The Last of October

October is coming to a close at Autumn in Paris is truly beautiful! The trees are burnt shades of auburn and orange and it is so much fun to see a real season begin again. However, with all the pretty season there has been very chilly weather and lots of rain, which I'll have to admit I really dislike. But I know I'm only here temporarily so I know I have to enjoy every minute of it and look at it is an opportunity to wear pretty winter clothes.

Unfortunately I have midterms this week, so my adventures have not really been as exciting as weeks passed, but I still managed to have some fun. Last Wednesday my friend Juliette invited me to come to an art exhibit a day before it opened (another great VIP treat from her Madame) for impressionist Italian painter Giuseppe De Nittis at the Le Petit Palais (right across from the Grand Palais) just off of the Champs -Elysees. She asked me last minute at around 8:30 and originally I thought I had too much work to do, but I decided that no one at UCI will ever call me up one night to see an exhibit of precious art work, so I quickly changed my mind at met her at the metro. The Petit Palais is so beautiful! It is grandiose and absolutely spectacular. The building itself is truly a work of art. Since it was later in the evening, the exhibit had considerably less people than normal giving us time to take in each piece. Juliette and I absolutely fell in love with De Nittis. I had never even heard of this artist prior to the exhibit but I adore his work. His brush strokes and colors were particularly unique and I was very happy to have gone. We finished seeing the exhibit at 9:58, just enough time to cross the street and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 10pm on the King's Bridge over the Seine that connects to Place de la Concorde. We still get giddy watching it sparkle even though we've seen it dozens of times. Place de la Concorde is also my very favorite place in Paris. I love being able to see the gushing fountains, the Odelisk, the Champs Elysees, the Arc du Triomphe, and all the excitement of the beautifu city intersection.

The next day I went to the top of the Arc du Triomphe because despite being in the low 40's, it was a sunny and clear day! You could see everything, from the Eiffel Tower, to Sacre Cour, to La Defense, all the way down to the Tulieries and the Lourve...it was stunning!


On Friday, I decided to take some seasonal photos around Paris because it was such a lovely day again! I went to the Tuileries where crisp leaves fell along the pathways like they were something out of a picture book. The fountains sparkled from the reflection of the sun and people in pretty colored peacoats all sat in the traditional green garden chairs in the gardens. I strolled down to the end down to my favorite place, Place de La Concorde. I sat on a bench at the very edge and am always amazed at how much you can see from sitting in one place. The fountains, Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, Arc du Triomphe, the Odelisk, and behind me the Tuileries and the Lourve all surrounded me. I caught a magnificent sunset and managed to take a few nice pictures to remember my special evening there.

Saturday, I went to my friend's homestay in the Marais to "study" which was difficult to do as we were all too cozy and chatty to get much real work done. It was a rainy day which turned into a lightning and thunder storm. Later we made dinner and it was fun to have a little dinner party. We had camambert with a baguette as an appetizer, garlic pasta, a garden salad, a melange of grilled vegetables and meat, and delicious red wine. Not the healthiest, but we thought we deserved a treat before midterms. We went out afterwards after the rain had cleared up and enjoyed another night in the Marais.

Sunday morning we were all craving brunch, not French brunch, but real American brunch, as in an "omelette" kind of Brunch. There is a restaurant here called "Breakfast in America" with two locations, one in the Latin quarter, and one in the Marais. We were a little embarassed to be eating brunch as we walked to the restaurant, but to our dismay the line to get in was wrapped around the entire block. I heard no English being spoken either, leading me to think that perhaps the French love American brunch as much as we do. But, the line was just too long for us since we had to get back to studying, so we decided we would go a different day.

I leave for Italy on Thursday for our Fall break and cannot wait to go after midterms! Hope this blog all finds you well! Bises!

BARCELONA!

Cathedral

Gaudi Lizard Sculpture

Gaudi Mosaics

Park Guell

Highest peak, view of all of Barcelona

Sangria and Tapas on a beautiful beachy night

Gaudi House

Gaudi Cathedral

Harbor

Bois de Bologne

Montmartre Wine Festival

I skipped my blog posting last week since I got very busy early on with homework and tests but will fill in for last week's adventures as well. Last weekend I went to the Montmartre wine tasting festival where we sampled some delicious regional wines, Spanish sangria, and other traditional local foods. There were cheese, fois gras, escargot, and sausage samplings as well as an assortment of other wonderful treats there. On top of all of this, it was a clear nearly 80 degree day and sitting on the steps near Sacre Cour overlooking the beautiful city was spectacular.

The next day we were lucky enough to have the beautiful weather continue and we went to Bois de Bologne, a lake on the eastern edge of Paris. It was stunning and reminded me surprisingly enough of Bloomfield Hills, MI which I didn't even think I remembered much of considering how young I was when I lived there. You can rent boats across the river, but most people come to picnic or bike ride around the lake's edges.

