Mon vélo français

I've decided that I'm a huge fan of biking. I'm not preparing myself for the Tour de France or anything like that, but these past few days, I've really enjoyed having my bike. Europe, well at least France (the only EU country I've been to), is very into cycling as a form of transportation. All the main roads—even the multi-lane ones—have a bike lane and one is even allowed to bring their bike with them on the SNCF trains (but then again, you can bring your dog on the train too... so who knows). Furthermore, there are bike racks everywhere. One whole side of the university building is a huge bike rack and by mid-day, it's almost full. Aside from that, any pole/fence in town can—and does—become a bike rack for cyclists to stop an have a cup of coffee or do their grocery shopping.

That's another thing. With the success and widespread usage of bikes as a means of literal transportation—not just for fun—there are also more accessories than I could have imagined to put on them. I'm currently on the search for either a pannier (basket) or a back thing (porte-baggage...can't think of the English word. I fail). It's possible for me to carry my bag while I bike, but it would be much nicer to stash it somewhere. Also, a basket would be super helpful when I do my grocery shopping etc. This desire for a basket amuses me as I remember being little and having a basket was super nerdy. Not the case here.

Also, until coming to France, I didn't realize just how many different types of bikes exist. My bike (which I feel I should name... I'm accepting suggestions) is apparently a "vélo polyvalent" meaning that it's good for the city and mild off-road use. Also, at the store, they had a bike for sale that was 1500 euros... which is, oh, over twice as much as my car cost me. According to Michel, that one isn't even "that expensive." Pfft.

Anyways, just thought I'd share my new outlook on how awesome having a bike is. Allows for a breeze and, even better, lets me leave the house 15 minutes later. Though I will say, riding it intramuros (inside the ramparts on the little streets) is a little like playing Frogger. Trying not to run over a pedestrian is a challenging task requiring lots of maneuvering and concentration. I truly don't understand the cyclists that ride at a decent clip en ville and just ring the bell... Oh well. Maybe it'll get more comfortable with time. Who knows.


Voilà

Practice makes perfect

So, Mike re-sent me this video tonight... So I can practice for our camping adventure this summer (apparently these are the tents we have). Also apparently, there will be a "test" over this skill on Sunday. THAT will be funny. Especially if you're my father and are still moved to laughter at the thought of me camping (me too, I know, right?). We'll see how that goes.

Also amusing, when I brought this tent thing up at dinner tonight. Isabelle informed us that they have several tents like that and, after dinner, Hugo got two of them out and we opened them on the patio and then they proceeded to show me how to close them. I must say, for my first time... not very bad. By the time the summer is over, I will definitely be a master (knock on wood).

Architecture etc. à Montpellier

Keeping with Wednesday tradition, I spent this one with Caitlin and Justin. This time, we decided to take the train to Montpellier for the day. It's surprising how easy it is to navigate the trains here... and very very cool. Anyways, the day was beautiful (if very hot during lunch). We had a really nice long lunch sitting on a terrace at the Place de la Comédie and then proceeded to walk around, get a drink at a café and then end up at the Musée Languedocien, where the three of us received a guided private tour of the entire museum. Very very cool. Afterwards, we moved west and saw the Promenade de Peyrou (with the arch and the super building pictured below) before making our way to the Jardin des Plantes, which was created in 1593 as a medicinal garden by the Université de Montpellier, which is apparently the second oldest university in the world (according to the people we talked to in the city). Who knew? Afterwards, we wandered back down to the Place de la Comédie, where we got some kebabs for dinner (we splurged on lunch) and made our way back to the gare. All in all, a very successful day.

Like the first time I came here with Michel and Rémy, the most striking thing for me in Montpellier is the architecture. My first time here, I thought it looked like no other city I'd ever seen before (apparently it ressembles Paris... guess I've forgotten). Anyways, here are some shots I managed to take this time around (last time, I didn't take a single shot as I was the only touriste in our group).


Random façade. I love how although the building completely changes colors etc, the balconies are still the same.










I just love the architecture of these buildings. Very majestic. And amusing when you see a building like this with a McDonalds in the bottom.


Porte de Peyrou i.e. another arc de Triomphe... albeit much smaller.


