Fall Foliage and Tram Traffic

This past week in Strasbourg has been absolutely gorgeous. On Monday and Tuesday, the temperature hit the low 70s and the sun was shining non-stop. (Are you sure it is autumn? It feels like spring!) Wednesday took a short turn for the worst with some chilly rain showers, but today, it is once again absolutely beautiful! And the fact that the beautiful weather has been accompanied by canceled classes is just another plus! Seriously, though: only two of my seven classes met this week, giving me plenty of free time to hop from outdoor café to café with my friends (which I did, with great pleasure).

The fall foliage has also hit Strasbourg, and the city is even prettier than normal. Today, as Kat and I were scurrying around doing some last-minute preparations for our trip tomorrow, I couldn't help but envy all the people who were spending every second outside. It was so warm that I was walking around in jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, having abandoned my fleece.

Everyone else thinks these trees are quite bizarre, but I think they're cool

After I finished the last of my errands, Kat and I parted and I headed over to Republique to take my tram. However, it was such a gorgeous day that I decided to walk to the further stop instead of hopping on the tram right away. This actually turned out to be a fantastic decision. As I walked a little further, I realized that there were about 100 taxis parked in the middle of a main road (a strike of some sort) and the police presence was actually terrifying (so many groups of huge policemen armed with machine guns, just walking around looking for suspicious activity).

Worst of all, the tram traffic was insane. I decided to take the route home that the tram runs on, and all of the trams were just stopped on the tracks, filled with people but not budging an inch. I must've walked past about 20 trams that weren't going anywhere at all! I'm still not sure why they weren't running (it's not as if the taxi manifestation blocked the tram tracks) but they weren't, and the people inside them looked pissed off (because, of course, they couldn't even get out of the trams--the doors won't open unless the tram is stopped at a station and the driver activates the doors).

Walking past a frozen tram

On my walk home

I enjoyed my walk home immensely, and it was another first for me! Since my house is about a 40 minutes walk from the city (and probably more like an hours walk from my university classes) and since the tram is so convenient, I've never really just walked to or from my house. Also, I tend to be running a little late for all things, so walking just isn't an option!

Side note: tomorrow morning, at the lovely hour of 4 a.m., Kat and I are headed to IRELAND for the week!! Next week is Toussaint, and the University gives us a whole week off of classes. Of course, that is a perfect traveling opportunity, and when my friend Bridget offered to let us stay in her house in Ireland for part of the week, Kat and I immediately agreed. Needless to say, I'm really excited. As many times as I have visited England and Scotland, I've never ever been to Ireland. Also, Kat and I are pretty much seeing the entire country. We're staying with Bridget on the west coast for a few days, then going down to visit our mutual friend MK, who is studying abroad in Cork, and then we are rounding off the trip with a few nights in Dublin plus a day trip to Northern Ireland! It's going to be a busy week!

Petite-France

Although I've been in Strasbourg for nearly two months now, yesterday was my first trip into the famous Petite-France quarter of the city. Honestly, I live so far from this cute little area of the city that I just hadn't gotten around to it yet, but yesterday afternoon, I was in the area and had 45 minutes to kill before meeting Malou and the other Holy Cross girls for the first of this semester's three "Spectacles," so I decided to take a stroll through Petite-France.

Tourists flock to Petite-France to see (and photograph) the beautiful half-timbered houses that line the canals and to walk along the cobble stone streets lined with flowers. Back in the Middle Ages, these buildings were mostly tanning-houses. The whole area is extremely picturesque--a little bit out of a fairy tale, really--and I can't believe it's taken me this long to actually visit it!

After finally walking through Petite-France, I met Malou, Kat, Melissa, Ariana, and Ariana's mom for the night's Spectacle (which literally translates to "show" in English). It was called "Walking the City" but I think "Walking Sociology Experiment" would've been a better title for this "show." Everyone participating was given headphones and a pre-recorded audio tape. Then the tape just started giving directions (in French, of course) and the whole group followed them.