Last week I went to the Theatre des Champs Elysees to see an orchestra play. It was beautiful and not only was the theatre lovely but the street it is on, Avenue Montaigne, has the most glamorous stores. The street was lit up and the store windows for places like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Nini Ricci, and pretty much every other designer store that appears in Vogue had the most decadently decorated store windows. The eiffel tower glitters at the end of the street and is nothing short of spectacular. Afterwards we went to Laduree for their world famous macaroons. The bar where you can order them is majestic and looks like the inside of a Forest, a la "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The macaroons came in seasonal flavors like chestnut, pistachio, praline, and other assortments of mouth watering flavors.

On thursday, we departed for Barcelona, Spain! I went with my good friends Flannery, Juliette, Andrew, and Maaike. It was one of my favorite weekends ever, nothing but fun from start to finish! We were a little worried that our flight could be canceled because of the incessant strikes in Paris affecting all forms of transportation in, out, and through the city. It seems they're on strike now more often than not, which has become frustrating. However, we were very lucky and we made it to flight with spare time and it was on schedule. We arrived in lovely Barcelona a short plane ride later and were greeted with warm, lovely weather, after we had heard that it might rain all weekend. We got to our hostel which was a bit like Summer Camp. Due to our procrastination, we stayed in a room with 8 bunk beds and 16 people. We had to find the humor in this situation and were happy to report that we had a great experience overall while staying there. We dropped our bags off right away and wandered down Las Ramblas, a fun street with lots happening although it is rather touristy. Then we went to the beach which was a short walk from our hostel and it was sooooo wonderful to see the coast again! I missed it so much and we caught a beautiful sunset while sipping a bit of champagne in a little open air cafe on the beach. Later that evening we socialized a bit with our fellow hostel mates who were very entertaining. We had a plethora of Swedish, Danish, and British travelers who were fun to meet. Later that night we went out to a club on the beach which was so much fun and it was great to have nice weather.

The next day we went to see Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi's famous buildings. We saw a cathedral under construction, that he was commissioned to create but has since been restored and added onto since his death in the 1920's. We wandered around the streets of Barcelona that day and ended up at the Gaudi house later which was beautiful as well. Later in the afternoon we headed to the beach to soak up as much sun as possible before two months of cold, rainy days. It was lovely and we enjoyed fresh sangria and tapas Spain is so famous for in another one of the little cafes. At this point, it seemed as though life wouldn't be able to get any better than this. However, our lovely weekend continued and that night we went out exploring the city visiting its busy nightlife and had a wonderful time meeting local and tourist people alike.

Our last real day there we spent at Park Guell commissioned by Eusebi Guell and designed by Gaudi was meant for Spanish aristocracy to explore and enjoy which is apparent by its beauty. To get there, after the subway stop you hike up a steep hill and climb to a mountain peak where a stone cross is perched at the top of the hill. It has such an incredible view of the city that extends all the way to the ocean. Afterwards you wander down to a courtyard with palm trees, and mosaic tiles lining seating areas all around. There are unique sculptures and jungle like plants all over the park making us feel like we were in a South American jungle. Afterwards, we ate traditional Paella which was delicious. I always think it's fun to sample as much traditional cuisine as possible when in a new city or country, after all its what they do best, so its usually always good. We then headed back to the beach and went for a Mediterranean swim was was fabulous. However, in the water my friend stepped on some kind of creature ( we never found at exactly what it was). At first we thought she was fine but she said the pain kept getting worse. We decided to take her to the beach hospital up the street where she was treated. We again all had to laugh at the situation we were in, winding up in a Spanish hospital, but we knew she'd be fine, as did she, and in a couple of hours she was out and ready to go again. We walked around the city and went to an old cathedral, heard some traditional music, and went down side streets to see cute shops. Later we went to a famous club in Barcelona called Razzmatazz that was recommended to us by nearly all of our friends who had previously been to Barcelona. Our flight left very early the next morning and got back to Paris in the afternoon and were greeted with very chilly weather.

Observations about Barcelona: The best way I could describe it would be a mixture of San Diego, with European influences, older architecture, and way more nightlife. Sometimes it felt like we were Mexico, sometimes in California, and sometimes jungle...but I absolutely loved it! All the things it reminded me of are things I love and miss!

The nightlife is unlike anything I have ever seen and most definitely rivals Paris. People literally do not go home to 7am, each night! I don't know how they do that so often but it is definitely a party city.

Catalan is much different than I was expecting. I have never been more confused. The spanish I do know ended up being taken over by the French I have been learning and my speech became a combination of Fraspanglish. Most people speak English however and would begin speaking it after I would say something like, "Je voudrais an appetizer por favor."

There is a more casual lifestyle in Barcelona than in Paris. It has more of a beach town feeling while Paris is very formal and glamorous. No one dares leave their house without looking fabulous in Paris and there is a more stoic quality to the people making it seem more formal and glamorous. Spain seemed much different and it was fun to be immersed in a new kind of culture.

Spain is definitely somewhere I want to visit again and hope to go back to Barcelona, one day soon hopefully!

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!