J'aime La Plage

I love the beach! Some friends and I took a much needed break from the city this weekend (I know...I know... it's Paris! And as much as I love Paris, it can grate on the nerves just like any other city). We took a vacation from our vacation and it was incredible! Eight of us headed down to the french Mediterranean cost to an old port town called Marseille. It was also the main setting for the book/movie the Count of Monte Cristo. In fact, the prison Edmond Dantes was housed in, the Chateau d'If is located on an island just off the coast of Marseille! Our train left Paris late Friday night. Most of us dozed off during the 3 hour train ride. So, when I heard very rapid french being spoken over the loud speaker and caught the word "depart," two of my friends and I grabbed our bags and headed off the train.  Luckily, my friend had left her cell phone in the train and a french woman brought it to us outside. I did not see any signs that said Marseille, so to be sure I asked her if we were there. "No!!! " she cried.  We did not realize that our train had more than one stop. Luckily we quickly hopped back on the train before it took off and after a lot of laughter and humiliation, made it safely to Marseille around 1 am. Our hostel was located right by the train station which was very convenient.  I was a little nervous about staying in a hostel for the first time, but it was actually a really cool experience.  It was nice to interact with other travelers from around the world.  After what felt like no sleep, we began our first day in Marseilles.  After grabbing our metro pass and some breakfast, we headed down to the old port which is the central hub of the town.  From there we decided that we all wanted to spend the day at the beach.  After what was hands down the most beautiful bus ride of my life (cliffs on one side, Mediterranean Sea on the other) we found a nice beach.  There was a restaurant that had beach chairs and umbrellas on a private section of the beach.  They had a deal where you could get a chair for the day, drinks, and lunch.  I had a salad with duck, chicken, and french fries with local herbs.  It was so delicious.  That night we went to a seafood restaurant. All of the ingredients caught fresh! We went to a pub for some drinks and then headed back to the hostel for the night.  The next day we split up and had another day of exploration.  Some people went on a boat tour but with my motion sickness, I chose to further explore the beach. After having an amazing dinner at an italian restaurant, we all reluctantly boarded our late night train back to Paris. None of us wanted to leave! But we all left with tans (or sunburn), beautiful pictures (to follow once my computer cooperates), and memories that will last a lifetime! It is hard to believe that I only have 11 days left in Paris.  I will have very busy days to make sure that I accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish while here! I love it over here and I love the amazing new friends I have made but I am also ready to see my family and all of my friends from back home. I am sure the rest of my trip is going to fly by, but I promise not to take a single second of it for granted. I have found a lot of excellent quotes about traveling, but I think this is the one I can relate to most right now. "Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."-Miriam Beard