Tuesday, September 22, 2009
I guess it's about time...
Considering I’m starting my fourth week in the land of romance (or amour, as we like to say here), I figured it was time I gave my adoring fans an update (that is, if anyone reads this). So here’s the lowdown so far, and I hope to update a little more frequently in the future, even if it’s more for me than for you!
I’m in Grenoble, France, a small, old city in the southeaster quarter of France, near the border with Italy. It is in a valley surrounded completely by mountains from three ranges that make up part of the French Pre-Alps: the Chartreuse, the Vercors, and the Belledonne. Coming from a state with small mountains and open ocean, this is a very different setting, and I was quite taken aback by the views at first. The Tour de France routinely passes through here, and despite all of the mountains, the city itself is entirely flat. Two rivers flow through it, the Isère and the Drac. Also, everyone rides bikes except for younger kids who generally prefer scooters.
I am living with a French couple that has hosted students for some 25 years. They have five grown children and twelve grandchildren, and couldn’t be nicer. A French university student, Éli stays here during the week, and sometimes another guy named Sylvain stays here as well. Nicole, my host mother, is a fabulous cook, and I have yet to be disappointed by a meal. She and my host father, Robert, have a big garden in their backyard that has provided lots of delicious fresh vegetables and fruits so far. Nicole turns most of the fruits into jam, and preserves a lot of the vegetables for the winter. In an attempt to integrate myself with the family, I’ve taken to helping dry the dishes after dinner (did I just hear my parents gasp, all the way across the Atlantic?).
I am a huge fan of French cuisine, as I had hoped. The French really do eat a lot of bread and cheese, which is fantastic in my opinion. It seems as though everyone on the street in the afternoons and evenings is heading home with a baguette in hand. In fact, today I even saw an older gentleman riding his bicycle home with his bread, a baguette sticking out of the small panniers on the back of his bike. It was so classic. I have to say, everything seems so French. Weird, I know.
For the most part I’ve been spending time with the other eight students in my group exploring the city and the surroundings. The first week we spent in the “préstage,” which was basically a grammar review class to prepare us for the language class placement exam. That weekend we went on a few adventures. The first was a trip up the téléphérique (kind of like a gondola) from the city up a mountain to La Bastille, a fort that overlooks the city. We went up on a Friday night when there was a free concert, which was very fun and a great way to see the entire city, especially as the sun set.
Saturday we went hiking in the Vercors range. What we were told would be a pretty flat and easy beginner hike was actually a mildly intense, day-long, very uphill affair, but an awesome one. We ate a picnic lunch partway up (my first French pique-nique! Although when I later recounted that at the dinner table, Sylvain and Éli quickly pointed out that since I did not have du saucisson, it was not a real French picnic), enjoyed spending some time with des vaches (as if I hadn’t seen enough cows in Kenya), and then proceeded to the summit. Talk about a spectacular view!
Since then I’ve been dying to get out on another hike, but I haven’t had a free weekend since. After a week of language classes and some more getting settled in, Andrew, another Bowdoin student here, and I went to visit two classmates studying in Lyon, Kaye and Claire. They were very generous and let us stay in their apartment. We spent most of Saturday at this phenomenal park, La Tête d’Or, where we had another picnic and then wandered around. The park had everything – a zoo with giraffes, flamingos, elephants (not quite the same as the Masaai Mara); it had a beautiful lake with amazing blue-green water; kilometers of walking paths; an underwater tunnel; a rose garden; you name it!
After so much walking I was looking forward to going to the soccer game that night and sitting down for a while. Of course, our seats ended up being in the super fan section, which meant standing on our seats and singing the entire game. Seriously. The enthusiasm was great, and I only wish I could have understood what we were cheering, since of course we had joined in by the second half, albeit with mumbles rather than words. Lyon was victorious and beat Lorient 1-0 with a later in the second half goal. Sadly, the Grenoble soccer team has not one a game yet this season…
We went to a great little restaurant for dinner. Many meals here are served as three courses: a salad, an entrée, and dessert. Can’t complain about that!
Sunday we headed up the hill to visit Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, a beautiful church that overlooks the city. We walked down, on the way stopping at an ancient amphitheater, which was pretty incredible. It’s probably the oldest thing I’ve ever seen.
Andrew and I headed back to Grenoble that evening to start our second week of language classes. I’ve also started an art history class created just for our program. There are four of us in the class, and each week we’ll meet at the Musée de Grenoble. It’s a renowned museum, and I’m feeling pretty lucky to get to see it and learn about the art in-depth in such an environment.
Completely unrelated to school, I finally ate at my first crêperie last Friday. It was all I had hoped for and more! Can’t beat the incredible taste and astounding simplicity of a sugar and butter dessert crêpe, that’s for sure! I've also had a croissant, du pain au chocolat, numerous cups of chocolat chaud, plenty of fromage, and of course, lots and lots of pain (bread, not the English pain).
