An Aixpat-en-Provence

Quest for the Holy Croissant: Part 2

Having spent now over two months in France (one in Aix) doesn’t mean that my croissant eating frequency has decreased by any means! It is a welcome treat after a long week of assignments, but the drastic increase of workload has meant that, having covered all the nearby boulangeries, I need to go further afield to find new croissant boulangeries to review.

Paul

I felt like this one was cheating a little, since I see Paul bakery every time I get the train from Euston to Birmingham, but it is nonetheless authentically French for having successfully taken advantage of globalisation! Probably owing to this now corporate success, they are able to decrease their prices in comparison to the other artisan boulangeries I’ve been to in Aix: the croissant is a mere €0.95.

As a sceptic of all things corporate, I was very pleased to discover that they didn’t substitute quality for capitalism! The colour was evenly golden across the croissant and had a wonderful texture. Crisp pastry flaked off upon biting into it before revealing the dough inside which complemented it perfectly and wasn’t dry. The flavour was above average, but without being noticeably outstanding. However, I was sad to note the absence of my favourite signature part of any croissant: the large central pastry fold – the equivalent unicorn horn – was missing. This has significantly impacted my rating for appearance.

Overall, I give it:

2/5 appearance
4/5 texture
3/5 taste
4/5 value for money

Patisserie Weibel

The lavender cafe exterior won my heart over in an instant, but alas, little did I know that I would be subject to crushing disappointment when it came to their croissants. I keep telling myself that it was because it was 5pm that the croissant didn’t taste so good, and that I should go again in the morning another day.

Unlike the Paul croissant, you can see it has that delightful central pastry fold on the top. This, combined with the lavender paper bag which happily matched my raincoat the day I bought it, boosted its points when it came to appearance, and therefore expectations. I have also read many a travel blog post about visiting this particular Patisserie on their trip to Aix, which didn’t help, either. The croissant had such a dry texture on the inside, yet in spite of this, the outside pastry was not crisp and flaky in any way. The flavour wasn’t below average, however, I do believe is the worst croissant I’ve eaten since being in France because of its awful texture. I almost wish I hadn’t paid the €1.10 and saved it to spend on another croissant, or on the same place perhaps earlier in the morning.

Overall, I give it:

3/5 appearance
1/5 texture
3/5 taste
2/5 value for money

Update: I went back in the morning on a weekend and it was exactly the same, but €1.30 because we sat in.

Lavarenne

This is The Croissant. Will and I went in on Sunday morning as part of our croissant crawl and for €1 each a croissant was purchased. They were warm enough that the butter was still melted in them, and had the most delicious aroma about them.

A golden outside had me anticipating an excellent croissant, but I wasn’t prepared for quite how good it would be. The balance of texture was fantastic: crispy, flaky pastry which was then delectably moist on the inside without the laminating having collapsed from too much butter. However, the texture was left far behind by the flavour. Although I could detect slightly higher sugar content in the dough than most other croissants, it was barely perceptible. It was so delicious that we came back the next day for another one!

Overall I give it:

4/5 appearance
4/5 texture
5/5 taste
5/5 value for money

This has undoubtedly been the discovery of my go-to croissant which, only two minutes off Cours Mirabeau, isn’t too far away into the town centre either! I can’t wait for my next croissant fix from here!

A plus,

Zoe x

Do you ever do any work?

Although anyone on an Erasmus year will go to all lengths – whether it be an immaculate Instagram or a chirrupy year abroad blog – to posit the year as a highlight, I can guarantee you that they don’t share even half of the struggles, and often tears, which go into it.

My most recent Instagram post – to prove a point

Erasmus isn’t all play

The bureaucracy of sorting out inscription and learning agreements may have now been resolved, but I have at least two pieces of assessed work each week until Christmas, which started in only my second week of lectures at university here.

Despite having been told by other exchange students that French universities don’t really do coursework and tend to prefer exams as a way of assessing students, I’ve found that to be almost the opposite. Coursework exists alright, just not as I know it from the UK. Whereas at UoB a piece of coursework for my programme would consist of an essay written and researched in your spare time at home or in the library, coursework here takes the shape of presentations and continuous assessment.

