Entry #2: 6/30/2013 1:00 PM
I would say the first part of this wild journey has largely been a success. I got on the airplane, went up and came down. Found the train, got on and got off. I met my host family, got in and got out of their car.
I was feeling good when my plane arrived early in Paris; however we had to wait an hour for an open gate to deboard. Finding baggage claim was a breeze and customs was overrated, but the train station was another story entirely. Due to my weak French on top of the unfamiliarity of a foreign place it took the better part of a half hour to find the “Guichet” where I waited in line for another half hour to purchase my “billet de train à Angers” while having a charming scattered English/French conversation with two Algerians. Somehow I reached the “Voie 6” ten minutes before my train departed. Now we’re racing across the French countryside.
France fulfills every fantasy of sleepy towns with ancient church steeples and quaint houses with orange roofs and white walls. It’s an idyllic setting that reminds me of storybooks and innocent wonder. It’s hard not to believe in the possibility of kings and queens, love at first sight, and happy endings when you are surrounded by such beauty and history. Especially considering France is famous for its intoxicating culture, divine cuisine, the scandalous bourgeoisie, and of course the setting of great love stories like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. It’s hopeless to resist the charms of France.
Bon voyage,
Sarah