Caribou "Hummingbird"

Really beautiful video with music by the most underrated band of the last decade, in my opinion...

Versilles (Part I)

So, yesterday we took a trip to Versailles for the day. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant before getting lost in, possibly, the most beautiful place I have ever been. It's strange when you're inside the palace because each room you enter is so beautiful that you almost get desensitized to how astonishing it really is. Every detail of the massive palace is carefully crafted to meet "le Roi Soleil" (Sun King) demands, and you constantly have to remind yourself that this was all for one man. In a way, it's almost disgusting that one person had so much, but from a historic standpoint it's nothing but incredible. Sadly, the trip felt a bit rushed and I think I'll be taking a trip out there soon to really get lost. It was a cold, clear winter day and the natural lighting was just phenomenal. Over the next few days I'll post pictures of the palace so keep checking back!

Enjoy!

 Perfect soundtrack to getting lost in Versailles...

IES Abroad kids (SO MANY AMERICANS)

Colin whipped out the ole film camera for Versailles. A wise decision, in my opinion. I'm excited to see how they turn out. He has a good eye.

My buddy Laura's Lanvin bag. Obviously necessary for a trip to Versailles. On the record, I had permission to take this photo... though it looks like I snuck it.

The entree (appetizer in the states) was a pâté wrapped in salmon with a vinaigrette salad.

The main course was roast duck with potatoes and a creamy sauce that i can't remember the name of. I could get used to eating duck for every meal.

...and dessert was a pomegranate (i think!) sorbet with sliced pineapple and drizzled carmel sauce. Simple and delicious. This was followed by a petite noir (something between espresso and coffee), per usual.

Il fait beau! Look how gorgeous the sky was and the temp hovered around 30 Fahrenheit. Clear skies with a thin layer of clouds, a bit of fine snow on the ground, and gorgeous views inside and out. So perfect! Outside the gate to Versailles.

Top of the gates. In Texas, we use barbed wire. Louis XIV used golden arrows with tassels attached...

The main entrance into Versailles.. what can I say?

As I mentioned earlier, Louis XIV deemed himself the Sun King. Throughout the palace, there was tons of imagery to the sun. This was the first symbol you'd see when walking into the palace. Along with referencing the sun, Louis XIV was obsessed with mythology. Every room contained some sort of reference to Greek mythology, and many fountains in the garden were themed on mythology.

"Franco-American" BFF Austin. Before we walked in, almost every person in our group had a camera attached to their face. Sometimes you can't help but be a tourist. Austin threatened to spend the day taking pictures of me taking pictures, which is probably why we're friends. Anyway, we both agreed that Versailles felt a little like South Beach in Miami.. LOL

I couldn't get far away from the palace to ge a picture of the whole thing, but this is one of the wings near the entrance. The crazy thing about Versailles is that the interiors, exterior, and gardens are all equally as breath-taking. You could honestly spend a day examining each and still not "get" everything in. Really a crazy place.

Finally, the entrance to the palace. The inscription above the doors says "All the glories of France" if you could not tell. I'm going to leave you here now, but I'll post pictures of the inside soon!

Pharoah Sanders "Thembi"

Nothing better than a little Pharoah with my coffee...

Perfecto

The best part of Paris is the shopping.. I found this PERFECT Schott Jacket at a vintage store today. It's everything I've ever wanted and more...

Thing in Paris have been going well. My computer is having a rough time, though. I haven't been posting much because it's seemed very fragile. If the posts stop all together, don't worry- I'm not dead. We started class this week and I am especially excited for my Impressionism and Post-Impressionism course because half of the classes are taught in different museums throughout Paris. Tomorrow is our big trip to Versailles, so expect a post on that soon. Oh! And how could I forget? My favorite frenchman, Adel, payed a visit to Paris this week! It was so, so good to see him. I'm so sad we can't be in the same country most the time, but it's still great to catch up whenever we can. He and I were certainly cut from the same cloth!

Au Revoir!

