Hatred in the Pompidou

When it comes to paintings, I tend to gravitate towards Matisse, Monet, Magritte, etc.  I like images I can make sense of, and I like things that have a sort of calm to them.  I am by no means saying that other more abstract forms of art are less remarkable, but I’m personally in favor of the aesthetically pleasing over the unsettling.  Thought provoking is great, but if I’m choosing something to put in my living room, it’s probably going to be on the more traditional side.  Boring and safe I may be, but I like looking at art that makes me happy and calms me down. 

Which is why when I saw La mi-été chez Georges by Jean-Paul Riopelle in the Pompidou, I immediately hated it.  It’s messy, abstract, and in my opinion displeasing to look at.  The colors are dark and muddled together, and I couldn’t see what was trying to be expressed.  I didn’t know what the artist wanted me to feel, other than unsettled.

            When I looked closer, I could see that there were some detailed pieces of color, and the texture of the piece was pretty incredible.  

So while I can say that the piece has some skill and intrigue, I still don't want to look at it.  Reviews have mentioned the line of white that twists its way through, possibly as a symbol of winter and snow.  I can appreciate the effort, but I just really hate this piece.

        

The Brussels Excursion

I decided to tag along with Alec and Asha to Brussels just a few days before going, and though I’d traveled by myself before, this was my first spontaneous Europe trip, and it was so cool to be doing exactly what the stereotypes for my age tell me I should be doing – traveling through Europe with a backpack and a hostel.  And Brussels turned out to be incredibly weird, in the best ways.  The architecture is nothing like Paris.  Everything is mix-matched, so you have a line of buildings on a block, each one a different color, height, and style.  And at least one of them probably has crazy cartoon graffiti.  The streets are circular zigzags that make maps extra confusing, but the public transportation turned out to be pretty easy to navigate.  Being able to get around in a new, French-speaking city helped me feel a bit more like a grown up. 

            One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the Magritte Museum.  Many of you probably saw the Magritte exhibit when it was at the Art Institute in Chicago last year.  But this was a whole museum.  A whole, permanent museum.  And Magritte pretty funny.  His paintings are clever, and shocking, and lovely.  This weekend taught me that I am a fan of surrealism.  Thanks, Magritte.

            Another wonderful part of the trip, aside from the waffles, was the Atomium.  It’s a 335 foot tall aluminum piece of architecture designed for the 1958 World’s Fair, modeled after an atom to symbolize the hope of the peaceful use of atomic energy, technology, and modernism.  Beside this structure is a large wooded park, where I very happily spent an hour or so reading Maya Angelou in the grass and the sunshine.  A pretty perfect way to spend a weekend, in my opinion.

Pensées

Pensées, published in 1670, is an incomplete work by Blaise Pascal which consists of his thoughts and opinions regarding Christianity, life and human nature. Originally these pensées were to be used in a book as a justification for the Christian faith, however Pascal died before completing his work. Pensées contains many vital musings; yet the one that is most well known is Pascal’s “wager.” Section 3, entitled “Of the Necessity of the Wager,” explains this idea immensely. This idea is the issue of whether or not God exists; Pascal states that we should seek God because we have more to gain than the alternative: “I would have far more fear of being mistaken, and of finding that the Christian religion was true, than of not being mistaken in believing it true” (241 Pensées). 

Besides the section on Pascal’s “wager,” I enjoyed reading section 2 “The Misery of Man without God” because Pascal provided insight and knowledge on the human condition. Pascal starts off by stating that the misery of man without God is explained by the fact that nature is corrupt. He then says that the happiness of man with God is because there is a Redeemer. This opening statement I think foreshadows his wager in the third section because he establishes that we are wagering our happiness when deciding to seek God; one gains happiness when they live for God. Pascal wants to do far more than convince people to believe in God’s existence, he wants to challenge them to dedicate their life to Him because in doing so they will reap the benefits of eternal life. 

Here are some of my favorite of Pascal’s thoughts from section 2: 

66. One must know oneself. If this does not serve to discover truth, it at least serves as a rule of life, and there is nothing better.

