The Beginning of the End

7/2/09 1:35AM CEST

Two days left. Wow.

Today we had class. Our quiz was postponed which made me happy because now I can study more, but now I'm also sad because I want it to be over with.

We had a picnic today at the Champs de Mars. It was fantabulous. I was going to cook, but instead I decided to get McDonalds. I didn't tell anyone this.

I did, however, buy lime sorbet to make Pimm's Lemonade, since there is nary an icecube in the entire country of France. Seriously. I checked. And I did not find any. So I put it in my bookbag, but it melted, and apparently was not wrapped or anything like that so now my bag is sticky. And I don't have napkins.

Although I do have a handtowel, so I'mma try that...

The picnic was great. People brought cheese, chicken, bread, and I didn't eat because I spent the first hour trying to make my Pimm's lemonade, which is difficult if you don't have any of the necessary tools. I tried to shovel melted sorbet into a bottle. That was way ineffective.

Anyway, then all had to pee. So we tried to find a bathroom. That was major strugglebus. But we found one in a restaurant. There are few moments in my life that I would say were happier than that.

So everyone else went out but I decided to go home instead and try to study and work on my exam.

Yeah... about that....

Procrassssssstttiinnatttion and ADH-

7/1/09 12:19PM CEST

Oh man. I'm leaving Paris in three days. I have a quiz tomorrow for which I do not want to study. Therefore, I am updating my blog. To let you know that I do not want to study. It's going to be so hard.... CRAPPPPPPP

Shopping Binges & British Drinks

6/24/09 12:17 PM CEST

Yesterday marked the first day of the summer sale in Paris. Apparently, here, they are not allowed to have sales during the year, but instead have two huge sales. They tricked me into buying so many things, but they were all absolutely things I could not live without. My favorite item is my new watch- Armani, and only 179 Euro!!

So... yeah, after visiting London, I've found that I've been completely head over heels for Pimm's Lemonade, the perfect Summer Drink...

Which meant that with the dinner when I cooked for the first time in months last night, we had Pimm's Lemonade. Yummy... Gin makes me feel weird...

I See London, I See France

6/20/09, 9:07 PM BST

Okay. So. Sorry it has been forever. This post is going to take about three and a half years to write. I will try to include everything important that has happened since the last post... and try to keep pictures to a happy minimum. Chronologically: it goes:

Dinner, Melac, 6/9/09- Our professor took us out to dinner, on Yale's tab, to a restaurant called Melac in France. It was delicious- I got Veal with truffles and Potatoes... yummmmyyy

Ladurée, 6/11/09- Nina's suitemate Vicky came into Paris, and we went out to have brunch at Ladurée, under José's reccomendation. We had an extravagant meal, topped off with this creme de violette puff pastry. It was PHENOMENAL.

Boucherie Rouliere, 6/11/09- Went out to dinner... it was, once again, phenomenal. I had the most pretentious meal one could imagine, including Escargot (my first time, it was good, but, weird?), Foie Gras, and Beef Tartare.

CANNES, FRANCE!, 6/13/09-6/15/09- Took a flight to the south of France, where we lounged in the 28˚C weather... attached please find my outrageous tanlines.

Wine Tasting, 6/16/09-  Our professor hosted a wine/cheese tasting- a champagne, a white wine, four reds, and smelly smelly delicious cheese. Marvelous.

London, 6/19/09-6/22/09- Started with Pimms Lemonade at a Pub with lunch (Cambridge, by Leicester Sq., highly recommended). Then, tried to find the stupid Courtauld Gallery, which ahem, someone, told me to go see, but turns out nobody has ever heard of such a place... Ended up at National Portrait Gallery, where I rediscovered that English history is actually interesting as well. Went to the wrong theater, almost missed Wicked. Which would have sucked. I broke down in tears a few times, including "Dancing Through Life" when I realized my life dreams, and at the end of "Defying Gravity," but who can hold it together after that? The cast was INCREDIBLE. Besides for the British accents, of course. Went around and saw more things, etc. Still have tonight and tomorrow to go...

Chat soon.

Insomniac's Dilemma

6/6/09 6:47AM CEST

So... yeah... it's 6:47 AM... I woke up at 5 AM yesterday, went traipsing around France, and collapsed at around 12. And then. Woke up at 6 again. Here is my dilemma- what I've termed the insomniac's dilemma- is it worth wasting the time trying to fall asleep again, or is it better to just get up and begin one's day?

