I had a really wonderful first weekend in France! I'm pretty sure it's all going to be really wonderful :) On Friday night I had dinner with friends then went out to a bar and had a nice conversation with some other American girls who were from Michigan and Washington. Each Saturday morning there is a big market in the middle of Angers, so I went there with a few other ND students. We walked among all the fruits and vegetables first. There were a ton of clementines for sale! I guess they're pretty popular here. Then we went down the corridor of meat, fish, cheese and bread stands. The smell was incredible, and I mean in a good way. I myself like the smell of fresh fish and cooking meat. There was at least one eel for sale and some live shrimp. There were some people with dogs there, and I was surprised that the dogs didn't go crazy with all the scents wafting through the air. There was also another long line of booths that were selling clothes, accessories, and flowers. On the whole, the market was really interesting and fun.
I went to my first mass in France on Saturday evening. It was at the parish of St. Joseph, which has what appears to be a legit Gothic-era church, not just Gothic style like you see in the US. I haven't found info to confirm, but it appears to be very old, and it is very beautiful. The brilliant pipe organ was playing before mass, and the music surrounding me in the cold, stony building led me to reflect on the profound, lasting love of the liturgy that will remain infinitely longer than the beauty of the church. A bishop said the mass, and he talked about using facebook to make profound connections in part of his homily, as well as saying that we are the salt of the world together, among other things. I could also interpret the epistle and the Gospel, but most of the rest I couldn't understand specifically. I think I'm going to try to find a French missal.
On Sunday I had an incredible day with my host family, their friends, and my fellow ND student Kaitlin. On the first Sunday of every month (since ten years ago), my host family goes on a hike in the countryside with a group of friends, and stops in the middle for a big picnic. They are hardcore, with walking sticks and hiking boots. Last Sunday we walked in vineyards near the village of Martigné-Briand. We parked the car in the village near the church and chateau. These two buildings were so picturesque: there were doves flying back and forth between the eaves and the crevices left by 500 years of wear and tear, and later the church bell started ringing. The entire town was very charming. As we walked through the vineyards, we saw a windmill, and one of men, François, explained to me a few different types of windmill that one finds in France. For much of the walk, Kaitlin and I spoke with Jerôme, who has a daughter who is going to high school in Gladstone, MO right now, and will be visiting her in Kansas City this May. He is working on his English, so we practiced with him some, and, through the whole day, we got a lot of French practice.
It's pretty hard to describe exactly how awesome the picnic was. I was sitting at a petite table. In a vineyard in France. Next to a beautiful town. Under the shining sun. Eating and drinking a French feast. Surrounded by joyful people who were loving life. I'm telling you it doesn't get much better than that. We started with champagne as it was the 50th birthday of one of the men in the group (you say "chin, chin" when you toast). Among other things, we ate pâté de cochon (pig), smoked pig, routilles de poulet (not sure about the spelling on that one), andouille, tomatoes, mayo/carrot/celery salad, chocolate, and king's cake. The woman who was crowned queen got lots of kisses. Everyone was just having a lot of fun. All of the food was accompanied by baguette and red wine (côtes-du-rhône), of course. We finished it off with coffee, then rum with local spices. I was so full after that. During the meal, Jerôme offered this quip, or something like it: you know, in France, eating is like a religion. I am definitely a believer :) I don't know if I mentioned it before, but all the meals I've had with my family have been just as delicious, if not as large and extravagant.
Well, after that we had to walk some of the food off, so we continued. As we moved back toward town, we walked past a corral that held four gorgeous, enormous draft horses. I thought the day couldn't get better, but I was wrong:) We pet the horses, then made our way back to the town. Something I forgot to mention about the village is that it has been the subject of national news stories because the town council voted to cut down the 150-year-old Sequoia that is in the cemetery. They voted to do this because the roots are damaging the graves. Some of the villagers have been protesting the removal of the tree. All in all, I would say that the activity Sunday with the AREUH (Association de Randonneurs Extraordinaires, Urbains, et Huereux; one of them made buttons with the acronym) was probably one of the best ways to enjoy France.
Next post: classes!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
La France est très belle (but you already knew that)
I have the first few days under my belt! They have been wonderful and often surreal. I am actually in France. Ahhhh! We arrived in Paris on Monday and took the Angers soccer team's (Angers-Sco) bus to Angers. There was some nice scenery along the way, including horses, sheep, cows, and lots of trees with spherical boughs on the larger branches. I was told these are mistletoe trees. Driving into Angers, we went past its 13th century chateau, which was very exciting. I met my host parents, M. André Thenie and Mme. Anne-Marie Thenie. They are very patient with me, very kind, and they have fed me very well! My first meal Monday evening started with a baguette and a soup that I think was a sort of squash purée. Then we had a quiche-like dish (they said it wasn't quiche, but I don't remember its name), salad, cheese, and an airy glace with caramel for dessert. One of the cheeses was a really fancy looking goat cheese. I tried it, and though I didn't outright dislike it, it was extremely strong. There was another cheese the name of which I can't remember except that M. Thenie said it was from a mountain region. Also, we had wine and water to drink.
