Sunday in Paris

Today I spent the day in Paris. I saw the beginning of the caravane of official cars for the Tour de France near the Place de la Concorde. I strolled around the Louvre and Tuileries areas and then went up to Montmartre. There I met three NUHS students (two former and one current), Ellen, Jenny, and Megan Hills and their lovely French host family for a bite to eat and a stroll around the Place du Tertre. See picture below of the four of us in front of a patisserie. It was great fun to see them all together in France! Finally I went to the Champs-Elysees to catch the end of the Tour.

new pix

Check out the new pix below!

Relaxing in Paris

I'm back in Paris staying with the Tournes. I'm a bit under the weather, so I'm strolling slowly and trying to rest up for the flight home. My new friend Erin, who teaches French in the twin cities, and I had a snack and beverage at a cafe and are just hanging out in the eastern part of Paris. We are both tired from the Lyon experience and glad to just hang out in the city of lights. I'll venture back into the center of Paris tomorrow to catch some of the last day of the Tour de France. The cyclists make a loop around the city and then the award ceremony takes place on the Champs-Elysees.

Apart from being surrounded by the French language and French countryside, the best part of the experience has been making contacts with other people like me from the US. They love the language and culture as much as I do. Yesterday when we all parted, some of the directors and teachers made little speeches to us. One mentioned how he found it amazing that he spent three weeks with a group of Americans, and he never heard any of us speak a word of English. Another person thanked us for propagating the French language in our country.

Beaujolais

Today we are going to the Beaujolais region for a tour and winetasting at the Georges DuBoeuf vineyards. Hooray! Tomorrow is the last day of the program. What a fabulous experience. I have learned so much and made new friends and contacts in my field. I have also made some good progress on gathering data for my dissertation. I will take the TGV to Paris tomorrow, where I'll spend 3 days with Jean-Claude, Viviane, and Delphine.

Wrapping it up

Only a few days left. I have made a few really good friends from Iowa and Minneapolis that I'm sure to keep in touch. with.

I'll be in Paris for the last day of the Tour de France! Gotta go!

Weekend in the south

I have had nearly no computer access for several days and only have a second now...We spent a beautiful Sunday on the Mediterranean coast in Cassis. Then we visited the grand canyon of France in Roussillon. More later!

Week-end en Provence

Yesterday we left for our group excursion to Provence. It was probably my favorite day so far. I don't have much time, but I'll just make a list of what we saw:
-Le Pont du Gard: A roman aqueduct (see photo). Fantastic!
-Avignon : Bustling with people because there's a theatre festival.
-Arles: We saw the cafe where Van Gogh painted Cafe Terrace at Night. Also ruins of a Greek theatre and a roman arena.
-We're staying in Aix-en-Provence.
Everywhere we go, we see lavender, soap, perfume, bright colors, etc. Gorgeous!

hot!

This morning we went to the Resistance Museum in Lyon. It is extremely well presented and gives one a good idea of what it may have been like to live through the war and in concentration camps.

It is REALLY hot and humid here now. Wow. I don't even know what else to say about that...

Lyon

See photo of Lyon below viewed from the hill called Fourviere. Two rivers join together in Lyon, Le Rhone and La Saone. Gorgeous!

colo

What a great experience this is. I'm spending my time with people who love France and French as much as I do, and then with the French themselves. I'm learning a lot of new vocab and hope to figure out ways to remember and practice it. The other teachers here are becoming good friends - it's a lot like camp. I'll probably cry at the end, just like when I was at Ewalu or Dorian!

The Cariot family is just fabulous (my hosts). We spend hours chatting each night and comparing our cultures and countries. Last night we had raclettes, a specialty from the Savoie region, and a cousin of fondue. Delicious. We are drinking a lot of rose wine from Provence because it's summer and quite humid. Nice way to cool off!

Speaker on WWII Resistance

Check out the pics of Sabrina and Marine in Rennes below.

Yesterday we had the honor of listening to a speaker who was in Lyon at the time of the Resistance in the second world war. Her father was killed by the nazis and she spent time in a concentration camp. She's 88 years old and a delightful person. We asked her what advice she would like to offer to young people in France or the US and she said the following:
-Think before you act.
-Vote every chance you get.
-Be tolerant, honest and vigilant.
-Work hard.
This speaker really inspired us and made us see how lucky we are.

Now it's summertime in Lyon!

Summer weather has arrived, I do believe! It's beautiful here now - the sun shows off the architecture. This morning we are hearing about the WWII Resistance from a woman who was a child here in Lyon during the war. Then we have the afternoon free!

Il fait beau!

It's a nice day today (yes, this is news). A good day for a trainride and French countryside.

le 14 juillet

I almost forgot . . . Happy Bastille Day! Cheers to the Hexagon!

Pique-nique

After an apero at a bar called "Le chat qui peche", Sabrina, Marine, their friend Virginie, and I enjoyed our goods from the market this morning as an indoor picnic. It's still a bit grey outside, but the weather seems to be improving. I've been to Rennes a couple of times many years ago, and today I stumbled upon a few spots in the city that I remembered from before, and had a bit of deja vu. The most charming part of Rennes is the rickety old houses that look like they are out of a fairy tale. What fun to laugh, eat, drink, walk, shop, and chat with the girls. Sadly, I must leave tomorrow after lunch. Back to Lyon via Paris.

Rennes

Yesterday I took the TGV to Rennes from Lyon via Paris. I arrived in the evening and Marine and Sabrina met me at the train station. We had an aperitif at Marine's place and then had the MOST DELICIOUS galettes and crepes in the world with delicious cider. We are in Bretagne! Afterwards we saw a great fireworks show with the whole city of Rennes. Lots of people and lots of fun! Then we called our friends Pierre and Bitao at the French table in Cedar Falls.

Today we went to the open-air market in the morning and bought lots of beautiful foods for our dinner. Fruit, cheese, olives, bread, etc. It is a nice day and soon we will go shopping - hopefully for some shoes.

Vieux Lyon

Yesterday we had a fab tour of the old part of Lyon. We had a lengthy architectural tour of the apartment buildings and tiny stairways - gorgeous! Also a gargantuan cathedral called St. Jean. We also visited a high school that is interested in having an exchange with the US. It's in an old building that looks to me like an old English boarding school. I was glad to have the chance to see a school that is different than the one I know in the Paris suburb.

My host family is extremely hospitable. I have a great time dining and chatting with them in the evenings and playing with their boxer, Oxanne. This entire week we've had rosé wine from Provence for dinner, which is curious. Apparently it is in vogue at the moment.

In a few hours I take the train to Rennes to visit Sabrina and Marine. Hooray!

Gallo-Roman Museum

Yesterday the group went to the Gallo-Roman history museum. Our guide, Laurent, taught me more about the history of Gaule and the everyday life of the Romans than I've ever known. This will be great to share with my more advanced students. Lyon was founded in 43 BC, so there's so much history here that it's amazing. I just love it here!!!!!! I'm learning a lot all the time and love that I never have to speak English.

It is freezing here! I just bought a second scarf to wrap around my goose-pimpled neck! Mon dieu!

I've often been asked by students what French kids do that would be like detassling. Now I have an answer for the Iowa teenagers. The 17 year old girl in my host family is making money this month by gathering raspberries in the fields. They fill bins and get paid 3€ per bin - that's not much! It's more for character-building than cash.

The weather here has been quite rotten. Gray and rainy. Guess I'll have to buy some new clothes. Too bad!

Cute anecdote:

French boyscouts came to the door selling croissants for a fundraiser. They deliver them unbaked right from the bakery very early in the morning in your mailbox so you can have them for breakfast fresh. I would much rather have that than packaged cookies! I love France!

I finally found my way to a computer! My family is great! Their last name is Cariot. The father is Gérard and the mother is Nicole. They have 3 kids, 2 of which are still at home, Julie and Sébastien. Gérard is a representative for a floral supply company and travels during the week. They live in a large, beautiful home 6 km outside of Lyon. I will take a bus and the subway to get to seminars.

I am sleeping extremely poorly-worse than usual. 2 hours per night or so. Gotta fix that or I'll be sick!

We're leaving for a tour now...

Crepes avec Joelle

Saturday night I met friend Joelle Lafaurie for dinner. We went to the St. Andre des Arts area to a creperie called St. Germain. I had a leek and goat cheese crepe and a raspberry one for dessert. Good cider, too, from La Rance in Bretagne. See pic below. After dinner Joelle and I walked along the Seine for about an hour. We saw the Eiffel Tower doing its little "twinkle show". It sparkles in the evening on the hour for ten minutes. Kind of Christmasy and kind of Disneyesque. I think it is supposed to make people love the tower and Paris, but I love them both without the sparkles.

The weather is strangely cool; I'm wearing a scarf and sweater. In a couple of hours I take the TGV (high speed train) to Lyon to meet my colleagues and family. Exciting!

I love practicing my French. I've got a list of new words that I'll build throughout my stay. I want to be good!

IN FRANCE!!!!!

I made it without too much trouble on the flights and then schlepped my affairs to the hotel. In less than an hour I enjoyed my first salade de chèvre chaud and Perrier at Café la Consigne on rue de Lyon in the 12e arrondissement (See pic below). I am in an Internet café near Place de la Bastille, where I am strolling around until meeting Joelle for dinner. I'm beat, but happy to be in Paris. Hooray! And I think now I'll go find another dose of espresso!

Departure

Friday morning, July 6, I will fly from Cedar Rapids via Chicago and London to Paris. Lots of stops, but the only way I could figure it out for the money...I'll write from the other side of the pond.