Castles

Last weekend (October 15-16) was the IES trip to see the chateaux de la Loire and it wasn't just like one or two. No, in two days we saw FIVE different castles! It was one of those trips where I was really glad that I went but it was still super exhausting to do that much touring in a weekend.

The first castle was Montgeoffroy. The weather was perfect and sunny and just a little bit cold so that I was perfectly comfortable in my jacket. The castle is actually still a private residence! The family also has property in Paris and Morocco but they still spend time living in the caste in the Loire Valley. The fact that the family still used to property made it seem so much more Pride and Prejudices; I kept expecting Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley to walk around the corner. The whole weekend of castles was a lot to process and put in perspective because, for instance, Montgeoffroy has been in their family for longer than the United States has been a country.

Stable!

The next stop was Azay-le-Rideau. It was gorgeous, just like a fairy tale. We were left to our own devices to explore the castle, whereas Montgeoffroy was a guided tour. I enjoyed Azay-le-Rideau but not as much as the first castle. One big factor was that Montgeoffroy was a guided visit so I felt like I had a better grip on the history and use of the castle than at Azay-le-Rideau, but that didn't stop me from throughly enjoying my little siesta on the lawn in front of Azay-le-Rideau. I just had this perfect moment of bliss sitting on the grounds of a castle in France and absorbing the sun.

The next stop on Saturday was Villandry. It is famous for its beautifully constructed gardens but it also has a pretty cute story. The couple who eventually bought it and redid the gardens were a Spanish man and an American woman who had been childhood sweethearts. When they bought it the previous owners had "modernized" the house and gardens. So, the husband set about doing a bunch of research on tradition French gardens and completely reconstructed the gardens based on both his research and traces of the original layout that they found on the grounds. 

We spent the night in Tours and then Sunday morning we visited Amboise, the first royal castle of the trip. It is also where Leonardo di Vinci lived his last several years and he was buried on the grounds in the old church. 

And finallllllly, Chenonceau! It is known as the castle of women because there have been several women that have constructed parts of the castle and the grounds. Chenonceau has a pretty cool history outside of just being gorgeous. During WWI it was used as a hospital and as a bridge or passage way for the Resistance during WWII. The main entrance was in the occupied zone whereas the exit on the other side of the river was in the zone libre.

Doin' Big Things

I am feeling very pleased with myself after this week. I was successfully able to negotiate all of my classes without any trouble and they seem to be getting better as they go. I was particularly pleased with my Art History course this week because she had us start analyzing images in class. Up until this point she had mostly been doing it for us so it was nice to see if I was able to learn from her examples and implement them. My Education course at the university is still going well. It is interesting to see how French sociologists/psychologists compare to American schools of thought. Plus, it is still endlessly amusing to see just how many English words have been appropriated (e.g. "teacher-center learning" or "student-centered learning").

I saw my second piece of French theatre on Wednesday (definitely not another Sophocles play). It was a short play performed by one man and titled "Looking for Henry Kissinger." He had to play several characters so it was interesting watching him change his facial expression and posture for each character.

On Friday I was able to swim a real workout with one of the French swimmers in the same swimming class as me. For the first two weeks the coach was just doing technique that was aimed at a level far below me (I can already swim butterfly thank you very much.) so it was super nice to be able to just do a work out. I do still feel like it's a game of frogger because I have to dodge around the other swimmers who are doing technique stuff. It just makes it so much more enjoyable to swim when there is someone else doing to same thing!

Friday night Ryan and I ate in this awesome, kind of fancy restaurant. She had bought a coupon online which enabled us to get an appetizer, main dish and a dessert all for 15E. If we had been ordering off the menu at normal prices I would have been at 15E after the appetizer and a glass of wine! I had an amazing lamb dish and the cheese plate for dessert. I love me some stinky cheeses! I also got to try Ryan's fantastic choice of a chocolate cake with a melty inside.

Then on Saturday I bought a bunch of train tickets with my friends Ryan and Alexis. We are going to Paris November 11-13, Rouen (which is where Joan of Arc was burned) November 18-20, and Bordeaux December 2-4. We were even able to book a half-day wine tasting tour!