Orléans: the vrai France

I am updating from my hotel in Bruxelles, where Christina and I have been having a great time in the so-called "Capital of Europe."  More on all the waffles and chocolate in another post. After two full days back in Paris, I decided to take a day trip to the Loire Valley to visit the small town of Orléans. I did my research on day trips from Paris to get out of the city, and the best options were Orléans and Champagne. In the end, I thought getting drunk on bubbly with a bunch of tourists was the less appealing options.

Orléans is about 130 km southwest of Paris. The city is most famous for its heroine, St. Joan of Arc, who saved the city from British Invasion during the Middle Ages. Her statue and name are on every street corner in the city. The largest statue of her in the city has a plaque on the side thanking the city of New Orleans for helping to restore the statue after bombings in the city during World War II. Orléans is probably second most famous for being the namesake of my hometown, La Nouvelle Orléans, in the United States. 

Orléans has only about 200,000 residents, and the city center is fairly compact. I only had about 4 hours to explore the city on Tuesday, which ended up being plenty of time. I took the train from Paris for under 40€ round trip, 2 hours down on the regional train and 1 hour back in the intercity train. There is a team line around the streets of Orléans, but the city is mostly navigable by foot. When I first hopped off the train at the super modern train center, I took a wrong turn away from the center (without knowing at first) to land in a rather unexciting part of town. I did, however, stumble upon a giant church, St-Paterne, which I thought was the city's main cathedral. After walking around the massive medieval church and realizing there were no people around, I wandered a little to finally find the city center. Luckily, there was much more of Orléans left to explore!

After walking down the main shopping street and past the statue of Jeanne d'Arc, I made it to the massive Cathedrale Ste-Croix at the city center. The church is massive, much like Notré Dame in Paris, and serves as the seat for the diocese of Orléans and the Loire Valley. Nearby is the oranate Hotel de Ville (city hall), which was once the seat of the great and powerful duchy of Orléans. I kept wandering through the city streets, which are awesomely preserved medieval stores and homes down stone streets. I eventually made it to the banks of the Loire River, which divides the city in two and continues throughout France. Orléans was a picturesque city full of history and traditional French culture. 

The big site to see in Orléans is the Maison de Jeanne d'Arc; however, any guide information will tell you that the house is just a 20th-century reproduction of what her house may have been like in the 1400s. Instead of spending money on the entrance, I treated myself to a typical French bakery lunch. For just 5.30€, I got a jambon beurre (ham and butter) baguette, a Coke Zero (they made to Europe too!), and a éclaire au chocolate. The woman at the bakery gawked a bit to hear my American accent in French, but she kept going and communicated with me in French. She was probably surprised to see a young American in Orléans, but it was nice to have a French person work with my French. So I took my lunch and picnicked on the plaza in front of the Joan of Arc house. 

Overall, it was a relaxing trip to get away from the hustle and bustle of Paris. That evening, I dined on to-go crepes in Paris at the top of Sacré-Coeur, overlooking the city at night. I walked through the Tuileries, the gardens between the Louvre and Concorde, which are still hosting the summer carnivals that we went to during my summer in France. Things don't change much!  Before heading over to the train to Brussels on Wednesday morning, I took in a few last sites of Paris. I went through the Latin Quarter to see where I studied abroad in Paris (CCIP), the fancy French grocery Au Bon Marché, and a trip down the 6e metro line, which passes back and forth above ground across the Seine overlooking the Tour Eiffel.

Being back in France has been awesome, and the French journey continues here in Brussels. We're driving down to Switzerland tomorrow from Belgium (isn't it awesome to drive through countries instead of states?), where I'll update with a Brussels post. Later gators.  

Paris: aller retour

I've already been in Paris for two days, and I am currently writing this blog post on a regional train to Orléans during my third day here in France. It's been a marvelous but exhausting few days so far as I relive the best of the City of Lights.

After arriving at Charles de Gaulle from Oslo, I boarded the trusty RER from the airport and headed straight to my hostel, where I've stayed two times previously, on the vibrant Rue Mouffetard. After dropping off my belongings, I hopped on the metro to Palais Royale-Musée du Louvre. I brought my Pass Navigo, the Parisian metro card for residents, from when I studied here in Paris, which gives me unlimited rides for a week for under 20€. Unfortunately, the week begins on Mondays, so I had to make due for my first day on Sunday. Therefore, armed with just two metro tickets, I decided to do Paris by walking. After arriving at the Louvre, I realized to my surprise that the first Sunday of every month is free museum day!  I also realized, to my horror, that the line to enter to Louvre was thousands of people long on free Sunday. So, I snapped a few photos and kept walking.

