Paris Science Center March 24, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Paris , add a commentWe visited the Science Center in Paris today, also known as Cité des Sciences et Industrie. At 8 Euros a person, it was very worth it, we spent probably 5 hours wandering around, playing with the interactive exhibits and seeing all of the fun things they had there!
We started out looking at their room about genetics, learning about different things relating to genetics and things that we can do with genetics. Some of the purposes talked about included researching effects of diseases and distilling proteins to help treat different maladies such as diabetes.
After learning more than we ever wanted to know about genetics, we headed into an area full of photos, meteor samples, and more! In this room, we found sculptures created from acrylic with lights, a model of a lander, and a series of videos talking about space and exploring it.
While we enjoyed the visuals here, most of the things had no English so we didn’t spend as much time here before moving onto the section about dirt! Well, about earth in general, techniques for building with it, how grain mechanics work, and other interesting information. There were samples of many different kinds of dirt from all over the world along with explanations about what gave them their distinctive colors.
We got to play several games and watch short videos demonstrating grains of sand and other earthy materials behaving as liquid, gas, and solid at different times!
After the earth section, we moved onto mathematics. While it may seem dry, there were plenty of fun exhibits there for us to play with or look at, including a 3D version of tic-tac-toe with 4x4x4 sides. Our game was great fun and complicated enough to last more than 3 minutes.
One of my favorite parts of the mathematics exhibit was a fountain that had a randomness factor built into it, making it so complex that no computer can predict the positions after 2 minutes!
Arc de Triomhpe March 22, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Paris , add a commentThe beginning of our day in Paris was interesting. We got off the Metro and found ourselves listening to drums. There was a small band 
dressed in funny colorful costumes. They reminded me of a mix of the Fruit of The Loom characters and superheros (their costumes had fake muscles).Then we went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe via the stairs (284 steps to the top). I had no idea you could go into the Arc de Triomphe so it was a nice surprise. It wasn’t expensive either, only 11 euro for the both of us (again with the paying people to put yourself through the pain of climbing stairs). We were exhausted but only
took one break in the middle (I’m so proud).
At the top it was stunning! The sky was cloudless and you could see for miles (in this picture you can see all the way to the business district/ the hollowed out building in the distance ). We marveled at the traffic, snapped some pictures, and left in search of water and a not-so-overpriced snack (nearly impossible). We settled on baguettes with Jambon (ham), Fromage (cheese)for 3.50 euro each, not too bad.
We have to take a rain check on the science center, since it is closed on Mondays and there will be a Metro strike tomorrow (Jan was saying that around every major holiday they have a strike to get more time off, the strike itself is probably just an excuse). It doesn’t determine the fate of our going to the science center, for the Metro will still be running, but only at peak times.
Parisian Canal Cruise March 21, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Paris , add a commentLooking for things to do in Paris today, we found that there are a few inexpensive cruises through Paris, ranging from Seine cruises to cruises in Paris’ various canals.
The canal we experienced, the Saint Martin Canal, is underground for ~4 kilometers. While floating down the canal underground, the boat projected some history of the canal and the area onto the side of the tunnel, giving us something to pay attention to while we sat in the dark.
Periodically through the canal, there were holes opening into the city above, letting in light and debris (litter). Slightly less often on the underground walls were street signs so at least we still knew where we were and what street we were crossing!
After returning to the top of the streets on the canal, we began to pass through several locks, raising the boat probably 10 meters in all. While neither Tiffany nor myself had either been through a lock before, we can say that no more as we got thoroughly sprayed by the water from the canal (it has never been considered drinking water).
Nearing the end of the cruise, we passed the Cite des Science & de l’Industrie, Paris’ science museum. The building was huge and looked extremely fun, especially the giant shiny ball out front, the Geode. While we have no specific plans yet, we are thinking about going to this museum in the next couple of days before heading to Strasbourg.
Fontainebleau March 20, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Paris , add a comment
Today we went to a Chateau that is so nice the person who had it built was imprisoned because it rivaled the king’s Chateau. Fontainebeau is far enough away from Paris that most international tourists don’t know that it is there, so we had no lines to wait through. Also, it’s fairly inexpensive, only four euro each and two euro each for people between 18-25. In the price you get an audio guide which was rather hit or miss. Although it did let you know what the “hidden” doors went to.
We went with Jan and Maria which was very nice. Maria gave us some history about the place and the people in it and Jan made a lot of clever jokes. One of the jokes had to do with Napoleon; makes you not want a king size bed (his bed is smaller than a twin).
Most of the items, decorative or utilitarian, are covered in gold or a floral design. The building itself was given its final name in 1100′s (it had two before this one).
Also, a word for fellow travelers: when in an old building, look up when you enter the room. I have found that the most stunning of most places is the ceiling
. I sometimes think that perhaps looking up was their favorite past time back then (I mean why else would you put so much on the ceiling otherwise?).
Anyway, we had a great time at Fontainbleau with Jan and Maria. We learned a bit of history and made some jokes along the way.
Random Encounters in Paris March 19, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Paris , 2commentsOn our trek today in Paris we saw many things, the most unusual part was the encounter with a high school friend, Joseph Clifton, but more about that later.
