Illiers Combray

My weekend was very relaxing, and I did very little, but the past few days have been pretty busy. I've gone to a few monuments and museums with Lauren, and a field trip with my program. Waking up early seems to be the new trend these past few days, and will continue to be so throughout the weekend. On Saturday Lauren and I visited l'Arc de Triomphe, which Napoleon built to commemorate all his successes throughout Europe.

[Here is myself in front of the Arc, but across the street]


[A man painting the Arc. I always thought coming to Paris to study and practice painting would be so romantic and cliche]


The next afternoon, Lauren and I went to the Jewish Quarter of Paris per our homework. While we were there we visited a Holocaust remembrance museum. Since we are quite close to Notre Dame, we stopped by to see this magnificent gothic cathedral. One of two we would see this week.

[Pictures of french children who were deported into holocaust camps; this is just about 1/6th of the room. This is from the museum which was quite moving and full of information. Lauren is in the picture too]


[Notre Dame]


[Myself and the cathedral]


[Lovely Parisian trees behind Notre Dame. This time of day is my favorite]


Today I went with my class to Chartres and Illiers Combray. In Chartres we visited one of the oldest, if not the oldest, gothic cathedral in Europe. It has tremendous history of being destroyed and rebuilt. What makes it so important to french history is that is houses "the Virgin Mary's Vail." Although, the fabric that they have dates into the 1st centuary, it cannot be the real virgin's vail. But it has survived all the revolutions and wars that tore the cathedral down. The part of the cathedral that was displaying the vail was under construction, so I did not get to see it. The front of the cathedral was under construction too, so that was disappointing.

[Chartres's Cathedral]


[My lunchtime begger in Chartres]


Our next stop down the line was Illiers Combray. This town was the home to Marcel Proust's great aunt, and I think his grandmother too. We visited the gardens he spent a lot of time in and the house his aunt lived in, that he stayed in as well, which was converted to a museum in his honor. One of the three courses I'm taking here in Paris is a class that focuses on two translated parts of Marcel Prousts 4000 page novel.


[This is essentially a 19th centuary laundrymat]


[Myself against the French countryside]


And that catches me up to today. Tomorrow is class, and Friday I make my way with seven other classmates to Amsterdam! Look out!