So, yesterday I went for a great run through the marshes and then downtown and then returned to my house. However, in the marshey area I saw some really cool birds. So I was on a rather quiet trail (normally there are alot of people, it was actually kind of eerie) and since it was so calm alot of zildlife was out and about. The first really cool thing I saw, I came around a bend and on the edge of the trail (the trail its self was rather marshy) was a giant bird; when I say giant, I mean came up to about the bottom of my ribs. So tall. Like a heron. Sure enough, today I looked at birds in the area and I am positive that it was a grey heron. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Greyheron.jpg
Absolutly beautiful. It was taller than the wikipedia article says but it looks exactly the same. Then I saw alot more really cool birds in the marsh which I can't remember well enough to identify. I think that one was a eurasian curlew though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Numenius_arquata.jpg
Overall, it was a very cool run just on principal of seeing really cool birds. It makes me want to go run on the boardwalks outside of Nantes that are all swamps.
A plus tard,
Laura
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Pictures
View from Amboise! So pretty.
Chenonceau (ie the Château that I am thinking of buying, its probably a good think they are doing work on it now, that way when I own it, there will be less to do)
View from the Belltower of the Monolithic church in Saint Emilion
(taken by my father not me)
Chenonceau (ie the Château that I am thinking of buying, its probably a good think they are doing work on it now, that way when I own it, there will be less to do)
View from the Belltower of the Monolithic church in Saint Emilion
(taken by my father not me)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Oh dear, its been awhile.
Wow. I can't believe its been 10 days since I last updated. Since then, I went to the Chateaux de la Loire with my program/my friends! Wow are they cool!
I loved the gardens of Villandry (it was so nice just to be outside again, not to mention the walk I took in the woods!)
Amboise had, by far, the best most interesting tour. Plus I got to see Leonardo Da Vinci (well his tomb, same concept really).
But my favorite above all was Chenonceau. it is a bridge over (untroubled) water. In case you didn't know, I have recently been shopping to buy a château. Before I really was considering this one I found that has 35 bedrooms. But, now I am considering Chenonceau just on account of the coolness factor. I'm not sure if I would be able to actually buy it but you know, I can try. But not only did Chenonceau have the awe factor but it also had amazing gardens and lots of woods! Theoretically for hunting but they would be amazing for running and walking and I'm sure the dogs would love it! Ha.
To keep the update relatively short, this past week, my family was here (Mom, Dad and sister)! And what fun! We hung in Nantes for a couple days then when down to the Bordeaux/Borgogne wine region. I learned so much about wine, it was absolutely beautiful and I ate amazing food the entire time they were here. Oh, and it was fun to see the family (and wow them with my acquired mad french skills. Ha).
Pictures to come soon! (Sooner than 10 days!)
A plus tard!
Laura
I loved the gardens of Villandry (it was so nice just to be outside again, not to mention the walk I took in the woods!)
Amboise had, by far, the best most interesting tour. Plus I got to see Leonardo Da Vinci (well his tomb, same concept really).
But my favorite above all was Chenonceau. it is a bridge over (untroubled) water. In case you didn't know, I have recently been shopping to buy a château. Before I really was considering this one I found that has 35 bedrooms. But, now I am considering Chenonceau just on account of the coolness factor. I'm not sure if I would be able to actually buy it but you know, I can try. But not only did Chenonceau have the awe factor but it also had amazing gardens and lots of woods! Theoretically for hunting but they would be amazing for running and walking and I'm sure the dogs would love it! Ha.
To keep the update relatively short, this past week, my family was here (Mom, Dad and sister)! And what fun! We hung in Nantes for a couple days then when down to the Bordeaux/Borgogne wine region. I learned so much about wine, it was absolutely beautiful and I ate amazing food the entire time they were here. Oh, and it was fun to see the family (and wow them with my acquired mad french skills. Ha).
Pictures to come soon! (Sooner than 10 days!)
A plus tard!
Laura
Friday, October 10, 2008
A week of relaxation!
I could really get used to this very little homework/very little class time lifestyle. But I am afraid that when I return to the States I will have no work ethic left.
So interesting cultural differences from this week:
1. The way people regard college classes. Here, people are just kind of like "whatever" and not as worried for the most part. My friends and I think that when it only costs about 100 euros a year, people don't feel nearly as driven as when they paying near $50,000 a year. Just a thought.
