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

Supermoon in Avignon

 Hello!

 Shortly after my return to Avignon from Lyon came the night of the November supermoon. I had forgotten about it but luckily happened to be in town with my camera. 

 Before being bewitched by the glory of the moon, I spent some time wandering and admiring the bunting advertising the Millévin Wine Festival, which was coming up.

 At the Place de l'Horloge the pavilion for the Festival was taking shape.

 I admired the carousel, which was all lit up and beautiful. A couple of cats were padding around the square; I often see them by the carousel and think of Dougal and the Blue Cat (a very weird but wonderful Magic Roundabout film).

 I headed towards Place Pie and was drawn to a window of gently shifting lights in what I think is the Conservatory. They changed from blue to purple to pink to red and back so subtly that it was hard to pick out the moment of change. The effect was warm and soft.

 I then went down to the river. After being awed by the vastness of the stretch of Rhône in Lyon, I was looking forward to returning to my favourite point on the Avignon stretch and enjoying the stillness and calm. Then I saw it. The supermoon.

 It sat above the lanes of traffic, yellow and round and bright, and it was such a "wow" moment that it found it way into a story I wrote, "The moon and river".

Moon in the centre

Moon below the leaves

The Pont d'Avignon looking elegant

Photogenic streetlamps

The moon above the walled town

 In my head I kept playing "Share the Moon" by Indigo Girls...

 ...but instead of "I wish I could be there to share the moon" I would think, "I wish you could be here to share the moon" because I so, so did wish that I could magic my loved ones to that spot to see the river and the old town and how amazing it all was. 

 I guess the thing about the moon is you can see it in a lot of places at once, but seeing it in Avignon by the Rhône was such a special experience.

 It was a memorable night, and after the grandeur of Lyon it was nice to so quickly have a chance to see Avignon again at its quiet, romantic, mysterious best.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Aboard the little white train!

 Salut!

 In this post I want to share the adventure I had last Monday. After finishing at the Lycée for the day I went into Perpignan for a bit of an explore and ended up catching the little white tour train!

 It was something I had wanted to do but hadn't got around to - and then I was at the Castillet, where the train starts and stops, at the right time, and it seemed like fate!

 Here are my photos: firstly of my wanderings around the city.

 I entered an area that seemed quite arty with various studios.

Lizard fountain!

 I then found the Place de la République - and a carousel!

 I drifted through the streets.

I could never eat you, Simon!

Rugby ball!

 I then boarded the train and we set off on our journey!

The ancient city walls

The Palace of the Kings of Majorca

 It was a great day out. I also saw a good-sized spider at Médipole on the way back.

 Overall, an experience that I'm glad to have had and which taught me a lot about Perpignan.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x