Can I Have Some Mustard Please? Dijon-style!

I had a 5:45AM wake up call as it would take 1-1.5 hours to get to Paris Montparnasse.

Note: There's a Versailles express train that drops you off to Paris Montparnasse in twenty minutes. Wish I would have known that sooner!

Arrival to Dijon is like traveling back in time. The Romanesque architecture provides an obvious old stylistic look and the city itself provides quite a small-town feel.

Jardin D'Arcy

Unfortunately, to my disappointment, the Mustard Museum was closed! C'est terrible!

I started the day at Jardin D'Arcy where I took pictures with the famous Pompons Polar Bear! The same sculpture can be seen at the Musee D'Orsay in Paris. The city's architecture and quaintness really makes a person want to walk. Next stop was to grab a quick chicken kebab at Darcy Kebab.

Pompons Polar Bear of Jardin D'Arcy

The St. Benigne Church has a fantastic crypt exhibit downstairs with the sarcophagus of St. Benigne. A Roman Catholic cathedral, it originated as the church of Abbey of St. Benignus.

Underground at the St. Benigne Church

Apparently, A walk down Place François Rude will lead you to a block full of hairstylists! At Hypnotyk, there was a student haircut special for 18euros. They asked if I really wanted a haircut as they didn't speak English, but I didn't care - I just responded "Oui, c'est bonne!"

I had the full shampoo, cut, and brush. In French, she spoke to me about food, Obama, why I'm in France, etc. She even told her non-snail eating daughter, "See, even an American likes escargot!" Haha. The haircut was actually quite amazing and it looked very European with the hairspray.

As Monoprix was on the same street, I went to do a bit of grocery shopping! The H&M was very edgy and West Coast comparative to other H&Ms in the world. Je t'aime!It was too easy to feel like a local in Dijon.

The Musee des Beaux-Arts was free and fantastic. As it's quite small, it provides a legit stopping. There are actually quite a bit of landmarks in the city as I strolled by St. Michel and St. Chappelle.

Hébé et l'aigle de Jupiter

While at Place Wilson, a woman approached me inquiring about my life as I did not look like a local! We spoke (en Francais) about why I was in France, what I thought about Dijon, good things to see in Dijon, etc. AND she stated that I spoke French well! I watched her leave and apparently, she had her husband pull over specifically so she could speak to me. Celebrity status!

I walked Cours Du Gal De Gaulle like she suggested and came across Parc de la Colombière. The French royal park was very pretty with it's 6,000 grandiose trees and crisscrossing alleys.

In the park, a young boy asked me for the time and then if I were an American. The next words from him were then specifically about my hometown! Considering that he had never been and only had three relatives in New York, I was quite surprised. I blame it on American reality television shows.

The Temple of Love in Parc de la Colombière

Note: Don't go to the Temple of Love by yourself! Even if you are in a relationship, make sure to approach the gazeebo with somebody!

The Notre Dame was very different from the ones I've seen. It seemed like the inside had switched out! The Gothic church features gargoyles and slender towers topped off by the Jacquemart Clock.

Dijon's Notre Dame

Of course, no trip would have been complete without a protest!

I sat and waited for this apparent "free" tram, but it never came. Thus, I went to Moutarde Maille to buy some mustard! They actually allow one to sample various mustards.

Mustards galore at Moutarde Maille

Tip: Be weary of which mustards you taste! The Du vin blanc made me tear up!

I walked to Place République and used the ATM at BNP (yes, another errand). However, I unfortunately learned the lesson that one should NOT leave money in the machine as it will eat it back up after some time! Grr.

The day trip only cost me 6euros (well maybe 12euros because I cancelled on another trip). Yay for the Eurorail pass! And yay for being a "local" and for my new haircut!

Goodbye, Bordeaux!

I knocked on the roomate's door to go to the morning markets. The voice of a female was heard speaking to him (the other roommate, Laura!) Duhn, duhn, duhn!

We walked to Le Marche des Capucins, a large flower and fruit market. I was pleasantly happy as I was able to buy a 2euro umbrella!

Bordeaux -a quaint little city

Leslie and I then completed the morning walking up and down the quay taking pictures and visiting the City Hall. At the house, we said goodbye to the CSurfing hosts and I finally got to meet the final roommate: the chef!

No worries, home is close by!

Leslie took off to Charles de Gaulle and I headed back home to Jouy-en-Josas. Good times!

Are We On the Travel Channel? Wine Tasting Time!

