So right now, I should be reading a French short story for tomorrow, however, my brain really cannot focus right now after writing my first paper all day.
On Thursday, I decided to rent a bike. It took me a month to finally decide to get one. I haven't had a bike since I was eight years old, and that didn't have handbrakes. This should be interesting. Slightly worried about hitting a person, a car, a building or nothing? I was riding on this little sidewalk and it was somewhat slanted, and I was worried at what point would my bike start tipping to the side. Is that a stupid question? I tend to think about things like this. Then today, I stopped and all of a sudden another bike came whizzing up behind me. How am I supposed to know if there is someone behind me! I would probably feel more comfortable with at least the helmet. But of course the French are too cool for that, except for the one person I see every 17 days who wears one. Then there could be me, the girl with the helmet and who stops short at curved sidewalks.
Anyway. Thursday night I was invited to my cousin's apartment in Strasbourg for dinner. Yes, apparently I have all this family in France. But, no, I am not French. Strange how family is. It went pretty well and they were very friendly. Parts of the time, I just sat there because they started talking about things I knew nothing about or I couldn't understand. Oh well, they still said I spoke pretty good French. Haha I'm sure.
Yesterday, Saturday, my French history class went on a trip to Bitche. Pronounced like so. The awkward name town sits about a hour north of Strasbourg in Lorraine (the other area with Strasbourg that was passed between Germany and France). When my host family had me asked me at dinner last weekend where I was going to dinner this weekend, I answered "Beeache." Trying to make it sound a different then it was spelled. My host sister and brother both just looked at me first, then I repeated it. And they said "Oui, c'est Bitche." Then the brother goes, oui, comme "you fuckin bitch." hahahah I almost fell off the chair.
So what is in Bitche you might ask? Well, not that much. We went there to visit the Citadel a Bitche, a large stone fortress used during the Franco-Prussian War that was used by the French for protection while they were under attack. It was huge, and really cool actually. There were really nice views over the side and then we took a tour with these huge headphones. It took us from room to room with a movie they made reenacting what life was like inside the citadel during the war, which was very rough and the French lost, obviously. After a hour and half, we left to lunch. I just must comment that Syracuse does not go cheap with these meals for trips. We must have had about a 3 hour lunch. It was so funny. But we all loved it, just sat and ate after our insignificant 4 hours of sleep the night before.
Then we headed out to stop at the battlefield where the war took place. So the bus pulled up to a large green field with apple trees. Three monuments stood built, some with German writing, because after the war, the area was given to the newly formed Germany. But the funny thing was basically, we stood, stared at the monument and then walked a bit, picked some apples, and then found some horses and began feeding them. Here we are French history kids, standing on the battle field fielding nice horses apples. It was great. So funny.
Our last stop was a teeny museum dedicated to the war located in a small town nearby. We watched a 10 minute movie that used pictures of their little figurines in the museum as images in the film. Hahaha.
Meanwhile, our professor, Monsieur Grille, is just such a funny man. He is just saying the most random funny things. He would just whip out this large camera and snap a pictures of the group at the citadel, at lunch. At one point he stared telling us jokes about what the difference is between French and Portuguese women, or the story last year about when the group left him behind at the museum when he was locked in the bathroom. Or in the middle of the film at the museum, he was standing behind, and made some loud large noise, and I screamed and seriously flew across the room. NOT embarrassing AT ALL. He laughed, and so did the class. Oh boy. Normal occurrence.
Exhausted from the day in Bitche, I stayed home last night, while my host mother had this big dinner party going on. I fell asleep at 12ish and I still heard dishes clinking. She parties harder than me, it's fine.
I'd say it was really good week. I'm finally feeling pretty good about things. I just hope it keeps up.
samedi 10 octobre 2009
mercredi 7 octobre 2009
October 2nd-4th: Weekend in Bourgogne
Another one of the program's planned trips was this weekend's trip to Bourgogne, aka Burgundy. It is a region of France located southwest of Strasbourg. We departed on our large, purple, butterfly covered bus early Friday morning and arrived at our first stop, Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, around 1:30PM. In Dijon, Professor Bach took us on a great walking tour of the city. Walking and observing the beautiful architecture around us. We visited the Museum of Fine Arts which holds "impressive" Tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy. They were definitely impressive. Then we stopped in at many courtyards and buildings observing the interesting designs of the buildings. There was this courtyard with this amazing staircase up the side and other with an interesting, extremely old tower. It's pretty hard to describe without being there. He also took us to the front of this church, where when you look up, you just see rows and rows of gargoyles towering over you. It was awesome.
