monday may 14.
after class today we had a little 'family home evening' picnic in front of the eiffel tower. i could do this every day.
Then halfway through our lunch the police walk up to our group holding my roommate's iphone! Some little kids had stolen it and they got caught! It was so scary because none of us knew what was going on and then Chloe had to go to the police station to answer questions all day. Luckily she got her phone back and everything was ok, but I was paranoid the rest of the day!
After lunch I went over to the Louvre to meet up with Bethany who was in Paris for the last few days of her study abroad program. It was so fun to spend the day with her. I also got to meet her friend Lauren who is engaged to Will Lassen. Small world. They were both hungry so even though I had just eaten we went to a nearby cafe, across the street from the comedie francaise. I got some mineral water and they got some yummy looking food, then we ate and chatted and people watched. The waiter was hilarious, every waiter I have had in Paris so far has been really entertaining.
We've been friends since we were 3!
on the right is the sandwich that bethany ordered, called the comedie panini. i tried a little and it was delicious
Next we wanted to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and then do some shopping on the Champs Elysees. We stopped at Laduree on the way for some macarons, which brought back some memories of when Bethany and I made macarons for our visiting teachees last summer :) The flavors I got were cassis (black currant), ghana chocolate, and my all time favorite, rose.
This is us eating our macarons by the Arc de Triomphe. This is also why you never hand your camera to a stranger.
Once we got to the ticket counter for the Arc de Triomphe the lady said that she would only accept my student card but not the ones from byu Idaho, so I decided to take them to Sacre Coeur instead because you can get an equally great view for free!
the carousel at Sacre Coeur and the stairs...so many stairs..
We sat and watched these awesome dancers for a little. Then we headed up to Place de Tertre where there are tons of artists working and selling their paintings right there.
Lastly we went to Shakespeare and Company because I knew Bethany would love it and I was right. We didn't get to stay too long because Bethany and Lauren were meeting up with their class for their last dinner in Europe.
After we said goodbye, (at this point I had no idea that she would be engaged the next day!) I wandered through the Marais a little bit before getting back on the metro. I stumbled upon this church near the Pompidou center with colorful oragami strung from the ceiling. It was so pretty!
I also came across this on the side of a building.
Another great day in Paris. I'm going to miss it here.
xoxo Heather
saturday may 12.
a lot of this walk was really blah, our book actually says the 16th is the most sleepy arrondissement and its true! there were hardly any people walking around and no good places to eat. halfway through we found a mall and stopped for lunch. at this point I did not want to keep going but I am so glad we did because the end of the walk was absolutely fantastic.
if this looks familar, but you don't know why, listening to this song may help:
I was so excited to see the mini Statue of Liberty. I thought it was supposed to be 1/4 size of the original but it seemed much smaller. National Treasure makes it look huge (go to 1:40). Nevertheless it was a nice patriotic moment for me :)
Next we walked past the Castel Beranger, an art nouveau style apartment building designed by architect Hector Guimard. This building made him famous-he later went on to design the iconic parisian metro entrances.
Next we went to the Marmottan Museum which is a beautiful house full of Monet paintings. So of course I absolutely loved it. They also had a Berthe Morisot exhibit which I enjoyed, it was very calming and peaceful. Oh how I would have loved to be her and paint alongside Monet, Renoir, Degas, Manet...the list goes on. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the museum unfortunately but it is high on my recommendation list. Afterwards we wondered through the Bois de Boulogne, another one of my favorite places in Paris. There are several lakes, gardens, parks, and of course trees (bois means woods) all around and you can ride bikes or horses, rent canoes, or just go for a walk. You can see the Eiffel tower from the lake, yet it feels so detached from the city because its just so peaceful. Side note-I have had several people warn me not to go there at night, so be careful-but during the day its great! Canoes are $10 an hour and bikes are $8 for 2 hours.
they totally knew I was camera stalking them
That night we met up with some more friends and had dinner at a fancy little cafe. I wanted to be adventurous but was too afraid to try escargot, so I got grilled duck instead-it was incredible! Best meal I've had in Paris by far. It was fun to stay and chat for a couple hours like the French do at mealtimes. We were there long enough that I was able to enjoy a chocolate cake for dessert without feeling like I was bursting at the seams- that has never happened in the US, I usually just laugh when asked if I'd like to order a dessert. (Tip: rushing through your meals or eating while you are walking are huge faux-pas in France. If you do this, not only are you telling everyone that you are an American but you are also telling them that you could care less about their culture. Here mealtimes are practically sacred.)
grilled duck-I will never look at a duck the same.
friday may 11.
we had kind of been afraid of this walk because the book says its really long and could take 2 days. but it actually ended up being one of my favorites. (and it didn't take too long either)
Pont Alexander III.
Pont Alexander III was built for the 1900 World Fair. It's very elaborate and covered in gold statues. It represents the friendship between France and Russia, thus the name.
Outside the Rodin museum there's a light pole where students put their stickers from the museum. We added ours afterwards.
The famous Thinker. I thought with him.
I love this museum. It has a garden full of Rodin sculptures and flowers and fountains and bees, with a view of the Eiffel Tower..and then a beautiful house (where Rodin lived), full of even more sculptures and even some paintings. Best part is, students get in for free.
I absolutely love how expressive the hands are in all of his sculptures.
inside was mostly studies and small sculptures. and of course the random van gogh, because why not.
Napoleon's tomb. It was, like really big.
Next we went to the Invalides, to see Napoleon's tomb. The guy was going to make us pay like 10 euros to see it, but he decided our French was so good that he let us in for free. Or maybe it was just because we were cute.
Lunch on the champs de mars. In the rain.
The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world at the time it was built in 1889 until 1930. It was supposed to be torn down in 1909. The only reason they left it is because it was useful as a radio tower. It is repainted by hand every seven years. The patented shade of brown that has been used since 1968 is called "Eiffel Tower Brown" but in the past it has been painted many different colors including yellow, orange, and red. (I guess I didn't know that because the older pictures are all in black and white.)
perfection.
i could probably sit on that bench for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.
louis vuitton store window.
rose flavored macaron at Laduree. Best flavor of my life.
thursday may 10.
Today we visited the chateau de fontainebleau as a class. It was the nicest weather we have had by far. We got to picnic in front of the castle and then took an audio tour at our own pace. A lot of the interior was disgustingly ornate and over the top, but there were a couple rooms that I liked, mostly the ones that Marie Antoinette decorated. My favorite part by far was the gardens and the lake. It was so nice just relaxing in the sunshine with my feet in the water. It was so warm, I couldn't help but think what it would have been like to live there back in the 18th century when the women had to wear so many layers of clothing, I don't know how they survived!
left: kings bedroom, right: napoleon's throne
the picture on the left is the hallway between the outside wall of the chapel and the facade that was added later so that the exterior matched the rest of the castle.
