Between Dec 8th - 12th like any other school week I would have classes to teach. However during this week, the students across France decided to go on strike as they were unhappy with the changes the government was making in the high school system. President Sarkozy from what I understand was trying to take out some high school subject options for the students, and since they did not want that to happen, high school kids all over France got together and put up big planks of wood and metal in the entrances of their schools. Luckily, this happened to my school Paul Cornu as well, so I basically had the entire week off from teaching. This worked out perfectly because as my mom was visiting me for 2 weeks, we had a week to use the car and explore the beautiful cities of Normandy. In our first excursion we drove to Caen (Normandy’s captial) to revisit the city where my mom did her study abroad when she was a college student in England. It was really cool because we got to see her old host mother her was 91 (more or less) and still healthy and who had a good memory from what I gathered if she could remember my mom when she stayed with her in the 1970s.
Since my mom rented a car during her 2 week stay, the typical short distance weekend trips that Cecil and I had gotten used to were no more! On the first weekend my mom was here, all 3 of us got in our small little French Peugot Car, and drove about 3 hours to Mont Saint Michel. For those of you unfamiliar with this French monument, it is essentially a castle/town/abbey from the middle ages that is especially unique because it was built on an island a couple hundred yards from the mainland. In the day when the tide is out, many tourists make the bare-footed trek across the sand to reach the island. During the evening the tide comes back in making the trip back a little more damp and actually highly dangerous. They say the tide comes in like “galloping horses”. YIKES. Since we were visiting Mont St. Michel in december, we chose the drier option to get to the entrance by using the one road that leads up to the main entrance and parking close by. Unfortunately the season in which we were visiting this monument is notorious for bad weather. And the day we were there Normandy did not disappoint. IT POURRRRED down!! I was lucky to throw one umbrella in the car before we left Lisieux. Although it was cloudy and rained during most of our visit, the one good thing about seeing the Mont St. Michel during the winter is the crowds. We were told since this monument is the second most vistited in France (after, you guessed it, the Eiffel Tower), that in the summer it is PACKED with people. So luckily for us we traded the crowds of tourists for rain. In the end it was a good trade, and we enjoyed all that we got to see on this historic castle/island. Essentially you walk in a narrow cobble-stoned path, lined with little stores, shops, and restaurants featuring the best regional cuisine, as it gradually slopes upward toward the central abbey. There are places to stop, rest, and take pictures along the castle walls which became fantastic look out sites over the British Channel and back across mainland France. Finally the path takes you to the abbey where for only 5 euros, you get to explore the famous cloister (a type of enclosed-garden), church, bell tower, refectory (dining hall), and some outdoor areas that let you have an even better view of the sea and land around you! Suffice it to say we all enjoyed the it a lot - we were even lucky enough to be in the abbey at the perfect time to see a local monk ring the massive bell to call the other church members to mass! (Check out some of the pictures below.) We finished our weekend visit staying in a cozy motel right near the island and enjoying the local seafood for dinner. I think I may have had the best French food in my time here so far - I ordered Moules-Frites, which translates to Mussels and French Fries. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
The next adventure I went on was visiting Paris with my mom, before she left to return to the States, and before I left with Cecil on our trip to celebrate Christmas in Barcelona. My mom and I got to spend a couple days in Paris, before our plane flights, and we crammed as much as we possibly could into those few days. Our hotel was situated in the Mont-Martre neighborhood, so one of the first things we did was hike up to Sacré-Coeur, which is this beauuuuutiful cathedral situated on top of the famous Mont-Martre butte that overlooks Paris. We had a small picnic of baguettes, salami, and brie on the steps of Sacre Coeur while listening to the music of local street musicians. I wanted to show my mom the Moulin Rouge without tell her...but she soon figured out where we were heading as we walked past several sex shops and brothel type businesses in this notorious risqué neighborhood. In the late afternoon, we visited the famous Musée D’Orsay and got to see some of the prettiest paintings ever! Since coming to France, I’ve learnt a lot more about art and have taken a real interest into Impressionist artwork. Since my mom likes impressionism too, we were simply amazed at the famous paintings by Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Manet, Degas, and my personal ‘post-impressionist’ painter, Van Gogh. Though I don’t know that much about art, I couldn’t help but feel goosebumps on my neck and a chill down my spine as I entered a room and saw Monet’s waterlillies, Renoir’s ‘Dance at the Moulin de la Galette’, and Van Gogh’s ‘Room at Arles’. The famous paintings you always see in textbooks or in magazines, but this time - we stood just a few meters (ok feet for the american crowd) from them!!!! It was probably the best museum I have been to so far.
When we left the Orsay, it was already quite late, so we decided to head back to the hotel room. But instead of hopping on the closest metro, my mom and I took our time walking along the Seine. Fortunately we headed in the perfect direction and ‘stumbled upon’ ...... The EIFFEL TOWER. I had been to the eiffel tower once already with my dad back in 2003, but that was in the day. At night it was a whole different story! The were crowds of people standing around taking tooons of pictures I think partly because at night the tower is completely lit up. It really changes the image of the monument and I discovered that I prefer it best at night time. We joined the tourists and took several pictures. Finally we had a savory french crepe for a light dinner and slept. In the morning I did not have much time to explore more of Paris because my friend Cecil was meeting me there in the early afternoon to catch our flight to Barcelona for christmas. So after we met him at the train station, we all made our way to the airport shuttle pick up area. I said goodbye to my mom, before Cecil and I boarded the bus for our next trip - Barcelona. But I had a woonnnderful 2 weeks with my mom here and I was sooo happy she came to visit and see france, speak french, eat cheese, drink wine hhaha, (rent a car so we could travel easier :) ) and see her old region where she studied abroad when she was a college student. I look forward to seeing more of my family when they come this summer to visit Europe.
That’s it for now, I will try to update again really soon describing a little bit about barcelona and also about the next adventure that I am embarking on tomorrow during the Feb. vacation: AMSTERDAM!!!
p.s. go BARACK OBAMA!!!!!
