Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Paris holds the key to your heart
Last week (Wednesday November 23) we had a thanksgiving fête at the center. It was a potluck and Sara, Emily, and I made stuffing à la Martha Stewart. Needless to say (thanks to Martha – and probably the Christmas music we were listening to while we made it) the stuffing was a grand success. Everyone loved it. Vanderbilt provided the turkey and it was ok – by no means equal to an American thanksgiving turkey (it was not fried). My other favorite part was the desserts – someone made banana cream pie, which was surprisingly good and there was a delicious apple pie. Sadly all the food ran out before I could get a second round – on the upside though I didn’t feel like I was about to pop after Thanksgiving. Then again maybe my lack of Violet Beauregard type feelings was a bad thing, because it meant it wasn’t a real Thanksgiving. Oh well. I didn’t have too much time to think about that though because the next morning we were off off off to Paris like a flash.
The whole group went to Paris, which was at times annoying (like herding cats). Other than the fact that reassembling a group of 20 people is very hard, Paris was a stupendous (comme d’hab). Thursday afternoon we just wandered around the city and took a boat ride down the Seine (un bateau mouche). It was very foggy so when we reached the Eiffel Tower, we could only see the bottom half of it. This was the first time I had been to Paris in the winter/fall so it was really interesting to see a different side/season of the city. It was cold and gray most of the time, but most of the trees still had magnificently colored leaves. I saw many golden trees. But back to Thursday. After the boat ride we just wandered about. Eventually the group (minus one late person) wandered over to our dinner place. Vanderbilt paid for our first dinner. It was unremarkable and vaguely unappetizing – but I was free so I tried to eat as much as I could. Our hostel was right next to Hotel de Ville (mayor’s office) and about a five-minute walk from Notre Dame. It was very wonderful to be in the center of the city – we could walk to all of the major landmarks – also as it was the oldest part of the city, there were tons of super cool medieval houses still.
Friday we had a tour of Sainte Chapelle in the morning. Sainte Chapelle was built by King Louis IX (Saint Louis) from 1239-1248 to hold the relics of the Passion. It is smack dab in the middle of the current Palais de Justice and in the middle of the old court. The most frappant (striking) part of the church is the stained glass in the main sanctuary. Essentially all of the walls are covered in stained glass and I LOVE stained glass. One of the windowpanes even depicts Louis IX and Marguerite Queen of Provence carrying the relics to Paris. I loved it. For lunch I found a super hipster restaurant/juice bar with Ellen and another friend. The place served bouchées – little round pieces of casseroles, soufflés, risottos, and hot dogs (!). I got a pineapple, orange, and mint juice (divine) and we split hot dog (very good) chèvre et epinards (spinach and goat cheese soufflé), parmesan et asperge (parmesan and asparagus quiche) and risotto aux cèpes (mushroom risotto). I loved all of it! In the afternoon we had a guided tour of the Louvre. Our teacher from our Art and Literature class gave us the tour. We saw many of the paintings we studied in class and a few others. Sadly, as with all trips to the Louvre, (the GIANT major art museum that is situated in the old Palace) I ended up getting extremely exhausted and minorly cranky. The tour was interesting – I love the stories and contexts of paintings as much as the next guy (probably more) but I can only take it for so long – and three hours was too long. Right before dinner we dashed (more like shuffled) over to Angelina’s for chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). French hot chocolate is a dream. It is very thick and served with a healthy dollop of whipped cream - a wonderful pick-me-up after trooping around museums and cold Paris for hours. Friday night I ate with a group of people at La Fourmi Ailée, an adorable/cozy restaurant in the Latin Quarter – one of my personal faves. Sara, Ellen, and I ate there on our last trip to Paris.
Saturday we got up late and some of us headed over to the marché aux puces (flea markets). We didn’t have a ton of time there, so I didn’t buy anything, but it was still fun to flâne around and see all the cool things for sale. After an unremarkable lunch (I actually can’t remember it) we went to the Musée D’Orsay for another guided tour with our prof. The Musée D’Orsay is Paris’s impressionist museum housed in an old train station – a very cool setting I think. I enjoyed this trip much more that the Louvre trip. We saw many of my faves: Monet’s Poppies, a painting of Turkeys by Monet, Le dejeuner en plein air by Manet (lunch in the open air), Vincent Van Gogh’s self portrait, some dancers by Degas… I really enjoyed it. After the museum trip Sara and I walked around for a while (we got lost…) and found a really cute teashop. We went in and bought some more chocolat chaud. Just the ticket. Later we met her friend MK for dinner at a café. It was ok – not my fave. After the café we jetted over to the Latin Quarter to go to a jazz club – Le Caveau des Oubliettes (the cave of the forgotten) that was a former prison. It was tiny and all in stone – so it really did look like a cave prison inside. Downstairs – where we saw the jazz – there was even a date and an inscription (Je serois pendu, I will be hanged) carved in the wall. Very cool atmosphere. The concert was pretty cool – it was packed so for the first half we had to sit on the stairs. Later we were able to move over to the main room – but we could only find seats 3 feet away from the singer. It was cool being so close, and not too loud, but somewhat distressing. At one point the singer grabbed Sara up to dance with him and I almost died. One of my greatest fears is audience participation – so I was terrified. Luckily I was spared. We stayed until about 1 then shuffled home and fell asleep.
Sunday, due to a breakdown in communication, I ended up wandering around the city by myself. I went to the Orangerie to see Monet’s water lilies. It was breathtaking and gorgeous. As I mentioned a while ago the canvases take up the entire wall (and all the walls are very long). I walked back from the Tuileries Gardens to our hostel – thus by the Seine, past the Louvre, and through the Place Vendome (where all the extremely fancy stores like Cartier are located). I found a sterling silver squirrel in one of the windows that I will buy when I make my first million (sadly, I don’t know how this will happen…). Then I met up with the group and headed back to Aix.
