Thursday after presenting our "works of art" in Mark's practicum class, ce professeur eccentrique (Mark) took Midori, Ashley, and I out for lunch in the Marais. Mark and I shared a cheese fondue that was very good. We learned at lunch that Mark never drank until a Danish family he was staying with forced him into being a wine connaisseur. (He still only drinks a glass at a time, or thereabouts.) He can tell you about the nose, the colour, and the legs of just about anything from Bordeaux. The wine he ordered for us was a 9/10 on his pocket wine chart, so essentially it was awesome. He told us stories about growing up as a musician, living in Paris, the States, and Denmark. He's awesome.
After that, we were supposed to meet at IRCAM (musical research school linked via secret tunnel to the Pompidou Centre), for a tour and a concert. It was pretty cool, we got to sit in one of those Cagean-silence rooms and listen to our nervous system and the blood pumping through our veins. It was really crazy. (Imagine a room so silent that the only sound is your body working.) The concert after was a bit of a letdown, but the musicians were top notch. (It was a string ensemble: 2 violins, a viola, and a cello.)
Friday we went out for karaoke, which was fun. Before that, Ashley, Mackenzie, Midori, and I ventured by train to Fontainebleau, an old royal castle situated just outside of Paris. I actually would recommend a visit to Fontainebleau more than a visit to Versailles. In the words of Napoleon I, "This is the true house of Kings." (Because pretty much all of the monarchs lived there for centuries, versus Versailles which was new and had much less history.) Or something like that... Anyway, Mackenzie lived in Fontainebleau for 2 years when he was nine, so he kept having weird flashbacks which was fun. The village there is pretty charming, and the castle's grounds are beautiful and full of peacocks of all sorts. It's easier to visit Fontainebleau, because it's pretty much devoid of tourists. The rooms are also immaculately restored, and oh-so-beautiful. I think the royal balcony in the chapel is the most beautiful room I've ever seen. Other highlights include trying to sneak onto the throne (used by Napoleon, etc.) in the throne room. (One of the few european throne rooms still intact.) Thankfully, Mackenzie spotted the motion sensors before I decided whether or not I wanted to go for it. I spent the rest of the tour listening to the audio guide and trying to assess the value of the castle, in preparation for buying it one day. I must live there. (I have a lot more to say about this place but it's going to be too long so meh.) Also, on our way back to the train we passed a patisserie that Mackenzie remembered from when he was little. He said he used to always buy the "religieuses" there, so we stopped in for pastries. Mackenzie and I each bought a religieuse, and it was the best pastry I've ever had in my life. Thus, I ate it all even though I was feeling sick by the end from all the chocolate mousse! (True to form.) Also mum I don't know if you remember that cooking show we all watched that one time with the French woman who made those cheesy bun-type puff pastries? They were an appetizer? Anyway, I got one of those for us to all split and it was AWESOME. We should make them sometime.
Yesterday Midori, JW, and I went to les egouts (the sewers) of Paris, where you can take tours and learn about the Paris sewer system. On the way I had the most terrifying cab experience of my life - think along the lines of "Where do you live? When can I see you again? What if I don't stop, I'm off work, you know..." All in all, no bueno. Les egouts was pretty cool, minus the awful smell. We learned all about the different periods of Parisian history, and funny enough, Napoleon I actually said one of his greatest contributions to Paris was the clean water supplies that he supplemented! My advice for any of you who might go there some day: don't stare too long at what's in the water. Afterwards, we fought the snowy wind over the Seine to a cafe. The cafe we stumbled into was very ritzy, so we just ordered coffees and sat for what seemed like hours talking about what seemed like everything. Last night we tried to go out on the Champs-Elysees, but didn't want to pay cover so ended up in a pretty cool lounge instead.
Today, my host family is leaving for their castle in the countryside. Literally, they have a castle. But don't worry, they told me it's really hard to heat. ("You know castles," they said.) They will be gone for 2/3 of the upcoming weeks. I wish I could go with them, and they said they would've invited me, only they'll be there during the week (back on the weekends), so looks like I'll be missing out. Oh, and they mentioned in passing the other night that last September they organized a conference of 600-1000 people at Versailles. It was for all of the nobles of Europe. The topic was, "How will nobles affect the future history of Europe?" Un.real. They are very nice, and I really like them. I was chatting with my host mum the other day about relationships (since all her daughters are married to French men she's interested in learning about how non-traditional non-French relationships work), and then somehow we were talking about what I'd be up to this week. I told her that a few of our girl friends were thinking of getting together, and I said, "Kind of like a sleepover." Obviously this led to me having to explain what a sleepover was, and my host mum thought that seemed like just about the "funnest" idea she'd heard in a while. Thus, I am allowed to host a sleepover for "filles serieuse" (serious girls) while they're gone. She said she trusts me and my judgement, which is nice of her. (No, friends from home, this does not mean I'll be throwing a rager. It means I'll be worthy of trust.)
Anyway, I need to actually have a shower and actually start being productive. I ate lunch with my host family, and can't access the Stanford library/research sites (because they're closed between 4 and 8 am West Coast time) to do my homework. I think I'll go out and get some groceries for the week.
Miss you all, bisous!
Jen
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