Day 90, 3 April 2013

Easter could not have been better: wonderful boyfriend, beautiful weather, delicious food, lovely music, and Paris!

We arrived in Paris Saturday morning and dropped stuff off at the hotel.  Then, we wandered to the Rodin Museum and walked along the Champ de Mars.  We had dinner at the Maison de Verlaine, a restaurant that I discovered in February.  It was just as good the second time, so if you need a restaurant in the Latin Quarter, I would highly recommend it!

On Easter, we went to church at the American Cathedral in Paris, where Olivia de Havilland still reads every Easter Sunday.  After church, we walked up Avenue Georges V and the Champs Elysées, through the Tuileries Gardens, through the Louvre, and up to Notre Dame.  After a long walk, we headed to St. Chapelle for an Easter choral concert.

Monday, we headed out early to the Orangerie, the museum with all of Monet's water lilies.  After lunch, we climbed the Eiffel Tower to the second level and wandered around the Rue Cler.  Then, we headed back to Saint Germain for dinner at a restaurant we discovered that was absolutely delicious. If you happen to be near Saint Germain and don't want to eat at one of the tourist cafes, Le Petit Saint Benoit is for you! 

Needless to say, it was a fabulous weekend! Here are the pictures.

 Le Jardin de Tuileries.

At the Rodin Museum. 

 In front of the Louvre.

 From the top of the Eiffel Tower!

In front of the Eiffel Tower.

Day 80, 24 March 2013

Beautiful (sunny and warm) weather, delicious food and wine, and a lovely weekend of walking? Welcome to Bordeaux!

We arrived in Bordeaux on Friday, and it was rainy and gray.  We were a little worried, but the rest of the weekend was absolutely beautiful.  On Saturday, we drove to Chateau Fonplegade, where we had a tour of the chateau and wine production facilities and a wine tasting.  We then continued to St. Emilion, a small village with underground monolithic catacombs and a lovely bell tower.  After a delicious lunch, we wandered around and found macaroons in a cute French bakery.  Back in Bordeaux, we walked along the river bank and through the city just until dinner.  I talk about food a lot, I know, but it's just so good.  Dinner for the evening: magret de canard avec des frites et des champignons, et moelleux de chocolat pour le dessert.  C'était magnifique! (Woops, French all of a sudden took over; that's duck breast with frites and mushrooms with a spongy dark chocolate cake for dessert).

Sunday morning, we woke up and headed to the office of tourism, where we joined a walking tour of Bordeaux.  After the tour, we grabbed lunch and headed to the Aquitaine Museum, which gives an overview of the history of Bordeaux since prehistoric times.  All in all, it was a fabulous weekend!

 Vineyards.

 Such a beautiful day.

 Here we are in St. Emilion.

 Chateau Fonplegade.

 The bakery with the delicious macaroons.

 Le Monument aux Girondins in Bordeaux.

 Such a beautiful view.

 On a bridge in the public gardens.

La Cathédrale St-André.

Day 66, 10 March 2013

Un mélange de français et d'allemand- c'est Strasbourg!

Yes, this weekend we went to Strasbourg. What an interesting and charming city, and what a fun weekend.

We arrived Friday and decided that the perfect way to end the day after a long train ride was with some sort of dessert.  Nothing was open near us but Macdonald's, so you guessed it, we indulged in McFlurries.  I don't think I have had a McFlrurry in 10 years, but it certainly was good!

Saturday, we woke up and wandered through Strasbourg to the cathedral.  We then visited the Institutions Européennes (all of the buildings of the European Union).  After lots of beautiful pictures, we made our way back into Strasbourg to Petite France, where we found a Christmas shop (Strasbourg is known for having spectacular Christmas markets, and this store happens to be open all year).  Lunch was outside in the beautiful warm weather! After lunch, we decided that because we were so close to Germany, we should walk across the bridge and explore Germany.  After a nice excursion, we returned to Strasbourg for a traditional Flam dinner (tarts in the Alsace style; think very thin crust pizza with a light layer of cheese and in my case smoked salmon and tomatoes).

This morning, after a church service in German at a Lutheran church in Strasbourg, we returned home. See the pictures below.

 La Petite France.

 La Place Kleber.

 Stained glass windows in the Cathedral.

 Here we are in front of the Parliament building of the EU.

 The bridge into Germany.

 Switching languages...

Walking through Germany.

Day 59, 3 March 2013

Another exciting weekend! On Friday afternoon, we went to the movies to see Weekend Royal (Hyde Park on Hudson).  It was a relaxing way to end the week and a good time with friends.

