I know, I fell off the radar a little before Easter. I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself and moaning about having a cold, which carried on when I got home. I did absolutely nothing while I was there, but I did see all the family, including my gorgeous niece and nephew.
Dad came back to Geneva with me and we spent a very happy and slightly damp two weeks being shameless tourists. He said right near the start 'you take care of the French and I'll take care of the geography' and it worked out pretty well! I would tell you everything we did, but it would take several weeks. Your best bet is to look through my pictures on Facebook (which I only uploaded today as it was going to be a long job...) Needless to say, we had a fantastique time.
I was ridiculously tired after I'd packed Dad off home again, but there was very little time to recuperate as Hannah came out then, so a bit more tourism happened, and this weekend we've had Claire's boyfriend and her Dad, so another full house. We should open a hotel!
But it is lovely to see all these people from home. That is the truth. And what's even more wonderful is knowing that there's only another 9 weeks to go till I can see the people I love much more frequently. I've booked my final flight home (oo-er), which is pretty mind-blowing in itself! How have I gone from NEVER having flown to booking my LAST flight of the academic year? (I would say, last flight of the year, but I heard on the grapevine I'm heading to Germany in September...) Anyway, by the end of this trip I'll have spent 40 weeks abroad (I think, will do the maths when I'm not so tired!), and therefore I deserve a medal. Still, if I've done this, I can do anything, and therefore next year I will be unstoppable!
Anyway, I have to go to bed as one of my classes has been moved to 8.30 tomorrow, which involves me getting up at about 6am as it takes an hour to get into uni *sigh*. Oh well. On we go!
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
The tale of the lost voice...
Oh the irony of someone who pretty much talks for a degree losing their voice. But yes, I have the distinction of being quiet today and therefore I'm going to blog instead.
So, where was I? Ah yes, I'd just talked about our day round CERN. Well, the Tuesday we went to the UN and got utterly confused over the queuing system, but ultimately we got in and got on a tour. It was fantastic! Me and Emily geeked out rather a lot, I've no idea if the boys did, I wasn't paying enough attention! I got all excited over seeing the interpreting booths. All the rooms are decorated differently and there's a lot of artwork donated by different countries as gifts.
After that we had a nosy in the gift shop and went to do our touristy snaps outside the proper entrance of the UN, where all the flags are. Then it was back home, another film, dinner, etc. Oh yes, we tried to go for a fondue, but at 29 CHF each we thought better of it and just bought one from Carrefour (and saw my favourite security guard!)
Then the Very Sad Day arrived, and we went to Lake Geneva to have a look at the pretty view and eat a sandwich, but sadly we had to come home, grab stuff and go to the airport. I made a very quick exit, the quicker you get it over with, the better really. So it was a bit sad but lots of marvelous memories were made and hopefully we'll all do it again, somewhere else, somewhere different, but all together.
And now I am exceptionally tired. It is most frustrating to not have a voice! But Mumsie's going to make bacon and eggs for tea, so things are looking up! Till next time blogeurs.
So, where was I? Ah yes, I'd just talked about our day round CERN. Well, the Tuesday we went to the UN and got utterly confused over the queuing system, but ultimately we got in and got on a tour. It was fantastic! Me and Emily geeked out rather a lot, I've no idea if the boys did, I wasn't paying enough attention! I got all excited over seeing the interpreting booths. All the rooms are decorated differently and there's a lot of artwork donated by different countries as gifts.
After that we had a nosy in the gift shop and went to do our touristy snaps outside the proper entrance of the UN, where all the flags are. Then it was back home, another film, dinner, etc. Oh yes, we tried to go for a fondue, but at 29 CHF each we thought better of it and just bought one from Carrefour (and saw my favourite security guard!)
Then the Very Sad Day arrived, and we went to Lake Geneva to have a look at the pretty view and eat a sandwich, but sadly we had to come home, grab stuff and go to the airport. I made a very quick exit, the quicker you get it over with, the better really. So it was a bit sad but lots of marvelous memories were made and hopefully we'll all do it again, somewhere else, somewhere different, but all together.
