7/17-7/18

Excursion to the Loire Valley

• Day 1...Beauuuutiful castles!
• Day 2...Beauuuutiful castles!

In all seriousness, it was stunning. The first day we viewed the Chateau de Chenonceau, seated on The Seine with three gardens, each one more beautiful than the next. My favorite was the smallest, which was not solely for aesthetic, but had a unique array of flowers and herbs.

We then payed a visit to the Clos de Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci's home. The gardens there were beautiful as well, and held modern interpretations of da Vinci's inventions (soooo neat!)

Afterwards, we attended a suprise wine tasting at an independent winery in the Loire, and I tried foie gras for the first time...it wasn't too bad! I'll just have to get over the mental block if I ever intend to eat it again.

The second day consisted of a visit to the Chateau de Chambord, which was the definition of extravagance. With twisting staircases, ornamented spires, and extensive gardens...I couldn't help but think I had landed in some sort of Harry Potter dimension. The castle, pictured above, is home to over 300 rooms, and was the mainstay of Francois I on his hunting expeditions.

We were able to rent out a boat or bikes this day to peruse around the castle, so Annie, Kate, and I braved the fierce waters of the moat in an aqueous vessel.

After our watery debut, we returned to a shop near the castle to sample the cookies and liqueur of the region. Delicious!!

Full of regional delicacies, we boarded the buses to return to Paris. What a FABULOUS weekend.

7/14-7/16

7/14 --Bastille Day!

• Viewed the Bastille Day fireworks from Pont Alexandre III, above is a picture just before the lights of the bridge turned on and before the fireworks started. The display was a little far away, but I'm using that as an excuse to come back and view them from the Eiffel Tower someday :)

7/15 Musee D'Orsay

• With walls riddled by masterpieces of the greats-Van gogh, Renoir, Monet, Courbet- the Musee D'Orsay is a must see. I could spend days in the museum and not once become bored. I believe I am going back when my family arrives, and I can't wait for another visit!

7/16 Another day of French class, and Pont des Arts

• French class as usual in the morning, but the night was what made the 16th of July reeeally something. There is a bridge called Pont des Arts, not far from Pont Neuf, on which Parisians, tourists, and any other folks who so desire to gather alike for picnics and chatting. My roommate and I met our friends Merisa, Kate, and Monica for just that, and observed the crowded bridge from our own little picnic corner. There were the friendly, and not so friendly along the walkway, but overall it made for a truly French experience.

7/11-7/14

7/11- The Catacombs!

• Talk about preconceptions...Annie (my roommate), Kate (a friend), and I paid a visit to the infamous catacombs below the city of Paris. I was surprised at how neatly the bones were arranged, and with designs even. I must admit I had expected it to be an Indiana Jones-like booby-trapped maze with remnants of the deceased flying at you and spiders attached to the walls waiting to strike...no such thing! I can't say if I was disappointed or relieved...

Nevertheless it's worth a trip to see how 16th/17th century Paris decided to store the departed.

7/12 Second trip to the Louvre

• Again, the Denon wing, this time to see European Romantic and Renaissance art, including that saucy minx, the Mona Lisa. (She's really not THAT tiny guys) <--but, again, I was expecting to see a 3x5 index card after hearing that for years. The other paintings in the wing were the eye-catchers, in my opinion. The Grande Odalisque, The Raft of the Medusa...etc! Unfortunately, the camera ran out of battery, but I anticipate going back.

7/13 Les Invalides

• Went with art and architecture to view L'Hotel national des Invalides, hosting Napoleon's tomb. The building itself is ornate in every way---> a gold plated dome, a replica of Bernini's Baldacchino in St. Peter's basilica, and so much more. Napoleon's resting place is a large. swirly coffin made of red porphyry, and holds several other tombs inside of marble, lead, and gold. How's that for a way out? Oddly enough Napoleon planned his burial situation detail for detail before he died.... too bad he didn't get to see it.

Recap!

Due to some unexpected computer wackiness and the hustle and bustle of the first week, I was unable to update...so here comes the recap! In a fancy schmancy bullet point format...and underline. (I messed with the Html of the blog and have no idea how to undo it, of course)

Day 1, June 29th:

• After an 11-turned-17 hour flight process I made it to Paris!! Sans baggage..but it was soon delivered.
• Arrived at my homestay, the Diaz family from Martinique in the 11th arrondissement, not too far from the Bastille.
• Went for a celebratory drink with the two other girls staying in the flat, toasting the beginning of our foreign adventures
• CRASHED

6/30:

• ISA orientation, discovered the Gardens of Luxembourg en route to class...gorgeous.
• Ate my first crepe! Ham and cheese :)
• ISA welcoming dinner at Le Petit Hostellerie...boeuf bourguignon and chocolate mousse mm!!
• Walked over to Shakespeare and Company for some book browsing
• CRASHED

7/1:

• First day of Art and Architecture-Visited the Musée de Cluny and the Arènes de Lutèce...quite a trip to the Middle Ages.
• Found a bright pinkish purple patisserie on the way back to the Metro and bought my first chocolate croissant and a strawberry slushy-like drink..so very yummy. I will be going back.

7/2:

• Day 2 of art and architecture-The Saint Julien de Pauvre and the Notre Dame. St. Julien ( the-supposedly-oldest church in Paris, next to the-supposedly-oldest oak tree) was closed unfortunately, but the Notre Dame was unreal. Crowded, of course, but so beautiful. Mass was in process, and the playing of the organ created a magnificent atmosphere to experience the cathedral for the first time. It even served as a sanctuary from the blazing heat that day.
• Walked with a few classmates to a pub after class, as we got out a bit early, and caught a bit of the world cup.
• Picnicked at the Eiffel Tower with my roommate, and saw it sparkle for the first time :)

7/3

• Woke up at an ungodly hour to make our way to St. Malo. It was WELL worth it. The walled city sits adjacent to the English Channel, and is as charming as can be. The weather was prime, the sky was blue, it was stunning.
• Ate some lovely seafood that night, and went out for ice cream and cocktails with some study abroad folks.

7/4

• Possibly the coolest day to date. Woke up early to grab some breakfast and make our way to Mont Saint Michel, another walled city...with a twist. The sea sits around the city for 5 hours at a time during the summer, until the tide goes out for 7 hours (and back in for 5 hours and so on). We arrived at a point across the bay in order to walk to the city over the ocean-less mud and sand for several miles-as people used to do (and clearly, still do) to make pilgrimages the the abbey at the top of the city. Through patches of quicksand and watery channels we walked, eventually making it to the outer walls by the early afternoon.
• Grabbed a quick lunch inside the city, and climbed the seemingly never-ending stairs to the abbey for a tour of it's many chambers and curiosities... like a human-sized hamster wheel contraption to open and close the main gate.
• Returned to Paris.

7/5

• French class testing-Intermediate I for me!
• A and A-The Louvre!! Grabbed a quick lunch before including a delicious cherry tart. Viewed a fraction of the Denon wing, including the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory.

7/6:

• First french class..wonderful professor, minimal homework...no complaints.
• Visited the Musee Carnavalet with A and A. Mainly consisted of art dedicated to the French Revolution, and other various war efforts. The Carnavalet had artifacts I never expected to see...such as a lock of Marie Antoinette's hair and toy soldiers her son played with while waiting to be guillotined. Morbid, but pretty darn awesome at the same time.

7/7:

• French class as usual from 9 to 12 and a trip to the Saint Chapelle and Pont Neuf with A and A. The Saint Chapelle was absolutely GORGEOUS. Stained glass made up the majority of the upper chapel, scattering colored light across the floor and inner walls. The apse was closed for renovation, unfortunately. (this is where the crown of thorns, burial cloths, and other such relics were held until they were moved to the vaults of the Notre Dame).
• Walked to Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, and Place Dauphine-which I believe is the oldest square in Paris as well.
• Took a boat ride on the Seine with the other folks in the program, after which we found a cafe in the Saint Michel area and chatted for the night.

7/8

• French class 9-12
• MUSÉE L'ORANGERIE!! Oh happy day...I saw Monet! 8 pieces of the Water Lilies series were on display, not to mention hundreds of other works by impressionist artists (Renoir, Matisse, Modigliani, Gauguin, Cézanne..) Best museum so far.
• Called it an early night..I MAY have finally adjusted!

7/9

• French class 9-12
• Headed to the Pont Neuf area to do a little shopping, and a lot of walking!
• Went out to a little place called Polly Maggoo with friends for the night, just around the corner from the Notre Dame.
• Had my first banana nutella crepe...I'm addicted.
• Walked back from Polly Maggoo to witness Paris in the late hours of the night. Found a local hangout spot...a bridge around the Pont Neuf area that was completely PACKED at 2 am with groups of young people...adorned with guitars, wine, cheese, and lots of smiles :) We only passed through this time, however.

7/10

• Today!! Finally!! I had the day off, and used it to visit the Sacre-Coeur and the Moulin Rouge in Montmartre. Weirdest sight in Paris so far? Some sort of uber-goth badass-looking club in the area...NO idea what it was. We merely saw hordes of people clad in black gathered together outside of this place, each ensemble of combat boots, leather, and fishnets rivaling the next. Intense.
• Sat a small cafe for some cappuccinos, finding that the walls of this place were covered in song lyrics, and some signed by the bands (Phoenix, Stone Temple Pilots, and Charlie Winston among them).
• returned home and wrote this baby!

Until tomorrow!