Well, that was a pretty great week. Paris was delightful. For the first few days I was reliving the romantic side of the city, and humming this song to myself. But my experience was different from the visits I'd made before when I was (basically) a child. I felt much more comfortable speaking the language, despite being further from my French. It was fun to communicate and feel the occasional rush of success. I spent a lot of time wandering through different museums and quartiers, but the realization that this lovely city is two hours away meant that I didn't feel the pressure to get to everything on my list. I prefer some aspects of Paris to London - it felt spacious and calm in comparison. But I am cognizant that the city is not all patisseries and light; there's also overcrowding, less personal space (god bless the English and their personal bubbles), and that slooow walking pace. However, the visit renewed my love of Paris, and has now instilled in me the desire to move to France to improve my French. Bien sûr.
The weekend was solely devoted to fun - museums, cafes, croissants, churches, and a supercool jazz club in an oubliette. It was back to business on Monday, when we spent all day in the Louvre for class. By the end my legs were exhausted but it was a nice experience, especially getting to meet our professor's PhD students and finish the day with a genial group dinner.
The weekend was solely devoted to fun - museums, cafes, croissants, churches, and a supercool jazz club in an oubliette. It was back to business on Monday, when we spent all day in the Louvre for class. By the end my legs were exhausted but it was a nice experience, especially getting to meet our professor's PhD students and finish the day with a genial group dinner.
After the Paris sojourn, two medievalists and I embarked on an expedition around the northern countryside to see all the cathedrals. It made for a nice - if shocking - change from city life; what do you mean you can't buy wine after 8pm? Dana gets huge props for driving through moments of miserable rain and darkness and managing Gerald, our oft-incompetent navigation system. Our stops, in brief:
Chartres, a quaintly beautiful medieval town with a lovely AirBnB home to stay in (especially nice after five nights in a hostel dorm). Sadly there was a rather invasive restoration job going on in the cathedral.
Mont Saint Michel was gorgeous and impressive, especially in the moody, windy weather. The abbey and cloister were totally worth the out-of-the-way stop. We also got to spend the evening in Bolbec with Bre, who was a fantastic host!
Rouen was a quick stop, a neat and modern town with several large churches and a tiny Christmas market. We made it to Amiens that evening to see the coolest light show and best reconstruction/presentation of all the cathedrals we visited. Having no idea what we were in for it was a total surprise to see the façade lit as it would have been painted. It made me rethink my conception of medieval polychromy and our stark modern image of Gothic cathedrals.
We drove to Reims on our last morning, then to Paris to return the car and train it back to London. It was a wonderful whirlwind adventure, made even more so by the fact that we weren't all sick of each other by the end of it.
Chartres, a quaintly beautiful medieval town with a lovely AirBnB home to stay in (especially nice after five nights in a hostel dorm). Sadly there was a rather invasive restoration job going on in the cathedral.
Mont Saint Michel was gorgeous and impressive, especially in the moody, windy weather. The abbey and cloister were totally worth the out-of-the-way stop. We also got to spend the evening in Bolbec with Bre, who was a fantastic host!
Rouen was a quick stop, a neat and modern town with several large churches and a tiny Christmas market. We made it to Amiens that evening to see the coolest light show and best reconstruction/presentation of all the cathedrals we visited. Having no idea what we were in for it was a total surprise to see the façade lit as it would have been painted. It made me rethink my conception of medieval polychromy and our stark modern image of Gothic cathedrals.
We drove to Reims on our last morning, then to Paris to return the car and train it back to London. It was a wonderful whirlwind adventure, made even more so by the fact that we weren't all sick of each other by the end of it.
Now I'm back in London and finally ready to get in the Christmas spirit...or realize how behind I am on my holiday shopping. I'll be back to the States soon for the holidays, but I'm savoring every moment I have here.
Love,
Annie
Love,
Annie