Basically, I had an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime sort of spring break...but after 10 days worth of travel and sight-seeing, I was very happy to come home to Paris. The moment the plane landed, when the flight attendants began making the announcements in French first, instead of Italian, I felt a wonderful yet odd sense of relief. After all, France is not my home country, and French is not my first language...yet I have made a home for myself here over the past 3 months. I had to leave for a little while in order to realize that.
Unfortunately, I had little time to relax and enjoy being home. I spent just about every waking minute of last week preparing for "les galops", a.k.a. midterms a la Sciences Po. Warning: the next paragraph contains a linguistic digression that I find hilarious but most normal people will probably find less so...
As I already explained, Sciences Po calls their midterms "galops". This is apparently intended to be a wryly humorous allusion to the fact that one must "gallop" through them -- they appear out of nowhere and are incredibly strenuous. However, as a native English speaker, I have another, slightly darker, association with the word "galop", which is pronounced "gallow"... I'll leave it to you to decide which is more appropriate!
I had to sit galops for both of my cours magistraux, my large lecture classes. The first, on the construction of the European Union, was a 2 hour exam where we had to write on 2 topics out of a choice of 3. This was the "sprint" portion of the galop. After a 3 hour break, I came back to sit the second exam for my political sociology class -- 1 question, 4 hours, or what I call the "marathon" portion. I only lasted 3 of the 4 hours before deciding my "dissertation" was as good as it was going to get and handed it in early (however, to my slight comfort, a number of students, both French and international, finished before I did).
My memories of the 5 HOURS of testing are still somewhat vague, but I think it went as well as could be expected. I certainly had enough to say on all 3 topics, it's just a matter of whether it was what the professors wanted to hear -- that is a much more important factor here than at home.
Thankfully, the weekend was not all bad because one of my close friends from Georgetown was visiting. She arrived on Friday evening and left Tuesday morning. Not only was I thrilled to see her for the first time since last May (she's been studying in St. Petersburg all year), but it was nice to have an excuse to do fun things in the city -- sort of like my spring break, part 4. I got to show off all my favorite spots in addition to doing and seeing lots of new things.
I met up with RM after my exams on Saturday, and after a very necessary coffee and pastry break to revive my poor, foggy brain, we wandered through the Jardin du Luxembourg and caught up on each other's lives. We had dinner in a little restaurant off of Rue Mouffetard that my parents discovered during their visit. It was at this point that we made a very good decision. Neither of us wanted to turn in early, so we decided to go and look at the Eiffel Tower (it is illuminated and lovely at night, plus it sparkles every 15 minutes). It didn't even occur to us that we might be able to go up because the lines have been horrendous for the past month.
However, when we stepped off the metro and into the square under the Tower...there was no one there. And that is how it came to pass that finally, after living in Paris for 3 months, I made it to the top of the Eiffel Tower. And it was magical. :-)
On Sunday, RM and I pilgrimaged to the American Diner for a pancake brunch before embarking on an inadvertently morbid itinerary: the Catacombs followed by Pere Lachaise Cemetery. However, we re-embraced the world of the living by munching on a bag of Tollhouse cookies in the Promenade Plantee. We had dinner in a Lebanese restaurant that I've been meaning to try for ages, and then we saw "Coco Avant Chanel" at the movie theater down the street.
Side-note: I had been wanting to see that movie for a while, but I was a little intimidated by the French movie theater set-up. Essentially, the lobby of the theater is too small for people to stand in while waiting for their film, so after you buy your ticket, you have to go back outside and queue up under your designated post. It makes sense once you've actually done it, but otherwise it just looks very confusing!
On Monday, we started out at the Jardin des Plantes to take advantage of some unexpected sunshine. I had to go to class for a few hours, but afterward we went to the Musee de l'Orangerie, now one of my favorites, strolled quickly through the Tuileries with crepes in hand, and stopped by one of RM's favorite gourmet candy shops -- think Honeydukes from Harry Potter, only chic-er. We got stuck in the rain but remedied the situation by darting into a cafe until our dinner reservations at one of RM's parents' favorite restaurants. This place was amazing -- one of the best meals, and definitely the best chocolate mousse, I have had in Paris.
RM left early Tuesday morning to go back to the Russian hinterland, and I finally settled back into a normal routine...until today. I'm leaving for Barcelona in a few hours on a trip sponsored by Sciences Po, and while I'm there, I will get to gallivant about with 3 more of my close Georgetown friends who are studying in Spain. I suppose this would be spring break, part 5?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Part 3: Roma
Sometimes the third time really is the charm -- at least when it comes to my attempts to use the rail system in Italy. I arrived at the train station 45 minutes early, just in case, which meant that I had plenty of time for a cappucino and a "croissant". I use the quotation marks because Italian "croissants" bear little resemblance to the French originals -- they are covered with sugar and often contain a creamy, donut-type filling. Still very tasty, but definitely not what I've become used to!
