Today is the first of the many fériés days in May. Férié is France's version of a work holiday. Nearly every business is closed though there are some exceptions in big cities. Since my host parents didn't have to work, I requested to have today off to go to La Barben where there's a zoo and château. La Barben is a small town in provençal France so it was just a short ways between Aix and Marseille.
Andréa picked me up last night as he always does the day before our actual day off, so I woke up in Marseille this morning. We quickly got ourselves in order and left to pick up Momo. Momo is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE out of all of Andréa's friends. First of all, he's hilarious! Second, he's super nice. And last, but not least, he's a huge ball of energy! I'm normally tired due to my "work" but Momo always livens me up. He's a good person all around so whenever Andréa and I plan on doing anything now, I always beg him to invite Momo.
We got lost on the way to La Barben not that I was much help. I don't spend enough time looking at the map of France so I don't really know what is in which direction. Besides, I'm the type of person that enjoys getting lost. That's how I've learned my way around the south of France and every other place I've ever lived. Momo had his GPS up and running. France is a bit behind on that technology though so you often get turned around. It's like my friend Mark said, the U.S. was made for driving, the rest of the world wasn't. America's technology rolls with what's needed and is regularly updated. We were lost in the right area at least. Andréa asked a kindly fellow for directions and we were at the zoo soon after.
The zoo was pretty cool. Though Momo paid for all of us to get in, I still thought it was overpriced. I guess I've been pretty spoiled though with all of the free zoos in the U.S. like National Zoo in D.C. It was nice just to spend a day away from Aix and Marseille and do something different. It was a lot of fun just to walk around honestly. The grounds at the Barben Zoo were small but decently kept and there were tons of peacocks roaming free. The animals were neat though a bit too usual. I felt like it was more of a petting zoo with all of the goats, bison, and deer but the animals were pretty lively so that made it more enjoyable.
Andréa, Momo, and I approached the ostrich enclosure after hearing a weird groaning sound. When we looked in, there was a humongous male ostrich. As soon as he saw us, he crouched down, started batting his wings as if he was dancing, and waved his head from side to side--allowing his neck to roll. It was a very bizarre sight but so cool at the same time. I found out later that this was a mating dance. Check out this YouTube video. It's exactly what we saw--kind of funny. Through some light research, I found that male ostriches are sensitive to female pheromones of any species--something about Copulins. Apparently, this mating dance is seen often by women. Maybe I'm ovulating or something.
Momo is like a kid when he's at a zoo. He taps the glass, calls to the animals, and taunts them. Normally, the animals ignore this behavior but for some reason, Momo got a rise out of the big cats. Andréa was able to capture a lot of beautiful pictures as a result.
The three of us weren't ready to go home quite yet so we stopped by the neighboring château. Andréa bought us a combination tour so we could see the dungeons as well as the main housing sectors. The tour guide for the dungeon was cool. He was dressed as a knight and was very animated and interactive. The guide for the rest of the château annoyed me. She was dressed in an era-gown but had nautical stars tattooed on her forearm, brow and tongue piercings, and studded boots. She didn't make me feel like I was going back in time and she seemed super bored the entire time she was giving the tour. I know it's probably not the best job in the world, but you're being paid to be lively. The château is pretty on the outside but I wouldn't waste my time or money on a tour if I were you. Though it's being inhabited by the current owners, the inside of the château is not well-kept at all. Pieces of the ceiling were falling and wallpaper was peeling off of the walls. It was basically like going into an abandoned mansion and looking at all of the old furniture. If you've seen one château, you've pretty much seen them all. So, take my advice...Unless there's a wine cave, admire them from outside!!!
Andréa picked me up last night as he always does the day before our actual day off, so I woke up in Marseille this morning. We quickly got ourselves in order and left to pick up Momo. Momo is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE out of all of Andréa's friends. First of all, he's hilarious! Second, he's super nice. And last, but not least, he's a huge ball of energy! I'm normally tired due to my "work" but Momo always livens me up. He's a good person all around so whenever Andréa and I plan on doing anything now, I always beg him to invite Momo.
We got lost on the way to La Barben not that I was much help. I don't spend enough time looking at the map of France so I don't really know what is in which direction. Besides, I'm the type of person that enjoys getting lost. That's how I've learned my way around the south of France and every other place I've ever lived. Momo had his GPS up and running. France is a bit behind on that technology though so you often get turned around. It's like my friend Mark said, the U.S. was made for driving, the rest of the world wasn't. America's technology rolls with what's needed and is regularly updated. We were lost in the right area at least. Andréa asked a kindly fellow for directions and we were at the zoo soon after.
The zoo was pretty cool. Though Momo paid for all of us to get in, I still thought it was overpriced. I guess I've been pretty spoiled though with all of the free zoos in the U.S. like National Zoo in D.C. It was nice just to spend a day away from Aix and Marseille and do something different. It was a lot of fun just to walk around honestly. The grounds at the Barben Zoo were small but decently kept and there were tons of peacocks roaming free. The animals were neat though a bit too usual. I felt like it was more of a petting zoo with all of the goats, bison, and deer but the animals were pretty lively so that made it more enjoyable.
Andréa, Momo, and I approached the ostrich enclosure after hearing a weird groaning sound. When we looked in, there was a humongous male ostrich. As soon as he saw us, he crouched down, started batting his wings as if he was dancing, and waved his head from side to side--allowing his neck to roll. It was a very bizarre sight but so cool at the same time. I found out later that this was a mating dance. Check out this YouTube video. It's exactly what we saw--kind of funny. Through some light research, I found that male ostriches are sensitive to female pheromones of any species--something about Copulins. Apparently, this mating dance is seen often by women. Maybe I'm ovulating or something.
Momo is like a kid when he's at a zoo. He taps the glass, calls to the animals, and taunts them. Normally, the animals ignore this behavior but for some reason, Momo got a rise out of the big cats. Andréa was able to capture a lot of beautiful pictures as a result.
There's not much more to say about the zoo, so I'll just leave you with some pictures Andréa took.
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