"Paris launches smile campaign to woo tourists"

The Article, from Reuters:

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=237874545640&h=cFqNr&u=8UAf0&ref=mf

"To counter the slump and boost revenues, the tourist board has set up stands manned by teams of "smile ambassadors" to welcome holiday-makers at the city's most popular spots.
As if to heed its call, hundreds of roller-skaters formed a giant smile in Place Vendome in the city center on Sunday."

Thought you'd all enjoy!

Bisous from America,
Ashley

La Dernier Journee a Paris :(

On the last day in Paris, I woke up fairly early and had coffee with my cousins Stephen and Nick in Montparnasse, at La Rotonde, one of the most famous Parisian cafes. At the cafes in this area of the city, many well-known writers during the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries gathered and worked on writing. It was so good to see them, and a perfect Parisian activity for my last day there. At lunch, I met with my French friend Sophie at a Japanese restaurant in the 17th arrondisement, an area I've never been to! Like the 16th, the boulevards are large and the buildings reminiscent of 19th century Haussmann architecture, but there is more of a financial district there, and so many cute lunchtime cafes, bistros, and brasseries. It was good to see Sophie before I left one last time, and to practice my French, of course!





I went over to ACCENT to return some books, and as I arrived in Bastille, the day was just getting more and more beautiful. I think that (without the bias of having a romanticized last-day-in-Paris) it was the most gorgeous day I've ever seen in the city. I met with Morgan and we stopped by the Latin Quarter to purchase some last-minute souvenirs, and stop by Shakespeare and Co., the very old English-speaking bookstore that has visitors from all over the world.

We went to Trocadero afterwards to take pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower! Morgan and I will be roommates at our sorority next year, and so instead of taking a white-dress picture in front of the house to put on our door, we decided it would be much cuter to take one in front of Paris' most iconic structure! We set up my nice camera on self-timer and had a little photoshoot. Some people thought we were taking engagement photos! Ha ha. It was so warm and gorgeous there, and the water in the Trocadero fountain was sparkling in the sunlight. We sat on a bench in the shade for a while, and then headed to the Palais Royal/Louvre area to meet up with Kate for a last coffee in one of our favorite areas.

Coffee was nice, and Palais Royal was full of rollerbladers and street performers, and people of all types...now that more and more tourists are coming to Paris, the streets have become much more diverse! We had our coffee, and after a couple hours, I went home to have dinner with Madame. She made a wonderful last meal for me and Morgan, as well as one of her former students who happened to be visiting. We talked and laughed and reminisced for hours, and it was so sad to have my last dinner. I really cherished all the time I spent with Madame and was so sorry to see my time there ending.

After dinner, Morgan and I met up with Kate and some other girls in the Latin Quarter to go to our favorite spot for a while and dance before leaving in the morning. After the night was over, it was really sad to say goodbye to everyone. We've all become very close in the past few months because we've spent so much time together and grown so much as people, and it will be odd not to see them over summer.

In the morning, driving off in my shuttle van at 7 in the morning, I got my last glimpse of the Eiffel Tower reflecting the light bouncing off the Seine as the sun rose, and I cried...a lot :(

A Last Day Trip, to Chantilly!

On Thursday, the second to last full day I had in Paris, Morgan and I set off in the morning to the town of Chantilly, which is north of Paris. It is actually just a few minutes from the chateau of the family she lives with, and so we'd taken the train there before and knew the system.

When we got off in Chantilly, we had a lovely walk of about 20 minutes through shaded paths and a huge field until we reached the gigantic stone edifice. It was gorgeous and a bit foreboding, and had horses carved all over the outside. We spent some time walking around it trying to find an entrance, and circumvented it about twice (which took a decent amount of time) before we realized that what we were looking at were the stables. Chantilly was a hunting castle, and the family that lived there in the 18th century devoted an entire chateau to the horses.

Eventually we made our way through beautiful green fields to the actual Chateau de Chantilly, which is surrounded by a gorgeous, flat moat, and a large gravel driveway. Entering the Chateau was an amazing experience for me; in general, I don't particularly prefer touring the insides of old homes, I enjoy the grounds and gardens. But in this case, I absolutely loved going through all the rooms and seeing the beautiful art and sculptures the families living there had amassed over the hundreds of years since it was built. When the Chateau was given to the French state, the artwork was left as-was, and so there is an entire room full of paintings, hallways full of prints, stained glass and sculptures, anti-rooms with pottery and antiques, and a gorgeous, gorgeous library remniscent of the one in Beauty and the Beast.

After a full tour of the chateau, we went trompsing through the slightly muddy grounds and gardens for a couple hours. There were gardeners everywhere, repairing and tending to things, and so much wildlife! In one stone pond, we tried to feed a couple swans, who very visciously hissed at us -- in a big, hollow bush, there were a bunch of peacocks that kept making strange noises and glaring at us! It was hilarious, and so much fun. The weather wasn't sunny but it was really warm, and I think that it was perfect for the kind of wild setting of the French countryside.

