Motocross de Huismes

Dirt biking and motocross is actually a pretty big deal in France, and my little community here's one claim to fame is it's world class motocross track.
On June 30th my host sister and a friend of ours went to watch the French Championships being held there, for the side car cross divisions. For those of you who aren't familiar with it (most of us :p)  the side car division is when the drivers ride bikes with carts strapped to the sides, where their partner (called the 'sange' or 'the monkey') hangs on to a bar, and uses his or her weight to help throw the bike around corners. The track in Huismes is famous for its steep hills, sharps turns and flying jumps, which makes the side car ra
ces particularly interesting (and dangerous) to watch.
The morning started off warm and sunny, dust from the tracks already beginning to cover everything. As a side event, all the local clubs sent their students out (about 11-15 years old) and they did a few races. Each race consisted of several laps, and 3 heats for each standings. So, everyone raced once, then lined back up twice more during the day. The overall winner was determined by the results of all the races.

It's hard to tell in these pictures,. but these 12 year old kids were flying like, 4 metres through the air just casually. Pretty sweet overall.

So, the kids did their thing, and it was all pretty sweet. Then it was time for the main event, and all the experienced riders came out to play, including the champion of France, and a world championship competer.

French Motocross champion team, 3d in the world circuit.

But no one said the sport was safe, and taking an 180 degree turn at break-neck speeds is liable to do just that....champion teams made mistakes sometimes too, and they can cost.

But in the end of the day, we all had our share of excitement. Lots of dust, lots of speed, a couple spectacular accidents. Even if I've really never been interested in the sport before, it was  great day (excpet for the sad parts...no one wants to see guys surrounded by paramedics), was an interesting day.

Disneyland Paris

The beginning of April left the host family and I with the opportunity to experience a bit of fun just outside of Paris...Disneyland Paris invited us to 'venez découvrir toute la magie du monde Disney', and discover the magical world of Disney we did indeed.

We set off at the crack of dawn, with my host mother, sister, brother, and a family friend in tow, merrily singing along to a cd of french disney movie songs (interesting fact : Aladdin's 'Whole New World' translates to "This Blue Dream"; "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" gives us "Love Shines in the Stars", the cultural barriers go on :P)  at the top of our lungs, to our delight, and the entertainment of passing cars.

After navigating the maze of roads that lead us to Disney, we eventually found where we were staying for the 2 nights there, a charming little bungalow park called 'Davy Crockett's Ranch`, where, I assure you, the `Canada is nothing but a big forest frontier, you`ll be right at home here`jokes did flow.

We got settled in, and then drove on over to the main attraction...

Disneyland Paris is technically 2 parks joined together; the Disney theme park and Walt Disney Studio Park.
Both feature a lot of rides, themed restaurants, shows, and exhibitions to go to.

Because I had never been there before everyone else (who had already been, and where therefore experts) guided me to the best rides and the prettiest spots.  Disney land Paris has a lot of very beautiful sights, from the pirate ships in Adventureland,





The Arabian markets,

Or Sleeping Beauty's Castle, right in the middle of the park.

me + chateau

Another really really great aspect of the experience is the little costumed characters running around the area....

Ignore the facial expression, I was in the middle of laughing and giving bisous to Eeyore/ Bouriquet en francais.

All in all, it was a great experience, and a lot of fun.  I definately hope to be back one day!