April in Paris

Dear friends,

Once again, I am playing the catch-up game.  I suppose it’s not the worst problem to have – to be too busy traveling to write about it?  Then again, I dearly love writing (and being your favorite literary hermit).  Alas, here I am, reminiscing about my weekend in Paris weeks later.

I went for the last weekend of March to celebrate Easter and my birthday, which was on April 1st. I met one of my best friends, Erin, as well as our friend Mariah and Erin’s brother Brady and cousin Katie.  We decided to rent an apartment for the weekend in the Latin Quarter (5eme arrondissement),which is one of my absolute favorite parts of Paris. It is so vibrant, and full of art, neat restaurants, cafes, and lovely Parisian and International culture.  It is also located right by the Jardins de Luxembourg and the Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame from Pont de l’Archevêché

Luxembourg gardens

It was so wonderful to catch up with my friends, as well as to spend time in one of my favorite cities.  Paris certainly has its flaws but it gets in your blood. I’ve yet to meet a person that could honestly look you in the eye and deny that it is beautiful. You simply cannot out-do the architecture, and the depth of its history.  There is something in the Parisian air, and it’s more than pollution and a Paris sniffle.  Not to mention, so many people are quick to denounce all Parisians as assholes.  Yet, the majority of tourists visit Paris during the summer when 99% (don’t hold me to that statistic) leave the city for extended summer vacations.  Thus, if I were Parisian and stuck in the city dealing with a swarm of non-Francophone tourists while everyone and their dog was on vacation, I’d probably be an asshole too.

To further add to my theory – that perhaps Parisians are only assholes in the summer, if at all – let’s backtrack a bit.  My plans upon arriving to Paris were to meet Erin and she would help me locate our apartment. Erin got there the day before me, so she would already know how to get to the apartment from Gare de Lyon, the SNCF train station, and worst case scenario she would talk me through it on the phone. However, when I got off the train, Erin didn’t answer.  I thought that maybe she didn’t hear her phone ring, and then lo and behold, 20 minutes later I was still lacking a response.  I was also wondering if she was alive (kind of kidding) because this type of thing is very un-Erin-like and she knew that I would be arriving at that time.  Regardless, I had the sinking realization that I would be navigating to the apartment alone, with no map, no idea how to get to the Latin Quarter from the train station, and in fact not even a general idea of what direction I was headed in.  All that I knew was that I needed to get to 27 Rue des Boulangers.  I also knew that  I was royally screwed, and I refused to pay the “flat rate” aka idiot fee of 40 euros for a taxi from the station.

So what’s a lone girl to do in the center of Paris with a giant red suitcase, aka a “SPOT THE DUMBEST TOURIST, KICK ME” sign, and no idea where to go? Well, I asked for help.  Though, keep in mind that one his hard-pressed to find decent directions with nothing but an address of a tiny apartment on a tiny side street in a major city. Long story short, the most hilarious and delightful Parisian couple helped me.  In fact, they walked me over ten minutes in the opposite direction from their home to the correct bus stop that would take me to my apartment, explained how to get to my apartment from the stop on the other side, made sure I had the money to pay for the fare, and gave me tons of tips for what to do in Paris.  I was beginning to consider asking if they were interested in adopting me as well – sorry Mom and Dad, though I’m sure you wouldn’t mind letting someone else foot the bill for a while.  It probably would have been an (even more) awesome weekend.  BUT, have no fear: their directions were perfect and I made it just fine and sorted everything out with Erin, who was thankfully alive and more or less well after also having suffered a few minor complications.

I also had pleasant interactions with Parisians throughout the entire trip.  Everyone was very friendly and helpful at restaurants and inevitably when I needed to ask for more directions later on.  I think it’s better now that I speak French well, but nevertheless it was refreshing to experience Paris during the “off-season.”  At the risk of sounding like an outdated advertisement for Disneyland, it’s a magical place.

The weekend went by way too quickly, so I was unable to see everything that I wanted to see. That said, we were able to do a few touristy things as well as making time to simply meander around the city. Notably, we went to the Notre Dame for Easter Mass:

Erin and I before Mass

Easter Mass

We also did more touring of the Luxembourg Gardens:

representing our homeland in the Luxembourg Gardens

And we visited Montmartre;

Montmartre

Erin and I “throwing what we know” over Montmartre

we ate fabulous Macaroons at Laduree, the most famous macaroons in Paris, if not the world;

Laduree

we visited the Pantheon;

inside the Pantheon

and we visited the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee.

The Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee

I could not have asked for much more. I was such a lucky birthday girl already, and then my friend Jeff – one of my best friends from Elon – was also able to meet us out to celebrate, and he happened to be staying in the same arrondissment!

Jeff and I celebrating my birthday

I will forever love Paris, and I am able to look back on my birthday weekend as one of those times when everything seemed to align.  Sure, life is never perfect, but mine has been pretty darn close lately.  I am so blessed to have been surrounded by so many people who love me, all reunited in one of the greatest cities of the world.

Until next time.

xoxo,

Claire

“There’s no food at the bottom of a rainbow” and other shenanigans from a Dublin St. Paddy’s Day

Dear Friends,

This is beginning to feel like that middle school diary that you only wrote in to apologize for having not written.  With that said, I am making sincere efforts to be more up to date with my travels.  Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though, because this post is about St. Patrick’s Day–only three weeks later.  But I absolutely cannot leave that weekend out of my blog.

The river Liffey lit up for St. Patrick’s Day

That weekend, my mom, Ursula, and twin sister, Anna, came from America to meet me in Dublin, along with Kim (for a three-peat of weekends together!) and several other American friends.  It was so amazing to see mom and Anna after nearly three months apart.  I come from a very tightly knit family, so being away has been wonderful and liberating, but truthfully rather difficult.  I felt so lucky being able to see them while still in Europe–it was pretty surreal.

Me, Mom, Anna, and Kim reunited (p.s. thanks for that Anna…)

But let’s back up a little bit.  The process of actually getting to Dublin merits a bit of blog space.  Candice and I found really cheap round-trip flights from Rodez, France to Dublin.  In case you were wondering, it’s hard to find any reasonable flight to Ireland on St. Paddy’s weekend, so when we realized that Rodez was only two hours from Montpellier by car, there was no way we could refuse.  Then came the realization that with train routes it would take nearly six hours, and our flight was early in the morning Saturday.  So, we decided to use covoiturage (a paid carpooling network–rather like couch surfing, but cheap and not too sketchy) to go on Friday night.  We knew Rodez would be small, but we were thinking we’d hang out, go to a cafe, find some nail polish at a store and do girly, French countryside type things.  That way we’d have a nice relaxing evening before the craziness of Dublin.  False.

We did, in fact, relax.  But that was only because there was absolutely nothing to do in Rodez, France. Picture those drive-through West Virginia mountain towns that you hesitate to stop in, even for gas and rest stop.   Now put that in a random armpit of France, where literally no one has heard English in their entire lives – or at least not by someone foreign traveling through Rodez.  Thus, you are effectively an alien species and are treated as such. And there you have it.  We somehow found a McDonald’s for dinner and then hid out in our hotel, where the shower was next to the bed and the toilet had a lovely saloon-style door.  See below:

Heeey Candice 😉 Hanging Rodez style

Also, the airport was easily the smallest airport I have ever seen in my life.  There were two flights leaving from it that day, and ours was one of them.  Regardless, it was a smooth flight and ultimately worth the hundreds of dollars that we saved. Thank you RyanAir?

Now back to Dublin: It was so amazing to return to one of my favorite places in the world.  In case I haven’t already talked your ear off about it, I studied abroad in Ireland last winter term and I absolutely fell in love with it.  Dublin isn’t the most beautiful city in the world, but you cannot beat the Irish countryside.  And, in all of my travels – which I am truly blessed to say have been extensive – I have never, and likely will never find people who are nicer than those who I have met in Ireland.  They somehow even manage to show up southern hospitality.  Not to mention my fondness for Irish literature, and history, and well, you get the picture…needless to say I was so excited to return to one of my first travel loves.  As soon as I landed all of the fuzzy feelings came back, and I was pleased to find that I hadn’t put it up on too much of a pedestal. Even with the city flooded with tourists, the Irish were just as welcoming as ever, if not more.

Candice and I immediately set out to meet mom, Anna, and Kim at the apartment that we rented for the week.  After a happy and energetic reunion, we then got the celebrations started right away. We bought tons of tacky St. Paddy’s Day goods, a few nicer souvenirs, and then headed to the pub.  I mean, we were in Ireland. On Saint Patrick’s Day weekend.  What do you expect?  Oh, and we also ate at one of our favorite places: The Hairy Lemon.  It is right in the middle of things, and has amazing, traditional Irish food.  And Guinness.

