trips, trips, trips!

over the last 3 weeks we have taken many day trips through the RER & the TGV to places close to paris that are monumental to the culture of this country. mostly art museums, and royal palaces, but seeing the different little places outside of paris is really interesting in comparison to this huge city.

Versaille

this is where Marie Antoinette's palace was, consisting of many mansions where her and the royal family stayed, as well as the beautiful gardens that surround the acres. its only about 45 minutes away, and so worth it.

Ecrouen

this was a day trip to le chateau de la Renaissance d'Ecouen, which was a museum of old paintings and sculptures, pretty much (we have seen many of these so it's hard to decipher between them)

Giverny

this is where we visited Claude Monet's house, and his beautiful garden & lily pond. this was about 45 minutes away also, but you can see the paintings inside the house, and with a view like he had, you would've been inspired to paint also.

Reims

another day trip, about an hour away, where the other Notre Dame is. a much smaller city, but a lot of gorgeous scenery and land, and boutiques, churches & restaurants, as well as the Palais du Tau musée.

Champagne Country

we went here on the same day as Reims, its about 15 minutes away on the train. we got to get a tour of Taittinger Champagne factory where they let the champagne age, and it was the most delicious wine i've ever tasted. if only my i could have stuffed 3 or 4 in my bag :)

well, three weeks in.

three weeks. half way through. and now i start a blog. great timing, i know. it took really having a night like last night for me to realize that i will not remember half of the things we do here if i don't write it somewhere, & since i spend most of my time on the computer anyways, why not make one of these. so, here it goes.

paris always seemed like this fantasy place that is perfect in every way, many parts of this are true, but there are some that are completely different than the image in my head.

the fashion; always better than what we have in the united states, this is definitely true.

the scenery; absolutely breathtaking and i still get chills when i see the eiffel tower light up at night.

the music; so much more fun, and cool here, with such different genres and so many things going on in bars, or in the streets with music.

the nightlife; clubs, bars, pubs & people drinking everywhere from the louvre, to inside the metro.

the history; didn't think that a city could hold this much history, and museums filled with artwork, and statues that are hard to believe you are actually seeing with your eyes, in person.

its hard to say my stories of every point and every aspect that has happened with each "part" of paris, but i guess pictures will do enough.

fashion

scenery

music

*wait for fête de la musique pictures*

nightlife

history

the only thing that kills this beautiful, historical, & crazy city, is the people that live in it. not all of the people come off as hating americans, but the general population of "parisians" have given me a hard time. aside from getting pick-pocketed by a group of 13 year old romanian girls, even the police were not as helpful, which i am thinking was because i am american. its very different from america where everyone sends a smile to a stranger on the street, says excuse me if bumped into, and is generally a more welcoming country (despite what i thought previous to this trip). i know in the states it is smart to be cautious about your surroundings and your possessions, but here it is a completely different story. you have to hold onto your purse or backpack at all times. the one second you don't zip your bag up for the first 20 seconds you are on a train, you wallet will be stolen. they are quick here, and take advantage of the many tourists, majority american, and get away without even a slap on the wrist.

la langue française. a language i loved enough to dedicate 4 years of college studying, and hoped to have a future in some field of work involving it, is now a language i am terrified to speak in because of the awful looks they give when you speak, or in their annoyed response that they purposefully put into english. but i have gained some confidence and hope within the next 3 weeks i grow the same amount, or more, as i have in these first 3 weeks.

mais, c'est paris.

a favorite song to make fun of while here.