All in all a very delightful trip to Paris during which I did many new things: jazz concert, walked around the city by myself, tried and fell in love with chocolat chaud.
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| Sainte Chapelle in all its glory |
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| Paris in the fall |
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| yellow tree and its confetti |
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| half of the Eiffel Tower |
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| les bouchees |
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| the group |
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| hot chocolate - Parisian style |
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| Maggie and Sara |
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| Eiffel Tower |
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| Notre Dame celebrates Christmas |
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| Medieval houses |
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| Le Caveau des Oubliettes |
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| Christmas present idea |
Monday, November 28, 2011
How Bellegarde wastes time
So this is snagged from Emily's other (way more academic and fancy) blog...
"I’m spending all of my time doing school work, reading poetry, and watercolouring, but I take a short pause to publish a snippet of the current conversation going on in the auberge right now. It’s about Myers-Briggs personality types. Sara is an ESTP, and Maggie is an ISTJ, each of which is the contrast of the other. Now we understand the cereal box/messy table/cleaning bathroom scenarios, and also why Maggie used to check that the door was locked and the oven off before going to bed when she was little. Apparently ESTP and INFJ are each other’s animas, which means that Sara and I are going to fall in love with the boy version of each other. I’m an INFJ, which apparently is the weird, odd, strange, and extremely rare type. I’ll just go back to painting now . . ."
"I’m spending all of my time doing school work, reading poetry, and watercolouring, but I take a short pause to publish a snippet of the current conversation going on in the auberge right now. It’s about Myers-Briggs personality types. Sara is an ESTP, and Maggie is an ISTJ, each of which is the contrast of the other. Now we understand the cereal box/messy table/cleaning bathroom scenarios, and also why Maggie used to check that the door was locked and the oven off before going to bed when she was little. Apparently ESTP and INFJ are each other’s animas, which means that Sara and I are going to fall in love with the boy version of each other. I’m an INFJ, which apparently is the weird, odd, strange, and extremely rare type. I’ll just go back to painting now . . ."
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Overheard in the berge
"My computer is kind of crappy..." - Sara Adam
"What if our candy canes are broken?" - Maggie Howell
"Oh, then we won't leave the house." - Emily Gall
"What if our candy canes are broken?" - Maggie Howell
"Oh, then we won't leave the house." - Emily Gall
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
When in Spain, pretend you are fluent in Spanish
Last weekend Sara, Emily, Laura (a vandy friend), and I went to Madrid en España! It was easily the most enjoyable weekend I have had so far. I really loved Madrid. The city was quite pretty (unlike many other European cities that are in a troubling state of disrepair - read scaffolding everywhere). It had some very nice architecture - I would class in traditional. Also many of the buildings had ornate but not overly so friezes.
We arrived very late Friday night so we just took the metro to our hostel and collapsed into bed. Fun fact #: Spanish people love to fête (party) on the metro! Meaning that they have to-go cups of alcoholic drinks that they enjoy in transit whilst singing. It was hilarious!!
The next morning we grabbed a quick (free) breakfast at our hostel - we were late so they only had donuts left. Then we dashed off to meet Karen and Katherine, two Duke friends who are studying in Madrid this semester. Our first stop was their favorite chocolatería to get the oh-so-popular churros con chocolate (fried dough with chocolate sauce, which can be eater with the churros, or by itself). I was so excited about this that I had even dreamed about it the night before. It was a stupendous way to start our day!
After that we walked around, seeing the palace (though there is a royal family, the Spanish are not as obsessed about their royals as the English are with Elizabeth II and her crew), a park that offered a wonderful panoramic view of the city, and several plazas (del Sol, Mayor...). We also went to the Marcado de San Miguel - an indoor food market with tons of stalls. We saw tons of sides of pork - Spanish people get the ham freshly cut. Also one stall had some dried fish thing hanging. It was all spread out so it resembled some sort of bat creature. Spooky! ¡Muy extraño! (super bizarre) Eventually we stopped for lunch. I had paella for my started and it was divine!! They gave me a huge slice of lemon so I was able to make my meal as citrusy as I wanted (very). My second course was less pleasing and more sickening. I had calamari (squid) that was drenched in olive oil and paprika - not my fave. But I also had a nice sangria with my meal - my first one and I was wonderful. After lunch, we saw some more landmarks (Katherine and Karen were excellent tour guides). We went my a wonderful park (my second favorite in all of Europe - Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris is the best). We saw some Spanish wildlife - los gatos (cats)! After that we went to the Prado Museum. In the Prado you will find Fra Angelico's Annunciation, Goya's The Third of May, and many many other paintings from Rubens, El Greco, and Velázquez. I really enjoyed the medieval art section (comme d'hab). There were some very cool old (early medieval) wooden altar panels.
After the Prado we all broke up for naps (this was around 7pm). Around 9:30pm (!!) we all met up for dinner at this amazing tapas place called El Tigre. It was packed, so much so that to move around you had to pretend you had no bones and squeeze through tons of people. But it was incroyable (unbelievable)!!! They brought us tapas with our drinks - we all ordered Sangria again. Fun fact #2: all food in Spain is fried (this is either great or disastrous for your stomach). With our Sangrais we got wings (yuck! no thanks), bread and cheese (delicious in every country) and croquettas (fried balls of cheese - thus delicious) all for the low low price of 5 euros. While there (for several hours) we caught up with Karen and Katherine and met up with some other Duke-in-Spain people. After tapas (a highlight of the trip) we took the metro to a dance club. Fun fact #3: the metro closes at 1:45am. Though it was not that late, the metro was half closed - meaning that the trains still ran but all the escalators were stopped. To exit the metro we had to walk up six very long flights of stairs. Eventually we got to the club and danced for a few hours. The music was a mix of Spanish and American top 40 - I preferred the American songs (I knew all the words) but it was really great to hear Spanish music too. We got back to the hostel and our blessed beds around 4am (!!!!!). It was a feat indeed!!!
