Lille

This last weekend has been très bien passé in Lille with Georgia. Having not seen Georgia since October for my birthday, as soon as she started working in Lille (two weeks ago) I booked my tickets to go up and see her for the weekend. Considering we are total opposite ends of the country, a three hour and a half train journey is not at all bad. I arrived in Lille an hour before Georgia finished her classes at the uni, so I wandered round and snapped a few photos of the famous Flemish architecture (seen on the borders of France and Belgium). 

the flemmish architecture in the Grand Place

When we caught sight of each other, a very emotional and indiscreet hug commenced, with a few of the frenchies stopping to stare at the two 'anglaises' shrieking at each other. After lunch, tea and scones, we wandered around Lille a little, which was very different from the southern cities, much more up to date and reinforcing how backward the south of France can be! 

Breakfast on Saturday could only mean one thing...a trip to Le Pain Quotidien, for fruit salads, fresh juice and coffee. Of course, with it being Georgia, we woke up at half eight, rolled out of bed at half nine, and out of the house at half eleven, with Georgia proudly proclaiming, 'I am getting better at getting up in the mornings, have you noticed?' (No comment.) So breakfast turned into brunch, and then into lunch which was fine because though Le Pain Quotidien is delicious, it's also on the pricey side.

me looking particularly happy with my fruit, granola parfait

reunited after far too long apart

I can't tell you all that much more about Lille- as the weekend didn't involve a lot of sight-seeing but a lot of catching up. It was good to see what Georgia was doing with her family- she's looking after two children of seven and eleven, and how she is finding it, to give me a taste of how the summer may go for me. Her family were lovely, and very kind, though it was interesting to hear Georgia say, sometimes she feels like a fish in a goldfish bowl, with the family constantly dropping in to ask how she is, and the children wanting her to play with them. For me, I always thought it was a lonely place to be in my apartment in Apt, and have thought about the benefits of living with a family as much superior, however it did strike me that sometimes when I feel like an outsider, or I've had a bad day, or I'm tired and don't want to speak french, I can retire to the quiet of my room and apartment, which is entirely my own space. Still, there are pros and cons each way you go, and luckily for me, I'll have tried a bit of both after the summer is over.

Vieux Lille was very pretty- as is toujours the case, and had some of the posher shops. The rest of Lille was rather nondescript, with some dodgy goings on. Though I discovered last week apparently Avignon has the highest crime rate in France, I saw more in Lille than I've seen in this whole year, and we stuck very close to the beaten track after dark. 

We polished off Saturday with a burger (asked for well done- it was practically blue) and after a few drinks headed home to climb into bed, with tisanes which were barely sipped before we were fast asleep. Sunday the alarm went off at 7am (really 6am before the clock change) and we dragged ourselves onto the tram to Lille Europe. For both of us there was a pang as it was announced for any remaining passengers to make their way to the eurostar lounge to get the next train to London Pancras, and a while pondering the consequences if we did, but eventually, we drained our coffees, and said our goodbyes. It's been tough to spend such a long time away from Georgia but thankfully it won't ever be for as long this time- and it was quite something to reflect on how far we've both come from the last time we were saying goodbye.

'See you Nesquik!'

So, four weeks before the end of term, my children and I are beginning to gain an understanding of each other. Monday, I have a new young female teacher who is much friendlier than her predecessor and likes to help in class, interact with me and the children and tout va bien (all goes well). Mostly.... This Monday I decided the best thing to do would be animals. I drew up some flashcards...a dog, a cat, a fish, a cow, a pig, a horse etc. We learnt the words quickly, and they noted down the vocab and then I asked them to write the animals they have at home. And then for an example, I proudly told them, 'I have two dogs and two horses', deciding the chickens and the sheep could confuse matters. They did not seem impressed. As it turned out, nearly three quarters of the class lived on a farm.