After leaving the Louvre, I walked through the streets of Paris past the Opéra Garnier, Madeleine, and Place de la Concorde on my way to the Champs-Elysées. I grabbed a quick lunch (a baguette with ham and butter) and walked to the Arc de Triomphe. After completing the quick picture snapping at Étoile, I walked over to the Tour Eiffel. I really never gets old. The crowds in Paris are probably at their height in July, with so many tourists one can barely make it down the sidewalks. After the Eiffel Tower, I walked down the Seine past Invalides to my favorite museum, the Musée d'Orsay, a former train station that holds mostly impressionist art. To my surprise, it too was free on Sundays for all and the line was only 20 minutes. I did a quick go around the museum (my third visit) and stopped for my favorite painting, Renoir's Bal au moulin de la Galette.  There's also an awesome view of the city from the roof, which I discovered for the first time. 

After a LONG day of walking, I returned to the hostel to rest and clean up. Being back in France has been awesome, but I must admit it took me day to get back in the swing of things. My French came back to me pretty quickly, yet my reading abilities far exceed my speaking skills. I wandered the Rue Mouffetard all the way to St-Michel and the Quartier Latin searching for a good place to eat. It's intimidating to eat dinner alone here (lunch isn't a problem), and I was nervous using my French. Still, I would rather use broken French than English here in Paris. Depending on the person, some Frenchmen respond to me in French and others in English. Either way, the actually haven't been too rude this time. One lady at a ticket office was especially nice to me for using French after a group of Italians in front of me royally pissed her off.  Finally, I stopped for dinner at a place near where I am staying with plenty of young university students dining. I treated myself to a fondue du fromage dinner with a half a bottle of white wine before calling it a night. 

My second day in Paris had a lot less walking with the unlimited metro pass; however, I still did an exhausting amount of traveling the city. I began by taking the train up to my favorite place in all of Paris, Montmartre. There in the 18e arrondissement, I spent much of my time the summer I lived here since my host mother's apartment was there. If I ever moved to Paris (ha!), I would probably live in this part of the city. It's quiet and calm, yet full of interesting people and places. From the Abbesses metro (100 stairs up), I walked to the Funiculaire (elevator) that takes you up the hill to Sacré-Coeur. This basilica with its famous white domes overlooks the entire city. The 6€ ticket to the top of the church gives an even better view of Paris. After snapping a few quick selfies with the low crowds in the early morning (less judgmental), I climbed down to wander through Montmartre over to the Moulin Rouge. 

From Montmartre, I traveled up the familiar 13e line of the metro (where I lived in Paris) up to the suburb of St-Denis. Although it has a sketchy reputation at night, St-Denis is also home to a giant cathedral that holds the remains of many of the great royals and leaders of France, including Charles Martel, Marie Antoinette, and too many Henri/Charles/Louis to count. From there, I headed way south to the Marais for lunch. I must tell you that I had the best falafel I've ever tasted. L'As du Falafel, in the Jewish quarter, is said to be a favorite of stars like Lenny Kravitz. From there, onto viewing Hotel de Ville and Centre Pompidou before stopping by the Louvre. Although it probably wasn't worth the 12€ ticket to see for the fourth time in massive crowds, I felt like any trip to Paris is incomplete without it. A hustle around the museum led me to La Jaconde (Mona Lisa), Venus de Milo, and an Egyptian sphinx. 

Whew! I am exhausted just reliving this day through blog, but its not over yet. Next, I went for a walk through Notré-Dame and Île de St-Louis, which isn't complete without a scoop of Berthillion ice cream. Next up, I went through more of the Quartier Latin to see the oldest standing church in Paris, St-Germain-des-Près, and the Jardin du Luxembourg. Finally, I headed back to the hostel to rest and buy dinner, which included bread, French cheese (Camembert et Roquefort), and beer (Leffe et Kronenburg). While we're on the topic of food, my hostel has individual servings of Nutella to use for breakfasts! I think we should get those in the US to prevent us from eating too much of the good hazelnut spread. Back to Paris, I took my dinner over to St-Michel and picnicked on the banks of the Seine as the bateaux-mouches (boats) and people passed by me. After listening to students play music and being run over by an old drunk French guy, I took the metro over to the Tour Eiffel for a night viewing. The TE is lit up at night, sparkling for 5 minutes on the hour every hour. Of course, for 3.50€ (amen for student/youth discounts in Europe) I took the stairs to the top of the second level. A little afraid of heights, I climbed carefully to the viewpoint over Paris before calling it a second night. 

Merci beaucoup to those of you made it to the end of this endless blog post! I will update soon on my day trip to Orléans, about an hour or two southwest of Paris, the namesake of my hometown of New Orleans. I figured I should try something new while I was here in France. One of my biggest regrets from my first big trips to Europe was not seeing more of France, so I am doing my best now but still have a LOT of land to cover (next time!). Tomorrow I'll be taking the Thalys luxury train up to Brussels, Belgium, where I will be meeting my friend, Christina, who is coming over from Switzerland. Pumped for the beer, waffles, chocolate, and French (Belgian?) fries. A bientôt!

PARIS ENCORE

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it's been a little busy around Prague with finals mounting up and just 12 days remaining. It's hard to believe that time in Europe is running out so rapidly, but alas, I'll leave that topic to another post.


It has been snowing in Prague non-stop for nearly a week now, with inch upon inch piling up on the streets, slowing turning into brown mush. I was really shocked to find out that my flight to Paris had not been canceled with the winter weather in both the Czech Republic and France. Unfortunately, my friend Kim from LSE in London was unable to make it to Paris to meet me with the terrible weather for trains between the UK and France. I spent most of the weekend alone, but it was not bad since I know Paris so well now.


After arriving late on Thursday, I checking into the place I stay at the end of my France journey this summer, located in the Latin Quarter on Rue Mouffetard. An early wake up call Friday meant a FULL day of sightseeing to my favorite places. The weather was pretty cold, but it was not bad compared to Prague. I started on the Île-de-St. Louis, where the famous Notre-Dame is located. The church was as impressive as ever, especially with the giant Christmas tree out front.


I bought a day metro pass both days I was in Paris, since I'm an expert at quickly navigating the métro. Plus, the system is so efficient compared to almost any other European city that it takes no time to get wherever you want to by subway. I walked down the Champs-Elysées before making my way to the north to my favorite part of the city, Montmartre. Pictured above is Sacre-Coeur, just a 15-minute walk from where I had my homestay this summer. I tried to meet with my host mother and my French professor from Georgetown, but alas they were busy for the weekend and I gave short notice with the snow.


The Christmas decorations in Paris are absolutely unbelievable. Pictured above is a massive 5-story Christmas tree in the Galeries Lafayette department store. All the grands magasins decorate their windows in holiday themes, much like in New York City. Many streets are lined with Christmas lights, and decorations adorn all the stores. Quite a drastic change from last weekend in Istanbul, a 99% Islamic populated country.


Other than transportation, I spent almost all my money for the weekend on food. It was nice to be back in the Eurozone, as I had become so accustomed to those bills and coins during the summer and earlier parts of my semester. I stopped at the famous Le Consulat café in Montmartre for lunch for a menu of roasted chicken, French onion soup, and mousse au chocolat. Later, in the day, I did a few more big sights at night because, after all, Paris is the City of Lights. Above is the Eiffel Tower, which still sparkles every night on the hour.


For dinner on Friday, I stopped at the French chain Hippopotamus for dinner. A large steak haché, pommes frites, and again mousse au chocolat completed a great day. And a carafe of French red wine. And the nutella crêpe snack earlier between lunch and dinner. I woke up early on Saturday and made my way back to the Champs-Elysées to see Harry Potter 7 again en français. It was a special 5.90 euro early movie, and I wanted to test my french after all this time. Having read the 7th book in French and seen the movie in English already, it was pretty easy for me to follow and understand the French. C'est cool.


For lunch, I went to a small café in the Latin Quarter to meet my friend Nora from Georgetown for lunch. She is studying for the year in Paris and really loves France and the French people. If you remember my blog at the end of the summer, I was not very fond of the Parisians. However, the city has a totally different atmosphere in the colder months with much fewer tourists and a generally happier French population. Waiters and workers were much more willing to speak to me in French, and they never really switched to English like they would in the summer. Very refreshing.


Pictured above is Le Bon Marché, a large department store in Paris, very much decorated for the holidays. Their gourmet food sections was also full of Christmas and Santa Claus treats. It snowed on Saturday for a little while too, making Paris even more magical. I also stopped by the Musée d'Orsay, the impressionist museum, which is free for students of the European Union (I flashed my Czech visa and Charles University ID for free admission!). For dinner, I went to Le Marais and stopped a a Jewish deli. One of the best burgers I have ever had...they used fried egg instead of cheese to keep the meal kosher. There was a Jewish couple from New York City sitting next to me at dinner, and boy did they give the poor French people a bad impression of American elitism.


Overall, I had the most wonderful weekend in Paris. I really never wanted to leave, knowing the amount of cold, snow, and work awaiting me in Prague. Despite all that I thought about Paris when I left in the summer, I really think it was my favorite city in Europe. Having seen so much more since I left France, I really gained an appreciation for the French people, culture, and language. I think it is one of the few European cities I could see myself living and working in, and who knows what the future holds.

