Marseille

Ok well here's the deal, I went to Marseille last Wednesday (the 13th). I know what you're all thinking and yes, school was on that day but I wasn't really missing out on much. They were doing some big exam thing for half the day anyway, and my friends seemed pretty impressed I was taking a day off to go to Marseille (something I'm not sure I should worry about or not).
There were supposed to be other Australians going (the same ones from the culture camp) and we'd all organised to meet there and hang out for the day but unfortunately none of them could make it. So, I ended up going to Marseille and hanging around for an entire day by myself. (It sounds like a good deal, but I found out the following day that Marseille has a really high crime-rate - and I'd just wandered around there for an entire day wearing my incredibly noticeable Doctor Who scarf!)
Well you'll be pleased to know that I didn't let this stop me from having fun. When I got off the bus in Nimes (I had to catch a bus to Nimes to catch a train to Marseille) I walked around and tool some touristy photos (they have their own Colosseum-y thing - this whole area used to be under Roman rule). Then I went on a walking tour of Marseille. I quickly bought a map of place (I got lost quite fast as the walking tour was self-guided and I know nothing about Marseille). During the morning I was just wandering around the streets and I saw this market on the side of the road. They were selling all sorts of things, unfortunately nothing I liked. It wasn't a small market either, it just kept on going and going following this road. But eventually it stopped and so had all the little cafés and restaurants so I had to walk all the way back into town. By the time I'd walked back to (what I assumed was) the centre of town I was hungry so I went to a little restaurant ordered today's plat du jour (which was a lasagne made with a special kind of cheese - and was delish, by the way) and tried to read the map I'd bought. It was freakin' huge. It took me 10 minutes just to find where I was on it. When I did I decided that I'd walk down to the Old Port, then take the Métro back up to the big train station (I couldn't resist taking another train).
So I finished my meal, tipped the waiter 20 euro cents (I didn't really tip him, he just never came back with the change) and headed on down to the Old Port.
When I got there I was totally blown away by how many boats they could fit in that place! Lots. Anyway, then I took the Métro. Buying a ticket was frustrating, to say the least. The ticket vending machine had a wheel you're supposed to spin, I felt like I was playing Wheel of Fortune! (They've also got a French version of Wheel on TV, it seems pretty popular but I'm rubbish at solving the things. And there's a dog too, on the show, he's got a big black spot on his eye. It looks like he's wearing an eye-patch. I call him Patches.) Using the tickets is even harder, they've got the same ticket gates as the ones in Melbourne (those ones that snap shut and eat little children) but the gates shoot your ticket out. It's nuts, I nearly fell over trying to catch mine. It was fun just watching people's tickets fly away though and them chasing after it.
So after taking the Métro and getting back to the big train station I still had some time up my sleeve so I went for a little walk (not too far because I didn't want to lose the station again) and found that there's an arc in Marseille. A great big arc, like the one in Paris but probably not as well respected (I saw 2 dead birds at the arc and the thing smelt of urine). After taking a few photos and doing the whole tourist thing it was time to get back to the train station and go home.
And that is the end of my Marseille adventure.

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.