Moi, au bord de la Seine
I'll save my specific feelings about being back in France for my last entry, but let me just start by mentioning the day trips we made from Paris. The Tuesday after we arrived, Molly and I went to Roland Garros/Les Internationaux de France/The French Open. That was my first experience in the magical land of terre battue, and it was marvelous. I met a cute British guy on the metro on our way to Roland Garros, so I knew it was going to be a good day. But once we got to the stadium, I couldn't help but feel like I was at some sort of temple of tennis greatness. Roland Garros is where careers are made, and a title there can be the most elusive, making it the greatest of triumphs for those few lucky enough to win there. We were on Court Suzanne Lenglen, which is the second court (I couldn't get us tickets for Philippe Chatrier, a.k.a Centre Court); I had entered the raffle for tickets on the French Open website, and ended up getting them (but let me clear up the fact that we DID have to pay for those tickets, we didn't WIN them). But even without being on Centre Court, I was walking around with stars in my eyes, because now I have seen two of the four Grand Slams (I have probably been to the US Open 6 times, so now all that remains is a trip to Wimbledon and then to the Australian Open). The two matches we saw (Robin Soderling easily defeated Nikolay Davydenko, and Dominika Cibulkova creamed Maria Sharapova, much to my delight) were not all that exciting, but just being there, the place I have seen on TV since I was probably four or five years old, was magical. I loved hearing the crowd whistle every time the chair umpire jumped down from his chair to locate a mark when a line call was contested, I loved the distinct sound of the French cheer, the roaring "Ouayyyyyyyy" that surrounded me, and I loved the distinct terra cotta red of the clay that was caked on the players' shoes by the end of each match. Of course, just like at the US Open, there were the annoying people who just want to be seen among the beautiful people and don't give a shit about tennis, but I still had an incredible time!
Me and "Rafa"
Molly and I at Roland Garros
On the Thursday of that week, Molly, Allie, Molly's cousin Kerry and I went to Giverny, an hour's train ride outside the city, to visit Monet's country château. We rented bikes at the train station and, about a half-hour later, were at the Monet Museum. After a picnic lunch of wine (a bottle of birthday red that Allie had bought for me), bread, cheese, apples and cookies that other tourists eyed longingly, we explored the gardens that were the inspiration for so many of Monet's famous tableaux, including the pond where he painted Waterlilies (Nympheas), which is truly breathtaking. The entire compound was gorgeous, and the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city for the day.
The pond where Monet painted Waterlilies
Kerry, me, Molly and Allie in Giverny
On that Saturday, Allie and I went to Strasbourg for the day. I had long been looking forward to going back to Strasbourg, and I was so happy to be back and have the opportunity to show Allie around. The city was different than I remembered it: for one thing, there were leaves on the trees, as opposed to a color palette of grays; and the city, other than the most touristy parts, seemed eerily deserted, because all of the students have gone home for the summer. We had lunch at Flam's, and I think Allie was sufficiently won over by the traditional tarte flambée (we got one that was veggie and one that was goat cheese and honey, the latter being absolutely delicious). We went over to Angelita (my host mother)'s house, only to find that she wasn't there. We walked around the Orangeries park for a little bit and then tried again, but she still wasn't there, so sadly, I didn't get to see her that day (it turned out that she had to take her son to the hospital for some sort of eye problem- luckily, he was fine). So we headed back to Place Kléber, the Cathédrale, and then strolled through the picturesque and historic Petite France, before heading back to the train station to travel back to Paris. So overall, I was very happy to go back, and was won over over once again by its charm and beauty, but something was missing: all of the people that I associated with Strasbourg, the good friends that I had met there, my host mom, etc. were not there anymore, so I felt as though I didn't really know the city anymore.
Allie and I in Strasbourg
Petite France
So you must be asking yourself what we actually did IN Paris! Well, what DIDN'T we do?!? Rather than run the risk of just throwing everything out at once and completely overwhelming you, I'll give you a day-by-day breakdown of our stay in the magical City of Light:
Sunday 31st May: Molly and I arrived in Paris. After taking the RER train in to the city, we switched to the metro and found our hostel, which was probably the best hostel we've stayed in this semester (and not at all unreasonably priced). We met up with Allie for dinner and then turned in after yet another long travel day out of Salamanca.
Monday: We met up with Allie and Kerry (the latter had just arrived in Paris that morning, so was carrying her suitcase around with her) and explored Montmartre. We started at Sacre Cœur, which is (I believe) the highest point in Paris, because, no matter what other monument you climb up, it is always an upward view of Sacre Cœur. Montmartre is also a really cool, artsy little neighborhood, so we poked around what they had to offer in terms of local artwork and, of course, vintage posters! We later walked by Moulin Rouge and then headed back to the hostel to pick up our bags. With callouses still fresh from carrying our bags in and out of the Madrid and Paris metros the day before, Kerry, Molly and I dragged our suitcases for nearly 45 minutes until we reached 8 Rue de Bellefond, where we were renting an apartment for the week. We met up with Molly's cousins Cathy (and her husband Jim) and Beth (and her husband Josh and their baby-to-be, who Josh affectionately calls "Stewie"), who had found the apartment. It worked out perfectly, because there was a metro stop right at the end of the street, and the apartment had all of the amenities that we could possibly have needed. So if you're ever in the market for a Parisian vacation rental, Perfectly Paris is an excellent company to work with! Anyway, while all of the cousins went off on a picnic by the Eiffel Tower, Allie and I decided to give them some space and put together a little picnic of our own at the house. It was so nice to get to catch up, because, other than the choppy connection on Skype, we hadn't had a chance to talk one-on-one since last July.
Sacre Cœur
Tuesday: Roland Garros (see above). That night, we went to a very fancy restaurant for dinner with the cousins (and fancy equals 25 euros for my meal, which absolutely killed me).
Wednesday: Molly, Kerry and I went to Notre Dame, and then ended up walking around a lot in the Quartier Latin/St. Germain de Prés areas. This included walking by Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore (the former being the hangout of Ernest Hemingway back in the day, and the latter of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre). We crossed the river and walked by the Hôtel de Ville, where they had set up a large screen with live Roland Garros matches, and also lots of tennis-themed games around the plaza. Molly had a bit of an embarrassing moment when she walked over a grate (that she didn't realize was a metro grate and therefore had a very strong current of air coming out of it) and had her skirt fly up, much to the delight of the clapping, cheering old men who sat on a nearby bench. Poor Molly was mortified. My skirt flew up a little bit too, but I was luckily wearing leggings underneath! We then met the cousins for a very fancy tea at Mariage des Frères in the Marais- I felt like I was in a tea shop in India, with dark mahogany shelves lining the walls and filled with large canisters of tea, and men in crisp, lightweight white suits taking your order in a tearoom filled with potted ferns. Later, we headed back to the Left Bank and checked out Shakespeare & Company, a famous English-language bookstore. We grabbed some rejuvenating crêpes and headed home.
Thursday: Giverny (see above). We then went to the Opéra Garnier, where we saw the ballet "Proust ou les intermittences du cœur." It was, well, wacky (obviously, since it was Proust), and each of us only saw half of the ballet, because the view was terrible from two of the four seats in our box, so we switched halfway through, but I definitely appreciated all of the hard work that the ballerinas put in to the show.
Friday: We went to the Musée d'Orsay, which is absolutely stunning. The incredible collection (including an impressive collection of impressionist works, obviously my favorites) is housed in a former train station, so architecturally, the building is gorgeous too. Then, we headed back to St. Germain de Prés/Quartier Latin to stop by the Sorbonne, the Pathéon, and the Jardins du Luxembourg. That night, after a picnic dinner (the best way to eat in Paris, because you really can't get anything cheaper, so you buy a 1€ bagette, cheese, a 3€ bottle of wine, some fruit, and you're done!!!! As opposed to paying 15-20€ for dinner), we met up with Allie and Jen to get belated birthday desserts for Allie, and then Molly, Kerry and I went off and found cosmos! They were delicious...
Musée d'Orsay
Saturday: Strasbourg (see above)
Sunday: We had to move out of the apartment, and were farmed off to various apartments. We all met up in the Marais for Breakfast in America, much to Molly's delight. While Allie made the rest of us look like pigs and got a milkshake and an omelet, the rest of us got a milkshake and either pancakes or French toast. It was amazing, and it truly was an American-style breakfast. The afternoon was filled with museums: the Centre Pompidou (which we actually only climbed up because it had a great view- it is a modern art museum, and since I am morally opposed to modern art, I refused to spend my Sunday that way!; and then the Musée Marmotan (which we had heard was an incredible Monet museum, but ended up only having a small part devoted to Monet). Then we headed over to the Champs Elysées for tea/hot chocolate at La Durée, the legendary salon de thé. I got a tea called Marie Antoinette, that was infused with fruity and flowery flavors, and it was delicious! Then, we headed a bit more up the Champs Elysées and climbed the Arc de Triomphe, from which there was a beautiful view. We met up with Lauren, who was in town for a few days in between her finals, and grabbed a delicious dinner at an Indian place.
Atop the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
Monday: Allie and I wandered the botanical gardens and then sat in the courtyard of the Mosquée sipping delicious mint tea. We strolled along the Seine (even running into a fashion shoot at one point), and then I headed over to the Louvre and met up with the other girls (Molly, Kerry and Lauren) while she went to class. After lunch, we did a little bit of browsing in Galeries Lafayette, the famous department store, followed by a return trip to La Durée (we rationalized this by saying that Lauren hadn't been there, and she couldn't leave Paris without having been there!). I got the most delicious dessert that I've ever had in my life: a puff pastry called a Saint-Honoré Rose Framboise, with rosewater, rose-flavored icing and raspberries. Delectable...Then, Lauren left to meet up with some other friends, and Molly, Kerry and I went to a movie called Good Morning England. It's all about pirated radio in England in the '60s, and it was both hilarious and had an incredible soundtrack. It won't be in the US for another few months, but I would definitely recommend seeing it. After grabbing a quick dinner with Allie, we headed over to the Eiffel Tower so we could see it light up at night. It was truly a sight to behold, and I was so glad to have seen it (because I had only ever seen it during the daytime). Then, it was time for Molly and I to say our goodbyes :( We had spent almost every waking moment of the semester together, so, as I traveled home by myself, it was so weird to look over and not see Molly in the seat next to me on the plane. But I think we would both say it had reached the point where we had exhausted all possible topics of conversation (Molly had me recite her family tree for Kerry to prove that we essentially know each other's life stories), so it will be good for us to have a little bit of time apart.
My incredible dessert from La Durée
La Tour Eiffel by night
Tuesday: Allie and I walked around the Panthéon in the morning, where many of the most distinguished Frenchmen and women are buried. Then, we had a little picnic at her house, and after sitting in a café for awhile, I headed to the airport. I had a little blip on my flight out in that the security workers questioned me about my Epi Pen. I have never traveled with a prescription for it and have never had a problem, but this guy had no idea what it was. I used my cunning feminine ways and started to cry, so he softened a little bit, but he made me go back out through security and get an airline employee, who told him to let me through, that they used the same protocol for Epi Pens as for insulin. I arrived in Madrid at about 11pm, and spent the rest of the night in the Madrid airport. I didn't take into account, though, that the airport is accessible by metro, so that meant that all of the biggest sketchers in the world also had the same idea to spend the night there. There was one particularly creepy guy who came and sat two tables away from me who would intermittently start to laugh to himself and make other loud noises. There was quite obviously something wrong with him. So even though I hadn't been planning to sleep a wink, even as my eyes started to close I willed myself to stay awake out of fear of what would happen to me if I didn't. At one point, a woman came up to me with a video camera and told me she was going to take a video of me. She asked me questions about how I had come to spend the night in the airport, and then got the camera uncomfortably close to me, especially since it was about 4am and I was not exactly feeling my most beautiful.
Wednesday: Once I got inside the terminal, past security, the sketchiness didn't stop. A man sat down across from me and automatically started speaking to me in French. I answered him in French (because, duh, I speak French), and he answered, "Oh, you speak French?". Well, what did you expect me to stay? He asked where I was headed, and I told him that I was going back to the US. He then asked for my address, and I told him that I was in the process of moving (what I wanted to say was that he absolutely could NOT have my address because he was a sketchy ass). My flight left at 9:55am, and I didn't even make it through the safety procedures. I was out cold, although I only ended up sleeping for about 3 hours total during all of my flights that day. I had a 4-hour layover in London, although much of that was spent traveling between terminals, and then I flew back to Atlanta. I got on the shuttle going to my hotel and showed the driver the address that I needed to go to, and he proceeded to bring me to the wrong hotel- the right brand, but a different one from where I had my reservation. But it didn't take much effort from the receptionist to convince me to stay there and just cancel my reservation at the other hotel, because I hadn't slept in 48 hours. I took a much-needed shower and collapsed into the remarkably comfy king-size bed.
Thursday: At about 2:30, I arrived at the Hartford airport. Bradley is a tiny little airport, so I booked it from the gate to my waiting family in about 5 minutes (a stark contrast to the hourlong security procedure just to get out of the Atlanta airport the night before, standard procedure there for international flights. I have never been so happy to see my family in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it feels so nice to be home for the summer! I was lucky enough to make it through five year-end flights without any of my luggage getting lost, although some of the things I sent home in a box fell out (as opposed to being stolen, because the majority of the items were of absolutely no monetary value), so now I have to call the Salamanca post office on Monday so they can maybe try to locate the items. I'm guessing I'll end up with nothing, but, to me, it's worth a try.
This entry is getting long, but I'll explain the more emotional side of the end of my year abroad in an upcoming post (because I fully understand that this one is a little bit dry!). So stay tuned!!!!! Thank you for all of the welcome home wishes, and, as always, I'm sending you my love!
Kristen
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