100. Man is, then, only disguise, falsehood, and hypocrisy, both in himself and in regard to others. He does not wish any one to tell him the truth; he avoids telling it to others, and all these dispositions, so removed from justice and reason, have a natural root in his heart.

102. Some vices only lay hold of us by means of others, and these, like branches, fall on removal of the trunk.

122. Time heals griefs and quarrels, for we change and are no longer the same persons. Neither the offender nor the offended are any more themselves. It is like a nation which we have provoked, but meet again after two generations. They are still Frenchmen, but not the same.

129. Our nature consists in motion; complete rest is death.

Regarding number 129, Francis Bacon, an English philosopher and statesman in the 1600s, wrote something similar to Pascal in his work Novum Organum. He said that “The human understanding is unquiet; it cannot stop or rest, and still presses onward, but in vain. Therefore it is that we cannot conceive of any end or limit to the world, but always as of necessity it occurs to us that there is something beyond.” Our human nature cannot rest because even after death our spirit lives on and is in motion; this is the something beyond that Bacon is referring to. Both him and Pascal are relaying their beliefs to their readers and how they should seek God. 

London Calling

Right after our program ended, I left for about a week in the UK.  I was feeling a little sick, like my third cold in three months was just about to attack.  Luckily, the UK turned out to be my cure for everything.  The air felt cleaner to me, and everything cleared up – my nose, my skin, my social skills, etc.  People in the hostel were friendly, and smiled at Shelby and me even though we were complete strangers (forgot to mention that the London part of this trip was with Shelby).  The first part of our trip was a whisky tasting on the London Eye, right next to the river and overlooking everything.  For the next couple days, the biggest challenge was deciding how to spend the limited time left in London.  We went with a bus tour, strolls through Hyde Park, and lots of fish and chips.  We made friends with some locals, and the language change threw me again.  I kept wanting to over-explain myself.  It was so weird and so awesome when I could just say what I meant, and people understood me.  The Brits we met were very anti-Paris, and asked us over and over if the French weren’t very arrogant people. 

Shelby left London a day before I did, and I spent my time alone at the British Museum, and the Natural History Museum.  The British Museum, you may know, is enormous, and I once again had a hard time deciding how to spend my time.  I landed on an African art exhibit, in which war weapons that had been left Nigeria had been broken apart and sculpted into “The Tree of Life.”  You should google it.  It’s pretty powerful, and I can’t do it justice in a blog. 

My next stop was Edinburgh, which has become one of my favorite places in the world.  I was lucky enough to make some good friends at the hostel, and together we climbed the tiny green peak called Arthur’s Seat.  Hiking up to the peak was the most beautiful 45 minutes of my life.  After three months in Paris, it was exactly what I needed – green, quiet, peaceful.  Paris is full of history.  That’s obvious.  But it just isn’t the same as Edinburgh.  Edinburgh wears its history so obviously that you look around yourself on the street and see for centuries. 

The National Galleries let me see how much I had actually picked up from Chantal’s class.  I hope some of you have also had the cool experience of seeing a piece of art and recognizing its painter and significance from across the room, and then feeling like an art genius for a second. 

There is so much more I could say about the UK, but in an attempt to keep it brief, I’m going to end here.  I think one of the biggest things I got from this experience, aside from that the UK is amazing, is another dose of culture shock.  It was only about a three(?) hour train ride, and it felt like stepping into a different world.  Childish as this may seem, it just made me so excited about the world at large.  You travel three hours, and see something completely unlike anything else.  We got to see a lot while abroad, and there’s still most of a world left.  I mean, come on… How cool is that?

A Biospy of a French Family

Having heard some of your horror stories, I realized I got pretty lucky with my host family.  For the most part, they were great, if a bit odd.  So here’s a little overview of my family, and some of the culture differences they helped me to see.

First there’s my host mother, Annette.  She used to work in finance, or something like that, that sounds really boring to me, so I can’t be very specific about it.  She stopped either because she was bored, or because she had kids.  Not sure which.  But she started her own organization, “Bienvenue à Paris,” to show expats and tourists a deeper side to Paris, past the obvious tourist sites.  She teaches healthy French cooking classes, leads tours, etc.  She, with help from her Filipino housekeeper, makes lunch and dinner for her family every day, which includes a salad, a main course, and then fruit or yogurt for dessert.  She offers water during the meal.  There is no wine or cheese.  She does the laundry and the dishes, and enjoys entertaining guests for a meal.

My host father, Olivier, works in Marsaille, and commutes a couple times a week.  He often gets home around midnight, stays for a day or two, and then leaves at 6 am.  He does not know how to operate the dishwasher, the laundry machine, or how to cook himself a meal.  His owns a business that sells window hangings, or something.  Again, not super interesting.  He laughs incredibly loudly, and though he seems pretty fit, his wife and daughter frequently yell at him to stop eating so much. 

The daughter, Valentine, is 18 years old, pre med, and probably weights about 80 pounds.  (Ironically, my host parents often nagged me for not eating enough, and seemed concerned that I might be anorexic.  Yeah.  Okay.)  She often whines at her mother, as teenagers do, and plays American top 40s music loudly in her room.  Her mother has to yell her name several times before she shows up to dinner, eats quickly, and leaves, much to the displeasure of her mother, who would like her to stay and make conversation.  She reminds me of why my relationship with my parents got so much better once we weren’t living together, but she’ll be living at home while she goes to medical school in Paris.

The son, Alexander, is 22 and just got an internship with Amazon.  He is still living at home, and he and his sister often fight loudly over who gets to use the shower first.  That’s about all I know of him.

My host family is odd, and sometimes confusing.  But I was offered a good dinner every night, a view of the Eiffel Tower from my room, and a cool cat to hang out with.  They were patient with my questions and only allowed me to speak in French, which helped me improve a lot.  They corrected my grammar without seeming condescending, and asked questions about my family at home.  Overall, not the worst pace to spend three months.

Brief Return

I think that the oddest day I ever spent in Paris took place a few weeks after the program ended. My friend Kelsey and I had traveled through Ghent, Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin and we headed back to Paris for her return flight to Chicago and so that I could meet up with my parents, who were staying in Paris for a couple days until we would leave together the following morning to go to Portugal. 

Kelsey and I arrived at the airport, dragged our suitcases on to rerB and waited. After hearing so much Dutch and German the past week I felt relieved and in control again. I knew where I was going, I could eavesdrop on the conversations around me. 

We returned to my host mother's apartment, where I had packed up my fifty pound suitcase and left it in the closet of my old room. Walking down the street felt wonderful. I passed by Le Petit Balard, where Gilles was standing outside. 

Seeing my host mom was great. She could not have been any more kind during my stay. Her apartment looked the same. The kitchen table where I would eat everyday looked the same. My room looked completely bare. The jewelry and make up which had remained on the dresser during my stay was already in a suitcase. 

I grabbed my things and said good bye to her. She said to come back any time. 

We met my parents where we would all be staying that night, a little apartment in Montmartre. Kelsey and I spent the rest of the day exploring, and getting incredibly drunk on the steps of Sacre Coeur. Getting lost and finding our way again. It's kind of funny, that I never spent as much time in Montmartre during the entire program as I did that night. 

I had a red eye flight to Lisbon that morning with my parents. We left the apartment at four in the morning. I was still drunk when we arrived at the airport and remained inebriated and disgruntled until our flight took off. 

Champagne

Champagnes are one of my favorite drinks. After we visited Reims I did more researches on Champagne. I found some basic and useful knowledge to share with you.

How to choice a Champagne?

