Almost Done...?

You know I have just come to realize that I only have five more days in Lacoste!!! Where did the time go...I guess if you have read my long blog, then thats where the time went! But as I am finishing up and getting ready for the final exhibition, I have realized how much I love being here and how many new people I have come to know. I am extremely lucky to have had this chance!!! And now I cannot wait to come home, see everyone and show my pictures. I will try to keep updating my blog as I make my way across Paris and Italy...but it might be harder because I won't have constant access to a computer.

But as I spent most of my week and weekend doing homework. I have updated the crazy printmaking pictures...Click Here! and I did get one little break on Sunday and a group of us went to a poppy field to take pictures and frolic around in the sun!! It was so pretty and it was a needed break. So if you want to see pictures of that.. Click Here!

Hope things are going well for everyone! I keep posting about Vernissage and when Dad comes on Friday!

Are you there?

Okay I apologize for not having any new posts in awhile. Finals and Vernissage preparation have dominated every waking moment of my time. It just makes me sad, because I really have only one week left, and then my Lacoste experience is done :( I like it here!!! And though I miss home and friends, I know I am going to miss this too. But it was a great experience, one that I will remember for the rest of my life. And I will be back....someday....there is way too much good food and museums that I haven't seen to say that I will never come visit again. I will keep posting as often as I can or if anything interesting happens!! Right now its raining....and the snails are out walking around :)

Wow Where to start!

Okay so it was another mega fun filled weekend. And I am having trouble remembering where to begin....so I guess at the beginning would be best right?? On Thursday we had a field trip for my art history class to Roussillon. It is a small town know for its ochre quarries. Ochre is a red rock and that gives many red/brown, and orange paint its pigment. Or rather ochre is the pigment used when you want these colors. So when you drive up to the town you are immediately surrounded by a terracotta color; from the buildings to the roads, everything is this orange/brown/red. So we ventured into the town looking for the quarry, and instead we ran into the market. Which I love the market, so we had to stop....bad idea....I found way too many things that I liked, and needless to say couldn't possibly live without. But hey that is what traveling is for. So after the market stop, where my wallet became considerable lighter, we were off to the quarry. Now if the town is terracotta red, then the quarry is bright orange, with some yellow on the side. Ochre is by nature a very soft stone, with so many people walking on the stones everyday and chipping away pieces...the tops have this fine layer of what I call ochre sand. I found out later that this ochre sand is what is used as the pigment. Basically you take this crushed up stone and mix it with water/gum arabic/ or egg whites and you get different types of paint. In the end it was really just a bunch of red colored rocks...but I had fun AND if you touch the rock pigment you get red hands for the rest of the day...believe me I tried!! LOL

Heres Some Pictures of Roussillon

Roussillon was a fun little excursion and a prelude to a pretty fantastic weekend. On Friday it was a campus wide field trip to Aix En Provence. Basically Aix is a city. There is not any ruins in aix (pronounced like the letter "x") nor much history, its just a college town with a lot of shopping. Oh and it is where the famous painter Cezanne lived and worked from. That is probably the reason we went there...but to be honest most of Cezanne's work is not there, its in Paris. We did get to go to a museum to see some of his early less famous paintings. And they were beautiful! His paint application is just incredible, you want to touch it....and you can't! But we did see some really nice sculptures in this museum as well....and the rest of the day was ours. So as all girls do, we went shopping. I looked at shoes, souvenirs, dresses, paints, stamps and pastries. Unfortunately I only ended up with the last one...but thats okay! So in all Aix was just a laid back kind of city day. We didn't do much, but then there wasn't a whole lot we wanted to do but just walk around and people watch.

After Aix is when the fun started. The bus that was taking all the students back to Lacoste, made a little detour to drive my three friends and I back to the train station. We were headed for Nice!!!! yippie Vacation time! It was a beautiful train ride along the French Rivera around sun set and we arrived in Nice around 9:30pm. So what do good college students do in the French Rivera on a Friday night? We go out of course! No really we went in search of a beach with one wine bottle in hand to share between my four friends. And when we get to the beach guess what...every other European has the same idea...imagine that one. Anyways we got to Nice and the beach at night and enjoyed some good wine before really crashing for the night. And our hostel by the way was very nice. It was out of the old city in the new part of town, and kind of hard to get to because of a monster hill we had to climb. But it was clean and accommodating and we had quite an experience there.

