Preview of Normandy Excursion

Today has been fairly calm, which is good because I am still getting over the fatigue of travel and jet-lag. Last night I had dinner with my host family and Sarah. It was cool - almost chilly - but still pleasant so we ate outside. Dinner was delicious a mixed green salad and chunks of veal in a white sauce served over rice (and then, of course, bread, cheese, and coffee). The sauce had a glutinous color and texture, but it smelled great and tasted even better. Sometimes I wish my host family was a little smaller, because when Noelle asks me a question at the table, I am suddenly confronted by 10 pairs of eyes trained on me, awaiting my response. This makes me much more nervous than I am when conversing with only one or two French people. Hopefully this will get better with time. They are very patient, too.

All of this traveling has really thrown off my system, so I wasn't very hungry for lunch. Kara, Miles, Wright, Jenn, and I wandered around the marche and picked up an assortment of things for lunch. Miles and Kara both got croques with cheese and ham, Jenn got two apricots, and Wright bought a whole baguette and a wheel of goat cheese. I brought an apple from home. It's so much fun to walk around the marche and see all of the fresh produce and tender cuts of meat.

Then this afternoon we had class with Dr. Barbour. We spent most of class preparing for our excursion to Normandy, familiarizing ourselves with the sites we will see and some of the region's history.

After class most of us trooped over to Parc D'Arcy and hung out there for a while on a grassy knoll. On the way we stopped at Gloup's, a candy store which is probably the closest thing I've seen to a Willy Wonka store, or a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I'm not a big fan of sugary candy (give me chocolate or pastries any day), but it's fun to see all of the ridiculous shapes and flavors (alligator shaped? Coca-Cola flavored?)

*R: A view of Parc D'Arcy, this doesn't do it justice*
*L: Jenn picking out her candy in Gloup's*

Below are two nice little maps of the route of our next excursion (courtesy of Holly's tablet laptop). The first is a larger map of France and the second is a closer view of Normandy, the region we are visiting. The trip will last from tomorrow morning (Wednesday) until our return the following Tuesday. It will be our longest excursion yet. We're going to be visiting the Normandy Beaches and the American Cemetery on September 11th. I went there the last time I was in France, with my grandmother and my family and I remember it was really moving then. I wasn't planning on bringing my laptop, but since we're going to be gone a whole week, I probably will, so that I won't be stuck typing up everything at the end.

Well now it's time for a nap and maybe a little reading. I've got to try and catch up on sleep somehow!