We were excited as today would be our wine tasting adventure! After a late morning wake up, we ran to the train station just in time; however, our train was not listed on the screen! Just as luck would have it, there was a strike! We were provided with another option to get to Bergerac - thus, we headed off to the station of Foy-la-Grande.

I called our wine connoisseur, Caroline Freely, and she stated that it was no problem and advised us to check the return ticket. We tried to book a return, but the attendant stated that she could not know the time from St. Gardonne to Bordeaux because of the strike. Thus, we went back in line and waited for another attendant. This one provided us with the correct information!

When we arrived at the train station, it felt like déjà vu Rive de Gier - we were stranded in the middle of nowhere! Out front, I recognized Caroline's picture from her wine website, www.frenchwineadventures.com. We jumped in her car and it immediately felt like we were in a television show!

As we drove, she explained the various vineyards that we passed along the way. We were in Bergerac, just outside of Bordeaux, yet the region still made Bordeaux-style wines. Her home was adorable as cute chickens and children ran all around!

Caroline Freely's winery

The wine workshop began with a bit of Bergerac's history and then into the 400+ appellations of wine. Soon, the wine tasting began!

We started off with two white wines: Semillon 2007 and Semillon, AC Bergerac Sec, 2006. I actually preferred the 2006 as it was less sweet and lighter on the tongue. We then went into the red wines, where we tried Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, both 2006. However, my favorite had to be the sweet dessert wine! Chateau Haut Garrigue AC Saussignac, 2006 tasted the best (perhaps coupled by the fact that it came along with dessert!)

Tasting some Merlot

For lunch, Caroline provided tomato salad, bread, and several cheeses! It was also my first experience tasting foie gras - so delicious! Foie gras is a delicacy in French cuisine and must be tried if one is abroad. The tarts for dessert tasted so delectable with the Saussignac white wine that I had to buy some!

The aftermath of our cheese and wine destruction

As we enjoyed lunch, two older individuals came by to check out Caroline's wine. When they found out we were American, the first words out of their mouths were "You have a black president now!" Ahaha.

While touring the vineyard, one easily feels like he or she is in The Travel Channel! As we walked between the vines of the 30-acre vineyard, Caroline provided us with great information..."These vines are about sixty years old. You can tell by the size of the stem. Now back in the 18th century, the St. Emelion Castle over there served as a lookout point..." Yes, Travel Channel indeed!

The beautiful wine fields of Bergerac

Prices of land for wineries:

• 2.2 hectre in Saussignac = $15,000
• 2.2 hectre in Bordeaux = $200,000
• 2.2 hectre in Champagne = $1,000,000!

Caroline's gorgeous porch view...sigh...

We had a mini-photoshoot in the vineyard and then it was pretty much time to go (boo, la grave!) We jumped back in Caroline's car and headed to St. Gardonne train station. Later on, she let me know by e-mail that she actually waited at the train station in case the strike affected our train. So sweet!

Mrs. Caroline Freely herself!

Leslie and I felt so exhausted after our adventure that we both fell asleep back to Bordeaux St. Jean! After we were rested though, we soon headed off to Dibiterie for live music. It was small, but cute and fun! Leslie was even lucky enough to catch a drumstick!

Looking back, I am glad that the big wine tours in Bordeaux were sold out! Caroline Freely's private wine workshop was actually found on the third page of Google. Many vineyards in bigger regions like Medoc are run by investors with much wealth, so they pay people to work for them. However, this wine tour was provided by a private family, who spent their whole lives saving up for their dream of owning a winery! Thus, we got to experience their passion with them!

The bus bench that ended the night and speaks the truth! Fitting!

CouchSurfing in Bordeaux

After dancing in Paris at La Locomotive (located next to the M0ulin Rouge), Leslie Donnelly and I headed off to Bordeaux!

The tram in Bordeaux is quite simple as there are only three main lines. Being a much less expensive city that others in comparison, ten rides were only 6.10euros.

We went straight to Tour Pey Berland, which resembled the Duomo in Milan with its towers and columns. The bell tower was constructed in 1440 and was named after the Archbishop of Bordeaux, Pey Berland.

Tour Pey Berland

Tower Pey-Berland sits near; however, it was closed for some unknown reason. Thus, we went to Saint-Michel Basilica. The Gothic church measures over 350 feet high and a view from the top provides magnificent views of the city.

Tower Pey-Berland at night

We bought some chocolate chaud (hot chocolate) at a local shop - it was so small that it didn't even have a name! Afterwards, we headed off to meet our CouchSurfing host, Clothilde Vg! The very first thing the French girl said to us was, "We're going to cook dinner for you!" Success!

