Bonjour � tous!

I finally got a chance to blog again- I’ve been super busy this semester and apologize for not having been able to write more often. I just got back this past weekend from our two week long winter break, during which I travelled to Italy and Corsica with some friends, and overall had such a blast.

I figured I would let the pictures do the talking!

Our first stop was Cinque Terre, Italy, which had been at the top of my travel list. Ever since I first saw pictures of it on Pinterest, I was dying to discover it for myself. Cinque Terre is a set of five villages along the Italian coast, linked by hiking trails and a dinky little retro-looking train. The towns are unimaginably gorgeous, pastel-painted buildings clustered on hills right by the turquoise-tinted sea. We stayed in a tiny apartment with a wonderful view down over the town of Vernazza, and asides from eating gelato, exploring the other towns, and making friends at the local bar, we went hiking. It was so charming there, and we were in continual awe of how picturesque everything was.

Vernazza (view from our apartment balcony)

Town of Riomaggiore

Next was Venice- it was by far my favorite stop on the trip. We made it there in time for the last few days of Carnevale, and there was such a fun and exciting atmosphere to the city. The streets were polka-dotted with confetti, and we got to see so many people decked out in elaborate costumes. Shops everywhere were selling fancy masks in all varieties of colors and styles, explosions of feathers and glitter and crystals. We mostly just wandered around, following side streets on whims, and saw some of the iconic Venice sights. I absolutely loved the beautiful canals and all of the waterfront buildings, gondolas, graceful arching bridges, winding alleys, and friendly people we encountered (including a jolly old gondola man).

Main canal

Wall of masks in a store

After Venice, we headed to Rome. I was overwhelmed by how many monuments and ruins were in the heart of the city- our guidebook listed 500 things to see! Needless to say, we spent three activity-filled days trying to fit in as much as we could. We saw major attractions such as the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, the Vatican, and the Sistine Chapel (unfortunately, you weren’t allowed to take pictures of it). Many Lizzie McGuire Movie references were made, and lots of pizza and pasta were eaten- when in Rome, you know! I loved getting to see such ancient and historical things, and it was fun exploring the city. On our last night, we rented segways in the Villa Borghese gardens- I never thought I would end up riding one but it was a surprising amount of fun haha.

Coliseum

Forum

For the second week of break, I hopped on a ferry to Corsica with another friend from my program. I’d really wanted to visit the island, which is French territory but lies to the south in the Mediterranean Sea, and we thought it would be a fun adventure. It took us about five hours to get there, and the sun was setting by the time the island came into view, a looming silhouette against the rosy cloud-streaked sky. I was shocked by how big it seemed! We chugged along the coast for a long, long time before finally pulling into the harbor in the city of Bastia.

Street in the old district of Bastia

Over the course of the week, we visited three major Corsican cities: Bastia, Calvi, and Ajaccio. We traveled by train- the tracks in places go right along the shore, and the train is rightfully nicknamed the “trembler” because it was pretty shaky, let me tell you haha. It was a really relaxing, low-key week, and we got to see a lot of new places and try new things. The landscapes we passed through were breathtaking and very diverse. Corsica is famous for its beaches and its rugged mountains, both of which are astonishingly close to one another. While barefoot in the sand, beneath palm trees at the seaside, you could look up and see snow-capped mountains towering at the other side of the bay. We went to several markets and tried special Corsican foods, such as figgatelli (a pork sausage that is in season) and a fresh cheese known as brocciu. We even were brave and tried sea urchins, which are regarded here as a delicacy! The waiter uses special cutters to split the urchins in half, and you’ve served a platter of spiky urchin “bowls” with raw meat inside. Don’t want to get into gross details, but all I can say is that it’s definitely an acquired taste!

Calvi

Port in Calvi

Sea urchins all ready for the eating!

In Ajaccio, we saw the house where Napoleon was born and where he spent the first part of his childhood. It’s now a museum, full of interesting relics such as a lock of his hair- pretty cool to be able to say that I’ve seen that! The Corsicans are very proud to have him as part of their history and identity, and even though Corsica is a part of France, it definitely has a different feel than the mainland. They traditionally speak a different language, although most everyone speaks French now, and they have a unique culture and heritage.

Napoleon’s house

One of my favorite things that we did was staying in a sailboat for a few nights in the port of Ajaccio- it was the cheapest lodging we could find on Air BNB, and it sounded like a lot of fun! I will admit that it was kind of cramped and maybe not the most practical place to stay, but we loved our little boat. We were tied up right next to the ferry dock, so every morning when it left at 7am, we would be rocked awake haha.

Our boat (the Rundinella)

We spent a lot of time on the beach, and luckily the weather was beautiful all week, but it was still a little too cold to swim. It was a week of new experiences, gorgeous places to discover, and relaxing- I think it did me a lot of good to have a break!

I will write again soon, but until then, everyone take care!

� bient�t,

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France

Bonjour � tous!

It’s been a bit since I last wrote- I’ve been busy getting settled with new classes, a new schedule, and a whole new set of people who arrived in our program for the spring semester. It was a little difficult adjusting at first (and so different!) but I’ve already made some great friends and I feel like I’ve gotten more of a grip on classes. Unfortunately, this semester is looking to be a lot more work than last semester, but I’m not going to let that stop me from traveling more and making the most of Montpellier!

As for what I’ve been up to lately, I spent the last two weekends traveling with my host family, and finally getting my snow fix for the winter! My host parents are incredibly nice, and invite me along with them whenever they go anywhere interesting.

Two weekends ago, we went on an expedition to Andorra. I had never even heard of it before, but it turns out it’s a tiny country/principality in the Pyr�n�e Mountains between Spain and France. They speak Catalan there, which is a regional language that is totally unintelligible to me but looks a lot like Spanish. And the country itself is so small! We drove across nearly all of it to the capital, Andorra la Vella, where we went shopping. Andorra has a sale period in January just like France does, and it also has lower prices in general because of tax differences.

View of mountains from the car

Andorra la Vella

We stayed in an apartment across the French border, in a mountain town called Font-Romeu, and we drove to Andorra in the morning. I was really impressed by the mountains on our drive there- they were so huge, and so gorgeous all dusted with snow. The road was winding and full of switchbacks, kind of just meandering along all of these massive peaks that looked like something out of a postcard. There hadn’t been much snow when we got there, but while we were shopping we got caught in a big snowstorm, and by the time we had to head back that evening, the roads were pretty rough. Honestly I was scared for my life since my host dad loves to drive super fast, and there were sections of road without guard rails. It was snowing so much that it was just white in all directions- it was one of those “is this really happening to me?” moments. I never imagined I’d be stuck in the Pyr�n�es in a blizzard haha. We made it back after a few hours of traffic jams on snowy slopes, whiteout conditions and me bracing myself in the back seat (kudos to my host dad for getting us back!).

View from our apartment balcony

Dog sled passing by in Font-Romeu

Font-Romeu

This past weekend, we went to a different set of mountains in southern France, the C�vennes. My host dad’s diving club had organized a winter activity (in lieu of diving in the cold!), which was snowshoe hiking, and I’d been invited along. I was really excited because I love hiking but had never tried snowshoeing before! “Snowshoes” in French: “les raquettes” J

We spent Saturday night socializing and having drinks and dinner at our lodge in the village of L’Esp�rou. There were about thirty-some of us in total, so it was a big group. In the morning, we rented the snowshoes from a nearby shop- I wasn’t sure what to expect, and had been envisioning old-fashioned wood and leather snowshoes haha, but it turned out that they were colorful lightweight plastic things that you simply strapped your boots into.

Then, we were off! We drove a little ways to Mont Aigoual, a nearby mountain, parked by the side of the road, and wrestled on our snowshoes. We hiked from the morning into the late afternoon, and it was great exercise with beautiful scenery. It was pretty easy to walk in the snowshoes, and it was nice to chat with everyone as we hiked. We mostly stayed in the woods, and the trees were pretty all coated in white. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of a view from the mountain since it was really cloudy, but apparently, usually you can see the sea.

Some of our group stayed at a ski station partway up the mountain, and the rest of us hiked all of the way up. It was really hard going once we emerged from the tree line, since the wind was so strong and the snow was piled up in drifts. You could barely see where you were going because of the cloudiness, and there was ice formed sideways on everything- extreme winter conditions! There’s a weather station at the summit that looks like a castle, so we trekked over to get a look at it before heading back down. We stopped at the station for much-welcome hot chocolate, and then made our way back down to the cars.

I had so much fun, and it was neat getting to have a new experience like that. When I think back on how many unfamiliar things I’ve been lucky enough to try during my time here, and how many memorable experiences I’ve had, I feel amazed and so grateful!

I hope that everyone’s semesters are off to a wonderful start, and I will write again soon.

� bient�t!

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France

Bonjour!

                Hope everyone has had de tr�s joyeuses f�tes, and that winter break is going well wherever you are. I promised that I would do a Christmas-themed blog, and this is a little belated, but here it is! I decided to wait until after Christmas so I could describe what it was like. I was really grateful to spend it with my wonderful host family, and to get to experience French holiday traditions first-hand. It was a little hard being apart from my real family back home, but that’s what Skype is for!

                In France, Christmas is called No�l. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely adore Christmas, and I’m the crazy family member that’s outside the night of Thanksgiving putting up the Christmas lights, the one who bakes an insane and exhausting amount of cookies for neighbors and friends, the one who simply cannot wait to start playing the Christmas carols. I was so excited to experience Christmas France-style.

