1. Le 19 septembre
Promenade 1: Paris in Layers: Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Conciergerie
Je voulais Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle pendant des années et maintenant, finalement, je les ai vues. C'étaient formidables! Elles sont incroyables. J'ai presque pleuré quand je suis entrée dans Sainte-Chapelle. Elle est vraiment incroyable! J'ai commencé mes études de cette cathédrale il y a 5 ans et maintenant, je ne peux pas croire que j'ai été là. Je pensais toujours que j'aimerais Sainte-Chapelle et je le aime, mais après avoir visité l'intérieur de Notre Dame, je suis tombée amoureuse! Je suis dans l'amour. J'aime toutes les choses de cet edifice. Elle est très vieille, mais très très très jolie. Je crois qu'il sois difficile pour les personnes à imaginer la hauteur de l'espace intérieur quand on lit dans un livre. Pour moi, ça c'est vrai. Je ne peux pas dire assez de la beauté de cet edifice. Elle est vraiment belle.
2. Le 25 septembre
Promenade 5: Place de la Concorde
Il faisais froid. Il y avait plu et beaucoup de vent. Mais quand j'ai vu la Place de la Concorde, je suis tombée amoureuse. Je n'ai jamais vu un endroit comme ça. Elle est l'endroit que je préfère à Paris. Elle est très grande et un mélange de les choses nouvelles et vielles. Il y a beaucoup d'histoire ici et je l'aime. Dans cette promenade, j'ai vu aussi beaucoup de bâtiments governementaux et plusiers des magasins qui vendent les vêtements très chers. J'adore cette partie de Paris. Nous sommes allées au Jardin des Tuileries mais parce qu'il faisait froid, nous n'y sommes pas restées longue temps. Il était un peu beau et je pense que j'aimerai à retourner au printemps ou en été.
3. Le 2 octobre
Promenade 12: Time Travel, Tricks, and Treats around Saint-Sulpice
Avec l'exception d'Olivia, j'ai pensé que cette promenade était très ennuyeuse. La Cathédrale de Saint-Sulpice est TRÈS grande et jolie. Mais tout le reste de cette promenade n'était pas bien. Je ne me souvien pas la plupart de la marche. Il était un peu interessant à voir un magasin du XVIIIe siècle, mais juste un peu. Olivia et moi avons parlé beaucoup de français et c'était très amusant. Merci à toi, Olivia.
4. Le 3 octobre
Promenade 3: A Walk in the Park: Montparnasse and the Jardin du Luxembourg
Le temps aujourd'hui était très horrible. Il faisait froid et il y avait plu BEAUCOUP. J'aime la pluie, sauf quand je n'ai pas un parapluie. Mais, il y avait deux choses que j'aimais. J'ai mangé le meilleur macaron. Je ne sais pas le nom de la pâtisserie mais les biscuits étaient très beaux et vraiments delicieux aussi. L'autre chose, j'ai vu beaucoup de magasins qui vendent les papiers speciaux--comme <
Un macaron Pistach'in
Multi-colored and flavored macaron
Tour de Montparnasse
So we're supposed to be doing these in french, but apparently these only like 2 of us who are actually doing that. I want to be able to share these experiences with my friends and family who don't speak french so I'm following the lead of the others and I'm going to be posting in english from here on out. I hope you enjoy.
5. Le 5 octobre
Promenade 16: Montmartre Walk
This was the best day I've had here so far. It just kept getting better and better. The area surrounding Montmartre was so fun and lively--filled with tourists and young people. The steps of the cathedral house all kinds of tricks, trinkets, and talents. We were lucky to catch a guy with a little amp and an acoustic guitar. He was fantastic. Played original songs and covers that you'd never expect. We didn't want to leave. We all pitched in and bought his CD and so far it's the purchase I'm most excited about. We hung out and watched him for close to, if not a bit longer than 30 minutes. After that, we found ourselves in another major tourist trap -- a street lined with beautiful shops and artists' canvases without stop. I definitely want to return and probably spend a lot of money on overpriced stuff. Next we made our way down some beautifully old streets and we eventually came van Gogh's old house. I can't stand his work, but it's still pretty cool to be able to see where he lived and experience a little of the inspiration he found in the area. We moved a little further down and found ourselves in front of Moulin Rouge. Before this experience is over, I'm going to a show there. This is where our official walk ended so we crossed the street and at the entrance to the metro was a stand with....COTTON CANDY! Only my most favorite thing on the planet. Best. Day. Ever. We planned a group dinner for a couple hours after our walk so we had a bit of time to spare. Why not just pop on over to the Louvre for a few minutes. Who does that?! Bored? Louvre...okay. Why not?! Haha So cool. Jacques-Louis David is one of my most favorite artist. I had been dying to see his work since I realized I'd actually have the opportunity so we headed that direction and just sat in front of his pieces for several minutes. I still can't believe I've seen a David in person. They are so incredible. HE is so incredible! Bester. Day. Ever. We hung out there for a while, stopped by the Islam art exhibit and then headed to dinner. We found a little chinese/japanese place and had decent food and good company. So far, for me this has been the most fun and most memorable day we've had here so far.
Why hello Nicole Kidman.
6. Le 9 octobre
Promenade 11: Lutetia Pulchra Est: Musée National du Moyen Âge, Sorbonne, Pantheon, Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, Arènes de Lutèce
I think I was most excited for this walk because I did my prep class report on the Latin Quarter. I was familiar with a lot of the things we saw and even some of the history behind these buildings/monuments. Being hugely interested in roman history, I think my favorite part was the Arènes de Lutèce. It's crazy to think about all the history that are in these stones. This place is older than anything I can even imagine. I really can't even wrap my head around it. The best part of this walk is just thinking/imagining all the things that happened in these places. These places have seen and experienced so much and I'm very appreciative that I have been given the opportunity to experience just a piece of it as well.
7. Le 11 octobre
Promenade 14: Eighteenth-Century Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Musée Jacquemart-André, Musée Nissim de Camando Museums, Parc Monceau
This was a pretty miserable day. No umbrella and no letting up on the rain. I've visited so many museums and seen so much art it starts to blend and mesh together. I forget what I saw where and when I saw it. I think the most memorable part of this walk was the park. Though it was dreary and cold, it was still beautiful. Huge trees, old and new, grass a beautiful green color that Utah has never seen, people strolling under umbrellas, and charming bridges that span lovely ponds. I loved this park and I would love to come back on a beautifully sunny day. Sad part is that it might have to be on another trip to France later in life. I don't know how many sunny days we have left here on our expedition.
8. Le 16 octobre
Promenade 18:
9. Le 17 octobre
Promenade 18:
9. Le 17 octobre
Promenade 17: Small Buildings Need Not Apply: La Défense
This was quite possibly the shortest walk I've been on so far and maybe the most boring...at first. This walk is mostly just weird buildings. We saw some modern art (Moretti Tower) which I hated and buildings that looked like they belonged on a "futuristic" movie set of 1970. Though some of the buildings looked somewhat modern most looked like they were trying too hard to be different/cool and new. I found them just..ugly. The view at the beginning of the walk is pretty cool though. Directly behind you is the Arc de Triomphe in all it's decorative, old, beauty and straight ahead is the Grand Arc and the other buildings of the future with their steel and glass constructions, funky colors, and "interesting" space age shapes. As we walked through the square all I remember thinking was how tacky these buildings looked. They seemed fake and unnatural. Like they were trying too hard to be inventive. As I looked around I just kept getting the feeling that nothing was real, but made to look that way--as if I was on a movie set or something. The walk did end on a positive note -- aka me finally going shopping and buying not one hooded sweater, but two. This was my first "shopping spree" of France and I definitely walked away a happy camper.
10. Le 23 octobre
Promenade 15: Saint-Ouen's Labyrinth: Navigating the World's Largest Flea Market
When we first got to the flea market, instantly we thought, well this isn't a flea market and it's definitely NOT the world's largest. For every item for purchase, there was about 10 different vendors to chose to buy it from AND none of it was the old "junk" that one expects to find at a flea market. There were booths and booths full of new shoes, "leather" jackets and "designer" purses, jeans, and watches. Everything was in bulk and everything had a perfect little box. Only after reading the map did we realize while headed the right direction, we hadn't reached the actual flea market yet. When we did, wow. Could definitely now agree with the "world's largest" title. It was crazy. There is absolutely NO way you could see everything. I'm sure you could spent every day for months here and not even make a dent in the number of shops there were to visit. While they did still have the bulk jeans and shoes there were also typical flea market stores mixed with a combo of junk and treasures. I told everyone that if I was in need of antique furniture, that would have been the way to go. Everything reminded me so much of the stuff we had just seen at Napoleon's Fontainbleau. And while that place is way too over the top for every day living, many of the pieces could have fit into modern day home. I told Ryan that he'd have to return when it was time to furnish his home. Sadly I didn't find anything I absolutely had to have, but perhaps if the weather had been better, I would have tried a little harder and spent a little more time browsing.
11. Le 30 octobre
Promenade 6: Marcher le nez au vent: Sights and Smells around the Madeleine
This walk was fun for many reasons. First, the Madeline church is amazing. I saw it and immediately loved it. I am obsessed with Ancient Greek and Roman architecture and this reminds me so much of the Parthenon. It was fantastic and enormous. Sure it looks big from far away, but sometimes I can't really image the size of these buildings until I am right up next to it. This building was very neoclassicalesque outside, but almost baroque on the inside. Lots of gilding and light reflecting off every surface. It was amazing. There was also a statue of Jeanne d'Arc which was cool and sad. We miss Doc H quite a bit and seeing her always reminds us of him. Thanks to him, I will forever know almost every detail of Jeanne d'Arc's life. Lucky me. *winky face. Second, after exploring the Madeline, I stopped at Ladurée which is obviously amazing. I am so excited to bring my family back some of these amazing macaron. Hopefully they make it to my family. I might just end up eating them on the train. Third, the smells right along side the Madeline. Oh geez. Flowers, flowers, and more flowers. And soaps and perfume stores. I didn't buy anything then, but before I leave I might have to return for something wonderfully parfumed. Really the most memorable thing about this walk was obviously the church. I've passed it a few times and never went it, but I'm so glad I finally did. I love this church. It really is so beautiful. It's soooooo different than the other major churches/cathedrals in Paris (i.e. Saint-Chapelle et Notre Dame), but it's still really cool.
12. Le 1 novembre
Promenade 7: Marais Walk 1
I absolutely love how the history of Paris is written all over the city. Every building, every street, and every sidewalk is marked with any number of different parts of the city's past. I think my favorite part of this walk was seeing the old Roman wall. Can you image seeing something that is over a thousand years old? It is very likely that we don't even see rocks on a daily basis that are that old. These Parisians have it so good. They get to really know their history because all they have to do is walk around their city and they see it everywhere. I really am so jealous that they live so close to all of this "stuff". It's also very cool to get to know more of the area that we walk in every day. Our school is in this area and it's cool to see parts of the "neighborhood" that we don't get to see on a regular basis/won't get to really know. Another walk on another cold day. These walks are really interesting and so far I've learned so much about the city and it's history, but it really is very difficult to get into them when it's freezing and windy outside. Hopefully it warms up a bit so I get the rest of my walks completed without becoming a walking popsicle. We'll see. Wish me luck!
13. Le 16 novembre
Promenade 9: Follow the Money: Palais Royal, Bourse, Covered Passages.
Honestly this walk was not all that entertaining...that could have been because it was freezing though. We kind of moved from place to place trying to keep warm. The park outside the Comédie Française was really pretty though. With the tree lined passages ways and the falling and changing colored leaves, it was beautiful. Oh and the fountain in the middle. Lovely. I know absolutely nothing about economy or stock markety stuff, but it was really funny how much Olivia freaked out when we walked by the "French wall street". She was quite excited and maybe just a bit too giddy. The covered passages ways were also really cool. It's amazing how many stores they could cram into each one. I'm not sure what kinds of stores were in there a long time ago, but now it just seemed like food places. I guess that's nice if you're not sure what you want to eat...go there and you have almost everything you can imagine at your disposal. I did see an Indian place I might have to make a return trip for. I'm horrible with directions so we'll have to wait and see if I ever actually make it back without getting lost.
14. Le 18 novembre
(Picture stolen from Caitlyn Pearson. Thanks lady.)
11. Le 30 octobre
Promenade 6: Marcher le nez au vent: Sights and Smells around the Madeleine
This walk was fun for many reasons. First, the Madeline church is amazing. I saw it and immediately loved it. I am obsessed with Ancient Greek and Roman architecture and this reminds me so much of the Parthenon. It was fantastic and enormous. Sure it looks big from far away, but sometimes I can't really image the size of these buildings until I am right up next to it. This building was very neoclassicalesque outside, but almost baroque on the inside. Lots of gilding and light reflecting off every surface. It was amazing. There was also a statue of Jeanne d'Arc which was cool and sad. We miss Doc H quite a bit and seeing her always reminds us of him. Thanks to him, I will forever know almost every detail of Jeanne d'Arc's life. Lucky me. *winky face. Second, after exploring the Madeline, I stopped at Ladurée which is obviously amazing. I am so excited to bring my family back some of these amazing macaron. Hopefully they make it to my family. I might just end up eating them on the train. Third, the smells right along side the Madeline. Oh geez. Flowers, flowers, and more flowers. And soaps and perfume stores. I didn't buy anything then, but before I leave I might have to return for something wonderfully parfumed. Really the most memorable thing about this walk was obviously the church. I've passed it a few times and never went it, but I'm so glad I finally did. I love this church. It really is so beautiful. It's soooooo different than the other major churches/cathedrals in Paris (i.e. Saint-Chapelle et Notre Dame), but it's still really cool.
12. Le 1 novembre
Promenade 7: Marais Walk 1
I absolutely love how the history of Paris is written all over the city. Every building, every street, and every sidewalk is marked with any number of different parts of the city's past. I think my favorite part of this walk was seeing the old Roman wall. Can you image seeing something that is over a thousand years old? It is very likely that we don't even see rocks on a daily basis that are that old. These Parisians have it so good. They get to really know their history because all they have to do is walk around their city and they see it everywhere. I really am so jealous that they live so close to all of this "stuff". It's also very cool to get to know more of the area that we walk in every day. Our school is in this area and it's cool to see parts of the "neighborhood" that we don't get to see on a regular basis/won't get to really know. Another walk on another cold day. These walks are really interesting and so far I've learned so much about the city and it's history, but it really is very difficult to get into them when it's freezing and windy outside. Hopefully it warms up a bit so I get the rest of my walks completed without becoming a walking popsicle. We'll see. Wish me luck!
13. Le 16 novembre
Promenade 9: Follow the Money: Palais Royal, Bourse, Covered Passages.
Honestly this walk was not all that entertaining...that could have been because it was freezing though. We kind of moved from place to place trying to keep warm. The park outside the Comédie Française was really pretty though. With the tree lined passages ways and the falling and changing colored leaves, it was beautiful. Oh and the fountain in the middle. Lovely. I know absolutely nothing about economy or stock markety stuff, but it was really funny how much Olivia freaked out when we walked by the "French wall street". She was quite excited and maybe just a bit too giddy. The covered passages ways were also really cool. It's amazing how many stores they could cram into each one. I'm not sure what kinds of stores were in there a long time ago, but now it just seemed like food places. I guess that's nice if you're not sure what you want to eat...go there and you have almost everything you can imagine at your disposal. I did see an Indian place I might have to make a return trip for. I'm horrible with directions so we'll have to wait and see if I ever actually make it back without getting lost.
14. Le 18 novembre
Promenade 21: Get Lost! The "Anti-Walk" Walk
This walk was kind of had by accident, but I'm glad it happened the way it did. There was an accident on the tracks a few stops away from my house and so the trains all stopped and forced everyone off the trains. Since I live out of the city, I had to find my way home. It's pretty amazing that I even made it home...and within a responsible time frame. I am horrible with directions when I have them, and here I had none. I just picked and path and hoped it was the right one. I saw beautiful things. Old buildings mixed with new ones. Views of the Seine that I've never seen before. An actual freeway which is another thing I have never seen in Paris. And the best part...a circus. Carine and I have both seen posters for it and we're expressed our desires to go and now, thanks to me :), we know exactly where it is. I made it home safely and I got to see things I never would have otherwise. Thank you train for stopping and forcing me to find my own way home. The news is speculating that someone jumped in front of the train. I hope that's not true, but I sure am thankful that the train stopped when it did.
15. Le 23 novembre
Promenade 19: Parisian Necropolis: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
This walk was cool, but honestly way too long and pretty difficult to navigate. The cemetery is ENORMOUS, but it doesn't feel like that when you're walking around in it. It really seemed like we were in our own tiny village. Many of the grave markers look like miniature houses which is both cool and semi creepy. We also noticed something that we thought was very strange...many of the doors to these little houses were open. Many of them looked broken, but I'm assuming it's because many of them were a few hundred years old. Also, WHY are people so obsessed with Jim Morrison's grave? We met some very strange drifters (who claimed Jersey as their home state) who sat at his grave site singing and playing the harmonica until long after we left. What else is there to do at a grave site after about 10 minutes? I LOVE Géricault, but I still only managed to "hang out" at his grave for about 60 seconds. If he was there, and we could have had a conversation yes, I would have stayed longer, but truth is, it's just a bunch of marble with someone's name printed on it. Being "in the presence" of soooo many very influential people was pretty cool though. I think we were all quite surprised by how many asian grave markers there were, but also how many newer ones. There were graves from this year there. I think we were all under the impression that it was mostly a cemetery for the bodies of long ago. This really was the coolest cemetery I've ever been to or even seen. I've seen pictures of the ones in places like Louisiana, where everything is above ground, but these grave markers take grave marking to a whole other level. Everything was so decorated. I couldn't stop thinking about how cool it would be if we had cemeteries like that in America. Since I've been in France one of the things I've always noticed is how cool their cemeteries are. I've seen several during our many travels and they're always very cool looking. They're so compact compared to the ones in America. I guess that's just fitting, considering everything about Paris is more compact than anything in the states. New York City isn't even as compact as Paris is. Anyway it was just really cool to be able to see a combination of many different cultures and cultural beliefs regarding the treatment of the dead all in one place.
15. Le 23 novembre
Promenade 19: Parisian Necropolis: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
This walk was cool, but honestly way too long and pretty difficult to navigate. The cemetery is ENORMOUS, but it doesn't feel like that when you're walking around in it. It really seemed like we were in our own tiny village. Many of the grave markers look like miniature houses which is both cool and semi creepy. We also noticed something that we thought was very strange...many of the doors to these little houses were open. Many of them looked broken, but I'm assuming it's because many of them were a few hundred years old. Also, WHY are people so obsessed with Jim Morrison's grave? We met some very strange drifters (who claimed Jersey as their home state) who sat at his grave site singing and playing the harmonica until long after we left. What else is there to do at a grave site after about 10 minutes? I LOVE Géricault, but I still only managed to "hang out" at his grave for about 60 seconds. If he was there, and we could have had a conversation yes, I would have stayed longer, but truth is, it's just a bunch of marble with someone's name printed on it. Being "in the presence" of soooo many very influential people was pretty cool though. I think we were all quite surprised by how many asian grave markers there were, but also how many newer ones. There were graves from this year there. I think we were all under the impression that it was mostly a cemetery for the bodies of long ago. This really was the coolest cemetery I've ever been to or even seen. I've seen pictures of the ones in places like Louisiana, where everything is above ground, but these grave markers take grave marking to a whole other level. Everything was so decorated. I couldn't stop thinking about how cool it would be if we had cemeteries like that in America. Since I've been in France one of the things I've always noticed is how cool their cemeteries are. I've seen several during our many travels and they're always very cool looking. They're so compact compared to the ones in America. I guess that's just fitting, considering everything about Paris is more compact than anything in the states. New York City isn't even as compact as Paris is. Anyway it was just really cool to be able to see a combination of many different cultures and cultural beliefs regarding the treatment of the dead all in one place.
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