I arrived in Nîmes by train last night at 7:30pm. I had gotten on the plane the night before at 9:30, and had been traveling for a total of 16 hours--not actually all that much, but I was still tired. I developed a deep and abiding hatred for my luggage, and the amount of time and energy I invested in carrying it on and off trains gave me a painful understanding of exactly what everyone had meant when they advised me to "pack light." I did not pack light. I paid the price.

That aside, the trip was not bad, just long and boring. When I finally got to Nîmes I took at taxi to the Place du Marché, and was dropped off more or less at the door of the apartment. I was greeted by my two roommates, and then was given dinner by the woman who owned the apartment.

This morning I woke up at 6:00am, unpacked, and went for a walk around the city. At first I managed to get myself pretty lost, and wandered through some narrow residential streets. Eventually I happened on some Roman monuments and found myself in the more touristic part of town. The walk felt surreal--I had traveled in a sort of semi-conscious daze, and suddenly woken up to find myself in a foreign country. The first street I walked down (technically an alley, I think) ended in les Arènes, a Roman amphitheater. Everyone speaks French, which is somehow shocking, even though it really shouldn't be. The buildings are old, the streets are cobbled, and it smells like Europe (which I think smells sort of like deep-fried soap). Later I went to purchase my cell phone and buy some groceries, and the apartment is slowly but surely starting to feel more like home.