The Bad, the American, the Ordinary and the Best

Thursday, January 11th - Sunday, January 14th, 2018

Paris & Versailles, France

Making lists is one of my favorite things to do. So here are some lists I came up with. 

The Bad Things:

The following is a list of challenges that I've come across after studying here for almost two weeks.  

1. Not to be a classic 19-year-old in 2018, but gosh darn it the WiFi in the hotel is so. slow. It's going to be the death of me. Seriously. If you don't hear from me for a whole week, it's because, through some sort of science fiction feat, the slow WiFi came alive and strangled me to death. Slowly. (I think slow WiFi and slow walkers are my two biggest pet peeves.) 

2. We hold class every morning for two hours in a hotel room. Luckily, Alanna and I share one of the smallest rooms, so class is never in our room. But I really have a new appreciation for space. Lack of a designated learning space is really hard. All I want to do is fall asleep when I'm sitting in the corner in someone's hotel room listening to the teacher read out of a Michelin Guide... (See the post Fact: Crêpes Are the Best, No Matter What Grady Says for my feelings about my Michelin Guide)

3. Since we started class on January 3rd, we haven't had a single day off. Granted, we're in Paris so I can certainly suck it up. But being on, and running 24/7 for almost 2 weeks now is really exhausting. Worse, there's no time to catch up if you fall behind. I'm someone who really needs some time to do my own thing and recharge, so it's been interesting trying to make time for that while still hitting all our course requirements, and enjoying the city. I will never take weekends for granted again. 

The American Things 

The following is a list of things that keep us from getting homesick, and make us look like the total Americans we are

1. Chipotle

Ya, there's a Chipotle about two blocks from our hotel. It's kind of expensive, and their portions were a little smaller, and guac was a whole 2 euros more. But it was nice to go to a familiar restaurant. 

2. Five Guys

There's also a Five Guys. Please just be proud that we haven't gone to McDonald's. (Actually, scratch that. I haven't been to McDonald's...) They were surprised that we weren't ordering burgers with all the toppings, fries, and milkshakes. I guess when people go there they want to have the FULL American experience and usually get everything. I just wanted a plain burger and fries. 

3. The Vikings Game

Out of any of these things, the Vikings Game actually made me the most homesick, because my whole family was watching at home. Even though I rarely watch at home... A bunch of us went to a Packers Bar a few blocks from our hotel to watch the Vikings Game, and it was fun to see the Americans the game brought together, and the French Vikings fans. I didn't stay for the full game, and it hasn't finished yet. Fingers crossed that the Vikes win!

The Ordinary Things:

The following is a list of places that have become our norm (which is crazy! -- We actually have norms, in Paris!)

1. Monoprix 

Monoprix is a "grande magazine", which literally translates as a big store. My understanding is that in France, most shops are specialized and a lot smaller than their American counterparts. Meaning you have your cheese shop (une fromagerie), your butcher (une boucherie), and your bakery (une boulangerie), ect. But they have some stores that are more target-esque, where you can go to buy almost everything all at once, les "grandes magazines". Anyway, Monoprix sells food, alcohol, clothes, cosmetics, etc. and we're in there probably once a day. It's close to our hotel and has something there for everyone without stopping at four shops. 

Monoprix Store

2. The Metro

We're starting to really get the hang of the metro system. I mean, two of my friends did fall asleep on the metro today and end up at the opposite side of Paris. But that's the only incident we've had all day! For real though, I think the metro here is pretty easy to navigate if you're paying attention. With the exception of the RER (the longer distance trains that only stop at a few bigger stations), only one train runs on each track, so if you're at the right station, you're getting on the right train. And I've ridden on quite a few subway systems, and I think it's much cleaner and safer feeling than the subways in either Chicago or New York. Plus, even though it was a hassle to get, our Pass Navigo have been really nice to have. 

Metro Stop at Saint-Suplice

3. Gibert Joseph and Au Vieux Campeur

These two aren't norms in the same way as Monoprix. I've only been in Gibert Joseph twice and never inside Au Vieux Campeur, but they're on basically every street corner in the 5th arrondissement. Gibert Joseph is a bookstore, and Au Vieux Campeur is a sporting goods store. But they're all over! Some of that though is because when the shop wants to expand, they essentially create another store down the block. So there might be two Gibert Josephs right next to each other, but one might sell notebooks and stationary, and the other will sell books. I assume this is because the buildings are historic and expensive. 

