The 10th of April

Today was a fantastic escape from the stressful traveling- We woke up when our bodies were fully rested, took long showers, taking in the sun, basically having a leisurely Good Friday. Karla and mom took off shopping while Sam and I simply took our time getting ready for once. We were all craving a traditional "American Breakfast" which is practically impossible to find, except if you order an omelette for lunch. We wandered over to the downtown area to a restaurant called "Quebec" and had omlettes, coffee, and soup for a mid-day breakfast. While we were eating, we were being entertained by an old man with a boom box which was synthesizing a beat while he every so often strummed a tune.
Afterward Sam and I wandered around town to check out the neighborhood. Nice is an old city, but with a very modern vibe. It's buildings and streets are very bold, bright colors, its fashion is impeccably contemporary, and the seafood is one of its most important commodities. Our little hostel was squeezed in between "Armani" and "Louis Vitton". Nice reminded me of a fashionable Orange County in California but with more character.

That night, we had been recommended by the locals to go eat all-you-can-eat-mussels by the water. Of course, that's exactly what we did. The restaurant we discovered had several different sauces you could have on your endless mussels and french fries... mustard, salsa, garlic, white wine, seafood sauces, etc. A couple of buckets of this delicacy, plates of french fries, a carafe of wine and voila- we were in "Southern France Heaven". As we watched the sun begin to set in the distance- we hurriedly decided that we wanted to spend this sunset directly on the beach; how often are we on the Mediterranean?

We rushed over the rocky beach and played in the sea with our pant legs rolled up (in Karla's case her playful spirit carried her in the water with stockings on and all) and took what seemed hundred of pictures of us laughing, running away from the freezing cold waves, collecting stones, and forming some of the best memories any of us have ever had simply watching the sunset. After the sun was well tucked away beyond the horizon we were craving some more gelato and crepes! We walked around the Old Port until we found a tiny square that didn't seem to busy at the time and sat down with our plates of chocolate crepes and looked up at the beautiful cathedral that was lighting up with the darkness. Within 10 minutes it was very dark out, but this square happened to be a special place that we just so happened to have stopped at. As the sky got darker, this square became brighter... crowds of locals had gathered in front of the cathedral and people all of a sudden were lighting candles in fashion of the domino effect, and in perfect unison these crowds began to sing and chant. People were standing shoulder to shoulder in the square all looking towards the middle of this massive circle. What was this? How could we have been so lucky to stumble upon this square out of all the places in this huge city?

We watched this gracious ceremony of singing and candles glowing; Sam and went right to the middle and just watched. After about an hour the gathering migrated down one alley like slow moving molasses squeezing through a small tube. It was just us and the local tradition. It was beautiful to watch and I felt very lucky to see this event that no other tourist knew about.

The 9th of April

We all slept like babies the night before from all the wine and exhaustion from getting there. We moseyed on down to breakfast town and enjoyed our little bar one last time before adventuring off again. We transported our car to the downtown area of Marseille and found ourselves gazing out over the gigantic port to our right housing a fleet of sailboats, and up to the left we saw a beautiful 400 year-old port up on a hill- Fort Saint-Nicholas. We climbed up to the port wall and began to see a whole new Marseille. The historical port that this city used to be was stunning, a mix of French, Spanish, and Moroccan architecture. We soaked in this view and then continued on to a long awaited attraction- the Abbey of Saint Victor. This is the very abbey that ‘they’ say that Mary Magdalene came carrying the ‘Holy Grail’, or the child of Jesus. Saint Victors is a beautiful and very old Abbey that is well known, not only because of its history, but also because it is a huge cave underneath the Abbey. We escaped from the heat, and joined the other tourists inside the musty, stone building. It was dark inside, but the hundreds of candles that were lit throughout the room gave it a soft glow. This Cathedral seemed as if it were alive… the closer that we got to the front of the Abbey the deeper this certain murmur became echoed. There was a group of monks inside the building somewhere who were singing in this beautiful chorus- the sound became a melodic whisper on the dense grey walls of the Abbey as we were discovering the statues and graves.

After this, we all paid two Euros to explore the ‘cave’ beneath. ‘They’ say that the reason that there is a whole other sacred area underground is because it used to be a very secretive meeting place for ancient Cathars. I felt as if I was an archeologist discovering some secretive place that had never been seen by outsider’s eyes before. It was fascinating. The cave walls were tall and proud in the entrance and then further through the passages they became small where there were sarcophagi of ancient practitioners and statues that had stories to tell just to themselves.

After that discovery we were eager to get to the Notre Dame- de la Garde, located on the tallest hill in the city. We were having some trouble finding the correct route because we were also looking for a restaurant close by. We walked up and down hills in the heat and our hunger was unbearable. After asking a few people where to go, we eventually stumbled upon the perfect café for lunch. After we had gained the energy to hike the massive hill up to the Notre Dame that has been so close but yet so far this entire time, we put one foot in front of the other and just did it. Again, Sam and I decided to take the more nontraditional route and switched between hiking and walking along the path- whichever one was a direct route to where we wanted to be. All throughout the city of Marseille, one could simply look up in the direction of this Cathedral and see a gold clad, shinning statue standing on top of the building.

Once we arrived at the top, we discovered the most beautiful view of Marseille. It overlooked the entire city, which from far away simply looked like a painting of mixed beige and pinks with a thoughtful placed blues and greens. It was truly breath taking as we watched out over the massive landscape with the wind meandering through our hair and clothing. What a beautiful day.

As we attempted to leave Marseille, the Spaghetti mapping got the best of us. We ended up exiting and entering the same tunnel, and paying the toll for it 3 times. One time we had a wrong turn and I literally made a U-Turn in the middle of a highway in a panic. Eventually we made it to Nice... our destination for the next two days!

We made it in time for dinner in the town, and then of course we found ourselves some gelato. Flavors ranged from Pistachio, Mango, and Violet (the flower). The warm and humid night time in the Southern city of Nice was a relaxing way to begin a couple of calming days.

The 8th of April

This morning we woke up inside of our cozy B&B to the smell of something delicious cooking in the kitchen downstairs. We threw on some clothes for the day and followed ours noses. A table for four was set up with an arrangement of homemade marmalades and jams that Francis (the owner of the B&B) had made from the fruits in their garden. The aroma of fresh coffee and hand squeezed orange juice tantalized our morning drowsiness. We all sat around content and amused by the many adorable cats looking at us through the garden window- peeking their noses over the window ledge. Caroline, Francis’ wife laid a few baskets on the table. One basket was full of warm croissants and pain au chocolat from the local bakery, and the other basket was full of a Spelt (a brown, grainy bread) also made by Francis.

After a remarkable resting period in the small town near Sommières we packed up the car again and headed in the direction of Marseille. We did have a midway point in which we wanted to explore before we arrived at our next hostel. It’s called the Pont du Gard in a town called Remoulins. The Pont du Gard is nearly 2000 years old, and was built by ancient Romans for the transportation of water, and then later was used as a toll bridge in 1295 and was used from then on as a major landmark for generations. So obviously this is quite a significant site. As soon as we could see the Roman Aqueduct’s arches we were snapping photos. Unfortunately the weather was a bit cloudy, cold and rainy- but we were wearing our big black jackets and lots of layers so we managed. While mom and Karla continued down the normal paved pathway, Sam and I found an untraditional path of rock climbing, squeezing through trees, and shuffling our feet down steep desert- like rock landscape to find the perfect photo opportunities. We wandered around the ancient grounds that were once walked upon by the Romans, medieval and Renaissance citizens, and modern day tourists. When we all met up at the bridge for one more breath taking view, we realized that the sun was shinning and it was quite hot out! I was sweating in all my layers, but it felt good to be warm again! As we walked back to the car, I remember looking straight up through the arches which were standing nearly 100 feet above me and seeing the light streaming through in great beams towards the water. The sky became a brilliant blue and the illumination seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel for perfect Spring weather. It was an astonishing view and experience for all of us.

On the road again. Our next stop was the city of Marseille, a city which all of us imagined being kind of a sleepy fishing village with well known historical architecture for us to explore in peace… but to our shocking surprise it is the second largest city in all of France, next to Paris. This slap in the face started as I began to drive through the suburbs on the highway- everything along the road and beyond was smothered in graffiti and litter. The buildings were all a beige or salmon color throughout, and all of the streets were a blackish grey with buses colliding with the aggressive cars and motorcyclists, people on Mopeds were pushy whilst weaving through traffic lanes 1 foot in length, the pedestrians were vigorously fused with traffic in gross numbers, and there we were in our Kangoo wide eyed, petrified, and dumbfounded with confused attempts for action. We hurriedly opened the map again and zoomed in on Marseille- whoever built the roads for this city had taken a blank sheet, grabbed a handful of contorted spaghetti, threw it down and called it good. It was exactly as if we walked into a third world country where there were no rules and no laws. I simply followed suite and became as aggressive as the locals and at the same time patient, considering I didn’t have a chance winning a “merging show-down” with buses on my right coming into my lane and Mopeds blasting through on my left at lightening speeds with no fear of not being seen. Somehow we made it to our street, in a foreign neighborhood consisting of all Middle Eastern men. At the end of this street we found a hostel called “Vertigo”. We walked in the front door and were transported into a retro, artistic and young upbeat hostel that was playing soothing jazzy music. Ahhh… our light at the end of the tunnel. We ended up having our own little Cabanas in the courtyard area of the hostel, and for dinner that night we decided to just relax inside of our little safe haven. Karla and mom sent Sam and I out into the wilderness of traffic, homeless, and chaos to the nearby American Institute for dinner… McDonalds. We sat at the little bar in the common room, listened to artsy/ ambient music, eating our ‘Big & Tasty’ meals, drank lots and lots of regional wine, and laughed the night away.

The 7th of April

Today started like any other- except for a little problem… it has begun to rain on our trip!

We packed up and said goodbye to our home away from home, and continued on our journey to the next city- Montpellier. When we eventually arrived to this city it had become cold and rainy unfortunately but we still explored around as much as we could.

After an hour or two we decided just to get on the road again so we could rest at our next hostel/hotel/B&B. Les Trois Puits turned out to be this charming B&B that was huge. We were greeted by yet more Englishmen who were running a French accommodation, and their 13 cats and gorgeous Russian dog. This B&B consisted of three different histories- it has some medieval parts to it, parts of it from when it was a winery long ago, and some very recent, modern flares to give it a warm, homey feel. I’m absolutely in love with this place actually! Their entire backyard are the old (but remodeled) buildings that housed hundreds of wine barrels and the process to make wine! It was swamped by a large and very beautiful garden that was a playground for all of their cats.

Nearby is another medieval city that we decided to explore tonight and to try and find dinner. It was similar to Carcassonne but a little smaller and barely any people around at all. We found a nice restaurant here and treated ourselves to a French feast with a lots of wine, I had a filet, Karla had duck, Sam and mom had gigantic pizzas to themselves, and of course we had desserts too!

Cheers to that!

The 6th of April

We woke up at the hostel and realized we needed to do something about obtaining breakfast! The extremely hospitable English woman running the hostel told us about the only bakery open in this tiny village. Mom and I walked up the windy path up the hill and spotted a tiny sign for the Boulangerie. Inside was barely anything- just like Jan, the English woman from the hostel had warned us- there was a single loaf of bread on a shelf which I picked up naturally. "Non non! C'est réservé!" Hmmm... The old man with the long grey beard and vacant face ran to the back as quick as he could and returned with another loaf. After a breakfast of tea, bread and marmalade we continued to get ready to go see the rest of "Le Cité" by daylight.

The fortified city was a bit touristy, but so worth the visit. We walked up the path leading to the main wall and the wind was incredibly strong- strong enough to make us lean on 45 degree angle against it to walk properly. The fort was deigned in a way so that the outer wall and the inner wall created a wind tunnel, so this intense circle of strong currents was hard to get by but once inside the inner wall- into an alley that strangely resembles something out of Harry Potter- it wasn't so bad. We spent the afternoon shopping and having lunch looking up at the hundreds of years old history around us.

We spent most of the day here and simply went back to rest at our friendly little hostel in the countryside.

The 5th of April

Today was the first day that it really struck me that I had become a tourist for this trip. We woke up and wandered downstairs for our petit déjeuner (breakfast) and then packed up our car for our next destination- Carcassonne. Today was the first day that it really hit me that I had transitioned into a real tourist instead of a student living here. My perspective changed and I saw everything with wide opened eyes and was a mix of extremely excited and enthusiastic and calm... I'm totally aware that this is a strange mix of emotions but that's the best description I could think of! I think that the quiet drive through French countryside was a calming yet truly beautiful and breath taking couple of hours. We decided to get off the toll road and drive on the smaller roads through France- this was one of the best decisions we've ever made. We didn't know where we were going but we knew that a small town had a castle and that that would be a perfect spot for lunch. With myself at the wheel, Samuel with his GPS iPhone, Karla with her map, and mom with her eyes peeled for signs we eventually found one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen (and that isn't an overstatement).

The sun was just perfectly lighting the landscape, there was a slight breeze but the climate remained warm and perfectly adjusted, and the countryside began to represent "the South of France" or sometimes even places in Italy. With the perfectly erect oval pine trees standing 30 feet tall at least, beautiful villa homes with charming aesthetics, tiny winding streets, and mountainous terrain that helped nourish the infinite vineyards was only half of the amazing scenery around us. When we found the village we were trying to get to just outside of the city called "Villeneuve sur Lot" there was a very tall hill, or I suppose it would be appropriate to call it a mountain with a small ancient city leading up to the top. At the very top of the mountain was a building with a silver half sphere sparkling in the distance. We navigated our car through the mountainous village and finally found the road up to this "Bastille" by intuition. We needed to eat, and so by absolute chance at the base of the Bastille grounds were picnic tables looking out over the massive landscape. We pulled our our sausage and cheese a small baguettes, our arrangement of pears, bananas, and grapes, water and dried fruit and had the most fantastic lunch with an even more fantastic view. If we looked up we could make out a huge statue of Mary on top of the Bastille. With great excitement to find the temple at the top of the mountain we finished our lunch and found a close parking spot to the medieval entrance.

