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Day 2
After availing of my free breakfast in the Bordeaux Auberge de Jeunesse, finally connecting to the wifi and contacting my family to say I was okay and saying goodbye to my new French friend, I still had two hours to kill. So off I went to do some excellent map reading to find the Cathedral and Tour.
After locating the place de la victoire, it was quite easy to find my way. Veering off to the left and five minutes up the street Cours Pasteur. The expanse of the Cathedral was magnificent. I also saw the Hôtel De Ville (town hall). This opened my eyes to the true gem that is Bordeaux.
On entering the Cathedral I was transported back in time, to an era of great French fear of and reliance on religion. Feeling a bit like Esmerelda in her heartfelt prayer/song in 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' I walked through the grand arches and soaked in the grandeur of it all. No wonder people worshiped religion so much, the architecture alone is godly!
Alas my sight-seeing times had to come to an end and I made my way to the train station, Gare St-Jean. Train stations in France are gas! It's like a rat race. There are so many trains leaving and arriving in any one station that people much watch the TV's which show the platform numbers so attentively as they only announce where your train is leaving from like 10 minutes before departure. I was amazed. People scurrying and hurrying everywhere. Business men in suits, tourists with luggage or just people using the train service smartly the Gare is a place where you need to have your head in the game.
After so many months of planning, wondering and researching I finally arrived at the train stop of Chalais. I was so pleased with myself that I had gotten this far that I hurried off the train in hopes I would see someone looking for a young Irish girl but no, there was no one there. The panic began... "What if this was all a rouse to get money off of people, its a scam... Now someone will come and say hello pretty girl do you need a ride?". Yes I was being a bit dramatic and needed to calm down. After about ten minutes a car pulled up with a somewhat familiar face, asking If I was Irish. I knew once I could see him clearer that It was the owner of the volunteer program La Giraudiere! Grâce à dieu! Finally after all my loneliness I felt safe and welcomed in La Giraudiere.
The place itself is magical. A work in progress where the building itself can almost feel it's full potential and is pulling itself and the volunteers to work to make it as fabulous as it can possibly be. I cannot wait to begin work and contribute to this truly fantastic construction.
After being introduced to everyone I felt truly at home. There are three people from America, two from Australia, someone from France, someone from Britain and of course the owner. A great mix of people who I really cannot wait to talk to and share experiences with.
À bientôt,
Aisling xxx
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