Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Barcelona-Paris-Rouen

Hello friends!!

I HAVE INTERNET! Yes, I can now communicate, check the weather, take pictures of food, and take total advantage of everything else offered on the world wide web. I'm finally back on the net and ready to share! It's still crazy to think I'm in France writing this, but I'm sure not complaining. There's is sooooo much to say so I'm going to give a little summary of my past two weeks since I left the Nation's capital.

Week 1: Barcelona
HOLY catfish I don't know where to start with Barcelona. But in short the city is gorgeous/lively/filled with SO much history. I felt like I was Scarlett Johansson in Vicky Cristina Barcelona as I snapped my way through the city! Maggie and I toured around all day everyday and we got to see everything from the beaches to the mountains. We even went to one of the oldest churches in Barcelona and shook the priest's hand #catholicgirlsdoitbetter.


I think what really helped was our amazing apartment in the trendy El Born neighbourhood. We found it on AirBnB, and my God I love that site! I really felt like a local when running to the supermarket or chatting with the little old lady on the balcony across the alley way. It was so nice to have a clean safe space to go back to at night and to cook our meals. We saved A LOT of money cooking for ourselves and it meant we got to go to the near by markets to pick up fruit and veg, meats, and cheeses.















Week 2 (Part 1): Paris

We then took the train from Barcelona to Paris. The ride was about six hours and had stunning views of old castles, southern France country side, and tons of gorgeous seascapes. Once in Paris, we stayed at another apartment through AirBnB. It was super cheap and situated in a lovely neighbourhood near Bastille with little bistros popping up everywhere and anywhere. Our host, Delphine, even made us heart shaped brownies, just what we needed!


We only spent a full day and two nights in Paris so we had a lot to cover, but we never felt rushed. We were able to walk everywhere with a few bus/metro rides interspersed here and there. We saw the Louvre (but it was closed), the Notre Dame de Paris, the Eiffel Tower, Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore, and many many other special spots. We finished the day with AMAZINGLY LOADED falafels from L'as du Falafel, which I had heard of on blog I read. It was the perfect day! 


Week 2 (Part 2): Rouen

On Wednesday morning we headed to Rouen, where the NEOMA Business School is located, on the train. Might I mention that while we were travelling by plane, train, metro, bus, taxi, and donkey (jk!) up until we got to school we had ALL our luggage. That's right, FOUR MONTHS worth of stuff. If I didn't get my weight training in then, I don't think I ever will. I brought a big suitcase (49 lbs) and one carry on (thanks Kate), which isn't a lot for four months, but it's a lot to have with you on a busy rush hour metro in downtown Paris. Trust me. Anyways we made it to school with slightly aching joints and got all signed in and moved into residence. I really love my room in residence and I'm right across the hall from Maggie. We also both have stellar bathroom mates (we have adjoining rooms that share a bathroom) and our floor is awesome. Apparently we live on the party floor, but no complaints on that front ;) Before nights out, our halls fill with students from all over the world. It's amazing how universal a game of flip cup and some Black Eyed Peas are...


So far we've been really busy with orientation and workshops, tours, partying, and doing little local french things like getting 1 euro crepes at the flea market across the street. I also got a lovely sweater and some kitchen supplies at the sale. I had my first class yesterday and it was so strange, we all had to get up and introduce ourselves and say why we chose to take the class and how we think it will apply to our career. It was a pretty small class (~30 students) but still different from home. Another difference is that all classes are three hours so I'm going to have to pack some snacks and caffeine in my bag if I want to get through the semester!


I'll keep posting little updates here and there, and please do write me!! I miss all my Canadian friends and family and especially the supply of peanut butter. Little side note: There is NO NETFLIX OR PEANUT BUTTER HERE???? Why was there no mention of this on the countless study abroad blogs I poured over? However I am totally digging the 1 euro camembert cheese and wine!!!!

À tout à l'heure mes amis!

xoxox
(or should I say bises!!)

Gaby

p.s. My friend Emily also has a blog about studying here in Rouen. Check it out!!