The house was tres grande! There were four bedrooms and a pull-out couch for Leslie and me. We had some wonderful chicken with Clothilde, her boyfriend, and two of the roommates. We definitely got to practice our Francais as the only one that spoke English was Clothilde!

The life of a CouchSurfer!

That night, Leslie and I went down Rue Ste. Catherine, the longest pedestrian street in France. We made our way to Le Cafe Brun, which was a sweet place to relax with good music. We walked around the city a bit and met back up with Clothilde and her friends at a local apartment kickback. Everyone there was definitely a hippie - love it!

We spent the rest of the night speaking "Franglais" with two local French boys. They had quite a time speaking English with us and it was a good time had by all!

Champagne in Champagne!

Jessica and I left Corporate Finance early at 11:40AM to catch 0ur train to Reims at 1:57PM. There, we would experience having champagne in Champagne! Thankfully, our friend Borja was able to take our books back for us!

We JUST caught the connection train to Massy Palaiseau and raced around the train station trying to find where Jess could print her ticket! Just in time, we were able to grab her ticket at 1:45PM.

What most of my European train adventures consisted of!

Contrary to popular belief, Champagne is not a city, but rather an entire region. The similarities of the rolling hillside of the region resemble the Italian countryside of Campania and thus, the region was dubbed Champagne (from the Latin term Camapania).

Surprisingly , Reims was quite a great town to visit. The map that was provided was quite easy to utilize as it listed all the major attractions in the small college town. Our first stop: buy some champagne in Champagne!

Our first stop: Comtesse du Barry for some champagne!

We found another Notre Dame - I actually liked the outside of this one more than the one in Paris! The cathedral was completed by the end of the 13th century and remains the seat of the Archbishop of Reims.

Notre-Dame de Reims a.k.a. Our Lady of Rhiems

Yay!

Unfortunately, being a Monday in France, many buildings are closed including small boutiques to Monoprix to goverment buildings. Thus, the cryptology and Palais du Tau were closed. Hence, it gives me a reason to return to the region of Champagne one day!

Crypt of the Basilica

Back of Notre Dame!

Jess and I then rode on the merry-go-round! It was about 3euros for literally five minutes. Rip off, but still so much fun!

On the merry-go-round!

Interestingly, as each H&M store has its own style of clothing, the H&M in Reims was fantastic as it targeted the hip college-aged population. As dinner didn't start until 7PM (again, small town France), we walked around a bit and ate at Beuff ou Salade. We also practiced our "Franglais" the whole time. Yay for champagne in Champagne!

Salut, Lyon!

Frederica took off to Paris and Julian told me to wake him up whenever I was leaving, even if it were 7AM! Thus, I did! Marco was quite sleepy and sent me off with a "Bon voyage!"

We headed off to the Museum of Beaux-Arts where one can find everything from Egyptian to Modern Art. The museum's temporary and permanent galleries surround the public garden and serves as one of Europe's leading museums.

Of course, the museum was free for students! In fact, everything tends to be free for students in Lyon. Love it!

Pablo Picasso of course!

Julian really feeling the art piece!

At the train station, I tried to catch the early train with Pauline, but unfortunately, it was sold out. Hence, I went off and introduced Julian to Subway sandwiches to which he loved! Further, a woman came up to us asking where he got the sandwich as she went to Montreal and fell in love with Subway. Nice!

His first time eating Subway!

At the train station, I though the trains were terribly backed up (it's France of course!), so I just waited for the late train. I thought a conductor was trying to explain to me that French trains are sometimes late, but then I realized that it was Daylight Savings Time! So, I waited ANOTHER hour!

Listening to some great jazz, meeting the mayor, couchsurfing, not paying for anything, and spending time with some great French students...what more do you need?

Bonsoir! Qui est?

Pauline and I bought breakfast at a local supermarket consisting of a ham sandwich, Contrex, and orange juice. We took the bus to Rive de Gier to get to the train station, Lyon Part Deaux. While on the train, I called my CouchSurfing host!

Couchsurfing.com is a website started by an American who was tired of staying in hostels and not meeting any locals. Thus, he started the website in which the general idea is that others offer up their couch and travelers passing through will "crash" with them. This creates a cross-cultural connection and sparks friendships throughout the world. By living by the "travelers taking care of travelers" mentality, over one million successful host/CouchSurfing experiences have been had! And do not worry, there is a feedback rating similar to Ebay and individuals can be verified through credit cards as to avoid creepers!