Statue of lahgahgalgh at the Promenade de Peyrou. Very impressive though.


A view of the building at the end of the Promenade de Peyrou. Notice the sky in the background. It could not have been more perfect.


Photo of the ruins of the Aqueduc Saint-Clément


A view of the Plantanes at the Promenade de Peyrou


Spending the late afternoon in the Jardin des Plantes


A few French children playing next to a pond in the Jardin. Hearing children speak French is one of the most adorable things ever.


My favorite: The Forbidden Grass.

Collection Lambert (Continued...)

To continue my entry before last, this Wednesday I went to the Collection Lambert (see link below) with Caitlin and Justin—probably the two people I spend the most time with here, in fact. This collection of contemporary art was marked in all of my guidebooks for the area—since I have a million (3)—as a place that is "not to miss," er, ne pas manquer.

Currently, the main artist is Candice Breitz. Her work at the Coll. Lambert focused on the idea of Fandom or Pop Culture. If you go to her site, go to work > video, and watch "Queen," and "Mother + Father."

The first video is a tribute to Madonna. She took a selection of 30 of Madonna’s biggest fans and then recorded each fan individually singing along karaoke style to one of her CDs. Then, she put each person on a screen and has them play simultaneously to create a very interesting chorus. She actually has done the same thing with John Lennon ("Working Class Hero"), Michael Jackson ("King"), and Bob Marley ("Legend").


Screen shot of "Queen"
The second video is really, as you’ll see, two seperate videos : one, a "tribute" to mothers, and the other to fathers. It was an interesting idea, as she took famous mother roles from movies (Susan Sarandon/Julia Roberts in "Stepmom", Faye Dunaway in "Mummy Dearest," etc) and famous father roles and then patched the clips together to form a really interesting montage.


Screenshot of "Mother"/"Father"

Also, you should go under photos and look at the different "Monument" photos. They were HUGE and dedicated to different groups of fans, and, much in the same way that the fans expressed their individuality in the karaoke choirs, the fans did the same thing here for Iron Maiden, Britney Spears, Abba, Marilyn Manson and the Grateful Dead. Very cool, especially when you see them all together (sample below).


Britney Spears Monument


Abba Monument

Alright, now I'm going to bed. I think we're either going to go see a movie tomorrow or, if it's not MONSOONING like it did tonight, we're going to borrow bikes and bike over to the Ile de la Barthelasse for a picnic. Then, Jean-Pierre is going to pick me up at the Gare in Avignon (as he'll be in Eyragues for the day) so that I can spend Sat. night to Monday afternoon with my family in Miramas. Woot.

Oh, and about that rain... It began to flood my second story bedroom tonight. No lie. Apparently if you don't immediately shut your volets—shutters—the water beats at the old doors (this is a beautiful, but old, house)—and comes right on in... I, as I was sitting at my desk, didn't notice this at all and, not used to living in an old house like this (especially when up on the 2nd floor), gave no thought to flooding... until Isabelle came running in and was (essentially like and also in français) "AHHH! We have to shut the volets!!!" and then proceeded to explain why to me. I felt horrible, but they weren't mad, and we got all the water cleaned up just fine. Just another mini adventure about the differences between the two countries. Oh well. Anyways, night all.

Super behind on my blogging... ulgh.

So... before I finish this week, I just realized I never mentioned our first excursion.

Last weekend, we had our first group excursion to Les Baux de Provence, about an hour/45 minutes from Avignon. The weather was wonderful, and the view from the Chateau/Ruins at the top of the mountain was gorgeous. The village itself is super touristy, but really charming. I've decided that super touristy here and super touristy in the US are completely different. Here, it means lots of shopping and "historic" things. In the USA... you get the main strip of Gatlinburg, which gives me a headache and makes me consider everything that's wrong with American society. Though, the mountains/nature surrounding that eyesore of a street are gorgeous.

Anyways, here are some photos of the general landscape surrounding Les Baux. The big joke with my cousin when we hung out that night when I got back to Avignon was "Ils était beaux, les baux?" (It was pretty, Les Baux). He and Rémy thought they were being very clever with the whole "those words sound the same" thing. They're pretty amusing.


