Bonjour mes amis!
Paris is the city of love, the city of life...and once a year the city of cows, food, wine, and a really big Salon International d'Agriculture, where every region of France is represented by its livestock and/or cuisine, and other European and Francophone countries can show off their delicacies to Parisians and visitors alike. This is like one big county fair that stretches across the nation.
I went to this agricultural festival paying the student price of six euro, and was treated to a day of ooing and awwing at the animals, watching accordion players in berets, trying samples of different cheeses, breads, jellies, honey, and fruits, and enjoying the spectacle that was this convention full of hungry, animal-loving people from age one to one hundred. Obviously, this was the place to be. It was heaven for anyone searching for "dégustation" (sampling), or anyone interested in competitive livestock shows. I have never seen so many kinds of cows, and such big ones! It made for a great day, and was the most unique thing I've experienced since I've been here! (definitely a bit different from the Louvre at least...)
I also made a new friend! IES started a conversation club for French and English speakers and at the first meeting I met a very nice girl named Noémie (like Naomi, but French) who is a middle school music teacher in a banlieu (suburb) of Paris (she is a cellist). My friends Jess and Keara and I went to dinner with her last Wednesday and had a wonderful time talking about everything from Disney movies to our interests and what we find to be surprising about Parisian culture. She is just as curious about us as we are about her - she's ready to introduce us to her little dog, Lilu, who also happens to be bilingual!
So that is all the exciting news I have for now.. This link will show you some photos of the salon d'agriculture if you're interested! I definitely took photos...but my camera batteries chose to run out of juice very early on (bummer!) but I promise I will share what I have soon!
Bonsoir et à tout à l'heure!
-Laura :)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Vachement...chouette.
Coucou!
I promise I did not just make a bird noise...or did I? Yes, "coucou" is a popular way of saying "hey!" and being cute about it - my host family does this all the time. So the past few weeks have been busy and once again, I can't believe how the time is flying by! I've been in Paris for almost a whole month and a half, though oddly my stay seems to be both shorter and longer all at once. Since there is so much to say, and no eloquent way to say it, I'm simply going to revert to the old standby - list-making! (just in paragraph form...)
I visited Versailles. It is way bigger than I ever imagined. With my sense of direction, and Louis' idea of a garden, I would be a goner living within a mile radius of the palace. The inside is, by any standard, enchanting. And though I admittedly expected a fun-house kind of experience in the "Hall of Mirrors" (apparently I was being too literal), I was in awe and drooling over every elaborate square inch of the place. Also, the gardens of Versailles, though not in bloom, did not cease to impress me. I never imagined a garden could be so big. I recall finding the very exact pruning of the shrubberies to be very amusing and "French" my first time here. But in the dead of winter, I never expected to see trees the size of the ancient oaks in my backyard pruned so precisely, down to the last straight edge and ninety-degree angle. Maybe that was naive of me...but, seriously. I can't wait to return in the spring when everything is alive and in bloom!
Musically, I feel very busy - I did a three-day masterclass with my flute professor here, Mihi Kim, where I vigorously took notes and received criticism and advice on how to better my playing. It was quite a learning experience, and I look forward (almost tentatively...but not really) to what else I will learn this semester with regard to my flute.
I visited a few fantastic "expositions" at various museums in the past few weeks. I really enjoy being within métro-distance of any type of museum possible - everything from Rembrandt and Da Vinci, to Van Gogh and Monet, to Soulages and "De Stijl" Mondrian art. This past Thursday, I was on a roll. I first went to the Place des Vosges, where I visited the Maison Victor Hugo. This was not his only home in Paris (apparently he moved a lot), but I was fascinated with the museum's attempt to remake some of the rooms of his various homes. I enjoyed seeing the exposition "Portraits d'écrivains" which included portraits of Victor Hugo and his contemporaries. The best part was seeing the writing desk engraved with the names, inkwells and pens from four famous writers (Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, George Sand, and Lamartine) - the piece was originally designed to raise money for charity.