The next morning, Sunday, we grabbed a not-so-good breakfast (the Spanish version of pain au chocolat is far inferior to the French version) and headed off the Reina Sofia museum for a spot of art before heading back to Aix. The Reina Sofia houses modern art - so I was quite skeptical at first. But I ended up really enjoying it. We saw Picasso's Guernica, which was magnificent up close. It is a very large painting in person. Also, even though Picasso's figures are so abstract and simple, he communicates the pain and horror of the scene very well. We also saw some Dali and a colorful portrait of Tristan Tsara (the founder of the Dada movement). I really enjoyed the museum. Emily explained Picasso's theory of art, which I found quite helpful for appreciating art (especially modern art). Here is how she explains Picasso's theory on her blog:
"He states that he does not believe in art criticism, and his argument is that art is by nature the realm that is not burdened by rules (so one cannot impose rules on what one regards), and that the viewer cannot know the soul or the aims fo the artist, and that, since every artists is seeking truth, one cannot discount another's work; one must say, "This pleases me" or, "This pleases me not.""
Typical Emily - just being super smart and somehow making me smarter along the way. ut I think that for the most part, the art I saw this weekend pleased me. The trip was indeed a grand success! Katherine and Karen were wonderful hosts and tour guides.
It was a bit strange being in a place when I had no idea how to communicate. Luckily, Sara, Katherine, and Karen are all fluent in Spanish so they did all the talking. But whenever I was called upon to speak, whenever I bought something in a store, I kept spitting out French! I said "merci" instead of "gracias" and "oui" instead of "si". I was quite flustered. But I did manage to pick up a of Spanish here and there. So you might say I am trilingual at this point.
Quote of the weekend:
After a disastrous lunch "Ugh. Spain: 1, Emily: 0." - Emily Gall
We arrived very late Friday night so we just took the metro to our hostel and collapsed into bed. Fun fact #: Spanish people love to fête (party) on the metro! Meaning that they have to-go cups of alcoholic drinks that they enjoy in transit whilst singing. It was hilarious!!
The next morning we grabbed a quick (free) breakfast at our hostel - we were late so they only had donuts left. Then we dashed off to meet Karen and Katherine, two Duke friends who are studying in Madrid this semester. Our first stop was their favorite chocolatería to get the oh-so-popular churros con chocolate (fried dough with chocolate sauce, which can be eater with the churros, or by itself). I was so excited about this that I had even dreamed about it the night before. It was a stupendous way to start our day!
After that we walked around, seeing the palace (though there is a royal family, the Spanish are not as obsessed about their royals as the English are with Elizabeth II and her crew), a park that offered a wonderful panoramic view of the city, and several plazas (del Sol, Mayor...). We also went to the Marcado de San Miguel - an indoor food market with tons of stalls. We saw tons of sides of pork - Spanish people get the ham freshly cut. Also one stall had some dried fish thing hanging. It was all spread out so it resembled some sort of bat creature. Spooky! ¡Muy extraño! (super bizarre) Eventually we stopped for lunch. I had paella for my started and it was divine!! They gave me a huge slice of lemon so I was able to make my meal as citrusy as I wanted (very). My second course was less pleasing and more sickening. I had calamari (squid) that was drenched in olive oil and paprika - not my fave. But I also had a nice sangria with my meal - my first one and I was wonderful. After lunch, we saw some more landmarks (Katherine and Karen were excellent tour guides). We went my a wonderful park (my second favorite in all of Europe - Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris is the best). We saw some Spanish wildlife - los gatos (cats)! After that we went to the Prado Museum. In the Prado you will find Fra Angelico's Annunciation, Goya's The Third of May, and many many other paintings from Rubens, El Greco, and Velázquez. I really enjoyed the medieval art section (comme d'hab). There were some very cool old (early medieval) wooden altar panels.
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| Fra Angelico's Annunciation (1426) |
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| Goya's The Third of May (1808) - depicts Spanish Army's resistance to Napoleonic forces |
The next morning, Sunday, we grabbed a not-so-good breakfast (the Spanish version of pain au chocolat is far inferior to the French version) and headed off the Reina Sofia museum for a spot of art before heading back to Aix. The Reina Sofia houses modern art - so I was quite skeptical at first. But I ended up really enjoying it. We saw Picasso's Guernica, which was magnificent up close. It is a very large painting in person. Also, even though Picasso's figures are so abstract and simple, he communicates the pain and horror of the scene very well. We also saw some Dali and a colorful portrait of Tristan Tsara (the founder of the Dada movement). I really enjoyed the museum. Emily explained Picasso's theory of art, which I found quite helpful for appreciating art (especially modern art). Here is how she explains Picasso's theory on her blog:
"He states that he does not believe in art criticism, and his argument is that art is by nature the realm that is not burdened by rules (so one cannot impose rules on what one regards), and that the viewer cannot know the soul or the aims fo the artist, and that, since every artists is seeking truth, one cannot discount another's work; one must say, "This pleases me" or, "This pleases me not.""
Typical Emily - just being super smart and somehow making me smarter along the way. ut I think that for the most part, the art I saw this weekend pleased me. The trip was indeed a grand success! Katherine and Karen were wonderful hosts and tour guides.
