Well, as the title suggests, I am back in the good ole U.S.A. As much as I didn't want to come home, I guess it's good to be back. It feels so weird, like this whole past month has been an incredibly awesome dream. However, I have about 1000 photos on my camera and a low bank account statement to show me that it was real. I still wish I could have stayed for longer, but I guess life has to intervene at some point, right?
I travelled for a total of 26 hours yesterday, so I guess I proved it's possible to have more than 24 hours in a day :D And the shitty part about the time change is that it is 2 am here and I am not tired, even though I slept as soon as I got home last night. This is going to screw me up for a few days now.
I started my Friday morning in Paris by getting up and taking the metro to the airport, which was about 40 minutes by train. My flight wasn't until 1:30, which was nice because then I didn't have to get up super early to make my flight. Got there with 3 hours to spare, and ended up making friends with a girl who was going to be on my flight. All in all, it was pretty painless. Not to say the same for the flight, though. I was sitting behind this lady who found it her mission to comtinually see how far she could put her seat back so that it would jam perfectly into my knees. And every time I shifted, she would turn around and give me a mean look! I mean, seriously, I'm 6 feet tall and she's sitting in the bulkhead row so she's got all the room in the world! Give me a little break please! And of course, the seats on the international flights for US Airways are slightly smaller than the domestic ones, so I am squeezed with my knees at my ears. But at least this time around my tv worked! I watched 3 movies and 2 tv shows, it was pretty awesome like that. That flight was just about 8 hours, and miracoulously, 2 hours later we reached Philadelphia....yay for 6 hour time change.
So, I got through customs pretty easily...but US customs and passport control is the bitchiest of them all. I got to my gate for my flight to SFO just about the time they were to begin boarding, and guess what? The plane has problems. So I really don't have a problem with how long they take to fix it, because I'd rather there be a problem on the ground than a problem in the air. However, they had also overbooked the flight, so they were looking for people to stay an extra night and take an early morning flight to SF. I would have done it, but I was just ready to be home and ready to stop traveling. Finally 2 1/2 hours after we were suppose to leave, we finally boarded. It was a relativley easy flight, you know I slept and watched the in flight movie. FInally got into SFO around 11:30, and by the time I got my bags, got picked up, and made it home it was 1:15 am. Hence the travelling 26 hours in one day comment.
So I'm back, and I guess I have to enter real life again. I am starting work again Monday morning, and will be working a lot so I can pay my parents back for this. I really am grateful that I was able to go abroad for as long as I did...I wish I could do it again!
So, this is the last post from the American in Paris...who is now an American in America who just wishes she were an American in Paris.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Au Revoir, Paris
I find it awesome that the French don't have a word for "Goodbye". Au revoir is translated as goodbye most of the time, but it really means "until we meet again". Then there's salut, which means "see you later", a demain is "until tomorrow", a plus "later" and a bientot is "until next time". So I guess when I say au revoir to Paris, I am not really saying goodbye, because there is no word in the language to say it.
As I have said many times before in the last week or so, I really don't want to leave. It's not that I don't want to go home, I just don't want to leave the city that I am just starting to get to know. I am able to walk down the street and get lost and find my way without using a map or asking for directions. My internal compass is now in tune with Paris. I had a whole conversation today with a lady in a shop, and some guy asked we what time is was, ans I answered. ALL IN FRENCH! I am making a lot of friends who live here in France, and we spent our evenings in the kitchen trading French and English, and all of us trying to speak French but sometimes it would transition into franglais! I have met so many interesting people, and I am so suprised at how fast I made some great friends while here. I wish I could stay forever.
I had an amazing week. I spent most everyday just hanging out and enjoying my last week here. On Monday we had a great French style dinner with our group CEA that lasted 3 hours....awesome! And it was really good food too. Too bad it was our going away dinner! On Tuesday I spent the afternoon and evening with my Institut Catholique friends who were all leaving on Wednesday. We spent the afternoon cooking and having fun, then went to the Latin Quarter for a Greek Pita and a last crepe au chocolat and sat along the Seine drinking bottles of rosé and eating a baguette and nutella...trés français, non? Once again, a weird man sat down next to us, but that happens here in Paris, not much you can do about it except get up and leave. We were wandering around about 11 pm and it was just so awesome!!
It made me sad when a lot of my friends left, but that just meant that I got a lot of time to spend with my Sorbonne friends! Yesterday (Wednesday) I went with 4 friends to Mezzo di Pasta, a great little pasta place we have all fallen in love with. Then I wandered around the Latin Quarter, spent an hour inside Gibert Jeune, the famous bookstore (mostly because it was nearly 100 degrees out and it was airconditioned...but I did need some books for the flight home) and got an Amorino, which is this great Italian glace shop that fashions your ice cream into flowers...how awesome is that? I got lemon and strawberry, but their chocolate is to die for! I just wandered for a good three hours, making sure to go to the Star of Paris, which says that if you touch it and make a wish to come back, you will. I did it last time, and it worked! :D Then I went to a friend's apartment for a potluck, which lasted well into the night and I just had fun hanging with people and eating good food. I love the people that I have met on this trip.
And today, I had my last class at the Sorbonne. I passed my classes, yay! I just needed credit from them for Cal Poly. I then spent the afternoon packing, and going to the CEA office to take care of last minute items. I really don't want to go home!
Well, I want to return to Paris, and not just for vacation. If I could figure out a way to live here for more than a month I will jump on it! I also want to travel around more of the European countries, because I feel like I have been here twice but only visited France. I would really like to go to Spain and Germany and England, and visit all of the cool places there. I can't wait until I have enough money to come back and do this a different way.
Well, au revoir Paris, and the next time any of you will be hearing from me I will be back on the other side of the world!
Lesley
As I have said many times before in the last week or so, I really don't want to leave. It's not that I don't want to go home, I just don't want to leave the city that I am just starting to get to know. I am able to walk down the street and get lost and find my way without using a map or asking for directions. My internal compass is now in tune with Paris. I had a whole conversation today with a lady in a shop, and some guy asked we what time is was, ans I answered. ALL IN FRENCH! I am making a lot of friends who live here in France, and we spent our evenings in the kitchen trading French and English, and all of us trying to speak French but sometimes it would transition into franglais! I have met so many interesting people, and I am so suprised at how fast I made some great friends while here. I wish I could stay forever.
