Back to School

Hello all,
For those of you following my blog, you may have noticed that there has been a longer break than usual between posts. I know you have been anxiously awaiting my return, and here I am ready to cure your misery and keep you waiting no longer. It has been an eventful two weeks for me, as I had my first French school vacation and used it go to some nearby attractions in Brittany as well as a four day excursion to Paris.

L'Ile de Groix

The beginning of my hard-earned holiday was a one day trip to L'Ile de Groix, an island accessible by ferry from the town of Lorient, which is a half-hour train ride from Vannes. So yours truly woke up at 5:30 am on a Saturday morning-shocking for those of you that know my sleeping talents-and caught the 6:30 train to Lorient. Though at the time I was seriously debating the merits of my decision to unravel myself from my cozy comforter, I can now say that this was one of the best decisions I have made since my arrival in France. The island was absolutely gorgeous; wonderful hiking and bike trails all over, soaring cliffs, crashing waves, and clear blue water. This kind of environment is one of my all-time favorites to see, as the coast here is so different than anything one finds in Georgia or Florida. Needless to say, I had way too much fun taking pictures and finding the inner photographer in me. After more than ten miles of hiking and several wrong turns, I made it back to my apartment exhausted but totally satisfied with my day.

The next big trip I took was to that city featured in the movie Ratatouille: Paris. Whereas my first trip was a solo adventure, this one was made with the company of two old friends, one from camp-Haley, and one from my previous study abroad experience in France-Abby. It was fantastic to see the city for a second time and travel with such good company; in addition to seeing the most popular sites-Notre Dame, the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower-we also visited Montmartre. This area instantly became my favorite part of the city. It is famous for its art, as many of the world's most celebrated painters resided here at one point or another. It also houses Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church that provides a fantastic view of the city, as well as one street performer who can not only juggle a soccer ball in any way imaginable, but can do it while hanging like a monkey forty feet in the air from a street pole. And that is no exaggeration; I have pictures to prove it. I can also honestly say that the Eiffel Tower is tall. Perhaps that is the most obvious statement I will ever post in this blog, but the immense height of the tower cannot be understated when you are standing on the top. The soccer team that practiced below us resembled a game of FIFA, where the players are so tiny they hardly look real.

Notre Dame

As if the memories of Paris were not enough, my hotel also felt compelled to leave me with one last parting souvenir of my vacation. They sent me on my way with my own collection of microscopic pets. These pets take care of themselves, and they always say hello every now and again just to make sure you don't forget about them. That's right, for those of you bewildered by this reference, that means they sent me home with bedbugs! What would a European experience be without these guys? So the last few days have seen a complete decontamination of myself and my apartment; I am talking an all out war, me and Francoise on one side, and an army of unseen beasts on the other. I am confident though that I will win, and your words of support will be much appreciated.

I also went with Francoise, my ally and teacher/mentor, to the largest used boat show in Europe on Monday. Sailboats, motorboats, kayaks, canoes, you name a boat, and it is there. Pick any kind of boat-related merchandise, or non boat-related merchandise for that matter, and it is for sale. Now, I am not much of a shopper, and I am not easily persuaded to spend money on clothing frivolously; but on this occasion, I did buy a new scarf and nearly splurged on a jacket. This time, it was Francoise who talked sense into me and persuaded me that a jacket that shows my belly button with arms raised into the air is probably not the best investment. So my hunt for a new winter jacket continues.

Finally, as I know this post is dragging on, I will quickly explain how today showed both the best and worst sides of my experience in France. On the one hand today was supposed to be my first day back at work after the holidays, but all of my classes were cancelled. Since I don't work Fridays, this means that I end up not having my first classes until Monday. However, on the flip side, none of this was planned. So I showed up at work today, ready for four different classes having prepared presentations for each of them. One by one, I discovered that none of my classes were happening today for various reasons. The common thread unifying these cancellations was a lack of communication to me, so that I had no idea until I arrived at school today. But understand, I am not complaining too much as I now have a four day weekend and no class until Monday.

Well that about does it for the first blog of my second month in France. I have now established a new blog record in length, and I hope you made it out to the end alive, and not quite as tired as me. Hope to post again soon, and until the next time, ciao
Tommy

My new ride

Sacre Coeur

See, I'm not lying-incredible soccer dude

Eiffel 65