Praha!

Doing the Bernie all over Europe

This past week, Sciences Poop had a moment of humanity and decided to give all of its hardworking students a much deserved break.  A week off of school? In Europe? Naturally I decided to take a little expedition across the continent.  My roommate Casey and I hightailed it to Prague (PRAHA!) and had our very first post-communist country experience.

Prague Castle

If you ever make it to Prague, don't be fooled by the exceedingly terrifying bus ride from the airport. Seriously, almost 25 years after the fall of communism and it still looked like the KGB could pop out at any moment and force me into a cement building for "interrogation".  Although, if you know me, you probably have correctly guessed that I was loving every second of that (potentially to Siberia) bus ride. While I can't say that I felt as connected to Prague as ma belle ville, Paris... it was absolutely amazing to see such an inherently historical city.  Just walking around Old Town Square and looking at the architecture you can see the different time periods that Prague has experienced.  From the middle ages and the astronomical clock tower built in the 14th century to the imposing and clearly communist era buildings, Prague is an amazing place.  Of course, you have to fight off hoards of tourists to get anywhere near a picture worthy view of these historic but nevertheless it is definitely worth a trip.
Casey and I essentially were able to walk to every monument or building in Prague within the span of 30-40 minutes, definitely a great walking city (just not in heels, unless you're wishing for death by cobblestone).

Charles Bridge

Another plus to Prague is the favorable exchange rate, full three course dinner for the equivalent of 12 euros? Nice one Czech Republic, real nice.  Just don't eat the sausage............................Anthony Bourdain is not always right (much to my stomach's dismay).

Trip Highlights:
1. Climbing to the top of the astronomical clock tower:  Amazing view of Prague, and when the clock hits the hour, you get to see a guy in a silly costume play the trumpet from the balcony for all of the tourists in Old Town Square.

View from Above

2. Prague Castle:  Yeah, that's a big hill...I know. Come on though, if you can climb to the top of Mont-Martre to see Sacre Coeur, you can get to Prague Castle (and you can get buns of steel).  Its essentially a giant compound of every kind of architecture you could imagine all smushed together into one giant castle.

3. World War 2 Tour of Prague:  Definitely the major highlight of my trip, it was amazing to learn all about the Czech Resistance to the German Occupation and even more amazing to see firsthand all of the places they used for meetings etc.. The tour even takes you under the clock tower to a group of rooms built in the 12th century (before they raised the elevation of Prague because of constant flooding), including a 12th century beer hall that Czech resistance fighters used as a makeshift hospital during the occupation.  We had a great tour guide who was full of little anecdotes and tidbits about different places in Prague. He even showed us what used to be the Czech senate building, during WW2, it was used as Hitler's hall for his visits to Prague. As Prague is sometimes called the City of Music, the building had many statues of composers including one of Jewish origin.  Czech construction workers were ordered to remove the statue of the Jewish composer for fear of offending Hitler.  However, not knowing which statue was which, the workers measured each nose and removed the statue with the biggest schnoz....who, in fact, was not Jewish at all.  It was Hitler's favorite composer, Wagner....OOPS.

Sciences Po(op) vs. The Michigan Difference

If you know me, you know that I am a complainer.  I try not to be, but sometimes its just inevitable.  September has been one of the most emotionally turbulent months of my life, mostly attributed to the lack of organization at my French University, Sciences Po...which I affectionately call Sciences Poop. From jumping through hoop after hoop to drop a class to having one of my professors email me saying "Oops sorry, I'm not in France...no class this semester", there has been one administrative fluke after another.  It has really made me appreciate the quality of my University back home.  My Michigan study abroad advisors have had my back after every catastrophe, sending stern emails to Sciences Po or offering me solutions to every problem.  All I can say is, bless them, they deserve a million and one Zingerman's gift baskets (the really expensive ones with entire coffee cakes).  So to all you folks back home in A2, please appreciate what a great school we go to and the level of commitment that the administration provides to every single one of their 40,000 students.  Yeah, this sounds a little like a paid promo but it is 100% the truth.  So, while I am amazed at the beauty and culture of Paris and loving the ready access to tarte au citron, here's to you mitten state. There is no place like home and I sure miss that midwestern hospitality.

Père Lachaise

Père Lachaise is one of the three major cemeteries in Paris and holds the remains of essentially every French person whose name you sort of recognize but have no idea why.  Famous politicians, writers, philosophers, musicians etc. Not to mention generations of families as well as a few famous foreigners.

