Today started like any other- except for a little problem… it has begun to rain on our trip!
We packed up and said goodbye to our home away from home, and continued on our journey to the next city- Montpellier. When we eventually arrived to this city it had become cold and rainy unfortunately but we still explored around as much as we could.
After an hour or two we decided just to get on the road again so we could rest at our next hostel/hotel/B&B. Les Trois Puits turned out to be this charming B&B that was huge. We were greeted by yet more Englishmen who were running a French accommodation, and their 13 cats and gorgeous Russian dog. This B&B consisted of three different histories- it has some medieval parts to it, parts of it from when it was a winery long ago, and some very recent, modern flares to give it a warm, homey feel. I’m absolutely in love with this place actually! Their entire backyard are the old (but remodeled) buildings that housed hundreds of wine barrels and the process to make wine! It was swamped by a large and very beautiful garden that was a playground for all of their cats.
Nearby is another medieval city that we decided to explore tonight and to try and find dinner. It was similar to Carcassonne but a little smaller and barely any people around at all. We found a nice restaurant here and treated ourselves to a French feast with a lots of wine, I had a filet, Karla had duck, Sam and mom had gigantic pizzas to themselves, and of course we had desserts too!
Cheers to that!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The 6th of April
We woke up at the hostel and realized we needed to do something about obtaining breakfast! The extremely hospitable English woman running the hostel told us about the only bakery open in this tiny village. Mom and I walked up the windy path up the hill and spotted a tiny sign for the Boulangerie. Inside was barely anything- just like Jan, the English woman from the hostel had warned us- there was a single loaf of bread on a shelf which I picked up naturally. "Non non! C'est réservé!" Hmmm... The old man with the long grey beard and vacant face ran to the back as quick as he could and returned with another loaf. After a breakfast of tea, bread and marmalade we continued to get ready to go see the rest of "Le Cité" by daylight.
The fortified city was a bit touristy, but so worth the visit. We walked up the path leading to the main wall and the wind was incredibly strong- strong enough to make us lean on 45 degree angle against it to walk properly. The fort was deigned in a way so that the outer wall and the inner wall created a wind tunnel, so this intense circle of strong currents was hard to get by but once inside the inner wall- into an alley that strangely resembles something out of Harry Potter- it wasn't so bad. We spent the afternoon shopping and having lunch looking up at the hundreds of years old history around us.
We spent most of the day here and simply went back to rest at our friendly little hostel in the countryside.
The fortified city was a bit touristy, but so worth the visit. We walked up the path leading to the main wall and the wind was incredibly strong- strong enough to make us lean on 45 degree angle against it to walk properly. The fort was deigned in a way so that the outer wall and the inner wall created a wind tunnel, so this intense circle of strong currents was hard to get by but once inside the inner wall- into an alley that strangely resembles something out of Harry Potter- it wasn't so bad. We spent the afternoon shopping and having lunch looking up at the hundreds of years old history around us.
We spent most of the day here and simply went back to rest at our friendly little hostel in the countryside.
Monday, April 6, 2009
The 5th of April
Today was the first day that it really struck me that I had become a tourist for this trip. We woke up and wandered downstairs for our petit déjeuner (breakfast) and then packed up our car for our next destination- Carcassonne. Today was the first day that it really hit me that I had transitioned into a real tourist instead of a student living here. My perspective changed and I saw everything with wide opened eyes and was a mix of extremely excited and enthusiastic and calm... I'm totally aware that this is a strange mix of emotions but that's the best description I could think of! I think that the quiet drive through French countryside was a calming yet truly beautiful and breath taking couple of hours. We decided to get off the toll road and drive on the smaller roads through France- this was one of the best decisions we've ever made. We didn't know where we were going but we knew that a small town had a castle and that that would be a perfect spot for lunch. With myself at the wheel, Samuel with his GPS iPhone, Karla with her map, and mom with her eyes peeled for signs we eventually found one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen (and that isn't an overstatement).
