Les Cathédrales et Les Châteaux

Paris is starting to feel like home! Just today I confidently got off the metro at my station, stopped at the local boulangerie for a baguette, and strolled home between the familiar ancient buildings of my neighborhood...this is a routine I can get used to. This past week was the first week of classes as well as the start of my internship here, and it was much less stressful than I expected. It's going to be a bit of a struggle to get used to my two classes that are solely composed of one three-hour lecture per week, because at Lehigh my longest class is an hour and 15 minutes - and that feels long! On the bright side, one of those classes is a history of Paris through art and architecture, and we'll be out in the city and at museums for most sessions. I was glad to hear this, because I would likely miss out on some museums or exhibits if I was left to my own devices and motivations to visit them. Last weekend, my study abroad program took everyone on a trip to Chartres and Versailles, so here are some (phone) pictures!

On the left is the cathedral from the outside.  The cathedral is one of the most well-preserved in Europe, with the newest architecture dating back to the early 13th century. When we visited, it was pretty cold out, but it was even colder inside the cathedral! It was, at least, shelter from the constant rain, but it made our hour-long tour a little uncomfortable.  Apart from the temperature, the tour was very interesting as we had an amazing British guide who had been giving tours at Chartres for over 50 years. Needless to say, he knew every detail, story, and myth about the place. My favorite thing about the entire cathedral was the three stained glass windows under the rose window (shown to the right above). These three windows are the oldest in the cathedral, dating back to the 12th century. Our guide explained the religious imagery contained in each tiny panel of all three, which I thought was fascinating. Maybe I've never taken a proper tour of a cathedral before, but I had never realized that every single pane in huge windows like these tells a story.

Next on the agenda at Chartres was a class at the tourism center on how to make French macarons (credit goes to my friend Melissa for the adorable set-up above...I ate mine way too fast for anything of the sort)! As someone who is obsessed with both Ladurée and baking, I very much enjoyed this experience. We made simple chocolate macarons, and it turns out that they are not that hard to make at all! Plus, they taste incredible when they're fresh and warm from the oven (like all baked goods, really). My housemate and I have grand plans to make them at home very soon.

After dinner in Chartres and a night spent in an abbey-turned-hotel/hostel, we set out for Versailles on Saturday morning. After a delicious lunch at La Taverne de Maître Kanter, we headed across the street (yes, literally) to visit the castle. The first picture (photo credit to Melissa), is my Melissa, my housemate Noelle, and I in front of the famed golden gates of Versailles. The three of us were together when we were stuck in London overnight trying to get here, and needless to say it served as a bonding experience.

I had been to Versailles before and done the standard audio tour, but this time we had the opportunity to take a guided tour through some of the private apartments, so it was a completely different experience. As I walked through the castle, I kept trying (in vain) to imagine what it must have been like to actually live there and wake up to the overwhelming splendor every day, not to mention living the intensely public lifestyle of Henry XIV, who created the building's present splendor. My favorite part of the tour was being able to go inside the castle's chapel, a gorgeous, ancient space that's like a museum in itself. 

The weekend ended with our second weekly trip to the Marais, just as delightful as the first. We strolled, shopped, ate fresh bread and espresso, and ended the day with (is anyone surprised?) more macarons! This time from Maison Georges Larnicol on the Rue de Rivoli. Just one small stop on the grueling quest of finding the best macarons in Paris; it's a difficult job but we've selflessly volunteered to attempt it.

My first week of classes, although a bit less exciting than the weekend, went very well. I started my internship at a luxury French travel agency on Wednesday and, despite, my nerves, it went very well and I'm excited to go back for my second day tomorrow! Many thanks to my French teachers over the years for making me able to survive in a business environment here.

As a random closing note, this song has been a recent obsession. I know, I know, it's American, but when I listen to it I feel like I should be speeding down the Champs-Elysées, all lit up at night, in some swanky movie scene (even though I haven't even taken a taxi since the one from the airport when I first arrived).  

La Première Semaine

I can't believe I let more than a week in Paris go by without a post!  Although my arrival at Charles de Gaulle was approximately 30 hours later than expected (a long, painful story), the time since that eventual touchdown has flown by!  A few days ago, I even started jotting down quick notes on my days just so that I could keep them straight, but finally I have the time to record them all.  Today marks the end of a week and a half of intensive language sessions and orientation, and I can't wait to get started on what will become my everyday life here in Paris.  To recap, a few of the biggest and best things I've seen so far:

While this is a terrible picture of the breathtaking sight that is the Musée d'Orsay, it is indeed the only shot I have of the day (disclaimer: a photog I am not, and my cell phone camera of choice does nothing to enhance that fact).  But as unexciting as this photo is, this is actually my favorite part of the museum, because it's the part most telling of the museum's past life as a train station, and provides a wide view of the Paris skyline.  Of course, the paintings and sculptures within are just as awe-inspiring, the smooth lines of Degas and and the brain twister that is pointillism being among the most exciting to me.  After a quick lunch, we took the metro to the infamous Champs Elysées for some window shopping (better described in French as le lèche-vitrines, or "licking the windows").  However, a Saturday afternoon among throngs of tourists proved too much for my exhausted housemate and I, so our visit was short-lived.

After sleeping off the last of our jet lag on Sunday morning, we ventured out to what quickly became my favorite area of Paris so far, le Marais. A very old district of Paris that was once inhabited by the rich before the French Revolution, the Marais is now an area full of winding cobblestone roads, often closed to motorists, chock-full of vintage shops, boutiques, and tiny French cafés like one might see in a storybook. Then, every few streets, there is a huge building or square rich with history and culture, like the Place des Vosges, pictured above. Built by Henri IV and completed in 1612, it is the oldest planned square in Paris and has since been home to countless individuals and stories. To stand amid the fountains, manicured grass, and playing children is a magical experience even in the dead of winter.  Somewhere between the fifth basement full of vintage disco dresses and the second pain au chocolat, we decided to make a visit to the Marais an official Sunday tradition.

After capping off our weekend with an inaugural crêpe, the week of language intensives was upon us. However, I lucked out with a fantastic French professor who makes class more than bearable.  Also, being able to leave class and stroll along the Seine or explore the Panthéon tends to make the days a little more exciting! Already I feel like I've lived here for months, and I can't wait to discover what else Paris, and my experience here, has to offer.