Fete De La Musique, Strolls at Night, and Other Shenanigans

A lot has happened in the past week and a half! Fete de la Musique was last weekend, the roommates and I went on a nice walk around the city in the evening, and other shenanigans happened that I will get into in a bit. I also ate at two purely gluten free restaurants which were quite a treat.

In France, the weekend of June 21st is called Fete de la Musique. This means that all of France is invited to country wide music concerts...for free. In Paris, there are huge concerts that happen throughout the city. Everyone from local artists to well known groups come to perform for the public. This year, France brought in Lana Del Rey to perform for free at a venue called L'Olympia. If you don't know who Lana Del Rey is, you should look her up. She is, in my opinion, similar to Amy Winehouse. I always think its interesting that the French love American singers and artists so much when they have some great musicians themselves! Despite the waiting in line for three hours in the hot sun, she was totally worth seeing. Before she went on stage, there were local artists from around France that performed and they were all very nice to hear. This festival is so huge that on my way back to my apartment, I ran into five other stages that had live performances. It is quite the event. 

The other night, my roommates and I went on a walk around Paris. Sometimes we choose a random Metro station to go to and then walk around at. That night we chose the stop "Madeline" because it is the location of the Madeline church. There was something special going on that night because the giant steps leading up to the church were covered in beautiful flower arrangements. The Madeline alone is beautiful, but the flowers made it even more lovely. We also passed the Chanel store, the Place de la Concorde, and the Tuileries Gardens. 

If you are in Paris and looking for a great gluten free meal, I would highly suggest Helmut Newcake or NoGlu. Both of these restaurants are gluten free and sell phenomenal baked goods. NoGlu made a delicious smoked salmon and toast, brie and cheddar pizza, and chocolate tart for dinner when I went. NoGlu makes a mean chocolate lava cake, or in French, "fondant au chocolat." One of my roommates is gluten free as well so sometimes we go and get a "fondant au chocolat" and enjoy it on the canals. For the youth of Paris, sitting on the banks of the Seine or banks of the canals that run through Paris is a popular thing to do. People often bring a picnic and some wine and make an evening of watching the boats go up and down the river. Its really nice to sit on the bank enjoying the atmosphere of Paris while eating a killer chocolate cake. 

While I am on the topic of food, a few nights ago, I went to a friend's apartment for a lovely dinner party. A fellow student from Sweden had made a amazing menu for dinner. He made a fresh cheese platter from the market, roast chicken with herbs and white wine, roasted asparagus and potatoes, and a salad with anchovies and capers. After eating veggies and rice in my own apartment for the past couple of weeks, this was a very welcome change. Let me tell you, I am going to try to make that chicken soon. Too good! 

On another walk, a roommate and I ventured to the Louvre at dusk. It is so nice to see large tourist attractions in the evenings because almost no one is there. There is something calm about these places at night. Besides the occasional person trying to sell you a light up Eiffel Tower, there are mostly locals there. Walking through the Tuileries was much the same since most of the people there were locals having a picnic on the lawn of the gardens. 


And now for some photos:

The Madeline Church with Flowers

Fete de la Musique

Lana Del Rey-L'Olympia

Fondant au Chocolat: Courtesy of Google Images

The Chanel Store

Nutella and Raspberry Macaroons

Père Lachaise, Paris at Night, and Monet's Gardens

This past week has been a whirlwind between my class, university sponsored cultural programs, and my wanderlust for the city of light. Ever wonder why Paris is called the city of light? The locals say its because of the period of Enlightenment and the brilliance that took place during that time and the innovation that has continued through academia. Others say its because the city never sleeps and thus, there is always a light on somewhere in the glowing city. 

My roommate and I decided to brave the Metro and head to Père Lachaise cemetery to pay a visit to those who have gone before us. Let me tell you, that cemetery was not built for those who are directionally challenged. Sadly, my roommate and I only managed to find the grave of Oscar Wilde after having searched for Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, and others. We did, however, capture some great photos since it was a beautiful day. There is something calming about Père Lachaise. As not many tourists make the journey to this area, there are few people walking around inside. Some of the graves and monuments date back to the mid 1800s while others are as recent as the day we were there. If only the trees could talk and tells us the stories that are contained within the walls of the cemetery. I would love to know the stories behind each of the graves.

This week, my friends and I decided to walk around at night and see Shakespeare and Company, Notre Dame, and the surrounding area at night. In the evening, there are fewer tourists in the streets so we were able to get into the small building that is Shakespeare and Co. as well as visit Notre Dame without a million people around us. It's incredible to think that writers and Parisians of the past would take a moment out of the day to read and work on books in the upstairs of Shakespeare and Co. Granted, this building that is by Notre Dame was rebuilt years ago after the original building was torn down. To me, Notre Dame is almost more beautiful from the back because you can see the architectural markers that make this church so notable, called flying buttresses, much more clearly. Notre Dame is also known as "Point Zero" because every distance in Paris is measured from Notre Dame. 

My university offers cultural programs that allow the students to experience things that they may not have been able to do otherwise. This weekend, I finally crossed something off my bucket list of years ago. I got to cross the bridges, walk around in the gardens, and see the water lilies that the famous painter, Claude Monet, painted years ago.  His gardens are the most magnificent gardens that I have ever seen. They are impeccably taken care of and the pond with the lilies is immaculate. Each turn you take, you can imagine Monet sitting with his easel capturing the image in paint. His house was beautiful to see as well. Monet collected many other impressionist painter's works and some of it is displayed in his house and in the impressionist museum that is down the road from his gardens.

On the cultural excursion, we also stopped at a village called Auvers-sur-Oise. This village is home to the final resting place of Vincent van Gogh and home to his final residence. The L'Auberge Ravoux hold the last room that Vincent van Gogh rented before he passed away in his bed in the Auberge. On the excursion, we visited his room, the field where he was either killed or shot himself, and his grave where he is buried beside his brother, Theo. During his 70 days in the town, he painted more than 80 canvases. This was the most productive period of his artistic career. The reason for his death is unknown and is debated in this town. Some villagers say that young boys in the town accidentally shot him thinking that their pistol was fake while others claim that he shot himself. Either way, van Gogh is remembered for his paintings of the town and for his simple lifestyle that he lead while living in Auvers-sur-Oise. 

An angel guarding a tomb

 

Notre Dame at Dusk

Monet's Gardens and Bridge

Oscar Wilde's Monument

Van Gogh's room at Auvers-sur-Oise: Photo Credits to realfrance.wordpress.com

 

Bateaux Mouches and the Campus

I think I want to stay here forever.  Between the people, the language, the food, the scenery, and my new surroundings, I don't know if they will be able to make me leave. 

Yesterday, the school had an orientation where we took a tour of the campus, had a lesson on the metro and safety, and had a evening boat ride on the Seine River. The day began with a walk to school past pastry shops, restaurants, cafes, book stores, perfume shops, and much more. The buildings are tall an ornate. My street, in particular, is very art deco in its decoration. There are tile mosaics that spice up each building and there is a glass mosaic when you ascend the staircase to the apartment. 

At the school, the room we had the program in was decorated in sage greens and creams with a beautiful painted mural on the ceiling. The fire place with huge mirror was the finishing piece to the room. Its hard to believe that that is considered a classroom! 

After our morning, I had lunch back at the apartment. Just soup, brie cheese, gluten free crackers, and a coffee, but it was quite good after a long morning. My roommates got freshly baked croissants and pain aux chocolate this morning for breakfast at the bakery down the street. 

The afternoon passed much like the morning. For dinner, we went to a corner restaurant right by Les Invalides, also known as Napoleon's Tomb. This building also houses an army museum and a military school. At 9pm, we made our way past the Eiffel Tower and down the bank of the Seine to the Bateaux Mouches. This boat tour was quite touristic, but it was nice to see many buildings in Paris on one trip.

La Tour Eiffel with a Candlelit Dinner

Notre Dame at Night

My New Street

I have a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore...

After quite the journey, I have safely made it to my humble abode in the 7th Arondissment in Paris, France. Two plane rides, a lot of help from kind people, and a taxi ride later, I arrived at the stoop of the American University of Paris's main office. 

After checking in and getting my keys, I made my way to the apartment. The apartment is spacious and is so close to many great shops, landmarks, and quaint cafes to visit. This sunny afternoon was spent settling into the apartment, buying groceries, and taking a well earned nap.

Being gluten free in Paris is not the easiest of lifestyles. One of my roommates and I did manage to find a natural grocer that sells freshly baked gluten free bread, rice pastas, and other essential items for a gluten free girl.

The Queen of England's arrival for the anniversary of the storming of Omaha Beach at Normandy caused traffic to be much more busy than normal. Vladimir Putin is already here and President Obama is expected tomorrow. US army veterans from the storming of Omaha Beach flew with us on the plane over. 

Our grocery shopping included visits to three supermarket-esque stores, a cheese store, and a merchant that has any small household item you could desire. For us, bottle opener and hand towels were our purchases of choice. When you enter a Parisian cheese store, you know it is the right place because the aroma of stink feet envelops you. The cheese, however, is marvelous as most food is in France.

Tomorrow, we will explore the city by way of summer orientation and a boat tour.

Pictures to come.

Yours,

Amelia