One week closer to Christmas...

and I'm getting excited, after spending a lovely weekend with the wonderful people with whom I will be spending Christmas. 

My friend Miriam from Australia (we became friends while we were both living and working at Eau Vive in France in 2005) was in Paris for the weekend during her trip to Europe.  By coincidence, Jason (another guy who worked and lived at Eau Vive with us in 2005) and his wife Rebekah (both from the States) are also in Paris this year doing the same thing as me.  Our other mutual friend Laure (French) lives in Paris now too.  So, a reunion 6 years on was in order.  All was set for a reunion Saturday night.

I headed off to Paris Saturday morning.  I had some shopping to do and spent the afternoon with Rebekah, we were wandering towards the Centre Georges Pompidou, which I still haven't seen yet, but got distracted by the pretty christmas lights.  While heading towards the location of these pretty lights we spotted a little wine shop that was offering free wine tasting.  So we popped in for a bit. We had a fantastic time.  Nearly two hours later we had sampled a dozen or so wines.  I have never tasted wines so good!! We tried 3 cognacs (aged 10, 15, 25 years old), the sweetest Pinot Gris, Rieslings and Gwertz's from Alsace, and some sweet red wines.  We also tried a 1969 and a 1959 wine.  Just beautiful and you could taste so distinctly all the different flavours.

Saturday evening, after a change of plans, we ended up at Laure's place where Ian (our Irish friend who was also at Eau Vive with us in 2005) turned up as a surprise guest to our little reunion.  It was great.

Eau Vive crew reunited
Jason, Me, Miriam, Laure, Ian

Sunday was spent making the most of the fact that it was the first Sunday of the month, and all the monuments are free, by going to see St Chapelle et La Concergerie.  St Chapelle is an impressive chapel with amazing stained glass windows and La Concergerie is most famous for the fact it was one of the main prisons during the Reign of Terror during the Revolution, and many people such as Danton, Robespierre and Marie-Antoinette spent their last days here before being sent to the guillotine.

Then we sought refuge from museum fatigue and the pouring rain in a Salon du The, where we enjoyed mouth-watering tea and treats.

I was having such a great time hanging with friends in Paris that I hadn't got many of the things I needed to done, so I spent Monday morning doing some shopping, seeing the Christmas Markets on the Champs Elysees, then wandered through the streets past some things I wanted to see such as the Elysees Palace (where Sarkozy et co live) and the shop window displays of the big department stores Printemps and Galerie La Fayette. 

I was going to head back in the afternoon and then Miriam mentioned she wanted to see a movie, one I wanted to see too, but that was no longer playing in L'Aigle.  So, it was off to the movies to see Intouchables - highly recommended!  One good thing about L'Aigle (and there is more than one good thing about L'Aigle) is that the movies are half the price of the movies in Paris!

More time chilling out in Paris and then it was 7pm and I really needed to get back to L'Aigle so I got the last train back (thought at one point I was going to miss it - more running for the train).  I'll be spending Christmas with these people (minus Ian) and I'm very much looking forward to it.  Less than two weeks until the Christmas holidays.  My flatmate and I are hosting a Christmas party at our flat this weekend and the following weekend I'm off to stay with Laure in the South of France for Christmas and Nathalie in Toulouse for New Year's.

Joyeuses Fetes everybody!

Christmas is coming...

I finally feel like Christmas might actually be coming after spending a couple of days in the Capital of Christmas/Capitale de Noel - Strasbourg.  Their Christmas Markets have been going since 1570.  The Christmas Tree as we know it, and many other modern-day Christmas traditions, originated from this area. So, I think they can rightly claim they are the capital of Christmas.  It was a magical weekend.  It was cold, but not as cold as it usually is, as this autumn is apparently the warmest since 1900.  However, it was still cold enough to wrap up with scarf, gloves and hat and to feel like the mulled wine was merited.  There were lights and decorations everywhere so it truly was beautiful.  As my friend Neila described it, it was 'féerique' (fairy-like/enchanting/like being in a fairy tale), and she was right.  We also happened to be there in time to see the biggest natural Christmas Tree in the world get all lit up for the start of the Christmas season.

