My Week in Forty Six Pictures

The assorted art is all from Le Centre Pompidou, which houses the National Museum of Modern Art. There was so much amazing art and I would have loved to spend hours and hours there, but I was exhausted and had a lot to do, so i had to cut my visit down to only 3.5 hours :/ It is by far my favorite exhibit so far, and the one I am most strongly considering revisiting on my last day here, which is Free Museum day.  Alors, without further ado, my week in 46 pictures. Feel free to question me down below. 

Quite close to home. The gallery on the top left is a different thing every week, I love it!

Walking into my appt

Art from Centre Pompidou

Walking around last Monday. Whatever the roof bubbles are, I want one

   

Thats my Prof, Mikkel, talking about Picasso

                                                                          

On the right is a remake of a wall in Andre Breton's appt

Views of Paris from the roof of the Centre

I love the white space

Some thoughts to keep with you this week :)

Montmartre and coming home with me!

I ventured up to Montmartre today, to see the Sacre Coeur and the surrounding views. It was swarming with tourists, despite the less than ideal weather, so I didn't spend much time up there, but I did wander some tiny streets and grab a few lovely photos. It was a great hike!

A cute little view  about 1/3 of the way up the hill.

You already know I love streets like this. In case you didn't, I LOVE THESE.

Down the back side of the hill, looks a little resort-y eh?

I don't know what this is. Look it up.

One portion of the view from the front of the church. See that building with the lights on it? (one third from right, half way down) I live about two buildings closer than that.

The tramway up the longest and steepest portion of the hill. I actually walked this, meandering around the hillside, and took the tram down.

The famous church. No, I didn't go inside because people.

The busy street coming from the tram to the metro stop, It is pretty much ALL souvenir shops and food stands.

Now, I realized that I haven't shown you any of my neighborhood yet, so I took a few quick pics on my way home, nothing extraordinary, but they give you a bit of a flavor for my neighborhood. It's mostly a through-way to get to larger areas, so even though there are lots of apartments and restaurants and pedestrians, the cars just keep going through. It's relatively quiet, and it's not my favorite place, but hey-it's home.Just kidding. It won't let me upload more pictures. Pictures of my neighborhood to come soon.

Finally, Love inside Paris

As long as I've been here, I've loved venturing outside the city to discover what sort of magic lies beyond the streets I see everyday. This weekend, finally found two places inside Paris that I can consider to be favorites. I've discovered that I don't like the neighborhood I live in, and why. It lacks character (I know, is it even legal to say that about Paris?) and it lacks open space. My two new faves are rich in both personality and air, and I loveeeeee it.
First, Paris 5th. I don't have any pictures of my own of the 5th, yet, but it is full of incredibly old and historically significant buildings that don't just look like the rest of 18th/19th century Paris. For example, the Pantheon!

Totally stole this from Rachelray.com

Several blocks away, but still feeling fine :)

The streets around this square are wide, and yet quiet, and I loved it. We happened to be walking by the local high school as their lunch period was ending, and it was really fun to see Parisian teenagers. I discovered that I've likely been seeing teenagers the whole time and didn't know it, because they are literally just miniature Parisians. They wear dark colored trench coats and carry Longchamp bags and briefcases and man purses and smoke in the street as they eat lunch from the boulangerie. It was sort of amusing to watch, but I also felt a twinge of jealously, I wish I was that sophisticated! Then again, I'm pretty happy I didn't have to wear heels to school every day...ick.

The next place is the area surrounding les Jardins du Ranelagh, in what I think is the 16th. It's a beautiful area with charming streets, trees everywhere, and a somehow smaller town feel, even while having a great view of the Eiffel Tower. It was a great place to spend a rainy afternoon.

I climbed out of the metro to this...so much better than my usual sight. 

LOOK! A bird IN THE AIR! I knew I would love it here.

My only real taste of fall. I love November :)

A closed down merry go round, still beautiful, even when not 'perfect' :)

I'm getting pretty sad about leaving so soon, even though I miss my family and my home, and its driving me mad to imagine a life without the metro and these rooftops and 89 cent bread that makes you be totally ok with everything in the world. I hope the weather turns soon, and that I feel better soon (have been a bit under the weather lately) so that I can enjoy my last few weeks here to the fullest.

Self centered universe and Germany!

I spent most of last week staying up all night on the internet and sleeping all day.
I loved it
I just ate 125 grams of Kinder.
I'm pretty sure I just gained back all the weight I've lost.
I discovered the Paris 5th, and I LOVE IT.
I still want to move here.
I hung out with my friend Vivien who I know from high school. She's from Germany Au Pairing just outside Paris. We had falafel and crepes and German chocolate and watched an excellent movie.
My roommate was gone for the weekend, and honestly, the space was fantastic!
I'm now tired and behind on homework and ready to come home for the holidays and also scared to death of leaving Paris because I know I might never come back.
My hunk of a boyfriend got his mission call last week to Germany Berlin! Whooo! Super stoked, couldn't be more excited or more proud.

