Once we were let go from our school trip in Prague, Jack and I flew to Paris!  I was so overwhelmed going from Prague, which I thought was the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen, to the spectacular city of lights with my wonderful boyfriend.

(No, I did not take this)

Jack and I saw so much in Paris! We went to the Louvre, which was absolutely breathtaking, inside and out.  It was so much fun going around and analyzing all the paintings and statues with my newly acquired knowledge from Art History.  Also, I finally got to see The Winged Victory of Samothrace!!

Outside The Louvre

Jack and I in front of The Winged Victory of Samothrace

In the Flemish section

The Mona Lisa

Me and The Angry Roman

The Musée d'Orsay is also a must see in Paris.  Musée d'Orsay, unlike the Louvre has a large collection of impressionist art, which is a genre I love dearly. Many people are directly attracted to a specific art form (music, film, poetry, theater, ect.) and for me it has always been paintings.  Put me in any bookstore and I immediately go to the art section to flip through the works of my favorite artists. Musée d'Orsay includes many paintings by famous artists such as Degas, Manet, Renoir, van Gogh, Klimt, and Monet.  My breath was taken away at the fact that I was actually seeing some of the paintings in real life that I’ve seen over and over again on paper.  I was especially excited to see "Poppies at Argenteuil" by Monet since it is one of my all time favorites. 

Poppies at Argenteuil - Claude Monet

      I’m glad that I’m taking a class on renaissance and baroque art because the majority of my knowledge is more modern starting roughly around the 1860s with Vincent Van Gogh.  Although both artist are very different, I’m huge sucker for Norman Rockwell and Gustav Klimt. Here are some of my favorites...

The Problem We All Live With,1935 - Norman Rockwell

The Runaway - Norman Rockwell

No Swimming - Norman Rockwell

Doctor and the Doll - Norman Rockwell

The Kiss - Gustav Klimt

Farm Garden with Sunflowers - Gustav Klimt

Mother and Child - Gustav Klimt

Jack and I also went to the Musee de l'Orangerie which is a beautiful Monet showcase displaying eight, enormous water lily paintings in two plain oval rooms. It was so nice to just sit and observe.

 Of course Notre-Dame and Montmartre’s Basilica of the Sacré Cœur were amazing.  I loved Montmarte as whole, especially since many artists had studios or worked there such as Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.  Everyone in Paris pronounced Montmarte with such a great accent and Jack and I desperately wanted to sound like the Parisians.  This is the correct way to say it

Unsuccessful in our attempts, we just called it “Mo’mo.”  I don’t even think that spelling does our pronunciation justice.  Imagine Oliver Twist saying “Please sir, I want some more” in his cute little British accent… Now repeat the way he says “more” twice.  That’s how we pronounced it. So far off...yet so much fun!

One of the best parts of the entire trip was when we went to O Chateau for a wine tasting. Jack and I were rushing a little to get there and arrived with nearly a minute to spare.  Since it’s required to have a reservation, we were shocked to see that there were only two other people there waiting.  As we got seated at the wine tasting table, confused as to where everyone was, a group of 25 or so senior citizens showed up who were all part of a tour group from Pennsylvania.  Jack and I were the youngest ones there!  It took a while for everyone to get comfortable with each other but this one older woman broke the ice by downing her glasses of wine before our guide even said anything about them.  Everyone thought it was really funny.  Our tasting included two glasses of red and one of white and we were taught how to properly taste and assess a glass of wine.  After spinning the wine to let it "breath", our guide would ask us to hold the glass to our nose and comment on what we smelled.  No one was saying anything and I whispered to Jack that I smelled butter.  Yes, butter.  He kept encouraging me to raise my hand and share my embarrassing and odd observation to the group so finally I did.  Who would have thought, I WAS RIGHT!!!

To end our trip, Jack and I went up the Eiffel Tower at night. This was my favorite part of the entire trip.  The weather was wonderful and I loved the lights of the city and being there with him.  I am so thankful that he came to see me and it was overall one the best times I've ever had.

Prague! My Favorite City Yet

I am so sorry that I haven’t written in such a long time! After Marseille we had midterms so I stayed back to study.  Midterms went well! I have all A’s so far but I’m still waiting for my grade on my Art History exam.  Although midterms came so quickly, it was nice to get all academics out of the way to enjoy our spring break without having to worry about assignments. 

To start off our 10-day break, we were required to all go to Prague for an academic excursion.  The academic excursions are meant to give us a chance to take our learning outside of the classroom where our professors guide us around and continue their lectures.  At first we were resentful because we wanted our freedom with our friends to explore the city on our own. We felt confined by our mandatory schedule and activities planned for us by our professors. But after we started relaxing and going with flow, we realized how much of a luxury it was to have everything organized for us.

