I've Come to France to Discover My Love of...Falafel?

Salut!
It's been awhile since I last wrote, but here's what's been goin' down since the last post.

1) Last weekend I went to go see some French chateaux: Azay-Le Rideau, Chenonceau, and Chambord. They were all absolutely beautiful, and it's mind-blowing to me how people were able to build such ornate wonders without modern machinery.

2) I found a group called the Communaute de Chemin Neuf (or, "the community of the new way") here in Angers. It's a Catholic youth group type thing for college-age young adults. Last week, we sang some songs, watched a video about Islam (whether the Allah of Islam is the same as the God of Christianity, whether there is salvation for Muslims, etc), and talked about it in groups. We shared a meal and had tea afterwards. Everyone was really nice, and I got to practice my French for a good 4 hours. I continue to be amazed at the connection my Catholic faith brings. It's still kind of weird hearing "Saint Pierre" for St. Peter, and "Benoit le seize" for Benedict the XVI.

3) I went to Paris this weekend! Hilary and I couchsurfed with a really nice guy, Mathieu, in Montparnasse, right by the Pasteur Institute. It was cold but sunny, and we had a great time. He took us to a market today--you could buy pig's ears (!) and hooves to eat, and I also saw horse milk (!!)for sale at a Parisian grocery store. We did the usual tourist stuff (Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame etc.), hung around the Latin Quarter and got to see the magnificent paintings in the Musee D'Orsay for free, and got wayyy too excited about seeing the name of our school everywhere (Look! Notre Dame! Look! A sign for Notre Dame!).I was exhausted after coming home today, a sure sign of a good weekend, in my book.

4) I tried raw oysters, a French specialty, today. I've been trying new things a lot in France, and I was glad I tried the raw oysters, but let's just say I was equally glad to have a large glass of water and some bread nearby to get the slimy, salty feeling out of my mouth.

5) I've planned out a lot of my semester, as far as travelling goes. Next weekend is Lyon, France, after that, Oslo, then Normandy/Omaha beach, then Rome for Easter, then spring break (first Munich and Austria to visit my friend Niki, who stayed with my family for a month a couple years back, then Berlin, then Prague, then Istanbul, then Athens and the Greek Island Santorini). If anyone has advice for any of those places, send it my way!

6) My host mom, Chantal, held a French cooking class for us. We made a ham and cheese torte, a fish and gruyere tart, salad, and the most divine flourless chocolate cake (its only ingredients were butter, chocolate, cream, sugar, and eggs...I think any combination of those things would probably taste okay). My French mom and dad (Chantal and Alain) are on the left in the photo.

7) Angers has the most beautiful parks.I'm training for a half-marathon this summer, so I've been taking lots of runs around town. There's a place called Etang St. Nicholas, which is basically a big windy lake with waterfalls, flowers and plants, beautiful trees and cliffs, and a little zoo with kangaroos and llamas. Basically all that anyone needs to be happy, in my book.

8) In my quest to find cheap things to eat that are both filling and vegetarian, I have re-discovered my love of falafel. I knew kebab/falafel existed in France, but I had no idea how prevalent they were; THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! There are at least 15-20 in Angers, and they were on every other block in Paris. Almost everything is under 8 euro max, and you get quite a bit of food. I like to go to this place called Ali Baba here in Angers and get a hummus or falafel wrap for 3 euro. Delicious. Plus, the two Lebanese guys who work there talk to me and help me with my French. win-win!

9) I've finally found a French yoga studio. The classes are smaller than I'm used to, with only 4-8 people. The studio is kept a bit chilly, which is a shock coming from hot Bikram classes back in Omaha. Also, everyone wore socks, no one brought their own mat, and no one really had "yoga clothes"--one woman was in khakis and a button-up! It's an adjustment hearing the postures and body parts in French, but I enjoy it nonetheless. But it's still no One Tree Yoga in Omaha.

A bientot!