À La Campagne

I am on the train passing through fields of green pastures intermittently split up by a smattering of stone houses and the occasional church. It is the epitome of the French countryside. I am somewhere halfway in between Paris and Bordeaux headed back home from a weekend spent about an hour outside of Paris in a little town called Le Vaudoué at the home of my friends Bernard and Sylvie.

The background story is this: my family and I met Bernard and Sylvie seven or eight years ago when we all happened to be vacationing at a dude ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I spent the week being coerced by my dad into practicing my elementary French with Bernard and Sylvie, a very cute French couple, both of them about 55 years old. We ate meals together, went on horseback rides on the plains of Wyoming together, and even went to a rodeo one night in town together. At the end of the week, Bernard and I exchanged emails and we proceeded to be pen pals for a while. Naturally and unfortunately as things go, we lost touch. Fast forward seven/eight years. When I knew for sure I would be in Bordeaux this semester, I floated an email to Bernard’s old email address to see 1) if he still remembered me and 2) if he was still living around Paris. Eight hours later there was an email from Bernard in my inbox saying he was so excited to hear from me and of course I should come visit him and Sylvie.

Fast forward again to this weekend. It was amazing. Bernard and Sylvie picked me up from Gare Montparnasse and the first place we headed? Le Tour Eiffel. And not only did we just visit the tower, we had dinner in it at the restaurant Jules Verne! I had a wonderful five-course dinner of smoked salmon, caviar, scallops, veal, chocolate, and of course, wine. I sat next to a window and could look out next to me and see the Seine River below, the Champs Élysées off in the distance, and everywhere the streets of Paris illuminated with people and lights. It was truly one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had.

Stacey in awe over being inside the Eiffel Tower for dinner

View from my seat at Jules Verne

On Friday Bernard went off to work while Sylvie and I went off to play. Bernard and Sylvie own four horses that they keep on their property and Sylvie rides almost every day with her friends who live nearby. Sylvie hopped on horseback but as I hadn’t ridden a horse since the last time I’d seen her, I opted to ride in a cart behind a horse with some of her friends. Just call me Cinderella. We rode into town, we rode out of town, we rode everywhere through the French countryside. I can’t even begin to describe how serene and calm it was out there. I became quickly enamored by the sheer space and expanse of the forest and country around me.

Could not get enough of the French stone buildings

View of the French countryside from my horse drawn carraige

In the afternoon Sylvie and I rode (by car) into the town of Fontainebleau where we had lunch, went window-shopping, and visited the Chateau Fontainebleau. I am not a history or art history buff in the slightest, but even I was impressed by the sense of history that France has. Talking to Sylvie about the history of the Chateau and of France, I started to feel a little remiss by the fact that the United States was formed only recently by historical standards. C’est incroyable the royal history that France has.

Chateau Fontainebleau 

On Saturday, Sylvie and I were back at it, this time on foot. When she asked me if I wanted to go for a walk with her dogs and one of her horses, I had no idea what I was signing up for. We went on a two-hour hike traversing the forest that is their back yard. It goes on for miles and miles. It was probably a good thing she didn’t give me any advance warning. I will say I was having some trouble keeping up with her at times. Thankfully Bernard called us about an hour and a half in and told us lunch was waiting so we had to start heading home; otherwise I think Sylvie could have gone on for another couple hours. 

Gaget and I on our forest hike

Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte

We had lunch at their house with their daughter, and two granddaughters, Amel and Norrah who are 11 and eight years old. After lunch the six of us toured another one of France’s many famous chateaus, this one Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, my new dream home. Unfortunately it’s slightly out of my price range. While the chateau itself is not quite as large as Chateau Fontainebleau, its gardens are what really make it impressive and they go on as far as the eyes can see. And because Syvie and I hadn’t done enough walking that day, we of course had to go on a walking tour of the grounds. I’m more than slightly in awe of Sylvie’s 65-year-old frame.

