Versailles+Louvre=Versaouvre? :D

So this is going to be a HUGE entry, so get ready. I haven't posted in three days and I've done LOTS of things. I celebrated La Fête de la Musique, went to Versailles, and visited the Louvre! I'll try to remember everything, but a lot has happened :)

First, La Fête de la Musique!! As some of you may or may not know, I live in a dorm at Tech called the International House. It's composed of about 50% American students who are interested in international affairs (A.K.A. Me) and the other half are students who come to Tech from different countries to study abroad in the US. I love living there and I get to meet a lot of people from many different countries. Through the I-House, I met a couple students who live in Paris and so I arranged to meet up with them for Fête de la Musique. More friends decided to come along, so eventually we were a group of about 14. We met up around 7:30 and headed towards the Latin Quarter. Things hadn't quite started up yet, but there were a few bands playing along the Seine and in the tiny streets of the Latin Quarter. It was really crowded so we kept wandering. Eventually we got to some area where a lot of bands were playing. I have no idea where it was name-wise. I'd never been there before. Here's a pic of one of the bands:

We eventually separated into smaller groups, which was good since we could move more easily. My group ended up at a rather large concert that was sponsored by a French TV station. The band was called Lunette I believe which means glasses. They were really good and I want to look them up when I get a chance (and better internet). In all there was a good variety of music and there was even a good bit in English which was nice. Here's another picture :)

This is going to be a picture-heavy post if you haven't noticed. I've gone to things this week that really can't be captured by words and I'm sure you'll appreciate being able to see them first-hand. The day following La Fête de la Musique wasn't very exciting. I just had class during the day and had a nice night staying in my room. I was pretty exhausted after all the excitement of the festival.

The next day our entire group went to see Versailles. We had to wake up really early (for college students) so we could leave by 8:00 am. We arrived at about 9:30 and waited in line for quite a while. It was then that I realized that the sunscreen I'd been considering bringing but didn't would've been a good idea after all. I'm now quite a lovely shade of red along my shoulders and cheeks. It's not as bad I thought it would be, but I kept to the shade as much as possible.

We first went on a tour of Versailles the Palace. Some people told me that seeing the palace wasn't worth the money and that you should just go straight to the gardens. I don't know how expensive it was since the program paid for it, but I enjoyed it. Everything was very beautiful even if it was a bit gaudy. Everything that could be engraved, gilded, or painted, was. It was all expertly done, but having so much exquisite-ness in one room was a bit overwhelming. I very much enjoyed the hall of mirrors and the different rooms though. I think that I like being able to see the every-day aspects of history such as building and furniture.

The gardens were absolutely amazing I must say and definitely large. All in all my professor said that we walked about 8 miles or so just going to the different locations on the grounds. After the palace we walked down to the pond-ish body of water that had a few restaurants next to it. We had a lot of fun imitating the statues along the way.

You could even rent a boat and row across the pond if you wanted. We had lunch and got some ice cream as well since it was so hot. Then we went to go see the palace of Marie Antoinette. Her husband Louis the XV built her this house to live in when they got married and it's pretty much a mini-Versailles. It's just as lavish and almost as big. There was this very pretty pink marble that you wouldn't immediately think that it would work on such a large scale, but it was very pretty.

After her main house, we went to see her so-called 'cottage' that she received for her birthday sometime. It's pretty lavish as well, not exactly what I would call a cottage. But I really enjoyed the grounds behind her cottage which weren't as manicured as the rest of the gardens. There was also a farm back there believe it or not. And THOSE buildings looked more like cottages. They were very cute and could almost be a village unto themselves.

We walked the whole way back to the train station, which was of course, exhausting since there wasn't anything new to see. In addition, there weren't any seats left on the train so we had to stand. But when we got back we still took the time to watch a break-dancing competition going on where the metro let us off. It was pretty fun and really random. We got home and basically passed out since we were so exhausted.

The next day was our day to go to the Louvre. Why the planned both of our excursions back-to-back like that I'll never know. We were still pretty tired from Versailles, but I'd been looking forward to seeing the Louvre since I'd seen the outside of it earlier. We took the metro to the museum and waited in line again to get in. When it's one of the most famous museums in the world, you can bet that it's going to be crowded every day. We tried to divide into multiple groups again, but sticking together proved to be more difficult since some people move at a different pace or want to see something different. I myself don't like to breeze through an exhibit and want to take time to see everything. We were there for about 5 hours and I feel like I got to see almost everything. Unfortunately the third floor was closed on Thursday so we didn't get to see anything up there though. My favorite piece of the day was seeing the Victory of Samothrace statue. I've always loved that statue and I actually wasn't expecting to see it so it was a nice surprise.

