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Back home from another fabulous trip. A trip filled with new adventures, new friendships, and a new favorite city. Being able to revisit France and to have a better understanding of their culture was a great experience. As mentioned from a previous blog, I was unable to understand France. But after visiting Bordeaux, Provence, and Nice, I felt I got a better grasp of their culture. The French folks aren’t as bad as bad as people perceive them. It’s really all relative when you run into people. Every country has their fair share of people who come off the wrong way.
Spain - still my favorite country with San Sebastian becoming my new favorite city to vacate to. It’s a city that has it all: the beach, the bars, the food, and good people. It’s not as touristy as Barcelona. It’s a calm Barcelona. It’s similar to my former favorite city Lisbon, but more compact. Not as spread out as Lisbon.

Rockin' in Nice

I'm finally in Nice. The last leg of my trip. I had an interesting night out last night. I drank with a few folks whom I met at the hostel. After the Lounge area closed we continued the festivities on the stony beach. Two of the gals stripped down and jumped in the ocean(the gals who jumped in were not any of the individuals shown in the pic above). We then went to a few bars. One of them had a live band playing. I don't know how, but I got pulled onto the stage and sang with the lead singer.

Avignon

Posted for July 17
Avignon like Arles is a city built in walls. The major difference is Avignon is a much lager city. The theater festival is super festive. Street performers everywhere and Promotional Bills for plays posted on every wall. The once former residence for the Pope is an enormous castle.

Pont Du Guard

Posted for July 16
I got up at 10:30. I was knocked out and got some really good rest. After getting ready I headed for the train station to head to Pont Du Guard for the Day. It’s a Roman Aqueduct which is the second tallest Roman Structure with the Coliseum in Rome being the tallest. I wadded my feet in the water as I sat in a stony beach area. Next to me was an older topples woman bathing in the sun.

The structural part that amazes me is, the arches were built with out mortar. Just rock carved and fitted perfectly with a key stone on the top. I stood underneath the arch in awe.

Headed to Provence

Posted for July 15
On the train to Arles I was super thirsty. I purchased a water. I thought I heard the lady say 2.14 so I gave her 2.20. She printed out a receipt and it showed 2.40. I said I’m sorry and pulled out a 20 Euro Bill and she said it’s ok and took my 2.20. The bullet trains in France are fantastic. Smooth easy ride that takes you to far distances in a matter of a couple hours. On my 2 hour and 45min ride to Provence, I took a half hour nap. Before getting into Arles, I’ve got a stop over in Avignon. I’ll be spending a night in Avignon later in the week prior to heading to Nice.

I was pleasantly surprised when I checked in my hotel. It was booked on hostelworld.com. The hotel was modernly refurbished. The room I had was fabulous. I especially loved my shower. It had cemented rocks on the floor with a rain type shower head. After washing up, I headed for the streets. I stopped by an outdoor area sipped on a Pastis. I then headed for a Gelato spot. I forgot the name of the Gelato flavor I had but it had Olive Oil and other stuff in it. It was an award winner and I can vouch for why it is; it was freakishly delicious.

I then walked around and checked out Van Gough’s stuff - the spots of what he painted. The stuff that he has done is truly amazing and it’s sort of sad to see how some of the existing areas have changed. Overall, Arles is charming little city with its narrow streets and walkways. It’s very rustic with it’s Roman Architecture still present. It’s definitely not Paris and I’m liken’ every part of it. My brother in-law told me to check it out, and I’m glad I did.

After a wonderful 3 course dinner at Lou Caleu, I headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

Sardine Can Ride in Paris

Posted for July 14
On my way to the Metro station I saw a few vendors. I haven’t eaten dinner so I purchased a hotdog with a Kabob. If was ridiculously delicious. It may have been good due to my hunger, but I highly doubt that – Kabob, Hot Dog and a sautéed Onions in the same bun! What a freaking great invention.

Going back to the hostel after the fireworks was an event. Getting into the Metro /Subway station was crazy. The stairs going down into the station were filled with people and had a massive crowed lined outside. I decided to walk further down to catch the subway at different stop. After a half hour walk I spotted a station and made my way in. Half way in, the stairs were filled. I used my rule of thumb and said to my self, “F’t, I’m already committed. I’m gonna get into this subway. If all these people are doing it, why can’t I?” As I approached the end of the stairs which opened up hallway/stair way to the plat form, there were a couple of officers conducting crowd control. They control the amount of people allowed to stand in the platform area before boarding the metro.

I got in the metro, and my body was physically pressed against the door. The metro was packed like sardines in a can. It’s like the saying, “how many clowns can you fit in a car.” As soon as the door in the metro closed a Parisian said, “Welcome to Paris.” Everyone in the surrounding car chuckled- including my self.

Bastile Day in Paris

Posted for July 14
I got up at 8am to try to catch the Parade on Champs Ellise – what a bad idea. Every street had a detour from road closures. By the time I got the main area, all spots to get a decent view were taken. I ended up sitting in an outdoor café for an hour and a half as I enjoyed my espresso, people watched, saw a few of the jets fly by, and caught a few glances of the parade on the Television.

As soon as the parade ended, I met up with two people who I never met. They were both from the SF and were co-workers of a close friend of mine. We had lunch, walked down Champs Ellise to the Norte Dame and then to the Latin Quarters. Before we parted ways we made arrangements to meet at a 10 to watch the fireworks.

I retuned to my hostel, washed my clothes, as well as my self. I felt sticky and dirty from the heat. There was a little store next to the laundry mat so I purchased a bottle of Bordeaux to enjoy during the fireworks display.

I left the hostel at 8:30 and headed for the meeting point located on Ponte De L’Alma. I got to the meeting point at about 9:15 and settled on the center divide directly in the center of bridge. The bridge was filling up rapidly. The Fireworks started and the other two were no where to be found. Their dinner had ended too late at which point getting to me was a lost cause. The bridge was completely filled with people. It had a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower and had an easy access point back to the metro. I end up enjoying the fireworks alone and didn’t get a chance to open the bottle of wine. I didn’t mind at all, because I really had no intentions of watching the fireworks with people but only to my self. Meeting other people along the way is just an added bonus. As far as the wine, I’ll drink it later on my trip.