Impromptu Trip to Brussels, Belgium!

So, a most of you have probably heard about the volcano in Iceland and how it was wreaking havoc on the airspace of Europe. Well I think it is safe to say that almost everyone’s travel plans got a little disrupted this spring break. I got sick and had to bail out on my spring break week one and returned to Angers last Wednesday. My week two of spring break was supposed to spent in Antibes in the south of France with my housemate Jayne and another one of our friends. Well the two of them got stuck in Amsterdam due to the ash cloud so there went my week two. Last Wednesday people started filtering back into Angers either by bus or by train, and by Thursday most airlines were flying again. Many people missed their second half of their planned vacation. But instead of just sitting around in Angers, Adam suggested we go to Brussels, Belgium Thursday morning. So late Tuesday night I bought tickets and Thursday morning we were off!

We got into Brussels around 1pm and walked to our hotel from the train station. It was a nice way to get a first glimpse of the city. Brussels is French speaking which was helpful in terms of being able to ask questions and get around. The rest of Belgium however primarily speaks Flemish. After we dropped our stuff off we went off to find the famous Grand Place or the Central Square. It was located fairly close to where we were staying so it was not difficult to find…or not too difficult. The Square was absolutely beautiful because the architecture was amazing. The square was rather lively, people were walking, sitting in little restaurants around the exterior, or sitting right in the middle of the square on the ground chatting with friends with a couple of beers. It was a great atmosphere. There was also this delicious smell in the air. Our noses led us to a waffle stand so of course we had to get a Belgian waffle in Belgium, and it was definitely worth it.
After we got a couple pictures of the square we decided we should actually find a map of the city. We found one at the tourist information center and decided our next destination would be the L’Atomium. We had both seen pictures and wanted to see it in person. Judging by the map it looked like it was within walking distance…. after walking for a while we realized it probably wasn’t so we hopped on the metro. It seemed that once we actually had the city map neither of us could read it anyway. I am going to blame the map in this situation because normally I am ok with those kinds of things.
The Atomium was really neat and a lot bigger than I had pictured for some reason. We got a couple of nice shots, hopped back on the metro and headed back for downtown. We grabbed dinner at a nice restaurant right in the Grande Place. The atmosphere and the food were both fantastic.
Day two we got started around 10am and our first stop was the Cathedral. It was very pretty inside and out. The stain glass windows were fabulous and it had one of the prettiest organs I have ever seen. Next we found our way to the Museum of Musical Instruments, something that was one my list of things to see. The museum was great. Everyone got a headset and when you stood in front of the case that held either violins, trumpets, bag pipes, pianos ect. You heard what music it played. There were the everyday instruments and some more obscure instruments. It was not focused so much on the history of the music, but more on the sound it made and just being able to enjoy it. If you are ever in Brussels I highly recommend it!
Next we made our way to the cinquantaire triumphal arch. It was situated at the back of a beautiful park so the walk was nice to reach it. Everyone was out and about either reading in the sun or running. We had fantastic weather both Thursday and Saturday. After the arch we ended up in another beautiful park on our way to see the European Union buildings.
After the checking out the EU we ended up in another park and grabbed some lunch and a beer at a little outdoor café. Rejuvenated we headed back to downtown to find another famous Brussels landmark, le Mannekin Pis. On the map it looks huge and they have large depictions of it in all of the gift shops so I was picturing a fairly large fountain of this baby peeing. When we found it, it was on a little side street and was actually really small. About child sized actually, which makes sense, but I had pictured something larger. We had a good laugh about that and were off to explore some more.
We saw all of these signs pointing to a certain flower garden so we followed the signs for awhile and when we arrived it was just the name of a square, no actual flowers. The walk was still enjoyable. And on our walk we found a Belgian Chocolate shop – soooo good! I had tried an orange chocolate piece, a raspberry, and a cointreau piece. All were delicious.
Later that night we grabbed dinner at a restaurant called The Drug Opera. The food and beer were great and we had a waffle with vanilla ice cream and chocolate for dessert to toast to our great weekend in Brussels.

We left this morning on the 8h30 train and were back in Angers by around 1. Brussels was a great and unexpected finish to my spring Break.
Now I have the rest of today and tomorrow to do some last minute homework assignments before school starts back up on Monday. I cannot believe I only have about a month of classes yet. This whole experience is going by too fast, but I know I cannot slow it down. I just have to try to soak everything up while I can.

A Few Things I Love About France....So Far

#1 - Cheese
So cheese has always had a special place in my heart, but here I have grown to love it even more. With every meal Chez Annick at least three diferent types of cheese are served. She always has Brie (my favorite), Chevre (Jaynes favorite), and then a third mystery cheese that we get to try. The mystery cheese is always wonderful as well, I have yet to try a cheese that I have absolutely detested.
#2 - Walking
Anchorage isn't a very pedestrian friendly city so living in Angers has been a nice change. I take the bus to get into the city and to school in the morning because I live out in the suburbs but everywhere else I walk. The nice thing is my mentality about walking has changed. It doesn't even seem to phase me anymore if it takes 20+ minutes to walk somewhere because that is the only way im going to get there, so might as well get started. Now as much as I love it, I will probably end up going back to Anchorage and driving everywhere again. That just seems to be the way it works, but we will see.
#3 - Reliable public transportation
Because I take the bus at least twice a day, I really appreciate how simple and reliable it is in Angers. However the bus drivers are just like any other driver in Angers. It is perfectly acceptable to go into oncoming traffic to pass a slow car, dump truck, or biker. Stressed me out a little at first but they have not hit anyone yet so they must know what they are doing!
#4 – Wine
Wine does not have to be expensive to be absolutely delicious. There are bottles of wine as low as .89 centimes that are a little hard to swallow, but as soon as you get into the 1.50 euro range its not half bad. Every Friday night Jayne and I have a movie night and we always get our favorite bottle of Chardonnay and watch a movie, luckily for our pockets our favorite bottle is only 2.50. It is pretty wonderful.
(view from my back window, everything bloomed in the backyard!)
#5 – Flowers
Right now spring is in full bloom and Angers is picturesque. Even though most people have modestly sized yards, it seems that everyone has a garden and everyone has beautiful flowers. All of the road medians are blooming with tulips and the public parks are a display of bright colors. When I walk to my bus stop in the morning I get hit with the fragrance of it all. The last three days the weather has been in the 70s here and it feels like summertime in Alaska. I could really get used to this climate.

#6 – Traveling
So I guess this isn’t just about France. But I do love that right now I feel like Europe is my playground. I am going to truly enjoy this feeling while I can!
#7 - Old Things!
I love that Angers is a perfect mix of old and new. You can be in the most modern feeling store or restaurant and then walk outside and be looking at the Chateau or the old Cathedral. It is fabulous and the excitement has not worn off for me. It is just that awesomely overwhelming feeling when you think how many people have lived here before you and how long there have been people living here. It is hard to get that feeling in a place like Anchorage where everything in terms of architecture is fairly new.


I will continue adding to this list as things come to me!

Scotland

After spending two days in Dublin we were on to Edinburgh. I absolutely loved Edinburgh, the city has great charm and the people were all so friendly. We arrived very early in Edinburgh and so we went straight to our hostel, checked in, had some breakfast, and planned out what to do for the day. The hostel was absolutely wonderful, it was located right at the base of Edinburgh Castle. I could not think of a better location.
After we ate we went first to the National Gallery which housed many works of art from both foreign artists and Scottish Artists. It was wonderful and it was free, which helps the pockets when traveling. We finished with that around noon and decided to do the castle next. The castle admission was 10 pounds but it was definitely worth it. Not only do you get to visit the castle but they have turned all of the interiors of the old structures into various museums. One was a prisoner of war museum, another a military museum, one held the crown jewels and so on. We spent probably a total of two hours there. It had been a long morning so afterward we went back to the hostel and took a much needed rest. After we made some dinner and then were back out on the town. We explored the town a bit more and walked up this hill that our hostel recommended. It was an absolutely beautiful view of the town and we were just in time for sunset!

The next day we booked a bus tour to take us up to Iverness through the Scottish Highlands to see Loch Ness. We were at the pick up point bright and early at 8am ready for another eventful day. We had another day of beautiful weather and our guide was wonderful. I could listen to someone talk with a Scottish accent all day and probably never tire of it. He was entertaining and extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area and everything we were seeing out our windows. We drove past Sterling Castle and our guide told us the story of William Wallace and how he actually died. Lets just say that Braveheart was a gentle version!
We reached Iverness around 1:30 and had a boat tour on Loch Ness at 2pm. The boat was equipped with sonar systems so we were really searching for Nessie, alas no monster. The boat tour was an hour and then we had the drive back to Edinburgh and we were back around 7pm. A long day but definitely worth it.

(meet Hamish - Highland cow)
The next morning we woke up and went to the National Museum of Scotland. There were a multitude of great exhibits and we easily spent two hours looking around. That afternoon we took a late afternoon bus to our next destination, Glasgow.

So this was kind of when the trip went south. I had gotten sick on the first day of Spring Break and was taking as much cold medicine as possible and was just not getting better. The lack of sleep and long days walking around probably were not helping either. We checked into our Glasgow hostel and I felt truly terrible. The next morning was even worse so I went to the doctor first thing in the morning.

The doctor said that I had a good old virus/cold thingy and a raging ear infection. I was exhausted and he recommended it would be best for me to rest as much as possible because if I kept going at the pace I was it would only get worse. So, i returned to the Hostel and prepared to go home. I was supposed to spend the next 3 days in London but I would have been kind of useless and would not have enjoyed everything if I wasn't feeling well. So I bought a ticket and with two hours was at the airport destined for Paris and then Angers.

2 notes on this experience.
#1 - My doctor looked like a better looking Gerard Butler. Apparently that is possible. As he was trying to tell me what my maladies were I was so distracted by the pretty that he probably thought I was high. My words were not making sense. I blamed my speech impediment on being in France for 3 months and not speaking much English (haha....yea right). Unfortunately no picture available.
#2 - It is actually possible to buy a plane ticket within two hours of departure and just get on it and go. I kind of felt like i was in the movies. Kind of cool even though I felt like hell. Also, flying with an ear infection might be one of the most painful experiences.

So now I am back in Angers getting some much needed rest and will hopefully be better by Monday when I am to meet my two friends Anna and Jayne in Antibes in the South of France. Wish me well!

Ireland

The past two days I was lucky enough to spend in beautiful Ireland. My friend Ryan and I flew into Dublin on Friday morning. We spent the whole first day exploring the city and visiting the major sites such as the Guinness Storehouse, Christ Church, St. Patricks Cathedral, Temple Bar, and Trinity College.
(Christ Church)
The Guinness storehouse was really cool and informative for me because i know absolutely nothing about making beer. It explains the whole process and the history behind Guinness. Once you reach the top they give you your pint of Guinness. It was a first time experience for me, and it wasn't too bad.

The other sites were great as well and brought back memories from when I was in Dublin with my choir in 2005.
Saturday we took a guided tour through the Irish countryside to the towns of Glendalough and Kilkenny. Glendalough is known as the valley of two lakes and is also home to an ancient monastery. Kilkenny was a quaint Irish town with lots of history and interesting sites as well. The best part though was we happened to be there during the day of a parade when they were honoring retired soldiers, so we got to see a whole procession of Bagpipes.
The drive itself was beautiful with all of the green rolling hills and tons of adorable new born sheep.

