Arrival in Paris

Okay, I'm going to try to catch you up little by little on my trip. I never have a large chunk of time where I can sit down and write it all out, so you'll just have to take it piece by piece.

I left my home in Connecticut on Wednesday, June 20th, around 3:00 p.m. to go catch a train to the airport in Newark. The train was delayed and didn't wind up leaving until about 4 p.m., and we were a little worried I'd miss the flight. Fortunately, the train wasn't delayed any more en route, and I cruised right through a short security line at the airport. To my surprise, I actually had time to sit down and eat something before getting on the flight.

I flew with British Airways through Heathrow in London, and the experience was just fine. The airplane was full but comfortable, the staff was very friendly, and I had plenty of time to read in the fourth Harry Potter book in French. It's a long book, but I like it.

I made my connection in London and arrived at Charles de Gaulle in Paris around 2:30 p.m. (on the 21st). I took the train into the city (it's a quick and inexpensive way to get into the city) and met up with a friend, Matt Perry from the Foreign Language housing, at his hotel in Paris. We walked around for a few minutes, got some thing to eat, then went to the Institute building in Paris. I figure it's always a great place to go to see some friendly faces. There's also a good chance that at any given time there's at least one missionary I taught in the MTC who's in a teaching appointment there, so I always seem to run into someone I know.

Sure enough, one of the Elders I taught last summer was in an appointment at the Institute. He was surprised to see me and I him, and it was great to catch up. After a year in the field, he has grown up a lot, and his French is great.

Also at the Institute, I ran into some friends I made last year. I had planned to take Matt and his friend around the city that night because it just so happened that it was the annual fête de la musique (music festival) where all the Parisians go out and listen to live bands playing all over the city. In some of the bigger squares, well-known artists play. Avril Lavigne was in Paris (although I didn't go to listen to her), as well as several other names I'm sure you'd know.

It turned out that many people I knew from last summer, as well as some new faces, showed up. There was even one of my friends from Québec. We all went out on the town, listened to some great music, were almost trampled in crowd, and finally called it a night around midnight.

I had to go back to Matt's hotel where I had left my bags to take them to Marceau's (a friend from last summer) apartment, who lived on the other side of town. We had no problem taking the metro to Matt's hotel, but when we tried to get on to go back to Marceau's, they were closed. We had thought they were supposed to be open all night, but that was only for certain metro lines. So we walked. We arrived at Marceau's at 3 a.m., after walking for over an hour. Marceau had to be up at 5 a.m. for work, so I said goodbye before we went to sleep.

I fell asleep almost instantly. I woke up around 10 a.m. the next morning, and Marceau's mother had breakfast ready for me. I love the French. The food was simple, but so good. I can't believe how quickly I forget how great the food is here.

I had breakfast and got ready to go, leaving an hour (way more than enough time--usually a 35 minute trip) for travel time to get to the train station. But when I got on the metro, we sat on the tracks for a long time. When it was time for me to change metros, I realized I wasn't going to catch my train to Lyon. I got off, made arrangements to change my ticket, and finally made it to the Gare de Lyon.

Paris, although I was only there for a day, was great to see again. What I love more than seeing the sights, and even more than the food, it's the people. It's great especially to see young members of the Church who keep the faith, despite very difficult surroundings for living the Gospel. Their testimonies are firm, their faith is true, and their sacrifice is great.

I couldn't have asked for a better first day in France. Friends, food, French, and great music.

Up and Running

Bonjour !

I know I promised many of you I'd keep a blog of my stay in France. So without further ado, here you are.

After galavanting around France (with stops in Paris, Lyon, and Cannes), I have finally arrived in Nice at my home for the next month, the Lycée Masséna. The lycée is like a boarding school, and the environs have the approximate appearance of a cross between Hogwartz and a pirate fortress from Pirates of the Caribbean. The city is beautiful, the beach is amazing, and the food is exquisite. I can't tell you how excited I am to be here.

And to think I'm being paid for this! After having to pay for everything on my internship in Lyon last summer (for details on last year's France experience, go to mikeinfrance.blog.com), I've decided the way to travel is for others to pay you to go where you want to go.

Some of the things in my job description this summer (all expenses paid):
-touring the old city of Nice
-going to the beach (of course!)
-a weekend excursion to Cannes (you know, where they have the film festival)
-visiting Aix-en-Provence
-a weekend in Monaco
-parasailing over the French Riviera
-a Harry Potter dress-up movie premiere
-the Nice Jazz Festival
-running on the beach
-lots of sports (volleyball, basketball, frisbee, soccer, etc.)
-scuba diving
-hosting a fashion show
-playing guitar on the beach
-putting on a rock concert
-shopping
-countless museum visits
-starting a book club
-exploring French cinema
-and much, much more!

I can't even make a list of all the cool stuff we're planning for the next month. We're doing so much I can't remember it all. I will keep you posted as further details become available.

I also intend to catch you up on where I've been so far. And now that I have consistent internet access, I should be able to keep you up to date.

This summer is looking to be a great one. With any luck, I'll find a way to get pictures online from my camera.

As for now... A bientôt !!!