We had all sorts of answers, from 'I have ten dogs and three cats..' ('Really? Tu as dix chiens?!') to 'I have three donkeys, five cats, seven cows, two horses, four dogs and ten chickens.' (...in Morocco, he forgot to add). But they liked telling me so they all concentrated well. After I asked them to say their favourite animal. It all started so well, with 'my favourite animal is a dog,', 'my favourite animal is a horse', and then someone had to say, 'my favourite animal is a dog, a cat, a rabbit and a guinea pig,' and then suddenly it became a competition and I had a tough vocabulary test, 'Amy, c'est quoi, un coq? C'est quoi, un lynx? C'est quoi, un taureau?' (A cockerel, a lynx and a bull I discovered). 

And finally my favourite; 'my favourite animal is a snack'.
'A what?!'
'A snack.'
'En français?'
'Un serpent?'
'Ahhhh. Your favourite animal is a snake. A SNAKE.'

Then I said goodbye, and 'see you next week'. Unfortunately the words 'next week' morphed into one and the children picked up 'nesquik' so I left the class to a bunch of ten year olds telling me they'd see me 'nesquik'.

Tuesday I met Sabine to eat with her mother in Apt. They feed me enough at Sabine's, but at her mother's she seemed determined to excel herself, and we had pizza and salad, bread to mop up the gallons of olive oil left on the plate, a huge chunk of lasagne, more bread to mop up the tomato sauce, cheese, more bread to accompany the cheese, ice cream and petit fours, and then the grandmother had made a special cake, from the Bordeaux region, and she asked me if I would try it. I couldn't say no, could I? Fortunately my subsequent food coma made for a very relaxing afternoon at school. Unfortunately I don't think twenty performances of 'head, shoulders, knees and toes' quite burnt off my lunch but the children enjoyed it. We then played a favourite game of theirs- 'draw a monster with two heads and a long neck...' (I couldn't have foreseen how that one was going to turn out, and I lost them in fits of giggles for a good five minutes).

Wednesday and Thursday both went well- I've started all the admin of closing down accounts, and going back through ignored emails (that it turns out shouldn't have been ignored). But there's not much I can do today because tomorrow I'm going to Lille to see Georgia and I can't wait. It's been more than five months since I last saw Georgia here in Apt, and she's now working up in Lille so I took the first opportunity to book my tickets to go up there. I can't wait to explore another French city but more importantly spend some quality time with one of my best friends.

And because I have pictures to illustrate my school days, here are a few of the spring weather in Apt: 

Sur Le Pont D'Avignon...

Today marks six months here- and in one month exactly I'll be waiting for Mum, Dad and Kate at Avignon TGV station, to spend my very last week here with them. Two months ago I was in Morocco- three months ago I was home on Christmas day, and five months ago I was in Dublin. But today is no special day, it's just Tuesday and I have school this afternoon.

This last week however, I had Hermione come and stay with me. She arrived Thursday night, having navigated the Paris metro, and Avignon- Apt changeover very successfully, and we went back to mine for tea, and strawberries and cream for pudding.

Friday we planned a day in Avignon, and got up for the earliest bus there. When we arrived a coffee and a croissant was in order before any of our days plans commenced. I started the usual tourist route, up to Place d'Horloge, and the Palais des Papes, to snap another picture from outside and trudge onwards. But Hermione suggested we go in and go round, which was a good idea because otherwise I would have spent my whole time here having just seen the Palace from the outside. Having just come back from Rome, it was especially amazing to then see the other seat of the papacy- and inside the palace elaborately decorated frescoes adorn the walls, like those in the Sistene Chapel. Frescoes, I learnt, are paintings done on wet plaster so they become a part of the walls and they are all very well restored in the Palais des Papes. It's a very well presented museum and well worth seeing- and I'm really glad we did it. 

After the Palace we wandered up the hill behind, and stopped by the lake for a picnic lunch...tapenade, salami, bread, cheese, and olives, and then we set off down to the Pont D'Avignon. Our tickets to the Palace included a visit into the Pont D'Avignon, where we got audio guides (which tell the mythical story of the bridge) and we were allowed to cross. So now I can really say I've been 'sur le pont d'avignon..' and I have a picture to prove it!

