Prex in Paris

Winding Down

2008-05-18T02:19:00.000-07:00

After our return from Spring Break, Anna left to go back to the states for 5 days and Cara and I took the week to relax. We were fortunate that the weather was perfect for picnicking in the park and lying in the sun. As I live close to the Eiffel Tower, Cara and I spent several days laying out on Champs de Mars (the grass in front of the tower) with the rest of the youth of Paris. It's a fun and lively environment and I got a little color in my face!

Cara and I found little things to do in Paris to occupy our time for the rest of spring break. We visited the National Gallery of Contemporary Art which had some strange pieces (to be expected) and one really large installation of an artist I don't know. We also visited the Arc de Triomphe and saw the grave of the unknown soldier. We went out to a great vegetarian meal at a cute little place in Montmartre called le Soleil Gourmand. Before we chose this place though, we happened upon another vegetarian restaurant in the same area that was about the size of my studio here. Inside were about 5 tables and you could see into the kitchen where the chef/ waitress was the sole person working in the restaurant. The vibe was very odd as the restaurant was almost completely silent (despite every table being filled) and we opted for a more conventional dining experience.

As a last hurrah with our Abroadco group, we took a dinner cruise down the Seine. It was fun to see everyone again and a nice way to say goodbye.

One night later in the week, I was invited to a party by a Japanese woman in my french class. I had never really had a conversation with her up until that point and had no idea who was going to be at the party but seeing as I had nothing else to do that night and the opportunity to speak french is always welcomed, I decided to go. I dragged Anna along for emotion support. There were about 30 people there from China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Their french was hard to understand but they were friendly, and once they started drinking, they got REALLY friendly. What I liked most about the experience was the opportunity to hear all the reasons why people were in Paris. So many peoples' lives have taken such different trajectories than my own, it challenges my ideas about what a life "should" involve. Being in Paris has not only opened my eyes up to the lives of people native to this city but also to the lives of people from all over the world.

Anna and I, in the attempt to discover all the interesting things in Paris before we leave, went on an adventure last weekend in search of the Viaduct des Arts. It turned out to be a raised pathway above the streets of Paris that had been landscaped. It was a cool little world floating above the busy streets with rose bushes and benches at every turn. At the end of the long road, we discovered a little park in which we picnicked and sunbathed (this is a recurring theme in my last days here). We wandered over to Pere Lachaise which is a large cemetery which houses the remains of many famous people including Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust and Jim Morrison. It was a beautifully landscaped cemetery with hundreds of years of history.

This past wednesday, my first guest since Prakash and my family arrived. Tommy is the longtime love of my best friend and after his semester of study in Berlin, he made a trip to visit me. He was a fun and easy guest, content to wander the streets of Paris with no agenda. The day he arrived was his birthday and Paris greeted him with a grand thunderstorm and unrelenting rain. He was a good sport though and the rain didn't stop us from seeing the important things. The best part about having him here is I got to see the stuff that I probably wont visit before I leave.

With two weeks left of my time here, I am getting impatient to come home. I am also shocked that my time here is almost over, it feels like I just arrived. I just have to soak up every day that I have left as there is not much else I can do.

Spring Break 08

2008-04-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

For our two week spring vacation from French classes, Anna, Cara and I planned a 9 day tour of 3 European cities. Our two priorities were Amsterdam and Prague but to get to Prague on a budget, we had to add in a third city which ended up being Dublin. So needless to say, we bounced all around. It was a great trip, we met interesting people and as always, there was never a dull moment.

Our trip began with a train ride from Paris to Amsterdam. Before we even got on the train, Anna and I hit a road block. We weren't able to pick up our tickets at the ticket machines because they couldn't read our American credit cards and we never wrote down our confirmation numbers so the ticket sellers couldn't pull up our reservation. We ran around the station like chickens with our heads cut off for about 10 minutes until we realized that we could call our loved ones and they could retrieve our confirmation numbers for us. We were able to get the information we needed and pick up our tickets just in time to hop on the train. Cara and I rode with the bourgeoisie in first class, and Anna purchasing the last second class ticket, rode with the peasants. Once the train left the station though, Anna snuck into our car so we could celebrate Cara's 21st birthday. Anna and I made Cara coffee cake and we had quite a feast.

Once we arrived in Amsterdam, we realized that we hadn't written down where our hostel was located, how to get there or it's phone number. Because of our lack of planning, we had to wait in the tourist office for an hour to speak to a representative who could tell us where to go.

Once we had the correct directions, we made it to the hostel in no time. The staff was very friendly and we were placed in an 8 person room with a socially awkward German and three 19 year old Canadians. We dropped off our stuff and met up with one of Anna's college friends and her traveling mates. We visited the Van Gogh Museum which was surprisingly small, and I discovered that I don't like Van Gogh very much. After taking in a bit of culture we went to our first coffee shop called the Rockery.

Amsterdam is known for its Chinese food (we never found out why this was) so we decided to treat ourselves to this for our first night. I must say the spicy tofu hit the spot.
Our second day in Amsterdam, I wandered around the city with Anna and Katelyn all day. We decided that Amsterdam would be our vacation city so we didn't do a lot here other than relax in the park and walk up and down the canals. It was lovely.

Our last day in Amsterdam we rented bikes and rode around the city all day. Biking is as popular here as in Davis, there are definitely more bikes than people. We found the red light district but weren't there for very long because it was too sad and for dinner we discovered and out of the way vegetarian place that was fantastic.

The next morning we left early for Dublin. We were a little more prepared for the Dublin hostel and didn't have to waste any time in silly tourism offices. We checked into our hostel which happened to be housing a large group of French 10 year olds, the vibe was a little different than that of the Flying Pig which had a bar in the basement. We spent the day in Dublin wandering around orienting ourselves and seeing the main sights. We saw Stephen's Green, a beautiful little park in the heart of Dublin. It was a beautiful and warm day so we relaxed on the grass for a bit and watched the antics of the Irish youth.

Anna was dying for Quizno's so she made us go there for lunch and we ate our quasi American food (the menu and ingredients was nothing like it is in the states) by the river. We saw Trinity College which was nice and historic and a beautiful campus which reminded us very much of colleges at home. Then we wandered down Grafton street (the popular shopping street of Dublin), and went to Temple bar to experience the pub culture of Dublin. We ended up picked a great place called Quay's which had live Irish music and a local population. It was great people watching and a lively time. For dinner we went to the best fish and chips in Dublin (as we were told) and ate it on the steps of Christ Church. Thank goodness we decided to share the meal because it was literally a whole fried fish and I think at least a pound of fries.

