Return to Avignon

 Hello!

 I had a lovely Christmas at home. The time came, however, to return for my final stretch in Avignon. The journey was uneventful - I went via Marseilles again - and I reinstalled myself in my studio apartment.

 I had little time before moving on to Spain for the next part of my adventure, so I tried to cherish every day. I didn't have much left to do at Uni - I just had to pop in and out for a few things. I spent the rest of my time studying, practising my French, seeing friends and just wandering around.

 I visited the Palais des Papes, the Rue de la République, the Rhône. I bought some last souvenirs - postcards, lavender bags, magnets - and said goodbye to all these places that I had come to love.

 The Epiphany is a big deal in France, with families sharing a kings' cake and searching for the tiny figurine hidden inside. As many of my friends had already left France, I decided not to buy or make a big cake and instead I bought a small version for myself.

 It was tasty, and the little mouse - if that's what he is? - is cute and still sits on my shelf. Of course, I got to wear the paper crown for finding him!

 I also smiled at the attempt at hilarious international marketing that is Frenchips - supposed to sound like both "French chips" and "friendships", I'm guessing. Hey, they tasted pretty good!

 One lovely and unexpected thing happened before I left. I walked in the direction of my favourite pizza place and then just kept walking, interested to see where I would end up. This was extra-muros - outside the city walls - and the roads seemed to stretch away forever.

 It was peaceful and open and that walk alone would have been a nice experience. At the end of it, though, was something amazing.

 I was walking by a major road when I heard a frantic, non-stop squeaking. It seemed to be coming from the line of trees on a road island, so I crossed over to it. Standing below the trees, I was surrounded by an orchestra of noise. It was so loud, and there were clearly many, many creatures contributing to it.

 At first I thought it must be bats, but then small swarms started leaving the trees and swirling across the moon - a breathtaking sight - before returning to their roost. In the moonlight, I could see they were birds. I made a few videos of them.

 It was magical. It felt like a miracle of nature, right in the middle of a busy road on the edge of a town. If I closed my eyes I could be deep in a cave, with birds or bats flying all around me.  It reminded me of the scene with the flying keys in Harry Potter - who knows, maybe they used birdsong as the background noise for that.

 I walked back to my apartment feeling blessed to have witnessed and heard something so incredible. As I walked past shops, and people going about their business, it struck me that I felt the world should have changed somehow after I encountered such wonder - but no, it was just an ordinary night. Wonder happens all the time, and life just goes on.

 I did my last few chores - got my final Erasmus form signed off, returned my last book to the library. I enjoyed my favourite treats from Casino - my local food shop - one last time: cheese and tomato half-moons (pasta) with peanut butter (it sounds weird but I love it!) followed by chocolate merveilleux - gorgeous desserts made of chocolate, meringue and cream.

 I had one last conversation evening at Cami-Li, my lovely local English-French bookshop.

 I had a final hot chocolate and said my goodbyes to my friends there.

 Then it was time to leave.

 Due to the timings of everything, my last night would actually be spent in a different room within my building, so I had to move all my stuff out of my apartment and up a few floors. On the plus side, my new room had a TV. So I was able to watch "N'oubliez pas les paroles!" ("Don't Forget the Lyrics!") as I prepared for the journey to Spain.

 Annoyingly, on one of my last days I had fallen down the stairs in my residence and damaged my ankle. Great! The journey ahead of me would be long and complicated and the last thing I needed was to be limping. But it happened, and I would have to manage.

 I'll tell you all about that journey - which had six different parts and in which I was allowed no margin of error whatsoever - in my next post. It was stressful in the extreme, but memorable, and it took me to Vigo, where plenty of exciting times awaited me.

 Thanks for sharing my adventures in Avignon and Provence. Time to set out for Galicia!

 Liz x

Going home for Christmas

 Hello!

 My last post left us in Avignon at Christmas. My time in the town was almost up: I would be heading home for Christmas, and then I would return for a short while in January before heading to Vigo in Galicia, Spain to begin the next chapter of my year abroad. 

 However, there were a few things to do before leaving Avignon.

