A weekend of laughs on the Mediterranean

This weekend, my friends Laur and Aila and I decided to go to Nice, France. NIce is right on the coast of the Mediterranean, and when I say right on the coast I mean right on the coast. Let's just say when I saw the Mediterranean Sea I was completely in awe. It was really right there in front of me. Crazy.

I've never been to Europe before, so traveling from Montpellier to Nice was a big deal for me. Luckily, Aila, Laur and I figured out how to buy train tickets and were able to make a train. It was my first time taking a train for a long ride, and a nice train at that. France has definitely got the one up on America regarding transportation. The trains are SO much nicer, and a lot more comfortable. Laur, Aila and I had our own section of four seats, two facing two, with a table in the middle. Though it was second class, I thought it was completely luxurious compared to all the other trains I've traveled on. It was so fun traveling through the French countryside--there was so much to see and everything just seemed so beautiful. I was like a little kid again, going on a trip for the first time. The smile on my face was huge and it was probably a little embarrassing how excited I was but I didn't care. We bought a dozen fresh clementines for the train ride and sat for four hours--listening to music, watching the countryside go by, and eating lots and lots of clementines.

The train finally came to our stop--Nice Ville. We grabbed our "nuggs" (what we call our huge backpacks as well as small children) and were on our way. Sandy and Remy (Laur's friends who live in Nice) were waiting for us outside of the train station and we hopped in the car and headed to their apartment. Of course, on our way to their place, we drove by the beautiful Mediterranean Sea...no big deal of course...except it was. It was just right there. I never thought I'd actually see it in all it's beauty and there I was...just driving along the promenade des anglais, right next to the sea, like it was nothing.

We got to their apartment with just enough time to put our stuff down and go to the bathroom if needed. The apartment was just perfect for the three of us--a big pull out futon that we had the opportunity to share..yes, three of us in one bed. Surprisingly enough, it was big enough that none of us hit one another while we were sleeping-- Anyway, we left soon after getting to the apartment and headed Old Nice, which is obviously the older, even more beautiful, section of Nice. Sandy and Remy dropped us off (they had previous meal plans) and we headed down one of the streets. After passing many different cafes and restaurants, we chose one on the corner, which ended up being an excellent choice. Our meals were amazing- we all ordered delicious salads, had amazing bread with oil, and of course a side of fries (des frites a la carte). The funny thing here is, when eating French fries, instead of only getting the condiment of ketchup, you also get...MAYO! yes mayonnaise. I thought it was pretty bizarre but I had to try it out and it's actually quite delicious. The mayo here is different, and comes in a squirt bottle, but yeah, pretty damn good. Anyway, after our great meals, a bottle of wine rosé, and entertaining waiter (who at one point was at a table of gay men, who seemed to be his friends, sticking his butt out and having one of them put a lighter to his ass...and then occasionally pat it..yeah that happened), we paid the bill and went to meet Sandy and Rem. Of course, while waiting for Laur's friends, a man came up to us selling roses and THIS is what happened:

Man: Here, my lovely, take a rose...
Laur: took the rose from his hand -
Man: You are beautiful, this rose is for you...
Me: (hesitantly) Thanks...
Man: 5 euro for this rose
Me: Listen, I don't have 5 euro...I'm poor...I don't have any money so go give this rose to another princess!
-Man grabbed the rose back and went to the next woman-


I thought that this was absolutely hilarious. I could not believe Laur said that--it must have been the bottle of wine talking, but it was great. Luckily, right after this event happened, Remy and Sandy were there to pick us up and they whisked us off to Monaco. We traveled through windy roads with beautiful scenery, and after a little bit arrived in Monaco(pictured on the right). Monte Carlo, Monaco holds the royal family and it is definitely a city of richness and luxury. There were lots of lambos and feraris and YACHTS. Yes, there were TONS of yachts. I've never really seen a yacht before and seeing fifteen was kind of ridiculous. We finally settled at an outdoor patio at a bar,right by the water (which of course played American music)--we spent the night with a bottle of wine, laughing, and enjoying each others company. We got back to the apartment late that night, and thus did not wake up til 12:30 the next morning. I'm sure we could have woken up earlier, but the blinds on the windows were so intense that it looked like 8am even at 12:30.

Saturday we went back into Old Nice for lunch. To the left is a picture of the docks we passed on our way to lunch. It was just beautiful--everything is so picturesque. Something as simple as a man sticking his head out of a window of a building strikes you as something out of a fairytale. My head kept looking up, down, every direction. I was just taking it all in as we walked down the small streets and hoped to not to get run over by a passing motorcyclist. We sat down to a lovely lunch, right across from the promenade des anglais--the Mediterranean was our view, the sun shining high above--perfect.

After lunch we took a trip to Cannes, another city in France. Again we traveled through curvy small roads until we finally arrived. Cannes holds an annual film festival, where all who are "stars" come to strut their stuff. It was crazy thinking about all the celebrities who have walked the same streets I was walking. Cannes was another gorgeous Mediterranean town--with outdoor flea markets, beautiful architecture, pastel colors, old shutters on windows...pure beauty. While looking for a parking spot, we drove on a road that was lined with designer shops-- Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Fendi...I've never seen so many in one place. Which brings me to my next point--Cannes definitely has money. We found a parking spot finally and spent the day walking the streets of Cannes and shopping--taking in everything we could.

