Allez L'OM

6/04/2025 - 9/04/2025

My skin prickled and the hairs on my arms bolted upright as 60,000 French voices chanted deafeningly "Allez L'OM, Allez L'OM, Allez L'OM" - "Come on, Marseille". Under the impression that nothing could beat the atmosphere of the Atletico Madrid home stadium a few weeks ago, I was glad to be proven wrong this Sunday night in the ancient city on the southern coast of France. The passion, noise and sheer enthusiasm of the Marseille fans was unrivalled to anything I have experienced up to this point in my life. As I drunk in the electric atmosphere pulsating through the Stade Velodrome, I felt I understood for a moment the devotion, the obsession that these people have for their team. When life is hard, and believe me, it seems difficult in parts of Marseille, you need an outlet, you need a mechanism to put aside the grind and struggle of daily life and unite with others for something bigger than yourself. Something more, something better, something unifying. Some may turn to religion, but for these 60,000 people, the answer is more significant than that. The answer is football.

The high of my joyous day in Montpellier eventually faded on my second day in the Roman city of Nemausus, or as we say today, Nîmes. Speaking truthfully, apart from that afternoon and evening with Anna and Alice, I have found France in general to be rather isolating in comparison to the other countries I've visited on this journey. Granted, the hostels and manner in which I have structured my stays have not been particularly conducive to forming connections, however, my point still remains true. I was in Marseille for one night for the football, before shifting to Nîmes, where I've had my own apartment for three nights. A seriously good treat, this has, however, rendered slim the opportunities to meet new people. That being said, the upsides of the apartment have been numerous. 42 days have elapsed since that day I left my previous life behind in Auckland and my way of living has changed rather dramatically. Staying in hostel dorm rooms and the odd hotel room does limit the personal space that one has to operate in. My first night in this apartment was brilliant. I had a couch to sit on, a dining room table to write at, and most of all, a kitchen to cook in. A favourite hobby of mine that I did not realise how much I've missed is cooking. Cooking has been a way for me to express myself and create something, and I particularly enjoying putting on some tunes and singing (badly) at the same time. These two creative outlets have been missing from my life the past 42 days and it was a real treat to enjoy them again. All I need now is to work out a way to get a guitar... 

Enjoying my own space and a little down time has been mixed with enjoying another hobby of mine: history. The reason I chose to come to Nîmes is because of the significant Roman history and monuments contained in the city. Seeing Les Arènes de Nîmes, the largely intact Roman amphitheater kicked off my "Roman" day in Nîmes, before heading to the Roman Museum of Nîmes, followed by an old Roman tower on top of a hill overlooking the city with La Maison Carrée to finish the day, one of the most unaltered Roman temples in the world. This bloody huge aqueduct, the Pont du Gard, a 30 minute bus ride out of the city completed my Roman escapades the following day. I absolutely loved taking in these notable historical monuments, relishing the experience of seeing structures that have stood the test of time for roughly 2000 years. 

I do apologise for the theme that is appearing in these passages, but hey, this is my outlet guys and you're choosing to read it. To put it simply, I feel alone. I think that I liked more when it was relatively novel at the beginning of my trip, but aspects of it are starting to wear thin. I yearn for someone to share these unique experiences with. In my typical, rational sense of thinking, I know this can be solved, and will be solved. Arriving in Lyon tomorrow, I will meet up with some friends of a family friend who are locals, before seeing my aunty Audrie in Munich and then my mate Fintan in Budapest. This feeling will pass, and I am taking steps to address it. But, thinking not in that rational mindset, I feel alone now and it lowkey sucks. I crave a proper conversation, laughing over a drink, a fucking hug. Honestly, hugs are one of those things that you don't realise you miss until they're gone. Maybe that's just me, but that's been preoccupying me recently. Just to set everyone's minds at ease, I am ok and still having a great time! Just sharing the good and the bad, gotta give a well-balanced account of everything. Non-biased, non-partisan journalism and all that. No fake news! Conversation, connection and hugs are on the horizon. Peace.