24 Mai 2016 - Travel/first day
We arrived in Frankfurt around 8:45 or so. For an hour and a half, we remained at the airport waiting for the shuttle that would take us to the bus. Getting through customs went very smoothly. I said "guten tag" to the customs officer, gave him my passport and was permitted in. The bus drive over to Strasbourg was long (around 2 hours) but very relaxing. Everyone in the group fell asleep. I was sorry I missed the crossing of the Rhine river (about 20 minutes or so from Strasbourg), but I knew I needed the rest. Dr. Mertz pointed out the high school her mother was a former principal at and when we arrived at our stop, we met her parents who are lovely sweet people. Her father drove people's luggage to the hotel (Cap Europe on Rue de Bitche, hehe) and her mother walked us to the hotel, which is sort of a youth hotel. She pointed out an important synagogue near our street and after we dropped off our things, she pointed out several important buildings to Parliament (government.) We saw a major sculpture of a woman embracing two young men, and we hugged and touched a large tree to absorb its revitalizing energy. Then we had a late lunch at a brasserie café called Le Michel. I ordered Quiche Lorraine and a cup of coffee. Dr. Mertz's father told me that the server might have been a little confused, because French people usually have their coffee in the morning and wine or beer in the evening. We saw military guys with big guns. Then we took a boat ride and saw a big palace museum that used to house cardinals and also the big spire of the cathedral of Strasbourg. We saw Petit France which was charmingly pretty. Later in the evening, while everyone else took naps, Mercedes and I walked around the quartier (neighborhood district) trying to find food, but everything was closed. I did get to practice speaking a little French, though, without anyone's help. Good first day. Trés bien! :)
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| Strasbourg! |
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| Boat ride around Petite France! |
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| Strasbourg Cathedral |
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| Inside Strasbourg Cathedral with the immense organ upper left of photo |
25 Mai 2016 - Medieval tour of Strasbourg/mon anniversaire! (my birthday!)
Extra special day! Il est mon anniversaire! This is my first time to have a birthday while traveling internationally. It is also my first time to travel as part of a big group. I've previously traveled alone when visiting other countries. Today was particularly nice because the weather was good (c'était bon) and also our group got a little more comfortable with each other. We went to the Strasbourg cathedral of Notre Dame (different from the one in Paris; not the Victor Hugo one) where we saw sculptures dating back to 1225 and the cathedral itself was built starting in 1015. The pipe organ was huge with little figures on either side that would come alive and perform "shows" for those attending the sermon. I loved the stained glass and the astronomical clock (horloge astronomique.) I also liked the intricate detail of the woodwork. When the clock struck a certain time, the figurines would move. I had a nice time at the café across from the cathedral where I ordered a café créme and also asked what a Viennois café was, all in French! And then Dr. Mertz gave me a little bag of chocolates for my birthday! At the end of the day, we all went to have a very nice dinner in Petite France near the river. I had beef tartare with a glass of Kir Clemant d'Alsace (a rosy colored apéritif wine cocktail in a flute glass) and also a glass of Riesling cuvée indigenous to the region. For dessert, I had a bowl of three different ice creams (glaces) - violette, frozen yogurt, and a berry sorbet with tri-colored flavored marshmallows. And it came with a candle on it, courtesy of my group, I'm sure! (I don't celebrate my birthday, but it was sweet that my group companions noticed it nonetheless!) Very nice day. Très bonne journée!)
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| Avec mes amis! :) |
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| Horloge astronomique! Astronomical clock! |
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| Dinner near the river in Petite France! |
06 Mai 2016 - Colmar
Today we traveled by train to Colmar where Dr. Merz grew up. Such a pretty and charming little town. And the weather was good! Le temps était bon! We saw the duplex where Dr. Mertz grew up in for 10 years and then went to the Bartholdi museum to see various sculptures by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the guy who designed the Statue of Liberty. I found out that he was friends with the man who designed the Eiffel Tower (Gustave Eiffel) and that you can see influences of the Eiffel design within the Statue! Neat fact! I'll have to look for that the next time I visit the Statue of Liberty. And after that we went to the Unterlinden Museum where we saw the famous Retable d'Issenheim and other ancient paintings. There was exceptional art in the museum which included works by Picasso, Monet, Renoir, Dubuffet, and others.