I'll upload some pictures later this week. Probs.

St. Michel, you have stolen my heart

St. Michel.
I was on a mission tonight, I mission for falafel, because I had a craving. So I hopped on the 4 down to St Michel. I got lost, of course, and walked around the block to get my bearings before heading down a quiet and comfortable street called Saint Andre des Arts. I walked by quite a few little restaurants selling falafel, until I found it-Maoz Falafel. 4.90 for a great big pita with 5 balls of falafel and an open salad bar. I loaded mine up and walked down the streets,shoving my face with the best 5 euros I've ever spent. It was so good, in fact, that a pug belonging to a highly attractive young man followed me for half a block before his owner finally caught him. After that, I wandered the Seine, the Isles, and the streets surrounding. I went into several shops looking for a Paris patch, and was complimented on my french twice! Next I found a really big bookstore and bought some postcards, one of the best prices I've seen at 0.20 each. I had decided it was time to go home when I saw a sign for an English bookstore around the corner. I got lost again, of course, but finally happened upon a little tiny store, overfilled with books and twinkle lights. The man behind the counter was very nice, offering me coffee and book advice. He let me dig through stacks until I found one I was happy with, Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I went home after that, and there was an accident on the metro meaning my normally ten minute trip took thirty, but that's ok. All in all, I spent almost three hours on this trip, and only wandered a section about 5 blocks square.
     It's incredible what you will find if you just take the time.

I wish I could put into pictures the way the city feels, with the breeze as you walk with the Seine, or walking along a bustling tree lined road after work gets out, or meandering down a cobblestone alleyway with delicious food while people smile at you and say << bon appetit >>.  It really is a beautiful city, and I fall in love with it a little more every day.

Notre Dame de Paris in the setting sun

My spoils for the night, I only spent 4.50 on all of this! 

The Seine as the sun sets. I LOVE Paris. 

Hidden Pictures!

FINALLY found some pictures I new I took but couldn't find. They were meant to be panoramas, but because I have never taken one on my camera, they didn't turn out quite as nice as hoped for, but it still gives you a pretty good idea of why I love this place :) Click to enlarge!

This is from the top of the tower in the woods at Fontainebleau. I just love how lush everything is!

Some of the beautiful greenery along the promenade at the Chateau de Saint Germain en Laye

More of the view from said promenade, you can see Paris! 

An Afternoon for Learning

So we went to the Louvre today as a class, and I thought that I covered most of what I wanted to see when  I was there last week...boy, was I wrong! I discovered I am hugely fascinated with eighteenth century French painting, which I never would have know without Mikkel guiding us around. He never said much about the art, but he said enough to spark brilliant a-ha moments and long thought processes. I didn't take any pictures of the art, because it just feels cheap to me...I'd rather experience it. But if you are curious, feel free to do some google image searches. Some of my favorite works were done by a few of the following (brace yourselves):
Poussin
Claude Gelee/Lorrain
Louis/Antoine Le Nain
Louise Moillon
La Tour
Jan Van Goyen
Jan Van OS
Camille Corot
Rousseau
Alexandre Gabrielle Decamps
Vernet
Greuze
Hubert Robert
Rigaud
Nicolas de Largillierre
Watteau
Lancret
Boucher
Chardin
Fragonard
Regnault
Vigee le Brun
Francois Andre Vincent
Donovy
Valenciennes
Bidauld
Baron Francois Gerard
Gericault
Benoist
Ingres
Delacroix
Biard
Dupre
Caruelle d'Aligny
Charles Gleyre

Wow. So that's basically all of the French artists in the Lourve, plus or minus a few...

I said it was a day of learning, and it was. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days, and I decided what I really love more than anything else is thinking. Thinking hard, long, simply, with complexity, out of the box, upside down, in the bath, over breakfast, everything! And this trip to Paris has made me realize that while I LOVE to write, I love it because it drives and derives from thinking, and it something I can make concrete, for personal or public admiration. (um, yeah, I totally admire my own thoughts sometimes. . . )
So I don't think that my current major is the one for me anymore, which is interesting because I only applied for graduation....last week. So we will see what happens. Sorry, Mom and Dad for the frantic messaging...you know it isn't any different than having me at home!

So because I haven't been posting any pictures lately, I'll show you my two favorite things at the Louvre.

This is my favorite room, photo courtesy of the Louvre. For some sizing, those doors are traditional double wides, extra tall, obviously. 

And this is why it's my favorite room! Vaulted ceilings with some of my favorite decorations in Paris, GIANT paintings, great light, hidden doors, and a constant stream of people in and out who never stop to notice that you have. 

My favorite statue in the
Jardin des Tuileries, she is my best friend in Paris. 

I'm sorry for my apparent insanity, but I guess it's about time you realize that I truly am insane. Love you, parents! (And friends, I love you too!)