Last night my friend Sarah S. and I went to see Le Roi Lion (The Lion King) on stage! We got the cheap tickets, so we were pretty high up, but it was so cool! The puppets/costumes were all so cool and creative, and I loved all the songs they added that weren't in the movie.
Le Roi Lion:
My friend Kathy comes tomorrow!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
les vacances!
Sorry for the lack of recent posts! I got back from a two week break in Ireland and The Netherlands a couple days ago, and now I'm back in Paris after almost two weeks of a break from speaking French.
Friday evening (April 18) I met up with Sarah so that we could take the bus to Paris-Beauvais airport. Our plane to Dublin was pretty delayed, and didn’t take off until probably about midnight. It was also filled with Irish high school kids, so not only was it late, it was also noisy. When we landed we took a taxi to our hotel, got there at about 1:30 or 2, and went to bed.
Day one consisted of going to the office of tourism to see about seeing some countryside, and a lot of walking. We saw St. Patrick’s and visited the Irish Museum of Modern Art, which is in a cool building that used to be the military hospital. That night we went to a cute little Italian restaurant for dinner, and then found a pub where Sarah drank her first ever beer.
The next day was Sunday, and we got a pretty late start to the day. We spent some time shopping/exploring and took a tour of Dublin Castle, which was pretty interesting. That night we found a small pub that had a group of people just sitting around and playing their instruments. It was really cool. It was a group of people that seemed to know each other, and people kept coming and going, joining in the music. It was fun to watch.
Monday was our tour of Glendalough and Wicklow! We took a tour with a small group of 12 people plus the guide. There was a Spanish couple, two Belgians, two Finnish people, two Swiss people, two other Americans and us. They were all really nice and fun people. The morning was really foggy, and not much could be seen. We supposedly saw the fields where Braveheart was filmed, as well as Excalibur and King Arthur. After stopping for a cup of tea, the fog started to clear and we could see more of the countryside. We stopped for lunch in a little Irish village, and then were off to Glendalough, which is a 6th century monastery. It was soo pretty there, and by that time it was really nice outside. So we walked around the actual ruins while the guide talked, and then got to walk around and see the lakes and mountains for a bit before heading back towards Dublin.
That night after dinner we went to a hotel pub where we had heard they had Irish dancing shows. The dancers were REALLY impressive.
Tuesday we did the Guinness Brewery tour which was pretty neat. At the very end you get a pint of Guinness up in this bar at the top where you could see all of Dublin. We also looked at Trinity College and the Irish National Gallery that day, and that evening went to one last Dublin pub which had more live music. The music is my favorite part.
Wednesday we flew into Amsterdam! Once we got to the airport we took a train to Weesp where Aunt Nancy picked us up. We had a pretty relaxing afternoon- went with to take Andy to football (soccer) practice and to go to the grocery, and relaxed at the house that evening.
The next morning we went and saw Andy and other classes at his school in a dance recital. It was really adorable, all the classes had prepared a dance and had costumes and everything. Andy’s class did a hip-hop/break-dance routine. Afterwards we went with Aunt Nancy into Bussum to go to the market and to shop for birthday gifts (she had four people to get gifts for). That night Uncle Allan and Aunt Nancy took us to dinner, which was really nice and really yummy.
Friday Sarah and I took the train into Amsterdam. We saw the Anne Frank house, which was crowded, but never-the-less worth seeing. After that depressing morning, we went to a place called the Pancake Bakery for lunch, which Aunt Nancy had recommended, and had delicious pancakes. We also stopped by the Poezenboot (catboat), which is a cat-shelter in a boathouse. Some of the cats were friendly, but most of them were so scared of everyone. It was so neat though. After we got our fill of playing with the cats, we went down by the Van Gogh museum, where Sarah got her fill of Van Gogh’s paintings and I explored Vondelpark and the swanky stores nearby. After that we were tired from all the walking around, so we took the train back to Naarden.