We flew to Prague early the next morning. (The reason we were in Dublin for only a night was because it was much cheaper for us to fly round trip from Dublin to Prague and then from Dublin home to Paris than to fly directly from Prague to Paris). We found our hostel easily. It was on the edge of town but fancier than any hostel we had yet experienced. We shared a room with an eclectic group of guys, an American who had been living in Israel for a year and who was now traveling, a Brazilian tech guy who took a month off from work to travel through Europe and a German who was extending his business trip. I will come back to these personalities. After we dropped our stuff, we took off to sight see and discover the refuge of Americans in Prague, Bohemia Bagel. This restaurant is very similar to Noah's Bagels and it was the best taste of home to date since I have been in Europe. It served great bagel sandwiches, vegetarian chili that was actually spicy (something that is hard to find in Europe) and full American breakfasts like French toast, make-your-own omelettes and drip coffee. We were in heaven. After filling ourselves to the brim, we took off to see the Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square, Charles Bridge and whatever else Prague had to offer us.
I thought Wenceslas Square was reminiscent of the Champs Elysee, it felt too commercial and not "authentic" enough. Old town square was awe inspiring, no matter what direction you turned, there was another beautiful building reaching up to the sky. Charles Bridge was definitely deserving of it's fame. After a full day of wandering, we went back to the hostel and invited all our roommates to dinner at a Mexican place (don't ask me why we decided on this food choice but they did a pretty good job for being on the other side of the world from Mexico, sombreros and all). Dinner was an interesting cultural experience as we had people from all over. The Brazilian and the German clashed frequently but I think overall everyone had a good time. The guys were looking for friends so I think they appreciated an opportunity to go to dinner as a group.
The next day we went to Bohemia Bagel again (it was just so good and we had to try the other things on the menu) and then ventured to the other side of the river to check out Prague Castle. The castle was sort of interesting, part of it was closed but we saw the nun's convent, a torture chamber, some medieval attire and armor, a blacksmith's demonstration and the castle's cathedral. We also had a great view of the whole city from the top of the hill. We made the mistake of climbing the spire of the cathedral, which was thousands (it seemed) of steps up a tiny spiral staircase that people were trying to simultaneously go up and down. It would be generous to say that the view was worth the difficult climb and claustrophobia suffered.
After the castle we visited St. Nicholas' church which is a baroque cathedral close to the castle. This was one of my favorite churches I have been into in Europe. It was so elaborately decorated yet not so big that I was overwhelmed. I was just inspired with awe at this beautiful monument to god.
On our way down the hill we happened upon a beautiful little garden with a strange dripstone wall that was adjacent to the senate building, so we stopped to take a few photos.
After this we visited the Lennon wall which was a graffitied monument to peace.
We wandered across Charles' Bridge again and stopped for a pastry on the street that tasted a bit like a cinnamon roll. We also hit up a lot of souvenir shops while in Prague. I don't know whether the souvenirs were actually better than in Paris or they were more novel but I found some great stuff. What was most amusing was the rampant theme of cats on mugs and t-shirts and jewelry etc. We never did discover why cats and Prague went hand in hand. For dinner we went to an out of this world vegetarian restaurant called Radoust recommended by several several friends. It was a cool loungy atmosphere and great food. After dinner we met up with one of Anna's high school friends at a popular wine bar that was a maze of 15 rooms with masses of lively young people. Definitely a different evening scene than that of Paris.
Our last day in Prague it rained all morning. This put a bit of a damper on our desire to explore but we pushed through. We went to the jewish quarter but couldn't afford to pay to visit all the synagogues so we skipped this event and went to a big flea market on the outskirts of the city. All we found here were stand after stand of knock off clothing and purses. For dinner we went to the vegetarian restaurant again with Anna's friend (I know we were not very creative with our restaurant choices while in Prague but we were satisfied). Afterwards, her friend brought us to a huge beer hall where we were given poor service and I ordered a water which was 3x the cost of a liter of beer.
We left the next morning to go back to Dublin where we checked into the most unfortunate hostel of the century. To start, we were in a 20 person room, there were no lockers for our luggage, the hostel did not provide a top sheet or a blanket unless we wanted to PAY for them, the bathrooms were dirty and moldy, the showers were clogged, one of our roommates was a 50 year old man who smoked in the room, walked around in his boxers and acted like he was on drugs AND to top it all off, a girl brought a guy back to the room in the middle of the night and they what we all hoped they wouldn't. That aside, our time outside of the hostel was well spent. On Saturday we biked around Phoenix Park which is the largest gated park in Europe. Afterwards, per recommendation by the bike rental lady, we got the best Irish coffees I have ever (real cream and all) had at a cool little pub by the park. We wandered by the Jameson Distillery (didn't go in as none of us are big whiskey drinkers) and for dinner we went to Temple Bar for dinner. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Apparently Temple Bar on a Saturday night is like the Brit's Las Vegas. At every turn there was another group of drunk women in bachelorette party costumes or a group of drunk men following girls in dresses that were too short and heels that were too high. It did make for good people watching though.
In the morning we went to a seaside town called Howth. Upon arrival we found a cool little farmer's market where we bought a mini feast. Cara and I bought the most delicious blueberry scones in the world, we got real cheddar cheese and sourdough bread! We walked along the sand, found sand dollars and splashed in the water. It was a perfect day to be at the water.
We wandered around the town a little more and then headed back into Dublin, boy were we ready to be back in Paris, 3 cities in 9 days is a lot. Of course the adventure wasn't over. We got the the airport and checked through to our gate with 2 hours to spare. Our flight was delayed but we didn't have enough money to buy food so we just wandered from store to store gazing and the things we couldn't have. We finally made it on the plane and landed in Beauvais. Beauvais is an hour outside Paris so we had to take a bus from there into the city. By the time we actually got into the city the metro had closed but we couldn't afford a taxi so we were forced to figure out how to get home using the night bus system. After some wandering of the streets of Paris at 1am, we found the lines that would take us home. I walked in the door at 2am. Being away re-affirmed how much I love Paris :)

Giverny and Monet's garden

2008-04-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Playing catch-up is always frustrating and as time goes on I get worse and worse with keeping my blog up to date. As a result we must skip back a couple weeks to my adventure to Giverny with Anna and Cara.

As our time here in Paris comes to a close, Anna, Cara and I have started to feel the pressure to squeeze in as much fun and culture as we can before we have to return to our hum-drum lives and responsibility in the states. AS a result, we made a list of all the things we wanted to do before we left. At the top of our list was a bike ride through the countryside and a visit to Monet's house and garden where he painted his famous waterlily canvases.

We took a short train ride to Giverny on a perfect, sunny, Saturday. We rented bikes from a little restaurant by the train station and rode 3 beautiful miles through the countryside of France. The ride was so idyllic, it was almost comical.

Monet's garden was absolutely unbelievable. We couldn't have chosen a better day to visit the gardens as every spring flower was in bloom. The landscape was awash with color.

We sketched by the waterlily ponds and attempted to channel Monet (I think this was an optimistic attempt but the other visitors were impressed).

On the bike ride back to the train station, we HAD to stop and make daisy chain crowns.

It was one of those days that was just perfect.

Sun in Provence, Snow in Paris

2008-04-09T02:49:00.000-07:00

As part of the Abroadco program package, we are entitled to attend a demonstration at the Cordon Bleu. Last week Anna, Cara, Cara's mom and I all took advantage of this opportunity to pick up some secrets of the Cordon Bleu chefs. We watched the chef prepare an Asian flavored chicken salad and sea bass with shellfish. I was most impressed by our chef's ability to butcher and fillet an entire bass. Granted it made me a little sick to my stomach to see blood squirting everywhere while he hacked away at the fish with a hatchet, but I can appreciate the skill involved. Each dish was fairly complicated, definitely not something that I could replicate at this point in my cooking career but it was eye opening to see the attention to detail coupled with speed in everything the chef did in the kitchen. The food turned out flawless. To me, the sea bass dish was perfection.

The weather was beautiful all week and on Friday, Anna and I had a mini picnic on the grass at Champs de Mars (the park in front of the Eiffel Tower) and attempted to soak up a little sun, not that we needed to as we left for Provence the next day.

