I remember counting down the days till our departure for France.
And as much as I have loved living here in this beautiful village; spending time with Clara, trying new foods, seeing new places, and meeting new people, I am now counting down the days till we head back home to Canada. These four weeks have been amazing. It was the perfect amount of time to explore and have some adventures, to be infused into the Villefranche culture & lifestyle, and get to know myself, and a wonderful family much better. But it was also the perfect amount of time to help me realize all of the good fortunes I have back home. I'm excited to be reunited with friends, and I look forward to seeing familiar faces and surroundings again.
Anyone who knows me pretty well will already know that I'm dying to get back on my longboard. I am also buying a new board when I return home, which has gotten me so excited. This past week, I've spent a lot of my downtime just checking out longboarding stuff online, and I have finally chosen the perfect board. So stoked!
The Canadian Guitar Festival is also coming up soon! My dad and I will be heading to Kingston for that, which I'm also really looking forward to. It's always a great time, and the people there are always so much fun. I'll be sure to write about it upon return.
The next four days will look [somewhat] like this:
Tomorrow: A pretty normal day. Clara and I will most likely head to the beach, since our days are numbered! We've got to soak up what's left of our trip :)
Thursday: Also another day of school for William & Lorraine, but it's going to be busy because we have to start packing everything up, and getting organized for our flights back home.
Friday: William and Lorraine have a short last day of school. We leave for Nice right after they are finished, and spend the evening doing something fun for Lorraine's birthday!
Saturday: We depart!
SHOUT-OUTS
A shout-out goes to Laura, who has dedicated her whole summer to a YMCA summer program in Montreal. Laura, I hope you're having an amazing time, and I can't wait to hear all about your experiences when you return home.
A shout-out goes to everyone volunteering for / attending SOAR Montreal 2010. I am so excited for you all, and I hope that amazing things happen. Greater things have yet to come :) I'll be thinking of you!
Can't wait to be home!
Love Emma
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Italy.
This past weekend, the rest of my family joined me here in France, and we drove to Florence, Italy.
We left on Friday afternoon at around 2 o'clock, and drove for five hours along the coast. When we arrived in Florence, our first stop was Piazza Michelangelo. The sun was just starting to go down over the city, and the view from the piazza was breathtaking. While waiting for someone from the hotel to come pick us up, we took lots of pictures and enjoyed the beautiful view. When we arrived at our hotel, we got settled in, and finally made it to a restaurant at 10 PM. We had the most amazing pizza, pasta, and salad. I also got to try tiramisu for dessert, which was super good. It felt so weird to be eating with my family once again, and in Italy of all places! The last time we all ate together was at the Whale n' Ale back home in Ontario. After dinner, we walked around and explored the area. The streets were still filled with life, and everything was still lit up. After our evening walk, we headed back to the hotel for bed.
The next morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at a nearby restaurant. After our croissants and drinks, walked to the famous Duomo Cathedral. It is the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my life. It used to be St.Joseph Oratory in Montreal, but seeing the Duomo most definitely changed my mind. My favourite part of the Duomo was climbing all the way to the top - I convinced my family to do it. There are over 400 steps, and it is a very narrow and steep climb. We all managed to make it up to the top, and the view that we saw when we got there made it all worth it. I made sure to film it! I'll post a link at the end of this entry.
After the Duomo, we visited the Uffizi Museum, which was absolutely incredible. I got to see many paintings that we studied in art. A couple paintings that were most exciting to see were, "Madonna with the Long Neck" by Parmigianino, and "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli.
After visiting the museum, we had some lunch, then went back to the hotel to rest and freshen up a bit - it was very hot that weekend. We then headed back out into the streets of Florence to do some shopping and exploring. For supper, we went back to the restaurant that we had gone to the night before, and once again, the food was amazing.
The next day, we got up, had breakfast, then drove back to Villefranche. We made a couple stops along the way to take pictures along the countryside - it was a beautiful drive home. There were so many fields, vinyards, and orchards, and the hills went on for miles. It was a surreal afternoon.