2. Professors at the fac act like teaching a class is really more of a hobby.
3. You don't exercise in the rain, afternoon or on the streets. And not in shorts.
4. Eat more bread.
Those are 4 fun lessons brought to you by the letter P (for Pain) and 4 (b/c there are 4 lessons).
-Laura
So interesting cultural differences from this week:
1. The way people regard college classes. Here, people are just kind of like "whatever" and not as worried for the most part. My friends and I think that when it only costs about 100 euros a year, people don't feel nearly as driven as when they paying near $50,000 a year. Just a thought.
2. Professors at the fac act like teaching a class is really more of a hobby.
3. You don't exercise in the rain, afternoon or on the streets. And not in shorts.
4. Eat more bread.
Those are 4 fun lessons brought to you by the letter P (for Pain) and 4 (b/c there are 4 lessons).
-Laura
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Rain
Here in Nantes, it rains a lot. Luckily, I do rather like the rain.
So Tuesdays are my day that I have my Prehistoric Archeology at the fac! So, I went today, and sat there for awhile and then the prof showed up late (like last week). After he fiddled around up front for about 5 more min (keeping in mind we are now 12 min into a 1 hour class) he says "Does anybody have a double A battery?" And nobody did. And without the double A battery he would not turn on the projector. So 15 min into the class, he gave up and told us to come back next week.
Then, taking the tram back, there was demonstration so there were people on the tracks for the tram and the tram had to stop and we got out of the tram and walked back (me and alot of french people who were uttering french curse words, not so under their breaths).
This past weekend, I got to see a pyrotechnique show for the baptism of the worlds largest trimarron and then a celtic rock concert. It was overall quite fun!
-Laura
So Tuesdays are my day that I have my Prehistoric Archeology at the fac! So, I went today, and sat there for awhile and then the prof showed up late (like last week). After he fiddled around up front for about 5 more min (keeping in mind we are now 12 min into a 1 hour class) he says "Does anybody have a double A battery?" And nobody did. And without the double A battery he would not turn on the projector. So 15 min into the class, he gave up and told us to come back next week.
Then, taking the tram back, there was demonstration so there were people on the tracks for the tram and the tram had to stop and we got out of the tram and walked back (me and alot of french people who were uttering french curse words, not so under their breaths).
This past weekend, I got to see a pyrotechnique show for the baptism of the worlds largest trimarron and then a celtic rock concert. It was overall quite fun!
-Laura
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Joyeux Octobre!
Bonjour tout!
It is October! Already! I can't believe it! So begins the months of travel. Alot of my friends are going to London or Paris this weekend. I opted out of London as I would rather use my money to go other places and I would like to have some weekends here in Nantes. The following weekend, we have a field trip to the Chateaux of the Loire. (Somthing kind of funny, I can type all the french accents on my US comp but can't figure most of them out on the french keyboard.) Future plans include a trip to Madrid and another to Milan/Venice both of which will involve sometime in Paris! All the travel plans have me very excited! I hopefully will be going to Copenhagen one weekend in Nov.
So this week so far: I had my first real classe at the fac (at the university) without any other american students. It was very hard and the prof talked very quickly and even the french students were having trouble keeping up! I just wrote down important words and hoped that I can find them in books. I also do have to say that my french vocab of prehistoric archeology is not up to snuff!
On that note, I am going to go "feed on" my lunch (my translation teacher didn't realize that feed on is not normally used for people and food but more predators and carcasses or choses comme ça).
A bientot,
Laura
It is October! Already! I can't believe it! So begins the months of travel. Alot of my friends are going to London or Paris this weekend. I opted out of London as I would rather use my money to go other places and I would like to have some weekends here in Nantes. The following weekend, we have a field trip to the Chateaux of the Loire. (Somthing kind of funny, I can type all the french accents on my US comp but can't figure most of them out on the french keyboard.) Future plans include a trip to Madrid and another to Milan/Venice both of which will involve sometime in Paris! All the travel plans have me very excited! I hopefully will be going to Copenhagen one weekend in Nov.
So this week so far: I had my first real classe at the fac (at the university) without any other american students. It was very hard and the prof talked very quickly and even the french students were having trouble keeping up! I just wrote down important words and hoped that I can find them in books. I also do have to say that my french vocab of prehistoric archeology is not up to snuff!
On that note, I am going to go "feed on" my lunch (my translation teacher didn't realize that feed on is not normally used for people and food but more predators and carcasses or choses comme ça).
A bientot,
Laura
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