Our last excursion with Abroadco was an overnight trip to Aix-en-Provence and Cassis. Provence was so beautiful, never a cloud in the sky the whole time we were there and it was warm enough to wear a dress without tights (although I think I may have blinded the population with my city "tan"). In Aix on Saturday, there was a huge outdoor market that sold everything from lingerie to table cloths to produce and flowers. We arrived too late to spend much time wandering around but it was quite a bustling spectacle that spanned several of the town's squares. We took a walking tour of the city and learned of its history. There was a church in one part of the town that contained architectural remnants from 3 different time periods: Roman, Gothic and Baroque, it was sort of strange looking but a neat voyage through Christian architectural history. Aix is full of college age students and it was a fun change from the more reserved energy of Paris. The one disappointment/surprise of Aix was that many more people were rude in comparison to Paris.

The second day we went to Cassis, a seaside and vineyard town. It is the home of Creme de Cassis, the key ingredient in Kir. While there, we took a mini boat cruise around the inlets along the coastline. I fell in love with the Mediterranean. After the cruise we were left to our own devices so Anna and I had a long meal sitting in the sun. We tried the regional aperitif, Kir Royal, and I had some of the best scallops of my life. After filling ourselves to the brim we hung out on the beach, hoping for a little tan. We could only put our feet in the water because it was so cold but it was such a treat to be at the ocean. When we arrived home everyone was riding on a high from two whole days of sun, only to be hit with freezing weather that brought snow to Paris on Monday morning. I loved the south and can't wait to go back!

The family visits

2008-03-31T03:43:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, as Prakash was leaving Paris, my family arrived. They moved into the same apartment that Prakash was staying in so I was lucky to be close to them during their stay. The first day we had together was Palm Sunday so we went to Notre Dame to see a service. The ceremony lacked the peaceful spiritual nature that church services usually have due to the massive amount of tourists milling around the chapel; additionally, I think we missed the main message, as the service was in French and we only picked up the elementary words like God and son. Afterwards, we walked over to the Marais so my mom could check out the little boutiques, Ian could try a yummy crepe and they all could see the Picasso museum.

The fam left for the south of France for a couple days and I was left to my own devices. My friends and I went bowling one night. We had a great time, everything about bowling in Paris is the same as in the States with the exception that the alleys stay open much later here.

When my people returned, I dove right back into tour guide status and took them around the city. We went to all the major museums (Louvre, D'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Rodin) and saw the major sights. I saw the Moulin Rouge for the first time and was sorely disappointed, it looked much more glamorous in the movie.

We visited the famous high fashion department store, Galleries Lafayette which had an absolutely stunning interior

One night I took I an out to his first bar. We went to the highly popular "Chez Geroge" which is and underground cave where the Nazis used to keep Jews during WWII and it has now been taken back by the Jewish community and bah/bar-mitzvahs music is played frequently. I had a good time and so did Ian, despite the fact that we were jammed in there like sardines.

My favorite discovery of their visit was Saint Chapelle catherdral. It was a very small church hidden in the middle of a lot of government buildings. From the street you can only see the spire so it seems like a protected, secret place. The church is 2 stories and the second story is absolutely breathtaking. The walls are made up almost entirely of stained glass and all the detailing of the church is in gold and midnight blue. I liked Saint-Chapelle better than Notre Dame in that it was much smaller and much less trafficked. The stained glass was the most impressive display I have every seen.

The stay was rounded out by some solid shopping. I was sad to see my family go, time just flies way too quickly, and now its already April! Only two months left.

Paris, Brussels, Vienna, London

2008-03-17T04:12:00.000-07:00

I know I have been truant and I apologize. I will attempt to catch up on the happenings of the past month in a concise manner.

It was an absolute joy having Prakash visit. As he has been to Paris several times and seen all the major sights, we just took time to relax, I showed him may favorite spots and we just wandered around in little out of the way places. Although Paris is supposedly the romantic capital of the world, we wanted to take a romantic weekend to visit another European country, hearing that Vienna was both beautiful and romantic and seeing as neither of us had been there before, we chose this as our destination. We left on a Thursday morning so we could have three full days in the city. Our quaint hotel was in the eastern part of Vienna and we had to pass through the run-down portion of the city to reach it. My first impression of Vienna was not one of amazement, fortunately this soon changed after we took the first day to check out the major sites and a museum. The architecture was very beautiful with soaring steeples and ornate exterior detailing. Hofburg palace was very grand.

We visited a museum that had just received a donation of a huge private collection of works from the impressionist period through the Abstract Expressionists. What impressed the me most was that the couple that had collected the art over the years had the insight to recognize the talent of the artists, all which are now household names. That evening we went to the famed Viennese opera to see Les Contes d'Hoffman. The production was fantastic, I was blown away by the vocalists. This marked one of the highlights of the trip.

The next day we visited Schonbrunn palace, the former summer residence of the Viennese royal family. We took a guided tour of the house. The amount of detail paid to each room absolutely blew me away. The final room was the bedroom of the king and queen, the bedspread was made of red velvet and embroidered with gold and silver. The grounds were enormous, mostly covered in a forest of spindly trees although areas were landscaped with perennials and fountains but spring had not yet sprung in Vienna so we were left to imagine running water and blooming flowers. We did some more wandering around Vienna after seeing the palace and came upon a beautiful Gothic church
We also went to a Viennese coffee shop to get re-energize. Apparently Vienna is the city of origin of the European coffee shop culture I love so much so we had to take the time to experience it here. The coffee was delicious! We visited Vienna's modern art museum which was putting on an exhibition with the theme of art and geometry. I must say there are only so many squares and rectangles I can see before I start making geometry jokes. Fortunately, on the bottom floor of the museum was an interesting collection of European Pop art. For dinner we went to one of Vienna's premier restaurants, Ann Sacher, in the Sacher hotel. The food was indescribably good, one of the best meals I have ever had. After dinner we went to a funky little bar/club called the Office. It played decent music and it was amusing people watching. I found out afterwards from an Austrian friend, that it was a trashy bar for young people to go and get wasted, woops!

We were tired on Saturday so we just did some more wandering. We saw Karl's Church (but only from the outside because that would require paying an entrance fee which I didn't want to do), attempted to go to a museum that was mysteriously deserted, and found the oldest wiener schnitzel place in Vienna, Griechenbeisl. We discovered that instead of a fancier version of a hot dog, wiener schnitzel is in fact fried and breaded veal, blah! After some more wandering around, we decided we needed to eat again so we found a cute tea house and got delicious hot chocolate. I had a fantastic calzone for dinner (better than the one I had in Rome) to round out our eating extravaganza and trip to Vienna.

The second week of Prakash's visit to Paris continued to be relaxing, which most included wandering and eating. To spice things up we decided to go to out to a few clubs one night. We started off at one called Favella Chic which, much to Cara's joy, played reggae and R & B. I liked the relaxed shabby chic vibe of the place but the music didn't inspire high energy dancing. We left there close to closing and went to a gay club on the Champs Elysee called Queen (we chose this because it was ladies night and free for us). We walked in to a strip show happening in the middle of the dance floor. I was shocked and I think Prakash was a little grossed out but hey, when in Rome right?

The last weekend Prakash was here we went to London for an evening so he could visit and I could meet his aunt and cousins. We took the high speed chunnel train which got us to London in just over 2 hours. Prakash's cousin Shenth met us at the station and took us around London. We went to the Eye, a huge Ferris wheel that is supposed to give you a great view of the city (I suppose this would be the case if it wasn't raining and you knew what you were looking at).

I got to do a bit of shopping on Oxford street which was great except with the dollar to pound ratio, nothing is cheap. For dinner we went to Prakash's Aunt's South Indian restaurant and had a great meal. It was fun spending time with the family and seeing a snippet of London. Of all the cities I have visited so far in Europe (which granted aren't that many), London reminded me most of the United States. It wasn't the language so much as the pace and the vibe, I could have been in New York but for the cars driving on the wrong side of the street.

My family arrived the same weekend Prakash left so we all were able to have dinner together on Prakash's last evening in Paris. It was great to have him here with me and so hard to leave him at the airport. Fortunately, I had my fam to keep me company for the two weeks after he left.

the term "tourist" owned

2008-03-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

As can happen in a week, lots has happened and Rome feels like a lifetime ago. This past week was fashion week in Paris so every day all over the city was runway show after runway show. On Tuesday, Anna and I were able to acquire tickets to one of these shows (I don't remember the name of the designer now). The event was held inside the Louvre. We had standing tickets but as the all the seats were not full, Anna and I were ushered to the third row. It was so much fun being there at the show with all the fashion people milling around looking stylish, the entire ambiance was cool; the loud music the strange clothing, the emaciated models, the hundreds of photographers. The show lasted no more than 30 minutes but that was plenty of time to get a taste of the high fashion world of Paris. Cara attempted making homemade chocolate chip cookies this night with a make-shift ingredients, they turned out pretty well and they were a nice reminder of home.

On Wednesday I went to the Centre Pompidou with my Art History class. It was a great experience to have lecture in the museum with the artists' paintings and sculptures in front of me. My professor has so much knowledge to share and it is so much easier to comprehend what she has to say about the art when the piece is sitting in front of you and it's in focus.

Thursday, Cara's friend from high school, Dina, arrived so we all went out to dinner together. I thought I ordered scallops for my meal and when my plate arrived, it turned out that I had apparently asked for chicken parmesean... I am still making these novice errors, when will it end!

Friday Prakash flew in so I met him at the airport. It is so much fun to have him here with me so I can share my Parisian lifestyle. We went out to lunch at a great little restaurant where there were no English translations on the menu and the waiter didn't revert to speaking English with me when I tried to order in French. I want to find more places like this in Paris. We then moved Prakash into the apartment that he will be staying while he is visiting. It is a beautiful place with hardwood floors and a real kitchen, and the best part is that it is around the corner from me. That night we invited Anna, Cara and Dina over for dinner and I attempted to make tuna casserole from memory and French ingredients. No one threw up but no one went back for seconds either, I think I may stick to a recipe next time.

On Saturday, Prakash accompanied me on my trip to Brussels with Abroadco. We took an 8am train and were on a tour bus by 10am. We listened to an hour and a half recorded tour of the city while we rode around in a double decker bus (you can't get more touristy than that). We were able to see several parks and the eclectic mix of architecture in the city. There was everything from medieval to art deco to contemporary. I liked that the architecture was different than any other city yet visited in Europe, some parts of the city was very beautiful other parts were unsightly and a significant amount of older building were under renovation. This tour did remind me why I don't pay extra money to take audio tours. After the tour we had a "traditional" Belgian lunch (we were told). I ordered a large white beer, only to be presented with a 1 liter mug of beer (needless to say I didn't finish this). Our appetizer was a fried cheese dish which was comforting in light of the fact that it was freezing outside and we wanted anything to warm us up. My vegetarian meal consisted of a cooked carrot dish with a seemingly Asian flair and soy chicken nuggets. After lunch the group was allowed to split up so Prakash, Anna, Cara, Dina and I went to the chocolate museum where we learned how they make Belgian pralines (chocolate shells filled with chocolate). The presentation was interesting and we got to sample phenomenal chocolate but the rest of the museum was uneventful. After this we went to the modern art museum. The bottom floor was all 20th century art which was all we had time for, it was a fun exhibit. It was set up in semi chronological and thematic order so it was an interesting historical as well as aesthetic exhibit. After this we hit up a chocolate store so we would have something to show for our Belgian visit and then, stopped at the ultimate tourist waffle joint to get Belgian waffles and fries. My waffle was very good, the fries were mediocre and the service was terrible. We met back up with the group in time to travel to the train station. Part of the group was late so we had to run through the train station to try to catch our train, which we still missed (several individuals were stampeded over in the process, Anna being one of them). Never a dull moment with Abroadco. When we got home our little group went to a Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese place for dinner. I ordered pad thai which was palatable (we needed a break).

Sunday Prakash and I dragged ourselves out of bed so we could take advantage of the fact that all the Paris museums were free (due to it being the first Sunday of the month). We went to a brasserie close to Prakash's place for breakfast and then walked to the Rodin museum. It wasn't too cold and there was no rain so we were able to enjoy the garden in addition to the indoor part of the museum. I loved the garden, it was a refreshing venue to enjoy sculpture with a lush green backdrop and no one breathing down your neck. After this we met up with Cara and Dina and went to L'Orangerie, a little impressionist museum in Jardin des Tuileries. The museum was small but had some Cezanne and Matisse which I loved and of course Monet's waterlilies which were beautiful; I was blown away by their size. After this we went to the Marais to eat at a creperie a friend recommended. I ordered a goat cheese, tomato and basil one which blew me away! We wandered around a little more and then went home to relax and do laundry. As I'm sure I have mentioned before, most everything in Paris is closed on Sundays (including eating establishments) so by 9:30 we were hungry and a little worried about where our next meal would come from. We decided to venture into the realm of French delivery and found a Pizza place that was still open and nearby. I was chosen as the individual to make the call and was able to successfully order a pizza entirely in French (a small victory I will cherish)! Needless to say the pizza was terrible but it was a fun experience.

when in Roma...

2008-02-26T01:53:00.000-08:00

While attempting to recover from the excitement of the weekend, I will share my adventures in Rome. We (Anna, Cara and I) woke up at 4:30am on Friday morning to make it to the airport for our 7:10 flight to Rome. We landed in Rome around 9:10, took a bus into the city and checked into our hostel. The hostel was in a less than beautiful part of the city and as it was my first impression of Rome, I was a little surprised and disappointed (this was to change). We dropped off our bags and ventured towards the Ancient City, the area, according to our itinerary, that we would visit on Friday. We wandered around until we happened upon the Coloseum. It was a steep price to enter and a lengthy line but we decided we had to experience this part of history. What I found the most fascinating was the sheer age of that building, it makes you wonder if anything from our world will persist for another two thousand years. We then wandered over to Palantino to look at the ruins. From atop this hill we had a panoramic view of the city. I liked this area because there was a smaller crowd than at the Colosseum. We wandered through the Roman forum and on to Trajan's column and other large famous buildings I cannot recall the names of. We saw tons of feral cats lurking around the ancient city, it was a cute and amusing addition to the monuments. After this we stopped for lunch at a little cafe for a long awaited Italian meal. Cara's pizza was my favorite (I ordered bruscetta which was good but not great). We ordered after-lunch cappuccinos and chatted with our crazy waiter who called us darlings. We then headed to the Pantheon. This was one of my favorite sites in Rome. It has such a grand presence both because of its large proportions and it contrasts dramatically with the surrounding buildings. Walking inside I was hit by a feeling of awe and a higher vibration of energy. After this we had to do some window shopping and eat some gelato (so yummy!) When we got back to the hostel we met our roommate, a Brazilian guy named Christian. He was friendly and being the thoughtful people we were, we invited him to dinner with us. Anna's friend recommended a restaurant in trastavere that was cheap and delicious so we got up the courage to attempt the public transportation. Rome's public transportation is run mostly with buses and trams, they only have 2 metro lines so we had to take a bus and then transfer to a tram. Well once on the bus, we realized we had no idea what our stop looked like or what it was called. We tried to ask someone who didnt speak english, spanish or french (I tried all three of these languages) and figured out through pointing and gesturing that we had already missed our stop and we had to turn around and go back the other direction. We managed to successfully reach our destination an hour after leaving our hostel. Fortunately the food was fantastic and inexpensive but they ran out of caprese salad which was exceedingly disappointing. I ordered a great pizza and got terrimasu for dessert (I had a list of Italian foods I wanted to have while in Rome so every meal was something different and delicious). We fell into bed that night, exhausted.

On Saturday we went to the Vatican City. We headed to the museum first because it had short hours on the weekends. We had to wait in a ridiculously long line that wrapped around the walls of the city, fortunately I think we only waited 45 min to get inside. Once in we went directly to the Sistine Chapel as we heard it was better to go as early as possible to avoid the crowds (everyone else must have had the same idea we did). I was surprised at the amount of art this museum contained (we were ferried through a maze of rooms to actually get to the chapel so by default we saw a lot of the collection). The chapel ceiling was impressive although there were so many people by this time it made it hard to just hang out and admire without being bumped or shoved every few minutes. We escaped that zoo and checked out the Egyptian part of the museum and saw a mummified body. We also saw the rooms with the early Christian sculpture which was so extensive that the display was merely metal scaffolding to display as much art as possible. It is no wonder the Catholic church is worth so much. After the museum, we went to St. Peter's Basilica. The courtyard outside this building was beautiful but jam packed with tourists, as to be expected. The interior decor was elaborate with beautiful details, but way too over the top for my taste. After this we stopped for lunch and I was able to order the calzone I had been craving (not as good as I was expecting from Italy). With full bellies, we wandered along the Tiber river (which looks very similar to the Seine in a lot of ways) and went back over to trastevere to see this area during the day. Architecturally, this was my favorite part of the city because it has winding cobble stone streets and brightly colored building with cute shutters, peeling paint and lush greenery tumbling out of window boxes. For dinner we went to a restaurant recommended by our hostel that was just right around the corner from us. The food was great and the waiters were funny (we were invited to go to a club with them after they got of work, something we declined as you can never trust those Italian guys). At the end of our meal a large group of middle aged Italian guys came into the restaurant for dinner and we convinced ourselves they were in the mafia. After dinner we made friends with the employees of our hostel and some of the residents at the hostel's bar, it was a diverse group with people from Spain, Argentina, Australia and we met someone who graduated from Berkeley.

Sunday morning we went to Villa Borgese, a large park in the northern part of Rome. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day so we hung out on the grass before going to Galleria Borgese, a small museum full of renaissance sculpture and painting in the park. The interior of the building was beautiful and the sculpture really blew me away, especially a few Bernini works. We picnicked in the park afterwards and ate disappointing paninis, the only time the Italian food let us down on this trip. We wandered to the Spanish steps which were too crowded for my taste and then walked over to the Trevi fountain. This was truly an impressive sight, but again just so many people! After dinner, we met up with a few of Anna's and my friends for drinks in a trendy bar called Flow (I think).

Usually I wouldn't need to share the return trip but ours was one for the record books. Our flight was at 9:30am on Monday so we decided we needed to get on the 7:30am bus to the airport. Unfortunately the alarm didn't go off in the morning so we woke up at 7:30, packed and dressed in 2 minutes and ran to the bus pickup stop. When we arrived the line was so long we were not even able to make it onto the bus. By 8 I was getting nervous because I couldn't afford to miss our flight so I paid for a cab to take us to the airport. We arrived in enough time but once we were on the plain we were delayed for an hour due to weather. We finally landed in Paris at 12:30, my test was in an hour. We ran to the metro station, got on the train that would take us back into the airport only to find out that there had been a wreck on the train line and we could not take it into the city. We had to get off with the rest of the train (approx 200 people) and attempt to take the bus into the city. Unfortunately there was only one bus to take this group of 200 plus people into Paris and it was so full it didn't even stop. At this point it was 1:30, my test starting without me, AHH! We decided to take matters into our own hands and hitchhiked into the city. A very nice woman picked us up and dropped us off at the nearest metro. By the time I got to my class there was 15 minutes left and my professor gave me the test and said good luck, needless to say, I failed this exam. That being said, Rome was totally worth it! I didn't want to leave because I felt like I was just getting acquainted with the city and I had not yet had my fill of Italian food. I liked staying in a hostel because everyone was friendly and hung out together, including the staff. I would love to go back to Italy and stay in a smaller town that was less touristy to experience the culture on a deeper level. Although I loved Rome, I am so happy to be back home in Paris.

Weekend in Rome

I can barely contain my excitement...

2008-02-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

I now have internet in my apartment!!! Other than that I don't have much to add but I have posted photos to my Picasa Web Albums:

first month in Paris

Halfway through February

2008-02-20T08:46:00.001-08:00

I know I should be drawn and quartered for not posting in over a week. The problem is that once the procrastination begins, it seems to perpetuate itself and then I dread that the list of things to report gets longer with the days that pass. I have chosen to suck it up and hijack a computer in the library to share the goings on of the past week.

I am embarassed to say that as I reflect on what I did with my time since I last posted, I find a drought in activity, I suppose sometimes we need a break. My french class has remained tres fascile (ie very easy) so I have no complaints there. My teacher is sweet, good at explaining things and endlessly energetic. The class is still a review of everything I learned in high school. It amazes me all that I had forgotten until now and now, all that is coming back to me. We have not had to have conversations with our classmates since the first day so my speaking skills have not had a chance to bloom as of yet.

On wednesday evening we had a mini dinner party at Anna's with several members of our program. We made tuna melts as everyone was in the mood for comfort food, it was a fun evening. Thursday of course was Valentine's Day and both Anna and Cara had friends visitng so, as a group of single women we all made dinner together. Prakash sent me a dozen roses and a huge box of French cheeses. We enjoyed this sampling of french cuisine and then made homemade crepes. On Friday Cara and I decided to go on an adventure. Cara had seen a pretty bridge on a post card in my apartment so we set out into Paris to find it. We wandered through a prodominately black area of France, passing no less than 10 hair weaving salons and found the hyphy clothing mecca. When we finally found our bridge, Cara was pointedly disappointed as the surrounding area was not as serene as it looked in the postcard (are things ever?). It was a small canal, no cleaner than the Seine, we were lucky enough to see a lady throw the remnants of her baguette into the water. Later in the afternoon, we met up with Anna and her friend Kaitlyn (Cara's friend had already left), got drinks at Sexy Bar and then went to the Louvre (free on Friday nights for all students). We saw greek, roman and etruscan sculpture along with some interesting interpretive dance being performed in this wing of the museum (we were able to get some choice photots of a man painted all blue with blue wings moving around the museum). We also visited Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Afterwards we went to dinner at Anna's favorite restaurant, L'Atalier. Saturday morning I woke up feeling lousy, and on top of that I had class (what school in their right minds puts class on a saturday to make up for a monday holiday!?). I stayed in bed the rest of the day. On Sunday I layed around at Anna's with Anna, Cara and Sara and attempted to do some school work. The big outing of the day was to go buy an almond croissant (delicious but not so good for the stomach ache). Monday was inconcequential. Tuesday (last night) Anna and I met up with several people from Berkeley who were in Paris and we went to a crepe place for dinner. It was a fun evening, although very strange to see so many people from Berkeley all the way over here (didn't I come here to get away from that place for a while?). This weekend Anna, Cara and I are going to Rome, I can't wait!

