Germany, Mallorca, Amsterdam...and au revoir Clermont-Ferrand, France...Je le manquerai!!

Bonjour tous!! I have been through alot after my last post so I will do my best to tell you all that has happened!! Easter weekend arrived late March so I decided to head off to Germany to visit my fellow friends, the German trackers. The journey began with me missing the early morning train from Clermont...I ended up having to change my ticket and the only available seat on the next train was 1st class...as if the trip had already cost me alot...anyways, that didn't stop me...I was on my way to Paris...changed stations there and got the train to Stuttgart...quickly, changed tracks and caught the next train to Tubingen...so, 400 euros and 15 hrs later I finally was happy to see Dru at the train station...I had arrived just in time for their farewell party at their favorite hangout, Franky's. It was great seeing everyone and we had a fun evening. I got up relatively early the next morning as we were leaving for Cologne so I needed to explore Tubingen...it is a small yet beautiful city...it was sunday morning so there was a farmer's market right in the Marktplatz. Walked around that and the Rathaus (City Hall) before finally grabbing breakfast...so, the difference with breakfast in Germany compared to France...we drink small though strong coffee and a small croissant...well, in Germany...large brioches and large coffees! It is funny but I don't understand much German so it was rather interesting when people would start talking to me thinking that I understood...plus, I caught myself several times wanting to speak French...what had happened...I was thinking in French now...I guess that is good!

As we were waiting on the others, Dru introduced me to German style pretzels which were popular for breakfast or a quick snack...the insides are smothered with sweet creamy butter...it was sooo good...hit the spot, with a nice German beer mais oui! So, we caught the train to Cologne and that was certainly an adventure with, I think, 10 of us. SO much luggage, we took up an entire car within the train! So, we arrived to Cologne and went to settle down at the residence hall the guys would be staying the last month or so. Of course, Cologne is a much larger city atmosphere unlike Tubingen. We explored the city a bit...and then caught some rugby matches at a local pub. Oh, and in Mike Flanagan's honor we even saw an Irish pub named after him...hope all is well China...I'm sure you won't find one of those there haha!! All in all it was a GREAT time in Germany...worth all the travelling and money I spent. The day I was leaving (no I didn't miss the train this time), it was snowing rather heavily...looked really nice! Though being sunday in Europe...there was noone in sight as everything is normally closed on Sundays.

My next trip was a bit different than Germany... a weekend away in paradise...went to the Spanish island, Palma de Mallorca...it was HEAVEN!! Flew from Clermont to Madrid where I met Gary and Nathan...we caught our flight to Mallorca from there. Arrived there and Cush showed us around, as he had been there several times. We enjoyed the sights of architecture, crystal blue water, nice tapas and wine, and spanish omlettes (called tortillas in Spain)! The first night, we went to this huge mansion which has been converted into a sort of cocktail lounge. It was truly an amazing sight to see...we walked into this place to Gregorian chants playing and flower petals falling like confetti...we enjoyed a 15 euro drink out in the garden...but these drinks were made from fresh fruit and flowers...really good...well, it better be for $24!! After this, we went to Cush's second favorite spot...a Jazz bar...some Americans were playing...pretty cool! So, this was a chill night.

The next day we hit the beaches of Magaluf...WOW!! Amazing...just as nice as when I lived on the French Riveria...crystal blue water and paradise. It was in the upper 70s...which it was a bit hotter but still was nice. Spent a few hours between laying on the beach to watching some soccer at the beachside bars (which were all British or Scottish)...there are more Germans, British, and Scottish people here than Spaniards. It was definitely a very relaxing day. That night we hit the town of Magaluf...it was defintely a long night but we had a blast...met so many people from all different parts of the world.

My next adventure was our day trip touring the Auvergne region (Clermont-Ferrand is in this region). We saw an old chateau, a mushroom production plant, how Saint Nectaire cheese (traditional cheese made in this region) was made, and had a traditional Auvergne meal, truffade, which is potatoes made with lots of cheese with sides of raw bacon (of course, I didn't touch that bacon).