Although I had initially anticipated doing this leg of my trip solo, I was conveniently able to meet up with L, a friend from Sciences Po, in Rome. We spent Thursday afternoon dodging rain showers (side-note: I mentioned my good weather karma earlier. That afternoon in Rome was the only time I encountered rain -- even though it had been predicted, in both Florence and Rome, for the entire week I was in Italy. Good luck, indeed.) while doing what Rick Steves calls the "Caesar Shuffle": Palatine Hill, the Forum, and the Pantheon. And of course, we ate gelato in celebration (Gelato #6. Unfortunate side-note: the gelato in Rome was something of a letdown after my experiences in Florence. But it was still good!)
We stumbled upon the Piazza Navona in our search for a highly recommended, yet surprisingly well-hidden, spot for aperitivi. Afterward, not willing to turn in early on our first night in Rome, we joined the rest of the college-aged Romans (and a lot of spring-breakers) for some late-night pizza.
On Friday, we walked. A lot. We started out at the Galleria Doria Pamphilj: highlights included Titian's Salome and Velazquez's portrait and Bernini's bust of Pope Innocent X (a member of the Pamphilj family). We navigated our way across town, with the help of our matching French Lonely Planet guides (this was a complete coincidence) and saw the Trevi Fountain (gelato #7) and Spanish Steps on our way to the Villa Borghese. We couldn't go inside the Villa itself, which houses one of the world's most famous private art collections, because you have to reserve tickets weeks in advance. However, we were perfectly content to picnic (fresh mozzarella, focaccia bread and prosecco, yum) in the gardens and enjoy the greenery until the sun set.
We had dinner in a restaurant next to the Pantheon (Rome's original version, which looks very different from the Parisian interpretation around the corner from my apartment!) and were serenaded during our meal by an opera student, taking advantage of the crowds of tourists in the piazza.
On Saturday, L and I dragged ourselves out the door bright and early to head for the Vatican. As luck would have it, we timed it exactly right and only had to wait about 40 minutes to get into the museum. As per Rick Steves' suggestion (notice a trend?) we started with the Sistine Chapel and worked our way backward, managing to avoid the worst of the crowds. After an all-too brief visit to St. Peter's Basilica (again, I realize now how little I appreciated this during my school trip in high school), we decided to spend our last afternoon wandering at will.
A gelato shop hidden away in a decidedly untouristy neighborhood (gelato #8); an international grocery mecca where I bought organic olive oil for my host mom; a 24-hour bakery (why don't we have these in Paris?); and yet another glorious art gallery housed in yet another incredible villa (the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in the Palazzo Corsini) later, and we arrived in Trastevere, a small, colorful neighborhood that reminded me quite a bit of Florence.
After a coffee break to rest our feet and our art-saturated brains, we explored for a bit. L went in search of Saturday night services at the synagogue across the river while I stopped by the Museo di Roma in Trastevere, a small museum that describes the history of Trastevere through photos and watercolors. I met up with L afterward, and we decided to snack our way through Trastevere for dinner: aperitivi at a hip bar crowded with tourists and locals alike; penne all'arrabbiata (my favorite) at a tiny little pasta restaurant in a quiet corner; dessert in the cafe of a bookstore featuring a classical piano concert. We walked back along the Tiber to our hotel, then crashed into bed after a very long day.
Although I had initially anticipated doing this leg of my trip solo, I was conveniently able to meet up with L, a friend from Sciences Po, in Rome. We spent Thursday afternoon dodging rain showers (side-note: I mentioned my good weather karma earlier. That afternoon in Rome was the only time I encountered rain -- even though it had been predicted, in both Florence and Rome, for the entire week I was in Italy. Good luck, indeed.) while doing what Rick Steves calls the "Caesar Shuffle": Palatine Hill, the Forum, and the Pantheon. And of course, we ate gelato in celebration (Gelato #6. Unfortunate side-note: the gelato in Rome was something of a letdown after my experiences in Florence. But it was still good!)
We stumbled upon the Piazza Navona in our search for a highly recommended, yet surprisingly well-hidden, spot for aperitivi. Afterward, not willing to turn in early on our first night in Rome, we joined the rest of the college-aged Romans (and a lot of spring-breakers) for some late-night pizza.
On Friday, we walked. A lot. We started out at the Galleria Doria Pamphilj: highlights included Titian's Salome and Velazquez's portrait and Bernini's bust of Pope Innocent X (a member of the Pamphilj family). We navigated our way across town, with the help of our matching French Lonely Planet guides (this was a complete coincidence) and saw the Trevi Fountain (gelato #7) and Spanish Steps on our way to the Villa Borghese. We couldn't go inside the Villa itself, which houses one of the world's most famous private art collections, because you have to reserve tickets weeks in advance. However, we were perfectly content to picnic (fresh mozzarella, focaccia bread and prosecco, yum) in the gardens and enjoy the greenery until the sun set.
We had dinner in a restaurant next to the Pantheon (Rome's original version, which looks very different from the Parisian interpretation around the corner from my apartment!) and were serenaded during our meal by an opera student, taking advantage of the crowds of tourists in the piazza.
On Saturday, L and I dragged ourselves out the door bright and early to head for the Vatican. As luck would have it, we timed it exactly right and only had to wait about 40 minutes to get into the museum. As per Rick Steves' suggestion (notice a trend?) we started with the Sistine Chapel and worked our way backward, managing to avoid the worst of the crowds. After an all-too brief visit to St. Peter's Basilica (again, I realize now how little I appreciated this during my school trip in high school), we decided to spend our last afternoon wandering at will.
A gelato shop hidden away in a decidedly untouristy neighborhood (gelato #8); an international grocery mecca where I bought organic olive oil for my host mom; a 24-hour bakery (why don't we have these in Paris?); and yet another glorious art gallery housed in yet another incredible villa (the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in the Palazzo Corsini) later, and we arrived in Trastevere, a small, colorful neighborhood that reminded me quite a bit of Florence.
After a coffee break to rest our feet and our art-saturated brains, we explored for a bit. L went in search of Saturday night services at the synagogue across the river while I stopped by the Museo di Roma in Trastevere, a small museum that describes the history of Trastevere through photos and watercolors. I met up with L afterward, and we decided to snack our way through Trastevere for dinner: aperitivi at a hip bar crowded with tourists and locals alike; penne all'arrabbiata (my favorite) at a tiny little pasta restaurant in a quiet corner; dessert in the cafe of a bookstore featuring a classical piano concert. We walked back along the Tiber to our hotel, then crashed into bed after a very long day.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Part 2: Firenze
I left Nice on Saturday morning and spent most of the day on the train to Florence. I intended to take advantage of that time to study for my midterms and work on a few papers that I have coming up...oops. I should have known better. Still, I did get a little work done, and I decided not to feel guilty about not being more productive because I was on vacation.
My trip to Florence required me to take a local train from Nice to Milan, then a high-speed train from Milan to Florence. Despite leaving myself plenty of time to make the connection, my first train got to Milan nearly an hour late, meaning that I missed my second train by just a few minutes. I was pretty frustrated and more than a little overwhelmed by the busy Milan train station. I think I understimated how shocking it would be to arrive in a country where I don't speak the language -- my first instinct was to speak in French, even though I knew it was the wrong language. Still, after taking a few minutes to breathe and get my bearings, I managed to find the next train to Florence and hopped on without any problems.
K, my friend from Georgetown who has been studying in Florence all year, met me at the station and helped me find my hostel. After a delicious pasta dinner (I had ravioli stuffed with cheese and asparagus), I was completely wiped out and crashed into bed. The next day, Sunday, was Easter. K and I attended the Scoppio del Carro -- a Florentine tradition dating back to the Crusades where a cart is wheeled through the city to the Duomo, the main church. The priest celebrating Easter mass lights a spark during the "Gloria in excelsis Deo" that travels down a fuse to the cart, setting off the fireworks within. It's sort of hard to describe, but it was pretty amazing.
We wandered around the city in the afternoon, soaking in the sunshine and of course stopping for gelato (Gelato #2). K's host family very kindly invited me to dinner that evening, and it was pretty cool to watch an Italian family "in action." It's definitely a different dynamic from my French host family -- more laid-back, I think, and the relationship between parents and children doesn't seem quite as rigid. And of course, the food was delicious!
On Monday morning, K and I visited the Palazzo Vecchio, a former residence of the Medici family that now serves as the town hall. The palazzo itself was beautiful...but I was most excited to see Machiavelli's office! In the afternoon, I visited the Uffizi Gallery (thank you, Rick Steves, for suggesting that I reserve my ticket in advance -- the lines were pretty crazy). I had been there before during my high school orchestra's trip to Italy. However, our visit coincided with the afternoon that everyone came down with a nasty virus, so I definitely did not appreciate it fully the first time around. In fact, I don't even remember seeing Boticelli's Birth of Venus, one of my favorite Renaissance-era paintings. I'm very glad I went back because now I have much more vivid memories!
B, my friend from middle school who visited me in Paris, met me outside the gallery (I believe we went for Gelato #3 at this point), and I stayed with her at her apartment for the rest of my visit. On Tuesday morning, we went to the Bargello museum, and B gave me a guided tour of the sculptures she's been studying in her art history class this semester. In the afternoon, while she was in class, I went to the Palazzo Pitti, essentially the Florentine version of Versailles, and relaxed in the Boboli Gardens -- sort of like my own Jardin du Luxembourg, only in Italy, you're allowed to sit on the grass!
On Wednesday morning, we went to an outdoor market and picked up the most delicious strawberries and blood-red oranges. I intended to go to Pisa that afternoon, but unfortunately I encountered my second Italian train dilemma. I still maintain that the announcement made over the intercom (in English, no less) said that the train to Pisa was leaving from track 18...however, that was most certainly not the case. I ended up in a little town called Rufina about half an hour outside of Florence. After determining that there was nothing of touristic interest to be found there, I had to wait an hour to catch the next train back to Florence. By this point, it was too late in the afternoon to try to make it to Pisa, so I decided to cut my losses and went to the Santa Croce Church instead.
It ended up being perhaps my favorite afternoon in Florence. The church was really interesting -- Dante, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli are buried there, among others -- and after I had my fill, I found a spot on the piazza in front of it to people-watch while enjoying gelato (Gelato #4 and my favorite combination: dark chocolate and strawberry cheesecake) in the sunshine. B, K, and I all met up for "aperitivo" that evening, a brilliant Italian invention in which bars offer a buffet of various hors d'oeuvres during their version of a "happy hour." It is expected that you will buy a drink and then munch your way through the buffet, composed of all sorts of yummy pasta, rice, and vegetable dishes, for dinner.
I may or may not have indulged in Gelato #5 afterward to celebrate my last night in Tuscany... I'll leave it up to you to guess.
My trip to Florence required me to take a local train from Nice to Milan, then a high-speed train from Milan to Florence. Despite leaving myself plenty of time to make the connection, my first train got to Milan nearly an hour late, meaning that I missed my second train by just a few minutes. I was pretty frustrated and more than a little overwhelmed by the busy Milan train station. I think I understimated how shocking it would be to arrive in a country where I don't speak the language -- my first instinct was to speak in French, even though I knew it was the wrong language. Still, after taking a few minutes to breathe and get my bearings, I managed to find the next train to Florence and hopped on without any problems.
K, my friend from Georgetown who has been studying in Florence all year, met me at the station and helped me find my hostel. After a delicious pasta dinner (I had ravioli stuffed with cheese and asparagus), I was completely wiped out and crashed into bed. The next day, Sunday, was Easter. K and I attended the Scoppio del Carro -- a Florentine tradition dating back to the Crusades where a cart is wheeled through the city to the Duomo, the main church. The priest celebrating Easter mass lights a spark during the "Gloria in excelsis Deo" that travels down a fuse to the cart, setting off the fireworks within. It's sort of hard to describe, but it was pretty amazing.
We wandered around the city in the afternoon, soaking in the sunshine and of course stopping for gelato (Gelato #2). K's host family very kindly invited me to dinner that evening, and it was pretty cool to watch an Italian family "in action." It's definitely a different dynamic from my French host family -- more laid-back, I think, and the relationship between parents and children doesn't seem quite as rigid. And of course, the food was delicious!
On Monday morning, K and I visited the Palazzo Vecchio, a former residence of the Medici family that now serves as the town hall. The palazzo itself was beautiful...but I was most excited to see Machiavelli's office! In the afternoon, I visited the Uffizi Gallery (thank you, Rick Steves, for suggesting that I reserve my ticket in advance -- the lines were pretty crazy). I had been there before during my high school orchestra's trip to Italy. However, our visit coincided with the afternoon that everyone came down with a nasty virus, so I definitely did not appreciate it fully the first time around. In fact, I don't even remember seeing Boticelli's Birth of Venus, one of my favorite Renaissance-era paintings. I'm very glad I went back because now I have much more vivid memories!
B, my friend from middle school who visited me in Paris, met me outside the gallery (I believe we went for Gelato #3 at this point), and I stayed with her at her apartment for the rest of my visit. On Tuesday morning, we went to the Bargello museum, and B gave me a guided tour of the sculptures she's been studying in her art history class this semester. In the afternoon, while she was in class, I went to the Palazzo Pitti, essentially the Florentine version of Versailles, and relaxed in the Boboli Gardens -- sort of like my own Jardin du Luxembourg, only in Italy, you're allowed to sit on the grass!
On Wednesday morning, we went to an outdoor market and picked up the most delicious strawberries and blood-red oranges. I intended to go to Pisa that afternoon, but unfortunately I encountered my second Italian train dilemma. I still maintain that the announcement made over the intercom (in English, no less) said that the train to Pisa was leaving from track 18...however, that was most certainly not the case. I ended up in a little town called Rufina about half an hour outside of Florence. After determining that there was nothing of touristic interest to be found there, I had to wait an hour to catch the next train back to Florence. By this point, it was too late in the afternoon to try to make it to Pisa, so I decided to cut my losses and went to the Santa Croce Church instead.
It ended up being perhaps my favorite afternoon in Florence. The church was really interesting -- Dante, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli are buried there, among others -- and after I had my fill, I found a spot on the piazza in front of it to people-watch while enjoying gelato (Gelato #4 and my favorite combination: dark chocolate and strawberry cheesecake) in the sunshine. B, K, and I all met up for "aperitivo" that evening, a brilliant Italian invention in which bars offer a buffet of various hors d'oeuvres during their version of a "happy hour." It is expected that you will buy a drink and then munch your way through the buffet, composed of all sorts of yummy pasta, rice, and vegetable dishes, for dinner.
