Life in Utah

  Well, to be quite honest, I was kind of bummed about being back in my small, little (redundant? no!) town that likes to call itself a city. It is gorgeous in a wild, open sort of way, but I really liked living in a city with lots of cultural diversity. I have decided to change my attitude and spend time exploring my little area of Utah and see what fun things there are to do here...seeing as I am probably going to be spending quite a lot of time here. I have lived in Utah valley for a huge portion of my life and never really given it a chance to enchant me, or really done any proper exploring. Apparently there's a very fun music scene here, lots of great outdoor activities, cuisine, and such. So here goes! Ma vie in Utah.


Something that has nothing to do with Utah (well, the grassy hills could be in Utah for all I know):

One last hurrah

Some street art:

Very clever.

This dang spider nearly gives me a heart attack every time I come home at night. 

We learned about this guy in calculus, remember the rule of signs?

   I had to check out Castel Beranger --I love, love, love art nouveau! Unfortunately, it was dark by the time I found it (which is why I don't have any cool pictures of it), but it was magnificent nonetheless.

Well, living in Paris was absolutely fantastic, I felt like I was dreaming the entire time. Wow. I can't wait for the next adventure!

Louvre and Cluny

    I had somehow gone for 2 1/2 months without going to the Louvre...It was a very over-due visit.

I really liked the Louvre, but because I tried to go through it in one day, it was a bit overwhelming. So, I decided to focus on my favorite bits: sculptures and paintings. 

?

   I found it a bit confusing as to why some pieces were more famous than their neighbors when they were of a similar subject, medium, and time period. I guess it's the story behind the piece that makes it special?

The Mona Lisa

Later that week I also revisited the Cluny museum! It was just as exciting the second time. 

Monty Python, anyone?

Unicorn tapestries=love

Can you Catacomb?

   I had secretly wanted to go to the Catacombs the entire time I'd been in Paris-- I say secretly because I usually try to avoid all things scary because my imagination works way too well for my own good. Especially on dark nights where I have to walk to my car all by my little lonesome. EeeeK! 

    However, I decided to be brave and go! Unfortunately the girls from my group had already gone when I was in an interview and so I was on my own. Luckily, there was another group of teenagers going in at the same time as me so I just stuck with them...I think they were a bit uncomfortable by how closely I followed them. The catacombs are huge! I am kinda creeped out by the underground realm of Paris, if you think about how big of a distance the metro, sewers, and catacombs covers under the city... shiver me timbers! You could have a whole underground city--like the Court of Miracles in Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris (well, the Court of Miracles is actually above ground in the novel--but in the Disney movie it's underground)! It didn't help that Katherine (my host lady, incase you've forgotten) told me that one of her cousins got angry at his parents and ran away with some of his friends and hid out in the catacombs  for two weeks. She then cautioned me against going through the catacombs at night because of all the illicit activities that apparently go on there? I'm sure it's just urban legend, and that scary stories are promoted for tourism purposes, but, hey, you never know.

 This is the entrance of the catacombs:

Translation:
"Stop, this is the empire of death"

    It was incredibly eerie to walk through stacks of bones, I just had to keep reminding myself "it's just calcium phosphate, it's just calcium phosphate," but I was half expecting one of the skulls to turn its hole-y eye sockets at me!

   I would have hated to be around when the bones were being carted out of the graveyards and across the city while priests chanted prayers over them...creeeepy!

   There were all sorts of poems and quotes about death which were super melodramatic and kept reminding me that the catacombs are not only a resting place for thousands of people, but most importantly: a tourist attraction.

  At the end of the tour they check your bags to see if you tried to steal any bones--eww, who would do that? "Hey, this is a fibula from a random skeleton in the catacombs" Gross. I then got sucked into the tourist shop and got conned into buying a tacky pin that bragged about surviving the catacombs (okay, I didn't actually get conned, I just went in to see what the gift shop had to offer, ended up talking to the cashier for half an hour and felt stupid spending so much time there and not getting anything) and was so happy to end my little excursion with a nice walk in the sunshine. 

A good song:

A Confession.

So I actually got home almost two weeks ago! 

 Wow. Time is just as speedy in Utah as it is in Paris. 

I really miss the exciting part of living in one of the most bustling cities in the world. But, it has been great to see all of my family and friends, 'cause I was really missing everyone. I just wish they had all moved to France so I didn't have to come back. 

Wide, open spaces. 

Because I have a few more tales to tell about my study abroad, I'm going to keep blogging about that...and pretend that I am still in France. So, I'll get on that...

P.S. Look--my great roommates from last year made me a stocking: 

Awww, shucks. 

A Sunday Afternoon

    I live off of the #1 line of the metro, and had always wanted to see what was on the other end of the line. So I went, and found this:

Chateau de Vincennes

and this:

Another lost sole

Then I took a delicious walk through a bit of the huge (no, really, it's three times larger than Central Park) Bois de Vincennes. 

Found some mistletoe:

And went back home. 

    The other night, Katherine (the French lady I live with) came into my room almost crying she was laughing so hard. I asked her what was going on and she managed to get out (translated) "Do you want some pornography?" I was kind of shocked, because that was definitely the last thing I had expected a grandmotherly person like her to ask me, but she just laughed at me and dragged me over to the window in the sitting room:

   Yes. The man across the street was walking around in his birthday suit. Katherine guessed he was about 70 and could not stop giggling about how exposed he was even though his blinds were closed. Lesson learned: never change without having adequately thick curtains. I love apartment culture...it's like being a spy all the time. Even though you never talk to your neighbors, you know a whole lot more about them than they ever guessed. At the same time it is really annoying, especially with how well sound seems to travel in our building...some stuff, I just don't want to know.


On a less awkward note, guess what I made this week?

Why, yes, I did make the Cluny audio guide logo t-shirt, how ever did you guess?

Contentment right here. 

P.S.
One of the girls in the SAG showed me this song by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros--I have had it on repeat for maybe an hour--it's a good one, I'd definitely recommend checking it out (sorry I only have the link, I wasn't allowed to embed it). Loves!

Time Is Ticking

I can't believe how quickly this trip has gone--

It has just whooshed by!

 Then again, 3 months isn't a very long time to begin with. 

Paris is getting all cold and wintery!

   Even thought I am not a fan of the cold, the Christmas lights and such that are being put up are super magical!

 (I couldn't decide which angle of the ferris wheel I liked better...so here are both)

   The Champs-Elysees is all decked out in its holiday finery! There are little stalls of mulled wine, candy, sausage, etc. in an attempt to create a little small town Christmasy feel. It is quite charming. 

Speaking of the Champs- Elysees, this song is incredibly catchy:

I'm going to miss Paris. 

Some fun stuff I did

I just really wanted to compose something with that title ^

Mostly because all of my teachers since third grade have told me not to. What a rebel. 

     I went and checked out the Russian cathedral. It was so pretty! The inside was even more stunning, but pictures weren't allowed, so you'll just have to take my word for it. 

   I then went for my favorite walk in the Marais. There was some new graffiti:

Why so seraphous? 

 Then I got an eclair. Mmmm. 

    I also checked out the Mosque. And by "checked out" I mean walked by...I had come too late for a tour, but it looked interesting.

    The cherry on top?

Voilà:

I'm going to miss walks by the Seine!

Monaco: last bit

  My train left in the afternoon and so I got up bright and early to ensure (not to be confused with insure--Hailey!) that I had enough time to re-visit all of my favorite places. 

I love Monaco!

The Casino

    The sunrise was absolutely stunning.

