We left London Tuesday morning after having breakfast with Marilyn at Pret again. We got it to go and walked through a bit of Hyde Park which was beautiful. Not as impressive or groomed as the French gardens but it was still pretty.
She saw us off before she went to work at the V&A and we had a comfortable ride on the Eurostar back to Paris without any hiccups this time which was nice. We got back to Paris and picked up our big luggage bags from the train station where we had been storing them for the week. We luckily only had to take one metro line to get to our hotel but we did have to walk a little ways. Carrying gigantic bags on the metro is the worst thing ever and we were pretty tired by time we found where we needed to go.
Our hotel was kind of in a sketchy area. Lol, it is kind of a funny story. One of our assignements in Photo class had to do with an Atget photograph. Each student was given one of his photographs and we wrote about the scene as it appeared in the photograph then found the spot in Paris and photographed it as it was today, then compared and contrasted them. It was really cool actually but my photograph was kind near the peep show district and it was a little shady when we were walking around trying to find it. When Brittany was booking our hotel online in the ISA office, she was joking saying that our hotel would be okay as long as it wasn't in that sketchy area where we had found my photo spot. Well, guess what? Our hotel was like exactly in that spot lol. Our hotel window looked directly out to the little square (more like a triangle though) in my photograph. Pretty ridiculous. It was ok for the night though and Cody, a guy from our program who also stayed longer in Paris, was nice the other days Brittany was there without me and made sure Brittany made it back safe.
We dropped our bags off and got dinner in the Latin Quarter. I had a Croq Madame. It was a good final meal. Not very fancy but French. We walked for a bit around the latin quarter and were going to take a Batteau Moche but we still had to go back to Kaitlin's to pick up our carry on bags so we didn't have enough time to get back to the hotel at a decent hour.
So we got our luggage and got back to the hotel. I repacked my bags so that they could both be checked in the weight limit and stuffed a bag I had bought full of stuff that wouldn't fit in my bags. I swear I didn't buy that much stuff. I don't know why it took up so much space. I had a couple bottles of apple juice from Normandy and a bottle of wine for my aunt and uncle that I wrapped in clothes to make sure they would be safe. Those took up a lot of space and weighed a lot so I think that's where most of my troubles came from.
Anyways, it all worked out and we went to bed. I got up early the next morning. I had to catch my shuttle at 5:45 am. I woke Brittany up just before I left to say goodbye and went to the street to wait for the shuttle. Paris is beautiful in the morning. I wish I had had my camera out so that I could take a picture but it was packed away. It was rosy and peaceful, I will always remember that moment. I thought I might tire of Paris and it's busy streets the way I got tired of New York after a week but I didn't have enough time there. And even though I was glad to be home, if I had the chance to go back to Paris tomorrow, I would. Someday she will see me again.
Monday, September 7, 2009
le 4 et le 5 aout: Au Revoir London et Paris
Sunday, September 6, 2009
le 3 aout: Londontown
We woke up in the morning, bright and early so that we could get the most out of the day and so that we could eat lunch with Marilyn. We went to Pret a Manger which is like a french breakfast chain in London. I have never seen one in Paris lol so I was ok with eating there. It was really delicious. Everything was made fresh and it was all eco friendly and stuff with recycling bins and all this stuff about being green which was super cool. I had hot chocolate and a parfait mmmm. Brittany had a cappucino and they did this awesome star design with powdered sugar on it, you will see the picture.
After breakfast, we headed to where we thought we were meeting my friend Jenna, who was in Europe for July doing a study abroad thing with her interior design program at USU. We went to the wrong square and got a bit lost and almost missed her. We had agreed that if we didn't find each other by 9:30 am we would go our separate ways. Luckily, the British are very helpful and we were pointed in the right direction a couple times and we found Jenna and her friend.
We went with them on a whirlwind tour of London's top sites. I'll let the pictures do the talking. However, I didn't get very many pictures of the Tate Modern, the modern art museum there because the people stopped me. I got two pictures before they caught on to me lol but it was SO cool. Like the coolest museum I have ever seen. I really wanted to buy something from their gift shop, too because every thing was so awesome. There was a black and white umbrella that turned colors in the rain, like it was black background and then like white paint splatters and the splatters turned colors when it got wet. But like all of London, it was tres tres chere. Like the museums and stuff were cool because they were free but to take tours of things was always in the double digits.
We had a wonderful day of sightseeing and museum visiting with Jenna and friend. Then Brittany and I spent some time with Marilyn having tea at Harrod's before leaving her to see Wicked at London's broadway with Jenna and friend (gosh I feel terrible that I can't remember her name!). It was incredible. The cast was amazing and I was really surprised at how good it was even after every one talking it up so much. I loved London. It wasn't as romantic as Paris of course but I would have liked to stay there longer.
And now, the pictures will tell the story of our day:
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Saturday, September 5, 2009
le 2 aout: Rodin Museum and the Eurostar
Sunday morning, we had tentative plans to get up early and go to church somewhere in Paris. I was still interested in seeing mass at Notre Dame and most of Brittany's friends wanted to go to an American church in Paris that was similar to the church they attend at home. I want to say Protestant Church of America but don't quote me. But what ended up happening was that we all slept in pretty late. I was actually the first person to get up which never happens.
Kaitlin made us crepes for breakfast and we ate them with some yummy honey. We missed our intended train back to Paris so we had some time to wait for the next one. Brittany and I decided to leave our carry on bags which we had been taking with us at Kaitlin's and we'd pick them up when we got back from London.
When we got to Paris, we went to the Rodin museum. It was beautiful and the gardens were surprisingly large. They were very pretty and had sculptures throughout. The inside of the building which must have been a large manor back in the day was filled with sculpures as well and smaller models and mock up statues. I was pleased to find a few rooms filled with sculptures by Camille Claudel. Her work is even more amazing than Rodin's and filled emotion. I first heard of her in a open French class during Women's History Month put on by this amazing girl named Emma at Westminster. Anyways, I am a fan and was happy to see her work.
Poor Brittany, though forgot her passport in her carry on bag at Kaitlins. She was stressed out and understandably so. She left us at the museum to try and get back to Paris on time to catch our Eurostar to London. What a day it must've been for her. Poor thing. I had a little Eurostar drama but nothing compared to what Brittany went through.
Kaitlin, Marilyn, Rosie and I sat down at a little cafe, Cafe Florio, it was kind of fancy looking and just wasted a few hours there sitting and talking and people watching before Marilyn and I went to the station to go to London.
