Annecy Part II

Sorry for the delay! Now that I'm back in the States for a bit, I've been extremely busy: visiting all my family and friends, celebrating the holiday, chasing my cat around the Christmas tree, baking cookies, seeing Jersey Boys off-Broadway with my parents... very busy!

Back to Annecy, though!

Wednesday morning, I woke up ready to go on an adventure. I had the sun on my side, so I set off up the little hill to the beautiful church that I noticed from afar the night before. It had looked brilliant from across the lake with the sun setting behind it. After a few wrong turns walking through the city, I ended up right below the church, with a choice of three paths--all headed up, although I couldn't tell where to (hopefully up to the church?). After a few seconds of deliberation, I chose the path to the left (definitely the least traveled of the three) and soon found myself wandering through a forest.

And this is how I accidentally went hiking in Annecy: I chose the wrong path to a church on a hill, became extremely lost, and just decided to keep following the other trail to see what happened anyway. My hope against hope? To climb up high on the mountain behind the church (where I ended up) and stumble upon a gorgeous viewpoint. Forty-five minutes later, having not seen a single other person the entire time and still climbing upwards through a forest on a poorly marked trail, I decided to call it quits if I hadn't reached a viewpoint within 7 more minutes.The further I rose, the better the view became, except for the frustrating fact that each view was hidden behind hundreds of tree branches--I needed a clearing, a viewpoint that I wasn't sure existed.

Seconds before I turned around, disappointed, I spotted something among the trees--a building in the middle of this forest? As I walked closer, it turned out to be a restaurant--quite a fancy one judging by the menu and the prices--called Les Terrasses du Lac. It was nestled in a clearing... which is where I found my viewpoint. 

I stood, admiring the view and snapping pictures, for about twenty minutes. I couldn't imagine a more beautiful spot for a restaurant, although I have to wonder how many people know about it (as it's clearly in the middle of nowhere).

After the viewpoint, I turned around and headed back down the hill. When I arrived, I chose one of the two paths, which led to the church. Unlike Strasbourg's breathtaking gothic cathedral, la basilique de la Visitation was a bit simpler, and quite new in comparison (built in 1909). It was still very imposing, and it commanded a gorgeous view of Annecy and the lake. When I was finished touring the church, I sat on one of the benches outside for almost an hour, listening to music, feeling the warm sun on my back, and looking out over the city and the lake. It was absolutely perfect. 

Rested, I took a walk through the city. I found Annecy Castle, which was strikingly different from both the fancy chateaux of central France and from the rugged stone castles I am used to in England and Ireland. By comparison, Annecy Castle was quite simple, and really not much to look at. Built by the counts of Geneva back in the 12th century, it was abandoned by the 17th century and now serves as a museum. What impressed me is that the walls of the castle are actually 4 meters (13 feet) thick, which is just incredible.

I tried going into the castle--the museum had some interesting exhibits--yet unfortunately I timed it wrong, arriving there at 11:50 a.m., and was denied entry as the entire castle closes for lunch between noon and 2 p.m. As my train to Paris was set to leave at half-past three that afternoon, I didn't ever get to fully visit the Chateau d'Annecy. Perhaps next time!

I wandered around the rest of the old city, stumbling upon the Palais de l'Isle, which is a tiny little castle built in the middle of Annecy's Thiou canal. It's even older than Annecy Castle, and it's quite picturesque.

That afternoon, I ate lunch at a café, then took another walk around the lake--this time, in the opposite direction. It is useless to repeat over and over how beautiful it was. My advice is just that if you are ever in France, I recommend heading to Annecy for at least a day or two, no matter the season. I know the main tourist season is in the summer, but it's gorgeous in the winter as well. If possible, I'm going to try to visit again in the spring, when I can actually go hiking on one of the surrounding mountains.

