Budapest...last of the "Grand Adventure"

So, here's a bit from Budapest. Evidently, there is a bridge that connects the Buda with the Pest side...not sure if this is true, but it's what Britt told us.

That's the Danube river behind Britt in this photo...looks kind of windy and chilly...she ended up buying a scarf and hat (not sure, but maybe gloves, too) because it was so cold.

This is a HAND in a glass box...supposedly the hand of St. Stephen, in his church in Budapest. He died in 1038, and was cannonized in 1083. The HAND is in a glass box that requires some sort of monetary donation to get it to light up so you can see it; thanks, Britt!


The cathedral is St. Stephen's Basilica at night...it's really pretty, with tons of marble all over the place, red marble, too.

The last picture here is the Budapest Parliament building...pretty ornate, and impressive, too.









Since I've posted these so late, there are several other trips to post: Rennes and Mont St. Michel, Normandy, and London. Britt sent me photos from Mont St. Michel so I could use them in my 8th grade French class; we were actually studying that in our cultural section of the chapter I was working on as she visited the place...how cool it was for me to have a photo of her to share, one that matched what was in my textbook, but with her in the foreground. She sent a bunch of others, too...I'll get those posted soon. Luckily for me, she hasn't yet sent any from Normandy, and she is in London today, going to Bath on Monday, returning to Brest on Tuesday, and coming home in less than three weeks! I think the time has gone quickly...and we are surely looking forward to having her back, after missing Halloween, her birthday, and Thanksgiving with her. More soon...December 18 is coming pretty fast!

Berlin

Well, it's time to show off Berlin a bit. Here are a couple of photos, night and day, of a "sweeeeet church" Britt found on her visit, and the famous Brandenburg Gate. She really enjoyed all she saw in Berlin; she would have bought a Russian fur type hat at Checkpoint Charlie (she was cold, and it would've been a neat souvenir), but nobody was running the stand at the time they visited. They also saw the famous TV Tower, a very old church, and she included a photo of the Berlin Wall...I'm sure they saw more, and there are many more photos to come, once she's home (she told me 24 days left after today -- until she goes back to Paris, and then will be home late December 18). She's going back to Paris a few days early, since they keep them very busy, and she doesn't want to miss the sights she'd hoped to see but didn't have time to see in her other stops in Paris.

Last entry from the Grand Adventure soon: Budapest. Then, there were trips to Rennes, Mont St. Michel and this past weekend was spent in Normandy, taking a guided tour of all the WWII historical places. She's found out that she will be student-teaching 9th grade American History and Psychology at Mayfield for the second semester, with her former 9th grade History teacher, Mrs. Doubrava. The excitement continues...

Amsterdam: Stop #3

So there's this really cool sign in Amsterdam...made even cooler by having Britt "hang out" in it (hahahaha!) There were canals everywhere, they saw a church, a floating tulip farm, Anne Frank's house...some other stuff, but I put up the photos of these elephants because they are so neat...kind of like a fund-raiser Cleveland had with guitars several years ago, and other places have had. Britt said they were being taken down the weekend after they were there, so she took a couple...also one called "Kiss" elephant...not included here, because these were funnier, and of, course, Raymond is displayed on the one on the right. She asked, "Notice anything about that elephant?"...that's the FIRST thing I noticed (no surprise!)

Amsterdam is known for legalized drugs, red-light districts and lots of other things, all of which Britt got to see. She had an ugly encounter with a "professional" who thought Britt was taking HER picture, but other than that, not too much seediness reported...next post: Berlin!

2nd Stop: Bruges

The photo to the left is the square in Bruges, Belgium, at night. There were canals and churches, and other things to see, but these pictures are the prettiest to share.

According to Britt,
the belfry in Bruges is a geographical compass; since it can be seen from anywhere, it keeps people from being lost; you can always find your way back to it, and go from there! Here it is, in all its daytime and nighttime glory! Bruges is where the weather turned cold enough
to make Britt buy a warmer coat...an interesting, unplanned souvenir, as she also got in a couple of other cities on this grand tour.

She's experiencing a lot of history, culture, adventure and other things she could never experience without having had this opportunity. Although she is missing some things from home -- her birthday is tomorrow, but it's already Nov. 17 at this time in France (10:00 + 6 hrs = 2:00 a.m.)--she is really
making the most of the opportunities for travel.
Next installment: Amsterdam!