Normandy and Brittany

2008-02-12T03:21:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was my first venture outside Paris. Abroadco arranged the trip and all the students part of the program (amounting to about 50) participated. We had to meet at the train station at 7:30am on saturday, the earliest I have gotten up all trip and it was a little painful. We were apparently on the fast train to the western coast of France although it did not seem to be moving especially fast and the trip was 3 hours. I did enjoy the ride because it was my first taste of the French countryside which, even in February, was lush and timelessly pastoral. We arrived in Saint Malo (a walled, coastal town) and immediately boarded a bus that drove us along the coast to a fishing town who's name started with a C. We stopped here for lunch and a photo op. This part of France is known for the dish Moules Frites which are mussels in a white wine sauce with a side of french fries. I opted for the scallops which were absolutely fantastic. After lunch we found an ice cream parlor and I consumed within minutes, the best coffee ice cream in the world. We hopped back on the bus and drove to Mont Saint Michel, a castle/cathedral/walled town turned tourist trap that sits on an island/peninsula. I add the slash because at high tide Mont Saint Michel is an island and at low tide its a peninsula. We arrived at low tide. The structure was interesting to see because it towers above a flat landscape like a stereotypical medieval castle. Inside the gates, once we passed through the maze of 15,000 tourist shops and pay 5 euro to hike some steep stairs, Anna, Cara and I reached the abbey at the top of the island to be rewarded with a phenomenal 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape. The architecture was all very medieval and I could just imagine smelly peasants roaming the halls drinking beer and gnawing on a leg of lamb. Part of the group ventured out into the "quicksand" surrounding the castle, something I opted out of. After this we took the bus back inland to a little hotel where we would stay the night. The strip of road where our hotel sat reminded me of a little roadside stop on the I5 in the middle of nowhere. For dinner we were served a meal of traditional veal and potatoes. As a non-meat eater I was lucky enough to be able to eat the vegetarian option of plain noodles and overcooked vegetables (apparently the French think people who don't eat meat hate flavor). We went to bed early because that was our only option.

In the morning we went back to Saint Malo (the place where we arrived on the train) for a guided tour of the city. The town was started by a monk named Cartier a long time ago (the date slips me) and is entirely walled in. It looks like a medieval castle town much like Mont Saint Michel. Several of the off-shore islands had small castles built to protect the city. The city was occupied by Germans in WWII and one of the islands was used as a prison. In the pirating era, a famous privateer (ie legal pirate) resided in Saint Malo and the pirate theme is now woven into the tourist scene. Our tour guide was full of information and had a cute sense of humor. For lunch we had a seafood meal with a delicious starter of a half avocado with tuna on top, an interesting concept and surprisingly good. The main course was mediocre. I did use the opportunity to get to know some other people in the program and ended up chatting with two other Berkeley students who had just arrived in Paris a week previous. Funny coincidence, the guy from Berkeley lived in my apartment building last semester... small world! After lunch we had free time to roam the city so Anna and I visited the cathedral. It has taken over as my favorite church we have seen so far, he stained glass is beautiful and the vaulted ceilings are majestic while still rendering the environment intimate and peaceful. It surpasses Notre Dame for me mostly because it was much less commercial. After our brush with the spiritual world, Anna and I walked out on the pier and sketched for a while. We made it back to the hotel just in time to grab our bags and be hustled to the train station. I enjoyed Saint Malo the best because it was a quiet seaside town but still big enough that one could spend some time exploring. Returning to Paris was nice though, it feels like home now and there is only so much organized group travel I can do before I get annoyed.

Today I started my Sorbonne class (my french, finally!) at 8am. For the rest of my time here I will be required to get up this early monday through friday! Its good for me though, I need to practice my french and a reason to get up and start the day. I'm in the elementaire level, I knew what was going on today so thats comforting but I think I will definitely learn a lot. Its interesting to be in a class with people where our common language is French rather than English. There are mostly asians in the class, a few older women and one other girl from California. Its exciting to go to class there because there are so many French students around, I feel like I'm really apart of it all.

Apologies...

2008-02-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Im sorry that I have not posted at all this week, it has been sunny and I just can't make myself sit inside when Paris is sparkling in the sun. Needless to say I have broken down and taken the time to share my chronicles of the week.

Monday was class as usual, I still feel like I'm on vacation so other than showing up at class, I don't put in a lot of effort (I know some of this isn't what a parent would want to hear but I'm just reporting the facts). After class Anna and I headed over to the Champs Elysee to see if she could find a winter coat on sale. We ended up spending several hours in United Colors of Beneton where I found a coat and Anna found some shoes and a dress. We were followed by security guards at one point, I regret to say that we did not provide any entertainment for them. That night Anna introduced fruit soup to Cara, Brandon and I... a delicious concoction of yogurt, orange juice and lime poured over chopped fruit.

On Tuesday Anna and I went to the Latin Quarter and walked around a little bit and found a cafe to camp out at. We journaled, wrote post cards and sketched... we are both on a quest to improve our artistic abilities while in Paris, so far its slow going. When Cara got out of class, we met for a snack and then went to see a movie called La Voyage du Ballon Rouge. Despite the fact that the film was in French with no English subtitles, we were able to get the general gist of the film and even then we found it soporific (I literally fell asleep for a few minutes). It was one of those artsy fartsy films with 30 minutes of footage of a red balloon floating through the air and lots of unresolved conflict... we decided the novelty of the movie was that nothing actually happened for 2 hours. Post this disappointment, we decided we needed a break from french food and set out to find a way to make Asian food. We were able to pull together fried rice an even found a wok for 5 euro at Franprix, victory! After a satisfying meal, we met several people from our Abroadco group at a bar called FUBAR for Maggie's 21st birthday. The novelty of this place: Tuesday nights are Happy Hour all night. It was ok although most of the bar was filled with American students.

Wednesday brought class again and afterwards Anna, Cara and I met to visit the Picasso museum. It was smaller than I expected but I loved it all the same. The architecture was beautiful and its ornate nature was an interesting juxtaposition to Picasso's art. The museum featured a lots of sculpture which I liked seeing up close (I was able to see the variety of mediums he used), especially his goat. We wandered around the Marais after visiting Picasso and found a cute little Spanish tapas place so we stopped for a coffee, sketched and read. For dinner, Lauren got up the courage to be the first of our group to attempt baking in France. Apparently they don't have baking powder or soda in France (that she could find) but she managed to make 2 loaves of banana bread that were thoroughly satisfying.

