http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_des_Beaux-Arts_et_d’arch%C3%A9ologie_de_Besan%C3%A7on

One of first Museums I’ve visited in Besançon, Beaux-Arts is located in the square called “Place de la Revolution”.

(Place de la Revolution)

Below are some of my favorite Paintings/Exhibits/Sculptures

(Monkeys cater to cats, snipping and trimming their faces)

(Cloth tightens around the body like skin, holding it still and preserving its place in existence)

(Skeletal remains embedded in rock and earth)

(Composed of really small tiles)

(Finally, some cool stairs I noticed on my way back)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dijon

Welcome to Dijon, France!

Offering more than just Mustard, Dijon contains shops, market places, parks, fountains, festivals, and a delicious selection of eateries.

Upon arrival, we went to the welcoming center for a map and found…

(The real deal)

(Local tram system)

Our second stop was the park.

(Greeted by a pensive polar bear)

(Serpents feed the fountain – soothingly rhythmic)

Finally, as we entered through the giant arch we moved into the masses, finding ourselves among street shops selling everything from scarves to chocolate to cleaning supplies.

Ultimately, I would describe the experience as:

 Faces bobbing through narrow pathways, corridors, arches. Pouring through, desiring-feeding-feeling the cemented walls. Sweet sharp Scents rise with the boulangeries carried by the crowds.

Wave like, humanity washes itself upon the streets, waxing-waning with the day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bregille_(Besan%C3%A7on)

Just twenty minutes by bus, Bregille is one of the many hiking hot spots in Besançon. Boasting beautiful views of cascading green hills and small suburban towns. Easy to manage trails weave through the mountain.

Though, proceed with caution because it’s unavoidable to get caught by thorns if you stray from the larger pathways. Every few feet there’s some jagged brush or tree willing to pull you back.

Regardless, the views were stunning.

(Lunch and relaxing)

Sleep deprived and hungry, we finally arrived at the train station after about a twenty-four hour excursion from the States, to Paris, to Besançon.  With broken French we moved our way through a three hour train delay. Stairs clanked as tired arms pulled and pushed bags through foreign chatter.

Now having spent a week here, I’ve been able to explore the place that I’ve worked so hard to travel to. The city is a beautiful collection of Roman and Spanish influenced architecture. Cobble stone streets weave their way through centre ville, where cafés and shops greet citizens and wanderers. You can see that each building has its history.

(The view from my window)

Though upon arrival it was sunny and hot, I’ve discovered it rains quite often. The weather quickly turns, and you would be wise to always have a raincoat or an umbrella. So when one of my friends left her umbrella on the bus, she quickly ran to buy another one, only to leave that one on a bus again… ah, c’est la vie.

Since settling in I’ve been able to visit the Citadel, an enormous Military construct now turned into a Museum and festival gathering location. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citadel_of_Besan%C3%A7on)

There’s art, a zoo, an aquarium, a world war two museum, a bug and arachnid building, and an eatery (for those who are famished from the hike up). The view is amazing. Describing it doesn’t do it any justice. So I’ll show you!

Surfacing now, my once subdued anxiousness and excitement pull me from my bed. Left, right, rollover. Again until I find something comfortable. My mind is too awake to sleep.

Tonight I catch a seven hour flight to France. I still have to pack my suitcase and tie some lose ends; I always get it done. The emotional surge is brought about by the realization of time, that soon I’ll be somewhere entirely new. It’s a faint feeling that I’ve worked on taming these past few weeks. Through all the questions of “Are you excited?” and “It’s almost here! How do you feel?”, my response has been “Enjoying the moment, I’ll be entranced once I’m on the plane.”

That’s how I want it to be though. If I spent my time thinking about the future, I wouldn’t have anything left for the present. Despite this, today is a big exception.

Nothing is safe from the movement of time, though humanity has a habit of attempting to encapsulate the moments.

Here across the suburban sprawl of Long Island, plum colored leaves and old trees are pushed forward into Autumn by the seasonal wind. Cul-de-sacs and grid like streets with replica houses stand still watching over the nine to five, dinner at six migration.

There’s a comfort in knowing that tomorrow can be the same as today, and yet, the illusion is our creation.

A week from now I’ll be on a plane to Besançon, France. Another place in the world with it’s own foundations and culture. I know this will be one of the biggest challenges in my life at the moment; speaking another language and adapting to local customs isn’t easy. Though if I was looking for something facile I would have stayed behind.

I used to suck at speaking a foreign language. I had to take six years of spanish and the only thing I could say after it all was “Yo hablo solamente Poco”. I cringe at my adolescence and lack of motivation to learn. Some habits die hard though; I still struggle to get up for 1050 classes (I’m workin’ on it)

I remember my apprehension in taking my first French class. I had a lot of doubts, but something in those thoughts had changed.

Two and half years later of French and  I can’t believe how far I’ve come. I’ve fallen on my ass countless times in the process – struggling through a semester of all French classes to trying Spanish and French in the same schedule. I needed every bit of the beating because without it, I wouldn’t know what to improve.

Studying abroad is the next step. It’s an amazing experience for anyone willing to leave behind all of their known comforts.

The world’s a dark beautiful place, like walking through a vine entangled jungle with strange exotics noises permeating the canape walls. Everyone should travel and experience existence – it’s a reflection of who we are and what we can be – our struggles, dreams, and creations…