Then came a weekend trip to Amsterdam to visit a DC friend who was there for visiting. Had a blast. Walked around the canals, the Dam square, Keukenhof, and other famous sites of the city. What is great about travelling is not only seeing the differences in architecture and culture but also the people. The Dutch are very friendly people. Oh and the other interesting thing I saw there...everyone rides bikes! I felt like I was at the Tour de France. I've heard about car parking garages but bikes ones, wow! One thing I don't like in Europe is the amount of coins we carried around...there are no 1 or 2 euro bills and at train stations when you buy a ticket at the automatic machine ...you can only use coins or a credit card with a chip (which our wonderful American cards don't have). I remember at one station, I needed 8,60 euros for a ticket...well, as I started counting and putting all my change in the ticket machine, I came down to being 10 centimes short...at this point, I was pissed because you can't get your money...luckily, the person behind me was nice enough to give me that!

Well, that was the end of my travelling...lots, huh :-) The last couple weeks in France were filled with parties with friends and just soaking up as much culture as we could. Here are some random pics to finish up my time in France. The past four months have definitely been amazing. For those of you that know me, I travel alot and each time I leave Europe it is tough because I love it so much and will miss my friends. However, I got a great opportunity back in the U.S. I am very excited about being out West in Phoenix, AZ this summer for my internship. Never lived out there so I look forward to sharing that experience with you as well.

So, this is a snapshot view of my last month in Europe. Look forward to more posts throughout the summer!

Clermont vs. Bayonne Rugby Match

Well, it's official...this past weekend, I finally went to my first rugby match and it was definitely an experience I recommend anyone who has never been to one to try to once. Clermont-Ferrand played Bayonne. It was pretty amazing seeing everyone in Stade Michelin sporting jaune et bleu (yellow and blue) and for those of you that don't know, Clermont is home to Michelin thus the colors. Next time, I will need to go buy some gear so I can be a part of it. Clermont is the second best team, in France, after Toulouse. We only payed 11 euros for the standing room only section...but honestly, for that price, I think that was the best section...pretty much on the sidelines so you can't beat it!! Oh, so the food/drink stands follow a strange system...you have to go order and pay at one stand and then go join the mobs of people at the other one to get your 3 euros small beer!! No lines of course...feels just like you are at a bar trying to fight your way to the front.

I still do not understand all the rules of scoring because it varies depending on how the goal is scored. One type of goal is called a try which means grounding the ball over the goal line. The other type of goal occurs by kicking the ball between the goal posts which can happen in a few different ways. Another rugby term I learned is, scrum which is when the players of both teams push against each other, in a circle, as they fight for who gets possession. So, rugby is to Europe as American football is to the U.S.A. You could hear everyone in the stadium chanting, allons-y let's go!)...Final score: Clermont 27 - Bayonne 3!!

Vacationing in Salamanca, Espagne

So, last week was our one week vacation...sort of the winter/early spring break for the French schools. Well, I decided to do a bit of travelling and get out of Clermont-Ferrand. The voyage itself was an adventure...let's just say it was like "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles"...here goes my story...

I took an 8:30am train from Clermont to Paris on Feb. 16th...arrived in Paris at noon and then figured out how to take the RER to Charles de Gaulle airport...flight left from there at 5:00pm and I arrived in Madrid around 7:00pm...then, I had to figure out where the bus terminal was...Madrid is a HUGE airport...finally found that, and I start asking for a bus ticket to Salamanca...of course, I can't use my French here but even with my English, I caught myself having a bit of a French accent haha...the bus left at 8:30pm (the bus driver played Spanish music the entire ride...I think it was the same song throughout or at least the same melody...well, I was exhausted so I took a nap) and I got to Salamanca at 11:30pm where I FINALLY arrived at Nathan Cushnie's place 15 hrs later...but the thing with Salamanca is that people don't really start going out till 1am...their place is in a great location...overlooks a beautiful lake...

I got situated and we went out for a bit...definitely a town with a young vibrant crowd and lots of university students...nightlife is great...next day, Cushnie showed me around town...it was interesting to see the differences between French and Spanish architecture...we sat in the Plaza Mayor where there are several cafes and enjoyed the atmosphere...reminded sort of like Italy...so, between 2-4pm, the Spanish enjoy their siestas so the alot of the shops/cafes shut down...as you can see from the pics, there were tons of people enjoying the weather and then all of sudden, it was pretty much a ghost town within the plaza...

Second day, I walked around some more on my own and got to know the city a bit... explored sites such as, the Romansque Cathedral, University of Salamanca, and an Old Roman bridge...ok, so here's a bit of Salamanca culture...on the University facade, there is, The Rana de Suerte (Lucky Frog)...if you can spot this among all the other intrict architectural design, good luck will be brought upon you...I must say, it is really tough to find...Cushnie has to tell me where it was...but it was fun to watch several people going crazy trying to find out...