Today is my first day in Edinburgh, Scotland and tomorrow I will be going up to the Highlands and Loch Ness. I will be sure to update when I can but I will not be able to post pictures until I am back in Angers.

Joyeux Pâques!

Happy Easter everyone!
I have been terrible about keeping this blog updated but France is certainly keeping me busy. It is Easter weekend and my housemate Jayne and I decided to stay in Angers for the weekend, and I think it was a great decision. We are both catching up and resting up for Spring break which for me will start this Friday! I will spending the first week of the Break in Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London with my friend Ryan. Week two is girls week in Antibes which is in the south of France with Jayne and Anna, my other good friend here. I am so ready for this adventure!

Ok now time to play catch up.

two weekends ago: Two weekends ago I went on an excursion just with the AHA program kids. We went to the François Rabelais museum (French author), to a troglodyte restaurant, and then to a zoo!! The Rabelais museum was interesting, and on the bus way there, several students took turns reading passages out of either Gargantua or Pantagruel to get us in the mood.
As for the cave restaurant, I have never eaten so much in my entire life. The appetizer was a variety of different types of mushrooms, all were delicious. After that they brought out this bread that were like pitas hot from the oven. You cut them open and fill them with butter and this type of cured/salted pork spread. And they just keep bringing out the bread until you have eaten as many as you possibly can. Then there was more bread with melted cheese, and finally dessert. So good but we were all having a rough time walking around after that.
The Zoo was really neat. Lots of different animals and it was just a lot more open than any zoo i have been to in the states. Like the monkeys weren't in cages but they seemed to stay where they were...I am not sure how.
All in all, a successful excursion, and fun times with friends.

Last Weekend:
Last weekend was the excursion to Normandie and the D-Day beaches. We began our excursion with a visit to the memorial museum in Caen. It was a very interesting museum with lots of information, too much to take in during the few hours we spent there but enjoyable nonetheless.
After the museum we went to the American Cemetery. This was interesting because I did not realize that as soon as you enter the cemetery you are on American soil. The cemetery itself was beautiful. It overlooks Omaha beach and there are pathways from the cemetery down to the beach as well. There were rows and rows of crosses, some with names and some without that simply read "Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God."
After the cemetery we were able to go down to the actual beach. All i could picture was the video they showed at the museum of the rows and rows of men coming ashore, and many of them not even making it out of the water before they fell, and the men behind them who somehow found the strength to keep going.
Pont de Hoc was the next stop. This was an area where there are still old Bunkers from the German troops. This was an area where you could actually go down into the Bunkers.
I am really glad that Normandie was one of the excursions offered by the program. I am really glad I was able to visit.

Stuff In between: School has kept me busy although I still am probably not studying as much as I should. It is just so easy to get distracted here! My hardest class is definitely my grammar class. I am terrible with grammar in English, so learning all of the tiny nuances in French is definitely not easy. But I am working at it, and I know it will help me improve my French. Other than that, I am still getting good marks on all of my tests and staying afloat!
I have been to two hockey games here in Angers which have been a lot of fun. Angers has their own hockey team and they are actually pretty good. They have won the past two games, and the last game I went to was on Wednesday and it was the semi-finals.
I still have yet to make it to a soccer game, but it is on my list of things to do!
Spring is in full bloom here although the weather has been crazy the past two weeks. It will start out rainy, get beautiful, there will be thunder and lightening in the afternoon, rain some more, then clear up again, and repeat. It has also hailed 3 times in the past week. Weird. All of the flowers and trees have bloomed and it is beautiful!
Yesterday I went to the Saturday market and bought some delicious apples and probably the best grapefruits I have ever had. I still have two left but I know they wont sit around for long!
Today is Easter Sunday and Jayne and I are taking it easy. The plan is to bring our books to the nearby park by the river and soak up some sun.
I hope your Easter Sunday is just as leisurely!
Love you all!