OK, no more jokes about Sarko, for the next week at least. The government has instituted a new program offering free French classes for foreign nationals, to help us assimilate and get ahead. Sarko is my new best friend! I called and signed up. The classes will start at the end of January.
Tonight I went to see a movie in French, for the first time. OK, OK, it was a children's movie, "Le renard et l'enfant," and it involved a lot of shots of beautiful scenery, but still. I could follow almost all of it. A milestone.
lundi 17 décembre 2007
vendredi 14 décembre 2007
Fête des Lumières
This weekend was the fête des lumières, Lyon's celebration for avoiding the plague in 1643. They were saved by their fervant prayers to Mary. Hence, voila la Fourviere cathedral-- you can vaguely see the "Merci Marie" sign on the right.
Hotel de Ville.
Cathedral St Jean was more subdued this year.
Place Bellecour.
Place Jacobins.
In Place des Terreaux they had a big kaleidescope thing and the colors project onto the buildings on the square.
Here it is in action--
Along Rue de la République they have these enormous spheres lighting up.
The Eglise Saint Nizier always puts on an elaborate show.
This might be the coolest thing of all. They took a phone booth and made it into an aquarium.
Hotel de Ville.
Cathedral St Jean was more subdued this year.
Place Bellecour.
Place Jacobins.
In Place des Terreaux they had a big kaleidescope thing and the colors project onto the buildings on the square.
Here it is in action--Along Rue de la République they have these enormous spheres lighting up.
The Eglise Saint Nizier always puts on an elaborate show.
This might be the coolest thing of all. They took a phone booth and made it into an aquarium.
jeudi 13 décembre 2007
Freiburg
Because not one hotel had an available room the night we were in Strasbourg, we had to go to Germany to find an hotel. We decided to go to Freiburg, a university town which is also known as the warmest city in Germany, although you could have fooled us. We thought it was pretty chilly.
Freiburg, city of bikes.
Freiburg had its own little Christmas market.
It also has these little canals running along city streets, which used to be the system for distributing clean water. Nowadays they must be mostly used for cooling feet on hot summer days. The legend is that if you fall into one, you will marry a Freiburgian. They are kind of tiny so I think it would take effort to fall right in.
Street scene.
Here is one of the old city gates.
The Munster was pretty cute. It and Strasbourg's cathedral were both of a pink stone from a quarry nearby. Our guidebook said that in this particular quarry, apparently, Jews from the concentration camp in the area were forced to work there during WWII.
At the entrance to the Munster, there were carvings from the middle ages to instruct sellers on acceptable sizes for loaves of bread.
Freiburg puts little designs into the paving stones outside of stores to inform passerby of what is sold inside. Here was a locksmith shop.
And this was the one outside of a university building.
Freiburg, city of bikes.
Freiburg had its own little Christmas market.
It also has these little canals running along city streets, which used to be the system for distributing clean water. Nowadays they must be mostly used for cooling feet on hot summer days. The legend is that if you fall into one, you will marry a Freiburgian. They are kind of tiny so I think it would take effort to fall right in.
Street scene.
Here is one of the old city gates.
The Munster was pretty cute. It and Strasbourg's cathedral were both of a pink stone from a quarry nearby. Our guidebook said that in this particular quarry, apparently, Jews from the concentration camp in the area were forced to work there during WWII.
At the entrance to the Munster, there were carvings from the middle ages to instruct sellers on acceptable sizes for loaves of bread.
Freiburg puts little designs into the paving stones outside of stores to inform passerby of what is sold inside. Here was a locksmith shop.
And this was the one outside of a university building.
More Strasbourg
Due to technical difficulties, I didnt get to post all my photos last week! Here are some more shots of Strasbourg.
We climbed up to the top of the cathedral.
A view from the walk.
Inside the cathedral was a very fancy clock. It may be difficult to see in this photo, but this part of it pointed to the day of the year, which shows all the Saint's days.
Strasbourg had some very funny street names. This is place of the market of milk pigs.
Later that night I had a very Alsace meal, Flammenkuchen-- a kind of flatbread with lardons and creme fraiche (very lo-cal, I am sure)-- with German beer and German bread.
We climbed up to the top of the cathedral.
A view from the walk.
Inside the cathedral was a very fancy clock. It may be difficult to see in this photo, but this part of it pointed to the day of the year, which shows all the Saint's days.
Strasbourg had some very funny street names. This is place of the market of milk pigs.
Later that night I had a very Alsace meal, Flammenkuchen-- a kind of flatbread with lardons and creme fraiche (very lo-cal, I am sure)-- with German beer and German bread.
vendredi 7 décembre 2007
Strasbourg
I went to Strasbourg last weekend to see the Christmas market. Here are some scenes. I really liked it; such a pretty city, very picturesque.
We arrived late at night after a long train ride.
The next morning we headed out for the markets. 
Strasbourg has a lot of little markets.
We climbed up the tower of the cathedral for a view of the city. The other tower was never built.
We arrived late at night after a long train ride.
The next morning we headed out for the markets. 
Strasbourg has a lot of little markets.
We climbed up the tower of the cathedral for a view of the city. The other tower was never built.
mardi 4 décembre 2007
Worlds colliding, part two
It turns out my friend from work and a fellow American, Eric, knows my friend Richard in Philadelphia. Eric used to date a good friend of Richard's, a few years back. Now, I have known Richard since college, because he used to date a friend of mine. Eric lived in Chapel Hill at some point after I left, and met Richard's friend there.
and then...
I found out this week that a coworker of mine at IARC is married to a woman that I knew in college, Vivian.
How is it that UNC grads end up so widely dispersed?
and then...
I found out this week that a coworker of mine at IARC is married to a woman that I knew in college, Vivian.
How is it that UNC grads end up so widely dispersed?
Les grèves sont finis
Much of France has been chaotic in the last few weeks because of the transit strikes, which are amusingly called "perturbations." It didn't particularly affect my life, because there was nothing in Lyon, but I did hear horror stories from friends who went to Paris. But it seems like Sarkozy and the strikers have finally worked something out.
For your amusement, here is Sarkozy losing his sang-froid after being called an enculé (asshole) by his friends, the pêcheurs (fishermen).
As an aside, I sure do find Sarkozy easy to understand when he talks. The man can enunciate.
For your amusement, here is Sarkozy losing his sang-froid after being called an enculé (asshole) by his friends, the pêcheurs (fishermen).
As an aside, I sure do find Sarkozy easy to understand when he talks. The man can enunciate.
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