I can't run! I can barely move. Eeeeesh. My range of motion is super limited in my low back and I have no idea what I did to myself (but getting pounded into the sand didn't help the situation when I was playing in some ferocious waves on Wednesday...... seemed harmless at first, but in retrospect, not the most brilliant idea considering how strong the waves were. I was planning on simply frolicking in the waves - they didn't appear ferocious - but once I was thigh deep, I realized frolicking was not an option. Pulverization was my only option. I called it quits pretty quickly, but apparently not quickly enough).
I went to see a physical therapist yesterday (and am incredibly grateful to my cousin for taking me) and I'm desperately hoping that I start to feel better in the next few days. I'm getting quite worried about the WWOOF-ing situtation if my back doesn't improve. The whole point of WWOOF-ing is for me to HELP on the farm, physical labor in exchange for food and lodging. The concept is a marvelous one unless I can't move. Even filling up my water bottle bothers my back. Really?!! 1 liter of water ...... I can't handle 2.2 lbs of weight in front of me? This is no bueno. And I'm supposed to start on my first farm in Ireland in exactly 2 weeks (it's INSANE how quickly time is going).
So I'm behaving and not running, but it is incredibly depressing to not be able to run through vineyards in Bordeaux. This is one of my favorite places to run. And the thought of not being able to run in Ireland is dismal indeed. We shall see. I'm holding onto the hope of a quick recovery!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Rennes
Also enjoyed a light display (a bit more mysterious and bizarre than either of us was expecting) on the facade of the Parliament building. Whoever created the show had mad skills. Here you see the building "on fire" from when the Parliament burned in 1720 and 1994.
More to come later. For now it is bed time!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Fun Friday
Today was spectacular.
- I got to start my day talking to one of my best friends in Seattle (90 minutes is so insufficient to cover 10 weeks!!)
- Quick little run to pick up bread at the boulangerie. Yum! The simple pleasure of fresh baked bread never ceases to amaze me and make me smile.
- 2.5 hour blackberry-picking excursion with my uncle. Which resulted in a new discovery for me: fresh blackberries with red wine and sugar. Scrumptious!!
- Lunch outside under a perfect summer sun
- Two games of Pétanque (lawn bowling) with my aunt and uncle. The first game was decent, at one point we all had 5 points, but the second game, I managed to get a "fani" (as 'funny' as it may sound, it's quite pathetic really, it's when you don't score a single point before the winner scores their 13. Yowzers!) However, this picture is not a set up! I really did make that happen (first game) =)
- I got to start my day talking to one of my best friends in Seattle (90 minutes is so insufficient to cover 10 weeks!!)
- Quick little run to pick up bread at the boulangerie. Yum! The simple pleasure of fresh baked bread never ceases to amaze me and make me smile.
- 2.5 hour blackberry-picking excursion with my uncle. Which resulted in a new discovery for me: fresh blackberries with red wine and sugar. Scrumptious!!
- Lunch outside under a perfect summer sun
- Two games of Pétanque (lawn bowling) with my aunt and uncle. The first game was decent, at one point we all had 5 points, but the second game, I managed to get a "fani" (as 'funny' as it may sound, it's quite pathetic really, it's when you don't score a single point before the winner scores their 13. Yowzers!) However, this picture is not a set up! I really did make that happen (first game) =)
- Solo super brief bike ride to see wind turbines (éoliennes). There are 4 set-up only 3.5 km from my uncle's house. So impressive! I tried to capture some of the Normandie countryside while at it!
This is me impressed. =)
DANG IT!! I had 6 more pictures I wanted to post and the computer is freezing up and won't let me. Well, I guess that will be for another night. (haha, upon looking back at the pictures, do you notice a theme with Elodie and her mouth open? =) But if you look closely, you can see that they are different expressions ranging from ravenous, to excited, to impressed).
- Before my final frustrating encounter with the computer tonight, we ended the evening with a game of cards, which has become our tradition the past 3 nights and which I truly love! It's not a complete visit with my French family if it doesn't involve card games. =) I will go to bed tonight partly satisfied with at least getting some pictures up.
Tomorrow, I take a train to Rennes to meet up with an old friend from 2008 who was also a teaching assistant in Saint Lo. We get to spend the weekend together, and I'm super excited to see her again and spend more time in one of my Top 3 favorite French towns!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Successful Castle Quest!
Hooooorrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!!! Check and check on solo ride to the Balleroy Castle and another bike outing with my uncle. AND this time I have pictures. Today, I rode the whopping 9 km to Balleroy to do the guided tour. It was another lovely bike ride through Norman countryside and having a castle destination doesn't hurt either. (ARG!!!! But have run into unintended technical difficulties, and the extent of my technological skills are not sufficient for problem solving. Grrrrrrrrrrrr. Keeping fingers crossed for a solution by tomorrow night).
I have, however, lost all motivation for blogging tonight, as I was super excited to post all kinds of pics. So for now, I'm going to bed and hopefully tomorrow this post will be populated by fantastically Norman pictures.
I have, however, lost all motivation for blogging tonight, as I was super excited to post all kinds of pics. So for now, I'm going to bed and hopefully tomorrow this post will be populated by fantastically Norman pictures.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Reunited with my bicycle!!
WOW!! I didn't realize how much I missed biking in Normandie until I finally got to ride here again after 4 years. Oh my. How to explain the pure bliss. It's so good for my soul. The countryside is inexplicably gorgeous with all of the greenery of fields and shrubs and hedges. I absolutely love the asymmetry of the fields with golden shades of wheat in stark contrast with the dark green shades of corn. The rolling hills are a decent challenge and then open the world on either side to these fabulous sights. I went out with my uncle for a 35 km ride on Tuesday and was soaking in every moment. It was extraordinary: blue sky, sunshine, little pockets of white clouds and me pedaling through the glory of Normandie on the bike I used to ride when I lived in Saint Lo in 2008. Faaaaaaaaaabulous!
And here's the grand reunion!!
For the pertinent updates:
1.) I had an absolutely FANTASTIC experience couch surfing in Lille with my friend Rose. It was my first time couch surfing and I am now a wholehearted CS supporter and surfer! Our hosts were amazing and made the experience so much more rich than if we hadn't had their interaction, advice, tips, and company.
2.) In stark contrast, the hostel I stayed at in Belgium was mediocre at best. Boo. I severely regretted not having done CS for Belgium, but I had not yet experienced the amazing-ness that is CS. Brussels was also disappointing; with lots of less-than-ideal interactions and a very mundane metropolis. It's a big city, and indeed, the capital of Europe, so I wasn't expecting a quaint little village, but I thought there would be more appealing architecture. The Grand Plaza is absolutely breath-takingly gorgeous and was hands-down my favorite place in Brussels, but the rest was sub-par and at times a little sketchy.
I followed a few suggested walking tours and found the parts of the city that I saw to be very unremarkable.....to the point where I was questioning why they were part of a walking tour. My favorite part of Brussels (after gawking at the Grand Plaza) was doing a little treasure hunt for the 3 pissing statues. I found them all (Manneken Pis, the original little boy, his sister, and now a dog) and I find them quite hilarious, especially that the little boy actually wears a costume and that the costume is changed multiple times/month. Really??!! Really!
I did get to visit three other towns in Belgium: Tournai, Ghent and Brugge, and the last two are by far my favorite Belgian towns. They also definitely make top 10 European towns for me. I got to visit Ghent during a music festival and it was quite fun; highlight of the day was meeting some very friendly and proud Belgians who bought me a Ghent Tripl (a beer that I actually discovered I really liked and is made specifically for the town of Ghent) COOL!!
3.) I got a sunburn playing in the pool that my cousin has in his backyard! I hadn't had that much sun in a while! (The summer here has been terrible with ridiculous amounts of rain and much colder temperatures than usual, and everyone's gardens now reflect the sub-par summer with various plant maladies and severely diminished harvests. Sad!) The pool was incredibly fun to frolic in though! It's above ground, but about 4 feet deep and 20 feet in diameter ...... sufficient for much fantastic fun. I was very thankful I didn't have to carry my bag for a few days though, because my shoulders were severely sensitive to the slightest pressure; 45 lbs on them would have been quite unpleasant.
4.) I got to swim in a pool with a retractable roof!!! SO COOL! Near my aunt's house she has a public pool with a roof that can be opened on days deemed worthy. I was lucky enough to catch one of those days! I swam 3 days while I was there, and only on 1 day did they open the roof. I thought the other days were nice enough for open sky swimming, but apparently they did not concur. It was a splendid experience!
5.) With a 90 minute wait for a train in Metz, I found a little park and did some yoga in the park, and decided to take some pictures of it too. It was hilarious! I had a grand old time and will show you some of the pictures (soon). KC - if you are reading this, I thought of you and the picture you suggested for the blog. I tried a variation. =)
6.) I said goodbye to my parents before they head back to the States, and it was much harder than I expected, considering we've grown quite accustomed to goodbyes between visits. Parting ways on August 3rd was quite emotional yet still surreal that that was our final French goodbye. They're still in France for a few more days, but they're visiting other family in Paris, and I came straight to Normandie. Getting to spend multiple weeks with them this summer made for many a wonderful memory.
7.) I got to spend a few days visiting a friend I'd met in 2008 who it turns out, now lives only about 10 km from my uncle! Who knew!! She's now married and has a 2 year old daughter who is absolutely precious!
During my stay, we visited another couple I'd met in 2008 who have bought an old stone house with tons of land, and are building an add-on to the house themselves and growing a huge garden. They are also going to start beekeeping which I find amazing on multiple levels, primarily because she'd been reading up on "how to" and was registered for a class, when suddenly, a group of bees (I don't know what the term is for a group of bees, but we're talking the whole party, appx 50,000 bees) flew into their yard and made a temporary home out of their apple tree. They called local beekeepers and got everything they needed to make a hive for them, and they now have a "group" of bees! Talk about meant to be!
They are very very environment-friendly-minded people, and it was incredibly refreshing to hear their story and see what they are accomplishing with their lives. Dinner was a chicken they had raised and potatoes from their garden with herbs they grow as well. Divine!!
The next day we went to the beach and timed a quick 10 minute dip in the English Channel perfectly before a storm hit and the downpour drenched the remaining, stubborn people on the beach. It was a COLD dip, and the worst part was not having sunshine to warm us up afterwards. Definitely did not feel like a summer day in August! But we went home and had hot tea and a chocolate lava cake that we'd made - exquisite!!
Her apartment happens to be a 2 minute walk from a castle! I LOVE IT! I'm still obsessed with castles. I got to go for a run around the castle grounds. It was fabulous!
She brought me to my uncle's house on Tuesday (about a 15 minute drive away) which made for one of the easiest house transitions I've had yet! I think it takes number 1. =) After lunch with my aunt and uncle; the glorious reunion of bike and rider took place, and now we're back where this story started, with the 35 km bike ride through the fantastic Normandy country-side. Tomorrow, a 50 km ride planned with my uncle (who is over 70 years old and floors me with his fitness!!) and perhaps a quick solo jaunt by bike over to a castle to satisfy my castle obsession.
And here's the grand reunion!!
For the pertinent updates:
1.) I had an absolutely FANTASTIC experience couch surfing in Lille with my friend Rose. It was my first time couch surfing and I am now a wholehearted CS supporter and surfer! Our hosts were amazing and made the experience so much more rich than if we hadn't had their interaction, advice, tips, and company.
2.) In stark contrast, the hostel I stayed at in Belgium was mediocre at best. Boo. I severely regretted not having done CS for Belgium, but I had not yet experienced the amazing-ness that is CS. Brussels was also disappointing; with lots of less-than-ideal interactions and a very mundane metropolis. It's a big city, and indeed, the capital of Europe, so I wasn't expecting a quaint little village, but I thought there would be more appealing architecture. The Grand Plaza is absolutely breath-takingly gorgeous and was hands-down my favorite place in Brussels, but the rest was sub-par and at times a little sketchy.
I followed a few suggested walking tours and found the parts of the city that I saw to be very unremarkable.....to the point where I was questioning why they were part of a walking tour. My favorite part of Brussels (after gawking at the Grand Plaza) was doing a little treasure hunt for the 3 pissing statues. I found them all (Manneken Pis, the original little boy, his sister, and now a dog) and I find them quite hilarious, especially that the little boy actually wears a costume and that the costume is changed multiple times/month. Really??!! Really!
I did get to visit three other towns in Belgium: Tournai, Ghent and Brugge, and the last two are by far my favorite Belgian towns. They also definitely make top 10 European towns for me. I got to visit Ghent during a music festival and it was quite fun; highlight of the day was meeting some very friendly and proud Belgians who bought me a Ghent Tripl (a beer that I actually discovered I really liked and is made specifically for the town of Ghent) COOL!!
3.) I got a sunburn playing in the pool that my cousin has in his backyard! I hadn't had that much sun in a while! (The summer here has been terrible with ridiculous amounts of rain and much colder temperatures than usual, and everyone's gardens now reflect the sub-par summer with various plant maladies and severely diminished harvests. Sad!) The pool was incredibly fun to frolic in though! It's above ground, but about 4 feet deep and 20 feet in diameter ...... sufficient for much fantastic fun. I was very thankful I didn't have to carry my bag for a few days though, because my shoulders were severely sensitive to the slightest pressure; 45 lbs on them would have been quite unpleasant.
4.) I got to swim in a pool with a retractable roof!!! SO COOL! Near my aunt's house she has a public pool with a roof that can be opened on days deemed worthy. I was lucky enough to catch one of those days! I swam 3 days while I was there, and only on 1 day did they open the roof. I thought the other days were nice enough for open sky swimming, but apparently they did not concur. It was a splendid experience!
5.) With a 90 minute wait for a train in Metz, I found a little park and did some yoga in the park, and decided to take some pictures of it too. It was hilarious! I had a grand old time and will show you some of the pictures (soon). KC - if you are reading this, I thought of you and the picture you suggested for the blog. I tried a variation. =)
6.) I said goodbye to my parents before they head back to the States, and it was much harder than I expected, considering we've grown quite accustomed to goodbyes between visits. Parting ways on August 3rd was quite emotional yet still surreal that that was our final French goodbye. They're still in France for a few more days, but they're visiting other family in Paris, and I came straight to Normandie. Getting to spend multiple weeks with them this summer made for many a wonderful memory.
7.) I got to spend a few days visiting a friend I'd met in 2008 who it turns out, now lives only about 10 km from my uncle! Who knew!! She's now married and has a 2 year old daughter who is absolutely precious!
During my stay, we visited another couple I'd met in 2008 who have bought an old stone house with tons of land, and are building an add-on to the house themselves and growing a huge garden. They are also going to start beekeeping which I find amazing on multiple levels, primarily because she'd been reading up on "how to" and was registered for a class, when suddenly, a group of bees (I don't know what the term is for a group of bees, but we're talking the whole party, appx 50,000 bees) flew into their yard and made a temporary home out of their apple tree. They called local beekeepers and got everything they needed to make a hive for them, and they now have a "group" of bees! Talk about meant to be!
They are very very environment-friendly-minded people, and it was incredibly refreshing to hear their story and see what they are accomplishing with their lives. Dinner was a chicken they had raised and potatoes from their garden with herbs they grow as well. Divine!!
The next day we went to the beach and timed a quick 10 minute dip in the English Channel perfectly before a storm hit and the downpour drenched the remaining, stubborn people on the beach. It was a COLD dip, and the worst part was not having sunshine to warm us up afterwards. Definitely did not feel like a summer day in August! But we went home and had hot tea and a chocolate lava cake that we'd made - exquisite!!
Her apartment happens to be a 2 minute walk from a castle! I LOVE IT! I'm still obsessed with castles. I got to go for a run around the castle grounds. It was fabulous!
She brought me to my uncle's house on Tuesday (about a 15 minute drive away) which made for one of the easiest house transitions I've had yet! I think it takes number 1. =) After lunch with my aunt and uncle; the glorious reunion of bike and rider took place, and now we're back where this story started, with the 35 km bike ride through the fantastic Normandy country-side. Tomorrow, a 50 km ride planned with my uncle (who is over 70 years old and floors me with his fitness!!) and perhaps a quick solo jaunt by bike over to a castle to satisfy my castle obsession.
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