Pals, picnics, and puppies

So beginning this past January I continued my French adventure by packing my bags and moving to Bordeaux. It was a very big change from Paris, and I'll admit that the beginning was a bit rough. It rained all the time, it was freezing, I had no friends, hated my living situation, basically all the ingredients to dislike a place. 

As time went on and I fixed all these problems (made friends, moved into my own apartment, bought an umbrella) I began to appreciate Bordeaux more and more. It may not be my favorite place that I've ever lived, but I've grown to see a more authentic French side of life. Paris is beautiful, but it can be a bit to magical at times and a bit out of touch with reality. By living in Bordeaux in an apartment and attending an actual French university I've been able to expand my cultural capital in ways I never imagined. (Even if there was a bit of a learning curve...) 

This weekend, I got to show my favorite french pastimes and favorite Bordeaux spots to a friend currently living in Madrid as an au pair. Both being 20somethings on a budget, we did the best with what we had in one of France's bougiest cities. 

My friend Jade arrived Friday mid-day, and as we were both hungry the first necessary stop was definitely lunch. Dropping her bags off at my house, we headed over to one of my favorite tiny kebab shops, right next to the historic Marché des Capucins. Ringing up at 4.50 for a huge falafel wrap with fries inside, its my favorite budget friendly way to fill up (and also extremely tasty.) We continued the day by strolling through the city, stopping buy my favorite wine bar, going to the public garden, checking out historic buildings, and ending the night with a vegan Jamaican meal(It was a good day for food) a lot of wine, and a few quick dance sessions out on the town. 

Saturday was finally sunny *yay* so I took the opportunity to take Jade to the public gardens for my favorite french activity- picnicking! We spent the morning at Marché des Capucins, starting with strong coffees inside the market and then moseying our way around to buy delicious fixings for the picnic. As I can't indulge in the normal french picnic fare, I settled for a hefty baguette, a ripe avocado, and a carton of homemade hummus. Jade picked up a fancy tiny goat cheese and a basket of beautiful strawberries and we headed off to the park. 

  It was a beautiful way to spend a sunny     french day, especially with the added aspect of mimosas. (Which aren't a normal  thing in France btw.. tragic) 

Ending the day with more wine, more sightseeing, shopping, and more laughs, I finished off the weekend so grateful to live in a beautiful place that friends wanted to visit, and especially thankful for beautiful friends. 

If you'd like to follow my adventures visually and not listen to me babble, check out my instagram @mandeemc! 

Much love, Mandee