Sarah and Brendan in France

Apartment

2009-08-31T17:30:00.001-07:00

The living room.

Ample closet space.

The kitchen!

Atlas Mountains

2009-05-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Our three-day trek to Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi Dunes was a welcome break from the crushing heat and chaos that is Marrakech. Within an hour of leaving Marrakech, we were in the Atlas mountains, climbing a narrow road that is the only route through the mountains. It connects dozens of isolated Berber villages. We saw many other tour groups traveling the same route, but were happy that our guide made a point of avoiding the most touristy spots.

A small Berber village in the Atlas mountains, viewed from a roadside overlook. The traditional dwelling is a mudbrick hut with a flat roof. The villages are mostly self-sufficient - goats and sheep are raised on the hillsides, and wheat is grown in the valley.

We came up this winding road, lined with souvenir shops selling fossils and minerals harvested from the mountains.

Ait Benhaddou, a 17th-century kasbah that rises above the green foliage of the river valley. Lawrence of Arabia and many other films have used it as a location.

We crossed a sandbag bridge to get to the kasbah.

Women wash rugs and scarves in the river.

We reached an altitude of 6,600 feet and looked out on the valley below.

From Oarzazate to Merzouga

2009-05-16T05:24:00.000-07:00

The Skoura Oasis is one of the largest in Morocco, with about 14,000 palm trees. A few families live in the oasis and tend the wheat that grows beneath the palms.

Monkey-fingers, a geological formation on the rock cliffs that rise above the Dades Gorge.

A tributary of the Dades ran in front of our hotel in a small Berber village called Marhaba. On a walk through the town we were greeted warmly by every resident - from small children to old women - and were asked if we would consider moving there. We watched women harvesting wheat in the tiny plots near the river, and children gathering water from the stream.

Through these desert gates you can see the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.

A boy kisses Brendan's hand in the Todra Gorge, where locals come to play in the cool water on warm weekend days.

We stopped for lunch in a small desert town, where we watched women in beautiful traditional dress walking along the road.

Dead wells look like giant molehills in the landscape.

We could see the dunes rising out of the earth as we approached Merzouga.

Brendan dressed as Lawrence of Arabia as we drank mint tea and prepared to set out on our camel trek.

As we began to climb the dunes, with only a tiny bottle of water per person, we had no idea how far we were going or when we would arrive at the campsite. Although the dunes are only a small island of sand, you have the illusion of being completely lost in the Sahara. When we stopped for breaks, we took shelter in the shadow of scraggly desert brush.

One of our guides.

We watched the sunset from the top of a dune, where we could see other desert guides relaxing with a huge tour group of Moroccan teenagers.

A desert bird perches on top of our tent.

Our campsite included one cooking tent, one eating tent, and four tents for sleeping. We watched the moon rise around a fire pit in the center of camp. As we fell asleep we listened to the wind rustling the patchwork carpets and the dunes from inside our candle-lit tents.

The camels are allowed to graze on desert grass. One of their legs is tied up to prevent them from straying too far.

Essaouira

2009-05-16T04:55:00.001-07:00

Essaouira is a seaside town about 3 and a half hours from Marrakech by bus. The landscape was boring, other than a few goats in an argan tree. As we stepped out of the bus we were greeted by a fresh sea breeze and bright sun.

Unlike the brown-pink mud-brick buildings of Marrakech, most buildings in Essaouira are painted white with blue shutters.

The souks in the old town of Essaouira were much more relaxed than those in Marrakech, ideal for cat naps.

We browsed the souks free from the calls of vendors and the crush of people, so we were able to take a few pictures of the fabulous crafts and merchandise.

The fortifications that overlook the deep blue water of the Atlantic were designed by a French engineer, a slave of the king, in the 18th century.

We ate lunch at a beachside cafe where we were served fresh fish that may have come from these nets.

Women in djellabas waded on the beach alongside bare-chested boys and teenage girls in bikinis.

Medersa Ben Youssef and the Marrakech Museum

2009-05-15T04:51:00.000-07:00

After an abortive trip to the Palmeraie (Marrakech's oasis, outside of the Ville Nouvelle) to go horseback riding, we ended up at the Medersa Ben Youssef just as it was opening. We were treated to a moment of peace and absolute silence which made it easy to imagine its former life as a sanctuary for meditation and study. The Medersa (usually madrassa in English, or Koranic school) was built in the 16th century and was in use until the 1960s. It was the largest medersa in Morocco.

We also visited the Marrakech Museum, another spectacular, mostly empty space. While the sparse exhibits were interesting, we appreciated the beautiful atmosphere created by the oud music playing and the mosaic designs.

Marrakech - The Medina and Souks

2009-05-15T04:15:00.000-07:00

The taxi ride from the airport was surreal. After bargaining the price of our ride from 150 dirhams to 70, we headed for the main square of Marrakech. We wove through women in traditional djellabas (long robes with a pointy hood) on mopeds, donkeys pulling carts, and pairs of teenagers sharing bicycles. We passed through the Ville Nouvelle (the modern, French neighborhood outside of the old city walls), and arrived at bustling Place Jemaa el Fna.

