Je ne regrette rien.....(July 29, 2008)

So when I started this blog, my intention was to note how things in France have changed (or not) in the past 35 years, from the time I first set foot on the hexagon until now. Here are some things that have not changed…..
The Paris metro….still fast, efficient, economical, entertaining

Outdoor markets....a social event in every neighborhood

Service compris (tips included)…..see my comments below

Turkish toilets….yes, they still exist

And here are some things that have changed…..

Mail….now it’s e-mail and texting rather than snail mail

Phones….now everyone has a “portable”. Before you had to go to the post office to make a long distance call, or buy tokens or phone cards from the tobacco store and then stand in line at a phone booth. Now the phone booths are pretty much empty!

Smoking…..used to be everyone, everywhere. Finally, France has non-smoking buildings, restaurants, etc! And fewer people are smoking. Hooray!

French people are gaining weight……there are now advertisements for weight loss programs, and plus-size departments in stores.

Pit hair…..most of the women now shave their pits!

Swimsuits…..men still wear speedos even if they shouldn’t, but fewer women go topless, and one-piece swimsuits are acceptable. (Before, all women wore bikinis, even if they shouldn’t!)

Toilets…..there are now very nice portable potties on the streets, invented by a French man!

Most require payment, but this time I actually saw a free one!

Euros….no more French francs.

McDonalds……before they had a few….now they are everywhere! (Plus Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut)

ATMs (Banque machines) are more popular than the Bureaux de Change!

Digital cameras (of course) have replaced film…..hooray! (I can’t imagine going back to loading/reloading film in a camera!)

Sandwiches….now have lettuce and tomatoes on them! (Before, just bread, meat, cheese & butter!)

Graffitti....unfortunately, it is rampant.

Old El Paso products in the supermarkets.

Supermarkets.

I’m sure I’ll think of more and maybe I’ll add to this list. As for “tipping”, I have always been taught and taught my students that in France the tip is included in the menu price in restaurants. This was clearly marked on the menus and on the checks. This summer, I started noticing that it was no longer clearly marked. So, a couple of times, I asked the server if the “service” was “compris”. She/he replied “no”. So, of course, we left a 15% tip. I thought it was curious that there was no place on the credit card receipt to add a tip, though. We always left our tips in cash. Finally, in Grenoble we asked a fellow French student, and she said that the tip is absolutely always included, and it is required by the French government! Those people were telling us that it was not included, hoping that the stupid generous Americans would tip big! I verified this information on the internet! It really upset me that the French people could so blatantly lie and not even bat an eye! Needless to say, we stopped tipping (well, we did tip the girl at the couscous restaurant a bit….but certainly not 15%). And I am now on a mission to spread the word…..whether the menu/check says it or not, the service is always compris in French restaurants and cafés! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

This brings me to the end of my last post (I think) about the fabulous seven-week experience that I have had in Europe and France during the summer of 2008. I thank my family for letting me leave them for this extended period of time, and the French government and Lubbock ISD for helping me with expenses, and all of the wonderful people from all over the USA, France, and the world who shared the experience with me! Oh, I also thank my parents for letting me take French back in the tenth grade, even though they thought it made more sense to take Spanish! I told them I wanted to take French for fun, and that I planned to go to France someday! I’ve been privileged to go to France more times than I can count….and my travels have been fun and rewarding.

Non, je ne regrette rien…..!

In the meantime.....(July 28, 2008)

My talented "copine" Allison (California) posted her video about our group on the web and gave me permission to put a link to it here! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZrhv2WHf5w

All good things must come to an end…..(July 27, 2008)

Woke up at 5, caught the Air France bus at 6:40, and arrived at the airport at 7:10. My flight didn’t leave until 10:20, but by the time I found the right terminal, checked in, stood in “tax back” line (I’m convinced that they make this as miserable as possible so people won’t take the time to bother with it), went through security, took a tram to my gate, grabbed a piece of quiche and a soft drink….they were boarding my flight! I ate while standing in line to board. I thought I would have plenty of time to have a leisurely breakfast and perhaps finish my blog….but no, it took every minute I had to navigate the bureaucracy of the Charles de Gaulle airport.

I love Air France. Even though they lost Kristen’s luggage for 12 days (which is inexcusable), I still enjoy flying them. The food is interesting. They gave us Haagen-Daas ice cream for a snack! They set up an “open bar” with ice cubes. The flight was full, but very comfortable. (I remember when I flew back on Air France in 1973….the flight was practically empty and I completely lay down across the five seats in the middle and slept most of the way home!) I watched two and a half movies and slept quite a bit, so hopefully I won’t be too jet lagged by the time I get home tonight! I’m anxious to see my family and my house and sleep in my bed and shower in my shower!

Just one day in Paris….(July 26, 2008)

Once I arrived in Paris, I easily found my hotel (Palym). There was a massive amount of people in the Gare de Lyon. It was Saturday, and I guess many were leaving for vacations. I excited the station, got an adrenaline rush from being in Paris again, and tried to figure out which street was Rue Emile Gilbert. Right away I saw the sign for the Hotel Palym, and headed that direction. (I found all of my hotels on this trip via http://www.vernere.com/, which I now highly recommend to all of my traveling friends.) Since it was only 10:30 a.m., my room was not ready, so I left my bags with the front desk and set off to meet William.

We met at the Café Français across from the Opéra Bastille. I had an espresso, figuring I needed some caffeine to keep me awake for the matinee at the Comédie Française. We then started our little walking tour. William was staying in an apartment near the Place des Vosges that belonged to friends of his in New Orleans, and he wanted to show it to me. I have always been curious as to what those apartments look like, because you can’t really tell from the outside! This was a one bedroom….the tiniest apartment you can imagine! There was a kitchen tinier than a small closet, and a “living dining” combination that literally had two chairs and a very small table. Plus a small bathroom and a decent sized bedroom. William said that they probably paid $100,000 for it 10 years ago! I can’t imagine spending much time there…..I’d be very claustrophobic!

We walked through the beautiful Place des Vosges (which now has Wifi, by the way!) and looked at Victor Hugo’s house, and then walked towards Beaubourg (I was on a mission to find the Christian bookstore). We grabbed a “picnic” in a boulangerie and walked on over to the Comédie Française, where we ate our lunch on a bench and then went to get our tickets for the afternoon performance.

