Walking through Mougins, France

My dad has a pretty cool job in the hotel industry (I could go into more detail than that, but that's not the point of this post) that means he gets to travel and stay in some really nice hotels. Right after my family was in Ireland, I tagged along on one of his business trips to the South of France. Could I get any luckier?!

We stayed in Mougins, France at an isolated golf resort. Because we didn't have a car, we relied on taxis, public transportation and Dad's work friend Nick who had a van to get us where we wanted to go. 

I had done research on the nearby cities of Cannes and Nice, but hadn't even thought that there would be something cool to do in Mougins itself. Man, was I wrong! On Thursday night, Nick, his wife Dorzin, Dad and I all went into the Old Village of Mougins for dinner. We parked and then rode an escalator up to the top of the hill. From the hill, all of Mougins spread out below us and the lights of country homes lit up the night. 

We chose a typical French restaurant in the center of Old Mougins for dinner. I had a risotto for my entree and Panna Cotta for dessert. Both dishes were absolutely delicious and set the tone for the rest of the trip; I was going to eat well that weekend! 

When I saw Old Mougins, I was itching to photograph it. So, I returned the next day with my camera and the intention of taking pictures of every nook and cranny of the medieval city while Dad, Nick, and Dorzin worked.

The city is a spiral of buildings and cobblestone streets. As I meandered around, I would wind through a new alleyway, twist through a new street, and still end up next to a familiar landmark! The city was tiny and I covered it quickly, but the warm sun (which hadn't visited Galway in a little while) and the shady streets kept me and my camera busy all day! 

(image source)

I was able to capture the circle of buildings on the hillside from the fringes of the city, but I think the aerial photo is a better descriptor, don't you? 

This is the first street I walked down in Mougin on Thursday night and I immediately knew I wanted to come back!

Stone buildings; knotted trees; outdoor cafe tables. I mean, what else could you ask for? 

Old Mougins is an art connoisseur's dream. Every side street and alley held multiple art galleries and shops. I popped into a few, nodded "Bonjour!" to the artists and browsed before heading back out into the sunshine. They were filled with incredible works! 

The old architecture fascinated me, especially the shutters! For some reason, I really like the peeling paint look on wooden shutters. It's not something I would want on my own house, but it's strangely beautiful. (My Grampy was a painter and he'd shudder to hear me say that! (See what I did there?)) 

Then again, freshly painted shutters are just as beautiful. Especially when they come in fun colors! 

I don't think there was a right angle in the whole city! Between the old buildings and the circular roads, everything had a slight bend to it. I loved the worn-in feel, but it was hard to imagine what the city was like hundreds of years ago.

How could it be anything other than a chic French city with sophisticated cafes, fancy restaurants, and expensive art galleries?

Oh yeah, and a few homes thrown in?

 Everyone deserves to enjoy some French Country Living at least once in their life!

I told you I had a thing for the shutters in France...

But I haven't told you about the mopeds yet! I really wanted to channel my inner Lizzie McGuire and hop on the back of some beautiful stranger's moped and take it for a spin around the South of France. But I watch WAY too much Law and Order: SVU to do something that stupid. So I settled for a few pictures instead.  

And then, because I'm a little nosy, I had to find out what was down that alleyway and past that house. I stumbled into an adorable cottage and then another winding street that brought me back to the first road, as if by magic.

When midday rolled into the afternoon, the shady streets were becoming a little chilly and my flip-flop'd feet were starting to get really cold. So, I wandered into a cafe called Zest. The owner of the shop, who also owns a nearby art gallery, is Canadian and could tell by my shoes that I was an English-speaking customer. Since my (very) elementary French had semi-isolated me throughout the day, I was thrilled to chat with someone who spoke English fluently. 

I learned that in France only certified and trained bakers are authorized to sell bread and croissants so Zest sources their pastries from a baker down the road. Brad Pitt is reportedly a huge fan of this baker and the bakery has pictures of him visiting the shop. Brad and Angie have a house not far from Old Mougins on "Millionaire's Hill." So naturally, I had to order a croissant. If it's good enough for Brad Pitt, it's certainly good enough for me. And it was delicious! 

After warming up at Zest, I continued my stroll through the shady streets. I loved the sign painted onto this old post office! 

This photo was taken from the same overlook as the night before. It's amazing how much more you can see in the daylight! I could see both the mountains and the sea (two of my favorite places) from this vantage point. How cool is that?!

It was a great first day in France and I'll be back as soon as my finals schedule allows to tell you all about the rest of the weekend! 

Trinity Long Room and Successful Family Photos

My presence here means that I survived my big trip to Switzerland, Germany, and Poland! It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to tell you all about it. BUT, because I like chronological order, we're going to ignore that week. Instead, we're going to rewind back to when my family was here.

To set the scene: a wonderfully lucky, sunny day in February. My family was even happier about the weather than I was because our house at home was legitimately buried under the snow. Our area had been pounded with snowstorm after snowstorm and the icicles hanging off our gutters were massive. As much as they love winter, they were excited to get a break from the snow and freezing temperatures!

One of the coolest things we did, aside from the Guinness Storehouse obviously, was to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room in the Trinity Library.

Fun Fact: you can only walk on the green next to the library if you have a masters degree from the college. The security guard who shared this with us also cracked that it was all his son's creative writing degree was useful for!

I thought the Book of Kells exhibit was fascinating and read almost every description there was; I was especially enraptured by a video showing how a book was bound by hand. But, I was underwhelmed by the actual book itself. How boring is it that you can only see one page?

From the Book of Kells exhibit, you are escorted into the Trinity Long Room. The Long Room is a place I really wanted to see and it did not disappoint! My inner-book nerd felt so happy being surrounded by so many books.

When walking in, I was hit with the enormity of the room. It's definitely well-named! It felt like the room went on forever.

And everything was so artfully arranged. I spent most of my time snapping as many pictures as I could, trying to capture the beauty of the old books. 

As beautiful as it was, the Long Room didn't really feel like a library. There were no cozy chairs to settle into and it was clear that the books aren't read often, or probably even ever. 

It seemed like a shame to me to have all of those important words and profound thoughts, but no one ever reads them. All of those golden brown spines lined up one after another, towering far above your head, are impressive. But what if you were allowed to pluck one of those books off the shelf and lose yourself in it's content? Wouldn't you appreciate it more?

Don't get me wrong: I loved the Long Room. Just ask my family how much time I spent there! I just couldn't help but think about the part in The Great Gatsby where the drunk man comments on the books still being bound. Like the books in Gatsby's library, the books in the Trinity Library are just for show, they're never actually read. It doesn't make the collection any less beautiful though.

We stopped for a few pictures outside of Trinity and took our first successful family photos in a long time. Okay, maybe ever! 

For once, we all look happy and we didn't fight over the photos! 

We might be short, but we're a pretty good looking family if I do say so myself.

Not long after these photos were taken, I dropped my phone in the toilet (oops!) so the rest of their visit isn't well documented. The remainder of the week was spent in Galway, enjoying trad music in pubs and strolls down Shop Street. 

It was so great to have the fam here, and who knows, we might all be back in four years if Brian decides to study abroad in Galway! (If I have anything to do with it, he definitely will...)