Les morts et the words.

I do love words. I think for this reason, it brings me both pleasure and pain to be engrossed in a completely different country and language.
The last few days have been of great joy. 
We visited the Catacombs.

I have cycled up the Champs-Élysées with my dear friend Alice, narrowly avoiding getting squished in the heavy traffic. Therefore, reaching the Arc de Triumph alive was in fact a triumph of our own. It was a day of absolute spontaneity where the streets of Paris directed our whims. 

After yet another rich food filled day, we retired to bed to get up early and drive to Berric where Alice had previously gone on exchange for 3 months when in year 10. However, before reaching our detination at Berric, we stopped at Versailles and took sight of the massive castle there. And yes, the castle and gates are painted with GOLD. Alice's mum Gina provided insight and said that before the French Revolution, King Louis XVI would tax 'his' people so that he could buy things for himself (thus, the gold). However, his head was cut off in the revolution and luckily the castle was left practically untouched and the beauty remains able to be viewed today. 

After a rather short visit we continued to Berric. There, we unpacked and had dinner. Now dinner in france is 4 courses! First there is the apperatifs, which is basically an entre. Following was the main meal then cheese, then dessert. Coffee or tea was also provided afterwards if you wished. 


The next day we got up early went for a run, then headed to Vannes and went to the market. Fresh food, clothes and nick nacks were present. From there, we headed home for lunch before going out again, this time, to the beach for a nice long walk. Although quite chilly, we found the walk very refreshing and as Alice said "cleaned out the cobwebs". My jet lag held me back a little this day, making me feel like I wanted to sleep nearly every couple of hours! However, dinner did wake me up a little, for we had the most divine rich crepes and cider. Later that night was Simon's (on of Alice's french friend) party where we met a Jacob (twilight) doppleganger. Twilight tweenies would've gone crazy. The party was quite enjoyable drinking my favorite brazilian drink caipirinha. The only down side was the fact that I couldn't communicate with anyone. Now, this is where I am referring my love hate relationship. It is unbelievably frustrating when you cannot use words to communicate and express yourself with. There was a moment, just a quick one, before Marie (Alice's french sister) tapped me and smiled, where I felt like a very little doll sitting in a dark corner of a very large room. Being surrounded by a sea of strange and unfamiliar people, I felt all alone. It was at this moment, I missed Australia, my home. 

The next day saw our departure from that sweet french house filled with kind people to a road and a new town, well, port called La Rochelle. There, we were to stay for a single night in a hotel. Kicking back and relaxing after dinner we watched 'American Beauty' in french. 


Now to yesterday. After a 6 hour amazingly picturesque drive (with stops) we arrived at our gorgeous cottage in Cenac et Saint Julien. This cottage is simply beaituful! I think we must've looked in awe for about 1 hour before heading to the supermarket for supplies. Check it out: