Bath Oct 22-24

We left for our Fall Break trip Friday night.  It is always a hike to get to the Marseille airport and this trip was no exception.  We had a 20 minutes walk to the bus station, a scramble to get on the bus (think trying to get on a C1 or any bus while 1 million other people are trying to get on as well), and then a 30 minute bus ride.  We finally got to the airport only to realize that MP2 (an annex/terminal to the legitimate Marseille airport) is super duper strange.  Moreover, Ryanair is in fact the most ridiculous airline ever.  There aren't assigned seats, so everyone just scrambles to find an empty seat.  Also we walked out on the tarmac to board our plane.  Then they try to sell you about 4000 things once on the plane (mostly liquor or cheeseburgers).  Finally when you land (assuming you are on time) they play reveille.  It is all very strange.

Once in London - to be specific Stansted airport (Ryanair, as a totally illegitimate airline does not actually fly into the city) we went through customs/passport check and took the bus into London.  We took a cab to our hostel and after being slightly weirded/grossed out at the tininess of our shared room fell asleep.

The next day we (Sara, Emily, and Emily's friend Katie) took the train to Bath.  Without going into too much detail Bath is super duper old (think Roman times) and was a Roman settlement - the Romans stayed due to the thermal springs they found.  So there is naturally a Roman bath in the center of Bath.

Some Bath highlights:

- walking around: we saw a rugby game across the river, the Pulteney bridge (which along with the Ponte Veccio is the only bridge in Europe to have stores on it)
- Bath Abbey: we spent so much time here - as in almost the majority of our time in Bath.  Saturday night we saw a concert there and Sara fell in love.  Sort of.  She took a fancy to the violin soloist (violinist) who played some very nice classical piece - The Lark Ascending (maybe).  His name was Harry.  His figures into our story later.  I loved the Abbey because of the stained glass - some of my favorite stained glass.  I really loved the bright colors (bold reds and blues).  Also the church had grave markers all of the place - on the floors, on the walls.  The ones on the floors were flat and had the epitaphs carved in them but most very pretty worn.  The ones on the wall were very elaborate marble pieces.  Most had scrolls or flounces - so they looked like fabric.  I snuck in on an impromptu tour that a Steward (think Church docent) was giving a visitor.  He pointed out some irregularities - like a grave marker that said immoral instead of immortal, and some graffiti carved in the wall.  I loved it!  Then on Sunday we went to morning and night services.  I really enjoyed the morning service, very anglican - which is what I grew up with.  The liturgy, the robed clergy, the organ - it was all wonderful.  After each service we went to the transept to get tea and cookies and each time we met some Bath inhabitants.
- the costume museum: This was Sara's favorite by far (except the concert).  She loved the costumes and the chronological progression of the clothing throughout the 1800s.  She was inspired multiple times.  I really like trying on the corset.  It probably wasn't nearly as tight as it was supposed to be - but it helped me have good posture.
- the Roman Baths: These were the reason for the town's formation - the Romans wanted thermal water to relax in.  But actually it was a sacred site for them, complete with a temple to Minerva.  The baths were quite extensive - complete with several rooms (a frigiderium, a tepiderium, a hot thermal bath, a sauna, rooms for massage...).  We listened to the audio guides (because they were free!!!!) and boy were they EXTENSIVE.  They were explanations for practically everything - it was almost too much.  Towards the end I started skipping some.  But there was one explanation which was particularly funny.  Apparently Romans would write curses on scraps of lead and through them into the spring.  The curses were actually accounts of theft - meaning that some Roman wrote about what was stolen from them, who they thought did it, and how they wanted Minerva (the goddess) to punish them.  On particularly funny one read:  "Docimedis has lost two gloves. He asks that the person who has stolen them should lose his minds and his eyes in the temple where she (Minerva) appoints".  Harsh.  I really enjoyed the baths - tons and tons of history!!!!

- the ultimate boat times: While walking around Bath we saw lots of canals.  After a bit we saw a family in a very thin boat (canal sized, think gondola width).  The kids and the wife hopped out to fix the locks.  The Bath canal system is comprised of locks which allow the boat to compensate for the fluctuating (hilly) terrain.  I can't properly explain how a lock system works so look at this article.  But suffice it to say that this family showed us the most intense boat times - ever.
- thai food: Our first night we ate thai food.  Katie, Sara, and I had pad thai and Emily had some semi-spicy thing that she didn't really enjoy - but ate like the trooper she is.  It was delicious - and long over due. I am so glad we got thai food - I had been missing pad thai.

