Last Days in France

We spent our last two days in France traveling down to Paris and staying at a hostel in order to not worry about transfers from train to RER to Charles de Gaulle. The first night we went to the Arc de Triomphe to see the view from the top. Which is my favorite view of the city if you don’t mind the 284 steps to the top.

                  

The second day we (being Kylie and Patrick) went to the Musée D’Orsay to see Impressionism and Post-Impressionism as well as a photograph exhibit of just female photographers from 1918-1945. Kylie and I found ourselves at the museum all day just in awe of this beautiful painting of Claude Monet from the Rouen Cathedral series. If you remember, I have seen and taken photos of that cathedral myself. Apparently Monet was from Normandy.

                    

Some of Van Gogh was at the museum as well which is always a huge favorite of mine and Kylie’s favorite. It was a wonderful day and it made leaving Europe that much harder knowing that we wouldn’t have such easy access and free entry to these paintings in the US.

This morning, December 21st, we took the RER to Charles de Gaule at 5:00am. I boarded my flight at 10:30am and arrived in Philadelphia 9 hours later. I’m now sitting here waiting for my flight to Seattle. I haven’t quite accepted that I am back in the US yet, so I will continue blogging these coming days to help process my return.

-With love from Philadelphia

 

Mont-Saint-Michel

For our last adventure before returning to the United States our friend Damien drove us two hours Northwest to the edge of Brittney (Bretagne) so see the island village of Mont-Saint-Michel. You might remember the international news from last year about the Super Tide that happened in France that caused the island village to actually become an island?

 

The village is only accessible by a small strip of land that at times is covered by tidal water.

On the summit there is an abbey that has been added to since its original construction in the 10th Century. Access to the abbey requires you to climb many stairs through the spiral village streets.

 

Once inside the abbey, Kylie promptly asked Damien how much would it cost to buy the island. Damien said she couldn’t, so in American style, we said “Fine! We’ll by that island (an island right next the village) and make a 3D copy of Mont-Saint-Michel for everyone but you (Damien).” So we went room to room saying what the new purpose would be in our 3D copy.

On our walk back to the car, I saw this really cool bench too. What a great last day in Normandy.

-With love from Caen

Final Exams in France

Have you ever wanted to feel more stressed out taking final exams? Did you ever want them to feel like the ACTs? Go to France! You take your exams in a large amphitheater with over 100 other students. You must bring your passport and student ID. All bags must be placed in the front of the amphitheater. Before entering you must find your name on a list that will assign you a seat number that you must sit in for that examination time. During the exam, a third party will come by you and have you sign next to your name and check your ID. At the end of the exam, you must sign next to your name on another paper.

However, I did it. I took seven of those damn finals and I know I did my best. So let’s hope that means I passed. Now in French fashion, I won’t find out until the end of January. Duh?!

-With love from Caen

Christmas Time in London

Classes are finished and we had a week off before finals. Kylie and I decided to go to London once more as our last European adventure together. We booked our flight and Airbnb about 6 weeks before departing and expected smooth sailing. However, nothing is that simple for us. Our flight was fine we got to London Southend Airport no problems. We took the National Rail into Central London and jumped on the Tube to our Airbnb. We arrived about an hour and a half early for our check in so we spent some time at Starbucks and grabbed some food before heading over to the apartment. That’s where it went wrong. The host seemed to have forgotten that we were coming or something despite him messaging us the day before for check in time confirmation. Once we entered the studio we realized that the place was awful! It was two bunk beds side-by-side with air mattresses, no pillow cases and stained sheets. The kitchen was stock piled with dirty dishes and laundry and the bathroom didn’t have a working lightbulb. We met the host and he quickly took a phone call and started changing in front of us to head off to work. After the call he explained that he had no extra keys and either we could have his one set and leave the door unlocked for him, or he can have the keys and he would keep the door unlocked for us. Either way, the door would be unlocked…So, no.

In tears after he left, we quickly booked a hostel with a company that Kylie and I use for all our hostel needs and we ran to the Tube to get away from that place. Once we got to the hostel on the other side of the city, I called Airbnb directly to cancel our reservation and to get a reimbursement. Airbnb was kind enough to give us the full reimbursement without any complications after providing them with photographic evidence of how awful our situation was.

So, now we are in London and staying in Greenwich. We got to see the Tate Modern, the National Gallery, Regents Park, 221 B Baker Street, a CHIPOTLE, Museum of London, Harold’s, and Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. This trip was so nice despite walking everywhere. The perk of staying in Greenwich was being able to walk to the University and see where they filmed Thor 2: The Dark World. NERD ALERT!

