Day 23 (Versailles)

We got up a little early for my liking in order to go visit the Palace of Versailles. However, it was well worth the sleepy eyes. The Palace was huge and the ornamentation unbelievable. I don't know how often I'll have to talk about my breath being taken away on this trip, but it's absolutely true. You cannot even imagine the size and splendor until you are standing before it's massive golden gates. Probably one of the most impressive rooms was the Queen's bed chamber. It's awe inspiring to think about the connection that this place has to history and how unfortunate that it's beauty will forever be marred by such a tragic end. The gardens are also perfectly exquisite, full of color and life. The only unfortunate part to this trip was that I felt terribly ill. I don't know what was wrong, it think the heat had finally got to me. Ever since we arrived in Paris we've been dealing with a terrible heat wave which is no doubt intensified due to the fact that there is no air-conditioning in the entire country of France! I don't deal well with the heat so after a few days I began to feel very faint. After our visit, we went out to eat at this fancy restaurant to say our goodbyes as the rest of the girls will be leaving tomorrow morning.

Day 22 (Paris)

Today we went to the Louvre Museum. There was a bit of chaos as our group got separated. I don't know if you know this...but there are over 10K people that visit the Louvre each day. The likelihood of finding each other is minimal. However, by happy chance, Dr. Mehta decided to take one more look for rest of group before our tour was supposed to start and there they were coming down the escalator. The Louvre is amazing. We saw so many fantastic peices. There was Winged Victory, which is my favorite Hellenistic sculpture, Raft of the Medusa, a Romantic painting by Theodore Gericault, and Oath of the Horatii, by David. Of course we also saw the Mona Lisa which I think is a little over rated. Of all so Da Vinci's work, it's probably one of my least favorites, but for some reason everyone goes gaga over it. Sadly, our tour of the Lourve only lasted about an hour which is absolutely sacrilegious. Luckily, since I'm staying extra, I have a whole day saved to just explore it. After the Louvre, Dr. Mehta had a trip planned to the US Embassy. We met with Jaffar Diab, the Vice Consul. He discussed some of the differences between the US and France, changing US-French relations, and the work that is done at the Embassy. I was in my element. We had lots of time to ask questions. I think I hogged the floor a bit asking about everything from our relationship with Cuba to the power of the UN. They also have an internship program there which I am definitely going to apply for. This visit was wonderful, I learned so much. Our visit went over the time we were allotted, but it was worth missing our next schedule activity, visiting the Orsay Museum. By the time that we got done there would have only been an hour to visit the museum so I decided to skip in so that I could rest a bit before going on a boat ride on the Seine river. The boat ride was a lot of fun. Lauren, Tia, and I sat together on the edge of the boat and giggle and laughed the whole time ("What's that for?...Pirates! What is that for?...You really want to know?...Yes...Pirates!"). The views were spectacular (especially when we got mooned, Tia was blushing for 15 minutes) and we even got to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up, it was gorgeous.

Day 21 (Paris)

Today was a relatively free day. We were give the morning to do with what we liked. Everyone split up Tia and Lauren headed to the fashion museum (which Lauren and I will probably go to again once the group leaves, a couple of girls went to the Erotic museum, and me and Mollie went to Napoleon's Tomb and the Museum of the Army. The tomb was amazing. It was made of a gorgeous red wood that was terribly grand. Everything in it made your jaw drop. It's simply amazing; everywhere you turn in Paris there is architecture and art of infinate splendor and beauty. After the tomb we went to the Hotel des Invalides which was originally built to house injured and retired soldiers but now houses the Museum of the Army. It was so interesting. It had several departments including the two world wars, medieval armor, and modern war. It was fantastic to go through and see all the old war uniforms from all different campaigns and intricate suits of armor that belonged to various French kings. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the whole museum because we had to meet back up with the rest of the group to visit the Rodin Museum. I know this is going to sound sacrilegious, but I'm a big fan of Rodin. I prefer classical and neo-classical sculpture so most of Rodin's work just looks sloppy to me. And the Thinker is over-rated. However, it was funny to watch all of the tourist walking around trying to imitate the positions of Rodin's sculptures. I did like the room that housed Camille Claudel's (Rodin's pupil). In particular, I enjoyed L'Age Mur which has particular resonance for me.

Day 19 (Paris)

Today we got to visit Notre Dame Cathedral. The ride/walk to the cathedral was interesting to say the least. We picked up a creep on the metro who stalked us all the way to the cathedral, but we finally managed to ditch him. The Cathedral was nice but truth be told, I like the one in Marseille better; there's more color and life in it. There was a service going on while we were visiting; the choir music was beautiful and soothing. It really is a beautifully constructed structure. And so grand! No wonder there are so many pickpocket there; you can't help but to stare up in awe at the intricate portals and H-shaped entrance. After Notre Dame, Miles took me and Felicia to a quaint little book store called Shakespeare. It was filled floor to ceiling with fantastic finds. The second floor in particular was devoted to old books which were brilliant. I found a particularly beautiful copy of the Bhagavad-Gita, unfortunately it wasn't for sale. After getting lunch at this very touristy place near Notre Dame, we went on a bus tour of the city to see all the major Paris landmarks. I didn't really get to take any good pictures, but that's ok because we have plans to visit most of the places we saw anyway. I wrapped up the night at a near by cafe eating crepes and coffee with Lauren and Dr. Mehta.

Day 18 (Paris)

We had to wake up bright and early today in order to head back to Paris (yay!). We woke up at 6:30 (after being up till 3 in the morning packing) so that we could catch an 8:04 train to Avignon then hop on the TGV back to Paris. We got to Paris with no problems though fitting the ten of us with all of our luggage into Taxis was quite a feat. The hotel we're staying at, L'Hotel Virginia, is really nice. Our room is beautiful and we have a decent view from our balcony. Also it's nice to have a little more privacy. I'm so glad to be back in Paris, Isle sur la Sorgue was just a little too small for me, so being back to the hustle and bustle is a nice change. After we settled in, we went out for lunch and went over some of the ground rules and things to think about while in Paris like pickpockets. After lunch we were given some free time. Most of the girls wanted to rest after the long ride here but I was rearing to go, finally having something to do. Jessica and I decided to head to the Latin Quarter to see the Pantheon. I just love the metro here, it's easy and convenient. I wish we had something like that in the states. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the Pantheon, the upper level was closed so we decided not to go in. Why pay for it if you can't see the whole thing? But I'm definitely going to go back. However, all was not lost. On the way there, we ran into a Gay and Lesbian parade. It was amazing thousands of people gathering to celebrate diversity and acceptance. We had so much fun just watching all the floats (trucks) and the people that were dressed up for the occasion. Some of the stuff was a bit shocking...it's amazing what's acceptable in France. The other thing that thrilled me was the fact there was not a single protestor there. If this would have taken place in the State, there would have been protestors everywhere. Instead, here, everyone was just out to have a good time which is so refreshing. We watched the parade for a bit then headed back to the hotel to meet up with the group and head to the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is inspiring, though slightly overrated I think. Being that I'm afraid of height (and the fact that the structure is almost entirely open-air), I decided not to go up, though many in the group tried to change my mind. I know myself well enough to know that there was a strong possibility that I would panic on the way up there and I didn't want to risk it. Miles stayed with me while the group went up. We explored the beautiful greens in front of the Tower as we talked about movies and literature which was lots of fun. We also discovered a little monument that was absolutely fascinating. I think it was dedication to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and was full of intricate designs. It was so much fun to look for different thing that we recognized on the metal work some of which included a depiction of Galileo, an amphitheater, mathematical equations, and a pyramid with the names of famous french philosophers. As we were leaving the Eiffel Tower, it was just getting dark, so we got to catch a glimpse of it lit up, which was pretty. The Metro ride home was a bit of a fiasco: everyone is trying to crowd on and get home before the trains stop running for the night.

Day 14 (Marseille)

We really got out today! Waking up very sleepy-eyed, we headed to the train station at 7:00 AM to take a train to Marseille. It was a 1 1/2 train ride, I spent most of it listening to my audiobook and laughing at Dr. Mehta as he took funny pictures of all the girls sleeping in their seats. When we got to Marseille there was a bit of confusion as we tried to make it out of the train station simply because the place is huge. When we finally made it out, the view was absolutely amazing. If the station is huge, it's nothing compared to the city. Looking out over it reminded me of some of the breath taking veiws I saw when I went to Athens. We made our way down to the old port, which was filled with fishing and sail boats. They were selling fresh fish out on the sidewalk, some of them I had no idea what they were!! From there we hopped onto a ferry to go visit the dreaded Chateau d'If (made famous by Alexander Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo). The prison was very impressive and well preserved but I was a little disappointed. There wasn't that much information available about the castle not even the more famous cells such as the one Abbe Faria or Edmond Dantes stayed in. I felt like the site relied a little too much on the book and movies for it's fame, in several of the cells various versions of the movies were playing. Additionally, I'm getting a little frustrated about the way the French present information: everything is writen in French!!! Though I have a decent grasp of the French language, I can't really pick up on the sutle nuances and vocabularly that is history, so half the time I feel like I walk into a room and say "well isn't this pretty/interesting/spooky" and walk out without really taking anything away from it. That being said the prison was still impressive and the view of the coast was fantastic. After getting back on shore, we stopped for a quick 30 minute lunch and then headed out for a petit train (a mini train ride around the city). Now we get to another one of my frustrations about France: misinformation. We had tickets bought through the tourism office for the mini train that would take us up to Notre Dame du Gard. There were two train curcuits, one which would take us around Old Marseille and the other to Notre Dame, so I asked the lady (in French) which train we should get on for our ticket. She responded that it didn't matter, so we jumped on the train that was more empty so that we could all sit together. About 3 minutes after the train left, I realized that we were on the wrong one. It was terribly frustrating. But it ended up being not so bad, the trip through Old Marseille was nice. We got to see the Cathedral (some times known as the Pajama Cathedral because of it's design) and the Viellle Charite (which was build in the 17th century to house the homeless, ill, and orpanded. Inside the Vielle Charite, was a beautiful piece of art. It was so simple: two dresses hanging on a wire with four fans at their base which made them appear to be dancing. It was absolutely ingenious. Afterwards, our group split up. Tia, Felicia, and Lauren went to the Fashion Museum while me, Mollie, and Miles took the (correct!) train to go see Notre Dame. The Cathedral was unbelievable. You could see it from the coast ontop of the mountrain and it looked so small but when you got up close, it was actually pretty big. The outside was aweinspiring and the inside was so intricate and delicate. The mosaics were down right stunning. And the view! From the Cathedral you could see the whole city, it was quite spectacular. The ride back down was a little scary. This little train was zipping down these steep narrow roads. I unintentionally slept most of the ride back to Isle sur la Sorge, Lyle woke me up just before we got to our stop. We ended the day with a group of us heading to Isabella's, which is a fantastic little icecream shop that sells the most amazingly displayed icecreams. I got a scoop of coffee icecream topped off with white chocolate syrup, it was delicious. Today was one of the best days we've had so far.

Day 13 (Avignon)

Today we headed back to Avignon. The other girls were to participate in a scavenger hunt around the city, taking pictures of various locations such as the McDonalds and the bank. Since I'm not in the French class, I was given a day to myself and I had a few museums that I wanted to visit. Unfortunately, most of the really cool museums, such as the Calvert Museum and the Archeological Museum, were closed on Tuesdays (though I haven't the faintest idea why). However, there were a couple of sweet spots that I managed to find. First, I went to the Louis Voulond Museum, which has a collection of decorative arts from the 17th and 18th centuries. My favorite was the clockwork, absolutely gorgeous and intricately designed. It also had a neat collection of china from around France that was categorized according to region. Next, I went to the Angladon Museum, which houses pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum was pretty small. The main portion of the museum was devoted to a special exibit on (photographic) portriats of artists. This was interesting but not terribly exciting, probably the best ones were of Picasso. There were a couple of "masterpiece" painting including a couple of small works by Picasso, Degas, and Manet. However, none of them were well known or terribly impressive. After the scavenger hunt was over I joined up with Dr. Mehta and Mollie and walked around Avignon for a bit. We stopped at a street vendor and introduced Mollie to crepes...she's been raving about them ever since. Heading back to Isle sur la Sorge, the three of us got so ingrossed in our conversation that we missed our stop and had to get off at Cavillion and turn back. We wrapped up the night by going to this little hole in the wall pizza place. I didn't like it that much, the pizza was way too greasy for me but I was so hungry by that point that I still ended up wolfing down quite a few pieces.