Bell Towers, Davids, Monasteries and More

So, I am leaving soon. It is almost the end of this incredible experience. I will miss it, but I am really excited to move to Chicago and hopefully find a job!!!

The past month has been extremely exciting and a perfect way to end these seven months. I had a blast in Italy. When I got to Florence, my cousin was in Venice and was to be gone the whole day. I knew this ahead of time, the only problem was, I was supposed get her key from her Italian neighbors and I only knew the apartment building, not the number or name and didn't have her cell phone. I had that stomach-dropping stranded feeling that you can only get in a foreign country where you don't know the language. I started buzzing every apartment in the building and saying my cousin's name clearly and loudly. Eventually someone buzzed me in. That was step one. I heard a lady calling from the top floor so when I got there, I repeated my cousins name, making it sound like a question and pointing to doors like, "Which one?" She just shrugged--we were at an impasse.

It was really early in the morning, so I began to creepily listen at doors to find someone else awake who might have more info. When I heard some voices on the floor below, I knocked and repeated the above charade. Luckily, this person spoke a little English and she said "first floor." That narrowed it down.

I began to knock on doors on the first floor. A young man answered and I had a sneaking suspicion this was the man with the keys (as later turned out to be the case), but he said no. Luckily, though, he gave me the phone number of another student in the program. This student lived kitty corner to my cousin Katelyn and let me stash my stuff in her apartment for the day.

After that, I had the whole day to wander Florence alone so I stopped for a brief Diet Coke (my fuel) and a pastry, and set off exploring with guidebook in hand. At first, I didn't really know where I was since I took a taxi from the station and didn't really have a feel for the layout of the city. I walked from Katelyn's apartment and saw a rather long line. This must be important, I thought and got in line. It turned out to be very important as it was Galleria dell'Accademia, where the real David is on display (there are a bunch of fakes throughout the city). I thought seeing the David would be like one of those things you have to do, but I was honestly impressed. Mostly, by the hands. Two fellow Americans, two older ladies, were ahead of me in line and they knew lots of interesting facts about the museum and the David.

Later in the day, I randomly ran into the 4 girls from California who I met on the train and shared a sleeping car with (after the one on my ticket didn't exist). I ate some gellatto, and went to the Uffizzi Gallery (longest line ever). I walked all over the city, past the palaces and over the Ponte Vecchio. Just before sunset I climbed the 14th century bell tower at the Duomo. Since I had time to kill, waiting for Katelyn to return, I stayed up there and watched the sun go down. I had one of those...oh, so this is why I'm here moments. Until the bell clanged and I thought I was going to lose my hearing.

When Katelyn got back, I had a blast visiting with her, meeting her friends and their Real World-esque life, sharing a nice apartment with 10 people. We ate amazing food and she knew the good spots. I love Italian food and I ate a lot that weekend. On Sunday, I took a solo trip to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was really beautiful! I used my French skills to get some French teens to take my photo.

Since then, I have gone on one other major trip with my best friend Emily. Having her in France was so much fun. We started in Paris and had an amazing first day of beautiful weather. It was the best weather I ever experienced in Paris and the city never looked so beautiful. It was a great first impression for Emily. She was less tired than expected after her transatlantic flight so we decided to go out walking and walked everywhere! First, we went to the Sacre-Coeur which was right by the hotel. As we walked up the stairs, I pointed out the Eiffel Tower extending past the rest of the skyline in the distance. That moment might have been the highlight of Emily's trip--something about that thing just doesn't disappoint.

After checking out the caricaturists near Sacre-Coeur and taking a photo of Moulin Rouge, we continued our walking tour down past our hotel, past the Opera, Galleries Lafayette (a big French department store) and down to the Tuileries Gardens, the Louvre, along the Seine and all the way to Notre Dame. We went back for a nap before eating some delicious pizza. The second day, we toured the inside of the Opera as I had always wanted to since I learned about it in Dance History. I saw some Ballet Russe set designs, which I thought was pretty cool. We also did the church circuit, and saw the major sights. We went out for a birthday dinner with my British friend Hannah, who was also in town with her friend Emma.

