Quoi de Neuf?

Les Photos:

The beach at Cannes in the first photo, and the restaurant on the beach where we had lunch (Elizabeth and Diane are on the far right); the train station in Villefranche; Galeries Lafayette at the Place de Messena in Nice; musicians at the Place de Messena; Eze; my class photo; class in "Le Grand Salon" at l'Institut; dinner at Au Clair Obscur with the class; one of my teachers (Julien, on left) and the chef at Au Clair Obscur; the parade at La Fête du Citron.

I left off my last post en route to La Fête du Citron in Menton. (http://www.feteducitron.com/) What a fabulous experience! We caught the train at 7 PM from Villefranche, about a 30-minute ride to Menton. Menton is the last city in France before you get to Italy. February is the month they celebrate the citrus, and what a celebration it is! The parade was magical...beautiful floats, all made of oranges and lemons, marching bands (the one in the picture is from San Remo, Italy), dancers, singers, fireworks, thousands of bubbles being sprayed from floats, catching and reflecting the light, heaps of confetti spilling from the sky all night...the children (and a lot of adults!) all had a can of silly string in hand, and we were all covered with it by the end of the night! By the end of the hour-long parade, the crowds had joined in with the parade. It was a "pinch me" moment... to be standing there, a part of the festival, looking out over the parade to the lights of the Italian coast...

Friday night our class went out for dinner together. It had been a particularly difficult day/week for all of us, and one of our classmates had announced she had to leave a week early so it was our last chance to all be together (we have truly bonded as a group). It was a wonderful evening...good friends, good wine, much laughter and some silly French and "Franglais" all mixed up together. At the end of dinner, one of our teachers, Julien, came into the restaurant and joined us for a drink. He pulled a guitar off the wall and sang us some French songs and some American songs (imagine Johnny Cash singing Folsom Prison Blues with a French accent). The fun really began when he was joined by the chef of the restaurant! Initially the chef was still cooking, but he leaned his head over the counter and joined in the songs...it was straight out of a Hollywood musical! He banged his pots and pans in perfect rhythm with Julien's guitar... When he had finished in the kitchen, he came out and grabbed another guitar from the wall and joined Julien, playing and singing for us. It was really something special. Yet another "pinch me" moment.

On Saturday Elizabeth and Diane and I went to Nice for some more shopping at Galeries Lafayette and a walk through the old city. The picture above from a window at Galeries Lafayette says "Quoi de neuf?" (What's new?). This is a casual French greeting used when you run into a friend... You might answer with rien de spécial (nothing special), pas grand chose (nothing big) or le train-train (the same old thing). It's a slogan being used at GL right now to signify what's new for spring...I had to capture the phrase for the blog because it's something we say to each other every day!We took the bus from Nice to Eze after lunch. Eze is another medieval city, built high up in the mountains. You can only travel into the ancient city on foot because of the narrow passageways. When I was in France in 2000 with my mom (and Jenn, Nancy and Fran), we went to Eze. We had also been to Nice that day, to the marché, and we had bought olives, a baguette, cheese and fruit for a picnic. We had our picnic on the way up into Eze, and it is a memory that is as clear to me now as if it happened yesterday. I couldn't help but feel another bittersweet pang when I was there yesterday...

Today we set out for Cannes. It was another beautiful day...the sun was shining, the skies were blue...but the public transportation on the Côte D'Azur was a nightmare! We waited for the 10:30 AM train from Villefranche...and we waited, and we waited...it never arrived. The schedule was changed on the marquee, and we learned there would be a 12:30 train. We went back into town and had a café au lait and then went back to get the train. We had a lovely train ride along the coastline to Cannes. After arriving in good time we had lunch on the beach at Cannes and then had a stroll around the old part of the city. We headed back to catch the 4:35 train to Villefranche...and we waited, and we waited...it never arrived. The marquee changed the departure time several times. We finally caught a bus back an hour later than planned...but it stopped in Nice unexpectedly and did not take us on into Villefranche! We had to walk to the bus station from the train station to find a bus back to Villefranche...we found a bus was leaving shortly...magnifique! Alas, it was cancelled and changed to a different bus at a later time at the last minute...and again, we waited, and we waited... By the time we got back to Villefranche, we were exhausted! C'est France, c'est la vie... We headed out for a glass of wine and a light supper, and thus ended our last weekend together in Villefranche...

