PARIS // To Do: Père Lachaise

Père Lachaise Cemetery is one of the most interesting places I went while living in Paris. For a city filled with history, beauty and charm, I'd say this is a pretty big statement. Yes, it's a bit strange to think that you might visit a cemetery on vacation or a day off, but Père Lachaise is no ordinary cemetery.

The 110 acre cemetery, situated on a hill at the edge of the city limits, opened in 1804. It is named for the confessor to Louis XIV, Père François de la Chaise, who lived in the 17th century. These days, it's the eternal resting place of legends such as Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, Honore de Balzac, Frederic Chopin, Marcel Proust, and many "ordinary" people too. There are memorials to world wars and to those who died for their country. There are some truly extravagant graves, some very plain. Some look brand new one hundred years later, and others are falling into the ground. It's a really diverse, interesting place.

I visited Père Lachaise on a crisp February afternoon when I found myself with nothing else to do. I went alone, armed with my camera and a desire to take some good photos. I meandered, taking lefts and rights as I wanted to, stepping between graves and among them, imagining the people whose names I was reading. I walked around for so long that I ended up getting kicked out when the cemetery was closing. In my mind, there are two ways you can visit Père Lachaise. The first is to wander and explore at your leisure, assuming you'll find your way out eventually. There are gates around the border, so you'll never really be "stuck". The second is to purchase a map at one of the front gates (or bring a map from home) and seek out the graves you want to see. There are also large maps at various points within the cemetery. It depends on how much time you have and what you want to see.

No matter how you do it, Père Lachaise is well worth a visit if you have an afternoon in Paris. And with views like this, how could you pass up the chance?

Accessing Père Lachaise Cemetery:

Metro line 2 (Phillippe Auguste or Père Lachaise) or line 3 (Père Lachaise or Gambetta)

The Gambetta stop allows you to enter from the top of the hill and follow the cemetery downward; the other two stops require an uphill climb to get to the other end. There's no right or wrong way to do it. The Gambetta stop is closest to Oscar Wilde's grave, but the other stops are closer to the main entrance.

Opening hours:

From November 6-March 15

Monday to Friday: 8:00 am - 5:30 pm

Saturday: 8:30am - 5:30 pm

Sunday and holidays: 9:00 am - 5:30 pm

From March 16-November 5

Monday to Friday: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday: 8:30 am - 6:00 pm

Sunday and holidays: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

PARIS // Street snaps

One of the things I miss about Paris is how pretty everything is there. The buildings are gorgeous. The gardens are incredible, especially in the spring. The metro is always full of interesting characters. There is always something to do, yet there is still time for relaxation. You are surrounded by history genuinely everywhere you look. From the Eiffel Tower (which was never intended to be a permanent structure!) to Napoleon's tomb to the most obscure pieces in the Louvre, from Notre Dame Church (the construction of which began in 1163) to Luxembourg Gardens, everything is so much older than most of what we are used to in the United States. There isn't really such a thing as "new construction" in Paris; most buildings look the same, and they're all beautifully old. 

This is thanks mainly to Georges-Eugène Haussmann's renovation of Paris beginning in 1853. This project, which continued until 1927, well after Haussmann was dead, revitalized the center of Paris. He widened avenues, added fountains, sewers and parks, demolished ancient and unsafe buildings and put new ones in their place, redesigned the Etoile area around the Arc de Triomphe (including the Champs-Élysées) and created an entire network of avenues and boulevards that made Paris easier to navigate. His projects, initially commissioned by Napoleon III, fell under a decent amount of criticism, but they did create the Paris we know today. Haussmann architecture is very distinctive; I can look at a picture on Pinterest and recognize right away that it's a photo of Paris.

I found photographing Paris to be incredibly easy. The hardest part might be avoiding the glares from the Parisians rushing by, but after a few minutes you get used to it. After that, you can spend all day photographing; there's so much to see. I couldn't put a number on how many photos I took for the five months I lived abroad, but the fact that I took nearly 1,000 in a day at Versailles tells me the number is pretty high. Below are a few of my favorite "street snaps" from the prettiest city I've ever been to. 

BOSTON // Home again

Yes, the news is true! I am finally home in wonderful Boston after six months of traveling, photographing, and exploring. I expected to be sad on the plane home, but instead I was excited. I would have absolutely loved to stay abroad longer, but it was time to come home. And I was ready for it, too.

Since getting home on the 1st of July, I have been quite busy. I had one full day at home before we left for New Hampshire and the cabin on the pond to celebrate the fourth. Unfortunately Hurricane Arthur meant that there were no hurricanes and the 4th felt more like a "stuck inside the house" day than a celebration. Regardless, it was a nice weekend and even better when the weather improved.

Then I was home for one more full day before heading to New York City for the Smart Girls Conference July 9th - 11th. Talk about an inspiring few days. It was incredible. I never thought I could love a group of people so much. I returned home, spent Saturday with my mom and sister, including a walk around Castle Island where I took these pictures, and then bid my sister goodbye as she goes to overnight camp for a month.

Now I am home until September, trying to find a job, applying to fall internships, etc. The weirdest thing is that it doesn't feel weird to be home. It feels normal. One of the best parts is seeing so many people in New England sports gear and being able to say 'wicked' again. And though I can't wait to get back to Amherst and see my people again, I'm content with my people here.

