A Walloon Welcome

Reunited with the Belgian family
I hopped on a train to Wallonie (Southern Belgium) last Friday to visit some amazing Belgians. The speedy T.G.V. (train de grande vitesse) transported me from Paris to Luxembourg in two hours. Boom. I was welcomed at the gare by my host momma, Carole. 

I lived with the Denis family, in the Luxembourg province of Belgium, for about a year when I was seventeen. Even though three years have passed, I felt right back at home in the town of Athus. Most everything and everyone remained the same, BUT it was strange seeing a taller and older version of my host bro Hugues (Zouzou). When he was fourteen years old, he was my height, but now at 17 years old, he's almost two feet taller than me.

Reunited with some Geneseo friends

I got back to Paris around 10pm on Sunday, and the next morning Lauren and I fetched Maddie Z. at the Gare du Lyon in Paris. Katy Boland joined in on the American fun the next morning when she arrived at CDG from her family visit in NY. Katy and Maddie are both studying in Southern France in Montpellier and had a nice two week vaca. Having them here was another slice of comfort and of home. They visited at a perfect time because my internship hasn't started yet and I only have two courses. So, Monday-Thursday I gave them a little sampling of Pariii...

I am enjoying some chai tea, icing my foot(f'd it up this week) and clearly...bloggin'. I didn't take that many pictures this week but I have been allowed access to some of Maddie Z's snap shots.

Back to Belgium

Host parents: Caroline 'Carole' and Jean-Francois 'Jiff'. 














                                                                       Philippe 'Feltie'(family friend) and Zouzou('little' host bro).

La Bouffe et la Biere:

Welcomed back with Carole and Jiff's food.

 Carole made one of my favorite dishes, her spagetti with bolognaise sauce, my first night! I was re-united with a few cold Leffe beers. I used to love drinking Kriek beer when I was there (cherry beer) but now, I find it too sweet! 

Saturday afternoon I went out to lunch with my good friend Violette 'Vio' and her bf Gilles. I was re-united with my favorite friterie "Chez Dewitt" and I ordered the classic mitraillette (english word: machine gun)

Mitraillette consits of: a baguette stuffed with hamburger, covered in crispy french fries and topped with your favorite sauce. My favorite sauce was ironically, and still is, 'la sauce americaine' because it is a spiciest mayo sauce. When I was in Belgium, I used to be able to finish a mitrailette sans problem, but after a few delectable bites I felt sick this time around...

My 'machine gun' (trust me, looks larger in person).

Vio's frites.




Jiff made a delicious boeuf and carotte stew Sunday for lunch...no picture shown but it was delish.

I also enjoyed my fair share of Belgian chocolate. I was saving some Galler chocolate for Lauren...until I ate it on the train. I owe her some. Luckily, I found out that I can locate Galler in Paris.  

Favorite chocolate...which aided me in gaining several kilos back in the day=Langues de Chats Galler Chocolat (Cat's Tongue).

Fresh faces
I met baby Fleur (Vio's' nièce) and Baby Victor (family friends' Marc and Julie's kid)











Justine, Fleur et Vio.

Oldest Host Bro Matthieu, with Victor (his best friend's kiddo).

Avi-chou's 21st

My friend Aveline turned 21 this weekend and I joined her b-day festivities in Luxembourg ville. Lots of fancy cafés,  it was a good time. I got to see some old friendies.

Aveline et Max.

Melanie, Estelle, Max et Logan.

Substituted water for beer for the most part...Belgians were taken aback, I used to drink like a fish three years ago.




My trip to Belgium last weekend was a little impromtu and I am planning on visiting again before I leave! It was so nice to relax with the host fam and see some ol friends. I also got hooked on the series 'Shameless' there, pretty good!

Back to Paris

Anne Sophie: Ou-es tu?

Roomie has not returned from home (Nantes, France) for over two weeks. Our last conversation was about how she was overwhelmed with coursework and didn't know if she was passionate enough about art history. I told her that most people don't know exactly what they want to do...I being one of them. She was leaning towards dropping out of school, but she told me she'd see me next week...
She has my phone number but I don't have her's. 

My hypothesis is that she's dropped out of school. But her books, clothes and perfum still remain... Will Anne-Sophie return? I know not.
It's been a long time...since I've seen Anne-Sophie.

 This song is so fitting for the situation:

Nonetheless, I'm enjoying the single room situtation.

Mysterious roomie situation led me to sneaking Maddie Z. into my room Monday. I'm not allowed to have guests but...

Day with Maddie Z.
Maddie came in Monday morn.
Cold/Slushy/Snowy weather BUT we still had a good time exploring Paris.
We walked around and  saw Notre Dame, Centre Pompidou and Hotel de Ville.

Notre Dame.




We dropped Maddie off at the Louvre so she could have some one-on-one time with La Jaconde (the Mona Lisa), while Lauren and I went to our night class from 5-7pm.

Eiffy was Sparkling

Met Maddie at the Louvre after class and we went to see the Eiffel tower together. Believe it or not, it was my first time seeing the Eiffel tower up close, so far! In the evening the Eiffel tower 'sparkles' for the first five minutes of every hour (we were unaware of this beforehand) and we got to see it all lit up. It was cool, I have to admit. Eiffy is a tourist attraction for a reason!





Arrival of Katy Boland... 
Jetsetting from NY, Katy joined us on Tuesday. 

To the Young and Happy Hostel
Maddie and Katy's crash-pad Tuesday and Wednesday night. 
http://www.youngandhappy.fr/
Set Maddie and Katy up in a Hostel right down the street...it was nice but they had to deal with some heavy snorers...Maddie and Katy have a few hostel stories.

Headed to Montmartre and Sacré Coeur
Kbols was fresh off the plane, but she was willing to get going so we went Montmartre and Sacre Coeur Tuesday afternoon.

After Sacré Coeur...we hit up the Champs aux Elysees and l'Arc de Triomphe
Il y a tous que vous voulez aux Champs aux Elysees...

L'Arc avec Katy et Lauren.

Good eats.

La Durée
75, avenue des Champs Elysées

I have heard good things about this famous pâtisserie so I wanted to take Maddie and Katy there! We all got macarons. I got a coconut macaron for 1euro70centimes. Delicieux!

Didn't spend any $ on frivolous commercial things with Maddie and Katy but I wanted to show them some yummy and cheap French food!
Le Vieux Bistro
54 Rue Mouffetard

entrée/plat/dessert: 12euro
-Classic French food.
-I ordered the goat cheese and spinach quiche, the steak and the fruit salad.
-Maddie and Katy ordered the quiche, the curried chicken and the chocolate mousse.
-Lauren ordered the quiche, the boeuf bourginon and the chocolate mousse.

ST. Germain/ST. Michel Resto 
apéritif/entrée/plat/dessert: 10euro!
-so great! I know where the resto is, I just forget the name of it.
-I ordered the mozzeralla and tomato salad, the boeuf bourginon and again...the fruit salad. 

Maddie went for the french onion soup, the boeuf bourginon and the nutella crepe. Katy also went for the french onion soup, then the lamb and finished with the chocolate mousse.

MacDo injury

-Tuesday night…I had a foot set-back. Walking from the Young&Happy hostel to my place I was startled by a shooting pain on the side of  my left foot. Luckily I was near Macdo so I sat there for awhile and rubbed my foot… I didn't have any money on me so I just sat down and starting rubbing my foot. Pain hasn’t gone away so I have been wearing my running sneaks everywhere and taking time off running (blah). I hope it heals soon…I am going through Luxembourg garden withdrawal.

Pain Killers, Pee and Père Lachaise

Wednesday…shot up pain killers  and went to Pere Lachaise cemetary (7km of cemetary mazes). I was really obnoxious hobbling around Lachaise then complaining about my need to urinate, yet despite that, we all had a good time.

Lots of famous people to see but we decided to choose one famous deceased person, our beloved MOLIERE!

-adventure finding him…passed him about four times before realizing he was right in-front of us!







-stumbled across others along the way.

-heard some crows CAWING...tried to get it on vid. and failed. 

Moliere's tomb.

Caffeine Recharge after La Chaise at Merci Café (blogged about before...went here with Lena)

\

Adieus to Maddie and Katy were grim but I am planning on spending my two week vacation at the end of April in the South of France! 

This weekend…I want to watch movies, read and rest my damn foot. Lauren and I want to walk around Versailles on Sunday if the foot is a'ight! Internship on Monday!

I'm excited to be busy...vacation time has been great, but I'm ready to have a schedule.

à la prochaine, FSC

Midnight in Paris

Some may consider the title of this post a little worn-out. It is, but, appropriately so. 

Lauren and I just finished watching the film 'Midnight in Paris.'

It is 11pm right now (almost midnight) and 

We are in Paris.

Et voila! 

When we first got to Paris, three weeks ago, we spent many seminal experiences zipping under the Seine on the métro. Generously, le soleil has been shining this past week. We have started connecting numerous geographic dots by foot which is in turn, bringing us a step closer to understanding ol’ Paris. We still have many more dots to connect. There are 20 arrondisements within the capital’s 55km circumference.

Most of the film was shot near the Sacre Coeur (18th arrondisement) and in the Latin Quarter (5th arrondisement; where I live). Lauren and I are familiar with these areas so it was truly enjoyable to be able to recognize: cafés in the 5^th where renowned literary and artistic people once frequented, parks that we have walked through and landmarks, such as Rodin’s ‘le Penseur,’ that we have observed. It’s off-the-cuff.

There are many memorable lines in the movie but one that stood out to me was when Paul (Michael Sheen) a.k.a. obnoxious prick, said this:

Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present... the name for this denial is golden age thinking - the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in - its a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present. 

This quote riled me up, maybe because I like to defend thinking and longing for the past as a positive entity, or maybe because I find it callously honest. I think there is consolation in reflecting on pleasant memories of the past as well as relishing in the idea of what has existed before our generation, especially here. Is it possible to be personally and historically nostalgic while at the same time, to be cognizant of the present? 

Yeah, I think it feasible to long for the past and enjoy the present as incongruous as that seems.The past—your past, my past, their past, shapes the present—your present, my present, and their present. 

Back to the film, Owen Wilson’s character getting wrapped up in the 1920s fantasy of Woody’s film was silly and amusing. It was a ‘re’-reflection on how fortunate I am to have the chance to be here.

P.S. The theme-song is just great. I am listening to it on repeat right now…I hope I don’t get sick of it.

This past week in Paris has zoomed by, but it has been a solid one.  

I went a litte h.a.m on the vid's this week...I am growing a fancy for whipping my camera out of my bag and hitting the 'record' button instead of snapping a photo.  Sometimes words can’t sufficiently describe a cool moment …It's easier for me to just show instead of tell, as it lessens the load on my fingers' keyboard workout.

Skipping over the Seine

I'm living and studying on la Rive Gauche (bank to the left of the Seine River) while Lena is studying and living on la Rive Droite (bank to the right). For me to walk across le Pont Neuf (first Parisian bridge connecting the banks) takes about 15min à pied. 

Un petit peu de history:

IT all started off with l'Ile du Paris 

(52 B.C.E. Gallic 'Parisii' people inhabited the island)--> Then, the creation du Pont Neuf (which translates to 'New Bridge' )--> Settlement on the Rive Droite-->Settlement on the Rive Gauche.

The Rive Droite (acedemia&literature origins)

 and 

the Rive Gauce (bourgeouise&business origins)

Check this out if you want some more information:

http://www.parislogue.com/featured-articles/left-bank-vs-right-bank-whats-the-difference.html

Lena and I walked from my school to hers on Friday (about a thirty minute walk from the 5th to the 3rd arrondisement).

Snaps from sights on the Left Bank:

Some more balcony pictures (with Lena and Mei-Lin)

Many book stores on the Left bank. Gilbert-Joseph book store had great  used book sales this weekend!

The Sorbonne (on the Left bank)

 

Crossing le Pont Neuf:

Snaps from the Right side of the Bank:

La tour ST. Jaques: built in the early 16th century and recently restored.

 Although the church was built during the Renaissance, it's designed in the gothic tradition. Many Christian pilgrims began their journey along the Saint-Jaques de la Cosmopolitan route here.

• 1793: The church is destroyed during the French Rev. 
• 1836: The City of Paris acquires the tower and it becomes the centerpiece of one of the city's first public squares.
• 2006: The city undertakes an intensive restoration project on the tower.
• 2009: The fully restored tower is unveiled.

Parc near Lena's school:

 

 Monoprix's are all over Paris...this is where Lena gets here lunch. It's our grocery store. The French 'Wegmans'.

The Skidmore Center: Lena's school

We passed by the Centre Pompidou (where the Dali exhibit is taking place)and heard a little street beat-boxing.

I walked through the Marais  with Christine on Saturday (4th arrondisement; one of my favorite areas of Paris)

The man in the car contraption (see video below) reminded me of the candy man in 'Chittychittybangbang'...

Sunday I went to the Musée d'Orsay
(Right Bank,7eme arrondissement)
It was incroyable! 
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/

Fun fact: Orsay used to be a train station. The view through the huge train clock was supa nice.



Plenty of Monet/Manet/Degas/Van Gogh to be found...it's overwhelming (in terms of the amount of art) but this visit, I stayed on the 5th floor for the most part (Impressionists). We couldn't take any pictures of the artwork, quel dommage!

Lauren, Talia and Carmen (another Geneseo-er visited Paris this weekend from Cadiz, Spain) met me there. 

Elephants are my favorite animals. I loved the elephant statue outside of Orsay.

The video below was taken right after we left the Museum. It is a little dizzy-ing to watch...I loved all of the commotion and felt the need to spin around in a circle and record it.

Walking from Orsay through the Tuilleries Gardens(1er arrondissement)...

I spy a prancing poodle. 

Uh oh...prissy poodle is joined by some dog friends(?). It was strange that all the dogs were white.

Here's a little clip from the Tuillerie Gardens earlier this week with some Skidmore folk:

GOOD EATS

Aux Charpentiers 

10, rue Mabillon, Paris 

I met Lena Thursday(St. Valentin) after my night class. We were famished and scuffled to the St. Germain restos (off of Boulevard ST. Michel). We found a resto that had 3-course meals for 10euro. Formidable deal and yumyumyummmy! I had goat-cheese and spinach quiche, pasta with veggies and chocolat mousse...

CROUS: The 'MJ' or 'Letch' of Paris.

http://www.crous-paris.fr/
A Diamond in the rough, in this expensive city, is CROUS student dining halls. There is one dining hall in every arrondisement. A fufilling lunch only costs 3euro10centimes! I have been grabbing lunch at the Port Royal CROUS almost every day this week.
Here's a video of the Lauren/Danny CROUS experience today:

BEST/LEAST EXPENSIVE CLEMENTINES&BANANAS

I made an amazing discovery this week. I found located a stationary street fruit vendor near the 'Cite Université' metro stop (where I have class three times a week) who sells fresh and delicieux fruits!

8 clementines for 1euro50

and 1 bunch of bananas for 1euro50.

NATURALIA

11 Rue Montorgueil

Paris

I had give up hope on the prospect of finding almond butter in Paris... until Lena escorted me to NATURALIA! Not only did I find almond butter but I found one of  my missing staples, chai tea! Favorite part of Friday! 

Café Philosphiques 

Cafés philosophiques (mini-history)

-Founded by former Trotskyist/French philosopher 

Marc Sautet(1947-98)

-Sautet worked alongside German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche

-Had an economically unsuccessful business as a “philo-therapist” in the Marais district (man&car contraption neighborhood).

-But…planted the seed for French ‘philosophy cafés’ which encouraged intellectual debates and free speech for the common man…it was a melding of food, drink and philosophy.

-1992: Sautet founded Café Philosophique.

-Over 150 cafés philo à Paris!!!

If you wanna read more check out the Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_Philosophique

So... I checked two cafés off the bucketlist. They were both in the Marais area.

Les Philosophes

28 Rue Vieille du Temple

 75003 Paris

                     


 Bookstore meets pub. I went with Lena and some of her Skidmore frands. Cool place.

Merci Café

111 boulevard Beaumarchais 75003 Paris 

Je suis tombée amoureuse! Tea room meets library.  Lena and I did some reading here Tuesday.

A change in scenery: Sunday morning the 20^th arrondisement

I woke up early Sunday (9 A.M.) to meet up with Lena and Julia (Skidmore-er) in their hood. Lena lives in the 19th and Julia lives in the 20th. Julia lives near the Père Lachaise cemetary which I want to go to asap...I really want to see Appolinaire,Balzac, Piaf, Chopin, Eluard and Jim Morrison's graves. 

Anyway, we just strolled in the 20th and checked out the Belleville Park.

I loved the brick buildings and colorful artwork in the 20th. It is the authentic, non-touristic Paris. I love it.

Warmed up with some espresso at 'Le Métro' Café.

Parc de Belleville:

I heard birds chirping for the first time in Paris in the 20th:

Serene Schooling:
I love going to 5-7pm class here à la Cité Universitaire. It's a beautiful escape from the city life and only 2 metro stops away from my Foyer!

Ah I have to make sure I make some time to do my devoirs for class tonight...I think I need to finish up w. this post soonsies!

MYSTERIOUS ROOMIE

Anne Sophie is a good roomie. We both are in our room literally just to sleep; we give eachother space and get along when we feel like making conversation...She told me that she was fed up with her studies last week and that she is going to leave Paris for the weekend and stay with her family in Western France and she'll be back by Monday. Thing is, she hasn't returned and it's been over a week. Literally have no clue where she is...hope she's alright.

Thank you and Goodnight,

It is time for me to get some shut-eye so I can get some work done tomorrow morn!

I'm soso looking forward to this W.E...I'm going back to Athus. Can't wait to reunited with the Luxembourg/Belgium crew! Can't wait to see the Denis family!

à la prochaine, FSC.