Road Trip! 8 cities in 4 days

“Le sud de la France:” The South of France
“Une voiture:” a car
“La plage:” the beach
“Le soleil:” the sun


School ended last Friday, so as a celebratory trip; a few of us rented a car in Clermont-Ferrand and headed south for the weekend. The travelers were: my roommate Kate, Pedro (Portuguese parents, raised in Germany), Simona (from Slovakia), and Lara (German, parents now live in Sweden). In total, we drove approximately 1300 km, which about 807 miles. We left from Clermont, which near the center of France, drove south to Montpellier, then east along the coast all the way to Monaco, and back up north through Avignon to Clermont. We stayed or stopped in the following cities:

Montpellier, Marseille, St. Cyr-Sur-Mer, Cassis, St. Tropez, Nice, Monaco, & Avignon.

The drive began in the Auvergne region of France, where we live, which boasts a lovely countryside of volcanoes and rolling hills, all in full green. As we moved south the landscape became flatter with more farms, and then at the coast, again very large hills and cliffs along the sea. We took what is called the “routes nationales” versus the “autoroutes” in order to save money by not paying the many tolls, as well as drive along more scenic routes through small villages and along the sea. The routes along the sea were quite windy as we drove, our little Ford stick-shift “Imax” did alright, however, having a more powerful sports car may have been a little more fun. With the sea often in view, however, I was fairly content. Coming from Kansas, I think I will always be happy to see elevation and/or water.

With no CD’s or iPod hookup in the care, we were forced to listen to the radio the whole time in the car. This was interesting. Besides the fact that there weren’t ever many stations to choose from, I think we heard a total of about 10 songs repeated over and over again the whole trip, at least half of them being to some techno beat. I was longing for some good ‘ole country music for road-tripping, alas, I had to make due with the bumping club beats of France. Occasionally, we would catch some older French crooning songs, Edith Piaf style, which were pleasant enough.

Day 1: Clermont to Monpellier

Because we only had four days, you could imagine that we did not spend much time in each city. I think we were able to get a nice taste of each, however. We did not have a good introduction to Montpellier because we ended up driving around the city for about an hour and a half trying to find our hostel, only to discover it was in the old centre-ville where there is only pedestrian traffic. After getting settled, however, we had a nice dinner in this cute square full of restaurants, each with its little area of tables, and a little walk to the famous square, Place de la Comedie, where we had a drink outside, nearby.

Day 2: Marseille & St. Cyr-Sur-Mer

I had visited Marseille before in February, but the time the weather was much nicer. We found a little lunch spot so the fish-eaters could sample the region’s specialty, bouillabaisse, which is a fish stew. Sometimes more expensive really does mean better, and in this case, I think we should have splurged if we wanted a good fish meal. Kate did not have a great impression of the bouillabaisse, so we know for next time to spend a little more! I had a shrimp salad as my first course, and I forgot that when you order fish near the sea, it usually comes all put together. Therefore, I had my first experience of ripping of the head and the body of the shrimps…but the shrimps were so small, it almost didn’t seem worth all the work! Oh well. We climbed the giant hill to the cathedral that overlooks Marseille, and enjoyed the nice sea breeze after that workout!

Saint-Cyr-Sur Mer was a little town outside of Marseille where we stayed the second night of our trip. We were able to rent a little apartment for one night, which was located about 150 feet from the beach. When we got there in the late afternoon, the five of us pretty much dropped our stuff, put suits on, and headed to the sea to relax for a few hours. Since we had our own kitchen, we were able to save a few pennies and make dinner at home, along with drinking a few bottles of rosé, the region’s specialty. I do not mind rosé wine, however, I think it kind of just tastes like juice…not much to it.

Day 3: Cassis-St. Tropez-Nice

The next day we headed to Cassis, hearing it was a beautiful and quaint little town. We enjoyed the view of the sea and the beach from a little café on the port where we had breakfast and coffee. Since we went early in the morning, it was not too crowded in the area, so it was nice to just sit and take in the scenery. Walking through the streets, Cassis seems to be a great little town for sunbathing, boating, and shopping, and I hope to return someday.

After Cassis, we headed towards our next night’s stay in Nice, but stopping in St. Tropez at lunchtime. St. Tropez was a little bigger than Cassis, but definitely holding bigger boats (yachts). There were a lot more tourists there, as well. I did not get the feeling of so much glitz and glamour that I expected from St. Tropez, but perhaps if I was hanging out in the port on a giant yacht, sipping champagne and heading over to a private beach, I might feel differently.

