Week Four: France

Monday 20 September 2010

Today we woke up bright and early, ate a quick breakfast, made a sack lunch, and headed off to Paris! There was a two hour drive to Dover where we took a ferry across the Channel. I love ferries. I was so excited to start using my French. I read some posters on the ferry: at times I felt like I knew nothing and other times I was surprised at how well I understood. We got off the ferry and drove first to the Vimy trenches where Canadians and a small number of French held off the Germans in WWI. The trenches are preserved and you can walk down into them. The ground is also still pocked (though now covered with grass) by the signs of a war. It was humbling.

Next we went to where the armistice for WWI was signed. Nothing there was original. But they had a replica box car set up like the original one would have been.

Then, Paris! After dumping our stuff at the hotel Katy, Julie, Bethany, Kaitlyn, Mandy, and I headed off for Notre Dame. I wore a neck pouch this whole week. That is an experience. That night we also took a boat tour on the Seine and saw the sights of Paris lit up at night from the river. While on the boat there was a large group of BYU girls all sitting together. Some Parisian boys on the bank started to cat call. One yelled "American girls! I love you! You're all so beautiful!" Good grief. He did have a surprisingly good English accent though. What we want to know is how can people tell we're American. Even before we open our mouths people know--in London and in Paris.

There were no real fiascos with the locals. As far as I know no one was robbed. Some girls were followed our first night there but eventually they lost him. Once or twice people moved down Metro (tube in Paris) stations towards our group but Katy was very alert and got us into different metro cars than whoever was making her nervous.

For dinner I had a kebab. It's shaved meat (beef I think) with lettuce, tomato, gyro sauce (can't remember what it's called...), and fries all wrapped up in a pita. With a little extra salt on the fries it's ridiculously good.

We got home late from the boat tour and collapsed into bed.

Tuesday 21 September 2010

After breakfast we headed out of the city. Most museums in Paris are closed on Tuesday so we went out to Chartres and Versailles.

Chartres has always been one of my favorite cathedrals. I love that its towers don't match and I love it's height and I love all the stained glass. For Uncle Dave's Bible and Christianity class a few of us joined the "window club." Each member was assigned part of a window to interpret for all the students as we walked around the cathedral. We all had headphones that connected to a microphone one of us held as we talked. Katy, Julie, and I did the Prodigal Son window. It is breathtaking. Uncle Dave said it was the sunniest he has ever seen it and so the windows simply glowed!

While we're on the subject, it was bright and sunny almost the whole time we
were in France and it was hot. I got sunburned. In the middle of September.
What is this? (Actually we were super lucky)

For lunch at Chartres we had lovely Panini. Mine had three kinds of cheese. I spoke only in French to obtain my food. Then I paid the wrong amount of euros. The whole illusion of my being fluent crumbled. Ah well.

Next we were off to Versailles. Julie and I started with the palace. It was marvelous and ornate and Baroque. Unfortunately, it was also ba-roque (it had to be fixed)--there were Japanese sculptures put in just last week (bad timing) that were ugly and revolting and completely clashed with Versailles and I hate them. I didn't take many pictures because of it. My favorite part was the gardens. They are massive!! We saw my favorite fountains that I have learned about and the orangarie. But, we didn't make it out to the peasant village that Marie Antoinette had built. I guess I'll just have to come back someday to see it. What a sacrifice.

We got back to Paris that night and had crepes at the Seely's favorite place. For dinner: a crepe with chicken and mozzarella. Heaven. For dessert: a crepe with nutella and whipped cream. Heaven times two. These things were enormous and you feel full and slightly gross after them--but so so worth it! People in our group would ask me what certain words were and I almost always knew. I felt so useful and smart.

That night we went up La Tour Eiffel. First we took pictures from a distance so we could get the whole tower. Then we went up. We took the lifts not the stairs--the lines were too long and we got a student discount for the lift price. Wow. It is just amazing up there. Amazing. I touched the Eiffel Tower! You can see the whole sweep of Paris from up there. Astounding. Every hour on the hour at night the Eiffel Tower sparkles with hundreds of lights. I got a video while we were up on the tower which is sort of cool. But it's amazing from far away.

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Our only full day in Paris. We set quite the schedule for ourselves. We started early that morning after breakfast with Notre Dame. We saw it in the daytime this time and walked inside. We also saw many gypsies. Didn't see any pickpocketing though.

Next we headed to San Chapelle which is almost all stained glass! Next the Concergerie where prisoners were kept during the French Revolution. I pictured Anthony Andrews (the Scarlet Pimpernel) and his men moving through the large room rescuing nobles. We also saw the private room where Marie Antoinette spent her final days.