Vaux-le-Vicomte from the edge of the grounds

For dinner we returned home and had a vegetable quiche Sylvie made along with various cheeses and a green salad. I am really starting to enjoy the French cuisine. We then watched some TV and talked a little politics (not seriously) and it was great listening to their takes on French and American politics. They’ve got their bets on Hilary Clinton winning in 2016, but only because her name is the only name they know!

Today was time for me to head home and to let my French friends get back to their lives, but not before eating a lunch of octopus, crayfish, leftover vegetable quiche, and part of an apple tartine that Sylvie made this morning. I’ve found my new host family!

I had a really wonderful weekend being spoiled by Bernard and Sylvie. I am feeling especially thankful for all the people I’ve met in my life, both at home in the US, and here on my trip in Europe. Reconnecting with people you haven’t seen in a years and on a completely different continent is quite something. I am at a loss for how to explain it other than by saying it is something special and something I will never forget.

Mes amis Bernard et Sylvie!

Tourists in Bordeaux

Reunited, and it felt so good. This weekend I had a visitor in Bordeaux, ZOE! My roommate at UCSB, Zoe is spending the semester in Florence, Italy, and visited me in Bordeaux for the weekend. So while I didn't travel to a new city this weekend, I still donned my tourist hat and toured my city, the lovely Bordeaux, with my lovely best friend.

Book-lovers paradise, Mollat

On Friday afternoon I showed Zoe around my neighborhood, Gambetta. Stacey's sightseeing tour included, but was not limited to:

• Mollat, Bordeaux's largest, and most famous bookstore
• Hotel de Ville, Bordeaux City Hall 
• My favorite boulangerie, La Mie Câline
• Cathedrale Saint-Andre and bell tower
• Rue St. Catherine
• Gambetta square (made complete by our chocolate croissants)

Zoe loves her Gothic churches

We walked and walked, and when we were done with that, we walked some more. We had dinner at home with my French host family. The night before Zoe arrived, my host mom, Nelly, had asked me what meal she should serve to Zoe to which I responded, "Something French." And for her first dinner in Bordeaux, that is what Zoe got. We had a melange of potatoes, leeks, and two different types of French sausages in a white cream sauce, followed by the obligatory cheese course before a chocolatey dessert. After letting our stomachs digest, we hit the bars with a couple friends.

Picnic lunch!

In the interest of showing Zoe a good time, Bordeaux pulled out all the stops and decided to forgo the rain and gray skies for blue skies and sunshine. Saturday I donned a tank top, capris, and sandals, and we met up with some friends at Jardin Public for a late picnic lunch. We kept with the French theme of baguettes, fromage, sausage, wine, and chocolate while basking in the sun. Trying to battle lethargy, we headed to Quinconces along the Garonne River to take a look at the faire that was in town. We hopped on the ferris wheel and took to the skies, getting a bird's-eye view of Bordeaux. The fun in the sun (and the wine) did us in, however, because when we headed back home around 6pm, it turned out that we were in for the night.

View of Quinconces and Bordeaux from our ferris wheel

We ended Zoe's tour of Bordeaux today, Sunday, by getting up early and walking back up the river to the Marché du Colbert, a Sunday open-air market "sur le quai". We passed by artisan breads, flower marts, and oyster bars. We ate croissants, canelés (a traditional bordelais rum cake), and sipped coffee at a café just along the river. We were the epitome of "la vie bordelaise" while lounging and agreed to do our best to continue this lifestyle when we get back to Santa Barbara in the fall.  Only reluctantly did we head back to my house to make sure we got Zoe back to the airport on time. 

Living the café lifestyle

It was a wonderful weekend. It was nice to introduce Zoe to my city and to have a little part of home with me in Bordeaux. Parting was such sweet sorrow but I was cheered by the fact that I am going to visit her in Florence in only a few week's time! 1,200 km can only keep us separated for so long.

Lyon, France

My whirlwind week of winter break is drawing to a close. I spent this weekend in Lyon after a quick one night stop over in Bordeaux after my trip to Edinburgh. The flight from Bordeaux to Lyon was about one hour and I arrived in Lyon late morning on Friday. I dropped my bag off where I was staying and, knowing that I would only be in Lyon for two nights, hit the sights.

