A Quick Jaunt to Paris

Friday night I hopped on a train and zoomed to Montparnasse where I caught the metro to the Opéra National de Paris (I had about 45min to get there before the show….during rush hour.) It was really warm that day so my forehead was “glistening” by the time I made it through all the train changes/stairs and to the door at the opera..but I didn't mind. The opera was fantastic (four soloists, a massive opera choir, an orchestra, and a narrator) and they recounted the story of David. Emily would have LOVED it. I've never heard voices like that and the soprano was wearing Louis Vuitton stilettos and diamonds I could see from the fourth balcony! There were no microphones but it really resonated well.




After the opera, I walked to the Louvre just to enjoy the wonderful weather and then I took the metro to my friend’s apartment (her cousin is an ambassador of France and she was sent to another country for three years so Mathilde gets to live in her apartment which happens to be on the seine two blocks from the Eiffel tower!) She didn't tell me that before I got there so I was expecting a normal French studio apartment on a dark alley, miles from the center...haha

Saturday I woke up early and explored some more. First I got a croissant and a thing of strawberries for breakfast and ate them in a park...then visited les Invalides. On my way out, I noticed a crowd around one of the little courts and went to watch and it was the coolest thing. Tons of guys Tom's age playing “polo à vélo!” They were wearing hilarious team uniforms and self-decorated helmets (elephant, bunny, or dogs ears attached) and pinned on tails, and painted faces. So bergwall if you ask me. Anyway it was some kind of major tournament with several teams on the lawn waiting for a chance to play.


After I had my fill of that, I just kind of wandered around for a little while until I went to meet up with Mathilde at her brother's apartment for lunch. He lives in a beautiful little area on the east side but still close to all the fun. Her whole family was there so I had plenty of speaking practice! And some really great "chili." After dinner several of us went to my host dad's art show in the cutest little gallery in the saint germain area. His artwork was so beautiful and his whole family was there...I'm sure they are all very used to this, but I was super impressed!

Mathilde (a concert bass player) had to go to her rehearsal at that point, so her dad and brother took me to get "the best ice cream in Paris." They were right...I had pistachio and wow was it delicious! So kind of them to take me around too. When they had to get going they pointed me in the direction of the Seine and so I just did tons of window shopping and people watching until I had to be at Mathilde's concert. Her concert was yet again in a part of paris I'd never seen, but really really pretty and fun to take the metro to new places :) Mathilde has almost the same age as me so for her to be performing in Paris all the time seems really accomplished to me.


So her concert was great...a very lively conductor, and afterwards we ran to the RER and caught a train to her parents’ house in the suburbs. (They were having a party for her brother and invited me to stay the night there.) It was a group of maybe 10 others of my age just sitting around being goofy and nibbling on all kinds of little snacks...(Mathilde has two brothers and sister so it felt a lot like being at home)

We got there at night so I really couldn't tell what the surroundings looked like but in the morning I went down for breakfast and wow....their house was on a hill that overlooks all of Paris (and the house was super cool too..over a hundred years old and just massive) Anyway, we spent the morning hiking, playing badminton and just chatting and then back to Paris for the rest of the day. I said bye to Mathilde at that point because she had another concert...and took the metro out to la Defense (the modern part of Paris on the north west side).


Having never been there, I thought I would probably spend like an hour hanging around looking at the architecture....but little did I know there is an enormous mall out there! So, an hour turned into a few. haha. Then I went back to the Marais area to see some things I hadn't seen before...kinda got turned around coming out of the metro and ended walking to the point where I could see Montmartre! oops...but I saw some more of Paris at least. So at that point it was starting to get a little bit dark so I quickly hopped on the nearest metro to head back to Mathilde's appartement to get my things. There I just kind of lollygagged around taking pics of the eiffel tower and walking along the seine and then decided to head to Montparnasse so I could get some dinner there before getting on my train back to Tours. That was all fine and dandy until I saw the time on someone else's cell phone (we apparently did the whole “spring forward” thing yesterday) so I literally ran as soon as I got off the metro, up several flights of stairs....composted my ticket and found my seat with 5 min to spare. Crazy...but so glad I had built in sandwich time even though I had no sandwich. (don't worry I had some bread and jam when I got back to tours around 11:)

So there you have it...my whirlwind of a weekend! Couldn’t have been any better really!

