Catching Up In France

This picture was taken at 7:45 am on the day we left our house on the south east coast of Spain. The next one was taken just after midnight, in the train station at the French border. Inbetween these two pictures we had a very long day of travel, and a big adventure in itself. First of all we had no reservations of any kind starting out, so we were rushing to figure things out along the way. We started by chasing a bus down in Oliva at 8:20am, then we couldn't buy breakfast as we planned because the grocery store wasn't open yet. What were we thinking; this is Spain, nothing opens early except the bars. But we make it to Gandia and then to Valencia no problem. Valencia was our first road block. We first had to wait FOREVER to talk to the international ticket guy, then he didn't speak English and wasn't really in a mood to try and help us. So all we got from him was frustration, a ticket to Barçelona and a promise that there is NO WAY we can get to Toulouse from Barçelona that day. We waited 2 hours in Macdonalds playing cards and then off to Barça! Once there, I once again go to talk to the ticket man to try to book the next available train to Toulouse, whenever that may be. BUT, the ticket guy says the train leaves from track 13 in 4 minutes, no reservation, just run! So, we booked it to the train to find that it actually is a subway style train (very uncomfortable)that only took us to the French border. We only had some not so tasty veggie salad and some carrot sticks with us, so that was supper on this voyage. We get to the French town of Cerbère at around 8:30; so once again I strolled up to the ticket window to try and work my magic. This was my first chance to put my french skills to the test, and within minutes we were on another train north to Toulouse, arriving around 2:30 am. Finally, 2 buses and 4 trains later, we were greeted with kisses on the cheeks from our great friend and amazing hostess, Cécile. We've been here for almost a week now, and it seems like a bit of a waste to tell you about the journey here when I should be telling you about this beautiful place.

First of all, I have to say that this is a culture that I fell in love with instantly! It was a huge relief to be able to understand the language around me, and as long as people are patient with me, I can have a conversation. Even right now as I type I have the french translation going through my head and I have to really think about restructuring my sentences so they don't sound funny in English. Long story short: I'm loving speaking French.

Kelsey and Cecile met in high school when Cécile was on exchange in Brownfield. Even though Cécile wasn't technically staying with Kelsey's family, they bonded instantly. They have stayed in touch since high school even as Cécile has traveled all over the wolrd and speaks perfect English. Some of you may remember her from our wedding, as she came all the way from France for the occasion. She is amazing!Kelsey has visited Cécile in France once before and is sad to say that she speaks even less French now, if that is possible.


We will dedicate an entry to Toulouse and the events so far in France next time. For now we will just give you a small taste of this delicious place. (both in food and culture)
The canal just steps from Cécile's flat.

We finally found fall colours. We were surprised though to see ducks since they love to eat them. Mmmmmmmmmm! We will explain next time.

It was amazingly gorgeous weather the first couple of days here, so we snuck in a glaçe Italiano before winter catches up to Europe.