Although the main attraction is of course humming Gloria while standing next to Jim Morrison's grave, bringing a rose for Edith Piaf and smooching Oscar Wilde (Spoiler Alert: Unfortunately, the city of Paris recently erected a giant glass wall around Oscar's tomb to protect it from saliva vandals like myself), the real draw of Père Lachaise is the ambiance.  

Pulling a Bernie Engel at Oscar Wilde's Tomb

Back in the States, I always feel on edge in a cemetery...like I want to get out as fast as possible. Maybe it's because I have watched Buffy one too many times, but I always get the feeling that the undead may pop out and try to eat my brains or something.   On the contrary, the cemeteries in Paris seem to celebrate rather than mourn the people buried there.  It's literally like taking a walk through history.  From famous Frenchmen to mausoleums that house generations and generations of the same family, nostalgia is the dominant sensation that one gets when visiting.  

Sarah Bernhardt

Edith Piaf

This place is so uniquely Parisian, I would advise anybody to take a quiet morning and just explore, you really never know who you will stumble upon next.  Chopin? Balzac? Haussmann? 

Musée de Cluny

Thanks to my student visa, I am technically considered a resident of the European Union.  Which means (or at least the part of most consequence to me) that I can get into a million and one museums for FREE.   That, combined with no class on Friday or Wednesday means I'm going to be exploring lots of Parisian museums.  While I love art, today I was feeling like I needed a little shot of history. So, I decided to check out Musée de Cluny aka the museum of the Middle Ages in Paris.

The Cluny Museum was originally intended to serve as a townhouse for Cluny Abbots but in reality held many famous tenants over the years, including Mary Tudor.  Built on top of ancient roman baths, it currently houses all of the Middle Ages religious paraphernalia you could ever hope to encounter.

If you aren't into the whole Jesus this, Virgin Mary that kind of museum tour, I would still encourage you to check this place out.  It really has some amazing artifacts, and for added finesse, apparently several chapters in Herman Melville's, Moby Dick were inspired by his visit to the Cluny Museum in 1849.  So you really can't lose, you'll either A. get your religious fix for the day, or B. write a book about whale harpooning after your visit to this Latin Quarter gem.

Crème de la Crème: 

1.  Rotonde de la dame à la licorne - Literally a series of tapestries featuring a girl, a unicorn, and a mischievous monkey.  15th century whimsy? Not exactly. In the middle ages, unicorns were a multifaceted (and non-fictional!) symbol.  They could represent religious devotion, or in this case, love and understanding.  This series of tapestries is probably the most famous attraction at the Cluny Museum.

2. Jewish Wedding Ring - 1300, Italy. Challah at ya! The only Jewish artifact in the wholeeeee place.

3. Elephant Ivory Figurines - These figurines were amazingly detailed and carved to perfection, but what I was most curious about when I saw them was how French people got their hands on elephant ivory in the 14th century!?

4. Narwhal's Tooth - This is not a joke, its really there.  Made extra famous by the fact that 13th century scholars thought this Narwhal tusk was a Unicorn horn....but you know, they also believed in transubstantiation.  Let's all be grateful for the enlightenment.

5. Christ on a Donkey- My personal favorite, apparently this statue was used as part of a Germanic tradition and was included in Palm Sunday processions.  Of course I appreciate other cultures and traditions but I'm including a picture of this thing so all you guys at home can understand why I had trouble keeping a straight face when I saw it...

Casual Parisian Observations

They French pride themselves on their labor laws, and that 35 hour work week really does allow them to cultivate a wide range of other, perhaps less professional skills.
For instance,  I was running towards the Seine today, I noticed a very fashionably dressed man riding his bike and picking his nose at the same time. AMAZING! What dexterity! Just a block after I saw booger biker, a rather sexy and eco-friendly smart car pulled out in front of me...the driver proceeded to cat-call me and make kissy faces AT THE SAME TIME.  Now that's multitasking!

   Ok, I may joke but in all honesty, French people seem to take more time and pride in whatever they do.  Although, Paris is a big city, the pace of life never seems rushed (unless you're trying to catch a metro at Chatelet...which you should never do).  Yes, I find it annoying that the bank closes for two hours at lunch time everyday and that our school library doesn't open until 9:30am (I miss the Michigan Stacks) but I understand why the French set things up this way.  It's a way to ensure that everyone has a little time for themselves, to indulge in those petit plaisirs de la vie.  So bicycle man, pick your nose with pride and smart car driver, you'll never get girls that way, but go ahead and cat call me all you want.  As for me, I'm going to stick with my daily run by the Seine.

