Loire Valley here I come...

So, change of plans... Kelly and I decided to go the Loire Valley to see CASTLES instead of Annecy, because it's about 125 euros cheaper and it's what I really wanted to do anyway. Kelly didn't want to originally because she's already been, but she decided she'd rather do that than go to Annecy (long story about that, but anyway). I'm extremely happy, because now I get to see the Loire castles!! It's going to be amazing!! We're staying in Tours, and will travel to castles around Tours for 4 days! I'm so excited! Just to give a lil preview...

I'm so lucky.

Annecy!

GUESS WHAT?! My friend Kelly and are are going to Annecy, France next weekend! I'm sooo excited! The tickets were a little expensive, since it's the holiday weekend, but I know it will be worth it. Check out how incredible it is...









You can also check out more photos if you google (image search) Annecy, France.

I'm so excited! We're staying in a hostel that only costs 15 euro a night - nice!

More photos from my Normandie trip (Sept 22-23)

Here are more photos from my Normandie trip...These are from the Museum of Peace in Caen...

This says..."When we say mean things to people, that makes them very sad in their hearts!"

This says... "If I were a magician...Peace Non-Violence."

"Why fight?"

The following photos are from Arromanches...here is a bit of history... (merci wikipedia)

The town lies along the stretch of coastline designated as Gold Beach during the D-Day landings , one of the beaches used by British troops in the Allied invasion. Arromanches was selected as one of the sites for two Mulberry Harbours built on the Normandy coast, the other one built further West at Omaha Beach. Sections of the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches still remain today with huge concrete blocks sitting on the sand, and more can be seen further out at sea.

More to come...

A is for Atlantic Arc

Because of the fact that cities such as Glasgow, Cork, Cardiff, Brest, Nantes, Angers, Bordeaux, Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostella, Braga, Oporto, Lisbon, and Seville share the same geographical position as Rennes, the cities of the western edge of the European Union have grouped together to establish a balance in the European development process. They share a common culture, identity, and other resources, and are thereby expressing their desire for stronger corporate action as a network.
The first conference of the cities of the Atlantic Arc took place in Rennes on the 6 and 7 of July, 2000.


OK, that wasn't that interesting, but I'm going through the whole book. :)

Yoga me manque

I miss yoga... I've been craving it, and therefore doing some research about yoga here in Rennes. I found a couple places, but basically, there are a few studios and just one teacher (the owner) who runs them. I decided to go to this studio called Pur Yoga. http://www.puryoga.fr I arrived, and immediately loved the ambiance and the instructor...she's young, and just extremely calm and sweet. She showed me around, and then yoga started. There was about 7 people, and it was extremely simple...mostly stretching and relaxing. Though I did enjoy it, I realized that if I really wanted, I could do this at home (and not pay the 12 Euro). It was relaxing, but certainly not a workout. However, I'm glad that I went, and I may go again, but...

At times throughout the hour I thought of my yoga studio in Boulder. www.corepoweryoga.com I thought of all the people there, the INTENSE workout, and the meditation. And I missed BOULDER, oh I missed it with a passion. I think next semester I'm going to be a yoga maniac and do it everyday. It is so amazing for your body...I remember how good it felt to walk slowly out of the studio and hop immediately into the shower and then feel extremely refreshed. Oh yes...that will be something wonderful to come back to.

For now, I think I'll use my little rug as a mat and buy yoga on demand. :) I need some yoga, everyday!

Henriette et maman

I love Henriette... she is the sweetest lady. She has so much love, and it just spreads. Whenever she sees me now, after having spent a considerable amount of time with me in Dinard with my host mom, she always gives me bises and usually rubs my back or arm. This I appreciate so much, because of the lack of contact here in France. We had a lovely dinner tonight with Henriette...my mom loves to make amazing Quinoa and we had it with tofu (well, that was just me...they had some rather nasty sticks of meat), with some really good veggie sauce. Oh yum.

I can tell my mom is getting closer to me, which makes me overjoyed. After dinner she told me I didn't have to do the dishes and then she gave me some huge kisses on each cheek...something I realized we haven't done since we met. Needless to say, there was a lot of happiness in my heart as I skipped up the stairs.

:)

A is for Anne of Brittany

I have this little book called Rennes A to Z, and it's quite interesting, so I decided I would post a letter and it's explanation now and then to give you all an idea of what Rennes is like...

Anne was only 11 years old when she inherited the Duchy of Brittany, an event which led to a great deal of political intrigue. King Charles VIII of France seized Nantes and Guingamp, and his troops besieged Rennes, and so to save somethiing of the situation, the strong-minded young duchess agreed to marry Charles, the marriage contract of 6 December, 1491 stiplulating that from then on Brittany was to remain part of France.
After Charles VIII's death in April, 1498, Anne regained her position as duchess, but this only lasted until her net marriage to Louis XII, Charles VIII's cousin. Anne had eight children during her two marriages of whom only two, Claude, the future wife of Francois I, and Renee, survived her.