Monday, January 30, 2006

From Annecy I landed in Tours. It is a large train station so I had lots of options. I thought I was going to go to Blois in the Loire valley but after my tour of Lyon I ended up in Biarritz. It is just next to the Spanish boarder on the coast. Granted it is January and I can't lounge on the beach but it is very beautiful, very Irelandesque. I think I have had enough and I am ready to go home to Aix. I'm gonna head to the train station and see what they have to say for themselves as far as getting me back to Provence.

Recent realizations:
In the USA, I am a big city girl: bisou Chicago, I miss you. But in the Europe I have been much preferring small sleepy towns. Aix is a good size if I do say so myself.

I thought all French people were impatient and kinda snotty. I think it's just Aix....maybe.

Of course I would lose my towel the first day...undershirts work just fine.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Ok here goes:

These last week has been an awesome roller coaster. London was fab..can't stay long, though because of the financial factor. Architecture is so beautiful. I recommend it but I recommend to go with friends. It was fine solo but it is such a social city. Then I arrived in Aix and Flo was at the airport to meet you. She is doing everything she possibly can to make me feel at home. She made dinner and had a friend over. If my internal calendar is still functioning that wound have been Wednesday night. French is coming right along. I can't believe I have only been in the country for 4 days and there has been such an improvement. I walk up to people on the street and ask the time just so I can speak French, something I am sure Dan is shocked to hear. Yes I love it. It was wonderful to see flo and Aix...i love that town and I had forgotten just how charming it is.

But, I didn't stay long because I am anxious to see the rest of this fair country. Took off Friday for Grenoble after a walk around Aix and lunch with Flo and Gab. OK..recap..Arrived Grenoble around 7pm Thursday. First shock was that Grenoble is not a little sleepy mountain village. It is quite large actually. Spend awhile finding a hostel which was not an easy task because being in the Alps, this is high season for skiing. Finally after 2 hours and many nice people giving me directions in the wrong direction, I found the Auberge de Jenuesse and in my room was a Swedish girl. We had a beer and crashed for the night. The next day her other friend arrived. The two, Lina and Suzanna will be studying medicine in Grenoble so the three of us took a little tour of the city. I had all intentions of leaving Friday but they convinced me to stay to go out Friday night. ...O what a night it was. We started at the Loco Mosquito. Please say that out loud with a French accent and tell me you aren't laughing. Here we met some french guys and that is kinda where the night took off. It is a very long story and you should ask me about it later but let me just say that it is very hard to be subtle when you don't know the language.

Nicole:
"Desolee mais je ne peut pas rester chez toi ce soir parce que je part demain matin a huit heure."

Him:
"Pas de problem parce que je vais t'amener a la gare. Tu est tres belle, tu sais."

Dear frenchies, excuse the grammar please

Anyway, escaped that without a scratch and today I am in Annecy one of the most beautiful mountain towns in France. There is no skiing accessible from here which is a good thing because there are not loads of tourist. It is located on a lake next to the mountains. Breathtaking. I am trying to get some good pictures. Tomorrow, I am not sure where I am off too but I will be back in Aix by Tuesday.


I miss you all terribly and I Love u lots. Take care and thanks for the messages.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

The International Terminal

From my journal yesterday:

It's 8am local time here is Dublin, 2am Chicago time, and I have just disembarked from stage one of my journey. I'm tired, exhaused actually, I can no longer feel the area of my butt surrounding my tailbone, and I'm indecisive of whether to indulge my eyes with sleep or attempt some level of human alertness by buying my first cup of european coffee.

Despite my war against sleep and the confusion that comes with the realization that I have just left the US, Chicago, my family, and my dearest friends for the better part of a year for a country that promises frustration as I will surely struggle to understand and express myself and a sure fire commitment to keeping me out of my comfort zone, despite all of this I am moved to write - something that has been divorced from my will for quite some time. The intellect intrinsic to Euro air is fast acting.

The Internation Terminal is a fascinating place. Even now, before the sun has dared to peep from the horizon, the consumer mall, convieniently unavoidable in the search for your gate, is delightfully abuzz with German, Spanish, Japonese and the occasional, reasurring English. The Euro feel is everpresent and quite sophisticated. The casual terminal food stop, normally carrying ham and cheese sandwhiches, ceasar salads, and starbucks coffee, are stocked with deermeat and liver pate, procuto and butter on french baguettes and mango/passion fruit smoothies of what would seem an irrationally small size to the American eye.

If all I manage to see today before I fallinto the caress of sleep is the international terminal, I will be quite content. As I paruze the "House of Ireland" I can't help but recall the two wonderful trips I have had here - memories I do not attempt to write but which have penetrated me deeply and never fail to bring comfort and happy nostalgia. As images of Agas and castles dance in my mind, I undoubtably recall the trip which Ireland was the initiation to: Dando and Nicoletta Take Europe 2004. But these revalries of things past scatter themselves between my pensees of things to come. I see flights leaving for Prague and Amsterdam and note that I too hope to be taking those flights sometime soon. I see Euro trends and wonder how my sense of life might change by June. And finally, I attempt to translate my thoughts into french as much as possible and lovingly look forward to a day when that might not be so much work. The Dublin international Terminal has taken me from past to future and around the world - and here it is only 9am. The sun is beginning to rise and I will soon board my flight to London. It's harder to thrust oneself into uncharted territory without the comfort of a dear compaion and even harder on little sleep, But nonetheless - I'm off!