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!
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