The Any Warhol exhibit runs at the Grand Palais until July 13

In the meantime, I thought I’d briefly write about the amazing Andy Warhol exhibit I saw in Paris a few weeks ago. It’s a special exhibit at the Grand Palais that began in March and ends July 13. I went as a part of Paris’s “Nuit aux Musées,” one night a year when all of the museums open their doors for free. 

Though I’ve always recognized a lot of Warhol’s work, I realized that I actually knew very little about him as an artist or the time in which he painted. The exhibit did an excellent job of giving background on Warhol himself and putting his works of art into the context of their time. 

The collection was also an incredible mélange of his work, with everything from his Marilyn paintings to Mao in lipstick, Campbell’s Soup cans to pink and yellow cow wallpaper. My favorite of his works was probably a series he did on families, showing portraits of mothers and daughters, fathers and sons that really seemed to capture the relationships between them. 

I’ve spent so much of my semester in Paris studying about French art that it was fun to take a night and see something so completely different than what you’d find in the Louvre or Musée d’Orsay. Yet I continue to find myself so incredibly fortunate to have had all of these amazing museums at my disposal in Paris. Going to this exhibit was never something I would have thought to do in Seattle or LA and I hope I carry some of this newfound interest in art and culture back with me when I return home.

Though I’ve always enjoyed art, especially Impressionism, this class has helped me understand it better. Now when I walk through Musée d’Orsay, I don’t just see paintings but I see the motives and intentions behind these paintings. 

Last week we went to a lesser-known museum, Musée de l’Orangerie, located near Place de la Concorde in the Tuileries. It’s one of my favorites that we’ve been to thus far because it houses the collection of Monet’s large Water Lily, or nymphea, canvases. We’re taking a trip this Friday to Monet’s house and gardens at Giverny, where all of his water lily paintings were realized. I’m excited to see them in person after seeing Monet’s interpretations of them. 

One of 4 compositions of the Nympeas, representing the light of early morning

A close-up of another of the large canvases

A view of Tangier and the Mediterranean. On a clear day you could actually see Spain!

At last, on to the final leg of my Spring Break adventure. Because of problems with plane tickets, our group ended up splitting up for the final 3 days of break. Several went to Fez but just Ken and I made our way north to Tangier. The group traveling to Fez got up early Thursday morning and caught a bus but we had the rest of the day in Marrakech before we caught a night train to Tangier, which gave us a chance to see any final sights. 

We started the morning visiting the Medersa Ben Youssef, which was an Islamic theological college founded in the 14th century. Today, it consists of mostly empty rooms, but we enjoyed exploring what were once the dorm rooms. It turns out, I was the perfect size for all of the doors but anyone much taller would have had problems going in and out of rooms. And though the rooms were a little cold and unwelcoming, we thought they were a decent size, until we realized that up to 10 people would be packed inside one, little space! Next to the Medersa was le Musée de Marrakech, a renovated girls’ school that now houses traditional and modern art. After the museum we finished at Koubba Almoravide, an old water storage system for the mosque next door. With more time to kill, we headed out to the second palace, El Badii. Unlike the palace we had visited the day before, El Badii was entirely in ruins and we enjoyed having a bit of an India Jones adventure through the ruins and caves. 

That night, we headed to the train station to begin the long, 11 hour ride to Tangier. Luckily we had purchased a sleeping car with beds so we could pass the overnight ride more comfortably. It was my first experience on a sleeping car and it was certainly an interesting one. The room had 4 beds but we ended up having only 1 roommate, a funny, old Spanish man who didn’t wear much clothing during the ride but did offer us cookies! Though we intended on sleeping, the train ride began at 9 p.m. so we were geared up to do some reading and play some cards to pass the time. However, about 45 minutes into the ride there was a power outage and we lost all of our light. Sitting in a dark train didn’t seem like the most fun so we called it a night and went to bed early. When we woke up, it was to the beautiful views of the north Moroccan coast and Tangier. 

Though we only spent one night in Tangier, it immediately became my favorite city. Unlike Marrakech, which had a rusty brown color, Tangier was made up of white buildings that sat atop a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. Having been colonized by the Portuguese, Spanish, British and French, the cosmopolitan nature of the city was evident in the architecture and décor of the buildings. It was easy to sense the mixture of European and Arabic cultures.

