This week was pretty great since Mardi Gras was celebrated last Tuesday. I had the chance to go to the Mardi Gras parade in downtown Montpellier. There were a lot of dancers, instruments, and spectators gathered at the Place de la comédie. Apparently, Mardi Gras is not a big holiday here, although lots of people go out and drink. As I made my way to Monoprix, a chain market store, I noticed the alcohol section was entirely blocked off. It turns out that alcohol is not sold on Mardi Gras and other huge holidays since contributing to the drinking problem would not help when it comes to some inconveniences throughout the night.

Wednesday I finally had the time to take advantage of some “soldes,” or sales. These sales are usually from the beginning of January until around the second week of February. France, and other parts of Europe, usually have these sales that are similar to the “end-of-the-season” sales back in the US. I am happy to say that I bought what I needed and still managed to stay under my budget. Oh how I love soldes, but mostly shopping in general, but who doesn’t?

This weekend I got to go to Marseille with the entire group. The weather was pretty unpleasant when we left, which was around 7AM. The day did, however, get much nicer, especially when the sun came out. We got to see Marseille’s new museum MUCEM. We had a guided tour that showed us ancient religion, culture, and even architecture throughout the Mediterranean Sea and around the area now known as Marseille. My favorite part was taking the “petit train” up to Notre Dame de la Garde. We took a pretty good city tour of Marseille, which means I got some pretty amazing pictures and videos. By this time, the sun was fully out and the temperature was just right. I have to say that being at the very top of Notre Dame de la Garde was absolutely breathtaking.

The old port of Marseille

Mediterranean Sea

View from Notre Dame de la Garde and the cool scope

This coming week is the last week of classes before our two-week break. I am extremely excited for the first week of vacation, as I will be spending it touring great places in Europe like Paris, Nice, Rome, and even Vatican City. As of now, I am in the midst of planning my second week of vacation hopefully in Budapest, Prague, and Eastern Europe. À bientôt

Location: Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseille, France