The day started at the Eiffel Tower today as we thought about making the hike to the top; however, the crowds were so bad that we decided not to wait 2 hours in line to pay to hike up the tower.
Despite our disappointment at the Tower, we went from there to the Musée d’Orsay by metro next. Upon our arrival to the museum, we noted the copious amount of students lounging on the steps in front eating sandwiches. Unfortunately, we had eaten earlier and so were not interested in having sandwiches at that moment.
The museum was stocked with metal detectors for security; however, I was wearing steel-toed boots that the security guards did not care about, they waved us through even after I set off the alarm. As we were buying tickets, we noticed the sign stating that photography or recording was not allowed inside the museum so you will have to bear with me as I describe our experience with many thousands of words to equal the normal amount included in a post with pictures (what with a picture being worth a thousand words and such) (Although I really doubt that I actually will give you many thousands of words, it’s getting a bit too late for book writing (and you have to visit it for yourselves)).
After passing the ticket desk and getting a check mark on our tickets, we strode into the entry hall of the museum and observed the statue-filled hall, we began to stroll through the halls on both sides of the main hall, filled with such artists as Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, and more. Following the main hall down to the end revealed a welcome surprise, a small model of the city built under a plexi-glass floor!
Enough talk about the Musée d’Orsay, we actually have some pictures to look at!
After the Orsay, we decided to have a traditional Parisian snack, crepes with bananas and Nutella. They were fantastic!
After our thoroughly delicious snack, we walked around a bit and noticed that we were right across the river from the Louvre so we decided it was worth a walk over to.
Crossing over the Seine was about as adventurous as ever but very worth it nonetheless.
The Louvre was as fantastic as always, greeting us with a giant park, glass pyramids, and fountains. While we didn’t go inside the Louvre today (we decided that 2 art museums in one day was a bit much), we did mill about outside a bit and people watch, our favorite sport.
Heading back towards the Eiffel Tower from the Louvre, we noticed a circular pond with many small boats on it being guided by children. We met a friend from school, Joe, there and he informed us that it is a very traditional Parisian scene!
Joe has been staying around Paris a while now and suggested that we see Sacre Coeur, a new church by Paris standards but beautiful nonetheless. We walked through the church, observing its magnificent stained glass windows and artwork.
After Sacre Coeur, Joe took us down the hill towards the Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge was a fun place to see but is very expensive according to their prices outside: around 100 Euros a ticket to a show!
Well, it’s been a long day and it’s time for me to go! Oidhche mhath (Good night, Gaelic)!
Versiallis, Paris March 18, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Paris , 1 comment so farToday we went to the Chateau Versiallis. My expectation was that the Chateau would be about the size of the castles we saw in Scotland, and I was dead wrong!
It is very large with an equally large amount of gardens behind it. We ended up not paying the 12 euro each to go into the castle and, instead, we took a three hour walk around the gardens (without seeing even half the gardens). Unfortunately the water features are not on at this time of year and the majority of the sculptures are covered in the winter time. Also there
was a lot of construction going on in the gardens, but it was nice all the same.
There was a reflection pond ( I call it a lake) with ducks (Mallards) and swans. The males were all being territorial towards each other which was particularly fun to watch. We grabbed a bag of chips and picked a
spot to watch them (we ended up feeding them). By the end of it we had three swans begging for the chips and an empty bag.
You could rent boats, golf carts, or ride a trolley through Versiallis’s gardens. All of which are pretty expensive for two people. We watched a lot of young people play around on the boats ( the song “rock the boat” comes to mind). There were no boats tipping over, just many close calls and shoats from the youths.
Paris, France March 17, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Paris , add a commentWe arrived in Paris yesterday evening and basically had enough time to eat and go to bed.Today is the official first day in Paris to us since we got to 
explore.
We basically took a walk through the city. Starting at the Notre Dame cathedral which is free to enter, but everything costs something(including lighting candles and prayers). There were many things to see including this saint that is holding his own head!
Also a new addition since the last time I was in Paris is the Notre Dame Archeological Site which is located in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It has some artifacts from when Paris belonged to the Romans and also the remands of buildings, cellars, and roads. It was rather inexpensive ( 2 euro each for people under 25 years old) and interesting to look at.
Then we maneuvered through the city to the Eiffel Tower (approximately an hour’s walk). One of the lifts was
under maintenance and there must have been a hundred people in line fo
r both the stairs and the one working lift, so we ended up not going to the top today. Price is another issue we’re considering; 13 euro for the lift each and 3.50 euro to take the stairs (how privileged you’d be to climb all those stairs ). Perhaps another day we’ll convince ourselves it’s worth it.
We also took the Metro to the Arc De Triomphe. It was lovely, there was a memorial service so there were many people in the armed forces there, flags, flowers, and a fire. Apparently we could pay a small amount of money and go up the Arc De Triomphe where there is something like a museum from what I can tell and perhaps a good view of the city.
The funnest event of the day happened right as we exited the Metro. There was loud music coming from a street performer that was break dancing. There was a large crowd watching which made it hard to see what was going on, and then the music cut off. A police officer had come over and was questioning the performer, checked his passport, and issued him a citation. All the while the crowd was arguing with the officer and booing her for stopping him!
