A calming stay in Cassis

This weekend literally flew by with the blink of an eye. As it was the last weekend before the end of the assistantship, back in February, Amy, Alison and I booked a hostel in Cassis, to celebrate an amazing seven months while relaxing on the beach and by the pool. As the day we booked this excursion, it had been pouring rain and quite gloomy, we were only hoping for beautiful weather along the Mediterranean for our last weekend together.

On Friday, we went into Avignon and spent the afternoon with many of Alison’s Erasmus friends who are studying in Avignon. With a lovely afternoon lounging on the Ile de Barthelesse, soaking up the sunshine, it was wonderful to meet so many different people from so many different places around the world. After a wonderful dinner made by my British chefs here*, we went to one of Alison’s friends’ apartments to enjoy some wine and franglais conversation. That is one of the things that this weekend made me realize – I am going to miss being able to talk in a mélange of French and English whenever I want, with everyone I know being able to understand me.  

When we woke up early on Saturday to start traveling, it was quite cloudy and mild in Avignon, leading us to think that maybe our wonderful beach weekend wasn’t going to be all what we were expecting. But while we were on the train heading further and further south to Marseille, the clouds disappated, leaving clear blue skies and sunshine washing over the sea. We walked through Marseille to Place Castellane – where the bus left for Cassis. Now, I have taken a lot of bus rides through my time in France and Europe this year. This was by far one of the scariest ones I had been on, with windy roads followed by steep drops, only a small guard rail protecting you from certain death. If I didn’t have la vertige**, it would have been a wonderful ride, filled with spectacular view of les Garrigues and the sea. Either way, after a short 30 minute bus ride and 10 minute walk, we arrived at our hostel. This hostel was one of the best I have been to. It offered an infinity pool with lawn chairs, breakfast on the terrace, a beautiful garden and friendly staff. The building itself was just a villa that had been split up and put into dorms. When I return to Cassis, I would definitely stay at Cassis Hostel – was a great value for a great location. 

After dropping things off, we headed down to the beach and met up with other assistant friends Liz and Cary. It was a perfect afternoon, the sun shining intensely with the cool sea breeze making it a perfect temperature. We spent the afternoon relaxing, talking, dipping our feet in the ridiculously cold sea water and indulging in gelato from Amorino. With the stunning views of Cap Canaille in the background, I could not imagine a better way to spend my last Saturday as an assistant in the South of France, at my favorite place in France with my favorite people. 

Once the breeze proved to be a little too chilly, we said final goodbyes to Liz and Cary and went back to the hostel to enjoy some poolside sunshine. Another great thing about staying in a hostel is the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. One of the workers there, Christian, told us about his life and gave us advice about what he has found nice in Cassis. After our lounging, we said bye to Fran, washed up and collected items for a nice picnic dinner on the beach. Even though we had to move shortly into our meal and relocate to the port, it was the best way I could have imagined spending my last Saturday night – with great food, wine, and two of the best assistants to share it with. We were drawn to reflecting that night, about the experience, about travels, and about growth within ourselves. It was wonderful to take the time with these wonderful friends to be a little melancholic – although we are excited to get home and see everyone we love, we each realize it will be hard to leave this place.

After a good night’s sleep and a wonderful breakfast on the terrace overlooking Cassis, we suited up and spent Sunday morning by the pool. The sun did get a little intense, meaning I might have the burns to prove it, but it was the end cap of a great weekend. As we headed back to Marseille then Avignon via train, all of us in a minor sun daze and thinking of the amazing place we were leaving behind us, we couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. When we all said goodbye to each other once and for all while Amy and I boarded our bus for Apt, I couldn’t help but have tears in my eyes. This experience as an assistant may have had its rough times. But above it all, you always knew that there were people here going through those same types of struggles. It is hard to say goodbye, knowing you might never see those people again, but you have to say au revoir instead of adieu, leaving it optimistic and positive for future meetings. I will never forget this weekend with my favorite people here in France. Now, my last week of teaching - c'est parti!

