the chateau was built in 1750 by count pourtales, and his wife, madame melanie. they say madame melanie haunts the castle, but it is possibly just a ploy to get us to clean up the kitchen.
i share a double room with another girl. smallish room, i guess, but i'm living in a castle so i'm not complaining. two showers to share for 20ish girls. the WC is in one room, and then there's a "bathroom" with 6 or so sinks. all on the third floor. let me tell you, carrying my huge duffel up those winding stairs was not fun. at least my luggage finally made it.
i haven't picked up too much french as of yet, though i have developed a pretty killer accent i speak with english. close enough, i suppose.
this afternoon, we took bikes out around the surrounding area. these bikes are built for racing. i was a little short so reaching the handlebars was a stretch. racing through the trails, i felt like lance armstrong. you know, my own le tour de france. the chateau is in the middle of a big park, with lots of trails and forests. seriously, i might never leave here. we also took a walk to the supermarket, atac. i thought they were selling dead cats in the meat case, but it turned out to be a rabbit. still, pretty gross looking.
tomorrow we're going into strasbourg for the first time. boat tour, possibly buying a cell phone, walking around, maybe a cafe.
classes start monday. it's starting to feel like home.
au revoir!
-katie.