I had an amazing week. I spent most everyday just hanging out and enjoying my last week here. On Monday we had a great French style dinner with our group CEA that lasted 3 hours....awesome! And it was really good food too. Too bad it was our going away dinner! On Tuesday I spent the afternoon and evening with my Institut Catholique friends who were all leaving on Wednesday. We spent the afternoon cooking and having fun, then went to the Latin Quarter for a Greek Pita and a last crepe au chocolat and sat along the Seine drinking bottles of rosé and eating a baguette and nutella...trés français, non? Once again, a weird man sat down next to us, but that happens here in Paris, not much you can do about it except get up and leave. We were wandering around about 11 pm and it was just so awesome!!
It made me sad when a lot of my friends left, but that just meant that I got a lot of time to spend with my Sorbonne friends! Yesterday (Wednesday) I went with 4 friends to Mezzo di Pasta, a great little pasta place we have all fallen in love with. Then I wandered around the Latin Quarter, spent an hour inside Gibert Jeune, the famous bookstore (mostly because it was nearly 100 degrees out and it was airconditioned...but I did need some books for the flight home) and got an Amorino, which is this great Italian glace shop that fashions your ice cream into flowers...how awesome is that? I got lemon and strawberry, but their chocolate is to die for! I just wandered for a good three hours, making sure to go to the Star of Paris, which says that if you touch it and make a wish to come back, you will. I did it last time, and it worked! :D Then I went to a friend's apartment for a potluck, which lasted well into the night and I just had fun hanging with people and eating good food. I love the people that I have met on this trip.
And today, I had my last class at the Sorbonne. I passed my classes, yay! I just needed credit from them for Cal Poly. I then spent the afternoon packing, and going to the CEA office to take care of last minute items. I really don't want to go home!
Well, I want to return to Paris, and not just for vacation. If I could figure out a way to live here for more than a month I will jump on it! I also want to travel around more of the European countries, because I feel like I have been here twice but only visited France. I would really like to go to Spain and Germany and England, and visit all of the cool places there. I can't wait until I have enough money to come back and do this a different way.
Well, au revoir Paris, and the next time any of you will be hearing from me I will be back on the other side of the world!
Lesley
Sunday, July 27, 2008
My Last Weekend in Paris
So, I leave on Friday to come back to the States, and I really....really don't want to go. I'm just getting to the point in my trip where I am comfortable in Paris, and I really don't want to leave! But I guess I have to get back to reality and all...and earn money so I can pay off this trip!
I had a pretty interesting week.
On Tuesday, my petit panda mort. No kidding. Good thing this little panda was a tiny refrigerator! I had borrowed the fridge from CEA (and it is seriously small...like you can place a bar of chocolate inside, and that's about it) and I woke up to find that it no longer had on it's nose what the temperature inside was...and so I took it back to CEA, and they gave me a new one and my new panda is the coolest! Literally! My old panda would only get down to about 10 degrees Celsius on a good day, and the new one sits at 4 degrees C on a bad day! I totally kept ice cream in there for two days this week, and the ice cream didn't melt. It made me extremely happy.
Wednesday I went to the Conciergerie and St-Chappelle. The Conciergerie is known for being a prison during the French Revolution for those who were getting carted away to the guillotine, but is most famous because that is where Marie Antionette was held before she was killed. I really like how the Revolutionaries at that time said that the guillotine was a perfect way to kill someone because it made everyone equal in death, instead of before when the poor would get hanged and if you had more money you'd get a firing squad or your head chopped off. However, in the Conciergerie, the basic room was a straw floor and had loads of people crammed into it. If you had money though, you could get a bed and a cell with less people, and if you were famous you get a cell to yourself with a bed and a desk for writing. And Marie Antionette herself had her own room plus her own chapel with guards watching over her...does this not make sense to anyone else? I just thought it was funny that the people at that time who were trying to overthrow the Bourgeousie were creating thier own. St-Chapelle was nice, too. It is famous because St-Louis (the only French king that was made a saint) built it to house the relics he acquired, such as what is thought to be Jesus' crown of thorns. They're not there anymore, but the stained glass remains and it is gorgeous! There are like 20 panels of stained galss from the floor to the ceiling depicting scenes from the Bible fom Genesis to Christ's resurrection. I thought it was pretty awesome.
Thursday I went to St-Sulpice, which is famous for having the original Rose Line through the center of the church (which is now in Greenwich, England)...and it was also made famous because it is featured in the movie "The Da Vinci Code". I wandered around the Luxoumberg Gardens with my friend Steph, and it was a pretty hot day. We ended up hanging out in this area that had a lot of little kids around, because there was some sort of kiddie pools there. And these two boys came up to us and said:
Boys: "Tu parles anglias?" ("Do you speak English?")
Steph: "Oui, je parle anglias;" ("Yes, I do speak English")
Boys: "Je sais anglais! 'Rose' est 'pink'!" (I know English! 'Rose' is 'pink'!)
Steph: "Oui! Tu sais 'Bonjour'?) (Yes! Do you know 'hello'?)
Boys: "Hello!"
These boys were super cute, but then we walked away because I felt we were getting a little weird.
On Friday, I was told in my French class that my writing was "barbaric"...but I really don't care because my professor isn't very good at teaching French to non-French language people. I mean, I'm getting better at understanding, but we haven't written anything, we never do any speaking, so it doesn't help very much. However, I feel like when I'm out on the streets just alking with random people like when I order food I am getting so much better. I really like that part of being in Paris. I totally had someone ask for directions today...in french. They thought I was a native! haha I went to Tour Montparnasse after class, which is the tallest building in France at 210 meters and is the only skyscraper in Paris. You can up to the top of the building for almost 10 euros less than the Eiffel Tower, and has the same, if not better, view. I spent at least an hour just sitting and staring out, trying to find some of the landmarks I've hit, and I was able to spot them all. I think I've go to everything I've wanted to see here while in Paris.
That night, I went to the Louvre with Gabriell and Jessica, because it's free on Friday nights for students. I love how so many place have free or reduced admisson for students, it really helps out. I saw all of the highlights; the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory, the Venus de Milo, but I really didn't care very much for the art so I spent the rest of the time wandering through the Ancient Greek, Etruscan, and Egyptian art. That was extremely cool, and I'm really glad this time around I got to see what I wanted to see and didn't just wander for ages.
Saturday was just a being lazy day. We've spent the last three weeks just going and going that I needed a day to do nothing. I finished a book (my 12th book this trip) and hunug out with some of the other kids on my floor, like the guy from Spain, he's pretty cool. Then Jackie was trying to make a soup, so Gabs and I helped her and we ended up eating it too.