There is so much that needs to be considered when traveling with just friends.  We all have to agree on a destination, research flights and prices, research where to stay that’s located in a desirable location of a city we know nothing about, book taxi’s to the airport (most of us don't have phones), make sure we make out flight, figure out how to get from the airport to where we’re staying, find out where we are in the scheme of what we want to do/see, figure out the best things to do/see, get it done within a 2/3 day span, then figure out how to get home, book a taxi to pick us up from the airport, and then find something to eat if we arrive before Sunday because the dining hall isn’t open.  It’s exhausting!  On school trips, everything is taken care of for us.  We can put our restless minds at ease and enjoy the opportunity presented to us.   

If we weren't required to go to Prague, I don't think I would have made it there.  I hardly knew anything about the city and its not the most easily accessible from our local airport.  What a mistake that would have been! So far, Prague is my favorite city.  It's incredibly gorgeous, has wonderful things to see, and its cheap!

View from Prague Castle

National Museum right outside our apartments

Old Town Square

Prague's famous astronomical clock

Statue in the middle of the old town square

View of St. Vitus Cathedral from the Charles Bridge (which is filled with artists and paintings)

View from Prague Castle

On our first day when we arrived in Prague, we got our room assignments and settled into our apartments.  The apartments were much nicer than any of us expected and were located is a very cool and trendy part of the city.  At about midday, we met outside to be divided into groups for a walking tour through the historical center of the city lead by one of our professors.  

The Modern Art professor taking us around on our walking tour

Liz and I snuck away to get hot wine :)

 Having someone show you around who knows the area was such a treat.  We’re normally scrambling around with maps trying to figure where and what everything is.  We had a little free time for dinner and were then required to go to the Prague Státní Opera to see Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini.  I was looking forward to the opera because I used to love when my Papa Oscar and Grandma Renate would take me as a little girl.  I also studied Madame Butterfly and Giacomo Puccini’s music in a class I took freshman year at Emerson.  The Opera was lovely and I wrote about the experience for a cultural event assignment for my professor Chester Lee.  I have him for Intercultural Communications and he's really growing on me.  He's a funny, extremely intelligent, and fabulous little Asian man who has the most incredible shoe collection I've ever seen.  Also, his favorite figurative saying as a professor is, "I give you rice-cooker, you must make rice!"

Opera Lobby

The next day, we visited the Prague Castle Complex, Sternberg Palace, and the Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia (the National Gallery's medieval art department) which were all guided by my Art History professors Rob Duckers and Dulcia Meijers. 

Rob & Dulcia

All were filled with Byzantine and early renaissance art from Florence, Venice, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.  We had been previously studying this type of art so it was wonderful to actually see it in person and have our professors further explain the works' context and meaning.   Our professors would point to a random painting and ask us to name where it was painted, when it was painted (give or take 50 years), and why we thought so.  At first this was difficult for us but by the end of the day we could successfully analyze any painting we came across.  Early renaissance paintings done in Florence referenced antiquity from the art of ancient Greece and Rome.  Florentine artists painted their people very idealized like ancient statues and the artists were just beginning to successfully master depth.  In the 1400’s when the artist and architect Filippo Brunelleschi devised the ground-breaking dome of the Duomo in Florence, he created an awareness of the single point perspective. 

All lines of depth match up to a single point

It helps to make the architecture more geometric and believable

Single point perspective is classic in Italian renaissance art however, Flemish artists (from Belgium and the Netherlands) achieved depth through atmospheric perspective.  The landscapes get smaller and hazier as they get further away.

 Although both examples show depth, you can see how the techniques greatly differ. Towards the end of the day and after seeing and analyzing about a thousand paintings, I had a hard time staying focused.  Not because I was tired of what we were learning about, but because Jack was coming to visit and I knew his plane had already landed!

When were dismissed from the lesson, I ran to go meet him.  It was so nice to have him with me in Prague and I loved introducing him to all my new friends and professors.  Since I still had a lot of required activities with my school, I brought Jack along so he could see what I was learning about. We were all required to go on a tour of the Old Jewish Quarter to see the holocaust memorial cemetery and the historic synagogues.  It was kind of a sad tour to bring him on, but interesting and important nonetheless.  

 

We finished the day with a trip to the Prague Castle Gallery (to analyze even MORE paintings) and then St. Vetus Cathedral which is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've seen so far.