The next day we decided to return to the beach and have a beach day. Naturally I did not bring a swimming suit, but I thought no matter the water is cold anyway I won't want to go swimming. Well the one day we go to the beach is the day that it gets very warm in Nice. So by noon I was looking for a swimming suit. Which by the way is not advisable in Europe let alone in Nice. The one piece bathing suit does not exist in the French Rivera... and even the ones that are claimed to be one piece, well lets just say its just easier to get a bikini. SO yes I ended up owning my first bikini ever! And it is really tiny...and I did not appreciate wearing it. My friends were very good humored and said I looked fine but I don't believe it....LOL So I ran from my beach towel into the water and froze into a Popsicle because a) the water was freezing and b) I didn't have much on anyways. And then I ran back to my towel...TAA DAA my Nice beach experience. I do have to say that i did look better than some of the other people wearing bikinis....I mean I don't look great in one, but some people just shouldn't even think about it.


Beach Pictures...Sorry No Pictures of the Bikini!

So after a couple of hours on the pebble beach we decided a trip to Monaco was the way to end the day. We changed clothes and headed to the train station. A short 30 min ride brought us right to the center of Monaco to a train station located in the middle of the mountain!!! I couldn't believe it. Then we walked out of the mountain and heard the familiar drone of race cars....we had made it to see the Formula 1 Grand Prix qualifying races...in the middle of Monaco. It was the oddest and coolest thing I had ever seen! I mean they raced down road ways...sidewalks...where ever they could fit the track in. And the spectator seats were the same, where ever the could fit the stands thats where they had them. It was amazing and the sound was just awesome! Basically we just walked around Monaco taking in as many of the sites we could. It was so pretty and clean, I didn't want to leave. I got to see the Prince's Palace on top of one of the mountain like jetties that makes the main bay. I saw the changing of the guard at the Palace and did some shopping around that area. We also stopped for crepes for dinner, I had a veggie crepe which was really delicious. Then we walked along the race track in the marina to Monte Carlo Casino, just to take a look. We didn't even got in, but we saw it and were amazed!!! It was fun too to walk on the track, we walked across the starting/Finnish line! And then it was back to the train station! We were tired! We got back to Nice having a fun filled, sore feet kind of day and just passed out.

Monaco Pictures and Videos

Sadly it was back to reality today as we caught the train home to Avignon and then a taxi to Lacoste. I realized I only have two weeks of class left and one weekend before the Exhibition!!! Aaaggg!! Freak out time! LOL The Exhibition called the Vernissage, is like our finals. So its time to hit the books again and get things done. I am sorry for such the long post, but I couldn't resist writing as much as I could remember! Enjoy the pictures...and videos!

Another Day in South Frace!

So its Wednesday! Nothing new to report, except for a busy weekend ahead and way too much work to do in the meantime. But thats okay!!! I actually enjoy doing work here...imagine that hahaha! Anyways I thought I would post some pictures tonight so for all those keeping track. I have Abbey de Senanque Pictures up! Click Here for Abbey Pics I also added a Princess to the juice box collection. I am sad to say that it was my last box, so no more princesses :( Click Here Princesses And I thought I would upload some funny pictures of my friends and I working. I have a feeling with the more work we have (and later nights) there will be more of our fun pictures!! So keep your eyes out!!LOL Crazy Photos!

I did turn in my relief prints today. I thought that they turned out okay. Not exactly what I was hoping for...but not bad...just need some more practice. My professor didn't say a whole lot about them, except for that the thinks I need to keep working on them...so I guess thats good?? But I am starting to get things together for the Vernissage... when I have some prints I will be sure to post.

Have a good night everyone...or day rather :)

Short Post

So I just thought I would thank you for reading my blog the last couple of days. I know they have been long and boring. To make up for it, this is a short post. Basically whats going on here is the weather is nice, the quarter is winding down, the Exhibition that we put on is sneaking up on everyone and we all feel like being outside, not working :) Such is Life right? Anyways, when I have something new to report, or some new pictures I will keep you updated!! Right now I am just looking forward to our field trip to Aix-En-Provence and then off to Nice!!! Catch up later <3

Pictures Posted

Hey everyone, the pictures are posted along with some videos!! Enjoy and thanks for waiting!!

