Les montagnes?! On y va!!

Spent a glorious weekend in the tiny village of Luz St Sauveur in the Pyrenees chez Frankie.

We trekked around a couple of mountains, witnessed the beautiful Lac de Gaube, and saw Le Vignemale aka the highest mountain in the Pyrenees. Yesterday I took the Holy waters in Lourdes (in a nice and tacky Virgin Mary shaped bottle), and visited the Lourdes museum. Was a lovely break away!

Thanks Frankie!

In other news, I will be back in Blighty this time next week. It's all coming to an end...where has the time gone?!

La route compte

'It's not the destination, but the road you take that matters'

One of the things I learnt in the Bonnat museum, Bayonne.

Half of my heart won't do

Down the road, later on, you will hate that I never gave more to you

Than half of my heart...

GATEAUX BASQUES FOR LIFE

Mmmmm gateaux basques and a beautiful sunset.

Make a happy Sam...

Montrez moi le chemin

So I just re-read the blog I wrote on my second day in France, over two months ago...

I wrote this promise that morning:

'I will stick it out for two months. If, and only if by the 1st November I still feel homesick, unsure and unwelcome, I will leave.’
It’s signed and dated.
Now just to see if I can keep this promise to myself.'

Well, I kept that promise to myself. It's the 7th of November and I am still here, a hell of a lot more sure of myself and confident.

I can remember the feeling when I woke up, my first real day in France, alone.

To think of how far I have come, emotionally, mentally, physically, is quite amazing really. I mean to anyone else it probably seems like nothing, but to put yourself so far out of your comfort zone (at my age) is pretty scary and pretty life changing.

I have about three weeks left in the auberge, then home, which I am really looking forward to...

And then...

The next challenge.

Gotta keep moving forward, never look back with regret.

Black soles

News!
We closed the bar last night, so no more pulling pints for me. Due to the fact that we had to finish the barrel, the beer was freely flowing and everyone ended up slightly smashed, but it was nice. A good, carefree atmosphere.
Today we cleaned the kitchen, which took an age, but I survived with wrinkled hands, black feet and an aching back.
From now until friday I am on 'holiday', luckily the weather is beautiful right now, so I'm predicting a lot of beach time. Yesterday I tried bodyboarding, which isn't as easy as it looks, although I did get wiped out less than with a surfboard mainly because it's harder to get up enough movement.
Friday I believe I'm moving to Biarritz, which is kind of annoying because I have met so many cool people here...but I can always come back to visit I guess, it's only up the road.
It's still early days, having this on repeat is helping a lot...love her voice.






Oh and Han, are you okay? Message me or something, cos we haven't talked in more than three days and I'm worried haha!

'When I hit the bottom'

I scraped my knees while I was praying
And found a demon in my safest haven
Seems like it's getting harder to believe in anything
Than just to get lost in all my selfish thoughts

I wanna know what it'd be like
To find perfection in my pride
To see nothing in the light
I'll turn it off, in all my spite
In all my spite, I'll turn it off

And the worst part is
Before it gets any better
We're headed for a cliff
And in the free fall
I will realize I'm better off
When I hit the bottom

The tragedy, it seems unending
I'm watching everyone I looked up to break and bending
We're taking shortcuts and false solutions
Just to come out the hero

Well, I can see behind the curtain
(I can see it now)
The wheels are cranking, turning
It's all wrong, the way we're working
Towards a goal that's non-existent
It's not existent, but we just keep believing

And the worst part is
Before it gets any better
We're headed for a cliff
And in the free fall
I will realize I'm better off
When I hit the bottom

I wanna know what it'd be like
To find perfection in my pride
To see nothing in the light
I'll turn it off, in all my spite
In all my spite, I'll turn it off
Just turn it off
Again, again, again

And the worst part is
Before it gets any better
We're headed for a cliff
And in the free fall
I will realize I'm better off
When I hit the bottom

Turn It Off -Paramore

Well, I really am alone now. Time to figure out myself, who I am, what I want...
Its fucking hard.