A weekend that feels home - Nogent le Rotrou

Maybe I'm too lucky, or maybe I speak so much even knowing my french is not good enough, I simply is grateful to have make so many new adorable friends in France. Of all nationality, and also French, who people always described as "cool-non willing to speak english-small circle" ones. But this is not that true to my experience in this past few months.

I chatted with a french classmate two weeks before.
-Je vais revenir à Hong Kong en Février, mais il y a beaucoup de villes je n'ai visité pas encore ><
(I will be going back to HK in Feb, but there are so many cities I've not yet gone to) I usually start my conversation with my crappy french.
-Alors donc tu voudrais visiter ma ville? tu peux venir pour un weekend! My family will be happy to host you :) 
(Well so would you like to visit my city? You can come for a weekend! My family will be happy to host you) Yes most would answer in french, but some wouldn't mind switching to english even if they are not really good at it.
-Vraiment?! Tu est sûr?!
(Really?! You are sure?!)
-Oui oui c'est sûr! Tu peux!
(Yes yes it's true! You can!)

So in the next friday evening, I boarded the train to Nogent le Rotrou with my friend. I didn't let myself google how it looks like, because I would want to be amazed.

The Home
Arriving there at night, I was already hungry. An aged-looking car came to the station and there was my friend's mum. 
Nogent le Rotrou is a small town in the Perche (a geographical region) area of Normandie, and my friend's family lives in the countryside of the town. So basically a little bit far from town. On the way to his home, for the first time of my life I saw a moon so yellow and soooo low, dimly lighting up the grassy horizon. It was an elegant picture. Turning to the right was a sky full of stars, where I saw the Orion and Sirius.
I guess I was the only one in the car excitingly gazing out the windows, awing at the stunning sky.
It was a simple house, but with the welcome of a passionate big black dog as well as the decoration and furniture, I felt that it was a place that you would call "home".

The Family
After this weekend, I truly realized that language is not a barrier when you are willing to communicate. The parents don't speak english well, but they talk to me far more than an english-speaking french papa of a friend who I met one month ago. We talked about many things and at most times, from going out to eating to watching Ms France. 
On the sofa I sat lazily with my friend and his brother/father watching TV. 
At the kitchen bar I sat with my friend him using his computer me reading my favourite Tintin (in french) I found at his shelf. 
In the kitchen I made an apple crumble with my friend's maman. 
At the corridor I patted and hugged my friend's big cute dog who always followed me and asking me to do that again and again by lifting its right front paw.
I felt like being treated as a member of the family.
This meant a lot to me, as I had adapted to a life living far from my family. (And yea because I am those super-homesick-girl)

The Town
In the next morning, my friend drove me and his mother out to the town centre, where they brought me to some streets with shops and a traditional/christmas market. There I tried vin chaud and marrons. 
It is always double enjoyment to enjoy something with a friend than having the pleasure alone.
Just as a weekend walk a local would do, we walked into shops, tested perfumes, ate outside shops, looked at shopping windows.
This town is so small that my friend would always bump into people he knew. What a neighbourhood.

The Meals
WARNING: THIS IS THE EXTRAORDINARY PART OF THE TRIP!!!
I couldn't feel more grateful when a lovely mum knew that you were leaving soon, AND that you loved food, AND that there were still so many french food you hadn't tried, AND SO SHE TRIED TO FILL YOUR MEALS WITH DIFFERENT- TYPICAL-FRENCH-DELICIOUS FOOD!

The Drive
It was just a short Saturday afternoon, and my friend decided to drive me around the place. He told me in fact there wasn't much to show me, but to me the road and the views were already the nicest for a zero-stress weekend. 
Between the fields, we drove on curvy roads he loved. There we could see agriculture fields, wild grassland, mountains far-away. I also met cow grazing, birds flying, and even, for the first time of my life again, a young wild deer lightly jumping across the road and disappeared into the woods. 

These were the scenes I never found at home. Only a land with such capacity could create an environment like this.

The Walk
We didn't stay in the car at all times. My friend brought me to some big manors where the lords once lived. We also arrived at a national park where there were walkways on slopes and paths into the wood. I didn't forget to pick some collection from the earth, even my friend helped me with that haha. 

