We totally got behind in the blog so this update will be up till about 10 days ago. Emily is working on the last 10 days! Should be up in the next few days
So we arrived in Marance, which is the name of the house in the dordonga. The home is outside of a small city called Thenon. The town is quant although we did not spend alot of time there. the drive to the house was filled with green rolling hills, others filled with yellow dandelions and tons of farms. Nada owns two homes right across from eachother with a swimming pool, a yurt and wonderful gardens. We had crummy weather on and off for the week that we were in Marance but that did not stop us from enjoying the area and the good company. Emily and I were the default chefs for the week. We would have a really nice, fresh lunch and dinner everyday including omelets, salads, roast veggies and stir frys. One night we made duck from a local farm and it was really good!
One day we went to Lascaux II, historical caves located in a town called Montignac. The story goes that in 1940, 4 boys were walking their dog and he slipped on some rocks and fell down into an area below the ground. The boys returned the next day with lanterns and were amazed with what they found. The next day a teacher over hear them talking about the caves and two years later they were open to the public. by 1955 and over 1000 visitors a day, the climate change in the caves was causing damage to the art so the caves were closed.
They created an exact replica of the caves so that they could still be admired but preserved. Hence why the caves were called "Lascaux II".
The caves contain some of the most well-known (Upper Paleolithic) art, dating back to somewhere around 14,000 BC. The art is mostly of realistic images of large animals, including aurochs and horses.
Through the percision and exactness of the art you can tell that the people who were doing it had much practice. There was perspective in almost all of them, showing movement in some and the artists used the shape of the rock to create the animal.
We had an awesome tour guide who was really passionate about the caves. He had done research on the origin of the people doing the art and on the art itself. This made the tour well worth it! It was insane to be in and see something that has so much history.
Both of the homes that Nada owns are so beautiful. They are old, renovated farm houses suroundef by flowers and nature They are filled with art and furniture from all over the world and are very cozy. Wood burning fireplace, big open kitchens and comfy couches (which we both took advantage of).
We helped Nada set up a polytunnel that she will use for veggies this summer. We shoveled out a compost pile that is 10 years old for the tunnel. We also spent alot of time in the house hanging out with Rosey and Joey and the puppies. They have three dogs, Poppy, Jamaica and Sigmund Freud. I love these animals. The three of them were adorable together and they were always down for a cuddle.
Since it rained alot we could not always get out to work. We read alot (I specifically finished two Game of Thrones books and Emily read Girl with the Dragon Tatoo series). We did so much laughing with them and they began to feel like family for us, which is nice when we are an ocean away from our own. Nada really helped is along with our travels and made our time with her family very special.
While there, Nadas friend Nadine came to visit from Paris for a weekend. She was so sweet to us and it was nice to have more company. We enjoyed a walk outside with the puppies and talked alot about life. She was so kind to offer us her place in Paris while she was on vacation in Marance.
Leaving was bitter-sweet because we knew we had alot of good stuff ahead of us. But we had spent so much time with the family we knew we were going to miss them.
So to Nada, Rosey, Joey, Emie and the puppies- thank you for being a home away from home in France and giving us memories we will never forget. So much love and laughter in your family, we were lucky to be a part of it. I think we are both convinced of going to Napal now or at least coming back to Marance (in the summertime!!) We love you all from France and back, come to the states soon.
We found a ride to Paris online with a guy named Philipe and it was half the price than the train. He was really cool and dropped us off at a metro station at the south end of the city. We took the metro to Nadines flat in Paris and met her kids there! She has a daughter Ariana, who is working and currently planning a scuba diving trip. Her son named Paul is in school studying Jazz and is in a band. They are 19 and 22 and just as nice as their mother. They made us feel at home and helped us get around the city. The apartment had been painted by Nada with pigment paint she had made herself and their home is filled with beautiful paintings and some buddhist art. If i had a place in Paris, i wish it could look like this place.
The first night we got in and it was around 10 pm so we decided just to stay in and get the rest of our travels settled. We got some wine and cheese from a local store and hung out for the evening. We also mapped out our two days in Paris. Thanks to Rosey, who gave us a huge list of places she loved, we had a packed few days.
We woke up and had a busy day ahead! We started at the Arc de Triumph and I just could not believe the size of it. Along with the detail and the colors, it is a magnificent site to see and a classic Paris spot. From there we walked to the Eiffel tower and the sun actually started to come out! Again, such a massive piece and an amazing site to see in Paris. The architecture is mesmerizing and complex and so very beautiful. The sky was blue with huge white clouds and made for a lovely backdrop. We sat looking at it for a while and i felt myself getting lost in the maze of metal. I loved mu first sight of it and i wish I could see everyday.
We then walked our way to Rue Clare. This is a road not far from the tower filled with cafés, markets, shops and bakeries. We had espresso then picked up a baguette, sauseson and went into a fromagarie to pick up some cheese. We decided on a chevré that was rolled in spices (spicy goat cheese ahhhhh), picked up some wine, of course, and chose a seat in a park where you could see the top of the louve and the gardens around it. We listened to Young The Giant, in preparation for the concert, enjoyed our snacks and the view. The sun was out so we got the frisbee out for a while.
We hopped on the metro and took it over to Notre Dame. It sits right on the siene river and is just as magnificent as I heard it was. The outside is so massive but then you go inside and you realize that it all of a sudden seems bigger. We were there when services were about to start which was cool and we sat in for a few hymns. The inside is breathtaking. Emily and I specifically loved the stained glass that covered part of the walls along with detail on the ceiling.
