Octobre

'

Versailles

L'Orangerie

Modern Art

Marie Antoinette's room

Hall of Mirrors

Swiss Lake

Fountain Show

Grand Canal

Apollo Fountain

Front Gate

Place de La Concorde, outside Jeu de Paume (Eiffel Tower in the back)

View from Notre Dame

Saint Chapelle

Another Strike in Paris

From the Top of Notre Dame

October has officially begun and the leaves are turning glorious shades of marigold, burnt orange, and rust. The city is rich in autumnal colors and it's nice to see the true change of a season. As much as I love southern California and was a bit envious of the heat wave recently where I imagined my friends from school luxuriating on a warm sandy beach, it's really fun to see autumn begin in a typical fashion. Amidst the seasonal changes, I am sure you have all heard of the security concerns over suspicions of terrorist threats in many European cities. While it is definitely something to be aware of I do not want to live in fear and can really only do so much to avoid danger. The most important thing I believe is to be aware of my surroundings and leave a situation if I sense something wrong in a public place. However, I believe the city is well protected and honestly something could happen anywhere in the world and I am not too worried about being in Europe at this time. Our school has done well to update us regularly on evolving situation in Paris and I believe as long as I am knowledgeable of current events I will be fine.

On a lighter note, last Monday my friend had extra invitations from the Madame at her homestay to see a photography exhibit at Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume for the Hungarian photographer Andre Kertesz (accents are missing from his name). We got to view the exhibit a day before it was open to the public which was very fun. Kertesz specialized in unique camera angles and used "distortion" methods for his photos which resembles the "Effects" tools in Photo Booth on a Macbook in my opinion. The gallery is near the Tuileries and as you exit it you have a panamoric view at Place de la Concorde. The Eiffel Tower, National Assembly, and huge fountains make for a beautiful view!

I am going to fast forward a bit through other fun parts of the week and switch to Nuit Blanche which was held on Saturday night. It translates to 'white night' which is an all night art exhibition in Paris. Museums, galleries, certain Monuments, schools, and Churches are open all night to the public free of charge. There are literally dozens of things to do and streets are absolutely packed so we limited our selection to just a few things. My friend and I began in the Marais where we saw some very "avant-garde" art. I say this because perhaps I am unable to understand certain kinds of art but much of it was quite unusual. We stopped into the historic museum of Paris to see sculptures, if you will. One was a dinosaur with no head and the other was a Wooly Mammoth with no legs. This was the entire exhibit. After we giggled a bit, we went to a museum across the street where a long white table was in the pathway of a garden. Its edges were lined with bowls and a large glass pane smeared with white paint sat in the middle. A spooky soundtrack of the French alphabet was played in the background. Again this was the entire exhibit, even though this wasn't exactly art we appreciated, it was very entertaining.

Later we met up with more friends and went to Notre Dame where an artist wanted all exterior and interior lights to be turned off with the exception of the alter which was illuminated by a white light. Deep, rich organ music played in the background making the setting very gothic and our favorite exhibit. We crossed the street to Hotel Dieu to see a Firefly exhibit. The line was lengthy but inside was a netting strung with hundreds of lights to resemble fireflies. Afterwards we went walked to Saint Germain des Pres. (The metro lines were absolutely packed this night and taking it just became out of the question.) We wandered around for a while until we found the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. This is apparently one of the most famous art schools in the world and its alumni is quite esteemed. The building itself is absolutely gorgeous, so it was fun to see the inside of it. The "exhibit" was supposed to be reenactments of great scenes in art, but was really just two people dressed in normal clothes, kissing and performing lyrical dance. Again, we had to find humor in some of the "art" we had seen that night but still enjoyed ourselves. I have really come to love the Saint Germain des Pres area. Not only is it right near the Latin quarter which is home to so many fun bars, clubs, and restaurants and of course the Sorbonne and the Pantheon, but is also home to a magnificent Church, galleries, exquisite shopping and some of the most famous restaurants in Paris. Cafe de Flore, L'Entrecote (which is probably one of the best meals I have ever had), Les Deux Magots are all within about a minute of each other. There is such wonderful energy in this part of the city and it is very glamorous without being grandiose. It also doesn't hurt that shops like Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Laduree are also right in the area as well.

On Sunday, I went to Versailles finally. It was nothing short of spectacular. We were told by friends to go to the gardens first so as not to miss the fountain shows. The gardens and fountains were truly breathtaking. I have never seen anything like it and pictures do not do it justice. I had no idea that Versailles was a bit like a park as well. You can bring your bike, dog, cat, picnic, anything you want really. People come just to jog and rent boats to row along the canal. We caught Versailles on a beautiful day too which was so lucky. It had been raining a lot but we got some great sunshine. We saw the Fountain Show from 11-12pm then walked around to Marie Antoinette's village and the other houses on the property. Then we saw a timed fountain show with traditional music from the time playing as the fountains spurted water into graceful arches and spirals. After we headed to Swiss Lake and L'Orangerie which was magnificent. You climb the "Hundred Steps" and have the most incredible view of the gleaming lake. It looks otherworldly.

Next we finally went into Versailles. It was so crowded but it was truly special to see. I don't think I have ever heard more languages being spoken in my life. I have to admit the mass of crowds distracted me a bit from the beauty of the architecture. However, we still managed to enjoy ourselves. The Hall of Mirrors was indeed beautiful and Marie Antoinette's bedroom was decadent but had way too many floral prints. There was modern art displayed in certain rooms as well, which I am guessing is meant to create a stark juxtaposition between contemporary and 17th century art.

Hope everyone is having a nice week! Bisous!