By the time I was finished with my walk, it was time to head to the train station. I picked up my luggage from the hostel and headed to catch my train to Paris, and my last trip of the year was over. I am so happy that I was brave enough to go to Annecy by myself for a few days. It would have been easy to stay in my familiar Strasbourg for the last days before heading home for the holidays, but instead I went a little out of my comfort zone to explore a new place in a beautiful region of France, and I am not at all sorry.

I'll be back in Paris by the beginning of January, so expect a new post then. But for now, Happy New Years, everybody!

Annecy Part I

I realized a few weeks ago that Tuesday December 17th and Wednesday December 18th, I had nothing to do: no classes, no exams, no EPITECH lessons, nothing! And I didn't want to waste those two days, so I decided to plan an overnight trip somewhere. That somewhere ended up being Annecy. 

One day about a month ago, I was doing some research on beautiful towns in France to visit, and I stumbled upon pictures of Annecy. I fell in love with the town immediately: however, it was nearly 7 hours away by train from Strasbourg--too far for a day trip or even an overnight trip. However, Annecy is less than four hours by train from Paris, and since I had to be in Paris Wesnesday night... a plan was formed, train tickets were booked, and I was on my way--my first adventure alone! 

The journey to Annecy on Tuesday morning should have been easy, but of course something had to go wrong. I had to switch trains in Lyon, and it was a tight connection:12 minutes. Of course, my first train was 2 minutes late, which really counts in such situations. I thought I would just have to switch platforms to get on my next train to Annecy, but when I looked at the information screens, my train wasn't given a platform number to go to: instead, there was just a digital square with wheels. I figured out this meant a bus (why switch a train to a bus with no warning?!?) but having never been in Lyon before, I had no idea where the buses were. I found an exit to the train station and ran out, frantically chasing some city buses before realizing they weren't what I wanted. Then I sprinted back into the train station,  and with two minutes remaining before the bus was meant to leave, I asked a french couple in a panic, and they directed me to a different exit on the other side of the huge station. And I ran. Luckily, I made it to the bus, the last passenger. Stupid France, throwing me a curveball like that. 

The scenery of the bus ride was phenomenal, however. We sped past misty fields, frosted over yet bathed in sunlight--a hauntingly beautiful mix of gold and blue-grey. Next, we climbed into the misty mountains--views that took my breath away. I was annoyed that none of the other passengers seemed to even be noticing the scenery, though. 

When I finally arrived in Annecy, I quickly located my hostel and dropped off my heavy luggage, and then I explored. I walked on the numerous bridges that run alog the charming canals (prettier then Venice, although I've never been to Venice) and into town. Then I walked right out of town, and into the public gardens and parks that make up the banks of the lake (Lake Annecy, if you are curious). 

I spent a long time walking along the lake and photographing it, along with the mountains that surround it. A few were even snow capped, which made me extremely happy. Annecy was exactly my cup of tea: a charming medieval town on the banks of a huge beautiful lake surrounded by towering, snow capped mountains. Unfortunately, I had arrived pretty late in the afternoon, and was quickly losing the light. The walk around part of the lake had taken a good hour and a half, meaning that by the time I had returned to the town, it was dark.

I must have taken about 100 photos of that lake and those mountains on Tuesday. It was just so pretty, the colors on the water as the sun set. No photo, though, can truly capture the beauty of simply being there, at that moment, experiencing. 

After darkness had fallen, I walked through Annecy and window shopped for a bit. There were christmas lights strung across the main streets--though nothing like Strasbourg's--and it was quite merry. However, Annecy is'nt all that large, and by 6pm, I was starting to get chilled. I ate a quick dinner, then happily stumbled upon a cinema, where I saw The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in French. Afterwards, I headed back to my hostel for the night. I ended up having a private room, actually: it seems no one else had booked a bed for the night, although it was a Tuesday night in December (decidedly the off-tourist season) so it makes sense why Annecy wasn't too crowded. 

I will post part II soon! For now, though, I am a bit jet-lagged (just arrived home last night!) so I will end here. 