A view from the top of Les Baux de Provence. It was breathtakingly gorgeous. Unfortunately, it was super windy and FREEZING, thanks the the Mistral. We actually wished we'd brought winter gloves.


Throughout the day, they give live demonstrations at the Château des Baux of the catapults that they have (see photo, obviously). In fact, the catapult in the back is the largest Trebuchet (evidently not just a font name, go figure) in Europe. In this photo, you can see that Rachel, Grace, Kristin, and Erica were the volunteers for our day.


Another view from the top of the Château des Beaux. In this photo you can see some of the fields of oliviers (olive trees) and, I think, some of the vignobles as well.


Carolyn, me and Caitlin at the Château des Baux. Again, vignobles and oliviers in the background. We took this photo specifically at the request of our lovely assistant dean, Mama Jan, who wanted a photo of us for the college.

A view of the terrain at the top of the Château des Baux. As you can see... it's hilly and super rocky and evidently super fun in my ballet flats. Oh well.


Me, fighting the Mistral at the top of the Baux

Also, after our official visit to Les Baux, we walked about a quarter of a mile (at most) from the village to visit the Cathédral d'Images (As usual, click on the British flag for English). It's an old rock quarry carved out of the side of the mountain. It has now been turned into a museum of sorts as, inside the interior cavern, they now project different exhibitions. We were lucky enough to catch the exhibit of Van Gogh. Inside, they projected many of his paintings, letters, photographs etc in time to well-chosen classical music. It was an incredible experience, probably the most moving thing I've seen here so far. I managed to take a few photos/videos, so I'll put them up as well, but, they don't even remotely do it justice. The cavern was incredibly large and every surface—even the floor—had artwork projected on it. Anyways, I was also particularly happy because one of the songs they chose to coordinate the images to was the Prelude to Bach's First Unaccompanied Cello Suite... which, as most of you know, if probably my favorite piece of classical music that I know.


A View of the exterior of the Cathedral d'Images


Inside the Cathédral d'Images with Carolyn, Grace, Kendall and Kristin F.

Amazing Photography by David Shrigley

Went to the Collection Lambert today with Caitlin and Justin on our day off. It was amazing. It's a renowned contemporary art museum here in Avignon. I'll write a lot more about it later when I dont have a French composition due tomorrow.

For the time being, enjoy this photos that I saw today on exhibition. They're by David Shrigley, who I think is amazingly talented.


"Beach Dwellers"


"Diana"


"Lost Pigeon"


"Tree Stump"

Things worth mentioning:

1- Je suis NULLE sur le téléphone en français (I am lousy/horrible on the phone in french). Seriously. If I had to pick the hardest thing about French for me, it would hands down be talking on téléphone. Thankfully, for the most part, the French text message (it's much cheaper). Phone plans are super weird here. Most people only have 2ish (or a small number) of hours of talk time and then unlimited (or very cheap) textos. Furthermore, you only pay for calls that you make. Donc, if anyone calls you, it costs them and not you, which is nice. But I digress. Usually, the only person I talk to on the phone in French here is Mike, so that *for the most part* doesn't cause any problems. Except when he's just woken up and when I say "encore une fois," he only repeats the part about him being sorry and the proceeds to end the conversation. (To this day, I still have no clue what he really said. He mentioned 'Eyrague'—the village where the house he is refurbishing is located—and 'demain'/tomorrow... but that's it. Oh, and I've talked to Farah too. But again, she knows that my French is, well not lousy, but definitely not fluent, and therefore is very patiente and willing to repeat herself. Tonight, I got a call from a French guy I'd met the other night (aka the night from hell where Aurélien got super drunk and we had no idea how to get him home) and I think he may be meeting us at the bar later, but I really have no clue. My modus operandi for phone conversations here pretty much is limited to "encore une fois" (once again), "okay" and silence. So... who knows. Anyways, perhaps those will get better, but really, for the most part, the idea of talking on the phone en français here is almost panic inducing (but not quite).

