Madrid!

After a pre-historic setback, I finally made it to Madrid (with a lot of help from my dad!) on Tuesday, April 20th. 5 days late, but I was there!


Immediately after getting off the airplane, I met my mom and Natalie for paella. Mmmmm... Welcome to Spain! After dinner, we went back to the apartment, watched some Glee, and got some rest. We had a lot of touring to do!

Wednesday began with the changing of the guards at the Palace. We walked through the gardens to the Egyptian Temple, which was given to Spain by the Egyptian government.




We took the funicular across a HUGE park (7 square miles!) that used to be the palace hunting grounds. After a VERY long walk with very few signs, we finally made it to the zoo! Our feet were a little worn out, but we discovered something that Americans have yet to figure out: you can rent golf carts to drive around the Madrid Zoo! One look from Natalie, and we were off on our very own safari.







After the zoo, we went to Mercado San Miguel to get food for dinner. The market is AMAZING! All sorts of tapas, counters where you can sit to have a snack while you're shopping, bright colors, fresh fruit... sensory overload! We got some Jamon Iberico and a few types of Spanish cheeses, bread, tomatoes, and delicious desserts. Who needs to go out to a restaurant when you have this market nearby?






On Thursday, we went to the Museo del Prado and the Reina Sofia. We saw an awesome mime/statue guy on our way, definitely one of the best I've ever seen! At the Prado, we went on a scavenger hunt trying to find the most visited paintings in the museum. Our map seemed to be wrong, so we spent way more time wandering than we had expected, but saw some fantastic art! The Reina Sofia was even better. After a lunch break, we made our way into the building (which is absolutely gorgeous) and had our fill of surrealism! We saw Guernica, which is way bigger than I thought (I'm used to the Mona Lisa being deceivingly small...), and tons of Dalì. They have a great garden in the courtyard, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather before grabbing an ice cream and heading back to the apartment to get ready for dinner.





To celebrate our last night, we had AMAZING tapas for dinner! Three kinds of Spanish meats, tomato and avocado salad, shrimp bruschetta, delicious anchovies, potato omelet, asparagus and egg bruschetta... I'm still amazed that we ate it all!



The next morning, we went looking for shoes for Natalie (WHAT? Natalie wants to go shoe shopping?!), then made our way to the airport. My mom and Natalie left a few hours before I did, so I wandered around the airport, got some lunch, and found a few English magazines. Back in Paris, I re-packed and went to bed early, because on Saturday morning I was off to Charles De Gaulle to pick up JP!

I wish I could have spent more time in Spain, and I can't wait to have the chance to go back. I want to spend more time in Madrid and visit Barcelona, there's so much to see and so many cool things to do! Thankfully the volcano didn't cancel my trip!

Gros Bisous,
Jaimie

Volcano!

It has been Spring Break for a few days now, and what a Spring Break it has been!

Thursday night, airports started closing because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. On Friday, I went to Orly airport with Soso to see about our flight to Madrid, whether it was delayed or canceled. We waited in line for a few hours, then ended up rescheduling my trip and canceling Soso's. As of right now, I am headed to Madrid from Monday night to Friday morning... Fingers crossed!

I looked into taking a train. It would have been 13 hours, but it is an over-night train with sleeper cars, which is pretty awesome so I would have had no problem with it! However, SNCF (the company that runs all the trains/TGV in France) is on strike, so while 9/10 trains are running, it is impossible to purchase new tickets. Unfortunately for people actually stuck in various cities (I'm lucky that I'm "stuck" in Paris, where I have an apartment!), SNCF is not really adding any new trains to deal with the lack of airplanes. They announced yesterday that they are adding new trains with Eurostar to/from London, which is definitely a big start, but the strike is causing extra complication. Thankfully, I've got my room here in Paris and don't have to find a hotel or something.

The upside was that I've been able to get some work done on my directed research project. 7 pages down, 5 to go before the end of May! And I never unpacked, so if the flight is on for tomorrow night, I'll be there! Fingers crossed that I'll make it to Madrid to see Mom and Natalie!

Gros Bisous,
Jaimie

Spring!

