Mon Amie, Marie Antoinette

In my Paris: Biography of a city book for my Art History Class - I've come to the chapter on the French Revolution. This subject as always fascinated me - mostly, I think, because of my weird yet severe obsesssion with Marie Antoinette and Versailles. (Louis XVI.... not so much.)

So, of course after reading all about her today for homework, and visiting the Musee Carnavalet this past weekend, I had a sudden urge to watch the movie, because not only is it one of my favorites, but it is truly a visual feast of fashion, pasteries, and pugs! What could be better?

I love this movie because while historically it is most likely farther than way off, and we all know from paintings that Marie was not nearly as cute as Kristin Dunst is - it does paint such a wonderful picture of how every girl imagines life as queen would be, and makes her into a heroine. I have felt rather attached to her since I saw it the first time. I think had I lived in the 1700s, I would have been one of her favorites. I may even have been able to advise her not to say some things that got her in serious trouble with the Parisiens - like "let them eat cake." I would have suggested she instead bake everyone cupcakes! Problem solved! Maybe then she would have been buried with her head in tact!

The Real Marie Antoinette vs. Kristin Dunst as Marie Antoinette

What is most interesting about her to me is that she truly set the fashions for all of Paris. Her "royal designer" Rose Bertin, would not let anyone wear a new style until she had. So Marie was always the first to set the trends of how many bows should be on your dress, and how high your matching hairdo should stand! She called the shots! Marie was the Anna Wintour of the 1700s.

However her life of eating Laudree macaroons, drinking endless glasses of champagne and playing with her pugs could not last too long. Marie was eventually taken prisoner in the Conciergerie (which happens to be one of my favorite buildings in Paris). The revolutionaries killed her best friend and "waved her severed and desecrated head on a pike" in front of Marie's prision window, until she was eventually taken to the Guillotine and killed. Now no one deserves that!

The movie was actually filmed at Versailles too - which is an amazing way to live vicariously through film if you have never been. I love - love - LOVE Versailles. Just to walk up the grand walkway and imagine 300 years ago arriving in your horse and carriage, being in an enormously huge and elaborate dress, ready to attend some sort of fete. I could sit in the jardin there all day, and let my imagination go wild.

So, I would like to attempt to clear Marie Antoinette's name. She probably had very little, if anything, to do with the decisions being made by the regime, yet she was blamed. She had a husband who had countless mistresses, so she never found true love and she was never liked by the French from the start - purely for being Austrian! So she sought happiness in the things any girl would - macarons, dresses, and puppies. Is that really such a crime?

Why I Should Have Been Queen

I have decided that I would have made an excellent queen of France. I could do a spactacular job at wearing beautiful clothes, eating delicious pasteries, living in a cheateau, and influencing my husband on deciding how to run the country. It is really too bad that I was not born a princess in the 1700s. I could have gone down in history as "Anna the Wonderful"

I came to this realization today as I was wandering around the jardin of Malmaison. We had off for the French holiday Amistice Day, so I took the opportunity to take a petit voyage outside of Paris! I love that I can live here, in a big, modern city - but then I can take the train only 20 minutes outside the city to a small little town that is home to the chateau where Napoleon's wife Josephine once lived. This is something so unqiue about Europe and I absolutely love it! Malmaison is the chateau that Napoleon bought for Josephine, his first wife. He used to visit her there on weekends, until their divorce. But I wanted to see it mainly because of the famous love letters Napoleon wrote to Josephine while he was away at war and she was living there. I've read some in the book "Love Letters of Great Men". (You know the one from Sex and City movie- that was not a real book, until the movie came out and every woman on Earth wanted that book - so they made one!) My lovely friend Kristin got it for me for Valentine's Day last year! They are truly some beautiful letters that he wrote to her. I highly recommend buying the book if you do not own it. It makes great late-night reading material - along with the Zagat of course.

So I arrived that the train station in the little town of Malmaison, where I discovered the bus there would be an hour wait, as I had just missed it. Alors, I walked! Which turned out to be wonderful because the little town is lined with trees that are changing colors for fall! So the gold, purple, red, and green leaves were blowing in the wind and creating the most scenic walk to the chateau! It is a very modest chateau, compared to the others I have been too - but very charming. I was quite disappointed that the top floor, which has dresses of Josephine's on display - was closed! It was very inconsiderate of them to close the most interesting part of the chateau during my visit! But, I was not let down by the huge, original, painting of "Napoleon crossing the Alps." It was stunning! I have always loved that painting, I think it is so dramatic and stunning, so it was very cool to see the original one hanging in his wife's old chateau. There is also a giant park next to the chateau, where I sat on a bench reading some of my book about the history of Paris while I watched a group of tiny French children running around and picnicing. They were so adorable and small. I love how highly their voices are - it makes it extra cute when they speak French!

My next stop on my chateau trail will be Fontainebleu, the chateau Napoleon built for himself while he was emperor. I so enjoy visiting the Chateaux here. They are all different, each with their own history and story, and it is so interesting to see them. When I am inside, I can never get over the fact that this is where they lived! I am standing in the very hall Napoleon once stood. It is remarkable. I must say, he was quite handsome in all of his paintings! It is too bad that Josephine did him wrong and lost his love forever. It's like Josh said "you just never know if your husband is going to become emperor of the known world." Better be on your best behavior!

All You Have To Do Is Swing!

Anytime I think of my sejour in Paris - I will remeber this night. Tonight was one of the most fun and french nights I have had in Paris! Caroline, her friend Alieen, and I danced our night away with the locals at le caveau de la huchette - an underground live jazz and swing-dancing club in the latin quartier.

This place was so adorable and unique. We walked down the windy stairs into the "caveau" where the live jazz band was busy playing so all the locals could show their stuff. We were noticably not locals - not many french people have 3 feet of blonde, wavy hair! We also were some of the youngest poeople there - which made it so fun! Everyone was a charming, french person with their dancing shoes on (some of them with taps!) - and they all seemed to know eachother! They were all switching dancing partners and having a blast!

The dancefloor has seating all around it, so you can sit and admire the dancers, and join in whenever you want - as we did! It did not take long for some of the dance-shoe-clad, 50 something, hysterical frenchmen to invite us for a dance! Things took off from there - and we spent most of the night out on the floor attempting to following the fancy footwork and spining around! I just have to say - dancing like that is SO MUCH FUN. I didn't even know what I was doing, and it was fun! So I can only imagine how fun it is to actually know the steps and dance with a partner really fast!

Of the locals, there was Richard - wearing a black dresshirt and necktie. I only know his name because he insisted on giving me his card so we could dance again on these dance-boat parties. There was Patrice - who I think was my favorite. He was from the Congo and made the most hysterical expressions when he danced, really putting his soul into it. A younger frenchmen, who danced SO fast, some cute, old little frenchmen, and two other native African men, both in black and white saddle shoes! They were the best dancers there - except for the adorable old man wearing black dress-overalls and shiny black tap shoes! He had to be in his mid 80s, and the few times he danced, he was amazing! Pulling out tricks like no one else! Not to mention when we left at 2am - he was still going strong! Only in Paris!

When they weren't dancing with one of us - there were several, amazing women showing their stuff too! Out favorite by far was this adorable, little woman. All dressed in black, with short, dark hair and her dancing shoes as well! She was the perfect illustration of a perfect french woman - and she could dance!

If you can imagine this scene - you can imagine how much fun we had! We were making fools of ourselves with our complete lack of swing dancing skills, but having a blast trying! It was so fun to be somewhere so unique to Paris, with a bunch of fun, nice, french people, and get to dance all night! By the time we left we were exausted, sweaty, and much better at dancing than 3 hours before!

If you haven't guessed already - I am now obbsessed with learning to dance like that! I am thinking of investigating where Josh and I can take lessons in the city! How fun would that be! Speaking of Joshua - he is now 28! Today is his birthday - and I wish I could be with him to make a big fuss and bake him a cake! But since I sadly cannot, I wish him the very best birthday he could possibly have !

Pierre Herme, the God of Macarons.

I knew from the moment I removed the framboise/pistache macaron from it's beautifully presented packaging, and it was so soft that the mere act of touching it with my finger caused the delicate shell to crack - that the rumors were true. Pierre Herme is the God of macarons.