2- Carte Bleu: French credit cards have a puce (chip) on them as well as a magnetic swipe. This puce-style credit card is apparently known as a "smart card" and also much more secure than the system used in America (insert mild French disdain here... my cousin works for the company that makes the chips). Anyways, they're very cool. But, as an American who doesn't ACTUALLY live here (currently), I don't have one and, therefore, it is impossible for me to use the automatic "guichets" aka ticketbooth things here and I get really odd looks at stores. In fact, when I went to send my DVD at the post office, the woman who helped me actually said that she'd never seen a credit card like mine before... and then it took forever to figure out how to make it work. So there's that.

3- L'esprit de grêve: Here, it's a very interesting place to negotiate on a work-level. Most jobs (I think) are unionized (heck, even the students are sort of a union themselves), and it is incredibly common for someone to be on strike for whatever reason. In fact, Michel's union just finished a 4 week strike this week (he's very happy it's over), we saw a strike by the Gare/Train station our first day here, and apparently, there are a decent number of high school students who are striking due to teacher lay offs as well. And here, c'est normale. Apparently, the first year OU had it's program in Avignon, there was a huge strike at the Fac, and the students literally camped out on the lawn and barricaded the gates so that no one could get in. They don't mess around. In fact, according to Christophe, the French find it very odd that in America no one, especially the students, really strike at all—not for the government's decisions, work conditions, nothing. I guess, when you think about it, we probably should sometimes. Definitely an interesting detail about French society. Our History prof, M. Bourra told us that this probably has it's roots in the French Rev/Storming of the Bastille in 1789, when the French essentially went on strike/rioted and ended up with a new governement. Not that extreme, but you really can see traces of history in the mentality and society in France, definitely much more so than in the States.

Pictures of the Fac

Thought I'd give everyone a quick look at where we're studying while we're here (except for this week, since the fac is closed since everyone is on vacation).

NB: Fac = Faculté = College/University

The building in which we take all of our classes is actually an old hospital. It's very beautiful. I'm a huge fan. Well, except for the tiny gravel rocks outside in the courtyard (and really all over Avignon) that get stuck in your shoes. That's not so awesome.

If you follow this link, you'll be able to look at a TON of photos of the Fac and of Avignon and the surrounding areas as well. The site is in French, but essentially, just click on the links. The last link takes you to Avignon/other nearby areas. Anyways, just click on the link. The photos are so much better than the ones I am uploading for this post. Almost makes me want to cancel the upload button.

La nourriture

So, the « French Depression » as described in Culture Shock has still not come to pass… Though we have been in the country now for over two weeks. It’s nice that I’ve finally settled into a somewhat normal life here. The city, which seemed so imposing and different on day 1, has now become somewhat familiar and much easier to navigate. Our host family, which seemed really awkward and distant at first, is beginning to become more comfortable and approachable (even if it is still awkward at times). On the whole, I feel like I’m kind of settling in. Someone asked Caitlin and me for directions today, and before they could tell us where they needed to go—which turned out to be just next to us, actually—both of us felt prepared to help instead of immediately informing the woman that we weren’t natives, sorry.

As I feel I’ve mentioned before, the food here is really good and occassionally rather different. Our three most recent—and memorable—dishes are :

1) La Raclette : As you can see, it's a dish made with a special kind of cheese (That I hope is available in the states) and requires a special appliance (that I'm pretty sure isn't). It's essentially potatoes, cheese and meat all together, but in a completely new (and delicious) way.

2) Pasta Carbonara: Pasta with a raw egg yoke on it that you mix in. Isabelle did this at dinner and apparently my face was SUPER surprised so she laughed and explained it to me. It's actually pretty good.

3) Croque-Messieur/Madame: Essentially the best grilled-cheese you've ever had in your entire life. French cheese. Tomato. Ham. Bread. Egg. Happiness.


Isabelle, our host mom, showing us the proper croque-messieur-making technique.




Voilà! The final product!

Wednesday in A-Ville.

Wednesdays are lovely. No classes at all. I went to bed last night at 9:30pm and slept for about 12 hours... I was evidently exhausted and it was wonderful. At noon today, we met Justin and Amanda at a little café called "Le Cid" on the Place de l'Horloge inside the walls for a quick lunch before our promenade around the city. Today and yesterday have been overcast and rainy (very rare for Provence) and so we've been bundled up and staying—more or less—indoors.

