Sunday, April 25th
Quick note: Germany is chock full of beer and brats. All it needed was Bucky and it would have been just like Madison. Well, a Madison with awesome castles in the countryside.
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 21st
Leah just left and I'm hanging out in Amsterdam for two hours before I catch a train to Stuttgart. It's hard to believe that this two week vacation is almost over.
After my last post, Leah, Yoann, and I headed to Amsterdam for a few days...Notable moments:
The Anne Frank house. I remember reading her diary as a kid and it really stuck with me. It was such a horrible point in history, but there were still moments of hope. Anne definitely had hope, right up until the day they were captured...it was a really moving memorial, and to see that bookcase that hid the annex, to see the walls of her room covered with posters....I really enjoyed it.
Pub crawl. Some of us were more victorious than others, let's leave it at that. Also, learned how to say "I'm wasted" in German from a bunch of guys from Frankfort.
The bikes. Amsterdam is a dangerous city. Not only do you have the cars and the people to look out for, there's also the tram and the five bijillion bikes flying at you from every direction. We went on a free walking tour and they told us that every year, twelve thousand bikes are found in the canals. Twelve thousand. Almost every resident has a bike (or two). I've never seen so many bikes in one place in my life.
The debauchery. Pot and prostitutes. It was really weird to be able to walk into a coffeeshop and just say "I'd like a joint please." just like it was a normal, everyday occurrance. Even weirder, marijuana isn't technically legal, just decriminalized and tolerated by the police. The Red Light District was even weirder to me. It was kind of sad to see these girls pretty much naked winking at guys through windows. The girls rent the window rooms for eight hours and do their thing. In some ways, I think it's a good thing to make it so open...the girls have more access to help, they have more rights, but at the same time, the fact that they gave to resort to prostitution is pretty depressing.
Amsterdam is definitely a beautiful city, the parks and the canals are great to just wander through on a sunny day (which is what we did). Also trying to pronounce the street names is great fun!!!!
Leah and I said goodbye to Yoann after that and said HELLLLLLOOOOOO DENMARK!!!! We stayed with my friend Martin from high school (he was an exchange student my senior year) that I hadn't seen in about a year and a half. He lives in Århus, a city right on the sea, and at a population of 250,000, the second biggest city in Denmark. We took a night train up to Kolding where Leah and I successfully managed the Danish railway system and got tickets to Århus. Thankfully people generally speak good English in Denmark and the don't make you feel like a fool for not speaking their language (cough like Paris cough cough). Martin's girlfriend Mia met us in the train station in Århus and we got settled in at their apartment, which was super cute btw. Martin told us that you're never farther than half an hour from the sea in Denmark, and I believe it! It was such a beautiful country, and everyone was so nice and welcoming to Leah and I. Martin's parents own a great restaurant right on the water and they treated us to a DELICIOUS meal there, complete with ocean view. Martin's family also owns a house boat right by the restaurant (they live on it about half the year) so we checked that out. The boat was super nice and HUGE.
Denmark still has a royal family and our first day there was the queen's 70th birthday. She owns a summer cottage in Århus, so we checked that out, wandered through her gardens a little bit, peeked in the windows. She wasn't there, I think she was too busy partying like a rockstar in Copenhagen, but it was cool to see.
Martin's parents also took us out to dinner to try some typical Danish food. Leah and I got this dish that was basically baked bacon with lots of potatoes. It was super good, and not that hard to make according to Martin and his dad (both chefs). Martin's mom insisted I try a Danish apple dessert too, so of course I said yes....we left the restaurant ready to explode! His family was unbelievably nice to us, I couldn't thank them enough. After dinner, Martin and his friends planned a little bar crawl for us that involved lots of dancing and singing Danish on tables (or in my case, shouting random sounds), and resulted in a massive hang over lazy day the day after. It was a lot of fun, Martin's friends definitely know how to party.
We watched probably 4 James Bond movies (all with Roger Moore) over the course of the weekend, it was great. I'd never seen an old Bond movie, and I thought they were hilarious! Martin is a chef, so Saturday he cooked us a really nice meal and he tried to show me how to do it too. I'm going to give it a try, but I'm pretty positive it's not as easy as he made it look...
Martin took us down to the beach at sunset one night and it was beautiful. I could definitely see myself living by the ocean someday....
