I have been so busy since my first vacation! Bretagne was AMAZING. I absolutely loved it and had an amazing time!!! We did so much in so little time! We began our journey in Locmariaquer where we stayed at the cutest hotel ever right near the beach. I got to Locmariaquer before my parents and I was able to explore the little town on my own for a few hours! When my parents finally arrived, we went out for crepes and cider, yummy! The next day, we embarked on a bout tour of the Gulfe de Morbihan. It was a bit windy, but it was still beautiful! We stayed in Locmariaquer for a few more days and explored the area and the menhirs and dolmen! The picture on the right is of my mom's favorite island with menhirs on it in the Gulfe... so pretty. The picture below is my dad and me playing in a dolmen (an old burial tomb)! The next day we headed to Loctudy, a little town further West where we saw this beautiful lighthouse! We went to a great creperie where we met some very nice Breton people who really enjoyed meeting Americans, since tourism is not as big in this region as the rest of France. We moved on to Pointe du Van, one of the furthest points West in France, which some people call the end of the world! After that we went to Concarneau, a walled in city that was so cool! There was also a transatlantic regatta that was about to start and we got to see all the boats! After we visted Pont Aven which was really pretty! But one of the best parts of the vacation by far was when we had dinner with a painter that my mom has been corresponding with for a while now! We went out to dinner with Charles Cambier, his wife and two friends, Alain and Elizabeth and it was so much fun! They are such great people and really showed us how nice the French in this region really are! Of course, mt parents were delayed a little bit by the volcanic eruption in Iceland, but they eventually made it home safely!
So, this week was the beginning of my spring vacation! I had made plans to explore France a bit with a friend, Whitney, and we had planned on a trip to Cassis (a little beach town on the Mediterranean), then a bigger trip to Lyon, Grenoble and Geneva (Switzerland!). Then I would travel on to Bretagne with my parents! I started break on a good note; I visited the other IAU program that I got into but choose not to go to in Avignon. I have a few friends who are there from HWS and I wanted to visit them before they left (their program ends in early May)!
We had a great time walking around the walled city, which was really cool! Unluckily and luckily the weather held out... it was cloudy and gross, but it didn't rain, even through there was a 80% chance! A few friends from Aix came to join us and we finally we able to explore the parts of Avignon that are most famous; the Palais des Papes and the Pont d'Avignon! We went to the Palais first ( the Popes moved to Avignon in 1309 but returned to Rome in 1377) and explored that area a bit! It was amazing and much bigger than I imagined! Then we journeyed on to the Pont d'Avignon... which of course, we danced upon (remember the children's song... sur la pont d'avignon, on y danse...?)! I will put those pictures up soon on webshots!
So I mentioned my plans about break (Lyon, Grenoble, and Geneva)... but France does not want me to go there I guess :( The people who work for the train stations throughout France, and therefore the trains themselves are not working... starting Wednesday... the day I was supposed to begin my trip. So we luckily were able to do some quick thinking, adn Whitney and I are exploring a little more of France! We shall see what we are able to do though, because the strike may last for 24 hours or it could last for 3 days... it depends on how the workers feel. Ohhh la la, la France et les greves! Hopefully everything will work out!
It has been such a crazy past two weeks! I have had midterms and tons of presentations so I haven't really had time to update my blog! Last weekend,a few friends and I had an epic misadventure in Hyeres, a little beach town on the Mediterranean! It was a good plan in theory, but the strong 50mph+ winds made it a bit of a misadventure. We had planned on sitting on the beach all day... and when we got there, there was a bit more wind then we could handle. So we stayed on this beautiful beach, watched tons of windsurfers and enjoyed the beauty of the Mediterranean Ocean. After a little while, we decided to try to find another beach that would be sheltered from the wind. So the four of us headed in the direction of the port. After a few miles of walking, we came upon the port and the gorgeous area around the port. We walked around for a bit and finally found what we thought was a beach... but in fact it was the very beginning of the beach and there was more dirt then sand. What a misadventure! Well, we finally found an area to sit on and tried to enjoy the sun (the winds were still howling)... so we finally headed back to find a bus. After waiting a little while, we caught the bus, went to a local bar to get coffee and took the train home! The train ride was hilarious and the four of us were laughing the whole time, so even though we didn't have the day we planned, it was still a great day!
The next day, we had an IAU excursion to Isle-Sur-la-Sorgue and Fontaine de Vaucluse. It was a gorgeous day and we were excited to explore another part of our area! Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is a little town on the Sorgue river and it has tons of canals and little paddlewheels! On Sundays, there are huge markets, so we stopped here to explore the market a bit, pick up fresh food (from fruit to cheese to bread) and after a few hours headed on to Fontaine de Vaucluse, which is the town where you can find the source of the Sorgue river. We walked into this old town and I immediately fell in love. It had the French charm of a little town and it was beautiful! The Sorgue ran through the tiny town and we were shocked at the color of the river; green and turquoise. They used to harvest some type of plant that made the river this color, but they have stopped harvesting that plant, but the river remains the same color! We walked along the river a bit, and decided on a spot right next to an old paper factory (with a water wheel and all!) and had our picnic of bread, cheese and fruit- tres francais!
