Adieu Paris

Well, it's over. Classes are no more. So, yesterday was my last neighborhood farmer's market. I woke up early to wander around. It was so wonderful and everything was so beautiful. I'm going to miss the fruit so much, every strawberry is the Platonic ideal of a strawberry. It's so good! Then we met up for our farewell lunch as a class. The food was okay, and everyone was still in denial about leaving so it was a strange atmosphere. After lunch, Sam and I headed over to the Jardin des Plantes, the oldest garden in Paris! It was really pretty, traditional formal French gardens. But what made it worth it was the natural history museum. Normally I'm not a fan of natural history museums, with the dioramas and fake animals. But this was spectacular! It was basically this huge open space filled with skeletons, and the walls were cases holding preserved specimens. Many of them were from the 1800s. It made me feel very academic and was wonderful. After the gardens, I headed over to the national library. It's a really strange place. Four huge skyscrapers that look like open books surrounded by strange gardens and a huge, empty complex. It was really surreal and felt like the set for a Twilight Zone. Then I headed home to pack and clean the apartment so that I could have all of Friday to enjoy.

So today I woke up, headed to Accent to tie up any loose ends, then went to the Louvre as soon as they opened. I was determined to conquer that enormous monstrosity of a museum, and I did! I saw everything that I wanted to, it just took over four hours and getting lost at every turn. The Louvre is wonderful, but really exhausting, so afterwards I went home to soak my feet and take a nap. Then I headed out with Sam and Zac to the architecture museum. There was this really cool exhibit of a Brazilian landscape architect. And also there was a forest in the basement, for an exhibit about urban design integrating nature into cities. That was really really interesting and very inspired, if a little lofty. Then we explored the rest of the museum, which had a really cool modern architecture wing, as well as reconstructed Gothic cathedrals. After the museum I went over to La Defense to see the Grande Arche. And it was HUGE. Not very attractive but with a great view of the Arc de Triomphe. Then headed back home to finish cleaning. For my last meal in Paris, Lauren and I went to Les Cocottes de Constant. It was really delicious! I had Iberian ham with cheese to start, then pig's feet in potatoes, and for dessert muscat to drink with caramel waffles. Defiantly one of, if not the best meal I've had here. And surprisingly affordable too. Then I went over to the Tour Montparnasse to look out over the city for sunset. It was an incredible view of the city, you could see everything. And a great way to end my time here. My shuttle picks me up at 6h40 tomorrow morning, and by dinner time I'll be back in BoCo. So, this is the end and goodbye.

White asparagus and strawberries at the market

Narwhal! 

Giant Sloth!!

Jardin des Plantes 

Bibliotheque Nationale

Lamassu!!

Landscape architecture plans

Forest in the basement of Cite de l'Architecture

Future home

La Grande Arche

Pig foot in potatoes, with salad!

Last meal in Paris location

Bonne nuit, Paris

Roads go ever ever on,

Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

By streams that never find the sea;

Over snow by winter sown,

And through the merry flowers of June,

Over grass and over stone,

And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on

Under cloud and under star,

Yet feet that wandering have gone

Turn at last to home afar...

Photography and India

So, we finished up the course talking about film and photography. Tuesday we all met at the Forum des Images, which is inside Les Halles and really confusing. What they do is really cool. They collect and preserve any and all films that have anything to do with Paris. So they have an amazing and extensive library of film, and really cozy and comfy theaters to view them. We saw ones about the world's fair, surrealism, and a couple silly ones made in the 1910s. It was really cool. Afterwards I headed over to the Musee Jacquemart-Andre for the Caillebotte exhibit. I'm not a huge fan of Caillebotte's impressionism, but the exhibit was really amazing. What was cool was that his brother was a photographer, so in each room there were the same subjects. It was really interesting and insightful, and made me appreciate the paintings more. Defiantly worthwhile. It was also in a really beautiful museum, which was very ornate and neo-classical with furnished apartments. Afterwards, I walked over to the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs-Elysees. It was obligatory and not as enjoyable as I thought because of how crowded and touristy it was. All of the shops were chains. But then it started to rain and everyone cleared out. So that was really nice. 

Wednesday we met at Accent for the last time, and got all the info for moving out. I'm having very mixed emotions about leaving, but our time is up. Afterwards Val, Amy, Sam, and I went for falafel, which was delicious! Then we all went to the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie. That was the hardest visit ever. For some reason all of the photographs were really heavy subject matters. There was a series on female inmates. Another on landmines, and one on Haiti. So this kept building, until the final floor, which was dedicated to war photography. There were all of the famous photos there but also a lot of unknown ones. I lost it after a couple of Korean War photos, had an emotional breakdown, and ended up leaving to sit outside and cry. It was really rough. A couple of other girls couldn't handle it either, but were more composed than me. I suppose that's what makes it art, and meaningful; to have such a strong emotional reaction. But it was really draining. After piecing myself back together, Sam and I went over to the Pompidou. There's an exhibit right now called "Paris-Delhi-Bombay" that a couple people went to see and loved. And it was amazing! By far the best exhibit I've been to during my time in Paris. It defiantly made me feel better, and reaffirmed why I love contemporary art. There was so much and it was so inspired and wonderful. There aren't words, as usual. I was so in love, I bought the catalog even though it was pretty expensive, and in French. Then that evening we were supposed to go to the ballet, which was the world premiere of a Francis Bacon inspired ballet. But when we got to the box office to pick up our tickets we found out that there's a strike and the show was canceled. It was really disappointing and Lauren was ready to cry and throw a fit. So we got our money back and had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant in the area with Becca, Heidi, and Amelia. We were all pretty upset, so after dinner we parted ways and I just went home. Oh well, it seemed to perfect and I haven't had to deal with a strike in Paris yet so it was inevitable. C'est la vie. And now there are just two days left in Paris, no more class (with the exception of a class lunch Thursday), and way to much left to see. Plus packing and cleaning the apartment. A little overwhelmed and devastated to be leaving the city of lights and love so soon.

Arc de Triomphe

Pompidou

Adventures in Bretagne

So this weekend I headed over to Brittany (Bretagne in Francais) to make use of an already paid for rail pass,  see more of France, and to O.D. on seafood. Mission accomplished! Saturday morning I woke up early to catch my 8h train out of Paris. Got to Saint-Malo, then immediately got on a bus, for the hour long journey to Cancale. For those who don't know, Cancale is pretty much the oyster capital of Europe, so a must-see destination for me. And it was wonderful. Best oysters I've ever had, hands down. And super affordable. There was this street, right by the ocean, with oyster vendors. You get a plastic platter with shucked oysters and a lemon for €5, it was thrilling! The city itself is very idyllic, with granite buildings and small winding alleys. Then I caught the bus back to Saint-Malo, where my hotel was for the night. Saint-Malo is a fortified town, so it's located on this spit of land, connected to the mainland by a causeway. There are HUGE walls surrounding the entire thing and it is really impressive and super cool. My hotel was right in the hub of things, with live music playing outside my window until 3h. I went to dinner at this locals only restaurant, which was amazingly tasty. I had moules frites, cidre, and a caramel crepe. Best crepe ever!

Then on Sunday I got up early, again, to catch the bus to Mont Saint Michel. It was a pretty long time to be on a bus, about 3 hours, with no air conditioning or windows. But it was worth it the moment I saw the mont. One of, if not the coolest place I've been to. Words are nothing. Thousands of stairs, and the most medieval feeling streets, hodge-podgely built village, with a beautiful abby, which is a mix of Romanesque and High Gothic. I took about a hundred photos, but there's no way to capture it. So amazing. Then, I walked about a mile out, because it was low tide. Felt right at home with sand between my toes and the ocean's breeze in my hair. Stunning and wonderful. Then three more hours back to Saint-Malo. Wandered around the town for a while, eating ice cream, then got on my train back to Paris around 19h15. But not everything happened according to plan. So, less than an hour out of Saint-Malo, we stopped in the middle of Brittany. As I would learn later, in the course of the evening, there had been a train-car accident, which derailed the train and shut down all tracks. Two hours stranded in the middle of nowhere, Brittany, then we finally headed back to Saint-Malo to arrive around midnight. More than a hundred people needed accommodations for the night, but there was chaos and confusion at the train station, because everyone had already gone home, and had to be called back to work to figure the mess out. It got so bad that they called the mayor of Saint-Malo to assist. Then they were running out of hotel rooms and taxis. Most people ended up walking to the youth hostel for the night. But I, and four others, lucked out! I got driven, by the mayor, to a five-star chateau resort!!! It completely made up for all the stress and delays. I was super thrilled with my satin and mahogany room, overlooking the pond and marble statues. 

Slept in, to enjoy the complementary room, then finally made my way back home to Paris. Arrived much to late to go to class, so went straight home and napped. This whole time I've been battling either allergies or a cold, I can't figure out which. So me and my runny nose needed rest. Of course when I woke up, it was about  95 degrees out so I was even more miserable. But I dragged myself out to do at least one thing today. So I headed over to the Musee Guimet, which is the national museum of Asian art. It was very cool, and I'm glad I went. Not only was it air-conditioned, but it also had an amazing and extensive collection from all over Asia and the Middle East. There was also a contemporary artist's work there, but it was a little pretentious and repetitive  But the Korean pottery made everything worth-while. I adore the glazes that they used, so elegant. I ended up spending close to three hours wandering around. Then I felt fuzzy and super congested, so headed back home. Will probably stay in and will myself to get better for my last week in Paris.

Cancale

1st plate of oysters

Backdrop for eating my oysters

Round Two

Delicious!!!

Saint-Malo

Moules Frites and Cidre!

Abby of Mont Saint Michel

Abby of Mont Saint Michel

Mont Saint Michel

My free accommodation, thanks France!

Pompidou

Yesterday we met up at the Orsay in the morning to have three presentations there, then two more at the Pompidou that afternoon. Luckily I went second, so didn't have to stress for the entire day. I thought my presentation went pretty well, it's always nice to talk about something you're passionate about. I felt like I left a lot out, but I think that's just because I'm in love with Cezanne and also went to Aix. But my professor seemed to like it, so that's what counts. During the break I went and bought the most wonderful smelling rose perfume. The whole rest of the day I kept smelling something good then realizing it was me! In the afternoon we met in front of the Pompidou. It's one of the more ugly building in Paris, and I have mixed emotions about the conceptual aspect of it. But it's wonderful and a great museum because of what's inside. As far as the national art museums of France go, the Louvre covers art history up until the 19th century. Then the Orsay takes over up to neo-impressionism. After that it's the Pompidou, which carries us up to the contemporary. The view from the escalators and from the top is amazing. 

Today we met in the morning at Espace Dali, which was okay. They didn't have any of his paintings so I was a little disappointed. But I love the Montmartre area and wandered around there for a while. Then Lauren and I headed to the Marais. There were lots of cool shops and we had a delicious lunch at a packed falafel place. The restaurant was in the old Jewish quarter, which was really interesting. We grabbed some baklava and went over to the Pompidou to meet up with everyone for round two. Afterwards, I went home because there's a bug going around in the group and I had a sore throat and stuffy nose. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow to travel to Brittany!

View from the Pompidou

Strange Mix

The past few days have been pretty hectic, in preparation for my presentation today. Monday we all met for class and then after went to the Grand Palais to see the exhibit they had on Odilon Redon. It was amazing and huge! I already loved his work, but this was unbelievable. The exhibit just kept going on and on, then there's a sign for the exit down a flight of stairs, but once down there are four more rooms! It was very very cool. Later, Monday evening, I headed over to the weekly poetry reading. It's always a lot of fun being around that neighborhood, and like-minded people. Tuesday we went to the Musee d'Art Moderne. It was pretty cool, we focused on Cubism, Fauvism, and Dada. I have a much better understanding for both Cubism and Fauvism after studying Cezanne. Then Amy and I had lunch with Frances, my professor, at the amazing Korean restaurant. It was super tasty, as expected, and we had really a good conversation. We ended up being there for close to three hours, until they kicked us out so that they could close. That evening we went out to dinner to celebrate Katarinia's birthday! Dinner was mediocre, but oh well. Then, they dimmed the lights of the whole restaurant, started singing, and brought out this huge cake with a flaming candle on it. But it turned out that the cake was fake and they didn't even comp her dessert. It was a very strange experience. After dinner we set out to enjoy the Fete de la Musique. It is a yearly, city-wide festival on the solstice. There is music on every street corner and bar and it feels like all of Paris was out on the streets. It was a little overwhelming, and like nothing I had experienced before. It was tons of fun, but my four-inch heels were killing my feet, so I went home, to catch the last metro. Wednesday we all met outside of the Institut du Monde Arabe, which is a really interesting building, but we didn't actually go in. Instead we walked/took the RER to the Musee de Quai Branly. That's the "primitive" "art" museum. I upset my professor a little when I said that the guide didn't know what she was talking about, which she didn't. But museums like that, where artifacts are treated like art and everything is open to interpretation, get under my skin. It's just a continuation of the subjugation, exploitation, and exoticizing of non-Western cultures. Anyway. Then  I've just been plugging away at my presentation. Hopefully it will go well!

Bar in Belleville, with poetry readings

Institut du Monde Arabe

Musee de Quai Branly

Musee de Quai Branly

Aix-en-Provence

This weekend was quite possibly one of the best ever. I will be dreaming about Provence for the rest of my life. So, we didn't have class on Friday so I took the opportunity to spend my three day weekend in Aix-en-Provence. It's where Cezanne was born, lived, and died. So that justified a trip down there. So the only thing I knew about Aix was that Cezanne was from there, and that it was the town in the beginning of "Horseman on the Roof" (highly recommended movie). But Aix shattered all of my expectations and made me fall in love over and over, in just one weekend. 

Friday morning I got up early to catch my train out of Paris. I got to the train station outside of Aix around noon. But you have to take a shuttle from there into town. Had a great conversation with the guy sitting next to me on the navette. Got to Aix and checked into my hotel. After settling in, I set out to explore Aix and see all of the Cezanne sites. Provence is defiantly very touristy but I'm used to the tourists in Paris. The Aix tourism office was exceptional. They were so helpful and set me up with the whole shebang to see everything Cezanne. For lunch, they recommended a spot, where I had an absolutely delicious duck salad. That evening I went to his studio at Les Lauves, where he worked till his death. He designed the studio to be the ideal for his particular style of painting. There is a slot in the wall to bring large canvases outside, a huge north-facing window, and very high ceilings. There aren't any paintings at the studio, because it had been abandoned for years. What is there is all of the objects he used repeatedly in his works. There was also his paintbrushes, paint tubes, and all of his other art supplies. It was unbelievable. Afterwards, I had roasted lamb with Provencal herbs, which was to die for. 

Saturday, I woke up early to go see the Bibemus Quarry. This quarry has been worked from Roman times up to the 70s. Cezanne, as a boy would wander around there. Later in his life, he rented a stone hut there and began to formulate his ideas that would, after his death, lead to Cubism. There was just me and a elderly couple from Scotland on the tour so we got to have the whole place to ourselves. There simply aren't words to describe the quarry. Surreal, magical, other-worldly...these are all empty terms. Seeing them in person made me feel like I could understand his work so much better. And it was also fantastic to be out in nature and go for a hike in and around the quarry. Afterwards, I headed back into town and went to visit his family home, Jas de Bouffan. It was the home of the Governor of Provence before Cezanne's father bought it. It is a beautiful old estate, but now it is in utter disrepair. The city is beginning the long, expensive process of restoring it, so there was scaffolding all around the exterior. But it was still a wonderful visit. The house was beautiful, but the grounds were spectacular. Fountains and pools hidden by the forest and overgrown with time. It was amazing, and I stayed after the tour to wander for over an hour. 

This morning I made my pilgrimage to his grave. It was a little hard to find but a beautiful location. It was on the hill of the cemetery, surrounded by lavender and bees and birds. I left an apple as homage to the first modern painter. Then, because the local museum was closed, I explored Aix. There was hardly anyone out on the streets, because they were all in church. But as I wandered I stumbled upon the huge market. It was everything a market should be. There was beautiful produce, lots of olive oil and honey and lavender products, delicious melons, strawberries that ruined me for any other strawberry, roasting meat, laughing farmers, all in a huge square accompanied by the sound of church bells. I also had the famous local calissons, ground almonds mixed with melon and orange peel, covered in icing. Oh, I could live in Provence happily for the rest of my life... but I got on the train back to Paris. It was ultra dramatic on the train, leaving sun-drenched Provence, with rocky outcroppings overlooking fields of lavender and vineyards, slowly turning into gray skies and the industrial wasteland surrounding the train station of Paris. This weekend already feels like a dream. I love Paris, but Aix stole my heart.

Atelier Cezanne

One of the many fountains in Aix

The stone 'hut' at the quarry

Bibemus Quarry

Bibemus Quarry

Bibemus Quarry

Jas de Bouffan

Pool at Jas de Bouffan

Tribute at his grave

Monet's Water Lilies

Yesterday we met up at the Musee de l'Orangerie. Monet's huge water lilies are in two oval rooms, covering the walls. There were skylights and it had a really interesting effect on the paintings. You would look at them but as the light and sun changed so did the paintings. It was very inspiring and amazing to see how different lighting made it seem like a completely different painting. Afterwards, a few of us went to a local brasserie which was pretty posh but very delicious. First foie gras in Paris and it was wonderful. Then we all went home to work on the midterm. Finally finished it and now can worry about my presentation and final. That evening I needed to do laundry before leaving for the weekend, but our machine in the apartment hasn't been draining properly. So I ended up dragging Sam with me to figure out the laundromat. I had never used one before, and this was all in French. But we somehow got it working, only the water was a lot hotter than I normally wash my clothes in so my jeans turned everything lovely shades of blue. I felt a little like Picasso, only I was moving from Rose to Blue. At least they all got dyed evenly.

Today we all got up at the crack of dawn to catch the train for Giverny. It was so wonderful to be at his home and see his gardens. It was astounding that he built all of the gardens and pond himself. His home was full of Japanese wood-block prints, which wasn't my favorite thing ever. But his dinning room and kitchen!! Monet loved to garden and cook and that love was definitely alive and well in these rooms. His dinning room was egg-yolk yellow and super cheerful. Then his kitchen was covered in decorative blue and white tiles. His stove/oven was to die for and his collection of copper pots and pans was still hanging on the wall. It made me fall more in love with him. Afterwards, we went to an exhibition of Bonnard's paintings during his time in Normandy. It was really interesting to see all of his drawings and photographs as well as paintings. Then we had a delicious lunch at a really cute cafe. I ate a wonderful ooey gooey potato gratin with local Normandy cheese and a plum tart. Then, we walked over to where we were supposed to catch the bus back to the train station. But somehow the times we had were wrong and the next bus wasn't for another hour and a half. So the four of us walked. And it was spectacular. The countryside was beautiful and pastoral, with lots of farms, stone houses and forested hills. I loved every minute, but my companions were not as thrilled (city-dwellers). We had perfect timing coming into the train station, only having to wait for ten minutes. I slept on the ride back and am now making final preparations to leave tomorrow for Provence!

First room at Orangerie

Second room at Orangerie

The Laverie 

Gardens at Giverny

Lily Pond

Water Lilies