Last Minute Stay in the Big Apple

I am currently in NYC for a trip to visit my family and right before I had to head to the airport my mom made me realize I didn't have a place to stay because I was arriving a full day ahead of her. So, I had to book a last-minute stay in NYC with Airbnb. I looked real quickly and found a steal at about $60 in Sunnyside, Queens.

My host was Aly, a delightful Chinese woman who was really gracious and extremely willing to help me find out how I needed to get places. Also, her apartment was a beautiful 3-bedroom. It was clean and newly renovated. Aly is a relatively new host bus I could tell she was all in.

There is a kitchen/living space. The coffee and tea is open to the guests. That night while we talked she shared her green tea mochi ice cream with me as well.

My room was relatively small but for NYC it was a good size. It was very neat and orderly and the bed was brand new and comfortable. The linens were clean as well and the view was very good.

In general, this was one of the best places I stayed at with Airbnb and other hosting sites and I've stayed at many different places in the last 3 years. I highly recommend staying with Aly in NYC.

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Toodles~~~

A little side blurb: I almost stayed at a potential Airbnb host's place and cancelled after I have a deposit (outside of Airbnb) and when I cancelled she didn't give me my deposit back. I really don't care about the money but her attitude towards the situation didn't make me happy. She's on Crescent street in Long Island City so I recommend you avoid that address.

A Birthday Date in Japan

Well, I arrived in Japan and settled in, started school, and started to get used to people driving on the "wrong" side of the street (that's relative but to me it is). However, not 2 weeks after arriving in Japan did my birthday arrive! I didn't really want to make a huge deal of it because a lot was happening, all I really wanted was a cake (thank you Saya and Krystal).

My birthday started just shy of midnight when Saya came home with cake and wine for me. She was the first person to day happy birthday. After getting some sleep, we both got up and got dressed because Saya was gonna take me out on a date!

First we went out to Harajuku. At Harajuku there is Takeshita street, where you can shop and get some good food. We walked around, and went shopping. That was also where we had lunch. After that we went to a museum near Ueno Park that basically walked us through Showa-era Japan. Then we went to a Temple in Ueno Park not far from there and we got to see a lake and a children's Park along the way.

Last but not least, we got dinner at café gusto, a chain restaurant in Japan. After that we got tired so we headed back home, but it was a good birthday!

Don't forget to subscribe if you like my posts and feel free to follow me on twitter (@mochaventure) and on instagram (@mochaventure). Check out the photo gallery for more photos of what I saw and did!

Japan: Getting There

So I mentioned in my post about Marseille that I went there to get my visa for Japan done. I will make a separate page about getting visas done later, so hold tight for you travelers. Anyway, I got my visa done so I can come to Japan (yes, I'm already here) on a student visa. I was radio silent to most people who knew me about the whole affair. only my family and a handful of people knew when I was actually going to be in Japan, if they knew I was coming here at all.

Anyway, before getting to Japan I did a major overhaul of my stuff. I decided I do not want to have a lot of luggage getting to the airport, especially since I was all by myself. I got rid of a lot of my clothes but I still had more luggage than I wanted. I'm actually in the process of completely overhauling my wardrobe and downsizing it, but that's a tangent I don't need right now. I left Biscarrosse at a good time, the usual bus that Anna and I took to travel around actually stops in Biscarrosse during vacations, so I didn't have to go all the way to Bordeaux to catch a bus to Paris. Lucky me! My mentor teacher from Bisca Plage, Karine, gave me a lift to the station and waited with me. It was hard leaving her, she made my stay in France a lot better than it would have been. (Karine, I miss you!)

It was an eight hour bus ride to Paris overnight. So, naturally, I tried to sleep. Couldn't though. Don't know why but I just couldn't. I arrived at Paris Bercy Bus Terminal around 6:30 am, hours before my 9pm flight. I took a taxi to the Charles de Gaulle Roissy airport. It was expensive, but better than lugging 2 luggage pieces, a sports bag, and my backpack on the metro, and now Parisian taxis has flat rates to and from the airport, so it was 50 euros to get there.

After putting my luggage in storage, I went to an airport hotel called Ibis hotels to see if I can get an hourly deal and get some sleep before my flight. I managed to get about 4 hours before I had to vacate the room. Better than nothing, right? Ibis hotels is a fairly nice hotel at fairly low prices. While I'd recommend hostels for travelers on a budget, Ibis is good for people with that extra cash to spend. The room was small but the bed was comfortable and it was the perfect place to get some REM sleep before I headed back out into the main airport. Ibis hotels is located near the TGV train station in terminal 1, and you can find it easily by following the signs.

Anyway, after getting my rest I basically chilled in the airport for hours before my check-in time. I ate, exchanged the cash I had (euros to yen, sweet exchange rate) and wandered around to see where I had to check in at. About 3 hours before my flight, I went to check in and found I was basically the only person from economy checking in for JAL (Japan Airlines) at that time, but business and first class was pretty swamped. They put me in a separate line, but I guess the gods favor me because a man said that basically I'd be forgotten if I was left there so they let me check in first, before even a lot of people in better classes. Score, right? Very good service and I regret not getting his name.

Anyway, after checking in it was smooth sailings from there. I went to my gate, got dinner, chatted with my sis while I waited, and was zen. Tired, but zen. We began boarding around 9:15 and boarded without any mishap, and we took off without any issues. Obviously. Dinner on JAL was pretty good, they generally have pretty good on-flight meals. I didn't manage to get a lot of sleep on my 12 hour flight, but I made up for it later.

When I arrived in Japan, I took a shuttle bus into central Tokyo and my friend Krystal helped me move into my apartment (Thank god for good friends). After moving in, we went out to eat before going back to our respective homes. The journey was pretty uneventful, sorry for the boring post. It's mostly for the family.

Friday Afternoon in Barcelona

Okay, so after my November trip to Toulouse, I didn't really do much by ways of travelling. However, when January rolled around, I had the opportunity to go to Barcelona with my mother! Yes, the mothership flew in with my younger sister and I met them in Paris, and then we took a plane from there to Barcelona, which was much warmer than Paris. We only had a single day in Barcelona, but we were able to maximize what we saw because of my careful planning.

No, really, it was my planning cuz my mom and my sister literally planned to wander around and see what was there. Not a bad plan either but I had things I wanted to see.

The evening we arrived we visited the Picasso Museum. Unfortunately cameras are prohibited there so I didn't take any photos, but I highly recommend it to anyone into Picasso, it includes not only his works, but works from artists who used similar style and ran in his circle. We also saw Spain's Arco Del Triumfo, the Spanish equivalent to France's Arc de Triomph (which also has a twin at Washington Square in NYC). It was a beautiful sight in the Barcelona night.

The next morning, after breakfast, we visited the Museu Xocolata, the Chocolate Museum which describes the history of chocolate and how it came to be so globally popular. It originated in Central America and was brought over by the Spanish, and from there chocolate spread like an epidemic. What's cool is your ticket in is an actual chocolate bar. A museum visit and a chocolate bar? Yes please! The museum features many chocolate sculputes in glass cases in order to maintain the temperature so they won't melt. There was even a Star Wars special exhibit! There are booths that talk about the history of chocolate as well.

After the Museu Xocolata we went to the beach because we could. We were in Barcelona so, even in the winter, we had to visit the beach. The water was pretty clear, although the winter made it look grey. In the summer I'm sure the place would be packed, so I'm glad we visited in the winter, even if it was raining. After the beach we found a gondola to ride to the Montjuic hills and saw the gardens there. Also, very worth it because the gondola gave a great view of the city skyline. Iono what happened to my pictures of the skyline. They ghosted on me.

After Montjuic, I insisted we visit the Sagrada Familia, the famous church that isn't even finished yet (but will be finished in about 10 years). To get in tickets had to be bought online, but once you enter you see that the church is even bigger than it looks like on the outside. The outdoor architecture is amazing enough on it's own and it shows just how long it took to build the church. Some parts were clearly very old, while others were brand spanking new. The inside shows the many multi-colored stained-glass windows and lights incorporated into the gothique feel of the building. It was very much worth going to and I recommend it to anyone planning to visit Barcelona.

We had dinner at the HardRock which wasn't far from where we were staying and it was pretty good as well. The portions were just as huge as normal and we took home extras to eat as breakfast or a midnight snack.

Lastly, just walking around Barcelona is an experience in itself. There is a walking street called La Rambla (which was the street our hotel was on) where you can just... walk. And shop and eat. During the night there are fountains that light up and put on a show as well.

Unfortunately we only had the two days in Barcelona, but we will definitely return one day.

All in all Barcelona is a very cool place to visit and it gets five apples. A full five.

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A Day in Marseille

A Day in MARSEILLE

Hi guys. I decided to write about Marseilles today and then I'll backtrack to my experiences in Bordeaux, Toulouse and Paris. Bordeaux and Toulouse will be in one post and Paris will have it's own because it IS Paris. But today is all about MARSEILLE because that is where I am right now.

And without further ado: allons-y!

MARSEILLE is the oldest city in France and one day really isn't enough to see everything, especially since I came here on official business (to apply for my Japanese visa, but more on that later). I only really got to see A few things but I'll talk about them anyway. Like Paris, Marseilles doesn't give off the feel of a big city initially. But it is still quite a large city and you feel that soon after you walk down the Marseillais streets.

First let's talk hostels. In the future I'll create a separate page with links to hostels and to restaurants but not right now. Anyway, I am currently at the Auberge de Jeunesse Marseilles- Bonneveine and I was quite impressed with it's facilities. My room isn't great but my bedazzled comfortable for an 8-person dorm (all female). It has , a small games area, a kitchen For the residents, and even a restaurant/Cafeteria for the residents. There is also a bar because it IS for legal adults. Breakfast is included with all reservations and usually consists of bread, fruit, cereal and a drink (coffee, tea, hot cocoa, juice). Not high quality but this place is designed for travelers on a budget. Breakfast is served from 7am to 9:30am.

The staff is pretty friendly too. One fellow dreadhead greeted me warmly In a neo Rasta way (locks, bringing people together) and they weren't rude at all. I was pretty comfortable other than the fact that I was alone. But most people who stay in these places tend to be very open so that wasn't an issue for long. Really it was a nice setup.

After arriving I went out in search of dinner and thankfully there are several places to eat nearby at a decent price. The youth hostel also Isn't far from the beach so you can go in the afternoon. Yes, is warm enough to go to the beach in southern France right now. I didn't get to go but I got some awesome pictures on my way from the train station. The water is sapphire blue and it definitely sparkles in the sun.

I did, however visit a church that sits high over the city for an awesome view of Marseilles. The Notre Dame de la Garde in MARSEILLE is a beautiful cathedral that sits on a hill and overlooks the city. It's architecture, though write typical of cathedrals in France, is undeniably beautiful. Atop this cathedral is a shining statue. Sentinel right?

As for what I ate, basically I ate fast food. I did not have the time to look for authentic bouillabaise, the dish Marseilles is known for ( I wish I did cuz that sounds fucking delicious now). But In did visit the Vieux-Port, the old port of MARSEILLE. It is pretty modernized now but it is a great place to chill in the sun and watch the boats.

To say I didn't have enough time in Marseilles would be an understatement, but I fully intend to return. There is so much to learn about this. It's that is over 2600 years old and still poppin.

To Toulouse: It was a long time coming

Okay, so you haven't heard from me in a while and it's because I've been really lazy. Now, here's the official update: I'm in Japan now.

Whuuuuuuuut? Since wheeeeeeeen? I know, I know, I made no announcement but the reason why I didn't is because I wasn't sure if I can stick around. So you all recall that post "What Will Mocha Do?" I mentioned choosing between France and Japan and well... I chose both. I am in Japan for Graduate school so most of my new adventures will be in Japan although I am trying to work out going to other East Asian countries as well. Anyway, done with the final announcements, let's get this road on the show!