Now the hour is late, I have yet to do my weekend homework, and tomorrow beckons... It is hard to believe the last week is here. I am relieved (the intensity of immersion learning has reached a crescendo, and I am ready to leave on a high note!); I am sad that this wonderful experience is drawing to a close; and most of all, I cannot bear to say goodbye to my friends here. I hope we'll see each other again... in France, Australia, Denmark, England or Cape Cod, but it is an experience that won't be repeated for any of us again in quite the same way. I will ever be grateful I have been lucky enough to have it.

Marché aux Puces

Les Photos:

1. The harbor at Beaulieu-sur-mer
2. A boat made of oranges (this is the time of the citrus festivals here)
3. Marché aux Puces (the flea market)
4. St. Paul de Vence
5. St. Paul de Vence art gallery
6. St. Paul de Vence courtyard
7. St. Paul de Vence (the restaurant I talk about below)
8. St. Paul de Vence (from below)

Mon Dieu! I am home from school for just a quick half hour and find I have an internet connection! I am on my way to Menton shortly for the fêtes du citrons but thought I would at least begin a new post before I leave for Menton (and the internet connection leaves for who knows where).

It is hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of the third week at l'Institut. One week to go, and I still feel I have so much to learn! C'est la vie, n'est-ce pas? We never stop learning, wherever we are in life. There have been some very stressful days in class...some days are more difficult than others. It seems that when we get to the point that we cannot take another minute, les professeurs back off and give us an exercise that is perhaps a little less taxing. They know what they are doing, after all. I think they bring us to the edge and then pull us back in again before we go over the edge! I am thinking that Villefranche-sur-mer is a perfect analogy for l'Institut. There are so many hills to climb, but there are also gentler slopes to go down. The ancient roadways bend and curve at great heights around sharp corners, with barely enough space to squeeze yourself against a medieval wall when confronted with oncoming traffic, yet somehow we survive the daily walk to and from school. There are some close calls, but in the end we will all survive and live to tell the tale (hopefully en français!).

Last weekend we had a 3-day weekend! On Saturday, Elizabeth and I returned to Nice to do some shopping. We had some fun (and spent some money) at Galeries Lafayette and at the bookstore (we were on the hunt for more books on French grammer/verbs and a new dictionary (pour moi). We had a nice lunch at a cafe in vieille Nice (Old Nice) and then went back to Villefranche. On Sunday we went to Beaulieu-sur-mer (just the other side of Cap Ferrat) to the marché aux puces (flea market). It was lots of fun and turned out to be good practice for my French. I had a very nice conversation with a gentleman who was selling old paintings. He took the time to explain several of them to me (the origin of the painting, the artist, the location, etc.). Amazingly, I understood quite a bit of what he said! I also had an interesting political discussion with another vendor. As soon as he knew I was une Americaine he wanted to talk about American politics, naturellement! I have found this to be true everywhere...the French love to talk about American politics! This is true, actually, with everyone I have met that isn't an American. It seems that almost every day someone asks me what I am hearing about the primaries. I never cease to be impressed by the depth of knowledge that other world citizens have-- not only about the United States but the rest of the world as well. They not only know their own histories, but they have an incredible grasp on world history and current events. I used to think I had a fair grasp of things, but I don't anymore... (I also thought I knew some French!)

On Monday we went to St. Paul de Vence and Tourette-sur-Loup, two medieval villages. I've posted a picture of Michael, Diane and Elizabeth above at the restaurant where we had lunch. On our trip here almost eight years ago, I had lunch in the same restaurant, at the same table, with my mom, Jennifer, Nancy and Fran. Needless to say, I spent some time that day thinking about that day that now seems so long ago...it was bittersweet.

"Cuzn Don" reminds me that I haven't mentioned the weather. It has been cooler than I expected, in the high 50's (a few days we had some low 60's I think), but the sun has been shining every day but one (the first day of school!). It feels like early May on the Cape. All the daffodils are in bloom, pansies in pots, violets popping up...the orange trees are laden with fruit...and the birdsong makes me believe it is truly spring. We have two "pauses" each day at school, and we all head for the terraces out back and bask in the sun until it's time to return to class. We practice speaking French to each other (and if it's been a particularly difficult morning or afternoon, we sometimes revert to English and whisper under our breath!). None of us wants to pay the fine of one euro for being caught speaking English so we don't do it too often!

I have not been keeping up with my notes, so I'm sure I'm missing lots of good stuff, but I'll post it if I remember it later! Until then,

A bientôt!

Esprit de Corps

Les images:

A shop in Old Nice (note the name) No matter how far you go, you're always home; the Hotel Negresco in Nice (this one's for you, Jenn, Nancy and Fran!); a picture of Elizabeth and I last Saturday on our way to La Villa Rothschild at Cap Ferrat; a view of the Villa from the gardens; a statue in one of the Villa's gardens; a view of l'Institut de Francais from below (on my way to school)...it's the white building in the center with the arched windows; the Chapel of St. Pierre in Villefranche (14th century, decorated in the mid-fifties by Jean Cocteau); a statue at the Volti Museum; street scene from Old Nice; the yachts at Monaco.

Where do I begin?? It has been almost a week since I've written, and it seems so much longer! It's hard to believe I am almost half-way through the month. Each day the program intensifies a little bit more. Today I had to do an "exposition", that is, a 20-minute presentation to my class en français, mais oui! It would be difficult for me to stand in front of a group and give a 20-minute speech en anglais! I spent two days working on my presentation, rehearsing over and over (we had to speak without reading from notes). The appointed hour arrived après le déjeuner (after lunch) and I began to get those first twinges of anxiety. When I stood in front of the class, I looked out at each face and immediately felt the esprit de corps that has become the hallmark of our particular class. Everyone is so supportive of each other in this struggle to master a beautiful, yet difficult language. It calmed me right down to look out and see those kind faces, and I went on to talk about everything I love best...my family, my friends, our pets, Cape Cod, Squam Lake, real estate and Panama. I discovered in recent years, when faced with public speaking, that it's best to know your subject well and to feel passionate about it, ideally! After the presentation, the class was required to ask me questions about what I talked about, and then I had to answer as best I could. It was a great exercise, and it gave me a much-needed boost of confidence!

After school I had an appointment for a new coiffure at le salon de beauté. I tried to give the hairdresser instructions in English, and she cut me off. She knew I was a student from l'Institut and demanded I speak only French! She knows les professeurs and promised to call them if I tried to speak any English! All in good fun, but I took the challenge and communicated completely en français from then on. I'm happy to report that I got a beautiful haircut and great blow dry, I made an appointment for a manicure next week, and I had a decent conversation with the stylist, all in French! I left the salon and went on to the marchand à journaux (to buy a paper and a birthday card for a classmate) and to le marché for a few groceries. I was feeling quite French, carrying on petite conversations with Mesdames et Messieurs.

Backing up a bit, last Friday's soiree at l'Institut was lovely. A buffet fit for un roi (a king), wonderful sangria and, best of all, conversation en anglais with my classmates and teachers! Saturday morning, we met in front of l'Office du Tourisme de Villefranche for a visite guidée de Villefranche (a guided tour). It lasted about two hours. We walked all around the old city, to the The Citadel (a stone fortress built to defend the old town, constructed in 1557 under orders from the Duke of Savoy...the Volti Museum is housed here...beautiful sculpture and drawings of voluptuous women), La Chapelle Saint Pierre (roman style, 14th century) the Church of Saint Michael (baroque style, 18th century, original 1790 organ), and the Rue Obscure (a route that runs alongside the medieval ramparts, intended to shelter the people of the village if it was bombarded). The tour was given in French, but one of our teachers gave us English translations when we didn't understand the French.

After the tour, Elizabeth, Diane and I walked to Cap Ferrat. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. I had to pinch myself constantly to know that I wasn't dreaming. We walked to the villa and jardins of Ephrussi de Rothschild. The villa is a spectacular "palace" with nine differently-themed gardens. We had tea at the Villa, and later went to dinner in Villefranche after walking back. On Sunday, Elizabeth, Diane and I took a bus into Nice and walked all around the old city of Nice and then had lunch on the beach at the Promenade des Anglais. After lunch, we took the bus to Monaco (about 30 minutes from Nice) and had a nice stroll around Monaco. Being in Monaco is like being in the middle of a James Bond movie (as a matter of fact, there was a yacht at the harbor called "Miss Money Penny"). Everywhere you look, a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce or a Bentley. (Those of you who know me well, know how much I love cars, so you can imagine how thrilling that was for me!) The yachts at the harbor were breathtaking. We took the bus back to Villefranche after a lovely afternoon and got ready for la deuxième semaine (the second week) of school...

Today they served an onion tart for a first course at lunch with anchovies (YECH!) to be followed by FISH. Luckily, le petite fromage, Nina, my new best friend, brought me a special plate for the first course, sans (without) anchovies, and a fish-less quiche for the second. Nina is Nathalie's first command in la cuisine. My plates now come out (on fish days) marked "spécial". Merci beaucoup, Nina!

I cannot close this blog entry without sharing my grand faux pas. I was out to dinner last night with Elizabeth (Australia), Diane (England), Angela (Canada), and Vibike and Karen (Denmark). We had a lovely dinner at Le Serre, recommended to us by our teacher as a great local place, bon marché (cheap) and good. It was! Wonderful, tiny restaurant, almost like a little cave in the old city (near la Rue Obscure).

On that note, I close with an à bientôt! Keep those e-mails and blog comments coming! I have loved hearing from you, and I WILL answer those e-mails as soon as I can find the time!

Une bonne fin de semaine! (Bon week-end!)

C'est Vendredi! I can't believe the first week is already at an end...I'm afraid the next three will go by too quickly. The words and verbs are starting to stick, though I know I have many kilometers to go...

This evening there will be a soiree at l'Institut for all the students, professeurs and staff. There will be a buffet dinner, sangria and dancing! Best of all, we'll all be allowed to parle anglais. It will be wonderful to have conversations with all the new friends I've made that consist of more than a handful of the same words and verbs!

I've posted photos of my class (unfortunately, Matthew from Australia and Aude, le professeur, are missing, but I'll include them in another post).

In the first photo, left to right: Yuko (Japanese, living in Guernsey); Karin (Danish, living in NY); and Hugh (American, living in France). In the second phot0, left to right: Diane (England); Michael (San Francisco); Elizabeth (Australia) and Vibike (Denmark). The last photo is moi, mais oui, and Marie (Portland, Oregon).

Hugh and his wife own a bit of paradise in Provence. Here's the link to "Mas du four". http://www.rsvpprovence.com/index.htm

I must get ready for the soiree... Bon week-end!

La Fin Du Jour (The End of the Day)

Le Photographs.










Un verre de vin pour Maman. As most of you probably know, I brought Maman with me to France. She is here in my heart, in every moment, in every step and in every breath I take. We shared a deep love of France, always...she introduced me to the country, the people, the language, the wine, and to Paris. I cannot look out a window, walk down a street, go to a café , go to l'Institut--and not feel her right here with me. After two years without her, the loss of her in my life has never felt greater to me than right now. I would give anything to share this joyous time in my life with her, but I know without a doubt that she is here with me. So tonight, as I sat on my balcony at the end of the day, I poured her a glass of wine and toasted her. Salut chere maman, je t'aime.
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Il fait beau aujourd'hui (it was a beautiful day today), and we had a respite from the language lab! Un petit problem with le chef, Nathalie, le grand fromage (the big cheese)! At lunch today the first course served was salmon. Those of you who know me well know that je déteste le poisson (I hate fish!). My professeur, Aude, was sitting next to me at lunch, and I told her (en français) I didn't like fish and didn't know what to do because I didn't want to offend le grand fromage (who visits each table during each meal to make sure everything is as it should be). Aude said (en français), "You have bigger problems...the main dish is also fish!". She was kind enough to speak to a petite fromage, and we soon had a visit from Nathalie. Zoot alors! She said (en français),

"But why didn't you tell me you don't eat fish! I asked you on the first day of school if you had any allergies! I asked you if you were a vegetarian! You said nothing!"

Mais oui! I didn't understand what she was asking! (And, besides, she didn't ask me if I liked fish!) It was the first day of school! She whisked my assiette (plate) away and returned with an omelette and a tomato salad. Better to offend le directeur than le chef!


Now, let me tell you about my class. There are 80 students, more or less, in all at l'Institut. We are all broken up into different levels (I am "debutante deux"), and there are 10 or less students in each class. In my class, there are 10. Moi, naturellement, and 2 women from Denmark, Vibike and Karen (who lives in NY); Diane from Gloucestershire, England; 2 from Australia, Elizabeth and Matthew; Michael from San Francisco; Hugh (American, living in Provence), Yuko from Japan (also living in France); and Marie from Portland Oregon. I couldn't imagine that I could have landed in a nicer group of people. Despite our differences in languages, in ages, in backgrounds, etc., we have bonded incredibly in just four days.

I went into le village after school to pick up a few groceries and took a picture to give you a street scene. I love the moments when I am living as a French person...shopping in la boulangerie (the bakery), le marché (the market), climbing the steps to my own apartment...

The last picture is one of me (and Michael, from Ireland). Thought I should include at least one of myself!

(To all of you who have left comments in my blog or sent me e-mails...merci beaucoup! I have loved your notes and e-mails! It makes me feel like we're all on this journey together. Les vieux amis sont les meilleurs amis...(Old friends are the best friends.)

(I know there are two pictures of the wine glass...I can't figure out how to delete the second photo! So, just imagine that one picture is mom's wine glass, and the other is mine...)

Bon soir!

L'Escalier (The Stairs)

Day 3:

My head is going to split open, and I'm going to find that my mind has gone missing. It is in the possession of my French teachers at l'Institut de Francais. Now I know what total immersion really means. It's total mind control. J'ai mal a la tête (I have a headache)!

The program intensifies daily. Each day when I leave for school, I have a last look in the mirror and say, "Bon courage, Madame Usher!" And off I go, like Marie Antoinette to la guillotine! Le professeur promises us a soirée this Friday evening, and, mon dieu, we will be permitted to speak in our native languages!

I took some photos on the walk home from school this evening...The late afternoon light was so beautiful. Perhaps you can really appreciate my stairmaster references now that you see the pictures of my walk to and from l'Institut each day! The food photo is nothing more. I unpacked my groceries and put them on the counter. They looked so colorful and appealing I felt compelled to take a photo! Fagots de haricot verts pour vous, Nannette (et le vin, naturellement!)

Time to do my homework...a demain!

Le Premier Jour d'Ecole (The First Day of School)

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The outside wall of La Chambre de Torture (The Language Lab)
School Pictures...new friends Hugh (from Provence) and Elizabeth (from Australia)...a view from a classroom balcony and the sunrise from my apartment...

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Mon Dieu! Where to begin? The first day of school was fantastique...but only after a beginning that was like a mauvais rêve (bad dream). After making plans with Bruno to meet at 8 AM yesterday to walk to school (for expected 8:30 arrival), I slept through TWO ALARMS and woke up at 8:27. What could be worse??? Late for the first day of school! I took a 30-second shower, brushed my teeth, dressed and was out the door by 8:33! Bruno, after waiting 10 minutes, was long gone, I didn't know how to get to school and it was raining! I ran down the stairs to my front door, turned around when I saw il pleut (it was raining), grabbed my umbrella, went back down the stairs, realized I forgot my carte (map), ran back, and began a mad dash for school--UP HILL! A 20-minute walk in 10 minutes, and I was at school by 9:00. I missed le petit déjeuner et le café (breakfast and coffee). I did, though, arrive in time for the opening remarks, and from then on, it was magnifique! It was a wonderful first day of school. I met so many nice people so quickly... it's pretty amazing when there are about 80 people, from all over the world with different cultures, different economic status, different genders, different everything--all gathered together in one place for one common purpose. It's a great equalizer. We are all, for a short time, just alike.

After school my new friends, Bruno and Sylvia, invited me to go to the Casino (not the one in Monaco; this is a grocery chain). They have une voiture (a car), so it was great for me to be able to stock up on groceries and not have to lug them up (or down) hill. I bought some inexpensive yet REALLY GOOD red wine (no sulphites! pas de mal à la tête). I love la vie francaise!

The school is lovely, housed in an old villa, perched on a hill overlooking the bay of Villefranche. We have communal meals, and only French may be spoken sur la table. The food is wonderful, Chef Nathalie is right from a French movie, the company is indescribable...In just two days, I have shared meals, classes and conversations with people from Georgia (the country), Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, France (mais oui!), Italy, Poland, China, Austria, and, naturellement, the United States...university professors, employees of the State Department, the World Bank, a Swiss bank, a train engineer, an antiques dealer, a shipping company owner, a bicycle shop owner, a lawyer (a former military judge who held court in Panama during the Vietnam war), a psychologist, a Delta pilot, a pediatrician, a worker from a human rights organization... What a remarkable experience this has been already. I can't imagine that I have another three and a half weeks of this incredible experience ahead of me.

