The Rest of my Time in Bordeaux!

So this is the next 2 days because I didn't get internet till I arrived in Mariol where Melissa lives which is 15 minutes away from Vichy. Since we stayed out late at the night club the day before I didn't wake up until around 10 and Marc's parents had already gone to work. Marc had a meeting downtown so he told me he would drop me and Jordan off downtown to explore. We walked around and it was really beautiful. We ate at a Chinese restaurant which sounds silly, but really they're much better here because they are closer to China. The food was tres bien and after that we shopped for a little while. Jordan bought a cute tunic and I ended up buying to t-shirt type skirts at H&M to wear over my swimsuits. Then we bought chocolate which was really good!

Marc picked us back up and we went to his house where when Julie came with Marc's best friend Thomas who was really nice and funny. He talked to us in English and was really nervous about it. It was cute. He cooked us dinner and we all ate outside again because it was a pretty night.

After dinner Marc's friend was having a party so we drove to his apartment which was in the middle of downtown and so huge. I was amazed and can't even imagine how much it probably cost. There were a few girls and lots of guys and a few of them spoke English so it was sort of a funny mix of English and French throughout the conversations. We stayed there until around 1 when they decided to go to a club so we went to a club called Pier 6. When we left people kept disappearing left and right and going different places, it was pretty funny and I guess normal in Bordeaux. They all went and did there own thing then about an hour later everyone had reunited at the club. It was really fun and I liked all of Marc and Julies friends a lot.

The next day we woke up and got ready to go to Arcachon, where Marc's beach house is. When we got there I met his sister and her boyfriend who were both very cute and nice, they were fun to hang out with. After we arrived we left to go to the boat and Marc's dad told us about all the cool places in the town. The boat was really nice and it was so fun to go sailing. The weather was beautiful and they packed baguette sandwiches and quiche Marc's mom made. It was a pretty legit French lunch. lol. The water was only 60 degrees so I skipped the swimming and just layed out and took a nap on one of the couches on the boat. It was very relaxing and nice after all of the busy times we spent in Paris.

When we got back from the boat trip Marc's parents had a Spanish party so they got dressed up and we went to walk around for awhile. The town was beautiful and we made plans to come back that night to a sports bar to watch the Bordeaux game which was apparently a big deal. When we got back I gave Marc's family there presents which I think they liked and Clara, Marc's sister served us dinner. It was really good, of course, and Clara said that she wanted to go get ice cream. So we walked down to a pier area and got the legit kind of homemade ice cream that she really liked while the boys went to watch the game. We waked out to the water and just talked for awhile until there were 5 minutes left in the game. The people were so funny to watch and after they won they played all sorts of French songs and then came "We are the Champions," "We will Rock you," and " I Will Survive." I thought those were some pretty fun song choices but it was fun to jump around with them and act all excited about there victory. We went back to the house and talked to the family for awhile then went to bed. It was a really fun day.

This morning we had to get on our first train back to Bordeaux at 9 so we went back with Julie and then she stayed and we continued on for 6 hours to Vichy. The train ride wasn't to bad and it was nice to see all of the country side. All of the train stations were really small once we left Bordeaux and it was cute.

When we finally got there Melissa and her mom were there to pick me up and I was so happy to see them! We walked around till we found Jordans host family then we drove back to Melissas house. It's really cool! It's really huge and the 3rd floor is basically just for me now lol. Her family is so sweet and only speaks French so I've actually had to start trying which is good. I think I probably spoke more French in our one dinner than I did of one year of my French classes lol. It gets easier and easier so hopefully I'll be pretty good by the time I leave. I don't have any picture loaded right now but I will try to do that tomorrow or soon so you can see her house and more pictures from Bordeaux!

I miss all of you but to be honest I'm having such an awesome time! I never want to leave lol but don't worry, I'll come back!

Love you all!

Bordeaux!

Picture 1: The fancy bar we went to

Picture 2: Saint-Emilion

Picture 3: Scarry rock road!

Picture 4: Finally on the train!

So I left off with us arriving, which I was just so glad to see someone I knew and be done with public transportation for awhile. We had to much luggage so we had to go back to Marcs house before we could go to our first place in Bordeaux. So we rode around Bordeaux, which is so beautiful. It looks a lot like Paris with the architecture and set up with a river running through it, but it's nicer because the weather is beautiful and it is cleaner and safer. Marcs house is cool, its different than houses in America because in the cities there is no front or side yards, only the back because the houses are connected. I think it is an older building because that is what it looks like from the front but the inside is very modern and the backyard is beutiful and where they spend a lot of there time.

We didn't have to much time to explore though because we needed to go pick up Julie and go to our first place in the area. Julie, Marc's girlfriend, lives about 40 minutes away in a vineyard area that was so pretty to drive to. Her house reminded me of something out of Under the Tuscan Sun and I was suprised to realize that she also spoke English well. That was good and bad because I didn't have to use French but it was also easier to talk. She's very nice and funny and it was nice to have a French girl around to get her perspective on the places we went.

