Hello Everyone!
My week in Southern France has sadly come to an end. I am so grateful
to Lilla and Romain for hosting me in Toulouse! France is such a
beautiful country with so much history! I feel very lucky to have gotten
to see a small part of it. I arrived Wednesday afternoon after a long
day and a half of traveling. I am looking forward to getting to Italy so
that the traveling can stop...I feel like I am lugging my whole life
around in the airports, all fit into a suitcase and a duffel bag. Lilla
made caprese stuffed tomatoes and breaded chicken for my first night in
France, it was delicious! On Thursday we tackled Toulouse! We went to
Saint Sernin Basilica and the city center first. I was in awe standing
inside Saint Sernin! There is nothing close to it in the U.S. The
exterior and interior of the basilica are so detailed! We got a
chocolate macaron while exploring the city center. I think macarons are
my new favorite dessert because they just melt in your mouth here! The
capital building, opera house, visitor center and mayor's house are all
in the center of Toulouse. They are all incredible buildings with so
much history to offer! My favorite was the mayor's house because every
wall and ceiling is painted with murals. Thursday was Romain's birthday
so we went to a restaurant for lunch and had mussels! After lunch I went
to the Saint Raymond Antiquities Museum. Seeing the history of Toulouse
and the Roman Empire that ruled it through sculptures and sarcophagi
was incredible! It is hard to believe the artwork has lasted until today
and that so many pieces are still intact. We also went down to the
river and before heading back for the day had a treat. I got a chocolate
covered orange and a hot chocolate. Those two sweets were easily the
best of each I have ever had. The hot chocolate here is basically a
liquid form of a Hershey's bar and is so delicious. That night I got to
experience a French birthday! We went to Romain's dad's and girlfriend's
house for appetizers and then went to an all you can eat restaurant,
boasting tons of French cuisine. It was a wonderful way to try so many
new and native foods! Friday was another sightseeing day so we went to
St. Augustine Museum and Church. They had a whole room filled with
columns from ancient buildings and three other rooms filled with
paintings. Probably the biggest painting I have ever seen was there,
about 30' by 15'. There was also a beautiful Manet hanging, which was my
favorite. We then went to St. Etienne Cathedral. The inside of it was
breathtaking with a huge alter with tons of detailed sculptures. To end
the day we went to the Royal Garden and the Garden of the Plants and I
enjoyed another amazing French hot chocolate in the cold weather! We did
a lot in Toulouse and on Saturday prepared for Romain's birthday party.
About 20 people came over to their apartment and we had appetizers that
Lilla and I made that afternoon. There were a few people there who I
was able to speak English with, but mostly everyone spoke French. When I
was introduced as "the American", one guy said, "Do you live in Texas
and work at a grill?" Another kept saying, "Alright, alright, alright!"
to me because that was all he knew in English. They sung happy
birthday in English though, so that was surprising. On Sunday I took the
train to Montpellier. It was a very pretty train ride, with fields of
green crops and large houses nestled in the middle. I stayed with
friends of Lilla who were very kind to let me stay with them for a night
and show me around. We had breakfast crepes for dinner Sunday night
which were so good! So on Monday I saw Montpellier, which is also very
historical and pretty! I still can't get over how incredible the
buildings are in Toulouse and Montpellier. Every single one looks like
it is from a different century. We went to the Mediterranean Sea and
enjoyed the city center of Montpellier. The food in every shop all looks
so good, it is hard to choose what to get. I also learned that in
France, the stores only have two sales a year. There is one in mid
January to early February and one in August/September. Any other time
than that, in every single store, boutique or chain, everything is full
priced. Crazy! So it definitely has been fun to look at everything, but
that explains why I thought the stores were so crowded. People are
shoving their way all over the place. I also noticed that Christmas is
still going on in France. Decorations are still in people's homes,
in the restaurants and even the streets are still decorated. I have
seen so much this past week and learned a lot about the French culture! I
am excited to go to Italy tomorrow! We have a two day orientation at a
farm and then we meet our host families in Siena!
Here is a link to the farm I will be at this week:
http://fattoriapoggioalloro.com/
Ciao!
-Rachel
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