Today, I met Soso for lunch by Saint Germain. We wandered toward Odéon and stopped for pizza. It was so great chatting with her and catching up. It's so nice to get to see her, and to have her nearby. I don't know what I'll do when I leave Paris and I'm back to seeing her when I visit every few years, instead of every few weeks for lunch!

After lunch, we walked to Ile Saint-Louis and got ice cream at Berthillon. Melon and Blood Orange... No passion fruit today! I'll just have to go back... We also stopped by Pylones, one of my favorite stores. I know there are 5 in NYC, but it will ALWAYS make me think of Paris!

I had to say goodbye to Soso to head home and work on the "plan" (outline) for my mini-thesis. Vercors and Les Editions de Minuit, a clandestine publishing house from the German occupation of Paris during WWII... Not my favorite way to spend a sunny afternoon, but it's really interesting, and I've learned a ton about literature from the occupation period. A lot of major authors stopped writing because of censorship, and then didn't really start writing again until the 1950s because France was essentially in shock/denial about the occupation, so any literature REALLY about life during 1940-44 is clandestine. I feel like a detective, especially since Vercors (Jean Bruller) was not a famous author, and has been almost forgotten.

Next weekend (April 16), Soso and I are off to Madrid to meet my mom and Natalie! The fun never stops!!!

Back to work!!!

Gros Bisous,
Jaimie

Dublin!

This past weekend, I went to Dublin with Katie, Joe, and Juan. After a late-night trip to Paris Beauvais (an airport I did not know existed before this semester) and a quick flight to Dublin, we arrived. We were greeted by a friendly cab driver, who told us about the best place to get Fish and Chips and which sites we couldn't miss.



After a good night's sleep, we woke up early to take a full-day bus trip around the area outside of Dublin. Definitely a great way to spend Good Friday! We saw tons of sheep, visited a medieval cemetery, and drove past where they filmed parts of Braveheart. For lunch, we had AMAZING Guinness and Beef stew, and even found a pint (which can only be sold in hotel restaurants on Good Friday).





Back in Dublin, we visited the National Wax Museum. Not quite Madame Tussauds, but we saw Harry Potter and some Vikings! After dinner, the boys went back to the hotel to work, while Katie and I searched for dessert. We discovered Eddie Rockets, which is basically Johnny Rockets. A shared Brownie Sundae and a Chocolate Milkshake later, we were back and the hotel and preparing for Satuday!




Saturday morning, we walked to the Dublin Zoo. We saw orangutans, giraffes, elephants, hippos, and gorillas. Conveniently, Katie is also a child at heart, and we spent a few hours wandering around before stopping at a tea room for lunch (while the boys were at the Jameson Distillery). We wandered over to the medieval jail, then met the boys at the Guinness Storehouse. We learned all about how Guinness is made, tasted Guinness that had been kegged next door that morning (Guinness that fresh SERIOUSLY tastes like coffee), and then enjoyed a pint at the Gravity Bar. We wandered back to the hostel to meet with friends that Joe and Juan had made to go on a pub crawl. Katie and I stuck to Bulmer's Cider (both apple and pear), while the boys were happy to have more Guinness. It is Dublin, after all!






Sunday morning, we went to Dublinia to learn about the vikings and the settling of Dublin. After a tour, we went to Christchurch Cathedral (before the afternoon Easter Mass). Katie taught me all about medieval architecture and stained glass windows. We went to get Fish and Chips, then went to Dublin Castle.





After a tour, it was back to the airport, where we made our way back to Paris. A quick trip, but definitely worth it!!!

Gros Bisous,
Jaimie

L'Orangerie

Last Sunday, I decided to counteract a rainy morning with a healthy dose of Water Lilies. I hopped on the Metro and headed over to the Tuileries Gardens to visit the Musée de l'Orangerie. I can't say how many times I've walked around Place de la Concorde, over to the Tuileries and to the Louvre, but I have never been into this museum. When I was little I was convinced it was the part of the palace where they made orange juice (EVERY major palace in France has an Orangerie... and Versailles has fresh-squeezed orange juice vendors in the gardens... can you blame 5-year-old me?). The Musée de l'Orangerie does not, in fact, make orange juice. Instead, it is home to some pretty amazing Monets!




