"And I'm soaking through and through." -Dido

Got up early to take a shower in the communal bathrooms at our Formula 1 hotel. No towels. But the bathrooms were conveniently equipped with body dryers (just like a hand dryer, but for your whole body. Obviously.) 

After breakfast we set off for Angers where we visited the big fortress there. It was really cool, very old. Walked up along the ramparts and looked out over the city. I also saw a really neat and seriously old tapestry which illustrates the book of revelations. Bizarre. 

Next stop was the old castle in Langeais. This is the place where king Charles VIII married the 14 year old Anne in a secret night-time ceremony--after kidnapping her--- in order to unite Brittany and France. Pouring pouring rain. But that just enhanced the experience I’m sure. The bus drive along the Loire river was beautiful. Reminded me of the river and countryside in Pride and Prejudice. 

Sorry for some boring posts that have to happen, but this blog is part of my grade and I have to talk about every one of the sites we visit, even if I have no seductive anecdotes from the day. But in the end, no one forced you to read this.

We had the most delicious dinner here in Tours. Dr. LeBras orders everything in advance so we have no choice about what we're eating. I love it. Half the time I don't even know what I'm eating but everything has been very tasty. A strictly don't ask don't tell policy. Yum yum yum. 

"One if by land and two if by sea." -Paul Revere...or something

First stop today was Mont St. Michel. I’ll be honest, when I have heard people talk about that place I had no idea what it was. I think that might have made my experience there more magical. I had no idea what to expect. I cannot impress upon you the majesty of that place. Emily and I got lost on the way up because we were wandering in a field singing “Castle on a Cloud” from Les Mis. We had a guided tour of the Abbey and when we were on top looking out over the foggy coast with the crispiest, chilliest, saltiest breeze blowing in our faces, I had to pinch myself. I was humming the soundtrack from How to Train Your Dragon all day as I walked around.  I wish my sister Bailey was with me. 

We drove through the beautiful French countryside and along the enchanting coast of Brittany to reach our next destination. My face was pressed against the window trying to soak it all in. Listening to the Lord of the RIngs soundtrack on my iPod and having a hard time believing there was just a thin piece of glass between me and what I was seeing. 

We stopped in a little fortified town that was destroyed during World War II (and then rebuilt) called Saint Malo. We were meant to go walk along the wall outside the city, but I hit the beach instead. So incredible. It felt like being in a Nick Drake song. Foggy, gray, warm and quiet. Nothing like a salty breeze blowing through your hair. 

"I wanna hold the hand inside you," -Mazzy Star

Our whirlwind bus tour of Western France has begun. Our first stop was in Bayeux to see the famous tapestry. I felt cool about how old that thing is and the history it contained, but as soon as my twenty minute audio-guide tour started I felt a little bit like Amy Pohler in Baby Mama. “Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to not watch that. 

Next stop, the D-Day beaches and World War II memorials in Normandy. Inside the visitors center looking out over the coast Melissa came up behind me and said to me “I just realized something. It’s memorial day today.” I got chills all over my body. Walking through the cemetery I truly felt that I was on sacred ground. I’m so grateful that Dad made me watch Saving Private Ryan just before I came. 

Sitting in the shade under a tree in the cemetery I felt the impact of what was underneath me. 9,000 boys who never made it home. I felt immense gratitude for them and for what they did. My heart hurt as I imaged that they were young men that I know. Friends and brothers and such. We stopped by Pont du Hoc which was incredible. Rolling hills on a cliff. Reminded me half way of Ireland and halfway of a Nicholas Sparks beach. Beautiful weather, wind in my face as I looked out over Utah beach.

