Tuesday June 9th 2009

I think they are mostly Lippazans. So pretty. There were 300 horses on this 6million euro compound. Really cool. We got to see them training, change horse shoes, hang out in the stables and do ultrasounds on pregger mommies (arm up da butt- disturbing!). We are on our way back now for lunch and french class. Then Carrefour later w the girl from Purdue who moved to Frankfort. She's really cool and we have been chatting a lot. 

We had the best dinner last night!!!! Authentic southwestern French meal. 12 of us went to to a place that serves Cassoulet (Toulouse's specialty). It was great! Google it. Its like a giant pot they bring to the table. Its essentially ham and white bean stew w duck con fit (on the bone) onions and two types of sausage. It puts you in a coma! But it was the best dinner yet! I tried fois grois too and the wine was a-flowin and I had salad and people got desert and cafe espresso. Tooo much food. Our bill for 11 or 12 people was 275 euro. Yikes!! Soo worth it. Dinner lasted from 8-11pm ha and none of us are hungry this morn hah. It was great great great!

Xoxox

Letters From France Saturday June 6th 2009

This is the most beautiful place ever. Seriously. I will take a million pics. We are staying at this amazing mountain refuge. They made us a huuugggeee dinner. Beef stew, cheese quiche, chicken and rice w raisins prunes and port sauce and a bread pudding w a custard. So good! We are literally in the middle of nowhere in the mountains. Lourdes was amazing too! Great weekend so far. Its raining so we are in playing cards. Very sleepy. 
 
Xoxo love you! 

Letters from France Friday June 5th 2009

Sooorrryyy. I was in class alll day. That was the best I could do. I'm back at my room now eating some yummy euro cereal. Its mostly cocoa puffs and then some bigger pod like puffs with like a nutella type stuff in it. Yum! I wanted something that would dye the milk and make it tastier and less creepy euro. 
 
I just had to run home in a storm. Its supposed to rain all weekend. :( we are going to the Pyrenees mountains tomo morn for a hike and stay in a real mountain refuge. We are going to see Cirque de Gavarnie (google it!) And the Grande Cascade- the highest waterfall in Europe. We also have a picnic. At night they serve a real mountain dinner and we stay in a big hostel room I think. I really like hanging out w my group so I'm excited we will be stuck together. Then sunday we are driving to Lourdes w a stop on the way at Pont Napoleon. Lourdes is real famous in the catholic religion. Its a place for religious pilgrimages. 5 million people annually come to pray for miracles and cures for sickness. St.Bernadette saw the Virgin Mary and then water sprung from the grotto where no spring had flowed before. The waters supposedly have healing powers. These places are really interesting. I recommend you guys look them up!! Its gonna be a really fun weekend. I'm excited. Well, it will be fun if it doesn't rain/snow!! Yikes. 
 
Last night was soooo fun! We alll (the americans) went to a bar/dance club/french beer garden on the Garonne river that runs through Toulouse..wine garden prolly. Everyone was together and learning to do the european dance moves. Very funn. Our program coordinators came (they are my age or a few yrs older) and so did the frenchies from u of I. Very fun! We also walked around a bit after in the city and saw the capital building. Sooo prettyy! 
 
Tonight some us might go downtown w the frenchies (that's what ill call the guys that I know from u of i) and get a real french dinner and look around. We have only had 1 real french meal so far! Cafeteria doesn't count ha. No bars tonight. Gotta be up early tomo!! I don't know if plans will change tonight cause of the rain tho. I also have to pack for the weekend tonight. 
 
Burberry summer?? Do I know that? 
 
Kristen: they don't have coffee makers anywhere in this place. I bought instant coffee but I don't know much about it. Any advice? I want to have it cold but I'm not sure what should be my method. I wish I had starbucks instant! 
 
I love my peanut butter. I brought it to class today and everyone was jealous. They don't eat it here!! I had to go the international part of the grocery store. Instead they eat nutella on everything. My roommates have two 1 kg massive jars of it on the kitchen table next to the salt and pepper at all times. Yum. We were thinking of stirring some into our coffee and milk in the morn! Yum. 
 
What's up wit you peeps?? 
 

Letters from France

Sunday May 31st 2009

hey all. i either blew the outlet up in my hostel room or i blew up my 
converter/outlet thing. my phone died last night so i cant chrge it. 
its 11am and we are going togo to the ariport soon. flighs at 2;30. im 
on a brke ass computer at the hostel. 15 min for 1 euro. once i get 
to touloue i will figur out my chrger. and i will call aasap. 
looovveee u! im so excitedto get to toulouse! my own room and shower 
sound great. this hostel thing is fun...but only for 2 days ha i feeel 
gross. love you and tlk to you soon no worries boutthe phone thing. 
 
france is gret. we are doing fine and are surpisingly cofortble here 
even not being able to speak. everyones nice. foods yummy. tooo many 
stairs and walking. sore. we allwent out to a legit renchrestaruant 
lastnnight. i had duck in a peach cream sauce. yum. 
 
got to go!! love you! xoxox 

Letters From France

Friday May 29th 2009

So we are staying at this neat hostel (so I hope) and its pretty hip and happening ha. You have to be between 18-35 to stay. The people who run it are super cool and young. The first floors a bar/cafe place. The bartender just made us dinner pasta and salad and cheese and baguettes and wine.. all for 5 euro each! It was great. Just thought I'd share :) 

Letters From France

Friday May 29th

Hiii I have been getting them. Just super busy and didn't want to stop and text and offend anyone.  

Erika and I got in around 7am Paris time and we are sleeeepppyy but still getting things seen and done. The flight was fine. We couldn't find the train from the airport to the main train to the city. Then we couldn't figure out how to get out of the terminal after the train. We were trapped in the station. Then we got lost in paris cause all the streets change names and are winding and it was 80 degrees and I had 1500 lbs of luggage to drag around for and hour and a half. 

 

But once we got here to the hostle one of our people was already here. So the 3 of us went out to at bakery and got a crousant and ate it in a park. Then headed to the Sacre-Coeur. Its a church thats the on tallest hill in Paris and overlooks the city. We walked through the cutest towns to the Moulin Rouge... Not as cool as I would have expected we tried to buy a starbucks but w the exchange rate abd stuff a tall caramel mach was 7 dollars! Nooo waaayy. So we walked home and I just took a 2 hour nap and the rest of the group got here. The clouds cleared up and u can see the eifel tower out my window. We are going to get a sandwich and take a bottle of wine (oppen alcohol is ok on the streets here) and watch the tower sparkel at sun set. Then buussy day tomo. The Lourve- mona lisa. Norte Dame. The eiffel again and the arc du triumphe. Busy! 

 

This place is way cooler that I could have imagined. So gorgeous and not just sections.. Alllll of it. You'd love it. The people are cool and I am surpriisngly comfortable despite not knowing a word of the language. Ooops. Ha 

 

Love you. I will respond faster next time!