Notre Dame

Going down our list of things to do before french class starts, our crew decided to visit Notre Dame on Wednesday. Lisa, Rachael and I returned with our groceries, the boys graciously carried them in for us, and we set off for the île de la cité. First, we decided to go up in the towers. We got crêpes to eat while we waited. All five of us got ham and cheese. They were delicious, and way overpriced. (Touristy Paris, ugh) And then, the moment of infamy: a pigeon decided to relieve himself on Sean's crêpe. It was a lovely green color.  Sean, needless to say, did not get to finish eating. Despite that brief snafu, the morning went relatively well. We climbed the tower, saw Quasimodo's bell and the beautiful view, then returned to ground level to tour the Cathedral. (For the record, that was 400 more stairs). 

We weren't hungry for lunch, so we went in search of Bertillion ice cream. We found the main shop on the  other island, île St. Louis. I got cappuccino and chocolate glace and we ate our ice cream cones with our feet dangling off the bank of the Seine. We sat there for maybe an hour. It was perfect, except Sean got a sun burn. Lisa and I then headed to our first Photography class. We spent most of the time just learning how to shoot manual and going over basics. Vlad and Sean met back up with us and we headed to the Bateaux Mouches. This was one of ISA's planned/paid-for excursions. So our whole program took a boat tour of the seine together. It was a lot of fun. 

Our group headed back to the dorms and ate our first meal in our caféteria. We concluded the night with wine and conversation on the Cité lawn. 

Pictures to follow.  

Sacré Coeur

Tuesday was our Art class orientation day. Lisa, Brittany, and I didn't have photography until 3, so we went to the ISA office later than everyone else. I briefly stopped in Gilbert Jeune for a notebook for class, and we set off east down the left bank of the Seine in search of the office. Thankfully we ran into Rachael and some girls from her class who had already finished orientation, and they showed up where the office was. It's a block south of the seine, right across from Notre Dame. Incredible location. 

Rachael joined us for lunch before our orientation. We ate sandwiches again on a park bench next to a flower stand. It felt very quaint.

 Delicious little chocolate macaron

We returned to Shakespeare and Co. Incredible, again. Then Lisa, Brittany, and I went to photography orientation. Afterwards, Magali, Trey, Abby, Lisa, Rachael, and I went to Montmartre. My family saw the Sacré Coeur briefly on our last visit, but it was very brief. So, I was excited to get to explore this part of the city for the first time. We had to climb a couple hundred stairs to even get out of the metro station, then we climbed another 180 or so (Magali and I counted) up to the Sacré Coeur. We walked around the church and admired the view. 

Then, Lisa, Rachael, and I (since we enjoy pain) decided to climb 300 more stairs to the dome of the Sacré Coeur. The rest decided to call it a day. It was painful, but worth it, for sure. The view from up there is breath-taking. 

     

                                                                                                                     Always be prepared.  

   When we returned to ground level, we still had about an hour till dinnertime, so we walked down the stairs and walked around the area, then headed towards the Montmartre cemetery. 

 

Unfortunately it was closed, but we saw the beautiful mausoleums from the bridge. 
 The three of us, very hungry and tired by this point, decided that we deserved a nice dinner after walking up hill and up stairs for several hours. So, we took the metro up to the outskirts of Montmartre to a restaurant called Au Bon Coin. It was the cheapest restaurant I could find. It was very well priced for the quality of food. I had beef tenderloin, Rachael, veal, and Lisa, fish. Our meals were served with delicious potatoes and green beans, perhaps our first vegetable of the trip. It was delicious. We shared a bottle of white wine and each got a dessert. Rachael and I got an incredible gâteau chocolat. We still talk about it. It was a wonderful meal. 

After a tiresome, but lovely day, the three of us took the long metro ride home and went straight to bed. 

Orientation Day

Monday was our first orientation day. Rachael and I led a group from our dorm to the Catho (Catholic University of Paris), since we are the only ones who have been to Paris before. 

We met in the courtyard at about 9:15 to meet up with our ISA directors. 

The Catho was built in the 17th century and it's a beautiful place to be. 

 Trey is enjoying his coffee. 

The ISA directors are great. They're very laid back. Some are American, some French. Our first orientation was mainly focused on introducing the logistics of Paris and safety.

After the first session, Rachael and I headed to fill our Navigo Pass cards (weekly/monthly metro card) at Montparnasse with two other girls, Adree and Lisa. Then we grabbed sandwiches (on fresh baguettes, mind you) and pastries, and headed to the Jardins Luxembourg to eat them. We found it on the first try (so there, David and Momma). It's about two blocks away from the Catho. We ate near the little café and got fruit juice to go with our lunch. 

