Bit cute!

UK-Italy Whirlwind Part 1

Well i havent blogged for an age, and forgive my grammer coz i cant actually find the apostrophe key on the Italian keyboard that im using!! Current location is Venice, and its Carnivale!! Didnt mean to go here at that time specifically, but its great there are people walking around with masks and capes everywhere, very masked-ball-y. Anywho i will try and remember everything from the last week and a half, but since we packed a shitload in dont be surprised if i miss stuff! Went to London last Saturday, and boy that was a day and a half of travel! Shouldnt have been that difficult catching the train from Bordeaux to Parsi then flying from Paris to London, but i didnt count on 3 types of transportation spazzing out on me! 11 hours later and 13 seperate planes, trains, trams and buses later i finally arrived in London and met Mary and Megan, who were so happy to finally be reunited with me that Megan wouldnt even let me pass through the gates before she hugged me to see if i was actually real! Transport issues left behind, we had THE BEST mexican meal ever, and the hottest waiter as well, before crashing for the night. The next day we got up and myself, Megan, Mary, Ben (Megs mate) and Doug (Marys friend) explored London. We did all the touristy things obviously, like the London Bridge, St Pauls Cathedral (where Mary gave a beautiful rendition of Mary Poppins Feed the Birds...), Westminiser Abbey and many other great sights complete with double decker buses in the background!! My impression of London, super-cold, super-expensive and very Amercianized, but on the flip-side it was great to finally be in a country where English is the first language, the fish and chips and home-made lemonade were to die for, and i got to see Megan Stevens, a friend i met in Kenya nearly 3 years ago!!! So good to catch up with her while the others saw Les Mis, and Mary shed a few hundred tears then proceeded to sing the songs for the next 2 days ;) We also saw the new Harry Potter (the 2nd time for me) and then walked down the streets where they filmed some of the scenes!! Pretty awesome actually. Anyway i will continue my update of London, Rome, Florence and Venice tomorrow when i have more time, now off to find some killer spag bol for tea.
Ciao from Italia! xxx

Rolf Harris getting amongst it.

Finance sucks.

So i haven't posted anything in like 2 weeks, there is a reason!! My finance class is a bitch, and so i've been trying not to fail, harder than first thought. But i just had the exam, it wasn't that great but oh well it's over now!! And the next two weeks are going to be amazing, paris then london then rome then florence then milan then venice. Phew! Had to get the first train tomorrow to Paris, a nice early 7:30am to kickstart our first lot of holidays (with plenty to come, i swear we don't actually go to uni), then should just cruise around by myself for the day, will prob go back to the lourve or eat some crepes or something, you know, the usual :) then meeting up with my amigas Mary and Megan in London arghhhhhh!!!! Also get to see my mate Megan whom i met in Kenya nearly 3 years ago, will be great to catch up with her :) and and and watching Fulham play in the Premier League thanks to Mary's buddy. Cannot wait, get to see Mark Schwartzer in the flesh doing his thing, Aussies represent!! Anywho the last 2 weeks have been fairly tame you could say, we went to a kareoke bar the first night back from Paris and Jody showed us all up with the mic, crazy good. Just quietly though our groups rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody should have been youtubed, it was that bloody fantastic! (Cough cough...) Last weekend we went to another Melting Potes party, Leather and Moustaches was the theme, so of course we whipped out the eyeliner, Sara insisted on crafting me a Rolf Harris mo, which to her credit was pretty similar... not sure whether i can pull off the goatee myself but from one Aussie to another it was very managable! Before this though Irish Megan* and i were subjected to a ridiculously long car ride with two random french guys in the hope we would make it into town sooner, what should have been a 20 minutes ride turned into an hour then we walked aimlessly around Victoire for another 30 mins trying to place the damn house!! Pretty hilarious though, luckily we had supplies so we were really stressed, god forbid we sobered up before the party :) Anyway since then just been studying and organising for the trip, tonight we are going out with all the Domofrance people for dinner before we part ways on our adventures for the next 2 weeks, should be good! Hopefully will be able to post some updates while away but if not there will be a mega long post in 2 weeks!!
Adios amigos!
xxx

 The Louvre!!