We spent the later afternoon wandering round, finding postcards, doing some shopping, before we stopped at 'Fou de Fafa' a restaurant in Avignon, rated top on Tripadvisor, and run solely by an English couple. I had heard very good things about it, and had emailed the women to ask if it would be possible to go, in time to be out for our last bus to Apt at 8. They were very very welcoming and accommodating, having moved from the UK to live in Avignon four years ago...(not sure why they picked Avignon). I had a scallop soufflé with pea and mint puree, and then duck breast with strawberries and balsamic, and it was seriously good food. They served us quickly and were very friendly, and I have great plans to return with Mum, Dad and Kate. On the pudding menu was banoffee pie, dark chocolate cake and cream, and cinnamon and apple bread and butter pudding- all of which would feature in my top 5 desserts so a return trip will be a necessity.

Saturday dawned wet and horrid, unlucky for Hermione as we've just had two weeks bright sunshine and sky high temperatures! We wandered round the market which has perked up after its February dip, and lots of the tourist vendors were back...olives, lavender, soaps, tapenade have all made a comeback. I did hear several English and American accents at the market, so perhaps the tourist season is just beginning again. Hermione did very well and hauled all the best provencal specialities- and then we stopped and had a tea and a hot chocolate in one of my favourite cafes, scouted out by Daniel back in October. We ate our purchases for lunch, and then went back out into the rain and wandered round Apt, up into the hills to see my school on Tuesday, and back down round the town. The rain did rather cramp our style but for me to spend a weekend 'en famille' is what it's all about for me. 

one of the wall paintings/ graffiti in Apt

Sunday morning came all too quickly and I felt a bit flat waving goodbye to Hermione on the bus. But then, I'm so lucky that everyone has tried to come and see me this year- it's been so uplifting for my spirits because no matter how kind and inclusive some of the french people I've met have been, there really is nothing like your own family and friends.

Montpellier/ Carcassonne

Before the holidays, I was lucky enough to meet the family of Juliane (niece of Sylviane who lives in Apt). Juliane is my age, and studies English at the University of Aix-en-Provence. They (Juliane, her mother, father, brother and two sisters) live over near Aix, and having been once before the holidays to eat with them, Juliane asked me if I would like to come and spend the weekend with them after the holidays- and they would show me a little around the area.

So- having only just arrived in Apt late Wednesday night, worked a full day on Thursday and just managed to unpack and pack again, I was waiting last Friday morning by the school gates for Juliane to pick me up. It was a hot day, well in the 20s, and we drove back to Juliane's, dropped off our bags, and then went into Aix for the afternoon and evening. In Aix we wandered a little, shopped a little, stopped for coffee, and then met up with Juliane's friends- all who study English- and I was a matter of intense interest for them all. Some of them had spent time in the UK- one in Nottingham, one in Liverpool, and one in Sunderland- and they all had slightly different accent twangs. They wanted to ask me lots of questions, and we talked in a happy mixture of franglais over tapas, sangria and pastis.

Back at Juliane's we went to bed and were woken up early to get ready, washed, dressed and breakfasted before setting off en route to Montpellier- Emmanuel, Emmanuelle, Juliane, Gaelle and I. It takes an hour and a half to drive to Montpellier from Aix, and we arrived at lunchtime, with the immediate aim of finding somewhere to sit and eat. We sat out in the main square, had salads and crepes, wine and coffee, without much hiccup except from Gaelle who is 14 and has eyes bigger than her stomach. She ordered a huge crepe with chocolate sauce, chantilly cream, and caramel, and then proceeded to push it around her plate before pronouncing dramatically she felt sick and rushing off to the toilet.

We wandered round Montpellier, which is a very pretty town- quite grand with very elegant french architecture, and lots of young trendy cafes and bars- a far cry from Apt! Around 5 we piled back in the car, and headed in the direction of Carcassonne. With everyone tired, Juliane slept, and Gaelle read her play-mobile magazine (acquired in Montpelier) which was quite nice so I could concentrate less on speaking french and more on the view as we drove West. Carcassonne is two hours from Montpellier, on the road to Barcelona (!) and we arrived near dusk, and checked into our hotel for the night before walking up to the city. Carcassonne is famous for the 'city of carcassonne', a medieval fortress which was restored by an architect in 1853, and is surrounded by walls and a draw bridge. It is also famous for the Cassoulet dish- a slow cooked casserole of sausage, duck and beans, which is what we had for dinner, along with red wine and plenty of pudding.

