Thursday I finished studying for my European Economy test and took it. It was really straightforward, but it was difficult to express some of the complex ideas that I wanted to talk about in French. Hopefully the Professor understands, but if not she said she would work the foreign students to make sure everything works out so I am not worried. After the test I grabbed some dinner and relaxed until I met my friends out in the Odeon area of Paris. We were celebrating my friend Fredo’s 21st birthday and we decided to go to this cool bar that has a huge underground area for dancing and lounging. It’s really cool because you feel as if you are in a really old place but at the same time there is good music and dancing. It was a really exciting night and we stayed at the bar way too late! I had to catch a train at 8:00 am for Angers and I didn’t get back to my house until 7:00am. I took a shower, got my stuff together, and headed to the train station. I was joining 5 other students from EDUCO and a tour guide and we were taking the TGV from Paris to Angers which is in the Loire Valley. Some of the other people had had late nights also so I wasn’t alone. I napped on the train ride there and when we arrived we were in a beautiful little French city. Angers is in the Anjou region of France. Our first stop was a café so that everyone could get some caffeine so that we would have energy for the day. It is important to note that the Loire Valley is filled with old chateaus from the kings and nobility of France. Angers has an amazing chateau that was first built in the 1100’s and then it was developed over the next few centuries. Regardless it was really old and amazing. This was our first stop. Not only is the chateau amazing as you can see, but it also contained a gigantic tapestry that has been divided into multiple pieces because originally it would have been about 100 meters long. I took a lot of pictures! After the chateau we walked through some of the streets of the small town seeing architecture from different periods and cultures. Next we stopped at the Cathedral of the town. It was incredible. Next we had lunch! EDUCO treated us to lunch and everything was delicious. My first course was boudin noir et blanc served over a small salad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudin). Next I had venison or cerf in French which was prepared with a heavy brown sauce and served with noodles. After that I had a cheese course of chevre or goat cheese which the region is known for. Finally for dessert I had gauteau noix which was a cake made with walnuts and served with hot fudge. It was a great meal and I was so full. After that we saw some of the other important landmarks of the town including an old hospital, an abbey, and some more architecture. Then everyone split up for a few hours so I went to a park with some friends and we just relaxed and took in the cliffs that overlooked the park. Finally we regrouped at the train station and headed back home. I was exhausted and took a nap when I got home and when my friends called me to go out, I decided that I had no energy, so I went to sleep really early on Friday. Saturday, I was still recuperating and didn’t do much during the day. I made some really good pasta for lunch. I tossed the pasta in Sriracha hot sauce, chili paste, two cloves of diced garlic, and olive oil. It was delicious. For dinner I made my signature chicken dish with some rice and after that I went to my friend’s apartment to hang out before going to the Irish bars for St. Patrick’s Day. I went with my friends to our favorite Irish Pub, O’Sullivans and it was packed! It was a fun night but I went home fairly early. Sunday I had brunch with my family. We had two types of pate, rack of lamb, a delicious salad with everything from avocado to radishes, great cheeses, and coffee and chocolate to finish the meal. As always we had great wine to accompany the meal. The rest of the day I caught up on some work, watched some of the NCAA games, and relaxed. Monday, I woke up ran in Bois de Boulogne, did my laundry, and made myself some lunch (just rice nothing special). That night I went to my host aunt’s house for dinner. Again it was really good. We had a Chinese soup to start, followed by a Belgian specialty of endives wrapped in ham in a cheese sauce, next we had incredible French and Italian cheeses, and finally we had a tasty tart with raspberries for dessert. It was another fun night with my friends and my host aunt. Tuesday I only had one class and afterwards I went with my friends to get food and stopped at EDUCO. Then one of my friends came back to my house with me to do a project. The day wasn’t too exciting, but the night was fun because I went to my friend Drew’s apartment for dinner. He made some great pasta dishes. Then I met a bunch of my friends in Odeon at a bar called Fubar. There were a ton of people visiting on spring break and after leaving Fubar we went to another bar called Highlander and stayed there for awhile. I met people who know people I know from home; it really is a small world! It was a really fun night. Wednesday I woke up late, finished my grammar project, and went to class. Then I hung out at EDUCO for a long time. I came home, made myself some dinner, and then went to a play called Cet Enfant. It was a really good, really short play. It was modern and was about family problems. It was really entertaining and interesting. After the show a few of us went and met people at our Irish bar O’Sullivans. It was a fun, but relaxed night. Thursday I had class and will probably go to a club with some people from EDUCO. This weekend I am going to Reims in the Champagne region of France. Until then…
Au revoir!
GO HOYAS!!!
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