Last of the Lumières (for me)

I've left Strasbourg and I'm now in Paris, waiting for my flight tomorrow morning. In between the two cities, I took one last side trip to the beautiful little town of Annecy, which isn't too far off from Geneva. However, I will save that for another post. I just wanted to write a little about the Strasbourg Christmas markets, one last time.

Hot honeyed white wine!

Anyone else notice how this picture sparkles? I wanted to give everyone a sense of how it felt to be there

Monday night was my last night in Strasbourg for 2013, and it was weird. I spent all Monday at the Christmas markets, buying gifts, walking around, and treating myself to all the foods and drinks that I thought I had all the time in the world to try just three weeks ago... How fast time flies! Hot honeyed white wine, chocolate-covered raspberries, speculous crêpes, and one final spatzle-choucroute bowl (spatzle is unpronounceable German pasta, similar to gnocchi). All was delicious, of course. Monday night was also my last EPITECH lesson for the semester, and as I was headed home, it seemed fitting that the Christmas Markets of Place Broglie were closing for the night. It was my last night of lights in Strasbourg for me, for this year at least! 

It will be so strange returning in January to find no Christmas lights and no markets. And no crowds of tourists, too! Anyway, I'll end this post with one last picture of my beautiful city, all lit up.

No Longer A Tourist

Over 2 million people are flocking to Strasbourg this December for the Christmas Markets, and my little city is fit to burst with the sudden onslaught of visitors. Every hotel room is booked, and the city streets show it. I rarely even try to brave the Christmas markets on Saturdays, because you literally can't move in the crowds. At first, I was worried that I would  feel like just another tourist, but I don't, at all. Instead, I feel like I'm pretty much a member of the Strasbourgoise, wondering why all these extra people are in my city. (Where are you all from, seriously?! And must you really clog all the streets and restaurants and trams?) I think it is similar to how people from New York City must feel all the time. 

I'm not really complaining, though. Of course, the crowds get a little annoying, but I've met people from all over the world in the last few weeks. Some of the best moments have been overhearing tourists exclaiming "this is my favorite place in the world" or "This is absolutely incredible!" or "I wish the Christmas markets could last all year" or my personal favorite: "I wish I lived here!" (The last one makes me a little smug, seeing as I do live here, at least for the next few months). 

However, riding the train back home last night--after a day spent braving the Saturday Christmas markets with Julianne, Bridget, and Christian, who were visiting from Dijon--I was caught up in listing all the reasons why I no longer feel like a tourist here in Strasbourg. So here are a few:

You know you are no longer a tourist when:

- strangers ask you for directions and you can successfully get them to where they need to go
- you never need to consult a map
- when you have friends visiting, you have an arsenal of restaurants to recommend to them
- you no longer fall over spectacularly when the tram starts or stops moving
- casually walking along a street or when sitting at a café, you meet someone you know without having priorly arranged meeting them
- you know tram stops and tram schedules by heart
- the people who work at your favorite café know exactly what you are going to order (un chocolat viennoise, bien sur!) and sometimes they give you ginger cookies for free

Oh Café Michel, I will love you forever

Of course, sometimes I still have to glance at a map. And I still get caught up with restaurant recommendations, since I mostly eat with my host family. And of course, once in a while the tram jerks to a stop and catches me off-guard, resulting in some truly spectacular falls. I still don't completely belong to the true Strasborgeoise. But I'd like to say I'm fairly close? 

At any rate, I must dive back into the busy Christmas markets now, and run some last-minute errands. Perhaps I'll pick myself up a steaming cup of vin chaud blanc while I'm there... I tried some of Bridget's last night, and I now realize that I have been missing out on how delicious the hot spiced white wine is by just sticking with the traditional hot red wine! 

I only have two days left to enjoy the world's best Christmas markets, so I better make every moment count! 

Les Marchés de Noël

So how have the world-famous Christmas markets of Strasbourg been? In a word: unbelievable. In an awesome, I-want-to-live-here-forever kind of way. I will repeat once more: the whole city is illuminated, and walking down the streets at night is simply magical. I wish this would never end. I walk through Christmas markets every day, and I never tire of them. On one street, the city even strung chandeliers across the buildings, and they look incredible when they are lit up at night, although cameras have a hard time capturing the image. 

My mom even made the trip to come see the marchés! And me, of course. Unfortunately, I had a lot of work (EPITECH plus a four-hour final on Saturday) but we still managed to have a lot of fun together! One of the first things we did on the Wesnesday--the day she arrived--was go to Café Michel for some warm drinks. It's cold here in Strasbourg! Then, I took her to our beautiful cathedral. One thing that makes Strasbourg's Notre Dame special is the astrological clock that it houses, which dates back to 1843. After viewing the clock, the two of us climbed to the top of the cathedral's tower, same as I had done when Laura visited. This time, though, it was not raining and we could see the huge mountains in the distance. My mom even insisted on taking a selfie up there (her first selfie!), which I found hilarious. 

After climbing all those steps, we ate a late lunch of tarte flambées at Flam's, then explored the Christmas markets in Place Broglie. We even tried some vin chaud (hot, spiced wine!) which is a strange concept but in reality is one of the best things I've ever tasted. I think the two of us bought vin chaud every day afterwards, since it is so delicious! I really must get the recipe. 

For the rest of the week, too, we ate well: choucroute, spatzle, macaroons, crêpes, knacks, all sorts of gingerbread, numerous tarte flambés, and of course, lots of vin chaud. It was a very successful culinary experience, I believe. Thursday night, we even stumbled upon the slightly hidden Marchée des Délices, which is the Market of Delicousness, literally translated, of course. Just kidding, it's the market of local delicacies, featuring all sorts of cheeses, meats, pain d'epices (gingerbread) and, of course, wine! There were even booths holding wine tastings, so my mom and I wandered over to one of those quite quickly. 

Other things that happened during my mom's stay? Well, on Friday night, there was a free ballet and children's choir in the Cathedral, so we saw that. It was really nice, actually, and all the songs where Christmas-themed yet were sung in English, French, German, Italian, and even Russian! We also had a "sleepover" on Saturday night, where I slept over in her awesome hotel room for the night instead of staying at my host family's house. Flipping through the tv channels during the sleepover, we watched Friends dubbed in French, and the beginning of the Miss France competition. Sunday morning, after our sleepover, we went running together in the beautiful Parc de l'Orangerie, which was only a minutes walk from her hotel.

Sunday was also big because we made a quick afternoon trip to Colmar. It was my third time in the charming Alsatian town in the past month, but I wasn't complaining. Colmar is pretty in a different way than Strasbourg is: there are a lot more colombage houses and they are much more colorful, painted pink and blue and yellow and green... The whole town is lit up as well, and there are tiny Christmas markets sprawled all over too! Surprisingly, they are    not all selling the same things as the Strasbourg markets, either. My mom and I had a wonderful time walking around Colmar, and I couldn't have asked for better. 

I was really sad to say goodbye to my mom Sunday night (she left at 6am Monday morning), but it wasn't too bad, knowing that I'll see her again in less than two weeks!! And I'll end with some pictures from my mom and my last day in Colmar. To my family, I'll see you soon, and I love you all! 

I'm a Teacher?

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, there are multiple reasons why I haven't been able to post in a while. The first is that my new laptop actually died last Tuesday, and it refuses to turn back on, which has been a bit of a hassle. 

