And School Begins...

Well, yesterday was finally the first day of class; yes, two weeks after arrival. This semester, I will be taking three different classes: Studio, Detail Drawing, and Urban Exploration in Paris. Detail Drawing is mostly about sketching and analyzing how a building comes together. Where ever we travel, we'll be looking at a building from a different perspective- the construction details of how the building could possibly be built. Urban Exploration is more of a walking class through Paris. We will be looking at different neighborhoods, exploring all of the intricate corners of the city otherwise never seen, and mapping out our own "map" of how we interpret the city. The last class is of course Studio. This semester, we are going to be designing a floating restaurant for the Paris canal as well as the Chicago River. For six months out of the year, the restaurant will be docked at a prime location along the river or canal and for the following six months, will travel south to warmer weather. The restaurant will house four workers; all of which are tsu chefs, waiters, and captains of the vessel. The main chef will constantly change as world renowned chefs will come to the restaurant and cook for a couple weeks on the vessel at a time.

It's going to be an interesting project. My entire third year of school was about designing a building for a specific location and program- however this project has no definite site or specific program. Although this gives a lot of leeway to do as we please, it also leaves a lot open for interpretation: whether or not it be good or bad. To me- because there is constantly a new chef, a new location, and new visitors- the restaurant has to adapt to its environment. Also- if the same four people are living and working on this small vessel for months at a time, they're going to want a change every now and then. For me, this restaurant has to be about adaptation and exploration. The workers need to be able to move walls, change layout, and alter the exterior look. For me, good architecture satisfies three parties: the user, the passers-by, and the architect. It must be able to function sufficiently for the workers and customers. It must draw the average person walking by to want to explore the building and experience more. And it must please other architects- whether it be in the building's detail or overall interpretation. So far, my preliminary ideas consist of everything being able to move- walls, windows, colors, entrances. It has a series of vertical louvers which create an ever changing view of the building for the person approaching it and viewing the restaurant while walking past on the path beside the river. But- it's been a day- so I know a lot will change- but as of now, this is where I'm at.

I just came back from a trip to the Louvre and dinner with a bunch of friends from class. Since it's Friday night, all people under 26 are able to enter the Louvre free of charge. We say the Mona Lisa, Wing Victory (or Nike statue with wings), Raft of Medusa, and more. We didn't get to nearly the entire museum- I believe if you walk every hall in that museum, you would walk over 4 miles. But from what I saw, it was a beautiful museum. At dinner, a friend asked all of us to go around the table and say one word to describe the Mona Lisa; mine was "creepy". It was very impressive to watch the eyes follow you as you move from left to right, and the angle of her mouth makes you want to truly know what she's thinking. I must say, though, the painting was much smaller than I imagined- but maybe the 3 inches of bullet-proof glass surrounding the painting give it the illusion of being so much smaller than thought.

On our way back home, we got a little lost, but all of the sudden all of these cop cars and vespas with their sirens on come wailing down the street with, literally, thousands of roller skaters following them! I honestly don't know what was going on, but these skaters were intense and never ending- and on top of that, it was about 11:30 at night- honestly, I don't know what was going on, but it was a pretty cool site! Anyways, I hope all of you back at home are having a great beginning of your weekend. I miss you SO much, thank you for reading!

London Baby!

Well, it's been 4 days, two plain rides, numerous underground trips, miles of walking, and lots of exploration. I just returned from a four day excursion to London- and I must say, it was a great trip. We arrived in London on Sunday afternoon, found our hotel, and immediately explored the West end of the city. We saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Parliament Building, and visited the Dali Museum. The museum, although it didn't have many of his famous paintings, had almost all of his sculptures, drawings, and even dresses he designed after his ideas. Next, we went and saw Westminster Abbey and headed over to Abbey Road.

Abbey Road was somewhat of a hike as it was further north than downtown London- but that only meant one thing, we were able to ride the infamous double decker bus to Abbey Road. We hopped off the bus and immediately saw graffiti all along the barrier wall in front of the studio where worshipers of the Beatles have traveled long distances to write their undying words of love. Although I do enjoy the Beatles, I know my mother would have loved to see this- so there's a part of her that will always be there.

We were lucky in that they had the gates open and were able to walk right up to the studio itself. But of course we took a walk across the crosswalk, dodging traffic and all, and were able to experience one of the Beatles greatest memories.