First Stop of Grand Adventure

Well, I'm trying to figure out how to post all the wonderful news about the "Grand Adventure". Britt finally found some time to send photos...lots of photos...and I'll do a post for each city of her tour. She's doing well, really maximizing the travel opportunities (I THINK she went to Rennes and Mt. St. Michel this weekend, and Normandy will be next weekend)...so I've got to get these up and posted so there will be time to do the next installments. She's got a countdown until she comes home...something like 35 days (I'm not taking time to count it, but it's December 18). What an experience...she'll be able to use a lot of what she's experienced in her teaching.

First of all, let me explain that France observes a holiday time called "La Toussaint"..."All Saints"...which closes the schools for two weeks. She had ten days off to travel, and she went with two other students from the group -- five cities and four countries (not including France, so, okay, five countries too!) in ten days. She had a flu through most of the time, but still managed to keep up, and had adventures at the pharmacies in each stop, practically. The weather turned cold, and she has warm-clothes souvenirs from her travels: a coat from Bruges, Belgium, gloves from Amsterdam (I think,not sure, could be Berlin) and a hat and scarf from Budapest. I'm sure she got some other types of souvenirs, but the coat, etc. were not planned, just necessary.Here are some photos from Brussels, Belgium, the first stop on the "Grand Adventure":The Brussels Parliament, an impressive clock, Brussels Notre Dame, and Belgian waffles. (That's one of the other students, Zack, with her; Carolyn was the third traveler, but Zack seemed to get in pictures more than either of the girls!) Can't you just hear Britt saying "Look! Belgian waffles! In BELGIUM!!"

There are lots more, but these are the ones to share here and now.

Hi...it HAS been a while...so much for hurrying to get past post #13! I'm really not sure how I'm so busy with all the extra time I'm supposed to have; guess I haven't found it yet. I'm still talking with both kids fairly regularly...seems as if it's more daily with Britt, at least lately, since she's on a "grand adventure" inside of her basic "grand adventure"! She has ten days off school for La Toussaint (All Saints') observance; all French schools are closed, and most people travel. I'll have to put updates from this trip in a future post, since I have a bit of catching up to do. Just so you all know, she left on this extra "grand adventure" last Saturday, and is being good enough to let us know when a new destination is reached, and I have been checking earlier in the day, before I leave school, and she's sometimes been on SKYPE, so we've done some instant messaging, since the internet connections aren't always reliable, and video chatting seems to make the connection freeze at times. More on all of those details next time, I promise.

So, the last time I posted was sharing photos from the visit to Paris, the first time. Britt's assignment, so we all thought, was going to be teaching Social Studies in English; turns out she's teaching English (in English, of course!) in both a high school and teacher prep college in the city of Brest. She is limited, by her visa, to twelve hours a week, and it's seeming to be four days of three hours each. Not too bad, considering she's receiving such valuable experience as well. So here are a couple of photos from her second visit to Paris, for the reception at the French Senate. It was through the Fulbright Commission, and they met students who had participated in a shorter sort of the same exchange and had spent five weeks (as opposed to 3.5 months!) learning about the US education system.

She called that photo "Gargoyle" which is in the background...but I chose that one of the three she sent because it also has her in it. She, of course, is NOT the gargoyle :>). The group photo is of the students at the French Senate reception -- the girls are the Americans visiting France, and the guys are the French students who visited the US. The top photos are the St. Mathieu's and Britt at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris...she looked but didn't find Quasimodo, but DID see the bells. Evidently, the bells were consecrated and named when they were installed, and the largest bell is named "Emmanuel", after the grandson of Louis IV, who was in power when it was installed. Living history lesson--with the Eiffel Tower w-a-a-y in the background! (I hope I got the details right...it's been a while since she explained them to me.)

There are other photos, many other photos which we have received, and many, many more that we haven't seen...she will have a true documentation of her visit. I'll be back in a week or two...with photos, hopefully, from Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany and Hungary...the countries of the "grand adventure"!

Old Paris photos + a bit of new Paris info...