Our next stop was Saint-Malo on the coast of Brittany. It is beautiful there and really different than the rest of France with its Celtic history. We stayed in a hotel within the old stone city walls. The tide was low and the sun was setting when we arrived so we walked out on the beach. There was a man flying a kite and riding along on a skateboard contraption. There is probably a name for this, but I don't know it. The next day, we got up early to take a bus to Mont Saint-Michel, the monastery. It was low tide so it wasn't surrounded by water, but still incredibly beautiful. Lucky for us we also beat the crowds! We had time to kill before catching the bus back so we explored the nearby town of Pontorson. That night, back in Saint Malo we ate croque-monsieurs next to the sea. Perfect.

Back in Pont-a-Mousson, we could relax a little. I made Emily Quiche Lorraine to honor her visit to Lorraine and Laura brought over a pie. The next morning we hiked to Mousson before heading to Nancy. The weather was fantastic and Emily really enjoyed the views of the town and surrounding countryside. Friday night, we went to Pub Thiers and Saturday one of the English teachers gave Emily and I a tour of Metz. It was fantastic even though a bit rainy because she showed us areas of the city I wasn't aware of and she knew all of the history. We also went in the oldest church in France!

Emily's last day was spent in Luxembourg City, where we met up with some of her German family from near Cologne. They were extremely nice and we ate Mexican food! There was a Chi-Chi's!!! It was quite exciting. Luxembourg is a beautiful city, "dramatically situated" as my guidebook says on many levels of a valley. There are ancient roman viaducts and medieval towers. Not bad.

I was sad to see Emily go, but I am trying to enjoy these last couple weeks in France. I've been hanging out with the other assistants, hiking Mousson, discovering I hate carnivals at the fun fair in Nancy, and trying to fill the days. I am really ready to come back to the U.S. though, to have a job and get going. I can't believe it's almost over!

I will try to write at least one more time before ending this blog. But well, you know how it goes...

Vacation

Sorry I never write my blog! I forgot about it.

Anyway, things have been going well in France. January was pretty much my normal routine. I worked (a little), took dance class, gave private lessons, had some dinner/cocktail parties with the other assistants, went to Verdun. Verdun was really interesting--I went with my friend in Metz and her boyfriend (who has a car!) so we could drive around to all of the WWI memorial sites on the battlefields.

One day it was really foggy. Which isn't that spectacular of a thing to write about, but it was the thickest fog I have ever seen and it lasted all day.

On Feb. 16 vacation started! I had 2 weeks of visitors and I went all over.

On Saturday the 16th, I met Mom, Dad and A.J. in Monaco. We visited Monaco, Nice, Saint-Paul de Vence, which is a really cool medieval walled city and even drove into Italy.

Mid-week we packed up the rental car and headed to the French Alps (Chamonix) with lovely views of Mont Blanc. It was a gorgeous drive there too--we left really early in the morning so we were driving through the hills along the coast of the French and Italian Riviera for sunrise.

Chamonix was beautiful and it had that irresistable ski-bum culture. Twenty minutes after checking into our hotel, we saw our receptionist heading to to slopes. Many people clobbered around the old chalet-lined streets in their ski boots. Unfortunately, I didn't get to ski, but AJ and Dad had a great time. We only had one day, so Mom and I walked around and took a telepherique cable car to a glacier!

After Chamonix, I showed the family around Nancy, Pont-a-Mousson and Metz. I think they were surprised how nice it is! My parents stayed in the abbey right down the street, which was really cool and my brother stayed in the apartment with me. Everyone especially liked Metz and my Dad tasted the ever-popular kebab (which he claimed was the best meal he ate in France). We also had a nice pizza dinner in my apartment.

