Versailles!

I expected Versailles to be the highlight of this trip, and it did not disappoint. From the elegant royal apartments to the sprawling gardens, it was all amazing. I went through the château itself twice and had an amazing lunch at a gourmet restaurant located in one of the old palace tea rooms. It felt like I had gone back in time!

Afterwords I visited the gardens. I Spent hours on the grounds and still only saw about half of all there was to see. My favorite part was Marie Antoinette's hamlet and the Petit Trianon. Both were even more extravagant than I had expected.  It was fascinating to see first hand how she lived.

I stayed in the gardens past closing time and eventually got kicked out by the guards. I had no idea where I was when they made me exit, so I wandered around the city and got great practice asking for directions in French. The people were very helpful and even complimented me on my French speaking!

Pink Dogs

Yup.
So we're walking down the street from Champs Elysées and we see from across the road a bright pink moving object, and we're thinking, "What what what?!!" So of coarse we had to run over and get a picture. We get there and it really was a ridiculous pink dog. Awesome.

Only in Paris

I love this city. One of the many reasons I really love it here is how you can find anything, even ridiculous pink dogs.

Eau de Toilette (But NOT the Perfume)

"As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks. Each sack had seven cats. Man, sacks, cats, and wives, how many were going to St. Ives?" 

Now just imagine that you had to answer a riddle like this every time you wanted to go to the bathroom. France prides itself by having advanced engineers, yet their toilets are stuck in the 1930s. It’s odd, because most other things they have here are as-or-more advanced than the U.S. (public transportation, I’m looking at you…). But their plumbing systems are built as if running water were still a novelty, even though they’ve had it for as long as any other European country. 

This is most evident in the different ways one can flush a toilet. Doing so instantly becomes a test of your critical thinking skills. I’ve never once seen a push lever attached to the tank attached to the bowl like a standardized American toilet. Some tanks are attached to the bowl, others are four feet above it, others are hidden in a wall somewhere. And the flushing mechanism is never self-evident. Do I pull THIS chain, or press THAT button? Or does this lever over here to something? Maybe if I pull on this plunger? Is that a foot pedal? Or is this a modern one that flushes by pushing a giant panel into the wall? Or is there an even-rarer automated flushing system that flushes while you take care of your business instead of after? 

You’ll never know the answer until you’ve tried a few options. It makes going to the bathroom an adventure, no matter where you are. (Especially when the urinals are out in the open common area between the men and women’s restrooms.) Now if only the “showers” were more than a glorified sponge bath…

Also, the answer to the first riddle isn’t 400. It’s 1. The man telling the riddle was the only one going to St. Ives. I'm sorry if this made you do math.

Women.....am I right?

I know this is a picture of the Eiffel Tower but I thought it was cool and also I personally believe that blog post are incredibly boring without them. (No offense) #Notreally. As a class, we have been what has felt like countless hours in museums. Smelling, seeing, walking and sometimes even being the art. Now I have never really been "in" to art as some of the fellow classmates (insert wink here) but I have come to respect one aspect of the many nip slips i have encountered lately. The women presented in them. Ever since I were little I was bombarded with images of how women bodies were suppose to be. Being made fun of for your body is never an experience I would wish upon anyone, seeing how you can't help it sometimes the way you look (off topic subject about genetics) I think every women has her insecurities, whether your boobs aren't perfect, your butt is too low, too skinny, or too fat. Just like any man has his. That is why I take a little bit longer to linger at the "full sized" (as people call them today) women painted in those portraits. You see their faces filled with perfect content, they are happy with their bodies, they know someone thinks they are beautiful. It makes me jealous. Those paintings make me hope that one day I will be as happy enough with my body to (metaphorically speaking)  bare it all to a man with a brush and an empty canvas.

Loire Valley!

Today was our last day of our Loire Valley Excursion. I will have to say that so far it has been my favorite part of the trip. Riding bikes to one of the Chateau was amazing and quite a work out, I'm pretty sure everyone will be a little sore for the next few days. My favorite castle was the Chateau de Chambord. Mainly, because of it's beautiful architecture, it's awesome double helix staircase and overall just the size of the place is insane and everything I would picture a castle to look like and more. But we returned to Paris today though so I'm happy to be back and can't wait for  all the museums. 

Last Night in Nice

Our last night in Nice was quite legit, in my opinion. We all got together after our dinners, watched the sunset, for those who could make it, and then just had a great hangout with the group and some other friends from Actilangue. It was a really nice, slow pace night and the weather was "nice"..

