22-24 juillet-- boring week basically
Bonjour!
This week has not been very eventful, which is the reason for lack of update, but that is about to change because we are spending the weekend in Amsterdam!!
22 July-
Pretty much did absolutely nothing except go to class all day. Having class for 6 hours a day and not getting out til 5 is a pain in the ass. Usually, we are too tired to go anywhere, plus dinner starts an hour and a half after we get out of class anyway. Usually, I take a nap or something.
23 July-
Yesterday, Marie and I were planning to go to the Arc de Triomphe. However, she forgot her camera (again) and so we didn't go. We were also going to go to see Napoleon's Tomb; but, you have to buy a ticket for the army museum to see it and since we didn't really care too much about any of that stuff, we were not willing to pay 6 euros to see dead Napoleon's sarcophagus. For 6 euros, we better get to see a damn mummified Napoleon or something!
Nevertheless, we did get to see SOMETHING that day: the Rodin Museum gardens. Now, neither Marie nor I am huge fans of art. We like it, but it's not something we're terribly obsessed with. However, if you want to see Rodin's REALLY famous stuff (such as The Thinker) you only have to pay to go in the gardens, rather than the entire museum. The gardens are only ONE EURO. Seriously, Rick Steves was not lying when he said it was one of the best deals in town. It really is.
24 July-
Today, classes got out early because there was a talent show type thing at the school of which both Marie and I were firmly in the camp of "I couldn't give a crap about seeing this". So we decided to go to the beach! The Paris Plage that is. It's basically a massive expanse of decks and lounge chairs and umbrellas set up, along the seine river. Occasionally, there are water stations spraying continuous mists. It's basically like a beach without the sand (and the whole 'your skin would probably melt off if you got into the Seine itself' thing), but it was pleasant. It was warm today, about 84 degrees F, so it was really nice to go and sit and relax on a deck in our swimsuits and chill out. We stayed for about an hour before we left to come back for dinner.
Anyway, pictures of everything I've mentioned here (plus the pictures of the Medieval Museum from Monday) are up on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2253326&l=02611&id=7017887
Enjoy!
I will not be bringing my computer with me to Amsterdam (too much of a risk in a hostel) so LJ land out there will not be hearing from me until Sunday night at the earliest, or more likely, Monday. I anticipate lots of fun, and look forward to updating everyone about it after. The itinerary for the weekend is thus:
Leave Paris 10:30ish am Friday morning 25/07/08
Arrive in Amsterdam 2:30ish pm Friday afternoon (change trains in Brussels, Belgium; 30 minute layover)
Leave Amsterdam 9:30ish am Sunday morning 27/07/08
Arrive in Paris 1:30ish pm Sunday afternoon
We are planning to see:
-Anne Frank House
-Rijksmuseum (mostly Rembrandt and some other stuff)
-Van Gogh Museum
-Red Light District of course
-Sexmuseum
-Dam Square and the Royal Palace
-Cannabis College, and check out some "coffeeshops"
-Also going to try to find the statue of the big penis for Ms. Karen, if I can.
-Alas the Heineken museum is closed until October for renovations! What's up with these places closing during high season for renovations? NOT COOL. (this happened to us in Strasbourg too with the Alsatian museum if you remember)
May or may not make it back in time to see the Tour de France come through Paris, but I sure would like to maybe run over there and at least be part of the crowd, you know? Not like any Americans are doing very good this time anyway, so it's not a big deal, just cool to be there at the same time and such.
PS Obama is coming to Paris tomorrow when we are leaving! Sad! If he gives a speech here while we are gone, I'm going to be so upset. However, I think he got his big speech britches on when he spoke in Germany today, so hopefully he will just have a chat with Sarkozy and that's it.
Au revoir!
Kaylin
This week has not been very eventful, which is the reason for lack of update, but that is about to change because we are spending the weekend in Amsterdam!!
22 July-
Pretty much did absolutely nothing except go to class all day. Having class for 6 hours a day and not getting out til 5 is a pain in the ass. Usually, we are too tired to go anywhere, plus dinner starts an hour and a half after we get out of class anyway. Usually, I take a nap or something.
23 July-
Yesterday, Marie and I were planning to go to the Arc de Triomphe. However, she forgot her camera (again) and so we didn't go. We were also going to go to see Napoleon's Tomb; but, you have to buy a ticket for the army museum to see it and since we didn't really care too much about any of that stuff, we were not willing to pay 6 euros to see dead Napoleon's sarcophagus. For 6 euros, we better get to see a damn mummified Napoleon or something!
Nevertheless, we did get to see SOMETHING that day: the Rodin Museum gardens. Now, neither Marie nor I am huge fans of art. We like it, but it's not something we're terribly obsessed with. However, if you want to see Rodin's REALLY famous stuff (such as The Thinker) you only have to pay to go in the gardens, rather than the entire museum. The gardens are only ONE EURO. Seriously, Rick Steves was not lying when he said it was one of the best deals in town. It really is.
24 July-
Today, classes got out early because there was a talent show type thing at the school of which both Marie and I were firmly in the camp of "I couldn't give a crap about seeing this". So we decided to go to the beach! The Paris Plage that is. It's basically a massive expanse of decks and lounge chairs and umbrellas set up, along the seine river. Occasionally, there are water stations spraying continuous mists. It's basically like a beach without the sand (and the whole 'your skin would probably melt off if you got into the Seine itself' thing), but it was pleasant. It was warm today, about 84 degrees F, so it was really nice to go and sit and relax on a deck in our swimsuits and chill out. We stayed for about an hour before we left to come back for dinner.
Anyway, pictures of everything I've mentioned here (plus the pictures of the Medieval Museum from Monday) are up on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2253326&l=02611&id=7017887
Enjoy!
I will not be bringing my computer with me to Amsterdam (too much of a risk in a hostel) so LJ land out there will not be hearing from me until Sunday night at the earliest, or more likely, Monday. I anticipate lots of fun, and look forward to updating everyone about it after. The itinerary for the weekend is thus:
Leave Paris 10:30ish am Friday morning 25/07/08
Arrive in Amsterdam 2:30ish pm Friday afternoon (change trains in Brussels, Belgium; 30 minute layover)
Leave Amsterdam 9:30ish am Sunday morning 27/07/08
Arrive in Paris 1:30ish pm Sunday afternoon
We are planning to see:
-Anne Frank House
-Rijksmuseum (mostly Rembrandt and some other stuff)
-Van Gogh Museum
-Red Light District of course
-Sexmuseum
-Dam Square and the Royal Palace
-Cannabis College, and check out some "coffeeshops"
-Also going to try to find the statue of the big penis for Ms. Karen, if I can.
-Alas the Heineken museum is closed until October for renovations! What's up with these places closing during high season for renovations? NOT COOL. (this happened to us in Strasbourg too with the Alsatian museum if you remember)
May or may not make it back in time to see the Tour de France come through Paris, but I sure would like to maybe run over there and at least be part of the crowd, you know? Not like any Americans are doing very good this time anyway, so it's not a big deal, just cool to be there at the same time and such.
PS Obama is coming to Paris tomorrow when we are leaving! Sad! If he gives a speech here while we are gone, I'm going to be so upset. However, I think he got his big speech britches on when he spoke in Germany today, so hopefully he will just have a chat with Sarkozy and that's it.
Au revoir!
Kaylin