"She's a total Monet." -Cher, Clueless

Skipped class today (sorry) and hopped on a train to Giverny. Lunched at a little cafe, had some ice cream. Then we visited Monet's home and gardens.
If I had lived at that place, I sure as heck would have become an impressionist master too. It was so picturesque and beautiful. We had a real ball there. Those gardens felt like a little slice of heaven. Or at least a little slice of something really really beautiful. Out of...a painting.
By the end of the day everyone was laughing with us and saying "Are you the girls that were taking all those pictures?" "You girls sure are funny."
In short, it was a pretty perfect day. It went from wet cold spring, to hot hot summer over here.
It was so nice to get out of Paris for a day. I mean, I sure love Paris and everything, but Giverny was a beautiful little town. I like to pretend I'm a big city girl, but I'm constantly reminded that my country roots run deeper than anything else.
That place almost makes me want to take up a paint brush again.
I would have made Marilyn proud as I walked around. Knew all the flower names. I sure do miss the grand Silver Cricket.
And lots of other things too.
Like Mom and Dad and Bailey and my brothers and my friends and my cousins and going to Aunt Sue's to watch movies and Sunday dinners with the Kearley's and our ward and going to work and real coca-cola and baseball games and  my backyard and the way my house smells and the way mom only has the lamps and candles on at night so the lighting is so nice and most of all

KOBE.

"Doctor of what?! Her first name could be Doctor." -Tom Hanks, Sleepless in Seattle

Just when you're about to give up on Paris, it dang near knocks you off your feet. Today was summer. 80 degrees-- and that's the forecast for the rest of the week.
Chloe and I took lunches down onto the bank of the Seine and sat there eating and talking for a long time. I fed pieces of my bread to the swans that floated by. There is something so enchanting about the Seine. It's very dirty to look at, but I'll admit that every time I look at it I get this weird urge to go into it. To jump over the ledge, or if I'm on the bank, to just slide right in. It's very sparkly and charming. I'm going to run a google search and see if swimming is allowed in the Seine.
Crossing back over the bridge, Chloe and I saw two earthy looking women offering free massages on these little stools. I don't know what their credibility or motivations were, but we thought it was too great to pass up. So there I was in the middle of a very public bridge with strangers walking all around, getting a great massage from a stranger. The sun was beating down on our faces, there was nice breeze, and someone was playing the violin on one side of the street, and someone with an accordion an the other.
Post-lunch I showed Chloe the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. We browse and read and went up to the very fetching little reading room on the upper floor.
Then, since the weather was so nice, we decided, "why not spend it with the dead?" So we visited the big cemetery. It was very cool. But really hilly and quite a hike. I don't know if my baseball shirt or my inner aura gave me away, but the second I got there people started saying to me "you must be looking for Jim. He's that way." Sure enough, I was delighted to visit Jim Morrison's grave. The man I can credit for my love of, and interest in music. Saw some other nice graves, Chopin, Molieres etc.
We were positively, savagely thirsty after our trek so we went and bought some nice, cold, perspiring cherry cokes which we enjoyed very slowly in a little park nearby. 

Reading Room

Cemetery 

I'm not sure if you're supposed to smile in pictures with graves, but I thought Jim would like it if I did. 

no words. 

"With a dreamy far off look. And her nose stuck in a book." The villagers in Beauty and the Beast

After class and lunch with Matt and Rachel, I went off on my own to do another of my assigned walks. This one took me to the Madeleine metro stop. The point of the walk was to learn to smell Paris. Something (as mentioned in a previous blog post) which I had already begun to enjoy. At this metro station, one can smell the hideous, horrible, sulfurous waters below Paris. A stench that cannot be exaggerated. However (and this is not made up, my guide book told it to me) the smell of the famous Madeleine cookie is piped in through the vents at this station! So, if one is lucky, after the initial shock of the yuck, one is delighted by the smell of a delicious, buttery cookie. I visited the Madeleine Church, which looks like a greek temple and is an interesting marriage of paganism and Christianity. I walked through an outdoor flower market which greatly pleased my silver-crickety soul, and then I had my first encounter with the much raved about Laduree bakery. I didn't try anything because the line was ridiculous, but the window displays were mouth-watering and I fully intend to go back.

After these things, I visited a perfumery! Dear reader, you must know that one of my few talents is that I am very good at smelling things---so this experience was a real treat! I learned about the process of making perfumes, the basic ingredients, and the different "families" of perfume (wood based, floral based...etc.) I had so much fun smelling things and then being asked to determine the head tones, the base tones, the light tones and so on. It was pretty freaking cool.

When my walk ended I decided to go into the Notre Dame because I hadn't done that yet and the line was finally a manageable length. It was pretty, but not much different than any of the other cathedrals of Paris. 