London

I traveled to London at the end of February. I took a plane from Charles de Gaulle to Heathrow, where I was met by my friend Sophie. Sophie is the daughter of my dad's best friend growing up, and I stayed with her family for the weekend. They were so good to me - my birthday was a few days after my trip, and they gave me presents and a cake and a whole birthday breakfast. It was kind of overwhelming in the best way.

London was wonderful. First, it was so nice to be in a place where everyone spoke English! Second, there is so much cultural history in London and so much to see. I got to have breakfast with Amy next to Shakespeare's Globe Theater, a high tea with a burger twist at this restaurant with Katie, and a lovely pizza dinner with Sophie. (Only two of those were in the same day, don't worry.)

I also got the opportunity to do some solo exploration of the city by foot, take selfies at Buckingham Palace, and see Jersey Boys in the West End with Sophie. We shopped at Camden Market, where I bought some scarves and a pair of sunglasses. I navigated the Tube by myself. I genuinely could see myself living there in a few years.

London was the first trip that I ever planned by myself - I bought the tickets, navigated my way to the airport, and was fully responsible for making sure I got on that plane. Not a big deal and something I was certainly able to handle, but it made me feel very proud.

London, I'll be back for you some day!

April 15, 2013

Monday April 15, 2013

I remember exactly what I was doing that day.

We had Monday off, as we always do. Patriots' Day. I was at school because I had a lot of work to do. I went with a friend to interview my former RA for a journalism project. I grabbed lunch at the dining hall. I went back to my room and made a list of all the homework I had to do. I still remember scrawling on the top of the paper, "Get stuff done now because this is going to be a hard week."

If only I had known just how hard it was going to be.

The notifications came in on Twitter, and I panicked. I was glued to my computer, refreshing CNN and the Boston Globe and the New York Times. I made frantic calls to my parents, my best friend, my brother. I paced around my room, texting my friends in Boston. I cried, and I refreshed the websites some more.

The thing is, I could have been there. I'd stayed at Boston College that weekend, and my friends wheedled and whined for me to stay and watch the marathon with them. As they walked me to my car, I noticed the barricades that were being set up for Monday's event. I pictured how the street would look on Monday, filled with kids in yellow and maroon shirts, cheering for the runners. I pictured how much fun it would be to be one of them. "No, I'm sorry, I can't," I said. I had to work on that project, and I couldn't let my partner down.

So I went back to school, and the next day everything changed.

Tuesday April 15, 2014

I am not the same person I was a year ago. I live in Paris now, albeit temporarily. Instead of being there to cheer the runners on, I am more than three thousand miles away. I spent the day much as I did last year, constantly refreshing feeds, reading the tributes my friends were posting and the articles written by journalists. I felt a little more alone than I did last year, by virtue of the fact that I am the only Bostonian in my program and probably the only one who spent all day thinking about the marathon. I remedied this by Skyping with my best friend, and it helped. It didn't help me from wishing that I could be home, though.

"One day, I will run the Boston Marathon, for them," I wrote in my journal this day last year. I didn't clarify who "them" was, but I didn't need to. "Them" was the victims: Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Lingzi Lu. The people whose names I didn't know but would soon come to learn through the media. "Them" was the people who lost legs, hearing, mobility, the dreams they had a year ago today.

A year later, I still have that goal. So I woke up at 7 am, laced up my shoes, and ran for two miles without stopping. I took a stretch break at the Eiffel Tower and then I ran back for another two miles. I thought about home the whole time, about how even with the beautiful views of the Seine, the Musee d'Orsay, the Pont de Alexandre III, my heart was at home in Boston.



53 weeks ago I was convinced I wanted to move to New York City. It turns out I was missing what was right in front of my eyes. The tragedy last year strengthened my love for Boston. It strengthened so many things: our resolve as a city, our desire to care for one another, our kindness to strangers. It proved just how strong we were when we needed to be. We were Boston Strong, and I absolutely cannot imagine living anywhere else.

Shaken & freaked out. Boston, I love you.
I tweeted this last year an hour after the bombs went off.

This year, I can confidently say that I have never been more proud to be a Bostonian.

Oui, Je Vis

Yes, I am alive! It has been so long since I wrote a post here. I never intended to go this long without writing, but it is a testament to how much I am enjoying my time here. But I knew it was time to get back on when my friend from home texted me and said "Not to sound like a mother, but are you ever gonna write another blog post?" Yes, yes I am.

This week in Paris has been absolutely beautiful. The weather is so gorgeous and it is so nice to walk around outside. The sun doesn't set until 8:30 pm so that makes me extremely happy. It gets darker about two hours later here than at home, and I wish I could have this much daylight forever.

Since I last wrote, I have:

• Been to Versailles
• Hung out with college friends who were visiting Paris
• Spent a weekend in London
• Turned 21
• Attended a French soccer football match
• Stayed with family in Dublin
• Picnicked on the Seine River
• Wine tasted (twice)
• Enjoyed the Louvre many times
• Visited Sacre Coeur Basilica a few times
• Visited Provence (Southern France)
• Eaten a lot of croissants
• Taken a million pictures

and a lot more! I am truly so happy. My next post is going to be about Versailles, so look out for that within the next few days :)

(The Eiffel Tower just turned 125 years old! Bonne Anniversaire!)