Happy Thanksgiving!
I confess the end of November is not my favorite time to be in France. The lack of Thanksgiving here stands out to me like a sore thumb. The Christmas markets are being set up, but not yet open, and the town is still in the process of being decorated. There is a lull where Thanksgiving should be. Still, there's been lot's going on here.
Saturday night I was invited to a "Bal Country" in a little village just south of Rennes... I was surprised at what I found there! A whole load of French people had gathered to do line dancing in cowboy hats & all sorts of gear to good ol' country tunes, a lot of which were probably recording in Nashville. I imagine it wasn't all that different from what I might see at the dance club Cotton Eye Joes in Knoxville, but we were missing a mechanical bull. These people apparently had been taking classes for a while, because each song had a corresponding dance that was not exactly self-evident. Lizzie, Elza (a russian language assistant I invited along), and myself tried to follow along the best we could to the less difficult dances. Still, it was great fun! They sold food, drinks, and cowboy gear, and everyone was very friendly.
Tonight I am tutoring the vice-principal's two oldest kids for the second time. Their family lives just next to me, and they asked me if I would be interested in giving English lessons weekly to their daughters, ages 8 and 14. The family is really nice. They also have a young son with autism. Apparently there is a concert for children with autism going on at a hospital nearby next month, and I might have the opportunity to participate in it! I think a little banjo and wazoo would entertain any crowd.
Over the long weekend thanks to the eleventh of November, Lizzie and I had the chance to go to Paris. It was grey, cold, and rainy for most of it. But hey, it's Paris! I had already been to most of the known sights and museums, but one thing I hadn't done is climb the tower of the Notre-Dâme de Paris. This was my favorite activity of the weekend. Although we didn't have to pay because I have my "Pass Éducation" and it's free for EU citizens under 26, I still had doubts about it being worth the line we waited in to get up there. It definitely was, and the long, narrow spiral staircases up to the top with rusty handrails were only part of the experience! The view from the top was excellent despite the fog, but even better was a close-up look at all the grotesques and gargoyles jutting out from the sides of this massive church. I encourage taking a look at the pictures!
note:
I had to go to Quick to post this, a French/Belgian fast food chain. You'd think the Belgians would know their fries, but they were not up to the standard of McDonald's! I don't like either restaurant, but I confess I can appreciate a few french fries (but not the French kind...) every once in a while.
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