Four months to One Week

So I am heading back to the US in one week after having been in the South of France for almost 4 months. This experience has truly helped me to grow on a personal, educational, and professional level. I have been confronted with many a difficulty but have been able to adjust to the adversity. It hasn't always been easy nor fun but I can truly say that this experience was invaluable to my development.

One of my favorite things about Aix-en-Provence is Mount Sainte Victoire. As I mentioned in a previous entry, I've hiked the mountain once before. Since then I have hiked up to the Croix de Provence one other time. But more recently three of my friends (Jessica, Mason and Chad) and I attempted to hike up to the ridgeline and across to the Croix. Let's just say we ran into some adverse weather conditions.

We arrived to the last village on the southern route to Sainte Victoire, Puyloubier. From there we headed up the nearest "path" to the top of the ridgeline. Things didn't go exactly as planned from the beginning. We couldn't exactly find the proper trail head and did some strategic navigating through thorny bushes and such until after 50 minutes we came across the red and white trail marker we had been longing for.

Before we started hiking we could see that the top of the mountain was covered in a dense fog and whiteness. We assumed there was some fresh powder strewn across the trail but nothing like we would encounter.

As we continued to ascend the snow became thicker and thicker. We weren't exactly prepared for the conditions that we found near the top of the mountain. A couple of times we found ourselves looking for the proper trail which helped us to make the decision to turn around that we finally made in the end.

It was certainly the most intelligent decision as Mason and Jessica were sporting tennis shoes that had become saturated from our initial search for the trail. But before we headed back down the mountain (which we did in 40 minutes to catch the bus back to Aix), we had a hot meal of panini's and thanks to Chad, hot chocolate.

I will absolutely miss the beauty of Sainte Victoire when I return to the US but it has definitely strengthened the love that I have for the outdoors ten-fold.

Here are some photos from our trek:

French hiatus

Wow...I just realized that I have been completely absent in my blogging while in France. I am really sorry. It does not mean however that my trip has lacked adventure.

Unfortunately my laptop was laid to rest recently. This has hindered my ability to make regular updates. It decided that 5.5 years was a long enough relationship for us. I am currently working on getting my stuff back...

On a positive note I made some recent travels to Morocco and Spain.

I will continue this entry soon...

"Et nous allons gagner!"

I apologize for not keeping the updates more frequent but this trip is an educational focused one so needless to say classes are keeping me busy. But no need to worry I have recently booked 3 flights on Ryanair that will take me to three different countries. Stay tuned to find out where...haha.

But this past weekend I made my way 30 kilometers south to the port city of Marseille. It is the third largest metropolitan city in France after Paris and Lyon but is France's oldest city being founded in 600 BC by the Greeks. While we are on the topic of Marseille let me rewind to another day when I traveled to Marseille with a friend of mine from the MGIM Program for another reason.

On the 4th of October, my friend Jeremy (said with very french accent. More like ZherehMee) proposed to me the idea of going to an Olympique Marseille football game one evening. It just so happened that that day his parents were coming into town and would be bringing his brother's season tickets for the two of us to use for that night to the game vs. Caen (another French side from the Normandy region). So I met up with him at around 4 pm and we headed to Marseille full of anticipation. I had always heard of the crazy Marseillais but was ready to experience it first-hand. Being a Liverpool fan I was anxious to see the famous Stade Vélodrome where Liverpool had handed defeat to the home side many times in the past. It is well known in France that the people of Marseille, Les Marseillais love their beloved OM (Olympique Marseille) and I could attest to this the moment we arrived to the stadium.