This trip really meant a lot for Kylie and I’s friendship knowing that we can 100% travel and get hangry at each other when yelling about where to look for food and immediately apologize after eating. It really felt like the Christmas season in London and our need to home grew, but we also didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

Christmas Time in Caen

Caen at Christmas time is similar to a set from a Hallmark Christmas movie minus the snow (thank God). All the streets are adorned with Christmas lights and tinsel. The trees are wrapped in twinkling blue and gold lights. Every store front has an elaborate window display that you wouldn’t expect outside of the silver screen. The city has placed speakers throughout the cobblestone alleys all playing the same Christmas songs. There is a large ferris wheel at the Hôtel de Caen and a Christmas market that is open every day. I am surprised Caen didn’t buy an artificial snow machine to complete their fantasy.

At the market they sell waffles, crepes, mulled wine and chestnuts. All of which are perfect for an after class snack. Here we learned that roasted chestnuts taste like dry potatoes that either need sugar or ketchup depending on whether you wanted a sweet or savory snack. Also, we learned that Colors of the Wind in French along with many other Disney classics are considered Christmas-y.

-With love from Caen

 

Thanksgiving in France

On Thursday morning, I walked into my 8:30am class to an English greeting from my literature professor of “Happy Thanksgiving!” in a thick French accent. I think I gave my professor the strangest look since it I was half asleep and expecting French to come out of her mouth.

Later that day I took my second grammar exam of the semester and was again told to have a Happy Thanksgiving before I was released for the day.

Here in Caen, there is an association that is from what I gather, a group of old people who like America, that hosted a “traditional Thanksgiving dinner” for all American students studying in Caen. So myself and many friends RSVPed and headed over Thursday night expected some turkey (maybe) and some pie (again maybe?). Little did we know what we signed up for.

The invitation stated clearly that it was a “traditional Thanksgiving dinner.” Yeah, but not what country. So here were 20 American college students walking into a six course meal that would take over four hours and an interview to complete. Thank God for unlimited wine!  I had so many culinary firsts that night. Foie gras, shrimp with its eyes just staring at me, rotisserie turkey, macaroons, crème brulée and espresso at 11:30pm. Apparently, at one point in the night I met the Mayor of Caen without realizing it until the next day when friends posted selfies of them with him. I just remember him thinking I lived in Alexandria, Virginia when I clearly said Washington State on the West Coast. (You have to be specific with these guys or concede to the fact that you are now the person from Washington, DC even though you have never been to the nation’s capital unlike most people in the group who are East Coasters.)

So here is a photo of the group after we all had too much to drink to avoid the awkwardness of this dinner:

My Return is Near

November, wow, okay. I would just like to say that I was economizing this month and I didn’t leave the city. I fell into routine this month. I went to class, came home and passed the rest of the day hanging out with friends either by watching Friends or partaking in “Tumblr & chill.” So, I don’t have many adventures to write about.

Fall has finally settled into Normandy. It took most of the month of November to arrive, but it’s here! However, those three weeks of 70 degree averages were nice. Wind and a chill that feels like a cold blanket wrapped around you is an everyday occurrence and it makes the best of us want to stay inside. We seem to have rain at some point each day which makes me happy. I’ve missed rain after a summer without it.

Many have asked about the atmosphere of France in wake of the attacks on 13 November. Overall, France took the words of François Hollande to heart and the people are not changing their habits. However, I live two hours from Paris, so many people here have justified not changing because they were not “directly effected.” Travelling to Paris has changed though. I don’t know anyone who has gone to the city to visit since the attacks. A few went down to connect to other trains to go other locations for travel, but everyone adjusted their plans so they didn’t have to sleep in Paris.

I have never been so terrified then when the borders were temporarily closed the night of the attacks when we were still getting live coverage on the hostage situation and I still hadn’t heard back from a friend who was in Paris at the time. The days to come were disturbing as France carried out airstrikes on ISIL known locations. I and many other international students feared the repercussions of those airstrikes. We still do. Would they close the borders again? Would we be able to return home? How do we get home while avoiding the inevitable night in Paris? All that was clear to me was that I need to leave France. So I cut my program a semester short and I will be finishing my studies in Bellingham starting in January.

While I no longer feel unsafe in Normandy, I still don’t feel comfortable in Paris which is where I will be flying out of in December with a few other students. I feel so much better knowing that I am returning to Bellingham. There is so much about the town that I missed, especially the people. I look forward to seeing everyone’s face in just a few short weeks. For the first time in a while, I am looking forward to something.

Even before the attacks I was dreading a year here. I have felt so discouraged by professors. I have always loved school, but here, I have been only been ridiculed. My exam scores tell me that I am stupid despite my ability to go out on the street and ask directions, order food and converse with others. The academic setting at UniCaen is awful and all the other students I’ve met agree. I’m ready to love learning again. Soon!