Thursday was beautiful and sunny so I walked over to Hotel des Invalides and sat on a bench in the topiary garden and sketched the museum. The tricky thing about sunny days in Paris is that they fool you into thinking its going to be warm but you still need 3 layers and a scarf to ward off the chills. When Anna got out of class, she and I met at our favorite cafe we call Club Sexy or Sexy Bar (we don't know its real name) for a snack and some prime people watching. We got chilly after a while and decided to visit the oldest bakery in Paris, something my Parisian friend Florent pointed out to me one day. It was fun to see but didn't stand out to my taste buds. I tried a chocolate eclair which was way too chocolaty for me and I felt like I needed to run a marathon afterwards to make up for the amount of calories I consumed. Anna made herself sick by eating both an almond croissant (she is on a quest to find the best one in Paris) and a macaroon. Cara got her classic ham and cheese combination in the form of quiche lorraine. We decided it would be a good idea to walk to the Musee D'Orsay to attempt at justifying our pastry stop. This museum is free for students on Thursday nights so we thought we'd say hi to a few famous guys for an hour or two. I saw some photos of Comtess de Castiglione (I wrote a paper on her photos hence my interest) and visited Manet's Dejeuner sur L'herbe which was a kick to see in person. We went upstairs to visit the Impressionists and saw Degas, Pissaro, Monet, van Gogh among others. It was crowded and there is only so much impressionism I can take before I feel overloaded so we got out of there after about an hour. It was a great museum and I cant wait to go back and see more. We were still tired of french food last night so we decided to check out a Thai place that one of my travel books recommended. Unfortunately when we arrived we discovered that it had been replaced by an Italian place, damn! So we went to Montparnasse where we know there are a ton of options and settled on tex-mex at a place called Indiana (why the French think Indiana is the home of tex-mex is a mystery to me but it was nice to eat guacamole and drink margaritas).

Today was fairly uneventful although I did go to the dry cleaners and dropped off some shirts without incident (I was expecting some sort of miscommunication disaster but i did ok). Tomorrow we leave for Brittany and Normandy. I was supposed to get internet today but yet again Abroadco fell through and i am left to harass my friends for use of their computers. More later! XO

Three weeks in

2008-02-03T05:59:00.000-08:00

As if Dali wasn't enough for the week, Cara and I decided to visit the Louvre and Centre Pompidou on wednesday. As art history students in France, we are able to apply for and receive a student card to the Louvre that allows for free unlimited access for a year. Cara and I went to the Louvre to pick these up for ourselves and then decided that while we were there, we would go say hi to Mona Lisa. I was thoroughly unimpressed as the original was not very different from the millions of reproductions I have seen and the painting was behind glass and a barricade. Its like seeing a celebrities on the street, you hear so much about them and everyone talks up out fantastic they are but up close, they aren't any more interesting than any other person one might run into. But that aside, I can now say I have seen her in person. The more interesting part of the trip for me was the discovery of the ancient greek pottery and sculpture. I studied this in one of my classes last year and it blew me away to see many of the pieces that I saw on slides. I hated the class at the time but being in the museum and seeing the pieces up close, I was so happy I had taken it. I had a whole new appreciation for the works and I was thoroughly blown away by how large the works were (everything looks small on a slide screen). I loved the Louvre and cant wait to go back. In addition to the artwork, the building's architecture is breathtaking. It deserves to house the pitvital art work of the past in my opinion.

Post Louvre adventure, Cara and I met up with Anna at the Centre Pompidou, the contemporary art museum in Paris. On wednesday nights the museum is free for students so we decided to take advantage of this opportunity. We went to the floor of all the most recent art works (1945-present). Some of the pieces were exceedingly creepy (I wont even try to describe anything here, because I could never do the art justice), others were very emotionally powerful and others were thought provoking. We only stayed an hour and a half though because there is only so much strange contemporary art one can take before one needs a break to absorb what was just seen.

We were starving at this point (whats new?) so we went to a bumpin japanese restaurant near the museum. It was nice to take a break from bread and cheese and eat something a little lighter. The food didn't compare to sushi in the US but they tried.

On thursday, we did some shopping and went to an International party in the evening. Every week a venue called club Mix hosts a party called Erasmus where international students from all over Paris are invited to come and dance to a variety of music (Americans get in free before 12!). The assistant director of our program met her now husband here two years ago, although I am amazed that they were able to communicate in such an environment. It was fun to club with my girlfriends and we managed to fend off all unsavory characters.

Saturday we booked our hostel for Rome so the trip is becoming more real with every step, I just can't wait! We went out to dinner with Anna's friend from a class and her roommate and friend. The restaurant was a cute rustic place tucked away in a tiny street in the Latin Quarter. The food was excellent but we were heckled by the other french people in the restaurant because we were being loud americans. It was the first experience I have had so far that I was negatively received by virtue of the fact that I was not French. The waiter tried to smooth things over but we left with an unsavory taste in our mouths. After that we went to a crowded bar called the Pearle which is THE place to be to network as an artist. Everyone was very friendly, seemed to all know each other but several people made an effort to talk to us and "welcome the newcomers" to their bar. It was a great opportunity to practice our french but it is so challenging to speak french when the other person is speaking english, the language gets all jumbled up in my head. Random coincidence, Cara met someone who had gone to her school (U of A) and studies for a semester and they enjoyed laughing about shared experiences. After this bar we went to a club called Showcase which is located under one of the bridges over the Seine. It was a large club but open and airy and had cool architecture and lighting. Several DJs spun all night and it was a blast to dance. We stayed there until 5 so we could take the metro home (it closes between 2 and 5 30 on fri and sat), oh the things we will do as students to save money. Definitely a taste of the parisian nightlife.

Culture!

2008-01-30T05:19:00.000-08:00

This past weekend a group of us went out to dinner and found a great seafood restaurant! I got scallops that were almost as good as the dish I had in NY and the french onion soup was to die for! We wanted to go out on the town that night so we met up with some friends of a friend and followed them to a tiny bar on a side street in the Bastille district (big nightlife area). We were met with music coming from an old stereo with blown out speakers and a ton of french hipsters... not quite our scene. We left to try to find some place that was more to our liking but ended up wandering the streets of Paris into the wee hours, unable to catch a cab. Along the way though, we met a strange girl named Margot who tagged along for a while... never a dull moment. On Saturday night Anna and Cara came over and we decided to try cooking in my apartment on the hot plate. We sauteed vegetables and other than the mess, it was great!

I have finally sucked it up and experienced some culture here in Paris. As the past weeks have been filled with just exploring the city (mostly looking for a good place to eat) I have not made time to visit any of Paris' many museums so yesterday, Anna and I decided to go to the Picasso museum. We were thrilled and met in the Marais (on the right bank of the Seine which is THE trendy place for the young and gay), got lost on the windy streets and arrived at the museum, only to find that it was closed on Tuesdays! After a bit of shopping and a coffee, we regrouped and decided we would not end the day without a museum visit. Because we didn't want to brave a museum as big as the Louvre, we decided to go to the Dali museum in Montmatre. We also got lost trying to that place but after about and hour of wandering through deserted, windy cobblestone streets, we discovered it tucked away in a little courtyard. I really enjoyed the museum because it exhibited works of Dali that I have not seen (a lot of watercolor reproductions and some sculpture). Seeing the wide range of art that he produced gave me a greater insight into him as an artist as my previous limited knowledge was restricted to his well know surrealist work. In addition to works by Dali there were several mannequins displaying clothing inspired by Dali and interesting touch but not one that added to the museum as a whole. After our brush with Art, Anna and I sat down for a snack at a little cafe that looked out onto a square full of artists selling their wares (mostly uninspiring landscapes painted in a drab color palette). We decided to only speak french during the meal which was challenging but very good practice. After this we headed over to Printemps which is an enormous department store (bigger than the Union Square Bloomingdales)... 8 floors of clothing, shoes, handbags, lingerie etc (and this was only the women's building!). It was so overwhelming, definitely an experience but I prefer the little boutiques tucked away in alleys of Paris to this colossal place.