After lunch, we got some ice cream from the glacier on the corner of the Place de l'Horloge and the Rue de la République (We're huge fans) and then made our way over to the Musée Angladon, where we spent a few hours browsing around the collection and checking out the current exhibit on Odilon Redon. We wandered around a bit, and did some window shopping, and now Cait and I are home again doing some homework for class tomorrow before dinner.

Also, I received my tickets for my train trip to Montpellier to go see Marie-Hélène et Gérard in May. I can't wait to see them both again—especially now that I actually speak French, don't hate French bread, and am not a whiny 8-year-old. :-)

Oh, and I feel that I should mention that hanging laundry out to dry on a line is a little odd. Works fine, just a completely new thing to get accustomed to here. Oh France, how you are so similar and different to home.

Eating our way across Montpellier.

Today was, as we say in French, "super génial" (brilliant/awesome). I spent the morning here just lazing about and then around 2:30 or so Michel picked me up with his friend Rémy (who I met my friend night in France) and we left. I didn't really know what we were going to do (I was just looking forward to seeing Michel again) and the next thing I know, we're in the car... on our way to Montpellier. Let me just mention early in the story that I forgot to bring my manteau (coat) or a veste (jacket) with me at all, so I'm just in a tee-shirt... because it was nice outside at 2:30... I should know by now that this was going to turn out to be a STUPID decision.

Anyways, we get to Montpellier about 45 minutes to an hour later and start walking around just the three of us. The city is BEAUTIFUL. (Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos at all today... It's super awkward to be a tourist when surrounded by French people who come to Montpellier rather often). Anyways, we stopped at a café and sat on the terrasse for awhile, each having a beer (well, Mike had a coke, Rémy and I got beers). That's one thing I love about France, the emphasis they place on discussion. We must have sat for at least a hour and a half just talking about whatever at this petit café just with our drinks (and eventually un café (which here is espresso... if you order a café/coffee here and expect anything remotely resembling anything produced by Maxwell house, you will be very sad when you get your beverage). I love hanging out with Michel and Rémy because they're very interesting to talk to and both of them make sure I understand what they're saying for the most part without making me feel super awkward.

Eventually, their friends Marlène and Vanessa (and Vanessa's boyfriend... who I don't think I EVER learned his name) joined us at the café and we started walking around Montpellier. By this time we're all cold (me, Mike et Rémy) and Rémy runs to the car to get jackets. Reminder: I've forgotten mine. So, Rémy returns with his jacket and one of Mike's from the car... which Mike makes me wear and won't let me give it to him (bc he is most certainly cold as well, probably more than me bc I'm more used to it than he is). This is a funny situation because Mike is literally 2 metres tall (6'6") and a big guy, which equals big coat. It was pretty funny (I'm only 5'4"). So there's that.

Then comes the important décision: choosing the restaurant for dinner. We must have walked around for over a half hour before finding somewhere to eat. We wandered everywhere. We even walked up to that arch that you'll see if you follow the wikipedia link because there's a little parc there and no one could make up their mind. Anyways, finally we settled upon a restaurant and go in... and the menu is almost incompréhensible for me. Rémy and Vanessa tried pretty hard to help me understand it (it was a rather fancy restaurant, therefore the method of description was a bit more soutenu or elevated. In the end I was going to get a salade, but apparently they didn't make it anymore so I went ahead and ordered the planche végétarienne (which I'd looked at earlier and all the really super nice help from Rémy and Vanessa and Mike etc etc etc had made me rather flustered). This is funny and I wish I'd taken a picture of it because it was seriously a cutting board with vegetables on it. Seriously. A 13 euro (read $20) cutting board of vegetables. There was a little bowl of salade and what I ended up doing was cutting the vegetables up and continuing to add them to the salad as I ate it. One thing I like here is the dressing: Olive oil and vinagre. It's fantastic. So yeah, it was hilarious. Michel gave me one of his (I'm forgetting the word in english) shish kebabs, so I had a bit of meat (or really jsut normal looking food). That was amusing because at the end it had taken me so long to eat the veggies that Rémy was going to show me how to slide the meat off with the fork (which I'd already tried)... and the meat literally wouldn't budge. In the end, he stole the kebab and cut the meat off for me. It was hilarious.

