Face Swapping Fun

12/5-12/11

Fête des Lumières, Viking boat

The fist thing that happened this week was I went to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon on Wednesday.  I went to see an exhibit on Matisse. A brief overview of this exhibit! He started off just copying others great painters paintings, during his academic years and early career.  He became fascinated with the African style of art, and sculptures.  Following this phase, he became interested in drawing moving motions, and backs.  There was a whole room just for the sculptures of his models backs! His movement drawings were interesting because he would draw the starting pose of the model, then would sketch on top of it the motion that she was doing. After the motion phase, I came to the fruit painting stage.  He painted fruit and plants, but mainly he painted oranges.  His detained pictures of oranges is still one of his most noted contributions.  Next, he moved around with his family, and he entered into a live model phase with three different girls (two from France, and one from Russia).  His last collection was back to plantings and sketches of fruit. Following this exhibit is where it got interesting.  So I went to the museum alone, and those who know me, know that I am a bit directionaly challenged.  I continued on to the perminate exhibits on the 19th century paintings, and got lost.....  Since I was lot I proceeded to take these photos!

This photo was with an angry old lady

Throwing some shade

SWAG

George Washington look alike??

There were different tour groups in each room, so I was trying to not look completely weird and would take them secretly where the people couldn't see me.  I think the head sculpture with my face on it looks like George Washington.  In conclusion.......... DON'T let me go to museums ALONE!!

In Lyon there is a festival that takes place from the 8th to the 10th of December called the Fête des Lumières. This festival is a celebration of Mary for saving the Lyon.   On Thursday, we lit candles in our windows, to signify the start of the Festival.

 I went out with friends on Friday to see some of the different light shows around Lyon.  Everything was so pretty and amazing! The light shows are projected on the fronts of the historic buildings around Lyon.  I started off watching one that was projected on a Ferris wheel in Bellecour.  It was like the roller coaster game at an arcade.  Next, I saw a show that was projected on Saint-Jean Cathedral.   This one was beautiful because the lights were making the  church looking like a sketch.  Then "paint tiles" kept being put on and taken off to change the design of the church.  Here is a video of the show at the church (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xduRML9EUo).  

Also earlier on Friday,  I went to a Starbucks to chill a bit before dance.  I got a supper delicious hot chocolate, but the best part comes when I saw my name on my cup.  Now, I am not making fun of the Barista.  It is just that I have a running count of how people spell or say my name.  Those with different names understand the struggle.  We now I guess my nerm is Deria!!!

My nerm is Deria

Fête des Lumières candles at home

I hope you guys enjoyed the posts, because I only have one more Sunday post left and possibly two for my trip to Paris.  My time in Lyon is coming to a close and a am truly sad to be leaving, but thankful for the friends, and memories I have made!  Catch you guys next Sunday!!

Christmas Time

11/28-12/4

Christmas Decorating 

This week at school, I had the final presentation for a pancake batter that can be sprayed directly into the pan.  We had to look at how to make  the product in a  more sustainable way, and our team did really well with the presentation.  I also went to a conference called Pollutec. At this conference there was a lot of different companies that were presenting on the different ways their companies have decreased their carbon foot print.  I attended three short talks with Clara and two others from school. The first was about circular economy and how we can apply that to waste management.  The second was about machinery (i didn't really understand it all).  Then the third one was about the traceability of compost.  This company really worked on the education and accessibility for their customers.  They also implemented plans to track what happens at each stage of the composting process, so that farms that use their compost have a record of how their compost was made.  I enjoyed this talk the most. The company (Suez), had a different look at how the process of compost should be addressed.  After this talk Clara went around and looked at some of the booth that were around the expo.  We also got free pens and food from them!

Skyping in to watch the Nutcracker

Ballet on Friday was fun again because there were two babies at the studio with their mom's.  One was with the accompanist and the other was with the teachers daughter.  These babies didn't make a sound while we were dancing.  They just looked at us with large eyes and were looking around (this was the distracting part because they were so cute).

Saturday morning I was Skype in to the Little Ballet Theaters dress rehearsal for the production of their Nutcracker!  It was between 2-5 in the morning for me, but it was worth it!  I got to watch my sister and dad dance.  She completely nailed her handsprings and back flips!! My dad rocked it as Father Christmas in the first scene!  I have not missed a Nutcracker since I danced in it at a child, and a 9 hour time difference and 8635 km was going to be an issue.

