Friday, July 29, 2011
"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that's all"
C'est une chose étrange à la fin que le monde
Un jour je m'en irai sans en avoir tout dit
Ces moments de bonheur ces midis d'incendie
La nuit immense et noire aux déchirures blondes.
Rien n'est si précieux peut-être qu'on le croit
D'autres viennent. Ils ont le cœur que j'ai moi-même
Ils savent toucher l'herbe et dire je vous aime
Et rêver dans le soir où s'éteignent des voix.
D'autres qui referont comme moi le voyage
D'autres qui souriront d'un enfant rencontré
Qui se retourneront pour leur nom murmuré
D'autres qui lèveront les yeux vers les nuages.
II y aura toujours un couple frémissant
Pour qui ce matin-là sera l'aube première
II y aura toujours l'eau le vent la lumière
Rien ne passe après tout si ce n'est le passant.
C'est une chose au fond, que je ne puis comprendre
Cette peur de mourir que les gens ont en eux
Comme si ce n'était pas assez merveilleux
Que le ciel un moment nous ait paru si tendre.
Oui je sais cela peut sembler court un moment
Nous sommes ainsi faits que la joie et la peine
Fuient comme un vin menteur de la coupe trop pleine
Et la mer à nos soifs n'est qu'un commencement.
Mais pourtant malgré tout malgré les temps farouches
Le sac lourd à l'échine et le cœur dévasté
Cet impossible choix d'être et d'avoir été
Et la douleur qui laisse une ride à la bouche.
Malgré la guerre et l'injustice et l'insomnie
Où l'on porte rongeant votre cœur ce renard
L'amertume et Dieu sait si je l'ai pour ma part
Porté comme un enfant volé toute ma vie.
Malgré la méchanceté des gens et les rires
Quand on trébuche et les monstrueuses raisons
Qu'on vous oppose pour vous faire une prison
De ce qu'on aime et de ce qu'on croit un martyre.
Malgré les jours maudits qui sont des puits sans fond
Malgré ces nuits sans fin à regarder la haine
Malgré les ennemis les compagnons de chaînes
Mon Dieu mon Dieu qui ne savent pas ce qu'ils font.
Malgré l'âge et lorsque, soudain le cœur vous flanche
L'entourage prêt à tout croire à donner tort
Indifférent à cette chose qui vous mord
Simple histoire de prendre sur vous sa revanche.
La cruauté générale et les saloperies
Qu'on vous jette on ne sait trop qui faisant école
Malgré ce qu'on a pensé souffert les idées folles
Sans pouvoir soulager d'une injure ou d'un cri.
Cet enfer Malgré tout cauchemars et blessures
Les séparations les deuils les camouflets
Et tout ce qu'on voulait pourtant ce qu'on voulait
De toute sa croyance imbécile à l'azur.
Malgré tout je vous dis que cette vie fut telle
Qu'à qui voudra m'entendre à qui je parle ici
N'ayant plus sur la lèvre un seul mot que merci
Je dirai malgré tout que cette vie fut belle.
-- Louis Aragon (1954)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
I know I'm sleeping 'cause this dream's too amazing
I've been sleeping for forty days and
Yeah, I know that I'm sleeping cause this dream's too amazing
She got gold doorknobs where her eyes used to be, yeah
One turn and I learned what it really means to see, yeah
It's the magical mystery kind
Must be a lie
Bye bye to the too good to be true kind of love
Oooooh I could die
Oooooh now, I could die
Now I've been sleeping for sixty days and
Nobody better pinch me
Bitch I swear, go crazy
She got jumper cable lips
She got sunset on her breath
I inhaled just a little bit
Now I got no fear of death
It's the magical mystery kind
Must be a lie
Bye bye to the too good to be true kind of love
Oooooh I could die
Oooooh now, I could die
It's the magical mystery kind
Must be a lie
Bye bye to the too good to be true kind of love
Oooooh I could die
Oooooh now, I could die
Yeah, I know that I'm sleeping cause this dream's too amazing
She got gold doorknobs where her eyes used to be, yeah
One turn and I learned what it really means to see, yeah
It's the magical mystery kind
Must be a lie
Bye bye to the too good to be true kind of love
Oooooh I could die
Oooooh now, I could die
Now I've been sleeping for sixty days and
Nobody better pinch me
Bitch I swear, go crazy
She got jumper cable lips
She got sunset on her breath
I inhaled just a little bit
Now I got no fear of death
It's the magical mystery kind
Must be a lie
Bye bye to the too good to be true kind of love
Oooooh I could die
Oooooh now, I could die
It's the magical mystery kind
Must be a lie
Bye bye to the too good to be true kind of love
Oooooh I could die
Oooooh now, I could die
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Paris Day 3
Why not post another one right away? It's not like I have two 10-page literature papers to write...
Sunday was a perfectly pleasant day spent solo. I woke up late, had a nice little breakfast in the apartment, got ready and decided to go visit one of my favorite museums in Paris: le Musee d'Orsay. Once a train station, the museum houses primarily impressionist paintings and it is home to the majority of the more famous impressionist paintings (see below). There is a welcome tranquil ambiance in the museum and I had a lovely time wandering for a couple hours throughout the various rooms listening to music on my iPod. Yes, folks, I am that pretentious grad student, isn't it fabulous?
After the Musee d'Orsay, I went back to the apartment to relax and take a nap, because that evening I was getting dinner with my friend, Stephane (you'll remember him from Florence and Venice), who lives in one of the Parisian suburbs. We met up outside the Gare du Nord and since I was hungry and craving Indian food no less, we set off on the hunt for some dinner. After turning around the corner from Gare du Nord we stumbled upon a number of Indian restaurants and went inside one that was inexpensive and authentic-looking. For 6 Euro a piece we each got delicious entrees, rice, and naan. I was one happy camper. We had both been wanting to see Woody Allen's new movie, Midnight in Paris, and looked to see if it was playing anywhere close by. After finding that it was playing in a movie theater near Les Halles in the 1st district in about an hour, we decided to go on foot to the theater in order to walk off the filling Indian food dinner and to get some fresh air. I had never walked from my neighborhood in that direction, always preferring to take the metro, and so it was nice to see new sights and catch up with Stephane along the way. Arriving just in time for the movie, we went in to see if Woody's testament to Paris was any good. Although I am a huge Woody Allen fan or rather, because I am a huge Woody Allen fan, Midnight in Paris wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I laughed constantly, loved the cast (particularly my lady crush, Marion Cotillard), and thought the story was cute, but it just wasn't one of his best. I think I found more amusement in the fact that I was the only one consistently cracking up in the movie theater at the smaller jokes, those Frenchies just didn't get the subtle humor in the movie.
Sunday was a perfectly pleasant day spent solo. I woke up late, had a nice little breakfast in the apartment, got ready and decided to go visit one of my favorite museums in Paris: le Musee d'Orsay. Once a train station, the museum houses primarily impressionist paintings and it is home to the majority of the more famous impressionist paintings (see below). There is a welcome tranquil ambiance in the museum and I had a lovely time wandering for a couple hours throughout the various rooms listening to music on my iPod. Yes, folks, I am that pretentious grad student, isn't it fabulous?
After the Musee d'Orsay, I went back to the apartment to relax and take a nap, because that evening I was getting dinner with my friend, Stephane (you'll remember him from Florence and Venice), who lives in one of the Parisian suburbs. We met up outside the Gare du Nord and since I was hungry and craving Indian food no less, we set off on the hunt for some dinner. After turning around the corner from Gare du Nord we stumbled upon a number of Indian restaurants and went inside one that was inexpensive and authentic-looking. For 6 Euro a piece we each got delicious entrees, rice, and naan. I was one happy camper. We had both been wanting to see Woody Allen's new movie, Midnight in Paris, and looked to see if it was playing anywhere close by. After finding that it was playing in a movie theater near Les Halles in the 1st district in about an hour, we decided to go on foot to the theater in order to walk off the filling Indian food dinner and to get some fresh air. I had never walked from my neighborhood in that direction, always preferring to take the metro, and so it was nice to see new sights and catch up with Stephane along the way. Arriving just in time for the movie, we went in to see if Woody's testament to Paris was any good. Although I am a huge Woody Allen fan or rather, because I am a huge Woody Allen fan, Midnight in Paris wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I laughed constantly, loved the cast (particularly my lady crush, Marion Cotillard), and thought the story was cute, but it just wasn't one of his best. I think I found more amusement in the fact that I was the only one consistently cracking up in the movie theater at the smaller jokes, those Frenchies just didn't get the subtle humor in the movie.
Paris Day 2
Well, team, time to get back to blogging about Paris. I should probably finish blogging about that week before I go BACK to Paris in 7 days (let's hope no little girl who drowned in a well makes me watch a video today). Did you guys know I love Paris? I bet you had no idea.