The four of us walked through the stone arch of the "Notre-Dame de Peyragude" and followed the stone path the overlooked the most charming village you can imagine and up towards the peak of the mountain. It was a wooded area that led to a cave. We explored this area with the interest of curious child- discovering something for the first time. To our great surprise inside of the cave was a great shrine for Mary Magdeline, and a beautiful statue/ column of an angel overlooking the entrance that was encoded in Latin. There were countless offerings of flowers around the shrine. Continuing around the wooded cliff there was a small path that led to the actual Bastille. It was the most beautiful temple/ cathedral I have ever seen in my life. You could just feel how much meaning was behind this building. The energy at this site was very powerful and a strong sense of peace was over all of us. We walked towards the entrance of the Bastille and the tier (of the cliff) just below us was a good sized cemetery with flowers wrapped all over the grave markings. This tier had the most beautiful view of the Mediterranean landscape that was around us. We wandered inside of the Bastille and we all lit candles for the statue of Mary and Jesus and gazed agape at the stain glass surrounding us.

Afterward, we began to head back to our car when Sam and I remembered an unexplored path going even further up the hill. We hiked up by ourselves and discovered a flat surface with the remains of some kind of ruin that used to just be one room looking out over the Bastille. Looking in the other direction though there was a very tall and realistic scene of Jesus on the cross and two sad statues of either Mary or an Angel looking up at him with red tears. It was shockingly beautiful.

After this amazing experience we made it to our hostel just outside of Carcassonne. Sidsmums Travelers Retreat was actually owned by a British woman and resembled someones home. It was truly like staying at her house with other American/ Australian travelers, and we were experiencing true English hospitality. She recommended where to eat dinner in town- which isn't just any old town. It's one of the only perfectly preserve medieval cities left today. We're in a historically Cathar region thus this beautifully intact fortress used to be home to Cathar's in their glory days. It is an incredibly impressive site. We made our way into "Le Cité", crossed the drawbridge and explored the medieval grounds until we found "St. Jean Restaurant" and had a fabulous diner by candle light.

Afterward we wandered around the dark city, letting the old street lamps guide us around until eventually we made it to our car, made it to our hostel, made it to bed.

The 4th of April

I woke up with a start today and quickly took a shower and got ready because as soon as I opened my eyes I remembered that i hadn't packed yet for our vacation! I rushed around my room throwing clothes and cosmetics into my suitcase while drinking down my morning coffee. Eventually the car was packed and Sam and I met up with Karla and mom back at the hotel rested and ready to go. But first they wanted to see the city that we're living in for the semester. Of course the exterior market was our first stop. We strolled up and down the market and bought snacks for the road and sandwiches for lunch. Seeing Karla's and mom's faces light up was so rewarding this morning. This is the first time that either of them have been to France (and for my mom the first time to a country that truly doesn't speak her native tongue) so it was even exciting for me to show them around, show them French traditions, show off our language skills and let them have a really good first experience!

After the market we loaded into the car for a little road tour of the things we didn't have time to walk to... so we drove them by the castle and around that area, and then into Centre Ville a little bit to the House of Adam. It's a little pedestrian square with beautiful Renaissance architecture and walked around for some photo opportunities and to visit the artistic shop that hosts paintings, crafts, sculpting, everything type of art you can think of from artist in the region, France, and Europe. They loved it. As soon as we stepped back out to the cobble stone street it started to rain on us- so we took cover in the car and decided to start driving to Bordeaux- France's favorite city! Between the printed Google Maps and Sam's iPhone we made it through I think about 4 or more hours of driving to our hotel. After a bit of resting we wandered through the beautiful allies of Bordeaux which I found to be very similar to Angers- but much more lively and cozy. Their Centre Ville is enormous compared to Angers, and we wandered over towards the river bank where there were recommended seafood restaurants. We finally were drawn to a restaurant still on the water but tucked away into the old buildings called "Restaurant Basque- Cuisine du Grand Sud-Ouest" and enjoyed an amazing 4 course meal while sharing stories, laughing, and teaching Karla and mom about French etiquette and language. At one point in this little, intimate restaurant the four of us were repeating and emphasizing the difference between Beacoup (with "merci"- thanks alot) and Beau cul (nice ass) which are very subtle difference in the shaping of your lips. And I couple in the corner of the restaurant we found were laughing their heads off and that's when we realized what we doing. We were pretty loudly repeating "nice ass" over and over again in this quant restaurant. We laughed so hard- every experience we had today could have gone wrong but has gone comedically perfect and will be in our memories of France forever!