Hey Everyone!
Friday morning I'm leaving for Paris. I'm going with Crystal and Jana (Americans), Lucia and Martin (Slovakian), and Jiao (Chinese). We're spending two nights there and then leaving Sunday evening. Classes are going good.
Well, watch out for the swine flu...
Zach
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Coming to America
I booked my flight back home today. I'll be in flying in from London and will arrive in Tulsa at 11:16 p.m on June 4th. Unfortunately, I have 3 hour layover in the great city of Minneapolis. I'm going to spend two nights in London with one day travelling to and from and one full day to sightsee. Flying out from London turned out to be a lot cheaper than flying out from Paris and that's including the price of trains from Vichy to Paris to London.
It's beginning to look a lot more like Spring and Summer; I can finally where shorts and T-shirt outside. I remember Paul and Lyndsey telling about how to dress in France, but the funny thing is when we went to Lyon I saw Crocs store. It was surprising.
It's common to get potatoes on your pizza.
Even though Coca-Cola is well known over here none of my friends have heard of Coke floats and they've never heard of Root Beer floats let alone Root Beer. So, I was thinking we might get together and have some. Some of my friends were put off a little by adding liquid sugar to solid sugar and eating it. But it is gooood.
Also, I have confirmed you can buy beer at McDonald's or "McDo" as the French like to call it. Speaking of beer I haven't seen any Budweiser. The main brands seem to be Heineken, Kronenburg (Danish or German), and 1664 (French) and you can find Coronas but it's not standard to serve them with lime.
I found out (via Wikipedia) one of the wineries we visited had committed wine fraud in 1998 by adding water, milk, and fruit additives to their wine.
My Norwegian friend brought me back some Norwegian brown cheese which is really good. It's made with cow's and goat's milk with some caramel (I think) which gives it the brown color. The Slovakian girl brought us all back a little bottle of 40 proof Slovakian alcohol.
Well, have good day.
Zach
It's beginning to look a lot more like Spring and Summer; I can finally where shorts and T-shirt outside. I remember Paul and Lyndsey telling about how to dress in France, but the funny thing is when we went to Lyon I saw Crocs store. It was surprising.
It's common to get potatoes on your pizza.
Even though Coca-Cola is well known over here none of my friends have heard of Coke floats and they've never heard of Root Beer floats let alone Root Beer. So, I was thinking we might get together and have some. Some of my friends were put off a little by adding liquid sugar to solid sugar and eating it. But it is gooood.
Also, I have confirmed you can buy beer at McDonald's or "McDo" as the French like to call it. Speaking of beer I haven't seen any Budweiser. The main brands seem to be Heineken, Kronenburg (Danish or German), and 1664 (French) and you can find Coronas but it's not standard to serve them with lime.
I found out (via Wikipedia) one of the wineries we visited had committed wine fraud in 1998 by adding water, milk, and fruit additives to their wine.
My Norwegian friend brought me back some Norwegian brown cheese which is really good. It's made with cow's and goat's milk with some caramel (I think) which gives it the brown color. The Slovakian girl brought us all back a little bottle of 40 proof Slovakian alcohol.
Well, have good day.
Zach
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Good News and Good News
Well, the first bit of good news I have is that my internet is back on at my apartment building. The second bit of good news is...I've got pictures online and you can see them here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007235&id=1448310001&l=2c3bcd916d
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007237&id=1448310001&l=f4d97256d8
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007239&id=1448310001&l=5b2cfc735b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007240&id=1448310001&l=de0cdea257
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007235&id=1448310001&l=2c3bcd916d
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007237&id=1448310001&l=f4d97256d8
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007239&id=1448310001&l=5b2cfc735b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007240&id=1448310001&l=de0cdea257
Monday, April 20, 2009
Good News and Bad News
Well, I have returned to Vichy. We had a good trip this week. We left Tuesday morning and got back early Sunday morning. The first day we went to Avignon and visited "Le Palais des Papes" or Palace of the Popes which was built during the Avignon papacy and we also visted the famous Pont d'Avignon or Bridge of Agivnon. Then we went to Pont du Gard which is a huge ass aqueduct and bridge. After that we went to Nimes and visited the best preserved Roman colloseum and we went to Montepellier, but there wasn't really anything there. It's just a big city. Then we went to Toulouse and drove the way we came to a wine chateau south of Narbonne and we took a tour of the winery and tasted about 8 wines. After that we went drove to the Mediterranean Sea and walked out to the beach and then to a lighthouse. Then we went to Carcasonne which has a fortified city with a wall around it and a castle and church. We then went back to Toulouse and walked around the city there and met up with a friend of ours that we met in Vichy. After Toulouse we went to Bordeaux walked around the city a little bit and then we went to the wine region north of Bordeaux (Our driver, Dimitri, is a wine enthusiast) and we learned about wine and wine making, and took a tour of the chateaux, and at the first one we tasted 4 wines, and then we went down the road to a higher rated and biggest chateaux. There an English guy gave us a tour and we tasted their wine. Each wine tasting was about 6 euros or 8 to 9 dollars. After that we went to the Great Dune of Pila (tallest sand dune in Europe), west of Bordeaux along the Atlantic Ocean. We climbed up the dune and went down to the ocean and then we left there at about 10 p.m Saturday night and drove for 7 hours and arrived back in Vichy at 5 a.m. Sunday morning.
