In the running for craziest adventure yet: this week's 24-hour jaunt to the nearby Lorraine region. (First place has to be San Francisco a couple of years ago - Sanaa and I booked train + bus tickets on Wednesday and were on our way on Thursday night for our first trip on our own.)
For this trip, my friend and I used covoiturage (kind of like the love child of hitchhiking and carpooling). The plan was to spend the night in Nancy, then leave for Metz at noon the next day. We weren't sure where we would stay in Metz, but had our fingers crossed we'd find a ride home before nightfall.
In the car, we met a Slovak girl who was being dropped off en route in Metz. She was super friendly and invited us to meet up with her when we arrived there the next day. As we drove through Metz for the first time that evening, however, we were pleasantly surprised by its liveliness and architecture and congratulated each other on our random destination choice.
One thing that stood out was the drastic change in atmosphere between night and day. By night Nancy and Metz were full of people in the streets. By day, they were deserted husks of cities as most people left town for la Toussaint. Nevertheless, we found ourself in a bar with a bunch of drunken French people in full costume for Halloween where one guy stripped completely nude, at a fake Oktoberfest with a dance floor full of elderly couples who somehow knew the moves to every dance...it was more than I usually accomplish in 24 hours.
In the coming week I'll be posting more about the trip, so stick around!
Yes, that is an arrangement of carrots. Nancy's Place Stanislas had quirky vegetable sculptures scattered throughout to promote environmental awareness.
A surprise spot of color in an otherwise gray day in Nancy.
I really liked the playful signage in Metz and the way they put color on the street signs.
Hey Metz - your medieval architecture is showing. And now, obligatory cathedral shots.
The Temple de Metz is a historic Protestant church. As it was closed that day, I'll remember it better for the eye-catching color combination of the gray stone, purple metal fence accents, and lime green moss on its walls. Not to mention the drunk tree.
Nancy et Metz
Classes are a thing of the past now as I set off on a month-long trip through Europe before I return home. The itinerary currently looks something like this: 
Budapest was beautiful. It was a great setting for a much-needed break between end-of-school activities and the rest of my travels. I stayed with a friend who was gracious enough to host me and order food for me while the language barrier rendered me a giant baby. Similarly, my brain refuses to function right now, so I'll leave the philosophical thoughts to the full Budapest post to follow. 
Carolololololololo...
