What I've been up to..

-Fondue (yum..Michael you will be proud of me that I did try one piece of beef)

-School, this is my class building

-Ice skating in front of the Hôtel de Ville

-Wandering around, this is the Saint-Eustache church which I've never heard of but we stumbled upon it last night

-On Friday nights the Louvre is open until 10, so yes I conquered some more of it before heading out last night!  

In other news, my busy schedule caught up with me yesterday when my 1 hour sieste somehow turned into a 4 hour nap!  It was a real challenge to emerge from that foggy, sleepy feeling afterwards.  Also, I just said au revoir to my 21 year old host sister who is leaving for her second semester in Korea today.  Now I am preparing to meet some friends for a picnic in Montmartre-- definitely one of my favorite spots.  

Hopefully tomorrow I will be planning what remains of my spring break trip!  The first week Mom, Dad and Michael will be here and after a few days in Paris we will be going to Brussels, Bruges, and Amsterdam.  Then my tentative plans are to meet up with a friend in Seville, then hit Granada and Barcelona.  I'm hoping to plan a weekend in the south of France in early May and if that works out, then I'll be visiting all of those places as well as Strasbourg (last weekend), Madrid (next weekend), Prague (March 13-15), Geneva & Interlaken (May), and day trips to Fontainebleau, Rouen & Giverny.  Sounds like more 4 hour naps are inevitable! 

Busy girl!

I sure know how to keep myself busy.  It really seems like there is not a spare minute in my day, but that's okay! Yesterday was a beautiful day.  After class I went to a coffee shop with an upstairs seating area and started studying for my test that's tomorrow.  Then, met up with some friends for lunch at one of the student restaurants (only 2.85 euro for a pretty decent lunch!).  

We decided that since it was a gorgeous day we wanted to do something outside, and ended up heading to Père Lachaise, which is a giant cemetery in the 20th arrondissement (east Paris) and is also supposedly the most visited cemetery in the world.  Everyone buried here has a tomb- it's a huge contrast from cemeteries in the U.S.  

There are a ton of famous people buried there, including Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Eugene Delacroix, and Heloise & Abelard.  There's lots of normal people too- apparently you can still purchase plots here but they are very expensive.  I forgot to bring my camera but here is a picture I found online of Heloise & Abelard's tomb:

Even though it seems creepy to go to a cemetery (it kind of is...), it was very peaceful and beautiful- the cemetery is massive and full of hills, staircases, and tons of different tomb varieties.  Afterwards a few of us just sat in a cafe talking for a few hours, then headed home and I studied some more.

Today after class I went to the apartment of the other American girl in my class (she has her own apartment here for the semester), had lunch and studied some more.  It was beautiful and in a great location, but it also made me glad to be in a homestay because I am much more immersed in the culture and the language.  

Then my Paris Civilization & Culture class met at the Cluny Museum.  Some of the walls are restored from the Roman baths present there when Paris was Lutetia- part of the Roman Empire.  Then, other parts are from the medieval castle built on the grounds in the 1500's.

The main focus of the visit was seeing the Unicorn Tapestries, as we just read a novel about them.  The intricate detail is amazing but it was very challenging to capture it in a photo, because the rooms are dimly lit and no flash is allowed in order to preserve them.

 It also featured the original heads of the Kings of Judah which are some of the sculptures on the outside of Notre Dame.  During the French Revolution,  all of the statues were beheaded and the original heads were found only a few decades ago.  

Now I am off to study a bit more before meeting friends for happy hour and to go out to fondue for dinner!  I've only had 'real' fondue once in the states but I am interested to see what it's like here.  

Random, but one of the little things I've noticed is that in the U.S. "bonjour" is taught to mean "Hello."  It does mean that, but if it could technically be considered evening and you say "bonjour" it's like saying "good morning" (means good day) and you are supposed to say "bonsoir" instead.  All of us Americans are struggling with remembering to switch over to bonsoir.

Bonne Soirée! (Have a good night!)  

I am on a mission...

A mission to conquer the Louvre!  How many people can say they've literally been to every room of the Louvre?  I'm guessing not many but hoping to join their ranks!  

Some interesting facts about the Louvre:

-Almost 35,000 objects are on display, while the collection includes 380,000 pieces.

-Total exhibition area is over 652,000 square feet.

-It has been a museum of some sort since 1793, before that it was a royal palace.  

-Last year, 8.5 million people visited it!

Anyway, I kicked things off yesterday.  I got my student card last week which gives me unlimited access.  That means that I was able to spend just two hours there without feeling guilty about getting my money's worth: the perfect amount of time to not feel too "museumed out" in my opinion.  

So far, I've only conquered about half of the Egyptian Antiquities section.  When I was ready to go, it took me about a half hour to get out!  Anyway, I grabbed a map and I'll be checking off rooms and sections as I complete them, wish me luck.  I'll keep you all updated! 

More Strasbourg pictures

Here's two more pictures I'd like to share...

All six of us on top of the cathedral

Then we decided to get a little higher...

Strasbourg is gorgeous!

I returned late last night from my adventure in Strasbourg. We arrived late Friday night, checked into our hostel, and found a restaurant that was open to grab some dinner. Then we wandered around a bit and first encountered the beautiful, massive cathedral. It was incredible at night and we couldn't wait to check it out the next day.

Saturday morning, the two groups (of three girls each, staying in different hostels) met up at the cathedral. We went inside and watched an interesting presentation on its giant astronomical clock and, at 12:30, watched it come to life. I've never seen anything like it in person!

Then we went on a boat cruise in Strasbourg's Ill river and canals which was fun and gave us a good idea of the layout of the city. We also spotted the buildings of the European Union Parliament.

With 6 girls on the trip, when we heard there was a chocolate museum we knew we couldn't pass it up. It was a trek to get there and kind of cheesy, but still fun and tantalizing to the senses! Afterwards we went to dinner where we all split dishes of spaetzle and tartes. Since Strasbourg has been part of both Germany and France throughout history, (currently French), there is a huge German influence in the food, the architecture, and the people. Spaetzle is kind of like a mix between mac & cheese and gnocchi, and tarte is like a thin crusted pizza.

After dinner we walked around the tourist district which is called Le Petite France and boasts some very cute half-timbered houses. Strasbourg doesn't quite boast the nightlife that Paris does, but we managed to find a fun bar to chit chat, dance, and people watch.

Sunday morning, we all met up at the cathedral again with lots of energy to climb to the top tower. Keep in mind, this was the world's tallest building from when it was finished in 1439 until 1874. Add that to a miniscule spiral staircase and you are really in for a treat. Luckily, it was totally worth it, we had the top to ourselves and it was a great view. We could even see Germany's black forest, which the Hansel & Gretel story is based on.

Then we headed to two mediocre museums, the Musee de l’Oeuvre Notre-Dame and Musee des Arts Decoratifs. They were interesting at first but you can only look at so much medieval stonework and 18th century porcelain before things get redundant. By then it was about time to head out so we grabbed some hot chocolate and pretzels, took the tram to the train station and in two hours flat we were back in Paris.

Overall, it was a fun trip and a great start to my travels. Now I have a busy week ahead of me including French class, Paris Civilization class at the Cluny Museum, a visit to the Picasso museum, and a fondue party!  I have a few more great Strasbourg pictures that another girl took which I will post when she emails them to me!

Notre Dame

Today, my Paris Civilization & Culture Class met at Notre Dame.  We lucked out with a sunny day and learned about the three rose stained glass windows and the biblical stories told in the carvings surrounding each of the doors.  Unfortunately my attention wore out and I thought about Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame when it got time to discuss Victor Hugo's novel.  Oh well!  

After the class I wandered around a little bit and checked out the Holocaust memorial that is near Notre Dame.  

I ended up by the Hôtel de Ville (city hall).  Then because I had to study, pack, pick up some food for lunch tomorrow, and maybe indulge in une petite sieste, I skipped happy hour with friends and headed home.  

This paid off because a woman who lives on the third floor of my apartment building was visiting with my host madame.  We chatted for a few minutes before they headed out to go for a walk-- when they came back my host madame said the lady wanted to know if I could babysit for her four year old son on Monday afternoons!  They are from Montreal so he speaks English-- babysitting a four year old who is better at his second language than I am is going to be depressing, but being paid in Euros is going to be fabulous! 

I'm off to study for my test tomorrow and pack for Strasbourg.  I still have the sniffles but thankfully don't feel as awful.  

If I was a rich girl...

