À bientôt Paris!

I took an improptu visit to Paris last night, only deciding at 4pm that it was logistically possible for me to go and arrived at Le Patio restaurant for pre-première drinks by 8pm. I was kindly invited along to the premiere of the new Luc Besson movie The Lady and for afterparty drinks as well. It was one of the most bizarre yet enjoyable evenings I've ever had, meeting the loveliest people and having the opportunity to speak both French and English to truly inspiring people. I also managed to put faces to names of people who I've been emailing recently in an attempt to find a placement in the industry whilst in France. A thoroughly enjoyable evening and for that I thank my dear friend, Jon! Please go and see the film as it is absolutely beautiful and terrifically moving. Also please take a look at this: http://www.humanrightsactioncenter.org/dyr/about/

The evening took an even more bizarre turn as we were kindly given a loaf of bread by a local Parisien boulanger on our walk back to the hotel. Said loaf of bread however was devoured instantly after all I'd eaten all day was a bowl of Special K and an apple (it was all very impromptu as I said earlier). As you can see from the dreadful picture of me below (it was 3am) this loaf of bread was quite huge and posed as a very weird object to bring down to the Hotel Lobby this morning, suitcase in my right hand, bread in the left...

Rustic Clutch Bag, Gucci €900

 

 

 

 

 

 The weirdness continued this morning in the taxi to the train station in Paris where I managed to land myself with world's number 1 comedian for a taxi driver. I know this is a bit keen but I just had to write out how the conversation went as it was just brilliant!

Mr. Taxi: Vous allez en Suisse?
                (You're going to Switzerland?)

Me: Non, je vais à Lyon.
       (No I'm going to Lyon.)

Mr. Taxi: Pourquoi vous allez à Lyon? Parce que vous êtes amoureuses?
                (Why are you going to Lyon? Because you're in love?)

Me: umm...non? Je viens d’Angleterre mais j'habite à Lyon maintenant. J'étudie là-bas. 
        (umm...no? (weird reason i thought?!) I live in Lyon. I'm studying there.

Mr. Taxi: Ahh, qu'est ce-que vous étudiez? 
                (Ahh, what do you study?)

Me: La Littérature Française  Moderne, Les Arts du Spectacle et la Russe.
        (French Lit, Theatre/Dance/Cinema/Russian.)

Mr. Taxi: La Russe? Pourquoi la Russe? Vous êtes espionne anglaise?...James Bond?!?!?
                (Russian? Why Russian? Are you an english spy? James Bond?)

Me: ....Non.

(a little while later, talking about how beautiful Paris is)
 
 Me:   Il y a une possibilité que je vais déménager à Paris en Fevrier.
         (There's a chance I might be moving to Paris in February)

Mr. Taxi: Ah, ça c'est fantastique! Vous devez m'appeller quand vous revenez à Paris si vous avez besoin d'un taxi!....Votre grande mère est Jane Birkin? Parce que vous lui ressemblez beaucoup!
                (Ah, that's fantastic! You must call me when you come back to Paris if you need a taxi!.....Is your grandma Jane Birkin? Because you look like her!)


Me: hahaa...non, désoléé. 
      


(Arrive at the train station)


Mr. Taxi: Merci Mademoiselle, et à bientôt à Paris!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes Mr. Taxi I hope I see you soon in Paris, well maybe not you but definitely Paris. 


So if you wondered who the real Sam was...I'm actually James Bond, I live in Switzerland and I'm related to Jane Birkin. 

??????

 

The Dreaded Surprise of the Witch Dance Commentary

Last week I was told in my Dance Theory class that I was about to take an exam on a video excerpt of a dance piece by Mary Wigman. Not only was I faced with the daunting prospect of writing an exam in French, in a French university, in France, but I was also faced with the daunting prospect of writing an exam on this....

Results tomorrow! Yipee.

Heavenly retreats.

Again I have been rubbish at blogging as there's just too much excitement going on for a little person like me. I guess you can see that the journey in Lyon is starting to accelerate even more into a crazy whirlwind which sort of equates to this:

More studies (including a 4 hour dance practical session ending at 7pm?@?! Who finishes uni at 7pm?!) 

+

 Meeting new friends/catching up with ol' time greats (i've only known these people 2 months but they're super)

=

 More soirées /chats over tea/wine/pastries than you can shake a baguette at. 

However this busy bee lifestyle was broken up with a very much overdue visit from the wrinklies (mum & paps) where I proudly showed them my beautiful city and even explored more of it for myself. We took the funicular up to the highest point in Lyon (at least I think it is) and did the touristy things that I'd wanted to do since I arrived. We visited the Roman Amphitheatre which, was truly amazing, and also visited the temporary exhibition on Roman medicine. We then trundled over to the basilica just a little further up the hill only to be smacked in the face with this stunning view of Lyon spanning over the rooftops and rivers of my new hometown.

As if this little trip wasn't enough, we then drove an hour and a half out of Lyon to the heavenly region called The Ardèche to a little place we used to visit when my brother and I were little. This little place is named Lamastre and there really isn't much to do other than sit, drink beer, talk to the locals and eat good food- sounds like hell to me. The highlight of this ghost town though is a hotel on the top of a windy road I like to imagine as the yellow brick road. It leads to the beautiful Chateau D'Urbillac where we stayed for one night. I think we all agreed it wasn't the same out of season and 10 years later but still has a special something in my heart. Check the pictures below to see the cutest room I stayed in, complete with a bust wearing a feather bower. I thought 'kitsch', Papa Wynn said 'weird'...

Cheeky!

I then had another heavenly retreat back to Egham to see my buddies. Obviously Eggs isn't the most heavenly place but the people I was visiting are so great and I miss them very much. It involved lots of tea drinking, gin drinking and stocking myself up with any English delicacies I may have missed over the past couple of months (not many I must point out). So now onto the second half of the first semester with not really a fear in sight, apart from perhaps what type of tea to drink...


...i'm joking.