Without knowing what the lyrics is, this song fits what I’m feeling lately. All I know is that the title means ‘without saying a word’.
By far my favourite French song.
Hate times like these. I want to curl up in bed and have this song play in loop and whine all day.
Maybe I need someone to serenade me like Emmanuel Moire…
I realised everything in this page has been all sad and sappy and reminiscing but that isn’t doing justice to this place. While I miss a lot of things at home, and some very different things here annoy me, there’re a lot of things I love about here!
C’est la vie!
Theory #1: I thought I missed Asian food so much that I would pounce on any Asian supermarkets and buy off everything from their shelves.
But while I was at Chinatown in Paris yesterday I didn’t feel like buying a single thing. I saw pandan cake, tau sar piah, chili sauce, frozen siew mai and spring rolls, bee hoon and such. I kept thinking, I’m in France, I’ll buy frenchier groceries. If I miss Asian food I can cook it with what I have in hall. No need for curry paste!
What I truly missed was the coffeeshops and bakeries atmosphere. Sure their cafes and boulangeries triumphs ours any day but I’m a true Singaporean at heart. I would come back here but I wouldn’t live here all my life. Choose coffeeshops over cafes!
Theory #2: I miss my friends.
Okay this theory is true but I think my greater worry wasn’t about not being there with them. My greater worry was them moving on without me. For some people I think we’re talking less and our little short conversations are getting colder. But occasionally we have that one good conversation and it puts me at ease that everything’s still the same.
Things are good, things are good. I think I’m discovering little by little that I’m adapting to life here!
Was reading up on Aix-en-Provence, my destination for this weekend, I found this on wikitravel:
Aix has always been a rich city. There is a high contrast between Marseille (only 30 km and half an hour away). Whereas Marseille is one the poorest French cities (but still a unique and not to be missed town), Aix is perhaps one of the richest.
THAT explains so much about why it’s dodgy and why it has so many immigrants. OHHHHHHH. Never going back to Marseille. Aix sounds wonderful already.
25sept, 1145 am:
Starting a travel log on my phone now that I brought the charger with me. (:
When I set off this morning it was 5 degrees. I had 3 thin layers (a tank, pullover and jacket) on and it doesn’t hit me how cold it was till I yawned and realised mist was escaping my mouth. Wow, and autumn has only started! I was fine with the cold though, just that my hands were turning into a popsicle.
Currently on the train heading to Marseille. Read my book, ate some snacks, napped for a pretty long time only to wake up looking at farms! It was so surreal just looking at huge fields after fields with wild boars and charming brown horses roaming around, so carefree! Some huge field near a hill had wild mushrooms that were HUGE, like a full grown sunflower. Tractors on the fields too. Don’t stop me, I’m going to start singing Rascal Flatts’ songs. Never seen this before, loving it so far. Maybe I was once a country girl… Haha okay shut up.
26sept, 1pm:
Completely drenched in sweat because Marseille turned out to be a place of similar weather to Singapore!
I reached Marseille finding myself thinking, what a dodgy town. Everything seemed rundown. The hostel left a horrid first impression, it was unbelievably dodgy and iffy! The main door was hidden, the lights don’t work. It was a creepy climb up two storeys in the dark. The ‘reception’ was a little room with a couch and a computer. A little less than half the size of my room at home perhaps?
Also, the hostel was in a back alley so walking around it wasn’t so safe. Men would just keep speaking in French to me and I would just ignore but one guy followed me for quite a bit till I shook him off after a while.
Reaching some quiet shopping areas I witnessed a struggle between a guy in the car and a policeman and the policeman was tugging at his shirt so hard but he drove off to break the struggle. Then the police whipped out his shotgun and was trying to aim but lost him as he sped off. Not the best first impression, is it?
Also at the port, I was supposed to meet some girls from school but got stood up so I headed back before sunset due to the constant fear for my safety. Shudder.
On the way back, a frenchman talked to me and initially I ignored like all others. Then he started speaking in English and I thought he was really nice. He showed me pictures of his newly furnished place, talked about his travels, and showed me a few (dodgy) places to eat at. Decided against it so he showed me the street where my hostel’s at then agreed to meet the next morning so he could take me on a short tour around.
All sounded so nice but it ended off with him kissing me on the lips twice and on the cheek once when parting. ?!?! I know. Wtf is that? He’s 41 by the way. Ida’s first reaction when she heard was ‘SANITIZE!!!’ and then ‘luckily it’s not your first kiss!’ Hahaha.
