Easter Weekend in Paris

Today's Date: April 3, 2013 (Wednesday)

                                                        Easter Weekend in Paris
March 29, 2013 (Friday)
     The train from Strasbourg to Paris was scheduled to be a 3 hour ride, from 5:45am to 8:45am... we arrived in Paris by 10:45am. SO, we were much more rested than we thought we would be when the eight of us set off to find the hotel.  After lunch, rest, and settling, we explored the streets and subways of Paris before heading to the Louvre.  (We got in free after 6pm if we showed our student IDs.)  The Louvre is enormous.  Fully unpacking and exploring all of the secrets and history of the artwork there would take a lifetime commitment, BUT, we gave a wing of the museum our best go.
     After eating dinner, some of the group headed back to the hotel while the rest (five) of us went to venture up the Eiffel Tower at night.  It. is. BEAUTIFUL.  The boys and I walked up the windy, chilly, 10pm, golden stairwell of the first two floors of the tower while the ladies headed up in the elevator.  The walk was quite breath-taking with each step (ha!), but the view from the very top will forever be imprinted in my mind.

March 30, 2013 (Saturday)
     We woke up early this morning to leave for Saint Michael's Fountain.  Rumor had it that a free tour met there, so we were going to check it out.  The game goes like this: A college-aged tour guide leads groups around the city.  At the end of the tour, patrons pay him or her based on what each person felt the tour was valued.  This was the best tour I've ever experienced.  Not only was our tour guide charismatic, but he was helpful, informative, protective, and welcoming.  The anecdotes he provided about various historical figures or back-stories in Paris were amusing, shocking, or intriguing.  This was a lot of fun for us all.
     After the tour, we all went our separate ways.  Four ladies went to participate in a bar crawl that the tour guide was attending, two members missed the tour entirely and were enjoying the wonders of Euro-Disney, and Ryan and I went to a Moulin Rouge dinner and show.  Originally, the plan was for everyone to go to Moulin Rouge, but after a while the menu and/or price became too undesirable or seemed less worthwhile for some people.  I have to admit, I was skeptical of whether or not the price would be worth the experience and leery of the potential nudity involved.  Thankfully, it was absolutely worth it--I went to say I've experienced it and I returned absolutely satisfied.
     After dinner and live music (the three-course meal and bottle of champagne was wonderful), Ryan, four other guests at our table, and I witnessed awe-inspiring acrobatics, unbelievable displays of strength, agility, ventriloquism, costuming design, lighting effects, dancing, singing, and acting.  At some points, animals were involved in some skits.  Another time, a huge tank and pythons became props for a dancer.  The whole show was indescribably impressive.  From 6:45pm to 11:00pm, Ryan and I sat in blissful entertainment.

March 31, 2013 (Sunday)
     Today was Easter Sunday and I am sorry to admit that I did not make it to a physical church.  Instead, I headed with five other members of our group (two couldn't make it) to walk a guided tour around the gardens of Versailles.  This tour was provided by the same organization as the Free Tour, but this time we paid up front.  Versailles is a spectacular display of human ability and selfishness.  Regardless, it is a lovely display of controlled agriculture and waterworks.  While walking around the gardens, we learned about the lives of King Louis XIV, XV, and XVI.  The five-hour tour ended after the actual palace closed to visitors, so we could not explore the inner beauty of the site.  Everything achieved there is absolutely amazing to me.
     Again, the large group split into smaller groups for shopping, exploring, and dinner.  Ryan, Drew, Sarah, and I went to visit Napoleon's museum.  We could not go inside, but the portions we could explore was lovely, as always.  Most of the shops, restaurants, and museums were closed by 5pm due to the holiday.  After eating at a local restaurant (with heat lamps and a portion of the wall open to the outdoors), we paced our trip back to the hotel with the sun--all of us were content to rest by the time we got back to our beds.