The Hairy Lemon

We had so much fun listening to live music, catching up, and celebrating.  We didn’t make it to many of the tourist sites while I was there because the time passed way too quickly.  Thankfully I had seen almost every big site before (Trinity, The Book of Kells, Glendalough, The Jameson Factory, The Zoo, Kilmainham Gaol, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, The Writer’s Museum, you name it..).  That said, we did make an appearance in The Temple Bar area.  We had to experience what St. Paddy’s Day was about amongst swarms of other drunken tourists.  Eventually we sought out more traditional and hidden areas, but it was fun to go for a bit.

Candice and I in Temple Bar

Also, did I mention that we – and by we, I mean Candice – convinced a taxi driver to take all five of us in his car by explaining that she was a leprechaun, and not a real person?  And leprechauns need food, but there is no food at the bottom of the rainbow.  Clearly he had no choice but to make the sacrifice of illegally dropping us off at Tesco’s….

After those shenanigans, we also checked out the Guinness Factory:

A little tired, but nonetheless carrying on the Guinness torch at the gravity bar

We were wiped out after all of the festivities, but the Gravity Bar is probably the best view you will find of Dublin.  It’s an amazing panorama from the top, not to mention the tour and the history of the beer is pretty fascinating.  It’s a cool process, and this beer, unlike almost any other, is an integral part to Irish culture (all Irish drinking jokes aside).

In addition to going to the Guinness Factory, Temple Bar, and The Hairy Lemon, we also made it to The Long Hall, which is one of the more historic pubs in Dublin.  It is also one of a select number of pubs that serves Galway Hooker beer, which is one of my favorites (hooker referring to sailboats, not prostitutes as one might think). For those of you who are into beer tasting, it’s a nice pale ale with a bit of a fruity/caramel twist to it–it’s a kind of like Sweetwater 42o or Sierra Nevada, but I’m pretty sure there are unicorn hairs or something in it as well to make it so good.  In addition to finding Galway Hookers at The Long Hall, we also made some wonderful Swedish friends: Sandra, Therese, and Rebecca. We had so much fun sharing stories and learning about Swedish Traditions (cough cough drinking songs).  We ended up hanging out with them all night on Saint Patrick’s and it was so much fun!  Hopefully we’ll see them again in Sweden, America, or somewhere around the world.

Ultimately it was a wonderful weekend.  I loved catching up with all of my friends and celebrating such a big holiday.

As anticipated, as much as I love France it was so hard convincing myself to leave.  I am still irrevocably in love with Dublin, and the entire country of Ireland.  But, more importantly, I had no interest in saying goodbye to my mom, Anna, or Kim and friends.  It was really a blessing in disguise that I had to leave at 5 am on Tuesday before I could process what was happening.  Although, it wasn’t too pleasant when “Don’t Forget To Remember Me” came onto my shuffle as I was taxiing into the lovely Rodez, but life goes on.  I’ll be writing more updates on all of the fun that I have been having in France since then, so don’t feel too bad for me.

Until next time, Dublin and friends.  I hope that it will be very soon.

xoxo,

Claire

Forty Days and Forty Nights

You know, the whole Noah’s Ark thing? Well, that’s what it felt like in London.  Only minus 38 days, and the ark thing.

Kimmy and I took the train down from Edinburgh to see the sights and visit some of my friends from Elon who are studying there.  And I’m only slightly exaggerating when I say that I have never seen it rain that heavily and consistently anywhere in my life.  And that includes the month that I spent in Ireland, and that time when Hurricane Isabel came through North Carolina.  Seriously.

“Let’s go to the beach, each…” or the River Thames

With that said,  I had a great 5-day visit to “the world’s most visited city” also known as a cultural capital to the world. It was an amazing experience being one of the millions of people who walk through the streets of London each and every day.  Studying abroad sometimes makes the world feel incredibly small, yet being in such a large and expansive city sort of readjusted my perspective.  It also tested my navigational skills.  Thankfully Kim, being used to New York and big cities, was able to read the maps and do most of the navigating, while I handled how to cross the streets (and with the whole driving on the left side of the road, one way street thing it’s tougher than you’d think).

Thankfully, considering I am writing this post over two weeks later, you assumed correctly that we did, in fact, come out relatively unscathed.  We also managed to do a TON of sight seeing.

On our first night out we reunited with an old friend, Erin, and her friend Michelle for dinner near where we were staying in South Kensington.  Kim and I walked briefly through Hyde Park on the way, which was very spooky yet beautiful in the drizzle, fog, and darkness.

Hyde Park

It was so great to see Erin and also be in yet another new city.  We all had a drink and then headed to meet my friends and go to a pub in South Kensington.  Erin and Michelle then caught the tube home, and my friends all had internships the next day, but Kim and I decided that the night was young, so we hit the town.  We decided that for the rest of the trip, especially since Kim only had a few days, we would hit the ground running.  What’s the point of sleeping when you’re twenty-something and in London?

Kim and I managed to see:

China Town

Picadilly

The V&A Museum

Buckingham Palace

Horsemen going to the palace

Trafalgar Square

Me in front of the lion statue in Trafalgar Square. Have lost all hope of possibly having nice hair in the rain.

Westminster Abbey and a Nelson Mandela statue. p.s. Americans, this is where William and Kate were married.

Big Ben

Parliament

The Globe Theatre a.k.a. the English nerd’s mecca

The Tate Modern museum

The Millennium Bridge

The Portobello Market at Nottinghill

The Spice Girls Musical, Viva Forever at Leicester Square

and so much more!  We saw so many neat things that it’s really tough to pick a favorite.  It’s also hard to imagine that all of this was in one city.  With each borough of London being so different it almost feels like 10 small cities pushed together, rather than one massive one.

With that said, I think that my favorite areas were Notting Hill, South Kensingtion, and Picadilly Circus.  I love how colorful Notting Hill is and I could have spent days in the market.  Again, I love vintage things and it was so neat browsing through all of the little shops and stands there.  I found so many neat antique trinkets, and I found myself imagining decorating a little English country home.  Alas, that did not happen, but check out some of my favorite things:

someone please buy me these soap dishes?

or buy me this house?

I’ll also settle for doughnuts. Let me tell ya, I did not feel like I was settling when I ate one…

And are these not the coolest street performers ever? So cute!

Anyways, I could go on for days but I don’t want to bore you too much.  Now on to South Kensington.  I don’t have too much to say other than it’s a very swanky, posh, and quiet residential area that happens to be right smack in the middle of London, and just off of Hyde Park.  I’m not sure if there is some invisible barrier to prevent too many tourists from coming in or something, but it was a lovely escape from the hustle and bustle that you experience in the rest of London, including Picadilly.  But Picadilly is super cool because it has all of the best shops and so many nice restaurants.  My college budget would have stretched about 5 minutes if I had stayed too long.  However, Erin, Kim, and I managed to find a restaurant that served PANCAKES.  All day. That may seem like a silly thing to search for but none of us had found them since the good ol’ USA.  Nor had we found Chipotle–and by the way, there are two in London.  I ate at both of them.  Sorry not sorry.  They gave me free chips because I’m awesome.

PANCAKES

Kim, Erin, my Elon friends and I also had a great time with the London nightlife.  Like I said, Kim and I were sticking to our guns with the no sleep thing.  That is, until Kim’s last night when I was gradually dying.  I officially could not make it out again, so Kim and I decided to see The Great and Powerful Oz, which is actually a great film.  I’d recommend it, and even more so when you’re not fighting off three days and nights with almost no sleep.

Jeff and I out on the town

Kimmy with my purse full of smuggled Chipotle loot.

The next morning after a bit of rest Kim and I also went to the Camden Market to meet a friend.  This market was super cool, but more food-oriented than Portobello.  It was a fun, laid back morning.  Kim and I then parted ways as she left to catch her train back to Edinburgh.  It was strange to say good bye after almost two weeks together, but not too sad because we were only separated until Dublin the following weekend.  Pretty awesome, huh?

I spent the end of my trip relaxing with friends and soaking everything in until I flew back to France for a few days (and another midterm).  Over all it was a great experience and I can’t wait to go back.  You could honestly spend years sight-seeing in London and still not see everything.  But, I can say that I saw almost every big tourist sight, had lots of loving reunions, and so many cool cultural experiences.

One of the most famous paintings in the world–Picasso.

Until next time, London. Next up: Dublin.

xoxo,

Claire

On The Road Again

Dear Friends,

I am sorry that it has been over a month since my last post (not that I’m super interesting anyways..), and also for being really bad about keeping up with writing letters and responding to emails and/or human contact of any form.  For what it’s worth things have been crazy.  In the last three weeks I have visited three amazing cities: Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England; and Dublin, Ireland. I also had midterms at the French university.

I’ll begin with Edinburgh.

Edinburgh view from the castle

I went to Edinburgh to visit close family friends: Lynn, Gwo-Tzer, Millie, and Charlie Ho, and Kim.  The Ho’s are natives to the area that used to live across the street from my family in Chapel Hill, NC and they graciously agreed to host me in their current home.  Kim is a childhood friend from Chapel Hill. I was already looking forward to seeing the city, but being with them made things that much better.

I am enjoying my time in France, but getting away was definitely nice.  Plus, the combination of speaking English and being with friends made me feel instantly at home.  It also doesn’t hurt that the city is stunningly beautiful, with a lovely skyline and interesting architecture throughout.  And that I experienced amazing sun and warm(ish) weather, the likes of which is nearly unheard of at this time of year in Scotland.

Downtown monument with blue skies

The family sent me out armed with a map and helpful tips about where to go and how to get there.  I had ten days to get a good feel for the city and it definitely was not enough!

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to give myself a “solo day.”  It’s refreshing to be independent, and to not feel like you are being weighed down, or rather that you are weighing someone else down.  I had a few of these at the beginning of my trip while everyone was at work and school. During this time I did a lot of walking, and stumbling into various vintage shops, cafes, and book stores.  Kim also informed me that vintage stores and charity shopping in Edinburgh is really popular and you can find some really neat things!  I’m truthfully not one for vintage clothing–I love old things, particularly furniture and books, but used clothes kind of weirds me out–that said, I loved the experience and actually ended up buying a few things.

In addition, I meandered for miles around the city of roughly 400,000 people and saw many major landmarks including: The Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

The Gardens

The gardens

Ross Fountain at the gardens

The Royal Mile – the the road leading to the home of the Queen and Royal Family

The Scottish National Museum – Charlie’s favorite museum, which is definitely worth a visit!

The National Museum lobby

The National Gallery – a wonderful museum with many of Scotland’s most famous works, among others

Gallery exhibit

one of my favorite pieces

The Greyfriar’s Bobby statue – dedicated to a dog who sat at his owner’s gravesite every night after his death

Greyfriar’s Bobby

The Elephant House – where J.K. Rowling wrote parts of the Harry Potter series, and where I reunited with a long lost friend, Kylie!

Arry Potta

The Grassmarket – a market that in fact has no grass, but rather shops and restaurants

Grassmarket

The University of Edinburgh

and Arthur’s Seat – a great place to hike, which Lynn and I proudly finished!  Also one of the best views of the city.

The top!

I loved making my way through each nook and cranny of the city.  I also loved how friendly people were there; each stranger that I met provided pleasant conversation, and generally an interesting or helpful suggestion.  Most importantly, it was so wonderful to come home each night to a loving household, wonderful home-cooked meals (thanks Lynn!!), and a warm bed.  I loved catching up with everyone and seeing how much the children have grown up.  Millie and Charlie were so fun to spend time with – I had my hair braided by Millie and showed her a few new tricks, and I also helped share some of my Harry Potter love with her and Charlie.  Hopefully Lynn and Gwo-Tzer don’t have to watch it too often now, although I’m afraid it may be a bit too late!  That may not have been the best way to repay them for hosting me, showing me around, and taking me out to a traditional Scottish dinner, etc., but oh well…  I dearly miss my morning hugs and kisses from Charlie and Millie and I hope that I can return all of the favors someday.

Banoffee pie

My dinner date, Charlie

If these experiences weren’t enough for me to fall in love with the city, then Kimmy gave me a few more.  She had classes all week, but when she had free time we hung out in neat cafes, and she introduced me to her friends and a bit of the Edinburgh nightlife.  I won’t go too far into detail with that, but I enjoyed the change of pace.  I also really liked the traditional Scottish ceilidh that we went to at a place called Ghillie Dhu.

It’s great that the city is small enough to be manageable, yet large enough that there are always fun places to go.

Kim and I at Ghillie Dhu

I cannot wait to return to Scotland.  I would highly recommend a visit to anyone who is considering!

Stay tuned to hear about London and Dublin.

xoxo,

Claire

“Time is very slow for those who wait”

Time is such a strange and extraordinary thing.  It finds a way of passing slowly and quickly all at the same time, particularly while I am abroad.  As of tuesday I will have been here for exactly seven weeks.  This is the longest that I have been away from North Carolina and my family and there are plenty of days when the passing of that time sinks in. Yet, I also feel like there will never be enough time to see what I want to see here, and experience everything that France and Europe has to offer.  I would hate to spend a moment simply wishing it away.