It was a bit strange being in a place when I had no idea how to communicate. Luckily, Sara, Katherine, and Karen are all fluent in Spanish so they did all the talking. But whenever I was called upon to speak, whenever I bought something in a store, I kept spitting out French! I said "merci" instead of "gracias" and "oui" instead of "si". I was quite flustered. But I did manage to pick up a of Spanish here and there. So you might say I am trilingual at this point.
Quote of the weekend:
After a disastrous lunch "Ugh. Spain: 1, Emily: 0." - Emily Gall
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| Sara, Karen, Katherine: fun with churros con chocolate |
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| Mercado de San Miguel |
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| weird dried bat fish |
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| super cool street markers |
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| Emily, Katherine, Karen, Sara, Maggie, Laura, and MADRID |
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| Paella!!! muy delicioso |
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| a successful lunch |
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| park times! |
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| anyone fancy a dip? |
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| Laura, Katherine, Sara, Karen, and Maggie en route to the discoteca! |
Overheard in the berge
"Oh man. I just need to pin a thestral right now. I am in definite need of pinspiration." - Emily Gall
Friday, November 18, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Oh look! A garbage puddle - typical Marseille...
Today Sara, Emily, and I went to Marseille with our Provence class.
Let me begin with a mini rant. I do not like Marseille - pas du tout! It is a very dirty and smelly place. The only redeeming factor is the Notre Dame de la Garde (see post 2 posts ago) - and it is up on a hill (city on a hill?). The rest of the city is very dirty - trash (and trash water aka stanky gross water with trash in it that you sometimes step in whilst in Marseille) is EVERYWHERE!!!! But worse is the graffiti. I understand that big cities have graffiti - but Marseille has far too much of it. Woof. Also there are gross smells everywhere (probably emanating from the million kabob stands).
Despite all of those perfectly valid complaints, today's trip was quite enjoyable. First we went to the Marseillaise museum, which celebrates France's (very bloody) national anthem. It was actually quite informative and enjoyable. I will have you know that the song (while written in Strasbourg) first became popular as a revolutionary anthem in Marseille in 1792. To spread its popularity (and the revolutionary cause) 600 members of the Marseille National Guard trekked roughly 800 km from Marseille to Paris singing the song to citizens as the went along - thus spreading the song. Pretty cool!
After that museum we dashed over to the Regards de Provence museum - they were having a special exhibition of landscapes, portraits, and still-lifes from the Fauvist school and the Post-Impressionist school (these may or may not be the same thing, they are at least quite similar). Think bright colors, big/visible strokes. Many of the landscapes were seascapes that featured some famous red rocks in Provence. I really enjoyed some of the pictures. Here were some of my favorites:
I really enjoyed a lot of the paintings. Some were too blurry (the brush strokes were too obvious). I absolutely loved the super vivid colors!!!
Let me begin with a mini rant. I do not like Marseille - pas du tout! It is a very dirty and smelly place. The only redeeming factor is the Notre Dame de la Garde (see post 2 posts ago) - and it is up on a hill (city on a hill?). The rest of the city is very dirty - trash (and trash water aka stanky gross water with trash in it that you sometimes step in whilst in Marseille) is EVERYWHERE!!!! But worse is the graffiti. I understand that big cities have graffiti - but Marseille has far too much of it. Woof. Also there are gross smells everywhere (probably emanating from the million kabob stands).
Despite all of those perfectly valid complaints, today's trip was quite enjoyable. First we went to the Marseillaise museum, which celebrates France's (very bloody) national anthem. It was actually quite informative and enjoyable. I will have you know that the song (while written in Strasbourg) first became popular as a revolutionary anthem in Marseille in 1792. To spread its popularity (and the revolutionary cause) 600 members of the Marseille National Guard trekked roughly 800 km from Marseille to Paris singing the song to citizens as the went along - thus spreading the song. Pretty cool!
After that museum we dashed over to the Regards de Provence museum - they were having a special exhibition of landscapes, portraits, and still-lifes from the Fauvist school and the Post-Impressionist school (these may or may not be the same thing, they are at least quite similar). Think bright colors, big/visible strokes. Many of the landscapes were seascapes that featured some famous red rocks in Provence. I really enjoyed some of the pictures. Here were some of my favorites:
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| MY FAVORITE!!! Louis Valtat: Groupe de marbre au milieu de fleurs |
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| An Avett Brother - Louis Valtat: self portrait |
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| Valtat: Les Roches Rouges a Agay |
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| Valtat: Bouquet de lilac a la potiche chinoise |
I really enjoyed a lot of the paintings. Some were too blurry (the brush strokes were too obvious). I absolutely loved the super vivid colors!!!
In Marseille we also saw a murmuration - when a flock of starlings gets together and flies around in amazing synchronisity making patterns. I also learned that a group of starlings is called a murmuration, a group of owls is a parliament, a group of ravens is an unkindness, and a group of crows is a murder.
So that's it for my fun facts for today - hope you enjoyed them!
One last thing! I refound this gem today - it turns all your letters into llamas!! And who doesn't love a message written in llamas (it's so superior to messages written in the stars...)
One last thing! I refound this gem today - it turns all your letters into llamas!! And who doesn't love a message written in llamas (it's so superior to messages written in the stars...)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
More Delicious Food
The past two nights have been extraordinary as far as food goes - last night especially.
