Random Stories that Haven’t Made the Blog

So when does it hit you that you are going to Europe to travel for a minimum of four months? My head is not connecting leaving today with my body. I pee when I am nervous…I peed this morning and then three times after breakfast. After lunch I stepped into the restroom and in the car I had to hold it. At the airport I relieved myself and now I am sitting waiting at the gate.
It still has not hit me. I mean I have been planning for so long and been traveling so much in between that it is just another day…another trip. I am glad and hope that I can hold it together for a while.

It is a new day and I feel better than ever. We are going to the market to get some vegetables. Fanny does not want us to get too many, as we already are overloaded with Ratatouille. She will be working on the well and it will be up to me to control Christian. Fanny told me that I could get a razor at a super market, but that is a 15 minute scooter ride, so I will wait until I am back in Toulouse to look for one. She said “you want to peel yourself before Aix,” very cute but made me slightly uncomfortable thinking that it is partially in some off way true.

For breakfast we were out of my usual, so I tried their homemade yogurt with some cereal. My friend in Georgia used to make homemade yogurt, looked the same, packed the same, everything. I remember hers being sweet so I was expecting the same, WRONG. It was bitter. The sweet granola cereal helped, but not enough. After about half of it, I had to stop; the chickens had a good breakfast.

I love taking walks with Fanny. We have been going after dinner around town. It is a small town and she tries to take me on new streets and routes, even though I think I saw the whole town last week during my walk. I like it when just Fanny and I go on the walks because we get to do kind of girl talk. Plus, she works on her English and I work on my French. She helps me with the pronunciation and wording of my sentences and I really appreciate it. We are a lot alike and have much in common. She wants to make hummus as it is impossible to find here, I will send her some tahini (spice) for it when I visit Israel.

There is a couple that is sitting next to me at “the beach” in Toulouse. The man is the hairiest man I have ever seen (sorry Devon). I cannot imagine being in this heat with a shirt on over that fur. What is a man to do?!

I was still burnt from the beach and was running out of my small 3oz cream that I brought. As I was wondering the streets of Aix, I came across a Body Works store (not something I was expecting to find). Anyway, I took advantage of this and put a bunch of almond butter on my hand and left the store. I found a little spot and pulled up my shirt and applied it to my burnt side/back. It felt good. I then continued on with really strong smelling hands that made me sneeze.

This morning I woke up and headed into the center of Aix early. The bakeries were open and the venders were setting up. There was an old man (about 80) walking down the street pulling down posters advertising a sex toy party. It made me giggle.

Lots of people in France use the crutches that the guy from Little People Big World uses. They aren’t the under the arm kind. Kids with broken feet use them, people with walking disabilities and even old ladies. I have only seen one cane since I have been here. The end.

So I am all sorts of messed up with what I have said in my blog versus pictures versus people. I will add this on as I find it very interesting although you may have read it before. I love the fact that three countries that are so close by can be so different. France, I love it. I think between the culture, the healthy food and what I know I just feel comfortable there. I like how you should be proper and manners are very important; say hello and ask for a table with your party number before sitting anywhere.
In Italy, the food was good but way too oily for me. I know, I know, it is Italy! But I broke out very quickly and felt like I was gaining weight for the larger calorie intake than walking; despite my large amount of walking. I liked what I saw when I was there but I felt like it was just a dirty place, filled with graffiti and I was always holding my bag close for nerves of someone pick pocketing. Perhaps because I did not spend a lot of time outside of Florence, but that is how I felt none the less. If I went back, it would be for a week and I would not go to Rome or Florence or Venice, I would look at small villages like Lucca. Here, when you were hungry you found a place to eat and you sat. If you waited to tell someone how many were in your party, they would look at you like you were crazy and tell you to sit, sit.
Germany was a scary place for me. I guess due to the harsh German ways but I was fearful of getting confronted by the Police. I never did have an issue though (knock on wood until I leave) but it did worry me a bit. I felt very safe here and did not feel like people were trying to get into my pockets at all. I was here for two weeks and still have no idea what is expected of you or what to say. I have ordered many different dishes and other than spatzle being noodles, wurst being sausage, I really have no idea what anything else is. I still do not even know how to get some plane, normal water here! Anyway, Munich has so much history and culture that I was not expecting and the countryside is so beautiful. I really enjoyed my time outside of Munich and would be up for coming back…with some more German on hand.