My Last French Blog

Oi vay. So much to say. First off, this is (likely) the last blog you will be getting from me for three weeks. I’d better make it good…

Becky was supposed to be here already. She was supposed to arrive three hours ago, but one of her flights was delayed and she missed the connecting flight. Before I knew this, I was very nervous waiting for her at the airport, I don’t know why. Anyway, that nervousness quickly became worry and confusion when her flight arrived, and she wasn’t on it. Oh well. It’s all good. She managed to send me an email, though it wasn’t too helpful. She said, and I quote, “I’m flying in to Toulouse at 2:40pm,” from Amsterdam. Well. I asked Its Majesty the Almighty Internet (ain’t I savvy?) and it told me there was a flight from Amsterdam to Toulouse that leaves Amsterdam at 2:40pm. There is no flight from Ams to Tls at 2:40. Anyhoo, I’m not going to the airport again until 4:35. So there. It’s sad, because I was gonna show her Toulouse, and now we don’t have much time. Oh well, Toulouse isn’t much to see, anyway. If you’re ever planning a trip to France, don’t go out of your way to come here. Though they do have some nice gardens…le sigh. Hélas.

This last weekend was my very last weekend in Toulouse, but my host parents were out of town, so I had to babysit the kiddies. Meaning I couldn’t go out for a “last weekend” bash. Not that I would have, anyway, but I didn’t have a choice! So Jascha and I decided we would go out Monday night (last night) to make up for it. I had a really good time. We rode bikes (!) all the way into town. The street we took is almost completely flat and mostly straight. It was a really relaxing ride. In town, we met up with Jascha’s friend, Sarah (not to be confused with my British friend named Sarah), and we bought some beers and headed down to the river. I, of course, had to ask (just to be sure) if we could walk around the streets with beers, and Sarah (who is French, btw) laughed and said that was a typically American question. Chez nous, you can’t drink booze except in a private setting, or in an establishment that has a liquor license (I think). Pedestrian imbibing is strictly forbidden.

Anyway, we sat by the river and talked for a bit, all the while noticing occasional flashes of light in the distance. Then the flashes got closer and more frequent, and then it started raining. The rain started fairly light, but the raindrops were big and fat, so we headed to Sarah’s house. Before we got there, it started pouring. Bear in mind that Jascha and I were going to be riding home on bikes. Fun times! So we hung out at Sarah’s for an hour, waiting out the storm, which worked out, and it ended up staying dry for our whole ride home. Thank the Lord! Not that I mind a little rain. I mean, c’mon, I’m from Seattle.

Alright, so I’m gonna wrap this up. My sister and I leave Toulouse tomorrow morning, and embark on a whirlwind, 3-week tour of one quarter of France by train. Wish us luck! Provence, Côte d’Azur, Loire Valley, Brittany, Normandy, and Paris. And then we fly home to SEATTLE!! So, unless I manage to blog sometime during the trip, the next time you’ll hear from me, I’ll no longer be in France. Sad…But then the real adventure begins, because I get to start the job hunt! Yippee!! (That was a sarcastic “yippee,” by the way.)

À bientôt, mes chers amis! Prenez soin de vous.