The start of the weekend was a little stressful as we got on the wrong train and realised one minute before it was about to leave the station that it was the wrong train and we had four minutes until our correct train was about to leave and we still had to find it.  We were towards the end of a VERY long train and had to run to find the right train which was equally as long.  We made it with literally one minute to spare.  Then, once I'd sat down after a couple of minutes I wanted to check something on our return tickets, only to realise they weren't in my bag and I had lost them. Long story short I had to re-buy our tickets - an expensive lesson.  Once we got to Strasbourg we soaked in the atmosphere and wandered through all the little streets, beautifully decorated, stumbling upon little markets here and there before turning a corner and finding the main market in front of the massive, beautiful cathedral.

We went into the cathedral and discovered a beautiful interior with people recounting the nativity story.  So we sat down and enjoyed the performance.

Later, we ventured off to find our hostel. That ended up being quite a mission, we found it eventually, but only after wandering around getting lost for a bit.  Once we found it we went to the kitchen to cook our yummy dinner we had planned, only to find the hostel did not have anything to cook with apart from two micro-waves.  So, spring-rolls with stir-fry, cooked in a micro-wave, was an interesting meal.  The hostel was right on the edge of Strasbourg and right on the edge of the Rhin river, which is the border of France and Germany.  So, the next day we crossed the Pont du Rhin to check out Kehl, Germany.

Right in the middle between France and Germany

Once back in France, we were off to discover more of picturesque Strasbourg, to enjoy the markets and sample more good food.  Then it was a very early start Monday morning to get the 6am train back to L'Aigle (the one I paid for twice!!).

Armistice Day Long Weekend

Well, the long weekend came and went I haven’t blogged about it.  It was quite a lot to take in really.  It was a long weekend because it was Armistice Day on the Friday so I aptly spent the weekend going to the places where people gave their lives so others could live theirs.  It was on my bucket list of things to do here and I learnt a lot about the battles that took place in the area and region where I am living.

I spent Friday travelling by train to a little town called Bayeux.  The trains are better than what we have in NZ because they actually have trains! But the service still leaves a lot to be desired at times, this weekend was one of those times.  No seats, packed in like sardines, standing, late trains due to dead leaves on the track (yes- that’s correct, I thought I’d misunderstood but no, my understanding was correct).  Anyway, finally got to Bayeux, famous for the 70m long Bayeux tapestry, its cathedral and it was the first town from where Charles de Gaulle led liberated France until Caen (the capital town of this region) was liberated.  Bayeux was one of the only towns in Normandy to not be destroyed by the bombing of the Battle of Normandy (Jun – Aug 1944), and it’s very beautiful.  Virtually every other town in Normandy (and that’s a few) were basically rubble after the war, but you wouldn’t know that now.  Even in my local town L’Aigle buildings were restored so, certain ones, still look hundreds of years old.

The Cathedral by night

The Cathedral

Friday afternoon learnt more about the Battle at the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy 1944, then went to the Commenwealth Military Cemetary where 8 NZers are buried.  By the end of the afternoon I was definitely feeling rather sombre and headed off to the hostel very reflective.

Commenwealth Cemetary

Saturday I had booked a D-Day tour for the morning.  I’m glad it was only a half-day tour as a whole day would probably have been a bit too much to take in.  I joined in a group and met up with two American girls travelling on their also, so we hung out a bit.  We went to Point du Hoc where the battle site has virtually been left untouched since D-Day.  Lonely Planet advises people not to dig in the ground as you might find live ammunition (very likely as they are still finding live ammunition today – a local lady told me an awesome story where recently a whole German truck loaded with live grenades and ammunition, with a plane and a ready to roll-out air-strip were, only this year, found buried).  Anyway, the craters from the bombs are about 3m deep and there are German bunkers etc.  Check out facebook for more detailed info on the battle and pictures.

Point du Hoc with craters and rubble

Then it was off to Omaha Beach. It was a bit wierd to be in a place that is a nice holiday spot where people come and spend their summers and swim etc. yet so many people lost their lives on that same very spot.  Upon thinking about I thought, well, the people fought and died there so people could continue to come there and enjoy the place.  When I was talking to that local lady she said there is one spot at Arromanches by the make-shift port where ‘true locals’ won’t swim as they see it as sacred.  I had an extremely interesting conversation with this lady, but I may need to leave that for another day.