So this is where the fun began. First, I tried to get my ticket from the ticket machine but it wouldn't print my ticket because it said that I had already printed the ticket. I hadn't but thought I had, because I had sent the ticket in an email to the people at the ISA office and asked them to print it for me but they printed the email and not the enclosed ticket. My bad for not realizing this before hand but it was frustrating because then I had to go into the ticket office and explain the situation to the girl working there. Luckily, she spoke English because I was getting flustered and my train was leaving in a matter of minutes. She was helpful however, and printed me out another ticket but after I got that and ran back to the line to check in for the eurostar, they closed the check in for that train!! I was going to pass out lol like I was freaking out about missing it. Marilyn was on the train that they closed and Brittany and I were supposed to be on it. I ran back to the ticket office and told them what happened and the lady was able to put me on the next train (without a fee! I was so happy.). So then I went through the customs and like landing pass stuff, it was very thourough. They didn't do any of that for Belgium. Someone said it's because of the EU or something that they don't check between EU countries. Anyways, so I sat down on the train and called Brittany to see how things were going. She had made it back to Versailles just fine and got her passport and was nearly to the station when I spoke to her.
She was able to get on a train just after mine but what I didn't know then is that the poor girl had to put down a lot of cash to get on it because the only open seat was in first class. She was also on a super tight budget like me but luckily her parents were able to help her out and put some more money in her account.
But we all arrived safe and sound and had our first dinner in London at a pub near the underground station. I had fish and chips and Brittany wasn't too hungry because she had some food on the train (benefits of riding first class).
Pictures:
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Monday, August 10, 2009
le 1er aout: Paris again
We slept in Saturday which was heavenly. We were always going a mile a minute it seems like so finally taking our time was nice. We stopped at Versailles on our way to Paris. We just went in to see the gardens. It was rather expensive because they were having a fountain show that day but luckily Brittany and I got a student discount. Poor Marilyn didn't get one. We had breakfast in one of the gardens. We just got crepes and sat down to eat there.
Versailles really is very pretty. It would be fun to live there I think and spend the day in the garden sometimes just relaxing or renting a row boat. There are some sections of the gardens that are free. We didn't know where those were though, and I think mostly only locals do. Kaitlin does but she wasn't there to show us unfortunately.
After we got back to Paris, we headed to the Pompidou, the modern art museum which I was very excited to see. It was so cool. We went up to the top floor of the free exhibition area and started there. They had a special exhibition going on called elles@pompidou downstairs and upstairs to go along with it, the rooms marked with a red doorway had art from significant women artists who have been historically overlooked. Their work was amazing. There were some prints from photographers we had talked about in photo class as well as some new ones that were just captivating. They had quite the variety of works there. There were paintings, photographs, some sculpture, mixed media pieces, and furniture and home design pieces as well. It was a very cool museum.
On the lower level was the main part of the elles@pompidou exhibition. It was all about women and I LOVED it. I wanted to spend more time in it but I had to hurry so we could meet Kaitlin and Rosie at the train station. I bought a little book about it. I really wanted the full book with information about all the works on exhibition but it was like 50 euro so I just got the 9 euro super condensed version.
We left the Pompidou and quickly found a boulangerie where we bought sandwhiches for our hungry tummies. The pastries looked amazing. I don't think any dessert in America can compare to the pastries in Paris both visually and tasteally (lol what is the word for what I am trying to express?).
We were going to pick up another friend of Brittany's (how random, right? Like how many friends can you have in Europe at the same time by coincidence?) named Rosie. She had recently moved to Germany with her husband who is in the army. She was very cool as well, very sweet and mature.
Kaitlin picked her up and we luckily found them at the train station. It was worrisome because neither Kaitlin nor Rosie had a phone so if we missed them it was going to be very very hard to find them. We went to a very famous cafe called Les Deux Magots. It was a favorite haunting place of several intellectuals and writers and surrealist artists of Paris.
After our very French afternoon, we went for a walk through the Tuleries. Brittany and I had been there before but it was fun to see them again. We walked through a lot of Paris after that. We were heading towards the Eiffel Tower to sit down and eat but we had to go to a grocery store first to get some food. We went to the Champs-Elysees and went to le drugstore. It's like a super fancy everything-you-want type of store, but very cool and not too expensive. It was a little more pricey than your standard grocer on the corner but still less expensive than a restaurant for a full meal.
After we bought our food, we had to walk a ways to sit down and eventually just decided since we had already walked so far, we might as well walk back to the Eiffel Tower to sit there and eat. It was beautiful as always. I seriously still can't believe I just sat and ate dinner under the Eiffel Tower several times. It's been a dream since Jr. High. Dreams really do come true :) Lol, here I am getting all nostalgic, but finishing up these posts makes me miss it.
We caught the last train to Versailles but had to get a taxi back to Jouy en Josas because those trains stop earlier. It wasn't badly priced split between five people. We all slept in Kaitlin's adorable apartment. I really liked all of Brittany's friends. I wish I could get to know all of them more. They were really fun, good, sweet, open minded, and genuine women. Brittany, if you ever read this, you have good taste in friends if I may say so myself ;)
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le 31: Back to Paris
We got up for breakfast at the Hotel du Congres. It was just like a french hotel breakfast, cold cuts and scrambled or boiled eggs, toast/croissants/pain au chocolat, yogurt, cereal, juice/coffee/tea, etc. Brittany wasn't feeling very well because she felt a migrane coming but she ate a little bit and we got her some water to drink and that helped a bit. She used to get really bad migranes a few times a week but she was on medication to keep them away. It apparently works because she didn't have one any of the time we were in France and the one she started to get didn't come on full force which was good.
We thought our Belgium adventure had wrapped up nicely when we had a shakey experience in the metro. We went to buy our tickets and realized we were short some money with the coin euros. And the ticket machines didn't take bills. Or American credit cards. And there were no ticket windows with people in them open. We were starting to freak out because we had to catch our train back to Paris, especially because we were going back on this student deal and couldn't transfer our tickets. If we missed the train, we would have to buy all new ones. We had already dealt with that nightmare in Paris and didn't want to have that happen again.
So, this man came down into the metro and I went to ask him if he knew where a ticket office was. He was like there are machines you can use and I tried to explain our predicament to him but he didn't really understand. We should have just hopped on the metro but the we ended up getting one ticket with the coins we had and then the man bought one with his credit card and we gave him the rest of the coins that we had which were pretty close to the cost of one ticket. I think he thought we were just retarded and couldn't use the machines but then he realized that we were short and seemed a little put off that we couldn't pay him back all the way but he got over it quick. We thanked him profusely and felt like idiots lol.
