Travel Newsletter

This was originally an e-mail but I copied and pasted it and now ta-daa! Aren't I clever?

Hello everyone, how are you all? I'm just super. Since the last Travel Newsletter (or Si-Mail, as I like to call them) quite a bit has happened. All of us language and culture camp kids have split up and gone our separate ways to every corner of France, some peoples' families picked them up straight from Nice, others had to fly but most (me included) took the train to their new homes. Here's the facts about the new place:

• it's called Saint Quentin La Poterie
  
• it's a small but very pretty town in the south of the country
• the nearest big town is Nimes, about 40mins drive away (that's where I got off the train)
• I go to school in another town called Uzés, about 5-10mins drive away and about 50mins walk (it's a really nice walk too, if you're ever down this way and interested I recommend it)
• the weather's not so bad, they tell me it gets quite hot in summer

More Facts:
This area is famous for its pottery and there are many people who make pottery here. Like the pharmacies in Nice, there is an abundance of pottery shops in St Quentin.
Thousands of years ago at the height of the Roman Empire, this area was under Roman control. In fact, this area also boasts some of the best preserved Roman building in the world. The famous aqueduct, the Pont du Gard, is very impressive, old and close to home (about 15mins by car). There are also quite a few good Roman buildings in Nimes.
My host family also showed me their second house, they went halves in it with a friend and are doing it up. The house is really old, it was constructed in 1780, before the First Fleet arrived in Oz. That reminds me, this Australia Day I'll be skiing, probably the only time I'll ever be able to ski on Australia Day weekend, how cool is that! (I mean that literally too, I've seen the forecasts and it's going to be quite chilly)

That's about it from me, until next time.

Culture Camp: Day One

First day of culture camp and the four of us who are living together managed to get to the school despite some minor disorientation. We even had a few minutes to spare! At the 'camp' (it's really more of a school) we all undertook a language assessment test (my results came back negative - phew!) then we had some free time around Nice. First stop was the beach to soak in some French
atmosphere and get to know one another. Then we split into a couple of groups and just bummed around the shops. Afterwards EF shouted us lunch at a trendy-looking (and rather inexpensive) café. By this stage I was so hungry I ate a horse burger. The dessert was fantastic, mine was a sort of melted chocolate on top of an incredibly rich pastry base. Then we had a tour of Nice.
We walked all through Old Nice (which is where all the trendy pubs and bars are and where we would eventually hang out every night) and saw the flower market, where they had some very impressive flower arrangements (starting from €10!). Then we climbed a hill to get a better view of Nice, which is not an easy task to accomplish in full sun wearing a 4m scarf! (But the view was more than worth it, some of my photos look like they came from postcards!) There was a small waterfall and the ruins of an ancient church at the top of the hill (the church dated back to the 11th century and it blew my mind). There was also a cemetary at the top of the hill and we all went in for a look (one of the girls was looking for the grave of a famous artist who apparently designed his own tombstone). Some of the graves were very big and expensive-looking but unfortunately we had to leave tout de suite because it was nearly closing time (and there was no way I was getting locked in a cemetary overnight). After we watched the sun set we all went our separate ways back to our Nice families for an early night, the next day we were going to Monaco!

Arrival in Nice

I arrived in Nice on the 27th by plane (did not complete the journey by train). It was the climax to a gruelling 24 hour (or so) trek and it was incredible! Flying over the "Baye des Anges" was spectacular, as was the view of the snow-capped alps, which were not too far in the distance. Here's a bit of trivia I learned from our driver: the 'baye des anges' is so-called because of the species of shark (Requin en Français) which inhabited the bay. Although 'infested' may be a more appropriate term, considering the tone used by our driver. Driving in France is also a very different game. They drive on the right side of the road, there are many more scooters and smaller vehicles than in Australia and the drivers are far more aggressive - even to pedestrians. When crossing the road in France, ensure you look both ways before you cross - even if you have the green man - because the drivers do not stop for you! Parking is also a big problem in Nice's narrow one-way streets, with many drivers opting to simply double-park in the middle of the street (and turning on their hazard lights) or simply parking on the available footpath space, usually on a street mall! Another feature of Nice's malls are the sheer number of pharmacies, they are absolutely everywhere. There are so many in fact, that in some places in Nice a 'Pharmacie' will never disappear from view. The beaches of Nice look lovely, although the lovely golden sand we are accustomed to is replaced by pebbles. I think it's a welcome change (sand just gets annoying sometimes, non?) however the water is not terribly inviting, as the daytime temp out of the water is around 12°! But it's lovely and warm in the sun though, especially when wearing a 4 metre long Doctor Who scarf! Most of the shops sell either shoes, handbags, fashionable clothing or lingere; with a few souvenir shops and mobile phone dealerships thrown in the mix aswell. The prices in the shops are very expensive. I swear they've just taken aussie prices and slapped a euro sign in front; this is a common discussion point with the language and culture camp kids. (It really is expensive though, a hot chocolate will set you back around €3,50; equivalent to around AUD$7!) This segue brings us to the language and culture camp, conducted by the EF International Language School, 21 Rue Meyerbeer, Nice. It's a nice place, currently undergoing renovations, and it's fairly central and not too far from where I am staying. There are a bunch of kids also attending from all around Australia, a few from New Zealand and one girl from Canada. They're an interesting mix of travellers and I'm trying to get to know each of them during this short camp.