i heard the bells

The church down the street from my brother's flat in Bath has an open bell ringing night every Monday. I have been sitting in the living room the past hour very much enjoying the sound. I can't help but think of the poem (and hymn) "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The words were written at a time of war and despair, Longfellow had recently lost his wife and had received news that his son had been wounded in battle. He found himself in a moment without hope, unable to see the good in the world. In that moment of loss, the bells on Christmas Day remind him of the good that is still there "the wrong shall fail, the right prevail with Peace on earth, good will to men".

I often find myself dwelling on the negative aspects of my life. There is always something I wish I was doing instead, something I wish I had done differently and aspirations that I hope to achieve. I allow myself to get caught up in the cynical and apathetic world, dismissing the good that I know is all around me. I know I am not the only one to have these moments of self-doubt. For myself I hope to remember the sound of the church bells as they remind me that the wrong will fail and the peace will prevail.

there are alway going to be changes

I have recently been putting a lot of thought into what I want to do when I come back to the States. I have talked to a lot of people about this and everyone has their own opinion of what they think I should do next. While some people would hate to be told by someone else what the next step should be, I don't mind it. It really gives me a chance to talk everything out and bounce ideas around with people who know me really well.

I have recently decided to change some of my long term plans. I was planning on returning home to Oregon and staying in Salem to attend Willamette. After some persuading by my sister in law I have now decided to move to New York in March to attend Columbia University (if i get in, fingers crossed). I will still be in Salem for about 6 weeks but then I will move back East in an attempt to make something of my life.

It is a big step, attending graduate school and moving to a city like New York but it will be an adventure and that's what life is all about.

a train ride...

...to Stuttgart. About a month ago I arranged a trip to the town of Stuttgart in southern Germany, with an old friend currently living in Hamburg, Germany. That trip took place last week. I had previously arranged a train to and from Stuttgart without giving a second thought to the fact that if there was a problem I would be S.O.L. as I speak no German. As the trip date grew closer and closer, I realized I was going to have to have a back-up plan of sorts in case anything did happen. So I found a German-English dictionary and learned how to say "sprechen Sie Englisch?" (Do you speak English?). Traveling there wasn't a problem. I was able to catch an earlier train out of Basel so I had plenty of time to change trains in Karlsruhe. I even had time to get dinner (German Subway is good although I was slightly thrown off when cream cheese was offered as one of my cheese options).

Stuttgart itself is a really cool town. There is a great mixture of old and new architecture, the Mercedes-Benz museum (my friend's main purpose for picking Stuttgart) and some really yummy food. I had my first hostel experience and it was actually pretty good. We had four roommates, two Canadians and two Germans. The Germans came back late each night and left really earlier each morning but did so quietly. The Canadians were nice even when they were comparing red light districts across Europe.

So Sunday I get to the train station about 45 minutes prior to my train. I noticed that there was another train leaving for Karlsruhe in a few minutes, so I figured I could do the same thing that I did on my way there so I hopped on the train leaving earlier. (What I didn't realize was that the train I caught was a commuter train of sorts, stopping in almost every town and village between Stuttgart and Karlsurhe. So instead of arriving earlier than my scheduled train I arrived at the same time. I vaguely remembered the four towns we stopped in going to Stuttgart and when we started stopping in other towns I started getting worried. I was pretty sure I had caught the wrong train and I was headed to Munich. I decided I would get up and investigate so I grabbed my handbag and left my backpack on my seat. I eventually found a map that had all the train routes on it. As I traced our path out of Stuttgart I noticed we were headed north. That is when I really started to freak out. After I calmed myself down a bit I looked at the map again and noticed that Karlsurhe was actually northwest of Stuttgart and the route we were taking in fact ended up in Karlsurhe. So I went back to my seat and enjoyed the rest of the train ride.

It was a fabulous weekend away. It was great to see an old friend and spend time in a new place.

we now return...

...to our original programing. After a month with no internet a person starts giving up that it will ever actually return. No matter how many phone calls are made the answer is always the same, "We're working on it." All I have to say is that no matter the country you live in the internet companies are all the same. They have their own agenda and all you can do is wait. Now that it is back on I have some catching up to do.

The month without internet was practically uneventful. We moved into our new house in Hegenheim which is the next village over from Hesingue. It is right on the border with Switzerland so we have quite a few German speaking neighbors. The new house is nice. It is smaller and older than the other house but it has charm and a fireplace which is oh so nice now that it has become colder.

Now that I am back in touch with the rest of the world expect more updates and a few personal observations.

for those of you with doubts...

...I am still alive. We have had some serious issues with the internet connection at the new house. Basically we have no internet and FranceTelecom isn't rushing to get it up and running.

