This is the courtyard outside my window. I got the best room here (sorry roomies *guilt complex*). It's small and warm and the view isn't horrible. I spend alot of time looking at this courtyard. The following pictures are of it, until the sunset. Then you will have to scroll down to the next section, then up, for a sensible explanation. Just a warning. 

This tree is tinged. We don't have trees like this in Oregon. But there are so many here. 

I heart light and shadows. And purple trees. Almost as much as I heart Michael. But without Michael there is no light and shadows. There you have it.

Hehehe. Topsy Turvy! This is the last photo of this series. Scroll up if you want to see the first. MUAHAHAHA! 

The last. I promise. GASP!! 

Grrr. I already posted this but it didnt post. So here we go again. "So I sit and stare at the clouds. Chattering cuss words cause I am too cool to pout. I'd rather be flying..." If you can tell me who wrote that I will give you a penny and a stick of Big Red gum when I get back to the states. And, NO GOOGLING!

Eh, why not? 

One more, because it's pretty. 

Instructions: Scroll down to the where the last series of photos begins. Then scroll up.

You see that part a bit off center to the left, towards the bottom? The brightest part? Yeah. That's it. That's how I miss my Michael. 

OH MY GOD!! THE HILL IS ON FIRE!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES FOLKS!!! Just kidding. It's only the sun setting. 

I hereby interrupt this procession of time (even though things are out of order so it's not really a procession, let's just pretend it is) to present you with a few photographs of the sunset, as viewed from my window. Taken, I think, 3 nights ago. Maybe 4. I could probably make this so the time is more in order, but I don't really care. And it's my blog. So there. So deal. 

Another building in Montpellier. See below. My roommate Hayley and I ended up sitting in a park near la gare for about an hour, maybe more, while waiting for the train. We'd been walking a bunch, so we just sat down and talked. The park is really pretty but I didn't get any good pictures of it because of the lighting. But I did take a picture of this building from the park. So there you go. 

So I went to Montpellier for la stage and it must have been before the walk up the hillside because this is one of the first photos in the folder. Anyway. A building in Montpellier. 

So, one saturday, as I was about to mop my floor, my roommate Hayley knocked on my door and asked me if I wanted to walk with her and a few of the other language assistants up to the church on the hill. This church has a statue on top of it that is seen from anywhere in town that the hill can be seen. It's like a guardian watching over the city. We can see the statue from our salon. If a school building wasn't in the way, I could see it from my bedroom window. Anyway, so I was like... hmm... mop the floor, or walk and see the french countryside. Not a difficult decision. I put on my walking shoes and we left. We crossed the river and started walking toward THE hill but then weren't sure which direction we should take. So we paused a moment and the irish guy asked directions. I took this picture. Then we walked back a little ways, took a left after the bar, and began our steep ascent. 

I believe I missed a dash in the next comment. Oh well. So, this is someones gate and the way it contrasts against the sky. Oh, and the scratch on my camera lens. I have no idea where it came from but it aggravates me to no end. grrrr! 

Wall and vegetation. C'est jolie, n'est ce pas? 

Walking in the right direction, or so we suppose. You can see four of the other language assistants in the left. Une americaine, un irlandais, une anglaise, et une allemande. Hey, I don't have special characters on this keyboard, or a number pad to type Alt 0223 or the likes. So forgive the lack of accents in appropriate places. 

We weren't sure that we were on the right road, so we stopped to ask someone directions, and I took this photo. When the bug hits, that's the time to scratch it. It turns out we were walking up the right road. We walked up and up and turned sharply, up some more, another sharp turn and up and up, another three sharp turns, up and up, and we were getting closer. 

Skyline - view from the walk up into the hills. 

Ales. Jean-Baptiste Dumas is right in the front there, the group of buildings with blue on the sides. You can actually see the building I am staying in. It doesnt have blue on its sides. The long tan buildings are not a part of JBD, part are the housing projects. 

The Cevennes. 

The Cevennes. Facing just about the opposite direction of Ales. Apparently, something is on fire. 

Thar she blows... 

A pretty little spot by the side of the road. 

Approaching the church. View from the road.