I didn’t realize what a big deal it was….but this was the 1000th performance of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Comédie Française! It was also the last performance of the season. Every seat was sold. The theatre was absolutely beautiful. The performance was excellently staged and performed. Thank goodness I had seen the movie and knew the story well enough to follow it. It is truly a masterpiece….both comedy and tragedy combined!

My students know that if I have just one day to spend in Paris, I am going to spend part of it in the LUXEMBOURG GARDENS! In fact, I think I would grieve if I had to leave Paris without at least walking through. So William and walked over to the Left Bank, past the famous Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, and into the gardens. As it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the gardens were full of people! The flowers were beautiful…this year in pinks, lavenders, and purples. We relaxed there a bit, and then realized it was 7:00 p.m.! William had friends to meet, and I still needed to get into my room at the hotel and prepare for my trip back to the states on Sunday, so we took the subway together as far as the Gare Austerlitz, said our good-byes, and I walked back over the Seine to my hotel. I had a salad in a nice little sidewalk café and then organized my things for my early morning departure! It was a great day in my favorite City…..but it’s time to go home!

Grenoble to Paris…..(July 26, 2008)

I am so proud of myself! This morning I awoke at 5 a.m., hauled all my luggage (with a broken wheel) down four flights of stairs and a quarter mile to the tram stop, and arrived at the train station around 6:45. I am now on the TGV bound for Paris. The train left at 7:25 and is due to arrive in Paris at 10:27. We are zooming past the rolling farmlands, and it is beautiful!

Last night the girls and I went out for dinner at La Belle Étoile for couscous. We went right at 7, so were the only ones in the restaurant and got excellent service and delicious Tunisian food. Then we went for ice cream/coffee (dessert) in Place Grenette.
Lastly, we went to an Internet Café to let our families know that the CUEF had already terminated our internet passwords at the university, so we would not be checking in as often. As Allison said, Université Stendhal picked a fine time to be efficient! Too bad for the ones who aren’t leaving until Sunday or Monday!

Three weeks ago when I rolled into Grenoble on a bus, I had no clue what to expect. Vincent (from CUEF) put William and me on the tram with a map and told us what stop to get off. The next morning William and I scrutinized the map as we tried to find Stendhal (one of the four universities on the campus). I remember commenting “We may be lost today, but by the end of the week we’ll know what we’re doing!” It’s true…we now know all of the tram routes and shortcuts through buildings and patios. It’s amazing how well you get to know a city when you have to rely on your feet and public transportation! That is one thing I really miss about Europe when I go back to Texas. I love a pedestrian lifestyle.

There seems to be a very large number of handicapped people living in Grenoble. The city is very accessible for them. The university even has a dormitory that caters to them, and the trams have no steps to navigate….the tram is exactly even with the platform, so they can just roll their wheel chairs on or off for easy access.

Our last day of class was rather anticlimactic. We had the pétanque tournament/barbecue on Thursday night, so were up rather late. We all thought we would starve before they finally fed us. Their idea of a barbecue was a few chips, merguez (spicy) sausage hotdogs, and deliciously seasoned lamb chops. We had fruit for dessert, and assorted beverages. Since we were out at the barbecue so late, I had to skip my first class (sorry, Whitney, I know I am a disappointment to you) to do my laundry. When we arrived at Stendhal at 10, they CUEF office had our certificates ready, along with croissants and coffee/juice. We had all just eaten breakfast, but forced ourselves to eat another croissant. We filled out our evaluations and then found out that our 10:30 class had been canceled because the teacher was sick. I was really sad, because I liked that class a lot, and that is the one we skipped on Thursday to go to the Tour de France. I’ll have to e-mail the prof to say good-bye and thank her for the three good days of information that I received from her!

Kristen set up a Facebook group for our gang: Les copains de CUEF, so we can all stay in touch in cyberspace after saying goodbye. How the world has changed with the Internet! I wrote a 2-page letter to Bryant, and realized that I had not handwritten a letter like that forever! Everything now is e-mail, text messages, or at most short handwritten notes! Vive la différence!

Just in case you'd like to know what it's like on the TGV at 180+ miles per hour....check out this video!

Here's Kristen's video of the Tour de France!

The Tour de France....in the blink of an eye (July 24, 2008)

Before my Tour de France report, let me just say that the winetasting last night was pleasant, interesting, fun because of the group I was with, but probably not worth 20 euros. Nothing major to report there. We were in teams by tables, and our team consisted of four Americans and our Canadian friend Valerie, so we named our team Yankinook, and after tasting the wines and taking the quiz we came in second place. No big deal, because the first place winners just won a wine glass from the establishment, and that would have just been another think to figure out how to get home without breaking!

Today we went to our first class, then all ten of us went to town to watch the Tour de France. We bought sandwiches and pastries and asked the police where the best place to stand was, and then claimed our spots and waited. And waited. And waited in the bright sun. The advertising caravan came through and threw trinkets at us. I got a few souvenirs. The only one of our group to have any experience with this was Kristen, and she warned us that when the cyclists came through we would miss it if we blinked, and not to expect to get any good pictures. So we all decided to try to video rather than take still shots.

I think some of the others got better video than I, and I hope to import theirs sometime. The unfortunate thing is, I was so busy trying to capture the event, that I didn't really get to experience it! Oh well, c'est la vie! Here is a still picture from the video I captured. Kristen was right....by this stage of the race (only 2 days left), there aren't many cyclists left in the race and it was over before we knew it! But it was still fun!

Tonight it's petanque (boules) and barbecue!

Ciao for now!

I think I'm growing up.....and the "ghettoization" of France....(July 22, 2008)

Tonight we went out as a group for one of our "last meals together". We were going to do it Thursday (because a couple of folks are leaving on Friday), but the CUEF decided to throw a petanque (boules) tournament and barbecue Thursday night, so we had to move it up. We went back to the little restaurant that Allison and I discovered on Sunday. Several had the raclette, and I had the tartiflette, a cheese/bacon/onion/potato dish. It was very tasty! More comfort food! Here's the part that will shock all of my friends and family....after dinner I voluntarily ordered an espresso, and even enjoyed it! I have decided that since I can only drink a few sips of coffee at a time, espresso might be the way for me to go if I want to join the adult crowd!

In case anyone doesn't know, today is Mark's and my 25th wedding anniversary! I personally can't believe we are that old, but it is what it is! We sent each other e-cards, and will go out to celebrate after I return to Lubbock and things settle down.