The sun was just perfectly lighting the landscape, there was a slight breeze but the climate remained warm and perfectly adjusted, and the countryside began to represent "the South of France" or sometimes even places in Italy. With the perfectly erect oval pine trees standing 30 feet tall at least, beautiful villa homes with charming aesthetics, tiny winding streets, and mountainous terrain that helped nourish the infinite vineyards was only half of the amazing scenery around us. When we found the village we were trying to get to just outside of the city called "Villeneuve sur Lot" there was a very tall hill, or I suppose it would be appropriate to call it a mountain with a small ancient city leading up to the top. At the very top of the mountain was a building with a silver half sphere sparkling in the distance. We navigated our car through the mountainous village and finally found the road up to this "Bastille" by intuition. We needed to eat, and so by absolute chance at the base of the Bastille grounds were picnic tables looking out over the massive landscape. We pulled our our sausage and cheese a small baguettes, our arrangement of pears, bananas, and grapes, water and dried fruit and had the most fantastic lunch with an even more fantastic view. If we looked up we could make out a huge statue of Mary on top of the Bastille. With great excitement to find the temple at the top of the mountain we finished our lunch and found a close parking spot to the medieval entrance.
The four of us walked through the stone arch of the "Notre-Dame de Peyragude" and followed the stone path the overlooked the most charming village you can imagine and up towards the peak of the mountain. It was a wooded area that led to a cave. We explored this area with the interest of curious child- discovering something for the first time. To our great surprise inside of the cave was a great shrine for Mary Magdeline, and a beautiful statue/ column of an angel overlooking the entrance that was encoded in Latin. There were countless offerings of flowers around the shrine. Continuing around the wooded cliff there was a small path that led to the actual Bastille. It was the most beautiful temple/ cathedral I have ever seen in my life. You could just feel how much meaning was behind this building. The energy at this site was very powerful and a strong sense of peace was over all of us. We walked towards the entrance of the Bastille and the tier (of the cliff) just below us was a good sized cemetery with flowers wrapped all over the grave markings. This tier had the most beautiful view of the Mediterranean landscape that was around us. We wandered inside of the Bastille and we all lit candles for the statue of Mary and Jesus and gazed agape at the stain glass surrounding us.
Afterward, we began to head back to our car when Sam and I remembered an unexplored path going even further up the hill. We hiked up by ourselves and discovered a flat surface with the remains of some kind of ruin that used to just be one room looking out over the Bastille. Looking in the other direction though there was a very tall and realistic scene of Jesus on the cross and two sad statues of either Mary or an Angel looking up at him with red tears. It was shockingly beautiful.
After this amazing experience we made it to our hostel just outside of Carcassonne. Sidsmums Travelers Retreat was actually owned by a British woman and resembled someones home. It was truly like staying at her house with other American/ Australian travelers, and we were experiencing true English hospitality. She recommended where to eat dinner in town- which isn't just any old town. It's one of the only perfectly preserve medieval cities left today. We're in a historically Cathar region thus this beautifully intact fortress used to be home to Cathar's in their glory days. It is an incredibly impressive site. We made our way into "Le Cité", crossed the drawbridge and explored the medieval grounds until we found "St. Jean Restaurant" and had a fabulous diner by candle light.
Afterward we wandered around the dark city, letting the old street lamps guide us around until eventually we made it to our car, made it to our hostel, made it to bed.
The sun was just perfectly lighting the landscape, there was a slight breeze but the climate remained warm and perfectly adjusted, and the countryside began to represent "the South of France" or sometimes even places in Italy. With the perfectly erect oval pine trees standing 30 feet tall at least, beautiful villa homes with charming aesthetics, tiny winding streets, and mountainous terrain that helped nourish the infinite vineyards was only half of the amazing scenery around us. When we found the village we were trying to get to just outside of the city called "Villeneuve sur Lot" there was a very tall hill, or I suppose it would be appropriate to call it a mountain with a small ancient city leading up to the top. At the very top of the mountain was a building with a silver half sphere sparkling in the distance. We navigated our car through the mountainous village and finally found the road up to this "Bastille" by intuition. We needed to eat, and so by absolute chance at the base of the Bastille grounds were picnic tables looking out over the massive landscape. We pulled our our sausage and cheese a small baguettes, our arrangement of pears, bananas, and grapes, water and dried fruit and had the most fantastic lunch with an even more fantastic view. If we looked up we could make out a huge statue of Mary on top of the Bastille. With great excitement to find the temple at the top of the mountain we finished our lunch and found a close parking spot to the medieval entrance.
