Bonjour!
So, I've been slacking this weekend concerning my blog and I haven't posted in a couple days. We'll continue with Saturday. On Saturday morning we had the weekly trip to Apt market. My main goal of the trip was to get hair dye from the grocery store since I have been itching for a change in color. I wanted to go bright red, but since we were in such a small town, the best I could find was a reddish-brown. After working at the SCAD boutique, my fabulous roommate, Meghan, dyed my hair. It was the best smelling hair dye I have ever used, it smelled like apricots, a very popular fruit in France. That night Pierre Cardin was having another installment in his summer performance series. this time it was a ballet called The Temptation of Eve. It was a very unusual ballet, starting with the fact that it was a one woman play...Here is a small exerpt from a review of the ballet, "One of the most talented dancers of our time, Marie- Claude Pietragalla is back in ‘Eve’s Temptation’, a ballet about the history of women over the centuries exploring the female condition and its symbols. " Also a video summation of the performance. I don't know where Pierre gets these people.
After the ballet we joined the rest of the town for the 2nd night of the summer festival. Last night, instead of a DJ was a band. It was cool to have live music, but it definitely was not as easy to dance to as the dace music of the night before. Once the rappers came on stage we decided we had had enough and decided to go to bed. I hope the party tonight is a really excellent end to he weekend.
Au Revoir
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Glanum and St. Remy
Bonjor!
So, I've been slacking this weekend concerning my blog and I haven't posted in a couple days. We'll start with Friday. On Friday we had an all-day field trip to Glanum and St. Remy which are about an hour away. The trip started with a visit to the ancient ruins of the town called Glanum. In the 6th century BC the town was founded by the Gauls, who settled there because of the healing spring that comes from the base of a nearby mountain. The city was taken over by Greece and then in 49 BC was taken over by the Romans and made an official Roman town in Provence. In 260 AD, around the time of the fall of the Roman empire, the town was abandoned and all the residents moved one or two kilometers north and created the town of St. Remy. Over time the town was completely covered with mud and was not re-discovered until the 1920s. the only things that weren't covered and were the indicators of a hidden town, were the triumphal arch, which was built between 10-25 BC and is one of the earliest arches of its kind, and the Mausoleum of Julii, which just looks like a tower. I love how relaxed the French are, because we were allowed to climb all over the ruins, walk into all the rooms, and sit were they sat. It was a really cool experience. After Glanum we traveled into town, where it was market day! St-Remy was a very cute town with lots of hidden alleys and tiny shops. The best part of the town was the chocolate shop, the chocolates were tiny, but soooo delicious! After touring the town, we headed back up the hill for a tour of the asylum that Van Gogh voluntarily lived in for a year and where he created some of his very best work. The crazy thing is that Van Gogh lived right next to Glanum, but had a absolutely no idea of it's existence. Visiting the asylum was really cool because we got to see first-hand all of the things that he painted. We saw the olive trees around the area, the sunflower field in the garden, and of course all of his iconic Cyprus trees. We also got to visit the room that he lived in while at the asylum. It was tiny, but it was so amazing to be standing where Van Gogh stood. We then returned to Lacoste and relaxed until that night, which was the first night of the town's annual summer festival. We decided to forgo the 15 euro dinner and instead joined them around 11 when the "disco" dancing began. It was and inedible party; even the professors joined the many SCAD students on the dance floor. I have to say that they had some of the best dance moves of the night!
Au Revoir
Au Revoir
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Caseneuve and a Russian Play
Bonjour!
Yesterday in my art history class we went on another field trip, so of course it was pouring rain and I couldn't find my umbrella! In spite of these factors, it was one of the best field trips we've been on. the trip was to the atelier (studio) of a local artist in Caseneuve, who makes beautiful and intricate mosaic tables. He had a good full tome job, but one day he quit everything and decided to make mosaic tables! His wife, who works in our offices, was not to excited about the change at first, but now his business is super successful and he sells tables to the likes of Sandra Bullock, Russell Crowe, and Bono. He makes all of his tables from ancient Roman marble that he collects from ruins or buys from dealers, making his work more authentic and valuable. After we toured his studio, he was kind enough to take us to his house for brunch. It was raining outside still so we all had to squish into his kitchen/dining room while he showed us all of the ancient artifacts he owns. Since he grew up in the area, he has been collecting ancient artifacts from around the area using his metal detector for years, and has found some really cool stuff. He showed us Roman metal spoon, a small Roman oil lamp, lots of rings, coins from long ago, as well as a scull that he found in his walls while renovating. It is so cool to be in a place with so much rich history. After we got back the clouds were hanging so low in the sky that they were litterally right in front of our faces. It was magnificent. I spent the afternoon cataloging keys in the office! So much fun. Last night Pierre Cardin, who owns the Chateau at the top of Lacoste, has been putting on a series of performances for the summer in an amphitheater that he built into a local limestone quarry. Last night the performance was a musical put on by a group of Russian actors, and since there were a lot of extra seats, all the SCAD students were invited to go for free! I think the play was a picture of Russia throughout the decades from the 1930's to the 1980s, but since it was all in Russian I wasn't really sure. I was really cold during the performance since we were at the top of the mountain and my legs were completely bare, so I couldn't really enjoy the performance, but it was interesting. Tomorrow we go on an all-day field trip to Glanum and St-Remy, where Van gogh did some of his best work! Super excited!
