La famille, l'Italia, et le Noel

Joyeux Noel et une bonne année!

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

This holiday season has been far from the norm. Instead of heading home for the holidays, part of the home came to me! The parentals arrived in Paris about a week before my winter break to take in a bit of Paris as well as France (they visited the northern coast, Versailles, and the Champagne region) before we all headed down south to enjoy the Italian sun in Rome and Florence.

Overview: under a week travelling by train through the Italian cities of Rome and Florence with my mama and papa.

Italy was in a word, gorgeous. We arrived in Rome after a lengthy train ride from paris, and had nothing but sun in Rome for our sightseeing, walking, and eating good times. Despite the colds that my dad and I seemed to catch moments before departure, our touristing was not hampered! From our base at a BnB blocks from vatican city, the fam and I enjoyed walks on cobblestone streets (narrowly avoiding the somewhat reckless Italian drivers, and watch out for those vespas, tiny things come out of nowhere!), fabulous pizza and pasta, breathtaking churches, and a general sense of awe at the antiquity of everything present there. The parentals put up with my bossing and directing, despite my habit of getting a little lost at times. Personal fav was not the usual fountains, steps, or even the St. Peter's Basilica, which was a beauty and the guards in their funny cute little uniforms reminiscient of a Shakespeare play were fabulous, but the views from the Colosseum. Seeing the city of modern and antiquity alive and bustling with great energy was a moment I hope to never forget.

Next on to Firenze! The gorgeous home of Renaissance art and more postcard views! Here we had just 2 days, unfortunately short, to get a little piece of Florence, home to Palazzos, gelato, and great pasta. First on the list, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, aka the Duomo, a lovely church, where Danté was christened (ok technically he was christened in the baptistry OUTSIDE the Duomo, but close enough). Home also to a tower with 416 steps and a pretty view of Florence from above. The competitive gene is present in the Riggs fam, so of course we raced to the top, and you will have to contact my dad for video of the ensuing chaos and heart/laugh attacks that resulted from the three of us racing up narrow stairways. Then it was more art/sightseeing/eating and a little shopping (lots of pretty leather purses). That evening dad and I attempted the bus system in order to catch a monk chanting mass at a church in the Florence hills. Unfortunately our concierge's time estimation was a little off and we arrived late, but still had a great view of the city and again, contact my dad for the video of it as well as our 'chanting' efforts. Next day was a great tour of the Old Palazzo including secret rooms and passageways with an amazing guide who was obviously passionate about not only the building but Italian history. That afternoon included my best meal in Italy (spicy pasta and gelato) as well as our last minute museum stops and leather making shop browsing. Then it was back to Paris so the parents could catch their flight home Christmas day, I got to have that morning with them and they arrived back home for dinner with the fam (well a late dinner as the change at Dallas didn't exactly go as planned) BUT overall a fabulous trip with memories to last a lifetime, especially when the dad finishes his movie putting together all the footage of pretty gold buildings, staircases, and landscapes!

mama and me at the Colosseum, Rome


Spanish steps, Rome (and beautiful sky)


Trevi fountatin, Rome


parentals in front of old stuff in Rome


rafters during our 'secret passageways' tour of a Palazzo in Florence (amazing tour, with an enthusiastic guide, hidden doors, and fun facts)


Duomo from inside the palazzo museum, Florence

Thanks and love to my amazing parents for being great travel buddies and even better guests. They washed dishes, cleaned, and even organized my closet for me (although, mom, I still can't find the camis...)

miss you all SO much and can't wait for the next adventure : )

xxoo

Un bol

About 3 hours by train, just south from Paris, nestled next to the Alps is a city called Grenoble! A little 'bowl' surrounded by snowy mountains. Pic above is during the morning train down. I had the absolute joy of visiting a friend of mine from UCLA who is studying there this semester. After rolling through gorgeous countryside, I arrived in chilly Grenoble just in time for a short walking tour, set down my stuff at her homestay, then headed out before lunch to see a bit of the city.

We caught some snowboard competition in the park first of all. There was a huge ramp of snow set up in their former track and it was pretty intense to be standing on some man made snow watching the guys hurtle down the very scary looking snow slide before trying some flips in the air. After deciding we were not experienced enough to join in the fun, we headed back for a late afternoon lunch with Shalom and her amazing and welcoming host fam.

Then off for a walk around old Grenoble, followed by a ride up the mountainside in these round glass ball contraptions, to get a great view of the city from the bastille, which is a fort. We then took a fabulous misty walk down the hillside before enjoying the Christmas marché in Grenoble center, eating again. We then wandered back to the apt just in time for dinner (it was so yummy so I willed my stomach to expand). Meals with the fam there were great because I got to see the traditional way of eating, with the meal, then cheese, followed by fruit, then coffee/tea and chocolate. Then I got to see a lot of pictures from Shalom's trips around France, while chatting about what we wanted to see/do, and what had been some of the great places for us in France.

snowboard exhibition:


view from inside the ride up the mtn side:


streets of Grenoble:


Yay dressing up for Christmas : )


Many thanks to Shalom and her famille d'acceuil for a fabulous W/E

xxoo