My comparative literature class makes us write a piece of assessed work in the last 40 mins of the class each lesson, which can be very unnerving. However, the teacher goes to great lengths to try to make us feel comfortable writing it and that we know what we’re doing, as it’s a class of all international students. We go through a plan for the essay title in class together all contributing ideas, then write an excerpt of it as our piece of work. This has ranged from one of the main plan points, an introduction, a conclusion, or – if we brainstormed as a class rather than writing a formal plan – writing this plan up properly in the classic French three-times-three part structure.

Emperor Hadrian demonstrating the correct way to give a speech (Olympia, 2017)

Speak now, or forever hold your peace

There is a very strong emphasis on presentations in order to make up the ‘oral participation’ grade, and for almost every module I have to give a presentation to the class. My first one was for the comparative literature class which I did with Jessica and Jennifer: giving an introduction to the text we were studying that week and an overview of the analysis of the question of the week. We’d been told that because it was a group of three, our presentation absolutely had to be 15 mins long to give each of us a proper chance to speak. However, other groups seemed to have been better received for having shorter, less in-depth presentations accompanied therefore by less use of a script.

The second presentation was a composed commentary on an extract from whichever Ancient Greek tragedy we were studying that week. Each week the whole class had to prepare one of these at home, and then by random selection two or three people would be chosen to present in class. We also spent an hour in every other class writing one on the spot, where the same thing would happen again. I thus asked the tutor specifically for another at-home assignment I could prepare, due to being Erasmus and not comfortable enough with French to write one on the spot.

Having created this assignment specifically at my request for the class, he selected three other people to present it the next week, which I found terribly annoying and stressful. I spoke to him again at the end, where he did the same thing (for a different section of the text), but this time didn’t tell the rest of the class to prepare it as well. The next week I was finally allowed to present and, unlike the French students whose arguments he’d been attacking, the only thing he picked up on was my pronunciation and disgusting Anglo-Saxon vowel sounds. Apparently listening to opera and the elongated vowels in it is the solution.

The third presentation I did was for my European Society class, where we were pretty much free to pick any topic as long as it was related to the theme of the week – gender and minorities. Sarah and I presented on Laura Bates’ Everyday Sexism Project , sexual harassment in the UK, and the London tube campaign #reportittostopit.

We managed to open up the discussion afterwards and get people talking about their experiences of street harassment, as well as what steps we as individuals and as a society can take against it.

Mini tests

The last form of assessment I’ve experienced so far is the mini 20 minute test for my German class. These happen every three weeks, and our teacher is kind enough to tell us which vocabulary blocks, grammar points, and themes to revise for it. Instead of writing this post, I should really be preparing for this.

A plus,

Zoe x

Life Sketching

One of my favourite things to do whenever I go somewhere new is to spend some time people-watching during the day. On holiday this is easily done- it’s a welcome break from intense tourism and allows you to absorb life going on while relaxing. When “normal” life returns again, it’s hard to put aside time to relax, let alone for public relaxing which requires making the effort to go into town. Nonetheless, I have seen and heard a few things which capture the essence of life in Aix here. Cue a series of short sketches.

I am your father

One of the most endearing scenes I’ve ever been involved in. When I first walked into the AUC dance class, I introduced myself to the teacher there called Eric. A lady who’d been dancing with her partner came up a short while later and asked who I was. “C’est ma fille,” jumped in Eric with a twinkle in his eye. (“She’s my daughter.”) Much to my embarrassment and in spite of my protestations, the lady got on her knees and began to kiss my hand. “Pardon que je ne t’avais pas reconnu ! Ça fait une décennie depuis que je t’avais vu !” (“I’m sorry for having not recognised you! It’s been a decade since I last saw you!”) All while I was telling her I was English and an Erasmus student here. Eventually Eric broke it to her that he was not my father, and that she had just embraced and kissed the hand of a complete stranger.

Identity crisis

The year abroad is the more justified equivalent of a ‘gap yah’ which people go on and talk about how they found themselves while travelling for the rest of their pretentious twenties. But I’ve gone abroad and lost myself. Why?

Every French person seems to think I’m German.

Apparently I speak French with a German accent, despite the fact I haven’t studied it in five years, and that French was the language I learned first and am more comfortable in.

In my Genre seminar our teacher asked if there were any students studying German present. When the overwhelming response was silence, he suddenly pointed to me and went, “no, wait! We have a German student here!” I drily reminded him of my English status and what that could mean about Brexit by the end of this month.

However, this does spell good news for my German class (even if it’s only worth 3 credits).