                 Beginning at the end of November, Montpellier was decked out in festive lights- sparkling strands strung across the streets, the Op�ra glittering white-gold behind an enormous sapin de No�l (Christmas tree) on La Place de la Com�die, illuminations flashing above the streets in the village where I live. In the city, vendors started selling paper cones of marrons chauds (roasted chestnuts) from decorated carts, the scented steam rising up in the chilly gray weather.

La Place de la Com�die

Close-up of marrons chauds roasting 

                Set up on the Esplanade, the march� de No�l (Christmas market) unfurled in a long corridor of wooden chalets beneath the plane trees, a miniature ice skating rink, and a roller coaster ride styled after Santa’s sleigh that continually blasted Christmas music. I spent a lot of afternoons and evenings wandering through the market, just admiring everything. You could buy all kinds of gifts and food- jewelry, crafted ornaments, cr�pes, pottery, children’s toys, cotton candy, clothing, chocolate, meats, cheeses, regional dishes. Something that is really popular here is vin chaud, mulled hot wine made with a variety of spices, which was the perfect cold-weather treat. I tried taking pictures of all of the lights and the market, but my camera is horrible at taking night-time photos so I apologize!

                At home, my host mom and I decorated the Christmas tree and put up garlands. I’m amazed the tree lasted because we’ve had it for over a month and they have not watered it once! But anyways, I’ve learned a lot of Christmas vocab during the past few weeks. One afternoon, my friend Lauren came over and we made vin chaud and a traditional rolled cake called a b�che de No�l, which literally means “Christmas log”.

Our very special sapin de No�l

Our b�che de No�l

                As for Christmas itself, I celebrated it with my host family and their relatives at my host mom’s cousin’s house in Montpellier. They had their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, so we got all dressed up and had a fancy multi-course meal that lasted for hours. There were about 20 people there, so I did a lot of mingling and struggled to remember names and connections!  Their extended family is a mix of nationalities, my host mom’s family having moved to France from French-speaking Tunisia, and others from Italy and elsewhere in Africa, so the celebration reflected several cultures and it was neat to experience that.

First, we had an ap�ritif of white wine, little finger foods, and… cooked octopus tentacles. I was adventurous and tried a bite, but the idea of it kind of grossed me out too much to eat more. Afterwards, we had an entr�e of foie gras and raw oysters, both of which are traditional foods during No�l in France. If you don’t know what foie gras is, it’s a kind of pasty spread made from goose liver. It literally means “fat liver” and is made by intentionally fattening geese, and is considered a delicacy. It’s customary to eat it on bread or spiced gingerbread, with various kinds of toppings like fruit preserves or onion compote, like we had for Christmas. It takes several days to prepare, and my host mom made some so I kind of got to see the method. It’s in a loaf form, and you let it marinate in various liquids such as white wine, milk, or cognac that ultimately affect its flavor and texture. Personally, I don’t like it at all but I ate some just to try it!

Afterwards, we had a seafood dish with scallops, then a turkey stuffed with rice, fruits, and nuts, artichoke hearts cooked with sweet oranges, asparagus souffl�s (that were wayyy too salty, we all agreed), then bread and cheeses, then a chestnut-flavored b�che de No�l. The food was really good and I couldn’t even tell you how many bottles of wine we went through. I’m still not used to how long meals take here- it took at least three hours!

At midnight, they broke out champagne and played a Christmas carol that they apparently play every year as a family tradition. We gave each other bises (kisses on the cheek) and wished everyone joyeux No�l! Next, we sat back down at the table and exchanged des cadeaux from a huge mountain of presents at one end. We didn’t finish until 3:30am, but we were all exhausted in a good way!

After we’d rested up, we drove to my host grandmother’s house an hour away in Narbonne to have a smaller Christmas lunch with just the immediate family. The main dish was wild sanglier (boar) meat stewed in a red wine sauce, which my host mom prepared and which was delicious! I never thought I would end up eating some of the things I have.

All in all, it was a nice Christmas but definitely a different one for me! If you’re wondering about Christmas traditions in general in France, they’re fairly similar to US practices and beliefs. America has heavily influenced a lot of aspects of the French culture, and now the holiday is more consumerist than before. However, there are some unique traditions here that I’ve learned about:

–          Santa Claus exists here, too, and he’s called P�re No�l (Father Christmas).  Traditionally, children leave their shoes out on Christmas Eve, to be filled with little gifts and sweets, but customs are changing and now a lot of families have Christmas trees.

