Confessions of a Chocoholic

Hello! It's my second post for today, but I was getting so behind that I thought that I should get back up to speed! I'm not feeling as sick, but I've almost completely lost my voice. Not good. But still an eventful night!

After class, a bunch of us headed to Angelina, which is a pastry place famous for its hot chocolate. It's pretty much melted chocolate in a cup. I also ordered the Choc Africain, which is like a brownie with chocolate mousse on top. It even came with gold leaf on the top! Real edible gold! And lots and lots of chocolate. The hot chocolate comes in a pitcher with a separate dish of fancy whipped cream. Enough said. The hot chocolate alone cost 8 euros, but the experience was certainly worth it. I absolutely love chocolate, but I could not finish either one of what I ordered. So. Much. Chocolate.

Then, we headed to the Louvre, where we saw the infamous Mona Lisa (La Joconde), Venus de Milo, and Hammurabi's Code. Both the Mona Lisa and Hammurabi's Code were smaller than expected. The Mona Lisa was probably the smallest work of art featured in the room. It's odd to think about how significant such small pieces of art can be. Just walking in the beautiful building of the Louvre was interesting in itself. The ceilings were just as pretty as the works of art on the walls. And posing like different statues with friends just topped everything off. I like being a tourist.

Dancing Firefighters and Bastille Day

Hello! So it's been quite a while since I've done a post. I've actually been pretty sick the past few days. I'm starting to feel better, though my voice is almost gone. I realized that I have not yet done a post about Bastille Day last Sunday, so here it is!

Bastille Day festivities really start on the night before, when each firefighter station hosts it's own party, and these are called Les Bals des Pompiers. Apparently, these are held all over France, and they are entirely paid for by the government. I cannot picture a party like this being done in the U.S.- that's for sure. Our entire group went to one of these parties held in the Marais, and it was huge. The line to get in almost went down the entire street. Fortunately, we all got in, and it was pretty great. It was funny to see firefighters in uniform dancing and singing along to Kesha songs. Almost all of the music was American, and it was held in a few courtyards outside in between these really nice historic buildings.

Honestly, the Bals des Pompiers was probably the most exciting part of Bastille Day. On Bastille Day, we attended the military parade that happens every year. It wasn't like any American parade- there was no music or balloons or anything. It was mostly just military tanks passing by in the street. We got down there a little late, so we missed the President's motorcade and missed the planes that fly above.

Then, we attended a free ballet performance held at the Bastille Opera. It was really neat that such a sophisticated performance done by a professional ballet company was completely free. The opera holds 2,000 audience members, so we got there an hour early and still managed to get in. It seemed that the audience was filled with mostly local Parisians.

Finally, the night ended with the firework display done near the Eiffel Tower. My friends and I watched at a bridge nearby so that we could have a good view of the Eiffel Tower. I was impressed. The Eiffel Tower kept changing colors and was lit in different ways, and the fireworks lasted 45 minutes and were stunning. A lovely end to the day.

The Classy Marais

Hi! Today I'm keeping my post short and sweet. We visited the Marais, which is certainly the place to live in Paris. Lots of traditional architecture, beautiful gardens, and quaint cafes and boutiques. I definitely got a lot of shopping done. Most of it was for myself, but I did get my sister something nice! (That means you, Isabel! Get excited!) Pretty much everything else that I've bought in Paris has been food, which is great, so it's nice to have actually gone shopping.

We also briefly walked through Victor Hugo's apartment in Place des Vosges. It was definitely larger than I expected. But, there wasn't much to see in there. Most of the exhibit consisted of artwork relating to Hugo's works. It was definitely worth it to take the time to walk through, though.

My favorite part of today was definitely coming across a violin player performing in a church. I think that he and another person were creating a music video of him performing. He was amazing. I didn't know the violin could sound that good. And what made the experience more fun was that it wasn't planned. We heard some really nice music coming from the church, so we just walked in and sat for a bit. One of my favorite things about Paris has been finding random performances like this one. In the metro, on the street, in Shakespeare and Company, and now in a beautiful church. I've loved all of it, but the violinist in the church stands out. Truly spectacular. We thanked the musician afterwards, and he gave us details about a concert that he was featured in tonight. But of course, after my friends and I got dinner at a café, we completely forgot about it. Going to the concert would have been interesting, but the performance in the church was certainly enough.

Shakespeare and Company: My New Favorite Hangout

Bonjour to all! These past 2 days have been all about the charming English bookstore Shakespeare and Company. Before arriving to Paris, I knew that I had to visit the store because I had seen it featured on Travel Channel and also on one of my favorite shows: The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Well, on Wednesday, I finally was able to visit (and even sat in the same chair that Craig Ferguson sat in when filming one of his Parisian episodes!). The store was even more enchanting than I had expected. When you first walk in, there's a wishing well in the center of the floor.

And the top floor is even more interesting. There's a small children's literature section where visitors from different places have written notes about their visits. There's also a small piano room, where anyone can play or just observe. Wednesday night, my friends and I met a few young people from France and Lebanon who were playing piano, and we all agreed that we would return Thursday night to hear them play more music. And on Thursday night, we met even more people from countries like Israel, Argentina, and Brazil. It was seriously cool. Random people would walk in after hearing the piano playing and would offer to sing after. Absolutely everyone who sang or played piano was ridiculously talented. Being able to meet so many talented and interesting people from all over the world was indescribable. This is the kind of experience that you want to have when you travel.