Alsace

Today's Date: March 28, 2013 (Thursday)

March 27, 2013 (Wednesday)
     So, as I said, yesterday there was no school for most of the high and middle school students.  Due to this, our group had a few planned excursions to explore in another part of Alsace, the region in which we are staying.  We left at 8:30am to visit a castle, the Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg, first.

Inside was a mid-evil castle, stunning and drafty as could be likened to anyone's dreams.  Surrounding the castle was "La Montagne des Singes," or "Monkey Mountain," but we did not get to see any monkeys on our way to or from the castle.  I did, however, try on some play-knight garb.  This was entertaining.
  

The main dining chamber.

     After we exhausted the tour, we drove another ways to a small town called Riquewihr, in Alsace.  It was such a quaint town!  We were sure it inspired Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  Even after some minor research that declared this theory inaccurate, many group members simply refused to believe it.  While here, I tried some sauerkraut--famous in this area--and salmon.  We had one stop to make before our outing was complete, but took about a half hour to explore the shops and streets of this small town.

Riquewihr, Alsace Main Street

     A wine tour was last on our schedule of things to do and, having never been on a wine tour before, it inspired me to have a whole new respect for wine, how to make it, how to experience it, and how to recognize a great wine from a cheep wine.  Our tour guide was a little clumsy, but he was very kind and answered all questions.  Some type of bunt cake or bread was brought out for us to enjoy while we tasted the wines.  From dry to sweet, we tasted five white wines (these are for what Alsace is known) and one red wine (upon request).  More wines could be tried, individually, at the check-out counter.
     As a surprise for us, we went to see a smaller version of the Statue of Liberty!  Many photos were taken in front of it with our West Virginian flag, but sadly, none with my phone.

A Day of Firsts

Today's Date: March 26, 2013 (Tuesday)

     So, today I taught a lesson in Ms. VonRentzell's 6th grade English class!  It was the first (and likely, the only) lesson I have planned and taught in her classroom.  It went so well!  I got positive feedback and lots of pictures from Ms. VonRentzell and her students were engaged the whole time.  Professer VonRentzell provided encouraging feedback and a bunch of pictures of me working with her students for this lesson.  I am very appreciative.  I had so much fun today because of that class!  Jackie and Anna were also super helpful by dispersing among the students to assist with the independent work.

Opening Activity (Sequence of Events)

Independent Work with Various Prompts

 















     My other "first" today was running on and around the Chateau's grounds!  The air and flurries froze me during the walk back from the school, tram, and bus to the Chateau to a point that would have discouraged me from going outside entirely if it weren't for Joe.  On Monday I had told Joe (a Georgia State University student) that I would run today, so I had to follow through.  As it turns out, this was the best decision of the day!
     The flurries ceased and the air became more bearable by the time we left the Chateau.  Since Joe has spent three months at the Chateau so far (he and the other GSU students are foreign exchange students at a local university in Strasbourg), he lead the run for the most part.  I got to see some old barracks that had been used in World War II, which was terrifying and amazing to me.  We went inside a larger one (a horror movie waiting to happen), but it was pitch black, in spite of the sunshine, and had a few different rooms that I did not explore because of the decay and darkness (not to mention, I did not know Joe that well--sorry Joe!--so I didn't want to be led into a situation I couldn't get myself out of with relative ease).  We did climb this larger one, though!  THAT was very cool.  We both used some semi-rusted metal frame bars (part of this barrack looks as though it had been blown up, so the internal structure is exposed on the outer, back side) to maneuver our way to the top.  I very much would have liked it if I thought to take my camera on the run!
     We also saw two ponds, the border of Germany (which we tried to cross, but there were police cars beside the nearest bridge and a wide, deep creek in front of us... not to mention, neither of us had our passports with us), and a marked trail.  The marked trail was a fun detour because it was entirely new to both of us.  We did not get lost, but followed a bunch of random roads that wound around for a while (Joe had no idea where we were... we tried finding landmarks, but there were none).  Like magic, we somehow managed to end up in front of the large barrack again.  We were baffled, but relieved.
     At this point, we made it safely back to the Chateau and explored the grounds immediately around the resort briefly, but dusk was fading to dark quickly.  The statues and courtyards are very nice; I would like to go out and explore them more intimately soon.  Unfortunately, the only picture I got of this night was of the moon because it dwarfed everything around it with its size and closeness.  Joe and I ran back to the Chateau to get a picture as soon as I saw it rising in the sky.  I wish you could have seen it for yourself; it was absolutely stunning.

