La fin du premier semestre

I'm not sure whether time has passed quickly or slowly. Four months is a long time to be out of the country but, because it's often felt like the term was never-ending, it's somewhat of a surprise to find myself suddenly at home now.

The exams were all hideous and each one I'm praying to pass, but there's no way I've passed everything. But aside from exam stress it's been quite a nice end to the semester. On Saturday I went for crêpes with my Canadian friend Tavleen (she likes apples and woofing) and then drinks with some other Erasmus/french students, and then on Sunday I went to see La Reine des neiges (Frozen) with Pauline and the we bought chichis (churros?) at the Christmas market, which were a delicious discovery. On Tuesday some people on my floor organised a big meal/party where everyone brought food, I was dead after my four hour history exam that afternoon but I stayed for a while and it was really nice to get to know people on my floor better. Some of them I had literally never seen before, including a German Erasmus student who I then ran into twice in the next two days!

Then finally on Wednesday a group of us went out for one last meal together before a lot of the Erasmus students leave for good :( It was a lovely meal, followed by a quick trip to the Canadian Cafe, but it's sad to think of next term without them. Also, I think by the end of first semester you've often only just really got to know some people, and it's sad to have to abandon that. I'm so appreciative of all the different people you get to meet through studying abroad though. I've met so many genuinely lovely people from around the world who are open to new experiences and opportunities, and of course you can't stay friends with everyone but I've enjoyed meeting them all nonetheless.

The last evening of term

Me with my third crêpe of the week

A TOURSist weekend

I've managed to half revive my laptop- it works but it's painfully slow as I have to use an on-screen mouse-operated keyboard.
It's been quite a stressful couple of weeks, I don't remember the end of the winter term being this stressful at Rhul but maybe I'm remembering it through rose-tinted glasses. Either way this term is lonnnnnng.

So it was a welcome break/procrastination excuse having Jess to stay this weekend. I went to see her a few weeks ago in Meung-sur-Loire and this was her visit to Tours and my luxurious 5 star student residence. She arrived on Sunday, which at any other time of year would be very limiting in France, but because it's nearly Christmas there was a Christmas market and some of the shops were even open *gasp*. So on top of seeing the main touristy sites (Cathedral, Old Tours, Loire) we were able to get in a bit of shopping and a mooch around the markets aswell. We also had a little Rhul reunion with Lucy over lunch, and compared year abroad experiences. Then in the evening we went to see some more of the Christmas lights, bought some mulled wine (I managed to spill half of mine) and walked back to mine, stopping to go on the ferris wheel next to the Loire which was so worth it as we got a view of the city all lit up.

We had a pretty standard/British evening watching Love Actually and eating Spag Bol, but sometimes it's just nice to have some home comforts. Then on Monday we got up late, wandered into town, and had a look round the Musée des Beaux Arts before Jess got her train back. I'd been meaning to go back at a less busy time so it was nice. I think you're reminded of the things that are great about your town when you have visitors :)

And I'm just writing about that day because the others are a blur of stress and exams and not understanding anything.

I forgot my camera but here are some of Jess's pictures from the weekend:

Obligatory lunch picture...delicious!

Christmas lights in Tours

Christmas lights in Tours

Christmas lights in Tours

The wheel!

On the wheel

Jess and me on the wheel

Musée des Beaux Arts + Cathedral

Musée du Compagnonnage

I didn't get up to that much last week so I'll keep it short. I'm trying to write once a week so I'll have a sort of record to look back on but obviously some weeks are more eventful than others!

Apart from an Erasmus night out on Thursday and the tragic death of my laptop, life's been feeling fairly uneventful (we've all got exams to revise for etc.). But I think it only feels that way because I've got so used to taking trips at the weekend and spontaneous touristy/cultural days out. I don't want to miss anything while I'm here but equally I'm trying to balance that with catching up on sleep and attempting to actually pass my exams.

This week I've got to make a presentation for my french language class on either a work of art or a cultural visit, so I decided I could justify a trip to the Musée du Compagnonnage on Monday with Eilish. I've been meaning to go for ages as it always comes up near the top of lists of things to see in Tours, and it's on the main high street in Tours, Rue Nationale, so I see it most days. It's in a really impressive building which is tucked back slightly from the high street, as you enter through the gift shop. The museum's attatched to Église Saint-Julien de Tours (which is currently undergoing restoration and was apparently turned into a stables during the Revolution(!) ), and has all kinds of displays of tools, commerative objects, and pieces of work made by the various Unions and Freemasons etc. from the area. It was suprisingly interesting and taught me a lot about the history of the area, but also the french attitude to craftsmanship and artisanry. My favourites were probably the Boulangers (bien sûr), the various masons, and the unexplained ''Bourgeois turkey'' cigarette holder.

The 'Bourgeois turkey'

This is a cake!

'Temple du devoir' made of pasta

Chinon and France frustration

This week was ok, I got back my literature test which I did pretty well in, although I have proper exams  as of next week which I’m less hopeful about. I’ve also got my first postcards for my postcard wall, which by coincidence each arrived a day apart and made me smile each day- thank you! I’m still tired though, I thought I’d got over my Wednesday tiredness now but this week I took a ‘nap’ in the evening that turned into sleeping for 13 hours!

On Saturday I went on an Erasmus trip to Chinon. I’m really glad I went as it was a last minute decision, but it turned out to be a really nice day! We were given a talk about the castle, and then we got to explore the castle and the town (which is beautiful), and then took a boat trip along the Loire in the afternoon for good measure! The castle was built in the 11th century and was once an important strategic point. It was particularly significant during the 100 years war and a lot was made of Joan of Arc's visit. Chinon the town is also the birthplace of our university's namesake François Rabelais. The castle as it is now is a bit Disney, there are huge fake dragons with various non-local stories attached to them, one of the dragons is apparently Norbert from Harry Potter, and the Loch Ness monster is also redesigned as a dragon. But it's all good fun, and I suppose it fits with the image of the era of knights and dragons. 

Although Chinon is pretty small (and completely deserted at lunchtime), there are two large churches only a few streets away from each other. The first was Saint-Étienne which me and Tavleen went to have a look around, it was very impressive although completely deserted. You can tell from the interior that it's still an active functioning church. It's funny as signs for both churches described them as 'parish churches'- they are absolutely not typical parish churches- but I think in the Loire Valley there are quite a few small towns in similar situations due to their historical significance. 

Aside from that one day though the week was pretty frustrating. It's getting close to the end of the first semester and there are unbelievably still so many bureaucracy issues, on top of that I unsuccessfully tried to sort out my french phone (another bureaucracy issue), waited around for a cancelled class, searched the shops for a decent jacket without luck, and then managed to buy significantly out of date chocolate in the supermarket that I spend half my life queuing in. So I was already reaching the end of my tether when I discovered that the internet in our residence had cut out completely. This might sound like an exaggeration but it literally puts my life on hold, it was out for 2 and a half days and I couldn't access the majority of my uni work, couldn't contact anyone, and couldn't do anything else as France closes on Sundays. 

Rant over, let's just say I'm ready for the Christmas break! The Christmas decorations went up around the centre of Tours this weekend and me and Eilish went to look round the Christmas market. There were so many lovely things, although it was pretty pricey!

Here are some photos from Saturday:

Chilly!

Château de Chinon

Château de Chinon

Château de Chinon

View of the Loire from the castle

'Downtown' Chinon

Château de Chinon

Château de Chinon

Château de Chinon

Château de Chinon

Joan of Arc tapestry

Joan of Arc in propaganda

L'Hôtel de Ville

Chinon

Chinon

Chinon

Chinon

Chinon

Chinon

Chinon

Saint-Étienne church

Saint-Étienne church

Joan of Arc

Saint-Étienne church

The second church

Rectory?

Joan of Arc statue

The boat ride :)

A Royal Holloway weekend: Chambord et Meung-sur-Loire

This has week has definitely been better than the last. En plus, it's Monday evening and my weekend's really only just ended, so I've done alright.

I didn't really get up to much during the week except classes etc. but on Friday me and Rhianna were invited to have dinner at Pauline and Justine's flat again which was a great way to end to the week. Then on Saturday I went on an Erasmus trip to Château de Chambord, which is about an hour away and has been on my to-do list since I got here as it's the castle that inspired the architecture of Founders. The problem was that Saturday was artic and we spent a lot of the day shivering in the grounds and in the equally freezing château. While some of the châteaux are more like palaces or stately homes, this one is closer to a traditional castle which of course meant there were only the two fires to heat the place! The architecture was stunning, however inside it was a little empty as it was just so big. What there was inside was very impressive, and I really feel that I'm getting a better sense of local history and of french history around the time of the reign of François I^er . The grounds were enormous too, I might return in the summer term to have a look round in the warmth. It was also the biggest group trip for international students so far so it was nice to get to chat and catch up with lots of people. When I got back to mine I felt like I'd just got back from a walking holiday, I was so appreciative of my warm shower and the meal I made with Rhianna that evening.

On Sunday I took the train to Meung-sur-Loire to visit Jess, who's working at the tourism office there this term. It's a pretty little town not far from Orléans, and luckily it has a station (although the trains are very infrequent!) Aside from drinking tea and comparing experiences of the year abroad we had a walk around the town and the Sunday market, went to the Gaston Couté museum, a small art exhibition, and had a long lunch. Then late afternoon we were picked up by a french family who are friends of Jess's and went for dinner and to stay over at their house. Small detail...they live in a château.

It was a lovely evening, the family were very welcoming and I was given a tour of the building, which during the tourist season is also a small hotel. We watched a bizarre french comedy called 'Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob' in the evening and then slept in late and had a late breakfast and a walk around the unreal grounds. Then at Jess's we ate dairy milk, I couldn't believe my luck! It was a great weekend and very relaxing, although hearing Jess speaking french with the family, and how good her accent is, reminded me that I'm here to speak french and I need to make a conscious effort to improve while I'm here. I already feel like I've improved a lot, but I could  absolutely be doing more, and it would be a real shame to return from this experience without close to fluent french. 

Chambord photos (all Rhianna's this time): (the château we stayed at was Château la Touanne)  

Founders' castle!

Chambord

Ceramic stove (unfortunately not in use that day!)

Chambord

A similar staircase to the one at Blois

The castle was once used for huge hunting groups

Chambord

Door with the emblems of François Ier 

The incredible helix staircase

The tallest bed I've ever seen