And now I am exceptionally tired. It is most frustrating to not have a voice! But Mumsie's going to make bacon and eggs for tea, so things are looking up! Till next time blogeurs.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Lucy the Linguist and Friends
Please excuse the pretentious-sounding title. It's a rip off Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, of course, but you didn't need me to tell you that. Honest.
Last weekend the Lancaster cohort arrived! On Saturday (after much pacing, nail biting, cleaning, bed-making and a slight washing disaster) I went to the airport. I got there about a million hours early, which gave me time to go through the whole range of emotions. From the 'YAY' kind, to the 'when I see them I'm going to cry' kind, to the 'why are they even coming? It's going to hurt so much to say bye to them again' kind. I don't know if it's just me that does this, but I often get a plan in my head that I will try not to enjoy myself too much, to avoid the 'please don't go' feeling. I don't think it's fair to say to people that I don't want them to go, in the same way that if any of you ever said in a serious but selfish manner 'please come home', I wouldn't be impressed. If I could be at home, don't you think I probably would be? (I'm sure I'll delve into this more at some point, the whole double-emotions involved in a YA which I know most of you don't understand because to you this is a great big holiday for me. Well, it's not. It is in fact a year of utter limbo, of losing your identity, finding it, wondering who you are and what the heck you've signed up for. And why do you miss everyone twenty times more than if you were just away at uni?) Anyway. By the time Raph, Emily and Ollie emerged through the arrivals gate I was up to the 'I'm flaming bored of waiting and if they don't hurry up I'm going home' stage, which is a pretty good stage to be at as it doesn't involve tissues.
So we piled into Geneva to get them all travel cards (exceptionally good value. The system here is a bit different to the Motherland - you don't pay the bus driver or anything, you have to either have a travel card or buy a ticket before you get on. No one will ask to see your ticket, but inspectors do spot-checks and there's HUGE fines. This wouldn't work in England, but the entire system here is built on trust, and as such we all need to make an effort to fit in with the system, otherwise some selfish tourists will make them change the system to something much more regimented and humanity will be one step closer to self-destruction. Lecture over.) Then we got on a rather full bus back to my flat and I had the joy of saying 'welcome to France' as we crossed the border. I do love that part! A cup of tea, a glass of wine and a lasagne later, we settled down to watch a film.
The next day (Sunday) was the lovely Ollie's 20th birthday. Which made the rest of us feel old (especially Raph and Emily, who are staring 22 in the face, muahahahaha! Sorry guys, I'm paying you back for all the short jokes). So everyone slept in, as they were all suffering from second-term-itis. I'll be honest, they're doing nothing to sell final year to me! After a solid 10 hours sleep each (at least!), life started to emerge and I think we all felt better for chilling out. I cooked a Sunday roast, we had chicken (!!!!!), roasties, carrots, peas, Yorkshires (but they turned out a bit pants as the flour here sends everything all to-cock), and some gravy which Emily had kindly bought be another tub of! Honestly, a country without Bisto. The Piece de Resistance, however, was sneaking up on Ollie with his birthday cake out on the balcony while he was taking pictures of the mountains. Of course, the wind managed to blow most of the candles out before he had chance to, but still, the thought was there.
So the long and short of Sunday was, we didn't do a right lot. It's a pain in the backside to get in and out of Geneva on a Sunday anyway, and everyone was very happy to soak in the French atmosphere with another bottle of wine and good company. I hadn't talked to this lot for well over a month due to their horrific workload so we had plenty to catch up on. Like the entirety of my new life here, and how rubbish third year is.
Monday we went to CERN. This is the place that's been in the news for having the hydron collider and they're trying to find something very clever. All questions should be addressed to someone who has a clue about science. Anyway, it was very good! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I geeked out, and how many questions I felt the need to ask the boys (as they're both scientists). We spent ages there, even though there's only two exhibitions and a shop! Afterwards we went back into Geneva and walked towards the Jet d'eau and took the obligatory touristy snaps in front of that and the flower clock, and then it was time to head home. It was a day for pretending that turkey was in fact chicken (at least in my mind) and drinking more vino (I know we sound like alcoholics, but when a decent wine is 3,50 E a bottle, what is one to do???)
Right, I should get some shut-eye as I'm flying home tomorrow. Funny how I can never sleep before I fly. It's certainly not out of excitement though as airports are terminally boring (BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, made my own joke there and laughed at myself. I'm tired, leave me alone!) I shall be back with part 2 of our epic adventure very soon I hope! I'll try not to keep you in suspense. Ta-ra!
Last weekend the Lancaster cohort arrived! On Saturday (after much pacing, nail biting, cleaning, bed-making and a slight washing disaster) I went to the airport. I got there about a million hours early, which gave me time to go through the whole range of emotions. From the 'YAY' kind, to the 'when I see them I'm going to cry' kind, to the 'why are they even coming? It's going to hurt so much to say bye to them again' kind. I don't know if it's just me that does this, but I often get a plan in my head that I will try not to enjoy myself too much, to avoid the 'please don't go' feeling. I don't think it's fair to say to people that I don't want them to go, in the same way that if any of you ever said in a serious but selfish manner 'please come home', I wouldn't be impressed. If I could be at home, don't you think I probably would be? (I'm sure I'll delve into this more at some point, the whole double-emotions involved in a YA which I know most of you don't understand because to you this is a great big holiday for me. Well, it's not. It is in fact a year of utter limbo, of losing your identity, finding it, wondering who you are and what the heck you've signed up for. And why do you miss everyone twenty times more than if you were just away at uni?) Anyway. By the time Raph, Emily and Ollie emerged through the arrivals gate I was up to the 'I'm flaming bored of waiting and if they don't hurry up I'm going home' stage, which is a pretty good stage to be at as it doesn't involve tissues.
So we piled into Geneva to get them all travel cards (exceptionally good value. The system here is a bit different to the Motherland - you don't pay the bus driver or anything, you have to either have a travel card or buy a ticket before you get on. No one will ask to see your ticket, but inspectors do spot-checks and there's HUGE fines. This wouldn't work in England, but the entire system here is built on trust, and as such we all need to make an effort to fit in with the system, otherwise some selfish tourists will make them change the system to something much more regimented and humanity will be one step closer to self-destruction. Lecture over.) Then we got on a rather full bus back to my flat and I had the joy of saying 'welcome to France' as we crossed the border. I do love that part! A cup of tea, a glass of wine and a lasagne later, we settled down to watch a film.
 |
| A Pacman cake. Severely limited on baking products, but hey we persevere! |
So the long and short of Sunday was, we didn't do a right lot. It's a pain in the backside to get in and out of Geneva on a Sunday anyway, and everyone was very happy to soak in the French atmosphere with another bottle of wine and good company. I hadn't talked to this lot for well over a month due to their horrific workload so we had plenty to catch up on. Like the entirety of my new life here, and how rubbish third year is.
Monday we went to CERN. This is the place that's been in the news for having the hydron collider and they're trying to find something very clever. All questions should be addressed to someone who has a clue about science. Anyway, it was very good! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I geeked out, and how many questions I felt the need to ask the boys (as they're both scientists). We spent ages there, even though there's only two exhibitions and a shop! Afterwards we went back into Geneva and walked towards the Jet d'eau and took the obligatory touristy snaps in front of that and the flower clock, and then it was time to head home. It was a day for pretending that turkey was in fact chicken (at least in my mind) and drinking more vino (I know we sound like alcoholics, but when a decent wine is 3,50 E a bottle, what is one to do???)
Right, I should get some shut-eye as I'm flying home tomorrow. Funny how I can never sleep before I fly. It's certainly not out of excitement though as airports are terminally boring (BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, made my own joke there and laughed at myself. I'm tired, leave me alone!) I shall be back with part 2 of our epic adventure very soon I hope! I'll try not to keep you in suspense. Ta-ra!