The Chateau and a gorgeous, full moon (this picture just doesn't do it justice!).

Break-Day through Palm Sunday and Only Monday

                                                     No School on Wednesdays 
                                                    Today: March 25, 2013 (Monday)

March 20, 2013 (Wednesday)
     For two of the three groups, Wednesdays are free days because our mentor teacher does not teach any classes on Wednesdays. (BISS's school schedule is much like an American would expect a college schedule to be.  There are frequent breaks and classes can be either within five minutes or within four hours of one another.  During the longer breaks, my group and I typically continue our exploration of the city center, downtown Strasbourg.)  So, on this particular Wednesday, the ladies of the day-off group (both males of the group are with Sarah and their mentor teacher this day) decided it was a great day for shopping, so once everyone was up and ready, off we went!

     Shopping is not ever my first choice of things to do (most of the time, it does not even cross my mind), but I did enjoy myself.  I even found and purchased a gift for Mom at an open market that took place in the city center that day.  Otherwise, for the most part, I spent my time looking at all of the merchandise in the boutiques and breads in the shoppes.  I was also able to pay back everyone who had put money on a hotel reservation or train ticket for the upcoming weekends--I was so relieved!
     We took a break for lunch at a German restaurant with a kind and accommodating waitstaff.  While I have been practicing much of the French I learned at WVU, I do not feel competent enough to order for a group of five Americans, so we were all grateful when an English-speaking waitress came to help our table.  (Tipping waitstaff is not expected here, but we always tip because of our language incompetence.  Fun fact: restaurants here do not split up a bill, either.  Everyone puts and exchanges money from the middle of the table, based on the prices listed in the long bill each table is given at the end of a meal.)  As may be expected to some of you reading, the menu was not written in English, so instead of going with a dish I recognized, I scanned the dishes and ordered something within my price-range.  One of the ladies in our group asked me what was in the salad I had ordered because it sounded good.  I just laughed because I had no idea.  As it turns out, it was delicious; a quartered, boiled egg, an assortment of vegetables, and sausage (it looked and tasted like bologna) arrived on a bed of lettuce moments later.  The dressing came on the salad, but no options were given.  It tasted like vinaigrette.

     I am always amused by the drinks here.  Water is not free and comes either "flat" or "with bubbles".  Water and sodas always come in glass bottles, but a regular drinking glass is offered as well.  Every measurement is in metric (as can be expected), which was an additional adjustment for me.  It is all so interesting and humbling!  I do wish I had studied more French before coming, but my classwork did not seem to allow it at the time.  (Another fun fact: French keyboards are constructed with some buttons in a different place and additional symbols beneath the number line of the keyboard--hence any spelling mistake, although, I believe I have caught most of them.)  Once we returned from shopping, Ryan and I went half and half on a pizza (decent, but not American--it was also store-bought) and I began the blog!


