Café chillen

With the jet lag and fast paced lifestyle finally catching up to us, me and Brooke have been laying low lately.I've spent lots of time in a cafes over the past few days, doing some work and sippin on Café au lait (this is coffee with milk, a Café to them is an espresso, very bitter). Brooke found out she has strep throat on Sunday, so she spent her day sleeping and resting so I set out by myself to read for class and found a little cafe that I loved. I loved the intimate feels of this one, with most of the other people there being regulars (some seemed like family members of the workers, little baby running around). That afternoon I went and got chocolate chaud (hot chocolate) with a new friend I met. After that we what walked around the city a little bit, and up the Seine River. On Sundays the city is pretty quiet because most stores are closed, except for those in big centers such as Bastille. This weekend was a fun, relaxing one- very much needed. We have a lot of fun things planned for this week and then this weekend is Bastille Day!

Marche aux Puces

One of Brooke's friends spent her whole fall semester in Paris and made us a huge list of all of her favorite things to do here. She recommended that we go to this flea market,Marche aux Puces, that had a vintage market hidden within. We made our way there this morning, grabbing a crepe and finding our way through thousands of stands of anything and everything tourists could want. You were greeted by "Louis,Gucci,Prada" as men approached you with their arms full of knockoffs. We finally found the nice, hidden vintage market and roamed for a couple hours. The stores were filled with vintage designer purses like Chanel,YSL,Hermes,etc,fun jewelry, art, prints and many other rustic goods. Today we just browsed but are hoping to go back next Sunday ( its opened only on Saturdays and Sundays) and make some purchases!

Picnic

Since we do not have classes on Friday, we all woke up and decided to go have a picnic under the Eiffel Tower. We took the metro down that way and stopped at a local Patisserie and grabbed some champagne,cheese(s), meats (jambon and salami), and olives. I took one of my sheets and we spread it out on the lawn and had a picnic under the Eiffel Tower. It started to drizzle a little bit but it ended up clearing up. We laid there for a couple hours people watching and snacking. After, we made our way to the Champs E'lysses and went in and out of a few shops. For the whole month of July, every store in Paris has a sale (only the government can issues sales and its twice a year). It just so happens we are here during the biggest sale of the year, sorry mom and dad! We're starting to learn our way around the city and the metro system, making it easy to get around see all of the places we want to see! This weekend will be our first to roam around and visit all of the museums and places that we have not had time to see yet.

Orientation

We received our books and CEA Id today..we can get into some museums for free with it because we are considered Art history students..we start classes tomorrow and I am really really excited..I know, I'm a nerd

Settling In

We finally made it to Paris very early this morning which translated to 12 am US time. Our flight went pretty well despite the fact that our plane did not have the little tvs on the back of each seat which meant no on demand movies. Me nor Brooke could seem to fall asleep on the plane, which meant today was a very very long day of excitement and fatigue. We were picked up at the airport by the CEA crew, who then took us to the CEA main office where we received a food care package and a folder with all our information about housing and the next days to come. Once we received our keys, the taxi took me, Brooke, and Katie (one of our 2 other roommates) to our apartment.

Rue Paul-Bert

Our apartment is on the second floor, so I was forced to carry 2 (large) bags up the spiral staircase {Evan I know you'll get a kick out of imaging that again} till we finally made it. The apartment has two bedrooms, a small kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Brooke and I immediately opened the french style windows and have been listening to the sound of traffic and french children all day. 

After unpacking we decided that we wanted to go explore and grab some lunch in our arrondissement (district) of Paris, Bastille.  We finally found a restaurant that had outdoor seating that faced the center of the square, so we took a seat and enjoyed our first Parisian meal!

Carolus Tripel 

Quatre Fromage pizza

We have a long day of orientation tomorrow starting at 8:30 am, so until then Bonne nuit!

Finally arrived!

Flying into Paris at sunrise (6am)

Last meal in America

Mom made me a salad for my last meal- I am already excited about the French food but know I'll be missing my normal eats after a little while (Takosushi, Moes, Chick-fil-A)