Toulouse is called "La Ville en Rose" or "The Pink City" in English. Why? Well... it really looks like a pink city. Most of the buildings in Toulouse are made with a stone that's reddish-pink and if you're not paying close attention it looks like an outright shade of pink. I'm not a fan of the color, but Toulouse wears pink very well and creates a special kind of charm to go with it. Paris is often known as the city of love, but I feel like Toulouse would be a better fit because it's pink. What color fits a sweet, cute love than pink?

Anyways....

I went with Anna to Toulouse (I miss you, girl) and we were lucky enough to be there on Market day, and the apartment we were staying at via Airbnb was right next to a morning market. We were able to walk by and see all the fresh fruit and wares that people were selling early in the morning. Because France is big on markets, these street markets are usually huge and there were a lot of people there. France gets the small business thing. It really does.

After the morning market we set out to explore the city. We managed to be close to the river, so we walked along the river and looked at the green trees and pink(ish) stones. There were walkways below lining the riverbeds where people can wander and just look at the water.

After the short walk we met Anna's cousin at Cafe des Artistes, which was by the river and very crowded. Originally we wanted seats outdoors because you do that in France, but we could only find seats inside. I ordered a viennoise hot chocolate and a personal pizza. It was pretty good, if you ask me.

After Lunch with Anna's cousin we continued to wander around and found a pretty park to look around before we both decided to do touristy stuff like going to visit a cathedral! Cathedrals are always interesting because of their beautiful architecture and intricate details applied there. It was simply too good to pass up! Now this was a while ago so I don't remember the names of  the cathedrals, but let's admit it, gothique cathedrals are all worth a look so if you find one just check it out!

In the evening we settled down for dinner and had crepes, because we could and they were quite delicious. They weren't the sweet crepes either, but the ones people could actually consider meals. We only had one day to explore Toulouse, but we went around and saw a lot!

For more pictures please check out the photo gallery!

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Bustling Bordeaux: There's Not Just Wine

Hello lovely people!

I'm here to make my first post on Bordeaux! I say first because I will be going back and it's the closest metropolitan city to me, so it's the only place I can go shopping properly without going TOO far.

I have technically been to Bordeaux three times now: when I first arrived in France, when I went for an interview, and then recently just to shop and walk around. I must say... I quite like the place.

Bordeaux is a great city in the South-western area of France and some of you may know about it because that region is absolutely famous for it's wine. However, Bordeaux it's not all vineyards and wineries. It is a large area that has many towns and the sprawling metropolitan city for which the region is aptly named.

The first time I went to Bordeaux I was just passing through the Gare St. Jean (train station) on my way to Biscarrosse so I have no pictures and did nothing particularly interesting. I will note that the train station is currently being redone though, and has been since before I arrived. The second time I went to Bordeaux was for an interview. I arrived at a local engineering department at one of Bordeaux's many universities before taking the metro to the centre ville (city center). Once I got to the city center, I thought "ahhhh... now this is a French city." Bordeaux is an old city. The entire city center is build in the classic French style that you see in movies about people who go to France (Paris) but it has it's own unique energy.

Bordeaux sees significantly less tourists than Paris, which makes it all the more attractive. On top of that, it's in the middle of autumn right now so there are not too many tourists at all these days, so I had the leisure to wander around the city. Before my interview I stopped by a local shop and bought some macarons because I had been craving some. When in France, right? I went to a cute cafe to have a bite to eat; crepes and some tea. After the interview, my friend Anna met me and we walked around Bordeaux to take pictures and see what was there. We ended up seeing a parking lot that did not look like a parking lot. It looked like a small park with lots of small trees. It was a parking lot. Wtf? Anyway, after that we came across an actual park and went there to sit in the sun and eat our macarons and chat. It was a lovely visit.

