Besançon, France- Making the most of your free time!

Chances are, in between classes and group meetings, you’re going to have a lot of free time in Besançon. Take advantage of this opportunity to buy souvenirs from the petite shops on the Grande Rue and Rue des Granges, or visit Arc et Senans and learn about the salt mines (about an hour’s drive from Besancon, so try and find a willing host parent to take you!), or swim in one of the two public pools Besançon offers (only 2-3 Euro for students per visit). Make sure you have a swimming cap, though- that’s something they won’t let you in without at the piscines in France. (You can buy one upon entering for a couple Euro as well). I spent many a day just walking around the city, by myself or with a few friends I met while there, taking pictures of the scenery and historical buildings (especially the Citadelle). The more photographs you end up with when you come back to America, the easier you’ll be able to remember those precious moments you spent at Bar de L’u with a demi-fraises, or in Place Granvelle sipping a petit cafe with your host sister, or even of the CLA. Because as much as you don’t want to wake up at 8 a.m. every two days to take that Littérature class, you’d do well to have some semblance of what it looked like to show everyone back home that round, silver building where you had your fondest moments of French education!

Some students used their time to get involved with community activities, like Sunday mass. The picture above is the church located right in the heart of Place de la Revolution, right next to the Ginko office, Galéries Lafayette, Madigan’s pub, and Brioche Doree, among others. There are countless other churches throughout the city, like St. Jean (remember the church you passed on the way up to the Citadel that first week)? They have masses there, too! If church isn’t your thing, check out the University du Franche Comté’s music programs. I joined a choir while there, and it was not only fun but rewarding- I got to rehearse with 90% French university students, the other 10% American students from another University who chose to sing for their cultural activity. We sang songs not just in French, but in all sorts of languages, including english. This part was fun, as the other American students and I got to help with pronunciation as we sang Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair”. One of the other American students joined the theatre group, which performed with the choir at a final concert at the end of the school year. Not a performer? Talk to some other international students studying at the CLA and see what they’re up to- you can find out about Erasmus parties, night outings, and shopping trips as long as you ask around!

Tokyo Swan 21: Winter Wonderland

While the weather here in Michigan is now finally starting to show signs of spring, it has been interesting to reflect on the differences in the climate and weather here in Michigan versus the climate in Tokyo. In particular, I was really interested in how winter is like in Tokyo. Much to my surprise, it hardly snowed at all and even when it was at its coldest it was nowhere near as cold as it gets in Michigan!

So, one day when it did snow I decided to shoot another video to show what a really cold day in Tokyo is like. I went out with some of my friends to get some food, and we wound up going to a very well known Japanese restaurant known as Matsuya. It is kind of like the Mcdonalds of Japan, in regards to the fact that it’s very fast, very cheap, and very common. Certainly it’s not representative of finer restaurants in Japan, but it’s an interesting part of local food in Japan.

Also included in this video is a trip to the local starbucks. The starbucks there are actually very similar to the ones back home, but it’s still really interesting to check them out. Anyways, hope wherever you are in the world the weather is nice and you are having a good one!

Queretaro, Mexico: San Miguel y Guanajuato

I am terribly sorry I haven't written in so long. Between classes and a visit from my best friend, I've been quite busy and I haven't had a chance to sit down on the internet for more than 10 minutes. As per usual, this will probably be a longer entry about my trips to San Miguel Allende and Guanajuato.

First things first, two weeks ago I went with my Mexican culture professor to San Miguel de Allende. In actuality, we didn't see any bits of the town (aside from the view on the highway on the mountainside) because we spent the afternoon at a place called La Gruta. La Gruta is a beautiful hotel/spa that houses some of Mexico's wonderful hot springs. At first, I wasn't quite sure about going because I had seen pictures and though it is a beautiful place, it looks like a hotel -- they have converted the natural hot springs into pools and I thought it was a bit too...commercial for my taste. I quickly changed my mind when I actually got into the water, which is all natural (minerals and all) and it was just like stepping into a bath. The really cool thing about the Gruta is the fact that as the various pools got closer to the source of the hot water, the pools themselves got hotter. Finally, Maria Elena (our lovely professor) took us to the actually Gruta, which is a little cave that you have to swim to through a tunnel where the water is hot like a hot tub, but all natural and in a cave where the only light comes from these small holes in the ceiling that allows the sunlight to pore through. It was incredible and I really do want to go back or, at the very least, try another hot springs in another city.