Church of St. Andrew, the Anglican church in Tangier

One of my favorite discoveries in Tangier was the Church of St. Andrew, an Anglican church built in 1905. We stumbled upon it on our first day and decided to take a look inside, but the doors were locked. We were then approached by a funny old man named Moustapha, the caretaker who has been living next to the church for the last 75 years, who let us in. The church was beautifully adorned with Arabic writing, which we learned were actually verses from the Koran. It was a very progressive take on the melding of religion and the acceptance of all people, no matter their faith, which is a mindset that I believe embodies the mix of cultures that have created modern-day Tangier. 

Though Marrakech was the perfect introduction to Morocco, Tangier was much more laid back and a relaxing spot. People didn’t hound us to buy Moroccan goods and we were left mostly to ourselves to explore the city. After visiting the church we also found a museum that recounted the history of Jews in Tangier and then took a walk along the beach. That night we had a delicious, traditional Moroccan 4-course meal at a restaurant with live Oud, a string instrument similar to a guitar, music. The meal started with the popular flat bread and vegetable soup, then came pastilla (a pastry filled with meat and covered in powdered sugar), the main dish of couscous and finally, delicious cookies for dessert. It was a great final dinner in Morocco and really gave me a sense of their culinary traditions.

The next day, we had several hours before catching a flight back to Paris and we visited the Kasbah, where there was a museum on Tangier’s history as an important port for trade. Though we only spent 2 days in Tangier, I was content that we had seen just about everything. It certainly hadn’t lived up to it’s reputation as a dirty, busy and pushy city and I was pleased with the time we spent there. And while I was sad that spring break was coming to a close, it was a nice feeling to return to the familiarity of Paris after a 2-week hiatus.

The secret gardens in the Kasbah!

Marrakech had a rusty, tan color and was a very flat city, aside from the mosques looming in the distance

Though my first week of spring break adventuring through Western Europe was an incredible experience, nothing could compare to what my friends and I had in store for our final days of break. From the moment we decided to study abroad, a few friends and I had made a pact to travel to Morocco. This didn’t involve just planning a trip but coordinating a meeting of friends studying all over the world. Though I had high hopes that the trip would become reality, I secretly figured that it would never actually happen. But believe it or not, it did!

Our group of 6 landed in Marrakech Tuesday afternoon and even stepping off the plane we knew we were somewhere unlike anything we’d experienced before. The entire country just felt different. It smelled different, looked different, sounded different. Though it was a bit of a culture shock at first, we immediately embraced the new and exciting.

Immediately leaving the airport we learned that they do things differently in Morocco. Just catching a cab proved to be a test of our bargaining skills and luckily we had our friend Ken who has been studying in Cairo and could use his Arabic to win us points with the cab driver.

We were dropped off at Djemaa el Fna, the central squar in the middle of the Medina, and pointed in the direction of our place. Unfortunately his directions weren’t the most helpful in the maze-like streets that we found ourselves walking down.

About 30 minutes and 5 sets of directions later we finally made it to Riad Rahba. A riad is a traditional Moroccan house with a central courtyard or garden. Because of their size, many have been turned into accommodations for visitors. Our riad was nice and decorated in traditional Moroccan décor, and they even had a rooftop terrace with beautiful views of the city. 

The view of Djemaa el Fna from a terrace café

During our first afternoon of sightseeing we decided to stay close to home and explored the Djemma el Fna, the main square in Marrakech. In the afternoon it was full of tourists, street performers and fruit stands selling fresh squeezed orange juice. We were also right near the Souks, the merchant stalls built under tin roofs that formed their own winding streets of brightly colored bowls, tea sets, rugs and Moroccan sweets. 

We then headed out to the Kasbah, in the southern end of the Medina, and stopped inside a government-owned artisan craft shop. There, a woman showed us how to use a loom and gave each of the girls orange yarn to tie around our wrists. One of the workers also made comments to the boys about how we were pretty and good picks for marriage, which we were soon to discover was a common topic of discussion.

I had been worried that 3 very American looking girls would run into some problems in Morocco, but we actually had very few problems. We all made an effort to dress conservatively and the most common remark was something along the lines of “You’re beautiful” or “I love you.” We also each received an offer of a 4,000 camels in exchange for marriage. Not too shabby if you ask me? With offers as appealing as those, it’s a surprise I made it out of Morocco without an engagement. 

