Paris County Fair.

Friday I went to the apparently famous "Salon d'Agriculture" which draws people from all over the country to Paris for the showing/tasting/buying of all products French and foreign. Unfortunately, I did not see the whole thing, but I saw enough to understand why so many people come, especially families.

One main aspect of the Salon is the market they have for the French from all parts of the country to come and share their culture with the visitors, i.e. sell them food. This is the list of the regions of France represented divided between two floors.

The list does not look particularly impressive until you see the map of what one of the floors looks like:

Each purple square you see is one stand and/or restaurant. Each stand may house something like...

rock sized loaves of bread,

huge slabs of meat,

or grandfather clocks...?

The best part is some offer samples :) I found as I went through my pictures afterward that it was pretty obvious that I was attracted to one particular product...

CHEESE!!

Please notice the credit card scanner is sitting on a mountain of cheese rounds :)

I also visited the building housing the horses, dogs and cats, and it was quite strange because this building felt incredibly familiar. I'm not a farm kid, but I've been to my fair share of county fairs and this was almost exactly the same. Slightly more decorated and expensive, but the same general idea: people showing their animals with stands trying to sell kids stuffed animals and cowboy hats. A couple of guys walked in and muttered something about the smell of nature. It made me smile.

I like how this man looks amongst all this stuff.

And the tacky things you never thought you'd see anywhere near Paris...

Yes folks, they have them here too. The horror continues.

All in all, it was quite enjoyable. I probably should have stayed a bit longer but after buying cheese, eating gelato, and seeing the bunnies they were trying to sell, I had had my fill. I talked to a couple little French kids on the metro on the way back. They were all giggly and enjoying the jerking movement of the car as it stopped. Made me miss all my little friends back in Indiana. Wish you could have come to the fair with me!

Gray skies and pastries.

I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update. With trying to solidify my class schedule and the perpetually gray sky, I've been a bit distracted and haven't had nearly the exciting things to photograph and share with you as I have in previous weeks. But today I think I finally figured out my final schedule and I had a wonderful quiche lorraine and nutella crepe for lunch, so I decided I'd photograph one of my favorite spots. 

This is the Palais du Luxembourg, which sits in a huge park in the middle of the Quartier Latin, the location of my school and my stomping grounds. I've been here several times in the past couple weeks and even with the dark skies and bare trees, it's still gorgeous. I could sit here and people watch all afternoon.

Shortly after I snapped this shot, the boy in red began sticking out his tongue and spitting at the ducks. A couple other little boys sat down in the chairs next to me and one pretended to interrogate the other. Another kept chasing this one pigeon around and yelling so loud his younger sister scolded him. They are so cute when they speak French in their high little voices.

This lady just made my day.

One of my favorite spots in the park is the bocce ball court. I looked very out of place today taking these pictures, walking behind the white-haired onlookers. For some the game is more serious than others, but they all seem to be having the greatest time playing.

'

Note there is only one person in this shot who has no white hair or is not balding.

This coat rack hangs in the middle of the court. Only in France.

The men in the matching jackets saw me taking a picture, smiled and informed me that they were the champions :) I didn't pay enough attention to see if they were right, but you could tell they do this often. Every week. Maybe every day. They greet each other by name and chuckle in their lazy conversation in between turns. I wonder how long they've done this, how long they have lived in Paris. Why have they chosen this place to live out their golden years? Why not live in the country where you can play bocce ball next to the mountains? Something I don't quite understand. 

In any case, the park is a truly magical place for these gentlemen and I believe every other Parisian. And I don't think it's because of the green, which is significantly lacking now, or the quietness. I think it's because it's the one place they can come and smile without everything silently glaring at them and calling them a tourist. In the park they can be free.

As for me, I don't get to spend as much time in the park as I like, but I plan on changing that, especially when the weather gets sunnier. For now I'm still trying to find solid friends and figure out how best to spend my time. But, at least I have the comforts of French food to boost my spirits. I bought my first real French pastry last week: apple tart with the flakiest crust you've ever tasted. It was only two euros and absolutely scrumptious. I look forward to many more afternoon pastries and finding friends to indulge with me.

A bizarre vacation.

This is how I've recently been describing my time in Paris to people. I have been here a week today, but I do not start class until Friday. Therefore, besides a few meetings, I've had all my time to myself to explore Paris and see the sites. But as I only know the few students who are in my program, I'm on a dream vacation with a bunch of people I don't know. It's a strange situation, but I certainly can't complain.

If it won't bore you too much, I'd like to share with you my impressions upon visiting some of the great sites of Paris.

The Louvre

The biggest art museum in the world. And I have a free pass. SCORE. Unfortunately, it was cloudy the day we went and I didn't get a great picture of the outside, so you'll have to trust me when I say it was one of the more impressive things I've seen in my life. And perhaps some days after class I'll just hop on the metro and see an exhibit before I go home :)

We spent most of our time inside at the Egyptian exhibit, which is also very impressive. Pieces of walls with hieroglyphics; furniture, jewelry, and everyday items from the period; elaborate caskets. One of my favorite parts was definitely the mummy. I think it was probably even creepier than going to see the catacombs, because it is someone's body preserved in those wrappings. You call see all the fingers and the bump of his nose.

Oh, and I found miniatures of my family. I think that's Elliot on the right :P

Sacre-Coeur

Sacred Heart Cathedral. We went to see this on a beautiful clear and sunny day. Inside the church is a beautiful mosaic of Christ and no matter where you are in the church, it looks like he's watching you. Sounds creepy, and sort of is, but it was nonetheless absolutely beautiful.

Also, the church sits at the highest point of the city, so the view is wonderful.

The only awful thing about all of these beautiful palaces, monuments, and cathedrals is the tourist-y gimmicks around them and especially the vendors and beggars who can sometimes distract from the experience.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not completely unsympathetic to the poor people I see. I saw a man asleep on two seats of the metro today. It was truly sad. But when we were climbing the steps to Sacre-Coeur, this group of people who claimed they were from the Association of the Deaf and Mute, kept harassing us to sign their petitions and give them money. They were definitely the most persistent and mean beggars I've ever come across. There were probably about eight of them and they kept cornering my friends and me. I made the mistake of signing their paper and being sympathetic, because then this woman kept blowing me kisses and stroking my arm, trying to get me to give them money. They punched one of my friends and tried to take the money out of her wallet when she gave them two euros. Then they tried to tell her the minimum donation was ten euros. As if that wasn't proof enough that they were frauds, we heard them talking rather loudly on our way back down. It honestly shook me up a bit.

And the terrible thing is that that's what I remember most vividly about my visit. This gorgeous cathedral and then all I can think of is these creepy gypsies. I hate that they would put a damper on my visit, or I guess more so that I would let them do so.

But I have to say, I now have a much greater appreciation for people who give a speech on the metro asking for money or people like the man below who play music for change. This man was playing the soundtrack to The Godfather and smiled at me when I took his picture. He and this other man who was playing Simon and Garfunkel on the steps made me happy. They might have been begging for cash, but they were enjoying themselves a bit too.

Versailles

Again, apologies for the bad long shot. I often get so distracted by all the details that I can never manage to take a decent long shot. But the gold is really that shiny and it is much bigger than this picture makes it appear.

The inside is so decorated and ornate that every square inch is like a work of art. 

 The hall of mirriors (the first picture) is definitely the most amazing part of the interior. The rest is gorgeous as well, but after a while, it becomes a bit disgusting. When Louis XIV built this, majority of the country was starving and he used the estate to basically rob the only other people who had any money, the nobility. The nobility all wanted to come live at Versailles, but to do so they had to a) pay people to take care of their property b) buy the extravagant clothes of the court and c) gamble their money while playing cards with each other. With this method, Louis took financial control of the country and therefore gained complete power...or I believe that's what Mme Justice-Templeton was trying to teach us in my class last semester.

But anyway, with all of that in mind, the palace is certainly a beautiful place, but its history holds it back from the pure beauty of other places like the cathedrals. As the recording I listened to while walking through the palace said, even the nature outside the window seems a little too calculated.

 When I walked through and around the place, I tried to imagine what it would be like to be Marie Antoinette or a servant and have even the view from your window look so perfect. Louis and his advisors seemed to bury themselves in wealth and luxury so much that even when the country began the rebellion, they must have easily tricked themselves into thinking that nothing could touch them. It must have been an unbelievable site to see the peasants storm the palace at the revolution. And as a servant, I'm sure I would have welcomed the rebellion. I think seeing all that extravagance day in and day out wasted on only a few people would make me sick.

Whenever we go to a tourist area, there are always groups of kids on field trips with their classes to see the places and learn about their history. Today I tried to remember where I went on field trips and with my family for special days out, and all I can think of is the zoo or this little historical park in my hometown with exhibits about the pioneers and the Wright Brothers. We never saw fancy things or grand buildings. Everything was about survival, simplicity and innovation. Such a different way to grow up.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a week. I've greatly enjoyed my tourist time, but I'm anxious for class  to start and begin living like a student again, not a tourist. But I don't think I will mind going to museums after class once in a while :)

La maison d'un Parisien.

I have a little time today before I head off to see the catacombs (eek!), so I thought I'd share with you all a little about the apartment I'm living in with my host family and what stood out to me.

The biggest thing that's different for me to get used to is the way the bathroom...or bathrooms...are setup. What you see above is one room; I'm standing in the doorway taking this picture. There is no sink in that room and you press a button to flush the toilet. There's another room with a sink and a small shower. Apparently, I got a good bathroom because some people don't have a shower head attached to the wall or a shower curtain. They have to turn on the water to get wet, turn it off, scrub and rinse. Makes you thankful for your shower, right?

This bread bag hangs in the kitchen. You think people are exaggerating a French stereotype when French people are always shown carrying baguettes or eating baguettes, but it's no joke. I see people walking with them often. We have bread after every meal with cheese (very good cheese!!!!) and fruit or yogurt. I guess it's their version of a desert and I heartily approve. Bread's also available to me at breakfast. It's always crunchy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside. I'm a big fan.

Every room in this apartment has a radiator. I've heard heat is very expensive here, so I guess this is the solution. This radiator is in the living room, so mine's a bit smaller, but still very nice. It allows me to adjust the heat how I like it and I think it makes everything much warmer than any normal heater would. I keep mine on a pretty low setting and I feel cozy. 

Finally, my room used to belong to my host mom's youngest son. It makes me very happy, because just above my pillow hangs a Harry Potter poster :) He has another HP poster and a Star Wars one as well as other things you might expect to see in a boy's room, like Playmobiles, old Gameboys, and model cars. He has one yellow beetle car that looks exactly like the one my brother has and makes me miss him a lot. He has all the Harry Potter books (the Britsh versions) and a couple in French. Maybe if I have time, I can read a bit. I'm feel more and more comfortable in this house everyday and hopefully that will only continue. 

Americans are in Paris.

I made it! I'm about to begin my fourth day in Paris. It is 9:30 here. I have a meeting this morning and then so other people from my program and I are going to the Louvre. I think it's finally starting to sink in that I'm here.

     One of the first things I've noticed here, which in hindsight shouldn't have surprised me so much, is how many American products I see. I had Golden Grahams for breakfast today. On our drive in from the airport, one of the first billboards we saw was for Call of Duty. The movie theatre that I can see from my appartment has huge posters of Yogi Bear hanging off of it. The list goes on.

     In a way it's very comforting, but it's not what I expected at all. I was expecting major culture shock from the way they do their daily activities differently and their are some major differences. Everything starts later here. I had dinner last night at 8 o'clock. Dinner is always followed by cheese and baguettes. The toilet is separate from the shower in the apartment where I'm living. The cars are all a lot smaller. But these things haven't really bothered me, but made me smile. I guess I was expecting more weird quirks like that. It's almost like reverse culture shock: more pop culture from America than I expected. So many idealize Paris and city life, but they should know that the Parisians idealize America.

      So I guess you might say I just have city culture shock. I've always wanted to live in a city and now that I'm here, I'm not so sure. 

      

      Yesterday, some people from my program and I went to see Notre Dame. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I know the Eiffel Tower is the trademark of Paris, but I honestly this Notre Dame is far more impressive in person. The details in the architecture you can't see in pictures and the inside is just gorgeous, holy and reverent even with all the tourists. 

      I've been having a difficult time being here. I miss my family and my friends more than I could have imagined and I fall into doubt that I will never find any other Christians or friends like I have at Hillsdale here. But being at Notre Dame yesterday was so beautiful and the statues of Christ's appearances after his resurrection reminded me of how good God is and how He has much to show me in this experience. All that's left is to be still and wait.