Day Eight

This morning was the 5th day of class, and the end of the first week. This morning, it was drizzling while we were walking to class, and that was really the first time the sun hadn't come out since we've been here. Thankfully, the sun did eventually come out. After class, we had the whole afternoon to ourselves, and we had nothing until 6:30 where we met at the Louvre. We spent about 2 hours walking around the museum, and discussing the pictures that each person chose as one of their favorites last weekend. We then had the rest of the night to ourselves, and don't have anything as a group again until Sunday morning.

The Mona Lisa

Day Seven

Today was our 4th day of school. Around 3, we took the metro and walked around Le Marais. We passed a lot of shops, and went to the Muji, a small convenience store. We stopped for pastries at Le Loir dans la theiere, which has an Alice and Wonderland theme. After that, we kept walking and passed the Bastille, pretty gardens, and the Sully Hotel. Then we got back just in time for our normal dinner at 6:30 and had the rest of the night free.

Day Six

This morning we went to class at the Alliance Francaise. Right after school, we all took the metro and went to the Orsee Museum, where we spent several hours discussing pictures in detail. After the museum, we had a few hours free until dinner, and at 6:30 we all ate together again, like every other night.

Day Five

Today was our 2nd day of class at the Alliance Francaise. After school, half of the group went to Androuet for Cheese tasting, where we learned a little about the history of different cheeses in Paris, and tried about 5 or 6 different kinds. We met for dinner at 6:30 like usual, and have had the rest of the night to ourselves.

Day Four

Today was our first day of class at the Alliance Francaise. After breakfast, we walked to the school, bought our books and were split up into 4 different classes. All the beginners are in the same class, and the 4 people who have taken French before are in 3 higher levels. After class, we had the afternoon free, until we all met up for our first dinner at Le Pension, which included chicken, french fries, vegetables, and flan.

More pictures from the city of happiness, radical politics and the endless consumption of coffee. It makes us very happy to come across our students sitting at cafés looking very Parisian and Existential indeed.

Day Three

Today we had most of the morning and afternoon free to do what we wanted. Several people decided to go to the Eiffel Tower. At 5:00 we went to an Organ concert at Saint Eustache. After that we all went our separate ways again, until a little before 8, where we started our boat tour along the Seine, where we saw a lot of the main sights in Paris. After the boat tour, we stopped and got ice cream. After ice cream, some of us went out for crepes, and everyone else returned to Le Pension. Tomorrow is our first day of class at the Alliance Francaise, which should be fun.

Lunch at La Coupole. Not a complete gastronomic success, but fun to eat with the ghosts of Hemingway and Simone de Beauvoir.  Madame Le Professeur.  Men playing boules in the Luxembourg Gardens.

Day Two in Paris

Today the whole group went to eat lunch at La Coupole. This is one of the more famous restaurants in Paris, as a lot of artists used to dine there. We all had either a two or a three course meal which included items such as chicken, beef, fish, and duck liver for the more daring.

After lunch, most of us went to visit the Louvre Museum, and had the rest of the afternoon free. At 9:00 we met up with John, and took a walking tour down to the Seine river, and the Louvre, and found out a lot about the city along the way. It was about a 2 hour walk, but it was very enjoyable to see Paris at night.

Luxembourg

Class picture in the Luxembourg Gardens.

After The Volcano

A few sidewalk scenes from sleepy, sunny Day One in Paris. I never get tired of watching people sitting at their tiny cafe tables watching the world go by.  John 

First Day in Paris

Today we arrived in Paris, after a short delay after the Volcanic eruption in Iceland. We left Boston at around 6 pm, and landed in Paris at about 6:45 this morning, or 12:45 EST.

After we all checked in, and claimed our baggage, we all took taxis back to Le Pension, where we will be staying for the next couple of weeks. The afternoon was basically free to explore the city, unpack, or catch up on much needed sleep. We took a mini tour in the late afternoon, where we were shown where to find important things such as the laundromat, the atm, the closest metro station, and of course, where to find a good croissant. After the mini tour, everyone went their separate ways for dinner, and to do whatever they wanted for the rest of the night. The rest of the weekend, is pretty much free as well, and we have a lot of time to explore what we each want to see in Paris.

eiffel_tower

eiffel_tower, originally uploaded by tracepapier.

Beautiful view of the Eiffel Tour with "Northern Lights" background.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jason_stevens_photography/4345401830/

Notre Dame on a "sunny" day

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintzileos/400058093/