We left there and wondered back into some small streets to just explore. We found a placed called Cafe Delmas, a bar with mostly outdoor seats that faced a beautiful fountain. Emily got a hibiscus martini and I got wine!
We found another fromagarie on our way to the apartment, and fancied a young cheddar with irish stout. It was pretty to look out and even tastier to eat. We stopped at a market to pick up some veggies to make dinner with and we slowly made our way back to the apartment. We picked up some wine and hung out that night.
Bright and early we woke up and took the Metro to Marais, the Jewish quarter of Paris. We sat and had espresso while doing some solid people watching. After that we walked around the area, went into shops and just roamed around. We found this chocolate shop that we could not resist and got some treats.
We eventually found ourselves at the Pompidou, the modern art museum.
WARNING: SKIP DOWN IF YOU DONT CARE BOUT MY SEMI-CRUMMY DESCRIPTION OF THE ART I SAW
The entire grounds of the museum are a work if art, before you even go inside. I spent my time in the Contemporary art section (1940-present), the Matisse special exhibit and the Art Spiegelman exhibit.
I will only bore you with some of my thoughts of the art but I will give you list of Artists I think you should look up (if you are interested of course).
Peter Saul- Bewtiful and Stwong
Maryan- 7 dessins de la sarie Napoleon
Pascel Convert-Joseph Epstein
The Matiss exhibit was totally worth the wait! They had the bulk of his work there, but even cooler they had sketches from when he started to draw. The most interesting part, I thought Was the part they talked about an art show Matisse did in the December of 1945. The show was called "Henri Matisse: paintings, drawings and sculptures" and was held at Galerie Morght. The show only had a limited number of his paintings but what made it unique was that next to each finished piece were pictures of the life of the painting from beginning to end. Google it!! The Gallery was really beautiful and there was some controversy in the show.
I ended at the Art Spiegleman exhibit. The story of his work is long, and he has had his hand in many works in the USA and all over the world. He makes grown up comics and believes in the potential of comics going beyond juvenile pieces of art. He worked for The New Yorker as the cover artist until he published a controversial cover on Valentines day of a Jewish man kissing a Muslim women. I am not doing a good job of explaining the importance of his work and how powerful it is, so I think you should all look it up! You would be surprised that you will recognize some of his work. His comics are colorful, powerful and very honest.
My favorites of the exhibit
-Mauschwitz
-The Shadow of No Towers
-The Wild Party
-His work for The New Yorker
The best quote I got while in the museum was from Robert Marris "The Rationalist notion that art is an activity which results in a finished product is up for debate. Since what art has at it's disposal is a product that is forever evolving"
We left there feeling inspired but found a serious rainstorm outside. We ventured out anyways because we were on a mission: Wannajuice. Rosey had told us about this "build your own smoothie" place in Odeon, and eversince we were craving it. We found free wifi at a Mac Do and with the combination of our awesomeness and our map skills we found it! Emily got Ginger, coconut, mango and I got pineapple, orange, mango. It was scrumptious !
We walked around Odeon for a while, wishing we could go shopping and indulge in all the shoes and handbags Paris has to offer. The area was filled cafès, corner shops and lots of fashionable people. If I go back there I am leaving my hiking boots at home and investing in a good pair of wedges.
The last major monument we wanted to see in Paris was the La Basilique Du Secré-Ceur. It is a huge church sitting on the edge of Paris and is a unique white color. We walked the 360 steps up to it and found a nice spot to enjoy the sun. It has to be one of the bet views in Paris, because you can see almost the entire city from there. We enjoyed a few beers on the steps before heading back to the apartment.
When we got back we had to do surgery on my backpack because there was a rip happening near the main part of the bag. Emily got super crafty with super glue and some thread and needle and save it's life. It looks super ghetto but it no longer has a gaping hole. We bought some wine and set out to hit Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. We got to St. Michel and planted ourselves to enjoy the city at night. Unfortunately we got there right at power hour so the lights went off soon after we got there. The metro was also closed early this night so we had no way to get to the tower. Either way Emily and I were enjoying being on the river, the reflection of the lights and the city actually being sort of quite. A guy came up to us to talk and he had a guitar in hand. We walked along the river with him and he showed us his favorite bridge to sing at. So for a while we spent our time singing, drinking wine and sharing stories with this French guy. We don't remember his name or where he was from but it was absolutely the best way to end our trip to Paris.
Something we both loved about Paris is that at almost every bar, cafè or restaurant, outside all of the chairs faced outward. Maybe it is my love for people watching, but it encouraged us to talk to our neighbors and really take in where we were.
Paris is April. I fell in love with the city and could have spent weeks more exploring. I just loved
The architecture, the food, the wine and the culture. I loved how many grassy areas there were and places for people to relax and take their 2 hour lunch break. Paris gets a bad rep and I am sure there are some angry, proud Parisians out there but I did not meet many. There were a few places I did not see, so I will just have to go back.
Our trip to the Ryan Air airport was out of a TV show. We were on the metro during the rush hour to work so every train was packed. Emily and I have the largest bags on our backs and I can't stop laughing. Lucky the trip was only 8 metro stops away but it was entertaining to see us struggle through the crowds of parisians.
After this we flew to Italy! Went to Florence, Germany, back to Florence then Rome! Emily is going to post that really soon so look out for the read.
The adventure continues on and we are still enjoying eachothers company, more than ever actually. We have met so many people saying they would kill their best friend on this type of trip. This makes me so grateful to have Emily by my side to laugh with and explore down this road ( an I hope she feels the same way!).