 Starbucks. Freaking Americans... ;)

 Strolling round Paris, ah the serenity!

Getting all touristy...

Picture Perfect Paris.

Ah Paris! All the stories turned out to be true, it is the city where magic happens! One of the best weekends i can remember was spent exploring all Paris had to offer, with plenty left over for next time. Jody and I arrived by train which took about 3 hours, and met Mary, Megan and Annie outside Gare de Lyon where we went for coffee (5 euros!! so expensive!), then went back to our Hostel to rest before the next day. But 4 excited girls in a room doesn't usually equal adequate quiet time, and so we spent hours talking before we finally crashed at 2:30am. Lack of sleep didn't stop us from waking up at 8am though! First stop was the Louvre, which i was super excited to see, it turned out to be even better than i thought, seeing the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo along with other amazing works of art that are so famous blew me away, i'm going back in 2 weeks definatly to explore some more because it is so huge! We then walked to the Arc de Triomphe and managed to get some shopping in on les Champs-Elysees, amazing shops - i am now a true H&M fan. We walked to the Effiel Tower which had been on the horizon all day and were complete tourists whipping our cameras out at every opportunity, ah well when in Paris!! We went back to the hostel completely exhausted and rested for awhile before having dinner at a little bistro close by, delicious french food and great service :) Then Mary, Megan, myself and 2 of Mary's friends from America went to a bar that brewed it's own beer and chilled out. It was great, we chatted to some kilt-wearing Scots and a guy from the Netherlands who were rich businessmen that owned a Chateau! Jackpot haha! Afterwards we grabbed takeaway crepes from a vendor on the street (which were absolutely amazing!) and headed home on the Metro (totes smells like pee). The next day we were up bright and early again to explore. Jody and I went to Gare Montparnasse to reserve our train for the night then went back to the Arc de Triomphe to get a proper look and be tourists again! We met the other girls at Musee de Pompidou (modern art museum) and wandered around looking at all the crazy things people call art, included the Genital Panic display which we all found highly amusing. After more crepes on the way home we said Au Revoir to Paris for awhile and went back to the train station to come back to Bordeaux, reality and class the next morning (yuck!). It was an amazing weekend spent with great mates, but i feel like i've barely scratched the surface of Paris and can't wait to go back! (Already going on my way through to Italy in 2 weeks!)
A bientot Paris!  

Never go to an open bar in France...

...unless you like to get completely soaked in a mixture of vodka, whiskey, vomit and potentially pee. I was planning to be ultra-responsible and not go to the last open bar of the year last night, but peer-pressure and all you can drink for 4 euros got the best of me. Needless to say i have very little self control when it comes to having a good time. I won't go into too much detail but people literally throw their drinks on everyone as entertainment (which prompts you to throw yours back), everyone makes out with everyone (sometimes you don't even say a curtious 'bonjour' beforehand!), and everyone loses all their shit. Personal win of the night was the fact that i didn't lose anything! (Dignity excluded) My genius plan of putting my key on a chain around my neck proved successful and having a hot shower at 4am in order to wash the vodka out of my hair turned out to be a great end to a spontaneously great night. Went out with the usual suspects at Domofrance, along with the hilarious Irish girls, Sara from Liverpool (funniest person i've ever met) and Dan the Aussie. Great people make for great times. I realise that the majority of my posts revolve around drinking and partying which doesn't hold me in a very studious light, but hey, im in Europe?! No judgement here! My nana wanted the address to view this blog but i'm thinking it's probably wise not to disclose it...
But in other news I'M GOING TO PARIS TOMORROW!!!!! I'm sososo excited!! Going with Annie, Mary, Megan and Jody and it's going to be amazing :) I am happy to do all the touristy things this weekend and save the real exploring for next trip, because i've wanted to see the Effiel Tower and the Lourve since forever. I could literally spend eternity there i think... So my next post shall contain pics and stories from the heart of Europe!
Gros bisous from Bordeaux!!

Best. Kangaroo. Ever,

Aussie day, french style.

