1.5 down, 3 to go

"it is going to be ok
i know that doesnt help
but it will be
everything will work out
and it's normal to want to go home

you are already a month and a half in yay!

slowly slowly
think about how much you have improved since you got there
the best thing to do is eat ice cream, focus on the positive, and don't try and convince yourself that things would be soooo much better in the states
they would be hard/suck just in a different way

keep your head up"

That Brittany Harwell is a real keeper.

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

Nice

Tuesday, the girls and I set off for Nice. Right away we learned a lesson in taking the TGV: get on the right train. It turns out we boarded too early at the Montpellier station and got on a train leaving 15 minutes before ours. We were about 10 minutes into our ride when we figured this out and pandemonium broke out. Megan even tried to get off the train, which was a funny sight. Ultimately it worked out- the trains were going in the same direction so we got off in Nimes and 15 minutes later, the right train came along! Taking the cheap route, we had booked trains with a 'layover' in Marseilles, where we switched to a train with compartments like the ones on the Hogwarts train. We were loving it!

Out the window:


Stretching out in our private compartment:


On arriving, it was about 8:30pm. Thankfully our hostel was a short walk from the train station and since there were 5 of us, we got our own room. Traveling in a large group is a much different experience than with one other person. We spent the night celebrating our vacation in our room since it was too late to go explore a foreign city.


The view from our hostel balcony:


Our first full day, we made for the beach OF COURSE! Our hostel was about a 20 minute walk from the heart of Nice and the Mediterranean. On the boardwalk, we found one of those tourist trains (there's one in Montpellier too) which took us through Old Town, along the Promenade des Anglais, and up to the hill where all the postcard-worthy pictures of the city are taken. We were so excited the entire time!

On the train:


At the top of the hill, where the Chateau is:


Along the Promenade des Anglais:




After our train ride, we found a beach and laid out for the rest of the day. The beaches in Nice are a little different than we expected...a lot more rock and a lot less sand. One of the cool parts about Nice is that it is more of a tourist town, which meant we met a lot of different people on the beach. American, English, German, Ukrainian, French, Polish, Irish, etc. It's weird to sit in one place and hear all of those languages! And I do have to mention the people there were a lot more friendly and inviting than here in Montpellier.

For the next few days, we did more exploring, swimming, and shopping. We found more of an exclusive beach (Coco Beach)and did some topless sunbathing. When in France!





Overall, our time in Nice was the refresher I needed before starting school tomorrow. I am a little disappointed we didn't see any of the free museums while we were there (Matisse and Chagall are high on my list of artists to see), but I may be back in November while my mom and grandma come visit. Until then, I will finally have school to occupy my time!

Hope you're all doing well! If you'd like to send me anything, my address here is:

Caitlin Boyd
75 Avenue Augustin Fliche
Batiment B, Chambre 53
34096 Montpellier Cedex 5
FRANCE

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

and i'm off!

See you in 4 days, I'm going to Nice :)

Food for thought:


xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

An Epic Day

Today was the perfect day.

Last night was a rough night for the group...we went out and got hassled a lot (hellllllo cultural differences), but today was redeeming for France. We had an outing to Le Grotte de Clamouse, the little village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert, and Pont Diable. All of which were absolutely breathtaking. We also had a bit of cool/rainy weather and I think the taste of home put us all in good moods.

Currently my camera is out of batteries, so I've been using my iPhone...they're not the best quality, but here are a few good shots from today:

Grotte de Clamouse:

These caves were so huge, I felt like I was in the Planet Earth documentary...complete with those blind fish and salamanders! I seriously wouldn't have guessed something so amazing was hiding in the french country-side.

Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert is probably the most perfect place on earth. I bought some pieces of art since there were so many local artists around. This is an aerial view (which I obviously didn't take):

The village entrance:

You should google image some of these places...your mind will be blown :)

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com

decisions, decisions

Today is the last day of pre-stage classes!! *insert happy dance here*
Our final placement test is tomorrow, registration is on the 5th, and real classes start September 12th.

So all of this means we have 6 days of freedom to vacation somewhere. The choices have been narrowed down to:

1) Ajaccio, Corsica (A French island in the Mediterranean)


2) Nice


annnd 3) Geneva, Switzerland


Tough choice, huh?

Currently listening to Waste by Foster the People (I'M GOING TO THEIR CONCERT IN NOVEMBER!)
xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com