Below are pictures in the city of Tours, France; my new home for the next month.

(Voici les photos de la ville de Tours, en France, mon nouveau domicile pour le mois prochain.)

Yesterday we arrived in Tours, France. When I got off of the bus my French mother was waiting for me. I had thought that she is married; however, she just has a boyfriend. She does not speak any English.

One other girl lives in the house. Her name is Carmen and she is Taiwanese. She has already been here for two months and will be here for one more. She speaks English, which is convenient for me.

My home here in Tours is right next to a large public garden. It is beautiful.  There is a vast array of flowers. Plus, ducks, swans, and geese live there. There is also a carousel that I know Kennedy would love!

My French mother is very health-conscious. She says that we will mainly eat vegetables at her house. I thought she was exaggerating, but for dinner last night we only had carrot porridge and large cooked mushrooms. This is definitely going to be an interesting month!

(Hier, nous sommes arrivés à Tours, France. Quand je suis descendue du bus, ma mère française m'attendait. Je pensais qu'elle est mariée, mais elle vient d'un petit ami. Elle ne parle pas l'anglais.

Une autre fille vit dans la maison. Son nom est Carmen et elle est de Taïwan. Elle a déjà été ici pendant deux mois et sera là pour une autre. Elle parle l'anglais, ce qui est pratique pour moi.

Ma maison ici, à Tours est juste à côté d'un grand jardin public. Il est beau. Il ya un vaste choix de fleurs. De plus, les canards, les cygnes et les oies y vivent. Il ya aussi un manège que je sais que Kennedy serait l'amour!

Ma mère française est très soucieuse de  santé. Elle dit que nous allons manger des légumes principalement chez elle. Je pensais qu'elle exagérait, mais pour le dîner hier soir, nous n'avions que la bouillie de carottes et de gros champignons cuits. Ce n'est certainement va être un mois intéressant!)

We went to Versailles today! (The palace of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette) It has been my favorite day so far! We walked in the gardens, we toured the palace, we rode bikes, and we visited the little village. It was perfect!

(Nous sommes allés à Versailles aujourd'hui! (Le palais de Louis XIV et Marie-Antoinette) Il a été mon jour préféré jusqu'à présent! Nous avons marché dans les jardins, nous avons visité le palais, nous avons conduit des vélos, et nous avons visité le petit village. C'était parfait!)

Today we went to the Pompidou Center. I will admit that modern art is not my favorite; however, I did appreciate Dali, Picasso, and a new exhibit called “Elle.” Below is a picture that sums up the exhibit. To read more about it and to see what else is at the Modern Art Museum in the Pompidou Center click here.

(Aujourd'hui, nous sommes allés au Centre Pompidou. Je dois admettre que l'art moderne n'est pas mon préféré, mais j’ai apprécié Dali, Picasso, et une nouvelle exposition intitulée «Elle». Voici une image qui résume l'exposition. Pour en savoir plus à ce sujet et de voir ce que le reste au Musée d'Art Moderne du Centre Pompidou, cliquez ici.)

Monday was a holiday for all of France. It was Pentecost; therefore, the tourists took over the city. We were very busy. I think we walked at least 20 miles. First we went to the Army Museum, “les Invalides.” The tomb of Napoleon is there.

((Lundi était un jour des vacances pour tout la France. Il était Pentecost ; Donc, les touristes ont pris la ville. Nous étions très occupés. Je pense que nous avons marché au moins 20 milles. Premièrement, nous sommes allés à la Mussée de l’Armée, ou « les Invalides. » Le tombeau de Napoléon est la.)

Here we are tired and need to sit down. 

Ici nous sommes fatigue et besoin d'assoir

Then we went to the Eiffel Tower

(Et puis nous sommes allés à la Tour Eiffel.)

After, we went to Saint Denis, a crypt where Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV were buried.

( Apres, nous sommes allés à Saint Denis, une crypte ou Marie Antoinette et Louis XIV ont été enterrés.)

The beautiful windows inside

(les belles fenêtres à l'intérieur)

Yesterday we arrived in Paris! It was a perfectly beautiful day! We went to Notre Dame de Paris, la Sorbonne, l'Arc Rose, and we toured the city.

(Hier, nous sommes arrivés à Paris! Ce fut une journée parfaitement belle! Nous sommes allés à Notre Dame de Paris, la Sorbonne, l'Arc Rose, et nous avons visité la ville.)

Our first glimpse of France

(Notre premier aperçu de la France)

The view from my window

(La vue depuis ma fenêtre.)

La Sorbonne

Notre Dame de Paris

Again

(Encore)

For those of you who were worried that I might not find Coke Zero!

My friend Sara and I near the Louvre
(Mon ami, Sara, et moi, près du Louvre)

The following is a list of red-eye flight tips that I received from my friend Jenny. She is an airline stewardess for Delta, and she knows all the tricks of the trade!

1. Try to wear as little make up as possible before catching the flight. Your skin needs to breathe as much as it can.


2. Bring hand cream. I say CREAM as it is the BEST for retaining moisture throughout the flight. I'd probably recommend the Gold Bond Aloe Cream as it is thick but does not leave residue. Put it on as often as you remember to.


3. Drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you are in flight. This might mean you should bring an empty water bottle to fill after you pass security, or buy a bottle if you don't want to hassle with that. If you fall asleep, make sure to account for the water you didn't drink while sleeping, and drink extra.


4. Bring Chapstick, or better yet, Vaseline. It will save your life.


5. Bring a small blanket (because A. blankets on the plane aren't the cleanest, and B. it can double as a pillow if you need it to help you sleep.) Also, bring some socks so you can apply cream on your feet and help retain moisture.


6. Buy a face spray, like Evian, and spray your face basically as often as you drink water. Because the air on the plane is chemically generated, it causes extreme dehydration to your body.


7. Buy dry shampoo. I recommend "Ojah" from Sephora. Your hair will be disgusting when you land, so make sure to sneak into the bathroom 45 minutes before you land and apply it so it'll soak up the yuckiness.


8. Buy some shine spray like the Burt’s Bees Shine Spray for your hair. It is extremely pricey- I think like 20 dollars for a small 8 ounce bottle, BUT it is SOOO effective. When you apply dry shampoo, it makes your hair flat looking. So after you dry shampoo, you shine spray. Sounds like a pain, but you'll look perfect afterwards.


9. Bring your make up/ toothbrush/toothpaste and get ready at the same time you’re fixing your hair, so that it will appear fresh. DON'T wash your face with the plane water. Ask for some drinking water and bring it in with you.


10. Try to bring some non salted snacks with you on the plane because even though they serve food, it's usually saturated in salt. Salt makes your body bloat, so that’s why people feel awful during/ and after plane rides.


11. If you start to get a headache, ask for some Coke/Diet Coke. The caffeine reduces the swelling in your brain that's causing your headaches- which are pretty common during flights. It's more effective (and healthier) than taking aspirin.


12. Sleep as much as you can on the plane. Then when you land, if you're tired (or even if you're not) unwind, shower, and sleep/ rest RIGHT AWAY for 1 hour. NO MORE than 2. Then force yourself to get up and stay awake the rest of the day until night time. Try not to drink have caffeine to help you stay awake. This will combat jet lag.

Thanks Jenny! I hope these tips are as useful for other travelers as they have been for me!

Only 2 more days until Paris! I discovered another place that I will definitely be visiting during the week in Paris… it is called Ladurée, and it is a chic little macaroon shop!

(Seulement 2 jours supplémentaires jusqu'à Paris ! J'ai découvert qu'un autre endroit que je visiterai certainement pendant la semaine à Paris… ce s'appelle Ladurée, et c'est un petit magasin chic de macaron!)

I plan on buying this box!...Could it be any cuter?!

(Je prévois d’acheter cette boîte ! … Pourrait-elle être plus mignonne?!)

 Visit Ladurée online to buy some for yourself! Let me know if you know more hidden treasures that I need to visit while in Paris !

(Visitez Ladurée en ligne pour acheter pour vous-même! Permettez-moi savoir si vous connaissez des trésors cachés que je dois visiter à Paris!)

I am getting to go to the Yves-Saint-Laurent exhibit in Paris next week! Be jealous! Check out the exhibition website for videos and interesting info about the man himself.

 (Je me rendrai à l'exposition Yves-Saint-Laurent à Paris la semaine prochaine! Etre jaloux! Consultez le site Web pour les vidéos et informations intéressantes sur l'homme lui-même.)

"It has often been said that Chanel freed women. This is true. Then years later Saint

Laurent came along and gave them power.” Pierre Bergé

 (« On a souvent dit que Chanel avait libéré les femmes. C’est vrai. Des années plus tard,

Saint Laurent devait leur donner le pouvoir. » Pierre Bergé)

My daughter is helping me prepare for my trip. She is a tiny Francophile.

(Ma fille m'aide à préparer mon voyage. Elle est un petit francophile.)

   photo credit: Jerrod Seaton

I want to give a big thank you to Mary Catherine Moody for making my blog header. She is a great artist and designer with a bright future, no doubt! Follow her blog for more of her fabulous work!



(Je veux donner un grand merci à Mary Catherine Moody pour la fabrication de mon entête du blog. Elle est un grand artiste et designer avec un bel avenir, sans doute! Suivez son blog pour plus de son travail fabuleux! )

She made these...amazing! See her other work here.

(Elle a fait ces...incroyable! Voir son travail d'autres ici.)

Last week I received the name of my host family for my four week stay in Tours, France. I also received a brief summary about the family as well as their address. Thanks to modern technology I was able to search for it on Google Maps. The three-story house is cute! See for yourself! I can't wait to live there.

(La semaine dernière, J'ai reçu le nom de ma famille d'accueil pour mon séjour de quatre semaines à Tours, France. J'ai également reçu un bref résumé sur la famille ainsi que leur adresse. Merci à technologies modernes que j'ai pu rechercher sur Google Maps. La maison de trois étages est mignonne! Voyez vous-même! Je ne peux pas attendre d'y vivre.)

Hi ! Let me introduce myself! First of all, my name is Meg. I am an American student. This summer I will be studying abroad in France. I will take classes at the Institute of Touraine. I am keeping this blog for my friends, family, the University of Alabama, and anyone who finds it of interest. The entire blog will be kept in both English and French. I am using it as a tool to expand my fluency and grammar in French. I will comment daily on my experiences in France. I will also post pictures and other information. I hope that you enjoy following me on my journey abroad!

(Bonjour! Permettez-moi de me présenter! Premièrement, je m’appelle Meg. Je suis une élève américaine. Cet été j’étudierai à l'étranger en France. Je prendrai des cours à l’Institut de Touraine. Je garde ce blog pour mes amis, ma famille, l'université de l'Alabama, et ceux qui le trouvent d'intérêt. La totalité du blog sera tenu en anglais et en français. Je l'utilise comme un outil pour développer mon aisance et de grammaire en français. Je vais commenter tous les jours sur mon expérience en France. Je vais aussi poster des photos et autres informations. J'espère que vous apprécierez de me suivre sur mon voyage à l'étranger!)