Gibert Joseph Store

Au Vieux Campeur Store

The Best Things: 
The following is a list of new favorite things to see and do in Paris. The best things (in the past few days at least!)

1. The Pantheon

I've never been to the Pantheon before, and if I'm being frank, I've always mixed it up with the Pantheon in Rome and tbh also the Parthenon in Greece... It's actually a little shameful. What was so interesting about the Pantheon to me is that it started out as a church, and then flopped back and forth between being a church and a secular building between different French revolutions. So now it's secular, but there are all these paintings on the wall about Sainte Genvieve too, the patron Saint of Paris. It's a weird mesh of ideals that somehow all work together. Plus, there's a huge crypt, and that's always fun. We saw Victor Hugo, Rousseau, Voltaire, and the Curies. 

Voltaire's Tomb

2. The Conciergerie

This is a museum right near Sainte-Chapelle and the Palais de la Justice. During the French Revolution, they kept a whole bunch of prisoners here, including Marie Antoinette, before bringing (most of) them to be executed by guillotine. I'd read about the Conciergerie before, mostly because I read too much historical fiction (if there is such a thing), but I had never thought to visit it before. It was interesting, but after a while it started to make me a little nauseous, thinking about all the people who were executed during the Terror. The attitude of the museum was interesting to me as well. I was wondering how they'd talk about the Terror especially since so many people were killed in the name of the Republic. And although it's not the same republic, there is a republic in France now too, and a lot of the values, like Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité come from this time. What I got out of it, was that the museum was critical of the Terror itself, and wasn't overly critical of the monarchy, but did praise a lot of the revolutionary values. 

La Conciergerie

3. Les Invalides

Les Invalides is most famous for being the final resting place of everyone's good pal, Napoleon II. And let me tell you, his final resting place is extravagant. Extravagant. I think his coffin is the same size as my dorm room last year. It's also a huge military museum, and I think we spent close to three hours looking at their extensive collection of armor, swords and other weaponry. They also keep Napoleon's actual taxidermied horse in there. Who knew?

Napoleon II's Tomb

4. Saint-Germain-des-Près

Ya, I know I already mentioned this place. But I had to swing back to this church. You know why? Because turns out, this is where Descartes is randomly buried. So I made Alanna and Katy go back to look for Descartes' grave because I did not come all the way over here to not see Descartes. And we go in, and I can't find it. Anywhere. You think there'd be a marker or something. Hello! It's Descartes! Well anyway, thankfully, I have cell service, and I do a quick google image search. He's in here alright. Behind a little, unadorned black slab. Poor dude. Voltaire and Rousseau got their own alcoves in the Pantheon and you got an easily missed black slab. But hey! I found him. 

Descartes's Tomb

5. Versailles

Last, we visited Versailles today! I've wanted to go to Versailles for a very long time. Louis XIV's dream palace? I'm there. The actual palace itself was kind of a letdown. I was expecting more gold. I also would have appreciated more anecdotal information about the Louis's lives in the palace. Instead, it was pretty crowded, and the posted information was mostly about the history of the castle itself and the paintings on the walls. The gardens, however, did not disappoint, even in the winter. They're HUGE! And my favorite part of the whole visit was going to le hameau de la reine, or "the queen's hamlet". Marie Antoinette actually built a little farming village at Versailles so that she could go and play at being a farmer... I love that. I mean, if I was a starving peasant, I'd think that was disrespectful. But as a 21st-century visitor, it's intriguing. And as an added bonus, we saw a muskrat on the grounds. 

Marie Antoinette's Farm

In all seriousness, one of the best parts so far about this trip is seeing all these new places and learning about them, yes, but moreover connecting them to other courses and readings and prior knowledge. These places would mean nothing to me without context. I've read books about Marie Antoinette, I've watched movies about Louis XIV. I read Rousseau and Descartes just last semester. Les Mis will always have a special place in my heart. Every cathedral is most interesting having studied medieval architecture. My history textbooks start to feel more real when I can see the places where these things actually happened. I've visited some of these places before, or I've visited similar sites elsewhere, so I get to build off that experiential knowledge as well. I don't know if I'm really describing this well. But by going to these sites and spending time here, I get to start filling in the gaps and creating and expanding these semantic networks. It's just such a privilege and I feel so lucky to be able to be here, slow WiFi and all. 

And now I'd better get some sleep if I care to be awake to visit any more sites tomorrow!

Bon nuit, 

Cristiana