Marseille

The Mediterranean: I swam there!  (It was so warm and beautiful you guys, no joke)This weekend I went with some friends to Marseille, France's second largest city, the most ethnically diverse city in the country, and one of the oldest ports in Europe. It was amazing. I wasn't planning to write this entry about this trip, but it was such an overwhelming experience I just really feel the need to share some of it. The first day we were there, we took a ferry to the Ile d'If, where the Chateau D'If, the prison featured prominently in the Count of Monte Cristo and the Man in the Iron Mask. The prison is enormous, winding, easy to lose yourself in - terrifying to imagine being locked up in. But it's also beautiful, a true chateau, and the island even at this time of year is warm and almost tropical. The ferry ride there, knowing that we were on the body of water which touched the coast of Africa, Italy, and Greece, this body of water where Odysseus and Aeneas in legend once sailed, to be there now was thrilling.

The next day we took a long hike through these enormous rocky foothills. The views from the top were absolutely breath-taking. After over an hour of hiking we finally descended to a pebble beach on the other side, where we swam in the Meditteranean. The water was incredibly clear, green, warm and comfortable even in February, and the sun shone done and glistened on the surface of the water. Those are just two huge highlights of the trip. Honestly, it was what I might describe as a life changing experience. I can't say why. I just have been replaying every minute of it in my mind since I've got back to Paris, and having been gone and returned I feel so profoundly renewed, so much more prepared and confident to explore Paris and try to gain deeper insight into it. I've talked to my parents and several friends over the course of the day, and have been shocked at my own inability to adequently explain how great it was and what was so great about it.

I've become used to spending my days struggling to express myself in French and knowing that a lot of what I want to say isn't coming out right, but English has been my refuge, where my thoughts come quickly and easily. Now, for whatever reason, I am finding English wanting - this is the most intense case of "you had to be there" I've ever had. Part of me thinks the reason this was so impactful for me is that for the first time since I left the states I just let myself be a tourist. I spoke French, but I also walked around with my map out and did all the touristy things and didn't worry about apeaking Englishly loudly in restaurants - I was on vacation! But for some reason my vacation has given me a renewed sense of security about my status as a visitor, about my ability to adapt and adjust and learn and change without having to give up my identity. So, if I were to offer a piece of advice, it would be this: if you haven't yet, take a night away if that's available to you. I didn't realize how much I'm enjoying Paris until I left and let myself get excited to come home.