Bonjour!
It has been a few weeks since I've updated, so I have lots to talk about today. Our school weeks have been quite busy--lots of tests to finish up the semester, which by the way, I can't believe is over! Last week it rained pretty much 100% of the time, so our sightseeing was at an all time low. Not that there aren't inside things to do, but after a long day at school, navigating Paris and the stuffy, humid métro is not always more appealing than a nice cup of hot tea in a dry apartment. We did, however, wait in a very long line one rainy day to see Saint-Chapelle. It really was beautiful, despite the fact that the prettiest part of the church was blocked off due to the restoration of the stained glass (the whole point of going to see Saint-Chapelle). The people in charge were nice enough to put a nice poster of what the glass would look like, if we could see it. Totally the same, right? No. Not right. But it was a good experience and worth seeing, nonetheless. It also doesn't hurt that our student IDs from the university here get us in most places for very low costs if not free, which was the case for Saint-Chapelle. We also saw the outside of the Palais du Justice and the Conciergerie, but we decided not wait out the lines to go inside. Our trip to Saint-Chapelle was preceded by our long walk to the Musée Rodin, only to remember once we got there that it is closed on Mondays...but at least we got some exercise, yeah? After Saint-Chapelle, the rain stopped for a few hours, and we took advantage of it by reading by the Seine River.
Palais du Justice
Upper Chapel
Lower Chapel
As I said, the rest of that week was mostly consumed with school and naps, but we needed the rest for our upcoming trip to Rouen, Normandy. Our hotel was nowhere near the center of town, and we had no idea how much walking was in store for us! Rouen is definitely one of my favorite towns. The town in which Joan of Arc was burned is full of lovely pastel colored houses and picturesque little streets. We spent most of the weekend roaming around the town and doing some shopping--much less crowded than the stores in Paris. We did take advantage of one major tourist attraction while we were there, though. We went to Gustave Flaubert (author of Madame Bovary), which has also been turned into a small museum on the history of medicine. The descriptions I had read about this museum essentially had me believing that it was a worthless attempt and maybe not worth my time to go, but we actually really enjoyed it. There were tons of historical medical tools there as well as some mummified bodies and other things...I won't go into too much detail! Ask me if you want to know more! Aside from the miles of walking, it was a very relaxing weekend and a nice change of pace from busy busy Paris.
Once we returned to Paris, we meet up with Nicole's fiancé, Matty, and started making plans for the upcoming week as well as our trip to Switzerland! First on the list was the Fête de la Musique in Paris on Monday night. All throughout Paris people lined the streets and gardens all night long and played music. There were formal, professional groups playing and there were all kinds of music, from reggae to jazz to classical to techno! Actually, we did not get to see much of the big stuff, it apparently started a little earlier in the evening than we thought, but we did see a few things as well as some of the local street performers. The streets were crazy packed with people like I have never seen anywhere before, and some of the métro lines ran all night. It was certainly a crazy night in Paris, and if you live in the center of town, there is no hope for sleeping at all!
The Latin Quarter
Drumline in the Tuileries
Huge Concert in the Virgin Music store
We made a little stop by the Arc de Triomphe
Dancing in the streets
The next day, June 22, was my 22nd birthday. Birthdays are always funny things to me, because I always feel like they should feel really different than the other 364 days of the year, but they never really do. I have to say, I did miss my normal bbq/joint bday party with my Aunt Veronica, even though a bday in Paris was fun. I started off the day by going to school (woohoo), then skipped my afternoon class so that I could take a stroll through the Marais, the Jewish area of Paris. The streets were adorable with tons of little restaurants and boutiques. I walked through, stopped in a church, saw the gardens of the Musée Carnavalet, and saw the Place des Vosges-- a nice peaceful afternoon/bday walk through Paris. After Nicole got out of school we made our way to Notre Dame to get the city's best ice cream, Berthillon, but alas, it is closed on Tuesdays. So, we had the famous gelato instaed, which I have to say, is something I do like more than ice cream! Then we went to Montmartre (my favorite area of the city) and had Thai food for dinner. It was very good, but it did make me miss my little Thai Express in Springfield! That was it for my bday, pretty low key, but very nice.
In the Marais
Place des Vosges
Gelato!
My next big event of the week was going to the Musée Rodin (not on a Monday!). This museum might be tied with the Orangerie (the one with Monet's water lilies) as my favorite museum so far in Paris. It is an outdoor sculpture museum, and it is absolutely beautiful and wonderful! The weather has been amazing all week--sunny and high 70's. Rodin's famous sculpture, Le Penseur, is at this museum as well as many others. The gardens, however, are what really make everything fit together to be a beautiful museum. Again, we got free admission because we are students, which is always nice and makes buying things in the gift shop not seem so bad! I am actually a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this museum, sculptures have never necessarily been something I have really loved, not that I haven't enjoyed and appreciated them, but I think the complete package was what really did it for me--the sculptures, the gardens, and the weather! It was quite an enjoyable day!
Le Penseur
My final sightseeing adventure for the week was yesterday after school when I ventured out the the very end of Métro Line 1 to see La Défense--the very corporate, modern area of Paris. I actually went there with the mindset that it would be ridiculous to not see this part of Paris while I'm here, but I probably wouldn't like it very much--I mean who would like modern buildings being next to all the beautiful old architecture of this city. That is also the sentiment of many Parisians from what I can tell. Although I do think it is a little off balance from the rest of the city, it does represent the fact that Paris is more than old buildings and museums; it is an active part of the modern world. This area was not like what I imagined though. Even though it is very modern, with lots of straight lines, it was prettier than I expected....shinier, I guess :) La Grande Arche is the main tourist attraction of La Défense and rightly so. It was incredible. It was much bigger than I expected. The explanation given at the arch is that it was built to be a symbol of hope, a window to the world, and a place for all people to come and be welcome. Needless to say, I am very glad that I took the time to venture out to the far end of Paris to see it!
Thumbs up to La Défense
Pretty cool, huh?
There really are carousels everywhere in Paris!
La Grande Arche
Finally, today was our last day of classes for our first session in Paris. It's hard to believe that a month has already gone by and even harder to believe that we only have one month left. I received my nice little certificate today saying that I have completed this level of French, as well as my grade, which I believe corresponds to an A- in the states...not bad for going 3.5 years with no French and picking it back up. Now...if only I can figure out a way to get my German up to speed. Anyway, I'm very excited for the next month of classes, but disappointed that I might have to have a different teacher, as it's always nice to continue to a different level with someone who already knows you and what you are capable of. Also, our homestay mom, Annick, informed us that she will only be speaking French to us next month. I think this is a very good thing, and I have actually been a little disappointed that she has been speaking to us so often in English. So I think that this first month has been a great chance to review the basics and get comfortable again with the language, but next month should really solidify what I know and help me improve my speaking abilities.
We are off to Switzerland (where my family comes from) for a week. We'll be in Geneva, Bern, and Lucerne. Then we'll be spending two days in Strasbourg, France, which is located on the border of France and Germany and historically has belonged to both countries at various times. I'm super excited for this trip, partly because I love Switzerland, partly because I really need a break from classes, and partly to get to be a more German area of Europe. Yay yay yay. I'm sure I'll update very soon after we return and have many many many pictures to share wth you! Until then...
Bisoux et au revoir,
trisha
