It's official. I've seen it. Any of you homebodies out there that have never been to Europe (like myself, last week) might feel like it's some distant romantic entity that exists only in movies. I'd like to bear my testimony that I know this city is for real, and it is amazing.
We landed in Paris yesterday around 10 am; unfortunately my body clock was convinced it was more like 1 am. That was rough. We ended up taking a 5 hour nap around noon. Jet lag is also not a myth. Fortunately the nap gave us the energy requisite to hit the city. I really like it here. The architecture is spot on.
We dropped by the Eiffel Tower and did a scenic boat tour on the Seine, during which it finally hit home that I am in Paris, and that I love it here.
Today we went to the palace of Versailles. Hot hot heat. The French do not believe in air conditioning, and they gyp you on ice. But that place was very large, and quite aesthetically pleasing. Here, have a look:
They don't take pictures with civilians.
Edward Scissorhands, trimming some topiaries.
Mom went to art school. She's been waiting her whole life to see this fountain.
French architecture at its finest.
Observations to date:
These Parisians must have missed the memo from the attorney general (they should really take the advice of U.S. officials). Smoking is not a good thing.
Doug noted that "the 60's De Gaulle era is long gone." Apparently the French were at the hight of rudeness then, but they've snapped out of it or something. They have been an absolute pleasure. Our concierge and the guy that sold us fresh squeezed orange juice were downright accomodating. And I'm so glad they all speak english since I didn't bother to learn French :)
The youth of Paris are not all together very different from our own. They too enjoy mooning tourists on boats.
The homeless men are very well equipped, and they all own puppies. There was a whole colony of homeless men with foam pads, sleeping bags, luggage and puppies camped out together on our street. They were just nestled peacefully in some alcoves.
Forget NY. Paris is the city that never sleeps. It gets dark quite late here. (10:30 pm last night) And nobody seems to notice when it does. Everything just keeps going. Neat.
Epiphanies to date:
I can do whatever I want. Not a good mantra; my mother says it makes me sound spoiled. But the foundation to a nice realization nonetheless; If I want to, I can live in Europe. I can just get a job here when I graduate. I'm an adult. I'm not a part of your system.
I am a very fortunate soul. Tomorrow I am leaving the country because I get to study at Cambridge University with the Pembroke-King's Summer Programme. While there I will have the opportunity to study alternate British spellings and develop my English accent, all the while seeking out a British husband with whom I will raise British children. Only after they've developed their accent will I bring them back to the homeland - the land I love.
On a more serious note, this is what I'll really be doing:
1. Taking two classes:
Spooks and Spies: A history of British and U.S. intelligence communities, 1909 to the present
The Development of the City, from 1890 to 1990
2. Participating in old "Oxbridge" (that's British jargon for Cambridge and Oxford) tradition called a supervision. I get to work with Dr. Peter Martland, who will assist me in the development of a sort of thesis paper. I've decided to write on cyber security threats to the United States. I know nothing about this topic, but you can bet I will by the end of this term.
3. Going to the Olympics. I'm meeting up with Melissa Richardson, an old roommate doing an internship in France, to attend the Women's Volleyball bronze medal game. For anybody watching the game, I'll be wearing a big panama with a purple hat band. Look for me.
4. Ideally, I'll be doing all kinds of traveling on the weekends. Maybe get in touch with my Scottish roots. I'm definitely going to the Harry Potter Studio Tours though, because it would be a big mistake to miss that.
In short, this will be lots of fun and I'm feeling very blessed. Up to this point I've had a really great summer. Good times with friends and family. Tahoe trips, river rafting, horseback riding, etc. I just made myself sound outdoorsy, but don't worry, I spend a fair amount of time watching ABC Family.
I had a great time catching up with high school friends though. I really have had it good. Everybody's lives are taking off in the most amazing directions (shout out to Hayley Jensen, who just climbed Mt. Shasta and raised $15,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund), and we still gel so well and love spending time together.
Anyway, my time in Reno has been wonderful, and I imagine my time at Cambridge will be pretty great as well, so if you want to keep up with my activities, this is the place.
