"I don't think that it's the end, but I know we can't keep going."

This is a line from Noah and the Whale's new album, The First Days of Spring. It's an appropriate line. And, really, an appropriate album.

I spent yesterday and this morning hanging out with the British girls who were here. We used Benjamin's free pitcher coupon at the Frog and Rosbif, and we drank a glass of Maison Blanche over there, which is my favorite of their brewed-in-house beers. We hung out by the river, which is always beautiful. And packed with French people drinking in public. In France it's legal to drink in public, but not to be drunk in public -- no one heeds this second part, but in general the atmosphere is always lovely. One of my favorite things about Bordeaux is that there are always plenty of people in the streets, walking around and talking, even in the middle of the night. It's a strange contrast with dead Oklahoma, where there is no easy way to be a pedestrian.

We went to bed quite late and then woke up around 10. I made some coffee and, eventually, we left the apartment to do some walking around. I'm not a very good tour guide, but Philippa and Lily seemed to think I was. We saw some of the interesting monuments and sights around downtown, and, in the meantime, I got a pretty impressive sunburn on my face and forearms. It's easy to forget that the summer brings the sun's wrath, but ultimately it was kind of nice. The bordelais were, in surprisingly large numbers, out and about, and wearing swimsuits. They were lounging longingly by the fountains or even swimming in them. After I dropped the British girls off at the train station, where I briefly saw Vianney, I met up with Lucy and her friends, one of whom was English. The other two girls were Italian, and spoke impressive English -- one more reason for me to be embarrassed that my nation doesn't seem to care about educating anyone in foreign languages -- and also that I seem to have learned so little in my Italian class.

There are ducklings in abundance at the park. Also boys playing soccer and couples with tiny babies. I continued to work on my mild sunburn as we socialized.

I went home in time to meet up with Alicia near the cathedral at Pey-Berland. We played Hanson's "Mmmbop" through in multiple different ways, as she used to be a fan and was excited to learn I came from the same place as them. In the end, the song was in an awkward register and the verses sung at an awkward pace for someone who is not anglophone, so we gave up on our original plan to play it at open mic night tomorrow.

I think I may play U2's "One" and the Mountain Goats' "This Year" for my last night at the Connemara. We'll see.