In the market for a Château?
October 8, 2016
Today, we hopped on the RER and passed our Saturday wandering through the hallways and gardens of Versailles. About 30 minutes by train from central Paris, Versailles was originally the hunting lodge of Louis XIII. Louis XIV, the Sun King, transformed it into the lavish palace we know today. It’s a symbol of absolute monarchy, the idea that the king of France had the divine right to rule supremely and was completely separate from his citizens. After the revolution, Versailles was abandoned and fell into disrepair. It was restored at the start of the twentieth century and is now visited by millions of people each year. You feel like a wall flower (you and 1,500 other visitors), looking in on the court culture of 17th and 18th century France. I’ve attached a lot of photos to give you a better idea of the place. Touring Versailles I was struck by the grandiosity of power. This is a place that makes you feel small. You are forced to look up at painted ceilings and giant... Read More
Bastille Market
October 2, 2016
Before the weather turns too cold, you have to go to the Marché Bastille. On Sunday mornings until 2, the largest street market in Paris takes over the Boulevard Richard Lenoir starting at Place de la Bastille. It’s incredible, and you can find anything from fresh... Read More
A Weekend Away in Bourgogne
September 22, 2016
10 college students, 3 French women, and 1 chauffeur spent the weekend in a bus touring Bourgogne, a region of France just southeast of Paris known for its wine and its mustard and charming countryside. We ate delicious food, toured a vineyard, wandered around some lovely... Read More
The Start of Something New!?
September 19, 2016
ANYWAYS, hello from Paris and your new blogger! My name is Lydia, and I’m a junior at the George Washington University in DC majoring in History. APA’s Fall 2016 class arrived in Paris two weeks ago today: 10 girls from four different schools... Read More
Last but not least !
June 3, 2016
Please take time to look at this video. We love it! Discover Steven’s video Steven Chao, George Washington University – Spring... Read More
Zombie Attack!
May 19, 2016
My last week in Paris, I tried out an escape game. This has become a popular activity for young adults especially. The games are live versions of “escape the room” video games which originate from Japan. When I arrived to Team-Time on rue Richer, I did not know what to... Read More
Rodin museum
April 30, 2016
The Rodin museum and sculpture garden are a great way to spend a sunny afternoon. And it’s free for students! The Thinker depicting Dante Alighieri is one of its prized collections. In fact, all the sculptures represent scenes from Dante’s Inferno, most prominently the gate... Read More
The French medical system
April 28, 2016
It is easy to get worn out from travel and the end of semester academic pile up. Around this time of year the metro becomes germ central. Getting sick is no fun and getting sick in a foreign country makes things even more complicated. Luckily, France has one of the best... Read More
Berlin
April 11, 2016
Berlin is not your typical traditional fairy-tale European city. As most of it was destroyed during WWII, it is ultra modern. To me, it felt like a cross between an industrial complex and a park, in the coolest possible way. The streets are extremely wide, so after packed in... Read More
Les dames de Fontainebleau
April 11, 2016
We got a taste of France’s chateaus during the APA excursion to the Loire Valley and some needed more! Last Saturday students got together to visit Chateau de Fontainebleau, a perfect day trip to take out of Paris. While there, they had a little photo shoot and got... Read More
BAR CACHÉ DANS PARIS
April 5, 2016
There is no way you can discover Le Comptoir Général just by walking along canal Saint-Martin unless you see other people sneaking in or were given explicit directions. My UChicago friends studying in Barcelona and I were brought here by a French friend who wanted to show us a... Read More
ALLEZ LES BLEUS
April 5, 2016
If you want to see French people lose their minds and learn some colorful language, go to a soccer game at the Stade de France. We got French flags on our cheeks and I patriotically painted the Russian flag on my forehead. The security was top notch due to the November attacks... Read More
Paris, Brussels, …?
March 25, 2016
On Tuesday, a series of bombings occurred at the Zaventem airport and the Maelbeek metro station in Brussels. Today, according to the French Interior Minister, an anti-terror raid in Argenteuil successfully foiled plans of another bombing in Paris. The next major attacks are... Read More
Coming Together
March 20, 2016
I am about two months into my stay in France and this week, my mom and my best friend came to visit. It was amazing exploring the city with these two and I was surprised to see how comfortable I’ve gotten in Paris and that I can do things like explain the metro system,... Read More
Not Just a Pretty Picture
March 20, 2016
I have a love hate relationship with my art history class at the Sorbonne. At times the analysis seems farfetched. For some reason, art history professors enjoy teaching in semi-darkness which is not particularly conducive to staying awake. As this is my first time studying the... Read More
