Nearly one month!

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I've done a lot this week and I've been bad about writing down what I did, which means I kind of forgot some of it.
I was shopping with my friends last week to try to see if there was anything good in the last few days of the soldes (there was 😊 ) and we wandered into the Gap, because the collections are completely different. I decided to try on a pair of jeans because my friend Christina said she liked them. A guy who worked there offered to help me get the pants, so, after looking at the size chart to figure out my French size, I told him a certain size. He got them out, and then opened them, held them up, and said "Mais, c'est enorme!!" meaning, "But no, they're enormous!" And while I tried to say, "No, I'm pretty sure that's my size," he held them around his tiny, less than 29-inch hips and repeated, "Enorme! Enorme!" I was like, "Thanks." and angrily went back to the dressing room. Luckily, they were ENORME. Somehow the sizes don't convert correctly once you get past a certain point. So my embarrassment at being told that my pants were enormous by some tiny French man was a bit ameliorated by the fact that he really was right.
On Thursday evening I went to a rally for Francoise de Panafieu, who is the mayoral candidate I'm working for at the UMP. All of the UMP candidates who are running for mayors in each arrondissement were there. To introduce Francoise and then whenever they wanted to get the crowd going, they played some crazy techno music while bright colored lights swung all around the room and some overly enthusiastic French kids chanted and danced to the the tune of "FRAN-COISE! FRAN-COISE!" Some of the students were even wearing gray wigs to show affiliation with Francoise by mimicking her hair color. It was a crazy experience and a lot of fun. I don't think the techno dancing happens at Obama or Clinton rallies, and definitely not at McCain. As far as my internship goes, so far I've done a lot of putting address labels on envelopes. But it is nice to be in a French office setting, where I can practice my French more readily. When I met my friend Isabelle for tea today at La Mosquee (fantastic, everyone should do it), she said that my French skills are fairly good, although I'm pretty sure she was just being nice. I need to start working again on writing down new words, or else I forget them. And we've also met some other French friends, who are friends with my Sweet Briar friend's host brother.
I was just looking through my Let's Go Paris book to find things to do when my family comes to visit and saw how many things I've seen already. I feel like I've hit most of the major highlights in Paris (except for the Louvre--haven't seen it yet on this trip) which makes me happy. We spend a lot of free time wandering the city, trying to visit everything that's picturesque or free (our "Art History" student ID cards help). I still need to make it to the Musee Rodin and to the Institut du Monde Arabe within the next few weeks. There are, of course, hundreds of other museums and sights to see, and our History of Paris class is helping with that. This week we went to the Chateau de Vincennes which was a royal chateau/fortress used by all of the kings before Louis XIV built Versailles. Pictures are below. It's nice to see these places that are a bit off the tourist radar, and definitely out of the way. I don't know if I would have made it there otherwise. We tried to do the ultra-touristy feats of climbing the towers of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower on Saturday, but sadly arrived just minutes after each had closed for the day. Another time, I guess. It was really nice this weekend, which made being outside for extended lengths of time possible without tempting us to buy way-overpriced cups of Lipton-bag tea in the nearest cafe.
I'm going to Dublin from Thursday through Sunday, which I'm really excited about! It's my first time traveling. I'm going with my friends Raquel and Celina and it should be great. Let me know if you have travel tips!

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Photos

Tower at Chateau de Vincennes
The only remaining tower of the enceinte at Chateau de Vincennes. Used for protection and to house members of the court

the DONJON! (also the original chateau)
"Donjon" I think originally meant stronghold of a castle, but also means "dungeon" as in a prison. This place was, coincidentally or not, used for both. I'm not really clear on the etymology but I think it's interesting.

Ste-Chapelle de Vincennes
The chapel, viewed from the old enceinte (fortress walls)

Enceinte
A view of the enceinte

Graffiti
Originally a chapel in the Donjon, and later converted into prison cells. All of the graffiti was painted by prisoners.

more graffiti
Considering the building was really cold on an only average-cold day, these cells must have been horrible. Windows were boarded up to allow only minimal light to come through

more graffiti at Vincennes
The chateau was used as a "country-club prison" in the 18th century. It housed the Marquis de Sade, Denis Diderot, and Nicolas Fouquet, among others

the queen's chambers
Flamboyant gothic sytle

The king's rooms
A little more ornate

A more recent chateau
With a few of the moat which surrounded the enceinte of the Donjon

Another view of the chapel
outside the Donjon

Photo 23
in the courtyard of Marie de Medicis' chateaux

Photo 14
The architect was Le Vau, of Versailles fame

Photo 15
Gothic church with classical style arcades in the foreground

Watch out!
Some Paris street graffiti in the 20eme

mm ice cream
Berthillon--very, very good. But I wouldn't recommend the Blueberry (Myrtille) since it tasted more like sorbet and turned my teeth slightly blue, which expensive ice cream definitely should not do

Girls with Berthillon ice cream
worth the wait

Outline of Ile de la Cite
Ste Chapelle and Notre Dame, near sunset

Eiffel Tower
our almost-adventure. Kind of an awkward picture.