At first the directions were pretty normal. The tape told us all to start walking down a certain street, so the whole group set off. Then, suddenly, we were told to stop. It was the funniest thing to see this group of about 40 people just freeze in the middle of walking down a cobblestone city street.

Other directions given by the headphones? They included: "Walk with your eyes closed. Just feel each step," and "Walk with your eyes on the sky.... now walk staring at your feet. Why do you think it's easier to always look down while you are walking?" and "Stop. Stand still. Locate your nearest building. Walk towards it. After you touch it, walk towards the building on the opposite side of the street. Keep zig-zagging back and forth."

Honestly, it was both freaking weird and hilarious at the same time. Can you imagine being part of this group of 40 people who are all just walking in circles by the Strasbourg cathedral for ten minutes? Because that's what happened to me last night. Also, we all had to disperse and lean against walls and pretend to be potential pick-pockets for a few minutes (the Cathedral area of Strasbourg is known to host many a pick-pocketer). Right after that command, we were given the command to walk nonchalantly.... okay.... and then, suddenly, the order "RUN!" blared through all our headphones and the 40 of us all started running through the Cathedral area, past groups of bewildered tourists and locals alike. 

It was a Sociology experiment, I'm sure of it. First, it was to see whether the people who were listening to the "show's" headphones would actually follow the commands (which we all pretty much did). And second, it was a sociology experiment to see the reactions of every single person we encountered while we were "walking the city." That was the funniest part, really: people stared, people pointed, people laughed.... And I was laughing too. I felt a little embarrassed, but since I was in a group of other people, it wasn't too bad. Kat, Melissa, and I kept exchanging looks throughout the whole Spectacle, though, saying "What the hell is this??" 

After the bizarre Spectacle, Kat, Melissa, and I went out to dinner. We found this cute little Italian place with delicious food and great wine (Moscato. It's my new favorite wine. Actually, it's my first favorite wine, since I've never actually enjoyed wine like this). Also, I'll admit to the fact that it felt really cool to just go out to dinner with friends and nonchalantly order a glass of wine, with no fuss made about age. 

Once the dinner was over, the three of us took a stroll through the city at night, and.... we ended up in Petite-France! So I actually managed to visit the cute little quarter twice yesterday. Let me tell you, I think it's even more picturesque at night, although that may be due to the fact that I love seeing the lights reflected in the water in the darkness. Unfortunately, my pictures at night didn't turn out the best (I'll just have to go back) but here are two. They really don't capture the feeling of being there, though.

 

This is actually one of the four towers that stand
near Petite-France. Originally built for defense.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous autumn day, which prompted Kat, Melissa, and I to go into Germany once more for a little shopping. Kehl is the German city right across the bridge from Strasbourg, and we've found that the prices on nearly everything are cheaper in Germany. Why buy overpriced shampoo and clothes in Strasbourg when we can get the same things in Germany for a few euro cheaper? And why not use it as an excuse to just pop into Germany for a day (and that is totally casual for me now... is this real life?).

We bought lunch from one of the outdoor vendors, and I got Sauerkraut with little pieces of ham and potato (so very German of me, hmm?). I've discovered that I really like Sauerkraut, which is strange because it's just warm pickled cabbage. In France, we call it by the prettier name choucroute, and my host mother has already made it for me twice.

While shopping in Germany, I managed to buy a sweater on sale and (finally) a pair of boots for way less than they'd cost in Strasbourg, so I was happy with my purchases! Kat was also quite pleased, as she bought a pair of absolutely adorable shoes that she's been dreaming about for the past two weeks. And to top it off, the three of us finished the successful afternoon with nutella milkshakes! I am one happy girl.

Spontaneously Abroad Part II: Croatia

Saturday was our first (and sadly, only) full day in Zadar, Croatia. Since Zadar is a pretty small town--at least, sight-seeing wise--we had a pretty small itinerary: ride on a boat, visit one of the surrounding islands, and soak up the warm sunny weather.

