Bonjour!
Well, it has been a little over a week since my last post. Like I said, I will TRY for once a week; that does not mean I will succeed. As the title says, I suck at thinking of good titles (for papers, blog posts, whatever it may be that needs a name...). So, I just decided not to even bother with this one.
Last Saturday (June 6th) we decided to postpone our trip with ISA to the Loire valley to spend some quality time with our friend, Anna, who stopping in Paris on her European backpacking adventure. We actually didn't see Anna until Monday, but the relaxed weekend was still good. We spent Saturday looking through all the books and souvenirs along the Seine--there are so many! I'm sure around the end of our trip that we'll be back while trying to finish up our souvenir shopping. Later that day we each bought a book at Shakespeare & Company (an amazing bookstore that's also all in English!) and read by the Seine.
The first Sunday of every month, all the museums in Paris are free! The lines, however, do not always make the museums a desirable option. Nonetheless, we did take advantage of this opportunity. After going to a church service at Notre Dame, we visited the l'Orangerie museum. This may be my favorite museum that I've been to in Paris (or anywhere!). The Orangerie houses Monet's huge waterlilly paintings as well as some Matisse, Renoir, Cezanne, Picasso, and more! The Orangerie not only had excellent art but also had excellent lighting, which makes for excellent pictures! This museum made us even more excited to visit Giverny, which is where Monet's house and lilly ponds are! We will be going there in mid-July :) I'm sorry to say that this Sunday was also the day that we took our first steps inside a French McDonalds...don't judge too much, but we really needed something salty...like french fries!
Renoir
Monday we resumed our regular weekday schedule of French classes, but after they were over, we got to meet up with Anna in the Luxembourg Gardens! Nicole, George, and I walked her through Paris to the Place de la Concorde and then to the Opéra Garnier, which I was quite excited to be visiting! I can't wait to go to a ballet there later in the summer!!! We had a nice walk through Paris, went our separate ways for dinner, then met back up for a late night picnic at the Eiffel Tower. It was such a fun day with one of my best friends! I can't believe we won't see each other for a year or more.
Anna knows what is what
The remainder of the week was definitely low key, with lots of rainy days, homework, and afternoon naps. Nicole and I did find a really nice little Italian restaurant for lunch one day, which was fun. I also got to go to an Antique market with my T/Th afternoon class--also really interesting! We learned a lot about the invention of the phonograph and got to see many antique phonographs and music boxes...not to mention all the antique books that were there! Friday afternoon Nicole and I ventured out for our first shopping trip in Paris. Around the Opéra area we found some really cute stores as well as our standby, H&M. We also explored the Galleries Lafayette (the most ridiculous mall you've ever seen...sorry I forgot to take a picture, but I will!). In that mall, we were able to mourn our current economic status while looking at Jimmy Choos, Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, and more!
Finally, on Saturday we went to Versailles with the ISA group. I've been there before, so the Chateau was interesting and beautiful, of course, but I was most excited to spend time in the gardens and the area built for Marie Antoinette. It started off rainy, but by the time we were finished going through the chateau, the weather was beautiful. We rented bikes and rode all around the garden and the farm! The last time I was there I don't think I even realized there was a farm! Crazy! I loved it and would be happy to go back and explore more!
So, even though it was a relaxed week, it was still full of fun things! This week we both have lots of tests and presentations, so we'll be spending a lot of time studying. Despite the studying, we still have quite the to-do list of sights to see in Paris before our upcoming weekend in Rouen! Until next time...
Au revoir,
trisha
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