Then with some time on our own, we walked more around the streets, visiting the famous mustard store, because of course "Dijon Mustard." This is the city where it all comes from! Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan. The region is also known of course for its wine, le pain d'espice (ginger bread), beouf bourgignon, escargots, kir and more. So that evening for dinner we went to a very French restaurant. My first course was a little surprise when there turned out to be liver sitting on top of my salad, GROSS. But the main dish of fish, was definitely much better.
The next morning, the bus departed for Beaune, the capital of the Burgundian wine industry. Along the way we took La Route des Grands Crus (the Route of the Great Vintages), an extremely picturesque route and stopped along the way in Fixin, to take a walk in the vineyards. Once in Beaune, our first stop was at the Hotel-Dieu, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument, that acted as the Hospices in Beaune. It was somewhat like a hospital built for the poor to take care of them while they were sick and dying. The building is from 1443, and my professor had told us, it has "the most amazing roof you have ever seen." He was right. The roof like many roofes in Beaune are made out of these colorful tiles, somewhat like mosaics. It was awesome. The hospital was very interesting and ended with a spectacular painting of the "Last Judgement."
We had free time around lunch time and the whole group ended up exploring a large outdoor market that was going on that day. It was bustling and filled with fresh fruit, cheese, bread and random chicken. It was a beautiful day weather wise, so we found some church steps to sit on and enjoyed our delicious picnic lunch outside in Beaune.
We then met up at the Caves Patriarches for a wine tasting! These caves are the largest in Burgundy and stretch 5 kilometers! Apparently, you need a year in advance reservation to get a tour there! Whoaa. We entered these dark long cellars covered in rows and rows of wine. The wine tasting was all explained in French, which was good but a little confusing and then we tried 5 wines. They were pretty good, although I'm still trying to develop my wine taste while being abroad and I'd say I still need work. We were able to keep our little wine taster dishes as souvenirs!
We left Beaune for where we were staying for the night. Our professor had told us its not a hotel and there's nothing around. What did that mean? We arrive to little, no, teeny village two hours away from Beaune. There was nothing there except for donkeys, chickens and cows. We were staying at this sort of boarding house type of place where the bedrooms slept 6-8 people and downstairs was the kitchen. Upon arrival, we took a little walk around, (which is where we encountered the donkey, I was very excited about this), and then a game of kickball was started. There was also a random circus tent, which was apparently in use a circus training center. Wow. Who would have thought. I couldn't imagine living in a village like this. I think its just that I compare everything to New York. But can you imagine your neighbor being a donkey? I mean, the conversation would be a little stale.
So the plan for dinner that night was the region's famous beef bourgignon (but I requested the vegetarian option instead). However, it was definitely more. We started with carrots, then the beef/tomatoes for vegetarians, with macaroni, with bread, then the salad course, then the cheese course and then dessert. Oh my god. And a kiel to drink! (Black currant mixed with white wine). It was all delicious.
The student provided entertainment came next, since the there was nothing else to do at night. People came prepared. Guitar players, singers, fiddlers, Scottish dancers, comedians, story tellers. And Professor Bach and Professer Marxer and Pierre (the bus driver) teaching us French drinking songs, which led into them teaching us rounds. Overall, it was so much fun. Everything was so funny and so good, it was a great time. Besides the fact I felt pretty talentless by the end, it was great.
We woke up to part for the village of Vezelay, where one of France's most beautiful churches sits up on a hill. We took a hike up the hill, taking the actual pilgrimage route from the 15th century. It was beautiful, with landscapes of Burgundy all around us and pure greenery. We stopped half way up where Professor Bach taught us a great round. I just thought it was such a funny moment, 33 college students standing on a hill in Burgundy countryside singing a round. It was funny. We continued on to the top where we then took a tour at the La Maison du Visiteur. I took the French tour, which was a little intense and she described the make, architecture, history and purpose of the church. Then we walked up to the Basilica and also visited the crypt underneath. As a group we ate our picnic lunch at the park nearby looking over Burgundy.
It was a great, great trip. It was so picturesque and peaceful!
Then with some time on our own, we walked more around the streets, visiting the famous mustard store, because of course "Dijon Mustard." This is the city where it all comes from! Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan. The region is also known of course for its wine, le pain d'espice (ginger bread), beouf bourgignon, escargots, kir and more. So that evening for dinner we went to a very French restaurant. My first course was a little surprise when there turned out to be liver sitting on top of my salad, GROSS. But the main dish of fish, was definitely much better.
