Today (Wednesday, Sept 28th, 2005) was another day of craziness! I went to an 8am Latin lecture so I could decide that I do not Latin! After that I spent a half hour in my 1st year translation class and had to leave for my first 'compulsory geography tute' where we were assigned topics to do a 10 min presentation on. I then got a phone call from a French buddy who I was supposed to meet at 12pm (I thought it was 2pm). I met him and we chatted while eating Lunch. His name is Fatah and spent 2 and 1/2 years in Melbourne! Then I went b y train and tram to Lyon 1 to find a course booklet for Science only to find someone gave me wrong directions and it as really Lyon 2 (again....another campus)! I met Dhivya (Australian friend on exchange in London and visiting me!) at the Beaux Arts Museum and we went back to my place for dinner (pasta and salad with Ben) and packing. After dinner, I then took her to the Perrache Bus/Train terminal where we said sad goodbyes! I am sad to see her go! Come back soon and thanks for the cake....Dhivya bought Ben and I a cute little, perfectly decorated/shaped chocolate cake from a patisserie in Croix-rousse.
Yesterday (Tuesday, Sept 27th, 2005)....hummm....it's really hard to remember what has happened! It seems like I just picked up Dhivya and yet it also seems that yesterday was a year ago! I jumped through some hoops, being sent to another university Lyon 2 (I am looking at doing some science subjects) and had to desperately change French Forigen Language classes as I was in baby French! Ben laughed when he saw my primary school equivalent exercises while I was thinking, 'I went in at 8am for that'! I was really lucky it seems becasue a lot of people are having similar problems and are not allowed to change! Incroyable! I think I was back and fourth at uni 3 times today! It just seems to be endless organisation. I did go to my Arts Plastique (Fine Arts) class which I LOVE even if I dont understand exactly what's going on! I have a petit cahier/ little exercise book now and I am drawing the paintings/sculpture that are shown so I can research later and create my own notes since French isnt really optimal. I am also going to create a list of essentail vocab....painting, background etc. In the evening, Dhivya and I went to the American-French relation Cocktail party. We ate cheese and little cakes and chatted to people. There were mayors and other little-big wigs present. I felt really posh because the public only gets to enter Hotel de Ville once a year on Patrimony day (which I did) and now I was invited for a Private Party! Hooray! At the end of the cocktail party Div and I ended up talking with 2 Americans. We decided to go exploring, pretending we were looking for the exit (I am not sure the upper floors is logical explanation when you get caught...) and walked through almost all of Hotel de Ville unattended, a place that is usually swarming with security. All the doors were unlocked! We photo copied our hands (and other body parts....lol....not my idea...boys!) in the offices, waltzed in one of the salon and I tucked in my skirt and danced in the lavishly decorated main ballroom (full of chandlers) in the dark with no shoes! That was magical and I felt alive! We even found our way up onto the roof to see a very nice view (especially of the Church- the Fourvier)! Incroyable! It was even nicer because no one ever gets to see it! We decided to leave so we didn’t have spend the night there after being locked in (or get arrested). The guard at the gate was so nice and so sorry we were locked in. He hurried to let us out, not hold us up and practiced his English with a 'Goodnight'. That was even more incroyable! We all felt like we were being congratulated on going on our own private night tour of the a building which dates back to the renaissance and getting away with it! Now that I will remember forever….
PHOTOS TAKEN ON PATRIMONE DAY:
This is the front of the building and the corner of the building that you see on the left is the Opera.
From the inside with the Opear in the background.
The room previously used in the renaissance.
Yes, this is where I danced! I can't believe it even as I type it! Look at it! It is beautiful!
5 comments:
Hi Cara...
Photos are great.. loving the running commentary, too! Sounds like you're still having daily adventures.. keep it up! Don't forget your vitamins; you must need them considering the days you're putting in! When you have a chance, ask Jon about getting locked into the gardens of Versailles one night! He did escape but it was a funny story! Seems like they close up nice and early there!
Nice is definitely very nice. It was the first French city I visited. Do try the "socca"... perfect for a vegetarian. When you have a chance, check out my photos.. Jeanna and I went to the protest in Washington last Saturday, you (and your dad) would be proud of us! Here's the link.
< http://homepage.mac.com/gglax/PoliticsEtc/PhotoAlbum10.html >
Take care!
Gigi
Oh... My.....God!
It is a dream..it is Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella and (gasp!) the most amazing, fantastic, unbelievably stunning and spectacular ballroom I have ever seen in my life! To have the place to yourself and dance....
like a princess in a fairy tale, I am so happy that you had this experience...incredible!
Love Mom
Cool photos! nice to see you are keeping well!
Cara, you naughty little girl!!
I am so proud of you, managing your own little tour, getting away wtih it and then being treated so nicely by the guard, what a good effort.
Rhiannon
Cara beautiful,
You are so incredible!!! you know that i would have been right there beside dancing away in that spectacular ballroom. I could have taught you a thing or too, now that i'm really getting in to my swing dancing. I have my first performance on saturday night...so nervous!!
So I was going to tell you to never stop being brave and wild but just realised that I don't need to because you never will. I miss you like crazy my beautiful and there is a letter on the way to you.
for now
Claire
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