Happy Birthday, Brenda!

Hey All! I made it to sunny Bordeaux. And let me apologize in advance; I'm sorry it isn't below freezing and snowy here. If it were up to me I would be suffering through winter with the rest of you if for no other reason than a sense of fairness. However, Bordeaux doesn't seem to be too concerned with winter fairness since every day I've been here has been sunny with highs in the 50s. The French groundhog definitely saw his shadow.

A famous old building in Bordeaux. They have a lot of those.

It appears that I'm terrible at getting over jet-lag. My sleep has been extremely erratic since arriving in Europe. Two nights ago I slept for almost 12 hours. Last night I couldn't get to sleep until 5 am. I'm hoping that I will get into a regular sleep pattern soon so I don't have to be awake when the young drunk people come wandering down our street in the middle of the night. Brenda isn't sure why there are so many young people living in this area of Bordeaux -presumably there is a university nearby - but whatever the reason it makes for some noisy early morning hours. I couldn't sleep for a few hours in the middle of my first night here. As I sat in the living room reading, I got to enjoy many French conversations going on in the street. At around 5 am I was lucky enough to hear someone thoroughly empty the contents of their stomach right outside our apartment. I can't understand much of what anyone is saying around here but that guy got his message across loud and clear.

Trees

I haven't had a chance to explore much of Bordeaux yet but what I have seen has been beautiful. Bordeaux is built around the Garonne River which isn't very far from where we are staying. Brenda and I have already enjoyed several walks along the river which also seems to be a popular hangout for the locals.

The Garonne River

Today is February 8th or, as it's better known to me, Brenda's birthday! She is spending much of her day today at work but we will be going to a small dinner party tonight hosted by Brenda's lovely friends, Elza and Isabelle. Vegetarian food doesn't seem to be all that common in France but Elza and Isabelle are being very thoughtful and preparing a vegetarian feast for Brenda's big day.

I don't know for sure what the upcoming week will bring for us. Brenda will have rehearsal everyday (except Sunday) and I will most likely be reading and exploring Bordeaux. And eating baguettes. Whatever we do I'll be sure to tell you about it next Tuesday. Until then, have a great week!