–          The region of Provence, close by where I live in Southern France, has a tradition of thirteen desserts at Christmastime (this number represents Jesus and the twelve apostles). They are little sweet things, like dried fruits, nuts, candies, etc., and are set out on Christmas Eve and displayed for three days. At our Christmas dinner, they were laid out on plates in the dining room.

–          A very prominent tradition here is the decorating of miniature nativity scenes called cr�ches. The figurines are called santons and are traditionally made in Provence by special artisans, who make them out of clay and hand paint them. They come in various sizes, and are styled after all kinds of people in a typical French village. At Christmastime, scenes are set up with santons and model buildings, to look exactly like a small-scale village. These cr�ches are displayed all over France.  I saw several, including one at the Christmas market in Montpellier and an enormous one in the town hall in Avignon.

Close-up of the cr�che at Avignon

Adorable bonnet de No�l that I just had to buy…

As well, here are links to some French Christmas carols just for fun:

Petit papa No�l: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdlWrDSTQ4Q

Vive le vent : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHwLer5ek4U

Il est n� le divin enfant : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2QEYNMIem4

Quite clearly, I could go on and on about Christmas but I think I will stop there for everyone’s sake haha. That’s all for now- joyeuses f�tes et bonne ann�e!  

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France

Bonjour tout le monde!

Happy d�cembre! Can’t believe that time is going by so fast and that I’ve been here for over three months already. I apologize for the belated blog post- what with finals coming up and everything I haven’t been able to for a bit.

It is definitely starting to feel like winter and Christmastime here! Last week, it actually snowed. Only for about fifteen minutes, and it didn’t stick, but snow is really rare in this part of France. Apparently, this is supposed to be the coldest winter in a hundred years (of course…), and the freezing temperature we had in November is their usual January temperature. I was not expecting it to be so cold here!

The city is all decked out in glittery Christmas lights, there’s a white Christmas tree in La Place de la Com�die, and the march� de No�l (Christmas market) is in full swing. It’s a long line of little wooden chalets in the park with vendors selling all sorts of things- crafts, jewelry, chocolates, and so much more. I’m going to do a special Christmas post soon with pictures!

Anyways, I meant to post earlier about a daytrip I took a few weekends ago with some friends. We took a train up to the city of Arles, in the region of Provence. It was incredibly windy and chilly, but it was still beautiful to walk around and to take in all of the sights.

 Like many areas in southern France, Arles has a rich Roman history. There’s an amphith��tre like the one I visited in N�mes, but it was smaller and made out of white stone. After Roman times, it was turned into a fortress with four huge towers, one of which you could climb up. There was a great view down over the city and the Rh�ne River, which was worth the windy-ness! I still can’t get over the beauty of meandering irregular streets, peeling shutters and doors painted in sparks of color against rustic walls, trailing ivy and orange-tinted roof tiles, all of the aspects of southern France. I can’t even imagine how charming Arles would be in the warmer parts of the year, bursting with flowers (and minus the wind haha).

There was also an ancient Roman theater that we visited, with the seating area and stage mostly intact. There were a lot of piles of intricately carved, crumbled stone pieces, too- fragments of grapevines, broken words, time-softened faces.

My favorite aspect of Arles, though, was the fact that Van Gogh had lived there. Many of his most famous pieces were painted there, and there’s a “Van Gogh tour” with signs marking painting sites. We managed to see a couple, such as the yellow caf� from his well-known Terrasse du caf�, la nuit, and the yellow courtyard of the then-hospital where he stayed after cutting off his ear. I was really happy to learn that my absolute favorite painting of his, Nuit �toil�e sur le Rh�ne, was done on the bank of the Rh�ne River in Arles.

Aside from sightseeing, we popped into shops to keep warm and treated ourselves to some fancy p�tisseries. There was also a huge Saturday march� that was fun to wander through, with all kinds of produce and various things for sale- lots of sights and smells. It was a really pretty city and well worth the visit, but I would recommend going in nicer weather. 

I think that’s just about everything for now, but stay tuned et � bient�t!

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France

Bonjour � tous!

                It’s really rainy and gray outside, so I figured I’d stay inside and write. The directors of our program had talked about a ‘monsoon season’ here and I think it’s hit- it’s been raining pretty much constantly for three days now and there are flood warnings in the area.

Another side effect of the rain is all of the escargots (snails) that come out when it gets wet. There were two enormous snails hanging out on our porch yesterday and I had to be a tourist and take a picture. I’ve eaten one in my life, the last time I was in France during high school, but my host mom promises she’ll make me eat more (not sure if I’m happy about that but I’m trying to be open to the culture!). Apparently it’s really common here to just go out and collect wild snails after it rains. You put them in a big tub and make them fast for a few days so all of the gross stuff they’ve eaten comes out, and then you feed them herbs to give them flavor. Then they’re good for cooking, usually served in a buttery garlic sauce.

