I cannot believe I only have 6 weeks left of this semester. I have been constructing my schedule for next semester and it is going to be ridiculously intense. 18 hours of science classes- I am going to be a hysterical kook living in the science building, I already can see it. So I will try not to think about that and enjoy what time I have left in Europe. All last week was fall break. My mom came to visit me and it was simply divine. I showed her around Florence, and then we visited Venice, the Tuscan towns of Lucca and Siena, and then jetted off to Paris for 4 days. I loved Venice. It is an incredibly enchanting GEM of a city. I felt more like I was in an amusement park then an actual city. To quickly sum up our day: We munched on fresh strawberries & peaches, just wandering the city. We also took a gondola ride through the canals. I felt so relaxed, I nearly fell asleep. It reminded me immensely of the latest Brideshead Revisted film. We also had some great pasta tossed with shrimp, mussels, and octopus at a restaurant next to the Rialto Bridge.
As for Paris...I cannot express how ardently I adore Paris. This was the second time Ive been, which was grand because I was able to just focus on a few key things I wanted to see and do there without feeling overwhelmed with trying to accomplish everything Paris has to offer. My itinerary for my stay there went something like this:
-stayed in a lovely hotel nestled in a truly more Parisien neighborhood. Our small street was lined with markets selling fresh produce, bakeries, pastry shops, cheese shops, and delis. In the morning we had some amazing pastries- chocolate eclairs and one pastry filled with a sort of almond paste- it was heavenly.
-sat in a Parisien cafe and indulged in apple pie
-visited Musee D Orsay- I loved this museum so much last time that I wanted to go back
-walked around St. Germain, down the Champs-Elysees, along the Seine, through jardin des Tuilleries & Jardin de Luxembourg
-Wandered around Montmartre/Sacre Coeur. I love this area of Paris. I love the atmosphere, the view of Paris below from in front of Montmartre and watching the artists trying to sell their work. We sat at a cafe for a chunk of our time and people watched
-visited Versailles. This was the most disappointing. Versailles was gorgeous, but they were exhibited Jeff Koons' work throughout the museum and it just completely destroyed the splendor of Versailles. I actually really like contemporary art, but when I am expecting to see grand rooms, feeding fantasies of 16th and 17th French royal life, I really dont want the images spoiled with kitsch art. The Frenchies were all eating it up though, and the thick crowds made it difficult to take your time to enjoy ones surroundings. Also, there was little display of furniture and just household and personal items, that's what I enjoy seeing. The bulk of the tour was portraits of the French royal line- a complete bore except for the ones of Marie Antoinette. On top of the aforementioned points, it was raining quite badly and so we had to skip the gardens of Versailles, something that could have really redeemed the museum. All in all though, I was mesmerized by the hall of mirrors, and the queen's bedchamber was also wonderful.
-I also was intent on seeing an exhibition that was taking place at Musee de Luxembourg called From Miro to Warhol. It was fabulous. It was a collection of surrealism, nouveau realisme, abstract and pop art. It was seriously a really great exhibit and was the perfect way to start my last morning in Paris.
Honestly I could rave on forever about this trip- we did and saw plenty despite the short duration. Basically I believe Paris was made for me. I am now scheming a way for me to live there. Anyway, must run