Au Revoir!
Yesterday in my art history class we went on another field trip, so of course it was pouring rain and I couldn't find my umbrella! In spite of these factors, it was one of the best field trips we've been on. the trip was to the atelier (studio) of a local artist in Caseneuve, who makes beautiful and intricate mosaic tables. He had a good full tome job, but one day he quit everything and decided to make mosaic tables! His wife, who works in our offices, was not to excited about the change at first, but now his business is super successful and he sells tables to the likes of Sandra Bullock, Russell Crowe, and Bono. He makes all of his tables from ancient Roman marble that he collects from ruins or buys from dealers, making his work more authentic and valuable. After we toured his studio, he was kind enough to take us to his house for brunch. It was raining outside still so we all had to squish into his kitchen/dining room while he showed us all of the ancient artifacts he owns. Since he grew up in the area, he has been collecting ancient artifacts from around the area using his metal detector for years, and has found some really cool stuff. He showed us Roman metal spoon, a small Roman oil lamp, lots of rings, coins from long ago, as well as a scull that he found in his walls while renovating. It is so cool to be in a place with so much rich history. After we got back the clouds were hanging so low in the sky that they were litterally right in front of our faces. It was magnificent. I spent the afternoon cataloging keys in the office! So much fun. Last night Pierre Cardin, who owns the Chateau at the top of Lacoste, has been putting on a series of performances for the summer in an amphitheater that he built into a local limestone quarry. Last night the performance was a musical put on by a group of Russian actors, and since there were a lot of extra seats, all the SCAD students were invited to go for free! I think the play was a picture of Russia throughout the decades from the 1930's to the 1980s, but since it was all in Russian I wasn't really sure. I was really cold during the performance since we were at the top of the mountain and my legs were completely bare, so I couldn't really enjoy the performance, but it was interesting. Tomorrow we go on an all-day field trip to Glanum and St-Remy, where Van gogh did some of his best work! Super excited!
Au Revoir!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Last Day in Paris and Back to Lacoste
Yesterday was our last day in Paris, and what a hectic day it was. The day started with packing up and trying to fit all the goodies of Paris into my already overstuffed luggage. The extra empty backpack I brought with me was super helpful. Around 10;45 I was packed and checked out of the hotel and on my way to Ultramod, a really cool store with vintage sewing supplies like fabric, ribbons, buttons etc.. but when I got there it was closed :( I was super sad, but thankfully there was lots of excellent shopping in the area to cheer me up! I got some super cute presents, but my shopping was cut short because I was supposed to meet Molly and Adelle at the Paris Opera. Unfortunately, due to the inconveniences of being abroad, such as the lack of cell phones, we missed each other so I ate lunch on the steps of the opera, and decided to just shop without them. Super coincidentally I stumbled upon them as I was passing the side of the opera and they were coming out from there tour! It was super fabulous and we all took a metro from the opera to the outskirts of the city to go to the largest flea market in Paris. Sadly, the only thing that I found there was some very pretty ribbon and a banana and Neutella crepe, but so souvenirs. because of this we decided to return to the giant eight story shopping center that was behind the opera, and went to the Paris souvenirs floor where I got lots of great stuff. We grabbed some really delicious gelato and then ran back to the hotel to grab our bags and get to the train station by 6:45. We made it back to Avignon by 10 and bussed back to Lacoste, getting in around 11pm. I were all super pooped, but still had to drag all of my luggage up the ridiculously steep hills and up the 38 steps to my dorm. When I got to my room I realized that my wrist was covered in dried blood, and was bruised. I have decided my my wrist acted upon it's own accord and tried to kill itself while climbing up all of the hills and steps, while carrying my luggage. Finally back in my own bed, I slept very well for eleven hours.
