vendredi 15 août 2008
I don't really feel like typing up any of my journal entries, but I'm in Montpellier now, after spending a couple of days with Sara in Millau. Tomorrow I'm heading to Nimes, and then after that I'm heading towards Copenhagen via Germany. I have my rail pass, after much struggling, so now I'm all set to go.
samedi 9 août 2008
Bayonne/ Anglet, Tarbes/ Cauterets
Wednesday, 6 August (Bayonne, Anglet)
I'm in a really bad mood and I don't even really know why. I think pqrtly its self-fulfining missing Spain--I actually felt a wave of relief when I got back into France, but now I'm super annoyed by French + French people + the French way of doing things, including that there are no lockers at the train station, chich meant I had to haul my bag around... There's not even a park where I can lie in the shade + I was in too bad of a mood [after dropping my stuff off in the hostel in Anglet] to go back into Bayonne... Also, people here drive too fast...
[later]
My mood has gotten magically better, mostly because I discovered that I'm still getting CAF, which means I should have 560 euros more to spend on this trip. I don't know why, but I'm much less comfortable in this hostel than I have been in any of the others I've been to. I think all of the others ... had good communal spaces to hang out in... Plus, I find it much hqrder to start making small talk with French people, I think because they don't really do it that much and also I feel awkward starting conversations in French when I have such an obvious accent. I guess that was actually less of a problem outside of France; because then me and the French person are equally tourists.
Thursday, 7 August (Bayonne)
Better mood today, even though its rainy and supposed to be rainy tomorrow. I don' t know what I was expecting from basque country-maybe all of the tiny villages I slept through-but I don't think this wad it. I did get to learn more about the language at the museum, which was in general pretty cool, but didn't have as much history as I would have liked... Bayone is also known for its chocolat, so I got myself some of that.
Friday, 8 August (Tarbes + Cauterets)
It is so amazingly beautiful here. I got up at 7, caught and 8:30 train to Tarbes then a 9:30 bus to Cauterets. It was already worth it for the views on the bus ride. Then I got a 12pm shuttle up the hill a bit (after buying groceries and figuring out what I wanted to do), hiked past 6 waterfalls, then got to the Pont d'espagne. After that it was another 40 minute hike to this lake, from which you can see the highest peak in the French pyrenees. I saw it a bit before the clouds came in. There are a ton of people here because the lake is so accessible (you can do it walking all of 10 minutes on a paved road) but it is still totally worth it. I am also really impressed that I'm doing this myself, getting out of places that are easy to go to and really seeing things. When else in my life will I get a chance to do this?
This is the lake I went to!
I'm in a really bad mood and I don't even really know why. I think pqrtly its self-fulfining missing Spain--I actually felt a wave of relief when I got back into France, but now I'm super annoyed by French + French people + the French way of doing things, including that there are no lockers at the train station, chich meant I had to haul my bag around... There's not even a park where I can lie in the shade + I was in too bad of a mood [after dropping my stuff off in the hostel in Anglet] to go back into Bayonne... Also, people here drive too fast...
[later]
My mood has gotten magically better, mostly because I discovered that I'm still getting CAF, which means I should have 560 euros more to spend on this trip. I don't know why, but I'm much less comfortable in this hostel than I have been in any of the others I've been to. I think all of the others ... had good communal spaces to hang out in... Plus, I find it much hqrder to start making small talk with French people, I think because they don't really do it that much and also I feel awkward starting conversations in French when I have such an obvious accent. I guess that was actually less of a problem outside of France; because then me and the French person are equally tourists.
Thursday, 7 August (Bayonne)
Better mood today, even though its rainy and supposed to be rainy tomorrow. I don' t know what I was expecting from basque country-maybe all of the tiny villages I slept through-but I don't think this wad it. I did get to learn more about the language at the museum, which was in general pretty cool, but didn't have as much history as I would have liked... Bayone is also known for its chocolat, so I got myself some of that.