Well, I decided to update my blog.

So anyway, yesterday, we started the day at like 8:15- or for me- 8:25 since I fail at life. We had about an hour and a half class before taking the bus to Chateau de Chantilly- it's essentially an estate that belonged to a noble family- the majority of which was constructed during the 17th century. It was an hour long bus trip or so.

It was gorgeous- it has the second biggest art museum in France outside of the Louvre, and we saw a lot of the figures we had talked about in class- including Cardinals Mazarin and Richelieu- successive henchmen of Louis XIV (who, despite being from different countries, looked kinda like twins). The art museum had a few original Raphaels, and an original miniature of Rigaud's Portrait of  Louis. This painting is ubiquitous, especially with regard to French history. It was unbelievable to be able to see a smaller version up front. Looking forward to Rigaud's final draft at the Louvre. P.S. He was obsessed with his legs, as is evident in the painting (He was a dancer- apparently one of the best dancers of his time!

We then took a tour of the palace. It was magnificent, and had a lot of very cool things, including doors that were gold-plated, and furniture custom made for Marie Antoinette per Louis XVI's orders.

We saw the stables. They were better and more elegant than my room. Then, we watched a horse show. It was actually kind of like- what are you guys doing to these horses? Given, the horses were talented- they had been taught to bow, and other pretentious things. They were very pretty- and I miss riding like none other- but I felt that it was rather unnecessary.

Blah, blah, blah... fast forward to our dinner. It. was. AMAZING. Five courses. Three different types of alcohol- kir royale as an apértif (a delicious champagne with creme de cassis (black-currant liquor), a lovely Chardonnay, and a Bordeaux, which was a little rougher. It was absolutely phenomenal. Also, apparently whipped cream- or creme chantilly, in French- was invented at the Chateau Chantilly where we were. We got a live demonstration of how it is made, and then had some homemade whipped cream to top off our fabulous dessert. Fast forward to a table of students and our professor, five glasses or so later, stumbling towards a bus that showed up late. We got home and I passed out.

Catch-up Sesh

6/4/09 10:51 PM CEST

It's been quite a while- sorry for the lack of update... My desire to blog has been turned off by the failure of internet around here....

The campus is gorgeous. It's really great. There's even a dining hall where I can spend 2.85 Euro on a meal- which, believe me- is very very cheap- it's only about $4 for a decent meal. There's also a bar, a swimming pool, etc. All in my building!

Anyway... I moved into my dorm on Monday- it took me about 3 hours to find someone to give my papers and keys, but it eventually happened. I was really let down at first because it looked old and gross but it's definitely home by this point. It's also less shabby now that i've unpacked.

I've been hanging out with Nina, Esther, McKay, and Ben. They're awesome.

Tuesday was the first day of class. It was pretty fun- it's at a little school in the 7th Arrondissement, where the staff is excellent. Our professor is also much cooler than one would have anticipated given his attitude towards the rules when I was first applying. 

Class/reading has been interesting. I absolutely adore French history - and even though I'm quite sick of Louis XIV and his massive ego at this point, everything has been very fascinating and I'm learning so much- a fact magnified by being here in the city, able to witness firsthand the history which is ubiquitous- in many aspects of the city.

We also, with our class, got a packet of goodies- a French student discount cards for museums and other things, a one month pass to the Louvre, a metro card - which I loaded up with unlimited access to the metro this month. 

After class, we had an epic shopping spree- I bought a prepaid cell (+33 06 30 23 51 01) if anyone in the States (or elsewhere for that matter) wants to call. I also got mini towels since I forgot mine at home and since the real sized ones were 25 Euro. They're hot pink and beige- awesome. I also got new headphones since I lost the ones I took from José like the second day I got here- sadness pie.

Wednesday, Esther and I were walking through the hall when we saw a video of a bunch of dignitaries waltzing at some event- I commented and Esther said she loved to waltz. We proceeded to dance a bit outside, where a man soon approached us and complimented our ability. We spent about half an hour talking to him, where we found out that he, an 82 year-old French man, had been the Champion (1st Place!) of Rock-n-Roll dance in Paris. I believe that's some kind of swing, or jive. Either way, he said a few beautiful things, about how when one dances, the music should be one's primary partner, and also about how he hates his wife, who doesn't like dancing, and he doesn't understand why. He said he wouldn't have married her if he had known. I respect his decision. That led me to find a dance studio around here, where Esther and I went in and had a wonderful wonderful hip-hop lesson. I think I'll be buying a 12-class package so I can take Contemporary, Modern/Jazz, and Hip-Hop classes for the rest of my time here. YAY!

