Friends, Drinks, Indian Food, and La Loire

I really wish that the United States had more of a “café culture” like France. It is great to be able to grab a drink with some friends and sit and people watch at the end of a long day. In the US you can sit outside and enjoy the weather, but it is really hard to find a place with consistent and interesting pedestrian traffic.

On Thursday I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan’s mum. Ryan, his mum, Melanie, and myself went out for a drink at Les Berthom (off of Rue Nationale) before having dinner together chez Ryan. We had a delicious mushroom, spinach, and onion risotto for dinner, along with some fois gras and salami for a starter, a nice selection of cheeses for after, and some petit fours for dessert. It was wonderful to share our experiences in France with Ryan’s mum over some wine and good food; it was a lovely evening.

On Friday Emma came back for a weekend visit to Tours, so Caroline, Melanie, and I met up with her at JS’ bar off of “La Place de Monstre” for a drink and some catching up. We then headed to La Pale on Rue Colbert for a bit before grabbing a bite to eat at an Indian restaurant (also on Rue Colbert). The food was delicious! Caroline and I shared some samosas, naan, palaak paneer, and shahi korma. YUMMY! The only complaint we had was that it was not spicy enough…next time!? Dinner was followed by a trip to the banks of La Lore for some live music and a bottle of rosé at La guinguette de Tours sur Loire! La guinguette is an outdoor bar that sits on the banks of La Loire; it just opened on Friday night so it was filled with university students celebrating the completion of classes and exams, as well as other people who wanted to have a good time.

Well, that is about it for this weekend for me. Saturday and Sunday were lazy days…grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, gym, etc. Nothing too exciting! I might head to Paris on Wednesday for the day with Caroline…we’re going to go explore one or two museums and then try and meet up with Devlin, Emma, and Melanie.

The European Traveler

It has been SO LONG since I last wrote about my experiences as a teaching assistant in Tours…that I do not even know where to start this entry!

Well, A LOT has certainly happened since mid-March (when I wrote about the wine tasting and vineyard tour that I did with Devlin and Jenny after one of the many English workshops we helped lead). I visited my sister in Barcelona for a weekend, I had a fabulous weekend in Paris with my best friend’s family, I had an absolutely incredible family vacation with my mom and sister, I went to Cambridge University in the UK, and I, sadly, said goodbye to all of the friends I had made.

One of the greatest things I have been able to do, during my time abroad, is travel Europe by low-cost airline, train, cruise ship, and bus. Europe is so accessible when it comes to traveling; the ability to travel from EU country to EU country has made this teaching experience wonderful.

Since I do not work on Wednesdays, have to be at work after noon on Mondays, and have no classes after noon on Fridays, I have been able to take weekend trips to visit friends and family abroad. When I picked my teaching hours in October I had this in mind, and I am so happy that I have been able to use it to my advantage.

Barcelona with my sister was so much fun; I had never been to BCN before, so my sister Jackie showed me many of the touristy sites. We were also able to spend time together catching up, since I hadn’t seen her since August 2010. We sat on beaches, hung out with her senora (Rosa), and enjoyed beautiful weather!

Paris is always fabulous…and especially since I have such gracious hosts when I am there! My best friend’s mom came into visit her sister in Paris for a handful of days and I met up with her. We explored the touristy parts of Paris, but also enjoyed each other’s company over rosé and while people watching in some of the many Parisian parks.

Family vacations can be stressful, overwhelming, and to a certain degree not as relaxing as they should be. All families eventually get sick of each other. My mom came to visit me for 3.5 weeks and during her time in Europe we: (1) met up with Jackie in Sorrento, Italy for a four day vacation that took us along the Amalfi Coast, to Capri, and to the ruins of Pompeii, (2) cruised on the Mediterranean stopping in the ports of Villefranche, France, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona, Spain, (3) discovered the architecture wonders of Barcelona, Spain, and (4) went back in history exploring the chateaux of Amboise, Blois, Chambord, Chenonceau, and Cheverny in The Loire Valley. It was SO MUCH FUN…and at no point was I ever “stressed”…”overwhelmed”…or “not as relaxed as I should have been”! I didn’t want my mom to leave!

More recently, I visited The University of Cambridge and got to see Lindsay (a friend who is doing her Master’s there) and our friend Stephanie who is traveling a bit before moving to Jamaica to do some volunteer work with children and a literacy program. We had not seen each other since we graduated in May 2010…so it was great to look back over our year and see what we’ve done. The mini-Wooster Reunion took us all around the city of Cambridge…from English pubs and fish and chips to playing board games and drinking coffee!

