Andorra, the Land of Waiting

Andorra: The name alone conjures visions of an enchanted land from some fantasy novel featuring wizards and dragons and creatures that are half man-half something with hooves. When you you say it, it's always in hushed tones, as if being whispered from the depths of a mystical forest. And, if you're anything like me, it might as well be a fictional place because you have no idea where it is.

It's here, and I promise it's a real country! Well, technically it's a tax-free principality, but who cares?

Jason suffers from crippling wanderlust, and is constantly on the hunt for his next fix, which is how we ended up booking a weekend of snowboarding in a country we knew literally nothing about. I didn't even know what the official language was until we got there and everything was written in this strange mash-up of all Romance languages. But with my fluency in French and Spanish (once upon a time), we knew we could figure it out.

We rented a car and dragged our buddy Rick out of bed on Friday morning so we could get an early start. It's about a four-hour drive and the last hour is straight up a mountain. Certainly not a problem for Jason after our epic adventure driving through the Alps in August, but we were a little concerned about the conditions in winter. Lucky for us, people who live in the mountains know how to deal with snow and the roads were pretty clear.

As per the usual, Jason had meticulously researched everything in advance and decided the best town for us to stay in was Pas de la Casa: Close proximity to lifts, good variety of slopes, lots of places to eat and drink, and cheap accommodations. For someone who isn't much of a life planner, he sure does a good job planning vacations.

When we arrived in town, our first task was to find parking. No easy feat as the small city roads were a bit less plowed and, more precarious still, jammed with people ambling about in their ski suits. Sidewalks? Who needs them! Moving out of the way as cars are skidding down the hill? No, thanks! We parked the car and didn't even think about moving it for the next three days.

Next step: Check in to the hotel. It was a little after 4pm (we stopped in Toulouse for lunch) but we couldn't pick up the keys until after 5. No problem. We'll have a drink and come back. A round of 2€ pints later, we went back to the office, which was now packed with other guests trying to check in. It would seem that in 2014, when we have access to things like the internet and computers, getting people checked in to a hotel would be a relatively quick and easy process.

FALSE!

Check in was a 50-minute ordeal, not only because there was a lot of unnecessary filling out of forms by hand, but because the people working at the desk didn't actually know how to do their jobs. They couldn't take our payment for the balance of the room because they didn't know how to operate the credit card machine. They didn't know which key to give us because they didn't know how to read the registry. They took countless phone calls in the middle of handling our reservation and then forgot what we were doing when they finally got back to us. Ça me fait chier but at least we had a great view from our room.

After getting settled, we grabbed some dinner, watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games and ended up back at Paddy's Irish Bar (not to be confused with Paddy's Irish Pub) for drinks/pool/darts with all the other English-speaking people in town. We didn't get too cranked up, though, because we had an epic day of snowboarding in our very near future!

Bazooka-sized pepper grinder

Paddy's Irish Bar

We got up at 9 and started suiting up for our day on the slopes. Rick already had his own gear but Jason and I were renting from a place up the street. Again, this was a long and annoying process. Better than checking in to the hotel but it still took a lot more time that we anticipated. It was already 10:30 and we were wasting precious snow time! Time to get lift tickets. Holy shit, there's an endless line for this too? Couldn't you install some kiosks and get these things dispensed on the quick?

It was after 11 by the time we got to the slopes and, I'm sure you saw it coming, there was a massive line to get on the lifts. That's not even true. There was no line, just an insane mass of people clamboring all over each other, trying to get through the metro-like turnstiles to get on the lift. Who thought it was a good idea to make people on skis and snowboards to go through turnstiles?!?!?

It was pushing noon by the time we got to the top of the mountain, and we were so eager to just get a run in, that we (I?) kind of forgot that Jason didn't really know how to snowboard. We had been one other time in Virginia about two years ago and he spent most of the day falling down the mountain on his ass and nearly gave up. He had figured it out by the end but I suppose it's not really one of those "just like riding a bike" activities. Oops.

