Paris in Pictures

A tiny glimpse into my trip to Paris... (click on an image to enlarge it)

(from top: 1. with Phil outside of the Louvre, 2. a bridge near Notre Dame, 3. the cathedral, 4. the Eiffel Tower- one of Paris' most important attractions, 5. crepes- another of Paris' most important attractions, and finally, 6.the most bored child in the Musee D'Orsay)

The above were just a few highlights... I will try to post a link to a more complete album some time in the future for those of you dying to see the hundred or so pictures snapped of the Eiffel Tower.

Thanks for following and happy studying, travelling, working, dreaming of summer, or whatever else this week finds you doing!
Oh, and can you believe it's nearly November?

Paris en l'automne est belle.

“Deux pain au chocolat s’il vous plait…” Ordering in French, or perhaps more accurately, occasionally attempting to order in French was just one of many new things I experienced this weekend during my stay in France!

On Friday morning I set off early for the airport to meet up with Phil for a weekend trip to Paris. I took French lessons for a brief stint when I was 8 then began again in high school, studying the language for four years plus a semester in college. I have long been fascinated with the language (although my own French communication skills are rubbish) and have considered Paris a dream trip location for a long time!

We flew from Dublin to Beauvais (about an hour bus ride outside of Paris), on a flight which was a little under two hours. After the bus ride into the city we took our first of many metro trips and arrived at our hostel. It was my first experience staying in a hostel, and St. Christopher’s far exceeded expectations. We stayed in a dormitory with four sets of bunk beds, the room was clean and spacious, and the people who worked at the hostel were very friendly. The whole atmosphere was really cool. The hostel won the best hostel in France this past year and I can certainly understand why. It was a little far from everywhere we went, but there was a metro stop very close by, making the whole city easy to access.

After settling in, we grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby café/pizzeria. To my delight there was cherry coke, something I haven’t seen since leaving the States (and actually didn’t see during the rest of the trip either). On our way into the city we stopped at a crepe stand where I enjoyed a nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread) filled crepe and Phil introduced me to the delicious simplicity of butter-sugar crepes. We then headed to the Louvre, which is free to young people (ages 26 and under) on Friday nights. We spent a couple of hours there, looking at the art. We saw some of the more famous paintings, like the Mona Lisa, and sculptures, like the Winged Victory. I left feeling very uneducated about art, but also very appreciate of the creativity of others! For the rest of the evening we walked along the river and down the Champs Elysee, enjoying the beauty of the city at night.

Saturday morning our first stop, after a quick breakfast at the hostel, was to a Monoprix grocery store (a recommendation from my friend Madelyn who studied in France) to buy some supplies for a picnic lunch the next day. It was fun poking around the shop a bit. For those of you interested in price comparisons, Paris appeared quite a bit less expensive (for a large majority of things) than Dublin, however I still wouldn’t go as far to use the word cheap... :)

After stocking up for our picnic we headed back into the city center area and walked along the river, stopping now and then to browse at book vendors, to the Musee d’Orsay (another art museum). It was much smaller than the Louvre, but still had several very famous pieces in it and it was very easy to see more of the museum. We then headed towards the Eiffel Tower, stopping to eat lunch at a café. The Eiffel Tower truly lived up to my expectations – it was breathtaking. We rode the lift up to the second floor and enjoyed the views of Paris. From the Eiffel Tower we took the metro to Notre Dame, a beautiful cathedral on the river. We stayed in the Latin Quarter that night for a nice leisurely French dinner (onion soup, beef, and crème brulee for me). Later in the evening, upon recommendation from a couple we met in the restaurant, we took a boat cruise of Paris. It was lovely to see the sites by the water, particularly the Eiffel Tower all lit up. It was a nice and relaxing to not be walking or finding metros; a perfect end to the evening.

Sunday we enjoyed our picnic in Jardin des Tuileires, and then walked for a while in the garden, and enjoyed people watching. We also stopped at another crepe stand. For the rest of the afternoon we walked along the Champs Elysee to the Arc d’Triomphe, and then returned to the Eiffel Tower to take some pictures and enjoy the remainders of our picnic in the park by the tower. That evening we visited Sacre Coeur which had spectacular views of the city. We walked through the cathedral as well, which although was beautiful inside was also somewhat of a tourist trap, with loads of souvenirs for sale all around. For dinner we ended up at a hole-in-the-wall looking Italian pizzeria, which had a nice laid back atmosphere and delicious pizza. We then went to a creperie (another quaint, unassuming place) for dessert, and enjoyed delicious caramel filled crepes topped with creamy vanilla ice cream.

Leaving Paris was hard, especially since we had to do so at 5:00 AM in order to catch a taxi, then an airport shuttle, before the flight. Then after the plane ride and another bus trip I made it back “home” to Dublin. I headed straight to Trinity where it was right back to reality, with a lecture on the Enlightenment. The weekend flew by, and already seems a long time ago. I had such a good trip though, it was well worth the sleep lost and the euros spent.

A few Paris-Dublin comparisons...
*Paris is such a clean city. I found it to be much cleaner than Dublin
*The metro system is so easy and accessible in France- it really was a great public transportation system to use.
*Although most things were cheaper in Paris than Dublin, drinks at restaurants and cafes were ridiculously priced. Soda was often 5 euro for a small can (no refills), with water being only slightly cheaper (once again for just a single bottle).
*Paris is huge! Things are very spaced out, and it’s much less walk-able (in terms of going to different quarters) than Dublin, but this is remedied by the convenience of the metro.

I'm sure that's more than enough for now... I'll try and do a picture post eventually! Au revoir!

Fall is here.

I decided this morning, as I walked home from church, that autumn is a blessing. It makes the transition between summer and winter gradual, and less painful. The slowly declining temperature makes the air feel crisp and cool, rather than freezing. The greens of summer morph into yellows and oranges instead of immediately fading into the chilly grays of winter. Today, on this beautiful fall day, I am thankful.

The past week of class went quickly. I still enjoy all three of my classes. The reading for Contemporary Irish Fiction has been perhaps the most fun, but I’ve found the discussion in Literature of the American South very interesting. Last week we discussed slave narratives and the impact of the longevity of Southern slavery on the region’s literature. The Enlightenment class I’m taking is more philosophical than the other two and the readings are the most tedious to complete.

In some ways, Trinity is similar to Hope College. There is the familiar hustle and bustle of students moving about campus, usually traveling in groups to meet up with friends or attend class. There are people sprawled out on lawns eating, reading, or chatting. There are busy, important-looking professors that rush past others on sidewalks, carrying briefcases or folders. Although all of this is on a larger scale- it’s familiar. But there are many differences that stand out as well. Trinity has a much less residential feel, with the few halls (or dorms for us in the states) more segregated, or even twenty-minutes off campus. There also seems to be less of a unity amongst students, unsurprising since the school is about 5 of 6 times larger than Hope. One other difference I’ve observed is that students appear to be more engaged in class. Perhaps it’s because classes meet for far fewer hours per week than in the states, or maybe it’s because it’s only the second week of classes…

I’ve enjoyed playing basketball again. Last week forty-five girls showed up at training (practice). The coach asked for players who had played on a club team for more than five years to go to one end of the gym, and this ended up being about sixteen players, me included. Although it is much more laid back then playing for a college team in the States would be, it seems like it’ll be fairly competitive. I don’t know if I’ll actually get to do any travelling or play games with the team, because that might happen later in the year (after the first term).

Last week I made another journey to the North. On Saturday Phil took me to Portstewart, a seaside town with very scenic coastal views. Although the weather was gray and windy, it was beautiful. I have never seen such huge rolling waves. After a brief walk, we went to Morelli’s, a restaurant/café/ice cream parlour to escape the chilly sea breeze. We warmed up with hot chocolate and a Yellowman ice cream sundae. A Yellowman consists of honeycomb and vanilla ice cream, chunks of honeycomb crisp, caramel syrups, marshmallows and cream. Yes, I continue to take great delight in Irish sweets.

This past weekend I got to show off some of my favorite Dublin finds to Phil, who came to visit me in the city for a few days. We went to the Book of Kells, which I actually found even more interesting the second time around. Every day the book is turned to a different page, displaying different illustrations and intricate designed lettering. The Books of Kells is an illuminated manuscript with the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). It was transcribed in c.800 by Celtic monks. Photographs are not allowed to be taken when viewing it, so look it up online to see pictures. It really is spectacular.

We also went to a market that I really enjoy, on Saturday morning. I really like just poking around, checking out all of the stands, and soaking in the atmosphere. We bought a gigantic brownie, which we saved and consumed during a picnic in Iveagh Gardens that afternoon. A funny moment during our picnic was when these two boys, about 10 or 11, rode by on bikes. We watched them ride down and then up this large sloping hill by a field. Having noticed us watching, one of the boys shouted out (in a very thick Dublin accent): “You like that? Yeah, that’ll be 5 euro to see that!!” We got a good laugh out of that. It seems that kids learn quickly the mindset required to live in a city as expensive as Dublin.

It’s nice to know that no matter where I am in the world there are some constants. Like fines for overdue library books. After only a few weeks of school I’ve already managed to accrue a library fine. As I paid my fifty cents, I smiled thinking about how my contributions to libraries now extend across the world. Sorry, mom.

Your typical loud Americans (sometimes!)...

Last weekend I, along with some other American friends here, cheered on my flat mate Jess and friend Victor in the Dublin half-marathon. The entire 13.1 mile race took place in Phoenix Park. Phoenix Park in next to the Dublin Zoo and is about 2 miles from where we live (St. Stephen's Green area). The park was huge! We made sure to see them at various spots along the course (the start, the 3 mile, the 7 mile, and the finish) and cheered wildly, not just for the two of them, but for all of the other runners as well. After running the Chicago Marathon last year, I have a deepened sense of appreciation for good fan support. To our surprise though, there were no other loud fans, in fact as we walked along the course it was very quiet. There were no noisemakers or other signs (we brought a couple) or any other forms of entertainment. It was definitely a different race atmosphere than what I've seen before, but it was a lot of fun just the same. We still cheered loudly, especially when we noticed how it made so many runners smile, laugh, give thumbs ups, or throw their arms up in the air! When we were cheering at the finish line the announcer, who was making hilarious comments as runners crossed the line, and just generally encouraging everyone, gave us a shout out, saying "The four ladies in front are our friends from the States and they'vehave been voted the best fans of the day..." Then he mentioned that everyone should be cheering on the runners and showing support and said that we (the "friends from the States") were doing this well and added "Although Americans are all a bit mad (crazy) in general, this is a good day to be mad." This made us all laugh a lot! Jess and Victor finished the race well, and we went out for a celebration lunch at a cute cafe called the Queen of Tarts afterwards.

My first week of classes has gone well. On Monday I had my Enlightenment literature class. As I sat in the large lecture hall, quickly filling with people, and waited for class to begin a guy came up to me and asked "Is this the Enlightenment class?" I answered, "I hope so," and laughed, and he ended up sitting next to me and we chatted before class started. He asked me lots of questions about school in America, and what I was studying here, what I wanted to do with my majors, etc. I asked him the same sorts of questions. He's a freshman at Trinity, so it was fun to hear a first year (non-visiting) student's perspective. The lecture was really interesting, a good introduction to the time period, and the professor seems knowledgeable but also good-humoured and easy to listen and follow.

My other two classes, Literature of the American South and Contemporary Irish Fiction, are both on Wednesday. Lit of the American South is a sophister (higher-level) class and there were only 12 students which was a nice change. I think it will be pretty in-depth. It is a two-hour seminar class; the first hour is a lecture and the second is somewhat more of a discussion, and more concentrated on specific works. Contemporary Irish Fiction was much larger (about fifty people or more), and will be lecture based. For the course we read a novel a week, which is a bit daunting, but the reading list looks interesting and I think they'll be fairly easy reads. The professors of both classes seem really good which is encouraging. Although adjusting to the massive amounts of independent reading and studying will probably be a little difficult, I'm really pleased with my classes so far.

A common perception of the Irish in the States seems to be that they are an extremely friendly people. It's not that I've found this to be untrue, but I think that it is blown out of proportion a lot. Maybe it's a self-fulfilling prophesy type of thing. Maybe because people expect the Irish to be really friendly and therefore approach them, the Irish reciprocate. Maybe people tend to remember the friendly encounters (and use them to support their belief that "All Irish people are really friendly") while ignoring the more negative encounters. And of course the charming accents don't hurt. I have met plenty of very friendly Irish people, and some unfriendly Irish people, but I believe that an Irish student studying in the States would have a similar experience. As a whole though, I would say that the Irish are more reserved. This isn't to say that they are snobby, just that they are quieter (even at half-marathons!) and wouldn't be as quick to tell you what they think, or to befriend you immediately. I'm still trying to figure out how to explain this observation better, and I'll let you know if I think of a clearer way to explain it.

Life outside of classes has been pretty mellow and relaxed this week. I'm still figuring out the art of managing my time well on the days when I don't have any class. On Tuesday morning IES had a deal where we could go to a local sports center/country club type of place for free. It was a really nice facility and I played some squash and badminton. Maybe by the end of the semester I'll be really into racket sports. For lunch on Tuesday, I had a picnic in Iveagh Gardens (about a 3 minute walk from my apartment!) with some friends. Sitting on the grass by a large fountain, eating our sandwiches, people-watching, and chatting was a lovely way to have lunch and we are going to try and make it a weekly occurrence.

Today after spending a few hours in the library reading I trekked home to the apartment, where two of my flat mates were eating lunch. They told me about a farmer's market just around the corner (and through a tunnel) from our apartment so naturally I went out and checked it out. There were booths with all kinds of cuisine from around the globe, German sausages, Korean noodles, Greek wraps, Indian stir-frys, and more. There were also lots of sweets and baked goods, as well as a few booths with local-made cheeses and other products. The atmosphere was interesting. It was different from other markets I've visited because almost everyone else at it was in suits and skirts and business-y clothes. The court my apartment is in is a large block of office buildings and such, so a lot of people were just spending their lunch break there. After some serious perusing, and a bit of sampling, I purchased a huge piece of apple crumble.

On a final note, I taught my flat mates and some other friends here Dutch Blitz. It's been a big hit and we play frequently now. We decided though, that maybe we should call it "American-Irish-Dutch Blitz" while we're here. Thanks for reading, cheers for weekends that start Thursday morning, and happy October!

*Interesting Observation: The Irish use a variety of words to mean tired. This includes, but is not limited to: wrecked, shattered, and knackered.
Sample sentence (written how you might hear it, yes with "like" at the end)- After that class I was fully wrecked like.