Chez Van Gogh

Salut,
Yesterday was our Abroadco excursion to Arles, a small town about an hour northwest of Aix. We all took the bus to meet our program director, Pam, in Arles, where she first treated us to a much-needed coffee/tea/hot chocolate to wake us up at a café on the main drag.

Since it was a Saturday, we got to see Arles' very impressive morning market. I love the markets in Aix, but Arles' market is more concentrated and I think even more extensive than Aix's. It has everything: secondhand home furnishings and knickknacks (junk), clothing, art, pottery, and of course all manner of fruits, veggies, deli foods, baked goods, and prepared dishes. Pam took us on a quick walk through the market, warning us to keep our bags close in light of Arles' infamous gypsy population. But we would come back to the market on our own later, we were really headed to the Arles cemetery, called the Alyscamps.

The Alyscamps was one of the most important burial grounds in the Roman Empire. In it were buried over 80 generations. When a ship was sent down the Rhone River with a coffin, it was assumed it's destination was Arles. And when the man in charge of burials unloaded the coffin, he would find his payment of coins in the departed's mouth. Over time, the cemetery deteriorated. When Vincent Van Gogh came to Arles and invited Paul Gauguin to paint the cemetery in 1888, it was a meeting place for young local girls and soldiers.

Les Alyscamps, Paul Gauguin; this is the canal, now dried up, that runs alongside the Alyscamps and three women dressed in traditional costume. The dome in the background is the church that was added to the site in the Middle Ages.

Les Alyscamps, Vincent Van Gogh; this pathway towards the medieval church is still there, lined with ancient, deteriorating sarcophagi. Here a woman in traditional dress meets a soldier friend.

Following the tour of the cemetery, we had some free time to explore the market. My friend Annie and I took a stroll up the food aisle and soon hit the regional sauces and spreads section. We suddenly had tiny pieces of bread bearing pesto, tapenade, caviar of eggplant, anchovy spread, and who knows what else pushed into our soon greasy fingers. Before this experience, I was still hoping that I might somehow appreciate the integral provençal spread that is tapenade despite my hatred for olives. Alas, not so, but I wasn't about to refuse it from the eager-to-please and incredibly friendly vendors. I did like the 'caviar of eggplant' (surprised? me too). Moving on from the canned goods section, I bought half a kilo of strawberries that Annie and I shared in the park on the other side of the market.

After more wandering, we met Pam to go to our complimentary lunch. It was a nice restaurant with a generous 10€ formule for lunch. A lot of French restaurants have 'formules' for lunch and/or dinner that offer an entrée (remember, an appetizer not a main dish), a plat principal, wine, and coffee at a lower cost than they would all be 'à la carte' or separately. I got a copious green salad with a decent vinaigrette and an open face sandwich, called a tartine, with a decent tuna salad, or the French interpretation anyway. Think less mayonnaise, more celery.

Pam whisked us off to see more Roman and Van Gogh sites after lunch. We walked along the Rhone River and past the building that used to be a brothel. One of its prostitutes created a vicious rivalry between Van Gogh and Gauguin. As everyone knows, Van Gogh cut off his own ear for this woman, delivering it to the brothel in what I'm sure was a very tasteful box. Then we saw the Roman amphitheatre, which could seat 20,000, be evacuated in minutes, and during the Middle Ages was converted into housing for 200 households. Today it is the site of Arles' bullfights. Each year there is one bullfight in the Spanish style to open the season, but there are still provençal-style bullfights too, which sound very cool. The bull isn't killed, just tormented by a team of pests, basically, who work together to distract the bull so team members can grab one of the ribbons pinned in between the bulls' horns. I don't think I'll have the time to see one of these bullfights this trip, but maybe in the future. Pam said it's almost like a ballet.