So now that I am in the Christmas Spirit, it was time to do some decorating.  Tomorrow at Church there is a Christmas song sing along with the Christmas story being read in different languages (last year it was 15 different languages).  I got to string lights on Christmas trees, make bows (they are still as good as the ones I made for Dance Team!!), and added different Christmas decoration around the sanctuary.  We listened to Christmas music and danced around.  When everything was all decorated we went to Subway across the street (it was a tradition).

This coming week is all focused on the last project with Valrhona chocolate, and working on getting things ready to come back to the US (18 days)

Food and Friends

11/21-11/27

Top of the Mountain

So on Wednesday during the first class the fire alarms went off and we had to evacuate the school.  We all were super annoyed at the fact that we had to stand outside in the freezing cold while the drill happened, but then fire trucks started to arrive and they used the ladder to rescue someone on the top floor.  So now we think that there might be an actual fire inside.  However two days later they finally tell us that this was a full drill and that they firemen were call to perform their part of the drill so that ISARA administration could see if there were any holes in their plan. 

Thanksgiving Day!!!  So, after my French class I had to race back home to change.  I literally had time to throw on a nicer top, freshen-up a bit, and grab my jacket and purse and run out the door.  I was impressed with myself because I hoped on the same bus that I road to my house!  At

Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving, I had fun catching up with everyone, and I also invited Clara with me.  The food was amazing!!  To start it off we were served pumpkin soup with bacon, and could choose between a red wine and a white wine.  The main course was turkey with cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, stuffing, mash potatoes, and gravy.  Then for dessert we had Oreo cheese cake.  After dinner I got to skype home and see everyone gathered for thanksgiving back in Oregon!  I then had to pack for my weekend trip to Maëlle’s house.

  

So Friday after getting Maëlle’s house I went to archery practice with her!  I did fairly well I only missed hitting the target once.  I had a lot of fun going to the archery practice.  Maëlle’s mom was super nice and made some wonderful risotto for dinner.  Then for dessert I had some homemade applesauce with Boudoirs.   

me and my bread

Saturday started off with going to a market in the center of Moirans with Maëlle, and her mom.  It was a total Beauty and the Beast type of town.  We first stopped at a fruit stand to pick up apples and pears, then continued to Meat store.  There I got to see some new food.  We went there to pick up meat for sandwiches on the hike.  I ended up getting Rillettes d’Oie (goose thing), and Pâté Forestier (mushrooms and pork).  Next to get some cheese.  Here I got to taste some different cheeses that I had not tried before.  The first was Abondance, then Tomme au Marc de Raisin (fermented raisins around cheese and tastes like earth). Next I got to ask for Tomme de Chartreuse, and the lady at the counter actually understood what I asked for!!!! Then the last piece of cheese I got to try was Reblochon (pue-le- pied) or stinky feet cheese.  It tastes way better than it smells. After cheese, we went to get the bread!  When we got to Artisan Boulanger, where we could also get the dessert for the hike.  I got des lunettes de chocolat.  This dessert has two cookies that have chocolate in the center, with powdered sugar and chocolate powder on the top.  After we got all the food for the hike we headed back home to get ready.  

My cairn

Now it was time to climb a mountain in Vercors called Le Moucherotte.  The summit is at 1901 m (we climbed 600 m of the total height).  We stopped a little more than half way to have lunch and I loved the goose thing and the Pate, and all the cheeses that we had gotten at the market.  We saved dessert for when we would make it to the summit.  On the way up the mountain I got to rap a little Hamilton, and explain some American history, as well as learn some history about France and specifically the region where we were.  Getting to the top of the mountain was so great, the view of the alps was breath taking!  We made it to the top and I got to enjoy my dessert.  However, I was not able to eat if gracefully.  The coco powered and powdered sugar got everywhere, but it was so delicious, so it did mater.    I also built cairn, which is a tower of stones that indicate that the summit is at that point.  This was used to help hikers when it snowed a lot fined their path.  This is a tradition to do when you summit the mountain.  So I now can check climbing a mountain in the Alps off my bucket list (GO Me).   

Due to the hiking, we watched a movie and drank hot chocolate afterwards.  We watched Snow Dogs, and it was a great Disney movie to watch curled up next to a fire place.  In the evening I got to try vegetarian chicken nuggets, which  is something that I have never eaten or tried before.  They were so good!!!  If no one told me that they were made out of I would think they were normal chicken nuggets.  

fog rolling through the hills

Starting off our hike

SNOW!!!

