“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
– Ernest Hemingway
Days 3 – 6
What a full couple of days it has been in Paris! This weekend I visited the Musée D’Orsay. I am not an art expert by any means, but it’s more fun to pretend that you are one at the museum to get the most out of it. I tried to establish the mood of paintings from the colors and setting and identify with facial expressions if they featured people. I was excited to see a special exhibit featuring Van Gogh and Artaud. I really enjoyed Van Gogh’s works, and Artaud’s sketches and quotes portrayed an interesting expression of a troubled mind. Unfortunately my favorite painting ever, the famous Starry Night, was not featured, but I was able to see many other paintings by Van Gogh. I also learned that Van Gogh and I share a birthday! Kind of interesting to share a birthday with an artistic genius who was also deemed crazy and spent some of his days in a psychiatric institute. I also enjoyed the impressionist paintings and especially Monet at the Musée D’Orsay. That night, most of the group took the metro to the 7e arrondissement to go to the museum of anthropology near the Eiffel Tower. This was the first time I stood underneath the Eiffel Tower when it was lit up at night. Saturday night was a Europe-wide free night for most museums which stayed open later than usual. We made it into the entrance with only five minutes to spare before they stopped letting people in at 11 pm. I am glad we saw that museum at night, since it was easy to walk through quickly.
Sunday morning, a few girls and I woke up early to attend 8:30 am mass at Notre Dame. The cathedral is vast and impressive, and it was great to go so early in the morning when there were not any crowds. Towards the end of the mass, tourists started to come in and walk around the back, taking pictures and the like. Attending mass while people gawked at the building seemed strange. Even though the mass was said in French, it was nice to be able to tell what was still going on since it was all so familiar. After mass, we walked around the île de la Cité and had breakfast outside of a café. I ordered le petit dejeuner complet, which consisted of eggs with bacon, yogurt, coffee, and orange juice. My shot of espresso felt very European, and the plain yogurt tasted fresh, minimally processed, and delicious. We spent some time at the café talking to two French gentlemen about what we were doing in Paris and their suggestions. They were very kind to us. They spoke only a little English and wanted to know who had the stronger French accent, which I thought was amusing. After breakfast, we visited the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company, where I of course had to get a few books. I got a nicely bound book of Shakespeare’s Sonnets (thought it was appropriate), another copy of my favorite novel East of Eden, and a small book with passages by Hemingway about his time in Paris — all stamped with the signature Shakespeare and Company stamp. The shop was filled to the top with all kinds of books, reminiscent of a scene from Harry Potter. Upstairs housed older books on the shelves as well as little mattresses where struggling writers are allowed to stay in exchange for working in the store.
On Monday morning we had our first class. I like the class a lot so far. Their are only five students in the class including myself, and I find the laid back atmosphere pleasant. I don’t mind that we are in class for two and a half hours either, especially since my professor gives us a quick break halfway through. The paper will be a lot of work, but it will be worth it to get so many credit hours while in Paris. Monday afternoon was filled with shopping and exploring. We walked to Notre Dame again with another one of the professors before splitting off to explore. I made my first purchase from a French boutique, and bought a beautiful dress that looks very Parisian (and reasonably priced, Mom and Dad) that will be perfect for many events back at school. Monday night, a large group of us went to relax on the Champs de Mars in front of the illuminated Eiffel Tower. The twinkling Eiffel Tower is quite breathtaking, and sitting on the grass enjoying wine and food with new friends is rather surreal. We intended to climb the Eiffel Tower at night, but they close the second lift after 10, so I have yet to go to the top.
Today, Tuesday, was relaxed and enjoyable. After lunch, a group of us planned on going to another museum, but soon learned that all the national museums are closed on Tuesdays in Paris. We walked through the drizzling rain to the Luxembourg Garden and got the most indulgent hot chocolate I have ever tried at Angelina’s tea house, where Audrey Hepburn allegedly frequented. The treats at Angelina’s were preciously packaged; I will have to get something from there to bring home before I leave. You can even buy bottles of the famous hot chocolate. The chocolat chaud proved to be extremely rich, almost like drinking literal melted down chocolate, and was very unique and delicious. Additionally, we walked through Le Bon Marche for the first time today. The department store was like a Neiman Marcus and Saks on steroids. It was absolutely stunning to me, with perfectly presented high end designer clothes color coordinated on the racks and numerous lit makeup counters and fragrance displays. I felt like Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl just walking through (of course without Blake Lively’s money, fat diamond ring, and hot husband). One thing I definitely want to get before I leave is a unique signature fragrance that I could only get here in Paris. They had plenty of perfumes to choose from at Le Bon Marche, so I will want to return when I have more time and pick the perfect one. After taking a walk, we came across a bakery and tea shop called Bread and Roses near le Jardin de Luxembourg, where I tasted the best raspberry tart I have ever had and a stunning espresso soaked coffee cake. We ordered tea as well, which came in individual Japanese tea pots which held at least four cups of tea each. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed, and we appreciated the opportunity to get off our feet and out of the rain.
