the Gardens of Versailles

This weekend Betsy, a family friend is in town on business!  

We went out to Versailles this morning and enjoyed the wonderful weather in style:

I got to play navigator, I felt very important because if you go off of the designated route the golf cart turns off! 

Overall it was great because we got to see the awesome gardens, even though they're not in bloom just yet.   It's really more of a compound than just a palace so we sped out and saw everything!

Afterwards we hit Notre Dame, where we found this gem:

Then I got to point out my classroom, we had lunch at a traditional Parisian cafe, and went up to Montmartre to enjoy the view and Sacre-Coeur.  I can't express how great it is to eat at nice restaurants (with friends we always have to stick to the 10euro menus!), plus last night I tried escargot for the first time.  I actually enjoyed it so it won't be my last!  

Tomorrow we'll do some more exploring and cross our fingers for more great weather.

Busy girl!

I sure know how to keep myself busy.  It really seems like there is not a spare minute in my day, but that's okay! Yesterday was a beautiful day.  After class I went to a coffee shop with an upstairs seating area and started studying for my test that's tomorrow.  Then, met up with some friends for lunch at one of the student restaurants (only 2.85 euro for a pretty decent lunch!).  

We decided that since it was a gorgeous day we wanted to do something outside, and ended up heading to Père Lachaise, which is a giant cemetery in the 20th arrondissement (east Paris) and is also supposedly the most visited cemetery in the world.  Everyone buried here has a tomb- it's a huge contrast from cemeteries in the U.S.  

There are a ton of famous people buried there, including Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Eugene Delacroix, and Heloise & Abelard.  There's lots of normal people too- apparently you can still purchase plots here but they are very expensive.  I forgot to bring my camera but here is a picture I found online of Heloise & Abelard's tomb:

Even though it seems creepy to go to a cemetery (it kind of is...), it was very peaceful and beautiful- the cemetery is massive and full of hills, staircases, and tons of different tomb varieties.  Afterwards a few of us just sat in a cafe talking for a few hours, then headed home and I studied some more.

Today after class I went to the apartment of the other American girl in my class (she has her own apartment here for the semester), had lunch and studied some more.  It was beautiful and in a great location, but it also made me glad to be in a homestay because I am much more immersed in the culture and the language.  

Then my Paris Civilization & Culture class met at the Cluny Museum.  Some of the walls are restored from the Roman baths present there when Paris was Lutetia- part of the Roman Empire.  Then, other parts are from the medieval castle built on the grounds in the 1500's.

The main focus of the visit was seeing the Unicorn Tapestries, as we just read a novel about them.  The intricate detail is amazing but it was very challenging to capture it in a photo, because the rooms are dimly lit and no flash is allowed in order to preserve them.

 It also featured the original heads of the Kings of Judah which are some of the sculptures on the outside of Notre Dame.  During the French Revolution,  all of the statues were beheaded and the original heads were found only a few decades ago.  

Now I am off to study a bit more before meeting friends for happy hour and to go out to fondue for dinner!  I've only had 'real' fondue once in the states but I am interested to see what it's like here.  

Random, but one of the little things I've noticed is that in the U.S. "bonjour" is taught to mean "Hello."  It does mean that, but if it could technically be considered evening and you say "bonjour" it's like saying "good morning" (means good day) and you are supposed to say "bonsoir" instead.  All of us Americans are struggling with remembering to switch over to bonsoir.

Bonne Soirée! (Have a good night!)  

Notre Dame

Today, my Paris Civilization & Culture Class met at Notre Dame.  We lucked out with a sunny day and learned about the three rose stained glass windows and the biblical stories told in the carvings surrounding each of the doors.  Unfortunately my attention wore out and I thought about Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame when it got time to discuss Victor Hugo's novel.  Oh well!  

After the class I wandered around a little bit and checked out the Holocaust memorial that is near Notre Dame.  

I ended up by the Hôtel de Ville (city hall).  Then because I had to study, pack, pick up some food for lunch tomorrow, and maybe indulge in une petite sieste, I skipped happy hour with friends and headed home.  

This paid off because a woman who lives on the third floor of my apartment building was visiting with my host madame.  We chatted for a few minutes before they headed out to go for a walk-- when they came back my host madame said the lady wanted to know if I could babysit for her four year old son on Monday afternoons!  They are from Montreal so he speaks English-- babysitting a four year old who is better at his second language than I am is going to be depressing, but being paid in Euros is going to be fabulous! 

I'm off to study for my test tomorrow and pack for Strasbourg.  I still have the sniffles but thankfully don't feel as awful.  

A nice day.

After class, a nap was pretty tempting but I couldn't waste a day without rain or snow!

Here's the view of Notre Dame if you take a left out of my class building.

Then, turn left again and hit Shakespeare & Co, a really famous English/American bookstore. 

Then I had to take a test to be placed into a phonetics class and the woman told me I was in the highest class-subset of my level.  Awesome!  

I can't believe I hadn't taken this photo until today..we definitely have a family photo from a few years back in the exact same spot. Someone should have pointed out how much I blended into the bush though.

The Thinker in the sculpture garden of the Rodin Museum-- I know nothing about sculpture but I DO know this is baby's pretty famous.

Overall, a good day!  I'm definitely going to sleep well tonight-- all this walking on cobblestone streets all over the city can really tire a girl out!