Today I went to the Paris Zoo with Jessica. It was pretty sweet, we saw loads of animals and it's cool because it's definitely not a Paris tourist attraction. We would listen to kids as we went up to each animal to see how they would say it. My favorite was the otters...I've decided that if I ever had to choose to be an animal, I would be an otter. Pretty much because they get to play in the water all day! We then walked to the Natural History Museum and we went into the Evolution of Man exhibit, which was more like just a lot of taxidermied animals, but it was really interesting...and that took all day! I'm off to go cook dinner with Gabriell.
Au revoir, and for those of you who are interested, I get into SFO on Friday night.
I really don't want to go home!
Lesley
I had a pretty interesting week.
On Tuesday, my petit panda mort. No kidding. Good thing this little panda was a tiny refrigerator! I had borrowed the fridge from CEA (and it is seriously small...like you can place a bar of chocolate inside, and that's about it) and I woke up to find that it no longer had on it's nose what the temperature inside was...and so I took it back to CEA, and they gave me a new one and my new panda is the coolest! Literally! My old panda would only get down to about 10 degrees Celsius on a good day, and the new one sits at 4 degrees C on a bad day! I totally kept ice cream in there for two days this week, and the ice cream didn't melt. It made me extremely happy.
Wednesday I went to the Conciergerie and St-Chappelle. The Conciergerie is known for being a prison during the French Revolution for those who were getting carted away to the guillotine, but is most famous because that is where Marie Antionette was held before she was killed. I really like how the Revolutionaries at that time said that the guillotine was a perfect way to kill someone because it made everyone equal in death, instead of before when the poor would get hanged and if you had more money you'd get a firing squad or your head chopped off. However, in the Conciergerie, the basic room was a straw floor and had loads of people crammed into it. If you had money though, you could get a bed and a cell with less people, and if you were famous you get a cell to yourself with a bed and a desk for writing. And Marie Antionette herself had her own room plus her own chapel with guards watching over her...does this not make sense to anyone else? I just thought it was funny that the people at that time who were trying to overthrow the Bourgeousie were creating thier own. St-Chapelle was nice, too. It is famous because St-Louis (the only French king that was made a saint) built it to house the relics he acquired, such as what is thought to be Jesus' crown of thorns. They're not there anymore, but the stained glass remains and it is gorgeous! There are like 20 panels of stained galss from the floor to the ceiling depicting scenes from the Bible fom Genesis to Christ's resurrection. I thought it was pretty awesome.
Thursday I went to St-Sulpice, which is famous for having the original Rose Line through the center of the church (which is now in Greenwich, England)...and it was also made famous because it is featured in the movie "The Da Vinci Code". I wandered around the Luxoumberg Gardens with my friend Steph, and it was a pretty hot day. We ended up hanging out in this area that had a lot of little kids around, because there was some sort of kiddie pools there. And these two boys came up to us and said:
Boys: "Tu parles anglias?" ("Do you speak English?")
Steph: "Oui, je parle anglias;" ("Yes, I do speak English")
Boys: "Je sais anglais! 'Rose' est 'pink'!" (I know English! 'Rose' is 'pink'!)
Steph: "Oui! Tu sais 'Bonjour'?) (Yes! Do you know 'hello'?)
Boys: "Hello!"
These boys were super cute, but then we walked away because I felt we were getting a little weird.
On Friday, I was told in my French class that my writing was "barbaric"...but I really don't care because my professor isn't very good at teaching French to non-French language people. I mean, I'm getting better at understanding, but we haven't written anything, we never do any speaking, so it doesn't help very much. However, I feel like when I'm out on the streets just alking with random people like when I order food I am getting so much better. I really like that part of being in Paris. I totally had someone ask for directions today...in french. They thought I was a native! haha I went to Tour Montparnasse after class, which is the tallest building in France at 210 meters and is the only skyscraper in Paris. You can up to the top of the building for almost 10 euros less than the Eiffel Tower, and has the same, if not better, view. I spent at least an hour just sitting and staring out, trying to find some of the landmarks I've hit, and I was able to spot them all. I think I've go to everything I've wanted to see here while in Paris.
That night, I went to the Louvre with Gabriell and Jessica, because it's free on Friday nights for students. I love how so many place have free or reduced admisson for students, it really helps out. I saw all of the highlights; the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory, the Venus de Milo, but I really didn't care very much for the art so I spent the rest of the time wandering through the Ancient Greek, Etruscan, and Egyptian art. That was extremely cool, and I'm really glad this time around I got to see what I wanted to see and didn't just wander for ages.
Saturday was just a being lazy day. We've spent the last three weeks just going and going that I needed a day to do nothing. I finished a book (my 12th book this trip) and hunug out with some of the other kids on my floor, like the guy from Spain, he's pretty cool. Then Jackie was trying to make a soup, so Gabs and I helped her and we ended up eating it too.
Today I went to the Paris Zoo with Jessica. It was pretty sweet, we saw loads of animals and it's cool because it's definitely not a Paris tourist attraction. We would listen to kids as we went up to each animal to see how they would say it. My favorite was the otters...I've decided that if I ever had to choose to be an animal, I would be an otter. Pretty much because they get to play in the water all day! We then walked to the Natural History Museum and we went into the Evolution of Man exhibit, which was more like just a lot of taxidermied animals, but it was really interesting...and that took all day! I'm off to go cook dinner with Gabriell.
Au revoir, and for those of you who are interested, I get into SFO on Friday night.
I really don't want to go home!
Lesley
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
A Weekend in the Loire Valley
Hey Everyone!
So, I am on day 30-something here in Paris, and I come back to the states in a week and a half...I really don't want to come home! No offense to the states, but France is kicking your ass in coolness at the moment. They consider it normal to get chocolate in the early morning....and afternoon....and night. Pretty much all the time! Wouldn't you want to stay here, too?
I had this semi-ephiphany yesterday, as I walking from my program office to the metro station, and I said to myself "I want to stop at my favorite Boulangerie and pick up an eclair!" ... just that, being able to say I have a FAVORITE boulangerie in Paris si pretty awesome. I wish I could stay for longer...but alas, I have to come home sometime, right?
