First off:
Congratulations Paris. I'm throwing in the towel. I've tried to hang on to Thanksgiving spirit, but due to the non-celebration of this holiday, plus all the Christmas decorations that are up, I'm officially excited for Christmas.
I thought I could hold off until after Thursday, but alas, Christmas always arrives early in cities.
Secondly, a shout out to the woman on the Metro who proved that you can wear black, brown & gray AND look awesome. Rock on Metro woman.
Yesterday was probably one of the best I've had in Paris so far. And it was a Monday, usually my least favorite day of the week, because it makes Friday seem so far away.
We finally went to the Orangerie museum, where we saw Monet's water lilies.
I was breathless, because it was not one but 2 rooms of these giant paintings of his pond at Giverny. Just impressive, and moving too. He donated these paintings to the nation, and these were done when his eye sight was going and many thought he was crazy. Well, I think these paintings are the most elegant "Fuck you" to anyone I've ever seen. Go Monet.
After phonetics class (which is always fun, I think our teacher gets a kick out of Americans), I met up with some of the girls for dinner. I met them at the ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde. That night, the Champs-Elysees was all it up for Christmas, and shall be throughout the holiday season.
We walked along the Champs to dinner, and it was so wonderful! The lights, the Christmas market booths set up, as cheesy as it sounds, it was magical. Hot wine, churros, little gifts, what more could you ask for? We ate a delicious dinner at Bistro Romain, which is a wonderful chain of restaurants in France. My LORD is was so good, and with our vouchers, free!
On the way back we decided to pretend we were 5 years old and slide down those long giant slides you see at carnivals. They had one set up along the Champs and we couldn't resist. We took pics of each other; it was like we were parents and children both times. We got a crowd going, who seemed to love watching us have fun. And they totally knew we were Americans.
Oh well.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Here we go
For the record: I'm sitting here watching Wizard People and sort of working on my paper.
Who doesn't want to spend their Saturday night like this?
Alright, so this week was fairly quiet. Monday, after coming back from Florence, felt like "Welcome back to Paris, the city that never stops and you better be ready!" It really was quite a shock going back from the slow-paced living of Tuscany to the pace of Paris. But after Monday things got better.
Thursday night me and some of the AIFS peeps went to a Chopin concert at the church of St. Julien de Pauvre. One of the oldest churches in Paris, it claims to be the oldest, but St. Germain des Pres challenges that. I vote for St. Germain since I presented on it.
But the concert was wonderful. The church is tiny, and as the pianist entered the lights dimmed, and except for two spotlights, we were surrounded by the glow of candles. The music was wonderful, quite a few times I was touched. Her final piece of the night was some Mozart, but she made it jazzy which was fun to hear.
Friday Mandi, Kirstie, our new acquaintance Ashley and I went to The Moose, this awesome Canadian bar close to school. When I saw the sign for it (in English), I was so excited! My meal of the night? A mojito and mozzarella sticks. It's been FOREVER since I've had mozzarella sticks, it was quite nostalgic. Plus, they were showing recaps of football games, as in American football. I didn't want to leave!
Today I actually felt like a student. Why? Well, I have a paper due in a few weeks for my architecture class...which is in French. So Kirstie, Mandi and I met to work on them. Thank God we got things started. We took a lunch break in between at a very classy establishment.
McDonald's. Now don't judge, this was the one on the Champs-Elysees. It was the nicest McDonald's I've ever been to. And all the people who eat there are thin. No joke.
Tomorrow is more work, and then it's back to fun this upcoming week. Orangerie on Monday, potential Christmas market on Tuesday, HP hopefully Wednesday, Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, and hopefully more fun on Friday. Woo!
Who doesn't want to spend their Saturday night like this?
Alright, so this week was fairly quiet. Monday, after coming back from Florence, felt like "Welcome back to Paris, the city that never stops and you better be ready!" It really was quite a shock going back from the slow-paced living of Tuscany to the pace of Paris. But after Monday things got better.
