All Good Things

Goodbyes are never easy, and somehow it seems like they're harder to say to a city, because the city can't say it back.  Still, I've been doing my best in these last few days before I have to leave Paris for the next chapter of my life.  Freshman year officially ended on Friday, giving me a few days to wander without any worries about work to be done or obligations to be kept.  Of course, that doesn't make leaving any easier.

I don't think I'm going to be able to find the words to sum up what these past nine months have meant to me.  I've learned so much, both academically and personally, and the opportunity to start college in Paris is one that I will be eternally grateful for.  Though it was at times difficult-- yes, even life in Paris has its downs-- I can't imagine having done anything differently, because every choice I made gave me the incredible year I experienced.

Don't cry, Paris (it's started to rain).  After all, I'll return some day.  I know there's no fountain I can throw a coin in to ensure it, but it'll be impossible to stay away for long.  Besides, I still haven't seen all the Louvre; I guess I'll just have to come back to rediscover you.

Thank you, Paris.  It's been unforgettable.

Katrina

Spring Break: Nice, Genoa, Cinque Terre, Monaco, and Nice Again

Buckle up, this is gonna be a long one.  As I procrastinate on packing up my room, I'm going through all the pictures I took over spring break, already missing the shining water and warm sun.  Deciding against going up north to the Nordic countries for spring break was quite possibly the best decision I've made all year; I don't think I could've made it through two weeks of being cold after it just stopped being freezing in Paris.  Instead, I spent two weeks (minus the days with strep throat; see previous post) laying on beaches and wandering with a mindset of relaxation.

The Saturday spring break started, I hopped on an eight AM train from Paris to Nice: travel time a little under six hours, napping through much of it.  I stayed in Nice for three nights and immediately fell in love with the city; everyone was relaxed and friendly, and the weather was absolutely amazing.  The second day I was there, I actually walked two towns over to Villefrance-sur-Mer with a girl I met at my hostel, and the view from the beach was absolutely stunning and definitely worth the 2+ hours it took to walk there (we took a train back).

The beach-- covered in rocks

The view from the old tower (yes, it was an overcast morning)

Leaving the beautiful sun of Nice (though I know the pictures don't look like it), I hopped on a train to Genoa, Italy, where I stayed for two nights.  Things I appreciate about hostels: very cheap way to travel.  Things I don't appreciate about hostels: bunking in a room with people who snore like bears.  Anyway, I digress.  Genoa seems to have been built on a hill: you can't walk for more than ten feet without encountering an incline or decline unless you're walking right along the water, at the Old Port.  Still, with all the hills, at least I earned the gelato I ate-- because when in Italy, it's always gelato o'clock.

It says it's a street, but I don't believe it...

Apparently they like motorcycles in Italy

The Old Port

The old ship at the Old Port

Rolling out of bed bright and early to catch my train (well, trains plural, if you want to be specific) to Monterosso in the Cinque Terre, I noticed I felt under the weather, but thought nothing of it.  Oh how wrong I was.  My first day in Cinque Terre was absolutely beautiful: the sun was shining, there was a nice breeze, and the water was the bluest I had ever seen.  The next few days, however, I was out of commission with strep throat-- see previous post for details.  Luckily, I was cured by my last full day in Cinque Terre, which meant that I did in fact get to see all the towns, though I wasn't able to hike between them.

The conclusion I came to in my day wandering the Cinque Terre villages was that I absolutely have to return, ideally sometime in late June/early July so I can truly experience the beauty of what the towns have to offer.  The day I had to explore was mildly overcast, but the towns were still absolutely stunning, tiny streets packed with stalls filled with everything you could imagine.  I have just one complaint to file: according to the sign, there are 350 steps from the train station up to the town of Corniglia, the third Cinque Terre village.  After careful counting, however, I discovered that there are, in fact, 383.  Corniglia, you are a cruel taunt.  Fix your signage.  Apart from that, however, the villages were absolutely stunning.

Is this not the most beautiful view you've ever seen?

And then it was overcast

The main street in Vernazza

The town of Vernazza

The stormy seas

One of the many switchbacks on the stairs up to Corniglia

Look, I got someone to take a picture of me! (Yes, I am wearing an NYU shirt.  It was the only one I had that had been unaffected by my illness)

A church in Manarola

While waiting for my train to take me all the way from Cinque Terre back to Nice for the last few days of my break, I ran into a girl who also had a large duffel backpack on.  As it turned out, she was also going from Cinque Terre to Nice and staying there for a few nights; thus, a friendship was born.  We ended up taking a day trip to Monaco from Nice for one of the days, which was super fun though killed my feet, because, though you may not know this, Monaco is also built entirely on a hill.  And no, I did not gamble-- as it turns out, you have to pay fifteen euros just to be able to enter the casino, and I was not about to bet that I could earn back that fifteen euros on my mediocre poker skills.  Still, wandering around Monaco was an amazing time.

Is this sunset even real? (Spoiler: yes)

The seaside of Monaco

Large city; small country

The newfound friends I went exploring with

It's a good thing you can't see my sunburns

I still can't believe actual people live here

My last two days I just spent laying on the beach in Nice.  The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, and I never wanted to leave, but alas, all good things must come to an end.  Saturday night, after my final beach day, I packed up and left my hostel and boarded the train back to Paris, much more relaxed and much more sunburned than two weeks prior.

Katrina

The Start of Spring Break

I've been in Nice for seven hours now, and I am already feeling the spring break relaxation setting in.  I took a long TGV ride from Paris to Nice-- just under six hours-- which left a bit before nine in the morning, meaning it was an early start for me.  I managed to sleep on the train for a while, though (I say "managed"; it was impossible to keep my eyes open), so I was wide awake when I stepped off the train into beautiful, sunny, seventy degree weather.  Sidenote: no pictures for today, I just wanted to wander and take everything in for myself before getting the camera out.

After figuring everything out at the hostel I'm staying at for the next three nights, I headed out to the beach.  There were a few rows of beach chairs, I found a free one, and laid there for about an hour and a half, soaking in the sun and the ocean breeze.  It feels very nice to not have anything to do for a while-- nothing looming over me that I have to work on, just some books on my Kindle I've been meaning to read.  After a sufficient amount of sun, I wandered down to Vieux Nice-- the Old City.

Vieux Nice is one of the best places to wander.  The streets are mostly blocked off to cars and are all cobblestones, lined with restaurants, cafes, and antique shops, not to mention the amount of ice cream to be found.  I decided to treat myself-- what is vacation without five o'clock ice cream, anyway?-- and sat and listened to one of the street musicians while eating Swiss chocolate ice cream.  Yes, it was delicious.

After wandering for a good while through the labyrinth of Vieux Nice, I decided to attempt to make my way back to the main square, where I could reorient myself.  It took much longer than anticipated, though I didn't have anywhere to be, so I just grabbed a kabab and fries from one of the stands and ate dinner on the beach.  When the sun finally started to fade, I headed back to the hostel, where I now sit, writing this post.  I am very tired, even though I didn't do much today-- travel always takes it out of me, despite the fact that all I do is sleep en route.

Tomorrow, more beach time and probably more wandering through Vieux Nice-- this time with my camera!

Katrina

Springtime (Finally)

I'm sitting next to my open window as I write this, with the sun beating down on me and the fresh air blowing into my room.  I'm done with midterms and the essays that come along with them, so most of what I'm working on currently is just a lot of reading (side note: Dante faints a lot in his Inferno).  My mom, sister, and sister's friend are coming to visit Tuesday, so I'm doing my best to get ahead of the work curve for the next week.  We'll see how well that works.

Springtime is Paris seems to so far be characterized by the sun finally returning and 50 degree (Fahrenheit) weather, which I am on board with.  I went on a few runs this weekend, and I wanted to stop and lay down to soak in the sun to make up for all the grey, rainy days throughout winter.  I can finally read outside at cafes and start walking more without fear of freezing my face off.

