Meet me on the Lover's Bridge

Bonsoir mes amis,

I just came back from a lovely day trip to Annecy. It is a rather adorable and romantic village about 30 km from Geneva that once was under Italian control. History aside, Annecy has the densest population of cute children and even cuter dogs. Only a one and a half hour drive away from Grenoble, it was a nice escape from the familiar. We even got to take one of our new French friends, Antoine, since it is his hometown! I wish I could have grown up in a town like Annecy. I will definitely be coming back to Annecy with someone I love, taking advantage of the romantic ambiance.

Kristin and I with Antoine

Lunch was amazing. I love me some Racklette. The way that they serve the cheese was amazing. The french top the world of cuisine for a reason.

Before...

After.

After lunch we went on a lovely little tour of the lake. :)

The Lover's Bridge

Á bientôt,

Krystyne 

Voilà!

Bonjour mes amis!

Sorry that it's been forever and a year since I last wrote! My European adventures are officially en route, and my French-inspired makeover is complete to match all of my up-and-coming adventures! Without further adieu, here are pictures as I promised (with some beautiful Parisienne scenery to accompany):

Let me know if you see a hint of Brigitte, Catherine, and Coco! :)

Standing in front of the ORGINAL chanel. Madamoiselle Coco lived in the apartments above!

Now this is what I call sight-seeing! 

The French side walk dotted with patisseries et boulangeries every other store is not a false stereotype! C'est vraiment vrai! 

 

Biking throughout the gardens of Versailles!

More to come very very soon! 

A plus tard!

Kate

C'est la vie!

Bonsoir mes amies!

I hope that you have been enjoying looking at the pictures as much as I do taking them. :) While most of my posts have been recounting my travels, I think that I'm going to dedicate this post something a little deeper: an insight into the cultural difference between life in France and life in America.

It's during times like these that I really wish that I signed up for the Culture class offered here (unfortunately, statistics took that spot in my schedule), but great observational skills and being highly receptive to the environment makes is a fantastic substitute. So as a mini expert on French and American relations (I mean, I've been here almost a month. That's gotta give me some street cred), I'm going to take this time to clear up and maybe even confirm some of the oldest of stereotypes about the French and about Americans in Europe.


Disclaimer: Everything that I'm saying is just taken from personal observations and in no way 100% fool proof. If you want to experience it for yourself, come and join me in the land of the châteaux and croissants! :)

1. The French are incredibly rude and care about no one other than themselves.
False. All of the wonderful French boys and girls in my classes are some of the sweetest people that you will ever meet. What is mistaken as rude behavior is their reserved demeanor. The French have a structured sense of etiquette. When they great each other, it is always a kiss on both cheeks (your left cheek to right, mind you). When you walk into a store or up to a counter, a bonjour/bonsoir is required as well as the parting, "Merci, au revoir." What I see in the French is not a rudeness but a more introverted way of dealing with the external environment and a hidden gem of kindness and warmth behind a seemingly cold exterior.

2. The French think of Americans as loud and obnoxious.
I'm going to say both true and false, and this answer actually wholly depends upon the American! Compared to the euphonic, delicacy of French, English is a loud and robust language. When you speak English in France, it will be heard. It's not a crime or a faux pas to speak English in France; however, greater care and perception must occur. Take care to not yell or act rambunctious because you will stand out in a bad way. Embrace the French way of savoring silence and relax.

3. All French people act like Pepe LePew.
So not true. While the French may have a perceived arrogance because of stereotype number one, they do not ooze that arrogance like the beloved cartoon skunk. To be quite honest, it is rather difficult to get to know a frenchman and have them open up to you right away. It doesn't happen. It is a common stereotype here that Americans are a very smiley breed of people, always having a façade of joy and happiness. That is not the French way. They take the time to get to know people investing in a slow way of building relationships rather than the fast-passed facebook driven relationships we see so much in America today. They remain honest to themselves and allow for a deeper understanding of a person to develop rather than jumping into a friendship. This has been the hardest thing to adapt to since coming. All I have wanted to do is chat excitedly and smile constantly around these people, but they insist on a more mellow approach where the end result is a deep last friendship.