The second is an even less fun reason: exams are upon us in France, and it's been a bit crazy. My first exam was on Saturday and it lasted FOUR FULL HOURS. That was not a good time. Honestly, who wants an exam from 8 a.m. through noon on a Saturday? Absolutely no one, least of all me, but at least it is over with. My second exam was actually yesterday, and I have no idea how that went. It was for my Sociology and Ethnology class, which itself was quite interesting, yet very disconnected: I had three different professors for this class, all teaching different material. One professor focused on colonization in Oceania, one focused on Brazil, and the third focused on Africa. Anyway, that exam only lasted two hours, and I'm sure my grammar and spelling was absolutely atrocious... I realized walking out of the exam that I used the verb "être" about 60 times, and since repeating words is seen as a punishable crime in French writing, I'm not at all confident about that grade. 

Of course, that final exam is the only grade for that class. This is something that I don't really like about french grading systems, especially on a university level: there usually won't be any "busy work"--no homework or essays or quizzes or even readings to do outside the class: no textbooks!--but when it comes exam time, it's all or nothing. For me, who is admittedly often a procrastinator, that is a terrible system. 

Another strange thing is that all the grades are out of 20 points. Not 100 or even 50, but 20. That doesn't give anyone room for error, since missing two points could drop you down a whole letter grade, right? However, no one in France ever gets 20/20 or even 19/20. Getting an 18/20 means you are a genius. For my history of Alsace grade, I had to do a presentation on Jean Rapp (in french, in front of the class, of course) and my grade was 15/20... You would think that would be a 75% (C) grade, but in the french grading system, I actually think it is more like an 87% (B). Oh, France.

A third reason as to why I have not posted in a while is that my mom was here! She arrived last Wednesday morning, and she just left yesterday morning. These past few days, I was spending all my time hanging out with her and showing her my new home, and I absolutely loved having her here! I'll probably write a separate post about all the things that happened while she was here in Strasbourg, along with a lot of Christmas market pictures! 

Finally, the last reason is that, in between studying for exams and taking my mom all around Strasbourg, I have been working. For the past month, I have been an official English conversation TEACHER at an actual school! Of course, I'm not the most qualified person on earth for the job, but I'm a native English speaker with a good accent and a cheerful personality, and that is all that was required. I am teaching at EPITECH, a technology college in center-city Strasbourg. Honestly, it's a little intimidating, since I am teaching guys who are my age or slightly older. Plus, I have to come up with my own lesson plans and grade the students at the end of every class: so it is a lot of work.  Coming up with fun and engaging English lesson plans has been a bit of a struggle for me... I need the guys to speak English when all they want to do is speak French, and many of the ESL activity ideas that I have found online are targeted towards beginners or children, whereas my students are all ages 19 through 21 and they can string some English sentences together when they feel like it. Additionally, the lessons that I teach must last 2 hours, which is a lot of time to fill! I teach two classes a week, and planning for each class takes a while, so working at EPITECH has taken up a good portion of my time! I find teaching really interesting, though, and even though it is still a little nerve-wracking to stand in front of a class with all eyes on you, I am learning quite a bit and I am having a lot of fun, as well. 

So this has been a fairly long (perhaps a bit boring?) update. If you were looking for more about the fantastic Christmas markets, you won't have to wait too much longer... I should be posting about them soon, with lots and lots of pictures! That's all for now though! 

And On the First Day of Christmas...

... a crooked tree was lit.

Strasbourg is often nicknamed the "Capital of Christmas," and for good reason: as I've mentioned before, the whole city is strung with lights, and over the past few weeks, I've watched as my adopted city has become even more a place out of the fairytales.


Decorating the city streets

One of the largest Christmas trees in Europe (if not the world) was set up in Place Kleber a few weeks ago. Typically, this tree generally ranges from 27-32 meters (plus or minus 100 feet). I want to say that it originates from Russia or the Black Forest or somewhere, but I have no basis for those statements. Wherever this Christmas tree is from, though, it must be far away: when the tree first arrived in Strasbourg and was unleashed from its netting, it had lost about 80% of its branches during transport and was looking quite pathetic. Luckily, they have this problem every year, and the smart people of Strasbourg have come up with a solution: they glue spare branches back onto the tree! The thought still makes me laugh.
 