Got back to the hostel after making sure I wasn’t followed, and was in a room with 2 guys and 1 girl. 1 guy’s German and the others, English. All of us were travelling alone so it was awesome making friends with them.
Went out in the evening with the English bloke to roam around and had dinner. We came across this really peculiar mini art festival and everyone and everything was just so bizarre! There were people fighting with broomsticks, yelling in tune with the piano, a monkey-faced photographer, a weird man standing on a ladder with the lights shining on him. There was a mini stage indoors that had the strangest performances too. One showed how they used paper marche to perk up this lady’s boobs. No kidding, she just took off her shirt! Another was some man without an arm carrying a door. Very eccentric!
It was fantastic having company though! I was beginning to think it’s a stupid idea travelling alone. Thankfully I met these people. In the morning, the two English and I trekked uphill to the notre dame, and it had an amazing view! Marseille’s hugeeee! Then they took a dip in the sea near the harbor and talked about English politics and weather and so on. Lovely, lovely people. Might meet the guy again in Dec in London or Oxford where his parents live. (:
Marseille really started off awful and ended off well. Now I’m on the train to Cannes and I’ve my own room tonight so it’s gonna get slightly lonely. Hope all’s well!
27sept, 7pm:
In Nice. Was really sad to leave Cannes. It was just the prettiest place! Felt like a really safe California.
Firstly I had to search for my 2* hotel (Beverly Hotel) and it was just one street away from the train station. Super easy to find and it was just lovely for its price! Definitely hotel standard, had my own shower, tv and wifi.
It was also just one street away from Rue d’Antibes which apparently is the ‘it’ place for shopping…trendy stuff. About a 15min walk away, I was in the midst of luxurious hotels where all celebrities stay at during the Cannes film festival. These hotels either face the beaches or the ports. It was just so lovely!
Nobody disturbed me whatsoever. My theory was that they’re either rich (cos it’s an expensive place) or tourists. Hahaha.
Took a mini tram tour that showed me the main sights to see in Cannes. The highlight was probably the Notre Dame (yes, yet another) because the view was breathtaking (yes, again)!
I then laid on the beach for a while then headed off to a restaurant (Coquillages Brun) to have stuffed mussels, the provencal way. (: Best mussels ever.
The streets were also brightly lit at night (like SG) so I didn’t feel too worried about returning after sunset. LOVE CANNES.
Laid in bed watching French variety shows and it was so comfortable that I snoozed the alarm quite a few times. Haha. Went to visit the rose garden and had crepes (nutella!) for breakfast! Then bought lunch from the supermarket and sat by the harbour till it was time to leave.
If anyone had one other French place to visit apart from Paris, I’d strongly recommend Cannes. Apart from the fact that it’s safe and gorgeous, it has tons of seafood and you can easily travel to Marseille, Nice or Monaco from Cannes. Think it’s like 1euro on bus or something!
Arriving in Nice, I was slightly apprehensive. When I bumped into the girls (who stood me up in Marseille) when I was about to buy crepes, they told me Nice was nicer than Cannes. I’ve yet to figure that out. I’ve only explored the areas nearer to the hostel and tried ’socca’, which is chickpea flat bread, apparently some local dish. Tastes better than it sounds though can’t be consumed in large amounts.
Oh! FYI, the hostel’s not too bad. Though it’s just a street down from the train station, it’s a heck of a long street. In a 4bed dorm all by myself. Good and bad I guess! Wish the wifi would work in my room!
I miss home. For now, home is Cergy not Singapore. That’s a little too far away.
28 sept, 845 pm:
In hostel, just showered.
Nice has really gorgeous beaches! They’re totally different because they’re mostly not sandy. Instead they’re filled with pebbles! Very peculiar but awesome because when you lie down and get up (without a towel), you don’t need to dust off the sand on your back! Haha. Trivial. Anyway laid on one pebbly beach and fell asleep for a while. Ahhh… Island life… (makes mental note to tan more when i’m back in sg)
Took another of those mini tram tours. This one took us up to colline du chateau, 92m above sea level. Great paranomic view of Nice! Huge and gorgeous.
Really just roamed around markets and shops, pausing by the beach now and then to rest and admire the view.
Nice is the 5th largest city in France. I think it’s a sort of hybrid of Cannes and Marseille though. Like a less posh version of Cannes but a safer version of Marseille added together.