Thursday night me and some of the AIFS peeps went to a Chopin concert at the church of St. Julien de Pauvre. One of the oldest churches in Paris, it claims to be the oldest, but St. Germain des Pres challenges that. I vote for St. Germain since I presented on it.
But the concert was wonderful. The church is tiny, and as the pianist entered the lights dimmed, and except for two spotlights, we were surrounded by the glow of candles. The music was wonderful, quite a few times I was touched. Her final piece of the night was some Mozart, but she made it jazzy which was fun to hear.
Friday Mandi, Kirstie, our new acquaintance Ashley and I went to The Moose, this awesome Canadian bar close to school. When I saw the sign for it (in English), I was so excited! My meal of the night? A mojito and mozzarella sticks. It's been FOREVER since I've had mozzarella sticks, it was quite nostalgic. Plus, they were showing recaps of football games, as in American football. I didn't want to leave!
Today I actually felt like a student. Why? Well, I have a paper due in a few weeks for my architecture class...which is in French. So Kirstie, Mandi and I met to work on them. Thank God we got things started. We took a lunch break in between at a very classy establishment.
McDonald's. Now don't judge, this was the one on the Champs-Elysees. It was the nicest McDonald's I've ever been to. And all the people who eat there are thin. No joke.
Tomorrow is more work, and then it's back to fun this upcoming week. Orangerie on Monday, potential Christmas market on Tuesday, HP hopefully Wednesday, Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, and hopefully more fun on Friday. Woo!
Dites-moi ce n'est pas vrai!
Salut tout le monde,
Aujourd'hui est le 20 novembre. Je rentrerai au 18 decembre.
Mon Dieu! J'ai beaucoup de chose que je dois fair! Not even cultural things related, I need to get going on my paper for Parisian architecture.
A more substantial entry will be up soon, probably tomorrow. I'm super excited for this week, but I'll you why later!
Aujourd'hui est le 20 novembre. Je rentrerai au 18 decembre.
Mon Dieu! J'ai beaucoup de chose que je dois fair! Not even cultural things related, I need to get going on my paper for Parisian architecture.
A more substantial entry will be up soon, probably tomorrow. I'm super excited for this week, but I'll you why later!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Photos from Florence!!
Just kidding, copy and paste the link. Then enjoy.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=565471&id=756660499&l=d424058299
Pisa & Wrap-Up
Sunday
Sunday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed to go to Pisa, where we would fly out that afternoon. I was so sad leaving our wonderful Florentine home with views of the city. I really didn't want to leave.
Pisa we saw the Leaning Tower, which was neat, but... I guess I was expecting it to be taller. And after a few shots, I just felt, "It's a leaning tower of white marble. Amazing?" Besides that, Pisa seemed a bit tough. But in any case, we had a delicious lunch, and then made our way to the airport.
Our flight back was much quieter, seeing as this time we were flying with more French people and little Italians. We got in on time, and I was home before 9 that night.
Final Thoughts
It still hasn't hit me that a week ago today we were gathering at the RyanAir bus station to take us to the airport. This trip was one of the most relaxed and happy days I've had here. To say that I enjoyed Florence is doing the city a disservice. I LOVED Florence, and I want to go back so badly. I missed on a few sights, but I'd go back to see the same sights again and again.
I'm so thankful I was able to see so much, and so grateful to Jenny's family for opening up their home to us. Florence came and went so quickly, just like a dream.
But don't you worry Florence, I shall return. Grazie mille.
Sunday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed to go to Pisa, where we would fly out that afternoon. I was so sad leaving our wonderful Florentine home with views of the city. I really didn't want to leave.
Pisa we saw the Leaning Tower, which was neat, but... I guess I was expecting it to be taller. And after a few shots, I just felt, "It's a leaning tower of white marble. Amazing?" Besides that, Pisa seemed a bit tough. But in any case, we had a delicious lunch, and then made our way to the airport.
Our flight back was much quieter, seeing as this time we were flying with more French people and little Italians. We got in on time, and I was home before 9 that night.
Final Thoughts
It still hasn't hit me that a week ago today we were gathering at the RyanAir bus station to take us to the airport. This trip was one of the most relaxed and happy days I've had here. To say that I enjoyed Florence is doing the city a disservice. I LOVED Florence, and I want to go back so badly. I missed on a few sights, but I'd go back to see the same sights again and again.
I'm so thankful I was able to see so much, and so grateful to Jenny's family for opening up their home to us. Florence came and went so quickly, just like a dream.
But don't you worry Florence, I shall return. Grazie mille.
Firenze, pt 3! & Siena
Friday
Today was one of the best days of the trip. Me, Greta and Bine decided to go to the Uffizi, plus some shopping and they wanted to go see David.
What I forgot to mention is that the Uffizi is right next to the Piazza della Signoria, which was where the friar Savonarola was burned at the stake. I didn't realize he was killed in Florence. In a nutshell, he was a friar who, in my opinion, had the courage to criticize the Church during the Renaissance period. Unfortunately, he was a wee bit extreme with some of his views, and that got himself in a lot of trouble. Anyway, I digress.
For breakfast, we got gelato. I wish I was joking. We then went to the Uffizi, a beautiful museum housing more works of the Italian masters. Not only did they have an amazing exhibit on Caravaggio, plus works by Duhrer and da Vinci, but they had an ENTIRE ROOM dedicated to Boticelli.
I walked in, and first I see the Madonna of the Magnificat, one of my favorites. I then see, right next to it, The Birth of Venus, and beside that, Allegory of Spring.
Starstruck. Speechless. Moved. Amazed. Seeing what I saw that day was much more impressive than the Mona Lisa.
After the Uffizi we got a delicious lunch, and then wanted to check out the leather stores. Italian leather, and specifically leather from Florence, is of unbelievable quality. Plus, you aren't paying for a brand name, so it's much more reasonable. (Unless you could care less about cost, the Italian designers weren't far away)
We first went to the Leather School, and there you can see artisans creating various leather goods. It was really neat to see, but we continued. I found one store where I purchased a handsome set of black leather gloves, and I got them for 10% off too.
We then stumbled into one store, whose owner told us he owned another store down the street and everything was on sale at 50% off. The second store was even better. Bine found the leather boots she wanted, plus a gorgeous leather jacket. I wasn't planning on spending more, but I spied with my eyes a pair of brown leather shoes. I tried them on, and I was hooked. They were 50% off, plus the salesman took off another 10 Euros because I payed in cash.
I finished my purchases by buying two bags of rainbow colored bow-tie pasta.
Success? I think so. Grazie Firenze!
Saturday
Our final full day we spent in Siena. Unfortunately we got there a bit later than expected, so I thought our time there was pleasant but too brief. And, I regret not doing enough research on the city. I'll get to that later.
Once we got off the bus we followed Valerie to a restaurant that was highly recommended. It was definitely worth the walk. I had an amazing grilled veal steak, followed by little biscotti you soak in sweet wine. Yum yum.
We then walked to Siena's Duomo, and I will say, Siena is quite charming. It has a more Medieval feeling to it, more brick buildings and such. This Duomo was much more impressive on the inside. Again, huge, massive, and lots of marble. It was a treat! We also visited the Piazza del Campo, Siena's central square with the Palazzo Pubblico as the focal point.
The square is beautiful. It's shell shaped, so there's a curve, and it was so nice to relax on it. The square is also known for the famous Palio di Siena horse races that take place there. The energy must change so much, because it had a very relaxed laid-back atmosphere. I can't imagine when they are setting up for the races!
Before we left, we explored the Santuario e casa di Santa Caterina. Bine's friend recommend we visit, and I wanted to go, seeing that St. Catherine of Sienna is the city patron, and my mom is a 3rd generation Catherine in the family.
This place was a hidden gem. One side was the sanctuary, and the other side had a chapel. You open the doors, and the chapel glowed with light. Frescos, paintings and flags just glowed. My eyes were so wide looking around. But I wish I had researched Siena because I found out, this sanctuary was where Catherine actually lived. And the crucifix hanging on the altar is the one that gave her the stigmata.
Incredible. And I was there.
We got back, had a delicious homemade Mexican dinner courtesy of Jenny's mom, and then went out to celebrate our last night in Florence. Again, SO MUCH FUN. More merriment followed by secret bakery treats.
Today was one of the best days of the trip. Me, Greta and Bine decided to go to the Uffizi, plus some shopping and they wanted to go see David.
What I forgot to mention is that the Uffizi is right next to the Piazza della Signoria, which was where the friar Savonarola was burned at the stake. I didn't realize he was killed in Florence. In a nutshell, he was a friar who, in my opinion, had the courage to criticize the Church during the Renaissance period. Unfortunately, he was a wee bit extreme with some of his views, and that got himself in a lot of trouble. Anyway, I digress.
For breakfast, we got gelato. I wish I was joking. We then went to the Uffizi, a beautiful museum housing more works of the Italian masters. Not only did they have an amazing exhibit on Caravaggio, plus works by Duhrer and da Vinci, but they had an ENTIRE ROOM dedicated to Boticelli.
I walked in, and first I see the Madonna of the Magnificat, one of my favorites. I then see, right next to it, The Birth of Venus, and beside that, Allegory of Spring.
Starstruck. Speechless. Moved. Amazed. Seeing what I saw that day was much more impressive than the Mona Lisa.
After the Uffizi we got a delicious lunch, and then wanted to check out the leather stores. Italian leather, and specifically leather from Florence, is of unbelievable quality. Plus, you aren't paying for a brand name, so it's much more reasonable. (Unless you could care less about cost, the Italian designers weren't far away)
We first went to the Leather School, and there you can see artisans creating various leather goods. It was really neat to see, but we continued. I found one store where I purchased a handsome set of black leather gloves, and I got them for 10% off too.
We then stumbled into one store, whose owner told us he owned another store down the street and everything was on sale at 50% off. The second store was even better. Bine found the leather boots she wanted, plus a gorgeous leather jacket. I wasn't planning on spending more, but I spied with my eyes a pair of brown leather shoes. I tried them on, and I was hooked. They were 50% off, plus the salesman took off another 10 Euros because I payed in cash.
I finished my purchases by buying two bags of rainbow colored bow-tie pasta.
Success? I think so. Grazie Firenze!
Saturday
Our final full day we spent in Siena. Unfortunately we got there a bit later than expected, so I thought our time there was pleasant but too brief. And, I regret not doing enough research on the city. I'll get to that later.
Once we got off the bus we followed Valerie to a restaurant that was highly recommended. It was definitely worth the walk. I had an amazing grilled veal steak, followed by little biscotti you soak in sweet wine. Yum yum.
We then walked to Siena's Duomo, and I will say, Siena is quite charming. It has a more Medieval feeling to it, more brick buildings and such. This Duomo was much more impressive on the inside. Again, huge, massive, and lots of marble. It was a treat! We also visited the Piazza del Campo, Siena's central square with the Palazzo Pubblico as the focal point.
The square is beautiful. It's shell shaped, so there's a curve, and it was so nice to relax on it. The square is also known for the famous Palio di Siena horse races that take place there. The energy must change so much, because it had a very relaxed laid-back atmosphere. I can't imagine when they are setting up for the races!
Before we left, we explored the Santuario e casa di Santa Caterina. Bine's friend recommend we visit, and I wanted to go, seeing that St. Catherine of Sienna is the city patron, and my mom is a 3rd generation Catherine in the family.
This place was a hidden gem. One side was the sanctuary, and the other side had a chapel. You open the doors, and the chapel glowed with light. Frescos, paintings and flags just glowed. My eyes were so wide looking around. But I wish I had researched Siena because I found out, this sanctuary was where Catherine actually lived. And the crucifix hanging on the altar is the one that gave her the stigmata.
Incredible. And I was there.
We got back, had a delicious homemade Mexican dinner courtesy of Jenny's mom, and then went out to celebrate our last night in Florence. Again, SO MUCH FUN. More merriment followed by secret bakery treats.
Firenze, pt 2!
Thursday
Thursday most of the group went to Lucca, but I stayed behind with MB. I had 4 full days and I wanted as much of Florence as possible. MB (Mary Beth, fellow companion) was gracious enough to let me play tourist since she's been to most of the places in Florence already.
I first went to the Accademia di Belle Arti, which houses quite the many works of art by Italian masters. But the real gem is that this place houses the original David by Michelangelo. I walked up to David and walked around, slowly, with a big smile on my face. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. After learning about this in numerous classes and seeing pictures, I was standing feet away from this massive work. Talk about being star struck. The sculpture is so perfectly done, I swear it was breathing. It's that lifelike.
After we headed to the Basilica di San Lorenzo, another massive but beautiful church. It's here that many members of the Medici family are buried. Unfortunately I missed them because of the weird times, but I was able to look inside. What struck me is that most of the churches we went to charged admission. In France most churches are free with a few exceptions. But I took advantage of the side entrance reserved for prayer. I did pray and light a candle, but it allowed me some time to enjoy the basilica's beauty and not pay. I do think it's a scandal to charge admission. At least say it's a donation to restoration work or something.
Since we had some time left, I ventured over to the Basilica di Santa Croce, which is also known as the Temple of the Italian Glories. Why? Well, because the following greats are buried here:
Galileo
Machiavelli
Foscolo
Gentile
Rossini
Yup, and they even have a tomb for Dante... even though he's not buried there. Poor Florence can't even get a favorite son's body back. It's a darn shame. But the church is really neat, tons of frescos everywhere and a lot of floor tombs. I loved the floor tombs, but how surprised are you about that?
Oh, and later that night some of us went out. It was SO MUCH FUN. After we found one of Florence's secret bakeries. You find out about these places by word of mouth, and there is nothing sweeter than a chocolate cream croissant in the early hours of the morning.
Thursday most of the group went to Lucca, but I stayed behind with MB. I had 4 full days and I wanted as much of Florence as possible. MB (Mary Beth, fellow companion) was gracious enough to let me play tourist since she's been to most of the places in Florence already.
I first went to the Accademia di Belle Arti, which houses quite the many works of art by Italian masters. But the real gem is that this place houses the original David by Michelangelo. I walked up to David and walked around, slowly, with a big smile on my face. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. After learning about this in numerous classes and seeing pictures, I was standing feet away from this massive work. Talk about being star struck. The sculpture is so perfectly done, I swear it was breathing. It's that lifelike.
After we headed to the Basilica di San Lorenzo, another massive but beautiful church. It's here that many members of the Medici family are buried. Unfortunately I missed them because of the weird times, but I was able to look inside. What struck me is that most of the churches we went to charged admission. In France most churches are free with a few exceptions. But I took advantage of the side entrance reserved for prayer. I did pray and light a candle, but it allowed me some time to enjoy the basilica's beauty and not pay. I do think it's a scandal to charge admission. At least say it's a donation to restoration work or something.
Since we had some time left, I ventured over to the Basilica di Santa Croce, which is also known as the Temple of the Italian Glories. Why? Well, because the following greats are buried here:
Galileo
Machiavelli
Foscolo
Gentile
Rossini
Yup, and they even have a tomb for Dante... even though he's not buried there. Poor Florence can't even get a favorite son's body back. It's a darn shame. But the church is really neat, tons of frescos everywhere and a lot of floor tombs. I loved the floor tombs, but how surprised are you about that?
Oh, and later that night some of us went out. It was SO MUCH FUN. After we found one of Florence's secret bakeries. You find out about these places by word of mouth, and there is nothing sweeter than a chocolate cream croissant in the early hours of the morning.
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