Last Sunday the the "Amicale" (social) group of Marc Bloch University put together an excursion to the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line is an underground fortification that was built for the second world war and is situated on the boarder between France and Germany. We got to go on a tour of one part of the massive line. It was really interesting to see where the soldiers had to spend a large part of their time.
After the tour, our group went for dinner at a traditional Alsatian Tarte Flambé restaurant. They cooked the tarte flambés traditionally in a large open flame oven. For desert we had an apple tarte flambé. It was delicious!
I've posted pictures in a slideshow on the right side of my blog. You can click on it and you to the page to see the captions and see what the photo is about.
This weekend I'm going to visit the Colmar Christmas Market (30min south of Strasbourg), so there will be more Christmas cheer coming up!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Marché de Noël
Last night (Saturday Nov 24th) was the first night of the Marché de Noël! Every year in Strasbourg (and all over Alsace and Germany) each town has a Christmas Market. It is so neat! Each part of the city has a different market with handmade ornaments, decorations, and most importantly...food! They sell everything from candied apples to tarte flambés (like a really really thin pizza) to spiced wine. The atmosphere is great. I love just walking around looking at the lights and hearing the caroling. Next weekend we are going to a little city called Colmar which is about 1/2 hr south of Strasbourg to see their Marché de Noël as well!
The main tree in Place Kleber. It is absolutely
enormous! So many lights and such a beautiful
sight.
Angles by the Cathedral
Galeries Lafayette: A huge high end department
store in France (where I do most of my shopping!)
Market in Place Broglie (near to where
I will be living in the New Year!)
My future street! I'm moving here
in the New Year.
A traditional restaurant all dressed up for
Christmas. All the stores decorate for the
Marché de Noël.
Detail of same restaurant. The little people are
wearing traditional Alsatian costume.
The main tree in Place Kleber. It is absolutely
enormous! So many lights and such a beautiful
sight.
Angles by the Cathedral
Galeries Lafayette: A huge high end department
store in France (where I do most of my shopping!)
Market in Place Broglie (near to where
I will be living in the New Year!)
My future street! I'm moving here
in the New Year.
A traditional restaurant all dressed up for
Christmas. All the stores decorate for the
Marché de Noël.
Detail of same restaurant. The little people are
wearing traditional Alsatian costume.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
In Between Times
So I just posted my photos from Switzerland! Sorry for the delay...plus they are not very spectacular "à cause des" clouds, so I didn't get any of the Swiss Alps, but never fear, I'll probably be going back sometime in the near future.
So this week is just a regular boring school week for me, studying (uhhh the reason I'm here!) and hanging out with friends.
One neat thing is that in two weeks I'm going to ROME! I just booked my flights for very cheap. I'll be flying into Naples and spending the day in Pompeii then the next day taking the train to Rome where I'll spend 3 full days. I'm so excited to see and experience the city. Most people that I've talked to have absolutely loved Rome, so I have high hopes...I'll let you know how it goes!
À la prochaine!
So this week is just a regular boring school week for me, studying (uhhh the reason I'm here!) and hanging out with friends.
One neat thing is that in two weeks I'm going to ROME! I just booked my flights for very cheap. I'll be flying into Naples and spending the day in Pompeii then the next day taking the train to Rome where I'll spend 3 full days. I'm so excited to see and experience the city. Most people that I've talked to have absolutely loved Rome, so I have high hopes...I'll let you know how it goes!
À la prochaine!
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Long Awaited Switzerland Photos...Geneva
Chelsea and I on the train to Geneva
Me and Ellie (my friend who lives in Bern...she put us up for the night and cooked us AMAZING food!).
Entrance to the UN (I couldn't find Canada's flag but it's there somewhere!)
Me at the UN!
Flag of Geneva in foreground and Swiss flag in background.
The Long Awaited Switzerland Photos...Lucerne
The "Covered Bridge" in Lucerne
There are hundreds of paintings underneath the roof.
View of the "Watchtower" and the "Covered Bridge" in Lucerne.
Traditional Alpine Swiss Horn Players
**Watch the video I've posted of them playing!
Swiss Cows? (Yak...Yaks? what IS the plural of yak Jarrett?)
The Dying Lion Monument
(In remembrance of the Swiss Soldiers who were massacred during the French Revolution)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Freedom!
I am now officially finished my mid-terms. I had my oral presentation today of the History of the French Renaissance and I got 18+/20. So that encourages me that I'm not as bad at speaking French than I thought!
By the end of this month it will be mid-November! How crazy is that? I am very excited for Christmas time, as the city of Strasbourg is starting to put up many decorations in preparation for the "Marché de Nöel" (Christmas market) that starts November 25th. In the old city there is Kleber square, and they have just erected a MASSIVE pine Christmas tree! I can't wait for the city to be alive with lights!
Christmas for me this year will be exciting but also a bit weird. I am not coming home for Christmas, but traveling to Glasgow Scotland to visit my Grandma Anderson's cousin Harry Donald and his wife Catherine. They are in their 80's and this year they are having Christmas at their daughter Moira and son-in-law John's house. Harry & Catherine's granddaughter Amanda is my age, so it will be great to meet her and to see everyone again. I have only met Harry & Catherine once before while in Scotland (1999 I think) for Highland dancing, but I feel as though I've known them forever since Harry and I are email buddies!
On the 27th of December I'll fly to London, England with Moira and the girls and this is where we will part ways, as they are going to a theater production and I will meet up with my friend Chelsea. I will stay with Chelsea in her cousin's flat and we will celebrate New Year's there! I am very excited about this Christmas adventure!
I will have to post pictures of my Switzerland trip soon (tonight hopefully).
I hope all is well in Canada!
P.S. AS OF NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE AN ACCOUNT TO COMMENT ON THE POSTS. I changed the settings, so now anyone can comment!
By the end of this month it will be mid-November! How crazy is that? I am very excited for Christmas time, as the city of Strasbourg is starting to put up many decorations in preparation for the "Marché de Nöel" (Christmas market) that starts November 25th. In the old city there is Kleber square, and they have just erected a MASSIVE pine Christmas tree! I can't wait for the city to be alive with lights!
Christmas for me this year will be exciting but also a bit weird. I am not coming home for Christmas, but traveling to Glasgow Scotland to visit my Grandma Anderson's cousin Harry Donald and his wife Catherine. They are in their 80's and this year they are having Christmas at their daughter Moira and son-in-law John's house. Harry & Catherine's granddaughter Amanda is my age, so it will be great to meet her and to see everyone again. I have only met Harry & Catherine once before while in Scotland (1999 I think) for Highland dancing, but I feel as though I've known them forever since Harry and I are email buddies!
On the 27th of December I'll fly to London, England with Moira and the girls and this is where we will part ways, as they are going to a theater production and I will meet up with my friend Chelsea. I will stay with Chelsea in her cousin's flat and we will celebrate New Year's there! I am very excited about this Christmas adventure!
I will have to post pictures of my Switzerland trip soon (tonight hopefully).
I hope all is well in Canada!
P.S. AS OF NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE AN ACCOUNT TO COMMENT ON THE POSTS. I changed the settings, so now anyone can comment!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Week of Exams...dun dun dun
So this week was my mid-term week. There are 4 sections that they test you on:
1. Oral comprehension
2. Reading comprehension
3. Essay writing skills
4. Oral presentation skills
So I'm done the first three, and have my 15 min oral presentation on the history of the French Renaissance on Tuesday. It should go well (hopefully!)
Meanwhile, this weekend I'm heading off to Switzerland! I have a friend that I met at IVCF at UVic and she is doing her masters there, so Chelsea and I are going to Lucerne (Mt. Pilatus), Bern and Geneva. At Mt. Pilatus there is an aerial cable-car that goes up the mountain so we can get a clear picture of what the alps look like! It's going to be amazing! Unfortunately the UN in Geneva isn't open on the weekend, so we can't get a tour of the inside (that would have been so interesting!) but we can still take pictures of the outside! I will post pictures as soon as I get back as well! I hope that you've enjoyed the ones that I've already posted :) À Bientôt!
1. Oral comprehension
2. Reading comprehension
3. Essay writing skills
4. Oral presentation skills
So I'm done the first three, and have my 15 min oral presentation on the history of the French Renaissance on Tuesday. It should go well (hopefully!)
Meanwhile, this weekend I'm heading off to Switzerland! I have a friend that I met at IVCF at UVic and she is doing her masters there, so Chelsea and I are going to Lucerne (Mt. Pilatus), Bern and Geneva. At Mt. Pilatus there is an aerial cable-car that goes up the mountain so we can get a clear picture of what the alps look like! It's going to be amazing! Unfortunately the UN in Geneva isn't open on the weekend, so we can't get a tour of the inside (that would have been so interesting!) but we can still take pictures of the outside! I will post pictures as soon as I get back as well! I hope that you've enjoyed the ones that I've already posted :) À Bientôt!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Links
PS I've added some links on the left hand side of my page...they are ones that I find interesting, so you might too!
Western France-October Break
So our trip to Western France was a success! Chelsea (my Australian friend) and I traveled to: Tours, Château Chenonceau, La Rochelle, St Malo & Mont St Michel. I really love western France! It was nice to be on the coast again and to smell the salty ocean air! My favorite city by far was St. Malo. The beaches are gorgeous and sandy, but there is also rugged rocks all around. The city just seems to appear out of the rock.
We went to the History Museum in St Malo, and I learned a lot about Canada! Jacques Cartier (who "discovered" Canada in the 1530's) was from St Malo and on his first voyage he landed in Newfoundland. From then on, NFL and St Malo were connected through the fishing trade. I was shocked to find that I could learn something about Canadian History in a French Museum...but it makes sense. The French were the "first" ones in Canada after all; they wouldn't want the world to forget that!
Anyway, enough of the history lesson. Here are some pictures of my travels!
Tours: The old city
(we had a desert crêpe from the little restaurant at the bottom of the middle building).
View of the river Cher at Château Chenonceau
Reflection of Château Chenonceau (my fairy tale castle!)
La Rochelle: Chain Tower (left) & St Nicolas Tower (right).
Sunset in La Rochelle
Nightview
La Rochelle: Chain Tower (left) & St Nicolas Tower (right)
St Malo: view from island Grand Bé
Beautiful beaches of St Malo
The Abbey of Mont St Michel
We went to the History Museum in St Malo, and I learned a lot about Canada! Jacques Cartier (who "discovered" Canada in the 1530's) was from St Malo and on his first voyage he landed in Newfoundland. From then on, NFL and St Malo were connected through the fishing trade. I was shocked to find that I could learn something about Canadian History in a French Museum...but it makes sense. The French were the "first" ones in Canada after all; they wouldn't want the world to forget that!
Anyway, enough of the history lesson. Here are some pictures of my travels!
Tours: The old city
(we had a desert crêpe from the little restaurant at the bottom of the middle building).
View of the river Cher at Château Chenonceau
Reflection of Château Chenonceau (my fairy tale castle!)
La Rochelle: Chain Tower (left) & St Nicolas Tower (right).
Sunset in La Rochelle
Nightview
La Rochelle: Chain Tower (left) & St Nicolas Tower (right)
St Malo: view from island Grand Bé
Beautiful beaches of St Malo
The Abbey of Mont St Michel
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