Mont Saint-Michel

Salut tout le monde! C'est un autre beau jour ici à Tours! Aujourd'hui, je sens comme une vrai personne française parce que le sèche ligne en ma résidence est en panne alors j'ai dû suspendre mes vêtements partout de ma chambre - ce n'est pas exactement comme les gens qui suspendent leurs vêtements sur leurs balcons et les terraces mais j'ai seulement ma petite chambre en résidence, alors je fais ce que je peux! Après tous mes vêtements sont sèches, j'ai besoin de faire mes valises (en fait mon sac à dos) parce que je quitte pour passer six jours dans le sud de France cette vendredi! 

Translation: Hello everyone! It is another beautiful day here in Tours! Today, I feel like a real French person because the dryer in my residence is broken so I had to hang dry all of my clothes around my room - this is not exactly like the French people who hang their clothes on their balconies or terraces but I only have my small room, so I do what I can. After all my clothes are dry, I need to pack my bags (aka my backpack) because I leave for the South of France this Friday! 

Side note: I only had to use Word Reference once for that paragraph #progress

Today's blog comes to you out of procrastination but also, I wanted to write about the fantastic weekend I just had. The Sports Centre here organised a trip to Mont-Saint-Michel this past weekend that I was fortunate enough to take part in. Originally, when I signed up for this trip, I thought we were going to climb a mountain and expected to spend the weekend hiking uphill. We then had a meeting at the start of October to go over the details of the trip and I apparently did not listen very well as I left the meeting still thinking we were going hiking. I was a little bit confused when we were told that it was necessary to wear shorts on Saturday and to bring a plastic bag for our shoes because we would be walking through water, but I just figured there was a part on the trail that required us to wade a little bit. Wrong again. However, I am happy to say that despite my poor comprehension, the weekend blew me away and I had an absolutely incredible time. 

So for those who have never heard of Mont-Saint-Michel, it is an island on the northwestern coast of Normandy, situated in between Normandy and Brittany at the mouth of the river. On the island, there is a very small town and at the summit, there is an abbey and a monastery. Fun fact, it is the second most visited place in France, with the first being Paris. From Tours, the drive was about 3 and a half hours.  

On Friday evening, we left to drive to Mont-Saint-Michel. There were about 30 of us in total, mainly students with 3 sport instructors from the school's sport centre. We left around 6:00pm and arrived at our hostel in Normandy between 9:30 and 10:00. This hostel was not nearly as fancy as the Amsterdam hostel but we pretty much had the place to ourselves. I was in a room with Rachel and Sam, and three German exchange students, Costanze, Jessice and Jasna. After settling in, we had a picnic dinner at the hostel and then went for a "randonné nocturne" (night walk) at Mont-Saint-Michel. It was pitch black when we arrived but the island and abbey were lit up - the first thing I thought was that I was back in Magic Kingdom walking up Mainstreet USA to Cinderella's castle! The sight was absolutely breathtaking! We then had about an hour or so to walk around freely and explore the island. We walked by souvenir stores, restaurants, cafés, hotels, etc. before climbing up the stairs to the cemeteries, church, museum and abbey. From up top, there was also an amazing view of the mainland. Around midnight, just like Cinderella, the lights were shut off and it was time to return to the hostel. 

Saturday morning, we had a breakfast buffet at the hostel (i.e. CARBOHYDRATES FOR DAYS), made picnic lunches and went to begin our hike. Up until this point, I was still expecting to climb a mountain, however after being able to climb it the night before in about 20 minutes, I was very, very confused. We parked the vans and went for a warm up hike along the sea coast. However, the sea was at low tide so there was just sand that went on for days, all the way out to Mont-Saint-Michel. This was when I learned what we would be doing. We were going to cross the bay! We met our guide at 11:30 to begin our trek, starting from the "Pointe du Grouin," the rocky headlands that protect the bay of MSM. This was when I learned the reason for the shorts and plastic bag for the shoes. We would be walking in the bay - in the sand and in the water, so no shoes were required. So off went the shoes for the day, on went the sunglasses and away we went. 

We started by walking through a sheep field which led up to the bay. I don't really know how to describe the walk but we spent 3 hours walking through the sand and water, following our guide to the mountain. Here and there, our guide would stop to give us a bit of history, explain a little bit about the bay and its formation and tell us legends about MSM and the other nearby island, Tomberin, however mostly we just walked and admired the beautiful views. We stopped for a picnic lunch in the middle of the bay on the driest part we could find before continuing on to the mountain. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the sun shone the whole day! 

We reached the mountain around 3:00 (I think) and had about an hour to explore the mountain in the daylight. For me, this meant finding a bathroom ASAP. It was very neat to see the mountain in the day, however it was very busy with tourists, unlike the night before when we had the mountain to ourselves. After finding the washroom, filling our water bottles and taking some beautiful pictures, it was time to start on our trek back towards land. 

Walking back, I was very torn between walking backwards and admiring MSM as the sun set and walking forward and admiring the French countryside. So, I did a little bit of both. Another really cool thing we did was create quick sand in the bay! To do this, everyone in the group got together and started jumping on the moist sand. This loosened up the earth and brought water to the surface. Then, when you stood on the sand and wiggled your legs down, you sunk into the sand!! One of our leaders sunk down until his knees were below the sand! To get out, you had to wiggle one leg out, plant it and then lean on your knee to wiggle your other leg out. I will include a picture so you can see what I am talking about because it is hard to describe. Some people were afraid to try, but I did a few times and it was a very cool sensation. 

After we finished crossing the bay, we returned to the hostel where we did raclette for dinner. If you have never done this before, a raclette grill is a circular grill that you put in the centre of the table. There is a little dish for each person that you put your piece of cheese on and then put it in the grill to melt. Once it melts, you pour it on to your food (we had meat and potatoes) and then eat! It was absolutely delicious but I could have used some vegetables to go with it! After cleaning everything up, we played a game of loup-garou and then went to bed. 

After Saturday, I had no idea what to expect on Sunday. I asked one of our leaders and he showed me a map of our hiking route for the day - we would be hiking along the sea coast along the point du Grouin. The day started off the same, with breakfast, lunch making and then driving to the start point. It was cold and rainy when we began our hike, but I kept my fingers crossed that the sun would make an appearance. We began our hike along a beach where you could see MSM through the fog in the distance. For the next 20km, we hiked through forests and fields, along beaches, up and down hills and through several sea side towns. We stopped in Cancale, a small seaside port in Brittany, where our leader, Francois, bought us all oysters to try! It was my second time trying oysters but the other time was in a restaurant and these ones were from a small stand right by the sea, plucked fresh from the sea probably that morning! Francois gave us a demonstration of how to eat them and then gave us all an oyster, a piece of lemon and a glass of white wine to savour the delicacy in the traditional way of the French! They were delicious - salty and fresh! I don't usually drink wine while I hike, but it was the perfect compliment to the oysters! 

We hiked along the pointe du Grouin for a total of 20km. Throughout the day, I saw some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. There were mountains, islands, boats, beaches, lighthouses, rock formations and dream houses - I could not stop taking pictures.  Around 5:00, we reached the beach where our leaders had parked the vans and we had some time to relax here and enjoy the sand and the sunset before heading home. The sun had eventually come out and it had been another hot day so I decided to go for a quick dip in the sea! I never thought that I would be swimming in the sea in the middle of October - I love the French weather! However, Francois did say that they had better weather this weekend than ever before so thank you Mother Nature! After my swim, it was time to head back to the hostel, collect our belongings and return to good old Tours! 

One of our leaders - Pascal

Final beach! 