*Guys, they just make my cooking look bad. I thought I was pretty good at cooking/baking before coming here, but these girls are on a whole different level!

**Translation: If I wasn’t scared of heights.

A little party never killed nobody

Though today I am tired and am having trouble focusing on work, I think that shows the great weekend I had. Friday, I had planned on relaxing at home, doing some more research for the upcoming travels, and starting to write letters to close my many accounts down. That is something I find interesting here – to close nearly any type of service account (apartment lease, internet service, phone service, etc), you need to send letters to the company a month in advance to ensure everything is shut down in time. Excuse me, I have to WRITE you a REAL letter and send it RECOMMENDED mail?! Clearly, France has not entered the technological age of the 21^st century where sending a simple email or even just going into the store/business and wanting to do it in person would suffice. No – everything here has to be a process, involving copious amounts of paperwork. Eh ben… c’est la vie!

However, I did not end up starting this Friday* - I decided to take the afternoon to go into Avignon. I had planned to do this Saturday but after talking to my fellow assistant friends Liz and Nysa who wanted to go to Nîmes that day, I took the opportunity to go into town and do something that I have wanted to do for a long while: visit the Palais des Papes. The Pope’s Palace, the major tourist attraction to see when you visit Avignon, is smack dab in the center of centre-ville, meaning the many times I have passed it during my several visits to Avignon I have marveled at its façade without ever walking inside. Friday, I paid the fee and marveled at the grandeur that the seven popes had made in the center of town. Avignon was the seat of the catholic church for 70 years when Southern France was part of Ancient Rome, it was the place where the popes resided. As I walked from room to room (which there were over 20 of), I couldn’t help but soak up the history as much as I could. Especially when I walked down the ceremonial staircase… since there was no one around, I couldn’t help but indulging myself in acting like a queen walking down a staircase after being crowned. You gotta soak up the moments when you can people! I am so happy that I made myself go into town to do this – it was a must-do before leaving and now I can truly say that I visited the sights in Avignon.

 

Courtyard of the Old Palace

Where the Popes ate their meals. You know, just the normal dining room.

The Great Chapel, the biggest and most magnificent room in the Palace (if you ask me!)

View of Avignon from la Tour de Gâche

La Fenêtre de l’Indulgence - after the Pope's would get coronated, they would walk to this window to wave to the rest of the court and see the people for the first time as the actual pope.

After, I did some shopping and although my time in Avignon was running short**, I had to make a mandatory stop at Milk Shop. I think I have written about Milk Shop before, but to describe again: it is a pure safe haven of American goodies. Their specialty? You might have guessed it: Milk Shakes! Since the places that sell these delicious drinks are far and few between here, I had to stop and get an American Cookie (aka Oreo) Milkshake, which of course was delicious! They also serve food too, like bagel burgers and such, but their sweets are what make them known, like their kitkat bar cake, crème brûlée cheesecake and Nutella cupcakes, just to name a few. If I was living in Avignon, this place would definitely be dangerous for me.

Nothing says 'Murica like an Oreo shake!

I might have taken a treat home for later too.... Coffee Speculoos Cake!

After a relaxing night in Apt, I headed back out to Avignon on a rainy Saturday morning. I met up with Liz and Nysa and we headed off to Nîmes, which is known as the little Rome in France, because it holds many well preserved Roman ruins. Because it was rainy and even a bit cold, we tried our best to make it a good trip by walking around, seeing the sights, taking pictures, window shopping and of course catching up on life. After getting thoroughly wet, we decided to duck into a café for a nice sit down lunch, enjoying salads and dessert. I hadn’t seen either of them since before Christmas, so it was really nice to hear what they’ve been doing and how they feel about the assistantship being done so soon. Although I came into this whole experience alone, not knowing one soul when setting foot on French soil, I am glad that I have met people to share this experience with. This opportunity of living in France has not only made me more independent but has also allowed myself to be more okay with being independent, more okay with doing things alone and being by myself. I am grateful and happy to have met some great people who I hope will remain friends when we all return to our own corners of the world.