After our picnic, we went on a search for the source. I expected it to be some type of a fountain-like thing (as implied by the name Fontaine de Vaucluse). When we finall had hiked a bit, we came across a basin of water that was ice cold and turquoise. The mountains around the basin were so tall that the sun rarely reaches the water basin, which is in fact the source. The water is collected from the surrounding mountains and just pops up out of the ground to make this basin of water! We were in luck though, since it has been raining a little bit ore than usual here, the water level was really high! After exploring this little area a bit, we went back to the town in search of ice cream. We quickly found a little shop and my two month long search for two certain flavors of ice cream finally happening. Lavender and Cassis (black currant) ice cream. Yes, lavender ice cream. I was in heaven. Definitely two of my new favorite flavors of ice cream!!! Sow e enjoyed our amazing ice cream in front of the river... what a day!
So all in all, I had yet another amazing weekend in the South of France!
What a weekend!!! The weather here is getting warmer and warmer! This past Friday, a few IAU students went to Chateau Virant, a olive farm and a vineyard located right outside of Aix. It was about 70 degrees and sunny; the perfect day for a tour in the countryside of the South of France! We began witha tour of the building that was built in the 1660s and then moved on to the building where they explained how the made the olive oil and wine. After the tours of the buildings, we were able to taste both the olive oil and wine! Yum! We had three different types of olive oil (one was mild, spicy and then a mix of the two) on little pieces of bread, and then we were able to taste five different types of wine. A white, a rose, two reds (one aged in stainless steel and one aged in oak) and then the Provencal Christmas wine (sweet.... has a caramel taste). They were all delicious, of course. We then went on an hour walk through the vineyard and the olive tree groves to where the bus would pick us up. Needless to say, it was beautiful! We passed some ruins in the field (only in France), some wild rosemary and various herbs and of course, hundreds of olive trees and grape vines! Sunday there was an excursion to Lac Ste Croix and les Gorges du Verdon, which are about an hour and a half to two hours from Aix. We stopped at a lovely little town along the Verdon river to buy food at the local market for our lunch! After the market, we drove to Lac Ste Croix, which was stunning. It is an artificial lake that was created after a dam was built along the Verdon river, which has turquoise water. And when I saw turquoise, I mean it! Unfortunately it was not that nice out and gray all day (it was supposed to rain... but it didn't!!) but it was still beautiful. We had a little picnic on the beach of the lake and then ventured on to see the gorges and the Verdon River! It was breath-taking and words really will not be able to do it justice (I feel like that is often true, especially when I try to describe things in the South of France)!
After we stared at the gorges for a while in pure amazement, we boarded the bus yet again and took the drive of death up a tiny little road that barely could fit the bus! Luckily French bus drivers have no fear and can conquer any road, everything was fine! We finally made it to the top of the cliffs and it was totally worth it. The views were amazing. We could see the lake that seemed to stretch on forever. But what was ever more amazing, was that it was around 65 degrees and to our left there was a huge mountain that had snow on it! It was beautiful to see a turquoise river meeting a snowy mountain!
We then went to our final destination for the day, a little village named Moustiers Sainte Marie, which is one of the cutest little villages ever! It was so quaint and French (thus adorable) and we explored a little bit, found a cafe overlooking a little river and had some coffee! So for a short conclusion: la vie francaise est bonne et chaque jour est une aventure!
This past weekend I went to Montpellier to see Alissa and my aunt and uncle! I arrived in the afternoon, after a pretty two hour train ride along the coast! We walked around a bit and I enjoyed being in a little warmer climate than Aix (with lots of palm trees!). After a little while, we were all hungry and tired (they had just arrived after a long flight) so we began our search for crepes. After our early dinner (5:30) Aunt Lynne, Uncle Ted and their friends headed back to their hotel that was outside of the city and Alissa and I went back to our hotel as well, but ours was in the center of Montpellier. We hung out for the night and I was able to meet a lot of Alissa's friends!
The next day, we went on a great journey! We began by getting out of Montpellier and heading towards the Hérault region, which was about thirty minutes outside of the city. We were on a mission to find some grottes (caves)! After driving through the wine country part of this region, we stumbled upon the pont du diable ( bridge of the devil) and a beautiful turquoise river! After exploring some ruins that we weren't supposed to, we entered into the Grotte de Clamouse, one of the coolest things i have ever seen! It was a huge cave that was just recently discovered (50 years ago) with stalagmites and stalactites that were hundreds of thousands of years old! Definitely one of my favorite things I have seen and experienced so far! We walked up and down stairs in the cave for about an hour and a half and stared in awe at these giant, ancientt formations!