Last night, one of the Vanderbilt girls in our dinner group brought her mom and aunt to dinner - so naturally the woman we eat dinner with, Madame Betirac went all out. We usually have very good meals with her - she always includes a green salad, she makes delicious quiches, and occasionally (not nearly often enough) we have real dessert (instead of boring fruit salad or yogurt - hint these are NOT desserts, they do not signal the end of a meal to my tummy) such as Tarte Citron (lemon meringue pie) or mousse au chocolat. So all in all, I am generally quite satisfied with our dinners. But last night, in honor of the visitors, Mme Betirac outdid herself! We had beef tenderloin, haricot verts (french green beans - superior to american green beans), salad, polenta cubes with parmesan and lemon and MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT!!! And to top it all off we had wine with dinner (we've never ever had wine with dinner before, on select occasions, such as birthdays, we have a bit of wine before dinner, but never with). We had red wine (I didn't have any - still don't like red wine) and 2 roses (one from Provence, drier, and one from Langue D'Oc region, which was sweeter). It was a wonderful meal - we ate like kings (or maybe even queens)!
After our scrumptious dinner, Sara made an apple cake with a cinnamon sugar glaze (Emily's handiwork) for Renaud's birthday. He was very very pleased. We gave him his cake and sang happy birthday (en francais of course).
Tonight was also a special dinner because Madame Betirac had a concert (she plays the harpsichord in a few groups) so Christophe made dinner. But even more exciting were the guests! Some of Christophe's biking friends were there (Christophe does BMX bikes - not motobiking like Renaud). I feel like most of the time they were laughing at us and commenting in very rapid french how ridiculous we were. Which was fair, we were a bit silly tonight. But it was a fun meal nonetheless.
Tomorrow we go to Marseille for a field trip. Hopefully we all survive (just kidding - people, mostly Christophe, joke about how dangerous Marseille is, but in reality it's just a big city)! Thursday I volunteer at the middle school again, but I think I get to explain Thanksgiving to the younger kids. That should be very fun - I love explaining American holidays to them.
Last night, one of the Vanderbilt girls in our dinner group brought her mom and aunt to dinner - so naturally the woman we eat dinner with, Madame Betirac went all out. We usually have very good meals with her - she always includes a green salad, she makes delicious quiches, and occasionally (not nearly often enough) we have real dessert (instead of boring fruit salad or yogurt - hint these are NOT desserts, they do not signal the end of a meal to my tummy) such as Tarte Citron (lemon meringue pie) or mousse au chocolat. So all in all, I am generally quite satisfied with our dinners. But last night, in honor of the visitors, Mme Betirac outdid herself! We had beef tenderloin, haricot verts (french green beans - superior to american green beans), salad, polenta cubes with parmesan and lemon and MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT!!! And to top it all off we had wine with dinner (we've never ever had wine with dinner before, on select occasions, such as birthdays, we have a bit of wine before dinner, but never with). We had red wine (I didn't have any - still don't like red wine) and 2 roses (one from Provence, drier, and one from Langue D'Oc region, which was sweeter). It was a wonderful meal - we ate like kings (or maybe even queens)!
After our scrumptious dinner, Sara made an apple cake with a cinnamon sugar glaze (Emily's handiwork) for Renaud's birthday. He was very very pleased. We gave him his cake and sang happy birthday (en francais of course).
Tonight was also a special dinner because Madame Betirac had a concert (she plays the harpsichord in a few groups) so Christophe made dinner. But even more exciting were the guests! Some of Christophe's biking friends were there (Christophe does BMX bikes - not motobiking like Renaud). I feel like most of the time they were laughing at us and commenting in very rapid french how ridiculous we were. Which was fair, we were a bit silly tonight. But it was a fun meal nonetheless.
Tomorrow we go to Marseille for a field trip. Hopefully we all survive (just kidding - people, mostly Christophe, joke about how dangerous Marseille is, but in reality it's just a big city)! Thursday I volunteer at the middle school again, but I think I get to explain Thanksgiving to the younger kids. That should be very fun - I love explaining American holidays to them.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Popes, Another Lucky Pot, and Guests!
To make up for our lazy last weekend we did tons this weekend!
We had another guest, Nick (you may or may not have heard of him, some say he is kind of a big deal)!! He arrived Thursday morning - Emily and I picked him up from the bus station. We all hung out/went to class/walked around town (in various and sundry combinations) Thursday afternoon. Thursday night Sara and I took Nick to have dinner with our host family. Unfortunately we forgot that we were supposed to get there 30 minutes early. Fortunately we brought champagne and raspberries (Nick's hostess gift). Also we had sour kraut and potatoes for dinner. It was delicious - I personally love love love sour kraut. After dinner Nick, Sara, and I met with Emily and some of our other friends at a cafe for dessert/drinks.
Friday we got up and met our friend Laura at the neighborhood boulangerie for a bible study/catch up session. It was really nice - an energizing way to start the day! Then we met Caroline and we all went off to Marseille. Here is some background about Marseille: it is on the Mediterranean sea, it was originally a Greek settlement (as in the Golden Age of Greece - wabam! it's that old) named Massilia, it gets mixed reviews. Our Provence class teacher lives there and loves loves loves/raves about it. Our host/dinner brother, Christophe, detestes Marseille. Nearly every meal (whenever Marseille is brought up), Christophe decries the city and says how dangerous it is. He tells us to never ever go there (unless we want to die...). When we told him we were going on Wednesday for a class field trip - he said "I hope you survive". His diatribes (friendly - but prevalent nonetheless) are basically a dinner group joke now. But despite all his warnings we went to Marseille. We took the bus from Aix (it took approximately one and a half hours to buy tickets - typical France...) and then the Metro (yes, you read correctly, Marseille has a metro system) to the Vieux Port (old port). We grabbed lunch in the area. I made the mistake of ordering a very heavy cream sauce pasta - it haunted me (aka sat heavily in my stomach) all day. We took the bus up to Notre Dame de la Garde - a catholic basilica on top of the hill. The views over the Mediterranean were gorgeous - it was just before sunset so the light was a dream. The sun was breaking through the clouds in rays and then the rays hit the ocean so you could see sun spots on the ocean. It was one of the coolest things I've seen this semester. The basilica itself was very beautiful. The outside was green and white striped stone (a bit like the Duomo). The decorations inside were really spectacular - very ornate painted walls and ceilings. I really enjoyed the church. After taking tons tons tons of great photos we took the bus down (I got mega car sick) and headed back to Aix. We split up with Laura and Caroline for a bit - but then after dinner (only an apple for me) we headed over to their place for a movie - Invictus. Then bed time!!
