The Beginning of the End

Salut from the middle of my last week here in Paris! I am so amazed at how the past three weeks have flown by so quickly! I am looking forward to coming home and sharing all of my experiences with friends and family, but I am so sad to think that this experience is coming to a close. I have learned so much and seen an immeasurable amount of incredible things and I know I will never be able to have an opportunity like this again. For that alone I am grateful!

Last week was a particularly simple one filled with more adventures-some good, some not so good-but definitely ones that I will remember forever.
Monday was a tiring day, as all of us students had just returned to Paris from our travels during the long weekend. But Monday afternoon was a full one nonetheless. Our professors had a visit to the French Senat (and yes, it is spelled without an "e" in French) building planned for us, which was interesting yet very tiring. The tour of the building was given by a woman who spoke to us only in French so it really tested our adequacy to remain attentive and use what we've learned about the language to the best of our ability. The building, originally built as a palace, is beautiful and has many rooms filled with the historic French grandeur that we've become accustomed to seeing as we visit many places such as this. After the visit a few of us girls decided to take a typical French afternoon break with some coffee at a café near the Senat. That is definitely something great I will miss about France: the amazing cappuccinos :)

Where the French Senat holds its sessions

I am so amazed at all of the French architecture!
This is on the ceiling of a large foyer in the Senat.

Out for some cappuccinos after our Senat visit :)

On Tuesday afternoon we made a visit to the Musée d'Orsay. I was really excited to finally visit one of Paris's many museums and was extremely satisfied after viewing so many stunning pieces of impressionist and late classical paintings. One of my favorite painters, Edouard Manet, and many other favorites such as Monet, Renoir, Degas and even some Van Gogh were the main attractions in this stunning museum.
After our visit some of us spent a couple of hours going in and out of some of the shops near the museum before heading home for dinner and homework.

Wednesday's classes were canceled so we could travel as a group to the town of Chartres and visit the very large and very old cathedral there. The tour was given by the most precious old British man by the name of Malcolm Miller. He knew almost everything about the cathedral and its large collection of stained glass windows which made the overwhelming size of the cathedral much easier to appreciate.
We were allowed to spend the rest of the afternoon in the village center of Chartres where we had lunch and moseyed around until it was time to head back to Paris. The weather was one of the best days we've had since coming to France, so I didn't object to simply relaxing in the sun with some of the girls until we had to board our train back to Paris :)

The Cathedral at Chartres

This is only a small display of the many
beautiful stories on the stained glass windows.

Relaxing on the steps of the cathedral after our tour :)

Our adorable tour guide, Malcolm doing his thing!

I was particularly excited for my plans on Thursday afternoon after class only because I was finally going inside two of the most beautiful cathedrals in Paris: Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle. Both of these stunning churches are large attractions for tourists, and justly so. I wish pictures could do justice to any of what we were able to see, but I think the best way to appreciate them would be to visit them yourself :)

Inside Notre Dame of Paris!

So glad I shared this visit with my sweet friend, Holly!

This view as I walked into Sainte-Chapelle literally took my breath away!

The large rose window in Sainte-Chapelle

Friday included my partaking in the most Americanized meal I've had since coming to Paris from the tex-mex restaurant Chipotle. Let me tell you, nothing has ever tasted as wonderful as the spice of jalapeño and cilantro than it did in the burrito and guacamole I enjoyed from there :)
After indulging way too much at Chipotle, my friends Laura, Melissa and I decided to finally tackle part of the Louvre museum. We hit most of the main attractions such as the Mona Lisa and the sculpture of Venus de Milo, but I feel as though no amount of time in that incredible museum can do it justice. We spent three hours walking through all of the main wings but didn't even begin to make a dent in all of the many sculptures, paintings and ancient remnants that make up the museum. I hope to go back there someday when I can fully understand and appreciate all of the talent that is on display there, but I can only hope I manage to return there soon :)

Saturday was a very odd and long day of travel to the northern coast of France in Normandy. Our plan as a Baylor in Paris was to visit two beaches and portions of the coast where the invasions on D-Day during World War II occurred, but unfortunately we weren't able to see much because of our long journey on a bus. The view of the coast and the beach were absolutely beautiful, I am just very disappointed that we weren't able to stay at either place for very long. Again, I hope that someday I can go back and appreciate it more for all of its beauty and history.

Pi Phi's love Normandy!

Just playing a casual game of banana-grams on the cliffs of Normandy

Words cannot describe my love for these girls :)

Basking in the sun and the sand at the beach :)

On Sunday morning Erin, Holly, Laura and I decided to go to Hillsong Paris so we could experience a contemporary Protestant worship service here. Hillsong Paris leads its services in both French and English, but I will say that singing contemporary worship songs in French among many enthusiastic Christ followers that are close to my age was an experience like nothing I've ever had before. It really opened my eyes to the reminder that God is moving, alive and is working on every corner of the earth. I have so much love and hope for the people of Paris and France and I hope to be able to see the Lord move in incredible ways here in the near future.

I have only 2 full days left here in this beautiful and bustling city, and I am still unsure how to best take it in and make the most of it. I wish that I could have this opportunity for the next 5 years of my life, but here's to wishful thinking :)
It's hard to imagine that I will be writing from home in the United States next week, but I so look forward to my return and the chance to reclaim myself as a student and follower of Christ at home in Texas and at Baylor. I am very thankful that I can now approach the world with a little more insight and understanding outside of my small world that I am so accustomed to in the US.

Please continue to pray for all of us here as we embark on this last week, and for our travels back to the states!
Bonne journée until I return to the USA!
Emily