Trip to Rome!!!

            As I am living in France for four months, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit some of the other European countries during my stay here, so when a couple friends said they wanted to go to Rome for a weekend, I was all for it! We took a sleeper train Friday night and arrived in the old city Saturday morning. We ate lots of pasta for lunch and then spent the afternoon and evening touring the beautiful Vatican City!

            Sunday, we visited the Coliseum in the morning and after lunch toured the site of some ancient ruins, tossed coins into the Trevi Fountain, and did some shopping! I was pleased to find myself a nice pair of Italian boots!

            Later that night, we took another sleeper train back to Dijon. One hour late, we arrived here at 8:30 am with 9:00 classes at the University across town, and somehow managed to get there with about 30 seconds to spare!

Due for an Update

            I feel quite badly that I have neglected to update in the past several weeks, as there have been many stories I wish to share, but not a lot of time to sit down and write them down! School has been busy after taking a week off to see my parents. It was so, so wonderful to see them and I’m so happy I was able to!  We had a great, relaxing week (minus the stress of getting lost several times every time we set out on a road!). They arrived on a Saturday and I picked them up at the train station. After getting situated at the hotel, I took them to meet my host family at the house for dessert and coffee. I was so pleased by how well my parents and my host parents got along and how much they liked each other. I was slightly nervous about the language barrier at first, but the combined knowledge of French and English on both sides made it easier than I had originally thought. My host parents were able to speak to my real parents in French, my real parents to my host parents in English, and both sides understood pretty well. (I played translator when needed). That evening, we had cocktails at my professor’s house where my parents were able to meet many of my friends, my professor and his wife, and the parents of my friends. Later, we went out to dinner to a great little restaurant in the center of the city with a couple of my friends and their parents. It was a great night!

            On Sunday, despite nearly everything in the city being closed for the work-free day of the week, we had a nice time walking around the city and seeing some museums, churches, and other old buildings. I’m so happy my parents loved Dijon as much as they did!

            On our way to Normandy, we were able to visit the American memorial set up by the US on Omaha Beach to commemorate the many lives lost there on D-Day. It was beautifully built and very moving to visit.

            Our first stop outside of Dijon was Honfleur, a quaint little seaside village in Normandy with many old boats, lots of shopping, and endless cafes. It reminded me a little bit of both of the towns where my grandparents live.

            On our way out of Honfleur, we were able to stop at Mont Saint Michel, a beautiful old monastary mounted on a large rock in the middle of the ocean! When the tide is out, visitors are able to come and tour the monastery, once home to monks hundreds of years ago, and its narrow streets with shops that wrap around the massive building. (For the many reasons I kept restating as to why I believe Mont Saint Michel mirrors Hogwarts, bring this up with me when I get back). However, when the tide comes in, make sure you have removed your car, for if you haven’t, it will likely be swept out to sea.

            After Normandy, it was off to Paris for the remaining few days we had together. We had a great time seeing places like the Eiffel Tower, L’Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs Elysees. We also ate very well! At the end of the week, we were able to meet up with some friends for dinner, too. It was sad to say goodbye to my parents at the end, but we had a wonderful time together!

            Since getting back, we have gone on another excursion to Beaune! Beaune is a beautiful old village in Burgundy just a short train ride from Dijon. We went to visit an old hospital from the Middle Ages. It was very interesting to see. I won’t explain everything here, but the pictures are interesting themselves!

Excursion to Burgundy Countryside

            This past weekend, we were able to see part of Burgundy that we have not yet been to. Friday afternoon, we got on the bus and took about a 2-hour drive to the abbey of Fontenay, which is hidden deep in a large valley. (NOTE: this excursion was nearly entirely for educational purposes, as about 50% of our history midterm was on the knowledge we acquired throughout the weekend. Needless to say, it was a lot of note taking, but I enjoyed being there and seeing it nonetheless!) The abbey was beautiful. It really felt more like being at a fancy, extremely well kept prep school than a 12^th century abbey. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves:

            The monks that lived here, we learned, did not have easy lifestyles. These monks, called the Cistercians, took a lifetime of chastity, poverty, silence (no talking. Ever.), and isolation in the abbey (few were allowed to leave) so that they might be rewarded in Heaven. They barely ate anything, had obligatory prayer hours in the middle of the night, and slept on the ground in this room:

            For lunch, we went to a nearby village and ate the Burgundy specialty, beef bourgignon! It was a huge lunch that also included a vegetable tart, a cheese course, and a dessert course.