I am now back at the appartment, on my own (Clara is having her nap). Our third week in Villefranche has started, and I am still loving every bit of this place. I know I'm going to miss Villefranche a lot when I return home. It even felt good to be back after being away in Italy for two days. I thought to myself, "home sweet home". How crazy is that?
Anway, this is quite a lengthy entry!
I shall wrap it up.
I hope everyone at home is having a wonderful summer so far.
A shout-out goes to Amy and Allison who are having a wonderful time at our favourite summer camp.
And also to Simona, whom I miss very very much.
I'll write soon!
Emma
We left on Friday afternoon at around 2 o'clock, and drove for five hours along the coast. When we arrived in Florence, our first stop was Piazza Michelangelo. The sun was just starting to go down over the city, and the view from the piazza was breathtaking. While waiting for someone from the hotel to come pick us up, we took lots of pictures and enjoyed the beautiful view. When we arrived at our hotel, we got settled in, and finally made it to a restaurant at 10 PM. We had the most amazing pizza, pasta, and salad. I also got to try tiramisu for dessert, which was super good. It felt so weird to be eating with my family once again, and in Italy of all places! The last time we all ate together was at the Whale n' Ale back home in Ontario. After dinner, we walked around and explored the area. The streets were still filled with life, and everything was still lit up. After our evening walk, we headed back to the hotel for bed.
The next morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at a nearby restaurant. After our croissants and drinks, walked to the famous Duomo Cathedral. It is the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my life. It used to be St.Joseph Oratory in Montreal, but seeing the Duomo most definitely changed my mind. My favourite part of the Duomo was climbing all the way to the top - I convinced my family to do it. There are over 400 steps, and it is a very narrow and steep climb. We all managed to make it up to the top, and the view that we saw when we got there made it all worth it. I made sure to film it! I'll post a link at the end of this entry.
After the Duomo, we visited the Uffizi Museum, which was absolutely incredible. I got to see many paintings that we studied in art. A couple paintings that were most exciting to see were, "Madonna with the Long Neck" by Parmigianino, and "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli.
After visiting the museum, we had some lunch, then went back to the hotel to rest and freshen up a bit - it was very hot that weekend. We then headed back out into the streets of Florence to do some shopping and exploring. For supper, we went back to the restaurant that we had gone to the night before, and once again, the food was amazing.
The next day, we got up, had breakfast, then drove back to Villefranche. We made a couple stops along the way to take pictures along the countryside - it was a beautiful drive home. There were so many fields, vinyards, and orchards, and the hills went on for miles. It was a surreal afternoon.
I am now back at the appartment, on my own (Clara is having her nap). Our third week in Villefranche has started, and I am still loving every bit of this place. I know I'm going to miss Villefranche a lot when I return home. It even felt good to be back after being away in Italy for two days. I thought to myself, "home sweet home". How crazy is that?
Anway, this is quite a lengthy entry!
I shall wrap it up.
I hope everyone at home is having a wonderful summer so far.
A shout-out goes to Amy and Allison who are having a wonderful time at our favourite summer camp.
And also to Simona, whom I miss very very much.
I'll write soon!
Emma
Links :)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Day 12.
We're slowly making it through this heat wave.
Despite the extremely warm weather, Clara and I spent some time out in the town this afternoon. We had lunch at our regular pizza place, and went to the bakery for some pastries. The birds also had an enjoyable lunch, as we fed them little crumbs of breadstick at the park.
This evening, as I was walking to the old town for dinner, I saw one of the guys who works at the pizza place sitting outside at one of the tables. That was the first time I waved at someone I knew since coming to France, and it was the most incredible feeling ever. Thank you Saidde.
Tomorrow, I will be reunited with my family! They will be arriving in Villefranche at around noon. Hopefully we'll get a chance to show them around a bit. They are bringing some bread and various food items, and we're going to have lunch together at the appartment. I'm really excited.
Then we will be heading to Italy at around 2 o'clock. It's a five hour drive to Florence from here, which will be weird for me, because I haven't even been in a car in quite a long time. I'm so used to walking (and sweating like crazy) everywhere I need to go. But I'm really looking forward to spending the weekend with my family.
I'll write soon!
Goonight :)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The Perfect Sunday.
Today was my first day sleeping in.
