SO last Friday, the Astro program went on a trip to Nançay, about two hours south of Paris, to visit the Observatoire de Nançay Radio Telescope. They have a couple gigantic arrays of radio telescopes that are pretty sweet.
We climbed up the primary mirror of the big radiotelescope:
I wish I had a better picture to show you the scope of this thing. It's about 200m long, and 40m high or something. High enough that it was pretty scary climbing the steep ladder and standing on a flimsy-looking wire frame while we went up. I know one of the girls took pictures of us while we were at the top but she hasn't uploaded those yet...
We had lunch at a little pub in the village with our professor and a solar physicist who had given us a tour. (Apéritif: Blackcurrant Kir, Appetizer: Salad with prawns and avocados, Main dish: Beef, with a side of sweet potatoes, polenta, and sautéed mushrooms, Dessert: cake with crème anglaise, espresso.)
That Saturday I had a thoroughly American movie-going experience with Joe and Ethan. We went to the theater at the Forum des Halles, we paid too much for movie tickets and popcorn, and we watched Kick-Ass. It was better than I had expected it to be; an absolutely ridiculous action movie. There were lots of stupid parts, too.
On Monday we had a wine and cheese tasting at the Center with our professor and the Humanities class. A wine merchant came to teach us about the different types of wine and cheese we were eating. My favorite wine was a Sauvignon Blanc, and my favorite cheese was Tomme de brebis, a cheese made from ewe's milk.
Tuesday night I had a pleasant surprise: I randomly got to have dinner with Erik Lokensgaard, my friend from UChicago who graduated last year and is traveling around Europe right now. We cooked a big dinner at his hosts' apartment (Pascal and Sophie), and a couple other UChicago people showed up, Antoine and Gideon. Dinner was cous cous, lentils with sautéed veggies (cabbage, zucchini, onions), a fresh salad, and bread and wine. SO much fun. Definitely worth the long ride all the way to the 17th arrondissement, which is the opposite end of Paris.
Wednesday night my French class went to see a play, La Fausse Suivante, at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord. It's this small, old theater that's very cool but has tiny seats.
And then I stayed up all night finishing my Astro final paper and presentation! Woo!
Yesterday we all went to the Palais de Versailles. After a slow start, we went on a tour of the palace. It's overwhelming how vast and beautiful it is. It was ornate beyond anything I've ever seen before.
The famous Hall of Mirrors:
We had lunch there on the grounds. (Appetizer: tomatoes, pesto, and some fresh greens on a little pastry, Main dish: Salmon on a bed of carrots, snow peas, green beans, zucchini, Dessert: Chocolate gâteau "mi-cuit" [half-cooked...meaning very gooey on the inside] with crème anglaise, espresso).
After lunch, we were free to wander the gardens. There are about 850 acres of gardens that make up Versailles' "back yard." Huge, right? It used to be about 15,000. Good ol' Louis XIV.
Ethan and I:
Later that night Ethan, Joe and I finished our bottle of whiskey and headed to this little hole in the wall sangria bar. It was tiny, and the sangria was delicious and obviously home made by the little old bartender.
Such a good night.
Next week: Germany!
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