The next morning, the bus departed for Beaune, the capital of the Burgundian wine industry. Along the way we took La Route des Grands Crus (the Route of the Great Vintages), an extremely picturesque route and stopped along the way in Fixin, to take a walk in the vineyards. Once in Beaune, our first stop was at the Hotel-Dieu, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument, that acted as the Hospices in Beaune. It was somewhat like a hospital built for the poor to take care of them while they were sick and dying. The building is from 1443, and my professor had told us, it has "the most amazing roof you have ever seen." He was right. The roof like many roofes in Beaune are made out of these colorful tiles, somewhat like mosaics. It was awesome. The hospital was very interesting and ended with a spectacular painting of the "Last Judgement."
We had free time around lunch time and the whole group ended up exploring a large outdoor market that was going on that day. It was bustling and filled with fresh fruit, cheese, bread and random chicken. It was a beautiful day weather wise, so we found some church steps to sit on and enjoyed our delicious picnic lunch outside in Beaune.
We then met up at the Caves Patriarches for a wine tasting! These caves are the largest in Burgundy and stretch 5 kilometers! Apparently, you need a year in advance reservation to get a tour there! Whoaa. We entered these dark long cellars covered in rows and rows of wine. The wine tasting was all explained in French, which was good but a little confusing and then we tried 5 wines. They were pretty good, although I'm still trying to develop my wine taste while being abroad and I'd say I still need work. We were able to keep our little wine taster dishes as souvenirs!
We left Beaune for where we were staying for the night. Our professor had told us its not a hotel and there's nothing around. What did that mean? We arrive to little, no, teeny village two hours away from Beaune. There was nothing there except for donkeys, chickens and cows. We were staying at this sort of boarding house type of place where the bedrooms slept 6-8 people and downstairs was the kitchen. Upon arrival, we took a little walk around, (which is where we encountered the donkey, I was very excited about this), and then a game of kickball was started. There was also a random circus tent, which was apparently in use a circus training center. Wow. Who would have thought. I couldn't imagine living in a village like this. I think its just that I compare everything to New York. But can you imagine your neighbor being a donkey? I mean, the conversation would be a little stale.
So the plan for dinner that night was the region's famous beef bourgignon (but I requested the vegetarian option instead). However, it was definitely more. We started with carrots, then the beef/tomatoes for vegetarians, with macaroni, with bread, then the salad course, then the cheese course and then dessert. Oh my god. And a kiel to drink! (Black currant mixed with white wine). It was all delicious.
The student provided entertainment came next, since the there was nothing else to do at night. People came prepared. Guitar players, singers, fiddlers, Scottish dancers, comedians, story tellers. And Professor Bach and Professer Marxer and Pierre (the bus driver) teaching us French drinking songs, which led into them teaching us rounds. Overall, it was so much fun. Everything was so funny and so good, it was a great time. Besides the fact I felt pretty talentless by the end, it was great.
We woke up to part for the village of Vezelay, where one of France's most beautiful churches sits up on a hill. We took a hike up the hill, taking the actual pilgrimage route from the 15th century. It was beautiful, with landscapes of Burgundy all around us and pure greenery. We stopped half way up where Professor Bach taught us a great round. I just thought it was such a funny moment, 33 college students standing on a hill in Burgundy countryside singing a round. It was funny. We continued on to the top where we then took a tour at the La Maison du Visiteur. I took the French tour, which was a little intense and she described the make, architecture, history and purpose of the church. Then we walked up to the Basilica and also visited the crypt underneath. As a group we ate our picnic lunch at the park nearby looking over Burgundy.
It was a great, great trip. It was so picturesque and peaceful!
mardi 6 octobre 2009
Life in Strasbourg!!
I feel like I should just make some comments on living abroad, in France, with a family I just met. It seems like such a weird concept to ship yourself across the ocean, to a country you've possibly never been before or don't know the language. Although I have been to France, but never Strasbourg, and do speak a good amount of French, the transition is still something that I am getting used to. Here I am introducing myself to a nice older woman who is letting me live in her house, cook me dinner 5 days a week and breakfast 7 days a week, allow me to do the laundry in her apartment and provide a room all for myself. Weird? Yes. But pretty great, I must say so.