The following day was a full day trip to Windsor Caste, Stonehenge, and Oxford. We took a coach bus with tour guide and all, traveling over 300 miles throughout the 9 hour excursion. The first stop was Windsor Castle, one of the Queen's homes. It was originally built in 1066 and then added on until around 1700. Although its function was quite similar to that of Versailles, I thought this castle was more homely, engaging, and interesting. Every room is still used by the Queen to this day, and it is her favorite location. Guns, armour, and paintings lined the walls, yet at the same time, you could tell that this building was still very much in use and felt like walking into someone's home.

We hopped back on the bus, traveled for an hour and a half, and arrived in one of the most mind-altering locations in the world: Stonehenge. The site was literally in the middle of nowhere, the only thing surrounding the henge was an air force training area and a parking lot for tour buses. Unfortunately, the stones are a huge tourist attraction today, and you are not able to touch the stones due to graffiti in years past. But they were definitely a site I could never forget. These massive stones, some of which coming from over 200 miles away and being placed 5000 years, are just mind-blowing to look at trying to analyze how they were placed in such a way- and why. The newest information says that Stonehenge was used almost as a "funeral" location, where the body would be brought to the center of the henge, burned in a ceremonial process, and then the ashes scattered in the river not too far away. It's amazing to think that I was looking at something comprised 5000 years ago. I can only imagine how impressive it was when it was first built, knowing how impressive it is still so many years later.

Our final destination on the tour was Oxford- the town. Oxford- the school- is the main attraction of the town, however it turns out Oxford is actually comprised of about 30 different schools. In order to attend, you must have an interview and take an exam for Oxford, as a whole. If you pass both, you are then recommended a college based on your choice of study, and then must have an interview and take exam for that school. Finally, if you end up passing all four, you are accepted as a student and can attend. Oxford was founded around 500 A.D. The oldest building standing in the city today was built around 1200- so its a fairly old town. There were students everywhere, dressed in their hip modern clothes, and it gave a very interesting feel for the town. I really enjoyed it- a small, quaint, neighborly town- yet with so much history and thought.

Tuesday was another long day. We woke up bright and early and headed over to the Tower of London- the first medieval castle. We explored the castle, learned the history, saw the execution room, read the prisoner's last words etched in the walls, saw the royal crown jewels (including the world's largest 500 carat diamond), and toured with a Beefeater. It was a great place to really learn the history of London and of the royalty.

We then walked over to the Tower Bridge where we were able to walk across the very top. The bridge stands out in London not only for its size, but also its color. It's painted turquoise- merely because it's the Queen's favorite color! There were some spectacular views of London from the top of this intuitive bridge.

From the bridge, we walked over to St. Paul's Cathedral designed by Christopher Wren in 1666. The cathedral is impressive from the exterior, just with its massive dome rising above most buildings in the city, and it's greatest whiteness it has in the city center. However, when I walked inside, I was completely awe-struck. Wren never liked to use stain glass because of its obstruction of light- so the large open glass windows among white walls made the interior of this building look lighter than when outside. Yet, in the nave towards the back, the cathedral was decorated in dark colors with immense gold- giving a completely different feel here worshiping than entry into the building. We were able to take stairs all the way up to dome to three different levels. The first, 250 steps up, was half way up the dome. We were able to look down in the cathedral from above and experience what it felt like to be in the massive dome. Next, 380 steps up, was a terrace on the exterior of the building. And finally, 550 steps up was another exterior terrace at, almost, the very top of the dome. The views were extraordinary, but honestly, I almost didn't make it. In order to reach the last point, I had to walk a narrow, spiral, steel grate staircase. Now- I've never really been afraid of heights until going to Europe for the first time, and it was these kind of stairs that started it all. I was on the verge of tears as I looked down and could see the 100 stairs below me, legs shaking, and hand grabing the railing. There was one stair where my shoe slipped and fell off- almost all the way down the 100 steps I just walked up, and it was then that my heart pretty much stopped. My hands are sweating now just thinking of it. But eventually, I made it up, and am glad I did.

The last stop of the day was Tate Modern. I must say, it was very similar to the Pompidou Center- with similar artists on display. But the circulation in this building was horrible. The entry was the same as the exit- you had to pass through the same exhibits several times to see everything, and the passageways were narrow and crowded. But-other than that, I loved the artwork and it was worth the free admission.

Today was the last day in London. We didn't have too much time to explore before our flight this afternoon, but we were able to stop by London's most famous department store: Harrods. Here- I found a scarf for 325 pounds- which is equivalent to about $600! There was not one thing in this store I could every afford, and there were several areas you couldn't even shop in without an appointment!

