Month: July 2023

Although some people might be thankful to go home after a month abroad, I have found myself already wanting to come back (and I’ve been here over a month!). The weather has worked out really well for us this trip, and I’m so thankful considering I was preparing for the worst heat ever. That being said, going back to Virginia will bring more heat (surprisingly) but also my dog (named Eliza, not after Eliza on this trip though) who I am looking forward to seeing. I’m excited to have some chill moments before school starts back up, but I am going to miss this class! It has been fun getting to know everyone and experience France together! Since we’re leaving, I figured I would go through a few things that I will miss, and a few I will enjoy when I get back to the states.

What I’ll miss:

Meals – meals here last for hours, no one rushes you to eat quick and get out so more people can get in and therefore spend more money (and tip more). I love that I can start eating at 8pm, have good conversation and good food, and not feel like I’m being that one person in the restaurant who won’t leave. I mean some people are at restaurants before us and we leave before them and they’ve only had drinks! Meal time just feels more purposeful, like you’re meant to enjoy the food and the company.

Not tipping – Similar to above, its probably because waiters get paid a living wage! Imagine! I like that when I pay the bill I don’t feel obligated to tip well just because I got a normal meal with service I should get for just being a normal human. Of course, you can always tip for good service here but it’s not a lot and it’s for doing an exceptional job, not just the bare minimum.

Knowing the price on the tag is the price you pay – When I go to buy a 5.5 euro piece of chocolate, I know that’s exactly what it will be and I don’t have to think about whether or not I have the change in cash or anything.

Public transit – It’s so reliable! And when it’s not, there’s a good reason and an alternative. It’s not like the metro where if my stop is closed I just have to drive into DC instead of going to another nearby stop.

General accessibility and easy to find where to go – streets are labeled well and interconnected, they might not be in a grid but it’s still easy to follow. Google Maps and the RATP app for the win!

What I’ll like going back home:

A/C – the weather was mostly manageable, but the one hot weekend I did take some very cold showers and the metro was sweltering. Especially with warmer weather at home I will be grateful for the air conditioning.

Cold water – sometimes a girl just wants some refrigerated water instead of lukewarm tap water at a meal.

Driving – people drive wild here, and I wouldn’t drive even if offered. But I will enjoy driving around my neighborhood and not being in such a large city with some bold drivers.

Overall, I will miss a lot of the culture here. I had an idea of it before, and figured I would like to go back, but now that I’ve done it by my own once I will definitely be doing it again. I’m glad I had at least high school French going into this class, as I’ve been able to use it on occasion. As for now, I will be going through my entire camera roll every single day and bugging my friends about “Well in paris, i did xyz” and annoying them with all my travel adventures. Below is a photo dump of some fun pictures throughout this trip!

Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris  for the last time :((( 

Although France is way less ‘omg look at me I have religion’ than they may have been previously, they still have impeccable churches. I have said many times that I would actually attend church here, simply to just look around at the architecture and stained glass and hear the acoustics of the insane organs. My favorites have been Sainte-Chapelle, Mont Saint-Michel, and Église Saint-Eustache. The stained glass has been one of the coolest things to look at in churches to me, it has always drawn my eye, especially when I had to sit through church services with my grandparents as a kid. The Sainte-Chapelle was one example where I was in awe over the sheer amount of stained glass and would’ve enjoyed sitting in there for a long service.

On a few of the days we have had off throughout the month, I have somehow found myself bringing a book to a park and having a chance to read. We have gone to the Luxembourg gardens multiple times, as well as the Bibliothèque Nationale (Richelieu). I think these visits have helped me appreciate more of what the city would be like on a day to day basis, and gave me some time to experience a chill day.

Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris

If there is one thing I can recommend when studying abroad, it is to go somewhere different! We have spent so much time in the city of Paris for our class, but I have also gone on a few excursions outside of the city. Going outside of a major metropolitan area where there’s frequent tourist traps and people who can speak to you in English is MUCH different from the small town bakeries where I hope they can understand that I want a croissant (although, I have been complimented on my French). When you go to more of these smaller towns, it can give you an idea of how some other French people live, and how different a major city can be. I have been to quite a few different places in the Normandy region this trip, including Bayeux, Rouen, Rennes, and Giverny.

This past week we went to the Loire Valley to visit a Chateau, less of visit the towns surrounding but they were fun to look at on the ride there! We also went to Giverny to go to the Monet Gardens and House. Giverny was a lovely “Sunday Reset” as I said, it had a much different pace from the “go go go” of a city. We went on a cloudy and rainy day and I honestly thought it was a better day to go, the colors of the flowers really stood out against the dreary background. It also smelled particularly good considering we were surrounded by flowers (and visited the sewer museum a few days prior). I was surprised to see how easy it was to get around to the ’tourist’ destination from Paris, we simply took an hour and a half train ride and then hopped on a shuttle to get to Giverny from Vernon (the Vernon-Giverny train station). I will include manyyyyy pictures below, we couldn’t get enough of the flowers! So glad we were able to make a day trip out of this!

On Wednesday, class went on our day trip to Rouen. It has some similar characteristics to Bayeux that I visited at the end of June, the large cathedral in the center of town, the medieval buildings that sway in who knows what direction, and the small streets that I wouldn’t drive on. When in these places, it’s hard to imagine how long they have been there. In Rouen we walked past the oldest inn in France, which was older than the North Americas being “discovered” by Europeans. The amount of things that occurred in Rouen, like Joan of Arc being burned at the stake, before barely anything in the United States was developed, thought of, etc is wild to think about. My concept of time is totally skewed.

Needless to say, I have enjoyed the city, but I have also enjoyed exploring different parts of France. After this trip, I’ll have to think about where to go next!

Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris 

The past two days we have been on some interesting adventures that I’m not sure other tours of Paris would take you. On Wednesday, we went to the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. The few times I have been to other cemeteries I have always felt a little uneasy, whether that be because I was there for a funeral, or just the thought that there were a bunch of dead people around me. When we went to Pere-Lachaise, I actually enjoyed the space. It felt purposeful and not just like a plot of land to put dead bodies on. I appreciated the trees to add shade, and the uniqueness of each family’s plot. It felt like a representation of who they were and less conformic than in the US. I think this style is more personal, and less just of a person who died and their name, it kind of shows more about their families and the life they lived. We also saw the same idea of different styles of plots on Thursday when we went to the Montparnasse cemetery.

When I was here earlier with my family, we went to the American Cemetery in Normandy, in remembrance of those who fought at D-Day. The cemetery here was much different from the Pere-Lachaise. It was a typical US cemetery, the lines upon lines of the same type of marker, either a cross (whether they were Catholics or not) or the Star of David for those who were Jewish. Each one was engraved in the same font and style with the name of the person and dates on it. It was very much so a space that would conform and not have very much uniqueness. I can understand how this way of forming a cemetery would be useful for the time, considering the amount of people who died during D-Day and the need to put them somewhere, but it feels more like a place to remember all of the people at the same time rather than the individuals themselves.

On Thursday we went to the Catacombs. Many people know what this is and go to visit. At first, I was a little spooked over the idea that there were just a bunch of bones and people’s skulls that I was gonna see. It felt similar to the way that the American cemeteries feel, just like a bunch of dead people in the same spot all looking somewhat the same (I mean they’re skulls and bones so how different can they look). It was definitely a different experience from the Pere-Lachaise and Montparnasse cemeteries.

I think overall I like the more purposeful French cemeteries, where each person or family has their own style and way of remembering them, and I less enjoy the conformity of everyone having the same style and font because it seems less purposeful.

Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris 

One of the things that I will miss about France is the pâtisseries/boulangeries. I LOVE that I can buy so many pastries from a bakery and have it be less than 10€! I already know I will miss the fresh baguettes and croissants. They’re delicious, simple, and a nice little snack. I’ve been enjoying getting a few croissants and eating them for breakfast in the morning. Is this healthy? Who knows, but it’s good enough I say. I know that I will definitely be disappointed when I can’t get a good quality croissant for a reasonable price.

There’s a bakery on basically every single block here, and they all have lines around lunch. Everyone waits to get their sandwich before going somewhere to sit down and eat. Plus, the sandwiches are so practical, they’re filling but easy to take and travel. 

A few summers ago, my mom decided she wanted to figure out the best croissant recipe from scratch, so I will definitely be doing my research and attempting to find a good recipe (grocery store croissants won’t cut it). Below are some photos of pastries I’ve eaten, missing quite a few because sometimes I have to eat first, not my phone.

Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris 

We have visited so many places on our trip and I’ve been looking at the different levels of detail as we go along. Some places let the architecture speak for itself while others have such elaborate room decorations that it’s hard to know where to look. Sometimes I find myself staring at ceilings for minutes on end, and sometimes I can stare at a blank wall just to see how it might have been made.

The Opera Garnier is one example of high levels of decoration. It was so decorated and had so many levels to visualize that it was hard to know where to look first. When we went to the Chateau Vincennes the day after, the decoration was near none, but still had so many places to look and think about. Some of the prison cells had paintings on the walls that made it slightly more decorated, but overall the idea was to have the buildings serve a purpose. 

As well the chapel at Vincennes was very simple but still decorated. The stained glass was pretty, but not nearly as ornate as some other churches. When compared to the Saint Chapelle, which had so many different levels of detail and places to look, it was a simple vibe.

For Bastille day, it seemed like many people had different ideas for what they were going to do. I was in a group that decided to go to the fireworks on the 13th instead of the 14th. It was way more chill and we were able to hang out and have a picnic while watching a firework show with music. It was hard to know where to look because of the closeness we had to the fireworks, and the amount of fireworks going off. But it was definitely a more enjoyable experience than attempting to go near the Eiffel Tower… 

On Bastille Day, I went to the Pantheon and the Luxembourg gardens to read. The Pantheon had a lot of decoration from the architecture to the paintings on the walls. Also on Bastille day, they had a little quartet that was playing some tunes at the Pantheon. It was lovely to just sit and listen to the music (with great acoustics might I add) while staring at the building surrounding. 

I have been enjoying the simple picnic dinners at a park, and vice versa with the sit down restaurants where they don’t let you leave for two hours. I’ve found that taking meal times slower and actually having meaningful conversations with those you are sitting with is quite fun and I’m looking forward to more!

Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris 

This weekend, my friend Evan came to visit in-between his study abroad adventures (Spain and Australia). It was really fun to revisit some of the places we have been in class and also explore new parts of Paris! We were able to go to the Picasso Museum, Maison de Victor Hugo, Eiffel Tower (for the photos), Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre (all new so far). We hit most of the major monuments for Paris tourists, but we were able to chat a lot about our study abroad experiences thus far.

Over the course of the weekend, we remarked on the things that we have appreciated abroad compared to the United States. For one, the eating culture. It’s been fun to be able to sit down for meals and not be rushed at all, everyone expects for you to be there for at least two hours and have full conversations over meals. We also had a picnic in the park, and observed many other people doing the same thing; all you need is some cheese, bread, and conversation! Another note we had was the transportation. I come from DC with the Metro and my friend Evan lives in Texas, which has minimal public transit. We remarked on the efficiency, general access of public transit (the stops are closeby), and how easy it is to navigate even if you don’t know the language. We also discussed the green spaces in Paris. While MICEFA went to Versailles, I recommended that my friend go to the Jardins du Luxembourg because we enjoyed them so much when we went for class (and went back after class). We talked about how there aren’t too many public parks where people can just hang out with multiple places to sit and hang out, either in the sun or shade, with others in the United States. The main comparison we could make was Central Park in New York, as it is inside the city itself and able to be accessed by most people in the city. We couldn’t think of too many other places that have the amount of public parks that Europe has had, and specifically Paris. It seems as though you could get to a decent park relatively easily in Paris, and they’re all pretty well maintained. Now, we’re not saying that there’s zero green space in the US, but just that our green spaces could be improved and used more effectively. 

We had a running joke about whether Spain or France liked Picasso more, but observed overall that the European vibe is similar in the two places. It was a very enjoyable weekend to converse about the perks of Europe, and how different it can be from the United States, but also how grateful we are that we will have these experiences to look back on, as well as the adventures to continue taking.

The main upside of the US is the air conditioning, what a warm weekend!

Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris 

I’ve officially been in France for a week! I think I’ve managed to kick jet lag to the curb and now just have to remember to not text people at 10am Paris time (4am EST). It’s been such an exciting adventure so far, I’ve seen many adorable French towns, incredible churches, and stereotypical French people (for real, does everyone carry baguettes around?). I have been thoroughly impressed by the transportation system in France overall, what would take a 3 1/2-4 hour car ride only took a 2ish hour train ride (can Amtrak please be faster and can my metro station at home be open).

Before class started, my family took a little side vacation to the West Coast of France to see some other parts of the country, such as the Bayeux Tapestry, Mont Saint-Michel, and the beaches of Normandy (think d-day or in French jour-j). In the town of Bayeux we got to experience a very unique Medieval festival and parade (with people on stilts doing stunts with fire). It was awesome and we got to try some good food, like cake made on a stick! (Side note, there’s lots of Pizza vending machine places in these towns, and the pizza isn’t bad!) As we walked past the Cathedral in the center of town, there was a little glass opening in the ground, which showed remnants of the Roman wall that was there. My brother commented on how that was super cool and old and my mom said to my brother “yeah, there’s a lot of old sh*t in France,” which was the theme we took for that day (and the title I’m using for this first blog post). That day, we had seen the Bayeux Tapestry (dating approx 11th century) which had survived astonishingly over the years, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux (the main church in town dating to the 11th century), and the roman wall, not evening including the long history of the town of Bayeux itself. So many interesting places to explore.

As we have continued this trip, everything we see is so much older than anything we get to see in the United States. I think I forget how much my timeline of history has been skewed living in the United States, as it’s such a young country compared to Europe. I mean, some of the stuff I’ve seen has been 500 years older than the United States itself! It has amazed me to think about how the city developed, and the different uses that buildings have had over time. In modern times, I feel like a lot of buildings are built with a single purpose in mind, and seeing the different uses the buildings have had over time is interesting. I am looking forward to seeing so much more history in the coming weeks.

Also happy Fourth of July in the US, I suppose it’s okay to say that because the French helped the United States win the war, thanks Lafayette and Rochambeau.

Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris 

(not Emily in Paris, she is such an embarrassing American)

More pictures from Paris!