{kony 2012}

Such a powerful video. I fully support this mission and will do everything to spread the message. Join the revolution and sign up at www.kony2012.com. We can change the world. Also, check out Invisible Children, to learn more about the project. Such a cool organization.

{happy weekend!}

After this busy, crazy week, a nice relaxing weekend is what I am looking for. I had 4 midterms this week. Why do professors think that anyone can do well on midterms after a week break?! Please explain this to me. On Thursday night, after my final midterm, there was a dress up party that my friends and I went to. I have decided that the getting ready part of going out is almost always the best. This week there was also a huge snow storm on March 1st. Hello Spring? At least everything is not covered in a layer of beautiful and fresh snow! My plans for this weekend consist of reading, sleeping and drinking A LOT of tea. Hope you all have a great weekend!

And since I haven't done this in a while (because my life was all exciting and I was traveling), I am going to bring back the senses post.

seeing: snow, snow and more snow

tasting: dark chocolate peanut butter!

hearing: The Monkees- Daydream Believer (RIP Davy Jones <3)

touching: Midterms, and lot of them

smelling: my mango chapstick!

{Marseille, France}

Last but not least, we ended in Marseille, France. I love France, so getting to go back was such a great experience. Marseille is a beautiful port city sitting right on the Mediterranean. The architecture is beautiful, and all the roads are lined with trees. We walked up the Palais Longchamp, which is a huge park with all kind of statues. While up there, we met two guys on their mission with the Mormon church. What a sweet place to do your mission, eh? We asked them what was should see in our limited time Marseille and they offered to take us around. They took us to the beach, which was a spectacular sight. The mountains on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. My favourite part about traveling is meeting people from all over. After the beach, all of us went out to eat and then we headed back. Pretty great end to the cruise J

The pictures taken of our friends with the signs are for a project they are doing on their mission. It is show casing the message in an artistic fashion through photos. I think it is a pretty cool idea! If you want to check it out, head over here or if you are in the area check out the gallery opening, I am sure it won't disappoint!

And this marks the end of the travel posts, back to reality on the blog and in real life now. :( Hope you all have a great weekend!

{Tunis, Tunisia}

*Sorry for the picture intensive post!*

Tunisia was my first trip to Africa, and it definitely met the expectations. It was a beautiful place surrounded by the ocean. Our first trip in the country was to go see Carthage. Carthage was the home of the Punic during the period of fighting with the Romans. It backs right up to the ocean and is just awe-inspiring. The ruins are still being dug up but you see enough to get the idea of how the Punic people lived. Its neat seeing the places you learn about in history first hand. After Carthage, we headed over to the Medina. The Medina is a city center with 8 doors. It is a walled in complex full of shopping and bartering and people throwing things to buy in your face. Most of the sellers would put a necklace on you and then demand money. It was quite the experience to say the least. In the Medina, there was a rug shop made of hand stitched rugs which “will last 1000 years”. That was the selling point, obviously. The rugs were beautiful, with intricate designs. We ended up buy 3 rugs. You have to help out the Tunisian economy some how, right? Or maybe that is an excuse. The weather in Tunisia was also not the best, but it did clear up till the end of the day. The other place our guide took us was the American cemetery in Tunis. It was so neat to see a monument for all the soldiers who died in pursuit of saving the Tunisians. Again, Tunisia is definitely a place I recommend going.

On a side note, Happy Leap Day! Hope it is awesome :)

{Valletta, Malta}

Malta, what a wonderful place. Besides the horrid weather we had, it was absolutely amazing. My parents and I took a tour of a Neolithic Temple in Malta, which was way cool. My favorite part about seeing ruins is imagining what used to happen in that place, and how the people were. I am also amazed by how they built such magnificent structures without modern day tools. After the temple, we headed across the island to a fishers village. The boats in Malta are so brightly colored and beautiful to look at. Had the weather permitted, I could definitely have spent a lot longer at the village. If you ever get the chance to go to Malta, take it, you will not regret it.

{Barcelona, Spain}

Barcelona! Barcelona was so beautiful and I had such an amazing time. We walked along a tree lined path with artisans on each side, such a perfect start to the day. At the end of the path was Café Zurich which was a cute coffee shop where we got coffee and tea. As we were enjoying our drinks, a protest began outside (and I thought I left Quebec….?). It was pretty neat seeing a protest in another country. It goes to show how people everything are connected through ideas and needs.

We headed over to La Sagrada Familia, which ended up being a MUCH longer walk than we thought. We were given 3 different directions so basically we were on our own to get there. After about a good 45 min walk we made it! That was quite the experience. Getting lost definitely gives you a better view of the city though.

To get back to the port on time we took the subway. THE BARCELONA SUBWAY IS SO NICE. It was so clean and well marked. Taking the subway really shows you a taste of local life, which is the only way to travel. We didn’t have too long to spend in Barcelona, but it was amazing none the less and I will definitely make my way back here some day J

, which ended up being a MUCH longer walk than we thought. We were given 3 different directions so basically we were on our own to get there. After about a good 45 min walk we made it! That was quite the experience. Getting lost definitely gives you a better view of the city though.

To get back to the port on time we took the subway. THE BARCELONA SUBWAY IS SO NICE. It was so clean and well marked. Taking the subway really shows you a taste of local life, which is the only way to travel. We didn’t have too long to spend in Barcelona, but it was amazing none the less and I will definitely make my way back here some day J

{the boat}

Woke up, got ready and went to explore Genoa for a bit before we needed to board the ship. We found a cute coffee shop hidden inside an outdoor museum. I think that is one of the best things of Europe is the cute cafes and the relaxed feeling.

After coffee, we went to grab a bit to eat at a little, local restaurant and then headed back to the hotel for check out. We headed to the ship, boarded and explored. The ship is HUGE and decorated….very, very decorated. A bit too much for my taste, but what are you gonna do, eh? It is really cool though because there are so many nationalities aboard and just walking around you hear so many languages and all the stuff speaks so many different languages. I really wish I spoke more languages.

Today was pretty uneventful, but Barcelona tomorrow!