Saturday, March 30, 2013

The United Nations and Nuclear Fission

Even though my crazy busy vacation was only 3 weeks ago, I have already done some neat things that I want to share.

On the first weekend back, I was able to spend all day Saturday in Geneva, Switzerland. It is only about 3 hours by train, so we were able to do a day trip. It is, by far, one of the most beautiful places that I have visited. Nestled up in the mountains and on the shore of a large lake with huge fountain (Jet d'Eau), the surroundings make even just being outside a pleasure. Plus we had nice, mostly sunny weather. It is also a relatively small city for its international importance, and did not feel like a big city at all. In fact, walking along the shore of lake, watching the sailboats with the mountains in the distance, was one of the most calm and tranquil afternoons that I have had in a long time.



Jet d'Eau with Mont Blanc hiding in the distance

We spent the day just walking around the city and there are 2 distinct sections: the Old Town, and the newer international area. The historic section of Geneva is like most old European cities: small cobblestone streets or a pedestrian zone, old buildings, churches, etc. The architectural details were a little different that some other places I've visited, but that's to be expected. One of the biggest differences is that the churches are protestant, not catholic (except for the 1 Russian Orthodox church we saw. We walked in accidentally in the middle of baptism!). Because the city as whole adopted and played an important role in the Protestant Reformation, the churches (including the former catholic cathedral) are protestant and there are multiple monuments to the Reformation. One of the neatest was the Reformation Wall, which is a long wall with statues of the some of the most prominent reformers, including John Calvin, John Knox, Roger Williams, Oliver Cromwell, and Theodore Beza. The city also offers homage to watchmaking. There are clocks everywhere in the city, including sun dials on the sides of buildings. There are also multiple high-end watch shops, each with their own clock hanging from the awning. And I can't forget the large flower clock!



The center of the Reformation Wall

The flower clock

The other part of Geneva is the newer, international area, called the Place of Nations. The Geneva headquarters of the UN are there, along with the Red Cross, and the Human Rights Commission. There was not anyone there because it was Saturday, but it was still neat to see the building, with all the flags out front. There is also the sculpture, Broken Chair, which was erected in 1997 as a symbol against the use of land mines. As a city that has a significant international presence, there was a large diversity in the other tourists* and the city inhabitants, which is always fun for me. It was like being Brussels all over again. But prettier. 



The United Nations!


On the other end of the spectrum, I was able to do something really cool right here near Roussillon. I accompanied a school trip to the nearby nuclear power plant! It was not really any different than visiting any other power plant because we only got to see the warehouse where the turbine and alternator are. It is a pressurized steam system, like what can be used with coal too (I think), but they use a nuclear fission reaction to heat the water. I wish I could explain better, but I don't know the English equivalents for all of the more technical words I learned. The visit as a whole was really awesome. The site is set-up for public visits, so there was an hour presentation before the tour, where they explained how electricity is made in general, nuclear energy in France, and then about this specific site. The guides did a wonderful job keeping the 15 year-olds engaged and they explained everything simply enough that even I was able to understand, despite the potential language barrier, because I don't know scientific words in French. 


The other cool thing was the amount of security. We had to register our party with the site ahead of time and provide photocopies of our ID cards/passports, bring our ID cards to the site, and then we were each assigned a badge and a personalized code to use. From the time we got the codes to when we actually entered the site, I had used the code 3 times and gotten searched. Then we used it another 3 or 4 times simply walking through the site. They take all kinds of other precautions, such as cameras everywhere, and strictly controlled access to the main control room. The 8 people that work there each shift are locked in the control room and are no one is allowed to enter or leave during the shift. It all makes sense because it is a nuclear site with uranium and a live fission reaction. Also, I was scanned to make sure I wasn't radioactive before I left. So no super powers, unfortunately, 

The most memorable part of the trip was really just being with the students outside of English class. I got to see first hand their studies in science and how interested some of them were. I don't know if this applies to other people, but I've discovered that since I teach only one subject, it becomes so easy to pigeon hole a student based on his or her performance in my class. When in reality, I have a lot students that either just don't like English or struggle in it, but do well and work hard in other subjects. It's nice to be reminded of that and see it first hand as they were asking questions and explaining what they already know. 


I also got into a debate with one of the girls on the bus ride back to the school. 3 girls were listening to music and they offered to let me hear what it was, and it was, sadly, My Heart Will Go On. They started telling my how much they liked Titanic, and I explained that I laughed at the end and was mad because there was totally room for Jack on the door. They agreed with me. Then one of the girls said that it was so sweet that it was a true story. I quickly told her that, of course the Titanic is real, but the story of Jack and Rose isn't. She didn't believe me. I tried to explain how it's just a story, and she kept saying, "But the old woman at the end is telling the story. It's her story." I finally got her to understand that it was just made up and she was kind of disappointed. It wasn't serious or mean  but since we were not in English class, I spoke French, and so we had this discussion back and forth in French. It was good to have an opportunity for a more personal connection with them outside of class.

From Switzerland with love.


*Although I suppose my group itself with an American, a German, and an Italian, is pretty diverse. 

And as a separate note, I wanted to share with you my struggles with English. Rather often, I can't think of the right English words, or I speak the way my students do. While writing this, I had to think for a long time how to explain my visit to le centre nucléaire. I finally settled on electric nuclear plant, but I knew that didn't sound right. It took googling it to discover and remember that I normally call a plant that generates electricity, a power plant. I can no longer speak English. 

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Playing princess 1.2

Here are all of the other castles that I visited. They get increasingly cooler, so keep reading! You can also read about the first castles I visited here


The castle of Langeais was one of the oldest castle. A castle on this site were originally built in the 10th century, but was destroyed during the Hundred Years War. It was rebuilt in 1465 and bridges the Medieval and Renaissance styles. It looks like a Medieval fortress, complete with ramparts and a drawbridge. However, it does not have the functional aspects of a fortress. It's built in the middle of a city, has large windows, and, most importantly, was never meant to be a fortress. The castle is famous for hosting the wedding of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany in 1491, which paved the way for Brittany to become a part of France. The furnishings inside are from the 15th to 16th century and were excellently done. There is also a large garden behind the castle, along with some ruins from a tower built in 994.



Langeais from the gardens
Walking through the ramparts
Looking down on the drawbridge. It is still raised and lowered every day


The flooring in the castle was really cool! It had multiple different tiles and wood designs.
The next set of castles were in the same city. The first wasn't really a castle, more of a large house. It's the Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci lived out the last few years of his life and died. Invited to live at the castle of Amboise by François I, da Vinci replied that he needed to live in a quiet place, away from the intrigues of the court. So the king gave da Vinci the former royal summer residence in the same city. The beautiful home was built in 1471 and has lovely brick work on the outside. Inside, most of the house is a homage to da Vinci, with multiple paintings on display, as well as many of his most famous quotes. The basement is completely devoted to his inventions.



Just across the city from the Clos Lucé, is the castle of Amboise. Amboise became a royal residency in 1431. It's a wonderful example of French Renaissance architecture  The castle is in the middle of the city, but built up on a high terrace so that it overlooks the city and the Loire River. The castle was used by French kings until the 19th century, so the interior decorations are organized chronologically into different eras according to the building renovations, so the different styles of furniture and art are displayed with the right architecture. There is also a small chapel on the grounds where da Vinci is buried.



The castle of Amboise from the terrace
St. Hubert chapel





the detailing around the windows

I cannot take credit for this picture, but it shows the front of the castle and how it rises up over the city . I was in a  moving car when I saw this view, and couldn't snag a picture. The big tower on the left is a ramp all the way to the top that was made for carriages to get from street level to the terrace and the castle door.



Next was the castle of Chambord, which isn't just a castle, but a huge estate. Its construction was started in 1519 by François I. It was originally intended to be a hunting lodge, but is the biggest castle I visited, with over 426 rooms. It's not just the castle that's huge. The estate of Chambord, which has a 32 km stone wall surrounding it, covers 20 square miles (the same size as Paris!!). The original designs for the castle were done by da Vinci, but the design was changed substantially before construction. This castle has multiple stunning features, including the double-helix staircases, really big fireplaces (over 300 of them!), gorgeously carved ceilings, and a terrace on top where one can see both the immense detailing on the roof and the huge tracts of land surrounding the estate.

Chambord

The double helix staircases



The ceilings were carved with Fs and
salamanders to represent François I.
The central dome from the terrace

Looking from the top towards the long drive to the entrance

The final castle I visited was Chenonceau, which was my personal favorite, so it was good I visited it last. The first part of the castle was built in the early 16th century by a noble family. However, once the castle came into royal possession, it was consistently lived in by mostly women, starting with Henry II's mistress, then his wife Catherine de Medici, then his daughter-in-law, etc. Each oversaw additions and renovations and the feminine touch seems to give the castle a very different feel. It's expanse over the River Cher is incredible and the gardens are exquisite. Every detail inside, from the floors to the ceiling, is done very precisely and every room is visibly striking, but without seeming gaudy or tacky. As one of the most visited castles, Chenonceau's upkeep and presentation is also immaculate. From the tapestries and paintings to every small piece of furniture, it's just perfect! Oh, and there's a donkey farm. It can't get much cooler. 


The entrance. The door is the original wooden door, with the coat of arms of the 
husband and wife who built it.


The 2 fireplaces in the kitchen, for cooking
and for baking bread.
The meat room in the kitchen. There are
still knives, chopping blocks, and meat hooks on the walls.

The Five Queens' Bedroom, my favorite room in the house. It is named in honor of Catherine de Medici's 2 daughters and 3 daughters-in-law. The ceiling has each of their coat of arms.

The gallery, which is the room that spans the river. During WW 1, the entire castle,
including this room, served as a hospital.

Going over the River Cher. During WW 2, this river was the border between Occupied and Free France.  Since the castle has access on both sides of the river, it was used by the Resistance to move people across the border.


In addition to these, I also saw the castles of Blois, Chaumont, and Luynes, but just from a distance. Luynes still owned and lived in by the original family! I also spent a day visiting the city of Tours, which has a cathedral that rivals Notre Dame in Paris, ancient Roman ruins, and medieval houses in the historic center. It was an unforgettable trip!

From Tours with love

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Playing princess for a day

Visiting the Loire Valley was one of the things I really wanted to do during my stay in France, and during the last vacation, I was able to spend 4 days there, visiting 8 castles and the city Tours. The trip was a whirlwind and very exhausting, but completely worth it!!! It would really be impossible to share the entire experience through writing, so I'm going to mostly pictures instead.

The Loire Valley has a very rich history, which contributes to the excessive number of castles in the region. During the 14th and 15th, and even into the 16th centuries, the Loire Valley was one of, if not the, central of power in France. It's only about an hour by train west of Paris, and just south of the Brittany region. The royal families, specifically Francois I, preferred spending most of their time in the Loire Valley. This led to the building of multiple royal castles, but also led the nobility to build multiple castles to be close to the royal family. During this time, France was often at war with England and Brittany was not yet a part of France, so the Loire River was an important natural frontier. And being the longest river in France (it actually starts in the south of France near where I live), the Loire was also extremely important for trade. All of these reasons led the Loire Valley's importance and thus, abundance of castles. Even after the central power shifted to Paris, the castles in the Loire Valley were still lived in and often renovated to match the latest fashion.

Here are just a few things about all of the visits.

1. The rooms in the castles that are open for visits are almost always furnished. Each castle does this to varying degrees. Some places felt like a museum, with paintings and tapestries on every wall and furniture filling the room. Others attempted to recreate the room as it would have been during a certain era. Many of the castles were in use from their construction well into the 1800s, so some castles show 3 different centuries worth of furniture. 

2. Most of the castles are made out of limestone and are actually constructed on the foundations of medieval fortresses. Even though the temperature was in the 50s when I visited, the limestone made the castles very cold. In order to help combat this, some of the larger castles actually had fires burning in the giant fireplaces. It was really nice to be able to warm up during the visit, and it really contributed to the atmosphere of the visit. In addition, I got to see firsthand how incredibly inefficient it was at heating the place and how incredibly important and practical tapestries were. 


The first castle I visited was Azay-le-Rideau. It was constructed in the early 1500s by Francois I's notary, Gilles Berthelot. It's built on a small island in the middle the Indre river. It changed ownership multiple times and like most of these castles, has been continually updated and changed since its original construction.


The fireplace in the kitchen

The royal bedroom was the reserved for the king,
should he choose to visit. Louis XIII stayed here in 1619.
















The salamander was the symbol of Francois I.  Most of the castles during this time of a carving of it somewhere.



The next castle I visited was Villandry. This castle was built in 1536 by the Minister of Finance for Francois I. While a medieval castle was razed to make room for Villandry, the keep is still there. While it was built at the same time as Azay-le-Rideau, it was inspired by Italian architecture The castle was redesigned in the 18th century by the new owners. Another family bought the castle in 1906, and for 4 generations has been trying to restore it to its original state. Most importantly, they have recreated a large 16th century garden that is meticulously maintained and is really why the castle is so well known. The day we visited, they had just started planting the spring rotation of flowers and vegetables, but it was still beautiful.

The entrance and main courtyard of Villandry
Looking at the castle from across the gardens.
From here, you can see the old medieval keep.
The ceiling in the oriental drawing room.
It was made by Moorish craftsmen.






A view of the gardens. In front is the ornamental gardens and behind that is the vegetable and flower gardens. You can't see the water garden off the left, or the woods behind me, or the sun garden in the distance, or the labyrinth  The gardens are huge!




The next castle was Ussé. This castle has not been as well kept as some of the others (I also didn't like that they used mannequins in the rooms. With the wigs and eyes, they just creep me out!). BUT, it was still beautiful and it is still notable because it inspired the writing of Sleeping BeautyThe castle is one of the most remote that I visited, sitting just on the edge of the Chinon Forest. This castle is the perfect example of additions and changes made over the years. As it stands today, it was constructed over a period of 3 centuries and both the interior and exterior reflect the changing styles. Some really neat features of this castle included the small, but beautiful, chapel built on the grounds, the tour leading through the ramparts and attic, and the passage from the oldest room in the castle to the middle of the Chinon Forest. It's blocked now but still neat to have the entrance and staircase open.

The castle from the gardens on the lower terrace. The left side of the castle was built first in the 1400s, then going right, additions were made until 1690. 

The main courtyard



Detailing around the windows and on the roof

The other side of the oldest wing

The other 5 castles are coming soon!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Waffles, and Chocolate, and Beer! Oh My! (and fries!)

My second week of travels took me to Belgium, where I spent 2 days in Bruges and 1 day in Brussels before returning to France. I flew from Lyon into Brussels and then took the train to Bruges, which was only about an hour long trip. Belgium is a pretty tiny country, comparatively speaking. The flight there was uneventful, although I was struck by how relaxed everything was compared to in the US. I mean, the security people smiled at me. Maybe that was just because it was an inter-EU flight, but they were really chill. I was all prepared to show my passport/boarding pass at every possible moment, but I rarely needed them. I only needed the boarding pass to go to the gates (not my passport, or any id for that matter), nothing through security, and then my  passport and boarding pass to get on the plane. I know there is a reason the US does it a certain way, but it was refreshing for people to be a little nicer. 



My 2 days spent in Bruges were amazing!! The city is beautiful, small, and very inviting, even in spite of the cold. Although, considering the North Sea is really close, it was warmer than I expected. Bruges is often called "The Venice of the North" because it is a port city with a series of canals throughout the old city. Because of its access to water, Bruges became a center of trade during the Middle Ages, especially with the Mediterranean and Italy. I would suspect, although I don't know for sure, that this is why spaghetti is a big deal. Every little restaurant served spaghetti, even as an afternoon snack. Now, Bruges is a larger city of about 120,000, but the city center is much smaller, with only about 20,000 residents. I actually read somewhere that at night, there are more tourists in the city center than residents. Bruges is shaped like an egg, and is only about 2 km across and 3 km tall, so walking most of the city is very easy to do.

Bruges is in the Flemish region of Belgium, which means that dominant language is Dutch, specifically a dialect called Flemish. This is the first time that I have traveled to some place where I do not speak the language. It was kind of intimidating, because I hate to be "that tourist," but most people also speak English and Bruges is a tourist city, so they make it easy. On a side note, I really enjoyed listening to the locals speak. Maybe it stems from reading too many fictional Amish books when I was younger (they sometimes speak a form of Dutch), but I really like the Dutch language. And some words are similar enough to English or French that I could catch some things.




The old buildings off the center market area
A lot of my time was spent just walking around the city and observing the old architecture. While only some of the city is still the original buildings from the Middle Ages, they have made an effort to construct or remodel homes in a similar fashion, so almost the entire city center gives an historic vibe. One of the most iconic places in Bruges is the center market, where a belfry still stands and is still used. I climbed all 355 steps to the top and the view of the city was beautiful. I also went to a lace making demonstration. Bruges is famous for its lace and there is still a group of women that get together to make lace almost every day. They do it as a hobby, but it's a part of the lace museum, so you can watch them make lace and gossip in Flemish! It was really cool! I never actually knew how lace was made, just that it was intricate and time consuming, but to watch these women whip through the motions, only to finish a small half-centimeter of lace really made me in awe of the patience needed to do that every day. 


View from the belfry
The belfry in the center market
I also did 2 very touristy, but iconic Bruges tours. The first was of the only brewery still left in Bruges, De Halve Maan Brewery (Half Moon). Parts of the brewery building are still left from the 1500s, but this company has been around since the 1850s and is still owned by the same family. Our tour guide was amazing! He much be in his 60s, maybe 70s, and has worked at the brewery for most of his life, and was very enthusiastic and proud of their product. They should be, because the brewery has won gold medals at competitions around the world, including multiple in Germany. The tour was through the entire brewery, where we got to see how the beer is made now, but also how the building was used historically to make the beer. We got to sample their most famous beer, Brugse Zot, after the tour. Their restaurant actually serves a special unfiltered tap and it was very good. 



The second tour was of the chocolate museum. The museum was not really that big, but demonstrated the history of chocolate, both its cultural importance and its actual production. It included a lot of artifacts from Central and South America, as well as from Europe once chocolate was brought over the Atlantic. There were also recipes for the original hot chocolate drinks. A large part of the museum felt like an advertisement for certain Belgian chocolate companies, but we got to see a demonstration on how they make pralines. All in all, it was a really good visit.

Outside of the beer and the chocolate that I got to try at the museums (and yes, I bought some too, but just a little), I also tried some other iconic Belgian foods, like fries and waffles. Actually the fries were really good, but I've had similar fries in the states. Not at any fast food place, but at a nice restaurant. There were large enough to have a substantial potato taste, but simply fried and lightly seasoned. There was nothing too complicated about them. The waffle was really good. I bought it at the Wednesday market and it was delicious! Nothing but powdered sugar on it, but it was a perfect way to start my morning of sight-seeing. I also tried a Flemish stew that is served over fries. It was really just a kind of beef stew, but it was also really good. All in all, food was a success.



Yah for Belgian Waffles!!
The old town hall in the Grand Market in Brussels. It is still used for the city administration

St. Michael Cathedral. The date of construction and Gothic
architecture makes it similar to Notre Dame in Paris.
Brussels was different. It's not nearly as "postcard-esque" as Bruges. In fact, it was a pretty dirty and nondescript big city. I'm sure there are more, hidden things there for people that live in Brussels, but to visit was not very exciting. There were some really neat places that I visited, like the Cathedral and the Grand Market. I also walked to the European quarter and saw the EU buildings, which was really neat. I also saw Manneken-Pis, the infamous peeing statue. Similar to the Mona Lisa, everyone is always disappointed in how small the actual statue is. It was almost funnier to watch people pose for pictures than see the actual statue.


In this picture, you can see how tiny the statue actually is.
And that Asian guy kept doing ridiculous poses for pictures.
It was really hard to not laugh out loud at him.
A copy of Manneken-Pis in the chocolate museum.
Yes, that is a chocolate fountain.




The neat thing I did discover about Brussels is that it really is the capitol of Europe. I heard more different languages and accents here than anywhere else. There was English in English, Irish, American, Middle Eastern, and Indian accents. French I couldn't understand and French I could understand (I'm going to be confident in my French skills here and say it wasn't me, but them speaking a Belgian dialect). There was also German, and I'm sure multiple kinds of Dutch (at least Flemish). There were also a staggering number of Asian tourists, although I'm not sure what languages. Then also Italian and Spanish. I spent only about 4 hours walking around Brussels and this is only what I could identify. I'm sure there was plenty more that I couldn't, and I didn't even venture into any immigrant neighborhoods, of which there are numerous. I'm sure some of this is from the EU, but it was still cool to experience all that in only 4 hours.


The Royal Palace in Brussels
While Brussels officially ended my visit to Belgium, one of the most memorable moments was on the flight home. The flight was delayed by about 30 minutes because the fuel trucks were running behind, which was aggravating, and the whole day had been cold, gray, and on the verge of rain. I was exhausted and ready to come home. We finally boarded the plane and took off. Because of the low (and dense) cloud cover, we quickly broke through the clouds into one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. The top of clouds were white and swirled like cinnamon rolls. The sky was vibrant oranges, reds, and purples, which reflected off the top of the dense clouds. It was really the perfect way to end my trip.

From Belgium with love