the 6 region, 11 day tour (part II)
Nice was rather beautiful overall, so i opted to visit another city on the coast of southern france. I spent the day in Marseilles which is the 2nd largest city in the country and is known for its large harbors and dense immigration numbers. Over 100,000 people are from north africa alone! I met two other american english assistants who wanted to see the town as well (one girl from kenosha and a guy from South Dakota). The three us of did 'Le grand tour' where you climb into a open air double decker bus and are paraded around the town. The major attractions of the city include a gold topped church on the tallest point of the town, the drastic coast line of the mediteranean and the three islands in the distance, the ancient cathedrale, the harbor, a ancient fort, and a road called canebiere. The place is famous because it was a major stop for World War GI's back in the day. The street is lined with shops and bars and is the most 'sketchy' place to hang out at night. So of course i saw it!
After the grand tour, my camarades and i took a boat out to one of the islands 'Ile d'If.' On the island rests a chateau (castle) from the 1500's which protected the port of Marseilles during the many struggles for territory. The castle is also known to be the setting of the Count of Monte Cristo as well as the man in the iron mask. I took a lot of great pictures of the islands, and the coastline of Marseilles. I had nostalgia of looking at Dakar from the Ile de Madelines of the west coast of africa. I really missed Senegal at that moment. France is great but so commercial and built up, there is something so appealing about the simplicity of Africa.....Anyway, i really need to read the count of monte cristo now, the castle was something out of a dream.
I stayed in the town of Aix en Provence for two nights during my venture to Marseilles. Aix is in the provence region of france and is the great artist Cezanne's former dwelling place. The main attraction in Aix is the Cours Mirabeau which is just a street lined with restaurants, shops, twinkling lights, and large trees. A french version of state street if you will. The other americans and i spent a lot of time wandering through the streets of Aix near the Cours Mirabeau; eating fries and drinking hot chocolate (among other things) in the same restaurants that Cezanne had. Aix is very charming and it would be a great place to study. No worries though, im not staying!
After Aix, i took a long train ride to the center of France to Clermont Ferrand. Clermont is a city surrounded by hibernating volcanoes in the massif central region of the country. Many of the cities buildings like the cathedrale and the police station were created with the black volcanic rock. It was quite a sight to see! Also in Clermont is my friend George from Connecticut. He was in senegal with me two years ago and so it was great to be able to connect with him again. We took a tour of the town, I went to my first rugby match ever, and we had a great time hitting a few of the towns clubs and restaurants.
After 11 days of travel, hostels, cheap food, and endless attractions and train rides, i was pretty happy to come back to school to relax!
After the grand tour, my camarades and i took a boat out to one of the islands 'Ile d'If.' On the island rests a chateau (castle) from the 1500's which protected the port of Marseilles during the many struggles for territory. The castle is also known to be the setting of the Count of Monte Cristo as well as the man in the iron mask. I took a lot of great pictures of the islands, and the coastline of Marseilles. I had nostalgia of looking at Dakar from the Ile de Madelines of the west coast of africa. I really missed Senegal at that moment. France is great but so commercial and built up, there is something so appealing about the simplicity of Africa.....Anyway, i really need to read the count of monte cristo now, the castle was something out of a dream.
I stayed in the town of Aix en Provence for two nights during my venture to Marseilles. Aix is in the provence region of france and is the great artist Cezanne's former dwelling place. The main attraction in Aix is the Cours Mirabeau which is just a street lined with restaurants, shops, twinkling lights, and large trees. A french version of state street if you will. The other americans and i spent a lot of time wandering through the streets of Aix near the Cours Mirabeau; eating fries and drinking hot chocolate (among other things) in the same restaurants that Cezanne had. Aix is very charming and it would be a great place to study. No worries though, im not staying!
After Aix, i took a long train ride to the center of France to Clermont Ferrand. Clermont is a city surrounded by hibernating volcanoes in the massif central region of the country. Many of the cities buildings like the cathedrale and the police station were created with the black volcanic rock. It was quite a sight to see! Also in Clermont is my friend George from Connecticut. He was in senegal with me two years ago and so it was great to be able to connect with him again. We took a tour of the town, I went to my first rugby match ever, and we had a great time hitting a few of the towns clubs and restaurants.
After 11 days of travel, hostels, cheap food, and endless attractions and train rides, i was pretty happy to come back to school to relax!
posted by Tara at 7:01 AM
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