I think it was that night that we went to the Eiffel Tower- it was magnificent. It's actually kind of ugly in daylight. It's quite wiry (as in, it appears to be composed of many wires) and isn't as study-looking as one would imagine. However, at night- it was brilliant. Every hour, for five minutes, it would light up and sparkle. It was gorgeous.

Today, we went to the Louvre. We decided that since it was so large, we should split it up in sections and attempt to tackle it all by the time we got home. However, it was so overwhelming. Here are some of the things I got to see today, which I found to be especially important or personally found touching. The Mona Lisa was small. Very small.

The Venus de Milo was very cool. It was beautiful. Apparently, even though it's called VENUS they don't really know if it is Venus because they could never find the arms. I honestly don't know why it is as renowned as it is, but it was still very cool being able to see it.

There was also this painting called La Jeune Martyre, by Delaroche. It's sad, but also, inspiring- in the sense that she represents, to me, someone who stood up for what she believes. She seems peaceful, in spite of everything else. It is an extremely moving painting and is even more awe-inspiring (in size, and otherwise) in person. 

Side note, most of the people with me agreed that they did not think the halo belonged there. I personally thought that it added so much to the painting, and that it is definitely an integral part of the painting- otherwise, it's just some girl who doesn't know how to swim, and apparently tied herself up? What do you think about the halo? Leave a comment.

This painting by Titian, Man With a Glove, was one of my favorites, if not my favorite. It was so thought-provoking. Done in the early 16th century, it was a precedent setter for having a portrait show below the shoulders, and also for highlighting the subject's personality rather than his social status. He does this by the juxtaposition of the relative darkness of the painting to the subject's skin- highlighting his personal features. I think I relate to the man with the glove- in personality, that is- this is independent of the fact that I lost one of my favorite leather/cashmere gloves freshmen year and only had one left, which I had to throw away. 

I also loved this one. It's called Atala Portée au Tombeau. Another sad one, but the emotion that this man feels for Atala is very moving. I guess I'm a little emo, but I tend to be moved by the emotional paintings.

There were some other interesting paintings, including the Coronation of Napoleon (David), but I'm trying to not quickly turn this into an art history lecture. There's just far too much to say about the last one... read up. It's extremely interesting.

I plain passed out after the Louvre. It was overwhelming. One could spend a lifetime studying there.

I rounded out the evening with a call from José, who yelled at me for not having gone to La Durée. I'll be there soon, calm down. Geesh.

Well I think that took long enough. I have to read Moliere's the Learned Ladies by 8:30AM tomorrow. We're going to some chateau, and I'm either gonna be really excited or really...you know... asleep.

I'll be on again soon, promise. As my iPod is singing to me: "And I miss you (like the deserts miss the rain)."

More Cheese & Jet Lag

5/31/09 8:41 PM CEST

So, I went back to sleep after my last post. Because I was tired, and it was 7AM France time and 1AM in New Haven.... so that's excusable.

I wake up to a phone call from NINA, who got in today- it was so exciting! We caught up etc., and went to eat immediately (well, after I put on clothes and brushed my teeth and made sure I didn't still generally look like crap).

We went to this place next door, where I got Francfort Frites (basically french fries with nothing to eat them with) for 8.90 Euro (which means i basically paid $13 for french fries) and a cheese board. One thing that irks me is that water is not free here, so I've been altogether parched.

I went back to my room and slept some more, and was awakened to some knocking, and a woman entering...

I sit up, wearing only boxer-briefs. She speaks French. I make it obvious I have no idea what she is talking about.

"You wanting the clean?" 

"No, no, I'm okay."

"Towels?"

"Yes, please."

So she puts new towels in and walks out- but I'm still shocked that someone barged into my room when I could have easily been naked due to the heat.

Whatever.

Nina and I meet up and go exploring to find dinner, where she keeps yelling at me that certain places are crap and touristy and greasy and too expensive. BUT I did find a Subway (SCORE!). Keeping a mental note about that.

We settle on a creperie. I ordered the Complete which had eggs, cheese, and ham (ouef, fromage, jambon) and a citron frait- which I assumed and was told by Nina was citrus, but realized later was actually just lemon. It was good anyway. Altogether, I paid 20 Euro and headed out, where I am now typing.

 I'm putting my chair on the balcony so I can finish reading (or at least pretend to finish reading) my books for class on Tuesday.

JE SUIS ARRIVÉ!!!

5/31/09 5:52 AM CEST

That. was. epic. fail.

Getting to Paris was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever done. Ever.

I left New Haven at 12:57, per everyone's advice (and by everyone, I mean José) that I needed a lot of buffer time. Even though I was late for the taxi, I arrived to the train station with plenty of time and got into NYC, and ultimately, JFK with no problem. I got onto the plane, which had a 6:10 PM departure time on Friday (5/29), where I fell asleep right away, and woke up an hour later realizing we had not taken off yet. It was awful.. the captain said something about the weather somewhere... I dunno, it was kinda bullshit.

So I got into Brussels in an hour late.

Which meant that I had about 40 minutes to find my new terminal, and get through security, and get onto my new plane.

Well, as I was soon about to discover....

That was not happening.

Brussels airport is shaped like a horseshoe. My first flight was at one end, and unfortunately, my second flight was at the other. And that was not even the worst part.

SECURITY.

AWFUL.

AWFUL.

AWFUL.

There was no discernible lines. Just a mass of over a thousand people, trying to squeeze through 5 security checkpoints. As the clock ticked from 8:30AM slowly to 9:10 (my boarding time), 9:40 (my departure time), to, finally, 10:40 (my scheduled arrival time), I was shoved, pushed, corralled, and herded, trying to get through security. And as I finally reached the bins...

"C'est fermé.. Eet ees CLOSED."

Yeah. she closed it. The middle checkpoint, where about three hundred people were fighting to get a place, was being closed.

Needless to say, people were PISSED.

So we tried to merge into sidelines, to angry yelling, especially this old man who was like, "No, nononononono. You have to wait in like like everyone else. That is not my problem."

I was gonna punch him in the face.

We finally get through security, but only after I inadvertently become the bin distributor for like ten minutes as people cut me in line AND THEN asked me to hand them bins too. I was trying so hard not be that rude American... and I was SO nice.

I finally go through security, over an hour and a half after my plane left.

Then, being redirected twice, I stand in line at the Brussels Airlines ticketing counter to try to find a new flight. I end up meeting this woman, from Dallas, who missed her flight to Switzerland, also because of security. We talked as we waited over an hour for two guys to deal with about ten people. She was listening to Janet, so we bonded over that- she was way cool- this black woman who played keys for a Christian band that was currently touring Europe.

Well, she gets a call that says that her brother managed to get tickets for all of them, so she wished me the best as she leaves the line. As I am about to get to the counter, a guy from the other line (for Swiss Air) cuts right in front of me... The ticketing agent gladly helps him, as he says, "You are my last one today- I am going on lunch..."

I was about to cry.

I switched over to the other guy, who finally tells me that he can't help me since my ticket was issued by Jet Airways.

I run to find them, which entails finding my suitcase from baggage claim, leaving the airport, and coming back in.

They (these two Indian woman) question why I showed up to the counter about four hours (it was about 12:30 at this point) after my flight had arrived. I frantically explain that I have not sat down since I landed. "Do you want water?" she asks. I think she saw that I was about to burst into tears. They decide to make an exception and offer me a train ticket at 4PM to CDG in Paris. I take it. They explain that I should take a train for about 3 Euro to the other train station.

I run for it.

And do make the train. Although I miss my stop. And am redirected to take another train back to the correct station.

Where, I finally get a bite to eat at a restaurant named Quic (supreme burger meal (w/ fries, but no sauce since that is .50 Euro extra). I end up just opening my burger and dipping my fries in it, since they were BLANNNDDDD....

Anyway, I got on the train, where I am pleasantly surprised by being in first class. The last thing I remember is being offered a bottle of water, which I take since I am thirsty. I pass out, and wake up as we pull into the station. I get a call from the States, where I am told that I should take one of two trains- a 20 minute ride or a 45 minute ride. I end up on the 45 minute one, obviously.

Well. I made it back to my hotel (the Hotel Parc du Montsouris). At about 7:30 PM, a full 9 hours after I had expected.

I also salvage a dinner from next door (where I had white wine, spaghetti cooked in apparently nothing since I misunderstood the menu, bread, cheese, and creme bruleé). It was superb. I went upstairs, and fell asleep.

Which leads us to now.

Moral of the story? NEVER, under any circumstances, travel through Brussels.