I was dropped off around midnight and was sadly thrown right back into reality. I could have stayed by the seaside forever! Actually, during the hike on Sunday, I mentioned my life goal of finding my rich French husband to buy me a house on the French seaside and Francois offered to marry me! I told him he had to buy the house first to prove his commitment. Speaking of Francois, I would like to extend a huge thank you to our leaders, Francois, Isabelle and Pascal who took such great care of us and organised an amazing weekend! All of my expectations (which were in no way accurate) were exceeded and my camera memory card is full! And of course, thank you to all my fellow hikers for a fantastic randonné! 

Sadly, I must get back to the books now as I have three exams to take before heading off for the South of France. As well, I need to choose a recipe for my potluck dinner tomorrow with my residence - there is a contest for the best dish! Lots to do, places to go, people to see - it can be a little crazy but I would not have it any other way! I cannot believe my exchange is already half over! See you in less than two months Canada!

À bientôt tout le monde!

J'envoie mon amour! 

Erica xoxoxoxoxoxo

PS A press release was published about the scholarship I won in the summer! 

English: http://www.ubishops.ca/about-bu/bu-news/details.html?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=474&cHash=2f60f3eb7aba206589ef248afde7cee6  

French on the Radio Canada website: http://cflx.qc.ca/radio/une-etudiante-de-luniversite-bishops-remporte-un-prix-de-service-communautaire/ 

Long Time No Talk!

Salut tout le monde!! Je suis très désolée pour ma pénurie des postes pendant le dernier mois. Maintenant, j’ai une petite roman d’écrire avec tous les choses que j’ai fait depuis ma dernière poste et je ne sais pas où j’ai besoin de commencer. Alors, préparez-vous pour mon histoire!

Ok so the last you heard from me, I had just returned from a trip to see my friend Gaby in Rouen. Looking at the calendar, I now realize that was almost a month ago and as you can probably guess, I have done quite a bit since then. So instead of describing everything I have done, I will use a combination of anecdotes and pictures to tell you all about my adventures here in Tours.

The weekend of September 20^th, I visited my first castle in the area, Chateau d’Amboise. Amboise is a royal chateau, built sometime between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Several kings lived there, including Louis XII who was a friend of Leonardo da Vinci’s. In the church on the castle’s ground, one can find LDV’s resting place! I visited Amboise with a group of Canadian girls. After the castle, I visited the Clos Lucé, a manor about 200m from the castle, which was the last residency of Leonardo da Vinci. The castle was beautiful, but I definitely found Clos Lucé much more interesting. I got to see LDV’s bedroom and kitchen and I sat at his desk!! As well, in the giant garden behind the house, there are lifesize models of his inventions. The man was a genius!! He designed things from the first life ring to army tanks and many of his designs influenced much of what we still use today. Unfortunately, I could not convince any of the other girls to visit the Clos Lucé with me, but I am so, so happy that I decided to explore within.

The weekend of the 20^th was also the Journées européennes du Patrimoine in France, or the European Heritage Days. Because of this, many of the museums and historical sites had reduced rates and/or free entrance, making it the perfect weekend to visit different places. On the 21^st, I visited many of the sites in Tours with my friend Samantha, including the Musée de Beaux-Arts, the musée du compagnonnage, les archives de Tours, le basilisque and many, many more. We tried to visit as many as we could that day because a) we didn’t want to pay to visit a different day and b) we wanted to explore as much of our town as we could while we had the time. I think we often forget to be tourists in our own cities and experience what they have to offer, but now I feel like I have seen a lot of the historical sites around Tours!

 

Musée de Beaux-Arts 

During the following week, I started a program called the Tandem Service Learning Project. For this, I meet with a French student for one hour and we talk in English for half an hour and French for half an hour. This program is worth three credits for me, providing I complete 20 hours and write an essay at the end of the semester. So far, I have really enjoyed this program. First of all, it is a great way to practice French. Second, it is a great way to get to know some fellow students. I have been lucky with my partners so far, and have even had some request me for a second session. I have talked with all sorts of students, from one who moved here from New Zealand when she was young and is now more French than English to one guy who invited me to watch his band perform on the roof of the library! I also have become really good friends with a girl I talked with who is now applying to do the Disney Cultural Exchange Program! 

The following weekend, my friends Kelsey, Esther, Rachel and I rented bikes and spent the day biking the Loire à Velo trail. The Loire Valley (my region of France) is famous for its beautiful landscapes and countless castles, gardens and historical sites and there is a 600km bike path that connects everything.  We were only able to do a small section of it and biked from Tours -> Villandry -> Azay-le-Rideau -> Bréhemont -> Langeais and then back to Tours, biking a total of 80km. In Azay-le-Rideau, we stopped to visit a castle because it was free to enter. The castle was beautiful, one of my favourites so far and I think it was because it was small enough that it felt liveable. We stopped for a picnic in Bréhemont before returning home.  By the end of the day, I was definitely wishing that I owned a pair of cycling shorts!

 

Stopped to pick some apples! 

Waving to my royal subjects! 

That Sunday, I visited Château de Chenonceau with my friend Anna, a German exchange student and my host mom, Genevieve. I signed up for a program offered by the city that matches international students with a local family to help us experience the true French lifestyle. My host family is really just a woman and her husband as her kids are grown up but my “host mom” is lovely! She was extremely knowledgeable about the château and gave Anna and me a fantastic tour! Chenonceau was actually called the castle of ladies as there were many influential ladies who lived in the castle walls and made the château the place it is today. At one point, there was both a king’s wife and mistress living there at the same time! Personally, that would not be my ideal living situation, however I guess I would still get to be living in a castle. Tough choice. 

Anna, Genevieve et moi! 

The next lady of Chenonceau? 

 During the first week of October, I gave my first presentation in French. It was very nerve-wracking but overall it went pretty well. I was even able to make a joke (in French) and made my professor laugh! I also went bowling with my residence at the local bowling alley and am proud to announce that I did NOT end up in the gutter every time. The week before, I had gone a trip to play laser tag with my residence and had earned a grand total of -3000 points so I think I redeemed myself a little with my bowling abilities.

 

#strike 

The next weekend, my grandparents came to Tours to visit me!! They arrived on the Saturday and stayed here until the Wednesday morning. It was such a treat having them here. I met them at the train station when they arrived and we walked to their (beautiful) hotel together. I brought them a French picnic, complete with a fresh baguette, local cheese, local apple cider and French pastries for dessert. I gave them a tour of Tours in the afternoon, including a visit to the Château de Tours and to the local chocolate shop!

Sunday, my host mom took my grandparents and me to the Château et Jardins de Villandry. We had the perfect day to visit, as the sun was shining and the weather was warm. The castle was very different from the other ones I had visited, as it was not a former royal residence; instead it belonged to a very wealthy man and his family and has been passed on through the generations. However, more beautiful than the castle were the gardens. There was a vegetable garden, a sun garden, a love garden and several others. In the brochure, I read that there are only 9 gardeners who look after the garden year round. I wonder if my past experience with Seeing Green would qualify me to work there.

Monday, my host mom took us to the Château de Loches, which is a château-fort from the medieval period. It has a giant wall around it, which circles the castle and the city, called a donjon or a Grand Keep. It was also very different from the other castles I had visited, as instead of a residency, it was built for war and defense. One of the main indications that it was for war, which I learned in my castle history class is that it had a vertical organization, meaning there were lots and lots of stairs! However, the view from the top, i.e. the place where the soldiers stood to survey the area, was absolutely incredible!!

My grandparents left for Paris on Wednesday, which was a very hard day for me. However, I did not have to wait long to see them again as I went to their hotel in Paris on the Thursday night for dinner before I caught a midnight bus to Amsterdam with my friends Rachel and Sam. Let’s just say my grandparents are NOT on any sort of student budget, as indicated by the view of the Eiffel Tower from their suite!!  It was so nice to see them one last time before they returned home, however I am definitely sad that they had to go. I thought for sure that France would work its charms on them and convince to stay with me in Tours for just a little longer!

Thanks for dinner G and G! 

Thursday night, I spent 7 hours on a bus as I travelled to the wonderful city of Amsterdam. We arrived there at 6am in the morning and were delighted to find that the Starbucks was open!! I could not have asked for a better way to start my day than with a Pumpkin Spice Latte! We hung out in the Starbucks while we waited for the city to wake up and then started our touring at the central train station. When we walked out into the city, there was a band playing and a man was handing out the local newspaper – what a welcome! Starting at the train station, the first thing we did was a self-guiding walking tour put together by a man named Rick Steves. His tour was fantastic! He led us (via an audio podcast we had each downloaded on our phones) through the city, going by the National Monument, the New Church, the Royal Palace, the shopping centre and the Civil Guards Gallery. We then had a picnic lunch on a canal and did a photo shoot at the “I Amsterdam” letters.  We then visited the Anne Frank house, just like in The Fault in our Stars. The AF House was amazing – it was so surreal to actually be in the place where her family hid for two years.  The exhibits were really well put together and lucky for us, they were all in both Dutch and English.

Following the AF House, we went to our hostel, Stay Okay Zeeburg to check in for the weekend. Our hostel was pretty fancy, and we had a six-person bedroom for just us three! Our hostel also had a restaurant cafeteria and a bar, but we chose to go to the Amsterdam Library’s rooftop terrace restaurant for dinner that night, which offered a very cool panoramic view of the city. Saturday, we did Rick Steves’ tour of the Red Light District, which was a total contrast from the historic old city we had done the day before. Let me paint you a picture of this area of town: the prostitute shops are centred around the Old Church and there is also a daycare in the district! Walk a few metres away from the church and you hit the street filled with strip clubs and legalized marijuana shops. It was surreal, almost to the point of not believing something like that could be real. In case you were wondering, no I did not buy anything from the Bulldog Café chain.

To finish our time in Amsterdam, we did a boat tour on the canals, visited the Holland International casino, had two picnics – one in the train station and one in our room, ate Dutch waffles and went to the bar in our hostel where we met a touring symphony orchestra and some friendly guys from New Zealand and New York. We had our final breakfast on the Sunday before hitting the road for our long trek home on the Sunday. We left our hostel at 9am in the morning and I was back in my room at 10pm! It was a solid 13 hours on the road but the trip to Amsterdam was worth every penny and every second! Before I came to Europe, Amsterdam was not really one of the places I originally planned on visiting but I am so glad that I did! Definitely a great way to kick off my European travels! (Side note, my sister sent me a message yesterday that the main male actor from FIOS is in Amsterdam right now!! I am so not impressed!)

 

Tot ziens Amtserdam! 

Unfortunately, due to my weekend trip away I missed the Thanksgiving party my friends had here on Sunday. However, I decided to make a turkey dinner for one in my cuisinette on Monday and was relatively successful! I made turkey, stuffing, potatoes and orange-glazed carrots. I was unable to find cranberry sauce so I substituted with fig jam. Happy Thanksgiving to me!

On a side note, yes I am still going to school! It’s not my preferred activity but I am still the dedicated student that I have always been! I got my first exam back today and got an 85%, which is quite good in the French system. I do not have too much this week, but have three exams next week before my reading week. I will have to find some time to study before I head off this weekend to climb Mont-St-Michel, in Normandy, France. I absolutely cannot wait!! I also need to squeeze in some time to sleep, however, knowing me, I cannot guarantee that will happen! Well, c’est la vie d’une étudiante d’échange. So much to do, definitely not enough time!

À la prochaine!

Avec amour,

Erica xoxoxoxoxoxo  

PS Look what I found in my local grocery store!