-with love from Caen

October Happened, Blogging Did Not

Hello, I’m alive. I have been faced with technology issues. My keyboard no longer functions, so that makes writing a little difficult. However, I have been graciously loaned a BlueTooth keyboard from a friend here in Caen. So shout out to Kylie!

So where do I begin? I don’t know actually. So much has been going on, I’m starting to forget what I’ve shared and what I haven’t. What did I even write about the last time? Ah, yes. Paris. The first time.

After returning to Caen, I spent time wandering the streets and trying to get to know the nooks and crannies of the town. I also made a list of things that happen when you move to France, which I will post right after this post.

 

Two weeks ago I was in London and I LOVED IT! I spent six days, five nights in the city exploring and meeting up with friends. Some by accident and other’s intentionally.

The first day in the city I decided to visit the British Museum. After about three hours of exploring stolen artifacts, I hopped back on the Tube ready to head back to my AirBNB when I changed my mind and jumped off the train at Hyde Park Corner Station to wander the park. Just as I was about to cross the street, I run into my friends Jesse, Zach and Iris who were leaving the park…Hyde Park is huge. London is huge. How did we run into each other? Only God knows that. So, we spent the remainder of the day and the following day together. We all knew we would be in the city at the same time, we just didn’t plan anything together. Fate had something else in mind for us.

So here is a picture of us recreating the Abbey Road cover art:

And here are some other pictures from our adventures together:

After Jesse, Zach and Iris headed off to Belgium, I stayed in London to wander some more. I saw the Tate Modern, Tate British, British Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye, Oxford Circus, Royal Prince Albert Hall, Kennsington Palace,  Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, 221B Baker Street (both the real and the one from BBC’s Sherlock) and the national treasure that is Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet and himself.

London was so warm and inviting unlike France. If you made accidental eye contact with someone, you both look away quickly and pretend it didn’t happen in awkwardness. You don’t get yelled at. You make friends with people you stood in line for four hours with and now talk via Facebook. This city is amazing, quirky, energetic and ancient. It’s everything I wanted it to be and more. It re-lit my fire. I will one day live in that city. I will.

Returning to France after that was difficult. Like, contemplating leaving after the semester difficult. However, I have such a strong support system here in Caen that I got to really talk it out. I think I just got so content with London, I just wanted the instant gratification of moving there and starting to work. I forgot that I need to finish my degree first.

To finish the month off, we have been having midterm exams…Yeah, those aren’t going so well. I am technically passing. However, I’m used to excelling. So I’m learning to accept passing. It’s new and uncomfortable, but I can do this. Yeah, I can do this.

On the entertainment side, I spent Halloween in Disneyland Paris! It was my first time ever at a Disney property and I want to go again and again and again. While in Paris, I ran into an old resident and friend who is studying in Switzerland and was staying in the same hostel as me. Again, serendipity. We had no clue we were both in Paris, let alone Europe at the same time. It’s a small world after all.

On Sunday, Olivia, Kylie and I went to Versailles to finish off our Girls’ Weekend. It was a gorgeous day and we did not have enough time to explore the gardens, so a return trip will be necessary.

And that was October. Let’s hope I get my keyboard fixed and I can be better about updating for November!

-With Love from Caen

I did Paris, badly.

I am a Type A kind of person. Well, not even kind of. Like 100% Type A. So, why did I decide to do Paris on a whim? Because that’s the type of people I was traveling with. Or at least 50% of the people I was traveling with…Kylie, I’m excluding you from this since you and I wanted to plan that trip to the tee in advance.

Something you hear all time about study abroad situations is that you can and should travel on a moment’s notice. If you are at all skeptical about that sentence like I was and still am, you should be. If you are Type A that is. Who writes travel blogs and tells you about their amazing spontaneous vacations? Answer: Type B

Do not fall into the trap that is being someone you are not. Karma finds you and slaps you in the face. Or in my case, cancels all of your options for places to stay the night in Paris on your way down because you tried to make them hours before leaving. Real smart.

FRIDAY

So here we were, dropped off on the outskirts of the city at 9 o’clock at night, tired and hungry from the three hour car ride (Thank you BlaBlaCar), with nowhere to sleep. We had one person who lived in Paris for three weeks this past January, one who had visited Paris before and Kylie and I who had never been to Europe before this.

Instead of taking the Metro to the city center like our BlaBlaCar driver suggested, we made the wise choice of walking…To a McDonald’s down the street for WiFi (Are we seeing a pattern in my complaints? Keyword: WiFi). From there, we spent almost an hour trying to find an AirBnB that would take us in on such short notice. No dice. So, what do we do? We decide to walk from McDonald’s to the hostel Kylie and I originally planned to stay at, but were shot down because it was “too expensive”. How far was this walk? Oh, just 3 hours. Good thing I got so fed up I demanded to take the next Metro an hour into wandering.

