Le Weekend

I'm on a roll!

Friday during the day we took it easy and got some errand-y stuff done. We checked with a french travel agent about Egypt and its a lot more complicated than I ever anticipated! I never realized that the french holidays would make prices go up so much AND I never realized that if we set up our tour with a french travel agent that 1st we'd have to depart from France and 2nd that our tours/business would be handled in French. So I have some more work ahead of me.....But I shouldn't be complaining about planning trips. Sorry. After errands, Jeff and I headed to Au Bataclan for a fusion of french and american culture when we saw an American band, Medeski Martin and Wood play in a french venue. I love that the french are so relaxed (and quiet!). Everyone remains seated for the concerts and quiet through the whole songs and cheers and claps at the end of each. Jeff and I had a nice glass of champagne and watched the baby bubbles sparkle to the top of the glass until the last sip. I wasn't previously that "into" MMW, but seeing them live was great. They were really funky and the french loved them! MMW even did a double encore!

The next day was a gloomy chilly Samdi, but nothing is better than Montmartre to cure your woes. So, we headed to the 18th, (which of course is the arrondissement opposite ours :( , but still only takes 20 minutes to get to via metro). We explored (very briefly, it was cold!) where the artists (picasso, renoir, Lautrec, etc) hung out and played. It's a charming little nook of Paris. We saw the Moulin Rogue and it wasn't that great, I was a little disappointed.

And ate at Cafe du 2 Moulins where Amelie was filmed and where she worked in the film. It felt a little less romantic simply becasue it turned into (an expensive) tourist trap. But it still had its charm with the garden gnome in the back and Amelie posters hidden around the corners of the resturant. We sat down for a traditional french lunch.  I ordered Salad au chevre chaud (which means a salad with large croutons with melted goat cheese on top!) which was great then I had the famous Amelie's creme brulee, (if you remember in the film one of the things she loved to do was to crack the creme brulee) which I'm starting to think is my favorite desert,  avec un cafe creme which was the BEST creme brulee I've ever had in my entire life. All of our meal was served on a placemat of Amelie images (which after a lot of delicate work, managed to take home as a souvenir!). The resturant itself was a little disenchanting because of the (loud!) Americans everywhere, hectic servers (one even dropped a large plate of food and broke the dishes on the floor!), and hectic atmosphere (at one point 3 servers were running around trying to catch a pigeon that had wandered inside!) but it was still a lovely lunch nonetheless. Jeff and I even sat where Joesph sits in the film. It was great.

outside the cafe

table mat/cloth thing.

  Then Jeff and I wanted to do more touristy things and decided to take Le Petit Train on a tour through Montemarte that went suprisingly fast, had cute french music, and a little automated tour guide (that was always just a second too slow showing us the main sights!) but it all added to its charm. It took us through Montemarte where we saw the artist hangouts, and drove us up the steep climb (which Jeff and I plan to do on a sunnier day) to the Sacre Coeur.

Le Petit Train

where artists hung out

the hike

The Sacre Coeur is another one of Paris's famous churches, which I'm beggining to think are a bit overrated and am very sick of seeing. I also am annoyed that to climb EVERYTHING in Paris you have to pay....even these stupid churches. BUT, I guess this church is famous because it has the largest bell in the world! It weighs 27 tons and when rung can be heard 25 miles away!! BUT is only rung once a year...Easter. The top of Montemartre (means on a hill basically) does have the best views of Paris. I can't wait to go back to Montemarte to fully explore every nook and street.

the view from the hill

Today we went to Versailles again. Luckily we went on our own before because we didn't even get there until 2 because of train mishaps and a late meeting time. So the lines for the palace were super long but Jeff and I were able to skip it and just spend the day in the garden. Unfortunately the weather was horrible. It was about 50 degrees maybe? (most likely warmer but I'm a baby..although it is 45 out right now!) and rainy. But I kind of like the rain, it's sort of nice. I like listening to the sound it makes when it touches different surfaces. But today we had tickets for the fountain show...which turns out isn't a show but you have to pay to see the fountains go on with music for an hour and a half, but was awesome. The fountains are breath taking. I love Versailles, its great wandering around the gardens for hours. Afterwards Jeff and I headed home and relaxed for the evening.

the orange groves

deer stole hahaha.

Gay Paree

Here are some photos on top of the Galleries Lafayette!

                              

Well 2.  But I like them and didn't know where to put them!


Because the Tour Eiffel never gets old...

Pink eye, Prost, and Pretzels.

So, Jeff and I left for the weekend to go to the opening of Munchen's 200th Oktoberfest. We caught the train (which is nicer than flying, but stressful too....Paris doesn't say which platform which train will arrive at until 20 minutes before the train is ready to leave! So everyone huddles around those screens waiting for the platform!) But we survived the 6 hour train ride, and travel by train is really quite an easy way to travel.
We got there a day early so that we could explore Munich a bit and luckily we did! We stayed at Wombats hostel for the first two nights there. It smelled of pee, puke, and beer despite the great ratings. But its all in the spirit of Oktoberfest...I guess. So Jeff and I started our trip by going on a tip based 3 hour walking tour through Munich (Munchen). I learned so much about the history of Germany and the Bavarians. Yes, Munich is where all the Germany stereotypes exist. The lederhosen, beer, and pretzels are taken VERY seriously! Go to Berlin and ask about their lederhosen, and you'll get yelled at! But the tour consisted of beer, potato salad, a pretzel, and of course gummy bears....I guess the Germans created those little guys. Of course we saw the Glockenspiel Tower.

We also learned that Munich was heavily destroyed practically during WWII, so the entire city (except for 4 buildings) had to be rebuilt. So the city of Munich is really around 60 years old is all. Everything looks old because they took the time to rebuild it to look like it did. I was a little disappointed to hear that....I thought it was original. But after the tour Jeff and I made our way to one of Europe's largest city parks (if it's not the largest...) where they have a river equipped with surfers! Quite the sight especially in the middle of a city! 

                                       

Then later that night we met up with the tour guide and some tourees (?) for a beer at the beer hall. After we met up with some people at the hostel and shared stories of our different cultures. During that day I met people from Australia, Norway, Finland, Germany, England, the states, Brazil, it was crazy. It was amazing to see how cultures perceive each other. 

The next morning I woke up and one eye wouldn't open....PINK EYE. Worst timing ever! But the eye wasn't that pink after awhile and I felt pretty good (except I had lost my voice completely). So we got ready to check out of the hostel....thankfully we were staying in a hotel the next night because we had a 6 person room hostel and sleep was very interrupted. So, we go to check out and the hostel lost my ID that I had to give them to check in with! Luckily I gave them my school ID instead of my driver's license or something. So we decided to get their 3 euro buffet breakfast while they scrambled to look for my ID. We get to the breakfast (after paying) and it was pb&j or corn flakes with warm whole milk or meat slices. We were a little miffed. But after my 3 euro bowl of corn flakes, my ID was still gone for good. They did give me 10 euros for the replacement which was nice since Oktoberfest is quite expensive. 

So we headed out to find the tent we wanted! We went to the tent where the opening ceremony happens. All the tents opened at 10am but no beer until the mayor taps the first keg at noon! So we got our seats in the hall (luckily!) along with two italians and a group of older germans. The Italians did not speak german or english and the Germans did not speak english, french, or italian....and us being americans obviously only spoke english. So communicating was funny. Before the festivities it was fairly calm and quiet. We ordered a coke (that came in a stein haha) and a vegetarian strudel, and of course a GIGANTIC pretzel. 

                                      

Then after a couple of hours (where we started to wonder why we came all the way to Germany for Oktoberfest) we heard the bells. And the group marched in their traditional outfits and lederhosen to tap the keg! After the keg was tapped the Polka music began, the beer was delivered (I still don't know how, those women are strong! I had a hard time lifting my one stein! and they held 8 at a time!!!). As the day grew the crowd got nosier, there were tons of Prosts, and lots of German drinking songs....which I still have stuck in my head. 

                                   

                                  

                                   

                                  

Sadly, pink eye and prost do not mix well, so I grew very tired and we headed out around 4 to check into our hotel where I slept until the next morning. We didn't plan for pink eye so our overnight train was at 3am and our hotel check out was at noon. So we had to kill lots of time. We made our way back to the festival grounds where Jeff bought a famed Oktoberfest cookie (which we still don't know the significance of), we bought shirts, and just wandered around watching all the drunks and lederhosen pass by. After awhile we wanted a little break from the Oktoberfest crazies! So we went to Resident Evil 3D at the movie theater and it was all dubbed in German which was quite the experience! In Munich you pay more to sit up close and have assigned seats (which we realized after we left). Before leaving Munich we tried one of McDonalds Veggie burgers which were not great, but better than nothing. We relaxed in the park again and just took it easy through the festival grounds and Munich. Finally the night rolled in and we headed to the train station where I was a zombie and where we discussed never taking a 3 am train again ha. And it finally pulled in and we rode it all the way back to Paris just in time for Jeff to go to class. 

                                     

With help from CEA I found a pharmacy to go to and got a new ID printed! The pharmacists were so friendly and helpful! They spoke english and they can prescribe here! I got medicine which only ended up being 11 euros without a prescription! Then I wanted a change of food since a sandwich didn't sound that great, so we decided on chinese....AND OF COURSE...because I'm miss unlucky. We got home and enjoyed it until I looked at the broccoli I was about to bite into and saw a piece of rice. LUCKILY! I picked it out because it was a dead baby maggot (I think). So needless to say, I'm never eating chinese food again, and I always check every bite I eat now....ugh. I can't wait to get back out in the city, I have cabin fever! But there is another strike tomorrow and a huge demonstration AND a terrorist threat, so I assume travel might be a little edgy and a little crazy, so maybe I picked a good week to be sick? We'll have to see..... 

Sorry I'm a noob.

So I'm sorry that my blog looks crazy....I'm still learning all the formatting etc. So sorry its all disorganized/overflowing like.

One month in Paris.

I don't keep this updated, as I should. I'm still trying to find the best way to share my trip. I came down with pinkeye this weekend so I have some time to update my blog. Instead of going through a whirlwind of weeks I'll keep it quick and do just the highlights (probably in a whirlwind anyway)...

I did go to Eurodisney which was just like the disneyland in America except Mickey speaks french, you can smoke while waiting in line, and you can have beer with your mickey-eared sandwich. It was a nice break from the city.

                                           

The day after Eurodisney we went with our program to Normandy specifically Deauville and Trouville for the American Film Festival. Where we saw celebrities, ate crepes and cider (Normandy's specialties), and relaxed on the beach. Deauville was lovely. Its a "posh" little town where the celebrities flock for vacations, but its also a small fishing coast, adding to its character. The seagulls cawed, the polo fields were lush and green, and cobble stoned streets always romantic. 

                                      

                                       

Paris is the place for museums. I feel so guilty for having visited so few. But we've visited the archaeological crypt which is a melting pot of time periods and cutlure. Paris is a city that builds on top of itself over and over. The crypt has that aspect conserved. Its quite amazing really, there were original roman baths sitting next to a medieval hospital which was around the corner from an old port (for a river that no longer exists!). What's even more amazing is that the entire crypt/museum sits beneath the ground underneath the Notre Dame! There's so much history in one square of land here. 

                                      

                                      

We also visited to Cluny museum which is a medieval home that contains the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, lots of stained glass, lots of religion, and a lot of medieval relics. Jeff and I went to tour the Roman baths (you can actually go in them!). But, being Miss Unlucky, they were closed for renovation for the weekend. But I can always visit again! I also took a trip with my fashion class to the Musee Cognacq Jay which was a mansion where the couple collected paintings, furniture, etc from the 18,000s mainly. I finally made it to the Louvre, but (I'm terrible!) just for a couple of hours to get my homework assignment done. So, we have yet to see all the famous artwork. But the two hours there did show me that the Louvre is HUGE and will take many hours (if not days!) to see everything.

Jeff and I made our own trip to Versailles and it was absolutely amazing. Its such a strange feeling to have walked where the kings of France had walked before you. I always hope there's a tiny bit of the kings and queens somewhere in there.

                                        

What I was most shocked about through the trip was the horrific art displays through the palace. I guess Versailles let (or got paid a lot of cash???) this asian artist take over the INSIDE of the palace to display anime "art." I mean I am not one to be the judge of good/bad/what is/what isn't art, but I was just very disappointed that there was this addition to the palace that was so alien and obstructing to what the palace is. I suppose all these monuments are just cash-makers, but I still would have liked to see the hall of mirrors without the plastic smiley faced flower at the end.....

Europe holds so much history, America seems so ignorant and young. The gardens were amazing as well. It was so great walking through the mazes to end up in a little room with a lovely fountain.

                                      

We also saw Marie Antoinette's home, and a couple more chateaus. 

                                                 

We need to go back to continue our explorations! I love how Paris (sometimes) holds true to its romantic stereotypes, like the Chat Noir. There are so many cats roaming the streets, I love it. I met a few chateau kittens that I seriously wanted to stick in my purse and steal. I contemplated it for a long time....seriously. This one at lunch was sunbathing on a bench and it was so friendly it was nuzzling my neck and crawled into my lap and purred itself to sleep. I wonder if cats roamed the property back in the 1800's....

I also learned that Versailles was not quite the place that it is today. I guess when King Louis XIV died, the place sort of went downhill. It was a very dirty place. I guess there was a rat infestation and they didn't have toilets so they went in the grand halls! (amazing to me that they can create a huge palace like this, with fountains, but not create a bathroom?) They had a different mentality. They believed that the dirtier you were that the safer you would be because nothing could get through the dirt and into your body. Also we heard this story of a woman (I've forgotten her name) who later visited Versailles after it was re-done and she said it didn't feel like the Versailles she knew, until she walked into a room that was affected by a sewage pipe that had burst, then she said "yes, this is now the Versailles I know." It was interesting trying to image what it was really like when the Kings and Queens roamed the grounds. 

Later that night we went to a show/play/pyrotechnic/firework/fountain display on the Fountains of Neptune called The Royal Wedding of Louis XIV.  I can't even begin to describe how incredible it was. There were so many fireworks that by the end of the show everyone was coughing. But they used the fountains and water from the fountains as a screen to project holograms/video onto along with fire and fireworks to help the show. I've never seen anything quite like it. 

We went on an excursion in my wine class to Lavinia, the largest wine cellar in Europe. They had bottles of wine that cost from 8 euros all the way to 19,000 euros per bottle. It was quite overwhelming, but a great store...if you like wine...which I am starting to more and more! 

Then later that week we went on an excursion to the Chateau de Vincennes, which is a medieval fortification in France. They had a drawbridge and a moat! ha. Jeff and I were excited because it reminded us of WoW haha.

Then that afternoon we headed out for Munich Oktobefest.....