Spring Is in the Air

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I'm sorry it has been so long without an update! I often come home and eat dinner right away, and am very tired. During the day if I go to the library I often can't grab a computer as there are only 2! But I may start heading to the ISA office more anyway, to try to make friends with the other students, as I have failed to do so and it has made me a bit lonely, even if I do have to leave a bit earlier to get to my next class. There are plenty more computers there so I may have the chance to update in the middle of the day, unless the weather is too nice to stay inside!

Last time I wrote, I had just come back from dinner at with friends of Catherine. The next day I was up early to go to the Brocante. Catherine and I had a cup of coffee and a croissant. I think I am becoming more of a coffee person, although normal coffee here is expresso, and a café grand is what Americans would typically think of as a coffee. I still don't like it without sugar, however. Another interesting thing is that a lot of Americans would just chug down an expresso shot for a quick caffeine fix, where here it is savored and what could be gone in one gulp is slowly sipped while enjoying a good conversation or book. We also enjoyed some delicious croissants.

The Brocante was certainly very interesting, kind of like a flea market and a garage sale, but more organized. There was lots of pretty jewelry and interesting books to look at, as well as everything from china to furniture to clothing!
I bought myself a rhinestone necklace, rhinestones being stones from the rhine river as opposed to the chintzy plastic things in craft stores. It came from the Alsace region.





After the Brocante, we had lunch. I tried quenelles, which is sort of the French equivalent of gefilte fish but with only one type of fish. It was served with a creamy crawfish sauce, and very delicious. It was followed by a delicious salad and cheese.

After lunch, we headed over to the Jewish history museum. We went first to the temporary exhibit, all about the Camondo family, which had a very interesting history, and a lot of cool artwork and Jewish artifacts. We unfortunately only had time to quickly browse through the rest of the museum, and definitely will be paying it another visit to devote sufficient time to the rest. I love how my student card gets me into almost all of the museums very cheaply or free! After the museum it was time for our usual cuppa and some cake.

Nothing particularly interesting happened during the beginning of the week, I had class as usual, and it was still pretty cold so I headed to the library in between. I did find a good place to grab lunch though, as it was so cold I was looking for someplace to eat inside, and after my class on weds, the CROUS has closed, and I can't eat anywhere inside the school building. There is a fast food pasta place nearby called Garden Pasta that is a good deal and yummy! I've also found out since, not the only place like it in the area, so I may try the others and see which one is the best!

On Wednesday night was the opening of the Yves St. Laurent exhibit at the Petit Palais. I had left class a little early to go get in line, but it turned out I needn't have bothered. We waited in line for 2 hours! It was quite chilly, and our toes were getting numb as we finally got inside. I managed to get a very pretty picture of the sunset, and of a couple things inside, but not more pictures because only press were allowed. It was worth the wait! The clothes were all very interesting. While some of them were not things I would want to wear, I did want to run around playing dress up with all of them! I love how he changed the mindset of what can and cannot be worn by women.







After the exhibition, Catherine treated me to some delicious moules-frites (mussels and fries). I had mussels in a cream sauce with mushrooms that was quite good, and Catherine had mussels with escargot! I also drank the beer that was recommended with my dish, and it was quite tasty, even though I am not often a beer fan. I am not sure if it is the fact that alcohol is stronger here, or if I am just a lightweight, but just one beer had me very sleepy and my head was spinning. It was quite late, so Catherine got us a cab home, which was just as well because I was tipsy.

On Saturday I stayed in and took care of things pertaining to school next year and planning my spring break. After Morocoo, I am going to chill for a day and sleep, then go to Amsterdam and Bruges! I think I will go to Amsterdam first because some of the other ISA kids will be there then, so I won't have to be alone the whole time hopefully. We will have to figure it out beforehand, because the cell phone isn't coming...international roaming fees? Do not want. I was a bit upset that night because it was yet another Saturday night I stayed in and didn't do anything with friends. Unfortunately I have had difficulty connecting with the other students, but I am taking steps to fix it, even things that do make me a little anxious.

On Sunday I headed to Catherine's for lunch and we had some delicious little ham and endive casseroles with a cheesey sauce in them. It is another thing I think would like to play with at home! I am going to have a lot of fun cooking this summer. After lunch we went to the Orangerie, and did in fact get to go inside this time! We saw a series of paintings by Monet called the Nympheas, which are paintings of waterlilies and other nature scenes that are really beautiful. They were painted specifically for the museum and arranged just how he liked them. The other part of the museum is a private collection of impressionist pieces that was donated to the museum. Catherine explained that to get out of inheritance taxes, a lot of people will donate paintings to museums, which I like because it allows everyone to then enjoy them! I found that I liked the renoir paintings the best at that museum, and while they didn't have any postcards or magnets of my favorite one,





I did get a magnet of another that I liked a lot, so I can add it to my petit art collection with the postcard of my favorite Vigée le Brun painting.





After the Orangerie, we headed to her favorite cafe for some ice cream, as it was a nice day. French ice cream is heavier on the flavor, lighter on the cream. It was interesting, but I think I prefer German ice cream which is very creamy!

On Monday after class, the weather was beautiful so I headed to the Luxembourg garden, which is right near school. I wandered around to see everything, then settled on a chair by the pond with my book. I really enjoyed it! Pictures and captions are here on pages 7 and 8! I went back between classes on Tuesday as well. I found a different fountain that I didn't see before, and think it is my favorite place in the garden. There is some shade, and the fountain makes a pleasant background noise, and there are some ducks who call it home. There is even a small duck house behind the fountain. I sat with an expresso (which is a normal coffee here, what us Americans think of as a regular sized coffee is a big coffee) and savored it, when it could have been gone in one gulp, while reading my book. I love the weather and it improved my mood so much. I hope it stays like this the rest of the time I am here!

Tomorrow I am meeting Catherine after class and we are going to visit St. Germain de Pres. I think it will be nice out again, and I am really looking forward to it!

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Comments

[Heather]

Great posting!
I'm really enjoying reading about your travels! What amazing experiences you're having! I'm dying to get to France and you posting has made me feel a little closer! Thanks for sharing, and keep up the great writing! dirty-hippies.blogspot.com