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.....
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