Edinburgh vs. Dublin

So far, I've been on two European excursions to visit two of my friends from Hamilton, Andrew and Paige, who are studying in Edinburgh and Dublin, respectively.  Though the cities are geographically close, they really could not be more different.

Edinburgh Castle

View from Ha'Penny bridge, Dublin

History:  As a history-lover, it was fascinating to experience UK (and former UK) history firsthand. Both cities have such incredible pride in their histories, that it's almost impossible to avoid.  In Edinburgh, the buildings still retain their old-world charm, mostly made out of stone.  Edinburgh Castle looms over the city as a symbol of Scotland's turbulent past.  Dublin marked its history by noting the old haunts of its famous citizens.  James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, Johnathan Swift and Oscar Wilde (to name a few) were all featured prominently in murals, historic landmarks, and even on city maps. 
Winner: Tie.  The cities take very different approaches to history, Edinburgh through its buildings and Dublin through its people.

Gravity Bar, Dublin

Food: Edinburgh cuisine consisted of a strange mix of very ethnic food (delicious kebabs and an incredibly filling Indian dinner) and very traditional food (fish and chips that I thought would keep me full for the rest of my life).  Dublin seemed less diverse in its food choices.  Paige made us a delicious traditional Irish breakfast one morning, complete with Irish soda bread, which was way better than any attempt I've had in the States.  We also ate at a pub for dinner one night.  The food in Ireland seemed heavier than its UK counterpart, but still scrumptious.
Winner: Edinburgh.  Even though I was so full I thought I'd be unable to move after most meals, I liked Edinburgh's diverse cuisine.

Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh

Attractions:  I saw most of Edinburgh from the top of a cheesy double decker bus tour.  Though a lot of the featured attractions on the tour were historical, there were some modern and commercial stops.  The one time we got off the bus was to take a tour of Holyrood Palace, which is where the Queen stays when she visits Edinburgh.  Though my hopes of meeting Prince Harry were dashed (they only visit the palace for a couple weeks in the summer), it was still a beautiful place to visit, with stunning views of the crags surrounding Edinburgh.  Mostly, it was fun to just walk around the city's cobblestone streets and drink tea where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter.  Dublin had very unique attractions.  The first one we went to was the Guinness factory (at around noon).  While it was cool to see how Guinness is made, the best part was at the end.  The last stop on the tour is a place called the Gravity Bar, which features a panoramic view of Dublin to enjoy while drinking a free pint.  Similar to Edinburgh, Dublin has a lot of pedestrian streets which were fun to explore.  We passed by the Leprechaun Museum (though didn't have time to go in), which, I imagine, is an attraction unique to Dublin. 
Winner: Dublin.  Having a Leprechaun museum is like getting the Helen Keller card in Apples to Apples: it always wins.

Nightlife:  When deciding who to visit and when, Paige, Andrew and I came up with the idea to visit each other for our birthdays.  Because these were Andrew and Paige's 21st birthdays, we wanted to celebrate like Americans.  The weekend in Edinburgh consisted of a night of bar hopping and a themed apartment party.  Though both nights were a lot of fun, I don't feel like I got a uniquely "Scottish" experience.   In Dublin we also did some bar/pub hopping.  Each bar we went to played live music, which I thought was really awesome.  Though most bands played classics (The Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen, etc.), they occasionally threw in a more traditional Irish song, which was always a lot better.  My favorite place was an underground bar with a live band playing Irish folk music.  They were amazing.  I wished they had a CD so I could've bought it.
Winner: Dublin.  Irish folk music is my new obsession.

Overall: I loved both cities.  Edinburgh felt like a fairytale land with its castles and massive green hills surrounding it.  As an incredibly old city, it had a lot of charm and warmth- especially on its cobblestone streets.  Dublin is definitely a more modern city.   It was much more defined by neighborhood and didn't feel as if there were any sort of flow to the city.  I guess I'm a sucker for cobblestone, because Temple Bar and the pedestrian shopping areas were my favorite areas.  They were the places where I got the best sense of Dublin community. 
Winner: Paris.  Sorry Andrew and Paige, but I still like my city best.  I'm so excited for them to come for my birthday so I can show them all the amazing and wonderful things Paris has to offer.  When deciding where to study abroad, I know I made the right choice.  Paris, je t'aime.

