Ah, the joys of traveling. You think nine hours is no big deal for a flight, and then it’s 7 hours in and all you want to do is get off the plane and walk around. And breathe non-circulated air. But. I’m finally in Paris, no sign of the Eiffel Tower from the airport, but landing a little after sunrise was beautiful. The whole sky was pink as we were coming in over the French countryside, and everything from the air is just so beautiful. It’s hard to believe I’m actually in Europe, it feels the same and so different at the same time. It’s not quite like India, where I stuck out like a sore thumb, but I have a little of the same feeling of disconnect. Upon arrival in Paris, I had to grab my bag and hike 10 minutes across the airport (thank goodness for trolleys) to get to the next place I had to check in. The line took forever just to check my bag, but security was so easy here compared to home. You don’t have to remove your shoes for one… that’s nice. I’m currently sitting in the “F” section of the airport, waiting for my plane in one of the nicest waiting areas that I’ve seen. And I’ve been to a lot of airports. I ate lunch, and even the airport food is the best cheese I’ve ever had. And I’m pretty sure that there was butter on my sandwich. I was wondering if there would be a sauce (I just ordered a ham and swiss ciabatta, so I wasn’t expecting it), and when I bit into it, it was creamy and delicious. If it was butter, it’s not like anything I’ve ever tasted before. Anyway… I’m off to Marseille to explore today! I’m so excited, and hoping that I don’t get too much jet lag. I don’t think it should be too bad due to the fact that I fell asleep on the plane (with the help of Nyquil and a glass of wine), and woke up somewhere over England. But I’m excited to explore Marseille. I think I’ll be going back for a class field trip, so it would be nice to know what I want to photograph already!
Marseille is a treat. We got to the hotel (that was within walking distance of the airport) and left again to go explore the French port city. It's the second largest city in France, and has more than 800,000 people. There is a beautiful port that is surrounded by amazing architecture, food and picture opportunities. I met up with two other SCAD students (Chris and Catherine, Catherine and I were sharing a hotel room), and we managed to get somewhat turned around, but down to the port regardless. We're happy we got a little lost though, because we found the Cathedrale De La Nouvelle Major, and it was breathtaking. It's Byzantine influenced, and we spent almost an hour walking around both the inside and the outside taking in its beauty. We were astounded at the sheer size, and having never been to Europe before, it looked like something straight out of one of my textbooks. Just gorgeous. We eventually split up and Chris headed to his hotel while Catherine and I grabbed dinner from a little sandwich shop and ate on the port. We walked back up to the train station just as the sun was setting and took a bus back to the airport and our hotel. 
September 10
This morning we woke up early, had a lovely French breakfast (all bread and cheese and more bread!) and headed back to the airport to wait for the rest of the SCAD group to get together. After about three hours in the airport, and a glass of wine with lunch, it was off to the bus. Eleanor, our main coordinator gave us a little bit of information as we were driving through the French countryside, and an hour and a half later we made it to Lacoste. Then the walk up to campus (and by up, I mean UP) and room assignments and such. I took a small tour with Eleanor and a couple of the other students. We hiked up to the chateau, which was beautiful, but every single one of us was winded. We're all going to be in shape by the end of this.... or at least keep off the pounds from the cheese. I unpacked and got to know my roommates a little (Sunni and Christina). After that was a shower, dinner (which was amazing... more bread and cheese) and then another glass of wine at the Cafe with a bunch of new faces. Overall, it's been a really full day, and meeting a ton of new people is already a little overwhelming, though I know we are all going to know each other so well by the end of the quarter. Oh, and the library... is my heaven. It's three stories of winding staircases and little rooms full of books and comfy chairs, confined in hundreds of year old walls, and a view from the top.... Definitely where I'll be spending most of my time! But.... the computer is dying and it's an early day tomorrow! |
| The view of a SCAD building from the Boutique Terrace |
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