Midnight In Paris

A Nashville native's adventures in the City of Light and Love  Amis (:

[midnightinparisxo]

Buzz Lightyear can not only speak English and Spanish (in reset mode of course) but also French too apparently!  

[midnightinparisxo]

First of many rides on Thunder Mountain...

[midnightinparisxo]

A Whole New World...

Be my guest, be my guest, put my writing to the test because I’m about to tell you all about my adventure to DISNEYLAND PARIS (AKA Euro Disney)! I believed it 10 years ago for my 10th birthday and I still believe it 10 years later, Disney really is the most magical place on earth. A few weeks ago myself and two other gals took a day trip to this fabulous place and I honestly haven’t had that much fun in a realllly long time. I think we might even be making a return trip when the Christmas decorations go up… Anyways, we got there and everything was decked out in Halloween décor, something I’ve really missed seeing since they don’t do H-Ween in France like we do it in the states. (Literally, I haven’t seen a single Halloween related thing in Paris except for the ads for Disney Paris which is kind of depressing because I liveee for Halloween). Luckily, I got my fix at Disney where there were Mickey and Minnie Mouse shaped pumpkins, ghosts, and even weird ghoulish laughs playing on the speakers, which honestly I could have done without, some of those just got way weird way fast, but I digress…

 Among many of the highlights from our day, one of the most memorable included getting stopped in the middle of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (which is on a boat IN the water) and actually having to abandon ship... We did however get to go through a secret entrance to get back into the park and I definitely saw some people dressed up in pirate garb out by the trash cans taking their smoke break which was quite a sight.

Another crazy fun part of the day was going on Space Mountain and I’m not usually one for roller coasters, especially ones with 360 turns. Eeeeep! Well if anyone is curious, since you can’t see what the track looks like, there are DEFinitely a couple of 360’s which very much surprised me and contributed to the loss of my voice the following day due to screaming my head off. But it was totally worth it and we came to find, upon looking at the picture they took of us, that the kid in front of us (who looked about 12) was clearly having a pretty ballin’ time too.

Welcome to Disney guys. Hahaha.

  One of the most unexpected surprises of the day happened when we were in line for the 3rd time on our favorite ride of the day, Thunder Mountain. Two people hopped in line in front of us and as it turns out, one of the two went to high school with me and we were in French class together! It is indeed a small world after all (:

  We ended up spending the entire day at the park and shut it downnn, ending the night with a lightshow projected on Sleeping Beauty’s castle, with a medley of Disney songs, some of which some were in French, that of course we sang along with and danced to (because yes we are 4 and no we don’t care) combined with a blazin’ show of fireworks to top off the evening! I Seriously recommend this trip to anyone and everyoneee and also I’m pretty sure you can’t get a Croque Monsiquer at any of the Disney’s in America, ammirite?

Anyways, until next time mes amis!

  Bisous,

Alli (:

[midnightinparisxo]

Lost in Paris

Okay, gather round boys and girls for I am about to tell you about the lovely day I spent getting lost in Paris. Upon first hearing this phrase, ideas of stumbling into cute boutiques, coming across cool artists, and finding tasty boulangeries (bakeries) may come to mind. However, this was quite far from my personal experience…

It had been about 3 weeks since I had gotten an eyebrow wax and I was in desperate need of shaping up the caterpillars that rest above my eyes. So, I did some Googling like any college student would and found some good recommendations from some other girls who had been abroad in Paris previously. I decided to go with threading since it’s actually cheaper here than where I go at home and there was a place off of my metro line which I THOUGHT was nearby. Boy was I wrong. The metro stop ended up being about 18 stops away which was like 45 minutes (something I’m used to since I live in the burbs). However, when I made my way out of the underground metro into the daylight I realized that I may or may not be in the ghetto. As I walked around I kept seeing discarded pieces of corn on the cobb on the ground (I guess the people of the ghetto here really like corn?) and got whistled at a few times… But since I had just travelled so far I figured I should give it a shot and look for the place. I ended up going in the wrong direction, had to ask for help and then eventually found Wi-Fi at the golden arches (praise be to MacDo) which 2 hours later FINALLY led me in the right direction. However, I ended up passing the building twice because it was in a mall and I mean how was I supposed to know that people? (This however did end up being a nice thing to stumble upon because I do love a good mall, hehe). Luckily the mall was normal and the ladies in the little Indian place were super nice but really, it took me 3 hours round trip to do something that takes 5 minutes to get done. Only to me would such a thing happen…

  Another little discovery occurred when I went shopping for food at my local Monoprix (basically a really nice, smaller, and WAY more expensive version of Target). I was getting ingredients for pasta and couldn’t find any parmesan so I decided I’d just try and figure out what looked the most normal and this is what I ended up deciding upon:

  Now although it isn’t pronounced the way it is spelled I probably should’ve taken the fact that this type of cheese was called “Rape” as a bad omen. After buying it and then tasting it, I found that I really haven’t acquired a taste for rape cheese, but if anyone wants some I have a full and fresh bag of rape in the fridge for those of you out there that are interested!

  Something else I need to bring to your attention is a trend in transportation here that has truly surprised me. Does anyone else remember having a Razor scooter or desperately pining for one back in your elementary/middle school days? Though this trend may have died in the U.S., it lives on in Paris. And, the most surprising part is that it’s not only with the youth. Oh yes. I’ve seen everything from young kids on their way home from school rolling through the streets, girls MY age using them, to my favorite, grown men in SUITS riding dirty on their adult Razor scooters through the streets of Paris. It is quite a sight. And it just cracks me up because this isn’t some sort of fraternity hazing requirement, it is by choice, but a choice I’m truly glad they made because it honestly makes my day.

  And speaking of things that made my day, I got to visit the home of one of the world’s most well known artist’s, Claude Monet, in Giverny! It was everything and more that I expected. The gardens full of flowers were absolutely gorgeous and the lily ponds reminded me of the “Kiss the Girl” scene in The Little Mermaid when Ariel and Eric are in a rowboat surrounded by lily pads and willow trees. That’s pretty much Giverny (except sadly no mermaids…)!

  And then there was his house, which might have been my favorite part. It was like Easter had a baby and that baby was Claude Monet’s house. Everything inside and out was pastel, from the pink exterior to my absolute favorite, his sunny yellow dining room and his adjoining baby blue kitchen-- a very Spur-ry move of Monsieur Monet ;). Unfortunately taking pictures of the interior isn’t allowed but all the more reason for you to go visit one day and see it all for yourself!

  Another thing that I have to tell you about is “Nuit Blanche”. To “passer une nuit blanche” means to spend a sleepless night or basically pull an all nighter in this case. Last Saturday I did just this for this festive occasion! The previous night my friend and I were out and I couldn’t find somewhere to use the bathroom (as per-usual…) and we came across an art gallery with some nice looking gentlemen inside. I proceeded to ask them if I could use their bathroom and luckily they were super nice about it and actually ended up being the owners of this really cool gallery! The main owner ended up inviting us to come back the next night for Nuit Blanche and this is a night that I will surely NEVER forget. The gallery, connected to another building with galleries and studios, had 5 floors of artists’ work with some really weird, but also really cool stuff. At the bottom floor sat Rapunzel, unwrapping fortune cookies (random?) whose hair spiraled up 4 of the 5 floors!

They gave us little fake candles to carry with us throughout the exhibit and each floor had something new and different but I think one floor stood out in particular…

As my friend and I walked through the door, the first thing you notice is the trails of hair on the floor and the screams coming from a distant room… Following the hair, we came to a room of three naked people wrapped in hair (one was a grown man in a swing hanging from the ceiling), singing, reciting soliloquies, and randomly screaming at people…

  At one point the swinging man even starting joking with me for being on my phone, but I mean how can you take a 6 foot tall naked man swinging from the ceiling seriously? Needless to say, this was one interesting evening that I don’t think I’ll forget even if I wanted to.

On a completelyyyy different and non-nude note, I want to talk about what I did today! You know how some people go on bar crawls or booze cruises? Well today I did a Macaron crawl and can I just tell you, it is probably better than any bar crawl or booze cruise out there. I went with other students from my program and we hit up three different well-known macaroon/pastry shops; Ladurée, Pierre Hermé, and Gérard Mulot and lemme tell ya, I was in heaven! I’d never had a macaroon before today and if you hadn’t had the experience yet it is a must (especially if you’re in France!).

