Blogs from Rennes, Brittany , France, Europe - page 2

Brittany France 1 to 4 October 2014 After leaving La Mont Saint Michel, we drove west, close to the northern coast of France, towards Cancale where stopped briefly. It was yet another lovely little French village. We then travelled a further 20 kms to Saint Malo, another harbour town with a stack of history. Once the feared base of pirates (corsairs), heavily fortified against Norman (or English) attack, today's Saint-Malo is one of the top tourist draws in Brittany. We were struck by the size of the Ramparts of the walled city (La Ville Intra-Muros). There was also the well preserved Chateau. The town was badly damaged during WW2 but they have done an excellent restoration job. Saint Malo is also known for its tidal power station, which was the world's first. Rennes is not often ... read more

GÜN 34 GÜNLERDEN SALI : Bugün yolumuz bayağı uzun .. gerçi gençliğimizde bu yollar bize bir şey yazmazdı ama ve lakin yaş kemale erişince, günde 250 km nin üstü zorlamağa başlıyor . Sıkıntısızca otobana girdik. La Rochelle ,Nantes gibi tanıdık yerleri geçerek yakıtı fulledik … Bir yerlerde bir lokma bir şeyler yedik ve Rennes 'e vardık. Rennes Breton bölgesinin Ille-et-Vilaine departmanında bir kenttir. Eski Bretonya Düklüğü'nun başkenti idi. "Ille" ve "Vilaine" nehirlerinin birleşme mevkinde kurulmuştur. Rennes Fransa'nın 11. büyük şehridir. Şehirde, iki adet üniversite bulunmaktadır. Rennes şehri, Fransa'da nüfusu en hızlı büyüyen şehirler arasında olup, nüfus büyüme hızı bakımından Toulouse'dan sonra ikinci gelmektedir. Şehrin tarihi tüm Fransa'nın tarihine paralel evreler geçirmiş ..Klasik ... read more

So I just finished my fourth week of classes at the university here in Rennes (plus the two weeks of classes before that) and everything is going swimmingly--except perhaps, trying to type on this French keyboard. Did you know you have to hold shift just to put in a period. Ridiculous. It is nice though that I am starting to find a routine which makes me more comfortable. It is strange how similar France and the US are, however, it is all the little differences either in cultural or habits or ways of living that throw me for a loop sometimes. I am used to the fact that the toilet and the shower are in two seperate rooms, but it is things like how direct the French are with you. Professors will tell you in front ... read more

Hello all and my apologies for not regularly updating my blog. I was recently told that if I did not update more often, I would be removed from the Christmas list, so obviously much more effort will be given. Well since last Sunday, I have done a lot I suppose. Sunday night we shared a nice meal because it was Virginie's last night here. She was a swell young lady who always had a smile on her face and it was fun joking around with her. I wish her the best of luck in the south of France and we'll miss her here. Monday was the first day of classes at Rennes 2, the French university that I attend. I have classes at 8 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but on Monday mornings I have ... read more

Hello one and all! So it's been awhile since my last post, but that's because I've been busy with my first week of classes. I'm not at the university yet, but these first two weeks are at the School of Language and Communications and we have class for 5 hours a day, 5 days a week for 2 weeks, so it counts for 2 college credits. Thus, it has been a little intense at times, but nothing too horrible. I found out I was placed in the highest language level which is reassuring and means that I can speak French fairly well, but it also means that I'm in a challenging class, so I'm just trying to be patient with myself and take everything little by little so I don't get so overwhelmed. Monday was a ... read more