On top of the Mountain

We made it

At the summit

 Sunday was a day of exploring the history of Moirans.  Maëlle took me into town to see the old city wall that protected the city including the last standing guard tower.  I also got to see the old church that was built around 1014.  It is now closed to the public because they found some old bones under the floor.  The next place we visited was part of the old convent and the Paris house (four brothers that were very powerful in the town).  Now it was time for Lunch, I have been looking forward to this lunch all weekend.  We started off with a meat fondue called Fondue Bourguignone, where there was a pot of boiling grape seed oil that you just took a piece of meat on a skewer and stuck it in until is was cooked the way you wanted it.  We had red wine for the meat fondue.  White wine for the cheese fondue and it was called Sancerre. Also we had a cherry alcohol called Vin de Griotte.  This drink is made of cherry tree leaves soaked in white wine and liquor. This drink is Maelle’s grandfathers recipe, and no one really knows what is in it.  Then we had a cheese fondue called Fondue Savoyarde, that had Beaufort, Comté, Abondance.  For this one, I took a piece of bread and then dipped it into the delicious cheese mixture.  The for dessert I had more homemade apple sauce, madeleines, and meringue.

I had a great weekend with Maëlle's family and am now ready for all the final papers and presentations that are to come in the next couple of weeks!!

Fondue Bourguignone

Fondue Savoyarde

madeleines, and meringue

Guard tower

The old wall for protection

Gardens 

TickTock

11/14-11/20

Organ pipes at the Sagrada Família 

So sorry for not posting this at my normal time on Sunday (sorry Grandma)!! I have only 4.5 weeks left till I return to Oregon!! The time has gone by so fast.

This week was not very interesting (just school). However, two things happened this week that were cool.

The first was at dance.  On Friday I have a ballet class and I have seen a lot of improvement over the past two months.  My technique has improved, I can now do triple turns on both the left and the right (for those of you who are not dancers this is very good).  Another thing is the teachers that have taught the class are very direct and I have been getting some really great feedback and have been able to strengthen my ankle enough that I think I can go on point again.  Another funny thing was that the accompanist started to play the Star Spangled Banner at the end of class, and I sang half of it (he didn't know the second half).  

The second thing was I got to watch Rent the musical.  There was a taping of the 2008 Broadway production on YouTube.  I had never seen the whole musical before.  I had only heard the famous 525,600 minutes song, and Take Me or Leave Me.  I recommend watching it!  I loved the actress who played Mimi, and I am pretty sure that the actress plays Angelica Schluyler in Hamilton the American Musical.

I look forward to this coming weekend because I will be going to a friends house in the mountains and possibly playing in the snow :)

Barcelona Day Three

11/12-11/13

I touched the Mediterranean Sea!

Day 3

View from the top of Castell de Montjuïc 

This was the last day in Barcelona…… we still had so much to do!  We started off walking along the beach.  I got to touch the Mediterranean Sea!!  I didn’t go swimming because it was the start of the day and we had a lot of walking to do. It was nice to be at a beach again! After the beach, we took a bus to the Castell de Montjuïc.  This castle is a military fortification and is well positioned on the mountain to where you can't see the castle until you are at its doors.  We had a tour guide for this visit as well, and she was amazing!  She made jokes and had pictures to show us about the evolution of the castle and of Barcelona.  One interesting point is how the castle got its name.  There are two theories on how the mountains and castle got its name. The first, is that it is named after the roman god Jupiter, and the name just got shortened until it was Montjuïc.  This theory is supported by some artifacts that were found by archaeologists on the mountain.  The second theory is that it is called Mountain of the Jews, because archaeologist discovered a Jewish cemetery below the castle. The second theory is more accepted then the first. 

Castell de Montjuïc gardens through cellar window

As part of the tour we got to see the water reservoir that was made when the fortification was built.  The original castle was built in 30 days because, the people of Catalonia needed to defend their city from King Philip V when he was uniting all of Spain.  Then during the Spanish revolution they build the fort that we see today.  Another part of the tour was to go to the dungeon (torture rooms), however, archaeologist have found some drawings on the walls of the cells and they were closed to visitors.  We also go to go up the signaling tower to get a fantastic view of the city.  This castle use to use a mast to signal to the city of approaching ships by day, and fire by night.

