so i have been procrastinating writing this post because i have so much to write. and that is stupid because if i procrastinate something like this, it accumulates. so i will try and be brief and get it over with. but brevity is not my strong point.
so friday: i didn't go on a bike ride to the sea. jules did, but the group didn't have a bike for me so i didn't get to go. instead i took a walk around montpellier and enjoyed the city at my pace. i went into a few small shops and looked around at various snooty merchandise. this being only the second walk i had taken around the city and already i was beginning to recognize where i was and how to get to certain places: that's how small and intricate it is.
when i got home shana was heading to ikea so i joined her because i didn't have anything else to do and i really love going to ikea. she wanted to buy fabric and i didn't even know ikea sold fabric! we took the tram which is like vancouver's skytrain but on the ground and a whole heck of a lot slower. it snakes around the city like a fat lazy worm and is pretty useful for people who don't like to walk. ikea is on the outskirts of the city so it made sense to take it. it's located in a shopping complex called odysseum. this place reminded me of california; it's full of new buildings and lots of cement. there was nothing french or historical about it and it felt like hacienda crossings mixed with westfield, only with multiple outdoor levels. there were of course, young people everywhere buying various overpriced things and i even noticed a caribbean themed restaurant where people were invited to dine pirate-style (why anyone would want to do that is beyond my range of comprehension [as are many things]). i also remarked upon a store called the very dry store!
ikea was the same as it is everywhere only in french. we wandered through and looked at everything which is how i like to do it. shana found what she was looking for and i daydreamed about my future house and its furnishings and colors. we then wandered through zara which contains far more awesome wearable items than in its north american version. one day in the not so distant future... :)
saturday: we decided to go to the zoo in the off chance that once we got there the rain would stop and we could still walk around. the zoo is about 20 minutes north of montpellier and free and since there is absolutely nothing indoors and free in the city, we decided to check out the animals. pouring rain (of course) when we got there so we paid to enter their amazon exhibit. it was surprisingly worth it. i have never been that close to alligators in my life. they were highly entertaining and they stared at us and smiled just about as much as we did them. there was also a very cool bat exhibit that was designed like a cave with lots of black light so we could see the bats flying all around. we even watched a determined constrictor weave its way to the door of its case/hut and inspect it thoroughly as if it knew that it was its only way out. we stayed all afternoon and then returned to the city library. we chilled and read magazines for 2 hours; jules- news and current affairs ones and me- psychology, travel and interior design. then we walked to monique's place for dinner.
monique had invited 3 friends and so jules and i waited for them and chatted. monique gave me a birthday gift of a very cool necklace which is now the only piece of jewelry i have in france. so sweet of her! when the guests arrived we had our aperitif: champagne and snacked on a veggie loaf, aubergine puree and cherry tomatoes. i love how aperitif in france lasts almost an hour. we listened to the adults talk about meeting people in today's world; dating sites, clubbing/ the pub scene and through work or friends. monique and her friends are all retired and jules and i appreciated how bizarre it was to hear people like them (old) discussing things that affect well, us. no, we did not contribute a word to the conversation.
dinner didn't disappoint as far as yet another french person's (mis)interpretation of a vegetarian diet is concerned (surprising to us since monique made very good vegetarian appetizers): boiled, peeled potatoes, boiled peeled carrots, an entire cauliflower boiled in one piece, plain rice and only after we asked, more aubergine puree. paired with a white wine. then followed cheeses- brebis, chevre, gruyere and 2 more that i forgot paired with a lovely bordeaux. apparently if you serve yourself a second helping of cheese, it is an insult to the host since it means you didn't eat well. fortunately this came up before i reached for more. the last course was dessert- a simple fruit crumble with a white muscat, very yummy. and monique packed away all of the leftovers, including the cheese, for us to take home!
sunday: it couldn't have felt less like my birthday when i woke up. it was rainy and gloomy. so i stayed in bed and in pjs reading down under by bill bryson which is hilarious and highly recommended. i breakfasted late and alone with the book and lunched on leftovers from the night before with jules. at around 6pm i was restless so i commandeered their kitchen and made myself a chocolate cake. yes, i did indeed bake my own birthday cake. when i called shana and jules to have some, they brought a candle and sang to me, which was sweet. we ate lots of cake and therefore skipped dinner. then jules decided to take me out to do some celebrating and we headed out to the rock store at 11:30. there were people dressed up for halloween all over the place, mostly zombies and nothing creative. as the night progressed we met a mate from sydney, a wannabe canadian from new york and a motherly london based french teacher.
and now i'm sleepy so i will continue the rest tomorrow. ta!
craving: an orange dream machine jamba juice
currently listening to: a disgruntled refrigerator.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
update this you lazy bugger.
ReplyDelete