Omaha Beach

Above Omaha Beach is the American Military Cemetry, the biggest one in France, with nearly 10,000 American soldiers buried there, although not all of them are from WW2 or from the Battle of Normandy.  Nonetheless, it was pretty sobering and overwhelming.

American Military Cemetary

The afternoon, I went with one of the American girls I had met to the Bayeux Tapestry which was very interesting.  It is 70 m long and tells the story of the Battle of Hastings when William the Conqueror killed King Harold to become the King of England.  The tapestry is nearly 1000 years old and was put up annually in the cathedral to tell the people the story.  It was lost and then later rediscovered and restored, although some of the end is missing.  Then that girl had to leave and I met up again with the other American girl and we spent the afternoon looking around Bayeux, enjoying a drink and then grabbing some dinner together.  It was really nice to go away and meet some new people.

Bayeux Tapestry

Sunday it was off to Caen to meet up with my flatmate and check out the capital of our region.  It was their market day, which was massive, so I enjoyed looking around that and sampling some of the things on offer.  Then we looked around the ruins of the castle of William the Conqueror.  I was a little overwhelmed from my weekend by this point and in light of the impressive cathedral at Bayeux I have to admit I wasn’t in the mood to appreciate Caen and what it had to offer.  My flatmate and I were both quite tired so it was off home (not before being packed into a train like cattle).



Caen - the cathedral, all of this was destroyed in the Battle of Normandy, the church was damaged slightly.



That’s all for now, since then it’s been the usual routine here and a quiet weekend at home this weekend, before the many upcoming weekends away.  There is only one weekend between now and the beginning of January where I won’t be away (and I may even be away that weekend too!).  I may also write about just normal daily life here and what my job involves, we’ll see.

Holidays and Birthdays

Holidays and Birthdays - pretty much sum up this post.  This post starts with the school holidays which were spent mostly with Janet, who currently lives in London.  Her, myself, my flatmate Lucy and her flatmate Emma spent 4 days/3 nights in Paris, having a grand old time.  We stayed in one of my favourite parts of Paris, Montmartre, and spent the first afternoon leisurely enjoying this happening area. The next day I led the girls on a walking tour for the afternoon, in which we saw pretty much all the must-sees of Paris. We were stuffed by the end of it and then had our pre-booked tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower, so we gave our feet a rest and took the Metro a couple of stops from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower.  Where, despite having pre-booked tickets, we still had to queue for ages on the second floor of the Tower to get to the top.  So by the time we got to the top the sun had already set.  However, having now seen the view during both the day time and the evening I totally recommend the evening view.  The lights are so pretty and it is actually easier to see the monuments because they are flood-lit.

The next day we went to the Chateau of Versailles, which never ceases to amaze me and this time I got to see the Hall of Mirrors in all its glory, as the last time I was there it was being restored.

That evening we ate at a classic French restaurant just off the Boulevarde des Abesses, where there is lots of atmosphere.  Here I finally tried, for the first time, escargots (snails) and I actually quite liked them!! They were yum.  The four of us girls spent the evening with my friends who are based in Paris and it was a great evening.

Then it was back to L'Aigle. Janet accompanied us and stayed a couple of days.  Unfortunately, in the end we didn't go to see Mont-St-Michel but there was always a possibility that was going to happen due to Janet's work committments.  That's ok because I will have plenty of opportunity to go there but it was a bummer for Janet.  In the end, we rented a car for the day and we went around the local area and visited farms.  Went to a farm where they make cider, cider vinager, pommeau, poire and calvados.  Enjoyed sampling the goods and bought some products.  Then it was off to Camembert, yes, where the cheese comes from.  We visited a fromagerie and bought cheese from the only place where they still make it by the traditional method.  Then we meandered the area, visiting a Normandy Battle war memorial, chateaux and fortresses along the way.