We think we've figured out how and when to see the Tour de France pass through here on Thursday. We're going to have to cut class to see it, but we Americans think it's worth it! (I haven't missed a single class so far, so I think I'm entitled!)

Unfortunately, we have all noticed that the young people of France are falling victim to the ghetto mentality.....rap music, lack of respect for others, sagging pants, etc. The graffiti has gotten worse and worse every year that I come. At this very moment there is a guy parked in the street right under our windows playing his rap music at full volume, and it's 11 p.m.! William has called the office to complain, and they said they would call security. The guy is drinking and so far has gotten out of his car to relieve himself twice. William has tried to politely ask him to turn down his music, but either he cannot hear him or is ignoring him. After two calls from William, a couple of security guys finally showed up. They had quite a heated discussion with the man, and then walked off. After a bit he turned on his music again, but atleast he was not playing it as loud as before. I don't understand why people think the whole world wants to listen to their music. Oh well, enough ranting and raving, I'm going to try to sleep through it!

Bonne nuit!

School days……(July 21, 2008)

We started our second “quinzaine” (15 day session) today, with new courses. Of course, we are only going to be here for half of this quinzaine. In reality, after today we only have four more days of class.

I have always considered myself to be very fortunate because my career incorporates my three main interests….the French language/culture, teenagers, and teaching. I have always known that French teachers do not have the same connection/rapport with their students that we American teachers are encouraged to have. This summer I witnessed this cultural difference firsthand!

Don’t misunderstand me….I have enjoyed my courses very much. Even the civilization course turned out to be bearable in the end. But it is obvious to me now that French professors see their roll as providing as much information in a lecture format as possible, with little or no input from the students. I have sat in several sessions where the professor talked the entire hour and a half, and then three minutes before we were to end, asked “Avez-vous des questions?” (Do you have any questions?) Are they kidding? By then our derrieres and our brains are so numb, who would dare to ask a question? The other classmates would hang us out to dry. (They also never dismiss class early….if anything, they hold us over 10-15 minutes.)

I had a very good relationship with my phonetics teacher, Dominique Abry. But this is probably because I initiated it. She wore awesome jewelry and I commented on it after class one day, and asked her if she could recommend any good jewelry shops in town. From then on, she made a point of talking with me before/after class and even in the hallway. She was an exception to the rule, but then she has traveled a lot and taught in other countries so perhaps she has escaped her culture.

I also had Whitney’s favorite teacher (Danielle Demmarest) for a course. That course was a killer because it lasted 2 hours, from 3:30-5:30! It was hot (no AC) and we were brain dead to begin with, but it was still a very good course. Since we were reading contemporary French and trying to decipher it, she did let us have input. That was not too bad.

The civilization teacher was very intelligent and very interesting, but aside from the video excerpts that he showed us to illustrate his points, all he did was talk and talk and talk. He had a good sense of humor and made some good jokes. When we laughed at his jokes he seemed to appreciate it, and knew we were listening (or faking it). And he did smile and say hello to me in the hallway one day.

I have changed to new courses for this week. One is on teaching with TV5, another is on teaching with printed media, and the last one is called “Dynamiser la classe” (making class dynamic). The first two teachers are again very nice, very entertaining, but obviously see themselves as the dispensers of information and us as the receptors. The last teacher must be an alien, because she is the most like what we Americans are used to. She is teaching us how to get our kids up and motivated, interested in learning, etc. Today I learned that she has actually taught in the United States, so that explains why she does it “right”. (smile)

By far the very worst examples are the “forums” that they have from1:30-3 every day. We are “required” to attend three. I attended my second one yesterday. Honestly, this teacher talked non-stop for 1 hour before someone finally got a chance to ask her a question, and Allison, Kristen and I got up and left. (We had already signed in, and we were not the first ones to get up and leave. It was our French friend Nathalie who told us that French students sign in and leave all the time. I can see why!)

I asked Allison, “What teacher could possibly enjoy talking for an entire hour and a half, with no interaction from her audience which is obviously not engaged in her presentation?” I think that would be a good definition of “hell” for me. Allison teaches at the French School for Americans in Los Angeles, and most of their teachers are French. She said they have to spend a week in orientation deprogramming the French teachers so they can teach American kids. She said that the American parents complain all the time about the French teachers.

Anyway, if I had to teach like the French way, I would not be a teacher, that’s for sure!
(The other job I would never want to have a museum proctor! Talk about boring!)

A very good Sunday.....(July 20, 2008)


This morning I awoke to fresh mountain showers that varied from sprinkles to thunderstorms throughout the day. Allison (California) and I had plans to meet at 9 a.m. to go to church. We took the tram, and arrived precisely à l'heure (on time). The pastor was happy to see me again, and welcomed us very warmly, promising to try to speak slowly when he delivered his sermon.

This week we sang with the piano and drums. You'd be surprised how much a set of drums can add to even a standard hymn sung from a hymnal! The pastor delivered a very good sermon from Psalm 121, and we had communion. I quickly remembered that when French people serve communion, they form a circle and share a common cup of wine. They also sing "What A Friend We Have in Jesus" a capella.

When I was in France in 1973 as a student missionary on the music team, we sang a song that became one of my favorites. It comes from Isaiah 54:10 (Though the mountains fall away and the hills topple, God's love will never desert you.) It was one of my favorite songs, and 35 years later I can still sing it from memory. You cannot imagine how I felt when we sang that song today at the end of the sermon! It was a real déjà vu experience!

After church it was pouring. Allison and I waited for a slight break in the rain, and then started the 10-minute walk to the tram stop. We had plans to meet Mary (Alaska) in town for lunch. A sweet little old man from the church saw us walking and turned around to pick us up and give us a ride to the tram stop! Mary elected not to come into town because of the storms, so Allison and set out to find a place to eat lunch. I am under strict orders from Whitney to eat raclette and tartiflette before leaving, and I also would like to eat some couscous. So Allison and I found a really cute little restaurant and ordered raclette.

Talk about the ultimate comfort food! Once you've tasted raclette cheese, you'll never be satisfied with Velveeta again! I hope they have it at Market Street, because I want to try making macaroni and cheese with it! The melted raclette is eaten with boiled potatoes, cold meats and pickles. Of course they also served salad and bread.