View of Lyon from the Rhône

Lyon is a beautiful city, separated into three sections by the two rivers that run through the city, the Rhône and the Saône. From where I was staying I headed west, traversing first the Rhône and then the Saône, into the old town, "Vieux Lyon". "Vieux Lyon" is distinctly different from the more updated parts of the city for precisely that reason, it is old. The buildings have been beautifully preserved in their colorful and uniform style, forbidding all things modern--high rises, concrete and glass buildings not allowed. Vieux Lyon rests at the base of a large hill which I climbed twice--once on Friday to see the La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière, and on Saturday to see the remaining ruins of Lyon's Roman theater. While both the basilique and ruins were magnificent in their own right, the view from their hilltop sites easily rivaled the two landmarks.

The amazing mosaic ceiling of La Basilique Notre Dame 

Lyon's Roman Theater ruins

View from La Basilique Notre Dame

I spent the weekend crossing back and forth over the two rivers, admiring how the rivers delineated not only geographical cross-sections of the city, but also separated Lyon into three distinctly different socio-economical and cultural sections. Where I was staying, on the east side of Lyon, had high rise apartment complexes and hotels, lots of concrete, and was the most urban section of Lyon. Crossing the Rhône westward lies presqu'île, meaning "almost island" in French. As it lies in between the two rivers, it is indeed almost and island, and it is where all the shopping is. I felt like I was back in San Francisco when I picked up a couple tops at Brandy Melville and bought a latte at Starbucks--two
luxuries not available in Bordeaux. Heading further west across the Saône is Vieux Lyon, and where I went back for dinner on Saturday night and gorged myself on traditional Lyonnaise cuisine.

Pâté en Croûte with foie gras and sweetbread

Red wine braised beef cheeks

Something that made my trip particularly pleasant was where I was residing in Lyon. While planning my trip I had decided I wanted to forgo the hostel route and looked into places on AirBnB instead. I found a room on AirBnB and booked it, unsure what to expect because I had never booked a room on AirBnB before, and was not disappointed. My room was in the apartment of a man named Alvaro who lived there with his son. It turns out Alvaro was not French, actually Brazilian, but had moved to Lyon over 15 years ago and spoke perfect French. When he began speaking to me in English upon my arrival I asked him if he would speak in French to me because a) I could understand him and b) I wanted to practice speaking French. He was all too happy to oblige and was relieved, saying that it would make it a lot easier for him as well. In the mornings Alvaro, his four year old son, Raphael, and I, ate breakfast together and talked a lot about Lyon and about ourselves. It was definitely a good language exercise for me and while Alvaro taught me knew words and phrases in French, I translated them and pronounced them in English so he could learn as well. My experience with AirBnB added a lot of local color to my experience in Lyon as Alvaro suggested things for me to do and see (and, of course, eat) during my short stay.

Across the Saône

Last but not least I have to mention the Lyon's Parc de la Tête d'Or. It is one of the largest urban parks in France and it is where I spent my Saturday morning. I've missed running in Golden Gate Park since I've been in France and while nothing comes close to GGP, this park was pretty awesome. It certainly not as big as GGP but in french terms, it is huge. It lies right along the Rhône and includes both a botanical garden and a "jardin zoologique" (animal garden/animal farm) as well as a large lake in the center. During my run I looked over and could see ostrich and deer running around! They were in a gated area so I couldn't actually say hi to them but it was pretty cool all the same. When I get back to SF I'll see about adding some ostrich to GGP.

Pounds and Cheers

I'm sitting in the Edinburgh airport, waiting to board my flight to London, Gatwick and then home to Bordeaux. I've been in Edinburgh, Scotland the since Monday and my short visit to the United Kingdom has been jolly good.

University of Edinburgh

I stayed with my friend from back home, Sarah, who is getting her masters at the University of Edinburgh this year. My flight got in rather late on Monday so we didn't do much except get ready for exploring on Tuesday. We got an early start Tuesday morning and saw the sights. We walked from the flat she shares with seven other university students and walked around a little of University of Edinburgh's campus. Sarah told me Edinburgh is very much a college town and so most of the people walking around are either tourists or college students. It's very different from Bordeaux in that sense, which is definitely not a college town.