After our cave tour, we went on a search for lunch. We had a French picnic in mind, but had difficulty at first finding food! It was a Saturday afternoon and in this region, everything seemed to be closed from 12 to 3! Finally, we were able to find fresh French bread, lots of cheese, and of course, wine. After locating our lunch, we went back and found a spot overlooking the pont du diable! We were surrounded by olive trees and vineyards and it was absolutely beautiful. The picture that comes to mind when someone describes the French country side doesn't do it justice; it is just that beautiful. We then had to make a hard choice; wine tour or find another cave to explore! Alissa had told us that she saw a winery near by that she is familiar with from working at a wine shop! She sold a few types of their wine and said it was delicious. So we decided a wine tour in the south of France was a great idea. We went to the Mas de Daumas Gassac winery, which was located a few miles down a stone road, surrounded by little chateaus and tons of grapevines! We were given a tour and ended up being able to taste a special wine that they usually do not offer for tastings (it was a 90 euro bottle of red... YUMMY!). After our wine tour, we took the scenic route back to Montpellier, which took us through some adorable towns!
My favorite part of every day comes next: dinner. We went to a restaurant with a great menu! I decided I was going to be adventurous and try things that I have always wanted to try. For an appetizer, I would have terrine de foie gras (goose liver spread), my second appetizer (yes there were two) was les cuisses de grenouilles (FROG LEGS... tasted like chicken!), then I had duck cassoulet. Then came the cheese and dessert... what a meal! I was also able to try a little shark (sorry Ashley!!) that Alissa's friend Lisa ordered, which was delicious! It was similar to swordfish! What a day!!!!!!!!!
On Sunday, my family left to drive Alissa up to Marvejolsand they could continue on their vacation to the Dordogne! Instead of going right back to Aix, I decided I would travel on my own to Sète, which is a little town on the Mediterranean coast! It was really windy and since it was Sunday, there was not much open, but I still enjoyed my day very much! When I first arrived, I immediately was in love. Sète has the nickname of being the Venice of France, with tomns of canals! It was one of the cutest towns I have ever seen! I headed right for the ocean and found a nice little spot to sit and read, right near the harbor and under the lighthouse! I basked in the sun and the warmth for a little while! I spent the day people watching,reading, staring at the canals and ocean and drinking coffee. What a hard life I am living! What a great weekend!!!!!!!
So over the past week or so I have had to chance to travel a bit! First, I went to Marseille, one of France's largest cities and about a 30 minute bus ride from Aix. My two friends and I did not do much research at all, but I knew that the old port section of the city was supposed to be beautiful! But the bus dropped us off in the sketchiest part of the city... luckily we stopped in a McDo (McDonalds...) and found a map of the city and figured out where we were and how to get to the old port. We walked along the quais (side of the harbor) and found some really old and cool fortified castles and had lunch right along the Mediterranean!!! It was a beautiful day and we decided to spend our last couple hours at the place with the best views. Notre Dame de la Garde is one of the highest points, if not the highest, in Marseille and has gorgeous panoramic views of the city and the ocean! We were able to see Chateau D'If (from the Count of Monte Cristo) and all the islands right off the coast! Notre Dame de la Garde is most famous for the 9 ton statue of Mary and baby Jesus (his wrist is 42 inches around... and gold!) We spent some time photosynthesizing and basking in the warmth of the sunlight of the South of France.
As we were leaving, we realized that there were a lot of policemen hanging out on the road where our bus was supposed to pick us up to bring us down to where we would catch the bus back to Aix. Now, there are often policemen around... but near bus stations and train stations... so it was unusual to see policemen at the base of Notre Dame de la Garde! We sat waiting for the bus to come pick us up (we didn't know the way back otherwise we would have walked!) for about twenty minutes. After a little while, we decided to find our way and walk down.. since the police population kept growing! We finally figured out that there was either a riot or a strike going on and figured that the buses were not going to come get us! We finally made it back to Aix, and all in all it was a great day!!
My February break was a success! I had an amazing time in two great countries and there is so much to tell! First of all, I began my trip to Maastricht, the Netherlands by taking a 20 minute bus to the TGV (fast train) station halway between Aix and Marseille. I got there early because I had never been to the Aix station. I looked around, found out what I was supposed to do and waited. My train said that it was "en retard" (late) so I was thinking I would have to wait a bit before my train arrived. Without warning though, my train arrived, on time, and I just barely made it! But I got on the train and then attempted to find my seat. I was on the second level of the train but I found that an older woman was in my seat. I just let her sit there though and found another seat, with a better view that was empty! I enjoyed the scenery on my 3 hour train ride to Paris, where I knew I had to get off and switch stations. I got off and started to walk to the information center so I could find out where I had to go to get to the other station. I finally found the desk after 20 minutes and hurried to the metro. It took another 20 minutes to get my ticket and get on the metro the person at the information desk told me to get on. It was the wrong one, but I didn't know that until I was twenty minutes out of the way at the wrong stop. So I switched trains and finally got on the right one. I arrived at the station with twenty minutes to spare and got onto my train to Liege, Belgium.
