Bon soit mes amis! I’ve been here three weeks now and time is starting to fly by. Last week was pretty tame for the most part. Nothing too exciting except there is a bar here called IPN that has beer pong on Wednesday nights and afterwards there is a DJ who plays a bunch of rap music. How american can you get? I showed up for the dancing and I think in the entire time I was there I heard 1 French rap song. All the rest were American rappers. It was strange. I don’t think French people actually go to IPN. The presence of American music here is insane! I almost NEVER hear French music. Not on the radio, in the bars, in the clubs…it’s actually kind of annoying. I was hoping to uncover some amazing French artists but they are harder to find that I anticipated.
This weekend my plans changed quite a bit. Originally I was going to Paris but the ticket prices shot way way way up so I bailed out. Then I planned on hiking Mount St. Victoire, which is the mountain Cezanne painted hundreds of times. However, when we showed up to the bus station we were informed that the trail was closed Friday because Le Mistrale (the wind that comes through Provence) was FIERCE and there was a high chance of fire. Bummer. So instead we decided to enjoy an afternoon of frisbee and people watching at the parc over some wine and cheese. YUMMMM.
Then on Saturday we were supposed to go to Cassis where there is a beautiful beach and big rocks to jump off of. However, it was really overcast and a little chilly, damn Mistrale, and we missed the bus. SO…we spent the day exploring the market and shops in Aix. I finally found a warm winter jacket! I really could have used that this past week. Le Mistrale snuck up on us Wednesday and I went from wearing shorts and a tank to sweaters and scarfs! Out of no where! None of the American students were prepared for the ferocity of Le Mistrale. Thankfully the weather is back to normal now. Beautiful!
My french teacher Margaux says that Le Mistrale effects your mind and emotions and some people start acting funny. She said she’s seen people walking around completely naked. Hmmm….I haven’t seen it yet but I’ll be sure to take a picture if I do. I felt pretty tired for a few days and kind of out of it but I don’t know if the wind is to blame. All the stories of Le Mistrale remind me of what mom says when there is a full moon, “All the crazies are out!”
Today Marie and Marie T. invited me to hike a different mountain about 30 or 40 minutes out from Aix. They organized a hike with some people Marie used to work with. It was about 12 of us I think and it took us almost four hours. It was beautiful! From the top I could see Aix, Mt. Saint Victoire and Marseille…it was really really cool! The best part was stopping for lunch. We packed a picnic and Marie made me a sandwich and I had was drinking from my water bottle when they busted out the wine. Who drinks wine while hiking?!? Hahahah. How great are the French? We also had some wicked good bread ;) that Marie T. made. It was like Strawberry bread (sigh) but made with Figs. Oh man…so delicious!
Needless to say I am freakin exhausted and not ready to go back to school tomorrow. This week I actually have a test, a quiz, and a really short paper due. ☹ I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow as I can already feel the soreness creeping into my thighs.
Off to watch some French TV!
Holla.
Post Script My mother’s first born has informed me that the actual spelling of my name is Franc-Ass.
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1 comment:
My husband spends too much time playing video games. :P
On another note, your time in France seems like a dream. What fun you must be having. Your blogs are like Calgon..."Take me away" - *typing as the kids scream through the house in their superheroe gear. Have a great week and good luck on the test.
T
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