Final Post: Reflections, Rendez Vous, and Relaxing Strolls

My two months stay in Paris has come to an end. While time usually does fly, it did not for me during this particular stay. That's because I made the most of every day. I cherished being in Paris and used my two month stay to only explore Paris, but also other parts of France. (This is quite different from my exchange counterparts at HEC, who traveled almost every weekend to other parts of Europe.) 

Also, because I've already spent extensive time in Paris, I didn't feel a need nor an urgency to see all the Parisian sites. Instead, I would wake up leisurely, complete personal or school-related tasks in the morning, take my time strolling through various arrondissements and gardens in the afternoon, read books at cafés, and prioritize times spent with locals, HEC peers, or sometimes by myself in the evening. There were also very few moments of feeling rushed or stressed during the trip. My academic load was purposefully lite, which allowed me to immerse myself with locals and HEC students, in Parisian life, and in other endeavors of my choosing. 

Each day, I felt alive, content, and in love. 

The photos shown below were taken at random points throughout my stay in Paris. They represent the various places and sites that I would visit (often by myself) in the afternoons. The walks during which these photos were taken were reflective, mediative, and perhaps healing. From these walks, I reflected on: 

1) My experiences in Paris represent some of the best moments of my life: getting engaged to Ben;  numerous visits with family over the years; staying with my two host families and greatly improving my French and learning about French culture with them; interning at the US embassy; attending Women's World Cup, Euro Cup, and PSG soccer matches with close friends and family; speaking French all day and night; exploring Paris by foot, etc. 

2) Studying French will continue to be my lifelong passion: I absolutely love speaking, listening, writing, and reading French. After 20+ years of education, French remains my favorite subject. In the near future, I'd like to take the official French language certification test to validate/showcase my language skills. In the longer term, I'd like to take translation courses, get an official masters degree, and would consider becoming a translator as my retirement gig. That said, I'll continue to read, watch French films and TV shows, take classes, and travel to France hopefully once a year.  

3) The connections that I've made with French people in Paris are deep and marvelous: Muriel, Ally, Gautier, Arthur, Clara, Isabelle, Laure-Anne, Brigitte, Marie, Victor, Nicholas, Amy (to name a few...)

4) There is still so much more to see in France: While I've visited a lot of France, there is still so much more to see, such as Marseille, Nimes, Corsica, Languedoc, Colmar, Dordogne, Puy-en-Velay, Lourdes, etc. So much for beauty, history, nature, and wonder to visit! 

5) "Il n'y as pas de hasard; il n'y a que des rendez-vous": This was a phrase that was told to my parents and me at Brasserie Lipp by an intriguing French woman named Annette. Further online research showed that Paul Eluard, the 20th French surrealist poet, wrote it in one of his poems. It translates to: "In life, there isn't chance, only meet ups." In other words: meetings, introductions, or run-ins with other people don't happen by chance; they were meant to be. I find that this phrase best captures a lot of what I have experienced not only in Paris, but also in life. 

Enjoy these final photos and à la prochaine (or, see you next time), Paris!

Père Lachaise Cemetary 

Le Parc des Buttes-Chaumont 

Notre Dame de Lorette with Sacré Coeur in the background on Rue Laffitte

Chateau de Fontainebleau

Napoleon Bonaparte's throne room at Chateau de Fontainebleau

The chapel at Fontainebleau; the museum provided 19th century style clothes for boys and girls to wear while touring the museum!

Saint Supplice

Saint Amboise

Canal Saint Martin

Saint Eustache 

Picture of the wine bottles taken during my "Cave du Louvre" wine tour with HEC exchange students to celebrate Valentine's Day

A pretty building in the Latin Quarter

The LV Dream exhibition (and chocolate display!)

Pont Alexandre III Bridge

The Eiffel Tower

On the Pont Alexandre III Bridge

The Pont Alexandre III Bridge with the Grand and Petit Palais in the background

La Conciergerie and Ile de la Cité

The Seine at sunset

Walking the Seine with Nadia

The Seine at sunset

The HEC Chateau, which is on campus and surrounded by lakes and a forest!

The Balzac Home and Museum

A public drinking fountain, still in use today from the 19th century 

Paris at sunset

Paris at sunset

Walking Paris' catacombs, the largest in the world 

Saint Augustin

Parc Monceau

Parc Clichy

Auteuil Church 

La Madeleine Church 

Final Weekend in Normandy

For my final weekend in France, I was delighted to have accepted an invitation to visit Villers-sur-mer in Normandy and stay with my former host family. During my junior year study abroad spring semester in 2015 and my internship at the US embassy in 2016, I had the pleasure to stay with a wonderful and welcoming French family. We have kept in touch over the years, and each time that I am in Paris, we always see one another. The family has a spectacular home in Villers-sur-mer, which I had been fortunate to have visited with them over the years, so when they offered for me to join them for a family weekend at their home, I couldn't help, but say "oui, avec plaisir!"

