Humility Reigns

This morning I went through a full range of emotion from pride to annoyance to defensiveness to boredom to doubt to introspection. In my head, I am bilingual. I have known French for 29 years (holy crap!), it is in me. Or is it? It seems that I have neglected it for the last decade and I am seeing the consequences of that in the form of a disconnect between my perceived ability in French and my actual ability. Oh man!

I am tripping over words, genders, tenses and accordances. Sigh. This used to be so much easier. This is a truly humbling experience. Then again, life is all about learning and continuing to do so. As for the French, it seems that a week won’t be enough to dust off the cobwebs in my brain! Would I ever love to live in France for a year or two! Or maybe Québec (how I love Montreal!)? Or maybe join a local Alliance Francaise? Or maybe watch more French TV? It's important enough to me that it'll be worth the effort to keep up and work on. It's a skill that needs honing, it’s just a bit rusty right now!

A pleasant afternoon was had at the beach today though. Nicole and I hopped on the bus to take us to La Grande Motte beach, a beach a bit further out and, from the map – what looked like the last stop for bus 106. An hour later we realized that we may have missed our stop – it was only supposed to take 45 mins to get there. That’s the trick with the ‘’next stop’’ button on buses – they only work for those who know the route! Instead we spent a couple of hours at Le Grau Du Roi beach - no problem. It had lots of sand. It had the sun. It had the 1000’s of scantily clad bathers you would expect on a hot day in ‘Southern France’. Both Nicole and I looked at each other and knew this wasn’t exactly our scene. Still, we managed to find a spot and relax for a bit. I waded in the La Golfe d’Aigues-Mortes which was lovely despite the film of sunscreen on the water’s surface. It sure did the job to cool me down and the popcicle we had afterwards did too!


As a result of all of the carbohydrates we’ve been eating, my ‘bread-baby’ couldn’t be hidden while in my bikini. Sigh. Good thing we’ve been walking everywhere and running in the mornings. Man, I don’t know how the French ladies do it. They have bread and cheese every day and they all look fabulous! Well – tonight we opted for our 3rd ‘picnic’ in a row at our French pad. The place is really cute – the owners are obviously artists. Oh – today I learned the French word for ‘gezellig’. It’s ‘douillet’. So there we go! Ici, c’est douillet! We ate upstairs on the térrasse and did some homework. What we get out of this week is a direct result of what we put in after all! Alors, en conclusion – aujourd’hui était une bonne journée mais maintenant je dois faire dodo. Je suis fatiguée!

Favourite French expression learned today: métro-boulot-dodo et pédalo-boulot-apéro!

Je n’aime pas le subjonctif!

Today was a longer day at school; we had two hour and a half classes in the morning and one hour and a half class in the afternoon. Boy – did I ever have flashbacks to junior and senior high today. It seems you always go over the same things in French classes: when to use the imparfait vs. the passé compose tenses and practice of the use of the subjunctive tense. I honestly believe that the only reason I know anything about verb tenses is because I studied French and we would go over grammar all the time. We didn’t learn much about the conditional tense or about past participles in English class, that’s for sure! Verb conjugation itself is relatively easy for me but when to employ which tense? Yuck! And, yes, this is how I chose to spend my vacation!
In the second and third classes today we had debates, one on the controversial topic of banning bullfights in Spain, one on the belief in superstitions. Even in English, I still struggle in debates. Just call me Miss Gray (vs. Black and White), or Ms. Fence Sitter, or Madame Ambivalent; I find it difficult to choose one side and really fight for it. I see both sides. Whaddya do? Come on – can’t we meet in the middle?
It turned out to be a bit of an endurance test for some of the classes today but at the same time the day did pass by fairly quickly. I’m learning a lot and am meeting some very interesting (and young!) individuals who are making interesting choices in their lives. I really wish I’d done this years ago. Why didn’t I? The answer is likely “because there are a million other things I love to do”. In that case, I’m glad I’m doing it now. I am thrilled that I have found some way to combine travel, meeting new people, learning and even a little summer sunshine too! Life is just so full of fun things to choose from! I pinch myself that I am lucky enough to have such rich and enjoyable experiences.

