I had a great trip to the Luberon region last weekend. The area up there is just beautiful. I don't get out of the city much, so it's always great to get out into the country. We went to 3 different villages that dated back to the middle ages. We ate lunch on top of a huge hill with an old castle in it that overlooked the whole valley. Off the distance you could see the Alps. I've made friends with a group of Swedish students and have been hanging out with them a lot. On Saturday Roecker and I went went some of them to see a movie. Luckily, it was in English and French subtitles. We saw Cloud Atlas. It was pretty long and extremely confusing. When it ended, all of us were wondering what is was all about. I did well on all my midterms, they weren't too difficult. The weather is finally improving enough to wear just a T shirt. I registered for the semi-marathon her in Aix in May. Roecker and I have been training for a bit, getting ready for it. On Friday, I'm going with my class to Les Milles, a transit camp for Jews and other undesirables during World War Two. That should be exciting. I will definitely have pictures from that to put up.

Luberon region

 Village down in the valley

 Village graveyard

 Friday market

 Looking across the valley

 Authentic French lunch

 Remains of old castle

 Red clay village of Roussillon

 Memorial to the dead of both World Wars

It's been a while since I updated my blog. Sorry about that. It's been pretty relaxed since our last trip to Marseille. A few friends and I are going to run a half marathon here in Aix in May. Roecker and I have started training for it. It shouldn't be too bad except there happens to be a 300 meter high hill right in the middle of the course. That's gonna be rough. In other news, midterms have commenced. I've taken French, and I have Philosophy tomorrow. They're not too bad, though. The biggest thing, though, happened today. I went with a group of students to the American Consulate located in Marseille. Though technically it's not American soil, it wasn't France, and the American flag was being flown. That was enough for me. The biggest suprise was in one of the welcome rooms. Sitting on a pile of books was one entitled Nashville: Two Centuries of History. Needless to say it was great to read. We were there to meet with some French high school students who wanted to know more about what school was like in America. We had a great time. I always love talking with people about the differences between cultures. Leaving the consulate was terribly sad. I felt so at home there. But now I'm back in good 'ole France.

Had a good week back in school. As much as I didn't want to leave Prague, knowing that I was coming back to the beautiful south of France helped. The most memorable event this past week was on Thursday night. Some friends and I were downtown when we heard some guys talking with an American accent. We started talking to them, and they said that they were in the US Navy, and their ship, the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, was in port in Marseille. Turns out, they were all pilots. Fighter pilots to be precise. They flew the F-18F Super Hornet. They were part of VFA-103 "The Jolly Rogers", one of the most legendary squadrons in Navy history. Later, we ran into the rest of the squadron. Roecker and I were like little kids getting to meet Santa for the first time. On Saturday, Roecker and I took the bus to Marseille. We climbed to the top of the huge hill in town to see the Notre-Dame de la Garde. From there, you can see the entire city, which is a lot being that Marseille is the second biggest city in France. Using the binoculars, we were able to barely spot the ship way out in the distance. Using our expert distance estimation skills, we assumed it would be a 45 minute walk. We asked a cab driver how much it would be for a ride, but 20 euros was way to much for such a short walk. Two and a half hours later, we arrived at the carrier, just as the sun was starting to set. Turns out, the ship was a little further away than expected. Using my military ID and explaining who I was, I was able to get onto the pier right up against the ship. It was my first time ever being up close and personal to the pride of the American Navy. It was definitely something I won't ever forget. When I got back from the pier, I found Roecker attempting to translate between two sailors and a French cabby who spoke no English. He actually did a very decent job of it. We took a cab back to the downtown marina area, and from there, walked back to the bus station. It was a very long and tiring day. However, it was most definitely worth it.

 Flying over the Alps on the way back from Prague

 A street band playing on the Marina.

 Notre-Dame de la Garde

 Overlooking the 2nd biggest city in France

 Looking at the port

 Inside the Cathedral

 Marks left from the Liberation of Marseille in WW2

 Gives you an idea of how big the city is

 The small island is Chateau D'If from Counte of Monte Cristo

 The USS Eisenhower (CVN-69)

 F-18 Super Hornet of the Jolly Rogers on the deck of the carrier