I may or may not have indulged in Gelato #5 afterward to celebrate my last night in Tuscany... I'll leave it up to you to guess.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Part 1: Nice
I skipped two of my classes on Friday (shh, don't tell OIP) in order to gain two extra travel days. I left Paris by train on Thursday morning and arrived in Nice by mid-afternoon. I was a little nervous because the weather was cool and cloudy when I arrived, but I must have saved up some excellent weather karma (this will be a recurring theme for the rest of the trip) because it cleared up quickly and was beautiful for the rest of my stay.
The first afternoon, I wandered around a bit to get my bearings and made my way toward the beach. I had visions of lounging on the warm sand, book in hand...not realizing that the Cote d'Azur is famous for its white stone beaches. Yes, stone, not sand. Not so great for lounging, but perfect for sipping tea in a beachfront cafe and watching happy dogs and children splash in the waves. Sadly, it was just a bit too cold for me to have any inclination to join them.
On Friday, I let myself sleep in a little -- after all, this was my vacation -- before grabbing a coffee and croissant on my way to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. It was built by Tsar Nicholas II so that all the Russian tourists in the French Riviera would have a place to go to church during their summer holidays on the shore. I seem to have a habit of stumbling upon "unusual" houses of worship in the cities I visit...Orthodox church in Nice, mosque in Paris, synagogue in Florence, etc.
I slowly wandered my way back toward the old city center. I followed the Promenade des Anglais, lined with all the ritzy hotels and restaurants, for a bit, then detoured to the Musée Massena, which turned out to be part art, part history museum, housed in a beautiful Napoleonic era château. I caught the tail end of the city's main outdoor market, the Cours Saleya, before going in search of lunch. I decided to let myself get lost in the narrow, winding maze of streets, and I eventually found myself in Place Rossetti, described by Rick Steves as a piazza straight out of Naples. This seemed like an appropriate lunch spot, given my future travel plans, so I found a slightly shaded table from which to people watch before heading to the famous gelato stand next door. (Gelato #1)
At this point, I was starting to get worn out from the sun and crowds, so I decided head to the top of the Colline du Château to relax for a bit. Despite being a key tourist attraction, it was surprisingly peaceful at the top, and the view was well worth the climb. I parked myself on a bench with my book and stayed long enough to enjoy the sunset.
When it came time to start thinking about dinner, I decided to track down one of the places recommended in my guidebook...but with no success. One was closed, one was completely full, and I never did find the third. Slightly disappointed, I made my way back to Place Rossetti and ate one of the other restaurants there. As a pleasant surprise, though, I got to watch (and later join) the Stations of the Cross led by the Eglise Sainte-Reparate in observance of Good Friday. The congregation started in Place Rossetti and wound its way all the way through the old city center. It was beautiful.
After getting more than a little lost on my way back to the hotel -- I blame the winding streets and not my poor sense of direction -- I crashed into bed in order to get a good night's sleep before leaving for Florence the next morning.
The first afternoon, I wandered around a bit to get my bearings and made my way toward the beach. I had visions of lounging on the warm sand, book in hand...not realizing that the Cote d'Azur is famous for its white stone beaches. Yes, stone, not sand. Not so great for lounging, but perfect for sipping tea in a beachfront cafe and watching happy dogs and children splash in the waves. Sadly, it was just a bit too cold for me to have any inclination to join them.
On Friday, I let myself sleep in a little -- after all, this was my vacation -- before grabbing a coffee and croissant on my way to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral. It was built by Tsar Nicholas II so that all the Russian tourists in the French Riviera would have a place to go to church during their summer holidays on the shore. I seem to have a habit of stumbling upon "unusual" houses of worship in the cities I visit...Orthodox church in Nice, mosque in Paris, synagogue in Florence, etc.
I slowly wandered my way back toward the old city center. I followed the Promenade des Anglais, lined with all the ritzy hotels and restaurants, for a bit, then detoured to the Musée Massena, which turned out to be part art, part history museum, housed in a beautiful Napoleonic era château. I caught the tail end of the city's main outdoor market, the Cours Saleya, before going in search of lunch. I decided to let myself get lost in the narrow, winding maze of streets, and I eventually found myself in Place Rossetti, described by Rick Steves as a piazza straight out of Naples. This seemed like an appropriate lunch spot, given my future travel plans, so I found a slightly shaded table from which to people watch before heading to the famous gelato stand next door. (Gelato #1)
At this point, I was starting to get worn out from the sun and crowds, so I decided head to the top of the Colline du Château to relax for a bit. Despite being a key tourist attraction, it was surprisingly peaceful at the top, and the view was well worth the climb. I parked myself on a bench with my book and stayed long enough to enjoy the sunset.
When it came time to start thinking about dinner, I decided to track down one of the places recommended in my guidebook...but with no success. One was closed, one was completely full, and I never did find the third. Slightly disappointed, I made my way back to Place Rossetti and ate one of the other restaurants there. As a pleasant surprise, though, I got to watch (and later join) the Stations of the Cross led by the Eglise Sainte-Reparate in observance of Good Friday. The congregation started in Place Rossetti and wound its way all the way through the old city center. It was beautiful.