Saturday Sarah and I got off the train before Amsterdam to explore Dappermarkt, where we got some French fries with mayonnaise, warm stroopwafel, and cheap but snazzy-looking sunglasses. Then we got back on the train and went into Amsterdam to explore some of the parts of Amsterdam we hadn’t seen the previous day. We walked around the red-light district and walked to Dam square where there was a big carnival going on. About the middle of the afternoon we went back to Naarden, where a couple of Uncle Allan and Aunt Nancy’s neighbors were hosting birthday parties that day. The first one we were taken to was hosted by their Indian neighbors. They were the nicest people and fed us the most delicious Indian food. It was really nice that day, if a little hot, so sitting out in the backyard was really pleasant. After a short break, we went to a party at a different neighbor’s house, where there was less English and more Dutch, but still plenty of delicious food. A couple of people talked to Sarah and I in English, and one woman spoke to us in French. Sarah and I didn’t stay very late (10:30 or 11??) before going back to Uncle Allan and Aunt Nancy’s house.
Sunday morning Sarah left to meet up with her dad in Barcelona
Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I pretty much hung out around Naarden with Aunt Nancy and Andy, which was relaxing and nice for me.
Wednesday morning Uncle Allan took me into Amsterdam for Queen’s day! It was really neat. There were lots of people and lots of orange. We walked to Vondelpark first, where there were lots of adorable kids playing their instruments, people who had set up games and who were selling their old junk or their homemade food. After Vondelpark we went by the museums were there was a radio-show concert packed with people and as we walked around there were just masses of people streaming in. We stood along side the canals some to watch the boats, which were so neat. There were huge boats with big parties (and speakers to make you go deaf), small motorboats with just a few people, medium boats, and most of them were decked out in orange and supplied with food and drinks. In the afternoon we headed back into Naarden for a short break, and then biked into town for the Naarden Queen’s day. It was like a mini-version of Queen’s Day in Amsterdam, but without the huge party boats on the canal, and people knew each other. Andy came too, but got kind of bored and biked back home before Uncle Allan and I did.
Overall it was a cool and unique thing to see.
Thursday was my bus ride back to Paris. That was pretty boring. It was neat to drive through the country, and there was a stop in Brussels so now I can kind of say I saw Brussels.
So that’s a cliff notes version of my break! I don’t have any real big events planned for the rest of the semester, which is probably good because I have papers to write now.
The past couple days in Paris have been sunny and kind of hot. It feels like summer.
Upper lake at Glendalough, Ireland:
Partyyyy:
Friday evening (April 18) I met up with Sarah so that we could take the bus to Paris-Beauvais airport. Our plane to Dublin was pretty delayed, and didn’t take off until probably about midnight. It was also filled with Irish high school kids, so not only was it late, it was also noisy. When we landed we took a taxi to our hotel, got there at about 1:30 or 2, and went to bed.
Day one consisted of going to the office of tourism to see about seeing some countryside, and a lot of walking. We saw St. Patrick’s and visited the Irish Museum of Modern Art, which is in a cool building that used to be the military hospital. That night we went to a cute little Italian restaurant for dinner, and then found a pub where Sarah drank her first ever beer.
The next day was Sunday, and we got a pretty late start to the day. We spent some time shopping/exploring and took a tour of Dublin Castle, which was pretty interesting. That night we found a small pub that had a group of people just sitting around and playing their instruments. It was really cool. It was a group of people that seemed to know each other, and people kept coming and going, joining in the music. It was fun to watch.
Monday was our tour of Glendalough and Wicklow! We took a tour with a small group of 12 people plus the guide. There was a Spanish couple, two Belgians, two Finnish people, two Swiss people, two other Americans and us. They were all really nice and fun people. The morning was really foggy, and not much could be seen. We supposedly saw the fields where Braveheart was filmed, as well as Excalibur and King Arthur. After stopping for a cup of tea, the fog started to clear and we could see more of the countryside. We stopped for lunch in a little Irish village, and then were off to Glendalough, which is a 6th century monastery. It was soo pretty there, and by that time it was really nice outside. So we walked around the actual ruins while the guide talked, and then got to walk around and see the lakes and mountains for a bit before heading back towards Dublin.
That night after dinner we went to a hotel pub where we had heard they had Irish dancing shows. The dancers were REALLY impressive.