So, I’ve given myself the last couple of weeks to really explore and get settled in Montpellier and then from here on out I plan doing a LOT of traveling.  To sum things up, I have taken ample time to simply wander and find new cafes and places to enjoy here.  My favorite street is one that winds from the center of town; it’s a narrow pedestrian road with lots of little hole-in-the wall cafes, shops, and restaurants, and a beautiful cathedral that’s tucked away just enough so that many people probably come to the city and never see it.  It’s quaint and really lovely.  For me it’s perfect because it’s easy to find, yet just enough off the beaten path that not too many people go there.  The street also leads to one of my favorite pubs, naturally called the Shakespeare.  The pub is warm, with comfy seats and vaulted stone ceilings–the perfect combination of French history, good beer, a taste of England, and a cozy escape from the wind.  The street also ends right by my favorite cafe, which again has the most amazing coffee.  I think that I will honestly miss that the most when I leave here. Sadly we go so often that they know us by name…oops.  All in all, I just love that this city is small enough to not be overwhelming, yet big enough that you can find something new every day.

La jolie rue pietonne

In addition to my random wanderings and coffee drinking, I have visited an art museum, and the zoo FOR FREE.  I tend to prefer many aspects of the American government system (although it certainly has plenty of flaws to go around) yet socialism has proved to have a few perks.  I love that I can have “cultural” experiences with out stretching my college budget too far.  AKA I can see zebras and modern art any time I want……..how awesome is that? And my friends and I found a really cool and cheap ice skating rink.  It feels a bit middle school of us but I’m certainly not complaining. With the music, lights, and skating ramps, it is essentially clubbing on ice.  Perhaps this is not the highest echelon of cultural experiences to be found in France, but we’ll leave those up to the real grown-ups.

Also, My friend Jessica and I toured a local castle called Chateau de Flaugergues.  That’s not exactly something I could do it home!  It was nice little escape from the city; it was close enough that we could get there by foot, but far enough that we could get a taste of the countryside.  The gardens and vineyards were absolutely stunning, and it was a really nice way to learn about the history of the Southern French aristocracy.  We plan on going later in the spring when more flowers are in bloom and we can do a wine tasting!

Chateau de Flaugergues

Garden villa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another neat thing that I did in Montpellier was celebrating an authentic Mardi Gras.  For some reason I imagined that all of France would be like New Orleans with massive parades and parties.  That was not even remotely the case, but nonetheless it was really fun eating beignets, king’s cake, and seeing the festivities.  It was more relaxed than I thought it would be but it was a good cultural experience.  My friends and I went to the carnavale in the center of town, watched the French flag fly, and had a glass(es) of wine before the onset of the Lenten season.  I am glad that I was here for it!

Mardi Gras

This week I am focusing on my mid-terms.  I am struggling through Les Enfants Terribles by Cocteau and a few essays. It’s not exactly the highlight of my experiences here but it’s good that I’m learning.  And more importantly, at the end of the week I will be on break for two weeks!  I cannot wait to visit close family friends in Edinburgh and then more friends in London.  It will also be awesome to visit two new countries and cities, and also to speak English regularly.  After those trips, then I will be going to Dublin the following weekend for Saint Patrick’s Day!  Following that I am planning trips to Spain, Italy, and Switzerland.  I hope to be in Rome/the Vatican when they are selecting the new pope.  It’s crazy that trips like this are even conceivable.  I cannot wait to see where time will take me over the next few months.

Stay tuned.  xoxo,

Claire

Life is art

I’d like to start this entry with a poem that I stumbled upon recently written by Eva Rinaldi:

“I think everything in life is artistic.

What you do, how you dress,

The way you love somebody and how you talk,

Your smile and personality,

What you believe in and all your dreams,

The way you drink your tea,

How you decorate your home or party,

Your grocery list, the food you make

How your writing looks

And the way you feel.

Life is art..”

This poem really struck a chord with me.  Essentially, it seems to be saying that no matter who you are and what you do, the way you live is beautiful and it is your art–it’s just the manner of seeing that makes the difference.  This type of message is equally important for the most exciting, breathtaking days of your life, as well as for the most mundane and rainy mondays.

It makes me realize that each day, and each seemingly infinite detail has meaning.  Sometimes, like this weekend in Marseille, the art is easy to find.  When you wander through winding streets with colorful, ancient homes, live music, and mountains that meet the mediterranean sea, it’s pretty tough to think of something to complain about.