The macaron obbsession started when I came to Paris for the first time in 2007 with my sister, Tre. She knew about them, and it did not take me long to discover this little, multi-flavored treat, and name it as my favorite. If you don't know what a macaron is - I'm so sorry. You need to get it together and get informed, because it will change your life. There is no American equivlent to what it is - the texture, the tastes - they are incomparable! They are sort of sandwich cookies, made up of 2 delicate cake-like "shells" and filled with various types of filling, dependent entirely on the flavor, and the patisserie making them. However - like crepes, they are not all created equal! Some macarons are very disappointing. Dry, flavorless, and hard. The ideal macaroon is so soft it cannot be handeled, so flavorful that your tastebuds are going wild, and so moist that barely need to chew. When done correctly - it is magnifique in every way.

Laudree is the famous, Parisienne patisserie for macarons and other fancy tarts. Their handi-work is featured in one of my favorite movies, "Marie Antionette". Laudree was one of my first stops once I was back here - where I had a carmel buerre salee and a vanille and they were both amazing. I thought it was certain that they were truly wearers of the macaron crown. But then - I remembered a blog-post my brother, Todd, had forwarded to me about a macaron showdown between Laudree and Pierre Herme, in which Pierre Herme had won! I had never even heard of them at this point! So naturally, a stop there was on my "must do one day" list, and I was very fortunate that today - was that day.

The line was out the door of the little patisserie, which is always a good sign. When I got close enough to view of rainbow of mini-mac deliciousness, I began to panic! This panic always happens when trying to select macarons. Being faced with around 10 flavors, if not more, and only be able to choose a few! I knew I had to make the most of my visit, so I got four. Caramel and vanilla (so I could compare to Laudree) rose, and the choice of the fine man helping me, "raspberry and pistachio", which looked like a christmas macarron as it has red and green. I must note these macs are expensive! 1.50 Euro each! Which is midly obscene for a macaron I thought - and then I tasted one and understood.

I started to pull out the framboise/pistache macaroon, once I was sitting near a scenic fountain, only to find the mere graze of my finger nearly crushed the macaron. It was perfect texture. I took one bite - and then I died. I am currently writing this as an angel - up in heaven, asking God if he could arrange for Pierre to whip up some more for dessert tomorrow.

The mix of the flavors was incredible! And the combined, jelly-like filling of the raspberry and pistachio was unlike anything i've ever tasted. I had planned to save the others for later - but there was no way I could resist now. The rose was eating a fresh grown flower, the caramel was the perfect salty/sweet combination - and the vanilla was this intense, vanilla bean flavor that tasted like my buttercream frosting in macaroon form. I could not believe I was eating something so perfect. Pierre knows what he is doing!

I do not, unfortunately, have original photos because I did not have my camera with me in attempt to lessen the weight of my bag - so I will simply have to return soon to have more, and get a photo to remember them by when I am back in the United States, where Chips Ahoy is the cookie of choice.

If you are now desperate to try a macaron, as you should be - unfortuantely it will be quite impossible. The ONLY acceptable place I have had a macaroon outside of Paris is a darling, authentic, french, patisserie that is a favorite spot of mine in New York City called "Madeleine." It is on 23rd between 6th and 7th, and they have a huge selection of flavors, and a delicious macaron. But really, you should just fly to Paris and try them here at Pierre Herme, because then you will know that you can die happy.

http://www.pierreherme.com/index.cgi?&cwsid=9964phAC194316ph1890557

http://www.madeleinepatisserie.com/Madeleine_Patisserie/Home.html

Madeleine Vionnet, My New Idol.

Hooray for beautiful, sunny fall days in Paris!! Today was another delight with clear blue skys and a bright sun, shining its rays down on la tour!

Aujourd'hui, after church, and lunch of a PB&J on my pumpkin bread (YUM) I went to la musee de l'art decoratif. And it could very well be the coolest museum I have seen yet in Paris! I went because I saw a publicite for the Madeleine Vionnet exhibit, which was GORGEOUS - but I ended up being blown away by the whole museum!

It is connected to the La Louvre, but is its own museum, which has a bunch of cool, decorative things like fashion, furniture, and toys! I am quite obsessed with musuems! There are so many wonderful ones in Paris, and I get into them all for free - so why try to get to them all?