Everytime I see Madame, we have a small conversation: "Bonjour Joanna, ca va?" "Ca va merci, et vous?" I have gotten a lot more used to dinners with Madame, John (my American roommate) and sometimes one of her children. We speak French the whole time, which I love and is really the whole point of living with a family. Most of the time, I can get by pretty well in all the conversations. Yay! If not, Madame can totally tell. She looks at me with this kind of smirk. Great. But, now I think I've gotten more comfortable and I'll ask questions to clarify any confusion I have.
A large concern of mine coming into this situation was the food. I have to eat what Madame cooks that night for dinner and that's it. So, I would say I'm a pretty picky eater. I did write on the housing form that I don't eat red meat, however, that has not been a problem, considering it doesn't look like they eat that much anyway. A common food I do see is ham. I mean, I didn't list out every food I dislike on this form, and unfortunately, ham is one of them. Ham just seems to creep its way into many dishes she makes, so I slyly try to push it off to the side without Madame realizing. Who am I kidding? She probably knows.
We also eat very random vegetables. There's this pale, cabbage like, extremely bitter vegetable that reappears every so often. I don't know what it is, but it is not the tastiest. I would definitely say that I've had my fair share of cheese since I've been here, it is somehow incorporated to each dish we eat, or the cheese course takes its place. Yum.
I just realized a few days ago that the building has an elevator, which goes right into the apartment, but she doesn't use it. Slow moment. There's also whole section of the apartment that I haven't seen. It's past the kitchen, and that is the farthest I go. Sometimes there is even a curtain pulled across. Hmm interesting. I often wonder where her children are? Or possibly they are just hidden somewhere in the remainder of the apartment? I really couldn't tell you for sure.
How about the laundry? Apparently they don't really believe in dryers in France, except for sheets. I think when I tried to ask her what I should do with my sheet when I wanted to wash it, it took awhile for me to even figure out what I was trying to ask. Then I turned her pink towel into one covered with blue spots. Rough.
Oh France...
Everytime I see Madame, we have a small conversation: "Bonjour Joanna, ca va?" "Ca va merci, et vous?" I have gotten a lot more used to dinners with Madame, John (my American roommate) and sometimes one of her children. We speak French the whole time, which I love and is really the whole point of living with a family. Most of the time, I can get by pretty well in all the conversations. Yay! If not, Madame can totally tell. She looks at me with this kind of smirk. Great. But, now I think I've gotten more comfortable and I'll ask questions to clarify any confusion I have.
A large concern of mine coming into this situation was the food. I have to eat what Madame cooks that night for dinner and that's it. So, I would say I'm a pretty picky eater. I did write on the housing form that I don't eat red meat, however, that has not been a problem, considering it doesn't look like they eat that much anyway. A common food I do see is ham. I mean, I didn't list out every food I dislike on this form, and unfortunately, ham is one of them. Ham just seems to creep its way into many dishes she makes, so I slyly try to push it off to the side without Madame realizing. Who am I kidding? She probably knows.
We also eat very random vegetables. There's this pale, cabbage like, extremely bitter vegetable that reappears every so often. I don't know what it is, but it is not the tastiest. I would definitely say that I've had my fair share of cheese since I've been here, it is somehow incorporated to each dish we eat, or the cheese course takes its place. Yum.
I just realized a few days ago that the building has an elevator, which goes right into the apartment, but she doesn't use it. Slow moment. There's also whole section of the apartment that I haven't seen. It's past the kitchen, and that is the farthest I go. Sometimes there is even a curtain pulled across. Hmm interesting. I often wonder where her children are? Or possibly they are just hidden somewhere in the remainder of the apartment? I really couldn't tell you for sure.
How about the laundry? Apparently they don't really believe in dryers in France, except for sheets. I think when I tried to ask her what I should do with my sheet when I wanted to wash it, it took awhile for me to even figure out what I was trying to ask. Then I turned her pink towel into one covered with blue spots. Rough.
Oh France...
lundi 5 octobre 2009
September 22-25th: PARIS!
I love Paris. I just love it. This is where I wanted to study abroad originally. But, no, no bitterness. I left Thursday afternoon by high speed train alone to see my uncle. We of course went to his favorite cafe, Le Select, that evening after stopping by his university's party. Paris is just unbelievable always, I think it's because it reminds me of New York. It is busy at all times, the restaurants are packed (in this case, its usually cafes), and the streets are bustling. Even better, they speak French.