Leah and I also visited Old Town Denmark (a lot like Old World Wisconsin) and pretended we were back in the old days, played on stilts, pet a horse, and learned about some rare chickens. Pretty sweet. Martin, his friend Jonas, Leah, and I also went mini golfing on a roof. I sucked and came in last. But we saw some of the Danish national soccer team players (they were playing mini golf too and of course I papperazi-ed them) and I do enjoy a good game of putt putt. Another Danish pastime: drinking øl (beer) in parks. Martin and his friends do that a lot I believe, any time, any day of the week. It's a great way to spend the afternoon.
We also went out to the country and met Mia's family. Again, they were so nice to us. We made dinner and the played soccer and jumped on a trampoline with her brother and sister. We even taught them how to play crack the egg on the trampoline (I think Martin really liked that one). Mia's family lives out in the country and they have horses and it was just a really pretty place to be!
Yesterday, Martin drove us to Copenhagen so we could catch our train. It was, of course a really pretty drive because of all the ocean views. We got to take the longest bridge in the world because Denmark is so split up by water. Before the bridge they had to take a ferry to get to Copenhagen.
We had really crappy weather, but the morning was nice and we got to eat in the sunshine before it started pouring! I think Denmark was just sad to see us leave. The little mermaid statue is in China, so we didn't get to see it, but I think Leah made a great Ariel...we saw the queen's palace and Christiana, a big hippie commune where the Red Hot Chili Peppers lived for awhile. The weather was a bit disappointing, but it was still a pretty town.
Martin and Mia were so great, it was a little sad to say bye. I really liked Denmark, even though Danish seems imposible. I do, however, know how to count to ten and say thank you. I can also ask for a boys number and for some ice cream...Leah and I had fun making up what people (like Martin and his friends) were saying when they were rambling off in Danish. Also, their currency, the kroner, was confusing to figure out at first (1 dollar = 5.5ish kroner) but super cool. I will admit though, Denmark is expensive. A sandwich meal can cost over ten american dollars...But, in any case, the people were great and it's a beautiful place. Jeg elsker danemark!
Now I'm on my way to see Hank in Stuttgart, Germany. On the agenda: the zoo and a beer festival! Should be fun!
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Leah just left and I'm hanging out in Amsterdam for two hours before I catch a train to Stuttgart. It's hard to believe that this two week vacation is almost over.
After my last post, Leah, Yoann, and I headed to Amsterdam for a few days...Notable moments:
The Anne Frank house. I remember reading her diary as a kid and it really stuck with me. It was such a horrible point in history, but there were still moments of hope. Anne definitely had hope, right up until the day they were captured...it was a really moving memorial, and to see that bookcase that hid the annex, to see the walls of her room covered with posters....I really enjoyed it.
Pub crawl. Some of us were more victorious than others, let's leave it at that. Also, learned how to say "I'm wasted" in German from a bunch of guys from Frankfort.
The bikes. Amsterdam is a dangerous city. Not only do you have the cars and the people to look out for, there's also the tram and the five bijillion bikes flying at you from every direction. We went on a free walking tour and they told us that every year, twelve thousand bikes are found in the canals. Twelve thousand. Almost every resident has a bike (or two). I've never seen so many bikes in one place in my life.
The debauchery. Pot and prostitutes. It was really weird to be able to walk into a coffeeshop and just say "I'd like a joint please." just like it was a normal, everyday occurrance. Even weirder, marijuana isn't technically legal, just decriminalized and tolerated by the police. The Red Light District was even weirder to me. It was kind of sad to see these girls pretty much naked winking at guys through windows. The girls rent the window rooms for eight hours and do their thing. In some ways, I think it's a good thing to make it so open...the girls have more access to help, they have more rights, but at the same time, the fact that they gave to resort to prostitution is pretty depressing.
Amsterdam is definitely a beautiful city, the parks and the canals are great to just wander through on a sunny day (which is what we did). Also trying to pronounce the street names is great fun!!!!
Leah and I said goodbye to Yoann after that and said HELLLLLLOOOOOO DENMARK!!!! We stayed with my friend Martin from high school (he was an exchange student my senior year) that I hadn't seen in about a year and a half. He lives in Århus, a city right on the sea, and at a population of 250,000, the second biggest city in Denmark. We took a night train up to Kolding where Leah and I successfully managed the Danish railway system and got tickets to Århus. Thankfully people generally speak good English in Denmark and the don't make you feel like a fool for not speaking their language (cough like Paris cough cough). Martin's girlfriend Mia met us in the train station in Århus and we got settled in at their apartment, which was super cute btw. Martin told us that you're never farther than half an hour from the sea in Denmark, and I believe it! It was such a beautiful country, and everyone was so nice and welcoming to Leah and I. Martin's parents own a great restaurant right on the water and they treated us to a DELICIOUS meal there, complete with ocean view. Martin's family also owns a house boat right by the restaurant (they live on it about half the year) so we checked that out. The boat was super nice and HUGE.
