{ la première semaine }

(a little late, but) the week in photos

A magical last thing to see before falling asleep that first night. No, I didn’t fall asleep at 5 pm, this was around 9:30.

orientation

the first dinner (on our own)

cafe de la paix by the opera so expensive it hurt

First glimpse of the Eiffel Tower

…and had to go again on Tuesday!

…before heading back to shop at Galleries Lafayette

the extravagant ceiling covering the extravagant shopping gallery

JEUDI

On Thursday, we had our hearts set on eating Thai food, but after finding out that the place we found was à emporter only (take out), we settled on a French café nearby.

After class, to kill the couple hours before dinner, we walked around Montorgueil/Les Halles area. This is where the first macaron happened.

After a dinner of hotdogs and potatoes (they called them sausages, but they tasted like hotdogs to me!) we decided to go on une petite promenade.

A walk through Champs-elysees

We walked toward the Louvre and then took the metro to Concorde. Right off the metro, we saw the beautiful fountains and the glistening Eiffel Tower in the background.

The street was already set up for le quatorze juillet, aka Bastille Day, so it was a bit hard to walk on at first, since the sidewalks were fenced off. That didn’t stop us from running into a street for the perfect (or not so perfect) center shot of the Arc de Triomphe. But don’t do as we did, wait a little longer and closer to the street they actually have little median/islands at the crosswalk for the perfect photo op.

Even though it was already midnight, the street still seemed lively, and a number of restaurants and stores were still open. I definitely want to be back to explore during the day and enjoy the daylight view as well.

Soon we reached the Arc de Triomphe. I didn’t feel like I was in Vegas/Disneyland anymore. This just seemed too real, I don’t know how to explain it, but it was amazing.

After taking a fair share of architecture beauty shots, we headed back towards the metro. Walking there was enough of an exercise for the night!

Fourth of July in Paris

It sounds just as odd as it was! I’m not exactly a 4th of July expert (haven’t celebrated in the States for at least seven years!) but I’m pretty sure we celebrated in the most French way acceptable.

I started off my day with lunch with a friend from UCLA doing a different language program. We met at the Louvre (note: it is a horrible place to meet up, why did we think it was a good idea to meet by the pyramid, where thousands of tourists stand daily…) and walked around a bit before settling on a little Italian café with a welcoming owner.

A little note on ordering in Paris. For lunch, many cafés offer set options, usually refered to as “formule” or, confusingly, “menu.” These usually involve some sort of combination with entrées (confusingly, this means appetizer), plats (entrees), and desserts and boissons (drinks). When walking around to find a place to eat, I usually gauge the priciness based on the prices for the set menus or the plat du jour.

Another important thing to remember: If you want water and ask for l’eau, they might give you a bottle. For free water in a pitcher, ask for un carafe d’eau.

I have learned so far that basically in Paris, you can take for granted that desserts will be delicious no matter where or what. We ordered chocolate mousse and fromage blanc (which tastes somewhere between greek yogurt and cream cheese and is really delicious with honey or sugar). It was amazing with some rosé on a rainy day.

After lunch and a bit of shopping at Les Halles (you’ll be hearing that a lot, I love that underground sheltered and dry shopping center), I headed back to class.

We got out of class just in time for the France v. Germany game to begin and we headed over to a restaurant/bar to check it out.

Of course we know that it didn’t go so well for France, and while we were sad that we couldn’t celebrate the World Cup finals during Bastille Day weekend, we still had to celebrate the day of #murican freedom first!

So (of course) it was time to splurge on Chipotle. And when I say splurge, I mean it. If you want an idea of how much Chipotle costs here, just double the price of what you usually pay. And then take into account that people here don’t serve American portions. And that they struggle with the whole burrito wrapping business. After careful observation during my half hour wait in a line that wasn’t even all that long, I came to the conclusion that they should train in California to speed up service. Then again, everything moves slower here.

If you ever think guac is expensive, just remember that it costs 2 euro for half a spoonful of guac in Paris. TWO. EURO. Hardest decision of my life but I did it for America and freedom (but basically California).

Arizona, the most American drink I could find. Even their cokes say like Pierre on it.

After stopping by a nearby fran prix (mini market) for drinks, it was off to the Seine to enjoy our classy dinner in a very French way, ironically. I apologize for the iPhone quality pictures!

Even at 10:30 to midnight, there were plenty of people walking around the Seine, enjoying some wine with the view, sometimes interrupted by a very brightly lit cruise.

I can’t say I had barbecue or saw fireworks, but it was still one of the most memorable 4th of July’s yet! How would you celebrate 4th of July abroad?