Some days, like those rare rainy days in the South of France when you’re cold and sick and you miss home, it’s hard to think of something not to complain about.  Yet, those days are when you find your true art.  In fact, those days are when I realize that while I don’t always want to do everything on my own, I can.  There’s definitely some beauty in that.

Plus, this journey that I seem to find myself on is all part of creating my story, and the way that I view the things that I’m seeing is where I define it.  Moreover, my life and my art are a product of accumulation; my inherited traits and dispositions, combined with the things that I see and do, have the power to create something awesome.

So, here’s to embracing that amazing cup of coffee saving your outlook on a rainy day:

to soaking up every ray of sun:

to cherishing each moment, and each person who comes into your life, no matter how big or small (in this case a best friend from home and a new friend who came to meet me in Marseille):

and to appreciating what makes you you, all while opening yourself up to new experiences.

All in all, study abroad is allowing me to see so many neat things, and getting away from my comfort zone is helping me to understand who I am and who I want to be.  The flaws and triumphs that I experience in Europe, as well as every day of my life, define me. Hopefully at the end of the end, I’ll at least have accumulated a few stories to tell.

Oh, and here’s one last photo from this weekend: Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseille.

À bientôt,

Claire

“The purpose of…

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

“Un repas sans fromage c’est comme une journée sans soleil.”

In addition to translating to mean, “a meal without cheese is like a day without sun”, this French proverb truly captures the façon de vivre in Montpellier, France.  In fact, in my two weeks here I can find no way to better demonstrate the French outlook on life.  For starters, I do eat cheese every day at almost every meal, and it is pretty much always sunny here.  The catch is that it’s the middle of winter and few people (myself included before I moved here) realize that the South of France is actually north of New York.  So, it is freezing cold and the wind that kicks up off the Mediterranean is not so charming at the moment.  That said,  I love it here so far.

The lifestyle is slower and more relaxed.  Consequently, I am learning to rejoice in the small things, as well as learning how to enjoy free time.  We Americans tend to commodify each moment of our day and see how many activities we can possibly fit into our scant blocks of free time.  Thus, we end each day a few pennies short, and absolutely drained, yet hopefully invigorated by what we have accomplished.  I personally adore my activities–particularly Mock Trial, exercising, working, Kappa Delta, volunteering and reading way too much English Literature for my major–yet, when I am home I never stop to just enjoy life, with the exception of allowing myself some modicum of sleep and the occasional Netflix binge.

To the contrary, my schedule is very flexible here and I have taken kindly to the French tendency to prioritize sleeping and eating.  This isn’t to suggest that I spend my time sitting on my butt contemplating whether to eat brie, roquefort, or both.  However, I take my time eating so that it is more of a repose and a treat than simply a necessity.  I also give myself time to read “Le Soleil se Leve Aussi” (The Sun Also Rises) over coffee in the window seat of my favorite café, whereas at home I would likely be running to my next meeting.  Side note, Hemingway is one of my favorite authors and his writing was a slight influence over my decision for a blog title.  Perhaps his connection to France, as well as the large portion of his life that he spent as an expat also draws me to this place.  Anyways, here is a photo for your amusement: 

In addition to generally slowing down the pace of my life, I have also been able to dedicate more time to going out with friends.  I have spent a great deal of time with my host family, and I also am loving everyone in my UNC in Montpellier group!  Plus, I have been able to spend more time doing things for myself and being independent.  I don’t want to bore you, but here are a few things that we/I have been able to do:

1) Go to a four euro professional Montpellier v. Lorient soccer match

p.s. Montpellier won 2-0!

2) Officially register as a student at my French university

3) Visit St. Guilhem le Desert, which is supposedly the second most beautiful place in France (however you decide that ranking)

4) Eat delicious crepes, and then hike to the top of this mountain at St. Guilhelm (unfortunately in that order……)

5) Drink FRESH water from a town fountain, which still seems a little sketchy but was awesome nonetheless.  I’ll let you know if I come down with cholera, Mom, but so far so good.

6) Pretend to be studious

7) Then go out for drinks and a little shopping

8) Visit this park in Montpellier several times

And finally, 9) Book a trip to see this girl in Menton, France!!

All in all, I can’t believe how lucky I am.  Again, I will always miss home, my family, and my friends in the US, yet I cannot get over how many exciting days I have ahead of me.  Also, on the trend of small pleasures and victories, I went to see the film “Renoir” with my host family tonight and I understood everything all while managing to actually enjoy myself rather than straining the whole time to grasp the concepts.  I also was complemented by a sweet old lady on the tram!  I’m sure that she would have told me that my French was good even if I could only say two words, but hey, I’ll take it.

À bientôt and xoxox,

Claire

Laissez les bon temps rouler

Bonjour tout le monde! I hope that this blog post is finding you well. Currently, I am sitting in my host family’s home stuffed full of French food and one glass too many of champagne.  As of tomorrow I will have been here for one full week!  The first few days were rough to say the least.  As anticipated, I had a bit of trouble transitioning into being away from my wonderful family and friends (well, most of you are wonderful at least..:)). However, things are looking up tremendously.  In fact, in hindsight I feel a bit silly.  On the bright side, my lack of appetite over those days and the days leading up to my move may justify the vast quantities of food that I ate today.  That’s what I’m telling myself at least.

Today we celebrated l’Epiphanie.  I live on the grounds of a Catholic School, College Saint Roch, of which my host father is the principal.  Therefore, my family is especially enthusiastic in their (our?) celebrations of this religious holiday.  After a night out on the town with my classmates from UNC in Montpellier, I woke up to homemade duck and potatoes in wine sauce, followed by baguette and brie, champagne, and of course the gallette de rois cake.  For those of you who are unaware, this is essentially the same cake that you eat on mardi gras, in which there is a small plastic baby (Jesus).  The youngest in the group chooses the first slice, and from there whoever gets the bebe simultaneously is the winner and loser a.k.a. they win the crown and the honor, but they have to buy the galette for next year.

Unfortunately, this year the dog, a large and friendly lab named Bambou, won the galette.  I’m not sure how much luck he’ll have at the patisserie next year, but I must admit that he looked quite lovely in the crown.  Speaking of Bambou, you all might enjoy that his favorite pastime seems to be sniffing the newcomer’s (my) butt, and begging for attention.  What a life.

You also might enjoy the various struggles and mishaps that I have had this week.  After all, laughter is universal.  For instance, at the end of the meal today when I was attempting to inform them that I did not need anymore food.  Therefore, I directly translated the english colloquialism of “I am full.”  Yet, as my host father explained to me through a series of chuckles, “je suis pleine” in French actually means that you are pregnant, and it is typically used when referring to a pregnant animal.  Umm….what’s the french word for awkward????

Also, the other day I was in the process of saying that I needed to pull something but I was thinking in english so I said that I needed to “pullez/poulet” it, poulet being the french word for chicken. Oh la la, quelle idiote!

With these comedic bumps along the road, I have been simultaneously impressed by the knowledge that I came with, as well as by the vast amount of things that I am learning and need to learn here.  For instance, a mastery of 19th century French literature and poetry, and an understanding of the montage of modern French films isn’t exactly street knowledge.  So, while I understand almost all of what is being said to me and I have been able to communicate effectively, there have been inevitable roadblocks.  For instance, explaining that I stepped in dog shit coming home at 3 a.m., or that water sprayed all over the floor while I was learning how to use the strange French shower required a bit more thought than was due.

Thankfully, my host family is loving and truly wonderful.  They have gone out of their way to make sure that I am comfortable and happy.  For instance, loaning me a warmer jacket since apparently we Carolinians don’t know how to prepare for winter, showing me how to cook awesome French food, and generally being there when I need them and more.  I am truly blessed to have this opportunity.

I was lucky with my host family, and I am lucky to have such giving parents.  Thanks mom and dad for giving me the world (literally) and for helping me begin this journey!  I will surely realize dreams that I never even knew I had.  After getting over the initial anxiety, I can already feel the amazing things happening.  Not only do I find myself thinking in French and learning already, but I will also visit dear friends abroad (cough cough here I come Lynn and Gwo Tzer, the Boggiano’s, Erin, Kim, and many many more)!  I’m sure that there will be plenty more (hopefully also comedic) bumps along the road, and I will always always miss the charms of the South and my loved ones, yet I cannot afford to be anything but incandescently happy here.

Wish me luck as I begin my first day of French classes tomorrow.  À bientôt and laissez les bon temps roulez my friends!

xoxox, Claire

L’arch de triomphe

A French unicorn statue, duh…

Out with the old, and in with the new

I just finished my final week of classes at my home university for the year!  I am so in love with my school, yet so relieved that exams are coming to a close.  Now that the semester is ending, my impending semester abroad is becoming more of a reality.  I will miss everything and everyone here, yet I am unbelievably excited!  Stay tuned for updates as I take off for my new adventures at the end of the month! xoxo, Claire