We were immediately struck by the number of tourists, mainly dressed in shorts and tank tops (while the locals dress very modestly, in long-sleeves and pants), and the chaos and absence of traffic laws on the square. It was boiling hot, and we cooled down with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice at one of the carts on the square.

Place Jemaa el Fna, where orange juice, dried fruit, and food vendors set up their carts, and snake charmers and monkey tamers try to attract the attention of tourists.

Men haul a cart-load of carpets to market.

From the rooftop terrace of our riad we could see the Koutoubia minaret, the largest in the city, and all the rooftops of houses and shops in the old-town. We often came up to the roof to escape the stagnant air on the ground and to listen to the sunset call to prayer, which is broadcast by loud-speakers from each of the dozens of minarets in the city.

Brendan relaxes in the open courtyard of our riad. The riad is the traditional Moroccan home - a square building with a central court that opens to the sky.

The street leading to our riad was narrow and winding.

A street acrobat performs in front of our favorite restaurant, Snack Toubkal, where a delicious tagine cost 35 dirhams, and kittens played under the tables.

The souks are a maze-like commercial district north of the main plaza. You can buy anything from vegetables, to ceramics, to silver jewelry, clothing, shoes, animal hides, spices, knock-off designer goods, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and live turtles, snails, and chameleons. As you walk by, you are shouted at from all sides by vendors who want you to take a look in their stalls.

Babouches, traditional point-toed leather slippers on display in the souks.

Wool hangs out to dry in Souk Sebbaghine, where wool for carpets, scarves, and hats is dyed.

Wood and metal crafts outside a shop in the souks.

We had an interesting meal at one of the food stalls in Place Jemaa el Fna - stewed sheep meat with bread. You could choose between "head," "brain," "mixed," or "meat." We chose meat. The prices were between 15 and 20 dirham. The men at the stall prepare and serve the stew while you watch. You add your own salt and cumin from a bowl on the counter, and must eat with your right hand, although we were offered silverware after one of the men noticed us struggling.

Chambord

2009-05-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

Chambord is probably the most famous of the chateaux. It is certainly the biggest of the ones we have seen, and one of the most beautiful.

Normandy with Elodie and Damien

2009-04-29T05:01:00.000-07:00

We spent the first week of our spring vacation in Normandy, a region in the north of France, with our friends Elodie and Damien. Both of their families still live there, and run small farms. We got to experience family life, Norman culture, and history. We drank lots of cider, the typical beverage of the region, and ate farm-fresh beef and milk. Reminders of World War II are still very present in the landscape and minds here. Upon arriving we heard stories from Elodie's grandparents about growing up under the German occupation. We also visited the D-Day beaches and American and German cemeteries. The region is very rural and agricultural, and we spent some time on Elodie's family farm. Despite the region's reputation for being rainy and cold, we had beautiful weather for our entire stay.

Barfleur and Gatteville

2009-04-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

Seaside houses in Barfleur.

A tractor used for oyster harvesting.

Millions of lady slippers on the beach in Barfleur.

Oyster farming in Barfleur.

The lighthouse in Gatteville is one of the tallest in France. We climbed the 365 steps to the top, from which you have a spectacular view of the coast.

Typical Norman stone houses in Gatteville.

An 11th century stone church in Gatteville.

D-Day Beaches

2009-04-26T12:56:00.001-07:00

Gold Beach is where Samuel Kalikman, Sarah's grandfather helped debark English troops on D-Day. You can still see the remains of the floating bridges used to unload soldiers and vehicles.

Le Point du Hoc was considered unassailable by the Germans because of its steep cliffs. But Allied troops used sophisticated climbing equipment to scale the cliffs and attack the German fortifications. The cliff was heavily bombarded during the attacks, and you can still see the craters left by the bombs.

Standing in a bomb crater.

A German bunker. Everywhere you go on the coast in Normandy, you can see the remains of German fortifications.

The cemetery of St. Laurent, where nearly 10,000 American soldiers are buried. The cemetery overlooks the sea, and includes a spectacular memorial and reflecting pool.

A comparably austere German cemetery.

Savigny and the Farm

2009-04-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Walking down the main street in Savigny, the small town where Elodie and many of her relatives live and farm.

A couple of newborn lambs on Elodie's grandparents' farm. In the background you can see the church of Savigny, which has a very typical Norman steeple.

A view of the family farm.

There are about 80 cows on the farm.

Bruno, Elodie's dad, let us hold some newborn piglets, who weren't too happy to meet us.

Elodie's uncle's stables, where we saw saddles that German soldiers, occupying Savigny during the Second World War, left behind as they fled advancing Allied troops.

A couple of Percheron horses, a breed typical of Normandy, on Elodie's uncle's farm.

