Okay, I finally have some time to post again. It's been a crazy week, so let's see if I can actually remember any of it... Let's work backwards, shall we? Today was marked (so far) by me skipping one of my classes which was wonderful and provided a much needed break, buying my youth train pass so I can get discounts on trips (although I was dumb and didn't start it until the 13th, so I can't buy my tickets to Paris until then... crap), buying a gigantic jar of nutella (I'm psyched), and preparing to make a quiche. In the microwave. It'll be... an adventure.

On Sunday we had our second excursion, to Avignon. I'll admit that it was not the most enjoyable trip I've even had mostly because a. we left at 8:15 which is much too early to be up on a Sunday and b. Avignon is apparently the Chicago of France in that it's always windy, and Sunday was no exception. It was bloody freezing in the morning.

So, ten points to anyone who can point out the exciting part of this photo... anyone?
Mountains!!! I haven't seen mountains in weeks. I was pretty pleased. In other news, this is Avignon.






















The exciting bit about Avignon is that the Pope lived here for a while. Didn't quite catch why, but he (well, multiple) built this amazing castle, and me being the art history/architecture geek that I am, couldn't help but take pictures of the vaulted ceiling...













... And the piers. It's just so brilliant that it makes my brain ache.

























After we left Avignon proper, we went to a vineyard for a little tour and then a wine tasting. Right now is the middle of "la vendange" which is the massive grape-picking season. Also, we got to see some wines that were in the process of fermenting which was pretty cool. It doesn't look all that appetizing, though, because it's opaque and very fizzy. Tastes really sweet, though.






Let's see. On Saturday evening, after going to a lovely dinner party I went to a little bookshop which is right down the corner from my apartment (I think it's called The Globe, although I can never remember) for an acoustic music night. There were about five musicians and it was really nice. I played for a bit as well, although it didn't go terribly well. Not awful, but just not great. There was one point when I did a downbow, hit the little table in front of me where I had put my music, and had my bow nearly jump out of my hands. Needless to say, that threw me off a bit. The exciting part of the evening, though, was that there was another fiddler there, named Lucile I believe, who did French folk songs and even tried to teach a dance! Afterwards I talked with her a bit and asked her to send me some info regarding folk dancing in Montpellier. I'm so glad to be a bit closer to finding the folk scene! Other than this, my weekend was fun and very full. On Friday we went to the last Estivales (I can almost drink a glass of wine without shuddering, so I'm very pleased with myself) and then to a club, which was a new experience for me. It actually wasn't quite as much fun as I had been hoping it would be--guess it's just not quite my place, but it was a good experience nonetheless. Also, I had my first daiquiri which was rather tasty.

And before the weekend... Wow, that was a long time ago. Classes have been going well, and I actually did well on a quiz which was rather heartening. For grammar we had to write stories, and my group came up with something very... original... concerning a dead, Egyptian princess who happens to have been Cinderella's stepsister, and she needs to weigh her heart against a feather... yeah. I dunno either. On Friday in our lexique class we had to argue a court case, but we got to make up the back story so it ended up being ridiculous and a lot of fun. My group was trying to prove that M. Martin had indeed been murdered by his wife, and used evidence such as the illegitimate child and cocaine usage as proof. Good times. Also, we ate at the cafeteria for the first time which, despite being very civilized with three courses, baguettes and pitchers of water, had terrible food. I'm hoping that it'll improve once the school year starts. Other than that... Well, I finally got postcards in the mail after a few days of trying, we went to see a Mucha exhibit at the museum, I've developed a strange obsession with the Phantom of the Opera, and I've discovered how to download movies. Also, I need to start planning for what classes I want to sign up for, my trip to Paris next week, and Rosh Hashana which is next Friday (although I found a girl who's staying with a Jewish family, so hopefully they'll be able to adopt me for the holiday).

And, I've momentarily run out of things to say, so I'll finish this up before I type my fingers off. Au revoir!