That first afternoon we ended up back near the Djemaa el Fna and drank tea at a café overlooking the square. It was fun to watch as the sun set and the square transformed into a huge bazaar. There were tents full of delicious smelling food, tea and oranges; street performers with monkeys and snakes or guitar-like instruments called ouds; and people (both tourists and locals alike) milling around everywhere. It was definitely a sight to behold and we made a point of eating traditional Moroccan soup and couscous in the square later that night. We also watched the street entertainment and Ian, Jessie and Kari even got pulled into one man’s magic act. 

La Koutoubia, the central mosque in Marrakech

That next morning we explored La Koutoubia, the central mosque, but were disappointed to learn that we were not allowed inside (even though all the girls had made an effort to cover up and bring headscarves).

Though a little bummed, we quickly rallied for the central event of our day, a trip to a traditional Moroccan hamam, or steam bath. We arrived with an hour left for the women’s bathing time so the three girls went first, and let’s just say it was quite the experience.

First we were led into a dimly lit room with white lounging chairs and a calming atmosphere. Then a woman came in and demanded that we remove all our clothing. A little nervous, we did what we were told and followed her into another room and rubbed down with various goo. We were then led into a sauna and told to sit there. So we sat, marinating for quite a while before they came back to get us. We were then each led to a table and completely scrubbed down, from head to foot. The amount of dead skin they removed was impressive! After, we were covered in a new, brown substance and sent back into the sauna. Though the sauna felt great at first, the heat eventually got to us so we were removed and put into showers to rinse ourselves off. Then we were led back into the first room, given fluffy bathrobes with funny pointed hoods and warm tea to drink while we relaxed. Needless to say the 3 of us became much closer during our hour in the baths. It was a lot of fun and our skin felt wonderfully smooth when we were done.

Our group meet up after the baths to visit one of the palaces before dinner. First we stopped off at the Tombeaux Saadien, where many of the ancient kings are buried. What I found most interesting was that none of the tombs were marked, which is very different in comparison to Western style graves with elaborate nameplates and decorations. We also visited Palais la Bahia, a beautiful structure completely abandoned and empty. Unlike Versailles or the other European palaces, we could roam free through the place and explore to our hearts content without worrying about expensively restored furniture or wall hangings. 

That night we decided to mix things up and headed out to Nouvelle Ville, the more modern section of Marrakech outside the Medina walls. And what a different there was! We felt like we’d stepped into a tropical version of Paris, or a fancy desert resort in the U.S. Even the restaurants there were too pricey for us to eat dinner! While I’m glad we saw it for comparison, I actually preferred the Medina area. It felt more real and less like a facade built for wealthy French tourists. 

Then he had yet another delicious meal of Moroccan bread, couscous and other common dishes before turning in early. Though my stay in Marrakech wasn’t entirely finished, 4 of our group got up early the next morning to catch a 10 hour bus ride to Fez. I had one more full day in Marrakech to do any final sightseeing before I was to catch a night train to Tangier for the final leg of my trip. But more on that to come soon.

The inside of Palais El Bahia. The way they use Arabic writing in the decoration of the walls is absolutely beautiful.

The beautiful, if not a little crowded, Barcelona beach

Another 4 days and it was time for Kari, Jessie and me to hit the road yet again, this time just across the country to Barcelona, the beautiful Catalonian city that sits on Spain’s eastern Mediterranean coast. 

We met up with our friends David (who is studying in Paris with us this semester) and Ken (who is currently studying in Cairo) at our hostel. There was just one thing missing, our final comrade Ian (a student in London this semester). No one could reach him on his phone and we had yet to hear when and IF he was coming to Barcelona. We decided to grab food while we waited and began our first of many wanderings through the city.

A few wrong turns led us past a small, but noticeable Red Light District, but we eventually made it to La Rambla, the central street. We made our way up La Rambla, passing street artists, outdoor cafés and children performing some sort of stick martial arts as though they were fighting in large gangs. 

After a pretty long walk we found a tapas restaurant that looked good and decided to stop in for some food. It turns out tapas in Barcelona aren’t nearly as good or as cheap as the tapas in Madrid. But we enjoyed a much needed meal anyway, even after our waiter refused to speak anything but Catalan during the course of dinner. Paris has undoubtedly given us all a strong sweet tooth after every meal so we found our way to a café for more chocolate con churros (again, not nearly as good as those in Madrid). It was at the café that we finally heard from Ian, who had arrived safely in Barcelona after all! It was a joyous reunion and the first time our traveling 6-some had finally joined all together. 

