Strasbourg you beauty you!

Our hotel in Strasbourg! We only got to stay there one night but it was the nicest hotel yet! As you can (sorta) see, our room was in the classic french tradition, however venturing up a few floors to visit our friendly neighbors (don't worry, we actually knew them) the decor suddenly rendered the room ready for dancing with its stark white colors and modern red flare !

Inside the Cathedral...trust me when I say this doesn't do it justice!

Le Notre Dame de Strasbourg
This little gem was tucked back just behind our hotel. Even though none of us had heard a word about it, prior to going there, we all agreed that it was the most beautiful Cathedral yet.

The city of Strasbourg, located in the Alsace region.
German was everywhere and they speak a unique Alsace dialect which is impossible to understand (even Nathalie had no idea what was being said). Apparently it is a mix of French and German but more German than French.

Le Conseil de l'Europe (or the Council of Europe, not to be confused with the EU) where their mission is protecting "des droits de l'homme" or The Rights of Man

Shown here are the flags of the 47 members.

And inside where the discussions take place quarterly...we were here just a week before Obama, who is scheduled to visit this week sometime for his first official voyage to Europe.

Man singing outside of the Notre Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral...
It took us until seeing him, to realize this was a man. One of the girls in our groups sings opera (like you Gerti!) and she told us what the pitch is called (but of course now I can't remember) and according to her, men who sings like this are on world renown opera stages, not playing out on the street for free. She said the most incredible thing was that he was able to sing at a normal range (sounded like a tenor sort of thing going on) as well as like this (I only had a few seconds of that though so I didn't post it). Regardless, it really did create a sort of holy ambiance...C'ETAIT INCROYABLE!
Just a little bit more...

A day at the park...

Me excited for my adventure at the park! I guess you could say I get excited a lot, and it ain't always pretty...

A view from the park around Lac Kir

Alaina and I enjoying our Saturday morning walk. Ya, we already act like old people...

My friend the swan. I got really excited when he decided to swim up to me. Just be thankful I'm only posting one picture because believe you me there were plenty to choose from (Jackie+excitement+swan=15 shots of the same bird)!

Lac Kir
This is a large man-dammed lake (a river runs through it) about a twenty minute walk from my house. It's oh so tranquil...

A Valentine's day in Beaune

Sunset from my window...

One of the many vineyards in the Burgundy region. This picture was taken on our way back to Dijon from Beaune.

Baguettes really are everywhere! I took this photo in Beaune of a mail carrier's cart. Notice the baguette sticking out? France certainly doesn't disappoint when it comes to the stereotypes that we all hope are true, in particular that French people carry bread by the armfuls. You know it must be quitting time when you start seeing people with their baguettes around 5 o'clock. Sometimes I do wonder, why don't we live like this? It's taken are group some time to get use to just how leisurely the French do things. For example, meeting for coffee isn't a 30 minute ordeal, oh no, one cup of coffee can easily buy you a few hours at the cafe. My host mom for example had lunch with a group of friends last week (a monthly ritual for them) and it lasted a mere five hours! (Not to say that every lunch is five hours, but every lunch has the potential to be five hours:).

Les hospices de Beaune
In other words, a really old hospital founded in the fifteenth century, very beautiful! And for you art lovers out there, this is where the Last Judgement polyptych is located. It was absolutely stunning to see in person (we weren't allowed to take pictures of it but if you don't know it I strongly encourage you to google!).

Inside of "des hospices," these are the beds where the sick patients were kept.

The beautiful stained glass windows in des hospices

Outside of the wine tasting room (which was ironically located on "Hell Road" or Rue d'Enfer)

This was taken in Beaune (about thirty minutes southwest of Dijon) on a Saturday morning just after we finished a rather informative wine tasting. We learned how to determine the relative age of the wine based on color, smell and of course taste. This was one of those fancy wine tastings where you were expected to spit out the wine after sipping so as to cleanse your palette or something, let's just say this was one girl who swallowed! It was the most beautiful tasting room in yet another cave filled with crates of wine. I know it's kind of hard to see but you'll just have to take my word for it. What ambiance!

This was Valentine's Evening in Dijon: it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside:)

A Wednesday night at Flannery's (an Irish Pub) we have taken as our own. Some people even speak English there! Originally it was going to be Fridays at Flannery's, but that has since turned into Tuesdays at Flannery's and Wednesdays at Flannery's...anyway, you get the idea (I swear we're not actually big boozers, the language is just so comforting!).

Hillary and I smiling now that we had made it (more or less) to the top and were beginning our gentle descent. More than that, we were deeply proud of the beautiful metaphor we (she) had created: Skiiing, like learning the french language, requires a lot of climbing uphill, and at times it seems there is no end in sight, but then you reach the top and it gradually gets easier. Sure you may continue to fall every now and again, but that's progress you're making my friend, that's progress...(I'll give you a minute for reflection...) :)

Me in my oh-so-fashionable ski get-up! It was a winter wonderland I tell you, so pretty...

One of my host brothers (they are all so entertaining) and the back of my host father. They were all very patient and helpful when teaching me and Hillary how to ski!

My host mom (and behind her my friend Hillary, in the program with me) skiing her heart out!

A typical meal with our UPS group and Nathalie. This restaurant was one of my favorites and is just a few blocks from the Centre Condorcet (an apartment they rent for our group to hang out in and where we have weekly meetings with Nathalie). The entire place was like one great cave, it was absolutely stunning! I know my handy camera work makes it a little difficult to see, but I was trying to be subtle:)

So I realize this video is of nothing in particular, but it beat any picture I had of the mountains. We were in Jura (a small town) which is just west of the Swiss border (my host mom showed me on the map and it is only another 30 minutes or so by car to the border, I think:) I like to tell people we were skiing in the Alps, which technically we were, it just happens to be the western most edge. Still counts!

Please read post below from bottom to top...I am still figuring this whole blogging thing out!

Dijon At Last

Our tour guide and host preparing to serve us all...he was rather entertaining!

We got a tour of how cassis is made (it comes specifically from the Burgundy region, and in particular Dijon) which goes into making the drink kir. Kir is made by adding cassis (a sort of fruit concentrate combined with alcohol) to white wine. It's quite good, although a little too sweet for some. It is made with almost any kind of fruit (we tried strawberry, peach and even almond) but the most common type of cassis is black currant (also known as creme de cassis).

This is the small L'Arc de Triomphe (just like in Paris and by the same sculptor!), it sits in the heart of downtown Dijon and is about a five minute walk from my house. The Rue de la Liberte (accents on the e) which is just to the left/behind the arc is where we have spent most of our time exploring...there is lots of shopping available! And there are boulangeries (where they sell bread) and pattisseries everywhere! It's great!

The view from one of my windows. It's so dark because (well you guessed it!) it was getting dark outside but ALSO it was snowing!!! It's hard to tell but it was absolutely beautiful!

After the hike, they drove us to a small French village nearby. I would guess the population wasn't more than a few hundred (at most!) but it did have a beautiful old church from the 12th century (you're looking at it)!

I joined the family for a walk the first weekend I was here. Seen here is my host dad and his French Canadian friend (who along with his wife, came for a visit), oh, and of course the dog Mada who is quite friendly.

My adorable room in Dijon. It's quite cozy and came complete with a fresh bouquet of flowers and a large bottled water which gets replaced weekly. Aahhh...this is the life!

We were given a tour of the litterature quartier and seen here is our program correspondant/mother to us all, Nathalie (I know she's scowling but she's really very lovely). Behind her is one of the three famous cafes where the great authors would come to write (Sartre, Camus etc.).

A typical dinner in Paris. On this night the waiters were particularly entertaining and once they discovered we were Americans (and thus are associated with Obama) they answered every request with a "YES WE CAN" in English. It was rather hilarious!

Me in front of the famous statue Les Bourgeois de Calais at the Musee Rodin

The back of Notre Dame as seen from the Seine River

Alaina and I finally arrive in Paris after a very long day of traveling. Trust me, this was the best we were going to look:)