Saturday was work work work. Nick and Sara got up a bit late, so we didn't make it to the marche until noonish. After speed shopping there we headed back, Nick took an afternoon length nap. I worked on an essay about Phedre (not my best ever...) and Sara did some creative work (designed her website, emailed some people). After 5 we woke up Nick and started preparing for our pot luck. Sara made pasta with Vodka sauce. I swept/cleaned the auberge. We listened to Christmas music during our prep - it was delightful. Everyone came over around 7:30. It was definitely the best pot luck of the semester - people brought great food - everyone really stepped it up. We had a tomato tart, rosemary vegetables, salad, sara's pasta, cheese, bread, egg/sausage/green pepper sandwiches, pesto risotto, and apple cake. Then Emily and her parents (who are in town for the week) popped in with wine, cheese, and grapes! Everyone stayed for almost 3 hours!!! Sara, Nick, and I talked with Emily's parents a bunch. They were wonderful - no wonder Emily is so great! After the pot luck ended, we talked some more with the Galls. Then we went to bed.
Sunday (today) we got up a bit early and headed out quickly to meet Emily's parents who were going to take us to Avignon!! I have been trying to go to Avignon all semester. It was too rainy last weekend, and the only weekend it was too expensive. In an example of French highway robbery, the bus to Avignon costs 35 euros!!! But because the Galls have a rental car, we were able to go today for free.99 (aka no money!!!). It was so kind of them to take us along. We got to the city around 10 so we parked our car and headed to the Palais des Papes. History lesson!!!!! From 1309-1377 the popes were based in Avignon (also called the Babylonian Captivity). During that time there were 7 (legitimate) popes (all French, and all increasingly loyal to the French crown). The move happened because of political instability in Italy - the civil war between the Guelfs and Ghibellines was particularly out of hand during this period. Part of the Avignon papacy witnessed the Western Schism, in which there were two popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon - both of which claimed to be the real pope. There were two such instances between 1378-1423. But that's enough history for now! So basically the Palais des Papes was the Papal Palace for some years in the 14th century. We took a tour - complete with audio guides! We saw many large stone rooms - dining halls, chapels, meeting rooms, antechambers to the papal apartments. Some rooms were had painted walls - sadly we could take pictures - but they were very beautiful. Another cool thing: there was an exhibit (and then later some rooms) of painted ceramic tiles. Chronologically, first there were mostly geometric designs, then later the designs became more complicated and featured animals (real and imaginary). After the Palais, we had a leisurely lunch and then set off to the Pont Saint-Benezet. It is a very old bridge that was built after a man, Benezet, received a message from God in which he was told he must build a bridge across the Rhone river in Avignon. When he mentioned his command to the Pope and citizens, they all laughed at him and told him that they would believe him if he could lift an incredibly (and up until that point unliftable) boulder. He did and they were convinced. We had more audio guides for the bridge but I can't remember anything specific - except this little gem. At one point, during a papal procession on the bridge, two cardinals slipped on the icy bridge and fell into the Rhone. Luckily boatmen saved them! The Pope, after ordering the bridge to be paved, offered his own doctor and gave the two men money to make them feel better! After the bridge we walked back to the car and drove home. The Galls dropped us home and we made dinner. Then the Galls returned and we had bread, red wine, pasta carbonara, salad and chocolate molten cake. All very delicious. Then Nick did all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen - it was fantastic!!!
So that was our super duper busy weekend. Now I have two more Provençal cities to add to my scrapbook!! Next weekend we go to Madrid to visit some friends from Duke - so that should be swell. Other than that - the end of the semester is rapidly approaching! Only five weeks left - which I am happy about. I can't wait to get back home and see everyone in Jax and celebrate Christmas!!!!
We had another guest, Nick (you may or may not have heard of him, some say he is kind of a big deal)!! He arrived Thursday morning - Emily and I picked him up from the bus station. We all hung out/went to class/walked around town (in various and sundry combinations) Thursday afternoon. Thursday night Sara and I took Nick to have dinner with our host family. Unfortunately we forgot that we were supposed to get there 30 minutes early. Fortunately we brought champagne and raspberries (Nick's hostess gift). Also we had sour kraut and potatoes for dinner. It was delicious - I personally love love love sour kraut. After dinner Nick, Sara, and I met with Emily and some of our other friends at a cafe for dessert/drinks.
