Paris + Spring = Samantha outside all the time!

Since Hunter left, I've been slowly getting back to what I consider to be normal life here in Paris, which means preparing for my classes every week, spending time with my friends here, and sightseeing around the city whenever I get the chance, especially with the sunnier days becoming more and more frequent. It's starting to really sink in that I only have about 3 months left of my study abroad experience, and while that may seem like a long time, I feel like it will pass by me so quickly and I'll be back in Atlanta before I can say Au Revoir! There are still quite a few things that I want to experience before my flight on July 1st, such as:

• visiting more museums
• checking out all the parks
• seeing a fashion show
• watching a soccer match
• seeing an opera at the Paris Opera house

...and so on. My mission from now until July 1st will be to check off the entire list!


Now I know a lot of you back home already know this, but my cousin, Maren, who also was doing an internship abroad in London and blogging about it just like me (the link to her blog is on my blog too, in case you forgot- scroll down a bit and you'll see it), actually came to Paris for a weekend a little while ago so I got to finally meet her!

Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend much time together at all (just a few hours really), because we met up the afternoon before her flight back to London, but we still had a good time! Let's see... we talked about how her experience abroad was, how mine is going, how our families are, we poked fun at our grandmothers a little (don't worry, it wasn't too bad, ha ha), and so on. I took her and her friend to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées and made sure she got to Charles de Gaulle airport on time. So it was brief, but I really enjoyed meeting her.

And I don't know if she's still there or not, but she told me she was taking her mom to see Barcelona, too, so I hope that went well.





And lately, I've been trying to push myself to go outside as much as possible to see Paris while I still can. The other day, I met up with Monica to take a stroll through the center of the city.
We ended up in the Tuileries gardens, and here's a picture of me by the north side. See how green the grass is now? Spring has definitely hit Paris.

Me and Monica!

Monica is really into watching soccer, and the day we were wandering around, one of her favorite teams, Liverpoole, was playing so we had to find a pub to go watch the game. I'm not usually a big fan of soccer, but I thought I'd go anyway and be a good friend.
We found this bar tucked away under this old building called "The Highlander". Sounds cool, right?

Here I am standing in the alley where the bar was.

And here we are in the bar. You can see the game going on in the background. The match was really close the whole game, and it wasn't until the last few minutes that Liverpoole scored and won. I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed it all! I was yelling at the tv almost as much as Monica even. We also met this British couple and a French man in the bar who were also following the match, and it was fun talking with them about how poorly Liverpoole was doing and so on. I didn't know what was going on half the time, but it was still interesting.






Here we are having fun watching the match! This made me really want to go see a live match at Stade de France.





After the game, we continued walking around.
Remember how in Amsterdam they had these pee deflectors on the corners of government buildings? We found them in Paris too! They weren't as high tech, though, so I was a bit disappointed.




As we kept wandering around, we found a band playing by the Seine!






We also found this tiny little park connected to a bridge on the Seine. It was like a little peninsula jutting off the bridge, so you could see the water all around.
We found a lot of couples there passing time, and it made me wish Hunter was still here to see it too.



And when it got dark, we were still wandering around and caught an Eiffel Tower light show:

Ah, Paris!





Like I said before, I've been trying to stay outside as much as possible, and it's been pretty easy so far because of the nice weather. The other day, I went to go have lunch in the Jardin de Luxumbourg after my class.
I found this greenspace where everyone was soaking up the sun, and I decided to join!

Here I am listening to music and enjoying my sandwich!

And on another day, Monica invited me to go have a picnic with her and some new friends by the Eiffel Tower!

This was our view!

This was our picnic! One of the girls brought some homemade bread, which was so so good.

Me and Monica relaxing on the lawn!

Here's me, Monica, and our friend William!

And last but not least, I took a video of our little experience:


I'm definitely enjoying Paris in the Spring!

Bisous XOXO

Hunting through Paris! ... Day 9 (picnic in a park, raclettes, and Hunter goes home)

For Hunter's last day in Paris (boo), I wanted to take him to see one of my favorite parks during the day, and out to a French dinner at night!

We rode our bikes to this park called Buttes-Chaumont in the north of Paris. It's one of my favorite parks because it's huge and there's a ton of green space and there's even a waterfall there! It's pretty romantic too. :)

Unfortunately, riding there was difficult for me since it was an uphill journey the whole time.
I had to take a break and open my jacket since I started sweating a bit. :P

By the way, we found a boulanger-patissier on the way, which is a store that sells bread and pastries, and I bought us a pistachio macaroon for Hunter to try. He said he liked it!

We also bought some french bread and some cheese for a little picnic in the park too!
Here's Hunter with his French bread, French cheese, French scarf, French hair... I think he's turning French!

Here we are in the park getting ready to eat!

Hunter had to show off his strong jawline, and I just like being agreeable.