So that what was floating in my mind at the moment. I hope that provided a little more insight into my life in France. I've got chimie organic demain, so I should probably get to bed.

Á bientôt!
Krystyne

To Catch a Mediterranean Prince

Oh the Côte d'Azur, how you have captured my heart.

Hello all,
Just thought that I would share with you my first little trip in Europe, and it was quite the trip! Almost the entire group came down to Nice for the long weekend. It was filled with sun, rocks, and luxury cars. Nice is positively gorgeous. With macaroon colored buildings playfully dipping their toes in the cool Mediterranean sea, what's not to love in this city? It was a six hour bus ride through the winding roads passing through the Alps, but it was worth the slight nausea and exhaustion.

We were in Nice from Thrusday night to Sunday morning. The real fun was had during Friday and Saturday. Friday morning was spent at the Marché du Fleurs where the créme de la créme of French flora was ripe for the picking.

The Marché du Fleurs is a fantastic outdoor market for those looking to eat in Nice for cheap. My lunch for that day was fresh framboises (raspberries), Socca (delish chickpea crêpe special to the region), une boutille d'eau (water bottle), and tois petit cannoli (I know that this one isn't really French, but Italy is right there). All of this was had at about 7 euro which is quite the deal in this highly touristy town. After strolling though the market and having the freshest of lunches. The siren call of the beach only a stone's throw away lured me to Nice's famous rocks.

Here they are!

However, I couldn't just sit on the rocky (at times uncomfortable) beach ALL day. So what did I do?

PARASAILING!!

After the relaxation/exhilaration of the beach, we decided to see the sights and ran into the chateau. The hike up gave the most beautiful views of the city, and a cascading waterfall welcomed us at the top.

le chateau

Of course as members of the female gender, a photoshoot was obligatory!

What a wonderful day in Nice. The fun, however, did not stop there. The next morning promised glitz, glamour, and luxury: Monaco here I come!

If you are ever in Nice, do NOT miss going to Monaco. Only a 45 min (1 euro!!!) bus ride away, it is your way of living like the top 1% for a day. Plus, it's mecca for any Grace Kelly fans out there. 

                            

In the land where the taxis are Audis and a person's first car is a Lamborghini, Monaco is definitely the land of milk and honey for those rich and famous. The only thing that we could afford was taking pictures of all the famous landmarks. Here are a few of my favorite pictures to motivate me to become successful in life:

This is what I call Batmobile with Child.

My other car is a 50ft yacht.

Other than reveling in things that I will never be able to afford we did some historical sightseeing as well! 

Le Musée Oceanographique

Prince's Palace

Cathedral where Princess Grace was married

What a perfect 3-day weekend! I wish that every long weekend could be like this. The Côte d'Azur is definitely a place I will return to one day. Oh how Europe is spoiling me so!

Á plus tard,

Krystyne

                        

Vie va la France!

Mes amies!
Vous me manquez tous!

So sorry that I haven't been on in a while, but life has been a tad hectic since arriving in France. From intense 3 hour French classes to just exploring the city, my life has been full with new and exciting events and adventures.

My week of "fake" school is about to come to an end as my 3 hour French classes will be replaced with Organic Chemistry, Cell Bio, and Stats. *Bummer! However, the program has done quite the wonderful job of easing us back into the swing of school. Today was my first Introduction to Scientific Research class, and I am sooooo excited for it! It sounds like quite the fun and interesting way to gain a couple of extra credits. Participating in some of the most advanced and emerging scientific projects in all of the world? Sign me up! They have a synchrotron for goodness sakes!! If you have an Angels and Demons fantasy (well at least like the first 5 minutes), then this is the place.

In terms of family life, my family is incredibly adorable. Les personnes avec qui J'habite are teachers and are the most caring people ever. Super cute! I am now the proud owner (well temporary) of two cats: Twiggy and Ozzy. They love to say hi to me when I wake up from the 2nd story window. Quite talented cats, I must say.

Well just so you can get a feel of my week, here are a few more pictures. :)

Square in the city

"Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît?"

Musée du Jardin et Plantes

nouveau amis!

Place du Victor Hugo

The hike to la bastille.

Elle es ma chat en France.

Á plus tard!

Krystyne