School

           I can’t believe that I am ALREADY wrapping up with school.  I found out yesterday that my history professor was not planning on giving us a final which was so weird and awesome at the same time, I mean on the one hand I only have two more weeks of the class and I don’t have to stress about getting all of the concepts down par Coeur (by heart), and on the other hand that means that my time here is slowly coming to an end.  And yet, I feel like I have so much more left to do: I have an exposé, a paper, and an oral final, I am visiting Greece, going to Paris, and then I have my last final just after vacation.  I feel like I am getting ahead of myself a little, I know that I still have two whole months (!) in Bordeaux, plus some time to spend traveling.  This whole passing-the-mid-point thing is just weighing down on me.  I thought I would never say this but I really am sad that school is ending for the year. 

Taking the Tram to Hipsterville

         Emily’s parents are in town and Sandy’s best friend Cecilia is visiting so Lea and I decided to go on an adventure.  We started out doing some antiquing down at Notre Dame where we found some really cool old journals and magazines, so I picked a few up as gifts for a certain few people (I guess you will find out who you are when you get them).  After we did that we stopped at a little café right outside of the antique shop.  

 Notre Dame lies right in the heart of the art district, so all of the places around are really cute and artsy, it has such a different vibe than centre ville.  It’s very quiet, the people are very charming, and it isn’t quite so bustling.  It should be noted that the weather today was also really bizarre.  Most of the day while we were out is was warm, but it was overcast and we knew that a storm was coming, the clouds looked really menacing but you didn’t have to wear a jacket.  After we got a coffee we decided to take the tram all the way in the other direction from school (we basically live in the middle of the B line of the tram and most everything is right there in centre ville so we never go out into the banlieus).  When we got there we found this amazing out-door art exhibit.  It was not completed yet, one of the artists said the exhibit was officially open on the 17^th of April, but it was still so cool.  It was (to me) an experiment on the contrast of industrialization and nature, so there were a lot of woodwork pieces mélanged with metalwork, graffiti on vine-covered walls, etc. it was really cool.  

 The whole place was sort of hipsterville though, so Lea and I took some portraits (Hipster-noun: overly-exaggerated nerd in appearance who dabbles in fields such as painting, photography (or photo-shop), riding bikes, and moustaches).  I received a care package in the mail today that included chalk that I brought with me when I left home, so on our way back to the tram stop we decided to do a few drawings.   

We ambled back home and got caught in the rain only a little, but fortunately I was back home with a cup of tea just in time to watch the thunder and lightning storm from my window. 

Le Printemps

         It’s finally spring here in Bordeaux! There is water flowing through the fountains, various flowers blooming up all over the place, and it’s been in the mid-upper sixties all week long! There is definitely a change of mood throughout the city too.  Yesterday I went for a run and I passed through the park and it was as if all the young people of Bordeaux were called to a meeting at Jardin Pubilc.  It was incredible, the whole world was there laying around and just being in the sunshine.  I have been taking full advantage of it by walking on the sunny side of the street, keeping my windows open, and wearing sandals! That’s right, sandals!  I can only hope that it gets warmer from here!

P.S. On a completely unrelated note I am now going to Greece for spring break from the 18-25 of April and then Gabrielle comes out on June 1 and then I fly back on June 20 which means less than three months!—not okay!

The French Countryside

    This weekend my host brother, Jean-Lucien, invited me to spend the weekend with his family at his house in the countryside (he is a high-school student that goes to school in Bordeaux but goes home on the weekends).  I had an incredible time and it was exactly what I needed. This past week I had been feeling a little antsy and stressed because of school and getting over the halfway mark ( ya, can you believe it! I am halfway done with my program!! It’s so sad!) but this weekend I didn’t really have anything to do so I was able to use this as a mini-vacation.  Firstly, Jean-Lucien’s family is amazing.  He has two younger brothers, jean-Romain who is 10 and jumps horses (he had a competition on Sunday that we went to) and Jean-Lun who is 5 (and with whom I had a Daft Punk dance party during breakfast Saturday morning).  Hanging out with a real family again was so nice.  The thing that really made my weekend though was going on a bike ride through the countryside with Jean-Lucien.  We didn’t have anything to do so we just grabbed bikes and went on a little adventure where we found a hiking trail that he had never been on before.  We took it and ended up stumbling across a deer farm and we found a phesant.  We ended up crossing a couple of vineyards and going through some woods and a meadow.  We did get lost a little, but it was well worth it.  It was sunny and a bit cold, and the sun was setting over the vineyards which made the countryside glow.  It was absolutely a fantastic experience.  

Jean-Lun took me on his own tour of the countryside so he took me to an abandoned cabin.

Not to self: if you are going to let a five year-old take you on a tour, don't wear toms and be prepared to get dirty

Espagne - The Land of Compromises

Part 4: “I like to think of it as our glorified toilet that just so happens to sell food”

         We only had two nights (one full day) in Madrid, so we tried to get the absolute most out of it.  Right away we went grocery shopping (after discovering the apartment and the fact that we had no toilet) and made dinner for us and our friends Justin and Hala who we had met up with in Barcelona and now again in Madrid.   

 (This is Lea, trying to fix our toilet)

We ate dinner and then decided to go out.  We realized that all clubs in Madrid are really expensive, so we ended up going to a few bars searching for dancing, but ended up mostly just dancing in the streets.  The next day we got up and went straight to Plaza Mayor, from there we went to get churros con chocolat, which honestly give Disneyland churros a run for their money.  They are a specialty in Spain, it’s like dipping un-sugared churros into the thickest hot chocolate ever.   

From there we went to the palace and then to the Egyptian temple.  We ate our last tapas and sangria and headed off to the Museo del Prado where we saw the Velasquez painting in which Picasso had been inspired (“Las Meninas”).   

That night we went out for dinner where I met up with my high school friend Lara who happens to be studying in Madrid.  She took us out to a salsa club, but we couldn’t stay out late because we had to get up to go back home the next morning.  Spain was really such a wonderful experience.  

 It was really nice to go in the off-season when there weren’t so many tourists.  Each city that we went to was different in their own ways, but each had the friendliest people and the most intriguing culture. 

Espagne - The Land of Compromises

Part 3: “I saw the French guy naked…again”

         The next three nights we spent in Malaga (my FAVORITE city that we visited).  It was so beautiful, warm, and friendly, the second that we got there we all changed into dresses and SHORTS, my legs were so happy! Our hostel here was pretty amazing too - two big rooms, a full kitchen, and we were the only ones there for the first day and a half!  

 

That first day we were all pretty tired and were really excited to be able to spend just some time with us four girls (Sandy, Emily, Lea, and me).  We walked around a bit, got some groceries and took a much needed cuddle sesh/siesta.  That night we wandered around through the main streets of Malaga.  What was amazing was that we could even wear shorts at night.  Granted it was at most 70 degrees, but it felt like heaven.  The next day we planned a trip to the castle and ice cream on the beach.  The castle is really big and overlooks the entire city.  I knew I was going to love this city right before we entered the castle. There was this man playing Spanish guitar outside, it was the perfect music because there weren’t a lot of people and the castle rests on a hill outside of the city center, so it was quiet except for this music floating around us.  

 After the castle we went to the beach where I am proud to say I jumped in the Mediterranean! It was cold and I wasn’t going to at first because I didn’t bring a towel, but I realized that it was necessary.  The water was so blue and it was refreshing just to feel the sand between my toes again and the salt on my skin.   

