Back in the States...

I have now been home for just over a week. It took a while to get back into the swing of things. I have mostly just been cleaning out my room. It has been five years since I lived at home, so I had to make room for all of my stuff. It has been nice to be home though, and it is really nice to be back in some summer weather!!

I had a great time in England. We did a lot of stuff. We saw Brighton, Oxford, Stonehenge, the countryside, and pretty much all of London. It rained a lot while we were there, and even when it wasn’t raining it was still grey and cloudy.

I have so much work to do with all my pictures. In the end I came back from Europe with over 6,000 pictures! It will take a while to get them all taken care of.

In the meantime here are some of my pictures from England. Enjoy!


Brighton Beach



Sarah and me on the Brighton Pier.



Buckingham Palace



A guard at the palace



Big Ben



Houses of Parliament from the London Eye



London and the River Thames from the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral.



The Tower of London



London Bridge



Globe Theater



This is the inside of the Globe. This is where we saw “The Merchant of Venice”



Being a true tourist



Bodiam Castle



The countryside around Bodiam



Christ Church College in Oxford



Sarah’s college at Oxford, Lady Margaret Hall



Flooding in the college gardens



The famous punts of Oxford.



I am enjoying the many gardens in Oxford.



Oxford at Twilight



The oldest pub in Oxford, The Bear, circa 1242



Stonehenge



Sarah and me trying not to get blown away at Stonehenge.

Au revoir Belfort!

I am finally completely packed and ready to go. It was hard to find a place for everything in my three pieces of luggage, but somehow I did it.

The Eurockennes concert was pretty fun the last two days. It was really set up nicely. We took a train from Belfort, and it dropped us off about ¾ of a mile from the venue, which was on a lake so there were great views. All the bands were really good as well. The funniest thing about the weekend were the toilets. Public toilets at an event like that are never fun, but it is even worse when all you have is the hole in the ground. Sarah and I had to take turns holding each other’s stuff because it can get pretty tricky. I knew that those kinds of toilets were still used in France, but I was lucky enough not to have to use them until this last weekend.

I leave early tomorrow morning to go meet my family. I am not sure if I will have interest access for the next few weeks, but if I do I will write an update about my travels. If not I will write a full recap when I get back at the end of July.

That's all folks!

Well, I have just finished my last day of classes. It is so hard for me to believe it! It definitely does not seem like I have been teaching these kids for the last 9 months! It seems like just yesterday I was trying to learn all their names.

Overall it has been a really great experience, and I have enjoyed teaching. Of course there are always some kids who always make it difficult, but for the most part I have had some really good ones. Although if I decide to continue teaching I think I would like to work with older kids. I could go without all the tattling, “He is looking at me…he said a bad word…he farted.” I am not sure how much better it would be with high school kids, but it is really bad with the 8-11 year olds

I am very excited about my next month of travels, so right now I am not too sad about leavinng. In a couple weeks though I am sure I will be missing the kids.

The next two days Sarah and I are going to Eurockéennes, which is the three-day concert in Belfort. Today I already saw a lot of people with backpacks, sleeping bags and tents heading out to the venue. There is quite a large selection of music. Tomorrow there is Amy Winehouse, Wu-tang Clan (apparently they are still together) and even Marilyn Manson. Among many other bands I don’t know from all over the world. On Saturday the Hives, Queens of the Stone Age, and the Editors are the big bands.

Then I leave at 4:45 am on Monday morning to go and meet my family in Paris. I haven’t seen them since the beginning of January, so it will be nice to see them. I am also excited to show them where I have been living since September. We are spending a few days in Paris then renting an RV, and going to Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany and Switzerland. (At least as much as we can do in a week.) Then we will pass through Belfort on the way back to Paris.

After my family leaves on July 12 I am then going to England for two weeks to visit Sarah. She is going to show me all the sights in London and Oxford. Then I will be flying back to the United States on July 27.

It will be another busy month, but I think it is a great way to end my time in Europe!

The Lion of Belfort...again

Since Monday Sarah has had another friend visiting. Yesterday the weather was gorgeous, so we decided we would take in the “sights” of Belfort (which means we went to see the lion). They have a little tourist train that runs from the Old Town up to the lion and castle. I guess it is good that I did it once, but next time I think I will walk because the train is so slow it probably takes about the same time just to go by foot! The train is really cute though. They made the headlights into eyes and painted on a little smile and eyelashes.

We actually went out onto the observation deck to see the lion this time, so I was able to get some close up shots. It is really quite amazing when you see it up close like that. After we saw the lion we went to a café and had a drink like true Frenchies. It was a good day!

Although the weather was great yesterday, today it is so rainy and cool. I guess it seems appropriate that today is the first day of summer. I hope the weather is much more summer like for everyone else!

The cute little tourist train


Here we are riding up to see the lion.


Alex and Sarah


Here they are again in front of the tank up at the castle.


The Lion of Belfort


Proof that we were in fact there!

French Healthcare

Today I was finally able to experience first hand the French medical system. Last week I caught a cold, and like always I now have a sinus infection. In April I received my health insurance card. (Yeah, it took 7 months to receive it!) It has this little microchip in it, so the doctor took it and put it into the machine and all my info came up. Then he put all the new info into the computer and onto the card. I then took my prescriptions and went down to the pharmacy. They put the card into their computer and got all of my information. I was completely finished within 35 minutes…pretty incredible. I was really surprised everything went so smoothly compared to some of the other things I have done in France!

I liked the idea of having all this information on one card, so you don't have to fill in paperwork every time you go to see a different doctor. They could just pull up all your medical history on their computer, but I guess at the same time it would be scary if the card got lost or stolen.

I am alone this week because Sarah went on a weeklong language camp with a school. It is good that I have this time because I only have two and a half weeks left, and I have to pack up my entire room. I can’t believe how much stuff I have collected in the last 9 months. Today I bought a new suitcase, so I will be able to get my stuff back. I mailed one box, but it is really expensive (50 euros) and it took over a month to get there, so I think this will be easier. My family will be able to take a couple of my suitcases back with them when they come to visit.

Well, I guess I better get busy…

YAY DUCKS!

Last night was a joyous occasion in the Downing household because the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup!

We have been Ducks’ fans since the team started, so it was really exciting to see them do well this year. It is definitely a change for me to have a team I support have a good season.

I was actually able to watch some of the game because my brother set up the video camera so we could have a video chat on our computers. He just pointed the camera at the TV, and it was like I was sitting in the living room at home with everyone else. The time difference was the hardest part. I had to get up at 3:30 am, but it was so worth it to just witness it even if I was halfway around the world!

The French Meal Experience

Today Sarah and I were invited to lunch at the house of one of the other English teachers. She had prepared a five-course meal for us! She said she prepared food that was typically French, and I really enjoyed everything. By the end though I was so full it was hard to move!

We started with an “amuse-bouche”, then we had the starter and then the entrée, which was a tartiflette. It is a common food in Alsace, which is the region just to the north of Belfort. I really like them. They are made with potatoes, a creamy cheese and meat, usually sausage, which are all mixed and baked together. Then of course we had the mandatory French cheese selection. I was informed that in France there are over 800 different kinds of cheese. I knew there was a lot, but I had no idea it was that many. Then to end we had a special French cake. It was a rum cake with cream and strawberries.

It was a lot of fun to eat with her and her family. (Although I stayed strong and ate the American way at the table full of Europeans! I find it much easier to put my knife down after I have cut something!) I was also proud of how far my French has come. It is moments like that when I can really see a difference. I am much more confident to participate in a conversation now than I was when I first arrived here.

After lunch we went shopping which is always an experience in France. It seems that the fashion right now is the 1960s American look with psychedelic colors and designs. I am not a fan of it, but then again it could be back in fashion in US right now. I haven’t been there in six months, so I am really not sure!

FIMU Music Festival

The music festival was a lot of fun this past weekend. There were people from all over the world playing all kinds of music. There were about 10 different stages or venues, and on Saturday and Sunday some of the concerts went until 1 am. There were even a couple of bands from the US. One was a jazz group and the other was a blue grass group. The newspaper said about 65,000 people came out to the festival, which is really good considering in rained on Sunday and a little on Monday as well.

By far my favorite act was the University of Namibia choir. They were so good that I went back and saw them a second time. Their act was an hour-long story about the spread of Christianity in their country that they sang in their native language with traditional Namibian dances and costumes. The amazing thing was they did it all a cappella. The only beats they had came from clapping and stomping their feet. They were in the cathedral in the center of town, so the acoustics were amazing as well. When they first started singing they were so good I had goose bumps.

Here are a couple pictures I took. They are not very good, but the second time I went I was in the back and the place was packed. I guess word got out about how good they were!

The University of Namibia Choir during their opening piece.



Doing some traditional Namibian dances.

Dijon

On Wednesday Sarah and I went to Dijon in the Burgundy region of France. It is a beautiful city. We went on a walking tour that went by 22 sights. I really enjoyed the Duke’s palace where they had a tower that we climbed to get a better view of the city. I also liked the Notre Dame cathedral. It has a little chouette, or owl, in the wall, and it is believed that if you rub it with your left hand you and your family will have good luck, so you’re welcome family!

Dijon is of course known for its mustard, so I decided that I would have to try some. I bought some gingerbread mustard. I know it sounds gross, but Dijon is also known for its gingerbread. I knew I probably wouldn’t ever find it again, so I decided to give it a try. In the end it was quite funky tasting. It was really spicy, strong mustard with an aftertaste of gingerbread. I am glad I tried it, but I don’t think I would buy it again.

All in all we had a good day in Dijon. The train ride back was a little long though. It was an old train so there wasn’t any air conditioning. We had to ride 2 and a half hours with only a little air blowing in from the cracked windows. I was pretty sweaty by the time I got home. Good thing it wasn’t too crowded or I am sure it would have really smelled.

It has been really hot here all week, in the high 80s to lower 90s. I can’t wait for it to cool off because our bedrooms are at the top of the apartment building, so it gets really warm and stays like that all the time. It will be nice not to sweat when I sleep.

This weekend it the FIMU, Festival International de Musique Université, in Belfort. They have concerts going on from Friday night until Monday night. I guess it is a really huge thing and people come from all over to see the acts. Tonight we went to a concert where all they had was drums. The group was from Ecuador, and it was really amazing. I am excited to see what other acts they will have this weekend.


The duke’s palace



Duke's palace square



Notre Dame Cathedral



The Chouette, he has been rubbed a lot!



Sarah is hoping for some good luck.



This is where we ate lunch.



The famous rooftop design of Burgundy.



The view from the top of the tower. It was 316 steps to the top.



Gargoyle

Rainbow!

We just had a huge thunderstorm pass through. It rained for about 20 minutes, and then we had this beautiful scene. It was one of the brightest rainbows I have seen in a long time.

Summer Plans

I can’t believe I only have six weeks left teaching left. I don’t know where the last eight months have gone!

This week I finished planning the rest of my time in Europe. My last day of teaching is June 29. Then my family is coming out to visit me. They arrive July 2. We are going to spend a couple of days in Paris then we are going to rent an RV and travel around for another week.

They leave on July 12, and then I am heading up to England to visit Sarah for two weeks. We are going to visit London, Oxford, Stonehenge and Brighton among other places. We are also planning to see a play at the Globe Theater and a West End musical. It will be fun to see England with my own personal tour guide!

I will be back in the US on July 27, which is pretty exciting because I haven’t been there since January 5. I brought my plane ticket a couple of days ago. I can’t believe how expensive it was. I looked everywhere to see what was the cheapest. I guess it is not a good idea to buy a one-way ticket in the peak of tourist season because the cheapest ticket I could find was still $850. That was the price on STA Travel, which has a special price for people under 26. Otherwise the cheapest I found was about $1200. At least the flight I booked is nonstop. That just makes life easier.

Well, I am off to plan the rest of my lessons for the week. I am working on countries with the older kids and doing food with the little guys. It will be the first full week I have worked since the beginning of April because there have been so many days off! I hope I can handle it!

Flower Market

In Belfort this weekend there is a Flower market. It has flowers, crafts and food for sell. Also since it is Belfort’s 700th birthday they also had a flower design contest. Most of the towns in the Territory of Belfort came up with a design then they put them up all over town. They all looked so pretty.

Flower Market


Some of the entries for the design contest






This one was my favorite. I really loved the lion.



There was also a wine tasting exposition, so Sarah and I decided to learn about wine. It was pretty interesting. We learned quite a bit about how to tell how old a wine is and how to “properly” taste a wine.

Last night I was also able to experience for the first time the Eurovision song contest. All the countries in Europe write and then perform their songs then everyone votes for their favorite song. In other words it is like an even cheesier "American Idol" in a whole lot more languages. It was quite enjoyable to laugh at all the really bad songs, outfits and dances. My favorite had to be Ukraine, who was the heavy favorite to win. Here is a link to check it out for yourself. I am sure you will laugh.



Although Ukraine was favored to win, it was Serbia who got the glory. I guess each year there are problems with the voting because all the countries vote politically, and it has nothing to do with how good the song is. Sarah was pretty upset because the United Kingdom only got 12 points and ended up 23 of 24 countries. I guess there is always next year.

A new president and hair style

Not much has been going on here. I have today off because it is a holiday. It is actually the anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe. It is also raining today, so I haven’t been up to too much. Maybe tomorrow the weather will be nicer, so I can do something.

The presidential elections were held in France on Sunday, and yesterday in my schools all anyone could talk about was the new president. Nicolas Sarkozy won the election, but from what I have gathered this area was much more in support of Segolene Royal, the Socialist candidate. French people are more open about their politics, and they love to talk about them, even the kids. I don't know how many kids asked me who I voted for. I had to explain to them that I can’t vote in France. Then they all had to tell me who they wanted to win. I don't remember being that interested in politics when I was 9 or 10 years old!

Also on Sunday we went to see “Spider-Man 3.” I thought it was pretty good. It was really happy because I found that I could understand it easily. There were even parts where I wouldn’t even realize they were speaking French! It is exciting to see how I have progressed in the last 7 months! I have seen other movies in French here, but I think this was the easiest to understand yet.

Yesterday I went to get my hair done. I really needed a trim because I hadn’t had it cut since the beginning of January, but I was a little nervous about getting it cut in France. I have seen some disturbing hair styles since I have been here.

Sarah and I decided to just go get it done, so we made appointments at Atmosp’Hair. (It still makes me smile every time I say it.) The French love to put English words in wherever they can. In the end I think my hair looks all right. It is a little shorter and choppier than I would have liked, but it could have been worse. I could have come out with the ever-popular European mullet!!

Also I have updated my Web site with the pictures from Barcelona, Rome and Venice so check it out when you have the time.

Back to work...

Well, all my visitors have gone home now, and it is time for me to go back to teaching. I can’t believe how fast three weeks went, but I have had a really good time!

Lat week I visited some new towns in the Franche-Compté region with my grandparents. I really enjoyed it. There are some really beautiful places in this region. It was also nice to see trees and hills again after going to such big cities.

On Wednesday I showed them around Belfort. Then on Thursday we went to Colmar. It was nice to go there again. It was beautiful at Christmas time, but I think I prefer it in spring when all the flowers are blooming. On Friday we went to a little town called Ornans. It is a really tiny town, but the scenery is gorgeous. It is also the birthpace to the painter Gustave Courbet, so we visited the museum dedicated to him. Then on Saturday we went to Dole, which was another nice little town. It is the birthplace of Louis Pasteur, so there is a museum about him in the city. Unfortunately it was closed until May, so we missed it by a couple of days.

The last couple of days I have just been enjoying the beautiful weather and running errands.

In France there are a lot of holidays in May, so I actually only have one full week of teaching for the entire month. I think June will be a hard month for me because I will have to teach the whole month without a day off!!!

Here are a few pictures from the last few places I visited. Hopefully I will be able to get all my pictures up on my Web site soon.

Colorful houses in Colmar



The Petite Venice part of Colmar



The Loue River in Ornans



Cathedral



This bridge is found in a lot of Courbet’s paintings.



Country road



The small town of Ornans



Dole


Notre Dame Cathedral in Dole



The inside