  So that’s been my life thus far! Until next time amigos! (:

  Bisous,

Alli

[midnightinparisxo]

Let Them Eat Cake

Guess who’s back back back, back again-gain-gain… Hola my amigos and amigas, I have returned to the blogging world once more for round 4! Ever since classes started I have been oh so very busy so hopefully my long gaps between writing blogs won’t be getting any longer than they already have (meeeep). Anyways, I’ve done so much since I last wrote! For starters I went on a trip to Versailles today, which was AMAZING. The Château Versailles is ENORM. Let me just say that Kanye, the Kardashian’s, and even Bill Gates’ McMansions don’t have anyyything on the home(s) of Louis XIII-Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The place is drippinggg in gold with countless rooms, opulent décor, and grand paintings. I even learned today that plates made of white gold were purchased by the royal family, each plate costing a month’s salary.  I swear, MTV Cribs should hit up this castle, it doesn’t fail to impress. Even the former horse stables could probably fit 20 of my houses inside of them, no joke. My jaw is still dragging on the floor.

    Not to mention the gardens of Versailles are gorgeous and seemingly never ending. I walked around for three hours and still didn’t see everything if that tells you anything. Definitely will be making a return trip before the semesters end! Among my favorite things I saw today were the cottages on the other end of the grounds where Marie Antoinette spent most of her time and had her own cottage separate from the King. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Ever After but the architecture styles used at the houses in Versailles definitely made me felt like I was in it. It was a type of paradise, so grand and yet so quaint at the same time. 

    I could probably write an entire blog post about my day today but there’s so much I need to put down in to words before I forget it all. This past week I went on a tour of Montmartre, a famous hill in the north of Paris. Montmarte is primarily known for it’s artists, those of the present and of the past such as Salvador Dali, Picasso, Monet, van Gough, but also for the Sacre Coeur (the Sacred Heart), a beautiful Catholic Church and destination for people all over the world, Christian or not.

For those of you MK & A fans you'll recall the scene from Passport to Paris when Ally & Melanie go on a double date to this famous hill, eat eclairs, and discuss their deep feelings on the work of the artists on the hill with their Parisian loves, Jean and Michel (this is quality stuff people, if you haven't seen the movie I have a personal VHS copy I'm willing to loan out). Anyways, Montmartre is a very touristy place and it was here on the very steps where I encountered some interesting and quite possibly blind ladies and gentleman. As I was climbing the stairs to the summit a group of Asian tourists started yelling out “Rihanna! Rihanna!!” At first I was confused until I realized it was me to whom they were referring. Though I’m pretty sure they could have been blinded by the sun or had one to many bottles of vin, nothing quite makes your day like a bunch of Asian tourists calling you Rihanna (Honestly I prefer Beyoncé but hey, I’ll take what I can get).

  And while I’m on the subject of random people talking to me, ladies, if you have problems with getting guys to approach you then Europe is the place for you! Granted, 90% of the ones who do talk to you are probably sketch-a-letch but hey, at least you don’t have to worry about making the first move! (Kidding guys, kidding). However, being from the south I find it quite normal to smile at strangers as I pass by and even say hello to people I don’t know but apparentlyy in Paris this is an invitation for something more. After receiving a lot of creeples stares and French phrases thrown at me after doing such I had no choice but to master the Parisian glare. Basically all you have to do is create a bubble of unawareness around you, head high, make no eye contact and you’re ready to rollll!

  Speaking of eye contact, or lack thereof in this case, I’ve noticed there’s a higher concentration of blind people here than I’ve seen anywhere else. Maybe it’s just because it’s a big city and I’m not used to seeing a lot of different people all out a once but regardless, there are quite a few. I’m always scared I’m going to run into one while running to catch my next metro or trip over one of their canes (I’ll let you know when this happens because knowing me it probably will). And okay, not to be mean but just the other day I was leisurely making my way back home when I witnessed one of the most awkward encounters I’ve ever seen. A young lady was walking ahead of me, clearly with a mission, and a blind man in the same hallway of the metro was attempting to make his way to his next stop. The blind man, using his cane to feel his way out, began to walk directly towards the wall as if he might magically be able to pass through it. I guess the lady was so absorbed in her own world that she didn’t notice the blind man and before she knew it, he and his cane awkwardly encompassed the lady in an entanglement of arms, legs, and cane and he walked her smack dab into the wall! I’m not going to lie, it was kind of hilarious but honestly, I give major props to all of the blind people who navigate the metro alone. I could barely do it with full sight for a while!

