Here is a video which has footage of my New French Haircut:

after getting completely lost in the metro stations yesterday, I decided to get my haircut. I was in desperate need of a trim!

Natalie, one one of the directors of the program I am in gave me the name of a place where she got her hair cut. It was in the Bastille area. I have been in that area so much recently.

I walked in and in the most broken french said, “je voudrais un coiffure, s’il vous plait” the receptionist just stared and me while one of the stylists came over and asked if I needed someone to speak english. So he motion for the only english speaking girl to come over and talk to me. I didn’t have an appointment but they could get me in right away.

I had no idea what I wanted, not even how long I wanted to keep it. My hair was so damaged I was thinking about cutting a good portion of it off.

The girl took one look at my hair and new exactly what to do with it!

anyway, as I am writing this all down I realize how boring this blog is. I am just excited to have a cute new Parisian haircut. This is the first time my hair has actually looked good since I have been here.

blah blah blah…. I’ll try to put a picture up of it.

Last weekend I journeyed to Amsterdam with a friend from Norman. He came from Berlin and I was arriving from Paris on the Thallys, the highspeed train in France. The top speed of the train is 190 mph! I loved being on a train! the country was so beautiful from Paris through Belgium to Holland.

When I arrived in Amsterdam I had about 4 hours to myself until Kenneth arrived. He suggested I go see the Van Gogh museum so I bought a map and headed that way. But while sitting on the tram, by myself far far far away from home I started to get a little stressed out, to the point of becoming nauseous.

I got of the train and stopped in a small shop (reminded me of a Forward Foods) and got the biggest bottle of water. I walked past a library and started to walk inside to rest when kenneth called me. I was SO releived to actually talk to him! I immeditaly felt better. I kept walking until I found a park.  I had given up on the idea of going to the Van Gogh museum. I sat in the park and enjoyed the sunshine. (Paris had been rainy and cold almost the entire time I had been there).

After a while I got up and headed back to the Central Station to meet kenneth. The area of Amsterdam I was in was really nice, not what I expected at all. My intial impression was if Crested Butte was 50 times larger and a major city in a European country. Everyone rides bikes, everyone is SO helpful and cheerful (i would exclude CB on that one). Everything was clean and nice.

When I met kenneth we started to walk around Amsterdam. He wanted to go the park next to the Van Gogh museum. WE picked up some grapes and bananas and some water and started walking in that direction. It turns out the park we went to was the exact same park I was in earlier that day. It was RIGHT next to the Van Gogh musuem! It was right behind me and I had no idea! ha

Amsterdam is not what I expected. I thought it would be a big dirty hippie town. But it isn’t. I thought marijuana would be everywhere but it isn’t. In the touristy areas it is but there isn’t an overabundence of coffeeshops like I imagined. I liked the discretness of this aspect of the city, the entire country, to be more specific

That night, Friday,  we took the train to Utrecht. My FAVORITE city so far. Its a college town comparable to the size of Norman. We wandered around trying to find out hostel for a while until we finally asked a concierege at a hotel. I was little nervous that we would be rude and not helpful. But he was so kind. He looked up our hotel, wrote down the name, directions and number to our hostel.

In the cab to our hostel we got to see a little bit of Utrecht. The city was quiet but lively all at the same time. Every few streets there would be small restraunts bustling with people and music. There were three or four stages set up around town with local bands playing music. When we got to our hostel, which was a Thai restaurant (see end note) on the bottom and rooms above, we freshened up and walked to the closest concert we could find. We showed up at the end but it was still lively.

Utrecht is a city built on several canals so we walked down one of the canals and then headed back home.

The next morning we took our bags to the train station and rented bikes. We rode all over that city for probably 3 hours. We rode around the country for a little bit and bought some cherries from a cherrie farm. They were DELICIOUS! I am not a huge cherrie fan but they hit the spot!

After we couldn’t ride out bikes any longer, due to our sore tooshies, we stopped and walked around Utrecht for a few more hours. We got lost so many times but we didn’t care. We had dinner at a Cuban restaurant and then took a train to Rotterdam.

The flowers in Utrecht were so pretty! They made me think of mom! She would have loved the flowers there. Apparently, April is the time to be in Holland to see all of the Tulips. Street vendors selling peonies lined the streets. Because of all the flowers and the impecaple job keeping the city clean, Utrecht smelled so pretty!

I think Mom and Dad would really like Utrecht if they were to come to Europe some day. Holland is beautiful and clean. Its a small city with cheerful unique charm.

We went into one of the oldest church in Holland. Utrecht was originally a Roman fortification under Claudius.

Because of Holland’s successful economy everything is very clean and nice. Not gaudy, flamboyant, showy, or necessarly expensive, just nice. 

I was shocked at how incredibly friendly everyone was there. In Paris everyone is very reserved and private which comes across as snotty and rude.

Rotterdam is the economic capital of Holland, Kenneth would say its comparable to a Chicago type city in the US.

Rotterdam is a shipping city so we walked down the river and saw all of the boats.

We went to a museum, I can’t remember the name of it right now, But i have its information in my room. 

In the museum I saw Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrant, and Dali.

After the musuem we went walking through a park. it was sunday afternoon and it felt like EVERYONE in the city came out to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather.

The kids in Rotterdam were….. interesting. Their style was a mix between goth, super punk, and emo. They were rowdy and a little intimidating but when I approached one about my missing camera they were extremely respectful and helpful, a nice suprise.

After rotterdam I took the train to Brussels and had a lay over for an hour (I honestly have no idea why I did this, it turned out to be  HORRIBLE idea). I walked around the central station for about 15 minutes before I promptly returned to the station. Apparently the area I was in was a pretty bad part of Brussels. I think It is a lot like D.C. if anyone knows what I am talking about. But I have been told I need to go back to Brussels when I have more than one hour to see it.

So while in Holland I saw three very different sides of the country. Amsterdam is a huge city but very touristy. Maybe a little like San Antonio. Utrecht I would compare to Norman or Austin. and Rotterdam to Houston or Dallas. Just to give you all a little bit of reference.

I am sorry about the choppy writing. I just don’t have much time on this computer and have a lot to talk about so I am just writing things as they come to my head.

I am more than happy to keep rambling on about Holland but my friends are trying to go to dinner!

Hope all is well with everyone! I really like your comments!

Remind me to tell you all about my idea of our Hostel in Utrecht and Hotel ZaZa in Dallas. But now I  have to go!

BISSOUS!

hello friends!

My computer has acquired a nasty bug which has inhibited its internet connection. I am writing this blog in the computer lab at school during a break.

I have so much to tell you all! My trip to Holland, my return to the Eiffel Tower, my friend Kenneth’s visit to Paris, my new french haircut, napolean’s tomb, seeing a famous movie star (ok, hes not that famous but you all would recognize him! he was in the Devil Wears Prada)!

I have to go back to class now!

Much love and hugs from Paris!!

Alyse

Before we went to the Musee Carnavalet we visited Victor Hugo’s (author of Les Miserables and Hunchback of Notre Dame, in case any one was wondering) house The house was beautiful but very dark. It was hard to get any good pictures of his house. His bedroom was especially dark, and his bed was so little. I am a pretty short girl and I don’t think I would be able to lay down completely in his tiny bed.

This is the room decorated completely in Chinese art. Victor Hugo and his peers found the east extremely exotic and alluring. This house as well as the house the Musee Carnavalet is in has one room dedicated to Asian art.

Both of these museum’s are in a really cool part of Paris. This area is where the Bastille was charged and demolished, the initial movement of the people to overthrow the royal family. The history of this area gives it a progressive feel today. This is where many of the protests in France today either begin or end.

It is home to the Opera Bastille, an eye-sore to many Parisians. It was built in 1989 and looks like a typical building you would see in America. It does not have the historical, traditional charm the other structures do.

I really don’t know what the counter-part would be in NYC to give you all a reference. My mom said SoHo but I am not quite sure.

The park in the middle of The Place des Vosages, the oldest square in Paris, was full of young mothers with their children. Actually, looking back now, they were more likely to be the children’s nannies.

I imagine the young, aristocratic Parisians live in this neighborhood. The kids of huge families starting their own families. I could be COMPLETELY off base but this is my conclusion. There was undoubtedly but discrete feeling of money and prestige with the inhabitants of this neighborhood.

The shopping was incredible. It wasn’t huge name brand stores Like Christian Dior or Prada. They were stores of smaller designers I had never heard of so I wasn’t intimidated to go into. Once I started to look through the clothes in a few boutiques I became intimidated. These clothes were great, with huge price tags. In my rainnbows, torn up jeans, patagoina fleece, and fanny pack wallet, (a typical american student in Paris, right?) I started to feel especially out of place. I wanted to buy everything and put it on in the store and shed my layer of grummy “Americanisms”.