Exhausted from the sun I went to search for dinner and came across Cafe de Turin, which was recommended on wikitravel. Had mussels again and this time it came in a huge bowl. It was like a lifetime’s supply of mussels in one dinner! It was flavoured with some herbs but it was too subtle. The one in Cannes was definitely better. (:
Having a slight headache, the sort you get for spending too much time in the sun. Poor body, it’ll have to adapt to cold weather tomorrow back up north. Can’t wait to be back though, in comfort of my room! (:
29 sept, 1210 pm:
On the train back to Paris.
Went for a morning walk along the familiar path for an hour before heading back to the hostel to check out. The man at the reception was lovely. This hostel (Altea Hostel) was probably the only place that was truly ready to have me. When I checked in 2 nights ago, upon finding out I was from Singapore, he went, ‘ah… F1 grand prix!’ and it was taking place that very night. He asked if I knew who won. I didn’t. Neither did he.
The next night, he found me sitting by the stairwell because that’s where the wifi could be detected. He told me he found out who won. ‘Hamilton?’ ‘Ah yes!’ He seemed pleased with either the fact that Hamilton won or that he searched up who won. Friendly man.
This trip made me get out of my comfort zone quite a bit. Mingling with fellow hostelmates, offering an old lady my madeleines or just touring on my own, never thought I’d do those things but I did.
I’ve also begun to ask for the bill in French – ‘L’addition, s’il vous plait!’ (:
I feel that only when I’m thrown out there alone, would I bother to struggle in French. When I’m with someone else, it’s normally the case of jumping straight to ‘parlez-vous anglais?’ or the person with me can speak french.
Good experience in all. Not sure when I’d do it again, travelling solo. Just looking forward to being back! 4 more hours to Paris! (:
I’ve been playing with a few ideas for a while and am having quite a dilemma deciding if I should countdown in London, Paris or Singapore.
Normally when I throw this out at people, everyone’s like DON’T COME BACK, ARE YOU CRAZY, IT’S ONCE IN A LIFETIME. Good to know people don’t want me back… Haha.
But anyway finances are worrying me quite a bit. Currently my departure date is on 6Jan from Paris. I have to move out of my dorm by 23Dec. The plan was going to London from 23rd Dec to 31st Dec to crash with various people. (Seriously, everyone’s in London!) Then take the train back to Paris to countdown since Eiffel Tower’s the place to be.
Then I have the dilemma of not knowing what to do, where to stay from 1Jan-6Jan. Do I continue touring Paris and put up at a hostel?
I’ve tried to change my flight to 1Jan/2Jan but there were none available. It wouldn’t make sense to pay SGD50 to come back 3 days earlier.
So, options are:
A) London: 23-31Dec, Paris: 31Dec-1Jan, Somewhere: 1Jan-6Jan, Paris: 6Jan
Pros: Maximise my stay, counting down at the right place.
Cons: CRAZY expensive. Not sure if I’ll have the budget for it. And taking the train to and fro doesn’t make sense.
B) London: 23Dec-6Jan, Paris: 6Jan
Pros: Cost saving
Cons: Is London really worth spending 2 weeks at? I spent 4months in Paris and not countdown here?
C) London: 23Dec-?, Paris: ? (Change date to an earlier one)
Pros: MOST cost saving, home sweet home!
Cons: Counting down in SG? Hmmm.
Decisions, decision! Trivial but expensive decisions!
Who knew that France would turn me into a chef?
But as amazing as my cooking is (HAHA watch the ego), I’m slowly running out of ideas. Shudder. I’m trying to tune down the Asian factor in my cooking too and make use of the groceries easily available here and more uncommon in Singapore. Perhaps it’s time to get some couscous, ravioli, paella or canard. Definitely need more baguette and croissants. Hmm.
Already been eating tons of salad and yoghurt. I fell in love with tomatoes here. Now every salad has tomatoes, eaten fresh. (: Strange!
Hopefully the tuning down of Asian factor in my food is an indication that I’m a little less homesick. Hopefully!
I still find it really tough to appreciate their cheese though. Eep. I’ve tried. I’ve a two euros chunk of Comte cheese and a bottle of wine. But the cheese isn’t as nice as our ordinary cheese (which is probably fake to them), and I haven’t found a corkscrew to open the bottle of wine (which coincidentally is also 2 euros).
I’ve made a list of stuff I miss though, and I shall find various people to hunt for them with me when I’m back. (:
Mmm. Oh and I miss spicy food. Hmm.
Random: This time tomorrow I’ll be on a night train to Munich! (:
Last night I crawled out of my shell to mingle with people from my hall at the party on the sept floor. It was interessant to say the least. I spoke to more French people than I normally do in an entire week. Mostly all boys though. French girls haven’t really seemed that approachable yet.