That was holidays, to finish with birthdays. Well, I had been waiting impatiently for the arrival of my new niece or nephew and finally SHE arrived!!  So on Nov 2nd, beautiful Amelia Violet arrived.  Such fantastic news, but I have to say it was the first (and so far only) day where I really felt homesick and just wanted to be back home.  That combined with a bit of a cold, tiredness and the come down from all the adventures and the looming Rentree (first day back at school/work for the new term) meant I was a bit miserable that day.  I just wanted to be back home so I could be with my family and cuddle my nieces and actually be a part of this big change in our family.  Well, the Rentree and going out with some of my colleagues on Thursday night helped me to move on and distracted me and then Friday was my turn to have a birthday.  I invited some of the people I've met here and we had a fantastic evening, making crepes and eating good food and socialising.  I was very spoilt too with them pooling together to gift me a back massage!! 

Next...? Fri 11th is Armistice day and a public holiday - so a long weekend, so I'm going to be tripping somewhere for that but not sure where yet.  Watch this space...



Paris - Je t'aime

Well, it’s been over a week since my last post and the last post was actually about a week old by the time I posted it so there is a bit to talk about.

And what a week it has been!!!  All I can say is I think I’ve just had my 15 mins worth of fame and then some!!

Let’s go back to the beginning, since my last entry, the All Blacks won the semi-final, I was then off to Caen for my  orientation.  On the way there I passed French people wearing All Blacks jerseys and others had commented that the French would be smashed by the All Blacks, others had said the French like being the underdogs so expect the unexpected – so a varied response. I personally was agreeing with the latter opinion and as it turned out, that was what happened.

In Caen a colleague kindly put me up in her apartment.   The next day I enjoyed meeting other people doing the same thing as me here in France, we exchanged details and experiences.  I realised I’ve been put in the perfect spot.  Our town where we are is one of the most rural in France and lots of people are in towns on their own with no transport (public or private) and absolutely nothing to do.  At least I have a flatmate, accommodation provided, a town on a train line to Paris, which has shops, supermarket, even McDonalds, sports clubs etc.  So even if it is quiet in the weekend it’s not far to go somewhere to visit.  We really have got the best of both worlds I think.  While travelling around I have also noticed many people travelling with their cats in cages – the cats aren’t phased by it at all.  If only I’d been able to train Bella like that? Maybe I could have brought her! Haha, although one of the assistants from America has brought their cat!

So this week was week 3 teaching and week 4 since I left – I can’t believe how fast the first month has gone, I’ll be back in 8 months before you even know it.  In some ways, I feel like I’ve always been here and being here a second time round helps with that, as a lot of things are familiar or I know how it works/what to expect.  I’m settling into the school and routine.  It’s not much different from work back in NZ expect it’s in English, not French, and I only have to go for 12 hours, teach a lesson/run an activity, then walk away – no reports, marking, meetings etc etc.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen the staff have one single staff meeting the whole time I’ve been here.  Important information is sometimes emailed, or else it’s written on a bit of paper and stuck on doorways where people can’t miss it, notice-boards and on the tables in the staff room.

I’ve also started running again with some of the girls from work (have to make sure I keep off all this amazing food I’m eating!).  We have been running in a little wood not too far from here, that was once an old manor home (I thought it was a chateau and was corrected that it was definitely  not a chateau but a ‘grande maison’).  We’ve decided to start some training and compete in some 10/15km fun runs and maybe a half-marathon (I’m eyeing the Paris one for beginning of March).  It will be a great goal and a way to see some more places.

Speaking of seeing more places, it’s the holidays at the moment, and we (friends from school and flatmate) celebrated by going out to dinner Friday night, it was a really fun evening and great to hang out with the new people I’ve met in the last few weeks.  Tomorrow Janet comes over from London so we are hitting Paris for the next few days (as if I haven’t hit Paris enough this week!!), then she’ll come back to my little village to check it out and, if all goes to plan, we are going to go to Mont-St-Michel (link of pics below) on Monday/Tuesday.  Mont-St-Michel is on my bucket list so I’m very excited about this – and it’s my birthday week so good timing!!

http://www.google.fr/search?q=mont+st+michel&rls=com.microsoft:en-nz&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=fr&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1093&bih=538

I’ve just booked a trip to see the Christmas markets in Strasbourg for the end of November and I’m hoping to go somewhere for the long weekend of Nov 11 – possibly Lille.  Then it will be Christmas in the South of France!!  My 9 months here is fast filling up with a rough plan of what I’m doing for nearly the rest of my time here!

