Ganges

If there's anything I should learn from being here is to be alright with being in love with the moment.

Maaria, Erin and I went super spontaneously to a village named Ganges, somewhere an hour by bus (this seems to be the proper formula for a gorgeous exploration). It was a Sunday and the small deserted center quickly made me nervous. What were we doing in this average small town on full bladders and empty stomachs? So when in doubt go to the kebab stand. The lady gave us directions for an absolutely gorgeous walk. And as we walked the unpaved road shaded and shaped by fall colors; when the world looks like this, how can you not be in love with it?

Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil Croutons and Grilled Goat Cheese Baguette

The winter cold is definitely headed to Montpellier. Thus, let the soup making and dinner parties commence. Here is my attempt at Julia Child-ing.

Fresh veggie broth
1/2 liter of water
clove of garlic
medium onion
4 carrots
oregano, basil, parsley, salt, pepper
veggie bouillon
Satay onions and garlic in olive oil. Boil all together for about an hour. The longer you boil, the tastier it will be. Strain and keep the liquid. You can use the veggies in the soup, too.

Tomato Soup (this fed 8 people)
12 tomatoes (peeled:boil in hot water transfer to cold and peel)
mushrooms
a bell pepper
clove of garlic
medium onion
veggie broth
2 carrots
salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, parsley
Satay onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrots and mushrooms with parsley salt and pepper in olive oil until tender. Add in peeled tomatoes. Add in all veggie broth. Simmer. Then pulse with a mixer. Voila!

Fresh Basil Croutons
Take very very old dry bread (that may or may not have been found in a bag outside of a supermarket) and break it up into pieces. Satay it with olive oil, basil, salt and pepper until gold brown.

Grilled Goat Cheese Baguette
Take two slices of baguette, butter one side, slather them with goat cheese, top with fresh basil, salt and pepper; make a sandwich with butter sides 'up'. Put on a frying pan, smash with plate. Turn over when golden brown. This works well with all types of cheese (camembert, gouda, emmental, brie, etc.)

Allez! Allez! Allez!

There was groping. There was wrestling. There was some running and at one point everyone was suddenly overjoyed.

Sunday morning I awoke at 9 am to walk to the Irish Tavern to watch the Rugby World Championship between New Zealand and France. A friend from frisbee had invited us to join her painted face and cheer for either team. 

Needless to say the crowd was mostly pro-France. They chanted their swears, national anthem and other rallying encouragements. After the one French score, they raised a caged rooster (which I later learned is France’s ‘mascot’) and sang with their beers raised and flung on our heads. Who knew a beer shower in the morning could be so revitalizing. All of a sudden I was getting anxious with the crowd, gritting my teeth when someone was battered and relieved when the All Blacks turned it over. However, I still don’t know the rules of rugby. 

Fairytale Friday

I would call it a fairy tale town. An hour by bus there’s a touristy town with crepes, ivy, adorable elderly and cats. Basically, it’s perfection.

Saint Guilhem le Désert is tranquil, artsy and a lovely excursion with a maximum of five streets. Its on a beautiful river that I will swim in in the summer and grand rocky mountains. It looks like Snow White. 

Our group made the trip as well. Between all of us we shared about eight languages, five countries and different stories. English, French, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Dutch and German was bouncing around in the bus there and continued throughout the afternoon. 

I think I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves… I’m all talked out.

My New Crack Cocaine

Since my usual fix of cocaine is difficult to come by here in France, I have concocted my own little replacement:

A cup of fresh brewed coffee
Mint leaves, to taste
Dulce de Leche, to taste
Sugar if the dulce de leche isn't sweet enough

It's something like the Mojito Coffee I had in San Francisco and it's delicious.

Courir Toujours

 {[Went on an ice cream date on Thursday. He didn’t get ice cream, but a Cola zero. I am not responding to his text messages any longer. You don’t go out and let the lady eat ice cream by herself, boys.]}

This weekend Cassie came from Barcelona to 

A. Visit Montpellier and I

B. Run a marathon, NBD

She’s a champ. 

Once again we found ourselves playing tourist and ‘food crawling’. You know, when you eat at every restaurant of interest, all desserts (Turkish delights) are on limits, super spicy Indian food to your hearts delight, coffee and ice cream. 

The big day was Sunday, so Saturday was spent taking it easy and walking through the botanical gardens of Montpellier. Fall has fallen here. And I like it. We got our swag bags complete with a bottle of wine, shirt, poster, applesauce, etc. 

Sunday came and we rose early to do some French warmup aerobics and get nervous for the course. It went all around Montpellier. I’m pretty sure Cassie saw more of Montpellier than I ever will! We thought we could start together but me being on a relay team was ripped from her and reprimanded and forced to wait 20 minutes while Cassie began her 42 km adventure. Then I started my 6.5 km jaunt. It was cool and I wish I could’ve gone farther before having to pass on the baton to a Couchsurfing teammate. After I hung out with an awkward Parisian boy for a few hours I set out to watch Champ finish. 200 meters before the finish line I saw her turn the corner and I almost cried. We grabbed hands and I could tell she was tired but the crowd was egging her on. “Bravo fille!”. She did awesome and we were able to finish together in la Place de la Comèdie and greeted by flowers and French congratulations. A victory kebab was well deserved. Chicken pox to marathon running, I’m lucky to have such an awesome friend.

Stranded Sandy

It's on my list of things to do. But it wasn't quite the right time... I would like to tuck myself in between the sheets of sand and sky and last night was almost the perfect opportunity. The full moon shone on the Mediterranean and there was just a light breeze. It could not have been drawn more beautifully.

After a fun day of skipping class, going to the beach and playing frisbee my friends Emma, Kip, Sarah and Tony and I found ourselves chasing a bus that we would never catch. Luckily for Tony and Sarah, they were able to bike back to Montpellier (about 15 km). We were stuck with a choice: a 50 euro taxi ride or a night on the sand. So we thought 'what the hay', let's make an adventure of it. By this time we had walked about 8 km back and forth, and were hungry and tired. We tried to find food only to stumble on an expensive paella restaurant. Then we were struck with luck. It just so happened that Kip knew a girl, Lizzie, who lived in the beach village we were wandering. After a few phone calls, she was leading us back to her host mom's house.

Not only did this family open our their house to us silly stupid stranded Americans, but we got a delicious dinner, a warm bed and one of the nicest showers I've had in 6 weeks. A true beam of light; and although at first we were pretty excited about sleeping on the beach, it worked out much better this way. One less case of pneumonia, dengue fever and sandy bottoms.

When that special time for beach sleeping comes we will be prepared with blankets, snacks and a guitar.

Lever de Soleil

 I’m having a difficult time explaining where my day started yesterday, Saturday the 8th of October. I’d say it has been one of the most relaxing and exciting 24 hours of sleeplessness in my short life.

Experimental Guitar

I guess the first moment I felt alive that day was when I found an amazing running trail that traces along a tree covered calm river. It was serene, brisk and the leaves are starting to change colors and leave their bark counterparts.

DJ at La Pleine Lune

Then a whirlwind bike ride with my newfound friends and Saturday quickly turned to Saturnight (I’m sorry, I’ve been pun deprived). We started our marathon of fun with a free cheese, honey, fig, wine and bouillabaisse tasting market. This weekend was kind of the official ‘welcome back students/let’s celebrate fall in classy way’. That being said, there were free guitar concerts everywhere. We went to a bar ‘La Pleine Lune’ and watched a marching band and then proceeded inside for DJ dancing hipster glory. We danced until 3 am. We had three hours to kill until the sunrise (lever de soleil)experimental guitar concert at the mini Arc de Triomphe and Parc Peyrou. It was bloody cold so we took refuge in a student house stuffed fully with cigarette butts, funny posters and joyous dancing. We set out for the park à vélo against a cold wind to find the gates to the dome to be open (which they never are) and lit by a bright blue light. We all laid down on the cement and relaxed while the serious experimental guitarist set up and listened to my friend play the harmonica loud and proud. Then experimental man strummed long effervescent tones to welcome the sun rising behind the Arc de Triomphe. People were chatting, laughing and we played tag and danced to stay warm. 

Lever de Soleil

I don’t know how to explain the overall coolness of Montpellier without saying hipster. Because it’s not as snooty as hipster: it’s a way of being. There is this joy in music, in drink, in food and in meeting new people here that is so relaxed and natural it can’t be superficial. It’s beautiful, it’s exciting and calm at the same time. I’m learning to take everything easy, sit back while surrounded by friends and not to expect to be rushed. It’s quite the adjustment which contradicts the pace of school here, but it has been a welcomed balancing act and challenge. 

It might as well come from another planet

After sunrise, we grabbed some croissants and coffee and went back to rest up. However, it turns out I had forgotten my keys at my friend Sarah’s apartment. So with a borrowed iPod I walked back downtown I set out on foot through the streets. Sometimes the sun shines perfectly on the buildings and you can’t help but stare. And it wasn’t just the fatigue. It’s the ultimate realization that you’re meant to be where you are.

La Grotte

Today I went to some caves. Just an hour on the bus outside of Montpellier lies the mysterious and guided tours of La Grotte des Demoiselles. Believed to house the souls of abandoned fairies, la grotte is filled with expertly lit rock formations, eery ancient smells and an extreme serenity that was enchanting (although that could have been my hunger). 


Simply enough, it was one of the best field trips I have ever been on. After my methodology class I met up with some of my friends to make the trek out there. We had a rendez-vous with the tour guide at 2:30. We got off the bus at the right stop. Headed up the correct tiny road that wound through the French countryside (which, yes, looks exactly like the movies). Then we trailblazed our way up the side of the mountain, had a double rainbow moment with the breath taking views and sprinted. My friend Erin and I were late but, because we were panting and very sad looking, they took us to meet up with the rest of the group. Then we were lead through the wet, cold and spooky cave. I can’t say that I see this everyday. I can say that it might be one of the most mesmerizing landscapes I have encountered. The pictures don’t do it justice.

Then we hit the sunlight again. We started walking along the road once again before we saw what we thought to be a path. It ended up in an old man’s backyard. And one of the most adorable old men I’ve seen. He was excited to show his house dating from the 13th century and where his great-great-great-great grandfather hid a priest during a war I wish I was educated about. After meeting him; hungry, tired and completely satisfied with my day we took the bus back. 

I came home to my friends making dinner and chatting in the kitchen. I can’t help but consistently feel like this is where I am meant to be. School has homework and sometimes French can be alien but all-in-all I can’t help but love it. Montpellier and I have been dating for five weeks now and I’m starting to believe it’s getting more serious. Maybe soon we’ll tell our friends about our relationship.

Glory Glory Couscous

1/2 package tofu
clove of garlic
3/4 large onion
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/2 eggplant, diced
2 packaged beets, diced
spoonful of packaged lentils
1 cup water
1/2 cup couscous
Feta to taste
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Dried parsley
Dried basil
Salt n Peppa

Well shoot, that's a long list. But worth it.

First crumble up the tofu and fry it in olive oil, half of the garlic and half the onion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Be liberal with the olive oil. Take out of pan once crispy and set to the side.

Add to the frying pan: the carrots, the bell pepper and the rest of the garlic and onion in olive oil. Let fry. Then add eggplant. This part takes the longest because eggplant takes forever to get not squishy but crispy. Add salt, pepper and basil. Once everything is all nice and crisped add to the side with tofu.

On a separate burner, start boiling your cup of water. Once bubbling, add the couscous. Turn off heat and let cook.

Back to the frying pan add the beets in olive oil with parsley. Then sprinkle the feta. Then warm up the lentils by tossing them on top of your beets. Once that's all nice and purple add everything to the couscous saucepan (tofu, veggies, etc) and stir in with just a bit of balsamic over the top. Goes well with hummus. Caution: you will smell of garlic.