March 21, 2013 (Thursday)
     There is a four-hour break in the middle of classes today.  (I am still loving the students, atmosphere, and interactions--student to student, student to teacher, teacher and students to interns (collectively and respectively)--at BISS. Although rainy, the weather lightens up at intervals, but the building structures are ever-beautiful, dispite the weather.)  As a group, part of this break was spent shopping around.  Window-shopping continued, for me; although, I did purchase a dress I had been eyeing for graduation from Zara... when would I have time to look when I got back? (There is no question mark on this keyboard!  I just had to copy and paste one from the internet.)  I was finished after two hours of this and agreed to read in the indoor plaza (I had borrowed a book from Ms. VonRentzell on Tuesday: Boy by Roald Dhal.  This is what her sixth grade class was reading (in English) and I figured I could read it and teach a lesson on a part of it before we left the school.  I appreciate Roald Dhal's writing style and had yet to read this novel; it is his autobiography, in a sense.  They came back to the bench when it was about ten minutes before our next class began.
     This was a late day for our group, so we returned to the Chateau around 7pm, our time.  Jackie and Anna went to the store, but I had intentions to phone Grand Jean to touch-base with her, so I went straight to the Chateau and was promptly distracted by the gorgeous sunset over newly uncovered, green fields and bushels of trees.  In my dress clothes, I placed my bags on the flat top, climbed on a concrete base (probably meant to support a statue of sorts, since it was about four and a half/ five feet tall), and lied down as best I could to watch the baby blue sky fold into deep blue-gray clouds and swell to consume the fading pink sunset... so sorry you can't see the field better!

Occasionally, a jogger would pass by about 20 or so feet away, but no one bothered me.  It was so nice.  My main thought at this particular moment was that lonliness is so beautiful--if you choose to see it that way.
     Sarah and Drew cooked dinner this night, then we collectively got ready to go dancing and failed to do so in the end.  Ultimately, we met a kindly older gentleman who goes by George.  He sat and talked with us until around 11pm or so and, since we had to teach the next morning and the next bus wouldn't run until 5am, we continued to hang out a while longer before heading to bed.


March 22, 2013 (Friday)
     Teaching went well today!  This is the only Friday we will have in the schools because of Easter weekend and our exit time at the Chateau.  Today, we watched the seventh grade students create cheerleading moves and lots of excitement with a game they call "Pig Tennis."  It allow them to practice grammar; it's so cute!  Have I mentioned that this class can speak some sign language, too?  Practical phrases such as, "Can I use the restroom?" and fun phrases such as, "May we play pig tennis?" and "I have lost my dinosaur." are prevalent.  They demonstrqted their skills to us on our first day in their class.
     At our go-to café, I tried French cheesecake today!  It is so light and fluffy--like a creamy mousse.  I also drank expresso out of a tiny teacup.  It was adorable!  Before we returned from our break, we also visited another open market.  After we returned, my excitement to be in the classroom did not waiver--being here is so encouraging for me!
     Ryan and I cooked dinner tonight and no one went hungry. (I have found that I am always much hungrier each day here than I am back home.)  Some of the group went to go dancing, but it turned out to be a bust (they went to a bar, then were harassed... they spent most of the time walking and taking various modes of transportation).  I was unable to go (I caught up with skyping friends... I was very tired from teaching that day and did not want to spend more money on a taxi if they weren't sure if they were going to go dancing--before they left, they planned on heading to a bar.), but hung out with the ladies when they returned!


March 23, 2013 (Saturday)
     I woke up on Saturday thinking I would finally get a chance to ride a bike around the Chateau and visit a park that's about 10 minutes away (I've been pining to do so ever since I first passed it on the bus ride back from BISS), but these plans were once again foiled--to my liking, though.  Today, we ended up walking through the botanical gardens, which was very interesting.  I'm sure the garden is absolutely gorgeous when in full bloom.

     When it began to sleet, we headed into the green houses, then went on to a zoology museum that was nearby.  I am fairly certain that this museum had darn close to every living creature readily available.  Any animal from air, land, water, or any combination of them could be found in this taxidermist's dream.  It was very educational!  I had no idea how large or miniscule some creatures really are.
     After the museum, we decided to have dinner in L'Petit France.  This means that we walked around around 4:30pm when almost all of the restaurants opened around 6:00pm.  Although we did not end up eating lunch here, we did find and sort through many types of unknown candies in a local candy store, Gangnam-style dance with a bridal shower party (They were dressed as snow white and five dwarves... it was glorious.  They stopped another group to Macarena with them also, so it must have been part of a game.)  Then we saw a wedding party on the main bridge in this area--it all seemed like an uncanny coincidence, but it was so neat!
     Hungry, but not having found a place for dinner, we decided to meet two members of the group at the center station (downtown) for dinner.  We went to a restaurant called "Max's" and then Drew and I left dinner early to see a French version of "The Passion of Christ" in the Notre Dame Cathedral.  The performance was live, but because the Cathedral is so large, a white screen was pulled up near the choir area and the acts were projected onto the screen as they happened.  Everything was sung in French except for the opening song (which was "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera).

