Week 6 - Almost done...

I forgot to mention in my last post that Monday night, we had our CEA farewell dinner. We had a 3 course meal at this restaurant. First we played pétanque, which is this French version of... I don't even know. I've heard it's like bocce. Needless to say, I was horrible at it, and I didn't take any pictures... but you can probably look it up! Marie-Claude kept trying to tell me that sometimes beginners are very good at pétanque and I was just like, No, I have flippers for fingers so no land sports for me.

First course! Melon, salad with vinaigrette, and cured ham

Second course! It was some sort of Indian chicken with lots of vegetables on top!

Tea and dessert! There's some parfait, some chocolate pudding, a little flat cake thing with a raspberry, and some calissons (an Aixoise specialty!)

Friends (most of those people I actually just met that night)

More friends, by the big fountain (La Rotonde)

Tuesday = Bastille Day! The Day of Independence for the French. I spent most of the day with Abby and Karen! Hooray! We went to the market, and then we were waiting for the parade ALL DAY except I was told like 3 different things from like 4 different people, and I guess there wasn't a parade that day... see, Tuesdays there is a morning market on Cours Mirabeau, which is the big street (or mini Champs-Elysées) so usually the parade is there in the mornings, but there was the market. So the lady told me that there was a parade at 2:30, but there wasn't one! And then someone else told me that it was at like 8 in the morning. Ugh. So no parade for me...

PS. I'm really not that much taller than they are... they are bending down... 

Abby and I visited a bookstore, and look at all these John Green books in French!

At my school, there was a showing of Marie-Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst. It's rated like 6.4/10 on imDB but honestly I did not like the movie very much. I didn't really relate to the protagonist, and also there were just random modern music playing throughout the movie! It didn't feel historically accurate at all. Also we were supposed to make flower crowns but there were no flowers so we didn't :( what a disappointment.

At night on the Cours Mirabeau, there is always a "ball." All along the street there were people listening to music, and some people were dancing. There was jazz up at the top of Cours Mirabeau, and then in the middle there was a DJ, and at the bottom (where I was standing when I took the picture below) there was La Rotonde. It was very lively! Abby, Karen, and I were just sitting on the side of the road talking about our deep discussions while waiting for the fireworks. 

I wanted to capture the color of the sky. This is a picture of La Rotonde (might be easier to see if the brightness on your screen is turned up). 

Concerts all along the street!

I just have to say that the fireworks were probably the best fireworks I have seen in my entire life. They were even better than Disney's, I daresay! It wasn't like the ones in Rochester where they shoot one every couple of seconds and some of them are super tiny. This was a REAL SHOW. Like it was CHOREOGRAPHED. There were nonstop fireworks, and it was like a dance! They must have been ridiculously expensive, but it was honestly the most exciting fireworks I've ever seen. They even played classical music along with the fireworks! Apparently that's a pretty recent thing (within the last like 6 years or so), but it was SO COOL. It was like revolutionary music with pretty dancing lights in the sky. And the finale! It was incredible. Magnifique, as the French would say. 

On Wednesday, the highlight of my day was going to Musée Granet with my art history class. Actually it wasn't even that exciting because I like exploring museums on my own, but that's okay. This is me with one of Paul Cézanne's paintings (The Bathers), which we studied during class! 

Also I made my first alcoholic purchase ever today (and it was completely legal!) when I bought wine for my family. I thought I would share that. Except they wrapped it in a gift bag so it didn't even feel special or exciting because now it's just hidden away. It's as if I bought a heavy paper bag with a ribbon on it. 

Anyway, I only have 2 more days in Aix. :( I am so sad. I can't believe six weeks has gone by so fast! But coming here was probably the best decision I've ever made. There's still so much I haven't done yet but I want to do! They say that the south of France latches on to you, and that's why so many people return. I really will no doubt feel a sense of nostalgia after I leave. But that's a reflection for another day. Do not fear though! My adventures do not stop in Aix. I will be going to Paris for 5 days after, so watch out for updates on those :)

-Cindy