Cheesin' with a Roman amphitheater!

Arènes de Nîmes – it is said to be the best preserved Roman amphitheater in Europe, even more so than the Colloseum in Rome.

This theater is still in operation, hosting bull fights during the summer. This guy was sad that it was raining so much too!

centre-ville

Southern France: where you can find a beautiful church with a palm tree in front of it!

 

After Nîmes, I had planned on going home, as I had neglected to do all my work on Friday and was thinking I should be responsible. However, Nysa and Liz convinced me to stay the night in Avignon as there was a wine bar that was open that night that rarely is. Le Delirium is only open once in a blue moon and since I hadn’t been out for a real night out in Avignon thus far, I had to take the opportunity, as it will probably be the only one I have with my remaining time left here. After buying a new outfit (again, was not prepared exactly for a night on the town), we spent time with a few other assistants at Liz’s apartment and then went out on the town. It was nice to get outside of Apt for the night, and even better to be out on the town actually enjoying nightlife here in France again – it’s been quite a while! Le Delirium was interesting, having a type of speak-easy vibe in décor. But clearly, the atmosphere was directly controlled by the live band. When we first arrived, there was a rap group performing and shortly after, a new group played the Beach boys and other American rock classics. While dancing to Johnny B Goode, I kept thinking how out of place this seems: a French wine bar with a band blaring American 50’s music. You never what to expect here, that’s for sure! I'm glad I ended up staying in Avignon instead of going home for the night - very unlike me to make a spontaneous decision like that but like the title of this post says, a little party never killed nobody!

Waking up early Sunday morning to catch the bus to Apt, the sun shining brightly with normal Provençal weather returning after that horrid rainy day, I couldn’t help but reflect on time. This could be because I had just said goodbye to Maria, another fellow secondary assistant and roommate of Liz, who is leaving today to return to the States. I know that this is all going to be over soon, but I think that it has just started hitting me how soon that really is. It really feels like just yesterday I was lugging my 65 pound suitcase up the three flights of stairs to my apartment, with everything feeling so new and unknown. It feels like just yesterday when I met all my teachers and students and was so apprehensive about what to teach and how to teach it. It seems like just yesterday I was setting up my bank account, and other services, using my highly rehearsed French to ensure that no language barriers would arise. To look back on moments like these and so many more, I realize how far I truly have come with my time here: in my language skills, independence, teaching abilities, and flexibility. Although it only seems like yesterday, I know that the time has only seemed to pass that quickly because it has been well spent. With only 4 weeks left of this assistantship, I already feel the rest of the time slipping between my fingers, like grains of sand blowing away in the breeze. With this time I have left, as I have tried to do throughout my stay here, it is time to profitez-bien – these are moments I will never get back.

*Leaving me in my half-asleep state today to try and accomplish these tasks. I will be so happy when I am done with all this administrative bureaucracy!

**I was actually going into town to attempt to get some work done too, in stopping by the Virgin Mobile store and asking them what I need to do to close my service with them. However, I never ended up getting there...

Ma famille en Provence

The day my family arrived in France began very early with a 6:58 shuttle train ride to the TGV station. They just put this shuttle train in Avignon, calling it le Virgule, and although it was very fast (getting us from Avignon Centre downtown to the TGV station in 6 minutes), I think they should not have gotten rid of the shuttle bus they had before, as this doesn’t run nearly as often. Alas, all went well and I arrived on time to Charles de Gaulle airport to pick up my extremely tired parents, Dan and Brenna. After taking the bus to Gare de Lyon, we had a quick lunch (and nap in their case) and made our way on the train back to Avignon. We were all supposed to sit together but as the woman next to me said that she gets motion sickness sitting next to the window, I agreed to sit there and speak across her to my family. She joined in our conversation, understanding nearly all English while speaking French to me. In fact, when asking about what I am doing here in France, she exclaimed that she knew where Apt was and had friends who lived near my new French home. This would soon become a pattern for the rest of the two week vacation.

