Winter Wonderland Vacation

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

Gastehaus Maria--where we stayed!

Pretty countryside shot/Me at the Gorge!

STRASBOURG

Two cute little views of the architecture

Christmas decorations on a building/Me and Pinocchio

PARIS

Notre Dame/The Opera House

The Moulin Rouge (where we saw a show)/Me with the HUGE Monet work

My two men at the Eiffel Tower, one at the tip-top and one below

NIMES

Me at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pont du Gard--cross it off my list!

ARLES

Roman amphitheater in Arles

CANNES

Me and Austen Powers

NICE

Dad talking with the creepy catman/Nice courtyard

St. Paul (cute nearby village)/Me overlooking Nice

MONACO

My future palace

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

With only two more days of exams remaining, my first semester here in Montpellier is sadly coming to an end. I can’t believe how quickly time flies or that it is almost Christmas! It doesn’t feel right to be less than two weeks from Christmas and to be walking around in a sweater or sweatshirt. No snow, no blustery winds, no ice storms—how bizarre!! Here in sunny Montpellier, they have tried to bring some of the magical excitement of winter to us. There is a Christmas Market in the Place de la Comedie, complete with roasted chestnuts, hot spiced wine, and grilled escargot sandwiches. They have also set up an ice-rink and a ski area for children!! To personally get into the Christmas spirit, I recently took two cooking classes to learn how to make “Bûche de Noel”, a traditional Christmas dessert here in France. The class was a success and the buches came out beautiful! Also, two weeks ago I traveled to Lyon where I was able to see a Light Festival. It takes place in Lyon every year on the weekend of December 8th. It is a festival in honor of The Virgin Mary in gratitude for all that she did. It has been quite an interesting couple of weeks! This Wednesday I will start my long vacation travels to two towns in Germany, Strasbourg, Paris, Beaune, Lyon, Nîmes, Avignon, Arles, Nice, Monte Carlo, and back here to Montpellier. I will be sure to take many pictures for everyone! Happy Holidays to all and I will speak to you next year!

CHRISTMAS MARKET

Ice-skating rink/Ski area for the little ones!

My favorite hot cocoa stand--shaped like Santa

Tacky hat stand/Christmas market

COOKING CLASS

Ellen and Leah hard at work/Leah and I snacking and hardly working

Leah and I spreading chocolate deliciousness/Ellen rolling

Our instructor getting one of the Buches out with FIRE!/The three proud cooks

Buche d'expresso/Buche de chocolat marron (chocolate chestnut)

Buche de chocolat macaron (Chocolate and macaroon cookies)/Buche de pistache et cerises (pistachio and cherries)

LYON

Bookstore lit up/Cathedral lit up/Chestnuts roasting

Manifestation Station!!

In the hopes of procrastinating and escaping from studying for finals, I have decided that it is time for another blog post! I entitled this blog "Manifestation Station" because 'tis the season for strikes and demonstrations here in France! In this past week alone, we have had at least three here in Montpellier. They can range from HUGE (example: the tram drivers and bus drivers were on strike for an entire day after an incident of an assaulted bus driver. No public transportation was available all day AND it was pouring rain here!!!) to minimal group gatherings and chantings together, usually finishing within an hour. Today there was a very large parade and pep rally including most school-age children, their parents, and teachers. Nicolas Sarkozy has been focusing on the economic crisis and taking away from the already-suffering school system here. The French teachers and parents are not pleased with the situation and, thus, the grand demonstration today. The pep rally part lasted roughly an hour and a half and sounded like mostely cheering, yelling, and clapping--I watched from a distance even though I knew that it wouldn't get dangerous with such a large presence of children. So, as I stated earlier, it seems as though the holidays are when everyone tries their best to be heard here as each day brings a new strike and cause.

--ANSWERS TO FRENCH CLASS QUESTIONS--
1.) I am sorry that I didn't explain the IMLS office very well in my last blog. The IMLS stands for "Institut Méditerranéen de Langues et Services." I am studying here in Montpellier through my university, which has selected to work with the IMLS. It is an institute that organizes foreign exchange students coming to Montpellier. By "organize", I mean that they place us with our host families, help us enroll at the french university here, show us around Montpellier our first week, and organize fun weekend excursions. Their office is right down the street from where I currently live and this gives me easy access (and free, might I add) to internet, which I don't have available at the apartment. So it is thanks to the IMLS that I can access the internet as often as I do and that I have been able to meet my great new friends here in Montpellier. They also organize English-language conferences and classes, but I don't know too much on that subject.
2.) The grading system here in France is based on a 20-point system, but getting 20's is practically unheard of. Even grades of 15 or 16 are considered excellent. It has been a bit bizarre having to change my expectations for myself and the grades that I get here. I will be interested to see how all of my grades and credits transfer when I return to the United States. I will be able to be more detailed after I receive my final grades, since the majority of my grades are based on my exams this week. I have had a couple of homework assignments and tests during the semester, but a HUGE portion of my grades are based on one little exam!!! Speaking of which, it is time that I return to my studies! Best wishes to everyone back home!!

An African Adventure!!

Salut!! I hope that everyone is doing well back home and that you have all recovered from your delicious Thanksgiving meals! I will be honest, it felt strange going to classes instead of being home to watch the Macy’s Day Parade and I certainly missed the delicious smells and tastes of Thanksgiving. The IMLS office (the office that is my home-base here) threw a Thanksgiving party for us. We all brought food but it was FAR from traditional—the corn that I brought was placed next to Ellen’s pancakes, a platter of French cheese and wine, an egg and ham loaf, 2 quiches, 3 dessert tarts, brownies, and sandwiches. It was one of the strangest Thanksgiving meals that I have ever had but it was just nice to be with my friends and their host families!
Last weekend, Friday through Tuesday, I traveled to Morocco with three of my friends. We stayed right in the heart of the old medina in Fez, the cultural capitol of Morocco. We stayed in a wonderful hotel where we were treated like queens! We spent the first days exploring the medina with our guide. We visited a ceramics school/workshop, the infamous leather tanneries, silk and carpet experts, and important monuments and buildings. The next day, we voyaged outside of Fez to visit five surrounding villages. On this day, we dined in a Jewish cave, visited a national park, and even fed monkeys! Our final night was dinner and a 2-hour show of traditional Moroccan songs and dance. The food was DELICIOUS and I will never again be able to eat a shish-kebab with as much contentment! The weather was fabulous—it only rained on Tuesday when we were leaving. It was the most magnificent trip—everything was so different from anything that I have ever experienced before. Also, the people were warm and welcoming. For example, I got a hug from the customs officer in the airport as he told me that I must return to eat more couscous. I loved everything about the trip and hope that you enjoy the pictures!

THANKSGIVING

The Thanksgiving Feast/Centerpiece


Four of us (Ellen was the Pilgrim and I the Native American)/The group minus Ellen


MORACCO

Me drinking traditional Mint Tea/The tanneries


The little monkey cleaning Leah/Me with my banana, afraid of touching the monkey


Ellen and I on our rooftop terrace/My view during lunch one day


Another view from our terrace/Me at the palace door



A courtyard with the mosque tower looming over the corner/Typical gate into the city


African countryside/The stray kitty that decided to plop on my lap for an hour


Hillside city just outside of Fez


The donkeys DO NOT stop!/Ellen and the ceramics man showing us how strong the pottery is


"The Blue House" (rooms are 2000 dollars a night!)/Our breakfast room


Salad Assortment--15 different veggies/My kebabs!!!!


Traditional tajine meal/Moroccan breakfast!!