Une Petite Ville - Pau

I have been doing terrible at keeping up with my blog, but I know before I get started on any other adventure I must talk about Pau, the city I currently live in.

Pau is not a very big city, some might even consider it a town. For the most part, it is a quiet place. However, I do really love this city. For me, Pau is adorable, it is the perfect size for someone like me. There are things to do but it is not overwhelming. The city has a lovely downtown that is rich in history. The geographic location of Pau is also great; we are located right next to the Pyrenees, the second largest mountain in France. The beach is not far either, only about an hour from the Basque coast of Biarritz. For good wine, one can make a trip to the famous Bordeaux. Or if you are getting tired of France (if you ever would), the Spanish border is only a two hour drive.

The opportunities to travel are endless, but during the week Pau did not bore me either. On top of my intensive French lessons, the univerisity offers a variety of sports for all students. During my few weeks here, I have picked up volleyball and plan to go on hiking excursions in the Pyrenees. 

I must say that I have greatly enjoyed my stay in France so far. Although you must adjust yourself to a different lifestyle, it feels nice to be living differently. Only then can you truly reflect on yourself and how you lived before. I may not always appreciate that nothing is open on Sundays, or that the French take a laissez-faire approach on everything they do. But that does not make their culture wrong, it is just a different way of living. I want to take it all in, the good and the bad, and who knows, maybe I will appreciate this lifestyle more than I had anticipated. 

Enough talk, picture time!

Castle of King Henri IV

Beautiful Church

Day at the market ;)

Bienvenue en France!

It has been exactly two weeks since I landed in the great continent of Europe, a place that I have yet to explore until just this year. I meant to start my blog about my experiences here earlier, but it took some time to get all settled in and get over the initial shock of being in France. This is not to say that France is a bad country to visit by any means, in fact it is the exact opposite, I needed time to get used to the beauty in France and face the reality that I will be living here for the next four months. In a place where one will never run out of wine and the people's culture is as dynamic and rich as their cheese. Yes, it sounds like I am bragging, but it can be a daunting task to integrate oneself into a whole new culture. After just spending my summer in India, I must say I was a bit overstimulated by all the cultural differences. Oh and did I mention I do not speak French?

Regardless of my preparation, I landed in Europe with the intention to stay for a while. I was determined to learn French and live like the French do (or at least try to). Unlike many people who visit France, my first stop was in Southern France and not Paris. I was lucky to have a French friend who kindly picked me up from the airport (in Switzerland) and drove me across the border into French territory. I spent four days of holidays in Aix-les-Bains, a small beautiful city not far from Lyon, before heading to Pau to start my semester. It was four days full of great wine, delicious food (especially the cheese), plenty of "faire la bise" (a greeting with a kiss on both cheeks), and wonderful French hospitality. My good friend Kaitlyn joined me shortly after (on her birthday) for all the fun. Needless to say it was a perfect start to my stay in France. More on Pau later, but I would recommend everyone to visit Southern France if they are in Europe.

Aix-les-Bains is located in South-Eastern France, near the border of Switzerland and Italy.

View of the city, too bad it was a rainy day.

 Evening in Annecy