At arrival, I found two big welcome signs saying, "Hello, Krys!" Already I knew that Julian and Frederic would serve as great hosts!

Walking to their nearby apartment, they said that they wanted to take me all around Lyon! I also met the third roommate. Their profiles:

Frederic: Italian, speaks English well and good French
Julian: French, speaks basic English
Marco: German, speaks English/French conversationally well

We walked the city taking photoshoots at every fountain and statue we saw until we reached the Center of Lyon which is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

By les quais du Rhone

"The Flower Tree" by Choi Jeong-Hwa

We walked around Old Town Lyon, which is quite beautiful with its Medieval and Renaissance architecture. There, I went into St. Jean Catherdrale, the cathedral of the Archbishop of Lyon and perhaps more importantly, is the leading Archbiship of France.

Old Town Lyon!

Being around the three roommates was great for my French because they would always start off speaking in English and then they would always revert back to French! This is much easier than practicing with fluent English speakers because then you somehow always resort back to speaking English. We definitely spoke in "Franglais."

We then took a funicular to get to Mount Fourvière which provides a magnificent view of the Lyon! Not surprisingly, as Fourviere literally means "one who prays", we visited the Fourvière Basilica and the enowned statue of the Virgin Mary.

View atop Mount Fourvière

Note: When a German utilizes the phrase "That's porno," that does not necessarily mean they are referring to an inappropriate industry. Rather, it is slang utilized by younger individuals to describe something that is extravagently grandiose (i.e. a pink limo).

Frederica and I headed off to Le Parc de la Tête d'Or which was huge! It is argubly like Central Park in New York complete with a zoo. We bought churros (10 for only 3.50euros) and walked around the bears, mongeese, and rose garden. Next time I am in Lyon, I will visit the Contemporary Art Museum!

In the rose garden at Le Parc de la Tête d'Or

While walking back, I was able to take a gorgeous picture by the Rhone River and see the famous Opera Houst lit up at night!

The Rhone River

Back at the apartment, they even further proved great hosts as they made my first home-cooked meal in weeks! We had fish, vegetables, rice, and pizza! Love it!

They wanted to know the sign for an Aries, so I did my best with my limited drawing skills! "Rabbit?" "No, no." "Oh, uhh, animal that goes baa, baa?" "No, no." "Torro, torro!" Haha, it was so funny listening to all of us communicate! Quite honestly, it would not have been such a great conversation if we were all fluent in one another's languages! It was simply just a great conversation learning about each other's lives, culturally and locally.

We headed off to the costume party as Columbo, My Name is Earl, a disco woman, and Bri from Desparate Housewives! "Bri" later told me she wanted to come to California so I could show here where the show was filmed!

On the way to the fête

At the party, I mistakenly thought Paris Hilton was Goldilocks (she was too adorable!) and I further met the Love Boat captain and members of the Adams Family. Can I experience something besides from American culture? Haha...

Fortunately at the party, people barely spoke English, so thus, I improved my French ten-fold to the point where people actually complimented me on the fact that I speak French well! The costume party was great as well for one could simple ask somebody "Qui est?"

Back at the apartment, I was awoken by Julian and Marco who wanted to make sure I was warm on the couch. Thus, they pulled out a blanket and threw it on me. They proceeded to put on another, and another, and another! By the time they tucked me in, I had half a dozen blankets on me!

The many blankets the boys tucked me in with!

Great night!

And That's How We Met the Mayor

It was a rushed morning as I woke up at 10:07AM when I was supposed to leave at 10AM! With the November 4th Presidential Elections approaching in the United States, I ran to drop off my absentee ballot before taking the bus to Massy Palaisseau.

Pauline would be joining me later, so I slept on the train during the two hours to Lyon. We were on our way to the Rhino Jazz Festival which we had found online. I had heard (or thought I had heard) of it before, so I imagined that it must have been huge!

Note: Have your passport on you if you have the Eurorail pass! They usually never check, but the pass is only technically good with a passport.

Upon arrival, I felt like I was back in my study abroad program: out in the middle of nowhere! The train station attendant had NO clue as regards to the Rhino Jazz Festival nor did Rive de Gier have a tourism office. Thus, the attendant gave me the name name of one (and only) hotel in the city: the Renaissance. Pauline and I found the hotel online, but they were originally sold out!

As I walked to the center of town, I found rhino-symboled banners and statues everywhere. Obviously, the Rhino Jazz Festival had to be huge! Ironically, none of the banners had any contact information whatsoever.

I see the signs, but where's the festival?