Gezellig!

Day 1 of classes is over at Accent Francais here in Montpellier. I am glad I’ve signed up for this. My thoughts wander back and forth between wishing I’d signed up for longer and thinking that five days will be just right.
My class is made up of 9 people, 8 of whom are fairly quiet! They are a mix of people from Russia, Poland, China, Palestine and Germany. They are a mix of levels. They are a mix of ages. It’s really interesting finding out how they heard about Accent Francais, how long they are staying for and why they are studying French.

Today was a short day of classes, 10h-13h15. Nicole and I were starving by this point and not knowing the city any better, ended up sitting at a cafe that was only so-so to stave off the “hangries”™(!). Later on in the day we got a tour of the city as part of the welcome package put on by the school. Prior to the tour, neither of us were convinced that the city had much to offer. Fortunately, about half an hour in to the tour and a few zigs and zags later, we found several lovely little areas in the heart of the historical part of town. We’re both looking for ‘gezellig’ and some of the smaller squares really do have a cozy feel. It seems that we are both aligned on our ‘gezellig’ rating scale!

A la campagne, part deux

Nicole suggested a day trip on Sunday. Perfect. It meant picking her up in the city of Montpellier. Gulp. Having learned my lesson about planning ahead, I did some homework. After studying Google Maps to figure out where her hotel was in combination with the address programmed into the GPS, I thought I was set. I didn’t count on all the construction. Lord help me! I think I just need to accept that driving in unknown cities is a source of stress. I don’t know why I care or get so bothered, but I do. The sooner I come to accept and embrace this fact, the better.
So GPS lady wanted me to turn gauche and droite right into roads that were closed off for the construction of tram line #3. At least she could recalculate the route a couple of times but after driving around and seeing the same landmarks a second then third time, I pulled over and made a phone call. Nicole – I don’t know where you are and I don’t know where I am but I cannot drive to you. Please put me out of my misery – I am NOT having fun anymore!
Not a great start to the day but I eventually found her and having a real person as co-pilot made a world of different. We slowly snaked our way through the mess and were soon on our way to have a day in the countryside. We ended up going to the Pont Du Diable - which is where I’d spent quite a bit of time the day before en-route to St. Guilhem le Desert - an absolutely amazing little town that was a great find! While I’d stopped at Le Pont for a drink and some lunch, I kept wishing I’d had my swimsuit so I could join all the swimmers at this wildy popular summer spot. It is absolutely a stunning location along the Hérault River where the cliff walls are carved out and a wide bend makes for a pleasant beach area. THIS is what summer vacations are all about! The next day I couldn’t resist taking Nicole there so we could get in and test the waters.
After a wonderfully lazy and relaxing couple of hours in the cool waters and on the rocky shore, we hit the road for Pézenas, one of France’s most beautiful towns, to grab dinner. The clouds had been building all day so we got caught in quite the storm. With all the rain we sought shelter on the high street, where we mananged to fit in some shopping before stopping for dinner. We’d both eyed this cute little restaurant in our reconnaissance tour of town; it was very gezellig! Galettes for both of us. Yum!
Based on the morning’s nightmarish attempt at navigating the city, the thought of returning the car weighed heavily on me on the drive back to Montpellier. The construction in the city in combination with GPS-lady’s unawareness of the ‘new’ highways made for an interesting combination between suspicion at her directions and necessary trust in where she told me to go. Amazingly, we made it into town to the car rental return fairly easily. With Nicole as co-pilot, she was able to spot the place to turn to drop off the car. Finding the key drop location was another story!

Reflections on some lessons learned.

I must first start by tipping my hat to an amazing lady. My Grandma’s 95 years old today. Although I’m 8 hours ahead and it’s only 10 past midnight, I’m sending her birthday wishes. Ninety-five years is quite the accomplishment.
I’m sitting in the dark, around the pool at Le Patio 34 with a glass of rosé handed to me by Stéphane, the hotel owner. Could he tell I was frazzled and that I needed a drink? Well, no matter, I’m now officially on vacation and it is desperately needed!
So a couple hours into my adventure and what have I just learned? Well, playing-it-by ear travel is fun. True. Unfortunatley, playing-it-by-ear travel can also be expensive. Sigh. I didn’t book ahead for the rental car and I arrived at the Montpellier airport at 11PM tonight. I got the last car, a medium size and will pay roughly 300 Euros for two days. Ouch. That’s worse than Iceland and I thought THAT was expensive! Still – I am an advocate of going where the wind-blows you and not overplanning. I just want the flight and the first night’s hotel booked. After that – let the wind blow!
Another thing I’ve learned is that my efforts to fight my way through the learning curve of learning to drive a manual transmission car were worth it all those years ago. When I sat down in the rental car tonight and looked at the stick shift, I took a moment to appreciate that it wasn’t a problem for me. By contrast, I know several otherwise competent and capable people who simply cannot drive anything but an automatic. Knowing how to drive a stick certainly makes things easier when renting cars internationally and opens a lot more doors to seeing and doing things off the beaten path.
What else have I learned? Well, turns out I have joined the ranks of those who rely on GPS’s to get around. Part of me feels that they encourage laziness and they dull people’s ability to follow road signs and read maps, but that part of me was in the minority tonight when I showed up to the car rental place with nothing more that the address of the hotel ready to key in to that pretty handy little device that I have such mixed feelings over. However, when you’re on your own and you have no co-pilot, the company of What’s-Her-Name is better than nothing when trying to find the way.
I made it to the hotel in the dark eventually. It was rather tricky to find but I ‘tourner-ed a gauche’ when she said and took my foot off the accelerator when I ‘’depasser-ed la vitesse limite’ a couple of times! I’m here, it’s warm and summery even after midnight. I’m definitely on vacation!

Tout Fini!

All done.  I got my little certificate of completion today.  People still couldn’t believe I was only staying 1 week.  Most people stay 1 month.  Most people don’t have jobs.  Most people are on summer holidays from school.  Sigh – how I remember those – but then again, I had to work then.  How do these people do it?!  It’s always fascinating to learn more about how people just make things happen.  There is no straight path and it’s amazing to hear of all the different trajectories people make possible.  I am honestly kicking myself for not having done this years ago.  That’s where role models come in handy.  I think if I’d known someone who’d done this kind of thing, it would have been so much more possible for me to do.

Both Nicole and I found that we were just getting into our groove with the 5 days of classes and were both wishing for at least another week.  No luck.  And so it was that we parted.  She was off on an excursion to Aigues Mortes and I was hopping a train to Carcassonne.

The train ride was and hour and a half.  I have never seen such a disorganized train in my life.  The train was a bit late although that wasn’t such a big deal.  Once I got on though, I had to walk over and around bags in the aisles, bicycles at the ends of the cars all stacked next to each other blocking the doors.  I managed to find a seat by making some kid move his bag.  I was not going to stand the whole way.

I arrived in Carcassonne around 5PM and thought my hotel was a 10min walk from ‘la gare’. Not so.  Twenty is more like it if you know where to go directly.  It turns out I was so close but wandered around lost for a good 10mins.  Sigh.  The heat doubled the weight of the bags I was carrying, I am sure!

The hotel was very, uh...minimalist.  It’s new and it was charming though.  I couldn’t believe it when I asked the proprietaire about the internet and when the password wasn’t working for me on my iTouch, he just gave me his Mac notebook to take into my room!  Wow.  That made an impression!

