Normandy: Day 2

We decided to spend the morning at Rouen and see the market.

Joan of Arc

The restaurant we had dined at the night before had been right across the weird Viking ship chapel that commemorates Joan of Arc, but it was really interesting to see it in the daylight.

We also went around the famous cathedral of Rouen:

Saw the big clock:

Tried out some treats:

These are called "chouquettes" and are a light pastry topped with bits of sugar.

And went to the Beaux-Arts Museum.

"Portrait Presume de son geolier" Jacques-Louis David

"Nature morte aux fleurs" Moise Jacobber

something by Camille Pissarro 

On the way back to Paris we stopped by Monet's garden in Giverny!

 So beautiful!

     After the gardens we piled back onto the bus and returned to Paris. Such a lovely trip, but I wish we had gotten to explore Normandy a bit more!

Normandy: Day 1

To enrich our French experience we went to Normandy for a change of scenery.

   We drove to Bayeux to see the Bayeux Tapestry! I was expecting to see a more traditional tapestry, but this looked more like an embroidered cloth cartoon strip of the events leading up to the Norman Conquest. I wasn't able to take pictures of it, but the tapestry was super interesting and the facial expressions on some of the character's faces were worth a good chuckle, I would definitely recommend seeing it if you're ever in the neighborhood.

Bayeux was so beautiful!

   We then drove to Les Plages du Débarquement (D-Day Beaches/ Omaha beach) to see the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. It was so beautiful and solemn to see the tomb stones stretching on seemingly for miles and the memorial did a very good job at using pathos and making the war a very personal thing. By that I mean they (whoever put together the memorial) focused on heroic acts of individuals and made sure to portray the soldiers who died as people instead of just a bunch of numbers. This made the whole experience of visiting the cemetery much more memorable and evoked a feeling of patriotism and desire for peace...which I am assuming the planning committee of the memorial was going for?

   We then went to Collville-sur-Mer and saw some old bunkers and cannons. It was very eerie to stand in the bunkers and have the un-avoidable thought: "I wonder how many people died while standing in the exact same spot I'm in?"

  However, even with those reminders of tragedy, the weather was lovely, there was a nice sea breeze, and the surrounding fields were beautiful. Life comes and goes. If I were a poet or an exceptional writer with lots of time to paint a detailed verbal picture I'd write an inspiring contemplation of life and death at those bunkers, how the past, present, and future meet at one point--the the present viewer--under a sunny sky and the fields full of wildflowers and butterflies (later when my grand essay would be analyzed by an English class I'd get extra awesomeness points for including the butterflies in my description because they're often used in literature as a symbol for a departed soul).

  Puis, we went to Rouen where Joan of Arc was burned at the steak and where we were staying the night. Coincidentally, we had *stake for dinner...

...it was great!

Dessert was a puff-pastery with apple and cream! Yummy!

At this great restaurant:

*Yes, I do actually know the difference between these words...I just felt like bein' goofy.

Just another day in Paris

     We (the girls I was with+me) were lucky enough to get a little tour around the neighborhood where we have most of our non-Catholic Institute classes from our professor! He was showing us a good patisserie location and on the way showed all sorts of exciting things. 

After the little tour we went off and explored some of the shops we had walked by.

Yes, this is a bum chair

Then we went to the Lafayette Gallery (huge shopping place) and Printemps.

    It was a bitter-sweet trip; sweet because of all the eye-candy, bitter because there's no way I will be in a position to acquire some of them clothings probably ever.

    But it was still fun! I like to think of it was a museum for clothing, because other wise all of that excess is a bit nauseating. 

More of the lock-bridges.

I've become a bit obsessed with the film-grain setting on my camera...

   After the love-lock bridge we went to an Indian restaurant called Safran. I love Indian food. lots. It's comforting to know that pretty much no matter where you go in the world if you can find an Indian restaurant it will be delightful (this of course would only apply if you like Indian food).

    Safran was no exception! And to top it off they gave us a pack of bindi's instead of a business card!

   After the Indian food I was craving a mango lassi, but didn't want to pay the crazy rate the restaurant was asking for--but never fear, this potential disaster was resolved by my friends suggesting we go to Amorino's gelato place. I had never eaten there, and had been a bit wary of it because the girls in my group were sometimes making up to three visits there a day, which means it had to be really scrumptious...and I'm already an ice cream/gelato/frozen yoghurt addict. However, I girded up my loins and decided to try it out. it. was. delicious! Not quite as divine as the gelato I had at Harrods, but very, very close. And it gets even better: the mango flavor I got tasted just like a mango lassi! Score! I will now be joining AA (Amorinoics Anonymous) along with the rest of my group.

  And that, mes amis, is another day in Paris. Can't wait to see what'll happen next!

Musee Rodin and Les Invalides

  One fine day I had nothing to do class-wise so I went over to see the Musee Rodin and Les Invalides (just incase the title didn't tip you off)! Because I have a student art card I get into most museums for free, which is obviously fantastic! I can't find a lot of people interested in going and seeing the same museums I want to go to, and it's a bummer to join someone else's group who already has plans that are not exactly what you want to do. I've had this sharing of plan-making issue since I was born, it was definitely easier to resolve a difference of opinions in nursery school--let the strongest toddler win!(So this information is just to help flesh out the story of my museum wandering...other than that it's a bit useless). 

I am in love with this...door knocker? door-carving?

  I really love sculpture a lot! I find it absolutely enchanting how life-like artisans can make formerly not-very-exciting objects. Some of my favorites are in the Musee d'Orsay, but they didn't let me take pictures, so I can't show them to you. However, I really like Rodin!

    The one sad thing about sculpture is that it is never as good in a photo as it is in real life. Lots of sculptures I really liked don't really look very good (especially with my amateur photography skills) so I've left them out...but you should check out the Rodin museum in person some time. 

  

 The garden part of the Rodin Museum is so beautiful! 

 Next: Les Invalides!
   Les Invalides is comprised of several buildings: some for old war veterans, the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte and a whole bunch of other important historical folks, some monuments, and an armory/museum.
   The armory was my favorite part, they have a beautiful armor/weapons display from the middle ages (?) to the present.
 

Proof that unicorns did exist

Poor guy who ended up with this helmet 

Look how tiny those guns are! I want one... 

Now this is a cool helmet.

The tomb de Napoleon.

    There was a really cool electronic/video display of WWII, I was in a hurry and only peeked in, but it looked very well done.

     Afterwards I met up with some of the SAG in a park and spent the rest of the day people watching with them. J'aime Paris!