Anyways, everything is going pretty well. The students at the university have been striking off and on, barricading the campus buildings with tables and chairs, so that’s been interesting. We’ve missed some of our integrated classes, but our classes for foreign students have continued at a different campus. In essence, the students are mad because of the lack of government funding for the university- next year, there’s talk of randomly drawing names for the freshman class, and the closing of a nearby campus. College is supposed to be free and available for everyone who passed the baccalaur�at test after high school, which is a basic principle that’s really important to the French. There are too many students applying to the university, and not enough space or money to accommodate them all, so there’s been a big uproar.

The French are striking all over the country right now because of new taxes that are being put into place- one thing I’ve learned during my time here is that they love to strike. The current president, Fran�ois Hollande, has an extremely low approval rating and even got booed at an Armistice Day ceremony last week. Today, mid-wives were striking in the Place de la Com�die, last week elementary schools were on strike, and there was even a strike on horseback (500 horses parading through the streets of Montpellier!) protesting a tax aimed at equestrian centers. The region of Bretagne in the northwestern part of France is especially upset about the taxes and les Bonnets rouges have been destroying highway radar systems in protest.

Things are still going well with my host family, and I feel like my French is definitely improving. Random French phrases just pop into my head now, and whenever I’m speaking English with my American friends, I’ll accidentally say words in French.

I feel really settled in here and comfortable with the city. I know my way around the smaller streets and alleys, I’ve figured out where the cheapest and best bakery is, the layout of stores in the Polygone and Odysseum malls, the single stop on my tram line where the doors open on the opposite side than you think they should (that was embarrassing haha). I know more about wine than I ever thought I would, and I guess I at least appear French because I’m constantly asked for directions.

This past Saturday, we went on a class trip to the ruined castle of Qu�ribus, which was about two hours (and a horrifying bus ride) away from Montpellier. The castle is perched high up on a rocky peak, and we went pretty much the entire way up in our huge tour bus, whipping around wet narrow roads, sharp turns, and switchbacks with no guardrails. This is the same bus driver who drove us to Barcelona, where he rear-ended a taxi.

The castle itself was in really good condition despite being in ruins- there were still rooms you could go into, a restored tower, and a pretty little chapel. It was one of the strongholds of a religious group called the Cathars, who had branched off from traditional Christian beliefs and developed different ideas, and who were mainly concentrated in southwestern France. The Catholic Church tried in vain to convert them, but they resisted and were thus persecuted, falling victim to crusades and massacres. One by one, their castles fell to the Catholics, and Qu�ribus is said to have been the last to fall.

The view from the castle was gorgeous, and you could see the valley spreading all the way to the snow-dusted Pyr�n�e mountains. It was especially pretty when it started raining, because mist rolled in and you could see clouds blowing over forests below.

The rain meant we couldn’t go to the other Cathar castle we were supposed to see, so instead we went to the town of Narbonne, walked around, and had hot chocolate (chocolat chaud). We walked along a canal stretching past a park of orderly plane trees, a m�lange of colorful boats lined up beneath their gold-green leaves. I love even just the simple, seemingly universal color scheme here in Southern France, warm like the climate. Terracotta roof tops and gradations of ochre, sienna, sand; earth-inspired and rose-tinted buildings reflected shimmering in the water.

I’d like to go back to Narbonne when it’s a little less miserable out, and I think I might get the chance to because my ‘host grandmother’ lives there.

Hope all is well and I’ll write again soon!

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France

Bonjour everyone!

Made it back from fall break and have a lot of pictures to share! If you missed my last post, I went to Oslo (Norway), London, and Dublin. It was a whirlwind week and so much fun, but so exhausting- when I got back, I slept from midnight to 5:30pm (whoops!). I guess sleeping in huge hostel dorms and pulling all-nighters at airports will do that to you.

I went with three of my really good friends on the program, and we shared some really incredible experiences and made memories that will be life-long.

Oslo was unsurprisingly colder and wet, but the gorgeous fall leaves everywhere made up for that. I’ve never seen such brightly colored leaves, vivid gold and orange, clinging to trees and lining the ground. I think that was my favorite part of Norway, because I’d really been missing autumn here in southern France (lately, it’s still felt a bit like summer).

It was interesting to hear Norwegian and to not know a single word! We were only there for two days, but we managed to fit a lot into our time there. We walked around the modern part of the city, explored a sculpture garden full of the weirdest statues, went to a Viking ship museum and a Holocaust memorial center, and saw the harbor and fjords all wreathed in mist.

Unfortunately, Oslo is a very expensive place to visit, which we didn’t realize until we got there. So, we ate the cheapest food we could find and decided to sleep in the airport on our last night instead of paying for another night at the hostel. We took the train at midnight, which dropped us off at a faraway station, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night. We then made our slow way along the road following my friend’s vague recollection of where the airport was haha, but we made it!