It's also kind of strange, though.  Around this time every year, it's spring break, and my family generally flies out to Colorado for some spring skiing and family time.  Here, though, my spring break doesn't come until the last two weeks in April (yes, I do realize how late that is, no need to tell me), meaning while everyone is off at the beach-- or the mountains-- I'm still stuck in school, and I've really started to miss my Rocky Mountains.

Still, it's impossible to be sad for too long with the sun still outside and the breeze no longer blowing cold rain into my face.  Springtime is finally here, and I do not plan to waste it inside my tiny apartment.

Katrina

A Visit to Grenoble

You know those little fairy tale villages surrounded by mountains that you think only exist in postcards?  Yeah, I visited one a few weekends ago.

Seriously.  Look at this.

Grenoble is one of the most amazing cities-- towns-- villages-- who knows how to classify it-- that I've ever visited.  Part of that could be my ongoing love affair with mountains, but it was just such an amazing place to walk through.  My friend Grace came with me, and we left Paris around 10, after our train was delayed for unknown reasons (probably the rain) for about an hour.  We made it to Grenoble towards the end of lunchtime-- 1:30 or so-- and checked into the hotel before beginning our quest for food.

One thing I love about France is that you can never quite tell when it's going to rain and when it's going to shine.  Sure, you have your weather reports-- which are about as accurate as my sister's cat trying to catch the red dot.  Things weren't looking so hot on the weather report for Grenoble, with rain scheduled pretty much all day every day.  Despite that, I rarely used my umbrella; France prefers to rain in little sprits and then stop for a while before raining again.

Our first day in Grenoble, we headed out to see the Cathedral of Grenoble, also known as the Notre Dame de Grenoble (yes, every town has a Notre Dame-- no, none are as impressive as the one in Paris).  We wandered down from our hotel though the old part of the city, stopping for lunch and then stopping for coffee.  It was a very chill start, and ended with a wonderful fondue date-- did you know I've never had actual fondue?  I've only ever had chocolate fondue.  Yes, I know that doesn't shock you, be quiet.

An overcast day

The square next to the cathedral

Chez Marius-- because I'm a musical nerd

Inside the cathedral

Shakesbeer pub-- because I'm also a Shakespeare nerd

Day two at Grenoble saw us spending a really large amount of time up at the top of the Bastille.  We grabbed pastries on our way to the cable car up to the top of one of the mountains, and once there, we settled in for the long haul.  We must've spent one or two hours wandering around the top and gawking at the view, and then another one or two hours having lunch at the restaurant up at the top (sidenote: eating while looking out at the Alps?  Phenomenal.  Try it if you ever have the chance).

The sun began to appear, finally

Wow I'm actually in one of the pictures

I would like it noted that I took 37 pictures of the mountains while at the top.  Be glad I figured out how to cut them down.

We decided we wanted to chill after a very filling lunch, so we headed back to the hotel.  Grace napped and I managed to get some homework done before we went to get dinner.  We were shockingly exhausted, so we fell into bed almost immediately after eating.  Combination of altitude, travel, and the wonder of mountains?

Our last day in Grenoble was spent wandering through museums.  We visited the Musee de Grenoble, which was full of art from the medieval period through today, which was super interesting to walk through.  There were paintings, sculptures, and tapestries scattered throughout the museum, as well as (shockingly) amazing views of the mountains.  We also saw the Musee Dauphinois, which had various histories of Grenoble, from the mountain men who lived there to the history of skiing (which I was particularly interested it).

A fun jokester statue

Painted during one of the Grenoble snows?

Joan of Arc portrayal

La comedie portraying la tragedie

And, finally, we headed home.  I was sad to say goodbye to the mountains, but it was a wonderful break from the hectic-ness that a student living in Paris can experience.  We got back to the apartment around 1 AM, after which I fell into bed and went straight to sleep, still dreaming of snow-topped mountains.

Katrina

Return to Paris and a Visit to Chartres

I've officially returned to Paris and settled in after my winter break.  And, yes, it has been too long since I've written anything, but this semester has felt more hectic than last semester for some reason.  It seems like teachers have picked up the workload a bit, but I'm managing so far.  As I write this, I'm staring out at a brilliantly blue sky, just waiting for the sun to set and create an orange glow across the city.

