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You can't beet this.

Time : 1:09 AM


Location : My bed, all snuggied under the covers, be thankful for this entry, I am half asleep.

Weather : It is a little chilly outside, probably only 10 C, with a little wind



Today I finally got to see Lou off to school. That is one more route I have to memorize. There are so many; the grocery store, the school, gymnastics, theatre. Plus any for my own use. Oh, and those four that I noted may not seem like much, but they all go in different directions and curve and twist through similar but very different route.

On the way back home we stopped at a Boulangerie (bakery) and picked up some snacks. I chose a croissant. Just my luck to have to fall out of paper bag as we left the store. 

Seeing as it rained frogs all day, Alissa (I found out I was spelling her name wrong, oops!) and I spent the whole day inside, reading French magazines and bonding over our love for Beatles music. I shared my knowledge of making London Fogs while we compared and contrasted Canada and Germany and she found great amusement in the things that I find “si bizarre” (so weird) here (like non-refrigerated milk).

Even though our plans of returning to Aix were foiled, it was actually a lot of fun.

Eventually we had to go pick up Lou and take her to theatre class. Which is in Aix. And I have no idea how I am going to remember the way. I really hope Lou knows it.

Upon returning home we snacked a little, played some Post Office. At least I think it was Post Office. Lou was very tired and kept changing the flow of whatever it was we were doing and neither Alissa nor myself had any idea what was going on.

I don’t know if you have ever had to peel a beet before, but I really hope you have not. I can now say that I have. Helping prepare supper, I volunteered not knowing what on Earth I was getting into. First of all, the beet was really round and had an odd firmness. It was kind of squishy, but still a little firm. Almost like someone’s semi tense arm. Second of all, I soon discovered that they stain your hands like crazy. Not being a seasoned beet peeler, my hands were covered in beet juice, which I soon started to joke was blood. Which may not have gone over as well as I thought.. MOVING ON. Third, have you ever seen a raw peeled beet? The only thing it made me think of, what when you see those pictures of human muscles on the magic school bus. All the lines and the dark red almost purple color. It really did not help that it had the odd firmness of a human arm. All I can say is it is a really good thing that I found the beet salad to be very tasty.

After a late supper, Alissa and I headed off to Elizabeth’s house to hang out. She is also a German au-pair girl. She was quite interesting. She had spent a year travelling the U.S.A. with her friends, came home for two weeks, then headed off to study French here and work as an au-pair. Which if you think about it, would be a great set up if you could get your courses set up accordingly.

I drove for the first time here on the way to Elizabeth’s. It has been nearly two years since I’ve driven standard. That’s all I feel like saying on the topic. Haha..

Anyways, we watched a movie, while enjoying an extreme mix of franco-english-germanic conversation. It really would have been incredible to hear. Oh, and also, Elizabeth is fluent in German, English, Spanish and French. In that order.

Needless to day, we were there until quite late and did not get home until about 25 minutes ago. Which is why I am going to go to bed right now.

Unfortunately I did not take any photos today . If you have any requests of certain photos so I can spice up this entry a little bit, by all means, leave a comment or throw me an e-mail.

Until tomorrow evening, hopefully not night.

1:39 AM

This is not an illness. This is Tim Hortons withdraw.

Time : 9:09pm thats better..

Location : Kitchen counter

Weather : a really warm wind and the thermometer reads 15.1 C. nice.

Today as well was very relaxing. Took my time this morning/afternoon getting together and all. Then just hung out around the house. Not wanting to get sicker I took it very easy.
All day I had mini mishaps, as I usually do. Here is a quick recap of the most note worthy.


Night time down town



- I could not get the espresso machine to function for the life of me. :(

- While microwaving some milk for my tea, OPTIQUICK, which is the 40 second long quick heat, boiled it over / explode all over the microwave resulting in needing a full cleaning.
- Wanting to warm up a crepe, I OPTIQUICK-ed it, a poor deicison from the start. I turn around for one second and then find my crepe completely burned to a crisp right onto the revolving plate. I should have known better than to not use my own plate. Microwave cleaning number 2.