That night we had dinner at Remy and Sandy's apartment--raclette. I've never had it before but it's a famous French dish that involves a special raclette maker, smelly cheese, potatoes, and various types of sandwich meat. I was a little hesitant at first because I had a bad cheese experience (crepe de trois fromages...one of the cheeses was horrible--dirty foot...I couldn't even swallow it) and didn't want this to be another one. BUT I ended up loving it! It was delicious and very filling. The night involved many bottles of wine, two frenchies, one finnish man (Remy's friend), and us..the three americans. After dinner and some relaxation, we went into Old Nice to finish off the night. The night ended with the finnish man (who by the way spoke four languages) inviting us to his place in Monaco...not too shabby.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend filled with new friends who seem to know me more than I thought they could...so soon.

Now this list if things I want to specifically remember, but take a lot of explanation:
1. "We are driving...we we are driving" (or eating, or talking, or drinking...)
2. The TV show that was absolutely precious
3. How Remy and Sandy are an old married couple
4. Trying to explain the term "grow some" to frenchies
5. La loon comment--loonies
6. Learning to say "putain de merde" in the street
7. Je crois que oui
8. Clementines
9. Pistache pudding
10.The walls are thin...
11.Pure addiction..
12."I'm six feet tall and I'm fierce and I'm Irish"
13.Arrested--and what it really means
14.The bathroom door--don't be afraid to be locked in

Though they make no sense really...they make a lot of sense to Laur Aila and I.

First Week-First Post

I can't believe that I've been here for a week already. It's crazy to even think about. A little over a week ago I was frantically packing, saying goodbyes, and preparing for an incredible journey, and now, I'm sitting in my host mother's house, at my desk, in Montpellier, France.

Montpellier is absolutely beautiful. It's a pretty small city I would say, but it's the seventh largest in France. There are tons of different people here, and a lot of college students which is why they consider Montpellier a "college town". The city lies in the south of France right by the Mediterranean. Once it's warm I plan on taking the bus to the beach, but for now, they say on a clear day you can see the sea on the horizon.

Here in Montpellier, I live with a Odile, an older, single woman, whose children have all moved out of the house. She's a hat stylist or fabricant de chapeau which is pretty cool. During breakfast, I usually get to watch her as she and her twenty year old intern make hats. I seem to stare in amazement which makes her laugh, but I've never watched anyone actually make a hat before. They remind me of those hats one would wear to the kentucky derby, or I guess a wedding. I'll have to find a way to take some pictures of them. She's a very nice woman, but it does seem to get lonely when it's just me and her. It's okay though, centre-ville, or the center of town, is only a ten minute walk from her house, so I can find ways to entertain myself.

Not that I've needed much entertaining. There are tons of things to do here--lots of alleys to wander, tons of cafes to sit for hours at and "faire l'oeuf" (or people watch), plenty of stores to go in, and much more. And if there isn't anything much going on, you can always literally go to a cafe and sit...outside. Yes, the frenchies here sit outside even if it's FREEZING. It's just what they do. When I first noticed this I laughed because this would never, ever happen in the U.S, and I never thought I would do it either. But of course, I've sat outside a cafe for a prolonged period of time during the day, just sitting and drinking my chocolat plasir--usually with Laur, very slowly. The French people enjoy taking their time and not rushing things--something I'm trying to get used to.


So it's been a week and I've got a lot to say--this past Saturday, we went to the Fontain de Vaucluse and Avignon. Both were extremely beautiful little towns. Fontain de Vaucluse is a little town that has this water source that seems to come from nowhere. We went to see the "source" [pictured of the left] and it just seemed to flow from the rock. It was awesome. The only thing was that is was freezing, and being by water wasn't exactly helping the situation. After, we hopped back on the bus, leaving four people behind, and headed to Avignon. Of course, one of the buses had to turn around and retrieve the others, but once both buses arrived in Avignon, we strode up this tiny alley and there it was--le Palais du Pape [pictured on right]!Yes the pope's palace...and yes indeed I did say PALACE. It was huge, and beautiful! It was crazy to think about all the things that must have gone on there...and all the important people that have traveled the same hallways I was traveling. Once we completed the pope's palace, and saw le point d'Avignon, we had some free time. Laur and I decided to get some maxi pain au chocolat (a delicious croissant like bread filled with chocolate...maxi meaning it was bigger than usual) and go to a cafe where we got chocolat chaud. This is basically our favorite afternoon snack that you can find just about anywhere.

I started classes Monday and they haven't been so bad. My phonetics course is going to be hilarious. We basically just practice making French sounds and repeat French phrases to ensure our pronunciation is correct. It's hard not to laugh...really. Today I had grammar and the professor seems really nice. She actually smiles and laughs which is something you don't see a lot of French people doing. Word for the wise: Don't smile on the bus or tram...I swear they will automatically know you are American.

All in all, France is great!

More pics to come!