5/23/08
“The Arrival”
My name is George Singeltary and I am the Sports Editor for The Rainmaker as well as an incoming 3L at Coastal Law. I look forward to this opportunity to keep the Coastal Law community updated about our maiden study abroad program in France.
After much anticipation and planning, I finally arrived in France after nearly a full day of traveling. A French student named Flora met me at the airport and we conversed in English (and what little French I know) as we drove towards the dorms. When we arrived at my future home for the next 5 weeks, the Maison International Universitaire dorms, I was shocked by the quality of the facilities. I have studied abroad two times previously and none of my accommodations came close to these dorms. Amenities such as high-speed internet, a maid service, and a daily breakfast are offered.
In the evening, I went out for appertif (a pre-dinner snack with drinks) with 5 French students. Next I met up with the other French and Coastal Law students including 2L’s, Seth Collins, Bryan Cantrell, and Amy Benson at the Crepe Grille. This restaurant is located in close proximity to the massive Cathedral in Clermont. The cathedral is constructed with black volcanic rock which is distinctive of Clermont. There we ate dinner and desert crepes.
All the French students and people of Clermont have welcomed us graciously and they have been very kind in showing us their town. I look forward to a great trip as we build our friendship with the French and broaden Coastal Law’s educational reach on an international scale.
5/25/08
Reception with the President
5/26/08
Classes Begin
5/28/08
“Tribunal Administratif”
The day started out amazing with blue skies and sun. Unfortunately, the daily rain in Clermont did not pass us by today. This marks the 5th straight day where it rained. However, we haven’t let it dampen our spirits (no pun intended).
Today the group from Coastal Law went to the Tribunal Administrif in downtown Clermont. This is basically the administrative court which deals with law suits brought against the government (apparently in France you can sue the government). Coastal Law students met with administrative justices and we were given a lecture on comparative law from a young French judge. This judge was only 30 years old yet, he was still considered a judge even though he did not practice law before becoming a judge. Rather, he passed a competitive examination which is necessary to become a judge in France. This exam includes both oral and written components. The day was brought to a close with dinner at an Asian restaurant where we had spring rolls and Asian style beef and chicken.
6/2/08
“Paris”
I have just returned from Paris, France where I traveled with a group of Coastal Law students including 2L’s Cara Courtney, Jeff Daulphin, and Kyle Sill. After hearing about Paris for my entire life and constantly seeing images of the Eiffel Tower, I must admit that Paris lives up to all the hype.
The first day our group went to the Louvre where we saw immensely famous works such as the Mona Lisa, Victory (the Nike statue), Venus de Milo and others. Next, we walked by the Cour de cassation (a high level appellate court) and the Judicial Department. These sites happen to be close to the famous Notre Dame which we explored next. The highlight was a walk to the top of the Notre Dame towers which offered an impressive view of the city. Our day was brought to a close with a visit to the Eiffel Tower. Seeing pictures of this structure does not do it justice. The tower is truly massive and very impressive when it does its nightly sparkling lights show.
The next day we took a train to Versailles. It is best to leave in the morning and the trip only took about 20 minutes. We were able to use our Paris Museum pass to get us to the head of the line and we were inside the palace quickly. We walked through Versailles and although it was impressive, it seemed just like any other museum or palace. However, things changed when we went outside into the garden. This is not just any garden…rather, it consists of miles of pruned hedges and many fountains and other estates. The fountains are particularly impressive when turned on but they only leave them on for a short period of time (20-30 minutes it seems). We were shocked at the opulence of the place and we greatly enjoyed our stroll through the gardens of Versailles. Next, we went to the Arc du Triumph and used our pass again to climb to the top. There was a great view from the top of all corners of Paris. We wrapped up our great stay in Paris at the Eiffel Tower which offered another great view.
Allow me to wax philosophical for a moment…I love Europe. This is the third time I’ve studied abroad and I hope that I can come back here every year of my life. Nevertheless, Europe does not have all the conveniences and amenities that we have in the U.S. European hotels (even 2-3 star ones) oftentimes lack air-conditioning and good food is sometimes difficult to find. Despite its flaws Europe is an amazing place because when you travel from country to country, each one feels different. There are so many different quirks to each country that define it and make it unique.
Even though it’s common to believe that most Europeans hate Americans (especially in France) I have rarely felt unwelcome in a European country. One thing that surprised me when I arrived in Europe for the first time (Alicante, Spain 5 years ago) was that they watched American movies dubbed over in their language. The same holds true for Italy and France. On top of that, American stars like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie grace the covers of their tabloids and magazines just like in the U.S. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Europeans embrace at least the media part of American culture and I think they are very interested to meet us. Americans appreciate and know the European culture in many ways. We love the fashion and romance of Paris, the food and music of Italy, and the beaches and dancing found in Spain. In the same way, Europeans value the American culture found in our movies and cities such as New York (Sex and the City is very popular around here).