Last stop of the day was Nice, a much larger seaside town. We drove by Cannes, where many celebrities were because it was the last day of the film festival, however we did not stop because it would have been way crowded and I forgot to bring my movie premiere tickets and ball gowns. Nice had more of a bigger city feel on the sea versus the previous small towns. We walked along the long promenade des anglais, and enjoyed the sunset on the sea. If I were to spend more time in Nice, I would rent a bike and ride all along this promenade because it was huge, and great for people watching. We had a great dinner in the vieux ville (old city part) in this big square full of umbrellas and tables at Chez Freddy. I ordered a “Daube à boeuf provençal,” which is a provençal beef stew dish. It was some of the best beef I have had in France, slow-cooked, falling apart on my plate with an amazing and rich gravy/sauce. Good thing we’ve been walking and climbing so much!

Day 4: Monaco-Avignon

The next morning, we headed to the lavish Monaco, home of the Monte Carlo casino, huge yachts, and expensive cars galore. Monaco is a “principality,” so not actually part of France, and apparently the second smallest country in the world, after the Vatican. I can now say I have been to the two smallest countries in the world! In front of the casino were parked some pretty fancy wheels, Bentley, Rolls Royces, Ferrari, Porches, Lamborghini, you name it. I believe they were strategically placed there to add to the allure of the casino. Moving past the glam of the casino and the many designer boutiques next to it, we had a view of the port full of yachts. We found out it only costs 800 euros a night to park your yacht there, just pocket change. The biggest yacht present was that of the son of the Sheik of Saudi Arabia. I guess he was having a little vacay at the same time we were. We climbed up to the royal palace where the monarchs of Monaco live, currently Prince Albert II. This was next to the old city area with the famous cathedral, where the wedding of Prince Rainer and Princess Grace (Kelly) occurred. I was unsuccessful in finding a prince of my own this trip, but I’ll keep working on it. (Princess Michelle of Monaco?).

Our last stop, and last night was spent in Avignon, which is slightly north, (but still part of the Provence, region). It is not on the sea, but along the River Rhône. The old centre-ville is actually walled, medieval style, and in the center is the Palais des Papes, the Pope’s Palace. Sometime in the 1300’s, Pope Clement V moved the Pope’s residence to Avignon, where the next 7 popes resided. Surrounding the palace is a maze of small streets, with very few cars able to drive through. We arrived in the city in the evening, so wandered a bit before finding an outdoor spot to have dinner. We went to a particular restaurant because their Plat du Jour was a filet mignon, and I have not had a nice steak in a while, so I was excited for this meal. Four of us ordered the dish, and when the plates arrived, I was a bit confused and disappointed to see a flat piece of white meat, not exactly what I would consider a “filet mignon.” I suppose in France, this name may just be for the cut of the meat, because what I ate that night was definitely pork, and no special pork either. Oh well, now I know!

Overall, it was a nice trip, lots of driving and pretty scenery! No more school now, full focus on finding an internship!

Grand Oral

(Big Speech)

In order to complete my studies at ESC-Clermont, I had to participate in what is called the “Grand Oral,” the name pronounced by many students with dread and fear. The Master in Management program I am in is a 3-year program, and at the end of the last year, every student has to participate in the Grand Oral to graduate. We were in classes with the 3rd year students, therefore, we also had to partake. Essentially, the Grand Oral is a individual presentation each student gives in front of a 2-3 person jury of professors and professionals from the area, in order to prove that you have actually learned something in your studies. You arrive at your assigned time, pick three topics out of a box, business-related, ranging anywhere from business culture, strategy, politics with relation to business, management, etc. They are all fairly general so that, for example, a marketing student does not have to talk about finance. Out of the three random topics you have chosen, you pick one, and have an hour to prepare a 15-minute presentation about it. You cannot use any notes, computers, or anything, just your own brain! After the hour or preparation, you go into a different room and present for 15 minutes and then answer questions for 15 minutes. This is, in fact, a pretty nerve-racking ordeal because there is not much preparation time.

I completed my Grand Oral last Wednesday, and thankfully was allowed to do it in English. Yes, I probably could have done it in French, but with my degree on the line, I preferred to express myself in my native language. Some of the French students chastised us Americans for doing this since we are in France, but it’s not our fault that English is the language of business and that we had that option. Although we do not learn many languages in America, we are fortunate to at least know an important one!