In the evening I went to the Shakespeare and Company book store near the Dame and browsed for a long time. It was so cool in there. Was so so overflowing with all kinds of books and had one of those sliding ladders like in Beauty and the Beast (which of course, I used even though I had no interest in looking at the books it provided access to). I bought a nice little copy (I like my books small, not few page numbers,but small in size) of Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. I've never read it, but I liked Franny and Zooey so much that I thought I needed to pick it up. I found a little spot on some steps by the Seine to read. It was such a beautiful spot but I didn't have my camera so I had to sketch it in my journal to show you all. I apologize for my rudimentary drawing skills and the lack of color, but at least it will give you an idea of how nice and Parisian I felt there. Assuming you care. Which you must or you probably wouldn't be reading this.

I miss all you guys so much. 

Unless you are the viewers that my blog audience stats show from Russia. In which case, I don't know who you are. But thanks for reading my blog. I guess.

 I mean--спасибо

"When it's cold outside, I got the month of May." -The Temptations

The weather continues to be dismal at best. Good thing I love the rain and good thing Paris is beautiful in the rain. However, I am beginning to wonder if there is any other flavor of Paris.
I escaped the storm today by visiting the Museum at the Orangerie. I got to see paintings of beautiful flowers and beautiful people. Auguste Renoir (a favorite of mine), some old Picasso's, some Degas etc. Most impressive were Monet's big beautiful water lilies. They were in a big, white, oval-shaped room and they took up the whole wall. Photos were forbidden but I snuck a tiny one which I will post below.
While there, a long-white-haired, granola-y woman walked up to me as I was taking a picture of an Auguste Renoir and said to me (in a deep southern accent): "excuse me, no offense but I don't believe in taking photos of art. I think it defeats the purpose and I think it's very very wrong."
I made sure to snap photos of every painting of which she was in ear or eye shot.
Had lunch at a little cafe with Rachel, we snuck in our own goat cheese to eat with the bread because it's cheaper that way. Went and saw a movie to escape the downpour. Tim Burton's Dark Shadow. I don't recommend it to anyone who doesn't wish to feel like they've been banished to the 10th circle of Hell.
À Bientôt!

Going to help Aude (our French sister) make some things for her approaching wedding.

"Mr. Monet didn't blush." -Rose

"He did landscapes." -Jack

Titanic

Musée L'orangerie

Portrait of Coco Chanel

Me and Renoir

And Happy Birthday to my favorite mom. 

"Just hand me down, give me a place to be." -Nick Drake

Cluny, Cluny, Cluny! The museum, not the actor! I did an assigned walk today which took me to the Cluny Museum of the middle ages. I thought I would hate that place, but let me tell you, I spent most of my day in there. Fascinating stuff. My favorite exhibit was that which contained the "La Dame à Licorne" tapestries (the women with the unicorn). There were six of them in a very dimly lit room, and they were beautiful. Rich colors, beautiful imagery. I read all about them and devoured their symbolism. Plus they reminded me of the Last Unicorn, and I was humming the soundtrack to that while I looked at them.
The rest of the walk took me to the Sorbonne (which can no longer be visited by outsiders), a solemn statue of Montaigne, some outdoor Roman theaters, the Pantheon--which houses the tombs of a bunch or famous french people (they really were more interesting than I am making them sound...Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Emile Zola....) and lastly, to a little cathedral called Saint-Etienne-du-Mont.
It was here that I encountered a fun moment of the day. There was a big fancy Catholic wedding going on, and since no one protested, I sat down to enjoy the show. It was pretty, there was beautiful live music, I had a great view of the bride walking in, took some nice photos. Catholic ceremonies really are quite nice.
I came home for a little break, cooked dinner for Rachel and I (some kind of fish called Merlin). As I was leaving the supermarket, a man stopped me and asked (in French, rather timidly) "Are you blonde?" I blinked several times, wondering whether his question was founded in stupidity or shock, and then responded with a very long and quizzical "Ouuuuiiiiiii?" He then asked me if I was Russian. I don't know if I have mentioned this yet, but everyone here thinks I am Russian. I'm not sure if this has to do with my appearance, or if, more likely, I speak French witha  Russian accent. Which reminds me of a Chuck Norris joke: Chuck Norris can speak Russian.......in French.
After dinner I went to the Louvre! It is a special kind of night where the Louvre is free and open till 1am!!! I stayed till about 12:30 just wandering around by myself. That place is eerie and etherial at night. Most interestingly, there were hardly any guards. Because of this, I was able to touch as many statues as I wanted. I touched their toes, their hair, their fingers, their lips. Rubbed my hand along their cold, marble legs. It was really great---the Museum experience I've always wanted. Most historically, I was able to touch the Code of Hammurabi. I pressed my fingers into the engraved writing until I had cuneiform imprint on my fingers. It felt special and monumental in some way. I feel lucky to have done it. In the long gallery with all the giant French masterpieces, I sat down and stared at David's painting of Napoleon crowning Josephine for the longest time. You can't believe how big that thing is. I was mystified. As I walked past the windows and saw the infamous glass pyramids all lit up against the night sky, I felt that sweet drunkenness that only comes from realizing that one is in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time.

