Le Dernier Jour pour Voir les Sites Touristiques à Bordeaux

Oooh, comment triste... j'ai été en retard avec mes entrées!
I am now more than one week behind, so hopefully today I can catch up! 

mercredi le 22 juin
The day after the Fete de la Musique, after class Ramon and I walked around Bordeaux to take photos of all the touristic sites that we hadn't been to yet.  The first stop was actually very close to our house, so I was surprised that I hadn't come across it before then.

Palais Gallien à Bordeaux

Palais Gallien is a Roman amphitheater from the 3rd century that had fallen into disrepair until 1840 when it was deemed an historic site.  Now there are houses built up all around it, but the site itself is roped off from intruders to keep it safe. 

Apparently, the amphitheater was burned in the 270s by the Francs during their great raids in Gaulle, and afterwards it was abandoned.  In the 17th century, it became a refuge for gangs and prostitutes.  During the French Revolution, the land upon which the amphitheater stood was sold off in plots; it was at this time that I think much of the damage was done as parts of the amphitheater were demolished.  In the 1800s, the Bordelais community began to take notice and worked to stop the degradation of the building, and eventually the city of Bordeaux prohibited the mutilation of the site.  All plots of land were owned by the city by 1864, and the building was thereafter classified as an historic building.

Palais Gallien à Bordeaux

Ramon wanted to go to the Église Notre Dame which was some 15 minutes from our house.  The church was rather small compared to St. André and St. Seurin, but it was still beautiful.  It had a much more earth-derived feel to it, and seemed to be humbler.  The Tabernacle, though, was beautifully carved. 

Église Notre Dame

I think the biggest difference between French churches and churches in America, for churchgoers at least, is the absence of pews in French churches.  Every Catholic church that I have been in in the US has had pews complete with kneel-rests for every seat.  Here, however, kneel-rests are rare.  Therefore, during those parts of the mass where parishioners would normally kneel, some people sit and some people stand; it's rather different.  I think I prefer the American way (spoken like a true patriot) because, when everybody kneels at the same time and everybody stands at the same time, I felt like I was much more a part of a community of God.  Church here feels more like a one-on-one session with God since everyone tends to do their own thing throughout the mass.  Alas, some of those feelings may be the result of my very limited understanding of what is actually being said...

The Tabernacle of Église Notre Dame

The inside of the church

Alas, that's enough church talk for now.  It seems I always come back to that, don't I?
À plus tard!

mardi le 21 juin
Today was a busy day!  I had to arrive at school an hour early to take a test.  The test was voluntary, but after it you received a certificate identifying my level of French comprehension.  It would be nearly 2 hours of testing, which was quite short.  The first hour or so was a written exam, composed mainly of articles to read followed by questions for answering.  There were also two writing exercises where I had to write letters to people saying certain things.  The next half hour was spent doing oral comprehension.  We listend to an audio CD and answered questions accordingly.  This was the most difficult part for me because I find that the French speak too fast!  One of the scenarios to which we listened was an overhead speaker at an airport, complete with echo.  It was very difficult!  And the final part of the exam was conversational skills, where we had 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes or so to present based on the questions.  This part was, honestly, the easiest in my view.  Although I was very nervous when I walked in and sat down with the teacher who would be judging me - I'm pretty sure my voice quivered when I first opened my mouth.  Isn't it strange how your body's chemicals can react to silly situations like that?

Overall, the test was not to difficult.  After the test, I returned to my classroom for the remainder of the day, and then had writing class from 1-4.  After class, I returned to my house to do my homework because the national Fete de la Musique was that night, and I had tentative plans to meet up with some friends that evening. 

Francois Xavier is to the left of the conductor in a cream shirt; Florence is in a red shirt with white capris to the right of the conductor.

After munching down a very rushed dinner, Ramon and I rushed downtown to the Place du Parlement where the parents in our host family, Francois Xavier and Florence, were singing in a little concert at a book store, Machine à Lire.  They actually sang one song in english... and I'm pretty sure that it's a song I've heard before at Shanty Night at the Griswold Inn!  I ended up recording it, and maybe I'll put it up online for all to see!  It was very amusing.

After that, Ramon, his friend Linda and a few of his Chinese friends who I had gone bowling with the previous week all met up to find some cheap wine and some fun!  We ended up having some wine at a little bistro along the Garonne, which was very nice.  Afterwards, we headed back to the Place du Parlement which was jam packed with people watching a band play.  It seemed that every Place had a band playing music, and I had never seen so many people in the streets of Bordeaux! 