Then we showed our companions the rest of the parc. It was a glorious day  

         

We went back for the next orientation. This Orientation was focused on Paris culture. They told us where to go to get everything we might need and where to go to find things strictly Parisian. They gave us countless websites to find train tickets, concert tickets, and surprises in Paris (e.g. The Galeries Lafayette- a famous Paris department store- is hosting free tennis on their roof until June 4). They told us where to go for student discounts, what accents to fake to get better discounts (no joke), and where to find the best flea markets, festivals, ticket prices and nightlife. 

Afterwards, I dragged my group up to the Left Bank of the Seine to show them Shakespeare and Company, which is a famous English bookstore. It's fantastic, even better than I remember it. It's right next to the ISA office, so I plan to spend alot of time there. It's very small and cramped and filled to the brim with good books.We didn't have much time, so I impulsively bought Les Miserables, and we headed back to our dorms. I've gone back since, but it's so wonderful, it deserves a post of its own. So, this is all you get. 

When we arrived, Rebecca, one of our directors, gave us a tour of the Cité Universitaire facilities, then we rushed back to our rooms to grab what we needed for the rest of the evening. 

We met our ISA group for our welcome dinner at a restaurant one block away from Shakespeare and Co. It would have been far more convenient to have just stayed up there, but c'est la vie. 

Dinner was at a nice greek place and a pianist serenaded us while we ate. 

Lisa just tried to stay awake. 

After dinner a large (way too large) group of us walked along the Seine while the sun was setting to the Eiffel Tower: one of those scenes I hope I'll never forget.

The group split. There were lots of interesting detours, but we made it there. Finally we sat down by the seine and drank some wine. It was a lovely way to end the evening. 

En Arrivant

I'm in Paris!

On the plane, I sat next to a very nice Parisian named Michel, so I was able to practice my French and ask him for advice. I slept for maybe one hour total. Malhereusement, I still haven't mastered sleeping on the trans-atlantic flights, even with Tylenol PM. We landed safely in Paris on time, the customs line took about 1 minute (maybe), and my suitcase was just coming off the baggage claim when I arrived. I found the ISA group within 5 minutes. Everything was seamless. I haven't even lost anything yet.  Rachael, unfortunately, was not so lucky. Her plane awaited take-off on the Newark tarmac for 4 hours, on account of a maintenance problem. On the bright side, this meant she arrived shortly after I did, and we rode to our dorm together. ISA provided a shuttle service to our residences. So upon arrival, all ISA students were presented with all sorts of maps, guides, tickets, and instructions, and dropped at our respective doorsteps.  

Rachael and I are living in the Cité Universitaire which is divided up into "houses" of different countries, each with their own style of architecture. But all the Maisons share a common university center.    

We're staying in the Maison des Etudiants Canadiens. Apparently you don't have to be Canadian to live here.  

Our room is in the corner of the 3rd floor. It's a funny little room. About 98% of our ceiling is slanted. We might be walking sideways by the end of our stay here, but it hasn't been too bothersome thus far.

We also have a fan, which Rachael is very excited about.  

On entering our room, we immediately cast down our luggage, and left in search of food. We were ravenous. So, we set out west down the Rue Jordan in desperate search of sustenance. We ate outdoors at a little café two blocks down from the dorm called Le Chalet du Parc. 

Rachael and I both had Croques Monsieurs (the French version of the grilled cheese) and cokes. It was delicious and affordable. We're situated on the southern border of the Paris city center, in a very non-touristy area of town. Which, obviously, has it's positive and negative aspects. On the negative side, most exciting Paris cites are a metro ride away. However, on the positive side, everything around here is more reasonably priced and there aren't swarms of tourists, mainly locals and university students. 

After lunch we looked around the neighborhood for a supermarché. We found almost everything we needed, and then some. Also, right next door, we found a beautiful boulangerie/ patisserie that was calling our names. We bought a perfect baguette for .70 euro. Incroyable.

On our way back from l'épicerie, a frenchman tried to ask Rachael out from his maintenance truck. We couldn't understand if he wanted her to tutor him in English or get coffee with him. His franglais was difficult to decipher. Regardless, she declined. 

Now, we're relaxing, starting to unpack, and savoring a fresh baguette with nutella, jam, and cheese, as the music of the opera concert down below and the gentle breeze of this lovely May day drift through our open window.  

Paris is a dream. 

However, the jet lag I'm experiencing is not. 

Sleep is a wonderful thing...

Audrey

 

"Paris is always a good idea."

-Audrey Hepburn

Paris (Circa 1998)

These are the few things I remember from my first trip to Paris. 

Highlight #1: the old timey elevator in our hotel and my brother, David, tucked-in shirt and all. What a stud.

Highlight #2: the carousel across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. 

The same carousel Summer 2010. 

Highlight #3: The Eiffel Tower underwhelmed me after the carousel and the elevator, but I remember it all the same.