i capture the castle.

In the past few days, i have seen more castles than i can count. i prefer these smaller chateaux to the grand palaces of Versaille and Fontainebleau. They feel so much more preserved, a little less touched and off the beaten path. i love the gardens, the paintings, the spiral staircases. But most of all, i love...

the royals.

Quelle suprise, n'est-ce pas?

i like studying the royal family because i love stories, especially true stories. Their stories are full of suspense, intrigue, romance, infamy. So fun.

At each castle, i have taken a small notebook and written while sitting on a crumbling wall or beneath an archway. i like to pretend that i'm Cassandra Mortmain, trying to capture the moment as she captures her castle.

if France has taught me nothing else, i think that i have learned the beauty of a moment. All it takes is a little effort to capture it. 

laissez-moi de vous émerveiller

hier

Yesterday i spent Memorial Day at Omaha and Utah beaches in Normandy. It was a surreal experience to be at the site where history changed on the day where we remember the sacrifices of those men who accomplished that change. i should've realized that the day was going to be rough when i began crying in line to get our tickets. To be honest, it all started when i saw the English channel for the first time. Luckily, I have great friends who understand my quirky obsession with England and helped to calm me down.

 I spent the afternoon wandering around the beach and American Cemetery and cried a few more times. The coast there is so calm and so peaceful right now that it is hard to imagine that it was once the site of a huge battle. But that touched me almost more than anything, the cycle of renewal.

aujourd'hui

Mont Saint Michel was magical. i realize that i use that word a lot to describe France. But really, it does it the most justice. France isn't just beautiful or wonderful or impressive. It is all of those things but has an element of magic to it that words can't describe. Mont Saint Michel might be the most beautiful place i've ever experienced in my life. Darian and i put poppies in our hair and sang "Castle on a Cloud" from Les Mis. We lost track of time frolicking in the fields so that we nearly missed our tour, but luckily we made it. The whole time it was difficult to keep from quoting Harry Potter and Ever After.

When we finally made it to the top of the village, several nuns and monks were singing in the chapel at the top and i got shivers. The city is so ancient and so out of a story book. i loved running my hands over the walls and imagining the millions of people who have done likewise.

After, we left Normandie for the coast of Bretagne. Et voila! The English Channel! All to myself! i ran as fast as i could down the foggy beach, ran up to my knees in the water, and put my face straight in to kiss it. i was so happy that i was laughing uncontrollably...and some people call me crazy.

au revoir

i've been listening to this all day long while packing/doing homework. it's called "farewell" and will forever be my own farewell song to Paris. 

Tonight Melissa and I said our goodbyes to the city of lights with our roommate Julia and madame et monsieur. We walked around Ile de la Cité and ate pear ice cream. The sky was pink, and i felt like i was truly seeing la vie en rose as the pink light bounced off of the Seine and buildings. I asked Monsieur why they've always lived in Paris and he replied, "Paris gains a place in your heart that nothing can ever replace." I'd have to agree with him.

i'm glad the french don't have a word for goodbye, just for until we see each other again. That is how i feel tonight, my last night living in Paris. This is only the beginning of Paris for me. Gertrude Stein once said "America is my country and Paris is my hometown." While six weeks doesn't leave me with much claim on this city, I will always feel that way. I will carry Paris with me wherever I go for the rest of my life, jusqu'au revoir. 

merci paris, je t'aime beaucoup. 

 





 

mais moi, je vais seule*

i've been wanting to do a day in Paris all by myself for a while. So yesterday, after class, i said my goodbyes to my friends and decided to let serendipity be my guide. i will always remember yesterday as one of the best days of my life.

With just thoughts to accompany me, i spent the day writing in a notebook. Here are some excerpts of what i wrote:

café bonaparte

where i ate lunch

"So begins mon jour seul. i am sitting at le bonaparte in the 6e arrondissement, l'église de St. Germain to my left, and a jazz piano/sax duo across the street to serenade me. This is the area in which Fitzgerald and Hemingway wrote and i feel a bit as if i've stepped back in time. 

They say all roads lead to paris. i certainly hope so."

gaspacho+coke+dorian gray+notepad

trocadero 

bug in the corner?

 "Eating lauderée pistahio ice cream+macaroon that I i got after buying nail polish at Chanel. i have a feeling i will never feel so chic as i do in this moment.