After lunch Allison returned to campus, and I set out to see the Musée Daulphinois. One of my professors had told us that we must see that museum. It is a museum set in a 12th century convent, pertaining to life in this region. There was a great exhibit about the people of the Alps, showing how they lived, their tools, etc. Several French parents were there with their little children. It reminded me a bit of the TTU Ranching Heritage Center. There was also an exhibit about the history of skiing, which was interesting as well. It was a great time to be inside, because it was pouring rain outside! But when I left the museum, the sun was coming out. I set out next to find the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation. The nice thing about the museums is that they are (1) open on Sundays, and (2) free on Sundays! The Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation was very interesting, educational, and well-done. It reminded me of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. I found it interesting that most of the "resistors" in the beginning were high school students and their teachers!




I am now back in my room for the evening. I certainly don't need to eat dinner after my raclette splurge at lunch! I do have a couple of interesting observations to note, however.

(1) I have faithfully validated my tram ticket every time I have ridden the tram, and until today have never seen a "controleur". (If you get caught riding the tram without a validated ticket, you pay a hefty fine.) This morning about five controleurs got on the tram that Allison and I were on. Allison was holding her ticket, but since no one ever checks, I also put mine back in my wallet. I guess they thought I looked suspicious, because they checked Allison's ticket and then asked to see mine. I was already in the process of producing it. Of course it was perfectly fine....validated and all. But they didn't even ask anyone else to see their tickets! We can't figure out why they singled us out! If they were "profiling", it didn't work!


(2) After church, a man on the tram heard us speaking English. He got off at the same stop as we, and asked if we were Americans. We said yes, and although he was very hard to understand, we think he said something about spending some time in America and liking it, but that our government stinks! Now I ask you, would you ever tell a complete stranger in a foreign country that his government stinks? Americans are more polite than that! We had such a hard time understanding him that we didn't even dignify his remark with a response.


All for now.....I am realizing that I need to make the most of this week, as by this time next Sunday I will be flying home!

Another beautiful day.....(July 19, 2008)

Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains, Annecy



Today Melissa Burns, Mary, Kathleen and I went on a day-trip sponsored by the CUEF (university) to Annecy. Annecy is probably one of the most picturesque places I have ever visited! Mark and I spent two nights there a few weeks ago, but that was when I had the sorest throat in my history, and didn't even feel like sightseeing at all in Annecy. In reality, there's not much to see there, it's just beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. But I'm getting ahead of myself....


We started out with an hour-long stop in Chambéry, which is near Albertville, where they had the winter olympics a few years ago. Chambéry is another beautiful town where I would like to spend an extended amount of time. As in most French towns in this area, there is an old town and a new town, and the old parts are really old! And there is the coolest "elephant fountain/statue" there, dedicated to the founder of the town who evidently liked to travel to exotic destinations (India/Africa).

We then stopped for a half-hour at Lac du Bourget (Lake Le Bourget) in Aix-les-Bains. Lac du Bourget is the largest and deepest lake in the whole country!

We finally arrived in Annecy and went straight to Le Freti (recommended by Rick Steves and our friends who went to Annecy last week) for a fondue lunch. We all agreed that this was the best fondue we had ever tasted. We had three kinds....paprika, mushroom, and bacon. Yum, yum!

After lunch we agreed that we should split up and explore/shop independently. I finally located a European wallet like I wanted at 50% off (my old one is falling apart). I also had some delicious ice cream made sur place at a lovely ice cream parlor. That was when I noticed the fire truck at the end of the street (a few steps away). Yes, there really was a fire. These cute young firemen were in full gear, running towards a second-story window down the street. They got the ladder, and the ax, and the hose, and went to work. I did see some smoke coming out of the house. The first fireman went in, and evidently unlocked the door for the others. Then I saw him hand a pot of something out the window to another fireman! I kid you not. Someone must have left something cooking on the stove, and it started burning! Anyway, all's well that ends well!

The rest of my time I spent taking pictures and relaxing in the park by the lake. I read a bit, looked at my pictures, and watched the tourists and the locals enjoying themselves on a lovely
Saturday afternoon in the park.

I love Chartreuse (the color, not the liqueur!)….July 18, 2008

Today we finished our first session, and since there are no classes on Friday, several of us signed up for an afternoon excursion to La Chartreuse, which is one of the three mountain chains that surround Grenoble. Up there is a working monastery that was founded in the 11th century by Saint Bruno. There is an excellent museum depicting the lifestles of the monks and nuns that live in the monastery. Among their work, they garden, raise animals, make iron products, make jewelry, chant, and produce the secret ingredients for a green liqueur called….Chartreuse. After touring the museum we hiked in silence (sort of) up to the real monastery, and even got a glimpse of a few real monks.
Then we went to the distillery in a nearby town where we watched a funky 3-D movie about the lives of the monks and then prepared for the tasting.

Now they have diversified and produce both digestifs and aperitifs. The digestifs are fruit-flavored (raspberry, blueberry, black currant) and taste slightly better than cough medicine. But the real, green Chartreuse is about the most disgusting stuff I have ever tasted! (See picture below.) Needless to say, I didn’t buy any, even if it is pretty. I bought some of the monks' tea,

which smells really good.

The fourth picture reads "The Monks who have consecrated their life to God thank you for respecting their solitude in which they pray and offer themselves in silence for you."

We had a good day, and returned to campus hungry! Since we are going to Annecy tomorrow, we elected to eat in our rooms tonight. Lisa Hiracheta e-mailed me and asked me if I am missing Mexican food. Honestly, I really haven't missed it much at all. Do you know why? I have discovered mexican tuna salad! It's not bad....if you don't believe me, just ask Mark. And here's a picture of the Old El Paso section in Monoprix. The prices are outrageous, though....5 euros for a jar of hot sauce? ¡No way, José!

I also would like to add that I never get tired of looking at the view out my window. I love seeing the way the sunlight and clouds affect the mountains and villages differently every day, at different times of the day. I think I now know why Claude Monet painted the cathedral in Rouen so many different times. I keep taking pictures of the view outside my window...because each one is different. I wish I had a better camera to really do it justice! Here's the latest....

This blog has taken way too much of my time, due to some technical difficulties! So I'm off to bed to get ready for my big day in Annecy tomorrow.....fondue and ice cream! (It's a good thing I hiked alot today!)

