Study Abroad Blog: Maman et moi

For those of you who don't know, my mother and I have a long history with Paris. It all started when I was in the 4th grade, and our family decided to host a student from Paris, France. Catherine was my age, shared all the same interests, and we became instant friends. Our experience was so incredible that the following summer, Mom and I went to Paris to stay with Catherine and her wonderful family. We loved it so much, we went back again the next summer. It was that summer, following 4th grade, that I decided I wanted to study and live in Paris, and here I am, making that dream a reality! I was lucky enough to return to Paris twice again in high school to study at the American School of Paris, but this spring was Mom's first trip back to Paris in 10 years! And once again, she loved it so much that she decided to come back to visit me just 2 weeks after visiting with my whole family! Trani girls truly do have a love affair with Paris :)

I have to admit, her visit was surreal. When she found a hotel on the same street that we lived on 10 years, I thought it couldn't get any better, but just the two of us in Paris for the 3rd time seemed like a dream! Being able to enjoy the experience with her again, this time as an adult, was unforgettable.

We did all of our favorite things from previous trips, and found some new favorites for future trips (maybe a visit if I ever get to move over here?!). We lounged in the jardins de Luxembourg, shopped in Châtelet and Les Halles, discovered some incredible antiques at a local flea market, and officially became regulars at La Billebaude (the restaurant we discovered when my entire family was visiting earlier this month). And on Sunday, we spent the entire day in Versailles! No matter how many times I visit that château, I fall in love with it all over again. We were really lucky that the weekend we visited was the first weekend of "high season," where they turn the massive fountains on and play classical music throughout the gardens. We probably walked over 5 miles, from the main palace, to the Grand and Petit Trianons (which were built for Louis XIV's mistresses and Marie Antionette, respectively), and eventually to Marie Antionette's hamlet. The hamlet is my favorite part of the gardens of Versailles because the story is just so interesting! Marie Antionette had the hamlet, which consists of various farmhouses, a watermill, gardens, and livestock pastures, built for her personal pleasure. On weekends, she would take her servants out to the hamlet so that they could "play" like peasants. Although she actually never said "Let them eat cake!" it is pretty obvious why the starving population in France despised her and Louis XVI's lifestyle so much.

After a great lunch and ice cream (Check out the Cafés, patisseries, and boulangeries tab to see all the great food we ate) on the banks of le Grand Canal, we toured the palace. Thank goodness I brought my camera this time so I could capture some great shots! Everything is as beautiful and majestic as always, and Mom and I discovered a new part of the palace neither of us had ever toured- the apartments of le Dauphin (prince), la Dauphine (princess), and les Mesdames (the sisters of Louis XIV). The exhibits are still being completed, but we were able to see the Dauphine's bedchamber, where she gave birth to 3 sons who would all eventually become Kings of France!

And as if this weekend couldn't have been more ideal, I had tickets to see a modern orchestra concert at the Opéra de Paris! A bunch of us were able to go, and it was an entirely new experience for me. The conductor of the concert, Bruno Mantovani, actually composed 2 of the pieces that were played! I loved the music, but I have to say that being in the opera house that is the basis of the story of the Phantom of Opera was equally as fascinating. The Phantom is said to have haunted his own box in the theater- can you imagine what those seats must go for?

I ended my weekend together with my mom in the most picturesque way possible- dinner at a café under le Tour Eiffel, watching it glow and sparkle. Throughout these past few months in Paris, I constantly feel like I need to pinch myself- the life I'm living is a dream. Mom's trip last weekend took the cake, for sure. Everything was absolutely perfect! I was able to relive some of my most fond memories of Paris, and create new ones that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It just doesn't get much better than that.