Oh yeah, the bad news. I guess the company that supplies our internet at my apartment building decided to quit supply the internet there. So, now I have to use the school's internet which is slower. At my apartment building there isn't any tv either, so there isn't a lot to do. But luckily they have American movies at the library and when I flew to France I left my SimCity 2000 game inside of it, so at least I can play something besides minesweeper and spider solitaire.
Here are the places we went:
Palace of the Popes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_des_Papes
Pont d'Avignon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_d%27Avignon
Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_du_Gard
Arena of Nimes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_of_Nimes
Roman Temple in Nimes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_Carr%C3%A9e
Nimes ( in General): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimes
Portel-des-Corbieres (wine tasting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portel-des-Corbi%C3%A8res
Port-La-Nouvelle (mediterranean sea):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_la_Nouvelle
Carcasonne (fortified city):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcasonne
Chateau Giscours (wine tasting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_Giscours
Chateau Rauzan-Gassies (wine tasting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_Rauzan_Gassies
Great Dune:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilat_Dunes
Oh yeah, the bad news. I guess the company that supplies our internet at my apartment building decided to quit supply the internet there. So, now I have to use the school's internet which is slower. At my apartment building there isn't any tv either, so there isn't a lot to do. But luckily they have American movies at the library and when I flew to France I left my SimCity 2000 game inside of it, so at least I can play something besides minesweeper and spider solitaire.
Here are the places we went:
Palace of the Popes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_des_Papes
Pont d'Avignon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_d%27Avignon
Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_du_Gard
Arena of Nimes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_of_Nimes
Roman Temple in Nimes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_Carr%C3%A9e
Nimes ( in General): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimes
Portel-des-Corbieres (wine tasting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portel-des-Corbi%C3%A8res
Port-La-Nouvelle (mediterranean sea):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_la_Nouvelle
Carcasonne (fortified city):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcasonne
Chateau Giscours (wine tasting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_Giscours
Chateau Rauzan-Gassies (wine tasting): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_Rauzan_Gassies
Great Dune:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilat_Dunes
Friday, April 10, 2009
So, a German, Slovak, Chinese, and an American go on a road trip in France...
This trip was exhausting. We would usually wake up at 8:30 am, drive, visit, drive, visit, and we wouldn't get to our hostel until after 1 am. Anyways, we had a good trip and here are the places we visited:
Champagne region and Dom Perignon's resting place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_P%C3%A9rignon_(person)
Cathedral in Reims: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Reims
Palace at Versailles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles
Battle of Normandy Museum in L'Havre: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Havre#Museums
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial
Omaha Beach: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Beach
Mont St. Michel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint_Michel
Fontevraud Abbey, Contains the graves of King Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Richard I of England: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontevraud_Abbey
We also went to a couple of chateaus and took some pictures.
Champagne region and Dom Perignon's resting place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_P%C3%A9rignon_(person)
Cathedral in Reims: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Reims
Palace at Versailles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles
Battle of Normandy Museum in L'Havre: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Havre#Museums
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial
Omaha Beach: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Beach
Mont St. Michel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint_Michel
Fontevraud Abbey, Contains the graves of King Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Richard I of England: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontevraud_Abbey
We also went to a couple of chateaus and took some pictures.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Last Weekend and Spring Break Plans
Last Weekend
We had a great time in Lyon last weekend. We took a 2 hour train ride, found our hotel, then went exploring. We visited the Basilica there in Lyon. The story behind the basilica is that the archbishop made a promise to God that if Prussian forces didn't capture Lyon (or something like that) then he would build a church and devote to the Virgin Mary. So, of course, you could see Mary everywhere in the church. We also a nice french dinner (Lyon is the French capital of gastronomy) which was my first since I've been here. The food wasn't spectacular, but parts of it were good. We did most of that stuff on Friday and by the evening we were really tired. I slept really good in the hotel, probably because they had just gotten new mattresses and I had a rectangular pillow like back at home. (The one in my apartment is basically a long, round pillow; it's annoying sometimes). The next day it rained real bad and was cold. The girls decided to go shopping and Bryan (American) and Martin (Slovakian) and me went to the French Resistance and Deportation museum. It was very interesting. We ate lunch and we met up with the girls and they wanted to shop some more, so us guys went ahead and caught a train back to Vichy and took it easy.