All in all Bath was excellent.  It is a beautiful city - and all very walkable.  The Abbey is absolutely gorgeous (I would love to visit it again some day).  Also our hostel was really great - it had free food, free wi-fi, and free breakfast (all major pluses in my book).  It was lovely beginning to our fall break tour of England.  Also one of the great things about England is tea time (I will discuss this in future posts) but suffice it to say that it allowed us (Katie, Emily, Sara, and I) to relax after walking all day, have a delicious snack, and talk for a few hours - so we got to know each other even better.  I am a huge fan of the European style meal (snack) in which you sit and talk and eat and enjoy for a few hours and you are not constantly rushed (like at Duke or in America) to go do tons of work after.  You really enjoy your meal and your time.  

Pulteney Bridge & Avon River

stained glass at Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey ceiling 

grave marker in Bath Abbey

The corset #bestpostureever

Sara and Maggie at the Roman bath

Lock - ultimate boat times

like a boss

Things I have learned and taught

Three hours a week (the painfully early 8-11am Thursday block) I volunteer in English classes at a neighborhood middle school.  Despite the fact that I have to get up at 7 and leave the house just as the sun as rising, I really enjoy the classes I work with.  I work with kids in 5ieme and 6ieme (the American equivalent of 6th and 7th graders) who are 11-12.  Usually I just check over their work (I cover half the room while their professor covers the other half) or I write English words on the white board or they ask me simple questions having to do with their vocabulary lesson (like Are their theaters in your city?  How many sisters do you have?....).  Today was super fun though because I was asked to explain Halloween to the younger group (11 year olds).  I had to speak clearly and slowly and give a simple explanation.  I talked about costumes, candy, jack o lanterns and "trick or treat".  They seemed pretty interested.  My favorite part was when one student asked me if people eat fondue on Halloween.  I thought it was kind of a funny question and answered "no, not necessarily.  You might eat it at a Halloween party though".  I also decided that fondue will be a new Halloween dinner tradition - both chocolate and cheese of course.  

Some funny moments that have also happened: 

- Last week one girl combined "frog" and "fly" to make "flog".  

- The children have trouble with "h"s so whenever they try to say horse it sounds like "oooooorse".  It's pretty cute/funny until I remember that is probably what I sound like every time I open my mouth...

- This isn't funny as much as it is interesting.  My provence teacher told us yesterday that our word "courage" comes from the french word "coeur" meaning heart.  It blew my mind!!!!

After break (so Nov 3) I am supposed to tell the kids about the British holiday Guy Fawkes Night - which as far as I can tell is a night when British people have parties and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes - a malcontent who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605. Sort of along the lines of V for Vendetta if you have seen that movie.  I hope later in November I get to tell them about Thanksgiving.  The only down side is that talking about all of these American holidays makes me kind of sad that I won't be able to celebrate them properly with my family and friends.  Oh well.  That being said we may or may not be having a Halloween party (complete with candy and costumes) and the end of break.  I hope it happens!!!

We Try to be Cultured

Last night we went to the Ballet Preljocal.  It is a modern dance/ballet troupe that is based in Aix and under the direction of Angelin Preljocaj.  We were on our own for dinner (no dinners with our families) so Sara and I made spaghetti with bread.  We also had some Rose and tiramisu for dessert.  And we watched Modern Family during dinner.  Needless to say dinner was quite enjoyable.  After dinner we rushed to get ready.  I wore a beige top with skinny black ankle pants and my birthday shoes (which are pretty comfortable to walk in, thanks to their rubber wedge heel).  Sara wore her new navy blue flowy skirt, her yellow heels and a white shirt.  We looked very nice.  Sadly, on the way down our stairs (which are quite treacherous, the are spiral which means that along the curve of the spiral, the inside part of the step gets very narrow, and the steps become triangle shaped.) Sara lost her footing and slid/fell down.  She is ok - no broken bones.  She does however have a gigantic bruise on her leg and it hurts every time she walks.  After her tumble we rushed to meet our group to walk over to the ballet (poor Sara hobbling along the whole time).  We found our group and walked across town to the ballet.  Once we got there we waited around for twenty minutes while our program director attempted to secure tickets for us.  Luckily(/unluckily??) she got enough tickets for us and we went to find our seats.  I sat in the very back row.  

The ballet: There were three pieces, Annunciation, Centaurs, Snow White.  They were 20, 13, and 11 minutes long respectively.  The first one (Annunciation) was very strange and by far my least favorite.  It was very modern (not lots of recognizable ballet moves - though the dancers moved a lot and you could "appreciate" the skill involved).  Also the music was reprehensible (at best).  It wasn't music so much as random sounds - most of which sounded like nails on a chalkboard or a computer dying.  Needless to say I was relieved when the lights finally dimmed.  Centaurs started out strangely (lots of movements similar to baby horses walking for the first time) but the dancers were really wonderful and you could easily tell they were supposed to be horses (they did a lot of hoofing like movements and trotting).  Also the music was more musicky and less technological.  I really enjoyed the last one, Snow White, which showed Prince Charming finding the dead Snow White and then being very devastated.  The movements and music were the most similar to what I imagine ballet to be (traditional, classical...)  Also the female (Snow White) was very good - most of the time she just had to be a rag doll while Prince Charming, in his desperation, danced with her limp body - but she did it very convincingly and you could tell her limpness required actual movement.  I really liked this piece, so it was a good way to end the show I thought.  After it ended I rushed back home and went to bed in preparation for my early midterm (which went very well I think).

We leave for London (fall break) on Friday.  I am really looking forward to it (the museums, seeing all of our friends who are studying elsewhere, seeing Bath and Oxford) but I am a bit worried.  We are going to be moving around a lot and staying in hostels so I hope I am not too exhausted by the end of it all.  But it will be really fun I think.  Also cold (but I think I can survive that).

Sara and Emily looking fancy after the ballet (I was unfortunately already in my pjs)

Sara's monster bruise

Sara Tweets

literally fell head first down our stairs.  #sprialstaircases-ughhhhhh

Le Marche aux Puces

I was in my element at the flea market

With endless tables of treasures

Like vintage globes

and antique bird cages

Paris je t'aime

Paris in October

This past weekend Sara, Ellen (a vandy friend), and I went to Paris.  It was sensational, comme d'hab (french slang for as usual).  We stayed at the hostel I was in two weeks ago.  It's fun to stay at the same hostel because then you feel like you're coming home (almost...) and you get to know the area really well.

It may seem strange to some (unbelievers, if you will) to go back to Paris when I have all of Europe as my oyster, but for the questioning let me explain.  Paris is one of those places that always surprises you.  You can go several times and do different things every and still never run out of things to do.  But at the same time you can always go back to your favorite places (parks, museums, restaurants, neighborhoods) and feel comfortable, because you've been there before.  I usually like to avoid quotes but I feel like this one is quite appropriate:

"America is my country, but Paris is my hometown" Gertrude Stein.

So there - good old Gert said it better than I ever could have.

Here are some highlights:

Pere Lachaise Cemetery - The first place we went upon arriving.  This is a very famous French cemetery.  Lots of famous people are buried here, such as: Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison (lead singer for the Doors), Chopin, Balzac, Edith Piaf...  One of the best parts of the cemetery is that it is a wonderful place to flâne (walk around aimlessly, see other Paris blog post).  It has so many beautiful mausoleums and tombs, some of which are hundreds of years old (and covered in moss).  It's a bit morbid, but all in all a really beautiful place to wander around.  We did so much wandering in fact, that we were in there after it closed and so a policeman had to pick us up in his car and drive us to the exit (thanks heavens it wasn't a The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler situation in which we were stuck there over night - yikes!).  

Italian Dinner: We had a wonderful Italian dinner our first night.  We found a tiny Italian restaurant in our neighborhood.  When we got there, there were no other customers (that didn't change until about one and a half hours into our meal) but we decided to eat there anyway.  The place was actually delicious - we had a very long and delightful meal.

Marché aux Puces - The Paris flea market.  Saturday we woke up and walked to the Paris Flea Markets.  Luckily we were close - so the walk wasn't that bad.  We walked through some shady areas of Paris though - think lots of people with merchandise (possibly stolen?) set out on blankets for sale.  We decided to speak French through this area just to be safe.  Eventually we arrive at the Flea Markets - which are HUGE!!!!  There are several different sections, but they all essentially sell the same items (clothes, furniture, house decor, postcards, accessories...) but for a range of prices.  For a bit we wandered through the very expensive section (there were literally red carpets on the ground) and we felt very out of place.  But we also found some really amazing places with some of the coolest things.  Sara found some bird cages she really likes, there were awesome vintage clothes, and cool knick-knacks.  We bought Christmas presents and a few little things for ourselves.  It was a really fun way to spend a morning.  Again, lots of flâning involved but that was one of the most enjoyable parts - just experiencing/seeing Paris (parts you would never normally see).  

Tour of the Left Bank/Latin Quarter - This is one thing you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO DO if you ever go to Paris.  There is this group - Discover Walks - that does about 7 different tours daily.  We decided to do the Left Bank on (the left side of the Seine River).  We met our tour guide (Marie, the french recent grad) at Notre Dame and went off to our tour.  We started at the oldest church in Paris - St Julien Le Pauvre.  She gave us the whole historical origin of the church and it's namesake, which I LOVED.  I was taking notes and photos the whole time - it was a history lover's dream.  Marie told us tons of cool facts about the Latin Quarter: why there are so many more medieval buildings here than other places in Paris (the architect who designed most of Paris - Haussman - was fired before he could touch the left bank), that Dante Aligheri studied here (!!!!!!!), and tons of other super cool facts.  Marie was wonderful because she knew the area so well, she lived there and used to study there (the Sorbonne, the 1st university IN THE WORLD, and easily the most famous current French university, is located in the left bank).  

Shakespeare and Co - After the tour we darted over to Shakespeare and Co before dinner.  It is located in the left bank (traditionally the most academic, artsy, independent part of Paris).  Marie told us on the tour that you can actually apply to live here for free!!  You have to be a writer, you have to work in the shop while you live above it, and you have to read one book a day.  For real!  But you can stay there and write for free for 2-3 months.  Incidentally the beat writers (Kerouac, among others) did it, and Hemingway was a frequent guest during his ex-pat days.  So Shakespeare and Co. really might be the coolest place ever.  We went inside and did some shopping.  Sara and I wandered upstairs into a room where a guy was playing the piano.  We he finished his song he asked if we had suggestions.  Someone mentioned the theme from Amelie (a famous french movie) and he asked for the tune - so I hummed it.  Sadly he didn't recognize it.  Then Sara mentioned "Ain't no sunshine when she's gone" and he played it.  After a minute or so he started singing and Sara joined in.  It was really super cool.  Then Sara bought a really fantastic book of poetry, Ellen bought a funny new fiction book, and I bought a postcard (I bought a book last time, and I'll probably buy one when we are in Paris with the group in November).

Dinner: We went to a place Marie recommended in the Left Bank.  It was delicious!!  We all had quiche with Rosé (which was actually a bit strong this time).  For dessert I had a pear and chocolate tart and Elle and Sara each had warm chocolate cake.  It was one of the best meals I have had in France so far.  

This trip to Paris was so much fun.  Unlike my trip two weeks ago, this one wasn't as scheduled.  We had more time at each place to wander around (flâning!!!!!) and to talk.  Also the tour was wonderful.  It showed me a part of Paris I had never seen before but of course, now, I love it.  I also found some new favorite places that I will have to visit next time.

Sara with the Love Locks (people attack locks with the boyfriend/girlfriend's name and their own to a bridge in Paris)

Notre Dame

Montesquieu: students kiss his foot (the higher up one - worn bronze) for luck before their exams 

Maggie, Sara, Ellen, Marie (the best tour guide EVER)

My Paris home (aka the hostel)

Mont Saint Victoire: Breathtaking (literally)

Yesterday I hiked up Mont St Victoire with about 12 other people in the program group (including Sara).  It was quite a memorable experience.  As I have explained before, Aix is famous for the Mistral.  Well yesterday (and today to a lesser extent) was "graced" by the gale-force wind.  Add that to climbing up a mountain and what do you get?  Almost being blown off the mountain (I wish I was kidding) about a million times yesterday.

When we started in the morning, it was pretty cold but I was confident that the sun would warm the day up and I would be fine in running shorts (I brought a fleece pullover just in case - it was a good thing too, it saved me from turning into a Maggie-sicle).  Turns out I was grossly mistaken.  Yesterday was actually freezing.  The wind was soooooo cold.  And at some points it made me almost fall over.  During the hike up, I had to take a few "breathers" to avoid being turned into a human kite.  And I say "breathers" sarcastically because the wind was blowing so hard that it often took the breathe out of my mouth (hence the breathlessness).  Nevertheless the hike (all 5 hours of it) was really enjoyable.  I got to know many of the people in my group that I don't normally see (different class/sleep schedules...).

We made it to just below the summit around lunch.  There was an old monastery up there - which was really surprising and beautiful.  We took a break for lunch and then some of us went to the actual summit.  There was a cross on top of it (part of the monastery).  It was very precarious and pretty scary being up there (the wind here was especially strong - and by especially I mean terrifyingly).  At one point on the way down (I tried to follow Sara down but she was too quick) I had to cling ro a rock face (think Gollum from Lord of the Rings scrambling up the mountain - it looked like that, but worse).  But then the rest of the group caught up to me and we scampered down to the shelter where we had lunch.  After lunch we headed down (a much easier but occasionally treacherous process). I don't know how mountain goats do it.  Let's just say I think I am better suited for sea-level.

Despite all the near death experiences, I am super glad I went.  I can now cross climbing Mont Saint Victoire off my bucket list - and I never have to do it again.  Also it was a great opportunity to talk to people in my group.  And Sara and I had a delicious lunch of champions - fresh baguette and goat cheese.

Sara, Maggie, Ellen on top of Mont Saint Victoire 

Parts of the old monastery 

We climbed to the tippy top of the bigger mountain - the pointy bit

Sara Tweets

Hiked Mount Saint Victoire despite almost being blown off the mountain by the Mistral #wordtoCezanne

Sara Tweets

Discovered an incredible book on our shelf yesterday. "Dirty French" #usefulfrench

A Flâneur's Guide to Paris

Let's begin with a definition.  Flâner (verb) (french): to walk about with no other purpose than seeing the sights/experiencing one's location/admiring the beauty and activity around oneself.  Note: this is the only useful thing I have learned in conversation class so far - this verb.

I spent this past weekend in Paris (The City of Light, aka my favorite city).  I went with Caroline and Laura, some new friends from Vanderbilt.  Sara was also in the city with Karen (our friend from Duke).

Sara and I took the train (TGV) up on Friday and the split apart.  Our ride was pleasant except for ALL THE BABIES!!!!  They were four (possibly more) children under the age of 4 - aka they were all very loud and whiny.  But we were going to Paris so it was fine.  When we arrived, Sare went to find Karen and I met Laura and Caroline after their train.  Our first order of business was to go to our hostel.  It was located in Montmartre (my favorite part of Paris, famed for Sacré Coeur, the many street artists, its hills, and its grand presence in the film Amelie - it was the setting).  After checking in (and finding some surprises like the Book of Mormon down stairs in Spanish (!) and the interesting cheese/clorox beach aroma of our room) we sent of to flâne in Montmartre.  For those who haven't been to Montmartre first of all go - immediately - as in make that the centerpiece of your next vacation (you can thank me later).  Second, the two most important characteristics of Montmartre are stairs and artists.  Montmartre is a large hill in Paris with Sacré Coeur (a large white basilica with a dome - you can see the entire city from this point) so naturally you have to take lots of lots of lots of stairs to ge to the top.  It's like a major trip to the gym.  As for artists - this area not only has tons of street art (mostly graffiti) but also lots of artists.  While there we went to Sacré Coeur and walked around inside.  The inside of the dome had a gorgeous painted scene of Jesus and His Kingdom on earth.  We also went to the Dali museum - which I had done before, but greatly enjoyed this time.  Dali was quite prolific - he did bronze sculptures, sketches, water colors (light and dark), lithographs, collages, and he even made a few pieces of furniture.  He also illustrated many stories like Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isuet, and the 12 tribes of Israel - I think I enjoyed his water color illustrations the best.  We flâned around Montmartre for a while.  We saw my second favorite church there - a small church with dark brown stones but blue glass mosaics everywhere.    For dinner we went to a gluten free restaurant (for Caroline) and had a pretty decent dinner.  My favorite part by far was the raspberry champagne (which was unfortunately spilled all over Caroline but then fortunately refilled).  then we went back to the Hostel - showered and slept.


The next day we got up pretty early and went to the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries garden).  This is between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde - in central Paris.  It was so early that the gardens weren't that exciting - the only people we saw were runners.  But we were really only there to see the Musée de l’Orangerie (Orangerie Museum).  It houses most of Monet's waterlilies, some Renior, some Soutine, a few Cezannes and some others.  The Monets were breathtaking.  The canvases were huge - the were in a circular room and three took up an entire room.  For your next Paris trip go see the waterlilies.  There are also paintings by Soutine there - he painted the side of meat that Julia Robert's shows her snotty art history class in Mona Lisa Smile (the movie).  She does that to challenge her know-it-all students to redefine art.  Which is what Soutine does.  His portrait of his fiancée is a perfect example.  It is not at all flattering - but it pushes the envelop.  So I really respect his paintings now.

After the Orangerie museum (which quickly became my favorite), we went to the Rodin museum.  He is famous for The Kiss (a sculpture done in both broze and marble).  It was cool to see his sculptures but not my favorite part of the day.  After that we grabbed a quick lunch and went to Les Grands Magasins (the big stores - think France's Neiman Marcus or Saks).  We first went to Galleries Lafayettes and the Au Primtemps (literally In the Spring).  They were filled to the gills with luxury clothes, jewelry, make-up, purses, and tons tons tons of people.  Like the largest amount of people I saw in one place.  It was very overwhelming.  But still and fun shopping break.

After that we flâned over to Musée de Cluny which houses Medieval art in an old monastery in the middle of Paris.  I was in heaven.  The history geek in me was going crazy!  I loved the stained glass fragments from Saint Chapelle and the original pieces from the Notre Dame statues of the Judean Kings (on the door).  But my favorite was La Dame à la Licorne (The Lady with the Unicorn) a huge 6 part tapestry from the late 15th century.  This piece has long been a favorite of mine but with all magnificent pieces of art it was rapturous to see in person.  Pictures couldn't do it justice so I bought scads of postcards (my strategy with Monet's Waterlilies).  I also took tons of notes at this museum.  It was definitely the highlight of my day.  


After that I met with Karen and Sara for dinner.  We ate in Montmartre.  It was delightful - I had moules frites (mussels and fries), rosé, and crème brûlée.  Sara's friend met us and brought a french friend so the whole dinner was just absolutely delightful - albeit LONG and LATE.  We ate around 9 and finished around 11.  So not my ideal dining hours - but it was still a wonderful meal.

This morning Laura, Caroline and I went to 8:30 mass at Notre Dame.  It was in French but similar to what I used to (I was raised Episcopalian so I feel at home in traditional churches).  The sermon was very nice (what I could understand of it...)  But the main point was that communion was like when pigeons come to feed from people's hands - but we are the pigeons and God is the person.  I might not be explaining it well (I'm very tired as I write this) but the sentiment was very comforting.  It was strange to be in a service though when at all times scores of tourists are walking by and talking pictures though.  It was a slightly unsettling mix of reverence (attending worship in an ancient and famous and grand cathedral) and spectacle (for so many tourists Notre Dame is not a place of spirituality, it is just a landmark to photograph).  All in all I really enjoyed the service and was greatly moved by the whole thing (the sermon, the latin bits, the soloist, the church itself...).  After that we flâned some more and ended up at the Pantheon.  Again I learned all about its history but for this post's sake (sorry it's running so long) I'll skip the super cool facts I learned.  Basically the Pantheon is modeled after the original in Greece, is dedicated to Paris's patron saint, St. Genevieve, and holds the tombs of French luminaries (Victor Hugo, Dumas, the Curies....).  After that we went to one of my new favorite places in Paris Shakespeare & Company.  It's a book store like one out of the movies.  It's crammed with books.  Since I am out of words - refer to the pictures below.  Definitely add this to your places-I-MUST-visit-in-Paris list.  After 30 divine minutes we left to catch our train home.

This trip to Paris I:
- bought 30 euros worth of postcards (not a big deal...)
- found my new favorite museum (Cluny)
- found possibly the greatest book store on earth (Shakespeare and Co.)
- formed a blister the size of my thumb on the bottom of my foot (surprisingly it doesn't hurt!)
- had a gluten free meal
- took tons tons tons of pictures
- and still didn't get to visit all the places I wanted to

Guess I'll just have to go back...

Sacré Coeur

Me with Monet's Waterlilies

More Waterlilies

Stained Glass at the Cluny

Sara, Karen, Me at Notre Dame

Shakespeare and Company: bibliophile heaven