  After we grabbed the regular Finocchio's for some great ice cream in the plaza. It was a great night we could all get together with the peeps, reflect on our time spent there and enjoy each others company. Good times in Nice :)

Different all over

Culture differences: when asked about the different culture here in France, the first two weeks all I could tell you is that they are rude and when not prepared they will kiss you on each cheek. It wasn't until I talked to many people from all around the world I realized how shelter I really was and still am. I went to a restaurant where I was the only one eating there, a very nice man who spoke very well English asked me what I was doing here. "I am student" I said in broken French. "In Boise?" He replied "No not in boi..bome....Boise?" "Oh-la-la, you need a lot of work on your French" he replied. That lead us into the discussion of my so called french education I had in high school. I told him it was not necessary for Americans to learn a foreign language when they graduate high school or college. He was shocked."every where else they need to know, but not America" I began to wonder, why is that? My senior year of high school, which wasn't very long ago, I remember if a teacher handed out a three page paper everyone acted like it was the end of the world. My cute little German friend said it perfectly. "If Americans go to France, Germany or anywhere else, they expect all of us to know English. However I couldn't go to America and expect anyone to know German." He is 100% correct. Here I could go into the tiniest pastry shop and I could expect the baker, his wife, and probably even the dog to speak a little English if not fluent. But if someone came into my shop in Provo, not a signal person could get a sentence out in a foreign language. So as I write this is my tiny pink room in Boise, it is going to be hard to go back to Utah and listen to people complain about how hard "Math 1010" was today.

My Host Mom Nadia Bentir

Emma and my host mom, Nadia, was perfect for us. She accepted us from day one and was amazing through out the weeks. She would laugh, make jokes, tease and was patient. We also found out she is dating a politician named Patrick Allemand.. here are some links:


http://www.patrickallemand.fr/?page_id=2
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Allemand


I will miss Nadia and her son Giuliano. They helped make us feel a part of Nice and I hope they enjoyed our company..

Ciao!!

FOOD!! YES LOOK HERE!

We are out of Nice.. and i'll miss it!! :'(

But now we are on our last leg... to Paris! At this very moment Blois but in general Paris...

My mother sent me this in Facebook:

Bebe no se vas a poder ir pero trata:
Mi Ranchito Paisa
Address: 35 Rue de Montholon, 75009 Paris, France
Phone:+33 1 48 78 45 94
Hours: Friday hours 12:00 pm–2:30 pm, 7:00 pm–11:00 pm - See all
Transit: Cadet (M7 train)

From:Paris
France
Gare de l'Est
M7 Subway towards Villejuif / Mairie d'Ivry
5:56pm - 5:58pm (3 mins, 2 stops)
Cadet
Walk to Mi Ranchito Paisa
About 2 mins (88 m)

Mi Ranchito Paisa
35 Rue de Montholon
75009 Paris, France

Well does anyone want to go???

Played cards last night with Lauren, Gabby and Jason... it was awesome!

Bonjour Paris!

Alas, three weeks has come and gone and now, six hours on a train later, we are in Paris! I was peeing my pants out of excitement in the Lyon Train station. This place is my spirit animal.... Except that it was freezing today, and rainy. The Metro, and arguably the most interesting part of Paris, was nice and warm, the boat cruise on the Seine was wonderful! And the Tour d'Effiel was beautiful. Ah, Paris, even in the body numbing rain you make me want to sing.
Now, just a note, I did not go up the Steele beast. Myself and a few other students (referred to as the fabulous five) decided to go to a cafe because what SHOULD you do in Paris? Try your hardest to become French. And what do French people do? Sit in cafes and be amazing. ;) And try our best did, whilst ordering Hot Chocolate...
After the amazing cafe experience we came back to the hotel, and commenced eating junk food and playing cards.... Attempting to play cards. Now, here is the moral of the story:

Laughing until you can't breathe is always better than freezing....

Nah, what about, I'm with the funniest people ever on this trip?

Well... Let's just  discussed what happened. Here we are the four of us, playing cards and talking. Then Lauren and Jason open their beautiful mouths and I commence dying. Literally fixation from not being able to draw breath in between laughs. I'm so happy to be in Paris, but I'm also happy to be building new friendships, with these amazing people, who in reality I may never have met or befriended with out this trip.

Fin.

Le Langue

This week I took a trip to Monaco. I was quite pleased to find that I was able to conduct all business without speaking any English. Contrast that with my trip to Rome where I didn't speak the language at all. It is very empowering to be able to speak the native language. I felt very accomplished after successfully giving the taxi driver directions home. I am just now beginning to feel competent in the language, and it a shame that I will have to leave soon.

Museum of Modern and Contemporary

Today we went to the museum of Modern Art and Contemporary here in Nice, it was quite interesting and as expected very different as most modern art museums are. It was refreshing but then again a lot of it I didn't quite understand, but I guess that's the whole point of it. One's own interpretation of the piece and how it speaks to them. I'm gonna be honest and say some of the pieces kind of scared me but a lot of them I would just describe as unique and corky. My favorite part I would have to say was the garden which had quite an amazing view as well. Anyways Nice has been fun but I can't wait to leave for Paris Friday morning!

