Day Trip: Versailles

Yesterday I took a day trip to Versailles with some of the other assistants, where we also met up with an old friend of mine (we hadn't seen each other since summer camp in high school!). I visited Versailles during my semester in Nantes, but that trip was in November which meant it was cold, gray and way too unpleasant for visiting the gardens. I was happy to get a second chance to go this year during springtime, which turned out to be a really good decision. We enjoyed the main chateau as well as Marie Antoinette's house, but the best part of the day was walking around the gardens, lunching at an outdoor cafe, and lounging by the lake eating ice cream.

~ Me, Sophia, Haidee, Yirah, and Sarah at the entrance ~

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~ Hall of Mirrors ~

~ Queen's bedroom wallpaper ~

~ View of the chateau from the gardens ~

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~ Gardens in the Grand Trianon ~

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~ Temple de l'Amour ~

Paris Visit #4

Last weekend I took another day trip to Paris, this time with Sarah, Yirah, and Matteo. We went to a part of Paris I haven't been to before, where we visited the Natural History Museum and took a long afternoon walk. The museum was impressive, and the rest of the day was sunny and perfect for a meandering stroll through the Jardin du Luxembourg, past the Pantheon, and finishing up by the Seine.

~ Inside the Natural History Museum ~

~ Fish! ~

  

~ Chillin ~

~ Pantheon in Paris ~

~ Jardin du Luxembourg ~

~ Springtime at Notre Dame ~

Louvre-Lens

Last weekend Daniele and I drove to Lens, a city about an hour north of Saint-Quentin. We wanted to visit Lens's art museum, which is run by the Louvre in Paris (called Louvre-Lens). The museum was cool, with a super modern architectural design. The main gallery, called the Galerie du temps (the Gallery of Time), is organized by chronology, and not by subject. The result is that art from many traditions is displayed in the same space, so visitors can directly compare art that was created at the same time in different places in the world. The gallery is one long room, with a timeline along one wall that corresponds to the art on display. It was a neat way to organize an exhibit, and the works on display were great.

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Day Trip: Chateau de Pierrefonds

Yesterday I took a day trip to the Chateau de Pierrefonds with Alex, Sarah, Haidee, and Swenja. The castle was gorgeous, in a fairy tale setting atop a hill surrounded by trees. Pierrefonds has been nicely restored and we had a lovely time exploring the painted rooms, spiral staircases, and long corridors offering amazing views of the village below.

~ Arriving to Pierrefonds ~

~ Approaching the castle ~

~ About to go inside ~

~ Chateau courtyard ~

~ Statues! ~

~ The coolest drain pipe in the world ~

~ Gorgeous interior paintings ~

~ Lion statue ~

~ There were so many cool staircases ~

~ View from the chateau ~

~ Stained glass in the chapel ~

Paris Visit #3

This weekend I took another day trip to Paris with some friends from Saint-Quentin. We amazingly had decent weather--not bitterly cold, no rain, and even a few sunny moments (a real accomplishment for northern France in January). The day was fun: we did some touristy things, lots of walking, and of course had a decent French lunch in the middle. We started at the Paris Catacombs, which were alternately cool and eerie. After lunch, we took a stroll past Notre Dame and the Centre Pompidou, and later stopped by the Eiffel Tower for a quick photo op. We ended the day by climbing the Arc de Triomphe (so. many. stairs.). Despite the physical exertions required, climbing the Arc was worth it: we timed it perfectly so that we could watch the sun set over the entire city.

~ Paris Catacombs ~

~ Paris Catacombs ~

~ Paris Catacombs ~

~ Crossing the Seine ~

~ Centre Pompidou ~

~ Eiffel Tower ~

~ Climbing the Arc de Triomphe ~

~ Sunset from atop the Arc de Triomphe ~

~ View of Paris from the Arc ~

Day Trip: Compiègne

A few weeks ago, Sarah and I took a leisurely day trip to Compiegne, a town about halfway between Saint-Quentin and Paris.  After a relaxing lunch of mushroom omelets, fries, and salad, we wandered to the Chateau de Compiegne. The chateau is a Versailles-like palace that is wrapped up in Louis XVI and Napoleon history; it was very grand and beautiful, with large gardens to explore as well.  The rest of our trip was taken up with wandering around the city's charming downtown and a stop at the Christmas market where we indulged in some freshly made churros.

~ Where we had lunch, decked out for the holidays ~

~ Marble map of France in the chateau ~

~ For a casual, intimate dining experience ~

~ Amazing trompe l'oeil painting ~

~ I wish you could still buy this kind of chair ~

~ Awesome library and pretty cabinet ~

~ Flower room ~

~ Gardens ~

~ Town Hall and Christmas market ~