Last Installment of Paris

Okay so here is the last installment of Paris. I am sorry it has taken me this long to write it all down... So its Sunday now, our last day in Paris. At 5pm we have to start heading to the train station because our train leaves at 6:42pm. We started the day off by going to Notre Dame for mass. My roommates were very nice to me and came with me to mass. It was the Gregorian Mass so though most of it was in French, a portion was in Latin. But the singing was so beautiful and it echoed off the walls just right. It was a good way to start off my Sunday. Then we ate brunch at the Sarah Bernhardt cafe. They had the best coffee in Paris, I had two cups! Next was the Museum of the Middle Ages. This was a fun museum, its not one of the main must sees in Paris, but I enjoyed it because it had many of the things I had learned about the quarter before in my Medieval Art and Architecture class. I got to see tapestries, relief ivories, the original statues that were located on Notre Dame before all their heads were cut off, original stained glass from the Middle Ages and the best of all illuminated manuscripts. The curator at this museum was amazing, he took each page of the manuscript and encased it in light plexiglass, that way you could turn the pages in the book and see all of the pictures and writings. And guess what...they really did write with gold. My professor said that it wasn't uncommon for some of the manuscripts to be complete written in gold. I didn't quite believe him, until now!!!

So after looking at icon paintings and tapestries all afternoon, we decided shopping was the way to go before we had to get to the train station. Get in as much of the city as possible before leaving. Unfortunately my one roommate started to get sick half way through our shopping expedition, so we had to cut it short and we ended up back at the hotel just killing some time before the train home. But since I had downed three cups of coffee ( I ended up having one more...opps!) I could not sit still, so I cautiously walked up a couple blocks from our hotel to burn some energy. And what did I find, but the Roman Pantheon. Well French style...It is one of their judicial buildings now, but the architecture is based on the Pantheon found in Rome. It was an unexpected find but fun nonetheless. So after 5 short days in Paris, it was time to come home to Lacoste. We caught our TGV train, which only stopped in Paris for 12 minutes!! And then we were speeding along back to Lacoste.

The last week has pretty much been recovery week. A lot of people got sick in Paris. My friend had the stomach flu for 4 days!! And I had caught a minor cold on the last day there. This week was pretty uneventful. I turned in my history paper on Thursday and gave my presentation. The paper/presentation was on the Abbey de Senanque. A little remote Abbey located in a valley where barely no one can reach them. We actually got to visit this Abbey on Tues of this week. Unfortunately the entire tour was in French, and pretty boring. So I tried to lighten my presentation, so that people wouldn't be too bored. Really the abbey is quite interesting because the complex belongs to hermetic monks. Their lifestyles are severely simple and this aspect is reflected in their art and architecture. So it was interesting to learn how they shaped the buildings and the art to fit their needs.

Anyways, yesterday I took an unexpected trip to Avignon. I wasn't really going to go because the professors were just going to take people to the train stations. But they said they were going to stop and go shopping for awhile, and that was all I needed to hear :)!! So I ended up in Avignon with 3 professors and one other students, all going shopping. It was actually a fun time! And I found a cute shirt I couldn't pass up! Its pink!!( Note for Sam: I did break down and get Wario Touched for my DS it was on sale this time and I couldn't pass it up...bad Sara!!) But that was really my week and weekend. I did promise to post some of my printmaking pieces that I have turned in for class, so that will be up today. Its all just exploring the art of printmaking since I have never done it before. But I like all my pieces. Click Here to see them!!

For the record, that crazy picture of me....it when I was trying es cargo...its actually really good surprisingly!!?

Here is pictures that go with the last post:
http://s302.photobucket.com/albums/nn109/sarapitz/Paris%20Part%203/

And here is pictures from this post, just a couple and some of my comentatry videos:

http://s302.photobucket.com/albums/nn109/sarapitz/Paris%20Part%204/

I will keep you updated on pictures and art as I can. Today's agenda...jazz festival in Apt??

Even more Paris??