I woke up at ten, ate breakfast at the appartment, did some laundry, then walked down to the beach. It's been a beautiful day, but an extremely hot one. We're in the middle of a heat wave right now, so the beach is a wonderful place to spend the day.
On my way down the hill, I stopped at the bakery to pick up some snacks & drinks, and I also got a bit distracted at the flea markets and stores in the village. When I arrived at the beach, I layed my stuff out, and went right to the water. I got to climb and jump off the rocks today for the first time, because I was on my own, which was a lot of fun.
I also met a group of students from California at the beach. They were sitting right in front of my towel, and we started chatting it up. They were so nice, and lots of fun to talk to. They have been travelling abroad in Europe, and spent two days in Villefranche. They told me stories of their travels, their home, their school, and we ended up talking for almost two hours. Today, they are headed to Rome. In fact, as I'm typing this, they're most likely on the train right now, heading to Italy. I wish them luck! :)
Tonight is going to be pretty laid-back. We're cooking dinner at the appartment, and just taking it easy. I might go out this evening and take some pictures. There's also an outdoor cinema in the town that plays movies every night, so we might go see a romantic comedy this evening when it gets dark.
I'll write soon!
Emma
♪Currently listening to: Are you Satisfied, Marina & the Diamonds
Click here for my Youtube Channel :)
I woke up at ten, ate breakfast at the appartment, did some laundry, then walked down to the beach. It's been a beautiful day, but an extremely hot one. We're in the middle of a heat wave right now, so the beach is a wonderful place to spend the day.
On my way down the hill, I stopped at the bakery to pick up some snacks & drinks, and I also got a bit distracted at the flea markets and stores in the village. When I arrived at the beach, I layed my stuff out, and went right to the water. I got to climb and jump off the rocks today for the first time, because I was on my own, which was a lot of fun.
I also met a group of students from California at the beach. They were sitting right in front of my towel, and we started chatting it up. They were so nice, and lots of fun to talk to. They have been travelling abroad in Europe, and spent two days in Villefranche. They told me stories of their travels, their home, their school, and we ended up talking for almost two hours. Today, they are headed to Rome. In fact, as I'm typing this, they're most likely on the train right now, heading to Italy. I wish them luck! :)
Tonight is going to be pretty laid-back. We're cooking dinner at the appartment, and just taking it easy. I might go out this evening and take some pictures. There's also an outdoor cinema in the town that plays movies every night, so we might go see a romantic comedy this evening when it gets dark.
I'll write soon!
Emma
♪Currently listening to: Are you Satisfied, Marina & the Diamonds
Click here for my Youtube Channel :)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Bon Appétit.
Today,
I'm going to talk about food.
Well, more so about the dining life in Villefranche-sur-mer. There's something really amazing that I noticed about the restaurants here while eating out each night.
Dinner doesn't start until around 8 o'clock in France, so many of the restaurants aren't even open when we go down to choose our evening spot. But what I have taken notice to, is all of the staff sit around together at one of the tables, and eat dinner together before the restaurant opens up. It's really interesting to walk by all of the different places, and see them eat together. I would love work at a restaurent in Villefranche.
The food has been incredible too. I would say I'm being quite adventurous. We've eaten a lot of seafood. I've also tried some amazing desserts. Everything looks so simple, yet, everything has so much flavour. I think my favourite meal so far has to be Scallops and Rice at a restaurant that we went to that sits right on the harbour. The food was so good there, we broke our rule, and went back a second time!
Even our breakfasts are French. This morning, I woke up to croisants and brie. I thought I was in heaven, because brie is my favourite food. What a wonderful coincidence - they eat a lot of brie here, haha.
Anyways, It's getting quite late, and tomorrow is a big day. We're waking up early to go to the market. I'm so excited, because I finally get to start buying my gifts for friends and family. Annd, maybe for myself too. I haven't spent any money yet! I'm quite proud. After the market, we're taking the train to Nice for the day, which should be fun. Horray for the weekend :) As always, I'm excited to explore.
Goodnight!
Emma
♪Currently listening to: Within Dreams, The Album Leaf
My Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/adventureswithEMMA
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