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| Colmar! |
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| The casting used to make one of the ears on the Statue of Liberty! |
27 Mai 2016 - St. Marie/silver mines
Today we took a short train ride and then a bus to St. Marie to visit the mines. We drove through a charming little area in a region called Val d'argent (valley of silver). When we got there, we had another little picnic in the park! (We'd had one the night before with a smaller group of us.) It was so nice with the mountainy hills surrounding us. Then we were taken to the mines. I tried to make some short conversation with our driver, Joseph, who was very friendly. He wants to come visit the United States (États Unis) but feels he'll need at least a month to see most of it. I assured him that I grew up in the States and I haven't even gotten to see all of it. The mines were cool (literally!) We saw where miners looked for precious metals and ore, like silver and copper, as well as arsenic (interesting) and saw the veins carved into the stone above us where the miners looked for spots to mine with just a chisel and hammer. In more more modern times, they began to use black powder to break down larger amounts of stone (pierre.)
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| Picnic in St. Marie! |
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| Going to visit the silver mines! |
28 Mai 2016 - Mont Sainte-Odile/Pagan Wall/hiking
Today we departed from the hotel around 9:30 to go to St. Odile to hike in the mountains. I think today may have presented some of the most breathtaking scenery and geography that we've seen yet. I sat next to Stephanie on the bus ride over and had a pleasant conversation. The ride was very comfortable other than being somewhat hot and stuffy. (C'ètait chaud.) I wish I could remember more French, but I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself to the point that I can't just relax and soak in my surroundings. Maybe on a future trip I can make it more about becoming more proficient in the language. I do feel like I'm getting better, though, and more of it is coming back to me. Also I got a little catch-phrase book in French, which I picked up in Strasbourg, to help me get refreshers. When we arrived to St. Odile, we met Dr. Mertz's sister, Eleanor, and we all introduced ourselves and told her what we study and do (in French, of course.) I actually introduced myself a little sooner while everyone was inside having lunch. After that, I took some photos of the overlook. Trés jolie! Just stunning. After we presented ourselves, we went off on the hike along with Dr. Mertz's children, Clementine and Victor, with Eleanor leading the way. I really enjoyed the hike. I spoke a little back and forth with her in French. Victor and Clementine were so energetic and adorable! Dr. Mertz joked that she had 13 babysitters, because we were all looking after the kids. Clementine loved climbing on top of the boulders! haha :) Je suis bien amusé! We ended the day back at St. Odile with Dr. Mertz treating us to icecreams (des glaces.) Delicieux! Later on tonight, I hope to do a little more shopping around Strasbourg. I want to pick up some international stamps for my boyfriend (mon petit ami), my parents (mes parents) and my sisters (mes sœurs.)
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| Visiting Mont Sainte-Odile, the Pagan Wall, and hiking! |
29 Mai 2016 - Ribeauville/Château Haut-Kœnigsbourg
Ooh la la! This day was one for the books! Probably the most exciting - and amusing - day yet! First of all, we started the day a wee bit late. I found out later that it was partly my fault. :( I went up to grab a sweater since I knew we'd be high up on a mountain at a castle so it might be chilly. Then Diana came up to the room to bring me a bottle of water. When I'd grabbed my stuff, I didn't see Dianita, so I'd assumed she ran back downstairs to meet back with the group. When I went down to the lobby, Dr. Mertz was waiting outside alone for me. (Embarrassing. I don't like making people wait for me.) Then we had to wait for Diana because apparently she was still up there in the room. The three of us hurried to meet the rest of the group who were still waiting for the B tram at the stop. Then the mad rush began. When we got to the train station (gare), we split up into groups to grab snacks and food for later. In the midst of the craziness, poor Emily Randall and Peyton Seabolt got left off the train! :( But Dr. Mertz took another train back and rescued them. Then we visited the most stunning medieval castle (renovated in the Renaissance style in 1900) that I may have ever seen. The view from the mountain top was spectacular. I bought 3 books (two children's fairytales and Sherlock Holmes et le Mystère du Haut-Koenigsbourg) and spoke French whenever I could. While waiting for the bus, I had hot chocolates (chocolats chauds) with Stephanie and Taylor on the edge of the terrace looking over the mountain. I showed them my new Sherlock Holmes book, and Stephanie and I tried to catch Taylor up on Dr. Who with me summarizing and Stephanie filling in the gaps with details. It was a very nice time. The best (and worst) part was when we tried to visit an eagle volare (volerie du aigles) and had to walk up a big hill in the rain, because our bus driver missed the stop and just dropped us off at the bottom. I was at the vanguard with Dr. Mertz, but when I saw K.C. McGuire all the way in the back alone, I fell back in formation to keep her company. She was so miserable but still managed to be funny, and I was laughing so hard. I'm so glad she had a sense of humor about the situation and that I didn't offend her. We made it to the top, but the eagle place was closed (of course) so we got shuttled back to the train station by Dr. Mertz's family. Dr. Mertz tried to wave the bus driver down as he passed us, but he missed the stop AGAIN. (Most absent-minded bus driver ever.) Dr. Mertz's sister and parents dropped us off in small groups to wait at a little café while it was still raining some and a guy started playing an accordion to which people started singing along with. Some of us in our group tried to clap and join in awkwardly, being very American, of course. Later that evening, Mercedes and I went to a sushi place by ourselves and communicated in French with the server. :)
