Last day in France Part II.

Well, it all ends so soon. We went out to eat tonight with the French teachers. The meal was delicious. I will miss France and all of the friends we made. I think that all of our students had a blast. Hopefully you have enjoyed following my blog. HAGER OUT!!!

Last day in France Part I.

Well today was spent shopping and taking in Strasbourg for the final time. The city was packed, but I got all of my shopping done. Now that I am broke, I am debating selling my group of kids into the Southeast Asian slave shoe-making market. I spoke with a trader who said he would give me 15 Euros per kid. Seems like a nice deal, but I plan on shopping them around some more!!!

Party like a French Rock Star!!!

Last night we went to Mme. Michele Huntz house for a teacher party. We had a blast. I am going to miss France sooooooo much!!!

I Can Ride My Bike With No Handlebars!!!

Today is Good Friday. Everything is pretty much closed, so we took the day to bike around Strasbourg. Renting bike is only 5 Euro, so it was a good deal. We rode around the city and then to a couple of parks. Tonight, we are going to a dinner hosted by the French teachers.

Pottery, Roman Baths, and Euro-Techno!!!

What a day!!! Today was our last day with the students. We had a blast. First, we went to a small town in Germany to see how pottery was made. This town is very close to the Rhine and it's clay deposits, so it is basically a pottery town!!! I guess you can say their economy is very FRAGILE!!! (buh-dum-dum-chi) Next we went to a Roman bath house. It was awesome and very relaxing. They had different pools, indoors and out, that had different temperatured water. It was great therapy for all of the walking and stair climbing we have been doing over the last few weeks. Finally, we finished off with a dance back at St. Ettiene's. Their was a ton of techno and strobe lights. The French students really know how to party. Everyone had a blast.

Europa Park

Today we went to the Europa Park in Rust, Germany. We had a great time. When we arrived, I ditched the teachers to go ride some rides with the kids. I figured the youths would suit my ride craving better than the teachers. The lines weren't too bad, but we did have to stay in line for over an hour for the "Blue Flame." It was worth it though. The kids definitely enjoyed the experience and begged us for more time. The park was about the size of Busch Gardens and had a European theme. It was a great experience!!!!

Bowling and Parliment

Today we went bowling with our French hosts. Surprisingly, the rules of bowling are the exact same here. In fact, the lingo is the exact same...strike, spare, gutter ball, etc. A good time was had by all.
After bowling, we went to the European Parliment which is housed in Strasbourg. Our guide told us that the reason the EU chose Strasbourg to house the Parliment was the fact that it was a city that represented a reunified Europe after WWII. Of course, as hopefully you read and now know, Strasbourg was claimed by the Germans during WWII and not returned to the French until the conclusion of the affair.

Championship from Paris!!!

God paints the sky blue wherever his Tarheels are!!!

Guillame a French student unknowingly picked the right day to wear his UNC shirt that he got from the states!!!

Some teachers asked how insane I was was to have stayed up until 6am to watch the game. My answer is simply...how insane were you to not have watched!!!

I LOuVrE Paris!!!

What an exciting day!!! We got an early start by waking up at 5 am this morning to catch a train for the city of love. All of the kids made it to the station on time and we departed without any hassles. We arrived in Paris around 9:30 and started with a bus tour around the city.

1. Our first stop as you can see was the Cathedral of Notre Dame. We were pressed for time, so we Quazimoted through the cathedral very quickly, but spent enough time to get some great pics.

2. Our second stop was the Eiffel Tower. What an inspiring site. We learned a little history on the structure (I knew it had been built for a world's fair)... most Parisians did not initially like the structure and thought it was an eye-sore. Many religious officials were ticked-off that it was taller than Notre Dame. Regardless, it has grown on the Parisians and the world and is arguably one of the most recognized sites in the world. The view was absolutley stunning.

3. After lunch in the park, we hit up the Louvre. I can not explain how surreal is was to be standing in front of works of art such as the "Mona Lisa," the "Venus de Milo," and the "Raft of Medussa. The museum's outside was a stunning work of art also.

We finally made it back to Strasbourg around 10:45. Now I am going to tape my eyes open so I can watch my beloved Tarheels!!!!!!!

Chilaxing and a "Mr. Ian Cotton" sighting!!!

Today was a very laid back day. I slept until noon, because I was up until 6 am watching the HEELS!!! We went and met up with fomer Murray teacher Ian Cotton who now teaches in Hastings, England. He is on a two-week Spring Break and is touring Europe. It was good to see him and we had a great time catching up. Tomorrow we hit up Paris, so I must get some sleep!!!

5:45 AM Go Heels, Go Cafe!!!!!

This is what you look like when you stay up for 24 hours just to watch the Tarheels!!!!!!! Merci God for cafe!!!

Teachers Arrested in Strasburg!!!

Just Kidding!!! We took these photos at dinner tonight to make fun of the French siege of the city. Our French hosts admitted that they had never seen anything like the security we have seen this weekend. You literally could not walk around the city without having to change directions because of police barracades. Regardless, we are having a good time mostly hanging around our houses or apartments. Many of our students left town this weekend with thier host families to get away from this circus. The good news is, that as we drove home tonight around 11:00 pm the streets had cleared of police, as the NATO summit has left France and headed to Germany for the next two days!!!!!

Protestor in Strasburg Hager's mad ping-pong skills

I am now preparing to drink coffee so I can stay up to watch the Carolina game, which will be starting roughly around 3:00 am Strasburg time.

GO HEELS!!!!!!!!