Lizzie went for a run when she woke up, and I went for a walk having forgotten my running sneakers, so we separately explored the little Old Town and the waterfront in the daylight. After breakfast, we set off to find out more about the surrounding islands at one of the tourist information desks so we could make informed decisions about our mini-holiday.

The Greeting to the Sun when the solar-powered lights are turned off

However, we forgot one important thing: we were visiting Croatia in the off-season.

I've never visited anywhere in the off-season, but it makes a huge difference. Cafés and restaurants were serving different menus (no more smoothies or huge ice cream sundaes), hostels cost less money, the locals stop speaking English, and tourist information desks were completely closed until even warmer weather once more rolled around.

Consequently, Lizzie and I were totally lost. After some wandering, we managed to find a building where they were selling ferry tickets. Although we tried to communicate to the grumpy old ticket vendor that we wanted to visit one of the more popular day-trip islands, he just shoved two ferry schedules at us (conveniently written completely in Croatian...) and made us move so that the locals in line behind us could buy their tickets. Lizzie and I eventually decided to just buy tickets to Preko and see what happened.

The ferry ride to our mysterious Preko destination was only half an hour long, but I loved it. I love being on the water.

On the boat, heading towards Preko

Preko ended up being a little town on the big island not too far offshore from Zadar. I would say that 98% of the other people on the ferry with us were locals who live or work in Preko. There was only one other elderly couple who looked as if they were tourists (the big fancy cameras around their necks tipped me off, so I'm pretty sure they weren't locals). However, the island ended up being absolutely gorgeous, so Lizzie and I weren't complaining. Even better, the ferry tickets only cost 30 kuna roundtrip for each of us! That might sound like a lot of money, but just know that 1 euro equals 7.6 kuna, so actually 30 kuna only amounted to less than 4 euro. In Strasbourg, they sell sandwiches that are more expensive than a round-trip ferry ticket! Croatia was quite cheap.

Although Preko turned out to be a very non-touristy, it was still beautiful. The little beaches were full of sea glass shards, so Lizzie and I had fun collecting handfuls of sea glass. We strolled past the little marina full of sailboats and little motor boats, and we spent a good while staring at a little private island just meters offshore and contemplating how it would be to live on a private island.

We also took a little hike up one of the hillsides, and came across this gorgeous view of the island. The locals who were outside were extremely friendly, and even though they couldn't speak English, we played some great charade games where they would guide us with Croatian words and wild hand gestures to a good view.

Lizzie and I ended up hiking for a good while up in the hills (and we found out why whatever island Preko is located on is nicknamed the Olive Island), and when we turned around, we grabbed some lunch and caught our ferry back to Zadar. A quick side note: there are a ton of stray cats in Croatia! We encountered 6 different cats just while eating lunch!

The sunset in Zadar is known to be absolutely stunning, so Lizzie and I made sure we were around for that. We bought some ice cream and just sat and talked in the ruins that are randomly located in the center of Old Town, waiting for the sun to set.

One of the things we discussed was what Zadar reminded us of. Personally, the town reminded me of a strange mix of Greece due to all the ruins and the green-yet-also-sorta-desert flora (although I've never been to Greece) and blue-sky beaches (like Miami Florida?) yet not too touristy, way more classy, and there was no sand (so definitely not Miami), and with a touch of tropical (perhaps a little St. Martin-esque?). At any rate, Zadar was its own place with it's own feeling, and I loved it.

The sunset did not disappoint, either. It was gorgeous, like they said it would be. We were strolling along the waterfront as we watched the sun just melt behind the far-off island hills so fast.