We headed back to Paris, and that evening Morgan's host family took the two of us to dinner at a Southern French restaurant in Paris, where we had yummy foie gras and duck for dinner. It was nice to see them a last time before leaving, because I spent a lot of time with them and at their apartment!

The next day was my last day in Paris :(

Some more FANTASTIC photos of Chantilly to the right...it was my FAVORITE chateau that I've seen in France!!!

Modern Art

On the day after finals, I woke up with the strangest feeling -- being in Paris with, for the first time in months, nothing pressing to do! I walked to the Centre Pompidou with my friend Derrick to see two special exhibits there, one of Kandinsky and one of Alexander Calder. On the way, I had the last glimpse of one of my favorite walks through Paris: from my apartmnet, past the Eiffel Tower and Ecole Militaire, through the park in front of Invalides, and over the river to Concorde and down Rue de Rivoli.

The Centre Pompidou is really interesting as a structure -- it is completely inside out, and has the "inner workings" of pipes and metal on the outside, in multi colors. The building is all glass and virtually see through, with panoramic views of the city. It houses the most modern art of the Paris museums.





The Kandinsky exhibit was interesting, and very bright and colorful. Kandinsky was a Russian artist who painted mostly in Paris and Munich, and reverted painting to its natural, basic form, of lines, shapes and simple colors. The works they had there mainly spanned his mid to later periods, and were very free and experimental. I definitely appreciate modern art more now that I've finished a course in impressionist art, and I felt very happy looking at some of his paintings. The colors and combinations of shapes were very interesting in a large part of the collection.







The Calder exhibit was fun to see, as well. Alexander Calder was an American artist who worked with wire. He transformed wire into creatures and sculptures, and it was cool to see some of his smaller pieces (the exhibit didn't have his huge mobiles). There were portraits done in wire, and an entire mini-circus that he created.

After the exhibits, I went home for a while and then our ACCENT group had our last organized dinner at an adorable restaurant close to Bastille and Gare de Lyon, down the street from the dorms we stayed in the first week. We've really come full circle and it was nice to say goodbye to everyone before they started heading off!

A Century of Jazz

"Un moment si libres ne devrait-on pas faire accomplir un grand voyage en avion aux jeunes gens ayant terminé leurs études."


or, In such a free moment, what is holding young people, having finished their studies, back from taking a big trip by plane?


~Matisse





I saw this quote today, at the Quai Branly "Siecle du Jazz," or, "Century of Jazz" exhibit. It was written on one of his paintings that was inspired by Jazz music. The entire exhibit was really great...it showed the history of jazz through rooms with each jazz-era, and how other art forms have been influenced by the music.









I went after having finished my LAST exam today! (I'm officially a college Senior.) I got off the metro at the Champs, and walked across the Seine and to the Quai Branly museum, a relatively new structure that mainly houses cultural and anthropological exhibitions. The outside by the river is covered with glass walls, through which you can see the Eiffel Tower, and the hundreds of plants that have been placed there. Inside, you get the feeling that you are in a jungle in the middle of the city. The building itself is just a huge modern structure that houses several exhibits and films, and today I just went to the one, which was huge!







The layout was very condusive to learning about the chronology of jazz, and there was a lot of mixed media that kept my interest peaked. It was cool to see in a European context, because jazz is an American art form, but it did really influence a lot of movements in Paris especially. Last semester I took a history course about jazz, so it was neat to be able to see this exhibition and already have a background. I could really just go through and enjoy all the art and photography, as well as sound bites and video clips! Even still, I spent one and a half or two hours inside, just looking at all the exhibit.





At the end, when I was leaving, a lady working there asked me some questions about how I liked the exhibit. It was good practice for my French, and almost like having a little class afterwards, because I could articulate my thoughts about what I had seen. I thought it was really interesting how the art in the exhibit reflected the music at different periods, and I thought it was a relevant exhibit to have at the museum because it is not only about music, but culture and human history. There are a lot of racial elements in the history of jazz, which were well included. I took a lot of photos of some of the posters, advertisements, and propaganda, as well as the artwork associated with the music, which are in an album to the right!

I then walked home, because the museum is pretty close to my apartment, through the Champ du Mars and past the Eiffel Tower...I'm trying to get some of my last views of it before I leave Saturday!

A Video Clip from the Museum:

A Hot (Summer?!?!) Day

I’m sitting by the Seine, on the edge of the Ile Saint-Louis, on a ridiculously hot day. It feels like August in LA. I’m not sure if it’s even hotter than 85 degrees, but it is humid and I’ve been walking, and the Seine was the coolest place I could find. By the time I have internet and post this it will probably be cooler, but even at nighttime it’s been in the 70s. I think that summer has arrived. I find it bizarre that all of a sudden it is so hot, after such a cold spring, but it literally has happened in the past two days. I am not accustomed to the heat, maybe that is why it seems so hot, but either way, it is oppressive! I really hope it is not quite so humid at home!

The buildings right by the water have that musty smell that is reminiscent of old cathedrals and moldy cellars…It’s kind of comforting, and in the heat, surprisingly doesn’t smell bad, it’s just a part of the scenery. People are lounging all over the banks, drinking wine, having picnics, and seeking refuge from the weather. It is nice to be a part of it.

