I have accomplished all the 'goals' that I hoped to do, minus of course gone back to Conegliano for Christmas (flight on Dec. 18).
I think I successfully managed to count my trips during 2011 (up to today). If anything, I've underestimated the number of trains I've taken, but here are the stats:
planes taken: 14
trains taken: 44
Which, by the time I return home, should be 18 planes, and 47 trains.
So, the Christmas markets in Grenoble are gorgeous. The town is really well lit up with Christmas lights, and since it gets dark shortly after 5pm these days, you really absorb the spirit. Not only Grenoble, but I've been able to see lovely Christmas markets also in Marseille, Aix-en-Provence and Nice. I did these three diverse cities last week: Marseille and Aix with a dear friend, and Nice on my own, thanks to CouchSurfing! I was hosted by a really nice young couple (French + Spanish) and was lucky to arrive on the weekend of the opening of the Christmas village... Nice definately beat them all, the lights, the fake snow, the wooden huts, the Chrismas music, ice-skating ring, mulled wine, rides and more... the amosphere was absolutely magic.
I haven't done this much but here are some photos to get the idea across.
It's been 10 years since my last Christmas in the cold, and I must say since then I haven't felt the Christmas spirit in the Australian summer. So this period is really special for me, and I really look forward to spending it with my family in Conegliano and friends in Milan.
Speaking of which, I decided to be lazy about my NYE destination.
So in fact from December 18th to January 4th I'll be away from Grenoble... it's study period until my exams, which I'll finish on January 12th. Unfortunately the following day I'll have to rush off back to Italy to say goodbye to loved ones and get ready to head home to Australia.
I'm avoiding thinking about my return too much for the moment because I know it'll be extremely sad to leave. I have made a small number of incredibly deep bonds here and I'll be heartbroken to leave.
Then again... I'm happy to return to real life and find a place I can call home. Literally actually, because I need to find a house to rent for next year. After the three I've found this year, hopefully it won't be too hard, though I'm getting scared about Perth rent rates :/
I can't wait to see my dog Skipper, the one gorgeous little thing I've truly missed about Australia. And to work at my parents' cafe again, spending time with them in a pleasant and productive way... eating gelato... the beach... gorgeous UWA...
sigh :(