I had a pretty awesome weekend! On Friday, I went with Steph to Sacre Coeur to go souvenir shopping, because they have the cheapest prices there. I ended up spending nearly 80 euros, but it was all worth it. I bought myself a bag, a Sorbonne sweatshirt, and a a shirt that says "J'aime Paris". And of course, I bought some souvenirs for some other people who are worthy of them... :D
That afternoon, I met up with my friends, and we were going to go to the Louvre, because it's free on Friday nights, but then something came up and we deicded we're going to go next week. Instead, we went and saw "Wanted", a new movie out. It was great because it was in "Version Originale", which meant it was in English with French subtitles, which is always good for learning new (swear) words and phrases. It was a pretty good movie, but definitely predictable. Afterwards, Gabs and I came home to the dorms, and hungout with our new friends. I at first didn't want to live in the dorms because I didn't think I would meet loads of people, but I have met so many people from around the world! I have friends from Spain, Senegal, and all over the US. For instance, we stayed up until the early hours of the morning hanging out with our Senagalese friend trading French and English swear words and idiomatic phrases. It was actually pretty awesome.
Saturday morning, we were up at 4:30....aka got like 2 hours of sleep. We were meeting our bus to the Loire Valley at 6:30 am at the opposite side of the city. The metro at 5:45 is pretty cool, as there is almost no one else on it!
So, on Saturday we went to the Loire Valley and we went to the chateaus Cheverney and Blois. Blois was my favorite, because it had originally been one castle, and then each king in succesion took down part of it and rebuilt it to his satisfaction, and so it looks like 4 castles in one. Also, the tour guide really knew her French history and I learned a lot. We stayed in hostel that night, and it actually was a pretty nice place.
Sunday, we went to Chenenceau, which is considered the "Ladies' Castle". It is really cool because it built over the water, and in the second floor hall, it was right on the line of demarcation during WW II. You could enter the chateau in occupied Nazi France and leave innto free territory. The castle was given to Diane de Pontiers as a gift from the king, and when the king died, Catherine De Medicis took it away! It's got a pretty sordid history. We then went to Amboise, which is the town where the castle of Amboise is (Where Francois le 1er lived) and where Da Vinci lived for a long time and where he is buried. Jessica and I deicided to go to Clos Luce, which was Da Vinci's house while he was in France. The place is really cool because it has all of these models of drawings that Da Vinci did, and you can play with a lot of them in the gardens! I really enjoyed it...
Well, that was my weekend, and we got back into Paris around 9 pm that night.
A plus!
Lesley
So, I am on day 30-something here in Paris, and I come back to the states in a week and a half...I really don't want to come home! No offense to the states, but France is kicking your ass in coolness at the moment. They consider it normal to get chocolate in the early morning....and afternoon....and night. Pretty much all the time! Wouldn't you want to stay here, too?
I had this semi-ephiphany yesterday, as I walking from my program office to the metro station, and I said to myself "I want to stop at my favorite Boulangerie and pick up an eclair!" ... just that, being able to say I have a FAVORITE boulangerie in Paris si pretty awesome. I wish I could stay for longer...but alas, I have to come home sometime, right?
I had a pretty awesome weekend! On Friday, I went with Steph to Sacre Coeur to go souvenir shopping, because they have the cheapest prices there. I ended up spending nearly 80 euros, but it was all worth it. I bought myself a bag, a Sorbonne sweatshirt, and a a shirt that says "J'aime Paris". And of course, I bought some souvenirs for some other people who are worthy of them... :D
That afternoon, I met up with my friends, and we were going to go to the Louvre, because it's free on Friday nights, but then something came up and we deicded we're going to go next week. Instead, we went and saw "Wanted", a new movie out. It was great because it was in "Version Originale", which meant it was in English with French subtitles, which is always good for learning new (swear) words and phrases. It was a pretty good movie, but definitely predictable. Afterwards, Gabs and I came home to the dorms, and hungout with our new friends. I at first didn't want to live in the dorms because I didn't think I would meet loads of people, but I have met so many people from around the world! I have friends from Spain, Senegal, and all over the US. For instance, we stayed up until the early hours of the morning hanging out with our Senagalese friend trading French and English swear words and idiomatic phrases. It was actually pretty awesome.
Saturday morning, we were up at 4:30....aka got like 2 hours of sleep. We were meeting our bus to the Loire Valley at 6:30 am at the opposite side of the city. The metro at 5:45 is pretty cool, as there is almost no one else on it!
So, on Saturday we went to the Loire Valley and we went to the chateaus Cheverney and Blois. Blois was my favorite, because it had originally been one castle, and then each king in succesion took down part of it and rebuilt it to his satisfaction, and so it looks like 4 castles in one. Also, the tour guide really knew her French history and I learned a lot. We stayed in hostel that night, and it actually was a pretty nice place.
Sunday, we went to Chenenceau, which is considered the "Ladies' Castle". It is really cool because it built over the water, and in the second floor hall, it was right on the line of demarcation during WW II. You could enter the chateau in occupied Nazi France and leave innto free territory. The castle was given to Diane de Pontiers as a gift from the king, and when the king died, Catherine De Medicis took it away! It's got a pretty sordid history. We then went to Amboise, which is the town where the castle of Amboise is (Where Francois le 1er lived) and where Da Vinci lived for a long time and where he is buried. Jessica and I deicided to go to Clos Luce, which was Da Vinci's house while he was in France. The place is really cool because it has all of these models of drawings that Da Vinci did, and you can play with a lot of them in the gardens! I really enjoyed it...
Well, that was my weekend, and we got back into Paris around 9 pm that night.
A plus!
Lesley
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Another Week in Paris
Salut!
Hey again! It's been a pretty crazy week here in France, I have just been hanging out and loving it!
Tuesday was such a hard day! Of course we don't get the day AFTER Bastille Day off...but if you did anything on Bastille Day you're not going to get home until super late. So I got home around 1 am Tuesday morning and had class at 8:30...definitely not the best class! But I am understanding my french professor more (except when she went on a 45 minute speech about Victor Hugo's life...I lost her a little while in and never got back) and I seem to be doing slightly better on my dictations. Tuesday I went to the Monoprix (actually, it was a Champion) and bought some food for the week. I try and cook as much as possible because it is a lot cheaper. I find that food in France (when bought in a store, not dining out) is cheaper. I got out of the grocery store for about 15€ with what would have cost me a lot more in the US. And water is extremely cheap! Okay, if you're a tourist its not because you go to the tourist places, but if you go into a grocery store it's practically free! Today, I went into an ED (another grocery store) and bought a 2 liter bottle of water for 0.17€! Yes! 17 cents!!!! It was pretty much awesome.