On Sunday we visited les Chateaux de Lastours, close to Carcassonne, four castles that overlook a beautiful valley and medieval village, before heading back to Carcassonne for lunch and driving back to Aix.

Arriving back in Aix at 7, Gaelle was delighted, because her two turtles, that have been hibernating all winter, had just started to burrow out, and she was in and out of the kitchen finding different bits of veg for them. Totally exhausted I asked Emanuelle if she was cooking much for the big family sunday dinner (where Jean-Philippe and Sylviane would collect me and take me back to Apt). Oh no, she said, we'll just pick up a few pizzas from the van in Rognes. Reassured, and imagining I'd be in bed soon, I should have known better- on Jean-Philippe and Sylviane's arrival we had aperitifs, salad, pizza, cheese course, dessert course, coffee and chocolate, and by the end of the meal I could barely keep my eyes open, let alone follow their conversation. The one bit I did pick up was when Gaelle was asked which place she preferred out of Montpellier and Carcassonne. 'Well...,' she said, thinking hard, 'in Montpellier I got my playmobile magazine but in Carcassone I got my liquorice'. Everyone laughed. I slept very well on Sunday night and woke up ready for my first week back at school.

Venice

As I said, arriving in Venice, we were apprehensive as to how we would find it, after such an amazing time in Rome. We arrived at the train station at sunset, and stepped out of the concourse to see the grand canal ahead of us, two magnificent bridges stretching over it, and people teeming about. Forgetting about the difficulty of finding our hostel we just stopped and stared. It was beautiful.

We had been told to use the water bus to get to our hostel and around the island. I went to ask the woman at the office how much it would cost us. For three days travel she told us it would cost 35€ each. I was astounded. After lots of umming and aahing, I eventually bought a single each for 7€ each and we got on the bus which took us all the way round the island, and along to Saint Mark's Square, where we arrived just as the sun was setting. I was speechless all of the journey, it was so beautiful. 

Our hotel was nestled down a side street just back from Saint Mark's Square and we dumped our bags, before heading back out to find a place to eat. We could barely get anywhere, stopping every few minutes at a canal or a bridge, in the dusk light and just staring. We found in Venice it was harder to eat well and cheaply, and the first place we went to did rather average pasta with rather pricey wine. Still, we were in Venice, and we were very happy about it.

The next two days in Venice I am ashamed to say we visited nothing- no art galleries, museums or specific sites. We just wandered aimlessly, up to the Piazzle Roma, the Rialto bridge, round and round, through side streets, over bridges, gelato in hand. It was easy to get lost, and we did, the first morning having read the map wrong we reached the end of the island. There were no tourists, just a few runners and fishing boats, and with the gulls around us, we sat for a which with our feet over the edge and enjoyed the peace. Both mornings and both afternoons we sat in the sunniest places we could find and had a Bellini or a glass of wine. For lunch we ate takeaway pizza, and found a little seafood place that did a cone full of lightly fried seafood for 4€ which was delicious. We went back the next day but couldn't find it again. After going from spot to spot in Rome, it was nice to have no agenda in Venice, and was thoroughly relaxing and beautiful. We discovered the 35€ bus ticket would never have been necessary- you can walk everywhere in Venice and that's the best thing to do. 

On the last night we went up to get changed and ready for our last Italian dinner and Daniel proclaimed he felt sick. I ignored him and continued to get all ready. At half seven, I finished, put on my shoes and Daniel leant over the bed and was promptly sick in the bin. Poor Daniel continued to be sick every half hour until about half 3 in the morning, in and out of the bathroom, shivering and shaking in the boiling hot hostel room. At six when our alarm went and we'd both managed a couple of hours of sleep we dragged ourselves out of bed, and set out with our suitcases, back to Piazzle Roma. Poor Daniel was a bit out of it, but I loved walking through the empty streets as the sun was rising, and boats were coming in with all sorts of normal things they have to get into Venice- toilet paper, shop mannequins, food, even a cement mixer on a boat. 