Both Drew and I very much enjoyed the performance.  It was absolutely freezing when we left the Cathedral, though!  When we arrived at the Chateau, we watched Sarah, David, Anna, and George play Hearts for a while to thaw out some before heading the rest of the way upstairs to our group's floor.



March 24, 2013 (Palm Sunday)
     For Palm Sunday, most of us went to the Cathedral for the service.  It was so nice outside that I took my first, brief, walk on some of the nearby grounds of the Chateau while waiting for everyone else to be ready to leave.  The service was pleasant and I was pleased when I realized that I could understand enough of what was said to follow along, for the most part.

     Following the service, we all went to eat at a nearby pub.  I cannot remember what it was called, but it had the best-priced and portioned food I have eaten so far in Strasbourg.  It was delicious.  The group split up from here.  Drew, Ryan, Sarah, David, and I went to walk up the spiral stairs of the Cathedral, then to an art museum, while the rest of the ladies went back to the Chateau.  It was fantastic!  I have lots of pictures, but I will ration them for the moment.

 

 

         After everything, we went back to the Chateau for dinner, Moulin Rouge planning for next weekend, a meeting with Isabella, and unpacking (I finally sat down and did it!).


March 25, 2013 (Monday)
     Today is the only Monday I will be observing or teaching at BISS.  It has been wonderful, as always!  I tried two firsts today: a crepe and a tartlet today.  The tartlet was my favorite--it was raspberry and delicious!  I also found out that the singer that we listened to was on the French version of The Voice... THAT was pretty neat!  Otherwise, today has been a long teaching day, so we have not been able to do much else.  The wine tour is on Wednesday, though!

 Good night for now!

Moving In

                                                                    Moving In
                                                        Today's Date: March 23, 2013
March 17, 2013 (Sunday continued)
     Once Carnival ended, we met up with two of David's friends and headed to an Irish Pub to see how the French celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.  It was so neat!  Lots of orange, white, and green flags and posters littered the walls and ceilings.  We crammed the eleven of us into a booth that was most likely meant to comfortably seat seven or eight (at most) people.  We played a hand and sign game, "Thumper," and talked and hung out for around two hours.  After a while, since it was around 9:30pm, we headed back to the Chateau to move into our rooms, unpack, hang out for a little bit in the clubhouse area, and went to bed to prep for orientation at the school, Bilingual International School of Strasbourg (BISS), the next morning.

March 18, 2013 (Monday)
     Orientation began at the grade school.  I was so impressed with everything.  The bell system is enjoyable to listen to (musical chords), the principal made his best effort to speak clear English, but at times had to defer to one of the other four teachers in the room.  This is his first year as a principal at BISS, but he was very competent and capable of interacting professionally and efficiently with us.  We were welcomed, met our mentor teachers (one group of two and two groups of three Interns per mentor teacher), explored the grade and middle schools (all in one, old-fashioned, ornate building), walked to the high school (around a 10 minute walk), explored the handsome in-stone decorations, classic winding staircases, and tributes to various professors and leaders around the area.  Once we were finished with the tour of the schools, we had some time before the boat tour that Isabella had scheduled for us, so we went shopping and ate at a local cafe--delicious, as always!
     Eventually, we met up again to head over to the tour with Isabella.  Mind you, it's been raining all day again and we have been walking to get everywhere; for me, this means being chilly, having soaking feet and water-logged bottom rims of my pants.  From the moment we stepped onto the plastic-covered boat, I began to notice how the warm air was licking my fingertips back to feeling.  I was dry now, I put on my headphones, and fought my instinct to slip into comfortable sleep as the soothing voice suggested I relax in my fabric-cushioned seat and turn my head from left to right to examine the intricate details that history has chiseled into these neighborhoods.  It was a lovely boat tour, but unfortunately, I cannot say I was always successful--I am sure the picture Drew took of me will resurface sometime!
    Following the boat tour, I got lunch groceries at Simply Market with the group, walked backed to the chateau, and enjoyed a wonderful dinner cooked by Jackie and Anna.  As always, we spent the evening hanging out in the clubhouse room, Skype-ing and calling friends and family members, and prepping for our first day of teaching in the schools tomorrow.

