Vacation sweet vacation! It didn't really feel deserved, though, as I'd only had 16 days of classes and then got a 10 day vacation. But... I don't think I'll complain.

The first half of my break was pretty low-key which was nice and balanced out the fun and games of the second half.

The exciting event of Tuesday was meeting some interesting people in the park. I was just wandering around, taking advantage of the warm weather when I stumbled across two guys jamming, one with a medieval oboe (kinda like a bombarde) and the other with a didgeridoo. Needless to say, I hung out for a while :) Also, at one point they were trying to guess where I was from--the first guy said England, the second said that of course I was German... And it wasn't until the third guess that they got it right. I was pleased. Anyways, it was really cool to meet them, and I invited the guy with the oboe (named Mathieu) to jam with us on Fridays. This is the band he plays with, which is pretty darn cool: http://www.myspace.com/compagniesoukha

Wednesday evening I finished the UAF--the application for the summer internship at le Chateau de Chantilly--which was a GIANT relief. Everyone wish me luck!

And on Thursday.... Sealia and I hopped on a train and went to Carcassone! (Although the whole "leaving" part nearly didn't happen due to an alarm clock malfunction). It's a small city about an hour and a half west of Montpellier, which is home to la cité médiévale de Carcassone which is a totally intact castle--moat (sans water), drawbridge, ramparts etc. It's all there, and super awesome. We spent the day wandering around the city and then spent the night in a nice little hostel. It would be really cool to come back in the summer, as a lot of things were closed because it's the off-season now.
FREAKING CASTLE













Can you imagine trying to attack this place?













Hey, moat!













Because every castle needs a good cathedral.

















Wandering around in the evening... A few minutes later we found the coven of witches and did some human sacrifice.











My compliments to Sealia's awesome photography skillz.










So, we were supposed to go to Ireland on Friday afternoon, but seeing as this is indeed France where striking is the national sport... Yeah. All flights were canceled because of the air controller strikes, so Ireland was out of the question unless we felt like swimming. We were.... MOST displeased. But, at least we managed to get back home by that afternoon, so that was good. Also, it was Friday, so we at least got to spend the evening at an Irish pub :) It actually ended up being quite the jam, even though it had technically been canceled because Brian was off in Slovenia. It was only five of us, but included Mathieu who had brought his bagpipes!! Also, I got to dance a scottish with Titouan which was a lot of fun.

Saturday was my first trip to a farmer's market just at the edge of the centre-ville, which was really cool. It had pretty much anything you could think of and felt very... Cultural, to boot. Lots of people, lots of color, lots of interesting things to buy and (mostly) eat. And now it is Sunday evening, my break is officially at an end, and I didn't do half the work that I should have. Such is life.... But hey, tomorrow might be a Monday, but it's also the first day of MARCH! That's practically SPRING! :)

So, it seems that all of the exciting events of the past week revolve around either dance, music or food. Maybe this should tell me something about my life, of late. Hmmmm....

First of all, we can start with the best Valentine's day ever. No, seriously. As Sophie wisely pointed out, why reserve Valentine's day for being mushy with your significant other when you can be mushy with your friends? So, that's just what we did--Got dressed to the nines, descended upon a flower-and-heart-strewn apartment and had an Amazing dinner. Good times :) [Photos will be uploaded when I figure out who has them; I need to get in the habit of actually bringing my camera places, I think]

Monday afternoon charged us with the great task of eating une galette au roi, because these things simply cannot be left to languish. So, as the youngest (who'd have known?) I got to cut it up and decide who I liked enough to give a piece to. Now, the fun thing about la galette is that there's a prize baked into it, and who ever finds/chokes on it gets to be the king/queen for the day. Now who should find it, but yours truly!

Isn't it pretty?











It's a little hard to see, but I have a crown!
(Photos grace à Sealia)










School, blah, blah, blah... I should probably start doing some work, one of these days, but seeing as I'm now on vacation... [Yes, vacation. I've had a total of 16 days of class, and I'm on vacation. Hell yes.] Oh, I think I went to the WORST contemporary art museum ever to exist on Thursday. Seriously, it was miserable. It was all the type of art that has no title, no explanation and no apparent logic which always feels very... Selfish. How do I know that someone didn't just throw together a bunch of paper napkins and dice, and declare it art? For me, it's not art without an apparent thought process from the artist.

Thursday was my first time back to the Occitan dance since the fall! I got there early and learned a few tunes (er... tried) and then spent the rest of the evening bouncing back and forth from my fiddle and the dance floor. There was one man who sang a few Occitan songs for us, which was really incredible.
A group of college students getting together in the Occitan studies classroom to play and dance the night away. Oh yes. (Again, not my photo).











Also, if you're curious about Occitan music, listen to this.

Friday was, as per usual, the FitzPatrick's jam which was, as per usual, a lot of fun, and Saturday was spent, as per usual, recovering from said fun.

After trying four different recipes... I WIN THE EPIC BROWNIE BATTLE.
It still needs some tweaking, but it was neither semi-solid, burned to a crisp nor super greasy, so I say it was a success.









So, I intend to use the next week getting some school work done, catching up on ballet classes and then, on Thursday leaving for Carcassone and then on to IRELAND! I can't wait. Also, if all goes according to plan, we get to stay with a friend of Sealia's father, a Mr. O'Shay which would be awesome :)

Frenchification:

It occurred to me, early yesterday morning while getting dressed, that I seem to have adopted a few French habits--Completely by accident, I assure you. This realization was sparked when trying to decide which scarf I wanted to wear: black, white or dark blue. It then struck me that I don't think I've seen my neck since the beginning of October, because I always have a scarf on, in true French fashion. So, this made me think about other ways in which I've been "Frenchified." (Is it just me, or does that sound like a Bushism?)

1. Scarves, as already stated. I feel terribly naked without one. Anyways, I don't want to tempt the vampires of the world.

2. Bread: For some reason, it now feels downright morally wrong to buy anything other than a freshly-made-that-morning baguette. Processed bread just seems to be, well, not bread. Also, not nearly as tasty when covered with nutella. For better or worse, I don't feel quite the same way about pastries v. cookies, which is probably good for my wallet and my arteries.

3. Conservation: I can't really claim that I now have the heat perpetually turned to "penguin" and wear my parka indoors, like the rest of the French population, but I am a bit paranoid about hot water, especially when it comes to using the washing machine... As in, turning it up to 40 C to wash my towels makes my palms sweat.

4. Makeup: Putting on makeup used to be reserved for going out on the weekends, when I felt like looking especially nice. Now, it goes on for classes. Yikes.

5. The "Sound Bubble": While Americans have a "space bubble," the French have a "sound bubble," in that it's considered awkward when you can easily hear someone else's conversation in public space. Will I ever have a phone conversation while on the tram? Heck no.

6. Time: At home, time is that evil entity that is always against us, no matter if it's too much, too little, or it's just the word "time" which is probably giving you a panic attack at this very moment. In France, however, possessing time is the single most important thing in life--Why bolt your dinner when you can enjoy it for the entire evening? Why run when you can walk? Why get a to-go cup when you can sit in the café and savor it for two hours? In France, you learn to take your time.

Another week, another post. Or, something like that, at least.

So, I have just finished with week #3 of classes, and things are going well, although the sheer number of presentations I need to do this semester is a bit overwhelming--FIVE (although, one down, so only four to go!). However, that's balanced out by the fact that I've had to pay all of 10 euro for my books. Hell yes. Overall, a number of my classes make me want to doze off, but none of my classes are bad, so I'm not going to complain.

Let's see. Last week started off most culturally... With a trip to the opera to see Othello! (On a Tuesday evening, for about 4 euro, no less). It was very good, although not done in traditional-opera-style, as in there was a full orchestra and chorus on stage, and then the singers were in front, not doing any acting and not in costume. Hm. Also surprising was that the opera was absolutely packed! On a Tuesday night! Three cheers for the French!

Friday evening was Siobhan's birthday party, and we celebrated her 21st accordingly. Good times :)












On Sunday, Mme. Cesari took me, Haruko and her other tenant Blaire out on an excursion to Maguelone, a town about half an hour from Montpellier.

Why hello, Mediterranean. Also, hello snow-capped mountains in the distance.












Cathedral de Maguelone! The windows are super cool (and no, not original).
















It's an old Romanesque fortified cathedral, built in the 11th century. This thing is SOLID. Seriously, when the Apocalypse comes, that's where I'll be.















Holy crap, PEACOCKS! No, I'm not sure what they were doing hanging around the cathedral, either.











Time for a nice, afternoon stroll by the Mediterranean, don't you think? Me too.
















How about a nice siesta, too? Yeah? Okay.













SO PRETTY.

















So, right now I'm trying to get over a cold as fast as possible so I can have a good weekend! I have an epic grocery-shopping trip planned for tomorrow, and then the jam in the evening. On Saturday I have a language exchange with a woman named Stephanie which should be fun. I'm hoping that we're at about the same level of language proficiency, or it'll be a bit awkward. And Sunday is... Valentine's Day, which tends to be mildly depressing, but hopefully it'll be alright. Also, I've finally started planning for my February vacation! Hello, Ireland... :) I'm pretty psyched. Now I can be a proper fiddler!