From the university we walked to Edinburgh Castle, a place in which I would LOVE to take up residence. Not only is the stone castle itself very impressive, because it is located on top of a large hill in the center of the city, the 360 degree views of the city are absolutely amazing. As poor university students already feeling the effects of the outrageous pound to dollar conversion, we did not buy tickets to go inside which makes me a little concerned that if this castle ever goes on the market it will be a tad out of my price range. Bugger.

Edinburgh Castle, my new home

View of Edinburgh from the Castle

View of Edinburgh from the Castle

After house hunting we walked up and down the Royal Mile and made friends along the way. We chatted with a bagpiper who serenaded us for a while and later sought refuge from the wind and rain in a kilt shop. The kilt maker was all too happy to talk to us San Franciscans about Scottish traditional garb and festivities. Turns out, he had a shop in downtown San Francisco a while back but got sick of commuting from Hayward each day so came back to the homeland. Can't say I blame him! It really is crazy how small the world becomes when you start talking to people across the globe.

The Royal Mile

Oink! (formerly known as Babe)

What kind of trip would it be if I ignored the traditional Scottish faire? Fear not, Sarah made sure we hit the big ones. We had pork sandwiches at a restaurant called Oink, which featured an entire cooked pig in its front window. We got pasties filled with meat and potatoes, and for dinner we went to a pub called the Old Belle and watched a football (soccer) game. I ordered the traditional haggis, neeps, and tatties but Sarah wouldn't let me in on what haggis was until I had washed my dinner down with some Ginger Grouse ginger beer for fear that I wouldn't be able to finish my meal once I knew what I was eating. There was no need to worry though, the sheep's liver, heart, and lungs cooked in sheep stomach was pretty appetizing, even after I knew what I was eating.

Sarah plays for the University of Edinburgh's basketball team so on Wednesday we headed to Durham, England, about 3 hours away to her game against Durham University. UK basketball is not nearly as competitive as US basketball but it was still so fun to travel with her team of Scotts and watch some them play. They ended up losing by 40 points but it turns out the Durham team is almost entirely comprised of former US college basketball players so it's no surprise the Scotts didn't stand a chance. One of the girls on the Durham team played at Baylor and was teammates with Brittney Griner for a couple of seasons! Like I said, it's a small world.

Which brings us to today, Thursday. Sarah and I parted ways this morning, she to class and I to the airport, but not before a traditional Scottish breakfast of haggis, fried eggs, black pudding, sausage, and hash browns, among other goodies. It was not a long stay in Edinburgh, but we took in a lot and besides the weather and the strength of the pound, no complaints! Got to go, their calling my flight to board! Cheers.

Eating My Way Through Barcelona

No habla! My French-speaking abilities for the first time in the last six weeks were of no use to me. That's because I was in España! Barcelona, to be exact. It was my first time in Spain and Barcelona did not disappoint. Other than the fact that I had no idea what was being said around me in Spanish and Catalan, I was completely enamored with the city. Most likely this is due to the fact that I consider myself to be a city person and Barcelona fits the bill of a large, urban city. It actually reminded me a lot of San Francisco. No complaints there.

Exploring Barcelona

I was staying with a friend of mine from San Francisco who is studying in Barcelona for the semester. She lives around the corner from la Sagrada Família and while we didn't actually go inside Gaudí's famously unfinished Roman Catholic church, I was constantly struck by its enormous looming presence.

The most important activity  in Barcelona--eating. And when you've finished eating, walking around the city in search of your next meal. It is a never-ending cycle and while your pants may not fit the next day, you will not mind. On Friday, my first full day in Barcelona, my friend and I took the metro to Mercado de La Boqueria and bought things for a picnic lunch. We bought fresh juices, empanadas, chorizo, papaya, chicken, and cheese. Where was our picnic you may ask? On the Mediterranean Sea! I had to keep pinching myself to remind me that I wasn't dreaming and that I was actually eating a picnic lunch in the sun on the beach in the Mediterranean.

Picnic lunch from the market

Papaya on the Mediterranean!

More tapas--calamari, grilled vegetables and bread

The next two days consisted of lots of tapas and wandering the streets of Barcelona. We ate fried calamari, drank sangria (lots of sangria), different cheese dishes, potatoes, and paella. And dessert. Lots of dessert, ranging from gelato to artisanal chocolate to churros dipped in chocolate, which was a particular favorite of mine. Needless to say, we did not go hungry.

Churros dipped in chocolate

My last night in Barcelona, I went to a flamenco show! At first we were worried it might be too touristy and that our 20 euros were going to some hokey, Disneyland-esque type of thing. Not at all the case. Our 20 euros bought us a free drink (read: more sangria) and a very fun flamenco show. It was a five person production with a guitarist, a man on the box drums, a female singer, and two flamenco dancers. It was loud, they were proud, and I was entertained for an hour and a half. The music was like nothing I'd heard before and I couldn't get over how fast the dancers moved their feet across the stage.

Flamenco dancing

Alas, my weekend in Barcelona had to come to a close on Sunday. It is a city I would definitely like to return to. However, it is interesting to note that I felt a strange longing for the French language while I was in Spain. Could it be that I am becoming more Bordelaise than I anticipated? Hopefully this means that sometime in the next couple months the transformation will be complete and there won't be a constant English-French struggle in my brain quand je parle français!

California's Introduction to Winter

Yesterday's weather forecast was snowing, with a chance of losing circulation in one's toes. The appropriate activity for days such as yesterday is staying in bed with a cup of tea, reading a book and binge-watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. What should be avoided is going outside, finding the tallest sand dune in Europe, and climbing it, which is naturally how I spent my day yesterday. My toes have not yet forgiven me.

My seafood and veggie lunch.

In efforts to explore areas outside of Bordeaux, some friends and I hopped on a train yesterday morning and traveled 60km southwest to the seaside town of Arcachon. The weather boasted a balmy -2 degrees Celsius upon our arrival. We found a restaurant two blocks from the ocean and I had the plat du jour which was salmon with grilled vegetables. A town located right next to the sea, Arcachon does know how to prepare seafood, and my salmon and veggies were delicious. After lunch, we took a bus 15 minutes through a woody area to la Dune du Pilat, the tallest sand dune in Europe, measuring in at 500m wide from east to west and 2.7km from north to south. It stands 110m above sea level.

This is what we had come to Arcachon to see. It's pretty famous and over one million people visit the dune each year. However, most of the visiting is done in the summer months, and for good reason. It was freezing. Climbing la Dune du Pilat, I was the coldest I have ever been in my entire life. It was as if France was telling me, "Hello California, let me show you what the word winter really means." Did I forget to mention that when I left Bordeaux yesterday morning it was snowing? That should have been my first clue to go back inside. My second should have been when I was purchasing my train ticket and the man at the counter chuckled when I told him where I wanted to go.

The forest at our backs.

High above the treetops, that's where you'll find me. 

In front of us, the Atlantic Ocean.

We didn't traverse the entire dune, that would have taken weeks at our pace, but we did make it to the top of one of the peaks! The view in front of us of the ocean, and at our backs a dense forest was breathtaking, but so too was the wind and subzero temperature. After taking a couple obligatory pictures, I started to become really concerned about the state of my toes. I, like every one of the Californians I was traveling with, was unprepared for the treacherous conditions. In case there was any doubt, converse high-tops lack insulation, among other things, and are definitely not appropriate footwear when taking on any extreme weather. When we made it back down the dune, I dumped the sand from my sneakers and held my toes in my hands, making sure I could wiggle all 10 of them. Upon seeing movement, we headed to the train station and back to Bordeaux to warm up and apologize to our weary bodies for the day's events. It was an exciting adventure, and one I would repeat when the weather warms up. That seems to be a recurring theme in my life at the moment.

Winter-1     Stacey-0

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 ;)