After a nice train ride enjoying the views of the countryside*, we arrived at the Avignon TGV station and picked up the rental car. And so began the critiques of Dad’s driving in a foreign country, which continued all week, ranging from funny to mean. Really guys, he did an AMAZING job navigating roads in a place he had never been before, especially in such a ridiculously small car with the winding, narrow mountain roads (which in many cases had no guard rails). Though for navigation, I really do think the in car GPS ended up being a lifesaver – my road map I had bought of the South of France would barely have been able to lift a finger in helping us. That night, we got pizza from Pizz’Avenue and relaxed at the hotel. I had been dying to try Pizz’Avenue for a while as everyone raves about it. My review? Incredibly disappointing, undercooked and flavorless. Let’s just say the meals got better as their week in Provence progressed.

Sunday, I woke everyone up and we went to get pastries from my favorite boulangerie here in town, Caractères. This again would become a pattern: what I didn’t realize about vacances de fevrier in Provence is that nearly EVERYONE takes this as an annual vacation. Including businesses. Throughout the week, as we would walk up to a shop, café, or restaurant that I had been so excited to show my family, most times my eyes were met with a gated door and a handwritten sign saying “congés annuels”. Like normal, I never know what to expect around here! I felt bad that my family couldn’t see some of the things I had planned to show them, but they were completely understanding the entire time. And plus, they got to experience my way of life here in France: expect the unexpected!

After breakfast, we headed to the Sunday market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. I had been told by many that this market is the best in Provence and, as I have been to many a market, I was excited to see what this new place had to offer. I can officially say that this market is definitely the best: with its enormous size and variety of vendors set in this quaint little village, it was wonderful just to wander around and buy some souvenirs on the beautiful sunny day. 

The Sorgue River that runs through the city

Then we were off to Avignon, where I showed my family the quintessential tourist sights of the Palais des Papes, the Pont d’Avignon and the view from the Rocher des Doms. Although they were extremely tired, this being their first true day combating jet lag, they definitely were in high spirits to see the details of this walled city. Even so, we called it an early day and drove back to Apt, and as no restaurants are open in town on Sunday, we might have partaken in a McDonald’s meal slightly outside of town. You gotta do what you gotta do…. plus they have wifi!

Cheesing in front of the Pope's Palace

With the bridge in the background - on y danse, on y danse!

Monday morning, we were greeted with another blue skied day. We took our pastries and ate them in the Jardin du Monde in town. Then, as Brenna’s leg had been hurt from a soccer accident and the pain was getting worse, we stopped by the emergency room here in Apt and I got to practice my French medical terms. Although these are pretty non-existent, I helped out as much as I could, as none of the nurses and staff spoke English, besides the doctor that saw Brenna. After getting more meds and information about where to get bequilles**, we were off to our first stop of the day: Roussilion. As my Mom has her degree in geology, I was extremely excited to show her this place and knew that it would easily be her favorite. They were just floored by the dramatic colors of the ochres, especially with the extreme contrast against the blue sky, and it led to a wonderful afternoon exploring this natural wonder.

This week's new pastry: pain au chocolat et noisettes. Basically, a chocolate and hazelnut pastry. Pure HEAVEN.

Just chilling underneath the palm trees in Apt.

The red rock in Roussillon

Miss Geology with the ocres in Roussillon!

Working up a hunger, we stopped by a terrace café for lunch and soaked up the sun while we munched on crêpes, croque-monsieurs and ice cream. Then, it was off to the scenic overlook onto the town of Gordes. Although I have visited both Rousillion and Gordes in the past, it was so much more enjoyable being able to share these little villages with my family. As we drove up to the viewpoint, I knew what to expect, but hearing their “ooh”s and “aah”s made me see the beauty of the light shining on the white walls of the posh buildings in a completely different way.