But here I am, back in Paris after the London excursion. It was a great couple of days, and tomorrow is my first day of class. I'm excited, and ready, for school to start, but it's also going to mean less sight seeing. I will still keep you updated as to what is going on- but I'm sure I won't have as much time as I have for the past two weeks. I miss all of you so much back at home and I thank you so much for reading! I hope all is well- I would love to hear what is going on in your life. Love you all!

Palace of Versailles

Well, it was a long day. Today was: the Palace of Versailles. We started off the morning by waking up at 7:30- earlier you get to Versailles, the better we hear. We left the apartment by 8:15 and decided, with the weather being nice, to walk to the station. A mile and a half later, we arrive to the station only to find the stop has been closed for repairs. We saw a bunch of tourists heading on a bus to transport them to a working stop, but with the bus packed, we decided to walk to the stop instead. Another mile and a half later, we get to the stop, buy tickets to Versailles and hop on the train. As the train is pulling away, we notice there are VERY few people aboard and ask another passenger if we were going the right way. He hoped so, and so did we, until we realized 7 stops later that this train in fact went to a different Versailles station on the opposite side of town. So- we hop off the train, wait another half hour for one o thead back to where we started, and arrive at the same station we had gotten on. It turns out- all of the stations in downtown Paris going to Versailles are under construction; and that bus we opted out on was taking passengers to the correct station towards the Palace. So- we get on the bus, pass the mile and half we had previously walked an hour and a half earlier, and end up on the opposite side of Paris. Needless to say, we finally got to Versaille at noon, only 4 hours after leaving our apartment!

But.... we made it! And Versailles was amazing. It is the most extravagant palace in the world. The entire palace is made of gold and marble, and if its not gold nor marble, then its a painting of the royal family by a famous artist. The building was just unbelievable, in terms of grandness and grande-ness. The Musee de Louvre in downtown Paris was once the royal palace until it was declared "too small", which is when Versailles was then built. We were able to explore maybe a quarter of the entire palace and it took us over an hour just to walk through!

In terms of architecture, Versailles was the first palace to be shaped as a "U" in order to protect an entry from the front and have a large private garden in the rear. The ornamentation is mostly evenly, symmetrically, thoughtfully placed windows surrounded by stone- just a lot of them and that makes up the exterior.

However, I feel like the best part of the Palace were the immense gardens in the rear. They were the perfect example of natural trying to be fake- the garden was like a sixteen year old girl growing up in Deerfield. The lands are scalped to perfection; with cut mazes, springing flowers, scalped ponds, grandiose fountains, and a large pond (almost lake) in which you can take a row boat ride with your sweetheart. It was a large, open garden, yet felt very peaceful at the same time. We walked about half of the gardens, and in the end calculated walking about five and a half miles worth of garden!

In the end, eight and a half miles of walking later, I am home in my apartment and ready to collapse. I hope all of you back at home are ending a great week and starting an even better weekend! Miss you all SO much; please keep in touch!

Pompidou Centre- One of the Best Museums Yet

I saw one of the most amazing museums I think I have ever seen: The Pompidou Center. This is the building that has all the pipes, escalators, etc., on the outside of the building- and I really wanted to enter it center just to see what the architecture was like. But I have to say- the exhibits were some of the best I have seen!

The building itself houses four different programs: art gallery, museum, cinema, and bookstore. You enter the building by graded plaza one level below street level. I purchased my ticket in the massive lobby and proceeded up the exterior escalator. The first two floors consisted of a public library, followed by two floors of gallery space, and then an outdoor restaurant at the top of the building. We took the escalator all the way to the top in which there is a large walkway the length of the building to view the entire city.

Paris is a unique city in that there really aren't many building taller than 4-5 stories. The main reason for this is because of it's pure age- when it was originally built, there were no elevators to carry you and your groceries up to the top floor. Because of this- the few taller buildings of the city (which in Chicago these buildings look swallowed), provide amazing panoramic views of Paris.

After the view, we saw the amazing views of the art. There were many strange, scary, and outright disturbing pieces, but there were also some amazing works of art that took my breathe away. One of those was Duchamp's Urinal. Yes, I know, this sounds like it shouldn't be art, but the act of Duchamp merely turning the urinal on it's back made it a piece of art. He was making a point that you can make anything what you want it to be. You can turn something ordinary into extraordinary. We studied this urinal on an almost daily basis in my History of Modern Thought class as a metaphor for Modern architecture. Modern architecture is taking something simple and plain and making it art. I stood in awe at this urinal- yes- yes I did.

