Distance: None (27km around the city, though.)
Country: France
Song of the Day: Thank You - Led Zeppelin
Well it turns out sleeping in a bed with some dude I had just met wasn't all that weird. I slept well. No wrestling with the covers. No accidental spooning. It all worked out well. We did get rousted out by the manager who was telling us it was checkout time.
John and I headed back to the hostel to see if they had rooms. Nope, but they did know of another place that did. It was about 7km away though. I was going to head over there right away, but John needed to do some stuff online first. So we hung out at the hostel for a bit. We also saw Julian again. She was coming to Thanksgiving with us. We were all going to head off and do other things, but we made plans to meet up later. John had to see a doctor and get some cash. He ran off to check the ATM, but I didn't see him after that. John, if you are out there, best of luck man!
Me, I went across town and checked in at the hostel. Not the best one I have ever been to. But it was a place to stash my stuff. With that done I decided to see the town. Actually, I really wanted to see the Chataeu D'If. This was featured in the the book The Count of Monte-Cristo. One of my favorite books. The island/prison itself isn't all that impressive. It isn't a huge prison set high on a cliff. It is just a little fortress on a rocky island just outside of the harbor. Still, it was cool to see. And it reminded me of how much I liked the book.
So I next set off around the city too look for it, but in French. I am really trying to learn French and I figured I could also start trying to read. That might help me understand the language more. We will see. I went to three stores before I found the book. So 7 euro later I had the book. This may be one of the dumber things I have purchased on the trip. I don't know really when I am going to read it. Nor do I actually read French. Hell, I had a hard enough time explaining what I wanted to the shop keepers. Plus it is something water sensitive that I will be carrying around. Still, if it works, it would be great for two reasons. I have always wanted to read books in their original language. Second, I will actually know French. At least a little bit.
With my sightseeing trip done, I had some running around to do. First a quick shower. Next, a stop at the store for some potatoes and yams. Then it was over to Andrew's place. Of course I ran out of minutes on my phone, so I couldn't call anyone to let them know I had arrived. So this took another 20 minutes while I ran around trying to find a place to buy minutes. So it was fifteen to eight before I got inside. Fortunately dinner was still in the process of being made. So I hadn't missed it.
The hosts were Andrew and his two roommates David and Mohamed. Most of the people there were Americans who were teaching english in Marseilles. There were also a few people from france, a girl from the Czech republic, and a guy from Canada. Oh, plus Julian and I. Mohamed
had the most interesting nationality. He was of Lebonese ancestry, but born in Africa and had a British Pasport. So there was quite a diverse gaggle of people there.I really can't say enough about what a fun time it was though. The food was great. Especially considering that the I don't think anyone there had actually prepared a Thanksgiving meal before. Because there was only one tiny stove/oven, the food came out in waves, I was eating off a paper plate with a plastic fork, and the turkey was really three chickens, but it was still amazing. It all tasted great and I really haven't been full like that in quite a while. That is part of the point of thanksgiving right? All finished off with a round or two of pie. Mmmmm. I can't ask for anything more.
Plus the conversation was great. You really do meet all sorts of amazing people while out traveling. They tend to be, obviously, more worldly than the average. So the conversation ranged among all sorts of topics. It was funny. It was serious. It was wonderful. I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning with everyone. It wasn't the same as being back home. Still, it did feel like Thanksgiving, which I am grateful for. I can't express how much having a little American tradition on the road mean to me. So to Andrew, Mohamed and David, thanks for having me over. To Grace and Jessica thanks for coordinating the food preparation. To everyone who was there, thanks. It really was a fantastic time. Keep in touch.
-Dravis
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