This past weekend was full of great adventure and memoirs. Beginning on the morning of Saturday, May 29th, the entire group met at the Place de la Comédie at 10:00 a.m. From their our fun began as we made our way down the tram line and on to the bus stop where we caught bus 106 to Port Marianne. The beach was absolutely breath taking. I’m not sure if it was because of the scenery or the fact that I was stand in the sand of the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France. I found myself behaving like a child as I searched for the perfect sea shells, since these shells were authentic ‘sea shells’. The group and I stayed at the beach from 11:00 a.m. until we caught the bus home at around 5:00 p.m. Needless to say, the majority of us came home looking like cute tomatoes, since we did not bother to drench our bodies in sunscreen.





This is a picture of some of the group and I standing with our American feet in the Coast of the French Mediterranean Sea. As you can probably tell from our big grins, we are having a great time during our first weekend adventure

The next day, Sunday May 30th, the group met up in Place de la Comédie at 11:00, again, as we ventured out for lunch. We found a place right in the center of Comédie where we sat and enjoyed a brunch in the main combustion of Montpellier. After we all ate, we continued down to the bus station, where we met our professors for our excursion to the small village of Gignac. When we arrived to Gignac, Jeremy, our tour guide, took us to the Abbye de Gellone. (I may mention that visiting land marks and places of historical significance is a slight passion that I hold.) At the Abbye de Gellone I learned about Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert. The only frustration that I am having is the fact that our tour guide only speaks in French as he explains the history of places. This holds me back tremendously, since I love to know and learn about the history. After touring, we walked back to a quant store where we were given the opportunity to taste the wonderful flavors of olive oil, jams and some crushed pastes on French bread. I ended up purchasing some extra virgin olive oil to bring the taste of France back to the States. Afterwards, some students and I chose to go on the hike up the hills surrounding the city. Normally I would choose to stay in the city and go shopping, but I am getting out of my comfort zone and feel the adventure while I’m here. In essence, I fell in love with the scenery surrounding me as I made my way to the top.
This is a picture of the group that went on the hike. We were limited to the time we had to hike, which was sad since we all had the same fancy to continue climbing higher and higher. This has probably been my favorite memory I have made during my stay here in France. The views and exhilaration I felt being so high as I looked down upon the villas of Gignac were incredible. I keep having this incredible surge of energy to live and experience what so many people in the past have done. Living in the United States, a relatively young nation, you do not get to appreciate the ancient feeling that places like France have. I could have spent the entire day here admiring the spectacle.

-Lindsey