And, what's even better is that the 12 of us are trying to hang out again to listen to more music! A few of the people that we met study at a conservatory in Paris, and they told us about one of their performances coming up. It's so neat to make so many different connections in a few nights! Couldn't be happier. The bookstore was everything that I hoped it would be. Now, I'm sure that my final project for my French class will be focused on the store and how it contributes to the cultural and intellectual atmosphere of Paris. I've visited Shakespeare and Company twice in the past 2 days, and I will definitely be returning.

Museums and More Food

Bonsoir! Gosh have I been exhausted these last few days! Now that classes are in full swing, I spend 5 hours each day in class, so sleep is needed! Since today I took a break and rested a little, I'll go over my lovely Sunday full of free museum visits, and yes, more food.

On Sunday, my friends and I spend most of the day visiting 2 different well-known Parisian museums: the Centre Pompidou and the Musee d'Orsay. First up was the Centre

Pompidou. Before visiting, I had heard that you either love or hate the museum. I'm not really sure that I hate it, but it definitely wasn't my favorite. It's definitely an interesting building, but I can't help but think that it looks like a construction site that will never be finished. The art inside was definitely interesting, but not much of it really clicked for me. Seeing 3 blank, white canvases on a wall as a piece of art isn't my thing. Honestly, the best part was probably watching this little toddler giggle nonstop while watching what was supposed to be a deep film consisting of toy train cars falling. That was the highlight.

After Centre Pompidou, we visited the Musee d'Orsay. Going through all of the Impressionist paintings by Monet and Degas was really great. That was more of how I had envisioned a Parisian museum. The building was beautiful too- it used to be a train station, and the top floor has some great views of the Parisian skyline.

We finished the day by heading to Paris's infamous burger food truck Le Camion Qui Fume. I was really, really excited about going because I had heard all about it from watching Travel Channel. That night, the truck was serving in a hip neighborhood along the Seine. Though we waited almost 2 hours in line to get our burgers, it was SO worth it. I ordered the Classique, which is the same burger that Anthony Bourdain ordered on his show The Layover. It was absolutely delicious. One of the best burgers I've ever had. And eating it while sitting on the Seine of course made it better. I may need to head back for another burger soon.

Last night, I also had some great food. A few friends and I headed to a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho 14 near Chinatown. It was my first time eating Vietnamese food, and I had a bowl of Pho, which is like a noodle soup, with beef. It was amazing. I had ordered a large bowl, but I still devoured it. Yum.

That's all for Tuesday! Au revoir!

Parisians

Hello World! Sorry that this is so late- things have just been so busy now that classes are in full swing!

Ah! So much to tell! I guess that I should start with Wednesday (I think it was Wednesday) when I visited the Eiffel Tower with a few friends. What a night. If only it ended well. Before

we were to go up the tower. Not only was dinner really good, but we sat beside a really cool, young Parisian couple. They introduced themselves, and we talked about absolutely everything: American and French stereotypes, sports, television, everything. They even gave us suggestions about where else to eat and travel. My friends and I stayed at our table half an hour longer because we enjoyed talking with them so much! I love making new friends in unexpected places!

Because we spent so much time at the restaurant, we didn't make it to the Eiffel Tower in time to climb up.

But we did get to see it light up and twinkle! The three of us were so in the moment watching the tower light up. It was beautiful. However, that moment quickly passed because my friend's purse was stolen while we were posing for pictures. That's right. A stolen purse. We missed it completely- we still are not sure who it could have been. Though I'm grateful that it wasn't me, it was a scary situation for all of us.

Luckily, a few friendly Moroccans found us stressing and offered to help us. We were so lucky that they happened to find us. They walked with us to find a police officer, find the police station, and then catch a late metro ride back. They translated for us at the police station and everything. Even though that one person who stole the purse obviously was not friendly, we met some really genuine people that night.

Besides that one really stressful moment, the last couple days have been full of really great times. Today, we visited the chateaus of Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte. I love Paris, but it was great to see a different part of France that's more like the countryside.

Touring the castles and strolling through the gardens was spectacular. A few friends and I finished the day by buying gourmet macarons and then some cheap pizza. Another full day in France!

That's only a summary of the amazing past few days! On to the next one!

Carrefour Heaven

Today is all about Carrefour. Carrefour is Paris's version of Walmart, except it's much classier and is just way better in every way. Some of the group members and I went there for grocery shopping, and just looking at what the store sold was interesting in itself. America needs a Carrefour- it has everything! This aisle right here has all kinds of cookies and desserts that sort of look like yogurt. They have all kinds of chocolate mousses and other creamy goodies. I bought an apple tart in a jar that I'm saving for later.

But here's something that I couldn't just save for later. These are chocolate-dipped waffles in a bag. That's right- you can just take them out of the bag and eat whenever for a snack. I have snacked quite a bit today- I've already eaten 2 of the 6 total. Whatever- I'll have to make another Carrefour trip soon enough!

Other items that I bought include bacon-flavored crackers. I bought them because my friend said that she had had them and that they were really good- she was right! They're buttery and salty and bacon-y. You'd think that the U.S. would already have them. America needs to get on it! I also bought some really good French cheese, which was actually cheap, some croissants, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and some chorizo. Looks like I've got some treats to eat in the room!

In conclusion, Carrefour is great. America is in need of one. I think that's it for now. I'm going to try to take a quick nap and then maybe get some Parisian dessert with friends! Ta ta for now!