The last stop was the castle, where we walked around it while my friend told me about the role-play treasure-hunting game he once played with kids from the town. I wished I could be in that game, dressing up like a medieval-times girl and have a feast with the lord.

This weekend was short, but I enjoyed it fully.
And then I realized: the best times you could find at a far away place is the time you feel so welcomed that it touches your heart.

À Paris - Back to the Seine

Moving from the rive droite to the rive gauche, from one side of the Seine to the other side, changed my daily route. 
In the beginning, every day I took the metro line 1 to Louvre-Rivoli, walked past one side of the Louvre, along the Seine until I can cross the river by Pont des Arts, took a glance at the typical antique bookstores at the left bank, and arrived school. 
Now, I leave home and walk past a supermarket until I get to the station Bibliotheque Francois M., take the RER C to Saint-Michel Notre Dame, change to metro line 4, arrive at Saint Germain des Pres, take a walk on the narrow street, and arrive school.
That's how, for a long time, I haven't seen and been near the Seine.
And it's funny how one fails to notice the one part of her original every-day Parisian life is missing.

Wednesday after class, it was only 4h30 and the rare blue sky told me it was not a good idea to go home right away. I felt the urge of taking a walk around the place, just as before.
I also realized, in a sudden, that the Seine has been missing in my life. The area in Paris which I adore the most.

Not fearing the cold, I went out of the school and turned left for the first time in a long time. 
Once again I stepped onto the pavement of the river bank. The picture looked different now. The bright contrasting colour of the trees and sky had faded, leaving a slightly grey scale behind. However still, this was the place which I loved so much. 
I walked past the green tin boxes and up the wood panels of the bridge. I was walking in the pair of antique high heels which I love.

The view from the bridge: towards the two bank sides, towards the Pont Neuf, towards the islands, towards the open sky. Once again fascinating me.

Continuing walking as how I would do before, I arrived at the Rue de Rivoli. I decided not to enter the metro, but continued to revisit and explore.

new exploration-palais royal

There are enchanted spaces in the city where you would love to walk in again and again.

There are fragments of the city that you would never want to forget.

To me, this is where the magic of Paris is.＊

À Paris - 那個簡單的星期六

那個星期六
早上起來
感覺很悠閒。
結果也很悠閒地過了一天。

早上煮了一個english breakfast，蘑菇蕃茄香腸，當然少不了一隻煎蛋。
但彷彿還不夠，有點想出去走走。都已經10h30了，卻突然想起一直想去找家boulangerie買我的第一條新鮮baguette，又記起了這個家的爸爸推薦過附近一家。所以二話不說，出門是也。
走到了那條不遠的大街，一看就知道是哪一家，最多人在排隊買法包的就是了。
在那家一走進去就包香撲鼻的boulangerie，原來有五種baguette，聽完師傅的說明，我便決定要了傳統baguette。
"Je voudrais une baguette traditionelle.""Merci."
拿著我第一把法式長劍回家，好有巴黎人的感覺呀～～

在大廈lobby偷偷咬了一口，又香又脆太好吃了！（不要忘記我一直以法包的硬度為懼）回家拿出百搭無敵的Nutella，加在一起真是很美妙。吃掉了三份一條，其餘的就留給晚餐和第二天早上吧。
吃了那麼多早餐，算是飽了一整天。

下午都是在家工作，就是那種不疾不徐的步伐。
就這樣到了黃昏。

給自己弄個晚餐，一邊繼續工作，一邊等著八時三十分。
八時三十分
完工
關了電腦
去雪櫃拿一杯yogurt
坐到電視前
看我唯一看過也想繼續看的節目﹣Danse avec les Stars

總決賽最令人興奮~

很輕鬆地看電視加吃甜點（呵呵），又一邊跟也在看的朋友message一下，真是嘆。
看完？當然睡覺去吧。

法式一天。

摩洛哥 (一)

小學的時候 表姐送了我一本書 <牧羊少年奇妙之旅>

是一個關於尋寶的故事

其中之一個情節是講主角賣光了手上的羊 坐船的非洲去

就在我葡萄牙的工作的最後一兩個星期

起了搭船到非洲的念頭

先是到馬德里 再乘八小時巴士到西班牙的南端 - 台里發

再由台里發坐船到摩洛哥北部港口 - Tangier

Last view of Tarifa

十四公里的直布羅陀海峽 分隔著兩個截然不同的世界

剛到步 發覺街上行人甚少 商户關門 原來是齋戒月
人們在太陽下山之前都不吃不喝
聽當地人說 如果被人看見在公眾地方飲食可能會惹禍 (i.e. 被囚禁一晚 不知道他是不是誇張了)
而且人們因為不能吃喝 太辛苦 所以都不會工作
...well

和所有摩洛哥城市一樣 Tangier有著摩登的市區和非常摩洛哥的舊城區

而舊城區往往包含一座要塞

舊城區有好多(流浪/野放)貓 用來捉老鼠

市區一座波斯風格的清真寺 波斯風格的塔比較修長

我估應該是"STOP" Sign

摩洛哥薄荷茶
蜂蜜薄荷綠茶 在摩洛哥很常見

有幸被沙發主人(我是沙發客) 邀請到他外婆家吃"breakfast" (break-fast)
外婆家在舊城區的深處
是非常非常傳統的一間房子
我想...我應該忘了拍照 或者是把相片刪了
明明應該有一張和他外公的合照

秋涼 Porto

又一次，來到Porto，那個讓我在八月灑了不少汗的美麗Porto。那時我還在想這城市會不會是我這半年見過最美的地方，也在想會不會再來。
結果，學校看上了這個靜靜坐落一角的小城市。

天氣涼了，但陽光依然。然而，夏天和秋天的太陽顯得有點不同，空氣中的塵粒在秋天的陽光下讓空氣蓋上了一層不靜止的薄紗。
我跟自己說，這一次要有新發現。我要在Casa da Musica那個前後有兩面大玻璃的音樂廳聽一場認真的concert，要去酒窖品嚐上一次沒試過的葡酒，要去那個聽說很大很美的Parque da Ciudade。

另一個不同是這次不是自己一個人，一行幾十個建築學生一起鬧著嚷著地來。
或許這次的Porto會是完全另一個模樣。

The library that inspired the one in the Harry Potter series

鴨仔團
第一件事是脫離那很浪費時間而且不是享受城市的「坐地鐵點到點跑checkpoint鴨仔團」。原本還在很認真地想聽老師說解，但在聚精會神腦袋極速理解法語的時候，就已經完全錯過看這個地方的美和生活。而且動不動坐地鐵，應該是來Porto最錯的事。拿著每人一本的Porto check point簡介，我和朋友決定自己安排行程，包括學校沒有安排但其實不得不去的地方。
我要好好enjoy這第二次的Porto。

遊客明顯少了很。多。，晚上六七點就已經街上空蕩蕩。雖然如此，美麗的風光仍在，沒有了夏季的活力，卻添了秋天的浪漫典雅。

秋天了

玻璃杯中的學問
第一件上次沒做的事，這次終於嘗了。和香港的同學離開了大隊，第一個黃昏到河的對岸參觀葡酒酒窖。目的只為幾口葡酒，但嘗酒前得走一趟guided tour。資深的銷售員帶著英文團僅有的4人，細心講解了不同葡酒的製作，有問必答。
白提子和紅提子皆在Duoro河上游出產，施壓和加入whisky後在steel can中沿河道運來Porto，然後才入不同大小的oak wood酒桶，待長時間的釀製開始。不同年份，大小，歷史的酒桶，不同的酒瓶，不同的放置方法，不同的mixing，所有的步驟釀出不一樣的酒。
聽過不少學問後，才品嘗已經準備好的幾杯酒，真的別有一番感覺，起碼知道自己口中的液體從何而來。聽過嘗過才驚嘆神奇（Port White, Port Ruby, Port Tawny)，一邊喝一邊就在說「真的耶，真的像那個guide說的那樣耶～！」
真是一個少見多怪的人。

Parque da Cidade
第二件上次沒有做的事，去那個聽說很大很美的Parque da Cidade公園。在海灘旁，但因為上次要趕著去海邊而只擦身而過。一大片的草地，即使天氣都這樣了仍然是綠油油一片。山坡起伏著，那片綠就一直延伸著去，右邊有一個湖，左邊有一條步道。人不多，看起來更清新更動人。
夏天來的人一定會在這裏野餐而且在草地上滾動。

仍舊那道橋，仍舊那條河，仍舊那片海
Ponte Luis I，仍舊穩固地豎立在兩個陡峭的山坡中間。仍舊，橋頂的風光是那麼美；看見那放滿房子的兩岸，依舊會讚歎這自然和人造的溫柔的融合。
橋下的Duoro河，沒有上次歡樂戲水的小孩和狗，但運送葡酒的船還泊岸，在夕陽下美意沒有減少，反有一點在安靜伴著兩岸生活的感覺。或許在背景加點Fado音樂更美。
又到了上次那個海灣，在強烈的秋風下，其實只想極離速開，但遠處看見那個隨風變動的"She changes" installation，又真的覺得要靜止幾秒來多看一眼。
海鳥沒有減少，仍舊成群地在上空盤旋。

Orquestra Sinfonica do Porto Casa da Musica

最後一件好想好想做的事，就是到Casa da Musica的Sala Suggia看一場concert。
一晚前上網看節目schedule，一天前去買票，在最後一個晚上和幾個朋友去看了一場專屬Casa da Musica的樂團的表演。
Alexei Matchavariani - Suite sinfonica da opera Hamlet
Jean Sibelius - Suite no.1 de The Tempest, op.109 no.2
Jean Sibelius - Suite no.2 de The Tempest, op.109 no.3
Dmitri Chostakovitch - Suite da musica para o filme Hamlet
這個音樂廳的一個特別是所有的座位價錢一樣；第二個特別是她前後兩面牆都是一片大大的玻璃；第三個特別是我在上場坐在樂團的前面，下半場我卻走了去樂團的背面，choir stand的地方坐。
從那裏，我看見觀眾聽音樂的神情，有托著頭的，有表情專注的，有總是在和旁人耳語的，有跟著音樂微微搖頭的。

我也可以清楚看見指揮，這是最感動我的。
那個身前一個抱著一個大球的指揮，全情投入在音樂中，時而神情輕鬆，時而激動地臉都脹紅。他讓我想起已經很久沒有在choir中，看著都是表情多變的conductor，一起make music。
記得當時，每一次上台，開始唱前指揮總會掃視一次每一位團員，然後一個眼神和一舉手，音樂就來了。開始了流動，就不能在中間停止，直到最後一個餘音都落下大家才能從那投入中回過神來。音樂就是那樣神奇，能帶動你每一個神經，每一個呼吸。
在看台上，清清楚楚聽得見指揮的呼吸聲，我知道他即使不是在唱歌，但連運氣呼吸都被音樂牽引。他必定是有時閉著氣不敢打擾音樂的流動。
也突然懷念起以音樂為傲的SPCC的morning assembly，不用花一分一毫，就經常有樂團或solo演出。雖然說不上職業級專業，但帶著熱愛音樂的態度的指揮和團員真的是在傾力奏音樂。當中也有令不少人羨慕和讚歎的很富天賦的同學演出。
雖然不是太有關係，但我也想起了一篇作文。是上年過身的劉老師在中學時給的作文，我忘了題目是甚麼，但我寫的是一個指揮家如何在演出的回憶上找回忠於自我的理想。我還記得一點點當時我如何從想像描寫指揮家的一舉手一提足，便嘗試在這場音樂會的指揮家身上觀察，看自己當時寫得是否神似。（真的好掛念劉老師）

這次Porto之旅比上次長，有朋友一起大笑大叫，在城市中穿來走去，享受的過程很不一樣。
Porto，仍然是那麼引人入勝。

Barcelona 再遇陽光與海（四）

涼風起
幸運的我來了幾天都是好天氣，今天卻起涼風了，早上時太陽也沒那麼猛。最後一天，和朋友出發上我們說好了的Montjuic山。唔知頭唔知路，我們走上了纜車，慢慢被吊上山。比起海洋公園的，這矮得多。總算上了去，迎來是不留情的寒風。

在山頂的那個舊城牆上拍了很多照，為了留下巴塞的全景。朋友更特意今天穿上他引以為傲的Messi球衣，在巴塞和大海前留影。
向山下走，我們倆可是完全不知道在往哪裡去，只管有路便行。盲中中地來到了奧運場館，也經過了美麗的Catalan藝術館。

今天沒有很豐富的行程，卻是吹了很多水和風。

超平Paella
已經被風吹得累死的我們，肚子也餓了，下了山後便只管一個勁走到今天早上自見的餐廳。餐廳門口那個說5歐一個套餐的牌子成功地令我們忘不了這裏。5歐：一個Paella＋兩片烤麵包＋飲品＝騙人啦，太抵了吧！雖然那個paella的質素完全地比不上之前吃過的，但這5歐換來的我們倒很滿足。

回家了
在家裏再多坐個幾小時就要走。我們兩個都累得不想再外出。
離開前，朋友焗了一個即食pizza兩份吃，讓我不致餓死機上。

在車站我和朋友說了再見，這個在忙於遊走世界讀書實習的足球迷不知何時才再回香港見大家呢。再次坐上aerobus往巴塞機場，check in 過關 security check 去廁所 排隊上機 放好行李 扣好安全帶 起飛 
巴塞的夜景不錯，到了巴黎上空看這個city of light也覺得不錯，但都比不上香港那璀璨夜景。

巴黎夜景

Barcelona 再遇陽光與海（三）

DAY 3﹣Modernity Walk
Avenue Diagonal
今天朋友要上班，早上五點就出門了。所以今天主要是一個人旅行，黃昏才回家找他吃飯。
一個人旅行就是對自己不會太好的，早餐不吃了，直接走上地鐵往一個在巴黎認識的巴賽人介紹的22@區。也稱為Districte de la innovacio的22@區是一個中央商業區，沿著一條Avenue Diagonal的大街走走走走走到盡頭，就將會是海邊。
從地鐵站出來，想不到第一眼看見的就是那個「大青瓜」Torre Agbar。在街上轉來轉去，真的走新了很多新奇有型的建築物。
Barcelona Pavilion，Torre Diagonal Zero，Forum Building，Comision del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones，Museo de Can Framis，Media TIC等等。

外星人公園
今天星期日，因此商業區中差不多沒有人，看來也不是遊客勝地，只有Avenue Diagonal才有人。這裏跟Rambla一樣，兩旁行人路中有兩條馬路，馬路中間有兩條tram way，tram way中間有一條寬闊的步道。有人散步，有人慢跑，有人踏單車，有人坐著看報紙。從Avenue Diagonal的尾走向他的頭途中，經過了幾個公園。好奇的我走入去看了一看，卻一頭霧水。因為裏面主要是一上奇怪的裝置和雕塑，沒有太多可供遊玩的設施，是讓外星人玩的嗎？

又是海了
走了很久，終於來到Avenue Diagonal 0號，就是海邊的Forum Building。其實我較喜歡第一天的那個海港，因為這個地方有點空。而且這裏比水平線高得多，你會看天多於看海。但也不要緊，這幾天的這裏天和海都那麼藍，那麼晴。

我的year 2 sem 2 設計成真

回到「過去」
走上metro回到屬於「過去」的市中心，今天要走的是Born district，也是那個巴塞朋友介紹的。還未吃午餐，但最後也只是吃了個tartes，然後就去了每個月第一個星期日免費的Museo Picasso。想回來，之前在巴黎就一直注目於Monet和一點點Van Gogh，我還未好好認識大師Picasso。
之前在Musee d'Orangerie知道了Picasso不是一開始就在玩他的Cubism，而是有「正常」的階段和Blue and Rose period，而之後也有Classicism 和 Surrealism。
以前就無知地覺得他這種自顧自畫而不讓人看懂的畫家「很自私」，現在卻發現是一種實驗藝術。這裏的收藏不少，個人覺得Picasso可能越老越有童心，也可能是他已經到了一個很高的層次。他為Las Meninas做的一系列cubism畫實在太令我喜歡了，還有他胖胖的pigeons們 :)

有興趣者請wiki Las Meninas (Picasso)

Passeig de Born

最後一個tapas晚餐
回到家的窗下，像羅密歐地叫了一聲朋友的名字（幸好今天一整天沒說過話，我那近乎不能發聲的喉嚨竟能響亮地叫）。休息一會，我們去了之前吃早餐的Ciudad Condal吃tapas晚餐。該是我這半年最後一餐tapas，因為去了西班牙六個地方都很足夠了。除了精美的tapas，我們還試了同學推介的Clara（一種檸檬味的啤酒），果然不錯！