Week Three

This is me, my two roommates: Clair and Kelsey, and our friend Amy at the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge Party

Week Three
I am sorry it has taken me a while to write! I am going to try to get better, but my recent trip to Paris put me a little behind!

Rommates all dolled up before going to the big club at Palais

Monday July 13: Bastille Day celebration, Palais de Festival
Today, class went well, but everyone was ready to be finished because we don’t have class tomorrow. Tonight is when everyone celebrates Bastille Day. We relaxed for most of the day and got ready for our big party at the college. They are really great here and always try to organize things for us like the ice cream social and themed dinners. Tonight, they set up lots of tables and chairs out in the courtyard and decorated everything is red, white, and blue. The party was “Fete de bleu, blanc, et rouge.” They also had a DJ and a French singer for entertainment. We all got dressed up in red, white, and/or blue and went down for the party. There was local food, from sardines and pizza to caviar pastries. Of course, there were plates of cheese and fruits and barrels of wine for us. Dinner was amazing and so much fun!
We decided to splurge after dinner and go to this big club that is in le palais de festival. Everyone got dressed up and walked into town. The club was huge and quite fancy. The cover to get in was a little pricey, but much cheaper than on the weekends and we decided that this would be our big going out night. There were so many people all dressed up, VIP areas, and this was certainly a time when you could tell that there are a lot of people in Cannes, especially this time of year, that have a lot of money. I had a lot of fun dancing and hanging out with pretty much everyone from the college, but still wanted to make it a pretty early night so I could enjoy the actual Bastille Day.

Clair, Kelsey, Amy, Logan, Amberleigh, and Eric watching fireworks

Tuesday July 14: Bastille Day, beach, fireworks
Today, I slept-in a little bit and got brunch! It was, of course, delicious. After brunch, we went to the beach. It was nice to go before the big crowds showed up. By 2 p.m. we had already been there for a few hours and decided to come in. The beaches started getting pretty crowded and we wanted to enjoy our day off.
After dinner, we walked out onto the beach for the fireworks show. We actually walked out onto some rocks that went pretty far out and we had a wonderful view. The fireworks weren’t quite thunder of Louisville, but they were very festive and beautiful. The sea was filled with boats and after the show ended, all of the boats began to blow their horns as an applaud. We got lots of great pictures and it was so much fun. After the show, I was exhausted and just went to bed. My first Bastille Day was quite successful!

The vineyard

Wednesday July 15: Visit to St. Jeannet (Vineyard), St Paul de Vence, reading in the courtyard
Today, we took the bus to a small little town and vineyard about an hour and a half from Cannes. We went through some VERY windy mountains, but it was so neat to see all of the countryside. It’s so different here from other parts of France and it often looks more like Italy or Spain than France. It is also neat driving through all of the mountains. We finally reached our destination and it looked like we were in the middle of nowhere. I noticed a mosaic which had the name of the vineyard on it and realized that we had arrived. We had a beautiful view over neighboring towns and a field of vines ahead of us.
After we arrived, this wonderful man (perhaps in his 70’s) told us many stories about the history of the vineyard, how they grow the grapes, and why it is important that the Italy and France have a fraternal bond. I was very excited because he started talking about how purity and growing things naturally is very important to them. It was obvious that this was a way of life for them, not a response to a trend. He also showed us a device which I had recently been intrigued by. I had learned about it in a documentary in my French class. It is a little plastic device that omits a natural odor that is apparently the same or very similar to that of a female butterfly. The male butterfly becomes confused by this and cannot find the female butterfly and therefore, the larva do not destroy the grapes (don’t worry, the butterfly population seems to be doing just fine). After touring the vineyard, we went inside to see where the wines are made. They filter their wines by leaving them out in the sun. We also did a wine tasting. As you may know, the French name their wines based on region, not by grape and in fact, most of their wines have multiple types of grapes. After leaving the vineyard, we decided to stop at St. Paul de Vence, a medieval village which is filled with boutiques and art galleries. St. Paul de Vence was actually a location recommended by many friends and it was beautiful, but a bit filled with tourists. It seemed like the galleries and boutiques, as well as cafes were more expensive and targeted tourists. The village was still beautiful and a wonderful experience! If I had more money, there was certainly some art I would have loved! There also was some chocolate and raspberry preserve that I may have to get if I return.
We returned to campus just in time for dinner. We were all exhausted and some of us were a little bus sick from the ride so I just spent the rest of the night doing homework and reading in the courtyard.

