Mike's Visit to Paris...for the Second Time :)

The week before Croatia, my friend Mike stopped by for a few days on his way back to the States. He was studying in London for the semester, but his program started and ended earlier than the Paris one. We had a great few days packed with fun! On his first night in Paris, we had a great dinner at Place St. Michel and then went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It was so strange to think that during my first time on the Arc, I was bundled in a winter coat and scarf. This time it was a beautiful and warm night! Afterwards, we walked along the Champs Élysées and had tea and macaroons at L'Adurée. It was a very "French" night, hahaha. The next day, Mike did lots of exploring while I was in class, and then we spent some time lounging in the park with a baguette, because it was such a beautiful day. Afterwards, we cooked dinner and then did some exploring in Montmartre. It really is one of the most beautiful areas of Paris. On Mike's last full day in Paris (and Europe), he headed to Versailles, and after my classes we went to DISNEYLAND!!! We had a blast. The weather was perfect, and the lines weren't too long. It's also the 20th year celebration of the park, which is pretty neat. We walked along Main Street, which is very similar to the one in Florida and then headed to Space Mountain, which is actually better than the one in Florida...I won't spoil it for you, though; you'll have to come check it out yourself. We also watched the parade, went on the Haunted House ride, rode Big Thunder Mountain, the Indiana Jones roller coaster, and went on Pirates of the Caribbean. We ended our night by watching the fountain, light, and fireworks show. It was a great day! Friday morning he caught his train back to London and flew home to the states just in time for OOzeball at UConn! 

Montenegro

Our Lady of the Rock (artificial island) 

Croatia

View from our hotel room 

Our boat excursion to the Elaphiti Islands 

Our kayaking adventures!

View of the Old City from the cable car 

Snow! 

The entire Old City...pretty small 

View of the sunset from the cable car 

Our last night in Croatia :( 

I spy a...DOLPHIN! 

More kayaking 

Croatia: The Final Days

Friday was our last full day in paradise, and we did absolutely nothing. It was perfect. We slept in, had breakfast, and then laid by the pool all day. Sydney had her spa appointment today, so I went for one last run along the water. We spent the rest of the night eating dinner and hanging out on the terrace of the hotel. The sunset was beautiful, and it was the perfect ending to a wonderful week. Saturday morning we left the hotel around 5:00 am and were back in Paris by 11:00. It was the perfect vacation, and I was definitely sad to leave. Tonight I'm off to Germany, Prague, and Poland for the second half of my spring break. 

Croatia: Days 4-6

Wednesday, Sydney and I went kayaking in a town about an hour from Dubrovnik called Cavtat. It was small, but beautiful. Sydney and I were the only people on the tour (besides our guide and his friend). We spent four hours kayaking to different islands and learning about the history of Croatia. It was a perfect day—there was not a single cloud in the sky, the sun was shining, and the sea was calm. We saw some cool cave-like indents into the islands where the water was such an intense green/blue color, and spent some time laying out on the islands and swimming in the sea. Wednesday was May Day, which is a big holiday in Croatia and the start of the tourist season, so we stopped at an island to see some of our guide's friends, who were having a barbecue. By then, our 4 hours of kayaking were up, and we headed back to our staring point. However, the coolest, most unexpected thing happened...we saw dolphins!! At first they were pretty far away, and we could only see their fins, but eventually they came really close to us! It was so awesome. I wasn't able to get any good pictures, but we were so excited. They were so close at one point, we got a little nervous they were going to tip us. It was the perfect ending to a fun day on the ocean. After kayaking, we went into the Old City of Dubrovnik and took the cable car to a high point where we had a great view of the city. The Old City is really cool. It's very small and completely surrounded by either the ocean or a stone wall. The roofs of the buildings are red, which contrast nicely with the green/blue water. We had beautiful view at sunset. We spent the rest of the night working out and relaxing at the hotel. 