Yesterday, we visited more chateaux, Amboise and Blois.  Both were fun to see despite the wind and cold.  For lunch, we were all craving burgers, so we found a restaurant that served traditional American burgers.  See the pictures below of the chateaux!

 Amboise.

 Can you spot the problem with the horse at Blois?

 Blois.

The chapel at Amboise.

Day 53, 25 February 2013

After a short week of school, we headed to Nice last Thursday.  When we arrived, it was pouring and thundering, but not to worry, we woke up on Saturday to a beautiful blue sky.

We spent Friday visiting Eze Village, where we climbed to the top of the village and walked through the gardens overlooking the coast.  We also had an opportunity to visit a perfume manufacturer and learn how perfume is made.  Later in the day (perhaps one of the highlights of the weekend), we visited Monaco.  What a beautiful place! See the pictures of the ocean with the mountains in the background.  After a picnic lunch, we headed to Villa Kerylos, a replica of an ancient Greek villa.  Then, we headed back to our hotel and rested for a bit before going to a magnificent dinner along the Promenade des Anglais.  A Niçoise salad and salmon with a butter sauce (think the scene in Julie and Julia where Julia Child describes her love of butter) was the perfect way to end the day.

On Saturday, we walked along the Promenade des Anglais before heading to Vieux Nice, the old part of Nice filled with the market, small shops, and restaurants with traditional Niçoise cuisine.  After another delicious lunch, I took the bus to the Monastère de Cimiez and wandered around the gardens surrounding the monastery.  I was the only person there, and I enjoyed a little bit of quiet reflection time.  On Saturday evening, we met up for dinner and Carnaval festivities.  Carnaval is the traditional celebration before Lent (in this case right at the beginning of Lent).  The celebrations in Nice date as far back as the 1200s, and this year was yet another success.  The floats in the parade were spectacular, and the people were dressed up in various costumes including but not limited to a family of Dalmatians, the Easter bunny, pirates, and various princesses.  Also, people like to throw confetti and silly string.  We were sitting next to a little boy who decided that we were not sufficiently covered in confetti, so he brought out the silly string!

All in all, it was another fabulous weekend.  Here are the pictures.

 The view from Eze Village.

 Monaco.

 Au bord de la mer.

 The beach in Nice.

 Carnaval before the silly string...

...and after!

Day 45, 17 February 2013

What a wonderful week!

After a week full of delicious dinners (including a spectacular dinner with my host family and my program director), Valentine's Day flowers (thank you; you know who you are!), and lively conversation at school, I wasn't sure that the week could get better.  Then I got to Paris on Friday evening and met my mother and the mother of a dear friend, who for all intents and purposes is my second mother. We had a relaxing, fun weekend together, catching up about all of the goings on and picking up right where we left off.

On Saturday morning, we had the chance to go to the Paris flea market.  What an adventure! For someone who loves thinking about the stories behind antiques, china, beautiful old jewelry, and vintage clothes, I had a blast wandering through the market and looking at everything.  We took a break for a delicious lunch, and then mom and I came back into Paris proper.  We wandered through Le Bon Marché (a beautiful department store in Paris) and then back up the Boulevard St. Germain.  We decided to go into St. Germain des Près, one of the oldest churches in Paris, and as we were entering, the organist started practicing.  What perfect timing! After sitting for a while and listening to the music, we walked back through Paris to get to dinner, a duck restaurant.  Perhaps I mention how delicious the food is, but it really is true.  I love how everyone here cares how certain flavors work together and what the perfect spice is for a certain dish.  But, I digress.

This morning, we got up late and took a leisurely walk down the Rue Cler.  Before lunch, mom and I walked to the Eiffel Tower and took pictures (see below).  After lunch, we had to say goodbye because we both had trains to catch, but it was a wonderful weekend!

Here we are on the Rue Cler in front of the flowers in the market.

 One of my wonderful second mothers!

In front of the Eiffel Tower.

Day 38, 10 February 2013

What a week! On Tuesday evening, we went to a ballet, Swan Lake (Le Lac des Cygnes in French), and it was beautiful.  On Friday evening, we went to the circus.  It was not your traditional circus and resembled Cirque de Soleil.

Yesterday, we went to Mont St. Michel with a group from our school.  When we got up it was snowing, but the weather cleared up a little, and we had a fabulous day exploring the village and the abbey.  On the way home, we stopped in St. Malo, a small fishing town in Brittany.  When we got home last night, we were all tired, but the day was definitely worth it!  Here are some pictures from yesterday:

 Le Mont St. Michel.

 View from Mont St. Michel

Here I am! It was a little cold...