The most recent trip was made so that I can see more of the city. I traveled with two friends, Anna and Jessica. We ended up near a shopping district as well, which was great because I was looking for an orange shirt for work reasons and it was impossible to find in Biscarrosse. But before that, we ate lunch at an Indian restaurant not far from where we parked. It was legitimate and authentic. Thank you France. I also happened to walk right into the glass door as we left. Never happened before. I think there's a small bump on my head to be honest.

After leaving the restaurant, we took a street right in front of it and it was basically a straight shot to the shopping area, where we walked around. First we headed to the direction of a beautiful arch that ended up being at a plaza where two very different, but very interesting things were happening. First, there was a bazaar for used books. Can you imagine how hard I had to control myself not buy those books? It was painful. The second thing was there was a protest about the Turkish government. I love that people in France actively protest for their rights, even if it's not for France proper, but from a country they're affiliated with. Go France, keep on keeping on.

After we browsed some books, we went back into the shopping area and checked out some shops. We came across one shoe shop and went in because I wanted to buy a pair of tennis shoes (or trainers for the British people who might read this). I found a pair of black tennis shoes for 15 euros and went ahead and got them. It was a decent price and the shoes are comfortable enough. If they break I won't be heartbroken because you get what you pay for.

I also managed to find a super cute orange sweater! All I need is an orange t-shirt for the summer and then I'll be set. We walked around some more and went into a couple of thrift shops to check out what they had before getting some drinks at an Irish pub. We chilled with our drinks (I chose cider) before heading back up the street to the car and getting ready to leave Bordeaux. Anna and I both were ready to go on another adventure and Jessica had to head home for a dinner with her co-workers. But it was still a very good time.

If you want to see proof shots of my adventures, please check out my instagram, which is linked to the left in the column, as is my twitter. Follow both and you'll get sneak peaks of what I'll post next! Please follow by email if you don't want me on your feeds, and you can do so by signing up at the column to the left as well

instagram: @mochaventure
twitter: @mochaventure
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Exploring Bisca Waters

Hello darlings, I am back with another blog post!

Not long after I arrived in Biscarrosse, my roommate - Karen - also arrived, and we were invited to go check out the lake to the south of us with one of the teachers we work with at the Bisca Plage elementary school. Seeing as I don't go to lakes very often, I was pretty hyped about it. I mean, I don't swim but I'm all for fun in the sun. This lake was the smaller one, but it was still pretty big and stretched out pretty far.

The day was beautiful too, it was warm with a light cool breeze. At the lake, there's a boat club that people could join if they want to go sailing. I'm not a big fan of boats, but I thought that was cool. Also, in the summer, people can just sit on the lake beach (yes, this lake has a proper beach) and chill or have a picnic. I'm writing this in the middle of fall now so I can't go enjoy the full splendor of the lake, but it was soooo prettyyyyyy.

For those of you who didn't read my earlier posts about my journey to France, Biscarrosse is not only a lake town, it's a beach town. Yes. With rolling waves and bipolar currents. Biscarrosse Beach (Bisca Plage) is a 15-minute drive from where I live and it's quite a site to see. I came at the tail-end of the tourist season, so the beach was also clean as well. The thing about the beach is that it's really long. The sands expand out along the coast for a heft stretch, so it's possible to hike the beach if you so choose. Furthermore, Bisca Plage has so much to offer, particularly in the summer.

In the summer there are lots of events, the shops and restaurants are all open, and it's a sprawling vacation spot for the French. feel privileged, the average foreigner wouldn't think that a small town like this is actually famous within the borders of metropolitan France.

Like I said, it's autumn now so the scene is dead, but the location itself is very pretty. Just yesterday I went back to Bisca Plage to handle some bank stuff (that will be a different post, maybe a different page?) and I ended up exploring with my friend Anna. We also got great lunch at a decent price and discovered a great used book store. The book store is useless to people who don't read in French, but I just thought used book store lovers would appreciate the fact that there is one there. There are also cafes and restaurants that are open year-round rather than just in the summer, as is the post office and movie theater.

For more pictures of Bisca Lac and Bisca Plage, please check out the photo gallery tab.

Please check out my instagram (@mochaventure) and twitter (@mochaventure) for updates on my travels! They can give you a sneak peak of what I'll post next!

P.S.

I am currently raising money to go to graduate school. I was accepted in to Temple University, Japan Campus, but graduate school is expensive and even if I wasn't travelling (which is on a budget mind you) it would mean a bunch of loans. If you would like to help me go to graduate school to become an awesome English language teacher, please click on this link and contribute to my gofundme. I promise any donation will go to school fees first, then school books.

https://www.gofundme.com/alyssa-for-school 

Beginning Anew in Biscarrosse

After I arrived in Biscarrosse, the first thing I did the next morning was explore the town center. I live close to a car dealership, Cityhall, the local movie theater, the post office, the cellphone store, and pretty much close to everything I need to live. I walked around to look at local banks because I would need to open one myself. It occurred to me that I was very spoiled in Korea, where they walked us through opening a bank account, turned in the papers, and gave us each our cards individually. But my banking adventure will have to wait for another day. Biscarrosse is a small town, but it has all the basic necessities for living a fulfilled life.

In the morning, after I explored, I stopped by a local shop to pick up lunch before heading home and thinking of what to do next. I was in a new place where I didn't really know anyone. After eating lunch, I explored the town center more so that I knew where everything was. There was a retailer for Orange, the phone carrier that I used during my last stay in France, but they didn't have any options for service that I wanted. I'm only here for 7 months (6 now that it's November) so I need a service that's not locked into a plan. The phone store was only a minute's walk away from the Post Office, which is good because that means I don't have to go very far to send letters back home. I'm thinking of sending postcards to my loved ones, to be honest. I didn't do that previously and I think it'll be a good thing to do. But I digress.

I also discovered several fruit vendor stores nearby as well. France is a big supporter of local agriculture. And there's even a butcher shop, a rare sight in the US. It is, of course, cheaper to buy meat at the supermarket, but having a butcher shop nearby is a nice option if I want to have a fancy dinner (Thanksgiving is coming up...). Across the street from where I live is a store dedicated to school and office supplies and I recently just got to know the owner. It's a pretty nifty store to buy notebooks and other supplies and since France is big on things being handwritten, it's a big store. Also close by are several restaurants.

I managed to find a Chinese food place, a Vietnamese food place, and a Mexican food place. I haven't eaten at the Mexican place, but the others were alright. It's hard to get ethnic food outside if the US, and even in the US you have to look hard for the legitimate places (Panda Express is NOT legit, guys). Or have friends who come from different ethnicities. That works too.

After walking around the town center, I decided it would be a good idea to go grocery shopping. Eating out is expensive wherever you go, and I decided I want to get back into cooking more now that I actually have a kitchen. There are 2 supermarkets near where I live: Lidl and E.Leclerc. The one I went to that day was Lidl because it's less expensive, but I usually go to E.Leclerc because it has a larger selection. Both stores are about the same distance away from me, but Lidl is more of a straight shot from my apartment. I walked there, of course (about 16 minutes) and since i walked I was able to get a good look at the buildings and things around me.

There was a diner, which I found amusing (I'll definitely check it out with the other local language assistants soon) and there were a lot of private construction stores. In the US, a given neighborhood has houses that all look more or less the same, depending on how many rooms they are. In France, each house is unique. People looking to by a new home often look to build or remodel the home to fit their own tastes, and that's why I saw so many of this small construction stores. It's easier to customize if you have a limited number of clients. I also noticed that the small town of Biscarrosse has a branch of just about every bank France has to offer, which is great because I can think carefully about my choices.

I finally arrived at the Lidl, a decent sized supermarket, and saw it held the essentials, but not the full range of materials that I usually cook with. I promptly decided that the larger store, E.Leclerc, would be my main destination. However, I did find some nice decorative stickers that i used to make my home look a little less plain. After buying some materials I headed home to make myself some food and relax.

Each day after that for about 4 days I just explored Biscarrosse. I wanted to know what the layout was like. For more pictures, please go to the photo gallery.