Lizzie went back early, but I stayed out and sat by the Sea Organ, just walking and thinking and people-watching. Listening to the music of the Sea Organ and the waves lapping the stone pathways was more relaxing than anything I've done in a while. While I was sitting by the Greeting to the Sun as darkness slowly settled, a formation of six powerful jet planes roared across the sky in formation and attracted all the other tourists' attentions for a few minutes. A little later, at dusk, a wedding party came to take pictures on the Sea Organ. It was such a nice night to be out in the relative warmth (it only got up to about 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, but that's still a lot better than the  current 50-degrees highs of Strasbourg!).

Sunday morning was only a half day, and the same European rule about absolutely nothing being open seems to apply to Croatia as well. Lizzie and I had wanted to climb the tower of St. Donat Sunday morning, but it was closed along with every other shop in the Old Town. However, the two of us ended up lying out on the pier after breakfast, just talking or reading or enjoying the warm sun, the only other sounds being the gentle hum of the Sea Organ in the distance, the chirping of the birds, and the quiet roll of the waves.

The view from the hostel window

I couldn't have asked for a more relaxing morning, and it was the perfect setting to plow through a few pages of Germinal, although I admit to spending more time watching boats lazily sail past on the sparkling water than actually reading.

Unfortunately, our flight back to Baden-Baden left at 2:30 p.m., so we had to reluctantly leave too early on. Even the flight held some beauty, though, because Lizzie and I made sure to claim a window seat and we flew over these gorgeous mountains. At one point during the flight, I glanced out the window and saw snowy mountain peaks jutting through the clouds and I just loved it. I'm pretty sure we were flying over Switzerland at that point. Obviously I'm a big fan of pictures taken from plane windows, but honestly, when will I ever again be up at such heights to see such impressive views?

Flying over Switzerland?

 

I ended up getting back to chilly Strasbourg by dinner time, and then the holiday was over for sure. It was amazing that just yesterday I was in Croatia! Even though we didn't do as much as I usually do when I'm on holiday, it was the perfect amount for a relaxing weekend. And I now know Lizzie herself so much better! Overall, the spontaneous trip worked out excellently, and I'm so glad I threw a little caution to the wind to experience it.

Spontaneously Abroad Part I: London Layover

Just over a week ago, I was on the tram on my way to my CIEL class, and I was talking to one of the girls in the HC group that I didn't know too well: Lizzie. Our topic of conversation moved to all the places we wanted to visit in Europe (my list was very, very long) and when I mentioned Croatia, a spark lit in her eye. She really wanted to travel to Croatia as well. That night, I came home to a message with possible cheap flights to Croatia. We talked about it for a bit, and then, that night, we booked it.

The planning that went into the trip was all very spontaneous, which isn't usually like me (I'm definitely a planner) but I decided to throw a little caution to the wind: which is how I can say that I was in Croatia just a few hours ago!

Let me start from the beginning:

Lizzie and I left Strasbourg Thursday evening by train, arriving in Baden-Baden (Germany) Thursday night. We had booked a cheap 2-star hotel room at the hotel just seconds walk from the small airport, which was really nice since our flight Friday morning departed at 7:40 a.m. sharp. We woke up quite early Friday to catch our flight, and just walked over to the tiny Baden-Baden airport (never have I ever just woken up and walked to an airport...).

It was my first time flying with the infamous carrier Ryanair (cheap tickets, lots of tricks and advertising) but really, it wasn't that bad. Actually, to be honest, I was impressed by how easy the whole trip ended up being (our overall trip was a little complicated--dependent on 4 different trains, 4 different buses, and 3 different flights--and I was certain that we would hit a snag somewhere along the way, but none!) I've heard Ryanair horror stories (if you don't have your boarding card printed out correctly, they charge 70 euro per ticket!) but nothing like that happened. Yeah, the flight attendants walked up and down the aisles selling things, but I just ignored it--and really, can you complain about such trivial advertising when the flight costs just 18 euro? Nope!

Friday morning, Lizzie and I actually flew to London. Why London? Well, it was the cheapest option. Ryanair apparently doesn't fly to Croatia from any airport close to Strasbourg on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays, so we had to fly to London real fast, then fly to Croatia. No big deal, really...

Except that the layover ended up lasting nine hours. (Nine hours in an airport? Yeah right. We were making the most of this!)

In general, layovers suck. However, a nine-hour layover in London? That just means more exploring, of course! Since Ryanair only flies into obscure airports, we landed in London Stansted airport--about an hour outside of London proper. However, we bought cheap tickets for a fast train into the city, and within 45 minutes, we were in the city! (Before getting on the train, however, Lizzie wanted coffee, so we stopped at the British version of Starbucks... and I found a Sticky Toffee Pudding muffin! Of course, I had to try it, since sticky toffee pudding is my favorite! And I thought my parents would laugh, so I took a picture)

Sticky Toffee Pudding Muffin. Yum

 

Anyway, once in London, Lizzie and I hit up all the major tourist sites. We started at Buckingham Palace, then walked through the gardens to see Big Ben, Westminster, and the Houses of Parliament. Neither Lizzie nor I had been in London for years (for me, it's been 5 years, and for Lizzie, it's been 7 years) but I was surprised to find that I remembered which way to go for most things. We didn't really need a map at all. Five years ago, my parents and I stayed in a hotel on the Piccadilly line, and I remembered exactly where it was! I also remembered all the Underground stops we would need, like Green Park for the Buckingham Palace and so forth. It was actually quite amazing (to me at least) how much I remembered about London.

Lizzie and I at Buckingham Palace

 

Surprisingly, the weather in London was quite beautiful Friday morning! I always assume that London (along with most of England, really) is either cloudy or rainy, but it happened to be a rare sunny morning! It was perfect for wandering around the city. The photos seem to be deceiving, though, since it was actually sunny for a good hour or two. I promise.

Next on our list was the London Eye, especially since Lizzie had never been on it. Alas, good things cannot always last, and just after Lizzie and I stepped off the London Eye, it started pouring. We ran to take cover/eat lunch, but even half an hour later, the rain still hadn't let up. Luckily, I had brought an umbrella, but we were still pretty soaked (and quite chilly).

Oh hey there London!

 

For our last sight, we wanted to just see Tower Bridge for a few minutes. We took the Underground to where we thought it would be.... then wandered around in the rain until we asked for directions. However, we asked for the LONDON bridge (silly tourists) which wasn't nearly as impressive as Tower Bridge. We could see Tower Bridge off in the distance, though, and we just snapped a quick picture in the rain, then ran back to the warm shelter of the London Underground to head back to the airport.

See Tower Bridge in the foggy, rainy background? See it?

Our flight out of London went quite smoothly as well, and by 9:30 p.m., Lizzie and I were settled in at our cool hostel (the Boutique Hostel Forum) in Zadar, Croatia!

It was a beautiful night, albeit a bit quiet--not much of a nightlife, although that's fine with me--and I wanted to walk around the Old Town and see the ocean, so the two of us wandered for a few minutes. We quickly came across the ocean along with one of Zadar's most famous attractions: the Sea Organ.

The Sea Organ is a really cool architectural--uh, thing? hard to describe--made out of marble steps the lead off into the ocean and produce music according to the waves. It's basically a huge marble organ powered by the sea, constantly making pretty (if somewhat random) music. When a large boat goes by and creates big enough waves, the organ gives off loud bursts of sound in the intervals as the waves hit. Honestly, the Sea Organ is just something you have to visit, as it is quite difficult to describe with merely words. Also, it's an artwork that is very much meant to be experienced with your ears, as the pictures of it look simply like steps.

The Sea Organ by day. Honestly, it makes music, I swear, although it
just looks like stone steps

 

Anyway, we sat by and listened to the Sea Organ in the warm night air for a little while. We also took lots of pictures of the Greeting to the Sun, another artwork made by the same architect. It's a 22-meter diameter circle of solar panels that soak up the sun during the day, and at night, it comes alive with flickering colors.

