Beautiful Bretagne

After getting some lunch at the market in Caen, we got on the train to Pontorson in Brittany. Our "hostel" ended up really being an adorable Bed & Breakfast with a cute little British couple. Somewhere along that train ride, we were magically transported from France into England... pretty sure :) Our "host grandpa" from the B&B was waiting at the train station for us and helped us all pile into the back of his ancient Land Rover (with British steering wheel on the other side). We bumbled along off to the B&B, passing by beautiful farmland and old brick houses and buildings. It was incredibly cute! We took a walk around the village around sunset and it rained a little, so there were crazy beautiful clouds!


Monday morning, after our lovely little English breakfast, we piled back into the crazy truck and headed off for Mont Saint Michel. It was so exciting to finally see it as we drove through the winding country roads. I don't know how we could have possibly gotten there if we hadn't stayed at the amazing "hostel," because it was quite out in the middle of nowhere. There were hundreds of fluffy sheep in and around the road welcoming us to the lovely island town as we arrived. There were no tides this week, for whatever reason, that was a bit of a bummer... but it was still quite amazing! We did a guided three-hour tour (in French- go me! haha), which was really great.


After lunch, we wandered around the extremely touristy winding streets, ate ice cream on the rooftops after squeezing through little alley pathways upwards, and explored a little around the bay (getting a bit muddy in the process). We got some good inexpensive food at the Oyster Catcher, one of two food establishments in the tiny town we stayed in, and walked around the village until sunset.

More pictures :)

Brittany

Mont Saint Michel

Oh p.s. There is controversy over whether Mont Saint Michel is in Normany or Brittany... and I think today it is technically part of Normandy, so I apologize for having it part of the post of Brittany haha.

Wednesday, we took another train to Concarneau, on the Atlantic coast of Brittany. We really lucked out with a cute and clean hostel right on the beach. Our window in the room opened right up to the beautiful sea ☺



We had a lovely afternoon clambering around tide-pools. Emily, my friend who is a marine biology researcher, told us all about the different algae, shrimp, anemones, and assorted crustaceans we were seeing. It was so much fun! After hanging out on the beach a little, we headed into the cute little maritime city. We walked past he busy marina and headed into the old fort on the water, which is now apparently where they cram in the cheesy tourist town. It seemed like a crazy little village from Shrek or something haha… there was a band playing pep-band/folk music, souvenir shops, creperies, etc. It was cheesy but fun.



We were able to cook in the hostel’s kitchen, so we made a lovely little spaghetti sauce and pasta for a grand total of 2€ each… now that’s what I’m talking about!



We had a nice little walk around the tide-pools again in the morning after breakfast and then a stately monsieur cormorant sent us off on our trip to Carnac.

l'Océan Atlantique

After quite the process of buses, trains, and autocars, we finally arrived in Carnac, another city on the coast. We walked out of town to the park where they have the ancient megalithic stones. It is apparently the largest site in the world, with over 3000 stones dating back to 3300 – 4500 BC. The rocks are all lined up in rows for about a kilometer, and there are many different theories about their origins. It probably had something to do with astronomical alignment and/or farming. Whatever it is, it is pretty impressive and mind-boggling!

Carnac

A Weekend of Sunshine and Smiles

What an amazing weekend!  We had great weather and great adventures throughout Provence with Miranda and the group.  We let early Friday morning and started out with a tour and wine tasting at the Chateauneuf-du-Pape “cave.”  It was really interesting to learn all about the different parts of production and the history of French wine.  

Next, we went to the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct built over 2000 years ago.  It was incredibly windy on the bridge, near the water, and in the hills there (basically everywhere!) but beautiful and sunny.  There was an 800 year old olive tree right next to our picnic lunch site!  

Then we went to Avignon and visited the Palais des Papes, where the French popes lived during all the fun schism years of political squabbles and corruption.  We went and danced on the Pont d’Avignon, the bridge that was supposedly built by a Shepard boy who heard God tell him to build it.  Part of it is actually broken now, so it does not actually cross over to the other side like a bridge.   Rough, huh?   "Sur le Pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse, l'on y danse!" 

We did a morning tour the next day of Terascon, the chateau of King Rene.   It was build between 1400 and 1449 and was quite beautiful and fascinating.  Inside the prison part, prisoners had drawn lots of intricate religious symbols, the chateau itself, and games to play (a checkers board and backgammon).  The view at the top was quite spectacular.  I loved all the funny gargoyles and there were also neat carvings that made cool shadows on the walls.   