To celebrate our first night together, we made our way to a bar called Bosc de les Fades, or the Fairy Woods, which turned out to be a bar inside a wax museum, decorated from floor to ceiling like woods straight out of a Lord of the Rings book. If nothing else, the bar was worth the atmosphere, though apparently we missed the spontaneous thunderstorms that are sometimes simulated throughout the venue. Not ready to turn in quite yet, we grabbed Ken’s guitar and went down to the harbor for a midnight sing-along. 

The next day we rented bikes from the hostel and set out to explore the city on two wheels. We biked along the waterfront and passed the harbor and the beaches! It definitely felt good to be near the sound of waves crashing again. At one point we stopped to picnic in Parc de la Ciutadella. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed relaxing on the grass and people watching. 

Barrio Candela, the great band we listened to in the park

After lunch we wandered around the park and stumbled upon several booths for food, massages, animal lovers and more all set up for Earth Day. We would have spent more time checking out the booths but it began to rain and we decided to find a place to duck in for coffee. Before we had even left the park, we found a music group dressed brightly in yellow playing in a clearing. Attracted to their music, we stayed to watch. The band was made up of Spanish speaking people from all over Latin America and even had a 7 year old who could break dance…in a ninja suit! They were called Barrio Candela and we got so into their concert that we forgot about the rain and listened to them for nearly 2 hours. 

Eventually we decided it was time to return to the bikes, but when we got back to where we had locked all 6 bikes, the chain was cut and one of them was gone! This immediately darkened the mood but we reported it to the police and went straight back to the hostel. Luckily the stolen bike the was the cheapest of the 6 and the guy who rented them to us cut us a deal and we split only half it’s original cost. But it was a bummer and an unfortunate end to our biking excursion. 

To cheer ourselves up, we played a few rounds of cards and then headed out for a delicious dinner at a Mediterranean themed restaurant. After, we hit the beach again with the guitar and spent a few hours just enjoying the music and the cool ocean air. 

The Sagrada Familia, this photo doesn't even do it justice

Unfortunately we only had 3 nights in Barcelona so our final day we decided to try to pack as much in as possible and set out to see the Sagrada Familia, a beautiful church designed by Antoni Gaudí that has been under construction since 1882. The church is incredible and extremely ornate (in fact, the term “that’s so gaudy” actually came from Gaudí’s unique style). One side is dedicated entirely to the crèche while the other to Jesus’ death. All of the molding and sculpting was perfectly calculated by Gaudí before his death. There is even a cryptogram where over 300 combinations of the numbers add up to 33, the age of Jesus at the time of his death. Though it’s been under construction for over 100 years, I don’t expect that it will be finished anytime soon. It really put the creation of such grand monuments into perspective for me. Imagine how long it would take if they couldn’t use modern technology!

After the Sagrada Familia we headed back to the center of town to check out La Boqueria, a large market off La Rambla. All of the food was so cheap that we decided to buy ourselves a picnic dinner. Later that night took the food to the Magic Fountain at Plaça d’Espanya (which unfortunately wasn’t turned on) and ate with a beautiful view of a park and the square below. When it started to rain we hid out under an overhang and ended up playing ice breaker games to pass the time. I guess that’s what happens when you put 2 tour guides, 2 orientation advisors, 2 a cappella singers and a theater major together. It may have been a little silly but it was definitely a fun night. 

I was very disappointed to be leaving Barcelona the next day because I felt that 3 days was not enough time to fully soak in the city and see all it has to offer. It’s a place I’d love to visit again. In fact, it’s right behind Paris on my list of favorite cities in Europe. In a lot of ways it actually reminded me of home. Set near the water (though with a bit sandier beaches than the Pacific Northwest), it had that laid back and friendly vibe that I love so much about Seattle. I have no doubt that it’s definitely a place to which I will return.

Beautiful gardens outside Palacio Real

After 4 calm, relaxing days in Italy it was time for Jessie and me to continue our spring break adventures and make our way to Madrid to meet up with our friend Kari. We had another long day of travel ahead but we made it to the airport without problems. It was there that I discovered a small hitch in our plans. It seems that my ticket was somehow misplaced and I was not guaranteed a spot on the plane. Luckily a friendly Italian woman (who proved to me how small the world is when she told me she lived in Everett for a year while her husband worked for Boeing) was able to find me a decently priced ticket for the same flight. Things were back on track!