Town Square



Also, I am starting to think that this is not an illness, this is simply Tim Hortons withdrawl. It's been nearly a week since I've had any Tim's product. I miss it.

Come nearly evening, I ventured out for a quick walk around town to stretch my legs and get some air. Night had fallen half way through my walk and I tried out the slow shutter speed a couple times. Not getting great results I carried on.

 Upon returning home, I made a soup. Free style. I threw in some potatoes, a carrot, some shallots as well as some other things. It was of course, quite tasty.
Well, everyone is filtering home now.
I'll leave it at that.
Good night.



slow shutter speed



Oys-.



Right by my house

 Time : 10:59 pm oooh soo late...
Location : kitchen counter for once
Weather : windy, I can see a plant moving. Haven't been outside for hours though..

Today was off beat.
I planned on getting up at 9am and have a swift start to my day, but an unlucky snatch of sickness in the night had me up until 3am coughing my lungs out. I did not rise until 10:30am, and by the time I got myself put together it was already past 1pm.


I went for my leisurely stroll around the town. Took me about an hour. I took a couple photos here and there. I was hoping on being able to check out the little stores here so that I could take note of what they have to offer for future reference, but I had forgotten that "Nobody works in France" and all but the fresh vegetable and fruit store was closed. My second plan was to sit for a bit in a little cafe, sitting espresso and taking in the scenery, but the one cafe I found turned out to be more of an actual restaurant, so I passed.

The expression "Nobody works in France" is very true. Most businesses are open maybe a full nine to five, weekdays only, with one to two hours for lunch. The nine to five hours are iffy; I'd say give or take to your luck.


Do you know what kind of tree this is?



Also, the fresh fruit and vegetable stores. Back home we have grocery stores right? You have your produce, dairy, dry goods, and maybe a little hardware and miscellaneous goods, this being say a small grocery store or a "corner store". Yes, I have gone to a full grocery store, similar to a Superstore or Extra Foods, but primarily there are these fresh produce stores. These stores carry very fresh produce, pretty much straight off the farms. There is little processing involved. There is no packaging, no plastic and little trimming. Yesterday I saw a celery stalk that still had its leaves (!!!!!). My point exactly. Also, the stores carry local meats, canned goods, maybe spices and definitely wine. Keep in mind, everything is local. You see no brand named lettuce or the like.



Catching the ringing phone as I got home, Lou called me from her father's for lunch time. Yes, mid-afternoon lunch. Definitely my style for the day. Lou met me half way of the 3 minute walk, and caught me snapping photos. Alex, JB and Pierre were all hanging around; enjoying one's company and Philippe was busy in the kitchen when I arrived. 



All the homes are walled in. Just an example of it and how each yard varies by taste.



Philippe really loves cooking. He likes to try new things on a whim as well as mixing types of food. Alex says his best recipes are usually the simplest of ingredients that you would never think of using together. Needless to say I was looking forward to the meal.



The first dish was a risotto and beet mix. I was a little doubtful seeing as I am not a fan of beets, but it was indeed delicious. Following was more of an experience than a dish. Oysters. When they asked if I like oysters I said that I do. I LOVE eating those little smoked oysters out of the can, maybe on a cracker with some jelly. Here JB brings out a knife and Philippe puts a large bag on the table. Next thing I know they're cracking open LIVE oysters and we're slurping them down. I was not disgusted by the way that it slid down my throat before I had a chance to chew it, but the saltiness caught me a little off guard. These were not my little smoked oysters. After two I had had enough. Not that I didn't like them, but I knew that there were people who would treasure them more than I. People such as Alex. Once the slurping was all done with, the final dish was put on the table; baked salmon. Here the simplest of ingredients made for a delicious meal.

If you are in doubt, I will say again, this was for lunch.


French man holes?



A while later they packed up to go for a walk, and I headed back home. Still feeling quite ill with this nasty cough, I retired to my quarters for a couple hours, drifting in and out of sleep according to my breathing while attempting to watch an episode of Glee.