The last stop was Paris and AJ was pleasantly surprised by the Eiffel Tower. He also got to go to Roland Garros, where they play the French Open, so he was happy. We went to Notre Dame, Sainte-Chappelle, walked around outside the Louvre and through the Latin Quarter. My mom and I did some shopping. We stayed in a really nice hotel in Paris on the Champs-Elysees and we had some nice meals people watching nearby.

I was sad to see the family go, but Mike arrived the same day. While he slept off the jet lag, I went to an art museum I hadn't been to before. Then we ate a nice dinner listening to saxophone music and headed to the Eiffel Tower. Mike's highlight was seeing an Italian teenager get slapped in line by the ticket taker.

The next day was really nice and we went to Versaille. It was packed! That night we went up to Sacre-Coeur and ate near la Place du Tertre where all the artists and caricaturists set up shop. We ate in the tiny little Italian restaurant with a piano player. Mike was sad I wouldn't request Georgia on my Mind with my French skills.

Our hotel wasn't too far from Sacre-Coeur. I stayed there before with Alison in 2004, so I knew it was good one. Mike liked that there was beer in the vending machine.

Our last day in Paris, I took Mike to Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle. We also went to the Louvre and tried to see as much as possible there. It is huge! But we did see the Napoleon Apartments, which I had never seen before. Mike really liked the Louvre, especially the Venus de Milo.

After the Louvre, we walked through the Tuileries gardens and down the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe.

That night, we took the train to Metz and I gave Mike a quick tour (toting our suitcases unfortunately). He really liked Metz and Pont-a-Mousson.

The next day it rained, but I still showed him around Nancy a bit. That night we ate dinner at one of the English teacher's houses.

Wednesday morning, we took the train to Strasbourg and spent the day there. It was much quieter there than the last time I went, at the height of the Christmas markets tourism. I liked it a lot better. It is beautiful! There are canals that wind through colorful timbered houses in the Petite France area. And the river encircles the city. Mike really liked it.

That night, we took the train to Munich. Mike was happy to be in Germany. We met my roommate Ana, and her boyfriend at the train station. We stayed with them in an empty apartment that Ana's boyfriends parents own right next to his. It was the perfect setup. On Thursday, we took the train to Schloss Neuschwanstein, Ludwig's fairy-tale castle. Supposedly, the Disney castle was based on it. It is incredible. It is set in the foothills with the Alps as a backdrop. There is also a little (scary!) bridge over a waterfall with incredible views of the castle.

On Friday, we walked around Munich seeing the sites like the New Town Hall and the churches. We also went to the 1972 Olympic Stadium and Mike made walk around on the whole thing in the rain. No, it was interesting and he loved it. That night, we went to the Hofbrauhaus, which was really fun!

On Saturday, Ana, Reiny and I dropped Mike off at the airport and then they dropped me off in Dachau. I spent the day visiting the former concentration camp and museum. It was obviously really sad, but extremely interesting.

Little did I know, however, that Mike spent the entire day in Munich because his flight was cancelled. He ended up having to stay the night in London and going back the next day. He got his luggage a few days later. I didn't even know until he got back to Chicago though because he lost my cell phone number.

The past week, I have been taking it easy taking, hanging out in Pont-a-Mousson and taking more dance classes to make up the ones I missed. I stayed with a friend in Nancy on Saturday, which was fun.

This weekend I am going to visit my cousin Katelyn in Florence, Italy!!! I am really excited. I have always wanted to go to Italy!

Well, that's the update. I'll write again after Italy.

I'm Back

Back to France. Back to Blogging.

Sorry for my absence lately--my computer broke down in November so it was hard to keep up. Here's a recap of December:


Christmas season in Lorraine was great. On the Saturday before December 6th (the Saint's feast day) there was a big celebration for Saint Nicholas in Place Stanislas in Nancy. Tons of people turned out for the spectacle. Spectacle is the only word to describe it. Fireworks and more. Hands down best fireworks show I have ever been to. (Second best goes to 2004 Bastille Day in Paris with Miss Alison Keller--man, France knows fireworks.) I don't think I have ever been so close to the action. I mean, the fireworks were right in my face. There was also the story of Saint Nicholas projected onto a screen and the buildings all around us. The fireworks were timed with the story and music. Also, the story was in French but targeted toward little kids. Since my French level is around that of a small child, this was perfect. Except for this one part where they started talking about Africa and playing the bongos, I could understand! It was a great night though and the Nancy Christmas markets were in full swing. It was cold, but we had hot wine to warm us up afterwards!