Friday, 8 August (Tarbes + Cauterets)
It is so amazingly beautiful here. I got up at 7, caught and 8:30 train to Tarbes then a 9:30 bus to Cauterets. It was already worth it for the views on the bus ride. Then I got a 12pm shuttle up the hill a bit (after buying groceries and figuring out what I wanted to do), hiked past 6 waterfalls, then got to the Pont d'espagne. After that it was another 40 minute hike to this lake, from which you can see the highest peak in the French pyrenees. I saw it a bit before the clouds came in. There are a ton of people here because the lake is so accessible (you can do it walking all of 10 minutes on a paved road) but it is still totally worth it. I am also really impressed that I'm doing this myself, getting out of places that are easy to go to and really seeing things. When else in my life will I get a chance to do this?
This is the lake I went to!
jeudi 7 août 2008
San Sebastian, Tarbes
I've been on the computer a while and have to get up early tomorrow to take a bus into the Pyrenees, but I wanted to catch up a bit on my travels. Right now I have a private room (!!) at a youth hostel that is actually a foyer de jeunes travailleurs (like a dorm, but for young people, not students), so its a little harder to meet people, but I have free internet and access to a kitchen, and did I mention my own room.
Tuesday, 5 August
Day two in San Sebastian. I (luckily) got a place in the hostel yesterday and then went out to explore the city. I was so exhausted, though, that I could barely function and so I ended up mostly napping (I took two separate ones on the beach and one in a park at the top of one of the hills). Its weird because I got much less sleep last night and I've been able to be much more active today than yesterday. Maybe my body is so used to little sleep that I couldn't function or maybe because I didn't have a whole lot to do my sleep deficit was catching up with me or maybe my body was shutting down from lack of human connection. (I did meet one person in Bilbao but we didn't hang out for that long-maybe just an hour total). Last night I ate dinner with some people and then ended up hanging out and then going out with a large group of British and Australian guys and two gals from Quebec and New Zealand.
I'm heading back to France tomorroz qnd I'm a little bit sad to be leaving Spain. I can't really put my finger on why but I think I've just had so many good experiences here and people have been so friendly. Of course; most of those people haven't been Spanish, so hopefully it will be the same. I'm also a little frustrated with my inability to speak Spanish, especially because I can often understand what people are saying, I just can't respond myself. It also makes it harder for me to eat out, especially if I don't want to stand out as a tourist. Today I got pinxtos, the Basaue version of tapas, a really good mushroom skezer and then a tortilla espagnol, which is about the only thing I can consistently eat.
Tuesday, 5 August
Day two in San Sebastian. I (luckily) got a place in the hostel yesterday and then went out to explore the city. I was so exhausted, though, that I could barely function and so I ended up mostly napping (I took two separate ones on the beach and one in a park at the top of one of the hills). Its weird because I got much less sleep last night and I've been able to be much more active today than yesterday. Maybe my body is so used to little sleep that I couldn't function or maybe because I didn't have a whole lot to do my sleep deficit was catching up with me or maybe my body was shutting down from lack of human connection. (I did meet one person in Bilbao but we didn't hang out for that long-maybe just an hour total). Last night I ate dinner with some people and then ended up hanging out and then going out with a large group of British and Australian guys and two gals from Quebec and New Zealand.
I'm heading back to France tomorroz qnd I'm a little bit sad to be leaving Spain. I can't really put my finger on why but I think I've just had so many good experiences here and people have been so friendly. Of course; most of those people haven't been Spanish, so hopefully it will be the same. I'm also a little frustrated with my inability to speak Spanish, especially because I can often understand what people are saying, I just can't respond myself. It also makes it harder for me to eat out, especially if I don't want to stand out as a tourist. Today I got pinxtos, the Basaue version of tapas, a really good mushroom skezer and then a tortilla espagnol, which is about the only thing I can consistently eat.
lundi 4 août 2008
Bilbao, San Sebastian
Saturday, 2 August:
After missing my train and then wandering around the correct train station for a while trying to figure out what to do, I went and used internet for an extended time, sat in the Plaza Espana, wandered around looking for food, panicked I was going to miss my train again, and then ended up getting to the train station an hour and three quarters early. I slept a little while I was waiting, but ot enough, because I couldn´t keep myself from falling asleep on the train, even though the scenery was beautiful. At one point I woke up just in time to see a breathtaking canyon. The whole way was mountains or plateaus or rocky outcroppings or huge wheat fields with monastaries or little villages. The weird thing was that I kept catching sight of things and then the train would dip or go around a slight bend and when we got back to a point where it seemed like they should be visible again, they appeared to have vanished.
