Etretat and Honfleur

This past Sunday, Culture Connections organized a day trip to Etretat and Honfleur which are two towns located along the English Channel. We left at 9:00am and bused about 1.5 hours to Etreatat. We were given about 3 hours to wander around so we went to the beach where we saw the beautiful cliffs and then climbed one to the top and took lots of pictures. It then started to rain so we headed back to town where we spent the rest of our time in a cafe sipping chocolat chaud. We then headed back to the bus where we drove 45 minutes to Honfleur which is a port town. We were given about two hours to wander around so we looked through shops, took pictures, that went to another cafe and bought crepes to kill the rest of the time. We then headed back to the bus and arrived back home at 6:30pm. Here are some pictures:

Juno Beach Day Trip

Last weekend, a few of our plans fell through so we decided instead of staying in all weekend, we would take a spontaneous trip to Juno Beach in Caen, France. On Saturday, I did a bit of research and planned out our transportation and decided we should take the noon train to Caen on Sunday. Something you should learn about Elina, Rasha, Julie, and me - combined we are very unpunctual. So we had a meeting time of 10:50am to walk to the bus stop which comes at 11:07, getting us to the train station at 11:17 which would give us time to order tickets. So, bad idea - we all went out on Saturday night so come Sunday morning, it was a little hard to get up. BUT we did it! But not all of us were ready at 11:50, so at 11:58 we were finally all ready until we all realized we had forgotten our 12-25 Student discount cards we need to buy train tickets, so back up the stairs we ran! Finally en route to the bus stop, we knew we had missed the bus but as we were approaching the stop, guess what? The bus pulls up!! YAYY, luck on our side today! We hop on, get to the train station in time, get our tickets, and on the train we go!

The train ride is approx a 1.5 hour ride. We find four seats together and all pass out. We arrived around 1:50 and at the last minute that morning, I had scribbled down some directions on a piece of paper that I threw into my bag. I took them out and realized they were the worst directions ever. We found the bus stop we were supposed to find and THANK GOD, it was a Sunday and buses only run every 3 hours, but our bus was due in 10 minutes!! Also on the website, I read that it only takes 25 min to get to Juno Beach, the bus schedule said over one hour (greatttt). We had a 4:30 train to catch back to Rouen, and if it takes an hour to get to Juno beach, and an hour back, and buses run only every 3 hours..the math didn't work out! But we decided to hop on the bus anyway. It only cost 2.8 euros for an hour bus ride on a coach bus (not bad!).

One other slight problem. My amazing directions told us what area to get off the bus at, but what I didn't realize is that within each area, there are probably about 10 stops. But there was a 16 year old girl named Brittany who we met at the bus stop who was extremely friendly and who communicated to the bus driver for us and she got him to tell us what stop to get off at. The scenery on the bus ride was beautiful! I think I would like to go back and just explore Caen. We finally arrived to Juno Beach a little over an hour later, and the bus driver told us that the next bus comes in one hour, and then next one in four hours. When we got off the bus, the seaside was beautiful! We decided we would need four hours and that we would just exchange our tickets when we go back to the train station.

Juno Beach looked to be a very touristy seaside town. It had beach cottages and condos and lots of ice cream parlors and cafes, but at the end of the beach was where the historic part was. Juno Beach is where the Canadian troops landed during D-Day during WWII. We explored the beach for a while and then walked over to the museum and memorial which was really moving. The museum is a Canadian Museum where Canadian students work. There was a girl from Vancouver and another one from Montreal working there that day.

After we explored, we grabbed some supper and then caught the bus back to the train station. Although the day started off to a rough start, it ended up being a great day trip! Lesson of the day: take more time to write down directions.

Here are some Pictures!

BANG BANG BOOM

We had a little fright the other night. It was around midnight and I heard some bangs and booms and tons of sirens. I was kind of half asleep so it didn't really phase me, but then I heard a knock on my door and Ava and Roxy were there wondering what was happening, and Ava said she could see fire from her balcony. Still half asleep, back to bed I went and the next day I saw this video and apparently there was an explosion downtown and 22 fire trucks were needed. There hasn't been much news other than that. I have no idea where it was, what caused it, and if anyone was injured. I just wanted to share my first explosion experience (hopefully last) with you! I'll keep you posted if I learn anything more.

France vs Canada

I've been observing a few things here in France that are somewhat different than Canada and would like to share:

1. McDonald's

France always does it classier. First of all, there is not ONE McDonald's that is one floor. They are 2+. Secondly, they have McCafe's here! Where they sell specialty coffees and pastries. As if a bigmac meal is not enough, why not top it off with a macaroon or a cheesecake? Third, when you walk in, there is a self-service machine that you can order and pay from, THEN you go to the counter to pick up your food. And finally, the bathrooms! Learned this the hard way - drank too much fanta and went to the toilette, but it was locked - so I thought it was a single bathroom and that it was taken, so I waited and waited and waited, until someone came and looked at me strangely and then entered a code on the keypad that I somehow missed and the door opened. At McDonald's, there is a bathroom code on the bottom of your receipt that you need to enter in order to use the bathroom. I guess this prevents people from the streets to use it without buying something. How high-tech is that!

2. Technology

So although McDonald's is high-tech, I'm finding the rest of France (or at least the part that I'm in) is not. First of all, I want to murder my wifi here in my dorm (except that it's not a physical object, so I don't see that as a possibility). It is SO slow! During the day it's alright, but at night time, it's nearly impossible to even connect! Which makes it hard with the time difference back in Canada because it's most convenient for me to skype late at night because it's early evening back home and everyone's home from work and school. Second, can you think of the first computer you've ever owned? I'm pretty sure my whole school is equipped with those. They work fine, but it's really funny to see a computer the size of your fat cat these days. 

3. Elevators
Ok, you've heard me complain about the lack of elevators here. But it's true, France is most definitely NOT wheelchair accessible! And with my tendency to break bones (which won't happen mums and pops!), I don't know how I would survive here. No wonder why the French are so thin, they have to walk up stairs all of the time. Since a gym membership is not included in my tuition, I feel that the stairs will suffice as my exercise. 


4. Red Meat

When you ask for medium, you get rare. When you ask for well done, you get medium-rare. It's near impossible to find a well-done steak here. One time in the cafe, Elina, Ava, and I ordered steak. We all cut into it, and out poured blood everywhere, it was not cooked at all! I'm pretty sure it was still alive. That was the last time that I've eaten red meat here. 

5. Greetings

I don't think I've ever been kissed so much in my entire life. You don't shake hands here or hug, you kiss both cheeks. And it's not even when you just meet someone for the first time, it's EVERY time you see someone. Us international students aren't religious kissers but the French are. The other day, I saw a French guy from one of my classes and I went over to say hi and he leaned in like he was going to hug me, so forgetting the whole french norm, I went and gave him a big hug. He started laughing, then I realized that he was putting both hands on my shoulders to give me a kiss on both cheeks, which he continued to do after my embarrassing hug. Oops.    

That's all I have for you folk now. I'm sure I'll think of some more to add later!