That night, we went to a bar which was full of American university students from Cali to VA...why you ask...International party and yes, Beer Pong in Salamanca! It was a good time...


Some Spanish nouriture that I tried were (not much veg food): tortilla de patatas which are basically their version of an omlette but in the form of a tortilla and potatoes...really good...the other thing was wine with a splash of coke...at first, I found that a bit strange...but not bad...

Well, that was just a bit of the good times that took place in Salamanca!! More pics can be seen on my picassa album (click on link at top my blog page)...left on Wednesday by a 2 hr train ride back to Madrid...caught a flight to London Gatwick...then took the 40 min ride on the Gatwick Express to central London to my cousin's place in Kensington...had a really nice relaxing time with them...it was REAL nice to eat Indian food for four straight days!!!! Also, got to enjoy my Starbucks coffee everyday...ok, don't get me wrong...I love the cafe in France...how could you not...but I had a craving for Starbucks...left on Sunday at 10am...took a 30 min tube ride to Liverpool street where I was supposed to catch the Stansted Express...well, with no surprise to me...the train was down till afternoon so they loaded us onto a bus to the airport...another 45 min ride...caught my flight from there to Lyon...then took a 40 min bus ride from the airport to the train station where I hopped onto the train headed back to Clermont where I reached around 9pm...a 12 hr journey back!

As you can see, I spent ALOT of time on trains, planes, and buses...but it was definitely worth it...and it was a learning experience for me!

Clermont-Ferrand--C'est la vie

I'm back...so, it has been 2 1/2 weeks since my first post...well, what sucks is not having internet at the apartment. Life has been great so far here. Been doing alot alot of walking within the town and exploring new sites around and about as well as meeting some great people. Clermont is definitely a university town so we have been meeting several other students at other universities nearby. As you can see in one picture, we met some random French at a local bar just because they were so happy to see Americans. The pose is what one guy called, "champs magnetique" ...some would find this similar to the Shocker haha...basically, our French friend said it was because we will stick together (French and American friends).

The weather has been simply amazing here with temps in the 50s most days!! Amazed by the views from our apartment building and the weather being nice, Andy, Phillipe and I decided to adventure out to the park on top of the hill (Parc du Montjuzat) we could see from the window. It was about a 20 min walk from the apartment to the top of the hill so not far at all. As you can see from the pictures, there is no complaining here...simply peaceful, and beautiful!






















So, the other day here we are sitting in class trying to focus on writing a CV in French and all of a sudden we hear all this noise outside...our first experience of watching a strike or as they call it in France, a grève. This is the first time I have so many people in Clermont-Ferrand. Definitely, something interesting to watch.

Finally, we were able to find the one tex-mex restaurant here which is well known in the area, Fiesta Grande...it has less than 10 tables and reservations need to be made in advance. It was one of the best meals I have had...food was very fresh and homemade mexican. We ate every bit of our food...I mean, when you pay 12 euros ($18) for a burrito you better. Oh, and a pitcher of margarita was 25 euros ($38)...but it was all worth it...good food with good company!! Oh and Philippe our Texan can vouch that the food was excellent!

As I said, the weather has been rather nice and we have been wanting to go skiing ever since we arrived. Well, we finally decided to go and see how it was anyways. We headed out on a 6:30am train, Saturday morning, to Le Lioran about a 2 hr journey southwest toward Toulouse. It was a beautiful ski village though not much snow...lots of ice! The day of skiing was cut short when our dear friend, Philippe, took a bit of a fall on the slopes (see his blog for more details about his story). Now, I have only skiied twice myself so I tried going down a couple times but driving in ice is bad enough so imagine skiing in it. Anyways, we ended up hanging out with Philippe who was at the medical station. I am happy to say he is just fine now. Hopefully, it will snow at some point here for us to go out again.

Here is a quick glimpse at the French terms I have been exposed to all the time:

Donc (French version of ummm, uhhh...now I see how people find those words annoying), les crottes (dog crap...talk about not keeping the roads clean...its EVERYWHERE you walk), galette des rois (famous pie that is eaten where whoever finds the little figure, la fève, becomes king and gets to choose their queen)...there are tons of other words but I'll list more later.

That was a quick recap of the last couple weeks...now that I am more settled in, I plan to update my blog at least once a week. Until next time...au revoir mes amis!!

Btw, I have put a link (Pictures from my semester abroad) at the top of my blog page which leads to many more of my pictures...I will continue to keep this updated as well.