At this point, we have less than a week here in Aix-en-Provence and just one final blog post after this one. Therefore, many others and I are scrambling to finish some things. Maybe work on our last art pieces while still having the inspiration here that cannot be easily found. Trying every coffee on the menu at one particular café. Finding that one ring shop that you have been looking for desperately. Getting gifts for your family and friends and worrying that you won’t find something good (which in retrospect is a thought without substance because it’s impossible to get a bad present here) or maybe try to discover and explore as much of the city as humanly possible. Whatever we are trying to do, it’s hard to believe that this trip is really coming to a close. It’s also crazy to look back on this adventure and see what we have done. From all of the excursions to the enlightening conversations, there has not been a dull moment, another reason why this trip has gone by so quickly. We are at the end, but that doesn’t mean that it has gotten any less exciting, in fact, it might just be the contrary. 
Wednesday: one of my most favorite days of the entire trip was spent in the park. We all brought sandwiches and blankets to sit on and just enjoyed the serenity of the shade and green grass. Also, the sandwich, an amazing mix of cheese and ham on baguette, was prepared so perfectly that I think it may have been the most spectacular sandwich I’ve ever had. Then with one of my friends we made our way over to the playground (yes, it may have been for children) and had a good laugh fitting into a little personal seesaw type contraption. It was a wonderfully warm day and I even dozed off after feeling drowsy from reading. The fresh air and calm environment was very relaxing. After, we had some free time, which was great, and all had a group dinner, which was topped off with chocolate cake. At closing time we made our way over to a cinema to catch a showing of the latest Petit Nicolas movie. I was happy to understand most of the film and ecstatic because I’ve read Le Petit Nicolas in school and I love singing the theme song with my friends. 
Thursday: I learned a lot in my conversation and photography classes today but the real highlight was going to a photography museum. We got to see photographs of artists such as Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollack creating their work. It was a great exhibit and I really enjoyed it. 
Friday: We had class at a café today and had great conversations in French. I also indulged in a hot chocolate and Nutella crepe while we discussed our favorite movies and filmmakers. I really enjoy films and their storylines and their quotes, which I think about quite often. Some of the names/films that came up included John Hughes, Wes Anderson, Back to the Future, Tim Burton, Harry Potter, It’s A Wonderful Life, Sofia Coppola, Coraline, and many others that are worth mentioning like these but are escaping me at the moment. Afterwards, I went scavenging to find some more gifts and ended up finding a lovely and aesthetically pleasing philosophy book in a store. I ended up buying one other to match it. Then, I finally sat down to lunch with two friends at a place that I had passed by many times, unbeknownst to me that I know the cousin of this restaurant’s owner! I received an email recently telling me to find this place and quickly remembered where it was and made my way over to meet the owner and establish a connection. What are the chances of that – it’s a small world. Meanwhile, I’ve been working on creating a montage of our trip, something that I’m really enjoying, my favorite part is choosing the music to accompany it. Friday evening was a huge success with amazing pasta and a strange new dessert; lavender ice cream (which did not disappoint). It was perfect; the weather was slightly overcast with less than a drizzle coming down on us as we walked home. I love the rain, how it cools down the air and the way it smells. I think that there is simply something about the atmosphere here that is so wonderful. I’ll have to leave soon but I don’t want to walk away.