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Although thankfully I have one in my own bathroom, the French public toilet is characterised by the absence of a seat. An absence of toilet roll is not uncommon, even in England: it is inevitable that a roll will run out at some point, and one should always be prepared enough with tissues in bag.

Perching on a toilet, however, where the porcelain edges dig into one’s derriere, is not a comfortable experience. This absence of seat is presumably calculated to put people off using the toilets at university, pushing them instead towards the comfort and privacy of their own personal bathrooms.

Fast food

France is renowned worldwide for its famous gastronomy and passion for food. Given this, it has made me incredibly confused (not to mention delighted) that I have only twice had to wait for a hob to be free in the kitchen – and this was because I was waiting for Erasmus students to finish, not French. French students just don’t seem to cook, and if they do on a rare occasion, it will be pasta (although this is perhaps a more student phenomenon than a French one).

They do completely take advantage of the cheap canteen food around them, though. CROUS restaurants serve incredibly cheap food both at the Cite Universitaire de Gazelles and at the university itself. The paninis are always all gone by 12:30pm. This relationship with fast(ish) food very much surprised me, but it means I can reap the benefits of spending hours in the kitchen without interruption or pressure to hurry up and create dishes like a laksa.

Vive l’anglais!

Unlike in Calais, being English or speaking it is incredibly cool here. So much so that the street art, of which we witnessed the slow progression over one week on the way to uni, tried to incorporate a profound quote in English into part of the mural. Unfortunately, it was a linguistic failure, as it was translated literally from French.

They must have realised their gaffe and covered it up because three days later there was no sign of it remaining whatsoever.

These are just a few amusing anecdotes from living in France!

A plus,

Zoe x

Eating Out in Aix

Angkor Restaurant

This restaurant is situated in one of the main restaurant squares near the clock tower in Aix, where I had a lovely sunset view and watched the starlings fly around once again. After a month of eating purely European food, I desperately was craving something Asian so Grace and I went to this Cambodian restaurant.

Aix doesn’t do cheap eating out, whenever you go out you’re prepared to pay €15-20 for a meal. Here for €18 we had a deal which included each a summer roll, two spring rolls, two samosas, appropriate dipping sauces, and a Thai red curry with rice. Although the spring rolls and the samosas didn’t have the most authentic spicing, the summer roll was lovely and fresh, served with iceberg lettuce and mint. The curry didn’t disappoint either. With less chilli than I’m used to, it still had all the aromatic spicing of east Asian food with lemongrass and coconut milk aplenty. I would very happily recommend and return here.

Pizza Time

The worst experience ever. A brochure for this takeaway pizza company came through the letterboxes of every student in our accommodation, so one evening Grace, Jessica and I decided to get a takeaway. We ordered 3 pizzas and 2 sides, after 20 mins the website said our order was ready. In fact there was actually a 90 minute wait for it to arrive, and when it did, the delivery man was extremely drunk. Their website had made an error and not charged us for the two sides so they asked for 16 euros 50 cents extra, which I went to get cash for – but they got tired of waiting and just gave Grace and Jessica the food. They gave us a side different from what we had ordered and tried to charge extra for this. They then tried to pretend we had ordered large pizzas and to charge extra for it. They had put our medium pizzas in large boxes to do this. For the next week, the company then kept ringing Jessica’s phone trying to get her to arrange a time to drop off the rest of the money we supposedly owed them. Sadly, the pizza didn’t taste very good in the end!

Le Coquet

The go-to place for moules frites! For €13.50 you’re served a massive dish of moules marinieres with lovely crispy yet fluffy French fries. The portion is very generous and certainly is enough to fill you up. It’s a lovely dish to eat which I wouldn’t be able to in most places in the UK, and there’s something simple, comforting, but tasty about it.

However, the recommendation comes with a warning: the service is VERY slow. It takes about two and a half hours to eat here from the moment you sit down to the moment you get up having paid the bill. The first time we went, we waited 45 minutes to pay and leave the restaurant. The second time was only 25 minutes – and that was because I caught the eye of the manager in the restaurant interior who was passively watching his two waitresses do all the work.

Restaurant CROUS Gazelles

CROUS offers subsidised eateries at all universities in France. This particular restaurant is on the location of the Cite Universitaire de Gazelles, open weekday lunchtimes only. Although canteen quality, it means that for €3.30 you can get a hot meal (meat or vegetarian), a side salad, and dessert. The portion sizes for the hot meals are huge, though for budget reasons there is understandably far more carb than veg/protein in the portion. Nonetheless, it’s a cheap way of making sure you get a meal in during the day.

CROUS Restaurant-U

CROUS has another restaurant at the university, though with a much smaller eating section. This one offers sandwiches, paninis, salads, snacks, chips, and pasta. However, if you even want to try to get food from here, you have to go at 11am because after 11.30am it is always packed and half of the food has run out. Once again, it is cheap enough that most French students will buy their lunch almost everyday at university. Instead of paying the UoB cafe prices of nearly £5 for your sandwich/panini, it is instead a more reasonable €2.50-80, depending on whether you favour mozzarella over emmental. Rather bizarrely, as emmental is a French cheese and mozzarella is Italian, the vegetarian sandwiches and paninis cost more than the ones with meat in them!

Trattoria Pizzeria Da Vito

Da Vito has two sites in Aix – one is near Cours Mirabeau and more of a classy bar, the other is further into the old town with a more casual vibe. As we’ve often experienced slow service in Aix as part of Provence culture, we turned up early to the restaurant (7pm) while there were no guests and were glad we did! The inside was completely booked out, so we sat on one of the tables outside which didn’t bother us. The pizza was absolutely incredible: sourdough, made with fresh ingredients, and the massive oven inside allowed it to achieve the dream leopard spotting all over. We had cannoli for dessert which we found a little disappointing, but would definitely return here again to eat more pizza!

A plus,

Zoe x

Hike up Sainte Victoire

One bright Saturday morning after injuring my head on a cupboard the previous evening, Jessica and I walked to the bus stop by Pasino to meet the Erasmus coordinators who had organised an ESN trip to hike up Montagne Sainte Victoire. Confusingly, there are approximately nine bus stops around Pasino (a casino, not to be confused with Casino, a supermarket), but quai 21 is the one you want. Presented with our bus tickets, the bus left at 9am and we got off at the Barrage de Bimont where we waited for the second group to arrive.

Barrage de Bimont with Sainte Victoire in the background

From the beginning of the hike until the first stop we were at the front of the group with the ESN leaders setting the pace. I was slightly thrown by the fact we began the walk descending, but was told “enjoy it while it lasts”. They were all too right. The first twenty minutes as you start going uphill are incredibly steep. My heart was pounding loudly and my mouth ached for water; the brief rest was very welcome. After that I didn’t bother trying to keep up with the front of the group, especially as we were taking the ‘classic route’ walked so many times by the locals that the rocks were shiny from footfall.

With a mix of loose rocks that would give out under your feet and solid rocks that you would slide off when putting a foot on, the path was anything but easy, and is marked a 3.5/5 difficulty rating. Rather unfortunately I didn’t have my walking shoes as they have too many holes in them to be fit for purpose anymore and have yet to purchase another pair, which added an extra dimension. Shoes with good grip and ankle support are absolutely necessary for the rough terrain.

We reached the top after about two and a half to three hours of walking, making sure to always follow the blue paint whenever we couldn’t see the rest of the Erasmus group. Here we had lunch by the chapel, then ventured to the real top by the cross for the view, battling against the strong wind as we went.

Steps to the chapel courtyard protected from the wind

“Going back down is so much easier, it will only take an hour,” the ESN guides kept saying. Owing to an invested interest in keeping our knees and ankles in one piece, we took a modest hour and forty-five minutes to come down from the mountain almost non-stop. The wind mostly had mostly died down at this point, and the air was pleasantly warm without being overly hot.

A group of us managed to find the bus stop going in the direction of Aix and, miraculously, all were able to just fit on it. The buses back go every hour at about half past, but our one was early, arriving at 5:25pm instead of 5:35pm. Legs being very stiff and aching after the hike, I collapsed in bed straight after returning home.

Although we paid ESN five euros for the trip, the bus only costs 2.20, and if you follow the blue markers everywhere on the path, you won’t get lost. You could very easily do this on your own for half the price, as long as you check the bus timetables to make sure to be in time before the last bus back to Aix. The route starts on the other side of the Barrage on a tiny path straight off to the left where the concrete wall ends.

View from the barrage wall (not demonstrative of walking route)

The gorgeous views of the countryside made this a walk well worth doing. It was lovely to be able to get out of the city and spend the whole day outside, tiring though it was.

