02.15.09
What a crazy weekend! Eight girls and I left for Toulouse on Friday around 11:30. One girl in our group was quite the train expert so we followed her lead, got the correct platform, and found our correct seats! I think we have all mastered it now, which is nice! Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France and is about 2 and a half hours West of Montpellier by train. The train ride was very relaxing and went by in a hurry! After we arrived, we found our “hotel” which actually ended up being very nice! Only 23 euros and each room had a large double bed. We were all quite surprised and pleased! That day we toured the city and just walked around. The city is known as “La ville en rose” because of the abundance of red brick buildings all around the city.
What a crazy weekend! Eight girls and I left for Toulouse on Friday around 11:30. One girl in our group was quite the train expert so we followed her lead, got the correct platform, and found our correct seats! I think we have all mastered it now, which is nice! Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France and is about 2 and a half hours West of Montpellier by train. The train ride was very relaxing and went by in a hurry! After we arrived, we found our “hotel” which actually ended up being very nice! Only 23 euros and each room had a large double bed. We were all quite surprised and pleased! That day we toured the city and just walked around. The city is known as “La ville en rose” because of the abundance of red brick buildings all around the city.
We visited three churches, my favorite being the largest Basilica in all of Europe, Basilique St-Serin. The Romanesque steeple com
ing from the top was amazing, with its tiers resembling that of a wedding cake! The church was in the shape of a crucifix and the detailing inside was gorgeous! The ceilings were intricately painted and stain glass windows were throughout. We paid extra to go into a Crypt that contained some holy relics, which were very remarkable to see. After exploring the city, we got ready to grab a bite to eat and go out on the town! The receptionist at the desk was EXTREMELY helpful and recommended a great place for dinner and a couple of places to go after. We ate at an adorable restaurant called “L’Ane Qui Tousse”, definitely my favorite meal in France so far (other than Vero’s amazing cooking). It was this giant ladder, with six different kabobs: cheese, chicken, seafood, veggies and a few others. Our meal was also served w
ith sangria AND a big bowl of yummy fries with different sauces! After dinner we went to this little square in Toulouse which was pretty hopping! We did a little bar hopping, first going to this artsy bar, next to a cute little pub, and then to a rock dance club. They were all very different, but all very fun! People knew we were not French, but when they guessed, they would usually guess we were English and one group of people guessed IRISH! After finding out we were American they kept chanting OBAMA, and were patting us on the back as we entered. Kind of hilarious but it was nice to have a warm welcoming for being American!
The next morning (Valentines DAY!) we woke up early and went to a little café for a quick breakfast. They had a deal for 4 euros for a croissant and juice, but we ended up getting tons more food then we thought! They then brought out hot chocolates and a slices of bread.. quite yummy! We did a little shopping that morning, and I definitely found a few things! The night before, I spotted a dress (made for meee) in a window and I went on an adventure to find the store! I FOUND IT, they still had the dress, and it fit perfect! I was r
eally excited to find a dress (majorly on sale too!) since I haven’t found one in France yet! We ventured to the Capital building, where there was a little market outside! A few of us bought scarves and we took a small tour inside. Shortly after, we headed to the train station to catch our train home! We sat across from an older man who lived in Sete, who recommended a few places for us to travel to! Quickly after returning home we were on the go again to our friend’s apartment that was having a small get together for Valentine’s Day. It was a fondue party and everyone brought something to dip/share! The cheese fondue was delicious AND I think I may have to make some for Vero when she returns home. It was a very fun night to spend with some great girls!
ing from the top was amazing, with its tiers resembling that of a wedding cake! The church was in the shape of a crucifix and the detailing inside was gorgeous! The ceilings were intricately painted and stain glass windows were throughout. We paid extra to go into a Crypt that contained some holy relics, which were very remarkable to see. After exploring the city, we got ready to grab a bite to eat and go out on the town! The receptionist at the desk was EXTREMELY helpful and recommended a great place for dinner and a couple of places to go after. We ate at an adorable restaurant called “L’Ane Qui Tousse”, definitely my favorite meal in France so far (other than Vero’s amazing cooking). It was this giant ladder, with six different kabobs: cheese, chicken, seafood, veggies and a few others. Our meal was also served w
ith sangria AND a big bowl of yummy fries with different sauces! After dinner we went to this little square in Toulouse which was pretty hopping! We did a little bar hopping, first going to this artsy bar, next to a cute little pub, and then to a rock dance club. They were all very different, but all very fun! People knew we were not French, but when they guessed, they would usually guess we were English and one group of people guessed IRISH! After finding out we were American they kept chanting OBAMA, and were patting us on the back as we entered. Kind of hilarious but it was nice to have a warm welcoming for being American!The next morning (Valentines DAY!) we woke up early and went to a little café for a quick breakfast. They had a deal for 4 euros for a croissant and juice, but we ended up getting tons more food then we thought! They then brought out hot chocolates and a slices of bread.. quite yummy! We did a little shopping that morning, and I definitely found a few things! The night before, I spotted a dress (made for meee) in a window and I went on an adventure to find the store! I FOUND IT, they still had the dress, and it fit perfect! I was r
eally excited to find a dress (majorly on sale too!) since I haven’t found one in France yet! We ventured to the Capital building, where there was a little market outside! A few of us bought scarves and we took a small tour inside. Shortly after, we headed to the train station to catch our train home! We sat across from an older man who lived in Sete, who recommended a few places for us to travel to! Quickly after returning home we were on the go again to our friend’s apartment that was having a small get together for Valentine’s Day. It was a fondue party and everyone brought something to dip/share! The cheese fondue was delicious AND I think I may have to make some for Vero when she returns home. It was a very fun night to spend with some great girls!Today Lily and I woke up and went on a run around Castelnau! Her mom showed her a way to go, through a bunch of backroads. It was a beautiful, sunny day for a run, but a bit windy! We passed though a bunch of vineyards..so pretty! The houses we saw were adorable and made me want to buy one/live there someday!
This weekend a bunch of us are headed to Nice for Carnival! We are leaving early Friday morning and returning midday Sunday. Carnival is supposed to be a great time and I am getting extremely excited!!! You may think all these trips are getting expensive (yess they are) BUT since we are students we were able to purchase a 12/25 card, which gets us 25-50 percent of all train tickets around France! It lasts for a year and pays for itself with only three tickets! It’s q great way for us to explore France and save a little money!
Tomorrow is my first Quiz/Test! The teacher didn’t want to tell us anything about it, so it may be a total surprise… let’s hope it goes okay! We found out we have to do an Expose on the topic of our choosing in two of our classes. One seems less serious and only has to be about 5 minutes, but the other is worth a large portion of our final grade! It is supposed to be about our hometime/our life and a girl in my class (Lexi) and I are doing it together since she is from Edina, Minnesota. It has to be twenty minutes AND in French, but our date is not until the end of April, SO let’s hope we will basically be fluent by then!
That’s all for now!
Happy Anniversary (again) mama and papa! MISS YA!!!
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