However, the hardest and most difficult thing that has happened over these past two-months has been saying goodbye to many of the amazing friends I have made. I was the only teaching assistant in my circle of friends that had a 9-month contract…so everyone (Caroline, Devlin, Emma, Jenna, Jenny, John, Kag, Miriam, Ryan) is practically gone now! We had a farewell garden party at my house about a month ago (right before my mom arrived in mid-April), as well as one last dinner at a creperie off of Place Plume. I hope all is well with all of them…you are ALL missed!

So, that is a quick update of what has been going on these past couple of months. I hope to have more regular updates during the next 2-months before my departure in early July 2011.

Peace and love from France, ALEX

Photo Challenge

The "Photo Challenge" has long been over...but I am finally getting to posting all of my photos (as well as Jenny's). Over the course of February (and through the end of our Winter Break--early March) Jenny and I had a list of 15 things that we need to take pictures of. So, here are the 15 things that we captured (first photo is Jenny's, second is mine). 

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(1) Bicycle

 02/08/2011: The BICYCLE that sits outside the "antique" (I don't believe all of her wares are antiques...) shop below our apartment.

 02/04/2011: "BICYCLE" - Wandering around Les Halles and snapped my first photo for Jenny and my Photo Challenge.

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(2) Umbrella

02/21/2011: Long walk out to Chateau Palmer in the downpours and gusting winds. Not sure if the UMBRELLA was more of a help or a hindrance...

02/15/2011: "UMBRELLA" - Another cold and rainy day in Tours; I was waiting at Emilie Zola to catch my bus into Tours Nord.

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(3) Iconic French

 02/14/2011: ICONIC: French cinephilie. Love that this is taught in France dès l'ecole primaire!

02/16/2011: "ICONIC FRENCH" - I think this sums up France in a picture...BAGUETTE!

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(4) Faux Pas

 02/07/2011: French FAUX PAS: Il faut pas wear tenue de sport when walking around in public. Even when walking 4 blocks to the gym. Je dois avoir la honte! I should be ashamed of my American self.

 03/06/2011: "FAUX PAS"- Welcome Back to France! Clean up after your dogs... ;)
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 (5) The Letter Q

 03/05/2011: Q's Q and prepping for departure =(

03/01/2011: "THE LETTER Q" - Kaitlyn and I went to see a free screening of "The Adjustment Bureau"...hosted by the radio station Q104.

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(6) Reflection

02/25/2011: Catching gold, crystals, and sunlight in the REFLECTION in the Hall of Mirrors at Versaille Palace.

02/09/2011: "REFLECTION" - Walking to Chantal's for our usual afternoon chat/hang out. Saw these teapots on Rue de la Scellerie in an antique shop.

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(7) Monochrome

03/04/2011: MONOCHROME at multiple levels here: RED lights at the Moulin ROUGE in the RED light district ;]

02/06/2011: "MONOCHROME" - Took a bike ride to Le Parc Municipal de l'Ile Simon...and finally saw "Le Pata” created by Maj-siri Österling in 2001.

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(8) Music

03/03/2011: Finally a clear day! Sunshine and foot tapping MUSIC in front of the Pantheon. Simply happy moment.

03/05/2011: "MUSIC"- At Cleveland Hopkins Airport and walked into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Store...saw this guitar.

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(9) Self-Portrait

03/06/2011: SELF PORTRAIT by shadow: finally walked out to Ile Simon and spent a good hour taking pictures of a) the sun and b) all the graffiti on the skate park and under the bridge. It was even warm enough in the sun that I tossed my jacket on the ground. Pray this means the next six weeks are only getting warmer and sunnier!

02/07/2011: "SELF-PORTRAIT" - Walking home from school down Rue Nationale and thought that this reflective surface would make for a perfect and interesting self-portrait photo.
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(10) Damaged/Broken

02/11/2011: Poor sad, DAMAGED/BROKEN little house post that I loved while trying to find my way to an inservice this afternoon.

02/11/2011: "DAMAGED/BROKEN" - I was walking to drop off my recycling and dropped one of the bottles...OOPS!
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(11) Coffee

02/20/2011: Mine and Mom's game of racing sugar to test the foam in our capuccino COFFEES in Bordeaux's Place de la Comedie.

02/28/2011: "COFFEE" - French press coffee at my Aunt Shirley's house. Kaitlyn and I made crepes for the family...hope I am not sick of them by the time I get back from the USA!
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(12) Diamond

02/19/2011: Love locks and DIAMONDS with a view of Notre Dame on Mom's first day in Pair-ee.

02/23/2011: "DIAMOND" - Walking around THE Chagrin Falls with Kaitlyn and saw this diamond on a brick wall off of Main Street.
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(13) Architecture

 03/02/2011: This picture so captures this moment. Notice our faces as we get swindled for photos by the Fabio-esque gladiator in front of one of the greatest pieces of ARCHITECTURE of the ancient world. Awesome.

02/22/2011: "ARCHITECTURE" - Looking out from my mom's office building. Spent the afternoon downtown at the dentist and then had dinner at Johnny's (Cleveland Restaurant Week)...and then PICKED UP KWEVANS!
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(14) I am here

 02/22/2011: I AM HERE: the final panel of modern art in Toulouse's Place de la Capitole has a mirror to reflect all the people that make the city what it is.

02/19/2011: "I AM HERE" - Flying from Paris to Newark...and yes, if you look close enough you can see where the plane is on the map! :)

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(15) Trust

02/23/2011: TRUST - Mother-child statue in Toulouse

 03/03/2011: "TRUST"- Dropped Kaitlyn off at the airport...another sad day!
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Well, there they all are! Let us know what you think! :) We have still yet to see who the "winner" is, but maybe this weekend at our "English Assistant Party"!?

Vineyard Visit and Wine Tasting

Last Wednesday I had an “animation” (workshop) near Bourgouil, France. Jenny, Devlin, and I accompanied Fleurette to a workshop where we would help her explain the differences between the US and UK. We talked about the holidays from both countries perspectives and taught songs to French teachers who are hoping to become certified to teach English next year.

After the “animation” we all headed to the winery of one of the teachers who had signed up for the session. She was gracious enough to offer all of us (other teachers included too) a visit of her husband’s winery, vineyard, and cave…as well as lunch for a small fee of 10 Euros.

When we arrived at the winery we went into the packaging and labeling area. We saw how their four types of wine were labeled and boxed. Afterwards, we went into the area where the wine was actually made and sat fermenting in huge stainless steel containers. There we had a mini tasting of a rosé and a red. 

The morning/afternoon ended with a visit to their cave where they store their personal wine and also let some of their wines age. The oldest bottles were from 1997 I believe and completely covered with mold. In the cave there was also an open area where we had lunch (featuring a yummy dessert special to the Bourgouil area) and sat by a warm fire.

This wine visit and tasting was much better than Jenny, Miriam, and my visit to Vouvray!

Another Wonderful Sunday Afternoon

This past Sunday I spent most of my day with Chantal and François. I arrived at the home around 10AM so we could begin preparing our lunch. Chantal had shown a lot of interest in learning how to make egg rolls and spring rolls, so we spent part of our day making them.

The day before we went to Paris Store (Asian Supermarket) to get some of the necessary ingredients. We started with the egg rolls. We made pork egg rolls filled with ginger, garlic, bokchoy, and carrots. They were quite good! The spring rolls were filled with vermicelli, cilantro, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, and bean sprouts. In my opinion, they were not as good as the egg rolls, but still yummy.

For lunch we ate our homemade creations. We started with the spring rolls and then had the egg rolls. We ate the egg rolls differently than in the States. We wrapped each egg roll with a mint leaf and some lettuce; it was like a slightly different take on the chicken lettuce wrap concept and very good. Afterwards, I had some homemade yogurt. Chantal and François make their own yogurt about every other day! They showed me how it was done and it is surprisingly very simple (if you have the machine). All you need is powdered milk, regular milk, and a yogurt from your previous batch…you mix all of that together and then put it into a warming machine for 8-hours. After yogurt, we had homemade compote of apples, prunes, and rum; it was like applesauce on steroids! All in all, lunch was very delicious!

We concluded lunch with some tea before heading out. François took Chantal and I around Tours and showed us the old Roman wall and told us about the founding of Tours. It was very interesting and cool to see how the Roman wall weaves through Tours. François explained the characteristics of a Roman wall (thin layers of red bricks sandwiching uniformly-shaped grayish stones…all mortared together with a red-ish brick-like mortar). When we returned back to their home, François showed me a map of Tours and where the wall is in relation to everything else. He also explained how the two former Roman towns of Tours combined to create modern-day Tours.

I left Chantal and François’ around 4:30PM and headed to The Pale. I met up with some Anglophones to watch some of the Scotland v. England rugby match. I stayed for about a half and hour before Emma and I head to the movies to see “127 Hours”. The movie was well done and definitely made me feel as if I was there. All I could say after leaving the movie was, “I do not think I could EVER cut off my own arm!”

Well, that is all for now. I am off to Barcelona this weekend to visit mi Hermana!

-ALEX