Two boys and their little brother are rollerblading next to me. They are talking about all of the tourists, unaware that i can speak French. i love this paris, the one where the cliché mixes with the every day life."

{homework assignment below}

i bought my nail polish at Galarie Lafayette near les Grands Boulevards. This area of town is very posh and is impressive. There is a reason that the streets in this area are called the grand boulevards, with the wide roads and trees lining the sides. When i went into Chanel, i felt like i was in a very good movie with lots of posh people doing posh things. On this walk, we were also required to go to Opera Garnier. For those of you who know me, you'll know that one of my greatest fears is the Phantom of the Opera. Irrational, yes. It terrifies me all the same. So it took some coaxing to get me near l'Opera. The building was beautiful, which i begrudgingly admitted. And there really is a lake underneath the building. i hope i don't have nightmares.

tuilerie

not doing my homework

 "i'm sitting in tuilerie, along with about a million other tourists. i'm trying to do homework, but failing miserably. A young french couple sits across from me. He has a pony tail, she has a bob. He went to throw something away and she watched the whole time, a huge smile on her face. A mom is teaching her little girl how to walk, prompting her with 'marche, marche.' The little girl is laughing and kicking at the sand. An elderly couple is playing chess across the way, a woman is cuddling (yes, cuddling) with her dog, and a boy just asked for a girl's number next to me. 

Love is so relative. It's types are numberless. How amazing that in this city of millions of stories, each person means something to someone. 

Paris really is the city of love."

little girl who was learning to walk

 the seine

"Here i am, on the sidewalk on the left bank, across the street from le palais de justice. Today the Seine is a pea-green color, and while some might think it looks dirty, to me it is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

i've wanted more than anything for Paris to change me. Standing here, i realize that i won't go home a completely different person because i am who i am. But, i hope that i'll return a bit wiser, a bit more centered, a bit more refined. 

Oh how i'll miss this. i wish that i could stand her in definitely and live for ever. Or, in the words of John Keats, "swoon to death." i've found bits of myself here that i never knew existed. How impossible it would be to not leave some of my heart here in return. 

 This feeling is not over dramatic or overwhelming. It simply resides within me. And i will never be the same for it in the most subtle of ways."

le quartier latin

"i simply love it here. i love the way the bells play at Notre Dame. i love the way someone always seems to play the accordion or ragtime music. i can make more sense of the world, can see more beauty."

flower shop

la tour eiffel

"End of the day, back in my apartment. Everything about today was perfect. At seven, i made my way over to école militaire where i met up with Darian, Amanda, Heather, Julia, Macord and Melissa for dinner. 

After dinner, Heather, Melissa, Macord, and i went to the top of le tour eiffel. it was one of the best experiences of my life. When the twinkle lights came on, the crowds of people beneath at trocadero and champs de mars all sighed in unison and then cheered. i felt so much humanity in that shared moment with people from every corner of the world.

When we got to the top, after a terrifying elevator ride in which i almost fainted, i finally got over my fear of heights and went straight to the edge. My paris was sprawled out beneath me, like a treasure trove or a maze for mice. i stuck in my headphones and listened to hymn à l'amour. When she sings "dieu reunit ceux qui s'aiment" my vision blurred and i realized that that moment meant so much to me because of the love i have experienced in my life. No matter where i am, it is the love in my life that lends meaning and beauty. It is the people who make a place. And since i have loved my friends here in Paris, Paris will always mean that much more to me." 

* from this song

Amelie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It's a perfect moment. A soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her.

{while this has nothing whatsoever to do with the picture, spring has finally arrived here in Paris!}

Marie-Antoinette: This is ridiculous. Comtesse de Noailles: This, Madame, is Versailles.

Heather, Melissa, Macord, and I made our way back to Versailles after class yesterday. With blue skies to cheer us up, we spent a lovely afternoon laying in the flower fields at Marie Antoinette's hamlet. She created this faux-village as a sort of play house to which she could escape and throw make-believe parties. As for the chateau, my opinion improved upon experiencing the grounds. I've never seen something so regal in my life, nor do I think I will again. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm not at disneyland, that what I'm seeing is real. I've never had so many moments of unbelief as I've had here in France, nor have I had so many moments of magic. 

