Maybe it’s something I ate (namely holiday Peanut M&M’s) or maybe it’s something completely different, but at this particular moment I’m experiencing a certain joie de vivre. I’d try to explain it or rationalize it, but I’m certain that would ruin its ludic, fun-filled essence. So instead, I’m sharing a photo (courtesy of Mieko) that hopefully will bring as much of a smile to your face as it does to mine.
Cheers!
So I was supposed to be in Granada today; I was. But since I was wanting to see the Alhambra and since I hadn’t reserved a ticket and didn’t want to stand in line all day, I went ahead and took a train to Sevilla. This is a gorgeous city with a fascinating blend of Western and Arabic architecture. The smell of wisteria even makes me feel like I’m back home smelling flowers in our backyard! I’ll use Sevilla these next couple days as my basecamp to return to Granada and also visit Córdoba before going to Portugal.
And to bring everyone up to speed on these past couple weeks:
I had a blast being a tour guide again when Edgar and Kevin were visiting me in Paris. We found a list of Paris’s “Top 25 Destinations.” In the one real day Edgar was in town, we covered nine, and before Kevin returned home after a long weekend we had knocked out seventeen of them! The most memorable moment, probably for all of us, was being asked by a French bride-to-be to nibble candies off a necklace she was wearing. You can imagine the scene: three rather clueless Americans standing on the steps in front of Sacre-Coeur. Up walks what looks like a sorority girl halfway through some really bizarre initiation ceremony with her hair in pigtails, funny striped socks pulled up over her pants legs, and wearing a candy necklace. Now, just so you know, Sacre-Coeur is notorious for being surrounded by people who are up to no good. So when this young lady walks up to us asking for help in English with her French accent, I’m a little cautious. But she’s surrounded by camera-toting “friends” anxious to capture that Kodak moment as a group of foreigners bite off pieces of candy from around their victim’s neck. After mutiple refusals on our part and multiple requests on their part, I decided that if I can run with the bulls in Spain and dance around in a kilt in Scotland, what’s participating a little French bachelorette party tradition going to hurt? I went first, Kevin second (having a little difficulty - something about biting the string accidentally), and Edgar third. We stood around a little longer trying to figure out what we had just done and watching as the party moved on to the next group of male tourists.
When the visitors left it was time to get down to work on all my presentations. But I can hardly think of anything more boring than reading about my school work, so I’ll spare you the details.
And as for Barcelona, what can I say? It’s still definitely a city in which I can see myself spending many more days/months/years of my life. You’ve got the city; you’ve got the mountains immediately to the north; you’ve got the Mediterranean immediately to the south. The pace of life is comfortable; the people are beautiful; the food goes far beyond being just edible. It was nice to see some things I hadn’t seen before. Last year was the International Year of Gaudí so quite a few of his buildings have just now been opened to the public. The weather couldn’t have been better, and I had a great time meeting the other international students (Argentinian, Canadian, German, Greek, Italian, Mexican, etc.) who came along with us.
I’m still trying to decide how I’ll occupy my time when I get back to the States. Any ideas?
On Friday night a few of us went to see ballet at the Garnier Opera. The first of the two pieces performed was Air with choreography by Saburo Teshigawara and music from John Cage. The performance was very minimalist, accompanied by a grand piano that maybe played two dozen notes throughout the entire 45 minute performance. That left the opera house eerily quiet - quiet enough to hear the dancers breathe.
The second piece, which I think most of us preferred, was entitled Appartement, choreographed by Mats Ek with music written and performed by the Swedish group Fleshquartet. I just found an online review from the debut performance a couple year’s back. I can remember having to sit through hour after hour of my sister’s dance recitals when I was young. They seemed to last days if not years. (Sorry, sis!) But this performance was definitely one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever seen. It was lively, humorous, required remarkable skill, and had great music. I didn’t want it to end, and neither did the rest of the audience judging by the multiple curtain calls.
So now I’ve learned my lesson, sis. Give ballet a chance!
Spring has sprung in Paris! I took a walk earlier today to buy some items for tonight’s pre-St. Patrick’s Day here at the apartment. The daffodils are in bloom. The sun is shining. The cafes have spilled out onto the sidewalks. Children are riding their bikes. People are reading novels on park benches. The fountains are flowing.
In case anyone’s wondering, here’s a brief run-down of what’s happening in the coming weeks.
My days as an undergraduate are numbered. This Thursday I have a paper due on Parisian housing. I’m then heading to Glasgow for the weekend to meet up with friends since I don’t know when I’ll make it back to Scotland. The following week I have three presentations to give. The next week holds two final exams, and then we’re off on a class trip to Barcelona. In our two-week spring break after that I’m hoping to make it to southern Spain, Portugal, northern Italy, Vienna, and Berlin. I’ll then be back in Paris for a few days to straighten things out, visit any remaining tourist destinations, and pack up before flying home to graduate and continue on with the rest of my life - whatever that may entail!
On Saturday morning I headed out via train to Amiens, just over one hour north of Paris. I took a medieval architecture class a couple years ago where we mainly studied the cathedrals of Italy, France, and England. I had been planning on going to Amiens since I arrived - its cathedral being the tallest in France. (The choir of the cathedral in Beauvais is technically taller, but that’s all it is - the nave was never completed.) It’s been consistently sunny here in France for over a week now so I got some really good photos both inside and outside.
I made it back to Paris in the afternoon just in time for a Scottish parade. Yesterday the Scottish national rugby team played the French team here in Paris so in honor of the Auld Alliance, linking the two nations back in the 1295, they held a pipe band parade at Montmartre. The parade was supposed to start at 4 o’clock but didn’t commence until sometime after 5 o’clock. The French seemed to blame the delay on the Scottish stopping in at a bar (or two) on their way to the starting area. The Scottish appeared to blame it on the French for putting so many bars along the eventual parade route! When the bands (from Scotland, England, and France) finally got their acts together any harsh feelings were quickly abandoned.
And any true Scotsmen running up the steps to Sacré Coeur in Paris, please note that your actions might cause on-looking lassies to fall down the steps! Trust me; I’ve seen it happen.
It’s cold in Paris! I bought a wool scarf this morning to help fight off the bitter chill this afternoon while doing site reconnaisance in Belleville. It did help keep my neck warm and toasty, but my fingers nearly froze because I had my gloves off to take photos!
A guy stuffing our mailbox with grocery store flyers this morning told me that it’s colder here than in it is in Russia. (Note: he’s probably not a certified meteorologist.)
“France shouldn’t be this cold,” he said.
Then he started singing some little jingle about how cold it is.
FYI: The Weather Channel says it’s currently 19°F (-7°C) but it feels like 7°F (-14°C).
It’s been cloudy and overcast everyday here in Paris since I returned from Austria. But (and that’s a big but) today the accompanying precipitation has magically turned to snow!!! Yeah, it can scientifically be attributed to today’s lower temperature but who wants to be a meteorologist on a day like today?!?
to be continued…
It’s raining here in Paris. I haven’t written anything here in the past couple days so I thought I’d at least include this little snippet of information.
A few of us went out last night as part of Paris’ first Nuit Blanche celebration. Different art exhibits and parties took place all over town all night long. We went to see one in particular at the Biblioth?que Nationale de France where a German group had set up one of the building’s four towers as a giant computer screen. The public was allowed to help program the screen by visiting the group’s website and designing images and animations. Unfortunately, we didn’t know about that until it was too late. Wouldn’t it have been neat for all of Paris to see an image you had created?!? Or to have played Tetris for everyone to see!?!
Greetings from Paris! I’ve been here for a few days now - started intensive French classes this morning. Don’t let people tell you that the French hate Americans or more generally English-speakers. It’s just not true.