i really miss crepes. with nutella.

I've been back in the U.S. for only about twenty-four hours now (eighteen of which were spent furiously Facebooking...jeez we all take a lot of pictures!), and I am definitely ready to go back to France. On Monday, I was definitely ready to come home, stop living out of a suitcase, and chill out in a room that would be bigger than a walk-in closet. But I'm already over all of that, and ready to hop on another 8-hour-plus flight back across the Atlantic, to the land of delicious bread...and cheese...and pastries...

I think that the French way of life that we got to experience in Troyes was the best - Paris, while amazing, was kind of overwhelming (people-wise) in the way that big cities are. Troyes was definitely more of an up-close look at the way that regular French people (and not just the ballers that are Parisians) live their life. And, while everyone talks about French people being snobby, everyone that I encountered in stores and restaurants was awesomely helpful (especially in restaurants, where Cori and I both got really nervous trying to talk to the waiter). I always practiced the questions I had to ask people before I asked them, because I wanted to make sure that I didn't accidentally ask the way to the nearest chicken farm instead of what time the next bus comes, or something like that.

There are some things about French culture that I prefer our version of; for example, TIME. They are never on it. We always are. Also, I am puzzled over how to interpret the bells of their cathedral in Troyes (take the first set, multiply by three, divide by the chimes of the third set, add the number of minutes between the third and fourth set...).

It was definitely an amazing trip full of crazy adventures, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

-Lydia