Miroir d'eau; Bordeaux, France
A few days later, we’re in Bordeaux and I feel like it’s worlds away from Paris. We’ve been more proactive about finding people on Couchsurfing, which I feel is part of the reason we’ve enjoyed our time here so much.
Our first experience was on Thursday night. We walked around most of the day – saw the city center that is now all declared a UNESCO heritage site – then went back to the hotel and started to wind down after a long day. I was on the CS website and saw that there was a “Thirsty Thursday” event that night, starting at 8:30 at a bar that was walking distance from our room. What do we have to lose? Worst case scenario, we have a glass of wine and leave after 30 minutes of awkward silence. Best case scenario, we meet some great people that could teach us a bit about the city we’re in. We get there and see a large group in the back of the bar, assuming that they’re couch surfers. Kevin and I had no idea how to approach the situation – “Do we just walk up and announce our names? Do we wait until there’s an open chair…?” Luckily someone came up to the bar and I asked if they were part of CS. He made room for us at the end of the table and the night began. We were lucky enough to sit next to two incredible women, TJ and Maela, both who currently live in Bordeaux. We had a full night of wonderful conversation, learning about French culture and sharing travel stories. We left the night content and very happy to have been “proactive” about meeting people in the region.
The second experience was tonight, and I’m writing this just minutes after arriving back to the hotel from our night out. Let’s go back a few days - Kevin had received an email from Camille welcoming us to stay with her when we were in Bordeaux. We had already reserved our hotel for our stay, so it didn’t work to actually “couch surf” but she did invite us over to her parents’ house tonight for dinner. At first we were uncertain about it; did her parents actually want to have a few vagabonds invade their house for an evening? But whatever, let’s go for it. Again, what do we have to lose?
Tonight. Was. Amazing. I am blown away by the hospitality shown to us by Chantel, Eric and Camille (and her brother J). We had a wonderful evening full of absorbing conversation, fantastic French food and delicious wine. Their home was beautiful, to say the least. And as much as I love talking to Kevin, it was wonderful to be able to talk to someone actually from the country and talk about the differences between the United States. Did you know that going to college is basically free in France? We’re talking less than 500 euro for a full year. And high school is actually a challenge for students here (i.e. they have expectations far surmounting those in the US). Camille did a study abroad for her senior year in California and said that she never had to study for a test and passed easily. The math she was learning was equivalent to that of an eighth grader. The night satiated our desire for a home-cooked meal, gave us a deeper understanding of the culture, and for me, saved my experience here in France. Honestly, after another failed day in Libourne (story to come later), I was cursing our decision to come to France. But tonight really changed my view on the country – Merci beaucoup Chantel, Eric and Camille!!!
A few things that I’m going to take away from France – you can’t begin to learn everything about the culture by reading it in a book, or even by walking the streets of the city. The people are what make a place wonderful. I can’t thank TJ, Maela, Chantel, Eric or Camille enough for giving us such a warm welcome into their city and home. It’s been absolutely wonderful spending time with you and I hope that one day we can return the favor.
Liz
Our first experience was on Thursday night. We walked around most of the day – saw the city center that is now all declared a UNESCO heritage site – then went back to the hotel and started to wind down after a long day. I was on the CS website and saw that there was a “Thirsty Thursday” event that night, starting at 8:30 at a bar that was walking distance from our room. What do we have to lose? Worst case scenario, we have a glass of wine and leave after 30 minutes of awkward silence. Best case scenario, we meet some great people that could teach us a bit about the city we’re in. We get there and see a large group in the back of the bar, assuming that they’re couch surfers. Kevin and I had no idea how to approach the situation – “Do we just walk up and announce our names? Do we wait until there’s an open chair…?” Luckily someone came up to the bar and I asked if they were part of CS. He made room for us at the end of the table and the night began. We were lucky enough to sit next to two incredible women, TJ and Maela, both who currently live in Bordeaux. We had a full night of wonderful conversation, learning about French culture and sharing travel stories. We left the night content and very happy to have been “proactive” about meeting people in the region.
The second experience was tonight, and I’m writing this just minutes after arriving back to the hotel from our night out. Let’s go back a few days - Kevin had received an email from Camille welcoming us to stay with her when we were in Bordeaux. We had already reserved our hotel for our stay, so it didn’t work to actually “couch surf” but she did invite us over to her parents’ house tonight for dinner. At first we were uncertain about it; did her parents actually want to have a few vagabonds invade their house for an evening? But whatever, let’s go for it. Again, what do we have to lose?
Tonight. Was. Amazing. I am blown away by the hospitality shown to us by Chantel, Eric and Camille (and her brother J). We had a wonderful evening full of absorbing conversation, fantastic French food and delicious wine. Their home was beautiful, to say the least. And as much as I love talking to Kevin, it was wonderful to be able to talk to someone actually from the country and talk about the differences between the United States. Did you know that going to college is basically free in France? We’re talking less than 500 euro for a full year. And high school is actually a challenge for students here (i.e. they have expectations far surmounting those in the US). Camille did a study abroad for her senior year in California and said that she never had to study for a test and passed easily. The math she was learning was equivalent to that of an eighth grader. The night satiated our desire for a home-cooked meal, gave us a deeper understanding of the culture, and for me, saved my experience here in France. Honestly, after another failed day in Libourne (story to come later), I was cursing our decision to come to France. But tonight really changed my view on the country – Merci beaucoup Chantel, Eric and Camille!!!
A few things that I’m going to take away from France – you can’t begin to learn everything about the culture by reading it in a book, or even by walking the streets of the city. The people are what make a place wonderful. I can’t thank TJ, Maela, Chantel, Eric or Camille enough for giving us such a warm welcome into their city and home. It’s been absolutely wonderful spending time with you and I hope that one day we can return the favor.
Liz
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