The South of France with Chanel!

About two weeks ago I returned from my last big trip of the year before heading back home to the states. I had the last week of April off for a holiday that is only celebrated in Vitoria's province, Alava, called San Prudencio. So I met up with my friend, Chanel Leonard, from Amherst NH who has spent the last year teaching English in India and we traveled the South of France starting from Provance and ending in Bordeaux. There was an unfortunate event that occurred during our travels through France and that was me losing my camera. For this reason, my pictures in this entry will not be up to their usual standard. All of the pictures featured in this entry are from Chanel. As upset as I was about my camera I really couldn't let it ruin my trip. So here is an overview off all that we did and saw.

Day 1-3: April Friday 23-Sunday April 25: Barcelona

Day1: Before heading off to the South of France we met up in Barcelona for the weekend. I arrived to Barcelona Friday evening where I met her in our hotel room. It was so crazy to be seeing such a good friend from home for the first time in about a year in Europe. It was so surreal. That evening we went out for drinks and tapas at a few bars and caught up on each others lives for the past year.

Day 2+3: We spent Saturday and Sunday walking around the city where I showed Chanel some of the major sites. However, 2 full days is definitely not enough to see it all. On Saturday we walked through Plaza Catalunya with the two big fountains to get to Las Ramblas which is the major pedestrian street with all the street vendors and tourists. It is a large side walk or path in the middle of the street that you follow to get to the port. Off of Las Ramblas we visited the large indoor market called La Boquera. It is filled with stands of meats, vegetables, fish, fruits, tapas and sweets. We then continued along Las Ramblas to get to the port.
Our reflection in the glass windows of the mall along the port.

The Port

On Sunday we drove past La Sagrada Familia, the big cathedral started by Gaudi, and then we spent a few hours in Park Guell, another famous piece of architecture created by Gaudi. It was a beautiful day and filled with lots of people walking around the park and laying down in the grass. We walked around the park and saw some great views of the city along with the little houses and pieces of architecture created by Gaudi. It was nice to be able to see this park in the day light.We left Barcelona Sunday night and took an overnight bus to Aix en Provance.

The view from one of the lookouts of Park Guell

Day 4-6: Monday April 26-Wednesday April 28: Aix en Provance

Day 4: We arrived to Aix en Provance very early Monday morning before the sun had risen around 5:00 AM. We were exhausted but fortunately we were able to get into our hostel and sleep for the next couple of hours. We spent the day walking around the city exploring all of the plazas, streets and restaurants. The city was quite a change from Barcelona: a little smaller, less touristy and very ritzy. However, it is such a cute city with all of the typical picturesque beauty of France. The overall atmosphere of the city seems so unreal with many adorable outdoor seating restaurants.


One of the many fountains and plazas

One of the side streets

Day 5: We signed up to go on a day excursion to Arles with the office of tourism. Little did we know that we would be the only ones on the tour. However, we couldn't complain because we got our own private tour for the whole afternoon. We took a minivan to Arles which was about a 4o minute ride with our tour guide, Bogden. He was very informative and personable guide who did a great job showing us around the city and some of the surrounding areas. Once we arrived to Arles we got to follow in the foot steps of Van Gogh where saw the sites of 5 of his famous scenes he had painted.

The Draw Bridge

The Starry Night on the Rhone River. (A little different in the daylight)

The Yellow House (It has since been painted.)

The Garden of the Hospital, where he had his treatment after cutting off his ear.

The Outside of the Cafe at Night

In addition we were able to experience the master piece of the Roman period in France. Here, we saw the ancient Roman walls and the Roman Amphitheater. We climbed the tower of the Roman Amphitheater which gave a great view of the city.

The Window from the Tower of the Roman Amphitheater

The View of the City from the Roman Amphitheater

Lastly, we visited the Republic Square which is known as the central plaza of Arles. There we saw the Church Saint-Trophime and the town hall.


We ended the excursion by visiting a small town called Beaux. It is on top of a large mountain surrounded by large beautiful rocks. In the center there is a large ancient castle that we saw from across a valley on top of a large hill. It was really cool how everything in this town was elevated on top of a hill in its' own little area.



