Munich, Germany

The Cal Poly gang :)

The German Castle

Tracy and I sporting traditional German dresses!

The tent we went to at Oktoberfest

Inside the tent

The rides by the beer garden

So Germany, where do I begin? This was perhaps the best weekend ever. It was nice seeing familiar faces and meeting up with friends from school, it made me feel a little less far from home. I left right after class with only a small backpack, and flew to Paris and then connected there to my flight to Munich. I was a little nervous traveling by myself and not speaking a word of German, but I was relieved that almost everyone spoke English and that I fit in surprisingly well- everyone had blonde hair! In France people look at me weird wherever I go because they know that I am not from France, I think my lack of dark hair and eyes is a give away! So it was really bizarre to go to another country and not get any weird looks. People would come up to me and ask me questions, I’m assuming directions, in German, and were surprised that I didn’t speak German. It was difficult though to find my friend Tracy in the airport. In France I can pick out all of my American friends from a mile away because most of them have red, blonde, or light brown hair. Spotting someone among a sea of blonde girls in Germany is a bit of a challenge.

We finally met up and took the Sbahn train to the central station in Munich where were met up with our German friend, Mathise. He studied at Cal Poly for spring and summer quarter and was nice enough to let us stay with him this weekend! We went out on the town for awhile that night, and in the morning Mathise and his friends made us a traditional German breakfast. This consisted of white sausages and pretzels with sweet mustard. The sausages looks kind of gross and you had to peel the skin off of them which was difficult for first-timers, but they ended up tasting amazing! And I don’t know what it was about that sweet mustard, but it was so incredible! We ate a lot of pretzels and sweet mustard this weekend. After breakfast, Mathise and two of his other German friends took us on a tour of the city. We went to a nearby castle, the English garden, the opera house, Hofrauhouse, their war memorial, and even walked through the university where our German “tour guides” go to school. It was fun getting a feel for the city! We also went to a department store to try on the traditional German dresses. People were wearing them everywhere, not just at Oktoberfest- in the airport, downtown etc… So naturally we felt a little left out because we didn’t have one. I found the perfect German dress, but unfortunately it was 129 Euro, a little out of my budget, so I just took pictures instead. :)

The next day we went to Oktoberfest-and what an experience that was! We got there at 8am to make sure that we would get into a good tent. We went to Schutzen Festzelt, which is supposedly one of the best ones, and the least touristy. Again, it was nice knowing some locals to give us the inside scoop. We split into two groups because there were two lines to get in. There was one point where everyone started rushing towards the door and no one had actually opened it yet-so the stampede of people were shoved back and everyone almost fell over at once. That would not have been good! When the doors finally did open we all ran into to try to get one of the good tables that you can stay at all day. Even though we were some of the first people there we didn’t get the good tablesL. It ended up being alright though because we got a table in the section that you could only sit in until 1. And since it was only 9am at the time, which gave us plenty of time in the tent. After 1pm we went to the section with the good tables and made friends so that we could join their table. At 11am they started playing traditional German music and everyone got so excited, stood up on the tables, and started dancing. Mind you that everyone was wearing traditional German dresses and all the guys were wearing lederhosen. Later, when we moved to the other tables, they started playing all of this American music like Hey Jude, YMCA, etc… All of these German people knew the words too and were singing at the tops of their lungs!

We got tired of the tent after awhile so we went outside into the beer garden. There were tons of roller coasters, ferris wheels, and swings out there. They also had lots of food stands so we snacked on toasted almond, and surprise, surprise, PRETZELS! Except the pretzels at Oktoberfest were bigger than the size of my head-they were enormous!

Around 9pm. we went back to Mathise’s apartment for some R & R and then went out again to meet up with some of my besties from Cal Poly, Alex, David, Brandon, and Nate. It was great to see them!! Alex and David are studying in Copenhagen, Denmark and Brandon and Nate are studying in Barcelona, Spain. It was so chaotic at Oktoberfest that we weren’t able to meet up there so we had to meet up later. We were meeting them at a metro stop and all of a sudden a familiar voice screams my name, and I look over and it was Brandon- their whole group had been standing right next to me for almost five minutes. We all planned to meet up in Germany when we first decided to go abroad, so I’m so glad that everything worked out! Prost!

