1 Year Later

It has been a while since I have posted anything on this blog, but I came across this video montage project a few days ago of my winter break during my study abroad last year. After adding a few finishing touches and syncing some music, I thought it would be nice to include it here. Enjoy!

Shakespeare and Co.

After one of my final exams today, I decided to reward myself with some tourist excursions, including visiting Shakespeare and Company. Shakespeare and Co. is an independent English-language bookstore located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris on the Left Bank. Originally established in 1919 by Sylvia Beach, in the 1920s the store was a gathering place for writers such as Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, William S. Burroughs, James Joyce and Ford Madox Ford. The current store is named after and in honor of the earlier store which closed during World War II. 

While I had seen pictures of the famous exterior facade, I had no idea what the inside would look like, so I was surprised when I walked inside, I felt I just just entered a new world, similar to the Middle Ages or Harry Potter. There were bookshelves from floor to ceiling and the walls were irregularly shaped and protruded at different angles. I found myself wandering around trying to figure out the organization of the store to no avail. I did notice that there were sections for fiction, mystery, spirituality, etc. like any bookstore, but then there were also sections for the Lost Generation, which I never did find (I just know it exists somewhere because of a sticker placed on the Fiction shelf near the H's to direct people on where to find Hemingway). There were also antique books in the shop next door. After just a few minutes of wandering it was clear that I would not find the books I was looking for and decided I would be better off using Amazon instead. Despite not finding the books on my personal summer reading list, I found the shop itself very impressive and am glad I visited.

In case you are interested, here are some titles of the books I plan to read this summer.

Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

La Vie Quotidienne - Chez Moi

At the beginning of the semester I posted a video of ma chambre (my room). This time I decided to include photos of the building and apartment where I live and the things I see everyday. I couldn't have asked for a better host family experience. My host parents go out of their way to help me with everything, and continue to be very patient as I try my best to communicate with them in French. I also live close to a beautiful park, which provides me with endless places to explore.  I really do notice something different or new every time I go for a walk. Although my homestay could never compare to the comfort of my own home in the United States, I am happy to say that throughout the course of the semester I have settled in enough to the point that I can now breathe a sigh of relief and relax as I come home at the end of a long day to a haven in a large and sometimes scary city.

My Front Door

My Balcony

The Construction That Wakes Me Up Every Morning

The Entryway

The Hallway to the Kitchen, Laundry Room & WC

Street Zitherists

When I was in Barcelona last month, I was fortunate enough to hear two women playing hammer-zithers, also known as cimbaloms. It was first time I had ever heard one being played and while the two women didn't react to applause at all or interact with the audience, I found their singularly focused attention on their instruments peaceful and meditative. It was definitely a very cool experience and one that I will remember for quite a while. 

Geneva, Switzerland

On Friday, April 29, I visited Geneva, Switzerland as a requirement for two of my classes this semester: International Political Economy and International and Supranational Governance of the 21st Century. Despite having to get up early (5:00am), I was able to get some sleep on the train to Geneva. When we arrived, we immediately made our way to WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), where we listened to a presentation followed by a question and answer session. After the WIPO, we ate our packed lunches as we walked to the WTO. At the WTO we listened to another presentation and interestingly enough, we were there the day that the chairman of the general council addressed the members of the WTO on the status of the Doha round of negotiation, so we got to see a lot of diplomats and interesting things going on. 

After our meetings we had some free time to explore the city. Some of my friends and I got some caffeinated beverages and snacks and then went exploring around Lake Geneva, where we saw the famous Jet D'Eau, also know as the Geneva Water Jet. Afterward, we meet up with the group again to walk around the Old City, which was gorgeous. By the time we finished with that, it was time to buy sandwiches for dinner and wait for our train back to Paris. Overall, despite only having a day in Geneva, it was really cool to see everything, and now I can say I have been to Switzerland!

Check out this tourist video I found about Geneva. Despite being cliché, I feel like it adequately summarizes what I saw. Enjoy!

Rodin

A couple weeks ago I visited the Rodin Museum in Paris during my lunch break. I have never really understood Rodin or his artistic philosophy, but after seeing the progression of his style and learning about his inspirations, I am now officially a fan. Instead of providing you with bibliographic details, which you can find for yourself via Google, I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes by Rodin as well as some photos of my visit to the museum.

“If the artist only reproduces superficial features as photography does, if he copies the lineaments of a face exactly, without reference to character, he deserves no admiration. The resemblance which he ought to obtain is that of the soul.”

“There is nothing ugly in art except that which is without character, that is to say, that which offers no outer or inner truth.”

“Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind which searches into nature and which there divines the spirit of which Nature herself is animated.”

 “There are unknown forces in nature; when we give ourselves wholly to her, without reserve, she lends them to us; she shows us these forms, which our watching eyes do not see, which our intelligence does not understand or suspect.”

 “I invent nothing, I rediscover.”

Alhambra

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus, occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. The Alhambra's Moorish palaces were built for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain and its court, of the Nasrid dynasty. After the Reconquest by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492 the Christian rulers used some portions of the palace complex. In addition, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, built a Renaissance style palace with the Nasrid fortification in 1527.

After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was "discovered" in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, and restorations commenced shortly after. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well-known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for artists and authors, the most famous of which is Washington Irving’s Tales of the Alhambra, which is now on my summer reading list, and also the artist and mathematician M. C. Escher whose famous tessellations were inspired by the Moorish use of symmetry in the tiles at the Alhambra (There is currently an exhibition of Escher’s work in the Palace of Charles V).

I have wanted to visit the Alhambra since I first learned about it a couple years ago, when I studied Asian and Medieval Architecture. Despite some minor difficulties with logistics planning, I am happy to say that the visit was one of my favorite experiences during my study abroad this semester. Once we arrived, my friends and I deciding to leisurely explore starting in the Generalife Gardens, followed by the Nasrid fortifications known as the Alcazaba, the Palace of Charles V, and finally the most famous Nasrid palace. I hope the photos I captured do justice to the beautiful gardens and arabesque architecture. Enjoy!