After going through the different rooms in the castle Clara and I walked down the mountain to go and see Olympic stadium/park.  Since it was night we could not go into the stadium, but I got to see the track and the Olympic park leading up to the stadium.  They had fountains going with lights, it was very pretty.  We continued down the mountain because there was a fountain light show at the base of the mountain.  When we got to the fountain there was a hip hop group preforming.  They were so funny, they actually put on a 10 minute show.  The fountain show was beautiful they played English and Spanish songs.  After the show Clara and I went to find dinner at this shopping center that use to be a coliseum for bull fighting.  We found a restaurant at the very top of the mall. There we both had some sangria (you can’t go to Spain and not have sangria), and  I had this rice and Catalan sausage with vegetables dish.  Then for dessert I had coffee and chocolate tiramisu! 

Olympic Park

Today was a great day to end the trip on.  I enjoyed the whole trip and was sad to be going home.  The next day we went to the cafe we went to the first day next to the Sagrada Familia to get lunch for the bus ride.  The bus ride was not too bad, and we got back to Lyon without any issues. 

Fountain show at the Magic Fountain

Fountain show

Dinner at the coliseum

Barcelona Day Two

11/11

MY BUBBLE!!!!

Day 2

All the Pigeons 

Today we went to a farmers market.  On the way to the market called Mercado dela Boqueria, we saw a house that was designed by Gaudi (Sagrada Familia architect).  I got some coconut, empanada’s (ham and cheese, and pumpkin), and dragon fruit.  I also had my first Dunkin Doughnut drink and doughnut!  I had some tea with with a pink confetti doughnut.  After the market we went to the Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi.  On our way there we crossed the Plaça de Catalunya, which was filled with a ton of pigeons!! There were also two large fountains but they were not going in the morning.    Now this was not as big at the Sagada Familia, but it still had some amazing architectural design.  The different artwork that were around the church was incredible. 

After the church we went to the Picasso Museum!  I also recommend buying tickets ahead of time and with the audio tour.  Paying the extra euros is totally worth it!!  I learned so much about Picasso’s early career before his cubism phase.  I fell in love with his blue period drawings.  My favorite painting in called The Blue Glass.  I wanted to get a print of this, but I had to settle for a postcard.  The most “interesting” collection was his switch to cubism with the painting of a girl and her lady in waiting (I can't remember the name). He literally painted this girl 14 times, each with a different interpretation.   Clara and I had fun interpreting some of his more obscure paintings.  The audio guide explained that some of his painting we see now are actually painted over other paintings/sketches.   The painting of the sick women in the bed went through several different stages.  Picasso changed how the dying women's arm was placed, the child's position and features, then the way the nurse was standing and holding the tea.  

Next Clara and I traveled to the Parc de la Ciutadella, to eat lunch.  While enjoying the empanada's we got at the market that morning, we got to enjoy some street music.  In this park there is a big fountain with a golden statue on top.  Clara and I took a lot of photos of each other at  certain location around the fountain.

Parc de la Ciutadella

There were also some people blowing bubbles around the fountain and park with was a lot of fun (who doesn’t like bubbles!!!).  There was also this large statue of a mammoth. There were a lot of girls that were trying to jump up and sit on the trunk but were not able to do it.   Next, we set off to see the Arc Triof.  From the park we were making our way to see Casa Mila (wavy house).  However, we had some time to spare so we stopped at a nice cafe and sat for a while.  Once it was time to see the houses all lit up we started off and came across some fountains that are only going at night with lights.  Finally, we came to Plaça de Catalunya and got to see the two fountains all lit up and running.  Then on the way to another house design by Guell we saw a fountain that was in the middle of a round about. 

Round one of Sushi

The end location of this trip was Toyo Japanese sushi restaurant.  This restaurant is A MUST if you are coming to Barcelona!! You don’t have to order anything, it just appears by the server.  Note: you will need to arrive before 20h30 to get a table!  We got there right at 20h30 and we got one of the last tables.  We split each dish, and so I ate 14 pieces of sushi plus half of the side dishes.  All in all at the end of the evening I had quintuplet food babies.    Over the course of the day we ended up walking 14km!! We were so sore that walking up to the 6th floor of the apartment as so hard.   

Gaudi design house

My first Dunkin Coffee (tea)

Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi

Pumpkin Empanada

Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi

My first Dragon Fruit

Parc de la Ciutadella

Fountain in the Parc de la Ciutadella

Parc de la Ciutadella

The Bubble Force is strong

Fountain at Plaça de Catalunya