Le Pays Basque

This weekend I ventured outside of Bordeaux and headed about two hours southwest to explore the Pays Basque region of France. Which, according to the waiter we talked to in Biarritz, should not even be considered a part of France because it is so unique. Not sure I would go as far to say that Bayonne and Biarritz are not French cities but I admire how proud he is of his city. I can see his point a little bit. We spent a day in Bayonne and a day in Biarritz. And while there are comparisons to be made between these cities and Bordeaux, Bayonne and even more so Biarritz, both have obvious Spanish influences. The buildings, while made out of the same colored stone as the buildings here in Bordeaux, have bursts of red, blue, and green colors because of their shutters which are all brightly painted to stand out more than it's neighbor.

Bayonne

Upon arriving to Bayonne and after dropping off our bags at our hostel Friday afternoon, we set out to explore Bayonne. And after 5 hours of walking around, eating chocolate, and wandering into cathedrals and antique bookstores, we had explored Bayonne. It is a small town, making Bordeaux seem enormous, but it is a really lovely town. And because it is famous for its chocolate, how could one not fall in love with Bayonne?

Biarritz

We spent Saturday in Biarritz and headed straightaway to Les Halles which is Biarritz's take on San Francisco's Ferry Building farmer's market. And while it was not quite as large as San Francisco's farmer's market, it was just as impressive. There were charcuterie's waiting to sell you any type of cured (and not cured) meat you could possibly think of. There were poultry stands eager to slice open a chicken for you should you want to each chicken liver for dinner that night. And of course there were many a cheese and baguette stand. My personal favorite was the baguette with chèvre and fig baked into it. Before coming to France I tended to stay away from the smelly cheeses but I am quickly becoming a convert. After our typically French picnic for lunch we meandered along the beach of Biarritz. Because it was 36 degrees and threatening rain it took some imagination to picture what a summer day in Biarritz would be like but I've already decided I will be back in a couple months to experience it!

All in all the Pays Basque did not disappoint. I would recommend waiting until the weather is warmer to visit but my time here is limited and I can't wait for the weather to be nicer because for the next couple months it's going to be cold everywhere! Plus it does give me a chance to wear this cute pair of gloves I just bought ;)

Université Bordeaux Montaigne

Today concludes my first week of school in Bordeaux! I almost forgot I came to Bordeaux with the intention of actually attending some classes. Almost, not quite. Choosing classes here has been a stressful process. Whoever originally told me when one travels abroad one is not obligated to go to class or acknowledge academia lied. The process of deciding which classes to take and which ones have a chance of transferring to my UCSB major requirements has induced some stress. The issue is that everything in terms of obtaining credit at UCSB for classes taken in Bordeaux must be done retroactively via petitioning upon my return to UCSB--there is no guarantee that the classes I am taking will count towards the classes I have left to take at UCSB. You can see how this is a precarious situation.

I am taking five classes this semester. A class called Methodology, which is for UC students in my program to work on speaking and grammar and also sheds light on how to write and complete assignments for classes here because the education system is very different. You would think writing an essay for a college course would be a universal thing. It is not. That's what I am learning. I am also taking an art history course on the Renaissance. Really a pain because art is not my thing but you gotta do what you gotta do, and this I gotta do. My third class is a poetry class. Literature is my thing and my host sister, Alexia, is in my class. We read Baudelaire today and I think I am really going to like it. It is also nice to have Alexia there to help me when I get a little lost in translation. So, those are the three classes I am taking in French. The last two are classes taught in English. One is called Gastronomy, which is again only for UC students and is about the history of French food and wine. I mean when it comes down to it, that's what we're all here for, isn't it? Food and wine. Bingo. Last but not least, and maybe so far my most entertaining class is also taught in English. It is called "From Brown to Obama." It is about the Civil Rights Movement, starting with Brown v. Board of Education all the way to, you guessed it, President Obama. Why am I taking this class when I probably could teach it? Because it's quite interesting to listen to a professor explain to a lecture hall full of French students something with which I am very familiar with but that the rest of the class cannot conceptualize. For instance this week our professor was explaining what the Supreme Court is and does. It was interesting to see many of the students unable to comprehend why we have a Supreme Court. "Well if they can't enforce the rulings, what good are they? They can't DO anything" was a comment during lecture.

One thing that is difficult to understand about the education system over here is that the students pay about 200 euros in tuition. 200 EUROS!!! My textbooks at Santa Barbara cost more than that each quarter! And I am hesitant to overgeneralize but it seems to me that because they aren't paying much for their education, they don't take it very seriously. Students in small and large classes alike will talk through the entire class and the professor will not try to command their attention. It's not a large investment they are making so what's the big deal if they don't learn everything? So, for the foreign exchange student paying much more than 200 euros to sit in the class, you better sit in the front row to get the most bang for your buck. Otherwise, your buddy Pierre in the back will make it impossible for you to hear what the professor is saying.