That night we went out for more tapas and sangria, of course.  The next day we got a little bit of a late start and began with a picnic on the beach.  We ended up stumbling upon a renaissance fair outside of the roman theatre (which we couldn’t find the entrance to) and it was really fun! We had ice cream and a man tried to give us a discount on a pastry we were buying: a kiss and we could get it for a euro.  We decided just to pay the full price though.  That night was our last night in Malaga so we decided to spend the night the Spanish way : drinks and appetizer, dinner, back to the room for drinks and a siesta, bar for GIANT mojitos, and then a club for dancing.  Although it SEEMS like all I do is eat and drink, I think my favorite part of this trip was jumping in the Mediterranean.  I loved being in the sun, wearing shorts, and doing what I do best: jumping in and having fun. 

Espagne - The Land of Compromises

Part 2: “If you get to Chris Colombus, you have gone too far”

         It’s been a few crazy weeks back from vacation, school is finally in full swing and I have projects/essays every week, but now I have some time to sit and actually tell you about what happened and how amazing Spain is!

         The first four days were spent in Barcelona.  Barcelona is really pretty, but it is also a very big city filled with tourists even in the off-season.  Our first day there Sandy, Lea and I started off the trip right with tapas and sagria (the first of many to come).  The next day we woke up nice and early and got a move on to go to Park Guell by Antonio Gaudi.  This park is beautiful, we got lost on our way there and ended up going in the back way, which was all up-hill, but the view at the top was well worth it.  Gaudi was a Spanish architect who specialized in mosaics, Park Guell is kind of like…well, it’s hard to describe.  I guess the best way to put it is that if an artist made a hiking trail on a hill, overlooking all of Barcelona, this would be it. 

I guess I need to explain these pictures.  There was a trail that led toward the front of the entire park that was like a giant rock wave and on the wall of this wave were these rock nests, so naturally, Lea, Sandy and I decided to do a photo-shoot.  I think they came out quite nice!  It was absolutely gorgeous there and I could have spent all-day just walking around taking pictures.  That same day we went to Sagrada Familia.  This Cathedral, which has been under construction for over 100 years, was to be the great achievement of Gaudi, unfortunately he was run over by a tram car before it was finished.  It was started in 1883 and by the time of his death (in 1926) the cathedral was only one quarter of the way finished.  And even now, it is only about 60% completed but is still under construction.  We got there just at sunset, which I recommend for anyone going to Spain.  I really don’t believe I can do this Cathedral any justice through words or pictures.  When I entered I was completely swept away, I had no words.  

 Our third day turned out to be a big win for Emily (who we met up with, along with her brother and cousin) who planned a hike at Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat.  This hike is only two-miles long, but it is entirely uphill/upstairs.  The view from the top was absolutely amazing.  It was so cold and windy when we got to the top, but you could not help but looking over the edge.  I felt like I was at the top of the world, overlooking all of Spain.   

I would highly recommend this hike for anyone visiting out-doorsy visiting Barcelona.  Our last full day in Barcelona we woke up (a little late, a little sore, and a little hung-over) and went to the huge outdoor market at St. Joseph.  After that we mosied over to the Picasso museum where they had one of the best exhibits of an artist I have seen.  It was set up in chronological order so you could see how his works progressed, plus there was an entire section dedicated to his works based off of Velasquez’s “Las Meninas”.  After that we went back for siestas and took one last night for drinking and dancing before our early morning metro/train/plane to Màlaga.  Of all of the places we went to on our trip, I did the most in Barcelona.  Sight-seeing, hiking, dancing, going to markets, and I still did not do everything there is to do!

Espagne - The Land of Compromises

Part 1: The Getting There

         Spain, first of all, is awesome.  The people are so friendly, it is like a community the size of a country, the food is wonderful, the weather is gorgeous, and the sights are fantastic.  There is so much to say about Spain that I have decided to break it up into chunks, starting with the getting there and the getting around. 