I ate very well again on Saturday when most of our group went on a day trip to Annecy and Chambéry. We spent most of the time in Annecy where, because this weekend was the Patrimoine, a cultural period when most museums and churches open their doors to visiters for free. After a traditional lunch of tartiflette (a potato, cheese, cream probably, and ham dish) and a little time spent digesting, we wandered over to the boat rental area to see what damage we could do. Turned out we could do a lot, as they let people rent motorboats. So, naturally, six of us piled into a boat and put-putted our way across Lac Annecy. Four of us braved the cool (not really, considering the Maine ocean temperature even in the middle of the hottest of summers) water and went swimming, which felt like a spa treatment to me. We all took a turn driving the boat, which was pretty exciting, although the limited horsepower was a little disappointing, no matter how understandable.
After returning to the dock, we made the trek up to la Basilique de la Visitation, way up on a hill. When we got there someone was playing the bells, which was phenomenal. The sound carried so strongly down into the city below. We went into the church and then climbed to the top of the tower just as the bell player recommenced. Standing next to the bells was cool for a short period of time; I think my eardrums are still recovering a bit.
Of course, no day in France is complete without du glace, and so after descending the hill we promptly entered a particularly enticing ice cream shop. I managed to stuff myself with “cookie” and “fleur du lait,” and left quite content. All in all, another great day.
Sunday was spent doing a bit of homework and finally exploring the area around my house a little. The house is very old (how old, you ask? I don’t know. They told me the first day but I have a very hard time with French numbers, so I think I’d better ask again sometime.), and it’s in a suburb right next to Grenoble called Échirolles. A bit of a distance from the city and the university campus, but it’s a very nice spot. I dined with Nicole, as Robert is out of town. When I asked Nicole last night where he had gone, she replied with, “Tu n’as pas compris!” Evidently Robert is gone for four weeks to some sort of spa-type place, which apparently is pretty standard for the French. Heck, I thought he was just going away for the weekend. As you can see, I have sadly not instantaneously become fluent at French. Maybe that’ll kick in next week.
Sorry for the length of the post – hopefully I’ll avoid this in the future by updating more frequently. We’ll see though…
I hope my ramblings find you all well! Let me know what’s up wherever you are if you want (ghyndman@bowdoin.edu)!
À bientot (since baadaye doesn’t quite seem appropriate anymore)!
p.s. I tried to add pictures to this post, but despite the fact that I am now in a first-world country with reliable wireless, posting photos still does not seem to work. I'll try to put up an album shortly either on this page or on my shutterfly site, which I might get rid of if I figure out how to put albums on Blogger... (myviewfromafar@shutterfly.com).
I’m in Grenoble, France, a small, old city in the southeaster quarter of France, near the border with Italy. It is in a valley surrounded completely by mountains from three ranges that make up part of the French Pre-Alps: the Chartreuse, the Vercors, and the Belledonne. Coming from a state with small mountains and open ocean, this is a very different setting, and I was quite taken aback by the views at first. The Tour de France routinely passes through here, and despite all of the mountains, the city itself is entirely flat. Two rivers flow through it, the Isère and the Drac. Also, everyone rides bikes except for younger kids who generally prefer scooters.
I am living with a French couple that has hosted students for some 25 years. They have five grown children and twelve grandchildren, and couldn’t be nicer. A French university student, Éli stays here during the week, and sometimes another guy named Sylvain stays here as well. Nicole, my host mother, is a fabulous cook, and I have yet to be disappointed by a meal. She and my host father, Robert, have a big garden in their backyard that has provided lots of delicious fresh vegetables and fruits so far. Nicole turns most of the fruits into jam, and preserves a lot of the vegetables for the winter. In an attempt to integrate myself with the family, I’ve taken to helping dry the dishes after dinner (did I just hear my parents gasp, all the way across the Atlantic?).
I am a huge fan of French cuisine, as I had hoped. The French really do eat a lot of bread and cheese, which is fantastic in my opinion. It seems as though everyone on the street in the afternoons and evenings is heading home with a baguette in hand. In fact, today I even saw an older gentleman riding his bicycle home with his bread, a baguette sticking out of the small panniers on the back of his bike. It was so classic. I have to say, everything seems so French. Weird, I know.
For the most part I’ve been spending time with the other eight students in my group exploring the city and the surroundings. The first week we spent in the “préstage,” which was basically a grammar review class to prepare us for the language class placement exam. That weekend we went on a few adventures. The first was a trip up the téléphérique (kind of like a gondola) from the city up a mountain to La Bastille, a fort that overlooks the city. We went up on a Friday night when there was a free concert, which was very fun and a great way to see the entire city, especially as the sun set.
Saturday we went hiking in the Vercors range. What we were told would be a pretty flat and easy beginner hike was actually a mildly intense, day-long, very uphill affair, but an awesome one. We ate a picnic lunch partway up (my first French pique-nique! Although when I later recounted that at the dinner table, Sylvain and Éli quickly pointed out that since I did not have du saucisson, it was not a real French picnic), enjoyed spending some time with des vaches (as if I hadn’t seen enough cows in Kenya), and then proceeded to the summit. Talk about a spectacular view!
Since then I’ve been dying to get out on another hike, but I haven’t had a free weekend since. After a week of language classes and some more getting settled in, Andrew, another Bowdoin student here, and I went to visit two classmates studying in Lyon, Kaye and Claire. They were very generous and let us stay in their apartment. We spent most of Saturday at this phenomenal park, La Tête d’Or, where we had another picnic and then wandered around. The park had everything – a zoo with giraffes, flamingos, elephants (not quite the same as the Masaai Mara); it had a beautiful lake with amazing blue-green water; kilometers of walking paths; an underwater tunnel; a rose garden; you name it!
After so much walking I was looking forward to going to the soccer game that night and sitting down for a while. Of course, our seats ended up being in the super fan section, which meant standing on our seats and singing the entire game. Seriously. The enthusiasm was great, and I only wish I could have understood what we were cheering, since of course we had joined in by the second half, albeit with mumbles rather than words. Lyon was victorious and beat Lorient 1-0 with a later in the second half goal. Sadly, the Grenoble soccer team has not one a game yet this season…
We went to a great little restaurant for dinner. Many meals here are served as three courses: a salad, an entrée, and dessert. Can’t complain about that!
Sunday we headed up the hill to visit Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, a beautiful church that overlooks the city. We walked down, on the way stopping at an ancient amphitheater, which was pretty incredible. It’s probably the oldest thing I’ve ever seen.
Andrew and I headed back to Grenoble that evening to start our second week of language classes. I’ve also started an art history class created just for our program. There are four of us in the class, and each week we’ll meet at the Musée de Grenoble. It’s a renowned museum, and I’m feeling pretty lucky to get to see it and learn about the art in-depth in such an environment.
Completely unrelated to school, I finally ate at my first crêperie last Friday. It was all I had hoped for and more! Can’t beat the incredible taste and astounding simplicity of a sugar and butter dessert crêpe, that’s for sure! I've also had a croissant, du pain au chocolat, numerous cups of chocolat chaud, plenty of fromage, and of course, lots and lots of pain (bread, not the English pain).
I ate very well again on Saturday when most of our group went on a day trip to Annecy and Chambéry. We spent most of the time in Annecy where, because this weekend was the Patrimoine, a cultural period when most museums and churches open their doors to visiters for free. After a traditional lunch of tartiflette (a potato, cheese, cream probably, and ham dish) and a little time spent digesting, we wandered over to the boat rental area to see what damage we could do. Turned out we could do a lot, as they let people rent motorboats. So, naturally, six of us piled into a boat and put-putted our way across Lac Annecy. Four of us braved the cool (not really, considering the Maine ocean temperature even in the middle of the hottest of summers) water and went swimming, which felt like a spa treatment to me. We all took a turn driving the boat, which was pretty exciting, although the limited horsepower was a little disappointing, no matter how understandable.
After returning to the dock, we made the trek up to la Basilique de la Visitation, way up on a hill. When we got there someone was playing the bells, which was phenomenal. The sound carried so strongly down into the city below. We went into the church and then climbed to the top of the tower just as the bell player recommenced. Standing next to the bells was cool for a short period of time; I think my eardrums are still recovering a bit.
Of course, no day in France is complete without du glace, and so after descending the hill we promptly entered a particularly enticing ice cream shop. I managed to stuff myself with “cookie” and “fleur du lait,” and left quite content. All in all, another great day.
Sunday was spent doing a bit of homework and finally exploring the area around my house a little. The house is very old (how old, you ask? I don’t know. They told me the first day but I have a very hard time with French numbers, so I think I’d better ask again sometime.), and it’s in a suburb right next to Grenoble called Échirolles. A bit of a distance from the city and the university campus, but it’s a very nice spot. I dined with Nicole, as Robert is out of town. When I asked Nicole last night where he had gone, she replied with, “Tu n’as pas compris!” Evidently Robert is gone for four weeks to some sort of spa-type place, which apparently is pretty standard for the French. Heck, I thought he was just going away for the weekend. As you can see, I have sadly not instantaneously become fluent at French. Maybe that’ll kick in next week.
Sorry for the length of the post – hopefully I’ll avoid this in the future by updating more frequently. We’ll see though…
I hope my ramblings find you all well! Let me know what’s up wherever you are if you want (ghyndman@bowdoin.edu)!
À bientot (since baadaye doesn’t quite seem appropriate anymore)!
p.s. I tried to add pictures to this post, but despite the fact that I am now in a first-world country with reliable wireless, posting photos still does not seem to work. I'll try to put up an album shortly either on this page or on my shutterfly site, which I might get rid of if I figure out how to put albums on Blogger... (myviewfromafar@shutterfly.com).
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