Mes Vacances - La Première Partie - Nice

Day 1 - Friday, Feburary 18, 2011

The day started off very early in order to make my 7:45am high speed train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Nice. Despite some pre-travel jitters, the 6 hour long ride was quite enjoyable as our train made it’s way through the French countryside, stopping in Avignon, Toulon, Antibes, Cannes, and finally Nice. Along the way, I saw dozens of picturesque villages perched on hillsides and nestled in valleys complete with quaint cottages, old churches, and endless fields of olive trees. As we got closer to Nice our train ran along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, giving us beautiful vistas of the brilliantly blue water of the Côte d’Azur and the occasional seaside town. The conductor coming on the intercom to announce the next stop even mistakenly broadcast what was on everyone’s mind stating “C’est joli” (It’s pretty), prompting our entire car to erupt in collective laughter.

When we arrived in Nice we made our way from the train station to the hotel, which was located near the port, which we visited after checking in. In no time we were all caught up in sensory overload by all the breathtaking photographic opportunities. It was truly a feast for the eyes from the azure waters to the multicolored boats and stucco buildings with contrasting shutters, all cast in a warm later afternoon glow.

After grabbing a quick bit to eat for dinner, we proceeded to make our way around the port and along the Quai des Etats-Unis, the main road that stretches along the coast of Nice, turning into the Quai des Anglais in the East. From there we watched the sun set over the mountains and then continued our exploration, during which we happened upon festivities for Carnival. In addition to amusement park rides including a carrousel, a Ferris Wheel an numerous other rides, I was struck by how much more family oriented the festivities were than the typical Carnival in places like New Orleans. 

Day 2 - Saturday, February 19, 2011

My second day in Nice was full of more leisurely exploration. After sleeping in we woke up and made our way back to the Port for more photos and then strolled back through the Old Nice, browsing through the little boutiques and flea markets and enjoying some delicious Indian food and gelato, a surprisingly good combination if I do say so myself. Afterwards, we took the bus to the Matisse Museum, which was amazing. I loved seeing the artist’s influences and evolution. Right next to the museum were some interesting Roman ruins, a park, and the Monastery of Cimisez, all of which were fun to walk through. The Monastery in particular boasted beautiful gardens, which combined with the warmth of the sun and breathtaking vistas, made it feel like I was in paradise. I could have stayed there all day, but we began to feel fatigued, so we took the bus back into town to walk along the beach. Upon arrival, however, our way was blocked by the Flower Parade, so decided to watch for a while and then returned back to the hotel to rest up before dinner, After resting, we ventured back out to find dinner, which was quite a process in itself. Apparently everywhere was booked up because of Carnival, however we were able to find a tiny Italian restaurant that I think took pity upon us and made some room. I had a wonderful plate of warm cheese ravioli that was exactly what I needed after a long day. 

  

Day 3 - Sunday, February 20, 2011

We woke up to a rainy forecast, but decided to make the best out of the day and preceded to venture out the port. As we walked around, we came across Florian, a high quality confectionary shop, lured in by a window display of candied clementines. After enjoying a few samples and watching an interesting video about the history of the shop, we continued to wander around and then decided to venture up to Castel Hill, which boasted panoramic views of Nice. Next, we walked along the pebbled beach, while I collected some stones and sea glass, before continuing on to warm up and get lunch at a Kosher pizzeria my friend discovered.  After lunch it began to rain quite heavily and the tram that would have taken us back to our hotel was out of service because of a Carnival parade, so we decided to wander around some clothing stores in the newer part of Nice and were going to go see a movie, but apparently everyone else had the same idea because everything was sold out. After some investigation into alternative modes of transportation back to the hotel, we noticed that the rain was letting up a little and decided just to walk back before dinner, which comprised of delicious Indian finger foods and mango smoothies.

Pastrami et Pâtes

Here are some more photos of the beautiful and delicious food I have eaten recently. It makes me hungry just looking at them!

Pastrami Sandwich from a Jewish Boulangerie in the Marais

Isaphan - Made with Macarons, Raspberries, Cream, Lychee, & Rose

Chocolate, Strawberry, Pistachio, and Caramel Macarons

Mon Anniversaire à Montmartre

Saturday I spent the day shopping. Even though I didn't buy much, I had a great time looking through all the shops. There are so many clothing stores in Paris, I now clearly understand why it is called the fashion capital of the world. After shopping, I watched Roman Holiday with a friend, got Indian food for dinner and Haggen-Daz for dessert, and then browsed through some more stores.

Today, I spent my birthday in Montmartre with my friends. We visted many of the stereotypical tourist destinations including: Sacre Coeur, Le Café des Deux Moulin (the setting of the movie Le Fabuloux Destin d'Amelie Poulin), and the Moulin Rouge. There were also quite a few of the Art Nouveau Metro Stations, which I adore.

Overall, a pretty cool birthday weekend in the city of lights.

Le Pont Des Arts

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I thought you all might enjoy these photos I took of the Pont des Arts. As the legend goes love-struck couples have been fastening padlocks to the railings of the Pont des Arts for years, engraving them with their initials, adding a few sentimental words and then tossing the keys into the Seine river below to symbolize their eternal love. Recently the government has begun removing the locks in order to preserve the structural integrity of the bridge, but I was lucky enough to visit when there was an abundance. Enjoy!

 

Sainte Chapelle

This morning I woke up really early and attempted to meet up with a friend at Sainte Chapelle. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done. I knew in advance that line 1 was under construction till 10:00AM on Sundays so I had planed to take the RER line that ran parallel, however when I got there, policemen were blocking the way, and said that I would have to find another way to get to my destination. Thus the fun began, including taking a line South and cutting back up North and then finally to the East. Overall, a trip that should have lasted no more that 20-30 minutes ended up taking me over an hour.

However, once I arrived at my destination, it was clear that any inconvenience was well worth it. Sainte Chapelle was so breathtakingly beautiful. I had seen photographs of the huge stain glass windows and had been looking forward to visiting the chapel, but I honestly felt like I was in a different world the moment I walked in. Every inch of the chapel was ornately decorated and the walls were almost all transparent stained glass. I remember reading somewhere that all the churches used to be painted and decorated in a similar manner, so it was quite interesting to see a church relatively intact compared to its contemporaries, which remain skeletons of their former glory. I will definitely will be revisiting the chapel again, perhaps at different times of day to see the different lighting effects created by it's massive windows or maybe even for a concert!

P.S. Dad: I wish you could be here to see the chapel in person, but in lieu of your absence I hope you enjoy these photographs instead. 

 

Un Concert

On Thursday I went to a concert with one of my friends. We saw two alternative rock/electronic bands from the United States: Maps & Atlases and Oh No Oh My. It was really fun to meet new people, even if most of them were just fellow Americans studying abroad in Paris.

Oh No Oh My

Maps & Atlases

Mes Cours

Color Coordinated!

I have now begun all my classes for the semester, and despite a minor problem, I am looking forward to all of them.

On Monday, I started with the History of Paris through Art and Architecture.

Next, I hurried to the Institut Catholique where I was going to take Modern Art. When I got there I went to the room in which I was told the course would be held, but the door was locked. I decided that this was probably just an instance of French timing, however after several people approached the door who were in my class, and then walked away and did not return, I began to think something was wrong. I even checked with a secretary and a librarian, and only received the correct information after pleading with the secretary for a second time that the door was locked and the class was clearly not in there. After this she went and checked with one of her colleagues and returned to tell me that my class that had started 15 minutes ago was in another class room on another floor, which is where I quickly proceeded to go. When I arrived all the desks we taken, so I made my way past everyone to the back of the room when I spoted a chair. Upon sitting down, I noticed that a photograph of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel was being projected, which seemed odd for a Modern Art course, so I began to worry again that I was once again in the wrong place. By the end of the course which included many more similar images and a incomprehensible lecture, I was convinced that I was in the wrong class. However, upon asking a student next to me, I was informed that I was in the right place. Despite this small victory, however, the fact that I understood only parts of sentences every 5 minutes during the lecture made it rather obvious to me that me and the class were not meant to be.

Thus, a little discouraged, I returned to he IES Center, where I explained what had happened and promptly switch into another course at the center (taught in English). While I am a little unsure of my decision and would have liked to have tested my French language abilities, I have consoled myself by setting new goals for the semester. I would like to join a french language conversation group, attend lectures in French regarding art, politics, etc., and I will strive to read more newspapers, magazines, and books in French.

After all this uncertainty, I am happy to report that all the rest of my classes went well including: International Political Economy, International and Supranational Governance in the 21st Century, Luxury Marketing, and Advanced French. The first two in this list will certainly test me quite a bit, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

I have already started receiving assignments too. In addition to regular french grammar exercises and a few routine readings, my favorite so far was going to the new Ralph Lauren store in St. Germain de Prés. It was probably the greatest homework assignment I have ever had. In addition to homework, I have also had to start to think about research topics. For the History of Paris through Art and Architecture, I think I will continue my research of the Abbey Church of Saint Denis and the transition from Romanesque to Gothic Architecture. More interestingly, for International Political Economy, I want to research the effect of the black market antiquities trade and what solution have been proposed.

Overall, life is pretty good right now and I have many things to be grateful for and look forward to.