March 19, 2013 (Tuesday)
     The whole time at the school, I took notes about my impressions and experiences in the classroom.  To wrap three-pages of notes up, the schools we are placed in are impressive at least.  The students in Ms. VonRentzell's (my group's mentor teacher) classroom are respectful, intrinsically motivated, well-behaved, easily managed, and genuinely kind and welcoming.  All classroom atmospheres are academic, but friendly.  The class sizes are also incredibly small--six to twelve students per class, roughly.  I am so glad I am able to see her classes.  This experience is really encouraging my desire to teach; however, I need to keep in mind that this is not a public school, so the standards and expectations are much higher and have stricter consequences.
     During a two-hour break around lunchtime, Anna, Jackie, and I went to a cafe in L'Petite France--Fou d'Cafe.  This is the first place in France I have experienced with pink toilet paper!  (Apparently there is more pink toilet paper in Paris.)  I did not purchase a coffee of dessert this time, but I did fully enjoy the view of the river through the brick, rounded-top window.

     Once we finished our day at the school, we received a free cookie samples from a bakery, and explored another cathedral (ever-beautiful) that Ms. VonRentzell pointed out to us on the walk over to the grade school.  This particular cathedral is famous for housing the piano that Beethoven practiced on as a child.  So interesting!  The picture is below.

Eventually, we made our way back to the Chateau (never lost--the tram and bus systems were easy enough to manage after the first two trips out).  This evening was filled with mass chaos of logistics and planning the schedules for the rest of the time in France and Germany (We're going to Paris over Easter weekend and Munich the last weekend!).  After everything wound down, we played cards in the game room by the clubhouse.

Getting Here

Today's Date: Wednesday March 20, 2013

March 15, 2013 (Friday)
     Bonjour tout le monde! Five days into my three-week stay in Strasbourg, France and I have fallen utterly head over heals!  The intricate details involved with almost every architectural aspect, the ample, daily availability of bikes and people walking from place to place, the grocery stores' (and other stores, except some restaurants) consistent closing down on Sundays, the spoken languages, the book stores with rich, academia-oriented selections, and of course, the bread have filled my mind with romantic ideas of becoming a permanent resident--however irrational that may be at the moment!  To give you some context, let me backtrack a bit.

Above, you may view a picture of the Chateau de Pourtales.  This castle is my home during my stay here in Strasbourg.  I am on this trip with seven other graduate students in WVU's 5-Year Benedum Program.  We are all studying to obtain our Masters in education; within the group are three secondary math majors, two secondary English majors (myself being one!), a secondary history major, a special education major, and an elementary education major.  The Benedum Program has worked with the Chateau de Pourtales with previous groups, so staying in here has so far been a very pleasant experience.

Group Members from left to right:
Ryan Butler (math), Claire Garner, Jackie Coffin (English), Anna Tucker (math),Casie Vanderlind (elementary education),
Sarah Summers (history), Emily Phillippi (special education), and Drew Calandrelli (math).