     On my way down from the casino to the harbour, an Italian man in his 50's stopped me and started chatting? I was kind of creeped out because, as you know, it's pretty unusual for random people to talk to me, and the strangest things seem to happen in these sorts of situations. This one was no exception. He started out speaking in English and then flip-flopped between French and Italian. I have never really had much Italian exposure, but after tricking myself into thinking he was speaking French I could somewhat figure out what he was saying. He first reassured me by saying that he wanted me to come to his yacht (pronounced "yat-chat" just in case some confused person has told you otherwise...okay, I might be lying) and play volleyball with his 14 year old daughter. A yacht big enough to play volleyball on? shoot. I told him that he must have a very big yacht (it sounded less awkward in French), he just laughed and pointed to a sailboat "That, wind? I like very much wind. My ex-wife, she no like wind, she maked me vend? (sell) and my heart it break, yacht is just for le snobbism (appearing snobbish)." 

        Unfortunately, I was leaving--or else this story may have been even more exciting--and I had to refuse his volley-ball-playing offer. He then asked me what I was doing in Monaco, what I was studying, and upon hearing my age told me I was a baby. WHAT IS THE DEAL! Sheesh, Monaco people--I know 19 is young, I don't need every stranger I meet to tell me so! I was anxious to end this awkward conversation and continue exploring, so I tried to bid him farewell (if any of you know how to gracefully get out of situations like these, let me know), but he grabbed my hand, kissed it, then asked me for my non-dominant hand and read my palm. He told me I'm going to live a long life (I have a strong heart(?)), have some chillins (3, just in case you were wondering), and that I should avoid boys for the next 10 years, because: "Mens? They cheat, even when there are childrens." However, in 10 years when I am "more adult" I can just go and pick one out (Erm, excuse me, I'd like a model 8 with the guitar playing package, with some math skills on the side) ? He then told me I was a good person (aww), shook my hand, walked around the corner, and "vanished" (he actually walked into an underground parking lot, but his exist was quite dramatic nonetheless). 

      

     So that was an exciting start to the morning. I'm going to miss the random conversations that living in a city enables you to have.

     I'll be sure to check back in 10 years from now and notify you whether or not  my Italian fortune-teller was correct. I'm sure he doesn't tell the same thing to every single person he meets...right?

    I then continued my walk and was excited to see that nothing has really changed since I was there last.

   Monaco is where the Grand Prix is held, and there is a very high population of wealthy people, so there are lots of fancy pants cars and a Ferrari dealership.

I'm personally more of a Rolls Royce person...

Just kidding, I'm not even a car person--as long as it works I'll drive it--don't worry, I'll work on becoming more pretentious. 

The streets are so quaint and narrow!

One of my favorite bits is the Rock, which is a large plateau thing with the Monegasque castle, cathedral, museums, and old bits. 

   The view from The Rock is fantastic! Also, because it was the "Fete Nationale" The Rock was completely packed with news teams, soldiers, and--of course--buses of Asian tourists. The Fete Nationale (National Holiday) celebrates the Monegasque royalty and other traditions, and I was lucky enough to have unwittingly chosen to come to Monaco over this exciting weekend.

    To tell the truth, every weekend is exciting in Monaco, there is always some big party or event and if you are ever Monaco bound I would recommend checking out what is going on to supplement your existing plans.

Oui, oui!

I love you too Monaco!

Stunning, non?

When I came here two years ago I pretty much lived on this beach. Good times.

Look how clear the water is--it's not called the "Cote d'Azure" for nothing!

   Oh this? It's just one of my cousins getting kissed by Princess Charlene.

   Because Monaco is so small, you have a pretty good chance of running into the royalty. My cousin was saying she sees one of the princesses in the local supermarket pretty regularly. Also, Monaco is a partying hotspot for lots of celebrities, I think my cousins ran into Owen Wilson one time? Because of how luxurious Monaco is and the type of crowd it often attracts it sometimes feels a bit artificial and stuffy, but aside from that I really like the set up and charm of it. 

    Like Nelly Furtado observed all good things do come to an end, and I had to go back.

  The train ride was great, but I kept on feeling like I had forgotten something because I had packed so quickly. I only figured it out when the train pulled into the Gare de Lyon--

I had left my heart in Monaco.