July 17, 2008

Not much going on today. We are coming to the end of our first "tranche" (2 weeks). Tomorrow is our last day, then we change classes for one week. Actually, the second "tranche" lasts 2 weeks, too, but we are only here for one. None of us can figure out why the French government scholarship only covered three weeks of a four-week program, but whatever! I'm beginning to think that this next week will go really fast, and I'll be on my way home before I know it! I have made some really good friends though, and decided to try to post some pictures of the people with whom I associate.

This is Nathalie (France) on the left, and Melissa (Houston) on the right. Nathalie lives in Chambéry but is moving to Singapore. Her husband is an engineer. They have a 2-year old daughter. Melissa teaches in Sugarland and is alot of fun....we like to shop for the same kinds of things!

Here are Emilio (Cuba), William (Lousiana), and Christy (Oklahoma). William has been a wonderful friend ever since we navigated the visa mess via the internet together. His favorite expression is "Oh pour l'amour de Dieu" (Oh for the love of God!). Christy left her 14 and 3 year old daughters home with her husband, and is expecting a baby in November! She gets the award for bravery, coming over here pregnant!

Esther and Yann are from the Czech Republic. We've had a lot of fun with them. Unfortunately, they are only here for 2 weeks, so they go home after classes tomorrow. It is a 15-hour bus ride for them!

Here's the youth and and beauty of the group! Amy (Iowa) is probably the most studious of us all. She escaped the floods of Iowa to get here! Allison (Los Angeles) was raised in Connecticut, has been teaching at the French American School in LA, but is moving to Austin. She has written one novel (not yet published) and is working on her second. She has an identical twin named Cinnamon, who is also a writer. I expect to be able to say "I knew her when...." someday! Kristen (far right, Pennsylvania) gets the medal for going without her luggage for two weeks! She runs a swimming pool and teaches swimming lessons when she's not teaching French. And all of the guys like her, too! The girl in white is Valerie, and she is from Canada.

Here's Mary (Alaska) with me on our day trip to La Chartreuse. Mary left her 5-year old son with her parents in Connecticut, and left her husband at home in Alaska building their house!

This is Kathleen (left) from South Carolina, and Melissa Burns from Georgia. Kathleen left her husband and three teenagers at home, and last Friday her husband had to have an emergency quadruple by-pass! She has been a real trooper. He went home from the hospital today. Melissa also has two teenagers back in Georgia. She is certified in French and Spanish, like me!

Ciao for now!

The longest (good) day....(July 16, 2008)

Today was good, but long. The "Edith Piaf" impersonator's concert was scheduled for 8:30 tonight, so we knew we would be staying on the Stendahl side of campus rather than coming back to Berlioz. After our morning classes I went with Mary (Alaska) over to IKEA to look around. That required a short bus ride and 20 minute walk. We ate a light lunch there. I had a hotdog, salad, and IKEA "light" cola. We walked all the way back rather than wait on the bus. Then it was time for our 2-hour class. That class is extremely interesting, but it was also extremely hard to stay focused for that long at the end of the day. We had all decided to attend the French Chanson (song) workshop from 5:30-7, which we did. It was very good. Then we trekked over to the dining hall, which we have affectionately named Chez Diderot, for dinner (stuffed tomatoes, pasta, salad, bread, cheese, etc.). Then we trekked back over to Stendhal for the concert.

Now the concert was excellent. It would have been better if we hadn't been so tired, but I still tried to soak it all in since I am such an Edith Piaf fan! The accordionist was the best accordionist I have ever heard. OK, so I haven't heard too many accordionists, but he still has to be one of the best, because he is the official accordionist of the Tour de France!. (I'm not sure how an accordionists fits in with the Tour de France, but he really was very good, and I have decided that the accordion is a very "sexy" musical instrument! (I've experimented with posting a video below....)

Rather than wait for the tram, I convinced William and Melissa that we should walk back to Berlioz. So here I am, signing off and going to bed!

Atop the Bastille....(July 15, 2008)

I don't have much to report today, except that we went to the top of the Bastille (old fort) this evening via the télépherique, which evidently was the first urban gondola-type people mover. The views were spectacular as we watched the lights twinkle on in the city. It was even clear enough to get a view of Mont Blanc 100 miles away!

Holy Firecrackers

Batman!.....(July 14, 2008)

OK, so we went to see the fireworks tonight in town. There were thousands of people there. On the way, we were crossing a street in the crosswalk with a green pedestrian light, and a police car stopped to let us finish crossing. The car behind the police car rear-ended him! Everyone in the sidewalk cafe cheered and applauded the poor fellow. So I guess you could say that we caused an accident, but we were completely in the right.

The fireworks show was short, but these were absolutely the best fireworks I have ever seen... some really unusual ones that I've never seen in the USA. But there was nothing patriotic about it at all. They played about four pop/rock songs like Let the Sunshine In from Hair, and some French song with Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech in the background. So, I have officially celebrated Bastille Day and am going to bed! Back to class tomorrow!

Happy Bastille Day!.....(July 14, 2008)

The weather can change here faster than in Lubbock, Texas! Grenoble sits in a bowl of mountains. This morning when I woke up, it was pouring. Thirty minutes later it had quit. Then the sun came out. He flirted with us for a while, and we left at 1 p.m. for our excursion to Vizille. There, we had absolutely beautiful blue skies for our picnic and visit to the Museum of the French Revolution. It never got hot, but the weather was very agreeable.

What did I learn about the French Revolution? That I don't know much about the French Revolution. Seriously, I need the French Revolution for Dummies book. But the museum was interesting nontheless, and I will post pictures on Shutterfly. I actually think I may be invited to do a PEO program about it, so I guess I'd better learn something!

The museum is located in the Chateau at Vizille, which is absolutely beautiful in itself. It is also a charming little town. Of course, not much was open because it is a holiday, but it is still very pretty.

We then went to visit a lake, where it was really too cool to sun or swim, so most of us sat in a cafe and had hot chocolate. Then we visited a cool statue of Napoleon. Evidently when he left Elba to return to Paris, he took the mountain roads rather than the autoroute. Mark and I followed part of his path from Nice to Digne on the scenic train, remember? Today we drove a bit more of the Napoleonic Route.

