The City of Light

Greetings visitors!
It's time to write about my extraordinary visit to the City of Light: Paris.

{SEE ALL PHOTOS}

Friday morning I packed my little travel suitcase with clothes and headed off to Edinburgh Airport, ready to see a city I have heard so much about, and yet never visited. After disembarking from an easyJet Boeing-737, I found myself utterly puzzled about how I would get into the city. For those of you who don't know, almost all of France is on strike-- from the judges, to the students, to the train workers. Yes, the train workers. Luckily I found a (free!) bus heading into the city (though not to my ideal destination) so I hopped on and sat back, reading Fleshmarket Close to pass the time. After finally making it to my hotel-- Hotel Rivoli-- it all became worth it. Sarah (in her infinite wisdom) had gotten us a fantastic hotel room with 2 beds, on the top floor, in the 4e, with a balcony overlooking Hôtel De Ville (seen from the balcony, right) for all of 90€ for both of us for two nights-- that's less than a hostel! Friday night was mostly a chill night for chowing down on Thai food and splitting a pitcher of Sangria after visiting Le Bastille, flashpoint of the French Revolution.

Saturday is when the real Paris became alive right in front of me. Though it was cold (down to -4C), we toughed through it and saw most of the amazing sights and sounds the French capital had to offer! Paris excited every sense... Sight with its amazing landmarks. Sound with an accordion serenading us in the distance. Touch with its cold, stale air. Smell with fresh baguette scents wafting in the air. And finally taste with haute cuisine and selection of Bordeaux exciting every taste bud. It did not disappoint.

First thing Sarah and I did Saturday morning was wake up and have a classic French breakfast: Croissant and Tea. After breakfast we headed off for a 4 hour dwelling of Musée d'Louvre. WOW. The place was HUGE! It is estim

ated that to just glance at every piece of art in the Louvre, it would take NINE MONTHS! I was pretty impressed with what I saw: The Mona Lisa, Venus Demilo, Madonna on the Rocks, etc... This museum is a MUST VISIT for anyone going to Paris. My favorite of the paintings was Pygmalion et Galatée by Ann-Louis Girodet (pictured on the left). We also saw the inverted pyramid made famous by Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Food in the museum was RIDICULOUSLY over-priced, so we instead grabbed lunch at a nearly sandwich shop where I had a killer curry chicken salad sandwich. Musée l'Orangerie was next on the itinerary and it too did not disappoint. This recently renovated mecca of Impressionism boasted 6 of Monet's waterlily panels resting in two huge circular rooms with perfect lighting. My favorite was the weeping willow panel (right).

After the Louvre and Musée l'Orangerie, it was off to see some other Paris landmarks. First, Champs-Élysées, the most famous street in France. The roadway teemed on all sides with shops, people, and brasseries. The street used to be an avenue for the see and be seen bourgeois, but after some so called hamburgerization, now boasts an assortment of tourist shops and fast-food joints. This magnificent street led us to the magnificent Arc de Triomphe, a massive roundabout featuring a 50m high arch dedicated to victory in the Napoleonic Wars. After climbing the 284 steps to the top, the view was magnificent. To the south, the Seine and Eiffel Tower. To the north, the grand cityscape and the other part of the Seine. To the west, Bois de Boulogne. And to the east, the Louvre and heart of the city, 1er. The roundabout also hosted the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

After crossing the Seine, it was finally time for Tour Eiffel! The wait was long (even in November!) but well worth it. After climbing almost 700 stairs to get to the 2nd story, a lift brought us to the top (at about sunset). The peak offered amazing views of the city and the sunset. the cityscape was completely visible and after the sun had set, and the lights began to turn on, I began to understand why this is the City of Light. It really is no wonder why this is one of the most visited landmarks in the world.



The night was rounded out with a visit to Musée d'Picasso where hundreds of Picasso's finest works were on display in a renovated Parisian mansion. The mansion worked very well as a museum because it featured vaulted ceilings and beautiful embedded crown molding. Finally, Sarah and I took the Metro home (after walking about 8 miles and climbing about 1000 stairs) to the Hotel de Ville station, got dinner, an (overpriced) drink, and hit the hay.