Slowly the day went by, and here I am. Don't fret. I was not bedridden. Just very fatigued.
As I still am, heading off to bed. Hopefully without contest to this cough.
Muah Muah
11:24 pm



En route to Philippe's



I saw a man playing an accordian in the streets today.

Time : 9:23pm
Location : sitting on my bed, as per the usual

fog in the morning

Weather : well I just came in from a walk, so I can tell you its brisk outside, and I am almost tempted to wear mittens..

Today was splendid.
Allisa taught me how the bus works here, and we went to Aix-en-Provence. Aix is pronounced 'ee-ks'. I am always saying 'ehh-ks'. I have a feeling it has to do with A. Anyways, it is a lovely town/city. I am not all together sure on if it is a large town or a small city. Either way, it is very nice. Just as everything else is here.
We stayed in the central down town area. When I think of Downtown, I think of Down Town Saskatoon where there are lots of trees, the buildings, still aren't really tall, but they're taller than the rest of city. Oh, and not to mention, the main water feature; the river.

panoramic of the back yard

Cathedrale Saint-Sauveur

Over here, things are a bit different. When you come to one of the squares, or more open areas that are full of little outdoor cafes with French waiters (lacking moustaches) there is usually a large tree or two. The cobblestone streets are not forgiving to tree growth, nor to women's stilettos. If you are not in a square, bathing in some rare sunlight, you are among the streets. They are jam packed with people. These people are of all ages. Young and old gather to shop, eat or pass through. Come to think of it, there really was not allot of people, it was simply an illusion. The cause of this illusion was the three to four story high buildings that were miscellaneous shops on the bottom and hopefully housing for the upper stories. Towering high above you, not much sunlight comes through. To add to the claustrophobia, the width between one side of the street and the other is between seven and ten meters, depending on if there is a sidewalk. On to the main water feature. By now you may notice a trend; a lack of natural surroundings perhaps? Well if you haven't, that's it. The water features are fountains. Quite uncommon back home, but here they are quite popular, and ass a refreshing bit to the atmosphere (haha).

a water feature

Allisa and I walked around for a couple hours, window shopping, actual shopping as I learned the area a bit. Something else to note, is that even though there are Streets and Avenues that in no way means that they go only north and south, and west to east. In fact, two streets that are parallel will usually end up intersecting each other. Try navigating through that.
I took note of which stores have chic clothing, where I can get it for not 100 Euros a piece, and other little shops. A key to never leaving a shop empty handed is to never enter one. But really. A tip: each store window will have a display where they show how much, on average, select pieces are. If you really like those boots but aren't interested in paying an arm and a leg, you have been warned.  It is also a time saver. I personally don't mind entering most shops regardless because then I can get an idea of what is in fashion for everyone.

Aix-en-Provence, downtown

We snagged the bus home, right in the middle of crunch time traffic. I really should have taken a photo of the mess. It was ridiculous.
Allisa went on one of her final weekend trips with a friend and Marie-Anne to Paris for a friend's birthday. Both plans made well in advance, so I spent the evening at Lou's father's where I finally got to meet him, Philippe, and her brother Pierre.
Once supper was over, Alex, who is turning out to be quite nice and very talkative towards me, which I appreciate, and Jean-Baptist aka JB, walked me home. It was a 5 minute walk and like I previously stated, brisk.
This here is a closing to my day.
My bed awaits. For tomorrow, I discover Luynes.
TaTa
9:55pm



No caption needed.



Du the avec du lait and milk



Front yard.



Time: 10:51pm ohhh its late..

Location : on my bed again

 

Weather : well, its night. but not too bad. Need a light sweater I suppose

  

Most of the back yard



On to today. Seeing as it was Remembrance Day today, once again Lou did not have school. Which is turning out to be great for my jet lag. I don’t believe that they call it Remembrance Day, but it is the same idea. Same holiday.





Niolon.



