I love Paris. Seriously. Last night was one of the most fun nights that I have ever had.

French people can't dance. They just kind of move around; it's the ancestral home of white people who can' t always find a beat. And I love it.

The world is ever so small sometimes. Yesterday, after a futile attempt to check email (the wireless was down), I ran into Chris Hopkins. Randomly, I was leaving one side of the building just as he was entering. It was very odd and coincidental. However, now I know he's here, and I know where he's staying, and he's really lonely. He was pretty shocked his first day in Paris, and overwhelmed, and really excited to see a familiar face. But it was ridiculously bizarre to see him. He kissed my check. It was rather amusing.

Some goofy pictures....

At a vintage jewelry store in the open air market. They had some real glasses from the 30s that I really wanted, but they were also 100 euros, and that is quite a bit of money, and I was also not sure that the eye doctor would be able to put my perscription in them. But it was very fun to look around.

The Opera Garnier! It's really pretty. Inside and out. And I got lots of pretty ballet postcards, since the Paris Opera Ballet has a large budget, and likes to do opulent productions.

Soon, the civ program will start, and I'll be reading works about the Romans in Paris, which excites me way more than it should. I also have French literature recommendations from my old lector (who wrote my letter of recommendation for the Paris program, interestingly enough.) and I am really excited to read some French literature. I love books.

Looking up at the roofs of Notre Dame. On the side that is not near the Seine. I thought it was cool; I really like looking at the parts of churches that other people kind of pass over.

The Eiffel Tower at night, when my camera is on its "night" setting, which as a really long exposure time, and my hand moves when hitting the button.


The Eiffel Tower at sunset.

I went over to the apartment of some of the people in the year round program today for dinner. It was a lot of fun, with great conversation, pretty good wine, and not bad food. Their apartment has a view of all the major landmarks, and is really awesome. (You can see Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur on the other side.)

The scene above the main door. It's the Last Judgement. (Or Le dernier Jugement)
The back. It was really pretty.


Pictures from almost a week ago.

It's the cathedral at Vezelay. It was really pretty and fun. We had to walk up this huge hill, a really narrow, windy street that was lined with cute restaurants and wine stores. This last picture is close to the first view of it, when the streets kind of opened up to a little square in front of it.

I have pictures of Notre Dame that I'll be posting once I get them onto my computer. I've just been fairly overwhelmed by the whole idea of really old churches. I mean, there are huge amounts of history in most of the churches in Paris, and many of them are still active churches. They are an active, ever changing historical monument. I'm not sure that I would be able to worship in a place like Notre Dame or the cathedral at Vezelay or St. Germain des Pres (which has a really fascinating little history. You all should look it up.). I don't know if I would be able to focus on the idea of a deity, rather than the little stories of all of the people that worshipped there before me. I mean, did people get married there? Did they hold funerals? What important events in their lives happened there? And what role in their lives did the Church really play? Was it actually a religious belief, and a worship of an omnipotent deity, or was it more that the political power of the Church as an institution demanded attention?

And then, in France, as well as in the rest of Europe, there were some pretty violent religious quarrels. I want to know what the people that went to those churches actually thought about it. Where was the line drawn between the people who were actually fanatic, and the people who were just sticking with the church that was in power? And when people defaced the churches, what were their reasons for it, rather than the obvious. That's where the word "defacement" comes from. Protestants would go around and hack at the stone carvings of saints and the apostles in order to send a message to the Church. What made them do what they did?

So, that's the end of the ramblings for the night. I'm super tired, and I'm goin to a flea market tomorrow morning. Also, the stupid internet connection is coming in and out. And it's really frustrating.

Tonight, a large group of us went to a cafe, where we shared a few bottles of wine and talked for a couple of hours. Then, three of us decided we still had an hour before the metro stopped running, and stopped by an awesome bar for a beer. I love Paris.

So, I spent more on beer today (la biere en francais) than I did on lunch. But I am totally okay with that, as I had two pints of a delicious "biere blanche". (It was a light beer that came with a lemon in it.) We went to a bar with the person that's supposed to help us with our conversation stuff, and it was actually fun. Everyone talked a lot, and it really is a good way to learn a language when you're drinking with someone. She was totally tipsy too.

French gum is weird.

I'm super tired.

More Paris pictures

This is a statue from the Jardin du Luxembourg that I thought was kind of pretty. (There are a lot of women statues like this. Not really sure why, just thought they were interesting.)

This is the fountain of St. Michel, or something like that. I actually didn't know what it was when I took the picture, but I say it in my guide book when I came back to my room. It just looked impressive and important, so I took a picture. If you look, you can see him slaying a dragon. This is also really close to Notre Dame, and it's in the Latin Quartier, where a lot of stuff happens, and is kind of cute, but super touristy. I will be going back, as there are all sorts of important landmarks that I haven't gotten a chance to explore yet.

This is the gate to the Palais Justice. It's pretty awesome. The building is really impressive. (We didn't go in, we just walked past it.) This gate is also really ridiculously tall.



So, this is the Palais Luxembourg. It's in the Jardin du Luxembourg, which is really pretty. And huge. (We ate lunch here today. Sat on a bench and people watched while munching on a baguette with cheese. 'Twas pretty damn awesome.)







So, there will be a description of what I did today on my xanga. (Sara_rules). But I really don't feel like writing it twice. And there are more details on here.

Paris...

So, we have to share showers and toilets, but we have our own sinks in our room. It's not very aesthetically pleasing, but it's quite quaint and actually nicely convenient.


This is the view from my window. I don't know how well you can see stuff, but it's pretty awesome.

I would add more pictures, but I'm still really jet lagged, and they are taking forever. I had a good flight. The room is actually pretty big; bigger than the space at B-J, but that's actually kind of a bad thing. It feels really empty, and I don't have the means to cozy it up. I do have red curtains and a nice red blanket, which makes it nice and bright, and a little better than just some student dorm.

Oh well, I'm off to bed. I'll do my best to update here, hopefully different things than on my xanga. (If I don't have enough material for two blogs that aren't very long, then I am not taking full advantage of the situation and I should not be here.)

I do have to say that I am not having the most amazing time ever. I know enough French to get by, and I understand a lot of literature, but the French department didn't think it important to teach us practical stuff. It is the University of Chicago, after all. I am definitely way out of my comfort zone, which is super uncomfortable for me.