A few weeks ago, NYU took everyone on a day trip out to Chartres, to visit the cathedral and a little chateau not far from the town.  Chartres is your typical little French village-- tiny cobbled streets with houses and shops lining the sidewalks, inevitably slightly rainy, and a beautiful cathedral set as the backdrop.

It was extremely cold in Chartres.  I was solidly bundled up, with layer after layer of sweaters, a scarf, a hat, gloves, and a giant coat, but, being me, I managed to still almost freeze.  I had thought that once we made it into the cathedral for the tour, it would warm up; oh, how wrong I was.  The cathedral didn't seem to be any warmer than outside-- they possibly hadn't installed heating since it was built in the late 1100s.  The tour was interesting, though lasted for much longer than it needed to, but it gave me lots of time to take pictures of the gorgeous stained glass inside.

That lighting though

Some of the stained glass lining the cathedral

A rose (I think that's what they're called?) stained glass

More stained glass

Some carvings along the side of the cathedral

A shrine off to the left

A statue behind the alter

After we finished the cathedral tour, it was well and truly raining and everyone was ready for a good, warm meal.  We got back on our buses and headed to the chateau we would be touring, which also conveniently had a restaurant in their barn.  Again, not heated-- too large?  The jury's still out-- but they gave us a wonderful sparkling rosé along with a red wine to warm us up, so I can't complain too much.  The food was delicious, and the tour of the chateau was very interesting, though I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside of it.

That's about it for these past few weeks-- not much exciting has happened, I know.  This weekend I'm going to Grenoble with one of my friends, though, so I'm sure I'll have many exciting stories to tell when I get back.

Katrina

Christmas Time is Here

Wandering down through the Christmas markets on the Champs-Élysées is one of the best ways to take a break from studying for finals. The amazing gift stalls combined with the hundreds of different food vendors combine to make a festive and joyful atmosphere, sugar-coated almond stands wedged between two scarf stalls. Every other person seems to have a cup of vin chaud-- mulled wine-- clutched in their hands, warming them up from the inside out (though personally, I find the smell much more enticing than the actual taste).

Seriously, this sign was everywhere

As the sun starts to set around 4:30, the lights start to flicker on above all the wooden chalets. Strings of light run all along the roofs, white lights blinking on and off to give the impression of snow, while signs light up in red and green, proclaiming that you've found the Christmas markets of Paris. There's a small artisan "village" that curves off to one side off the main market that I fell in love with, stalls of jewelry looking like they belongs to a fairy queen and carved wooden statues appearing regal despite being only a few inches tall.

The chalets lining the opposite side of the street

Ah yes.  Michael Jackson, the most Christmas-like you can get

The lights going on above the sidewalk

All the trees lit up

One of the trees lit up

I'm sure DC has something like the Christmas markets, but something tells me it's probably not to the same extent. There are over 200 wooden chalets along the Champs-- and yes, I looked that up. The French get into the Christmas spirit early, and they only go up from there. Every store plays Christmas carols-- mostly in English, weirdly-- and it seems as though every major boulevard and then some is covered in strings of blinking lights. It's contagious, and I've caught it, only refraining from decorating my apartment because I know I'll be leaving in a week anyway.

The Christmas spirit is a wonderful thing. It fills you up and excites you and it seems as though nothing can dampen your happiness, not even the upcoming final exams. Everyone seems lighter, smiling more and not letting the little things get to them. I wish I could figure out how to bottle that feeling and keep it around all year long, because there's something about it that makes everything seem just a little bit magical.

So, as the streets sparkle and I use this next week to finish up both my first semester of college and my Christmas shopping, I'm not nearly as stressed as I thought I would be. The Christmas markets have put a little glow inside of me that seems to absorb all of the bad and turn it into silver and gold tinsel lining instead, and I'm starting to think that maybe-- just maybe-- there is such a thing as magic after all.

Katrina