Lots of pictures

Last night I stayed out late drinking wine and smoking cigars by the Grand Theatre. I realize that sounds ridiculous, and I hope some photos will reinforce that notion.


I must credit my good friend Danai for the excellent camera work. I have failed to mention that you may click on any of these photos for a higher resolution image.

Earlier yesterday I went around town with Beth and her friend Katrina (studying in Scotland this semester.) We climbed a bell tower in the center of town, and some pictures were taken. I'll try to point out some areas of interest...

This is the view to the East, you may be able to pick out the river going through town below the horizon.

South and South-East. My school is by those last seven building you can see in the photo just above. Waay far of a walk.

To the East.

The cathedral.

An unfortunately narrow view of the beautiful North. I successfully managed to miss any visible monument in this direction, but a pretty view nonetheless.

Lovely friends.

Awesome up/down 231 step stairway and my foot.

Later, after a bottle of wine at Quinconces, before the best Italian meal of my life.


I'm really having an awesome time out here. Classes aren't too serious yet, we've been learning French law vocabulary and reading newspapers to gradually work up our fluency. I'm meeting with some people tomorrow and the day after for tours of places in the city center, I'll be sure the write the results. 


Nick

No pictures...

No pictures on this post, I haven't had my camera around with me at all recently. I thought I would let you guys know what's been going on in the six or so days since my last post.
I started up French classes on Monday. At the university orientation for exchange students (of which I am the sole North American,) the faculty talked for a little bit about the area and the school. Several times they would say a joke in French and the response came so late after everyone had to explain the joke in Russian, German, Spanish, English etc., it was hilarious. After some talks the faculty assumed we we're tired, so they set up some tables full of wine bottles and glasses to get a sample of the region's wine. This was the point when I realized I made the right decision to go to Bordeaux.

Last night I went out to la Place de la Bourse where young people go and sit, drink, and hang around the reflection pool. Here is a picture off of Google, it actually looked like this.

That's really all that's been going on! I have French classes about two hours a day, I've been searching around the interweb for places in the city center, and I've been spending countless hours sitting at cafés chatting up my new euro-friends. As a side note, a bottle of award-winning Bordeaux is 4 Euro, while a pint of beer at a bar can be 9. 


I promise pictures soon!


-Nick

Cultural Learnings

The French are expert loiterers... and I think I like it.
Whether it is sitting at a café for an hour an a half while drinking an expresso or laying around some eight-hundred year old monument; the purpose of going out is to enjoy the time, not to scarf down un hamburger. I can't remember how many times I've been walking around the city having absolutely no idea what time it is.


Today Beth and I went to a pretty legit Italian restaurant here in the city. We were thinking it was going to have a pretty large wine menu, but all we ended up finding was, "Go into the cellar and pick out a bottle," (in French of course.) So of course we had to go down, and when we got down there we saw legit wheels of cheese, sides of beef, and a wall of wine. So alright that might not seem spectacular, but that was just shocking to me that a restaurant would actually use real ingredients. And the pizza was soo good.

An Arab open market today at St. Michel. I bought some oranges but I was thinking about buying some of the live chickens.

This is around where your place will be, mom.

The bottle of wine I bought for un amie's birthday party I'm going to tonight. I didn't get I.D.'d

-Nick

Plus de Photos

So I've been hanging around Bordeaux for the past couple of days, doing a chore here and there. I met my down-the-hall neighbor today who happens to be from Kazakhstan. He has cooked a couple of meals for me (which I have no idea how to pronounce) that were waay better than the PB&J's I would have had otherwise. 


 I'm beat, so I'm just going to post some photos.

This store is hilarious. 

Which reminds me of a funny quirk; pretty much every time I say I'm from the United States people ask if I'm from New York or California.

Mlle. Forsythe on la Rue Judaïque

I ate ten of them

-Nick