Denmark still has a royal family and our first day there was the queen's 70th birthday. She owns a summer cottage in Århus, so we checked that out, wandered through her gardens a little bit, peeked in the windows. She wasn't there, I think she was too busy partying like a rockstar in Copenhagen, but it was cool to see.
Martin's parents also took us out to dinner to try some typical Danish food. Leah and I got this dish that was basically baked bacon with lots of potatoes. It was super good, and not that hard to make according to Martin and his dad (both chefs). Martin's mom insisted I try a Danish apple dessert too, so of course I said yes....we left the restaurant ready to explode! His family was unbelievably nice to us, I couldn't thank them enough. After dinner, Martin and his friends planned a little bar crawl for us that involved lots of dancing and singing Danish on tables (or in my case, shouting random sounds), and resulted in a massive hang over lazy day the day after. It was a lot of fun, Martin's friends definitely know how to party.
We watched probably 4 James Bond movies (all with Roger Moore) over the course of the weekend, it was great. I'd never seen an old Bond movie, and I thought they were hilarious! Martin is a chef, so Saturday he cooked us a really nice meal and he tried to show me how to do it too. I'm going to give it a try, but I'm pretty positive it's not as easy as he made it look...
Martin took us down to the beach at sunset one night and it was beautiful. I could definitely see myself living by the ocean someday....
Leah and I also visited Old Town Denmark (a lot like Old World Wisconsin) and pretended we were back in the old days, played on stilts, pet a horse, and learned about some rare chickens. Pretty sweet. Martin, his friend Jonas, Leah, and I also went mini golfing on a roof. I sucked and came in last. But we saw some of the Danish national soccer team players (they were playing mini golf too and of course I papperazi-ed them) and I do enjoy a good game of putt putt. Another Danish pastime: drinking øl (beer) in parks. Martin and his friends do that a lot I believe, any time, any day of the week. It's a great way to spend the afternoon.
We also went out to the country and met Mia's family. Again, they were so nice to us. We made dinner and the played soccer and jumped on a trampoline with her brother and sister. We even taught them how to play crack the egg on the trampoline (I think Martin really liked that one). Mia's family lives out in the country and they have horses and it was just a really pretty place to be!
Yesterday, Martin drove us to Copenhagen so we could catch our train. It was, of course a really pretty drive because of all the ocean views. We got to take the longest bridge in the world because Denmark is so split up by water. Before the bridge they had to take a ferry to get to Copenhagen.
We had really crappy weather, but the morning was nice and we got to eat in the sunshine before it started pouring! I think Denmark was just sad to see us leave. The little mermaid statue is in China, so we didn't get to see it, but I think Leah made a great Ariel...we saw the queen's palace and Christiana, a big hippie commune where the Red Hot Chili Peppers lived for awhile. The weather was a bit disappointing, but it was still a pretty town.
Martin and Mia were so great, it was a little sad to say bye. I really liked Denmark, even though Danish seems imposible. I do, however, know how to count to ten and say thank you. I can also ask for a boys number and for some ice cream...Leah and I had fun making up what people (like Martin and his friends) were saying when they were rambling off in Danish. Also, their currency, the kroner, was confusing to figure out at first (1 dollar = 5.5ish kroner) but super cool. I will admit though, Denmark is expensive. A sandwich meal can cost over ten american dollars...But, in any case, the people were great and it's a beautiful place. Jeg elsker danemark!
Now I'm on my way to see Hank in Stuttgart, Germany. On the agenda: the zoo and a beer festival! Should be fun!
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Monday, April 12, 2010
Waffles and peeing boys
Leah, Yoann, and I are heading to Amsterdam this morning after three days in Brussels. It's been fun, we've seen the sights, drank lots of Belgian beer, and eaten waffles everyday. We checked out a comic book museum on Saturday that was really neat (especially for Yoann). They had lots of Tintin stuff (a well known comic book from back in the day), and Leah and I each bought one titled Tintin in America. I started reading it and so far he beats up Al Capones gang. Pretty sweet. We hung out by this statue of a peeing boy that is super famous; they even dress it up in costumes! It was a vampire rabbit on Saturday.
It's been nice in Belgium because people speak French. The signs in Flemmish are pretty awesome though. Lots and lots and lots of consonants....
One city down and on to the next! Can't wait to see the canals of Amsterdam!!!!
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It's been nice in Belgium because people speak French. The signs in Flemmish are pretty awesome though. Lots and lots and lots of consonants....
One city down and on to the next! Can't wait to see the canals of Amsterdam!!!!
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LIVE from France
Since I have my iPod with me and this new app to write blogs, I figured I'd try writing bits and pieces this weekend as I go. Effectively it's a live blog! Woooo!
I'm on the bus to Bordeaux watching the rain pour down outside (thanks Bretagne). The forecast isn't looking too good, but I'm still excited to see a little bit more of France. From now til mid May it's nothing but travel travel travel...
Also, the bus has started dripping rain on me (thanks Bretagne).
It's funny how music can take you back...trip down memory lane. I'm listening to the Kooks and I can just remember exactly the first time I saw them in concert in Milwaukee. Everytime I listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers I can't help but imagine myself in Jake Edwards' basement junior year of high school. Queen's Don't Stop Me Now reminds me of a certain evening three years ago when I watched the stars from the roof of my high school with some amazing friends. I've decided math is not the international language, it's gotta be music. When you can have French teenagers singing Bob Marley at their friend's house at the same time as a man in Florence plays it in front of El Duomo, and they both play with the same feeling (whether or not they really get the lyrics...), it's pretty cool.
---------------
So. Go France. We arrived in Nantes no problem. Ran into two CIEE kids too! Awesome. Then we notice our train car isn't listed on the board. Hmmmmm. Sali and Eduardo have tickets that make them take buses and other trains. Hmmmmm. They were told there were issues with this train. Hmmmmmm. We asked a worker if there was a problem with the train. "Nope." Cool. We look at the board. No stop at Bordeaux St. Jean. Hmmmmmm. We ask another worker. "I don't know, ask someone else.". Thanks SNCF. We finally got help from a nice little old French lady who told us that part of the line was down due to storms a little while ago. We're taking a train to La Rochelle and getting off. We don't have tickets for all of this but oh well. So, we're just going to have to follow the crowd and hope there's place on the bus at La Rochelle. From there we'll have to ride to some random town and take another train to get down to Bordeaux. Great.
--------------------
Currently on the last train of the day, about an hour from Bordeaux. So the SNCF didn't plan for the huge surplus of people needing to take the random train down to Bordeaux because of the rail problems and there aren't enough seats for everyone. Not even close. There are people standing in the aisles, in the doorways...people are pissed. Some guy was yelling about how it's scandaleuse. Way to go SNCF, way to go. Positive thoughts....
-------------------
It's Monday and we're heading back to Rennes in about an hour. We have to make the same train bus crazy stuff on the way back. Should be fun. This has been a good weekend, except for the rain. The first day we explored a bit on our own until it was time to meet up with Tristan (Taylor's friend). His roommate made us Iron Chef inspired cheesburgers and we hung out for a bit. Then Tristan took us out to his favorite bar in Bordeaux, Calle Ocho. Him and his roommate have been going there for years, so we got lots of free mojitos and shots up the wazoo. The bar played lots of Latin music and there was lots of dancing. It was a really great time!!!
The next day we went on a little tour of Bordeaux in the rain. It's a really nice town with lots of open green space. It also has the longest pedestrian street in France. The weather cleared up in the afternoon, we ate some cannelé, a traditional snack from Bodreaux and wandered over to La Locale. Tristan is a member of Ultramarines, the fan club for Bordeaux's soccer team and la locale is kind if like their headquarters. It's where they organize andmake banners and such. It kind of reminded me of a frat house basement. From there we went to the game. we were interviewed by some random press dude that ambushed us before we got into the stadium and asked questions about Yoann Gourcuff (about his looks more specifically). I responded with a "he's so sexy!" Maybe i got on the radio lol. There was a great ambience for the majority of the match, a lot of cheers led by the ultramarines and some good soccer. At the end, Nancy scored a second goal and Bordeaux fell apart. They lost 2-1. Sad.
The next day Tristan drove us out to St Emillion which is a town super famous for it's wine. We took a free tour of a wine cave and attempted to have a wine tasting...except I think the owner of this place had been having his own wine tasting all day. He was nuts. The man was speaking some bizarre franglais poured us a little bit of wine and then disappeared. We got ignored for awhile and then just decided to leave. The town itself was super cute and old and cobblestoney. After walking around a bit we left and Tristan showed us his grandpa's winery. It was outin the country and really pretty. Tristan's mom is American so when we went tibia parents house she chatted with us for awhile. It was a nice relaxing day. When we got back to the apartment we watched some CSI and went to bed.