Friday, I met up with my friends from Syracuse who are studying abroad in London for the semester. Ah, it was exciting! Megan, Kaitlin and others and I took a 4 hour walking tour for free! It was great, and it covered so many great attractions of Paris. We saw Notre Dame, Pont Neuf, Saint-Michel, the Latin Quarter, Academie Francaise and more. At night, we headed to the Louvre after 6PM, when it's free. I've been to Paris twice before, but had never been inside it. We stopped at the Mona Lisa (slightly anticlimactic), saw the inverted pyramid and explored some more. We then headed out for a late dinner, hoping to find some good French food for my friends to try. We did, and we all enjoyed it.
The next day we headed to Musee D'Orsay in the morning and then met up with my London friends at the Eiffel Tower. I had wanted to go up for my first time, but the line was huge, so we settled on a nice picnic and lounging under the tower. Seriously, the sight of it never gets old. They all headed out to visit Versailles, but since I've been, I met up with my uncle for some delicious crepes at a place I've been to in Montparnasse. That night, my uncle took Megan, Antoinette and I (studying in Strasbourg with me) to a great French restaurant, called Polidor, that is reasonable and delicious. A full 3 course meal, with an apperatif and wine of course. My friends loved it! We then went to a cafe, where they drank coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and me nothing. I was too full/never understood the concept of drinking coffee after at 11pm. Oh well, I guess I can never be truly French. So nice, I headed back to the 'Bourg early the next morning. J'aime Paris beaucoup. I will be back!
Friday, I met up with my friends from Syracuse who are studying abroad in London for the semester. Ah, it was exciting! Megan, Kaitlin and others and I took a 4 hour walking tour for free! It was great, and it covered so many great attractions of Paris. We saw Notre Dame, Pont Neuf, Saint-Michel, the Latin Quarter, Academie Francaise and more. At night, we headed to the Louvre after 6PM, when it's free. I've been to Paris twice before, but had never been inside it. We stopped at the Mona Lisa (slightly anticlimactic), saw the inverted pyramid and explored some more. We then headed out for a late dinner, hoping to find some good French food for my friends to try. We did, and we all enjoyed it.
The next day we headed to Musee D'Orsay in the morning and then met up with my London friends at the Eiffel Tower. I had wanted to go up for my first time, but the line was huge, so we settled on a nice picnic and lounging under the tower. Seriously, the sight of it never gets old. They all headed out to visit Versailles, but since I've been, I met up with my uncle for some delicious crepes at a place I've been to in Montparnasse. That night, my uncle took Megan, Antoinette and I (studying in Strasbourg with me) to a great French restaurant, called Polidor, that is reasonable and delicious. A full 3 course meal, with an apperatif and wine of course. My friends loved it! We then went to a cafe, where they drank coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and me nothing. I was too full/never understood the concept of drinking coffee after at 11pm. Oh well, I guess I can never be truly French. So nice, I headed back to the 'Bourg early the next morning. J'aime Paris beaucoup. I will be back!
September 19th: Day Trip to Alsace Countryside
The whole Strasbourg trip had a trip to the Alsace Countryside. We left at 8am this morning and when I woke up, we were on top of a mountain and I was looking out over a cliff. The first stop was a castle from the Middle Ages situated on top of a cliff. We took a tour of the castle and kept walking up and up. It was awesome. We could see amazing views over the Alsace countryside, of all the vineyards. We then left to another small town to explore. It seriously looked like it was out of a fairytale. The houses were little, colorful, with small shutters.
We then stopped for lunch, where we could either have chicken or boar. Oh boy. I chose the chicken (obviously). But apparently boar is a speciality. Oh France...
While driving, we just kept passing vineyard after vineyard, that went up the sides of the mountains. Alsace is one of the regions of France known for great wine. That was where we headed to next, our "degustation." Or wine tasting. We went to this little wine cellar with a couple who lead us in French through my first wine tasting. We had little glasses and tasted 5 wines. I liked some of them more than others and decided to buy a bottle for my host family as a nice gift.
The countryside was awesomee.
We then stopped for lunch, where we could either have chicken or boar. Oh boy. I chose the chicken (obviously). But apparently boar is a speciality. Oh France...
While driving, we just kept passing vineyard after vineyard, that went up the sides of the mountains. Alsace is one of the regions of France known for great wine. That was where we headed to next, our "degustation." Or wine tasting. We went to this little wine cellar with a couple who lead us in French through my first wine tasting. We had little glasses and tasted 5 wines. I liked some of them more than others and decided to buy a bottle for my host family as a nice gift.