Well, Britt finally had a great wifi connection, in the hotel she stayed in on Wed. night...she traveled by train from Brest back to Paris for a reception for Fulbright Scholars (her program is somehow affiliated with theirs)...it was a meeting of Parisian dignitaries, as I understand it (although I may be incorrect -- if so, I'll clear that one up in a follow up -- which will be soon, because I don't like the idea of leaving a #13 blog posting too long without rolling into a #14!).

Don't have details except that the hotel was beautiful; French chocolate on the pillow, complimentary wifi and mineral water, and a balcony view of the French Senate building. She had a bit of time to visit the archives of Notre Dame before the reception, and had planned to see other sights today...all I know is that she's safely back in Brest, which is what matters most to me, right now.

So, here are some "old" Paris photos...the building in the background that looks very official (NOT the Eiffel Tower, although that IS the official building when one thinks of Paris!) is called l'Hotel de Ville -- meaning City Hall. She told me it was "some important building but I don't remember the name", so it made me curious enough to research it out. The cathedral in the background is THE Notre Dame (the original, although Quasimodo wasn't around, I guess!) The river is the Seine, the one that flows through the middle of Paris...hope you enjoy the photos; I know we did!

First things first, of course! This is Britt's address, at least until we hear otherwise, or Dec. 15, whichever comes first.
(Being that her birthday is Nov. 17, I thought that by putting it out there, she might get a few cards...or a flooded mailbox, maybe?) There must be some reason she capitalized where she did; we've got a SKYPE planned a bit later today, and I'll ask her.

Brittany PUMPHREY

College de Keranroux

2, Rue Fountaine Margot

B.P. 93106-29231 BREST Cedex 3

FRANCE




Anyhow...I overlooked these two photos that she'd sent from her last day in Besancon, with her host family; one is their home, the other is all of them out to dinner on Britt's last night there. The dark haired lady is Catie, the mom, the father is Dominique, the sister's name I don't know, but she's 20 and in school in Strasbourg (on the German border) and the brother is Aurelian (translation: golden child...how's that for typecasting as an infant??) Anyhow, she really enjoyed them as a family, and I've started occasional correspondance with them (in French...an exercise to improve MY French, and it's fun, when I find some extra time...)

She is now in an apartment with three roomates -- one from Mexico, one from Uruguay, and one from USA. She has her own bedroom, but all four share the bathroom, so THAT's got to be a bit of an ordeal! They're still working on getting internet for the apartment, so communication via internet has been somewhat limited, although Britt DID find a McDonald's with wifi, about a 20 minute walk from the apartment.

She has big plans for next week...all the students were invited to a reception at the French Senate...lots of dignitaries, I think, and decided (with some encouragement, but mostly on her own) that it would be worth the time and money to attend. She's booked a room in a hotel (a NICE hotel!) right next door to the Senate, which is in the area with all the sights you think of when you think "Paris". I hope she has a great time...sounds like it will be a mini-vacation before she actually starts teaching. Next week is observation week, with a meeting at the end of the week where she believes they'll iron out her teaching assignment. Looks like she'll be teaching English instead of History...but, at least that HAS to be in English :>) Seriously, she's fine with that option...sounds good...and we're looking forward to our chat a bit later today.

Haven't received any photos from Paris yet; I'll remind her of that. I know she didn't have much time to see much, but said she did get a few photos...doesn't matter anyhow...I'm behind, having just found these photos from Sept. 20. More to come, stay tuned! Thanks!

Brittany is now IN Brittany!

First of all...an update on the bug bite...new medications did the trick, and she's doing fine. So, after a few days in Paris, without enough time to be a tourist, Britt took the metro (4 flights down...with two full, large suitcases!) to the train to get to Brest (final destination for 10 weeks, in the province of Brittany). WHEW! She had some difficulty with the train, and ended up taking a later one, which put her an hour behind, so she actually got to see the school where she'll be after it was closed -- didn't get to go inside.

Her "lodging" is questionable, at best. She has a small efficiency apartment (all to herself) which was in desperate need of cleaning. Everything, including bedding, dishes, floors, etc. was dirty. After some well-deserved self-pity, she got it together, got cleaning supplies, and spent a lot of Saturday making it livable. This is not what was supposed to be her welcome to this part of the trip; we have been in contact with people in charge, and her living situation might be adjusted. Until such time as that, she's made it livable, with the help of an English teacher -- another Catherine. (Interesting note -- the parents of her host family in Besancon were: father: Dominique and mother: Catie (maybe short for Catherine...two ladies who she's had help from now in Brest have been Dominique (it's a male or female name) and Catherine...interesting!).

