L'art moderne

In class today, we wrapped up our unit on education and started a unit on media. I'm interested to see how this goes considering our first topic is freedom of the press. The diversity in my class is really going to show, especially because one woman is a human rights activist who is already arguing that the issue is not freedom of press, but freedom to inform one's self. Also, did you know that France's current president isn't married? The first lady of France, if such a title exists, is his current girlfriend. It's interesting to see how the image of stability and willingness to be a part of traditional society, which Americans often define as being in a lasting marriage, is defined differently.

I spent the afternoon today in the Centre Pompidou, home of a fanatic collection of modern art. It walks you through all the greats, from Matisse and fauvism to Picasso and cubism to whatever you call the neat concentric circle art to dali's surrealism. Other artists worth mentioning include Modigliani and the Delaunays. Some of it was really great. Some of it (see below) was not.

I don't know if I've previously addressed this, but French men wear bags. Satchels, backpacks, eastpak slings, shoulder bags, even the occasional fanny pack. The weird thing is, I didn't even notice this fashion phenomenon until recently because they wear them so darn well. French men redefine the phrase fresh-to-death when it comes to fashion, and they're even easier identify on the metro than women. Think edgier James Bond and you've basically got the look down pat.

Blogger issues!

My phone stopped recognizing the server over the weekend, but now it seems to be working though the homepage for google has changed itself to French. On Saturday, I looked at different architecture including a gorgeous office park, an interesting building dedicated to Arab culture, and a future forward sports complex that I didn't really like. I also bought my first pair of French heels. My next task is to master walking in them on cobblestones. Eep.

Sunday meant another day of hardcore journaling in La Caféothèque. They play such great music there (mostly American music) so it was great! Bob Dylan and Mumford and Sons make great coffee house jams. I only have two more long papers to do for culture and civ!

Today I looked at steps

And also Napoleon III's living quarters, La Joconde, the Winged Victory, and so many other works of art at the Louvre. My mind was just blown by the tread-patterns left on the stone staircases that show where thousands or maybe millions of people have walked before. It was especially neat on the marble floors where each color stone has worn away at a different rate so that the floor is a little uneven.

I'm not ashamed to say that I'm staying home on this chilly Friday night and probably going to bed within the next hour or so. The amount of walking and metro hopping I've done in the last three days, accompanied with the madness that is four hours of language class a day and so much extra writing that my hands cramp has left me zonked.

It's 10:15 and there's a crow outside my window raising a ruckus. What is this madness and why isn't the sun down. Also, the weather here has been just as finicky as Blacksburg weather for the last three days. Bonne nuit!

La Tour Eiffel

Before you get too excited, I've still yet to climb it. But I did spend about four hours beside it yesterday! The lawn is really just a great place to picnic and people watch.

Before we went to the Eiffel tower, Dr. J took Kelley, Molly and I to a tea shop. We each got a café gourmand which is basically a shot of espresso, a scoop of ice cream, and two little desserts. Mine came with pecan praline ice cream, some kind of cherry cake, and a dense chocolate walnut cake that was divine. After the afternoon snack, the three of us did a little shopping and then headed to the Eiffel tower. The plan was to meet Molly's friends at 6, but they ended up not being able to come until about 9, and then we stayed for about two more hours.

Below you can see our lovely snack:
Two bottles of wine that cost about 6€ total, Rochefort cheese (that was a mistake. Don't buy that cheese unless you like really strong, smelly cheeses), some odd crackers that aren't pictured, and dark chocolate from Haiti. The chocolate is a commerce equitable product, which means the middle man is mostly eliminated and the producers get more of the profit. Fun fact learned in class, in case you were wondering. Also for your fun-fact knowledge, when in doubt, go for the wine that says bottled at the chateau. Those are always better than the random ones with cute labels, though our Cotes du Rhone did hold its own.

Montmartre et Sacré Cœur

In class today we discussed the different education systems around the world. Apparently Finland has the best system, and Brazil and France are tied for the worst. It's funny to listen to the Chinese girl rag on her education system so much, but it really does sound awful. I'm one of two Americans in the class, and although our system is a little flawed, I'm happy to have ha such good schools.

After class we had our final walking tour. In the approximately fifteen miles we covered, we voyaged from the opera house (I forget the name but it's not the Bastille) to Montmartre, the city on the hill that overlooks all of Paris. I looooove Montmartre because it lacks the super-tourist/mega-glam aura that hangs over a lot of Paris. I saw people going grocery shopping in flats and several kids were even wearing sweatpants as they made their way to a soccer game. Yay real people!

I'm keeping this post short because I'm absolutely exhausted and the only down time I'll have tomorrow will be time spent on the metro. A demain!

Ps, I found honeysuckle and jasmine today. Even more reason why I love Montmartre.

Encore, la pluie

It's still raining and it's even chillier. If these people are this bundled up for fifty degrees, I can't imagine what they look like in the winter.

I was jolted out of yesterday's fog in my typical fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants fashion. Here's what happened: I stayed up late last night finishing the book I started on the plane over (Firefly Lane, don't read it unless you're alone because you WILL cry) and I decided to wake up early this morning to do my homework for alliance classes. In a true stroke of genius, I set my alarm for 7:15 pm instead of am, and I didn't wake up until 8, or about fifteen minutes before I usually leave for the metro. Adrenaline kicking, I got ready in two minutes, demolished a croissant in record time, ran to the metro, and finished my homework in the lobby of the building. Happily, my happiness is generally tied to the level of tension in my life, so I've been happy as a clam throughout this dreary day. A sleepy, slightly disoriented clam, but a clam nonetheless.

After class, Kelley and I made it to Carnavalet, a museum that tells French history through art and artifacts from the time, all by ourselves. Molly is usually our navigator, and I really, really have a horrible sense of direction, so this was big doings. I also made it to the alliance by myself, and I only got turned around once. Progress!

We're currently hanging out on the deckish area of a café near Notre Dame. We had to have ice cream to rid the taste of an unidentifiable seafood stew from our mouths, and now were people watching. The FIAP's food is really just so great. Ah, the things students have to do to save money. On the bright side, I can typically feed myself for five euros a day!

Here's a picture of the best cheap wine I've found so far. Seven euros well spent and enjoyed at the base of the Eiffel Tower with new friends.

Le brouillard descende

I spent the whole day (after class, of course) today tucked away in a tiny café with an eclectic South American vibe and smooth jazz sung in English. The weather here seems impossible for the middle of summer: temperature in the fifties and an off-and-on drizzle all day long. The Parisians are dressed for full on winter in their boots, scarves, layered jackets, and even the occasional hat. My inner poet escaped escaped in the cozy café, and my journal entry for the day reflects my ponderings on the workings of French peoples' minds and why I've felt uneasy today. (I've decided it's because of the massive amounts of writing I've had to do for my culture and civ course and the general lack of sleep due to the noisy FIAP resident. I haven't made any breakthroughs on the French pensées, but I'll keep you posted.) I'm becoming a pro at drinking straight tea, and I may or may not have gone through four cups today. I didn't make any remarkable food discoveries, just my usual deliciously simple ham and butter baguette for lunch and some sort of FIAP fish for dinner. They were also serving andouillette (roughly translated to chitterling sausage) which thoroughly amused the British kids in the dining hall.