Fêtes and Festivals

     Well this is embarrassing, it's been almost a month since my last post.  Time really does fly.  Since my last post, I've gotten to know Paris much better and have started to discover some of its unique opportunities, namely the boatload of "special events" that are plastered all over the walls of the metro. 

Raspberries!

    Paris is home to more festivals than weekends to host them.  In the last few weeks, I've been to three very different festivals in three very different parts of the city.  The Fête du Vendages was hosted around Sacre Coeur, atop Montmartre, which has amazing views of the entire city.  Unfortunately, to get to this area, hiking up a giant hill (in chic Parisian-wear) is required.  The Fête du Vendages celebrated wine and cuisine from all over France.  To my friends and I this meant one, very important, thing: free samples.  Booths were lined up and down the streets around the giant church offering "goûter" (tasting) of wine, cheese, chocolate and other goodies.  We were offered postcards and travel information about different regions of France.  My favorite part of the day was when a friend and I decided to split a carton of perfectly plump raspberries at a stand run by a little old couple from Lorraine.  The day was a success, we walked back down the hill stuffed and happy from wine.

Ceiling of the Grand Palais

Darth Vader vs. Harry Potter?

For one of my classes here, each class meeting, we visit a different museum.  Last Friday, we went to FIAC (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain) at the Grand Palais.  The Grand Palais is a magnificent building near the Champs Elysees.  FIAC was hosted in the glass ceilinged apse of the Grand Palais,  which is incredible in and of itself.  Contemporary art from around the world was set up in mini galleries stretching from one end of the space to the other.  Every medium was represented.  The booth designed by Karl Lagerfeld was a little much.  Overall, the fair was very eclectic.  I found some of the photography particularly moving and most of the sculptures incredibly bizarre.  It was a unique experience that I might not have tried if it hadn't been for this class.  Though there was no free food, it was definitely worthwhile. 

Chocolate Arc-de-Triomphe

    The most recent (and mouthwatering) festival in Paris was the Salon du Chocolat.  Yes.  It was as incredible as it sounds.  Set between the "Kid Expo" and video game fair at the Parisian conference center in a fairly sketchy neighborhood, the Salon du Chocolat was one of the most happening events this weekend.  When we walked in, I thought I had entered Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.  Or heaven.  The smell of chocolate filled the air.  Booths filled the room as far as the eye could see.  Signs from chocolatiers all over the world advertised their specialties.  Everywhere we looked, free samples (my new favorite words) were offered to whoever wanted them.  After about 15 minutes, my friends and I realized that we might not have the chocolate stamina to make it through the entire festival.  Though the samples were small, we consumed them so rapidly that we already had stomach aches.  Unwilling to give up, we powered through and decided the only cure for a chocolate-induced stomach ache was to eat more chocolate.  So we did.  After watching a guy sculpt a giant block of chocolate into a rugby ball, dream about sleeping in the bed made entirely out of chocolate, admire chocolate and pastry-themed jewelry, we decided to take a look at the chocolate fashion show.  About 20 "garments," made completely out of chocolate (mannequins included), lined the center of the room.  Though none of the clothes looked particularly wearable, they all looked deliciously edible.  After our sugar highs wore off, we decided to leave the magic of the Salon to crash into the food comas we so desperately needed.  Three festivals in three weeks certainly has not exhausted my wonder of the strange goings-on in Paris.  Quite the opposite actually, I can't wait for the next spectacular Parisian event to amaze me, and hopefully, there will be some more free food.

Rosh Hashannah Paris Edition

    There's no time of  year that'll make a girl quite as homesick as the holidays.  Even though I've been at school during the High Holidays for the last two years, I'm always nostalgic for the arguments about when to go to synagogue and the look from my mother that says, "are you really wearing that?"  This year, being a lot farther away from home (and in a somewhat anti-Semitic country), I was concerned that I would be more homesick than usual for brisket and shofars. 

What is appetizing about gefilte fish?