Also on Tuesday I met up with an old friend from home who now lives in Versailles. It was really nice catching up with her, and she showed me some parts of Paris I hadn't seen yet.
Wednesday was another touristy type day. After I got out of class at 12, Steph and I went to the Champs-Elysées to find a Disney Paris shot glass for her friend. We ended up wandering into some stores and finding some fun stuff. I still haven't bought a lot of souvenirs, I definitely need to get on that!
Later that night, Gabriell and I were hanging out with some of new French friends, trading slang phrases. It was extremely funny trying to explain to this guy what "that's what she said" is used for. And in turn, I learned some good phrases too, like ça me fait cheir!! which means "I'm pissed off!" just slightly more mean....
Today was pretty long. I had my last phonetics class today, which means for the next two weeks I'll be getting out of class at 10:30 every morning. I have some friends that are going to the Institut Catholique and are getting a couple more credits than I am, but they spend so much time in class...like Tuesday and Thursdays they are there from 9 to 5! I really enjoy being able to go walking around the city and being able to enjoy the time I have here in Paris, and not spent all of it in a classroom. I mean, I do like my class, and I am learning from it, but I also feel like I am only here for two more weeks and I should make the most out of it. I don't care if I paid the same amount and I'm getting 3 less credits. Not like I need French anyways for my courses back home...I'm just using this for taking care of my philosophy GE.
BUt I have plans for what I'll do! I really want to go to the Natural History Musuem, and the Doll Museum. I also really would like to go up Tour Montparnasse, which is the only sky scraper in France, and you get to go up to the 56th floor. I am really looking forward to the next two weeks!
Tonight we hung out at the Eiffel Tower, with the rest of our group. We played some games and leared a few french songs; it was a lot of fun.
And this weekend we are off to the Loire Valley, where we will visit 4 castles! Exciting! I have already been to 2 (Chenenceau and Amboise) but I am looking forward to the other two, Bloise and Cheverny. I actually really can't wait to go to Amboise, because I want to see Leonardo Da Vinci's house Clos Lucé again.
Well, it's 11:15 here and I would like to finish my homework and pass out before 12!
A plus!
Lesley
Hey again! It's been a pretty crazy week here in France, I have just been hanging out and loving it!
Tuesday was such a hard day! Of course we don't get the day AFTER Bastille Day off...but if you did anything on Bastille Day you're not going to get home until super late. So I got home around 1 am Tuesday morning and had class at 8:30...definitely not the best class! But I am understanding my french professor more (except when she went on a 45 minute speech about Victor Hugo's life...I lost her a little while in and never got back) and I seem to be doing slightly better on my dictations. Tuesday I went to the Monoprix (actually, it was a Champion) and bought some food for the week. I try and cook as much as possible because it is a lot cheaper. I find that food in France (when bought in a store, not dining out) is cheaper. I got out of the grocery store for about 15€ with what would have cost me a lot more in the US. And water is extremely cheap! Okay, if you're a tourist its not because you go to the tourist places, but if you go into a grocery store it's practically free! Today, I went into an ED (another grocery store) and bought a 2 liter bottle of water for 0.17€! Yes! 17 cents!!!! It was pretty much awesome.
Also on Tuesday I met up with an old friend from home who now lives in Versailles. It was really nice catching up with her, and she showed me some parts of Paris I hadn't seen yet.
Wednesday was another touristy type day. After I got out of class at 12, Steph and I went to the Champs-Elysées to find a Disney Paris shot glass for her friend. We ended up wandering into some stores and finding some fun stuff. I still haven't bought a lot of souvenirs, I definitely need to get on that!
Later that night, Gabriell and I were hanging out with some of new French friends, trading slang phrases. It was extremely funny trying to explain to this guy what "that's what she said" is used for. And in turn, I learned some good phrases too, like ça me fait cheir!! which means "I'm pissed off!" just slightly more mean....
Today was pretty long. I had my last phonetics class today, which means for the next two weeks I'll be getting out of class at 10:30 every morning. I have some friends that are going to the Institut Catholique and are getting a couple more credits than I am, but they spend so much time in class...like Tuesday and Thursdays they are there from 9 to 5! I really enjoy being able to go walking around the city and being able to enjoy the time I have here in Paris, and not spent all of it in a classroom. I mean, I do like my class, and I am learning from it, but I also feel like I am only here for two more weeks and I should make the most out of it. I don't care if I paid the same amount and I'm getting 3 less credits. Not like I need French anyways for my courses back home...I'm just using this for taking care of my philosophy GE.
BUt I have plans for what I'll do! I really want to go to the Natural History Musuem, and the Doll Museum. I also really would like to go up Tour Montparnasse, which is the only sky scraper in France, and you get to go up to the 56th floor. I am really looking forward to the next two weeks!
Tonight we hung out at the Eiffel Tower, with the rest of our group. We played some games and leared a few french songs; it was a lot of fun.
And this weekend we are off to the Loire Valley, where we will visit 4 castles! Exciting! I have already been to 2 (Chenenceau and Amboise) but I am looking forward to the other two, Bloise and Cheverny. I actually really can't wait to go to Amboise, because I want to see Leonardo Da Vinci's house Clos Lucé again.
Well, it's 11:15 here and I would like to finish my homework and pass out before 12!
A plus!
Lesley
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Bastille Day the French Way!
Oh My God! What a weekend! All I have to say is that it was pretty amazing....okay, actually that's not the only thing I have to say, which is good for all of you!
On Saturday my friends and I got up early (read: 7 am) and headed off to Versailles. It's really easy to get to Versailled from Paris, because one of the RER trains that goes right through the center of Paris leads straight out there and only takes about 45 minutes. We got to Versailles around 9:30 am, and wandered around the chateau and grounds all morning. I was slightly dissapointed with the chateau, because I seriously remember it being more open the last time I was here 3 years ago, and I couldn't have sworn we wouldn't have been able to see more. Also, this time when I walked through the Hall of Mirrors (where the Treaty of Versailles ending WW2 in Europe was signed) you wouldn't have known it was the Hall of Mirrors unless you had read the little placard in the room before it. The last time I was here, we walked through the whole room that was atribute to it and then into teh Hall of Mirrors. However, the gardens were even cooler than I remembered! We walked right outside as they were turning on the water, and so we got to see them start up and go on for awhile. They turn off the water during the afternoon, so it was cool to be there in the late morning so we could see it. We ended up walking all over the gardens, and then out to the queens part and all the way around, probably a good couple of miles. Gabriell and Katie also decided to rent a rowboat on the Grand Canal for a half-hour, while they were waiting for Jessica and I to get out of the Chateau...we walk out and see them, and suddenly it starts POURING! So Jessica and I go sit in a cafe and watch them get absolutely soaked while rowiing...it was pretty hilarious.
