About two weeks ago (once again, sorry for the inconsistency) Maggie and I climbed the very famous Mt. Saint Victoire! The whole hike took about 5 hours; 3 up and 2 down. T
his was one of the most difficult but rewarding hikes I have ever been on. The views from the top were incredible - the skies were clear and beautiful and we could see for miles, we could even see the Mediterranean!
Coming down, I slipped and twisted my ankle, which led to much swelling and discomfort over the next few days. However, what followed was a little adventure into the French health care system after my host mother forced me to visit the hospital (which happens to be right down the street from our apartment.) Don't worry, it was just as I suspected and nothing serious had happened to my foot. The doctor took an x-ray and gave me some ointment and pain pills and that was that. All in all, a wonderful experience:)
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Last weekend, I visited the lovely little city of Arles. This is a city that was founded in the 6th century BC by the Greeks. Later Arles was captured by the Romans whose mark remains in the form of ancient graveyards, bath houses as well as an arena that is still used today to hold traditional bull fights. In fact, I think I might actually catch one if I return in early April! Arles was also home, for a time, to Vincent Van Gogh. It was here that he painted Cafe Terrace at Night (which I have a picture of below) and here that he cut off his ear to give to a prostitute! Basically, this city has more history packed into 5 square miles than most states in America.
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A couple of weekends ago, Maggie and I visited the principality of Monaco. Fun factoid: It is the world's most densely populated, and smallest French-speaking country! It was surreal, how gorgeous and glamorous this place was. Honestly, I felt like a dirty peasant walking around what felt like a movie-set that I had somehow snuck into. Dirty peasant sentiments aside, Monaco is where you'll find me if I happen to marry a billionaire.
We arrived just in time to see the traditional changing of the guard in front of the palace.
So this was an unexpected bonus to our fabulous day trip to Monaco..Our tour bus actually had to pull over on the side of the highway due to a road race that was about to finish in Nice (a city near to Monaco on the coast). The race started in Paris and we were lucky enough to catch the last 20 minutes of it, on accident!