I have a new adventure coming up. I am going to Stuttgart this weekend. An old friend of mine lives in Hamburg and we are meeting halfway. I am pretty excited about the weekend away. For some reason I only gave myself about 10 minutes to change trains in some random town in Germany so I'm hoping I don't miss my connection.

If all goes well I should have internet by next week so I'll be able to blog about my adventure.

trying something new

There are a few things that I do with little inhibition or reserve. Cutting my hair is one of those things. It may seem trivial but it is my philosophy that experimenting with your hair is easy and if something is messed up it always grows back. My hair style is the one style I have control over. When I was in London my sister and I both got our hair cut for free at the Toni&Guy Salon Academy. We were basically final projects for the students. It was nice to get a free hair cut and I was in need of one so it worked out. As that style grew out, though, I liked it less and less. A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time for a change, something very new and very different. When I was in France the first time (6 years ago) I really wanted to get my hair cut here. It never worked out then but today I was finally able to fulfill that dream.

If there is anything the French do really well it's luxury. Usually you see this need for satisfaction in food and clothes but I learned today that that same desire for luxury is seen at the coiffeurs. When I first came in they took my coat and instead of a shapeless cape they gave me more of a dressing gown to put on over my clothes. I was offered "un café ou un thé" which I gracefully declined. They then washed my hair. I have to admit that getting my hair washed is one of my favorite parts of the hair cutting experience. This particular wash was fantastic. The chair I was sitting in was actually a massage chair and instead of just a quick wash the guy massaged the conditioner into my scalp. If I ever become really rich I think I may pay to have someone wash my hair. Any who, the actual cutting was very standard although she used a razor for most of the cut but I think that was mostly because of the style I requested. Over all it was a fantastic experience. I should note that I did end up cutting off a lot of hair. I hope you all like it!

give me five...up high...

...down low. That's right, I would like to dedicate this post to the universal High Five. Everyday when I pick Jack up from school he says goodbye to his friends. On almost every occasion the farewell consists of a high five. I love to watch these little 8 year old boys as they clumsily give each other a high five. I always tend to remember all my failed attempts at giving high fives. I've decided that high fives are something that everyone fails at at one point or another. There is something about the coordination of two hands making contact mid air that has the tendency to go awry. There are also those moments when you over do a high five and you end up with a hand that feels like it is going to fall off. Most elusive of all is the moment of a perfect high five. Those moments are never easily reproduced but they are always remembered.

from big city life...

...to small town living. I was talking to my mom the other day via skype (the best thing ever!) talking about my eventual return to the States. She was giving me a hard time about wanting to leave France to come home. As an example she started telling me about all the political brouhaha going on currently and implied that no one in their right mind would want to leave France for endless debates on healthcare bills and approval ratings.

I'm sure if I were still living in DC I would be overly informed on all the political goings on. Nothing against all the politicos out there but when that's all any one ever talks about it's hard not to know it all. It isn't that I don't read the news, I check BBC and CNN daily and I'm up to date on all the major topics but after DC I feel slightly detached. I've decided it isn't a bad thing though. It gives me a chance to figure out how much I really care about things like politics.

I don't really care for politics. I will remained informed so that when my input is necessary I can contribute but that is as far as it goes.

how French can you get?

On my way home from the grocery store the other day I saw this man riding his bike. I was able to snap a picture on my phone. When I think of France this is what I see.

going up?

For as long as I can remember I've always had this thing about elevators. They freak me out. I can remember going to visit my mom in the hospital after she had my brother and being so scared of the huge hospital elevators. I have always been afraid of one day, stepping on to an elevator only to have it stop mid trip resulting in me becoming stuck for hours on end.

Yesterday something like that happened to a friend of mine. He got on the elevator for what should have been barely a minute and then 45 minutes later he finally emerged annoyed and hungry. He told me about it over gchat right after it happened. I laughed of course, who wouldn't, but then last night as I slept my subconscious took over. All night I dreamed about being stuck in an elevator, going up and down, up and down, not being able to get out. It was horrible. It's not that I'm claustrophobic...well, maybe a little, but I think it's knowing that after pressing that button, you no longer have any control over what the elevator does. That's what scares me.

out and about

I took the opportunity of a free Saturday (the kids were with their dad) to hop a train and go visit Strasbourg. Since I am so close I figured I should probably go up there and see what its all about.


Fortunately for me, Strasbourg is known for more than just the EU headquarters. It is home to one of the more well known European cathedrals. One of the things I love about living in Europe is how old everything is. It was cool in DC to go to sites that were a couple hundred years old but the cathedral in Strasbourg was built over a 300 year period from 1100-1400. There is nothing like that in the states. Its a beautiful building with your classic Gothic architecture. Inside there is an astronomical clock which is amazing and was used to calculate Easter.


As with most towns and villages in Alsace there was a distinct feel with the cobbled streets and the timber framed houses. There is a specific part of Strasbourg called Petite-France, or Little France. It is the quintessential Alsatian neighborhood. Though, as cute as the cobbled streets were my feet were killing me by the end of the day. Now I know why you don't see cobbled streets any more.