Saturday night was spent making dinner at Jessica's apartment, and then crashing when I got back to my place because I'd been up so long. It was a pretty good day all in all.
Sunday I went on a CEA excursion to faire des acro-branches, aka tree-climbing. It's actually a huge sport in the US, which makes it funny that I'm doing it in France. It was like rock climbing, but with branches and rope ladders instead of handholds. I ended up getting some pretty bad blisters on my hands, but it was totally worth it and a lot of fun.
And of course, Monday was Bastille Day!!! I am so excited that I was able to celebrate Bastilel Day like a true french person. I started off the morning going to the Military Parade down the Champs-Elysees. President Sarkozy was there, and he went down the street in an open car to wave at everyone. Then there was the procession, which started with fighter jets with streams of blue, white, and red behind them, and then older jets all the way back to WW2 era twin prop and single prop planes. Then the military of foot, as well as the police (which are part of the military here). Finally there was a HUGE stream of tanks and other huge assault vehicles, it was pretty sweet.
And then later my friends and I went to the Eiffel Tower to stake out spots so we could watch the fireworks later that night. We got there and it was a zoo!! There were so many people later, it was later estimated that there were 500,000 people there last night! Thankfully, a few of our firends came earlier and had staked out a spot for us all, so we hung out all afternoon, reading and playing cards and other stuff. It was really cool, when I was reading my book I was just lounging around and my eyes wander and I am staring straight up at the Eiffel Tower. It was so surreal and amazing. And they also had a huge concert area, and there were some pretty big french singers there, as well as James Blunt, who I like listening to. The fireworks were so awesome! It wasn't really like the fireworks at home, it was a whole fireworks and light extravaganza! There was music and fireworks and lights all over the Tracadero, and there was a tribute to Quebec (founded 400 years ago) and another tribute to Pavarati. It was so cool...definitely worth hanging out all day for it. But then of course they were finished and there was 500,000 people all going for the closest metro station. So my friends and I just walked for about 30 or 45 minutes (there were still so many people on the streets and absolutely no way to get into a metro station as they were all crowded) and eventually found a pretty empty metro station off of the "strip" of stations that everyone was trying to get into. By the time we got home, it was 1 am...and of course I had class this morning at 8:30!
But I definitely wouldn't have traded that experience for sleep at all!!
Anyways, I have to go to the Monoprox now!
Lesley
On Saturday my friends and I got up early (read: 7 am) and headed off to Versailles. It's really easy to get to Versailled from Paris, because one of the RER trains that goes right through the center of Paris leads straight out there and only takes about 45 minutes. We got to Versailles around 9:30 am, and wandered around the chateau and grounds all morning. I was slightly dissapointed with the chateau, because I seriously remember it being more open the last time I was here 3 years ago, and I couldn't have sworn we wouldn't have been able to see more. Also, this time when I walked through the Hall of Mirrors (where the Treaty of Versailles ending WW2 in Europe was signed) you wouldn't have known it was the Hall of Mirrors unless you had read the little placard in the room before it. The last time I was here, we walked through the whole room that was atribute to it and then into teh Hall of Mirrors. However, the gardens were even cooler than I remembered! We walked right outside as they were turning on the water, and so we got to see them start up and go on for awhile. They turn off the water during the afternoon, so it was cool to be there in the late morning so we could see it. We ended up walking all over the gardens, and then out to the queens part and all the way around, probably a good couple of miles. Gabriell and Katie also decided to rent a rowboat on the Grand Canal for a half-hour, while they were waiting for Jessica and I to get out of the Chateau...we walk out and see them, and suddenly it starts POURING! So Jessica and I go sit in a cafe and watch them get absolutely soaked while rowiing...it was pretty hilarious.
Saturday night was spent making dinner at Jessica's apartment, and then crashing when I got back to my place because I'd been up so long. It was a pretty good day all in all.
Sunday I went on a CEA excursion to faire des acro-branches, aka tree-climbing. It's actually a huge sport in the US, which makes it funny that I'm doing it in France. It was like rock climbing, but with branches and rope ladders instead of handholds. I ended up getting some pretty bad blisters on my hands, but it was totally worth it and a lot of fun.
And of course, Monday was Bastille Day!!! I am so excited that I was able to celebrate Bastilel Day like a true french person. I started off the morning going to the Military Parade down the Champs-Elysees. President Sarkozy was there, and he went down the street in an open car to wave at everyone. Then there was the procession, which started with fighter jets with streams of blue, white, and red behind them, and then older jets all the way back to WW2 era twin prop and single prop planes. Then the military of foot, as well as the police (which are part of the military here). Finally there was a HUGE stream of tanks and other huge assault vehicles, it was pretty sweet.
And then later my friends and I went to the Eiffel Tower to stake out spots so we could watch the fireworks later that night. We got there and it was a zoo!! There were so many people later, it was later estimated that there were 500,000 people there last night! Thankfully, a few of our firends came earlier and had staked out a spot for us all, so we hung out all afternoon, reading and playing cards and other stuff. It was really cool, when I was reading my book I was just lounging around and my eyes wander and I am staring straight up at the Eiffel Tower. It was so surreal and amazing. And they also had a huge concert area, and there were some pretty big french singers there, as well as James Blunt, who I like listening to. The fireworks were so awesome! It wasn't really like the fireworks at home, it was a whole fireworks and light extravaganza! There was music and fireworks and lights all over the Tracadero, and there was a tribute to Quebec (founded 400 years ago) and another tribute to Pavarati. It was so cool...definitely worth hanging out all day for it. But then of course they were finished and there was 500,000 people all going for the closest metro station. So my friends and I just walked for about 30 or 45 minutes (there were still so many people on the streets and absolutely no way to get into a metro station as they were all crowded) and eventually found a pretty empty metro station off of the "strip" of stations that everyone was trying to get into. By the time we got home, it was 1 am...and of course I had class this morning at 8:30!
But I definitely wouldn't have traded that experience for sleep at all!!
Anyways, I have to go to the Monoprox now!
Lesley
Friday, July 11, 2008
I Love Paris in the Summer Time!
What a week! It's been really busy, which is why I haven't really written anything here...that's okay, I'll make up for it with a super long post!
So, last time I wrote was Friday...and I was planning on doing all of these super cool things! Well, i did some of them, but not all of them. I ended up going to the Cimiterie du Pere Lachaise on Friday afternoon. That is the famous cemetary where people like Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, and Edith Piaf are all buried. It was really cool walking around the cemetary and seeing all of the graves that go back centuries. The cemetary was HUGE! I don't ever think I have seen one this big, it just stretched on for blocks. Afterwards, my friends and I went to Sacre Coeur and Montmatre, which is the artists quarter. Sacre Coeur is this beautiful white basilica on top of a hill, so that from in front of it you can see all of Paris. I didn't get any photos of it because my camera decided to eat my batteries right before I went. From in front of the bascilica, you can see Le Centre Pompidou (Modern Art Museum), the Eiffel Tower, L'Arc de Triomphe, and Centre Montparnasse, which is the only sky scraper in Paris. Afterwards we decided to wander around Montmatre for a little while...Montmatre is famous for many things, some of which include: Moulin Rouge, and being where the movie Amelie was filmed. It was cool to wander in and out of the shops. The best part was that I found that most of the cheapest tourist stuff is there!
While we were wandering around, we somehow got separted from one of the girls we were with. One minute we all walk into a store, and the next, she's not there. So Gabriell, Ellen, and I are looking all around for Lenea, probably for a good hour. We walk through the shops, the Artist's Quarter, everything and we can't find her! And she doesn't have a cell phone like the rest of us do so we can't get a hold of her at all to make sure that she's okay. So, we walk down to get onto the metro to go to another friend's apartment so that we can call CEA and find out her host mom's number, and we get a call from her! She ended up calling CEA to get the number of one of our cell phones...and she hadbeen looking for us to, but we always seemed to miss each other...haha! Afterwards we head to Jessica's apartment, and we end up spending all evening there, making food and drinking cheap, but good, wine. We don't end up leaving her place until about 12:30 am...but the metro runs til 2 am on the weekends so it was cool. It's just her place is very inconvient to get to and from where I live.
Saturday we all meant to get up and go to Versailles, but since we had had a late night the night before, we deicded we're going to do it this weekend! Instead we hung out all afternoon and then went on a Bateaux Mouche, which is a boat ride on the Seine that takes you by most of the really cool spots, like the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards, we ended up going again to Jessica's and made tacos...with more wine. Haha, I love being able to enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner here...especially one that costs 2 euros!
Sunday was a big day in Paris. The first Sunday of every month, all the museums in the city are free! So a couple of us planned out four museums that we really wanted to see. However, I woke up that morning feeling that I had been hit by a very large bus. I had a headache and fever, runny nose, cough, and I was really achy...but I still went to the museums! I had to go see them when they were free! Gabriell, Ellen, and I started out at the Musee D'Orsay, which is the impressionist museum. The Musee D'Orsay use to be the Gare D'Orsay, which was a train station. So inside there is this beautiful architecture with HUGE clocks (which were really cool!). I am not a huge fan of art, but the architecture of the building was great. Also, on the top level there is a balcony that you go out to and have a great view of the city.
Afterwards, we met Katie and Jessica at Le Centre Pompidou, which is a modern art museum that we were all interested in because we had to walk by it every day last week to get to the CEA office. On the outside it is extremely colorful, because it is a sort of "inside out" building. All of the pipes for water and heat and everything else are on the OUTSIDE of the building and are color coordinated for what they are for. Also, on the top floor was a great view of the whole city. I walked around some, but I definitly do not like modern art. I have a hard time looking at three blank canvases and calling it "art".
Finally, I went to the Musee du Moyen-Age, aka that Cluny Museum. The only reason why I wanted to go there was because I had read all about it in the "The Seventh Unicorn" book that I read earlier this year. The Cluny is famous for it's collection of tapestries called La Dame a la Licorn (The Lady and the Unicorn). It's this set of six tapestries that detail all of the senses, as well asa final one that is called "My Only Desire". They are amazing in that the six tapestries have never been separated, and that are nearly all fully intact. When I saw them, I lost my breath. They were incredibly amazing, and so full of detail. Just imagining all the work that went into this work of art, all of the stitching that was to be done on it boggled me. I was so excited that I got to see these tapestries that I had read about! Definitely was the highlight of my day.
Monday, I wasn't feeling much better. I still was sneezing and coughing loads...but I figure it as an experience that allowed me to go to a pharmacie here in Paris! haha...I went to class Monday morning, and my professor is one crazy lady. She reminds of my third grade teacher, just sort of completely out there. And she gets really bitchy too something. The one thing I really don't like about her is that she forgot to give us homework Monday night, so on Tuesday morning we still had to do all of the exercises really fast in class and then she got mad at us for getting a lot of them worng...when she hadn't given the exercises to us to practice in the first place! I also saw a movie on Monday called "L'Auberge d'Espange" (The Spanish Apartment). It was a really good movie, but I definitely didn't understand all of it as it was in French with French subtitles (we were watching it at CEA). However, I did learn some very interesting French cuss words :D
Tuesday and Wednesday I hung out with friends after class, and then on Wednesday went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I know I know, so touristy, but all of my friends wanted to go so I figured why not? It was kind of expensive, but definitely worth it...
Thursday after class I finally went to Notre Dame. I had walked by it prolly 5 times but hadn't had to time to go in. So I walked from the Luxembourg Gardens (prolly a 20 minute walk if that) and went inside. I love the Catherdral, and it is beautiful inside with all of the beautiful stained glass. Afterwards I just wandered around the quarter, and went in some shops.
And that brings me to today! Just hung out after class today, I have been reading some. I am going to a friend's soon to make some dinner, and then I believe we are going to the Louvre. The Louvre is free on Friday nights from 6-9:30 for people under age 26, which is really neat because it sucks to have to pay for so much here. I really enjoyed the Louvre the last time I was here, but I really don't need to see the Mone Lisa again...one of the biggest dissapointments ever! Then tomorrow we are planning on Versailles, and I hope I will get to see Kallie there. Sunday I am going Tree Climbing with CEA, and then Monday is Bastille Day! Therefore I have no class on Monday! yay! There's a huge military parade on Monday morning, and then fireworks at the Eiffel Tower at night. There's also huge artists playing at the Eiffel Tower all day, like James Blunt!