The topic I chose was “Developpment Durable, vrai concept ou faux débat?” (Sustainable development, real concept, or false debate?). I think I presented well, organized, and was not too nervous, until the questions came along. Always the hardest part because you do not know what is coming. My jury consisted of one American professional, and one French professor. The French guy asked me most of the questions, first in relation to what I had presented, which went okay. Then he asked me about the Copenhagan climate summit (which happened in December), and about the politics and money allowances for sustainable development. Yikes! One, I knew the climate summit had happened but that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge about the conference. Then, he asked my what Mr. Obama had said at the summit. I had no idea. THEN, he proceeded to basically tell me how both Obama and China had not brought positive influence to the conference and the whole summit was pretty much a failure, and left me in sort of a place where I was supposed to defend what Obama had said. Uhhhhhh…..as gracefully as I could, I said, “I don’t know.” Dang, I just got grilled! My presentation was fine, aside from the fact that I focused mostly on the marketing side of sustainable development and not the political side (albeit important). I’m not too worried, because I actually stood up there and did it and all you need to do is pass, but I still felt slightly put off afterward. C’est la vie!

Princess Michelle--it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Château: Castle
Jardin: Garden

I have decided I would like to be a princess. Well, I guess I knew this all along, but after seeing where real princesses live, it reinforced my wishes.

Last weekend, Kate and I met her parents along their 3-week France tour in the Loire Valley to check out some castles. The Loire Valley is given its name because it lines the river Loire, and apparently was a great place to set up many castles. I would love to know the history of each, but the who and why of French history is quite confusing. Most often it seems, there was a King, corrupt or not, with a wife Queen from some other country, as well as a mistress or two, and lots of children with the same names. In general, you can call the European royalty, Henry, Louis, Mary, Elizabeth, Phillip, Catherine, Anne, and then they just start recycling names. This makes understanding family trees very difficult.

Kate and I first stopped in the city of Tours, where we spent an afternoon because we had to wait for her parents to drive down from the North of France. We saw a beautiful cathedral and then anxiously followed signs to see our first “château.” We almost passed this so-called castle in Tours looking for the real castle. Sadly, the first castle I would see ended up being a small tower and a square building. Ok, so I guess the real royalty didn’t set up in Tours. The town was quite cute regardless. We happened to stumble upon a bunch of pedestrian streets, which led to a great square called Place Plumereau. It was full of cafés and small shops, and with the sun shining; many people were sitting outside, enjoying an outdoor lunch. We stopped for some gelato (yes, that’s Italian) and took in the scene.

When Kate’s parents picked us up, we journeyed to the small town of Villandry, which contains the first beautiful castle I would see. What was even more impressive then seeing the giant castle were the immense gardens surrounding it. We were able to ascend to an area where you could get a view of the whole gardens. To the left was a giant a pond with a few swans gliding across. The pond was the source for a moat that cut through the gardens to the front of the castle. In front of us was the “love” garden area with bushes shaped as hearts filled with flowers of pink, blue, and purple. There was a herb garden, as well as a huge vegetable garden—I think this castle could feed the whole town, plus some! There was also a small maze, although the sign proclaimed that there were no dead ends, the point not being to get lost but to find your way to “enlightenment” or such when you reach the middle. It did not take me too long to find my way to enlightenment. Then I took a picture.

My Mom laughed at me when I said I could imagine myself as you know, a princess, walking through the gardens (circa 1700s) with whoever the prince of the day that was trying to woo me, trying to escape the prying eyes of all those who worked at the castle or who were concerned about the whereabouts of the princess. She thought I was silly.

The next day we went to Chenonceau, a castle that actually sits atop the Cher River, with archways as its supports. We took a tour of the castle, and learned a bit more history. The castle was mainly King Henri II’s, who married Catherine de Medici, and his mistress was Diane de Poitier. Apparently Catherine de Medici was quite a glutton and did not take too much care of her body, while Diane, even being 20 years older, was much more svelte and athletic. This would be an aspect that would lead Henri II to prefer the company of Diane. Catherine obviously had a lot of influence in the interior design of the castle, called for ornate “C’s” to be carved all over, the floors, in the ceilings, etc. Apparently the Queen was a bit of a voyeur as well, having holes drilled into her floor above Diane’s quarters so she could watch the King and his mistress. Hmmm. The gardens of this castle were not quite as immense as those of Villandry, but quite lovely all the same, also including vegetable and herb gardens, as well as a maze. Interestingly, the castle was used as a hospital during World War II, and also being between a German occupied and free area of France, it was often a commuter area for those of the resistance. Apparently the Germans threatened to destroy the castle, ammunition ready. Thankfully they did not!

There are many more castles I would like to see in the Loire Valley…I hope to venture back up there soon!