While trying to find the subtle entry to Victor Hugo's house (I was not lost, I was just enjoying a few laps around the Place des Vosges...promise), I also stumbled upon an incredibly interesting boutique/store, covered floor to ceiling with very old, occasionally exotic, and professionally refurbished musical instruments. It probably shocks you that I was in awe. But maybe not... I actually walked in behind two French women who proceeded to talk with the owner and express interest in trying a guitar - just for fun (it appeared as though none of the price tags had fewer than four digits on them). So, I watched as the owner demonstrated playing an instrument I have never seen before, nor know the name of. It looked like a small keyboard from far away, but instead of pressing the keys to hear the kind of percussive tap of a piano mallet, the keys actually pressed down on a guitar-like string instrument, acting as the left hand would to change the pitch on a guitar. But this string instrument only had one string, and you changed the pitch by playing the keyboard with your left hand, while using what appeared to be a violin bow to play the extension of the guitar at the end of the piano with your right hand. What's more, you can change keys or registers by lifting the piano part and moving it to the left or right. I was really enjoying this demonstration and took the opportunity to gawk around at the variety of instruments: about a dozen baroque bassoons, a few serpents, various sized cornetti, several flutes made from different materials (ivory, wood, etc.), dozens of string instruments hanging from the ceiling (guitars, violins, citars, lutes), ornate harps of various sizes, several Hurdy-Gurdys, natural horns and brass instruments I didn't even recognize, and so much more, all in tip-top playing condition in this tiny little shop in the middle of Paris. This made for a fantastic twenty minutes out of my day.
In this very same day, I decided to hike over to the Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum. The Pompidou screams modern, scientific and asymmetrical. It's all about a flash in the pan, pop art, feminism, abstract and surreal ideas, shocking, new, structural, animated, media-encompassing, architecture and neon lights. I did not get to see all of it - I was only there two and a half hours and only made it to the exposition I purposefully went to see - Mondrian and De Stijl. This was something my host sister, Serena, recommended. And I quite agree that it was really incredibly interesting, despite not having any prior knowledge on the subject. Mondrian started out with a kind of expressionist approach in the beginning of the 20th century - I was reminded of Van Gogh with his first paintings of trees and women, and then was startled by the shift to something like this. It's kind of hard for me to explain how great the exposition was, so I think it would be best, if you're interested in seeing more, to look at the Pompidou website, which will give you a much thorougher and more informed recount of Mondrian/De Stijl. Very fascinating stuff!
I also saw another great exposition two weeks ago at Le Petit Palais, situated on the Champs-Élysées across from Le Grand Palais (I bet you can guess which one is bigger!)... For my language class we were required to see "Reporters sans Frontières: 100 photos de Pierre et Alexandra Boulat." It was a presentation of the works of a father/daughter duo who were both photo-journalists, a generation apart. It fascinated me to see the similarities and differences in both bodies of work, and to compare them. Pierre used what was available (black and white film) to capture moments in the lives of celebrities, marriages, American women, and even soldiers training at West Point. Alexandra shocks the viewer more immediately with photos of people suffering in times of war, namely in middle eastern countries like Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Iraq. Check out this link if you're interested in reading more! I highly recommend even google-ing some photos... :)
So at the moment, I sound exposition-crazy. This might be true, but I have a lot of "culturing" to do here! (Not at all related to cheese...)
On that note, I will move on to food. I knew you were looking forward to this part.
Things I have tried, or almost died trying in the past few weeks that were not afore mentioned:
So, this is where I say "adieu" or "coucou" depending on which part of "So Long, Farewell" I'd like to do an impression of. Thanks for reading, and I promise to update sooner rather than later next time!!
Love,
Laura
I promise I did not just make a bird noise...or did I? Yes, "coucou" is a popular way of saying "hey!" and being cute about it - my host family does this all the time. So the past few weeks have been busy and once again, I can't believe how the time is flying by! I've been in Paris for almost a whole month and a half, though oddly my stay seems to be both shorter and longer all at once. Since there is so much to say, and no eloquent way to say it, I'm simply going to revert to the old standby - list-making! (just in paragraph form...)
