*sings* PARIS HOLDS THE KEY TO YOUR HEART!!!
That's right folks, I am in Paris. It's my...third? Yeah, third day here. I mean, if you count the day I arrived (which was actually in the evening). I have so far done two walking tours, the free one and the Montmatre one, checked out the Louvre (very big, hard to figure out how to get around and apparently you need to PROVE your age when buying a student ticket...I would have gotten in for FREE...or they would have still charged me because despite having an EU student ID my passport is most definitely USA and only EU students are free), the Centre Pompidou, Notre Dame (gotta say, all churches look pretty much the same from the inside), been up to the top of the Eiffel Tower (AT NIGHT), gone to Versailles and went on a tour of the palace, hung out for hours in the gardens and briefly strolled around in the town. And I still have one full day left.
After a brief period of being somewhat lost, I found the apartment of our family friends. I'm staying with them in their daughter's old room. It's a lovely apartment in the fabric district of Paris. It used to be a shambles but they fixed it up and now it is fantastic. I want to get photos before I leave. Anyway, the lovely people here fed me, got me maps and pointed me in the direction of what to do. The next day I set off to the free walking tour of Paris and got a hilarious Londonder named Theo as my guide. Throughout the tour I talked to various people, a girl named Allison who goes to Rutgers and her friends, Caroline from Germany who is currently working at EuroDisney before getting her teaching degree, a girl from LA who is originally Russian, another girl from Australia who is on her way to Morocco next. Theo pointed out the general stuff, like the tower and Louvre, etc. along with giving his top five alternative sights to see. He colored his tour with sidenotes, history and at one time pantomime with volunteers. I got to be the Pope! That's right, this little Jew girl played the Pope. I "crowned" Napoleon except Napoleon was a bit of a douche and took the crown from the Pope and put it on himself. I remember learning about this briefly but now I will never forget it. Good job Theo!
Caroline and the girl from LA (Ivana? She had a really Russian name, which is why she mentioned that she was born there) and I headed to the Montmatre tour together after. This tour was paid but worth it. Sam, our lovely Australian tourguide, was hilarious and informative. Apparently you can find many an Australian girl dancing at the Moulin Rouge now. Sam said it's because they are the prettiest, most amazingly talented dancers but the French will say it's because they will take off their clothes for the least amount of money. She showed us a bunch of stuff from the movie Amelie (which I have yet to see) and the house where Vincent Van Gogh lived for a time. Along the way I met a girl from Vancouver named Katherine and two girls from Kentucky. They joined Caroline, the girl from LA and me for food after the tour. Everyone had to go on their way soon after but Katherine and I decided to walk around for a bit.
We initially headed for the bridge to cross the Seine and were almost at the other side when we noticed the Eiffel Tower was lit. Rather than call it a night we decided "Why not walk there? It's not THAT far after all". We later found out, yes it is that far. Still, totally worth it. We were sharing our travel stories and either when discussing Rome or Athens, these two girls behind us joined in. They were also headed for the tower so we all kind of joined up. Their names are Kelsey and Caitlin. They've been traveling for a few weeks and had all sorts of fun stories. Apparently I seriously need to get to Barcelona. Good times and pretty boys. Sounds good to me. The four of us got to the tower and then decided it would be a good idea to go up. You can't go to the Eiffel Tower and NOT go to the top. You can, however, go to the Louvre and not see the Mona Lisa. We did it and had a blast. It was Caitlin's birthday and she turned 21 on top of the Eiffel Tower. We eventually did go down and part ways. The metro was closed so I had to find alternate transport (read: cabbed it).
During this time I had totally forgotten to call the people I'm staying with and they were hella worried. Called my mother and everything. I've apologized profusely and will get them a nice gift (was going to do that anyway) before I leave.
Next day was museum day. I walked over to the Centre Pompidou first and checked out their Alexander Calder, Kandinsky and women in art exhibits. Thing is, I kind of hate museums. I end up with feet that hurt like the devil from all that walking and standing and often I can't remember a thing I saw clearly. It's not my thing. At least not when I'm alone...I prefer to go to museums with people who love them and know stuff about the art so they can tell me what's what if I have no clue. I was tempted to ask some older ladies discussing the women in art stuff what the hell it was about but opted not to. They were arguing about something anyway. After that, I hit up Notre Dame. As I said, churches all look really similar from the inside so I was kind of "eh" about it. Then lunch. Got me some Subway because they make some really good cookies and I have been unable to get good cookies in Milan. It's very sad. (Italy, you suck at muffins and cookies. Improve, plskthx.) Hung out on a bench along the Seine and doodled, sometimes the people sitting down.
