Cheerios and all that good stuff...

Friday, May 21, 2010
Day 23

After getting about three hours of sleep I woke up at 5:20am to get ready and leave for the airport. Meridith and I had agreed that the three of us would meet at the RER station (train station) at 5:55am sharp to catch the 6 o'clock train to the airport. I had taken too long to get ready so by the time I left the house it was 5:45, and it takes about 15 minutes to get to the station. So I did a speedwalk-run combination to the station and made it just in time (at 5:57am) to discover that Meridith and Andrea were not there yet. I called them to see where they were and found out that they had slept late and had only just woken up and would be on their way shortly. So, I ran with a fully-packed, heavy-as-heck backpack, dressed in jeans, a three-quarter sleeve shirt and a coat with a scarf...became tired, messed up my hair and got sweaty, only to wait for twenty minutes at the stop. Zut alors. I should have walked.

No matter though. Meridith and Andrea arrived around 6:17 and we caught the next train a few minutes later to make our connection at Chatelet to the RER B line to Charles de Gaulle airport. We made it to the airport without any incident, although we came to find out that if you don't have a ticket to go to zone five (our navigo passes only worked for zones 1-4 of the metro network) that you can't get through the ticket machines. So we had to jump them--or, more precisely, we illegally walked through the widedoor gate that was to the side and less conspicuous...we didn't get caught.

We then went through the necessary airport procedure to our gate and waited for around twenty minutes until boarding. Oh, and funny story. As were began boarding there was a boy ahead of us, he looked to be around our age or a little older, and he looked really familiar to me. When I caught a glimpse of his face I realized that he was a boy I had seen the other day on the metro who got off at the Louvre (yes, I remember the stop). I recall this because I remember thinking he was unusually attractive for the Parisian crowd. His presence on the flight confirmed to me that this is due to the fact that he must be British, and therefore his attractiveness makes much more sense. Because, let's face it, there really aren't many good-looking French men...ca n'existe pas! So, yeah, I may have been ogling him a bit on the metro the other day, and so what if I just happen to recognize him again? What I think is the real story here is how on earth we managed the coincidence of riding the same metro one day and then taking the same flight to London from Paris the next!? Too bad he didn't have a seat next to him--totally could've creeped on him during the flight. Oh well...


On the flight it was quite refreshing to hear flight attendants speaking English--and with an accent too! The flight was only an hour and we gained an hour so we arrived in London at the time that we left Paris--pretty cool eh? After getting through customs, exchanging money (a painful experience since the pound is stronger than the euro--I don't even want to think about how that translates into dollars), and finally getting transportation to and from London and day passes for the metro, we embarqued on an hour trip into London. When we made our connection to the train we found a vending machine on the quai and naturally had to try the foreign British candy contained therein--it was for research purposes obviously. I tried a bar of candy that was called a Yorkie and the caption below said, "It's Not for Girls!" So, obviously, I had to try it. Turns out it was only a chocolate bar, but the wrapper was fun!

Eating the forbidden Yorkie--I'm such a rebel!

We got onto the tube (the British term for the metro, which is the French term for the subway) and picked a stop that looked promising--London Bridge. Luckily I remembered a lot from last year when I came with my grandparents, so we weren't completely turned around when we got off. We went out to the Thames and walked along it awhile and then crossed Tower Bridge (the one that most people mistake for London Bridge) and saw the Tower of London. We didn't go inside though because it costs money and we were still smarting from our exchange earlier in the airport. Instead we took pictures of it and basked in the glory that was London...oh, and we searched for food. We ended up eating at a little natural foods restaurant called Pret a Manger (ironically enough). But it was really good--I had a falafel wrap, banana and yummy British-style yogurt that was really tasty with granola and fruit.

Deciding what to do next...

So good I took a picture!

After relishing our breakfast/lunch we decided to explore the city some more. I should mention that we had a place to stay with Meridith's brother's old mission companion and his wife. However, they wouldn't be able to meet us until 5:30 so we had the day to ourselves. Thus, we trekked through London with our backpacks and coats in tow and....wung it? ....decided to wing it. Yes. I remembered a few places we could go so we made our way to Trafalgar Square and went through the National Gallery and then to Picadilly Circus. The National Gallery was really cool--I saw lots of masterpieces and works by famous artists--per usual. Unfortunately I was so tired by this point everything became a bit of a blur, but it was still cool to go through. And actually one of the things I liked the most about the museum was that each painting had a small summary description that explained the painting's scene and context. It really added to the experience to be able to read about the art we were viewing. For example, I learned that in one painting by Renoir I believe, on one half of the picture the women are wearing a certain fashion and the other half the clothing style is different because he went back and painted the other side a few years afterwards when the fashion trends had changed. A neat little fact n'est-ce pas?

National Gallery with a Mary Poppinsesque statue-lady

Anyways, after struggling to stay awake and on our feet in the National Gallery (not because it was boring, but because we'd already been up and moving for eight hours and it was only 2) we walked over to Picadilly Circus. We went into a few shops here and there and checked out some souvenir shops too. We mostly went into the stores to find shelter from the sweltering heat. When we first arrived that morning it was pleasant, but by 1pm it had become hot and humid and it was not comfortable, especially considering I was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, lugging a backpack and holding my coat. I was so ready to crash.

After what seemed an eternity (but in a good way right? because it was London) we finally took the tube to meet Julian (Mer's brother's friend) and his wife Kimber. We were a little late but it worked out nicely because they were also equally late so we both arrived at the same time. It was quite fortuitous. At first I was afraid that it was going to be awkward and weird, but they were so nice and friendly. It helps too that they are close to us in age (only a few years older) and they both went to BYU and Kimber is actually American and met Julian in London while on a study abroad (I guess I picked the wrong program!) and they were married two years later. Anyways, they helped us with everything and we had dinner with them which was such a relief because I was too tired to think about making myself food by this point.

Their apartment is this adorable little flat along the Thames. It is really small but a perfect little space for a young couple and it was so cozy. Luckily they had a foldout couch and a blowup mattress so we slept comfortably in the living room/dining room. We ate a yummy pasta casserole dish that tasted refreshingly American and homey while watching episodes of Arrested Development. Not a bad night at all. It was so nice to relax and speak to people, other than our classmates, in English. And I found a new show to enjoy! Not a bad day indeed.


Other observations:

While exploring London we happened upon the business district and discovered to our visual pleasure that London men are not only more attractive than French men, but they are also in greater supply. Right and left we saw goodlooking Brits and it was so refreshing, you have no idea! So, of course, it was necessary to take pictures of them....

The funny thing about this picture is that you will notice the man waving. He is not the attractive one I was targeting for the photograph, and I didn't realize he knew I was taking a picture of them. I was trying to be sneaky and make it look like I was photographing a cute building they were standing next to...but maybe he's used to being photographed by foreigners? Either way I had quite a laugh when I downloaded this picture and saw that the man was waving--because I didn't see that when I took the picture!

Another observation:
There are lots of miniature elephant statue things scattered around London that you can buy. Its kind of like in Bennington, VT when they had the same thing only it was moose statues...in any case it makes for a fun picture!

A commentary on men in London and Europe in general: They are not like American men.
They are much more metro and they it is true, they wear European shoulder bags, just like that Progressive commercial says! ("It was a gift").

Exhibit A: Three young boys, all wearing fruity colors , and each has a man purse, or "European shoulder bag"

Les Miserables

Thursday, May 27, 2010
Day 29

Today wasn't the best of days. It was cold and rainy and I had a test to due Friday morning. I went to class and then left right after to go home and work on homework and study for my test. I was really stressed because I had a few hours worth of homework in addition to a test that would take another few hours that I didn't have. So I made the one hour trip to Paris to enjoy about an hour and half of class and then turned around and made the hour trip back to Croissy to do my work. I was not a happy camper...nor a happy student for that matter. To make matters worse I didn't get enough sleep the night before so I was exhausted and I was looking forward to another night with little sleep because I was going to see Les Miserables that night (which would cut into my study time as well---great). So I attempted to work for about an hour, then I succombed to sleep and took an hour nap. I then had to drag myself out of bed (well, that's a figure of speech because I just work from my bed which doubles as a couch in my room) and try to get some more work accomplished. Of course, taking into account the time warp, the hours flew by and soon it was time to leave again and I was still far behind in my work. Around 6 o'clock I got ready to go and we took the 7 o'clock train to Paris to go to see Les Mis at the Theatre Chatelet.

Note to reader: This part of the blog was written first in the form of a specific entry I had to do for a homework assignment (we have to write about three cultural activities we do in Paris). So the format is a little different and I repeat some things I already mentioned so bear with me because I didn't feel like re-writing it...


Tonight I went to see the musical Les Miserables, based on the novel by French author, Victor Hugo. I originally thought that it would be in French, but in fact it was the English version. But that is okay because then I understood it better. One of the cool things about seeing it in France was that they had French "subtitles" on the side so it was interesting to listen to the songs in English and read the French translation and compare the meanings. Sometimes I preferred the English version and sometimes I found the French translation more profound.

Another interesting thing about this experience is that, because I saw Les Mis in America last spring with my family I was able to compare the two productions. The cast in this musical was British which definitely gave the performance a different vibe than the one in America. Although I usually love and prefer British accents, surprisingly I liked the American version of the musical better. I found the words and music more appealing when sung in American English--although its not just the accent, but the overall manifestations of cultural differences in behavior. Sometimes the songs were less fluent and more recitative/speech-song which is sometimes fun, but in this case I would prefer they had sung with greater fluidity in their voice. I also didn't like the special effects used in the Paris performance, which included using a projector to created a fluid background that moved with the actors and allowed a creative interpretation of the tunnel scene with Jean Valjean and also the suicide scene of the police officer. When it comes to plays and musicals I find I prefer more physical, hands-on special effects--I think the projector gave the performance too much of a virtual/sci-fi feeling that was not congruent with the themes and setting of the story or the venue.

However, I'm being picky. Overall the performance was very well done and I really enjoyed it. I will say that in terms of appreciating the story, the performance was much better the second time because 1) I'd seen it before so I had a basis of what was happening, and 2) Ryan gave a brief summary of the plot before it started which helped me keep track of what was going on and set me up to have a deeper understanding of the story and subsequently a better appreciation for it, and the ability to focus on the music itself, instead of being lost in the story plot.

In conclusion I had a great time and it was really enjoyable. I really liked the subtitles--they not only added to the depth of the meaning of the words, but they also helped me when I couldn't understand what was sung in English (sometimes its hard to distinguish words when they're being sung).

Nothing like a good musical to boost your spirits!


* * * *

After the musical ended we headed back home on the metro to Croissy where we arrived home around 12:30am. Then I began my homework and test. At around 2am I started to forget whole paragraphs that I had just read and studied so I made the executive decision that I shouldn't take the test and I should finish up my other homework and finish my test after class. So I finished my journals and finally made it to bed at about 3am and looked forward to a nice early rise at 7am! Goody.

Of Art, War, and French Cuisine...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Day 27

Tuesday turned out to be another scorcher--around 85 degrees and humidddddd. Blahhhh. Marissa and I hurried to class in the morning, late as usual (which is my fault, as usual) and found that Professor Lebras was running late himself due to a delay with the trains. So Professor Erickson started class and he's more lenient about tardiness so it turned out just fine. It was nice though when Lebras started teaching because he's actually French so he has a beautiful French accent and he's more direct and clear in his lessons so it makes it easier and more enjoyable to listen to what he's saying.
After class we were given a sheet with a list of options for the courses we'd be having at our class dinner on Wednesday. It was kind of funny because Erickson said, "Okay guys, listen up, Professor Lebras is going to translate the items on the menu for you and explain what they are..." and then he commenced to interrupt LeBras at every item and explain them in his nervous-excited manner. It was pretty funny. One of the dishes, called raclette, which is a cheese, I wasn't sure about, so I asked if it was a strong cheese. Erickson replied, "Oh no, not at all, raclette is a very mild cheese," and LeBras added, "But it is very fattening," and Erickson goes, "Yes, it is, but don't worry, it won't be enough to make you fat." There were a couple other things said but it was pretty hilarious and later on when we were having our class fete (we celebrate birthdays and unbirthdays every week) Erickson came over and apologized for insinuating that I was fat, "I'm sorry for joking about the cheese making you fat, we were just kidding. I don't think you're fat. I don't want to hurt your feelings." It was so funny. You have to understand his personality. He is a nervous little man who is always repeating himself and talking quickly and anxiously, and it was just such a typical thing of him to come and apologize over something that wasn't a big deal at all--although it was very thoughtful. But I had a good laugh over it anyways....oh, and I did order the raclette...