Right next to the amphitheatre is the Roman theatre, the remains of which aren't that impressive but, like the other Roman sites in Arles, are still older than anything manmade I'd ever seen. Then we went to a Roman church. Also, an underground storage facility, or so anthropologists think, that might have been used to store wheat to feed Roman soldiers. Altogether, it's the size of a football field and used to follow the course of the Roman forum above ground, of which only two columns remain. Also in Arles is the café that inspired the Van Gogh piece Café terrace at night (it's the most expensive café in that particular square and also has the worst food..oh well). Finally, we visited the asylum where the painter was committed after the ear incident and once again after the town of Arles petitioned for him to be recommitted. Van Gogh wasn't the most popular guy in Arles, apparently.

It was a busy day, but I'm glad we had Pam to show us around and, especially, tell us interesting stories about the sights. I don't think I would necessarily recommend Arles as a must-see in Provence, though. I enjoyed it, but I also didn't have to pay for lunch or entrance to the monuments, which generally seemed a little overpriced. Also, the Roman sites are interesting but, understandably, are a little rundown, so if the Roman Empire doesn't interest you, it might be a bit of a letdown. I loved the market, though, and the town of Arles has done a great job of documenting Van Gogh's points of inspiration there, posting reproductions of his paintings in their corresponding locations.

I want to write a little bit about Aix in spring, since it's getting warmer and tourists are starting to come out. But this entry is already long enough, so check back soon. And here's the link for my Facebook album of Arles for more photos of the amphitheatre, the Alyscamps, and the Rhone River. Also you can click on the pictures in this entry to see larger versions.

Ciao, happy spring!
Maggie B.

Viva España Dos

Note: You can click on any of the pics in this post to see a bigger version.

I arrived back in Aix just a few hours ago, and I can't believe I just spent almost 6 days in Spain. I did and saw so many interesting and new things, the days flew by. Last time I wrote I had just arrived in Sevilla at my hostel, and I hadn't even talked to my friend Alicia, who is studying there this semester.

Once I got in touch with Alicia, we met up for a late dinner for me. I had sopa de mariscos, a seafood soup with a whole shrimp, scallops, and tiny clams still in the shells, followed by a paella con carne. I have to be honest, this was as authentic as my eating ever got this trip in Spain. I am not one for eating in restaurants alone, so the other nights I did not feel motivated at all to go scope out inexpensive, authentic Spanish cuisine and then struggle with the menu and the waitstaff in pigeon Spanish. Excuses, excuses.... Anyway, Alicia and I got to catch up. It was surreal since the last time we saw each other was in Pittsburgh, and now we're both doing our own thing in Europe. She's really liking Sevilla and has taken a bunch of cool trips around Spain. Also coming up, she's going with her program to Portugal and then a couple weeks later to Morocco. I am jealous!

Per Alicia's suggestion, my first tourist attraction the next morning, Tuesday, was the Moorish royal palace called Alcázar, parts of which were first constructed in the 10th century AD. I think it started out as a fort, mostly, and then evolved into a more lavish complex. Today the buildings are filled with gorgeous tilework and woodcarvings (larger pic is one of the ornate outer walls of one of the main buildings, the smaller pic is a dome carved out of cedar), and there are several gardens of different styles that are enclosed within the ramparts.I spent two and a half hours here, I think, and ended up taking 150 pictures or so. It was a refreshing visit. I'd never seen Moorish architecture before, and the scale and quality was incredible. That, and walking through some of the gardens, I felt like I should be in India or somewhere exotic, not Spain. Okay, Spain is definitely exciting and exotic, I just didn't expect it to be so jungle-like.

The women's baths

After my very leisurely stroll through the Alcázar grounds, I walked right across the square to Sevilla's Catédral, the 'most extensive Gothic cathedral in the world'. As with the Alcázar, it isn't just that it's grand, it's that you're looking at the work of hundreds, if not thousands. Every embellishment is perfectly crafted. On the map I counted 26 chapels, including the Royal Chapel situated in the middle, a wall of religious scenes framed by ornate gold decoration reaching at least a third of the way to the ceiling. The cathedral also holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus. And I thought Pitt's own Cathedral of Learning was cool....