Day 6: We took a bus to Marseilles, which is the second biggest city in France situated along the Mediterranean Sea. We walked along the large port covered with a large range of boats to get to the beach. We spent most of the day on the beach. Where we were, it wasn't the most beautiful beach. It was a little crowded with not a whole lot within the vicinity of the beach. However, the water was a beautiful, clear blue with some rock like mountains in the background. I am sure there were other nicer beach areas in Marseilles that we had yet to explore.

The Port to get to the Beach

One of my favorite parts of Aix en Provance was all of the different outdoor markets they had just about every morning in multiple plazas consisting of good produce, meats and cheeses, crepes, flowers, jewelry, antiques and other accessories. I was even able to find I turquoise ring which I loved. I have been searching for the perfect one for so long. I love the sense of community you can experience at the markets with all of the locals.





Day 7 + 8: April 29 + 30: Montpelier

Day 7: We arrived to Montpelier by mid afternoon. It was a beautiful day; a little cooler than Provance but still very nice. We spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening walking around the center of the city and exploring all of the plazas and parks. We first stopped in a park/plaza called Promenade de Peyrou. There we saw a large aqueduct structure situated below the park. At the end of the park there is a small round structure you can climb that overlooks the city with an Arc de Triumph and the cathedral.

The Aqueduct

Chanel with the Arc de Triumph and Cathedral in the background

One of the main central plazas is known as the Esplanade. It consists of a long, narrow area of water and a beautiful fountain. There is plaza that surrounds this area with lots of litlte cafes and restaurants to sit outside at and tram tracks cutting through the plaza. That night we had dinner outside consisting of white pizza and sangria. Montpelier definitely has a whole different feel and vibe compared to Provance: it is a little bigger with much more of a relaxed and young feel consisting of many University students.

Day 8: It was our first rainy day of the whole trip which made it hard to successfully explore the city. So we spent most of the day exploring all of the small boutiques which really never gets old when your in France.

Day 9+10: May 1+2: Bordeaux

Day 9: We spent the morning meandering around Montpelier a little more before heading out to Bordeaux. While sitting outside at a cafe with coffees and crepes we saw a parade march through the plaza we were sitting in. It was for some bank holiday in France which we never completely understood but explained why all of the shops were closed on this day. On out way out of Montpelier we stopped at this indoor markets where we purchased some fresh french cheese and baguettes for out long train ride.

The Parade

We arrived to Bordeaux by early evening and we had quite the experience that evening. Our first cab driver was a little crazy and had no idea where our hotel was so we immediately got out and took another taxi before the meter went up anymore. As soon as we got into the second cab we learned that our hotel was not exactly in the city of Bordeaux which was a slight problem. We had no way to get back into the city that evening since all of the buses had stopped running due to the holiday. So we were pretty much stranded in this rural area with nothing but a "Buffalo Grill" to eat at. This was definitely their interpretation of an American restaurant however far from anything I have ever experienced. I am pretty sure we are the first Americans these people have ever encountered and for this reason we made quite a scene. It definitely made for quite an interesting and unforgettable experience.


Day 10: The next day things definitely went a lot smoother. We took a bus into Bordeaux where we spent the day walking around the city. There is a large river that cuts through the center of the city. We were walking along the river when we came across an enormous outdoor market that apparently takes place every Sunday morning. Consisting of any type of fresh food you can imagine along with different stands of prepared food and Bordeaux wine. We walked through the whole market taking in everything they had to offer. Once we came to the last tent we tried some white Bordeaux wine. There we came across some locals and mingled with them. One being an older lady who is an American citizen but has been living in France for a while. It was great to interact with some locals and learn more about this area of France. After spending sometime at the market it was time for us to head back to our hotel, grab our luggage and then catch our train back to Vitoria.
In front of a fountain in the center of Bordeaux

Along the River

Once we made it back to Vitoria, Chanel stayed with me in my apartment for the following 10 days. Unfortunately ever since we have gotten back the weather has been cold, gloomy and rainy. However, it was great having a friend here and showing here around the city that I have lived in for the past year. I was able to take her to my school so she could meet a few of the English teachers. She also got to meet all of the other Auxilliares and my roommates making it a very full house but lots of fun.