Brussels

This past weekend was spent in Brussels, Belgium, home of Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate.  I went with a few girls from my program, and it was a nice change from Paris!  Belgians speak multiple languages, one being French and another being Dutch (or maybe German...not sure), so everyone is speaking different languages and we didn't stick out quite so much by speaking English as we do in Paris, where French is about all you get.

In the tunnel we took to reach our room in the hostel...it was half a sports complex, half a youth hostel located about a 30 minute metro ride and a fifteen minute walk from the center of the city

Such good chocolate in Belgium! This is the store we stopped into the first night...and the second...and before we left...

Cute little Belgian house we passed on our trek back to our hostel

Jewelery stand in the market in the center of town

 

La Grande Place (Grand Place)-The ballerina was just dancing around on the cobblestones

Eating a real Belgian waffle.  They have stands all over the city, kind of like the crepe stands in Paris

Mannquin Pis-it's a fountain of a little boy peeing that is apparently very famous.  I was underwhelmed, to say the least-it was a tiny little statue.  But Brussels is very proud of their fountain.

Posing with some street art ...

And some statues...

Kind of cool, kind of creepy doll display.

L'Atomium.  It was made for a world fair, like the Eiffel Tower, and is a huge metal structure of an atom.

Taking a much-needed break on the conveniently located lounge chairs in a park.

This looks disgusting.  But it is really one of the best things I've ever had...falafel from one of the multiple Greek food stands.  This particular one was run by a man who took a liking to me and kept calling me "Miss Alabama" and telling me he loved me.  "Miss Alabama! I love you.  Good falafel? You like?"

All in all, it was a great weekend! I got to add another country to my growing list, and eat as many chocolates and waffles as my heart desired.  Not too shabby for Molly.

Tonight I'm having dinner with Hadley's (a girl in my program)  mom, who is visting this week. Next weekend I'm off to the Loire Valley with API to see the chateaus and castles. I'll try and do a better job of keeping you up to date.

Champagne

I have been neglecting my blog lately, as my mom gently reminded me last night, so I will attempt to go back and catch yall up on what's been going on in my life, beginning with my day trip to Champagne last weekend. 
We spent the day touring two Champagne "caves" of prestigious brands, and getting to taste their products.  It was really interesting to hear about how the champagne-making process, and to see how different brands do it differently.  Some do  all the bottle-turning and moving by hand, while others are more automated and have machines to do their gruntwork. For some pictures and some more detailed explanations, see the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=344659&id=689395866&l=606c178695

It also has a few pictures of Saint Patrick's day celebrations-the French do not celebrate St. Patty's, or any other holiday that is not strictly French, but the Irish people who live here definitely celebrate!

I also went to Pre LaChaise, the graveyard in the north of Paris where all the famous people are buried (Jim Morrison, Moliere, several others) and wandered around in there for a little while one afternoon.  I forgot my camera, so I couldn't document the huge monuments the looked more like mini chapels than graves, and the many beautiful gravestones, but if you ever happen to be in Paris, it's worth going just to take a look.  I didn't actually see any of the famous graves, as it is kind of difficult to find them in the mass of stones, but I very much enjoyed just wandering and looking.

"No" is not code for "try harder"

The following is a real exchange that occurred yesterday between me and a random man(the real coversation was in French, but for your convenience I have translated):

Random man: Hello. You are very beautiful. May I buy you a drink?

Me (angling my body away from him, without a hint of a smile): No, thank you.

Random man(maneuvering his way around so he's even more in my personal space): My friend thinks you are beautiful too. If he kisses you, what will you say?

Me: Absolutely not. I have a boyfriend. I am not interested.

Random man: You are American, no? Is he here?

Me: No, he is in the US.

Random man: Then what is the problem? You are young, you have your whole life ahead of you, why worry about him now? I will buy you a drink.

Me(completely turning my back): No.

Random man continues maneuvering, pulling my arm and chattering in French,  until my friend sees what is going on and saves me by engulfing me in a hug and simultaneously moving  me halfway across the room.

Let's review.  How many times did I use a negative in that conversation? 5.  How many times did the man seem deterred? 0.  Furthermore, after my friend saved me, he proceeded to hit on her!
The sad thing is, this is not something that only happens rarely, with people who just cannot take a hint.  This is something that happens very frequently, to every single woman who is in this city.  There is no eye contact made, no smile given, no hint that there is any interest on the part of the woman, but for some reason the men here think it is their duty to pester every single female that passes within arms' reach.
I am so tired of having my personal space invaded by guys who have obviously not come in contact with soap any time in the past four days, who seem to think that the fact that I am sitting in their vicinity is a giant come-on.

So, I would like to raise a toast to the good old USA, where mothers teach their sons that no=no,  where there are men who are easily deterred by a single word: boyfriend, and where a majority of the population showers on a daily basis!

I'm in love.

With the south of France.  It was incredible-sun, ocean, mountains...what more could a girl want?

We left Paris at the crack of dawn Friday, and took a three hour train ride to Aix-en-Provence, where we checked into our hotel.  I ended up in a quad with three of the girls from my program, which turned out to be really nice. I have missed having roommates my own age-it's nice to have friends around all the time.

Excited to be on my first real train ride!

The bathtub was big enough to fit all four of us...so of course we had to take pictures.  From left: me, Hadley, Leslie, Steph

The early afternoon was spent wandering around, basking in the sun that we had missed so much living in Paris. We had lunch at a cafe right in the center of town, where I tried the traditional regional dish: Aioli.  It was cod with lots of vegetables, in a very strong garlic sauce.  I was impressed, however for the rest of the afternoon I avoided breathing directly on anyone.

By the fountain in the center of town-all the fountains were created because Aix has these really famous hot springs that are supposed to be good for your skin...I don't know about all that but the fountains are pretty.  I'm with the other Mollie in my program in this one.

Another pretty fountain...

I wasn't kidding about the sun.  Here, I am giving God a big thank-you and a thumbs-up for making such a gorgeous day.

Another fountain...this one is fed by a hot spring so the moss grows all over it.

It was like Willy Wonka's factory in the candy shops... I couldn't resist snapping a pic

We then took a guided tour of the city, with a guide who pointed out sights such as the original cathedral that was built during the Middle Ages, and the large clock in the center of the town with statues representing the four seasons.  She also informed us that since the man responsible for rotating the statues always took vacation during September, their summer lasted until the beginning of October :)

You can just barely see the statue under the clock.

Original cathedral-not as impressive as some that I've seen, but cool nonetheless.  Its age upped the cool factor just a little.

That evening, we went out to an Italian place for dinner, then spent happy hour at a bar that seemed to be a favorite of the locals. 

The candle I played with, and thereby ruined, at dinner

We made several new aquaintances, including one very outgoing young man who had us laughing all night as he attempted to sing "popular" American rap songs and talk about American tv (he was out of date by at least 10 years...we didn't tell him though.  Didn't want to burst his happy bubble)

That is one thing I very much enjoyed about the south of France-the people were sooooooo much friendlier.  I had become accustomed to people rushing past all the time, never smiling, never letting you pet their dogs, always looking angry.  In Provence, they talked to you, they smiled at you, they said hello, and if I saw a dog I liked, I could pet it! It was a nice break. 

Another nice thing about Aix was that I could walk the whole town.  It reminded me a little of Rome, with its small windy streets and the style of the buildings. 

Cool winding streets.

The next day, we went to the outdoor market in the center square.  We began in the flower market, and our director got us all some mimosas, a flower that is traditional in Aix. 

I tooks some pics of tulips, just for you Mom.

With our mimosa in front of yet another fountain.

 

 Then, we continued on to the produce section, where you could buy fruits, vegetables, fresh cheese, eggs, seafood, spices, honey...all locally grown or made. 

 After that, we continued to the clothing, cloth, and jewelry section.  I could have wandered around this market all day-it just seemed never-ending.

We bought some fresh goat cheese, a fresh baugette, some tomatoes, and some bell peppers and had a picnic in our room-it was a perfect lunch, all for under 5 euro!

That afternoon, the group went to Cassis, a vacation destination about an hour away from Aix.  We got to visit a soap and perfume shop, as Provence is apparently the place to go if you want soap or perfume.  They make it there, and it's some of the highest-quality soap you can buy. 

We also got to spend some time on the beach.  It wasn't exactly laying-out weather, but the view was incredible and I got to put my feet in the Mediterranian!

That evening found us in another local bar, being taught traditional drinking songs of the region.  I didn't quite catch a lot of the words, as the guys teaching us had over-indulged just a tad, but it made it a very entertaining evening all the same.

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel, and drove an hour to Marseille.  We had a tour there as well, a little on foot and a little on the bus, and I absolutely fell in love with the city.  The city went right up to the coast, so you could have lunch in a cafe with a view of the ocean and the mountains bordering it.  We also got to tour the church that overlooks the whole city, and the view from the top was breathtaking.

I love the terra cotta roof tiles

In the cathedral...while I am not Catholic, I really like the candles.  I don't think they do anything, but they do give nice ambiance.

Marseille...the ocean...three little islands...GORGEOUS.  My poor photography does not do it justice.

So happy.

Doesn't this look like a postcard?!

Chillin on the jetty watching waves and sailboats.

Like this one.

Someone else's Vespa

I was not at all ready to leave. Fortunately, when Mom and Katie visit in April, the plan is to head back down! I'm very eager to get to see them and share my favorite part of France thus far!

Rose-colored glasses

It is incredible what a little bit of sunshine can do to turn my mood around. I woke up this morning, after a short night due to celebrating my friend Leslie's 21st birthday properly last night, and was just dreading class.  Then, I left my baguette in the toaster unattended, and walked back into a kitchen full of smoke.  Then, I shivered through breakfast, since I had to open all the windows to clear it out, and it's still in the 40s here. All of this made me leave late to catch the metro, which meant I had to practically run all the way to class. Then, after class, I waited in line for 25 minutes for a panini, all the while watching the cashier and one customer scream at each other in French about who-knows-what.
All of these things combined on a gray, normal day in Paris would have put me in a terrible mood.
However, today is gorgeous and sunny, and I haven't been able to keep a smile off my face for a majority of the day. I actually laughed out loud at myself for burning the bread-thank goodness my host family wasn't around to make fun of me for being such a terrible cook! And the scene at the panini stand was actually pretty comical-especially when the cashier called the two cooks out from the back as reinforcements and they all were waving their arms and yelling in French and their faces just kept getting redder and redder.

 After class, I took myself on a walk around St. Michel, which is quickly becoming my favorite part of the city.  I stopped in at a cathedral I've been dying to see, and then sat in a little Salon du The (Tea Salon) and read for about an hour.  Then, with only a minimal amount of searching, I managed to find new earbuds for  3 euro-an unheard-of deal in the city where you can't get lunch for under 5.

A few shots of the cathedral (I forget the name, I think St. Jaques?) and the St Michel Fountain

On top of all this loveliness, I am heading to Provence tomorrow, which not only means I get to legally skip class for a day, but I get to see one of France's most famous regions firsthand.  All in all, I would say it's been a pretty good day. Roll Tide.