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
The post-settling-in and pre-holiday slump.
A weekend of rain caught me by surprise. It's the first rain I've seen in over a month, but I still moaned. Can't take the British out of the Brit. Of course, I managed to go for a walk in Geneva while it was bucketing it down, got thoroughly cold and miserable, then came home and had a bath before I caught hypothermia. On the up, I discovered that my ski jacket is indeed as waterproof as the label claimed. And I did spend a wonderful hour in the bath. So, not a complete waste of a Sunday.
It appears that I have hit what I have declared is the post-settling-in and pre-holiday slump. This is the time when you start to realise that this is now your life. You have found a routine (hurrah!). You notice that only having enough clothes to last you 7 days means that you wear exactly the same thing every week. The security guard in Carrefour starts to recognise you. You've developed a taste for Brie and therefore you miss cheddar slightly less. Of course, not all of these things are bad, but you get sick of other people expecting you to be photographed next to ridiculous tourist attractions just to prove you're on your Erasmus year having the time of your life. And you start to think, a bit of normality wouldn't go amiss, which makes you think of the most normal place in the world, which has to be home. This isn't being homesick, this is being ready for a holiday at home. Quite a different thing.
Oh I am having the time of my life, believe me! I just feel I could have made more of an effort these past few weekends, I can almost feel the contempt people possibly have for the girl who lazes around on a weekend instead of running headlong at most of Europe. I can hear the 'I wish I had the opportunity to do that...'s lining up right now to batter me about the head.
However, luckily I don't give two hoots what anybody thinks. Unless you've been through this, you quite frankly have no right to comment or tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing. Neither do I care that your second-cousin-once-removed travelled and had the time of his life and worked as a barman on the Costa del Sol and got fluent in Spanish overnight. No he didn't, and even if he did, why do you think that is the perfect model of a YA? Remember the phrase 'hindsight is a wonderful thing'...
Anyway, enough of me moaning (sorry, it happens when you decide to blog when you should be snoring away). Instead of filling my last free weekend for a while (due to visits, a trip home, and more visits) with wearing myself out, I have taken the very wise advice of Winnie the Pooh: 'Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.' Wise words Pooh. Especially abroad. Other countries have different sounds, different smells, a veritable ambiance which is different. And as such, I do not believe I have wasted my time at all, rather soaked up the culture and my beautiful surroundings, not to mention caught up with sleep and got all this week's work done.
And in fact, we have done some things, they just happen to be what we want to do, and not things that people expect us to do. Today Claire and I discovered that we're right on the edge of the countryside, with a farm and little village which very much resembles the outer edges of Galgate, and there was a wonderful heron and another bird which Dad has identified as a Black Kite swooping about. Now if that isn't lovely, I don't know what is. Simplicity is soul-restoring.
Right, I'm going to shut up and go to bed now. Phew. Feel better for that though, I think I've been wanting to say this since September! Next time you hear someone's going to spend some time abroad, here's a list of things not to say:
1) You're going to have the time of your life.
2) You should make the most of it.
3) Oh can't be bad, going to live abroad for a while! Wish I could get away.
4) A year-long holiday! Lucky you!
Till next time blogeurs, when I shall have a very wonderful set of visitors to write about! Yay!
Loves xxx
It appears that I have hit what I have declared is the post-settling-in and pre-holiday slump. This is the time when you start to realise that this is now your life. You have found a routine (hurrah!). You notice that only having enough clothes to last you 7 days means that you wear exactly the same thing every week. The security guard in Carrefour starts to recognise you. You've developed a taste for Brie and therefore you miss cheddar slightly less. Of course, not all of these things are bad, but you get sick of other people expecting you to be photographed next to ridiculous tourist attractions just to prove you're on your Erasmus year having the time of your life. And you start to think, a bit of normality wouldn't go amiss, which makes you think of the most normal place in the world, which has to be home. This isn't being homesick, this is being ready for a holiday at home. Quite a different thing.