St. Vitus Cathedral

Of course the guard wasn't allowed to smile

 At the end of the day, our teachers were kind enough to take us all out for some mulled wine to warm  us up

It was a wonderful school trip and it meant the world to me that Jack came to experience it with me.

Marseille, France

It’s only Saturday and I’m already back from my 2 day trip to Marseille which is the second largest city in France.  Very early in the semester, my roommate Lena asked me if I’d like to go on a 20 euro round trip to the south of France... I couldn’t refuse! I've had these tickets since the first week of school and I honestly knew nothing about Marseille.

As we took the bus shuttle from the airport into Marseille, we got a really good view of the outskirts of the city.  It was nothing like I imagined.  The buildings and houses were old, filthy, and deteriorating.  I was in awe to see people living there, hanging their laundry from the paint-stripped windowsills and walking down the rubble streets.  I was captivated and attentive in my seat while my friends napped from the exhausting early morning flight.  I knew we were only passing through the area and staying in a much nicer part of the city but I felt thankful to have seen it and thankful for the life I live.

Everywhere I’ve been so far has been very touristy and extravagant.  This was real.  This was seeing the world and I was glad to at least witness conditions that I haven’t been exposed to yet on this trip.

I've never been someone who's lucky with cards or gambling or even bingo (I unfortunately don't take after my "high roller" Grandma Renate in that sense) but I feel I've always been lucky with what's most important in life.   I have a wonderful family, a beautiful home, I'm healthy, I'm loved, and I'm happy.  For that, I've always felt like the luckiest girl in the world.  Seeing this part of the city meant a lot to me since I'm so used to living like a princess in my European castle.

Where we were actually dropped off was an entirely different story.  We stayed in an adorable hotel with the nicest concierge in the history of concierges.  He was very sweet, genuinely interested in all of us, and wanted us to have the very best time possible.  He was especially nice after I told him that I’m studying to become a speech pathologist since he has a 10 year old son who’s currently seeing one for help with his /R/'s!!

View from our hotel window

We spent the first day walking around our hotel without an agenda.  The hotel was perpendicular to a main shopping street and we were very close to the Vieux-Port (Old Port) which is the main harbor and marina of the city.  It is guarded by two massive forts (Fort St Nicolas and Fort Saint Jean) and has many cafes lined all along the waterfront.  Each morning the Quai des Belges takes place which is where all the local fishermen set up stands and sell their fresh catches of the day.

The Vieux-Port with Fort St Nicolas in back

Unfortunately, our first day was a little rainy but we used it as an excuse to stop in as many beautiful shops and boutiques as we could.

At night, since we felt that we were saving some money with our airfare and shorter trip, we felt that we deserved to treat ourselves to some delectable French cuisine!  We chose a cozy restaurant near the water which was very très chic.

For my first course, I got a goat cheese salad and it was by the far the best cheese I've ever had in my life!

For my main meal, I decided to get bouillabaisse because it originated in Marseille and the people adore it.  Bouillabaisse is a fish soup that has assorted shellfish, fish and vegetables and is served with rouille, toasted bread, and grated cheese.

Me with the rouille, toasted bread and grated cheese but I didn't eat it :(

I have to say, I am really not a picky eater at all.  I love to eat anything and everything.  I can't remember hating something in maybe 10 years or so.  However, I wholeheartedly HATE bouillabaisse.  Maybe it was because I didn't eat that delicious looking plate of toasted bread, rouille, and grated cheese that came with it to avoid the gluten.  Even though it was seafood (which I love), it tasted like minced meat infused with smelly fish sauce filled with the boniest fish fillets I've ever had.  Bon appétit my ass!

To make up for the bouillabaisse, I shared a creme brulee which is my all time favorite dessert.  It has been since I was little and I always find it interesting that it's one of the few delicious desserts that doesn't have any flour in it! 

The next day, the weather was absolutely perfect.  The sun was shining but there was still a wonderful breeze from the water that kept us cool.

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful day by going on a guided city tour.  From almost any spot in the city, you can see Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica sitting high up in the mountains.  In order to get there, we took this cute little trolley...

 The tour was absolutely breathtaking.  To get to Notre-Dame de la Garde we rode all along the coast.  Marseille is right on Mediterranean sea which was lovely to see...

Chateau D'if!!! The prison from The Count of Monte Cristo!!!

 Once we got to Notre-Dame de la Garde at the top of the mountain we were blown away by the magnificent view, the beauty of the basilica, and literally by the wind itself...

NOT très chic

Overall I had a wonderful time and I'm very happy that I went.  I can only imagine how beautiful the city must be during the summer time.  Maybe some day I'll make it back to Marseille. 

Au revoir for now!

xoxo