Last Updated on October 27, 2014 by
Upon my arrival in Cannes, France, I learned that there is a specific weekend where people can travel anywhere via train for only five euros! So one recent weekend mon ami Shoko et moi, decided to go to Marseille. But, upon our arrival at the train station, we learned that we would have to wait three hours for the next train. We didn’t want to wait three hours for a train so we decided to go to Ventimiglia instead.
I knew nothing about Ventimiglia, Italy. It took us about one hour and when we arrived I was actually suprised to see nothing but blue water, palm trees, and what looked like mountains from my seat on the train. They view was unbelievable! I’ve never traveled outside of the country, so traveling to Italy was something new for me.
When we arrived in Ventimiglia, I instantly began to smile. The view was beautiful and different. The buldings that surrounded the streets were traditional in their own unique, Italian way. We walked past a market that had fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, and plants. After exploring the market, Shoko and I decided to walk until we found the beach. On the way we crossed a bridge that had locks attached all over. I immediately dropped to my knees to examine them. I had only seen things like this in pictures! While examining the locks and staring at the geese in the water, we ran into two women who were enjoying the view as well. They were speaking French instead of Italian and so we ended up having a conversation with them. It was wonderful to meet them and it made me think about what life will be like for me 30 years from now. I thought about taking walks in Italy with my best friend and reminiscing about my life.
When we finally found the beach I was speechless. I actually began to cry as soon as I viewed my surroundings. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. The water was crystal blue and calm. The trees created a scene straight out of a movie that I never thought that I would see. When I left the United States, I had no intentions of traveling through Europe. So to be in Ventimiglia, Italy surrounded by trees and beautiful blue water was truly a shock to me. I never thought that I would see such a sight. It was not only unbelieveable for me but overwhelming as well. I was instantly humble and grateful for the opportunity to study abroad. After a few tears, Shoko and I took a million and one pictures like we always do. Of course after such an experince we needed to eat, so we found a small restuarant to eat the infamous Italian pizza. It was there that out of curiousity I asked the waitress, “How do you say I like that in Italian?” She replied “My piace questo/quello.” We spent about 5 minutes trying to pronounce this phrase and learning the opposite of this particular phrase, “non mi piace questo/quello.” I was highly amused with the way that the Italians pronounced their words. Everywhere else I went in Ventimiglia I said one of the two phrases that I knew: mi piace or non mi piace. So I guess there is only one thing I can say to sum up my day trip to Ventimiglia…
Mi piace!