Finally I arrived in Liege after 3 and a half hours, where I had an hour wait until my connecting train to Maastricht, the Netherlands. I arrived in Maastricht to be greeted by happy Carnival goers dressed in green, red and yellow. My friend Andy picked me up and we began the journey in the snow. Obviously, since the Netherlands are much further north than Aix, I had a lot of adjusting to do! The next few days were spent catching up with my roommate, Maggie, and meeting all the international students who live on her hall. We attended the Carnival festivities and it was tons of fun! The Dutch are such happy and enthusiastic people and I loved witnessing something that is so important to them. They are such a proud group of individuals! They also are very into dressing up for Carnival. I was told that unless I wore either a costume or the Carnival colors (red, green and yellow) I would be booed whenever I walked anywhere! So I bought a scarf with the right colors and attempted to dress up!
Maggie and I then took off for Barcelona! We got into Girona late on Wednesday night and took a shuttle to Barcelona! We managed to get to our hostel and slept soundly. We woke up and took off for our first day in Barcelona! We were both so excited to be in warmer weather and the sunshine! We took a free walking tour all around the Gothic quarter, which was gorgeous. We walked around, and Maggie was amazed at the warmth and sunshine that I am so used to now! We had the most delicious large lunch which consisted of cream of mushroom soup, paella with calamari, mussels, rabbit and sausage, and finally toffee cake. The next day, we went to Sagrada Familia, the church and building that Gaudi is most well known for! It was beautiful and so intricate (this is Maggie and me in front of it!). We then continued on to Parc Guell, which was also designed by Gaudi. Gaudi was hired by wealthy families who wanted to show off their wealth. So for one family, he created Parc Guell. It was so gorgeous; with great views of the whole city, Sagrada Familia and the Mediterranean! Between the palm trees, bright colors, the view and the architecture, I was in complete awe. This was definitely my favorite spot in Barcelona and it was breathtakingly beautiful. We then returned to our hostel and prepared ourselves for the cooking class that we were going to later that night. We headed off to the meeting location and walked to the restaurant where we would make our own tapas, paella and sangria. Needless to say the meal was delicious and I was in gastronomic heaven! The paella had calamari, mussels, prawns and perch... amazing. The meal was also great becuase we we surrounded by people from different countries. There were some Germans, some Australians, some Belgian and others. It was so interesting and the discussions were always lively! The next and our last full day, we headed to Monjuic, where the Olympic stadium from the Barcelona 1992 Olympics was located! This little mountain offered great views of the city and was really pretty. We went to the stadium and the surrounding area and really enjoyed being in the sun! We took our time and wandered a bit until we found the MNAC (Muesem of National Art and Catalonia). We did not go inside, but the outside was beautiful and looked like a palace! We then decided it was time to go to the beaches.
Maggie luckily speaks a little Spanish, so when it came time for us to ask which bus to take to get somewhere, she was able to. We were told to take a certain bus, so we did. Turns out it was the wrong bus. We did not realize this until we passed Sagrada Familia, which is on the other side of the city and the opposite direction of where we wanted to go! We finally went to ask the bus driver where we were when we were told that this was the last stop and we needed to get off. Cool. So we laughed for a very long time about this and finally found someone to ask where exactly we were. We took out our map and asked her to show us where we were, and she laughed and pointed to an area... off the map. So we somehow managed to reach the outer city limits!!!! The bus driver came back from doing an errand and the woman kindly told him (in Spanish, she didn't speak any English!) that we were lost and needed to get to a certain stop. He told us to wait for a bit and he would show us exactly where we should go. He stopped the bus after 30 minutes or so and called us to the front. He then told us where to go! How nice!! So we finally found our way back to the hostel and managed to find lunch. We then went out to dinner with a friend from high school! Liz Pino is studying in Barcelona so she knew exactly where to take us and the restaurant was amazing! We had such a great time catching up and the waitstaff loved our table of four girls! Liz then took me out for a great night and we went to the beaches on Barcelona, while Maggie had to leave to go back to Maastricht! She had a really early morning flight and a shuttle from Barcelona at 3am... so she had to leave us early to gather her stuff at the hostel. We headed to the clubs that are on the beach and enjoyed the nice weather and the warmth!