In any case, now I´m in Bilbao in a massively huge hostel. I assume there are lots of people, but I think the problem I´m going to have staying in HI hostels in general is that people aren´t that friendly. I´ll guess I´ll have to come up with other ways to meet people.
Sunday, 3 August:
This is my first Sunday not on the Costa del Sol and I forgot how dead it would be. Bilbao was basically silent--I felt like I was the only person on the street. Of course, this also means that there is absolutely nowhere for me to buy food other than in a restaurant. I´m a little stressed about where I´m going to sleep tomorrow so I´m being extra strict on my bdget. On the other hand, I now have a reservation for somewhere through the 11th, after which I can go visit Sara, so now I can take a little more time to figure out how I want to see the pyrenees.
Bilbao is so beautiful. I wonder what it was like before the guggenheim was here. The museum is amazing and architecturally stunning, but really the city itself, and its location (among rolling green hills) is what catches me. The views out of the hostel this morning were great. On the other hand, this has really reminded me how much better I feel all around if I arrive in cities during daylight--things are just more appealing, and I feel so much more oriented.
Today was the first day in over a month that I actually felt chilly at all (with the exception of a few of the times when I was up from 4am-7am) and I forgot how nice a fresh summer morning chill can be. I guess I might end up using some of my layers sooner than I expected.
Today:
I´m in San Sebastian, and have a place to stay! Woo! I got to the hostel (thanks to a very nice bus driver) just in time to get one of the last free beds. Its pretty overcast today, though, so I´m not exactly sure what I´m going to do.
After missing my train and then wandering around the correct train station for a while trying to figure out what to do, I went and used internet for an extended time, sat in the Plaza Espana, wandered around looking for food, panicked I was going to miss my train again, and then ended up getting to the train station an hour and three quarters early. I slept a little while I was waiting, but ot enough, because I couldn´t keep myself from falling asleep on the train, even though the scenery was beautiful. At one point I woke up just in time to see a breathtaking canyon. The whole way was mountains or plateaus or rocky outcroppings or huge wheat fields with monastaries or little villages. The weird thing was that I kept catching sight of things and then the train would dip or go around a slight bend and when we got back to a point where it seemed like they should be visible again, they appeared to have vanished.
In any case, now I´m in Bilbao in a massively huge hostel. I assume there are lots of people, but I think the problem I´m going to have staying in HI hostels in general is that people aren´t that friendly. I´ll guess I´ll have to come up with other ways to meet people.
Sunday, 3 August:
This is my first Sunday not on the Costa del Sol and I forgot how dead it would be. Bilbao was basically silent--I felt like I was the only person on the street. Of course, this also means that there is absolutely nowhere for me to buy food other than in a restaurant. I´m a little stressed about where I´m going to sleep tomorrow so I´m being extra strict on my bdget. On the other hand, I now have a reservation for somewhere through the 11th, after which I can go visit Sara, so now I can take a little more time to figure out how I want to see the pyrenees.
Bilbao is so beautiful. I wonder what it was like before the guggenheim was here. The museum is amazing and architecturally stunning, but really the city itself, and its location (among rolling green hills) is what catches me. The views out of the hostel this morning were great. On the other hand, this has really reminded me how much better I feel all around if I arrive in cities during daylight--things are just more appealing, and I feel so much more oriented.
Today was the first day in over a month that I actually felt chilly at all (with the exception of a few of the times when I was up from 4am-7am) and I forgot how nice a fresh summer morning chill can be. I guess I might end up using some of my layers sooner than I expected.
Today:
I´m in San Sebastian, and have a place to stay! Woo! I got to the hostel (thanks to a very nice bus driver) just in time to get one of the last free beds. Its pretty overcast today, though, so I´m not exactly sure what I´m going to do.
samedi 2 août 2008
Travels in Spain
So I´m actually trying to journal a little bit on this trip, but my internet access is more sporadic, so I´m going to type things up when I have a chance.