A plus,

Zoe x

Joining a Dance Group: the Saga Continues

At the end of the bonus dance class run by AMU at the Centre Sportif Universitaire, I tried asking the teacher whether she ran any other classes for non-beginners – to which her answer was no. However, I realised that the couple who demonstrate the routines to the class would be training somewhere, so I went to ask them, since they obviously compete at a high standard. The woman in the couple sent me a few Internet links to two schools in Marseille and one just outside Aix. I then sent out emails to all of them detailing my current level and asking which class at their school would be most suitable.

One school in Marseille replied – their most suitable class was 5-6pm on Wednesdays which I wouldn’t be able to get to in time after my lectures on that day. The Virevolte dance school in Aix les Milles also responded to me and advised I come to their class on Wednesday evening for a taster. As I didn’t want to have to trek all the way to Marseille in a hurry right after classes each week, I opted to try out the Virevolte classes.

Wednesday class

Although I had thought Marseille would be a long journey, I didn’t quite anticipate how much effort it takes to get to anywhere outside of Aix. I went to the bus station where I managed to find out which buses went in the direction, and hopped on the one I could find. After getting off I had a twenty minute walk on a road with no pavement or pedestrian zone in complete darkness, which put me off a little. (Another girl and I got a lift back to Aix from one of the women in the class afterwards.)

Once arrived, though, the other people there were very friendly and pulled me up from my seat (I arrived early of course) to dance the bachata at the end of beginners. This class was called Danses Sportives Intermediaires, and began with a fun jive routine with open choreography steps that I enjoyed learning. Unsurprisingly as well as unfortunately, there were almost twice as many followers (all female) as leaders (all male). Same-sex dancing and female leading has not become a trend in Europe, it seems, in spite of the fact that there are almost inevitably more women than men wanting to dance and looking for a partner. Everyone swapped partners fairly regularly, but it did mean you spent nearly half of it not dancing as it’s difficult to get enough momentum to spin without a partner giving resistance.

Novice Latin final at Sheffield social competition

The teacher then moved onto teaching a basic rumba routine, which felt like most people had never encountered before. I used this as an opportunity to practice my technique, especially for alemina spins. The last part of the lesson was spent on basic natural turns in waltz which I back-led (of course).

Overall it felt like the level of the class was still too easy and not quite right for me.

Thursday class

The teacher then invited me to try the class the next day which was Danses Latines Sportives for all levels. I had a nightmare getting to this class. Originally with the girl whom I’d shared a lift the previous night, she said she knew a more efficient bus to get to the dance school. I accordingly followed her instructions and met her at the bus stop, hopping on the one she said we should get. However, the bus driver wouldn’t let me on because I had to buy my ticket from the machine at the bus stop (just outside the bus), meaning she stayed on and I got off. I was confused because the previous night I had bought a ticket on the bus itself, but different ones must have different rules. While I was anxiously trying to make the ticket machine work, the number 4 bus (which we actually should have taken) came by the bus stop, but I didn’t quite manage to get my ticket from the machine in time to get it. Cue half hour wait in floods of tears.

The ligne 4 bus eventually passed again, late, which I got on and asked the bus driver to stop at the name of the stop I’d been told as I’d never been that route before. He kindly consented, and I made it to the lesson only 13 minutes late. In this class we learned a team dance routine for cha cha and jive, which wasn’t quite what I had been expecting.

Getting back took even longer than getting there as the last ligne 4 bus left before the end of the class that evening, so we walked half an hour to another bus stop where we managed to catch the last bus from there back to Aix.

Saturday

Out of the blue I had a message from the president of AUC asking if I was coming to training later today, as she’d found a leader wanting a tryout. I opted to go, and really enjoyed the tryout. By the end of the session we’d decided to train together as partners in ballroom, despite being in very different age groups, and do a competition some time next calendar year. The coach of AUC, Eric, offered us a discount on private lessons owing to my student status, which means that they’re the same price as getting a private lesson with Kevin or Melissa back home!

So after a week of frantic messages, travelling, and dancing, I’m back with the original dance group – this time with a partner!

My happiness getting a partner last year

A plus,

Zoe x

Quest for the Holy Croissant (Part 1)

Croissants are undoubtedly one of my favourite parts of French culture. One of the viennoiserie typically eaten for breakfast, they are made by layering butter and dough and laminating it (as anyone who has seen Bakeoff Creme de la Creme will know). As such, I thought it only right that I begin my search for le best croissant.

Au Pavé du Roy

Despite the lovely interior of the boulangerie-patisserie, this croissant did not look very promising. It cost €1.10 while being smaller than your average croissant. The raised middle of the croissant was slightly burnt, and was generally quite roughly shaped. In contrast to the slightly singed top, the dough directly underneath it was much paler, suggesting that the dough mix included too much butter which caught a little in the oven. The top flakes of pastry were quite dry, yet the inside texture of the croissant was more moist. In places there was a good amount of holeyness, in others the dough had squashed to the side and left a tunnel (due to the weight of so much butter). I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the taste. The croissant was indeed very buttery and melted away in my mouth.

Overall I give it

2/5 appearance
3/5 texture
4/5 taste
3/5 value for money

It was nice enough, but there are definitely better croissants out there that will give both me and my bank account greater satisfaction.

Casino

A supermarket mass-produced croissant is made and priced precisely to meet their customers’ needs. You want a croissant? Bien sûr, bonne journée. You need part with no more than €0.85 for this one. A golden colour with slightly darker tips on the ends and paler dough visible, it looks like your average expected croissant.

Let the image not deceive you, it is decidedly bigger than my previous one. The top flakes were crisp without being too dry, and the dough inside was moist enough – clearly this recipe called for less butter. The flavour was that of your average croissant.

Overall I give it

3/5 appearance
3/5 texture
3/5 taste
4/5 value for money

This is the perfect average croissant – exactly what I expect from the bakery counter at Casino. Nothing fancy, but does the job just right.

Pâtisserie Béchard

I dived into this bakery on Cours Mirabeau and was prepared to potentially have to pay extortionate prices for the croissant in here – it is clearly a boulangerie-patisserie for tourists, with only the subtlest shade of bright shiny gold over every surface to scream premium quality at you. In the end, I only had to pay €1.20 for my croissant, which I sat and ate by Fontaine la Rotonde. Contrasting the previous two croissants, this one hadn’t opted for the curvy look; instead for the more straight, uniform approach. I suppose this allows for maximum storage and presentation combined on display and thus to maximise tourist sales.

Yet, for all my cynical commentary on the tourist bakery, the texture of this croissant was immaculate. Layers of pastry flaked perfectly with a crispness, rather than a dryness. When I took my first bite, there was a crunch and a softening which followed. The golden aesthetic followed through on its texture. The flavour, though, did not match, and remained on the Casino level.

Overall I give it

4/5 appearance
5/5 texture
3/5 taste
4/5 value for money

I would pay for this croissant again happily, as its texture is far superior to most croissants I have tried. It appears that some bakeries are not mere tourist traps!

There remain a number of other bakeries bookmarked on Google Maps which I’m looking forward to exploring when I have a free morning. And of course, from which I intend to sample their croissants!

A plus,

Zoe x

Programme of study

Since arriving at Aix-Marseille, my Learning Agreement has taken many drastic turn in various directions. I was at one point signed up to study Catalan and Hindi until my Year Abroad tutor in Birmingham told me I wasn’t allowed to.

So what am I even studying this semester?

My degree programme at Birmingham is English (literature) and French which means that unlike most other people on a year abroad from the languages department, I can’t simply pick language and culture modules in my other languages. I’m also restricted in a way that Erasmus students from other general humanities departments aren’t: every module I take has to be taught in French.

Français langue étrangère

Walking into your first lesson on a year abroad and discovering it’s a test isn’t necessarily the best of welcomes, but thankfully the vast majority of the class passed it and were permitted to remain in the course. This class consists of two 90 min seminars per week in which we look at improving our oral ability to argue, construct opinions, and interpret analytically. The content is very similar to the UoB MFL CS2 classes, but with the added bonus of a tutor whose bluntness knows no bounds. When someone hadn’t turned up for the third lesson in a row, she struck them off the register. Ouch.

I even managed to find an Ashley building equivalent here!

Thème Erasmus

A French-to-English translation class based around literary and journalistic texts, the content is interesting and requires a slightly less high level of French than the English department head made out in the welcome lecture. It runs as one 90 minute seminar per week. However, no translation you offer will ever be acceptable to the tutor who runs this class – someone who takes every opportunity to roast someone’s answer by finding the funny, misleading connotation it has. While it does make you think twice before offering an answer, it also makes everyone think five times before giving one. And she is surprised when there are no volunteers.

Questions de genres

This is a module in French literature from the Lettres Modernes department, one of two classes I have with actual French students instead of international ones. It is composed of a 3 hour seminar on texts specific to the seminar you select and then a 2 hour lecture on literary theory for everyone. The seminar I really enjoy, as it is based around the idea of whether genre is democratic, looking at ancient Greek tragedies and modern (French) versions of them. The Tragedy module I took in second year was my favourite, so it’s great to be able to look more into it. The literary theory lecture has very heavy content, but the lecturer so far has explained the complex ideas very well and put them simply, which goes a long way towards me being able to keep up.

Etude comparée des sociétés éuropéennes contemporaines

Rather unfortunately for Erasmus students, this class is 9am-12noon on a Friday, the morning after the official international student night out in Aix. Fortunately I have an excellent work ethic and wouldn’t dream of letting that get in the way. The themes studied are very interesting current politics delivered with fast-switching PowerPoints and a way to bring your own interests in. There is the option of doing a presentation to boost your overall grade for the module, and as long as it runs within one of the themes, you can have fairly free rein with it.

Allemand Intermédiaire

After lots of begging on my part to my tutor in Birmingham, I was allowed to take this module as it was the only 3 credit one that would fit my timetable and make up all my ECTS for the semester. I originally took German at GCSE several years ago and have been Duolingo-ing my way through to try and keep it up a little. When I visited Vienna in January with my mum, I was gratified to realise I wasn’t completely out of touch with the language. In light of a (hopefully) upcoming trip to Germany next summer with my uni housemate, I wanted to improve it anyway. There are some grammar points which are terribly old to me and others I’d never even heard of. Just goes to show that there isn’t one standard to which a language is taught.

Littérature française et étrangère

Again a module I obtained by begging and writing heartbroken emails – but this time to the module convenor, rather than my year abroad tutor. This is a comparative literature module on short stories to do with animals, and could not suit me more. We’ve already looked at an eighteenth-century version of Beauty and the Beast. The beauty of this class is that, as short stories, I don’t have to spend all my free time reading extensively long novels, as I did at Birmingham last year!

Generally across the modules, there is much more of a focus on being orally examined – through presentations either composed at home or in class, or through your participation level. While this will take some getting used to, it is a relief to know that this means there will be fewer written exams (something I have a horror of), and that any oral exams which aren’t in-class presentations are more likely to be on this side of Christmas than to take place in January. It would be lovely to have Christmas off for once!

A plus,

Zoe x

Joining a dance group

November 2018

One of my friends in BALADS helped me to research which French universities in the south had ballroom and Latin dance classes. Aix-Marseille was the only one with an official-looking club, so I selected this university for my year abroad.

March 2019

I sent a long message to the AUC Danse Sportive email, explaining my ability level and the circuit I’m used to dancing in. A reply was received two weeks later: we start again in September.

August 2019

AUC posts on their Facebook page about the details of their taster class; naturally I sent them a similarly long message explaining it all over again. I was told I need to bring a partner to the taster class. Stress ensues. I joined every partner search Facebook group in the dance world and advertised with no success. It would be a pain to have brought my dance shoes and dresses down to France to no avail.

9th September

I posted an advertisement in the Aix-Marseille student page and receive a private message response in five minutes! But no, the person who I hoped would solve all my worries is clearly not a dancer and was only trying to chat me up.

Later that evening I’m reminded by the lovely Irish girl on my corridor that the sport signups opened that morning. Feeling fairly certain that AUC isn’t affiliated with SUAPS (the university sports league), I double checked anyway, discover that ‘danse à deux’ is listed and there is only one space left! Feeling frustrated by my login details not working properly, I tried again on my laptop, this time with success, and sign up to a class.

14th September

Feeling nervous and trying not to expect too much, I turned up to the AUC taster class on Saturday afternoon. The class members arrived, and it became clear that they were all mostly retired couples dancing together who compete in one of the Senior categories. I told them that my partner is regrettably living in England at the moment, but I wanted to come and try the class anyway. The teacher, a French Senior I ten dance champion, set the music for each ballroom dance for ten minutes or so. He worked around the couples, giving each of them pointers every so often, while I practised my novice routines from last year, trying to force them back into my head. Eric went through a bit of technique with me, notably for waltz, Viennese, and tango. It was very strange altering my style to dancing solo. Although I really enjoyed the class and thought that Eric was a fantastic teacher from whom I could learn a lot, I don’t know how much I’d get out of it from coming without a partner.