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| Castle of Haut-Kœnigsbourg! |
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| Scary medieval weapons |
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| Hot chocolates on the castle's terrace overlooking the mountain! |
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| Channeling a medieval lady |
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| Heavy rains didn't dampen my spirit or sense of adventure! :) |
30 Mai 2016 - Bergheim/Winery
It just gets better and better! Today we visited Bergheim where Dr. Mertz's parents live and which is about 12 miles from Colmar. This town probably had the most provincial charm of all the towns we've been to yet. I loved it. We took a train again from Strasbourg to Sélestat and then another bus to our destination. When we arrived, we met her parents again where they guided us past charming homes and beautiful gardens (des jardins très belle.) Then we saw a cemetery. It was pretty also, for a cemetery. We could see the Haut Kœnigsbourg castle that we'd visited the day before far in the distance perched on top of the mountain. Following that, we went to eat (mangé) lunch (le déjeuner) at a charmingly quaint restaurant with a lovely courtyard. We had a pretty jolly time. They gave us each a small shot of some sort of cold and creamy watermelon gazpacho (not sure what the French word for that is), and then I had a terrine as an appetizer (like a pâté slice) with salad, then duck with dark wild rice and finally a strawberries and cream with ice cream for dessert. C'est delicieux. Going to correct myself: c'ètait superb et delicieux! I had pinot noir with mine but tasted the other girls' local white wine (vin blanche) which was delicious and smelled so sweet, like honeysuckle. Then we walked through the village to a winery. I think it was called Vins d'Alsace. We had a wine tasting and tried Pinot Blanche, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Gewurtztraminer, the latter of which I bought a bottle of along with Taylor Thomas. We bought two bottles for one box. My favorite part of visiting Bergheim was looking at all of the pretty gardens and courtyards. Our train is just now arriving in Strasbourg, so I have to sign off. I'm looking forward to going to a local patisserie later this evening with some friends and then getting some rest. Tomorrow: Germany!! :)
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| des jardins jolie de Bergheim |
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| charming quaint little restaurant |
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| terrine |
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| pitcher of pinor noir, just for me! ha |
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| Best duck I ever had, I do believe. |
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| Strawberries and homemade icecream |
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| View of a château on the hills |
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| chat dans la fenêtre! (kitty in the window!) |
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| vins d'Alsace |
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| wine tasting! |
31 Mai 2016 - Germany/Free Day!!
This morning we left the hotel around 10 a.m. to go with Dr. Mertz to cross over the Rhine River into Germany. It was windy! (Il y avait du vent!) Only a few of us went. The rest slept in at the hotel or went shopping around Strasbourg. I got my picture taken in the middle of the bridge crossing over to Germany. It had locks all over it. I guess they were put there by couples symbolizing their love. Dr. Mertz said that Obama met with the Chancellor of Germany there. Cool. We didn't stay long, but it was cool to be able to have a brief amount of time in Germany which included the bus driver over from Frankfurt. After we got back, we met some of the other girls for some shopping. I had a cup of coffee at the café where they'd had lunch while they were waiting for the bill (l'addition.) It was one of the best cups I've had since I've been here. (C'ètait superb.) Then we split off into groups since some wanted scarves, some wanted soap and make-up, and some wanted to go home (hotel). I didn't really need to find anything, but I tagged along with the group just for company. Eventually I just hung out with Mercedes since she wanted to go to H&M and no one else did. We then went back to Cap Europe (sort of a youth hotel we've been staying in that's cheap: auberge de jeunesse) to straighten up and do preliminary packing since we're leaving bright and early for Paris tomorrow (6 a.m.!!!) Later in the evening, Mercedes and I went back to L'Homme de Fer (Man of Strength of Iron Man) square to go to Monoprix (super-marche) to get a bigger luggage for Mercedes and then to the post office near the Cathedral to mail my postcards off to my family and boyfriend Rob. We had a quick dinner at a little café. Our server was charming. (Il ètait charmant.) Demain: Paris!!! :)
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| On the bridge between Germany and France - crossing the Rhine |
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| postcards for family! <3 |
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| Final night in Strasbourg - photo with Tom, Mercedes' crush! haha |