I was hoping to catch up with Deanna and Steve that night.  The plan was to meet at the hotel around 6 or so.  No sign of them by 6:30 so I started Happy Hour and two glasses of wine later I assumed we’d have to try again the next morning.  And so – camera in tow, I wandered up the big hill to the Carcassonne Citadel.  J’etais ‘baba’ – as they say in French, or rather I was so mesmerized while walking around and exploring that I actually caught myself saying ‘wow’ out loud on numerous occasions!

Page 228 – Neuschwanstein Castle

I believe it was the book Wonders of the World by Lionel Grigson that was given to me at Christmas when I was 9 or 10 that started it all. Well, that and the scene in Mary Poppins where Bert is out doing street painting and with a little persuasion and magic they all jump into the painting and go on a jolly holiday in the cartoon world. I loved that scene. I would watch it over and over and over. And so it was that when my 10 year old self turned to page 228 of this magical book and gazed upon a fairy tale castle near a lake, in the mountains, on a clear fall day, she wanted to jump right inside the picture and go explore.

Twenty five years later (how is it possible that I can even make a statement like that?!) I did go and explore that castle and it was even more magical and fanciful on the inside than I ever imagined. That’s thanks to kooky Ludwig II, the Mad King of Bavaria.

Marla and her family were visiting her in-laws in Germany at the end of May this year. I couldn’t not go see them – especially since it’s only an hour and fifteen minute flight from Amsterdam to Munich. Done.

I hopped on a flight after work on May 28th, the Friday night. Driving back to the small, nearby town of Ergolding, I noticed, of all things, topography! So unlike Holland which is flat, flat, flat - great for biking but gets variety is good. We had a nice dinner in a nearby restaurant on a lake and I had some schnitzel, white beer, and some sort of German dumpling. We capped the night off later with some Schnapps, promising start to the weekend.

The next day, Marla and I were flying solo. She left the twins with Daddy and she and I hit the road. First stop – the bakery. Coffee and pastries please. The drive south to Schwangau near the Austrian border was beautiful once we got off the concrete jungle of highways 92, 99 and 96. We drove through the foothills of the Alps which were hilly and green and stunning. It only took 2 hours to get there. I was surprised to be able to see the castle from the highway. I suppose that makes sense given how big it is. It can be seen for miles.

Once we dealt with the masses at the bottom of the hill to buy our tickets we started the hike up the hill. Other options were minibus and caleche but we opted for the walk because we had so much time before our tour and it was a beautiful day. It’s always funny when they give hike time estimates at tourist spots. They obviously aim for the average time and pad it a bit. We were up in half the time so we made sure to stop and have a white beer and some lunch.
It can be a danger letting dreams into your reality but this castle did not disappoint…although it nearly did because somehow we missed the start of our tour and were locked out until some nice woman came and let us in. We caught up with the tour and were taken in to the world of a true dreamer. The castle is fanciful and no expense was spared. The bedroom had the most intricate woodwork. The sitting room was decorated with scenes from Wagner’s operas (Ludwig had a thing for Wagner!) and over 200 swans in paintings, carvings, coats of arms and even door handles were made in the shape of swans. And through one of these doors was a faux-cave that he had built to …er…well, it’s hard to say really. There was a beautiful winter garden off of it and rumour of a trap door that he would open to listen to concert halls in the concert hall directly above. Apparently every September the Schwangau region puts on concerts in this concert hall. While most tourists think ‘wow, wouldn’t that be nice’, THIS tourist thought ‘September, eh?!…I’ll look into that’. Not surprisingly, the tickets sold out early on but I am on the waiting list. Otherwise, I try next year.

It’s sad to think that while it took years to build, Neuschwanstein Castle was really only occupied for 6 months before Ludwig was declared unfit to rule and a day later died under suspicious circumstances. Ah those mad 19th century geniuses!

The rest of the weekend involved visiting with Josef, his brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew and parents plus their twins, Kira and Josie. Marla and I had a great visit and we’ve now added another country to our list of places we’ve travelled together. I can’t believe I have to wait 9 more months until I see them again. In the meantime, I see that Iceland is featured on Page 210….