I woke up early on Day 2 in Paris to walk from my host family's apartment to the hotel where the rest of the students from my study abroad program were staying. After talking with the program director, I made the decision to stay the rest of the week in Paris at my host family's apartment instead of in the hotel with the other students and I also asked if it would be okay if I could get out of the excursions to places that I had already seen. Being that I had been in Paris for an extended period of time 3 years prior I preferred to spend my time going to places I hadn't been to instead of hitting up the standard tourist sites. The program director kindly acquiesced to my request. Baller.
Once everyone got to the lobby, we headed off to explore the city stopping first at Gare du Nord to get metro tickets for the week for everyone. The plan for the day was to go to l'Arc de Triomphe, to walk down les Champs-Elysees, to go to la Place de la Concorde, to les Tuileries, and then to get lunch. Needless to say, it was a very tiring morning spent walking everywhere in the Paris heat, particularly for those who had just flown into Paris less than 24 hours before. After our jam-packed morning, we were all famished and decided to get lunch in the St. Michel area. Kyra, Sabrina, our program director and I got galettes (similar to savory crepes, but made with buckwheat) for lunch while the rest of the group went elsewhere. After lunch we went to the Malongo Cafe (I love you) and got coffee and rested our legs for a bit before meeting up with everyone again.
Since we were in the Latin Quarter area, we decided the next thing on the agenda would be to walk over to see Notre Dame. After walking around in the crypt area for fifteen minutes or so, we went inside the actual cathedral. So beautiful. After Notre Dame everyone was wiped out so we headed back to our respective corners, me to the apartment, the group to the hotel and planned to meet up for dinner at a Thai restaurant later that evening. After dinner, Kyra and I wanted to go out, because it was a Saturday night and we were in Paris. No brainer. We spent the later evening in the Bastille district where we had a great time meeting people and dancing. Also, I had what was quite possibly the best galette of my life before we hailed a taxi and headed home thoroughly content after a fun night in one of the best cities in the world, nay, the universe. Yeah, I said it, COME AT ME, BRO!
I woke up early on Day 2 in Paris to walk from my host family's apartment to the hotel where the rest of the students from my study abroad program were staying. After talking with the program director, I made the decision to stay the rest of the week in Paris at my host family's apartment instead of in the hotel with the other students and I also asked if it would be okay if I could get out of the excursions to places that I had already seen. Being that I had been in Paris for an extended period of time 3 years prior I preferred to spend my time going to places I hadn't been to instead of hitting up the standard tourist sites. The program director kindly acquiesced to my request. Baller.
Once everyone got to the lobby, we headed off to explore the city stopping first at Gare du Nord to get metro tickets for the week for everyone. The plan for the day was to go to l'Arc de Triomphe, to walk down les Champs-Elysees, to go to la Place de la Concorde, to les Tuileries, and then to get lunch. Needless to say, it was a very tiring morning spent walking everywhere in the Paris heat, particularly for those who had just flown into Paris less than 24 hours before. After our jam-packed morning, we were all famished and decided to get lunch in the St. Michel area. Kyra, Sabrina, our program director and I got galettes (similar to savory crepes, but made with buckwheat) for lunch while the rest of the group went elsewhere. After lunch we went to the Malongo Cafe (I love you) and got coffee and rested our legs for a bit before meeting up with everyone again.
Since we were in the Latin Quarter area, we decided the next thing on the agenda would be to walk over to see Notre Dame. After walking around in the crypt area for fifteen minutes or so, we went inside the actual cathedral. So beautiful. After Notre Dame everyone was wiped out so we headed back to our respective corners, me to the apartment, the group to the hotel and planned to meet up for dinner at a Thai restaurant later that evening. After dinner, Kyra and I wanted to go out, because it was a Saturday night and we were in Paris. No brainer. We spent the later evening in the Bastille district where we had a great time meeting people and dancing. Also, I had what was quite possibly the best galette of my life before we hailed a taxi and headed home thoroughly content after a fun night in one of the best cities in the world, nay, the universe. Yeah, I said it, COME AT ME, BRO!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Nice et la Côte d'Azur (the French Riviera)
Although I just started posting about my week in Paris, I figured that I might as well write about my fabulous weekend spent in the French Riviera with my study abroad program.