The Pompidou also exhibited Picasso, Matisse, Brzeska, Frida, and so so many more. It was worth every cent to enter- and one of those places I am definitely taking my mom! Anyways, I miss you all back at home and I wish you could have all been with me to see the museum today! Miss you all!

Sightseeing: The Beginning

I finally ventured out into the town to see what this city is truly about. I must say, the atmosphere is much different than Spain- it is much more open, free, and green. Also- there is shopping EVERYWHERE! Today, I found a street, or "rue" as they call it in French (see, I'm learning), where all they sell is purses! I have also discovered that the worst day to shop is Tuesday and the best days are Thursday and Friday. It turns out Tuesday is delivery day of all the new items in every store in Paris. We literally walked through an assembly line of employees passing boxes from the truck in the street to the store inside.

However, Paris offers much more than shopping. We started off our sightseeing by just taking a walk through the city. We walked by the Pompidou Center where the beams, pipes, and escalators are all on the exterior of the building. It is something that definitely wouldn't work in the U.S.- but it created somewhat of a movie. People sat in the plaza alongside the building and merely watched the visitors circulating through the building, or should I say the outside of the building.

Next we came to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. This cathedral is absolutely amazing from the exterior, all I can picture when I see it is my history class first year. We spent an entire class period learning about the buttresses on this building. However, the interior was a little bland. It was expected; nothing stook out to draw me into the building. But I could have looked at the exterior for hours.

We then came to the Louvre. We haven't entered the museum yet, but I sat with my feet in the fountain surrounding the glass pyramid in the center courtyard to cool off. This pyramid was a huge controversy when it was first built. Most Parisians felt that it obstructed the Louvre, but to me, I feel as through it only enhanced it. The large glass pyramid with shallow pools surrounding it allowed this courtyard to have meaning and be used by passers-by, not just those planning on attending the museum. To me, this was an act of genius.

Today was another long day. In the morning we went to the Musee des Arts et Metiers, comparable to the Museum of Science and Industry. Here, I saw Pascal's calculator, the first computer, and some of the first instruments ever built. We spent over 2 hours here, and still didn't see everything. Best of all- it was completely free!

Next we saw the "Roman" amphitheatre. It wasn't very old by any means, but it was a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the Parisian air. There were children playing in the center and some old men playing botchi ball- just a very nice place to sit and take it easy for a while.

We ended today with a trip up the Eiffel Tower. I must say, it was a mix between a movie and a trip to Six Flags. It took over two hours to go through the entire monument, and most of that time was spent in lines. But looking past that and the immense amount of people surrounding me, it was amazing. The structure is a work of art and the idea of creating a structural, useful, city emblem inspires me. Gustav Eiffel, the engineer of the project, had his apartment at the very top of the tower- imagine living with the most amazing view of Paris outside of your window everyday. You can literally see the entire city of Paris from the top of the tower. It is the tallest standing structure in Europe, and just approaching it gives that away. It's an experience unlike any other; similar to reaching the top of the Sears Tower, but completely different at the same time.

This was a long post- and if you got through the entire thing, I sincerely applaud you. I will try and update this more often and therefore keep each post slightly shorter. I miss you all back at home, but I also wish you were here to experience all of this with me! Thank you for everything!

First days in Paris

First of all- I am definitely not the type of person who would blog, and I think most of you know that. But because this is a once in a lifetime experience and because there are so many of you back at home that are so thoughtful to think of my while I'm over here, I've decided to try and keep this blog for you.
I arrived in Paris on August 14th. Our place is quite small. We have a kitchen with just enough space to walk through, living room with small couch and tv, bathroom wide enough to fit the toilet, and bedroom with JUST enough space to fit our clothes for 4 months- however the cabinet doors won't completely close.

The apartment is on a quiet street just off of Bonne Nouvelle, a somewhat popular and busy street with shopping and, as we found out yesterday, a grocery store. There's a McDonalds on just about every corner with 12 different kinds of coffee- and it's not like the McCafe coffee we have at home- it's 12 different kinds of hot coffee of every shape and size.

We haven't eaten out yet- honestly I'm afraid I won't know what anything means or what to say. I keep accidentally speaking Spanish- which is awful- so I'm practicing French by watching French tv and keeping a dictionary by me to try and figure Ross and Rachel are really saying in French "Friends".

As of now- I truly miss all of you back at home. It's definitely going to be different living over here. It's hard to think that I won't be able to see you if I want to- that I'll have to wait 4 months until I see you next. But I hope you know that I love all of you and that I miss you all very much already. Thank you for your support and love- that I will not forget for a second while I'm here. I will keep you posted with what is going on, I promise! Thank you for everything!