I cannot remember the exact order now but we also did the Arc du Triomphe, L'Orangirie museum, the Musee d'Orsay, the Pompidou museum, Paris University (La Sorbonne), and the Tuillerie gardens. We also probably did some other stuff...I can't remember and I didn't have my computer to record with. We finished that night at the Louvre. I could live in that museum!

I felt like I should buy at least one souvenir in Paris. So, I bought a wonderful t-shirt. It says 2010 in roman numerals--to prove when I bought it in France. And of course, it has the Eiffel Tower.

Everyone was thoroughly impressed with how much we packed into one day in Paris. Of course, there is so much more! I'll have to come back someday when I can actually speak French.

Thursday 23 September 2010

We packed up our stuff and put it on the coach before doing our final morning in Paris. We spent more time at the Louvre, saw the Pantheon, and had more crepes. This time for lunch: ham, cheese, and egg. Wonderful. For dessert (of course!): crepe au chocolat. Sticks of dark chocolate melted onto the crepe. I love bitter European chocolate!

That night we drove to Amiens. We read the facade sculpture on the west end of the cathedral and this church officially surpassed Chartres as my favorite cathedral. I want to come back here too--in the summer because that way I can see the light and sound show. For this show they project onto the cathedral what it would have looked like in medieval times, with every inch of it painted! Unfortunately, we got there just a few days after they stopped for the year (the last show had been on Sunday). We were all severely disappointed, but now I have an excuse to come back. We had pizza for dinner tonight and bought groceries for lunch tomorrow on the coach. The cashier did not speak English so I conducted the entire transaction successfully in French. Yes!! My first real uninterrupted French conversation with someone French.

Friday 24 September 2010

This morning we toured inside of the Amiens cathedral. We saw the head of John the Baptist. Only four other churches in the world claim to have his head. That was a pretty good joke by Uncle Dave... but it's true! I wonder who really belongs to that skull encased in gold? I bet they're having a good laugh in the spirit world. There is also a wonderful sculpture of Joseph tenderly holding baby Jesus. You don't see that often. It was wonderful.

Just as we were leaving Amiens we each had a macaroon. They were invented here! So good. On our way back to the ferry at Calais we stopped at WWI sights for the battle of the Somme. So many men died along those 14 miles it's astounding. In just the first day of the battle (July 1st 1916) the Newfoundland Regiment from Canada lost 3/4ths of its men. It was humbling to see all that. Very reverent feeling.

Finally, we got back to London. And I did not eat dinner. (This is the first meal I've missed, Mom. Be proud.) I have felt pretty sick actually, for the past couple days. Sore throat, stuffy nose, a little queasy on the coach. But nothing that sleep and water cannot cure. I may go get some soup from Tuk Tuk (thai food on Queensway) to help my throat (I'm writing this on Saturday). Plus, almost everything there tastes so good.

Saturday 25 September 2010

Today all I did was work on homework and feel sick. It's not too bad, just annoying and I'm coughing and blowing my nose a lot. Julie and I also did much needed laundry after a week in France. All my pictures are now up on facebook, for those who have it.

Julie and I helped Auntie Jo Ann, Katy, and Beno grocery shop and thenwe went to Burger King for dinner. Oh man. A real burger. Oh man. It was so so good. So good. I want another just thinking about it. When I get home I'm having a hamburger, a hot dog, and a philly cheese steak. I really like the food here but there is nothing like down-home American cuisine.

Now it is time for bed. I never got an email for the sacrament meeting hymns so tomorrow should be interesting...

Sunday 26 September 2010

Yesterday for dinner I had a double cheeseburger from Burger King, fries, and a European Fanta (real sugar and real lemon flavor--wow). it was sooooooooooooooo good! I have been craving a burger and so it was the best burger I have ever eaten. Beno and I then talked about all the things we miss from home like Burger Supreme and football (American) and everything else. Don't worry, we're not homesick. But this way we won't be disappointed to be home.

Today we got to church fine and I played the best I have so far in Primary. But, I was teaching again! I didn't realize, but the teacher was on holiday still so I was still scheduled to teach. It was the story of Esther so we had a lot to talk about and the lesson went reasonably well. There was still time for hangman at the end and the kids were pleased about that. They sound so excellent with their accents. They just sound smarter. They like making fun of me because I'm American. Primary is turning out to be quite fun. Sacrament wasn't too bad, I had played all the hymns before except the sacrament one. At times I only played the right hand on the songs--but it wasn't too disastrous. I'm looking forward to the break for General Conference next week.

Getting home from church took much longer than normal. Our train wasn't running at our station so we had to go one station farther in the wrong direction before catching the train back to downtown London. Then the train we were on to Victoria Station (downtown) simply stopped for about 20 minutes between two stations. After that, we got home with no trouble. I'm counting the seconds until dinner. My first real sit down meal since last Sunday--in France we always ate on the go.