Anyways, I'm off!
A plus!
Lesley
So, last time I wrote was Friday...and I was planning on doing all of these super cool things! Well, i did some of them, but not all of them. I ended up going to the Cimiterie du Pere Lachaise on Friday afternoon. That is the famous cemetary where people like Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, and Edith Piaf are all buried. It was really cool walking around the cemetary and seeing all of the graves that go back centuries. The cemetary was HUGE! I don't ever think I have seen one this big, it just stretched on for blocks. Afterwards, my friends and I went to Sacre Coeur and Montmatre, which is the artists quarter. Sacre Coeur is this beautiful white basilica on top of a hill, so that from in front of it you can see all of Paris. I didn't get any photos of it because my camera decided to eat my batteries right before I went. From in front of the bascilica, you can see Le Centre Pompidou (Modern Art Museum), the Eiffel Tower, L'Arc de Triomphe, and Centre Montparnasse, which is the only sky scraper in Paris. Afterwards we decided to wander around Montmatre for a little while...Montmatre is famous for many things, some of which include: Moulin Rouge, and being where the movie Amelie was filmed. It was cool to wander in and out of the shops. The best part was that I found that most of the cheapest tourist stuff is there!
While we were wandering around, we somehow got separted from one of the girls we were with. One minute we all walk into a store, and the next, she's not there. So Gabriell, Ellen, and I are looking all around for Lenea, probably for a good hour. We walk through the shops, the Artist's Quarter, everything and we can't find her! And she doesn't have a cell phone like the rest of us do so we can't get a hold of her at all to make sure that she's okay. So, we walk down to get onto the metro to go to another friend's apartment so that we can call CEA and find out her host mom's number, and we get a call from her! She ended up calling CEA to get the number of one of our cell phones...and she hadbeen looking for us to, but we always seemed to miss each other...haha! Afterwards we head to Jessica's apartment, and we end up spending all evening there, making food and drinking cheap, but good, wine. We don't end up leaving her place until about 12:30 am...but the metro runs til 2 am on the weekends so it was cool. It's just her place is very inconvient to get to and from where I live.
Saturday we all meant to get up and go to Versailles, but since we had had a late night the night before, we deicded we're going to do it this weekend! Instead we hung out all afternoon and then went on a Bateaux Mouche, which is a boat ride on the Seine that takes you by most of the really cool spots, like the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards, we ended up going again to Jessica's and made tacos...with more wine. Haha, I love being able to enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner here...especially one that costs 2 euros!
Sunday was a big day in Paris. The first Sunday of every month, all the museums in the city are free! So a couple of us planned out four museums that we really wanted to see. However, I woke up that morning feeling that I had been hit by a very large bus. I had a headache and fever, runny nose, cough, and I was really achy...but I still went to the museums! I had to go see them when they were free! Gabriell, Ellen, and I started out at the Musee D'Orsay, which is the impressionist museum. The Musee D'Orsay use to be the Gare D'Orsay, which was a train station. So inside there is this beautiful architecture with HUGE clocks (which were really cool!). I am not a huge fan of art, but the architecture of the building was great. Also, on the top level there is a balcony that you go out to and have a great view of the city.
Afterwards, we met Katie and Jessica at Le Centre Pompidou, which is a modern art museum that we were all interested in because we had to walk by it every day last week to get to the CEA office. On the outside it is extremely colorful, because it is a sort of "inside out" building. All of the pipes for water and heat and everything else are on the OUTSIDE of the building and are color coordinated for what they are for. Also, on the top floor was a great view of the whole city. I walked around some, but I definitly do not like modern art. I have a hard time looking at three blank canvases and calling it "art".
Finally, I went to the Musee du Moyen-Age, aka that Cluny Museum. The only reason why I wanted to go there was because I had read all about it in the "The Seventh Unicorn" book that I read earlier this year. The Cluny is famous for it's collection of tapestries called La Dame a la Licorn (The Lady and the Unicorn). It's this set of six tapestries that detail all of the senses, as well asa final one that is called "My Only Desire". They are amazing in that the six tapestries have never been separated, and that are nearly all fully intact. When I saw them, I lost my breath. They were incredibly amazing, and so full of detail. Just imagining all the work that went into this work of art, all of the stitching that was to be done on it boggled me. I was so excited that I got to see these tapestries that I had read about! Definitely was the highlight of my day.
Monday, I wasn't feeling much better. I still was sneezing and coughing loads...but I figure it as an experience that allowed me to go to a pharmacie here in Paris! haha...I went to class Monday morning, and my professor is one crazy lady. She reminds of my third grade teacher, just sort of completely out there. And she gets really bitchy too something. The one thing I really don't like about her is that she forgot to give us homework Monday night, so on Tuesday morning we still had to do all of the exercises really fast in class and then she got mad at us for getting a lot of them worng...when she hadn't given the exercises to us to practice in the first place! I also saw a movie on Monday called "L'Auberge d'Espange" (The Spanish Apartment). It was a really good movie, but I definitely didn't understand all of it as it was in French with French subtitles (we were watching it at CEA). However, I did learn some very interesting French cuss words :D
Tuesday and Wednesday I hung out with friends after class, and then on Wednesday went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I know I know, so touristy, but all of my friends wanted to go so I figured why not? It was kind of expensive, but definitely worth it...
Thursday after class I finally went to Notre Dame. I had walked by it prolly 5 times but hadn't had to time to go in. So I walked from the Luxembourg Gardens (prolly a 20 minute walk if that) and went inside. I love the Catherdral, and it is beautiful inside with all of the beautiful stained glass. Afterwards I just wandered around the quarter, and went in some shops.
And that brings me to today! Just hung out after class today, I have been reading some. I am going to a friend's soon to make some dinner, and then I believe we are going to the Louvre. The Louvre is free on Friday nights from 6-9:30 for people under age 26, which is really neat because it sucks to have to pay for so much here. I really enjoyed the Louvre the last time I was here, but I really don't need to see the Mone Lisa again...one of the biggest dissapointments ever! Then tomorrow we are planning on Versailles, and I hope I will get to see Kallie there. Sunday I am going Tree Climbing with CEA, and then Monday is Bastille Day! Therefore I have no class on Monday! yay! There's a huge military parade on Monday morning, and then fireworks at the Eiffel Tower at night. There's also huge artists playing at the Eiffel Tower all day, like James Blunt!
Anyways, I'm off!
A plus!
Lesley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
