This title says it all. I love the city of Montpellier. It is truly one of the most charming cities I have ever had the chance of visiting, and even better: living in! There is so much history in this city, I feel like I could explore for days and still have missed another nook with something more. My friends and I have become more comfortable in navigating and exploring the city on our own, and have enjoyed being tourists a bit while we become more familiar. Just today, Jade and I wandered around after running some errands and were able to find the Post Office, on accident, as well as a book store with tons of office supplies, and yet another place to sit down and drink un chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and eat a pastry. As much as I LOVE Chicago, Montpellier just has this great feeling to it. Yes, it is busy like any city, but there are hardly any cars and most people either walk or use public transit (the system is great here). It feels like people live a much more stress free life here, aside from when dealing with the University, and I have really come to enjoy the pace of things here. I really cannot do it justice here, and would love you all to visit to see what I mean.
As you might have seen, I had a trip to Avignon and Pont du Gard on Sunday, and both places took my breath away. For one, there are a million stairs and hills to climb, but better yet, at the top of these stairs and hills you can find incredible views that are truly indescribable. We visited the Palais des Papes with our pre-session group, and my friend and I both had a hard time believing how long the building had been standing and how much history and life it had experienced. Avignon itself was a quiet town that Sunday, but there were a few streets we walked down just to explore the area. The set up of each of these cities is just so completely different and in many ways, a lot more interesting. Yes, I understand the ease of having a grid-like city like Chicago, but Montpellier and Avignon both have these amazing little side streets with tons of life, but in any other city in the US would be an alley and void of anything interesting to find. Each little street I have been down has something interesting to it, and I have quickly fallen in love with getting lost in these towns for a bit. Pont du Gard was absolutely stunning. We climbed to the top of it by way of some really, really, old stairs within a forest to reach the top tier of the aqueduct. Once there, everyone forgot how out of breath they were, and started taking pictures. It is an incredibly windy area, and as some of you may know-- I have an intense fear of heights. Luckily, the wind didn't push me around hard enough to fall off the mini-mountain and I was able to see the incredible view from the top! Here are some pictures of the view I had:
I am currently trying to figure out with some friends a trip we can take somewhere in France for a day or two. If you have any suggestions, please let me know :)
Classes started today, and my Phonetics class seems like it will be really helpful. The professor was really enthusiastic and engaging, which is always great to have in the classroom. Tomorrow, I have a Southern France History course as well as a literature course (maybe), if I can figure a few things out. As I said before, scheduling classes has been completely different here, so I have tried to manage as best as I can. Hopefully my schedule will be finalized by the end of this week, if not sooner, considering classes have already begun. In the meantime, I am doing my best to have a "go with the flow" attitude, which has been a difficult adjustment. I think I am finally making progress in the area though :)
Even more things I have found:
- I have yet to find a water fountain to drink from. When I asked my teacher if there were any, she suggested I try using the sink.
- The bathrooms on campus are missing toilet seats. I haven't been able to find out why just yet, but it is a strange thing to be lacking.
- Jade and I think that French Fries taste better here. Not because they're French, but because they remind us of home. It's a total stereotype, but Americans love them. Also, they often come with ketchup and mayo in the same little dish (not sure how I feel about that yet).
- There is an "Occupy Montpellier" group in the middle of Centre Ville. They are a small group, but once had a fire breather hanging out with them (Jade has the pictures).
- The gross wool blanket that was provided to me by my dorm has made an excellent blanket for my feet at night.
- Parking spots, like driving in your own lane, are also optional. Today, I saw a car parked in the dead center of a parking lot because there were no other spots.
- You don't need to know every word said in a movie in order to understand the story. We went to see "Intouchables" tonight, a very popular French film, and even though I can understand people in conversation, movies are always difficult. But by piecing together what we could, Jade and I were both laughing along with everyone else from basic comprehension. By the end of it, we were both in tears. Great movie, see it if you can!
- French Cinemas are SO much nicer. Big, comfy lounge chairs essentially. Tickets are cheap, and even cheaper if you have a student card from the University! Hopefully mine comes soon so I can take advantage!
Ketchup+mayo? Gross.
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