Moments before a face full of snow

He took a real hard fall on the very first run down the mountain, shattering his sunglasses and maybe even giving him a shade of a concussion. The teacher in me kicked in and I offered to stay with him on his next run and remind him how this whole thing works. We had to grab lunch in the middle of it since we forgot to eat breakfast in our haste to get on the mountain and Jason was getting hangry.

A couple more coaching runs before I left Jason to practice a bit and joined Rick on some of the tougher slopes. Suddenly the rage from waiting in long lines and Andorran inefficiency melted away. It's hard to be angry when you feel like you're ascending into heaven. The views could not have been more spectacular. I didn't bring a camera, because I don't really have one, so you'll just have to trust me. It was breathtaking. (All photo credits to Rick)

The lines started thinning out as they were able to open more lifts and we had four solid hours of uninterrupted snowboarding on longest, most beautiful runs I have ever seen. And, though the hoards of people everywhere would suggest otherwise, it wasn't even that crowded. I could carve all the way across the mountain and back without worrying about cutting someone off. GLORIOUS.

There are no lights on the slopes in Andorra so the lifts shut down at 5, which was about as long as our muscles could hold out anyway. Just like last time, Jason was really starting to get good toward the end but we were all too tired and too sore to go out again on Sunday. Now that we know what to expect, we can do things smarter next time.

We considered checking out some of the other towns in Andorra on our way out but traffic was miserable and we decided to just head back to Bordeaux. We wanted to swing through Toulouse for lunch again but the GPS took us on some crazy route up and over this mountain and the turn we were supposed to make would have had us driving through a snowbank. Technology fail. It was very pretty but no one really likes driving up and down icy mountain roads, especially when you haven't eaten. We ended up stopping in some random tiny town called Chioula ("Je suis où là?") to get some food, and even though we had just taken a 90-minute detour, it was hard to complain about the view.

Peace out, Pyrenees. See you when I can walk again.

Patience is a virtue, especially in Andorra.

Confession

I'm terrible at keeping secrets, especially big ones, so I have to come clean about something:

Jason and I are married.

In fact, we've been married for over a year. Over the holidays, we decided to confess to our family and friends back home, who had no idea, and since I can't tell everyone in person, I guess this is the best I can do for now.

You're probably wondering how and why we would get married and not tell anyone, even our parents, for a whole year. That's fair. Here's the story. (This was originally much longer but if you want the director's cut, call me. I am happy to tell you all the gory details!)

After a couple months in France, it seemed like life really would be easier as a married couple so I pitched the idea to Jason in December 2012, right before I was was coming home for the break. He was more or less in agreement, and even though it was just the formality before our big wedding post-France, we wanted to invite our parents. There didn't seem to be a good day/location that was mutually convenient and both my mom and Jason's dad insisted that more people should be invited so it seemed that we weren't going to do it after all. DISAPPOINTED.

I was flying out of Baltimore on Saturday, January 5, and that Wednesday, Jason and I were heading back from the airport where I was trying to get my flight changed. We were chatting about the whole wedding thing again and I finally said, "I think we should just do it. No parents, no siblings, we don't tell anyone. We just go and do it. Just the two of us." So instead of going to the mall, we rushed to the courthouse in the 10 minutes before they were closing and applied for our marriage certificate. In Maryland, you have to wait 48 hours after you get your certificate to have the ceremony. Since the courthouse was only open on weekdays, it was literally now or never. We chose now.

On Friday, January 4, 2013 at 10am, I got out my little white dress (that my mother cajoled me into buying three months before we were even engaged), Jason put on a suit and we rolled over to the courthouse in the Green Lantern. We got Paul, Ama and Chuck, the people most responsible for our relationship (and most available to get off work in the morning), to be our witnesses. Ama even went so far as to put together some flowers so the guys could have boutonnieres and I could have a bouquet. It was all over in about 10 minutes (15 if you count posing for a few pictures, which are still on Ama's camera somewhere) and we went out for lunch at AleWife afterward. There was even champagne!