After my trip to paris I have made sevral observations about Praisians.
1. Paris is full of very attractive men
2. Conveniently, everyone speaks English
3. Parisian men really do say ooh la la to women
4. Paris is not the city of love, but the city of PDA (Public Displays of Affection)
5. Gypsies are very creative, they come up with endless ways of swindling tourists out of their money
6. I would definitely like to live in Paris one day
Friday, July 22, 2011
Versailles!
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| Versailles Palace |
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| Marie Antoinette's little village |
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| Petit Trianon |
Bonjour!
Today was a fabulously relaxed day. We all got up really early so that we could catch the 45 minute metro ride to Versailles and still be there by the time it opened around 10. I know most people hate it, but I love Sofia Coppola's movie, Marie Antoinette. I'm obsessed with the costumes and I love how beautiful all of the settings were, so I was really pumped to finally go to Versailles. the first thing I was surprised about is how close the surrounding city is to the palace entrance. The entrance looked like any other large, historic building in Paris, but that annoyance soon ended. the first thing we tackled was the main building. That whole tour was pretty epic, but it was really crowded with thousands of tourists and annoying tour groups, so definitely not my favorite part of Versailles. Since it had begun raining a little, we decided to take the shuttle tour, whose first stop was the Grand Trianon. It was pretty, and we decided that it was Meghan's house. The next stop was the Petit Trianon which is the "small" house that King Louis XVI gave to Marie Antoinette. It was soo cute! and we decided that it would be my home. We then walked to the village of Hameau de la Reine, which is the village that Marie Antoinette had built so that she could live the life of a "country farmer." The village was the cutest place i have ever seen. it consisted of 9 buildings with lots of little fields, gardens,and vineyard surrounding them. The whole village looked as if a fairy tale cad come to life. I think that of any place in the world, Hameau de la reine would be the place that I would want to live the most. It was fabulous. After we returned to the hotel I did a quick watching of Marie Antoinette so that I could excitedly spot all the places I had been today. Hopefully early to bed tonight, and tomorrow I will shop till I drop, or till 6 when I have to be back at the train station to return to lacoste.
Au Revoir
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Paris Day 3: Museums
Bonjour,
Today started off with Notre Dame. We had seen the outside yesterday, but today we went inside and waited 2 hours to go to the top. I have walked up so many spiral staircase steps while in Paris, that I'll be glad never to see another spiral staircase again! But I can say that I have never fallen down a spiral staircase, which is kind of a huge deal. After Notre Dame we went to the Modern Art Museum ( the Pompidou Centre) because it was mandatory :( After our necessary 10 minute tour we left for lunch. After lunch we went to L'Orangerie Museum which contains Monet's massive Water Lilies paintings. The paintings were soo fantastic and I got a poster of one of them to go in my new apartment in Savannah! We walked through the Tulieries Gardens to the Louvre. We were sooo tired and only saw the first and second floors, but we will be returning tomorrow! Hopefully my feet feel good by then. WE wnt to a nice french restaurant for dinner and I got veal with onions in a delicious white wine sauce with rice and creme brule for dessert! It was sooo delicious! After dinner we went to the Shakespeare & Co restorer, which is a famous American bookstore that's only a five minute walk from our hotel! Now to bed. Versailles tomorrow!!!
Au Revoir
Today started off with Notre Dame. We had seen the outside yesterday, but today we went inside and waited 2 hours to go to the top. I have walked up so many spiral staircase steps while in Paris, that I'll be glad never to see another spiral staircase again! But I can say that I have never fallen down a spiral staircase, which is kind of a huge deal. After Notre Dame we went to the Modern Art Museum ( the Pompidou Centre) because it was mandatory :( After our necessary 10 minute tour we left for lunch. After lunch we went to L'Orangerie Museum which contains Monet's massive Water Lilies paintings. The paintings were soo fantastic and I got a poster of one of them to go in my new apartment in Savannah! We walked through the Tulieries Gardens to the Louvre. We were sooo tired and only saw the first and second floors, but we will be returning tomorrow! Hopefully my feet feel good by then. WE wnt to a nice french restaurant for dinner and I got veal with onions in a delicious white wine sauce with rice and creme brule for dessert! It was sooo delicious! After dinner we went to the Shakespeare & Co restorer, which is a famous American bookstore that's only a five minute walk from our hotel! Now to bed. Versailles tomorrow!!!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Paris Day 2: Already Pooped
Bonjour!
