all my pictures!

if you have a lot of time on your hands, i consistently upload all my pictures to my mobile me: hallie's photos.  i try to put a selection on my blog too!  :)

the second most beautiful city in the world

paris, mon amour, takes the cake HOWEVER prague is a close second.  i was lucky enough to spend this weekend in prague with my friend ben.  it was truly an amazing trip.  after we got off the plane we hopped on a bus to the metro and took the metro to the station nearest to our hotel which happened to be five minutes from the old town square.  location location location.  after checking in and leaving our things, it was off the old town square to take in the sheer architectural bliss, climb the town hall tower, go to the church of the virgin mary of tyn, and, in my case at least, take a million pictures.  we enjoyed dinner at the wine bar at our hotel.  we also briefly visited the jewish quarter.  saturday was all about the famous charles bridge that connects the two major parts of prague.   a destination in itself, the bridge gives some spectacular views of both the old town square and the prague castle.  we spent some time in the lesser town walking around and then were led by my trusty fodor's essential europe to kavarna slavia, the most famous café in prague for some tradition czech fare.  then we visited the church of st. nicholas, truly a sight to behold with a dome not unlike that of st. peter's basilica (sorry i always come back to this) in the vatican, except on a much smaller scale.  sunday, we were off to the prague castle, which is a complex of beautiful building all nestled upon a hill.  thus commenced my photo shoot from atop the tower of st. vitus's cathedral of views of prague.  more time was spent in the lesser quarter, followed by a very special visit to the old-new synagogue.  prague was a city of beauty, untouched by history, and i absolutely loved it.

daily pleasures of la parisienne

my dear readers, i realized something.  i have begun to only blog about what happens from friday to monday, which could leave you wondering, "what in the world is hallie doing on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday?"  now, i haven't been inclined to write about my weekday activities because they're not at the "OH MY GOSH, IT'S THE MONA LISA!" level of excitement, BUT that is not to say they're not exciting.  so, for this post, i have decided to make a list of the little things in my everyday life that excite me.

1. the bread vending machine at my local monoprix (grocery store).  for one euro, i get a steaming hot baguette in under 2 minutes.  i'm pretty sure it's magic.  they have a vending machine... for bread.  this is truly a beautiful place.

2. my eiffel tower keychain.  it's shiny, gold, and maybe a little bit tacky.  BUT i can always find my keys and it's a constant reminder that i'm here living my dream.

3.  postcards.  they sell them everywhere.  I LOVE POSTCARDS.  for others, for myself, for EVERYONE.  they have postcards of places, food, people, and anything you could imagine.

4.  my moleskine planner.  a parisian purchase, i carry it with me everywhere, mapping out study schedules, sightseeing schedules, travels, and sometimes i find it on my bed when i'm going to sleep.  i'm obsessed.  i can't believe i get to have it all year.

5. french universities' coffee vending machine.  you may be thinking, "vending machine coffee?  really, hallie?"  but no.  for 40-50 centimes (eurocents, as i refer to them), i get a cute little plastic cup with a cappucino with a hint of chocolate in it.  delicious.  on wednesdays, when i have class all day, i usually have three.  maybe that's why i'm still awake?

6.  juice in glass bottles.  i feel like i'm saying, "good morning, world.  i'm classy... cheers!"

7.  the best crepes reside between me and my metro, bastille.  all visitors, prepare yourself.  we're stopping there.

this weekend, i'm bound for prague... czech it out!  haha.  sorry.

london calling!

cheers, readers!  i had a wonderful whirlwind weekend in london with my friend danielle.  we left thursday right after grammar class, and got to our hostel at about 8:30 (20h30, for those of you keeping European time).  i am obliged to wax poetic about my hostel.  i found generator hostel london in my fodor's essential europe guide book, so i knew it was going to be good.  the best way to describe generator was a dorm for grown ups in the 18-35 age range.  my friend danielle and i shared a bedroom with two guys and there was a communal bathroom.  there was a 24 hr. reception desk, security at night, a laundry room, and a bar.  i loved it... a great value, and lots of fun too.  glamorous it was not, but compared to my boat hostel in amsterdam, the generator was on another level.  our sightseeing began after free breakfast at the hostel (forgot to mention that) with buckingham palace, big ben, the house of parliament, and westminster abbey.  i have to confess that it was a little surreal to turn around and see big ben right there behind me.  the eiffel tower has a similar effect on me.  i guess i like really tall buildings? anyways, after a full day of sightseeing, we went shopping!  oh, the shopping.  i shall henceforth call the corner with harrods on one side, topshop on the other, and zara on the other, the bermuda triangle of shopping.  s.s. hallie got caught!  only a little bit, but anyone who knows me well knows that i am liable to get caught in such triangles.  harrods was an experience unto itself (i really could write a whole entry about harrods, but i'm not going to).  the food hall was like dean deluca (the market one, not the restaurant one) in the city times a million!  i love that british department stores (selfridge's had it too) have made fine food an integral part of their stores, a true treat for a gastronomical gal such as myself.  other shopping highlights include cath kidston and liberty of london.  after a full day, we went back to the generator, changed our clothes, and went out to a pub, marquis cornwallis, for some aspall's cider (yum) and traditional pub food.  the next day was a little more laid-back.  i met my friend josh who's studying abroad in london and we went to the british museum (see picture of him with the ROSETTA STONE) and for lunch at a pub.  then, danielle and i went to see the tower of london and the tower bridge and then were off to the indoor shops at covent garden and had yummy indian food for dinner (my choice).  to get back to our hostel, we took a really fun bike taxi.  our last day in london was spent mostly at the brick lane market, a suggestion from my friend tate.  there were foodseller, clothing stands, and everything you could imagine!  a must see if you're in london that isn't covered by the guide books.  to top it off, there was a little more shopping and then a flight home.  i loved london so much and can't wait to go back someday!

