I am still up although I only had 5 hours of sleep the night before.
Customs was easy and painfree. I never had to fill out a form. What! That's nice. And I get a stamp on my passport. YAY!!!
Baggage claim was more disconcerting because for the first 10 minutes, there was only myself and 3 other families from the plane waiting at the corusel. I started to freak, thinking that I was at the wrong spot and feeling absolutely stupid. But, at last, more people joined us and the baggage was delivered.
So with my suitcase lugging behind me, I left customs. But Coralie was not there. No biggie, I thought, she is probably a little bit late. So I waited, and waited... and waited. No Coralie. Maybe I was in the wrong spot. But if that were true, where should I go? I don't have a phone or a computer; maybe this no electronics idea wasn't such a good idea. While I waited, I meant this cute little girl who belonged to the People to People foundation, a special program by a dead president or something. They travel the world, spreading good vibes about America. She took a picture of my outfit. Later, she and her friend joined me at a table where we talked about traveling and London. She gave me a lecture on how I should never smoke. Duly noted. I actually think they are here to advocate against smoking. Not a bad idea. Many people smoke here. No joke. Finally, Coralie found me.
After getting lost in the airportn, we found Corali's dad and started the 2 and a half hour ride to Dijon. We took a detour through Paris and I had my first glimpse at the famous Eiffel Tower. Honestly, I was more impressed by the hot air balloon floating by it. But it cemented the fact that, indeed, I am in France.
The French countryside is gorgeous. Napolean called Burgundy the Cote D'Or or Gold Coast. I totally agree. It is covered with golden fields with the occasional forest or sunflower field. Ancient houses are situated next to modern, but provincial homes. Churches are nestled in the center of hamlets while a castle stands majestically on top of a hill.
And Dijon is magical too. Tight streets with the craziest traffic I've ever seen. Boys texting while riding motorbikes. Beautiful vistas of the valley below. I could spend all day taking pictures.
Plombieres-les-Dijon has a dazzling church and old stone buildings. Coralie's house is adorable. I love her room. There is a beautiful lake by her house, where we walked her dog and witnessed the french exercise. We also went to the super market.
Dinner was Quiche Lorraine, a salad of tomatoes, onions and olives, and flan for dessert.
Only downside: it stinks to not be fluent in French. Coralie's parents do not know a lot of English so it is difficult to communicate sometimes. I am pretty intimidated. Please tell me it gets better soon.
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