Ten months in Tours: Poitiers and a busy week

It's only two weeks until the Easter holidays, and I've not got long left in Tours now. Luckily there's still just about time to fit in cultural activities in between end of term revision and presentations. I can't even remember how many presentations I've made in French now. The first couple were terrifying, and they're still nerve-racking but I've got more used to them now. I'm hoping that making presentations in English will seem a lot less daunting after this year.

Monday was jam-packed as usual and on Tuesday I went out for drinks with Erasmus friends as Marie-Luise was back visiting from Germany. On Wednesday Chloe, Eilish and I went out for a Japanese meal in Tours as an almost-end-of-term-really-there's-no-excuse-for-this treat. I've never tried Japanese food before and it was great, although my favourite parts were definitely the tea and the desserts. It was a good pick-me-up for all of us, and it's nice to try something a little different. Thursday we had a film night, and then Friday morning we started work on our next presentation and in the afternoon I met up with Pauline and went to the Château de Tours.

I've been meaning to go to the Château de Tours for ages as there is a free art exhibition showcasing the photography of Vivian Maier, a French-American photographer. Maier seems to have lived a very interesting and rich life, which is reflected in the variety of people and places that she photographed. I particularly liked her street photography in Chicago as it seems to capture America in the 50s and 60s. The château originates from the 11th century, although most of it is a lot more modern. It's really nice that it's being maintained and put to good use. France seems to be quite good for museums and galleries, Tours isn't an enormous place but there's lots of choice, and there are always lots of cultural events arranged through the uni or local groups.

On Saturday a group of us went to Poitiers, which is a small but historic city about an hour away from Tours by train. The main draw is the beautiful architecture and old churches but we also walked around the Parc de Blossac and and stopped for mid-afternoon patisserie. As well as the Early Gothic 12th century Cathedral, we also saw the 11th century Romanesque Église Notre-Dame la Grande, and the oldest church in France- Bapistère Saint-Jean (4th century). Notre-Dame la Grande was probably my favourite, as it was so different from others that I've seen and the ceilings and inside walls were painted. The Baptistère was tiny, but almost unimaginably old. Definitely a city worth visiting for history/architecture enthusiasts!
In the afternoon we went for a drink in the square by the Hôtel de Ville (similar to the one in Tours, but more subtle). I think this must have been when I showcased by incredible British sun-burning talents and burned on a 15 degree cloudy day. There was a local music event which was nice for a bit but turned into a French rap-battle of dubious quality so we headed off to the Parc at that point.

In other news- Me and Chloe have just booked flights to Porto, Portugal for after the end of exams in May. I'm so excited! And it should be great motivation during the exam period. Flights from Tours airport to Porto are so cheap at the moment- come with us!