Greeting to the Sun at night

After about twenty minutes of walking around in the darkness, though, we decided to head back to our hostel (a room which we were sharing with two randoms, who ended up being a Japanese guy and a guy from Brazil, neither of whom could speak much English besides "Hello," "Yes," and "I don't speak English," but both of whom were extremely nice).

And for the rest of my spontaneous trip to Croatia, I'll continue on to Part II. The pictures to follow will certainly be a lot sunnier than those I took in London!

Bon Anniversaires and Bank Accounts

Yesterday, this girl finally wrapped up her teenage years and turned 20 years old! And in France, no less! I'm really one lucky girl.

The day started pretty normally. I had my French language class (CIEL) from 9 to 11:30 a.m. with the other Holy Cross girls. Afterwards, the 8 of us went out for a celebratory birthday lunch at Flam's, a restaurant famous for their Tarte Flambées. For those who are as unfamiliar with Alsatian cuisine as I was just two months ago, Tarte Flambées are basically huge, delicious thin-crust pizzas traditionally topped with creamy fromage blanc, onions, and bacon bits. It was so nice to have lunch as a big group (and indulge in a little comfort food). Another great thing: Flam's is a pretty inexpensive restaurant! Even though each of us ate one Tarte Flambée, a soda, and a warm chocolate brownie, it ended up costing just 5 euro per person! Perhaps this lunch will become a weekly tradition....

My Tarte Flambée with mushrooms! So delicious!

After lunch I had my American Literature class, and unfortunately, I also had to give an oral presentation. Luckily it was in English, so it wasn't as terrible as it could've been (I'm not at all looking forward to all the French presentations I'll have to give this semester. They're creeping closer). Apparently I don't have a "French" presentation style, though, so I'll have to figure out exactly what that is for the next time.

Also, this is the first birthday in my life that I haven't spent with my parents. It felt a little strange not to eat my birthday dinner with them, but happily I was able to chat with them via Skype for a good 45 minutes, which took the edge off the tiny bit of homesickness I've had for the past week.

Birthday dinner with my host family ended up being quite a grand affair. There were seven of us total: my host parents, their youngest daughter Leticia, Ella and her parents, and me.

I haven't mentioned her before, but there is another student living with my host family, and her name is Ella. She comes from a college in Kentucky and she's here for three months (early-September through early-December). Although she's not always around (some of the other students from her college were placed in apartments, so she eats dinner/sleeps over there several times a week), Ella is super sweet and it's been great having her here too. Anyway, Ella's parents happened to be visiting Strasbourg for an extended weekend, and they were invited to my birthday dinner.

I've heard that it's always a little bit awkward when the host parents meet the real parents, and the experience did not disappoint. It didn't help that Marlene and Raymond know almost no English aside from a few random phrases, and that Ella's father knows only one phrase in French: "Je voudrais une bière s'il vous plait" (translates to "I would like a beer, please" -- imagine that with a deep Kentucky drawl, as well). Luckily, Ella's mom could speak a little French, and Leticia knows English pretty well, so dinner wasn't as painfully awkward as I first imagined it to be.

As it was a celebration, we started out with some champagne (the real stuff--from the Champagne region of France) and some Alsatian wine. For the dinner, Marlene made a salad along with a traditional dish full of potatoes, carrots, and three types of meat--pork, chicken, and lamb. And to top it off the night, we all had a slice of cake topped with raspberries!

Although the dinner lasted over two hours, it was anything but boring. Conversation topics ranged from Alsatian vinegar to the translation of "moose" into French to Discovery Channel's Shark Week to how two cats in Germany attacked their owners and infected them (...I don't even know how or why we covered all of those topics...). And the French/English dictionary that always sits near the dinner table was quite well used as everyone tried to look up the proper vocabulary! It was a very fun night, and a great end to my 20th birthday abroad! 

Chocolates courtesy of Ella and her parents!

Delicious Macaroons from Kat!