Oh I am having the time of my life, believe me! I just feel I could have made more of an effort these past few weekends, I can almost feel the contempt people possibly have for the girl who lazes around on a weekend instead of running headlong at most of Europe. I can hear the 'I wish I had the opportunity to do that...'s lining up right now to batter me about the head.
However, luckily I don't give two hoots what anybody thinks. Unless you've been through this, you quite frankly have no right to comment or tell me what I should or shouldn't be doing. Neither do I care that your second-cousin-once-removed travelled and had the time of his life and worked as a barman on the Costa del Sol and got fluent in Spanish overnight. No he didn't, and even if he did, why do you think that is the perfect model of a YA? Remember the phrase 'hindsight is a wonderful thing'...
Anyway, enough of me moaning (sorry, it happens when you decide to blog when you should be snoring away). Instead of filling my last free weekend for a while (due to visits, a trip home, and more visits) with wearing myself out, I have taken the very wise advice of Winnie the Pooh: 'Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.' Wise words Pooh. Especially abroad. Other countries have different sounds, different smells, a veritable ambiance which is different. And as such, I do not believe I have wasted my time at all, rather soaked up the culture and my beautiful surroundings, not to mention caught up with sleep and got all this week's work done.
And in fact, we have done some things, they just happen to be what we want to do, and not things that people expect us to do. Today Claire and I discovered that we're right on the edge of the countryside, with a farm and little village which very much resembles the outer edges of Galgate, and there was a wonderful heron and another bird which Dad has identified as a Black Kite swooping about. Now if that isn't lovely, I don't know what is. Simplicity is soul-restoring.
Right, I'm going to shut up and go to bed now. Phew. Feel better for that though, I think I've been wanting to say this since September! Next time you hear someone's going to spend some time abroad, here's a list of things not to say:
1) You're going to have the time of your life.
2) You should make the most of it.
3) Oh can't be bad, going to live abroad for a while! Wish I could get away.
4) A year-long holiday! Lucky you!
Till next time blogeurs, when I shall have a very wonderful set of visitors to write about! Yay!
Loves xxx
Sunday, 11 March 2012
A church, an encounter with Swiss efficiency, and a Specsavers appointment in the brewing.
Bonjour tout le monde!
Well it's been a week most ordinary. Last Sunday and this Sunday I braved church, which is always interesting when you move to a new place. This one's called Crossroads and is an English-speaking church, which is really quite nice! Some would say it's cheating, I say: why make life harder? If I didn't go to this one I'd have to cross the border, which is a nightmare on a Sunday. Besides, this church is right up my street, the people are very friendly and welcoming, and it feels like a little bit of home.
Aside from that, I generally felt pants last week. I think it might be time for new glasses with the amount of headaches I've had recently, but that's going to have to wait till Easter. Specsavers here I come (grumble groan, it's going to involve the usual talk with the optician about how I don't really need new specs because my eyes haven't changed that much, and me explaining that I'd rather not shell out for them but functioning with headaches isn't my idea of fun...)
Yesterday I found my way to the Jardin Botanique, which was a pain in the backside to get to because it seems half of the buses in Geneva don't run on a Saturday, even though there's times up at the bus stops for them. So much for Swiss efficiency. Anyway, I finally made it there. It's not all that interesting unless you're a botanist. I look at a rock with three different types of moss on them and I think 'oooh look at the pretty colours' and then move on, but I'm sure botonists don't. Anyway, I then made my way to Lake Geneva and had a nice little wander along the quay, but this time there wasn't any ice! I also stopped into C&A and maybe bought two tops. Oops. Oh well, only having about a week's worth of clothes is a pain, two tops mean washing doesn't have to be done in such an emergency every Tuesday.
That's me done for today Blogeurs, I'm hitting the hay. I'll try to do something more interesting this week!
