Skiing in the Alps

How I can I go back to skiing at Loon in New Hampshire once I've tasted the Alps?! Conditions were beyond perfection...fresh powder everywhere, endless trails, chairlifts that bring you to a new corner of the glacier, and BIG open trails.
Me, Gabriel, Isrrael (brothers from Venezuela, studying at le CUEF) Sasha, Sammy and Tom hop on a 2 hour bus on Friday night and arrive in the snowy ski town of Les Deux Alpes. There's just one main road, with ski shops, quaint little restaurants and pubs and cabins. In the night, you can see the outline of the ski trails sloping right down into the village. We stay at L'Hotel Des Neiges, and eat dinner all together at a fondue restaurant. Guinness beers afterwards in the local pub- meet loads of English people who work at the ski station during the winter.
Saturday morning, we way up at 8am and get our gear on - it's ski time ! It's takes a while to rent equipment, buy tickets and get breakfast (and cafe au lait), so it's almost 11am by the time we get on the first teleferry. It's a big round gondola that everyone jumps into, about 10 to each one. A 15 minute ride brings us up over the first mountain and to the base of the glacier. There's another teleferry to bring you to the top of the glacier, but we decide we just want to ski before waiting in any more lines. I kind of wish we went then because tempests came later on, so we never make it to the top :( Oh well, next weekend!
Instead, we all ski down to another chairlift (through some horribly cold wind) and hit a few slopes- the skiing is spectacular. I couldn't help screaming out "WOOP WOOP!" as I flew down the trail. Sasha and I are at exactly the same speed, so we stuck together throughout the day, while Gabriel and Issrael paired up (both snowboarders), and Sammy and Tom paired up. Sammy is from Vale, Colorado so she's a mad good skiier, but stuck with Tom (from Texas) who's never skiied before.

Sasha's incredibly good at snowboarding - it was so great to just FLY down the slopes. We get to one point on the mountain and just admire the breathtaking view of all the mountains in the distance. We couldn't get over the views, the powder, the conditions (and all the hot snowboarders :) Unfortunately, the wind gets too strong at the top so we make our way down to the base for lunch... we come to a crossroads- green trail (half of which is flat, no good for snowboarders) or black (très difficile). We debate, look at each one, look at each other- "Black?"
"Let's go for it!" We can't even see the other side of the trail, that's how steep it is- plus, the entire start of the trail doesn't have powder on it, so we just slide (and swear) our way down. It is SO steep - my legs are on FIRE as I try to turn sharply and hit the moguls. At one point, I lose control and take a little tumble...oh, can't stop, still tumbling, I CAN'T STOP! Op, there goes one pole, I'm rolling head over heals - I slide about 50 feet! I am a giant snowman, covered in snow. But I'm laughing laughing laughing because I literally couldn't stop rolling, it was so steep!
I use the rest of the energy left in my legs to get down the mountain- whew! Ok, never again... Blacks in NH are not the same as black diamonds in the Alps. Sasha and I are cracking up though because she just watched me tumble my way down the mountain, with my skis in the air and me freaking out! We walk a whiiiile over to a local restaurant for some hot pumpkin soup and espressos. The others guys all trickle in and we call it a day- the others got stuck in the tempest at the top and look frozen nearly to death. We all sit around for about 2 hours! The bus back to Grenoble isn't until 6pm...