What better way to ward off illness than a little (window) shopping?  After class today I checked out Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette, two of Paris' big department stores.  I must say that nothing can really compare to Harrods, but I love seeing the elaborate displays.  

My phonetics class started today and I think it will be very helpful.  Unlike most of the AU students here, I've only taken one semester of French so I haven't had any time to develop any sort of accent or even a feel for the pronunciation of a lot of words.  It's been a lot of trial and error so far but the class should help me move along at a faster pace.  

After class, before shopping I went to the Musee National Eugene Delacroix.  I really like Delacroix's work and the museum was in his most recent apartment and studio from the 1800's.  It was quite small and most of his more important work is at the Louvre or Musee d'Orsay, but now I have context for his work!

While waiting to meet friends I peeked into the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres, which was gorgeous.  I've never seen so much painting on the inside of an old church, usually it's strictly stone and stained glass.  Also I like finding the occasional oasis of calm amidst the crazyness of Paris!  It's kind of sad though because after struggling to (somewhat) translate and understand the history of the Abbey, you step outside and can spot a Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and other crazy-expensive shops.  C'est la vie.

My illness has transformed into a bad cold, now I am able to breathe solely through my throat instead of solely through my nose.  Fun!  On the whole, I'm feeling better and am hoping for a miraculous recovery before I ship out to Strasbourg on Friday afternoon.

Je suis malade

I woke up this morning with a throat so swollen I can barely swallow.  I've self diagnosed myself with strep throat.  I usually get either strep or bronchitis every single winter, so that combined with not getting enough sleep and exposure to new bugs/strains that my body's not used to has resulted in a sick Lauren!

Luckily, the pharmacies here can give out medicine that's a lot stronger than what's offered in the U.S.  I wrote down what I wanted to say in French and the pharmacist gave me two medicines..Mom here they are since you wanted to know.

Besides that I'll be sure to self medicate with naps and tea but getting up at 6 every day isn't particularly going to help.

Yesterday I ended up going to the Musee d'Orsay which was wonderful.  It has mainly impressionist art, and it's always neat to spot artwork that you actually recognize in a museum.  It was very crowded though so I'll need to head back on a weekday.  

Afterwards a few of us headed to the Marais, which is a Jewish district and one of the few places in Paris where things are actually open on Sundays!  I then experienced something life-changing: incredible falafel.  I'd had falafel before in the states but nothing compared to this.  Forget crepes, this was totally the best food I've had since I got here!  We just stumbled upon the place but I just googled it and found a New York Times article about it-- so I guess not exactly a 'hidden' treasure.  

Off to do massive amounts of reading and rest up to kick this sickness in the butt!

What a wonderful weekend!

This weekend has been lovely.. nice weather combined with friends visiting from studying abroad in London!  Friday we all went out in a big group to a few different places and had a blast.  Yesterday, a friend's host family was gone for the day so two of us went over for lunch.  She lives near the Arc de Triomphe in a massive, beautiful apartment with fantastic old-style molding and ceilings.  I love to see where people live so this was really fun for me.

Then we enjoyed the lovely day and went for a walk down the Champs-Elysees towards the Louvre.  Even though it was a really long walk, it felt great to be outside.  We stopped at the Petit Palais on the way.

 Mostly, the structure of the building impressed me much more than the art on display because the floors were very intricately mosaic-ed and the cielings had incredible moldings and paintings.  They did have this Monet painting though which I loved, it is not as dark in person:  

Then we met up with the Londoners for hot chocolate at the Louvre and got out student Louvre cards which get us in for free there and at the Delacroix museum which I am very excited to see!  

Our program basically gave us fake student ID cards that say we are studying Art History which gets us into lots of museums for free.  At this point the Londoners wanted to go down and picnic by the Eiffel Tower but some of us split off because a) it was very cold and b) until then I had successfully forgotten it was Valentines Day in the "most romantic city in the world" and I didn't need to see fifteen proposals to remind me!

Instead we went to some strange Greek restaurant that had a boar's head mounted on the wall because it had a 10 euro menu and they hustled us in by offering free sangria.  Afterwards we ended up going out with some French guys that one of the girls in my program knew.  That was fun even though they spoke only French (very rapidly!) to us, so it was a major effort for me to follow the conversation.

Have I mentioned that out of the fifteen people in my program, three of us are named Lauren?  We are all friends too, so when introducing ourselves to the French guys last night, 3 out of the 5 of us were Laurens.  I don't even know what kind of impression that makes.  

Phew! Thank gosh for Sundays because after typing all of this out, I'm tired just thinking about it!  Today I think I'll mostly do homework, and go to another girl's apartment for dinner.  Also, I am booking my flight to Prague today!  I found a great 2-for-1 flight deal online, so me and a friend are going the weekend of March 13-15.   

Did you know..?

(This is me in deep thought about these fun Paris facts)

-The writing on the spine of French books goes in the opposite direction of English books..so if you place a book face up on a table, the writing on the spine will be upside down!

- There are 5,975 streets and boulevards in Paris.  I've only been lost on about 5 of them so far.

-There are 40,000 public monuments and 536 fountains in the city.

-I've paid anywhere between 40 cents and 3 euro for a (plastic) bottle of water.

-Lindt chocolate sells a chili flavored chocolate bar here.

-In a lot of places, getting a glass of wine is cheaper than getting a diet coke!

In other news..unlimited metro is the best thing ever! For 5 euro, you can buy a metro card here and then for 50 euro you can refill it every month.  Otherwise, it's 1.60 euro for each ride, and I've figured out that without the unlimited pass I'd be spending at least 150 euro a month!  

I had my first test in class today..it was mostly review for me so I think it went pretty well, but I'll see how I do grade-wise.  We've been warned that they grade very differently here- getting an 8/20 is a passing grade, 12/20 is good, and anything above 15/20 is considered superb.  At home, I'd be in a panic if I got a 15/20!  

Today the weather features a delightful mixture of snow, sleet, and rain. Bienvenue à Paris!  At least it's the weekend.  

A nice day.

After class, a nap was pretty tempting but I couldn't waste a day without rain or snow!

Here's the view of Notre Dame if you take a left out of my class building.

Then, turn left again and hit Shakespeare & Co, a really famous English/American bookstore. 

Then I had to take a test to be placed into a phonetics class and the woman told me I was in the highest class-subset of my level.  Awesome!  

I can't believe I hadn't taken this photo until today..we definitely have a family photo from a few years back in the exact same spot. Someone should have pointed out how much I blended into the bush though.

The Thinker in the sculpture garden of the Rodin Museum-- I know nothing about sculpture but I DO know this is baby's pretty famous.

Overall, a good day!  I'm definitely going to sleep well tonight-- all this walking on cobblestone streets all over the city can really tire a girl out!

I'm going to Strasbourg!

Next weekend (Feb 20-22) I am going with two friends to Strasbourg, in the Alsace region of France!  I'm very excited because the pictures look incredible and it will be great to see other parts of France besides just Paris.  Also, I booked a flight to Madrid for March 6-8 will be fun.  My roommate Kim from last semester is studying there so she will be my tour guide & hostess.  After taking so many years of Spanish, it will be my first time in a Spanish speaking country!

Today was my first day of class. It was basically a hurricane when I went outside, and still completely dark out when I got out of the metro around 7:30, so that's going to take some getting used to.  My building was very hard to find in the midst of hurricane-like weather, luckily I made it on time.  It's very very near Notre Dame and the famous bookstore Shakespeare & Co.  

My professor seems very kind, and there are only three Americans including myself in my class!  There are also students from China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Russia, Australia, and a few other places.  This will probably be great for learning the language because French will be our only common language-- no English in that classroom!

Then I had my Paris Civilization & Culture class which will be fun.  We learn about, and then go to Notre Dame, Musee du Cluny, the Louvre, the Pantheon, Musee d'Orsay, Opera Garnier, Montmartre, Saint Germain & the Latin Quarter, and Belleville, plus watch two French films.  I don't think it will be too hard, except that it will be alot of reading.  Also what better way to learn French & Parisian history than to actually experience it!?  

Thanks again for the comments everyone! I definitely love reading them.  The picture is of me and a friend in front of one of the many Sorbonne buildings.  If it's nice out tomorrow (doubtful) I'll take some of the building I have class in- it's tres chic!  Now off to do homework.

My schedule (sucks)

This morning I finally got my class schedule.  Of course, we were told the wrong building to go to to pick up our tests results/schedule.  Luckily, it wasn't raining (yet) so I walked with a few friends to the correct building about 30 minutes away.  It was a nice walk- right by Jardin du Luxembourg and the Pantheon.  

