Hello again! Well, have only just started studying and already I had a week of holidays for All Saints. So, I'll start from the beginning...
Left Lyon Friday afternoon to head for Bordeaux to visit my best buddy Lara. Decided to take a TGV which may not be the most effective form of transport to that side of the country. It took 6 hours, passing through Montpelier and Toulouse. For those who don't know their French geography (I didn't) this is not the most direct route to get to Bordeaux! Anyway...Lara was waiting for me at the station and we headed straight to her grandpa's place. She's driving, by the way, and very well indeed (was quite impressed becauseI know I would never drive in France, I can barely cross the road without almost getting run over!) His house is massive, a few stories high, plenty of empty rooms and VERY french! Didn't get much sleep that night as we had sooooo much to catch up on, you can imagine!
The weather over the weekend was stunning! We went to La Rochelle, a two hour drive on the seaside, with Lara's friends, Eva (from Austria) and Rocio (from Spain). Strolled around, had a crepe and what not before heading back to Bordeaux. Rocio taught me how to roll my R's, the real spanish way with the tongue!!! Very happy because it's incredibly difficult but I think it was a loooooooooooooong drive home for Lara and Eva...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrr rrrr Got an extra hour of sleep with the end of daylight savings (Lara and I were very confused for a while but that might be another story).
Sunday was all about markets. They are a lot of fun and the food is so fresh and there is so much cheese...yum. Had lunch at the markets on the 'Quai de Bordeaux'. Choose from paela, couscous and everything else, never forgetting the bottle of wine! Spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Bordeaux, visiting a bit. It was such a gorgeous day and Bordeaux is very beautiful, quite different to Lyon. So lucky to be travelling around different parts of France!
Sunday night, we cooked. Lara invited her aunt and uncle over. Eva, Lara and I slaved away in the kitchen preparing a very 'french' meal from a very 'french' recipe book which, it turns out, was translated from english...hmmm?! Was lovely all the same, except for the onion soup...a bit of a blue string soup moment (for any Bridget Jones' fan)! Had Austrian apple strudel for dessert! Was also delish!
What else did we do in Bordeaux? Lara wasn't on holidays and I wasn't in a very 'cultured' mood so there were no museum visits but haircuts, shopping, studying, wine tasting and cheese eating....lots and lots of cheese (and wine). Left my lovely Lara just yesterday but will see each other next week when she passes through Lyon before we visit her family (just another weekend away!)!!!
From Bordeaux, took the train to Paris. Was snowing everywhere along the way!!! Had a few friends from Lyon who were also in Paris so I managed to catch up with Suresh. We visited Notre Dame de Paris, had lunch and...being a miserable, cold, grey, cloudy day decided to visit a cemetery. Don't worry, it's not so creepy. 'La cemtiere Pere Lachaise' has some of the most famous tomb stones like Jim Morrison, La Fontaine, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Chopin and many others. It's also absolutely massive! The others left Paris in the afternoon and I came home to the lovely, warm, cosy cooking of the one and only, Mamie. Here until Sunday before heading back to Lyon and getting into the studies again on Monday. Hoping to visit l'Orangerie this afternoon.
I'm beginning to notice some themes in my blog posts...lots about eating and little about studying!!!
Better be off
Love from Alex
Left Lyon Friday afternoon to head for Bordeaux to visit my best buddy Lara. Decided to take a TGV which may not be the most effective form of transport to that side of the country. It took 6 hours, passing through Montpelier and Toulouse. For those who don't know their French geography (I didn't) this is not the most direct route to get to Bordeaux! Anyway...Lara was waiting for me at the station and we headed straight to her grandpa's place. She's driving, by the way, and very well indeed (was quite impressed becauseI know I would never drive in France, I can barely cross the road without almost getting run over!) His house is massive, a few stories high, plenty of empty rooms and VERY french! Didn't get much sleep that night as we had sooooo much to catch up on, you can imagine!
The weather over the weekend was stunning! We went to La Rochelle, a two hour drive on the seaside, with Lara's friends, Eva (from Austria) and Rocio (from Spain). Strolled around, had a crepe and what not before heading back to Bordeaux. Rocio taught me how to roll my R's, the real spanish way with the tongue!!! Very happy because it's incredibly difficult but I think it was a loooooooooooooong drive home for Lara and Eva...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr rrrrr rrrr Got an extra hour of sleep with the end of daylight savings (Lara and I were very confused for a while but that might be another story).
Sunday was all about markets. They are a lot of fun and the food is so fresh and there is so much cheese...yum. Had lunch at the markets on the 'Quai de Bordeaux'. Choose from paela, couscous and everything else, never forgetting the bottle of wine! Spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Bordeaux, visiting a bit. It was such a gorgeous day and Bordeaux is very beautiful, quite different to Lyon. So lucky to be travelling around different parts of France!
Sunday night, we cooked. Lara invited her aunt and uncle over. Eva, Lara and I slaved away in the kitchen preparing a very 'french' meal from a very 'french' recipe book which, it turns out, was translated from english...hmmm?! Was lovely all the same, except for the onion soup...a bit of a blue string soup moment (for any Bridget Jones' fan)! Had Austrian apple strudel for dessert! Was also delish!
What else did we do in Bordeaux? Lara wasn't on holidays and I wasn't in a very 'cultured' mood so there were no museum visits but haircuts, shopping, studying, wine tasting and cheese eating....lots and lots of cheese (and wine). Left my lovely Lara just yesterday but will see each other next week when she passes through Lyon before we visit her family (just another weekend away!)!!!
From Bordeaux, took the train to Paris. Was snowing everywhere along the way!!! Had a few friends from Lyon who were also in Paris so I managed to catch up with Suresh. We visited Notre Dame de Paris, had lunch and...being a miserable, cold, grey, cloudy day decided to visit a cemetery. Don't worry, it's not so creepy. 'La cemtiere Pere Lachaise' has some of the most famous tomb stones like Jim Morrison, La Fontaine, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Chopin and many others. It's also absolutely massive! The others left Paris in the afternoon and I came home to the lovely, warm, cosy cooking of the one and only, Mamie. Here until Sunday before heading back to Lyon and getting into the studies again on Monday. Hoping to visit l'Orangerie this afternoon.
I'm beginning to notice some themes in my blog posts...lots about eating and little about studying!!!
Better be off
Love from Alex