The first day of school consisted of the introductory remarks, orientation to the program and placement testing. Yesterday they spoke to us in English. Today, we were fined one euro if we were caught speaking English (or any other language other than French). At the end of the month, the euros raised by catching people speaking in foreign tongues will be spent on champagne for everyone on the last day of school. There's some consolation in that. I did not speak a word of English today, from the time I awoke until I returned from school at 5. It was a very intense day of learning (and I think they will all be) but it was fantastique! We had language lab, pronunciation, grammer/verbs and more verbs, and then more verbs.

After a long (and yes, tiring) day at school, I met new friends (a woman from Australia and a woman from Canada) for dinner at a wonderful French restaurant in the old port of Villefranche-Mer..."Au Clair Obscur" http://www.auclairobscur.com on rue Obscure (I love the address!). It was so nice to share stories and experiences... I am struck by the fact that no matter how different our backgrounds are, we all have so much in common with each other--it makes me wonder why there are wars...

I digress, it's past time to do my homework, and my comfy little bed awaits...

Bonsoir!

Je suis arrivé !

Arrived in Nice, via Zurich, at 2 o'clock this afternoon. Happily, my luggage did too! It was wonderful to be in a French airport again... where the cleaning crew wears Prada and the airport security was on guard in Ferragamo. My landlady graciously arranged to have a limo meet me at the airport. Our first stop was at the Cafe la Regence (Chez Betty) on the Avenue Foch in Villefranche where, by pre-arrangement, I was to pick up the keys to my apartment (how great to begin French village life with a stop in the local cafe!). The limo waited till the key swap was a fait accompli and then delivered me to my (heretofore unknown) new address at Residence Cantegril on the Avenue de la Barmassa. I will be at this address until March 1 when Kevin will join me and we'll move into a larger apartment.
As soon as the taxi driver deposited me at my front door, avec beaucoup de bagage, I met a lovely couple from Switzerland (Bruno and Sylvia) in the courtyard. Bruno will also be attending the Institut (while Sylvia will be on holiday). We have already made plans to meet at 8 tomorrow morning and walk to school together!
Next on the agenda...finding my actual apartment in the building. I forgot that in France the first floor is actually the second floor. Took me a few minutes, with the assistance of a lovely (elderly) Frenchman who lives in the building, to figure out which apartment I was in and how to make the keys and lights work (a challenge in a completely dark stairwell!). The keys opened the door into a lovely studio apartment. It has a small kitchen (two stove burners, a mini fridge and microwave...still seems excessive for me), a bathroom with a miniature washer/dryer combo (this will be a challenge to figure out...I've posted a picture of this strange device here and hope one of you can tell me how it operates!) and a living/sleeping area complete with daybed, desk and chair, bookshelves, easy chair and television (tonight I watched 66 Minutes...yes, that's right, 66 Minutes). I have a lovely balcony with table and chairs that overlooks, immediately below, the winding Avenue de la Barmassa, lined with orange and lemon trees and beyond, the rade (bay) de Villefranche! Magnifique! (I've posted my first photos of the view from my apartment here.)
After settling in a (tiny) bit, I decided to take a walk before dark to get my bearings. I walked down the hill to Avenue Marechal Foch (remember Chez Betty?) and found the nearest alimentation (grocery store). Well, it wasn't quite a grocery store, it was more like a small enclosed alley with a few groceries on either side of the alley. I bought a wedge of cheese, some melba toast and a bottle of Cotes du Rhone (and a pack of dusty toilet paper). This will have to do until I can find the real marche where I will stock up on fresh fruits and cheeses and baguettes! I found my way back to the cafe (where I got the keys, remember?) and ordered a glass of vin rouge. I sat at the bar and read a French newspaper ( http://www.nicematin.fr/ ) and tried to fit in with the regulars who were all engrossed in a French soccer match. While I was there, another student came in to retrieve her apartment keys. I introduced myself to her, and she told me she is here from Germany. She spoke very little English, and since I speak very little German (Riesling is about the extent of my German), we are hoping we will do well in school and converse in French. It's shaping up to be a truly multi-lingual, multi-cultural experience!
The walk home after I left the cafe was like climbing Mont Blanc (which I saw from the plane this afternoon!). Straight up hills...very steep! Unaccustomed as I am, you can imagine how exhausting (and yet exhilarating!) it was.
I'm going to post a few photos and call it a day (actually I haven't slept in 33 hours so I'm calling it two days...). Have to get a good night's sleep so I'll be fresh for the first day of school! Bon nuit!