I ate at a small patesserie and actually found a Jazz Festival brochure next to the cahier stand. The owner gave me directions to the ticket booth (all in French) where we had previously made reservations on tickets.

The ticket booth actually had a rhino horn coming out of it, but was quite helpful as I received directions to the concert and hotel and paid for the tickets (again, all in French!). The old man offered to take me in his car the two kilometers to the hotel, but for obvious safety concerns, I politely declined.

I soon realized a few things that made the predicament quite difficult:
-We had no hotel for that night
-I really could not speak the language
-Nobody could really speak English in this small town
-I was probably the only Asian within a fifty kilometer radius

Hmm, what to do? At arrival to The Renaissance, they had no vacancies (in all five of their rooms). There were also no couchettes (couches) or chaises (chairs) we could sleep in either! Sigh...but they gave me information for another hotel in the next town over.

Pauline finally arrived and was able to call the other hotel. We found a taxi number as well as the buses stop running early in Rive de Gier (of course) and they would pick us up after the concert. Thus, we went to grab a beer and Orangina!

After picking up a panini at L'Hollandais, we headed up the steep hill to the concert! Thankfully, our trusty post-it note map the French ticket attendant gave me was pretty accurate! Thankgoodness the random Rhino Crossing Signs helped show us the way!

Another clue leading to the Festival!

After the 3km uphill climb, we made it to the top at Salle de Grange! It was dark, in the middle-of-nowhere, and many, many senior citizens. It was just the Rhino Jazz Festival I had imagined! Haha, my bad!

Nonetheless, the concert was amazing! The Hampton Vibrations consist of a four-man saxophone, a pianist, a guitarist, a drummer, a trumpetist, and a xylophonist! They all sand, clapped, and had energy as well as talent. Quite an entertaining performance!

The amazing and energetic Hampton Vibrations!

At intermission, Pauline started to speak to one of the older ladies asking what time the concert would end. Otherwise, we would have to call the taxi cab to pick us up later. When she discovered that our hotel was over seven kilometers away, she balked and actually found us a ride with another older woman!

Word travels fast around a small town and the locals were so surprised that two "Parisians (one of which isn't even French!)" came into town. Thus, a reporter decided to interview us and take our picture! Long story short, the next thing we knew, we were standing next to the mayor and shaking his hand for the local newspaper! Hahahah...

Just another day in meeting the mayor and the son of the oldest mayor in Rive de Gier (he worked for fifty years!)

The nicest woman gave us a ride to the next town to which the hotel front desk actually just left us our keys at the front desk. What a lovely, trusting, and beautiful commnity of Rive de Gier!

The kindest women in France!

Nice is nice!

After four trains and six girls later, we finally made it to the French Riviera! As each girl arrived, we quickly ate at Fast Food China, your typical mom-and-pop inexpensive, but good eat restaurant.

We took a walk down Jean Jaures to the Museum of Modern Art and Contemporary Art (MOMAC). Not surprisingly, Nice is full of fountains and is quite quaint!

Middle of Old Town Nice

Surprisingly; however, my new favorite museum would have to be the MOMAC! With its multiple floors, the art is refreshingly presented and organized well. The building's architecture sits with Carrara marble towers that are linked with glass footbridges. The roof, which provides a magnificent view of the city is appropriately called the Jardin d'Eden (Garden of Eden). Beware though as Andy Warhol's works are heavily advertised, but there might only be one ("Dusty Diamond Shoes").

A temporary exhibition by Richard Long was arguably the most exciting! The British-born artist utilized a variety of forms from photography to painting. His works typically embody a response to his journeys across environmental spaces.

Richard Long's "Whitewater Falls"

Richard Long's "An Eight Day Walk in the Cairngorm Mountains"

Perhaps the most beautiful view of the Nice can be seen from the rooftop of the MOMAC. Of course, we held another photoshoot!

From the rooftop of the MOMAC

After walking around Old Town (which is beautiful at nighttime just as it is in the day), we had a delicious outdoor dinner at Le Pub Opera. The weather was fantastic and it was nice to have a ladies night out!

Eating outside at Le Pub Opera

Afterwards, we went to the only bar in town catering towards backpackers: Wayne's! Each night, the bar is packed with travelers and is the place in town to listen to music and dance on tables!

Wayne's Backpackers!

We barhopped to Blue Whales, another venue for live music, where we sat up close and personal to the stage. Before the night ended, Pauline, Julia, and I toured Nice at night. Apparently, the television show "High School Musical" is as popular globally as it is in the U.S.! Good night!

We all love "High School Musical"