So although Australia Day was on Wednesday last week, we had exams at BEM on friday so i delayed my celebrations until afterwards, which turned out to be a smart idea because it was a pretty loose night!! Daniel, a guy from Adelaide who i met on the plane over came over to stay for a few days and so i wasn't the only Aussie at the party, but pretty sure everyone wanted to be Australian!! We pulled out the Aussie flag tattoos and after they ran out switched to acrylic paint (it seemed like a good idea at the time..). To my credit i draw a better kangaroo drunk than i do normally :) It was a great night, with about 20 people squished into my apartment listening to Daddy Cool and Angus and Julia (and maybe some Journey for the americans..). We ended up at a house party in Gambetta, but after drinking like only a true Aussie does, i was ready to call it a night. Jackets were exchanged, cameras were misplaced and spew was washed out of random peoples hair, so all in all a successful recreation of Australia day!!

The coolest freaking carosel ever.

 Vicky et moi!

Annie with the punch and her brilliant scoop.

Punch and Pianists.

I'm sorry that i've been slack in the last week with updating my blog... too busy!
So i'm going to have to remember back to what has happened and give a brief summary of the highlights :)
Had class all week as usual and am slowing growing to dislike my teacher, not because she is a bad person or anything but because she is the reason i have to drag myself out of bed at 7:30am every morning, and for me that is a difficult task! Class was alright though, freshing stuff i've forgotten. We only have 3 days left of our first sequence so i suppose it's gone fairly fast.. I'm excited to start my next class which is financial analysis, should be pretty interesting and Jody is in my class which will be fun :)
It was SO FREAKING COLD this weekend. Like i'm talking below zero in the middle of the day with the sun shining. Not cool, but it definatly wakes you up when you step outside! Jody and I went to Ikea again on a mission to get rugs, which we then carried back on the trams like fools but oh well! My room looks pretty good now, kinda homey with all the posters etc. The Argentinian girls Vicky and Andy made punch for us friday night in a garbage can, for only 9 euros!! So cheap, but because we were pov and bought the 1 euro goon sacks it kinda tasted like goon, but oh well after the first few the taste goes away so we had a fun night just hanging in domofrance, eating pizza and playing drinking games. My genius drunk brain decided 1am was the perfect time to make a cup of coffee on the stove and of course i burnt myself but at least i managed to turn the stove off before i went to bed... kudos to me :)
On Sunday a few of us went to Le Grand Theatre to a Cafe l'Opera to drink coffee and listening to a pianist, but the guy never showed. It didn't matter though as one of the french guys we were with just sat down at the piano and started to play some insanely good composition off the top of his head!! Just another day in France i suppose. Studying for my exam this week and then celebrating Australia Day on friday night!! Can't wait! Also planning a trip to Paris in a fortnight and then onto Italy in the 2 week break in Feb, ah life is sweet ain't it??

Picnic complete with sun.

Beer with tequila?? How could you go wrong!

Desperado desperation.

Alcohol is as cheap as dirt here. The price i'd pay for 2 vodka-oranges at a bar in Adelaide gets you the whole bottle of vodka here... plus a bottle of wine. It's ridiculous, but as a poor uni student i intend to make the most of it while i can, hence my reasoning for buying a 5 Litre keg of Desperado beer instead of a 6 pack. I would have been crazy not to!! Right...? Needless to say friday and saturday night were spend consuming (with friends, i'm not an alcoholic!) my best purchase to date. We had a domofrance room crawl and partied in Annies room friday night, then mine and another Irish girl's rooms saturday. Because the apartment are on the small side, even though there was only about 10 people it felt like much more, and we even had a few visits from some of the local french guys who heard our loud music and insisted on joining! Our brave attempt to tram it to the other side of town and go to a boatclub (literally a night club on a boat), was abandoned when the bouncers insisted we were "too young" for the crowd. In other words, the club was full of older, more chic and sophisticated people and they didn't want a gang of Irish, Amercian, Swedish, German and Australian college kids gatecrashing. Slightly devo as we had taken the last tram to get there, we crammed 7 girls into a taxi and went back home, but not before Mary and Megan once again peed on the street! So classy as always :) On sunday it was actually sunny for once!! So myself, Mary, Megan, Jody, Vicky, Andy, Arne, Annie and Begum went to a park nearby for a picnic and to chill out. It was the ultimate way to spend a sunday arvo, and the french are really big on their downtime. Classes started again today and i probably should start researching my final presentation, which has to be on our home country. I'm going to organise an Australia Day party here, on the 28th, and make everyone wear tattoos and thongs (if it's not too cold!), and we are going to take over the "Australian" pub (they reckon we drink Fosters... yeah right!!). It's basically just another excuse to party, which we probably don't need as there is literally a party every night!!
A bientot! :)

Rue St. Catherine. Where bargains are sought and euros evaporate.