Tuesday we did the Guinness Brewery tour which was pretty neat. At the very end you get a pint of Guinness up in this bar at the top where you could see all of Dublin. We also looked at Trinity College and the Irish National Gallery that day, and that evening went to one last Dublin pub which had more live music. The music is my favorite part.
Wednesday we flew into Amsterdam! Once we got to the airport we took a train to Weesp where Aunt Nancy picked us up. We had a pretty relaxing afternoon- went with to take Andy to football (soccer) practice and to go to the grocery, and relaxed at the house that evening.
The next morning we went and saw Andy and other classes at his school in a dance recital. It was really adorable, all the classes had prepared a dance and had costumes and everything. Andy’s class did a hip-hop/break-dance routine. Afterwards we went with Aunt Nancy into Bussum to go to the market and to shop for birthday gifts (she had four people to get gifts for). That night Uncle Allan and Aunt Nancy took us to dinner, which was really nice and really yummy.
Friday Sarah and I took the train into Amsterdam. We saw the Anne Frank house, which was crowded, but never-the-less worth seeing. After that depressing morning, we went to a place called the Pancake Bakery for lunch, which Aunt Nancy had recommended, and had delicious pancakes. We also stopped by the Poezenboot (catboat), which is a cat-shelter in a boathouse. Some of the cats were friendly, but most of them were so scared of everyone. It was so neat though. After we got our fill of playing with the cats, we went down by the Van Gogh museum, where Sarah got her fill of Van Gogh’s paintings and I explored Vondelpark and the swanky stores nearby. After that we were tired from all the walking around, so we took the train back to Naarden.
Saturday Sarah and I got off the train before Amsterdam to explore Dappermarkt, where we got some French fries with mayonnaise, warm stroopwafel, and cheap but snazzy-looking sunglasses. Then we got back on the train and went into Amsterdam to explore some of the parts of Amsterdam we hadn’t seen the previous day. We walked around the red-light district and walked to Dam square where there was a big carnival going on. About the middle of the afternoon we went back to Naarden, where a couple of Uncle Allan and Aunt Nancy’s neighbors were hosting birthday parties that day. The first one we were taken to was hosted by their Indian neighbors. They were the nicest people and fed us the most delicious Indian food. It was really nice that day, if a little hot, so sitting out in the backyard was really pleasant. After a short break, we went to a party at a different neighbor’s house, where there was less English and more Dutch, but still plenty of delicious food. A couple of people talked to Sarah and I in English, and one woman spoke to us in French. Sarah and I didn’t stay very late (10:30 or 11??) before going back to Uncle Allan and Aunt Nancy’s house.
Sunday morning Sarah left to meet up with her dad in Barcelona
Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I pretty much hung out around Naarden with Aunt Nancy and Andy, which was relaxing and nice for me.
Wednesday morning Uncle Allan took me into Amsterdam for Queen’s day! It was really neat. There were lots of people and lots of orange. We walked to Vondelpark first, where there were lots of adorable kids playing their instruments, people who had set up games and who were selling their old junk or their homemade food. After Vondelpark we went by the museums were there was a radio-show concert packed with people and as we walked around there were just masses of people streaming in. We stood along side the canals some to watch the boats, which were so neat. There were huge boats with big parties (and speakers to make you go deaf), small motorboats with just a few people, medium boats, and most of them were decked out in orange and supplied with food and drinks. In the afternoon we headed back into Naarden for a short break, and then biked into town for the Naarden Queen’s day. It was like a mini-version of Queen’s Day in Amsterdam, but without the huge party boats on the canal, and people knew each other. Andy came too, but got kind of bored and biked back home before Uncle Allan and I did.
Overall it was a cool and unique thing to see.
Thursday was my bus ride back to Paris. That was pretty boring. It was neat to drive through the country, and there was a stop in Brussels so now I can kind of say I saw Brussels.
So that’s a cliff notes version of my break! I don’t have any real big events planned for the rest of the semester, which is probably good because I have papers to write now.
The past couple days in Paris have been sunny and kind of hot. It feels like summer.
Upper lake at Glendalough, Ireland:
Partyyyy:
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
teaching bluegrass to the french
Last night at Dinner, Pauline started talking about something she saw that she thought was really neat. As she was describing it, I realized that she had seen someone playing the spoons! (Like how they do a lot in bluegrass music). And she got a little confused and was like, "They had a fork and a spoon... or was it two spoons?" and I was like, "Oh yeah, you take two spoons and put them back to back..."
So she got all excited that I knew what she was talking about, and was like, "Wow, you've seen this done before?? Do you know how to do it??" So Raymond (host-dad) got excited too, and he got out a bunch of spoons so that I could show them... and it was really funny, because they'd never seen anyone play the spoons before, and they were all sitting around the table trying to make these rhythms.. it was like my Recreational Music class all over again..
And that's the night I taught the Maillard family how to play the spoons. I wish I could play the spoons better.. or that I had a set of those cheater spoons (ok, not really cheating, but they make spoons that are already attached so that you don't have to worry so much about how you hold them.)
So she got all excited that I knew what she was talking about, and was like, "Wow, you've seen this done before?? Do you know how to do it??" So Raymond (host-dad) got excited too, and he got out a bunch of spoons so that I could show them... and it was really funny, because they'd never seen anyone play the spoons before, and they were all sitting around the table trying to make these rhythms.. it was like my Recreational Music class all over again..
And that's the night I taught the Maillard family how to play the spoons. I wish I could play the spoons better.. or that I had a set of those cheater spoons (ok, not really cheating, but they make spoons that are already attached so that you don't have to worry so much about how you hold them.)
Sunday, April 6, 2008
paris marathon
This morning I got up early to watch the Paris Marathon. I met Rujuta downstairs at about 7:45 and we went to the metro- but when it came it was PACKED, mostly with runners, and the people on board were saying, "pas de place!" (no room!). I've managed to squeeze onto some pretty crowded metros before, but even I could see it would be practically impossible for Ruju and I to fit. So we decided to walk.
Um. I should take more early sunday morning walks. Because Paris is really wonderful that time of day. Practically no cars, the sun was out, it was cold but tolerable, and really peaceful.
So we got to the Champs-Elysees, which was packed... I think someone said around 10,000 people participate? That seems like a lot, but when it started (8:45) the Champs-Elysees had people running by us for several minutes... we watched for a few minutes, then managed to find the other Sweet Briar was there, talked to them while people were still taking off from the Arc de Triomphe, and then Matt, Annie, Clare, and Marisa decided to join in for a bit. So they took off, and people were still running by, and Molly, Rujuta and I decided to go down to the Louvre and wait there for the runners to return from Bois de Vincennes.
It took us about an hour to get to Place de la Concorde because of all the people and blocked off areas, and then we had to wait a long time for the first group of runners to come by (we calculated that in miles it was about 17.5). Once the leaders (a huge group of Kenyans- go figure) ran by, we realized that we were freezing cold. It was about 10:30 at this point, so we decided to go home and warm up.
Overall though, I thought it was really neat to see, and worth getting up for. I don't think my description is very good though...
Map:
Sorry if it's hard to see, I just took it from the marathon website to give you an idea of the route.
Um. I should take more early sunday morning walks. Because Paris is really wonderful that time of day. Practically no cars, the sun was out, it was cold but tolerable, and really peaceful.
So we got to the Champs-Elysees, which was packed... I think someone said around 10,000 people participate? That seems like a lot, but when it started (8:45) the Champs-Elysees had people running by us for several minutes... we watched for a few minutes, then managed to find the other Sweet Briar was there, talked to them while people were still taking off from the Arc de Triomphe, and then Matt, Annie, Clare, and Marisa decided to join in for a bit. So they took off, and people were still running by, and Molly, Rujuta and I decided to go down to the Louvre and wait there for the runners to return from Bois de Vincennes.
It took us about an hour to get to Place de la Concorde because of all the people and blocked off areas, and then we had to wait a long time for the first group of runners to come by (we calculated that in miles it was about 17.5). Once the leaders (a huge group of Kenyans- go figure) ran by, we realized that we were freezing cold. It was about 10:30 at this point, so we decided to go home and warm up.
Overall though, I thought it was really neat to see, and worth getting up for. I don't think my description is very good though...
Map:
Sorry if it's hard to see, I just took it from the marathon website to give you an idea of the route.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Provence: on y danse!
Saturday morning I got up at freaking 5:15am so that I could shower and leave for the train station by 6. We didn't have to be there until 6:45, but my host-mom had said I should leave at 6, so Rujuta and I were 15 minutes early. Wahooo.
So we had a fun 3-hour train ride where we got to see a lot of French country side and experience the TVG.
The first stop for our adventures was Arles. It was sunny and really warm!!
Arles was a Roman city, and we saw the ruins for the old Amphitheatre and Theater. It was so neat. I think ruins are so cool, I dunno why. After the ruins we had some free time, so I went to the market with Jessica, Willa, and Sarah J. It was torture to go before lunch, because there was so much food and so many spices, and it all smelled delightful. We all got a few provence gifts for people, along the lines of lavender and kitchen-y stuff. :)
Lunch was provided by Sweet Briar, we went to a restaurant and they served us chicken with vegetables. Then more free-time, which meant more walking around in the now hot sunshine and more shopping. And sitting outside with ice cream people watching. And we saw the old church.
After Arles was Pont du Gard, which is an old roman aqueduct. And since it was over a river, there were people outside swimming! A few people waded in the water, one person accidentally got her jeans soaked, and another person swam.
That night we got to stay in an Abbey, l'Abbaye Saint-Michel de Frigolet, which was SWEET. It was up in the hills and there was nothing really nearby. There were hiking paths though, so Jess and I went on a hike before dinner, and it was GORGEOUS. We got to the top of this one hill, and we were talking kind of loudly, when I was like, "Hey.. listen!" So we did. And it was silent. Like, you could faintly hear a bird chirp, or an insect once in a while but otherwise... just quiet. So we just stood there listening to the nothingness and watching the sun go down, and it was amazing. And it reminded me just how noisy my life really is. Jeez.
At dinner we had pasta and gross wine, and we learned french drinking songs. Haha. It got a little obnoxious after awhile though. After dinner, Willa, Sarah J., Jess and I played egyptian rat screw and stayed up late. Aaaaand that night was the time change.
The next day we had an early breakfast of croissants, yogurt, and hot drinks. Then we departed for Les Baux, which is my new favorite location in France. Seriously, I thought it was sooo gorgeous. It was really windy, and up in the sort-of mountains, so it was really rocky. But the village of Les Baux was about half-way up the mountain, and it was so neat! And we got to see some 11th century ruins. But seriously, that town/area of Provence was my favorite.
Our last location was Avignon, which I didn't find as exciting as Les Baux, even though it was soooooo much bigger (it was actually a city, not a little village). We saw the Palais des Papes (Popes), and the PONT D'AVIGNON! So of course there was a dance party. Yesss. We (Willa, Jess, Sarah and I) got a little lost finding the bridge though, so we didn't have a lot of time for our dance party and had to RUN back to the bus haha. Then our lightning-fast trip to Provence was pretty much over and we went to the train.
The train ride back was really fun. And it was neat watching the weather get worse and worse until we were in Paris and had to go back in the pouring rain. Hahaha.
I'd move to Provence. It's so pretty.
If you're confused about why we had to dance on Pont d'Avignon:
So there's this french song called Sur le pont d'Avignon (On the Avignon Bridge) and it goes like this:
Chorus:
Sur le pont d’Avignon
On y danse, on y danse
Sur le pont d’Avignon
On y danse tout en rond
(on the Avignon bridge/ we dance there, we dance there/ on the Avignon bridge/ we all dance there in a ring)
1:
Les belles dames font comm’ ça
Et puis encore comm’ ça.
2:
Les beaux messieurs font comm’ ça
Et puis encore comm’ ça.
3:
Les militaires font comm’ ça
Et puis encore comm’ ça
4:
Les musiciens font comm’ ça
Et puis encore comm’ ça.
And it's just all these people dancing on the bridge. Wahoo! It's a folk song, so there might be slight variations in the lyrics, but the idea is the same.
Sitting in Arles:
Les Baux!
So we had a fun 3-hour train ride where we got to see a lot of French country side and experience the TVG.
The first stop for our adventures was Arles. It was sunny and really warm!!