For me the most important thing is the sweetness of the Champagne. There are different ways to descirbe the sweetness of the bottled Champagne Wine:

• Extra Brut     (less then 6 grams of sugar per litre)
• Brut     (less then 12 grams of sugar per litre)
• Extra Dry     (between 12 and 17 grams of sugar per litre)
• Sec     (between 17 and 32 grams of sugar per litre)
• Demi-Sec     (between 32 and 50 grams of sugar per litre)
• Doux     (50grams of surgar per litre)

More than 90% of Champagne wines are categorized as Brut now in the market. Although in 19th century Champagne was generally much sweeter than it is today.

Then it came with Cuvee. There are 4 standard ranges for that:

• Le brut "non-millesime" (Not Vintage), usually blended from wines of different years and from different crus(growth). 
• Millesime (Vintage Champagne), is made exclusively from the wines of a single exceptional harvest when the quality jusitifies the declaration of a vintage.
• Rose Champagne, has more color and body than regular Champagne.
• Special cuvee,Champagne whether vintage or non-vintage, is always blended from wines of particular delicacy.

Different Champagne Bottles

A picture worth more than anything.

How to Recognize real Champagne?

• Name of the producer or company name, followed by the name of the commune where that producer is registered and the country of origin (France)
• The registration and code number issued by the CIVI, precede by two initials that indicate the category of producer
• Batch code
• Allergen content
• The Green Dot symbol indicating that the collection and sorting of packaging waste is financed by producers and retailers
• Where appropriate, the vintage and specific details relating to the type of cuvee

Of course these are just really basic stuff, but it is enough for you to buy a good bottle of Champagne. Get a tulip glass, and cool your Champagne to 48F, and enjoy it.

Paris 3&4 Arrondiseement

    One of the best place to go during when you want to experience Paris. It is also one of the places to go on Sunday, since everything is closed, excepted the crowded Champs-Elysees.

    During the mid-13th century, the King of Naples and Sicily, built his residence near the current n°7 rue de Sévigné. In 1361,  King Charles V built the Hôtel Saint-Pol, a mansion where he resided during his reign as well as his son’s. Today’s Place des Vosges was teh 17th century Royal Square, and Le Marais became the French noble’s favorite place to stay. 

    

    This area is called Le Marais. It is also an old Jewish quarter. I've never been in to the little streets on my previous trips while  I was in Paris. And the first time I visited there, I got so lost in the streets there. To be honest, After 3 months staying paris, I always take the same paths so I don't get lost in there. 

Walking there feels like walking at Sohos of both London and Manhattan, which you can find lots of boutique,  cafes and pubs. Great art works are everywhere over there. I can feel the city. How Parisians live there life in the City. I didn't see that many tourists in Le Marais, at least there aren't that many Chinese tourists there, which usually you see us everywhere. Also I had the best fallafel ever. (L'As Du Fallafel)

You can see the oldest private house of Paris on rue de  Montmarency. There are lots of museums in these areas, such as Musee Picasso, Les Archives Nationales, Pompidou.  You can also see Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame de Paris in the 3rd and 4th arrondissement.

 Definitely one of the best places to go while in Paris.

Les Châteaux

One weekend excursion I really enjoyed was our trip to the Loire valley to see some amazing châteaux: Château de Blois, Château d’Amboise, Château de Villandry, Château de Chenonceau and Château de Chambord. Every one of them was different yet all grandiose in the same. With their intricate tapestries, the winding staircases, the labyrinth of hallways, the extensive painting collections and the relaxing ambiance of the gardens surrounding them. Everything about them was extraordinary and like nothing I have ever seen before. One of my personal favorites during our visit was the château de Chambord. 

Château de Chambord has been around since the early 1500s and was one of the first châteaux to be categorized as medieval. However, this château also has elements that were very modern and unprecedented for its time compared to other châteaux that were being built along the Loire. The architectural techniques used, most prominently the idea of the donjon (the keep/tower in which one could look over the rest of the castle grounds) as well as the double helix staircase, has made this château a true aesthetic marvel. 

The castle was built under the request of François I by masons who had the expertise and experience from working on the construction of similar buildings in the Loire area. Although construction started in 1519, the Battle of Pavia in 1525 caused a minor standstill in the construction process. A year later, they continued work on the château. Throughout François I’s reign as king, more parts of the castle were completed; however upon his death in 1547 work halted again. 

