Some things never change

For one- the fact that I still get nervous before a test, and have this crazy driving desire to succeed. The test I'm speaking of is the one I took yesterday for my placement exam for school. I know it doesn't really matter, they're just trying to put us into proper levels so we can learn the most, but sometimes I just can't help the perfectionist in me. I'll find out later today how I did, so we'll see...

Moving on to other subjects, I LOVE IT HERE!!!!

Seriously. It's great. Everybody speaks french! (Imagine that!) Actually, the french part can be quite overwhelming, especially when they start speaking really fast, and slurring their words together. But it's all part of the experience!

After the API group arrived in Grenoble, we settled in with our families, and the next day, we got a tour of the city. The historic downtown is so nice. There are lots of cute patisseries and librairies (book stores) and cafés galore. Also, many of the streets are pedestrian only. They have a great public transport system here, which is proof that cities like Fort Worth could too! To get pretty much anywhere, I take a bus for 5 minutes or so, and then get on the tram. During the day, the trams come every 3-4 minutes, which is very nice.

After our tour of downtown, we checked out the University campus, which is very large and spread out. I'm used to a large campus, but not used to so much space in between buildings. It's kinda nice, but can also make it harder for me to recognize where I am, because there are fewer buildings to use as landmarks. The campus mostly looks like it was constructed during the 60's and 70's, but it has a friendly feel to it.

This past weekend, I went on a bike ride, and a very long hike. I enjoyed both so much, and was able to get some incredible views of the mountains. There are 3 ranges that surround Grenoble. My family lives at the base of the Chartreuse, looking toward the Belledone, and to the west are the Vercors. The mountains are so so so pretty, and I can even see the Belledone from my bedroom window!

Sunday night, Priscilla, my host sister, took me with her to this thing called feu. It's kind of like a Baptist Student Union, only for Evangelicals. There were probably 20 people there, and I got to meet a bunch of kids my own age. Everyone spoke so fast! I sort of understood some of it, but mostly not. I really enjoyed it though! It was also nice to connect with students my own age.

Anyways, today is the start of classes, which I am very excited for. I bought my cahiers and stylos, and am ready to start being fluent in french. Then, on Friday we'll take an excursion to Vizille, so I'll probably post again next week.

some pictures of Grenoble:
The Jardin de Ville

The Bastille, an old fortress situated in the Chartreuse

a pretty bridge looking back over the river Isère towards the centre-ville

Paris, Je t'aime

The title of this blog post is absolutely true, though I did hate that movie....

Today I arrived in Grenoble from Paris, and I love it! I really like my family, and everything! But since I'm behind in posting, I figured I'll do the Paris part today, and after a few days here in Grenoble, I'll post again.

So I arrived in Paris after possibly the worst flight of my life. Seriously. Note to self: don't fly at 6 am ever again! I got up at 3 to get ready, and caught a taxi and was at the airport by 4. When I arrived in Paris (Charles de Gaulle), customs was a complete joke. I don't think the guy hardly looked at my passport, let alone my visa! There was no landing card, and for all they know, I could be staying here indefinitely, bumming off of locals! It's funny, because in London, the lady was like: "Where are you going? What are you doing? You've been her before? What were you doing then?" and the list goes on.... Mais pas en France!

I met up with our study abroad group, and we took shuttles to the hotel. Other note: avoid driving in Paris whenever possible. They are CRAZY drivers! I was so sure we would hit somebody, and it's like they don't get the concept of lanes. They just whiz quickly in and out however they please. They even go into oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road! Also, the fact that the spedometer is in km/h doesn't help you to calm down. I'm pretty sure going 130 in a 90 is way too fast!

Moving on, We did so much in Paris, so I'll just give some highlights. The first night at dinner, I had a typical french meal: Six escargots for l'entrée, boeuf bourgignon for the main course, and creme brulée for dessert. I was quite nervous about the snails, but I figure you have to try them at least once, so why not your first meal?! They were actually quite good. Kaycee, another girl in the program, says that it's all about the sauce. I have to agree with her.

We went to Versailles, which was really just too lavish for me. Almost disgusting how incredibly ornate everything was. The French spare nothing on decorating the royal palaces. I mean really, the Louvre wasn't enough for Louis XIV? (A side note- as an apology for spending all the taxpayers' money on Versailles, the sun king built the Parisians a bridge- with more of their money!)

We went to the Musée d'Orsay, le Louvre, Sainte Chappelle, Notre Dame, and le tour Eiffel. I enjoyed all, especially the Orsay. They have some excellent impressionist works. I was bummed that it was so very packed with tourists though. At the Louvre, we had a guide, and I kind of felt jipped, because we only saw 6 pieces in an hour and a half! I really liked winged victory though.

After the Louvre, I talked a group into going to Angelina's with me, and we had the best hot chocolate in the world! It completely deserves that title, I must say.

I think I have climbed well over 1000 stairs these past few days, and let me tell you- it is exhausting! I feel like with all of the walking around we did (One day another girl and I walked from Montmartre all the way back to the other side of the river where our hotel was), I will be in such good shape!

Anyways, I'm going to hang out with my family, and I'll post more later.

Some pictures:
Eiffel tower:

des escargots:

Awesome street performers near Sacré Coeur. They were singing, and playing with a soccer ball.

Me at Point Zero. I will be returning to Paris!

Angelina's chocolat chaud.

Over Hill, Over Dale

This was written Saturday, 29 August.

On Friday, it was raining when I got up, but only lightly. I considered putting off my planned trip to Haddon Hall, but decided to wait until later in the day to decide.

I went into town, browsed a few shops, and got directions to Haddon via bus, just in case the rain wouldn't let up. The hall doesn't open till noon each day, so at about 10:30, when the rain had stopped, I started my walk. On the guide-map-brochure-thing, it said this walk could get “slightly muddy in areas, after the rains.” More like: disgustingly muddy, be very careful not to fall flat on your face, it's so slippery! But once I passed through the muddy lane and got up onto a grassy hill, I was stunned. There was a great view of the medieval fortress surrounded by trees, and the sun was hitting the grass in such a way as to intensify the greenness of it. Overall, it was quite an enjoyable walk.

I went through the hall, and toured the grounds as well. Haddon seemed a much more liveable place than Chatsworth, and it was really neat how preserved it was, because it's belonged to the Manners family since the 16th century, and before that, it had only belonged to one other family, the Vernons. The oldest parts of the property date back to the 11th century, but most of the structure is from the Tudor period. The Manners family chose not to live there (they had another castle they lived in called Belvoir) until the early 1900's. Now they've started some restoration work on it, and even used it in some movies (Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and The Other Boleyn Girl). It was only on my walk back to Bakewell that the clouds came through again on their threats, and it started to rain.

I picked up some fish and chips for dinner, and let me tell you-- WOW! That was my first time to have fish and chips, and they were incredibly delicious! I got them with traditional salt and vinegar, and I didn't even need ketchup, they were so tasty! Then I came back to my room at the B&B, to do a bit of studying of French grammar. It's finally hit me that I'm going to be living someplace where they don't speak English (at least not as a first language), and I really don't want to freeze up and not know how to say anything! So I'm doing a review to help me freshen up on my french. We'll see how effective it is...

This morning, I walked into Bakewell to do a proper tour of the town. There was a farmer's market and a craft market, so I checked both of them out. I enjoyed looking, but didn't end up buying anything. Mom, you would have loved it though- all those locally grown products! If I actually lived here, I would do all of my grocery shopping there. I picked up a Bakewell pudding from one of the local shops. It's a local specialty, created by mistake over a hundred years ago! Apparently, the cook at the Rutland Arms misunderstood the directions she was given about how to make a certain pie, and instead, came up with this. The pudding is a pastry with a custard-like filling, and very good!

I then went to visit the Old House Museum, which was interesting. I learned that the reason Barber Shop poles are red and white striped is because barbers used to also be surgeons, and they would hang their cloths from covering bloody wounds out to dry on the post. The cloth would then get twisted around the pole, in red and white stripes. Grotesque, eh?

Then I decided I wanted to go for a walk, so I thought I would try the only one in the walking brochure that I hadn't done yet. This one directs you to Ashford-in-the-Water, a small town just west of here. I probably got about half way there, before I had to give up. The directions were quite vague. From the map, it seemed like I had gone in the proper direction, but I could never find the road that I was supposed to cross. Eventually, I turned back, and came back to take a nap before dinner.

Tomorrow is my flight to Paris. I can't wait!!! I've really enjoyed traveling on my own, but it'll be nice to meet the other people in my program, and I really can't wait to meet my family! I'll probably end up scheduling this one to post in a day or two, as I won't be able to get internet access again till I reach Grenoble on September 3. Much love!

For your enjoyment:
being silly, Haddon Hall, River Wye and the Bakewell Bridge, fields I walked across

Showers, not Thunders, if you please

okay, so this is a few days late, due to my lack of internet access.

WHOOP! sorry- just couldn't hold back. So I'm finally here, in beautiful, charming Bakewell in the heart of the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. I love the town, I love my B&B, and I love EVERYTHING!!! Getting here was quite an adventure, and I'll start from the beginning.

I got to Atlanta just fine, no problems, and boarded the flight to London, easy as pie. The girl I was seated next to was, coincidentally, a student at UT, and she was on her way to Edinburgh. She was going to be studying there, and then had an internship at the Scottish Parliament- how cool! I tried to sleep on the flight, but I just couldn't get comfortable. So, when we arrived in London at 6:30, I was exhausted. I waited in line at customs for over an hour, and then finally managed to get out of the airport. I took a train from Gatwick to London Bridge, and then the tube to the nearest stop to my easyHotel. I got to the Hotel by about 11 am, only to find out that they charge £15 extra to check in early—not happening! So I left my luggage there (an extra £5) and set out to explore London.

