Lost in Translation

As the semester moves on, I've just gotten back from my first trip outside of France. And let me just say it was quite the adventure. Prague is probably one of the most unique cities I've ever been to- just think a mix of Middle Age castles and architecture along with modern features and LOTS of tourists. We kept trying to find the people who actually lived there and don't know if we ever succeeded. Maybe they just hide well behind the shoppers and picture-takers that crowd the streets.

Prague is definitely a smaller city than I was expecting. The first day we were there, my friends and I walked from Prague Castle all the way back to our hostel (if you look on a map, the castle is in the northwest corner of the city and our hostel was in the southeast corner). Tired as it may have made us, this turned out to be a nice little hike that let us see so much of the city. The castle and cathedral at the top are beautiful and have great views of the city below. We even got to see the changing of the guard at the castle gate. After that we were set with finding our way around the tram lines and streets. Friday night consisted of us hitting up the 5-story dance club on the river called Karlovy Lazne, which was an adventure in and of itself- let's just say we owned the bottom dance floor for a good part of the night.

Saturday we tried to go to the Old Jewish Cemetery in Jewishtown but were turned away when the guard told us it was the Sabbath and you were only allowed in to pray. Why he assumed I wasn't Jewish was beyond me... We eventually made it there Sunday and I'm definitely glad we went back. There are names inscribed on all the walls of people who were deported from Prague to Nazi camps with their last known address and date of deportation. Apparently out of 118,000 Jews, only 10,000 made it back after the war to Prague. There was also a really cool exhibit of drawings made by children in the camps about the way they viewed their situation and the future- pretty interesting to see into their minds through art. The cemetery itself was really interesting and had thousands of tombstones of Jewish people from Prague.

Overall, Prague was a great weekend trip. I think it's definitely doable in three days and I felt like we covered a lot of ground. The language barrier was comical at times, seeing as how at one dinner we asked for three waters and received one tonic water, one sparkling water, and four glasses. Not sure how that came about but that along with almost getting 5 bagels instead of a #5 bagel sandwich made for some good laughs.


Hope all is well with everyone wherever you are. I've gotten some emails/message from people and it's great to hear from you all! Keep me posted on your lives in the States and abroad.

A bientôt!

"The world is a great book...they who never stir from home read only a page." -St. Augustine

A few observations

So my first two weeks here have led me to some interesting and insightful observations about Paris, life in the city, and the Parisians themselves:

1. No matter what time of day or where they are going, most Parisian women look like they just stepped out of Project Runway.
2. Parisians love their dogs, especially tiny ones, and will not hesitate to bring them anywhere.
3. Apparently Bosnia is still a hot topic here, because all the gypsies that beg for money seem to be from there.
4. No matter how often I see the Eiffel Tower, its still a bit of a shock for me that I'm actually here.
5. Not everyone hates the glass Pyramid at the Louvre- in fact, most people think it's great.
6. Crepe stands on the street are a gift from God.
7. I don't care what the experts say- the smellier the cheese does not mean the better the cheese. Case in point- Roquefort.
8. Despite popular opinion, I really haven't had many problems with people answering me in English when I ask them something in French. Most are pretty understanding if I make a mistake.
9. Parisians don't hate Americans- they hate tourists (but who doesn't).

So those are my thoughts thus far. Stay tuned for more updates and revelations as they come to me. Also, I'm heading off to Prague this weekend so get pumped for some great pictures and stories!

A bientôt!

"A traveler without knowledge is a bird without wings." -Sa'di

If you use it, it will come

So after having been in France for 2 weeks today, I definitely feel like I'm settling in. Although I'm not a "true Parisian," I've definitely gotten a hold of life here and the ins and outs of a typical day. There's still that little matter of me speaking French, which after the other night, I'm so much more confident about. Until then, I was really unsure of my conversational skills with actual French people. Granted, I had taken a Conversation class last semester, but that was all with students around my level and in America! I can get along fine on the streets but besides Marie-France, I hadn't had an extended conversation with anyone thus far.

So the other night I was invited over to the apartment of one of my dad's business friends that lives here in Paris. I had met this guy a few years back when we all went to an O's game during his visit to the States, but that was the extent of me knowing him. Needless to say, I was petrified. Me. Jean-Luc. His family. Typical French dinner- and for those of you who have been to Europe you know that means long. I found his place and got buzzed in (after getting faked out by the door unlocking) and from the time I got into the apartment and started speaking, it just flowed. I was kind of astonished that I could carry on a conversation about sports, French and American politics, history, and more and actually make some sense. Even though I made a good deal of mistakes, I was definitely satisfied with the night. Props to all my French teachers thus far.