 I went to a concert by the folk duo Sons of Birds at Cami-Li, the little bookshop and tearoom where I enjoyed spending time and had my origami and watercolours classes. It was a lovely place for the gig, intimate and cosy, with a great atmosphere. The pair sang some songs in English, with excellent harmonies. The tunes were simple but effective, and often moving. It was an evening to remember.

 I continued attending the twice-weekly English-French conversation classes at Cami-Li as well - they were a wonderful way to meet new people from all over the world. Students, residents, language assistants and people just passing through Avignon all came together for a chat and some tea (or hot chocolate for me) and cake. They were one of the best things about my semester in the town.

 I did some exams, bought Christmas presents, ate Paris-Brest cakes, which you can see at the top of the post, took lots of photos of lights and decorations and hung out by the Rhône - my relationship with the river was something special and I would miss it. 

 Finally, the time came to go home for Christmas.

 Back in September I had flown straight into Avignon airport, so only needed to get a taxi into the town. This time, however, I would need to fly from Marseilles. I packed my backpack with difficulty - I had a lot of presents to fit into it! - and caught my train south. It was a pleasant journey; for December it was sunny and bright. I met a friend from one of my classes on the train and we chatted.

 I arrived at the airport and made my way through security. I then faced the wait until my flight. Marseilles Airport is pretty busy and I was glad to find a quiet little lounge I could chill in. 

 I listened to The Blue Nile - nice, calming music - and looked out at the blue sky of France. 

This time I was only leaving for a couple of weeks, but it really wasn't long until I would be leaving for the foreseeable future, and that thought made me slightly sad, excited as I was about Spain.

 I got my flight, arrived back in Manchester, and started my train journey back to my hometown. There was a moment when I was at Salford Crescent - a station so legendary I wrote a poem about it - and it was very foggy, and lights were glowing gold behind the trees and the fog made it all very surreal and mystical. It was a definite moment of knowing I wasn't in France anymore.

 I got home and celebrated Christmas. My family loved their presents, especially some posh French chocolates which each contained a deep and meaningful quote - almost like a fortune cookie. I completed my last assignment, which was to be done online. I sent it off.

 Soon I would be returning for my last little chunk of time in Avignon, and then would be flying from there - or rather, from Marseilles - to Vigo. There was so much ahead of me, but I for the moment I just enjoyed being with my family and drinking Horlicks again.

 Watch this space to share the rest of my travels.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Christmas in Avignon

 Hello!

 Christmas was rapidly approaching, and with it the end of my time in Avignon as I would only be there for a short time in January. 

 To both celebrate the season and reflect on my semester in this beautiful town, I went for a walk and took some photos of the gorgeous lights and decorations.

 Firstly, I headed past the Place des Carmes, where I found a Christmas tree market...

 ... and a big tree filled with decorations made by children. As I was looking a girl passed with her mother and said, "Look, mine's still up!" sounding so happy and proud.

The famous Avignon Christmas Giraffe

 I headed to Rue des Fourbisseurs, aka Umbrella Street. The umbrellas had mainly gone, but this lovely side street was a vision of cosy Christmas-ness, with sweet window displays, trees and balloons.

Me!

Months later, the spoon is still there!

 I arrived at the Place de l'Horloge, which was such a picture.

Me again

 The Rue de la République was just like a Christmas card - the lights, which moved, were stunning.

 I enjoyed a waffle from a café. There was a lot more cream than I had imagined, and it was divine.

 The Palais des Papes was, as always, a calm, still space, and it was nice to be away from all the noise and bustle for a moment.

 Back in the Place de l'Horloge, night was coming in and the sky was inky blue.

 I bought a crepe - maybe it would be my last one - from my favourite shop and started to weave my way down through the streets of the old town towards the river.

I'm guessing this is Camelopardalis, the giraffe constellation. It's funny to remember that they were seen as crosses between camels and leopards. It's quite accurate

Festive bakery

Festive bar

Festive bird

It's like a chandelier

 I reached the Rhône at what felt like just the right time - night had properly fallen and the bridge and trees lit up were almost fantastical. 

 It was a magical walk, and Avignon really does the festive season well. I am very happy to have seen it.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x