Mount St. Victoire

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On our first Saturday here, unwilling to waste the day, I suggested to Ben and six other of our new friends that we go for a hike on Mount St. Victoire. The mountain is about a thirty minute bus ride from the city. Although we wanted to go to the North side, our lack of abilities in French landed us on the South side. The North side would have given us a 360 degree view, but we found the south side to be beautiful as well. We began to hike the red trail (middle difficulty) and it didn't take us long to get tired, or to reach what we thought was the top. We ended up at a little chapel situated almost into the mountain. A little bell that each of us rang marked the top of our journey, along with tons of photographs. We had a picnic there with bread and cheese and even some champagne. The view was absolutely marvelous. After, three of the girls went back because of the cold, but Ben, me, another girl Michelle, and two other guys, Sebastian and Kevin continued on the red path. What came next was more like rock climbing that hiking. The trail ended on what you may want to call a cliff. The views were amazing, and we spent some time up there just enjoying the view and taking in the experience and the idea that we were actually in France. It's unbelievable to me that we've only been here a week. It feels like much longer, but in a good sense. The reaction after the hike was that we'll go again, at least to try the north side.

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Photos

The girls
Before we began the real hike up the mountain

View 1
and the views begin...

Ben and me
taking a short break

Most of the crew
a little path near the chapel

View 2
view + me at the Chapel

View 3
From the end of the trail

Me at the top
This is right after I stepped a little to close to the edge....

The group
pausing for a second at a lookout point

Jesus pose
I'm not trying to be sacreligious, but after one of the guys did this pose, I thought it looked like the Jesus statue in Brazil...so we all took a picture like it