And my last column for The Hoya: Click here to read my article in this week's The Guide! I really enjoyed writing for the Guide this semester, and I hope that you have enjoyed reading them as well. It was a good way to get my blog out into the non-cyber world. Look forward to some wrap up blog posts in the next few days about my experiences in Europe. Au revoir!

Au revoir, Paris. Hola, España!

So, Stephen finally arrived in Europe! It was a long trip coming, but now there is a little St. Catherine/Jesuit/New Orleans reunion on the old continent. We spent our first 3 days in Paris, and it was quite the whirlwind. Since I have grown used to living there, it was easy for me to show him the city in a very quick manner. We saw the Louvre (Mona Lisa included), Eiffel Tower (climbed it), Arc de Triomphe, Sacré Coeur, Montmartre, Concorde, Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, and had plenty of good eats (crepes, fondue, croque madames). Overall, it was a fun little tourist visit to Paris, but I was more than ready to leave the City of Lights behind.

After a long day on public transportation and airplanes, Stephen and I finally arrived in Spain! We landed in Barcelona about an hour behind schedule, but we eventually made our way through the city to our hostel. Thankfully, we have our own room and space, and we quickly settled in. Before we knew it, it was 11:30pm and we had not eaten dinner. No worries, because in Spain dinner has barely started by that time. We had a wonderful American dinner at, none other than, the Hard Rock Cafe. We are pretty exhausted, but we are spending a full day seeing the touristy sights tomorrow. Catalan and Spanish are difficult for us, but luckily lots of the locals know some English. Viva Barcelona!

Chapter 2

Well, that's all folks. Yesterday, I took my proficiency exam in French. It was a really difficult article on the banning of the burqa and niqab in France, and there is nothing I can do except wait for the results in a week or two. Luckily, we also received our final presentation grades. I did pretty well, despite the harsh critique of my exposé depth and pronunciation skills. What's done is done, and last night the group celebrated in style. Many of the students are off to America today, and others like me will be traveling Europe with family or friends.

Stephen arrives from the United States tomorrow! It's going to absolutely amazing to experience Europe for 2 weeks from a traveler's perspective instead of from that of a busy and hard-working college student. It's 3 days in Paris, including Bastille Day tomorrow, and then we're off to the rest of our journey in Spain, London, and Dublin.

While this program in Paris was not exactly what I wanted or expected, I certainly can be proud of myself for how far I have come. I moved to a new country for six weeks. I lived with a host family and communicated with them in French. I made great strides in my language skills, and I feel that I can finally function in a foreign language. I meet some great people from Georgetown who I would not have had the chance to meet otherwise. I lived in a beautiful city with everything you could possibly want from the largest metropolitan area on continental Europe. Overall, it was a great experience in Paris, but I am ready to move on to the next chapter. First stop: a grand tour of Western Europe!

FINISHED!!

I just got back from my final presentation! It went really well for what I was expecting from myself. The panel of seven professors seemed to be very interested in what I had to say. I understood most of the questions they asked me after, and they were impressed with my french when I told them that I have only taken it since I have been at Georgetown. Also, they were interested in my roots in New Orleans/Louisiana as part of the Francophone world.

I can't believe classes are officially over in Paris! Off to celebrate on the Seine with our program coordinator (a young Parisian man who sets up our daily programming). I will be taking in as much of Paris this last weekend before my proficiency exam Monday. I will try to speak as much french as possible to get ready, but it really will just come down to the moment!

Paris, je t'aime!

La chaleur...

The heat wave is back in Paris, and it is unbearable once again. Tomorrow, during my final presentation, it will probably be about 90 degrees with no air conditioning. Since I am the second to last to present out of 19 students, maybe I will get lucky and the jury of professors will pass out before I have to take my turn.


Yesterday, after our final class, we went to the Musée d'Orsay. This former train station is home to 18th-19th century art and has millions of visitors annually. On our guided tour in French, we saw the likes of Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Claude Monet. The museum itself it a work of art with its high ceilings and early 20th century architecture. You are not allowed to take pictures inside, but luckily I snuck a view without getting caught.


At this time tomorrow, I will be starting my final exposition. I think that I am as ready as I can be, but I will be sure to work on the presentation some more over the next 24 hours. After this, classes will officially be finished, and then I have to weekend off to finally relax in Paris and prepare as much as possible for my French language proficiency exam Monday morning. Can't wait for the program to end and to start the next chapter of my European adventures in 2010!