But even besides all the grandeur inside, many people come to the Catédral to climb up into the Giralda Tower. Two thirds of the tower is part of a minaret of a mosque built in the 12th century that was later incorporated into the cathedral. You have to climb a series of over 30 ramps to get to the top, but once you do, you can see all of Sevilla. It's a great view. Sevilla seems to have greenery everywhere. Trees line even the busiest streets, and there are parks and gardens everywhere, it seems. And it's a very charming city, interesting old buildings, tiny, winding streets that are very easy to get lost in, and these funny-looking TV antennas sticking up from every roof.

After the Catédral, I made my last tourist stop of the day at the Iglesia San Salvador, which is smaller and less impressive than the cathedral, but nevertheless worth the visit. The altar and the two chapels are decorated in this ornate, over the top style, I don't know the term for it exactly. I actually like the church better from the outside, because it has an interesting blue, white, and yellow tiled dome sitting on top of a pinkish foundation.

Back at the hostel I fixed up a quick dinner of oven-made pizza (my parents are going to kill me), before heading back out to catch a flamenco demonstration a nearby bar. It was a Tuesday night, but luckily this bar, Carboneria, has a flamenco performance every night at 11pm. Honestly, I didn't really feel like going back out after all the walking and the mediocre weather, but I'm glad I did.

When I got there, I entered through the main door, only to see a very small, quiet, almost empty bar. I almost left, but then I saw some people walk through a door in the back and so I followed. Lo and behold, there was a huge room with long picnic tables and skinny benches, absolutely packed with people. I ordered a drink (it's only fair, since the performance was free) and managed to find a spot not too far from the tiny stage up front. At first there was no dancing, just two men, one singing and the other playing guitar, and a woman, clapping along. It was interesting, but I had really come to see the dancing. Then the woman stood up and began her routine. It was incredible. Every muscle in her body was perfectly coordinated, her hands constantly moving and her feet tapping out rhythms I didn't think were possible. And the two men fed off of her energy, taking cues from her and changing the music to go with her leaps and strides. The expression on the woman's face was unbelievable, you could see all the emotion and the focus. Needless to say, it was worth the 5€ for the drink.

Wednesday, my last day in Sevilla, I went to the Plaza de España, a Renaissance era building with, again, great tilework. It's shaped like a semicircle, with two towers on either end and a fountain in the middle. Around the inner edge of the semicircle there are representations (not the right word, but it's hard to describe) for each major city in Spain: Barcelona, Cordoba, Madrid, etc. After some time at the Plaza I walked across the street into a beautiful park, full of palm trees and other green things. Then I wandered farther away from the Plaza to find the Guadalqevir River. It kind of reminded me of the Erdre River in Nantes, the one that ran by my house, because of the paths running along it and some of the older steel bridges. Later, I got to meet up with Alicia between her classes, and she led me on a wander through parts of the city I hadn't been to yet, including her neighborhood across the river, Triana. She showed me where she lived, an apartment on a very cute, very European street. It was great to see her, and we got to catch up and compare notes on our European experiences so far while enjoying a Spanish treat, churros with melted chocolate. Sooo delicious.

We're almost to the end of my journey. I took the overnight bus from Sevilla to Madrid, where I spent several hours in a coffeehouse waiting for it to get warm(ish). Then I went to the Royal Botanical Gardens, where it was very well maintained but not a lot was in bloom. The flight back from Madrid was uneventful. I walked out of the Marseille airport to be greeted by the infamous provençal wind. Technically it wasn't the mistral, since that only comes on sunny days, but you could've fooled me.

Here are links for the photo albums on Facebook, for everyone:
Madrid
Sevilla 1 and 2

Sorry for the uber long entry, à bientôt!
Maggie B.

Mont Ste Victoire

The Croix de Provence is the speck on the bluff to the right of the highest one to the left.

View from the top!

Un weekend magnifique!

Salut tout le monde !
Long time, no entry. Classes have been going well, keeping me busy. And things are good with Marie-Do. Tonight she’s coming back from Corsica, where she went with her brother for a family thing. So I’m on my own. But that’s okay, I have a lot to write about (you’ve been forewarned).