16th September

With the help of the student university Facebook page, I managed to locate where the dance class was held and turned up promptly on time. The dance room is very large – approximately the same length as the Underground at Birmingham where some classes are held, but much wider than it. As an added bonus, every wall is a mirror. Our teacher spent most of the lesson teaching the basics of a cha cha routine which she worked everyone into putting together in a pair. Although I was frustrated that it didn’t seem to cater to non-beginners, I placed myself directly in front of a mirror and worked on my technique for the basic steps. I found it a little off-putting that our teacher had incorrect timing and told everyone to cha cha on the 2+3 of a song instead of 4+1 at times. She knows what the rhythm should be, but just can’t seem to find where the bar begins in the song. Towards the end she began teaching some basic samba steps, so I’m not sure whether they do ballroom as well as Latin or not.

Dance studio for the university sport class

The upside of this class is that I’m signed up to it as a bonus. I didn’t realise this when I did so, but it means that if I take part in shows and demonstrations, attend regularly and work hard, it can boost my university marks this semester. There is going to be an extra class after the main one for those who want to do the shows to learn choreography and practice. Even if it means I can’t compete this year after all, it’s still a fun way to keep dance going!

A plus,

Zoe x

A Day Trip to Avignon

In a burst of wanderlust-induced spontaneity, three Erasmus friends and I booked a train trip to Avignon for the next day. We rose at dawn to walk into the centre of Aix to catch a taxi to the Gare TGV, which is 13km outside of the city. From there we got on the TGV to Avignon, which was only a 25 minute journey, but once again, the TGV station is outside the city, 6km away.

As it was quite a mild morning, we walked in to the ancient city centre, taking us just over an hour. While most of this was along main roads, we had a lovely view of the river for the last leg of the walk before we went through the medieval walls.

Tired after the early morning and walk, we grabbed breakfast in a cafe and watched a farce unfold around us three times of tourists trying to eat their takeaways in the cafe without having paid the eating in price.

I wanted us to be able to wander around the food markets in Les Halles before they closed, so we headed straight there to begin with. As expected of a French food market, there was an array of local vegetables (including eye-wateringly large amounts of wild mushrooms), fresh meat and fish stalls, herbs, spices, wine-tastings, olives, bakeries, patisseries. At that point I sincerely regretted having already eaten.

Some men in traditional dress were singing inside for a short while, as this year marks the 120th anniversary of Les Halles. We were delighted to find (while nibbling on a sample of bread and tapenade) that there was at least one Frenchman who was happy that some English tourists were speaking French to him! From here we walked on to the Palais des Papes, a medieval Gothic fortress where the popes lived in the fourteenth century. Upon entry we were slightly confused – not to mention glad – that the staff were giving out free entry tickets.

Erasmus friends outside the Palais des Papes

The architecture of the Palais was very imposing. Judging from the contrasting states of clean and not clean in various exterior parts, it has been undergoing some restoration work to enhance the light colour of the sandstone. Unfortunately, the Palais was looted during the French Revolution and there are few remains of any frescos or tiling, let alone original furnishings. One of the rooms towards the end has been repurposed as a gallery of quite harrowing photography and art. We did get a fantastic view of the city from the roof, though.

On our journey to find the Pont d’Avignon we passed by several souvenir shops where I bought a couple of postcards with which to further decorate my desk. After we’d been to see the Pont from the river (rather than paying to go on it in the rain), we enjoyed having a wander around the streets. It was a special weekend where all shops had their wares on the street and were offering hefty discounts on their designer products. We came across a environmental protest about the use of pesticides, rather ironically the afternoon after World Climate Strike day. Feeling quite tired from all our walking, street-browsing and the now increasing rain, we popped in a little cafe off one of the main streets for a sit down and refreshment.

Rather than walk all the way back to the TGV station in the rain, we made our way to the much closer SNCF Gare Avignon Centre. The train from here to Avignon TGV was only 1.20, and took five minutes.

It was a great day trip out with some lovely new friends, and we’re already thinking about planning our next one!

A plus,

Zoe x