Lessons learned

Here's a compilation of a few lessons I have learned about France so far.

1) When it rains, it doesn't stop.

Having lived my entire life in Utah, I am used to the bipolar weather patterns. We could have, rain, snow, wind and sunshine all in one day. Here in Nice, that is not the case. Last Saturday it rained, and rained, and rained. Maddie and I tried to make plans for when the rain "cleared up"; it didn't. In addition, my umbrella conveniently decided to break that day, just my luck. However, Nice is so beautiful in the rain. The way the light captures the precipitation, it sparkles, it's incredible. Pictures just can't capture the romance, mystery, and wonder of a rainy night under the awning of an Italian restaurant, which I got to experience first-hand. Also, puddle jumping is 10 times better here. 

2) Always check for signs.

After breaking my umbrella and realizing I had a long walk home, I decided to find a new umbrella. I found a little shop with umbrellas of different sizes. I looked around, but nothing had price tags on it. So I asked the cashier how much a small umbrella cost. He annoyingly answered, "2 euros." It was odd that he was so short with me, but I continued to look around. I asked him about the price of another umbrella, again he rolled his eyes and said, "2 euros." Confused about the way he was treating me, like I was supposed to know the price, I picked up a different umbrella and just as I was opening my mouth, he shook his head as if telling me not to even ask. Just then a sign in the air caught my eye, I then realized why he was so annoyed...

3) If you go out for a nice dinner, you probably can't share meals.

Chase convinced me to go to a nice Italian restaurant, assuring me that we could just share something because the food was expensive and they give you a ton of it. Mais, ce n'était pas possible. (The same thing also happened to Brandon, Jason, Emma and me when we tried to share a giant pizza.) Anyway, Chase and I still ate at the restaurant, the food was delicieux. And we made a friend too!

4) Little children speaking French is the cutest thing you'll ever see. Ever.

The other day, my host mom had her grandchildren over. There was Emma (3 ans), Lucas (2 ans), et le petit Hugo (1 an). They couldn't say my name so they called me "la grande fille," (the big girl) and they were telling me all sorts of stories that they've made up. They were absolutely adorable, it reminded me of a video I saw a while ago of a little French girl telling a story about Winnie the Pooh. Watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ph3DGFMV8c

Roma

This weekend I had the opportunity to visit "The Eternal City". While going to the typical tourist spots and eating delicious food was enjoyable, the exposure to a new and fascinating culture was what I enjoyed most. I feel that this trip was an introspective cross-cultural experience that endowed me with a new sense of respect for foreign cultures. 

I speak almost no Italian, and it was a bit of a culture shock to suddenly arrive in the heart of Italy. At least in France I have been competent in the language, but this was not the case in Italy. I expected that the majority of the populace would also speak English, but this was not quite true. On several occasions I had great difficulty communicating with the locals, but that made it all the more rewarding when we succeeded. 

After arrival, I made an effort to learn the essentials of the language, but I wished that I had done more preparation in advance.  This trip has taught me that becoming competent in the language of a foreign country is essential if one is to be a respectful visitor.

Rome

     Well today is our last day in Rome. The hotel (The Heart of Rome) was a great place to stay. The staff were wonderful and helpful, the bed was very comfy and the bathroom was huge! The hot showers were amazing and some snored all night long (not me!) The places we went out to eat were amazing! I had fried squid my first night, lasagna the second and pizza the third time we went out to eat. Each time I had bruchetta, even one with mozzarella! For our last lunch here, Brandon wants to try out a pasta place near here..
     OH! the Gelato was amazing!!! mmmmm SO GOOD! Now, for some reason i am getting random itching spots that end up looking like an allergic reaction to mosquito bites. but they get very very itchy and they used to be just on my right arm in the tricep area but now its moved to my left forearm and 2 on my left hand!! I dunno what to do... Anyway, around 1:45 we're leaving for the airport to head back to Nice.. Can you believe that we have less than a week left in Nice and one more in Paris then we head home?!?!?! Crazy! well.. tah tah for now :)

My Host Mom is Better Than Yours!

So whilst studying abroad one must also have a place to sleep! We're really lucky because Actilangue  tries their best to set us up with Host families who a nice and will speak French with us.  Alex and I, however, got the best of the best.... And here is why:

The first day I was here and terrified she talked to me about the people of  Nice and how I had nothing to be scared of, she also walked me around and showed my the laundry mat, the superman he near by and the nearest ATM.

Next, is woman's cooking the the bomb.com. She asked us first night if we had any allergies or anything we don't eat. Alex doesn't eat pork and I don't eat seafood. Since then she has gone out of her way to buy chicken or turkey sausage instead of the usual pork. ALSO. Her cooking is delicious. It usually simple, traditional French meals, and she gives us as much as we want... And she doesn't look at me funny when I ask her for a third helping or salad.