Next up was London. I was immediately charmed by the cute styles of the houses, which made me think of Harry Potter, and by all of the red double decker buses zooming around. The city had a smaller feel than I thought it would, more quaint and old-fashioned than I’d expected. It was unreal to be there and to see so many iconic British things in person- telephone booths, Big Ben, guards with serious faces and huge fuzzy hats. Also, the whole driving on the other side of the road thing was really different!

We found a free city tour, and got to learn about the city’s history while visiting all of the major sites. Some pretty exciting things happened- the prime minister drove by in his motorcade, and later the QUEEN herself! We were standing in a park when our guide starting shouting and we made it over to the edge of the road just in time. She was passing by on her way back to Buckingham Palace, and I got a glimpse of her in the back of her car, wearing a cute little red hat. I feel like we got really lucky, because apparently that doesn’t happen very often.

(I apologize for the bad photo but I promise she’s in the back of that car!)

Other London memories: feeding squirrels peanuts in St. James’s Park, riding the tube (which also had a charming old-timey feel to it), going on a pub crawl and seeing the colorful city lights at night, attending a choral service in Westminster Abbey, us girls sharing a three-level hostel bunk bed, and finding an awesome British flag sweater.

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben by night

Westminster Abbey

We spent another night in the London airport before our morning flight to Dublin- let me just tell you that airport floors are cold and not the most comfortable! I would do it all over again, though.

Dublin was probably my favorite stop on our trip. I loved the atmosphere of the city (and the Irish accents!), and the countryside was breathtaking. We took a day tour out into the Wicklow Mountains National Park. All day long, I was just in perpetual awe of the beauty we were traveling through. Our little red van followed narrow threads of road through windswept and rolling landscapes, past dramatic overlooks and black peat-stained lakes, by sunlit fields of sheep and rich patches of forest. The fields were faded because it was fall, but our guide showed us a few remaining traces of heather, a purple flower that coats the countryside in warmer weather. I can’t even imagine how gorgeous it must be then.

We saw some famous spots on our tour- a bridge and pub used in the filming of P.S. I Love You, and also some fields where parts of Braveheart were filmed.

(we also saw the most intense rainbow I have ever seen… no leprechauns though)

We went to a lot of traditional Irish pubs, and had to have some Guinness, of course. If you’re ever there and want to shop, there’s an amazing and cheap store called Penney’s- I really had to struggle to zip my suitcase on the way back!

Overall, I had so much fun and loved getting to have new experiences, as well as spending tons of time with some great people.

Stay tuned!

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France

Bonjour � tous!

Finally got around to writing again. This week has gone well, but I’ve been really busy trying to get everything ready for fall break, which has finally started! The French educational system has breaks every seven weeks, which means that I’m already halfway done with this semester. I’m so glad that I opted to stay for the year because time is going by so fast.

As for my break, I’m traveling to Oslo (Norway), London, and Dublin with three of my good friends. I leave tomorrow and I’m so excited! I’ve always wanted to see England and Ireland, plus we’ll be spending Halloween in Dublin, which should be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to seeing Norway, too, because I never thought I’d end up going there and it seems like one of the less-visited countries.

Anyways, there will be lots of photos and stories when I get back!

Last Saturday, the program took a trip to the medieval city of Carcassonne. It’s the largest fortified city still standing in Europe, and has a beautiful mix of architectural styles that evidence its long history. A fortified settlement existed there even before the Roman time period, and played an important role in ancient trade routes. The Romans further fortified it, building large defensive walls and a castle. It later fell into the hands of the Visigoths, the Arabs, and then the French, and played a role in historic events such as crusades and the Inquisition.

As the city grew, another unfortified part was constructed nearby, known as the ville basse. The heavily populated ville basse eventually became more economically prosperous than the fortified Cit�, which fell into disrepair before being restored in the 1800s.

Our tour guide pointed out the different architectural styles in the walls and towers, which changed a lot over time with the city’s inhabitants and are visibly patch-worked today. She showed us how the Romans built with layers of brick and stone, whereas higher up on the walls it was simply stone from later periods. The exterior faces of the walls were purposely left bumpy so that attackers couldn’t lean ladders against them.

The city itself is composed of two giant outer walls, a large castle from the 12^th century, a gorgeous basilica, and a total of fifty-two towers (also a charming mismatched mix of heights, styles, and roof tile colors). We had guided tours of the castle and the church, spent the afternoon wandering around the shops inside the city, and then stopped by the museum of torture. They have torture artifacts dating from the Inquisition, which were interesting but horrible to see- I can’t believe some of the things they would do to people. Let me just say that I’m so glad I don’t live in the Middle Ages!