         Our trip started on Friday the 18^th, we left Bordeaux to spend one night in Paris because we had an early flight out of Beauvais the next morning.  It was on our train to Paris that we realized that this would be a trip of compromises.  The train to get to Paris is divided in two trains so if you get on the wrong part, you are out of luck.  Unfortunately we did not know this and ended up standing for the entire three-hour train ride in the café car up to Paris.  Upon our arrival we took a metro to our hostel to find that it was the wrong one, we had made a cancellation and reserved another but forgot which one was which.  Four metros and two ghettos later we get into our hostel (around 9:30 PM).  Our hostel was nice, but once again we found ourselves compromising: we had a clean, nice, hostel with three beds and light fixtures…but only one light bulb.  We were only there for one night, so it turned out to be fine.  At this point we needed to get some sleep to wake up at o’dark thirty to make it to our next leg of the trip.  After taking the metro to a bus to the airport, we got on the plane on time and had a nice little one-hour flight into Barcelona.  When we arrived there it felt like heaven.  The sky was blue and the sun was shining (we even took off our sweatshirts!).  We were all pretty tired and wanted to get to our hostel, so we found the bus to get to our place.  Unfortunately, we had to talk to a woman with, “half a brain and robotic arms” while we waited the next hour for the bus (she eventually got off at the ‘asylum’ stop).  After the bus and a quick metro ride, we got to our hostel called HelloBCN.  It was really nice in that hostel, its facilities were all geared towards traveling college students so there was a ping pong table, a bar, computers, a kitchen, and all of the rooms were kind of set up like dorms (we were in a six-person room and since Emily was staying with her brother, it was Sandy, Lea, Me, and two British boys, James and Alex).  After four glorious days in Barcelona we left (again at o’dark thirty) to take the metro to the bus to the airport to Malaga.  After being in a big city with a group that turned out to be around nine people, we were all looking forward to three days in the coastal city of Malaga with just us girlies (Emily, Lea, Sandy, and me).  When we got to Malaga we took a bus and then a taxi to our hostel.  Our place was like a converted villa, we had a huge room with four separate beds, a communal kitchen, and the compromise: one toilet.  The one toilet thing never really turned out to be a huge problem until the last day and a half when the toilet paper would run out by noon and we were never told where the rest was kept.  Regardless, Malaga was beautiful and we all wore shorts and dresses.  Three days there was not enough for me, but as we neared the end of our trip it was time to taxi our way to the bus station and take an autobus for six hours to Madrid.  We were smart travelers this time though and remembered snackies.  We got to Madrid and took the metro (which we were pro at by this point) to our hostel.   When we got there we were buzzed in by an old man that spoke no English or French, he was the owner of what we assumed was our hostel.  After we paid him though, he went around the corner to grab his cardigan and started motioning us to follow him out of the building.  We followed him down the street and around the corner where we found the rue St. Catherine of Madrid.  We kept walking (all the while eyeing each other to see if we were really still following this man who, at this point, we assumed had a shiv up his sleeve or something and was just playing the frail old man) and he began opening a door to this nice apartment building.  We walked up the stairs, up an elevator and he opened a door to a loft apartment with four beds, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a balcony.  We couldn’t believe it! It was the best place we had been in yet! Just us four girls staying in this awesome apartment!!  We were all so excited until the compromise came: you could have an apartment on one of the swankiest streets in Madrid for 15 euros a night…but the toilet wont work.  We knew we couldn’t talk to the guy about it, and we were only there for two nights, so we ended up using the McDonalds (with a marble staircase and chandeliers and wifi) for our restroom.  Two days in Madrid was not enough either, but it was finally time to head home.  It was raining when we left, dreary and sad, but we knew it wouldn’t be raining in Bordeaux so we grabbed some (much missed) Starbucks and took the metro to the airport.  We flew into Toulouse and then took a bus to a train from Toulouse to Bordeaux.  Upon arriving in Bordeaux, we all hopped on the tram, soon to split to our respective homes.  It was on this very last leg of the journey with these four awesome girls that I realized that I am at home now in Bordeaux.  While I don’t have my family, I have a welcoming and warm home, a city that I know and love, and friends in which I never have to compromise.