The four of us walked through the stone arch of the "Notre-Dame de Peyragude" and followed the stone path the overlooked the most charming village you can imagine and up towards the peak of the mountain. It was a wooded area that led to a cave. We explored this area with the interest of curious child- discovering something for the first time. To our great surprise inside of the cave was a great shrine for Mary Magdeline, and a beautiful statue/ column of an angel overlooking the entrance that was encoded in Latin. There were countless offerings of flowers around the shrine. Continuing around the wooded cliff there was a small path that led to the actual Bastille. It was the most beautiful temple/ cathedral I have ever seen in my life. You could just feel how much meaning was behind this building. The energy at this site was very powerful and a strong sense of peace was over all of us. We walked towards the entrance of the Bastille and the tier (of the cliff) just below us was a good sized cemetery with flowers wrapped all over the grave markings. This tier had the most beautiful view of the Mediterranean landscape that was around us. We wandered inside of the Bastille and we all lit candles for the statue of Mary and Jesus and gazed agape at the stain glass surrounding us.
Afterward, we began to head back to our car when Sam and I remembered an unexplored path going even further up the hill. We hiked up by ourselves and discovered a flat surface with the remains of some kind of ruin that used to just be one room looking out over the Bastille. Looking in the other direction though there was a very tall and realistic scene of Jesus on the cross and two sad statues of either Mary or an Angel looking up at him with red tears. It was shockingly beautiful.
After this amazing experience we made it to our hostel just outside of Carcassonne. Sidsmums Travelers Retreat was actually owned by a British woman and resembled someones home. It was truly like staying at her house with other American/ Australian travelers, and we were experiencing true English hospitality. She recommended where to eat dinner in town- which isn't just any old town. It's one of the only perfectly preserve medieval cities left today. We're in a historically Cathar region thus this beautifully intact fortress used to be home to Cathar's in their glory days. It is an incredibly impressive site. We made our way into "Le Cité", crossed the drawbridge and explored the medieval grounds until we found "St. Jean Restaurant" and had a fabulous diner by candle light.
Afterward we wandered around the dark city, letting the old street lamps guide us around until eventually we made it to our car, made it to our hostel, made it to bed.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The 4th of April
I woke up with a start today and quickly took a shower and got ready because as soon as I opened my eyes I remembered that i hadn't packed yet for our vacation! I rushed around my room throwing clothes and cosmetics into my suitcase while drinking down my morning coffee. Eventually the car was packed and Sam and I met up with Karla and mom back at the hotel rested and ready to go. But first they wanted to see the city that we're living in for the semester. Of course the exterior market was our first stop. We strolled up and down the market and bought snacks for the road and sandwiches for lunch. Seeing Karla's and mom's faces light up was so rewarding this morning. This is the first time that either of them have been to France (and for my mom the first time to a country that truly doesn't speak her native tongue) so it was even exciting for me to show them around, show them French traditions, show off our language skills and let them have a really good first experience!
After the market we loaded into the car for a little road tour of the things we didn't have time to walk to... so we drove them by the castle and around that area, and then into Centre Ville a little bit to the House of Adam. It's a little pedestrian square with beautiful Renaissance architecture and walked around for some photo opportunities and to visit the artistic shop that hosts paintings, crafts, sculpting, everything type of art you can think of from artist in the region, France, and Europe. They loved it. As soon as we stepped back out to the cobble stone street it started to rain on us- so we took cover in the car and decided to start driving to Bordeaux- France's favorite city! Between the printed Google Maps and Sam's iPhone we made it through I think about 4 or more hours of driving to our hotel. After a bit of resting we wandered through the beautiful allies of Bordeaux which I found to be very similar to Angers- but much more lively and cozy. Their Centre Ville is enormous compared to Angers, and we wandered over towards the river bank where there were recommended seafood restaurants. We finally were drawn to a restaurant still on the water but tucked away into the old buildings called "Restaurant Basque- Cuisine du Grand Sud-Ouest" and enjoyed an amazing 4 course meal while sharing stories, laughing, and teaching Karla and mom about French etiquette and language. At one point in this little, intimate restaurant the four of us were repeating and emphasizing the difference between Beacoup (with "merci"- thanks alot) and Beau cul (nice ass) which are very subtle difference in the shaping of your lips. And I couple in the corner of the restaurant we found were laughing their heads off and that's when we realized what we doing. We were pretty loudly repeating "nice ass" over and over again in this quant restaurant. We laughed so hard- every experience we had today could have gone wrong but has gone comedically perfect and will be in our memories of France forever!
