Blogs from Boulogne-Billancourt, Île-de-France, France, Europe

The last two weeks have been brilliant. There has been a different feel to the days and we have certainly recharged the batteries. Relaxing seems to have been the key factor and we have enjoyed experiencing new parts of France. Our time in Villenueve-Lembron seemed to go all too quickly but we left with many memories and a real desire to head back there one day in the future. The southern Auvergne landscape is so different to the rest of France and the mountains and hills appear to just roll over the countryside. We enjoyed driving from one village to the next; most of which meant winding your way up lanes to the top of a hill where the village sat overlooking the valley. When they built these villages in medieval times security was their key ... read more

I didn't write yesterday because not much happened. I stayed home in the morning and tried to rest so my cold would go away. Now I am no longer congested but still have a bit of a cough. For lunch, I set off to find the CROUS in this neighborhood. It was kind of tricky, had to go inside Université René DesCartes, but I didn't know that at first. When I figured out that it was the right number, I went inside. I found the place to load my carte CROUS, but didn't see the restaurant. Instead of asking someone, I was feeling shy, so I wandered all the way up and down the stairs to see if it was on another floor. It was not. But then I happened to glance out a window and ... read more

Today, after a lot of sleep and feeling a little better, I decided to go the Tour Eiffel. Catherine said it was une corvée (something that is boring but you feel you have to do anyway) but I was not bored at all! The weather was beautiful, so it was a good day for it. I luckily didn't have to wait in line too long. The elevator went straight up to the second floor first, where there is a little bit of information and mostly great views. Then I went down to the first, where there are all sorts of signs explaining how the Tower was built and other fun facts, which I really enjoyed. There were also explanations of all the famous landmarks you can see from the Tower. I didn't eat anything there, although ... read more

Today I was able to sleep in a little, since I didn't need to be at ISA until 16:30. I decided to explore Paris, and cracked open the Paris Bus Cards I had won in a raffle at the French Club Soirée last year. I thought about going to the Eiffel Tower, but I spoke to Catherine and she said the lines are really long, even in the winter, so I decided to go to Champs Elysées instead, as I could take a bus from my stop and not need to switch. Unfortunately, only one of the lines that is listed in the Paris bus cards goes to my stop, but they are still very useful to have, because I never know what bus stop I may find myself near. Also it is nice to have ... read more

Apparently 2 buildings on the same street can have the same number, one followed by "bis" which means it was added later, which I did not know until later. I went to 75 rue des plantes and the ISA office wasn't there...because I wanted 75 bis rue des plantes, which I think I may have walked past, but Idk. I went back the other way and around the corner to ask someone how to find it. Eventually I did, but before I did I was very upset and lost, in the snow and a city I don't know very well yet. I thought the bis was part of the street name, but "bis rue des plantes" was not on my map! At least I got there, and was a bit late but it was the first ... read more