Two oval-shaped rooms hold four Water Lilies each. These paintings are absolutely HUGE, rivaled only by the room-sized Water Lilies on display at Giverny, Monet's home outside of Paris (also VERY high on my list of things to do when the flowers bloom!).




Downstairs is the collection of Paul Guillaume. From Renoir and Cezanne to Picasso and Matisse, it was the most impressive (formerly) private collection I've ever seen. Guillaume was a Modern Art dealer in Paris in the early 20th century, and was wildly successful. He helped turn American collectors on to some of the incredible modern art coming out of France.





Water Lilies were definitely a wonderful cure for the rainy day blues!

Gros Bisous,
Jaimie

Allison comes to visit!

Last weekend, my friend Allison from Columbia came to Paris for a few days with two of her friends. It was a wonderful excuse to meet some new people and be a tourist in Paris. Friday morning began at the Champs Elysées. We visited the Arc de Triomphe, and wandered down one of the most famous streets in France. I was the only one singing, though...



We walked by Place de La Concorde, then found Rue St. Honoré, where we were on a desperate search for Poisson d'Avril. Poisson d'Avril (April Fish) is the French equivalent of April Fool's Day. It has something to do with taping pictures of fish onto people's backs. The best part, though, are the actual poisson (fish) - hollow chocolate fish with mini chocolate fish and other sea creatures inside. We didn't find any on Rue St. Honoré, but found a delicious Italian restaurant where we rested our feet and filled our bellies before heading to the Louvre.




At the Louvre, we started with Winged Victory, then visited the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. After spending a little time in the Greek and Etruscan section, we went to the food court in the Carousel du Louvre. The Carousel is essentially a mall underneath the Louvre, complete with Paris' Apple Store! And I thought the Apple Store next to FAO Schwartz was cool...





We took the Metro to Montmartre to visit Sacre Coeur. We couldn't find the funicular and climbed the steps, which is probably part of the experience anyway. The view from the top of the hill is breathtaking: the best way to see Paris! We wandered back down the hill, realized our feet hurt, and decided we'd done enough touring for the day.





We headed back to the girls' hotel to rest for a little while before going to dinner. I got caught up on my American magazines (thanks Allison!!!), then we walked to St. Michel to meet Nikki and her friend for dinner. We found a street with three pizza restaurants, and basically made the men standing outside (offering passers-by the best deals and trying to sweet-talk them with free drinks) convince us that we should eat in their restaurant. After dinner, we met up with Lily and her boyfriend and went to Galway, a pub near St. Germain. After a drink and some music, we decided it was probably time to get some sleep before our Saturday adventures!



Saturday, we started the day at Notre Dame. I will never get tired of visiting the Cathedral, it is absolutely gorgeous! Our visit was followed by a stroll around Ile St. Louis. We FINALLY found Poisson d'Avril at Cacao et Chocolat, which are now in a box being shipped home to my mom and my sister. We found a cute restaurant for lunch, then went to Berthillon to get ice cream. If you have never been there, it should be at the top of your list! The ice cream and sorbets are absolutely amazing. And if you're in Paris for a while, like me... go a few times and try as many flavors as you can!





From Berthillon, we walked to the Musée d'Orsay. They are currently renovating the museum, so they've hidden the Impressionists on the first floor. We found them and took in as much as we could, though it was clear that part of the collection was in storage. For example, they had a few of Degas' studies for his "14-year-old Ballerina", but the sculpture itself was nowhere to be found. However, between the Monets, the Van Goghs, and the Cezannes, we were covered!



After a stop in my favorite café by the Musée d'Orsay to caffeinate and rest our feet, we walked along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. It was definitely Spring Break! We waited for almost two hours to get tickets and get onto the elevator. The wait, however, was worth it. By the time we were on the elevator to the second floor, the sun had set and the Tower was completely lit up. The view of Paris at night, with all the monuments shining, was spectacular. We even got Allison to go all the way to the top, though she was quite happy when we got on the elevator to go back down!







We took the RER and Metro to Saint Germain, where we had dinner at a great sushi restaurant. The girls had early flights, some back to Dublin, and Allison back to the States, so after dinner I pointed them in the direction of their hotel and said goodbye. It was awesome to have them here. I went to places I hadn't been yet this semester, and had so much fun catching up!

Gros Bisous,
Jaimie