I can hardly believe that tomorrow will mark the end of our first week in Paris. The days have been going by so incredibly quickly, yet it already feels like it has been so long since we moved into St. Johns and had our first night. There is still so much more to see and do; I will continue to make the most out of every day in this unique city.
A bientôt.
They have Sephora in Paris.
More than one. Enough said. I’ve also seen boutiques for MAC, Bobbi Brown, Korres, Guerlain, L’Occitaine. This is going to be fun.
Day 2
People really do eat a lot of bread and cheese here. It’s not just a stereotype; I think I’ve had more slices of baquette in the last 48 hours than I previously ever have in a concentrated amount of time. But I’m not mad about it. Last night was my first night in our Parisian dorm. I’d rather think of it of my own special shoebox apartment in the heart of the city. I can even see the top of the Eiffel Tower from outside my window! Somehow Lauren and I ended up on the top floor (5th), so our rooms are relatively smaller than the rooms downstairs, as well as our little window. It is perfectly fine though, nothing I haven’t experienced before at UGA or in the sorority house. The sink in our room with a lit mirror is definitely a plus. The St. John’s campus is actually a very cool place to be. The facilities are nice, and our classrooms and cafeteria are right downstairs. Better than that though, the campus shares space with a larger building that houses St. Vincent de Paul monks. The headquarters for all of St. Vincent de Paul charity is in Paris, and my neighbors for the next six weeks. Apparently the New York St. John’s University is sponsored by the St. Vincent de Paul monks, which is why they have this space. The monks ring a bell every hour it seems. I have not been in their courtyard, as they have a larger and even more beautiful one than we, but I will hopefully be able to check it out while I am here. They have mass in the mornings daily and a “high mass” on Sundays as well, which is very convenient. Some of the girls have already discussed waking up early to go to mass at Notre Dame, since we are so close. I am looking forward to that experience. Notre Dame is so beautiful from the outside. It seems completely enormous, perched on the central island in the Seine.
Today we had orientation in the morning, where we learned that pickpocketing is an art around here and how to avoid it. Then we took a bus tour around the city. It was so nice to get off the only streets we’d seen so far and really see Paris for the first time. Every single building is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Remember how I said I believe there’s no traffic laws in Paris? Well there is a large roundabout around L’Arc de Triomphe. There’s no marked lanes, and people just drive as they please. They called it une étoile, or star. Our guide explained that it is actually an insurance-free zone. So if you were to crash your car in this mess, there’s no insurance company in France that would cover you. So imagine making a few loops around the Arc in a relatively large tour bus. L’Arc de Triomphe was absolutely beautiful though. I cannot wait to go back there. We visited the L’Eglise Saint Etienne du Mont, where the last remaining relic (a finger bone) of St. Genevieve, the patron and protector of Paris, is located. This church also houses the last remains of a pre- Vatican II screen between the knave and the elite. Who knew my first real day in Paris would be such a religious experience? We also were able to get out at the Eiffel Tower for about 10 minutes. It was worth it, and I will definitely be seeing that again. Seeing la Tour Eiffel in real life was quite dreamy. It’s so iconic, it’s hard to believe that you’re really standing beneath it. I also learned that the Eiffel Tower has its own patented shade of brown. Eiffel Tower brown is gradated to be lighter at the top, so when looking at it in the sun, it always appears as one consistent color. Or something like that. Just now I saw it sparkle from my window for the first time. It sparkles the first five minutes of every hour at night. It was breathtaking even from my window; I can’t wait to see how the whole thing looks lit up.
Tomorrow is a new day with more sights to see and crêpes to eat. Until then, bonsoir.
Day 1
I’ve come to the conclusion that all drivers in Europe are madmen and there are no rules. I decided this during my first 15 minutes on French ground. After leaving the Charles de Gaulle Airport, running on maybe 3 hours of sleep from a seven hour flight, my first cup of European coffee (tiny, overpriced, airport cafe latte), and adrenaline, I was excited to finally get on the shuttle to our Parisian dorm. We were greeted with ACDC right off the bat, along with Beyonce, Nirvana, and strange French techno selected by our driver. He nearly hit someone before we even left the airport. We drove through at least ten turnabouts and only two stoplights to get into the city. Once we were there, you could tell. Historic looking buildings of stone with intricate detailing and iron balconies sprung up all around us on the busy Paris streets. Like I said, I’m convinced there’s no traffic or parking laws in Europe, so the drive was quite an experience. Drivers just went for what they wanted and somehow never ran into each other. I never want to drive in Paris. Walking and the metro seem to work fine. Feeling jet lagged and exhausted but ready to see the city, a large group of us took a walk to Monoprix to get hairdryers and the like, and stopped at a small park on the way back to enjoy ourselves. I was relieved to go to bed early the first night after staying awake through the jet lag, but I am so excited to get more acquainted with this beautiful city. Paris is truly so different than anywhere I have ever been, and I am going to enjoy every minute of it.
katelynninparis 