We've spent many minutes on the PHONE these past two days, since she does not yet have access to internet, except at the homes of one of these new shepherds (they're "mom" age, according to what I've been told)...can't WAIT for the phone bills to roll in! It's worth the investment, though, for peace of mind. When I spoke with her about 4:00 today, she was doing well...had prepared her own dinner (ravioli with carbonara sauce and salad) and is planning to call tomorrow from Dominique's home, as she has phone service without charge to USA. Also in the plans for tomorrow (Sunday) is a visit to the nearby beach with Dominique and her daughter, and a possible meal at a creperie to experience regional cuisine.

The journey, trials, tribulations, drama, and adventure continue...

Now in Paris...

Hmmm...and I thought I"d be posting about Germany, but that's come and gone already, and we're on to the Paris part of the trip!

It's been a while...an eventful week, weekend and week beginning here. We didn't connect with Britt during the weekend; her internet connection in Paris is only in the lobby of the hotel/hostel place she's staying. Not so nice accomodations, from what I gather...two twin beds fill a room, and the bathroom is much like one in an RV, turns into the shower...and they're about an hour away from any of the good Paris stuff. However, she DID have a great time on the "batobus' tour (http://www.batobus.com/english/8escale.htm -- not sure if I put a link in the last post, so here it is). She stayed on the "bato" = "bateau" = boat part, because she said it was tough to try to figure out all the timings, and saw some great sights and got some great pictures (which she'll send when she has a decent internet connection, I guess). We hadn't heard from her, and it was almost midnight in Paris time, so I called her...caught her walking to the metro from the Eiffel Tower...she was tired, but happy to have seen some of what you think of when you think of France!

Still being kept very busy; seeing some of Paris, going to more classes, mostly about culture, what to expect as a teacher in the schools, etc. Supposedly, this part was to have been in English, but she said the lecturers are not abiding by that...oh well...guess she'll have to put all the past three weeks' immersion to good use! She still doesn't have details about what type of housing awaits her in her 10-week stay in Brest, but does know who will be meeting her train when she arrives Friday afternoon.

Britt is also experiencing health care in France; she got some sort of a bite on the back of her ankle; it's swollen, and possibly will cause her to see a doctor tomorrow. In France, the first line of health care is the pharmacy; seems as if the pharmacists are a sort of doctors who dispense advice and medications to help alleviate symptoms. She had a consult with a pharmacist, received antiseptics, cortisone cream (anti-itch) and probably something like Benedryl...didn't get much relief, or sympathy from the front desk when she reported it (at the recommendation of the program coordinator). All the front desk clerk did was look at it and say that the cleaning crew would be told to look for something that might have bitten her. I (foolishly) told Britt to ask for ice, and she reminded me that they don't HAVE ice in France.

Well, this is getting longer than I'd planned. I'll add more when we know the outcome of the bite injury. Until then...thanks for hanging in there...and, here's a link to the restaurant where the group is being taken for dinner on Thursday:

http://www.o-rebelle.fr/html_fr/contact.html

Have some photos again!

Well, Britt was in Germany today, to observe a Franco-German high school. She spent yesterday in a French high school, and said that was pretty neat. I haven't heard her take on the trip to Germany (trip to GERMANY!! HOW cool is that -- go to another COUNTRY to observe!!), but did get some more info on weekend activities.

The outing was to a small town with a saltworks; lots of little buildings, most of which weren't open to the public. Too boring for a 2 1/2 hour excursion, but then followed by a picnic and wine tasting. Those were much more enjoyable, evidently. Britt said they even have good-looking cows in France, so sent a couple of pictures of those -- one with her in the foreground, too. I've attached the photos -- kind of random, but keeping us involved in what's she's seeing. (the cows are waaaaaaaaaay in the background in the photo with her in the foreground) The one that's kind of dark is Britt in front of a huge wine barrel. They explored the town, including Louis Pasteur's home -- another WOW for me!