I visited Versailles. It is way bigger than I ever imagined. With my sense of direction, and Louis' idea of a garden, I would be a goner living within a mile radius of the palace. The inside is, by any standard, enchanting. And though I admittedly expected a fun-house kind of experience in the "Hall of Mirrors" (apparently I was being too literal), I was in awe and drooling over every elaborate square inch of the place. Also, the gardens of Versailles, though not in bloom, did not cease to impress me. I never imagined a garden could be so big. I recall finding the very exact pruning of the shrubberies to be very amusing and "French" my first time here. But in the dead of winter, I never expected to see trees the size of the ancient oaks in my backyard pruned so precisely, down to the last straight edge and ninety-degree angle. Maybe that was naive of me...but, seriously. I can't wait to return in the spring when everything is alive and in bloom!
Musically, I feel very busy - I did a three-day masterclass with my flute professor here, Mihi Kim, where I vigorously took notes and received criticism and advice on how to better my playing. It was quite a learning experience, and I look forward (almost tentatively...but not really) to what else I will learn this semester with regard to my flute.
I visited a few fantastic "expositions" at various museums in the past few weeks. I really enjoy being within métro-distance of any type of museum possible - everything from Rembrandt and Da Vinci, to Van Gogh and Monet, to Soulages and "De Stijl" Mondrian art. This past Thursday, I was on a roll. I first went to the Place des Vosges, where I visited the Maison Victor Hugo. This was not his only home in Paris (apparently he moved a lot), but I was fascinated with the museum's attempt to remake some of the rooms of his various homes. I enjoyed seeing the exposition "Portraits d'écrivains" which included portraits of Victor Hugo and his contemporaries. The best part was seeing the writing desk engraved with the names, inkwells and pens from four famous writers (Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, George Sand, and Lamartine) - the piece was originally designed to raise money for charity.
While trying to find the subtle entry to Victor Hugo's house (I was not lost, I was just enjoying a few laps around the Place des Vosges...promise), I also stumbled upon an incredibly interesting boutique/store, covered floor to ceiling with very old, occasionally exotic, and professionally refurbished musical instruments. It probably shocks you that I was in awe. But maybe not... I actually walked in behind two French women who proceeded to talk with the owner and express interest in trying a guitar - just for fun (it appeared as though none of the price tags had fewer than four digits on them). So, I watched as the owner demonstrated playing an instrument I have never seen before, nor know the name of. It looked like a small keyboard from far away, but instead of pressing the keys to hear the kind of percussive tap of a piano mallet, the keys actually pressed down on a guitar-like string instrument, acting as the left hand would to change the pitch on a guitar. But this string instrument only had one string, and you changed the pitch by playing the keyboard with your left hand, while using what appeared to be a violin bow to play the extension of the guitar at the end of the piano with your right hand. What's more, you can change keys or registers by lifting the piano part and moving it to the left or right. I was really enjoying this demonstration and took the opportunity to gawk around at the variety of instruments: about a dozen baroque bassoons, a few serpents, various sized cornetti, several flutes made from different materials (ivory, wood, etc.), dozens of string instruments hanging from the ceiling (guitars, violins, citars, lutes), ornate harps of various sizes, several Hurdy-Gurdys, natural horns and brass instruments I didn't even recognize, and so much more, all in tip-top playing condition in this tiny little shop in the middle of Paris. This made for a fantastic twenty minutes out of my day.
In this very same day, I decided to hike over to the Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum. The Pompidou screams modern, scientific and asymmetrical. It's all about a flash in the pan, pop art, feminism, abstract and surreal ideas, shocking, new, structural, animated, media-encompassing, architecture and neon lights. I did not get to see all of it - I was only there two and a half hours and only made it to the exposition I purposefully went to see - Mondrian and De Stijl. This was something my host sister, Serena, recommended. And I quite agree that it was really incredibly interesting, despite not having any prior knowledge on the subject. Mondrian started out with a kind of expressionist approach in the beginning of the 20th century - I was reminded of Van Gogh with his first paintings of trees and women, and then was startled by the shift to something like this. It's kind of hard for me to explain how great the exposition was, so I think it would be best, if you're interested in seeing more, to look at the Pompidou website, which will give you a much thorougher and more informed recount of Mondrian/De Stijl. Very fascinating stuff!
I also saw another great exposition two weeks ago at Le Petit Palais, situated on the Champs-Élysées across from Le Grand Palais (I bet you can guess which one is bigger!)... For my language class we were required to see "Reporters sans Frontières: 100 photos de Pierre et Alexandra Boulat." It was a presentation of the works of a father/daughter duo who were both photo-journalists, a generation apart. It fascinated me to see the similarities and differences in both bodies of work, and to compare them. Pierre used what was available (black and white film) to capture moments in the lives of celebrities, marriages, American women, and even soldiers training at West Point. Alexandra shocks the viewer more immediately with photos of people suffering in times of war, namely in middle eastern countries like Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Iraq. Check out this link if you're interested in reading more! I highly recommend even google-ing some photos... :)
So at the moment, I sound exposition-crazy. This might be true, but I have a lot of "culturing" to do here! (Not at all related to cheese...)
On that note, I will move on to food. I knew you were looking forward to this part.
Things I have tried, or almost died trying in the past few weeks that were not afore mentioned:
- Mont-Blanc - the speciality dessert at Angelina. My friend Jess and I nearly died when we realized Versailles also has this tea room. Not shocking of course, because the place is probably meant for royalty. So, as you might guess, we had to go there. Mont-Blanc is simply so delicious it could kill you. It begins with a bottom layer of meringue followed by a filling of incredibly fluffy and thick whipped cream, and topped off with chestnut paste. It looks like an imitation mushroom cloud you are permitted to eat. Here's an image of both the hot chocolate and the dessert described above/previously.
- Falafel in le Marais, an old, shopping/food and Jewish district of Paris - This meal from L'As du Falafel is heaven in a pita. I don't even know how to describe this. It does not taste like Paris, but definitely puts some zing into your lunch (especially if you ask for extra spicy sauce...I have no idea what it is but it's great!) It was kind of sad to see the competing falafel shop across the street with a line less than half as long...but I suppose the word is out about who makes it best!
- La Crêperie des Canettes - a tiny, family-owned crêperie in what is known as "Pancake Square" in Paris. I immensely enjoyed my meal there, especially the dessert crêpe with homemade caramel...mmm!
- Macarons from Pierre Hermé - I take back everything I said before about macarons being just so-so... Pierre Hermé won my heart over with the bizarre combination of flavors offered, as well as the traditional. Chocolate was definitely good, but carrot/cinnamon was also bizarrely delicious, as well as passionfruit/chocolate...and rose-flavored...and...well, you kind of get the idea.
So, this is where I say "adieu" or "coucou" depending on which part of "So Long, Farewell" I'd like to do an impression of. Thanks for reading, and I promise to update sooner rather than later next time!!
Love,
Laura
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Formidable Fauré
I just got home. Literally, just walked through my door, and I have to savor this moment...I just saw a really fantastic concert at the Salle Pleyel, with the Orchestre de Paris, playing all FRENCH music by the master, Fauré. It's really sad that I could have nearly forgotten how the sight of an orchestra makes me feel - WOW! I almost cried. About 3.4 times. I did cry 1.5 times. What an amazing performance - not to mention the chic-ness of the program. Beginning with the Pavane, one of those pieces that you hear or play (especially on the flute) when you are learning to hold the instrument, followed by a piece originally for cello and piano - Elégie, which is stunningly set for cello and orchestra (I learned about this piece last semester - beautiful!), followed by two lesser-known Fauré pieces, which were marvelous. (Oh, have I mentioned yet that the choir of the Orchestre de Paris was also singing??? AH!)...The second half of the program was the Requiem, which was equally as great as the rest. Only in Paris, in a concert hall full of French people, with a French orchestra, playing French music by one of the greatest French composers, could the concert manage to end successfully with the last movement of the Requiem, "In Paradisum," WITHOUT the orchestra doing an encore after ten whole minutes of clapping from the audience. This is incredibly peaceful music! And, oddly enough (it took me a while), I realized on my walk home that the opening of the Pavane and the end of "In Paradisum" sound slightly familiar with the arpeggiated passages...Fauré, you sly dog, you've done it again. Not only did the music come full circle, but the French-ness of it all was out of control, for lack of more sophisticated vocabulary.
