France

I have so so SO much to write, and I don't know where to start! I suppose I'll just start from the beginning.

Sunday night, after dinner, my host mom took me to my first host family's house to spend the night. I had to be at school at 6:15 the next morning, and my first host family lives right across the street from the school. We had a late dinner Sunday night, so I didn't get to my first host family's house until about 9:45. My host mom and I chatted for a few minutes, then I went straight to bed.

Laying in bed, I realized the room smelled vaguely like lemon cleaner and coconut; just like it smelled my first night in Italy. A wave of memories washed over me. (I know that anaolgy is so third grade, but I've got nothing better at the moment)! and I realized how much has changed in these 6 short months-- how much I've changed. Thinking about all the things I've seen, done, and learned made me happy, but I also realized that things have changed back home, too. Although I know that logically, things in Virginia will be different when I go back, I don't think I've really accepted that idea yet. Somehow, I'm expecting to return to the Summer of 2007, but that's another post for another time. On with the epic tale of my trip to France!

Monday morning, I woke up at the ungodly hour of 5:30. It was dark and rainy outside, and I was disoriented. I rushed around, even though I had prepared everything the night before, even breakfast. I made it out the door at 6:12, and ran to the school. Thankfully, everyone else was arriving at the same time. Italians are notorious for being late, but that stereotype is less true in Northern Italy. In fact, we were on the highway by 6:30, on our way to a whole nother country!

A while ago, I bought the movie "The Guardian." I felt it would be the easiest way to explain what my father does (did) for a living. You'd be surprsied how often people ask me what my parents do, and don't understand what search and rescue is. We watched "The Guardian" and everyone was quite impressed. By the time the movie was over, we had reached the coast, so I spent the rest of the ride admiring the vastness of the Mediterranean and thinking deep thoughts.

The first stop we made was in a small town in France to se "la Turbie." It was a monument built by some Roman emperor, because he conquered a group of people. Or something like that. I wasn't really paying attention to the explination, as it was pouring rain, and my shoes were getting soaked. The town itself was beautiful, with narrow streets and patterned pavement, and after looking at the Turbie, the teacher gave us an hour for lunch. I walked into a little French deli, and completely forgot I was in France. I ordered a sandwhich in Italian, and then felt like a stupid tourist for not at least trying to order it in French.

It was a good sandwhich, though- chicken and cheese. Italians would never even think about putting chicken on a sandwhich, unless it was breaded and pan fried. A group of girls and I walked around the town a bit, and I ended up completely soaked, even the contents of my purse were wet. My passport is now warped and wrinkled, which worries me. Alliteration! We boarded the bus, and continued the trip to Arles, the city we were staying in.

We arrived in Arles ahead of schedule, and went straight to the city center to start out sightseeing. We saw an old church, an old monastary where cloistered monks used to hang out, and an ampitheater where they let lions loose on Christians. The day was overcast, but at least it wasn't raining. I was cold and wet, and really wanted to get to the hotel to change my socks, but I still managed to be awed by the fact that pretty much everything I saw was older than my country.

Finally, we went to the hotel. I was in a triple room, with a girl named Cristina, and another named Francesca. We got to the hotel at 6, and I was famished. Dinner wasn't until 7:30, and the hotel happened to be above a supermarket, so I went and found some crackers to tide me over until dinner.

At 7:30, we went to the restaurant in the hotel, and had French fries and fried chicken for dinner. Something tells me that we weren't eating typical French cuisine. After dinner, we all went back to our rooms. The Cristina and Francesca went to someone else's room, but I was beat, so I went straight to bed.

Breakfast Tuesday morning was at 7:30. I was ready by 7:10, but Cristina and Francesca were running a bit late. We went to the restaurant and had croissants and baguette for breakfast. Croissants aren't very filling, I found out, but the baguette was delicious. I didn't know bread could be so good! We ate breakfast, the Italians complaining that the coffee wasn't strong enough. After breakfast and brushing our teeth, we boarded the bus, off to see an old theater. Back at the school, I asked the secretary how much money I should bring with me. She told me that the hotel charged a 20 Euro insurance, but they would give the money back at the end of the stay if we hadn't broken anything. She then said that the only other thing I would have to worry about paying for was lunch. However, while on the trip I found out that we had to pay the entrance fees for all the things we would see. Now, I don't mind donating a few euro, but I think it's wrong to charge 6 euro to see a piece of history. Although I had brought plenty of money, I spent most of it on entrance fees, which irks me, but oh well. For the most part, it was worth it.

After the theater, we went to another gallery, where we saw more ancient Roman things: statues, mosaics, tablets, etc. It was pretty to look at, but all the description plaques were written in French, so most of the time I didn't know the sigificance of what I was looking at! After that, we went to the Pont du Gard, the ancient Roman acqueduct that I'm sure you've seen a picture of. That was pretty cool, probably my favorite part of the day. After admiring the aqueduct, we got back on the bus, went back to the city center, and were let loose for lunch. I got a little piece of pizza, which was completely unsatisfying, so I got a piece of quiche lorraine, too. I shared it, though, because I wanted to try an eclair!

Now, before I went on this trip, more than one person told me that the Italians and the French aren't exactly on good terms. Well, after seeing how my classmates behaved, I understand why! They marched around proudly, insulting the French loudly, and singing nationalistic songs. I tried my hardest to be a good, polite tourist. I smiled at people, said please and thank you in French, and when people spoke to me in English, I responded as best I could in French. People say that the French aren't very polite with tourists, but everyone I talked to was patient and friendly.

I had gone to lunch with Cristina and Francesca and some of the guys from the class. We got a bit lost, and one of the boys said "Well guys, all roads lead to Rome!" Now that I write it, it sounds silly, but at the time it made me chuckle.

We met back up in the city center and walked to an ancient Roman cemetary. After wandering through the cemetary, we walked to the ancient Roman baths. There was a little pamphlet about the baths, but it was written in English, so I had the pleasure of translating. Before we had gone into the baths, we were standing on a street corner when I noticed the clouds had parted, the sky was blue, and there was a light breeze. It smelled like Spring. I really had been enjoying the day, but that small moment filled me with a happiness to be alive. I was enjoying the beautiful day, and the novelty of being in Provence, France on a spring day, when a grandfatherly- looking man walked up to me. "Arles is a pretty city, isn't it?" he asked in Italian. I smiled, and replied that it was a beautiful city, and an especially lovely day. He asked where I was from, and assuming he realized I wasn't Italian, I told him I was American. In English, he said "Well, I hope you enjoy your time here in Arles," and he walked away.

After seeing the baths, we returned to the city center, saw the hospital where Van Gogh stayed, and then had more free time to walk around. We went back to the hotel, had an hour or so to relax, then had dinner again in the hotel restaurant. For the first course, we had a pastry thing with mushroom gravy, and for the second course, we had bean salad and a butterfly pork chop. I took about two bites of the pork, but it was dry. The Italians loved it, surprisingly. I suppose I have high standards, because my Dad and Cameron are the best grillers in the world.

After dinner, my classmates wanted to "go out" so we got back on the bus to search for a bar. The bus driver said he wouldn't be able to drive us back from the bar, though, so we had to stay within walking distance of the hotel. We didn't find anything, so we all returned to the hotel. A couple of girls came into my room, and we sat on the beds, eating and talking. For once, I felt like myself. It was great to relax and carry on girly conversations about boys and school, and for once I could actually find the words to say what I wanted to say. After about an hour, they went to their rooms, and I showered and went to bed, exhausted.

Wednesday was our last day in France. We breakfasted like we had the day before, packed our luggage, and boarded the bus. There happened to be a market Wednesday morning, so we stopped for an hour to see what they had to sell. The market was a little disappointing. The majority of the stands were run by south-Americans or Arabs, so the market wasn't exactly authentic French stuff. There were a couple of booths with cheeses and honeys and wines from the area that I would have liked to have looked at, but we left the market pretty quickly.

We got back on the bus and drove a little while to Avignon. We had a tour of the Papal Palace at 11:30, and we arrived well before then. As usual, we had an hour or so to wander around. The palace wasn't as stunning as I expected it to be. In fact, it was dark and even a tad depressing. The tour, however, was actually very interesting. There was something about the tour guide that made me want to listen to what she was saying. Perhaps it was the fact that she spoke Italian with a thick French accent, which I found amusing. After the tour of the palace, we had another hour to wander around for lunch. The city of Avignon is fantastic. I had to remind myself that it was a real city, a real place, not a set for a movie. There were little cafes everywhere, children scampering around piazzas, and people walking around with baguettes tucked under their arms. The sky was blue, the day was warm, and there was a strong wind, but it was a pleasant one. I felt like skipping and spinning and singing, I was so happy to be there. The only thing that was missing was my Mom. The day was perfect, but it was too perfect for just one person. I wanted to share it with someone who I knew would appreciate it as much as I did. Sadly, we had to board the bus at 2 in the afternoon to begin the journey home.

Even on the bus ride home, I was happy as a clam. We drove along the blue coast again, and the day was splendid. I spent the whole bus ride looking out the window, feeling content. After the sun set, the girls in the seats around me and I had another girly conversation. I didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable at all, and again I wished the day would never end.

A girl who I discovered lives down the street from me gave me a ride home, and I stood outside the house for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and the view of the city streched out below. (The house is on top of a very high hill) Suddenly, I realized I was exhausted, so I went inside, said hello to my host parents, and went to bed.

Well, before I went to bed, my host mother told me she could take me to school an hour later the next day, so I could sleep in if I wanted. She also told me that she and her husband were going to a spa in Tuscany (I'm so jealous. But then again, I just had the world's best three days in France, and I'm content with that) today, Friday, and Saturday, and that I would be staying at Nonna's house, so I would need to pack for that.

I went to bed thoroughly pleased with my three days in France. I can't describe how fantastic everything was. I took several hundred pictures, but unfortunately they won't load on this computer.. so I'll leave it up to your imagination!

Au Revoir!