A quick note on the easyhotels- they are cheap cheap, but you get exactly what you pay for. My room was probably 6x10 feet, and contained a bed. That's all. The bathroom connected was probably 2x5 ft, and was one of those squished up ones, where the toilet is practically in the shower! (see pictures below). I have figured out though, that the way easyHotel makes money off you (the room itself was only £24.95) is through the extra charges. Arriving early, staying late, TV, window, internet, extra blanket, etc. All the things normal hotels give you for free, easyHotel charges for.

Back to London- I was staying in Paddington, which happens to be just north of Hyde park, so I walked through the park. It was beautiful, and had a very natural feel to it. It also wasn't too crowded, which was nice. If I lived in London, I'd love to picnic there every day at lunch! Then, I headed over to the National Portrait Gallery, the one thing I HAD to see in London. I love how you get such a great history lesson, and I love trying to figure out people's expressions.

After the Portrait Gallery, I walked down Whitehall towards Parliament, crossed Westminster bridge, took the obligatory photos of Big Ben and the London Eye, and grabbed a sandwich for lunch. I walked down to the Tate Modern (By this time, exhausted and just wasting time till my 3:00 check-in) and across the Millennium Bridge, around St. Pauls, and to the tube. I went back to the hotel, and crashed. I woke up at 10:30pm, because these annoying German girls were talking loudly just outside my room. They had really good english, too.

I set my alarm for 7 the next morning, only to awaken at 10:30 am by a knock on my door. Turns out check-out was at 10, and I had forgotten to actually turn my alarm on! I quickly gathered everything, rushed out of the hotel, and finally got to Victoria coach station 30 minutes after my bus had left! I bought another ticket for a later bus, and waited.

The title of this post actually comes from something funny the bus driver said as we were leaving London: “There's a toilet at the rear of the bus, on the driver's side, and it's much more suitable for showers than thunders- if you catch my meaning!”

Anyways, I arrived in Derby, barely managed to catch the bus to Bakewell, and then got here around 7pm. I walked for a long time the general direction of the B&B, with no luck finding it. I finally broke down and called to get directions. I had walked too far, so I backtracked, and eventually made it! Jean, the proprietress is so very nice, and she cooks a great breakfast! I walked back into town to have some dinner, and then crashed.

This morning, after breakfast, I started out on a 5 mile round trip walk to Chatsworth. That was quite a hike! I'm going to be in such good shape by the time I get back to the States, what with all this walking. The hike was lovely, but tiring; across lanes and open country, and through part of Sherwood forest (Robinhood's Forest). At Chatsworth, I explored the gardens first, got lost in the maze, and had lunch. Is it terribly cliché to say that I also read the chapter in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy meet up at Pemberley? Oh well, I've said it! (Chatsworth is reportedly the house Jane Austen had invisioned for Mr. Darcy, in Pride and Prejudice, and Bakewell is the fictional Lambton. Jane Austen actually stayed at the Rutland Arms Hotel in central Bakewell)

After touring the gardens, I went through the house, which was built by Bess of Hardwick (the second richest woman in England besides Queen Elizabeth I at the time), and later remodeled by her grandson, the first Duke of Devonshire. The current Duke and Duchess reside there, and are having much of the house restored. The walls and ceilings were covered in ornate wood carvings, beautiful paintings, and filled with lavish furniture. It was rather difficult to imagine somebody actually calling it home.

I finished my tour, and walked back to Bakewell. As I was crossing through some open country where some sheep were grazing, one of them started bleating at me. I laughed, and baa-ed right back! Then, he and some of the others started following me, right up until I reached the next stile, and crossed over! I had my very own little flock.


Much love to everyone back home!

photos:
walking through Hyde Park, My little flock, The Maze at Chatsworth



EasyHotel room, View of Chatsworth, On the walk to Chatsworth

Leaving Tomorrow!!!

My bags are packed, my room is (almost) clean, and everything is in order for me to take off tomorrow!
I leave from DFW tomorrow morning at 10:30, with a layover in Atlanta, and then on to London. From there I'll spend a little under a week in England's Peak District (Pride and Prejudice country). I'm staying at the B&B pictured left, and will be hiking and biking and touring cool old houses like the one in the bottom photo (Chatsworth House).

Then, on Monday the 31st of August, I fly to Paris for orientation for 4 days, before the whole program takes a bus to Grenoble, where we'll spend the semester.

Suffice it to say that I am bubbling over with excitement. Earlier, as I was heading out to our cottage to finish packing everything, I couldn't stop myself from jumping around in circles and singing a random tune.

I am thrilled to finally be realizing this dream of mine. I have been planning this trip since I was in middle school, and now it's actually happening! I know it couldn't have happened without a lot of hard work, and really great encouragement from my family and friends, and for that, I thank you! I am also thankful that God has blessed me with such a great support group, and given me this opportunity.

I don't know when I'll be able to post again, hopefully sometime before my program starts. I would love to get emails and comments back from everyone, and you can reach me at emilymartin88 at gmail.com. (replace with an actual @ sign)

I also have google chat and i-chat for those of you who have access to it, and my skype name is emilycmartin.

Next time I should have some pictures of my own as well :)