I really liked Carcassonne, but unfortunately it was pretty gray and windy out when we went. The gloominess did make for some pretty ominous and dramatic photos, though, plus all of the pigeons that kept flying around. I’d seen pictures of the city before I came to France (thank you, Pinterest!) and really hoped to see it, so I’m glad we went.

My host family is having a dinner party tonight, so I need to finish up my packing! Hope everyone is doing well and I’ll write again when I get a chance.

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France

Salut!

Figured I’d write again since I don’t have any homework to do tonight. Hope all of you have been doing well! I’ve been doing great since I last wrote, but am still catching up on sleep from this past weekend in Barcelona. Shout out to Marie Heller, who just put up a great description of everything we did there! I don’t want to reiterate everything she said, so I figure I’ll just put up some of my pictures.

This weekend was so much fun, and I loved exploring the city even though I don’t understand ANY Spanish or Catalan. Barcelona (Barcelone in French) had a really unique and funky feel to it, and really came alive at night. Some of the best parts: sharing a hostel room with nine of my best buddies in the program; a memorable taxi ride where the driver asked “fiesta?” and cranked up the music for us, windows down, speeding through the city;  and seeing all of the gorgeous multicolor mosaics in the Park Güell.  My favorite part was going to the nightclubs on the beach and getting to dance until 5am in the morning, then making our way over to the water. There was something really magical about being there, ankle-deep in the Mediterranean Sea and laughing and taking silly photos; lights beyond us all along the shore in the darkness and the knowledge that “Wow guys, we’re in Barcelona! We’re really here.”

Because it really does seem unreal sometimes, still, to be here. Moments sometimes where I keep expecting strangers passing by to speak English, and other moments where I find myself eavesdropping on them, realizing that I know a lot of strange random words. For so long, France has been a place on a map, and it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that I’m actually physically here. I’ve had nights where I’m so filled with happiness that I can’t sleep.

There are so many places I want to see, and so many things I want to do while I’m here. I’m proud to say I’ve done a bunch of them already: riding on the beach, going to a flower and fruit market, trying different French specialties. I’m getting used to eating things that are really unusual for me, like rabbit, strange seafood, grapes with seeds since that’s how they are here, raclette, ratatouille, fresh figs, the bull meat we had for dinner tonight. Not to mention the absolutely amazing variety of pastries here.

Up till now, I’ve really just been taking in everything and marveling at all of the beautiful, different, interesting things here. I went through a phase where I felt like I needed to take pictures of literally everything, because it was all so unusual and pretty. To me it seemed like the French are oblivious to how gorgeous their country is! Winding cobbled streets with names like Rue du Cygne (literally “road of the swan”), untamed flowers tumbling over tan earthen walls in my neighborhood, vivid sunsets staining the sea, ancient châteaux perched above vineyards starting to turn rusty with autumn. It is all just so indescribably, uncapture-ably beautiful and I feel like I’m in the midst of a dream. I guess I really am though, because I’ve wanted to be here for so long and it feels so deeply right to have followed my heart here.

Sorry for getting all gushy and sentimental! But I wanted to change the focus of my blog, so I wasn’t just naming facts and repeating everything I’ve done. It’s a journey in multiple meanings.

I can’t believe it’s October already, and I’ve been here going on a month and a half. Lately, it’s felt like something has just clicked. I feel comfortable with the city and daily motions, classes, commuting, communicating. At peace and just plain so happy.

Anyways, in the latest news, today some friends and I went to the Parc Zoologique. I was so happy because it’s completely free! It’s only a short bus ride from our campus, and there are so many animals there (took way too many pictures). Something about them being technically French made them even cuter. My favorites were the sea otter (la loutre), the adorable lemurs (les lémuriens), and the zebras and lions (les zèbres et les lions).

Afterwards, we went shopping in the Polygone, a big mall complex off of La Place de la Comédie. I have to say that I love the clothing stores here, but I’ve really had to restrain myself because the prices can be pretty high. French women tend to buy fewer clothes, but really high quality clothes that will last- and they have no shame in wearing them several times a week. My host mom often wears the exact same outfit for two or three days in a row.

Also, a few more random things I’ve learned:

-Strikes (les grèves) are really common here, and currently students are striking at my university. In a nutshell, there’s not enough government funding and not enough space for all of the incoming students, so there’s been talk of selecting next year’s freshmen by random drawings and closing another campus in a nearby city. Everyone’s really worked up about it, and there have already been demonstrations blocking the tram line. Classes are canceled in anticipation of a huge strike tomorrow, but unfortunately that won’t apply to my class through the study abroad program…

-Makeup is incredibly expensive, even nail polish. If you’re coming to France, I’d recommend bringing a supply with you. The mascara I buy for $8 in the US is around 15 € here- about $20!