Third, she has a handsome boyfriend. He's Danish, with a German name, and he's hilarious and very stern. We forces us to speak French, and when we don't know the word we have to explain it using words we do know. But the best part is their chemistry together, they fight... But it's really just super flirty and they are an amazing musical duo! He plays the piano and she sings, all through the night... It is the best thing ever.

Lastly (this isn't the last thing I love about her just the last one I'm going to post), she is TRES French. Now your thinking, well duh, she is French, she was born in Bordeaux. But seriously, she dresses French, she loves jazz, her hair always looks amazing, she rides her bike around the town with her hair in a scarf, she's super independent and amazing....

In summation, Alex and I have the BEST host mom. It has been really great staying with her.

The Symphony!!

Music. It truly is the universal language. Don't give me this crap about math being the universal language, because it's freaking hard to understand. Believe me, I know. Music, on the other hand can be understood by all, you don't have to know how to play the violin or the cello to appreciate and be moved by the music that comes from a violin or a cello. And that is why music is the real universal language. 

Last night, we went out as a group to the Nice Symphonic Orchestra. And I was SO excited, because I've really been missing the presence of music in my life lately. And it was simply fabulous. The performance was in the opera house, and it was one of the coolest places that I've been to a concert to. Also getting some wonderful gelato afterwards was a nice treat. :) 

All in all, it was a wonderful night out with ze gang. 

Rome!!

Ciao!!

Well we made it to Rome! It's very green. I noticed as we were being driven to Heart Of Rome hotel that Italians are the speedy-cut-you-off kind of drivers... they hug the right too... anyway, the hotel

is beautiful and we have a little patio or "terras". I'm starving at the moment and it seems that if the Italians speak slowly enough i can understand it since its close to spanish. I want pizza and Brandon is obsessed with breakfast. lol Gilbert is sick and keeps poking fun at Brandon.. sigh. I'm so used to French that I have to make sure im not saying "oui" or "d'accord" when people are talking to me... "Merci" is coming up a lot to..

Wow. France really is so beautiful, the pictures don't do it justice. In these last two weeks I have learned so much about the language, culture, and geography of this amazing country and I've fallen in love with everything about this place. There's so much to do and see here, but I find myself noticing the little details, the things that many people skip over. Those details are the icing on the mille-feuille. I love the sounds of casual conversation in the street at night time, the way the boulangerie smells right after finishing a batch of bread, and all of the gorgeous views of the Sea. I'm so blessed to be here. La France me manquera beaucoup !

The Rain In Spain

The Rain in Spain is greater...........I forgot. It started raining on Wednesday and hasn't really stopped since. Last night we went "out" again (aka. getting ice cream). As me and Samantha were walking home last night I couldn't help but sing in my head. "If you like pinacoladas and getting caught in the rain".....NO I do not like getting caught in the rain expectally when it gets soaked down to my undies!    I couldn't help but think of the crumpy cat pictures we constantly see on Pinterest.
Today we went to Canns. Shyanne and me where taking pictures in front a really nice yellow car and this lady came up to us and asked if we want to take pictures sitting in the car. Is that a questions? I asked myself. As we were walking up this road that this lady let us through, some people (cough...Chase and Gilbert) steamed to appear out of no where and tagged along to be in these said pictures. Funny how that happened all of a sudden. After we arrived home we had dinner with my host mother and her friends. And my word do they speak fast! I was able to pick up a few words here and there. Blah blah blah work blah blah blah school blah blah blah Americans.
I am off to Rome tomorrow and let us hope that the rains stops and that the men are as deliciouso as they say they are.

Ps. Sorry if I spelled your name wrong Shyanne, and sorry this isn't some deep post about how the way the cigarette smoke in the air is as smokey as the heart if France. We shall save those for later....

Cannes...

Today we visited Cannes. It had gorgeous views as does everywhere but what was most exciting was that the Film Festival was going on there. The opening day was yesterday so it was very busy and they had the red carpet laid out and all the different tents set up which was really cool to see. We also got see some street performers which was fun, cause I got to participate in a bit, it was only a little embarrassing. The one thing that I found the most interesting though was the free films that they showed on the beach every Thursday night. I think that would be something very fun and fascinating to go see, sadly though I won't get the chance:(. But a couple of us are planning on going back on Sunday to see if we can perhaps get some free tickets for one of the showings, but we'll see! Although me and Alex got lost right before we were supposed to meet up which was quite stressful and slightly terrifying the trip was fun. Some picture below. Oh and we also laid down 8 euros to eat at the Armani Cafe which was probably the most expensive meal I've had on the trip but definitely a one time thing, ha definitely never doing that again. Au revoir for now.