WEEK 6- CHARTRES

I felt a tad bit regretful for not adding another layer to my outfit when I felt the icy wind seep in past webbings of fabric. I also felt some frustration for not going to bed earlier as I sipped on an expresso noisette in a nearby McDonalds (a last ditch effort to wake myself up). But when it was time for the tour, all of these minor annoyances dissipated when I found myself, neck craned and head to the Heavens, in front of the grand Chartres Cathedral.

I really didn't know what to expect upon seeing the bucolic archivolts bordering the doors. But walking through them, I became suddenly enveloped. The space before me was colossal and the air felt remarkably chaste. I felt incredibly small as I gazed at the ribbed vaulting, like if I was in the belly of some sort of lapidarian half-creature half-robot. The light cascading in through the vibrantly stained windows brightened the Cathedral in such sanguine ways. And when clouds shrouded the light, the Cathedral bore a new aura altogether- as if twilight had abruptly befallen upon the city.

My eyes were restless as there were many things I could fix my gaze on. What I found especially interesting were the art pieces that were on display that day. The pieces were centered around Jesus' life and aspects of faith, I found them to be very moving. Another interesting thing I noted was how some of the stained glass was blackened from the soot of many candles being burned. It blocked some of the light from coming in and the darkness that harbored the immediate area looked tranquil. The sculpture in the apex of the Cathedral was nothing short of magnificent and really instilled a sense of profoundness. Our group was fortunate to have a knowledgeable tour guide to tell us about the history of the building. It was breathtaking to experience such a monumental place as Chartres Cathedral.

WEEK 5- EXPLORING LILLE

Last week around this time, I was frantically packing enough belongings for the extended weekend stay. In the midst of cramming the essentials into my roomy travel backpack, I called for an uber and not too long after, I was off to the bus station for my trip to Lille.

Initially, the bus ride was nauseating as I was sat in the far back- stuck with the pungent smell of BO. Once past the stop-and-go traffic of the city, the bus began its steady journey on the freeway. It wasn't an especially extraordinary journey but I felt a swirl of emotions as I watched the world pass by. During certain parts, the vista could have easily passed as a typical California freeway drive. It was very strange and I'm still trying to figure out what it was exactly. But knowing that I was an entire ocean away from that kind of familiarity wracked me, in a good way. Actually, I was rather captivated by the view as the sunset cast its warm glow inside the bus and on the surroundings. In this moment, I felt like a true foreigner. But I did not feel estranged, rather, I was swimming in delight.

I was greeted by a good friend upon my arrival in Lille. It was close to 22:00. While walking back to her apartment for the night, I got to see this city at night and it was splendid. I didn't have much of an idea in my head of what to expect but when I emerged from the underground metro and saw the pastoral buildings, the caramelized cobblestone...just the frame of the city- I was amazed. The streets were even smaller than the ones in Paris and the buildings were a bit shorter as well. But in some esoteric way, I felt smaller too.

I got to experience quite a lot during my stay in Lille, thanks to my friend for showing me around. One of those things was going to a dog cafe, and it only cost 5 euros (included unlimited coffee and tea)! It was nice to have a space to pet some cute pups and sip on a hot drink. I also got to experience some techno music events happening throughout the city, it was really so much fun to be among other French people enjoying the same music that I love. Thriftstore shopping was also on the list and though the place closed relatively early, I was happy to snag some new digs that will always remind me of my time in Lille. On the last day, I got to experience an art exhibition that centered around videos as the medium. It was so interesting and I found myself completely immersed. For my last dinner in Lille, I got to enjoy a delicious filet mignon in Maroilles cheese, paired with a great cherry beer. The night ended at the only bowling alley in all of Lille and it was a night to remember.

Traveling to this part of France further deepened my fondness for the country, if it were even possible! I am confident that I will be returning to Lille in the future to enjoy more of what the city has to offer. Until next time!

