May 11-14 2015

Plenty of new adventures! We have been very busy these past couple of days, especially with last minute packing, saying goodbye to my host family, leaving Nantes, and taking our long, early train to Strasbourg.

May 11
We spent parts of the morning exploring Nantes, especially the castle and the cathedral.
Maylis invited Stephan and me spontaneously to Prefailles for the day. We did a lot of walking around the beach in order to see the German blockhauses that I had forgotten were a pretty good walking distance away. We then helped Maylis with her gardening, so now we can both say we've gardened in France!

 

 

Stephan wondering where all the cathedral statues went

 IES, study abroad building where I had my classes

 The Bouffay Quarter

A day in Nantes with French ambulance & St. Croix Church

 Stephan never stops trying to open locked doors in castles

 Stephan exploring Prefailles

 This beautiful church by the sea of Prefailles

 

Stephan loved this door; makes me think of Ireland

My host family's beautiful house

May 12
We did a day trip to Saumur to explore the castle and the surrounding town. Stephan especially loved the town, though unfortunately after inquiries, the south side of the castle wall had collapsed in 2011 and is still under reconstruction, so we only got the chance to see some parts of the castle, but not the towers. The view from the hilltop was gorgeous and the weather has been very lovely. Stephan finally got his wish granted to buy his first French baguette and I tried my last chocolate eclair for now. He also enjoyed his first red French wine from Bordeaux.

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 Lower underground of the castle

I had a wonderful last evening in Nantes at Taizé prayer celebrating the birth of its founder, Brother Roger and 75 years of Taizé. The bishop of Nantes was there and several witnesses of Taizé who have visited the ecumenical community, or knew Brother Roger. There was a sweet older couple who have gone once every year together for a long time and were there when Brother Roger was killed. They are amazed at how many young people come to Taizé.

May 13
We arrived in the afternoon in Strasbourg after taking our train at 7h34, very hard to get up that early! I loved suddenly seeing the dramatic change in the architecture as we crossed over into the region of Alsace, very Germanic structure. Alsace has been historically under German control during both World Wars and is a cultural region between the Romance countries and the Germanic ones. We've heard plenty of German speaking tourists in Strasbourg; this is definitely a place for Northern/Eastern European tourism!

 View from the top of the bell tower

 Love Strasbourg's trams!

We climbed Strasbourg's cathedral bell tower, 786 steps total up and down. We were inside the tower when the bells started ringing. We both were a little freaked being up that high! The view was amazing and I especially love Alsacien rooftops.

In the evening we had our first taste of the local Alsacien cuisine. Stephan wasn't too excited that I had ordered a plate that included un boudin noir (a blood sausage). We both enjoyed Kronenburg's as well and I'm not normally into beer, but it was perfect with our heavy meal.

 
May 14
I have been enjoying hearing about Stephan's solo interactions in stores using his Franglish. He loves the bread on demand, fresh, and the cheese (he almost ate all the cheese Maylis offered him, a Nantes speciality). I told Maylis she was very brave having two American students in her house at the same time. I parted well with my host mom and she even gave me some gifts, which was a lovely surprise, the complete opposite experience from last semester!
Stephan and me did a long walk along the river, the main city center is surrounded by two rivers and then splits. Strasbourg has an impressive tram line, architecture, and a diversity of languages being heard outside of French. When Stephan said bonjour to fellow hotel guests, the man said to his wife that we were the British neighbors next door.
We visited the Petite France historical area of Strasbourg, which has a beautiful canal and colorful buildings. The city has a nice energy vibe and a great way to start transitioning for our time in Germany. I can't believe it's my last day in France! Next stop Heidelberg!

The view near our hotel, Place Kleber