Are you a friend of the bride or the groom?

Congratulations Serge and Caroline.

For Scale. This is the middle third of the painting--if that.

Midnight from inside the Louvre.

"The comfort of a stranger...is truly a comfort." -Yann Martel

Sorry for the several day gap. Been busy taking my midterm, walking the streets of Paris, going out to dinner and discovering that Paris has the rudest waitresses in the world, eating gelato that I know will be served in the Celestial Kingdom, and mostly: watching Mary-Kate and Ashley's "Passport to Paris" on youtube with Rachel.
After classes this morning, I was just leaving the institute when I heard my name called in the happiest, most familiar voice. Kendall!!!! It made me so happy to see her, and who would have ever known that we'd be walking around Paris together? Love that girl very much. Got to hang out with her and her buddies all day and show them my favorite place to get the most delicious salted-caramel crepes. Took them around to see a few sites, including the lovely Galeries Lafayette mall. They were as enchanted by it as I had been the first time. At the Chanel store, there is this nail polish that I have been falling in love with since I've been here. A light, sky blue. very fancy and french-looking. It costs a few too many feathers, so I of course won't buy it, but every time I see it I get that warm feeling that's like hot butter melting as it slides down a piece of toast. Today Kendall, her friends and I walked up to the Chanel counter and were admiring the nail polishes, especially this one. Something came over me and I started to paint my nails right there on the shiny, black, laquer counters. I was able to do two, fairly successful coats without anyone objecting. So there you have it, my nails are fancy "Coco Blue," and I lost no Euros in the process. "As a paying customer, I expect to get what I want." -Rose DeWitt Bukater, Titanic.


I did another of my assigned walks yesterday. This one took my to the 16th Arrondissement of Paris which is the most expensive. Interestingly enough, I found it to be boring and not very charming at all. Though I did get to see that big bridge from Inception, so that was cool. I also saw the mini Statue of Liberty--also cool. The artist Guimard designed a lot in this district--you would recognize his stuff if you saw it. Those cool metro stops you see in Paris calendars--that was him. I also went to the Museum Marmatton which had a lot of Monets in it. It was beautiful! I really like these assigned walks because they force me to see so many different things in Paris. Although i thought this part of Paris was less beautiful than the others, seeing all these things is helping me for a complete image of Paris in my mind and I am really getting to know the city.

The Notre Dame has become my official meeting place with anybody. Rachel and I have no way of communicating with one another once we part ways, so we say "I'll meet you at Our Lady at 18h00." Which is exactly what we did today. We had a group dinner at a quaint little restaurant in Place Monge, where we all had delicious Boef Fondue, followed by chocolate crepes.

After dinner Rachel and I walked through the lively Latin Quarter and bought some fruit for our wonderful homeless friend (the one with the two doggies) Robert. We see him every day, and have become such fast friends with him. He is so happy every time we find him, and the feeling is mutual. Tonight he asked us if we would like his young Italian friend, Angelo, to get us pregnant. He thinks that we are old enough to have babies and that it is better for us to have babies than dogs.