La Fete de la Musique - Place de Saint Pierre

We ended up staying out very late.  After about 1am, Ramon, Fang (a Chinese student) and I went to a bar and stayed there way too late.  Ramon and I didn't get back to our house until after 5am... oops.  Reminded me of going out in NYC, where the bars never seem to close!  Needless to say, we had a great time!  That night, though, I learned that it's too expensive to go out partying in France!

Le Commencement de la Semaine Dernière

le 20 juin, lundi

Ah, lundi vient deja!  J'ai pensé que trois semaines serais beaucoup, mais maintenant je suis désolée que j'ai seul une semaine plus!

As per usual, I went to class at 9 and found it to be quite different without all of the Georgia Southern students there.  In fact, there were just four of us: myself, my two Korean friends Hyunju and Jinju, and a girl from Colorado, Jessica.  I find that the English speaking students are much quicker to speak english all the time during school, which really frustrates the teachers.  I tried to speak French even outside of the school when I would go places with my Korean friends or with Susan from Toronto.  There's really no better way to learn than by using the language, and it would seem silly to me to not try everything I can to learn the language - especially after paying for these classes! 

After class I met Susan and Christina to head toward the cinema.  As (I think) I mentioned earlier, we decided to see Minuit à Paris to keep with the theme of French.  The movie theater is in an old church that has been converted. 

Utopia Theatres - Converted from a Church

It was quite interesting; the hallways remained decorated with old paintings of priests and bishops as we climbed the stairs to our theater.  The theater itself was situated next to a large statue and featured a painting of Mary and Jesus above the screen.

Movie Screen - complete with sculpture and religious painting (above the screen - difficult to see)

The movie was surprisingly easy to understand.  I'm not saying that I caught every word;  I probably only orally understood 30% of the dialogue, but luckily the actions of the actors really helped to tell the story.  But I'm not sure that I'm a fan of Woody Allen movies.. The film seemed to end without an ending, and it felt you feeling like nothing was resolved.  I was a little disappointed in the plot, though I enjoyed trying to understand everything that was being said.

Alas, after the movie I visited.. what else... another church!  I showed you the outside of St. André when I was trying to find an evening mass last Sunday, but today I went inside.  It's truly a beautiful church.  More stunning than St. Seurin in that its arches loft higher than those in St. Seurin, and there were larger and higher windows to brighten the church in St. André; whereas St. Seurin had a cave-like feeling to it, St. André boasted a feeling of importance and tradition. 

St. André and the heavens - side entrance

The walls of these churches are frequently adorned with what appear to be Renaissance paintings, but I have not been able to determine the artist or the year that the painting was completed.  But, and I don't think I've actually thought of this before, perhaps that was the original intention of the artists for so many of the celebrated religious paintings that we see nowadays at the Met or the MFA...

Paintings in St. André

Another painting in St. André

The churches that I've been to in the States never have old art or art that appears to be commissioned, other than stained glass windows and the Stations of the Cross.  The paintings bring a feeling of antiquity to the church, and serve as another reminder that you are so small in the timeline of the church, of the world.  It's quite humbling. 

The organ and the rear of the church with incredible archways overhead

The organ of St. André

Facing forward

One of the side entrances to St. André (pictured from the outside above)

Tomb of a Saint in St. André - one of at least 5 tombs

Tabernacle at the apex of St. André

Additional artwork in a nave off the side of St. André

One final glimpse of St. André - from the east side

I hope that I am not boring my audience with all my talk of churches.  They seem to be the least expensive attractions in this city, and they are all so different from each other, and so different from any church I've been to in the U.S.  Last fall I went to St. Patrick's in Manhattan - it's a gorgeous, gothic cathedral.  But even that old church emitted its own sense of modernity which is just not apparent in these French churches.  The history that these churches have witness - the pilgrims of the middle ages, the Crusades, the plague - its incomparable to anything in the U.S.  And I'm going to miss that when I go home.  I just wish that Andrew was here to recant the actual history to me, since I'm sure he knows all the details! 

le 19 juin, dimanche

It's my last Sunday morning in Bordeaux, and I had planned on meeting my friends to go the the Marché de Capucins near the Place de la Victoire.  Unfortunately, I underestimated the time that it would take to get there, and arrived 10 minutes late, too late to meet my friends.  Just my luck!  And on the way, in my most comfortable shoes, I developed two blisters (ampoules) on my heels.  Grr!  Apparently lengthening my stride caused increased friction on the soft part of my heels.  At this point, my feet are so ugly with recovering and newly appearing blisters that I'm too embarrassed to wear sandals!  At least the blisters don't hurt - they just look funny.

