Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tout ce passe trop vite!

I find that it is becoming difficult to write these days because I am no longer focused on the recent past or distant future, bur rather what tasks I need to accomplish for tomorrow or the following day, week.  The thought of missing a single second is daunting and time seems to be passing all to quickly. It is exactly one and a half months this past Monday that I first set foot in the high school, and I already have plans for every vacation from now until the end of my contract in April.  I purchased a Eurail pass for Spain but was unable to make the trip, and the pass (still valid) lies glaring at me tauntingly from the corner of my desk as I grow more impatient to make use of it with each passing day. I have no doubt that I will see countless sites throughout Europe between now and April, but I have become acutely aware of the time slipping away as I never have before.

Here is the list of ventures already booked or at least in the works:
December: Lyon: Festival des Lumieres (2 days)
                  Vienna (3 days)
                  Budapest (7 days)
                  Sospel (at least Christmas eve and day)
                  Paris (at least 3 days, possibly New Years)
January:     Sospel: Récolte des Olives (at least 2 days)
                  Geneva (at least 3 days)
Feburary:   Morocco: Fez and Marrakech (10 days)
March:       Spain (two weekends)
April:         Germany and France (two weeks) (possible visit to Ireland or Scotland)
May:        Possibilities: Rome (one week), Turkey, Greece, or Egypt
June:        Sospel, Possible trip to Britain (London, England; Inverness, Scotland)
                  HOME

Much traveling made possible by Eurail passes and RyanAir.com.

While I feel like I have not filled every moment with travel and exploration, I feel it necessary to give myself a small amount of credit regardless. Transportation to and from Lorgues is frustratingly limited, which can be nice because we are not inundated with tourists, but can be extremely irritating when one wants to see something other than the local café (however adorable it may be). I have so far managed to "bouger un peu" as the french would say (that is: move around a bit), by way of my gracious fellow teachers and friends with cars.

Places I have already visited:
Lorgues
Tourtour
Chateau Sainte Roseline
Chateau de Berne
Abbaye de Thoronet
Draguinan
Les Arcs
Frejus/Saint Raphael
Toulon
Nice
Marseille
Monaco
L'Ile des Porquerolles
La Brigue

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