We grabbed a quick bagette sandwich (so typical) and headed to the lines of people that were awaiting the gates to permit entry into the stadium. Fans decked out in all white and baby blue waited and took off to the races as soon as the gates were opened. You see if you are a true supporter of OM you sit on either end behind the goals where seating is not assigned. Jeremy and I walked casually into the stadium and took places in the Virage Nord (North end). Each section behind the goal is split up into various fan bases including on the North End: Yankee Nord Marseille, Marseille Trop Puissant, Fanatics, and Dodgers and on the South end: the Commando Ultras 1984, the South Winners, the Amis de l'OM and the Club Central des Supporteurs. Each fan group has their own "conductor" who leads the supporters in chants and whenever the chance is given shouts his own personal opinions to the opposing players or referee. A microphone is a dangerous thing for an angry, drunk french football supporter. Jeremy gave me a quick overview on what to expect not long before the small group of away fans (who were caged into their section might I add) arrived to a collective shout of boos and french expletives. Simply unforgettable.

So kickoff finally took place and the action on the field and in the stands began. The conductor was facing the stands the entire time leading many of the some 46,000 Les Marseillais that packed the stadium in the team's chants. The game started out with a bang when newly signed Hatem Ben Arfa from Marseille rival Lyon hit a low hard shot that swerved away from the keeper to put OM up 1-0. The stands literally erupted as people created a massive mess of pushing and shoving that soon transpired into louder cheers and a number of blazing red road flares which were quickly confiscated by security. This is what it is all about. First the Lyon game and now this. I was in football heaven.

Caen soon leveled the score in the 20th minute with a quick counter attack that gave the away fans reason to have hope against the mighty Marseillais. It was looking like Marseille would run away with it but none of their attacks put any more points on the board. It wasn't until the second half in the 60th minute when Marseille's main striker Mamadou Niang headed in a cross that put the final point on the board that would give the home side the 3 points they disparately needed to climb back into the top 3 in league play. I was completely overwhelmed by the fans who although vulgar at times were nothing but obsessively supportive for their team. OM is literally a religion for these people. My favorite moment of the game came when the Nord side began a chant that was sent to the Sur side who responded identically to the cry. We then began another line and so one until the entire stadium was yelling hohohohohohohohoho at the top of their lungs. Here are the lyrics to the chant:

North says:Aux Armes, aux Armes
South replies: Aux Armes, aux Armes
Nous sommes les marseillais
Nous sommes les marseillais
Et nous allons gagner
Et nous allons gagner
Allez l'OM, allez l'OM
Allez l'OM, allez l'OM
hohohohohhohohohohohhoho

Below is a video of this taking place.



We left the game with the other rejoicing supporters and headed back to Aix.



So that brings me to this past Saturday. Lauren and I headed to Marseille via bus to check out a few of the sites. Immediately after arriving we headed to the Old Port. It is now a marina that is home to thousands of boats and the point of departure for boat tours of Marseille and the nearby Calanques. There were also a number of fishermen selling their fresh catch on the dock. After a quick bite to eat, we headed uphill toward the Notre-Dame de la Garde. And I mean literally uphill. The walk was straight out of San Francisco. It was a grueling 45 degree hike up to the church. The Notre-Dame is a basilica that sits at Marseille's highest point (532 ft) and overlooks the entire city. So needless to say it is the best place to take in the layout of the city. On the top of the belfry is a 37ft tall golden statue of the Virgin and Child.

It really is a magnificent view of Marseille. From here we were able to see the Château d'If, a fortress on one of the islands in the Bay of Marseille, which is one of the settings for Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. A bizarre thing happened when we were at the Notre-Dame. I saw a man wearing a shirt that said Peru on it and asked him in Spanish if he was from Peru. Come to find out he is from Cuzco, Peru, the city I was in this summer, and that he works on one of the cruise ships here in France. Lauren also speaks Spanish so a 30 minute conversation in Spanish ensued. People from Peru are just the nicest people in the world. We said our goodbyes and headed back down into the city. After stopping in a few stores we headed back to the bus station and back to beloved Aix.

