I don't really get what that means (in a figurative sense) but I sure do like it.
This week has been an exercise in proving to myself that I don't need to buy a bus/tram pass next month. Asides from Monday, when I sat on my ass all day and was rather grumpy, I've been walking/biking everywhere (for the most part) this week. Unfortunately I live really rather far from downtown/IES (about an hour walk, if I walk fast) otherwise I would walk there much more. But biking to IES only takes about 25 minutes, on a fairly indirect trajectory along the Erdre River.
I'm using my host mum's Peugeot Paris (Peugeot is a French car maker that also makes bikes?!), which is white and blue and pretty retro. And also one-speed. This can be a challenge, since Nantes definitely has some rolling hills, but it guarantees a good work out. I've been arriving everywhere rather sweaty and out of breath, and in the morning rather wet, since it's been misting every morning this week.
ALOT of people bike here, because there is are stations throughout the city where you can rent bikes for something like 1 euro a day, and the university also has a bike rental program. So although our program director warned us during orientation that biking is horribly dangerous and we shouldn't do it, I find Nantes to be pretty bike friendly. There are bike lanes on almost every major road and from my experience drivers are pretty nice to bikers, especially in the super confusing roundabouts, which are EVERYWHERE here. I'm planning to make biking my main form of transportation here. Also, except for older commuters, who generally also wear reflective vests, nobody wears helmets here.
Walking has also been nice, because there are so many different ways to get everywhere since no streets are direct here. In my quest for adventure on Wednesday, I decided to try to cut through the center of the city to get home, which seemed like it would be direct. It took me an hour and a half to get home, due to many wrong turns, and I got home sopping wet. But I'm pretty sure I have a new way to walk to and from downtown figured out.
I decided that with the 32 euros I will save by not buying a bus pass, I'm going to try more pastries. Because there is really an infinite number to try.
Anyhoo, I'm supposed to be packing for my impending voyage. I leave at 8 p.m. tonight for Paris. I have until about 5:30 a.m. in Paris (no idea still what I'm going to do with myself in Paris tonight) then my flight to Milan at 8:30 a.m. ish tomorrow morning. I'll be there until Thursday, and then I go back to Paris, where I'll meet up with my friend Katie from IES here. We're going to stay with friends of her parents in Paris until Sunday.
This might sound weird, but I'm a little sad to be leaving for so long. I'm going to miss speaking French and my host family and my friends here! But I'm sure it will be AWESOME.
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