So, on to the exciting news of the rugby.  Before the big game on Sunday I was actually interviewed by the local French radio station, because I had missed some details on their bulletin about where the final would be screened, so I emailed them.  When they realised that I was a Kiwi they asked to interview me about the upcoming game.  So I did a phone interview in French which apparently was played at some point – but I don’t know when.  I thought that was my 15 mins there but there was more.  Sunday, got up at 5.50 to get the train to Paris to watch the game at the Hotel de Ville (Paris town hall).  Turned up to realise I was the only Kiwi there and suddenly freaked out. Waving my flag I found some other Kiwis and French All Black supporters.  Then the TV 1 guy came over and interviewed me and said to come see him after the game if we won, so the bit you’ve all seen was after the game.  Plus, lots of photographers were taking our photos so who knows if the photos are out their somewhere??!!

Here’s the link if you missed it. 

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/thousands-in-paris-supported-les-bleus-video-4481762

and another one on Stuff.co.nz (think this was before the game cos they came then.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/5842792/Highs-and-lows-of-a-World-Cup-final-in-Paris

Celebrated the win (not by getting drunk in the morning in Paris – yes, it is too early.  What’s-more, when I asked the girl so are you off to the pub then?, she was like nah, off to see the Notre Dame), so celebrated the win by going to the chocolate festival in Paris.  Check out Facebook for pics of the day.  Since then have spent the last couple of days relaxing quietly at home and organising future travel plans until the next trip to Paris tomorrow!!

L'Aigle continued...

Well, I’m writing this and have just finished stewing some apples and some pears.  Normandy is known for growing lots of apples and pears and now is the season – autumn.  They are everywhere and everyone is trying to give them away, there are so many.  That’s why Normandy is famous for its cider and apple and pear liqueurs, one of which, Calvados, is very famous.  Haven’t tried any yet but it will probably be the next aperitif purchase.  I’ve cottoned on quickly that we need to stock up our aperitif cupboard as it was empty and people always start their dinners here with an apero, so if I’m to have people around for dinner I will need to be able to offer them something.  Our first purchase was Pommeau another apple based liqueur from the region.  Seriously, I am eating enormous meals here it’s crazy.  Nonetheless, my clothes are getting looser not tighter, which probably has to do with the fact I don’t have a car and have to walk EVERYWHERE! Plus, our apartment is on the fourth (and top) floor of the building and I am up and down those stairs several times a day.  I’m loving the cheeses and the bread and am indulging; I’m saving the pastries for the weekend for a special treat.

This weekend just been was my friend Laure’s birthday so I headed back to Paris for the Sat night/Sunday.  It was a surprise that her sister had organised.  She was performing in a little show and all her friends turned up to watch it and then we went out for dinner afterwards.  The show was at 9pm and the dinner 11pm so it was a late night.  The next day I headed off to Hillsong Paris to check it out.  I was meant to be meeting up with a friend of a friend afterwards and I did see them briefly but then there was a bit of a mix-up and to cut a long story short I ended up having lunch with a group of complete strangers and not with the person I was meant to be meeting.  It was quite hilarious and the people I had lunch with were lovely and really friendly.  There was a kiwi girl and her Fijian husband and we hit it off well, and some American couples.  While in Paris I was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t been placed in Paris, where there are people I know, always something to do, a church I think I could have seen myself getting hooked in with, but I was thinking that things never happen by chance and I was placed in L’Aigle for a reason, and then while I was having lunch with these people, speaking English the whole time I realised that that’s exactly how it would have been if I’d been in Paris, I would be speaking a lot more English and not immersed in French as much as I am here in L’Aigle and one of the main reasons I am here is to improve my French.  I have met some great people here in L’Aigle, and who knows what I will do with my weekends (no probs socially during the week, the problem is the weekends when all the teachers who live at the school go back to their home towns) but this is where I am and it’s up to me to make the most of it.