After a very healthy sleep that chased away the jet lag, the group (sans one Katie) walked around town with our director P McD (AKA Paul McDowell) and stopped at a crêperie for lunch. He took us inside the Cathédrale de St. Maurice, which was built in the 12th century. It was incredibly beautiful, and there was a Baroque altar and 19th century lectern inside that were very elaborate and wonderful. The cathedral also has a magnificent pipe organ and stained glass windows. PMcD showed us the house where his wife stayed when she studied in Angers, and he said that one of its rooms was used as a secret chapel during the Revolution. Pretty awesome, huh? Angers on the whole is very beautiful. Many of the buildings are white with pretty details and tiny wrought iron balconies, like you might imagine in a French city. The doors of the residences are many different shapes and colors.
I myself live a fair distance to the south of the city center and our school (le Catho). It's about a 25-30 minute walk to school, but my family has provided a bike for my use, which has been very nice. I will also get a bus pass. People don't usually ride their bikes on the sidewalks because there are many pedestrians and the sidewalks are bumpy and often obstructed. I was a bit worried about riding in the street, but the drivers are very respectful of cyclists, giving them plenty of room and deference. Though it was quite cold on the bike Tuesday and Wednesday, it has been very pleasant to ride through town, and it also provides a bit of a workout. Today the weather was much nicer: though it rained this morning, the sun came out and it got up to mid-50's, I would guess. I stopped by a really nice park near my house in the early afternoon and just sat on a bench, as I had done a lot of walking that morning. I did some bird watching. Angers has this one really neat bird that has a black head and back, a white breast, and a really long black tail. The bird is about the size of a mourning dove. I also spotted some house sparrows and starlings exactly like the ones that live in Kansas.
Tuesday evening, several of us ND kids went to a bar called K'lypso, and that was pretty fun. I didn't stay for long because on Wednesday morning I had my placement test. It didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked, but it was okay. I had a kebab for lunch, then walked around the center of town. I browsed the big bookstore, Richer. It had many levels and lots of interesting books and magazines. I stopped in at a few different clothing stores. I have learned since coming that French stores only have items on sale during two periods a year. The sales have been going for about 3 weeks and I think they end soon. For dinner Wednesday I went with some friends to a restaurant that had an awesome, long spiral staircase with several levels of dining space. One of the specials was called "Kansas", though I'm not sure why, because the main part of it was chicken nuggets, and nothing else in the description seemed to be a Kansan specialty. Luckily, one can find food at a pretty good price here.
This weekend I may tour inside the chateau, and next weekend we have an excursion to Mt St Michel and St Malo. I will include more pictures in the future once I get my computer cable for my camera in the mail. Had to forget something, didn't I? That's all for now. Bon weekend!
After a very healthy sleep that chased away the jet lag, the group (sans one Katie) walked around town with our director P McD (AKA Paul McDowell) and stopped at a crêperie for lunch. He took us inside the Cathédrale de St. Maurice, which was built in the 12th century. It was incredibly beautiful, and there was a Baroque altar and 19th century lectern inside that were very elaborate and wonderful. The cathedral also has a magnificent pipe organ and stained glass windows. PMcD showed us the house where his wife stayed when she studied in Angers, and he said that one of its rooms was used as a secret chapel during the Revolution. Pretty awesome, huh? Angers on the whole is very beautiful. Many of the buildings are white with pretty details and tiny wrought iron balconies, like you might imagine in a French city. The doors of the residences are many different shapes and colors.
I myself live a fair distance to the south of the city center and our school (le Catho). It's about a 25-30 minute walk to school, but my family has provided a bike for my use, which has been very nice. I will also get a bus pass. People don't usually ride their bikes on the sidewalks because there are many pedestrians and the sidewalks are bumpy and often obstructed. I was a bit worried about riding in the street, but the drivers are very respectful of cyclists, giving them plenty of room and deference. Though it was quite cold on the bike Tuesday and Wednesday, it has been very pleasant to ride through town, and it also provides a bit of a workout. Today the weather was much nicer: though it rained this morning, the sun came out and it got up to mid-50's, I would guess. I stopped by a really nice park near my house in the early afternoon and just sat on a bench, as I had done a lot of walking that morning. I did some bird watching. Angers has this one really neat bird that has a black head and back, a white breast, and a really long black tail. The bird is about the size of a mourning dove. I also spotted some house sparrows and starlings exactly like the ones that live in Kansas.
Tuesday evening, several of us ND kids went to a bar called K'lypso, and that was pretty fun. I didn't stay for long because on Wednesday morning I had my placement test. It didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked, but it was okay. I had a kebab for lunch, then walked around the center of town. I browsed the big bookstore, Richer. It had many levels and lots of interesting books and magazines. I stopped in at a few different clothing stores. I have learned since coming that French stores only have items on sale during two periods a year. The sales have been going for about 3 weeks and I think they end soon. For dinner Wednesday I went with some friends to a restaurant that had an awesome, long spiral staircase with several levels of dining space. One of the specials was called "Kansas", though I'm not sure why, because the main part of it was chicken nuggets, and nothing else in the description seemed to be a Kansan specialty. Luckily, one can find food at a pretty good price here.
This weekend I may tour inside the chateau, and next weekend we have an excursion to Mt St Michel and St Malo. I will include more pictures in the future once I get my computer cable for my camera in the mail. Had to forget something, didn't I? That's all for now. Bon weekend!
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