Again, the discreteness of this neighborhood. It seems like its a small humble area but when you look closer its a hotspot for culture and art, a consequence of having such a grand history of residents.

We walked by a designer who was hand sewing wedding gowns. We were in complete awe of the dresses in the window.

After being shamed by these gorgeous people, clothes, and lifestyles we found lunch closer to the metro (the busier part of town) and had lunch on the steps of the Opera house. Which was pretty cool to me.

After seeing the girls in the neighborhood looking so Parisian and chic, I called my mom that night to send me clothes on the fly.

now I’m rambling. Its dinner time and its a girls birthday tonight. We are going to find a discotech of her choice and celebrate like the parisians do! and don’t worry Nancy, we are classy girls, but thank you for your loving advice.

On Monday we went to Musee Carnavalet. It is the museum of the City of Paris which moves through the history of Paris in a series of rooms that combine painting, sculpture, photography, city models and actual period rooms, furniture and all, which document Paris and the Parisians from medieval to modern times.

This is a scuplture of Louis the XIV, the “Sun King”. His outfit is VERY roman.

This is from a bridge that was destroyed during the Revolution

These dainty men are part of a larger painting that also got ruined during the revolution. This was the only piece of the painting that was restored. These men were VERY important and powerful in France during their time. It’s interesting how truly dainty they look. What you can’t see in these pictures is how life-like their faces are. It was actually surprising how alive they looked.

I would love to have this chaise in my house.

This room was my favorite room BY FAR. We actually only went into this room to stall while another group was in the room we were going to next. This room is a Jewelry Boutique from the early late 20th century. It was very whimsical.

These are actually locks of Marie-Antoinette’s hair! creeeeepy, right? These are pieces of jewlery with her hair. On the left is a ring with braided hair and the on the right is a locket with her hair. It is a little unsettling at first but weren’t giving locks of hair a gesture of love?

In this same museum there was a room with all the furniture from the prison Marie-Antoinette occupied at the end of her life. All though the room looked comfortable and filly to us today, it was truly a prison to Marie-Antoinette who had been living in luxury that none of us could ever imagine. It was also a prison because she was waiting to be put to death and watching her husband and children taken away from her one by one either by death or by force to another prison.

has this song come out in the US yet? I’m sure it has, it is on itunes. They play this here all the time! Its pretty catchy. As much as i hate to admit it, Kanye produces music I really dig.

tonight we went to a french football game!

they played Columbia.

It wasn’t even a big game but there were still 80,000 people in attendance.

The game was OK to watch. Im not a die hard soccer fan but It was the environment that made it exciting. Europeans LOVE football! and their love for the sport is contagious.

when we left Ashley (from NEW JERSEY) and I stopped to get food. The menu was very vague so I just put my hands up and said, “je suis vegetarien” What he returned with was a baguette with cheese and exploding with french fries. It reminded me of Fat Sandwich in Norman. Initially, I was disgusted but I was so hungry I talked myself into eating the fries off and then was curious about the taste of the entire sandwich. NOT OK. its really hit or miss here with the food

The other night after Versailles we went to the Latin Quarter with some natives of Nice that we had befriended. There is a street full of kebabs vendors. While they were in line getting there lame kebabs I went to the restaurant which was advertisting that they were VEGETARIAN. I had the MOST delicious gyro with falafel and hummus. They had fresh salsa, cucumbers and pickles you could use as garnish.

so there we were standing in the middle of a tiny Parisian street full of life and kebabs eating some of the most delicious food I have ever had.

There is also a really good sandwich place on my way from the metro to school. They have a really good vegetarian sandwich that they make right there that I can eat on my way to class.

But TODAY was a really bad day for food. For some reason I put off eating all day. When I finally got around to eating my brain was not functioning quite as sharply because of the low blood sugar (I guess). We wanted to go to the cafeteria but it was closed. So I remember seeing an Indian food restaurant near our dorms but they were close so we walked up the street a little further.

I saw a sign with an outline of a cowboy and an Indian (Native American). I thought the sign was hilarious and decided to walk in. RIght from the get-go I should have known to not eat there. It was an “American” themed restaurant. This is how Paris translates America…..

GAUDY decor, statues of Indians and cowboys. Blinking video games. a Mexican sombrero on the wall. I couldn’t figure out which sterotype they were trying to pin down. It was a modge podge of artifacts you might find in a cheap american restaurant.

the food was by far the worst part of the event.

The first and last time I was ever at a Pancho’s was when I was probably 11 but for some reason this restaurant was screaming PANCHO’S at me.

First it was this restaurant and then it was the crazy sandwich after the football game.

my camera died and my back up battery was dead at the game but I am going to get pictures from other people and put them up soon!

je t’aime!

here are some pictures from the event.

note the beer. We later found out it was non-alcoholic. Hilarity ensued when we remembered all the people acting drunk, most notably this young fellow.

I think this is France’s “hot-shot” player

Sunday we went to Versailles.

I was really excited to see it but I didn’t know any of the history (bad on my part). People I was with tried to give me a little bit of background information while I was walking through. I had earphones, which helped.

It was very grand and baroque. But I couldn’t tell what was restored and what was original and we could only go through a very small part of the Chateau, the main castle. A lot of people who knew the history of Versailles and were really excited about seeing the castles were kind of dissapointed. They said the way they restored the castle made it more of a museum….. I am not really sure what they meant by that.

The Hall of Mirrors

The Chapel

It would have been fun to be able to wander around freely in the whole castle, but then you would get idiots like me who would be tempted to sit on the beds. they have those strict rules for a reason. I lightly joked about jumping on the king’s bed and got seriously shunned by one of the history buffs. I don’t think she knew I was kidding, or she just thought my joke was really stupid. in either case, I didn’t jump on the bed But I wanted to!

The chateau was King Louis XIII’s hunting lodge but his son Louie the XIV turned it into his home.

Louie the XIV

the grounds, the gardens were so big and beautiful! we tried to walk to Marie-Antoinette’s house. Every time we thought we were there we were only at a smaller mansion outside of her house.

By the time we got to the actual entrance of Marie’s house it was closed! I was a little disapointed but I know I will be back someday!

On our way to her house we walked through the fields where Marie would go to pretend she was poor! She would put on a “costume” and heard sheep around her house. I think that is hilarious! While she was living in outrageous extravagence the french common people were in extreme poverty. But she would PRETEND to be poor. No wonder the french be-headed here, she was NUTS!

But I think all of the royalty back then were crazy. There was one king who made a rule that he was the only one allowed to wear heels….. seriously.

We stayed on the grounds until a security gaurd told us we had to leave. But being only one of few to be at the gardens was amazing! i could really take in the sights without being distracted by heards of tourists.

All in all Versailles was great.

Today I am trying to get my hair cut and buy my ticket to amsterdam and then tonight we are going to a football (soccer) game! its france versus columbia. I don’t think its a huge game but it will be really interesting to attend.

saturday we went to the French Open which is called Roland Garros here. IT was SO much fun!

We bought tickets for the second court. we wanted to get tickets for the main court but we were too far in line.  But we actually got to see a really good match. It was Julien Benneteau from France and some guy from Sweden. Benneteau was obviously the crowd favorite!

When Julien won the match he threw his towel, shirt and SHOES into the crowd! It was so cool!

its really unlikely that Julien will win the whole tournament but I am going to still think it anyway! how neat would that be if he did win and I got to watch him play on saturday!

Being at the French Open was a really great experience. I don’t follow tennis at all but it was still really interesting. It had such a different vibe than a Football game in America. EVERYONE who worked there was well dressed and very polite! everything was super organized and clean. It really made me want to start playing tennis.

this past weekend was VERY busy.

we were studying Romanesque and Greco-Roman Paris on Friday. We stated at the OLDEST church in Paris. It was right next to Notre Dame. Notre Dame DWARFED this church in size and ornateness. It was a very simple but beautiful church. They still hold services there. I would love to go back on a Sunday for a service. I wouldn’t understand a word they were saying but it would still be be a great experience.

After the church we walked to the Louvre. On the way there we saw a production of a movie. I do not know the name of the movie but we found out that its Russian director and its about a couple during WWII. They were filming on the Seine.  I did not recognize any of the actors. But ill make sure to keep my eye out for a period movie set in Paris during the second world war!

The Louvre was AWESOME! its so big though! I have to go back when I have more time to discover.

we spent a really long time at Venus de Milo. I really find this art interesting because of my Freedom in Rome class from last semester. I could have spent HOURS just in that one wing.

I had to leave the Louvre early to get to my cinema class. I was a little disappointed to take this class at first. I didn’t want to spend my time in Paris watching movies while I could be experiencing Paris for myself. But the class actually turned out to be really interesting.

We watched “The Beat that my Hear Skipped” its about a French gangster who’s really interest is becoming a concert pianist. If it is available in the US, you should rent it!