This weekend was the first Abroadco excursion, besides the daytrip to Marseille the first weekend, and we went to Nice, Monaco, and a small village called Eze. It was an amazing trip, and I already want to go back to Nice. I’m thinking maybe I can convince my mom and my aunt Missy to go when they visit. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? Beaches, sun, good food.

Anyway, we met early Saturday morning to get on our charter bus. Also on the bus was the CEA group. CEA is another study abroad company that has a group of American students here. Actually, two of the Abroadco girls live with the CEA program director, Karen, and the two directors know each other very well. It was interesting to have the two groups there. CEA has about 25 kids and there’s definitely a different dynamic, besides the difference in size. But more on that later.

The drive to Nice was beautiful, especially after we passed Cannes, where we started seeing the Mediterranean and the Alps further inland. The geography here is really amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s very hilly, or I guess mountainous, but not like the Adirondacks or the Alps I saw in Switzerland. It’s all sandy-colored and very jagged. I guess you might call them bluffs. And I don’t even know how to describe the trees. I’m sorry, usually I’m good at describing nature-y stuff, but it just shows how utterly new this environment is for me.

When we got to Nice, we were dropped off at the Promenade des Anglais, the walkway that runs parallel to the shore, about 20-40 yards back from the water. One of the CEA directors pointed out where Angelina Jolie gave birth to her twins. I still don’t approve of her, especially since she and Brad Pitt chose these really pretentious French middle names for the twins. Just because you own an estate in the French countryside….

Well, then Pamela led us to the “vieux marché” or the old flower market. Now, it did happen to be Valentine’s Day, but I didn’t really notice many arrangements specifically for the holiday, maybe more roses than usual. But the market was huge and had all kinds of vendors, not just flower stalls. There were spices, savon de Marseille (a very famous soap), fruits and veggies, cheese, baked goods, and wonderful marzipan creations of everything from cherries to crocodiles. It was incredible. That and, even more than Aix, Nice has very colorful buildings. I’m no art major (I think my parents are thankful for that, at least), but from what I learned last year in Nantes about the French impressionists and now seeing what they painted, it’s no wonder you see such clear, vibrant colors. Especially the yellows and oranges and blues. The typical provençal building is a warm yellow or orange with bright blue shutters and the hacienda-style orange, tiled roof. I love it! It makes everything seem so much happier.

After thoroughly exploring the marché with my friends Annie (just spent 4 months in Uganda for the first half of her gap year before Princeton) and Allison (almost graduated history major at Auburn) and buying a picnic lunch, I walked up to the top of a hill that had these wonderful views of the city. We ate and then waited for the sun to peak out from the temporary cloud cover before taking many, many pictures.

Next was the Bataille des Fleurs, the Battle of the Flowers, for which Pam had given us tickets. Every year Nice has this parade on the main drag next to the Promenade des Anglais, and it’s to celebrate spring, specifically the blooming of the mimosa tree which is said to usher in the season. Apparently there is a mimosa flower in the American South as well, but it’s very different. The Mediterranean mimosa is yellow and has very small, fluffy, almost Seussian blossoms. They have a very sweet smell as well. So anyway, during the Bataille des Fleurs, the costumed actors on the floats throw sprigs of mimosa, and eventually the other flowers that absolutely cover the floats, to the crowds. This year’s them was “Masquerade”, so the floats and the costumes revolved around masks, deceit, trickery, et cetera. It was a great experience, I couldn’t believe the floats and the costumes. There was a balloon suspending this incredible trapeze artist who was doing tricks while being pulled along the parade route over the crowds. Also, there was a huge mechanical dragon that swung its head and tail and blew smoke. I took about 200 pictures of it all.

We left Nice after the Bataille and a walk along the beach and arrived in Monaco around 6pm, so it was already pretty dark and a bit brisk. By the time we went to the open-air restaurant for dinner (funded by Abroadco, thank you), it was positively chilly. But we were right next to the port, so we could see all the yachts and fancy sailboats. Dinner was great, if a bit slow; we didn’t leave until after 11:30pm. Appetizers were tapas-like, and the entrée was chicken with a creamy mustard and caper sauce and roasted potatoes. Dessert was a kind of apple crumble and chocolate fondant combination with whipped cream.

