This week hasn't been terribly full of things to write about, mostly because my professors managed to schedule all but one midterm/project/presentation this week, right before Easter. So by Monday I had to make a study guide, on Wednesday I had a 2-hour midterm, Thursday morning I had to give a French grammar presentation, Thursday afternoon I had an in-class debate over France's potential law banning the headscarf, and Friday morning a listening-comprehension exam in grammar. Ugh. Fortunately, Friday afternoon promised tastier things.
Those of us not going out of the country for our 3 day Easter weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) met at La Belle Monde crêperie for an exquisite lunch. The crêpes were whole wheat, and I ordered the chili-filled, guacamole&tomato topped one. Yes, rum and sugar filled crêpes are tasty, but this one made for a much better meal. Following that culinary experience, I met a dwarf outside in the rain.
Then a few of us continued on to watch Alice au Pays des Merveilles (Alice in Wonderland). We skipped the 3-D, and like most big U.S. films it was in the original English with French subtitles, but the French movie theatre was still a different experience. I think we passed 3 concession stands on the way to our theatre, and they offered so much more than candy and overly-salted popcorn. Another odd phenomenon happened at the end of the film as we three Americans stood to leave...and all of the French sat in their seats, riveted to attention by the credits. The French take their film very seriously. In fact, there are cinemas all over France showing flicks new and old. It's one of the lesser-known attractions of this historic city - it's addiction to cinéma.
Since we had gone to the cinéma in Les Halles, we wandered right next door to the Église St. Eustache and this giant head sculpture. I had to fight off dozens of climbing children for this photo:
Saturday was a slightly less overcast adventure, but still cloudy enough that we headed indoors to the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Bonus points for this museum because the permanent exhibits are free for everyone, but unfortunately, everyone has to pay to see the rotating exhibits, even students. Naturally, we only saw the free stuff. The only art I recognized was one of Picasso's paintings. After that, it varied from the mundane ceramic plate to the absurd melted-plastic modern-statement piece. Still, the windows on the main floor offered a fabulous view of the Eiffel Tower just across the Seine, and there was one room-sized mural that was (to me) like the world's best and most colourful colouring book.
Exhausted by our taste of modern art, we found a little crêpe vendor (not that difficult in Paris, actually) and ate our smackerel on a bench in the garden next to the Eiffel Tower. Sure, the pigeons are crummy, but a girl in Paris can't ask for a better snack or view.
Easter Sunday was not a good day for me, and consisted primarily of sleep, so we'll skip to Monday.
Monday I had planned to just go relax in a park with the book I've been reading...but someone had this crazy idea to take a train out to Crécy-La-Chapelle, a medieval city. So I hauled myself out of bed and met 7 other AU amis at the train station. We purchased our 8 euro round-trip tickets and got on the first train. 20 minutes or so later, we reach the station where we need to transfer to a second train to reach Crécy-La-Chapelle. The deserted platform and empty, parked train had us a bit confused...until we asked at the ticket window and found out that train wasn't running today. No explanation, no refund, it just wasn't running. So that was our journey to nowhere. Now, instead of a medieval, Parisian Venice (which is what some travel website told me Crécy-La-Chapelle supposedly resembled, I can't really tell you for sure since I didn't see it) my only photograph from today is this train station and the lovely cherry trees.
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