Americans speaking German in France

SO MUCH TO BLOG ABOUT.
God help me, I'm going to try to condense everything, but I'm just warning you all in advance that this is going to be LONG WINDED.

Last week was like a vacation IN VIENNA. My friend Steve from Madrid was in town for the week and played parent. We went out to eat a bunch and I showed him around the city! He even took Emily and I out to DELICIOUS (read: expensive) fish at the Naschkmarkt with the friend he was staying with here, Lisa. It was so great! They're both accomplished artists and had lots of interesting things to talk about.
Steve and I also visited the Albertina museum together. Get this, he has pieces of work there! They're not on display, BUT STILL.
It was unbelievable to visit a museum with an artist. He pointed out things I never would have noticed and also could give background information on artists and paintings that I never would have known! It was also so great to watch his reactions and enthusiasm.
There was a special, HUGE Magritte exhibit going on which was AWESOME. Some of the stuff I found to be a little too modern for my taste, but on the whole I loved it.



After the museum we went over to the art school and I was able to sit in on a little lecture Steve was doing about his own artwork! IT WAS SO AWESOME! I got to hang out with Austrian art students and get a real in-depth look into the amazing work Steve does. It was really right up my alley! Steve works with bold colors and straight lines, NEVER USING TAPE! He only uses tape when he does wall paintings, which are also extremely cool. Over the course of his visit here he'd been taking pictures of grates and fences and I finally understood why. Hopefully I can buy one of his works when I get back to the states!



After my week of delicious art and breathtaking food, (or was it the other way around?), I PACKED MY BAGS AND HEADED TO PARIS FOR THE WEEKEND!!!!!!!

I could literally spend hours writing about all the wonderful things we did and saw there, but I'll keep it short and sweet for everyone's sake.
Our travel crew was me, Emily, Belle, Ilana, Matt, and Josey. We stayed in a 6 person room in the "Woodstock" hostel where we got fresh croissants every morning for breakfast. We went nonstop from 7am to midnight every single day. The weather was PERFECT, blue skies and sunshine.

French places we visited:
-Notre Dame: I STILL WANT TO BE ESMERALDA!


-Eiffel Tower: We went to the top at night and it was GORGEOUS, but fucking cold as shit!


-D'orsay and L'Orangerie museums: Here we saw ALL THE ART, including Monet's "Lilies" and a buttload of Picasso and Van Gogh!



-THE OPERA HOUSE!!!!!!
IFSHDBUVBFILYUHVJNUSHGIBDSVKJNZVIUBYDULVHBFKJNSBKVJNUBGIEWJSFNOBDJKNOFUHEIBGWHFSDJOHGIUBJS !!!!
MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE EVER SEEN. I WAS IN AWE. THE WHOLE PLACE SPARKLED. WE RAN AROUND LIKE CHICKENS WITH OUR FUCKING HEADS CUT OFF. I CAN'T EVEN.



-St Chapelle: This is a little chapel that is pretty much 75% stained-glass. It was quite a sight! Sarkozy said we couldn't get in for free though. Boo.


-The graveyard: We saw Jim Morrison's grave, Rossini, Edith Piaf, Poulenc, Chopin, and the place where Oscar Wilde WOULD be if it weren't under renovation (Sarcozy said no again).


-Sacré-Cœur Basilica: THIS CHURCH WAS SO BEAUTIFUL! We went at like 9am when the morning mist was still clearing away and it was amazing. Inside the church is so serene, it really was a holy place. I think it may have effected me even more than Notre Dame. We walked the 300 steps up to the top of the dome for a 360 degree panoramic view of the city. It was almost better than the Eiffel tower because it was daytime and we could see the tower in our view! We also visited the crypt which was equally as cool, but in different ways.



-Moulin Rouge and Chat Noir: Just sketchy gentleman's clubs. Only American tourists are excited by them.



-Arc de Triomphe: We walked all the way from the arc down the Champs-Élysées back to San Michele which is the big square by the Latin quarter next to Notre Dame! Too cool.


-Shakespeare and Co: This famous little bookstore had eclectic reads and nifty tote bags.


-THE ANASTASIA BRIDGE!: I don't remember the name of the bridge, but it's where the climax of the Warner Bros movie takes place and therefore of utmost importance.


We also went on a close to four hour walking tour on the first day that really showed us the ENTIRE city and gave us a lay of the land.

French things we ate:
-Croissants
-French fries
-Quiche Lorraine
-Croque Madame
-Camembert sandwiches
-Duck
-Mussels
-Escargot
-Crepes
*Note: Matt had the French version of goulash.

Silly things we did:
-Spoke to people in German
-Spoke to people in French and German at the same time
-Spoke to people in English
-Blamed Sarkozy for our obstacles
-Didn't bundle up enough
-Played "Pretty face, ugly face" in front of the Eiffel tower
-Were entertained by aquariums in restaurants
-Got Ilana drunk
-Put too much dijon mustard on things

We got back at midnight on Monday with sad soles but happy souls. GET IT?! (Our feet hurt).
I definitely left a piece of my heart there. I tried to write French answers on my German test on Tuesday. No.
But it feels great to be back in Wien where I belong! We have our second concert tomorrow and I'm doing a Schumann duet with Liya which I think is going to be really beautiful. AND THEN SATURDAY MY FAM FAM COMES TO VISIT FOR A WEEK.
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

Overall, life ain't too shabby. In fact, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.