It was really enjoyable, but we were there with CEA, and wine was included in what the two programs had paid for. So it was really then where it was clear how the two groups differed. In our smaller group there isn’t an anti-party person, but there is absolutely no pressure to go out. Maybe there isn’t any pressure within the CEA group either, but they were rather fish-like when provided with complimentary wine. That’s okay, but I definitely did not appreciate it when they decided to start singing the national anthem. Luckily, no one else was at the restaurant but the 45 of us. I guess I’m just glad I’m with Abroadco, not just because of the different attitude towards socializing but also the dynamic in the smaller group.

After dinner, a few Abroadco girls went to the American bar, but the rest of us went into the entry room in the Casino, which was gorgeous. Two of the girls went into the blackjack room and said later it was really cool to watch. Pamela also snuck us in to the Hotel de Paris, this gorgeous hotel. There were only about seven of us and we were decently dressed from dinner, so we managed to look nonchalant enough to wander around for a couple minutes before being asked if we were staying there. Then it was back to the hotel, since I was very cold and exhausted.

The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we went up to ‘the rock’ where the royal palace and the cathedral are. There were gorgeous views and I don’t even want to know how expensive it is to rent an apartment up there. Annie and I went to the Museum of Oceanography, well really just the aquarium part. Because we did that, we didn’t have time to see the exotic gardens before going to see the changing of the guard at the place. But, I must say it was still worth it. They had an impressive variety of species and I actually got some decent pictures.

The changing of the guard was interesting. The Grimaldi family has been ruling for the last 700 years, which isn’t that long in comparison with ruling families from centuries ago, but today it’s bizarre to think that a 700 year-old monarchy is still kicking.

On the way back from Monaco, we stopped in the village of Eze, where we visited the parfumerie Galimard. We took a tour and then had a little lesson on how to try out perfume. And they actually had perfume, as opposed to eau de toilette or eau de parfum, and it was cheap! I bought a 30mL bottle for 33€. Then my friend Danni (goes to Chatham, just 10 minutes down the road from Pitt!) and I walked up the hill to the town on top of the hill. It was a gorgeous view, the houses looked like they were about to fall off the mountainsides into the Mediterranean.

All in all, great weekend! Already I’m thinking of ways I can get back to Nice. That was really my favorite part, and not just the Bataille des Fleurs either. The whole place was colorful and interesting. Also, full of older people…but whatever. That’s it for now (as if it wasn’t plenty). Here are the links for photo albums. There are four albums up on Facebook, but I’m still working on getting the second half of the pics up on my Google web albums, so check it later if you don’t see the Monaco and Eze albums.

Facebook links (for anyone):
Nice 1
Nice 2
Monaco 1
Monaco 2/Eze

Web albums here.

A bientôt!
Maggie B.

Photos!

Salut!
I don't really have anything new to share, just thought I'd put up some pics for the non-Facebook users (stay strong, don't let anyone talk you into it). If you want to see more pics:
You can go to this link, which should be the public, non-user exclusive Facebook page for the Marseille album. Please let me know if it works!
Or you can go to my Google Web Albums, which I know works for anyone.

I hope everyone's having a calm winter (or summer, for the Aussies).
A plus tard,
Maggie B.

 
 
 
 

So much paper!

I am just about done filling out all the forms for my visa application. Of course, I finally printed out the longstay visa application form, started filling it out, and promptly got my zip code wrong in black ink. I don't have whiteout.

Hopefully the visa will go through without a hitch. It took me from at least the beginning of October until two days ago to verify that I could send in my application by mail instead of making an appointment in DC. I thought I was going to be able to go to the New York consulate, which is no trouble since I could just take the train in with my mom. Not so. All PA residents have to go to the DC consulate.