   Hello dear friends! Today was my first friday off in Paris! I don't think it will be too hard to get used to this whole four day week thing! I woke up around 12:30 or 1 and layed around for a couple hours before meeting with Lily to explore things more. Though she wanted to go to Montmarte, I wanted to save that for a Sunday when everything is closed. Luckily, she agreed to go with me to a few shops around Paris. First stop? APC on Rue Madame. The store was a little more boutique than I expected, but it's because there are 3 or 4 locations in Paris. I couldn't resist a pair of riding pants, but was good otherwise. After that, we found a cute Brasserie (not a very hard thing to do in Paris) to get a croque monsier and madame. I took Lily to Colette and blew her mind up a little bit, though I really realized the greatness of Paris in the process. While we were walking around, I noticed a sign that said Comme Des Garcons (my all-time number one favorite). I knew it wasn't the store, and was of course intrigued so we pushed through the private entrance to see what was inside. At first, I thought it was a sample sale (which would've been sweet) but quickly realized it was private. Now, I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing, but I didn't recognize any of the garments I saw in the store. I'm thinking I saw the run-through for next week layed out. It was private enough of an area to be something like that, but I also have no real way of judging these things (besides not having seen any of the textiles before..). I suppose there will be more on that next week! Either way, everyone inside was insanely well dressed and wacky and it was a fun surprise anyway. After I collected myself, Lily and I went to meet Colin at the Director of IES's (my school) apartment for a nice dinner. We drank champagne and got to know each other a little bit better, which was really fun. It's great when you meet someone totally different from you, but the conversation never ceases to end. Her apartment was beautiful and, like a typical french woman, she was an amazing chef. I adored every bit of conversation we had and truly hope she invites us over again! We had an amazing dish of melted cheese over meat and potato with a pear, nut, and mushroom salad and white wine. Man, I am spoiled rotten here! The food is good EVERYWHERE. After a delicious chocolate cake for dessert, Colin and I walked Lily to the RER train stop and went to go meet up with the boys for a beer in le Marais. We chose a bar that was, in Colin's words, "chic." I'm glad to have made friends with the small group of dudes I have here because we always have a good time together. We decided, though, that tonight would be the last night we go out at 11. Tomorrow we're meeting up early, getting drunk, and making fools of ourselves around town. I'll be sure to remember my camera again tomorrow so you guys have something to look at, other than my rants!

These guys were great! In Chicago people rap or play guitar with a boom box. In France, four buddies get together and play traditional eastern European music and draw a crowd of, like, 20. Amazing.

A.P.C. @ 38 Rue Madame

Lily enjoying un café before lunch!

Lily's Croque Monsier (we did a little roll reversal today.. it was freakie)

It's very strange to me that Goyard are willing to stack luggage on the street like this. At the same time, it's the only time I can openly drool on a piece of Goyard (and I mean luggage, not accessories).

Miu Miu Paris. This season is one of the few-ever women's collections that has really made me excited, and this store is buckwild. Cayla, this is for you.

It's great to go shopping and see stuff like this, but at the same time it's so beautiful that I want to know everything about it. Adel, help please?

The aforementioned Comme Des Garcon store! FREAKIE RITE?

*lalalala everything looks cooler in Pairs*

Ah! The meat portion of tonight's feast! Delicious!

The Directrice of my program, Natalie, setting up the table for her son, Lily, Colin, and I. She had a wonderful apartment and was an even MORE wonderful host. I'm lucky to have someone like this here to talk to! Also, notice her great art- very Basquiat, no?

DA DUDEZ.

Colin and Austin! Austin is really great! One thing I didn't think about loving in Paris would be the Americans I would meet. Austin is the shit. He's got a head on his shoulders, a big heart, and is funny as fuck. BONES, DUDE.

"just the same, but brand new"

Sorry for the recent lack of posting- I've been seriously neglecting bringing my camera to class for fear of ruining or losing it. If I live in this fear, though, I would never bring it anywhere. So, friends, I pledge to upload more pictures and attempt to write more. Worried that you'd think I'd given up on you, I decided to post this just so you'd know I didn't fall of the Eiffel Tower, get trapped in the catacombs, or get lost on the metro indefinitely..


Things in France are still going well for me. We have two more days of language orientation and then real classes start. I'm nervous to see how that goes. Though I do not expect it to be a walk in the park by ANY means, I hope the homework load is light enough to still be able to explore the city a few times a week. I'm sure I'll manage it, either way. I have no other option! I'm only going to be living here for a few months!

Tonight, Lily, Colin, and I are having dinner with the Directrice from the program, Natalie. She invited us so that we could meet her son, and she could introduce us to a parisian that I'd only met briefly before. I am very excited to get to know Natalie more, she seems like a very good person to know because she really understands the french, has amazing tips on surviving here, and can answer any question with examples from previous students. Surely, I'll take pictures of it all tonight and upload them tomorrow!

