Were off to Climb a Mountainn!!!!

For many excuses (mainly valid and not due to my laziness) I didn't manage to climb Mont Sainte-Victoire last semester when the majority of people did, but it was certainly on my list of things to do before I leave.(Which is in a month #sob.) Picking a 20odd degree day might not have been ideal when it was super steep at the beginning but it did lead to some lovely views at the top whilst eating our picnic and eating all the grapes Luke brought along. All I really know about the mountain is that its very famous because Cezanne used to paint it and there is a church at the top available for campers. Taking a different route on the way back down led us to walk past possibly the most stunning turquoise lake I've ever seen. Finishing off the day with a few failed jump photos before catching the bus back home. Great day with even better company Its days like this when i still can't believe I have lived in such an amazing place for the past 9 months and that I really am going to miss it and all the people I've met when I have to leave.

 

In other news I have been playing beer-pong (and winning!) girly nights in watching mean girls, visiting Marseille for la fete  des flammes et flots ( a random night with sculptures of fire everywhere) and my next trip is to St Tropez tomorrow!!! Standard day in the life of an erasmus student in the South of France :D

Just a Few Snaps From Spain

Granada

Soo after my little jaunt down to Tarragona my next stop was Granada. Here I was visiting Rosanna, the first friend I ever made on erasmus! (Who knew you could meet such a good friend at the airport?! First day buddies!!!) Now I know I say it alot but I really do love Spain, endless days of drinking cheap beer and eating free tapas. What could be more perfect?! After a quick trip to the bull fighting ring, the main highlight of this trip was visiting the Alhambra Palace (which narrowly missed out on being one of the 7 modern wonders) We had night time tickets to the Palace so had the chance to see the sunset before hand. Really is one of the most beautiful places ever. The following night we went up to the albayzin, the old gypsie district of granada with stunning views of the whole city & the Alhambra on the opposite hill. Plus its always amusing to see the illegal street sellers scarper when they think the police are coming. And after another epic 24 hour journey I arrived back in Aix ready for my last month here! I actually love Spain and can't wait to explore it some more in the summer, because NEWS FLASH, i have Benicassim tickets :D

Sant Jordi

Learnt a bit of Catalan culture this week.
It surprised me how much of a big deal St George's day or Sant Jordi is in Catalonia. Considering the English seem to basically ignore our own patron saint, we were quite excited when St George and his dragon wandered up our street on tuesday morning. On Sant Jordi the girls receive a rose and the boys a book, me and Lauren got in the spirit of things and bought each other a rose :) In the afternoon the rambla in tarragona was full of stalls selling roses, books, dragons before at night it became the setting for the castells. These are amazing towers of people starting with a crowd of fully grown men at the bottom before a tiny child climbs to the top of a 5 storey people tower! Lets just say health and safety in England would have a field day. I just love how much love the Catalan people have for their country and culture.

Tarragonaaaa

Not updated this in forever and while I'm currently waiting for a 4am bus to the airport this seems like as good a time as ever :) I have just spent a fulfilled few days in tarragona staying with some friends. Yes as people keep asking I really am on holiday from the south of France :P (what a hard life) Chilling on a beach and celebrating Sant Jordi (Catalonia's st George's day) has been a lovely start to my Spanish holiday. After a 10hour bus journey on Friday night I arrived and spent the day relaxing on the beautiful beach about 5minutes away from where I'm staying. I really can't get over how much time I'm spending on beaches in the Med lately. A slightly less dramatic trip (no riots, hurricanes or broken down trains to contend with) to Barcelona on Monday, saw some more of the city and got my fill of tapas :) Days full of working on my tan, visiting a roman amphitheatre, stuffing my face with food and even a bit of hula hooping later I'm gutted to be leaving but can't wait to get to the south to see another friend and start exploring another new place. Next stop: GRANADA!

Holiday Blues

So to overcome my ski blues... (AMAZING HOLIDAY!)

And the fact that a whole load of people left Aix to go home or move to Spain I decided to book my next trip. However due to lack of funds this had to be done on the cheap.

Last minute flights to Manchester £300


Aix-Paris £60
Paris-Leeds £15
Huddersfield-Newcastle - £5
Newcastle-Barcelona - £50
Barcelona-Aix €37
= £170
Getting to see all my friends and family- Priceless :D

Plus free accommodation everywhere I go :)

Only In France

Only in France...

- Would the guy from the takeout pay for my Monoprix shopping (think i eat there too much)
- Could i find a pint of wine for 2euro!