We toured the Roman Arena from 90 A.D., which was pretty amazing.  Apparently a whole village lived inside the arena at one point during the Middle Ages.  They still do bull fights there today once in awhile.  French bulls get to "retire" to farms when they get older, but the imported Spanish bulls still get killed during the fight :( 

We went through Arles, where Van Gogh spent a significant part of his life, and walked through all the cute little streets there.  We picked up some fresh strawberries and baguettes at the market and had lunch in the beautiful Van Gogh gardens.  The building around it used to be the mental institution in which Van Gogh checked himself into toward the end of his life.  We got to see the cafe featured in "Le Cafe du Soir" and many other cute little sites.  

We spent part of the afternoon in Baux de Provence, a little winding village that leads up a hill/mountain.  They've left it mostly in the Medieval style, although it has become quite touristy in past years.  There is part of a chateau built right into the rock at the top and they do Medieval reenactment type things.  

We drove through a rather mountainous region called "Hell's Valley," which definitely reminded me of the Black Hills and the Badlands in the US.  It was quite a dramatic and beautiful landscape.  Then Miranda surprised us with a stop at the Cathedral d'Images, one of the coolest things I have ever experienced!  It is an old limestone quarry/cave in which they project moving images upon the white walls of the cave along with music.  

When we were there, it was all Van Gogh paintings, with the colors and brushstrokes gently floating around the rooms, with amazing mixes of colors and lights.   Each painting blended in with the next and you could feel the liveliness of the people and landscapes.  It's hard to explain, but I found it absolutely fascinating.   They've had exhibits of the canals of Venice, ancient Egypt, the doors of Europe, African safari, etc in the past.  I thought it was such an amazing concept of combing our modern technology and honoring such amazing art and history of the past in a new way.  I would love to come back again someday and see another exhibit.  

We drove through the Camaguge a bit and saw hundreds of beautiful wild flamingos.  Then we pulled into Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where our hotel was located.  The town is all about the legend of the Three Marys: Mary Jacobe (sister of the Virgin Mary), Mary Salome (mother of disciples James and John), and Mary Magdalene.  The story says that the 3 Marys and their servant Sarah were set adrift by boat from Jerusalem by the Jews and landed in St. Maries-de-la-Mer in 40 AD ... with no oars or sails, of course.  They were so happy to have safely landed, they built a chapel in thanks for their safe journey.  Their tombs are a major pilgrimage site for gypsies every May.  Pretty interesting.

Our hotel was right across from the beach, so we frolicked around on the sandy beach and rocky jetties during the sunset before dinner.  How lovely.  We had a fun dinner at a Spanish-themed restaurant with guitarists and flamenco dancers.  

The next morning, we went horseback riding through the Camargue, passing lagoons filled with flamingos and herons, salt marshes, grasslands with bulls, and rice fields.  Our beautiful white horses were fairly well behaved and it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. 

 

We got back into town and watched the running of the bulls, which they do every other Sunday on the main street I guess.  After seeing that, we lounged around on the beach eating gelato until it was time to go back to rainy Grenoble.  Quite a lovely weekend!  

More pictures?

Sunshine in Provence :)

I Love Grenoble

Today has been yet another fabulous day in Grenoble. I woke up to sunshine beaming in through my window and a view of our gorgeous mountains. My jaw still drops at their grandeur some days, even after being here and seeing them everyday for two months.

Here's a view of the mountains from Echirolles.

I met Gita and some of the other girls in town to go up to the Musée de Dauphinois, a museum of the history of the Dauphinois region that we live in.

There was a terrace with a breath-taking view of the city and mountains where we all hung out and had a nice “franglais” chat in the sun of the afternoon.


We walked a bit farther up toward the bastille again and spent several hours basking in the warm sun and just having a peaceful lovely afternoon. I’m so happy right now :)

Un peu plus de Paris

Friday afternoon in Paris we walked through Place Vendome, a very fancy area with elegant buildings, designer shops, expensive jewelry, the Ritz, etc. There is a huge Napoleon statue in the center. We walked through the Tuilerie Gardens a bit and got our first view of the Eiffel Tower for the trip ☺


We saw Place de la Concorde, built between 1757 and 1777 as a monument to Louis X. It served as the lovely slaughtering sight during the Reign of Terror. Termed “Place de la Revolution” during those years, the guillotine there severed 1,343 aristocratic heads. Ewwww! It was later renamed “Concorde,” which means harmony/peace, so as not to have any negative aristocratic, religious, or political ties.


