Our Snowy Volcano Experience

About 14 km north of Clermont is a place called Volvic. Volvic is one of the extinct volcanoes in the chain of extinct volcanoes that are in our area. Volvic is also famous for its bottled water. Volvic mineral water has been bottled in the town for almost 70 years and is sold all over the world. You can also visit the source of Volvic water and take a guided tour. Matthew and I have not had a chance to visit Volvic yet, so Monday we headed there with Mom, Bertrand, and Claire. After 2 beautiful days with blue skies, we woke up to very gray skies. As we drove to pick up Bertrand and Claire, snow started falling. I was a little apprehensive as we headed up the mountain and into the little town. There was no one around and when we found the Office of Tourism, we discovered it was still closed for lunch. We walked across the street to the church. Fortunately the church was unlocked so we went inside to escape the cold and snow for a few minutes. At 2:00, the Office of Tourism reopened and with the help of the guy on duty, we got directions to some of the trails in the area. We headed further up the mountain as the snow started coming down harder. We decided since it was snowing, and we still had to drive back down the mountain, we would walk the 1 hour trail. Unfortunately, that trail did not take us far enough to see the volcano crater, but we decided that we could come back another time when it was not snowing. We really enjoyed the walk, even though at certain points we couldn't see because it was snowing so hard! The trails were really nice, and very well marked. We will definitely be returning in the spring to hike the longer trail and see the volcano.

Our First Christmas in France

Well, we survived our first Christmas in France! I know that sounds bad to say we 'survived' Christmas. But, honestly, I was really worried about what this Christmas was going to be like. Matthew and I knew that since we just moved here in October we would not be flying back to the US for Christmas. We had resigned to the fact that it would just be the two of us for Christmas this year. Then, my wonderful, thoughtful (and very beautiful) sister took it upon herself to contact all of our friends and family and ask for donations to help pay for a plane ticket to bring my mom to us for the holidays! The response was overwhelming and humbling, and on December 16th, my mom flew to France!!! We had a quiet Christmas here, but it was wonderful having my mom with us. We went to the Christmas Eve service at the English-speaking church and then made a nice dinner. Christmas morning we woke up and made a big breakfast including "Papaw's" gravy and biscuits (Matthew has been trying to perfect his grandfather's sawmill gravy recipe for years!). Then we took a short walk to the bakery (yes, they were open on Christmas day!) to get a fresh loaf of bread for our Christmas dinner. When we came home we opened presents. Then we started making our Christmas dinner. We were very proud of our culinary achievements for our dinner. We had prime rib with sauteed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, green beans, and grilled artichoke hearts. For dessert we had a traditional "buche de noel". After dinner we watched A Christmas Story on the SlingBox. We also spent quite a bit of time on Skype talking to Matthew's family before they left for Kentucky, and then my family who had all gathered in Atlanta at my grandparents' house. It did make me a little homesick seeing our families, but they opened the presents that were from us in front of the webcam so we felt like we were there, almost.
A big "Thank You" to all of the Christmas Angels who helped send my mom to us for Christmas. It was the best gift we received!!!!

Christmas in Paris, Day 3

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Today was our last day in Paris. We took the metro and headed towards Notre Dame. After taking some pictures at Notre Dame, we walked over to the Hotel de Ville (city hall). There was a big ice skating ring set up. We chose to stay on the side of the rink where it was safe (we watched more than one person hit the ice!). Next we started walking down the street searching for a restaurant to eat lunch at. We were heading in the general direction of a restaurant I had read about on a blog. When we finally found it we decided the price range was a little more than what we wanted to pay, so we turned around and headed back towards some restaurants we passed along the way. We finally chose a really neat little restaurant that was decorated in a 50's diner motif. After some delicious open face sandwiches like Croque Madames, we headed back to our hotel, grabbed our suitcases and walked back to the metro. After riding the metro back to one train station, we had a short walk to our train station (the Gare de Lyon). We then had about an hour wait, so we grabbed some sandwiches to take on the train for dinner. The train ride back had no stops, so we were home in just over 3 hours. Although we had a great time in Paris, it was nice to be home, and it was nice to come back to Clermont and feel like we were coming "home".

Christmas in Paris, Day 2

Monday, December 22, 2008

Monday morning we woke up and, after searching on the internet for the closest Starbucks, Matthew headed out for some coffee. Along the way, he stopped to help a stranded Parisian girl kick start her moped. After breakfast, Mom was fighting a cold, so Matthew and I headed out to explore the shops around our hotel. Apparently, the area we were staying in is known for its shopping. There were lots of discount stores (although most of the "discounts" included clothing that originally was 800 euros for a shirt, now reduced to a mere 250 euros!). There were a lot of stores that had affordable clothing, including a huge H&M store. I was on the hunt for a new handbag, and possibly some brown boots- if the price was right. Matthew says that we stopped to look at the windows or went into at least 80 shoe stores. I think that is a slight exaggeration!
Monday late afternoon we took the metro (we learned our lesson about walking the day before) to the Eiffel Tower. We arrived just as the sun had set and Eiffel Tower was being lit up with blue lights, starting at the bottom. We worked our way across the lawn towards the tower, stopping along the way to take pictures. The weather was misty, and the sky was pretty foggy. Luckily, the fog cleared enough so that we could see the top of the tower. The fog created a blue "aura" around the Eiffel Tower, that looked pretty cool in pictures. At 6:00, the Eiffel Tower started an amazing light show, with flashing lights covering the whole thing. The picture doesn't quite capture how amazing it looked in person.
We took the metro back towards our hotel and found a really cool restaurant for dinner. After dinner, and some excellent creme brulee with vanilla bourbon, we headed to the hotel.

Christmas in Paris, Day 1

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sunday morning Mom, Matthew, and I awoke early to catch a train from Clermont to Paris. We arrived in Paris about 11:30 and set out to follow signs to the correct metro that would take us to our hotel. I found our hotel online, and booked it mostly based on price. It is a very stressful thing knowing that a decision you make will affect everyone traveling with you. NOT that a bad hotel is the end of the world, but staying in a rat hole can drastically affect the mood of a trip! Luckily, the hotel was very charming and the staff was extremely friendly. I was also happy to see that Mom was given a real bed (I was worried she would be given a rusty, roll-away cot). We dropped our suitcases in the room and headed out in the general direction of the Champs-Elysees. I had figured out on the map that our hotel was "walking distance" from the Champs-Elysees. I think I should have paid more attention to the scale on the map, because it turned into quite a long walk. Around 2pm we finally found a restaurant that had something everyone wanted to order and the price was reasonable. Then we headed across La Seine into the Jardin Des Tileries. At the west end of the garden there was a large Ferris Wheel. We continued down the Champs Elysees, passing a seemingly endless row of stands set up for the Christmas Market. Once we got past the Christmas Market, we strolled past stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Dolce & Gabbana. Stopping only long enough to gasp at the prices of the items in the windows! We did make a stop at a Starbucks, the first Starbucks we have had since September! There were also several car showrooms displaying incredible concept cars...and yes, the cars were sporting Michelin tires! Our final stop was the Arc de Triomphe where we paused for a photo opp. By this point we were all a little tired, so we started our long walk back to the hotel (I mapquested the route we walked, and we walked a total of 5.4 miles!). We rested at the hotel for about an hour and half and then headed out to find a place to eat dinner. Even though it was 8:00, most restaurants were not open for dinner yet (there were also a lot of places closed because it was Sunday). We finally settled on a restaurant called Le Nemrod. The food was very good, there was a great atmosphere, and we had a very friendly waiter.

My Mom is Here!

My mom arrived on Saturday!!!! She flew into Lyon last Wednesday and spent the rest of the week with her brother, Bob, and his wife, Colette (there are pictures from their wedding in October on my blog). Saturday morning, Bob and Colette drove Mom to Clermont. We had a nice afternoon showing them around Jaude and Chamalieres. We even took a ride on the Ferris Wheel; Bob opted to stay safe and sound on the ground. We also went into the cathedral for the first time, I am ashamed to say, since moving to Clermont. I made 'Killer Lasagna' for dinner and Mom bought a delicious Black Forest cake from a bakery in Chamalieres for dessert. Bob and Colette returned to Lyon after dinner. We went to bed fairly early Saturday night, because Sunday morning we headed to Paris. But that is for another blog entry...

Nevermind! DON'T Let it Snow!

The snow yesterday was admittedly beautiful, especially for a Southern girl not used to snow! However, today was a different story. Not only had all of the snow in the roads turned to a dirty, gray slush, but apparently the city of Clermont is not very concerned with clearing the sidewalks. The snow yesterday was a very wet snow, so everywhere people had walked, it was crunched down to just a layer of ice. This layer re-froze last night, so today the sidewalks were really, really slick. I almost lost it several times in the 2 block walk to my bus stop. Then, after school I was walking part of the way with Clarrette and her kids. I almost brought Clarrette down with me twice! The weather is supposed to be above freezing for the next couple of days. I am hoping the sidewalks clear off soon! Otherwise I am going to have to invest in some sort of shoes with spikes on the bottom!

