Mathcamp quotes, usually taken completely out of context!
"I don't discriminate against silicon based life forms!"
"If you program a computer to grow towards the light, is it a plant? YES!"
"The other three boys on the team were male..."
"I don't think the campers are distinct. All campers are the same."
"Are his shoulders distinct?"
"Oh no, I got ketchup in my ketchup!"
(later)
"Great, now I've got keys in my ketchup!"
"Mathcamp has destroyed my ability to enunciate or pronunciate anything!"
"Giraffes are not made of metal."
"Optimal Bear Strategy: n-1 bears on same hyperplane as camper. One bear, Bear A, on hyperplane perpendicular to other one. n-1 bears follow plan n-1. Bear A follows plan 1. Camper is eaten."
"Algebraic Topology, Topics in Topology, Bears = Topology...TOPOLOGY."
"If you want to know if there are any other Mathcampers nearby, call out, 'I lost!'"
(group breaks out into "I lost" and "Apple lobster.")
"I can't believe I'm actually encouraging this."
"All these people touring in the summer must think that UPS is full of people in sarongs."
"If we find a model that believes ZFC, then ZFC is consistent, which means ZFC is inconsistent, so the universe explodes and we all die."
"NO! Why is there a diamond on the chalkboard!"
"Cats are more likely to fly then dogs are?"
"Hello! That is Nathan. He is speaking in his native language of food tongue."
"Tomato crush water..."
"Hey! Rule 4. Rule 4!"
"No two campers are not on fire."
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
June 10
Madame had said that we would meet downstairs at 8:30 on Wednesday morning. Jeanne, Melissa, and Stephanie were up at 7:30 and downstairs by 8:25. At 8:40, Cate, Madame, and I still weren't there. The other girls came upstairs and found us asleep. Oops...no one had set an alarm. We apologized repeatedly, and the others went to get breakfast while we showered and got dressed. They came back with pain au chocolat and a bottle of apple-orange-passion fruit juice. As we ate, we also commented on Madame's blog, though Madame insisted we keep the comments short.
When we got downstairs, we discovered that right outside the hotel was a market, which we walked around in for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then we went to the Opera Garnier. When we exited the metro station, we expected to immediately see the amazing Opera, but instead were surrounded by a crowd of people. Oh yeah, it was that protest Madame had heard about on TV!
Once we got inside the Opera, we bought our tickets for the unguided visit. Madame stayed on a bench near the ticket window while we spent an hour walking through the building, which is absolutely gorgeous.
We walked down a hallway to the grand staircase. Melissa later mentioned imagining a ball, and she's right. It's easy to picture a girl sweeping down those stairs in a large dress -- Cate said a prom dress; Melissa and Stephanie imagined quinceanera dresses.
Melissa and I went a little bit ahead of the others (they were taking pictures of each other). We could have walked around for a while before going into the theater, but we went in immediately. I remembered how gorgeous the place was -- as I nine year old I had told my mother that "it would mean something" to dance on the Palais Garnier stage.
The first thing you see when you go into one of the boxes is red velvet. The boxes and seats are covered in it, with gold detailing. You look across the theater and see more of the boxes and seats; you see the columns and railings, and they are in gold and so intricate. Then you see the ceiling. The small white lights are all in a circle, against the intricate gold, and then there's the colorful almost childlike paiting, with yellow, green, red, blue, white, and smaller but just as colorful characters on top of the color splashes. It is modern and yet ancient, held by no formal rules.
And then you can see the chandelier, which is gold and of many white lights, bigger than any photo demonstrate.
The place is magnificent, exquisite. I cannot imagine being a dancer on that stage of the red velvet curtain.
Oh yes, the stage. There were stage hands doing something; I couldn't tell what. The set was a white-gray, all big doors, pipes, and columns. It had a modern feel to it, but I later found out it was the set for a little performed, 18th century opera. Hmm. There was one large window on the set, looking onto onto blackness and one half of what was implied to be a full moon.
Melissa and I then got the other girls and took them into the box. They were amazed, especially Jeanne, who is a Phantom of the Opera fan. Seeing the setting for PotO was especially exciting for her. We then walked down into the museum, which has paintings of dancers, actors, different plays, operas, ballets, and audiences. There were also models of sets for scenes in different plays -- those were very cool to see.