After the market we loaded into the car for a little road tour of the things we didn't have time to walk to... so we drove them by the castle and around that area, and then into Centre Ville a little bit to the House of Adam. It's a little pedestrian square with beautiful Renaissance architecture and walked around for some photo opportunities and to visit the artistic shop that hosts paintings, crafts, sculpting, everything type of art you can think of from artist in the region, France, and Europe. They loved it. As soon as we stepped back out to the cobble stone street it started to rain on us- so we took cover in the car and decided to start driving to Bordeaux- France's favorite city! Between the printed Google Maps and Sam's iPhone we made it through I think about 4 or more hours of driving to our hotel. After a bit of resting we wandered through the beautiful allies of Bordeaux which I found to be very similar to Angers- but much more lively and cozy. Their Centre Ville is enormous compared to Angers, and we wandered over towards the river bank where there were recommended seafood restaurants. We finally were drawn to a restaurant still on the water but tucked away into the old buildings called "Restaurant Basque- Cuisine du Grand Sud-Ouest" and enjoyed an amazing 4 course meal while sharing stories, laughing, and teaching Karla and mom about French etiquette and language. At one point in this little, intimate restaurant the four of us were repeating and emphasizing the difference between Beacoup (with "merci"- thanks alot) and Beau cul (nice ass) which are very subtle difference in the shaping of your lips. And I couple in the corner of the restaurant we found were laughing their heads off and that's when we realized what we doing. We were pretty loudly repeating "nice ass" over and over again in this quant restaurant. We laughed so hard- every experience we had today could have gone wrong but has gone comedically perfect and will be in our memories of France forever!
The 3rd of April
On April 3, 2009 Samuel and I arrived at the train station in Angers at exactly 2pm in the afternoon awaiting the arrival of my mother and Karla (a good family friend/basically family) with a lot of anticipation. For an hour and a half we waited, becoming increasingly worried- did they sleep on the train and miss their stop? did they get lost in the airport? where are they? And at 3:53pm just before we were about to leave I finally recognized someones face! I ran down the ramp leading to the trains and hugged and kissed my mom and Karla and of course we chatted about their adventure through the airport and train stations.
We rented our car at the train station (Renault Kangoo) and had a blast finally being in a car after 2 months. It was a totally different perspective of Angers on the road then it was by foot. Things went by faster and everything seemed much closer together. We settled Karla and mom into their hotel ran to the supermarket for some cheese, a baguette, coke, water, grapes, and two bananas for the perfect jet lagged hunger. After they took showers we took them two blocks to Sam's homestay for "un petit gôute". We sat around the living room table while while laughing and talking (of course Sam and I were translating) and then Michelle brought out a basket of chocolates bottle of "Champagne" (this isn't so simple to say because the name "champagne" is from a specific region in France- this type of sparkling wine was from the region of Anjou) but it was abnormally frozen. So when Pascal opened this beautiful bottle of "Champagne" for his guests it became a science experiment of constantly exploding frozen wine. No one knew what to do so we just watched it explode for awhile laughing as hard as was possible.
After that very eventful visit, we drove over to my homestay for a full course meal. It was so awesome to have my mom meet my French family, although Karla and mom were extremely tired it was still very lively. After a full course meal and translating conversations and jokes- we all crashed and looked forward to the next day of starting our vacation to the South of France, Switzerland, and Paris!
We rented our car at the train station (Renault Kangoo) and had a blast finally being in a car after 2 months. It was a totally different perspective of Angers on the road then it was by foot. Things went by faster and everything seemed much closer together. We settled Karla and mom into their hotel ran to the supermarket for some cheese, a baguette, coke, water, grapes, and two bananas for the perfect jet lagged hunger. After they took showers we took them two blocks to Sam's homestay for "un petit gôute". We sat around the living room table while while laughing and talking (of course Sam and I were translating) and then Michelle brought out a basket of chocolates bottle of "Champagne" (this isn't so simple to say because the name "champagne" is from a specific region in France- this type of sparkling wine was from the region of Anjou) but it was abnormally frozen. So when Pascal opened this beautiful bottle of "Champagne" for his guests it became a science experiment of constantly exploding frozen wine. No one knew what to do so we just watched it explode for awhile laughing as hard as was possible.