On Sunday, the following day, there was a parade. It was okay--really rainy! But it was cool to see all of the excited French children waiting in the rain for Saint Nicholas at the end of the parade. It was just like the Thanksgiving parade, marking the beginning of the Christmas season.

The story of Saint Nicolas favored by Lorraine is the one with three children and the butcher. Legend has it, three children were murdered by a butcher and put in a barrel to cure like meat. Saint Nicholas discovered the crime and resurrected them. For this reason, he is the protector of children. In Nancy's version, the butcher becomes Pére Fouettard, or "Whipping Father" who supposedly beats kids who haven't been good this year. That's the threat anyway. Don't worry, I didn't see any of that during the spectacle.


Saint Nicolas is also the patron of Lorraine. "Patron" is also the French word for boss. On one website with a particularly poor translation of the French content, it said Saint Nicholas is the "Boss of Lorraine." Ha. Saint Nicholas wears bishop's clothing and travels by donkey. Though I think he rode a carriage into Place Stanislas. The mayor always presents him with keys to the city.


The Christmas markets tradition is great. They aren't all over France since it is originally a German tradition. Alsace-Lorraine has adopted it however, so much of my December was spent flitting about to various Christmas markets and trying their hot wine, waffles, and churros. Delicious. I also bought some Christmas gifts there. The Christmas markets are basically like a month long craft fair except substitute gifts, tasty treats and wine for homemade magnets. And rustic-looking German cabins for white tents. The markets were really pretty at night, all lit up with people gathering under the Christmas lights to warm up with some vin chaud.

One of the Christmas markets I checked out was Strasbourg. I went there with Laura and Chris and we then met up with Ana and her boyfriend. It was really fun and Strasbourg is a beautiful city. It is right on the border with Germany so it has a really really German influence. The combination is beautiful and the cathedral in town is gorgeous as well.

I went to some dance performances in December, which was great. The second one was at the Opera House in Place Stanislas. After the show, there were a bunch of kids singing French Christmas carols in front of a big tree.

After my last week of work (basically singing the Christmas song many many times) I was ready to go home. Christmas was beautiful in Lorraine--lots of white lights and pretty decorations, but I was ready for some good ol' American over-the-top Christmas fanfare. Garish lights, Christmas Carols all day, all the time (Thank you 100.3 WNIC), stockings, maybe even snow. Christmas in France is more subtle than in the USA. And I wanted Christmas done big, done loud, USA-style.


I wasn't disappointed. I had a great Christmas at home and it was very relaxing to be among family, friends and English-speakers. It was strange to be home but to know I was going back to France. I also kept waking up ridiculously early due to the time change adjustment. It was the first Christmas in awhile where I was up at the crack of dawn, just ready to begin the festivities. Just like the good ol' days. I went to see Lion King in Detroit at the Opera House, that was great. I also spent the last week in Chicago.


Arriving in France for the second time was great. Immensely less stressful. It is also amazing how much my French has improved. It's really exciting to actually be able to understand people when they talk! I felt like an old pro making my way through the long travel day: Chicago bus to Chicago el to O'Hare then 8 hour plane ride to Charles De Gaulle with a 7 hour time difference and no sleep to Paris RER train to TGV train to TER Lorraine train to the final walk across Pont-a-Mousson with luggage in tow. Tired and sore from heaving my suitcase up and down stairs and escalators, but excited to get back to France.


Only been here a few days since Christmas, so no grand adventures yets. But there are surely more to come. I'll keep you posted.