Suck!

Suck?

These are in reference to the graffiti we sometimes see on the stone walls or on old buildings, that give us quite a chuckle. They are probably done by a group of French kids thinking they're being scandalous with the English language. Or it's done by some really dangerous gang and it's a code-word for something. We have no way of knowing. Anyway, I just thought you should know. Do what you will with that information.

While I've been here in France I've stayed connected to linguistic thoughts and ideas. For example, recently I've been thinking about pleonastic subjects (in French they use il which means 'he,' but used pleonastically, means 'it.'). In English, we use they as a pleonastic subject. We're not really referencing anyone in particular, but we all adhere to their advice. I certainly wouldn't be referencing anyone when I say "they apparently don't care that they're having sex loud enough for their exchange student (who is trying to sleep in a room below them) to hear." Or would I? I know you have no idea who the they are in this example. A more conventional example would be "they say that kid is scarred for life." Just saying.

Pont du Gard

So anyway! It's getting colder around these parts, I'll tell you what. Even down south, where I was this weekend with my program. We went to Pont du Gard, Montpellier, and Avignon. Pont du Gard is an old bridge, as you can see, that also served as an aqueduct. We got to walk across it (while trying to wrap our heads around the fact that this huge thing was built so long ago) and some of us had lunch on the other side. It was just the beginning to a beautiful south. Next, we went to Montpellier, where we walked around, saw an old hidden synagogue and it's bath, walked around some more, and felt the chill. Oh! We also saw a protest, even from the top of the town's Arc de Triomphe. Picture to follow. That night six or seven of us stayed in the hotel and split two bottles of wine while playing card games and watching the Simpsons in French. Suspicions confirmed: I like Merlot better than Pinot Noir. If, when I'm of age in the states, somebody buys me a gift bottle of Pinot Noir, I don't know what I'll do. Never drink it, that's for sure. It'd be a decorative bottle. Also, for dinner that night I had a ton of olives. Regrets? None. I love olives.

Montpellier

Me and Stephanie

So the next day we went to Avignon, which was the center of Popedom for a long while before he was moved to Italy. We toured the castle for a while, which was really cool. There wasn't anything substantial in it, but it was enormous and amazing. We walked around town for a bit, and Stephanie N. and I had lunch, where my Plat du Jour was a trout. Future reference - truite means trout. Head, skin, tail and all. Bones. Suffice to say, I ate half and called it good.

We then went to Chateauneuf du Pape for a wine tasting, which was accompanied by olives. There was a white, red, and a red. The third red was the best. The olives were delicious. And we were all tired. After that, we got on the bus and napped all the way back north.