Europe: Arrival/Abbey visit

Hey guys! I didnt have internet in my room yesterday so I am just now getting to set this up.

Arrival
The flight over went well. I had a girl trade seats with me to sit by her friend and there was no one sitting in the seat next to me so I had plenty of room! The food on the plane was downright awful, but they had plenty of good movies, snacks, and drinks to make up for it. Fortunately I was able to get a few hours of sleep which really helped avoid jetlag.

We arrived in Paris at around 9:20AM (2:18 AM Texas time), got our luggage and met up with some other people flying in from other airports. There was also a bomb scare so we had to move out of our terminal. Kinda crazy, but everyone is fine.

French Army soldier with FAMAS at the airport

Anyways, we got on a bus which took us to Caen. It seemed to last FOREVER! But we finally made it and settled in to our dorm space. Then we all went down to the local Carrefour (French equivalent of a Target and HEB) to get some groceries and necessities for our room. Unlike American stores, European stores DON'T give you grocery bags. So if you cant carry it our fit it in your bag, you have to buy a bag from the store.

Parts of downtown Caen

The weather here is amazing!! Since Caen is about 6 miles from the Atlantic coast there is a nice breeze coming of the ocean. That and the weather being in the 50's and 60's has made it very enjoyable to be outside. The only problem with the weather is that it rains almost spontaneously sometimes. We got caught in a heavier rainstorm on the way to Carrefour yesterday. I wish I could send some of it to Texas!

We were on our own for supper last night so my evening meal consisted of French bread, cheese (which is a big deal in Normandy) green olives, and a Coke. The hot water heater wasnt working at first so after an icy cold shower I headed off to bed and passed out after a matter of seconds.

Visit to Abbey aux Dammes (7/8/2011)
Our day began with breakfast around 7:30 followed by a short intro class at 8:30. The breakfast was excellent, which made up for my 'meal of champions' last night.

We then got into some more business casual clothes and to the Tram (metro bus/train thing) into downtown Caen. Caen is the site of William the Conquer's castle and the Abbey aux Dammes, where his wife Matilda is buried. It used to be a convent, but after the French Revolution and the centuries that followed it is now the seat of government for Normandy.

The Abbey was amazing! Its so cool to see a building that was built so long ago (1060) that is still standing! Since we were with a study aboard group we received a official tour from a government lady. Afterwards they even gave us a small reception where we got to try some local apple cider (another big deal in Caen).

Abbey aux Dammes

After the tour of the abbey, we were given the day off. Since it is street market day, we toured the local booths and a few downtown areas. I bought a sandwich for lunch but it tasted like crap so it looks like Im back to the BCOC (bread/cheese/olives/coke) diet for now.

Sanctuary of the Abbey

Anyways, thats all for now! Hope everything is good back in the US! Check Facebook for photos!