After class we waited outside for a while waiting for a couple people (Betsy and Paige) from the other class to finish so we could go on a walk together. But it turned out that we had mixed up the walks and needed to do different ones so we didn't end up going with Betsy and Paige anyways. So Marissa and I ended up doing the Covered Passages walk on our own. We visited the Louvre des Antiquaires, which holds the finest and most expensive antique shops in Paris (on of the French teachers once saw George Lucas shopping there!). Then we went a saw the Maison de Moliere (a theater established in 1792 for the group Comedie-Francaise) and the Palais Royal, which was originally called the Palais Cardinal Richelieu, which was built for the prime minister Richelieu who gave the palace to the king before he died. The apartments used to house members of the royal family and friends of the court, but eventually the ground floors were rented out to boutiques and in the nineteenth century there were many gaming houses and brothels. The courtyard has an interesting visual of black and white sculptures, that are appartently controversial (maybe because of their abstract modernity) that were added by Daniel Buren in 1986. The sculptures were cut off columns of varying heights (most of which were short enough that you could stand on them) with vertical black and white stripes painted on them. They were arranged in a grid covering the courtyard from the colonnade to the apartments, and reminded me of an abstract park in Disney World or something. Either way I liked them, and they made for a fun photo op.

After going through the courtyard we continued to the French National Library (Bibliotheque nationale) which houses special collections (most of the books were moved to the new national library in 1998), including manuscripts, images, photos, maps, music, and coins. We didn't figure out how to get in, and it was so hot that we decided to try and finish the walk as quickly as possible (plus I had a second walk to do after that) so we just walked by and admired it from the outside. Its too bad because it would have been interesting to go inside to see it...

We moved on from there to La Bourse, which is the French Stock Market (equivalent to the New York Stock Exchange). We just looked from the outside and walked through a cute little street market set up in the courtyard in front of it. Down the street from La Bourse we went down a covered passage called the passage des Panoramas, created in 1800, which is one of the oldest covered passages in Paris. The arcades are mostly filled with small boutiques that sell old postcards, stamps and letters. We looked into a few souvenir shops but mostly just looked in from the windows (it was too hot to go in and linger anywhere). The passage was pretty cool though, you could tell how old it was, and it kind of felt like you had stepped back in time a little--minus the expensive jewelry shops and souvenir stores. What I think is amazing though is how this kind of experience and atmosphere is almost typical of Paris. It isn't too difficult to walk down a street that is hundreds of years old as pretty much all of them date back at least to the 18th century, and many are even older! But it is fun to go down small passages like this one where you're away from the busy streets because then it really feels a lot more authentique.

That concluded the walk so Marissa and I started back to find the metro. We stopped into a little shoe shop on the way and the salesman actually started talking to me and tried to sell me shoes--this was unexpected because usually I'm left to browse and they don't bother to speak to you. Unfortunately the shoes were a little to pricey for me so I didn't want to buy anything and I felt rude, but at least he spoke to me in French! Well, he started to speak in French, asked if we spoke English, but I told him to speak in French, so he then talked to us in Franglais. It was kind of funny, but I appreciated that he didn't completely insult our intelligence by speaking English. One of the funny things I found there though was a shoe that was scented! Apparently every time you wash it it reactivates the perfume, and it helps keep your shoes from getting smelly. Haha, it was bizarre, and he made me smell it, which I felt really weird doing. But, I didn't want to spend $45 on sneakers here so I said Merci and left (he didn't seem to happy about that).

We got a little turned around trying to find the metro so Marissa decided to ask a nice older lady for directions--turns out she's Finnish and had no idea where it was. Great. What are the odds? I mean really, who is from Finland? ...anyone seen Confessions of a Shopaholic?

But no worries, we found it a few minutes later and I got in touch with Meridith and met up with her to do a second walk--the "Of Art, War, and World's Fairs: Invalides, Musee Rodin, Tour Eiffel." This walk was really hard for me. It was extremely hot and sticky by this time (about 2pm) and we were struggling for motivation. We began at the Champs-Elysees Clemenceau metro stop in front of the Charles de Gaulle statue and the Grand and Petit Palais. The palais were built for the World's Fair between 1897 and 1900 and designed with neo-classical elements as well as some Art Nouveau aspects. I went into the Petit Palais a couple weeks ago with the class, although we didn't have time to actually look around the exhibit--Erickson just wanted to show us how to get in for free etc. The Grand Palais, in addition to holding art exhibits, also houses sports events, primarily equestrian competitions, and it was slated to hold fencing if Paris had won the bid for the 2012 olympics.

We walked between the Palais and across the Pont Alexandre III, which is actually a really cool bridge that is a good example of the French obsession with grandeur with its large sculptures and flowing architecture. It is made of a single arch that spans the whole width of the river, which was an impressive feat during the time it was built. The bridge was built during the same time as the palais, and was named after Czar Alexandre III, and symbolizes the friendship between Russia and France. From the bridge you can see the Louvre, the Conciergerie, and the Eiffel Tower.

We walked from there in front of the Hotel des Invalides and around the corner to the Hotel Biron, which houses the Rodin Museum, built in the 1720s. Rodin lived here in the twentieth century and the chateau and park became part of the museum in 1919 after Rodin's death. Due to Meridith's smooth persuasiveness, we were able to get into the museum for free (admission is free to European students--so we explained that we are students, studying in Europe, living in Paris...wink wink). Our first stop was the outside gardens where we saw Rodin's famous sculpture, Le Penseur, or, The Thinker. I'm afraid I don't know much about Rodin so the museum didn't hold my interest very well, but it was cool to see the Thinker, and there were a few pieces I really liked, including the famous sculpture called The Kiss, and some other smaller sculptures of touching hands and more abstract interpretations of the human condition. I liked Rodin's depictions of movement and fluidity in his pieces, which were really impressive. There was once small sculpture that was placed in front of a window so that it was illuminated from behind, and you could see the tiny outlines of the faces and features of the figures--it looked like they were part of the rock. It was a very surreal image and really testified of Rodin's skill as a master sculptor. We also saw his famous Gates of Hell, which contains most of his other large sculptures, including the Thinker in the top center of the gate. It was fun trying to pick out which sculptures we'd already seen in the garden--kind of a mature "Where's Waldo" activity.

After going through the museum we headed over to the Invalides, but unfortunately it was closed. So then I decided to go home and skip the end of the walk which goes to the Eiffel Tower because I've already been there a few times.

A little bit after I got home we had dinner with our family only tonight Frederique wasn't there (I didn't ask why) so we ate with just Christian. We had a nice conversation with him about skiing, the weather and our activities that day. I made an interesting observation too--usually when we have dinner and are chatting with Frederique she tends to direct her conversation to Marissa (she always looks at Marissaw when talking). However, when we talk to Christian, he usually addresses me. I have no idea why, but it caught me off guard because with Frederique I can get away with not talking much and paying only half attention to the conversation. But when we were talking to Christian I had to pay attention the whole time because he kept directing the questions to me! This is probably a good thing though since it forces me to participate, so I don't mind. It just keeps me on my toes more. But I like Christian, and his French is very entertaining to listen to because he's so French in his mannerisms and expressions. He uses a lot of French hestitation sounds, such as, "Beh," "Euuhh," "Mmmh, oui," "Mais euh," etc. and he twitches his mouth and eyebrows while speaking too. Super entertaining and it helps me practice my own French accent and mode of expression. I've started making hestitation sounds now and it totally makes me sound more French, while at the same time giving me time to think about what I'm trying to say--so its really a double bonus, I sound more French and it seems like I speak it well since I have more time to formulate the sentences. Parfait! C'est formidable!


On other news, I finally discovered--very scientifically I might add--how to successfully gain access to the internet! Since I've been here the internet in my room has been shoddy at best. It always has only one or two bars of service and kicks me offline every two to seven minutes. Its quite annoying. A few times I've had to hang out in Marissa's room where the internet is fantastic, which makes no sense at all because there's about a five foot difference between us. However, I very ingeniously discovered that if I go into Marissa's room and gain full access to the internet, I can then carry a piece of the internet with me (if I am careful to walk slowly) back to my room. Then if I sit on the opposite end of my bed away from my pillow, and closer to Marissa's room, the service connection stays strong. But if I lean back a foot on the bed the service goes away again. Therefore, as long as I stay on the other end of the bed, I have the internet! ...Its a delicate procedure...



Once I figured that out though I spent the next few hours working on my blog (got two entries done) and I was able to outsmart my computer once again and uploaded pictures to the blog--it had been freezing every time I tried, so then I downloaded mozilla and laughed in safari's face when it worked! Thus, I had a very productive day that ended at 2am. Bonjour encore the time warp...

Lazy day in Paris

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Day 22

Thursday was a nice sunny day again. I went to class and then waited for people to get organized for a walk. Andrea, Meridith and I, as well as Betsy, Paige, Marissa, Giles and Ryan, all needed to print out our boarding passes at the BYU apartment before we could head out for the afternoon to do a walk, so we all went over there to meet our professor. Professor LeBras had come into town that day (or maybe it was the night before, I don't remember) so we got to see him too which was fun. Unfortunately with so many people getting anything done becomes slow and difficult so it was pretty late by the time we were done printing off our boarding passes. Then the whole group of us (plus Judy) decided to find a cafe to eat lunch at, so they could feel French, and the process of finding one we could agree on became another matter entirely. We walked probably half a mile down the street until we decided to come back to the very first cafe on the corner by the BYU apartment and we stopped there for lunch. I had an overpriced caesar salad (12 freaking euros, stupid cafes!) that was only decent (not worth that much) and I tried one of Judy's escargot. It was bigger than the one I had tried at Epcot France a few years ago when my mom had it, and I could even see the little waving feelers that it uses to move (gross looking) but it tasted really good, if a bit chewy. So that was a fun experience.

Upon leaving the cafe one of the workers there was sitting down at the table next to us for his lunch break, and I made eye contact with him a couple times and so of course, he being French, he decided to start talking to me. He asked me how the food was and made a comment about the nice weather and told me to enjoy it or something. It was pretty casual but it just strikes me as so funny how all the French men hit on girls all the time. Silly culture if you ask me. Then, as we were leaving (Marissa and I were at the end of the group so we were the last to walk out the door) and the waiter stopped us because he had to count the money. But that was stupid and rude I thought because he had had the money for a few minutes now and I think he had already counted it. Doesn't he trust us? Sheesh. I was a little put off by that, not to mention I didn't like paying 12 euro for a half-decent salad (note: the French do not know how to make good salads--it has been one of my biggest cravings since I've been here!), and by this point it was about three thirty. The group split off and the girls I was going to go on a walk with decided to do a different one instead that I had already completed so then I just went home a little earlier than usual. That was a little disappointing because I feel like I wasted an afternoon due to indecisive people and a stupid cafe I didn't want to eat at...but at least I was able to enjoy some of the Paris sun.

After taking the metro back home I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening wasting time. I worked on downloading pictures and such, and at about midnight I decided I should probably pack for my trip to London, for which I would be leaving at 5:45am that morning. So, after getting my backpack ready, I finally went to bed a little after 1 and planned on meeting Meridith and Andrea at the train station at 5:50am.

I went to Paris and all I got was lung cancer and alcohol poisoning....but at least it was sunny!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Day 21

Wednesday was another beautiful sunny day in Paris. After class a big group of us decided to do the Monmartre walk, including Meridith, Andrea, Marissa, Jessie, Katharine, and Joy. Monmartre is the hill that the basilica Sacre Coeur sits on, so that was our first stop along the walk. Monmartre, which is the highest point in Paris, literally means mount of martyrs, and was originally a pagan spot dedicated to the gods, but was then christianized when it was said that Saint Denis walked carrying his severed head from there to the place where the St. Denis basilica now stands. Sacre Coeur was constructed between 1876 and 1914. In the nineteenth century the area of Monmartre was better known for the bohemian lifestyle of many who lived and worked there, including famous impressionists and artists such as Picasso, Utrillo, Max Jacob, George Braque, Guillaume Apollinaire etc.

Sacre Coeur on Monmartre

We spent a good amount of time at Sacre Coeur because it was so nice to sit on the steps in the sun and listen to the entertainers (there was a man playing the harp) and soak up the warm rays that we'd been deprived of thus far in our trip. Before heading up to the stairs Jessie and Joy got interviewed by a couple French girls, who were doing a project for school I think...that was kind of fun. I headed down though with Meridith to see the view and get some pictures in the sun. After staying for maybe half an hour or so we continued past Sacre Coeur to the little village behind the basilica. Just behind the basilica is the small Church of Saint-Pierre, which was been a parish church since 1147! We then went past the tourist area where there are dozens of artists asking to paint a portrait of you. Instead of buying a painting there we all got some gelato from a little store that had a huge selection of flavors...we had to try them obviously. I got mint (story of my life) and some other flavor whose name I forget--but it was some sort of red berry flavor that was pretty good.

Jessie and Joy getting interviewed...

On number 12 rue Cortot we saw the oldest house on Monmartre, built in the early 1100s, and we went inside to visit the museum there. The museum, I thought, was only okay, although the gardens around it were really pretty and we spent a little bit extra time just sitting and enjoy the sun some more.

We also saw the oldest cabaret in Paris, Au Lapin Agile, and La Maison Rose, which was once the home of the artist Utrillo, and a favorite spot of Picasso and Gertrude Stein. We also saw the house where Renoir lived, at 6 Allee des Brouillards. We then continued on to a park where we saw a famous statue of St. Denis holding his head (photo op), saw Van Gogh's house, and eventually ended our walk at Moulin Rouge (another photo op).

Van Gogh's House

Bonjour!

Unfortunately I wasn't incredibly invested in this walk, but it was cool to imagine the area as it once was with so many now-famous budding artists who made their living here. And of course to see some of the famous areas of Paris (i.e. the Moulin Rouge and the view from Sacre Coeur). But perhaps the best part of the day was soaking up some Parisian sun on the steps of Sacre Coeur, listening to harp music and watching the moving statues and various entertainers (jugglers etc.) hoping for a donation. It may have been touristy, but I felt pretty Parisian nonetheless.

Before getting on the metro some of the girls got some bags of candy from a little candy stand--we tried some tasty morcels. Then we took the metro to the Luxembourg Gardens, where we were hoping to find a market that Giles had told us about. However, we found out when we got there that it had already ended, so we just found a spot on the grass (a difficult feat since it was covered with hundreds of people) and basked for a little while. At first we had sat more in towards the center, but then we realized the kids next to us were smoking pot and the smell was disgusting so we moved away. This strategy worked for a little while, until later when a group of kids opened a beer bottle that accidentally sprayed and got all over us, yuck.

Claire, Marissa's French friend, also came and joined us for a little while. It was nice to see her and chat again too. I learned that the word for spray/explode (like the beer that got all over us) is gicler. Good info. We then saw a funny spectacle of a boy who was completely hammered trying to get out of the garden to go to the bathroom. He couldn't figure out where the exit was (he kept trying to push the locked gate open, feebly) and I guess he really had to go because he finally gave up, unzipped right there, and went against the fence. He was barely conscious. Haha, it was a site to see. His friend had to come over eventually and help him walk back across the park. Then later, of course, two boys ended up sitting by us and they too started smoking pot. So then we decided this was a cue to just head home for the day.

Marissa, Me and Claire at the Park

Marissa and I then had dinner together alone because Frederique was going out that night. We had pork chops (I ate Marissa's because she doesn't like meat--or pretty much anything with taste), rice and mashed squash (is that a redundant appellation?), a course of cheese and bread, and apple pie again for dessert.

We then decided that since Frederique was out we should investigate the living room. So the two of us went and sat down in there for the first time and we got the idea to watch a movie. Assuming most televisions are understandable, I then commenced trying to figure out how to set it to movie input...for about forty minutes. For the first twenty minutes I tried to figure the TV out...then, when I was sure I had broken her TV for good, I spent the next twenty minutes trying to fix what I had done.

Shh! This is a covert mission,
Operation Sit in Living Room...Top Secret!

Its hard enough figuring out TVs in America...

But, have no fear, although I failed in my initial goal to program the TV for a movie, I found success in returning it to its original state (I think). So after abandoning that quest, we plugged in our computers and together watched skits of our favorite comedians on youtube, including Brian Regan, Dane Cook, and Ricky Gervais. It was a good hour of roommate bonding time--nothing like a clandestine lounge session in the living room, and a failed covert attempt at working a foreign television to really bring people together!

Expositions, stalking, oh! and a little bit of cultural history too...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Day 20

Tuesday was a beautiful day (finally! some good weather!). After class Marissa and I decided to go to the Louvre since the group I usually go on walks with was doing some I'd already completed. Marissa and I get off the metro at the Louvre and walk into a couple of the stores inside there (they have boutiques and shops in a plaza underground before the museum entrance). I noticed it was pretty empty that day but I assumed it was because we were there on a Tuesday and not on the first Sunday of the month (which is free). However, after finding one of the entrances closed we looked for another one, thinking we were just at the wrong part...we walked around in circles a couple times and finally decided to go up to the ground level entrance (the one that goes into the pyramid). Once we get up there we discover that the museum is in fact closed on Tuesdays...a detail we had forgotten about (I think the rule is that national museums are closed on Tuesdays or something). Great. So after debating for a bit I decided to go back to the Institute to meet up with some friends from the second class and Marissa decided to do some shopping on her own (since she had already finished the walk I wanted to do). So I took the metro back a few stops to our classroom and met up with Betsy. She was hungry so we went to a little cafe down the street from our class and had some lunch. I had had a snack lunch already so I bought a sugared crepe--which I've decided is not that good, if you're going to get a crepe get it with chocolate or something more substantial than sugar. After eating an overpriced cafe crepe we still had some time to kill while we waited for some friends to get back from a walk so we went to the Hotel de Ville down the street where there was a photography exposition. The exhibit was a collection of work called Paris D'Amour by photographer Gerard Uferas. I actually really liked it because the photographs were a documentary on love and marriage and were all wedding scenes and marriage-themed pictures. They ranged from beautiful and artistic to funny and honest and the exposition was set up so that on every wall there were quotes on love from the people who were in the pictures. I also watched part of a documentary/interview of Gerard Uferas and his ideas behind this collection and his intentions (all in French of course). It was really quite interesting to hear his side of the process and what he was trying to capture. At one point I remember him saying that his goal and initial passion for photography is capturing the life inside the picture. He said that to him photographs are living things even as they capture a moment forever. I also wrote down a few of my favorite quotes from the exposition:

"Ca ne te fait pas peur l'engagement pour la vie?"

"Non, ca me fait rever. Tout est merveilleux dans le banal du quotidien."

~A lifelong commitment doesn't scare you?

No, it makes me dream. Everything is amazing in the daily banalities.~

"Notre vrai mariage c'est quand l'image de nous deux s'est retrouvee unie par le reflet d'un miroir."

~(Our) real marriage is when the image of the two of us is found unified in the reflection of a mirror.~

"Je souhaite a tous les maries de s'aimer autant qu'on s'aime!"

~I wish all couples would love each other as much as they love themselves!~

"J'ai eu une grosse crise d'angoisse. Mais des que j'ai dit 'oui,' j'allais mieux."

~I had a huge crisis of anguish. But as soon as I said 'Yes,' I was at peace.~

They're prettier in French, especially since these aren't perfect translations, but you get the idea. And these are all quotes from people who were in Uferas' photographs. All in all it was a lovely exposition and I'm glad I was able to see it (for free!). Not to mention I felt really cultured going to a modern photography exhibit Paris. Man, I feel like everything I do in France is especially cultural, even the stupid everyday things, like saying a greeting in French to a real French person, or buying a baguette! I will admit, I feel very cool when I do that. I order in French and then I think to myself, "Oh yeah! You go girl! Dang, you so fine when you speak French (and they actually answer back!)" Haha, some version of this plays out in my mind...guilty confession. Cue sheepish expression, shifty eyes.

Signing the guest book...or, leaving our mark on French society!

Anyways, after going through the exhibit, and signing our names in the guest book (now I am a part of French records!), Betsy and I got in touch with Andrea and Meridith and found out we were going to have to wait a few minutes before they could meet up with us. Since it was a nice day we went and sat by the fountain in the courtyard of the Hotel de Ville. While we were chatting and soaking in a bit of sun I noticed a guy (probably in his mid twenties or so) wearing a white hoodie and a backpack. He was several yards away so I can't be sure, but it seemed like we made eye contact as he was walking across the courtyard. Well, I'm assuming we did because when I looked up at him he made a face and stuck his tongue out at me! It was so bizarre. I nudged Betsy and told her what happened and as I'm telling her to look over at him I see him motion to me to be quiet (he hunched his shoulders a little and gave me the 'Shh' signal with his finger) and then I watched as he proceeded to walk up behind a guy in a business suit who was on his cellphone. They boy starts harassing the man, aggressively talking to him and waving his arms etc. I don't know what on earth he could have been saying to him. It made no sense to me at all, although it was fascinating watching the whole scene unfold. The poor businessman kept walking trying to wave the boy away and looking a bit irritated when the boy persisted (angrily I might add) and the man even had to walk in a small circle trying to lose him! It was kind of funny. Once the man finally got away the boy-man started walking away from Hotel de Ville. During this whole episode Betsy and I are trying to figure what the heck just happened. As he's walking away I say, "Man, how weird. I wonder where he's going?!" and Betsy nonchalantly suggests we should follow him. Okay.

So that's what we do.

The guy had a head start on us and he was walking pretty fast so it was quite an exciting chase. We half ran half speed walked behind him trying to catch up and follow him. We tailed him a couple blocks all the way to KFC where we saw him stop. We watched him from across the street as he stood outside and ducked behind an advertising board. When we looked back we didn't see him anymore so we crossed the street to see if he had gone inside the KFC. We creeped up and opened the door to see his back to us in line to order. We didn't go in. Instead we went to the souvenir stand across from the KFC about three yards away and pretended to be looking at souvenirs. Betsy even tried on some sunglasses and I took a picture trying to see him in the reflection. Yeah, we're pros. He came outside to eat next to some girls (we're not sure he knew them, but it looked like he was talking to them a couple times--until they left, ha).

This is Betsy spying from behind the advertisement board...

This is me pretending to take a tourist picture,

but really the target was inside the doors behind me...

too bad the attempt failed and you can't really see him...

I decided to take another stalker picture of him so I had Betsy pose and I zoomed in on him in the background. As I was taking the picture a young black boy jumped in behind Betsy, thinking I was photographing her, but unfortunately I didn't get him in the frame since I was focused on the crazy guy. But the boy came over to the souvenir stand and started talking to me, which was funny. He asked if the picture was good (I told him it was, even though it was of the sketch man). Then he asked me where I was from (told him the States) and he said he had gone to Georgia, so we talked a little bit about that (I mentioned having family in Florida) and continued to small talk for a bit and then he went on his way. This is another example of how I felt really cool to have a normal conversation with a real Frenchman who didn't bother to speak to me in English for once! I was quite proud that I actually understood him and had a semi-intelligent, albeit brief, conversation. Now then, back to the main story.

One of our sketchiest pictures...
notice the blurred bar in front of his face--
perfect censor, but not done on purpose! Haha...

Betsy pretending to be a tourist...
but really we're trying to get his reflection in the glasses...