Two guys across the way from me eventually came over to talk. Adrian and Arthur, I think. Imagine the humor when we actually exchanged names. I think they are both from Russia, at least Adrian is. He told me what tourist things to avoid and what museum I should check out (Museo D'Orsay). Kept on going on about how Eastern Europeans were friendly people and how in France people thought it was strange that he would approach them to talk. He offered to leave if he was scaring me (he wasn't). Cursed a lot. He and his friend left and I stayed for a bit longer before giving into the inevitable. I went to see the Louvre.
When on the free tour, Theo said that going to the Louvre left him feeling unhappy. You can't possibly see it all in one go (someone did the math and if you go to every painting, no breaks for anything, stand for about 30 seconds and move on, it would take 64 days) and the layout is so frustrating that finding what you DO want to see is a chore. I picked only a few wings and eventually figured out the map well enough to use it. I explored the Mesopotamia wing, some sculptures, large format works and the Rubens wing. This last one has to be my favorite. Rubens was commissioned to do I don't know how many paintings of this queen's life. The queen, however, was boring. VERY boring. And not especially attractive. He had to make her look interesting and beautiful. He used mythological characters and religious figures in the paintings, often the focus rather than her. I learned about them in art history but seeing them was really cool. Didn't go see the Mona Lisa because I hear it's disappointing. It's in a room that's always full because people want to see such a famous piece and it's behind a wall of glass for security reasons. That and I think I prefer da Vinci's sketches so I'll see them at the Science Museum in Milan.
Today was Versailles. I woke up much later than I intended but got there at a pretty good time. Got my tour arranged and walked around in the gardens until it started. The gardens are HUGE. I didn't go too far because I didn't want to get lost. The tour turned out to be just me and my guide, Elisabeth, who quizzed me on my art history knowledge upon finding out I'm an art student. I remember a lot more from those classes than I thought. She showed me the rooms, pointed out the details and how it relates back to the king. I didn't know this, but Louis XIV, the king who built Versailles, had had to run away as a child when the nobles tried to take his throne. He was only five. This traumatized him so he built the palace with the intention that the nobles would live there and he would know everything they did. No chance for them to betray him. He also lived very publicly. Nobles would watch him get ready every morning. He was constantly putting on a show for them. The queen, too. Marie Antoinette wasn't happy about always being in the spotlight, though. She had a little house about 3 km from the palace (no idea what that is in miles/yards) where she played with her children and had a little garden. The first thing she did when those revolting stormed the palace was sneak away in one of the two doors hidden in her wall and go to her children. The people I'm staying with, they told me she had to leave absolutely everything behind when she became queen. Her family, friends, dog...no contact whatsoever. I don't know much about French history but it does make her more than just that woman who supposedly said "let them eat cake".
I love the Hall of Mirrors. Seriously, it's gorgeous. I wished that no one else was there so I could just sit down in the middle and stare at everything around me. Instead, I headed back into the gardens. Walked around a bit before deciding to just sit down and chill. Doodled a bit in my sketchbook but mostly just people watched. They put on music in the garden and I think they may have done a show after I left. Not sure, stayed for a while to figure out why there was the workers were playing with fire. They have this line of black things that seem to squirt out lighter fluid and then have a sparker in them so FWOOSH--fire.
When chillin' on one bench I heard the soundtrack from Love, Actually playing behind me. Think there's a worker area there. Just some fun trivia for ya'll.
Also, when in the palace, I kept thinking "THIS IS VERSAILLES, AND WE ARE FRENCH!" that Madame Du Pompadour said in the Girl in the Fireplace ep of Doctor Who in her posh British accent. Was SO frustrating to not have a nerdy friend around to share that with.
Now I'm in the apartment. Got me some take away Chinese that was le suck. Cannot wait to get to London to get some good Chinese take away. I've been craving it for too long. The family is out and it sounds like a club outside. Unless the son is home and I don't realize it...no that music is def. coming from outside. Anyway, no idea what I'll be up to tomorrow but I will be back in Milan on the 20th of June and the family comes on the 25th. Then July 11th I fly into London and stay there until the 18th. Then Canadialand and finally home on July 20th. Honestly, cannot wait. Travel is fun but I really miss my friends...and my bed...and Wawa. Never separate a tri-state area girl from her Wawa hoagies. It is not pretty.
