Semester Abroad in Pau, France

Walking parallel to the Gave de Pau, the river running through downtown Pau, France, and along the Boulevard de Pyrenees. I followed the path through the Parc du Château and i realized that it’s like walking back in time. As I go along the Boulevard and look out to the Pyrenees, I can witness the same view that brought so many English visitors during the early 19th century. Though to some, the Pyrenees Mountains, along with the Gave de Pau, were much more than a beautiful sight.   After the Napoleonic Peninsula wars, the Wellington Army made their way across the Pyrenees Mountains where they found the strategically located town of Pau. Pau sits a little over 80 kilometers from the Pyrenees Mountains along the natural, mountain river, the Gave de Pau. The natural protection caused Wellington to choose Pau as the city to set up a British military camp. This choice led Pau to become the city it is today (Fredric).  As the British soldiers resided in Pau, they began to fall in

Walking backwards with my thumb up in the air, I began to think about how I had never hitchhiked before. I felt a little nervous, but having already experienced the Irish hospitality, I decided to take a chance. As my friends and I walked, we watched as several cars drove by. Walking ten minutes and watching three or four cars drive by, it began to feel like we had been walking for hours and that no one was going to pick us up. Though, after a couple more cars, I saw one turning around and coming back towards us. At this point things were beginning to get more real. We were about to get in the car with a total stranger. Across the street, an older man in a black car pulled into a parking lot. We walked over and began talking to him. As we stood and talked with the man I was very wary. He seemed to be a sweet old man, though I had always been taught to be careful around strangers. We told him we were heading to the Cliffs of Moher and asked if he could take us. He agreed a

L'Hippodrome de Pau was built in 1842, and has been a beloved attraction ever since. The horse race season in Pau is mainly during the winter period, and consists of over 150 obstacle courses and 55 flat courses.  Horse racing is among the many loved sports in Pau and is a free event to attend. Pau, France is well known for being an international sports destination. With a large English influence, around the 19th century, came their pastimes such as fox hunting, cricket, and horse racing. Pau was the first city to host a Grand Prix, had the first golf course on mainland Europe, and is a city included on the Tour de France. The Hippodrome continues to be a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. 

Tricky Travels Sprinting off the bus we scurried across the sidewalks, down the stairs, and back up the other side. Even with our late bus, we thought we were going to make our train. Out of breath and dragging our suitcases up the stairs, we reached our platform at 6:51pm and quickly realized our train was pulling away. My three friends, Kayla W., Kayla C., Mackenzie, and myself were trapped in Tarbes, France on our way to London. Our bus that arrived half an hour late in Tarbes, that caused us to miss our train by one minute, was going to cause us to miss our flight and ruin our entire holiday break.  The four of us were American students who were studying abroad in Pau, France for the moment. The girls had much more knowledge of French, and had been studying for years, while I had only a semester. A couple weeks before our holiday break we began planning what was supposed to be our best trip of our time abroad. We booked all of our flights and hostels, and we thought we wer