Sanskgiving in Fronce

We had a petit soirée chez Marie-Eve last night for Thanksgiving. It seems to me that the French really don't get our holiday- "What? A holiday where you just eat?" Yes, when you think about it, there's no religious banter about resurrections or deaths or births- just giving thanks for the heaps of food on the table. Once again, we've prooved to the French that we are indeed crazy. :) So Marie-Eve, our wonderful program director, keeps up with the American traditions, all the way over in Grenoble, and orders massive amounts of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce (the good kind) and gravy. The meal was delicious, although don't ever try to cut turket breast with a plastic fork- I go through about three. Then, of course, we break with tradition and add a little French twist- a cheese course. I've never seen so many on one plate before! Chevre, vache, fromage bleu- it certainly was a feast. When dessert came out, I could hear the bells of heaven. Geoffrey, our petit chef cooked a homemade pumpkin pie to die for. It's on the table for about 1.46 minutes before bam! it's gone. Others brought apple tarts, cakes, brownies, gateaux, and pudding.
After our feast, we celebrate Canaan's birthday with music - Jill and Geoffrey hit the piano and play songs that we all sing to. Canaan plays "Blackbird" and "Hey You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" by the Beatles on her guitar, I sing (2 glasses of wine later...). Then, for the finale of the talent show, Marion, Max, Evan and I get dressed up in 80s hairband costumes for our "air band" called "The Lost Kitties" (long story). It is fabulous ! Everyone laughs at our ridiculous costumes and Marion's imitation of Eddie Money singing "Take Me Home Tonight". I find a marocca in Marie-Eve's apartment, which entertains me the rest of the night haaha. After, Patrice does some ridiculous activity with all 25 of standing in a big circle. First we all whisper "Shoo shoo wa shoo shoo wa shoo shoo wa wa wa" and then sing "La laaaa la la la laaaaa" in a round until all of us have feet in, knees bent, butt sticking out, head up, tongue out! It was ridiculously funny, esp Patrice! Later, a bunch of us take the beers Evan brought to the soirée and drink them in a park, then "beers on a sidewalk" when he drops the box and they all explode :(

Is it France? Is it Germany? No, it's Strasbourg!

It was a 7 hr bus ride to get there, but the trip was obviously worth it. We are going to a completely new and different region of France. We drive past the luscious fields of Burgundy, past Dijon, through Franche-Comte (which borders Switzerland), Le Doubs and into Les Vosges of Alsace. We arrive in Colmar, in southern Alsace, around 2pm in the afternoon. It is a city along La Route des Vins, or winecountry! There are vineyards absolutely everywhere, in this luscious and fertile valley nourrished by the Rhine river. Colmar, as the name suggests, has a very German feel to it. Anna and I immediately associate lunch- German- BRATWURST! and wander in search of it around the little streets of Colmar. But to no avail..I guess we're not in Germany after all, but still in France :(
Colmar is very charming, quaint and beautiful- they were just starting to set up the famous Christmas markets that happens all over Alsace, and to which all the French flock for Christmas gifts. There was a cute little river that ran through the town, cobblestone roads and very different architecture. All weekend I felt as if we were in Germany, not in France. The houses all had those colonial architecture and wooden frames... but everyone spoke French ! So it was trippy....
They speak a dialect called Alsacien, sounding more German than French.
In Colmar, we explored the little shops and admired the giant sandstone cathedral in the centre - the stones were all carried from Les Vosges mountains surrounding Colmar. We got back on the bus and drove to a tiny village surrounded by green, luscious vineyards, fed and nourished by Le Rhin. In the town of Kientzheim, we visited a vineyard for a degustation du vin (pas du fromage this time :( First we saw all the big wooden vats that store the vin, and the compression vat that squishes the grapes. We got to taste about 6 white wines, which were all absolutely delicious. There was a Reisling, a Gewurtztraminer Schlossberg and a Pinot Gris to name a few. It smelled so good in the there! Like wine, apples and pears....
We walked through the little village, past the fountain and la mairie (town hall). An hour to Strasbourg; Aly and I just played the whole time with our scarves, tying them like gypsy women.
In Strasbourg, we settled into the hotel, got dressed for dinner and walked through a bit of the city to get to the restaurant. Then BAM ! The most breathtaking cathedral I think I will ever see, Strasbourg's claim to fame. It was literally breath-taking, when you turn the corner and suddenly this enormous cathedral rises up above you, all lit up and gothic !
We ate flemmenkuchen (flatbread pizza with cream cheese, ham and croucroute/sauerkraut) at a beer hall in the center and drank big pitchers of delicious German beer.
The beer hall reminded me SO much of the Hofbrau house in Munich - I really felt like I was in Germany! But no, it's still France ! A little history lesson of Strasbourg, by the way -
After the war in 1871, Germany (Prussia, at the time) took the rich, fertile region from France. At the end of WWI, the territory was taken by France. During the German occupation from 1940-1944, the territory was retaken by Germany, and finally given back to France in 1945. Finally, someone had the bright idea of asking the actual people there which country they wanted to belong to, and they chose France. So that's why the language sounds Germanic, but the street signs are half in Frence, half in Alsacien.
Strasbourg is the home of Gutenberg- you know, the guy who invented the printing press and basically set off everything in Europe. Also the home of De Lille, who wrote the French national anthem La Marseillaise. Why is it called La Marseillaise you ask ? Well during the French Revolution, or some war (I forget actually) they used the song to inspire troops to fight to save the liberty of their beloved France (we all know how much the French freakin love their liberty), and a troop from Marseille sang the song when they were fighting in Paris . Something romantic like that.
On Saturday morning, we were up at 8am for breakfast, then out and about in the city. We walked first to Le Vieux Quartier- called La Petite France. Sounds cute and quaint, but back in the Middle Ages, it's where they used to cure venereal diseases all the sailors would pick up. Nice. But today, all the old buildings remain and give the quarter a very old, Mid Ages feel to it. And of course, all that German architecture. We went on an hour-long boat ride up and down the Rhine that runs through the city. We even went into a lock! Reminded me of our houseboating trip in southern France and all the locks we went through :)
Saw old buildings, cathedrals, statues at one end of the river, and at the other was the Conseil de l'Europe, ultramodern. Quite a juxtaposition ....what a great city for the Conseil de L'Europe, in a city between two countries that used to loathe each other, and now work together.
We visited an outdoor market, full of fresh fruits and wine from the fertile region. So many smells, and sounds...an accordian and a trumpet duet, a mime nearby. We went inside the huge cathedral (the only one in France to fly to French flag) to see the astronomical clock.
Julia, Doug, Evan, Anna and I sat into a very cozy restaurant for a midday beer and choucroute, the regional specialty. Anna and I finally found our bratwurst and hot wine, which were both out of this world. We also bought roasted chestnuts- so Christmassy!