After we finished at the Opera Garnier, Madame gave us 1.5 hours of shopping time at Melissa and Stephanie's request. I walked all the way around the Opera and looked into the Swatch shop, then went into a cafe where Madame was. I ate a croque monsieur and read Petit Nicolas, and Madame had soupe a l'oignon then a main dish. At 1:30, Jeanne and Cate came back, having finished their shopping. They had looked forever for a perfume shop and had finally found one, where Jeanne had selected a perfume for a friend who had given her $100 and said, "Buy me something cool." They then went to a small sandwich shop and ate.
Stephanie and Melissa came back at 2:00, Stephanie with a sandwich. They both complained that the shopping had been better in Amiens, but they had saved their money for Paris. Oh well. Melissa had bought a large black purse, and Stephanie had bought jeans. We got on the bus and went over to the Musee Cluny.
On the bus, Jeanne discovered that her Paris Visite ticket was missing. Therefore, she had to pay for the bus. she then came and sat beside me and asked if I had known that the five of us were paying for Madame's museum tickets. No, I'd thought it would just be transportation, as had Jeanne. This was a problem for her, because she had not been given much spending money. The other girls complained, too. Not Cate, who argued that Madame was being our tour guide, but the others, who said that sure, Madame was being our tour guide, but she wasn't always doing a great job of it.
I thought that Madame was trying to get us to see what was considered important and not consulting us, though she insisted many times that it was our trip, that she would be back in Paris the next year and we might not.
In the Cluny, Madame rushed us through the museum except for a few rooms where she allowed us to browse. She immediately led us to the room of the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. They are intricate and well done, as opposed to busy, and in the appealing mille fleurs style, but I didn't find them very interesting, even after Madame explained how each one is related to a sense, and then how the sixth is about obedience and love. They are excellent tapestries, the best examples from the time, but not what I want to spend much time looking at...
After the Cluny, we took the metro to the Louvre, where some people did miniscule shopping -- Cate bought candy for her sister and Madame sent a postcard -- but most of us spent the majority of the 45 minutes hanging in the Starbucks. We all reimbursed Madame for what she had spent on museum entrance that day.
Then we went into the Louvre. Madame immediately led us to the Winged Victory of Samothrace. It is a beautiful statue -- I prefer it to the Venus de Milo. After that, we made our way to the Mona Lisa, called La Joconde in French. I tried to take pictures, but couldn't get a decent one. Besides, she hasn't exactly changed in the past five years. I know it's an amazing painting, but I'm not very interested in the period of style. Then we saw The Wedding At Cana, a huge painting that again, I couldn't get a decent picture of.
Crowing of Napoleon was next, and I managed to get an okay picture of it. Finally, we went and saw the Venus de Milo, whom I actually got a good picture of! Amazing! Then we left the Louvre, after seeing six major works and walking through the rooms that just happened to connect them.
After the Louvre, we went back to the hotel, stopping at Chatêlet to buy groceries that Cate and Madame wanted tot ake home. AT the hotel, Madame looked up the times for the Bateaux Parisiennes. We were going to try to make the 10:30 boat, but later didn't -- we called the taxi too late. Grr. Anyway, for supper we went to the Italian restaurant where Madame and I had eaten on Monday night. We all ordered pasta. I got a four cheese penne which wasn't great.
That night, we all hung out in room 405, so at 11:00 everyone got to see the Eiffel Tower dance. Stephanie got photos, and we all watched the Eiffel Tower perform as it does four times every night.
When we got downstairs, we discovered that right outside the hotel was a market, which we walked around in for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then we went to the Opera Garnier. When we exited the metro station, we expected to immediately see the amazing Opera, but instead were surrounded by a crowd of people. Oh yeah, it was that protest Madame had heard about on TV!
Once we got inside the Opera, we bought our tickets for the unguided visit. Madame stayed on a bench near the ticket window while we spent an hour walking through the building, which is absolutely gorgeous.
We walked down a hallway to the grand staircase. Melissa later mentioned imagining a ball, and she's right. It's easy to picture a girl sweeping down those stairs in a large dress -- Cate said a prom dress; Melissa and Stephanie imagined quinceanera dresses.
Melissa and I went a little bit ahead of the others (they were taking pictures of each other). We could have walked around for a while before going into the theater, but we went in immediately. I remembered how gorgeous the place was -- as I nine year old I had told my mother that "it would mean something" to dance on the Palais Garnier stage.
The first thing you see when you go into one of the boxes is red velvet. The boxes and seats are covered in it, with gold detailing. You look across the theater and see more of the boxes and seats; you see the columns and railings, and they are in gold and so intricate. Then you see the ceiling. The small white lights are all in a circle, against the intricate gold, and then there's the colorful almost childlike paiting, with yellow, green, red, blue, white, and smaller but just as colorful characters on top of the color splashes. It is modern and yet ancient, held by no formal rules.
And then you can see the chandelier, which is gold and of many white lights, bigger than any photo demonstrate.
The place is magnificent, exquisite. I cannot imagine being a dancer on that stage of the red velvet curtain.
Oh yes, the stage. There were stage hands doing something; I couldn't tell what. The set was a white-gray, all big doors, pipes, and columns. It had a modern feel to it, but I later found out it was the set for a little performed, 18th century opera. Hmm. There was one large window on the set, looking onto onto blackness and one half of what was implied to be a full moon.
Melissa and I then got the other girls and took them into the box. They were amazed, especially Jeanne, who is a Phantom of the Opera fan. Seeing the setting for PotO was especially exciting for her. We then walked down into the museum, which has paintings of dancers, actors, different plays, operas, ballets, and audiences. There were also models of sets for scenes in different plays -- those were very cool to see.
After we finished at the Opera Garnier, Madame gave us 1.5 hours of shopping time at Melissa and Stephanie's request. I walked all the way around the Opera and looked into the Swatch shop, then went into a cafe where Madame was. I ate a croque monsieur and read Petit Nicolas, and Madame had soupe a l'oignon then a main dish. At 1:30, Jeanne and Cate came back, having finished their shopping. They had looked forever for a perfume shop and had finally found one, where Jeanne had selected a perfume for a friend who had given her $100 and said, "Buy me something cool." They then went to a small sandwich shop and ate.
Stephanie and Melissa came back at 2:00, Stephanie with a sandwich. They both complained that the shopping had been better in Amiens, but they had saved their money for Paris. Oh well. Melissa had bought a large black purse, and Stephanie had bought jeans. We got on the bus and went over to the Musee Cluny.
On the bus, Jeanne discovered that her Paris Visite ticket was missing. Therefore, she had to pay for the bus. she then came and sat beside me and asked if I had known that the five of us were paying for Madame's museum tickets. No, I'd thought it would just be transportation, as had Jeanne. This was a problem for her, because she had not been given much spending money. The other girls complained, too. Not Cate, who argued that Madame was being our tour guide, but the others, who said that sure, Madame was being our tour guide, but she wasn't always doing a great job of it.
I thought that Madame was trying to get us to see what was considered important and not consulting us, though she insisted many times that it was our trip, that she would be back in Paris the next year and we might not.
In the Cluny, Madame rushed us through the museum except for a few rooms where she allowed us to browse. She immediately led us to the room of the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. They are intricate and well done, as opposed to busy, and in the appealing mille fleurs style, but I didn't find them very interesting, even after Madame explained how each one is related to a sense, and then how the sixth is about obedience and love. They are excellent tapestries, the best examples from the time, but not what I want to spend much time looking at...
After the Cluny, we took the metro to the Louvre, where some people did miniscule shopping -- Cate bought candy for her sister and Madame sent a postcard -- but most of us spent the majority of the 45 minutes hanging in the Starbucks. We all reimbursed Madame for what she had spent on museum entrance that day.
Then we went into the Louvre. Madame immediately led us to the Winged Victory of Samothrace. It is a beautiful statue -- I prefer it to the Venus de Milo. After that, we made our way to the Mona Lisa, called La Joconde in French. I tried to take pictures, but couldn't get a decent one. Besides, she hasn't exactly changed in the past five years. I know it's an amazing painting, but I'm not very interested in the period of style. Then we saw The Wedding At Cana, a huge painting that again, I couldn't get a decent picture of.
Crowing of Napoleon was next, and I managed to get an okay picture of it. Finally, we went and saw the Venus de Milo, whom I actually got a good picture of! Amazing! Then we left the Louvre, after seeing six major works and walking through the rooms that just happened to connect them.
After the Louvre, we went back to the hotel, stopping at Chatêlet to buy groceries that Cate and Madame wanted tot ake home. AT the hotel, Madame looked up the times for the Bateaux Parisiennes. We were going to try to make the 10:30 boat, but later didn't -- we called the taxi too late. Grr. Anyway, for supper we went to the Italian restaurant where Madame and I had eaten on Monday night. We all ordered pasta. I got a four cheese penne which wasn't great.
That night, we all hung out in room 405, so at 11:00 everyone got to see the Eiffel Tower dance. Stephanie got photos, and we all watched the Eiffel Tower perform as it does four times every night.
