March 5, 2026
Winter Break 2025-2026 (Part 2…ik we’re still running a little behind schedule…but I couldn’t half-do it).
The second leg of my ridiculously long winter break began with flight delays and confusion. Luckily, being 4 hours delayed in the EU/UK meant I got some compesation in return! I flew Edinburgh to Paris to Nice.
When I finally arrived at my hostel, a 6-8 year old opened the door and did not bat an eye at me, she was more interested in the reels on her iPhone. I booked a bed in a womens-only room, expecting to share the space with a few others, but for the three nights I was there, I flew solo! How luxurious for such a cheap rate!
On my first full day I walked to the Marc Chagall Museum. It is the only museum commissioned while the artist was still living. Many of the works displayed significant biblical ties, understandable given his observant Jewish upbringing in Russia. I saw his famous stained glass windows in the auditorium, depicting the Seven days of creation (above). As in Hebrew, one reads the story from right to left. The largest panel captures the first 4 days, the middle panel 5-6, and the last panel 7.
This might be poor form, but my favorite work in the museaum was something not actually created by Chagall… Below I’ve included a picture of the Mosaic of Elijah – here is the piece’s bio: “Carried out by Lino Meano in 1971, this mosaic is dedicated to the prophet Elijah, who, on his chariot of first is surrounded by the twelve signs of the zodiac, integrated into a Mediterranean landscape in which the eye glides from coors to celestial symbols. Elijah was an important figure of Jewish and Hasidic culture in Chagall’s childhood. The combination of the central biblical figure and the ancient zodiac reveals a syncretism of the various traditions of Mediterranean culture”
I walked around La Gare de Sud, enjoying the wide array of markets and produce. Then, I made a pit stop to Cathédral Saint-Nicolas de Nice – home of the largest Russian Orthodox community in Western Europe. During my walking escapades around Nice, I learned about Tobias Smollett, a Scottish writer and surgeon who traveled to southern France after the death of his daughter. Also facing significant health issues, he took an extended trip to Italy and France, which he chronicles in ‘Travels Through France and Italy.’ His writings contributed to the popularization of travelers to Southern France for healing purposes.
I passed the Basilique Notre-Dame (first picture on this page), and made my way to Old Nice. I ate baguette, prosciutto, and cheese at Colline du Château, plus a coke I managed to order in French (the man did in fact respond in English, but hey, I was trying my best). The view at the top of the park is spectacular: Promenade des Anglais, beachfront, and a sliver of the Alps.
I took a day trip to Cannes, spending the morning walking around Le Suquet – giving a more historical/old-timey feel – narrow alleys, old buildings, steep pathways, small gardens and coves. I passed by Musée des explorations du monde, which is a notable museum, but it was closed for the day. I made sure to hit ‘Le Saint Antoine Boulangerie’ for an eclair. Sensational.
I walked to the Rothschild gardens, Médiathèque Noailles, built in 1881 for Betty Rothschild, converted to a historical monument in the 1990s. I passed by the famous Cannes Film Festival site – severely underwhelming as it looked like any other convention center — honestly had I not google maps-book-marked it, I might have missed it.
I liked imagining Cannes during peak season – Hollywood starlets strolling the streets, riding around in convertibles, relaxing at a beach club. It wasn’t warm enough to swim or tan, so I spent much of the afternoon cozied up on a beach bench behind dolos reading a book.
Before leaving Nice for Marseille, I enjoyed socca, a chickpea flat bread… with pepper on it? A wee bit dry for my preference, but I’m sure when it has more than just black pepper on it, it’s good.
I enjoyed the scenic train ride from Nice to Marseille, checked in early, assembled a day pack, and headed to Vieux Port – the old port. Intending to check out a castle in the bay, I took a ferry from the Old Port – we ended up chugging by the castle and spending an hour and a half on this archipelago ‘Frioul.’
This adventure was wayyy cooler than four walls in the ocean. With time to kill, I wandered to a beach “Plage de Marginet’ where I saw paths winding up a rocky hillside. Naturally, I followed it, eventuallying leading to ‘Fort de Ratonneau.’
Turns out Fort de Ratonneau is the tallest point on the archipelago – from summit, it took me around 20-30 minutes to explore the whole fort. I tried to piece together what functions each section played – defense, sleeping quarters, social spaces, dungeon, cooking/dining etc. Several creepier alcoves, graffitied walls, strange deep gashes in the walls, and random crosses and pillars. If anyone recognizes these structures, give me a shout.
I descended from the fortress and explored the vacant town. That said, there must be some residents living there because the ferry boarded via two lines, ‘residents’ & ‘general boarding.’ At least three people carried rolly-carriages with what I presume were groceries given the lack of open shops on the archipelago. Upon further research, according to the 2015 census, the population is 146.1
Another day, I visited Palais Longchamp – gorgeous from the exterior, but nothing more than a grand fountain entryway to an elevated park. Seemed to be a hotspot for kids to play and organizations to hand out promotional flyers.