So today started off really cool, but didn't end so well. Most of our group went to the Louvre today, but since today was the only day this week forecast for sunshine, even though the temperature was still in the 50s today, we decided to see the outdoor attractions today. We started off the day with the Paris catacombs. Even though we got there 20 minutes before they opened, we still were waiting for 2 hours. They were worth the wait though, there are over 6 million corpses stacked in the catacombs and it is really cool lookin. After the catacombs, we went to a little grocery store to buy a quick lunch and walked to the Luxembourg Gardens to have a nice picnic in the park. It was so beautiful. After the gardens we walked to the Pantheon, which was huge and had beautiful paintings. After the Pantheon we walked up to Notre Dame, but I didn't have time to wait in line to go in because I had to go to the European Photo Museum with our photo professor. I had never heard of most of the photographers in the museum, but the images were soo heartbreaking. There were series on blind children, women in prison, war, Parisian prostitutes, AIDS, and the civilian victims of land mines. After the museum I was alone and was supposed to meet up with the others at the Eiffel Tower at 7:30, but thanks to the stupid metro system I didn't get there until 8:10. Thinking that they probably stopped waiting for me, I found another SCAD group and went to the top with them, only to see the rest of my group waiting to go up, once I was waiting in line to go down. We decided to meet back at the hotel, but thanks to the lines it was already 10:45, none of us had eaten dinner yet, and it had just started to rain. I got on the closest metro station, but thanks to the Tour De France on Sunday, my stop was closed so I had to get off early and then they bussed us to the next stop, which took forever! I finally go back to the area of the hotel, and began my hunt for fast, cheap food to go. This is what brought me to eating my first and hopefully only McDonald's meal while in France. It was so delicious and warm though, and I finished off with a macaroon from laduree for dessert. Now I will go to sleep.
Au Revoir
So today started off really cool, but didn't end so well. Most of our group went to the Louvre today, but since today was the only day this week forecast for sunshine, even though the temperature was still in the 50s today, we decided to see the outdoor attractions today. We started off the day with the Paris catacombs. Even though we got there 20 minutes before they opened, we still were waiting for 2 hours. They were worth the wait though, there are over 6 million corpses stacked in the catacombs and it is really cool lookin. After the catacombs, we went to a little grocery store to buy a quick lunch and walked to the Luxembourg Gardens to have a nice picnic in the park. It was so beautiful. After the gardens we walked to the Pantheon, which was huge and had beautiful paintings. After the Pantheon we walked up to Notre Dame, but I didn't have time to wait in line to go in because I had to go to the European Photo Museum with our photo professor. I had never heard of most of the photographers in the museum, but the images were soo heartbreaking. There were series on blind children, women in prison, war, Parisian prostitutes, AIDS, and the civilian victims of land mines. After the museum I was alone and was supposed to meet up with the others at the Eiffel Tower at 7:30, but thanks to the stupid metro system I didn't get there until 8:10. Thinking that they probably stopped waiting for me, I found another SCAD group and went to the top with them, only to see the rest of my group waiting to go up, once I was waiting in line to go down. We decided to meet back at the hotel, but thanks to the lines it was already 10:45, none of us had eaten dinner yet, and it had just started to rain. I got on the closest metro station, but thanks to the Tour De France on Sunday, my stop was closed so I had to get off early and then they bussed us to the next stop, which took forever! I finally go back to the area of the hotel, and began my hunt for fast, cheap food to go. This is what brought me to eating my first and hopefully only McDonald's meal while in France. It was so delicious and warm though, and I finished off with a macaroon from laduree for dessert. Now I will go to sleep.
Au Revoir
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Paris!
Bonjour!
