C'est Une Parfait Parisian Jour!

The past 24 hours has been perfect :)

Last night my friends and I grabbed a few bottles of wine and met up at my homestay. We then walked through Montmartre to the top of the city and drank them on the steps of the Sacre Coeur, which has the most amazing view of Paris! And yes, drinking in public is basically legal here.

We spent the time getting to know each other better, and also chatting/mingling with some of the other people visiting Paris. We talked to one group all the way from Australia! Which reminds me that I saw a man wearing a Michigan hat on the metro today! It is a small world.

 

Then today we explored Montmartre a little bit.  We got drinks at this little café where the waiter said if we gave him our number he would give us free drinks... only in Paris! Then we got baguettes and I finally got to see the number one destination that I wanted to visit while in Paris (yes more than the Eiffel Tower)... The Moulin Rouge! We didn't get to go inside because it is 240 euros per ticket but just seeing made me so happy! It is my absolute favorite movie, and I can pretty much recite every word.  And then I of course visited the gift shop where I bought a set of "Moulin Rouge Paris" engraved shot glasses, a little Moulin Rouge box and also some red lipstick that says Moulin Rouge on it!  It says it is the same one used by the dancers, so I guess this is as close as I will get to being one of them haha

Today was also day one of my History of Art class site visits.  Today we learned about Notre Dame and we also got to visit the Saint Chapelle and learn about it at the same time.  The program I am in is so cool, each week we meet in the classroom Mondays, then the rest of the week we actually meet at the places that we are reading about! My professor is amazing as well.  He told us we can call him Howard, and since the French do not pronounce H's, it sounds like "Oward" haha so I spent the day practicing saying it in my French accent (which is getting pretty good).  But Howard is just so passionate, knowledgeable, and engaging with everything he is talking about that it makes the "studying" part while being abroad a bit easier.

 

Paris, Je T'aime!

Bonjour!

Well so far Paris has been this magical adventure that I can't accept as being real life yet... But it is and it is perfect! I am in love with this city already. The first night we were here, we met up with a big group of us from the program and got fondue for dinner. Then we walked around and ended up buying some bottles of wine (which are only 2 euros!!) and hanging out in a fountain in the middle of a square in the 5th arrondissement, which is an area where a bunch of students hang out, also known as the Latin Quarter. 

 The next day we decided to get to know the neighborhood that we live in, by the Rue Barbes. And what I found out is that it is in a "rough and tumble" part of town. Just walking to the metro you are guaranteed to get a million catcalls and French men saying "baby I love you! Come home with me!". We are also on the edge of Montmartre! Yes the VERY Montmarte from the movie the Moulin Rouge which just happens to be my favorite movie of all time.  So naturally, we started at the Sacre Coeur. This is a beautiful church on the top of a VERY high hill (lots and lots of stairs!) that gives a breathtaking view of Paris!

We then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Cite, or the little island in the middle of the Seine.  This island separates the Left Bank from the Right Bank and is home to such beauties as the Cathedral of Notre Dame as well as the famous "Paris Love Lock Bridge".  These are very touristy sights, but things you have to do while in Paris. 

Then my friend in the program has a friend who is a native Parisian so he decided to take us out for the night! So he bought us tickets to a club called "Showcase". We first went to this little bar called "The Wall" for pre-drinks.  I asked the bartender to make me a drink "avec beaucoup des fruits et beaucoup des alcohol", so he made a little concoction and it was so good that I had two! When I asked what it was called, he asked what my name was, and then told me the drink was called "The Jessica" haha so I told him I would be back soon and will want to get "The Jessica". So then we rode the metro to the Champs Elysees where the club was at. Well really it was under it, or under a bridge that goes over the Seine. The bridge had beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower at night (which just happened to be sparkling) so of course we had to take many pictures. Then we got to skip all of the lines at the club and go straight to the front! It was so cool and the club was unreal. Lots of house music, which isn't necessarily my favorite, but dancing was still a lot of fun!

Then the next day we met up with all of the people from UofM in the my program, "Arts in Paris".  First we went to the most famous falafel place in Paris and all got falafel... which I didn't know was just fried chickpeas haha but it was delicious!  And then we all got to take a boat ride on the Seine! It was sooo hot but being able to see more of Paris was great. Our professor came with us and basically gave us all a free lecture on what each of the things we passed were which was really cool! And then we walked around more of Paris and at the end of the day I bought a baguette and a macaron and slept from 9pm until 12pm the next day... oops!

 

Je Suis Á Paris!

Once it seemed like everything was going wrong, life handed me a dramatic 180 degree turn for the best!  Because not only did someone find and turn in my wallet, I FINALLY got my luggage, and I lucked out and got the BEST homestay family!  And on top of it all, I am in the City of Lights. So overall I got everything I lost back and now I am ready to enjoy my time in Paris.  

So far, Paris is all about getting espresso, coffee, and wine.  The jet lag hasn't been too much of a problem because I skipped a night of sleep so I got to catch up and wake up ready for the day!  We got to explore around a bit the first day and then were able to meet our host families.  I got lucky and am  paired with another girl in my program so we get to ride the metro and figure out how to communicate with our host family together! We are living with the Astar-Badier's in the 18th arrondissement in a flat on the fourth floor (which to Americans is really the fifth floor).  And the apartment is huge and gorgeous! There are four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living room areas, a dining room, a foyer and an espresso machine (very important haha). 

My bedroom is so cute and comfortable! I have a big desk, big queen canopy bed and window that opens into the courtyard.  It is absolutely perfect!  But I think my favorite part of the whole apartment building is the stairs leading to the apartment.  It is something straight out of the Phantom of the Opera.  So beautiful!  Also, my host family is so nice!  The mom Christine went out and bought me a toothbrush for the night because mine was still lost with my suitcase.  And the dad Jean-Louis and daughter Eloise (who is 18) had dinner with Jolie (the girl from my program) and I last night together and it was just so cute!

But anyways, we are currently trying to figure out plans for dinner and drinks tonight so I am off!  I will be sure to post more pictures tomorrow, I think we are going to the Eiffel Tower! Au revoir! <3

 

 



When Everything That Could Go Wrong Went Wrong...

 List of what went wrong:
 

1.  The first flight had engine problems and was delayed 2 hours.

2. I had to run 21 terminals to catch my connecting flight while carrying my carry-ons.

3. I made my plane!.... but my luggage did not.

4. Proceeded to watch Pretty Woman and Sleepless In Seattle on the plane; bawled my eyes out.

5. Then saw an old fat bald man also watching Pretty Woman on the plane. 

6. Had someone try to pull a "Taken" and get me to ride his motorcycle instead of a taxi into the city.

7. My luggage was sent to Frankfort, Germany.

8. My seven years of French language study have not prepared me for how "rapidement" the French speak.

9.  My luggage is MIA and will continue to be until tomorrow sometime (ambiguity intended)

10. I lost my wallet, including my money and credit cards. 

 

This would happen to me... UGH.

FINALLY!

I am finally in the airport on my way to Paris!! SO EXCITED! Got a few drinks and some nugs (of the chicken variety) to calm my nerves and am ready to go. The next time I update this blog I will be in Paris! All I know is to go to "sortie 11" once I find my bag to get a cab. I think I have the address of where I need to go...? I feel like it's just going to be an explosion of French language and culture and I am anticipating being overwhelmed haha But ahhh I can't believe it is actually happening!!! I keep expecting something to go wrong... but so far so good!! Wish me bon chance and bon voyage! Xoxo

Last Days In Disney!

 Well I spent my last few days in Disney just enjoying being there and being with my family<3 Awww I know so cute.  But now I get to pack for two months without them!  I mean there's only so much family time I can handle, but two months really is a long time.  Dare I say... I'm going to miss them!

My resort had a pool with a lazy river AND a sand bottom pool so basically I was in heaven and spent a whole day laying there until typical to Florida it started to rain around 3 in the afternoon.  But I got a great tan and shared a daiquiri or two with my mother.  The first drink the waitress brought was definitely virgin... she didn't check my ID and I wrongly assumed that was because I looked 21. I made sure she checked the next time which was slightly awkward. 

 

 So my last morning in Florida after being here for a whole month I spent in Magic Kingdom with the fam.  And I'm so glad I did because we got to explore the new parts of Fantasyland!  And we actually got to eat in the new Beast's castle.  It was so gorgeous inside and really made you feel like you were in a real castle!  We only got to get lunch because dinner reservations are booked for the next 8-10 months...  But lunch was really good! In preparation for France I got a "croque monsieur", which is basically a grilled cheese with ham.  And if you looked out the fake windows in the ballroom of the castle, Disney actually found a way to make it look like it was snowing outside in July. 

And also the new Little Mermaid ride is soooo technologically advanced compared to most of the other "ride through" rides such as Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh it was actually amazing.  The animatronic characters actually looked real and it felt as if you were underwater.  Plus the building the ride is in looks exactly like the castle from the movie! Disney really outdid itself.  Now they just need to add a Hercules ride, a Mulan ride and a Pocahontas ride and I will be satisfied :)

So basically I am now obsessed with castles which is perfect seeing as how my next stop for the summer is Europe!! Now I get to go pack... which is going to be extremely difficult seeing as how my shoes alone are going to put me over the weight limit.  But oh well I have a whopping 24 hours to pack and figure it all out.  Wish me luck! xoxo