I took the metro as close to the Notre dame de la Garde, where the Madonna with child towers over the city. At most points in Marseille, you can look up and see her gold glimmering. The walk to the Notre dame de la Garde site was no joke. I average 20,000-30,000 steps easily on a touristy day, but I was not anticipating such crazy elevation. A steep, narrow street (I took three breaks on the way up, crazy grade) led up to a small green space with mini stair switchbacks and finally an entrance to the historical site where you could climb another seven flights of stairs to the basilica. Similar to the architecture in the south of Spain, I noted the north african influence via the striped arches leading into the church. They also had various fishing paraphernalia hanging from the ceilings, highlighting Marseille’s preeminent trades. Best view of the city and sea, hands down.
I visited many other sites, which I’d reccomend purely for the scenic walking route along the coast: Abbaye Saint Victor (kinda ugly fort/abbey), Citadelle de Marseille (a flat ugly fort from the 17th century), La Corniche Kennedy (statue/archway), Vallon Des Auffes (small inlet with boards and modest arches), and Palais de Pharo.
Pretty building and statue around Marseille. Not one of the sites mentioned above.
I also visited For Saint-Jean, which is connected to MUSEM (museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations) by a small skybridge. Students gain free admission to their permanent exhibits ‘Populaire’ (pop culture, inventions, cultural relics, important historical movements) & ‘Mediterranean’ which included greek relics, history of the colonization of Algiers, sculptures, controversial history of Musee de l’Homme and Paul Rivet.
Before catching my train to Paris on my last morning in Marseille, I toured La Cathedral Major and walked through La Panier, the artist quarter. I enjoyed the narrow alleyways, street art, and a take-a-book-leave-a-book. In the transition hours between check-out and train — and I quote from my written journal because it made me chuckle when reading through it — “I packed up and worked on my newsletter while sippin’ on shit coffee & eating semi-stale 1€ croissants – glorious.”
Lily fetched me from Gare de Lyon (shoutout). After navigating by myself for a week, I was more than grateful that she could speak and read French on behalf. This was definitely mutually beneficial because she did not deserve to endure the humiliation of being affiliated w/ someone butchering the language so horrendously. Spending time with Lily felt more like ‘living’ rather than ‘touring’ or ‘visiting’ – sure she indulged me in seeing the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Tuileries, and the Notre Dame (while the children’s choir was singing – imagine your childhood extracurricular being a singing in the Notre Dame choir… ), but it was nice to move through the city with someone who lives there and coexist!
One day we thrifted (as many of you know, I never buy clothes unless Lily is there because she had the most legendary skill of being able to know what will fit and look good on literally anyone, I keep telling her she needs to start her own business because she will be so successful). One of my favorite memories is us finding a quaint coffee shop off Saint-Martin, ordering the most aesthetically pleasing mocha and cappuccino, and playing Uno for hours.
Given the lack of LGBTQ+ culture and nightlife in St Andrews, Lily and I made sure to fill that quota. Checking off many Paris list bucket items in one, we paid 10€ for a 2.5 hour lesbian boat cruise down the Seine. What a steal! Yes, we were the youngest people there by at least 5 years, but the music was good, there was a free foosball table, and I saw the Eiffel Tower glitter at least three times!
Montmartre was another highlight – I’ve never seen anything like the artists’ square where many do live portraits/paintings/sketches/drawings. I tried my first Parisian crepe. Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre did not disappoint. Lily found the coolest Segura jacket anyone has ever seen all while outfitting me in a blue carhart jacket (another wardrobe item added, thank you). In the evening, we hung out with our people on Saint-Martin, finishing up with a rooftop DJ set (where you weren’t allowed to wear a jacket inside but had to pay for coat check???) And shawarma.
Last leg of the trip – I’ll keep it short ‘n’ brief because this post is getting out of hand. I traveled from Paris to Amsterdam on a 6 hour flix bus. My accomodation was near the University of Amsterdam business and law school as well as the old jewish quarter. The tram stop was a full one minute walk away – ideal.
I hit the major tourist spots like Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, the National Holocaust Museum, the Royal Palace, Anne Frank Huis, Vondelpark, Waterlooplein, and the Flower Market. I made sure to eat as many stroopwafels as humanely possible throughout my few days.
With the second semester coming up, I spent a day at the library, OBA Oosterdok – my goodness, one of the most beautiful, clean, modern libraries I’ve ever seen.
I also took a day trip to the Hague, making the 1.5 hour walk to the beachfront (De Pier) since it was a beautiful day out. I walked by Mauritshius (where the woman with the pearl earring lives), the Peace Palace, Noordeinde Palace, Binnehof (gov’t buildings), and the passage (shopping corridor).
After a wonderful few weeks of travel, I flew back to Scotland, excited to return to my creature comforts and wear more than the same two shirts. What a packed, adventuruous winter break. Write soon –
postcards from EM 