I left the next day and began my 9 hour bus ride exhausted. I had to do some homework but managed to sleep a little bit. But I have come to a conclusion, I do NOT fit on European buses. My legs are too long and therefore it was a very uncomfortable 9 hour busride. But the views were amazing and we pretty much drove along the Mediterranean the whole time! Not only did I see tons of palm trees (my new obsession), but there were hundreds of wind turbines! I was so happy to see three of my favorite things (wind turbines, palm trees and the Mediterranean Sea)! We also drove through the Pyrenees Mountains, so that provided lots of really pretty views! Finally, I arrived home safely in Aix and was so excited to be home! All in all, it was a great vacation!!!!
1) French dogs are the happiest dogs in the world, plain and simple. They always look so happy (and are rarely on leashes) and are definitely loving life. No barking... no whining... just pure happiness. They will sit politely outside of a store, looking at the people passing by... but never making a noise! There is one man in Aix who has two sharpeis. These sharpeis are puppies and wrinkly and adorable. Not only are the dogs always happy and smiling but the cute older man is too! So happy dogs in France, make happy people in France.
2) French men smell. Apparently they do not sell deodorant in France... it is gross. Thankfully, some wear it... but there are many who do not...
3) Blondes in France are like diamonds. No joke, we are rare and everyone feels the need to stare. In the south of France, there are not that many blondes and the men here think it is okay to tell me that I have beautiful hair and that we should date... no random man I do not want to date you! It is a silly thought, but my cousin, Alissa, who is also blonde and studied in Aix will agree.
4)French food is amazing. My host mom should be a five star chef.
5) Everyone smokes in France. But they all claim that they are just casual smokers or social smokers. This is not true.
So before I write a page or two about my vacation to Barcelona and Maastricht, The Netherlands, I wanted to discuss something. It has been raining a bit recently here (and by raining, I mean it rains for an hour and then is sunny and beautiful) and my apartment building is really old. So today, I was leaving to get to walk to class and I attempted to open my front door ( from the inside...) and it would not open. I tried again... and again... and again. I attempted to open my front door for 15 minutes. I then called my housemate who said she would come let me out. So I awkwardly stood in the hallway, hoping for someone to open the door from the outside. My hostmother then struggled opening the door but was successful. She then laughed with me at the fact that I was not able to open the door. Turns out my housemate had the same problem earlier in the morning. We showed up a little late to class and my friends had told our professor that we would be late. As we walked in, he said, "Ohhhh so YOU are the one who was locked in her own apartment building... okay." Hahaha, our hostmom described why it was sticking (the wood expands in the rain) and told us how to open it (with force... and lots of it). What a day! How many people can say that they were locked inside of their own apartment?! Not many!
So we all know that the French are known for their fine cuisine and they are also known for eating things such as frog legs, liver et cetera. Well, my host mother, Bridgette, is an amazing cook. I would like to give an example of what I have been consuming for dinner over the past couple weeks. Last night I had the most amazing meal yet. We began with salad with the same vinagrette I use at home. Good start. Then we continued with spinach (not usually my favorite) sauteed in a cheese sauce. So yummy. Then we had steak (!!!) with mushrooms (again not my favorite) and a cheese sauce. Delicious. We then had cheese, my favorite part. My host mom found out that my favorite type of cheese is Chevre so she bought that to add to the assortment of cheese. Like I said, it is my favorite part of the meal. It was the most amazing meal ever.
Now to move on and discuss some of the weirder things I have consumed. I decided when I came to France I was going to try everything that I was served. Anyway, lets start with slightly smoked salmon. For anyone who knows me, you know I do not like raw fish (or slightly smoked... not cooked... smoked). So this was new for me. We placed the salmon in a crepe and put sour cream and lemon on it... sounds odd. But it was delicious. The other night we had something that resembled steak... it looked the same... but didn't taste the same. So I decided to ask. My host mom said, "Well... it is... foie... I don't know the word in English..." Yup, that is liver. So we had liver... it was good... but the texture was a little strange. And then there was the fish... wrapped around a pickle... These all sound very strange, but it was amazing.
Needless to say, dinner is my favorite time of day!
Monday, February 8, 2010
This weekend was my first official weekend in Aix and it was awesome! The city is filled with young people... there are over 40,000 students in Aix and a lot are international. This large amount of foreign students makes the city feel more lively, at least I think so. My cousin, Alissa, came to visit me this weekend (for those of you who don't know, she studied at the IAU in Aix two years ago)! It is so great to have family in France and I loved seeing her! She was able to take me around so that I could see and experience her favorite places! What was the most entertaining thing though, was the fact that Alissa and I are both blonde. There are few blondes in the south of France... so when everyone saw two blondes together... it was like we were a special commodity. It was hilarious to see everyone's reactions! Alissa helped me buy my ticket to Belgium for this upcoming weekend! I am taking a train from Aix to Paris... where I have to switch train stations to get a connecting train to Liege, Belgium. And then I have yet another connecting train from Liege to Maastricht, Holland where I will be visiting Maggie (my roommate from HWS!!!!) as well as a bunch of other friends from HWS!!! Yay! Mid week, Maggie and I are going to fly down to Barcelona, Spain and spend four days in the sun there! I can't wait!!!