Friday we got up and met our friend Laura at the neighborhood boulangerie for a bible study/catch up session. It was really nice - an energizing way to start the day! Then we met Caroline and we all went off to Marseille. Here is some background about Marseille: it is on the Mediterranean sea, it was originally a Greek settlement (as in the Golden Age of Greece - wabam! it's that old) named Massilia, it gets mixed reviews. Our Provence class teacher lives there and loves loves loves/raves about it. Our host/dinner brother, Christophe, detestes Marseille. Nearly every meal (whenever Marseille is brought up), Christophe decries the city and says how dangerous it is. He tells us to never ever go there (unless we want to die...). When we told him we were going on Wednesday for a class field trip - he said "I hope you survive". His diatribes (friendly - but prevalent nonetheless) are basically a dinner group joke now. But despite all his warnings we went to Marseille. We took the bus from Aix (it took approximately one and a half hours to buy tickets - typical France...) and then the Metro (yes, you read correctly, Marseille has a metro system) to the Vieux Port (old port). We grabbed lunch in the area. I made the mistake of ordering a very heavy cream sauce pasta - it haunted me (aka sat heavily in my stomach) all day. We took the bus up to Notre Dame de la Garde - a catholic basilica on top of the hill. The views over the Mediterranean were gorgeous - it was just before sunset so the light was a dream. The sun was breaking through the clouds in rays and then the rays hit the ocean so you could see sun spots on the ocean. It was one of the coolest things I've seen this semester. The basilica itself was very beautiful. The outside was green and white striped stone (a bit like the Duomo). The decorations inside were really spectacular - very ornate painted walls and ceilings. I really enjoyed the church. After taking tons tons tons of great photos we took the bus down (I got mega car sick) and headed back to Aix. We split up with Laura and Caroline for a bit - but then after dinner (only an apple for me) we headed over to their place for a movie - Invictus. Then bed time!!
Saturday was work work work. Nick and Sara got up a bit late, so we didn't make it to the marche until noonish. After speed shopping there we headed back, Nick took an afternoon length nap. I worked on an essay about Phedre (not my best ever...) and Sara did some creative work (designed her website, emailed some people). After 5 we woke up Nick and started preparing for our pot luck. Sara made pasta with Vodka sauce. I swept/cleaned the auberge. We listened to Christmas music during our prep - it was delightful. Everyone came over around 7:30. It was definitely the best pot luck of the semester - people brought great food - everyone really stepped it up. We had a tomato tart, rosemary vegetables, salad, sara's pasta, cheese, bread, egg/sausage/green pepper sandwiches, pesto risotto, and apple cake. Then Emily and her parents (who are in town for the week) popped in with wine, cheese, and grapes! Everyone stayed for almost 3 hours!!! Sara, Nick, and I talked with Emily's parents a bunch. They were wonderful - no wonder Emily is so great! After the pot luck ended, we talked some more with the Galls. Then we went to bed.
Sunday (today) we got up a bit early and headed out quickly to meet Emily's parents who were going to take us to Avignon!! I have been trying to go to Avignon all semester. It was too rainy last weekend, and the only weekend it was too expensive. In an example of French highway robbery, the bus to Avignon costs 35 euros!!! But because the Galls have a rental car, we were able to go today for free.99 (aka no money!!!). It was so kind of them to take us along. We got to the city around 10 so we parked our car and headed to the Palais des Papes. History lesson!!!!! From 1309-1377 the popes were based in Avignon (also called the Babylonian Captivity). During that time there were 7 (legitimate) popes (all French, and all increasingly loyal to the French crown). The move happened because of political instability in Italy - the civil war between the Guelfs and Ghibellines was particularly out of hand during this period. Part of the Avignon papacy witnessed the Western Schism, in which there were two popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon - both of which claimed to be the real pope. There were two such instances between 1378-1423. But that's enough history for now! So basically the Palais des Papes was the Papal Palace for some years in the 14th century. We took a tour - complete with audio guides! We saw many large stone rooms - dining halls, chapels, meeting rooms, antechambers to the papal apartments. Some rooms were had painted walls - sadly we could take pictures - but they were very beautiful. Another cool thing: there was an exhibit (and then later some rooms) of painted ceramic tiles. Chronologically, first there were mostly geometric designs, then later the designs became more complicated and featured animals (real and imaginary). After the Palais, we had a leisurely lunch and then set off to the Pont Saint-Benezet. It is a very old bridge that was built after a man, Benezet, received a message from God in which he was told he must build a bridge across the Rhone river in Avignon. When he mentioned his command to the Pope and citizens, they all laughed at him and told him that they would believe him if he could lift an incredibly (and up until that point unliftable) boulder. He did and they were convinced. We had more audio guides for the bridge but I can't remember anything specific - except this little gem. At one point, during a papal procession on the bridge, two cardinals slipped on the icy bridge and fell into the Rhone. Luckily boatmen saved them! The Pope, after ordering the bridge to be paved, offered his own doctor and gave the two men money to make them feel better! After the bridge we walked back to the car and drove home. The Galls dropped us home and we made dinner. Then the Galls returned and we had bread, red wine, pasta carbonara, salad and chocolate molten cake. All very delicious. Then Nick did all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen - it was fantastic!!!
So that was our super duper busy weekend. Now I have two more Provençal cities to add to my scrapbook!! Next weekend we go to Madrid to visit some friends from Duke - so that should be swell. Other than that - the end of the semester is rapidly approaching! Only five weeks left - which I am happy about. I can't wait to get back home and see everyone in Jax and celebrate Christmas!!!!
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| View of Marseille/Mediterranean from Notre Dame de la Garde |
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| Notre Dame de la Garde |
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| Marseille/Chateau D'If in the Mediterranean sea |
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| SARA!!! |
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| Maggie |
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| Duke in Marseille: Nick, Sara, Maggie |
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| More Marseille |
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| Inside Notre Dame de la Garde |
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| Model of Palais des Papes |
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| Call me Ansel Adams:Avignon through a window |
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| Chapel in Palais des Papes - not how tiny the people are! |
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| Maggie, Sara, Emily on Pont Saint-Benezet |
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| Palais des Papes |
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
La rentrée
The past week was not extraordinary, which is to say that is was normal.
