summer’s over

i know i haven’t been very good about keeping up on this blog.  august was hectic because that’s the month that the entire country of france goes on holiday.  we went to the south of france and the cote d’azur.  we started off by going to see family in the Alps in a little town the size of belvidere, ne called rossillon.  from there, we went to Mont Blanc in the alps which is also called Chamonix, like the youth hostel my mom works at.  after that we camped for three long weeks with my fiance’s parents.  we saw the palais des papes in avignon which sounded like the tower of babel because everyone was talking so loud in the sanctum.  we went for a drive in Marseilles where i finally got to see the Mediterranean sea, which was as blue as i dreamed it would be.  we spent an afternoon in Cannes which is totally overrated.  everyone there looks like they are posing for a fashion shoot.  Aix en Provence was very cute and luckily had an english bookstore where i got a student’s discount because the girl thought i was one.  i guess i look young!  camping was a huge trial for me, but i got a reprieve when we went to stay in Grasse for a couple of days.  that’s the city that makes the perfume.  we took the opportunity to drive through the country side, and on Napoleon’s road which he took when he was coming back from his exile on Elbe.  my favorite city was Nice.  i think i like it because it’s laid out like an american city with grand avenues.  we went to the flower market and walked along the promenade d’anglais so named because in the 19th century the english would come to Nice during the summers and walk by the sea.  our last day we spent in Monaco where we saw the changing of the guards, and i bought a silly sailor’s hat.  we also drove along the grand prix route.  when we returned to camping, we spent an evening at the symphony for a debussy recital which was pleasant.  by the time our month was up, i was so ready to return to berck.  it was like 90° the whole time we were down south, and coming back to the english channel seaside was something of a relief.  now it’s back to wedding planning and my newly discovered hobby, cross stitch.  next month, i will have been here a year.  my blogs may get fewer and farther between, but i’ll try to write from time to time if anything exciting happens.  i’ve seen more of france in 11 months than most frenchmen see in their lifetime.  a bientot and bisous!