Biscarrosse: Getting There

Hello everybody! I'm back with another post about my arrival in Biscarrosse! Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures because I was tired from all that travelling, but the next few posts after this will more than make up for it!

After my various incidents in Istanbul, I finally landed at Charles De Gaule's Terminal 1 on the outskirts of Paris. Now Terminal 1, the international terminal, is a giant round building and the center are escalators taking you to where you need to be. Everything is in a huge circle. If you walk around the circle it's easy to get around, but if you go through the center things can get pretty hairy.

The first thing I did was follow the signs and go through the TSA security checkpoint. For prople visiting France on holiday from America, U.S. citizens can actually enter France without a physical visa, just your passport, and stay for up to 90 days. This is because of a passport agreement among a large group of countries, including the U.S. and France. However, if you're like me and plan to stay longer, you need a specific visa. If you plan to laze around for 4+ months, you need a special travel visa. If you plan to work, you need a work visa. If you plan to go to school, you need a student visa. I have a work visa specifically for teaching part-time, and that is what I presented to the person at TSA. You show them your visa and the first page of your passport, they give you a stamp, and then you can collect your luggage.

Remember that I said that Terminal 1 is very confusing. Follow the direction signs as best as you can. Otherwise you WILL get confused. Anyway, I went to collect my luggage and then proceeded to get a taxi. Taxis in France are expensive, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you were in a hurry, like me. I knew that public transit wouldn't take me to where I needed to be on time so I opted for a taxi. Especially since my plane left late. If my plane were on time, I would have taken public transit. Anyway, as of now Parisian taxis have set fares from the airports depending on which side of the river you want to be on. For Charles de Gaulle, know that you will never pay over 55 euros. For Orly, know that you will never pay over 35 euros.

I took the taxi to Gare Montparnasse, which ended up being 55 euros, and then I proceeded to get my ticket. At la Gare Montparnasse, you buy your tickets on the second floor. I suggest you go to the left and go to the window if you are not confident you can handle a kiosk yourself. I went to a window because I also decided to buy a carte jeune, which is a discount card for young adults for trains in France and apparently it works in other countries like Italy too. Cool right?

After buying my ticket to Bordeaux (trains don't stop in my town), I only had about 15 minutes to find my platform and get on the train. But guess what? The train ended up being delayed too, but about 45 minutes. I was a bit upset when i realized I could have taken public transit to the train station, but it definitely is better safe than sorry. After the train finally arrived, it took me a while to find my car and seat. I was a bit confused because you are assigned a car and a seat, but it's not immediately obvious which car is which. Be sure to check near the doors, it'll tell you where you need to be.

The ride to Bordeaux was nice, I got to see the great French countryside. France is an advanced country but it still favors the countryside and old-world feel in general. About 3 hours later I arrived in Bordeaux, where I had to transfer to a local train that took me to a town relatively close to where I needed to be. The wait time was about half an hour. The ride itself was about 20 minutes. When I arrived, I was dismayed to find I had to lug my luggage down some stairs, under the tracks, and back up some stairs. I had been dealing with it all day and I was pretty wiped out. I had got to the second set of stairs when Florent Dubois, my contact person and the person who helped with my lodging, came and greeted me. He helped me get my luggage up the stairs, out of the station and into his car so we could drive to Biscarrosse. Thank you, Florent, you are a gem.

The ride into Biscarrosse took my by 2 of the schools I would be teaching at, and Florent was sure to point them out to me. The entire conversation was in French too. I didn't know I remembered so much French, but I guess it really is true that I'm fluent. I can hold my own in conversations and if I don't know a word, an explanation in French definitely works well. Anyway, Florent asked me if I had eaten (which I hadn't) and took me to the local Micky D's so I could get some food in my stomach before finally arriving at my humble abode from which I am writing this post. He handed me the keys and showed me how everything works, and then left me to my devices.

I unpacked at that moment and then showered after a long journey, and got ready for bed. If you want to see pictures of my apartment interior, please check out the photo gallery. I won't take pictures of the outside because I don't want creepers showing up on my door.

Cheers~~~

Instagram: @mochaventure