Now it's back to Rennes for three days of school and then off to Brussels on Friday! It's the start of our two week spring break. Wow.
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I'm on the bus to Bordeaux watching the rain pour down outside (thanks Bretagne). The forecast isn't looking too good, but I'm still excited to see a little bit more of France. From now til mid May it's nothing but travel travel travel...
Also, the bus has started dripping rain on me (thanks Bretagne).
It's funny how music can take you back...trip down memory lane. I'm listening to the Kooks and I can just remember exactly the first time I saw them in concert in Milwaukee. Everytime I listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers I can't help but imagine myself in Jake Edwards' basement junior year of high school. Queen's Don't Stop Me Now reminds me of a certain evening three years ago when I watched the stars from the roof of my high school with some amazing friends. I've decided math is not the international language, it's gotta be music. When you can have French teenagers singing Bob Marley at their friend's house at the same time as a man in Florence plays it in front of El Duomo, and they both play with the same feeling (whether or not they really get the lyrics...), it's pretty cool.
---------------
So. Go France. We arrived in Nantes no problem. Ran into two CIEE kids too! Awesome. Then we notice our train car isn't listed on the board. Hmmmmm. Sali and Eduardo have tickets that make them take buses and other trains. Hmmmmm. They were told there were issues with this train. Hmmmmmm. We asked a worker if there was a problem with the train. "Nope." Cool. We look at the board. No stop at Bordeaux St. Jean. Hmmmmmm. We ask another worker. "I don't know, ask someone else.". Thanks SNCF. We finally got help from a nice little old French lady who told us that part of the line was down due to storms a little while ago. We're taking a train to La Rochelle and getting off. We don't have tickets for all of this but oh well. So, we're just going to have to follow the crowd and hope there's place on the bus at La Rochelle. From there we'll have to ride to some random town and take another train to get down to Bordeaux. Great.
--------------------
Currently on the last train of the day, about an hour from Bordeaux. So the SNCF didn't plan for the huge surplus of people needing to take the random train down to Bordeaux because of the rail problems and there aren't enough seats for everyone. Not even close. There are people standing in the aisles, in the doorways...people are pissed. Some guy was yelling about how it's scandaleuse. Way to go SNCF, way to go. Positive thoughts....
-------------------
It's Monday and we're heading back to Rennes in about an hour. We have to make the same train bus crazy stuff on the way back. Should be fun. This has been a good weekend, except for the rain. The first day we explored a bit on our own until it was time to meet up with Tristan (Taylor's friend). His roommate made us Iron Chef inspired cheesburgers and we hung out for a bit. Then Tristan took us out to his favorite bar in Bordeaux, Calle Ocho. Him and his roommate have been going there for years, so we got lots of free mojitos and shots up the wazoo. The bar played lots of Latin music and there was lots of dancing. It was a really great time!!!
The next day we went on a little tour of Bordeaux in the rain. It's a really nice town with lots of open green space. It also has the longest pedestrian street in France. The weather cleared up in the afternoon, we ate some cannelé, a traditional snack from Bodreaux and wandered over to La Locale. Tristan is a member of Ultramarines, the fan club for Bordeaux's soccer team and la locale is kind if like their headquarters. It's where they organize andmake banners and such. It kind of reminded me of a frat house basement. From there we went to the game. we were interviewed by some random press dude that ambushed us before we got into the stadium and asked questions about Yoann Gourcuff (about his looks more specifically). I responded with a "he's so sexy!" Maybe i got on the radio lol. There was a great ambience for the majority of the match, a lot of cheers led by the ultramarines and some good soccer. At the end, Nancy scored a second goal and Bordeaux fell apart. They lost 2-1. Sad.
The next day Tristan drove us out to St Emillion which is a town super famous for it's wine. We took a free tour of a wine cave and attempted to have a wine tasting...except I think the owner of this place had been having his own wine tasting all day. He was nuts. The man was speaking some bizarre franglais poured us a little bit of wine and then disappeared. We got ignored for awhile and then just decided to leave. The town itself was super cute and old and cobblestoney. After walking around a bit we left and Tristan showed us his grandpa's winery. It was outin the country and really pretty. Tristan's mom is American so when we went tibia parents house she chatted with us for awhile. It was a nice relaxing day. When we got back to the apartment we watched some CSI and went to bed.