-Proper wine tasting technique, if you ever wanted to know: hold the wine up to the light and look at its color and physical aspects (this is called la robe of a wine). Next, swirl the wine around the glass and smell it. Take note of how strong the smell is, and how far away from the glass your nose is when you first detect the smell- this will tell you how strong the wine is. Finally, take a sip of wine and swish it around your mouth. Without swallowing, draw it back across the top of your mouth. This makes a really awkward slurping noise but trust me, I learned it from a pro- my host parents had une dégustation (wine/cheese tasting) a few weekends ago and one of their friends I met owns a vineyard. That night involved a LOT of different cheeses, wine after wine, and me conversing with ten drunken French people who really liked to make inappropriate jokes haha.

I’m sure I’ll think of more things for next time, because I’m constantly learning new things every day.

Ciao! (yes, they say that here!)

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France

Salut everyone!

I’ve been meaning to write again for a bit, but so much has been going on and it’s been hard to find time (and energy)! Since I last wrote, I’ve visited several places in France, gone to Spain, and done a bunch of exciting blog-worthy things. I have a lot of things to share, so be warned!

One weekend, my host family went to a little seaside village in Spain called L’Estartit. It’s a destination for scuba divers, since there’s a fish reserve. My host dad is in a diving club, and they go there every year. It was so beautiful and warm, and us non-diving ladies spent the weekend on the beach and shopping. Since the village was so close to the French border, luckily we could get by with speaking French to people there!

L’Estartit

Last Wednesday, my friend Lauren and I took the train to the nearby city of N�mes. It has a really rich history, and lots of Roman sites. Fun fact: ever wonder where denim came from? Levi Strauss began importing a cloth from this city, known as “serge de N�mes,” which became known as ‘denim’.

The Roman amphitheater there is the most well-preserved in the entire world, and there’s also a beautiful temple called the Maison Carr�e. We climbed to the top of La Tour Magne, a remnant tower of an ancient Roman wall, and looked out over the city. My favorite part of N�mes was Les Jardins de la Fontaine, a gorgeous park filled with statues and water channels where swans floated past.

The amphitheater- this is where Roman gladiators fought as well as bullfighters!

La Maison Carr�e

Les Jardins de la Fontaine

This is the symbol of N�mes- it’s a crocodile chained to a palm tree, which symbolizes the submission of Egypt to Rome.

Next, we took a 30 minute bus ride to an ancient Roman aqueduct called Le Pont du Gard. It’s really impressive, and is the only three-tier aqueduct in existence. The architecture is amazing, especially considering that it was built from 40-60 AD.

Le Pont du Gard

This Saturday, our program took a trip to the medieval village of Saint-Guilhem-le-D�sert, which was founded by the cousin of Charlemagne. It’s very charming and small, and home to a famous abbey which houses a relic of the cross. This village has been a site for many pilgrimages, and like Montpellier, is also along the pilgrimage trail of Saint Jacques de Compostelle. In the streets, you see coquille Saint-Jacques (scallop shell) emblems designating the path.  

Main street of Saint-Guilhem (notice the castle ruins way in the background)

L’Abbaye de Gellone

Another view of the village (ruins way up on the right)

Way up above the village, we saw the ruins of a castle. We were able to follow a path partway up, but then had to bushwack/hike/rockclimb the rest of the way over to the ruins! And none of us were wearing hiking-appropriate clothing haha. The view was definitely worth it, though! The mountains in the distance were so beautiful, and we could see everything spread out far below. All that was left of the castle were a few walls and empty windows. I’m still shocked that they were able to build it up there, right on the edges of the cliff, and have no clue how they ever accessed it!

View from the top!

Last Monday was my birthday, and it was really enough of a gift to be here in France! But my friend and I were walking back to the program office after class, and when I opened the gate, nearly everyone in the program was there waiting to surprise me! They’d even baked a cake and desserts, and it was such a thoughtful surprise. I’ve never had a surprise party before, and my birthday was wonderful thanks to all of the new friends I’ve made here.

Yesterday, a small group of us went horseback riding near the beach at Le-Grau-du-Roi. I’ve been riding since I was little, and was dying to do it in France. I’ve always dreamed about riding on the beach, and got together a group of friends who wanted to too! We got to ride Camargue horses (a breed of wild white horses native to Southern France), and saw a lot of pretty countryside too. We galloped through scrubby fields with light purple flowers, rode on sandy beaches by saltwater ponds, and splashed knee-deep through the water on the way back. It was one of my favorite things that we’ve done so far.

It’s really hard to abbreviate everything that I’ve done, and to consolidate so much- let me know if you have any questions or want to know more about anything!

� bient�t!

Julia

Location: Montpellier, France