One of them, albeit being just a year one, impressed me with his knowledge though. Despite the countless cans of beer he could still carry an intellectual conversation about cultures and French and Lee Kuan Yew. I’m not even kidding. LKY’s famous ALL OVER THE WORLD.
It’s quite funny when they ask about Singapore’s strikes because I’ll respond, “Oh you’ll go to jail for that.” Haha.
In (my first!) French class today, when I said I was from Singapour, I felt so special because all the other countries had definite articles for them like La France, Le Canada, L’Australie, etc. But when it came to Singapour, there’s none because we’re so small we’re practically a city or town. ONLY exception, mind you. So pleased to keep saying, ‘je suis singapourienne’ among all the ‘je suis chinois(e)’.
And a dutch girl I hung out with today said she thinks I’m great for stepping out and trying to mix with others instead of hanging out among their own group which a lot of them do. (Ahem, the Cs…)
Getting to know more people sure makes living here alone a lot easier and makes things less complique. It was great to have someone to hang out with in school, and have people add me on Facebook, and yet have time to hang out on my own. Someone told me today that I was brave for surviving in a land far away from home for over a month. 5 weeks to be exact. C’est tres bien. (: Such an achievement.
Was also re-reading my old entries and what I said about being attached was true. Having a boyfriend really makes one lose their backbone. And I’m glad I found mine back. There are things that I miss that got me emo nemo a few nights ago but just last night and today really made me feel much better about everything.
Yeah sure there’s seize (16) weeks to go. (I did not start counting down till ten seconds ago.) But slowly but surely I think things are falling into place. Whew. (:
OH and one thing I learnt in class today really amused me. Orange juice in French is jus d’Orange. JUICE OF ORANGE? Too cute.
Here’s hoping my francaise will improve. Hahaha. Brownie points for trying right?
This is hilarious. I was thinking to myself, okay I do need to socialise. I need to stop finding excuses for everything. I should start being enthusiastic about group travels and stuff.
What better way to feel influenced to dress better, socialise and party if I need to?
Watch The Hills.
I’m not even kidding the slightest bit. I’m gonna start watching it.
Saturday, 3rd Sept 2009:
Today was the first day I spent travelling alone. Strangely I don’t feel very lonely. I’ve really grown to enjoy my alone time from all the travelling. Always anticipating returning with lots of stories to tell! Okay but I’m looking forward to meeting KL, Terence and Jasmine tomorrow!
This couchsurfing was pretty enjoyable. Firstly, I realised that there are REALLY nice people around. Also, Nancy’s a great town. People don’t bother you, the sales people are genuinely nice to you and it’s not filled with hordes of tourists. I like it!
Veronique welcomed me with an air kiss. She’s 18 years old but so much more mature than I was at 18! She’s hosting an Australian girl, Mietta, who’s 17 and doing a year-long high school exchange in her school. They’re both so young, yet they’ve travelled around, gone to parties, and are living life so independently on their own. Gosh!
Anyway, they made me lunch. I’m not sure what I had. Looked like couscous but I don’t know. And great tomato salad and lots of ice cream! Yum! They made coffee too and had chocs with it. Apparently it’s french tradition to drink coffee after lunch. Hmm.
I went walking around after. Vieille-ville Leopold first, which was an old village. Not much there. Then a marche place. There was a famous macarons place. Apparently macarons originated from Nancy! The sales lady was so nice, she spoke only a little English but it was cool trying to order in the (very) limited French I knew. Also walked to Place Stanislas which was a pretty square with golden gates. Walked by some childcare place too, tons of parents and siblings waiitng to pick the little ones up from school. SO local, so cute! Also went to Parc de la Peniniere, lovely park to just sit ont he grass for fun. Lots of parents with their kids. Love it.
Also went shopping, got a bag and a pair of sneakers cos my sneaks were DYING.
OH also went to cafe les artistes to have chocolat viennois as Veronique recommended. Cool students hangout! Lovely drink. It’s basically hot choc with whipped cream topped with koko crunch. 3,30 euros but whatever.
Bought the hosts macarons and Lindt chocolates and a card. Hope it’s sufficient to show my appreciation and gratitude for letting me have a lovely place to crash. They baked Quiche Lorraine for dinner for me and it was YUMS. Also tried 4 different types of cheese (and they were all horrid!) with baguette and infusion tea (drank from a bowl – another french tradition!) LOVE IT. Feel way better now that I’m no longer in such a touristy place. Can’t wait to meet the rest and visit Strasbourg!
XOXO,
(GMT +2:00) 11.30pm