Afterwards, we all had some dessert (Mike gave me 3/4 of his lemon tarte/merengue thing bc he didn't want it all... then I gave a 1/3 of that to Rémy) and we left the resto. Michel is going to get annoying soon if he continues to not allow me to pay for anything. I'm going to have to start slipping money into his coat pockets or something, honestly. Apparently he wouldn't let Marlène pay either (Vanessa's boyfriend paid for her) and in the end, Marlène slipped me 15 euro to give Mike... which he wouldn't take, so now I have 15 more euro than I did when I left this afternoon... Seriously the man is really too much, but it is sweet all the same. It's really like having an older brother, who in my head/to my american friends I lovingly describe as Shrek. Really tall and big, but super super nice and fantastic. I would instead use teddy bear... except for the French don't really hug and I feel like being huggy/cuddly is definitely a pre-req. for the teddy bear descriptor.

ANYWAYS, after oh, at least an hour and a half to 2 hours at this restaurant, we walk a little bit more (when I don't put the coat back on, Mike stole it from me under the guise of needing something from it and proceeded to "throw it over my shoulders" (read: my head)) and eventually end up at another café to have some café/tea whatever for awhile. Finally, after at least a 4 hours dining experience, we all make our way back to the cars... leaving Montpellier at 23h00/11:00pm. On the car ride home, the fun continues as the whole ride home, we had a HUGE discussion about American politics and our lovely wars. It was interesting to hear the french perspective. I'm glad my first big political discussion in France happened with Rémy and Michel, since I know that they do, in fact, like me. If I wasn't completely sure of that, I could understand why Americans always feel attacked by the French in debates like that... they do, in fact, get heated. But, it was amusing, because we debated for at least a half hour and it got a bit tense (not really, but a bit) and then Mike said something to the effect of "Yeah, but we won't remake the world in one night." And voilà, the conversation was completely back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. Very cool.

So now I'm back home, not sleeping... which will surely come back to bite me tomorrow, probably during my history class. All in all, it was a really really great day, probably one of the best sofar (sadly without photographic proof of it's existence). I love spending time away from the group like that, where it is necessary that I just speak French. Even though I don't understand a lot of what is said sometimes (example: when there is a group of 5 French people and i'm the only one who isn't completely fluent, or there are ridic menus), it is so awesome be with them, speak french, learn whatever. It's fantastic. I'm incredibly lucky to have Michel here. I can't even tell you how much. I really do think the world of him (In case you didn't gather that already). Anyways, I'm going to get off here... this has been a super long entry. À la prochaine!

Out and about in Avignon-

So, as you can see, I'm not totally alone in Avignon. It's been really fun so far. There are two places we go most often: O'Neill's Irish Pub and the bar Red Sky on the Place Pie. Furthermore, I've started hanging out with Farah, my completely fabulous correspondante, and her friends a bit, so that will be amazing. Especially for my French. It's funny though, as my French gets better, my English dies. My syntax of sentences has become more formal as a result of French, I think. Example: It is necessary that we do this (In French, we say "Il faut que..."). Also, I use "one" a lot more, as the pronoun "On" is used ALL the time. Finally (and horribly) the worst part is my spelling. When writing in English, I know the words, I just spell them the way they sound evidently. My most recent errors have been: 'write' instead of 'right,' 'won' instead of 'one,' and 'their' instead of 'there.' I have a feeling this is going to come back to bite me in the you-know-what when I get back to school and start writing papers again, as spell check will most certainly not catch these.

Anyways, here are some pictures of us out and about this weekend:

Ian with his carafe of red wine @ the pub. Here, wine is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than beer. Though we did mock him mercilessly as he ordered an entire carafe for himself.


Kristin, James and Kendall decided it would be a good idea to do a cucaracha at the Red Sky... It's a shot where the bartender lights it (and the bar) on fire... and then to drink it you plunge a straw in it and drink it from the bottom up... While it's on fire.


Outside the club café Bokaos on Friday... This was before we all wanted to die from walking (but proceeded to go dance for hours at The Cage anyways). From left: Marie, Céline, Farah et moi! You'll notice that the fact that I wear a TON of black fits in much better here.