We arrived home from London on Sunday and didn't start classes again until Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday were blurs - we were sick, tired, and only left the auberge twice I believe. One bright spot was Halloween - it was Monday night. Another auberge was having a fête, so Emily, Sara, and I dressed up and brought candy. I dressed up as a "french person". I wore a striped shirt, baret, and black pants. Emily was Eloise at the Plaza, and Sara was Jimmy Neutron. It was really great to see everyone after their breaks. Also the party was a nice excuse to get out after being cooped up in the auberge for so long.
Our rentrée (restarting classes) was unremarkable. On Thursday I had my bénévolat (volunteering) at the school. I was asked to explain Guy Fawkes night to the children (the 6ème, 12 year olds). As it is their first year of English, I tried to speak slowly and use simple words (tried instead of attempted...). Once I finished my simple explanation, the teacher asked if they understood what I had said and the all answer "pas du tout" (not at all). Then she asked if they understood any individual words. A few raised their hands and responded "king" "very" "sixteen". Clearly my explanation was not very helpful. So I tried again in French and they got it - so many little light bulbs went off! It was pretty funny.
This past weekend, Sara had a friend from Paris come to stay with us while Emily went to Paris to visit a friend from high school. Sara's amie was MK. I had met her the first time I was in Paris, a few weeks ago. Despite the extremely rainy and windy weekend (it poured all weekend!!) we had a good time. Sara and MK walked around town a bunch and went to the local art museum. We also spent a good amount of time at the auberge working on letters (a bunch of our Duke friends send us letters last week, so I had to write them all back - luckily this allowed me to whittle down the insane stack of postcards I have accumulated this semester) and scrapbooks (I am making 2, one for a class assignment about Provence, and another that includes all of my trips outside of Provence). One night we went out to dinner and the other we visited another auberge for a pot luck! I assumed that not many people would go to the pot luck because, oh guess what, it was POURING that night (luckily the auberge was only about a five minute walk for us) but everyone who was in town went. I believe there were about 18 people there. It was a blast! Auberge Bellegarde (that's us) is going to host a pot luck/lucky pot (as the french call them) this Saturday.
I had to buy a new SIM card today for my cell phone (which is actually Sara's old Kenyan phone) because I lost mine in London. Luckily the SIM card was not too expensive at all. I went to the cell phone store and waited forever (it was worse than going to the apple store in the US). During my long wait, I started to get worried that the phone wouldn't work, or that I hadn't brought the proper form of ID (just general Maggie type worries) but luckily everything worked out, and I now have a working phone.
Our good friend from Duke, Nick Bodnar, is coming to visit us this weekend. Faithful readers will recall that we saw Nick just two weeks ago in London. He will arrive on Thursday and stay for the weekend. It will be fun. We are planning to go to Marseille on day and also to have a pot luck.
We arrived home from London on Sunday and didn't start classes again until Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday were blurs - we were sick, tired, and only left the auberge twice I believe. One bright spot was Halloween - it was Monday night. Another auberge was having a fête, so Emily, Sara, and I dressed up and brought candy. I dressed up as a "french person". I wore a striped shirt, baret, and black pants. Emily was Eloise at the Plaza, and Sara was Jimmy Neutron. It was really great to see everyone after their breaks. Also the party was a nice excuse to get out after being cooped up in the auberge for so long.
Our rentrée (restarting classes) was unremarkable. On Thursday I had my bénévolat (volunteering) at the school. I was asked to explain Guy Fawkes night to the children (the 6ème, 12 year olds). As it is their first year of English, I tried to speak slowly and use simple words (tried instead of attempted...). Once I finished my simple explanation, the teacher asked if they understood what I had said and the all answer "pas du tout" (not at all). Then she asked if they understood any individual words. A few raised their hands and responded "king" "very" "sixteen". Clearly my explanation was not very helpful. So I tried again in French and they got it - so many little light bulbs went off! It was pretty funny.
This past weekend, Sara had a friend from Paris come to stay with us while Emily went to Paris to visit a friend from high school. Sara's amie was MK. I had met her the first time I was in Paris, a few weeks ago. Despite the extremely rainy and windy weekend (it poured all weekend!!) we had a good time. Sara and MK walked around town a bunch and went to the local art museum. We also spent a good amount of time at the auberge working on letters (a bunch of our Duke friends send us letters last week, so I had to write them all back - luckily this allowed me to whittle down the insane stack of postcards I have accumulated this semester) and scrapbooks (I am making 2, one for a class assignment about Provence, and another that includes all of my trips outside of Provence). One night we went out to dinner and the other we visited another auberge for a pot luck! I assumed that not many people would go to the pot luck because, oh guess what, it was POURING that night (luckily the auberge was only about a five minute walk for us) but everyone who was in town went. I believe there were about 18 people there. It was a blast! Auberge Bellegarde (that's us) is going to host a pot luck/lucky pot (as the french call them) this Saturday.
I had to buy a new SIM card today for my cell phone (which is actually Sara's old Kenyan phone) because I lost mine in London. Luckily the SIM card was not too expensive at all. I went to the cell phone store and waited forever (it was worse than going to the apple store in the US). During my long wait, I started to get worried that the phone wouldn't work, or that I hadn't brought the proper form of ID (just general Maggie type worries) but luckily everything worked out, and I now have a working phone.
Our good friend from Duke, Nick Bodnar, is coming to visit us this weekend. Faithful readers will recall that we saw Nick just two weeks ago in London. He will arrive on Thursday and stay for the weekend. It will be fun. We are planning to go to Marseille on day and also to have a pot luck.
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| L'halloween: Eloise (Emily), French person (Maggie), Jimmy Neutron (Sara) |
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| Party Mode Emily: aka let me take a nap on the couch and wear a witch's hat |
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| DJ Sara, she's got the moves like Jagger |
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| Emily and Maggie |
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