I have things planned coming up in the near future (visit to Paris with Janet late Oct, Miriam in Paris in Dec and Christmas/New Years in the south of France with Miriam and Laure’s family) and I’ll probably invite people around to watch the rugby this weekend (always a good conversation starter for me in the staffroom – thank you world cup!).  I think I’m going to a movie with people Wed night. So that’s all good.

Last week my roommate arrived from Scotland so it’s good to have someone else around.  So far I’ve been able to understand what she is saying except for one time, so that’s pretty good.  I started my lessons, introduction of myself so they could get to know me, and week 2 starts tomorrow.  The staff I work with in the Language department are great, one has even lent me a coffee machine.   I’m feeling good about the work I need to do.  I may have picked up one or two students to tutor and am looking into an exchange of my receiving French lessons in exchange for me giving English lessons.  The normal weather for this time of the year has returned and I haven’t seen the sun in days, and I had to go buy an umbrella.  It’s a lot colder and the heating hasn’t been turned on yet, not until this weekend, so my flatmate and I have been wrapping up with extra layers, I had to go buy some slippers.  J  Still working on getting the internet set up so by the time I post this it will probably be a week old, hoping to have it sorted by the end of the week.  It will be great once I do as I will have unlimited phone calls to NZ (will just have to get a phone!!)

Next Monday I have my orientation in Caen which is proving harder than I thought it would be to get transport there – fortunately it will be reimbursed but just trying to work out when and how to get there is a challenge.  It will be good to get ideas for class activities and to meet other assistants, especially those I’ve been in touch with via the Facebook group.

While in Paris I also went up the tallest building in Paris, Montparnasse Tower.  Here is a pic of the view. 

L'Aigle

Well, to my horror people aren’t really into Zumba here – just as well I brought my dvd’s with me.  However, I got to talking to a PE teacher and apparently there is a group that meets once a week in a village 30kms from here, he was going to find out for me and see about how I can get there, as I have just found out there aren’t any buses either.

One positive though is that I have qualified for the major discount card on train travel for 12-25 year olds.  And yes, I’m aware I’m a bit older than 25 but because it is the celebration of the TGV’s 30^th birthday the card has been extended to include up to 30 year olds (and it doesn’t matter that I am only 30 for one more month – it will be valid for the whole year). I’m stoked as I had this card last time I was here and most of the train tickets will be 50% off for me now and some even 60%. Awesome!!

I found out there is a protestant church here so I went to check that out this morning.  It was actually a lot more intense than I was expecting, quite Pentecostal which I’m not really used to.  There aren’t any others to choose from so I’ll keep going for a bit and see how I feel.  The people were really friendly – a mix of ages but I didn’t meet anyone my age today.  I’m definitely looking forward to checking out Hillsong Paris.

I’ve spent the last few days walking around this little village (it really doesn’t take long) and it’s quite cute, although the locals don’t really rave about it – but as an outsider I like it.  It takes about 20 mins to walk from my place to the other side of the village (where the train station is).

I’ve got my timetable for the first half of my time here, at this stage it looks like I’ll have Mondays and Wednesdays off, with a few classes on Tuesday and the rest of the classes all packed into Thursday and Friday.  So the end of the week will be intense but it means I can have a 3 day weekend to travel, Tues and Wed to prep my lessons and hopefully pick up extra tutoring work (am working on that at the moment). Plus, 4 of my 12 hours will be using roughly the same material so that’s good too.  Having a light load Tuesday also means I get to check out the markets which are apparently the third biggest in France – ironic for such a small and, according to the locals, seemingly insignificant place.

I’ve also successfully opened a bank account which in typical French style required so much paperwork I think all the papers I signed made up the equivalent of half a tree.  I’ve discovered the school canteen which serves a HUGE amount of food for 2€50 a pop and they serve you so much I’m still not hungry by dinner time so that looks like the economical way to eat a balanced meal around here (cheeseboard included!!).

Some photos - first L'Aigle town centre, then my appartment - the lounge looking through to the kitchen, then my room - all a bit clinical really but thats the school environment here. Still its a good little place with all I will need for the next few months, my room mate arrives this week and I'm looking forward to having another person around the place.