Even though it is unpleasant to be outside for too long, it is fun to see everyone baring all in cutoff shirts and shorts all of a sudden. Well, actually there aren’t many shorts worn—I’m not sure how French people survive the heat with their snazzy black pants and tanks. I’m wearing a skirt and tank top and am sweltering! It is also exciting that it feels like summer…I haven’t really experienced the Spring to Summer transition since I was in high school, since LA is always so warm. I feel like all the students at ACCENT (the center where I take most of my classes) are my high school classmates and we’re counting down the days until the end of finals and summertime.

I have the oral portion of my Sorbonne exam in a couple of hours, and I have come here to study, as it was too nice to just go home to the apartment in between tests. I just finished two exams (four essays in total, on an array of subjects: Theatre de l’Absurde, the Nouveau Roman, Laicite laws in France, and the affect of the French media on Muslim immigrants – whew!) and this will be my third for the day. But tomorrow I only have one and at 1 pm I’ll be done with the semester!

I can’t believe Junior year is almost over, not to mention my semester, and that next year I’ll be a senior. I think it will be a different experience than all my other years at SC have been so far, especially after my experience here in France. I am very excited, however, to embark upon the end of college and start getting ready for the future. <-- That is a bit scary, “end of college”…I can’t believe I’m actually saying that with myself in mind!

What I’m listening to right now: Shiny Toy Pistols, “I Owe You a Love Song.” This group has been the soundtrack to my wanderings in Paris for the past couple of weeks, along with Queens of the Stone Age, and they are the perfect summertime bands to listen to, if you have a chance

Biz, Ashley

PS - Just got home from my exam, and my teacher said I spoke perfectly! What a relief. Luckily for me, it was on "L'Invitation au Voyage," a poem by Baudelaire, that I have studied and know well. Now just one to go!

Saint Chapelle and Late Spring Wanderings

Lo and behold, the past week has had beautiful, sunny, and warm days. Leaving will be harder than I thought! While I've been spending a considerable amount of time inside, studying for my exams and writing, I've managed to get outside and walk around a fair amount this week.

On Wednesday after my last class, I went to Saint Chapelle on Ile de la Cite, something I've been meaning to do for months. The line was very long, mainly because there is a full security check inside. The reason for this is that the French Supreme Court is in the same courtyard as the church, so once you are on church property, you are on French Government property as well. A funny moment: my bag went off in the x-ray, and I wondered to myself what I could possibly have in there that was a high alert...Out of my bag comes the curling iron that I had borrowed from a friend that morning. The security guard gave it a quizzical look and after explaining that it was for my hair, he shrugged and let me through. Oh, French security -- only the best!

Saint Chapelle has the most glorious stained-glass windows I've ever seen. I remember visiting once when I was younger, and loving it. On this particular day, the sun was out full-force, and the light was coming through the windows to produce an incredible effect: beautiful colorful kaleidoscopes all over the tiled floors. We spent some time taking pictures and admiring the artwork and colors, and then headed out. We walked through the island towards Notre Dame and Saint Michel, and then headed home.

On Friday morning, after having studied at Morgan's and spent the night there, we woke up to another amazingly crisp and clear day. We had to stop by my apartment before going to the library for a study session, and decided to walk because it was so nice out. On the way, we stopped at a fountain in Square Lamartine (in the 16e) that is known all throughout Paris for having the freshest water in the city. After filling our waterbottles, we walked down the hill, through Trocadero and past the Eiffel Tower, and along the Seine to my apartment. It was nice to spend even an hour outside on such a nice day, and not let it go to waste.

Today, I had my Sorbonne Exam (yes, on a Saturday!) in a Parisian suburb. Not wanting to start studying again right away, we went to the Marais and got Falafels and gelato, a wonderful treat (my stomach is acting up a little but it's worth it). On the way there, we walked through Ile Saint-Louis and Rue de Rivoli, and stopped in some cute shops along the way. On the way back home, we stopped to listen to a street-performing jazz band for a while, and then headed to the Metro. I am currently taking a wee study break, and tonight will say goodbye to a French friend of mine since I won't have any time during the week. Saying au revoir is hard to do! It makes leaving more real. But more and more, I am so excited to come home :)

For some AMAZING pictures of Saint Chapelle and pretty days in Paris this week, check out the albums! -->

PS - forgot to mention that last night, as I was studying at Morgan's around 10 pm, we heard a monstrous whirring sound, and several people shrieking. The 16e, where Morgan lives, is a very peaceful and quiet neighborhood, so of course we rushed out to the balcony to see what the commotion was. Down below on the boulevard, there were THOUSANDS of people rollerblading together, some wearing silly glowstick costumes, others funny hats, and followed by police vans and police on bikes! Rollerblading in unison is a popular form of entertainment in Paris, but usually, the weekly rollerblading frenzies are during the day. This was very interesting and highly entertaining to watch...as well as bizarre! Video below!: