Nature

Lyon, Chamonix, and Grasse /  by Julian Chokkattu

The second half of our trip began with an early morning train to Lyon, where we spent two days. We then rented a car to drive down to Chamonix, where we saw some gorgeous mountain ranges. Unfortunately we got there a little later than we thought and couldn't take a cable car up, or parachute down. 

It's a gorgeous town, and it's a must see just for the stars at night!

We then drove down to Grasse, where we saw plenty of perfume shops and factories, and on our final night in France we had a nice dinner in Cannes. 

Post-MWC: Day Two in Barcelona /  by Julian Chokkattu

Day two began with us trekking to the Chocolate Museum, and we passed Barcelona's Arc de Triompf along the way. We then headed to the famous Sagrada Familia, which left my jaw open as to how beautiful and intricate it is. 

After the Sagrada, we headed to Parc Guell, where architect Antoni Gaudi lived. He made the park one of his personal projects. It's really goofy and fun, and the walk around the area was really calm and relaxing.

We ended the day by heading to the Palau Nacional, where we waited to watch the Magic Fountain of Montjuic erupt in glorious display, but sadly we arrived too late, after the show ended. Nevertheless, we went up to the palace and got to eat at the Oleum, where we had a tremendous view of Barcelona and delicious food. It was especially nice considering we were one of three groups for dinner, so it wasn't busy at all. 

Ringing in the New Year in Quebec City /  by Julian Chokkattu

Yaling and I headed straight to Quebec City a few minutes after the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2016. Apart from trekking through the snow-laden winter wonderland that is Old Quebec, we also took part in what is now my favorite activity — dog sledding!