Tuesday, 29 July
I´m trying to start journaling on this trip, but since carrying a notebook around is too much, I´m just going to use scraps of paper. Arrived in Malaga yesterday, totally sleepless after my last night of camp. The hostel is way out of the historic center, in a pretty grungry part of town. Been thinking a lot about what kind of places appeal to me and why. Anyway, free pasta and internet at the hostel. Met a german and then two canadians (could NOT understand the quebecois accent--exhaustion?) and then a french gal and everyone was really friendly. Will hopefully see the german in madrid, and maybe the French, if I see them again to get their numbers.
So day 2 of traveling alone going pretty well for me. My still out of it ness led me to wander hopelessly for a while trying to find the picasso museum, though mostly I´m just rushed because I´m trying to get a veggie taps meal before 4, otherwise the centre ville is great for wandering. The picasso museum is packed, but there3 are so many breathtaking pieces here, just spent 5 minutes staring in awe at "The bather"--hostely feel like my life has been made more complete in some way by seeing these. My first reaction was how could I have made it this far without seeing them.
Wednesday, 30 July
Day 3 of traveling by myself. Did a New Madrid free tour with some gals at I met at my hostel (one is 25 and married with two kids but doing it with her sister, who never got a chance to see europe) and the guide wasn´t the best, but I got to talk to a lot of people and am now at the museum with 2 british gals. So I´m doing pretty well, my main worries being that 1) I won´t find anyone to go out with tonight 2) hostels in the cities I want to go to will be all booked up (none of the HI hostels have websites, which makes it more difficult). I also need to figure out where I´m going next because I´m pretty sure a lot of places in southern France will be booked. Camping is always an option, I guess. I´m thinking right now of getting a eurrail pass for after marseille and heading to Scandinavia and Eastern Europe for a month. Hopefully then it will be easier because I can always just hop on a different train if there are no open hostels. ALso, I´m hoping to dump a lot of stuff in France, which will make traveling a lot less painful. But (maybe because I´m really tired), I keep ending up thinking about what I´m doing next instead of focusing on the now.
Thursday, 31 July
So I guess bad days should be expected to go with good ones. I started off okay, with a really great contemporary art museum, but then things started going down hill. The market I wanted to buy lunch at was shut, then I got disoriented and spent hours wandering around mostly pretty boring (with some interesting) neighborhoods, on my way to the train station to see if I could get a youth discount. Not only do you need this specific youth card that I don´t have, I had to wait for almost an hour only to discover that I bought the ticket for tomorrow instead of Saturday and now have to wait again, even longer. Plus, I have to change hosteals tomorrow. I´m worried all of the hostels in France will be booking (maybe I´ll buy a tent= and I´m worried that I´m not going to be able to see everything I want to in the Pyrenees. After I´m done waiting at the train station, I think I´ll go back to the hostel to try to make some reservations and eat dinner before I (hopefully) find some people to go out with. On the bright side, I did go to two really amazing bars last night, even if the people I was with didn´t realize the second one´s awesomeness.
Friday, 1 August
I´m not sure why I´m in a state of being so succeptible to the power of art--maybe its the one consistent thing in my life this last week, but I totally got knocked off my feet (literally-into a provided beanbag chair) again by an exhibit at the Reine Sofia. Unfortunately, I was a little too tired and arted out to spend much time on the main exhibitions but there were some amazing Miros.
I don´t think Madrid is my favorite city to be a tourist, but it is so appealing in some way. I guess it helps that my hostel is really good and I´ve gotten a chance to see some of the nightlife. I don´t know if I can go out again tonight, since I have an 8am train tomorrow, but I also don´t want to miss out on a friday in Madrid.
I think I´ll get some gazpacho for dinner since its the one spanish food I have´nt tried yet (and I´ve eaten pasta for a lot of meals in a row). My tapas were really good and the bocadillos were pretty good (better if you eat meat, I think) but either the churros I had were not good or its just not the right weather, because I feel like I might die from them.
Today:
Now I´m at an internet place in Madrid, because I missed my train to Bilbao, due to various stupidities. I think one of the biggest advantages to traveling with other people (besides the ability to split hotel rooms and hitchhike, etc) is that you have some other people to check you on your really stupid mistakes, like going to the wrong train station. So I´ve lost a day in Bilbao, and 8 euros, and my morning (I could have slept in and hung out with cool people at the hostel) but at least I´ve managed to do a little searching for where I´m going next (I reserved in Bayonne for a night, and then hopefully can stay in Taubes, and then Perpignan for a night, and then I don´t know where I´m going to go... hopefully somewhere into the Pyrenees but I need to find a place where I can stay). I´m super exhausted after yet another night of very little sleep, so I think I´ll go sleep in a park when I´m done with this.
Tuesday, 29 July
I´m trying to start journaling on this trip, but since carrying a notebook around is too much, I´m just going to use scraps of paper. Arrived in Malaga yesterday, totally sleepless after my last night of camp. The hostel is way out of the historic center, in a pretty grungry part of town. Been thinking a lot about what kind of places appeal to me and why. Anyway, free pasta and internet at the hostel. Met a german and then two canadians (could NOT understand the quebecois accent--exhaustion?) and then a french gal and everyone was really friendly. Will hopefully see the german in madrid, and maybe the French, if I see them again to get their numbers.
So day 2 of traveling alone going pretty well for me. My still out of it ness led me to wander hopelessly for a while trying to find the picasso museum, though mostly I´m just rushed because I´m trying to get a veggie taps meal before 4, otherwise the centre ville is great for wandering. The picasso museum is packed, but there3 are so many breathtaking pieces here, just spent 5 minutes staring in awe at "The bather"--hostely feel like my life has been made more complete in some way by seeing these. My first reaction was how could I have made it this far without seeing them.
Wednesday, 30 July
Day 3 of traveling by myself. Did a New Madrid free tour with some gals at I met at my hostel (one is 25 and married with two kids but doing it with her sister, who never got a chance to see europe) and the guide wasn´t the best, but I got to talk to a lot of people and am now at the museum with 2 british gals. So I´m doing pretty well, my main worries being that 1) I won´t find anyone to go out with tonight 2) hostels in the cities I want to go to will be all booked up (none of the HI hostels have websites, which makes it more difficult). I also need to figure out where I´m going next because I´m pretty sure a lot of places in southern France will be booked. Camping is always an option, I guess. I´m thinking right now of getting a eurrail pass for after marseille and heading to Scandinavia and Eastern Europe for a month. Hopefully then it will be easier because I can always just hop on a different train if there are no open hostels. ALso, I´m hoping to dump a lot of stuff in France, which will make traveling a lot less painful. But (maybe because I´m really tired), I keep ending up thinking about what I´m doing next instead of focusing on the now.
Thursday, 31 July
So I guess bad days should be expected to go with good ones. I started off okay, with a really great contemporary art museum, but then things started going down hill. The market I wanted to buy lunch at was shut, then I got disoriented and spent hours wandering around mostly pretty boring (with some interesting) neighborhoods, on my way to the train station to see if I could get a youth discount. Not only do you need this specific youth card that I don´t have, I had to wait for almost an hour only to discover that I bought the ticket for tomorrow instead of Saturday and now have to wait again, even longer. Plus, I have to change hosteals tomorrow. I´m worried all of the hostels in France will be booking (maybe I´ll buy a tent= and I´m worried that I´m not going to be able to see everything I want to in the Pyrenees. After I´m done waiting at the train station, I think I´ll go back to the hostel to try to make some reservations and eat dinner before I (hopefully) find some people to go out with. On the bright side, I did go to two really amazing bars last night, even if the people I was with didn´t realize the second one´s awesomeness.
Friday, 1 August
I´m not sure why I´m in a state of being so succeptible to the power of art--maybe its the one consistent thing in my life this last week, but I totally got knocked off my feet (literally-into a provided beanbag chair) again by an exhibit at the Reine Sofia. Unfortunately, I was a little too tired and arted out to spend much time on the main exhibitions but there were some amazing Miros.
