Art of Travel: An American Girl in Paris (Part Deux)

Here in Paris, I have experienced a wide range of emotions: happiness, sadness, giddiness, homesickness, excitement, frustration, and I could go on and on… However, this being said, coming to Paris has been an absolutely amazing experience all around! Yes, there have most definitely been times that were better than others and even times when I questioned my decision, but as the semester draws to a close I would have to say that no matter what, Paris has been and will be an important of my undergraduate career as well as my life.

Thinking about all the things that I have had the opportunity to do over the course of the semester makes me feel so lucky: riding a golf cart around the grounds of a castle, seeing the Ballet (multiple times) at the beautiful Palais Garnier, eating several gourmet meals (on NYU’s tab), riding on the back of a moped at sunset, and making friends with Parisians and American who I may have never met otherwise. Thinking back on all these things, it’s hard to believe that I did it all in one semester and that there are many people who will never get the chance to do these things in a lifetime.

This course has really helped me to put me to put everything in perspective and appreciate my own unique experience. At times I would feel bad for being homesick or frustrated with life in Paris but when I came on the Place Studies website I could see how other people, who I could relate to, having similar problems and remind myself that this was just a part of study abroad in general not a reflection of my time in Paris. Also, reading everyone’s posts was often times inspiring! When I saw someone doing something really cool, I wanted to go out and do something equally as exciting and I could read the blogs of fellow NYU Paris(ers) to see what they were up to and maybe add their adventures onto my own list of things to do.

I know that when I get home and start showing all my friends and family my pictures and souvenirs, there are going to be little things that I start to miss about Paris in the same way that I have so many things I miss about America and New York. Most of all, I think I will just appreciate Americans a lot more and the security that comes with knowing how to get everything that you want when you want it. I will also appreciate being able to express myself completely. My French is very good at this point, but there are still times when I don’t feel like I can explain myself fully. I can always communicate an idea but there are certain ways to nuance what you are saying or elaborate that I am lacking from my French communication skills.

Many of you may or may not have caught the title of my first post, “An American Girl in Paris Part One.” This was a play of the title of the series finale of “Sex and the City,” when Carrie goes to Paris with The Russian. Much like Carrie, I came to Paris not having any friends, taking the plunge on my own and prepared to spend some time learning about myself and expanding my horizons. I was drawn to Paris for the Rich cultural history and, of course, the fashion and shopping. I thought the magic of Paris meant that everything would be perfect all the time but just like Carrie I learned that even one of the most beautiful cities in the world cannot replace the things closest to your heart and that at the end of the day, I am meant to be in New York. So to conclude my final post for this class I will end with another “Sex and the City” allusion, “There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back,” a quote from Carrie to describe relationships, but one that I feel can also sum up our experiences abroad.

Strasbourg: La Capitale de Noël

This past weekend I completed the last of my journeys for my time here in France. Cassie, Caitlin and I took a nice little over night trip to Strasbourg. Now you may ask, "why Strasbourg?" Aside from being a quaint little town in Alsace, the eastern region of France closest to Germany, it is the Christmas capitol of the world! This is to say that hey have Christmas decorations up ALL OVER the city. Lights of every street. Every shop front decorated. annnnnd They have the biggest Christmas market that has been happening every year since 1570!!!

When we heard about the Christmas festival, we decided that Strasbourg would be the perfect final trip to take, at the start of December to get us in the holiday spirit and I have to say, of all the trips that we took I think that Strasbourg may have been my favorite.

We left on Friday morning by train. (about a two and a half hour ride) After we arrived we made our way to the hotel, where we were greeted by a corridor, completely covered in lights, fake snow, and of course... stuffed polar bears?? It was precious, to say the least!

We spent the remainder of our day on Friday checking out all of the markets, sampling hot cider, and other traditional Strasbourg Christmas treats. The markets were cool there are several small ones scattered throughout the city that each have their own unique feel, but there wasn't that much there that I loved. Or at least nothing that I didn't feel like I could get at the market on the Champs Élysées, aside from the wonderful Christmas bredle (little cookies) market, and the tastes of Alsace market. Still I loved perusing the stalls and taking in the Christmas spirit... nice Jewish girl for ya!

I loved that everyone was so cheery and happy because like in any big city, I don't think you get too much of that in Paris.

There wasn't too much else to the trip besides a little more sightseeing and eating, but it was relaxing and completely enjoyable! I also have decided that I LOVE traveling by train. So much more roomy than a plane and no stress of the airport or checking baggage aka weight limits to worry about (one of the things on the top of my mind at the moment)... Are there any trains that cross the Atlantic?!?!