Bises,
Reilly

Wow! After a rather depressing mood swing this weekend, I am back to feeling great about Paris! What can I say? Rainy days and Mondays always get my down. I think everyone living abroad at some point realizes that their time there is limited, and the experience is completely in their control. No one else can make Paris more or less fun for me, and this realization has brought me back to appreciating how freaking lucky I am to be here! Saturday night, I enjoyed a beer and sandwich all by my lonesome in le Marais, a chic neighborhood in Paris. Though I tried to talk to a few girls, it's hard to communicate when you don't speak a common language well enough to carry conversation. Sunday I had a delicious lunch with my host family. The matriarch of my family is a seriously phenomenal chef- we had a roasted chicken, green beans, almond purée and tiramisu for dessert. I spent the rest of the day with my friend, Taylor, walking along the Seine and watching the Eiffle Tower light up at twilight. After dark, we headed to le Bastille, another fun neighborhood. We got lost in some alley and wound up having a few beers in a strange Egyptian restaurant that looked like a cave. The place was perfect for conversation because it was really quiet and the beer was cheap! Though no Parisian would ever go there, and no American tourist would ever find it, we enjoyed being in a strange, new place just chatting. Tonight is the night of Colin's big show- opening for Deacon of Animal Collective! I have to say, I am so proud of him and happy to be by his side. Colin is one of the most dedicated people I know and I'm glad to see that good things happen to good, hard-working people! I'm sure I'll post a rant on how great he was over the next few days!

My friend, Taylor, who goes to UT was my companion for this wonderful day! You know you've found a good friend when you can meet for the second time and not have a moment of silence the entire day! Looking forward to many more Parisian adventures together!

This man was playing Moon River on the accordion, trumpet, and drums at the same time. It reminded me of a cute Czech girl in Chicago that I know..

This bridge is over the Seine. Lovers visit it and attach a lock with their initials or name to it, and throw the key into the river. The romance of Paris can only be understood when you're here, otherwise it just seems cliché..

Hotel des Invalides

The museum of (basically) the Southern Hemisphere is covered in different moss and grasses. AMAZING!

Not going to waste your time writing about how this made me feel, but to an outsider visiting Paris it is quintessential to visit. If Parisians think this is "tourist-y," then don't even bother coming abroad. America would seem like a heap of trash to you!

Look familiar? It's the flame from the statue of Liberty.

WOW. I LOVE unexpectedly finding stores I can only dream of back home! Givenchy, next to YSL, across the street from Balenciaga. I couldn't get a good enough picture of Balenciaga, but it is BY FAR the coolest looking store I've seen in Paris. Made Colette look like Urban Outfitters, in my opinion..

It was hard to get a picture that did these beauties justice. I had to upload this so Cayla, my sister, could see what she has to look forward to here! Givenchy!


I need to quickly appologize for the uneven format of my blog- I know it's totally inconsistent, but using blogspot has been really frustrating. I am just now getting the hang of it, and it still looks like crap! Oh well. Patience is a virtue.. 

The Garfunkle to My Simon...

Really miss, you buddy! Thinking of you all the time!

Jour Trois et Quatre

So, after two rather drawn-out days of orientations I have finally started exploring Paris. I am starting to think more and more in French and am excited to see how confident I get by the time I leave. Jet lag has been a bit of a bummer- I'm exhausted all day and cannot sleep at night. I cannot wait to be adjusted to the time. The train system has taken a bit of getting used to because it's way more complicated than the simple color coded lines of Chicago. Today, I began feeling a bit more confident and am about to leave for my first night out. The weather has been grey and cold, but it's enjoyable. Paris is really beautiful under any weather. It's true what they say about Parisian women- you really can't beat them. Never in my life have I felt so attracted to so many women in such a short amount of time. The architecture isn't bad either! Even the more industrial buildings are still attractive to me- I love the juxtaposition between the old and new. As you will see, I visited the Louvre today and it was completely a religious experience. Before I even entered the building I couldn't believe what I was walking by. The building is SO huge and SO detailed and generally overwhelming. I'm looking forward to a boat tour up the Seine tomorrow afternoon and plan to do some window shopping in le Marais tomorrow! I am missing everyone at home very much, but am having a total blast here. I find myself smiling from ear to ear when no one's looking to ensure that I remain an anonymous Parisian (until I open my mouth)..

Colin holding his crappy, European cell phone (I can say it's crappy because I have the same phone- truly a piece of shit.)

Library where I will do most of my studying! Love the simplicity of it.

I love Parisian graffiti! It just looks better on flawless white stone.

Un petite noir. Cheap, delicious.

View across the Seine.

SMAN!!! A nice reminder of home!

The Louvre!

 ...and yes, baroque pop does sound THAT much better in Paris!

Au Revoir!