Early evening light on Gordes

On our last stop of the day, making it just before sundown, we arrived in the middle of an uninhabited valley where the 12^th century Abbaye de Senanque sits. The isolated, yet still active, abbey was proceeded by lines and lines of lavender. Though not in bloom right now, you could still imagine the beauty of the place in the summer. Not to mention that it still had a lingering, fragrant scent of lavender, which added to the sense of calm one has when visiting this place.

The next day I dubbed to be Roman day, as we spent the day exploring many Roman ruins in cities scattered around this region. In the morning, we drove to Vaison-la-Romaine which has two sites of ruins nestled within the town center. It was amazing to see how the rest of the city has been built around these ancient ruins, and great to see how well they have been preserved. Plus, another wonderful morning market to wander around in was a nice way to start the day.

Queen of the ruins.

Then, we were off to Orange, which boasts a well preserved Arc de Triomphe as well as an ancient Roman theatre. Though it became windy and cold during this part of the day, we climbed the many steps in the theatre and tried to imagine the performances that took place at the venue in ancient times. Today, it still hosts the Choralies festival during the summer, a world renowned opera festival!

Arc de Triomphe in Orange

Who doesn't love a good photobomb?!

Theatre Antique

For the last stop in this tour of Roman Provence, we left the Vaucluse region and traveled into the Gard, visiting the magnificent Pont du Gard, a massive Roman aqueduct that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though I have wanted to see this site ever since I studied abroad here, I was not expecting how big it was truly going to be. Staring up at its large beams, I couldn’t help but wonder how the Romans could have built something so large and lasting with the limited amount of technology at that time. It was definitely the highlight of “Roman day” in Provence.

No picture can quite capture its massiveness.

That night, we ate at one of my favorite restaurants in town, Chez mon cousin Alphonse. Again, because many of my favorites were closed during this week, Chez became a place that we frequented. My family nor I did I mind, with the dessert menu that nearly competes in size to the regular one, we enjoyed nice meals of tartiflette, wood stove pizza, fondue, duck, and other favorites, washed down with wine for the ladies and beer for the men.

Dad's poison (left) and mine (right). Papa Bear and Little Bear. :)

Wednesday, we woke up and were greeted with rain. A lot of rain. As I had seen this in the forecast, we made it a simple day of driving through some of the littler villages around Apt, including Bonnieux, Lacoste, and the famous Ménerbes where Peter Mayle lived and wrote about in his book a Year in Provence. Because it was rainy and there was a lot of fog, we didn’t get out and take any pictures but more or less took in the view and feel of the cities from the car. Then we were off to Lourmarin to visit the Château de Lourmarin. We stopped in town to get a small lunch beforehand and ended up having a nice leisurely lunch, full of conversation with our waiter Benjamin who had just returned to France after living in San Francisco for several years.*** Again, always expect the unexpected here in France!

We made it back to Apt early that night and decided to catch a movie at the cinema, something I tend to do normally on a Wednesday night. They had August in Osage County playing in English, so we enjoyed a quick flick and then a nice French dinner at a crêperie called le Chant de l’Heure. As my family all adores cheese and sweets, they loved trying the savory and sweets crepes in this homey lofted restaurant.

Thursday brought an early morning but a promise of beautiful weather, as we were heading to the coast town of Cassis. Anyone who has asked me the question “What is your favorite place in France?” will know that this has been and still is my answer. I fell in love with this small coastal beach town during an excursion that I went on when I studied abroad, and my love for the clear blue waters splashing up onto the beach surrounded by Cap Canaille and the calanques has only continued to grow. Although we spent a short morning here, going on a boat tour of the calanques and relaxing by the Mediterranean Sea, I am so excited that I get to return here for my last weekend of the assistantship. I was so happy to be able to show this little gem to my family, who seemed just as enthralled by its beauty.

Pure happiness.

I said that Tuesday was dubbed “Roman day” – going with this theme, Dan decided to dub this day “Becca day” as we went to all my favorite places. The afternoon was spent in Aix-en-Provence. Although my mom had visited here before, it was wonderful to show the rest of my family where I studied for six weeks, my walk to school, my favorite gelato and crepe place and of course, all the fountains. After exploring the city, I took them out to the Barrage de Bimont where they could see the Montagne Sainte-Victoire that I hiked just the weekend before. 