June 9
On Tuesday morning, we all met on the ground floor and went to a cafe for breakfast. The breakfast at this cafe was a hot drink, a croissant, and a tartine. I drank hot chocolate. After breakfast, we went to the Invalides. We took the bus, but got off too early, so we walked quite a ways. Five years ago I went to the Musee de Plan-Relief in the Invalides; this time we were going to see Napoleon's tomb. The building is very pretty on the inside, but I'm not a fan of the golden dome. All around the tomb were pictures explaining how Napoleon bettered France.
After the Invalides, we went to Montmartre. We did a little bit of tourist shopping -- I bought postcards and magnets. Madame found a bookstore where she bought a Petit Nicolas book that I started to read later. After shopping, we found a small Italian restaurant. I had lasagna. We talked about songs that are very popular at the moment, but there weren't many that I had heard of, which isn't all that surprising.
Then we went to Sacre Coeur. Photos weren't allowed inside, but the photos of the outside are impressing enough.
The five of us (not Madame) went up into the dome of the basilica. I remembered what a hard climb it was -- twisty, narrow, steep...but I didn't quite remember how many spiral stairs there are. They go on forever, and then its still a long way to the top -- with another spiral staircase before you gets there. Up and down...down to go up? Yes. Those 294 steps are completely crazy. But once you get to the top, it's worth it, because you can see all of Paris, as if it never ends -- you can even see La Defense where all the skyscrapers are.
Then we shopped in the Montmartre area. I didn't shop, because I'd bought postcards and magnets earlier, which is essentially what I wanted to buy. (And I hadn't had any luck finding a gargoyle keychain, the other thing I was looking for, so I figured they would be more likely to be found near Notre Dame). So I sat in a cafe with Madame and read Petit Nicolas. Jeanne and Cate bought presents for their friends and family, finished pretty quickly, and went to find an ATM. Melissa bought a portrait. I have no idea what Stephanie bought.
After Montmartre, we went back to the hotel. Cate, Madame, and I got on the computer. Pierrot was on Facebook, so Madame and Cate talked with him. I looked up who had won the spelling bee -- Kavya did it! We all read our email, and a certain friend of mine wrote to me in German. I understood some of it, though not all...so I answered what I could.
For dinner, we went back to the St. Michel area because there are lots of restaurantst there that serve raclette and fondue. However, despite the fact that we were there for those specialties, everyone but Jeanne and I ordered off the menu. Jeanne just ordered chicken (she wasn't very hungry), and I got raclette. Yum. Cooking your own food is fun. I was given cheese (raclette cheese -- that's where the dish gets its name), some meats, and potatoes. And I'm pretty sure raclette is now my favorite French food.
Madame argued with the server about whether or not she had ordered off the menu. Madame had not said menu when she was ordering, but she had started to order her main dish after ordering her appetizer, and the server had stopped her. So they were both right, in a way -- Madame saying the waiter had stopped her when she tried to order her main dish, the waiter saying Madame had not told him she was ordering off the menu.
After supper we walked around the area. I did find a gargoyle keychain, which was good. We took pictures of Notre Dame and of the Seine. On the bank of the Seine an Italian film was being made.
We were very late getting back to the hotel. I'm not sure how many metros came through Dupleix after the one we got off of, actually. We got to the hotel at 12:40 or 12:50. Madame blogged, and Cate and I laughed some at Madame's way of phrasing things. Her blog made everything seem so perfect sometimes...it was ridiculous, but funny. We saw the Eiffel Tower dance at 1:00, which is when it closes and the base lights turn off, so it was just the white lights sparkling.
After the Invalides, we went to Montmartre. We did a little bit of tourist shopping -- I bought postcards and magnets. Madame found a bookstore where she bought a Petit Nicolas book that I started to read later. After shopping, we found a small Italian restaurant. I had lasagna. We talked about songs that are very popular at the moment, but there weren't many that I had heard of, which isn't all that surprising.
Then we went to Sacre Coeur. Photos weren't allowed inside, but the photos of the outside are impressing enough.
The five of us (not Madame) went up into the dome of the basilica. I remembered what a hard climb it was -- twisty, narrow, steep...but I didn't quite remember how many spiral stairs there are. They go on forever, and then its still a long way to the top -- with another spiral staircase before you gets there. Up and down...down to go up? Yes. Those 294 steps are completely crazy. But once you get to the top, it's worth it, because you can see all of Paris, as if it never ends -- you can even see La Defense where all the skyscrapers are.
