On Friday morning, I started my trip down to Atlanta for my summer internship with the Foundation for Economic Education. I got to my grandparents’ house in Kingston, Tennessee in the early evening and stayed with them for two nights. I had a nice time staying with them, and they took me to a few neat places on Saturday. We went to Ozone Falls and Black Mountain. Here are a few photos of Ozone Falls:
(Click on the photos to view them at a larger size)

I got to the apartment I am staying at for the summer in Sandy Springs, GA this afternoon. It is just north of Atlanta. The apartment is new and spacious, and in a very good location! I am living there with two other FEE guys- one intern and one full time employee (a Hillsdale grad). I am really looking forward to this summer!

The last city I stayed in was Nice, a beautiful city in the on the French Riviera in south-eastern France. It is such a gorgeous place! David and I took an overnight train from Bordeaux and arrived around 8:30 in the morning. The train was an experience… we stayed in a couchette car with four other people and were woke up multiple times during the night by either a shaking train or children with asthema. Anyway, once we arrived we put our stuff at the hotel, freshened up, and bought some pastries and ate them on the edge of the Mediterranean. The rest of that day and the next were devoted to much exploring and eating, then I had to take another overnight train to Paris to fly home.

I hope you enjoy the photos! Click on them to see them at a larger size.

The Promenade des Anglais and the Mediterranean Sea:

Natural rock formations that I climbed out on many times (with a kayaker!)

The harbor and the hillside:

Arches – possibly an old aquaduct?

A small lighthouse/beacon at the edge of the harbor:

Lit walkway on the edge of the sea

Rocky beach, the sea, and the sun: (click to view large!)

Me sitting on the rocks on the edge of the sea (Photo by David):

Rough waters as a storm rolls in:

Entrance to the harbor on a cloudy day:

Thank you for checking out my photos from spring break! I hope you enjoyed them.

Finally, after a stressful week, I have a few hours before I have to start studying for finals.

Here are my photos from Bordeaux, where I spent the most time. There I did lots of things like exploring alone, spending a day in a French high school (not pictured), and going to a small funeral at a small village in wine country (long story, and not pictured), and ate lunch with some British folk (also not pictured). Here are my favorite photos from my wanderings in Bordeaux. I hope you enjoy them! Click on the photos to view them at a larger size.

I got caught in a downpour, but afterwards this rainbow over Garonne River and Pont de Pierre bridge appeared. Definitely worth standing in the rain to see:

The riverwalk and quays along the Garonne River:

Pont de Pierre bridge at night:

The general chaos that is a French street. Trams, bikes, motorcycles, cars, and pedestrians walking any which way:

Place du Palais:

Silhouettes:

Delightful pastries in a cafe:

The riverwalk again:

I was amazed at how much French men pee in public. It seems like they go wherever they feel like. When I looked though my photos, I was surprised to find this. I didn’t notice this guy when I took the photo!

Statues:

Cathedral St. Andres:

Behind St. Bruno church:

Check back in a few days for photos from Nice!

After my short stay in Paris, I took a train a few hours south to Bordeaux, where my friend David lives. After a short nap at David’s apartment, we immediately went to the town of Arcachon, a small but beautiful place on the Atlantic (well, technically on Arcachon Bay, but we could see where the bay opened up to the Atlantic from the beach.) We were originally going to go there two days later, but the forecast was rain for that day, so we went right after arriving from Paris. Below are a few photos. As always, you can click on the photos to make them appear at a larger size.

Arcachon Bay:

The summer village:

Down in the summer village:

Down in the summer village (again):

The breakwater and oceanfront:

Two beautiful houses in the afternoon sun:

Me! (Photo taken by David Wagner)

Next up, Bordeaux! (Check back in a few days!)

I am finally getting around to posting some of my spring break photos from France! I won’t write the story of my trip on here… I would much prefer to tell you in person, so call me and ask me to hang out! (Or if you are too far away to do that, call me and we can talk!)

I will post some of my favorite photos from the trip in a series of posts, one for each place I visited. This post, Paris, will start it out. Coming soon will be Arcachon, Bordeaux, and Nice. Keep checking back throughout the week! Keep in mind that these are just my favorites. If you want to see more of my photos, let me know! (I can show you them at the same time I tell you my stories!)

Click on each photo to see it at a larger size.

Luxemburg Gardens:

A typical Parisian street:

The Seine river at night with Notre Dame in the distance:

A closer view in the daytime:

Notre Dame at night:

Carvings above the Notre Dame doors:

Inside Notre Dame

Sacre Coeur:

Sacre Coeur (closer)

Two metros passing each other (long exposure, handheld)

Eiffel Tower at night from Hannah Stone’s window:

Stairway in the Hotel Herse d’Or that David and I stayed at:

Hotel de Ville from across the Seine at night:

Check back soon for more photos!