I found an ice cream stand with blood orange sorbet. It was so yummy. One more thing I love about European cities, you can always find an ice cream stand. I remember once in DC I wandered all over downtown with my roommate trying to find an ice cream shop. It was near impossible (once we did find one it was a really good place and still one of my favorite ice cream shops in DC).

I've created a photo album on Facebook so please, go check out more pictures.

no place like home

After a bout of homesickness this past week I have come up with some things that I really miss from life before I came to France.

Cooking with my roommates. This would usually happen on Sunday after my roommate had invited people over and we would frantically try and come up with a meal. it always turned out though.

Running by the Potomac. There are plenty of places to run here but there is something about running towards DC at sunset. absolutely gorgeous.

Costco hot dog runs with co-workers. 'nuff said.

Lazy Saturdays spent watching cheesy made-for-TV movies on ABC family.

Going to parties. this may seem ironic to some, usually I would go kicking and screaming. I've never felt like I was any good at negotiating large groups of people and DC definitely challenged me.

Coming home from work on Fridays knowing that for the next two days I wasn't required to do anything.

Visiting my brother and sister-in-law in New York. It's great that I can still visit family here but some days I think I miss New York just as much as I miss DC.

The Arlington Public Library. Books and dvds in English that I could keep for almost as long as I wanted.

Kebab Palace. The place is ghetto but the food is oh so yummy.

Standing around in the kitchen with my roommates talking about anything and everything from boys to work to how we were someday going to open a restaurant together.

It's possible that after writing this I am even more homesick and here I was hoping it would help. Maybe next time I will write about what I will miss when I go back to the states.

in 200 meters turn...

How far is a meter? You'd think that by now I would have figured it out. This morning I dropped Dan and Em at work. Well, Dan drove, dropped Em and then drove on to his office where he proceeded to give me directions back to France. Needless to say I wasn't able to follow his directions and I ended up on the road to Zurich. Before things got too far out of hand I turned on the trusty SatNav, got off the motorway and found my way back into Basel. I still had no idea where I was as I desperately tried to follow the directions provided by the nice yet indignant voice coming from the dash. After more than one wrong turn, partly due to the fact that I still can't properly measure a meter as I'm driving, I started to recognize a few of the streets. I finally got to a street from which I knew I could get home without the help of the SatNav. I happily turned it off and decided I needed a reward for surviving my unintentional tour of Basel. I stopped at my favorite patisserie and I am now enjoying a tasty gourmandise. It's great to be back in France.

in the light of day

Have you ever noticed how different things are in the light of day. Last Christmas I flew to Kyiv to visit my sister and her husband. When I booked the flights I didn't really take note of the fact that I would only have about an hour to change flights in London. It wasn't until after everything was all booked and set that I realized my mistake. There was nothing I could do. I then had to deal with Terminal 5. When I landed in London on my way to Kyiv it was early in the morning. Once I made it through passport control and security my flight was in final boarding, that's when I started running. I ran through the terminal, past the fancy shops and celebrity restaurants (Gordon Ramsey has a place) and made it just in time for my flight. Coming back it was evening when I landed and again, after the mess with passport control and security I once again had to run to make my plane. Needless to say I didn't see much.

Today I found myself once again in Terminal 5. It was mid afternoon and the place was full of people. The terminal itself is very new and full of shops and restaurants that I didn't have time to even glance at last time through. The place was crowded with flights being called constantly, "flight 548 to Rome, flight 623 to Chicago, flight 885 to Santiago". If you want to feel like you are at the center of the world just go to Terminal 5 at Heathrow and catch a plane to anywhere.

lazy days

Have you ever noticed how things seem to slow down the month of August? I was walking the dogs the other day and I noticed that the need to walk fast and get the task over with was gone. There was no push to hurry and return to the house to move on to the next item on my list. I thought it was because I'd just returned to a small sleepy village after spending a week in busy London but the more I thought about it the more I realized that many of the Augusts of my memory play the same way.

Everything seems to slow down even though many are burdened with the preparations of returning to school, we all want to stop and savor the last few moments before it all begins again. The excitement and even fear for some of starting a new school year is overshadowed by the simple need to relax one more hour or finish that last novel before the rush of academic reading.

Even for those not returning to school there is a seemingly unexplainable need to pause and enjoy. I remember the first fall after I graduated from University. The flurry of preparation was missing but the need to enjoy the freedom was still there. Perhaps it's biological, knowing that in a few short months the sun and warm weather will be almost a figment of our imagination. A need to bottle it all up if only to be able to return to the peaceful memories in five months time. Maybe it is the ridiculous hot weather that causes us to slow down. Knowing that the slower we move the less we may sweat. Could it be that simple?

the wheels on the bus

After almost a month in the UK I returned to France last night. I will admit, I was sad to say goodbye to the land of fish and chips, wrong side of the road driving and caramel digestives. I had a fabulous time exploring and spending time with family.

The first two and a half weeks I spent with the family at the pub, The Jolly Sailor, in Orford. While there I learned how to go crabbing, the goodness, yet heaviness, of pub food and how to pull a pint. I will admit that pulling pints was one of the coolest things I did. I only felt comfortable behind the bar in the afternoon when the bar was pretty much empty and the occasional patron didn't mind that I really didn't know what I was doing.

On the 5th I left Orford and headed for London. It was really just a pit stop on my way to Bath to visit my brother. It was great to go back to Bath. I love going some place for the second time. It still has the new and exciting feeling about it with a since of the unknown but you can feel comfortable enough to take chances and explore. My brother and his wife just moved into a new apartment right in the center of Bath about a 3 minute walk away from the city center. Annabelle and Dave were in England because Dave was there for work and they came down on the Saturday and we had a mini Utley family reunion. Miia was of course adorable and loving all the attention. We went to the Roman Baths and took a long walk through the Botanical Gardens enjoying the amazing weather. I love the immediate joking and laughter that happens when members of my family get together.

Sunday Annabelle and I headed into London for our week-o-fun. It was fantastic. Since we had a whole week and we had both been there previously we didn't feel the need to rush around seeing everything. There were certain things we wanted to see or do but for the most part our days were relaxed. We walked all over London though. We went to the British Museum and the National Gallery. We saw the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. We went shopping on Oxford and Regent's Streets and wandered through Hyde Park. A major highlight was going to Buckingham Palace on Saturday. The Queen is in Scotland for the summer so the State Rooms are open to the public. It was amazing, so beautiful and ornate. We were in the last group to go through for the day so we took our time and we were able to spend time in the rooms without the massive crowds. Which, considering there were crowds everywhere (mostly Italians), was pretty cool. We also went up in the London Eye right after sunset, gorgeous. I loved being able to do all of this with my sister. Since moving to Europe all of my trips so far are done alone and to be able to experience all of this with my sister made it even more enjoyable and exciting.

Vacations are fabulous. There is always the constant pull of wanting to stay away but missing home all at the same time. For now I am glad to be back in France. I can rest up from my vacation and get ready for the school year to start and the children to get back into a routine.

how to go crabbing

Harry and Jack took me crabbing at the quay yesterday. I will admit that I have been looking forward to going crabbing since they told me about it weeks ago. I will admit I had a slight obsession with it as something that I've never done before and something that I wasn't sure I would ever have the opportunity to do again. There are a few things needed prior to the expedition.

1. a bucket
2. string
3. a weight
4. a small netted bag
5. this is the most important...bacon

So with all these tools of the trade in tow we headed down to the quay. Apparently bacon is the bait of choice. Everyone on the dock had some. In all honesty I would never even begin to be able to guess what sort of bait would be needed so bacon seemed logical to me. OK to start, fill the bucket half way up with water from the sea, second put a bit of bacon in the netted bag that has the weight attached to it and make sure it all is firmly attached to the string. Lower the bag in the water just off the dock. Make sure it settles into the seaweed, that is where the crabs like to hid. Finally wait. The waiting part is the hard part. We were sitting on the concrete quay and I didn't bring anything to sit on or anything to hold my attention unless you count making sure the boys didn't fall in.

After waiting for what was probably only about 5 minutes or so Harry pulled up the string and there was a crab attached to the bag! We didn't have the bucket handy so as soon as we got the crab up to the quay he let go of the bag and scampered to the edge and jumped back in. No worries though, we got back to the task and soon we caught another crab and this time we managed to get it into the bucket. It was quite satisfying to have caught a crab. We poked around some more and ended up catching a second crab. Like with the first we missed the bucket but I decided I was going to go after it. I managed to pick it up while avoiding the claws and put it in the bucket. By now Jack had already given up and gone back to the cottage so Harry and I took the cabs back to show him and then we returned them to whence they came.

It was quite a fun adventure. I think next time I will bring something to sit on as well as a book or something to do while I wait for the crabs to take the bait!

Got Speedo?

A few weeks ago I took the kids to a swimming pool here in France. The pool is over in Saint Louis and before we went I was informed that the boys had to wear Speedos. Apparently it is practically French law that in any public swimming pool boys have to wear a Speedo. I was told that it had to deal with hygiene. I don't care if they cure illness there are some men in the world that should not be allowed to wear Speedos. It doesn't matter how fit you think you are, don't even go there.

There were two types of Speedos being worn.

Type A:
Type B:Now the boys weren't thrilled that they had to wear a Speedo in the first place so of course they went with type A...actually, to be honest, I'm not sure either of them own the second type. With young boys it doesn't matter much but for older, balding, gross looking men they just shouldn't be allowed out if their only option is a Speedo.

schools out for the summer!

Today is the last day of school for the kids. I used to love the last day of school. There was always a lot of anticipation for the coming summer holiday and even a bit of sadness with the closing of another year. Oddly enough as I sit here writing this, I can't really remember any of my last days of school. I can remember some events from middle school, the excitement of finishing the 6th grade, pure joy of finishing the 8th grade, but it seems that once I went to high school the dread of finals as well as the eagerness to be done outweighed the anticipation of that last day. As a senior there was no final bell as our finals were held a week before the rest of the schools and in many cases there was no actual final, just a paper or a project to be completed.

The same thing happened in college. For most as soon as that last final and completed it was an immediate departure from campus saying goodbye to whom you could when you could. I think it is so funny that when in elementary school we made such a big deal out of the last day, weeping a tearful goodbye to a friend that we would soon see again and swearing that we would spend an amazingly fun summer together as many times as possible and as it would end up you would see them twice and survive just fine. There was so much drama and many a crisis growing up. I suppose it is a testament to growing up when you can complete a school year without being nominated for a Tony Award.

I am so glad that there are easily notable moments for growing up. Being able to look back on things seeing the ways that I have changed helps my self-esteem when I think I am going nowhere fast. Life is a constant flux of new replacing old. I recently read a fantastic column about change (shameless plug for my mom's last column) and in it Heraclitus was quoted as saying "Change is the only constant". That, I would most definitely have to agree with. Embrace change and let it work in your life.

driving miss daisy

I know I wrote about driving already but in the last few weeks I have experienced a handful of fantastic moments while in the car. These moments came after much worry on my part. You see, I have always considered myself good with directions which, knowing my mother and her ability to get lost in the same neighborhoods over and over again, is a miracle. Living in DC I rarely got lost and more than once my roommates relied on me for directions. The fact that I knew driving directions in DC is incredible seeing as how I didn't have my own car and only drove there a handful of times. Moving here I knew I was going to have to drive and I was going to have to find my way around. The worry of being in a new city was compacted with the foreign language problem as well. I was going to have to decipher street signs in both French and German.

Luckily for me the car I drive is equipped with a "sat-nav" or to the Americans out there, a GPS. I have never relied on a GPS and I was thankful that there was one available. One thing was important though, I did not want to rely solely on the sat-nav. I wanted to learn and become familiar with the roads and the different routes. I can proudly say that I am using the sat-nav less and less. In fact, just this last Sunday I went all the way to church without once turning it on. I was also able to get home without it as well. And so these moments continue, driving back from Basel after dropping Em off at work and being able to take a side trip to pick someone up all without using the sat-nav.

In reality, relying less and less on things like the sat-nav make me feel more and more at home and like I belong here. There is also a great sense of freedom that I feel, knowing that, when necessary, I can get in the car and get to where I need to be.

"Each sheet of paper has two sides" Japanese proverb

Since moving to France, and being the Anthropologist that I am, I often find myself in social situations where I can't help but people watch and find similarities and differences in the culture as it compares to America. I have a unique opportunity in that not only do I interact with the French I am also often in the company of British ex-pats. Before I go any further I must say that everyone I have met so far has been wonderful and I am very thankful for their friendship and patience.

A week and half ago the school put on a Fete de Mere program. Mother's Day here was the following Sunday. I have attended many school programs and I couldn't help but recognize the many similarities between this small French program to many of the school programs I attended as a participant and as a member of the audience. There were the same groups of people, the father that was so sure that any noise the young child behind him made was a direct insult to him and his child on stage. The ever proud mother that took pictures of her child both on stage and while waiting his turn. The children ever acted similarly, craning their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of their parents, chatting nervously to their friends.

There are many differences as well. Last Saturday the football club here in Hesingue (I've decided to use the European 'football' instead of the American 'soccer') put on a dinner at the soccer pitch. When we all arrived it was fantastic to see everyone either sitting around eating, drinking wine and talking or out on the pitch kicking the ball around. Em and I both observed that the atmosphere would never be felt in the UK and only ever so often in the states. Children of all ages were playing together or they were sitting with the adults, taking part of the conversation. Another difference I have seen are the eating habits. I absolutely love the way the Europeans eat. There is always a knife and fork and there is no limit to the mixing of foods. When my brother was younger he would throw a fit if his corn was mixed with his salad. Here, there is no regard. I think it is fantastic. People here love food, they love preparing it, eating it and even talking about it. In America I feel like people have the attitude that food is something you consume as quickly as possible so you can move on to something 'more important'.

So here comes the anthropologist in me. When a person travels to a foreign country they immediately see all the differences and retreat into anything that reminds them of where they come from. They don't allow themselves the joy of experiencing new places, people and food. The things is, if they looked around, they would be able to find similarities. There will always be that indignant father or the proud mother. Kids are kids, no matter what language they are speaking. While we all may have different ethnic memories and histories, I believe humanity, at its core is the same. We allow ourselves selective vision when it comes to different cultures, we only see the differences. People need to allow themselves the time to experience and enjoy all that is in this world. As we truely discover the new and unusual in this world we grow as a human being. If we let the new work in our lives, I believe we will better know oursleves.

Abi Covers the UK

For my first, proper weekend away I went to England to visit my brother, Mark, his wife, Kristiina, and their daughter Miia. They live in a small village in Wiltshire, just outside of Bath. I was so ridiculously excited all of last week. I have always wanted to go to England and Bath, thanks to Jane Austen, has always been high on my list of cities to see.


My trip started Friday morning when I flew out of Basel Airport. It was a direct flight to London. Once I landed in London I had to catch the DLR into London so I could then catch the tube to Paddington train station. I was a little worried about the trip but it was a really quite a simple trip to the train station. I had a bit of time so I walked around the area towards Hyde Park. It was fantastic. I could hardly keep the grin off my face as I walked down the street. It was fab, I probably looked the fool but I didn't care.


When I got to Bath Mark and Miia where there to meet me. We took a quick tour of Bath and then met Kristiina for lunch. I love Bath. The countryside is absolutely beautiful and in the town there is always something going on. Mark and Kristiina have a place in Winsley which is just outside of Bath about 20 minutes. While in Bath we saw the Abbey, the Roman Baths, the Royal Crescent and the Circus. The entire time we were walking around I was thinking about Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth from Persuasion. I really couldn't help myself. That is my favorite Jane Austen book and much of it takes place in Bath...ah Captain Wentworth...


Any who, Bath was a lot of fun. There are a lot of opportunities for shopping and sightseeing. We also went into Bradford-on-Avon. Avon is the river that runs through Bath and Bradford. It is the Bristol Avon, not to be confused with the other Avon...as in Stratford-on-Avon. Why there are two different rivers in the same country with the same name is beyond me. It was a beautiful bike ride through the countryside on a gorgeous day. We poked around Bradford and then had lunch at an Inn. I had fish and chips. They were good but I am sure I will probably have better next time I go.

Monday I spent the morning with Mark and Miia and then it was back to London for a few hours. I walked from Paddington station all the way to Bank via Parliament, the London Eye and Tate Modern. I can't believe I covered so much ground in just 4 hours. I know I am going to have to go back and take a bit more time at a few of the locations. I still need to see more neighborhoods like Notting Hill and Covent Garden. I want to be able to wander more without the pressing need to see everything. That is why I tried to see as much as possible on Monday. When I am there again in August I will be able to enjoy the city for what it is, not as a tourist looking for the next photo op.

get me to the church on time

I went to church for the second time yesterday. It was really great. I went for the first time two weeks ago and everyone was really friendly and nice. The entire meeting is, of course, in French. Yesterday I was sitting outside of the chapel before the meeting and the Bishop came up and started talking to me, seeing how I was doing and then he asked me if I would get up during the meeting and say a few words to introduce myself to help everyone in the ward get to know me. I'm sure there was a look of extreme fear on my face. He told me I didn't have to say a lot but just a bit. Of course I agreed. After he walked away a woman I had met last time I was there came up and asked me how I was doing. I told her what had just happened and she calmed me down a bit, gave me some ideas of what to say and was generally super nice about it. So I did it. I got up after the youth speaker and introduced myself. It was overly apparent that I don't know a lot of the French words used in a testimony but I think I did alright. I talked with the two American missionaries. They are both from the Denver, CO area and they gave me French Book of Mormon to study which will help my religious terminology.

I am hoping for a quick week this week. I am going to the UK on Friday to visit Mark and Kristiina. I am so flipping excited. I dreamed about negotiating London public transportation all night last night. I am going to have to make it from London City airport to Paddington Station during rush hour Friday morning. I just keep telling myself that it isn't going to be that hard and at least everything is going to be in English. :)

pineapple yogurt

I had pineapple yogurt for breakfast. For some reason it was really odd experience. As I sat there looking out the window at the rain soaked fields of France I felt like I was eating a pina colada without the coconut. It was one of those moments that you stop and think about what you are doing simply because of the oddity of the moment.

I have been doing the food shopping here. I have gone once. I don't think I am very good at it. I made a list of everything we needed, bought it all but then when I got back it was like I didn't even go shopping. I think I need to have a better idea of what we are going to eat for dinner and then the shopping will be easier.

I must take a moment and talk about food in general. I love French food. There are some really complex French dishes that take all day to cook. Those are amazingly good but I will admit I am all about the simple foods, the sandwiches on baguettes, the pastries, the cheese, the salads. I love French food. I am so excited to try different foods and to experiment with making new kinds of food. Any ideas are welcome.

Heading north

My older brother served his mission in Northern France. One of the cities he spent a lot of time in was Colmar. Located south of Strasbourg in Alsace it is a beautiful town with heavy German influence. For those of you that are historically inclined you will remember the constant conflict between France and Germany over the Alsace region. The French are quick to remember the conflict but that is a whole different story.

Ever since my brother lived there I have been dying to go. The family is in Italy this weekend so I took advantage of the freedom to take the train up for a visit. It is a short 30 min train ride up from Saint Louis. I am so glad I went. We use to joke that it was after Colmar that the makers of "Beauty and the Beast" modeled the village Belle walks into during one of the first scenes in the movie. For more pictures check out my facebook page. It is an absolutely gorgeous town with a lot of history and things to see. There are also a lot of restaurants. You can take your pick from the Irish "Le McFadden's" to a more traditional crepe shop.

One of the most interesting things about going was that I was completely by myself. Growing up with 7 brothers and sisters the only time I was alone was when I was sleeping and even then it was questionable. When I left for college there were roommates to contend with and even since then I have lived with, traveled with and shared a lot of experiences with roommates. I can tell that now I am going to have to get use to going places on my own. I'm not going to be able to rely on anyone else to translate or to order for me. I guess it really is time to grow up and live my own life.

round and round we go

For those of you that I have been to Europe know of the European penchant for roundabouts. I can almost honestly say that I have never previously driven in a roundabout. From what I can tell they are used when traffic lights are not wanted. I am still trying to decide how I like them. Every time I pull into one it takes a lot of willpower to not keep going around and around. It would be like turning cookies or donuts in the parking lot but with a previously defined path. I've decided that it would be too 'American' of me. I am just going to focus on now running into someone else or the middle. I am just glad that I don't have to deal with this roundabout:

http://www.swindonweb.com/index.asp?m=8&s=115&ss=289

Sprechen Sie Deutsches?

When I started researching Basel I came across a very unsettling fact: German is the official language of the city. I had it in my head that because it was in Switzerland French would be the dominate language. Needless to say my skills at geography didn't help my common sense. We are, after all, only a few miles from Germany and of course there would be a lot of German influence. After Friday and yesterday I can see that I should have learned German.

Friday we went to the spa. This particular spa is in Germany, right on the edge of the Black Forest, absolutely beautifully located in the hills. Having never previously been to a spa I had few expectations so I can safely say all of my expectations were filled and then some. It is a very classy and chic place with the average clientele age of 55. Everyone, of course was speaking German and everything was in German. There was an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a whirlpool, a handful of jacuzzi type pools, a cold pool and a hot pool. There was also treatment areas and a sauna. We spent out time in the ever so relaxing jacuzzis and hot pool. The whirlpool was good fun as well. At one point in time we were having more fun than a person is apparently allowed to have and this German woman came over and told us off. Granted I had no idea what she was saying. Sophie and Issy knew enough to know that we were being told off. All in all it as an amazingly relaxing experience and we were all quite ready for a nap.

Yesterday my German skills...or lack thereof were tested even more. Yesterday we went into Basel. Like I said before the official language of the city is German. This was alright as long as I was with other people but we decided that I should take the opportunity to take a look around by myself. I wandered on over the the Rhine and it was beautiful, gorgeous, wish you were here sort of a moment. It was a very nice sunny day with a bit of a breeze but fabulous non the less.

I was then faced with quite a predicament. I didn't get the chance to eat anything before we left the house so I was quite famished by about 2. As I walked about, browsing the stalls of an outdoor market I played with the the idea of just waiting until I got back to the house to eat something. I knew if I did and told mom about it she would probably chide me for not even trying so I decided I would buy something. There was a forever long ling at the bratwurst place so I went over to a pretzel stand (one of many I might add) and got a sandwich. I feel so sorry for that poor girl that had to help me. In a broken German/French/English mix I managed to buy a sandwich.

It was a great afternoon overall. I think I need to to find a simple German phrase book though...

Seriously missing out

American kids are seriously missing out. The French school system is so much better than the American one. The children's schedule is as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning class 8am-11:30. They then have a break from 11:30 until 1:10. The afternoon classes go from then until 4pm. They have no school on Wednesday. Its like the weekend in the middle of the week. This morning Jack had football and I took Isabelle to sign up for horseback ridding lessons. Then, they had their cousin and a friend over in the afternoon. Like I said, American kids are seriously missing out.

There are alot of things I am going to have to get use to living here. I think the one thing that is going to be the weirdest is the parking on the sidewalks. Like I said before, there are hardly any parking lots. There is one by the larger supermarche in Saint Louis but thats the only real one I've seen so far. Apparently there is a car park just on the edge of Basel that you can park in and them take the tram into the city. People just park wherever. That would not fly in the states. I am also going to miss, randomly, water that isn't from a bottle. No one drinks tap water here and rightly so but I am already kind board with bottled Vittal. It doesn't seem to quench my thurst. Maybe I need to branch out and try other brands.

First days...

First days aren't too different from last days. There is still the potential for extreme awkwardness but there is more chance of screwing up and making yourself look like a dork on your first day. No one really cares what you do on your last day, they're just happy they don't have to deal with you any more.

Today was my first official day as an au pair. I went with Emma to drop Isabelle at school. Jack stayed home today because he got a wicked bad sunburn yesterday. There wasn't much to do in the morning, Jack planted himself firmly in front of the telly for most of the morning.

At 11:30 I had to go pick up Emma for lunch. Both kids have an hour and a half for lunch so they come home. This meant I had to drive. I wasn't super nervous...I knew how to get there and where to meet Issy but there was the slight problem of parking. There aren't parking lots anywhere. Everyone just uses the sidewalk. I knew this before I came but the American inside me has a really hard time with that situation. When I was pulling up to the school there was a city bus right where we had dropped her off so I kept driving only to realize that I had no idea where to go once I got past the school. I pulled into a driveway to turn around. I had to back out on to a fairly busy street, I felt like a total dork. I still didn't know where to wait so I kinda went around the block and when I got back to the school there was a place for me to pull up and wait. Needless to say, I walked to pick Issy up after school. Better luck tomorrow.

there has to be an easier way

Ok, I am going to take a moment and reveal something about myself. I cannot wait for the technological advances that they have in Star Trek specifically those related to travel. I love the excitement of going to someplace new but I hate the part where you have to fly for what seems like forever. You would think that sitting for 7 hours wouldn't be so exhausting but it is. I really can't understand how people can even sleep on a plane.

So the family. They are really nice and very open. Jack, he's 7, is very quite. Emma said that it takes him awhile to open up but once he does is a great friend. Issy is all over the place and definitly almost 11. Her French is amazing. She has a friend over that doesn't know any english so they are speaking French and it is hard to follow. I just need to give it time, it will come back.

One of the coolest thing about this opportunity outside of being able to live in France is that I am going to be exposed to two cultures at the same time. The parents are very British..at least what I think of when I think British but since they are living in France they can't help but have that influence. It is so darn cool!

We are all going to go into Basel later for dinner. I am excited to see the city.

Last days

Yesterday was my last day of work. As much fun as I have had, saving the world one composite at a time, I was very excited to leave. I had one singular goal throughout the day, avoid my executive director. That may seem odd but when a man has the unwanted ability to make a simple conversation awkward you can only imagine what he could do on someones last day.

Saying goodbye to coworkers is weird enough, I am never really sure what to say or even do. The entire conversation quickly becomes a volley of "good lucks" and "take cares" culminating into an awkward "well I better get going". And then what, do you shake hands? hug? I have decided there is not really good way to end a goodbye conversation with a coworker without it being weird. You may have just spent the majority of your waking hours with them for the last year you still don't know them that well and there is a certain barrier everyone puts up at work.

I am happy to report that I was able to avoid my executive director all day. As I was sneaking out the back door I was so sure he was going to come up behind me and attempt to dole out tidbits of advice. It made for quite an exciting last day.

the perfect backpack

When I was in high school and even in college backpack shopping was a constant pain. I had two options. Number one: go with mom and pick something out. This option would inevitably end up with my mom finding one that I would rather die than wear to school (sorry mom, I still love you). This was mostly due to the fact that I was looking at style and she was looking at the 5 other kids she had to buy for. The second option was to reuse one of my older siblings bags. I was again faced with the same problem, style v. economy. Needless to say, economy always won.

I am once again faced with this issue. Everyone I have talked to about traveling around Europe has advised me to forgo suitcases and use a backpack instead. Thus began my epic task of finding the perfect backpack for my adventures. This time around I am doing it without my mom's help and it's not necessarily about style as it is about function. I started out looking online, not knowing anything about what I needed...daypack, internal frame, weekend trip packs, extended trip packs...I soon felt as though my head was spinning. I eventually went to REI and actually tried on different backpacks and that helped a ton.

I have a few options now and I think I am going to be able to work something out so that I will be able to tromp (stylishly) around Europe with a backpack.

all stories have a beginning...

...this is the start of my next adventure. As per many requests this blog has been created to document my life as I travel to France. I am so excited and very nervous for this next chapter but I am sure that everything will be amazing.

I am leaving on Saturday and there is still so much to do. The goodbye party was amazing but now I really need to get with it and finish up the last bit of packing. I am going to try really, really hard to make sure that I am done with plenty of time to spare so I can enjoy my last few days in DC.

Here's to new adventures, exciting changes and amazing places!