I’ve been very behind in updating my blog (which I suspected might happen). But I am still alive and still having fun with the Frenchies. I’ll start where I left off: vacation.
For the vacances de la toussaint, I made a mini circle of France. My first destination was Strasbourg. The town’s a bit smaller than I thought it would be, but very pretty. We climbed to the top of the cathedral, and while this seemed like a good idea, it was a long time before I could feel my thighs again. We also took a bateau mouche down the river, and walked around a bunch. Our motto for Strasbourg seemed to be: “ok…on mange?” Our hotel had a kitchen so we were able to cook for ourselves—and we stopped frequently for cafes and gouters along the way.
The second day we took a trip to Colmar, another Alsatian town that’s about a 30 minute train ride from Strasbourg. Here’s a fun fact: the guy who designed the Statue of Liberty was from Colmar.
My third and final day in Strasbourg may have been my favorite because we rented bikes…and biked to Germany!! I couldn’t get over (and still can’t) how cool this was. Just cross a river and you’re in Germany: voila. We went to the little town of Kehl which is just across the Rhin. We grabbed a coffee in the town square and I was able to use my 2 words of German with the waiter: “danke” and “auf wiedersehen.”
Next, I took the train over to Limoges, which is in the west of France. I had to go through Paris and transfer over train stations, which meant that I had to take the metro. Up until that point I had been attempting to blend in and look like a Parisian (though I was already at a disadvantage given the suitcase I was lugging around). But I caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower and all hope to look cool, collected, and Parisian was lost—I couldn’t keep from grinning like the tourist I was. The Eiffel Tower!! Even though I’ve seen it before, it still makes me smile.
I stayed with a friend in Limoges who had studied with me in Aix. We went to see a cave in Rocamadour, toured a castle and a cute town, walked around Limoges, ate some good galettes, and went to a basketball game. My favorite thing about the west though was the scenery. It was just breathtakingly beautiful. And I was there at a great time because all the foliage was changing. I went straight from Limoges to Lyon on my way back, which meant that I passed through the Massif Central. My 5 hour train ride seemed to take no time at all because I couldn’t keep from staring out the window.
Even though vacation was amazing, I was surprisingly happy to be back in Chalon. It’s really started to feel like home to me. Chalon's a small town so I'm very comfortable and at ease walking around. I often run into people I know or recognize faces that I’ve already seen.
Well, voila! Vacation.
Stay tuned for: French Thanksgiving!!