After classes on Friday, a group of roughly 60 excited students including myself (surprise!) waited forty five minutes before boarding a bus outside of our building on campus. Why were we so excited? Because we were heading to Nice and la Côte d'Azur or, as we call it in English (ick English speakers), the French Riviera. We left Grenoble around 1:15 pm. According to the all-knowing all-powerful being that is Google, the trip from Grenoble to Nice should, in theory, only take 4 hours and 40 minutes. However, according to our program director, Vincent, a silly Grenoblois, 8 hours is more realistic. To be fair, we did stop three times: once for a brief bathroom break, once for a late lunch in a small town called Sisteron, and once more just 45 minutes outside of Nice to stretch our legs. Side note: being from San Francisco, I just pretended that I was making the road trip from NorCal to Disneyland like I used to with my mom years ago, but there were sadly no roller coasters at the end of this bus ride. We finally reached the Côte d'Azur around 9 pm and, although we were all more than ready just to get off the damn bus, I was so stoked to pass signs for Cannes, Nice, Antibes, and St. Tropez. I couldn't stop myself from hearing the voice of the snobby quasi-English old man from "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" saying funny tidbits about movie stars, yachts, beaches, and luxury hotels ("Champagne wishes and caviah dreams").
We arrived at our hotel in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, a small town just beyond Nice, checked in, marveled at how swanky our rooms were, and decided to get dressed up to go out to dinner and then to check out the night scene. Well, dinner was the only thing accomplished on our two-step Friday night to-do list as by the time we finished eating and paid it was already close to midnight and finding nightlife in Beaulieu-sur-Mer didn't appear feasible. We decided to call it a night in order to get sleep for a jam-packed following day and night.
Saturday morning after eating breakfast, the sixty or so of us hopped back on the bus and headed to Nice. It was a wonderful four hours spent on the beach swimming, tanning, and generally having a great girls day. The light blue color of the Mediterranean was as gorgeous as the water was warm. Kyra, Sabrina and I bonded over being water babies and spent most of our time a ways out in the sea. Although I am a winter girl and find inner peace when bundled up and accessorized to the nines, it was extremely liberating to spend the entire day in just a bikini and no makeup. We said goodbye to the beach in Nice after a few hours and headed to Eze, a small village on the way from Nice to Monaco, where we stopped briefly at the Galimard parfumerie. We got a free tour of the perfume factory and bought a few souvenirs. Immediately after the tour, we all got back on the bus and headed to another country far far away: Monaco. Upon arrival in Monaco, we were all hungry and stumbled upon a cheap Italian restaurant near the Monaco Oceanographic Museum. The food was delicious, the waitress was hilariously sassy, and the conversation was crass. In short, it was a great meal. Afterwards, we unintentionally split up and wandered around Monaco, stopping in different souvenir shops and in front of the painfully plain Palace of Monaco (come on Monaco, step up your game).
After a few hours spent in that area, we got back on the bus (so much bus time) and drove to Monte Carlo, another area in Monaco where we all proceeded to feel homeless and generally bad about ourselves. We reached the Casino Monte Carlo (no, Casino Royale was not filmed there), stood in shock at the heaps of rich people driving Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, Bentleys, Porsches, Range Rovers, and BMWs, and then proceeded to go to the Cafe de Paris across the way where we got expensive drinks and did an atrocious job of pretending that we belonged in that world. Epic fail. My 15 Euro ($20) mojito was, thankfully, delicious. Frankly, I was happy to spend some time in Monte Carlo, because it only made me more grateful for what I had: a childhood. Why a childhood, you ask? While Kyra, Sabrina and I were sitting at the Cafe de Paris drinking our drinks, sitting next to us were four young girls. The oldest among them couldn't have been older than 14 and the youngest was probably 8 or 9. They were sitting by themselves in a sea of expensive clothing and plastic surgery looking bored as hell. I can only imagine that their parents were inside the casino trying to one-up other rich socialites and wasting way too much money on superficial items instead of spending time with their young children. Although I don't have the audacity to pretend to know their story, such a sight made me stop resenting Monte Carlo and all it stood for, and instead made me thankful for having loving caring parents who, although they drove me crazy growing up because they were (still are) ALWAYS there (hello, only child syndrome), gave me a great childhood. Anyways, after Monte Carlo, everyone was wiped out from 12 hours of non-stop activity and we tiredly welcomed the 9 pm announcement that we were heading back to Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Upon arrival back at the hotel, I showered and immediately hit the hay.
