The Museum week.
The third week was full of musuem visits. This is the Museum D'Orsay. This museum is full of the Impressionists and pre-impressionists work. Very nice. I got an audio guide here. It was a lot more useful than just wondering around the musuem looking at paintings. I like to know the history of the paintings and the details about them.
We also visited the Invalides. It houses Napolean's tomb as well as a comprehensive history of military in France, from like the middle ages up to current.
We also went to the Rodin Museum. Most of his works are displayed in the gardens of the Rodin Musuem, including the Thinker.
My roommate and I checked out the Victor Huge museum. While I am not a HUGE fan of his, it was interesting.
Shopping time.
July is a big sale month in France. And the one thing I learned how to do was bargain in French. That was fun. My favorite place to shop was the HUGE flea market north of town. After going there I didn't shop in Paris any longer. I mean I got a 45-60 Euro shoes for 15 Euro. Seriously. I got to buy twice as much as I would have in Paris. Mmmmm....retail therapy is good for the soul.
Sitting on the beach, drinking Evian...Welcome to the Riveria life!
WOW! This is the beautiful private beach that I sat at for 3 days straight. Well one of those days I went to Eze Village.
The beaches in Nice aren't made of sand, they are rocky. Like pebbles and larger rocks. I wiped out while coming out of the water and skinned and bruised my knees up. Nothing like red bruised knees to go with the red bikini.
Now, this is France, and they do go topless at this(and all)beaches. I thought about joining in, but I am not that French yet!
I ate the best food in Nice. Much better than in Paris, or more suitable to tourists tastes. Either one.
I had a beautiful few days and I didn't want to leave. Wouldn't you love to live at the beach in Nice? I sure as heck do!
EW! I am sick!
Yuck. I got sick while I am here. I think the whole dorm has it too. It sucks to be sick in Paris. I tried really hard not to get sick, since I was feeling sick when I arrived. I think the all night party on Bastille Day really did me in.
Besides that eevrything has been quite fun. I am really excited about going to Nice this weekend. I booked a sun lounger and a parasol at a private beach. They provide everything fo you which is nice.
My recent trek was to the flea market, where everything was like a third of the prices in Paris.It was really fun. I brought my roomate to it the next day. I am not sure how I am going to get everyting home. I will probably have to FedEx it there.
Today I go to the Museè D'Orsay with my group. I have yet to visit the Eifell Tower. I have to do that before I go or I will feel that I haven't really visited Paris. I think I might do that tonight.
I hope that you are all having fun. I miss all my friends and family and I wish that you could all be here to share in the fun that I am having. I will see you all soon! Only one real week left!
Two weeks into the trip
Two weeks into the trip and everyone has really gotten to know each other. My roommate noticed on the bus yesterday that everyone, sitting side by side next to their friends, started openly bashing on other people in the group.
I mean after living with people for two weeks you get to know them really well. This is a good thing because now I know who I want to avoid at all costs.
I completely gave up on going to our "group activities." No. 1 you had to get up at like 7am to catch the bus at 8am. Then there was the terrible, cramped, uncomfortable bus-think like the seats were 2/3 the size of the Southwest Airline's seats. YUCK! Oh, and there was no real air conditioning, ew!
So this weekend I skipped out on the cramped bus trips to random places. I just think that they are trying to fill up our time. Today I went to the one of the many French history museums, Museè Carnavalet. It focused mostly on the time leading upto the French Revolution, during the French revolution and through the first Napoleonic empire. It was neat, but now I am maxed out on French History -upto the Revolution. If I hear about another King Louis I might chop some heads of my own.
I finished my day, so far, at the Museè Picasso. Very cool. There were two paintings I was particularly drawn to. They were "fixed pastel and oil on canvas." I had never seen this medium before. It was bright and colorful and a complete mystery. I am trying to figure out how he used to two mediums together. Which part did he paint and which were the pastels. Very beautiful, very bright. I could go there again. But I don't have the time.
Next week I will make my first official trip to the Eiffel Tower. And off to Montemarte and Sacrè Cour. I really don't have any shopping scheduled until after Nice. At which time I will have to revaluate my money situation. FUN!
French culture or so I have learned
In my, over two weeks, in Paris I have learned a lot about French culture.
Ordering "water" gets you a small 6 Euro bottle of Evian. Instead, to ask for like regular water you have to order a "carafe l'deau." And you can't just order a carafe of water to drink. The French look down on that. Instead you have to order at least one thing to drink. I usually order Canada Dry.
Parisan drivers think they own the road. Today I was crossing the street, and it was legal I had the little green walking man sign, and a car gunned their engine right as I stepped in front of it. For no apparent reason at all. This wasn't the first time this has happened.
Cafès are usually only open from 12noon until 2:30pm and then from 7pm to 12midnight. It was hard to adjust to having to eat around those times, especially when I first got here. But as time goes on I keep on eating later and later.
Despite all these cafès there are other places to eat. I avoid eating out at the dinner hour because prices for meals are higher and you CAN'T just order a salad. You have to order at least two dishes. Oh, and entreès are not the main dish, plats are. GO FIGURE!
So half of adjusting to life in Paris was just getting used to the different eating culture. But luckily there is a place nearby that serves American style sandwichs like all day. Without them my eating budget would half to be doubled.
Bastille Day celebrations
Bastille Day celebrations started the night before Bastille Day. Me and some friends from the dorm dressed up and went to the Bastille, where the old Prison used to be. Now it is a huge square with a beautiful new Opera House at it.
There was a party in the square. It was a huge concert celebrating the music of Brasil. Apparently every year France chooses a different country to "celebrate" on Bastille Day. This year is was Brasil.
After hanging out at the concert for a bit we headed off to the "fireman's ball." It is a huge party held at each of the firehouses in France. The biggest and rowdiest firehouse happened to be located just down the street from our dorm.
When we got there at midnight there was a line to get in that snaked around the firehouse and down the block. I was not too excited to wait to get in so my firend, Diana and I looked for another way in. And we found it. We went in the exit and it wasn't hard to do. Just as my dad says, "act like you know exactly what you are doing(or where you are going) and no one will question you." Once again we have provedc this to be true.
The fireman's ball ending up being a club like situation. A lot of sweating bodies squished together dancing. Except this place was covered with firemen with their shirts off. Which isn't that impressive of a scene, given the guys here are not buff at all.
Oh well. The night ended in a local cafe where we ate crepes and whatever else sounded good at 4 in the morning.
When I woke up the next day I went, with my roommate to the Champs Elyseè and looked at the place all decorated with French flags, quite cool. We ended the night watching the fireworksd go off at the Eiffel Tower. Cool. then I went to bed because I was tired.
Yeah, next weekend I am taking a trip to Nice. Some quite time at the beach getting a tan and swimming in the
Mediterranean. YEAH!
Ciào-Marisa
It's going to get hot here!
I hate the heat. They said it aill get close to the 90s today. YUCK! I think I will go hang out in the shade at the Luxemburg Gardens. Thank Heavens there is a lot of shade there.
Yesterday Olivia, a girl in my program, and I went out for my first real meal at a cafe(sans homework.) I had some yummy salmon. I was a little scared about ordering fish in europe since the last time someone I know did it ended up to be Bat Ray- like a stingray. YUCK!
We then went and recharged my cell phone, since it was completely out of minutes. I went to a small Tabac store, like a newspaper stand. It was my first complete conversation in French. I paid for the card and then asked him to recharge it for me, since the whole cell phone instructions are in French and I don't know what they are saying. He was kind enough to do it for me and I was so grateful. I said merci beaucoup.
So everything is going well here. Even the language is making some sense. I still haven't decided what to do for my free weekend. Hopefully I will figure that out soon.
Me at the Louvre. I really am here!
This is my roommate
This is my rommate Anne Chung. She is from neighboring Santa Clara University. She is a lot younger than I am, but she doesn't look like it! She is the perfect roommate to have while here in France.
Getting ready to party
In the middle of the week the French celebrate Bastille Day. It is an ultra-clebration like no other here.
The celebration starts the night before, July 13th. Around 11 p.m. all the Fire Stations in France hold a "Ball." And I happen to being staying within blocks of the most popular Fire Station in the city. It will make for quite an evening.
The next day there will be a military parade on the Champs Eleysee. Followed by a giant picnic in Luxemburg gardens, near where I live. That evening, once it gets dark, there will be fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. They told us not to go to the Eiffel Tower, but to one of the many bridges around the city. There is one only a few blocks from here. We believe the partying ends roughly early, by Parisian standards, becuase all the shops open at the normal times the next day. There is a rumor going around that even the Louvre will be open, for free, on Bastille Day. That might be intereseting.
Well I am off to do homework. I am studying here!
The answer to Frenchmen
I walk around alone a lot and eat in cafes alone a lot too. This is really nicz for me since I don't have to cater to someone else's needs all the time. Unfortunately this leaves me open to being hit on by bold Frenchmen. I think they see a girl alone and zero in on them. I am not sure why.
But I cant tell them to go away in French, since I don't know how. Instead I tell them I don't speak French. But that seems to excite them more. I have learned how to deal with this problem. Since Frenchmen are so persistant there are only a few things you can say to make them go away. This is what I tell them. I am only here for a day and that I am on my way to meet my friends for lunch/dinner. Where am I staying: Hotel le Pantolon Rouge(red pants). --Holla to Sean for teaching me that phrase--- That usually exhausts all efforts by them. The fake hotel is the best because no one can walk me home becuase they don't know where my fake Hotel is. And who wants to pursue a girl who had literally, no time for them. Darn.
This should be a fun month.
Do I look French to you?
Apparently I do. I am constantly having people ask me for directions to somewhere is Paris. And they usually ask in French. I usually reply with a blank stare, seeing that I have NO CLUE what this person just said to me. I then begin to tell them I don't speak French. That usually doesn't stop them from then asking me in English. I have walked around this city so much that I can usually give someone pretty accurate directions, in English.
Hopefully by the end of my classes I will be able to understand what someone is saying and be able to answer them in French. Hopefully.
A beautiful weekend in Brittany
This past weekend was spent with my group in the seaside town of St. Malo in the Province of Brittany. It was goregous. We were told it is not normally that pretty there. So we were lucky.
While there the group went and visited one of the seven wonders of the world, Mount St. Michel. It is a town literally, built on top of an island. You cant see the top of the mountian like island because there is an ancient Church that had been constructed on top and around it. The village takes up the rest of the island. Then, before France altered it, the water of the island would lower with the tide and leave it accesible by foot, on marshy grounds.
Modern technology has made it so they were able to block and drain the water in the surrounding area. They then built a road connecting the land to the island. Announced recently was to retsore this wonder to its naturel glory and make it an island again. The project is about to begin and will take around 20 years to complete. Crazy. People really need to make up their minds.
Now I haved return to Paris. Not as beautiful as Brittany. Right now everyone is gearing up for Bastille Day on the 14th. We have been told it is going to be one heck of a party. Let's see how it compares to Rome on New Years Eve....
