Undate of Chartres in Photos

Please enjoy these view which equally blew me away-


Chartres Cathedral


It was huge compared to everything around it.


Looking up at Jesus and all that surrounds Him.




Get ready for the feet...



Ha, the only individuals happy, are those under Jesus' feet- it would happen that way! :)



A carving of Madonna and child in Chartres' crypts (the largest in France)


A painting on the wall of the crypts- according to our French tour guide it had something to do with Constantine (I just heard him say that name a lot- deductive reasoning!)


The pastry shop we went to while waiting for my roommates train was amazing!


The one I had (both pastry shots are of the same item) was amazing! It was like a dessert crepe, whose insides were cheesecake, sugar, and berries! Absolutely amazing!


This house made me think of my mom with its royal blue shutters.


Even in the city- its not hard to get to lost with Chartres Cathedral




After an extended, but well worth, visit- this is the view I walked away with.... gorgeous.

... a proper wrap up

Ok, I gave in... I just had to: here is one photo (pre-facebook, you lucky viewers!) ;)


This is a picture from my "High"- a picture from just a few hours ago at our Mexican family dinner! (Our Mexican friend, Carlos, even gave the food two thumbs up!- made my day as well!)

Wednesday HL - Feb 25

Eek! So I am trying to finish something important up currently- so will not be putting any pictures up right now, but tomorrow- so hold your breath! But a quick high and low :)

Low: Not getting out on the streets quite as much these last couple days (I went to the grocery store just for a bit today and thought to myself... this is nice!)

High: I just finished hosting a Mexican themed dinner at our appartment with 8 friends and it was so much fun! For those of you who don't know, I feel as if serving is my love language- so when I get to do it I just get really excited! :)

For those of you would like to know we had tacos, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese (French), brownies, guacamole with fresh avocados, lime, and tomatoes- also rice, lemon, and cilantro, and then a side of chips :) Everyone was a fan and I had some great help- from some great friends (one who I met that night, Tina!).

Ah but you should also be aware that I also "loved" one of my roommates by ripping a picture of someone's head off a metro poster as well....!!! (Everyone does it here- because the posters are weekly done over- and this certain poster add had already been covered up at other stations, so it was the last one I had seen in days- and as would happen I had horrible luck getting it off, had to get my key AND pen out- but thankfully it was later at night- and oddly enough right after a church event....- but it was a success- and it totally made her night- which then made mine!) For those of you who would like to know who's head it was that I took.... it was the individual from Twilight who is also in the Valentine's Day movie... :) ha!
(its the no helmet when biking rebel inside of me that urged it on!- what can I say?!)

Until tomorrow!

Wednesday Catch Up

Hi everyone, so just a quick update (along with some picture!):

Low of the week:

This week it was being told that only certain individuals could study at this amazing and beautiful library. That is it... I think. And the thing is, I still enjoyed the view of the place, it was gorgeous! Plus the lady there was very kind in directing me elsewhere and the temporary disappointment has only spurred me on to find libraries around France that I can enjoy! Actually, I just found one in my school today! :) ha, that moment sounds so blonde- but in my defense, it is on floor "00", which is the level below the main floor. A floor, which may I note, the stairs do not lead to and a floor where I do not have any of my classes! So, if anything, if all Parisians will not let me enter their study areas, I will have a backup!

High of the weak:

You have to understand my weakness is exploring- and well, it just so happened that this week after going out with the mission of studying at a library, and not succeeding I ended up walking further than I had even imaged that day- and ... it was the first day I decided to wear flats. For the guys out there, this might not mean much, but oh were they sore later!! But, rest assured the walking paid off!

As I was walking around Les Halles (a mall, which is comprised mainly underground, is one of the larger ones, and is over by Pompidou), looking for a final resort to grab a croissant and just take a seat to study, I walked by a poster of Corrine Bailey Rae. Understandably, I was excited, but around the metro had seen a lot of posters for singers (mainly rap or hip hop artists), but many of their concerts are for the mid summer months- so seeing this poster I did not get too immediately excited. But as I passed by it while already on the elevator, I didn't catch too much. However, before deciding to go back to my apartment I decided to just take a second look at the poster instead of just remembering to look it up when I got back. Ah and thank heavens I did!

When I stepped up to the poster for a final close look, I noticed the store (called fnac- like a best buy with a bookstore) was having a forum for the artist for the release of her new CD. Not only that but the forum was THAT day! And to make things even better, it was in about forty minutes from that moment! .... AHHH!!

This is an artist whose songs I have enjoyed for multiple years now, in particular "Put Your Records On"- it is one of my dad's favorite songs as well- which I always smile at! We both definitely jam out to it in the car when its on! (Good memories) - so I could not put this down at all, and what coincidence! So yep- in short, I followed others to where individuals were to wait for the performance, was let into a single standing room, and saw her perform for about 40 minutes- while standing about 10 feet away from her! :) It made my day - and of course I couldn't wait to tell my dad!

Week in Pictures:

Last Friday, my roommate and I went to Les Galleries Lafayette- a great, huge mall with designer brands and free fashion shows once March hits. We didn't know about the March detail, but decided to take advantage of our time our and explore anyways-- please, enjoy the views!

This is from the first level ans you come towards the center of the mall.


The lingerie models, ah so much poise in their few features :)


View of the top


View from the top...


The elite manikins...


Then there was Normandy, a day trip I took on Saturday with a bus group. It was a gloomy day but an amazing experience!


This was the first beach we went to, Gold Beach- here we saw some of the portable pieces of Winston Churchill's port - which were both large and very impressive.


I feel like today, this area- Normandy- is known for 3 items in particular: war (what happened on and around D-day), food [in particular Camembert cheese and apples- whether those be in a wine of sorts or in a savory tart as I tasted], and remains (whether those be bodies, beaches, equipment, towns- the list continues).




A favorite picture of mine...


Again, Gold Beach


Omaha Beach- the most well known beaches in relationship to D-day, the most action occurred here, the story behind "Saving Private Ryan" took place here, and it is also duly the location (up from the beach) of the American cemetery.


Sculpture at the cemetery- remembering the sacrifice.


A wind sailor on Omaha beach


The sand- and its shadows, wrinkles, and reflections


Trail to the beach


Friend we met :)


View from Point Hoc, where 250+ specialized soldiers climbed this wall under German attack. Very impressive. There was also a lot of bombing that happened at this area, so the landscape was covered with bomb divots.


Until my next post, au revoir!

(I also chuckle at this acclaimed "Wednesday Catch Up" and thank the time difference, because where I am it is most definitely Thursday morning... !)

Wednesday High and Low

Hey, so this is a new deal- but it will also keep me committed to a quick weekly post! And, to be honest, also a semi shout out to the student managers back at Bethel! Hello hello!

You see, back at home when I am at school, we have these weekly managers as student managers in my university's Dining Center (MONSON Dining Center - to be exact, ha we have to try to start calling it that!) :)

Anyways, each week at these meeting- ah, its so great- we go around the table and just do a quick catch up with everyone by sharing their highs and lows of the week. So, even though I am abroad I thought I would still pitch in, give my two cents (and if anyone there wants to share theirs, please do reply or you can email me- I still use my Bethel email!- because I would love to hear/ keep in the loop as well/ hear your stories!)

Alright, so..... here goes,

My LOW of the Week was definitely dealing with getting my metro pass to work. You see, in Paris you can ride the metro using these single use ticket stubs OR get a week long or month long pass. Well I waited till February and bought it, yes, the official Navigo card de le metro! I was so excited! It was definitely a little spendy but at least would last me the month, plus be cheaper than the stubs. And to be honest, I was so excited.... I started... singing... in France.... in public (!!!).

That's like a triple threat if you live here. (Exaggeration Alert!) But basically no one really does it! Ever. However (quasi- high), the Persians didn't mind it too much and actually one Frenchman even held up his hand to me as if to hold an invisible microphone for me to sing into! Ah, but in my excitement I took it as a pound and fisted his microphone before it hit me (ha) as to what he was actually doing. He laughed, I said merci, and then commented that I had a good voice- I just laughed again because that was the most fun I had had with a Parisian since I had been here.

BUT, back to the low... basically, my card did not end up working. I had paid for both a card and the month long service but they had by accident given me a card with a serial # different than the one I had paid for. I went back that night to a different person, who wrote me a note and directed me to another station to figure my problem out, here the next day I waited two hours in line only to find they could not help me, went to another info desk where the guy was suspicious that I might be scamming the system to put money on my card for the month on the metro, couldn't get back home, had to buy more passes, passes I had to buy the next day (the stubs) didn't work, called my program supervisor, sent me a email of how to explain myself, went back to where I had initially bought it, - they had it there (yes!- in a brown envelope) but questioned why I didn't just return right away... I did I explained. But afterward was so thankful and contemplated singing again. I didn't.

HIGH of the week, tonight.
In short, I took a walk.
- past St. Sulpice, through the Luxembourg Gardens, up to the Parthenon, to study in the elegant but simple Public library, only to return home with a view of the Eiffel Tower light show.
Ah.... :)

Paris- it has finally hit me!

If you're like me you have most likely heard from your mom sayings like, "Hard work pays off"? Well, in France mother's wisdom rings true.

It's been interesting living in a new location, older apartment, in the great city of Paris, but also in the dead of their winter. Well, it just so happened that in our central living room, our heater did not desire to live. Because of this layers were often the answer. However, if one desired to heat up in another fashion, you could choose to simply do the dishes. Answer you might not expect? Mmm, well in out petite little kitchen hot water and hard work are exactly what it takes to defrost a little. So thank you mom.

To give a quick catch up, here are a couple of things that have happened in the last couple of weeks:
1. I have started classes! (Two weeks worth to be exact) Its great actually because I am taking a whole variety of subjects: International Marketing, Macroeconomics, French, Art, and Sociology. Sociology is my favorite :)
2. Our study abroad group went on a bike tour of France! It was great actually, curving in and between Persians and pigeons, and seeing some of the great sites and small side roads. It was a couple hours long but we ended it with some of Berthilion's famous ice cream on the island of St. Louis. Coincidentally enough it wasn't until this trip that the reality of where I was actually hit me! Oh but when it did- it was fabulous!
3. I took a stroll along the Champs Elysees. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and we strolled to and down the famous street to the Arch-de-Triomphe. And while my dad proceeded to run across to the chaotic street to reach this world noted piece of work, we took the less epic route- yep, under the road. Once to the other side, we saw underneath the massive arch, the brilliant architecture, the grave of the unknown soldier, the sites that stretch out beyond this central mark, little kids waving to the top, and more.

Those were some of the major item, but let me catch you up on some of the great sites:


This is one of the main squares in Paris that we visited. Victor Hugo lived in one of these apartments (actually one directly behind where I standing when I took this). Pretty beautiful, eh?


This is the view from another square in Paris, a royal square to be precise. Hardly any outsiders are aware of its existence but it lies a little behind the Louvre museum.


This wall, if you look close, has engravings of multiple faces along its surface. This was a memorial wall marking the point in history when the Parisians when under siege by enemy and retreated to this current day cemetery in retreat, not longing to willingly give up. However, when they were caught, they were put up again another wall and shot to death.


The actual wall.




And these coming up (transition) are from earlier:


A local gothic style church in my area that has this one twisted pillar.



A little statue of a man who stands near the isle of the same church.


St. Germain, the metro station nearest to our apartment, named based on this church which is the oldest in France and also the site of where Rene Descartes is buried! "I know therefore I am".


My friends making France a little more colorful!


View from my kitchen in the morning- I often feel like I am a character in Hitchcock's "Rear View Window".


Pont Alexander III (a famous and beautiful bridge in Paris).



The Arch-de-Triomphe


First view as we exited the underground tunnel.


Favorite view of the arch


Little girl waving to the top of the arch.

And with that, I wave farewell as well! Look forward to seeing some art pieces coming up soon, I took a visit to both the Museum of Orsay and the Louvre! Both which were very exciting! Oh and I had a crepe (Rachel!!!) - and to clue everyone else in, Nutella and banana is the best! P.S. The only crepe spot I know of in MN is in the mall of America- so if you want to empathize with me, you should go there and tell me all about it! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed all the pictures!

Au revoir!