Sunday in Grenoble.....(July 13, 2008)

I awoke to another quiet, rainy Grenoble morning. Feeling rested, I decided I would try to get to church. But I also wanted to drop in on the San Bruno market, so William and I set out around 9 to take the tram into town. We walked around in the market, and of course, I took some pictures. Then the strangest thing happened! The last picture I took was of a vendor selling perfume. His display was really nice, but no one was looking at his stuff. Everyone was looking through the junky perfume bins next to him. I snapped a picture of his nice display, and he said nothing. Then it was time for me to catch the tram to go to church, so William and I casually strolled out of the market square. When we got the tram way and turned around, we noticed the perfume vendor had come after us and was trying to get our attention! He started complaining about my taking his picture. I tried to explain to him that I was a French teacher and wanted pictures of the market to show my students, but he insisted that I delete his picture. William tried to tell him that it was a public market and we were free to take pictures, but he insisted that it was private and he would not come to "our place" and take our pictures. To make him happy, I took out my camera and deleted his picture. Then this Algerian woman came over to apologize for the jerk, and said "il cherche la merdre", which loosely translated means he's looking for trouble. (He's looking for sh....t.) William and I both figure that since he said nothing when we took the picture, and since it took him a while to track us down, he must have been doing something illegal and got worried about having his picture taken.

I took the tram to almost the end of the line (about a 25-30 minute ride), and then it was a 10-minute walk still to church. The service started at 10:15, and I didn't get there until 10:30. I walked fast, too. But there were other people on the tram who came in after me! I just didn't know how much time to allow to get there.

It was a very nice church and seemed healthy for a French Baptist church. There were 65-70 people in attendance, which is not bad for summer! There was a healthy group of French African people in attendance. One lady talked to me after the service, saying that she worked for Hewlett-Packard and had visited friends in Houston. (At one point in the service they asked for visitors to introduce themselves. There was a French couple there from another town, and then there was me! I told them I was from the United States, studying for three weeks in Grenoble. But the pastor wanted to know what state I was from, so that's how they knew I was from Texas.)

They had a little ensemble consisting of a man playing the piano, a man playing a trombone, and a girl playing a guitar. We sang songs from the hymnal and choruses projected by overhead projector. The sermon came from John 10. The service lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes. I'm glad I went, and if I don't go rafting or on an excursion next Sunday, I'll probably go back.

After church I rejoined William at Place Victor Hugo and we went to find some lunch. We found a pretty good deal and ate outdoors.....it was really nice. There was a French couple at the table next to us (he looked Algerian and she looked French) who had a beautiful son of about 11-12 years old, who was severely autistic. Will and I were both touched at how sweet the father was with the child.

We then visited a museum (Museum of the Ancient Bishops) which was pretty non-impressive, walked some more, and went back to Place Victor Hugo to sit and read. Pretty much nothing is open on Sundays here! We both started to fall asleep, so we came back to the dorm. I took a 3 hour nap, so I'll probably be up for a while! I'm hearing some fireworks out my window and can see them in the far distance. I don't know if they are practicing for tomorrow, or celebrating early, or what! There are several shows going on, evidently, and they echo quite alot in the mountains! Tomorrow I have an excursion booked to go to Vizille and visit the museum of the French Revolution (they claim it started right here in Grenoble!).

Lovely Lyon.......home of St. Exupéry & the Little Prince!(July 12, 2008)

Woke up at 4 a.m. to a mountain thunderstorm! But after driving 1 1/2 hours to Lyon, the weather was cooperative. Skies were a bit gray and it even sprinkled a time or two, but all in all was a great day! Lyon is the "second most important city in France" after Paris. I had spent a week there in 1973, but didn't remember much about it. I do remember it being a tough week. The family that we stayed with evidently didn't have much money, and even though they were given money to host us, they fed us precious little. At night after church services we would sneak off to a cafe and buy a sandwich!

Anyway, I wanted to see the city again, and this time I had a very favorable impression! It is absolutely beautiful, and does remind me of Paris, except it is not as overwhelming. There is an old part, and a new part, and some great Roman ruins (if you're into Roman ruins). In fact, they are having concerts everynight at the the Roman theatre, and tomorrow night it is Pink Martini (one of my favorite bands)!

Since the rest of my group went to Annecy today (except Mary from Alaska, who is going with me next week), I had to make new friends. I met a French professor from Illinois who is here with a group of students. Four of her girls were with her.....the rest of the students evidently stayed out too late last night and couldn't make the trip. (Sound familiar, Whitney?) She was pretty disgusted with them. Anyway, we didn't stay together the entire time because they wanted to do the Roman museum, and I already saw one of those in Arles, remember? So I went off on my own. I guess as a sort of "déjà vu" from my trip in 1973, I needed to have another "getting lost" experience. But this time atleast I had a map and a compass, so I found my way back to the rendez-vous point in plenty of time!

Something I had never seen before......a store with my name on it! Renee and I got a kick out of a shoe store in Nice called "Renée Chaussures", but there is a store in Lyon called "Cindy Beauté". OK, so it is out of business. I soon discovered that I was in the area of town that caters to Africans, because every other store sold beauty products for black hair!

I'll close with a couple of pictures from the market.....a cute little man in a beret, and the ingredients for ratatouille ready to go! And, I must share with you the word for "potty break" in French....."pause pipi"! (Of course, you have to say it with a French accent......pose-pee-pee).

Freedom!......(July 11, 2008)

Since there are no afternoon classes on Friday, we had the afternoon free! So after lunch we all took off to go to town. Kristen, Amy, Allison, Melissa and I went through the Musee de Grenoble, which has the second largest collection of art in France after the Louvre. It was quite impressive. Then Melissa and I took off to find a couple of stores that our phonetics professor (who is quite cool) told us about. We scoped out some jewelry, but decided to wait for the 3rd markdown (they're on the 2nd now) for the summer sale. We were both desperate for a large coke with ice, so guess where we went? McDo, of course! Where else can 2E20 seem like a good deal for a coke? Then we went to Monoprix and stocked up on some more food for our rooms and the Bastille Day picnic. I found the Old El Paso section, but that stuff is way too expensive. I will just have to wait until I get home to indulge that craving.

The good news is, my French is really improving. Madame Abry has helped us a bunch with our pronunciation, keying in on areas that certain language speakers need to work on. We are all having fun exaggerating our corrections, which is what she said we have to do to retrain our brains. Even the current events class was a bit better today, although the prof showed us a bunch of clips dissing George Bush and the war in Iraq. No wonder the French people hate American politics so much, if that is what they watch on TV!

Clouds are rolling in and we may be in for a rainy weekend. We were supposed to go river rafting on Sunday, but we need to find 1-2 more people, so it was postponed a week. (It would likely have been rained out, anyway.) So, my current plans are to try to find the Eglise Evangelique Baptiste and attend church. Even though all of the stores are closed on Sunday, I'm told there is a really good market in town, so I'll probably check that out as well.