Now it's back to Rennes for three days of school and then off to Brussels on Friday! It's the start of our two week spring break. Wow.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Traditions
Tonight I'm going to a fest noz sponsored by the CIREFE, which should be interesting. The last fest noz I went to was a lot of fun, even though I felt like a tool waving my pinkie around and running in circles. For those of you out of the Breton loop, Fest Noz means fête de nuit in French, which means nighttime party in good old English. It's a Celtic tradition from way back in the day, and it involves traditional dancing (ie pinkie holding) and music. Oh, and traditional Breton cider!!! You know Bilbo's birthday party in the beginning of LOTR with all the hobbits running about and making merry? They're kind of like that. Brings out the hobbit in you, I swear.
This weekend Leah, Taylor and I are headed to Bordeaux! We're staying with Taylor's friend and he's getting us cheap tickets to a soccer game!!! He's one of those soccer hooligans and will hopefully teach us all the cheers. Also exciting, our visit coincides with a bunch of other CIREFEers, so a bunch of us will be in Bordeaux together. It should be fun!
This weekend is also the weekend of Easter (Pâques en français). In France, it's not a big friendly bunny who brings kids chocolate, it's a bunch of flying bells. Yep. Bells. I had my mom send me an Easter egg dye kit so my family can dye eggs. They don't do that on France, which I think is a tragedy.
Another funny French tradition: for April fools, kids cut fish shapes out of paper and try and stick them on each other's backs without the person noticing. Lucile's class is planning an ambush on their maîtresse, so she made a huge one complete with stickers and scales.
Being over here has made me really appreciate how into traditions americains are...we know how to do holidays right! Decorations and Christmas carols, Easter eggs, thanksgiving dinner and the Macy Day Parade (that one isn't really france's fault, but I did have two failed turkey day meals attempts here in November)...
But beware: next April Fools, I might just bring this fish idea over the sea...and I'll be pinkie dancing the whole time.
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This weekend Leah, Taylor and I are headed to Bordeaux! We're staying with Taylor's friend and he's getting us cheap tickets to a soccer game!!! He's one of those soccer hooligans and will hopefully teach us all the cheers. Also exciting, our visit coincides with a bunch of other CIREFEers, so a bunch of us will be in Bordeaux together. It should be fun!
This weekend is also the weekend of Easter (Pâques en français). In France, it's not a big friendly bunny who brings kids chocolate, it's a bunch of flying bells. Yep. Bells. I had my mom send me an Easter egg dye kit so my family can dye eggs. They don't do that on France, which I think is a tragedy.
Another funny French tradition: for April fools, kids cut fish shapes out of paper and try and stick them on each other's backs without the person noticing. Lucile's class is planning an ambush on their maîtresse, so she made a huge one complete with stickers and scales.Being over here has made me really appreciate how into traditions americains are...we know how to do holidays right! Decorations and Christmas carols, Easter eggs, thanksgiving dinner and the Macy Day Parade (that one isn't really france's fault, but I did have two failed turkey day meals attempts here in November)...
But beware: next April Fools, I might just bring this fish idea over the sea...and I'll be pinkie dancing the whole time.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Life goes on...
So, I've decided its been a little too long since my last update (I made a New Years Resolution!) so here ya'll are.
Last weekend was a CIEE day trip to the south of Bretagne, the land of the mégalithes. Mégalithes are these giant stones (think Stonehenge) that were left by who ever lived in this area 6000 years ago. At Carnac, there are around 4 kilometers of these rocks left in rows. There are no written records left from these people, so no one knows what the purpose of these rocks really was. They don't line up with the moon or sun like Stonhenge does, and they're actually a lot older (by about 1,500 years). Word on the street (or French comic books) is that Astérix and Obélix (click to find out more about it) brought the giant rocks themselves. Obélix, this huge (and I mean HUGE) dude carried them on his back. I tried to re-create the magic of this idea, but since I was completely out of potion magique, I just pretended to be that strong.
We also visited Vannes, a city by the water that was pretty much the capitol of Bretagne way back in the day (way way wayyyy back). It was really crappy weather though, so the highlight was eating lunch at an AWESOME crêperie and getting a delicious galette. Just can't get enough of those things. We got a tour of the city, saw some people doing a scavenger hunt dressed as leprechauns, tried to stay out of the rain, and then went home.
I'm sensing now is the time for another photo....wait for it.........MONTAGE!!!!!
