Since I last blogged, I've been in class a lot, but I've also been finding time to explore Paris and go on a little day trip.
Most days my classes don't start until 2 PM, so I've been wandering around the city a little bit. In front of the Louvre, there is a beautiful garden called Le Jardin de Tuleries. It has all these beautiful statues and fountains.
In front of the Musee d'Orsay
Musee d'Orsay
Le Louvre from across the river
Entrance to the Jardin de Tuleries
Random sphinx statue. The French love Egyptian art.
More Egyptian art.
Every Friday I volunteer with this organization called Le Secours Populaire. I asked my host family, and they said that it is a very well-known, reputable organization. I think they do other out-reach type activities, but they have an in-house soup kitchen. Depending on family size, they give people chickens, milk, cheese, vegetables, fruit, baby food, dessert, rice, pasta, pudding, etc. It's actually a really great set-up, and it's cool to see an organization like this in another country. Obviously I do not take pictures in there, but trust me that it is very cool.
Every day from 2-4 PM (or 14h to 16h, as they say here) I have a French grammar class. On Fridays, we really little excerpts from longer stories. I'm not sure how many of you guys will have heard of her, but we read a story by Marguerite Duras. She was French, but she grew up in what was called Indochina (Vietnam today). The excerpt was from a book called L'Amant, and it was so good that I ran out and bought it. I've been starting to read French books, and it usually takes me a couple tries, but it's been working out for the most part.
Anyways... Saturday the study abroad program took us on a little day trip to Fontainebleau (the famous chateau) and Barbizon. A lot of people have heard of Fontainebleau, but don't necessarily know what it is. It was the royal palace before Versailles was built. It was lived in from the 12th century until the 19th century, so it has a ton of different architectural and artistic styles. Francois I and Louis IX lived here. Like Versailles, it's a huge mansion with lots of art, but it also has huge, beautiful gardens. It was still a cold day, but the sun was out, so it was really nice just to walk around.
After that, we went to a nearby village called Barbizon. Back in the days of the monarchy, it was a private hunting village. There is a huge forest there (that I almost got horribly lost in). After the monarchy ended, the village became a kind of headquarters for a school of painters who liked to paint the woods. Robert Louis Stevenson also liked to come to Barbizon and write. Today, there is just the woods, a couple of hotels and restaurants, and a lot of country homes/farms.
Le chateau
I think this is a statue of Francois I
An up-close view of the front
This one is for you, Dad. I know how you like fancy ceilings.
This one is for you, mom.
This picture didn't turn out very good with no flash, but this is essentially my dream library. Very Beauty and the Beast-style...
Napoleon's throne. He liked to drop by sometimes.
Some weird, random dog statue in the gift shop
For some unknown reason, Francois love love loved salamanders. They are literally all over this beautiful chateau, except they usually look much more like Chinese dragons.
A view of the chateau from across the lake
The home of all the famous painters in Barbizon
This is actually the town museum, believe it or not.
Le Bois de Barbizon
All in all, it was a very nice trip. It was funny to be traveling in something that was not a train for once.
This upcoming week, for one of my classes, we have bi-weekly guided walks around Paris, so that should be interesting. I'll put up some good photos of that. I'm also hoping to get over to the famous cemetery where Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are buried this week, in addition to a cool-sounding memorial to the deported Jews of France during the Holocaust. Next weekend, I'm going to London!
Stay tuned....
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