Les Iles de Chausey

2009-04-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

We spent a day on the tiny island of Chausey, which is about an hour by boat from the coast of Normandy. We embarked from Granville in the fog, but once we arrived we had spectacular weather. The island has only 1 store and about 50 full-time inhabitants.

Dolmens seen from the beach.

The harbor.

Adeline, Elodie, Damien and Brendan on the trail that leads around the coast.

We picnicked on the beach.

At low-tide, you can walk far out from the coast.

The island was covered in beautiful yellow flowers.

There are a few cottages.

Granville is a chic seaside town.

The sheep of the pré-salé graze on grass that is covered by the sea some of the time, giving their meat a unique flavor.

Pèche à la Main

2009-04-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

We spent an afternoon with Elodie and her mother digging for clams, oysters and mussels on the coast. You have to wait for a very low tide, then you walk kilometers out onto the ocean bed and collect shellfish using special rakes. We came home with several kinds of shellfish, including palourdes (a kind of clam), a pied de cheval (a flat oyster), mussels, and coques (small clams), and had more than enough to enjoy a delicious meal. We ate some of the palourdes raw with vinaigrette, and others we stuffed with butter or cream. The mussels were prepared mariniere (steamed in white wine).

Collecting mussels.

A flat oyster, a wild oyster, and various clams.

Le Mont St. Michel

2009-04-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Cave Party!

2009-04-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

We were invited to a going away party for the English exchange students at Langeais. The teachers told me that the party was in la cave (the basement) of one of the students. Of course here in Touraine, a cave means an actual cave.

Brendan helps set up before the party.

The house where the party took place.

My Classroom at Montaigne

2009-04-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

At one of the schools where I teach, I have my own classroom, which I've tried to decorate somewhat. The kids really like the poster of Obama.

It's Finally Sunny in Tours!

2009-04-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

We've had some really nice days lately for biking, strolling, and sitting in the park.

Eating macarons in the courtyard of the Musée de Beaux Arts.

Meeting friendly cats.

A pretty house near the Loire.

Fritz the Elephant was a Barnum and Bailey circus elephant that went mad during a circus in Tours and had to be shot. Barnum offered the dead elephant as a gift to the city of Tours, which they gratefully accepted and stuffed. He's now on permanent display at the Musée de Beaux Arts.

Personal Profiles

2009-04-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

Listen to my friends describe themselves, then answer the questions on your worksheet.

Villandry

2009-04-05T12:14:00.001-07:00

Villandry is well-known for its spectacular gardens. We visited today with a couple of teachers from Great Britain who are leading an exchange program with their students at Langeais, where Sarah teaches. Although the weather was gray, the castle and gardens were still beautiful.

Lost in Villeperdue

2009-04-04T15:11:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we took a bike trip from Tours to Villeperdue - literally "the Lost City". The name derives from the last Arab incursion into France in the 8th century, when the town was lost to the Arabs. Today, it's lost in a more literal sense - it's one of the farthest-flung towns that's part of the school district I teach in. We were lost in Villeperdue in an even more literal sense, unfortunately, when we missed the only train back to Tours that day, and had to take a taxi halfway back to Tours and have our bikes retrieved by our friends! Lots of my students who live there saw me wandering around, though, and were very impressed that the American language assistant came to visit their town.

Bike trip!

The Indre River passing through Monts.

The countryside is pretty empty about 10 km outside of Tours.

Now entering Villeperdue.

The town square with the required world war memorial, post office, and church.

Leaving Villeperdue.

The road from Villeperdue to Boisbonnard was built in 1757 by the inhabitants of Villeperdue.

Angers Field Trip

2009-04-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I went with my classes from Langeais and their English exchange students to Angers, a mid-sized town an hour west of Tours. Angers has a beautiful cathedral, an old-town, and a medieval fortress that houses the longest medieval tapestry in the world, the "Tapestry of the Apocalypse." The city sits on the banks of the Maine River.

The cathedral from a bridge over the Maine.

Anger's medieval fortress.

From the ramparts.

Inside the castle walls.

We took a cruise on the Maine and went through some beautiful countryside.

The magnolias were blooming outside the Musée de Beaux Arts.

It's a Sign

2009-04-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

A few choice signs from Touraine.

This one's kind of sad. "I'm 4-years-old. Someone killed my cat. Slow down."

Le Grand Moron was taking the picture.

Nostalgia - Making Maple Syrup with the O'Connells

2009-03-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Check out our video about maple syrup production which we will be using with our students. Thanks to Jillian, Joanna, and Lynne and Elizabeth for the footage.

Tours to Langeais by Bike

2009-03-24T05:46:00.000-07:00

It's finally springtime in Tours. This weeked we biked the approximately 30 kilometers from Tours to Langeais, passing through the towns of Fondettes, Luynes, St-Etienne-de-Chigny, and Cinq-Mars-la-Pile.

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The donjon of Langeais.

The Chateau and cathedral of Langeais seen from above.

A canal runs through downtown Luynes.

Downtown Cinq-Mars-la-Pile--about 2 hours into our trek.

The "Pile" from which Cinq-Mars-la-Pile derives its name, is a 2nd century Roman construction of unknown purpose. It stands 100 ft. high, dominating the skyline of this small riverside town. Notice the ornate brick decoration.

The "Pile" from afar.

Troglodytic homes built into the limestone cliffs on the banks of the Loire between St-Etienne-de-Chigny and Cinq-Mars-la-Pile.

The countryside is dotted with wildflowers.

St-Etienne-de-Chigny has some of the most picturesque troglodytic homes in Touraine.

Gallo-Roman aqueducts in the countryside around Fondettes.

A farmhouse near Fondettes.

Montpellier et Environs

2009-03-08T13:46:00.001-07:00

Jim and Jennifer's house.

We spent the second week of our vacation visiting Jim and Jennifer in Clermont-l'Herault, a small town near Montpellier in the Languedoc region of France. They live in a lovely house in the hills, and own the house next door, where we stayed. They took us to see all the sites in the region, including a day trip to Arles in Provence. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of our experience.

Brendan in the sun room.

Our guesthouse.

Trompe-l'oeil door in Pézènas. It is designed to be seen from the side.

Church in Saint-Gilles, near Arles.

Relief on the church in Saint-Gilles.

From the top of the Roman coliseum in Arles.

Brendan, Jim, and Jennifer on top of the coliseum.
Part of a Roman aqueduct that once connected Nîmes and Uzès (24 km away).

Near Lake Salagou, in the hills around Clermont-L'Herault, the soil takes on an almost purple color. The wind here is wild, and the scenery is prehistoric-- in fact we stopped to take a look at some dinosaur footprints.

Facades in Salasc, a small town in the hills.

Le Pont du Diable near Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.

The region is famous for this bright green glaze, which has been produced since the middle ages.

Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is a small hilltop town with a magnificent church.

Poznań, Poland

2009-03-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

All of our unfair stereotypes about Poland vanished when we arrived in Poznań. We were picturing a dreary, industrial landscape, but were surprised by beautiful pastel-painted buildings, a wonderful museum of Polish art, and delicious, cheap meals. The city's main attraction is its old market square, Stary Rynek. We visited the town hall, which has been turned into a small museum of local history. Both here and in the art museum we were dutifully followed by a gaggle of middle-aged docents, who are there to make sure you don't touch anything (or take pictures, in the case of the town hall, where the privilege costs you an extra 7 zloty). It was pretty amazing to see an entire museum dedicated to artists we'd never heard of, and artistic movements Western Europe has more or less forgotten - the museum included an excellent collection of Polish Symbolist art, something we didn't really know much about, but which is apparently finally getting its due in an exhibit at the Tate Modern in London.

We enjoyed some great food in Poznań, too. We had pierogis for lunch and Polish Jewish cuisine for dinner, and bought honey liqueur at a local food shop. Although we only spent one day here, it was definitely worth seeing.

Ostrów Tumski, a cathedral on the east side of the city.

One of the many open-air markets we saw.

Stary Rynek, Poznań's town square.

Facades in Stary Rynek.

The Pope Crosses record each visit the Pope has made to the city (we think).

One of the university buildings.

Sarah and Brendan in Berlin

2009-03-02T12:54:00.001-08:00

For our February break, we decided to go east to Berlin. We stayed in a hostel in Mitte, a neighborhood part of the former DDR, which now is home to many cool restaurants and bars. We spent 6 days exploring the city--east and west--going to museums, trying local cuisine, and taking lots of pictures. Here are a few:

The view from our hostel room--actually just a theater, even though it looks like it should be something much scarier.

The Nazi Olympic Stadium is in current use, and was modernized with a fiberglass roof in the 90s. It's a gigantic, imposing concrete structure with a sunken field. You can see the bell tower in the background.

Brandenburg Tor-- the gateway between East and West Berlin.

Berlin's central cathedral, seen from a bridge over the Spree.

Inside an old brick church in Mitte.

Socialist-realist art on an apartment building in Mitte.

Tacheles is Berlin's largest squat--it includes gallery and concert space and is covered in graffiti inside and out.

Currywurst is the gastronomical specialty of the city... You get all the sausage, sauerkraut and fried potatoes you can eat for about 4 Euros.

Berlin is all about the contrast of old and new(ish). The ubiquitous t.v. tower emerges from the fog behind an old church in Mitte. Bicyclists share the road with brightly-colored trams.

The O'Connells Come to France

2009-02-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

My family is spending this week in and around Tours - it's Michele and the kids' first time outside of America! Evan and Matthew have been discovering French food, learning that you can't touch things in a toy store, and having fun on trains. So far, we've visited the Tours cathedral, the castle in Amboise, the chateau de Langeais, Vieux Tours, Les Halles and the Natural History Museum.

Cloisters behind the cathedral in Tours.

Cave home in Amboise.

Cave home with chickens in Amboise.

Matthew at Amboise.

Evan in front of the chapel at Amboise.

Matthew with the Tours monster.

Matthew enjoys a "chocolate hot dog" in our apartment.

Strike!

2009-02-01T11:39:00.001-08:00

You may have seen this New York Times article about a general labor strike in France this week.

A national strike (grève) was declared to protest the government's freeze on new hiring in many public professions (such as teaching). Workers from both public and private sectors joined demonstrations in 200 cities-- the largest demonstrations since Sarkozy took office. For the French, a strike generally consists of one day of demonstrations, and then it's back to work. The efficacy of this approach is hotly contested here. Many teachers in our schools did not strike, based on their concerns about effectiveness, as well as worries about lost pay.

Brendan went to work, and attended the demonstration afterwards. I was unable to get to College Montaigne because the buses weren't running due to the strike.

There has been one other teachers' strike, and numerous demonstrations since we've been in France. Here are some photos of other protests.

A protester holds a sign reading, "Maintain Proper Training for Teachers."

A demonstration passes below our window.

A little girl holds a sign reading "Pre-School is Super!"

Demonstrators gather outside the Prefecture of Indre-et-Loire (our département or county) to protest reforms to the national education system.

Langeais

2009-01-11T23:58:00.000-08:00

One of the schools I work in is in a small town called Langeais, about 20 minutes by car from the center of Tours, and right along the Loire River. The town itself has fewer than 4,000 residents, so the collège also serves many of the even smaller neighboring villages.

Like most French schools, Collège la Champ de la Motte has a classroom building and a separate cafeteria, a large playground, and a separate gymnasium. The whole complex is surrounded by a fence so students can't escape. Kids go to school from 8:30 until 4:30 every weekday except Wednesday, when they only go in the morning. You aren't allowed to bring a bag lunch, so kids either go home or eat the school meal, which is typically very good. There are no school buses, so city buses or tour bus companies provide transportation.

The town of Langeais is primarily residential, with a small downtown, and a large medieval castle, notable as the location of the marriage of Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne. The homes and shops in the downtown are also quite old, but the area around the collège has only been developed in the last decade or so.

A view of the town from above.

The castle of Langeais seen from the main street.

The Mairie, or Town Hall.

The street leading up to the castle entrance is lined with small shops, including a tea room and chocolaterie.

The cultural center with Christmas decorations out front.

The castle in Langeais is the only one in the region with a drawbridge.

The remains of a dungeon constructed by Fulque Nerra (who you may remember from a previous post as architect of the Donjon of Montbazon and wife-burner). Langeais and Montbazon are apparently locked in a feud over whose dungeon is older.

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Chateau de Chenonceau

2009-01-10T05:26:00.000-08:00

The Loire Valley is known for its many castles-- there are more than 300. Generations of kings and noblemen were attracted to the area because of the fertile land and mild climate. We took advantage of our time off to visit several of the most beautiful castles the region has to offer. Tours is a great central starting point as many of the chateaux are situated on the banks of the Loire.

Chenonceau is surely one of the most spectacular castles. Constructed over the rushing water of the Cher, this Renaissance era castle also has beautiful gardens, woods, and lush lawns. When Brendan and I visited, the castle was all decked out for Christmas, with bouquets, garlands, and even Christmas trees adorning its many rooms. Unfortunately, winter is the season for restoration, and much of the front of the castle was covered in scaffolding. There is still a magical air about this place, though.

There isn't much more to the town of Chenonceau than its train station.

Two sphinxes stand guard over the castle entrance.

The River Cher runs under the castle. During the WWII occupation, people used the castle to cross the river from Nazi controlled France into the free zone.

Tours in the Snow

2009-01-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

On Monday it snowed in Tours-- something that doesn't happen every year. As of today (Friday) schools in the countryside, like Langeais are still not getting bus service, even though the snow has mostly disappeared, and there was only about 3 inches of accumulation in the first place. There is no system in place to deal with inclement weather in France. Schools don't even officially close when there's snow, they just don't run the buses, meaning most students don't show up. Even city bus service was suspended for two days. Brendan and I are enjoying the extra time off after a busy vacation with my family, who were lucky enough to escape on Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, all the trains out of Tours had been canceled due to the cold.

On Monday afternoon, Mom, Meg and I took a walk and got some great shots of the city in the snow.

Rue des Halles.

Meg with the Tours Monster.

Mom and Meg in front of our favorite crèperie.

Azay-le-Rideau

2009-01-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

Azay-le-Rideau is one of the closest castles to Tours and one of the most recognizable. Seemingly floating in the middle of a pond and surmounted by turrets, it looks like it came out of a fairy tale.

Chateau d'Amboise

2009-01-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

The castle's chapel, where Leonardo da Vinci is buried.

The chateau of Amboise is one of the most famous in the region. It is perched on a hill and offers spectacular views of the town below and of the Loire. The castle seems huge until you learn that it is only the remains of a massive fortress. Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years in Amboise, and you can visit his house and workshop.

New Year's in Paris

2009-01-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

A few days after Christmas we left for Paris to spend New Year's eve and a few days in Paris with Meg, my mom, and my aunt Julie. We had a lovely apartment in the St. Germain neighborhood right near the Seine and Notre Dame. We spent our time walking in the Marais, a trendy neighborhood with lots of boutiques and cafes, visiting museums (the Pompidou museum of modern art, and the Cluny museum of Medieval history), eating well, and seeing the sights. The city was packed, and lines to get into the Louvre and the cathedral were prohibitively long. But we had very nice weather for the first few days, and at the end of our trip we had snow. For me it was nice being back in Paris, recognizing all of the places I'd been when I was studying there for a semester, and spending some quality time with my family.

New Year's Eve at the apartment.

Blois Blois Blois

2009-01-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

Blois is a small city of 50,000 about forty minutes away from Tours. It has a real medieval feel, as if very little has changed since about 1400. The city is built on a large hill, with many winding alleyways that snake through the center. It has a nice castle in the downtown area, and several large churches. We visited on a Sunday, and even by French Sunday-morning standards, it was very quiet.

The castle in Blois.

The front of the castle in Blois.

A look down one of Blois' many winding streets.

The porcupine is the regal symbol of Louis XII, who was born in Blois.

We were surprised to find this brasserie on the banks of the Loire.

Vouvray and Rochecorbon

2008-12-15T00:01:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we took a stroll in Rochecorbon with Elodie. Although only 5 km from Tours, you get the feeling of really being out in the country. Rochecorbon is notable for its magnificent troglodytic homes (houses built partially into the limestone cliffs), many of which belong to the proprietors of the Vouvray wineries. Vouvray is a regionally-produced sparkling wine, and Tourangeaux proudly point out that it can be superior to Champagne.

Courtyard of a home near the Vouvray wineries.

Rochecorbon is also home to a former monastery from the Middle Ages, which is now a large private school called Marmoutier. The grounds contain ruins of one of France's largest cathedrals, which is the site of an ongoing archaeological excavation.

Former wine caves in Rochecorbon.

Agrandir le plan

Noël à Tours

2008-12-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

All the Christmas decorations went up last weekend around the city; trees in front of the Hôtel de Ville, lights strung across the streets, and loud-speakers blaring a constant stream of Christmas muzak.

We put our decorations up, too.

Sanksgeeving à la Français

2008-12-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving in France with our friends Damien and Elodie, and two other teachers from Lycee Bayet, where I work. This was the first time that either of us had ever cooked any traditional Thanksgiving foods.

We found the only whole turkey available in November in Tours - when we bought it, the woman at the butcher looked at us like we were crazy! Here, when you buy a whole turkey, it still has the head and feet attached. It took the butcher about 10 minutes to pull the feet off while we watched in horror. Roasting a whole turkey in a French oven was also difficult, as it just barely fit inside.

After a lot of searching, we also found cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and something that resembled a pumpkin for our pie. Overall, we were able to cook a convincing American meal for our friends, who enjoyed this meal a lot more than when we made meatloaf.

Elodie, the librarian at Lycée Bayet organized the Soirée Thanksgiving for us.

Brendan carves the turkey in style.

Damien serves the cranberry bread.

Books I've read since coming to France

2008-12-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

Hard to describe or do justice to - but I will definitely be reading it again. I didn't know anything about Faulkner when I picked this up - I guess I thought he would be a more tasteful, less sappy Tennessee Williams (lumping all Southern writers together unfairly) - instead, it was truly mind-bending, weird, and great.

All The King's Men - Robert Penn Warren

Continuing my tour of Southern writers - incredibly readable and very sad. The New York Times called it "The definitive novel on American politics" - I'm not so sure today - the kind of populist demagogue figure represented by Governor Stark (actually Huey Long, then-governor of Louisiana) isn't nearly as typical in American politics today as they were in the 1940s and before. Reading All the King's Men, the contemporary figure I was reminded of the most was Hugo Chavez.

Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami

First thing I've read by Murakami, author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, and lots of other stuff - and I wasn't disappointed. Until the last 50 pages, when I was disappointed by a kind of sappy, unsatisfying ending that killed all the suspense and intrigue that had been building until then. Still quite masterful, though.

Savages - Joe Kane

Pretty good investigative journalism about one of the last undiscovered (and uncivilized) tribes of the Amazon, and their attempts to preserve their culture in the face of oil companies, the government, and globalization.

Primitive Rebels - E.J. Hobsbawm

Hobsbawm takes an interesting and much-needed look at pre-political political movements (not a contradiction in terms, as you will learn if you read this book) - that is, social movements among the poor and illiterate of Europe before socialism and Communism were known of. By looking at banditry, mobs, the Sicilian Mafia, and millenarian movements such as Andalusian anarchism as social things (across the political spectrum - apolitical, radical, and reactionary) - we see (or at least I did) peasant self-organization as an alternative to state power. I thought his analysis of rural anarchism in Spain from the 1800s to 1936 was excellent, and functioned as an interesting parallel historical current to the much better-known urban anarcho-syndicalism during the Spanish Civil War.

IV - Chuck Klosterman

I bought this to read on the plane, and I finished it before the plane ride was over. My book/dollars ratio was kind of skewed - if I had bought a Harper's, as I often do in the airport, I could have read it for about $9 less than this book. A few of the essays were worthwhile - Klosterman's insomnia driven, 24-hour VH1 Classic music video saga made me laugh out loud - but it felt like I had bought a book that was really an overpriced, heavier magazine - which it was, since he wrote all of the essays for magazines.

Montbazon

2008-12-04T23:29:00.000-08:00

This is where I work Mondays and Tuesdays - Montbazon. It is home to France's oldest castle, which is in fact a dungeon built in the 10th century by the dread Count of Anjou, a notorious jerk from French history. The Count, aka 'The Black Falcon' aka 'Fulk Nerra' celebrated a happy first millenium in December 999 by burning his wife at the stake in her wedding dress for sleeping with a goatherd.

According to the Engrishy inscription at the castle site, though, he "was also a man of great vision. To seize the Touraine at the end of the 10th century, he ringed his prey with revolutionary stone towers."

Montbazon is a really pretty little town, though - I work at College Albert Camus (middle school), mostly with sixieme (5th grade) and cinqieme (6th grade) students.

Agathe Cléry

2008-12-04T23:15:00.000-08:00

We've been seeing lots of posters for this new French movie, Agathe Cléry:

Which is apparently a musical about a white woman who magically turns black.

The tagline is: 'Elle est blanche. Elle est raciste. Elle va devenir noire'. (She's white. She's a racist. She's going to turn black.)

Only in France...

Belated Election Thoughts

2008-11-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

The election has been big news in France: even our 7th graders know the "yes we can" chant and are die-hard fans of Obama, though if you ask them why they have no idea.

While it seems like Americans came to terms several months ago with the reality that we could have a black president, the French couldn't believe it would actually happen. They seemed much more shocked up to the very last moment. Several teachers remarked on the irony that the French are dying to see Obama become president of the U.S., while they are sure that a person of color or someone from the Maghreb could not become president in France at this point.

America has also always been viewed (by the French) as being more deeply racist because of its history of slavery and segregation. But I think this election has shown people that race issues have just taken a larger place in the public eye in the U.S., meaning, that progress has been much more rapid.

La Nouvelle Observateur published a special issue on United States last month in which one columnist wrote that he sees Obama's election as a renewal of the image of the American dream--a dream that had all but disappeared in the minds of the French.

I have been playing Obama's acceptance speech for all my classes, which they really enjoy. I also made copies of my absentee ballot and have held mock elections in several classes. One class in particular took full advantage of the write-in option. Santa Claus won with 4 votes. None of the kids seems to have any idea who McCain is-- their only comments about him have to do with the fact that McCain name is most closely identified with a brand of frozen french fries...

It is sad to think that I spent much of my life under Bush, and was only politically aware for the last 2 disappointing elections. I wish that I could have been in the U.S. on this occasion.

Foix and Ax-les-Thermes

2008-11-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

Train travel is easy and cheap here, so we took another day trip during our visit to the Midi-Pyrénées region. Heading south from Toulouse the landscape changes quickly from pink bricks and busy streets to vast stretches of farmland and the green hills of the Pyrénées.

Our first stop was the tiny mountain town of Foix, a picturesque village with winding cobblestone streets and a fairy tale castle that overlooks the city from a high peak:

The village of Foix hardly looks real tucked in this valley with the snow-capped mountain peaks as a backdrop. Foix is the capital of the Ariège region, the least populous region in France. The region was historically isolated because of the mountains, and even today, there exist significant cultural differences between these small towns in the Pyrénées.

We climbed into the mountains a bit to see the picturesque farmhouses and terraced fields that surround the city in the hillsides.

The castle is one of a few in France that was never conquered by invaders - the same ducal family occupied it for over 200 years. It's literally perched on a rock, with a hundred vertical feet of cliffs separating the castle from the town. Earlier in history, in the 1200s, Foix was one of the last hiding places for Cathar priests, after the Albigensian Heresy had been crushed by the Catholic Church. Catharism was a religious sect that arose during the 10th century in southeastern France - one of the other Cathar strongholds, Montsègur, was called "the Synagogue of Satan".

A view of Ax-Les-Thermes from above. Ax-Les-Thermes is a small community only 10km from Andorra whose main attraction is a series of hot springs, which have been diverted into fountains throughout the town.

The water from the springs is 170 degrees Farenheit, smells strongly of sulphur, and will cure what ails you. It is supposed to be particularly effective for liver problems.

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Carcassonne

2008-11-02T06:39:00.001-08:00

Brendan on the ramparts overlooking the city of Carcassonne.

The castle in Carcassone is perched on a hill-- you can see it in the background. There is a functioning city with about 100 inhabitants within the castle walls. We had lunch at a restaurant in the medieval city.

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Toulouse

2008-11-02T06:08:00.001-08:00

We decided to try and escape the cold, damp weather in Tours by heading to Toulouse for our Halloween vacation (here they call it Toussaint, and you're supposed to visit the graves of your deceased relatives). When we arrived it was cold and rainy here, too, but we've had some nice weather during our stay.

Toulouse is very different from Tours. It is a much larger city, a university town, and more cosmopolitan than Tours. It is called the Ville en Rose because all the buildings here, even the churches, are in red brick. The Spanish influence is evident in the architecture and we often heard people speaking Spanish and Catalan.

The regional specialty is a dish called cassoulet- a stew of white beans, duck or goose meat, sausage and pork. We had it twice during our stay- delicious.

On Saturday night we went to see a concert- Gangpol und Mit, who are worth checking out.

Here are some of the pictures we took:

Mailboxes near Saint Sernin.

L'église de Saint Sernin.

The Place du Capitol in Toulouse is reminiscent of a Spanish plaza. It is surrounded by an arcade with shops and restaurants. The day we arrived there was a large flea market going on; with people selling used books, clothing, and other things.

View across the Garonne River in downtown Toulouse.

More photos around Tours and our apartment

2008-10-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

The remains of a chateau along the banks of the Loire. The river is flanked on one side by these high white cliffs, which some people have built their houses into (maisons troglodytiques)

"Where is Brendan? Brendan is here." All French kids learn English by cassette, and one of their first lessons is finding a guy named Bryan : "Where is Bryan? Bryan is in the kitchen." One of the teachers at lycée Bayet, upon seeing my picture posted in school, started asking everyone (including me), "Where is Brendan? Where is Brendan?"

By popular demand, here are some of our French cooking successes. First, beef tournedos with crème fraiche and green peppercorns sauce, with sautéed chanterelle mushrooms on the side. Next, salmon with the leftover crème fraiche, fennel and zucchini on the side.

Our apartment window from the street.

Tours Centre

2008-10-20T02:41:00.001-07:00

This building looks really out of place in Tours, but beautiful nonetheless.

Basilique St. Martin from another angle - this is the one we can see from our apartment. Enjoying the sun in Place Plumereau.

Making our knock-off version of Apples to Apples. We played with the guys sitting next to us.

Brooklyn looms large in the French mind too, apparently - we haven't been here yet to find out how authentic it is. One of the teachers here asked me, "C'est vrai que tu viens de Brooklyn?" I don't know who told him that, but he was really disappointed to find out that I wasn't. The French really like police serials, and Law and Order (titled "New York" on TV here) is on a lot, along with really terrible Hasselhoff and Bruce Willis movies from the 90s (all dubbed into French, of course).

Stuff We Eat in France

2008-10-14T00:55:00.000-07:00

- Cuisses de canard aux tomates
(Duck legs sautéed with wine and cherry tomatoes)

- Carrott, apple, potato stew with ham

- Brioche with butter and blackberry jam

- Madeleines

- Carrottes rapées
(Shredded carrotts with vinaigrette)

- Baguettes

- Chèvre

- Camembert

- Figs

- Steak tartare

- Lapin avec moutarde
(Rabbit with mustard)

- Crèpes

Our apartment

2008-10-05T07:47:00.001-07:00

Our living room.
Our window and balcony look out on rue de la Scellerie, a commercial street two blocks from rue Nationale, the main street of Tours.

Our kitchenette.

Our bedroom - the wall beams on the left are probably several hundred years old.

A look down the street towards rue Nationale and the basilica.

Our first dinner - salade, jambon de Bayonne, baguette, and galettes - a sort of ham and cheese crèpe.

Chinon

2008-10-05T07:36:00.001-07:00

The castle in Chinon.
We visited Chinon on a Sunday, so it was pretty quiet. Everything here is closed on Sunday, and people generally stay in.
This neighborhood near the castle in Chinon had very old cars and very old people.
Looking out over Chinon from near the castle.

An old style boat, typical of the region.

First pictures

2008-10-05T07:26:00.001-07:00

Rue Nationale on Saturday afternoon, when everyone goes out to do their shopping.

Church in Quartier Paul Bert in Tours Nord.

View of le Pont Mirabeau and the Loire River.

Decorative doors in Quartier Paul Bert in Tours Nord.

Another view of the Loire from the pedestrian bridge.

Rue Colbert, a quiet pedestrian street with many brasseries, cafés and shops. A nice spot to spend the afternoon sipping coffee. Many of the buildings date to the 16th century or earlier.

The Hôtel de Ville in the heart of Tours.