The sweet old man that showed us around and told all of the stories

Jugs of wine. This is their method of purification.

Thursday July 16: Organizing a trip to Paris, beach
A couple of my friends and I have been discussing what to do this coming weekend since the rest of the group was going on a trip to Paris. The Paris trip was rather expensive and considering I had been before, I just did not think it was worth it. The more than my friend Amberleigh and I talked about it; we decided that we ought to try to go if we could do it for less money. We ended up finding a really great deal on a flight and our guides at the university helped us find a hostel that ended up being literally two blocks from the Louvre. We booked our flights and started planning! It was fun to do a last-minute trip. It was also exciting to know that we were going to be doing all of the traveling on our own. I have to admit that it has been amazing having so many things coordinated for us, but I wanted to get to maneuver the public transportation on my own.
For the rest of the day, I just did laundry (I split a load with my roommate to save money) and got ready for the trip!

I will post about Paris very soon!

Week 2!

Cannes behind me, taken from Ile de St. Marguerite

Week 2
Sunday, July 5: Brunch! Beach, walking around town
Brunch is officially my new favorite meal! On Saturdays and Sundays, we have brunch, but I had missed it on Saturday. It was so good. I walked in to see a tray of fresh fruit, pastries, croissants, and my favorites, pain au chocolat. For those of you who may not have experienced it, it is a croissant, the most delicious buttery goodness, disguised as “bread” and it is then stuffed with chocolate. I am sure you can find one near you. You should go find one now! Ok, so apparently this spread, which also included various cheeses (!) was just to get us started. We sat down and noticed a menu. We get to order anything we want from the menu and it is unlimited. I was sufficiently stuffed after my cheese, mushroom, and tomato omelets, but I am looking forward to topping off my breakfast next Sunday with a crepe! Please excuse me for anything I may misspell or phrase in a bizarre way. As my French progresses, I feel like my English is getting a little “funky.”

Monday, July 6:
Tuesday July 7: REALLY windy day, reading on the solarium, walk through town
Today, it has been so windy. I absolutely love it! The water is so much fun! We don’t usually have very many waves here, but today, it was really rough. It made swimming more fun, but also more difficult. Class is going well and I feel like I am learning a lot. Although being in the water was great, lying out and reading on the beach wasn’t very fun because wind kept hitting me and my things were flying everywhere. Luckily, we have a solarium on campus, equipped with beach chairs so I read out there for a really long time. The wind makes it much more comfortable!
Lunch and dinner have been good and we seem to have more people dabbling in vegetarianism because our meals are often better than what it served to the other students. After dinner, we walked into town to take a look at the market. Some of us have been considering purchasing art over here, but no one bought anything last night. We hadn’t walked along la croisette (nicest part of town, where all of the nice shops are) at this time before. It was fun seeing so many people out and about and dressed up for dinner. We also, once again, saw the group of break dancers in front of le Palais de Festival. I am so impressed by their balance and skills. It is so much fun to watch them! The daylight hours are so wonderful, but I always lose track of time. We left on our walk after dinner and didn’t come back until 9:45! At least I am walking off all of this French bread!



Wednesday July 8: French class market trip, olives, Brie de Meaux, Ile de St. Marguerite, Man in the Iron Mask
This morning, we had a surprise in our class. After our break, we met and walked to the largest local food/flower market. It’s right near campus and they have everything including fish, beef, pork, cheese, olives, fruit, flowers, and lots of other goodies! For my class, we worked in pairs and did a scavenger hunt. We had to ask different people questions and at the end, we went back to our classroom and shared the answers. Each pair had different questions and they were all related to French (especially Provencal) produce. We had questions about different types of meat, where certain cheeses were from, and questions about local food specialties. I had to indulge in some olives and brie de Meaux. They were both so delicious, especially the olives! My roommates and I are going to go to the market on Sunday after brunch and buy things for lunch (since we only have brunch and dinner on the weekends).

After class, we went to l’ile de St. Margerite. This is one of two islands right off the coast of Cannes. We took a ferry out there, which I think was the best part. These islands have a rich history and the second island, which is smaller, has a monastery and the monks make wine and cheese. St. Marguerite is most famous for its prisoners, especially the Man in the Iron Mask. I really enjoyed learning about this story and we went to the two museums on the island. They are in the same building, the fort/prison, but one is the museum of the prison and the other is the muse de la mer (museum of the sea). The day was perfect and very clear. The boat ride was amazing and the island was absolutely beautiful. We didn’t spend very much time out there and I am planning on a return trip to the island. You can actually walk all around the island so I think we might do that.
Tonight was also a theme dinner: Mexican. Although the food was lacking and there was no cheese to be found (not my kind of Mexican meal), we did get beer that was tequila flavored. These were actually delicious!

Thursday July 9: Soiree de Glaces
Today was very relaxing; I walked around town after class and spent a lot of time at the beach. After the beach, I came back, did some reading, and went to dinner. We had a soiree de glaces (ice cream social) tonight. I was a little suspicious and thought it might just be prepackaged ice cream bars, but it was so much better. They had so many flavors and also had topping! I had dark chocolate, raspberry, and mint chocolate chip with chocolate syrup!
Friday July 10: Wine Tasting, wine and games in the courtyard, Station
Today was busy, but fun. After lunch, I did yoga with my roommate (we have been doing it every day). After yoga, we had a meeting with the director of the college. He wanted our group to come meet him and share any concerns or problems we have been having. Only four of us showed up, which was a bit disappointing, but at least we got to share our concerns. After that meeting, my roommates and I walked into town to get some wine for the evening. Once we got back, we had a wine tasting at the college. This very nice guy came and taught us how to taste wine. We tasted a rose wine (very popular in this region and produced nearby), a white wine, and a red wine. After dinner, we all continued with the wine theme in the courtyard. We drank wine, played cards, and a group of us went to Station (a local pub).

My roommates and I out on the town
Saturday July 11: Brunch, Relaxing, finishing my book
Today, most of the group went to Monaco and Eze. My roommate Clair and I decided to stay here and skip the trip. The excursion trips are very long and I wanted some time away from the group. I also had a friend that was going to be in Cannes for the day with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, with the lack of communication devices, I didn’t end up being able to meet up with them, but I did finish my book today! It was nice to have a lazy day, finish my book, and get started on my new one. After this book, I am going to head to the FNAC (local bookstore) and get a French book. If you have any suggestions, let me know! Well, I am off to bed. Tomorrow, we are going to the market and spending the rest of the day at the beach. The weekends tend to be very crowded, especially this weekend because most people have the weekend, Monday, and Tuesday off for Bastille Day.
Sunday July 12
Today was wonderful and so relaxing! It was quite loud last night (a group came back into the courtyard at 4, 4:30, and 5:30). I managed to get sleep though and I got up a bit before brunch to hang out. Brunch was delicious, as usual. After brunch, we walked to the local farmer’s market. This farmer’s market puts every other market to shame. I only got more olives today (a new kind), but I saw lots of stuff that I want to go back for. We also have a friend who stays in an apartment here and we might tell him we will provide dinner for him if we can use his kitchen. There are just so many amazing things, including different cuts of meat, fish, pasta, cheese, bread, olives, herbs, and dried mushrooms! Everything is very reasonably priced as well.
After the market, we spent most of the day at the beach. I started a new book and also swam out to the floating dock for a while. After a few hours in the sun, my roommates and I decided to watch a movie. We watched The Proposal. It was so cute! I cried, but I tend to cry in every movie, happy or sad. Dinner was alright. I am getting a little sick of having to sit at the separate vegetarian table with the one other vegetarian. We are thinking about asking if there is a way to change these arrangements. The food was good though!
After dinner, we went to gelato and I came back and hung out in the courtyard for a while. We have some new people on campus so it is fun getting to see all of the new people and the changing dynamics on campus. Well, I am off to bed. Tomorrow is our big Bastille Day party and we have Tuesday off! I am very excited. I think we might picnic on the beach all day.

Flowers for Bastille Day

Just a few of the cuts of meat

They have various tapenades and olive oils!

My personal favorite, fromage (cheese)!

Week one!

Harbor

The view from my room




June 28th: Arrival in Cannes
Today, we left London and flew to Nice. The flight was not bad at all and it was really neat when we landed because the airport and landing strip are right on the water. Unfortunately, our luggage did not arrive when we did. Apparently Heathrow had a problem with their conveyor belt and none of the baggage for Sunday was delivered. They also had to cancel flights. We arrived in Cannes and even though I was so tired, I was so excited to get here! They had a salad bar for us since we arrived after dinner. I had my first Provencal dish tonight as well. It is an onion/anchovy spread with anchovies on top. It was quite good (I passed on the anchovy pieces on top). We also got our room assignment. It was a little hectic because there was some confusion about who was rooming with whom, but I ended up in the best room on campus. I also have great roommates. Kelsey is from Nantucket and goes to Connecticut College. Clair is from Austin and goes to UT (she is a theatre major). Our room is very big, has three closets, and we are the only room with two sinks and a shower! Well, I think that’s all for tonight!



June 29th: Placement exams, lunch at Le Piaza, and Orientation
I was really nervous about placement exams, but it actually went really well! It was difficult, but good. We had three different types of written tests and then we did a brief spoken interview. I scored into the 210 class level which in Europe is B 1 or B2. They have different school/testing systems throughout Europe that is from A1 0 to C2. You have to pass a certain level of French to move on to the next level of schooling and to have certain professions. To be a teacher, I believe you have to pass B 2 in English and French (much more than what is expected in America). After the placement exam, a group of us decided to go into town for lunch since we were ready to see the town. We went to a wonderful restaurant called la Piaza. There is a lot of Italian/Mediterranean food here which is wonderful! Our waiter at the restaurant was wonderful. His name was Bruno and he brought us out a free pizza to welcome us to Cannes. I had fish with roasted vegetables (I also had a glass of white wine because it was part of the daily special). Mike, someone from our group, ordered a special local dish which is pasta made with squid ink, a yellow sauce (it tasted like a very mild curry sauce) and squid on top. It was so good! In the afternoon, we came back to the college for our orientation. We learned about all of the trips we can sign-up for and learned a little bit about Cannes. I signed up for the first excursion which is a tour of the city tomorrow. I also had raspberry gelato today, yummy!








June 30th: First day of class, city tour, dinner by the train station
Class is intense, but so much fun! There are 6 Swiss girls in my class, one Swedish boy, one other American, and one girl from Holland. We aren’t allowed to speak any language other than French, which is amazing. Not like in America, when they say that, but you still mumble or constantly ask how to say an English word. If someone doesn’t know what a word means, someone else in the class has to explain it in French. We use gestures and noises ALL the time, something I hope to keep up when I return home. It is one of my favorite things about the French. Today in class, we started with grammar. The first half of the class, from 9-10:15 is all grammar. We do exercises, discuss sentences, and structure. I have already learned more about passé compose (past tense) than I thought there was to know. We have a break at 10:15, when all of the Europeans have the cigarette and coffee. At 10:30, we go back into class (by the way, we have shutters that we open to let the sea breeze in and I look right out into the courtyard from my seat. The second half of the class is devoted to vocabulary, which we learn by discussing. This is so great because we truly learn words that we want to use and we learn from the different people in the class. We will discuss the differences between our countries, what we think about France and Cannes so far and it is my favorite part! I love learning about all of the nuances and culture of the other countries. We talk about the economy, gender roles, everyday life, laws, club scenes, and anything else you can imagine! During one class this week, we compared the lack of gay bars in the South with the gay scene in Amsterdam. I also told my story about the chocolates that vanished on Chris’ trip to Amsterdam. I feel very comfortable talking in my classes and I make jokes all of the time, which feels so good. I am able to not only make a joke in French, but I am able to make it about another country. We joke all the time on the Swiss, mostly because they are so perfect and everything is organized. Class ends at 12 and we go straight to lunch. The meals are great and in true form, we take forever to eat. We first go through the salad bar line which often includes multiple salads with couscous, lentils, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, rice, hard-boiled eggs, and of course, LOTS OF BREAD! One of my favorite things is the spray bottles (very chic) of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We then sit down at our tables (I am forced to eat at the table of vegetarians with the one other vegetarian, my friend Eric). Most days, one of our friends sacrifices meat to join us at our table. At dinner, I have thus far refused to sit at my table and instead, I ask them to please let me sit with my friends. The wonderful women that work here bring us our food and we eat family-style. Only French is spoken at the college, which is fun, but sometimes frustrating when you just want to ask something in English. I think it will get easier though.
After class today, we went on a tour of Cannes. We walked throughout the city, the old part and the new. After the tour, my friends and I went to have gelato, it has become a bit of a daily event. We also went to dinner near the train station. I had a mushroom omelet which came with French fries and a side salad, what a wonderful idea! We made our way back to the college by walking along the beach.





July 1st: Visit to le Musee de Castre, gilato
After class today, I went to le Musee de Castre, a museum in the original, old town, and castle of Cannes. Everything was described in French. This is a small, but very interesting museum dedicated to things from countries located on the Mediterranean. They had a lot of pottery, art, and a bizarre collection of (I gather from my conversation with a young man who works there) what we might consider a wild boar. We walked to the top of the watch tower and had a spectacular view of Cannes and the surrounding towns/villages.
After the museum, more gelato! Today, we couldn’t decide between coffee or gelato so I got coffee and neutella gelato! Once again, we walked back along the beach.





July 2nd: Beach, Les Plages Electronique
Today was the first days without a planned activity. I enjoyed some time at the beach and did some swimming. We had these neat docks out in the sea that you can swim out to and lay-out on. After this, we had dinner and decided to go for a walk. We walked through the daily market held in the evening in the city center. It is right near the City Hall (Hotel de Ville). They have beautiful art, paintings, scultures, and one woman even has purses made out of the butt of jeans! Right now, there is an electronic/techno festival so we went to check it out. It was PACKED! We saw some break dancers who were incredible! The concerts are on the beach right outside le Palais de Festival (where the film festival is). We didn’t go in to this concert because we have class on Fridays and weren’t really feeling the crowd, but I definitely plan to go back for one of the others. There is a drum and base concert as well as a hip-hop concert.



July 3rd: Cooking Class at Les apprentis Gourments, card games, and out to Station
Today was a busy day! Class, reading on the beach, and a cooking class! The cooking class is held at a restaurant which is designed for teaching people how to prepare certain meals and we then dine on what we prepare. This was so much fun. We made salmon (Mom, you would have loved it! I will have to make it for you!), zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes stuff with either chicken and beef, or vegetables and almond powder for me! For dessert, we made lemon tartlets. I got to use a blow torch, which was fun! Also, when I plated my dessert, the chef said I did a wonderful job (I did it differently than the others and how he showed us to do it) and so for me, he said I got to put mint in the middle!
After the cooking class, my friends and I hung out in the courtyard with some wine, beer, and cards. We played cards until the café closed and we decided to go out. There is a bar here called Station where you can get 10 shots or 10 beers for 15 Euros (much cheaper than the normal drink which can be 8 Euros). Don’t worry, we share! Also, everything is smaller here, including beers and shots. The second bar we went to was more like the typical club here, loud, crowded, and they made me pay for the bathroom. We didn’t stay very long!



July 4th: San Remo and Dolceacqua
Today was probably my favorite so far! We went to Italy! The bus ride was about an hour and a half to San Remo, a town famous for its casinos, symphony orchestra, and market. The market area was VERY busy, but the old part of the town was beautiful. A lot of the architecture had been repaired or rebuilt from bad earthquakes. For lunch, we went all out Italian! I had veggies bruschetta and parmagiano risotto. For dessert, tiramisu!
After San Remo, we went to Dolceacqua, an amazing medieval village. Monet has painted the bridge of this town! I walked through the old part of the town and through the cobblestone streets. Our leader, Aude, decided that we needed to celebrate the 4th of July so she bought us all wine and we enjoyed some crustinis with different topping in a small shop/restaurant within the old part of town. There were different shops and art galleries as well. I bought two bottles of wine and two bottles of olive oil (everything local and not expensive!). Tonight, we have just been hanging out. Some people are drinking American beer and watching American movies. They also ordered pizza, something they thought was American as well. Now, I am off to sleep! I was going to go watch the start of Le tour de France tomorrow, but I am so ready for a day of sleeping in and reading at the beach! I think I will have to pass this time and it will be a good excuse to return! I also may try to catch another leg of the race in a couple days.
I also forgot to say that we have no air conditioning and I love it! No AC and no TV, we wake up to the birds every day. Our shutters never close and we don’t even have an actual window!