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Bonjour *insert kiss on both your cheeks
After our Swansea adventure we headed to Worthing in Southern England. We stayed with Clare, Sam's second cousin and visited the rest of her family there. We've been amazed by everyone's kindness and generosity on our travels and it's been really nice to stay with people from the places we visit and get to share in their lives as they live them.
Worthing is a small seaside town and Clare's house was a one minute walk from the ocean. On our first night we listened to a jazz band at a local pub and in the couple days that followed we had cream tea on the pier, indulged in some fish n' chips, strolled along the ocean, took a day trip into Brighton and visited with family. The time went by really quickly and before we knew it it was time to say goodbye to family/friends and bonjour to France and subsequently the beginning of our hosteling trip.
Finding and switching trains on the way to the London airport was fine and after we had boarded our 1 cent flight (yes, thats right 1 cent) to France and safely landed
without the wings falling off the plane or any other similar disasters, we successfully boarded the metro followed by the city bus and found our hostel. We were proud of our navigational skills and eager to test our abilities again but little did we know about the traveling journeys which would ensue..
Toulouse was a beautiful old city of sunbaked sidewalks with an elegant Canal running through it. We treated ourselves to a dinner of "moules carbonara" and "frites" at an outdoor cafe with a view of the Capitole monument buildings and bustling city square. The more we discovered the city, the more charming it became. The little streets are framed by yellow buildings with colourful shutters and flowerbeds. Weaving your way through all the dogs that roam the streets and mopeds that zoom down them can prove difficult but at the end of each cobblestone street you are always rewarded by an amazing cathedral or an enticing creperie.
The French have perfected the art of crepes in any style and Sam and I probably tried most of them (although we were a little concerned when a elderly man warned us that "on deviendrait grosse après qu'on mangrait
ces croissants" but that lasted for about two seconds until we tried our feast of sumptuous baked goods.
After a few days of exploring Toulouse we decided to take a day trip to Bordeux - famous for it's abundant vineyards. After getting on a train with a mandatory reservation which we were unfortunately oblivious to and as a result hastled and then ticketed by an upset train police officer, we wandered our way through the city until we found the centre of town. We had some Bordeaux wine (which was good), a local cheese favourite - slices of cheese with black cherry puree (which for the record we both found disgusting) and we admired the gorgeous view.
Our next day trip was into Carcassone to see the old walled city and castle. With 1 minute to spare we caught our train which was not a reservation one but was marked as a train headed for a different station then the one we believed we should take. We thought this was slightly odd but a conductor told us to hop on and we did. Passively enjoying the passing countryside of Southern France, we kept being interrupted by announcements. Typically,
Larissa wasn't paying attention and was lost in the world of poppy medows and fields of grapes outside her window while Sam was diligently trying to understand his quick speaking. Eventually the train stopped and we were surprised to see all the people around us exit the train. We chuckled about being the only people headed for Carcassone when the train started to move again but then stopped a hundred yards away in the middle of the tracks and shut down. This was followed by the lights shutting off. Shocked by the realisation that we were now doomed to become train stowaways we searched for an exit but all the doors had been automatically locked. Suddenly a beacon of hope appeared in the form of a railway man complete with overalls and waist length hair. He was just as surprised as we were and asked us where we were going. When we told him our intended destination he began swearing rapidfire in french and yelling for other railway workers to help. He unlocked the doors and we had to jump across the tracks and unto the grass then sprint to the bus which was pulling away and would take us
to Carcassone.
When the bus blaring 50's music reached Carcassone we were eager to get off as the 32° weather had made the trip seem incredibly long. The castle and walled town were amazing and after walking around for a few hours we had finished our litre of water. We were still eager to do a guided tour of the Cathur castle and stupidly ignored the fact that we really needed more water. As we climbed the tower steps Sam the lifeguard noticed that Larissa had gone unnaturally white and was about to either vomit or faint which was not particularly favourable as we were standing on the edge of a 100 foot drop. Sam went into action and soon enough we were back on the ground and had consumed multiple jugs of water.
Walking back to the train station we encountered another unfavourable surprise: the trains back to Toulouse had come early and the only ones left were reservation! As we stood in line to ask about the booking procedure, the clock struck 8 and the lady at the desk promptly pulled a blind down, gathered her bags and left the station immune to the enamoured pleas
of other stranded travellers.
For the second time that day we contemplated our situation and decided to either seek sanctuary on a church pew or beg an officer on the reservation train to let us back on. Option 2 seemed like a good alternative and we were delighted when the kindly officer let us on the train. We were led between two cars to a tiny, enclosed compartment cramped with other standing people in the same situation. The entire way home we talked with the other vegabonds like ourselves and consequently had a unique return to Toulouse.
After our last day of adventure we were eager to spend a relaxing day in Toulouse. We found a book shop bought two novels and carried them to the canal. We sat on the grassy banks, read and admired the "pink city". Everyone seemed to have the same idea as us only they were surrounded by a symphony of lighter clicks and clinks of glasses in typical french style.
We planned on leaving for Barcelona yesterday but once again discovered that the train there was a reservation one and all the hostels were full so we randomly chose another hostel, found a spot on a non-reservation train and headed to Beziers, France.
This cultural exposure has left us with a few observations about this area:
1) Nobody seems to work or attend school. The shops are also always closed regardless of the day and time and the owners are on "break" so we can't understand when they DO open.
2) Everything is slower and more leisurely here. Going out for dinner takes 2-3 hours. It's a nice change from the fast paced American lifestyle
3) Men here are very forward. As a disturbing example: Sam and Larissa were trodding along a street when a young man asked us if we would like to appear in his "movie". The list of such happenings continue so we have learnt it is best to feign uncomprehension.
4) Everyone smokes. Even babies. Well not quite.
On tuesday we leave for Barcelona so who knows what other adventures will have befallen us by then..
à bientot,
Sam et Larissa
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Cat
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ok..ummm- this "movie"...
So.... my dear friends...this "movie"... lets face it- you both would have been in very unflattering light...:) so loves- i hope you are having a fabulous time- still---so jeleous--- and i'm glad sam is taking care of larissa and its weird that you both write like that in your letters when we all know is larrie that is writting. :) I love you both cat be a sponge...