Once at the Gare du Nord, we find our hostel. And we were lucky, because we took the last beds in the place. Pro tip: Plan your lodgings at least one week in advance and get confirmation before leaving. Without confirmation, you can/will be canceled on. Everyone was in their best mood when we get there too! Tired, hungry, and angry make the best travel companions and really do wonders to friendships. So, this mood sets the whole weekend…

SATURDAY

We get up, we eat our free breakfast and I plan out our day. Because I was not going to do the unscheduled thing again. Ever. Pro tip: CityMaps2Go and Paris Metro apps are a great thing to have while in Paris. Also, use Google Maps to find how to get from one landmark to the other and screenshot the List of directions to use off WiFi.

So, we go and see Notre Dame Cathedral.

Then Starbucks for a little taste of home since we are all going through the peak of homesickness right now.

After that, we head to the Catacombs where we found a large line waiting for us so we said “Peace” and headed toward the Louvre for both lunch and to, well, look at art. Pro tip: If you are a student, bring that darn student ID with you, because you can skip the ticket booth and the line and go straight to the exhibits by just presenting your student ID to the curators.

 

After three hours of wandering through priceless art and getting numb to it all, we headed towards l’Opera Bastille. We had planned to check if any student tickets were available that day for an opera, they weren’t. Tired and hungry again, we decided to head towards the Tour Eiffel for dinner.

Now, I hate tourists. Even when I am one. Clichés are clichés no matter how you dice it, but I have to admit. I really liked the Tour Eiffel. Maybe it’s because it kick started Cubism or it’s a piece of the World Fair like the Space Needle. Who knows? But it’s cool, weirdly. So much that I went twice.

 

SUNDAY

We started the day at the Tour Eiffel trying to meet up with Kylie’s friend from back home. Unfortunately, we were too late for the rendez-vous and missed her. So, we hit another mood setter. But, we went onward. To Napoleon’s burial site. Brian’s bae.

 

After that, we were off to the Cat Café! Kylie’s favorite part of the trip. Also, home to the best hot chocolate.

Exhausted, we decided to make our way to our hostel to pick up our bags from storage and to the train station to get a last minute deal with SNCF for tickets…Which wasn’t a thing with our luck. So, 38 euros and mechanical issues later. We all made it on the train and back to Caen.

And that’s Paris for you.

Things I learned:

• Plan lodging way in advance
• Buy round trip travel tickets
• There is a Metro pass for youth (under 26) for 3,85 euros for a day. It’s on the back page (page 3) of options on the ticket machines.
• Cat Cafés smell like cats
• Kylie and I would be bomb at trip planning
• Christopher’s Gare du Nord hostel is great!
• I don’t have to repeat myself in French in Paris, because they are used to people with accents.

-With Love from Paris/Caen

Patrimony Week

Let’s take it back before we get to this past week of events.

France has history…Like a lot of history. Just the two parts of carry enough to fill volumes. To celebrate culture and history, France as a week dedicated to commemorating the past. That means all historical sites (including the ones that are never open) are open for the public and are generally free or at a reduced fare. Even public transportation were at reduced fare. Pro Tip: Take advantage of SNCF’s deals during Patrimony Week. They are hidden on their website and one may accidentally pay full price for a train.

To take advantage of this amazing opportunity the gang and I headed to Rouen, France in Higher Normandy. How could you not when the round trip fare on the train is 5 euros?! All we knew boarding the train was that Rouen was a the capital of High Normandy, there is a really cool cathedral (there always is a really cool cathedral) and has a larger population than Caen.

Once we got off the train, we wandered around to find lunch since food is only served from 11am-2pm. Spoiler! We found lunch and a mini cupcake shop then headed to the cathedral. Once there, we were amazed by the beautiful and meticulous details in the decoration of the church. Just around the corner of the church was a brass band playing modern hits where we decided would be the best place to sit down and have a coffee.

Through our walk through the city, we noticed a lot of buildings and streets mentioning Joan of Arc and thinking nothing of it went to an old tower named after her thinking it was a tribute, but that she had never been in Rouen. HAHA! Boy were we wrong. Turns out, not only was she in Rouen at one point. The trusty citizens of Rouen were the one’s to burn her at the stake. So we went to see the location of the burning.

A day that was intended to get us out of Caen, turned out to be an amazing find. Just goes to show that France is full of history. Just some cities have more famous history then others.

As for what happen this past week…I will get to that hopefully tomorrow. ‘

Until then enjoy some pictures of Rouen.

-With Love From Caen