01 Juin 2016 - Travel to Paris!!!
The day is here!! I finally get to go to Paris, one of the cities of my dreams along with New York and Florence (which I hope to go to one day soon.) Mercedes and I woke up the earliest. I could always depend on her to give me a wake-up nudge since I wear ear plugs and an eye mask in order to sleep and don't always hear an alarm. (Very important: people should prepare for the fact that they're going to be rooming with other people who may snore, turn on lights, etc. This was a problem for some people but not for me! I came prepared! haha :)) We got up at 5:30, already packed, and super excited to catch an early train around 6 to Paris! No one got left off the train this time! Yay! Au revoir, Strasbourg! The train ride was smooth going. Our group got to stay together in the same section with club seating. Some people slept or chatted. I relaxed and read some more from the book Seven Ages of Paris. Sometimes I looked out the window at the beautiful countryside with big meadows, fields, and rolling hills. It was very foggy. At one point, a distinguished, tall, older gentleman came from another car and connected eyes with me. (I might've been staring.) He smiled and said some things to me in French, but I didn't understand. ("Je ne comprends pas!")He kept talking to me and I tried to refer him to talk to Dr. Mertz so she could translate, but he smiled and kept walking. Oh well. I guess I'll never quite know what that was about. When we arrived in Paris, just after 9:30, things moved very quickly. We took the metro to our little hotel called Perfect Hotel, dropped off our bags and then we had free time to shop and look around our neighborhood (le quartier.) A few of us went to a nearby café for hot drinks and then did some shopping. I bought a beige waterproof trenchcoat with a hoodie attached reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn (de Charade avec Cary Grant!) :)
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| Our room at the Perfect Hotel in Paris - bunk beds! ha |
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| The view from the balcony of our room in Paris! |
First coffee in Paris. Café créme. (Always served with chocolate or a crisp.)
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| Place de la République |
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| Pretty street with colorful street lanterns! |
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| Shopping with Stephanie and the other girls! |
02 Juin 2016 - The Louvre/au musée du Louvre/ma présentation!
Well, the most exciting (and arguably most important) day for me was this one! The day I did my brochure presentation at the Louvre Museum in French! We were all so excited and a little emotional about visiting the largest and most famous museum in the world, especially me, Dianita, Emily, and Mercedes! Dianita was crying which makes sense since she's an art student. I do appreciate art a lot and am occasionally an artist myself, but I was mainly excited to see some of the great works by Leonardo da Vinci, especially the Mona Lisa (known as La Joconde in France.) I gave my presentation shortly after we entered inside. Everyone seemed to be fairly impressed, especially with my brochure itself. I wish I could've been more flawless, but for the most part it went good. I wrote it down the night before, got Dr. Mertz to say it out loud in French on my phone recorder, then I listened to it over and over and practiced to myself. It definitely helped. After my presentation was done, I was able to relax a lot more. Our group split off into several smaller groups with mine being Ashlie, Peyton, Diana, and Ryan. We saw so much, including ancient Egyptian artifacts, crowns, royal jewels, scepters of French kings, the Coronation of Napoleon painting, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and of course, the Mona Lisa. I didn't get to see Liberty Guiding the People, Venus de Milo, or Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, but hopefully I'll get to go back to see those (particularly with my sweetheart.) There were a lot of sculptures. I noticed that several of the sculptors' names were "Pierre" and I made a joke to Ryan about sculptors named "Stone" working with stone. Afterwards we went to Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart) and took pics. The view was enchanting. We went down a very long flight of stairs lit by street lamps and had a cozy little dinner. I just had a few bites of bone marrow with sea salt and a few bites of people's risotto and shared a bottle of sauvignon blanc, which I drank most of. It was a very pleasant evening. I was so impressed with what I saw at the Louvre. I think the Winged Victory of Samothrace had the biggest effect on me. I'm not sure why. Maybe I felt a connection to the dynamic feminine structure with the set of wings being that I'm aspiring to be a pilot. It kind of reminded me of a headless valkyrie. I've thought for a while that if I were to ever get tattooed, I want a small set of valkyrie wings on my back near my shoulder blades. So sad that the sculptor of such a famous work is unknown.
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| The back of the brochure I designed for my presentation! |
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| Anticipating the treasures and wonders about to be beheld... |
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| Small woman between two Assyrian bulls |
First exhibit to the public of two portraits by Rembrandt
I finally got to meet her...maybe one day we'll have a moment alone together.
The most stunning thing I saw at the Louvre: Winged Victory of Samothrace.
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| Friends, sauvignon blanc, and bone marrow with sea salt |
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| Magical enchanting evening in Paris on top of Montmartre in front of Sacré-Cœur |
03 Juin 2016 - Notre Dame/medieval churches
Today we had a guided tour of various churches, sacred places, and other monuments of divine and legal representation. Naturally, the Notre Dame was the most exciting since I'd read and seen so much about it with all of the movie interpretations and Victor Hugo's book (which I also read an abbreviated version of in French.) We didn't get to go inside, but we walked up a very narrow staircase (the middle of the steps was sunken in, I guess from centuries of weight-bearing) and some of my fellow student companions were dying. Not everyone took too well to the stairs and heights and all of the walking on this trip. It didn't bother me too much, though. Not much bothered me during this trip even with sharing rooms, communal bathrooms, and crowded buses. I tried to get video recording of the cathedral bells ringing around 12 noon but someone behind me started talking abruptly over the recording. So much for that. It was pretty cool getting to see the humble abode of Quasimodo and his best friend, Big Marie. :)
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| "Sanctuaire! Sanctuaire!" |
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| "After all, we're only made out of stone." |
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| Big Marie |
04 Juin 2016 - Eiffel Tower/Musée de Cluny/Champs-Élysées/L'Arc de Triomphe
Finally got to see the splendid iconic Eiffel Tower!!! This actually happened the night before on 3 Juin. Ryan, Mercedes, Megan, Ashlie, Peyton, Diana and I took the metrorail all by ourselves to the Eiffel! It was exciting! I was glad to have a little independence so I could force myself to pay attention and figure out the metrorail system without just depending on Dr. Mertz and her sister Eléonore for direction. It really wasn't too hard. Paris is circular with the neighborhoods and arrondissements that spiral outwards in a clock-wise direction. Once you pick out the area you need to go to, you find the metrostation nearest to where you are, find the line going in that direction based on the END destination and then the number of the line. Then you change stops as necessary. You have to make sure you pick the right direction based on the destination rather than just the number. I was glad I got to understand that better. There was a guy playing the accordion on our car on the train to the Eiffel. The other kids were dancing to it while everyone else was sitting still. I got video of it. It was pretty funny. The Eiffel Tower was BEAUTIFUL!!! Just as I expected! And so massive up close! It was all lit up and sparkly. We went up to the 2nd floor (2ème étage) and had a great view. I can't wait to go back so I can go to the top floor in the future. The view was fantastic! And such a neat fact that the guy who designed it was friends with the designer of the Statue of Liberty! The Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages (Musée national du Moyen Âge) was solemnly beautiful as well! Peyton and Emily gave their presentations there. It's known for all the tapestries depicting the Lady and the Unicorn as well as other treasures. It was impressive to see the artwork and other relics from the 14th through 16th centuries towards the end of the Middle Ages and beginning of the Renaissance era, my personal favorite. I consider myself a modern-day Renaissance woman because of my love of the arts, philosophy and appreciation for sciences, particularly aeronautical and aerospace sciences. I took several pictures including pics of ancient chalices. They reminded me of Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail movie. :)
L'Arc de Triomphe was another stunning monument. I didn't know that much about it other than that it is another iconic structure and that it had something to do with Napoleon and armies from the North, so I'll have to do some research later. (I was pleased to find out that I guessed fairly correctly on the meaning of the names that are inscribed on the walls of the Arc. Ryan and I were trying to figure out what the names meant, and I said that maybe it had something to do with generals who might've won strategic battles. Found out later this was pretty close to being true.) We took the stairs all the way to the top. I think that might've been the hardest stairway of the whole trip or maybe I was just tired. Another fantastic view! I could see the most significant monuments in Paris: Sacre-Cœur, the Luxor Obelisk, Eiffel, and Notre-Dame. We walked down the Champs-Élysées main boulevard, and I was able to buy 3 more international stamps for a few more postcards. (I wanted my loved ones to get postage from Strasbourg and Paris.) We met up with the rest of the group, waited for Dr. Mertz and her sister at the Roosevelt metrostop and then went to dinner at Chartiers, a really upscale restaurant! I always enjoy dinner time with the group, because people are in a good jovial mood, for the most part. We had a small flute filled with a Kir champagne cocktail apéritif, then half an avocado (avocat) with a creamy dressing containing small shrimp. I ordered fish (poisson) that had lots of bones but was very tasty with potatoes and a bottle of sauvignon and for dessert, we had a pastry stuffed with icecream (glaces), dark chocolate sauce, and shaved almonds. Eléonore gave us tips for dining etiquette, such as allowing the gentlemen at our tables serve us wine and not serve ourselves, and then Dr. Mertz and Eléonore gave us little Eiffel tower keychains along with individual commendation for our accomplishments during our few weeks in France! Mine was for having the best brochure and the best coiffure! :) Afterwards, the girls and I went out for more gifts!
