bad hotels, good wine

I guess people don't really exercise that much in Tours. When I went to the Luxembourg Gardens on my one day in Paris earlier this month, there were about 50 runners out early in the morning... but in Tours? I feel like a freak in spandex, a t-shirt, and running shoes jogging up and down the boulevard.
It's really a great feeling though, after a day of class, to plug in the "running" playlist on my iPod and brave the rush-hour crowds in the city to run past magnificent architecture from the 18th century, adorned with French flags and sculptures. Today was the first nice day we've had here in Tours in about a week and a half, and I really enjoyed the sun.


On Saturday morning (perhaps a bit too early after a night at the bar), I left on the TGV (French high-speed train, FYI) with my friend Deirdre for Bordeaux. The train ride took a little less than 3 hours, and we arrived in Bordeaux tired and apprehensive because, although we were quite close to the southern French border, the weather looked no better than it is usually here in Tours.
Things only got worse when we found that the tourist office at the train station was closed on weekends, then got kicked out of a cafe, because we only bought coffees and wanted to sit for a while. We walked around a construction site for a while, looking for a bus stop, and decided we didn't think too highly of Bordeaux after all.
We finally found the bus to take us to the hostel we had booked online. The man at the desk chastised us for speaking English instead of attempting French, then charged a whole 30 euros to my credit card for the room... next time, I'll be sure to splurge a little for something more suitable.
This hotel was absolutely the worst in France. We were roomed in an annex building, down a block from the original hotel. There was a code to punch in to get inside, but the keypad had been burned with a cigarette. There was no light in the hallway, and when we did finally find some illumination, we wished we hadn't. Orange linoleum covered the floors and royal blue paint was peeling off the walls. Our room, when we finally made it upstairs, at least had two beds, but we couldn't even sleep under the covers because the stains on the quilts were worrying. We had to make do with towels and coats during the night.





After quickly hiding our bags in our "room" and running outside, we booked two tickets for a bus to take us to St. Emilion, which is a medieval village to the west of Bordeaux, famous for its red wine. The tour was pretty good; the wine was delicious.


We caught a gorgeous sunset on the bus ride back to Bordeaux. I think that sort of sight will be really lacking when I move to Paris.


After a brief, terrifying nap in our room, Deirdre and I showered and headed out to find somewhere for dinner around 9. We stumbled upon a great little pizza cafe, where the owner was really really nice and we stayed chatting for just under three hours. We had to, of course, indulge in a little Bordeaux wine while we ate our pizza!
Afterwards, we wandered around the city, but didn't make it all the way to the square where many university students go on weekends. We stopped in at an English pub called "The Cock and Bull"... cock being France's emblem (surprising, eh?) and the bulldog being England's. The bartenders were really nice and one, from Germany, told us he was studying for Bordeaux and that everyone tended to go home on weekends anyway. Disappointed, we drank a few Bulmers (the special of the night!), watched some football, and walked home.


The next morning we woke up to the sound of someone trying to open our door. We leapt out of bed, splashed water on our faces, threw on some clothes, and threw our key at the hotel manager on our way down the street.
DO NOT EVER STAY AT HOTEL STUDIO IN BORDEAUX.
I guess we should have known when we only had to pay 17 euros each, and www.hostelworld.com said "basic but confortable."

We found a little bakery called "Paul" which is apparently a chain, but a high-end one with delicious pastries and sandwiches, and, surprisingly for France, really great coffee-- to go! After eating breakfast, we lugged our bags around Bordeaux and after realizing everything would be closed because it was Sunday, we decided to check out a modern art museum there.


We walked towards the quay, and subsequently found the entire population of Bordeaux at a market along the water. We decided, after finding a stall selling litres of rose for 1.60 euros, to buy some bread and cheese (and wine) and sit along the water to eat. The sun was shining, everyone was content, and it was the best time I've had since arriving in France.

We walked around for a bit, then eventually found the art museum we'd been looking for all afternoon. After almost forgetting to pay the entry rate, we walked around the gallery and then headed towards the train station to catch out 6:00 train back to Tours-- but not without one more pitstop at Paul again!


It was a fantastic weekend, despite the worst hotel in France and the disappointment of the weather on the first day. The trip made me really look forward to whatever other weekends I decide to spend in places other than Tours or Paris.
Matt has booked his ticket to come to Paris for my 21st birthday, so I'm really excited to get there, and get to know the city before my visitors arrive!

I've done well on both my French tests so far, and it's a strange feeling to only have to achieve a C in order to get Villanova credit.

Last night after dinner, I got Marie-Joe to start typing up some of her delicious recipes for me to take back home. We had a cheese souffle yesterday, and she gave me the recipe although I know I won't be able to cook it like she does! I'm hoping also to learn quiche, creme caramel, and a fantastic mustard/vinegar dressing.
Perhaps I won't need to take cooking classes in Paris after all... I'd much rather learn from Marie-Joe and Serge anyway. I'm really going to miss them, and my lovely room with its big bed, when I move in under two weeks! Time is flying by.

Hope you're all well, and I also hope to hear from you soon. Bises!