Well it's been a week most ordinary. Last Sunday and this Sunday I braved church, which is always interesting when you move to a new place. This one's called Crossroads and is an English-speaking church, which is really quite nice! Some would say it's cheating, I say: why make life harder? If I didn't go to this one I'd have to cross the border, which is a nightmare on a Sunday. Besides, this church is right up my street, the people are very friendly and welcoming, and it feels like a little bit of home.
Aside from that, I generally felt pants last week. I think it might be time for new glasses with the amount of headaches I've had recently, but that's going to have to wait till Easter. Specsavers here I come (grumble groan, it's going to involve the usual talk with the optician about how I don't really need new specs because my eyes haven't changed that much, and me explaining that I'd rather not shell out for them but functioning with headaches isn't my idea of fun...)
Yesterday I found my way to the Jardin Botanique, which was a pain in the backside to get to because it seems half of the buses in Geneva don't run on a Saturday, even though there's times up at the bus stops for them. So much for Swiss efficiency. Anyway, I finally made it there. It's not all that interesting unless you're a botanist. I look at a rock with three different types of moss on them and I think 'oooh look at the pretty colours' and then move on, but I'm sure botonists don't. Anyway, I then made my way to Lake Geneva and had a nice little wander along the quay, but this time there wasn't any ice! I also stopped into C&A and maybe bought two tops. Oops. Oh well, only having about a week's worth of clothes is a pain, two tops mean washing doesn't have to be done in such an emergency every Tuesday.
That's me done for today Blogeurs, I'm hitting the hay. I'll try to do something more interesting this week!
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Un long-weekend dans les montagnes
Apologies for the lack of blog of late, but things have been a little hectic. The uni is uber-organised, so classes are actually going reasonably well. There's only been one that sucked my soul out and necessitated a hot chocolate after so I could function well enough to get home, so that's not too bad. I need to find something to replace it but at the present time I have Mondays and Tuesdays off, so I'd rather not suddenly get something (mainly because I'm planning a few weekends away, and travelling on Tuesday is so much cheaper...)
Claire (flatmate who is also from Lancaster, for those of you who haven't been updated), arrived with her Mum, and we did a lot of food shopping and sight-seeing. On Saturday we went to Anzere (a ski resort in the mountains) and I stayed until yesterday. It was absolutely stunning, the mountains are like nothing I've ever seen before. I tried to take pictures but they really don't do them justice at all (but still, have a look!). Before you ask, no I didn't ski. I would like to return to the motherland with all my limbs if you don't mind. I can do without a trip to hospital.
Anyhow, I'm just waiting for my next lecture. I might geek-out and do my translation work for tomorrow's class (which I may or may not be allowed to take, as I'm still waiting for Lancaster to say yay or nay as it's a Master's course and so I apparently won't pass the exam, but the nice tutor said I could take it and he'd write a report for Lancs and they can decide at the end what grade I should get. Glad to see nothing changes on the emailing front.) One thing is certain, this is a heck of a lot easier than Bilbao was!
P.S. Flat Ted and Millie also having a great time.
Claire (flatmate who is also from Lancaster, for those of you who haven't been updated), arrived with her Mum, and we did a lot of food shopping and sight-seeing. On Saturday we went to Anzere (a ski resort in the mountains) and I stayed until yesterday. It was absolutely stunning, the mountains are like nothing I've ever seen before. I tried to take pictures but they really don't do them justice at all (but still, have a look!). Before you ask, no I didn't ski. I would like to return to the motherland with all my limbs if you don't mind. I can do without a trip to hospital.
Anyhow, I'm just waiting for my next lecture. I might geek-out and do my translation work for tomorrow's class (which I may or may not be allowed to take, as I'm still waiting for Lancaster to say yay or nay as it's a Master's course and so I apparently won't pass the exam, but the nice tutor said I could take it and he'd write a report for Lancs and they can decide at the end what grade I should get. Glad to see nothing changes on the emailing front.) One thing is certain, this is a heck of a lot easier than Bilbao was!
P.S. Flat Ted and Millie also having a great time.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Je suis à Genève!
Bonjour bloggeurs!