The City of Lights

July 4th in France was an interesting experience. It was my first time out of the country for the celebration, but we did it in style. After American lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe - Paris (thank you Mom & Dad for footing the bill!), we gathered at a friends apartment to spend time together as a group. It was amazing to get to know my Georgetown - Paris friends more outside the confines of class, and what better day to do so than Independence Day.

I promise in my two days off from the blog that I have been very busy. Aside from working on two presentations, I had a politics quiz. Finally got a good grade on something in Paris. Wait, it's only the second assignment we've received back with a grade on it, oops. Anyways, my practice presentation of my final exposé went well considering, and I will be sure to practice it a lot more before my turn arrives on Friday afternoon. Tomorrow is my very last class (language in the morning) before we head to our last cultural visit at the Musée d'Orsay in the afternoon. It's hard to believe that my program will be over for real in less than just a week, but there is still a long way to go with the concluding tests.


For the past two days, some friends from Georgetown were in Paris after completing their intensive German language summer program in Trier on the German-French border. It was nice to have some fellow Hoyas in town to show around Paris without the stress of our French program. Last night, we explored the Bastille neighborhood. Tonight, we saw Sacre Coeur, watching the Netherlands-Uruguay game at a local bar with a great late happy hour (GO PAYS-BAS), and climbed the Eiffel Tower at night. There really is no experience quite like taking that elevator ride up at night to see the city. The best part is when the Tower sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour at night.



Things are finally starting to reach their end in Paris for my program and time here, and it will be strange to leave. I feel like I have become a resident of this beautiful place, but I am also ready for a new adventure. Less than a week until my best friend from too long to remember from New Orleans arrives, and I cannot wait to travel Europe without classes/work hanging over my head. Wish my luck in my presentations!

The Home Stretch

Other than the scorching Parisian heat, not much has happened the past two days. On Friday, we spent the whole day in class just trying to stay awake despite the 90+ degree classrooms. Today, I spent the majority of my day writing and working on my finale presentation topic. After typing over 4 pages of french in single-space and creating a powerpoint, I was too exhausted to function. It is very consuming to think and work in a language that is not your native tongue, and I definitely get tired of all the French sometimes. I did purchase the 7th Harry Potter book in French recently to work on my language skills and brush up on the book before the next movie comes out.

Tomorrow is July 4th! My first one outside of the United States, but I hope to celebrate with some friends by finding a restaurant with real American cuisine. Hard Rock, anyone? As we gear up for the end of the program, I am really going to make an effort stating on Monday to build up my French skills before my final presentation and proficiency exam. It is only to my detriment to use English while I am in France, so forgive me if I am a little slow to post on my blog. Plus, we actually have real work for my program this last week!

Happy 4th from Paris, and make sure to have a hot dog or three for me!

AIR CONDITIONING, S'IL VOUS PLAÎT

The thing I miss the most about America (other than real cheeseburgers and french fries), AIR CONDITIONING. It has been in the high 80s and low 90s this entire week in Paris, and it is not excepted to let up until Saturday at the earliest. Almost nowhere in Paris is air conditioned indoors, and the few places that are have too many people inside to be enjoyable. Starting on June 30, Paris also descended into a crazy period of time known as the "Soldes" or sales. Almost every store slashes prices from 20-70% on almost every item. Imagine walking into a store or a mall with this kind of craziness...without climatisation (A/C). The next three week days, we have back-to-back classes from 10am-4:30pm, and the lack of air conditioning in the classrooms is sure to force a few students to faint.


In other news, yesterday our class took a field trip to the Louvre finally! It is an incredible building, which was converted to a museum from the royal palace during the French Revolution. There really is too much to see in one day, but we did our best to cover some ground during the evening from 6:30-9:30pm. We saw famous works of art such as the Venus de Milo, Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, and, of course, da Vinci's La Jaconde. The Mona Lisa is just as small and disappointing as everyone says it is, have no fear.

After the trip to the museum, we went to a café in the 1er (first) arrondissement, which is close to the Louve and the center of Paris. An authentic french onion soup and 10 euros later, we went to the Fête de Tuileries. This carnival in the large gardens adjacent to the Louvre lasts for two months in the summer, and it is very similar to an American fair. Plenty of little rides, ice cream stands, food carts, and boardwalk games. It was like a little piece of Americana in Paris.


Today, we had the morning off before our cultural visit to OECD. Out of exhaustion, I slept in instead of getting up, but I am certain that my body needed the rest after these last few busy days and all the sun/heat. OECD is an international organization that seeks to create fewer trade barriers and more economic cooperation among its 31 member states. It is located in a very posh neighborhood in the 16th, and its international headquarters are at the Château de la Muette in Paris. The headquarters were very modern, and we heard three different presenters on different international economic subjects. You can read more about the organization here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_for_Economic_Co-operation_and_Development

Tomorrow, its double classes and then a long weekend to catch up on all my work! Also, we will be sure to remember to celebrate the Fourth of July on Sunday!

Dead People and Terrifying Heights

Hello loyal followers! Sorry for not posting yesterday, but I finally have some time to catch up on the blog. Yesterday, I had the chance to sleep in late (11am) before lunch and one afternoon language class. After class, we went to the Pantheon in the Latin Quarter. The Pantheon is a giant building modeled after the structure of the same name in Rome. The main corridor and floor are breathtaking, and the designs remind one of a large Church. Luckily with a student discount, the trip only cost 5 euro. Can't find enough ways to save money in Paris.


Dozens of France's most famous citizens are buried in the Pantheon in the crypt below the main level. The likes of Emile Zola, Alexandre Dumas, Louis Braille, Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau find their final resting places in the cold and calm crypt. Pictured below is the tomb of Voltaire.


Today, we had a veryyy long 2 classes in a row from 10am-4:30pm with a lunch break in between. The Parisian heat has become unbearable, reaching into the high 80s. The worst part is that few-to-none of the buildings in the city have air conditioning, including our school. It is difficult to pay attention in the heat, let alone all in French. Our politics professor gave us a short quiz. It was not too bad, but I am not sure I did very well. It's hard to remember we actually have work to do while we are here in the City of Lights.


After class, Melissa, Kate, and I ventured to the Eiffel Tower. We promised ourselves that we would make the most out of our last two weeks in Paris by seeing as many tourist sights as possible. A 30 minute line and a 6.50 euro ticket later, we were up on the second floor of the Tower, which is about 2/3 way to the top. The sights were absolutely phenomenal, and the summer heat and sunshine made for a clear view. Scaling the elevators (or stairs) up and down is certainly worth the effort and time.


I am really going to have to start focusing the next two weeks on my work. Two presentations are fast approaching next week. Today, my professor outlined the details of the proficiency exam, which is a week from next Monday. I am incredibly nervous, but it is difficult to find the time to prepare for it separate from all the other work. Luckily, it is after our last weekend in Paris when all our other work has concluded. It is certainly be a challenge to focus of the exam and celebrating the end of the program!

BNP-Paribas and l'Assemblée Nationale

First, my apologies to my loyal readers for not posting yesterday. I am sure all 6 of you were missing a special little piece of your day.

Yesterday, we visited the headquarters of BNP-Paribas. It is one of the largest banks in all of France, with over 2200 locations and even more branches in Europe and the rest of the world. We took a tour of some of the offices and saw where hundreds of employees do nothing all day but monitor the various world stock and currency markets. It was quite an operation, like what you would imagine the headquarters of large banks like Chase or Bank of America look like in the United States.


The headquarters is in a historical building in the center of the city near the Louvre and the Opéra. During the French Revolution, the building served as the mayor's office in Paris. During this era, Napoleon Bonaparte was married to his first wife Josephine in this very building. The room is ornate and open to visitors, and below I have uploaded a picture of the original marriage certificate on display in the room.


Last night, some friends and I went out of the streets near the Seine River to see the large festivities. The high school students of Paris finished the Bac (final exit) exams yesterday, and the streets were packed with teenagers celebrating the end of this very stressful time in a French student's life. With the strike of the metro beginning at midnight, it was difficult to get home. After wandering through the streets trying to find the correct stop, I found the Noctilien (night bus) line that lead to my house. It was quite the trek between finding the correction street station, waiting 30 minutes for a bus, and walking 15 minutes from the nearest stop to my apartment. Needless to say, I won't want to do that again, but at least now I am prepared.

Today, with the strike of the metro that I mentioned in my last post, it was a transportation challenge to get the 5.7 kilometers from my house to school. I considered walking, but I realized I was far too exhausted to make it all that way before spending 2.5 hours in class. I found the nearest bus, transfered once, and finally arrived near school after an hour commute in traffic. We started the first class with our second government teacher, who specializes in the European Union. He seems a little more serious and intense than our last professor, and we have two tests and an oral presentation during the final 5 sessions of the class remaining.


After class and lunch, we visited the Assemblée Nationale, which is the French government equivalent of the House of Representatives. This house is much more powerful than the Senate in France, and it is located in a separate building across town called the Palais Bourbon.


We took a tour of the building and learned some interesting things about how the Assemblée works. We also sat in on a session of debate, which is very similar to sitting in the Chamber of the House of Reps. in Washington, DC...except they speak in French. It was great to be able to see part of the heart of the French political system today, and it put what we have been learning into reality. We also got to see the Minister of Finance Christine Lagarde speak on the floor, she's a big deal.

Tonight, I had dinner with just my host mother. It was a delicious steak haché (hamburger) and grilled Mediterranean veggies (tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, and peppers). I can definitely feel my french improving, as I understand all that my host mother says to me and as I am able to converse with her more and more on my own. Since she is gone some nights working for Air France, she told me that I can have a friend or two over for dinner in July when she is home for the duration of my last two weeks.

I'm off to Lisboa tomorrow! We are catching our flight directly from class, so it may be a tight schedule. Not sure if I will bring my computer, but this may be the last post until I return on Sunday evening. It's looking to be a great weekend in Portugal!

Buses and Baguettes

Today, I finally got the chance to sleep in late and catch up on some Z's. Before heading to our 2pm language class, we went to cash in on our free daily lunch at the school cafeteria. Unfortunately, showing up at 1pm was too late to get all the good food. Never making that mistake again. Another interesting insight into French culture: there will be a general strike on Thursday. French workers are big into striking, and they do it often and with purpose. This Thursday, the metro and bus systems will be running at half frequency, and the Musée d'Orsay (where we were scheduled to visit that afternoon) will be closed. C'est la vie.

In class today, we presented our general ideas for our final presentation for the program. Ideas varied from the problem of cigarette smoking in France to the popularity of soccer in France for women to the relations between France and the Congo. My topic will cover the francophone (french-speaking world) and its relationship to France itself. I hope to cover the topics of language and culture (music, food, architecture, etc.) in various places like Quebec, Belgium, and, of course, Louisiana/New Orleans.


After class, today I decided to take the bus home instead of the metro. The metro can get very crowded at rush hour, not to mention the lack of air conditioning and the lack of French people who wear deodorant. The bus ride took about 45 minutes, and I only had to change lines once. The buses are clean, fast, frequent, and, most importantly, included on my metro pass for free. It was nice to see a different side of the city via the streets, and my route took me past several landmarks including the Louvre.


On my way from the bus stop to my apartment, I decided to stop by the bakery around the corner to buy a baguette. It only cost 80 cent[ime]s, and it was such a good mid-afternoon snack. I took my baguette with some nutella, butter, and cheese (separately). Baguettes that are fresh and inexpensive are a natural right for the French, and I will be sure to take part in this tradition while I am living here in Paris.

Many of my friends are going to see Les Miserables tonight, but I decided to stay in to relax and save the 25 euros. I may meet up with them later, but who knows. Tomorrow, the class is off to visit BNP-Paribas, one of the largest banks in all of France. It looks to be an interesting visit, and I will update you on that trip tomorrow after classes!

Jardins et Dîners

No class today! Sort of. Lots of rain today. No Tour Eiffel or roof of Notre Dame.

The weather did not cooperate today, and we had to postpone our trips to the heights of Paris for another day with sun. Instead, we took a walking tour of the Latin Quarter. We saw such famous sights at the hotel where Oscar Wilde died, the former home of Richard Wagner, the composer, and the Jardin du Luxembourg. The Jardin is one of the largest gardens in all of Paris, and it is located adjacent to the Palais du Luxembourg, the home of the French Senat.


After a relaxing day with a little bit of clouds and rain, we prepared ourselves for a grand French feast. The class had a 3 hour lecture of French cuisine and table arts, and we learned about the foods of the different regions of France and the customs at the dinner table. We were then taken to a restaurant that is housed in the school for a 4 hour, 8 course meal. The servers and chefs are students of the culinary division of the Parisian school, and this restaurant is a way for them to learn and practice their service skills. Although I did not like everything I ate, it was quite an experience. Some of the courses included: (1) aperitif (starting drink), (2) amuse bouche (small starter appetizer), (3) crab or escargot appetizer, (4) fish, (5) steak or lamb, (6) 4 types of cheese, (7) desert of mocha or strawberries, (8) coffee and sweets, and last but not least (9) red and white wines during different courses. It was certainly an experience, but we were all very tired by the end of the 4 hour eating extravaganza.


Tomorrow, we have one more language class before we visit the international headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. According to Wikipedia: "The organization is based in Paris, with over 50 field offices and many specialized institutes and centres throughout the world. Most of the field offices are "cluster" offices covering three or more countries; there are also national and regional offices. UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information."

I will be sure to update on our visit to UNESCO tomorrow. Then it's off to Nice and the French Riveria for the weekend with at least 10 other Georgetown students!



PS - If you have anything to add or say, please leave a comment on one (or more) of my posts! I would love to get feedback/know if anyone besides my mother is out there reading my blog.

Rien de nouveau

Although it's hard to say that there's nothing new in Paris, today was a pretty basic day. We had class from 10am-5pm, and it was excruciatingly long. I had a presentation for my language class with two other students, and we did not realize the depth of the assignment. Luckily, we winged the whole thing in front of the class and on the spot, and it turned out as good as possible. Today, we finished the first half of our politics class on French government, and we will be moving on to European politics next week.

I had a wonderful dinner with some friends tonight. They cooked pasta (with Tony Chachere's) with a taste of Louisiana, and it was great to relax with them. Also, they're the only people who don't know French, so they are easily impressed by my poor language skills.

Tomorrow, the class is off to Palais Versailles! It should be an amazing experience, and I will be sure to update with lots of thoughts and pictures tomorrow night! À demain!

Catholicism Everywhere

Even though the French are not a very religious people, the Catholic heritage of Paris is undeniable. Today, we only had a half day of classes, and we decided to be tourists for the afternoon. This first half of the school day did not come without stress, but my presentation on a French newspaper went as well as could be expected.


We visited the Sainte-Chapelle, one of the oldest and most beautiful chapels in all of Paris. It is a perfect example of medieval Catholic architecture, and it is truly a sight to behold. Unfortunately, like many of the other famous sights in Paris, Sainte-Chapelle was in the process of being renovated. The awesomeness of the structure was hurt slightly by the large scaffolding and renovation signs (in progress from 2008-2013!), but I am glad that I got the chance to visit.


Right next to Sainte-Chapelle is La Conciergerie. This structure is part of the larger Palais du Justice complex on the Île de la Cité. This part of the island in the middle of the Seine River was occupied as far back at Roman antiquity, and the Conciergerie has been in place for hundreds of years. This structure once functioned as a large French Revolution prison. There are many recreations of the prison life in the building today. The most famous resident, perhaps, is the infamous Queen Marie Antoinette. She spent the last few months of her life in this prison in Paris before being sentenced to the guillotine; and there is a full scale recreation of her cell, including a wax figure of her.


Finally, we walked through the inside of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The awesomeness and the grand scale of the building is impossible to portray in photos, but I will post one just to try to do it justice. After walking a lap around the medieval cathedral, we tried to climb the 400+ steps to the top to see the view of Paris (and the Gargoyles). However, the line was very long, and we were tired from a long day of class and presentations. We do not have class until 4pm on Thursday, so we are going to try to climb to the top of Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower during that morning.


After a long day, I got to spend some time with my friends in town from Louisiana. It has been great to hang out with people from home, and it has been even better to experience the city of Paris from a more touristy perspective with them. Luckily, they have their own apartment near the Louvre, so I am able to escape the homestay life there for just a few hours. A full day of class tomorrow (2.5 hour classes back-to-back), but no very stressful presentations. Expect another update tomorrow!

It's like I'm a Parisien.

You know something really strange has happened when you sit on the steps of Sacre-Coeur and realize that you're in Paris...and it all feels normal. I've only been here for 10 days, but I've already become used to the idea that I am living in FRANCE for the summer. How amazing is that?

Today started off as another dreary and grey day full of rain, but luckily it got better. It is nearly impossible to stay awake in classrooms that do not have air conditioning, ventilation, or interesting subjects. During our 15 minute break in the middle of my politics class, my Georgetown teacher asked me if I was okay. Luckily, it was only the heat and lack of new material (she taught us the same thing last semester) that was putting me to sleep. Thankfully, the coffee machine at the university only charges 40 centime (euro cents) for a cup of coffee. In our French language class today, our teacher taught us lots of slang and curse words. Although it might not seem like the most appropriate subject for class, it is important to immerse yourself in the local culture and language tradition to understand the people of Paris.

Last night, my host mother made ratatouille. Delicious. Period.


Tonight, some of us headed out to Montmartre to eat dinner, see the tourist sights, and climb to the tippy-top of the Church. Even though I am afraid of heights, it is a view that can simply not be missed. It was only 5 euros to enter the viewing tower at the top, but I wish the 300+ stairs each way up and down were as simple. I can't say it enough, but money goes so fast in Europe. Fortunately, I am able to travel to the Netherlands tomorrow without changing currency from the Euro!

I am headed to Amsterdam tomorrow, and hopefully I will be able to update my anxious readers from there! I can't wait to visit places like the Van Gogh museum and the Heineken headquarters. A special shout out to all my readers who are students in the Paris program as well. Hopefully, I have been telling the truth (without smack talking y'all to much)!