Hope you guys are having a wonderful summer. Tell me, what have you been up to?
After a brief period of being somewhat lost, I found the apartment of our family friends. I'm staying with them in their daughter's old room. It's a lovely apartment in the fabric district of Paris. It used to be a shambles but they fixed it up and now it is fantastic. I want to get photos before I leave. Anyway, the lovely people here fed me, got me maps and pointed me in the direction of what to do. The next day I set off to the free walking tour of Paris and got a hilarious Londonder named Theo as my guide. Throughout the tour I talked to various people, a girl named Allison who goes to Rutgers and her friends, Caroline from Germany who is currently working at EuroDisney before getting her teaching degree, a girl from LA who is originally Russian, another girl from Australia who is on her way to Morocco next. Theo pointed out the general stuff, like the tower and Louvre, etc. along with giving his top five alternative sights to see. He colored his tour with sidenotes, history and at one time pantomime with volunteers. I got to be the Pope! That's right, this little Jew girl played the Pope. I "crowned" Napoleon except Napoleon was a bit of a douche and took the crown from the Pope and put it on himself. I remember learning about this briefly but now I will never forget it. Good job Theo!
Caroline and the girl from LA (Ivana? She had a really Russian name, which is why she mentioned that she was born there) and I headed to the Montmatre tour together after. This tour was paid but worth it. Sam, our lovely Australian tourguide, was hilarious and informative. Apparently you can find many an Australian girl dancing at the Moulin Rouge now. Sam said it's because they are the prettiest, most amazingly talented dancers but the French will say it's because they will take off their clothes for the least amount of money. She showed us a bunch of stuff from the movie Amelie (which I have yet to see) and the house where Vincent Van Gogh lived for a time. Along the way I met a girl from Vancouver named Katherine and two girls from Kentucky. They joined Caroline, the girl from LA and me for food after the tour. Everyone had to go on their way soon after but Katherine and I decided to walk around for a bit.
We initially headed for the bridge to cross the Seine and were almost at the other side when we noticed the Eiffel Tower was lit. Rather than call it a night we decided "Why not walk there? It's not THAT far after all". We later found out, yes it is that far. Still, totally worth it. We were sharing our travel stories and either when discussing Rome or Athens, these two girls behind us joined in. They were also headed for the tower so we all kind of joined up. Their names are Kelsey and Caitlin. They've been traveling for a few weeks and had all sorts of fun stories. Apparently I seriously need to get to Barcelona. Good times and pretty boys. Sounds good to me. The four of us got to the tower and then decided it would be a good idea to go up. You can't go to the Eiffel Tower and NOT go to the top. You can, however, go to the Louvre and not see the Mona Lisa. We did it and had a blast. It was Caitlin's birthday and she turned 21 on top of the Eiffel Tower. We eventually did go down and part ways. The metro was closed so I had to find alternate transport (read: cabbed it).
During this time I had totally forgotten to call the people I'm staying with and they were hella worried. Called my mother and everything. I've apologized profusely and will get them a nice gift (was going to do that anyway) before I leave.
Next day was museum day. I walked over to the Centre Pompidou first and checked out their Alexander Calder, Kandinsky and women in art exhibits. Thing is, I kind of hate museums. I end up with feet that hurt like the devil from all that walking and standing and often I can't remember a thing I saw clearly. It's not my thing. At least not when I'm alone...I prefer to go to museums with people who love them and know stuff about the art so they can tell me what's what if I have no clue. I was tempted to ask some older ladies discussing the women in art stuff what the hell it was about but opted not to. They were arguing about something anyway. After that, I hit up Notre Dame. As I said, churches all look really similar from the inside so I was kind of "eh" about it. Then lunch. Got me some Subway because they make some really good cookies and I have been unable to get good cookies in Milan. It's very sad. (Italy, you suck at muffins and cookies. Improve, plskthx.) Hung out on a bench along the Seine and doodled, sometimes the people sitting down.
