Once Upon a Time, in Southern France...

Once upon a time, a lil' southern girl gone Utah was given the chance to live in Europe for a year and travel around to see up to 10 new countries. She took that chance and headed off to live in Germany for an entire year, taking trips to all the surrounding countries that she could manage. One of those trips was boating in Southern France.

For those of you who don't know, I've never been a boat person. I like boats and being out on the sea or lake, but it's not something my family does for common recreation. Before last week I had never ridden on a house-boat before, let alone sleep on a boat (which, I LOVED!) and live on one for a week. I told my mom I was a bit worried about being on a boat for a whole week, but her response was, "Linze, they stop the boat. You won't just sail all day, every day... They'll see cities along the way, I'm sure." Like I said, I've never been a boat person. I knew nothing.

Luckily, my mother was right (an accepted curse and blessing) and we spent a good chunk boating and sight-seeing each day... perfection. There was a good amount of both and I found myself never too overwhelmed by the somewhat confining space on a boat or lack of relaxation in my sight-seeing style. I'm not going to map out each moment of the trip, but I'll highlight some cool moments for your reading enjoyment...

First, I have to give recognition to the BREATH- TAKING beauty of Southern France, especially during the Fall. We rented a small house boat to share with another family (that I knew form my Switzerland trip earlier in the year) and took a route through the canals right up from the Mediterranean Sea. There were trees lining the canals the entire way, and the type of trees changed as we got closer or further from the Mediterranean, which was cool. My favorite were the deciduous trees, slowly changing colors... Also, the olive trees! They are literally blue/silver and just cool-looking trees... If you already knew this, good job. I had no idea.

Sidenote: When I talk about certain things I realize how smart I am in those aspects of life, society, etc. However, then I talk about other things, and I wonder... how did I pass elementary school?

It was colder than I would have liked it to be... I packed mostly shorts and skirts, so I had to recycle my leggings and pants because it was jacket and long pants weather all but two of the days - not freezing, but chilly and "Fall-like." Being on the front of the boat was WAY too cold for me - haha! AND, I did help with docking the boat and getting through the locks, so I did my share of time outside of the boat's interior. It's because of the wind... If it hadn't been so windy, it wouldn't have been bad at all, but that blasted wind - tricky stuff. Haha! There were a few days where we could open the roof in the kitchen area and feel more breeze without being cold. Also, the day we went to the Mediterranean beaches, I wore no jacket and FINALLY got a little color. Haha!

Another thing I MUST mention about my trip is the DELICIOUSNESS of french baguettes and croissants. Heaven... Haha! French produce was really great in some areas (fruit), but lacking in other areas, but overall the food we got was all great. I must have eaten half a baguette a day, plus a ton of apples and pears. I also realized how much I love peppers. I have always known this, but the last morning of the trip we fried some peppers and zucchini in light oil with salt and pepper and I ate half the peppers myself... I did that a lot actually... The peppers would be sitting there and that was my thing. It's good for you, so... good on my thighs.

Back to the boat in general...

We were with Dave and Hana's family (their kids are a 5 year old girl, Lexi, and 2 year old boy, Tom) and it was SO nice to talk with them more. With Lexi, it was nice to help watch a girl for once. I love my boys, but girls tend to be different. She talked to me about princesses and had me braid her hair, and told me about cute little boys... It was just fun. Tom and I would play games making funny noises and he would give me kisses - so tender! I would pretend to be a dinosaur and "eat him," and one day at dinner he stood up next to me, tapped my shoulder, and said, "Um... EAT ME!" Haha... Cutest thing ever. I love my boys, but it was fun to I spent a good amount of time visiting with Hana here and there - what a cool individual. She was just genuinely funny and kind, and exceedingly genuine. Her hubby, Dave, has to be the HAPPIEST person I have ever come across, and I've met lots of happy people. He lost his wallet in a small town while he was getting bread (left it on the counter, and when he went back an hour later it was gone) and he has SUCH a great attitude about it. You knew he must have been upset, but you couldn't tell... He kept a smile and treated us all without annoyance... It was incredible to see his patience and Christ-like nature.



That leads to me telling about MY little loss in France...

I decided to go biking along one stretch of the canal. So, I took a bike and told them I'd meet them at the next lock (Locks are pretty amazing by the way - click on the word for info, but there's a picture on the side here). I got lost pretty quick, so I headed back to the boat area and found Koko still there with the boat, which was perfect cause I could get directions. I parked my bike and hopped on the boat. About two minutes (or less) later, we heard a crash and ran outside the boat to see the bike knocked down. I saw my gloves in the river and Koko said, "At least the bike didn't fall in..." Then I remembered... My Ipod was in the bike basket. Yep, the French Riviera claimed my Ipod in one of the only deep areas of the canals. I was SO upset! I put the bike back on, went into my cabin, cried, and texted my parents. I know it's just a "thing," but it was a source of solace for me here in Germany, as weird as that sounds. Music is SUCH a piece of me and I use my Ipod EVERY day... Plus, it's more money to get a new one... money I don't have.

