Normandie

Hey everybody,
Just got back from a great but somewhat exhausting weekend in Normandie (or Normandy, as we Americans would say), it was a lot of fun. So it’s been a bit since my last post, sorry, no internet access in Normandie, and of course still not internet in my house (although my host mom said she was going to buy a new internet thing on Monday or Tuesday…finally). Thursday night ended up being kind of lame, we were all ready to go to this club that lets in international students for free on Thursdays until midnight, but even though we got there at around 11:30 the line was so long we couldn’t get in on time (and we were too cheap to pay the 15 euro entrance fee). So after walking around a bit we decided to call it a night; I was feeling pretty tired anyway, maybe next week we will get there earlier and give it another go. Friday I slept in a bit and then headed out to find a library that had a book I needed for class. Of course, what should have taken 20 minutes took me like two hours, as I got unbelievably lost and ended up wandering around for at least an hour, but it was okay as it was a nice day, and I got the chance to explore my arrondissement, haha. When I finally found the library, which was in fact only about 15 minutes from my apartment, it didn’t open until 2pm, so I had to wait around for a while anyway, sigh, I feel like I’m always doing that in France-things are never open, people are always taking breaks and such, haha. But anyways, after so much effort, I was able to find the book I needed for class, and triumphantly obtained a library card that works at a slew of libraries throughout Paris, success! Afterwards, I headed home to rest a bit and start in on the book, and shortly after got a call from Kristin, who wanted to hang out. We ended up heading over to Montmartre, where we checked out the infamous Moulin Rouge, and walked up the x-rated Pigalle, scandalous. We then got some amazing Haggen-das (I have no idea how to spell this) ice cream cones and climbed up to the Sacre-Coeur, where we sat on the steps and listened to a German singer we both fell madly in love with . It was really nice, a gorgeous day, just sitting listening to some of our favorite songs, with the amazing view of Paris in the background…so great. This soccer guy even started a performance next to the singer, doing all sorts of crazy tricks.We then headed back to her place, where I had dinner with her, before heading out to a free comedy show organized by an international student organization. It was all in french, of course, in this little theatre, kind of funny but not amazing, although I was proud that I was able to understand the various sketches. We then met up with three other friends to check out a “cheap bar” as they put it, which ended up being our secret bar! So yeah, Kristin and I had a good laugh over that, and felt special as we knew the bartenders, yessss. We hung out for a bit, and then headed home, as I had to get up early for the trip to Normandie (before 7am! I almost died.).
So Saturday it was off to Normandie; we took the train and got there at around 10am, arriving in Bayeux to see a famous Tapestry, and to find some lunch and explore. Afterwards, we headed to Omaha beach, and saw the American cemetery. It was really moving, and very strange in that the weather was gorgeous, so the beach was beautiful…hard to believe it was a site of such horrors. We also went to “la Pointe du Hoc”, where German troops were stationed, overlooking the ocean. There are huge craters where bombs went off, hinting at the destruction of so many years ago. Afterwards, it was time to head to the hotel for dinner, so we hopped on the bus for a long ride. We ended up staying in a Best Western, which we all found pretty amusing, but it was actually really cute and nice, apparently Best Western is all over Europe, and they’re known for being at least three star hotels. After dinner Alex and I headed up to our room to relax and watch TV, which was filled with shows in German, which we found amusing (we watched a George Clooney for awhile, I thought of you, Grandma, although I must say with the voice-over George is just not the same), particularly the German MTV. We also got CNN, and actually got to watch the news in English! Exciting! There was even a clip of the Daily Show, where John Stewart was interviewing Michelle Obama-excellent. Eventually we dozed off, waking up early Sunday morning to eat breakfast and get on the road.
Off we went to le Mont Saint-Michel, which was absolutely gorgeous, basically a huge monastery sitting on the top of a hill, with sand and water surrounding it. However, it is known for having quicksand; apparently every year several people are killed because of it, scary! We spent a few hours exploring the monastery and the winding roads around it, lots of walking, with beautiful views. Then it was off to Saint Malo, a beautiful town on the coast. The water was amazing, it was so nice to walk on the beach, I felt like I was at the Outer Banks, it was so nice. The town itself was also really cute and nice, it was nice just wandering around exploring with Jen, Abby, and Alex. Afterwards we headed over to the train station, and caught the train back to Paris, phew! As you can see, it was a very busy weekend, and as I said the weather was absolutely amazing, it felt like early spring!
So now I’m off to bed, I’m so exhausted; love you all and I will write again soon.
Brit