Yesterday, Marie (our 12-year-old host sister) took Caitlin, Justin and me on a walking tour of Avignon. It was a beautiful day and she definitely showed us a lot of new stuff (like a store where I'm going to buy most of my presents for people at home... very cool). This particular photo is at the top of the Palais des Papes area in a garden. There were people EVERYWHERE reading, making out, playing with kids... you name it. On the whole, I think the French are much more into PDA than we are. Anyways, this grotto was beautiful. Marie said that usually you can take steps and go up to the top, but the chantier was closed yesterday. Still, very pretty. Also, it's super fun to hang out and talk to Marie. She's an amazing violinist and is also super helpful with our French. If we make mistakes, she goes ahead and corrects us (after we encouraged her to). Very good day, yesterday.


Finally, to end today's photos... Cait, Amanda and me with our steak-frites sandwiches on the rue de la République last night. They're essentially the equivalent of eating a heart attack (steak, fries, mayo on a baquette-type bread)... and they're delicious. We seriously have to limit our steak-frite intake or else any of that potential weight-loss/healthy lifestyle will disappear poof! into a cloud of smoke. Alright... I leave you now, my cousin Michel should be here a half hour ago to pick me up. À tout à l'heure!

More pictures that I meant to add yesterday

I meant to add all these photos yesterday (as they all occured on the same day as the others, go figure. It was one big tour of the Palais des Papes/Pont d'Avignon. Lots of walking. I thought I walked a lot in Athens... I was wrong. I walk all the time here. Depending on my bread consumption, I might actually lose some weight. That'd be weird. Come home and everyone will be like, "But I thought French food was supposed to be some of the best?!" Then, I would have to reply, "Yes, but my host mom is the healthiest cook alive and I walk a mile and a half to school each way, every day, at least once. Not counting the rest of the walking we do for fun." Love it.

Anyways, on with the photos:

A view of the local traffic from the Pont. If you look towards the left, you can see some of the Ramparts surrounding the city.


A view of the Pont d'Avignon from the deck right below it. It used to go all the way across the Rhône, until a huge flood current took the rest away. Here, the legend is that La Tarasque (a turtle like Monster) destroyed the pont and then was defeated by Sainte Marthe. Because of this legend, our university here is actually known by the locals as Sainte Marthe or U. Sainte Marthe instead of the U. of Avignon et Pays du Vaucluse. Just thought I'd share.


On the Pont d'Avignon with Justin, Carolyn, and Caitlin.


A photo that I feel adequately illustrates the effects of the Mistral on one's hair.


The rocks on the Pont d'Avignon, as well as various places around Avignon. You will notice that they are small and pointy. This makes them a pain both literally and figuratively to walk on. Just thought I'd share one downside of Avignon. Well, that, and all the gifts the dogs leave everywhere (even on the sidewalk). Lovely.


Katy, our ML250B instructor (read: Christophe's girlfriend) and our tour guide. I thought that I was justified in calling my grandmother Big Red... until I met this woman. Very very nice, but seriously EVERY article of clothing was red. Jacket, shirt, pants, shoes... you name it, it was red.


A church on Rue St. Agricol that is gorgeous. The interior is beautiful too. I don't have any photos from inside (because I think that would have been a bit disrespectful since it's not a huge tourist church or anything, just a "simple" small one) but there are paintings and statues everywhere inside. Gorgeous.


By the end of the tour, Rachel (the Graduate assistante) and I weren't feeling good, so we went to the Pharmacie to find advil, right? Well, we assumed it'd be on a shelf to grab. Wrong. We couldn't find it ANYWHERE. So we thought, oh, let's try Monoprix (like a Target)... We looked... no advil. I asked the woman (by this point, I kind of wanted to die) and she was like "Oh, you have to go to the Pharmacie." Apparently, what we didn't know, was that even for minor drugs like Ibuprofen, one has to ask the Pharmacist behind the counter. By the time we were all medicated, neither of us was in a very good mood, so we treated ourselves to a REALLY nice lunch at the Irish Pub. Anyways, this is a photo of me at the pub, trying on Rachel's glasses.