Spotlight: Paris, Magical moments in magical places

The museum's exterior

February 13th, 2013
Paris, France
Though many inquiring travelers receive a high recommendation from me for the Musée d'Orsay, I have found something that finally has a fighting chance for the renowned position as my favorite place to be in Paris. Upon my 7th visit to the capital of France, this time accompanied by my German roommate Katrin, I chanced to meet a professor from Brno, Czech Republic who offered me several location recommendations concerning the educated mind of the wanderer. Due to the time constraint of our last day in the city of lights, we selected the one closest to the Gardens of Tuileries (les jardins de Tuileries) called L'Orangerie. Somehow I had never visited this gem of a building and it became the highlight of my Parisian rendez-vous this year. As I am technically a German student at the moment, all of my museum tickets were free since I showed my current, student ID and my German residence card; what a surprise bonus!

A group of ladies peers at the odd arrangement
in the gallery downstairs

There are two floors of this gallery and it is your whim's decision as to where you should start. However, I must spoil you and say that the basement is quite interesting with a collection of several, French artists (both male and female for a refreshing change) and the upstairs contains a breathtaking assortment of previously unseen, unprecedented magic. If that phrase alone doesn't entice your wanderlust, then you are certainly missing the point of my articles. As I entered the first of the two large, oval rooms, I most literally had my breath taken away by Monsieur Monet. Certainly, I have seen many lovely works by the master of impressionism, but the works before my eyes not only took me hours to absorb but had never, in print nor paint, crossed my eyes before. Each room holds four stunning, panorama paintings included in Monet's collection of waterlily works. As with most of Monet's masterpieces, the art critic has multiple perspectives to choose between (and shall repeatedly vary such perspectives before the work can be grasped in the least). The nature of the marriage between oil on canvas and impressionism provides you the up close and messy angle that is severely lacking in details or overall concept. The further removed from the paint one becomes, the clearer the image and the idea becomes. With the help of Monet's paintbrushes, palet choices and the museum's dedication to preservative lighting, the magic moved through the lilies more vibrantly than that to which I am accustomed. Simply said, allow at least an hour for this museum as it is quite prepared to inspire and calm you, granted that you lose yourself in the strokes and shadows for a sufficient amount of time.

Borrowed from Panoramio.org as photos were forbidden

“Musee de l'Orangerie” Metro station: La Concorde
Jardin Tuileries 75001 Paris
01 44 77 80 07
EU students: free!

Adventuring on "Winter Break"

March 1st, 2011

Milan, Italy

What a journey! Lushuana and I just spent the last two days in Paris, France seeing the Louvre, l'Arc de Triomphe, les jardins des Tuileries, la Seine river, le Musée d'Orsay, la Bastille, la Défense, and les Champs-Elysées. We met up last night in a sketchy area in search of a little jazz club with my new American friend Clint, French alias 'Claude,' and our French friend, Ben, from ESC. Unfortunately, it ended up being closed, so we went to the corner bar where the local crowd danced, sang, and chatted. We did not fit in at all but yet I did not feel uncomfortable; at least the atmosphere was acceptable because the neighborhood itself was a different story. The next hour or so was then spent trying to find a way home to our hostel near Moulin Rouge because the metro was halted due to a suicide somewhere down the line. It was a mad rush of maps, buses, directions, questions, metro lines and long walks. We finally arrived just before the hostel closed the doors for the evening. The boys eventually got home, too, as we were on the phone with them the entire way just to ensure that everyone was settled and safe. Thank goodness for them. When we came to our room, there were two girls asleep who we found out the next morning were Stephania from Venice and a girl from Argentina who had decided that it would behoove her more to keep sleeping all day than to shake our hands.

Breakfast was typically French and typically delicious. The hot mint tea felt good on my throat as my bronchitis couch seems to be holding on like a weed in an old well, probably due to my overcapacity of adventures. We had a wonderful day in Paris and I absolutely love le Musée d'Orsay! Impressionism seems to hold a secret of my heart, perhaps because it is the only art where the artist can add his opinions and expression directly into the art, thus communicating his inner spirit and not just what the eye can see. I saw two of my favorite paintings in the whole world: Renoir's "Le Moulin de la Galette" and Van Gogh's "Starry Night" in their original grandeur and my senses tingled with both excitement and inspiration. There were famous paintings one after another and the museum was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen! Photos were forbidden, but we snuck in a few on Lushi's iPhone just because we could barely believe our eyes! The coolest thing is that, as we are residents and students in France, we get into the Paris museums and a few attractions for free. We received free entrance into l'Arc de Triomphe on Monday the 28th and several other things as well. I really want to take advantage of this superb opportunity and will go back to Paris soon to see the rest of the Louvre, le Centre Pompidou, the Picasso and the Musée of Contemporary Art. Why not? That has become my motto over these last few months. I may never again have this opportunity. In fact, I'm learning to take advantage of any and all opportunities in order to push myself to new horizons.

After all the fun, we took a shuttle for Ryanair, 15 Euros, and arrived at Paris Beauvais. After having arrived in Milan, we took a shuttle to the train station and had to hire a taxi to take us to our hostel because our cheap flight arrived very late in the night and the city had shut down. Because of this, we couldn't buy a map so we went off of Google Maps that we had printed before the voyage. We made the last minute call, however, to go for the safety option and hire a taxi driver to escort us there. Finally, we reside happy, exhausted and ready for more adventures.

