Paris, je t'adore!

This weekend my friend Kelly and I went to Paris. Although we only had a weekend, we covered A LOT of ground. We walked around the Effiel Tower and the Arc du Triomphe; went to Versailles; visited Notre Dame; and of course, ate yummy food and went shopping. Versailles is now one of my favorite places--from the huge palace to the gardens--everything was magnificent! Notre Dame also had the most amazing stained glass windows I have seen. It is definitely my favorite church that I have been to in Europe. I also had the pleasure of enjoying the traditional French fare of crepes, onion soup, croissants, pastries, as well as falafel and an amazing salad with cherry tomatoes, potatoes, and cheese. Fortunately, Paris is a "walking city" so I walked everything off! The only down side about the weekend was that it was incredibly hot and I have a hard time tolerating the heat.

Last, but certainly not least, I had a blast utilising my linguistic skills, both in conversation and as a translator. Kelly does not speak French, so she often asked me to translate signs, menus, or talk to one of the locals. I would say I spoke French about 90% of the time I was there, which was good, given that I had not taken French in two years. Since I took four years of French in high school, I am not required to take a language in college. Even though the Parisians talk fast, I still enjoyed speaking to them in their language. Now I want to spend next summer living with a French family as an English tutor--an opportunity for me to go beyond the four walls of a classroom and speak with native speakers.

La Tour Effiel
Louis XIV's bed. If only Fields' (my dorm) beds were this lavish. At least I have a suite!

Versailles: View of the palace

Garden in Versailles. This is where I want to get married. Unfortunately, it's too far for my guests, but I still plan to have an outdoor wedding. But hey, I can dream!

Notre Dame: Prettiest cathedral I have been in

Kitty in a cafe: She looks like Mew, my old cat, who we sadly had to put down when my family and I went to Paris five years ago :(

Typical petit dejuner (breakfast)

Arc du Triomphe

Au revior! Plus tard, et avez une bonne semaine! (Goodbye! More later, and have a good week!)