France

I haven't really updated properly in a while. I guess a lot of things have been happening in January. I've gotta say though, I don't think January's been one of my best months. I don't know. Sometimes I feel an air of depression around me but this time I actually feel it around others as well.

I also haven't really talked much about my trip in France. I really enjoyed Paris. My favorite place in Paris was this area call Montmartre, which is an area in the north and is very hilly. On top is a Cathedral with the name such as the Sacred Heart. Just hearing the name makes me like it already. My favorite area is next to it in the Artist’s Village. Here, many artists come and paint and sell their paintings. And I’ve also got to mention that these artists produce such beautiful works. I really wanted a painting but it was expensive and I thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to haul it all over France as I was going to many places. A lot of famous artists like Salvador Dali, Picasso and Van Gogh all used to have studios and lived there. Pictures can be found on my Facebook.

The South of France was also very pretty. It’s got all these small villages perched on a cliff that makes it look so heavenly. My favorite village was St. Paul, which is near Nice. It’s got these small streets and ateliers (workshops) lining it. My favorite word in French right now is atelier. I think it’s got to do with this game I wanted to play when I was a kid called Atelier Iris. I always thought atelier meant light but I guess not. I think I’ve managed to visit a lot of cities in the South, thanks to Nick and his family, I went to Manosque (Nick’s hometown and where the L’Occitane factory is located), neighboring Aix en Provence (another nice town with a lot of universities and meandering streets full of shops), Marseille (the third largest city in France, I didn’t really like it though), Avignon (sounds like something from King Arthur so I really liked the city. I visited the Palace of the Pope, which was really nice and crossed the bridge over the river Rhine), Nice (a very pretty beach town with too many traffic lights. Loved the houses there though, very beautiful architecture), Monaco (I got there at night so didn’t really get to see much, had some bad Italian food), St. Paul (my favorite!), passed through Gorde (another village). We also visited Versaille while we were in Paris. It was a bit too upscale for my taste though although very impressive. The Provence area that I went to is also known for their lavender fields but it was too bad that none of it was growing when I went there because it was winter.

When we were traveling to all these places I felt like I was in an RPG game because the towns really look like the ones in the games (with the church, blacksmith, workshops, fountains, cobblestone walkways, hotels). It was just really cute.

I also love the houses in France. It’s really colorful (tones of peach, purple, pink, orange) and has that rugged look. I also love the medieval-looking doors, painted wooden windows and balconies. I guess if I was to have a house in Thailand I’d like to build it like that.

The food was also great. I always kind of wondered what French food was, and I’m probably still wondering what it is because I can’t really describe it. But I do love the French onion soups, their pastries, spreads (they’ve got so many yummy ones!), saucissons, and pate d’amande (almond paste rolled into fruit-shapes). I think the French take just as much time into food presentation just like the Japanese people do with their food. I also ate a lot of nuts, figs and dates while I was there. I think I turned into a squirrel.

I also liked the French subway system in Paris. It was so convenient as it went everywhere and it wasn’t confusing at all.

It was a good thing I guess that Nick was there because whenever I spoke French most people kind of just ignored me and talked to Nick instead. I’m not really sure what to think of that.