After a simple breakfast of bread and nutella. Yes, Nutella. It is a world wide thing. Actually, probably more European than North American. I will not get into that.. I went grocery shopping with Marie-Anne. Something odd about the super market; it was small. Superstore back at home still has France beat, for now. Also, everything came in packages. Like the butter: in a cardboard box. And the milk, well, you can buy it refrigerated and fresh, like most of us do back home, but I guess it really isn’t that popular. People like their milk off the shelf. And a contributing factor is probably the lack of milk drinkers in the family here. Also, some items, I found to be oddly pricey, while others were quite cheap. Maybe there was a sale on, or maybe it’s just different. I will have to keep an inquiry.



On the way home we stopped by a REAL BAKERY. Here it is an art. I would no longer call the Extra Foods bakery a real bakery.

Post grocery shopping, Allisa and I played allot of Post Office with Lou. It seems to be her favourite.

Very neat bridge.

Marseille

Niolon

A lovely lunch was prepared since Alex and her boyfriend are home for the weekend. We began with aperitifs outside on the patio, and then moved inside for the main meal. I quite enjoyed the little appetizers of anchovie stuffed olives, little crackers, picked garlic and nuts. The main course was some kind of meat dish with a tomato based sauce that we had on top of rice. Quite delicious. We followed with a vinaigrette salad and cheese on baguette. I have no idea what kind the first kind of cheese was that I tried, kind of tasted like Swiss, but it was much more firm and a little nuttier. The second was obviously Camembert. Which I am already developing quite a taste for.

After lunch Marie-Anne took Allisa, Lou and I to see the Mediterranean Sea. It was gorgeous. Where we went for a hike along was the Blue Coast; named after its blue waters. Very beautiful. And across the bay, a very large bay I will add, was Marseille. It is the second biggest city in all of France. It stretches all along the coast from the main sea all the way into the bay. Very beautiful area. We wandered back into the small fishing village of Niolon. Once again, a simply beautiful area. Houses of vary heights and levels due to the ragged terrain of the sea cliffs and rocks. Not a very wealthy town because of the fishermen’s trade, but to purchase a home here is very very expensive. Marie-Anne explained that in order to have a home here it is next to impossible. The properties are very much sought after and are only obtained through the family. Another interesting fact is how in the summer, it is not permitted to visit the village. The prime location for tourists to come and swim is the exact reason; they do not want the villagers to be disturbed by the huge crowds of people that come to refresh on the easy +40 degrees C days.

I will add that it was a quick 20-30 minute car ride to return home. This was even in the 17H00 traffic.

Once again us girls played, being world famous DJs and Superstars where Lou had no problem in all of a sudden turning the area into a mini Bistro. I quickly ordered `the usual` which was a tea with honey and milk. Lou can not get over the fact that I like milk and honey in my tea.

Supper was quite delicious; we melted some other kind of cheese and spread it over our potatoes and deli cuts. Very fine meal, and nicely finished with some yogurt.

Easily being 21H00, Lou retired to her room, as did us others. And here I am.

Quite a bit later, being drawn out by my extensive Facebook life.

I must sleep.

Good night!

11:10 pm



On the way to the Sea, you spy Marseille



We play house.



Looking out of a top story window



Location : on the couch, watching TV

Time : 10:52pm

Weather : well, it's night time. And a bit humid because itrained this morning and is yet to warm up..



Luckily today Lou didn't have school. I slept for almost 12 hours. And until 10am. Nobody wanted to wake me. I don't know why..

Anyways, we drove around a little, showing me the vilalge, which really isn't all that big, and before I knew it we were in Aix. I honestly didn't know we had left Luynes.



We just chilled around the house for the rest of the day.

Played ALOT of Post Office with Lou. Like ALOT. And some Laundromat. And some House. And Room mates. She is really imaginative, which makes it very fun.



Down the street. Notice the walls.



The town is really quite beautiful. I'll hopefully have the patience to upload some photos. I tried before, but it was taking wayyyy too long.



There's more people around now. Marie-Anne just got back with Lou's older sister; Alexandra along with Jean-..(I forget, aiya), her boyfriend.



I'm still getting used to this double cheek kiss thing. I constantly forget that its customary. haha, oh well.

Anyways, peopleare here, I gotta fly. I'll try the photos later...maybe

TaTa

11:04pm



The front of the house.