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| Musée national du Moyen Âge (aka The Cluny Museum) |
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| Oldest stone house in Paris (home of Nicolas Flamel to the Harry Potter fans) |
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| Eiffel Tower!!! |
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| The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry at the Cluny |
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| Ancient chalice and other treasures at the Cluny |
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| Late medieval/early Renaissance artwork at the Cluny |
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| Ancient Roman bath |
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| Heads of kings (têtes des rois) |
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| The Panthéon! |
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| Lovers' garden |
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| L'Arc de Triomphe |
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Last dinner in Paris
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05 Juin 2016 - Travel home/Final morning :(
My time in France is now at an end. I am so grateful and happy for the things I've learned, the experiences I've shared, and the friends I made while in France. (Je suis contente.) I woke up the earliest this morning around 7:45, showered, dressed and packed quickly, then walked by myself down the road, through the alley, and up to the right of the street near Cadet station to have breakfast and coffee (un petite-dejeuner avec café créme), a little personal reflection time and kind of my own personal private goodbye to Paris. I've enjoyed my time in France for the past two weeks so much. I was friendly and got along with everyone, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be staying in touch with a few people from our group beyond this trip. I'm going to continue to practice speaking, listening to, and reading French. I even picked up a French tour guidebook at the airport that has English translation and while at Charles de Gaulle aeroport and on the plane, I'm trying to converse mostly in French. By the time of Fall 2016 semester when I am in French 2001, I will be considered intermediate. Hopefully within another year or so, I'll be at more an advanced level. I'm already adopting some French customs into my own life, and maybe by the next time I go back to Paris, I'll fit in enough to become an adopted "Parisienne" woman! There wasn't much about the city (or country) that I didn't like.
Some of the cultural differences are: 1) The bathrooms. Very interesting to see that bathrooms for men and women (sometimes the stalls themselves) were right next to each other and shared the same sinks (often in the basement of the establishment, no less.) I couldn't help but think that if I were to ask the people of Paris what they thought of the "bathroom issue" in America I would get one collective eyeroll across the board with maybe something along the lines of "no comment." I will add, however, that every bathroom I encountered had walls and doors that went all the way to the floors, so you couldn't peek under a stall and see someone's feet. That added to the overall feeling of privacy and security or at least helped some. 2) The meal times and dining customs are a little different as well. The French don't do heavy breakfasts like we do here in America. I never saw a plate of bacon and eggs once. They usually have a baguette or croissant with butter, confiture (jam), at most a boiled egg, and some slices of ham or salami, and coffee, milk, and/or juice. They don't carry around large to-go cups of coffee, and you might get a confused look from your server if you order coffee later than 2 in the afternoon. Also, the servers are not intrusive. They NEVER approach your table and ask (while you're talking with someone else) "is everything ok?" That just doesn't happen there. They observe and add/remove things as needed, but they rarely bother you. In fact, you had to be aware of certain customs such as closing your menu when you wanted the server to magically appear tableside and take your order - otherwise, they don't bother you.
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| Side-by-side bathroom stalls for men and women |
Merci beaucoup to Dr. Mertz and Armstrong State University for this fabulous cultural adventure! I'll never forget it!!! :)
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| Solo walk down this alley one more time on the way to a café before flying out. |
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| Au revoir, Paris. Merci pour les belles expériences. |