All's quiet on the eastern front (translation.....the cement factory is closed!) Seriously, it is a good thing I can sleep through anything, because they start mixing cement around 6 a.m. and it is loud!

Ciao for now......

A taste of home.....(July 10, 2009)

This picture makes the university look good. It is one of the few attractive buildings on the campus. And we have decided that the groundskeepers must be on strike!

Today we had a "pot d'accueil" (welcome pot) after class. That is a French cocktail party of sorts. There was no pot, but plenty of wine, OJ, and Coca-Cola. They also had potato chips with various dips, and tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa! There was also plenty of cheese. They didn't have any plates, and the dips had knives in them instead of spoons. We weren't quite sure how we were supposed to manage, but the napkins were heavy enough that we were able to get chips and salsa on them and carry them back to our table. The funny thing was, no one else was eating the chips and salsa! We went back several times for more, and they finally told us to finish it off, because they were just going to throw it away. It was totally off my diet, but it took the place of dinner, so who cares! A good time was had by all.

News flash!....We have heard that the Tour de France is coming through Grenoble next Thursday at 1:30 p.m.! That is normally something I would stay away from (because of the crowds), but I think I just might have to participate, since it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Good news, Kristen finally got her suitcase, after 12 days!

Classes are going well, with the exception of the current events class, which is boring us to death. William and I had signed up to take part two of it the third week, but we are going tomorrow to change our schedule.

Tomorrow we have no class in the afternoon, so we are all going into town to do various things. There is some kind of scavenger hunt planned. Don't know if I'll do that or not. Will let you know!

Second Day of School…..(July 8, 2008)

OK, that part about getting my ID and being able to connect to the wireless internet from my dorm room hasn’t happened yet! I got a login and ID to use in the computer lab, and foolishly, I suppose, I thought it work in the dorm. But evidently it doesn’t, and since I am only here for 3 weeks, they may not give me a code. But I am going to load up the blogs on my flash drive tonight and post them tomorrow in the lab! My apologies if you have been sitting on the edges of your chairs waiting to read about my adventures (not so exciting at this moment!)

I have a whole new appreciation for my daughter, who navigated this bureaucratic mess when she just 18 years old! I could go on forever telling you the rat races we have run, but I won’t put you through that. It just seems like what is printed in our materials and on signs is never what is really meant. One small example….in several pieces of printed material we were told that we could get an unlimited tram pass for 28E90 with a student ID. We had to wait until today to get our student ID. So we have been paying for individual trips on the tram. We rushed over today to get our pass, and the lady who sold them threw a fit (not at us, at the university) because the 28E90 pass is only for handicapped people. Since we are only here for three weeks, she told us our best deal was to buy 30 tickets for 28E90. She was not very happy with the folks who printed the brochures. Our information also told us that the cafeteria started serving at 6, so we rushed over there only to find out that they didn’t start serving until 6:30, so we could have spent some more time in the computer lab. This place makes the Texas Tech runaround look like a tricycle track!

Have I mentioned how ugly this university is? The scenery is beautiful surrounding it, but the buildings are horrendous and the grounds are kept very poorly. I suppose that since college is free for the students who are smart enough to go in France, they don’t need to have beautiful campuses for recruitment purposes. There are a few (very few) attractive buildings, but most are just concrete blocks resembling something from behind the former Iron Curtain. We’ve noticed that none of the brochures have pictures of the buildings…..just students!

Enough complaining. I had a good, long day. My first class (phonetics) was very interesting and the teacher is very animated. (She kicked the desk today and complained that it was left over from the 19th century.) I’m going to try to sneak a video of her.
My second class (current civilization) is interesting, but very deep. My third class is supposed to be French as it is currently spoken, and again, the teacher is very good and interesting, but by 3:30 I was pretty brain dead. That class lasts 2 hours, because it doesn’t meet on Friday.

Tonight Mary (from Alaska) and I ate in the cafeteria, and met two students from Lebanon and Tunisia. The Lebanese (Walid) is an engineer finishing his thesis, and the Tunisian (Rama) is studying to be a lawyer. I was asking Mary if she liked couscous, and told her I’d like to find a good place to eat couscous some evening. Then I turned to Rama (this is before we had really gotten acquainted) to ask her if she knew of a good place in town to recommend. She and Walid said they would love to take us to their favorite place downtown some evening! I’m so excited, and appreciative that they are willing to invite two middle-aged ladies to go to dinner with them! I hope it happens.

I have a tiny ice cube tray that goes in my mini fridge, and makes 10 tiny cubes of ice. So tonight I am having some Coke Zero over ice in my happy face cup that I purchased at the Casino, sitting at my desk watching the mountains outside of my window as the sun sets. Of course, I have to look over the concrete plant to get to the mountains, but it is still quite a view! Guess I’ll go do my readings for class tomorrow…..

First day of school…..(July 7, 2008)

This morning William and set out to find some breakfast and get to the meeting point where we were supposed to be precisely at 9. In the first place, this is a bigger campus than we thought. Not knowing where we were going took even longer. It is a good
20-minute walk from our dorm to our university classes. We grabbed a pastry and drink and kept trucking, only to find that we had plenty of time, and they had juice, pains au chocolat, and coffee for us! We found our other folks and spent some time getting acquainted. Mary Soltys, my internet-buddy for Alaska, is really nice. Well, they are all nice. Kristen Kebhart (Pennsylvania) has been traveling in France already for 10 days, and Air France lost her luggage and she still doesn’t have it! They gave her 100 euros to buy some clothes and necessities, but of course that didn’t begin to cover 10 days worth of necessities. Bless her heart…..she’s hanging in there! We all think AF owes her a free round-trip ticket to be used in the future.

The registration/orientation process was long. There are teachers here from all over the world. We registered by taking pieces of paper around for the classes we wanted. The people are very nice, but they could use some lessons in organization. It seems that everything takes longer than it should. But, we survived.

After a quick lunch in the cafeteria, we went to collect our money (which again took longer than it should), and then we set out to walk to the Super Casino (like super Wal-mart) to buy some breakfast food, toilet tissue, etc. William bought a pillow, but I decided I didn’t want to spend 15 euros on something I would have to leave here. So I’m going to try to get buy with my blanket and t-shirt! We had another session this afternoon at 5, and then took the tram back into town for dinner. Tomorrow we have to get our ID cards so we can get cheaper tram passes.

