Speechless in Arles

Do you ever have those speechless moments? You're with your friends, walking side by side blocking sidewalk traffic, and it's not like there's nothing to talk about, we were all just walking together in silence. The city of Arles was just so magnificent we didn't know how to respond to it in words.

"Chaque bâtiment" (every building) has its own color scheme, with matching shutters and doors. The buildings are also quite old; some have restless ivy, and others have wrinkles - wrinkles of experience in the siding.

We sat looking upon the Rhone River

en mangant la glace - c'est trés magnifique

The streets were so small that the petite european cars struggled to make their way through. We proceeded to walk through these streets with our thoughts silently in tandem. We all marveled at the sheer beauty of this place.

Another facet of Arles which was "totalement" fascinating was its history. My friends and I found ourselves in another speechless moment as we walked through the "amphitheater". The 120 arches of this amphitheater date back to the first century, BC.

Just think about this situation. Shoes. The shoes I wore to Arles were bought in a mall. Nordstrom, to be precise. They were made somewhere far away, and shipped to the very store from which I bought them. And now, look at me now, these shoes are walking on the same turf where thousands of others shoes have walked. Shoes that were bought at a boutique. Shoes made by an artisan. Shoes made by a mother. Bare feet - because shoes weren't invented yet.

Eyes. My eyes. My eyes look upon a fantastic building depicted above. So many different eyes have glazed upon that building. Eyes that haven't seen an ipod. Eyes that haven't seen a car. Eyes that havn't seen electricity. All of these eyes, minds, and shoes are so different. They know different things, they speak different languages, they have different personalities. But also, they are all the same. How? How can so many different people from so many different backgrounds and time periods all share one thought? They share the thought of being completely speechless.

Speechless at the sig†ht of something incredible.

La Belle Plage au Marseilles

I proclaimed that I would return to Aix Sunburned and pickpocketed. Yes.

We were going to Marseilles, the second biggest city in France, where the sun beats down strong

and the pickpockets are savvy. While I was sitting in the back of the speedboat on the way to the island

depicted above(more about that later), I was completely mesmerized by the Marseilles cityscape.

I wish I could include a picture but I didn't bring my camera out of a fear of gypsies.The Marseilles landscape

just featured so many different "époques" (eras) of architechture. There was a sleek, iridescent building next to

a huge, florid mosque next to a terra cotta mideival castle. And then next to all of this were a bunch of the

"south of France" style houses depicted above. Another idiosyncrasy of the city of Marseilles is the

incredible diversity. While walking through it's busy streets, I noticed groups of people wearing tradition

African garb - colorful and rich. Then, you would turn around and see women vailed from head to toe. I couldn't

believe it, but I found myself experiencing another culture shock! Aix and Marseilles are polar opposites.

Now about that incredible island. All I wanted to do was meditate. Where was I? I wasn't quite sure. Some island off of the city of Marseilles, all I know, is that I was in heaven. Honestly, if you were to look up "paradise" in a dictionary I think that one would find the above picture - the beach on which I sat like a happy Buddha. While I was writing about the city of Marseilles I couldn't get my mind off of that island. Words don't come to mind when I think about my time on that island - I just think about that happiness that I felt while there.

Way too stereotypical

"Oh My god. This is way too stereotypical"

This phrase seems to slip from our lips "tous les temps" when we amble down the narrow streets of Aix en Provence. While that exlamatory statement does make us sound painfully American, it is probably the best and simplest definition of Aix en Provence.

Aix's narrow streets are flooded with ou

tdoor cafés, fountains, and shops that are a tad too appealing to the eye. If I let my feet carry me into one of these shops I will end up spending all the money I have; " Ah! Quelle jolie chausseurs!" defini

tly ranks number two in the "most said phrases while in Aix en Provence".

While the city of Aix is not afraid to flaunt its classic french style, there are also a few subleties which I picked up from our "exploration des étroites rues d'Aix en Provence" (exploration of the narrow streets of Aix) on the first day.

I think it's too funny that the trucks and busses here are mercedes :)

First off, crossing the street in europe is a completley different business than in the States. There are crosswalks on the major streets, however, on the little alleyways that make up about 80% of the city, crosswalks are nowhere to be found. Donc (therefore), if there is a petit French car speeding down la rue (the street), every time, the driver finds a way to skid to a stop at the last second, and he/she will impateintly beckon us "slow Americans" to cross the street.

I have also noticed that a majority of french stores don't have normal doors that open and close. They are completely open to the street, like an open garage door. I personally love how stores don't have formal doors. They are completley open to the public. Now, I may be overthinking this, but I believe that this is rather symbolic of an element of the French culture. A store doesn't have doors; it is open to whoever wants to come in, and whatever happens will happen - "c'est la vie". The french seem to have this wonderful calm, fun, and romantic attitude that I envy! If a situation doesn't go according to plan, it's not the worst thing in the world! Instead, they will embrace whatever comes at them as a new situation, time is only a number. This attitude is quite different from that which I grew up with living in New York. If something doesn't go according to plan, we will try our hardest to push this irregularity into our detailed plan. Because we ( or just I) try so hard to make everything work out exactly how we want it, we may completley miss a wonderful oppurtunity.

I think that being in Aix, I am starting to conform to the "french way" of "expecting the unexpected" and I am so happy. I hope that this wonderful attitude will stay with me when I drag myself back home to New York.

A bientot!

Expect the Unexpected

When, from time to time, I slip into a lull in my day to day activities, I find myself day dreaming about this next month's journey. I want to step off of the car from the Marseilles airport into Aix and feel the lug of jet lag quietly slip away, because of the excitement I will feel from parading in to the city I will spend the next month absorbing.

I have to say that another one of my top expectations for this summer is to improve my accent. Last summer, when I went to an International Summer Program, I drove up the courage to speak to some French people in my dorm. Here's how that played out (translated into English for those non-Frenchies reading my blog)
(after some banter)
-Do you like my French? I take it in school.
-Allow me to be blunt...your speaking French perfectly, you have the vocab and the grammar, but it doesn't sound like your speaking French

gee, thanks.
Thus, my other goal for this program is to make a tourist mistake me for an Aix local. I want to develop the "French Swagger" and the perfect French accent. I know its ambitious, but that's what I want so badly!

And, last, but most certainly not least, my goal for this summer is to "Expect the Unexpected". I want to do and experience what I could never imagine.