Time to be Tourists

Due to this past week being our last full week in Paris, Cara and I finally decided to check a few touristy sites off of our list. After four weeks, it was finally time to use our museum passes and see the history behind the beautiful city of Paris.

Monday night we had yet another phenomenal dinner with more Memphis families that were kind enough to take us out during their trips to Paris.  We had reservations at Georges, which is a funky, modern restaurant on the top of the Pompidou Center. The restaurant is not only known for their food, but for their amazing 300 degree view of the city through their glass walls. We watched the sun set on the city while we ate a delicious meal with friends- what could be better?

Unfortunately, while in Paris, we have had to attend a little thing called class.  Tuesday morning we had presentations in class and after class we had a scheduled visit at the European Commission, which was very intriguing.  Later that night, one of our professors took our entire class to the famous L'As du Fallafel in the Marais to pick up dinner.  We all took our dinner to the Seine to eat, drink wine and watch the sunset by the river.

Wednesday's class period flew by because we all knew we had a five day weekend ahead of us!  We got out of class and decided to treat ourselves to the best vegetable tart and seafood salad at bread & roses.  Once again, another restaurant that I highly recommend (we have yet to eat at a bad restaurant).  After lunch and wondering into a few nearby shops, we went to visit our friends Mona and Nike at the Luvre.  We figured it would be less crowded on a random Wednesday afternoon, but boy were we wrong.  Mona was a lot smaller than I expected... in fact, she's tiny.  Walking through crowds of tourists for hours made us hungry again, so for dinner we found ourselves back in the Marais for some fondue.  I think I ate six loafs of bread and 3 lbs. of cheese...

After eating so much fondue, we decided to wake up Thursday morning and walk a few miles to the Bastille Marche, the outdoor market at Place de Bastille.  We found lots of goodies- butter and sugar crepes, cherries and English peas!  Cara's parents arrived a few hours later so we met them at their hotel and set out for a day full of activities.  Dinner was at Le Square Gardette and was phenomenal, yet again.  When we arrived to the empty restaurant for our 8:00 reservations, we were concerned about our restaurant choice.  Apparently eating at 8:00 in France is equivalent to the 5:30 crowd in the U.S.  By 9:30, as we were getting our second course, the place was full of people.  The vibe of the restaurant and food was eclectic and funky, but made us feel like we were at home in Texas.  It was a great ending to a great day!

Exploring Saint Germain des Prés & Saint Michel

Wednesday was another day filled with amazing and fascinating adventures.  It just blows my mind how much there is to see and do in this city.  After a quick glimpse into the life and culture of the Saint Germain and Saint Michel area, we decided we had to go back to explore some more.

We got out of class early enough to plan a little "picnic" in the Luxembourg Gardens.  We picked up two little flatbread pizzas covered with tomatoes, olives and arugula.  The six of us lined up our chairs along the garden to eat and enjoy the view.  On our way out we just so happened to run into Cara's family friends again- how ironic?  And they gave us this amazing map book of the city... our new bible.

From the gardens we walked to the famous Café de Flore for their specialty hot chocolate.  The hot chocolate here is not your typical, American, watered down hot chocolate, it is real hot chocolate that tastes more like a melted chocolate bar.

We used our new bible to take Rue de Seine all the way to the Seine to find the Lovers Lock Bridge.  Luckily, we found the exact bridge we were looking for.  For those of you who are not familiar with the Lovers Lock Bridge, it is a bridge over the Seine that has thousands and thousands of locks on it.  Couples from all over the world visit the bridge to hang their lock with their names, initials, anniversaries, etc.  You then throw the key to the lock over the edge and into the Seine.  Since Ron and Alex (Cara's beau) were not with us to partake in this lovely (you might say... cheesy) tradition, we decided to do it ourselves.

The off to the The Smith's Bakery for a little something sweet.

Living the Parisian Life

Even though I was exhausted when I returned from our weekend stay in Normandy, we hit the ground running on Monday morning.  And so week two of our Parisian adventures begins.

Monday was our last day of eight hour class days (thank goodness).  It was time to stop studying, and time to start living and exploring!  Cara and I took the Metro directly from class to the heart of Saint Germain des Prés to have dinner with a family that Cara knows from Memphis.  We followed exact directions from the metro and found ourselves in the cutest, most charming neighborhood we have seen yet.  This will be the future home of our Paris apartment :)  I was very lucky to enjoy an amazing home prepared dinner with ingredients and foods from all the best markets and épiceries around.  We sat around the family's beautiful French apartment, talking about Paris and eating ahi tuna, a variety of cheeses, pea soup, fresh vegetables and much much more.  To read more about our dinner, visit Cara's blog!

After dinner and beautiful desserts from Gérard Mulot, we left the apartment with intentions of jumping on the metro to head home.  That didn't happen.  While we were inside eating the streets had come to life.  There were people everywhere, eating at restaurants, drinking at cafés and walking around in the neighborhood.  Of course we had to stop and explore a little bit.

Just a few snapshots of our delicious food.

Tuesday was another busy school day, with four hours of class and a four hour company visit to Toluna.  By the end of the day, we were exhausted and decided to pick up groceries from our local market to make a small dinner.

Make sure to check back soon for a post about Luxembourg Gardens, Café de Flore and the Lovers Lock Bridge.

Today, I Found Heaven.

That's right.  And the address is 24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris.  Also known as Le Bon Marche.

We originally went in hopes of seeing "a department store with some nice things and a food court," as it was described to us.  Come to find that it is an immaculate store that is the home to every designer imaginable.  

The "food court" just so happened to be a two story luxury food department store complete with wine, fresh produce, and grocery departments.  Two hours later, after we made a few rounds around the grocery store, we finally made a decision on what to eat for dinner.  We then took our dinner to a cute little park next door and polished it off with a mini bottle of wine. 

We also went on a bus tour as a group on Tuesday night, and made a little pit stop at the Eiffel Tower.  We made it right as the sun was setting (after 9 pm... what).  Of course I have to share those pictures as well.

Bienvenue à Paris!

Finally made it Paris, my home for the next six weeks!  I have to say, I have only been here for two days and this has already been the experience of a lifetime (good...and not so good).  It was very difficult for me to say bye to my family and friends at home, and that is an understatement.  Luckily, I got to enjoy an amazing farewell dinner with my family and Ron's family the night before I left.  Then I went home to pack.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh?

The drive to the airport was filled with tears, and on top of that, I found out my phone would not work in Paris.  After about 12 hours of flying, I finally made it to Paris... come to find out that my luggage did not.  Perfect.  Icing on the cake.

Two days later, after wearing the same outfit and brushing my teeth with my finger, I finally received my luggage.  Now I could finally relax and enjoy my time in Paris.  So Cara and I did just that and had a lovely little picnic in the park, complete with a baguette, brie, olives and a bottle of chardonnay.  For those of you who were wondering, it is true, wine IS cheaper than water.

The past three days have been filled with learning and exploring.  We are currently getting to know everyone on the trip, planning weekend trips, and learning the underground metro system.  Classes have been long and... well... long.  Hopefully they will lighten up soon so we can get out and enjoy this beautiful city!

On a walk near our dorm! 

Welcome breakfast at ESCP

ESCP, our school

Grabbing a cafe :) One of many...

Picnic in the park