I've emailed her late today; guess she'll have a morning message, but probably won't get back to me until later in the day. I'm looking forward to coordinating another time to face-to-face chat via SKYPE on Saturday...Sunday won't work this week, because we're taking Ray to OSU...but that's another topic entirely, and I want to keep this blog about Britt's adventures.

Thanks for hanging in there with us...Britt ALWAYS ends her emails with "say hello to everyone for me" -- she's thinking of everyone, and sends her hellos to all of you! Next installment: all about Germany!

Another week has (almost) passed...

Well, it's been almost a week -- again -- and Britt's time with her host family is 2/3 over. She'll leave them on the 21st for several days in Paris. She still hasn't found out about her final lodging arrangements...enough to make her crazy, since knowing where you'll be staying is a key mind-settler, I'm sure! She's had a couple of neat experiences -- went to a site overlooking the entire city of Besancon, and said she didn't even take a picture, because it couldn't do it justice. Sounds beautiful! She's gone out with a couple of other students, but missed an outing today because her host family had prepared a lunch of her request (chicken and french fries), because the plans for the outing (to "Le Musée de Temps" meaning a museum about time--clocks, etc. I suppose) weren't clear, and lunch was at the same time. She's hoping to go on a different day, probably with someone else who didn't go today.

Haven't gotten any new photos yet. The classwork has been keeping her busy, along with classwork for Ursuline classes (she is taking two courses online, while in France, so that she can graduate with dual degrees in Education and History...it's a lot, but it's what needs to be done, and will eventually work in her favor -- theoretically and hopefully!!), so she is juggling a lot. Just like when she's at home, but in a different place, and mostly, in a different language. I believe a group of European students met with the group of American students, and one offered to help with the French...seems like a friend to have around!

Britt and I had a SKYPE chat this morning; she had said she'd like to chat "afternoonish" so I asked for clarification, but didn't find out until I got on the computer at 7:15 this morning that she meant about noon/1pm her time. Six hours difference makes it tricky...thought I'd missed her, then she called through and we had about 1/2 hour before the internet went goofy (in France, I believe, because I could do whatever I wanted here); she said it took her 15 minutes to reconnect and send an email explaining that she really did NOT just cut me off :>). A few emails later...she's in bed, I'm catching up on blog, and then I'm done for brain-involvement tonight!

New adventures...far distances...life-changes and life-changing experiences...do growing pains ever go away (for kids AND parents)????? I guess they will dull, some, but sometimes just thinking of it is overwhelming! More to come...sometime...thanks for being with us here!

Photos WITH Britt!

Okay...so I had this all done already this morning, and then when I checked it, pressed the wrong button and deleted it! I hope I remember what I'd written -- it was pretty good! :>)

The photos may be in reverse time order (don't want to sound all academic here and use the word "chronological"!) -- the one with the statue actually came on Thursday. Not sure who the statue is, but it's a cute picture, right? The one with the castle (chateau!) came yesterday -- the group of students were taken on a tour of castles in the Besancon area. I asked Britt if that one has a name, but haven't heard back yet.

So, she's got two more weeks with this host family and city, then Paris from 21-24 Sept. (see how European I'm being...that's how they do dates there, and I remember it, because now that I'm back in school, we do that in my French classes!). Anyhow...she's at something known as a CLA --"Centre Linguistique Appliquee" (Center for Applied Linguistics) a university setting, with lots of language equipment, in a seminar called "Language, Education and Culture Seminar". They meet from 8:30 a.m. through various ending times ranging from 3:30 to 5:30...so there are some pretty long days. (http://cla.univ-fcomte.fr/) The link/website is in French, but there ARE some pretty pictures for those not able to read the info! The bottom right corner has a link to info about the city of Besancon...Add to that long day the fact that they're immersed in French language (not using English at all, probably!) for that length of time -- it's pretty overwhelming, I'm sure! She'll be doing some similar program once in Paris, and then it's off to Brest for the remainder of the time (except for optional traveling, which I hope she does!). Once in Brest, she'll probably be able to use a lot of English, as the school (we think) is an English-immersion school for French high school students, and she'll be teaching in English. So, you are wonderin (and so is Britt!) WHY the brain-busting French immersion? Because that's part of the program. Uh-huh.