Oops! Is it really the end of March already?

Haha...I guess I let a good bit of time pass without writing! Sorry about that, but honestly when things are going so well, there's just no time left at the end of the day. (so take my lack of writing as a good sign) The last month has been just incredible. First of all, the weather has been just beautiful and I'm close to shedding my winter coat for good and maybe even pulling out some of my spring skirt and tops that I bought this winter during the big sales:) My classes are super interesting this semester with top notch profs (exception of one elderly boring story teller.) And best of all, I've been going out with my friends much more often...and that does wonders for the French progress. With the lovely weather, we spend hours on the terrasse of tel ou tel café and just chat...and then take a stroll along the loire or in the garden by my house. I've also become friends with a professional concert bass player who lives in paris but plays with the symphony here from time to time! She's about my age and is really talented...I've been to several of her concerts:) Anyway, this week-end she invited me to stay with her at her place in Paris while my host dad has his expo in a gallery there (his art is amazing by the way!) So, should be a fun weekend! Hope it doesn't rain!

This week is kind of a crazy one...I'm a tutor at the language school for some for some of the undergraduate students in my program. This is their last week here and so they have several papers to turn in today...hence lots of correcting work for me! But I have to admit, it's fun for me to still play teacher while I'm here. I'm also giving English lessons to a French girl too! And, since I last wrote I've read la Nouvelle Héloïse and I'm in the middle of reading the 2000 page les misérables, so I guess you could say my lit class is keeping me busy.

Speaking of keeping busy, Ana (one of my good friends in my program) and I planned several little trips for the end of the semester!!! So excited...and it gives me something to look forward to while I'm finishing up all of the final projects next month! We'll be going to Strasbourg, Bordeaux, and then we'll spend a week in Provence just kind of hopping from one costal city to the next! What a dream come true.

Well, I better get going...I have some work to do and then tonight I'm having a friend over to watch Pride and Prejudice together! Or maybe Sense and Sensibility depending on the mood. Can't wait!

Hope you are all doing impeccably and can't wait to catch up soon!

oh and I went on a trip to Avignon a couple of weeks ago....so pretty. here's a pic!

Out with the old, in with the Older

It's a new semester! A fresh start! Don't you just love freshly sharpend pencils? Well, the last few weeks have been a blast...sorry you won't hear all the stories, but I'll give you a quick recap.

Christmas- Pretty sure Emily, Jen, and I packed as much into four days in Paris as possible...and still managed to watch movies in the hotel in the evenings! The Christmas markets, museums, fancy dinner night, boat tours, the ferris wheel, endless treats and shopping made for an excellent vacation! And I got to share it all with my sister...and ps she's the best. Sunday morning, we went to the early mass at Notre Dame and we're so happy we did. When we left the hotel that morning, snow was calmly falling and had completely covered Paris in a blanket of white! Kind of a rare scene for Paris!

Well, we spent the rest of our time togther at my place in Tours, mostly cooking, shopping, and watching movies...oh and drinking hot chocolate:) Emily and I really got in some good seester time and now it's not all that long til I'll see her again!

So after Christmas, I spent my time working on homework and lounging a bit here and there. And yes! I moved out of my apartment and into a host family...the biggest blessing (kind people, progressing in french, great food, good sleep, encouragement, a cat, and just a happy place to be). For all of you who prayed me through my first semester here...send out a prayer of thanksgiving today! This is going to be a wonderful semester surrounded by great people.

Well, we just finished final exams last week. (they do them after break here) Now I'm all done with last semester...and good riddance! So, this week was my first week of the new semester and I have my work cut out for me...but I'm ready to dive in! Actually, I have a cup of hot tea next to me right now and am ready to start reading for next week:)

Sorry for the lack of blogging...I'll keep up a little better now that finals are out of the way:)

Have a great weekend everybody!