Kari met us at the airport and we were happy to have our threesome reunited for the remaining week and a half of break. It was late by the time we made it to our hostel, Musas Residence, but we got a recommendation for food nearby and took off to feed our growling stomachs. We were delighted by the tapas restaurant we found, a hole in the wall place called Casa Toni that had delicious sangria and cheap food. I knew the minute I discovered tapas that we would have a good time in Madrid. 

After a good night’s sleep we woke up to begin our adventuring. We started by visiting the Reina Sofia, Madrid’s modern art museum that has large collections of Dalí and Picasso. In the vain of modern art, the Reina Sofia was impossible to navigate and we spent our first hour just trying to learn which elevators would take us to which floors of the museum. We eventually made our way to the main collection but realized we knew little about Spanish art and only stopped for the artists we recognized. Needless to say I’ve discovered that I’m not a huge fan of modern art, but I’m glad we had time to check it out. 

For lunch we decided to try 100 Montaditos, a restaurant that sells small sandwiches, called bocadillos, each for around 1 euro. The concept is to oder several small sandwiches of different types, which are served with chips. We really enjoyed this place because not only were the sandwiches delicious and cheap but we could try a variety of types. Paris really should take a few tips from Madrid when it comes to cheap and tasty food…

Right next door was a café selling a Spanish dessert staple, chocolate con churros. Each plate of warm, crunchy churros is served with a cup of thick hot chocolate. It’s a great combination and was the perfect dessert after our meal. 

Inside the Palacio Real

USC has a program in Madrid similar to it’s Paris program, so we were able to meet up with the USC students that afternoon for a guided visit of the Palacio Real. Though Spain still has a monarchy, they only use the palace for special functions. It was beautiful inside but very ornate and stifling. I felt as though I had to speak softy and breathe lightly during the entire visit. Though they may have had a lot of money, the Spanish monarchs really didn’t have much taste. At least we had an enjoyable tour from a Spanish art history professor named Paco and we had a chance to say hello to our USC friends.

Later that night we made friends with two people staying in our hostel room from Toronto. We invited them to dinner and they decided to join so we all headed out to try the best tapas bar in all of Madrid, El Tigre. Though it was only 8:30 p.m. the entire bar was crowded and we were lucky to find standing room near the counter. The tapas were even better than the ones from our previous night and we enjoyed many helpings of croquettes and patatas bravas.

Our next day in town we played tourists and visited all the major sights, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Gran Via. Then we hiked up to the northern part of the city for delicious lunch and hot chocolate at a trendy chocolate shop. Though the hot chocolate didn’t come with churros like the day before, it was still excellent.

On our way back into the center of Madrid we passed Puerta de Alcalá and a beautiful part of the city. We spend the afternoon relaxing and eventually grabbed dinner with another new friend from our hostel.

Photo shoot in Parque de el Retiro

Our final day in Madrid, Kari and I frolicked in the Parque de el Retiro and then ducked inside for coffee when it suddenly decided to pour down rain (certainly not what we were expecting in Spain during spring break). We also ran into a friend from the USC Paris program who had just arrived in Madrid so we grabbed dinner with her before turning in early.

Madrid was a pretty city (especially when the sun decided to come out) but much different than I expected. It was less “Spanish” and seemed much more northern European. I imagine that it’s the type of city one could really grow to love after an extended stay, but we were ready to leave when our 4 nights were up. I definitely preferred it’s neighbor to the East, Barcelona, our next stop on the whirlwind two weeks that were spring break.

The village of Manarola in the Cinque Terre

After an incredible, but exhausting, two week excursion around the world, I’m now back in Paris to finish off my final month abroad. Before I even begin to breach the subject of my final days in Paris, I need to recount the exciting adventure that was spring break.

My trip began Friday, April 10 with a full day of travel to the Cinque Terre, Italy. A cluster of 5 small villages along the northern coast of Italy, the Cinque Terre is a beautiful, serene vacation spot. My friend Jessie and I stayed in the southern most town, Riomaggiore. The other towns (Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare) stretch along the coast and are connected to one another by hiking trails and trains. 

