After a day in Marseille we made a quick trip over to Cassis and I absolutely LOVED it! there is nothing like a day out on the sea!

and whats a day out on the sea with no ice cream!

After my night in Cannes we packed up her families car and took a road trip to Marseille. A beautiful seaside town with incredible churches and architecture. The city had a certain charm about it different from the other cities I had visited. This trip was also different because I got to spend a little bit more time with family.Weonly had one day in Marseille, but we managed to pack a lot in! We started the day at Notre Dame de la Garde a beautiful cathedral in the city.

After the church her family indulged me in one of my guilty pleasures! SOAP. I am not sure when it began but at some point in my life I really started to enjoy artesian soaps. If you are reading and also a soap person then you would be familiar with Marseille Soap. It is a type of soap specific to the region and made famous by their soap making process. There is no official trademark for the original soap, but in Marseille there exist a society that focuses on the history of Marseille Soap. So of course with the opportunity in front of me I went to a soap museum.

After my soap detour we went back to the more popular sights of the city ending the day at Fort Saint- Jean!

Less than 24 hrs. in Menton and I was on a train to Cannes! During the summer the city host themed parties every Sunday. The Sunday I arrived was planned to be very exaggerated version of the 70s . Romane for-warned me that the line could get a little crazy to get in. I learned that this was a very soft could. After about an hour of waiting and a little bit of french elbowing we arrived! It was only one night in Cannes, but the city is now on the books for me!

After a long 6 years I finally had the opportunity to reconnect with my French other half. In 2013 Romane lived with my family as a Rotary Exchange student. Even though 6 years have past, our interactions are familiar. After two weeks of solo travel I am very glad to be spending time with Romane and her family and I look forward to all of our upcoming adventures.

By a stroke of good fortune, my first day in Barcelona ended up being the first day of the Festa de Gracia. The festival is one of Barcelonas largest festivals and oldest traditions in Barcelona each year in the neighborhood of Gracia. The residential streets are completley transformed to match a certain theme. The magic of it all is that each of the streets are 1) decorated by all of the residents and 2) they are only allowed to use recycled materials to complete the task. The fesitval attracts people from all over the city making it very crowded. Luckily my hostal was in the neighborhood and it was very accessible even on the opening night. With this I was fully prepared to be a part of Barça! After having such a good experience with walking tours in Porto I decided that with Barcelona being such a large city it would be best to explore it by foot. I slightly over estimated the amount of walking, but I really do feel that I had the opportunity to experience the city as much as I could in the short time that I was there. It would be improper not to mention that most of these tours included food.

I saw the flyer for Cookele my first night in the hostel. I was at first a little hesitant about taking a class, slightly fearful of it being a tourist trap. But my crash course on how to cook seafood paella made my time in Granada what it was. The course was meant to be a comprehensive experience, so the day began in the market. There I was taught what ingredients were needed for the recipe and how to get what I needed from each stand in the market. The food buying experience takes on a whole new character when you have the opportunity to interact with the seller of each product. At every stop there were suggestions and recommendations to make the paella better based on their knowledge of their products. We moved from fruit, to dried goods and ended in the seafood section.

From the market we walked to where the class would take place. A large kitchen with vintage decorations and from there the fun began! The process all together took about 4hrs. But in the end we had a wonderful paella that was shared with friends.

It is experiences like these that make me feel a part of a culture. Eating, talking and being a part of the community.

After a four day food tour in Porto, I decided to delve into the history of Seville. With only two nights in the city I really packed in the sight seeing and was able to see a lot of the city. With everything so centrally located, it was easy to move around the city and see most of the historical sites. Walking from place to place was less of a problem than the sheer size of each place. I easily spent two hours in each place. By midday I was exhausted, but then I remembered I was in Spain where siesta is a cultural norm. I fully intend to utilize this much needed midday nap for my remaining days in Spain.

While my time in Seville was short, I intend to return. My last evening I spent time watching the sun set in la plaza de Espana and it was one of the best sunsets I have seen so far.

After a few festive nights in Lisbon I was glad for four rainy nights in Porto. Rain on vacation is often dreaded, but I enjoyed every rainy moment. Like my time in Lisbon I went mostly without a plan. I knew where I was sleeping, but I left the rest to where the wind would take me. My hostel was located on the opposite side of the river in the town of Villa nova de Gaianext door to one of the cities most famous wineries, Sandeman.

While I wish I could name the historical sites of the city of Porto, I found myself overindulging in the history of gastronomic delights the city had to offer. I ordered everything from cod fish to a famous sandwich inspired by the french, ( no photos because I consumed it so quickly) and of course I did a tour of the cities famous Port wine.

August 2-6, 2019 | Lisbon, Portugal

August 6-August 10, 2019 | Porto, Portugal

August 10-12, 2019 | Sevilla, Spain 

August 12-15,2019 | Granada, Spain 

August 15-18, 2019 | Barcelona, Spain 

August 18-28, 2019 | France & Italy 

Since January 8th I have fully embraced the joie de vivre. Once I decided to be filled with the exuberant joy of life, I also decided I would live no other way. I went into this experience deciding it would be the mantra of my journey. Doc Ramsey’s joie de vivre would remind me to be brave in a land unknown and to embrace the novelty of it all. While I thought this would be my motto as I pushed myself to overindulge in European pastries, I have since learned it can also apply to chemotherapy.

Instead of boarding the plane to London on January 7th, I prepared for a CT Guided Needle Biopsy on my right lung. A week later I was diagnosed with Stage One Classical Hodgkins Lymphoma. While this news has postponed my Great Ideas Tour, what I have learned in reading about Doc Ramsey and embracing the joie de vivre, I know it will be no time before I am ready to jet set. I decided to approach this challenge with a similar mindset to the joie de vivre. It is a small bump in the road, but travel is certainly on the horizon. I appreciate all of the continued support and kind words from the Ramsey Family and can not wait to share my journey.

Leaving Tuscaloosa is bittersweet, but I am overjoyed to be starting this new chapter of my life as both an Alabama graduate, and as a member of the Ramsey Family. With graduation behind me, it is time to kick my Great Ideas Tour (GIT) planning into drive! The Great Ideas Tour is a part of the John Fraser Ramsey Premier Award at the University of Alabama. The award honors John Fraser Ramsey, a history professor at the University of Alabama who dedicated his life to the university and the students.  GIT is “the opportunity to travel Europe and discover [your] own sense of possibility and responsibility within a global humanity.”

My journey begins January 7, 2019 when I board my flight to London, England. With one backpack, a journal, and camera in tow I hope to continue the legacy of Dr. Ramsey by embracing his joie de vivre!

Please check in for updates, photos, and news of my tour. I am very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to sharing this journey with all of you!