New layout

I figured I should change the look, to match the influence.

It's a book by Hansi (Jean Jacques Waltz), an Alsatian author born in Colmar in 1873, just after Alsace was taken back by the Weimar Republic. He was a French patriot, from what I understand, and loved Alsace dearly. All of his work portrays typical Alsatian life, at that time, and he's still a very well known artist to this day (you can't hit a tourist place here, without finding SOMETHING Hansi inspired or related).

So last year, for school, I did a powerpoint about Alsace, since I was planning on living here for a year. Tom was awesome and let me ask him questions about the area, and he was the one who told me about Hansi. So naturally I go to do some digging about Hansi and lo and behold, I found this bookcover.

Now keep in mind, my name had some very ironic ties to the Count of Monte Cristo, which I also found out from Tom. Chateau d'If? "If" is a type of tree. A Yew tree (un arbre d'If) to be exact. Well, York, if you take it out of the Latin origins (traces back to the city name Eboracum. In Gaelic it's a little different spelling, and I believe German it goes back to Euric, but is an entirely different meaning...but I digress), it means "Yew tree." Well with my 'escape' from my father over the last year, it was all too ironic when I found that out. Well, now find a book named Le Voyage D'Erika en Alsace Francaise, about 6 months before I was set to leave for "Alsace Francaise" that just makes the irony even better. Even my French prof said, "I don't necessarily believe in signs, but if there was ever something to make me believe in them, it would be that!"

So now, here we are, Erika REALLY writing about her voyage in Alsace. I have to admit, I really want to buy that book. There's a Hansi museum in Colmar I want to see, and if things permit it so, I will definitely head that way, one of these days, before I leave. And if I can get my hands on that book....WIN!!!!!!!!!!

But I had better go. I have things to do this afternoon, I had planned on doing before I got woke up at 4 am, thinking I was getting sick again. Time is not on my side at the moment. :-P