Ashley and France : April 4-6 2015

It was good to get away Easter weekend and find plenty of sunshine in the south of France for a memorable weekend! I met up with two IES friends Bo and Gail at Aix en Provence. We met up with Gail's friend, Caroline who is studying there and passed plenty of time relaxing and exploring the town. We spoke in plenty of Franglish, hence why Bo said so many times, "Je suis contente" to emphasize how happy she was. Not to mention how she would embarrass Gail and me with the amount of videos she would take to document the trip. Being around Bo helped me feel like a kid again along with the sunshine. I'm glad I was able to join them. I didn't realize how Aix en Provence is actually very touristy, hence why I heard plenty of English, but everyone was so nice of course due to the sunshine. It was a good distraction to keep from feeling homesick when normally I am with my family during this time.
I am at peace knowing I do not have much time left in France because I am ready to go home, but really enjoying and savoring the time I have left and so grateful to have made many new friends from the two different semester groups.

These wonderful ladies, Gail & Bo

Enjoying some gelato

Cézanne's fountain, the famous artist of Aix en Provence

Cathedral of Aix

We visited a shop with Provençal treats

The houses were beautiful

On Easter we took a day trip to the beach Cassis where we had lunch and spent the day sunbathing, enjoying the view of the blue Meditteranean. Bo tried to go swimming, but the water was too cold. I really enjoyed relaxing, guessing the different languages being spoken around me. My family was very much in my thoughts, but I wasn't homesick. This was a day of remembering to be joyful. Being by the sea again brought plenty of inspiration as well. It was hard to leave. We already miss Cassis.