Sunday morning we got to sleep in and it was glorious. Our belongings packed, we boarded the bus for Saint-Paul (de Vence), a small stone wall-enclosed town oft frequented by artists such as Picasso on the way to Cannes. Kyra and I spent a little over an hour walking around the picturesque village that is riddled with gorgeous houses covered in ivy and large potted plants as well as loads of art galleries. After some time in Saint-Paul we headed to Cannes! Being an admitted cinephile, I was psyched to see where the Cannes Film Festival is held each year. However, we were only to be in Cannes for 90 minutes before heading back to Grenoble. Sacrifices sadly had to be made and instead of seeing where the festival was held, I decided to go swimming in the Mediterranean again. Sigh. It was a difficult decision, many people were injured in the process, but I just couldn't pass up one final opportunity to swim in the warm water surrounded by the Alps. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I swam in the Mediterranean Sea and was surrounded by the Alps. Unreal. I figure when I'm a rich and famous French literature professor (everybody laugh with/at me), I'll ask Johnny or Woody if they can get me tickets to the film festival (I'm sure they'll owe me one). For now, I'm a young traveler with priorities. Namely, those of the beach persuasion.
This was our last stop on the trip. After a final 20 minutes sitting facing the Mediterranean eating a sandwich, pinching myself and trying to convince myself that this was real life, that this was MY life, I gleefully got back on the bus and went back to Grenoble. In short, it was an epic weekend.
Girls day!
Pure contentment
After classes on Friday, a group of roughly 60 excited students including myself (surprise!) waited forty five minutes before boarding a bus outside of our building on campus. Why were we so excited? Because we were heading to Nice and la Côte d'Azur or, as we call it in English (ick English speakers), the French Riviera. We left Grenoble around 1:15 pm. According to the all-knowing all-powerful being that is Google, the trip from Grenoble to Nice should, in theory, only take 4 hours and 40 minutes. However, according to our program director, Vincent, a silly Grenoblois, 8 hours is more realistic. To be fair, we did stop three times: once for a brief bathroom break, once for a late lunch in a small town called Sisteron, and once more just 45 minutes outside of Nice to stretch our legs. Side note: being from San Francisco, I just pretended that I was making the road trip from NorCal to Disneyland like I used to with my mom years ago, but there were sadly no roller coasters at the end of this bus ride. We finally reached the Côte d'Azur around 9 pm and, although we were all more than ready just to get off the damn bus, I was so stoked to pass signs for Cannes, Nice, Antibes, and St. Tropez. I couldn't stop myself from hearing the voice of the snobby quasi-English old man from "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" saying funny tidbits about movie stars, yachts, beaches, and luxury hotels ("Champagne wishes and caviah dreams").
We arrived at our hotel in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, a small town just beyond Nice, checked in, marveled at how swanky our rooms were, and decided to get dressed up to go out to dinner and then to check out the night scene. Well, dinner was the only thing accomplished on our two-step Friday night to-do list as by the time we finished eating and paid it was already close to midnight and finding nightlife in Beaulieu-sur-Mer didn't appear feasible. We decided to call it a night in order to get sleep for a jam-packed following day and night.
Saturday morning after eating breakfast, the sixty or so of us hopped back on the bus and headed to Nice. It was a wonderful four hours spent on the beach swimming, tanning, and generally having a great girls day. The light blue color of the Mediterranean was as gorgeous as the water was warm. Kyra, Sabrina and I bonded over being water babies and spent most of our time a ways out in the sea. Although I am a winter girl and find inner peace when bundled up and accessorized to the nines, it was extremely liberating to spend the entire day in just a bikini and no makeup. We said goodbye to the beach in Nice after a few hours and headed to Eze, a small village on the way from Nice to Monaco, where we stopped briefly at the Galimard parfumerie. We got a free tour of the perfume factory and bought a few souvenirs. Immediately after the tour, we all got back on the bus and headed to another country far far away: Monaco. Upon arrival in Monaco, we were all hungry and stumbled upon a cheap Italian restaurant near the Monaco Oceanographic Museum. The food was delicious, the waitress was hilariously sassy, and the conversation was crass. In short, it was a great meal. Afterwards, we unintentionally split up and wandered around Monaco, stopping in different souvenir shops and in front of the painfully plain Palace of Monaco (come on Monaco, step up your game).