After that very eventful visit, we drove over to my homestay for a full course meal. It was so awesome to have my mom meet my French family, although Karla and mom were extremely tired it was still very lively. After a full course meal and translating conversations and jokes- we all crashed and looked forward to the next day of starting our vacation to the South of France, Switzerland, and Paris!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
One Day of My Life
"To my surprise, and my delight
I saw sunrise, I saw sunlight"
-Coldplay, Daylight
As I wake up in the morning, it is pitch black. I pull on my slippers and shuffle over to the window. Turning the old fashion knob, covered in what would have been a fresh paint job in 1930, I open the windows and push out my blue 4 foot tall window shutters just like in the movies. I'm immediately embraced by a scene one can only imagine. A green garden, chirping morning birds, and blooming flowers scattered in front of the small, charming shed that rests next to a tall stone wall that blocks off the rest of the world. As my eyes take their time adjusting, my body automatically begins to get ready, make the bed, fix coffee and cereal, strap on some shoes and say "Au revoir! Bon journée!" to Veronique and the kids who are typically eating their breakfast of tea and croissants or cereal everyone smiling at each other as I leave.
As I exit our main gate, I turn around to lock it with my ancient gold keys, weighing 5 pounds in themselves. I plug in my headphones, listening to something new everyday, and walk to our university. The day goes on as always at school, but by lunchtime Sam and I meet up on the long driveway hugged with tall trees that connects the University to the main city and we get our hour and a half long sieste. We have so many choices! "What do we want for lunch today?" There are endless cafes, middle eastern kebab sandwiches, panini stands, my house is close by- we could make something, or perhaps a fresh sandwich from a local boulanger (bakery)? We make a choice and decide to go to Centre Ville for a panini. The crowd of people is intensively waiting to have their order taken, but Sam and I quickly find ourselves at the front of the counter drooling over which panini to get! Curry chicken and cheese, or goat cheese, or ham or chicken and cheese, steak and fries panini (which is very odd, but turns out delicious!), or a pizza panini. "Peux j'avoir un petit panini poulet s'il vous plaît? Avec une coca et pain au chocolat. Merci!" I grin in satisfaction as she tells me the price extremely fast- sounding almost like a blur, "trois euro cinquante". I understand perfectly- 3,50. I pull out a few coins that represent the exact change. After Sam and I both get little yellow and black stripped bags with our panini, coke, and a dessert (a croissant stuffed with baked chocolat). We walk up a cobblestone alley with people of all sorts zooming, or strolling past us. We find a little courtyard with a perfect view of a cathedral and sit down on the same stone bench as always and enjoy our lunch, chatting about what we learned in class that day or how beautiful the weather is becoming.
After the rest of my classes, it's about 4 in the afternoon- it's time to collect ingredients for dinner before everything closes and you're out of luck! I walk past the beautiful old church just as it begins to tell me the time. DING DONG DING.... I look up to the bell tower to try and spot it moving, but all I see is beautiful grey architecture against the brilliant blue sky. Not even a block away from this scene, I spot my favorite Boulanger/ Patisserie (Bakery/ "Desserterie"). The same middle aged, smiling woman as always greets me. And I order my usual- "Juste une baguette et un torsade s'il vous plaît" - "Bien sûr!" (Of course!). It was the charming ritual of ordering an 80 cent stick of bread that went with every meal. Today was different though. I was a usual customer, but this day after I payed, she asked me some more familiar questions such as what I was doing in France, how long I was staying, if I was here to study French, if I lived in the neighborhood... and after a wonderful conversation with a local she said this, "Tu parle bien francais!". My heartbeat raced and I couldn't help but to smile a Fools Smile. A local had told me I speak French well! What a compliment, especially to a beginner/ intermediate learner. I found myself crossing the bridge over the railroad tracks, half way back to my home from the Boulanger still grinning.