The countryside was awesomee.
September 10-13th: Trip to Nice
Bonjour Nice!
We took a night trip down to Nice (in the South of France). I've always wanted to go to the French Riviera, so it was definitely worth the 12 hour train ride down. Nice was beautiful, situated right on the Mediterranean, which I had never seen before. We arrived at our hostel, the sketchiest thing I have ever seen. I room with 16 beds and two 45 year old men. Gross. It did not smell too good either.
We made it our mission to spend as little time as possible in that hostel. We toured the city, made a trip to the beach on Friday, unfortunately it was rainy. That night, we went out to eat and then explored Nice nightlife. A bar that was truly international, I think I could have heard any language BUT French. Then we headed to the club that opens from 2am-5, seriously 3 feet across from our hostel. Filled with creepers, but music, of course, is all I really need, so of course, we danced the night away.
Woke up earlyish, for a swim in the ocean! It was great, until I was pushed down by the waves, and my bathing suit pretty much fell off. The beaches were rocky, so that was a little painful. It was so much fun though.
We decided to spend the afternoon with an afternoon trip to Monte Carlo located in Monaco. After a 1 euro bus ride for a half hour, winding on sides of cliffs along the Mediterranean, I was amazed, oh and pretty nauseus. I think they were some of the most amazing views I have ever seen. We arrived in this Mediterranean paradise, where buildings are old and beautiful surrounded by casinos and the only cars are BMWs and Ferraris. It was a ritzy, expensive city, but just so gorgeous, really. We enjoyed a 12 euro sundae (split between the 5 of us, thank goodness), at the famous Cafe de Paris. We explored the area, walking all over, and taking in the sites. It was awesome. Topped off the evening with some cheap sandwiches back in Nice and out around town. Slept for an hour and returned to the 'Bourg in the morning.
We took a night trip down to Nice (in the South of France). I've always wanted to go to the French Riviera, so it was definitely worth the 12 hour train ride down. Nice was beautiful, situated right on the Mediterranean, which I had never seen before. We arrived at our hostel, the sketchiest thing I have ever seen. I room with 16 beds and two 45 year old men. Gross. It did not smell too good either.
We made it our mission to spend as little time as possible in that hostel. We toured the city, made a trip to the beach on Friday, unfortunately it was rainy. That night, we went out to eat and then explored Nice nightlife. A bar that was truly international, I think I could have heard any language BUT French. Then we headed to the club that opens from 2am-5, seriously 3 feet across from our hostel. Filled with creepers, but music, of course, is all I really need, so of course, we danced the night away.
Woke up earlyish, for a swim in the ocean! It was great, until I was pushed down by the waves, and my bathing suit pretty much fell off. The beaches were rocky, so that was a little painful. It was so much fun though.
We decided to spend the afternoon with an afternoon trip to Monte Carlo located in Monaco. After a 1 euro bus ride for a half hour, winding on sides of cliffs along the Mediterranean, I was amazed, oh and pretty nauseus. I think they were some of the most amazing views I have ever seen. We arrived in this Mediterranean paradise, where buildings are old and beautiful surrounded by casinos and the only cars are BMWs and Ferraris. It was a ritzy, expensive city, but just so gorgeous, really. We enjoyed a 12 euro sundae (split between the 5 of us, thank goodness), at the famous Cafe de Paris. We explored the area, walking all over, and taking in the sites. It was awesome. Topped off the evening with some cheap sandwiches back in Nice and out around town. Slept for an hour and returned to the 'Bourg in the morning.
September 6th: Dimanche en famille
On the first Sunday with our host families, they are supposed to spend the day with us, choosing something to do. Whether it's showing us around somewhere or traveling nearby or a meal together. My host mom, or Madame as I call her, took me, John along with two of her friends and their host kids in my program on a tour of Strasbourg. From her apartment she lives about a 6 minute walk from the centre ville (downtown) of Strasbourg. We walked along the river, which runs through the city, to La Petite France, the oldest section of the city. It dates from the 14th century. Everything is in typical Alsacian architecture. Alsace is the region of France I am living in, which is actually different from French culture because it was a region passed off between Germany and France and even has its own language. It was a beautiful day and they pointed out parts of the city in French, ahh love it, and then stopped at the best ice cream place in Strasbourg, they said. Mmmm it was good. We then headed back to the famous Strasbourg Cathedral. It really is amazing.
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