Two guys across the way from me eventually came over to talk. Adrian and Arthur, I think. Imagine the humor when we actually exchanged names. I think they are both from Russia, at least Adrian is. He told me what tourist things to avoid and what museum I should check out (Museo D'Orsay). Kept on going on about how Eastern Europeans were friendly people and how in France people thought it was strange that he would approach them to talk. He offered to leave if he was scaring me (he wasn't). Cursed a lot. He and his friend left and I stayed for a bit longer before giving into the inevitable. I went to see the Louvre.
When on the free tour, Theo said that going to the Louvre left him feeling unhappy. You can't possibly see it all in one go (someone did the math and if you go to every painting, no breaks for anything, stand for about 30 seconds and move on, it would take 64 days) and the layout is so frustrating that finding what you DO want to see is a chore. I picked only a few wings and eventually figured out the map well enough to use it. I explored the Mesopotamia wing, some sculptures, large format works and the Rubens wing. This last one has to be my favorite. Rubens was commissioned to do I don't know how many paintings of this queen's life. The queen, however, was boring. VERY boring. And not especially attractive. He had to make her look interesting and beautiful. He used mythological characters and religious figures in the paintings, often the focus rather than her. I learned about them in art history but seeing them was really cool. Didn't go see the Mona Lisa because I hear it's disappointing. It's in a room that's always full because people want to see such a famous piece and it's behind a wall of glass for security reasons. That and I think I prefer da Vinci's sketches so I'll see them at the Science Museum in Milan.
Today was Versailles. I woke up much later than I intended but got there at a pretty good time. Got my tour arranged and walked around in the gardens until it started. The gardens are HUGE. I didn't go too far because I didn't want to get lost. The tour turned out to be just me and my guide, Elisabeth, who quizzed me on my art history knowledge upon finding out I'm an art student. I remember a lot more from those classes than I thought. She showed me the rooms, pointed out the details and how it relates back to the king. I didn't know this, but Louis XIV, the king who built Versailles, had had to run away as a child when the nobles tried to take his throne. He was only five. This traumatized him so he built the palace with the intention that the nobles would live there and he would know everything they did. No chance for them to betray him. He also lived very publicly. Nobles would watch him get ready every morning. He was constantly putting on a show for them. The queen, too. Marie Antoinette wasn't happy about always being in the spotlight, though. She had a little house about 3 km from the palace (no idea what that is in miles/yards) where she played with her children and had a little garden. The first thing she did when those revolting stormed the palace was sneak away in one of the two doors hidden in her wall and go to her children. The people I'm staying with, they told me she had to leave absolutely everything behind when she became queen. Her family, friends, dog...no contact whatsoever. I don't know much about French history but it does make her more than just that woman who supposedly said "let them eat cake".
I love the Hall of Mirrors. Seriously, it's gorgeous. I wished that no one else was there so I could just sit down in the middle and stare at everything around me. Instead, I headed back into the gardens. Walked around a bit before deciding to just sit down and chill. Doodled a bit in my sketchbook but mostly just people watched. They put on music in the garden and I think they may have done a show after I left. Not sure, stayed for a while to figure out why there was the workers were playing with fire. They have this line of black things that seem to squirt out lighter fluid and then have a sparker in them so FWOOSH--fire.
When chillin' on one bench I heard the soundtrack from Love, Actually playing behind me. Think there's a worker area there. Just some fun trivia for ya'll.
Also, when in the palace, I kept thinking "THIS IS VERSAILLES, AND WE ARE FRENCH!" that Madame Du Pompadour said in the Girl in the Fireplace ep of Doctor Who in her posh British accent. Was SO frustrating to not have a nerdy friend around to share that with.
Now I'm in the apartment. Got me some take away Chinese that was le suck. Cannot wait to get to London to get some good Chinese take away. I've been craving it for too long. The family is out and it sounds like a club outside. Unless the son is home and I don't realize it...no that music is def. coming from outside. Anyway, no idea what I'll be up to tomorrow but I will be back in Milan on the 20th of June and the family comes on the 25th. Then July 11th I fly into London and stay there until the 18th. Then Canadialand and finally home on July 20th. Honestly, cannot wait. Travel is fun but I really miss my friends...and my bed...and Wawa. Never separate a tri-state area girl from her Wawa hoagies. It is not pretty.
Hope you guys are having a wonderful summer. Tell me, what have you been up to?