After a few hours spent in that area, we got back on the bus (so much bus time) and drove to Monte Carlo, another area in Monaco where we all proceeded to feel homeless and generally bad about ourselves. We reached the Casino Monte Carlo (no, Casino Royale was not filmed there), stood in shock at the heaps of rich people driving Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, Bentleys, Porsches, Range Rovers, and BMWs, and then proceeded to go to the Cafe de Paris across the way where we got expensive drinks and did an atrocious job of pretending that we belonged in that world. Epic fail. My 15 Euro ($20) mojito was, thankfully, delicious. Frankly, I was happy to spend some time in Monte Carlo, because it only made me more grateful for what I had: a childhood. Why a childhood, you ask? While Kyra, Sabrina and I were sitting at the Cafe de Paris drinking our drinks, sitting next to us were four young girls. The oldest among them couldn't have been older than 14 and the youngest was probably 8 or 9. They were sitting by themselves in a sea of expensive clothing and plastic surgery looking bored as hell. I can only imagine that their parents were inside the casino trying to one-up other rich socialites and wasting way too much money on superficial items instead of spending time with their young children. Although I don't have the audacity to pretend to know their story, such a sight made me stop resenting Monte Carlo and all it stood for, and instead made me thankful for having loving caring parents who, although they drove me crazy growing up because they were (still are) ALWAYS there (hello, only child syndrome), gave me a great childhood. Anyways, after Monte Carlo, everyone was wiped out from 12 hours of non-stop activity and we tiredly welcomed the 9 pm announcement that we were heading back to Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Upon arrival back at the hotel, I showered and immediately hit the hay.
Sunday morning we got to sleep in and it was glorious. Our belongings packed, we boarded the bus for Saint-Paul (de Vence), a small stone wall-enclosed town oft frequented by artists such as Picasso on the way to Cannes. Kyra and I spent a little over an hour walking around the picturesque village that is riddled with gorgeous houses covered in ivy and large potted plants as well as loads of art galleries. After some time in Saint-Paul we headed to Cannes! Being an admitted cinephile, I was psyched to see where the Cannes Film Festival is held each year. However, we were only to be in Cannes for 90 minutes before heading back to Grenoble. Sacrifices sadly had to be made and instead of seeing where the festival was held, I decided to go swimming in the Mediterranean again. Sigh. It was a difficult decision, many people were injured in the process, but I just couldn't pass up one final opportunity to swim in the warm water surrounded by the Alps. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I swam in the Mediterranean Sea and was surrounded by the Alps. Unreal. I figure when I'm a rich and famous French literature professor (everybody laugh with/at me), I'll ask Johnny or Woody if they can get me tickets to the film festival (I'm sure they'll owe me one). For now, I'm a young traveler with priorities. Namely, those of the beach persuasion.
This was our last stop on the trip. After a final 20 minutes sitting facing the Mediterranean eating a sandwich, pinching myself and trying to convince myself that this was real life, that this was MY life, I gleefully got back on the bus and went back to Grenoble. In short, it was an epic weekend.
View on the way to Nice from Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Beach in Nice
Girls day!
Pure contentment
View on the way to Eze from Nice
Galimard parfumerie in Eze
Where they test the perfumes
The finished products
Monaco
In Monaco
Statue of Francois Grimaldi
Palace of Monaco
In Monte Carlo -- Ferrari
Aston Martin
Outside the Casino Monte Carlo
Casino Monte Carlo
Fancy drinks at the Cafe de Paris
In Saint-Paul
In Saint-Paul de Vence
In Cannes
Mediterranean Sea with the Alps in the background
Leaving Cannes
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Paris Day 1
I suppose it's time to talk about my marvelous week spent in Paris before taking the train down to Grenoble.
Day 1: I took the Thalys train from Brussels and arrived in Paris on Friday June 24th. The train arrived at Gare du Nord, which I planned most excellently since I was to be staying the night with my old host family who live just five minutes walking from the station. Clutch. I stepped out of the train station and the sights and smells of Rue Dunkerque were exactly as I had remembered them being three years earlier. I grabbed my luggage and headed back to my old apartment. No map required. I remembered exactly where to go. I got to my old building and rang the buzzer for the Foucault apartment. My host mom, Patricia, answered most coyly "Ouiiiii?" "Coucou, c'est Alex!" "Bonjour Alex!" and she buzzed me in. Reaching the 6th floor of the building, Patricia was waiting outside the door for me and immediately kissed me on both cheeks and asked me if I was hungry. Yes, famished. I dropped off my bags in my room and went to the kitchen where my host mom of 4 months proceeded to make me lunch like she had done so many times in 2008. It was truly a great homecoming. We caught each other up on everything. Since I had left 2 of her 4 kids had gotten married and they had finished working on their home in Bretagne (Brittany). After lunch she had to go run errands and I immediately was itching to go explore some of my old favorite spots.
I went to the metro station to buy some tickets for the week and upon purchasing them with my American card at the ticket window, the vendor commented on how cute my card with the ladybug on it was and how she wanted one with Hello Kitty. It's the little inconsequential conversations such as these that make me love Parisians (most of the time). I decided to go to my favorite area in Paris, the Latin Quarter, which is halfway touristic halfway not, to go to my favorite cafe, Cafe Malongo on Rue St. Andre des Arts, to go to Orange (like Verizon or AT&T) to add money to my French phone, and to get ice cream. After adding money to my phone, grabbing a coffee and wandering, I crossed over the Seine to Ile-St-Louis where I got Berthillon ice cream. With my delectable pistachio ice cream in hand, iPod on and blasting some great tunes, I walked down the stairs to the edge of the Seine where I sat and basked in the sun in pure and simple bliss for half an hour surrounded of course by multiple young couples making out. Salut, Paris, it's damn good to be back.
After my lovely afternoon, I headed back to the apartment where I did laundry. Hallelujah! And ate dinner with my host mom which we then followed up with some movie watching in the living room. It was the perfect first day back in Paris and the indicator of the perfect week that was to follow.
Day 1: I took the Thalys train from Brussels and arrived in Paris on Friday June 24th. The train arrived at Gare du Nord, which I planned most excellently since I was to be staying the night with my old host family who live just five minutes walking from the station. Clutch. I stepped out of the train station and the sights and smells of Rue Dunkerque were exactly as I had remembered them being three years earlier. I grabbed my luggage and headed back to my old apartment. No map required. I remembered exactly where to go. I got to my old building and rang the buzzer for the Foucault apartment. My host mom, Patricia, answered most coyly "Ouiiiii?" "Coucou, c'est Alex!" "Bonjour Alex!" and she buzzed me in. Reaching the 6th floor of the building, Patricia was waiting outside the door for me and immediately kissed me on both cheeks and asked me if I was hungry. Yes, famished. I dropped off my bags in my room and went to the kitchen where my host mom of 4 months proceeded to make me lunch like she had done so many times in 2008. It was truly a great homecoming. We caught each other up on everything. Since I had left 2 of her 4 kids had gotten married and they had finished working on their home in Bretagne (Brittany). After lunch she had to go run errands and I immediately was itching to go explore some of my old favorite spots.
I went to the metro station to buy some tickets for the week and upon purchasing them with my American card at the ticket window, the vendor commented on how cute my card with the ladybug on it was and how she wanted one with Hello Kitty. It's the little inconsequential conversations such as these that make me love Parisians (most of the time). I decided to go to my favorite area in Paris, the Latin Quarter, which is halfway touristic halfway not, to go to my favorite cafe, Cafe Malongo on Rue St. Andre des Arts, to go to Orange (like Verizon or AT&T) to add money to my French phone, and to get ice cream. After adding money to my phone, grabbing a coffee and wandering, I crossed over the Seine to Ile-St-Louis where I got Berthillon ice cream. With my delectable pistachio ice cream in hand, iPod on and blasting some great tunes, I walked down the stairs to the edge of the Seine where I sat and basked in the sun in pure and simple bliss for half an hour surrounded of course by multiple young couples making out. Salut, Paris, it's damn good to be back.
After my lovely afternoon, I headed back to the apartment where I did laundry. Hallelujah! And ate dinner with my host mom which we then followed up with some movie watching in the living room. It was the perfect first day back in Paris and the indicator of the perfect week that was to follow.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Paris: Musée Rodin
After Belgium, I took a train to Paris where I spent a glorious week revisiting my second favorite city in the world. One of the highlights of the trip was the Musée Rodin (Rodin Museum). Having taken 2+ years of art history classes during high school and college each of which touched upon the astounding beauty of the pieces at the Musée Rodin, I had always wanted to visit it. When I was studying in Paris 3 years ago I didn't get the chance to go and so this time I was adamant about visiting. In short, it did not disappoint. Below are some of my favorite pieces from the museum.
Beautiful garden area with a view of Les Invalides (gold-domed building on left) and La Tour Eiffel (right)
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