Salut!
The journey with our internet has been a challenging one, and that's an understatement. We currently have temporary internet, meaning it can and will go out when it so desires. Luckily, Madame has ordered a new internet company and box for our apartment, which should be installed in 7 days! Life without technology is definitely peaceful and enjoyable (most of the time), but difficult when overseas. Ready for a some steady communication.
Life has started to fly by here. So much going on all the time as we learn more, see new things, and adventure until our feet need some rest. So I'll just try and sum up in a handful of main events:
Went to see Saint Chapelle and the Concierge with AIFS the other week. Was a magnificent church that was built by King Louis IX of France as church to house the holy relic he had purchased, the supposed Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus during his crucifixion. Even though the church is not currently an active church and no longer displays this holy relic, is it still a beautiful sight to see. The Crown of Thorns is now housed in Notre Dame, where it is displayed the first Friday of every month and on Easter. In the Concierge, we were able to see places that held a pivotal part in the French Revolution, including the chamber where Marie-Antoinette, wife to Louis XVI, was held during her imprisonment and until her execution at Place de la Concorde.
What wonderful roomies I have. The other Friday night, I went to a photography museum with my 2 friends Lauren and Andrew. Afterwards, we all headed back to my apartment for some dinner and to hang out. I was confused when we first entered the apartment, as it was empty and dark, with my roommates no where to be found. Then, much to my surprise, I opened our bedroom door to find an entourage of our friends shouting SURPRISE-HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I was very VERY confused, and partially felt bad because I thought I had somehow missed it being Lauren or Andrew's birthday...But alas, the party was for me! My silly head sweet roomies felt bad that I didn't have a spring birthday and therefore was deprived of the joy to celebrate my birthday in Paris, so they decided to throw me a random birthday party anyways! It was hilarious and random and
completely awesome. We had a great evening being silly with friends, drinking wine and eating baguettes and cheese. I can officially say now that I have celebrated A birthday in Paris! How great are they?!
The day after my "birthday?", Paige came to visit from Brussels! She came via bus and we toured the city/caught up for a couple days. We saw a handful of sights, and tried new things too. On Sunday, Paige, Ashley and I ventured to Puces St. Ouen, supposedly the mother of all flea markets. It was huge and at times overwhelming, but a great experience that I've been desiring to do for awhile! I really enjoyed just strolling around and observing the people and the environment. Such a relaxing afternoon. Paige and I also went to the Montmartre district on Sunday, where not only did we see Sacre Coeur, but we also saw Picasso's studio, Moulin Rouge, Van Gogh's apartment, and a handful of other famous sites! Paigers caught the first bus out early Monday morning, but it was great to see a friendly face, even if for a brief amount of time!
Had the opportunity to go see a real French play last Thursday night. A group of us went and saw "L'Entranger" (The Stranger, by Albert Camus) at a local, small but completely French theatre. Although I didn't comprehend the dialogue the whole time, it was a wonderful experience to have.
Madame's son so kindly pointed me in the direction of a runner-friendly park. Once rounding the Arc a couple streets, one hits Avenue Foch, which takes you down to a magnificent park. It is a beautiful park that encircles a big lake filled with geese, white swans, ducks, etc. Like any city with a beautiful park and athletic population, the Parisians flock here on Saturday mornings to start their weekend off right. With benches surrounding the lake and gravel running paths trailing off into the woods, one is sure to find relaxation and a breath of fresh air, a nice break from the city pollution.
Also adventured last week with Ashley, Lauren, and Andrew to the famous cemetery, Père-Lachaise. It holds the graves of multiple famous figures like Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wildes, Chopin, Jim Morrison, and the list goes on and on and on. The cemetery is in the middle of the city, but enclosed by giant walls all around. One feels as if they're in another place, somewhere peaceful and quiet when inside the gates, quite different from the busy life all around them. The cobblestoned streets and multitude of aging gravestones etched with french phrases was enough to entrance me and lose track of time. I can so clearly see why my roommate Ashley loves to travel there and spend time just walking between the paths. Such a serene place hidden within a bustling city.
Fun fun fun time as Virginia, one of my best friends from high school, flew into Paris for an evening to play! Currently on spring break, she landed at CDG airport Friday morning, left Saturday for Italy for the week, and will return back to Paris for 3-4 days before she returns home. We had a WONDERFUL time frolicking around the city, visiting Notre Dame to see the Crown of Thorns displayed, viewing the temporary exhibit by Ai Wei Wei in Paris right now, strolling through the Tuileries Gardens, briefly stopping at the Louvre, lovely walk down the Seine, dinner with Adam and concluding the night by sipping on a bottle of wine on the patio of a restaurant in the backstreets of the 5th arrondissement. Was SO happy to see her and spend some quality time with a best friend nonetheless in Paris, showing her my life right now! Craziness.
Then up and at 'em first thing Saturday morning, hopping on the metro and catching the bus with AIFS to Normandy for the weekend! It was a MAGNIFICENT trip. Words and pictures will never be able to do it justice. The whole weekend was a beautiful history lesson, with photos, views, and monumental sites that was pivitol to creating the American we are blessed to know and live in today. Free. Who knows where we would be if it wasn't for the victory at Normandy. We visited a D-Day museum, the American Cemetery, Omaha beach, and Ponte du Hoc. It was an emotional day, realizing the huge sacrifice and courage of the soldiers who fought for our country in WWII on June 6, 1944. I could type forever about how moving this trip was or how bold and real the sites where, giving one a tangible feel for the price our troops paid, but it would never be enough. Their bravery and courage cannot be verbalized. It's expressed and learned through one's own eyes, by seeing the challenges they were up against and the location of the battle they fought. Every single person should visit Normandy at least once in their life. It's a must. Have to. Please. It is that important to see for one's self and to pay one's respects to the brave soldiers who gave their lives. A trip that exceeded my expectations, and I will always be appreciative of. We stayed the night in Brittany, inside a precious walled-in city with delicious seafood. Salmon salad-I had been waiting a long time to eat you. The next morning we walked the city walls in the pouring rain with a gorgeous view overlooking the coast. Stopping at Mont Saint Michel, a famous city/cathedral known for being a famous pilgrimage site, we then hit the road for our 5 hour voyage back to Paris.
Today, Andrew and I ventured to Musée Jacquemart-André, which is an old Parisian mansion turned into an European art history gallery. It was quite a large and extravagant house, making it a fun adventure to observe the art and also picture the life that Jacquemart-André's once lived here. Cheered up our cold, rainy day by concluding our visit with a nice cup of tea at the mansion's cafe. Merveilleux!
I hope the pictures give you some idea of the amazing time I'm having here. I've surrendered to the fact though that a screenshot on a camera will never do the views justice. The lighting is wrong, the angle, the depth, the width, you name it-taking away from it's raw beauty-but at least it gives you an idea! Wish beyond words that y'all all could experience this. Luckily, friends are coming soon to partake in the festivities! Bonnie flies in this Saturday morning, and Austin lands on Wednesday!! SO excited for these 2 to see this gorgeous place. Then in a couple weeks, Stacey will come play! Blessed beyond words, and really excited for fun friends to be here. What a month March will be.
In return for the amount of time that has passed since my last blog, I have tried to redeem myself through the amount of pictures I posted. Alas, with our internet being fickle, they didn't come out in order of upload, so please bear with me!
(And sorry I'm not sorry for the excessive amount of pictures of The American Cemetery. Like I said, it was incredibly moving and bittersweet. YOU HAVE TO VISIT. A huge part of history to never be forgotten.)
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| Sunset in Brittany, France |
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| A picture of the reflection of The Eiffel Tower sparkling at night in the mirror of our room |
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| Beautiful sunset in Brittany |
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| View from Mont Saint Michel...yes that is all water and quick sand surrounding us |
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| View of the city wall where we stayed in Brittany |
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| The water flow view from the back window of our bus at Mont Saint Michel |
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| Mont Saint Michel from a distance |
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| Rough, dirty window view of the beautiful French countryside |
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| Ballroom at Jacquemart-André |
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| Luxembourg Gardens on a beautiful, sunny day in Paris |
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| Saint Chapelle chapel |
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| Mustache Cup..this one's for you Kuy! |
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| Roommates on the night of my surprise birthday unbirthday in Paris! |
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| Bon Anniversaire! |
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| Van Gogh's apartment doors |
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| Picasso's studio before he was famous |
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| The location of the bar where Edith Piaf spent many evenings singing and eventually became famous; now an art gallery |
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| Montmartre district |
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| Moulin Rouge |
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| L'Entranger in French |
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| Display of the Crown of Thorns in Notre Dame |
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| Home Sweet Home |
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| The American Cemetery |
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| The American Cemetery |
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| Frolicking with these 2 pals on the right, Virginia and Adam, in Tuileries Gardens |
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| Double staircase in the Jacquemart-André mansion...something everyone has in their house, right? |
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| German bunkers at Ponte du Hoc |
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| Shooting hole looking inside out from the German bunkers at Ponte du Hoc |
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| Ponte du Hoc--craters from the bombings of WWII |
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| Ponte du Hoc |
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| Once again, looking from the inside out of the German bunkers in their well-camouflaged shooting station created to take out anyone who scaled the cliff |
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| At The American Cemetery, on the wall of the missing bodies, but a mark beside the name of a body who has been found recently. They're still finding bodies from 60+ years ago. |
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| Natalie, Ashley and me on Omaha beach at Normandy |
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| Omaha Beach |
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| List of those who died in battle at Normandy but bodies have yet to be recovered |
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| The American Cemetery. Breathtaking. |
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| The American Cemetery |
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| D-Day beaches right by the cemetery |
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| Omaha Beach |
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| Star marking the grave of a Jewish, American soldier who died in combat at Normandy |
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| "Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God." |
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| "To these we owe the high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live." |
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| The Winter Gardens at Jacquemart-André mansion |
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| Andrew and I touring with our audioguides at Jacquemart-André |
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| No better way to end the day--Having a cup of tea at Jacquemart-André |
If you've made it this far in the blog-kudos. If not, I do not blame you. Per usual, I will conclude by sharing some of the beautiful French language I get to be immersed in daily.
French phrase for the day: "
Je pense à toi." which means "I think of you." So you usually pair it with a preceding phrase like "
Quand je me lève, je pense à toi." which means "When I rise, I think of you."
Lots of love to all of you from me.