Last weekend was also Springtime of Movies (don't really know what to call it), which meant all movies were 3.50 euro! Leah and I took advantage of this deal and saw La Rafle, a movie about the Holocaust. In 1942, the Nazis tried to capture 24,000 Jews that were living in Paris. Thankfully, Parisians were able to help hide about 10,000 so only 13,000-14,000 were actually caught. But, sadly, out of the 13,000-14,000, only 25 survived. 25. No children. All adults. The film follows the story of several people involved, a Jewish family, a Jewish doctor, a nurse who tries to help them all....it was really well done. I cried throughout the whole thing...but its a very good movie. I'd recommend it!
Also this week, I was very cultured and went to see the Orchestre de Bretagne play at the opéra in Rennes. Jamie was going with her friend from home who was in town visiting and Leah and I decided to join them. The opera was a really neat building, all golden and luxurious and opera like, although smaller than I thought. Our seats were in the front row, which really means front row. Any closer and I would have been in the violin section. It was my first time being at an orchestra concert (that I can think of) and I really enjoyed it. I didn't know that violins did so much plucking and the synchronization of the bows was really cool to watch. I'd definitely check it out again. On a cultural experience note that was kind of funny, before the show Jamie wanted to get dinner at around 6h15, which seemed SO early to me (its become such a habit to not eat until 8) and Jamie quickly realized after we made the tour of restaurants, that no where serves dinner until at least 7 here. Hungry at 6h30? Subway is pretty much your only choice. Oh, France.
After the orchestra, Leah and I checked out the "Apéro Géant" that was going on at Colombier. Apparently there is a competition going on between a lot of cities in the area, such as Nantes and Tours, to see who can throw the biggest party. Thursday night was Rennes turn to show what they got. From the headlines I saw, about 4000 people showed up. When we got to Colombier, there was just this massive crowd of young people hanging out, drinking, smoking, joking around, throwing glass bottles (a Rennes favorite pass time...). In was sort of like what Mifflin looks like, minus all the cop hugging and general complete absurdity, and instead of a block, its was in a square. There was a guy juggling fire, lots of people trains, a makeshift pirate ship, and some guys running around with a banner that said "Rue de la Soif is not for sale!" (but in French, obviously...Rue de la Soif is Rennes version of State Street, only smaller, and minus the ethnic restaurants. Basically just bars. And some guy in town is trying to buy out the bars to reduce the drinking in Rennes, which has upset the local student population). Leah and I just kind of observed, ran into our friends Gabriel and François, met some crazy Frenchies who "LOVE AMERICA!" "WISCONSIN! LIKE THAT 70s SHOWS!?!" They were very, very nice, and very, very enthusiastic. But, I wasn't feeling that great (my usual cold...Sophie's stopped force feeding me essential oils and my immune system is getting low), so we headed home pretty early.
Louis' birthday is today, and Lucile and I made the usual preparations. We made our own card for him with TWO birthday cakes, balloons, and confetti all over it. We wrapped presents (she searched in her dresser and found a coloring book to wrap up and give him lol) and taped candy to them. Everything is set! Tomorrow, he's going bowling for the first time in his life for his birthday party! 11 years, no bowling? This kid has been missing out.
Other than that, I've just been suffering through school...lots of tests this past week, and I still have 2 more to go (plus a paper and a speech to get working on....). Ho hum.
Next week, its off to Bordeaux!!!!! I can't wait. We're staying with a friend of a friend and we're going to see a soccer game. This means I'll get to see this lovely man, Yoann Gourcuff, in person:
What a stud. Next weekend also starts my whirlwind travel time (6 weekends in a row in travel, including 2 whole weeks of vacation). I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Also, I officially have less than 2 months til I leave. Tonight at dinner, Lucile asked me if I was coming to Agathe's synchronized swimming gala...Sophie asked "When is it?" Agathe replied, "In June." Guess I'm not going.....so weird........time goes by way too fast here.....
Last weekend was a CIEE day trip to the south of Bretagne, the land of the mégalithes. Mégalithes are these giant stones (think Stonehenge) that were left by who ever lived in this area 6000 years ago. At Carnac, there are around 4 kilometers of these rocks left in rows. There are no written records left from these people, so no one knows what the purpose of these rocks really was. They don't line up with the moon or sun like Stonhenge does, and they're actually a lot older (by about 1,500 years). Word on the street (or French comic books) is that Astérix and Obélix (click to find out more about it) brought the giant rocks themselves. Obélix, this huge (and I mean HUGE) dude carried them on his back. I tried to re-create the magic of this idea, but since I was completely out of potion magique, I just pretended to be that strong.
We also visited Vannes, a city by the water that was pretty much the capitol of Bretagne way back in the day (way way wayyyy back). It was really crappy weather though, so the highlight was eating lunch at an AWESOME crêperie and getting a delicious galette. Just can't get enough of those things. We got a tour of the city, saw some people doing a scavenger hunt dressed as leprechauns, tried to stay out of the rain, and then went home.
I'm sensing now is the time for another photo....wait for it.........MONTAGE!!!!!
Vannes
A sign in both Breton and French
Your everyday, average leprechauns
Hey Hank!!!
Last weekend was also Springtime of Movies (don't really know what to call it), which meant all movies were 3.50 euro! Leah and I took advantage of this deal and saw La Rafle, a movie about the Holocaust. In 1942, the Nazis tried to capture 24,000 Jews that were living in Paris. Thankfully, Parisians were able to help hide about 10,000 so only 13,000-14,000 were actually caught. But, sadly, out of the 13,000-14,000, only 25 survived. 25. No children. All adults. The film follows the story of several people involved, a Jewish family, a Jewish doctor, a nurse who tries to help them all....it was really well done. I cried throughout the whole thing...but its a very good movie. I'd recommend it!
Also this week, I was very cultured and went to see the Orchestre de Bretagne play at the opéra in Rennes. Jamie was going with her friend from home who was in town visiting and Leah and I decided to join them. The opera was a really neat building, all golden and luxurious and opera like, although smaller than I thought. Our seats were in the front row, which really means front row. Any closer and I would have been in the violin section. It was my first time being at an orchestra concert (that I can think of) and I really enjoyed it. I didn't know that violins did so much plucking and the synchronization of the bows was really cool to watch. I'd definitely check it out again. On a cultural experience note that was kind of funny, before the show Jamie wanted to get dinner at around 6h15, which seemed SO early to me (its become such a habit to not eat until 8) and Jamie quickly realized after we made the tour of restaurants, that no where serves dinner until at least 7 here. Hungry at 6h30? Subway is pretty much your only choice. Oh, France.
After the orchestra, Leah and I checked out the "Apéro Géant" that was going on at Colombier. Apparently there is a competition going on between a lot of cities in the area, such as Nantes and Tours, to see who can throw the biggest party. Thursday night was Rennes turn to show what they got. From the headlines I saw, about 4000 people showed up. When we got to Colombier, there was just this massive crowd of young people hanging out, drinking, smoking, joking around, throwing glass bottles (a Rennes favorite pass time...). In was sort of like what Mifflin looks like, minus all the cop hugging and general complete absurdity, and instead of a block, its was in a square. There was a guy juggling fire, lots of people trains, a makeshift pirate ship, and some guys running around with a banner that said "Rue de la Soif is not for sale!" (but in French, obviously...Rue de la Soif is Rennes version of State Street, only smaller, and minus the ethnic restaurants. Basically just bars. And some guy in town is trying to buy out the bars to reduce the drinking in Rennes, which has upset the local student population). Leah and I just kind of observed, ran into our friends Gabriel and François, met some crazy Frenchies who "LOVE AMERICA!" "WISCONSIN! LIKE THAT 70s SHOWS!?!" They were very, very nice, and very, very enthusiastic. But, I wasn't feeling that great (my usual cold...Sophie's stopped force feeding me essential oils and my immune system is getting low), so we headed home pretty early.
Louis' birthday is today, and Lucile and I made the usual preparations. We made our own card for him with TWO birthday cakes, balloons, and confetti all over it. We wrapped presents (she searched in her dresser and found a coloring book to wrap up and give him lol) and taped candy to them. Everything is set! Tomorrow, he's going bowling for the first time in his life for his birthday party! 11 years, no bowling? This kid has been missing out.
Other than that, I've just been suffering through school...lots of tests this past week, and I still have 2 more to go (plus a paper and a speech to get working on....). Ho hum.
Next week, its off to Bordeaux!!!!! I can't wait. We're staying with a friend of a friend and we're going to see a soccer game. This means I'll get to see this lovely man, Yoann Gourcuff, in person:
What a stud. Next weekend also starts my whirlwind travel time (6 weekends in a row in travel, including 2 whole weeks of vacation). I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Also, I officially have less than 2 months til I leave. Tonight at dinner, Lucile asked me if I was coming to Agathe's synchronized swimming gala...Sophie asked "When is it?" Agathe replied, "In June." Guess I'm not going.....so weird........time goes by way too fast here.....
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