Let this be a lesson to anyone who visits France - expect to walk a lot!  And bring footwear accordingly! 
After waiting in the Place de la Victoire for 15 minutes, I decided to find the Marché de Capuchins on my own.  It was supposed to be a big open air market, so it should be easy to find, right?

Place de la Victoire

No.  I started out heading north because that seemed to be the most populous area.  After 15 minutes and no market, I checked my map and found another road to head back south to look further for the Market.  No luck.  Then I headed west, away from the river.  After 5 minutes, I realized that the area was getting more and more residential, so I doubled back once again.  How could a well known market be so hard to find?  Finally, I headed southeast.  After five minutes, I saw a sign for the market - finally!  Feeling like an idiot, I looked at my map and saw that the Marché de Capuchins was actually labeled right where I was now standing.  How could I have been so absent-minded as to not have looked for the market on the map?

Alas, I was finally there (http://marchedescapucins.com/), and was hoping to find my friends from class, Hyunju and Jinju, in the market.  The market was quite large and reminded me of the big Thanh Pho outdoor market in Saigon, though with half as many vespas.  The market mostly had fresh fish, meats and fruits, and thus I didn't buy anything.  There were a handful of vendors who were selling clothes that seemed to have come from across the Mediterranean - tunics with embellishments and slippers with gemstones on them that I remember seeing in the souks of Egypt.  Some of the tunics were actually quite pretty, and I probably should have bought one for only €10.  But then again - I don't need it!  It's hard to regret not buying clothes, since I clearly over-packed for this European experience!

I never found my friends at the market, and so I headed east on a road that I expected to meet the river.  But once I came across the train station, 3.5 miles from my house, I realized that, unlike the roads in New York, Bordeaux roads curve and don't form a grid.  It's incredible how much I take NYC's easily navigable roads for granted!  And the circles all around Bordeaux - talk about confusing!  I'm just glad that never needed to drive a car in Bordeaux!

From the train station, I took a long minute to find the best way back to familiar territory, and I decided to make my way along the Garonne River where there were parks and there was a big boardwalk along which to walk.  And I got to take some final pictures of the beautiful architecture along the Garonne.  I can't imagine how expensive that real estate is, but it sure is a beautiful location.  The architecture in Bordeaux in general is gorgeous.  My host father told me that the zoning regulations ensure that all new construction has a similar facade with wrought iron balconies overlooking the streets.  It's unlike anything I've seen in the United States (except maybe New Orleans..).

Architecture along the Garonne

The Pont de Pierre is the most famous bridge across the Garonne, commissioned by Napoleon himself in the 1820s.  It was the first bridge across the Garonne, which likely explains why there is much less development across the river.  But apparently the river has such a strong current that many of the construction workers died while is was being built.  Some of you may have received a post-card from me featuring this bridge.  There are 17 arches to the bridge, legend has it that each arch represents a letter in the name Napoleon Bonaparte... talk about French egoism!  This was the only bridge over the Garonne until 1965 - can you imagine?  I wonder if there are any 1820s-built bridges still in use in the US...!  In fact, I hope that there aren't, considering our track record with infrastructure maintenance!

Traffic on the Garonne

Un voilier sur la Garonne

Pont de Pierre from the southern banks of the Garonne

Arc entrance to the bridge

From the river walk, it is easy to spot the gothic spires from all the Catholic churches in the city.  I honestly love the church architecture here; it reminds me of an ancient time when churches played a larger part in people's lives.  I am going to miss it when I go back to St. Joseph's simple colonial architecture!

L'Église St. Michel

On my way north along the Garonne, I passed the Porte Cailhau, a grand entryway to Bordeaux constructed in the 1490s.  I think it was the ceremonial gate to the city through which VIPs would enter.  It reminds me of Cinderella's castle in DisneyWorld! 