Picnic food.

Hunter enjoying his French bread.

Here's some on-the-spot commentary about the cheese!

Couple picture!

Hunter's white socks, a.k.a. proof that he's still an American! :D

After our mini-lunch, we went to the lookout in the middle of the park, where there is a beautiful gazebo and a gorgeous view of the rest of the park.

Me and Hunter by the gazebo!

View of the park!

Here's some of the scenery as we walked back toward the entrance to leave. I thought it was absolutely stunning!

Walking back to the bikes! (Is there something on my face?)

Three old men on a park bench!

Blossoming tree!

Thumbs up for finding the bikes.

Next, we had to return the bikes, and since the bike office is by the Eiffel Tower, we saw some pretty views on the way there.

Crossing the Seine with the Tower in the background!

When we returned the bikes, we got another pleasant surprise concerning our bill because again, the people working at the office either can't add, or we were really lucky. Either way, we were supposed to pay 15eur per bike x 2 days = 60eur total. We actually paid 20eur. Nice.

Here we are resting on a bench outside the bike office. As you can see, I was still so happy he was there.




Then he gave me a piggy back ride to the Tower!

Aaahh!! The ride was a little bumpy. :D

Hunter took a picture as we were directly under the Eiffel Tower. I guess I wasn't ready.




After we passed the Tower, I decided to take a few more fun pictures including this famous symbol of France!

Here's Hunter waving at himself.

And here's excited Samantha, curious Samantha, and cute Samantha!

Here's some commentary about what Hunter was thinking at the moment:

Don't mind me, I just like the way my boyfriend looks! I think I embarrassed him a little though.


And here is probably my favorite picture from the whole trip:

So romantic!

One more picture by the Eiffel Tower right after it was lit.

For dinner, I took Hunter out to eat raclettes! We both got dressed up and celebrated a wonderful week spent together in Paris.
Our dinner was really interesting! I've tried raclettes before, but never like this. Raclettes are basically a dish where you melt cheese and eat it with potatoes and deli meats. It's similar to fondue, but the way you melt the cheese is completely different than stirring it in a pot. As you can see from the picture, we got a huge wedge of cheese, and there were 2 metal heated plates on both sides that you can lower down towards the cheese to make it melt faster. As the cheese melts, it drips onto the potatoes you cut up beforehand. You get 2 plates to work with, so as you eat your potatoes from one plate, you can go ahead and melt cheese onto more potatoes, and keep the plates rotating.

I think Hunter really liked it! He looks so nice with his collar shirt and tie!

The next day, we had to get up early to go to Charles de Gaulle. I was really sad to see Hunter leave, but I was ok for the train ride there and up to the security checkpoint. I started crying as he went through the line and passed through to go to his flight gate. I think what made me so upset was knowing that I wouldn't be able to hug him again for another few months. Honestly, I was pretty depressed on the train ride back to Paris, too, but I also knew that these next few months will pass by so quickly (it's already been 7 months!), and that I should really enjoy Paris and my study abroad experience while I still can.

I had a blast the whole time Hunter was here. I always love spending time with him, but I think it was extra special this week since we were in Paris of all places, and I had the amazing opportunity to experience the city's more romantic side. I see this side of Paris almost every day, but actually participating in it is completely different. It's like smelling fresh-baked bread versus eating it, or taking a stroll by the Seine on a regular day versus taking that stroll on a warm sunny day. Each is good, but the second option is always better, and this whole week for me was filled with those second options. I fell in love all over again with Hunter, but also with Paris, and fortunately I'll have my second love to keep me company until I can go back home to my first love in July.

So to Hunter: thank you thank you so much for coming, my darling. Je t'adore.

Until next time,
Bisous XOXO

Hunting through Paris! ... Day 8 (bikes and real Japanese food)

On the Friday before Hunter's flight back home, I had class from 12:30-2:30pm, so Hunter went back to visit the Jardin de Luxembourg to wait for me. We still had the bikes we rented the day before, and it was nice riding them to class and around Paris some more.

Also that day, my friend Gaku, who is from Japan, invited a group of us out to an authentic Japanese restaurant for dinner that night. So when Hunter and I met up at the Jardin, we quickly got a bite to eat for lunch and then made our way towards where we would be meeting Gaku, which was near the opera area.

On the way, we saw an interesting demonstration going on by the Louvre:
It was a huge circle of people standing silently, and some had signs on their backs explaining what they were protesting. I found out that it was a "circle of silence" for the unfair treatment of immigrants in France.

Here's my way of joining the circle!

And here's Hunter! And if you're wondering about that fabulous scarf he's wearing, it's mine, but I let him borrow it because it was cold.



