Blogs from Carcassonne, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, Europe - page 8

Now I have a lot to talk about… Earlier this week Becca and I moved down levels because grammar and orthography were too stressful and frustrating. Now we are in level three with Libby, which is a blast. It’s just the three of us, the professor, and all the Chinese kids. Class is really a lesson in Chinese….we constantly play a little games called “put away the dictionaries.” Level three is kind of easy, but the way I see it, I’m in France to enjoy myself and the experience...being frustrated all the time is not the way to go. We have the same two professors for most of our classes (which consist of grammar, orthography, writing, oral, comprehensive oral, civilization, and phonetics). They are two of my favorite French people ever and they both speak English ... read more

Well we have left Vigo for our next planned date- Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. It was sad to leave our good friends in Vigo but we were looking foward to what lied ahead. We travelled throuth Andorra, a small country built up and full of shops in its capital; but with beutiful scenery only 20 mins away from its central district. We indulged ourselves in Europes largest spar complex (30 Euros for 3 hours in a large pool, says Ben) and found a lovely camping spot smack bang in the middle of the Pyenees in a little village called Soldeu. We took a cable care to the top on one of the Mount Gallo which had gorgeous scenery. Sadly bens ankle meant he coudlnt hire a downhill mountain bike, but maybe thats for the best. We ... read more

The title for this one really should have been Going, Going, Gone; but I have already used that one. Anyway you will see why later on in the blog.... After Barcelona, it was another early train ride and I made it with 7 minutes to spare (for someone on holiday, I seem to be giving myself alot of those early starts. I really am a glutton for punishment), then it was a relaxing ride to Carcassone via Narbonne. I just escaped Barcelona in time as it looked like a thunderstorm was coming into town, and arrived in France to perfect sunshine. So I got off the train with no idea where I was going, or where I was staying that night, and I couldn't help grinning! This is what backpacking is all about. In the ... read more

Tipica giornata di questo atipico inverno 2006/2007: sole e 15 gradi di temperatura. La stazione ferroviaria di Marsiglia è un ribollire di frenetiche attività umana. Masse di pendolari si muovono al mattino in direzione centro per poi rinculare alla sera in egual numero nella direzione opposta. Sarebbe come il mare con le sue due maree quotidiane se non fosse che quello non riposa il fine settimana. Ma oggi è giorno feriale e così ci sono i pendolari, ci sono gli occasionali viaggiatori come me, c’è la polizia spiegata in gran numero e ci sono quegli omnipresenti membri del sottobosco umano che, come gabbiani intorno a un peschereccio, non perdono occasione per raccogliere i frutti dell’altrui distrazione. All’ostello avevo conosciuto Susanne, Olandese bionda e rubiconda cui mancano solo gli zoccoli di legno e le treccine per poter ... read more

We visited Carcassonne last Sunday. I must say that is the best day to sightsee, there are never many people. It was nice, but a little too touristy for us. The town consists of La Cite and Ville Basse. La Cite is a walled medieval fortified town originally built in the 6th century BC by a Gaulish settlement. Today the walls are a result of two thousand and five hundred years of fortifications and occupations by the Gauls, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Franks. In the 19th century the walled town underwent a massive restoration. The Ville Basse; the city that flourishes down below La Cite, was established in the thirteenth century. As I said earlier, La Cite was very very touristy. I read somewhere that two thousand people visit a year, and it is obvious that ... read more