It's been an exciting two days. Yesterday at two we departed from Lacoste and arrived in Paris around seven by train. After a 30 minute walk to our hotel, we quickly set our stuff down and ran to the nearest sandwich stand to get some delicious hot paninis, before leaving to go see the last Harry Potter movie! It was so excellent. This morning we woke up at 8 Am, and instead of the sunny summer day we were hoping for, the weather was cold and rainy. I found myself wishing for my water-proof winter coat and boots that are tucked away in Savannah. After breakfast at the hotel we hit the Musee D'Orsay! It was so fanstastic, I am so in love with the impressionists and post-impressionists, especially Monet, Degas and Van Gogh. I wish I could see colors like they could. My favorite new painting of the day was the painting Mademoiselle Carlier (a dame au turban) by Levy-Dhurmer. The way he painted her face and the fabric throughout the image was astounding. Also her turban is so fierce. After the museum, we walked through the Place de la Concord and to Maxim's Paris, hoping to sneak in to see the beautiful interiors, but it was closed :( We then walked up the Champs Elessays past the seats set up for the end of the Tour de France on Sunday. We walked through Tuileries Gardens to see the Petit and Grand Palais, though we didn't actually go in because the admission wasn't covered in our Museum Passes. We then finally got a break from the rain when we went to a small resteraunt for lunch. After that we walked up the Champs and did a little shopping :) Shopping in Paris is the best, so many excellent clothes. We walked all the way to the Arc de Triomphe, and after 250 steps we emerged from the top to see that the skies had finally cleared and the sun was timidly shinning. After the Arc we walked back down the other side of the Champs and stopped at the dessert store that created the first french Macaroon! They were expensive, but worth every penny! After finally taking the very cramped metro back to our hotel we rested our very wet and tired feet for about ten seconds and then went to the Chinese food restaurant next door for a late dinner, then to a 24hr convenience store to get some snacks for the tomorrow. In the store though, instead of food, we found a super random, fully decked out clown including his own personal clown music. Paris is so random. Lots planned for tomorrow, and hopefully no rain!
Au Revoir
It's been an exciting two days. Yesterday at two we departed from Lacoste and arrived in Paris around seven by train. After a 30 minute walk to our hotel, we quickly set our stuff down and ran to the nearest sandwich stand to get some delicious hot paninis, before leaving to go see the last Harry Potter movie! It was so excellent. This morning we woke up at 8 Am, and instead of the sunny summer day we were hoping for, the weather was cold and rainy. I found myself wishing for my water-proof winter coat and boots that are tucked away in Savannah. After breakfast at the hotel we hit the Musee D'Orsay! It was so fanstastic, I am so in love with the impressionists and post-impressionists, especially Monet, Degas and Van Gogh. I wish I could see colors like they could. My favorite new painting of the day was the painting Mademoiselle Carlier (a dame au turban) by Levy-Dhurmer. The way he painted her face and the fabric throughout the image was astounding. Also her turban is so fierce. After the museum, we walked through the Place de la Concord and to Maxim's Paris, hoping to sneak in to see the beautiful interiors, but it was closed :( We then walked up the Champs Elessays past the seats set up for the end of the Tour de France on Sunday. We walked through Tuileries Gardens to see the Petit and Grand Palais, though we didn't actually go in because the admission wasn't covered in our Museum Passes. We then finally got a break from the rain when we went to a small resteraunt for lunch. After that we walked up the Champs and did a little shopping :) Shopping in Paris is the best, so many excellent clothes. We walked all the way to the Arc de Triomphe, and after 250 steps we emerged from the top to see that the skies had finally cleared and the sun was timidly shinning. After the Arc we walked back down the other side of the Champs and stopped at the dessert store that created the first french Macaroon! They were expensive, but worth every penny! After finally taking the very cramped metro back to our hotel we rested our very wet and tired feet for about ten seconds and then went to the Chinese food restaurant next door for a late dinner, then to a 24hr convenience store to get some snacks for the tomorrow. In the store though, instead of food, we found a super random, fully decked out clown including his own personal clown music. Paris is so random. Lots planned for tomorrow, and hopefully no rain!
Au Revoir
Friday, July 15, 2011
Le Président et le Jour de la Bastille
Bonjour!
Joyeux Jour de la Bastille (Happy Bastille Day)!! Yesterday was Bastille day in France, which is like their Independence day, celebrating the day that they overthrew the French monarchy by storming the Bastille in Paris. In past years SCAD has celebrated Bastille day in various excellent forms, but this year we had the honor of hosting SCAD's President, Paula Wallace, on this festive occasion. The evening started with a student concert held in the Maison Forte,the oldest building in Lacoste, dating back to the 9th century. There were many excellent performances of the evening, including a number from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, a film set in a small Provencal town in France, much like our own Lacoste. After the concert there was a mocktail hour on the terrace, so that the students could mingle with President Wallace. I didn't really talk to her, but I did photobomb many of the photos taken of her last night. All together it was a very chill Bastille Day. Four days till Paris!
