bonjour...

2011-07-26

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Monday we had a field trip and went to Chateau Camplazens, a winery in La Clape, about two hours away. The vineyard and their house was surreal. So beautiful. Just near the Mediterranean so the grapes are influenced by the sea breeze. Perfect. We saw the different processes they used to make their wines and then we tasted 9 different wines! Some of them were over 10 years old. It was great.

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Saturday

I learned to ride the tram. Altho it is about a 30 minute walk along the aquaduct to get to the tram, I’m beginning to love the walk more and more with each trek. The tram took over an hour to get to our destination, the Odyseum, which is a huge outdoor mall with gokarts, bars, bowling, ice skating, and an aquarium. I shopped the soldes and had an interesting encounter in the H&M dressing room with the attendant. I tell people I only know English and they continue to talk to me many times in French as if I may just magically understand them…… I also found Geaunt, the big French supermarket. The walmart of France, but classier. No one wanted to make a meet up time to go back home, so I was lost once again. BUT, I managed to make my way to the tram, and follow the aquaduct home like a pro, a true resident of Montpellier…..

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Thursday was Bastille Day, which just meant that everything was closed. I did manage to make myself a bacon egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast, so I at least had one good meal. Hit up Shakespeare again that night. Saw some man hookers in heels looking for some tricks on the walk home, with their pimp watching in the car across the street. It felt like Bourbon for a minute…

Friday was a wine festival at night. I paid 4euros for a wine glass and 3 wine tickets, to sample 3 different types of wine. I bought some amazing paella for dinner there. They also had a great band playing the center of the festival. Part of the band was from New Orleans, and they played when the saints go marching in. I got to dance like I was at home for a second, and we stumbled to Shakespeare once again….

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Wednesday we went to buy our train tickets to Amsterdam. After that we watched the women’s soccer game, USA v France at Robin Hood. I did have some food from a greasy corner spot called MENU CHIKKA, which almost tasted like a poboy, even tho it was fried chicken in a pita. Went to Shakespeare after. Met lots of people from other places this day.

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Paris stole my iphone but it also took my heart. Cell phones are ridiculous compared to all the other amazing things I saw and experienced. It is definitely a town for romance, for getting lost in its glory and splendor with the one you love. There is no doubt that I will be back…..

For now, it feels good to be back home in Montpellier. Let week two begin…

2011-07-24

Sunday – breakfast again in the hotel (the nutella croissants are to die for). We visited the Louvre, where I managed to lose the group, again. After the museum I found part of our group and we ate at a café. The cappuccino I got here was amazing

Then I went shopping, and found the most amazing pieces. One store was a gypsy store, where I found obscure jewelry, although it was obvious it had been stolen. I found another store that proclaimed how gay they were, and sold interesting but obscene furniture and artifacts, including giant LEGOs. I got lost again after losing myself in a number of amazing Parisian shops, but found my way right as the group was departing back to Montpellier.

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This street was full of great shopping spots, and I managed to get lost from the group but I bought lots of great things. I rode the metro back and managed to get lost again. After walking around for over an hour, I was finally able to get someone on my lame French pre-paid phone to find out the street of the hotel. At 6:25 I almost broke down on the street and cried. With all my expensive shopping bags screaming “rob me”, I was lost. The bus for the Moulin Rouge was picking us up at 6:30. I kept it together enough to ask a nice hotelman to call me a taxi. He told me, “mademoiselle, you don’t need a taxi to rue rivoli. Why it is only a 5 minute walk.” He drew me a map and I booked it over there, finally finding the hotel at 6:30. I sped up the stairs and sprayed some serious French perfume, and we took a taxi to the Moulin rouge.

We had dinner with champagne. My first course was salmon, barely cooked, almost like sushi. I hardly ate it, but the champagne made up for it. My second course was steak and potatoes, with a delicious sauce, and for desert I had a scrumptious pastry.

When the show started, I was immediately blown away at the glory of it all! We had such great seats, I could hear the beads of their costumes shaking. No pictures allowed in the Moulin rouge, but it was the best show of my life.

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After that we took the metro to Champs de elycee. I visited the Louis Vuitton there, and it was amazing and huge. I couldn’t help myself and bought a bag….

2011-07-20

Saturday - We wake up early for breakfast then head to the Eiffel tower. This place is full of people trying to sell us chinky shit, and full of gypsies trying to pick pocket. The view from the Eiffel tower is unreal. Took my breath away.

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We gathered the group and went to downtown Bastille, a little area of Paris. The first club we went to offered us free bottles of champagne if we went in, so we did. Then we went to another bar, “The Hangout,” that had a basement. It for sure was my first time being in a basement, and I also learned the French cancan dance. The bars all close at 2am, and they forced us out. We headed to the hotel, and of course got lost. Some guys were following us and annoying us, but I ignored them and pulled out my iphone to google directions to the hotel. Before I knew it, they snatched it out of my hand and hauled ass, fast as I’ve ever seen someone run. Paris was letting me know not to wander its streets at 3AM

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We go to the hotel and got ready to go out for my roomie, diana’s birthday. While we were waiting for everyone to come down, some weird guy came and photographed Diana’s feet. It was weird. The street our hotel is on is the cutest, ever! We have an amazing view from our balcony. We found a cute little French place to go eat and we drank a lot. They serve wine bottles in plastic bags.

2011-07-15

We took a cruise on the river that runs through paris. I saw so many more pieces of art and just ridiculous amounts of awesomeness left and right.

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We get to the hotel, and it is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen! We drop off our bags and then walk a couple blocks to visit the Notre Dame. Supposedly there is a tile in front of it that is said to have good luck, and if you make a wish on it, it will come true. I really hope mine will. The cathedral inside is very… Catholic. Many paintings of Jesus, Mary, etc. I took a couple pics and then left. It felt eerie in there.

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