Dégustations et Lyon

We had wine tasting chez Celine et Remy for degustations du vin et du fromage. So much fun! Celine is the housing coordinator for the Grenoble program, Remy is her husband. He is very soft-spoken but kind of a big deal...He travels to Paris every week to eat at world-class restaurants and try exceptional wines, and then rate and write about it for the Michelin guide. What a job ! Paid to eat ! So he taught us a little about wines and fromage. He started us all out with a white wine - I actually learned what those words "dry" or "woody" or "fruity" mean! Before I would taste a wine and say "Oh yeah, this is so dry" and actually have no idea what I was talking about.... Ha! First we looked at the wine to see and judge by its color. Next you look at les jambes (the legs) to see les larmes, which indicates how much sugar or alcohol is in there. The next part is my favorite because it sounds so funny and I just picture doing it in a fancy-schmancy Parisien restaurant - its called retro-olfaction. Basically you drink a tiny bit of wine, then breathe in air through your mouth, then blow the air out through your nose. This way, the olfactory in your nose picks out the different scents and flavors of the wine. But it sounds like everyone is slurping ! Next you sniff the wine, swirl it, and smell again for new scents. Remy asks us what flavors we can pick out- fruity or flowery? Throughout the lesson, we smell apple, pear, orange, cassis, blueberry; for flowers, jasmine, rose, lavender, honey, cinnamon, leather, cloves. It's amazing the scents I could never pick out before.
We also tried with each wine some fromage from the region where le vin was made. The first one is a milk-based, very creamy cheese from La Haute-Savoie. Next, to go with our red wine we had a thicker, heavier cheese, like Comte. Another cheese was fromage bleu and delicious; un autre was le fromage de brebis - or ewe milk. So yummy!

