Busybusyme.

So much to talk about and catching up for my devoted readers ;).. Therefore, I will be splitting up the past few days into separate blogs for easier reading.

Friday, 6/20/08:

So after a night of studying plus a bbq thrown for the Americans at the residence, I had my final exam for the ICN business program. Oh, and I almost forgot this very nice party they had for us at the school following our last class. Several different hordoeuvres to choose from, wine, and a nice variety of deserts. Well done ICN.


From left to right: Justin, Dan, Moi (notice anything?), Jake, Paul.


Now back to the exam. Seven separate tests ranging from French cuisine and table ettiqute to global economics and small business management, but all in all they were fairly straight forward. One thing that you may not know concerning French cuisine/culture is something called the French Paradox. This states that even though the French diet is high in saturated fats from all the dairy consumed, they're at a lower risk of coronary heart diseases due to the fact that they drink at least a glass of red wine a day. So drink up!.. The test was to be administered for 3 hours, but it took me 45 minutes to complete all the tests (and I wasn't even the first done) and then the tripping began. However, when I got the station, I asked the information desk what the train schedules to Trier and the times were; Arrive in Trier @ 1:06, Last train back to Metz @ 5:45. So we decided to pass on Trier for the day, and just for shits and giggles I had the idea of heading over to Nancy for the day instead of Trier. That just so happened to work out very well, cheap tickets, good times available for return and within 30 minutes we were on our way to Nancy.

Nancy: not really knowing what to expect besides a beautiful Place Stanislas and Parc de la Pepinere with a small zoo in it. My expectations were pretty low, but I'd have to say Nancy definitely satisfied my palate for a nice French city. Stanislas was really something else, beautiful architecture surrounding, a model of a Roman Arc de Triomphe, fountains, and two magnificent churches in view. So we take a look around, get a few maps of things to do in Nancy from the tourist information and off we went. Well, not quite, first order of business was some lunch. Found a nice, reasonable cafe, and I had myself a croque madame. MMM my mouth is salivating and my stomach is growling from saying those two delicious words. Anyway, following a great meal, we went over to the Parc. Beautiful gardens, impressive trees, and best of all animals. On the way over to the zoo part was a very well maintained garden, and more importantly there were peacocks roaming freely. I could have grabbed one if I had the desire, but then I figured a bird like that might give up a fight, so I held back my temptations. Moving on we found ourselves at the mini-zoo with rams, goats, bunnies, gerbils, and monkeys. I must have had good timing with the monkeys, because the first one we saw was an ape and as soon as it saw us he stood up, turned around and starting peeing. Wonderful, right? Then over to the little monkeys, well you'll see the picture so I don't have to explain...

You are now approaching Place Stanislas..
Mission complete.

Panoramic shot (not taken by me...)

Croque Madame.



Ape peeing.


Like I said, I didn't need to explain.


Among other things we saw included; several cathedrals from all different centuries and different styled architecture (Gothic, Baroque, and even Medieval), several Art Nouveau houses (Villa Majorelle), and the Musee de l'Ecole de Nancy whose collection was centered around Art Nouveau showcasing Victor Prouve, and Emile Galle. I had fun in the city, except for the fact that I ran out of underwear prior to leaving and convinced myself I'd be fine without, mistake! So during the trip I had to make a stop and buy undies and ended up changing in a stall about the size of your average desk, no joke. When in Rome....

Royal Palace? I'm not sure, but there was armed guards and people of importance outside.
View of a Cathedral that is currently under some renovating.
The old medieval gates.


Art Nouveau

View of Sacre Couer in Nancy from Villa Majorelle.
Art Nouveau at Villa Majorelle.
Aquarium, yes thats an aquarium.
Wait, whats a German house doing here? Reason, Nancy used to be part of Germany.


Upon returning to Metz, we had dinner at the usual spot, the cafeteria. Following, the 8 remaining of those who didn't do a weekend trip went out for a drink in the Place St. Jacques. When we about ready to leave, was about the same time when Turkey beat Croatia in the quarter-finals of the Euro Cup, and following was a parade through the streets of Metz by all the Turks in the city. All of a sudden we started to hear air horns, screaming and all sorts of excitement, then just as soon as we heard the sounds we saw tons of Turks rushing through the city chanting "Turkiya..." and Turkish flags everywhere. This little parade lasted for almost 5 minutes, and most of them were running through the city, so you must image it was pretty large gathering of people. Ended kind of following their path just to see what would follow, and somehow they blocked an entire intersection, were on top of cars, people still running around, and tons of excitement. It's really a treat to see how passionate people are for their futbal in Europe, highly recommended if the chance comes about.

Well, I think I finished this chapter of the weekend. Trier will follow shortly after a much need break of sitting in front of this computer for close to two hours editing photos, this, and doing research, but its all for you guys and that makes it okay.

Whose watching the Italy/Spain game tonight?? I know a certain llama breath girl who should be...Oh and I almost forgot, tomorrow I say goodbye to Metz as we start our week long journey. First stop, Brussels, then Lion Sur Mer (Normandy) and finally Paris! So now, break + packing = the deal.



Parlez bientôt.