South of France

The South of France was surprisingly uneventful after packed days in Italy and Spain. It was nice though (hah)-going to the beach, visiting the markets, cooking at the apartments we rented, walking around a reading. A very calm way to end my spring break!

"Nuns Rock!"

My first nun contact, maybe ever, was in March in a secluded square home to a medieval seminary in Belgium. Last week, my nun-o-meter tingled again after I spotted a dark grey habit peak out of what was perhaps a Roman/Eastern European women's shelter, almost going off the charts when I stepped into a Metro car filled ENTIRELY with nuns. I don't really know why I think nuns are so awesome--maybe it reminds me of some Medieval time, where cities in Italy were overwrought with Dominican and Cistercian monks brewing beer and writing, which to me sounds like a great job, or maybe because the nun-culture I'm familiar with--strictly historical, that is--involves more women forced to become nuns than not, often running away with rogue ex-monk painters (the 1400s were scandalous, Fra Angelico!). Anyways, I was more than happy to get photo-bombed by this nun in Vatican City, and even more excited that they feature in a New York Times editorial today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/kristof-we-are-all-nuns.html?smid=FB-nytimes&WT.mc_id=SR-E-FB-SM-LIN-WAA-043012-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

Rome

Last week, I was planning on spending my day alone in Rome, after my mom left obscenely early but before my own evening flight to the south of France, working on the 15 page analysis of Cezanne’s later work that is due shortly after I return to Paris, a project that has been the quiet menace over my whole spring break. However, rather than sitting at a café and being productive in the Mediterranean sun, I decided to run around town alone (in the Mediterranean sun).  After breakfast, I walked up past the Pantheon, quickly because I had spent an hour there a few days before. I found one of my art history professor’s favorite gelato places that had eluded me on my last visit, though, and after perusing the really tempting flavors (Limoncello was exciting, but I was mostly curious about the Champagne flavor) I decided to keep walking and come back later because I was still so full from breakfast. I took a detour to the Templo Adriano, just because I saw it was on the map and it was nearby—I couldn’t go inside, but it was these amazing columnar ruins that had been entirely built around—like, the other side of your bathroom wall could be 2,000 years old. Then I made my way to the Ara Pacis, one of the museum/monument combos that I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss (I was deciding between that and the Borghese Gallery on my solo day, but I figure I get enough of those old masters at the Louvre). The Ara Pacis was amazing. The building itself is really modern/Mondrian looking, all white and glass, but it makes a really marvelous setting for the temple—the inside is marble and filled with light. And, the museum is so cool, it actually explains the space, why it’s there, and why people are ambivalent about it. Then, I was looking for a cute spot to eat nearby and saw there was a church that is supposed to be filled with paintings by artists that I studied last semester, so I figured I’d check it out. I walked across to the Popolo square which you can literally see from the Ara Pacis, and which is home to not one, not two, but three different churches. After a few minutes of map reading, I walked towards the one I thought was right, opened the door, and was in the sacristy. Ooops. Then there was some side museum with some stuff about Da Vinci, then a lot of stairs that led to a nun’s house, then another side museum where I finally got the courage to ask where the afkwehsr2o3ik door actually was and the looked at me like I was totally crazy….it was right next to it. Whatever there was also a French family following me like I knew where I was going. So, after like 10 minutes of looking for this door, I (and the family) walked in…to Sunday morning mass! Oops again. I just followed suit of the other tourists in the church, who I thought were praying at first but then I realized they were just focusing their cameras really, really intently on the chapel painting. It ended up being pretty cool, but the work that was the biggest draw to the church was under construction (?) so I couldn’t really see anything. Then I grabbed some gelato, pistachio because a) I wanted a classic to see if it would actually be better b) I don’t even really like pistachio, so if I did at this place I knew it would be good c) my guidebook made a big deal about how they are special Sicilian pistachios (oh yeah, I’ve also grown out of guidebook-shame. Whatever, maps help and so do recommendations!). I can never (in the maybe 4 times I've had it) really tell the difference between gelato and ice cream, and maybe the only technical difference is that one is made in italy, but this was like they chopped up a thousand pistachios and then made them sugary and icy. So delicious!

Barcelona

-Patatas Bravas have stolen my heart from frites forever
-They call grilled cheese sandwiches "Bikinis"
-Churros are not that good
-Gaudi is awesome, the Parc Guell was one of my favorite things here, and our apartment is literally right across from the Sagrada Familia--best thing to see first thing in the morning!
-The Joan Miro Museum was one of the coolest museums I have ever been to
-Cava tour and tasting beats cheese or ice cream factory tasting any day, and I loved the Spanish countryside even more than the city (surprise!)
-There are these crazy explosions that sound like a firecracker or cannon going off every night? No one seems to react to them...they are just weird? What is that?
-I saw the Mediterranean for the first time since I was like 2 years old on a really nice bike ride

And now we're off to Rome!

What I've learned this week

-Smoke detectors are a formality. Apparently, my apartment was nearly in flames on Monday after my host mother forgot about some food for her dog (?) that she left on the stove, and black smoke went all the way up to the 6th floor (we're on the first). It smelled horrible all night! But it was really funny when Madame offered my roommate Audrey the leftovers: "OH-DRAY WOOD YOU LAYK SOME MEEEEET?" while waving the charred remnants at her.
-Spice exists! I got a really great banh-mi sandwich after class today at the Pompidou and it was actually spicy! And across the street was an ACTUAL bagel shop (it was really a shop of all things "American," complete with Jack Daniel's Steak Sauce, Twizzlers (only the pull and peel kind), Reese's peanut butter cups, and Peanut Butter! Except there was only creamy, and for a small jar...still about $10. I can't stoop that low, even though all I want most of the time is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Nutella is just really too sweet some times (most times).

Home

Maybe my exclusive and abundant consumption of cheese has made me sentimental, or maybe I'm just sad that I missed Beer Bike yesterday, but I've decided to break a promise that I made to myself when I started writing a blog: not to write a "What I miss about America" post. But it's April, and I only have (have only?) 6 weeks left in Paris. It has been magical, but here are some things that I'm looking forward to in the next month and a half:

-Bathrooms: Besides the weird non-showers (I feel like I haven't been really, thoroughly clean since I've arrived in France), one of the great things about being in the UK was remembering the glory of gender specific bathrooms, toilets that actually have seats, and copious amounts of WHITE toilet paper, none of this pink nonsense.

-Jogging: Yeah, I jog here, but I think I'm one in a team of maybe 10 (American) women that exercise in Paris. It feels really weird to live in a place where it's not socially normal to run, but billboards and TV ads often include people in the nude.

-Shiva, the Teahouse, Tacos-A-Go-Go, Istanbul Grill. Spiciness.

Here are some small things I'm really going to miss:

-Really cheap wine, available on every single corner

-Pain au chocolate and baguettes: they just don't get that flaky crust right in the US

Right in front of my door!

-Tulips and daffodils