So, when you come to Europe, do not expect perfect living conditions or food which is identical to that found in America. Rather, expect a welcoming cultural experience that will benefit you as a person.
6/6/08
“The Hague, surprisingly good”
The Hague (aka Den Haagen) was not a place I ever anticipated visiting. Honestly, going into the trip I expected long train rides and a relatively bland city. To my surprise, the city was actually quite charming. The Hague is very modern and has some interesting takes on food that I really enjoyed. For instance, the first night we went to a Japanese restaurant where you could pick a bowl of food that you wanted as well as your sauce (think Moe’s or Chipotle in the U.S.). After that, they would cook the meal fresh in a wok. The meal consisted of beef with a sauce called something along the lines of Midnight Surprise (a sweet/spicy sauce which was excellent). We called it an early night after that because we had an early morning conference to attend the next day.
The next day at the conference was long but some of it was very interesting. As usual, some of the speakers at the conference were better and more interesting than others but all around there were some interesting topics covered. The 6-5 rule for instance was discussed. This is a developing rule for European soccer which attempts to mandate teams to field a certain number of national players in their games. Obviously, this is a hot topic considering how seriously most European people take their soccer and this passion showed forth in some of our discussions.
After the conference, we went to an Italian restaurant called Vapiano (see: Trip Advisor). I expected traditional sit-down Italian food, I was wrong. Upon entering Vapiano, they handed us a card that the cook scanned after making our food. Here, just like at the Japanese restaurant, we were able to choose our meal. We could choose our sauce as well as our type of pasta and it was cooked in a wok (they love woks in The Hague) and served fresh. We were able to do some shopping and see some artwork in the town because the stores stay open late on Thursday nights. The city had quite a few modern art stores as well as some excellent clothes shopping. We really enjoyed walking around the art district and seeing the sights in The Hague. In the end, The Hague turned out to be a very charming town.
6/15/08
“The Top of Europe: Interlaken and Geneva, Switzerland”
Switzerland was a highly anticipated trip on our list and it did not disappoint. Our plan was to first visit Geneva and then travel to Interlaken where we would travel to the Top of Europe.
We could not get a train out of Clermont Ferrand that allowed us to attend all of our classes so we were forced to rent a car. This was the first time I’ve ever driven in Europe so obviously I was a little nervous (for those who haven’t been to Europe, their driving is considerably more intense in comparison to American driving). The drive, however, was amazing. We traveled through the low hills of the Auvernge region through vineyards and cow pastures until we started to see some larger mountains. It all came to fruition after we went through our first long tunnel.
We were totally sensory deprived through the tunnel but when we exited, the panorama of the Swiss Alps was incredible. We finally made it to Geneva after about 3 hours and 90 euros in tolls. Geneva was questionable at best when we arrived. Unfortunately, everything basically closed down around 11:30 and we were unable to have a formal dinner. Frustration mounted this night and the next morning as we continued to struggle to find food. However, the whole trip turned around for the best when we found the glorious Starbucks by the H&M. The day was beautiful and we had a very enjoyable time touring Lake Geneva. The water is melted glacier water and is very clear and beautiful greenish blue. Geneva is an affluent city and it lived up to its reputation for extravagant watches and jewelry. We were able to snap a few pictures of the large fountain in Lake Geneva and then we boarded a train to Interlaken.
The train ride was breathtaking due to the combination of the Swiss Alps and the two large lakes that we could see along the way. That night, we dined at Schuh, a Swiss Chocolate and Fondue restaurant. Here, we had some legit Swiss fondue which was on par with the Melting Pot in Jacksonville. That night we knew that we went to sleep early because we knew we would need our rest for our journey to the top of Europe in the morning.
The “Top of Europe trip” is a 3 part train ride that takes you to the top of the Jungfraujoch mountain in Switzerland. The train starts in Interlaken and travels a relatively flat grade. However, at Lauderbrunen, one must board a “cog rail” train which has the capability of climbing the steep grade of the Jungfrau mountain. The entire journey takes around 2 and 1/2 hours and takes you to the highest point in Europe.
There are numerous activities at the top including 3 restaurants, an ice palace, observation deck, and even some extreme activities such as rock climbing and zip lining. We started our visit with a trip to the ice palace. This consists of a passageway through a glacier and it is kept at sub freezing temperatures at all times. Inside are ice sculptures and small passageways to walk through. The heat from the visitors is actually recycled and used to heat the restaurants above. Next, we went outside where we were greeted with a truly breathtaking view of the glacier and the Jungfrau (we were also greeted with the 25 degree Fahrenheit temperatures). Next, we ate at the cafeteria-style restaurant which was quite good but expensive. Before we left, we wanted to try one more thing to put an exclamation point on our trip. There is a way to actually go out on the mountain and to the activity area. Here, they have snowboarding, dog sledding, and of course zip lining. We decided to do the zip line which was precariously perched on a slope which we had to hike up through the snow to reach. The ride was thrilling and our stoke factor reached an all time high as we slid to a stop at the bottom.