Tired from over 12 hours of buses, planes and trains, Jessie and I spent our first night exploring Riomaggiore and eating delicious and authentic Italian food. During our walk around the town (which has only one main street leading up a steep hill) we stumbled upon a Good Friday church service. The church and the paths leading to it were ringed in candles and the congregation was mingling outside, preparing for a parade. At 9 p.m. they began to process throughout the village with the priest at their head holding a megaphone strong enough to make his voice permeate every corner of the town. Behind him people carried idols of the Virgin Mary and Jesus and a brass band dressed like sailors followed. Though fun and interesting to watch, the procession was a little eery and unlike any religious event we’d seen in connection with Easter. 

Hot and tired on our hike down into Corniglia

For our first full day, we got up early and began our hike to the other villages. To get to the next village we had to walk along the Via del Amore, an overhyped walkway that has locks symbolizing being “locked in love.” While the path itself may have been a little cheesy, the views were certainly romantic. We explored the next town, Manarola, for about a half an hour (which is all the time you really need to explore any of the 5 towns) and then started our real hike into the hills. The Cinque Terre is known for it’s Sciacchetrà wine and the vinyards were literally cut into the hills. Though the walk was straight up and strenuous, we were rewarded with beautiful views at the top before we began our decent to Corniglia, where we cooled off with a little gelato. 

For Easter Sunday we road the train into the northern part of the Cinque Terre, first Vernazza and later Monterosso. Vernazza was by far my favorite village. It had a central square built right along the water and several open-air cafés with brightly colored umbrellas. It seemed much more bustling than the other towns and I liked that it was centered around the small port. Though Monterosso was the most touristy, it had the best beach and we enjoyed soaking up all the sun Paris has been denying us. We headed back to Riomaggiore in the evening to catch an Easter service, but since it was entirely in Italian we only stayed for 30 minutes and ducked out before the sermon. Then we went back to Monterosso for another delicious Italian dinner.

Our final day was spent making sure we’d sufficiently explored each village and gotten a solid intake of sun. That night we packed a picnic of focaccia bread, cheese, salami and Sciacchetrà and ate our makeshift dinner on the rocks in the Riomaggiore harbor.

Vernazza, my favorite of the 5 villages

But one of our best memories of the trip was after dinner when we decided to check out the only bar in the town, called Bar Centrale. It had outdoor seating and we were enjoying the evening when we decided to pull out my bright pink playing cards to pass the evening. A group of Italians sitting near us were so intrigued by our game and my pink cards that they asked to join. Soon we were playing Texas Hold ‘Em with two Italian men who taught us how to say all of the card suits in Italian. It was an unexpected, fun night and a great cap to our leisurely and scenic trip to the Cinque Terre.

If I were to ever go back, I’d come more prepared to hike all day long through the lush, green hills and then cool off in the afternoon on the beach. It’s the type of place that I could probably return to hundreds of times and never become less amazed by the beautiful views and slow, leisurely way of life.

April 10 – 14: Cinque Terre, Italy

April 14 – 18: Madrid, Spain

April 18 – 21: Barcelona, Spain

April 21 – 24: Marrakech, Morocco

April 24 – 25: Tangier, Morocco

My trip has been an incredible experience so far and once it’s done I will have travelled to 3 new countries and a new continent!

Until Paris!

That’s what happened to me today as I left my apartment for my afternoon run. The group of demonstrators wasn’t large but they were certainly making a lot of noise. I have no idea what they were striking about and though I’ll scour the newspapers later tonight for any mention of a demonstration, I doubt I’ll find it.

This type of strike seems to happen a lot around my neighborhood. I have yet to figure out why, but I’ve been confronted with numerous similar events over the course of my semester in Paris. Almost every day there seems to be another education grève and the Sorbonne classes still have not reverted back to normal. This is causing quite a problem for French (and American) university students and many of the French students I know are leaving the Sorbonne to find private universities where classes are not affected by the strikes.  

We’ve chocked it up to the French just being lazy. Now clearly this is not the case. But coming from the United States, where strikes are spontaneous and can last months before they accomplish anything (i.e. the Writer’s Strike), we see little benefit in striking to actually create change, especially since so many of the current strikes in Paris have to do with the economic crises. Unfortunately no amount of striking is going to help France, or the rest of the world for that matter, rise out of their economic recession. Lucky for the Sorbonne professors, they are still getting paid to not show up to work. But if trends continue, many of the people striking may be out of work all together.