As i've already learnt, the French don't do things by half. So the twice yearly sales in Bordeaux are no exception. Rue St. Catherine stretches 1.7km through the city and it has all the brands from Quiksilver to H&M (which by the way Australia should totally get... it's like Cotton On on crack). Did i mention for the next month everything is half price?? Crazy. I don't even like shopping but couldn't help being swept up in the bargain hunting with the other girls. Needless to say our German male friend didn't join us even though Megan 'invited'* him to meet us outside the shops!! 4 hours just about does it for me though so we were pretty tired last night after navigating the crowds all afternoon. Everyone was supposed to go to a 'chic soiree' last night but we couldn't be bothered so myself, Annie (from Sweden), Mary, Jody and Megan (all from America) just drank wine/vodka in Jody and Megs apartment and chilled. It was nice to just relax for one night and not be out in the freezing weather!! I made the girls try Vegemite, they weren't that impressed but in Australia's defense it's an aquired taste! The expressions on their faces were priceless though. I think the change in climate has finally gotten to me though because today i've been so sick with a cold and just wanted to sleep, it took strong motivation and my fear of an angry teacher to drag myself out of bed this morning. Hopefully i'm better tomorrow because surprise surprise there's another party!! One of the exchange girls is 21 so we are going to a pub to celebrate. Also finally had a strong enough internet connection to Skype which was great :) Hope everythings ok over there with the floods and all, my teacher asked me today about it but i didn't know much... Anyway just took some strong cold medicine which is making me sleepy so i better go, finally bought a camera so expect copious amounts of pics and videos in the near future!!
Miss you all but wouldn't trade this for anything :)
A bientot!

*Related story that is too funny and hard to explain in writing. Let's just say Megan should not be left alone with technology... unless Jody is there to help!

Academic Quarter

We started classes at BEM today! The best thing about living at the university is the fact that we don't have to get up 2 hours before class at 8:30 unlike a lot of other students, but regardless it was still -1 when i left home - SO FREAKING COLD. The first sequence/course i'm taking is French (obviously) and it was really good to get back into it, we've been speaking but only basic conversations to shopkeepers etc. so i can't wait to be in the zone and really focusing on it. Already everyone's french has improved as we are surrounded by it so you can't help but think about it 24/7! There are all international students in my class obviously and i'd already met the majority of them so it looks like it's going to be a great bunch of people, we can skip the awkward i'm-embarrased-to-speak-a-foreign-language-in-front-of-you-until-i-suss-out-how-well-you-can-speak-it stage and have fun! The teacher was 'fashionably' late both lessons, a good 15 minutes which no one was complaining about and Guilia informed me that in Italy they call this the "Academic Quarter", where no work is actually done. So true :) I'm still getting used to the whole french kissing greeting, like no joke you meet someone once and the every other time you see them you kiss both their cheeks!! It's pretty time consuming when you walk into a group of people you know but i like it because it's just so french and sophisticated!! Haha not like in Australia where you hug only your close friends and family. I really need to invest in a digital camera but i'm waiting until Wednesday when they have the annual sales in Bordeaux, apparently it's a huge deal and already shops are closed today (Monday) to prepare for it!! Should be good i hope haha i need to buy more warmer clothes! I'm having dinner with Guilia and some others tonight i think somewhere downtown which will be great but i have to watch my money because i don't want it to run out before i travel everywhere! The only downside of being a student i suppose, i would try get a job but then i couldn't just leave whenever to travel so it's a catch 22... looks like i will be eating cheese and bread more and more as the time goes on!
Gros bises from Bordeaux!

C'est bon!! The french are crazy.

In the bathroom at the pub. Yes there are guys in the bathroom... they also pee at the urinal right next to where you wash your hands.