Of course, I got to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo as well. Some people say that they are disappointed with the Mona Lisa because of its size, but I wasn't. I felt that it was almost modest in its size, not trying to be a masterpiece by being massive, but by just being detailed and masterful. Of course we had to stay at least 5 or 6 feet away but I felt like I saw what I wanted to see of it.

I also really enjoyed the exhibit of the museum that was built exactly as the apartments of Napoleon were when he was king. It was almost like deja-vu since the looked very similar to Versailles. However, if you could believe it, it was MORE lavish and gold-plated and borderline gaudy. But, again it was still beautiful and I enjoyed being able to explore the rooms.

All in all, I had a great time exploring the different national museums we got to see the past few days. It's something I would never get to see in the US so I felt that it was time well-spent even if it might've been on the tourist-y side. But hey, I'm still a tourist even if I have another month to go.

Today has been uneventful, similar to Tuesday. We had class which dragged on compared to the two days prior. I went to have a falafel for lunch which was AMAZING. There's a place close to the MIJE that is very well-known for their falafel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I'm just chilling after class, might go to the monoprix (it's like Target) and get some stuff I've been needing in a bit. I must say that I'm kinda regretting coming to Europe in the middle of the World Cup season. I really don't like soccer, it's just not something I'm interested in. It's probably the only sport I can't stand; it just has too much running and too little scoring for me. But of course, everyone else LOVES it and goes to watch the games every day. There's a pub near here that shows all the games and they get a lot of business from the LBAT program. So I'm unfortunately the so-called odd-(wo)man-out. But it's not too bad since I get some time to myself, but I wish it wasn't an every-day affair that takes up everyone's time. Anyway, that's my soccer rant, I'm not going to force myself to watch them just to hang out with people, but maybe I'll go if the US plays or something.

So there's my massive post for the day :D I told you it would be big! This weekend should be interesting too since it's Parisian Pride this weekend. A friend of mine is coming down from the GT Lorraine program so we can go together. Should be fun :) I'll sign off now and hopefully I'll post sooner next time so it doesn't have to be as massive. Love to everyone!!
-Austin

A Mass-ive mistake lol

I'm in the midst of my first weekend here in Paris. I don't have class today (Monday), so I have a bit more time to relax, but next week should be easier anyway. We have class on Tuesday, but on Wednesday and Thursday we are going out on excursions. On Wednesday we are going to Versailles which should be amazing, but I need to be sure to wear my comfy shoes since it's a LOT of walking. On Thursday we are going to the Louvre. I'll probably go back sometime later as well since you're really not able to see the whole thing in one day, but I'm VERY excited.

La Fête de la Musique is today!! We learned that it really doesn't start until the evening, so we have all day to do whatever we want.... aka sleep! :) I'm going to meet up with some of my friends who used to live in the International House at Tech to go explore the festivities. That should be fun since I won't be able to see them again unless they go back to Atlanta or I return to Paris.

Saturday was pretty rain-y but we still got out for a good bit. One of my roommates' mom is thinking about renting an apartment here in Paris for two weeks after we finish our program, so we went looking at where the different options are and if they were in an area that wasn't too loud/crowded, etc. Unfortunately we got lost for a good bit too, but we found it. Just turned the wrong way once.

Yesterday we went to mass at Notre Dame, which was pretty incredible. I'm not Catholic, so I felt the overall mass combined with the location was very cold and lofty. I didn't understand much, but the bits I did, I appreciated. I hadn't been to church is quite a while since I work at St. Marks on Sundays so it was kinda nice to go to a service again. I just think I prefer my church :) Which is really something when you consider that I'm comparing it to one of the most infamous churches in the world.

One of the mistakes I guess I made, was during Communion. I was told by some of my Catholic friends that if you're not Catholic and you go to a Catholic mass, don't take communion, so I didn't. But it turns out (they put it in the program) that you only had to have faith that the bread was holy and sanctified... oops. I think everyone around us thought we weren't Christian... :shrug: I was just trying to do the right thing. It wasn't that big of a mistake, I just liked making the pun in the title :)


After church we went out for lunch, to a Mexican place believe it or not :) It was very cold so we appreciated the heat, and it was very delicious. It was a pretty good deal since we got the special of the day and dessert and coffee (which I switched for hot chocolate). Here's some pics of the food :)


Today the plan is to finish my homework since I don't want to have to do it when I get back from fete de las musique. Other than that, no real plans. One of my roommates is sick unfortunately. She completely lost her voice and has a bad sore throat. I hope I don't catch it :knocks on wood: and I hope she gets better soon.
Hope everyone's had a good weekend!!
Much love,
Austin

TGIF!

