
Language -- If I had a dollar for every time someone said "everyone speaks English in Europe!"... This is a more minor consideration; still I would like to be able to buy a train ticket without sounding like a complete American idiot. My Spanish is... passable. I know like 5 French words, so there's that.

The only real requirement is I must begin in Barcelona on Sunday (Saturday is OK, but Sunday is hotel check-out,) and I must end in Paris on Friday (flight is Saturday.)

Options:
1.
Barcelona to Monaco
Monaco to Bilbao
Bilbao to Lisbon
Lisbon to Paris

2.
Barcelona to Gibraltar
Gibraltar to Lisbon
Lisbon to Bilbao
Bilbao to Paris

3.
Barcelona to Bilbao
Bilbao to Lisbon
Lisbon to Paris

4.
Barcelona to somewhere in France
Miscellaneous France travels to Paris in time for my flight home

I think I like #3. There are plenty of opportunities for excursions in the Basque region (nearby Rioja wine region, majestic ocean cliffs, etc.)

Decisions, decisions...

School's out forever

I've been looking back on a lot of the casual conversations I had 18-24 months ago -- drinking a glass of wine on the couch with my partner, eating falafel for dinner with a friend, driving home from work on the phone with my mom -- the "should I or shouldn't I?" conversations before I decided "I should (probably.)"

And now this.

Graduate school has been an incredible experience, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who has the interest, the time, and the resources to commit to herself such an undertaking. I didn't really know what I was doing with my life ("didn't"? well... sometimes "don't") so I am glad I thought a lot about it, but I'm glad I took what felt a lot like a leap of faith at the time. I still might not have it "all together," but it feels damn good to be closer than ever.

There are so many amazing things to reflect on, but I tried to narrow it down for a blog post. These 10 are my favorites.

1. Conquering accounting and finance classes.
I was an English major for my undergraduate degree. Cost accounting and portfolio management are a far cry from literary criticism and Renaissance drama -- but I made it. And you know what, I did a pretty kickass job of learning.
2. Finding common ground.
Like a lot of people, I exist in a comfortable bubble of people who think a lot like I do. My friends have similar political and world views, so to enter a new group of people sometimes means being reminded that everyone does not think like me.
3. New friends.
To that same end, I met some pretty cool people, most of whom I would never have met or gotten to know without this program. It hasn't been all lectures and group homework; it's also Vegas trips, post-class beers, and weddings. Some of these relationships won't last long past graduation, and that's OK, but some will.
4. Patience. 
I've also come to appreciate my more established relationships. Friends and family being patient when I have to say no to group dinners and gatherings, work giving me a pass when I can't make it to another evening or weekend event, my partner doing extra dishes and laundry without complaint, and everyone generally putting up with me when I'm stressed out and a little crazy: these things make me even more appreciative of the wonderful people in my life.
5. Studying abroad. 
Ok, so this is future tense. I did not study abroad in undergrad, and it's not that I've had regrets... I've just wondered. At the end of this month, I'll go to France and Spain to take a couple more classes in international management and finance. More on that later.
6. Winning.
MBA-types thrive on competition (surprise!), and professors absolutely exploit this with projects in which teams are ranked against one another. I look back with such satisfaction on being on a team that "won" our simulation exercise for International Marketing, on helping to put together a "best" strategy analysis for Strategic Management, and on kicking comparative ass. Victory is so sweet.
7. Generally testing my mettle. 
Balancing school, work, family, friends, and sanity is not for the faint of heart. Especially in the last 2 months... there has been a lot of shit going on. I feel pretty awesome for getting it all handled.
8. Being educated.
Every time my mom tells me I'm the only one in our family except my grandmother to get a graduate degree (which she kind of tells me a lot)... I feel this little tug toward my grandmother (even though mom usually follows that up with "it was the only degree that didn't require any math"... *facepalm*) and proud to be part of the female majority in graduate education attainment.
9. Speaking of which -- the ladies. 
The women in the MBA program are the most awesome. Not to knock the men who are intelligent and driven in their own right, but the women make me hopeful for the future of the workforce and grateful to be a part of it. Also -- grateful to live in the time and place, under the circumstances, in which I do.
10. Vindication -- vegetarian food is better. 
I've written before about free food. I'll ever be too old for free food. Free food is awesome. There is always one vegetarian option, ordered in a much smaller portion. Without fail, the vegetarian option is gone in minutes, while the meaty entree languishes in its chafing dish, destined for the garbage. Everyone. Prefers. Vegetarian. Food.

That's a wrap, I guess.