Melting Potes, Melting Potes, Melting Potes!!!

Melting Potes are officially the best student organisation ever.
Not only do they help all the international students with every little thing, they also know how to party...and party hard! They were drunk off red wine at our orientation dinner, singing songs in the middle of the restaurant at the top of their lungs and breaking glasses etc. I thought that was pretty hardcore for a thursday night, but last night when we all went out to a pub in Place de la Victoire they were even crazier!! I'm talking dancing on top of the bar with bottles of vodka pouring it into peoples mouths!! I may have been one of the people who's mouth it was being poured into but hey, gotta try and fit in right?
Apparently the french youth of today reguarly go out 5 times a week, yet they still work 9-7 days and manage to sleep somewhere... i'm assuming what is sacrificed is probably schoolwork, but that is not that different to living in a college in Australia i suppose. Yes, i think i am going to fit into the french lifestyle quite easily...

Stereotypes fail.

So just quietly, the french are like the nicest people i've ever met. Weird huh?
Today was awesome, i met a zillion people from everywhere you could possibly imagine in the world, and they were all so friendly and chatty straight away, even more so than Australians!! As i am the only Australian out of the 60 something exchange students everyone is heaps interested in the fact that its summer at the moment, that i surf, and that we drive on the opposite side of the road (which by the way is totally tripping me out right now!). I also had like 10 people ask me how everyone is coping with the floods and if my town was affected... what the??? I hardley know anything about whats happening in Queensland!! Yet they are reading about in the the French Express??! (Note: It's not called the French Express but i have no idea what the Bordeaux paper is called...) Haha but seriously met so many amazing people, who i can tell are going to be great friends whilst in France and after. I've been waiting for the homesickness to kick in...and so far nothing!! Which is good, i'm having too much fun to worry about it just yet.
Had a typical french lunch today, i'm talking 5 courses the full she-bang. A salad course, a meat (chicken) course, cheese and bread, dessert (most amazing almond thingy) and coffee. The french are crazy!! But it is all very spaced out and small portions so you feel very satisfied but not too full. Tonight we are going to a restaurant for dinner with everyone from uni and apparently there are just as many courses!! Mon Dieu!! Probably gonna have to suss out the gym downstairs pretty soon or else... Loving the fact that lunch break goes for 2 hours, and everyone just stops what they are doing and sits down and chats and eats etc. Unlike in Aus where we eat on the run from one place to another all the time.
My friends Julie and Linda and I went to downtown Bordeaux after orientation to get a few things and Julie and I got totally lost after Linda left!!! Literally "Lost In La Belle"... But after tramming it to the wrong side of town we worked out where we were and made it back home. French Transport-1 Me-0.
Anyway thats pretty much all i have to say at the moment but with two parties in the next two days i'm sure i will have a lot to write very soon!! Au revoir pour le moment!!

Le Fromage! C'est magnifique!!

Bonjour from France!!

Finally arrived last night and it's love at first sight. I don't know if it's possible to fall in love with a place but i am already head over heels for Paris, and can't wait to properly explore it!! Minus my 25kgs of luggage of course. Only negative so far is my decision to carry all my stuff on my back, do not recommend it unless you like looking similar to the hunchback of Notre Dame (like that reference there?? Boo-yah). At the moment i'm sitting in La Gare Montparnasse (the train station) waiting to board the train to Bordeaux. It is bloody cold, i'm inside yet can still see my breath fogging. I was so tired after i got to my hotel last night that i didn't even eat just crashed and slept for 13 hours straight. Best. Sleep. Ever. I have already started being a cheapskate (more than usual anyway), taking all the beautifully wrapped sugar packets from the room and stocking up on sandwiches at breakfast so i don't have to buy lunch...what a rebel!! Everyone i have spoken to so far has been really nice, so i don't understand the stereotype about Parisians being rude yet, but then again i've only been here for less than 24 hours. I have no idea what platform my train is on but i'm early so hopefully i can find it in a minute! i'm secretly wishing it is Platform 9 3/4, but i guess i'm not at the Kings Cross Station in London... or in Harry Potter... My fingers are starting to freeze so i'm going to stop writing now, more updates when i reach Bordeaux!!