The Obélisque de Luxor was given as a gift to Charles X by the Viceroy of Egypt. It is from the 13th century BC, so it is Paris’ oldest monument.


My friend Dee and I went to the Orangerie, a museum of some of the most beautiful and calming rooms I have ever seen. There are two huge oval shaped rooms with four of Monet's "Nymphéas" (water lilies) surround the walls in each room. I was so awestruck by the beauty of it all, I just loved it. I would love to have those paintings on the walls in my bedroom. What a calming scene to wake up to every morning! I took lots of pictures, but they just cannot do it justice. The basement of the museum had some of my favorite Renoir's, Cezanne's, Picasso's, etc. What a great find! I would highly recommend going to the Orangerie if you ever can.


We all went to the Louvre for the free student night (Fridays) and it was of course fabulous. It's so huge, I could never even begin to see everything in the three hours we were there. I went through the Greek and Roman god/goddess sculptures, which always capture and amaze me. I bumped into my friend Christine and we went through all the French paintings together, studying for our art history class as we went along. We saw paintings by Fragonard, Watteau, Boucher, Chardin, Corot, Corbet, Daumier, etc and it was just really neat seeing them all in person. We of course saw the "Venus de Milo," "Winged Victory," and "Mona Lisa."


Saturday morning, we did a big tour of Montmartre with Miranda, starting at the Moulin Rouge. Then we walked up through the cute little streets, passing by the homes of many artists, writers, philosophers, etc. It was a little cloudy and gray outside, but still quite enjoyable. There were many adorable cafes, parks, and gardens, including the Moulin de la Galette, where the famous Renoir painting took place :) Yay! That made me really happy to see that because it’s one of my favorite paintings.


We saw the café where Edith Piaf sang her last notes, the famous Lapin Agile, and the apartment where Marcel Aymé, author of “Le Passe-Muraille” lived. This is a famous short story about a man who could walk through walls and his adventures with that power. I did an analysis of it at Carthage last spring in my literature class, so that was really fun to see the statue and Aymé’s home.


As the morning went on, the clouds started clearing up and it became a beautiful warm sunny day just as we got to the top of the hill to see the amazing Sacre Coeur. Its white stone was so beautiful in contrast with the bright green spring grass and lovely blue sky. We learned that in WWII, the bombs dropped all over Montmartre, but just missed Sacre Coeur and the church right next to it. It’s only a normal little street between the two churches, so the bombs missed destroying them by just a few feet. The inside was very beautiful and peaceful. Hearing the choir’s voices rise up into the dome was extremely calming and really made me miss singing at Carthage.


We decided to climb up into the dome afterward, which was really fun and a great view. There were obviously a lot of steps, so it was quite a workout, but well worth it.


After lunch, we walked through the scenic Luxembourg Gardens, which houses the Palais de Luxembourg where the Senate meets. There are many beautiful fountains, statues of famous figures, and pools/ponds. There were children playing on playgrounds, basketball courts, ponies, carousels, older men playing petangue, and it was overall quite lovely. Right near some beautiful blooming cherry trees, there is a small version of the Statue of Liberty that was used as the model for the creation of our Lady Liberty. It made me a little nostalgic for America with the combination of the Statue of Liberty and the cherry blossoms, which always remind me of Washington, D.C. in springtime.


We headed over to the Champs Elysée to see the Arc de Triomphe. We paid to go up to the top, which was so great! It was pretty cloudy, but still marvelous to be able to see the whole city like that. The architecture is so amazing in itself and the statues on the sides are really interesting.


We took a boat tour along the Seine for our last night in Paris. It was an absolutely magical and perfect evening for me. It was so fun to be with everyone and see some of the must awe-inspiring views I have ever seen. The Eiffel Tower at night just blows me away every time.


Sunday was quite a rainy dreary day, but still great and filled with the energy of the city. We did a tour of the Latin Quarter, seeing the Sorbonne, several churches, a museum of the Middle Ages, cute cafés and bookstores, and of course Notre Dame. 

Walking into such a calming and remarkable environment during Sunday morning Mass was so peaceful after coming in from the rain outside. With all the music and candles, it felt like a safe haven from the yucky weather outside.



After lunch with the girls, I decided to be independent and enjoy my last few hours of Paris on my own for the afternoon. I got absolutely soaking wet wandering around little streets, but had a goofy smile plastered across my face the whole time. I just really enjoyed my weekend in Paris and did not want to miss one minute of it. I walked past the Hotel de Ville (City Hall), the back of Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, the Palais de Justice, Hotel Dieu, and Centre Pompidou. I also saw the Pantheon, were Voltaire, Rousseau, Pierre and Marie Curie, Braille, Hugo, Zola, and many more famous French figures are buried. It also houses Foucault’s Pendulem, while proves the rotation of the earth, a very important historical discovery!

It was a lovely afternoon and I was sad to leave. Just as we walked up to the train station, the sun came out and so the train ride home was very beautiful. Paris, je t’aime!


So in case you're still reading this and you actually want to see MORE photos, click below!

Paris

Amazing Amsterdam!

We went to Amsterdam in the Netherlands for our Winter Break and it was fantastic! We planned our days full of museums, lots of walking through beautiful parks and canals, good food, and laughter. The people were so warm and friendly in all the museums, shops, and restaurants :) I loved all the colorful boats and buildings everywhere!

There are so many canals filled with birds and boats every time you walk another block. I never got over the beauty.
People in Amsterdam ride bicycles everywhere, so that was fun to see. I'd love to come back someday and bike through in the summer when it's a little warmer :)

We went to the Anne Frank House, where we were able to walk through all the rooms where the eight people actually lived in hiding from 1942-1944. It is more than just a house, but a real museum that gives lots of details about the historical situation at the time, real objects from the house (including Anne's actual diary), and quotes from the diary printed on the walls in each room. It was extremely interesting and also quite emotionally intense to be actually walking up the tiny staircases and looking at the rooms in which these people lived two whole years of their lives.

We spent Monday morning in the Van Gogh Museum, viewing the largest collection of his paintings in the world, alongside the historical information about his life. There were also paintings by Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Millet, Corbet, Signac, and many more of his inspirations/contemporaries/followers. I never realized that he started out as a lay preacher and began self-taught painting at age 27. He painted everything we've seen in the 10 years before his tragic death in 1890. It was really interesting to see the paintings together and see his transitions in life and art.


After a lovely lunch of Dutch pancakes in a cafe in the park, we took some fun photos:
Then we went to the Rijksmuseum of the Dutch Golden Age (17th Century), filled with Rembrandt paintings and other famous Dutch artists, intermingled with fancy swords, doll houses, ship replicas, Royal Delft porcelain, and other "Masterpieces" on display. I even surprised myself how fascinated I was by everything. It was one of the most organized and well displayed museums I've ever seen. Memories from high school AP World History definitely came back to me and made a little more sense as I walked from room to room.

Here's a sundial in the gardens of the Rijksmuseum that was totally correct!

Tuesday morning, we went to De Niewe Kerk (New Church- but it's not really so "new", considering it was built in the 14th century) in Dam Square, where we saw the amazing exhibit of archaeological finds and history of Afghanistan. The documentary (in French :) ) explained how the Taliban had destroyed many of the things in the national museum in 2001. Now they are having the restored pieces tour "countries with peace" so that we all may see the beauty of the sculptures, jewelry, and other ancient pieces. The jewelry was sooo amazing- mostly gorgeous gold with turquoise!

After lunch at a fabulous pancake house, we walked across town to the Oude Kerk (Old Church). Built in 1250, is the oldest monument in Amsterdam. It has gorgeous stained glass, high ceilings, and huge pipe organ. For some reason, they show modern art exhibits inside now, which was kind of weird. Some of it was interesting, but mostly kinda creepy.
Wednesday morning, we went to the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, which was amazing and beautiful modern art. There were some great longitudinal photographic studies of soldiers, families, and teenagers. There were some beautiful paintings of women and families that were so delicate and warm, they reminded me of Renoir.

We had lunch at a traditional Dutch restaurant, went shopping at a giant Royal Delft store, walked through chess-piece park and Vondel Park. The train ride from Amsterdam to Rotterdam the next morning was again very beautiful. I absolutely loved this trip and would love to go back someday.

To view the rest of my photos, click below:

Amsterdam