Family in front of la Rotonde!

Alumni representin'

Dan and Brenna with Cezanne's muse in the background

We awoke Friday finally feeling the effects of a non-stop tour throughout Southern France. That, along with the rainy weather, scrapped the plans for the day and we decided to hang around town, resting and writing postcards while spending some quality time together. That night, we were invited to go to my coordinating teacher Cathy’s house for dinner. As I have been there a few times, I felt at home instantly, though I was worried about how my family might fit in. I needn’t have worried; Cathy, Marc and their children made my family feel so welcomed, offering us pissaladière, pot-au-feu, bread, cheese, and homemade ice cream for dessert, all washed down with a lovely Alsace white wine, a round red wine made in nearby Ventoux, and even a light organic red wine. They talked and talked to us for hours and loved hearing about life in America. After finally saying our goodbyes and many thanks at midnight, we drove back to the hotel with our bellies full and our spirits high.

Saturday morning marked the beginning of our last day together in Provence and it could not have begun better. A sunny blue sky greeted us as we made our way through the Saturday market here in Apt. I was happy to show my family the little windy alleys of Apt, and help them buy some souvenirs from this place as they got to experience one last market. For lunch, I introduced another French tradition to them: a wine and cheese tasting at Chez Sylla. With each of us getting something slightly different (the men got sausage platters while the women got salads and cheeses), we got to try each other’s food and wine choices, leading to good discussions with our waiter about how the wine was made and how each one is different. My family loved this meal, boasting that it was maybe their favorite, which showed as they bought their favorite wines and confitures from the store room.

In the afternoon, we headed off to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, a small village which holds la source, or the source of the Sorgue river. As it is winter, everyone says that it is the best time to visit this sit, as the water is incredibly high and rushing throughout the village. As the beautiful weather continued, it was clear that we were not the only ones that had the idea to visit the source, which was shown by the overflowing parking lots throughout the city. We followed the mass of people going towards the source, all the while taking in the sights and the sounds of the gushing water of the river next to us. When we reached the beginning, we noticed that there was a large rock face that people were climbing to get a better view. Although I was not really equipped for climbing, Dan, Dad and I climbed up to get a better view and a few pictures. It was certainly worth almost slipping down the side of the hill, as the pool of blue water below was a beauty to see.

Dad looking like a kid in a candy store after climbing the rocky trail for a better view!

La Source

Our last night in Apt, we decided to have a small dinner, as we would be up at 4:30 to leave for Avignon.**** So what fine dining establishment did we visit, you may ask? Since I had told my family so much about it, we had to make a stop at Pizz’Burger. One of my students took our order, gave us a meal for free and even offered us coffee after. I talked to my favorite French woman, who I finally found out refers to me as la fille avec l’ordinateur, or the girl with the computer. Wifi junkie, much? But anyway, we spoke in French about my family and we translated the conversation back and forth, always so welcoming even if they barely know any English. I am glad that I did take my family there – though it is not exactly French cuisine, it has that laid-back, welcoming Provencal attitude that I want my family to remember. 

With speedy and a little stressful packing for the rest of the night, our week together in Provence came to a close. I can’t even begin to explain how wonderful it was showing my family around where I live, work and studied. I hope they understand why I like it so much in this region in France, that it is all about slowing down and enjoying what is around you: the beautiful sights, delicious food and wonderful family. I think that they felt welcomed and at home, in my home away from home. It was truly a week that I will never forget.

*Read: Me enjoying the countryside, everyone else napping. Jet lag is rough, folks!

**Translation: crutches. I had to google translate that one on my phone while in the hospital – yes technology!

***I know, right? What a small world! Brenna, Dan and him chatted like old pals about the Bay area.

****In hindsight, the 7am TGV ride might not have been a great idea. But hey, it was cheaper and we got into Paris earlier!