Okay, so what has been going on here? Well, for starters, I went to Paris and Lyon for my birthday, last weekend in July. When I was in Paris last time, I did not make it to the Louvre, crazy I know, so to make up for it, I went for 6 hours this time. First, it is huge. I was there for 6 hours and while I got to see the major pieces of art, I would not recommend trying to see everything at once. Because it is so big, it hardly seemed to be crowded, of course there were crowds around the La Joconde (Mona Lisa) and the Venus de Milo but the rest of the art was pretty clear. Now I may be the only person to ever say this, but...the Mona Lisa was actually bigger than I thought it would be. All you normally hear is the opposite, but because 
I went 
expecting a small piece of art, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was bigger. Another thing is that pictures were allowed which is somewhat unusual. So here are some pictures, of course I am sure you have seen a picture of the actual painting, but this is more to show you the room it is in and give you an idea of what you see when you walk in. So it is mounted on a wall near the back of this really big room and there is about a 5-10 foot "buffer" area. As you can see on the right, it is behind a piece of glass which the other pieces were not.
While it was nice to see it, I have to say that I am a sculpture person. I just marvel at how someone can look at a piece of marble and come up with what they do. I was going to go to other museums while I was there, but I OD'ed at the Louvre and so I spent the time touring other parts of Paris. Plus I did not want to stay inside all day as it was not raining and I needed all the sun I could get before coming back to Glasgow.
I was also in Paris for the end of the Tour de France, which was really cool. I went to the Champs Elysees and got to see the riders pass us by. I was able to get up to the road, as I was alone, there were many, many people there. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea:
I went 
expecting a small piece of art, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was bigger. Another thing is that pictures were allowed which is somewhat unusual. So here are some pictures, of course I am sure you have seen a picture of the actual painting, but this is more to show you the room it is in and give you an idea of what you see when you walk in. So it is mounted on a wall near the back of this really big room and there is about a 5-10 foot "buffer" area. As you can see on the right, it is behind a piece of glass which the other pieces were not.While it was nice to see it, I have to say that I am a sculpture person. I just marvel at how someone can look at a piece of marble and come up with what they do. I was going to go to other museums while I was there, but I OD'ed at the Louvre and so I spent the time touring other parts of Paris. Plus I did not want to stay inside all day as it was not raining and I needed all the sun I could get before coming back to Glasgow.
I was also in Paris for the end of the Tour de France, which was really cool. I went to the Champs Elysees and got to see the riders pass us by. I was able to get up to the road, as I was alone, there were many, many people there. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea:
So after my time in Paris, I went to Lyon and visited a co-worker and his partner who are from that part of France. I had a great time and it was really hot there, so I got to experience the French heat. That part of the country was really beautiful and I got to see my first nuclear power plant. Now I know we have many in the US and either I have passed them an not known what they were, or I have never passed one before. But now I know what to look for. I also went to a medieval city. Here are some pictures:
I also got to try frog legs and while I get why people say it tastes like chicken, I think they are more of a cross between chicken and a type of white fish. Either way, they were really good and I would not be opposed to having them again. I also got to experience a true 3 hour French dinner. I stayed with my co-worker's partner's family and on my last day there they had a guests and a really good dinner. I could not believe how much food there was, and how many courses. I would love to do that again as well, but I am not sure I could do it more than once a year, talk about rich and fattening!
Anyway, my time in France was excellent. I think that I will try to tackle Italy next. But before I go, I am going to Lisbon, Portugal for 2 weeks for a conference and a statistical course. I am really looking forward to that. I will post pictures of that when I get back, hopefully before Christmas.
Other than that, FOOTBALL IS HERE! I am so excited and I have seen both games and I have to say, that I am so happy we beat the buckeyes, finally we can put them to rest. So far I am really impressed with our team and I hope that we can continue. Also for you bruins, HA HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, 59-0, HA HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.
I hope that all is well with you and I hope to see or talk to you soon.
Cheers and BEAT THE BEAVERS,
Cara
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