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!