Pilates

I am taking a pilates class in France, the teacher's name is Israel and he's from Mexico. That's all.

Pauvre Américaine

Yesterday was my first day of actual class at Sciences Po and I was having mild panic attacks about having to speak French in front of French people all weekend (just ask my roommate, Casey).  In a university that claims to be 40% international, I ended up being the only non-French student in my very first class (at 8am no less).  Sitting in that room was probably one of the most terrifying things I have ever done, trying to formulate what to say to introduce myself was impossible.  Although everyone gave me "poor you" looks when I said I was American, thankfully no one was mean or condescending about my less than parfait French skills.  Despite the fact that there are no other international students in my class, one of the great things about Sciences Po is that every student is required to go abroad for their third year.  In other words, the students in my class realize that a year from now, they will be in my position. They will probably be sitting in a New York dorm room crying to their mom via skype because they didn't understand the slang the cashier used when they were trying to buy tacos from a taco truck.  I'm still terrified of my class, giving two exposés in French will certainly warrant a few heart attack moments but its comforting to know that this feeling is universal for anyone who goes abroad.


La vie est dure:

Bank Hours: Bank hours? What bank hours? you mean the 2 hours a day where you can actually get someone to talk to you about how you need money wired internationally or a bank card that works. The 35 hour work week strikes again (actually more like the 2 hour lunch break that closes the entire bank branch).

Flashers: Yes, flashers are universal...they just seem more exuberant in Paris.  If you go on a Seine boat tour, be prepared to see a different kind of Eiffel Tower.

2 Rue Frederic Magisson otherwise known as The Great Triumvirate

So, I finally caved and I decided to make a blog about my French adventure (I expect my mother is jumping for joy at the sight of this).   Generally, I am horrible about keeping journals, taking photos or making any kind of lasting memories at all.   However,  NOT THIS TIME.  I am in France and loving  it, so when I go home and try to convince everyone that I actually enjoyed myself (for once), I'll need tangible evidence that I didn't just find a musty french library to hold up in for 9 months.

Voilà! Here it is....

The Great Triumvirate Residence

I've been in Paris for a little over a week now and 2 Rue Frederic Magisson is feeling more and more like home (mostly because it already needs to be cleaned, a very familiar state indeed).  Seriously though, my roommates and I are beyond lucky, our apartment is great and the amount of bureaucracy we had to deal with to get it was limited....unheard of in France (Sciences Po is another story)!

In the realm of culture shock, I have to say its been minimal, with the exception of dogs and people slobbering all over each other on the metro.  College students are college students no matter where they come from,  kids here aren't all that refined....no wine and cheese parties seen thus far, just lots of beer and shouting at passerby.  

I think that is enough for now, too much has happened in the past week to really organize into a comprehensible blog post so I think doing some more living is necessary before really getting this into full swing.

Some food for thought/ Parisian sensibilities I've accrued in the past week:

1. Parc des Buttes Chaumont: Lovely scenic picnic spot with adorable French children running around during the day.  BUT, glorified brothel at night.  Amazing how much a sunset can change a place, probably a bad idea to go there after 8pm....unless that's your cup of tea, no judgment I suppose seeing as prostitution was the world's first and most lucrative profession.

2. Public Toilets: If you need to pee, have no fear, public toilets are here! Seriously, so many people refuse to use them and I have no idea why.  They sanitize themselves after each use and they talk to you! Choose the eco friendly flush button and you get a lovely message about how you're saving the planet (Go you!).  Bladder relief and and ego stroke! Please note that you still may find these disgusting (not that bars are any better), I just have very few problems using sub-par toilets...thanks to my Dad who made me dig holes in the woods to go in as a child on camping trips! 

3. Digicodes are a joke: It's so easy to break into a building that my roommate and I did it on accident while trying to find Chronopost to pick up her phone.  Making the code the address of the building was obviously a terrible idea, but now I am more appreciative of the quality of our building.

Favorite French Things:

- Desperados: Yes it's beer, yes it has tequila in it...don't count it out though, it tastes like lime, amazing!

-Almond Croissant:  I think Toulouse Lautrec got his inspiration from these, screw Absinthe.

-House Boats:  Chilling on the Seine, they have their own little colony, complete with gardens on the        shore and a bank of mailboxes.  Perfect to run past.