     As a group, we left the airport in Pittsburgh, WV at 5:00pm (EST), then Charlotte, NC airport at 8:00pm (EST) and arrived at a Frankfurt, Germany airport around 10:00am (CET).  This being my first flight in 14 years and my first international flight ever, I was easily amused by most everything when walking to the terminals, finding a blanket and pillow on my seat at the international flight, getting a TV dinner... everything was new for me.  It was especially nice to listen to music (primarily Nora Jones and other Jazz artists in the preset track options) on the TV in front of me.  The flights were long (especially the international flight), but we had fun joking with one another and speculating about what we could and would do when we arrived in Strasbourg--admittingly, not unlike whimsical schoolgirls and boys gazing out of the classroom window on a sunny day.  Our excitement was high even though our legs were becoming cramped and our tushes were slightly, slowly becoming numb.  I slept intermittently, but well, I think, for a plane ride.

March 16, 2013 (Saturday)
    Once everyone retrieved all luggage from the baggage claim in Frankfurt (a blessing in itself!), we met our tour guide/sister (for she is our age), Isabella, bearing a "WVU" sign, piled in the bus, drove on the autobahn (most of us slept after the first half hour), did not see super-speedy cars (and yes, I was looking), and arrived at the Chateau within three hours.  My first impression of Frankfurt and Strasbourg was that it was not so different from home.  I was surprised (once again) by the little things--the terrain was similar, the weather was the same as in WV, and the interactions people and vehicles made with one another were the same.  These factors helped the trip become much more comfortable for me.
    Anyway, when we arrived at the Chateau, Isabella readily explained that they had expected us to arrive on Sunday (it was Saturday, March 16), so our rooms were not ready.  As a result, we would stay in the (exquisite) smaller hotel building adjacent to the Chateau's main structure--this was wonderful!  We had our own showers, full beds, and garden views on our first night in Strasbourg.  (Truth be told, we didn't sleep long.  We stayed up until midnight playing card games with friends we had made from Georgia State University; these students have a contract with the Chateau, so from January 2013 to May 2013, they are studying at a local university in Strasbourg.  They're so friendly!)  During our orientation meeting, we got to try our first French foods.  The welcome committee had made open-faced sandwiches with salmon, ham, turkey, sausage, cheese, and some vegetables.  To drink, they provided champagne that had been locally made.  Everything was delicious!  (I have pictures of these as well.  When I can transfer pictures from my phone, I will post more on here.)

March 17, 2013 (Sunday)
     After breakfast at the Chateau (provided every morning), we locked our baggage up in a private library and went to town with an employee, David.  This was the best decision of the day!  Our rooms were not yet ready, but instead of waiting for them to be fully prepared, we braved the rain on St. Patrick's Day to see a parade called Carnival.  We left the Chateau early so we would have plenty of time to ride the bus and tram systems, see side streets, shoppes, the enormous, local Notre Dame Cathedral (stunning) and eat at a restaurant called "Flam's".  At Flam's, our group of nine was served dishes of various tarte flambes--a crepe/thin pizza crust with toppings (typically involving bacon).  I had an all vegetable flambe (delicious!); once everyone had finished their meals, we split a dessert (a pomme, or apple, flambe) flambe. 
     We spent so much time at Flam's that we arrived to the parade late, but there was still plenty of performances to watch!  This experience was absolutely the powdered sugar on the beignet for my time here so far, although, I had no idea what was going on throughout the Carnival's duration.  Later, I found out that the bizarre costumes (werewolves, warped faces with over-sized, melting, or lacking features, clowns, geisha-esque women on stilts, assortments of bands and instruments, bird-people, caveman people,witches, bellydancers, Chinese-like dragons, etc.) represented an acknowledgement of and celebration for people around the world... looking into it more now, though, it seems that the representations are primarily derived from countries in central Europe, such as France and Germany (based on this website <http://www.jds.fr/agenda/manifestations/carnaval-de-strasbourg-2013-55490_A>).  Regardless, I was ever-impressed by the small children that were present and watching the spectacle with regard, but not fear--even if a more grotesque costume danced close to the child or got on their level and in their face.  Myself, I was thrown lots of confetti (which became a permanent reminder once the rain stuck it to your clothing or person somehow), a Coca-Cola pin and two pieces of candy.  When a costumed person dance up beside of me, I took a picture: