Toulon!

So. France. It's still a bit hard to believe that I am actually here, but alas, me voici. It is just wonderful. For those of you who actually read this blog and don't know, I will be spending the next two months as a volunteer with this government-funded organization called "Les Petits Freres des Pauvres" (the little brothers of the poor... random, I know). Basically it's an organization that helps elderly people be not so lonely. So I will be spending a lot of time here with the wonderful elderly population of Toulon. It's gonna be great.

Toulon. It's this beautiful little naval city on the Mediterranen coast (the 4th largest city on this coast), and it is just great. I am super excited to get to know the city and just be able to walk around here every day! 

Here are some pictures from my first day:

Jacqueline and I both just can't get over apartment buildings here, with all their wrought iron work. Whoever thought of that was brilliant.

Pain et Chocolat. Really the best two reasons to come to France.

This is in Old Town. Tell me that isn't adorable how they have those lights strung up between the buildings? I almost died. 

This is... some old church. Okay, I just looked it up. It's the Toulon Cathedral, and it was built in the 11th century. Can you believe that?! that means that it's like 900 years old, give or take a few. Blows my mind.

Not sure what this building is (probably like the chamber of commerce or something), but we thought that it was funny how it had a beehive on the front there. 

This is the opera house. It's the second largest opera house in France! After the one in Paris, of course, and built by the same guy. 

A close-up

Jacqueline:

Some other cool building. Let's be honest, I have no idea what any of these buildings are, but they are just so beautiful! 

This is la place de la liberte. It's like down the street from the Local. I seriously can't get over how people just live here, every day, and walk across this beautiful square, every day, and see these beautiful fountains and look at all this beautiful architecture. EVERY DAY! It's crazy! I might never come home...

Some buildings around the 'hood:

A park, which was closed, obviously, so I don't know what this whole "day and night" stuff was about...

Jacqueline in front of the Local (you have to be saying this the French way to really get the same word. Say it with me, "low-cal." There we go). 

Um... this is a building near the harbor. It could be a museum. Not sure yet. 

The harbor!

A statue of ... someone... on the harbor. 

After this little tour, we met up with some of the other people from the Local for dinner at this pizza place overlooking the harbor. It was just so funny to be there among a group of French people, pretending to fit in. Let's be honest though, Jacqueline and I have already cultivated our "dumb American girl" reputations, and so far we are doing a stand-up job of upholding them. I definitely need to get back into the French-speaking swing of things. Until then, most of what comes out of my mouth is meaningless. I am also struck, for about the thousandth time, by how completely different I am from the rest of the world. No alcohol, no smoking, no swearing, no immodest clothes, etc, etc. We are just so bizarre here. And hanging out with a bunch of French people definitely makes me feel out of place. At least they were all nice, and the pizza was deeelish. So no complaints there!

From left to right: Melanie, Jacqueline, Kevin, me, Guillaume, Jennifer, Julien

My pizza. Creme fraiche, egg, ham. My fave!

After dinner, we all got some ice cream. Jacqueline made me try her lavender-flavored ice cream, which just seems insane to me, but what the heck. I have a feeling that that ice cream place and I are going to be great friends. 

All in all, it was a pretty excellent first day in Toulon!