We went to a place called Saint-Emelion which is know for its great wine. The place was absolutely beautiful and had really old beautiful architecture. The roads were extremely old stones that people probably die walking down. Grammie and Grandaddy I know you would love this place, but even I had issues walking there so I think you can just stick with the pictures I bring! haha We had a crepe like thing filled with chicken and cheese and tomatos at a restaurant Julie really likes and it was really good, plus the ambiance of all of the vineyards and old chapels around made it feel really cool. After that we walked around, took a few pictures and Marc an Julie had us buy a little tea cake looking thing that I can't remember the name. It was pretty good and apparently famous to that area so that was nice. It was getting sort of late around that time so we left to drop Julie off at a friends house.

When we got back to Marcs his parents were there and they were very sweet when I met them. We bisoused, of course and introduced ourselves, but apparently he spoke English pretty well also so he decided to talk to us that way. He is very nice and inviting and chatty so that was good. His mom doesn't speak as much English so we spoke in French and she is very sweet. She made us dinner and I kept trying to help but she wouldn't let me. Finally Marc and I were able to set the table, where he conviced me that in France the knives go on the left side, which I knew was wrong but wasn't sure then I realized he was messing with me when his mom came out and yelled at him. I felt pretty stupid lol.

Dinner was really really good, better than anything we ate in Paris. Marc's mom made duck with a rocquefort sauce that was awesome. Also, ratatouille, which I'd never had before that was also very good, and potatos of the region that were friend and delicious and green beans. She was so sweet because she kept saying, if we didn't like it not to feel bad, but it really was delicious and I had no problem eating any of it. The only hard part was Marc's dad giving me wine, I tried to get the Rose kind but I still didn't like it so it was hard to sip it during dinner. Luckily they really didn't care. After we finished eating I tried to help clean up but Marc's mom wouldn't let us and she ended up bringing out creme brulee ice cream with caramel, fresh strawberries, whip cream, and candy type straws in little bowls and it was so sweet. I feel bad for all of the trouble she went to but Marc said she's like that all of the time so that must be nice for his family! It was definitely the best meal of the trip so far and they were all very easy to talk to.

After dinner I helped clean up a little and a few hours after we went to where Julie was with her friends and hung out with them some. Only a few spoke English so most of the time was just spent trying to understand what they were talking about while they drank wine and smoked, all very French lol. After about an hour one of the girls boyfriends wanted to go to a bar in downtown and we were close so we walked there. Apparently it is a very chic and snobby place and I could tell when we got there. They only let certain types of people in so I'm glad they didn't kick us out lol. The people were all very chic and the bar was where all of the rich and famous people in Bordeaux hang out. A soccer player for the France team whose apparently very famous was there also with a mix of younger and older people. We danced a little and waited till there friends got there and I met them all. They were all nice and didn't speak English but it was hard to understand anything with the music loud. We left around 1:30 and I was glad because I was so tired from the day but I was glad to meet all of Marc's friends becuase they all seem cool.

What an Adventure!

At 6am this morning Jordan and I woke up to get on the train at 7:45. We decided to take the bus, only to discover it was going to take way to long, so we got off and went down to the metro. Which is not easy when you have lots of luggage. When we got on the metro we headed to Gare du Nord where we bought the tickets and got our EuRail passes verified only to discover we were at the wrong station!! Oh yes that happened lol. We had 25 minutes until the train so we ran to the metro and went through 13 stations to get to the right station. When we got off the metro was packed and Jordan and I ended up getting seperated and I couldn't find her anywhere. At this point the train was leaving in 5 minutes so I started for the exit and ended up meeting her there thank god. We couldn't find the train so we gave up and went to book new tickets.

At the billet station we asked to get a ticket for the next train to Bordeaux but there were no EuRail rates left so we would have had to have paid 68 euros to board the next train. So I started thinking well crap that sucks but then the lady said she could get us on a train at another station and we would have to switch trains in St. Pierre but it would only cost us 1,50 so we of course chose that. So we got on a bus to another train station! The 4th we'd gone to in Paris, and were able to find our train. There was no room for our bags so we had to go find places for that.

Pretty much anything that could have did, minus my bag breaking thankfully because that would have been awful. They definitely took a beating today and now I understand why people decide to backpack as opposed to use luggage. I've never been so tired in all of my life. My muscles were so sore and I sweated so much but we ended up getting to Bordeaux and it was easy to meet Marc so that's what matters!