After taking a couple pictures, which conveniently blurred his face (there was a glass partition he was sitting behind, making the pictures look even more legit), the guy left KFC and started walking down the street again. We, of course, followed. However, we were nervous because we were pretty sure he knew who I was (he had after all stuck his tongue out at me and "shh'ed" me in the courtyard) so we were afraid he knew we were following him...we weren't terribly quiet, I'll admit, so its quite possible he had spotted us before. So as we're going we're trying to be cautious that he won't see us. While we're watching him we see that he is randomly yelling, waving his arms, and making aggressive gestures at people as he passes. Unfortunately my videos don't capture him in action (yes, I took a couple videos) but I did get one picture of him making some sort of offensive gesture at a random on the street. I have no idea what this guy was thinking or doing. Was he mad? (And I mean that in the 'crazy' sense, not the 'angry' sense because he was definitely angry about something). Perhaps he had rabies. Or maybe he suffers from a deprived childhood. Or maybe he got sick of baguettes and was on his own personal crusade against French bread?

Whatever the cause, he was weird and kind of scary, which is why when he turned around and started heading back in our direction we not only turned around, but we ran (noisily) as fast as we could and ducked into a pharmacy for safety, or 'Sanctuary' as Betsy called it. We tried to be nonchalant whilst meandering through the aisles, trying to see if the crazy man had left yet. After a minute Betsy looked out and saw that the coast was clear so we walked out quietly and calmly made our way back towards the institute building a block over praying that we weren't about to be accosted from behind. However, we comforted each other that we were at least in public and had an appointment to meet our friends, so at least we would have witnesses and friends expecting us. That was our consolation anyways.

Luckily, the only thing we encountered on our way back was a breakdancing performance in the square by the Centre Pompidou. After stopping for a moment to watch that, we continued on and met up with Andrea and Meridith--who then got a play by play of our extremely fun and adrenalin-filled adventure. I expect Betsy and I will have a call from the French secret police soon, recruiting us for our impressive tailing skills.

* * * *

This afternoon the four of us went on the Marais Walk 1, which goes through the Marais district, of which the institute is actually a part, and which focuses on the architecture and history of the area and its buildings. It was a little long (I was dragging my feet at the end) but the content was pretty cool. We saw an old wall constructed around 1200AD at the time of Philippe Auguste that used to enclose the city of Paris before it expanded, as well as the Saint-Paul Saint-Louis Church. Its cornerstone was laid by Louis XIII in 1627 and Cardinal Richelieu celebrated its first mass after it was completed in 1641. Before this, since 1550, the area was occupied by the Jesuits who had the church built. We went into the church from a "secret" side entrance that is off the beaten path per se. The church was beautiful and it was really cool to imagine that the Cardinal Richelieu had stood within those walls and lead the church's first mass. It is still difficult for me to comprehend that all these people not only existed, but were very much a part of the history of Paris that is still visible and accessible to people every day.

The concept is really foreign to me (literally and figuratively) because in America history doesn't date back very far. We go to a reenactment of a colonial village and that is our historical experience. But when you come to Paris every street has something of historical significance that dates back up to a thousand years. Basically the city itself is a living museum, that continues to evolve and shape the history of the current world around it. I know I should appreciate it more than I do, but honestly the idea is so incomprehensible to me that I really can't fully appreciate what I see and experience every day because I just can't wrap my around more than a few hundred years of history. When you start going back into the middle ages and beyond I'm lost. I mean, how could this building possibly still exist? And in such good condition, relatively speaking? And what's more, the building from 1300 is usually next to a modern boutique built in the last ten years. The contrast and juxtaposition of history versus modernity is astounding, and really puts the emphasis on the fact that Paris is evolving around and with its history, not over and beyond it. Its an interesting phenomenon that makes for a very enriching experience as a student/tourist.

Side note: Along the way we passed a small patisserie with a lovely display of bread and pastries that we of course stopped to admire and let the temptation sink in...however, in this particular patisserie we noticed a new kind of dessert that we could not figure out. There were thick rectangle blocks in different colors in the window, which we weren't sure if they were bread or something sweet. Well, we couldn't allow this to remain a mystery, so, as the astute and curious students that we are, we found it necessary to investigate this bizarre phenomenon. Thus, Andrea went in and bought the raspberry flavored...block. When she came out we all tried a bite and discovered that the colored block was in fact a squishy block of marshmellow. It was one of the more interesting patisserie experiences I've had, and probably not the best, although it rivals as the funniest. The pictures say it all. The expressions on our faces are priceless. And thus concluded our academic investiagtion of the corner pastry shop...

Before trying it...

After trying it...

Candid reactions...

After spending some time in the church we went down the street and found Victor Hugo's house, which we were able to go into for free (yeah for being students!). The house was interesting, although I didn't have a guide so it didn't mean much to me unfortunately. But it was cool to imagine him living there across from a beautiful park, constructing ideas for his books.

Once we finished touring his house and going through the park we finished our walk and headed home. Marissa and I had dinner with Frederique that night. We ate breaded meat with cheese inside (I think they were run of the mill frozen patties that she heated up) and mashed sweet potatoes and rice on the side. We also had a course of salad, bread and cheese and, as usual, dessert, which was a thin French version of apple pie. It was quite good.

It was actually quite an interesting evening. Somehow we got on the topic of religion again and I attempted, however poorly it came out, to explain to her, in French, the hierarchical and patriarchal organization of the church...yeah, I know that's kind of a heavy complicated topic to try and have with a non-member Catholic, but we were comparing society and our respective religions and somehow it came up. I tried my best, but I don't think she fully understood what I was trying to say, which is understandable because a lot of people don't understand it in English. So I'm afraid the meaning may have been lost in translation but I thought it was a pretty brave attempt, and it was probably the most I've talked to her in one sitting.

Another funny story was of Marissa who had gone and done a walk on her own that afternoon and somehow found herself sharing a drink (she had a soda, don't worry) with a Spaniard who thought she had "Ze most beeeeautiful eyes, like ze ocean..." hahahahaha. He gave her his number afterwards (which she only took to get rid of him since he wanted to spend the day with her..yeah right). Luckily she was fine (she's a smart girl), but it was funny retelling the story to Frederique. She told us to be careful and to never ever give out our addresses or phone numbers...well, duh. Haha, but it was a really funny story. I don't know how Marissa got herself into that one. Good thing I always do the walks with other people! Well, all in all a very interesting dinner and a very exciting day...