La Porte Cailhau

La Place de la Bourse

Finally, I made it to the Miroire D'Eau, just in time to take a photo of the Place de la Bourse, which boasts a beautiful fountain.  Many of you are likely to remember this from the post-cards too! 

And finally, going further north on my loop home, I came to the Place Quinconces.  The largest city square in all of France, and one of the largest in all of Europe!  The two pillars furthest east supposedly guided ships to
the shore of the Garonne to the port, signifying commerce and navigation. 

The Two Pillars at Quinconces signifying Commerce and Navigation

The main column of the square was erected in memoriam of the Girondists who were victims of the French Revolution.  The gorgeous column boasts two great basins decroated with bronze horse, troops and water nymphs spouting water, and the column is topped with a bronze statue representing Liberty.  In the basins, the horses are rearing up at the sight of "Lies, Ignorance and Vice." 

The Girondist Column

Bronze statues commemorating the Girondists and triumph over Lies, Vice and Ignorance

Interestingly enough, the horses and the bronze statues in the water were dismantled during the German occupation of WWII, but aftwerards were found in storage and re-erected. 

After all that walking, my feet were ragged and I needed a rest, so I headed back to my house for some good eats!
À plus tard!

6.18.2011 - Fête le Fleuve

Je suis désolée que c'était une semain depuis j'ai écrit!
I'm sorry that it's been so long - I've been busy!  And I've finally got a TON of free time... try 10 hours of travel time from Bordeaux to Nice on a high-speed (140 mph!) train...!
I'll write a few entries regarding the past week, so that it's not overwhelming for those of you who are following.  I know I sometimes get lost in long entries when I follow the journals of others. 

After McDonald's last week, where there was no successful internet connection (just like where I am now, at a McDonald's in the Marseille train station.... Perhaps my computer isn't compatible?), I had plans to meet Susan from Toronto at the Fête le Fleuve on samedi.  And I did - but the weather was not perfect.  I will not be missing the weather in Bordeaux!  It has been so hard to dress for!  One minute, the sun is behind clouds and you're cold.  The next minute, the sun comes out and it's hot!  Susan, myself and a young woman from Venezuela, Christina, spent our time at the Fete le Fleuve putting on sweaters and then taking sweaters off! 

The Fête le Fleuve, if you ask me, received a lot more hype than it deserved.  I expected more interaction, activities, or more interesting booths and vendors, but it mostly consisted of 18 or so trailers containing exhibits on the history of the River Garonne, 15 or so vendor tents which were quite a let-down (nothing like a boat show!), and a famous, old ship, the Belem.  I expected to potentially buy some gifts for my family at the Fête, but there were honestly only 2 vendors that were selling anything, and even those were not attractive.  Oh well - sorry mom & dad! 

The Belem and the waterfront of the Garonne

One interesting (rather new) tradition for the Fête le Fleuve is a long swim in the Garonne from the Pont Neuf, Napoleon's bridge, to a location much further north.  It was quite interesting to see, though I think the water looked a little dirty for my taste!  I hear that the sediment in Bordeaux is clay-based and so the water mixes with the sediments, causing it to appear brown.  However the river is actually supposed to be quite clean. 

Le 5ième édition de la Traversée de Bordeaux à la nage

After trying to read the exhibits about the river and walking around for many hours and taking photos, we decided to retreat further inland to grab a quick bite to eat.  Afterall, speaking French all day can be exhausting for those of us who are just learning!

We went to the Salon de Thé in the Place du Parlement.  The restaurant offers nearly 50 styles of tea and "petites goutes", little bites.  I ordered an almond-pistachio tea and the three of us shared a tartine du chocolat and citron meringuée.  It was delicious!  While we chowed, I learned that Christina knows Spanish, English, Italian and Portuguese and is learning French, and she hopes to also learn either Chinese or Arabic after she perfects her French... talk about ambition!  I'm not sure I could keep all of those languages straight in my head!  In fact, as I learn French, I've wondered if it compromises the strength of my English-language skills.  I've found it difficult to retrieve simple words when I'm looking for synonyms, and it's become difficult to recall the names of actors and movie titles.  I wonder if my mind is exhausted from learning a language at such an old age, and moves English further back in brain-use-priority.  I suppose you can let me know if my writing quality is beginning to go downhill!
 

Our table at the Salon de Thé

PrintScreen of the Salon de Thé in the Place du Parlement, compliments of Google Maps

While we were eating at the Salon de Thé, the skies broke and it poured for 30 minutes, after which the weather finally chose to be consistently cool.  I was happy for some consistency, finally! 

At that point, Susan, Christina and I decided to go to the movies the following Monday, so we went in search of a movie theater to find the times.  We went to two.  The first one, 12 Cinémas, appears to be relatively new, and is absolutely gorgeous. 

Me in front of 12 Cinémas... Proof that I was in France!

The other movie theater, where we decided to watch Paris à Minuit, a Woody Allen film.  I have found that many French people love Woody Allen films, and I honestly don't know much about him, so I decided, "why not?"  I thought it would be funny to see Owen Wilson's voice dubbed over in French anyway.  And it would be a great opportunity to attempt to understand a film, because the dialogue is really supplemental to the film, and the film itself should help me understand. 

After we found the movie theater and chose the time to meet on Monday, I had to rush to church.  I went to my favorite, L'Église Saint-Seurin.  The homily was very difficult to understand, and the echo in the cave-like Nave did not help.  I pretty much said the prayers in english, and thanked God that "Amen" is the same in all languages.  It was a very nice service, and the church is absolutely beautiful!  I wondered many times that night if it would be sacriligeous to snap photos of the Priest during the service... I decided that it would be a poor representation of Americans if I started to do that, so I refrained. 

After church, there was a book sale in the (Baptism Room?) profiting the youth Catholic education program at Saint-Seurin, so I took a look around.  I actually found a book from 1837..!  I'm pretty sure that it was a Priest's guide to celebrating the 4th and 5th sacraments, so I decided that I did not need it.  But I did find an old copy of the New Testament from 1912 in French that I bought, and maybe one day I'll be able to read it without a problem!

After all that, I was exhausted and was happy to retreat chez moi for a relaxing 5 course meal.  That is one thing that I am definitely going to miss in Nice... but then again, perhaps I'll be too busy enjoying the beach to miss anything!

À plus tard!

Je n'oublie rien!

I just wanted to apologize for not being very timely with my posts!  I've had a very busy weekend, and tomorrow I have a test.. but hopefully I'll be able to post everything I've been doing lately over the next few days!  Hang in there!

(Below are some pictures of the Place des Quinonces which I visited on Sunday, and here's some interesting info on the landmark:  http://www.worldsiteguides.com/europe/france/bordeaux/place-des-quinconces/)

the Girondist Column at the Place des Quinonces

A bientôt!

Fast Food in France

 ((Written Friday, 6/17/2011)

Well, I bet you can't guess where I'm sitting.

McDonald's.  It's the classiest McDonalds I've ever seen by far, where they offer your choice of bun...!  Trés interessant.  I came for the wi-fi, and bought a coffee seulement.  The coffee actually comes in a ceramic mug, which was surprising.  But this establishment is by far the busiest place around.  There's a long line the moment you walk in the door, and there are but a few open tables.  But at least McDonald's does not forget where they are from:  I'm listening to Katy Perry's wonderful voice shouting all around me.  Andrew's favorite.  I hope this isn't a tease for you - but I'm sure you can hear her on almost every radio station aux États-Unis.

Cafe au lait from McDonald's

 

I walked here with a new friend, Susan, who is in level B2 (I'm in A2, so she's quite a bit more advanced) and is here from Toronto.  We took a stroll into Gallerie Lafayette which resembles Bloomingdale's and sells little things for big prices.  Come on - shorts for >150 euros?  I don't think so.  Susan found something on sale and went to buy it, only to find out that it’s only on sale IF you have a Gallerie Lafayette credit card and membership… so she said “non, merci!” 

Susan and I, plus ~12 other Alliance Francaise students, took un cours de cuisine this afternoon après classe.  We cooked a delicious feast of poisson citroen avec courges vertes and it was delicious at a French cooking school, l’Atelier des Chefs.  It was very enjoyable (and easy to make!)!

 

Tomorrow is the commencement of the Fête le Fleuve, the bi-annual festival of the River Garonne that flows through Bordeaux.  Every other year, Bordeaux hosts the VinExpo, a large wine exposition.  And on the off years, to encourage tourism, Bordeaux’s Ministre des Évenements put on this festival.  Tomorrow afternoon, Susan and I are going to meet up to go to the festival and grab some lunch.  I hope it doesn’t rain!

Until then!

A random Arc I encountered on my way chez moi