Week 8

This week began with the 1^st Enmodes presentation and ended with our Paris excursion.

The Enmodes presentation went well enough although there was a scare just before it started where we couldn’t track down all of our group members. This presentation was also far less formal than the eventual project wound up being and so it was a lot easier and less stressful. Also our design didn’t have to be fully fleshed out at this point, it was more of an ideas session at this point.

In France we went to Colmar and Beaune before finally heading to Paris. The whole time we were in France I found myself really missing being in a place where I at least spoke a little bit of the language. The people could have been speaking Mandarin for all I understood of French. In Colmar we saw the Isenheim Altar which was neat but Freezing. There was also a surprisingly extensive museum in the rest of the building but it was a confusing maze of spiraling staircases and windowless hallways. I feel like there was much we missed because we just couldn’t find it. After Colmar we went to Beaune which was such a pretty little town. We had some excellent French food and saw the Hotel Dieu which was honestly super cool. It’s amazing anyone ever survived medical care back in the middle ages though. Also in Beaune we wandered around for part of the night, and despite the lack of a nightlife in Beaune there were these two guys with a boombox just dancing through the town.  I think while we were in Beaune I also taught Jack, apparently incorrectly, how to play Hive.

After Beaune we went to Paris proper where we met Julien who was hands down the best tour guide I’ve had. The first time I was in Paris a year or so ago I hated it but I had a great time this trip thanks in large part to him. We saw an astonishing amount during our walking tour with him through the city, and got to experience a slightly rushed 3 course meal during our lunch break. It was interesting experiencing that aspect of French culture which is so different from American culture. Meals are taken slowly and patiently. I didn’t ever try any frog legs like I wanted to though so that will have to wait until next time. Later we went to the Eiffel Tower, even if we showed up a little late, it all worked out in the end. The lesson learned there is that just because you can see it doesn’t mean it’s close. We were way further away than we’d thought.

I can’t recall the order things happened in Paris but one of the next things we did was go to a medical history museum. The tour was kind of long and we were all really tired but it was nonetheless a really nice and interesting museum. Of note was an anatomical model of the human body made of wood, and a hand crank chainsaw for amputations.

Later we went to the Louvre where we saw the Venus of Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace (my favorite), and the Mona Lisa. These were among many other worthy pieces of art but those were the most famous. I feel like we kind of rushed through the Louvre and like the national history museum in Vienna I wish we had more time there. After the Louvre though Shannon, Jack, Romi, and I went to this restaurant Julien had recommended called Juvenile. Shannon had met up with a friend of hers who is studying in Paris and she’d planned to join us but unfortunately the restaurant would only seat 4, which was a real shame because Juvenile is in the top two for best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. If there’s a reason to go back to Paris it’s so I can go to Juvenile again. After that we did a little shopping and I managed to find myself a leather flat-cap, thanks again to Julien’s fantastic recommendations, something I’ve been looking for for years. Jack also got himself one but his was a more traditional wool.

The last thing we did in Paris wasn’t technically in Paris at all but close by in Versailles. We took the train and then went to the palace which was very impressive. We got there before the tourist rush and got in with essentially no line but once we were getting ready to leave the line was hundreds of meters long, it was insane. I was disappointed that we missed out on seeing the ladies quarters, a section Julien had recommended because we accidently left and the security said we’d have to back through the line to get in. After that we had a picnic in the gardens which was interesting, lots of local cheese, wine, meats, and baguettes for plates.