  I’m so excited for the days to come here and can’t wait to share new stories with you but my eyes are getting droopy (possibly from the ice-cream induced coma, 2 Euro wine, and excessive consumption of Gossip Girl from my girls night in- crazy Friday night, I know guys) so I’m going to sign off for the night. Until next time mes chers!

  Bisous,

Alli

[midnightinparisxo]

Normandie & V.I.P.

Okay! So I apologize for not having written in a while but I have been SOOO busy ever since I started my program here. I feel like I haven’t had a second to breathe, so I have decided to take this quiet alone time this evening to update you on what I’ve been up to thus far…

  Last week we had a ton of things to do for orientation (snore…) but we did get to take a group field trip to Normandy! Here we visited a museum filled with artifacts, films, and other descriptors talking about the role of the French in the Second World War and of course D-Day. It was a very emotionally charged place and reminded me somewhat of my visit to the Holocaust museum in DC almost 7 years ago. If I had tried to read every piece of information I’m sure I’d still be there since it was chockfull of information. That same day we checked into our hostel at Lion-Sur-Mer, a very small town on the north-west coast of France. Shortly after we ventured onto the beach, which was beautiful and such a soothing place to be, even in the cooler autumn weather. Beautiful beach cottages (or rather beach mansions) lined the sand and people were out riding their bikes or walking their dogs as the sun was setting. 

 Here we had sandcastle building competitions. Ours even had a moat with a bridge which was pretty ballin’ if I do say so myself. In the end we lost (*cough, it was rigged, *cough) but it was wonderful just getting to do something fun and make new friends in the process!

  The next day we got up bright and early and headed to the beaches of Normandy, which was a surreal experience. Just this summer I watched the 1964 classic, The Americanization of Emily, a film starring Julie Andrew’s as the female lead, Emily Barham, set during WWII. In the movie Emily’s lover, Charlie, is sent to Omaha beach as part of a film crew and there he becomes “The First American to Die on Omaha Beach”. Luckily in the movie, Charlie turns out to have been alive the whole time and he and Emily live happily ever after, lalala...  But on a real note, it was bizarre being on the actual beach where some important shots from this film were set and it brought a greater light to how devastating but central D-Day is to our world’s history.

After leaving the beach we took a trip to the American Graves of the soldiers who died in Normandy. It was hard to fully process the number of graves, which seemed endless, knowing that these were only a portion of the people that died.

  After our somber but also fun and educational trip we returned to Paris for the night! We tried to go out and find some fun bars but it turns out people in Paris go out much earlier than in America and I think this may be due to the fact that the metros stop running at 2AM. Sooooo either you get your fun in early or pull an all nuiter and stay out til 5:30 when the metro starts up again. We ended up hanging out at what I now call Club MacDo (McDonald’s) where I kid you not, you had to enter a passcode from the bottom of your receipt to go to the bathroom! Gives a wholeee new meaning to V.I.Pee. If anyone has seen the musical Urinetown I prettyy much felt like I was in it. 

 The following day I went on a tour of Île Saint-Louis where I came across the Notre Dame, La Seine, and the famous lock bridge! It still baffles me being right next to these places that I’ve only ever seen in pictures or in movies but it just validates for me why I love to travel and that studying abroad this semester was the right decision for me. Saturday it rained a LOT and since I didn’t bring my rain jacket or pack an umbrella I had to rock the Babushka look with my scarf, which I kind of actually loved. If you’re ever in the mood to feel like a caterpillar inside of it’s chrysalis just wrap a scarf around your head a couple of times and voila! You’re good to go, rain or shine. (Gotta protect the mane, you know what I mean?) That night I was reunited with my former exchange student from high school, Anne-Lise and her best friend who had also lived in Nashville at the same time, Max. It was so good seeing these gals again after 3 years and having them to give me the low down on life in Paris isn’t too shabby either (:

  Now that I actually have French homework I’m off to do that so I don’t end up staying up until midnight watching New Girl again (couldn’t help myself)...