Madeleine Vionnet is important to the fashion world for many reasons - but she is famous for inventing the bias cut, using crepe like it was never used before, and making the most exquisite evening gowns of the 1930s. So, you can only imagine how beautiful the exhibit was! A gigantic, black room, where all the dresses were dramatically displayed on mirror-backed platforms, so you could see the dresses from all angles. Then, they had photos of the dresses on the model from the original shoots. There are not even words! I was in evening gown heaven. I wish I had places to go that I needed gorgeous, crepe, evening gowns for! And matching gloves, and handbags. I have always loved dressing up. I often think I should have lived in the 1950s when you had to put on a dress, gloves, and a hat just to go to the grocery store. Oh, those were the days for fashion.

So, after I saw the amazing exhibit - I continued to the furniture by decades rooms, which were so cool. The rooms showed the cool furniture designs from the 40s - 2000s. The 60-70s room was the coolest. They had this awesome, cool-chair display in the middle, and then a little room on the side where you could sit in some of the chairs and watch a 70s movie, while you enjoyed the giant windows with views of the Tour and Tuilieries, and Sacre Couer. Incroyable! It was such a wonderful surprise - to wonder into a museum not knowing what to expect, and see such incredibly cool things!

I also discovered the Carosuel de Louvre today, which is the boutiques and restuarants under the Louvre! When I forced myself to head home to get my homework done, I stopped for a delicious ham and cheese crepe, it had been awhile and the mec a fait un bon crepe pour moi! I ate it sitting my the fountains at hotel de ville, looking out across the Pont Neuf onto Notre Dame....loving Paris, as usual.

I also got to Skype with my adorable nephew, Oliver - currently the cutest baby boy in the world, with a smile that melts your heart! All in all - another wonderful, Parisienne day!

Chateaux de Chantilly

Another beautiful fall day in Paris! I love Fridays! Mostly - I love having no school on Fridays! It's so wonderful to wake up, and go do something fun while other people are in class, being tortured with history and grammer. Why be in class, when you can be out in France? Today we took a small day trip to the chateaux de Chantilly! (Pronounced "Chan - t - ya" if you are French, and Chan-tilly if you are me and want to pronounce it the way that sounds funner). I need to point out at this point that while "funner" is not actually a word - I consider it one and will therefore use it. So, we boarded the RER and 45 minutes later were in the cute little ville de Chantilly! Famous for horses, golfing, and of course - Chantilly creme! From the train station, the castle was a nice, 20 minute walk on this tree-lined trail of cuteness! The chateaux is really beautiful, and now is considered a museum because it holds the impressive and large art collection of the last duke who lived in it. A lof of original furniture is also there, which is also cool to see. We got there just in time as a college tour group - so we planned on tagging along so we could learn about the castle, but the tour guide was pretty doomful. Her tour was boring - so we departed the group and did our own thing!

Like all chateaux in France, there are enormous, beautiful, gardens! So many acres of land there is no way it was all used. In Chantilly - there is a formal, French garden behind the chateaux, an English garden on one side, and a Chinese-garden out to the east, along with a mini-forest. We walked through it all, stopping in the mini forest to admire the "hamlet." This a little, watt

le and daub, farm-type house, that Marie Antionette used when she built her Hamlet in the gardens of Versailles. It was tres charmant!

Since it is now nearly November, there was no one there! We basically had the entire chateaux and gardens to ourselves, which was wonderful! Except that all the "food kiosks" were closed, so there was no where to eat the lunch I had imagined, and to try a glob of creme! Alors, I had to wait until later, when we left and walked through the centre ville to get back to the train station. We found a little boulangerie where I got what was like a "giant pig in a blanket" - aptly named by Josh. It was a hot dog, inside a buttery, croissant-like, pastry thing. In otherwords - it was heaven in hot dog form. I was so starving too that it was extra delicious!

It is so awesome that these amazing, historical places are just a short-train ride away from Paris. And that there are hundreds of them! I could go somewhere different everyday of the week - and still not see half of it! It is kind of maddening, but I really love visiting chateaux - and the little villages around them. There is something so amazing to me about the fact that people actually lived in these enormous castles hundreds of years ago. They wore gigantic, elborate dresses, and had fancy balls! Now that I know a little about architecture, I love trying to anaylze and understand it. I really love France for its history, as well as its beauty. I asked Josh when we were in the Loire if he could spend one day in any time period, any place, as anyone - what he would choose. A really tough question to answer! He chose to be a founding father of the United States in 1776. I chose to be Marie Antionette (pre French Revolution), living at Versaille and going to huge ball. If only someone would invent the time machine......

The Sweet Smell of Poitron!

What is that sweet, harvesty scent, wafting fresh-baked through the air of my little cuisine at the moment? Ahhh, mais bien sur! C'est le pain du poitron!

Yes - today was a VERY magnifique day because I found Libby's pumpkin puree, and there is currently a load of homemade pumpkin bread cooking in my oven. Ohhhh it's going to be a glorious morning!

There is a petit and I mean petit American store called "The Real McCoy" located right by school - where one can find what the French consider "American" groceries. For example - Reese Puffs, Quaker Oatmeal, Duncan Hines cake mixes, canned frosting, marshmallow fluff, cream cheese, Campbells soup - and yes, Libbys pumpkin puree!! You can only imagine my excitement upon finding it! The wheels turning in my head of all the delicious things I would make with it! However, my excitment died down a bit when I realized it was 5euro a can, but it's totally worth it! I just have to be spare with the things I bake - to make sure I am using it to the best of my ability! So - I beg of you to send me your best pumpkin receipe so I can get to baking! I have used 1/2 can on some "Old Maine Pumpkin Bread, ' currently in my oven. But there is 1 1/2 cans left to make cookies, pie, muffins, smoothies - you tell me! I did find one AMAZING looking recipe for Paula Deans "Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes" but unfortunately too many of the ingredients are unfindable here -so that will have to wait until next fall. But - send me your best stuff! I also picked up some extra crunchy JIF! OH to have PB again.

My pantry is now stocked, and opening it to my stock of yummy spreads puts me in a frenzy of joy.

Have I mentioned yet that today was GORGEOUS! It was a picture-Paris-perfect fall day! After class, I knew I had to go somewhere and take advantage - so Caroline and I hiked over to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, a very famous cemetry in the 20eme. It was beyond cool. It is absolutely huge, and in France all the graves are above ground, mostly in these little gothic style plots that look straight out of a horror movie, all moss-covered and broken. Among the people there are Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Chopin, and Oscar Wilde - who had the coolest grave by a longshot. We visited them all, but Oscar's was my favorite. Covered in lip-stick kisses and insrctiptions from loving visitors, it sits near the back of the cemetery. If the red kisses and scribbles weren't enough to make it stand out - it has this really unique design and right above the ground it says "here lies the greatest man who ever lived." What better phrase could you think of for your gravestone! You must admit it's hard to beat that! Below that sign, is a small notice from the French government, urging people to not deface the grave stone of Oscar Wilde, which clearly no one has obeyed. But is kissing and "Je t'aime, Oscar" really defacement? No one esle buried there had love notes on their grave - only shrubery. Flowers die, but a kiss - is forever.

The Importance of Being Earnest is my favorite work of Oscar Wilde. I think I may watch the Reese Witherspoon version tonight in his honor!

Today I was, again, thinking of how much I LOVE being here, and this thought was only stressed after spending the day in such a cool, Parisien place, I got to thinking - can you really put a pricetag on travel?

Luckily, for now, I am young and still under the support of my wonderful and unbelievably generous parents. But when I become a "real person" and my money needs to go to paying the bills, and buying clothes and food, and taking care of my puppy.... I promise to remind myself of these four months. That what I'm doing right now....there is simply no way to put a price on this! And I made some sacrifices of my own to come here - I worked hard all summer, I saved my money, I barely shopped for months! And a small part of me wondered if it would be as great as I imagined.... I can't even begin to describe the ways that my expectations were suceeded in my first month alone.

Is there really any reason good enough NOT do this if you can? For me.... no! I just know that this is apart of my life now. God created a huge, beautiful, world for us - and I have got to experience it. It's hard for me to think of somewhere I don't want to go! If it means that I will have the most modest of apartments, a less-important job, the end of gourmet restaurants, and that I'll never be able to afford a Caviar bag....so be it! I'd choose a plane ticket in my hand over a Chanel bag anyday.

La Parisienne Dans La Plu

What a wonderful, rainy, Parisienne day! It literally rained all day - and I was sans parapluie! I usually hate the rain. But as I crossed the Pont Neuf towards home, watching the rain fall into the Seine and the fog settle around Notre Dame, listening to Edith Piaf on my Ipod, holding my baguette and bottle of Pinot Noir - I felt so French, and so fabulous. It was a moment I wanted to freeze. If there is any city in the world where rain only makes the city a new kind of wonderful, instead of ultimate doom - it's Paris. Rain is so iconic Paris than you actually kind of love it here when it rains.

I am fini with my exams! Ohhhh, it feels wonderful! I had my French oral this morning - which went....okay. I had to talk about myself and my aspriations, say my plans for the future, give advice to Madame about a "faux probleme" and them do a skit-type thing where I got to yell and pretend I was angry. Then I had to read some of le petit prince, where I was graded on pronounciation. Which is my weakness, as I am still striving to conquer the french "R." But I think that everything went bien.

I had a two hour break until my architecture class was meeting in les jardins de luxembourg, so I went to the area early to go the la musee Luxembourg, where there is a Tiffany Glass exhibit, which was okay - but not my favorite of exhibits I have seen here. Today my class went to the Palais Luxembourg, Chapelle de la Sourbonne, et Val de Grace. We are now studying Louis XIV and Baroque architecture. So the places we visited were all examples of that, and were all quite belle!

Like I said, it rained continuously, and I did not want to go all the way home to get my umbrella, so I just got wet. Good thing I woke up late and did not have time to wash my hair - because it was soaked and pulled back into a sopping wet bun by the end of my class. Once I got home, I took a hot shower, poured myself a glass of wine - and began to cook while I continued listening to Edith (the female, French-version of Sinatra). It was all quite magnifique!

I also booked my ticket to Florence! You can fly ridiculously cheap within Europe - so I am going to visit my friend Dyne- who is at FITFlorence, and eat some pizza and gelato and say ciao all weekend! How fun!! I have a long weekend because of "All Saints Day" - so I get to spend 5 days in Florence. I may even train-it over to Rome for a day or two to see the Vatican and Trevi Fountain, but I may be too in love with Florence to leave. I took Art History at FIT and learned so much about Florence, I cannot wait to see everything and actually be there! I have quite a busy November now! Florence, then London, then Holland! I am so thrilled to be able to travel in Europe. I have dreamed of doing this, and seeing these places my entire life! And to finally get to go, to see the things I've studied, be in the places I've dreamed of, visit friends, and to experience the culture - I am simply at a loss for words except for - I LOVE Europe. I LOVE Paris. I LOVE traveling.

That's all there is to it mes amis!

La Jour I Got A Fresh, Hot, Just-Baked Baguette - and It Changed My Life.

OH LA LA.
Moments ago, in la rue, I was trying to decide which boulangerie I should go to, to pick up a bageutte to accompany my pumpkin soup (more on the soup later). I went with the boulangerie at the end of my street, and as I left holding my warm, crusty, just-out-of-the-oven baguette - I knew I had made the right choice!

One bite in, I was in a world of bready-delight. I made myself wait until I was home to continue manging. Incroyable! Even more incroyable when I dipped it in my pumpkin soup. Yes - I found pumpkin in Paris. However - I found it in my grocery store, pre-made, and to be perfectly honest, it let me down. You can only imagine my glee in finding soupe de potrion, but it was kind of bland when I warmed it up for dinner last night. Nothing like the pumpkin harvest soup at au bon pain. So - the search will continue. I did ask my French teacher where I can find pumpkin things - and she told me to buy a pumpkin and make them! We actually went on a pumpkin/coooking discussion, and she ended up assigning us "make pumpkin soup" for our homework on Monday - where we will have a pumpkin soup-off! How fun! Of course, I will win. As soon as I find out where I can buy a pumpkin!

Right now, I'm watching a Ratatouille. I have finally become brave enough to watch it, because my own Ratatouille has been MIA for awhile now. It is really adorable. I learned on the Seine boat ride with Josh, that the restaurant in the movie, "Gusteau's" is based off a real resturant in Paris, called "La Tour d'Argent" and aside from being very famous - it is the oldest resturant in Paris! It gives the movie a whole new level of wonderfulness.

Tomorrow - I have my final midterm! Afterwards, I am going to go to the Palais de Luxembourg, where there is a beautiful Tiffany glass exhibit right now! My architecture class is meeting there to go to the Sourbonne chapel. So - I get to see two things in one day! A much needed cultural experience to celebrate the offical end of midterms!

I must say - whoever wrote Ratatouille must have loved Paris almost as much as I do! It truly has some wonderful lines! Like
""what better place to dream, than in Paris?"

Falling In Love With La Musee Rodin!

Today was magnifique! I slept it (heavenly) and woke up a beautiful, blue, clear sky and shining soleil! How bon I thought! I knew immeaditley that I needed to make the most of the sun-soaked day and get myself somewhere beautiful! So, I did!

My initial idea to go on a run through Tuileries was cast aside when I remembered I have yet to see the Musee Rodin, and since it is largely a jardin - it is best to go when it is nice outside! So, I re-planned my day to include doing my homework in the gardens of the museum, like Josh told me he always used to. I owe my trip to the musee to Josh, who on the first night we met and talked about loving Paris, told me how wonderful the Rodin Musuem was, and that he used to take his homework there because it was so wonderful. We meant to go together while he was here, but we ran out of days! So I took advantage of today by doing a visit alone.

What a wonderful Parisienne surprise the musee Rodin was! Not that I didn't expect it to be beautiful, after what Josh had told me, and just general knowledge that everything is beautiful in Paris - but it was gorgeous! I was in love after two minutes! From the street, you can see into the gardens but you would have no idea how big they are! Let me describe the scene....

Enormous, strikingly beautiful Rodin bronze sculptures scattered around the gardens, which are filled with giant, mulit-colored rose bushes, harvest-colored leafy trees, and the golden dome of invalide and the tip of the tour peaking through! Then, you turn around the side of the Palais, which is the actual museum part, and there is a huge, tree-lined promenade that leads down to a pond, and behind the pond this tri-arch shrubbery that has a little park with giant wooden lounge chairs! On each side of the promenade are little tree covered walkways that have more sculptures all around! It is insanely beautiful! I was so taken with the jardins, I wanted to kick myself for never coming when it was still warm!

I sat on one of the many benches surronding the Palais, and did some of my homework. Mostly reading the history of Paris for my art history class - which was very appropriate! I stayed until the museum was almost closed, so I would have time to go see in the inside. Rodin's sculptures are so stunning. I feel like sculpting is an under-rated art form. Unlike a canvas, which you only see and admire from straight on - a sculpture you can walk around and analyze 360 degrees, and the mere fact that is was carved out of a giant slab of something, is incredible! Josh taught me that Rodin's sculptures are characterized by giant hands and feet, which was extremely evident. I also noticed they all have really complex poses, and are all extremely muscular. The most famous, la penseur (the thinker) sits in the middle of the front gardens. What an appropriate place to do homework - next to the thinker. But, my favorite sculpture was "The Kiss." Weather permitting, I plan to copy my boyfriend as much as possible, and do my homework at the Rodin Musuem. I will just have to bundle up, and bring along some chocolat chaud for warmth!

This week will be busy! I have a presentation in marketing and a speech tomorrow, a project due in french on tuesday, and an oral exam for my midterm in French on Wednesday! My lunch tomorrow is going to be depressing...knowing that last Monday I had lunch at Jules Verne with mon amour. One week you're eating ox cheek at the top of the Eiffel Tower with your love, and the next week your eating a baguette sandwhich in the campus bar alone. Alright - I won't be alone, but it sounds more dramatic that way. Yes - I am still sad my boyfriend is gone, but it's been a few days since I cried last - so things are looking up! I will be home in a matter of months, so I have been able to get over my sadness and translate it into happiness that it happened, and excitement for January.

I go home in two months from tomorrow. How has two months gone this fast....? I have no idea, but it is triste! Going home for the holidays will be wonderful, and so will seeing my family and friends. But I will soon be crying because Paris is gone! And I have a feeling that will take more than a few days to get over, because I do not know when I will see it again.