Today was a little snap back to reality, though. For my part-time job, I need to open a French bank account, so this morning, Malou took four of us HC girls to the bank. I actually felt very grown-up opening a bank account on my own--and in a foreign language as well! And I'm pretty sure I didn't get ripped off... Malou was busy helping the other girls when the woman at the bank was explaining all the options available to me, so I was actually on my own, but I'm 99% sure that I chose well... We shall see, I guess. At any rate, I have a French Bank account now!

Also, I realize that all the pictures in this blog post are of food. Well, one of the things I love most is good food (I was definitely placed with the right host family, as they are fellow lovers of deliciousness) and France just happens to be a great place for us food lovers to live! Also, the chocolates and the macaroons were so pretty, I just had to take a picture! However, this last photo is from last Saturday (October 5th) when Kat, Melissa, Marissa, and I journeyed into Germany and found this beautiful little forested river-walk. I wanted to add it in as well! If I wanted to I could get all philosophical and say that as I wrapped up my teenage years to turn 20 years old, I needed to reflect on my life, hence the river-and-tree reflection photograph... but, nah, I actually just really love this picture. However, I am thankful for having the opportunity to live and study in France, and I'm thankful for all my awesome friends and family... and I'm thankful for all the exquisite French food!

Money, Money, Money

I've been sort of keeping track of how much money I've been spending in France, (you know, trying to be a responsible young adult) and I've realized that money can disappear quite fast here in France if you're not being careful (duh, Karen). Just to be clear, it's not that I've spent a few thousand dollars in these past two-and-a-half months (not even close, thank goodness) nor have I wiped my bank account clean (I'm making sure that never, ever happens) but I'm still spending a little more than I had originally thought. Out of curiosity, I tried to calculate what my money is actually getting spent on. Here are the rough estimates:

* about 4% --spent on miscellaneous things (notebooks, pens, Band-Aids, postcards, shampoo, a book in French, envelopes, stuff like that). Basically all the little things that I forgot to pack but realize are slightly necessary...

* about 8% -- spent on clothes/shoes (I'm hoping to look very French when I return back to the U.S., but I'm going slowly and looking for sales: so far, I've only bought two sweaters and a pair of ballet flats that only cost 10 euro. Shoes here generally cost 60 to 150 euro [a simply staggering amount once you convert that to U.S. dollars], so finding cute flats for 10 euro was a fantastic deal).

* about 36% -- spent of travel (train tickets to Paris, booking rooms in hostels, organizing inexpensive weekend excursions and trips for October Break, etc). I expected to spend money on travel, though, so I'm not at all upset about this. I'm being as frugal as I can, of course, booking cheap flights and hostels and leaving at awkward times for better deals.

* about 52% -- spent on food (lunches Monday through Friday, random snacks, tea or hot chocolate at cafés, and "oh, that ice cream looks delicious" moments). Food is definitely going to be the biggest drain on my bank account... but that's because it's all so darn delicious! It's so difficult to walk into a patisserie and not buy a huge chocolate éclair or a fresh-out-of-the-oven chausson aux pommes (apple pie in puff-pastry)! Of course, I usually employ self-restraint, but there are some afternoons where I just have to walk out with a cute little treat to try! I mean, I'm in FRANCE, the land of renowned cuisine, so why not taste a bit of it?


This is only a fraction of all the sweets sold here in France. Do you see
what I'm up against? Self-restraint is difficult...

In reality, the estimate for how much I'm spending on food may be a tiny bit exaggerated. However, I swear that food is quite expensive here, and since I have to buy all my lunches (and snacks) it adds up quickly. Another trap is that I keep thinking the prices are in dollars... when they're not. A little chocolate cake that is labeled 2 euro actually costs close to $2.75. That doesn't seem like too much of a price difference on the small things, but when dinner costs 12 euro, it's actually over $16, and when a sweater costs 19 euro, it actually costs $27... I just have to be careful and keep the exchange rate in mind whenever I think about buying anything.