After a few moments though, I snapped out of it. I thought of Dave and his good attitude. I lost an Ipod. Dave lost a wallet with all his credit cards and other cards inside, plus 400 Euros in cash. EEK. My Ipod was about 100 Euros only, and it lasted about a year in my possession. I've been saying for weeks that I wanted one with more memory, too. My old one had 8GB and the one I WILL be getting has 160GB! It's a huge improvement I wouldn't have made if I hadn't lost my Ipod. I'm still not happy it's at the bottom of a French canal, but I'm dealing with it. My parents opted to split the price of the new Ipod with me as a birthday present (two weeks). They'll bring the Ipod to me when they come to visit in four weeks! It's cheaper to get them there, esp. with how the dollar is down.

Plus, because I was not riding my bike I stayed on the boat and could help Koko through the locks, which was nice because it's hard to do alone. I don't know how she would have done it without the lock operator in that place getting mad at her... He yelled at me for holding the rope too limp for five seconds. Oops. Haha... Also, we kinda took a wrong turn and I noticed before we went over a waterfall, so that's good. Haha! I walked out of my cabin and looked out the window and said, "Koko... Is that a waterfall?" She looked around and then her eyes got wide and she started trying to turn the boat around. I must have offered the most sincere prayer that moment... because out thrusters had not been working properly the entire time, and this was no exception. We somehow didn't get pulled into the waterfall and made it back around the bend and on our journey, safe and sound.

On to other things...

The old, rustic villages and towns in Southern France are really exquisite. I think there's beauty in the "run-down" sometimes... Not if it's like monster ghetto, but a quite, simple wear-and-tear is beautiful. You can see what I mean in the pictures... It's just beautiful! The smells of the hot-coals, bon-fires and burning away of vineyard parts were fabulous, too. There's something about the smell of fire in the Fall - it reminds me of High School, camping, smores, holidays, falling leaves, and college. It's my favorite smell, I think. As are the castles and churches we kept seeing. You can't really tell the difference though because they look alike in many ways, and the political castles are attatched to churches - many still in full-use. No separation of church and state there, eh? Haha...





One experience I must share before I close out is specific to the first little town we stopped at for the evening. We got there in the late afternoon and ventured around the little place for about 2 hours to see the "sights" and just get off the boat to get energy out before dinner. We walked across the bridge and back, and then walked up the canal for a bit. I broke off from the group for a bit to write in my journal and just have a moment to ponder the trip so far. I caught up with Koko a few minutes later and we walked for about 15-20 minutes before I started to feel like we were missing someone... I noticed Finn wasn't around, but he makes a habit of running ahead of everyone and jumping out at us. Koko and I were near the back of the group and I thought he must be ahead, but I asked anywhere. I said he wasn't behind us because I would have seen him when approaching everyone. Patrick ran up ahead, and he wasn't around anywhere. I ran back to try and find him, feeling like I should look on the other side of the bridge.

I was praying with all I had to find him, and for him not to be so scared. I felt that I should stop and just listen... So, I did. I got the impression to go back to the left after going over the bridge, did so and began to run down the side of the canal. Two minutes later, I found him sitting on a bench we had been by when we first got to the little city. His bike was there, no helmet or shoes, and he was just crying. I grabbed him, held him, and called across the canal to Koko that I had him. The shoes and helmet...? They were back on the boat. When he got lost he tried to go back to the boat and find us there, and when we didn't show up, we went back to the place we first were in the city and waited there. I told him over and over that he did the right thing, just waiting for us there and not going everywhere looking...

Point is, I truly felt the spirit guiding me in so many ways to first, notice that he was missing, and then to find him. I am so grateful that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me enough to provide me with a means for receiving guidance and for comforting the little boy who had lost his family. I made sure to let him know how grateful I was...

France was great! I wondered around some really fabulous cities, saw huge castles and churches, and more of a culture there. I saw REAL, in the wild, flamingos!!! No joke. I saw the most incredible sunset of my life... I was off the "beaten-path" for most American tourists, and that was cool too. I don't regret seeing all the "main spots" I could while I have been here (i.e. Rome, Paris, London (3 times), Prague, Copenhagen, Oslo, etc.), but it was nice to see another side of things too. I really enjoyed that aspect of this trip.


By the end of vacation, as great as it had been, I was ready to be back here in a routine. I love traveling and sight-seeing, but I like to work and have "normal life" too. However, our trip home was definitely NOT what we planned... After a rental car (six hours through France to the German border), four trains, a taxi, my first experience with a "squatter" toilet, an hour in Luxembourg, and a night sleeping on a train station floor, I was beyond ready to be home. I learned how a homeless person feels on a cold night - I never want to do that again. NEVER. Twenty-one (21) hours later - YES, 21 HOURS later - we arrived back to our home in Bonn. Other than that, I'd say it was a successful trip! Haha...

Next trip on my agenda? Berlin (FINALLY) in two weeks. I am heading there with Luise for the second weekend of November, and am dramatically excited to finally see the big-city sights in Northern Germany! It's going to be fabulous... The week after that, my parents and sister come!!!

Time is just FLYING! Flying fast... Less that two months is left here in Deutschland.
*muah*

Song of the Day: I will restrain myself from posting Christmas songs yet, but I have to admit I have already begun listening to Christmas music. LOVE IT. So, today's song Yeah (X3) is by the one and only, Chris Brown. The dancing in the video is sick-good, but I also dig the song. Enjoy!

Chris Brown - Yeah 3x (Official Video)
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