Of course I'm in the first of 5 levels-- but some others were disappointed- people that have taken French for 8-10 years placed into the 'beginner' level-- second out of 5.  eek!  I have class with at least one girl in my program which will be nice.  Also, my class is on the Left Bank of the Seine near Notre Dame, which is a great area. 

Onto the bad part: I have class at 8am everyday.  This means I have to get up at like 6!  

My schedule:

8-10am every day:  French class

10:30-11:30am every day, every other week: French phonetics class

1-2:30 Tuesday & Thursday: Paris Civilization & Culture class

Classes start tomorrow! Apparently all notebook paper here is graph paper which I'm definitely going to hate.  Besides school stuff I've just been working on planning travel which is really stressful when you're working with a group of people, limited funds, different ideas of what is expensive, etc.  I'm booking my flight to Madrid to visit Kim tonight though! 

PS: It has either rained or snowed 7 out of the 8 days I've been here. C'est terrible!

Castle visit!

Today we went to see the castle! It was incredible, when we pulled up I could not believe that people actually lived there. It has been in their family for a long time- the grandfather told me it was built in the 18th century, and German soldiers seized it and lived in it during World War II. There's not much more I can say because the pictures speak for themselves!

The sign from the road. I haven't googled it yet but I'm sure there's info online!


Pulling up to the gate


Me in front of the Chateau


Entranceway


Sitting area


The old kitchen (They only use/renovated the right half of the house so the left half is still old style, unheated, and not really useable)


The bedroom they had to keep at all times for the Archbishop's visits


Writing from when the German's occupied the Chateau


A great view of the whole place: yes those are swans


Of course they have horses, this guy was my favorite


I have so so many more pictures, but they take forever to upload! When I get back I will be sure to share with everyone. It was about a 1.5 hour drive from Paris, after I got back I met friends in the Latin Quarter and got dinner and hot chocolate. Now I'm getting ready for bed and I finally find out my class schedule tomorrow. Then classes start on Tuesday!

EDIT: this website has some great panoramic photos of the Chateau.

They live in a castle!?

Yesterday was unremarkable besides carrying on a full conversation with my host mom in French.  We were tres, tres American by going out for pizza and then to an Irish bar..but they really were the only place that had room for so many people.  

Today I skipped out on touristy stuff with friends because my host mom's ex-husband's dad was coming over for lunch.  He's 94 and doesn't speak a word of English but still managed to ask me about Obama..like most people do when they find out I'm American.  Speaking of Obama, the pizza place we went to had a special "Obama Pizza" which I thought was pretty silly.

Then, my host sister's friends from her university in Korea were visiting, so despite the snow we ventured out!  First, I found out that my host mom's parents live in an apartment with this view:

THEN I FOUND OUT THIS IS THEIR SECOND 'HOME' AND THEIR REAL HOUSE IS A CASTLE.  REALLY!

So, I'm trying to drop hints that I desperately want to see it!  And keeping my camera charged at all times in hopes that I get to.

Anyway, tonight we somehow got 6 euro tickets to the ballet which was neat. I don't think I've ever seen a ballet besides friend's dance recitals.  Luckily it was 3 short performances instead of one long one, so I didn't get as sleepy/bored as I feared.  Also, the Opera National de Paris (the building) was absolutely stunning.  My camera was dead by then but I'll be sure to get some pictures of it soon! 

Au revoir!  Cross your fingers that I get to see the castle soon...and thanks for all of the comments everyone!   

What I did today..

Kicked off the day with a meeting with my academic advisor-- just making sure all my classes are in order.

Then went to the Conciergerie- palace for French kings and eventual prison which had Marie Antoinette's cell. 

Right next door, Sainte-Chapelle.  Awesome cathedral with lots of stained glass that I admired- just one room (the upper sanctuary) had 1,113 scenes depicted in stained glass.

Then of course, some shopping.  I got a hair dryer, floss, & a navy blue/teal plaid scarf.

Checked out my school.

The sun came out so we headed up to Montmartre and enjoyed the view.

Entered Sacre-Coeur and the difference between the bustling outdoors and silent indoors was great.

Climbed down some steps and headed home.

Watched Grey's Anatomy in French with my Host Mom, and here I am!