Paris has some of the most interesting smells I have ever smelled. I could spend hours walking the streets smelling bakeries, patisseries, restaurants with garlic, homeless people, dog poo, sewers, stinky cheese shops, fancy perfumeries. These are essential parts of the Paris experience. I become acquainted through my sense of smell. At home in Park City, I always know when we are almost to my house because I can smell the water treatment plant. In Provo, I know I am almost home because I can smell the duck pond. While I was staying in India, as I was lying in the back of the van, I always knew when we were approaching home because there was a tile factory on the way that had the strongest smell of burnt rubber. Here in Paris- I always know when I am almost home because several metro stops before mine, there is always the most distinct smell of milk that lasts till I reach my stop ----This led me to discover that wherever I am in the world, there is always a smell that lets me know I am almost home. I don't know what it means, but it has become somewhat of a comfort. The French have a saying "Marcher le nez au vent" (to walk with one's nose to the wind)---it means to walk where your nose will take you. This phrase has come to mean much to me during my life in Paris.

"Steal my heart away." -Van Morrison.

After class today, our whole group went and had a picnic on the Champs de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. Baguettes, cheese, salami, and strawberries is what I brought to eat. Yummy. As we were sitting there eating, these young boys came up and waved something in front of this girl Chloe's face. Our director yelled at them to go away. We later discovered that they were distracting Chloe so that they could steal her iphone! The police caught the boys and Chloe got her phone back, so all's well that ends well. I knew we wouldn't make it through Paris without encountering such an experience
Emily, Rachel, Fran, Amanda and I did assigned Walk 16, which took us to Montmartre. This is the Paris I have always seen in movies, it was magical. We rode the Funiculaire up to Basilica Sacre Coeur, and toured through that gorgeous building. I saw Renoir's house, Van Gogh's house, and Picasso's house. Very cool.  I also fulfilled my lifelong dream of seeing the Moulin Rouge! Not nearly as fanciful as it is in the movie, but I'm still glad I got to stare at it for a minute.
After the walk Emily and I went back up to Montmartre and just sat on the grassy hill in front of the basilica enjoying the afternoon sun, and turning down all the beers we were offered.
Dave Stephens is in town for business and he took Rachel and I out for a nice dinner. We had so much fun. Sat at a little outdoor café, then went and got salted caramel crepes. We ate them as we walked along the Seine with Dave. We ran into this same homeless guy who has two puppies that Rachel and I see everywhere. His name is Robert and we have become fast friends. Today a young guy was with Robert, and I invited him to church on Sunday! I wrote down the address for him, and he put his cigarette in his mouth so he could take the paper from me. Will be interesting if he shows up.

A classic, and essential, tourist shot.

Yes, that's a baguette in my bag.

Strolling along the Seine with Dave.

"If I was a sculptor, but then again, no." -Elton John

Such a good day. Rachel, Amanda, Fran and I did Walk 4, ("Of Art, War, and World's Fairs"). We walked across the Alexandre III bridge, which was so lovely-- it represents the friendship between France and Russia-- the weather was perfect and sunny. We visited the Rodin museum, which has been my favorite museum so far. This is the museum with the beautiful sculptures in that pretty garden from Midnight in Paris. Unfortunately, Carla Bruni is not really a tour guide there. Dream on.
I have always loved Rodin, he was a master with his hands. The museum was very intimate and small, and his works are so romantic and charming.
After the museum we walked through the gardens, and sat on the stone steps outside to soak up the sun. Amanda thought it would be nice to shake hands with one of the statues, which she did, and then we realized that she was doing this right in the center of someone's group photo.
We went to the Invalides to see the army museum. Pretty cool---if you like war and stuff. I saw medieval armor---Jeff next door would die at that place. I'm sure he's been. I was mostly interested in the World War I & II stuff since those represent my favorite part of history. We then saw Napoleon's massive and ornate tomb. What a jerk. I can't believe how big that thing was. And how overly decorated.
The best part of the day was...DINNER. At the Rodin museum, we explained to some french guy we met that we haven't been impressed with any of the food here besides desserts. We asked him to recommend some place that had good French food. He told us about this place in the Latin Quarter called "Cafe de Paris." It was fancy and AMAZING. I ordered roasted duck with sauteed vegetables, and had some of Emily's Roasted shank of lamb (a momentary break from her traditional vegetarianism). We ordered delicious dessert and stayed at the restaurant for over two hours. We were finally asked to leave. Emily, Rachel, Amanda, Heather, MacCord, Fran, Melissa, Olivia and I walked around the Latin Quarter to see the lights, and then went to bed!

The famous "Thinker." The statue,  not me.

The Kiss

The Waltz

The gang at our fancy dinner.