I definitely didn’t want to leave. It was my first time to Germany and I got a really good impression! This was the first weekend that I hadn’t traveled with my Pau friends, so I was excited to come “home” to see them!

This week we have placement exams for our french classes, ugh. I’m excited for my pilates class and swim practice this week though. I’m taking a pilates class taught in french and there are only four other American kids in the class. It’s pretty funny listening to her trying to explain the “neutral spine” in French- they have to use so many more words to explain the same thing. It was pretty easy last week though, so I hope it’s more challenging this week. I went to my first swim practice last week too. I was in a lane with all french kids who were really nice, and seemed impressed that I was joining the french swim team. They did have to help explain the sets to me though, but now I know all of the strokes etc, so I should be better prepared for this week. Just for your info-incase you ever join a french swim team- freestyle is “le crawl”, backstroke is “le dos”, butterfly is “le papillon”, and breaststroke is “la brase”.

Saint Jean de Luz, France

After San Sebastian we made our way back to France and spent half a day in Saint Jean de Luz, again, it was definitely not long enough! We went to the cutest farmers market that took place right along the harbor. The best part was the you were allowed to taste test everything! I tasted the most amazing cheese, wine, chocolate, and other desserts. The food was incredible! Since Saint Jean de Luz is near the spanish border there were lots of spanish influenced cuisine as well as french. The variety was sensational!

We made our way through the town, which also had a lot of white building with red shutters since it is also part of the basque region. We went to the beach, which was even warmer than san sebastian, I think because it was sheltered more from the wind. There is a long wall that lines the street, which runs above the beach. It was a beautiful day, but I still wondered why so many people were sitting on that wall. It was as if they were waiting for something. As we made our way through the town, we found out what they were waiting for. Apparently it was french heritage day, so there was an air show. These ridiculously fast jets soared across the sky leaving a trail of red, blue, and white smoke, in the shape of the french flag. We sat along the harbor and watched the show.

This was a really memorable weekend, definitely my favorite weekend so far! :)

San Sebastian, Spain

Tapas

I spent the rest of saturday and part of sunday in San Sebastian! It was one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever been to! We went on a walking tour right when we arrived, went to the beach, and then went to old town san sebastian and got tapas. There is an incredible night culture there with lots of street vendors selling jewelery and scarves. No one eats dinner before 9pm. and children and elderly people are still out really late at night. We got tapas around 7:30 and our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs because we ate way too many. :) We walked around and explored the city and then got dessert later. The tapas ended up being our dinner since we couldn't stop eatting them! Later we met a bunch of USAC students who are studying abroad in San Sebastian. It was really interesting hearing about their expeiences. I'm glad that I'm not studying abroad in a place like that or else I would never want to go to class!

The next day we went to the beach and did some shopping. It was so beautiful and warm and seriously the entire town was there! Also the fruit was incredible. I had the best nectarine that I have ever tasted. We left around 2pm. on sunday and I definitely did not want to leave. I could have spent at least another week there! :)

Bayonne

The most amazing chocolate shop ever!

Le Cloitre

On friday I went to Bayonne, which is part of the French Basque region. The majority of the buildings were built in traditional basque style, white buildings with red shutters. We toured the town and made sure to try their famous bayonne chocolate. Bayonne was the first french region where you could buy chocolate. Historically, they would serve melted down chocolate warm and you would drink it. They still serve it like this- I had a taste and it was amazing! There were several specialty chocolate stores where you could get any kind of chocolate you wanted!

Lourdes

The Pope!!

People waiting for the pope to arrive.

"La grotte" where the virgin mary appeared.

The little bottle of holy water that I got from Lourdes.

