A Travellerspoint blog

So... can I just stay here?

Is it bad that I don't want to leave yet?

sunny 18 °C

This is going to be my final solo post from The Adfrenchures: 2014-2015!

I managed to score one of those super-cheap buttcrack of dawn tickets to Paris for Sunday morning (so cheap because it is early enough that there are no buses and you have to get up even earlier to give yourself time to walk the mile and a half to the station). But that’s alright, because I get to meet Eva’s plane on the other side! We’ve already planned a few Parisian adventures, but neither of us wants to spend too much time there. So we’ll come back to Besançon for picnics in the parks, crêpes from the grumpy street vendor, and probably more pastries and cheese in one week than what I have eaten in nine months…

And speaking of delicious things, as I write this, I am finally savoring a stack of successful pancakes. It’s been a while!

I have also started the pre-packing process. I have acquired quite the collection of stuff over the last nine months (mostly books and clothes), and am figuring out the best way to get as much of it as I can back home. Luckily, I foresaw this, and only packed my gigantic suitcase about two thirds full when I came…

These past few weeks have been a lot like the first few that I had here – lots of hanging out with friends and social activities. Unfortunately, most of the others are still taking exams – I was extremely lucky to finish when I did. But many of my afternoons and evenings right now are dedicated to spending time with friends whether it be a picnic in a park, chillin’ at a bar after a movie, or carrying a dead lady’s bedframe up (and back down) six flights of stairs. True story. But no, we didn’t kill her…

Piquenique_Parc_Micaud2.jpgLa_Rive_Gauche_13_mai.jpgNo_mie_et_moi_Micropolis.jpg

And I’m still a bit of a tourist! The other day, I went with Bethany, my friend from Peoria (that trip seems like nothing now compared with all of the crazy things I’ve done) to the house where Victor Hugo was born. I’d passed by it numerous times, but had never gotten the chance to go in. As seems to be the case with a lot of famous birthplaces, he lived in Besançon for less than a year after his birth, and I don’t think he ever returned. But the house is still standing in the city center, and there is a museum inside dedicated to his social justice work. I hadn’t been aware before, but much of his work was inspired by his passion for human rights and political causes. And now I have a lot more books to add to my “to-read” list…

Victor_Hugo.jpg

I think I can say now that I consider Besançon as a secondary hometown. Having never spend this much time uninterrupted in a city other than Omaha, I now have a real sense of familiarity and comfort here that I hadn’t anticipated. The atmosphere here is so nice, and it just feels very Omaha-y in many ways. Except for the fact that half of the buildings here were built before Omaha was even a city… So Besançon is like Omaha’s hip and worldly babysitter. Or something like that. And by now, so much of it is so familiar that I am really going to miss it.

Something cool that has started happening fairly regularly is that people will stop me while I’m running to ask for directions. About half of the time, I either have no idea what they are looking for or I give them instructions that were probably impossible to follow (good thing I could just run away in the other direction…). But I think it would be safe to say that half of the time, I do give them legitimate help. Nine months ago, I would probably have pretended to not see them waving me down, and just kept running…

A recent project has been to work on a Skype interview that Mom is going to do with her WWII/Holocaust class, featuring Théo. (It’s been a while since you’ve heard about him, hasn’t it? He’s still around, just way busier than me.) But Mom is going to interview him about the French Resistance in this region. His great-grandfather and grandfather were both involved to varying degrees, and there are some interesting stories that have been passed down in his family. I was doing some research for images to show, and came across a wealth of photos of Besançon during the war (the occupation, a British bombardment, liberation, etc.). It’s hard to look at any pictures of war (and none of these were even graphic) but the fact that all of this happened in a place that I know and not just some faraway city made them very real. The crazy part was that many of the photos were recognizable.

These photos of the liberation were taken on one of downtown’s main streets that I walk on almost every day:

385E80D5FDE3557656B05F0289E6A717.jpgPont_Battant.jpg
September 8, 1944 and May 12, 2015
(See the Baud chocolatier on the left side of the 1944 picture? It's the same as the white awning in the 2015 one. They've been on the same corner for 92 years.)

R_volution.jpgFontaine_R_volution.jpg
September 8, 1944 and May 12, 2015
(I tried to frame the photo with the fountain in the background similarly to the original, but discovered that it wasn’t possible. The new tramway runs through where it should be. So they must have moved the fountain quite recently.)

And this bridge was rebuilt, and today, just to the left, sits the CLA, where I took classes last semester.
PontCanot.jpg

Posted by NKammerer 04:53 Archived in France Tagged picnic wwii skype centre-ville kammerer_sisters_unite adfrenchures besançon_history victor_hugo

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Comments

It's hard to believe that your "year" is drawing to a close. I'm so glad your mom and dad and siblings are going to get to be a part of this before it comes to an end.

I love your current photos compared with the pictures from the liberation. This reminds me of the famous pictures in New York when the soldiers came home.

I'm curious to hear the story about the bed frame that had to be carried up and down six flights of stairs.

Good luck with the Skype session - your mom was telling us about it on Sunday and was excited about it.

I'm so glad that you feel so "at home" in Besancon. You've done a fantastic job of getting involved in so many parts of the city and its activities.

Enjoy the coming weeks with your excited family.

Love,Oma

by Judy Trout

Again with the food. Still can't believe that you are not coming home with anything less than 100 French pounds on your little frame.

You look great in the pictures, could it be you are getting even cuter.

Love the WWII pictures compared with now; National Geographic couldn't match the scenes better.

You can write the book on how to be an exchange student, you get an A+++++++.

by Opa

No, you can't stay.

by Vinnie

I have loved every post. you are so fun and informative to read. thank you for taking me with you. love aunt betty

by aunt betty

Natalie, you have experienced so many new things in the past months and handled them so well, you have become a savvy guide. I just found out that Franecia Moore, a Conestoga kid, has been selected for a year in France studying and learning language. She just graduated from UNL a week ago. She is in Omaha for the summer, working and getting ready...I'd love to get the two of you connected this summer. I know you could give her information and tips for success.

Please contact me when you return and let's see if we can get a lunch set up with her...

Linda Placzek

by Linda Placzek

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