I don´t think Madrid is my favorite city to be a tourist, but it is so appealing in some way. I guess it helps that my hostel is really good and I´ve gotten a chance to see some of the nightlife. I don´t know if I can go out again tonight, since I have an 8am train tomorrow, but I also don´t want to miss out on a friday in Madrid.
I think I´ll get some gazpacho for dinner since its the one spanish food I have´nt tried yet (and I´ve eaten pasta for a lot of meals in a row). My tapas were really good and the bocadillos were pretty good (better if you eat meat, I think) but either the churros I had were not good or its just not the right weather, because I feel like I might die from them.
Today:
Now I´m at an internet place in Madrid, because I missed my train to Bilbao, due to various stupidities. I think one of the biggest advantages to traveling with other people (besides the ability to split hotel rooms and hitchhike, etc) is that you have some other people to check you on your really stupid mistakes, like going to the wrong train station. So I´ve lost a day in Bilbao, and 8 euros, and my morning (I could have slept in and hung out with cool people at the hostel) but at least I´ve managed to do a little searching for where I´m going next (I reserved in Bayonne for a night, and then hopefully can stay in Taubes, and then Perpignan for a night, and then I don´t know where I´m going to go... hopefully somewhere into the Pyrenees but I need to find a place where I can stay). I´m super exhausted after yet another night of very little sleep, so I think I´ll go sleep in a park when I´m done with this.
mardi 10 juin 2008
Summer Plans
I can't believe its almost the end of my time in France. As some of my 7-month assistant friends noted, its too bad the school year isn't spring/ summer/ fall, because Blois and the Loire Valley are much more enjoyable this time of year. All of the cafés have outdoor seating, there are tons of festivals and events, and its perfect bike riding weather. At least I am getting to take advantage of it before I leave.
I realized that I hadn't officially announced my summer plans (I don't think), and since I just bought plane tickets yesterday, I figured it was a good time. I have a three-week job as a Senior Counselor at Camp España in Marabella, Spain (on the Costa del Sol). Its an international summer camp for teenagers, which means luckily I'll get to keep speaking French (and hopefully that my lack of Spanish won't be a problem). I don't know a whole lot about the camp or what my job will be, but I'm flying into Madrid on the 2nd of July and I'm done on the 27th. After that I'm going back to France, where either I will pick up my luggage and head back to the US, if I've found a job, or I'll embark on a month or two of travels. We will see!
I realized that I hadn't officially announced my summer plans (I don't think), and since I just bought plane tickets yesterday, I figured it was a good time. I have a three-week job as a Senior Counselor at Camp España in Marabella, Spain (on the Costa del Sol). Its an international summer camp for teenagers, which means luckily I'll get to keep speaking French (and hopefully that my lack of Spanish won't be a problem). I don't know a whole lot about the camp or what my job will be, but I'm flying into Madrid on the 2nd of July and I'm done on the 27th. After that I'm going back to France, where either I will pick up my luggage and head back to the US, if I've found a job, or I'll embark on a month or two of travels. We will see!
jeudi 8 mai 2008
French Holidays
I am currently taking advantage of the numerous public holidays in France in the beginning of May and doing some long weekends (faire-ing le pont as the Franglish say). Last wednesday, Anja and I went to Grenoble to visit a friend. The city is amazing, with mountains all around and a really good art museum. We also spent a night in the Alps and did a great hike (through some remaining snow) and a day in Lyon.
After two days of school, Claire and I left again, this time for Brittany. We spent a beautiful sunny day exploring Rennes, went to Mt. Saint Michel today, and tomorrow are heading for Quimper. We'll also hit St. Malo and maybe another town before heading home on Monday. Eating lots of crepes and trying to learn Breton.
After two days of school, Claire and I left again, this time for Brittany. We spent a beautiful sunny day exploring Rennes, went to Mt. Saint Michel today, and tomorrow are heading for Quimper. We'll also hit St. Malo and maybe another town before heading home on Monday. Eating lots of crepes and trying to learn Breton.
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)