Weekend in Prague

With the end of the semester drawing to a close I have been super busy with school stuff, which means that unfortunately I haven't had time to write about some of my latest adventures... ones that have taken me outside of Paris.

I would like to start off this massive update by sharing the trip I took to Prague over Thanksgiving weekend. I have already talked a little bit about this trip in m previous post about my Thanksgiving experience here is Paris, but I thought it might be nice to go into a little more detail!

Day 1:

On Friday morning we got up bright and early to go catch the Beauvais but that takes you to the airport a little over an hour outside the city. After a nice little nap on the bus, we made it to the airport checked in and had just enough time to grab a bite to eat before we boarded the plane for the hour and a half flight to Prague. Once we landed, in disbelief that we were finally on our much awaited trip, we caught a cab and made our way to the hotel. Then we set out to explore Prague. We were so shocked by how much smaller Prague is in comparison to Paris (which I will say again is absolutely massive) Anyways... Our first stop was Old Town Square to see the Astronomical clock. We also saw that they were starting to set up an awesome Christmas market, which we came back to visit the next day.

After walking around for a while and taking in some of the sites, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready for dinner.

At the hotel we also decided to try another Prague "delicacy" Absinth, which is not sold in the states or most other places in Europe. Unfortunately this was not very exciting and mostly I just think that it tastes absolute revolting but there goes something to check off the list of things to do before I die.

My friend Nolan is studying abroad in Prague the semester so I was hoping that we would have the chance to meet up with him and his friends to go out, but I hadn't heard from him so we set out on our own had dinner and then picked a random bar from the suggestions on the NYU Prague website... Shock when we actually ran into Nolan!! This ended up to be great, we all went out and they showed us some of the places where they liked to go. We enjoyed a night of dancing with random Czech strangers and sampling the local beer, despite the fact that I don't like beer...

Needless to say after our day of traveling and site seeing we were pretty exhausted, so we headed home fairly early and tried to get some sleep in before it was time to get up and do it all over again.

Day 2:

We got up early enough on Saturday morning to catch the breakfast that was included in the price of our room and then we set out to do some more sightseeing. We passed through Old Town Square again and the Christmas market was up and running so we perused the stalls before continuing on the Charles Bridge.

After leisurely crossing Charles bridge and taking in the picturesque views of Prague, we climbed the hill all the way up to Prague Castle, which was really beautiful and from the top of the hill we could see more incredible views of the entire city. After we toured the castle and cathedral a little bit we climbed back down and found the most adorable place to have (a very late) brunch and warm up for a little while.

By the time we were done it was starting to get dark outside (it gets dark reallly early in Prague) so we headed back to the center of town to complete our search for souvenirs and such before calling it a night because our flight left super early the next morning.

Day 3:

We left Prague at 9:30 AM. After the morning of traveling I have to say that I was pretty glad to finally make it back to Paris and home. Traveling is wonderful but I was absolutely exhausted and ready to relax in my apartment for a little while! I have to say though, that Prague was the perfect place for a weekend trip. We had just enough time to see the main sites that we wanted to check out and get a good idea of the Czech culture! I would recommend Prague to anyone looking for a fun weekend trip!

Art of Travel: A Bit of Advice...

Going abroad is an important decision to any college student and is certainly not one that should be taken lightly. For those who are considering going abroad, I would recommend it 100%. It’s a great chance to get out of your personal bubble a little bit and experience something completely different from that to which accustomed, which is important for us all to do at certain times in our lives. As far as study abroad sites go, I would also happily recommend Paris but give some strong advice about how approach the opportunity.

If you are letting NYU do your housing, be as specific as possible on the housing information sheet. If you think you may have any preferences, go ahead and let them know! I thought that requesting a roommate would be enough to ensure that I would have one, but I was wrong and not living with someone is one of my biggest regrets from the semester. Especially if you are living alone for the first time, consider that doing it in another country may not be the best time. (no matter how independent you may think you are it’s nice to be able to share your experiences, good and bad, with someone at the end of the day) If you are not set on letting NYU do your housing, I would highly suggest finding a place on your own. The people who I know that did this got to live right where they wanted, with who they want, and for the price that they wanted- It’s not as hard as you might think. Basically what I am saying is be happy with whatever your living situation is going to be because no matter what, this is where you are ending your days and it is a good idea to end on a happy note.

Secondly, I would like to leave a note about packing. I am the QUEEN of over packing and this was one of my biggest concerns before I left. I would recommend bringing lots of layers. Paris has fickle weather and sometimes it can be really cold in the morning but then perfectly warm and sunny by the afternoon, so it is best to prepared! (this also means an umbrella that is small enough to keep with you all the times) This will also help you not to pack as much stuff because if you bring several things that you can wear multiple ways then it is easy to wear the same thing multiple times without it being too obvious.

On the issue of money, the exchange rate is a killer! If you try translating things from euros to dollars you will quickly realize you are paying twice as much for everything. To avoid this headache and painful reminder of our flailing economy, plan a budget (and stick to it!!) IN EUROS. Also, if you are not planning to open a bank account in Paris I would suggest having a Bank of America account because then you can withdraw cash from BNP Paribas with zero problems. Make sure you find out about fees for all your debit and credit cards before you leave! I had problems with this upon my arrival and it made settling in much more stressful.

My biggest piece of advice is to not be too caught up in what you think the experience should be. Not everyone is required LOVE their site in the sense that you want to stay another semester or move back at some point. This is also to say that you shouldn’t feel like a failure if you don’t meet your future French husband, or Parisian BFF. While it is awesome to be able to immerse yourself in the culture, it really is pretty hard to meet people with whom you will actually have a lasting relationship. But, this being said, don’t be afraid to talk and mingle with the Parisians when you go out… you never know! Study abroad is different for everyone and the experience is really up to you. You will have a lot of free time, so be prepared. Possibly start a list before you arrive of things you could do on your own when you have some time on your hands. Finally, make the best of it and do as much as possible!

Oh yea... Do yourself and don't watch the movie Taken. Seriously.

Art of Travel: My First Thanksgiving Away From Home

This was my first Thanks- giving that I had ever spent away from home. I knew from the moment that I applied to go abroad Fall semester that this was a day that I would have to face sooner or later but it didn’t make it any easier, to be away from my family, friends and traditions of this holiday that I love so much.

Anyways, knowing that this was going to be a rough time for me, I decided well in advanced to make myself as busy as possible so that I wouldn’t have much time to think about missing real Thanksgiving in the U.S. This included a full day of errands to run, and class to attend. The day was to end with a Traditional Thanksgiving dinner, as promised by NYU in Paris, atop the Eiffel Tower and the next was to begin with a trip to Prague with two of my girlfriends for the remainder of the weekend.

I have to say, the entire weekend ended up being a great success! The dinner was absolutely wonderful and I was really impressed with NYU. They basically rented out the entire restaurant (the one that is on the first level, not the one at the very top) and somehow managed to get them to cook us a French version of Thanksgiving dinner. The food was great although perhaps not quite traditional! I sat at a huge table with my all of my closest friends in the program and enjoyed delicious wine and food.

Although the dinner was not the same as being at home with my family, I came to realize that I was having a once in a lifetime experience and I ended up having a wonderful time. How many other people can say that they ate their Thanksgiving dinner on the Eiffel Tower?

The next morning, my two friends and I left bright and early to go to Prague and we had a wonderful time. This was the first trip I went on outside of France, so I was really excited about it and Prague was the perfect place to pick. I felt like because it is a small city, especially relative to Paris, it was easy to see the sites get a general feel of the city within the time constraints of the weekend. Not to say that our days weren’t jam-packed but this just made for a really fun weekend and just the type of distraction that I was looking for!

From the Mountains of Grenoble to the Caves of Choranche

So now that November is nearing its end, I am finally getting to do a little traveling! Last weekend I went on an overnight trip with NYU to Grenoble, a city in France that lies in the foothills of the Alps.

NYU offers three different trips to students over the course of the semester, which are included in what we already pay for tuition) and everyone is guaranteed to go on at least one. Cassie, Caitlin, and I all signed up for Grenoble and we have been looking forward to it since the beginning of the semester.

DAY 1:

We met at the Gare Lyon at 7:20 (the earliest time I have seen in quite a while) to embark on the 3 hour journey to the south eastern area of France. After we arrived, we were able to go off on our own for a little while to explore and eat lunch before meeting to take the télépherique (a cable tram) up to the top of the Bastille (a fort). Once at the top, we spent the afternoon enjoying the fresh air and beautiful fall weather on top of a mountain including views of the Alps in the distance.

After playing around the Bastille, we headed back down the mountain and boarded the bus to take us to the Chartreuse liquor caves. These are the largest liquor caves in the world and home to the erie green liquor known as Chartreuse (obviously for it's color). We got to learn all about the distillation process and the history of the liquor, which is made by monks. Fun fact: at any given time, only two monks ever know the exact recipe and quantity of ingredients to make the liquor! NYU even arranged for us to have a little degustation after our tour. My review: the taste is pretty odd, maybe a mix between liquorish and herbs.

By this point we were all exhausted, but the day was definitely not over! We checked into the hotel and had about an hour to rest before it was time to head back up to the top of the Bastille to enjoy the views of Grenoble by night and have our wonderful dinner. First we met outside the restaurant, Chez le Per' Gras, to sip some mulled wine and taste olive bread (both specialties of the area) I loved the atmosphere of this as everyone was milling around. It was almost like a bonfire, without the fire... if that makes sense.

The dinner was a four course meal! We ate pumpkin soup with chestnuts to start, then we moved on the the main course, roclette. Roclette is a little bit like fondu, you melt the cheese in this contraption and then you dump it over potatoes. They also brought out a plate of various meats that you can mix into you potato/ cheese creation. (this dish is not for the faint of heart... I was preparing to have my friends to roll back down the mountain) If that wasn't enough, for dessert we were served a decadent Nougat ice cream, made with the Noix de Grenoble (a nut that comes from the region) Finally we had coffee and expresso, before heading back down to the hotel to promptly pass out. Did I mention that the wine never stopped coming over the course of this meal (including the new beaujolais vintage that all of France was going crazy over last weekend)??

DAY 2:

We woke up early again and had breakfast at our hotel before checking out and throwing all our bags on the bus. Then we went and met up with the group to go on a walking tour of the old

city of Grenoble. Honestly, I could have done without the walking tour, as I would have enjoyed having a little more free time to explore and shop on my own, but it was interesting none the

less.

After the walking tour we got on the bus to drive to Pont en Royans, a small but cute town with some of the most picturesque views! There didn't seem to be very much going on here, but we enjoyed walking around the town anyways and having a nice long lunch in a restaurant over looking a small river and waterfall. Although some other students did choose to do a little hiking... you all know that's not quite my style.

The last stop of the day was the caves in Choranche. This was probably my favorite thing, aside from the roclette dinner, although the drive up the narrow, winding, mountainous road in an enormous bus did not please me quite as much... These caves are huge and filled with stalactites and stalagmites. There is also tons of water in the cave, ranging from little pools to smallish lakes. I was really blown away by everything in here... nature at its finest!!

By the end of the day we were all WIPED. We made it back to the train station in Valence and waited for the train to come that would take us back to Paris. The train ride back was really enjoyable as we talked about all the great things that we got to do this weekend!

Next up: Prague!!

Art of Travel: Receptivity

After reading the de Botton chapter, “On Habitat,” I was rather struck by several things. First the quote that he implements at the very beginning, “the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room,” really resonates with me at the moment. As I have previously mentioned in my blogs, I am currently living alone but to be honest, not really enjoying it. I love the city and all the great things that Paris has to offer, but at the end of the day I am always sad to leave my friends to go home to an empty apartment. And on days when I don’t have plans after class and I just come straight home it is even more annoying. Also because school here is so much less demanding than it is back in New York, I never really even have much homework to keep me occupied. I have come to think that my overall experience here in Paris might have been somewhat different if I had had a roommate with whom I could have taken in the trials and tribulations of daily life living abroad.

I always thought that I would like living alone, but I think that while abroad was probably not the right time to explore this theory. I think that this is partly because I came into the semester knowing very few people on the program and with none of my friends, whereas if I was living alone in New York I would have a much more established network of people as well as my rather hectic life to keep me busy.

De Botton also speaks of receptivity in this chapter, which also applies to my situation. When I first found out that I was going to be living alone, I decided the best way to approach the situation was with “receptivity.” I thought that maybe if I kept this open mind frame that maybe the situation would end up working out for the best and I would end up being happy that I opted to keep my studio. What I have really come to discover is that receptivity is very important when encountering a new place but perhaps not so important when it concerns you fixed habitat because this may ultimately dictate how you experience the rest of your surroundings.

Along with my personal and immediate habitat, I also think about the city itself, as it is my habitat. It has made me do a lot of comparison between how I experience my home city, Atlanta, as well as New York. I was struck by what de Botton says about home and “being more settled in our expectations, feeling assured that we have discovered everything interesting about our neighborhood,” but I would say that if anything, traveling has made appreciate home even more and think about the things that I have never gotten the chance to do or experience at home. It makes me want to make more of an effort when I return to try to experience all of the little things, like I do here in Paris.