  Bon journée et Bisous !

Alli

[midnightinparisxo]

First Day!

Today was my first day with my study abroad program and guess who took the metro all by herself changing trains three whole times to and from without getting lost? This gal!! (I know, I was surprised too). And thank God because y’all, I was really nervous I was going to end up like a kajillion miles away from the study center, miss my first day and never find my way back, or worse get “Taken” and have to get Liam Neeson to come and save me. Luckily none of my irrational fears came true (though it would’ve been pretty cool to meet Liam Neeson). Thankfully the metro is a lot easier to navigate than it seems and I think I’ll really get the hang of it soon. Also it’s kind of fun to people watch on the subway. The style here is truly incredible, I sometimes feel like I’m in an H&M ad or a Vogue magazine because everyone’s fashion here is on point and the way the French carry themselves makes you think that they were are all born to walk the runway. It’s easy to see why this is one of the fashion capitol’s of the world. Even the guys have their nice scarves, jackets, and hair perfectly coiffed which is so different from the bro tanks, baseball caps and basketball shorts of American guys. It just seems so effortless for everyone and I’m convinced the French are born with a good sense of style in their genes (or rather their jeans?).

  For our first day our program directors spoke to us almost exclusively in French which would normally be okay except for the fact that, number one, my body thought it was 2:30AM, and number two we had to sit through lots of Power Points which even in English can make a person want to fall asleep. It almost felt like freshman year all over again, especially since I came into this not knowing a soul. We had the obligatory ice breaker portion of the day where we played two truths and a lie and I actually managed to fool the class into thinking I love Indian food, so apparently I’m better at lying than I thought!

  We went to a restaurant that I believe was Moroccan today and were served many courses, including couscous, a vegetable soup, chicken that was YELLOW Y’ALL I KID YOU NOT (It looked like it had jaundice but it tasted yummy so I’m not complaining), and sausage. Each course was brought out at a leisurely pace, which I really enjoyed in contrast to the American way of eating everything at once, often in a somewhat rushed manner. At the end of our meal the serveur brought out a bunch of glasses, which appeared to be shot glasses, and I’m not gonna lie, I got kind of excited because who doesn’t like free shots? But alas, it was only a very sweet and warm mint tea that was quite tasty! Southerners would approve (:

  Today I also ventured into a department store on my own called “Monoprix” which seemed like a mini combination of Macy’s + Target. I had to leave a bunch of my heavy toiletries and appliances at home including my hairbrush, flat iron and curling iron, which if you know me are vital to maintaining the lion’s mane atop my head (I call it MANEtenance). I ended up getting this really cool five in one thing with interchangeable heads that has two different curling irons, a flat iron, hairdryer, and even a crimper looking thing so I can get the Lizzie McGuire look if I so choose! I must say, this contraption really is what dreams are made of. Another cause for rejoicing came when I figured out how to make Netflix work thanks to one of the girls in my program, which was exciting because it’s not supposed to be accessible in Europe! Then again I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad thing since I’m one of those people who will binge watch shows. If there was a Netflix Anonymous group I would probably be in it sooo I’m going to have to try and limit my time on my computer so I don’t miss out on exploring the city! (And also so I don’t become a pariah).

Something I’ve noticed since I’ve been here is that I’ve caught myself thinking in French even after only being here for two days which is weird but I guess it means I’m already starting to acclimate to this new way of life! Hopefully soon I’ll be speaking as well as I understand it, especially since alllll of my classes are going to be in French, eep!

Anyways, I’m off to bed for the night.

Bonsoir et bious mes amis!

Alli

[midnightinparisxo]

Sleeping Beauty?

