I swear Heaven is in a jar of Nutella, Euphoria in a crepe. Also, Gee Golly Do i love street performers!

Do you doubt?

et Voila! I present to you one of the best Crepes in town. Sitting smack dab in the middle of Cours Mirabeau (the main street) is this nice little crepe cart.

While walking on the Cours Mirabeau, I stumbled across a wonderful street performance. There was a man standing next to a suitcase, bicycle, and red wagon, pulling various contraptions out of a giant jumbled mess next to his bike. People were already starting to form in a circle around him. My curiousity was piqued and I decided to stick around. A portly man made crepes behind me with his shirt hanging open over his hairy gut and a smoldering cigar dancing on the side of his mouth threatening to drop its ashes into the crepe he was making at the time. When i looked back at the man and his crepes, he was pouring a fair amount of malibu rum over the nutella then folding it all into the crepe. yes, france is amazing.

i took a video of the street performer but its too big to post here. Here are some photos:






I love the never ending supply of street performers here. Yesterday i was watching a juggler/mime/avant guard theatre performance that was drawing a giant crowd and left me laughing for quite a while. Also, i have learned that there is a never ending supply of beautiful people here. I think theres a factory that turns them out...i must find this factory.


Im leaving for Germany tomorrow. This is going to be an adventure and a half. Expect tons of photos and adventure stories as soon as i can acquire them and post them online. We don't know where we're sleeping and don't have any travel plans....all we know is that we somehow must get to munich for one of the world's greatest festivals: Oktoberfest. I go there a hairy boy, and will return a hairy man (with a beer gut).

ps- my apartment has been fixed for a few weeks now and i am loving living there. I can't believe i've been here for more than a month already....




*This is an old blog that i never posted....sorry for the tardiness!

have skype? If not, you should get it.

All you folks who don't have skype should get it asap and then chat with me.
Download it at skype.com

Then, Add me as your contact. You can search me under Saqibtravels. Do it. Now.



Also, Im pretty sure that Gelato is a gift from god.



I know. It brings a tear to my eye too.

1st day of preparatory Language classes!!

Today was my first day of class through my preparatory language program and it was amazing! The program is designed to be an intensive refresher course in French as well as a preparation program for attending French university. The school is so beautiful (see pictures from previous posts) and is a wonderful place to study. Classes only go from 8-noon, which allows me plenty of time to mischief throughout the rest of the day. I tested into a lower level than I expected but am now beginning to appreciate starting back at the beginning and working on the basics of the language (something I never put too much time into). This first test has no major consequences attached to it but there will be another test at the end of the program that will dictate what courses I can take through the university. That's the one I will have to really work my butt off on. The class I am in is made up of a few folks from my group and a few Japanese students who are also studying abroad here. I'll be in this program for another month, then will take another test to see which level of classes i can take through the University. I am hoping that I make it to the 3rd level so I can take some of the more specialized french courses rather than just piling on Grammar and phonetic courses. I am also considering going through with a specialized French diploma program through the University. This diploma wouldn't effect my major program back at Humboldt but would allow me a real diploma in French from this University (something I could always put on my resume). The down side to getting the diploma is that its a much bigger course load with more homework and much more tests. I'll have to figure this one out soon.

Im getting antsy to travel. I think I smell a trip to Paris and beyond coming up soon.

Im writing this from an awesome english pub i found here in AIX. They serve burgers. BURGERS!!!! It's really hard to find a good burger joint here, and in Bulldogge's I have found just that. Its heavenly!

me, a new apartment and a wicked shit demon

The system backed up....the septic system is backed up to all hell. I haven't even used the toilet yet and the system backed up. Apparently it isn't just my apartment but also the one next to me....AHHHH!!!!

I'll spare you the graphic details but suffice it to say that there is feces coming out of the shower drain.....and it isn't even mine!!! I haven't even been able to used my toilet yet! I spent my first night in the apartment with both windows wide open as well as all sorts of scented candles and incense burning all over. I woke up at night afraid that a giant shit demon (a la Dogma) was festering in my bathroom coming out to attack me! Apparently the 400 year old pipes are finicky and harbor monsters.

The landlord moved me into another apartment across the hallway and has promised me that everything will be cleaned up and back to normal by Wednesday. I certainly hope so. It makes me sad that the apartment is so nice but this problem is so putrid. Oh well, all should be well by the middle of the week.