That night was officially billed as my goodbye party but it secretly doubled as our wedding reception with all of our closest Baltimore buddies, unknowingly celebrating our marriage. GOTCHA!

There were no limos, no matching dresses, no linens, no speeches, no favors, no cake and it was perfect. It was just us and our love and our commitment to each other. We didn't have to worry about accommodating anyone else. We did exactly what we wanted and what was best for us and I am so glad we decided to just go for it.

So now you know. I hope you're not mad. (Josh was a little mad.) Everyone else has been really cool about it and they are mostly just happy that we're happy, which is nice.

Why did we wait so long to confess? Many reasons, the main ones being 1) we weren't going to say anything until our big wedding but it was becoming harder to keep it a secret and I didn't want to have to lie to anyone, 2) we didn't know how people (our families, mostly) would react after not being there for it and 3) we really wanted to tell everyone in person. The first time we were both back in the US in the same place at the same time was this past holiday season.

How I am allowed to live in France without my own visa? Married couples get special privileges and I am basically Jason's +1 for the length of his contract. Our recent trip to Paris? It was to celebrate our first anniversary, which is probably why the guy at the hotel was so nice to us and we got free champagne at the restaurant. It all makes sense now!

Moral of the story: If you're moving to another country with your fiancé(e), just get secretly married before you go. Life is better together.

Holidaze

Holiday triathlon. Ready, set, GO!

Leg 1: Waynesboro. December 21-25

After a very relaxing flight on AirFrance, we landed in DC. We got "secondaried" in customs for having too much wine, even though I brought back more wine all by myself last year, declared it, and no one said anything about it. It was a bit obnoxious, especially the officer's "I'm going to give you a warning this time" comment, but they didn't end up making us pay any tax on it soooo... WIN. Jackie and Jeremy hauled us back to PA and we had a lovely dinner with all Jason's family. Even Pat and Soraya came up to see us!

The next couple days were a blur of presents and parties. Not sure if the blurriness was caused by the jet lag or Jay's sazeracs or perhaps it's just the inherent madness that comes along with spending the holidays with your family. This year was my first at the infamous Dave and Dee Christmas Eve Bonanza and we all made it out alive. I managed to not get shitfaced by posting up at the mic: they have a whole sound system set up in their bar and we all took turns jamming out. I stuck mostly to Christmas carols (which I had admittedly practiced in the weeks leading up to the holidays in a last-ditch effort to make Jay stop outwardly hating me) and they were well received. Nothing like a little "We Three Kings" to get you in the mood for Jesus's birthday.

Christmas Day was really lovely, minus the epic guilt that of feeling like I didn't get people enough presents or the right presents or not thoughtful enough presents. Jay and Jason are just really good at gift giving and it makes all the rest of us look bad. I guess I just need more practice. Anyway, highlights included a slab of wild boar meat for Jason and tons of books in paperback and on Kindle for me!

Leg 2: Rochester. December 26-30

We borrowed the Green Lantern to make the drive up to Rochester and it wouldn't be my birthday without a little snow storm, but we made it in one piece. We had a busy itinerary, as always: we booked ArtisanWORKS for our wedding (September 19, 2015!!), my mom and I got facials together and we managed to convince enough of my friends and family members to meet up for not one but two post-Christmas gatherings! Stone's with the Stiches and Craig and Anne's with the Reeds. If you play the "We're only in town once a year" card, most people will cave pretty quickly. There was a bit more driving around town than I would have liked but that's what you have to do when you aren't home for the actual holidays. These are the sacrifices we must make!