Au Revoir
Joyeux Jour de la Bastille (Happy Bastille Day)!! Yesterday was Bastille day in France, which is like their Independence day, celebrating the day that they overthrew the French monarchy by storming the Bastille in Paris. In past years SCAD has celebrated Bastille day in various excellent forms, but this year we had the honor of hosting SCAD's President, Paula Wallace, on this festive occasion. The evening started with a student concert held in the Maison Forte,the oldest building in Lacoste, dating back to the 9th century. There were many excellent performances of the evening, including a number from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, a film set in a small Provencal town in France, much like our own Lacoste. After the concert there was a mocktail hour on the terrace, so that the students could mingle with President Wallace. I didn't really talk to her, but I did photobomb many of the photos taken of her last night. All together it was a very chill Bastille Day. Four days till Paris!
Au Revoir
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Deux Châteaux
Bonjour!
Today was another double field trip day, and coincidentally both field trips were to Chateaus. The first field trip was to the Chateau of Lourmarin. The fully restored chateau was beautiful, especially the gardens in the front. Our tour guide told us that over the summer they bring in art students to live and work in the chateau. All I have to say is that I chose the wrong small French Provencal town to live in, because those rooms were beautiful and huge. When we returned to Lacoste for lunch we had the very first major rain of the year, which included lightning and power shortages, but the clouds were so fantastic. In my travel photo class we traveled to the town of Fontain de Vecluse, which had already toured. Instead of going the typical tourist route and traveling back to the spring, Adelle, Meaghan, and I decided to climb up the mountain to the Chateau which was completely in ruins. The chateau was the ideal location for any Romanticist artist and had a fantastic view of the surrounding valley and mountains. It was kind of fantastic. After diner we had our Paris orientation meeting! I can't believe that we leave for Paris on Monday; I am so excited!!I cannot wait to spend more than 2 hours in the Louvre (what I had last time) and I'm super pumped to see Versailles for the first time. Another thing that I'm really excited about is seeing the final Harry Potter movie! I cannot wait!!
Au Revoir
Au Revoir
Monday, July 11, 2011
Sidewalk Arts and The Cathedral of St. Anne
Bonjour!
As I mentioned last time, the 4th annual Sidewalk Arts festival of Lacoste was yesterday and I decised to re-create Van Gogh's Starry Night, I thought that I would post a photo of the completed work, in case you don't have facebook. This morning my Art History class took a field trio to the nearby city of Apt to see St. Ann's Basilica to see the relic shroud of St. Ann, who according to the catholic church was the mother of the Virgin Mary. The shroud has been dated to between 1076 AD and 1077 AD.....so yea. It is one of the oldest surviving pieces of linen in the world, and was used by Charlemagne, so that's pretty cool. Tonight is probably going to be fairly boring though. I'll just be writing my Art history paper on Van Gogh's Lilies. For some reason, all of Van Gogh's work that I like the best was all made while he was in an insane asylum. Cool.
Au Revoir!
As I mentioned last time, the 4th annual Sidewalk Arts festival of Lacoste was yesterday and I decised to re-create Van Gogh's Starry Night, I thought that I would post a photo of the completed work, in case you don't have facebook. This morning my Art History class took a field trio to the nearby city of Apt to see St. Ann's Basilica to see the relic shroud of St. Ann, who according to the catholic church was the mother of the Virgin Mary. The shroud has been dated to between 1076 AD and 1077 AD.....so yea. It is one of the oldest surviving pieces of linen in the world, and was used by Charlemagne, so that's pretty cool. Tonight is probably going to be fairly boring though. I'll just be writing my Art history paper on Van Gogh's Lilies. For some reason, all of Van Gogh's work that I like the best was all made while he was in an insane asylum. Cool.
Au Revoir!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Working
Au Revoir
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Bonnieux!
Bonjour Reader and Friend,
Today was a pretty low key day, all I did during the daytime was work for SCAD and work on homework. After dinner is when the party really started! Meghan, Molly, and I decided to bike to Bonnieux for ice cream which is about 4 miles away. I'm almost positive that that was the longest I've ever ridden a bike. The hills were very interesting because going down the mountain is fabulous, but biking back up almost killed me. The end of both rides ended in me giving up and just walking the bike up for a while. Also, while on the way there, we were riding down the hill Lacoste is located on, and I lost control and fell off my bike and hit my head. It was tres bien fun!
Au Revoir
Today was a pretty low key day, all I did during the daytime was work for SCAD and work on homework. After dinner is when the party really started! Meghan, Molly, and I decided to bike to Bonnieux for ice cream which is about 4 miles away. I'm almost positive that that was the longest I've ever ridden a bike. The hills were very interesting because going down the mountain is fabulous, but biking back up almost killed me. The end of both rides ended in me giving up and just walking the bike up for a while. Also, while on the way there, we were riding down the hill Lacoste is located on, and I lost control and fell off my bike and hit my head. It was tres bien fun!