We took a bus to the airport, and Daniel had a bottle of water which restored some life. The flight was easy and we were in London before we knew it, and suddenly it was all over. But, despite the last night, (which we think was due to Daniel drinking the tap water in Venice) we had the most amazing holiday, and the most amazing experience of the two cities. We were both at a loss as to which we preferred, though I think we would err towards Rome, because there is more to do, it's more accessible for young people and its less expensive. But both were spectacular.

Rome

We arrived in Rome to grey skies, drizzle and much colder weather than either of us had packed for. Feeling a bit stupid in our English holidaymaker gear (shorts, sandals, sunglasses) we were shuffled onto the shuttle bus that took us to Rome Termini Train Station and from there we jumped in a taxi that took us to our digs for the next few days, a hotel/ hostel called 'Maison de Julie' which was surprisingly pleasant for 25€ a night. The manager, who we christened 'maison de julie' for want of her real name, was also very pleasant and gave us a map of Rome with some detailed routes to see all the best places- some recommendations of places to eat (her brother/ sister/ father/ husband's restaurants no doubt) and leant us an umbrella when she saw our get up. The room was big and clean, with a big comfy bed and a large window that opened onto the street. Being 'cosmopolitan young travellers'* we ate our sushi bought from Prêt at Stansted airport, before adding all the extra layers we had bought with us and heading off with the map. 

flying over Italy

and Rome

Despite my detailed itinerary of what we should do each day and exactly what time, Daniel decided we should just 'wonder' (Yorkshireman speak for wander). From the very start Daniel and I were enchanted by Rome. At the end of the Via Nazionale we stumbled upon the Column Traiana, the Forum Traiano and the Monument Vittorio Emmanuele II. Then we took a right and wandered down the Del Corso- the main shopping drag. We sheltered from the rain briefly in Zara (strictly necessary) and then began a slow stop and start tour of the Del Corso (stopping in various coffee shops) arriving finally at Piazza del Popolo, where we turned right and wandered back down the other side of the triangle back to Maison de Julie. This route actually included walking up the Spanish Steps but since I was wearing my new espadrille wedges, I was going into meltdown mode and walking up a height of steps felt like Roman torture so we didn't actually realise what they were until later. 

day 1 in the rain

That evening, having discarded said wedges for the rest of the holiday, and got some circulation going again in my feet, we got ready for dinner and headed off again following my dodgy instructions for a place to eat. We had been warned several times about how costly Rome and Venice are, and so I had perused the Guardian Travel blog and Tripadvisor to avoid paying a fortune for substandard meals. This restaurant, courtesy of 'http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/jul/20/eat-like-local-in-rome', Formula Uno, was situated a while away from the main hubbub of Rome and was not much to look at from the outside. Decorated with pictures of racing cars, and lots of plain wooden tables, we sat down, the only two in the restaurant at 8.30pm. I am used to the French not eating out until about 9pm and I've heard in Italy it can be even later...half 9 to 10. Danny asked him the price of a glass of wine. He shrugged. '1.50€ for a quarter carafe?' We drank 3 carafes...3 glasses each for 4.50€. Then we each ordered a pizza for 6€, and despite the fact Danny got overexcited and ordered the wrong pizza, we split them in half and shared them.. and they were without doubt the best pizzas either of us have ever eaten. For dessert we shared a plate of profiteroles, and paid as the restaurant was starting to fill up (less than 25€).

The next day dawned beautifully sunny and after coffees and pastries we made our way down to the Colloseum. In the Colloseum you can buy a ticket for the Colloseum, the Roman forum and the Palatino hill all in one. We ended up queuing for around an hour to get into the Colloseum. ('Oh yes' Danny said, about five minutes from the front of the queue, 'this is where Paul told me to go to the Forum first and buy tickets and then can skip the queue for the Colloseum'.) The Colloseum was spectacular, and one of our highlights of the trip, the Forum also beautiful but harder for us to understand the full grasp of. Both Danny and I said, one of the hardest things about Rome, is feeling like the history might be washing over you without understanding the full depth of it.

For lunch we crossed the river and wandered into the Trastevere district of Rome, recommended by Suvi and Piers, and so beautiful! The houses reminded me a little of Roussillon in France- in various reds and oranges, with boxes of flowers spilling into the street. We stopped at a little deli, and had a platter of cheese, cured meats, chilli jam and different bruschettas, plus a glass of wine each for 10€. In the afternoon we sat outside Church Saint Maria in Trastevere and had another glass of wine each in the hot sun. Dinner was another restaurant in Trastevere, a pasta restaurant (another Guardian one), where I had taglietelle with cheese and black pepper (a speciality dish of Rome). The pasta was fresh and handmade, the cheese just melt in your mouth, and it went down very nicely with another two carafes of red wine. 

Trastevere

We were just astounded by Rome, everywhere we went, everything we saw, everything we ate. The next day we had a very memorable trip to Saint Peters and the Vatican museums. We hired an audio guide for Saint Peters which did give us an interesting explanation of every statue, every painting, every tomb- though considering the vastness of Saint Peters this audio guide took about two hours to get through and unbelievably I got bored before Danny and went and sat outside on the steps. There I looked up to the top and thought of my Dad who had been on a trip to the Saint Peters at school, and got up to the top of Saint Peters only to pretend he was the pope and get whacked round the head by the teacher.

 

look Dad- absorbing the history!

The Vatican museums took another few hours to get through- the vastness and the amount to take in was amazing and slightly overwhelming. It wasn't too busy in the Vatican museums but as we got shunted along to the Sistine chapel, the crowds got greater and greater. In the corridor leading down to the chapel the walls were lined with beautiful, elaborate maps. I stopped to look at the first, of 'Aventino' and my eyes fell on the place name in the centre 'Carpentras'. Carpentras is a small town just near Apt, in the Vaucluse and the Luberon mountains. I searched downwards and found 'Apta Julia', the Roman name for Apt. Fancy little unexceptional Apt being on the first map in the Vatican museums. Of course 'Aventino', was the roman name for 'Avignon' and Avignon has a special importance in Rome, and was mentioned a few times on our tour, as being the only town that has held the papacy apart from Rome. The Sistine chapel was beautiful, and I managed to get one discreet snap of the roof before Daniel got us told off for taking photos, and then proceeded to take more!

After the rather intense morning we found a highly recommended panini place, recommended on tripadvisor, a few streets away, and teeming with locals, where we had the most delicious pesto, mozzarella, Parma ham and tomato paninis. Then we headed back towards the river to the Castle Saint Angelo- to have a coffee at the top, overlooking Saint Peters and the river, and spent the most relaxed and peaceful afternoon sitting up there in the sunshine, before wandering back to the hostel, getting lost in narrow streets. Dinner that night was pizza, still good but not as cheap. And then we were hauling ourselves out of bed for our last full day in Rome. 

In the morning we went to the pantheon, and had a glass of wine in the Piazza outside the pantheon. We sat for about two hours in beautiful sunshine before meandering along to Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori (which I loved, because there was a flower market on), the Trevi fountain (packed out but we still managed to sit for a while in the sun) and finally back up to the Spanish steps, where we had some gelato and sat for a while listening to a very bad rendition of the Beatles. 

Around five we climbed up the Galoppatoio hill behind the Spanish steps, as the sun started to go down and hired a bike thing for an hour to go round the lovely gardens. Danny turned out to be a bit of a maniac behind the wheel, ringing the bell at anyone in the way, and then we stopped it at the top that overlooked Rome where lots of people had gathered to watch the sunset. It was a beautiful sunset, and we couldn't have asked for a better way to spend our last evening. 

If it all sounds a bit too good to be true, that's because it really was. We loved the friendly Italians, the cheap coffee, wine, ice creams and amazing pizza and pasta. It was glorious to just sit and absorb the atmosphere of Rome and meander through the streets, with blue skies and sunshine and plenty of wine. We left Rome enchanted by it and so grateful to have had the chance to go, especially in early March when the sun is not too hot, and the tourists aren't too plentiful. 

After the sunset we walked back in the dusk and packed up our bags, wondering what Venice would have to offer the next day.

*so christened, rather wistfully, by the woman that ran the B&B near Stansted we stayed at the end of our trip, who had four children under the age of 6.