I get a phone call from a friend inviting Sam and I over for dinner. I find it a hard thing to turn down, so in what seems like 15 minutes we were ringing the doorbell of a grand, rich wooden brown door with aesthetic carving around the frame. We greet one another and soon enough we're all prepping vegetables or laughing together or setting the table. Our host (a half Norwegian half American, speaking 5 different languages) brought different dishes out, one by one, to the outdoor table which has been set and awaiting us under the trees of the garden, and cushioned by the bright flowers and cobblestone wall separating us from the neighbors. There was pasta, wine, mussels in a tomato/onion/wine sauce, traditional fajitas (with fresh guacamole, made by myself), a vinaigrette salad with salmon and goat cheese, and a fabulous sunny breeze.
After the dinner party, I found myself for the last time that day walking through the ancient buildings, cobblestone walkways, and houses boarded up by their shutters. Night time in Europe has an almost opposite vibe than day time Europe. Everything, all the shops, restaurants, houses, and gates are closed, locked, and boarded up. The stars shine bright over the rooftops, but its as if someone truly turns off a switch when the sun goes down. I think about how the cultural and historical significance of boarding your windows and doors at night in France... some French claim it's for privacy, others say its because of a tradition from hundreds of years ago when the government would send spies on households to determine how much they have, and how much to tax them, others may even say its because of the wars in their history...for protection? My mind wanders. When I get back to my own room I close my own shutters, for traditions sake- knowing that when that switch is turned back on with the sunrise- it will be a whole new start to an amazing day.
I saw sunrise, I saw sunlight"
-Coldplay, Daylight
As I wake up in the morning, it is pitch black. I pull on my slippers and shuffle over to the window. Turning the old fashion knob, covered in what would have been a fresh paint job in 1930, I open the windows and push out my blue 4 foot tall window shutters just like in the movies. I'm immediately embraced by a scene one can only imagine. A green garden, chirping morning birds, and blooming flowers scattered in front of the small, charming shed that rests next to a tall stone wall that blocks off the rest of the world. As my eyes take their time adjusting, my body automatically begins to get ready, make the bed, fix coffee and cereal, strap on some shoes and say "Au revoir! Bon journée!" to Veronique and the kids who are typically eating their breakfast of tea and croissants or cereal everyone smiling at each other as I leave.
As I exit our main gate, I turn around to lock it with my ancient gold keys, weighing 5 pounds in themselves. I plug in my headphones, listening to something new everyday, and walk to our university. The day goes on as always at school, but by lunchtime Sam and I meet up on the long driveway hugged with tall trees that connects the University to the main city and we get our hour and a half long sieste. We have so many choices! "What do we want for lunch today?" There are endless cafes, middle eastern kebab sandwiches, panini stands, my house is close by- we could make something, or perhaps a fresh sandwich from a local boulanger (bakery)? We make a choice and decide to go to Centre Ville for a panini. The crowd of people is intensively waiting to have their order taken, but Sam and I quickly find ourselves at the front of the counter drooling over which panini to get! Curry chicken and cheese, or goat cheese, or ham or chicken and cheese, steak and fries panini (which is very odd, but turns out delicious!), or a pizza panini. "Peux j'avoir un petit panini poulet s'il vous plaît? Avec une coca et pain au chocolat. Merci!" I grin in satisfaction as she tells me the price extremely fast- sounding almost like a blur, "trois euro cinquante". I understand perfectly- 3,50. I pull out a few coins that represent the exact change. After Sam and I both get little yellow and black stripped bags with our panini, coke, and a dessert (a croissant stuffed with baked chocolat). We walk up a cobblestone alley with people of all sorts zooming, or strolling past us. We find a little courtyard with a perfect view of a cathedral and sit down on the same stone bench as always and enjoy our lunch, chatting about what we learned in class that day or how beautiful the weather is becoming.
