This is the oldest Café in Paris, and it was located conveniently 10 feet from our hotel.
This was taken in the same Arcade that the oldest café is in. Parisian arcades are small shopping streets that are usually covered (while this one isn't...oops) and contain all kinds of cute shops and boutiques.
Our first day in Paris began with a tour. Usually I avoid city tours because I like to pretend that I am a "non-tourist tourist", but in this case it was nice! Our tour guide was a wonderful, matter-of-fact, and proper Swedish-Parisian named Leif, and he gave us a smashing tour chock full of America jokes and historical info.
Park in Paris
Luxembourg Gardens
Where Napoleon is buried. "My, what a big box for such a little man." - Leif.
Café
Just a quick word on café. In France if you order a 'café' that means espresso. I did not know this. So I accidentally ordered espresso 4 times and each time had no idea why my cup was so tiny. Just kidding I know what espresso is, but I had actually never had it before our trip. Most of you know that I have a terrible caffeine/Starbucks addiction (gold card holla!), so I was really excited to try straight espresso for the first time. Unfortunately, I hated it with every fiber in my being.
The French way is to drink espresso with one sugar and no milk......which is all fine and dandy but I will stick to my lattes thank you!
Ooh la la! Eet eez ze Eiffel Tower!
If you ever go to Paris you simply MUST go to this Mannequin store. Only the best people buy their personal mannequins in Paris.
After our tour, Lief dropped us off at Hôtel du Nord for lunch. Hôtel du Nord became famous after the release of the movie Hôtel du Nord in 1938. The restaurant you see in the hotel today was actually refurbished and created to more resemble the movie, regardless it was easily some of the best food we had on our trip. We also realized very quickly that 'medium rare' steak doesn't mean the same thing in France as it does back home.....
Pompidou! You may think this building looks normal (ish) now, but imagine what people thought when it was completed in 1977. (*The Pompidou is a modern art museum that hosts the likes of Picasso, Chagall, and Matisse.)
Paris from the top of the Pompidou.
More Pompidou. Blocking people when they are pondering modern art = a Pompi-don't. HA HA!
I am in Louvre with Paris.
My girl Mona!
Sadly, I didn't get to go inside of the Notre Dame, so it'll just have to go on the bucket list for next time!
One of the many lock bridges on the Seine. I wonder if there is anybody who keeps track of these things. You know, like a person who picks up a lock and says, "hmm 'Albert and Shannon 2gether 4 ever.' Oh, so they aren't dating anymore? Somebody, quick, get me my bolt cutter!"
Later we went to the Shoah Memorial which was very sobering. With all of the traveling that comes with studying abroad, I sometimes forget to notice the still-dark-marks that WWII left on Europe. The Memorial itself is in an area where hundreds of Jewish children were taken and sent to extermination camps like Auschwitz. It is not only a memory site but a reminder to the people of Paris that a tragedy like the Holocaust should never happen again.
My friends Nathaniel and Abigail are Jewish, so seeing as we were in Paris during Passover we went to the famous Le Marais district. This bakery was one of the only places open and had a completely kosher selection. (I recommend the Kosher-Cheesecake as it was excellent, la heim!).
My friend Nathaniel and I standing in front of the Eiffel tower!!! (20 pictures later).
View from the middle! (We caught the last elevator up, they close the highest level of the tower at 10:30.)
On our last day we all took a French cooking class (which was just as fun as it sounds!). They split us into two groups, so while one group was making the starter the other was....you guessed it.....painting with chocolate! One group made a portrait of Nathaniel's face, isn't he purty?
Choooooooocooooolaaaaate!
Tuileries Garden
Public relaxation: they even have chairs that make you recline and relax! (See the second gentlemen from the left)
Maggie and Colin!
Lock bridge - Take two
As a whole, our trip was fantastic! DIS had the great habit of buying us lunch every day (they spoiled us) and these meals almost always consisted of 3 courses. So my first night home I definitely thought, "By George! Where is my 3 course meal!?" Also while we are on the subject of food, our hotel in paris had a very extensive daily menu for breakfast everyday. This menu consisted of a baguette with butter and jam and tea or coffee. That is all. Which makes me wonder...what would french people do if they went out to breakfast at an IHOP back in the states? Probably run away screaming. That seems like the only logical reaction.
OH! Funny story, so my friend abigail got pooped on by a bird and it was the funniest thing ever!! I am starting to realize that this may not be funny to you because you were not there to see it land directly on her head, but I have not laughed so hard in my whole life. Just thinking about it is making me giggle. Please don't think i'm a bad person. It's too late isn't it?
Cultural note: I didn't really meet any rude French men or women, and I tried really hard! Just kidding, but besides a few weird looks when our tour group was being particularly loud nothing really happened. Not to say that they don't exist, i'm sure they do as every society has rude people. I just thought this was interesting paired with something Leif said during our tour, "America and France are like bratty siblings that don't get along. They can't live with or without each other."
I hope you all have had lovely weeks! Talk to you soon!
Love, Rebecca
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