And thus, we venture into the wild!

Otherwise known as ITALY. Tomorrow, we’re catching a flight out of Toulouse that will ultimately bring us to Venice, where we will see the canals, look at pretty Venetian glass, and dad will run a(nother) marathon. Then after a few days of that, we’re off to Naples and Pompeii, and then on to the central metropolis, Rome itself! We will be wandering about the Italian countryside for almost two weeks until our return, upon which I will give you a full report. Until then, I will be sadly free of an internet connection since apparently Italian apartments don’t come with wi-fi. So! Ciao for now, and expect lots of pretty pictures upon my return.

The Joys of Social Interaction

Remember those clubs I was mentioning? They’ve finally started up, and life is good! I met a whole bunch of people at a GLBT organization, and had a great time trying to decipher the rapid-fire French. It was fun, though, and I plan to go back and hang out with people next chance I get – unfortunately I’m missing their meeting next Saturday due to being in Italy (although all things considered I think it’s worth it). One of the girls from that club, Audrey, also invited me out to dinner earlier this week, so I went out with her and her girlfriend (Lucy)  and we got shawarma and talked for several hours and I got home at something like eleven – also awesome.

Then there was also the conversation group I went to on Thursday. That was also rather fun, if an admirable exercise in mass chaos (the ‘tender at the bar forgot to reserve the tables he was supposed to so we ended up moving across the street to another place). I spent a while talking with some German students in English, then we moved over to the other table and I met an adorable Scottish girl named Morgan who was chatting in French, and then there were some more German people, this time who didn’t speak English and were working their way through French – and then Morgan and I and three of the French-speaking Germans went out to get crepes with a Persian guy named Reza (which made me extremely happy for reasons very few people will understand) who spoke both French and English. All in all, it was an excellent evening and I once again stayed out rather late (until ten, this time), and I now have several contacts and email addresses. Unfortunately that group doesn’t meet up very often, so I won’t be going out with them until next month, but hopefully I’ll be able to get together with some people.

There’s also a group my mom’s been going out with called English in Toulouse, and I think if I’m having a slow week or something, I’ll go out with her and see how that goes. Maybe if I’m out with her I can help her avoid getting beer spilled on her and/or managing to miss dinner hours so that all she has in her stomach is a few drinks. Still, she’s been having fun, so I guess that’s what counts. No one’s getting themselves into trouble at least.

So Toulouse has been decently entertaining now that I’ve managed to connect with some people. The city is as bustling as ever, but that’s just fine by me. When I want to be around people, I can slip outside and immerse myself in the chatter of the city – and when I want to be alone, I can wrap myself up in my housecoat and slippers with a mug of tea and one of my many projects. As far as I’m concerned, life is good.

New Galleries!

A very French lunch.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to update to let you know that I haven’t been idle. I’ve put up some new photo galleries in the last few days, so check them out. There’s one of assorted things from my wanderings around Toulouse, most of them somewhat artistic in nature; I also took pictures at the Musée des Augustins, the Toulousian fine art museum, and some at the Cathédral Saint-Etienne, which is my favourite church in Toulouse. I also managed to capture a few sneaky shots of people around the city, so you can get a better idea of the French, as well as France itself.

Yesterday was my birthday, and despite still not having any friends to hang around with, I’d say it was a success. We went out to dinner at a restaurant I’m fond of and had delicious crepes and salad; I also got some new books, in English, which makes me very happy as I am dying of literature deprivation over here. And I got a nifty old pocket watch (broken, but it makes for gorgeous jewellery) an adorable hat with kitty ears on it, and a fancy knife to replace the one that got confiscated by French airport security when I accidentally left it in my bag. Overall, I’d say, life is good. Mom and dad and I are also going out to a somewhat fancier restaurant tomorrow for an “adults only” dinner (holy crap, I’m an adult).

A row of gargoyles in the Musée des Augustins.

Things seem to be looking up on the making friends front as well. I’ve finally made solid contact with that club I’ve been trying to get info on for the last three weeks or so, and I’ll be attending their first meeting on Saturday, a week from now. Even if I ultimately decide not to keep coming to the club meetings, hopefully I’ll be able to make some friends to hang out with now and then. Maybe sometime soon I’ll be able to start using my allowance for – gasp! – lunch dates or movies!

Anyway, that’s life in my world. In the meantime, I’m keeping myself occupied – writing, taking far too many photos, browsing market stalls, drawing in the park. France is finally starting to cool down a bit, for which I am thankful. I like fall best of all.

So how are all of you?