After the rest of my classes, it's about 4 in the afternoon- it's time to collect ingredients for dinner before everything closes and you're out of luck! I walk past the beautiful old church just as it begins to tell me the time. DING DONG DING.... I look up to the bell tower to try and spot it moving, but all I see is beautiful grey architecture against the brilliant blue sky. Not even a block away from this scene, I spot my favorite Boulanger/ Patisserie (Bakery/ "Desserterie"). The same middle aged, smiling woman as always greets me. And I order my usual- "Juste une baguette et un torsade s'il vous plaît" - "Bien sûr!" (Of course!). It was the charming ritual of ordering an 80 cent stick of bread that went with every meal. Today was different though. I was a usual customer, but this day after I payed, she asked me some more familiar questions such as what I was doing in France, how long I was staying, if I was here to study French, if I lived in the neighborhood... and after a wonderful conversation with a local she said this, "Tu parle bien francais!". My heartbeat raced and I couldn't help but to smile a Fools Smile. A local had told me I speak French well! What a compliment, especially to a beginner/ intermediate learner. I found myself crossing the bridge over the railroad tracks, half way back to my home from the Boulanger still grinning.
I get a phone call from a friend inviting Sam and I over for dinner. I find it a hard thing to turn down, so in what seems like 15 minutes we were ringing the doorbell of a grand, rich wooden brown door with aesthetic carving around the frame. We greet one another and soon enough we're all prepping vegetables or laughing together or setting the table. Our host (a half Norwegian half American, speaking 5 different languages) brought different dishes out, one by one, to the outdoor table which has been set and awaiting us under the trees of the garden, and cushioned by the bright flowers and cobblestone wall separating us from the neighbors. There was pasta, wine, mussels in a tomato/onion/wine sauce, traditional fajitas (with fresh guacamole, made by myself), a vinaigrette salad with salmon and goat cheese, and a fabulous sunny breeze.
After the dinner party, I found myself for the last time that day walking through the ancient buildings, cobblestone walkways, and houses boarded up by their shutters. Night time in Europe has an almost opposite vibe than day time Europe. Everything, all the shops, restaurants, houses, and gates are closed, locked, and boarded up. The stars shine bright over the rooftops, but its as if someone truly turns off a switch when the sun goes down. I think about how the cultural and historical significance of boarding your windows and doors at night in France... some French claim it's for privacy, others say its because of a tradition from hundreds of years ago when the government would send spies on households to determine how much they have, and how much to tax them, others may even say its because of the wars in their history...for protection? My mind wanders. When I get back to my own room I close my own shutters, for traditions sake- knowing that when that switch is turned back on with the sunrise- it will be a whole new start to an amazing day.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Castles on the Water
This past weekend was the most beautiful time anyone could have ever asked for. Friday was spent with our friends, walking through parks with a sac of clementines taking about life, the universe, and everything while practicing our French- the divine weather let us peek into the near future of what life is like in the spring/summer, with warm weather, smiling faces (for once from the locals), children playing on the carousels, the cafés appear outside, and the sky is a brilliant blue laying on top of the old roofs of the city. Then Saturday was equally amazing- Sam and I had received two free tickets to go see the Château de Loire (the castles of the region). Early in the morning we boarded the big tourist bus with a handful of the other lucky students who were able to get tickets for this day trip. We were both exhausted but I stared out the window- wide eyed and agape at the sun rising over the French countryside. It was stunning as you'll see from the pictures.
Overall the three castles were stunning as well. Obviously they receive a lot of money from the tourists coming to see them because, in especially the second castle, they had displays of fresh flowers and bouquets in every bedroom and dining room; fresh arranges of colorful fruits and vegetables, dried herbs and flowers hanging in the ceiling by the arm full. Everything we saw was real- they were perfectly preserving each room so it seemed like it was still in use. There were roaring fires throughout the castles as well. It was a truly unique experience...
On another note- Yesterday I found out that I have been accepted into the University of Michigan! The 18th best university in the entire world. Life is going fantastically for me right now ^_^
Overall the three castles were stunning as well. Obviously they receive a lot of money from the tourists coming to see them because, in especially the second castle, they had displays of fresh flowers and bouquets in every bedroom and dining room; fresh arranges of colorful fruits and vegetables, dried herbs and flowers hanging in the ceiling by the arm full. Everything we saw was real- they were perfectly preserving each room so it seemed like it was still in use. There were roaring fires throughout the castles as well. It was a truly unique experience...
On another note- Yesterday I found out that I have been accepted into the University of Michigan! The 18th best university in the entire world. Life is going fantastically for me right now ^_^
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)