In conclusion, the term "study abroad" contains the word "study". It seems after this first week of classes that I will indeed have to partake in that activity whilst I am here.

Université Bordeaux Montaigne

More to St. Émilion Than Wine?

St. Émilion is synonymous with wine located in the Gironde/Aquitaine region of France. And that is by no means a bad connotation to have. But when my gaggle of University of California exchange students got off our tour bus and began our afternoon excursion in St. Émilion, the first thing our tour guide told us was that there was more to this place than wine. Were we convinced? Not immediately. Did our shoulders slump when we heard the wine tasting was not taking place for two and a half hours? Immediately.

Instead of wine tasting off the bat, we took a tour of the center of the city. For those of you planning your next trip to St. Émilion, don't go in January, wait to go in the summer or autumn when it's harvesting time. St. Émilion definitely seems to be a seasonal city and January is not the season. The vines are barren and not many people are out and about. It was cold and rainy but we were able to escape the weather by exploring some of St. Émilion's catacombs and its famous monolithic church. This church was carved from a a single limestone cliff which gives it it's appearance of being underground. Masses are seldom held inside anymore because of the fragility of the limestone and also because there is another more traditional Romanesque church located above ground right next to it.

The sprawling hills of St. Émilion 

St. Émilion's monolithic church's bell tower--all that can be seen of the limestone church above ground.

After learning enough about St. Émilion's namesake, Émilion the monk who settled in the area as a hermit in the 8th century, wine tasting was calling our names. We got back on the bus and traveled to the St. Émilion Union de Producteurs where we took a tour of the wine producing factory and learned about the different machines and processes that turn grapes into wine. And while this was interesting, this still didn't involve tasting the wines and the collective mood was fast approaching sour grapes. Finally, after seeing barrels and barrels of aging wine, the moment we had been waiting four hours for was finally here. We tasted, and then purchased, some of St. Émilion's finest wines within the 20 euro price range. Although we may be in France, we are all still college students, and don't yet have down the "quality versus quantity" mantra. 

All in all, it was your quintessential French town and wine tasting excursion! And as it was my first time wine tasting, I would say that the bar has been set pretty high for the next one. 

Each barrel holds about 300 bottles worth of wine!

Les Soldes!

My first week in Bordeaux is in the books! There were so many things to figure out and I'm still trying to get a handle on my French life. First there was the realization that my French has a long way to go because it doesn't sound like I have marbles in my mouth. I've got to work on that. Then there was the frenzy of getting my 21st century American technology up and running (finally it is). Then there was the hassle of telling the bank that I am not a fraud and indeed living the life in Europe, so please accept that and let me do my thing. And then there was LES SOLDES!

Here to greet me in Bordeaux was the arrival of les soldes, also know as sales. France has a much more centralized government than the US and so the government actually has the power to regulate when stores nationwide can have sales, so they do just that. The people sitting on their high thrones in Paris dictate that period of time to be the first couple weeks in January so now is the time to take out your wallets! For about two or three weeks straight, craziness ensues.  Stores here in Bordeaux, and throughout France, can cut prices as much as they want to attract customers. I bought a jacket today that was on sale for 50% off, costing only 20 euros! I am going to like it here.

While almost every storefront around the city is promoting price cuts, Bordeaux has a main rue that attracts the most shoppers--Rue St. Catherine. I made a beeline for Rue St. Catherine this morning and I wasn't disappointed. The throngs of people in the streets easily rivaled Union Square during the holidays. I can only imagine what the next two weeks hold in store for the avid shoppers of Bordeaux (and for their wallets)!

Rue St. Catherine and its shoppers!

T Minus 27 Hours

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
--Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

As an English major, I've read books from a variety of authors, writing styles, places, and time periods. And yet, as I search for inspiration for my travels (and how to begin my stereotypical female study-abroad travel blog), I find most apt the words of one Dr. Seuss. I have brains in my head. I have feet in my shoes (of which I've packed way too many pairs). I am the one who is deciding where to go. And for starters, I'm heading to Bordeaux, France. TOMORROW! 

While much logistical preparation has gone into my fast-approaching departure, I do not think there is much that can prepare me for the world that awaits me when the wheels touch down on the runway in Bordeaux. I know what I know, and as of right now, I don't know much! Maybe that's the best way to do these sorts of things. Maybe it's best I don't know what I'm doing. This way, all I can do is dive in and be a sponge, soaking up each new experience everyday. 

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!” 

I'm going, Dr. Seuss, I'm going!