Thursday, we went into the Old City of Dubrovnik and spent the day exploring. It is one of the coolest towns I have ever been to. There is really only one main road made of stone, and it's lined with small shops and restaurants. There are several narrow streets off this main road that are also full of boutiques and tourists. We explored a market with lots of herbs and homemade soaps and lotions, jewelry, and glass products. We continued to wander through the small streets going into stores and getting a feel for the city. Dubrovnik thrives off tourism, so there are a lot of specialty shops in which artists sell their paintings, glasswork, jewelry, limestone carvings, etc. We also walked around the stone wall and got some great views. At one point, we stopped for smoothies in a little restaurant carved into the stone wall. After a few hours, we got some refreshing ice cream and headed back to our hotel. I really enjoyed the city; it's probably one of my favorites I've visited since coming to Paris. After our tour through the town, I worked out and had a facial at the spa in the hotel...it was so relaxing. 

Croatia: Days 2 and 3

Today I woke up, went for a nice run along the water, and then Sydney and I did a day excursion to the Elaphiti Islands. A boat took us to three different islands, Kolocep, Lopund, and Sipan. All the islands were so beautiful, and the boat rides to each one were so relaxing. In between islands, we even docked to have lunch. On the last island, we literally hiked to one of the highest points to reach the sandy beach on the other side. The water here was much warmer, so we spent a lot of time swimming. We also realized how salty the water was. Not only could we taste it and feel it on our skins, but we also floated so easily! It was so amazing to be in the water and surrounded by mountains! We met some cool girls from New Zealand and a couple from Wisconsin, who we spent most of our day chatting with. When we got back to the hotel, we hit the pool and sauna, had dinner, and relaxed. 

Tuesday was our excursion to Montenegro...yes, the country. All of the students from UConn went, and we had a blast! I thought it was the MOST beautiful place I have ever seen. The bus ride from Dubrovnik was a few hours, and we waited for a bit to get through the Croatian and Montenegrin borders, but eventually we were driving along a winding road on the edge of the cliffs of the Bay of Kotor. It was incredible! At our first stop, we took a boat to one of two small artificial islands called Our Lady of the Rock, built to commemorate an icon on Mary and Jesus found floating in that spot of the ocean. There was small church and a museum on the island. From there we headed to the town of Kotor. It was very quaint with stone paths and small boutiques and restaurants. We had a delicious lunch, a tour of the area, and some free time to wander. On the way to our final destination, we passed through the tunnel in which a scene from Casino Royale was filmed. At this final stop, we were also close to the hotel in which some of the movie was filmed, but we weren't actually able to see it. This town was very Medieval-like and was surrounded by a stone wall. The town was preparing for a carnival so it had lots of fun decorations. We explored for a bit then relaxed by the beach. Eventually it was time to head back to Croatia. On the way back, we again drove through the beautiful mountains and valleys. Montenegro is definitely a place to see during your lifetime. 

Croatian Paradise: Day 1

This past week I spent the first half of my spring break in Croatia with the UConn program. Our directors planned an amazing week at a beautiful resort in Dubrovnik, a city at the southern tip of Croatia. We left Paris Saturday afternoon and flew into Zagreb, the capital of Croatia and then into Dubrovnik. We arrived at our hotel late Saturday night and did some exploring. It took us a while, but we eventually found the beach. Even though it was dark, and we couldn't seem much, it was still beautiful. Sunday morning my roomie Sydney and I woke up to an amazing view of the ocean! It was truly paradise. We had the hotel pool below us and the ocean beyond that surrounded by mountains. I could not stop staring at this view. During our stay, our breakfasts and dinners were included at the hotel, so we went for a nice workout in the gym and then enjoyed an endless supply of delicious food for breakfast! It was so nice not having to cook. We then spent the day exploring and walking along the water. It was seriously incredible. We spent a while just laying on the rocks and looking at the mountains and the ocean. During our trip we learned that from space, the bluest point on Earth is the Adriatic Sea, and I definitely believe it! In the most shallow points, the water was sometimes crystal clear. As the levels got deeper, the colors changed from green to jollyrancher blue. It wasn't quite turquoise, it was closer to green, but there really is no way to give the colors justice; it was just so beautiful! We ended up walking onto a main street and did some more exploring. Eventually we got hot enough to jump in the water, which was a bit chilly but definitely refreshing. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around and exploring. Eventually we headed back to the hotel and went swimming. The pools at the hotel were infinity pools, and they were so awesome! It looked like the water extended out into the ocean. After dinner (which was again, an endless supply of delicious food), we hung out on the terrace of the hotel. It was a great first day in Croatia!