A visit from home, Paris, and more chateaux!

The past two weeks have been so filled with activity that I'm a bit surprised at everything I've done since the beginning of 2011. Resuming classes after the Christmas break seemed a bit weird at first, partially because the break in Aix en Provence was so relaxing and reminded me of my year abroad there, but mostly because I was so looking forward to Tori's visit. She arrived on Wednesday January 5th and I met her at the airport... after a small hiccup in our plans to meet. I took the earliest train out of Tours to Paris in order to meet her in time, but  I was delayed on the bus ride from a train station in the center of Paris to the airport due to a traffic accident and road construction on the highway. Fortunately Tori had written down my cell number and a woman from a guest services desk at the airport called me when I failed to show on time. I eventually made it to the airport and found Tori patiently waiting for me. 

It was absolutely wonderful to see Tori and just spend time together. After not being home for the holidays, I was in need of seeing someone from home! And I was really happy to show her a bit of what my life is like here since she is such a close friend, and she had never been to Europe before. The week she was here passed so quickly, but we had a great time and were just glad to see each other after 4 months. Friday afternoon and night we spent in rainy Paris and returned to Tours Saturday afternoon. For spending just a day and a half in Paris we managed to see a lot... The Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees, the Louvre (in which we spent about 1h 45mins), the Quartier Latin, the Eiffel Tower, and an exposition in the Grand Palais called "France 1500: Between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance", which just happens to be a favorite historical era of mine. (Thanks Tori for putting up with all the crowds and lines!) 

Tori and I outside the entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris

Christmas Tree outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Eiffel Tower at night

Sunday we went to the quaint town of Langeais to visit the chateau. Although it's a massive medieval chateau, it seemed to belong tucked into the center of town, neighboring the bakery and butcher. Imagine living across the street from it, or walking past it daily on the way to pick up a baguette for dinner! Even though I sensed it belonged there I was no less impressed by it. Because Langeais is such a small town there aren't too many trains or busses to Tours daily. Even after taking our time in the chateau, we had about 2.5 hours to wait until the next train! In addition, it was Sunday, so everything seemed to be closed. We did manage to find a small bar/cafe open where we enjoyed hot chocolate and coffee after wandering the narrow streets and peeking in the old church. Monday, Tori came to classes with me and after spending just one day in a middle school again, she wondered how I'm able to deal with the unpredictability, noisiness, and maturity level typical of middle schoolers. I've always considered myself an impatient person, but perhaps in dealing with adolescents I have more patience than I thought. Early Wednesday morning I went with Tori to the airport. The trip home from Paris wasn't as nearly as enjoyable alone as I was sad she had to leave so soon.

Langeais

Langeais

 After my classes on Thursday and Friday, I felt re-adjusted to being back in Tours and a bit back in the routine of teaching again, but the fatigue from the amount traveling and sightseeing I'd been doing since Christmas finally caught up with me. It didn't stop me from going to Ryan's house for a dinner with friends 'like old times'. Ryan, who is an excellent chef, treated us to fresh pasta from Italy in pesto sauce, roasted lamb cooked in tomatoes, peas and carrots, and nougat flambé for desert.

Today, Jenny, Miriam, John and I went to visit the chateau in Azay le Rideau (photos below). It was the smallest chateau I've been to, but the only one I've seen surrounded by a moat! The interior was nicely kept up and richly furnished, as most of the chateaux, but the charm of this particular chateau was felt from walking in the gardens surrounded by water. Like in Langeais, we had quite a bit of time until the next train to Tours. We found a bench in the centre of town to sit on and absorb all the sunshine we possibly could on the partly cloudy day. Jenny even made the effort to capture the moment, setting her camera on a timer to take a picture of us bathing in the sunlight. We then waited at the train station, sitting in a circle, playing cards and laughing like 7 year olds. It's great to have friends who can make the most of this kind of situation.

We were all in agreement that we're more appreciative of the simple things now, like playing cards with each other... or just seeing the sun. I don't know if we enjoyed the chateau or the sunshine more today. The grayness and dreariness of this area is getting a bit overwhelming and depressing at times for all of us I think. We're all able to specifically remember the last time we enjoyed a sliver of sunshine. (For me, I last felt the sun on the bus Thursday, headed to school...and it lasted for about 2 minutes.) Even though it's only mid-January, I'm ready for spring! Unfortunately, I've got a while to wait yet...

Azay le Rideau

Azay le Rideau