Sleepless in the South of France

By | July 22, 2013

Bonjour everyone! Hope all is well!

This weekend was a week of adventures and sleepless nights (that were incredibly worth it!). The fun started Thursday, after class let out, with an afternoon trip to Roussillon. We hopped on the bus for the 45 minute drive that let us out in front of a breathtaking view of old auburn homes and rusted cliffs embellished with vibrantly green brush. The Ochre Cliffs of Roussillon are definitely a unique sight, and even the trees with their orange trunks create a mystical ambiance unlike any other.

Friday we were back to school as usual except this time, after class, our desire to tan led us to the Park Jourdain right by our university and residence. We took a shortcut through an amazing graffiti covered alley up to the grassy park to lay out and get some color (and yes, as weird as it seems, the French do lay out in parks in their bikinis on weekdays, no joke, so we weren’t alone haha). Of course, we fell asleep at the park (and let’s just consider that a necessary cultural siesta) so thankfully were able to recharge a bit before hitting the city at night. And boy, let’s just say 11pm is dang early for the French.

Saturday had a rude awakening with my alarm clock going off at 6:30am after some major lack of sleep according to my book (granted I guess I just need to become better acquainted with European strength espressos and remind myself that the French don’t sleep and therefore need some stroooong coffee), but it was well worth it. We got on the bus for a two hour drive to Fragonard, a famous French perfumery, and further to Cannes, the city of beaches, film festivals, and all things posh [unroll red carpet here] (just google “Cannes” and you’ll understand). At Fragonard we learned how perfumes and soaps are made from the extracting of scents to their packaging and were able to see it all first hand. After testing out some interesting scents we were back on the bus for our second destination. Once in Cannes, we were free. We grabbed some food and then hit the beach for some more tanning (score!). The bus ride back home functioned as yet another nap time in preparation to keep up with the French sleepless lifestyle that our bodies have yet to fully accept. Luckily all that napping paid off once we hit the streets at night in search of some dinner (or hmm, if we’re being honest here, some nutella crepes) and our French friends Christophe and Robin to go out with. If anyone ever thought American nightclubs were nuts, lets just refer to the fact that the French don’t even start dancing until about 2am (that’s like a “hey it’s morning” celebration! haha). After blasting through one of the greatest DJ’ed playlists out there we checked out to head home for some sleep (and luckily some sleeping in on Sunday).

On Sunday thankfully my alarm clock rang a whole lot later than Saturday, and this time signaled a day at the markets in Aix. We hit up a special antique market filled with unique jewelry, artwork, furniture, and well, pretty much anything else antique (including old TV remotes, yes, that’s correct, the ones that literally wouldn’t even connect to a TV anymore. So anyone out there an antique remote collector?? Well you know where to go!).

Enjoy the photos!!!

JEUDI (THURSDAY) – ROUSSILLON