Le Jour Numero Trois

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Bonjour mes amis!

So I've decided that my journey here will be filled with des petits montaignes (little mountains). Last night, two of my girlfriends and I went out to dinner by ourselves, ordered a bottle of wine, dinner, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. This does not sound like an accomplishment, but let me tell you, we were proud. You don't know until you leave the US but there are so many little customs and things that go along with social interaction that must be learned. For example, in France, the waiter will never give you the bill unless you ask for it. So we were very happy to have scaled our first little mountain alone.

This morning, I was feeling adventurous so I ventured out all by myself. I knew that if I didn't, I would never really learn how to get around Besançon. I'm still nowhere near being familiar, because the city is so old it's also very confusing, but I make a good start. After I write this I am going to attempt to post pictures to display my findings in the city.

It is very foggy here, and rains nearly everyday in different degrees. I am very happy to have two pairs of boots. In a couple days, for la fete de trois rois (The holiday of the three kings, when the three kings made it to see Jesus) it is nationally decreed that there must be a sale in every store. So I think I'm going to buy another pair of boots 😉 Unfortunately, EVERYTHING is very expensive here. About one and a half times as expensive, in addition to the fact that the Euro is worth more than the dollar. For example, for dinner tonight I had a salad, some bread and a creme brulee for desert and it was 21 dollars (14 Euro). In a cafe--not a nice restaurant.

But on a positive note, my French is better than I thought it would be. I understand about 85% of what everyone says if I listen carefully, and I can almost always say what I want to in an intelligent way. I wasn't sure how I would measure up, having only ever spoken in a classroom, but I'm well on my way to becoming fluent!

Well, I've talked enough now. I will work on uploading photos since that's what you want to see anyway!

A bientot
SFech

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Photos

Le Sarrasin
This was the first restaurant we ate at in Besançon--and this picture shows the entire restaurant. Most cafes, stores and restaurants here are very small.

Le Doubs
This river winds its way through Besançon. The modern building on the right, at the end of the river is part of the University I attend.

La Restaurant de la Pelote
I love France. This is actually a legit restaurant.

Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo was born here in Besançon, this was the house he lived in.

Cathedral St. Jean
This cathedral was constructed in 1123. It's right around the corner from where I'm staying right now!

Cathedral St. Jean
The inside of the cathedral was reconstructed in two different times, so one half, this one, is in the Gothic style.

Cathedral St. Jean
And this is the other half, done in the Baroque style.

A Street
It's pretty hilly in Besançon once you go outside the downtown, and this is an example. The streets are also very narrow, so cars have difficulty.

Another Street
Another hilly street.

War Memorial
Besançon was an occupied city during the second world war, this memorial remembers those who died.

View of Besançon
The following are views from a large hill, all of Besançon. It's beautiful, non?

A Second View
Besançon again.

A Third View
Besançon again.

A Fourth View
Besançon again.

A Fifth View
Besançon again.

A Sixth View
Another view...

A Final View
Besançon.

Me!
Thought you'd like to see my smiling face.

Le Doubs Part Two
Another section of the Doubs River.

Doorway
People in the 17th century marked their doors but carving the stone. This one says, "Where God helps, the devil cannot do harm."

Le Doubs Part Three
A nighttime view of the bridge over the Doubs.

Comments

[cathi]

Lovely! I love the old buildings in Europe. It just blows my mind to stand in places where people stood 800 years ago. So overwhelmingly cool. Thanks for doing a good job with the updates. Keep it up! :)

[Noel \ /]

Have many adventures! That's one thing you should do nearly every day! Get lost! Make mistakes! Have fun!