First Entry from France!

I'm never going to Australia or Asia. Long flights are so horrible! On the flight to France, we hit tubulence zhile over the Atlantic. I felt like the plane was a maraca.

But the flight went as well as it could have. The hôtesses were quite sweet and the pilotspoke beautiful French.
...

The plane landed. I had been chewing gum furiously to cope with the changing altitude. I had gotten on the plane at 18h10. On 30 May at 8h36, I took my first step in France. Despite my severe distaste for airline staircases, I was happy to descend - or at least go outside for a few minutes before being ushered into a bus that takes me to building.

Roissy - Friggin' huge! That airport is bigger than Luxembourg.

Fashion - No one here looks ordinary. Everyone seems to have spent 8 hours deciding what to wear this morning.

The people in my program are really nice. Today, someone called me "The Police" because I (forcibly) encouraged us Americans to speak - parler français! I like it. We won't we fluent if we don't use it. After all, this is FRANCE.

Observations

• sidewalks don't exist. they are merely roads with no moving vehicles for a few moments
• fresh bread is awesome! esp. Emile BEC - 0.75 € baguettes
• people here are or more than kind. very helpful, polite
• the food's better

Places I've Been

Tour of Aix - Place de Quatre Dauphins - Cours Mirabeau - Monoprix - Office de Tourisme - Palais Archipescopal - Hôtel de Ville - Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur

perfectly calm....not

I leave tomorrow.

I'm scared scared scared scared scared scared!

last time, i PROMISE

I have done this at least 98 times. Here are the FINAL travel plans for Europe.

1 jour - Aix-en-Provence -> Paris
1 j - Paris <-> Caen
2j - Aix-en-Provence <-> Avignon et Arles/Fraxinetum
2j - Aix-en-Provence <-> Florence (Firenze)
1j - Paris <-> Strasbourg
__________________
7j au train!

Xtras:
Chartres - R/T - 20EUR
London - R/T - $100
Bâle (Basel) - R/T - 40EUR via Strasbourg - peut-être

I'm not doing it again. It's too much work.

Oh yeah....I got a home today! I received the address for my homestay. I am a short walk from the Institute. I'm rooming with another American student from a different program. But don't worry....on va parler en français seulement.

unofficial map

Google has a new feature! It added My Maps to the regular maps site. You can add placemarks and images to your own custom map of the world.

I decided to play around a little.

packing lists

Let me take the time to advocate a cause that I strongly support.

Not saving endangered whales - packing lists! Lists help me organize and keep track of everything I need to take with me to France. I have an official France packing list taped to my door. I divided it into 4 categories: Things I Need to Pack, Things That Can't Be Packed Yet, Things I Still Need to Get, and Things I Might Want to Buy.

The last two groups are causing me some grief, my heart competes with my brain. My bank balance competes with my desires. Should I get a new French grammar book? The shipping seems frivolous but my French is pretty friggin' awful right now. Should I wing the entrance exam or study like a psychomaniac? Ack, more choices between now and May 29!

a sinful omission

As I gingerly combed my thick hair last night, a thought leaped onto me and threw me off balance.

AVIGNON.

I had forgotten to put Avignon on my itinerary in my last post. Wouldn't it be a tragedy to forget to visit the Palais des Papes? I'm not sure where it's going...I believe I set aside two days for a trip to Avignon and Arles in my early planning stages. I'll figure it out.

It still hasn't hit me yet. I don't think I realize that I'm finally going to France. Gee whiskers!

EGADS!

Only seventeen more days until I leave for France.

I'll be 4,000 miles away from anything I've known before. Google provides handy driving directions (gotta love step #21), but I think I'll let Air France take care of that part of the trip.

Things to do before I leave:

1. Buy stuff! As in, this stuff! I've decided against buying the $100 Mary Janes, but I really need to buy some sort of footwear before I go to France. I found a better (read: cheaper :D) neck wallet on another site. I don't feel like wearing someone else's name all day :P
2. Unpack stuff from college. Those boxes look mighty scary....wonder what's in 'em....
3. Make a list. There is simply no way on Earth I am keeping track of all this stuff in my head. I've used a packing list for college for 3 semesters now, and it's never failed me. This will be a grand little list:
• Grand: it must contain items for the longest, farthest journey I've ever taken
• Little: it must be light, for I am weak and will travel frequently in Europe!
  
4. Pack stuff in my suitcase(s). The luggage set came with 5 bags, but I'm only bringing two: the main suitcase and the tiny rolling one as a carry-on. I might be able to fit a collapsible duffel bag in the main one, but I won't count on it.
5. Practice my French. When I went for my French visa (the second time), I met a man from Cote d'Ivoire and managed to hold a decent conversation with him. Yay for confidence boosters!
6. Notify friends that I am going to France. I want to have a small party before I leave, but logistics are a nightmare because my friends all have different schedules :(
7. Make a souvenir/gift list.
8. Make final touch ups on my itinerary.
• Aix<->Florence - make dates for meeting Professor Healey in his Florentine castle.
  
• Aix<->La Garde-Freinet - find those stairs for Dr. Watson
  
• Aix<->Paris - goin' to that awesome apartment (thanks, Nico!)
  
• Paris<->Strasbourg - test out that record breaking TGV Est
  
• Paris<->Caen - history major must go to Normandy: 'tis life.
  
• Paris<->Wherever the Good Lord thinks I should go! (Maybe Chartres as a day trip?)
• Paris<->London - buy Eurostar tix before I leave!!!
  
• Switzerland???? Depends how much money I have left....
9. Pray that I don't f*%#@ everything up like I usually do.
10. Relax :-)