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!