All right, on to the next adventure. This past weekend, my best friend Christine came to visit me from the United States. Although she only stayed for a three days and four nights, we made the best of our time together. I walked her to death in Queretaro and showed her all the monuments and took all the pictures I've been meaning to take. I promise, soon I will give you a virtual tour of Queretaro through my camera lens, but that will have to wait just a little longer. On Friday, we decided to visit Guanajuato with a group of fellow WMU students and it was just a blast. The minute we got off the bus, Janell already ran into a tour guide who sold us a tour for 100 pesos (5 hour tour! What a deal) and we hopped into a big SUV to start our adventure.




I won't go into all of the details of everything we saw, but I will say that Guanajuato is one of the most interesting cities I have ever visited in my life. Most of the main streets are actually tunnels underneath the mountains because the city itself is built in the cracks and crevices of the mountains in order to protect the houses from the flooding rivers. Some of these tunnels, amazingly, are hundreds of years old and driving through them, walking down into the tunnels, is pretty incredible.




In our five our tour of Guanajuato, we packed in a lot of activities. One of the first things we did was visit a beautiful church in the hills called the Templo de San Cayetano. It was built by don Antonio de Obregon y Alcocer, one of the richest men in Mexico because of his gold/silver mine (La Valenciana), as a "thank you" to his patron Saint (I believe it was San Antonio). The church itself is gorgeous, mostly because all of the altars are 24 karat gold.




After this lovely homage to God, we went to the Inquisition Torture Museum! I have to say, this museum was just as fascinating as it was disturbing and disgusting. I can't actually believe that these types of devices were used on fellow human beings, especially in the name of Christianity.




The next stop on our tour of Guanajuato was the mine that I mentioned earlier, La Valenciana, that used to be one of the richest silver/gold mines in Guanajuato. Today, it isn't used for much other than a tourist spot in which you can climb down into the mine as the guide explains its uses and its history. We got a real taste of what its like to be in a mine, 24 meters underground, when all the lights suddenly went out and we were in pitch black darkness (only for 30 seconds, but still, it seemed like a long 30 seconds).







Finally, the reason I actually wanted to go to Guanajuato in the first place: The Mummy Museum. Of course, Guanajuato has many wonderful attractions and the city itself is breathtaking. But I wanted to indulge in the Mexican obsession with death by visiting the famous Guanajuato mummies. These mummies are naturally made as a result of the climate here and all of them come from the local cemetery. Interestingly, the bodies in this cemetery can only stay there for 6 years because of a lack of space and so the families have a choice of moving the bodies or, in the case that there is no family, the now mummified bodies are moved to the museum. They have a lot of interesting mummies in their exhibit -- the smallest in the world (a fetus from a deceased pregnant woman), a man who passed away in 1977, and of course, the first body discovered 1865. I know it sounds kind of creepy, but really, it's quite fascinating because the mummies have retained their hair, their skin, their fingernails, etc.






After our encounter with the mummies, we headed back to the hostel and to a taqueria next door where we met some lovely Australians named James, Alex, and Tatjana. We spent the entire evening with them wandering around Gunajuato, watching the street performers, and dancing salsa at one of the local clubs.

That, in a very large nutshell, was my trip to Guanajuato. Thanks for reading :)

Kaitie

Tokyo Swan 20: Roppongi and Tokyo Tower

Throughout the Tokyo Swan video series, I have to say that this one remains one of my top 5 favorite episodes. I think it captures the whistful sense of just exploring the city and being with friends. And believe me, in a city like Tokyo there's so much to explore!

The highlights of this episode include walking around Roppongi Hills. Now, when most people hear "Roppongi" they think of an area of Tokyo that is famous for having many bars and nightclubs that cater to foreigners living in Japan. However, Roppongi Hills is a subdivision of Roppongi and is a very upscale and classy place with art museums, giant movie theaters, and so much more.

Also, we walked around Tokyo Tower, which was actually not too far from where I was going to school at Keio University. This is one of the most famous landmarks in Japan, and it really is quite impressive just to stand near it. Throw in some footage from lunch, and some ice cream in the base of the tower, and you've got an all around fun episode!