Our trip started early Friday morning. Our bus driver, Serge, led us out of Paris on a big red bus that in his words was “a new coach, baby.” After a few hours of driving we stopped in the town of Caen in Normandy, which was heavily bombed in 1944 and almost completely destroyed, to see the Memorial of Caen. This museum gave the history of the two world wars through multimedia. While there we also watched a video about the Allied invasion of the beaches of Normandy, which gave an interesting explanation of the military maneuvers they used to take France.

The American Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach

From Caen we continued to drive West to the beaches of Normandy. We stopped at Omaha Beach and  walked down to the water. The beach today is a beautiful stretch of peaceful, untouched land, and it’s hard to imagine what they must have looked like during the invasion. Above Omaha Beach now sits the American Military Cemetery and Memorial. The cemetery is beautifully done and very moving. Each soldier whose body was not repatriated after the war or who they were never able to identify has been given a white cross. The green grass and white crosses stretch across the cliffs right above Omaha Beach, which makes the it’s location extremely powerful. 

After Omaha Beach we got back on the bus with Serge, who began to play American hip hop music for us, and drove another few hours south into Brittany and the adorable walled city of Saint Malo. Brittany was first occupied by the Celtics and has kept much of it’s Celtic history and tradition. It even has it’s own regional languages of Breton and Gallo, which have Celtic influences. Brittany is also well known for its delicious savory crêpes made from buckwheat and called galettes.

In order to get the idea of local gastronomy, we went out for a delicious crêpe dinner Friday night and indulged on both savory galettes for the main course and sweet crêpes for dessert. We then explored Saint Malo and discovered a rocky island right off the coast that has a walking path when the tide is low. We adventured out to the island and had a great view of the town at night from the water. 

The beach at Saint Malo

The next morning we were up early to have a guided tour of the ramparts surrounding Saint Malo. Our ACCENT tour guide Mirek gave us the history of Brittany and the town we were staying in. Saint Malo sits out on a spit and is surrounded by water on three sides with a wall and ramparts protecting it from high tides. Over 80% of Saint Malo was destroyed during WWII but the town was restored to look almost exactly as it did before the war, giving it the same small-town charm it once had. 

After the tour we joined Serge once again to drive to another town in Brittany called Dinan. We had several hours to walk around the town and grab lunch. We found one street, called Rue du Petit Fort, that looked like it came straight out of Beauty and the Beast. Needless to say there was some singing as we walked down the street.

On our way back to Saint Malo Serge started playing music videos for us and we had a lively ride. We then had several hours to ourselves in Saint Malo so a few of us decided to enjoy the warm weather, a whopping 60 degrees, and sit on the beach. In Paris I often forget how much I enjoy being near the ocean and the beach but our time in Brittany definitely reminded me. You could tell we were all a bunch of Southern California students with the way we frolicked in the waves and sunbathed on the beach.  

That night ACCENT arranged an incredible dinner for us at a restaurant not far from our hotel. I started with a salade then had the roast duck and quiche for my main course. The dessert was what Mirek called a fête that our coordinator Sylvie had prepared for us. It included crème brûlée, fig ice cream, raspberry sorbet and chocolate mousse. We all walked away from dinner very full.

The last day of our trip we woke up early and drove back up to Normandy to visit Mont Saint Michel, which is a rocky island upon which sits a monastery and abbey. Though the monastery is no longer functioning, there is still a large congregation who attend the Catholic church. It was Palm Sunday when we visited and I enjoyed seeing all the church goers carrying their palm fronds into the service. Our tour of the monastery was interesting and the medieval church was beautiful, but the town that surrounds it is now full of tourist shops and over-priced restaurants. This made the visit a little disappointing. 

I came home from this weekend happy and reenergized, and I’m sure it has a lot to do with the beautiful weather and time at the beach. I’ve decided that northern France is my favorite part of France. This probably stems from the similarities between northern France and the Pacific Northwest, with their foggy mornings, drizzly afternoons and absolutely beautiful beaches. I’ve also realized that this is the first time I haven’t lived near the ocean, and while I love Paris, being in a land-locked city definitely makes one remember the the sense of freedom that living near the ocean produces.

The rocky island of Mont Saint Michel