            That afternoon, we took a trip to the village of Cluny, where we visited another previous home to another group of monks, the Clunesians. The old church, called Vezelay, consisted of many sculptures depicting stories from the Bible, as many people during the Clunesians’ time were illiterate, and the emperor Charlemagne had made it the church’s job to teach the Bible to all, even those who could not read. (Can you tell I have been studying a lot the past few days?)

            To finish off the day, we had a huge dinner that was even bigger than our lunch and spent the night at a hotel.  In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and went to go visit a chateau nearby. This was more for our enjoyment, so I can’t say I have much to explain about this piece of history, but it was very pretty!

            In less than 48 hours I will be with my parents! I took my last midterm today and tomorrow I have just 2 hours of class and then a week of vacation! I’m looking forward to the relaxation and seeing my mom and dad. Before departing for Normandy, I will show them around Dijon and they will get to meet my host family as well as all the other parents who are visiting. Can’t wait!

Excursion to Paris and the Loire Valley

            This past week has been so packed with visits to such interesting, historical, and beautiful places that I don’t think I will be able to accurately describe them all in this one short post, though I will do my best.

            From Saturday to Wednesday, we spent our time exploring the beautiful city of Paris. Highlights included visiting the Louvre and seeing many famous paintings and sculptures (including the Mona Lisa or La Jaconde en français), touring Versailles and its vast gardens, strolling along the Champs-Elysees, sampling macaroons at Laderée, viewing the interiors of some famous churches, and (my favorite destination of the week) viewing and climbing the Eiffel Tower at night. The Eiffel Tower at night is absolutely astounding, and I am so happy I was able to see it when I did. It looks so spectacular all lit up, and every hour, additional lights all over the building blink on and off for about five minutes, giving the Tower a glittering appearance. Here are some of the photos from the week:

            Unrelated to historical/educational/cultural learning, we were all thrilled beyond belief that right next to the hostile where we stayed, there was not only a Starbucks, but a restaurant entitled “Breakfast in America” where we were able to have the blueberry pancakes and cheeseburgers and milkshakes we miss so much! Of course, we didn’t spend all our time there---we had plenty of great, French meals out at the Parisian cafés, but it was nice to be able to sample a little bit of the food we’ve been missing from back home!

(Dijon does not have anything like this. If you order coffee somewhere, the cup you are given is no taller than the height of your thumb, if that, and the only “burger” you can find is at a “kebab” shop on the main road that consists of a couple cheeseburgers and a handful French fries stuffed into what looks like a sub. The sandwich is called “l’Américain.”)

            Wednesday afternoon, we boarded a train and then took a bus to the Loire Valley, which consists of beautiful green countryside, rustic old villages, and beautiful castles dating back to as early as the 1500s. It was so nice for me to be around so many trees! After having lived in a city for over a month, it was so relaxing to be surrounded by nature again. We spent our time here exploring several of the region’s most famous chateaus. Their architecture was beautiful, and it was fun to see the old interior design as well.

We stayed at a very nice hotel where we were fed large and very French breakfasts and dinners. For lunch each day, we were taken to a fancy restaurant near one of the chateaus we were visiting. It was a great week!

            Monday, classes at the university resume for us after having had two weeks off.  Then, in less than two weeks, my parents will be coming to visit me here! I am so excited to see them and to show them around my neighborhood. After leaving Dijon, we will visit Paris and probably Normandy, as well. I’ll update soon!