Honhonhon Wine and Cheese

Today, was a long day! We had our first big test this morning covering all the intensive French we have learned so far but I actually didn't think it was too bad and mostly just review so hopefully I did well! Then after class I packed up all my suitcases because we are finally moving out of the hotel that we were all living in for the pre-session and into our places for the semester! I can't wait to move into my apartment and actually unpack and buy things to cook etc. Then in the afternoon we had a wine tasting that was paid for my the university which was awesome! I finally know more about wine than just Rose Franzia that we have at home.

Gaby and I enjoying the Riesling

My table for the wine tasting: Katy, Hannah, Gaby, Me, Sam, Edward

Rose

Muscador

 We learned all about the different types of wine, what region they are from in France, and same with 4 types of cheese. We enjoyed a Riesling from Alsace, a Rose from Nimes, a rouge from Bordeaux, and a Muscador which is like sparkling wine kind of like champagne and very fruity! We learned that the reason people swish around the wine in the glass is because you can tell what percentage of alcohol is in the wine from how long it takes to drip down the side of the glass. You can also tell the age of the wine from the color, for white wine the more clear it is the younger it is and for red wine it is the opposite the more clear the older it is.
Then we learned about the different cheeses. 85% of cheese comes from cows, 10% from goats, and 5% from sheep. We ate Camembert from Normandie, Comte from Franche Cote, Rocamadour from Haut-Laugedouc, and Roquefort from Larzac. At the end they gave us a list of the best and pretty cheap wines that are from our region, Languedoc-Rousillon so I will definitely be bringing back some French wine in December! Now post wine tasting I should write my paper that is due Friday but we'll see!

Nimes et Le Pont du Gard

Le Pont du Gard

On Saturday we took a day trip to Le Pont du Gard which is the oldest Roman aqueduct from when the Roman Empire controlled Southern France. We actually got to walk inside the aqueduct and there were beautiful views. 

The view from on top of Le Pont du Gard

Inside the tunnels of the aqueduct where the water used to flow

After Le Pont du Gard we visited the city of Nimes. It is an old Roman city and there is a huge Colosseum where they now have concerts including Akon, Sting etc. We arrived in the city and toured around, had lunch and delicious gelatto and got a little lost before our tour of the Colosseum. Below is the view from the top steps inside the Colosseum. We toured around the Colosseum and learned about the gladiator fights that used to take place there.

After the Colosseum we walked around the historic city and its Roman roots and then went to La Maison Carre which is a Roman temple constructed between 4-5 AD. We couldn't go inside the temple though because there was a wedding going on. We ended the tour in a garden with beautiful statues where there was in fact another wedding going on.

The beautiful scenery and statues in the garden.

When we got back from the trip we were so tired from walking all day so we slept in on Sunday and then spent the day at the beach which was gorgeous. Today we had class in the morning and again spent a beautiful afternoon at the beach and doing homework unfortunately because we have our first big test on Wednesday. Then tonight for dinner we decided to try some traditional Mediterranean seafood because it is so popular here and so fresh with the proximity to the sea. We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into, I really enjoyed the shrimp and fresh oysters but what we determined were sea slugs were not very tasty haha but if was definitely an experience and I was glad to try this fresh seafood that you can't get everywhere.

Our platter of fruits de mer at the seafood restaurant.

My friend Gaby and I playing with the huge shrimp!

La Plage

Friends and I at the beach

Yesterday we had class in the morning and then spent the afternoon at the beach. The beach was so beautiful and so much warmer than any beaches at home. Then I did homework unfortunately, it is strange to get back into the swing of things school-wise, while living in such a beautiful place. Today we went to class and then had a lecture in the afternoon about the trip to Nimes and Le Pont du Gare that we are going to on Saturday which looks like it will be amazing. Tonight we plan on hitting up some clubs, I will post later with pics from tonight!!

Exploring the City

The past 2 days we've gone on 2 tours of the city of Montpellier. Yesterday, we saw the newer part of the city and they pointed out important locations such as the train station, post office, cheap grocery store and of course good bars to go to. Then today we explored the historical part of the city which includes a mini version of the arc de triomphe. Through the office de tourisme we were able to go on top of the arc de triomphe and had beautiful views of the entire city. Today was also the first day of learning. For the next 3 weeks we have 3 hours of intensive French in the morning and then an excursion or lecture in the afternoon.

Some friends and I on top of the arc de triomphe

View from the top

First Day in France

View from outside our hotel room

So after my 7 hour flight from Washington to Paris, a 6 hour layover in Paris and a 1 hour flight to Montpellier I made it! I have currently been awake for 29 hours but I'm trying to hold off sleep until it is actually night time here so I can start adjusting to the time difference. In Paris I encountered about 15 people who are also on my program waiting for the flight to Montpellier and they all seem pretty chill and cool so far. Once in Montpellier we were picked up by one of the program coordinators and given a schedule for the next few days which had nothing scheduled for today besides relaxing. We stay in a hotel for the first 10 days of the program which is basically like an orientation and then I move into the apartment that I'll be living in for the whole semester. So for the next 10 days I'm living with 2 girls one named Hannah who goes to Penn State and the other Kristina who goes to the University of Minnesota. They are both pretty fun and def my kind of people so I think we'll get along. This afternoon we walked around Montpellier a lot it is so beautiful 80s and sunny with palm trees everywhere. But of course in France basically no stores are open on Sundays so for our first meal in France we had cheeseburgers because it was the only thing open haha. Now I have 3 more painstaking hours of staying up and then I can finally sleep in preparation for our first real day tomorrow which includes a placement test and an orientation of the city!

Last Night in America

So tomorrow at 4:40pm I depart for Montpellier, France. After many hours of stress and worrying about the right electronic adapters to buy and forms to copy, I am finally all packed and ready to go besides a few last minute items and luckily both my suitcases are solidly under 50 lbs. Tonight as my last dinner in America for awhile I enjoyed some barbecue brisket and pulled pork with the fam since I probably won't be having any of that in France. It makes me sad to see the millions of facebook statuses clogging up my news feed about moving back to NOVA this weekend but I know that once I get to France I will have the experience of a lifetime. Wish me luck! Next post to come from France!