WEEK 4- A~TYPICAL FRIDAY

From nearly missing the train to our class trip to Versailles... to hiding behind a tree at Buttes Chaumont Park, my Fridays in Paris have been anything but typical! My roommate and I woke up to an responsibly set alarm at around 7am. But the blackout curtains in our room often present the first problem of the day. These curtains are perhaps too good at doing their job because we could wake up at roughly 8:00am and the room wouldn't look any different than it does at 8:00pm. The point is, when we woke up, we had fallen back asleep shortly after due to this vulnerable situation. Thankfully, my neurotic sense of being late to things woke us up with enough time to quickly put ourselves together for the day. Though, it wasn't enough as we found ourselves at a ridiculously busy time at the metro. Thus, it's no surprise that we were met with absolutely no sign of our large, American group at the rendezvous point. Luckily, they were literally right below us- waiting for the train to Versailles to arrive. A wave of gratefulness washed over me upon entering the gates of the Palace of Versailles... grateful I didn't miss out on experiencing this once again. And grateful that I didn't miss out on this mandatory class excursion worth points. Hah. Visiting Versailles and the gardens that scream "EXTRA-VAGANT" was such a dream. The place is so expansive, it's wild to imagine people once living there. As I walked throughout the gardens that stretched out as far as I could see, I can't imagine the people who lived there ever really needing to leave when they have the world in their backyard! Thinking about Versailles, I realized just how much history is so easily accessible and plentiful in this single city of Paris, Versailles being one of the many. It is quite amazing and there were so many instances where I thought to myself "You wouldn't see that back at home!" The day at Versailles left me winded and hungry so my roomie & I decided to try out the local Mexican food joint down the street from our apartment. It was late afternoon and luckily, there wasn't a crowd gathered there. We were skeptical about it at first because Mexican restaurants aren't a thing, in general, out here. But we were pleasantly proven wrong upon taking the first bite of easily one of the best carne asada burritos I've ever had. Once we had our fill, we headed back to our apartment for a post-meal nap. 45 minutes had gone by before my alarm woke me up for the second time that day. Our favorite travel bloggers/Youtubers were having a picnic at a nearby park and invited their subscribers to bring something to share and hang out. I was hoping we would have some time to grab something at a Franprix nearby but we didn't want to be those people who showed up late. So we arrived at the Buttes Chaumont Park and had some trouble navigating where the picnic was exactly. Amidst the confusion was sheer awe at the beauty and expanse of the park. Another "You wouldn't see this back at home!" rang loud and clear in my thoughts. After 10-15 minutes of walking, I spotted a modest looking group of about 15 people sitting in a circle with food and deduced that we reached our destination. Though the sudden embarrassment of not bringing food AND showing up late (to my dismay) wracked me in that moment. My roomie felt it too so we walked a bit past the innocently jarring group and decided to figure out our next course of action as we sat a bench near a tree, hidden from the group. We were frazzled trying to figure out what to do while also fangirling at a distance. It must have been 40 minutes, approximately 10 frantic attempts at contacting our friends who were also showing up late to the picnic, and 20 more people added to the much larger circle until we decided to bite the bullet and, as nonchalantly as possible, join the picnic...empty-handed & late. Damon (one half of the travel YouTube duo) greeted us after a few moments of us awkwardly joining the group. It was nerve wracking at first but it ended up being a really great conversation. He was so kind to us and for a moment, I forgot about the whole hiding behind a tree debacle. As the sunset, we were all asked to leave the park as we did not have a permit to gather in throngs. I found myself in a thick crowd of fellow followers of Damon & Jo, walking through the streets of Paris as the travel junkies guided us to our new hangout spot by the canal. Once we got there, the sun was having its last hurrah and painted half the sky this brilliant orange. A truly profound sight. It was amazing to see so many people from so many different places (and locals too, of course) coming together, talking, getting to know each other, sharing a fondness for Damon & Jo, and just bonding. It was an unforgettable Friday for me, I can't wait for the next one!

**MUSIC IN VIDEO: Kumisolo - Kabuki femme fatale (Opera Remix)