The travelling continued this weekend with a visit to the château of Courances and the village of Giverny, the home of Claude Monet. Our whole program had dinner at a little inn (un augberge) where I had an amazing dinner consisting of a kir aperatif (creme de cassis and white wine), assorted meats and pâté, duck with figs, raspberry cobbler, and lots of wine. The evening was complete with live music and it was great to be able to sit, relax, eat, and laugh- a lot. (One of the biggest laughs came from a picture someone snapped of me mid-sentence which I will not post here but challenge you to find in my Webshots...fair warning- it may be the worst moment captured on camera, ever.)



Monet's gardens and house were amazing and we got to see the water lilies and Japanese bridge always featured in his paintings. Just as with Versailles, these pictures may not do this place justice so if you ever get the chance to go for yourself, DO IT! Overall, an awesome weekend for site-seeing.



A bientôt!


"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we would find it not." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

While not at Versailles...

I just realized that I completely forgot to tell everyone about my homestay! Myself and another Wake guy are staying with a single woman named Marie-France Pauvert. Marie-France is probably the coolest person I could have been placed with! She is showing us the ropes of life in Paris and is always willing to help us out if need be. She doesn't speak that much English, which is going to be great for my French skills. She's also got the coolest dog ever named Prime, after and American company that her son worked for.

Once a week we eat dinner with her and any friends she invites over. Her cooking is awesome (not to rival yours of course, mom) and she always prepares a traditional four course dinner. In France, dinner consists of an aperatif (before dinner drink and apetizer), the entree, cheese and bread, and the dessert. Last night, she invited her best friend and son over so that was a great chance to speak more French. Her friend is a high school teacher so she was great with correcting our mistakes and helping us along. One thing about the Parisians, if they want to they can speak soooo fast!

I'll leave you guys with some pictures of the apartment and it's residents for your enjoyment.

A bientot!



"I sought trains; I found passengers." -Paul Theroux

A summer home?

So today we took a program outing to le chateau de Versailles. All I can say is that I don't think it's possible for any picture you've seen to do justice to this place. The sheer size of it is pretty incredible when you first see it, but the Hall of Mirrors and especially the Gardens are unbelievable. It was such a cool thing to be walking through the rooms that you know Louis XIV, Louis XVI, and Marie-Antoinette used to live and sleep in. Pretty crazy.

I think the Gardens are by far the best part of the entire experience. If ever planning a trip to Versailles, do your best to pick a day with good weather because it really makes all the difference. Once you exit the palace and walk onto the grounds in the back, you can really get a feel for the size of the entire property.



Twice a day they turn on all the fountains around the grounds and blast classical music from loud speakers hidden in bushes so it really makes it feel like you're back in the 17th or 18th century! Sitting on a bench, listening to the music, and taking in the sites with a ham and brie baguette was seriously surreal. We also got to see le Grand Trianon and le Petit Trianon (used for the King's mistresses) and le Hameau de Marie-Antoinette. The queen created this little village so that she could feel like she was back at home in Austria and it seriously looks like it belongs in a fairy tale.



Overall, finally seeing the palace after learning and hearing about it for so long was more than I could have expected. Mais, c'est la vie en France!

Tomorrow I'll be heading to the Louvre and then out to Johnny Depp's club on the Champs Elysees for someone's birthday so that should make for some good stories and pictures! Today I leave you all with a quote that I thought was pretty appropriate for how my Versailles experience went...



A bientot!

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are." -Samuel Johnson

First Day in Paris

Bonjour! I just finished my first day here in good old Paris and thought it would be a good place to start for my online journal.

Today we started with our orientation activities to learn about the city and our schedules for the next few months. We had lunch on Le Champ de Mars right next to the Eiffel Tower and later went on a boat tour down La Seine. It was incredible to see all the sights and monuments I have been studying in books since 7th grade! From le Tour Eiffel to le Louvre to Notre Dame, those of you who have been to Paris can attest to its beauty and grandeur. All the stone facade buildings look straight out of the 17th or 18th century (which many are) and most have a great history behind them. Later on we found une brasserie (pub) by the Eiffel Tower and just sat and drank a bottle of wine while enjoying the atmosphere. And so the adventure begins...

Check out the pictures from today on my Webshots account at http://community.webshots.com/user/jmcg7314. Here is a sample of some of the sights to view...

Stay tuned for our trip to Versailles later this week!

I've decided to end each post with a thought-provoking travel quote of the moment, so today I leave you with these words of wisdom.

"The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes, but in having new eyes." -Marcel Proust