A Superior Trip!

What a privilege it has been to travel with Chelsey, Jessica, Amanda, and Stepan!  We pulled together quickly as a team and worked well to share many visits to museums and monuments, to learn Paris's metro system, and to navigate shopping for food in French.  This trip will hold many pleasant memories for me in the years to come.  What a fantastic group of students!  Thanks, everybody!

The Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells of Notre Dame!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv4W0VkoUfM Today was our free day where we got the chance to do whatever we want. So us girls went to Notre Dame and stood in line for over an hour. It didn't seem so long since we met some friends from opposite ends of the US. The lady in front of us was from Pennsylvania and the lady and her granddaughter were from California and Arizona. It was a long climb up to the top, but it was worth it! Being so close to the gargoyles was absolutely amazing. The different expressions and animals was very cool. We also got to see the Grand Bell which is only played on special occasions. We walked back down and went to the little restaurant across the street and I had a delicious strawberry milkshake! I almost cried when it was gone. Afterwards we took the metro and walked a little more to see the French Statue of Liberty. We got a little tired getting home, but once home we had dinner and then like Amanda mentioned headed out to the Tuileries and walked to the Concorde. On the way back we had a little jog under the covered sidewalks while covering our eyes because of the wind. A little wet when we were home, but now we've had some ice cream and are ready to go to bed. Au revior!

Running in the Rain

Tonight was exciting for me (maybe not so much for Jessica or Chelsie). We decided to finally walk the Tuileries Garden from start to finish and go to Place de la Concorde to see the Obelisk and the fountains. As we started going through Jessica and Chelsie noticed the clouds were looking a little ominous... so we picked up the pace. I got some AMAZING pictures and had so much fun and excitement on the way back. Thunder, lightening, and rain, OH MY! It was beautiful and exciting for me. Something to really remember for years to come! We were a little wet when we got home but not totally drenched just a little wind swept. The looks that strangers share as we all tried to avoid the rain really give way to a wordless understanding.

An Evening Dash

Today we went to the Pantheon museum which has an amazing crypt that has so many famous people buried there such as Rousseau and Voltaire. For those who do not know, Rousseau and Voltaire philosophers who were always disagreeing with each others ideas. At the crypt in the Pantheon these two amazing philosophers were across from each other with tomes as different as their personalities were! There was also a really interesting thing there that was supposedly one of the first things that helped people realize that the world spins. It was a really cool thing to see the pendulum swinging back and forth over the dial.

After that museum, we brought into small groups and we went to the Luxembourg gardens. We got to watch some kids playing with sail boats in the fountain there. Since it was such a gorgeous day we spent some time there walking around and enjoying the views that the garden could offer us.

After a quick lunch, we hopped aboard the metro and took it to the business district of France where the Grande Arche at La defense. We had some fun taking pictures of it and got to see some great views from there as well. We could see the Arc de Triomphe from there which was an amazing view. On the way back to the metro station saw a sign for a Monoprix and thought we'd go see what sort of things they had there and when we walked in, we discovered that there was not only a Monoprix there but a mall! even though we did not stay long enough to buy anything, it was a pleasant surprise to see. Then we got on the metro and headed home for dinner.

After dinner, we decided that we had enough time to go see the Eiffel Tower up close and lit up. So off through the metro we went again. When we got off the metro we hurried to get to it as fast as we could because at the top of every hour after dusk the tower lights up for five to ten minutes. We made it in time to see it glittering and got some really good pictures of it. Then, amidst the pictures we saw lightning from behind us and we realized that there was a storm quickly approaching. So we half walked half ran under the Eiffel Tower, stopping occasionally to take a few more pictures. We made it to the metro just as the first few drops of rain began to drop. When we made it back to our stop close to our apartments, it was sprinkling pretty good and we got inside before it began to rain more. It was a wonderful excursion to have even with the rain this wonderful night!

Sacre Coeur and Paire Lachaise

We started off the day by taking the metro to Montmartre. We took the funiculare up to Sacre Couer. We were there for a few minutes during mass and then headed back down to eat lunch. We did a little souvenir shopping and then ate at a creperie. I had a delicious banana and chocolate crepe, but we had a little difficulty with splitting the bill and paying with cash and a card. We then went back up the funiculare to the artist quarters and heard a few street musicians and Jess and I got our caricature drawn. Afterwards we did a little more shopping and then we split into two groups Jess and I going to Pére Lachaise, a famous cemetery, and everybody else went home for some much needed rest. The cemetery was huge and had these grand above ground graves that were extremely ornate and beautiful. On the way back we had a little adventure on the metro. First it started smoking, but apparently it was really only steam?, and we got off pretty quickly and then once back on we sat forever at one stop and the longer we sat the more people got on. Then every stop had a million more people get on. Once we got to our stop we had to push our way out. Back home we had a nice dinner and we are now ready to end our night. Au revior!

Rest

So today ended up being a French holiday so a lot of things were closed today. We had hoped that the museum we were supposed to go to would still be open so off to the metro we went and headed to the Musee Carnavalet and the Place des Vosges. We had to ask someone to verify where the museum was because it did not stand out like other museums did and once we found it, we discovered that it was closed for the day due to the French holiday. So we went to the Place des Vosges which is a park surrounded by theses hotels which used to be places for rich people to stay. This place was so nice to just sit and look at. Everyone in it was comfortable and relaxed and just enjoying the sunny day.

Since we could not do the museum we ended up haveing a lot of down time were we both rested and walked around Paris. We did some shopping and a late dinner and an early end of the night watching Beauty and the Beast on Chesley's computer. Tomorrow we go to Montmartre!

The Chateaux and the place de Vosges

Yesterday June first 2011, all of us got up at 5am to get ready to go visit the majestic chateaux! It was an early morning for all of us but we made it to the train station with extra time to spare. Once we got our tickets sorted out and actually made it it on the train, all of us were ready for a short nap on the train ride there. After that we were refreshed enough to go to the first chateau Le Clos Luce. This wonderful chateau was my personal favorite because it was smaller than the rest and it felt homey. This chateau called home by the amazing Leonardo Da Vinci who lived there for three years before he died. A fun fact about this chateau is that it has a secret tunnel that leads from the Clos Luce to another chateau!

After that we went to the chateau called Amboise. This amazing chateau had amazing views of the surrounding area and was right along a river. This is the place where Leonardo Da Vinci is buried in a small separate castle. Amanda was trying to get a picture in the chapel with the right light, and then suddenly the light disappeared! She told us that she was not going to leave until she got the light for the picture so we wanted about a minute for the sun to come back out and she got a great picture. I really enjoyed seeing the chapel where Da Vinci is buried, it was a moving experience to be that close to someone who had done some much in his time.

The third chateau that we saw was Chambord. This chateau had the most amazing roof! It was almost fairy-tale-like designed. This chateau also has this really cool double helix staircase. We talked in our prep class that if one army went up one side and another went down the other side, the two army's would never meet on the stairs. I think that is was really cool to see. There was a lot of room in this chateau and a lot of really cool fireplaces.

The final chateau that we saw yesterday was Chenonceau. This is a beautiful place that is built out over the river! I loved the hallway that was over the river, it made me feel at home like by Lake Superior. It was such a wonderful feeling, this was my second favorite chateau because I felt at home. It had the kitchen in the lower level and windows that had windows that had a decent view of the river as well. Overall I felt that the Chateaux was not over the top like I expected them to be, but more of a place that I would expect that the royal families would enjoy a little rest and relaxation in one of these beautiful places.

The Eiffel Tower and The Hotel de Invalides

Our day started out with an early morning. We headed out for the Eiffel Tower at about 8. We took the Metro over and got in the long line to go up. We took the elevator up to the 2nd floor since that's where it stops first and got our first view. It was a very windy and cool day. For me this was the best weather yet, but I seemed to be the only one who thought that... It seemed like we could see everything! Except for Sacre Coeur. Which kind of disappeared. But we soon realized that from the very top you do see everything. We took our time to look around and then met Dr. Donovan at the bottom. From there we got on the Bateau Mouche. This is a boat tour along the Seine River. We learned all about the bridges from the oldest to the most romantic. I had fun with the phone/club like audio graph. It reminded me of those old school spanking sticks where they wrote the names of the kids on them. After the ride we went back to the apartments for a big lunch and then headed to the Hotel de Invalides. Before we could get in though, the Dome was evacuated. This is where Napoleon is buried. We later found out that there had been a bomb threat, but it turned out to just be a child's backpack. It also had an exhibit on Charles de Gaulle and the World Wars. I was able to make into an exhibit about armor of the different royalty like Henri II who had 2 suits; one for his wife Catherine de Medci and one for his mistress Diane de Poitiers. After the museum we left for home, but me and Jess stopped for some shopping and I bought a fancy black hat! Another early morning tomorrow so Au revior!

Everything is Negotiable!

Today we went to the Pompidou Museum. We used our Navigo passes to ride the metro to the museum. It features a lot of modern art, which I love because of the bright colors. The building itself has all the venting and wiring running along the outside. I personally love Picasso. After the museum we went to a cafe to eat. I had another amazing chicken sandwich and a hot cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon! After, we went to the Orangerie and saw Monet's panoramic "Water Lilies." Trying to get into the museum though Jessica was stopped because her pass's date had to be rewritten. Dr. Donovan talked with the lady who was not willing to let Jess in so Dr. D went to the front desk and got her in. Everything is Negotiable! Still having some energy we took the metro to the Arc de Triumph. We climbed the 265 stairs to the top since the elevator was closed! Afterwards, feeling extremely tired, we headed back, took a five minute break and then headed down to the Monoprix for some grocery shopping. They had the most amazing strawberries! Once we got back we put it all away and then headed up to Dr. Donovan's apartment to eat some crepes! I love nutella! I also like Orangina apparently. Go figure. It's been another long day. Goodnight. Au revoir.

You Know Us Italians!

Today we visited the Concergerie, the Saint-Chappelle, and Notre Dame. The Concergerie is where Marie Antoinette was held for her last days before she was beheaded at the guillotine. We entered the building into one big room with columns lit up and then went through to see representations of what the cells would have looked like. And then we saw the room set up to look like the one where Marie Antoinette spent her last days. Then we went to the Saint-Chappelle which had been built to house the "authentic" crown of thorns that Jesus wore that were brought back from the Crusades. It was amazing stained glass everywhere. And since it was a nice sunny day the windows were all lit up. It was breath-taking. And finally we went to Notre Dame. We had a guy, who wasn't the best picture taker, take our picture and ended up having to get it retaken after leaving. Inside Notre Dame we saw all the prayer candles and again the stained glass windows. We sat for awhile to listen to the organ concert during mass. Before we all dozed off we went to a little cafe for coffee and milkshakes and then went to do some light shopping. On our way Jess and I ran into a Japanese family looking for the Concord. We grabbed our map since theirs was in Japanese and showed them how to get there. After they said, "Thank you, Oraegato, and Merci we said de rien. They go "Oh, de rien! Italianos!" We had a good laugh about us Italians speaking French. When we got back to the apartments we ate dinner and then, like Amanda said, went out to see the Eiffel Tower glitter. We also walked over to the Louvre for some night pictures. It's been a long day so I'll say good-night. Au revoir!

An evening stroll around the Louvre Courtyard and watching the Eiffel Tower glitter

Whoohoo! It's my first post. So I'll let the other girls tell you about what we did today. I want to let you guys know what we did tonight. After dinner (and a little snooze for myself) we walked the block and a half to the Gardens and watched the Eiffel Tower as it glittered away. Afterwards we chose to walk into the Louvre courtyards and just sit, relax, and chat. After about an hour we meandered over to the garden again to watch the Eiffel Tower glitter once again before heading home to an evening snack of Nutella on apple slices. It is truly perfect weather for this amazing experience!

J'adore Marie Antoinette!

Today we went to Versailles. We took the train from the Musée d'Orsay to a few blocks from Versailles and stopped at McDonalds for lunch. First we went in the exit part of one side and did a backwards tour which was just as grand as if we had gone with the traffic. Afterwards we headed upstairs to all the grandeur that is Versailles. From gold trim to the feathers we saw it all. The furniture was so ornate that I was awestruck. The ceilings were even painted with murals that were absolutely stunning. We saw the Hall of Mirrors and the Royal Chambers and took endless pictures until our batteries ran low. Once finished with the palace we went to the gardens. The design that went into them is astounding. Versailles is 800 acres of land! We took the little train to the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon and then walked to Marie Antoinette's hamlet. It was something out of a fairytale. I couldn't get over the beauty of it. The flowers were in bloom, it was perfectly sunny and there were plenty of wildlife. We had a little fun watching the ducks and the hundreds of fish fight over bread. After taking the train back to the palace we left for home, almost to fall asleep on the train. Now we've eaten dinner and are getting ready for bed. Au Revior!

The Louvre

So today after going back and forth on what we should do for the day we settled on going to the Louvre. The four of us spent 4-5 hours and made it to most of the exhibits, but it's hard to see everything the Louvre has to offer in a week let alone a day. We saw the famous Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. We also saw the painting of Napoleon crowning himself emperor, Napoleon III apartments, The Winged Victory, the royal jewels, and several others. We went through all three wings and even managed to make a stop at the Starbucks for some needed caffeine. We also had a little sing along to "I Will Survive." By the end we were all pretty sore, hungry and tired. We did a quick run through the French paintings and the Egyptian and Greek art. We couldn't stay long in the Egyptian part since Stepan was freaked out. Afterwards we had some down time to watch an episode of Dr. Who and then headed up to Dr. Donovan's apartment. We had a nice spaghetti dinner and salad. We also had some real French deserts which were delicious! Au-revoir!

Mouse

Thanks to Chelsey, I don't have much to comment on about our day. But the newest development in our Paris adventure is that our apartment has a mouse! Chelsey and I found it in the doorway to our bathroom and it scampered under the stuff in the kitchen! She and I ran upstairs (or rather took the elevator) up to Dr. Donovan's room and she called someone who is going to hopefully call someone else to get mouse poison to get the mouse as soon as possible. I don't like killing things, but I would much rather have a mouse-less apartment since I am sleeping on the floor.




Anyway today we saw many wonderful paintings and sculptures at the museums including a picture of Vincent Van Gogh. There were many amazing artist works that we saw today but sometimes not enough time to see them.


The second museum was cool because a lot of it was outside. There was a building where we could look at more paintings and sculptures but i was kind of distracted by my shoes squeeking on the ground throughout the whole place...A lot like the mouse...

Art...It's Everywhere

Today was our first official day of "studying" abroad. Us girls got up at 8 (but weren't necessarily awake) and got ready for the day. We got a surprise visit from Dr. Donovan at 9 who decided that our apartment would be the site for the morning meetings. We waited for Stepan and got a run-down of what we would be doing today. We then walked to the Musée d"Orsay which is only a flew blocks from our apartment. We saw paintings by Van Gogh, Monet and Degas! It was surreal. Afterwards we decided to walk a few more blocks to visit the Musée Rodin. On our way we stopped at shops to find some lunch. I had an amazingly delicious chicken sandwich on French bread from a little corner bistro. It took awhile to find a sandwich without pork. Who knew the French loved pork so much! At the museum we saw the famous statue "The Thinker." We also took some funny pictures with the statues. On our way back we stopped at a few stores for small things and are now back in our apartments. We plan to head out soon to buy some food for dinner. We don't know what we're having yet, but we can decide later. Au Revoir!

Fun Fact of the Day

So yesterday we left for Paris. I was waiting for Amanda and Jessica to pick me up at my brother's house in Esko. When they got there we went to get my luggage and my brother's 2 newfoundland mix dogs ran off. We played a rousing game of chase through the woods and finally decided to wait for them. No sooner then I call my sister-in-law do they come running out in different directions. I on one in to the house and the other one took off again. So we got the captured one on a leash and paraded him around knowing his brother would taunt him, but he took of back into the woods. We went in hoping to grab him, but to no avail so we headed back towards the house. There he was sitting on top of the hill. Through some persuasion and the possibility of a new human friend we caught him. After the dog chase we finally took off. The car ride was rather eventful, too. First we stopped in Hinckley for some food for the plane and not soon after getting back on the highway we heard this thumping noise. We stopped again and it was the mud-flap hanging on by a thread. We took a stretch break at the outlet mall in North Branch and realized that it was a really good thing we left with extra time to spare. We were almost out of the woods when on the way to Amanda's friend's house we took a wrong turn. Amanda stopped and called for directions and we made it to the airport with time to spare. Dr. Donovan had warned us that the flight was delayed because of the volcano eruptions in Iceland. We met with Dr. Donovan at the gate and then went to eat at the only restaurant in the Humphrey terminal (the one with ridiculous prices.) When time neared for us to board there was an announcement that the plane was having mechanical problems. Amanda and I headed over to the shop to buy a deck of cards which we preoccupied ourselves with until we boarded the plane. We played a game of musical chairs to ensure we were all sitting together and prepared for the 6 hour flight and for me it was a sleepless one. When we landed in Reykjavik we had to rush through security again and on to out next flight. It was a three hour flight and thankfully this time I got a little sleep. Flying over France was beautiful. We met up with the rest of our group who had been at the Paris airport since early in the morning. We made a dash for the bus and took a nice long ride to Paris Opéra where we finished it off with a walk to the apartments. While waiting around we ran into a Parisian friend of Amanda's. She came in and talked for awhile and then helped us go grocery shopping. Which brings me to the fun fact of the day: Citron pressé does not mean lemonade! It is pulpy lemon juice. And adding sugar does not help. And would like you all to know we are watching French shows on a German television!

May 21, 2011

Hello from Dr. Donovan!

We'll soon be leaving on UW-Superior's first Paris Study Abroad Program.  Follow us as we explore the City of Lights, Versailles, and the châteaux.  We're going to learn about the history of Paris and we're definitely going to have fun!