Provence and Home Stays!

This is a long post...so stick with me.

On Thursday we all got up, packed a weekend bag, and boarded a bus for Provence in the South of France. We stopped half way into the ride (3 hours) and went to a french equivalent of a rest stop (think of what would happen if the vince lombardi road stop had a baby with the ritz carlton). I was amazed. We're talking steak, pasta, fresh fruit, crepes, croissants, all amazing; typical french, i love it.

After lunch, we continued on our way and eventually reached Orange; one of the many roman cities in the south of France. It's really amazing how strong the influence is in the architecture and ruins. In Orange we visited the amphitheater and a little museum that talked about Orange in its peak. As I would find out is completely typical for a roman village there were beautiful mosaics and statues all around that were in surprisingly good shape considering how old they were...this was NOT my favorite part of the trip. To be honest, Orange is really poor and sketchy and I was really thankful we were not staying overnight there.

After Orange, we boarded the bus again and headed for Arles....surprise...another roman city. We got there pretty late so we just went to the hotel and then out for dinner at a restaurant where I ate way too much. The next day we all got up and had breakfast in a little courtyard in our hotel (so cute), and went to the "Musee Departementale Arles Antique"...essentially another museum describing Arles in the roman age and displaying artifacts found. Arles is a little village on the banks of the Rhone river, so there was a really interesting exhibit on all things that were found in the river itself--the highlight was a bust of Julius Cesar which was completely intact. It was really amazing...and our guide looked exactly like Ariel from the little mermaid.

After the museum in the morning we got back on the bus, and went to Nimes. It's another roman city (notice a theme?) and I completely fell in love with it. Nimes's claim to fame is the amazing arena there which is still used today. It's completely in tact and they have maintained as discretely as possible so it doesn't look like a tourist attraction. Our guide, Sophie, was so passionate about her city and its history that it was hard not to get roped into the feeling as well. We walked every inch of the arena, town hall, a roman temple, and a contemporary art museum before having time to walk around the city on our own. My friends and I were so smitten with the city that we're actually planning on going back for a weekend in September to watch the bullfights at the arena! No worries though, they don't kill the bulls. I would not be down for that. After we reluctantly left Nimes, we returned to Arles, ate dinner, and went to sleep after a long, long day.

Saturday, we woke up to breakfast and a free morning to do as we please. There is an amazing open air market (not unlike the one at the Larchmont train station...only better) that sells clothes, food, spices, meats, linens, everything. We walked around there for about an hour and I bought my mother some presents :). After lunch on our own, we boarded the bus and drove an hour to Saintes-Maries de la Mer-- a beach town on the Mediterranean. Much to my liking, we were allowed to sun bathe and spend the day on the beach! It was a little windy but we moved to an outcrop of rocks that went out into the sea--so amazing. After many hours there, we returned to Arles for dinner.

Sunday we got up and our last stop in Provence was Pont du Gard-- an aqueduct. There was no guide there so we were free to walk around as we pleased for about an hour before our 5 hours trip back to Dijon. Once we arrived home, we bid adieu to our guide Patrick (who we had had just about enough of), and our host families were waiting for us at the hotel--I was freaking out of course.

My host family are the Diebolds (pronounced like Jhi-bo). They live in a little house very close to the main train station in Dijon and about a 20 minute walk from the middle of the city. The mother, Noelle, is a psychiatrist who works out of the house, Joseph, is a documentary film maker, and they have three children. Orane, a 15 year old girl, Gaspard, an 18 year old boy, and a 20 year old son whose name I don't know. When I arrived at their house, I was escorted to my quarters which turned out to be an entire guest house separate from the main one. I have a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a little guest room with bunk beds...I was a little lonely the first night but now it seems just perfect.

We ate dinner together (Mother, I tried everything on the table) and then I was left to my own devices to unpack and such. I immediately got the internet to work, skyped my parents, Matt, and whoever else I could find. The rest of the girls on my trip and I were all a little nervous at spending the night apart but I think we all managed just fine! There is a little cat that loves to sleep in my room, so at least I wasn't alone at night!

This morning I woke up, there was breakfast waiting for me outside, and I finished my homework of coffee and a croissant (tres francais, non?). I google'd directions to my school and proceeded to walk the twenty minutes, which turned into 30 when I got lost. It's much colder here than in New York so I'm already wearing jackets and scarves...which I don't mind. It's nice to get my other clothes out.

After class we went to set up our bank accounts and such, and then to a cafe where I got a coffee and started to make my outline for my test tomorrow! Now it's off to dinner with the family, and retiring to my suite to study for the rest of the night!

I'm sorry this was so long, but I have been a busy busy girl this weekend! Wish me luck on my test, and I hope all is well in the states!

A Bientot!
Caro