So after the longest week in the history of mankind, it's finally the weekend!!! I swear, it feels like I've been in Paris for 6 months, not 6 days. I've already seen a lot of the city, but there's so much more to see. I thought that Atlanta was big, but it's nothing compared to Paris. Well, at least the downtown part of Atlanta, if you count everything inside of the perimeter, Atlanta's probably bigger.

Well, since I last posted, I've had two days to explore. The first day we went to see the Louvre. We didn't go in, but you don't have to in order to appreciate it. It's absolutely gorgeous from the outside:So we explored that for a while one day. We also managed to buy some metro tickets so that we can get to some places farther away from the MIJE without killing our legs. The metro is an interesting experience, very crowded, but very efficient. We took it the second day, to the Eiffel Tower. There was a giant megatron screening of the soccer game on the lawn of the tower which some of the people here wanted to go see. Soccer's not really my thing, but I went 1) to see the Eiffel Tower and 2) just to hang out with people. It was actually a good time even though France lost to Mexico. We made some random friends with the people around us and watched what looked like all of the Mexicans in Paris celebrate.

The Eiffel Tower was beautiful to say the least. I was very much in awe of it. I didn't get to see it as much as I would like, but I'm determined to go back very soon when it isn't being swarmed with people. My camera also wasn't working at the time so I didn't get any pictures either... so sad. Turns out, if you buy batteries at the dollar store, you get what you paid for. I now have at least 10 dead batteries. They were dead when I opened the package unfortunately and my camera runs on AA batteries. Hopefully I can get more in France or send home for some. There are a couple things I realized would be helpful. But yea, the Eiffel Tower was gorgeous, and I got pics with my phone but I can't post them here. But I will return and appreciate it all the more. I didn't even know that it sparkles on the hour so I was very surprised to see that :)
We thought that since there was probably about a thousand people watching the game that the subway would be super crowded and would take forever to get back. So, we walked back to the MIJE from the Eiffel Tower. It took a LONG time, probably about an hour. But Paris is so beautiful that nobody minded. I looked it up and the Eiffel Tower is about 6 km from the MIJE if you draw a straight line. Needless to say we were super exhausted afterwards. But we got to see some beautiful buildings. There was even a lasershow-type thing on the side of a building showing scenes from WWII.

This is just a random picture I took when I was walking by the Seine River:
For this weekend, not exactly sure what we are going to be doing. I know that at some point we are going to have to do laundry, which is apparently really expensive and you have to do it in small doses since the machines are small. I can't do what I normally do and wait till I have only one thing to wear left and wash everything I own all at once. I also plan on having some sort of dinner at a french restaurant. I have yet to go one for a full meal. I went to one for a chocolate crepe on my first night here, but I want to have a legit meal this time.

Monday is really going to be the day to look forward to I must say. It's one of France's holidays called la Fête de la Musique which means Festival of Music. Apparently it's just a huge event where everyone is out on the streets listening to all sorts of free concerts. People will be playing from their windows and on the street. At least, that's what I have heard. I look forward to experiencing it for myself!!

Hope everyone out there is having fun (especially you Brandon, have fun in California for the week)! Week one for me = DONE! One month and one week till I head back state-side. Love to all!
-Austin

Let there be school...

So this is my third day in Paris. We started our classes yesterday and the only way to describe it would be LONG. We split the day into two parts, one from 9:30 to 12:30 and then from 1:30 to 4:00. After that, we can spend the day however we please. Both of the classes so far are concentrated on getting each and every one of us as fluent as possible. We might cover some other things later, but I'm not sure. We have a good bit of homework every day, takes a couple hours. But really, when we are getting 9 credit hours in a 6-week span, it's only to be expected.
The city is amazing, truly. The weather is so nice, never getting above about 70 degrees. We just keep the window open all the time, we have some nice french-style windows. Bugs apparently are just not a problem in France, which is a blessing since Atlanta is infested with mosquitoes right now.
It also doesn't get dark till about 10:30 which is throwing me off. It's the different longitude I think. The sun just doesn't stay down as long here. Means that I have more time to explore the city though, which is nice.
I have walked more in the three days I've been here than I have in the last month I bet. Everything is within walking distance and it's simply the easiest way to get around. I'm very glad that mom and Brandon made me get good walking shoes. Today I didn't wear them and wore sandals instead and am regretting it. Didn't get blisters thankfully, but they're pretty sore.
Exploring-wise, I've had some fun. Yesterday a couple of us just walked around with no real purpose, I eventually went to a supermarket (or, supermarche as they call it here) and bought some nutella and bread for an easy snack. Nutella's cheap and everywhere you look over here, which I like, since I find it delicious. :)
The food at the MIJE is mediocre at best. It's cafeteria food, kinda on par with Brittain dining hall, but with only three options. But, I don't have to pay for it, so I can't complain. And today's meal was actually awesome since it was American food :D It seriously reminded me of home since it was french fries and 'steak' which was really a hamburger without the bun. It was actually quite good which I was happy for since our meals thus far haven't been spectacular.
After class today, I went with a couple people to Notre Dame for probably the third time. It's just so majestic that I don't get bored with it. Each time I notice something different. AND!! Today at Notre Dame we saw BON JOVI!! Seriously, I'm not joking. I got a picture too:

I have a zoomed-in version on fb if you don't believe it's him :)
We had a good time finding lots of restaurants in the Latin Quarter, which is right next to Marais, where we are. We are making plans for the rest of the week and for the rest of this trip, so I'm getting very excited about all I'm going to get to do! For now, more homework to so.
Love to all!
-Austin

Day One

So here we are on day one of my exciting trip to Paris! :D I guess I will just start at the beginning of my trip here. After saying goodbye to my family, Brandon took me to the airport. Brandon is my boyfriend for anyone who might not know. Here's a pic:
So, he took me to the airport in time for me to get through security and everything. However, I learned once I got there that my flight originally scheduled for 5:50 got bumped back to 8:40. Apparently this was largely due to a fuel strike that was taking place in Paris yesterday. We ended up not even boarding the plane till 10:00 due to some complication with the emergency lighting. Anyway, we finally left, and by then we were all very tired. After the (somewhat ghastly) airplane dinner, and a screening of Alice in Wonderland, we all slept for a good long while. I have trouble sleeping in a sitting position, so I didn't get too much sleep, plus the person behind me wasn't happy with my chair being tilted back at all and kept pushing at it. We were served breakfast whenever they chose that should be, I think it was about 4:00 AM in Atlanta. We landed shortly after.

Customs took all of 2 minutes, but baggage claim took a bit longer. Also, I learned a lesson today: Don't shirk on the quality of luggage, they will break in-flight and make it hard for you later. One of the wheels on my suitcase is completely missing now, makes it more of a drag than a roll.
We took a giant bus into Paris. I'm not sure how long it took since I fell asleep. When I woke up there were these beautiful Victorian-style buildings everywhere.
We checked into the MIJE, where we are staying and got a rundown of the place from Dr. Gall, one of our professors. We picked our rooms ourselves, there were two three-person ones and a 7-person one. A couple of us got lost in the maze of the MIJE (with our 70+ lbs of luggage no less) so we got last pick, but I think I got the best room. It's comfortable, and it has everything I need. But most important of all, it has INTERNET!!!!! :D I'm so grateful to all the cosmic forces that were working in my favor towards that end. It has made my existence here so much better!

So that's all I have for right now. Tomorrow we have our first day of class which I admit I'm not looking forward to 100%. But it should be fun nevertheless. Love to everybody out there!
Au revoir!
-Austin

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

So, this is my first post for this blog. I am using this so that everyone who cares to can keep up with me while I'm abroad. All you have to do is go to http://AustinFrance.blogspot.com and you can see everything that I am doing. I am just posting this so that I can be sure that it works and show other people how to look it up. If you are seeing this, congrats, you found it! :D I am busy getting ready for France, but I haven't even begun to pack yet.
I am set to leave on June 12th, and I will be in Paris for a month and a half. I will be returning to Atlanta on July 24th. I will be staying in the middle of Paris, near Notre Dame. The place we are living is called the Maison Internationale des Jeunes et des Etudiants (or MIJE) and is in the Quartier du Marais. I'm looking forward to it greatly! I will write again when it gets closer to the date. Cheers!
-Austin