French Train Adventures 2014!!

WHEW hey kids! HOW are ya doin today? Great, I hope--February is half way over (?!?!) and I have stories to catch you up on, so I guess it's a fantastic day to be alive. I spent the past two weekends training my way through France AND IT WAS FANTASTIC and I really think we should all invest in high speed trains in America!!!! Like how great would a train from Madison to Milwaukee be? SO GREAT LOL MAN TOO BAD WE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT. (sorry, really old political joke/dig at Scott Walker, my fave person, but the protests were three years ago today so I had to slip one in there somewhere).

My first train adventure brought me to the absolutely marvelous city of Paris, where I saw the sun every day and ate macarons equally as much. While I was there, it was coincidentally the very end of soldes. For those of you unfamiliar with them, they are a government-required, country-wide sale in basically every store on any clothing article you could possibly dream of. Naturally, I had to remind myself that I still had to eat for the remainder of the year so I didn't buy a Burberry trench that was 30% off, but still worth 3 months rent at least. Oof. I did manage to find a killer leather jacket, and when I wear it with red lips, I can feel all my months of studying the French finally pay off.

Paris had more than just soldes to offer, of course--two of my good friends from Madison, Kelsey and Jenny, are studying there so I got to see them and remind myself that I actually have friends across the ocean (sometimes it seems like you guys are just figments of my imagination, especially at this point in the game). Notably, Kelsey and I voyaged to Refuge des Fondus, a fondue restaurant in Montmontre that famously serves their wine in baby bottles. Our dinner that night was 100% bread, cheese, and wine, and we certainly weren't complaining. And, in a small world story, we were sitting next to a pair of friends, one of which is actually studying abroad in Aix! We have plans to meet up later in the week, so holla to new friends found in a fondue joint!

truest love of them all

don't hate it 

The second train journey took me to the French/German border, to the city of Strasbourg with my friend Robert for a Valentine's weekend extravaganza. I had the best food there, and the cathedral is actually awe inspiring. I know I've said this before, but they honestly dumbfound me--they're so intricate and so old and just how!!?? I of course did my German roots proud by eating a lot of sauerkraut and sausage and drinking beer at the same time. The sauerkraut gets filed under "life changing" because it was the best I've ever had, and trust me when I say I've had a lot (Wisco4lyfe).

Being so close to Germany, I of course had to get there somehow. With my marathon now less than two months away (ahahahhah what), the natural solution to this goal was running. Getting there and back was easy, but I got hopelessly lost in the town of Kehl while on a hunt for a German flag to snapchat all my friends (wahtever, sue me). I have no idea how many miles that ended up being, but it turned into a three and half hour thing, so I guess I'm ready to run now HAHAAAAAA ugh.

I ran to Germany and all I got was this stupid picture 

oh and speaking of weird athletic things the Lindstrom kids did this weekend, my brother did something stupid at swimming sectionals so yeah whatever that's cool/equally unsurprising...JK HE KILLED IT AND I SCREAMED FROM FRANCE but that's not shocking.

That about wraps it up for my train adventures 2014!!! I actually will go on more train adventures next weekend, but this time in Switzerland. Bummer, I know. And then there's a school break, followed by a trip to Istanbul so I mean I guess I'll have busting fat blog posts soon!!!

luv u guys,

Sarah + statue

Sarah's First Game Day Since 2012

As the title suggests, this was my first taste of any sort of game day since 2012, really. I don't count last Super Bowl because I prefer to refer to that as the "Beyonce concert that changed my life". Before living in France, one of the 196 countries out of 197 where football means a sport you actually play with your feet, football games were my ish. Not necessarily for the football, either--coming from West, where trips to the playoffs come once every 30 years, you had to find other reasons to love the sport. That meant a reason to see all my friends on a Friday night and to flood the McDonald's near the stadium after a loss to eat french fries/generally terrorize anyone that was trying to causally eat there.
Obviously/thankfully, in college, I found myself at a school with a phenomenal football team--three trips to the Rose Bowl says something, regardless of the outcome of the games. I grew to love football more, as there was something to actually cheer for. Gamedays of course didn't hurt the cause; I've yet to find a better way to spend a fall Saturday than surrounded with 80,000+ of your closest friends, jumping around.

In France, all my school spirit I cultivated in high school and let blossom in college was left more or less squashed for the year. It's unheard of to have huge crowds at university sporting events, and I don't think the FAC even sells school merchandise. Thankfully, God smiled down on my suffering and blessed me with the best case scenario for my AIX(lolol)pat self--a Super Bowl with not one, not two, but FOUR former Badgers, including everyone's favorite, Russell Wilson (ps Russell if you're reading this, call me sometime k thx). A Montee Ball didn't hurt either...needless to say, I was pumped!!! Some of my energy could finally be channeled into something!!!!

no, Badgers

So last night, some of my American friends and I trekked to the most American bar in town, a place I usually avoid like the plague: the Wohoo. We were split pretty evenly down the middle: the Indiana kids were cheering for the Broncos because of Peyton Manning, while the Wisco kids rooted for the Seahawks because duh, Russell. (I guess I should note that most of us Sconnies were more impartial--we were pumped to see both Russell and Montee playing that it was hard choosing a side. However, at the bar, the Indiana kids bragging about Peyton was a lot to handle, so we chose to root more heavily for the Seahawks. Plus what's a football game without trash talking?? Boring, that's what) This was, of course, much more different than an American Super Bowl experience, and in a weird way, represented how much I still take pride in being American and the weird things we love (football, our way of measuring things, fried food etc), but also how much I love the French. The broadcast included the game and in lieu of the commercials, there were French experts on American football explaining in VERY basic terms how football works--they even had a mini field painted on the set where they would run demonstrations of plays, the plays you learn in middle school gym class.

I'd say that after a year break of watching football (I did try in the beginning, but honestly it made me sad and homesick), the first time in France was a roaring success. The Wohoo wasn't even that crowded! I mean, after the Indiana kids left because of obvious reasons, the French outnumbered the Americans. They even gave us free chocolate cake at the end of the night. And staying to the end to see this made the 5 AM bedtime very much worth it:

my kind of love/surprised the state of Wisconsin didn't blow up with joy

ANYWAYS that is the most exciting thing that has happened recently, unless you count Ryanair canceling my flight to Sevilla 24 hours in advance with no reason and no alternative. To make myself feel better, I bought a train ticket to Paris for this weekend because, in the immortal words of Audrey Hepburn, "Paris is always a good idea". OH AND HUUUUUUGE SHOUTOUT to the wonderful, perfect sister that is Tory Felker: SHE SENT ME BAGELS. BAGELS. I CRIED AND ALREADY ATE THEM ALL. #bagelsforever. Also, quick lil PSA: if you send me a package, I am no longer in need of peanut butter. I could make 243739 batches of peanut butter cookies and still have some left over. Thank you all for being so generous with all your love, I really do appreciate it!

mfing perfection, Tory rox

all my love in the whole whole world,

a bagel-eyed Sarah