However, one really nice thing about prices in Europe is that the tax is already included! So the price labeled on the tag is exactly what you are going to pay. In my mind, that means no hidden fees. Also, the waiters in restaurants and cafés do not expect tips, which might explain why meals themselves are a little more expensive.

Happily, though, I should be starting my part-time teaching job soon (more details about that later), and it looks like I may have a babysitting job on the side! I'm so excited to start combatting the spending!

The Grass is Actually Greener on the Other Side

For the past few weeks, I haven't really been looking forward to waking up on Thursday mornings. At all. It's the one day of the week that I would skip if I could.

Mostly, my dread of Thursdays is based on the fact that I have three long classes throughout the day, and they're exhausting. My first is a two-hour French literature class that starts at 8 a.m. sharp. Unfortunately, I'm the only non-native French speaker in that class, and leave it to me to pick the one course at University of Strasbourg whose grade is based on participation. Last week, I volunteered to read part of the book excerpt out loud (earning those participation points!), but I managed to murder the pronunciation of almost every single word in those paragraphs due to my nervousness. I finished reading and looked up, and found half the class turned around in their seats and staring at me. Yeah. So that's a fun class.

Just leaving for my 8am lit. class today as the sun rises

My second class on Thursdays is a two-and-a-half-hour CIEL class, which is an intensive-language learning class that Holy Cross makes us take to improve our grammar and writing skills. My third class, immediately following the CIEL class, is Histoire d'Alsace, another two-and-a-half-hour lecture about all the wars that have taken place over the Alsatian region.

This all adds up to 7 hours of class. Perhaps that doesn't seem too terrible, but when every single word of each class is in rapid-fire French and you have to focus 120% on what is being explained (and still miss a good chunk of information), those 7 hours are absolutely exhausting.

Hence, Thursdays are not my favorite day of the week.

Today, however, turned out to be quite different! My 8 a.m. literature class actually went relatively smoothly this morning, although I only spoke one single word, which happened to be "injuste" (can I receive participation points for that??). Afterwards, I hopped over to my favorite café to drink some tea and read Emile Zola's 567-page novel Germinal (written completely in 1800's French--this book might be the death of me), and I ended up staying at the café for almost two hours! My two afternoon classes ended up getting canceled, so my dreaded and tiring Thursday turned into a pretty relaxed one.

By 2:30 in the afternoon, Kat and I had eaten lunch, and we were soaking up the sun/half-dozing on the public beach chairs located on Strasbourg's "beach" (read: a cement riverbank near the cinema) when Kat had a brilliant idea to take advantage of our cancelled classes: why not walk to Germany?

Now I have ate, slept, and lived just meters from the German border for the past month, yet until this afternoon, I hadn't been to Germany, so I instantly agreed.

The walk ended up being a bit further than I had originally thought, and I really wasn't wearing the proper shoes for long walks (these boots are NOT made for walking...) but even though my feet will probably hurt for the next few days, the trip to Germany was totally worth it.

I JUST CASUALLY WALKED TO GERMANY AND BACK.


Kat with Germany in the background


There, I said it. I've always wanted to say that! I mean, I've never just walked to another country before!! And I didn't even need a visa or a passport or anything; we just walked across the cool bridge and voila! Germany! Craziness. 

Standing on the German side, looking towards France

And actually, the grass on Germany's side of the river bank was literally greener. No joke! Hence the name of this post. Kat and I sat on a bench in the much-greener Germany for a good while--just to relax and people-watch--and it was so strange hearing all the German speakers! I'm used to living life in a foreign language that I mostly understand, but this was one that I couldn't grasp at all! Then, when a random French couple would pass us, our ears would automatically prick up at the French chatter and I couldn't help thinking: "Known Language! Known Language!"

So today, I spontaneously walked over to Germany for an hour or two. You really never know where life will take you when you wake up in the morning, huh?