My, My Paris….I am in love!

Oh Paris I am so in love with you!!! You have me so enamored with your architecture, history, food, and people. I may never want to go…..

Starting at the Gare de Lyon, which is one of the main hubs in Paris that the trains run through, I step out of the station to view the façade of the building and know immediately that this is going to be a unforgettable trip. The attention to detail on such a grand scales is beyond my comprehension. All of the craftsman that must have been working in unison to create such a “place” is absolutely astonishing to me.

Once we walked to the hotel which is in the 5th arrondesmont (which is district in our terms) we dropped our things in our rooms and it was off  to the Eiffel Tower!

Eiffel Tower Light Show

Every hour on the hour, starting at 9pm they light up the Eiffel Tower. As you can see from the video that I took it is like nothing I have every experienced before. The video is shot from the first deck of the tower looking up at it. It looked like shooting stars flying from each point. I have no words to describe the awe that I was in at that very moment.

There is so much more to come…. this was only our first night in Paris!!!!!

Another Busy day in Lacoste

First thing in the morning we were headed off to APT for the open air market. I was on a mission for a new sketch book and a lemon for my sun brewed southern style sweet tea. are you surprised with the sweet tea, I think not.

Had to take this one for all the ladies, sexy French man, at the pizza place, yum yum. Oh the pizza was really good too.

We walked around for a bit and some of my new lady friends found some amazing deals on shoe there. It is making me wish I would have brought some of my summer dresses with me. I feel a bit out of place always in the jeans and shirt, wishing I had more girly gear with me but I guess that means shopping!!!

We ran across the cathedral there and we took a look inside. I thought immediately of my grandmother, Hilda, god rest her soul.  She would have loved a place like this.

The Apse….

Underneath the dome….

The alter….

After making our way back to Lacoste we spent the afternoon at the soccer field that is just down the hill about a two minute walk. Team Lacoste ( the locals) were playing another team from a couple towns away.

On a side note…. a few of us have gotten to know a couple of the locals and they are really cool people. It is very interesting to me to get a different perspective on the world through their eyes. It is making me appreciate the luxuries that we take for granted every day in America.   

Lacoste team member…. and my new friend, Yassin

My girls and I having fun on the sidelines with our windblown hair look…..

The view of the chateau from the field…..

Then it was off to get ready for dinner, which thankfully was much better then the weird leak thing they served us the night before. Amazing vegitables, my Pop would love the green beans they prepare, and what tasted like hotdogs but wasn’t. (not sure what it was but it sure was delicious)

Once I made it back to the room we had a visitor….one of the local cats decided  that it was going to come on in and make itself confortable in our room. Very cute!

Kitty with my roommate Lauren…..

He was so loveable….

and not afraid to make himself confortable on our beds.

I sit now reflecting on the day…..how lucky I feel to have this chance to see all the things in France that I have always dreamed of. Thank you again to all the people that were so instrumental in making this possible for me. It really is a once in a life time opportunity!

Love you all, goodnight!

The Day at the Rock Quarry

 

Pierre Cardain Castle entrance area

So we spent the day doing some exploring in Lacoste. SCAD owns part of the rock quarry near the town and it is an amazing place with all sorts of art, in all forms. Sculpture, drawings, paintings, has a little bit of it all. The path there is a beautiful hidden part of the town with a view of the entire valley.

You take the path and go right after the stone lizard to lead you into the quarry area. Hearing the birds chirping and the sun on my back made this experience with my new found friends, all that more joyous.

Entering the Quarry area…..

Some of the fun art…..

Graffiti from the 1920-30 very interesting……

 

Sculpture that is carved directly into the wall, nice!

My roommates, Sabrina and Cara….

a view of the quarry from inside toward the entrance

a perfect meditation spot….

I can’t say enough how amazing this place is. This trip has opened my eyes to a entirely different world, that I knew existed but never had a chance to see it from this perspective. This experience has expanded my horizons more than I could have ever imagined.

My new Home, Lacoste

 

Entering

The journey into lacoste is such an amazing sight, I have never experience something so beautiful as the Medieval architecture here. The stone walls that never meet at a right angle, that by it’s nature you know, a craftsman many generations ago poured his soul into. The streets within the town proper all seem to be up hill, lined with cobblestones, and flanked by lovely aromatic flowers that are just starting to bloom for the spring. It is so refreshing to see all of the landscape come alive before my eyes.

The entrance to lacoste

Where Scad starts

What is near by

 

The path in front of the building I say in.

Entering the buildings courtyard

Up the stairs to where I live

The sitting garden half way up the stair

My front door

The Café and Art Gallery across the street

Entering the dinning hall, which is right at the mouth of the town, you can see it on the left as you enter.

Inside the dinning hall. It is mind blowing for me that I eat 3 meals a day, every day, in a building that was constructed before Jesus was born. The history within this place is a force all it’s own.

Second day better than the first!

Hey all my friends out there, I had an amazing day today! First up at 7:30 Paris time to make it to breakfast. let me tell you the food here is sooooooooo much better then anything we have in ATL. by far. I could get use to the French food. Then it was off to the open air market in APT which is about 30 minutes away by bus.

The most amazing fresh fruits and vegetables you could ever want. bobby, wish I could bring you back some strawberries, there are more delicious here then anything I have experienced in the states.

I found myself the most amazing scarf for 2 Euro’s, what a bargain!!!!! The shopping is divine, not that I am doing a lot of that, more interested in the food personally. I am sure that will change once I get to Paris.

Next it was off to Bussux, which by the way I am spelling completely wrong.

This is where we shared a picnic lunch, by the river that runs beneath this picturesque historic Roman period bridge. Just to stand where Cesar stood is so enthralling! Amazing!!!!!  The way this structure was constructed blows me away.

Then it was back to Lacoste for a bit of down time.

shortly after some friends I have made took a 7 mile hike round trip to Beanua for adventures unknown. We hiked the city and found some really cool old buildings to explore. The historic architecture here is sooooo inspiring. I have to say that the way back was a bit daunting, but I made it.

On the way!

Was in love with this front door!

Exploring the town.

Then to top off the perfect day, I ended up at the local pub down the street for a Heineken and some great conversation with my new friends.

What a perfect way to start my new adventure in life!

Love you all!

First day of my travels to LaCoste!

Hey everyone! This is my first official post from LaCoste France!!! It is so exciting to be here, I think this is exactly what I need to get my mind clear and have an amazing adventure in the process.  The fight and the connection went off without a hitch, and the shuttle to campus was good. I met a lot of really cool people from Savannah on the way, and had a blast exploring the campus when I arrived. Here are just a few of the pictures I took when I arrived, it is amazing! wish you all could be here!

This is the view from my bedroom window, beautiful French country side

The walkway to my room, is sooooo amazing!

The path to the dinning hall, the food is sooooooo much better than Atlanta, Horray!

This was on the way to the computer lab, I think it might be classrooms, not sure but I am sure I will find out soon enough.

 

To everyone that has supported me in this adventure, I want to thank you. I could not have done it without you. I love you all!

Jennifer

10 Amazing Staircases Around the Globe

Its me again sharing this amazing structure that I found while looking for staircases. This is in Munich Germany. I find it so interesting that they took something that I find so functional in a space for circulation and turned it into a piece of art. I question if people that are users of the space use the stairs or not. I put a link for you at the bottom to this great oddies page that I found. It list the top 10 most interesting stairs. You should check it out it has links to all sorts of great conceptual stuff.

http://www.oddee.com/item_96882.aspx