sunday is market day

the sunday before last, i woke up to find it market day in the bastille.  sadly, with my newfound love of late nights (or rather, adjustment to a parisian schedule), i had not made it up in time to see the market in full swing.  this past weekend, i made it my mission to wake up "early" on sunday, and it was well worth it.  the market in the bastille on sundays is a combination of a farmers' market and an artisans' market, with more emphasis on the food.  there were hoards of people shopping for fresh fish, mediterranean delicacies, cheese, meat, produce, clothes, jewelry, soap, and all sorts of bake goods.  it was so fun!  a picture's worth a thousand words, and below are a few for you.

i love paris

ok so i don't get points for creativity with that title, but it is very appropriate for my blog entry for today.  it is a beautiful day here in paris.  the sun is shining, and the weather is temperate.  i didn't even need a jacket.  i already loved paris, even when it was cold, but today made me so excited for paris in the springtime.  the day started off with a field trip to the invalides and napoleon's tomb for my museums and cultural material class.  with a great tour guide, my class saw the exhibit of WWII.  what struck me the most about the exhibit was the way in which the french give the americans so much credit for their success and freedom.  growing up in an era when the french were sometimes rebuffed by certain politicians for being anti-american, i have to say that this museum proves otherwise.  ok, political rant over.  sorry.  also, we got to see napoleon's tomb which is house in a beautiful building with a dome that reminded me of st. peter's basilica at the vatican (does anyone else see the similarity?).  it was gorgeous, just as you'd expect it to be.  then my friend tate and i headed to the 12th for a cooking class.  that's right, ladies and gentlemen, i combined my two loves, food and french into one 15 euro package.  and i got lunch!  we made a delicious chicken with zucchini.  the cooking studio was housed in printemps, one of paris's premier department store, so naturally, a little browsing took place after class.  and i'm off for dinner at my local wine bar with some friends tonight.  good wine and good friends?  what could be better.

a champagne saturday...

Yesterday, I ventured to Epernay, capital of the Champagne region for my friend Chrissy's birthday.  After catching an early train out of Paris (during which I wrote my last blog post), we arrived in Epernay just as the "degustations" (tastings) were starting.  We tasted four champagnes.  The first maison (house) that we went to was Charles Ellner.  Very fancy and very good, Charles Ellner was a great first venture into the world of champagne, as the proprietor explained to us how champagne is made and priced.  Champagne is mostly priced by the cost of the grapes, with about 1.5 kilograms of grapes going into each bottle.  Next, we were off to my favorite for the day, Champagne Dallancourt.  The proprietor was this lovely french woman with three young sons who were equally adorable.  In an intimate setting, she told us about her champagne.  This was so much fun, and I ended up going home with a bottle of her rosé champagne.  Next we went to Achille Princier, which had a tour and a degustation.  The caves were so cool, and it was great to learn about the process of making champagne (I kind of want to make my own now).  Last, we went to André Bergere, which was a great end to a great day!

A parisian day

With no classes on Friday (or Monday for that matter), my weekends are extended, which is great for sightseeing. Yesterday, I made my second visit to the Louvre, finding it most prudent to take one or part of each of the three sections every time I visit. Yesterday, I saw French sculptures, Renaissance art, some of the Mesopotamia collectiong and visited the salles de Napoleon (a personal favorite) once again. Some highlights include: the great statues of the horses of Marly, Hammurabi's code, lots of dishes (Mom, this made me think of you) and some neat medals and coins (Dad) and lots of tapestries. Back to Hammurabi's code... While the cool factor was huge, I sort of thought "so that's it?" When I saw it. I think I was hoping to be able to read it or something, forgetting that it is in some ancient language of which I have no knowledge. It was still great to see it, another surreal parisian experience. Then, I was off to one of the great sights of Paris, Notre Dame, which I loved. Regardless of your religious beliefs, there is something inherently spiritual and moving about Notre Dame that nearly brought me to tears. For dinner, it was moules frites, at Leon per Bizbie's recommendation and then off to my local wine bar for another journey into the wonderful world of French wine. Today, I'm spending the day in Champagne for one of my friend's birthdays.
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