First half of the week
Trip Start
Jun 26, 2008
1
21
26
Trip End
Aug 11, 2008
Paris,
Île-de-France,
France
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sunday morning we got up bright and early for a bike ride along the Canal (Mom, Tony, and Robert- we walked along this canal when we stayed in Paris last time). The bike rental was surprisingly cheap (12 euro for the whole day, 5 euro for 3 hours). It was such a beautiful ride though a little scary at first to ride along the bike lanes on the streets. We rode all the way out to the "suburbs" of Paris and back.
Later on in the day I went to the Pompidou library which has a huge foreign language section with literature from all around the world in all different languages. I wish that I could stay in Paris just to have access to all the resources here! I did some homework there and then met up with my French friend Jeremy for coffee.
Monday was fairly low-key except that as I was rushing to get to a lecture in the evening the heel on my shoe broke and I slipped in the middle of the street. I was so surprised to have fallen that I think I just sat in sock. Finally an old french man pulled me up out of the street. I scraped my leg up pretty bad but I walked straight to a pharmacy (pharmacies are everywhere) and they cleaned me up and bandaged my leg for free. It was very nice.
Monday night I had dinner with Monica (host mom). I have dinner with her twice a week and every time it is so good! Her cooking is great and I feel like she really puts effort into making a nice dinner. Monday we had steak, potatoes, and vegetables. For dinner she made me a baked apple with cinnamon.
Gare de Lyon
Yum!Tuesday after class I went straight to Montmartre with some friends. We got sandwiches and then sat on the lawn in front of Sacre Coeur to look at the view of Paris. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera but the view is wonderful and Montmartre has so many vibrant shops and lively street performers. I hope I can get at least one more chance to explore the area.
After Montmartre we went to a frozen yogurt shop called My Berry. This is probably the best ice cream/frozen yogurt I've ever had. They take plain fat free yogurt and freeze it and then for flavor you choose fruit to put on top. What is so great about it is that they don't add sugar or flavor or anything it tastes just like plain yogurt and it is so creamy and good! I was sad though to learn that there aren't any My Berry shops in the US yet :(
Tuesday night was my friend Laura's birthday. For her birthday her parents told her they'd pay for her to take out a few friends to a nice dinner. My friends Tina, Nikki, and Anne came along. To start off we had an aperatif at a very posh restaurant calle Le Train Bleu which is in the Gare de Lyon (a major train station here). The restaurant has lots of little private rooms which is where we got to sit. After our drinks we walked across the street to L'Europeen which is a fancy steak and seafood restaurant.
For starters we had oysters and ... escargot! Both very good. It was great fun to get to have a liesurely dinner over some excellent food. The group of us have been spending lots of time together and so it was a great mix of good company and good food. After a long dinner we walked over to the latin quarter to have some gelato. The gelato place we went to is yet another amazing food place in Paris (of course this city is full of culinary delights). When you get a cone they shape the gelato into a flower!
This morning I went for a great run (my leg is feeling a little better so I felt up to it). Then I had class as usual. I had lunch with my friend Nate who is from London and is studying here until September. After lunch Nate and I met up with our friends Emilee and Allie on Paris Plage. Each summer the city of Paris blocks off an area of road along the Seine and creates a boardwalk/beach type atmosphere for those who can't go on vacation/ tourists. There are so many people! It was a pretty odd experience to sit in the sand and look up at all of the old Paris buildings.
To cap off the day the Picnic Club (Laura, Nikki, Tini, Anne, and I) are all meeting to have a picnic and enjoy an outdoor movie in one of the nearby parks here.
Whew! So much going on but I feel like every day is something great and exciting. I only have a few days left in Paris and so it is crunch time. I'm trying to get all of the last things in. I feel like I just got here and now I'm already leaving!
Comments
Paris sounds so fun!
Hi Kristina,
Wow! Another great week of fun. The bike ride sounds like it was fun. You certainly have lots of friends in Paris. Each day you seem so busy with a great groups of various friends! It'll be wonderful to have made more friends around the world!
I'm sorry you hurt your leg, but glad that the French gentleman and pharmacy took care of you.
It is hard to believe that your time in Paris is close to over! I didn't realize you were almost done. Time really went quickly. This experience sounds like all you wanted it to be and more.
Dad has been unable to post comments. I reviewed the username and password with him and hopefully his comments will start posting. He thought he posted some, but I didn't see them, so somehow he needs to modify his procedure. He just wanted me to let you know that he is trying to communicate and hopefully it will work this time.
Love,
Mom
I am Here
Kristina
I DID IT. Your old father finally found the right way to post a message.
Your trip to France sounds amazing. I really would love to travel to Paris with you and have you as my official tour guide. Maybe if i pay your way to can sacrafice some time to make the trip back
I hope your leg is feeling better. It does not look like it is slowing you down at all.
With all of your activities I think you would be able to spend another month in France and still not see or do everything you would want.
We are all very proud of your accomplishments and how hard you work.
Enjoy the rest of your trip
Love
Dad
Hi mom and dad
Mom and Dad,
I feel like I am going almost non stop and I am really surprised every time I lay down to take a nap how very tired I am. But it is all so wonderful here I could definitely stay here a month or even a year longer. There is just so much to do and see and I feel so comfortable here.
As for being your 'official tour guide' I would love to do that any time (if that isn't stating the obvious). I actually have been keeping a mental list of the best chateaux and the best places to go around Paris. It is such a great city to explore.
I hope everything is going well at home!
Kristina