Reims, Charleville, Bruxelles
First trip in Europe!
20.09.2010 62 °F
Today, I got back from my first trip in Europe since I got here. Kerry and I went to visit Carole Durot, my favorite frenchie, who lives in Reims (1h50 from Paris). We rode the train there on Thursday and arrived in the afternoon. I was so excited to see Carole. Her and her family were just as sweet as I remember them being. Excellent hosts!
We toured a little bit around Reims and saw some sights..which jogged my memory a lot. It's really cool being able to remember where things are. The next day, we drove about an hour to visit Carole's aunt and cousin in Charleville. Again, extremely hospitable. Charleville is this little town that has building dating back to the Middle Ages. It's very cute. We went to go see the cows and visit "downtown" Charleville. Afterwards, we went to a little animal farm to see wild boars and goats, etc. Man, boars smell BAD. 
The next day was Kerry's birthday. We woke up early and drove the two hours to Bruxelles. The first thing we saw was the Grand Place..which is beautiful. The buildings are striking and the square was alive with people and markets! I tried all while I was there: fries, waffles, beer, and chocolate. We walked around and saw the the Saint-Michael church, the park, etc. One of my favorite things was visiting the Musical Instruments Museum which looks very interesting from the outside. Inside, it's also very interesting. You get headphones and can walk around to different instrument displays...and then the headphones pick up a signal and you can hear the music the instrument was used for. It's really neat. That night, we drove back to Charleville to spend the night. 
The next day, we were going to do some ropes courses but it was 2 degrees Celsius when we woke up so that was out. Instead, we visited the Chateau de Sedan, a medieval fortress! Ok, so..I'd seen it before but it's still really cool to walk through and think about how much things have changed since then. 
The evening, we regrouped back in Reims for a family dinner. I got to see Eric and Anne and the little bump that will soon be their child! Carole's Mom and Dad were present, along with Marc. It was really really nice. We had a lovely meal. Afterward, we played team scrabble..in French. It was quite difficult. Eric and Anne won, but Carole and I had some great words (even if they weren't worth a lot)!
So, all in all, a fantastic weekend vacation! Thank you to everyone for making it priceless!
Some other items:
- I officially start classes tomorrow. My schedule: classes only on Monday and Tuesday...WIN!
- I'm beginning to get slightly homesick. There are periods of time when I think "Wow, this is actually happening and I am going to be here for 9 months"
- Slightly disappointed that there are no water fountains in France. I'm always thirsty.
- I like how many different courses French people have. Bread, melon/salad, main meal, cheese/yogurt, and dessert. Yummy.
- I'm hand washing clothes right now. Let you know how it goes.
Until next time,
Molly
Posted by friedamour 11:53 Archived in France