The city of Lourdes

On saturday morning we went to the train station and took the SNCF train from Pau to Lourdes. It was only a 15 min. train ride, much closer than we had expected. Lourdes is one of the most holy cities in the world, and is where the virgin mary appeared. The pope was in Lourdes this weekend, which is the main reason that me and 7 other USAC students decided to go. We arrived around 11 in the morning, before the pope arrived. It wasn't quite as crowded then so we got a chance to explore the town, visit the chapels, and go to the top of "le chateau fort" which was the ancient military fortress that was used to protect the town.

I really wanted to get holy water from there, which has been said to heal people. I got a couple small bottle full to bring back to my family. There were lots of people filling up gallon size bottles with holy water! I was perplexed as to why someone would need that much holy water! :)

The pope arrived from Paris by plane at 6:30 pm. We stood by where the pope mobile was supposed to be going through for several hours just to make sure that we would see him and get a good picture. It became so crowded a couple of hours before the pope got there! I couldn't believe how many people were there and how many different countries that they came from. There were tons of people from the Spain, Ireland, and all over France. This was a really historic event, definitely a once in a lifetime experience for me, and it was definitely worth the wait to be less than 10 ft away from the pope as he arrived!

Arrival in Pau

pau!

USAC students

We finally arrived in Pau! On Tuesday we had university orientation and then took a bus downtown to take a tour of Pau. It was a clear and sunny day and on Rue de Pyrenees you could see a faint outline of the Pyrenne mountains. It was a sensational view. Our program director told us that in fall you can see the snow caps on the mountains, but it is still sunny in Pau. We went grocery shopping at a shopping area across from campus called Le Clair. It was definitely an experience trying to find the food that I wanted. I was upset to hear that they don’t sell peanut butter here! No pb & js, but I guess they do sell it in some specialty stores but it is expensive. Also, the toilet paper is pink, and the rolls are half the size of American rolls. No Charmin double rolls over here. You also have to pay for bags and shopping carts, although you get your money back for the shopping cart as long as you return it.
Several students who I went to Paris with live on my floor or the floor below me, which is really convenient. We have already met some of our french neighbors and they are surprisingly friendly.
Today we had a tour of campus and then after lunch I had my first class, L’histoire d’art. It was taught exclusively in french. I was a little nervous about this class, because it is a completely different subject taught in french. Our teacher was awesome, he even lets us have breaks in the middle because "il fume". It was challenging to participate in discussion because not only did you have to think about what you wanted to add to the discussion about art, but you then had to think of how to say that in french. I really think that all of these classes, as strenuous as they may be, will immensely improve my french.
Tomorrow we have phonetic exams where they analyze our french speaking so that they can assess what level we should be at for the conversation class. Then after lunch I have my l’Histoire d’art class again then I have my first French Cooking class. I am so excited for that!! Maybe I will invite you all over for a night of french cuisine when I get back to the U.S., if you’re lucky. ;)
This weekend a bunch of my friends and I are going to Lourdes. The Pope is there this weekend. It is such a rare occasion that the pope coming to France; Lourdes is only a half hour train ride from Pau!

Azay-le-Rideau

They even had pool tables at these old chateaus!

Chateau de Azay-le-Rideau

From left to right= Natalie, Patrick, Evelyn, Laura, & then me.

The Loire Valley

Chateau de Chenonceau

The gardens of Chenonceau

On saturday morning we left our hotel in Paris and went to Versailles. Then we had about a 2 hour bus ride down to Chenonceau, a beautiful chateau in the loire valley. The weather was warm and sunny, a big change from the rainy weather in Paris. Then after another 2 hours we arrived at Azay-le-Rideau, a quintessential french village.

We went to a little mom & pop pizza place and it was an interesting experience. At first the guys seemed mad that there were so many of us, but we soon found out that he was just overwhelmed because they had only one oven. We said that we didn’t mind waiting and so while the pizzas were baking he talked to us in French for like an hour. He told us all about his favorite french music and told us how he shot a deer from 200 meters away and the head was hanging on the wall. Someone tried to take a picture of him when he went back by the oven but he insisted that his wife be in the picture too. He kissed her just at the flash went off and said in bad English, “is french kiss”. Lol it was really cute. He was really easy to understand. I think because older people tend to speak slower than teenagers and use less slang.