Well I have arrived after a remarkably stress-free journey (which involved 2 buses, a train and a plane). First win of the day was being bang on 20kg according to Difficult Jet's scales (I'm sure they add a few kg just to charge you more).
The journey was pretty unremarkable, but it was fine, can't complain. My amazing landlady met me at the airport and took me to my flat, which not only sings and dances but pretty much turns somersaults as well. I didn't do much before collapsing into bed (which has pillows so fluffy I kept falling off them in the night!) with Millie, my marvelous hot water bottle, and Flat Ted, who is happy to be on the move again.
This morning I slept in a bit, then drank a fair amount of tea while googling where the tourist info is. I'm technically living in Ornyx, but practically speaking I'm in Ferney-Voltaire, which is on the French side of the border. Anyway, I found the tourist info, asked the nice lady how to get to Geneva etc, then faffed about for a million years getting change for the bus as the machine doesn't take notes. I finally made it to the bit of Geneva I was supposed to be at, then I got slightly lost trying to find the transport office, which was right under my nose, en fait. I got my 'carte de base' (which is a free thing you need in order to buy monthly travel tickets), and got the bus back before my good luck ran out!
On the way back I saw the UN building (I had wondered where it was on the way there and we stopped somewhere called 'Nations', must have had my eyes closed because it's huge). I called at Carrefour on the way home, didn't even need my directions to wander back to my flat and make spag bol.
All I can say is, I now remember why I love the Francophonie. The people are very pleasant and I've not spoken English all day, even though I know for a fact that the tourist info lady and the bloke who gave me my travel card both spoke English. People say hello when you pass them in the street. They don't look at you funny because you're a foreigner. Things couldn't be more different than when I went to Bilbao, and although I appreciate that having done it once it's a heck of a lot easier to do it a second time, things are different. As long as the uni doesn't annoy me too much over the next weeks, I might never leave!
Thanks for the love blogeurs, now who wants to come visit? I CAN SEE THE MONT BLANC!!!!
Well I have arrived after a remarkably stress-free journey (which involved 2 buses, a train and a plane). First win of the day was being bang on 20kg according to Difficult Jet's scales (I'm sure they add a few kg just to charge you more).
The journey was pretty unremarkable, but it was fine, can't complain. My amazing landlady met me at the airport and took me to my flat, which not only sings and dances but pretty much turns somersaults as well. I didn't do much before collapsing into bed (which has pillows so fluffy I kept falling off them in the night!) with Millie, my marvelous hot water bottle, and Flat Ted, who is happy to be on the move again.
 |
| Just to prove I was on a plane... |
This morning I slept in a bit, then drank a fair amount of tea while googling where the tourist info is. I'm technically living in Ornyx, but practically speaking I'm in Ferney-Voltaire, which is on the French side of the border. Anyway, I found the tourist info, asked the nice lady how to get to Geneva etc, then faffed about for a million years getting change for the bus as the machine doesn't take notes. I finally made it to the bit of Geneva I was supposed to be at, then I got slightly lost trying to find the transport office, which was right under my nose, en fait. I got my 'carte de base' (which is a free thing you need in order to buy monthly travel tickets), and got the bus back before my good luck ran out!
On the way back I saw the UN building (I had wondered where it was on the way there and we stopped somewhere called 'Nations', must have had my eyes closed because it's huge). I called at Carrefour on the way home, didn't even need my directions to wander back to my flat and make spag bol.
All I can say is, I now remember why I love the Francophonie. The people are very pleasant and I've not spoken English all day, even though I know for a fact that the tourist info lady and the bloke who gave me my travel card both spoke English. People say hello when you pass them in the street. They don't look at you funny because you're a foreigner. Things couldn't be more different than when I went to Bilbao, and although I appreciate that having done it once it's a heck of a lot easier to do it a second time, things are different. As long as the uni doesn't annoy me too much over the next weeks, I might never leave!
Thanks for the love blogeurs, now who wants to come visit? I CAN SEE THE MONT BLANC!!!!
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