Well, hope you all have had a nice holiday weekend with an extra day to do what you needed or wanted to do...I'll post again when I have new information...or photos...thanks for following along! (I'm NOT going to spell check this, just so I don't lose it again...I'm on holiday and don't want to think too much :>)

Additional photos

Photos in email

Hi...received several photos from Britt today...all look very European! She's not in any of them, nor is the Akron mascot, Zippy, but she said that those will be coming soon. The program is through the University of Akron, and each student was given a small stuffed mascot, Zippy the Kangaroo (Akron Zips, I think), and are supposed to take photos of Zippy at different locations during their stay in France and wherever else they visit. I don't know what any of these are, just that they're from Besancon.
For some reason, they couldn't all load...I guess I'll wait until I have something with Britt in it to add any more, or try the other half in a different post.

Another SKYPE visit

Britt and I visited for about 45 minutes today. She's in class from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (although I believe they get a nice, long lunch time...) then has dinner with her host family and is pretty tired by the time I can chat with her. We'll just email tomorrow. She mentioned possible plans to go to Switzerland over the weekend, and the CLA (I think!) has some sort of excursion planned which will take all day Sunday. When I asked her if she wanted to set a time for tomorrow or Friday, she said she might be going out somewhere with some of the other students...that's a good thing.

She brought Malley's chocolate (among some other things) for her host family, and the mother immediately hid it...then took it out after dinner today and tried NOT to share it, so they brought out some other French chocolate, which Britt says is just a bit better than Malley's. Oh well. It's late now, and I'm signing off for tonight...more some other day.

First SKYPE

Well, I had to hurry home from school today -- the six hours' difference makes it tough to coordinate a time that's not too early for me and not too late for Britt. She had emailed me that she'd SKYPE between 4 and 5 our time (whichis 10 and 11 p.m.)-- she's still feeling the jet lag, and even though she napped a bit today (that's SO Britt, to find a quick nap -- you go, girl!) she was still tired. Ray called home while I was saying goodbye to Britt, so I tried to put him on speakerphone, but they could barely hear each other. We'll have to set a weekend time.

SKYPE is a free download that allows chat and/or web chat at no cost. We both have webcams, so we acutally SAW each other while we were talking. I got to "meet" her host parents, and we chatted for a bit in French...until I tried to thank them for having our daughter, and the tears got in the way of my brain, and I begged off and returned to just chatting with Britt in English. At least I COULD chat with them a bit in French...my first overseas chat, my first conversation with French natives...it was a bit overwhelming for me. They seem very nice, and said the same about Britt.

I asked her about the food...not to her tastes, but she'll be okay. The school cafeteria had a choice of duck or rabbit for the meat today...neither of which she was willing to try today. At least the host mom made pasta with cheese and chicken for dinner. I'm sure she won't starve, but, you know...

She seems fine, but tired. She'll let me know when we can SKYPE again...she's in classes from 8-3 every day, getting a full immersion experience. Today's weather went from about 85 degrees to cold and rainy to the point of needing a sweater, I guess...something like that. I shared that it was beautiful and sunny here - 74 degrees at the time I was talking with Britt...and I don't think that made her feel any less homesick...if that's the word...not sure...she's doing a great job!

More when I have more news!

Brittany in Brittany

I just couldn't stand it any longer, and I called her. It was 11:00 p.m....good thing I didn't call any later. They're having some trouble getting her internet connected, so no emails for today. She was glad that I'd called -- she'd done what she could to contact us without incurring huge costs, and nothing was working. Britt sounded tired...has class at 7:30 a.m., so was calling it a day...a VERY LONG day!

We hope to have her internet availability tomorrow, and set a SKYPE time. I told her I was starting this blog, and now I'll share it. More tomorrow, hopefully!

Brittany in Brittany

Welcome to the Brittany Blog! I'm going to try to keep information from Britt out there for anyone who is interested. She doesn't know I'm doing this; I'll send her an invitation, too! I just thought it might be a good way to share info.

We received a phone call this morning at 5:04 (which is 11:04 Paris time) and it was very brief, and we know she's there safely. That, however, is all we know at this time. I'm hoping for more news. I'll come back if/when I get any more info.