Then we shopped in the Montmartre area. I didn't shop, because I'd bought postcards and magnets earlier, which is essentially what I wanted to buy. (And I hadn't had any luck finding a gargoyle keychain, the other thing I was looking for, so I figured they would be more likely to be found near Notre Dame). So I sat in a cafe with Madame and read Petit Nicolas. Jeanne and Cate bought presents for their friends and family, finished pretty quickly, and went to find an ATM. Melissa bought a portrait. I have no idea what Stephanie bought.
After Montmartre, we went back to the hotel. Cate, Madame, and I got on the computer. Pierrot was on Facebook, so Madame and Cate talked with him. I looked up who had won the spelling bee -- Kavya did it! We all read our email, and a certain friend of mine wrote to me in German. I understood some of it, though not all...so I answered what I could.
For dinner, we went back to the St. Michel area because there are lots of restaurantst there that serve raclette and fondue. However, despite the fact that we were there for those specialties, everyone but Jeanne and I ordered off the menu. Jeanne just ordered chicken (she wasn't very hungry), and I got raclette. Yum. Cooking your own food is fun. I was given cheese (raclette cheese -- that's where the dish gets its name), some meats, and potatoes. And I'm pretty sure raclette is now my favorite French food.
Madame argued with the server about whether or not she had ordered off the menu. Madame had not said menu when she was ordering, but she had started to order her main dish after ordering her appetizer, and the server had stopped her. So they were both right, in a way -- Madame saying the waiter had stopped her when she tried to order her main dish, the waiter saying Madame had not told him she was ordering off the menu.
After supper we walked around the area. I did find a gargoyle keychain, which was good. We took pictures of Notre Dame and of the Seine. On the bank of the Seine an Italian film was being made.
We were very late getting back to the hotel. I'm not sure how many metros came through Dupleix after the one we got off of, actually. We got to the hotel at 12:40 or 12:50. Madame blogged, and Cate and I laughed some at Madame's way of phrasing things. Her blog made everything seem so perfect sometimes...it was ridiculous, but funny. We saw the Eiffel Tower dance at 1:00, which is when it closes and the base lights turn off, so it was just the white lights sparkling.
Friday, July 3, 2009
June 8
Our train for Paris was leaving at 10:30, so we woke up around 8:00, finished any packing, and took a taxi to the Lisieux train station. Once again we ate breakfast at the cafe next door.
We thought we were going to have reserved seats on the train, but actually, the reserved seats had been for an earlier train to Paris. Oops. So once again, we had to take whatever seat was available and hope that no one had reserved it.
When we got to St. Lazare station in Paris, we went right outside to a Greek restaurant. There was not enough room in the restaurant for our suitcases; that was obvious, but for some reason Madame ignored it. Therefore, after we ordered, everyone but Madame stood outside with the bags. Then, she started calling us back in by what we had ordered -- they had gotten our order wrong? I'm not really sure what happened, and at the end we still didn't end up with what we had ordered, but we all survived. (For example, one of us ended up with chicken instead of meatballs. Poulet, boulettes...) We went back into the station to eat.
While in the station, we met an American veteran who was headed up to the Normandy beaches. Melissa was very excited, because so far we had not met any Americans, and she had been very disappointed by that.
We took the metro from St. Lazare to Dupleix. We changed somewhere, but I don't recall what station. Dupleix is on line 6, and only line 6, but it was very close to our hotel. Anyway. We went up and down so many stairs through the metro stations. Cate, Jeanne, and I would carry down our suitcases, one person would stay down, and the other two would go back up. Melissa and Stephanie would go down the stairs carrying one of their suitcases together, and then go back up and do the other one. Then the two of Cate, Jeanne, and I that had gone back up would carry down Madame's large suitcase, and Madame would carry down her small one. This was very tedious with lots of stairs in lots of different places.
When we got to the hotel it was raining -- the rain had arrived earlier than forecasted. We got our hotel keys and went up to our rooms to unpack. Jeanne, Stephanie, and Melissa took the room with a courtyard view, room 216. Madame, Cate, and I got room 405, which looked out onto the street. We could see the Eiffel Tower from our room, and the metro went right by it. The courtyard view ended up not being so beautiful as it sounded, but it was away from the noise of the road -- which wasn't that loud in the first place, though some people would have been annoyed by the metro.
The first thing we did was visit the Eiffel Tower. Like I said, it was raining, and Madame had decided not to go up. Having already been once, I stayed down with Madame (though I don't know if that was a good decision) while the other four girls went up the Tower. At first, they looked at the line and said they would take the stairs, but Madame told them that the line moved very quickly and was actually short at the moment. I think they were crazy to even consider the stairs. I don't know how anyone could climb up and down the Eiffel Tower in a reasonable amount of time. Madame and I looked in the gift shop, and she took my picture in front of a statue of George Eiffel (an amazing engineer).
While we were trying to stay out of the rain, we met two Mexican tourists who did not speak French and spoke very little English. So, I tried to speak to them in Spanish. It was terrible! I kept saying things I knew were wrong...and then they started asking about Versailles. Madame wanted me to explain to them that there is a package available in the RER stations which includes transportation and entrance to Versailles. Umm...that's a bit too much...maybe next year...so we waited for Melissa and Stephanie to get back. When they did, they translated for the tourists and Madame.
We then walked to the Human Rights Square. It was only slightly interesting, but from there one can take excellent photos of the Eiffel Tower. After that we went to the Arc de Triumphe. There was a military ceremony there, so we were not able to go up. We heard the Marseillaise played mutliple times. Allons enfants de la patrie...
And then we explored Champs-Elysees in the rain. O Champs-Elysees...but it wasn't too interesting for me. I don't shop. We took the metro to Place de la Concorde, where Madame explained how there had been guillotines there during the revolution and the Terror, and then she told us about the obelisk. After that, we got on the metro to Dupleix. It was raining very hard.
When we arrived at Dupleix, it had stopped raining, but the other girls were soaked. (I had worn my rain jacket and therefore only my shoes and the bottom of my jeans were wet). They went up to the hotel rooms to change, and Madame and I went to an Italian restaurant. We told the girls which one, and that they could meet us there, or they could go to another restaurant. (They chose the latter option, though also ended up eating Italian food...) I ate another Regina pizza. And then I had mousse au chocolat for dessert! Yum.
But the oil was in old wine bottles shaped like American footballs...weird.
Both groups arrived at the hotel at the same time. We were all fairly worn out, so we went up to our rooms. Madame, Cate, and I saw the Eiffel Tower "dance" at 10:00 and at 11:00 (the lights flash)...the Eiffel Tower is so beautiful at night. Madame blogged, and Cate and I commented.
We thought we were going to have reserved seats on the train, but actually, the reserved seats had been for an earlier train to Paris. Oops. So once again, we had to take whatever seat was available and hope that no one had reserved it.
When we got to St. Lazare station in Paris, we went right outside to a Greek restaurant. There was not enough room in the restaurant for our suitcases; that was obvious, but for some reason Madame ignored it. Therefore, after we ordered, everyone but Madame stood outside with the bags. Then, she started calling us back in by what we had ordered -- they had gotten our order wrong? I'm not really sure what happened, and at the end we still didn't end up with what we had ordered, but we all survived. (For example, one of us ended up with chicken instead of meatballs. Poulet, boulettes...) We went back into the station to eat.
While in the station, we met an American veteran who was headed up to the Normandy beaches. Melissa was very excited, because so far we had not met any Americans, and she had been very disappointed by that.
We took the metro from St. Lazare to Dupleix. We changed somewhere, but I don't recall what station. Dupleix is on line 6, and only line 6, but it was very close to our hotel. Anyway. We went up and down so many stairs through the metro stations. Cate, Jeanne, and I would carry down our suitcases, one person would stay down, and the other two would go back up. Melissa and Stephanie would go down the stairs carrying one of their suitcases together, and then go back up and do the other one. Then the two of Cate, Jeanne, and I that had gone back up would carry down Madame's large suitcase, and Madame would carry down her small one. This was very tedious with lots of stairs in lots of different places.
When we got to the hotel it was raining -- the rain had arrived earlier than forecasted. We got our hotel keys and went up to our rooms to unpack. Jeanne, Stephanie, and Melissa took the room with a courtyard view, room 216. Madame, Cate, and I got room 405, which looked out onto the street. We could see the Eiffel Tower from our room, and the metro went right by it. The courtyard view ended up not being so beautiful as it sounded, but it was away from the noise of the road -- which wasn't that loud in the first place, though some people would have been annoyed by the metro.
The first thing we did was visit the Eiffel Tower. Like I said, it was raining, and Madame had decided not to go up. Having already been once, I stayed down with Madame (though I don't know if that was a good decision) while the other four girls went up the Tower. At first, they looked at the line and said they would take the stairs, but Madame told them that the line moved very quickly and was actually short at the moment. I think they were crazy to even consider the stairs. I don't know how anyone could climb up and down the Eiffel Tower in a reasonable amount of time. Madame and I looked in the gift shop, and she took my picture in front of a statue of George Eiffel (an amazing engineer).
While we were trying to stay out of the rain, we met two Mexican tourists who did not speak French and spoke very little English. So, I tried to speak to them in Spanish. It was terrible! I kept saying things I knew were wrong...and then they started asking about Versailles. Madame wanted me to explain to them that there is a package available in the RER stations which includes transportation and entrance to Versailles. Umm...that's a bit too much...maybe next year...so we waited for Melissa and Stephanie to get back. When they did, they translated for the tourists and Madame.
We then walked to the Human Rights Square. It was only slightly interesting, but from there one can take excellent photos of the Eiffel Tower. After that we went to the Arc de Triumphe. There was a military ceremony there, so we were not able to go up. We heard the Marseillaise played mutliple times. Allons enfants de la patrie...
And then we explored Champs-Elysees in the rain. O Champs-Elysees...but it wasn't too interesting for me. I don't shop. We took the metro to Place de la Concorde, where Madame explained how there had been guillotines there during the revolution and the Terror, and then she told us about the obelisk. After that, we got on the metro to Dupleix. It was raining very hard.
When we arrived at Dupleix, it had stopped raining, but the other girls were soaked. (I had worn my rain jacket and therefore only my shoes and the bottom of my jeans were wet). They went up to the hotel rooms to change, and Madame and I went to an Italian restaurant. We told the girls which one, and that they could meet us there, or they could go to another restaurant. (They chose the latter option, though also ended up eating Italian food...) I ate another Regina pizza. And then I had mousse au chocolat for dessert! Yum.
But the oil was in old wine bottles shaped like American footballs...weird.
Both groups arrived at the hotel at the same time. We were all fairly worn out, so we went up to our rooms. Madame, Cate, and I saw the Eiffel Tower "dance" at 10:00 and at 11:00 (the lights flash)...the Eiffel Tower is so beautiful at night. Madame blogged, and Cate and I commented.
June 7
A note about July 6th -- I was NOT pleased when we missed the train that we had left the museum in such a hurry to catch. I like museums. And reading most of what there is to read in them.
Now, onto July 7th.
I woke up at 7:30 and showered. Cate, Jeanne, and I went out looking for a place to have breakfast, but nothing was open. We all went to the train station in a taxi, making a stop at an ATM on the way, and next to the station we found a cafe where we could eat breakfast. So, after buying our train tickets to Bayeux, we ate in the cafe. I had pain au chocolat and hot chocolate.
We had to take two trains to get to Bayeux -- one from Lisieux to Caen and one from Caen to Bayeux. On the train we met some British veterans with whom Melissa spent quite a bit of time talking. In Bayeux we met even more British veterans, and we talked to each one and then took a photo.
Madame tried to buy tickets for an organized tour of the beaches and the cemetery, but there were none, so instead we called a taxi. We were to meet the taxi at 2:30, so we had time to go see the Bayeux tapestry. I listened to the guide of the tapestry in French, which wasn't a great idea. It was very formal and difficult to understand -- evidently even the English version was overly formal. However, I really liked seeing the tapestry, and I bought a small book and some postcards.
For lunch we ate omelets. I don't think we should have gone to the restaurant -- we barely had enough time to eat there. However, the omelets were excellent. However, the sausage they used for the sausage omelet was essentially a hot dog, not something more flavorful.
We met the taxi immediately after we finished eating. It took us to the Normandy American Cemetery, where we had forty-five minutes. Right as we got there it began to rain. However, Madame said she was still going out to visit the grave of her adopted soldier and that we could to, just to meet under a certain tree afterwords.
It was raining very hard and was extremely cold. Because it had seemed sunny enough that morning, none of us had so much as considered bringing a rain jacket, so I was soaked by the time I reached the crosses of Robert J. Powers and Annis I. Altman. I had to walk quite a bit to even reach Plot B from Plot A, because the area between them was blocked off, causing it to be necessary to go all the way around.
I went back around after visiting each cross and stood waiting under the tree for a moment. None of the others were there, and I couldn't see any of them in Plot A -- not that I could see very far, for it was pouring down rain. However, I turned and saw Cate, and she took me to the others, who were standing in a covered area near a large statue. Just as I got back, Melissa said she wanted to go out to Plot B, so I went out with her. We talked as we walked about all the crosses, about the beach, about the rain, about how one could hardly see where the sea ended and the sky began.
We went back to Madame and Cate and were almost late for the taxi. I think Madame would have been mad, except Jeanne and Stephanie were even later than we were. Madame had told them to go look out at the beach, and evidently they had decided to go down, which takes forever. So they got back up twenty-five minutes later, and then went to the welcome center, not to where we were standing. So Melissa, Cate, Madame, and I waited for about five minutes, and they waited for us, when finally Cate called Jeanne and asked where they were. Madame was furious.
Because of the rain, we decided not to go to Point du Hoc but instead to Arromanches. We stopped to take quick pictures at a small port, and then we went on to Arromanches. It had stopped raining while we were at the cemetery, but when we reached Arromanches it was raining again. We were able to get some very grey pictures of the concrete remains of the mulberry harbour there, but then we got back into the taxi and went to the Bayeux train station. We took the train to Lisieux, where we looked for a place to eat. The two creperies we had seen that morning were closed -- perhaps for Mother's Day? It was Mother's Day in France...Anyway, we ended up eating at a rather good Chinese restaurant. I had chicken with black mushrooms and fried rice.
We went back to the hotel and repeated the night before to some extent, staying up in Madame's room very late blogging and talking. However, we also had to pack whatever had been unpacked, for we were leaving for Paris in the morning.
Now, onto July 7th.
I woke up at 7:30 and showered. Cate, Jeanne, and I went out looking for a place to have breakfast, but nothing was open. We all went to the train station in a taxi, making a stop at an ATM on the way, and next to the station we found a cafe where we could eat breakfast. So, after buying our train tickets to Bayeux, we ate in the cafe. I had pain au chocolat and hot chocolate.
We had to take two trains to get to Bayeux -- one from Lisieux to Caen and one from Caen to Bayeux. On the train we met some British veterans with whom Melissa spent quite a bit of time talking. In Bayeux we met even more British veterans, and we talked to each one and then took a photo.
Madame tried to buy tickets for an organized tour of the beaches and the cemetery, but there were none, so instead we called a taxi. We were to meet the taxi at 2:30, so we had time to go see the Bayeux tapestry. I listened to the guide of the tapestry in French, which wasn't a great idea. It was very formal and difficult to understand -- evidently even the English version was overly formal. However, I really liked seeing the tapestry, and I bought a small book and some postcards.
For lunch we ate omelets. I don't think we should have gone to the restaurant -- we barely had enough time to eat there. However, the omelets were excellent. However, the sausage they used for the sausage omelet was essentially a hot dog, not something more flavorful.
We met the taxi immediately after we finished eating. It took us to the Normandy American Cemetery, where we had forty-five minutes. Right as we got there it began to rain. However, Madame said she was still going out to visit the grave of her adopted soldier and that we could to, just to meet under a certain tree afterwords.
It was raining very hard and was extremely cold. Because it had seemed sunny enough that morning, none of us had so much as considered bringing a rain jacket, so I was soaked by the time I reached the crosses of Robert J. Powers and Annis I. Altman. I had to walk quite a bit to even reach Plot B from Plot A, because the area between them was blocked off, causing it to be necessary to go all the way around.
I went back around after visiting each cross and stood waiting under the tree for a moment. None of the others were there, and I couldn't see any of them in Plot A -- not that I could see very far, for it was pouring down rain. However, I turned and saw Cate, and she took me to the others, who were standing in a covered area near a large statue. Just as I got back, Melissa said she wanted to go out to Plot B, so I went out with her. We talked as we walked about all the crosses, about the beach, about the rain, about how one could hardly see where the sea ended and the sky began.
We went back to Madame and Cate and were almost late for the taxi. I think Madame would have been mad, except Jeanne and Stephanie were even later than we were. Madame had told them to go look out at the beach, and evidently they had decided to go down, which takes forever. So they got back up twenty-five minutes later, and then went to the welcome center, not to where we were standing. So Melissa, Cate, Madame, and I waited for about five minutes, and they waited for us, when finally Cate called Jeanne and asked where they were. Madame was furious.
Because of the rain, we decided not to go to Point du Hoc but instead to Arromanches. We stopped to take quick pictures at a small port, and then we went on to Arromanches. It had stopped raining while we were at the cemetery, but when we reached Arromanches it was raining again. We were able to get some very grey pictures of the concrete remains of the mulberry harbour there, but then we got back into the taxi and went to the Bayeux train station. We took the train to Lisieux, where we looked for a place to eat. The two creperies we had seen that morning were closed -- perhaps for Mother's Day? It was Mother's Day in France...Anyway, we ended up eating at a rather good Chinese restaurant. I had chicken with black mushrooms and fried rice.
We went back to the hotel and repeated the night before to some extent, staying up in Madame's room very late blogging and talking. However, we also had to pack whatever had been unpacked, for we were leaving for Paris in the morning.
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