I just won't bother mentioning when these are "overdue" anymore. That's just silly.
4/2/2011
Good evening!
Before I knew it... Two weeks passed since my last email. I'm sure that's okay!
Last weekend I went to the Loire Valley (near Tours) to visit the Châteaux de la Loire--big, beautiful castles! Out of the many, many castles in the area, we only visited four, but they were all lovely. Since the trip was split over two days, we only went to two castles per day. On Saturday we went to Chambord (gigantic and known for its hunting grounds) and Chenonceau (much smaller in comparison but with gorgeous fresh flower arrangements in EVERY room), and stayed the night at a nice hotel in Tours, which was nearby. On Sunday we got up early (French breakfast; my favorite) and headed to Azay-le-Rideau (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Villandry (famous for having the most beautiful gardens in France). There were canopy beds everywhere, elaborate staircases (Chambord--it was a "double-helix" designed by da Vinci), the smell of flowers, signs of spring... and, of course, the recurring images of fire-breathing salamanders. Why...? I guess you could say call them the mascots of the Châteaux de la Loire... Salamanders were thought to be invincible to fire, and the royalty wanted to identify with that, to show that they were strong as well.
[attached pictures]
As for the rest of the week... Well, that was all about classes. I had phonetics again (it's only every other week), and had lots of work to do for everything. The weather wasn't very nice, so it wasn't very appealing to go out and explore before/after class. It finally warmed up by the end of the week, which was good, because we had another trip today!
This morning I met up with my program and we left for Champagne. Not very far from Paris at all--maybe about two and a half hours. We visited the Notre Dame de Reims (big cathedral) and happened to walk in on a choir's performance. They were from Strasbourg, sang in (what I thought was) Latin, and spoke in German. It was really beautiful. My camera battery died very early on in the trip, so I didn't take many pictures, but I liked being able to just sit down and enjoy everything without the camera always at my face. I know I've mentioned this before...
After the cathedral, we had a nice lunch (outside) in the town. The weather was probably around 70 degrees for most of the day. Perfect! I had a warm goat cheese salad (sounds a little weird, but probably one of the most delicious and typically French foods I've had here), got a small treat with friends at the nearby bakery/pastry shop, and then we left for our next destination: a little abbey near a seemingly endless vineyard, where Dom Perignon was laid to rest. Afterward we went to a champagne house, Mercier (founded in 1858), took a tour, and then tasted the champagne. Overall it was a great trip, and we were back in Paris by about 6:30PM.
I think that's about it for now! :)
My spring break is coming up. I'm just finalizing the details... but I will update again soon!
Hope to talk to you later!
Love,
- Maeghan
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Je voudrais GUÉRIR !
I keep getting sick and I am not a fan of it. My eye has been all leaky for two days and it's just gross. In short, I'm about 99% sure that I have pink-eye. Can't I just be healthy? I don't think I've ever been sick as frequently before. Why start when I'm in Paris?!
Friday, March 25, 2011
A Weekend in Belgium: Brussels & Bruges
Well, it's about time I talk about my trip to Belgium! After this, I will pretty much be up to date on my fancy European experiences.
... Until I get behind again, and we all know that'll happen at some point.
So, two weekends ago, I went on a weekend trip with Johanna, Alexandra, and Vanessa. We took a Eurolines bus to Bruxelles Midi. We booked the tickets for Friday at 5PM, and at least three of us had grammar class until 4. Not a lot of time to get to the station. Personally, I rushed. I asked if I could leave my class a little early, so that I'd be on-time (I thought I'd be finding the place on my own) and dashed down the streets of Paris, stopping to get a sandwich and some snacks at a grocery store for the (very long) ride. We all met up at Alexandra's foyer and had quite a time trying to get to the bus station... The metro must've been pretty backed up that day, because we kept stopping randomly between stations. It was very stressful, considering the rush we were in. If we didn't check in by 4:30, we supposedly wouldn't be able to board. Needless to say, we ran pretty much the entire time we weren't standing in a metro car.
[On somewhat of a side-note: when we were on the RER, which was very crowded, I noticed something strange that made me angry. We were pretty much packed like sardines in there, so there wasn't a lot of personal space. It didn't help that we had several bags between us. I had my travel bag with me. It was pretty full and it was slung over my shoulder. I'm very conscious of my belongings when I'm in a crowded place. I got this weird feeling and turned to my left, and, sure enough, this girl had her arm on my bag. I say this, knowing in full that I probably seem like a terrible person, but she looked like she could've been a gypsy, and I was ready to freak. Touching MY bag?! She saw that I was looking and said, « Pardon », or something like that, but I was already annoyed. I mean, she could've just had her arm on my bag because of the lack of space in the car... but I was not feeling sympathetic. Not that there were a lot of interesting things in there, but I was annoyed. I didn't pursue anything, though. I just dropped it from my mind until we got off. End of rant.]
By the time we finally got to the station, totally breathless, we realized that our effort was in vain. We had about 12 minutes so spare, which was great, but totally unnecessary. We didn't end up leaving until about 20 minutes or so after our scheduled departure time. Every seat was filled (and I saw some pretty angry people outside of the bus, who I guess weren't allowed on due to lack of space), and the four of us were, for the most part, spread out. I sat toward the front, and everyone else was further back. It was not the most comfortable ride, but it was pretty cheap, and that was important. My ticket cost 40€, round-trip.
We got to Brussels a little after 9, and then took a train to Bruges, where we would be spending the night. We had a room booked in a hostel there, waiting for us. Our goal: Check in by 11. Our problem: ... Where are we going?
Once we got off the train, we had to figure out which bus to take, and where to take it to. The funny thing about Bruges is that it's a part of Flanders, so they speak Flemish. We were advised by Alexandra's coworker (who is Belgian) to speak English there, rather than French, due to tension between the north and south. Whatever the reasons, we heeded her advice, and even took a little comfort in being able to return to our native language... but it was definitely an odd feeling. We asked what we needed to ask, and got to the part of town we needed to be in... Just without any clue as to where the hostel actually was. We tried stopping some people to ask for help, but didn't really get anywhere with that (although quite a few of them knew English). Even a girl who had lived in Bruges for a long time wasn't sure what to tell us. Not exactly reassuring...
... but then Alexandra randomly found it, so it was all good.
The hostel, Passage, was a nice little place. We spoke English at the desk, got codes for the doors, and headed upstairs. We had a private room with two bunk beds, and a gorgeous view of the brick wall outside.
In all seriousness, though, it was cozy. We put our things down and decided to go out and explore a little. We sought fries and entertainment. Fries were easy to find, and they were quite tasty. Belgians definitely know what they're doing when it comes to frieten. Then we continued our quest for entertainment... which lead us to two bars, juxtaposed in a little corner of town. After being greeted in Flemish and then broken English by some intoxicated fellows that argued over which one was the "real" Bin Laden (I kid you not), we went into one.
I don't drink back in the US, but since I'm allowed to here, I've tried a few things. I hadn't tried beer yet at this point. There was a good deal during what was apparently happy hour there (2,50€), so we ordered four. Johanna waited at the bar while Vanessa, Alexandra, and I tried to move to a less crowded area. We got our beers and, well, drank them. I took a tentative sip, decided that it really wasn't that good, but a little better than whatever else I'd tried before. Eh. I'm just not a drinker. However, I think that Belgium wanted to turn me into one, because the promo for happy hour was actually about 8€ for 8 beers, and that's what we got. Johanna thought she was done getting the drinks, but the bartender just gave her more! We were confused, but amused.
We saw some Justin Bieber look-a-likes, avoided dancing with the short guy that kept trying to get our attention, and headed to the bar next door (which had lots of colorful lights), just to check it out. We didn't stay long and didn't get any more drinks.
Once we were done with all of that, we started walking back to the hostel, to rest up for the next day, in which we planned to eat as many waffles, fries, and chocolates as possible.
After a comfortable night's sleep, we went in search of breakfast and found a little cafe that had beautiful (and delicious) waffles. Check!
We took a boat tour on the canal (a popular, touristy thing to do in Bruges) and saw many bridges, a house that cost a million euros to live in, a beer museum, an old hospital, and the town's mascot (in the form of a stone bear), among other things. The tour was given in both French and in English by a man with a fabulous accent. I really did like it--particularly how he said "century" in both languages. I'd never heard a Belgian accent before and found it very interesting.
After the tour, we stopped in a lace shop (very pretty things), where I picked up a few souvenirs, and then we continued wandering. We visited nearly every chocolatier we passed, but it's a good thing we didn't make purchases at all of them... I allowed myself to get a small box of assorted chocolates hand-picked by someone at Dumon (a well-known artisinale chocolatier in Belgium). Not a bad choice at all! I told the guy that helped me that I preferred dark chocolate, so he gave me a good amount of that (all delicious), and it only cost me a little over 5€.
We visited the Belfry (the bell tower), but, in the interest of saving money, decided not to climb it. Instead we admired it from the outside, as it is quite beautiful, and ate more fries outside of a Disney-themed merry-go-round. We also visited a church that contained an elaborate sculpture by Michelangelo, "The Madonna and Child," one of his only pieces that is not currently in Italy. Toward the end of the day, we headed to the train station to head to Brussels.
I have to give Johanna a ton of credit for planning this trip. It was so organized. She set up the hostel in Bruges and the hotel in Brussels (yes, a hotel), and booked the train tickets, as well. Everything went pretty smoothly. As far as pricing goes, it was wonderful. Our hostel, from what I remember, was only about 15€. That's one of the cheapest fees I've ever heard of for a hostel, and this one was very good. It was really lucky for us that it wasn't expensive. I was grateful for the fact that my memories of my first hostel would be from this one...! The hotel in Brussels wasn't bad at all, either. Johanna decided to go with a hotel because the price was comparable to that of a hostel. For 30€ per person, with breakfast included, it was definitely a good choice. We had two rooms (I shared with Vanessa), separated by one floor. Once we took care of our stuff, we wandered, because it was considerably early in the evening, and had dinner at a place that had decent prices. It was slightly disappointing, though, because they happened to be out of what Alexandra and I planned on ordering... but we made due. I surprised myself by ordering a beer, and by being the only one to do so. Alexandra's roommate told us that Belgium is also quite well-known for their beer, and I was willing to give it another shot when I saw a bière framboise on the menu. A raspberry beer! You know how I feel about raspberry-flavored things. It wasn't expensive so I decided to take a chance on it, and I ended up really liking it. Not enough to order another one or anything, but enough to say that I, you know, enjoyed it. Success!
We were tired, so we rested up in our hotel for a while after, and then went in search of some fun. We explored the city by night, which felt a lot different than Bruges. Brussels is much bigger and busier in comparison, and it was obvious.
We tried to go into a bar we passed by, only to be told by the man at the door that it was « pour les hommes »--for men only! We had found ourselves in the gay district in the city. Brussels, from what we were told, is the pretty much the gay capital of Europe (I don't think that I made that up but I'm probably describing it incorrectly), so it wasn't surprising that we found the area so easily, and without even trying. Afterward we walked by a bar called L'Homo Erectus, and, well, I'll just let you ponder that one for a bit.
We eventually went to a place called Ice Bar, which actually wasn't an ice bar at all. I asked Vanessa what to get, and we ended up each having a Malibu with pineapple juice. "It tastes like what suntan lotion smells like," she described. Extremely accurate. I liked it, but was disappointed when I saw the price. It was ridiculous to pay 7,50€ for so little alcohol. It really wasn't a lot! That was far too much, paying extra to have some juice mixed in--I don't see drinking becoming a regular hobby in my future. Vanessa wasn't exactly happy about it, either, but whatever. We all danced a little and called it a night.
Breakfast has become more dear to me since I've been in Europe. I never made a big deal out of it back home, but I love it here. Breakfast in the hotel wasn't fascinating or anything, but there were plenty of carbs available. Pains au chocolat, bread for toasting, croissants, cereal, cheese, Nutella, juice, milk, tea... There was a lot to choose from. Awesome!
After we ate, we checked out the open-air market going on outside, without buying anything, aaaaand did some other stuff. I don't know how many times I can say that we wandered... but, yeah. That's what we did. We asked the man at the reception (in French, because we were trying to be good study-abroad students now that we were back in an area where French was acceptable/encouraged) for some recommendations. Where could we find good fries? waffles? What sites are worth seeing? He pretty much gave us an itinerary to follow, which was much appreciated. We went in search of another church, a park, the Palais Royal, a gigantic museum (which we did not go in), and, finally, the Manneken Pis.
Oh; the Manneken Pis?
Oh, that's a statue of a child peeing. Hello, Brussels!
There were plenty of waffle places near the statue, so we indulged. I stopped for another small souvenir, and that was pretty much the end of our day. We got more fries (pretty much sick of them at that point), ate them on the steps of a grand forum (uhhh), which is apparently a popular thing to do there. Then came the time for us to get our belongings and catch the bus home. We were exhausted from the weekend's events.
Oh, Eurolines... We had quite a time trying to find the bus stop. It wasn't where it normally was, because we were departing on a Sunday. We asked for help several times, only to keep ending up in the wrong place, until we finally found it... It was amazing that we were able to. It was not easily identifiable. The Sunday stop was a pole that had a Eurolines sticker slapped onto it. Fabulous. Not sketchy at all!
And, to conclude this entry, we met a nice girl from Montreal that is also studying in Paris and we all chatted amiably on the ride home. That's about it!
... I MISS MY CHOCOLATES! They didn't last very long once we got back. :(
... Until I get behind again, and we all know that'll happen at some point.
So, two weekends ago, I went on a weekend trip with Johanna, Alexandra, and Vanessa. We took a Eurolines bus to Bruxelles Midi. We booked the tickets for Friday at 5PM, and at least three of us had grammar class until 4. Not a lot of time to get to the station. Personally, I rushed. I asked if I could leave my class a little early, so that I'd be on-time (I thought I'd be finding the place on my own) and dashed down the streets of Paris, stopping to get a sandwich and some snacks at a grocery store for the (very long) ride. We all met up at Alexandra's foyer and had quite a time trying to get to the bus station... The metro must've been pretty backed up that day, because we kept stopping randomly between stations. It was very stressful, considering the rush we were in. If we didn't check in by 4:30, we supposedly wouldn't be able to board. Needless to say, we ran pretty much the entire time we weren't standing in a metro car.
[On somewhat of a side-note: when we were on the RER, which was very crowded, I noticed something strange that made me angry. We were pretty much packed like sardines in there, so there wasn't a lot of personal space. It didn't help that we had several bags between us. I had my travel bag with me. It was pretty full and it was slung over my shoulder. I'm very conscious of my belongings when I'm in a crowded place. I got this weird feeling and turned to my left, and, sure enough, this girl had her arm on my bag. I say this, knowing in full that I probably seem like a terrible person, but she looked like she could've been a gypsy, and I was ready to freak. Touching MY bag?! She saw that I was looking and said, « Pardon », or something like that, but I was already annoyed. I mean, she could've just had her arm on my bag because of the lack of space in the car... but I was not feeling sympathetic. Not that there were a lot of interesting things in there, but I was annoyed. I didn't pursue anything, though. I just dropped it from my mind until we got off. End of rant.]
By the time we finally got to the station, totally breathless, we realized that our effort was in vain. We had about 12 minutes so spare, which was great, but totally unnecessary. We didn't end up leaving until about 20 minutes or so after our scheduled departure time. Every seat was filled (and I saw some pretty angry people outside of the bus, who I guess weren't allowed on due to lack of space), and the four of us were, for the most part, spread out. I sat toward the front, and everyone else was further back. It was not the most comfortable ride, but it was pretty cheap, and that was important. My ticket cost 40€, round-trip.
We got to Brussels a little after 9, and then took a train to Bruges, where we would be spending the night. We had a room booked in a hostel there, waiting for us. Our goal: Check in by 11. Our problem: ... Where are we going?
Once we got off the train, we had to figure out which bus to take, and where to take it to. The funny thing about Bruges is that it's a part of Flanders, so they speak Flemish. We were advised by Alexandra's coworker (who is Belgian) to speak English there, rather than French, due to tension between the north and south. Whatever the reasons, we heeded her advice, and even took a little comfort in being able to return to our native language... but it was definitely an odd feeling. We asked what we needed to ask, and got to the part of town we needed to be in... Just without any clue as to where the hostel actually was. We tried stopping some people to ask for help, but didn't really get anywhere with that (although quite a few of them knew English). Even a girl who had lived in Bruges for a long time wasn't sure what to tell us. Not exactly reassuring...
... but then Alexandra randomly found it, so it was all good.The hostel, Passage, was a nice little place. We spoke English at the desk, got codes for the doors, and headed upstairs. We had a private room with two bunk beds, and a gorgeous view of the brick wall outside.
In all seriousness, though, it was cozy. We put our things down and decided to go out and explore a little. We sought fries and entertainment. Fries were easy to find, and they were quite tasty. Belgians definitely know what they're doing when it comes to frieten. Then we continued our quest for entertainment... which lead us to two bars, juxtaposed in a little corner of town. After being greeted in Flemish and then broken English by some intoxicated fellows that argued over which one was the "real" Bin Laden (I kid you not), we went into one.
 |
| the first of many frites |
We saw some Justin Bieber look-a-likes, avoided dancing with the short guy that kept trying to get our attention, and headed to the bar next door (which had lots of colorful lights), just to check it out. We didn't stay long and didn't get any more drinks.
Once we were done with all of that, we started walking back to the hostel, to rest up for the next day, in which we planned to eat as many waffles, fries, and chocolates as possible.After a comfortable night's sleep, we went in search of breakfast and found a little cafe that had beautiful (and delicious) waffles. Check!
We took a boat tour on the canal (a popular, touristy thing to do in Bruges) and saw many bridges, a house that cost a million euros to live in, a beer museum, an old hospital, and the town's mascot (in the form of a stone bear), among other things. The tour was given in both French and in English by a man with a fabulous accent. I really did like it--particularly how he said "century" in both languages. I'd never heard a Belgian accent before and found it very interesting.After the tour, we stopped in a lace shop (very pretty things), where I picked up a few souvenirs, and then we continued wandering. We visited nearly every chocolatier we passed, but it's a good thing we didn't make purchases at all of them... I allowed myself to get a small box of assorted chocolates hand-picked by someone at Dumon (a well-known artisinale chocolatier in Belgium). Not a bad choice at all! I told the guy that helped me that I preferred dark chocolate, so he gave me a good amount of that (all delicious), and it only cost me a little over 5€.
 |
| The Belfry |
 |
| The Madonna and Child |
We were tired, so we rested up in our hotel for a while after, and then went in search of some fun. We explored the city by night, which felt a lot different than Bruges. Brussels is much bigger and busier in comparison, and it was obvious.
We tried to go into a bar we passed by, only to be told by the man at the door that it was « pour les hommes »--for men only! We had found ourselves in the gay district in the city. Brussels, from what we were told, is the pretty much the gay capital of Europe (I don't think that I made that up but I'm probably describing it incorrectly), so it wasn't surprising that we found the area so easily, and without even trying. Afterward we walked by a bar called L'Homo Erectus, and, well, I'll just let you ponder that one for a bit.
We eventually went to a place called Ice Bar, which actually wasn't an ice bar at all. I asked Vanessa what to get, and we ended up each having a Malibu with pineapple juice. "It tastes like what suntan lotion smells like," she described. Extremely accurate. I liked it, but was disappointed when I saw the price. It was ridiculous to pay 7,50€ for so little alcohol. It really wasn't a lot! That was far too much, paying extra to have some juice mixed in--I don't see drinking becoming a regular hobby in my future. Vanessa wasn't exactly happy about it, either, but whatever. We all danced a little and called it a night.
Breakfast has become more dear to me since I've been in Europe. I never made a big deal out of it back home, but I love it here. Breakfast in the hotel wasn't fascinating or anything, but there were plenty of carbs available. Pains au chocolat, bread for toasting, croissants, cereal, cheese, Nutella, juice, milk, tea... There was a lot to choose from. Awesome!
 |
| The Palais Royal in Brussels |
Oh; the Manneken Pis?
Oh, that's a statue of a child peeing. Hello, Brussels!
There were plenty of waffle places near the statue, so we indulged. I stopped for another small souvenir, and that was pretty much the end of our day. We got more fries (pretty much sick of them at that point), ate them on the steps of a grand forum (uhhh), which is apparently a popular thing to do there. Then came the time for us to get our belongings and catch the bus home. We were exhausted from the weekend's events.
Oh, Eurolines... We had quite a time trying to find the bus stop. It wasn't where it normally was, because we were departing on a Sunday. We asked for help several times, only to keep ending up in the wrong place, until we finally found it... It was amazing that we were able to. It was not easily identifiable. The Sunday stop was a pole that had a Eurolines sticker slapped onto it. Fabulous. Not sketchy at all!
And, to conclude this entry, we met a nice girl from Montreal that is also studying in Paris and we all chatted amiably on the ride home. That's about it!
... I MISS MY CHOCOLATES! They didn't last very long once we got back. :(
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sneezing, sniffling, and suffering in sunny Paris
Being sick here is just terrible because I'm just not as well-equipped to deal with it as I am back home. With the recent change in weather, my sinuses have simply gone AWOL. Is that how one would describe this? I feel like I have a cold, but I don't know how I could've gotten it... It warmed up a bit here, and then it was cold, and then it warmed up again! Now I'm constantly sneezing, and with watery eyes I sit in a stuffed-up, snotty stupor while I wait for that tickle in my nose to go away.
I'm really reluctant to go and get medicine because I don't think that I'm actually sick, choosing instead to believe that the change in temperature and the sudden appearance of spring has caused my body to go into panic-mode.
It's okay, body! Really, everything will be fine! Just calm down and start enjoying the fact that a winter coat is, for the most part, no longer necessary. I don't find it particularly enthralling to sneeze every five minutes and, I'm sure, if you look down deep enough, you'll realize that you aren't particularly enthralled by it either. So... let's agree to stop this nonsense, alright? Alright.
I'm really reluctant to go and get medicine because I don't think that I'm actually sick, choosing instead to believe that the change in temperature and the sudden appearance of spring has caused my body to go into panic-mode.
It's okay, body! Really, everything will be fine! Just calm down and start enjoying the fact that a winter coat is, for the most part, no longer necessary. I don't find it particularly enthralling to sneeze every five minutes and, I'm sure, if you look down deep enough, you'll realize that you aren't particularly enthralled by it either. So... let's agree to stop this nonsense, alright? Alright.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Group Email Update 7
3/20/2011
Hey, all! A shorter update, this time (although now that I've said it... I don't know if that'll be true). I had a pretty busy week.
On Thursday night I went to a really nice dinner with four other girls in my program. It was at a cute little restaurant in which we had a view of the Eiffel Tower. The bread was made fresh in the restaurant, so it was really good. The whole dinner was very good, actually, and not expensive at all! It was actually much cheaper than we thought it would be. I got a salmon steak (w/ some kind of cream sauce) with vegetables and wild rice, and a macaron (almond biscuit) with a scoop of toffee ice cream for dessert. My grand total? 14€. I was very pleased.
Yesterday I went to the Centre Georges Pompidou museum (for freeeeeee) with two other friends. We explored for a while and saw some odd pieces of artwork (a lot of it was modern). There were a lot of pieces by Picasso and Matisse there, and that was enjoyable. I saw a photography series that I found very interesting and I plan on looking up more of the photographer's (Richard Avedon) work later (I hope that's a safe decision). After the museum we went for a long walk in search of a place to sit down and have dinner. We finally stopped at a small place near a church we had previously visited with our program. My friend Daniel and I both had duck (I wasn't sure about ordering it but, eh, when in France), and my friend Vanessa had steak à cheval--since cheval means horse, I always mistranslated that as horse meat... but as it turns out, that just means that there's an egg on top of the steak. Vanessa explained that it's called that because the egg is sitting on the meat like someone sits on a horse to ride it. Makes sense. Still odd. That definitely makes a lot of the signs I've seen outside of cafes a little less gross, though. I don't think I could eat horse meat... We had dessert from a bakery we found while exploring some more. I had a pretty (and tasty) fruit tart. We all agreed that we'd go back to that one another time. The woman that worked there and helped us was so nice (and even gave Daniel something for free when he went back in a second time... that's what happens when you eat outside the place and stare in the window at all the other treats!).
Today I went to a book convention that I've seen ads for all over the city. I'm glad I went. Since I'm a student under 26 years of age, I got in for free. It was close to where I live, so I took the tram and hung around the convention center for about four hours. It went by surprisingly fast. I got five books for a little over 16€. I was not expecting that kind of bargain! Going to the convention was kind of a prideful thing--I booked my own ticket, figured out how to get there easily... I went on my own, too! I've been to conventions before, but it was interesting to try it this way, more independently. The convention center was crowded (which I expected), but not extremely noisy (not what I expected). There were guest lecturers and prize giveaways (I left my ticket in a raffle, basically, so I'll let you know at the off-chance that I win something... haha).
I hope you all have a great week! :)
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Hey, all! A shorter update, this time (although now that I've said it... I don't know if that'll be true). I had a pretty busy week.
On Thursday night I went to a really nice dinner with four other girls in my program. It was at a cute little restaurant in which we had a view of the Eiffel Tower. The bread was made fresh in the restaurant, so it was really good. The whole dinner was very good, actually, and not expensive at all! It was actually much cheaper than we thought it would be. I got a salmon steak (w/ some kind of cream sauce) with vegetables and wild rice, and a macaron (almond biscuit) with a scoop of toffee ice cream for dessert. My grand total? 14€. I was very pleased.
Yesterday I went to the Centre Georges Pompidou museum (for freeeeeee) with two other friends. We explored for a while and saw some odd pieces of artwork (a lot of it was modern). There were a lot of pieces by Picasso and Matisse there, and that was enjoyable. I saw a photography series that I found very interesting and I plan on looking up more of the photographer's (Richard Avedon) work later (I hope that's a safe decision). After the museum we went for a long walk in search of a place to sit down and have dinner. We finally stopped at a small place near a church we had previously visited with our program. My friend Daniel and I both had duck (I wasn't sure about ordering it but, eh, when in France), and my friend Vanessa had steak à cheval--since cheval means horse, I always mistranslated that as horse meat... but as it turns out, that just means that there's an egg on top of the steak. Vanessa explained that it's called that because the egg is sitting on the meat like someone sits on a horse to ride it. Makes sense. Still odd. That definitely makes a lot of the signs I've seen outside of cafes a little less gross, though. I don't think I could eat horse meat... We had dessert from a bakery we found while exploring some more. I had a pretty (and tasty) fruit tart. We all agreed that we'd go back to that one another time. The woman that worked there and helped us was so nice (and even gave Daniel something for free when he went back in a second time... that's what happens when you eat outside the place and stare in the window at all the other treats!).
Today I went to a book convention that I've seen ads for all over the city. I'm glad I went. Since I'm a student under 26 years of age, I got in for free. It was close to where I live, so I took the tram and hung around the convention center for about four hours. It went by surprisingly fast. I got five books for a little over 16€. I was not expecting that kind of bargain! Going to the convention was kind of a prideful thing--I booked my own ticket, figured out how to get there easily... I went on my own, too! I've been to conventions before, but it was interesting to try it this way, more independently. The convention center was crowded (which I expected), but not extremely noisy (not what I expected). There were guest lecturers and prize giveaways (I left my ticket in a raffle, basically, so I'll let you know at the off-chance that I win something... haha).
I hope you all have a great week! :)
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Well, it IS pretty romantic in Paris...
To have visitors in Paris has been a strange and wonderful thing. I didn't really think that such a thing would be possible. I mean, it's not exactly cheap to fly here. Despite that, though, I've seen Nicole (part of my extra family), and my boyfriend.
Mike and I didn't think we'd be able to make this trip work. In fact, we had practically given up on the idea of it happening. The flight was expensive, and what week would even work? Somewhat miraculously, though, he found money he didn't remember having in one of his bank accounts. That covered a good chunk of the fee to get here. I felt sort of uncomfortable with the fact that he had to use so much money to come and visit me, but at the same time, we hadn't seen each other since Christmas. Yeah...
There was one problem with our plan, however: the weekend he'd be arriving was the same weekend as the trip to Normandy... for which I'd already paid. After unsuccessfully trying to sell my spot to those in my group that were not going, I gave up and started searching for hostels. It was only for one night... but I felt guilty. Luckily we didn't have to go that route. I went as far as making him a reservation at a nearby one, just in case, but it turned out that he would be allowed to stay in my building for the night and wait for me. Good thing I asked for a spare key!
I was anxious to see him during the entire drive back to Paris. He was waiting for me! :D It was kind of surreal, to see him after all that time, and in Paris, of all places. Unfortunately I had quite a lot of classes to go to (phonetics meets every other week and that just happened to be the first week), so we didn't do much for the first few days aside from eating. Still, it was so nice to have company. I missed him.
We went to B.I.A. with a bunch of my friends from the program for a late dinner. It was a great time. The food was good (it really makes me miss diner food from home), but I loved being able to have Mike share the experience with me, with the friends I've come to know and like pretty well while being here. What made me happy was that he got along with everyone (not that I thought he wouldn't). Later on, he said, "I really like your friends. You seem to meet the same kind of people wherever you go." What can I say? My friends are awesome. I feel lucky to be in Paris with them. :)
We ate Greek food twice (once before B.I.A., once after? who even cares?)... and I haven't had any since. It was good, but I think I've had my fill of that for a while... But it was really cheap and pretty filling. I can't complain too much about that! This week was hard on my wallet.
Once the end of the week approached, however, I made the decision to skip an afternoon class and we instead used that time to visit the catacombs. Perhaps not the most romantic destination, but it was very cool--and beautiful in a very morbid sort of way. The entrance to the ossuary read (in French), "STOP: The empire of the dead is here." Skulls and bones were everywhere, lined up in sometimes quite elaborate patterns. It seems weird to call it art, but that's what it was. Once we reached the tombs and such, we weren't allowed to take flash photos, so I didn't take many, but that wasn't such a bad thing. I love to take pictures of whatever I'm doing, but I also enjoy seeing what's around me, sans camera. What Mike and I really liked were the elaborate carvings in stone by Decure. They were started in 1777, finished in 1782--completely by memory. They were incredible. I was very impressed by them. That was early on in our visit, but that was probably my favorite part.
We got a lot accomplished over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower. It's cheaper to walk up the Tower, in comparison to taking the elevator. It's more tiring, but really; what sounds like a more interesting story? "I went to Paris and I took an elevator up to the top of the Eiffel Tower," or, "I am totally made of awesome because I went to Paris and climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower?" Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my point--I definitely prefer walking. We didn't even have to wait on line very long, considering the fact that it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.
Later that day, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, under the recommendation of Vanessa. We were planning to watch the sun set, but we got there too early and ended up staying for quite a long time, waiting for the sky to change from day to night. The view was worth waiting for, though. It just, you know, would've been nicer if we didn't have to. There was a museum, as well, so we kept ourselves occupied by learning the history behind the Arc. I'd go into it, of course, but I don't remember things like that aside from the fact that I enjoyed whatever it was at the time. That's an unfortunate thing about me. Such is life... ;) If I, you know, updated regularly, perhaps I'd remember a thing or two!
The next morning, we went to the Musée Rodin. Back in high school, we were assigned a project on art in our French class. Mike chose to do his on the work of Auguste Rodin, a sculptor. I don't even remember which artist I chose. I very, very vaguely remember his name, but it just goes to show you how interested I was. Mike really ended up liking Rodin's work and has been a fan of his ever since. When we were trying to plan things to do while he was here, he found a website for the museum via Google. Nice!
The timing of the trip was actually very convenient in this case. The first Sunday of each month means free museum visits in Paris. We took the metro over to where the museum was, found it pretty easily, and walked right in! I was surprised at the lack of a line, but, then again, the Musée Rodin doesn't strike me as something like the Louvre, you know? I loved it, but it was definitely not as touristy (such a shame for the tourists) as other Parisian museums tend to be. The Musée Rodin contains a fabulous garden (which would've been more fabulous if A) the weather were nicer and B) half of it wasn't closed to the public), where we found the Thinker (one of Rodin's most famous sculptures) and the Gates of Hell (Mike's favorite).
We explored at a leisurely pace, since we had so much time (and it was free), and did quite a lot of walking. I have to say, I admire all of the effort it must require to create a sculpture. One mistake and your entire work may have been for nothing. You only get one chance to make it right, basically. I admired Rodin's work, as there is a LOT of it. He was truly gifted. The museum also held pieces by another famous French artist and sculptor, Camille Claudel.
Once we were finished at the museum, we wandered around the area, which was really lovely. We found the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located (we didn't feel like visiting, as we were tired), sat on the bright green grass, and walked across the Pont d'Alexandre III (prettiest bridge I've ever seen in my life), and decided to call it a day.
During Mike's visit, I made it a point to visit the Seine River. The river is quite famous, as you most likely already know, but what may be a little less well-known is this tradition/ritual that couples take part in there. I asked Mike to bring a lock with a key when he came to see me. I did not explain why. When we finally made it to the river (I said I was busy that week...), I showed him what I intended to do with it. Littering one of the bridge's fencing on the Seine River are what seem like thousands of locks. What couples do is, they take a lock, leave it on the bridge in honor of their love, and toss the key over the side, into the water, leaving the lock there forever. Very cheesy, I know, but something I'd been wanting to do since I first learned about it. Mike teased me a little, but took out a pen and started writing on the lock. "M ♥ M," he put. On the back, he wrote 2004, the year we started dating. What was funny about this whole thing, though? The fact that, when we were looking for a place to put the lock, we found graffiti. There's graffiti all over the place, but this piece of writing in particular, on the bridge, said "M + M love forever," and that sealed our decision--we put our lock there. It was quite a coincidence, finding that. Cheesy, again, but just what I wanted.
Once Monday came around, it was time for Mike to fly back to New York. I joined him on the ride to the airport. It seemed like such a tease, only seeing him for a week after it had been so long, but it was much better than waiting until June--when it would've been six months since the last time we were together.
This visit made me realize just how much he cares for me. Enough to come to another country to be with me. How lucky am I?
Very.
Mike and I didn't think we'd be able to make this trip work. In fact, we had practically given up on the idea of it happening. The flight was expensive, and what week would even work? Somewhat miraculously, though, he found money he didn't remember having in one of his bank accounts. That covered a good chunk of the fee to get here. I felt sort of uncomfortable with the fact that he had to use so much money to come and visit me, but at the same time, we hadn't seen each other since Christmas. Yeah...
There was one problem with our plan, however: the weekend he'd be arriving was the same weekend as the trip to Normandy... for which I'd already paid. After unsuccessfully trying to sell my spot to those in my group that were not going, I gave up and started searching for hostels. It was only for one night... but I felt guilty. Luckily we didn't have to go that route. I went as far as making him a reservation at a nearby one, just in case, but it turned out that he would be allowed to stay in my building for the night and wait for me. Good thing I asked for a spare key!
I was anxious to see him during the entire drive back to Paris. He was waiting for me! :D It was kind of surreal, to see him after all that time, and in Paris, of all places. Unfortunately I had quite a lot of classes to go to (phonetics meets every other week and that just happened to be the first week), so we didn't do much for the first few days aside from eating. Still, it was so nice to have company. I missed him.
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| chicken burger... with BACONNN |
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| what Mike so accurately called a "fat sandwich" |
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| one of Decure's carvings |
We got a lot accomplished over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, we made our way over to the Eiffel Tower. It's cheaper to walk up the Tower, in comparison to taking the elevator. It's more tiring, but really; what sounds like a more interesting story? "I went to Paris and I took an elevator up to the top of the Eiffel Tower," or, "I am totally made of awesome because I went to Paris and climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower?" Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my point--I definitely prefer walking. We didn't even have to wait on line very long, considering the fact that it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.
Later that day, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, under the recommendation of Vanessa. We were planning to watch the sun set, but we got there too early and ended up staying for quite a long time, waiting for the sky to change from day to night. The view was worth waiting for, though. It just, you know, would've been nicer if we didn't have to. There was a museum, as well, so we kept ourselves occupied by learning the history behind the Arc. I'd go into it, of course, but I don't remember things like that aside from the fact that I enjoyed whatever it was at the time. That's an unfortunate thing about me. Such is life... ;) If I, you know, updated regularly, perhaps I'd remember a thing or two!The next morning, we went to the Musée Rodin. Back in high school, we were assigned a project on art in our French class. Mike chose to do his on the work of Auguste Rodin, a sculptor. I don't even remember which artist I chose. I very, very vaguely remember his name, but it just goes to show you how interested I was. Mike really ended up liking Rodin's work and has been a fan of his ever since. When we were trying to plan things to do while he was here, he found a website for the museum via Google. Nice!
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| Le Penseur, AKA The Thinker |
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| Porte d'Enfer/Gates of Hell |
Once we were finished at the museum, we wandered around the area, which was really lovely. We found the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located (we didn't feel like visiting, as we were tired), sat on the bright green grass, and walked across the Pont d'Alexandre III (prettiest bridge I've ever seen in my life), and decided to call it a day.
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| our lock, among many others |
Once Monday came around, it was time for Mike to fly back to New York. I joined him on the ride to the airport. It seemed like such a tease, only seeing him for a week after it had been so long, but it was much better than waiting until June--when it would've been six months since the last time we were together.
This visit made me realize just how much he cares for me. Enough to come to another country to be with me. How lucky am I?
Very.
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| view of the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe |
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Centre Georges Pompidou
One of the greatest things about being in Paris is that almost everything is available for students for free or at a reduced rate. We all got into the museum without paying, and even got to check our coats (and my extra bag) for free, too! We spent a few hours roaming around. I tried not to go overboard with pictures, instead attempting to appreciate what was there, not through my camera's viewfinder. There were a lot of... interesting pieces. That's modern art for you!
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| La blouse roumaine by Matisse |
We talked about wandering around, maybe even seeing a movie at some point (there's a cinema in the museum), but in the end we were all just hungry. We left the museum in search of dinner. French food sounded like a good idea. That was the general consensus.
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| "Is that what I think it is?" |
Eventually we found a brasserie with a decently-priced menu, complete with a formule (a special deal). It didn't work out the way we thought it would, but we ordered anyway. Daniel really wanted to order duck, and I didn't want to eat beef (I'm admittedly afraid to because, uh, hello... steak tartare?!), so I ended up ordering it, too. I felt guilty for doing it, because I really like ducks... but it was a very French food, and I felt obligated to try it at least once. I couldn't remember for sure if I'd ever had it back home. Even if I had, France is definitely the place to eat it--they know what they're doing. It was very good, too. Lots of dark meat, which I usually don't eat... but that's practically all it was! Vanessa was a little braver (or maybe just more Portuguese) and ordered steak à cheval, which I learned does NOT mean horse meat... but is basically a hamburger (w/o bun) with an egg on top. The egg "sits" on the meat like a person sits on a horse. Now I get it!... Also, I really want to try the onion soup while I'm here. Daniel ordered it and it smelled so delicious. I regretted not ordering it, too.
After dinner, we wanted dessert (of course), but didn't want to order it at the restaurant because it was a little expensive to do so. We went off in search of cookies and other treats, only to be disappointed by the places we stopped in. What did we really want to do? Go back to the bakery we originally found in the gay district. I took a picture that had the name of the place, so we tried to retrace our steps--not an easy task. We asked for directions, which to me was just funny... No one knew where it was, though. Oh, well. I think we'd only be able to find it if we came from the direction of the museum again, but maybe that's just me.
We ate our treats outside of the bakery, which is not the most economical decision... I resisted temptation to go back and get something else, but Daniel ended up walking back in to get what I think was called a cannelle--well, it looked pretty good. The woman in the bakery ended up giving it to him for free! That was sweet. We'll definitely go back there if we come across it again... Well, I will, if I do! Now if only I had the address... Ha ha!
We went back to my building to print some things (Daniel's concert ticket, my convention ticket), and I showed off my newly decorated room and was all hospitable and such. Afterward we went to Vanessa's foyer for a wine and cheese party with a few of our other friends, and some people I didn't know. I didn't have any wine, but I did try some new cheeses. Yum.
Ugh... Why do I always write about food this late? I just want to have it all over again!
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