This past month I've had the opportunity to travel to a bunch of beautiful places.  First my parents came over for 2 weeks, we rented a car and traveled all over Southern France.  We took the TGV to Paris and had a great time! Then I spent a week in Rome and Munich where I got to see the Vatican city, st. Peter's basilica, the sistine chapel, the panthenon etc.  Munich was my favorite place I have gone this semester...apparently it's the number one place to live in the world.  There is a ton of history there, which I learned from taking a 3 hour walking tour of the city.  The beer hall, the haufbrauhaus is where the Nazi party originated.  All but 4 things are younger than 60 years old in Munich because it was all destroyed in WWII.  The sidewalk with the gold bricks in a line is located in an area where people had to walk by a Nazi officer and salute.  This line symbolizes the people who took the other road and in turn, immediately got sent off to a concentration camp or were executed.  I had the opportunity to go to the Dachau concentration camp, the only one that was open for all 12 years of Hitler's reign.  It was the model for all others built.  It was definitely a chilling experience; actually being on the grounds where all those horrible things happened.  But no fear, Munich is also the beer capital of the world, so I took part in a brewery tour and was shown how beer was made.  I learned how to pour the perfect wheat beer (pictured) and was able to try a bunch of different ones they brew in Munich.  The food (sausages, dumplings etc. ) was amazing.  I saw plenty of men in their lederhosen which is a fashion fad best left for Germany...but overall a great trip! This past weekend I took a train to Marseille for 3 days.  It's a town about and hour and a half away from where I am studying and the beaches there are beautiful.  We went hiking on these trails to the "calanques" which are alcoves with water bluer than anything I have ever seen.  Oh yes, I'm still in school...just a minor detail.  Finals are this week and then I am coming home!

z