Irene's granddaughters

Leg 3: Baltimore. December 31-January 2

As much as I like hanging out with my family, especially as we all get older and cooler, I love New Year's Eve with friends. We made our way down to Baltimore and crashed Paul and Ama's party. It was a good old time, with lots of champagne and cocktails and general merriment. Some of us *cough*Jason*cough* may have been a bit too merry and were not quite well on New Year's Day, but I went out to lunch with Otis and Farris and even James and little Alyssa came, too! She's our first baby so it's hard not to be at least a little excited about her. Even Farris held her, which is saying something. Still not trying to have any of my own anytime soon but I will take that spiky-haired child off their hands whenever they need. Campbell was dearly missed.

We stopped in to see Paul's new school, which is amazing, and then had coffee at Natalia's place. I have a bit of a life crush on that woman. If I could accomplish half the things that she has, I will have truly done something. She's outrageous.


Homestretch: Waynesboro-DC-Paris. January 2-4

We had to drop the car back in Waynesboro before flying back to France but the polar vortex had other plans for us. The drive to PA was rough because we left Natalia's a little later than we should have and the combination of snow plus rush hour traffic was disastrous. We didn't die, but it did take us three hours longer than it should have taken to get there. We woke up on Friday morning to get on the road to the airport only to find out that our flight had been delayed by six hours. A blessing in disguise, certainly, as we got to spend another day with the Bayers and we would be getting into Paris at a more reasonable hour (8am is just too early to do anything, especially after an international flight with two week's worth of luggage) but driving an hour and a half back from the airport 1am is just not that much fun.

We landed in Paris at about 4pm local time and hopped on the RER into the city. We had some more delays because of some accident downtown but eventually we made it to our hotel. We chatted with the guy at the desk, explained to him that we just arrived from the US and on our way back down to Bordeaux where we live now, and he thought we were so charming that he upgraded our room and got us an amazing discount at this excellent restaurant for dinner. Epic win!

We didn't have much time to do anything other than dinner when we got in on Saturday but we did manage to swing by the Eiffel Tower, which is simply stunning at night. We spent all day Sunday wandering around the city, checking out all the stuff one should see when spending a day in Paris. There is obviously much more to see but I'm sure we'll be back, especially since everyone was so nice! Paris, you're alright with me.

Finish line: January 5. Paris-Bordeaux

After our day in Paris, we took the train from Montparnasse to Bordeaux, first class! I slept most of the trip and slept some more as soon as we got home. It was a crazy couple of weeks but pretty damn wonderful every step of the way. We did have to take Monday off to recover from our vacation, though. What do you say to Christmas in Europe next year, folks?

Christmas is Coming

I remember being pretty impressed with the Christmas decorations in Bordeaux last year but this year, they made me squeal. Literally. When I saw all the lights at Sainte Catherine for the first time, I let out an audible giddy squeak and I wasn't even embarrassed. The last weekend in November, the city started prepping for Christmas and everyday there were more lights, more garlands, more trees, more glitter. It was impossible not to get excited about the holidays. What's more, there's no Thanksgiving here so no one got trampled during a Black Friday stampede to kick off a month of guilt-induced consumerism, which made it so much easier to enjoy the holidays for what they are!

Despite my usual ambivalence toward Christmas, I couldn't help but get caught up in the festivities this year. We have been listening to the Christmas Pandora station every night and I was the one who decided we needed a Christmas tree for the house. This girl! Buying Christmas trees! France has changed me.

Jason booked us a trip to Strasbourg, which is the Christmas capital of the universe, and we were not disappointed. Every building on every street corner was decked out from top to bottom in tinsel and ornaments and lights, giant stuffed teddy bears and shiny gift boxes. Their Christmas markets put Bordeaux's to shame. Also, their cathedral is RIDICULOUS. Also also, hot mulled wine everywhere.

Please note the travel mugs filled with wine

Jason ate nothing but choucroute for three days so the only downside of the trip was extreme flatulence, but we had a wonderful time nonetheless.

Back in Bordeaux, it was time for the giant wine tasting festival at Place de la Bourse. It's the same one I was at last year, this time with even more wines! It's amazing how different it was this year, now that I know some stuff about wine. We picked out the regions and châteaux that we were familiar with and skipped ones that we knew were not our favorites. I have preferences for certain vintages of certain châteux of certain regions of Bordeaux. Who am I?? I'm Nicole and I am drunk and happy.

