My Paris

Classes are done, bags are packed, tickets are printed. These last ten weeks have been the most incredible of my entire life. I saw so much I had never seen before, learned more than I could have imagined, and met some really amazing people. And I think I did a rather good job of keeping up with this little travel blog along the way; if you actually tuned in the whole time, props to you. For my last post, I thought I would talk about what Paris is to me. It might be the most visited tourist city in the world, but it has become a second home to me. And there are places in Paris that aren't as well-known or touristy - or are touristy - that constitute My Paris. As excited as I am to travel for a couple weeks after, and then return home to see my family and friends, part of my heart will always be in Paris.

Rue Vavin
I became very familiar with this cute little road in the 6eme arrondissement, between Boulevard Montparnasse and the Luxembourg Gardens. It housed CUPA, where I spent at least 15 hours every week, and where I learned amazing things from some incredible professors. It's also home to a small boulangerie with a blue facade, an overpriced and tasty chocolate store, and a gelato shop, all of which I frequented. There's a Starbucks that I spent  too much of my lunch money, and where the workers seemed to recognize me by the end. Rue Vavin, that small one-way road, will always have a special place in my heart.

Food
Of course the food. All of it. But I also have my favorites. Like this tiny crepe stand around the corner from the St Michel fountain. It has the best (by best I mean cheapest and delicious) crepes in Paris. I went there on the first and last day of classes, and if felt like everything had come full circle. I also love the apple and brie sandwich from the boulangerie across from CUPA. Paired with a pain au chocolat aux amandes for dessert. I love that eggs are a dinner item. The Camembert cheese we had almost every night after dinner. That we had baguettes every single night with dinner. Nothing can compare to the delicious food of France (sorry Dad - I still love your food, though).

Eiffel Tower Nights
Yeah, part of "My Paris" is the quintessentially touristy Eiffel Tower. But it's not just the monument itself. It's a very specific patch of grass, to the left of the main part. Where we would bring a bottle of wine and watch as the tower lit up a midnight. It was moments like those that the absolute magic of the city hit me, and when I realized even more how incredibly fortunate I was to be in Paris with such amazing people.

Issy les Moulineaux
Admittedly not technically Paris, but close enough. I didn't explore Issy as much as I wish I would have, but what I did see was rather adorable. You get French charm, away from the bustle of the city center. You get shops that people don't assume you're a tourist, so you get to order in french and be delighted when they respond in french. There's the mediatheque, where I spent many a Sunday, doing all the homework I should have been doing throughout the week. Parc Henri Barbusse, that has a surprising and splendid view of the Eiffel Tower, as well as a tree-lined pathway that's straight out of a fairy tale. And of course, the 7 minute walk to and from the metro, up the hill, past the Playing Card museum, to the right, to my pink-painted house.

Family
Last night, we had a goodbye dinner with all the students from the program. We went around and said our favorite experiences. About half of the students "favorites" were in relation to their host families. Mine was as well: it was my host sister's first communion, and all of the extended family was there. I loved not only meeting more French people, but also seeing what a French family - cousins, grandparents, and all - is really like. And honestly, it's not that much different from an American one. I've learned a lot in my classes, but I've learned so, so much - from little words to jokes - from the family that opened their home to me. It sometimes got rough living with children aged 8 and 10, but it was so worth it and I will miss seeing them every day.

There are so many more little things that I see as being essential to Paris, and to my experience in Paris, but I just can't name them all. I've loved living in this city for two and a half months, even when I got stressed, or homesick, or was just having a bad day, the magic of Paris never left me. Sometimes all it took was a wander through a neighborhood I didn't know, or a trip to Monoprix for some chocolate, and I was feeling better. As sad as I am to be leaving, I know that I'll be back many times. Until next time, Paris.

I'll leave you with this - the view of the Eiffel Tower from Parc Henri Barbusse.

Final Stretch

I'm back! Sorry about my temporary leave of absence. I don't really have any excuse other than I've been too lazy! Whoops. But the term is closing in, so this will be one of my last posts. Right now, I'll just try to sum up what I've been doing over the past few weeks.

Parks and Gardens
There was a couple weeks where the weather was incredible, so I spent a considerable amount of time exploring various parks and gardens around Paris. I went to some really amazing ones. My pictures don't even capture how incredible they were. A lot where just so different from the typical "French" garden like Luxembourg, and it was really refreshing. I even got to sit on the grass!

I went to Parc Andre Citroen, which is fairly close to my house. It has little sections that are smaller gardens with specific types of flowers. There was also a hot air-balloon that people could ride, which is a bit unusual.

Next was Promenade Plantee, which is this 2 kilometer or so stretch that used to be a railway, but was converted into a garden. It was incredible. The flowers where beautiful, the plants were incredibly green, and the view was breathtaking. I highly recommend.

I also went to Jardin des Plantes, which is a kind of informational garden, with little signs explaining why certain plants are grouped together, or the healing effects of certain herbs. It would be super informative if you took the time to read everything (I didn't though).

Finally, I went to Park Buttes-Chaumont. It's basically a fairy-tale. It's in Montmartre, which is the big hilly area in the northern part of Paris, so there's quite a few hills in the park, but it makes for some really incredible views.

From high up, you can see all the people
lounging on one of the hills

Chartres
I went to Chartres! The whole program went. Chartres is a town about an hour and a half south west of Paris, and there is a cathedral there that is a very typically Gothic style cathedral. We had this amazing 80 year old British tour guide who had been leading tours for Carleton groups for 50 years. And he seemed to know everything there is to know about the cathedral, even though he said he's still learning. We also went up to the top of the super tall towers, which was not great for my fear of heights, but the view was spectacular.

Chartres from the distance

Facade! (I've seen better.)

The rose window from the West facade and stained glass windows.
Our guide could "read" all of these without even looking.

A side portal.

View from part way up the cathedral.

Ever wonder what the flying buttresses look like from above?
This.

Other stuff
With our professor, we all went to see a play at a small theater. It was Le Porteur d'Histoire, that we had just read in class, and it was absolutely incredible. The writer of the play also directed it, so we saw the play they way he wanted it to be seen.

I also made Wild Rice Soup for my host family! I had brought Minnesota wild rice as a gift when I arrived, so I finally made it for them. It was adorable when each member of the family walked into the kitchen, and, upon smelling the cooking wild rice, said "Ohh, ca sent bon!" (That smells good!) They all liked the soup. I was really happy to be able to share some of my "cultural heritage" with them.

I went up the Eiffel Tower! I didn't go all the way to the top because the elevator line was way too long, but I climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor and the view was pretty great. Here's a blurry night time photo of me there!

View of the Eiffel Tower, from the Eiffel Tower. We were
also on it when it started sparkling on the hour.

I went to a wine and cheese tasting, and now I think I know all there is to know about French wine! (Kidding.) It was really fun, and I was actually able to tell the difference between certain types of wine. And the cheese was probably the best cheese I have ever had in my life. After that, Austin and I went to Musee Grevin, which is a wax museum. We saw a ton of famous people in waxwork form, as well as a lot of French celebrities we did not recognize at all. Fun day!

Wine and cheese tasting!

Good ole Gerard Depardieu

Louis XIV, my love

Al. Doing some thinking.

That is a rather comprehensive, if brief, summary of my life the last few weeks. I honestly can't believe how fast these last nine weeks have gone. But I won't get all sentimental yet, that's for next time! I'll leave you with this incredible view of Sacre Coeur from a random street in the 2nd arrondissement. It's right near Austin's house and only visible for like 12 steps. But so, so worth it!