I took the train right after to Lyon Part-Dieu to meet my new friend Benjamin. Ben is pretty cool! ..so French. Especially when he speaks English words like "perfect" hehe. But it's good cuz he makes fun of my accent and I make fun of his :) He also complains about...everything! But that's the French for you, everything that m'ennerve. We cook an easy dinner chez lui and then hit up a party in the chic quartier de Lyon. You can hear the party from 3 blocks away, which is always a good sign :) The theme of the party is La Crise, in sync with the economic crisis, so half the people are wearing shredded clothes, messed up hair, and a majority of the mecs (guys) there aren't wearing shirts! Or pants! I love France! I quickly realize that I don't know a single person here...Merde...Outside to the balcony, that's always a good way to meet people. I start talking with these cool girls, one who is in Lyon looking at schools. Everyone asks me all night if I go to EM Lyon, one of the top grand ecole business schools in France, and probably in Europe. A majority of the students I met at this party come from Paris, so it was cool to get a feel for what Parisiens are like- wicked cool. I should be in good hands. After that, I started talking to one of Ben's friends and we talk about franglais, or English words they use in French conversation, like Oui, c'est too much. But pretty soon, they have to leave as well- I have to find a new person to talk to! A guy is walking back inside, I quickly ask him in French "C'est quoi ta crise la?" ....what his crise is. He's not wearing a shirt, just a blazer with a price sticker on it. Anddd begin next conversation with Beaudoin from Paris. Through him I meet loads of cool people, one girl named Sixtine, who worked for a summer at RISD in Providence. She was so sweet! Offered to show me around Paris when I get there. I also met a guy, wearing a cow costume randomly, who is half French, half Scottish/English. Told me he's a baronnette- his father is a baron, his family name is (extremely British): Haycraft. But I just laughed at him because...he was wearing a cow costume with udders, so how am I supposed to take him seriously?
Sunday morning, Ben and I walked all around the old quartier de Lyon, which is absolutely beautiful. We walked up some endless stairs to a beautiful cathedral that overlooks the city of Lyon. The city reminded me a bit of Florence, with the houses all painted a light yellow, a big river running through it and small, cobblestones alleys that wind through the city. In the afternoon, our program took us to see Romeo and Juliet, the ballet at the Opera House. It was fantastic !

Gobama!

We had a lot of fun over here for the elections- we started watching at 11pm here in a local pub, but it was too early for much election coverage, the first polls were just starting to close. So we returned home to get some sleep...going to bed felt like the night before Christmas! Only because you know you'll wake up early for a very nice, inevitable surprise...
We woke up at 5 am and had a little party with fresh croissants et espresso at our director's office au centre ville. Some journalists from the local France-3 channel came by to film us all huddled around a computer feeding us live info off the internet on CNN.com - at 5am here they announced that Obama won and we all went wild! A few of us got a little teary eyed at his acceptance speech. Very inspiring and very exciting. It's a much different experience for me here in France with the election results than in the States- I'm finally proud to say I'm American again. The French have gained a little more respect for me, and each time I say I'm American, they reply with "You voted Obama! Good job!" . The French are extremely informed over here, at least in Grenoble, about the elections. I had a conversation with a guy the other day who knew so many details about each candidate, I was very impressed. Even before the election, Obama was on the cover of many newspapers and magazines, one saying "Would they dare elect him?". I guess I'm seeing how much the results of our decisions as a nation affect our neighbors, allies and the whole world. Do you think its the other way around though ? For example, when France was choosing their next Pres, I'll admit I had no idea who the candidates were ! Maybe that's the difference between our country and others..
Anyway, we each were interviewed Wed morning about our thoughts on the election results, here it is! Its all in French, but bon courage! Its the video all the way at the end of the page, labeled "Grenoble Etudiants Americains Emus (Elated)"...Im all the way at the end of the video.
http://rhone-alpes-auvergne.france3.fr/info/48272388-fr.php#para48286006

Much love to all and Gobama!