Here are a few pictures from the day and a few from the game:











The Game:

Hiking Sainte-Victoire

Yesterday, Lauren (a friend of mine from the MGIM Program) and I took advantage of the beautiful South of France weather and decided to set off for Sainte-Victoire. It is a mountain ridge in the Provencal region very near to Aix that at is 3,316 ft at its highest point. Paul Cezanne painted the mountains into many of his works while painting in Provence. Here you can see some of them: http://www.atelier-cezanne.com/france/sainte_victoire.htm . In the 13th century a chapel was built at the top which is currently undergoing some construction. I am not exactly sure how the workers get there everyday?? Hmm

So after catching a bus from the Rontonde we arrived about 30 minutes later to Bimont which is a main parking lot for people trying to trek the mountain. We got off the bus and walked down to the trail head. First we crossed a large damn that retained some of the bluest "dam" water I have ever seen. Just dam beautiful. We then found the path that one of our friends had recommended to us that seemingly leads off into the woods. After an hour and a half of fairly technical climbing we reached the Croix de Provence which extends 19 m from the mountain's summit toward the heavens. The entire trail was along the mountain's edge providing some miraculous views of the South of France countryside. After a quick bite to eat, we set off back down the trail toward where the bus would pick us up. We finished the trail in 2 hrs 45 minutes. I'm not exactly sure how far we hiked but it was hella far but absolutely stunning every minute of the way. The weather was unbelievable and led me to sweat more than my fair share. After 45 minutes of uncertainty of whether the bus would return to get us, we were finally recovered. Apparently our student bus passes don't cover the trip. After being called out in french by the bus driver for not paying ...we headed back to Aix. It was a well spent day. Here are some pictures:

Finally Settled In

Wow so after almost 6 weeks I am finally settled into Aix. So much has gone on since I got here and I promise I will detail them over the next couple of days. We finally found a flat and just got internet set up last Tuesday.

My birthday was last weekend and my roommates, Kalesia and Lindsay, took me on a surprise trip to Lyon. We arrived and got to check the city out for a couple of hours. Then after an "apero" (pre-night drink) we got on the metro and started heading south. I wasn't sure where I was going but once I saw the stop for Stade de Gerland, I knew they were taking me to see Olympique Lyonnais play. WOW I could not believe it. They were playing AS Nancy Lorraine in a regular season Ligue 1 Game. The atmosphere was incredible. After picking up an OL Scarf we headed to our seats. We had pretty good seats behind the visitor's goal for the first half. The fans were really into it as they chanted all of the Lyon songs throughout the first half's duration. After a missed opportunity, Marseille and France's young super star striker, Karim Benzema capitalized on close shooting chance in the 31st minute. After one fancy stepover the youngster placed the shot low and past the keeper at the near post to put OL up 1-0. OL was really pressuring now. Not even 5 minutes later OL had a counter chance come from out of their defense where a long ball was played into the left flanker, Anthony Mounier, whose birthday happened to be that day as well (crazy). He then took it the length of the Nancy half only to slide a cross right in the path of the oncoming OL Striker, Fred. This goal put OL up 2-0. Lyon seemed to have things in the bag until a quick recovery goal from Nancy put the score at 2-1.

At halftime I was on top of the world. This really was incredible. The second half was a bit of a bore with not much action going forward for either team. So the game ended 2-1 to Lyon which made the home fans happy.

Following the game we had a nice dinner complete with a brownie shooting pyrotechnics to give a great ending to the day.

School has kept us all really busy with group projects, presentations, and case studies; but, I really am learning a lot about the buisness mentality that is critical to being successful at any company.

With that said it is time for me to go get ready. Tonight I am heading to Marseille to watch yet another Ligue 1 match. I am absolutely stoked for the night. All I have heard is how intense the fans are in Marseille. Olympique Marseille is not merely a team but a way of life.

I love everyone and miss all of you very much.

Oh and don't worry I have had my fair share of red wines, cheese and bread.

Ciao. A bientot!

Pictures

Trip to Monaco: