Frolics in France

I've been in France for over a month now and have not yet become accustomed to their habits. France is a lot different from America, not in a bad way, but rather in a strange, sometimes funny and othertimes disgusting way. Since living in Angers, I have noticed two things that vex me to no end:

1) The French do not respect personal space. In America, you give your fellow passerby at least a foot of air when walking by them. This is not the case in France. Instead, the French practically run you over on the sidewalk, but not in a rude way. They're just trying to get to the pastry shop or to work and to walk around you would increase the journey by a nano-second. It's obviously not worth their time. I think this has to do with the fact that the side walks here are so narrow, yet the French walk a lot; there simply is not enough room for everyone on the sidewalk.

2) This is the disgusting part and also the flaw that I cannot excuse. There is dog poop everywhere. When walking down the crowded sidewalk, be sure to watch the ground because the French (or at least the ones in Angers) have not discovered the miracle of a plastic baggie. There is no grass in the city, so Rover just poops on the sidewalk and his owner doesn't feel the need to clean it up. Eww!

Now for something funny:
My host family cuts their pizza with scissors. I was shocked the other night when we had pizza. It's not gross or annoying, just funny.

If I find any other strange habits of the French, I will be sure to note them.

I've been in France for almost a month and have only made one post, which shows that I am a lousy blogger. But then I remind myself that I am not Samantha Brown, or another travel guru- I'm just a junior in college trying to get credit for her French major, therefore blogging is the least of my concerns. So to anyone who's a dedicated reader (I'm not sure if there's anyone like that,) this blog will probably be pretty spotty. As in, when I get back to the states in the summer, I might have made 10 posts on my travels around France. But on to the subject which is the title for this post.
Last weekend, I got to visit 3 chateaux in France: Azay-le-rideau, Chenonceau and Chambord. My favorite by far was Chenonceau. But, I will try my best to be objective while I describe the other two. Azay-le rideau was the first I visited. It's a rather small chateau and is done in the Renaissance style. It was really pretty, but it doesn't take a whole day to go through. (I think I had about an hour, and I felt rushed. That could have to do with the fact that I am that girl who wants to read everything and look at every room from every angle. In otherwords, museums take me forever to go through.) The chateau also had gardens that you could walk through, but I opted out of that because a) it took me almost an entire hour to walk around the chateau and b) it was freezing outside. However, if I got the chance to go back to the chateau in the spring or summer, I would like to see the gardens.

Moving on. The second chateau I saw was Chenonceau. Even though it was overcast and misty, the chateau was beautiful. It's a white chateau with beautiful gardens. But that isn't even the coolest part: the chateau sits in the middle of a river.

Isn't that nifty? The inside is really pretty too. You can walk through it and see how the rooms would have been set up in the past. If you have extra time, be sure to check out the gardens- there's even a maze you can walk through (no worries, it's impossible to get lost inside it.)

The last chateau I visited was Chambord and by that time, I was chateaued out for the day. Chambord was absolutely beautiful and it's huge. But it was having renovation work done on the roof, which meant that I couldn't walk around the entire roof. Chambord is so large, that I think it would be best to have an entire day and go at your own pace. Instead, I got about an hour an a half to see it. Needless to say, I was extremely rushed and only got to see the castle, not the grounds.

As you can tell, my first day of chateau viewing was packed full. France is known for its chateaux, so if you ever visit France, be sure to visit at least one of them.

So I have been in Angers for a full day now. It's a quaint little city in the Loire Valley of France, about a two hour train ride from Paris. Speaking of Paris, if you are planning on travelling there in the future, beware of the train station. It is not a wonderful place to wait. I imagined it to be a comfortable spot with a cafe or two and wi-fi internet access. There is a pastery stand on the top floor, but once you are lured to the bottom floor, you will find that there is nothing there but uncomfortable chairs and guards blowing whistles at the drop of a hat. And wi-fi is not free, so if you have a 3 hour long wait before your train, take a good book or be prepared to pay for internet access. (A note to winter travellers: be sure to dress for the elements- if it is 30 degrees (F) outside, it might reach a balmy 37 degrees inside. That was not a joke: I wish someone had told me that there is no protection from the cold that is outside except for glass doors that constantly open and a glass roof.) But enough about Paris and the Charles de Gualle Airport Trainstation.
Angers is a very old city...at least it looks like it. And in France, you walk everywhere. To the grocery store, to school, to work, to a restuarant, to go shopping, walking is the way to go. So be sure to pack comfortable shoes, but no tennis shoes, because no one wears them here &you don't want to stick out with your fashion faux pas.
The food here is very different, but in a good way. Cheese and dessert are served at every meal except breakfast, however the university cafe makes students pick between dessert and cheese and somehow that seems unfair. And they eat a lot of food at meals- 5 courses or so.
That's all I have for now, perhaps when I've recovered from jet-lag, I'll have more insight into the French way of life.

So, I'm completely new to blogging and I'm really only doing this so my friends can keep up with me while I'm abroad. In February, I will be crossing the Atlantic Ocean to live in France for 4 months. I'm very excited about traveling and seeing a new part of the world, but I'm not so excited about not speaking English for 4 months. Right now, I'm in the process of getting my Visa so I can legally stay in the country. But mostly I'm enjoying the time at home with my family.
I'll be posting as new things develop. When I get to France, I'll blog more often and update with photos, of course. That's it for now...