Here’s something cool….they have all of these excursions planned to surrounding places like Lyon, Annecy, Chamonix, even Provence. There’s white-water rafting, hiking, a trip to the French Revolution museum on Bastille Day, a wine-tasting excursion, etc. They all cost money for the normal people who are paying to attend classes here. But for us, (guests of the French government), three are free! That makes our scholarship money go a little further for food, and shopping! In France they can only have sales twice a year….January and July. So the prices right now are slashed about 50%! (Renée, you went home too soon!)

Better organize myself for tomorrow. After I get my ID card, I should be able to get on the internet for free, so I can stay “branchée” (connected) on a daily basis.

Cruel and unusual punishment…..(July 6, 2008)

As I write this I am on the TGV (high-speed train) heading towards Grenoble. I will take this train to Valence, where I will then transfer to an autocar (inter-city bus) to Grenoble. I should arrive about an hour before my classmates. After waking at 4:30 a.m. to escort Mark to the airport, I was quite ready for a good nap on the train. However, my car is filled with what look like 7-8 year old kiddos going to a colonie de vacances (summer camp). At first I thought they were cute, but that didn’t last long. It was touching watching them wave good-bye to their parents and vice versa, but now that we are on our way, they are just normal, hyperactive kids. They tell me that they are going to summer camp (near Toulon, so at least they are getting off) for two weeks. They have been eating, playing with cards and assorted toys, singing songs, and most annoying of all, having contests making farting sounds! Suffice it to say that my noise-canceling headphones were not doing the trick so I decided to try to get some work done. I think are actually coming upon St. Tropez, so I guess I should stay awake! I’m sure I shall survive even this, too!

Later today…..
Once the kids got off the train, I managed a much-needed nap. The train got more and more crowded as it went along…..I don’t know where all of those French people were going, unless that’s the way things are on Sunday in France! Upon arrival in Valence I had about 15 minutes to make my connection to an “autocar” (bus). Thank the Lord for escalators! When I got to the bus, there were obviously too many people trying to get on the bus. The driver doesn’t load luggage, you have to do your own, so of course luggage was just thrown in any old way and there was no more room. I smartly went around to the other side and found a place for my luggage, then went to try to get on the bus. The driver said he had 7 more places, and I was determined that I would be one of them. So I crowded up to the door like a French person, and by golly, I was number 6! (They did have to load another bus, because there were so many people going to Grenoble.)

I arrived at the train station in Grenoble, thinking I was going to find an ATM, get something to eat, have my ID pictures made in a cabine photographique, and wait for the others to arrive. But when I went to the welcome desk for the scholarship teachers and introduced myself, I discovered that my internet-buddy William Gautreaux from New Orleans had also just arrived! We decided to go on to campus and try to check into the dorm rather than wait for the others. So we headed off on the tram, got to campus, found the residence hall, checked in and unpacked. William wanted a nap before eating, so I told him I would do a load of laundry and eat one of my snacks, then we would go eat.
Of course the laundry machines didn’t take coins, and all I had was bills, so I started walking to find a place where I could get change. It had been raining off and on, and while I was walking, this huge, Texas-like thundercloud rolled in, complete with thunder and lightening. I had found a cafeteria where I bought a coke and got change, but had to wait out the storm, which passed quickly. I returned to campus and did my laundry. Then William and I took the tram back into town and found a little restaurant where I had quiche and salad. I was starving!

All I can say is, it feels so good to have my things unpacked. I managed to live rather successfully out of my suitcase, with the help of my e-bag packing cubes, but it is nice to spread things out! The dorm room is quite adequate. William and I asked for rooms with a view, so we are on the 5th floor (no elevator), facing the mountains. Of course, we have to look over a cement plant to see the mountains, but it is still a rather striking view!

They gave us sheets, a blanket, and a roll of toilet tissue. No pillow. I am using the blanket with a t-shirt over it for a pillow. But I have a refrigerator and private bath, so that’s OK. There is a common kitchen on the floor, but it only has “hot plate” type stoves. No ovens or microwaves. And of course, I have no dishes. So I don’t think I’ll be cooking!

All for now…..big day tomorrow!

A Commercial.........(July 5, 2008)

I will never go anywhere again without a pair of Keen shoes for walking and a pair of Merrell shoes for walking and looking nicer! I don't know how much I have walked, but I have lost weight without counting points, so that should tell you something! My feet have not hurt one single day! I had read about Keens on Rick Steves' website, and one of friends on our Greece trip wore them and she swore by them. I finally decided to try them out, and I am now sold (no pun intended!). They are also waterproof, great for swimming in the Mediterranean and protecting your feet. They also protect your toes. (Ask Renee about that.)

I don't know if they will work for everyone, but they certainly work for me! Yippee!

Back in Nice, with Celine and Angelina.....(July 5, 2008)

Celine Dion is doing a major tour of France and tonight she is in Nice. No rooms left in the inns. Thank goodness Philippe (Star Hotel) clued us in to this, so we could find a room. We are right across from the train station, so it will be very convenient for me tomorrow morning after I accompany Mark to the airport.

We walked all over Vieux Nice (old Nice) this morning....the market, a couple of churches, toured a Baroque palace (for free!). Mark reads the Rick Steves books much more thoroughly than I, so he finds more places to visit.

After a picnic lunch and rest in our room (with iced drinks from KFC!), we walked up to the Russian Orthodox church. Spent quite a while there, cooling down, and then walked over to the Chagall Museum. These walks in this heat are hard.....but we eventually cooled down. The Chagall Museum was very interesting. His art is very imaginative and colorful, even if it is a bit bizarre!

Try to figure out what this is a picture of! (Answer at the end of this blog.)

After cooling off again in our room, we went to dinner at a place recommended by Philippe and Alfredo (Star Hotel)....called L'Ovale. It was really good and reasonably priced. We ate too much, though, so the walk back was needed! We saw Alfredo there and were able to tell him good-bye. What can I say about Alfredo, except that he reminds me very much of Franck in The Father of the Bride! Nuff said.

Tomorrow we part ways. It will be weird being alone again. I will be meeting up with the other scholarship recipients in Grenoble, and am looking forward to getting into a room where I can unpack and stay for three weeks!

(The Chagall is a billy goat and a rooster!)