Katelyn a la mode: January 2009

As you can probably guess, this blog is in response to the recent inauguration of our new president, Mr. Barack Obama. On Tuesday afternoon, every French man and woman eagerly scampered home from work early in order to watch the live broadcast. Christian and Colette both came scurrying into the house and turned the TV on to watch the speech, dubbed in French. I could hear Obama's words as well as the dubbed version and must say that I believe that the magic and elegance of some of his speech was certainly lost in translation. I had to watch the speech a second time in English to hear the true poetry of his words.
The afternoon before the inauguration, I was in a class on French society where, in honor of the day, we spoke briefly about the US president. My French professor shared two interesting facts with us. The first was that the French find Barack Obama to be a beacon of hope, undoubtedly. However, they do not consider him to be black since his mother was white, making him of a "mixed race". While his election is considered a grand and liberal success, the French do not refer to him as a black president. I think that many Americans are proud to have a black president when, in all (literal) reality, we are only halfway there.
The second topic of conversation was in regard to our separation of church and state in the US. The professor questioned us about it and we proudly defended the need for a complete separation of the two. She then proceeded to call us hypocrites in highlighting how Obama swears his oath of presidency on the Bible after a national prayer is shared. I had honestly never noticed how church and state are NOT completely separate in the US until she made this point. It really is a bit hypocritical of us all and I couldn't help but smile at the fact that French liberalism was proving me wrong yet again.

Woohoo, I never thought that it would feel so good to be back in Montpellier! After nearly a month of traveling, it is nice to be in a place that feels like home. I am living with a new host family just outside of the center of the city, and I LOVE IT! Colette and Christian, my host parents, are absolutely adorable and as sweet as can be. I feel like a part of the family already!
My winter vacation was a series of WONDERFUL trips! I began by visiting a quaint German town named Garmisch-Partenkirchen where I enjoyed Weiner-schnitzel and hearty German sausages. Then I traveled back to France and spent 4 days in an adorable city called Strasbourg. This city, known as the “Capital of Christmas” for its stupendous Christmas markets, is a great mix of French and German architecture, cuisine, and culture. I bought far too much and ate enough choucroute (traditional Alsacian dish with sauerkraut, potatoes, ham, hotdogs, and sausage) to feed an entire village! Then it was on to Paris…
My arrival in the “City of Lights” marked the end of my voyage with Ellen, my UB travel buddy, and the start of some family time. Aaron flew into Paris to be with me on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day while my dad arrived on the 26th. After wishing Aaron “au revoir”, my dad and I started our French adventure with the Parisian highlight being the discovery of the Musee de l’Orangerie, where one can be engulfed by the masterpieces of Monet. We headed south on the 28th, ate some beef burgundy and a croque madame, and arrived to our luxurious hotel in Lyon after seeing the sights.
Next, we headed to Nimes where we rang in the New Year with a 7-course meal and entertaining new friends. After Nimes, we were on to Provence and the land of lavender (Dad was beyond pleased!) and then to Nice. The weather was warm and sunny in Nice and my dad and I didn’t hesitate to pass an afternoon relaxing on the beach! Nice was my favorite city on the tour due to its mix of Italian and French cultures as well as the best food, for sure! We had time to visit Monaco as well before we finished in Montpellier, where it SNOWED (something rare in this area)!
I have tried to select pictures that show some memorable sights or moments during the trip. Enjoy!

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN