Presque la fin...

I can't believe I only have one week left in Paris. It's gone by so incredibly fast. And as much as it's been an amazing experience, I have to say I am ready to go home. I feel I've done everything I wanted to do (and much more), and I've learned so much about France and just the world outside the U.S. I know I could never live here permanently... it's too far from home and too different. I have realized the more I've been here that some of the French stereotype I used to defend are actually true. Such as the "French attitude." It definitely exists, and you notice it in weird little nuances. There is a phrase in French that means "in fact" ("en fait") and they say it all the time at the beginning of their statements with this attitude like, "in fact this is what I think or this is how it really is." They definitely pride their individual opinions and aren't always understanding of others.

But anyways, what I love about Paris. The food, of course. The beautiful architecture. Walking. I could wander aimlessly around the city forever and always find something new and amazing. The culture, specifically the art. I went to the Musee d'Orsay on Sunday for probably the last time, and that was my first sad-to-leave moment because the Orsay was definitely one of my favorite places here, almost like a second home since we went usually one a week for class. It's such an amazing collection: Monet, Manet, Degas, Van Gogh, Renoir. All of Paris' best. I could return to that museum again and again and keep looking at the same pictures and still be in awe.

I'm not going to miss the weather. It's cold and raining again. I honestly think we've only have a few teaser days of nice weather this entire semester. I wish I could have a little sun before the end, and then really bad weather the day I leave so I won't be sad to go.

I've finished all of my finals now except the big, nasty Sorbonne grammar exam. And that's not until Saturday so it's just looming in the distance. I'm kind of over studying now, because I figure whatever happens happens, and I just can't wait to be done, packed, and on the plane home. What am I looking forward to returning to? My family, my friends, my dogs! My bedroom, all the clothes I forgot I owned because I didn't bring, Food Network, cooking! Especially Japanese food... I don't think I've ever gone so long without Japanese food. Fresh brewed Starbucks coffee at home every morning. Oatmeal. Golden Spoon. (a lot of food things.) Speaking English all the time. Not that I don't like French, but sometimes it's just too much to think about.... but I know I'm probably going to be unconsciously inserting French words in everyday conversation. And my already horrible spelling has become even worse because now I incorporate French spellings.

It's pretty surreal that in a blink of an eye I will be back in California, and back to my old life. It kind of feels like a different world. I can't believe when I left it was Christmas, and now it's going to be summer, and most of my friends have graduated from USC! That's really sad. Last semester seems like a lifetime ago. It's weird how life just keeps going and changing no matter what, and in the moment everything seems so important, so eternal, but when you look back later it's just a blur. I guess we just have to enjoy every moment and take it for what it's worth. I think I've done a good job of that here. There's nothing I'll regret not doing, I don't think. Well this might very well be my last post from Paris, so au revoir et a bientot!

Barcelona, finally.

I just spent an amazing four-day weekend in Barcelona. I feel like I’ve been talking all semester about visiting Barcelona, it was the one European city I HAD to see, and I finally made it happen. I don’t know what spawned this new interest in Spain (I definitely didn’t have it during high school Spanish classes), and it obviously wasn’t the famed nightlife or sunny beaches. I think it was actually when I saw pictures of my friend’s trip last year, and I became so amazed by the Gaudi architecture. That and the Picasso museum were probably my two main draws (which is no surprise since art has been the reason behind most of my travels). But for whatever reason, I had an inclining I would really enjoy Barcelona, and it definitely lived up to all my expectations. And thus, I think I’m going to be writing a lot here… sorry.

Allison and I arrived in Barcelona Friday and we spent most of the day just walking and exploring: La Rambla, Barri Gòtic, the Catedral, Port Vell. We spent some time in Parc de la Ciutedella, a large landscaped park with the most amazing fountain I’d ever seen. Barcelona is truly an incredible mix of history and fantasy, from the Gothic churches to the modernista Gaudi architecture, and the sculptural figures in the Cascade fountain were a perfect allegory for this fusion: classical Greek-like nymph and hero figures are whimsically combined with fantasy, dragon-like creatures.