Château de Chambord, is visited by many tourists as well as locals in the 21st century; this was a different story in the 17th century. People of royalty did not visit the château regularly, the stewards and the construction workers who lived there were the only ones fortunate enough to admire this château on a daily basis. Finally, the château was completed during the reign of Louis XIV; this would have been sometime in the mid to late 1600s. 

Throughout the centuries, this château went from a place for hunting parties to a private château and then it finally was purchased by the government in the early 20th century. Throughout this time, the château has gone through many ownership changes, has survived the French Revolution, and has been restored several times. I am so fortunate to have been able to visit such a richly historic and beautiful place during our time in France. 

Blending in

            From Day One in Paris, it’s been pretty easy to spot the American tourists.. Or any tourist in general.  Though I quickly accepted that there was no way I’d ever be mistaken for an actual Parisian, I did take a few steps to try to seem slightly less touristy.  I realized, though, that most of the things I was doing to try to fit in sort of bummed me out. The list is as follows:

I only used red or black fingernail polish.

I stopped smiling at people on the street/metro.

I never brought food on the street, even if I’d missed breakfast and really wanted a granola bar.

I only wore shorts once, and seriously regretted it.

I learned how to fake comprehension of French I didn’t understand.

I wore a lot of black.

Doing these things, I felt a little bit less like a sore thumb.  But I missed colorful fingernails and clothing.  I missed being friendly, or at least sharing a smile with strangers.  I felt pretty restricted, and I still didn’t really feel like I fit in with Paris.  I kept wishing I could tell the French to just, y’know.. Chill out a little.

Les maladies à Paris

Being sick in Paris is the worst.  And somehow seems to happen about once a month.  When I arrived in late March, I felt a cold coming on as soon as I stepped off the plane.  I swallowed as many multivitamins as I could, and slept as much as jetlag would allow.  One of my first orders of business, of course, was a trip to the pharmacy.  Once there, I immediately blanked on all the French vocab I’d gained since high school, so instead of telling the pharmacist “J’ai un rhume,” I grumbled out “Ah, j’ai.. un…” and pointed at my throat.  What a great impression.  Super articulate.  The pharmacist interpreted, and brought out three things for me.  I rejected the nasal spray and paid for some pills and a powder to be added to water.  The drink turned out to be the worst thing I’d ever tasted, and I decided I’d rather suffer the cold than one more sip of that greenish brownish hell water.  The pills had extract from asparagus, and other such natural remedies.  I just wanted some real drugs.  I wanted to be pumped full of headache-killing chemicals.  But I didn’t know how to communicate that.  So I met my host family with illness induced tears in my eyes.  The second time I got sick, I realized how much I rely on Walgreens.  All I wanted in the world was a place to browse cold medicine, crayons, and ice cream.  Absence made my heart so much fonder of the convenience of Walgreens.  Much as I enjoyed my time abroad, I’m not sorry to have made it out of Europe before Sickness Round III began.

Olympia

Art is always more than what we see.  I would like to talk about the piece that we saw in the Musee d'Orsay which was painted by Edouard Manet, first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon. The painting as we saw it was about a nude woman lying on the bed, there is a black servant with flower and also a black cat at the end of the bed.

The woman, who is the main character of the painting, was modeled by Victorine Meurent.  She modeled for Manet for several other paintings, such as The Luncheon on the Grass. She herself is not a real model, and after continue developing the relationship with Manet, she began taking art classes. She exhibited in the Salon six times. And in 1876 her painting were selected for inclusion at the Salon's juried exhibition, when Manet's work was not.

The way Manet painting her nudity, the confrontational gaze and number of details identifying her as a prostitute, which caused huge arguments and criticisms.  Olympia was a name associated with prostitutes in 1860s Paris, because of this painting.

Manet's Olympia was inspired by Titan's Venus of Urbino. Titan's painting was refers to Giorgione's Sleeping Venus.

(Titan)

(Giorgione)