On Saturday night, my friends and I were wandering along the Cours Mirabeau (main road in the city) when these guys ( who looked our age) in uniforms passed by. I had just recently learned that there was a military school in Aix and I was excited to explain this to my friends. I had just started to tell them this fact when we heard, "AHHH! Are you American?!?!?!" We kept walking becuase we did not want to be harassed... but one of the guys came up to us and said, "Wait! I am American too! I'm from Texas... it is nice to hear an American accent!" They turned out to be really nice and spoke to us in French and English... I tried to speak French until I found myself laughing at their hats (which were ridiculous), and this is when I switched back to English and told them that we had to go (because I could not talk to them any longer because I was laughing at their hats... which had tons of feathers and were hilarious). Oh, all the restaurants and pubs play American music... so when Sweet Home Alabama came on, the French attempted to sing it... but failed. All in all, it was a great night and a great weekend!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
I realized today, when I was eating my lunch that consisted of baguette, la vache qui rit (laughing cow cheese), badoit and an orange (yummy!), how lucky I really was. My friend and I were eating our little lunch outside of a church, the one pictured previously, that is ancient and beautiful. It seems that the French girls who were sitting next to us in the warm sun did not even seem to notice or appreciate this. And this is a silly thought. They see this gorgeous church every day. They also see buildings that were built before the 16th century all the time.... it is a part of their life. My friend and I realized and very much appreciated how lucky we were and glad that we were able to appreciate a church that was built in the 5th century! I have always been a fan of Europe and European history, but to be eating lunch right next to this church was amazing! I discussed this with a French professor and he laughed and said, "Welcome to France, where they actually knew how to build buildings and monuments that would last forever." It is true, I do not know what the oldest building is in the United States, but it is obviously not even close to anything in France! Tonight we have a little party put together by Erasmus and all universities in Aix, so that all the international and American students can meet each other as well as other French students! I am very excited to meet some interesting people! A plus (See you later)!
I have officially been in France for a week and a two days now.... but it has honestly felt more like a month and I still have to remind myself (often) that I am in France and not in upstate New York! My university here organized a trip to Nice, Cannes and Monaco for this weekend. We left Saturday morning at 8:30 and started the 2 hour bus ride to Nice. Of course we were all very tired from a long week, so we all attempted to sleep on the bus... which was difficult for anyone over 5'5". I was too excited to fall asleep and was happily taking pictures of the fields of Provence. I knew that we were also going to be able to see Mont Saint Victoire, which is a large mountain that is on the outskirts of Aix. The first picture is of Mont Saint Victoire from the roof of a theater in Aix... the second is from the bus!
We arrived in Nice and found ourselves in the warm sun of the French Riviera. We looked around and saw palm trees and cacti and we all were thinking the same thing- C'est magnifique! As the bus pulled away, I turned around and I immediately knew what I would do next. There was a large ferris wheel that was in Nice for Carnaval which begins on February 12th! We wandered in the direction of the ferris wheel and found ourselves surrounded by gardens with palm trees of different sizes, catci galore, and beautiful plants that were in full bloom. Ah, the French Riviera. We paid the 6 euros to get onto the ferris wheel (well worth it) and waited in anticipation. We slowly began to climb higher and we were all so excited to see Nice from higher up! But then we reached the top of the ferris wheel and we realized that this was the best way to see Nice: We were above the buildings and could see everything perfectly! It was incredible and once in a life time experience. We then walked around the city in hopes of stumbling upon the Mediterranean.... which we finally found! Since I am a lover of any ocean or body of water, I immediately took off my boots, rolled up my jeans and jumped right in the waves! It was, of course, very cold... but I still managed to enjoy myself! After playing by myself int eh waves, I convinced a few other girls to join me and we were frolicking happily when we saw a scuba diver in the waves! He waved to us, or so we thought. We soon found out that he was trying to warn us about a huge wave that was coming right for us... which we didn't see in time. I was soaked, but just from the knees down, so it wasn't that bad. The picture of my friends Zaira and Madeline and myself shows how cold the water was! Look at their faces hahaha! I apparently was trying to hide that emotion, or my feet were just numb already! Oh, I forgot to say that the beaches in Nice are made of rocks and pebbles... no sand. So after we went for a dip in the sea, our frozen feet were in pain as we hobbled across the rocks in search of warmth and food.
We walked into the area in front of Nice's Hotel de Ville (city hall) where Nice's famous flower market (as well as general market) was. We had been told by the IAU tour guides/ faculty that there was a specialty called Socca which is made from chick peas and is made like a crepe. We were excited to try this so we wandered in the direction of the smell of food being cooked. Finally, we found a stand with Socca and waited for about twenty minutes. But it was well worth the wait. The socca was amazing and I enjoyed every bite! We then went on a tour of the city with some staff of the IAU and had to be back on the bus around 4 to travel on to Monaco!
On the way to Monaco, we stopped at a parfumerie in Eze-le-Village. We took a tour of the facility and learned how they make their perfumes that are world-renowned. This parfumerie, Frangonard, is part of the main one in Grasse and is very famous. They allowed us to test their top selling perfumes, which of course smelled incredible and I wanted to buy them all. Unfortunately, I did not have a couple hundred euros to buy the parfum ( which is 40 percent oil I think... the eau de toilette contains 10 percent oils... so it is less expensive). I did give in and bought a eau de toilette called Blue Riviera which smells wonderful! The picture is of Eze-le-Village and the parfumerie is near here. Finally, we arrived at our hostel, which was called Centre Méditerranéen in Cap d'Ail (right near Monaco). We changed, ate dinner at the hostel (which is has camps to learn French and is also a location for universities and schools to stay for excursions!) We also had a little party before where we were served aperitifs and then mounted the bus again for the short drive to Monaco! Those of us who were 21 were able to enter the Montecarlo casino for ten euroes... So because my friends and I are not 21, we sat at the Cafe de Paris which was right next to the casino. We people watched and observed the expensive cars that passed by, which was fun. We then returned to our hostel for a discotheque! We had fun, but we were all exhausted so after a few hours, we went to bed. We woke up to something that is rare in the French Riviera. Snow. It only snowed for a little bit, but the seeing snow on palm trees was just too bizarre!
The next morning we left for Cannes. I fell asleep on the bus right away so when we arrived in Cannes I was ready to walk around. But it was cold... and snowing... so we were not that enthusiastic about walking around. We walked up a large hill to see an old castle and a church. The views from the top of the hill were beautiful and we stayed up there a little while and hung out until we were hungry. We found a little cafe and had a quick ham and brie sandwich and then decided to find a warmer place with hot beverages to warm us up a little bit. We stumbled upon this cute little cafe that was across the road from all the large boats, so we had a great view as well as great hot chocolate! Then a miracle happened. The sun came out. It became warm within a matter of minutes! We decided that since it was sunny, a trip to the beaches was necessary and we headed toward the port to see the moored yachts and boats as well as the famed beaches of the Mediterranean! We photosynthesized a little bit while watching a little regatta of 420s!
Wow...that was a lot to write about! To sum my weekend up: It was amazing and I am definitely going back when there will be no chance of snow! Nice is definitely one of my top three favorite cities and I cannot wait to explore Monaco more!
Here is a webshots account with some more pictures! http://community.webshots.com/user/AmandaEShaw
For some reason, it is easier for me to speak French here than in the United States... I am much more hesitant in class at HWS, but I think that I have accepted that the only way to learn is to make mistakes and practice. Bon. So on Tuesday, we had more orientation activities and then some classes. I had two political science classes in a row... in a room that is pretty much a cave that is attached to a 5th century cathedral. Amazing. My classes, Geopolitics of the Mediterranean Basin and the European Union seem really interesting and I can't wait for a European view and perspective! Anyway, after my classes, a friend and I decided to find a cafe and have some coffee. We walked in, making sure to say, "Bonjour Madame" (very very necessary) and then figured out what we were going to get. I said, "Un cafe creme... please." Oops. I immediately laughed and said, "pardon, s'il vous plait." Haha typical American? Well at least I tried. And yet, today, I was talking in English to a friend and I was inserting French words into our conversation without realizing this. This is going to be entertaining!
As I was saying before, I have really been trying to speak French, especially at dinner with my host mother and her daughter. First, I need to explain something. This is how dinner usually goes: my host mother begins cooking around 7:15, while singing opera loudly and of course, in French. My room is located right next to the kitchen, so I can hear this very well. In fact, last night she was singing so loudly and it was very entertaining for me and I was laughing because it was so funny, and suddenly I hear, "Désolé Amanda... I sing comme une vache" (I'm sorry Amanda, I sing like a cow). Not so, she actually sings well. Anyway, around 8:30, after my concert, she calls us to the table and tells us to eat. Now, my housemate, Leslie, and I are never sure what to start with. She usually has four different things on the table at a time. For example, one night there was a bowl of soup, salad, cous cous with veggies in it, fish, and a plate of cheese. Now one would think that we would start with salad... nope. Soup first. Then cous cous. Then fish and then salad and cheese. Huh. But this changes every night. Last night, we had salad first... then green beans and potatoes and Alsatian sausage then a quarter of a pineapple each (no joke, it was actually a quarter... but it was the best i have ever had) then cheese. So my housemate and i decided it was best to let them take the lead. Dinner usually lasts about two hours and it delicious everytime! Our conversations are quite hilarious though. My housemate and I speak only in French, but when trying to think of a word, we often ask each other first. When we cannot think of the word, we then try to think of similar words. This can go on for some time. And this is in normal conversations. But then, when, for example, we start talking about President Sarkozy's healthcare policies and localisation policies, things get interesting. As well, the accent of the people of Provence is heavy and different then anything I have heard. It is not noticable sometimes, but then there are some people, like my host mother, who has a very strong accent. I wonder what we will discuss tonight!
So this is a picture of my friend and I in front of la Rotonde, a gorgeous fountain that is at the center of Aix-en-Provence!
I have arrived in Aix safely!! My flight to Munich was not that bad... I flew Lufthansa so everything was awesome, I just wasn't able to sleep much at all unfortunately (nerves I am assuming, since I was very tired!). We arrived safely in Munich and had about a three hour layover which was spent trying to convince ourselves that we were in fact in Europe and would soon be in France! We found other IAU (Institute for American Universities, my university in Aix) students in the airport and we all chatted until our flight. On the connector plane to Marseille, I had the window seat which was perfect for this flight. In my sleepy state, I somehow managed to convince myself that we were headed into a storm, as I saw darkness ahead. I was preparing myself for this storm when I realized that the "storm clouds" looked jagged and not like the fluffy clouds I am used to at all. That is when I realized that I was too tired and that I needed to take a nap... and that I was flying over the Alps!!!!!! They were gorgeous and I of course took out my camera and started taking pictures. After a few it was clear that the man sitting next to me was judging me, so I decided that I would nap after the Alps left the skyline.
I woke up to a man's head almost in my lap... I was at the front of economy class and the business class which is not any better on the small plane... except the seats recline a lot more, hence the head in my lap. We landed in Marseille and I got a quick glimpse of the Mediterranean! We were greeted by an IAU staff member and took a bus to Aix-en-Provence! There we were dropped off and our host families were supposed to pick us up... but my host mom's father picked me up (my host grandfather? haha) and he dropped me off at my new home for the next four months! J'habite a 34 rue Victor Leydet which is right near the Cours Mirabeau (a comparison- the Cours Mirabeau is like the Champs Elyses of Paris...) My host mother is great and she has a daughter who is odler than me (I am not sure how old she is, but it is between 22-25 I think). My host mom's father picked me up and I spent my first day in Aix unpacking... all day. Not because I had lots to unpack, but becuase the granmother was at the apartment with me and could not understand a thing I said. Frustrating needless to say, but I kept trying and she kept looking at me like I was an alien. So I gave up and spent the day being frustrated and wanting to explore but I decided to unpack and take a much needed nap until my housemate, Leslie, arrived finally! This is when my host mom's daughter came home and began preparing my first French dinner. So good. Somehow pasta in France is better (haha)! So my first full day in Aix consisted of a tour by my host mother and then a meet and greet at the IAU with my fellow students. A few girls and I decided to walk around the city by ourselves and found it easy to naviagate the streets and started to really get to see the city! We walked for an hour or so and split up, heading towards our homes. I ended up walking around more with a fellow HWS student and was exploring untila round dinner time! We just got to know our host mother more since she was not at dinner last night. She is definitly a funny woman and is very heplful with helping us and correcting us! But now I am off to bed to try to catch up on more sleep and prepare for tomorrow, which consists of activities all day at the IAU! Bon nuit!
I have been so busy since my first vacation! Bretagne was AMAZING. I absolutely loved it and had an amazing time!!! We did so much in so little time! We began our journey in Locmariaquer where we stayed at the cutest hotel ever right near the beach. I got to Locmariaquer before my parents and I was able to explore the little town on my own for a few hours! When my parents finally arrived, we went out for crepes and cider, yummy! The next day, we embarked on a bout tour of the Gulfe de Morbihan. It was a bit windy, but it was still beautiful! We stayed in Locmariaquer for a few more days
and explored the area and the menhirs and dolmen! The picture on the right is of my mom's favorite island with menhirs on it in the Gulfe... so pretty.
The picture below is my dad and me playing in a dolmen (an old burial tomb)! The next day we headed to Loctudy, a little town further West
where we saw this beautiful lighthouse! We went to a great creperie where we met some very nice Breton people who really enjoyed meeting Americans, since tourism is not as big in this region as the rest of France. We moved on to Pointe du Van, one of the furthest points West in France, which some people call the end of the world! After that we went to Concarneau, a walled in city that was so cool! There was also a transatlantic regatta that was about to start and we got to see all the boats! After we visted Pont Aven which was really pretty! But one of the best parts of the vacation by far was when we had dinner with a painter that my mom has been corresponding with for a while now! We went out to dinner with Charles Cambier, his wife and two friends, Alain and Elizabeth and it was so much fun! They are such great people and really showed us how nice the French in this 
region really are! Of course, mt parents were delayed a little bit by the volcanic eruption in Iceland, but they eventually made it home safely!