Week in Paris

Here are some pictures from my week in Paris! Check out my post
below. Le Tour Eiffel

At dinner in the Latin Quarter

Gelato. It was shaped like a rose! I couldn't help but buy some.

At the top of le Tour Eiffel

My roomate for the week in Paris, Laura and I au jardin Luxembourg.

Le Pompidou

This has been an amazing week in Paris! We have done so much and I have loved every second. On thursday we started off at Notre Dame. I've been there before but had never climbed the bell towers. I got some amazing pictures from up there- you could see all of Paris. We got des crepes from un vendeur and then proceeded to Saint-Chapelle. Then we went to Pont Neuf, L'opera, and L'arch de triumphe. I have never climbed up l'arch de triumphe so that was fun to do. That night a group of us went out to dinner in the Latin Quarter. There were lots of young people around and a good vibe in general.
On friday we went up the eiffel tower. It was cold, rainy, and very windy, especially at the top. Then we went to Les Invalides where Napolean in buried. He was a really short guy, but is buried in an enormous tomb that is displayed in the middle of the room. Then we went to le Musee Roden. I particularly enjoyed le penseur (the Thinker), la porte de l'enfer (the Gates of Hell). There were also several scultures there by his mistress Camille Claudel that I actually prefered to his work. Vertumne et Pomone is one of the most beautiful sculptures that I have ever seen! I learned about it in a Humanties class that I took winter quarter so it was amazing to see it in person.
Afterwards a few girls and I went to Musee D'Orsay, which historically was a train station and years later was made into a museum. The sculptures and impressionist art were amazing! I particulary enjoyed the impressionist art by Monet, Degas, and a new favorite painter, Signac. You could spend days there so we tried to pick out exhibits that we really wanted to see. On our way back to our hotel we walked through the Tuileres gardens and got gelato. I have eatten so much gelato since we got here- good thing we are walking so much everyday! :)
Once we got back to the hotel I went to an internet cafe down the street. It was definitely a challenge using a french keyboard since many of the letters are switched. It will definitely take awhile to get used to. Luckily I brought my laptop so I will get to use that most of the time.
That night we went on the bateau mouch cruize, which is a sunset cruize on the river Seine. The eiffel tower was lit up blue with a circle of yellowstars to represent the flag of the european union. It is normally lit up all white, but for most of the summer it has been lit up blue to celebrate the 6 month french presidency of the european union.
Today a group of us split up from our normal tour group at went to the Pompideau. This is a modern art museum and I was so excited to see it since I never have. Some of the modern art was a little bizarre, but really interesting. Afterwards we went to Monmatre. We had lunch there are hung out by the Sacre Coeur. Tonight our entire study abroad group is going out to a nice french dinner together- a great way to celebrate our last night in Paris!

Tomorrow we are going to Versaille in the morning and then taking a bus down to Azay-le-Rideau (near the loire valley). We are spending the night there, seeing a couple of chateaus in the morning, and then making our way down to Pau. We should arrive in Pau monday night. I am so excited to get there!! I found out that all french students are living in my dorm building, which will give me an opportunity to make many french friends.

A demain!

1st day in Paris !

I got an early start this morning at 4:45 am to set off on my way to Paris. I met up with my abroad program's group flight in Washington DC. It was exciting to meet people as obsessed with French as I am! We then took off on another long flight and arrived at 6:00 am Paris time just as the sun was rising. It's cold and rainy in Paris today so everyone was sporting they're umbrellas, rainjackets, and scarves. After arriving at our hotel in Paris, which is conveniently located right across from a metro station and surrounded by all sorts of shops, cafes, and brasseries. Tonight we are exploring the scenery and night life of the Latin Quarter, the first of this weeks touristy adventures. I am already immersing myself in French culture; a group of us have decided to speak minimal english this week and to speak ONLY french when we arrive in Pau. I'm excited for the challenge of speaking only french, even to the other american students. I will definitely keep you updated with all of my travels so check back soon! A tout a l'heure!

Amities,

Allison