But good news, we made it to our train on time! And even better, we were riding first class. It was a crazy awesome deal we found online and so on our return trip it was cheaper to ride first class than second. The train was pretty empty but we somehow weren't sitting next to each other. I think there were four other peopl in my car. Brittany and I should have just sat next to each other but we didn't know it was going to be so empty I guess. Anyways, we got served a lovely breakfast and the staff serving were so nice and accomodating. I was surprised when they wheeled the cart by with the croissants and rolls and held them for you to take one that you got to take both and then they came by later and let you get seconds. I of course did lol and was like "Oh! Vraiment? Merci!" and the lady holding the croissant basket laughed at me ha ha.
We were meeting Brittany's friend that day who was also coming into Gare du Nord so we stayed around the area, I went to the atm for my last withdrawal and we went to pick up Marilyn. By time I met her, I felt as if we had met before because I had heard about her so much from Brittany. I was happy to meet her. She was interesting and funny in a subtle sort of way, and I was very impressed with her life plan. She wants to be an art historian focusing on jewelry art. She has a double major in English and Jewelry Making and was doing an internship in London's V&A Museum (which has an amazing collection of jewelry) under one of the pioneers of the jewelry art movement and one of the first to write about jewelry conceptually while not being a jewelry crafter. Don't know if that makes sense. But Marilyn like set up the whole thing herself. She called this guy after reading is book and was applying for a grant to do an internship and asked if she could work with him. She didn't get the grant but she got the internship. I thought it was impressive.
After we picked up Marilyn, we went out to eat. We went to St. Michel in the latin quarter and walked towards Notre Dame. There is a touristy restaurant called le petit pont nearby where we sat down to eat. It was hilarious. I just ordered a crepe and it came with like a sparkler on it. Then some people down a little ways from us had this giant drink with like a legit firework stuck on it lol. It was pretty funny. Marilyn likes English literature almost as much as Brittany so we went to the Shakespear and Co. Bookstore. After wandering there for a bit, we took a leisurely stroll along the Seine until we came to the Jardin des Plantes. I realized when we got there exactly where we were in relation to Madame's house and felt with great sadness that I was about to leave Paris just as I was getting to know her.
After my sudden revelation of direction within the lovely city, I was able to lead us to Rue Mouffetard where we sat down at a cafe and ordered Orangina which was probably the most expensive drink I have ever had and it's just orange soda!!! It was like four and a half euro. I wouldn't have ordered it if I knew it was going to be that much but they didn't give us a menu when we sat down because we were just getting something to drink. Sheesh, I will never make that mistake again lol. But it was good memories I guess. There was this crazy musician guy standing across the street with his guitar and singing loud for us. I don't think he was French because he was singing all English songs but they do listen to American music a lot so I guess he could have been.
We headed back to Gare du Nord where Brittany and I reloaded our luggage. (The lockers had a 48 hour maximum time) and then we went to Montparnasse where we got on a train to Versailles and thence to Jouey en Josas, where we were staying with Kaitlin for the next couple days. Kaitlin was spending the night in Paris so she met us there after she got done with work and then headed out to meet her friends there. Marilyn, Brittany and I went to the local grocery store called "Simple" and bought some picnic foods. We sat out on a little patio that Kaitlin shared with the people who's backyard apartment she lived in. It was so picturesque. I felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, like in some cute little French town. Oh, I miss it.
And, as always, pictures:
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le 30: Belgium
Brittany and I left Madame's over an hour before we had to catch our train to Brussels but we still managed to miss the train. It just took too much time carrying those gigantic bags in the metro which is horribly inaccessible for those with large and heavy suitcases or other impediment to climbing innumerable stairs really (isn't public transportation supposed to be accessible???).
But really what it came down to was the huge line at the train station at the ticket office and only 4 people working. One thing Americans do well that the French lack is efficiency. Really? Four people in an international train station on the eve of France's month of holidays and vacations? We put our larger suitcases in train station lockers and coughed up some extra euros to get tickets for the next train.
We had a decent ride there and arrived in Brussels with no idea of what to do next lol. We realized that we were quite unprepared. We only had a vague idea of what we were going to do based of an itinerary my friend who studied in Brussels had written for one of his friends who came to visit.
After walking around the station for a few minutes, we found a place to buy tickets to Bruges. The tickets were substantially more expensive than we had anticipated but not terribly unreasonable so we coughed up those euros too. We ended up buying this youth train pass that the lady told us was cheaper than the regular tickets and if I happen to be in Belgium, I can use the pass I bought again (highly unlikely that that will be the case but who knows what could happen).
On the train ride to Bruges, a little girl Clara sat in front of us with her grandmother. She kept turning around and playing with Brittany and I and we tried to talk to her in French but sometimes she was hard to understand. I don't know if that was because Brittany's and my French was bad or if she had a funny accent or if she just couldn't prononciate well being only about to turn 4. Or a combination of those options. She had a little Goofy doll she was playing with so I got the doll I bought Gretel out of my bag and played with her for a bit. Clara loved the doll and was sad when I put her back in my bag.
We got to the Bruges train station and went to the information desk to make sure we the train times for coming back to Brussels and stowed some stuff in lockers there. We got a 50 euro centime map of Bruges and headed out the door. To our surprise and pleasure, we found out that Bruges is a small city, and very easy to walk. We ate some pricey waffles that tasted more like cake than breakfast but I was ok with that :) . Waffles are more of a desert in Europe, sometimes they sold them at crepe stands in France with nutella or fruit.
We saw a shop called DIDI and I had to buy my sister something from it because that is her nickname. Then we found the main square with the Belfry tower. I felt like I was at Disneyland but it was real life. It was mostly funny to me and I exclaimed in disbelief, "What is this?" Brittany was like, "This is Bruges." We just stood there for a while taking it in and spinning around in the middle of the square to take in all the colors and architectural details on the Gothic buildings.
We decided to climb the stairs to the top of the Belfry. I am glad that Europe has discounts for students and youth because it was like eight euro normally which would have been a rip off but for those under 26 it was only four! It is motivation to go back to Europe in before I get past my mid twenties for sure. It is much cheaper that way and the cheap way is still assez cher. But anyways, the Belfry was pretty cool. The stairs were very narrow, windy, and steep. I felt like I was basically crawling up them at some points. The view from the top was beautiful and we stopped on a level to see the giant music box like contraption that plays the bells every 15 minutes. On some special occasions, the bells are still played manually.
After our descent, we wandered through streets looking in chocolat shop windows. They were all different and yet the same. Some were cute and whimsical with chocolat ducks and shells and others displayed their impressive selections of pralines. Some had pretty displays dressed with boxes and bows like jewelery stores. On our way, we decided to impulsively take an hour boat tour. There is a river/canal that goes through the center of the city (it seems pretty like the cool thing to have in your city in Europe ha ha, of course because that is how civilizations developed, around water but anyways, it is something different and charming). Our tour guide spoke English, Dutch, and French and said all his informational blurbs and jokes in all three. Pretty impressive but I could see it getting really old for him after two boat tours lol. Brittany and I loved it.
After our lovely tour, we went to the Church of our Lady and saw Madonna and Child by Michaelangelo. They had a lot of really cool art in that church and even a small museum with admission fee. We just stayed in the free part of the church and admired the workmanship as Brittany explained some Catholic beliefs and ordinances to me. It was all pretty fascinating actually.
We wandered through a few more chocolat stores and I bought some chocolat gifts and we decided to head back to the train station. We made it back to Brussels around 7:00 and were once again completely clueless as to what to do next. We had a hotel reserved but didn't exactly know how to get there lol. Luckily the girl at the tourism booth was extremely helpful. She gave us excellent directions and we took a short metro ride and walked less than five minutes to our hotel.
The hotel was surprisingly nice and had free wifi, something we didn't notice when booking so that was a pleasant surprise as well. We checked in and relaxed for a while. We had a rough morning so it felt good to just lay on our beds for a few minutes and check email.
As our need for rest gave way to our hunger, we decided to head out in search of Belgium's traditional meal of mussels and french fries our as the French say, Moules Frites. We saw some places very close to our hotel and didn't feel like walking to the center of the town because we weren't exactly sure how far that was in addition to the fact that we were very hungry so we sat ourselves down and orderd a moules frites to share as per Madame's recommendation that the dish is large and perfect to split. The moules were great and the fries even better. We ate them with mayonnaise instead of ketchup and I think I will do that forever. It was good. I know it sounds disgusting and fatty but trust me, just try it. Maybe get some European mayonnaise first though... I don't know if french fries and Miracle Whip or Best Foods would yeild the same taste. (I just have to have a disclaimer in case you don't like it :-P)
After our yummy Belgiun dinner, we walked towards the Grand Place, the center of the city. Luckily the city was tiny and so it took us like five minutes even though looking at a map you'd think it was like a twenty minute walk. Brussels is pretty at night and pretty quiet until you get to the Grand Place. There was a light show on it with music, and I got the impression that it is a regular occurance. I wonder if they do it every night. Brittany got some ice cream and I bought a waffle and we sat down to watch the show. After the show was over, we walked through some more central streets. It was a lot more lively there and there were more restaurants and greater selection of cheaper mussels so we were kind of upset that we hadn't walked down here earlier. It was a lot more happening and there were people actually out and about walking through the streets through the colorful shops and restaurants.
We didn't stay out too late because we had to walk back to our hotel alone but we actually felt very safe. We didn't really see any shady people or anything really and the streets were very lit up. But we were also tired and needed our rest.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
le 29 juillet: Goodbye Madame
Wednesday was a sad day. It was our last french class which wasn't too sad lol, especially because we got out early because it was a holy day for Catholics and the school had a mass at 10:30. I took a picture of my French class:
I really liked my French class. It was a good experience to have so much diversity. The students were from various countries like Hungary, Ukraine, Korea, Japan, China, England, USA, and others I can't remember all of them. It was good because it forced us even more to communicate in French although it was sometimes hard to understand some of the student's accents.
We met for lunch one last time with the girls and Brittany and I printed off the picture of us with Madame. We went home and just worked on packing and getting everything ready to go for our travels.
Madame was so sweet for our last meal she made this gigantic bowl of spaghetti and was like you have to eat all of it lol because she was also leaving the next day and she knew that we probably wouldn't be eating as well because it would be expensive so she wanted to give us a really good last meal. We had a good salad to go along with it that had little bits of turkey in it.
For dessert, she gave us chocolat pudding and the last of her chocolat ice cream and strawberry ice cream, and little dessert cookies. She was also telling us what to eat in Belgium and London. She told us the Moules-frites are the best in Belgium and they are inexpensive. She warned us about the pound being even stronger against the dollar than the euro and cautioned us to pay attention to that and that sometimes fruit was more expensive there.
She also told us to be careful of speaking French in Brussels because of political tensions in Belgium between the people who speak French and those who speak Flemmish. They apparently dislike the French speakers and so she told us it is best to just use English and they will understand that we are tourists.
She was really sweet and genuinely concerned about us. We were very sad it was our last dinner with her.
Brittany and I made her a little card to go with our photo. It was just like a hand made thank you card but she loved it. She was like a mom who said she loved it even more because we made it with our hands lol. She was like it warms my heart and she gave us bisous :) She really loved Brittany's illustrations of us. She drew me holding a baguette and eating a ton and the drawing of herself had like chocolate ice cream. The drawing of Madame was holding Moustique and Gala was at her feet. She loved the cats lol and was laughing at the drawing with joy.
We were happy that she liked it so much.
Earlier in the day, Brittany and I finally took pictures of her house while she was gone lol, so here is a tour of Madame's house:
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I was really stupid and didn't ask Madame to get a picture with her the night before but she was fine with the picture of her still in her nightgown lol, she was like "C'est la vie" and saying how I could tell everyone that this is Madame Lemberger in the morning and still pretty lol. I was like "C'est vrai"
I will miss her. She is one of the sweetest women I have known.
He he, look how little she is! Oh Madame, I wonder what she is doing now.
le 28 juillet: Farewell Dinner
Tuesday was our last day of photography class. We had our final critique at the ISA office. For lunch we mixed it up and went to this place like a deli that sold pasta salads and things. I got a vegetable salad with zuchinnis and potatoes and some other stuff it was pretty good and then I stopped in a boulangerie and bought a roll. The eating is so nice there. Like having so many options of places in such a short area and the fresh bread everywhere is awesome. I am going to miss it.
So for the final critique, we used some old pictures and some new. We could reuse pictures from our past critiques or pick photographs that were from the past days but that we didn't choose to show. Here were my 15: (ok, actually there are 14 here because I accidentally deleted one and am too lazy to put it back in lol)
After the critique, Brittany and I ran home to change and then we headed out to the farewell dinner. We decided to try taking the bus because its path was more direct than the metro and that way, we could actually see the city as we were travelling. I wish we would have tried to use the bus more I think it would have been helpful in getting more familiar with the city. The metro is a lot faster and sometimes more convenient but the buses would have been cool to see the city with. But unfortunately, we got on a bus going the opposite direction than we wanted to go so we were like half an hour late for the dinner but it wasn't a big deal.
We ate at a place on Rue Mouffetard called "Mouffetot Mouffetard" a play on the French words "tot" and "tard" meaning early and late. It was a cute little place and the owners are close friends with the ISA directors. They came with us on our trip to Normandy even. The dinner started with a salad and then we had a choice for our main course. I chose the leg of duck which was very good. We also got dessert which was a slice of apple pie and some type of merengue pie and a scoop of ice cream.
We were all getting a little sad that it was our last nights. We took pictures and talked in front of the restaurant for a long time and then walked up Rue Mouffetard and got some gelato at this funny place that had a sign in English boasting the "Best Glace in Paris." They did flower shapes like Amarino but it wasn't as good as Amarino's glace. We said goodbye to everyone and promised to all keep in touch.
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Monday, July 27, 2009
le 27 juillet: Sacre Coeur et ISA art reception
Monday, Brittany and I went to Sacre Coeur after French class. We don't have photo class on Mondays but we did have an art reception that evening so we had to fit it in a couple of hours. Sacre Coeur is a chapel on a hill called Montmartre. The area is supposed to be filled with artists and be really cool and stuff but unfortunately, it was rainy and so there were no artists in sight.
We took cover in the chapel and looked out on Paris from the porch area. It was beautiful. I was scared to take too many pictures though because it was raining pretty hard and I didn't want to get my camera wet.
After we saw the chapel, we took a little tram thing down the hill and walked around the shops and the area down there hoping to find some artists. We didn't find any artists but there were some pushy guys selling bracelets. Only they would like stop you and ask you to hold some thread for them and then like try to talk to you while they make it and then you make a wish and then they tie it on your wrist and ask for a small contribution lol. This guy did it to me and I was like I seriously have no money so don't waste your time. He is like it's ok and kept going so I was like Ok, I'll take a bracelet for free lol. I gave him like 30 centimes and he was pretty upset but that is more than I should've given him because I told him I wasn't going to pay him.
There were some pretty cute shops. There were a few that had some cute kitchen stuff. It's all like animals or people or things made into kitchen utinsils like dogs were cake servers, squids as wisks and little women as umbrellas and the fabric part is like their skirt. I took some pictures so y'all can see.
We went to the art reception at the ISA office. The painting and photo students had some of their work on display. I had my little girl picture from the market and the man standing in front of the water lillies up. They had little pastries and fruit for us to eat and the professors and their husbands and wives all came and the students from those classes and the ISA Paris staff. It was a fun little get together. It was fairly casual but I think in future years they want to make it a little more formal and a grand affair. I guess this was their first year doing it.
For dinner, we had a lovely multi-course meal. It started with like a pea salad wrapped in a slice of ham. It was delicious and beautifully presented with tomato slices going around it. Madame likes to cook pretty when she has time during the day. Then we had some quiche lorraine that she had made with beans and couscous.
We went out to the Champs Elysees again with Courtney and Amanda. We just walked around and talked. It was fun.
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le 26 juillet: Mt. Saint Michel
Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast. It wasn't as extravagant as the breakfast at the other place but it was still good. We went out and walked around a little market that was right in front of our hotel. It was really cute. I bought some three euro shoes to match my blue and white skirt.
We boarded the bus and headed to Mount Saint Michel. There is a legend that Saint Michel appeared to someone (lol I love how thourough my history is) and told them to build a chapel on this island. It is an island when the tide comes in but when the tide goes out, it is just a hill. So the hill had to be reinforced with granite and it was constructed like a pyramid with a flat top where the chapel was built.
We got there at high tide so the water was right up to the road and the edge of the mount. We walked up a narrow windy street to the top of the mount and took a tour of the chapel. It was probably my favorite so far. We walked into the center of the nave while they were holding mass and it was gorgeous. The monks were singing and the light was shining through the back windows. It felt very heavenly. I would have liked to just sit there and take it all in for a while but we had like a scheduled tour so I had to go run and catch up with the rest of the group. There was a stunning little courtyard with an amazing view and a great dining hall. In the hall, the windows were in deep recesses so you couldn't see the windows standing in the middle but as you walk down the hall, you can start seeing the windows and the light coming through. It symbolized progression and learning which was kind of cool. The top level of the chapel was reserved for monks because it was highest and therefore closest to God and the lower levels were for recieving kings and other royalty. It is all just white stone now but in the past, it would have been elaborate and brightly painted or covered with tapestries.
The chapel was used as a prison during the revolution and The Scarlet Pimpernel (version from like the 40s or 50s) was filmed there.
After our tour, we wandered back down the streets which are lined with souvenir shops and restaurants. We got a quick lunch and then shopped on our way down. When we made it back to the entrance, the tide was gone and our bus was parked in a lot that didn't exist in the morning. The tide is pretty crazy. It comes in at a metre a second, which makes it very dangerous to walk to the mount.
Before we headed back to Paris, we made a quick stop at a cookie factory. The Normandy region is famous for its milk/cream, butter, salt, apples, and meat. The lamb meat there is already salted because the grass the lambs eat is salty from the water. So I bought some butter cookies and some apple cookies and jam.
And now, picture time:
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le 25 juillet: Normandy
Saturday we got up early for our excursion to Normandy. Brittany and I both slept in however and we got up and had to like run to the metro to try and make it to the ISA office on time. We were a little late, everyone else was sitting in the bus but they waited for us so we were very happy.
Our first stop was in Caen, a town close to Omaha beach where there is a Peace Museum. We visited the special exhibit which included a couple of video presentations about the 2nd World War and temporary exhibit on the Cold War. We grabbed some lunch before going through the permanent exhibition which was gigantic. We really didn't have enough time to properly take it all in. There were videos, sound bits and interviews, copies of letters from soldiers on both fronts. They also had old newspapers and propaganda posters, some weaponry, uniforms, and models. It was interesting and we all wanted to take our time looking and reading everything. It wasn't something you can really just walk through and stop at the things that stand out. It was something you wanted to spend time reading and getting aquanted with. So we only made it through about half way by time we had to leave which was unfortunate. If I ever get the chance to go back I would like to take more time there.
We went to Omaha Beach next. That beach is where the US soldiers are buried. We went to the beach first. It was beautiful and hard to imagine a bloody war taking place there. It seemed so peaceful and pristine. The hillside was filled with greenery on the walk down to the sandy beach and the lighting was beautiful. The water wasn't too cold so we got in and waded a bit.
We went up to visit the cemetery which was a bit overwhelming. The grave markers just go on forever. It is hard to comprehend. But I was pleased to see it so well maintained. Every cross and star of David is perfectly white and straight still. There were some monuments throughout the cemetery. There was a beautiful mosoleum we looked and statues and architecture throughout the cemetery as reminders of the sacrifices the soldiers made. The land is actually U.S. soil which is pretty cool. The French gave us the land after the war as a gift.
After seeing Omaha beach and the cemetery, we went to Point du Hoc, another beach where fighting took place. This place was bizarre. The ground was completely mutilated by craters from bombs and there were remains of German bunkers. The landscape was again incredibly beautiful, however and simply looking, you would never get the sense of what happened there. There were kids running around and playing in the bomb-craters it reminded me a lot of something you might see in a Dr. Suess book. But the bunkers were creepy. You could walk into some of them. They were dark and spooky and had the eerie-est feeling about them.
After seeing the beaches, we headed back to Caen to check into our hotel. The area was charming, there was a little dock with boats all in it. We went to dinner in an area of the town that had survived the bombings and there were these charming old buildings. I had a bouillabaisse which was delicious. I had never had mussels before and I liked them very much. I had creme brulle for dessert and it was very good. The restaurant was very cute. They had live music and I recognized a couple of the songs even. One was an Emilie Simon song that I like and the other I don't know the artist or song title but we had heard it a couple of times before in Paris. It was a lot of fun. We had some good bonding time with the girls as well and we decided that we should have reunions and travel around to the different states that we are all from. Illinois, North Carolina, Louisianna, Utah, Texas, Michigan. I'm excited. I hope it really does happen.
After dinner, we stopped by this pastry shop that was open late and some girls that didn't have dessert with dinner bought pastries. We went back to Brittany and I's hotel room and were all chatting but we were told we were being too loud so we went to bed after that.
I think Normandy was my favorite excursion. It was beautiful and meaningful and I also had a wonderful time with my friends there. Here are some pictures:
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Friday, July 24, 2009
le 24 juillet: St. Chapelle et Louvre 2
So catching up on the last week of Paris. On friday the 24th, Brittany and I both had a photo paper due which we stayed up writing Thursday but didn't finish. We both got up early Friday to try and finish but we took a while so we skipped French class. It felt so good lol. We just got to relax in the morning and take our time in Paris.
We met up with some girls in our program who didn't have class and another girl who randomly skipped the same day as we did. It was fun. We stopped into a shop and looked around. Brittany bought another dress that was really cute. Unfortunately, we noticed later that the back pleats were falling out but they should be easily fixed by a tailor.
Alison, Brittany, and I went to see Saint Chapelle. It is another cathedrale in Paris, very close to the Notre Dame. I think that Louis IX built it. It is a stunning example of Gothic architecture, especially stained glass windows, the entire walls are basically stained glass windows and unfortunately it was a cloudy day because there was one moment when the sun came out and the windows just lit up beautifully. I wish it could have been that light all the time. It was stunning.
For photo class, we went to a museum called the Cite Nationale de l'Histoire d'Immigration. There was a photo exhibit there about immigration in Paris. It was also about the suburbs in Paris and the racial and class based segregation that the suburbs enhance. It was an interesting exhibit, especially because of the artists personal exhibition of his family. His family is Jewish and Jews in Paris have a history of being excluded and forced to leave. His photographs were an attempt to deal with that and come to terms with his history and what it means to him now. It was really interesting.
After we saw the exhibit, we were going to go out and take pictures but it started raining fairly hard and wasn't letting up so we just got out of class early. Brittany and I went to the Louvre again. We stayed in the paintings this time. There is just so much to see it is overwhelming. We got pretty tired after a while but we were like trudging along because we wanted to see it all. It is seriously impossible.
For dinner we had fish sticks and like fried potatoes. We also had a salad as usual. It was pretty good, it had a little tofu in it I believe. Our conversation at dinner was funny. Madame said I eat like a man and she was amazed that I am still thin lol. She is quite amazed. If only she could see my sister Anna lol. She eats like twice as much as I do and is super super skinny.
After dinner, we met up with Courtney and Amanda and walked along the Champs Elysees. We started by visiting the Arc de Triomph. It was sweet but I really wanted to see the view from the top. I bet it would be incredible, with the boulevards going out from it in all directions but Courtney and Brittany didn't want to spend the money. I should have just gone by myself. But anyways, it was an enjoyable evening. I stopped by the fnac (bestbuy meets borders) and bought another memory card for my camera. It is always nice to have a back up and I was having trouble with my card reader.
Here are some pictures from the day:
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Thursday, July 23, 2009
le 23 juillet: Le D'Orsay
So I got a French test back today. I got a 16 out of 20 on it. It's pretty good. Their grades are a little weird here. I think it's like an A- in America but I'm not really sure how it will transfer.
I had lunch with Brittany's French class today. They were having a picnic together and so I just tagged along. We bought a baguette and some cheese and an apple. I also bought some carrot salad thing but was full enough from the baguette that I saved my salad for later.
Brittany's teacher is really funny. He is super awkwardly tall and he is into photography so he was asking about our photo class. Brittany took some pictures on my camera because she forgot the battery for hers. I'll have to stick some up here so you can see him.
For photo class, we met at the Arts et Metiers museum. They had a photo exhibit about work there. The pictures were great, a lot of them were of people working with machinery. But there were some office ones too. It was very cool. The museum was cute and whimsical. They had old cars and planes and flying machines and models of boats and trains. I would have liked to have stayed longer and seen more of it but we had planned on going to the Musee D'Orsay so we looked around for just a bit before we left.
They also had this cool pendulum thing there that shows the motion of the earth because the pendulum starts swinging in a circle... ok like back and forth but moving in a circle.
The Orsay was beautiful. It is my favorite museum that I have seen. They had such a great range of works Like realisim moving to impressionism then post impressionism. They had some really interesting stuff from Gauguin as well as the ones I really wanted to see, Monet and Van Gogh and Degas. They didn't have a ton of Degas paintings. They had a bunch but what was most impressive was their collection of his ballerina statues.
Brittany and I had both heard that the restaurant on the second floor was really good so we decided to eat there. It wasn't too badly priced and we just ordered the least expensive plat and shared a dessert as we are fond of doing. We had the rizotto. It was like cheesy rice with peas, lima beans, and green beans in it. It was very good but the dessert was simply amazing. It was a melt-in-your-mouth cake with like fudge in the middle with vanilla whipped cream and passion fruit sauce. I could drink that sauce. The service there was really good too. The waiters were all very friendly.
The restaurant itself was GORGEOUS. Brittany and I couldn't believe the view. Yes, we took pictures lol. Dinner took a while as it does in France so when we left the restaurant, the gift shop was closed which was kind of sad.
We got home kind of late and we had a paper due the next morning for photo class so we just worked on that but I was kind of bad and went to bed before it was done...EEEE
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009
le 22 juillet: The Park
Today was not the greatest. I mostly am upset because I didn't bring my camera to photo class. I thought we were going to be in the classroom all day but it didn't rain like it was supposed to according to the Meteo (either France's weather is completely unpredictable or all their weather men suck) so Claudio tooks us out to a park in North-east Paris.
I had my small camera but the batteries were low so I didn't take too many pictures in hopes of preserving the battery. I will share with you what I do have, however.
The thing that made it not so bad was eating a yummy bueno candy bar. They are like kit kats with nutella. Mmmm.
The park was amazing. It was one of the hill-y areas in Paris so the view was incredible. There was a was a fairly impressive waterfall and a really sweet island thing in the middle of a lake. We wanted to go to the island but there was some sort of incident and pompiers everywhere blocking it off so we couldn't. :(
O my goodness, we saw the most intense PDA in the park, too. Like Ingy and Lindsay warned me about the public parks and PDA but this was like the worst I have seen lol. I don't know if I should even describe what was happening. I'll just leave it at that.
We went home for dinner and had ravioli. We also had raw ham. Yeah, raw. It was rather chewy but it had a strong flavor. The French are a little crazy with their meat. Like in restaurants, raw steak is popular. Seriously raw, like not rare, raw. We also had peas and wheat with beans like a vegetable salad type of thing. And the delicious south of France baked tomatoe. (drool). We also had this really good bread and Madame gave us a nectarine and some cake from Brussels for dinner.
After dinner, Brittany and I sat down and figured out our travel plans for the next week. We are going to Brussels tomorrow for the day and then coming back to Paris for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We will actually be staying in Versailles with Brittany's friend who lives there but we are planning on staying in Paris throughout the days we have here. Sunday night we are taking the Eurostar to London where Brittany also has a friend which will save us from getting a hotel. We are going to hang out with Jenna there and then I'll be back to Paris the night before my flight leaves. I can't believe how fast this month has gone!
But here are some pictures from the day:
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P.S. I forgot to tell you about using the public toilet for the first time. It took me forever to figure out how to get in lol. I swear I pushed all the buttons on the outside. I had to have one of my friends do it eventually and then I like go in and it takes me another five minutes to fiture out how to close the door. It was so weird. The toilet seat was the oddest shape and then there was like a stream of water running to wash your hands in lol. It was just weird. I don't know how to describe it. I'll tell y'all about it when I get home so I can used hand motions
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
le 20 juillet et le 21 juillet: Happy Birthday Brittany
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Monday I had my subjonctif presentation in French class. It went pretty well. I explained things more effectively than I thought I would and I think our teacher was pleased with our presentation. We made up some fun excercises, too, playing off what we talk about in class and tease each other about. Did I ever tell you about the hilarious class in which we spent like twenty minutes just going over the pronounciation difference between "passion" and "patient"? It was hilarious. There is a doctor in our class who said she doesn't like when patients come in the night but my teacher heard "passions" lol.
After French class, I had to run home to change my shoes because we were planning on taking a walking tour at four pm. We always wear shoes in the house and I like to wear these slipper like shoes I have here but they are not the best to walk around outside in but in the morning rush I forgot to change them. So I bought a hot dog like thing at a boulangerie close by Madame's as well as my first Parisien Eclair (very good btw) and pulled out my Paris street map.
The other girls we hang out with were going to the Orangerie but I had already been so I wanted to do something else. I was thinking I would walk to Rue Moufftard. It is a place we had been to in Photo class and I wanted to go back to see it and do some dress shopping. I still haven't found myself a French dress that I am in love with but I went out walking and found myself walking down the Seine towards the Notre Dame.
I took a lovely stroll along the river and entered the beautiful church. There happened to be a free tour of the building in English starting in five minutes so I took it. A cute Italien girl led our group around the building. There is so much history and symbolism in the art on both the outside and inside of the church. I am having issues getting my images off my camera card, otherwise they would be here. I hope they can be salvaged. My photo teacher is taking a look at it for me and I bought a new card at the fnac (french best buy meets barnes and noble and phone company) for in the meantime.
The tour ended just in time for me to stroll along the souvenir shops and get a scope on what they have and then buy an amarino cone before the walking tour. Delish. I got noix de cocco again. I think coconut has become my favorite flavor. It is so good here.
The walking tour was pretty amazing. I learned some cool new things about the city and it was perfect weather. Some of the things we had already learned from my amazing Photo teacher and from just living in the city for a month but it was fun to walk around and see the city. I feel like we miss out a bunch when we take the metro. I wish I had familiarized myself with the buses more than the metro but they of course are not as fast and reliable so that makes it difficult when you have to get to class on time in the morning.
For dinner we had pasta with les petits jambons (aka bacon). It was yummy of course. After dinner, Brittany and I watched the movie Chocolat in pieces via youtube lol. It was a lovely evening but we were craving chocolat so much after that movie. It just looks so good. I really love the chocolat here as well. They normally have dark chocolat rather than milk chocolat.
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Tuesday was Brittany's 21 birthday. We had a picnic in Luxembourg as per her request. Her friend Katie who is the Au Pair came up from Versailles to attend and she brought Brittany a box of maccaroons from Laduree (a fancy and famous restaurant/macaroon maker/tea salon/really cute place) They were really good. Brittany let me have a taste of a couple but I think maccaroons in general are slightly overrated. I think Courtney just loves them so much because she can't eat other cookies (she is a celiac) and idk why Brittany loves them so much lol. Don't get me wrong, they are delicious but they are like a euro for a tiny little cookie. I guess they are extremely difficult to make.
For photo class, we went to Place de la Republic. It was a cute little area and we had the strangest experience. Brittany, Alison Best, and I were walking down the street when a man asked us if we wanted to take a picture. We were like yeah, that is what we were doing... But he is like here, follow me, and he like opens a door into this courtyard that is common for apartment buildings to have. So Brittany like follows him in and of course Alison and I can't let her go alone so there we are. It looks just like any other courtyard really but then he takes us past another gate. (Yes, Taken was like playing in my mind. I was like what the heck are you doing Brittany? but never fear, the story has a good ending). So he takes us into the most cool little housing complex I have seen in Paris and like takes us to his apartment which is like beautiful beyond belief. There were several walls that were entirely windows that opened up to let the air in. One wall was covered in a well filled bookshelf and the other had a fabulous piece of art.
It was like my dream apartment in Paris. I was like please give us your apartment. Not really but that's what I was thinking inside. He said a bunch of things that I don't know if I trust the validity of. Such as that the complex was built in the place where the statue of Liberty was built and that one of his neighbors works for the CIA. He seemed a little off the rocker but I couldn't tell if it was just because of his accent and different mannerisms or if he really was. I will never know. All I know is that I loved that apartment complex and like really want to live there.
We left and found the cutest colorful stores. They had these sweet toys and pretty house decorations. The prices for the decor really weren't that bad but the children's clothing was ridic. Same for the women's clothing in the neighboring store that was part of the whole company we think. They like had the same fabrics and colors and everything.
We were so tired coming home that Brittany fell asleep in the metro lol. That girl can fall asleep anywhere. She has even been tested for narcelepsy. Apparently she doesn't have it but she falls asleep every day in class. It is kind of funny but sad at the same time.
Madame went out to Normandy with her friend Tuesday so she had prepared some dinner for us before hand. It was fish and pasta and we took it from the pan and reheated it in the micro-ond. It would have been better reheated in the oven but the ovens here are so complex. Just like the washing machines. So we just had to deal. We had some nectarines for desert and we also took a little slice of the Belgium cake.
For Brittany's dinner, we surprised Brittany with a pastry cake picnic at the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful cake with apple slices and strawberries on it. We sang happy birthday in english and french and apparently got a little more attention than we had bargained for because a couple of French guys came over with their guitars and started talking to Brittany about her birthday. They decided to sing to her and we all sang again with the guitar playing.
They decided to stick around and asked Brittany if she had any requests for songs. They said they could play the Beatles so I suggested they play "Dear Prudence". (This song has special meaning for Brittany because she calls her little tummy pouch Prudence lol). They played the song and it was wonderfully hilarious. We all enjoyed it very much. They played some more but we kind of ignored them and just talked amongst ourselves and enjoyed the cake.
It was a good day. I think Brittany had a good time as well which is the most important. I told her I would buy her a pastry the next day. I was going to buy her one at lunch but we were running late for the picnic. It worked out well though. I got her a pain au chocolat armande the next morning before French class which she thouroughly enjoyed.
le 18 juillet et le 19 juillet: Loire Valley Weekend
Saturday and Sunday was our excursion to the Loire Valley.
We got up bright and early to meet at the ISA office at 7:30 am. Whew. We were tired. Gabriel and Anamaria were coming with us. Gabriel was buying coffee out of the little coffee machines for anyone who wanted some which was nice. The machines are really cool. They are so much cheaper than buying a cafe at a cafe lol and they have all these different kinds of coffee and they have the best hot chocolate. I love the hot chocolate that comes from the coffee machines.
We rode a bus to the Chateaux du Blois, our first stop. The chateaux was interesting because it showed three different styles of architecture lol. It was inhabited by three different kings who like tore down parts of it then added on in different styles. It actually was kind of ugly all pieced together but the individual pieces were interesting. The back piece is late gothic style. The middle is Renaissance and the last piece is classical.
A fancy violin like made of porcelain from the museum. I though Maddie would like this.
Pretty column.
Creepy gargoyles.
Ornate ceiling lol
A tapestry. I never really payed much attention to tapestries before but they are incredible. I am amazed at how beautiful they are, like a painting but the skill is incredible and the time it would take to make one... They are amazing. This is a close up of one and it is on its side so sorry lol but I just wanted to say I am a tapistry fan now.
For some reason, they had a whole section on oriental embroidery in the little art museum and these shoes. The little bitty ones are for women with bound feet. Yeah, look at the regular sized shoes compared to the bound feet shoes. Disgusting. 
Some cute French kids looking out the window. I want a French baby. They are so cute and they seem littler than American children. They seem more innocent and playful. Like they stay little for longer. I think part of it might be the way they dress. Their clothes are very sweet and childlike and so are their toys. You see them skipping and singing while they hold their mother's hands in the streets. 
O yes, kings used to choose animal symbols for themselves to like represent their power. Francois Ier I believe it was chose a... get this... a salamander. Weirdo lol. I guess salamander's have some mythical history of being magical or something. However, I still think it is hilarious.
I believe the porquipine was Henry 4em or some other Henry. Lol at least a porquipine has quills. 
Another lovely ceiling.
The funny little play
Classical meets Rennaissance. Check out that staircase. It's a beauty.
Flamboyant Gothic. I love that it is called 'flamboyant'. Such a fabulous word.
This is a lovely stained glass window. I love stained glass and I have had the great fortune of seeing countless panes of it in France. All the Chateaux have some at least in their chapels.
Courtney poking her head out a window in the double staircase. I will make a Smilebox album thing so you can see more pictures. This doesn't really demonstrate the staircase well but it is a fun picture.
Rooftop @ Chambord.
Front view! It was super gorgeous. There are so many fireplaces on that Chateau.
This is me at the top of the Chateau du Chambord. I bought that scarf at the Monoprix! It is like the French Target and it was amazingly on sale for like 3 euro. I think I am gonna go back and buy another one!
Me in front of the house. CHEESE
Little kids playing w/ the cannon model. DaVinci was rather violent. There were like three models for cannons and a bunch of other weapons. I was like where is the love man? But he also had some cool bridge and gear designs and a conceptual first car idea. It was very cool to see. 
A view of the garden. Pictures in the house were 'interdit' so I didn't take very many but snuck a few. Check the smilebox later to see a few. 
This is Tianfang. She is Chinese and super cute. She doesn't talk much but she is really nice.
Looking out one of the windows on to DaVinci's garden/courtyard area.
Me in front of the castle! Yes, I am rewearing the scarf. I am being French and wearing the same thing two days in a row. Not really because my shirt is different but really, that is what they do. Madame wears at most like three outfits per week. It is pretty weird but I'm all in favor of doing it in the U.S. Less hassle and laundry.
The Chateau!