The beautiful fountain in Parc de la Ciutedella

We expected to have difficulties adjusting to Spanish time, particularly the late meals, but we kind of fell right into it… we were so busy exploring that next thing we knew it was almost 9 p.m., and time for dinner (well early dinner in Barcelona). We ate at the second oldest restaurant in Spain, Can Culleretes, founded in 1796 (almost as old as the U.S.!). We had very good seafood and very strong sangria. We only ordered a half-liter and still couldn’t drink it all (if we wanted to get home)!

Saturday we toured Gaudi’s La Pedrera, a modernista apartment building that was just as amazing on the inside as on the outside. Allison and I were both wishing we could travel back to turn-of-the-century Spain and live there. After, we headed over to Mercat de la Boqueria, a large lively food market. There were some stands where you could sit at a bar and order freshly prepared food, and we wanted to do that for lunch but weren’t sure how to go about choosing a stand and getting a seat. We ended up going to one with a visible menu (since neither of us speak Spanish/Catalan), and after some waiting, we were able to grab seats. We had a delicious lunch of grilled fish and vegetables, and we were pretty proud of ourselves for successfully learning how to eat at the Mercat like the regulars.

La Pedrera, and Cieling of Sagrada Familia

We spent the rest of the day wondering around the main city again and doing some window-shopping. We took a little Spanish style siesta later on, and then next thing we knew it was once again meal time. We went to a restaurant in Plaça Reial called Les Quinze Nits that was well worth the hour-plus wait because it was incredibly delicious and incredibly cheap. We ended up getting three courses, because we could afford it and because by the time the dessert menu came, the wine was ordering for us. We never went out to a bar or club after dinner in Barcelona, because (1) neither of us are big partiers, (2) dinners were so late we felt it justified as going out, and (3) we always had more than enough wine/sangria during our meals. So after dinner (which ended at midnight!) we took a long walk back home in the pleasant Mediterranean night-air amongst all the other Barcelonans out-and-about.

Sunday we visited la Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi cathedral that has been a work-in-progress for over 100 years. It was incredible, even though the entire interior was basically a construction site. I am so amazed by how advanced and original Gaudi was, especially for his time. Next we headed up to Parc Guell, another Gaudi landmark that was crowded with tourists (like us I guess). For lunch, we headed back down to Passeig de Gracia and ate some yummy tapas. Afterwards we went to the Picasso museum, which was just as magnificent as I had hoped. I’m so content now that I’ve seen the museums of my two favorite artists: Picasso and Van Gogh. Afterwards we had another nap-time, and then that night we headed down to Barceloneta (the port area) to dine on fresh seafood paella. Again delicious, but it’s hard to say if it was as good as my aunt’s and my mom’s…

Parc Guell: Everyone wanted pictures in front of the Gaudi fountains

Monday we didn’t have any grand plans but we had the whole day until our night train back to Paris. We walked up Montjuic, where we visited the old castle and had an amazing view of the entire city. We spent a lot of time just trekking around the mountain, and managed to lunch in between of course. Later we traversed back down to the main city and wandered some more. We made a stop at a chocolate shop for an afternoon pick-me-up and sat on some steps in Plaça del Rei, eating our purchases and listening to a random guitar player… we felt kind of Spanish.

Nothing more eventful happened that last day… the night train definitely wasn’t as enjoyable as my Vienna night train, the French and Spanish just don’t seem to understand comfort and service quite as well as the Austrians/Germans.

But all in all, it was an AMAZING trip (yes I use that word too much but it’s really the best description). The city was so beautiful, the weather was so nice (I even got a little sun burnt), Allison and I were very compatible travelers, and we just had a lot of fun.

And so I can finally say I visited Barcelona.