Temple University Athletics
Veronica Radice Final Blog - July 29
8.1.09 | Field Hockey
Aug. 1, 2009
Bonjour!
I am back in Paris enjoying my last few days in France before I head home this Saturday. This past weekend I traveled to a small seaside town in Brittany called Roscoff. Although constantly visited by tourists throughout the entire summer, this fishing village appears to be a quiet place where the harbor is the busiest spot in town. During my stay, I walked around the entire town and surrounding area on little nature paths that lined the coast. The temperature was significantly cooler as Roscoff is subject to the winds and cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. There were beautiful views of the ocean off small cliffs along the coast and the waters were of a rich blue color. The tide dramatically shifted every day, as much as nine meters (about 30 feet) difference between low tide and high tide. The harbor looked eerie during low tide as all the boats tipped precariously on their rudders, seeming to be abandoned in the sand in what one could imagine a drought. During low tide, all of the water in the inlet would recede back into the ocean so I walked across the inlet collecting small shells to explore the beaches on the other side. The beaches are quite rocky, although there are some beaches with small stretches of sand. Saturday morning I met with a professor who worked at the Station Biologique à Roscoff (marine biology station). He showed me the station, as well as the laboratories and classrooms. This station is the biggest marine biology station in Europe, with about 220 employees. It was fascinating to see the large salt-water tanks where various organisms were kept, including starfish, sea urchins, different kinds of fish, seaweed, etc. I took advantage of my proximity to the ocean and ate a lot of seafood over the weekend.
I have visited two more museums, both modern art, in the past week. I went to the Picasso musuem last week in the Marais district, where I enjoyed seeing the various stages of Picasso's artwork and trying to interpret what I see in his pieces of modern art. There were many interesting sculptures and paintings and overall it was a fun museum to visit. My mom arrived Sunday, so we went to the Centre Pompidou together to see the remporary Wassily Kandinsky exhibit. Kandinsky is a Russian artist who painted modern abstract paintings, and the exhibit displayed his work through chronological order, showing the visible differences in his artwork depending on the period in his life. This was my first real exposure to his artwork and although very modern, I enjoyed his artwork very much, as he stressed the importance of the spirit of art and the feelings that his paintings evoked. I also walked around Montmartre and sat on the steps of the Sacre-Coeur listening to live music one evening. Montmartre is very well-known for the artists that have lived there, including Van Gogh, Modigliani, Monet, Picasso, Dali, and others. There is a big square, popular with tourists, where artists gather and offer to paint your picture. Then yesterday after class, I walked along the Canal St. Martin, which seemed to be the Parisian escape from the tourists who mob the Seine. There is even a lock system in place to regulate the water level for boats traveling on the canal. Many people sat along the canal with a picnic lunch/dinner and others sat in cafes looking out onto the serene canal.
As the first day of preseason approaches, I continue to work out in Paris in preparation for our practices in August. At first I didn't see too many runners on the streets, but then I came to realize that most people run in the various parks all around the city as well as run on the tracks located in every arrondissement. Although there are runners in every park, I noticed that the Jardin Luxembourg and the Bois de Vincennes seem to be popular running spots. Less than five minutes from my cousin's apartment there is a 'stadium' or athletic complex where there are several basketball courts, a track, a volleyball court, a small soccer field, and recreation center open to the public. I mostly run at the track where a lot of people work out, young and old. A lot of kids get together to play soccer throughout the afternoon and evening, as soccer, or 'foot' or 'football', is very popular throughout Europe. Sometimes when I run in the evenings, there is a certain group of little boys that are hanging around and playing soccer. These kids have taken to cheering me on from the corner of the track every time I go around. Sometimes a few of them join in for a hundred meters or so, until they stop and run back to wait for me to run back around. It is a lot of fun and lightens my spirit when these kids talk to me and cheer me on. I've also met other people in the complex that are interested in my training, so I try my best to explain what it is like to play sports in college in the United States because here in Europe it is very different.
In my last few days in Paris, I plan to visit one more museum of a Russian sculptor, Zadkine, as well as enjoy my favorite streets and neighborhoods in Paris. I would like to walk through my favorite gardens once more and sit in a cafe, watching people walk by as I sit at the intersection of so many lives. Studying abroad has been such an incredible experience for me, as I learned a lot about the French culture and language, as well as about myself. I made many new friends that I plan on seeing again when I have the chance to return to Europe. It has been a life lesson in and out of the classroom as I spent a whole month getting to know Paris personally. I am so comfortable with the city right now and I wish I could stay longer. I whole-heartedly recommend to everyone to study abroad if they have the chance, for it is the opportunity of a lifetime to live in another country while learning many things that one normally wouldn't encounter at home. Thank you to everyone who has been following my blog this past month and I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures. Maybe it has brought back personal memories of Paris, or perhaps has inspired you to travel to Paris and see it for yourself! I wish everyone a safe and happy summer! Au revoir!
