Going out in style

Keith, the owner, and me
Originally uploaded by supermarioguy

Well here we are, the 6th and final night of our vacation, everything changes tomorrow afternoon when we arrive in Angers. On this last day, we saw some great cathedrals and castles, incredible! Also, we shopped around at a few of the local shops, including the chain FNAC, basically a French Best Buy on fumes, pretty good store. Also, we hit up the local wine bar again, I actually had a glass of wine this time, it was really good. The owner, in this picture, was really nice to us. We went to this place a few times so he would give us little samples and talk to us about stuff, really cool. I really hope to have these kinds of interactions with the locals in Angers, it's really fun and interesting.

Another highlight was eating a white and milk chocolate golf ball from a chocolate shop, pretty good stuff.

Dinner was at a pretty good restaurant, we had rotisserie chicken with a nice salad. Our breakfast today was from the hotel, they gave us mini baguettes, croissants, and other things along with hot chocolate for a nice start to the day. It's been a good few days in Nantes, but reality (and school) will start setting in tomorrow. I'll let you know how it is when I'm settled in Angers!

-Pat

La ville de Nantes

The flavors!
Originally uploaded by supermarioguy

Bonsoir from the west of France, just off the Atlantic in Nantes. A nice city with plenty to see and eat of course. As suggested from my friend Eric, we had Amarino gelato today. Sure it's italian ice cream in France, but it is incredible! As you can see the flavors are amazing. I had vanilla and biscotti gelato and it was absolutely amazing!!

Also in Nantes today, we stopped at wine bar, I wasn't feeling the wine, although Keith had some great wine. I ordered a fresh red grape juice from a French specialist Alain Millait, It was great.

A lot of things were closed today as technically this is the last day on the French calendar every week, tomorrow we will be visiting more of Nantes and exploring what there is to explore. I'm off for my 1st run on the streets of France, need to keep this up with all of the temptations in this country.

-Pat

Au revoir, Paris!

Well sadly this is the last night in Paris, today we saw a lot of places around the Montmartre area, and finished our exploring with the tour bus, then one last walk down the Champs-Elysees. Tomorrow morning we leave for Nantes, a city just off of the Atlantic. We'll spend a few nights there before going to Angers for the semester. Paris has been great, it was capped off by a great meal at the Pasteur Cafe, including some mousse au chocolat! I'll be back here before I leave, for sure the night before I leave in December, but maybe before that depending on things.

Looking forward to a train ride to the west of France,
Pat

That's the library?...wow

Library 2
Originally uploaded by supermarioguy

Day 3 started off with a great breakfast...pain au chocolate, a croissant filled with chocolate, awesome. The day got healthier as we went on though, got some fresh fruit from the local stands and a crepe with cheese, throw in a baguette and eventually another dinner at O'Kafe and we were set. Good thing we ate there tonight since they are closed on the weekend, the whole weekend.

Putting food aside, we did a lot with the bus tour today. We saw tons of monuments and attractions from the top of a tour bus, including this photo: the library. 4 big buildings designed to look like open books, pretty impressive lookings. I am very impressed with the amazing architecture in Paris, it is stunning.

Funny moments of the day: Paying way too much for creme solaire (sunscreen) and a haircut, which was an interesting experience in inself. I ended up with a "bonne coupe francaise" that will probably be gone by the morning after I shower..no pics from that yet.

We'll be seeing ( and eating) more tomorrow, already going to be the last day in Paris!

Paris day 2, c'etait excellent.

Me again
Originally uploaded by supermarioguy

Today was a great day. We kicked things off with the Eiffel Tower, including a journey to the top of it, where you can check out some of the amazing views. Before we got to the tower, I had one of the best croissants ever..only to be outdone by an amazing cup of chocolat chaud later in the day. We then took a stoll down the Champs-Elysees and got to see the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde, and the Jardin de Tuileries..We will be visiting these places and others soon as we'll have a bus tour that'll help to get us around the town easier.

The night ended with Keith and I eating salads at O'Kafe, one of our favorite spots already just down the street from the hotel. They have great food and great service, we'll be back there. I learned that it's important to know what you want when you get to a cafe..sure it's relaxing, but they are ready to take your order when you sit down!

Looking forward to an excellent day 3 in Paris,
Pat

Paris Day 1

What a great start to the trip! Keith and I made our way, somehow, through the TGV and Metro system and got to our hotel in the early afternoon. It was amazing to note how nice the locals were in helping us move around our luggage and get us on and off the train safely. They were really friendly! After checking in, we made our way to le Queniau, a great cafe here in the Montparasse area! And let me tell you, if this food is a sign of things to come, then we will be eating well! I had a "faux filet", known as a sirloin steak, with fresh fries and a green salad. It was a little rarer than I would've liked, but that was only because I didn't understand how it was being cooked..I now know the vocab after reviewing it quickly in the hotel room :) Putting that aside, it was a great, fresh meal. We also walked around the area today and got a feel for the surroundings, just walking up and down the streets makes one smile. There are a few pictures from our room and one of the restaurant's business card attached, we'll be taking many more pictures tomorrow as we start to hit the attractions. The trip is off to a great start with great food and a great atmosphere.

Finally, I did have a demi baguette tonight, wasn't feeling the whole one, but it was pretty good. I'll talk more about this once we go into the heart of Paris for the really good pastries, breads, and everything else in between.

Looking forward to a great day and semester,
Pat

I've landed

And the trip begins..I've landed in Paris, found my friend Keith who is also participating in the program, and we are on wi-fi right now in the hotel lounge. I should have a few pictures uploaded later today or tomorrow, this city is amazing, and we haven't even had time to do much yet. Look for pictures and details about my first meal, and other random thoughts later on.

-Pat

And we're off

Tonight I leave for Paris at 9:35, I'll be there around 11:30 am Wed morn in Paris! From there I'll hopefully find my friend who is also participating in the program and we'll be off to our hotel to spend the rest of the week in Paris. I'll start updating when I can, hopefully after I have found the first boulangerie (bakery) and bought a fresh baguette..this is actually all I really wanted to do in France: go to a bakery, buy a baguette, eat it, and life is complete..The rest is just icing on the cake.

Bonjour!

Hi everyone,

I hope you will enjoy my posts and updates from France starting later this week. Please leave comments and stay in touch! I'll be updating from Paris by this weekend!

-Pat