And, just so you know, dog poop on the sidwalk is gross. Rainy, mushy dog poop is disgusting. BUT, by far, smeared, slushy, frozen dog poop is the worst!

Let It Snow!

Matthew and I woke up to snow this morning. There was a steady snowfall all day. This afternoon we half walked, half slid to Jaude. I can't remember the last time I saw this much snow!

Ecole Bilingue Internationale

After not teaching since the beginning of June, I started going a little stir-crazy. Two Fridays ago, I decided to go introduce myself to the Director of the Primary School at the International School here in Clermont. The following Monday I was called in for a interview with the Head of the School. The job I was offered was to fill in, starting in January, if a teacher that was already out on maternity leave needed to extend that leave. I got a call last Friday asking if I could start Monday! Another teacher had to start her maternity leave early and I was asked to fill in the last two weeks before Christmas. So, after teaching 1st grade for 3 years, I am now teaching 4th grade...well atleast for 2 weeks! There are 19 kids in the class and they come from all over the world. They are intelligent, well-rounded, and just very cool kids! I have to say that I have the best teaching schedule ever! Since it is a bilingual school, the English teachers only teach half the day, and then the French teachers teach the other half of the day. So my teaching schedule is as follows: Monday 1:30-4:35, Tuesday 8:30-11:35, Wednesday- there is no school in France, Thursday 8:30-11:35, Friday 1:30-4:35. I told Matthew that I am going to get spoiled by this schedule. I have a feeling that I won't be able to find hours like this at a school in the US!

French Road Signs

My favorite road signs in France:

"All Directions"

"Other Directions"

The best thing about these particular signs is that they are pointing in the same direction!

Prince

Matthew and I have been going into "poodle withdrawal" since leaving our toy poodle, Lulah, with my mom in the US. So when Clarrette asked if we would dog sit, Matthew and I jumped at the chance! The Gray Family's poodle is named Prince. I have met Prince on some of our Friday morning walks, and he is an adorable white toy poodle. It was nice to have a dog around again, and as Prince explored the apartment, I had flashbacks of hearing Lulah running around our house in Simpsonville. Prince is very photogenic, and he even "poses" for the camera! :)

Parc Montjuzet

Every Friday, the girls (Bene, Robin, Clarrette, and I) get together to walk. Usually we walk in town, starting at Place de Jaude. This week Clarrette suggested we go to Parc Montjuzet. The park is just outside of town, and it is up on a hill so the views are amazing. Bene and Robin couldn't come this morning, so Clarrette and I planned to meet there at 9:00. I looked at the map and it didn't seem to be that far from our apartment so I decided to walk there. Distance wise, it isn't that far. However, after the first 1/2 mile or so, it is straight up hill. It was also very windy today. There were gusts of wind that would literally move me around (it didn't help that I was already struggling up the hill). The sun was just coming up over the mountain, so as I waited on Clarrette I walked around taking some pictures of the sun coming over the mountains behind the Cathedral.

AquaGym!

Robin and I have started going to AquaGym at a pool close to us in a town called Royat. The pool is called Royatonic, and is the most beautiful pool I have ever seen! The main pool area is round, with huge rock formations along one side. The other side is completely glass, and since Royat is up on a mountain, you have an incredible view everywhere you look. Royatonic is also a spa, so all around the pool area are little hot tub size pools that are used for various therapies. Bene has been to the spa, and says there is a certain order you do all the tubs. There is a tepidarium (just warm water), a frigidarium (I think you can figure that one out!), a bain perfume (a perfume bath), tubs with massaging jets, etc, etc.
AquaGym is a great workout, but it is also a lot of fun. There are about 15-20 people in the class and, of course, the instructions given are all in French. I would describe the instructor as a little petite drill sergeant, Robin says she reminds her of a PE teacher. She is out of the pool, and marches up and down the side of the pool calling out commands to us, and yelling "plus vite! plus vite!" (faster! faster!). She is very nice though, and when I don't understand what she has said, and the exercise is with our legs (so I can't see what everyone else is doing) she will try to demonstrate to me what it is I should be doing. The class is 45 minutes long, and afterwards Robin and I will go sit in one of the jetted tubs or in the heated tub for a couple of minutes. I told Mom to pack her suit when she comes in a few weeks so she can also experience Royatonic! :)
I took some pictures of a brochure I picked up so you can see how amazing this pool is.

The main pool area, where the AquaGym class is held.

A picture of an AquaGym class.

The other side of the pool, including 2 of the tubs (1 is where the spray is, and the other is inside the "cave").