Now about the Japanese restaurant. I've always been skeptical that the Japanese food we have in the US is really what they eat in Japan, and I was totally right! For example, I asked Gaku if they had hibachi grills where he's from (you know, where the chefs cook your food at the table?), and he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. I found out that Japanese food is not about sushi so much either. While I was there, I tried a sort of pancake dish that had pork and fish shavings in it, and it was so so delicious! Hunter tried a pork rice dish. It's ironic considering the fact that I used to work in a "Japanese restaurant" back home, because the only thing I recognized at the restaurant in Paris was the miso soup. Oh well. Parisians think Japanese food is mostly sushi too, so we Americans aren't the only ignorant ones.



After dinner, Hunter and I decided to give Monica a ride back to her place. Technically, the bikes we rented weren't meant for more than one person, so we had to try a few positions before finding a comfortable fit, ha ha...
At first, we were going to have Monica ride my bike, and I would ride with Hunter, but when Monica realized that her bike-riding skills were rusty, we switched so that she rode with Hunter (she almost ran into a few people and then a restaurant. I'm serious.). After we figured that out, it wasn't so bad. Actually, it was really fun. But since the bars weren't so comfortable to sit on in the back, Monica and I switched off every now and then, and we eventually made it to Monica's place.
(The position in the picture above didn't quite work either.)





And later that night, Hunter and I rode the bikes back to my place!

Picture by the river on the way!

Bisous XOXO

Hunting through Paris! ... Day 7 (Invalides, opera, and protesting)

I intentionally skipped Day 6 because that was mine and Hunter's "day off" from being tourists, meaning we took barely any pictures. We slept in, stayed around my apartment, and just took a nice little break in the middle of the week.

But on Thursday, which was Day 7, I had class in the morning, and Hunter started off the day by visiting the Invalides with Monica!

In case you're not familiar with it, the Invalides is like a huge military museum, and the chapel in the picture above is where Napoleon's tomb is located.







Here's Hunter posing by the bridge Alexander III, which is one of the more opulent bridges in the city (see the gold?).

Here's Monica posing by the bridge.

Hunter again!

The lovely Monica!

He looks so happy!

Here's Monica standing in the courtyard holding Hunter's dossier! Remember how I made that self-guided tour for him? I put everything in this file along with maps of other parts of the city, things to read if he got bored, and things to know about the Invalides for when he went there with Monica!

Another happy picture of Hunter!

Then they went inside the chapel to see Napoleon's tomb.

Here's Monica standing in front of the tomb.

Hunter was apparently in awe over the domed ceiling.

The tomb by itself.

Pretty soon, my class ended and I met up with them in front of the chapel. Monica had to go, so I had Hunter to myself for the rest of the day!

I decided to get creative with the camera! Here's Hunter doing his best military poses.

Hunter found a van with this fencing picture on it, and since I used to fence sabre, he wanted me to do my best lunge. Good thing my skirt was stretchy!

Here's my pensive look in front of the dome.

Couple picture!

After we played around at the Invalides for a while, we decided to go back to that bike rental company to rent bikes for the remainder of Hunter's visit (it's so much more fun going places on a bike than taking the metro!). We picked up the bikes really quickly because we had to be at the Paris opera house soon after that.

As I said before, I'm currently taking an opera course, and part of the course includes visits to the major opera houses in Paris- Opéra Garnier and Opéra Bastille. Opéra Garnier (also called the Paris Opera) is the house that everyone is familiar with because it's the older one and it's also referenced in the play "The Phantom of the Opera". Lucky for us, our class's visit to the Opéra Garnier was scheduled for the Thursday that Hunter was here, and my professor agreed to let me bring him along on the tour! It was amazing! We learned so much about the house's history, its architecture, and they even took us backstage to see people working and rehearsing. The only downside was that the entire tour was in French, and our guide spoke really quickly and without many pauses, so when I did finally get the chance to translate the information to Hunter, I basically had to remember several sections of the tour all at once.

Here we are inside the opera house!

I had to take a picture of the ceilings! Our guide told us that the art in the house had a lot of influence from Greek mythology because the overall impression was meant to be that the opera is like a sacred temple of music that's blessed by the different gods pertaining to the Arts.





Here's our group standing in the main entrance. We were told that when the house was built, the opera was more of a social event than just a time to go see a performance. Every public space was meant to be a sort of scene or backdrop for the people walking around, because back then, the real show was watching everyone else who came, similar to how we watch award shows on tv today (it's more about what the celebrities are wearing than who won something). This room was therefore one of the most important because it allowed the people to have a grand entrance, to watch others entering the house, and to mix and mingle.

Couple shot in the main entrance!

The ballroom was also really important as a public space. It's similar to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, and was another area for people to mingle. Also, this room was meant to show off the wealth of the opera house and the Bourgeoisie, rivaling the opulence from the monarchy shown at Versailles.






Here's Hunter admiring the artwork on the walls. I wonder what he was thinking in between the translations....

Couple shot in the ballroom!

Here's a picture of one of the smaller rooms just outside the ballroom. The ceiling was meant to resemble the sun and how it shines for the world of opera. Another symbolic reference.







Back to the main entrance! This is the grand staircase and it is the single most important part of the house because it's where you are first seen by society and where your opera experience begins. Below the staircase the lighting is dim and as you ascend the stairs, the lighting becomes brighter, so the overall effect is that to enter the temple of opera, you must ascend toward the heavens, toward the light, and become enlightened along the way. It was supposed to be a spiritual experience as well as impressive.

Here's what it looks like to ascend the staircase.

This room was the entrance for the wealthier patrons. There are mirrors all around and from every angle so the patrons could check themselves before they entered the main entrance and the scrutiny of society's eyes upon them.





Next, we went into the actual theater...
Here's a picture of the ceiling and the chandelier. The ceiling is painted with references to some of the great operas in history, Like Romeo and Juliet for example. And the chandelier is amazing with no explanation!






Here is some of the seating. We found out that the average seats will usually sell for around 70 euros. The nose-bleeds where you can't see anything run for around 30 euros.

And if you're wondering why they chose red and gold for the color palate in the theater- it's because these colors are the most flattering for human flesh tones, so it was more for the audience to look appealing instead of the performers.







Here's one of the box seats right next to the stage. Seats like these were the most preferred and the most expensive- not because you get a good view of the stage (the best seats for the view were actually in the balcony towards the back). It was because those places were easily seen by the rest of the audience. Just think, all you had to do to see the patrons in the box was shift your eyes slightly from the stage. Remember, the Opera was more of a place to see and be seen than anything else.

Here's Hunter glowing in the flattering reflection of the seat cushions!

Then, they took us backstage!
Here's the actual stage! Notice that it's at a slight incline towards the back. The reason why is because the incline allows for the performers and scenery in the back of the stage to be easily viewed just like the front of the stage.






Here's a dance studio with some dancers rehearsing. Our guide told us that the studio is decorated similarly to the public spaces because this is where the patrons of the opera would come backstage to meet the performers. This room also has a promiscuous connotation because there were always rumors that the relationships between some of the patrons and the female dancers were less than professional. Plus, there are peepholes in various places in the walls so that stage workers could peer in on the dancers while they were changing. Those peepholes are still there.





Now, if you've ever seen or are just familiar with the story of the "Phantom of the Opera", you know about the rumor of the underground lake below the opera house. Well, the rumor is partly true since there is actually a water reservoir below the house. But the best part is that we got to see it!


We had to go several stories below the house to see the water, and there were cages over the openings so you couldn't fall in.





As you can see, some of the floor is usually wet, so they had boards for us to walk over.

So here's the story behind the water:
As the opera house was in construction, one of the major obstacles was the swampy foundation and the underground water they were building over. Charles Garnier, who was the architect that the house was named for, came up with the genius idea to utilize the problem as a solution. The major problem with opera houses in general is that the weight is unevenly distributed throughout the building. The heaviest section is the stage (in the middle), and the lighter sections are the public spaces and the administative offices at the back, so the ultimate effect would be that the whole house would sort of cave in at the center. Garnier decided to use the underground water to prevent this by creating a reservoir and using the water to help balance the structure. The plan worked, and the design was used for other opera houses around France.

Another benefit of having an underground reservoir: because the decorations were so flammable and because of the gas lighting, there was always a tremendous risk of fire. However, with a ton of water close by, you have a quick way to stop the fire before it spreads.

Here I am by the reservoir!

That was the last bit of the tour. I really enjoyed it, and I'm excited for the next our at the Opéra Bastille!

After the tour, Hunter and I rode our bikes back to my apartment.

Here's my glamour shot of the day as we were riding through the city!

Funny face by the Seine!
(I think the face was because I was on a bike with a skirt on that kept riding up. I got a good bit of attention that day, ha ha...)

We rode through the Bastille on the way home, and we found part of a huge protest along the way.

It was crazy! As you can see, there were people hanging off the Bastille monument and the whole square was shut down (the road behind us is a round-about that's usually packed with cars).

There were so many people that we couldn't ride our bikes and it took a while to navigate through the crowd on foot. It's hard to see, but here I am in the middle with my bike.

I'm not sure exactly what they were protesting that day and exactly who was participating, but I know that Sarkozy's reforms are upsetting a lot of people here. Protesting and strikes are usually a normal occurrence here in France (they call it descendre dans la rue, meaning to descend into the streets), but it seems to be a lot more frequent lately.

I found a BBC news article that explains what happened that Thursday pretty well, and has links that give a little insight as to what's been fueling the unrest here if you want to know more:

French strikes- BBC

So it was a pretty eventful day!

Bisous XOXO