Anna, Cara and I have bought tickets to Rome for the third weekend in February... we are so excited!! We have yet to book a Hostel and are working on our itinerary but if anyone has suggestions for us we are open! Also, my internet is supposed to be up and running today (if i can figure out how to set it up) so I will finally be able to post photos!

Always a new adventure

2008-01-24T05:34:00.001-08:00

A few days ago Anna and I went up to montmatre to check out Sacre Coeur and that area. The church was beautiful and had a fantastic view of the city (still working on internet so I still can't post photos) but the interior was nothing compared to Notre Dame. We wandered down from the church into a seedy area with men who assaulted us to buy bracelets from them. A majority of the retail establishments in this area sold wedding and formal dresses and clothing out of bins, a different shopping experience from what I had perviously enjoyed in Paris. We did find a Brasserie refuge with a friendly bartender where we camped out for a few hours, chatting, reading and sketching (something both Anna and I want to improve upon while we are here).

Last night we went back to Montmatre, why you ask? We found a restaurant in a guidebook that we wanted to try. It was a little fondu place with a twist. For 15 euro each, we were served a plate of appetizers, an apertif, cheese fondu and our choice of red or white wine from a baby bottle (rubbery nipple and all). To sit down at the booth, Anna and Cara had to climb over the table and squeeze in between two other groups of people. The waiters were a little rough but friendly, the walls were covered in graffiti from the many patrons who visited the spot. We made friends with a table of people who worked for Disneyland Paris and were invited to visit the park for free and also with a guy and his girlfriends who live in Paris who offered to show us some fun bars whenever we wanted. It was an exciting evening!

First Update

2008-01-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting to make a post until I had internet at my apartment so that I could upload some photos but as my internet is still not up and running, I have just decided to give a written update sans photographic documentation.

I have been in Paris for over a week now but it seems like ages. So much has happened (unfortunately improving my French was not included in the events of the week), I will try to start at the beginning.

When I landed in Paris, I was supposed to be met by a shuttle service that would take me to my lodgings for the semester. There were seven other individuals on my flight that were also apart of my program and were also supposed to be picked up by this company. After 1 1/2 hours of waiting a lady pulls up in an 8 person van, with the intention of transporting all of us and our luggage for 5 months. Needless to say, that wasn't happening. We all packed into the van with 4 people's luggage and the rest of the bags disappeared in another van, hopefully to arrive at the same location as their owners. When we finally left the airport, our driver pulled over to the side of the road and said her husband was going to drive us the rest of the way (a little sketchy...) so this man gets in and takes off. After a few minutes of cruising, he turns to the girl sitting next to him and asks her (in French as we have discovered he doesn't speak english) where to go. This engenders a bit of worry in all of us as most of us have never been to Paris before, we don't have the keys to our housing and our shuttle service is entirely clueless as well. Well after several hours of circling and a few frantic calls to our onsite director of the program, the driver drops us all off on the side of the road and takes off, leaving Holly, our director, to complete his job for him. I arrived at my apartment 5 1/2 hours after landing in Paris... phew!

The adventure does not end there. Hoping to collapse into bed the moment I arrive, I am faced with a filthy apartment, dirty dishes, and no bedding. The kitchen consists of a mini-fridge, microwave, and hot-plate. I can't even unpack because the shelves are coated in dust, there are no hangers and no cleaning supplies. After being awake for 24hrs strait, all I wanted was to fall into bed. I took a shower and, as I was drying my hair, to add insult to injury, my hairdryer burned up.

When I woke up the next morning everything looked rosier. Because it was sunday, most stores were closed and I had to wait until later in the week to buy everything I needed. Fortunately I'm now in Paris and there are bigger and better things to do than worry about a little dust in my apartment. I made some friends on sunday that I have spent the past week with. Anna is a student at Berkeley as well and we have mutual friends but had never met before now. Cara and Pat are dating and came to Paris together, Cara goes to U of Arizona and Pat goes to Menlo College. Sara goes to Eureka college in Illinois. We have walked around most of Paris, taken a boat trip down the Seine and visited numerous boutiques much to the chagrin of Pat.

I have attempted to integrate myself into Parisian culture as much as possible and to a certain degree I must say I haven't done a bad job (as long as I don't open my mouth). Everyone in Paris wears black, unfortunately this has not been a staple in my wardrobe until now but I'm falling in love with the color ( I have already bought a fab black leather jacket and black boots). Apparently I look so Parisian that several people have asked me for directions on the street! It has become a game now with Anna and I that when we go out for coffee or something to eat, We try and see how long it will be until the waiter figures out we are American and starts speaking english with us. The Parisians have a lovely habit of stopping in the afternoon for an hour or so to drink a cafe express (espresso) with friends to people watch and smoke. I've taken up the coffee sipping activity but held off smoking as of yet.

Now for some amusing "foreigner" stories. There is a grocery store in Paris called Ed that is roughly equivalent to a pack-n-save in the states. You have to bring your own bags or pay 3 centimes per bag. Well we arrived and totally forgot about bringing extra bags but had been shopping earlier that day so had some shopping bags on hand. After paying I began packing the bags, fairly full because we had a lot of stuff and only two bags. As we turn to go, the handles of one bag breaks and it goes crashing to the floor, smashing the two bottles of wine it contained. The cashier began yelling at me in rapid-fire french, none of which I could understand. The long line stretching behind us shot looks of exasperation and impatience. After excessive gesturing we were able to dispose of the bag and its contents in the manner desired of us and escape the store relatively unscathed.

Later on in the week, while shopping at a popular department store called Monoprix, I was at the check-stand and looked over at the "impulse" purchase rack. Hanging there were a few makeup bags with english sayings on them including "Smile!" "Love!" and my favorite: "Air!"

We found a fantastic boulangerie/patisserie that is right around the corner from school, everything in there is absolutely fantastic! I had a quiche that was to die for! We have been to one other restaurant that was fantastic in the Montparnasse area (which is the old literary haunt). We have been walking so much trying to see everything that it is hard to stop and pick a place to eat. There is also a cool irish pub that is by school that we went to one night which had a great vibe. We haven't been to any clubs or museums yet but all in good time.

Overall I love Paris! I love the energy and philosophy on life, I love that people are on a mission but are able to sit down and relax. They love beauty and delicious food and wine! It is very clean here and most people are very kind (other than a few waiters who refused to bring us our pastries for some reason or another). Its so amusing that everyone here walks around with baguettes and bouquets of flowers, so cliche yet so french!

Outside my apartment is a farmers market/flea market that opens every thursday and saturday and they sell everything from fresh veggies to flowers to meat, fish and furs. It is a lively and entertaining scene. I haven't met anyone in my building but every night my neighbor practices his guitar and vocals, unfortunately it can be a bit lively for 11:30 at night.

I know I have missed things as every day is filled with some new adventure or little amusement. I hope to be more consistent in the future, and feel free to send me little emails, I love to hear from home.