Indulge my nerdiness here. For comparison, listen to the opening of the Pavane and the opening of "In Paradisum"...AH! SO GENIUS!
Anyway, it was a really incredible concert, and I just had to write these wafty words before I forgot...which, let's face it, I won't forget, but it's still too exciting to put off...
As a side note, I sat next to a very nice lady from Normandie who used to be a geography teacher. The French continue to charm me!
I'll write later about other exciting things, but I wanted to make sure I got to write from Paradise while I am here...
Bonsoir,
Laura
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Things I must make note of before I forget...
Bonsoir!
I just have to write this stuff down so I don't forget!
-- I think it's highly amusing that in chic Paris there are stores devoted entirely to frozen food. The brand name is "Picard" and they have their own stores that sell a variety of frozen dinners, appetizers, desserts...and it's considered gourmet cuisine! It just feels bizarre to walk into a three-aisle store lined with freezers...apparently this still measures up to French standards.
-- Simple math: Parisian dogs > other dogs b/c dogs in Paris = people. Remember those scenes from 101 Dalmatians where the dogs take on the personas of their owners? Yea, that is Paris. From their clothing to their attitudes - dogs are always a spectacle and regularly welcomed into stores, the metro, and anywhere else people can go (which essentially means, anywhere). And no one uses leashes. It's amazing how well behaved everybody is!
-- PDA is accepted anywhere at anytime, and at any degree of steaminess. It's shocking to witness at first, but I guess this is just standard fare. (If you've seen "Paris, je t'aime" and you remember the metro scene, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about...just picture that anywhere...)
-- I can't help but smile when random people get into my metro car in the morning and begin playing their various musical instruments. And, stereotypically, I love the accordionists. It makes me feel like I have my own little soundtrack for my romantic journey through the city (this is charming until they walk around and stick a cup under your nose looking for a donation...). Other than the slight lack of respectability in this profession, I get all giddy inside when people put on a show in the metro. (Another one of my favorites is at the stop Concorde...this rowdy French-countryside-meets-folk-mariachi band is really very good - they even sell cds!)
-- I made a friend - his name is Diego and he is from South America (Brazil to be exact). We are doing chamber music together with Mme de Buchy... I just think it's worth pointing out that I know someone named Diego. (lol)
That's all for now! Au revoir!
-Laura
I just have to write this stuff down so I don't forget!
-- I think it's highly amusing that in chic Paris there are stores devoted entirely to frozen food. The brand name is "Picard" and they have their own stores that sell a variety of frozen dinners, appetizers, desserts...and it's considered gourmet cuisine! It just feels bizarre to walk into a three-aisle store lined with freezers...apparently this still measures up to French standards.
-- Simple math: Parisian dogs > other dogs b/c dogs in Paris = people. Remember those scenes from 101 Dalmatians where the dogs take on the personas of their owners? Yea, that is Paris. From their clothing to their attitudes - dogs are always a spectacle and regularly welcomed into stores, the metro, and anywhere else people can go (which essentially means, anywhere). And no one uses leashes. It's amazing how well behaved everybody is!
-- PDA is accepted anywhere at anytime, and at any degree of steaminess. It's shocking to witness at first, but I guess this is just standard fare. (If you've seen "Paris, je t'aime" and you remember the metro scene, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about...just picture that anywhere...)
-- I can't help but smile when random people get into my metro car in the morning and begin playing their various musical instruments. And, stereotypically, I love the accordionists. It makes me feel like I have my own little soundtrack for my romantic journey through the city (this is charming until they walk around and stick a cup under your nose looking for a donation...). Other than the slight lack of respectability in this profession, I get all giddy inside when people put on a show in the metro. (Another one of my favorites is at the stop Concorde...this rowdy French-countryside-meets-folk-mariachi band is really very good - they even sell cds!)
-- I made a friend - his name is Diego and he is from South America (Brazil to be exact). We are doing chamber music together with Mme de Buchy... I just think it's worth pointing out that I know someone named Diego. (lol)
That's all for now! Au revoir!
-Laura
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