My Feet Hate Me

Picture 1: Don't worry it's still there! Sans le chat lol

Picture 2: Jordan and I at Versailles

Picture 3: Me on the Eiffel Tower

So I've been walking for approximately 12 hours today! My feet hurt so so bad but we couldn't stop so they'll have to get over it! Around 9 this morning Jordan and I headed to the metro to find our way to Versailles. We were doing pretty well till all of the sudden some announcement was made in French while we weren't paying attention and lots of American travelers jumped off the train. So, of course we followed suit just to realize that their was no reason to get off and we were really stupid to follow those people! haha oh well lesson learned.

Versailles was cool and pretty much exactly how I remembered it. We brought a baguette and lunch meat and cheese to make our own sandwichs while we waiting and they were tres bien! I was happy because the man at the ticket office asked me where I was from and couldn't believe I was American, I don't know why but I'm hoping its because my accent wasn't to bad!

After we left there we went back to the train and were on our way to the Eiffel Tower. The whole point of that trip was to get a cool Eiffel Tower stamp on all of my postcards, so after and hour of waiting and standing I asked the gift shop, Ou est la poste? et apparentment, La poste est FERMER! Ugh!! (That means it was closed.) I guess they shut it down for good which was pretty upsetting. So that trip was pretty much for nothing, although the view was nice.

When we left there we still hadn't gone to the Louvre so we hopped on the metro to get there and it was closing, but we were lucky because on wednesdays it opens up for 4 hours at night so we decided we would come back after we found a post office. We left the Louvre and I continued my "Ou est la poste" questions. After 6 tries and not being able to figure it out we were about to give up till we finally ran into this huge building. So, if you are receiving a postcard from me, I'm just saying be appreciative because those suckers took about 3 hours of work! haha it was worth it though.

After we ate at a funny little restaurant where I had a long conversation in French with the waitress about the menu so be proud! She was nice and it was fun to people watch for awhile. Then we headed back to the Louvre and saw all of the cool things we'd been wanting to see. I finally found a book in English which was a score so I had to buy one! Yay for us Kelly we can look things up for General Survey next semester!

Also, the drink was a smirnoff, I know it's kinda weak but it was the only think I thought I could handle! haha and I tried Jordans mojito which I thought was pretty ok!

Now were back at the hotel and I'm about to die from tiredness lol. We have to be on a train at 7:30 tomorrow so it will be an early day, its ok though because I'm ready to move on.

Bordeaux here I come!

Ooh Champs Elysee!

Picture 1: Champs Elysee

Picture 2: Sparkly Eiffel Tower

Picture 3: Millions of Stairs!

So today I was apparently really tired because we slept until 12! lol After we finally got up we realized it was cold and rainy so our plans changed. We went outside and got a crepe for breakfast/lunch then walked to the Louvre, which was closed! So then we walked to Musee D'Orsay and saw probably every painting in the place lol. It was so great because I recognized lots of the paintings and knew things about them. J'aime beaucoup l'immpressionisme! I got so tired walking around there so we got a cold chocolate and bought a few souvenirs. Then we got back to the hotel throught the metro and planned our next events. Later we went to a MacDo, which I know sounds lame, but it wasn't because it's so different from America! So we ate there and practiced our French then took the metro to the L'Arc de Triomphe. When we got there we figured out how to go underground and get to the top, then we climbed around 800 stairs or whatever to the top and back. It was beautiful at the top and really freaky looking at the traffic! I'm so glad I'm not driving here. Picture Dallas times like 10. By this time it was sort of late so we headed down the Champs Elysee then over to the Eiffel Tower when it lit up. We bought some ice cream and walked to the area for taking pictures then decided to sit at a brasserie overlooking the Eiffel Tower and watched it sparkle! During this time, I had an alcoholic beverage! And I drank the whole thing despite my want to stop. But the motivation of an 8 euro beverage is pretty great lol. So everyone be very proud of me! Now I'm back at the hotel and we're making our plans for tomorrow!

Paris!

So I started my day in Paris with Jordan by checking into our hotel and cleaning up. After we realized how close our hotel is to everything we didn't have to take the metro. So we walked to the Opera and apparently something there caught on fire, so we left and then snuck into the Ritz and explored there for about 25 minutes lol it was pretty cool. Then we walked around for a really long time at the gardens around the Louvre then the Latin Quarter. We ate at a cafe for lunch and ended up sitting next to a guy from Maryland. Small World. Then we went to Notre Dame and searched for bottled water insted of the nasty gas stuff I accidently ordered at lunch! That stuff is awful! Then we realized we'd walked really far so I navigated the metro all by myself and got us back to the hotel! About 30 minutes ago we found a supermarket where tomorrow were going to go buy cheese and bread and snacks and have a picnic tomorrow! Were gonna take a nap now and later tonight go to Mon Martre!

I'm here!

So I arrived at my hotel about 30 minutes ago. It's 9:30 here and 2:30 at home so that's the time change. I didn't really get to sleep on the plane so I'm super tired but it's the morning so Jordan and I are ready to go explore! Our hotel is nice and actually in the middle of Paris so it's pretty cool! That's all I have for now!