I know that it is has been far too long since the last time I wrote, but I have been gone traveling a lot in the past few weeks. I recently had a week off of classes for February break during which I visited the South of France and Belgium, and I also went on a mini-excursion with my program last weekend to Voiron. This coming weekend we will be taking off for two days on an excursion to Dijon and Beaune and the following I will be traveling to London with my friend Julia. All that to say, it's been difficult to find time to write, but I have been eager to catch everyone up on my recent adventures.
February break in this region of France is typically spent skiing. All primary, middle and high schools as well as most universities have two full weeks off during which they travel to different mountain chains to surf the slopes. My host family was gone for a full week skiing with their family in the north during the
week that I was gone traveling, and then they spent their second week skiing in Grenoble while I returned to classes. Being an international school with a shorter semester, we unfortunately only had one week off as opposed to two. Anyways, skiing is the number one thing to do around here, as I have quickly come to find out. All of the families that live here go for weeks at a time and practically every weekend, and people come from all over France as well as different parts of Europe to ski in Grenoble, which is well-known for its mountains and stations. In fact, real estate is extremely high in this area because of the close proximity to the nearby slopes. Unfortunately, I have not yet taken the opportunity to try it out. Honestly, I think I'm just too much of a chicken to go as it probably wouldn't be too great to break a leg while off in another country! :) My host brother keeps inviting me along, but I think I'll stick with snow-shoeing... another (far less dangerous) popular activity in the area. To the left, I've included a picture from a museum that I visited in Grenoble with an exposition on the history of the ski and, in this photo, the snowshoe.Anyways, my break began on Thursday, February 11th, as I typically don't have classes on Thursdays and had decided to skip Friday morning to travel. I left my house in plenty of time to take the bus to the train station, but, of course, with my luck, the bus never came! I called my host mom in a panic explaining what had happened, and she immediately told me to come back home where she was waiting, already in her car, to drive me to the station. Thank goodness for her! I got to the station just on time where I met Julia, Jahan and Galia, three of the other Americans in my program.
Our first stop was Avignon, a beautiful city in the south situated on the Rhône River and the capital of Christianity for a short while in the Middle Ages. We visited the Palais des Papes, or
Popes' Palace, which housed six popes during a time of schism in the Catholic church in the 1300s. We also saw Pont d'Avignon, a bridge that extends out across the river and suddenly drops off about halfway out. You can see it in the background of the picture to the right that was taken from up above near the palace. There is a nursery rhyme about this particular bridge that all of the French children sing when they are little, and now it is tradition to go out on the bridge and sing it. Unfortunately, we were unable to go up onto the bridge as we weren't wanting to pay to do so, but luckily I am going to be returning to Avignon in May with my university, and I will definitely do so then! Anyways, the city was absolutely beautiful! We spent a lot of time just walking around and visiting shops. It's a very old area with a lot of history, so it was fun to explore without a particular agenda. We had lunch at a great little café and some delicious café au lait, one of my favorite drinks here consisting of espresso and warm milk. It was also extremely COLD while we were there though. The tramontane, or North Wind, is bitter cold during the winter in certain areas of France, and Avignon is certainly one of them. However, we enjoyed every second of being there, even if we we had to be bundled up the whole time. I am eager to go back in May when it is sunny and beautiful!Friday morning, the 12th, we departed for Marseilles further south on the coast. Marseilles is one of the largest cities in France and is a port city, so, as a result, it is extremely international. There is a lot of Arabic and North African influence in the area as many people have immigrated to the region. The city was at a much different pace than others I have so far been to in France. It is interesting to see how much culture can change all within one single country that is only roughly the size of Texas! Every region has particularities unique to the area... food, traditions, dialects, etc. It makes traveling to different parts of France that much more wonderful and exciting!
While in Marseilles, we walked all over, we spent a lot of time in the Vieux Port, or Old Port, area which was full of fish vendors and fresh markets, we went to Notre Dame de Marseilles cathedral situated up on a
hill overlooking the city from the highest point, we shopped a bit, we went to the beach and we ate some delicious food! Marseilles is also home to the small island If where Chateau d'If of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is set. I was extremely excited because there are boats that take people out to the island to explore the old prison and see it up close. Unfortunately, however, it was too windy and cold while we were there for the boats to operate. Although a bit of a disappointment, luckily we were able to see it from Notre Dame. It was just a bit further away than we had hoped. Later on, we also ventured out to the outskirts of town on my last afternoon where we went to a huge outdoor Arabic market where they sold everything from scarves and clothing to fresh vegetables and fruits. It was interesting to interact with the people of the area and to experience the atmosphere of such a culturally rich group of people. Marseilles was a great experience and very interesting to see. Although not my favorite place I have been, as it has less of the "beauty" factor that I so love in so many places here in Europe, I am so glad I had the opportunity to see something so different and unique. To the left, you can see a picture of the harbor in Marseilles.I left the others on Sunday to return back to Grenoble while they stayed to finish their travels throughout the South of France. I was only able to spend the first four days with them, as I had already made plans to go to Brussels on Monday to visit an old friend. However, my time in the South of France was incredible! I am eager to return later in the spring with my university to Avignon and then later with my program to St. Tropez, Nice and Eze on the Azur Coast. It is such a beautiful area rich in culture and history, and I am again so thankful to the people who have made this trip possible. I am making memories this semester that I will never, ever forget and I am loving every second of being in the beautiful country of France!
That's all for now as I have examens blanches, or midterms, this week and lots of studying to do. I will write more about my adventures in Belgium soon. Until then, I hope this post finds each and every one of you well! I miss and love you like crazy!
A la prochaine fois ...or, until next time!
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