Holidays in France, Part 2: Adventuring, a Spanish New Year's, and a Victory

Well, it's been awhile, but here I am, back to write on my blog. I just want to assure everybody that my blog is the only thing suffering on my goals list that I made back in September, and it is the thing suffering because I'm doing everything else so well (at least I hope so) and thus letting my blog slide a bit.

So, to catch you all up on my holidays: Ali and I went to Carcassonne, a completely preserved medieval village about a three-hour train ride away from Foix. Quite enchanting, and made more so by Ali's lovely company and the fabulous French lunch we treated ourselves to. We also crashed the modern Carcassonne's Christmas markets, including a giant luge (sledding without snow for the kiddies) where we pretended to have a cute, bundled kid on a sled in order to see what the luge was all about. Here's a photo of Carcassonne so you can get an idea and put it on your list of things to see in France:

Carcassonne, in all its medieval glory

We also went to Toulouse, a young, happening city that I've decided I'd rather live in than visit. Not a whole lot to see, but what a cool place! I wish I could provide a visual, but alas, my camera ran out of battery and I stupidly did not bring my charger and wanted to save up all its remaining power for Barcelona. So, I leave you with this image of Toulouse, one I got when I got stranded there thanks to the striking SNCF trains:

Fountain in Toulouse; the pigeons made me smile

Our next stop was Barcelona, Spain, for New Year's! Unfortunately, because we arrived on a Sunday (almost everything closed), were there on a Monday (almost everything closed) and New Year's Day (almost everything closed), and then left early on Wednesday morning, our site-seeing plans did not always go as planned. Plus, we were hit by some unexpected pricey-ness that did not quite gel with our modest budgets. This was frustrating at times, but we were still able to see a ton of cool stuff. Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen.

View of Barcelona; note red/orange roofs, ocean, and hills

It is right on the ocean, and the architecture is curvy, fun, and colorful. Temps run a little higher than in France, so we enjoyed a couple of balmy, sunny days. Favorite things: walking down la Ronda and seeing the Plaça Catalunya and the markets (oh, what a market!); slipping into a church in the medieval district; random street bands; everything Gaudi (famous Barcelonian architect), especially the Parc Guëll--pretty much the coolest place I have ever seen;

Ali and I chilling at Parc Guëll

the contemporary art museum in all its odd significance; New Year's on the Plaça Catalunya--we ate a grape with each stroke of the clock at midnight, per Spanish tradition (thus I spent New Year's with my cheeks chubbed out with grapes) and celebrated with the locals and the tourists;

Flo, Ali, and me ringing in the New Year, Barcelona style

and, last but not least, TAPAS--the best food invention ever--essentially a series of appetizer-like finger foods put together to make a meal shared by the entire table. Everyone gets to try a little something of everything.

Following Barcelona, we were all exhausted and travel-worn (I was really missing my "home" in Blois!), so we spent the last leg of my visit hanging out in Foix. It was Flo's birthday the night we got back from Barcelona, so we got some delicious food from the friendly and sophisticated lady from la Réunion and a whole bucket of delicious ice cream (good choosing, Flo!) in one sitting. The next and last day of my trip, Ali and I hiked up one of the mountains surrounding Foix (what a work out!) and took in the view while having yet another of our epic chats:

You can almost see the château de Foix on the bottom right, as well as the snow-capped peak of the mountain opposite.

I caught a very early train home the following day to avoid SNCF striking drama, and over 12 hours later, arrived safely in Blois.

I almost entitled this post (when I started writing it nearly two weeks ago) "Erin:  Victorious." You see, I won a battle at last with Clyde the washing machine. Not a single glitch. As I write this, I'm scanning my room for a bit of real wood to knock on so that I don't jinx my next face-off with Clyde, which should be soon judging by my growing pile of laundry.

School has been going very well since my return. I've definitely started to hit my groove. I've been doing the body, which involves singing "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" at least 100 times a day and perfecting the art of fooling people during Simon Says (or Jacques a dit--Jack said--as it is called here). The kids have absolutely loved it, so I hope my next series of lessons on feelings and emotions goes over as smoothly. We'll be playing charades, singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" (yes, I'm cleverly tying in a review of body parts with my lesson on emotions), and playing Memory with emotion cards.

It snowed here today, and quite a bit for Blois. It was quite a thrill to open my shutters this morning and be confronted with a world turned white overnight. Harriet, Amy, and I had a good time building snowmen and completely freezing our toes off tramping around a snow-blanketed Blois, then returning to our chilly rooms (heat is out) to warm ourselves with mugs of tea.

Signing off now because it's late and I've got school tomorrow!