The tree, getting lights and branches added

Also, this year's tree is terribly crooked, which just makes me laugh harder. I can't believe the workers didn't notice how it is leaning. Hopefully the tree doesn't come crashing to the ground anytime soon!

Anyway, Strasbourg is also known for having some of the oldest Christmas Markets (Marchés de Noel) in Europe. All over the city, little wooden huts have popped up, charmingly decorated and selling all sorts of good things: specialty chocolates, Alsatian pottery, Christmas ornaments, wreaths, jewelry, and beautiful artisan crafts. The edibles include mostly vin chaud (hot spiced wine), crêpes, gaufres (waffles topped with nutella), baguettes topped with cheese and ham, bretzels, candied apples, and hot chocolate.

And what was Black Friday in the U.S. was actually the first day of all these Christmas Markets--the beginning of Strasbourg's long-awaited holiday season!

My friends and I actually went to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire at the cinema on Friday afternoon (it was so good!!! And  for some reason, I really enjoyed analyzing how well the French subtitles translated the English dialogue). After the movie, I had dinner with my host family, then headed back into the city for the Christmas Tree lighting.

Arriving at a quarter to 8 p.m. in Place Kleber, I couldn't find my friends (it turns out they had left to grab dinner) but I watched in slightly horrified amazement as these huge figures on stilts inflated themselves to become four giant, puffy snowmen. These snowmen guys danced happily through the crowded square towards the towering Christmas tree, and as the music turned to its crescendo, the tree was illuminated for the first time. All around me, people were gasping and clapping and snapping pictures. Holiday music was still playing, and it was such a wonderful moment. 

Eventually, I found my friends, and we wandered through the Christmas Markets in Place Broglie, delighting in all the sweets (I WANT THEM ALL) and the beautiful crafts for sale. Each of us gave in and bought a treat: a candied apple each for Arianna and Alex, some vin chaud for Jacqueline, a gauffre and a hot chocolate for Melissa, and a crêpe for me. 

It was such a magical feeling to be at the Christmas markets, walking through a city all strung with lights and baubles, the frosty night air filled with spiced wine and hot chocolate and holiday music. I will never get tired of this. Strasbourg is simply magical.

Thanksgiving in Strasbourg

Last Thursday's holiday really made me homesick. Throughout all my classes, I was thinking about what I would be doing if I was at my Grandma's house instead of Strasbourg: cooking with my mom and my aunts, talking with my cousins, eating delicious food, enjoying my family...

But you simply cannot do that, or you'll get depressed. It is best to celebrate however you can, and for me, that meant a slight twist on the traditions.

Thanksgiving is clearly not celebrated in Europe, and many French people have no idea that it even exists in America. Everyone here is going crazy setting up for Christmas (the huge tree in Place Kleber has been up for weeks, and there are lights all around the city). I love the Christmas festivity, but.... it felt like Strasbourg had ignored a holiday. Luckily, Holy Cross still observed Thanksgiving from across the ocean.

After our last class, we headed over to Malou's house for a real Thanksgiving feast. It was dinner, not a late lunch, since classes are not cancelled over here in France! All the classics were included, of course: turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and apple crumble. My mom (my real, biological mom) was even awesome enough to send a tin of homemade ginger snap cookies with my dad last week, so I brought those to our little celebration (a little taste of home!).

It was a really fun night, don't get me wrong, but it didn't quite feel like Thanksgiving to me. However, it was my first experience with a far holiday away from home, and I learned that the group you are with becomes you family for such holidays.

Ultimately, though, Thanksgiving is meant to remind us of how blessed we are, and I was certainly remembering all the things that I am so thankful for throughout the holiday.

And before I completely fall into a Christmas frenzy, I just wanted to mention Malou's cat (who is aptly named Cadeau, meaning "gift" in French) even though Cadeau is seemingly the grumpiest cat in France. She obviously wanted to participate in our Thanksgiving feast:

 

Strasbourg is ready for Christmas... and so am I !