     Luckily, I was placed with a Jewish family in Paris, so I knew I would at least be able to celebrate the holiday.  After an exhausting day of class, I arrived home at around 7:30pm knowing I'd have to perk up to meet the extended family who had already arrived.  I put my backpack down in my room, ran a brush through my hair (Grandma Rho would be proud) and went outside to meet the family.  I was promptly handed a shot of honey flavored vodka.  Suddenly, the night wasn't looking so long.  After hors d'oeurves, a delicious combination of bread, spreads (the eggplant spread was my favorite), pastrami and more vodka, we went inside to say the blessings over the challah, wine, and apples dipped in honey.  It made me laugh a little to hear the Hebrew blessings spoken in overwhelmingly French accents.  I really never considered how Fre-brew would sound, but it was definitely a funny surprise.  After the blessings, we had a fish course of smoked salmon and gefilte fish (and, of course, wine).  When I told my host mother that I'm not a huge fan of gefilte fish, I heard the all too familiar phrase, "just try some."  Suddenly, I realized that I'm hardly a world away from the Rosh Hashannahs I grew up with, I was right back at Jewish holidays past, explaining, for the millionth time, that gefilte fish creeps me out.  The fish course was followed by the main course: brisket, potato kugel, kasha and some more wine.  I felt right at home.  There were only two changes to the menu I'm used to, duck, instead of chicken, and tongue.  Fortunately, no one forced me to try the tongue.  Stuffed, I was not thrilled when the dessert course immediately followed dinner.  Even though I tried to just have some fruit, pieces of cheesecake and honey cake were piled on my plate, despite my not-so-convincing protests.  Everything was delicious.  It was funny that not only the food made me feel at home, but the company too.
     From this experience, I learned that it really does not take a room full of Jews very long to start talking about Israel.  I don't think we had been eating hors d'oeurves for five minutes when the topic came up.  The conversation was eerily similar to ones I've had with my own family: the younger generation more liberal than the older generation.  My oldest host brother, Jonathan, lives in Turkey but came home to celebrate the holiday.  He was grilled on Turkish-Israeli relations by his uncle.  Everyone had an opinion, most of them different, and by the end of the night I don't think we were able to draw any conclusions.  I feel like that's probably an accurate summary of any conversation I've ever had with my family.  My host father gave a toast, worthy of my dad's usual toasts at family dinners.  He began with a quotation about Jews from Leo Tolstoy and continued to talk about the importance of being Jewish in the modern world.  It was a really nice toast, especially when my host brother, Alexi, whipped out his iPhone, found a version of Aleinu at the iTunes store and played it on repeat as his father spoke.  The night was filled with a lot of laughter and happiness, family just happy that they could be together on a holiday.  It was bittersweet to be a part of the Rosh Hashannah celebration this year.  I was so grateful that my host family welcomed me in their celebration of the new year, but sad that I could not spend it with my own family.  Regardless, I found comfort in the fact that no matter where I am in the world, I can eat some brisket and fight about Israel.

Weekend Excursions

    Two weekends down, two weekend excursions to recount.  My first French excursion was to Versailles.  After a night of enjoying wine by the Seine, only Sophie and I were able to get ourselves together on a beautiful Saturday morning (meaning noon) to take the train to Versailles.  Thanks to our French visas, we were able to skip all the lines and get into the Palace for free.  No small victory, as a typical day at Versailles costs upwards of €27 and those lines looked awfully long.

Sophie in the Hall of Mirrors

      The walk towards the Palace was stunning enough.  The town of Versailles itself is nothing to write home (or blog) about, but as soon as you turn the corner onto Avenue de Paris, an enormous, wrought iron and gold gate stands between you and the most extraordinary place I've ever seen.  First, Sophie and I toured the mesdames apartments, which were sparsely decorated, but had amazing views of the vast gardens.  Next, we saw the real palace- the rooms where Louis XIV-XVI and their wives slept, ate, worked and played.  We were given headsets (also free) that provided information about the respective rooms and artwork.  These rooms were lavishly decorated and the art was unbelievable.  Many of the rooms were inspired by the Greco-Roman pantheon.  For example, the Mars room, decorated in reds and oranges, was the monarchical French equivalent of the Situation Room.  There were rooms dedicated to Diana, Venus, Mercury, Apollo and Hercules.  I'm not exactly sure how the Pope felt about all this, but the rooms were certainly interesting to look at.  At the end of the god-themed rooms was the infamous Hall of Mirrors.  The Hall was truly incredible (and not just because I love looking at myself in the mirror).  The windows had the best views of the gardens and the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling reflected light in strange and beautiful ways.  After the Hall of Mirrors, there were a few more rooms that were not nearly as memorable, but because it was such a beautiful day, Sophie and I really just wanted to get out to the garden.
    The gardens at Versailles were incredible.  Every inch was manicured to perfection.  Meanwhile, I was thinking about how glad I was that I didn't have to weed it. (Not that I weed our garden at home either....)  It felt like some sort of fairy tale: classical music was playing through the hedges, people were boating around the lake, everything just seemed so perfect.  It made me wonder how anything got done in the late French monarchy, because it seemed like the only place to be was outside.  After meandering to the Dauphin's quarters, we took in a special exhibit comparing 18th century fashion to modern 18th century-inspired fashion.  Vivien Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Dior and Chanel were all heavily featured in the exhibit.  The clothes were stunning, but there was a big emphasis on the "inspired" part of the exhibit.

Chagall stained glass

     The second excursion was a Columbia-organized trip to Reims in Champagne country.  Reims is home to an enormous cathedral, Notre Dame de Reims, which just celebrated its 800th birthday.  No big deal.  Especially because the Notre Dame in Paris is a few decades older (our tour guide told us nonchalantly).  The cathedral was stunning- the outside was covered in statues, reliefs, and gargoyles.  The inside had enormous stained glass windows, some were the original 800-year-old glass and others were made by Chagall.  Either way, they were a sight to behold.  After touring and climbing the cathedral, we went to the champagne caves for a tour and tasting.  We saw the caves at the Pommery, inside the caves there were stacks of bottles ready to be shipped all over the world.  They even had a champagne library, with bottles dating back to the 19th century.  While the caves were interesting, everyone was far too eager to get to the tasting part of the program.  We were each given two flutes of expertly-poured champagne and let loose upon the other champagne tourists/enthusiasts.  Not knowing anything about champagne (or really being told what I was supposed to be tasting), I probably didn't get as much out of the tasting as I could have.  Other than getting tipsy at 3pm.  After a two hour trip back to Paris (in which almost everyone fell asleep), I felt eager to explore France more and hope to do so in the upcoming weeks and months.

A Redhead in Paris

     After nearly two weeks in Paris, I realized that it was probably about time to restart the blog.  While hardly a native yet, I'm quickly learning the ins and outs of this busy, beautiful city.  Paris is constructed in a giant spiral with numbered neighborhoods- starting with the 1st arrondisement (neighborhood) in the center of the city and ending with the 12-20th arrondisements on the outside of the spiral.
     I live with a host family in the 16th arrondisement in a house built in the 18th century on a private street.  Needless to say, I have it bon.  My host family, Cecile and Didier, my host parents, and their four kids Jonathan, Alexi, Adele, and Laura, are some of the nicest people I've ever met.  Alexi, 24, and Laura, 14, live at home with me, while Jonathan, 28, works for the World Bank in Turkey and Adele, 21, goes to school elsewhere in France.  This family is incredibly smart and talented.  Both my host parents are doctors.  Everyone plays piano or guitar or both- ridiculously well, I might add.  It makes me feel incredibly unaccomplished, even though they assure me that I sound great when I sing in the shower. 

Also, her dog is bigger than any French dog I've ever seen. Just saying.

     The one thing that I have noticed, in the short time I've spent here, is that my favorite childhood books, the Madeline series, were complete and utter lies.  There are absolutely no redheads in Paris.  I understand that Madeline was an orphan, so maybe her parents weren't originally French, but that book gave me all kinds of false hope that I would naturally fit in here.  People assume I'm an English speaker before I even open my mouth.  It's really frustrating when I'm trying to improve my French.   I don my chicest clothes and look annoyed on the metro, like every other Parisian I see, but to no avail.  My hair will forever serve as a fiery beacon to my un-Frenchness.