Yes yes there is more to Paris....The tricky part in knowing where I left off...hmmm okay so we have done the louvre and Sainte Chapelle... So now its Friday and its museum day!! We only get two days on our museum pass, so we tried to see as many museums as possible those two days. We started off early and went to the Musee d'Orsay, which if you don't speak French, its all good, because this museum houses the best display of Impressionist painters of the 19th Century. Everyone who is anyone is at this museum. Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt, Surat, Pizarro. You name it they have it and I loved every minute we spent in that museum. My favorite were the Degas ballerinas (go figure right :))

After a wonderful lunch of tuna on toast, a French delicacy (LOL) It was off to the Opera house with my friend Megan. We walked down to the Louvre and took a roundabout way of getting there, but we found it at last. This is the Opera House where the Phantom of the Opera is based off of. Apparently the Opera House is built on stanchions because there is a water level problem underneath it. But as we walked into the grand opera, the first thing you see is gold...and the next thing you see is the grand staircase...the same staircase where they sing Masquerade....It was beautiful and mind blowing. We got to walk around and see where the orchestra sits and where the people enter into the box seats, very very fancy. Unfortunately we couldn't go into the auditorium because they were practicing on a ballet. But I sneaked a peak and saw dancers practicing on the stage...they were amazing!! Also in this Opera House there is a hall of mirrors. And it is totally gilded in gold. Even the curtains have gold embroidery work on them. It was very shiny, bright and elegant. I could imagine people in the 1900s climbing the beautiful stairs in their long dresses and fans, top hats and coat tails. A beautiful place to visit.

Then around dinner time it was back to the museums...now its time for contemporary art. The best place for contemporary art in Paris is the Pompidu Center. Where the building is basically a work of art. This was an interesting display. I am not really into contemporary art or installation pieces, but I did have a good time trying to figure out where the artists come from and what they are trying to say given what they have on display. There were some classics here that were a must see. I saw Kandinsky's paintings, I saw some Picasso's (nothing real famous) I saw Mondrian, Miro, Braques, and Duchamp. I saw the urinal that supposedly is a work of art...and I laughed! So I saw what I needed to see and then called it quits, my feet were tired that night. We finished off the day by treated ourselves to a good dinner. I ate raw meat on a salad...it was interesting...My main course was better, chicken with a sauce that was to die for. Then as a stroke of genius by my roommates, we decided to go into the Louvre for an hour on our way home. I wasn't so keen on this idea, but I played a good sport. And I saw more amazing art!!! (Flemish and Danish paintings before the renaissance....beautiful!!!) So all in all a packed but good day.

The next day was a little bit more relaxed. We only had one thing planned, to go to the Pietit Palais to see an exhibition on Goya prints. Goya is a fairly well known artist. He is one of the best print makers in art history, though his subject matter is a little terrifying. But he lived through a time that wasn't the best and it is understandable why his art is so disturbing. The Goya exhibit was a good choice, I got to see the progression of his art. And they had some really good in process works, which you never find with artists. They would have his sketches displayed, where his influence could have came from, the actual copper plate and then the finished print. Most of his prints are copper etchings, but there were a couple of Lithograph pieces as well (those were my favorite) After a morning of Goya, we crossed over the Bridge of Alexander III, which is a famous for being built for the Czar of Russia. It is also the Bridge at the end of the Anastasia movie, and they did a good job re creating it for the animation. It was a beautiful bridge. Then it was off to the Champ Eylsees for some shopping! Or rather looking. The most expensive street of shopping in Paris the Champ Eylsees was the funniest thing to see. They had every brand name store I could think of. I couldn't believe it!!! I went into the Disney store, because it was the only place I felt I could walk into and feel like I could afford something, even though I didn't buy anything. So it was a great walk down the Champ Eylsees and I got to look at the Triumphal Arch on the way down.

The rest of the afternoon I went shopping by myself. None of my roommates are of the shopping nature, but I had stumbled on a 3 building mall that was by the Opera House, that I just couldn't pass up! I had to go and visit. I was overwhelmed being in this mall...it was almost 8 floors!!! But I had fun looking at all the crazy fashions, makeup, stockings, and shoes!!! Oh man the shoes....if only I knew the word for narrow in French....I really do need to figure out how to say that :) But I did end up with a pair of earrings and they are really cute. I will make sure to wear them and take a picture!!

So the afternoon was my shopping expedition, and for our last night in Paris....it was off to the Eiffel Tower and to dinner. But I will give you a rest from reading, and my fingers from typing and I will post more later...including pictures!!