Aside from Paris, Normandy remains my favorite region in France, and each time that I visit, I like to explore and experience a new town. Thus, I decided to immensely elongate my train connection between Paris and Villers-sur-Mer and spend an afternoon in Rouen, the capital of Normandy. To quote our family's favorite tour guide, Rick Steves, "This 2,000-year-old city mixes Gothic architecture, half-timbered houses, and contemporary bustle like no other place in France. While its industrial suburbs were devastated by WWII bombs, most of the historic core survived, keeping Rouen a pedestrian haven. Its cobbled old town is a delight to wander." Check out some pictures from this weekend!

Friday: Rouen Excursion

Rouen enjoys an exceptional heritage. Located 1h20 minutes by train from Paris, its Gothic and Renaissance architectural masterpieces and town houses of the classical period offer a sight for the eyes. Plus, it has over 50 major historical monuments and its museums (most of which are free to visit) are among the richest in France and the world.

The Fine Arts Museum of Rouen

Claude Monet's "Rue Montorgueil in Paris (Celebration of June 30, 1878)"

The Fine Arts Museum is home to the most important collection of Impressionist work outside of Paris, featuring Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley with many of their work focused on scenes from the Seine River. 

Claude Monet's "Notre Dame Cathedral of Rouen"

Joan of Arc, the renowned martyr of the Hundreds Years' War, was burned at the stake here at the Old Market Square on May 30, 1431. The cross marks the spot where she was burned to commemorate her contribution to the war and to history. 

Rouen's Great Clock, which consists of a Gothic belfry, a Renaissance archway and clockface, and a 18th century fountain. The belfry houses the city bells and is one of the oldest clock operations in Europe.

A view of the clock taken from the other side and the classic Norman half-timbered buildings on display 

In the heart of the historic city, the Notre Dame Cathedral of Rouen has been the epitome of the development of Gothic art, since the start of its construction in the 12th century. Its 19th century cast iron spire rises to the height of 511 meters, making it the tallest in France.    

Saint Maclou Church: one of the most beautiful testimonies of the flamboyant Gothic style: the late flowering of this art before the advent of the Renaissance architecture, its doorway with its five porches is adorned with magnificent, sculpted doors from the Renaissance order. 

Saint Maclou Church's interior 

Saint Maclou Ossuary: this is one of the last surviving necropolises in Europe to be found in the city center. Its origins date to the Great Plague of 1348, which killed three quarters of the neighborhood's inhabitants, and the courtyard (pictured above) served as a cemetery at that time.  

Pretty half-timbered houses along a quiet street in the city center 

Le Secq des Tournelles or Wrought Ironwork Museum: This highly unusual institution, the brainchild of the donor Henry le Secq des Tournelles, is housed in a former Gothic church and displays the largest collection of old ironwork in the world, from the Gallo-Roman period to the 19th century. There are more than 16,000 objects from all areas of life: not only gratings and banisters, but also locks, keys, jewelry, door knockers, scientific instruments, and more!

Saturday & Sunday: Villers-sur-Mer

From Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, I spent time with my former host family (the mother, her oldest son, his fianceé, and his fianceé's parents). We had such a lovely and relaxing time together! We caught up, laughed, enjoyed long meals and conversations, ate and drank extremely well (the fruits de mer platter from the local poissonnerie-or fish merchant in English-was the highlight!) and enjoyed each other's company.

Their wonderful home!

The view of the sea from their balcony 

The intimate and cozy living room + dining room

The town's post office 

The main shopping street

The boardwalk 

Typical Normand houses

The house at the end of the street 

Running along the beach to the "Vaches Noirs" or "Black Cows" of Villers. These rocks are an accumulation of sediment from the Jurassic period (roughly 160 million years ago) are made of clay and calcium. Given this material, these rocks (and the nearby cliffs) have conserved millions of fossils over the milleniums, which makes this area a fascinating site to explore for paleontologists. The "Black Cows" derive their name from folklore: once upon a time, villages thought that they saw black cows roaming on the sand, but when they approached this area, they saw that these were, in fact, rocks, not cows! However, the name has stuck and is still used today!

Right before I headed back on the train, my former host mother and I walked around Deauville, the luxurious seaside town.We toured the seaside cabins, which American movie starts have access to, during the annual Deauville American film festival!

Deauville's beach