Phew. I know its been a long time since I've written, so hopefully this will tide you over for a little while, I know its kind of a beast of an entry!

...but I really couldn't resist telling that stalking story...

Note to the Reader

Dear Friends,

I am currently writing to you from London, England. For those of you who may be confused, let me explain. This weekend is a holiday weekend during which the study abroad students have the option to travel. I think you can guess what happened next...Meridith, Andrea and I hopped on a plane this morning and flew one hour over to our mother country, dear ol' England, arriving at 9am. Backpacks in tow and underground maps in hand, we spent the rest of the day touring the great city of London. First stop, London Bridge. From there we walked down the Thames, crossed Tower Bridge (which is the one always being mistaken for London Bridge), passed the Tower of London, ironically ate at Pret A Manger, took the tube to Charing Cross station where we walked to Trafalgar Square, went in the National Gallery, and died of heat whilst traversing Picadilly Circus. By this time (around 5pm) we were utterly spent and took the tube back to Canary Warf where we met up with Julian and Kimber, friends of Meridith's brother, who are generously letting us stay at their apartment for the weekend.

Now, why am I writing this "note" to you dear readers? Because I wish to express my sincere apologies for my lack of updates. I realize I am behind in my entries a few days, and I don't think I'll be catching up this weekend--due to certain, shall we say, Londonesque distractions. So, to be frank, sorry, but you'll hear from me later.

Cheerio!

Opera phantoms, forbidden grass, and a pesky time warp...

Monday, May 17, 2010

Day 19

Monday I went to class (a little late...man its hard to get up on time!) and afterwards everyone wanted to go to see a Robin Hood matinee. However, I didn't feel like spending money and an afternoon in Paris on a movie so I opted out and went instead with my roommate Marissa and we completed two walks! We first did the Grand Boulevards walk which took us around rue Haussman and the Galleries Lafayette (a big department store complex that has an amazing dome with literally galleries of stores) as well as to the Opera Garnier. The Opera Garnier is the famous Phantom of the Opera opera house, and there is actually a real lake underneath! I didn't get to see it though, but I hear its much smaller than the one in the movie, no surprise there. But we did go inside for the self-guided tour. The security guy who checked our bags was funny. He called us over to check our purses and he asked where we were from and I told him the U.S. and he got all excited when I told was like, "I'm americain, but I speak French!" And he kept saying, "Oh, bon! Excellent! Vous etes tres jolie! etc etc" He wasn't really saying anything coherent or complete sentences but he was very enthousiastic. It was weird and funny at the same time. Marissa and I had a good laugh about it. French.

Galleries Lafayettes
...Yes, this is a large shopping center...

Anyways, we went through the opera house and it was beautiful. Commissioned by Napoleon III, Garnier designed the building for opera but today it is mostly used for ballet. Unfortunately the auditorium itself was closed when we were there so I didn't see where the actual performances are held, but the whole building is magnificent so it wasn't a total loss. I got some great pictures and had fun daydreaming about living in a place like that--I can see why the phantom hung around, its not a bad setup at all!

In front of the main staircase of the Opera Garnier

After playing in the Opera house (and asking a couple in French to take a roommate picture of us) we finished up the walk by going to the Place Vendome (a square with lined with luxury boutiques, including Dior, Cartier and Chanel) where we saw the Ministry of Justice and a 140 foot column that was made in 1806 to celebrate Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz. It was made from over 1,200 melted down Austrian cannons. Originally there was a statue of Louis XIV in the square, but it was melted down after the Revolution. Another interesting fact about Place Vendome is that many famous people lived here, including Chopin, Puccini, Danton, and John Law. And apparently the Ritz Hotel is supposed to be there somewhere but we couldn't find it--which is ironic because you would think it'd be easy to find, I mean, it is the Ritz! This is the same Ritz that Princess Diana left from minutes before her fatal car crash. Nice bit of morbidity for you...

From the Place Vendome we continued on to make a quick visit to the Eglise Saint-Roch, whose foundation stone was laid in 1653 by Louis XIV. It was a nice church, very pretty. We then finished our walk by looking at a nice statue of Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) that is in a square by the Jardin des Tuileries. After finishing the walk we took the metro to the Tour Montparnasse to begin our second walk, "A Walk in the Park: Montparnasse and the Jardin du Luxembourg." We met up with Marissa's French friend Claire (they had done a couple student exchanges together) and Claire helped show us around the area while we followed the walk. It was cool to have her explain some additional history and information about the district and some of its buildings. She was really nice, and spoke excellent English.

l'Eglise de Saint Roche

On the walk we saw the statue commemorating Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army who was falsely convicted of treason in 1894. He was stripped of his rank and exiled, but eventually was pardoned by the president of France and reinstated. However, the whole thing, now called the Dreyfus Affair, is still a touchy subject for the French people (they're just a little embarrassed/ashamed).

Statue of Dreyfus

Anyways, we then went to the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens where we sat by the Luxembourg Palace and talked for about an hour. It was quite lovely because it was finally a nice a day out and we could actually enjoy the weather. Claire pointed out the security by the palace and commented that their uniform was interesting because they wear the squared hat, which is apparently unusual because it is a more old-fashioned style. The whole thing was very funny to her, which made it funny to me.

I would also like to point out that at the Jardins du Luxembourg they are allied with BYU because, just like BYU they have pelouse interdit or, "forbidden grass," the French version of "Please don't walk on me, I'm trying really hard to grow." Yes, the French too have designated grass areas: pelouse interdit and pelouse autorite (authorized). See? The French and the Mormons are not all that different!

BYU's version of lawn prohibition...

"Forbidden lawn: Please Keep Off the Grass"




"Pelouse Autorisee: Sitting on the Grass Permitted"

After finishing the Luxembourg walk we headed home since it was then about six o'clock. I attempted to be productive but, there is this weird phenomenon in France that they don't warn you about...not only is there a time change, but there is a time warp. I swear. I get home and go to my room. The second I go in, I enter the time warp, and when I come out, the sun is gone and it is 11pm and all I've done is downloaded pictures and started my blog (but not finished it). Its crazy, I know, but I'm not making it up. And that is why I am behind on my blog...Beware of the time warp!