Spring Break Plans
I don't have school the next two weeks so Monday I'm leaving with Demetri (German) and Martin and taking a road trip to northern France. Demetri drove over here so we're taking his car. We're going to Rouen (wine country), Versailles, Mont St. Michele (old monastery, I think, but very beautiful), and Normandy. That's going to last from Monday-Thursay. We're staying in hostels in a different city each night. It costs 30 euros for one room, but each room has 3 beds, so it's really only 10 euros a night for each of us and then we'll also pitch in for gas. We have tentative plans to do the same thing the next week except for the south of France to Toulouse, Nantes, and one other place.
Other Stuff
I found out that plane tickets and things in general are cheap in Poland, so some weekend I might go there and visit Auschwitz or something.
You know that badass presentation over Estonia I told you about? Lucia and me made a 19 out of 20 on it, or 95%. We have the highest grade so far. The next highest grade was a 17. My next presentation is one by myself and its over Defense and the European Union. We all have to do a presentation and a paper over some aspect of the EU such as transportation, environment, enterprise, etc.
I should be arriving home at about 11:07 pm on June 10. I'll probably go back to OU at the end of June and take a July summer class.
Today was the last day for my first international marketing professor. We'll have a new one after vacation that will teach another aspect of international marketing. Our first teacher was the former head of worldwide logistics for Michelin Tire Co. He has a castle now near Vichy where guests can stay and today he gave us all information about it and gave us a pass for a free visit.
Oh yeah, we switched to daylight saving time last week, so we're back to a 7 hour time difference at least for those of you in the central time zone.
Pictures: I'll try and get some together and make albums on facebook, and then I can post the link on here and should take you to them. I'll try and have it up by Sunday night.
We had a great time in Lyon last weekend. We took a 2 hour train ride, found our hotel, then went exploring. We visited the Basilica there in Lyon. The story behind the basilica is that the archbishop made a promise to God that if Prussian forces didn't capture Lyon (or something like that) then he would build a church and devote to the Virgin Mary. So, of course, you could see Mary everywhere in the church. We also a nice french dinner (Lyon is the French capital of gastronomy) which was my first since I've been here. The food wasn't spectacular, but parts of it were good. We did most of that stuff on Friday and by the evening we were really tired. I slept really good in the hotel, probably because they had just gotten new mattresses and I had a rectangular pillow like back at home. (The one in my apartment is basically a long, round pillow; it's annoying sometimes). The next day it rained real bad and was cold. The girls decided to go shopping and Bryan (American) and Martin (Slovakian) and me went to the French Resistance and Deportation museum. It was very interesting. We ate lunch and we met up with the girls and they wanted to shop some more, so us guys went ahead and caught a train back to Vichy and took it easy.
Spring Break Plans
I don't have school the next two weeks so Monday I'm leaving with Demetri (German) and Martin and taking a road trip to northern France. Demetri drove over here so we're taking his car. We're going to Rouen (wine country), Versailles, Mont St. Michele (old monastery, I think, but very beautiful), and Normandy. That's going to last from Monday-Thursay. We're staying in hostels in a different city each night. It costs 30 euros for one room, but each room has 3 beds, so it's really only 10 euros a night for each of us and then we'll also pitch in for gas. We have tentative plans to do the same thing the next week except for the south of France to Toulouse, Nantes, and one other place.
Other Stuff
I found out that plane tickets and things in general are cheap in Poland, so some weekend I might go there and visit Auschwitz or something.
You know that badass presentation over Estonia I told you about? Lucia and me made a 19 out of 20 on it, or 95%. We have the highest grade so far. The next highest grade was a 17. My next presentation is one by myself and its over Defense and the European Union. We all have to do a presentation and a paper over some aspect of the EU such as transportation, environment, enterprise, etc.
I should be arriving home at about 11:07 pm on June 10. I'll probably go back to OU at the end of June and take a July summer class.
Today was the last day for my first international marketing professor. We'll have a new one after vacation that will teach another aspect of international marketing. Our first teacher was the former head of worldwide logistics for Michelin Tire Co. He has a castle now near Vichy where guests can stay and today he gave us all information about it and gave us a pass for a free visit.
Oh yeah, we switched to daylight saving time last week, so we're back to a 7 hour time difference at least for those of you in the central time zone.
Pictures: I'll try and get some together and make albums on facebook, and then I can post the link on here and should take you to them. I'll try and have it up by Sunday night.
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About Me
- Zach
- I'm a 19 year old college student studying abroad in France for a few months. I enjoy casual tennis, Coke, nonfiction books, and movies.
