Hi All! So as you may or may not know, I am currently doing a two-week intensive language program before my official semester starts. I have class from 9-12 every day, and then the excursions are at 1:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We are led on the excursions by our teacher and explore the city with our small language class. My teacher, Professor Clemence, leads us around the city. She knows so much about this place and I feel really lucky to have her as a teacher because not only is she full of knowledge, but she is also the sweetest and cutest woman! I love being able to get to know her on a more personal level, especially considering she will be teaching us French until December. We have been flying through our textbook (a chapter per day), and it is so exhausting, but I am confident I will learn so much this semester. By the end of each class, though, my brain is usually about to explode. Luckily, we have the excursions to keep things fun. We have 6 excursions during these two weeks to various places around Paris! So far, I have been on four!
Excursion 1
Unfortunately, I forgot my camera my camera on the first excursion so I don't have any pictures, but I posted a few of my friends pictures below. We went to the Belleville neighborhood which is known for a lot of street art. We made our way t the Père Lachasise Cemetery, where a lot of famous people are buried (Jim Morrison, Chopin, Thèodore Gèricault, Edith Piaf, and many others!)
This is at the cemetery! It was a really interesting place to be because there were so many visitors, and all of the tombstones were very intricate and decorated. Of all of the excursions, it wasn't my absolute favorite, but I'm glad we got to go because it is probably something I wouldn't have gone to see on my own.
We stopped at a place looking over Paris. It was a gorgeous view and a nice, sunny day! Notice the Eiffel Tower on the right side of the picture (:
The street art in the area of town was crazy. As our teacher explained, this area is home to a lot of immigrants, as well as people who resist the "posh" neighborhoods developing in Paris. She said that the residents purposely spray paint and add their own art so that they can keep their areas from becoming fancy and "snobby." We watched multiple people spray painting designs all over the place. There are also things like dolls, kids toys, and other random items stuck into the sides of buildings and walls. It was the most densely graffitied area I have ever seen in my life! This area is also home to the second China Town in Paris!
Excursion 2
For excursion number 2, we explored the Passages of Paris. Basically, passages are indoor covered market places, almost like indoor malls, that stretch down the length of an entire block, They were created so that people in Paris could shop and do their errands without having to be poured on by rain all day. Our teacher explained that these are the Paris equivalent of indoor malls in America. We started the day down by the Louvre and made our way through multiple passages. I added pictures of a few other things we saw on our journey (:
This is a metro stop! I took a picture because I thought it was so pretty and really awesome! Also, I think the old couple in the bench in front is super cute.
I was in the back when my teacher was explaining this, but I know it was done by an artist. It was apparently very controversial piece because it is so abstract and different from much of the art in Paris. I wish I could have heard what Professor Clemence was saying. I do remember a student commenting that it was "so random," and our teacher replying "Exactly. That's the point."
This was just some graffiti right near the last piece that I took a picture of because apparently this cat is drawn all over Paris. Our teacher's English isn't perfect so I had a hard time understanding how the cat came to be. Anyway, I liked it. Has anyone who has been to Paris seen this cat?
So I have a really hard time not taking a picture of EVERY SINGLE BUILDING in this city because they are all SO GORGEOUS. I literally have 5-10 pictures of just random, insignificant buildings from every day I spend out taking pictures. This was one of my favorites so I had to post it. I found it just on our walk to the passages. I love how you can see down the street to the statue in the middle of the circle down the street. You also get a glimpse of other buildings on the street. I am constantly amazed by the detail on the architecture here. I am scared when I return to the states that I am going to think everything is ugly.
Inside one of the passages! Some of them have lots of shops and clothing stores, while others are full of restaurants and little cafes. Even inside these passages are beautiful. The light from above makes it warm and still sort of feel like you are outside. The only thing I really disliked about these passages were that when people smoked inside them (for example at a table outside a cafe), it was hard to escape the smoke smell. That has been really hard to get used to here. It's so gross!
Bourse de Paris, the old Paris stock exchange building!
A more narrow passage. This one had a lot more stores than cafes. Now that I know what passages are, I see them ALL over Paris. I love learning about all of these little things that we do not have in the states.
I left for Paris exactly two weeks ago, and it has gone so fast, yet I also feel like I have been here for so long! I am trying hard to catch up my blog to what is going on recently so that I can post about my days while I remember them clearly. I have so many more exciting things to share, including the BEST DAY that I have had in Paris so far. Can't wait to share(:
Miss you all!
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