After getting more than a little lost on my way back to the hotel -- I blame the winding streets and not my poor sense of direction -- I crashed into bed in order to get a good night's sleep before leaving for Florence the next morning.
Les vacances de Pâques
I find it amusing that in a country renowned for its secularism in all other aspects of life, my school still refers to spring break as the "Easter holidays". Go figure.
Whatever you choose to call it, we had our mid-semester break last week. Before I talk about the break itself, I would pause on this point for a moment. It's important for a few reasons. First, it is a very clear reminder that my time in Paris is halfway over, and I know that the second half is going to fly by even faster than the first. I have midterms this week (but I'm trying not to think about, let alone write about, that right now); my friend RM is visiting from St. Petersburg this weekend; I'm going to Barcelona the weekend after that; and then it will be May already. Crazy.
Even crazier, I realized this afternoon that while I am halfway through my semester, most of my friends at home are almost finished with theirs. Georgetown's classes end next week. All of my senior friends are getting ready for graduation, and everyone else is counting down the days until summer vacation. This is another, different kind of reminder that I chose to be in a very different place right now. I don't feel sad about it...in fact, I don't really feel any kind of strong emotion, just a mild sense of surprise and recognition.
And on that pensive note, I will begin the retelling of my spring break adventures. As a quick overview, I took a 10 day trip to Nice, France, and Florence and Rome, Italy. I'll write a separate entry for each location, rather than one epic post...
Whatever you choose to call it, we had our mid-semester break last week. Before I talk about the break itself, I would pause on this point for a moment. It's important for a few reasons. First, it is a very clear reminder that my time in Paris is halfway over, and I know that the second half is going to fly by even faster than the first. I have midterms this week (but I'm trying not to think about, let alone write about, that right now); my friend RM is visiting from St. Petersburg this weekend; I'm going to Barcelona the weekend after that; and then it will be May already. Crazy.
Even crazier, I realized this afternoon that while I am halfway through my semester, most of my friends at home are almost finished with theirs. Georgetown's classes end next week. All of my senior friends are getting ready for graduation, and everyone else is counting down the days until summer vacation. This is another, different kind of reminder that I chose to be in a very different place right now. I don't feel sad about it...in fact, I don't really feel any kind of strong emotion, just a mild sense of surprise and recognition.
And on that pensive note, I will begin the retelling of my spring break adventures. As a quick overview, I took a 10 day trip to Nice, France, and Florence and Rome, Italy. I'll write a separate entry for each location, rather than one epic post...
Monday, April 6, 2009
Maman et Papa à Paris
It's been a while since I updated this, but I promise I have a very good reason: my mom and dad came to visit me last week, and between doing fun stuff with them and still managing to make it to my classes, I was kept very (albeit pleasantly) busy.
They arrived on Sunday morning, and after a quick breakfast and some essential caffeine, we hopped a bus (the one I take to school) for a ride along the Seine in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. We wandered around for a bit, but it was a bit too cold and windy for a leisurely stroll. Instead, we headed back near my apartment and their hotel, to the Marché Mouffetard, my favorite outdoor market. We stopped for a fondue lunch and had fun peeking in all the various stores and stalls. After a short nap for Mom and Dad, with warm cheese in our bellies and the sun breaking through the clouds, we decided to try to walk in the Jardin du Luxembourg. I was surprised at how crowded it was -- I think tourist season is officially in full swing. Once we soaked in our share of sun, it was time to go back to my apartment for dinner with my host family. Janine very thoughtfully insisted on having my parents and a few of my friends from Sciences Po over for dinner, and we even turned it into a combined early/belated birthday party for my dad and me. I made the cake, which was one of the more interesting experiences I have had here so far. The recipe called for one "soup spoon" of flour...that's right, the French don't have measuring spoons the way we think of them. It turned out as a sort of flourless chocolate cake with a matte glaze on top. It tasted pretty good, if I do say so myself, but it was not at all what I was expecting!
This entry could easily go on forever, so I will try to summarize the rest of the week's events briefly:
Monday: My parents and I went to the Musée de Cluny (a museum of the Middle Ages that is down the street from me, across from the Sorbonne) in the morning, then I left for class. In the evening, I met them for dinner at a really cool restaurant where I had a vegetable "millefeuille". I was intrigued when I saw this on the menu because a millefeuille is usually a type of dessert made with layers of pastry and custard. My millefeuille was like a vegetable lasagna, but without the pasta. Yum! After dinner, we went to a jazz show for the opening night of the Paris Jazz Festival.
Tuesday: We initially planned on going to the Eiffel Tower in the morning (because even though I have lived here for 2 months, I still have not been up in it) but got discouraged by the crowds. It was not nearly that busy even when B was here just a few weeks ago! Instead, we went to the Musée du Quai Branly, which I had been wanting to visit for a while. It specializes in non-European art and civilizations. In the afternoon, we (i.e. my mom and I, and my dad humored us) window-shopped our way through the 6th arrondissement before depositing my dad in a park to check out Le Bon Marché, a huge and very famous department store. We took a break for some Berthillon ice cream, and then I left again for class.
Wednesday: I left my mom and dad to their own devices in the morning because I had class...which turned out to be canceled. Zut. I met up with them again after lunch, though, and we took a walking tour of Paris' two islands: Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis. After the tour, we stopped by a little hole-in-the-wall bistrot that my mom found in her guidebook for wine (my parents), tea (me -- I was fighting off a cold), and a delicious assortment of cheeses. I went back to class (there's a trend developing here) and then crashed into bed after discovering the NyQuil hidden in the bottom of my suitcase.
Thursday: This may have been my favorite day of the visit. We took the train about a half hour outside of Paris to Versailles and spent most of the day there. I wasn't terribly fond of the chateau itself. There were way too many tourists shoving past one another, and I happen to think that the Louvre is the more beautiful palace, even if (or perhaps because) it's less gilded and sparkly. (But then we all know how I feel about the Louvre.) However, a half hour walk into the grounds brought us to "La domaine de Marie-Antoinette", composed of two smaller chateaux, a summer house, and my personal favorite "the hamlet". Yes, I realize it is completely ridiculous that Marie-Antoinette constructed her own small village in her backyard and that it is representative of the worst excesses of the French aristocracy...but they had bunnies! And goats, sheep, chickens, cows, etc. By the looks of it, the powers-that-be are still keeping the farm operational, and the result was a very pleasant "country" ramble. The formal gardens closer to main palace were very beautiful as well, with everything just beginning to bloom. We even got lucky a few times and happened upon some fountains as the maintenance crews were testing them. Oh, and I forgot to mention one other thing: the weather was absolutely perfect. 70 degrees and sunny. That, combined with all the green things, made it a perfect spring day.
Friday: In the morning, we took a walking tour in the 10th arrondissement, along the Canal St-Martin. This sentence requires a bit of an explanation. I was surprised that my mom's guidebook listed a walking tour in the 10th. It's not exactly a bad part of town, but it's definitely not very touristy. It's much more residential, and two of the main train stations are over there -- all in all, not quite what comes to mind when you picture a walking tour. However, the canal itself was pretty, and we stumbled upon another of Paris's many outdoor markets. It's a part of the city that I barely know at all, so it was nice to have a chance to explore a bit. After a yummy lunch at a pretty interesting and eclectic cafe -- warning: I am looking for a chance to take one of my many visitors back there -- I was, you guessed it, back to class. I met my parents back on rue Mouffetard afterward for dessert to celebrate their last night in Paris.
Saturday: I met my mom and dad for a quick breakfast at "our" patisserie across the street from their hotel before their shuttle came to take them to the airport. I spent the rest of Saturday doing absolutely nothing. It was like all the adrenaline rushed out of me. I wasn't tired enough to nap, but after forcing myself to run a few errands, I didn't have the energy to go out and do anything else. I decided that I deserved a break after such a busy week, and proceeded to spend most of the afternoon watching movies and catching up on a bit of reading for school.
Sunday: I went to Palm Sunday services at the American Cathedral, where I was slightly disappointed to realize that they don't process outside at the beginning of the service. My guess is that it has something to do with the laicité laws regarding public religious displays...either that, or it's just not practical to move a congregation of perhaps 200 people around an entire city block. One of the two.
I used Sunday afternoon to get myself organized: I am leaving on my spring break adventure in only 3 days! I have my train tickets, the confirmations for my various hotels and hostels, and I have reserved my ticket for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (meaning I won't have to stand in line for hours). This is my first trip of the semester, and while I'm actually a little sad to be sacrificing 10 whole days worth of exploring Paris, I know it will be worth it. I'm excited!
I will be taking my computer with me (sadly, it's in order to get some necessary work done on the train) so keep an eye out for updates during my travels.
They arrived on Sunday morning, and after a quick breakfast and some essential caffeine, we hopped a bus (the one I take to school) for a ride along the Seine in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. We wandered around for a bit, but it was a bit too cold and windy for a leisurely stroll. Instead, we headed back near my apartment and their hotel, to the Marché Mouffetard, my favorite outdoor market. We stopped for a fondue lunch and had fun peeking in all the various stores and stalls. After a short nap for Mom and Dad, with warm cheese in our bellies and the sun breaking through the clouds, we decided to try to walk in the Jardin du Luxembourg. I was surprised at how crowded it was -- I think tourist season is officially in full swing. Once we soaked in our share of sun, it was time to go back to my apartment for dinner with my host family. Janine very thoughtfully insisted on having my parents and a few of my friends from Sciences Po over for dinner, and we even turned it into a combined early/belated birthday party for my dad and me. I made the cake, which was one of the more interesting experiences I have had here so far. The recipe called for one "soup spoon" of flour...that's right, the French don't have measuring spoons the way we think of them. It turned out as a sort of flourless chocolate cake with a matte glaze on top. It tasted pretty good, if I do say so myself, but it was not at all what I was expecting!
This entry could easily go on forever, so I will try to summarize the rest of the week's events briefly:
Monday: My parents and I went to the Musée de Cluny (a museum of the Middle Ages that is down the street from me, across from the Sorbonne) in the morning, then I left for class. In the evening, I met them for dinner at a really cool restaurant where I had a vegetable "millefeuille". I was intrigued when I saw this on the menu because a millefeuille is usually a type of dessert made with layers of pastry and custard. My millefeuille was like a vegetable lasagna, but without the pasta. Yum! After dinner, we went to a jazz show for the opening night of the Paris Jazz Festival.
Tuesday: We initially planned on going to the Eiffel Tower in the morning (because even though I have lived here for 2 months, I still have not been up in it) but got discouraged by the crowds. It was not nearly that busy even when B was here just a few weeks ago! Instead, we went to the Musée du Quai Branly, which I had been wanting to visit for a while. It specializes in non-European art and civilizations. In the afternoon, we (i.e. my mom and I, and my dad humored us) window-shopped our way through the 6th arrondissement before depositing my dad in a park to check out Le Bon Marché, a huge and very famous department store. We took a break for some Berthillon ice cream, and then I left again for class.
Wednesday: I left my mom and dad to their own devices in the morning because I had class...which turned out to be canceled. Zut. I met up with them again after lunch, though, and we took a walking tour of Paris' two islands: Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis. After the tour, we stopped by a little hole-in-the-wall bistrot that my mom found in her guidebook for wine (my parents), tea (me -- I was fighting off a cold), and a delicious assortment of cheeses. I went back to class (there's a trend developing here) and then crashed into bed after discovering the NyQuil hidden in the bottom of my suitcase.
Thursday: This may have been my favorite day of the visit. We took the train about a half hour outside of Paris to Versailles and spent most of the day there. I wasn't terribly fond of the chateau itself. There were way too many tourists shoving past one another, and I happen to think that the Louvre is the more beautiful palace, even if (or perhaps because) it's less gilded and sparkly. (But then we all know how I feel about the Louvre.) However, a half hour walk into the grounds brought us to "La domaine de Marie-Antoinette", composed of two smaller chateaux, a summer house, and my personal favorite "the hamlet". Yes, I realize it is completely ridiculous that Marie-Antoinette constructed her own small village in her backyard and that it is representative of the worst excesses of the French aristocracy...but they had bunnies! And goats, sheep, chickens, cows, etc. By the looks of it, the powers-that-be are still keeping the farm operational, and the result was a very pleasant "country" ramble. The formal gardens closer to main palace were very beautiful as well, with everything just beginning to bloom. We even got lucky a few times and happened upon some fountains as the maintenance crews were testing them. Oh, and I forgot to mention one other thing: the weather was absolutely perfect. 70 degrees and sunny. That, combined with all the green things, made it a perfect spring day.
Friday: In the morning, we took a walking tour in the 10th arrondissement, along the Canal St-Martin. This sentence requires a bit of an explanation. I was surprised that my mom's guidebook listed a walking tour in the 10th. It's not exactly a bad part of town, but it's definitely not very touristy. It's much more residential, and two of the main train stations are over there -- all in all, not quite what comes to mind when you picture a walking tour. However, the canal itself was pretty, and we stumbled upon another of Paris's many outdoor markets. It's a part of the city that I barely know at all, so it was nice to have a chance to explore a bit. After a yummy lunch at a pretty interesting and eclectic cafe -- warning: I am looking for a chance to take one of my many visitors back there -- I was, you guessed it, back to class. I met my parents back on rue Mouffetard afterward for dessert to celebrate their last night in Paris.
Saturday: I met my mom and dad for a quick breakfast at "our" patisserie across the street from their hotel before their shuttle came to take them to the airport. I spent the rest of Saturday doing absolutely nothing. It was like all the adrenaline rushed out of me. I wasn't tired enough to nap, but after forcing myself to run a few errands, I didn't have the energy to go out and do anything else. I decided that I deserved a break after such a busy week, and proceeded to spend most of the afternoon watching movies and catching up on a bit of reading for school.
Sunday: I went to Palm Sunday services at the American Cathedral, where I was slightly disappointed to realize that they don't process outside at the beginning of the service. My guess is that it has something to do with the laicité laws regarding public religious displays...either that, or it's just not practical to move a congregation of perhaps 200 people around an entire city block. One of the two.
I used Sunday afternoon to get myself organized: I am leaving on my spring break adventure in only 3 days! I have my train tickets, the confirmations for my various hotels and hostels, and I have reserved my ticket for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (meaning I won't have to stand in line for hours). This is my first trip of the semester, and while I'm actually a little sad to be sacrificing 10 whole days worth of exploring Paris, I know it will be worth it. I'm excited!
I will be taking my computer with me (sadly, it's in order to get some necessary work done on the train) so keep an eye out for updates during my travels.
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