Letters to Home, Part 4

January 1^st, 2011

Chantepie, France

My Dearest Mother,

My new home! Chantepie, France

I am so sorry that I haven’t been highly in contact. I can’t figure out whether or not I have access, limited or not, to the internet and things are very different here; it takes some getting used to. Today, Madame Deschamps is taking me to see my school and understand the bus system. I am very tired and have not yet completely adjusted to the time change. I fell asleep around 5 pm my first day, Friday, and slept until 3 am. Then, I couldn’t sleep and it was dark and quiet so I unpacked, got settled into my room as quietly as possible, and journaled. I just started my new book with which I am sure you are very familiar. H.G. Well’s Time Machine. The lofty language is intense after speaking only French, but I like it. The introduction was 30 pages long, so I really have only read that so far. I figure this way, I can keep my nightmare of forgetting English from coming true!

Understanding the metro system in Rennes, France

Madame Deschamps is very nice! She and a friend picked me up at the train station, la gare de Rennes, and drove me to the house. It’s fairly big for a French house and there are artifacts from all over the world that scatter the walls and surfaces. She’s a widow of 8 years and she lost her mother 7 years ago. We talked about it a bit and she said that the holidays are very hard for her. She’s probably 60 years I would guess; yes, you called it!

I still have not heard English spoken since I left Texas, but I met some tourists along the way and some sweet, older French people who helped me find my way. I suppose this immersion thing will happen faster than we counted on!

Apparently my Hungarian roommate is no longer coming because her father was diagnosed with cancer, so I will have the room to myself and a higher rent payment. She says that there may be more students coming and one of them might share my room, so I will see what happens!

It’s cold here, but no worse than Colorado except for the sea being so near that the air holds a denser and more chilling humidity level. Yesterday it was about 32 F and today it warmed up to 40 F. We watch the news everyday so I am learning to understand the relative temperatures in Celcius and to catch the weather descriptions in rapid French.

Happy New Year! Bonne année! I hope that you did something fun and are thoroughly enjoying yourself. It’s nice to write in English! At least my language skills are being challenged; I can understand most of what people say but it’s very difficult, especially since I’m still so jetlagged. They told me that I am doing very well and am responsive. I try to ask a lot of questions in order to comprehend the context and underlying meaning of their comments; French humor shall soon be mastered! It at least helps me to understand how my International students feel! Empathy is a powerful tool and emotion.

I miss you so much already and wish that you could see these beautiful and different things with me! Please tell everyone that I’m ok and share my stories because I cannot write to everyone.

Toujours/Always,

Bethy Ru

Traveling Tips: France

December 31^st, 2010

Paris, France

Wow, navigating the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport by yourself is not easy. Future warning:

·         Pay attention and always be aware of signs! For instance, when you go through customs, greet them in the language you wish to speak, otherwise you might end up with an international crisis as they believe you are refusing to answer their interrogations.

·         After passing customs, STOP. Do not go to the doors that say exit because you will be passing baggage claim altogether and may need a security escort to return to this area and they generally speak French coupled with an angry tone.

·         Ask for help! There are information desks in each terminal and, as long as you can understand a French accent, you will have your questions answered (though maybe not in the preferred or expected way).

·         It may take 30-40 minutes for your baggage to arrive on the belt. It’s not the same efficiency as US airports, so take that into consideration and keep your frustration levels to a minimum. Drawing attention to yourself is generally a negative thing in airports.

·         There are few clocks around and most of them are in the 24 hour setting. Just subtract twelve. Also, don’t be afraid to ask strangers, “Quelle heure est-il?” This will prevent you from missing your train. That’s the plan, anyway.

·         ATMs are tricky and may not like you or your card for some unspecified reason. Deal with it. You’ll find one eventually that appreciates you and your money.

·         The train stations may be under a roof and look like a building, but they are freezing in winter time. Dress warmly and be prepared for the seasons into which you are traveling.

·         Find your seat according to the platform and car locators before the train arrives. This way, you can jump right onto the train when it pulls up; they don’t wait long.

·         “Parlez-vous l’anglais?” This question will pull you out of trouble if you’re confused. Most people speak a little bit and, by combining your knowledge of the two languages, you can figure out where to go and what to do.

If you have a ticket like boarding pass, be sure to validate it before getting on the trains. If it’s printed at home with a barcode, you don’t need to validate it. The conductor, if he ever comes by, will do this.

Music is International

February 24, 2011

Chantepie, France

I discovered something beautiful today at the French Gospel Chorale workshop which I was privileged to attend with my director and a few new French friends:

Though the instructions and techniques were half understood and the language barrier was strong, 

MUSIC IS INTERNATIONAL. 

Once she sang, the notes and the rhythm explained themselves to me. Perhaps I am actually tri-lingual or perhaps I unlocked the secret to world peace.

All I know is that I love music.

Also, in talking to Fiza about men and relationships as usual, I came across a new idea that I want to explore later. Everyone has baggage, but it depends on how we carry it, if we left it somewhere, if we're searching for baggage that we left behind, etc.I suppose that's just me being philosophical again.

Bucket List, Going Fast!

February 23^rd, 2011

Rennes, France

I was officially the witness of a spontaneous and public, dance session!!

Location: Metro line, Rennes, France

Characters: Two breakdancers with an Amp, an Ipod and some legit choreography.

Check that off the Bucket List.

Goodbye to a Loved One

Friday, February 18^th, 2011

Rennes, France

Dear friends and family,

Thank you so much everyone! From all over the world, literally, I feel the comfort. I have such amazing friends.
The reason I was freaking out so much is that I found out that there was a death on my dad's side of the family but did not know any details at all and was very worried and put under a lot of pressure. Thank you all for being there to catch me.
I found out later tonight that my Great Aunt Betty passed away Wednesday after collapsing in her bedroom in the middle of the night. She was an amazing woman and was a good friend and is with the Father now, so we can be confident in that. It is always hard to suffer a loss, but she was very old and sick and now no longer will have to suffer or feel pain. We love you, Aunt Betty!
All my love to all of you,