But as long as the mailed-in application goes through it'll be good. I just really don't want to go down to DC. I'd have to take the train, then a bus, and even then it would be a 45 minute walk to the embassy (ridiculous). So I'm gathering all my materials, passport, visa app, financial guarentee from the parents, the Campus France proof of registration. And I'll send it out before Thanksgiving. Yay! And with plenty of time to spare, if it really only takes 2 to 3 weeks processing time.

I finally got my plane ticket, too. For any college kids looking to travel internationally, www.studentuniverse.com is the best site I've found. STAtravel.com is also good, but I had a little bit of trouble with them last summer. I connected to Charles De Gaulle via Heathrow and the booking apparently didn't provide for my luggage to just be transferred by the flight crew to the plane from Heathrow. So I had to claim my luggage in London, then take the bus to another terminal, then check it again. Then British Airways lost it and I didn't get it until they delivered it to the hotel in Paris the next morning. Hopefully I can avoid that happening this time. And I fly through Munich, which will be a new experience. I've never been to Germany before. Well, I've never been to a lot of places.

Oh, here is a link for the slideshow of my summer I made for my parents. Enjoy!


Maggie B.

Bienvenue!

Hey,
If you're reading this I've probably personally given you the URL, so no need for corny introduction stuff. I'm studying in Aix-en-Provence, France from January to May of 2009. 'Aix' is pronounced like the letter 'x', by the way, hence my incredibly poor pun in my blog title.

So what am I doing writing in this thing before I've even left the US? Well, I'm only a sophomore at Pitt and I figured some of my friends would study abroad after me, maybe in France. Maybe writing about the visa process, finding airplane flights, etc. would be useful. Also, I know a lot of my extended family didn't hear a lot about my first trip to Nantes, France this past summer. And I'm sure I'll be referencing my time there a lot once I'm in Aix, seeing how it compares.

My summer in a nutshell: I went for six weeks with a Pitt professor, Todd Reeser, and his partner Thomas (they're awesome); two Pitt TAs, Eléonore and Charles-Louis; and probably 20 other Pitt undergrads, including friends from previous French classes at Pitt, Anna, Teresa, and Andrea. We spent 4 days in Paris as part of our orientation and then went to Nantes to meet our host families.

I stayed with the Vincents, a couple in their 60s (I think, I never dared to ask), Roselyne and Jean-Noel, with a 20 year-old daughter Charlotte who was home for the summer from college. They had a dog named Gypsie, a cat named Myrtille ('blueberry'), and a rabbit named Cajou (or something like that). While I was there they also got an adorable golden retriever puppy named Dubai. Unfortunately, Gypsie died, at the age of 13, I think, a couple months after I left. Also, Charlotte is a very dedicated horseback rider. She drove several times a week out to the country to ride her horse and I think she competed in the 'Championnat' of France.

In Nantes I mostly hung out with Anna and Teresa. We tried to speak French as much as possible, even when it was just us Americans. I took two courses that will go towards my French major at Pitt, 'The French in the 21st Century' and 'Art History of France,' and a short, weekly seminar on the business world of France. Our group went on two excursions to the chateaus of the Loire Valley and then Mont St. Michel and St. Malo. Nantes itself was great, not too big and not too small. I visited several of its parks and museums and just explored in general.

After six weeks in Nantes I left the rest of my Pitt classmates to go to Geneva for ten days. I stayed with our very close family friends Holly and Andre. I have to admit, I wasn't the most ambitious tourist while in Geneva, but I did get to swim in the Rhone several times (it was amazing!) and walk up the tower of the old cathedral there. Also, Holly and Andre were so gracious as to take me to their chalet in the Swiss Alps, where I got to pet a cow and climb a little Alp. I have to admit, the Alps put the Adirondacks to shame, at least in terms of magnitude.

Okay, I don't want to make this too long. Depending on how quickly I can figure out Blogger I'll add some pics from Nantes and Geneva.

Maggie B.

Top: the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Middle: My bedroom in Nantes.
Bottom: Geneva, Lac Léman, and the 'Jet d'eau' (That big fountain thingy).