Sunday was our day of departure. We decided over another croissant breakfast to visit the Jewish quarters-- Pletzel (right). Because it was Sunday, and Parisians (including shopkeepers) tend to take the day off, the Jewish quarter would probably be buzzing because the Jewish sabbath is Saturday. It was. We did some shopping, saw some cute cafes, and I bought a Kosher salami! Even trickier than getting to the city was getting back to the airport. The RER was still not running and the only option was a 13€ airfrance bus that ran to the 2nd terminal (I departed out of the 3rd). I got there in planty of time and had a nice flight home. Back to Edinburgh!

I really had a great time in Paris. I would like to thank Sarah for being my guide and translator for the weekend.

SLIDESHOW:

Adam and Sarah come to town and I goto Poland!

Woah! It has been quite a while since I last posted and so much has happened. Let's start on the academia front. This week has been super-stressful and I have had an essay due for plant biology, a project for economics and an assessed problem due for cell biology. It really was unfortunate that all of these collided in one week, but that's life.
target="new"

Now onto sports. Well, Cal isn't looking too sharp this season and I think we might have to wait one more year for that rose bowl. I really thought this was the year it would happen, but some poor decision making and overall weak defense made this season a bust. The Chargers on the other hand, with the exception of this last game, have looked pretty impressive. I say Chargers can get to the Superbowl... as for Cal, anything but the toilet.com bowl would be a win.

A bit over three weeks ago my best friend Adam came to visit all the way from Michigan! We had a great time here doing all the usual touristy stuff but also the student-oriented activities. I had a great time showing him around everywhere. We went golfing at Braid Hills Golf Course, explored Edinburgh nightlife, went to a wine-tasting, went shopping in New Town and explored the wonders of Old Town. After visiting me in the Scottish capital, Adam went south to London where he had a fun time walking around in downtown. I was really sad when he left and I can wait to see him and the rest of my friends and family on December 16!

Sarah also came to visit-- from Bordeaux, France. I had a blast with her, too. We got to see the Edinburgh Castle, go wine tasting, check out all the museums (including a Picasso exhibit) and take a hike to Holyrood Park (PHOTOS!). Sarah enjoyed her stay and even made some new friends. She was really envious of the awesome campus that we have here, especially McEwan Hall (named after the brewmaster). I'm excited to see her in Paris next weekend when I fly down there! I am really lucky to have such great friends that want to come up and visit me, but then again, who wouldn't want to be in this lovely city!



After Sarah left, it was that time of year: Halloween. It wasn't the crazy Halloween we have in the states, but rather a small celebration with costumes and the occasional drink. It was fun being in the dorms though, because I got to see a bunch of (interesting) costumes without having to walk very far. I was dressed up as a baseball player because in this country, let's face it, that is foreign! I found an American Football player in the mix, too!

Even with all the excitement of people visiting, the highlight of this last month was my trip to Warsaw (PHOTOS!) to see Maggie and Jacek! They were such great hosts and I really appreciated them not only putting me up in their guest room, but also showing me a great time around the awesome city of Poland. Throughout the weekend we went to see a bunch of monuments (little upriser, uprising monument, Warsaw ghetto monument) and museums (the palace and the national gallery). All of the sights were thrilling to see, but especially the larger-than-life war portrait by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz. The food in Warsaw was tremendous, especially the perogi! We went to Hard Rock Cafe for my last meal in Poland and saw the famous Polish movie star, Olaf Lubaszenko!!! I also got to see a Finnish band called "Apocalyptica" who play Metallica songs on four cellos! The concert was a lot of fun but my ears hurt a bit afterward. I really hope I get to Poland some other time, maybe Krakow or Gdansk. Thanks again to Maggie and Jacek for showing me a great time!!!



This last Monday was Guy Fawkes Night in Edinburgh, and there were HUGE fireworks displays all over the city. Arthur's Seat caught on fire and there were over 900 calls to the fire department. I had to stay in to write my essay, but it was still fun looking out my window and seeing all the cool firework displays.

I'm looking forward to going to Paris to see Sarah!