Less than a week left in Paris, and then I'm off to see the rest of La Belle France! 

ma chère famille,

i woke up with a sore throat this morning. a really bad sore throat. and that was after thirteen hours of sleep. 

it was my day off from school (you know, the one where i was supposed to go to London?). so in keeping with my Jo March attitude, i decided that i'd be darned if a sore throat would keep me from my Paris free time. 

that was until i got out of bed and saw stars. so i crept back under the covers to read the Picture of Dorian Gray. 

at about 13h00, after forcing orange juice down my throat and jumbling together a outfit comfortable enough for how i felt yet fashionable enough for Paris, i ventured outside my apartment where a torrential rainstorm awaited. i made my way to the post office a block away to mail postcards. But, in tradition of long French meals everywhere, the post office was closed for another hour for lunch. 

so, i bought an orange, crossed the street to the train station to seek refuge from the elements, and listened to the saxophone man play "Hey Jude" like he does all day every day.

at the end of the hour, i went back to the post office. after waiting in line for a half an hour, i realized that there was a machine that said "affranchissement" or "postage." feeling a tinsy bit dumb that for standing there forever, i rushed over to the machine and followed the instructions to buy a sheet of postage. 

that's when i broke the machine. with several rushed Parisians behind me. My one euro coin got stuck. don't ask me how. i sill don't know. a sweet older man came forward and asked "Avez-vous un problème?" what a dear. He offered me a key to un-jam the euro, then a pen, then a knife, then a paper clip. Finally, i asked the woman at the front desk to help me. I apologized for bothering her/breaking the machine/holding up the whole post office. She was only kindness. After twenty minutes or so of fidgeting, it budged! i bought my postage, stuck them on the postcards, and hurried home to get back in bed. 

i practically threw those postcards into the post box. i was so relieved to be home. that's when i realized i had bought domestic postage, not international. Seeing that i was almost in tears, my sweet roommate melissa offered to go back and ask them if they could open it up. 

Can you guess the end to this run-on story? they said no. 

so now all of your postcards are going to end up in an incinerator somewhere on the outskirts of Paris. 

i'm sorry. i tried. 

love, ems. 

le weekend.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

1. matisse at centre pompidou

2. another matisse

3. we float like two lovers in a painting by chagall 

4. parc monceau

5. his scarf!

6. tarte au café + tarte au citron from pierre hermé

7. lamp post at the louvre

8. macaron au framboise from ladurée

9. nougat stand

10. date stand

11. alley way in the fifth arrondissement

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ce weekend...

i went to the centre pompidou, where i stared at vivid colors and defined lines, so different from any other museum in paris. it was so refreshing and worth the view from the top.

this part is a homework assignment: i sat in parc monceau, a park in a ritzy part of town.The park was created in 1769 and is not crowded with many tourists, unlike many other parks in Paris. There are many white, mansard-roofed, ironed-gated buildings bordering the park. The first parachute drop happened here from a hot-air balloon and children play in the roman ruins and carousel. The park was a lovely mix of beautiful gardens and quirky attractions that gave it a oh-so parisien feel.

i ate lots and lots of pastries! Before France, i never loved desserts. If nothing else, Paris has changed that about me. In pierre hermé and laudurée, buying deserts is an experience. You choose your dessert from underneath a glass case, someone takes it out for you, and they wrap it nicely in a box with a bow. Leave it to the French to make buying dessert feel like buying expensive jewelry. It may be a little bit cliché snooty-french, but so worth it.

i stumbled upon an ethnic market by place de la bastille. I lost track of time with all of the foreign scents and sounds. I'm beginning to love this side of Paris as much as the French side of Paris.

i went to see the contemporary ballet Romeo and Juliet at l'opéra de la bastille. A mix between opera and ballet, the show, while a bit bizarre at times, was breathtaking.

i went to mass at l'église de la madeline. The service was beautiful, but my favorite part was watching the catholic school girls in their uniforms who sat in front of us.

i picnicked at Montmartre, sat along the Seine while reading Oscar Wilde, and the most delicious falafel i've ever had in the Marais.

i realized i only have so much time left here in the city of lights. le sigh. 

study spot

listening to bells  of notre dame while studying for exam=bliss

"The story of a Queen who lived like a Rock Star"

Récemment, j'ai visité...

Versailles.

high: quoting marie antoinette with darian and rachel as we walked through the rooms and rooms of marble and chandeliers 

low: freezing cold weather that made it impossible to visit the gardens

overall: not as good of an experience as Fontainebleau...but maybe another visit will change my opinion

Montmartre. (yes, again)

high: where to begin? talking with painters, finding a hidden vineyard, watching an old gypsy woman play the accordion, talking with Darian for hours beneath Sacre Cœur, eating gelato with Rachel, Amanda, and Fran. The list could go on and on. 

low: practically perfect day. But could've done without the p.d.a. on the hill. It's everywhere here.

overall: while touristy, Montmartre is magical. 'Nough said.

Musée d'Orsay.

high: more Monet, Van Gough, and Degas! That, and good conversation about literature with Macord

low: crowds of people...but still much more intimate than the Louvre

overall: i want to live there

La Tour Eiffel 

high: sampling all of the deserts that Melissa and I bought (we were even excused from class to do this!)


low: Chloe got her iphone stolen from right under our noses. Luckily, the police caught the culprits in the act. Whew. 

overall: i'll never get over how i can just do this whenever i want. i feel so blessed.

Le butte en Monmartre

mime in Montmartre

Since i'm going to talk about Montmartre, you should listen to this.

But first of all, time for a recap.

Yesterday i walked around the 16e arrondissement with Melissa and Heather. We saw the Statue of Liberty that the United States gave to France in 1986. it's the closest i've gotten to the one in New York and it was beautiful. In that area we also saw the bridge in inception (i took a pic for Rachel) and then we headed over to a museum that has many impressionist paintings. The Monets in the museum were so vivid. We then walked to les Bois de Bologne, one of Paris' best kept secrets. While not as charming as many French parks, this park is where the French actually go to hang out. You can rent a bike or a cute paddle boat and spend the day. We finished the day by splurging in our first real French restaurant in the Latin Quarter. I broke with my usual vegetarianism and ordered Shank of Lamb and had a few bites of Darian's duck. Darian and I split our favorite find in Paris, a Poire Belle Helene. Mmmmm.

Today after church, Melissa and I rushed over to Saint Chapelle, which we had never seen. It is a tiny chapel, but worth the visit. The windows were stunning and the whole room danced with color. After, we ate our lunch along the Seine (comme d'habitude), and then Maccord and i visited Père-Lachaise where we saw the graves of Chopin, Méliès, Gertrude Stein, Edith Piaf, and, of course, Oscar Wilde. I talked Macord, and English major, into putting on some tinted chapstick (lipstick was just too much), and we followed tradition by kissing the glass around his grave. Macord and I spent the rest of the afternoon on the hill in front of Sacre Cœur where we people watched and avoided the men who try to tie a bracelet around your wrist and then make you pay for it.

real food!

chopin's grave

shiny, shimmering thing

"How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being?" --oscar wilde

la vie est ailleurs

Spent a lovely day visiting les invalides, museé rodin, and la tour eiffel. The Rodin museum is by far one of my favorite places in all of Paris. The museum is an old mansion built in the 1720s. The colors and lighting of the house were stunning. The museum is also home to various monet and van gough paintings, but my favorites were, of course, the rodin sculptures. Each of Rodin's sculptures is infused with so much emotion. Rodin was interested in hands and the distance between touch, which i found especially moving. Outside of the mansion are some of the most beautiful gardens I've ever visited. There is a small woodsy area, a beautiful reflecting pond, rows and rows of roses, and beautiful sculptures scattered about. Unfortunately, Carla Bruni wasn't our tour guide like in Midnight in Paris. But we got in with our student art cards for free (those things are magic!) and felt like real French students with our official 'gratuite' stickers. 

We made our way over to les Invalides, the war museum of Paris  where millions pay homage to Napoleon at his tomb. Napoleon must've really had a little man complex, because his tomb is unbelievable. It is housed under a massive dome, with a gaudy altar. His actual tomb is as big as one story of the museum and is shaped like a massive treasure chest. Most French people still love him, as he laid the foundation of modern France, and there were  expensive fresh flowers strewn about the place. I think it must be the largest tomb in the world. 

To finish the day, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower, had a picnic, and watched les enfants on the carousel.  Maccord and I walked to the Louvre to watch the sunset. The City of Lights comes alive at night, and one can't help feeling a bit more alive experiencing it.