Tokyo Swan 19: Shin Kawasaki Zoo

When I had arrived in Japan, did I ever think there would be penguins in my backyard? After a few months of living in the quiet area of Shin Kawasaki, I noticed a path that led up a very large hill that was just five minutes down the road from my dorm. I eventually ventured up the hill with a friend only to find a free local zoo!

Imagine my surprise to see zebra, penguins, goats, deer, monkeys, and all sorts of birds and smaller animals! It was really an eyebrow raising experience to find so many different animals so close to where I had been living. I had walked past the hill where the zoo was on so many times just to get to the train station, so it really was a shocker when I did go up the hill and found the zoo.

This is a pretty laid back episode, but it's nice to just focus on the interesting local surroundings, since who knows, perhaps other study abroad students will also have the pleasure of discovering such great local environments to spend their time in.

Besancon, France: Monoprix, Galéries Lafayette, and more!

Where to go when you need your essentials is important for every traveler. If you're staying in Besak, you'll quickly learn the route to Monoprix, the "everything-in-one" store, where you can get a bottle of wine for two Euros or an umbrella (which you'll most certainly need if you've forgotten to pack one) or a new jar of Nutella, which, probably won't last very long if you're at all like me or my roommates. Peanut butter will cost you upwards of 4 Euros for a small jar (about half the size of your average American Jif jar) which gets expensive if you're an addict. Pack a few jars on the plane, and you'll be okay for the first few weeks. Do the same with Mac 'n Cheese, becuase you won't find it in stores.

The Galéries Lafayette is a large department store on Grande Rue, with three levels of everything from designer clothing to groceries, but bring a little bit more money if you go here, especially for food. There is also Intermarché, which is a convenient trek à pied if you live in the dorms, and it's relatively inexpensive. Last but not least is Casino. You'll find these throughout the city- Petit Casinos are located everywhere, but there is a Grande Casino a little further down on bus line 1 (Chateaufarine) and if you stay until the very last stop (which is close to a 40-minute bus ride, but maybe worth it to some) you'll find a Casino Géant, a few clothing stores, a Décathlon (sporting goods store where I bought a Yoga mat for 4 Euro and a Soccer ball for the same!), and a few restaurants. It's worth making the long trip at least once or twice, becuase you can find things in the Casino Géant you didn't even know existed in France. I, being a fan of dried fruit for its convenience and tast, became a fan of dried bananas, which they sell in packages that are perfect for carrying around in your backpack or purse when hiking or just lolly-gagging around town.

There is, however, nothing compared to the meals prepared by your host family. Take advantage of trying new things while you're in France (my host mom served my friends Foie Gras [goose liver] on crackers- not exactly an everyday thing here in the States!). Offer to cook at least once, so you can amaze them with your famous American recipes and dazzle them with your cooking skills (or lack thereof). I baked fresh bread for my host mom, and she adored it! Don't get me wrong, the fresh bread at the boulangeries cannot be beat, but don't hesitate to experiment in the kitchen while you're there, and give your host family a taste of the city you come from!

Tokyo Swan 18: Ice Cream City

Tucked away in the mega popular Sunshine City shopping mall of the bustling Ikebukuro section of Tokyo, Ice Cream City is perhaps one of the most fascinating places I have ever been to. I had initially heard of its greatness via some other youtube users had previously gone there to taste the varied and interesting ice cream flavors. Squid? Snake? Octopus? Curry? Garlic? Baskin Robbins has got nothing on Ice Cream City.

Ice Cream City is found in Sunshine City, which is a mega popular mall in Ikebukuro. There are plenty of shops and places to eat there, and I've gone there many times becuase it is such a fun place to be. The ice cream itself is located in a strange area of the mall called 'namjya town' which is a huge indoor amusement park. I had never been anywhere so off the wall before in my life, and it really is a unique experience to just walk around the fake forests and mine shafts of the indoor park.

So how does something like octopus ice cream taste? With real octopus chunks in the ice cream, I couldn't believe what I was eating... but it actually tasted pretty good! Oddly enough, I enjoyed the snake ice cream better (which I had on a return trip back). I strongly encourage anyone in the Tokyo area to scope out Ikebukuro's Sunshine City mall to catch a glimpse of the world's most talked about ice cream parlour!