Oh snap! Is it already time to go back to the US? Yes, yes it is. See you soon, America!

Catching Up

As much as I love to write, I now remember why I didn't do it while I was working in Baltimore. Teaching full time is really time consuming and even when I have a few extra minutes here and there, I a so tired, all I want to do is watch Mot de Passe and nap on the couch. I am only semi-conscious as we speak but it's about time I did a little update.

October:
After some initial inconsistencies in my schedule, things settled into a regular groove and that has helped my sanity tremendously. Glad that got sorted out. My classes are 90% awesome. I have one group that is not super bright and yet there is this handful of guys that think they can just chit chat and giggle to themselves the whole class. Umm... you're sophomores in college. Why are you behaving like my high school students? It's annoying. Otherwise, I am really impressed by my students and I am very much enjoying my job. I have a purpose! And money. Money is nice to have, too.

Jason and I took advantage of the wine harvest season to do some touring around a couple area vineyards. The tour to the Médoc region was just okay, and we learned that their wines are not our favorites, but the harvest day in the Blaye region was wonderful. It was just the two of us and our guide coming up from Bordeaux and we met up with a group of 30ish locals to pick grapes in the field inside the 17th century citadel. No big deal. The rain this year was catastrophic for the grapes so our job was pretty easy. Our day also included a wine tasting, followed by a delicious lunch (including wine), and then a tour of a bottling facility, followed by more wine tasting. And as payment for our work in the fields in the morning, we both got to take home... wait for it.... a bottle of wine. Best value tour EVER.

 

 

My mom came to visit, making her our first real guest, and it was a lovely time. Originally, she had only planned to come for a week but then decided to make it two and do some traveling: four days in Bordeaux, three in Edinburgh/Glasgow, two in London, and back to Bordeaux for four more. It was right during my fall break so the timing couldn't have been more ideal. We did all the good stuff: Dune du Pyla/Arcachon, visited some chateaux in the Graves region, St. Emilion, le petit train tour of the city... Good times! But I think the truly notable part of this whole visit was that my dear mother was able to get around Scotland and England all by herself. My dad has been dragging his feet getting a passport and my mom just couldn't wait any longer. I am immensely proud of her for building this adventure for herself. She came back from the UK with that glow that people get when they travel for the first time and it was wonderful.

 

 


I didn't have much time to break during fall break because as soon as my mom left, I had a weekend full of TFA phone interviews to conduct. Even though it was a bit intense, I feel like I really learned a lot from doing them. Some of the questions made me really think about my own answers and it just reminds me why I got into teaching in the first place. TFA is always good for giving me a little inspiration when I need it.

And now here we are in November.

The weather is getting colder and the rain is back. I'm not sure it ever really left, actually. It was just less intense for a couple months and now it's back to raining almost everyday. Why didn't anyone tell me it was so wet here? I was promised that the constant rain was completely atypical and that it would be better soon. Lies. I suppose I shouldn't complain because it didn't rain this weekend and it is neither unbearably cold nor insufferably hot. On the bright side, if we ever need some sun, Spain is right around the corner.

This past weekend we were in Brussels, which was really fun. Good beer, good food, good people. It was cold and raining (we brought the weather from Bordeaux) but it was a nice time all the same. Look at all this neat stuff we saw!

Classes are winding down quickly (these semesters are so short!) and my course load is looking a little bit lighter for the spring. Hopefully, that will mean that I can pick up some classes at the CEL, which are much smaller and a lot closer to home. I am happy to take whatever work I can get. This weekend was very social: Had a new friend for dinner on Friday night, went out to watch the rugby game last night and had our buddies over for football this evening. I keep telling myself I am going to use my weekends to get ahead for school but it's hard when you have people that you want to spend time with. This is a good problem to have.

Consciousness is leaving me so I will be on my way. À la prochaine!