Arles was a Roman city, and we saw the ruins for the old Amphitheatre and Theater. It was so neat. I think ruins are so cool, I dunno why. After the ruins we had some free time, so I went to the market with Jessica, Willa, and Sarah J. It was torture to go before lunch, because there was so much food and so many spices, and it all smelled delightful. We all got a few provence gifts for people, along the lines of lavender and kitchen-y stuff. :)
Lunch was provided by Sweet Briar, we went to a restaurant and they served us chicken with vegetables. Then more free-time, which meant more walking around in the now hot sunshine and more shopping. And sitting outside with ice cream people watching. And we saw the old church.
After Arles was Pont du Gard, which is an old roman aqueduct. And since it was over a river, there were people outside swimming! A few people waded in the water, one person accidentally got her jeans soaked, and another person swam.
That night we got to stay in an Abbey, l'Abbaye Saint-Michel de Frigolet, which was SWEET. It was up in the hills and there was nothing really nearby. There were hiking paths though, so Jess and I went on a hike before dinner, and it was GORGEOUS. We got to the top of this one hill, and we were talking kind of loudly, when I was like, "Hey.. listen!" So we did. And it was silent. Like, you could faintly hear a bird chirp, or an insect once in a while but otherwise... just quiet. So we just stood there listening to the nothingness and watching the sun go down, and it was amazing. And it reminded me just how noisy my life really is. Jeez.
At dinner we had pasta and gross wine, and we learned french drinking songs. Haha. It got a little obnoxious after awhile though. After dinner, Willa, Sarah J., Jess and I played egyptian rat screw and stayed up late. Aaaaand that night was the time change.
The next day we had an early breakfast of croissants, yogurt, and hot drinks. Then we departed for Les Baux, which is my new favorite location in France. Seriously, I thought it was sooo gorgeous. It was really windy, and up in the sort-of mountains, so it was really rocky. But the village of Les Baux was about half-way up the mountain, and it was so neat! And we got to see some 11th century ruins. But seriously, that town/area of Provence was my favorite.
Our last location was Avignon, which I didn't find as exciting as Les Baux, even though it was soooooo much bigger (it was actually a city, not a little village). We saw the Palais des Papes (Popes), and the PONT D'AVIGNON! So of course there was a dance party. Yesss. We (Willa, Jess, Sarah and I) got a little lost finding the bridge though, so we didn't have a lot of time for our dance party and had to RUN back to the bus haha. Then our lightning-fast trip to Provence was pretty much over and we went to the train.
The train ride back was really fun. And it was neat watching the weather get worse and worse until we were in Paris and had to go back in the pouring rain. Hahaha.
I'd move to Provence. It's so pretty.
If you're confused about why we had to dance on Pont d'Avignon:
So there's this french song called Sur le pont d'Avignon (On the Avignon Bridge) and it goes like this:
Chorus:
Sur le pont d’Avignon
On y danse, on y danse
Sur le pont d’Avignon
On y danse tout en rond
(on the Avignon bridge/ we dance there, we dance there/ on the Avignon bridge/ we all dance there in a ring)
1:
Les belles dames font comm’ ça
Et puis encore comm’ ça.
2:
Les beaux messieurs font comm’ ça
Et puis encore comm’ ça.
3:
Les militaires font comm’ ça
Et puis encore comm’ ça
4:
Les musiciens font comm’ ça
Et puis encore comm’ ça.
And it's just all these people dancing on the bridge. Wahoo! It's a folk song, so there might be slight variations in the lyrics, but the idea is the same.
Sitting in Arles:
Les Baux!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
easter
Joyeuse Pâques! (Happy Easter!)
The host-fam had friends over for breakfast, and I'm going to messe (mass) tonight with two of my friends.
This is the church that I go to when I go to mass:
http://www.st-andre-europe.org/
It's right around the corner from my metro stop (Europe, line 3) so it only takes me about 7 minutes to walk.
I hope you all have a fun day!
The host-fam had friends over for breakfast, and I'm going to messe (mass) tonight with two of my friends.
This is the church that I go to when I go to mass:
http://www.st-andre-europe.org/
It's right around the corner from my metro stop (Europe, line 3) so it only takes me about 7 minutes to walk.
I hope you all have a fun day!
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