Greetings earthlings! First I'm going to apologize for this post being a novel but there's just so much I have to say so here goes. I’m currently writing to you from my surprisingly super squishy, soft, and as recently discovered, sleep inducing bed. However, I do have to give credit to the fact that my body is seven hours behind the current time which is why I have basically become one of my most admired Disney Princesses, Sleeping Beauty. That or basically Grandma Alli, ready for lights out before the sun even goes down on this beautiful city.  (Personally I prefer princess). But on another note, I FINALLY made it to a country whose language and culture I’ve been learning about since I was 12 and have loved and admired since before I can remember. 8 years later and I’m actually here.

  Yesterday, the morning of my departure, my mom (Libula) and I rolled up to the airport with only three bags in tow and for those of you that know me this is a HUGE deal because I will pretty much always bring as much as the airline will allow me no matter how short the trip. Judge me. Now I don’t know if you’ve heard of space bags but they may or may not be a gift from the gods. Basically you put all of your clothes in a giant Ziploc and then suck all of the air out of it with a vacuum so it compresses to better fit into your luggage. Even after doing this I was 4.5lbs over the limit so I had to drop down in the middle of the baggage check area, awkwardly backing up the line, to take out and shuffle things around until the nice guy at the counter let me pass with 1 pound over the limit (bless him). Shortly after I was off to Miami, and can I just say that in order to bring as much as possible I wore some of my heavier winter clothes so I wouldn’t have to pack them. Stepping off the plane in Miami, literally outside, I immediately regretted this. Not that I don’t love the sun but I’m not a big fan of feeling like a piggy in a blanket being baked in the oven. And though my extreme toastiness was not the bee’s knees, just before landing in Miami I was caught off guard by the beautiful sight of a rainbow in the puffy white clouds. I think France was the pot of gold at the end of it. 

I boarded the plane to Europe and it seemed that I had somehow gotten lucky to have two entire seats to myself and I even shot my mom a quick text about my good fortune. I should’ve known that would jinx my luck… Luckily the lady who I ended up sitting next to was a very sweet Lebanese woman who shared my struggles when it came to packing light (neither of our carry on bags would fit under our seats completely). Which also brings me to the point that being an Amazon woman, I was already lacking legroom. If you ever saw the movie Madagascar you’ll remember the part when the zoo animals make their journey to Madagascar in their crates and after my 8 hour flight I really related to the giraffe, Melman, who was awkwardly contorted to fit his long limbs in his tiny crate just as I was in my seat. Especiallyyy when the lady in front of me decided to recline her seat I knew it was game over.

After I arrived I was in a shuttle-taxi with two other couples. Immediately I heard the word Tennessee slip out of one of the ladies mouths and as it turns out her nephew lives in my beautiful state! I thought it was neat how a little piece of home came back to me merely moments after arriving in Paris. I also got to see the Eiffel Tower en route to my house which was a surreal experience. I can't wait to get closer to it in the days to come!

Today I also met my host mother, her mother, and her brother! I ended up hanging out with the grandmother the most (Maybe I am Grandma Alli and not Princess Aurora…) but they are all so kind and have a good sense of humor when it comes to our current form of communication which luckily has been better than I expected since they don’t speak much English. Another little excursion I had today was to le métro! I have to take it alone tomorrow to my study center for the first time and it basically took my host mom an hour to explain it to me, at which point she just decided we should do a practice run because I am pretty much an idiot when it comes to directions, especially in another language and on a mode of transport I’m not too familiar with, even in America. Also side note, I didn’t realize we were leaving until like a moment before so I left the house in yoga pants and a sweatshirt which in Paris is basically me putting a giant stamp on my forehead screaming “I’M AMERICAN”. I got some interesting looks but hey, at least they were my cute pair of yoga pants!

  I’m off to bed now after this long long day. Wish me luck navigating the metro in the morning because lord knows Imma need it!

  Bisous,

Alli

[midnightinparisxo]

Bienvenue!

Welcome welcome welcome welcome welcome welcome to Illyria! (For those of you She's The Man fans you'll get that reference). But seriously... Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to my blog where I shall be posting about the experiences and shenanigans I will most assuredly be getting into during my semester abroad in Paris! I'm already positive there will be a plethora of pictures, many a description of fine wines and cheeses and a lion's share of awkward encounters (let's be real guys, this is me we're talking about). Can't wait to share it all with you and as they say, laissez les bon temps rouler (Let the good times roll)! 

Bisous,

Alli