Au Revoir
Monday, July 4, 2011
Ochre Factory and Ceder Forest
Bonjour Reader and Friend,
This Fourth of July was a day of excellent field trips. The day started with a field trip for my art history class to an ochre (pigment) factory that was in business making red, orange and yellow ochre from the 1920s to the 1960s. The ocher was used to add to bike tires to give the latex stability, but when plastic became popular, the ochre factory went out of business. Today ocher is still used to make paints. Funny story, while at the factory, we had to go down some stairs and of course I missed the last step and fell flat on my face. The people behind me, though, thought that I fell because I passed out....so I may have made a fool of myself and scraped my leg again, but at least I didn't pass out. In the afternoon, my photo class went on a field trip to a ceder forest, called Foret Des Cedres, that was about 15 minutes away. The forest was rather boring except for the random, creepy teepees made out if sticks and branches. I rather liked them. Also, I must admit that it is super cool that I get to go on field trips all the time for my classes. I hope this was an interesting read!
Au Revoir
This Fourth of July was a day of excellent field trips. The day started with a field trip for my art history class to an ochre (pigment) factory that was in business making red, orange and yellow ochre from the 1920s to the 1960s. The ocher was used to add to bike tires to give the latex stability, but when plastic became popular, the ochre factory went out of business. Today ocher is still used to make paints. Funny story, while at the factory, we had to go down some stairs and of course I missed the last step and fell flat on my face. The people behind me, though, thought that I fell because I passed out....so I may have made a fool of myself and scraped my leg again, but at least I didn't pass out. In the afternoon, my photo class went on a field trip to a ceder forest, called Foret Des Cedres, that was about 15 minutes away. The forest was rather boring except for the random, creepy teepees made out if sticks and branches. I rather liked them. Also, I must admit that it is super cool that I get to go on field trips all the time for my classes. I hope this was an interesting read!
Au Revoir
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
Bonjour Reader and Friend,
Today in Lacoste, we celebrated the Independence Day! The scheduled event for today was a canoeing trip on the Sorgue river, but since that trip cost 13 euro, a group of us decided to go visit the nearby town, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. The town was named for it's "fountain" which was actually more of a natural spring pool thing that was down in a cave. the water was so clear and blue! The rest of the day was spent walking around the town, doing shopping, and eating ice cream. All-in-all it was a pretty good day, but I'm expecting much more excitement when Bastille day comes along.
Au Revoir
Today in Lacoste, we celebrated the Independence Day! The scheduled event for today was a canoeing trip on the Sorgue river, but since that trip cost 13 euro, a group of us decided to go visit the nearby town, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. The town was named for it's "fountain" which was actually more of a natural spring pool thing that was down in a cave. the water was so clear and blue! The rest of the day was spent walking around the town, doing shopping, and eating ice cream. All-in-all it was a pretty good day, but I'm expecting much more excitement when Bastille day comes along. Au Revoir
Vernissage
Bonjour Reader and Friend,
Today was fairly uneventful (compared to yesterday). The big event of the day was the Vernissage which is like a Gallery Opening. The artists Johnathan Yorger, who painted the infamous SCAD dog, and Teresita Fernandez, an instillation artist from Florida, both had simultaneous openings with a reception. The day started though with to lectures given by each artist followed by some photo editing on my part and then at 6:00 the big Vernissage began. After, we were all invited to another reception in the Chateau de Sade, hosted by the current owner Pierre Cardin. At this event I did what Liesel wanted all those years ago in The sound of Music and I tasted my first champagne, and I have to say that I'm not a big fan so far... The night was capped of by an excellent viewing of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's Passport to Paris, which was necessary to do before our eminent visit to Paris in two weeks!
Au Revoir
Today was fairly uneventful (compared to yesterday). The big event of the day was the Vernissage which is like a Gallery Opening. The artists Johnathan Yorger, who painted the infamous SCAD dog, and Teresita Fernandez, an instillation artist from Florida, both had simultaneous openings with a reception. The day started though with to lectures given by each artist followed by some photo editing on my part and then at 6:00 the big Vernissage began. After, we were all invited to another reception in the Chateau de Sade, hosted by the current owner Pierre Cardin. At this event I did what Liesel wanted all those years ago in The sound of Music and I tasted my first champagne, and I have to say that I'm not a big fan so far... The night was capped of by an excellent viewing of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's Passport to Paris, which was necessary to do before our eminent visit to Paris in two weeks!
Au Revoir
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Nimes and the Pont du Gard
Dear Reader and Friend,
Today was a long, but excellent day. We started off the day by setting off at 8:20 for Nimes, a medium-sized historic town, located about an hour and a half from Lacoste. About an hour away from Lacoste we get a flat tire and are forced to wait on the side of the road until another bus could drive to where we are to pick us up. Luckily...we broke down right next to a French toy store and a home decor store. I think the best find of that stop was a really creepy pregnant off-brand Barbie doll, which included a baby which could be inserted into or removed from the stomach of the pregnant doll...it was very creepy. After about an hour delay we continued on to Nimes. Our first stop was the Nimes arena, one of the best preserved Roman arenas in Europe. Our next stops were he Maison Caree, a Roman temple with in-closed columns, and the Temple of Diana, where Sarah and I found a free bathroom! (Some shopping may have occurred between those main stops) After leaving Nimes, we travelled about 30 minutes to the Pont du Gard. The Pont Du Gard is a massive part of the Roman aqueduct that brought water to Nimes. It's really impressive because there was no mortar used in it's construction, yet it still stands perfectly in tact to this day. The Pont du Gard was built over the Gard river, where we got to swim in water that was exceedingly cold, but very refreshing. While we were there, Sarah, Meghan, Steve, and I ate some excellent Neutella crepes...yum. Around 6:30 we all packed back on the bus for Lacoste. Hopefully tomorrow isn't as crazy!
Au Revoir
Today was a long, but excellent day. We started off the day by setting off at 8:20 for Nimes, a medium-sized historic town, located about an hour and a half from Lacoste. About an hour away from Lacoste we get a flat tire and are forced to wait on the side of the road until another bus could drive to where we are to pick us up. Luckily...we broke down right next to a French toy store and a home decor store. I think the best find of that stop was a really creepy pregnant off-brand Barbie doll, which included a baby which could be inserted into or removed from the stomach of the pregnant doll...it was very creepy. After about an hour delay we continued on to Nimes. Our first stop was the Nimes arena, one of the best preserved Roman arenas in Europe. Our next stops were he Maison Caree, a Roman temple with in-closed columns, and the Temple of Diana, where Sarah and I found a free bathroom! (Some shopping may have occurred between those main stops) After leaving Nimes, we travelled about 30 minutes to the Pont du Gard. The Pont Du Gard is a massive part of the Roman aqueduct that brought water to Nimes. It's really impressive because there was no mortar used in it's construction, yet it still stands perfectly in tact to this day. The Pont du Gard was built over the Gard river, where we got to swim in water that was exceedingly cold, but very refreshing. While we were there, Sarah, Meghan, Steve, and I ate some excellent Neutella crepes...yum. Around 6:30 we all packed back on the bus for Lacoste. Hopefully tomorrow isn't as crazy!
Au Revoir
My First Blog Post Ever!
Dear Reader and Friend,
I am not a big fan of writing, but I though that keeping a blog of my summer would be a good way to save memories and an excellent way for loved ones and friends back home to know what I'm up to. This blog is being started a little late in the game, but it's better late than never as they say. So far I've been living in Lacoste, FR for the past week, and what a week it's been. So far this week I've flown from the USA to France, visited the market in Apt, hiked all over Lacoste, visited the Chateau de Sade, explored some ancient limestone quarries, went cherry picking twice, went grocery shopping, visited a French hardware store, visited a French toy store, ate a lot of food, sent a postcard, visited Nimes, swam under the Pont du Gard, trespassed into the fiends of a French farmer, got lost, and swam through a sea of blue spaghetti, as well as taking classes. It's been a very long and excellent week.
Au Revoir
I am not a big fan of writing, but I though that keeping a blog of my summer would be a good way to save memories and an excellent way for loved ones and friends back home to know what I'm up to. This blog is being started a little late in the game, but it's better late than never as they say. So far I've been living in Lacoste, FR for the past week, and what a week it's been. So far this week I've flown from the USA to France, visited the market in Apt, hiked all over Lacoste, visited the Chateau de Sade, explored some ancient limestone quarries, went cherry picking twice, went grocery shopping, visited a French hardware store, visited a French toy store, ate a lot of food, sent a postcard, visited Nimes, swam under the Pont du Gard, trespassed into the fiends of a French farmer, got lost, and swam through a sea of blue spaghetti, as well as taking classes. It's been a very long and excellent week.
Au Revoir
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