The surreal first few days in France

Bonjour, or Bonsoir to those in the Sthn hemisphere

Well it's been four days in France now and obviously I've been having far too much fun to write on my blog! I'll try to think back to the beginning and give you an overview :)

Last morning in Akl was a little hectic when I realised how much stuff I really have hoarded, really cursed the hoarding genes of my mother! Had about six boxes of stuff to give to charity and luckily my friend Amy took them off my hands for me when she picked me up, as I didn't know how I was going to get them to charity without a car. The other thing was that I never did a practice pack, and while everything did fit into my pack it was insanely heavy but I wasn't sure exactly how heavy. I was also trying to clean up my mess at the flat and was all quite a rush. Anyway was at the airport by midday and said farewells to Amy, it's always sad to say goodbye to your closest friends, but I think also the adrenalyn is rushing about the journey ahead of you! Well this may not surprise you but my bag weighed in at 32kg. Ouch!!!! They said I had to get it to 25kg (not 20kg as specified, thank god!) so had to throw out some stuff :( Also took maximum carry on luggage. Haha! I'm sure I'll learn once I've carted my gear around a few yachts and realise the need to travel light....

The first flight was pretty good, enjoyed flying cathay pacific except they ran out of the meal I wanted :( Met up with Sophie in Hong Kong (who I met on the stcw course) and we had a walk around and then I went to the showers to freshen up. Next flight was delayed a little so I watched a movie on my laptop and then we were boarding before I knew it. Took a sleeping pill that knocked me out as soon as I was in my seat! Was a bit dazed when I woke up but at least 13 hour flight went fairly quickly. Arrived in Paris at 6.30am as scheduled, got luggage and headed through customs with my british passport which was stamped by a cheekily grinning customs dude :)

Had a few hours in the airport before my train so looked around and was feeling quite nautious, maybe from the heat and wearing too many clothes! Was realising that yes I am in Paris and I don't speak much French, but still managed to get around. I figured out where my train was, stopped in for la mcchicken which made me feel much better so must have just been hungry (little did I know that was all I ate for next 24 hrs), and before I knew it i was hauling my luggage onto the TGV and finding my first class seat. I had a nice window seat with a table opposite a french lady who looked like the queen. We established she didn't speak english but she gave me a mentos every few hours! I wanted to stay awake for the 6 hour journey but started to get very tired after the first few hours of french country so think I dozed off for a few hours. Had a mix of french and canadians in my carriage, some of whom I chatted to. Got really excited when we got to Canne (i.e. Canne film festival) and saw how beautiful it was, with the train going past the coast line I could see all the people enjoying the beach and lots of yachts too. Then next stop was me, welcome to Antibes!

Since arriving in Antibes I've been well introduced to the town and the way of life here. I had heaps of sleep when I first arrived and managed to get over the jetlag really quickly before my friend Leah arrived. I'm staying in her apartment in old antibes, which is lots of quant streets where the windows have shutters and the streets are narrow and cobble paved. The french cliches are everywhere, so I've been finding it very surreal but wonderful! I can see the water from my bedroom and hear people walking past. Leah was here for the weekend and was a fabulous tour guide. She taught me how to order in french at bakeries, restaurants and gelati bars - although it's so touristy you can get away with speaking english. However I enjoy my morning "Bonjour, Je voudrais un pain au chocolate sil' vu plait" (Hello, I would like one chocolate croissant please"). The morning markets are full of fresh produce, I'm loving the raspberries and the olives. We've walked down to the quay where all the yachts are, big and small. We have walked to the beach which is only 5-10 mins walk but we've been dying by the time we're there it's that hot!

The last few days I've done a lot of walking around, eating out with friends, and swimming. We had a flashy lunch by the beach on saturday with some of Leah's friends, and the waiter somehow opened a 4L bottle of wine for us! That is one massive bottle! Ended up being quite expensive but we had fun. You can hire beach side beds there but we decided to lie on the beach instead. The water was so nice and cooling from the 30 degree heat, but I gather it's not the cleanest water. There are showers right down by the water's edge where everyone seems to rinse off when coming out. Leah's friend got a call to hear he got a job that afternoon so he bought a bottle a veuve for us to polish off - jolly good! The evenings are very balmy, no need for a jacket when out, and sleep with the fan on all night and one sheet if that! A few friends have their yachts docked near me and might have some day work for me so I could be working in the next wee while. I'm going to visit some agencies today too and do some more exploring!

I didn't mean to write a novel but there's been so much to write back about.... I hope you enjoyed the read! Love to hear back from you.

mademoiselle kelly xxxxxx