Tuesday 20 May 2008

11:35 a.m.: arrive Charles de Gaulle airport
RER train to Gare du Nord, Paris / eat lunch / walk to nearby Gare de l’Est
16h24 : TGV train 2443 (Voit 15; places 13-18, Voiture 18, places 91-95) to Strasbourg
18h43 : Arrival in Strasbourg
Pr. Bradshaw will accompany men to Bouxwiller apartment (bus N° 2, arrêt “Travail”)
Pr. Hartmann will accompany women to Vosges apartment (bus N° 10)

Arrived in Paris at 11:35 realizing that:
1) I didn't get enough sleep on the flight - I watched 3 new movies
2) my left ear will only pop if I make it aka if I fall asleep its locking in some pressure
3) Graffitti is everywhere in Paris and it's beautiful

made first attempts at speaking and communicating in French including the successful order of a sandwich and coke, which is no big feat.

We rode the TGV from Paris to Strasbourg where I will be staying the majority of the trip. The TGV is small in comparison to anything that you would see in the US. And the French are not very patient with US students who can't communicate outside of hello and I'm doing well - - which is very understandable - - more or less I felt like an idiot for a while.

After almost 24 hrs of traveling I was ready to hit the sack, but we washed up a little and walked down to a local eatery where I enjoyed kus kus and lamb with veggies. On the way we got to see where our classroom is located as well as the market/grocery and mall. Followed that up with a brief walk to The Cathedral, ice cream - amazing btw, back to the room (about a 10 min. walk) and over to Irish Times, a local pub where we all had a celebritory drink and Ross arm wrestled a guy for a beer. He lost ofcourse - - so we chipped in and bought the guy a Guiness for 5,50 euro.

Our apt. is a little run down, but comparably nice to the dorm's back at Centre. I'm rooming with Danny -rising Junior basketball player for Centre College who only snores on occasion. There is no internet at the Apt. so I might not get to update this often, but there will be updates.